Spend It Wisely!

     When our children were growing up, my dear husband worked hard to impress on them the importance of saving money for a "rainy day".  We did our best to warn them to put aside funds for the unexpected events like a car breakdown or appliance failure.  We all know what happens if you do not plan out your expenditures.  However, one area we all overlook is how we spend our time.  This is especially true at the holidays.  From Thanksgiving until New Year's can be like a mad dash with little enjoyment in between unless we learn to slow down and spend our moments wisely.
     Don't get me wrong.  I love the gatherings, choir programs, and church services, but it seems we go overboard often resulting in holiday "burnout", sickness and fatigue.  I hear people often say that they cannot wait till the holidays are over so they can reclaim their energy.  In my humble opinion, this is no different than not saving some money for that unexpected expense.  Our reserves are down to the "nubs", and we lose the meaning of Christmas in the midst of the rush.
     Psalm 90 verse 12 tells us:  " So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."
Life is short.  We live 70 or 80 years on average and some even longer if God allows.  During this time, we must learn to spend ourselves in such a way as to glorify God.  This is our purpose for being here.  After all, we are human beings not human "doings".  Evaluating our activities in light of the Bible, our family and work commitments is as important as balancing our check book and saving for a rainy day.
     Perhaps, my grip on this concept comes from the lessons I learned when I had polio.  Fatigue is one of the after effects of this disease and in 1996, I was diagnosed with Post Polio Syndrome.  One of the doctors told me that each of us has a certain reserve of energy for the day.  We can spend it on what we want to but when we run out, we must take the time to recharge.  If we do not, we will pay the price with pain and more fatigue. Yes, I had to test the theory because I am stubborn.  When I overdo activities physically, it usually takes me several days to get back to normal levels of energy.  Fortunately, many of you have been spared this scenario.  Yet, there is wisdom in learning to pace ourselves with our physical work as well as schedule of activities.
     Think about this.  What good are we when we are exhausted mentally and physically?  We often become "Grinch" like and cynical when our reserves are drained.  This is not glorifying God and enjoying Him forever.  Instead there are some practical steps we can take.
     First, pray about the holiday season before and during this time period.  Seek God's wisdom to know what activities to attend and which to skip.  There is no sanctification gained by being at every event under the sun.  Organizations and churches have more activities than most people could possibly ever attend.  So learn to say "no" without any guilt or shame.  Let the Spirit of God guide you!
     Secondly, remember what this season of the year is all about.  We are taking time to celebrate Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Attend things which will build your faith.  The preaching of the Word, the reading of the Word, the singing of the Word are all helps to building us up.  Make up a calendar that is realistic for you and your family and stick to it!  Remember, accidents happen, illness occurs and other emergencies so we need a cushion to allow for things that are unexpected.
     Finally, take care of yourself by getting adequate sleep and a good diet.  We often take care of ourselves last, but this means we are more vulnerable to colds and exhaustion.  Taking a few minutes here and there to just have quiet moments to read the Bible and pray can do wonders for us.  Don't let your schedule run you!  You must determine and run your schedule!
     Saving money and time for our rainy days are really important to the quality of our walk with Christ.  We honor God and glorify Him best when we use the time He has given us wisely.  During this holiday season, let us learn to be good stewards of our time and energy.  May He grant us all wisdom in doing this!  Selah!

Sprinkles, Sprinkle Everywhere!

     Last week, while our three grandchildren came for a visit, we made a very large batch of frosted Christmas cookies.  This has been a tradition in our household and something I did with my own mother growing up.  I believe we had a total of 69 cookies by the time we finished our work and today while sweeping, I discovered not only did we decorate the cookies, but we also covered a lot of ground throughout our house too.  I found sprinkles on the floor.  I found sprinkles behind a door.  They were in the laundry room, and even, the bathroom.  This is beginning to sound like a Dr. Suess story, but you would be amazed how far those little fellows traveled in my house.  Little did I know we had made such a big mess, but we did have a good time.
 
   While I was vacuuming, the thought occurred to me that those ever spreading sprinkles on my floor are not unlike what happens when we commit a sin.  We think that no one else is affected by what we do in secret.  Yet when we violate God's Law, not only does He see this, but the ripple effect spreads to include those around us.  A good example of this is the sin of adultery.  We know the story of David and Bathsheba.  Their one night stand ultimately led to the scheme of killing Bathsheba's husband in order to free her to marry the King and legitimize her pregnancy.  After all was said and done, the baby died, the King's family was torn with strife from that point on, and David's sin was revealed by the prophet Nathan. This is precisely why God lays out boundaries for us in this life that we might not have to face consequences like this.
     Jesus used the example of leaven which causes bread to rise.  In Luke 12:1-2, He said:  "1Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2“But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 3“Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops."  Here Jesus is pointing out that often the Pharisees laid heavy burdens on the people in terms of rules to live by.  However, they did not always keep them in their own lives.  This hypocrisy would be revealed in due time causing others to stumble.  There is no sin that will not be exposed at some point whether it is lying, cheating, stealing or some other offense.  We may think no one will ever find out, but just like the sprinkles on my cookies, it can spread everywhere.
     Even little white lies can lead to big problems.  A friend may ask our opinion of something they just purchased.  Instead of being honest and telling them kindly that it would not be our style, we may lie and say it is lovely not wanting to hurt their feelings.  If they discover our true feelings later on, it may cause them to doubt our opinion in the future.  We have just put a dent into our friendship which did not need to be there.
     In God's eyes, all sin is is unacceptable.  He is perfectly holy and cannot tolerate it.  However, He provided the remedy by giving us His Son to bear our sins on the cross.  What comforts me most is that through Him, we are set free.  We no longer have to live in bondage to messy sin.  We are free to choose holiness by the power of the Holy Spirit in us.  Even when we do sin, we can quickly mend our relationship with God through repentance (1 John 1:9).
     Baking those cookies was fun and decorating them made them all the more delicious.  Our intent was to keep all the sprinkles on the cookies, but in reality, they ended up in every nook and cranny.  Sin is just as messy and can permeate every area of our lives.  Yet we have an advocate in Jesus Christ who carried our penalty to the cross.  If we trust in Him, He will clean us up and make us new inside.  Let us take time to think before we act...to look before we leap...and consider if our actions will bring glory to God or serve to hurt others by our sin.  May we consider this carefully.  Selah!

Looking At Life Through Redeemed Eyes

     When my husband and I married 48 years ago, he was a student of optometry at The Ohio State University and I had a new position working in public relations for the Ohio Optometric Association.   He picked up extra work along with having  scholarship help so we could make ends meet in those early years.  His study of the eye, its diseases, treatments and solutions for vision problems was a fascinating one for which he felt called by God.  Side by side, we shared a plan to help others through  his work.
     In the year before we wed, both of us had another experience that made a big change in the way in which we viewed life as a whole.  We had been introduced to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ (now known as Cru).  This not only changed our relationship to God, but it radically opened our spiritual "eyes" to a new worldview.  In the light of God's Word, we could see things we had missed before.  Life came into focus much like a child who could not physically see well until he/she put on a pair of glasses.  It was amazing!
     Perhaps some of you have never witnessed the expression on the face of a person who has only seen life through fuzzy vision until they are given a pair of corrective lenses.  Their world goes from blurry to clear in an instant and takes their breath away.  This is how it was for both of us before we made our covenant with God in marriage.
     Looking through redeemed eyes means we can truly see life and sin as it really is.  There is no fuzzy or blurry perspective.  Sometimes that is hard for us to see all at one time, so God graciously leads us in our growth and sanctification revealing how horrible sin really is and how great is His salvation.  I am happy He doesn't show it to us all at once lest it be overwhelming.
     Daily, as we bathe our minds in the Word of God, more becomes clear to us that was perhaps obscured in years past.  For example, I was thinking of my parents today and the many choices they made which I never understood till now.  My rebellious attitude and actions did not make their job easy, and for that, I heartily repent.  Laying these past actions at the cross has set me free from the guilt of the past.  This is what new vision in Christ accomplishes for us.
     A great example of an "eye opening" change was in the life of John Newton, "The African Blasphemer" as he called himself.  He was raised by a Puritan mother who taught him the Reformed catechisms until her death when he was six years old.  His father was a sea captain and took him on many trips.  John was later impressed into the British Navy but was so rebellious he was dismissed.  He fell into the hands of a slave trader and was made a slave himself for a time.
     Eventually, John Newton became a leading captain of slave trade ships which he later described as horrible places of death for many of his human cargo.  During a terrible storm where the ship was nearly lost, John returned to the faith his mother had shared with him when he was small.  In time, he came to be a clergyman and fully repented of his hand in the slave trade along with his other sins.  His most famous contribution was the writing of the poem entitled "Amazing Grace".  After this was set to music, it became one of the most beloved hymns of the Christian faith.
     Through redeemed eyes, John Newton saw what his sin had done to others and to himself.  Until his death in 1807, he lived to make clear the message of Jesus Christ that set men free.  He was a spiritual eye doctor offering sight to the blind in this world.  It is said that in his latter years when he could no longer reason or remember well, he remarked to a friend:  “Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.”   Of all things, these are the two greatest things to remember.
     While on earth, Jesus healed physical blindness, but opening spiritual eyes to see the truth of God's Word was His greatest mission.  Jesus said in Matthew 6:22:  22“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23“But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!"  The redeemed eye can see clearly and fill us with the light of God's understanding.  Just as my husband worked to help people see things clearly in the physical realm, Jesus Christ came to give us spiritual vision that was clear.  As we pour through the pages of the Bible daily and immerse ourselves in prayer to the only One who sees all things plainly can we really begin to put life in proper perspective.  Today, let us thank God for "redeemed eyes" and ask Him to continue to show us the truth that we may bring glory to His name.  Selah!

Only One Thing We Are Told to Hate

     In this season of good will towards man when cheery greetings are exchanged, there still seems to be an atmosphere of hate that pervades our culture, political discussions and sadly, even in families.  We all know that hate is a powerful emotion that destroys everything it touches; yet, the Bible says there is one thing only which we may hate.
     Psalm 97 magnifies the Lord, His sovereignty over all things and His coming judgement of this world.  Verse 10a, though, tells us the one thing we are to hate:  "O you who love the Lord, hate evil!..."  Why are we told to hate evil?  Because, God hates evil.  He is holy, pure, righteous and altogether without sin.  Since He is holy, we, as believers, are called to be holy likewise (I Peter 1:16).  Therefore, we are to hate what God hates and desire to live righteous lives of moral character based on the Bible.
     When I read this verse today, I had to pause and consider what a struggle we are facing in our world today.  It is a conflict between good and evil.  All the mores which once governed conduct have slowly been eroded by time and man's sinfulness.  From the beginning, God laid out His moral standards for godly life in "The Ten Commandments" given to Moses.  Furthermore, these values are expressed in greater detail throughout the Scripture if we take time to read it.  There is no compromise, equivocation, or duplicity with the Lord.  Jesus said in Matthew 24:35:  "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."  Still man tries to bend God's Word to suit his own purposes.
     A good example of this comes in the Theory of Evolution.  Many of the supporters of this theory in the early days applauded the idea that life evolved rather than being created by God.  A prime advocate for this approach to life was Aldous Huxley (an essayist and novelist) who famously said:  "For myself, as, no doubt, for my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation.  The liberation we desired was simultaneously liberation from a certain political and economic system and liberation from a certain system of morality.  We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom (Aldous Huxley, Ends and Means, 1938, pgs. 269-270, 273).  What many want is freedom from any constraints on behavior or conduct.  If they do not have to answer to God or even believe that He exists, they are free to indulge in all types of actions without any consequences spoken of in the Bible.  How convenient.
     Over the years, marriage has gone from the God ordained one man and one woman to include two of the same sex.  Many live together and have children without the benefit of marriage thus weakening the family, and even gender identity has been left to question.  Unfortunately, many churches have bought into society's view rather than following God's mandate in His Word.  They seem to stand in judgment of God's Word as being too harsh and not inclusive enough.  Some say, they would rather show "God's love" than any condemnation for alternate lifestyles.  Yet Jesus made it clear that God's Word will remain long after these churches have disappeared.
     If God is immutable (unchanging in any way), then His commands and instructions are without compromise.  God hates evil and what He created at the beginning was good.  After the fall, however,
man began to twist the Word to suit himself and his appetites.  It is only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection power that we are redeemed from this sin nature.  We receive a new heart and a new way to live which includes hating all that is evil.  We are never to hate people.  Our conduct is to reflect the holiness of God through prayer and study of His Word.
     Beloved, of all the people in this world, we must demonstrate our love for others by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ so that others can be liberated from the self destructive bondage of sin.  We only hate evil and can never excuse it away.  If we are to be a light in this world, we must take a stand against all that is contrary to the Word of God in our communities, nation and churches.
     Psalm 97: 10b-11 ends with this:  "He preserves the lives of His saints; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.  Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart."  Let us learn to love what God loves so  that we can glorify His name and enjoy Him forever!  Selah!