Tiny Seeds Yield Lots of Fruit

2 Comments / August 1, 2023

I noticed an interesting plant springing up in the midst of the impatiens. At the one end of this flower bed next to the garage looked like what would be some type of squash or pumpkin. I remembered that my husband had thrown an old pumpkin there at the end of the season and forgot to remove it until much later. Could it be from that?

Before I could decide what to do, my husband had pulled the plant out. After all, we don’t want a pumpkin growing in the midst of our impatiens!

But when another healthy seedling sprang up, I asked him if we could just leave it grow. I wanted to see what it was and what would happen.

And so this summer we have a giant pumpkin plant at the front corner of our home, growing like…well, “like a weed”. It’s enormous (as you can tell from the photo above). It has a bunch of flowers and early fruit on it and looks like it will yield much.

Isn’t that so amazing when you stop to think about it? A pumpkin was carelessly discarded and spilled out its seeds and then one of those tiny seeds grew into this enormous plant filled with fruit?

What a great reminder! Those little seeds we carelessly toss around will do the same. Whether they be seeds of kindness or seeds of discord; seeds of self-discipline or seeds of laziness or addiction; seeds of anger and grudge-holding or seeds of forgiveness; seeds of doubt or seeds of faith; seeds of gratitude or seeds of complaint; seeds of worldliness or seeds of godliness… whichever seeds we choose to carelessly sow will spring up and turn into a plant that yields lots of fruit.

One of the biggest problems with our current culture is our lackadaisical attitude towards our future. We think only of today. But those seeds we are planting today will yield fruit in our lives and the lives of those we love. It would be best to really examine what seeds we are planting today. If we are going to be stuck with an enormous plant full of fruit, may it be a thriving plant of good fruit.

God tells us in His Word that we will reap what we sow—

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. (Galatians 6:7-8)

Our lives and the lives of those around us tell us this truth, don’t they? You can’t escape the sowing of bad fruit. No matter how much we would wish to. Actions always have consequences.

But this principle also works in an opposite and wonderful way. If we sow good seeds, we will reap the fruits of righteousness and blessing.

The time to think about this is when we are young. Oh, we just have no idea how the seeds we sow will affect the rest of our lives and the lives of those we love. Many live with so much regret. But even as we age, it is never too late to start sowing better seed. It is just never too late.

Today is a great day for us to consider the seeds we have been sowing and to make a change. While none of us will ever sow seeds of righteousness always or perfectly, may that be our hope and may we work at this intentionally as we seek to walk with God.

(Update: For those of you who aren’t on Facebook, I just wanted to let you know that my husband’s surgery went very well. We are currently sitting in the hospital and as he sleeps, I decided to take a few moments and write. Thank you so much for your prayers!)

An Exercise in Trust

4 Comments / July 25, 2023

Ironically, I had just read a book that contained the account of a deadly ferry fire. All those on the ferry had perished with the exception of just a few. Granted, this had occurred back in the 1800s, when the safety of passengers was not of the greatest concern. But, still…we do hear of ferry tragedies today…

So while I thought the ferry would be fun, I did have this in the back of my mind. And the ferry to the island was fun. It was a beautiful ride in the summer sunshine. Dousing ourselves in sunscreen, we sat on the front deck, drinking sodas and lemonade as we watched boats of all shapes and sizes pass by us on the water. After a pleasant 45 minutes, we were at our destination.

After enjoying a lovely day on the island, we prepared to go back on the ferry. The first hiccup was the 7:30pm ferry. Our plan was to take this ferry back to the mainland. Unfortunately, we did not realize that the 7:30pm ferry only picked passengers up on the weekends. We had totally missed that fine print (we weren’t the only ones).

Disappointed but not disheartened, we walked to a park to wait for the 8:30pm ferry. Had we known we had that extra hour we certainly wouldn’t have wasted it in a park but such is life. Around 8:10 or so we headed over to the ferry dock.

As we watched the ferry move closer to us, it looked…different. Observing the amount of people that stood in front and back of me in line, I couldn’t imagine how this small boat would hold them all. The smallish cabin of this ferry was at one end, while the back end looked like…a road (photo above was my view as we chugged back to the mainland). I found out later that the regular ferry had broken down and this stand-in was a ferry used to carry tankers.

As we boarded, we quickly realized it was going to be an interesting ride. There were no announcements about life vests or safety or anything else. There were no warnings to stay back from the edge and away from the various holes, both protected only by flimsy, orange plastic fence. And staff were nowhere to be found. I was “unpleasantly” surprised and found myself growing more and more nervous.

We found ourselves on the lower deck (on the “road”), just standing there at the back. A kind couple had left us take a chair out of the back of their pickup for my husband because he is unable to stand for very long due to his bad back (an update regarding his surgery will be at the end of this post) and so we just stood there by him.

Well, that was until the ferry started its engine to move out into the open water. Oh, my, was that loud!! My daughter and I took her boys and moved to the front of the “road”, while my husband and son-in-law remained under those loud engines. As we stood there in disbelief, her oldest son had a look of stark fear on his face and said, “This is the worst thing on this trip!”

I couldn’t agree with you more, buddy! I tried to stay calm, but, all the while, my mind kept going back to that book I had just read. This just didn’t feel at all safe. This was going to be a longgggg forty-five minutes.

It did not help AT ALL that there was a huge NO SMOKING sign on the ferry and about halfway through our trip I saw an arrogant young man skateboarding his way across the deck while smoking a cigar.

That is when my fear reached an all-time high. I started dwelling on the what-ifs and if-onlys. Do you know what I mean? Have you been there? Maybe not on a ferry but in some other place or at some other time that plagues you with these questions.

At some point, I realized that sometimes God’s Sovereignty allows for terrible tragedies. And I asked myself: Would I still believe He is good even if this ferry did not reach its destination?

I know this probably sounds so silly and dramatic to some of you (a vivid imagination is definitely one of the hazards of being a writer!) but these were the thoughts that filled my mind as I found myself in that totally unexpected situation. And I realized that I needed to just trust God, no matter what. Whatever happened, He had not changed. He was still good and kind and sovereign. To live is Christ, to die is gain (Philippians 1:21).

As I thought of these things, I came to a bit of peace. I still was not enjoying it, but my fear settled down. As I hugged my grandson, who was crying, probably both from fear and exhaustion, I could honestly say that we would be alright, believing my own words.

Why did I happen to read that book with the deadly ferry fire right before that ferry ride? I think it was because I needed that exercise in trust. These kinds of situations test us and strengthen us for the moments that it becomes not an exercise but the real thing.

It reminds me of a soldier who will attend boot camp and drill practice to prepare for the real battle. Let us not waste these little, seemingly insignificant, moments in our lives for they are probably given to help prepare us for those inevitable battles that lay ahead of us all as we go through life. May we not waste even one opportunity God gives us to remember His loving Sovereignty in our lives (Romans 8:28-29). And may we not forget to thank Him when we come through a frightening experience safe and protected. :)

…..

Whenever I am afraid,
I will trust in You.
 In God (I will praise His word),
In God I have put my trust;
I will not fear.
What can flesh do to me?

(Psalm 56:3-4)

…..

TWO QUICK NOTES:

First, I still cannot email from my growing4life email address. I spent a few hours a few weeks back trying to fix this. I will work on it again to try to fix it, although at this point, I am not even sure where to turn… At any rate, I wanted to let you know that I SO appreciate all of you who have taken the time to write and encourage me and to let me know you will be praying for my husband’s upcoming surgery.

And, second, speaking of the surgery… a few of you have asked about the date. The surgery is schedule for this Monday, July 31. We are so grateful for your prayers regarding this. We so appreciate them!!

It’s Temporary

1 Comment / July 22, 2023

Last week I found myself walking through an unfamiliar grocery store. While on vacation, we needed a few things and searched for a grocery store nearby. We found a really nice one but it was totally new to me. I knew where nothing was. Nothing at all.

Having a rather long list of miscellaneous items shelved “who knew where”, I found myself wandering the aisles in search of them. I found most everything because, like most stores, they had category signs in the aisles.

But as I came to my last two items, I simply could not find them. I hunted and hunted. Aaah, there was the one. One item left. Batteries. Where would this grocery store keep batteries??

Finally, I just asked. I was tired of wandering and not finding them. I had wasted enough vacation minutes in this store already and my husband and two of my grandsons were waiting in the truck in the parking lot.

I found a young girl working in an aisle and asked her where they were. She pulled out her phone to look it up and then told me aisle 13. I looked up at the sign for the number of the aisle we were in and, lo and behold, I was in aisle 13. I found it comical that she wasn’t even familiar enough with the store to tell me they were in the aisle we were standing in. Feeling a little stupid, I walked towards the front of the store. Yep…there they were. To my left was a small section of batteries. How did I miss them?

My search in the unfamiliar store would only be temporary should I move to that area of Massachusetts. If I would start shopping there regularly, I would soon become familiar with the aisles and the whereabouts of all the items.

How similar this is to our study of the Bible. When we are unfamiliar with the Bible, we come to it a bit uncomfortable and totally unable to find anything. Sometimes we need to ask someone who knows it better to help us find something. But as we grow more and more familiar with it, our study of it becomes so much easier and we begin to know where things are.

So, if you have wanted to study the Bible but feel overwhelmed, just know that it’s temporary. Before you know it, you, too, will be familiar with God’s precious book. It just takes some intention and time. We don’t want to give up simply because we are unfamiliar with its contents.

Just as I could have left that store in discouragement and without what I needed, so we are often tempted to leave our study of the Bible in discouragement and without what we need. But let’s not give in to that temptation but, rather, be diligent and persevering as we mine the invaluable treasures that are held within its pages.

Can I Survive on Desserts?

2 Comments / July 12, 2023

What do you do for devotions? Do you have a book written by an author who shares a verse or two and then gives a bit of thought and application about that verse? Devotional books are quite popular and can be a big encouragement in our walk with the Lord.

But devotional books should not be considered our “time” with the Lord, for they are not really time spent in the Word. How do we know if the devotional book is solid if we aren’t reading and studying the actual Bible?

We really can’t. Let’s take a look at an example…

The most popular devotional ever, Jesus Calling, is filled with false teaching and error about Jesus. And, yet, this is what so many use as a devotional. I understand why. If we aren’t in the Word, doing the hard work of mining the treasure, then it looks pretty good. It’s filled with comforting words that we like. It is only when we actually study the life of Jesus that we can see that many things said about Jesus in that devotional are in direct opposition to who Jesus actually is.

That’s just one example. But there are many others.

Devotionals are easy to get down. They are like dessert. Full of “yummy” encouragement and sugared words, they build us up. A good devotional also convicts and challenges us. But they are, after every consideration, only dessert.

And just like we would never be able to survive–or at least survive with good health– if we only ate things filled with sugar and fat so, too, we cannot be in good spiritual health if we don’t fill ourselves with the meat of the Word.

Of course, if we are honest with ourselves, we know that a big component of this is time and laziness. Devotionals are easy. They are a quick way for us to check off “quiet time” on our long to-do list. Most of us don’t really desire to do the hard work of digging into God’s Word. And some of us probably don’t really know how and have just never bothered to learn.

The interesting and rewarding thing is this: When we commit to studying the actual Bible and go about doing it despite our feelings of apathy or inadequacy, we will be filled with more and more desire to know God and His Word. As they so often do in all aspects of life, feelings tend to follow along after the choices we make in our minds. As a good friend once told me–feelings should never be the engine of our choices but always the caboose. With our mind, we make the choice to study God’s Word faithfully and then the feelings will come, just like a caboose follows the train.

At any rate, I just wanted to take a few moments this morning and encourage you to eat your spiritual meat and veggies before getting to the dessert. While dessert certainly makes life sweeter, it will not sustain us for the long haul. May we view our devotionals as an “extra” and not the main course of our time spent with God.

The Little Foxes

3 Comments / July 1, 2023

This past week, I was blessed to spend a few days at the beach with two of my best friends. As we walked into the unfamiliar Air Bnb, we took a look around. It was a cute little condo right on the beach, albeit with a view of the dunes rather than the ocean, given its first floor location. But that didn’t bother us. We could still hear that lovely lull of the waves. Such wonderful medicine for the soul.

As we explored the small condo, we naturally looked outside to check out our view. Suddenly, one of my friends said, “and we have a fox…”

Quite honestly, that didn’t compute for a second. A fox? In Ocean City, Maryland? Foxes live in meadows and woods and forests. Not at the ocean. But, lo and behold, there stood a very sickly-looking fox staring at us. And not moving. It made us all a bit nervous. What was it doing here? And why wasn’t it running away when we opened the door to take its picture?

On the way to lunch that day, I called and left a message for wildlife control. Could they take care of the sick fox sitting right outside our patio?

But it was still there when we returned later on. So my friend called the police to see if they would do anything. They said no. Lo and behold, and totally unbeknownst to us, OC, MD has a fox problem. They wouldn’t be out to do anything unless he got aggressive or caused a problem.

He wasn’t causing any problems. He just sat there looking at us like he was waiting for something. Over the course of the next few days, two more foxes with totally different markings would show up in the morning and the evening. They would lay comfortably out in the sun or under the shrubby tree nearby as the sun set, their heads perking up hopefully when we’d open the sliding door. They seemed to be waiting for something…

At some point, it dawned on us that there must be someone on the lower floor of this building that was feeding them. They were coming around because they would sometimes get fed.

I had never seen a fox that close up before. Aside from that poor sickly one (which looked like it had mange and was on its way to a slow, torturous death), they were rather cute (see photos above). In fact, they reminded me very much of my dogs. Which, of course, makes sense since, in the purest sense of the word, they are dogs.

As I thought about these foxes, I realized that they are a little bit like the temptations we feed.

Just as those foxes thrive on those bits and pieces thrown out to them, so, too, do our temptations thrive on us caving to them. Just as those foxes come around with expectations, so, too, do our temptations to sin. If they would stop getting fed–the foxes and the temptations–they’d stop coming around so often.

It reminds me of when my kids were little and they’d pest each other. The glee of the “pester” came from the response of the “pestee”. When the “pestee” stopped responding, pesting lost all its fun.

I think temptation is a little like that. The more we cave to the temptation, the more often that temptation comes. When we can, with the Lord’s help, say no to that temptation, we experience a small victory. The more we can say no, the more power we have over that temptation. As we grow stronger, the temptation grows weaker.

So often, when we talk about temptation and sin, we think of these “giant” sins that we arrogantly declare we would never commit. But let’s consider some of those respectable sins that beleaguer those who consider themselves “above” those gross sins. Sins such as self-absorbtion, anxiety and worry, pride, envy, holding grudges, gluttony, immodesty, ungodly entertainment, angry outbursts… so many little foxes everywhere we turn.

I don’t know what particular sin you struggle with today. I do, however, know the struggles I have. I am greatly encouraged by this verse from I Corinthians 10:13–

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

We have the power through the Holy Spirit to keep those little foxes from coming around all the time. God is faithful and He has made a way of escape. Our duty is to choose that way of escape.

As always, this is easier said than done. But God’s Word tells us it is not impossible.

So let’s keep fighting the battle to keep those “little foxes” far, far away from our hearts and minds. We may not be able to eliminate them completely, but we can lessen them greatly!

A Brief Note to my Regular Readers

26 Comments / June 20, 2023

In case I haven’t said it recently, thank you for reading this blog. If it wasn’t for you, there would be no reason to write. God has blessed me through you over and over again. Some of you have become dear friends that I cannot wait to meet “in person” in heaven some day. Through this blog, I have realized that there are other like-minded believers across the world who desire to trust and obey God and His Word, even if it costs. And that has been a big blessing! (Find Growing4Life on Facebook to experience some of that like-minded Christian fellowship for yourself.)

I wanted to mention a couple of important things as we head into summer–

First, a month or two ago, I began to notice that gmail was not letting me reply to your emails. I would always get the “Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender” error message. I have never had this issue in all of the years that I have been writing. I waited a few weeks to see if the problem would disappear but it has not. So I need to try to figure out what’s going on. But I want you to know that I try to respond to all of your emails. They are important to me. If I don’t respond it is because they have landed in Spam (that has happened throughout the years and sometimes I catch them and sometimes I don’t) OR, currently, it is because I can’t figure out how to. Even if I email you with your email address in a separate email (not replying to yours), it comes back to me undeliverable. It’s frustrating beyond measure. So I will be working on that but I didn’t want you to think I don’t care.

(And a personal note: for the person who wrote to me about the surgery they are having tomorrow, I want you to know that am praying! I cannot figure out how to get that response to you but please know that I am praying for you!)

Second, I wanted to just mention that my posts may be a bit more sporadic during these summer months. I will be writing some new material but I am not sure it will be weekly or always on Tuesday. I have a busy (and fun) next few weeks planned and it may make it difficult to write regularly here. It seems like a good time of year to take a small break.

Third, I’d like to ask you for prayer. My husband is facing a pretty serious back surgery at the end of July. At the beginning of 2022, he started having back pain. In the past, he could do a few things that would relieve the pain and it would go away in a few weeks. But this time it never went away and, in fact, grew worse and worse until now he is unable to be on his feet for any length of time. My husband (some of you already know this) does not like to sit still. This has been quite the challenge for him. To say the least. We are thankful to the Lord that he can sit and lay down without pain. I know many of you who have back pain are unable to do that. At any rate, if you could pray for comfort and strength for my best friend as he faces this major surgery, I’d greatly appreciate it. And for the doctor, that he would be able to do what is necessary to give relief (there is some fusing involved). Also, perhaps pray for us both as we face a long recovery together. I imagine it will be rather challenging for us both! haha

Thank you in advance! :)

Fourth, I want to thank those of you that reach out to me once in awhile to let me know you are reading. Blogging is a rather one-sided thing to do and, if it wasn’t for hearing from some of you occasionally, I really wouldn’t know if anyone is reading at all. So I just want you to know that I appreciate you taking the time to encourage me. It means more than you know.

Well, I guess that’s it. Not a normal post but I did want to update you on a few things. I hope you all have a great summer! Keep praying and studying the Word! We never want to take a break from that :) Have a great day!

The Place of God’s Appointment is the Place of God’s Provision

1 Comment / June 13, 2023

Have you ever talked to someone who insists that God’s Will is something that goes completely against His Word? Perhaps they are walking away from a loyal and loving spouse because they are infatuated with someone else. Or they are taking an outrageous and irresponsible financial or physical risk, insisting that God has sanctioned this decision. Perhaps it is a mom that is making her career a priority rather than her family or it is the pursuit of a dream at the cost of far too much. Whatever it may be, Christians often expect God’s provision and blessing upon them in these choices they insist are God’s will.

But is this how God works? Does God bless and provide when we are in a place where we were never to be in the first place? I guess occasionally He may–simply because of to His tremendous grace and undeserved mercy– but that should not be our expectation.

In I Kings 17, God told Elijah to go to the brook Cherith, assuring him that He would send the ravens there to feed him. Elijah obeyed the Lord immediately. Verse 5 puts it this simply: So he did what the Lord had told him.

That’s all the information we have so we do not know if this cost Elijah anything. Although, we can imagine it must have been rather strange for him to expect food from a bird, much less one that was considered unclean by His people. That alone would have been a challenge that we can’t really comprehend very well. But Elijah’s provision came because of His obedience. He was fed by the ravens at a specific place. Had he chosen to ignore God or go to a different brook, he would not have had God’s provision or His blessing.

I am currently reading a book by Will Varner called The Chariot of Israel and it is in there that I was reminded of this important truth yesterday. I have been thinking on this ever since and considering the truth of this in my life and the lives of other believers I’ve met.

The author puts it like this–

The place of God’s appointment is the place of His provision. In other words, you’ve got to be in the place God wants you to be if you expect to claim the promise that God will meet your needs. This is the Old Testament counterpart of a New Testament truth that’s stated in Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” If I am seeking first the Kingdom of God, I can be assured that God will meet my needs. The place of God’s appointment is the place of His provision. Are you where God wants you to be? Then you can claim God’s promise that He will meet your need.” *

I think about this on my own life. I can think of one time, in particular, that my husband and I made an extremely difficult choice in order to please the Lord. We knew He wanted us to do a certain thing, although it was sure to cost our family so much. But we went ahead and did what we knew we had to do in order to follow God. And did it cost us? You bet it did. It cost us a LOT. It is one of the most painful times we have been through. BUT… looking back now, we can see God’s incredible grace and mercy carrying us through that time. And there were some amazing blessings that came because we chose to obey the Lord rather than rebel against His will.

So now when we look back at that time, it is with awe in our hearts at God’s faithfulness to us despite the difficulty of the path. We experienced His provision in a wonderful way because we were willing to travel the path He had made clear we were to go.

Of course, sometimes I stick my feet in the ground and just say NO, God, that’s too much. I just don’t want to. An example of that is the music I so loved. I’ve written about that often before. I told God, in no uncertain terms, that I would not give it up. I said this to Him for years and years. But as the battle grew more fierce in my soul, so did the conviction. It finally prompted me to ask God for help as I struggled with my unwillingness to do what I knew God desired me to do. And guess what? When I finally was willing to step out in faith and obey, again came tremendous blessing: God totally removed my taste for the music I had so loved. I still look upon that as a small miracle. I am in awe even yet when I think about it.

And, yet, I still struggle giving up certain things or walking the way I know God wants me to walk sometimes. Even after all of that. Isn’t that just ridiculous? Even as I write this, I can hardly believe my own stupidity sometimes.

The one thing I do know, though, is that the more we are willing to follow hard after God, denying self and turning from the world, the more blessing we receive. So that we don’t really miss what we thought we would miss. It really defies logic. God is so amazing! His grace is amazing and so is His provision! The same God that fed Elijah with the ravens is the same God still at work today in our lives!

Can you look back, as I do, and trace God’s amazing provision and abundant grace in your own life? If you have walked with God for any length of time, I am sure you can. His promises are not just empty words. They are proven true over and over again by those who are God’s own dear children. His provision is a very real thing to those of us that seek to love Him with our whole heart, soul, strength, and mind (Mark 12:30).

And so I want to encourage you this morning to step out in faith and do what God has called you to do. It may be something as simple as sharing the Gospel with a co-worker or reaching out in kindness to an elderly neighbor. It may be giving up an ungodly TV series or leaving a church that is headed a wrong direction. Whatever it may be, know that your choice to follow God will not go unnoticed by Him but will lead to His provision and blessing as you seek to serve Him. He is so kind and so very faithful. He will keep you and He will change you.

Psalm 1 echoes this thought and so I wanted to share a few verses here this morning of this precious Psalm. I hope you will carry these words with you as you seek to follow God and do His will today–

Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3)

*The Chariot of Israel by Will Varner, p. 23

Who is the Real Troubler?

3 Comments / June 8, 2023

I have been reading I Kings 18 and I just had to send out a second post to you all this week because it is just so interesting. And so very relevant to our own culture today.

In case you are unfamiliar with this book of the Bible, this particular passage in I Kings is about Elijah. In chapter 17, Elijah had pronounced to Ahab (wicked King of Israel) that God would judge Israel by allowing a three year drought—“there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” (I Kings 17:1).

We are especially dry here where I live right now and so thinking through this took on new meaning. I can’t even imagine three whole years without rain!

In chapter 18, Elijah returns to Ahab three years later to pronounce that it would now rain. But this was not just a simple pronouncement. If you will remember, this is where Elijah calls all of the prophets of Baal to Mount Carmel to a showdown. Whose God would answer by fire? (I Kings 18:24).

But let’s take a look at a few things of note in this chapter. There are quite a few lessons for all of us who seek to follow God whole-heartedly.

First, let’s take a look at a man by the name of Obadiah. He was over the King’s household but he “feared the Lord greatly” (I Kings 18:3) In fact, so much so that, when Jezebel sought to destroy all of the prophets of the Lord, he hid a hundred of them in a cave and took care of them.

So here was a man who was in a high place of influence and he used it for the good of God’s people. Not all are called to be teachers or preachers or influencers. Some are called to protect and to help and to support. Wherever we are, we must determine what our role is in God’s Kingdom. But we all do have one. God may have put you in a place of great influence, where you can really help and encourage those who are on the front lines. We should never neglect nor downplay this very important role in God’s family.

Second, we have this interesting exchange between Ahab and Elijah at the end of that three years—

Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”
And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals. (I Kings 18:17-18)

Ahab accuses Elijah of being the “troubler of Israel” but who is the real troubler here? Elijah says it to him straight: Ahab is! He has followed Baal and forsaken God and has brought judgment to Israel.

Oh, how often this happens still today! Particularly in churches. A person stands up for the truth of God’s Word against false teaching and they are demonized and ridiculed. They are called divisive and a “troublemaker”. Normally, they end up pushed out of the church. This has happened over and over again. I’d rather guess it has happened to some of you reading this right now.

It can be discouraging, can’t it? But we must remember that just because someone calls us the “troubler” does not necessarily make it true. Now…we can do things all wrong when we stand for truth and we certainly must be on guard to constantly and intentionally be checking our heart attitudes and our demeanor when we speak up in defense of God and His Word. But speaking up—even if we do it with the right attitude and in the kindest of ways—will often bring censure and anger. The truth of God’s Word is not something that most people love. Often, sadly, this includes even believers.

So don’t be discouraged if you’ve been called a “troubler” in your church or family or workplace. We need to check our attitudes, pray for grace and love, and then speak up against false doctrine and worldliness, when given opportunity. Just as we know God has commanded us to do.

Third, in I Kings 18, verse 21, Elijah accused the people of “limping between two opinions”. However, you can’t waffle between God and pagan worship. You can’t serve God and Satan at the same time. That’s what most in Israel were trying to do.

And I think that often happens in this culture, as well. Only we have more sophisticated, modern names for the things we worship than “Baal”. But, when it all comes down to it, it is the same thing.

When we choose to allow our child to play sports on a Sunday morning instead of go to church, we are dividing our allegiance. When we choose to watch a show or movie filled with wickedness, it’s probably time we just call it what it is: An act of allegiance to the devil. When we live and breathe work or education or even our families, they have become an idol that is in just as much competition with God as Baal ever was.

These idols in our lives sneak in. We don’t set out to worship anything else besides God. But, before we know it, our entire lives are wrapped up in something other than God. We must always be on guard against divided allegiance in our souls.

So those are just a few of the lessons God has for us in I Kings 18. There are more but I do not want to make this too long. I hope this has encouraged you this morning. I know it was very encouraging—and challenging, as well— for me to consider these things.

As we read on in chapter 18, we realize anew that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and that He, and He alone, is the ONE, TRUE GOD. May we keep this in our minds always as we seek to live for Him every single day.

Fake Flowers are a Little Like Fake Religion

3 Comments / June 6, 2023

Something you may not know about me is that I love flowers. Not only do I love flowers but I know a little something about them. My husband and I have owned a landscaping company for 36 years now and one of my responsibilities is ordering and organizing the flowers we plant for our customers. All that to say…

I notice if something isn’t right when it comes to flowers.

For example…

This past weekend our family went to a little amusement park that is nearby. The park was clean and the grandchildren had a fun day as the park was perfect for them and geared toward their ages (7 and under). And, in fact, we adults had a wonderful day just watching them!

However, shortly after we walked into the park, I noticed something strange. There were flowers I had never seen before. I had certainly never planted anything that looked even remotely similar and, upon closer inspection, I noticed they looked rather…odd.

I bent down to investigate further and that is when I realized that they had taken artificial, plastic flowers and stuck them in the ground. One wasn’t even in the ground and the entire thing was lying forlornly in the middle of the bed. I picked it up with disgust and showed it to my husband. What self-respecting amusement park would use fake flowers?!? I was flabbergasted.

We talked about how those fake flowers would be easier to care for, for sure. They would require no watering, no maintenance, no extra hassles.

Yes… but… they weren’t real.

But, looking around, I realized that no one else seemed to care. In fact, most people didn’t even notice those fake flowers at all.

So why did I notice? And why did I care?

I noticed because I love flowers and I know a little something about them. And so when something doesn’t look right, I see it. But most people don’t care all that much about flowers and know even less about them and so, quite naturally, they didn’t care at all about this. And that’s okay. No criticism from me on that point. We all have our different interests.

Oh, but what a perfect analogy…!

We believers are walking through the amusement park of this life. We love God and we love His Word and when something is off we should notice. We should care.

So why do few who call themselves Christians care? Why does very obvious fake religion and false doctrine escape their notice? There are a few reasons that come to mind…

First, we are so easily distracted. We get caught up in life and its responsibilities and we are tired. Too tired to worry about if what the coworker said is true or if that movie our kids want to watch is something we should actually be watching. Just like people walked on by those fake flowers because their kids are complaining or they are purposefully headed to that show before it starts, so we, too, get distracted and miss what’s right in front of us.

Second, we say we love God but often, by our actions, we show that we love self more. We tend to look out for number one. So, although we do truly want to live for God, it is sometimes hard to make obeying Him our first priority. So while we say we love Him with our lips, our hearts are on our own agendas and dreams and certainly not on God’s Word and Will for our lives.

Third, the cost is often higher than we want to pay. For me to stop and point out those fake flowers may have caused an eye roll or two but it didn’t cost me anything that really hurt. However, when you start recognizing the amount of false teaching out there and share with those who are fellow siblings in Christ, we usually pay a high price. It is usually much easier to walk right by that fake religion and pretend it’s not there. Even if we notice it.

Fourth, we can be encumbered by that ugly nemesis of pride. Pride blinds us to what is right in front of us. It keeps us from seeing the truth because we assume we already know the truth. It keeps us from humbly searching for the truth by comparing all things to scripture as we are commanded to do (I Thess. 5:21) because we think we already know it all.

Fifth, there are many false converts. The first four reasons apply to genuine believers who are at various stages in their faith. We must have much grace for our brothers and sisters in Christ because we are all at different places on our journeys. But there are some who claim to be part of our family in Christ who just…aren’t.

Someone may say they love flowers and, yet, by their actions, show a complete and utter lack of interest in flowers. From this we can assume they don’t really love flowers at all but they are just saying that for some reason known only to them. And so it goes with people and God. So many say they love Him but, by their actions, they show they really do not care about Him at all. And so to walk by false doctrine–or even to embrace it– is quite natural for them because they were never regenerated to begin with!

But, of course, we can’t know who these false converts are. And we shouldn’t even try to pick them out. We just need to be aware that this may be the case for that person that shows no interest in God and His Word and is completely lacking in fruit. Don’t judge their salvation because only God knows if they are saved or not. But DO pray for them. And DO pray and ask God to give you opportunity to have conversations with them that point them to Him and His Holy Word.

Just as those fake flowers were easier for me to spot because I love and know flowers, so, too, is false teaching easier to spot when we begin to truly love and know God and His Word. For it is there that we begin to understand what is true and what is false.

So if you want to easily spot fake flowers, learn to love and know flowers. And if you want to spot false teaching (or to even care about it being such an affront to our Holy and Perfect God), then learn to love and know your God and His Word.

The Conditions We Must Consider

2 Comments / May 30, 2023

Have you ever heard someone say “God works all things out for good”? Or “He will give you peace”? We love to say and hear the promises of God. They are encouraging to our souls and they fill us with comfort.

But do we ever stop to consider the conditions that are in place for those promises to be fulfilled? I don’t think we do so intentionally, but perhaps we often just tend to sideline those conditions because they do not offer comfort and they require something of us—two things that aren’t all that attractive. But, of course, we can never just quote the promises without considering the conditions for those promises. God is so kind and faithful and He makes it so clear who His promises are for very specifically.

First and foremost, we must realize that the promises in God’s Word aren’t for everyone in the world but only for His own dear children. We dare not assure an unbeliever that all things will work out for good for them, as we will see the reason later on in this post. But, beyond that, there are some conditions even for us believers. Let’s take a look at some of the favorite verses to quote and see what conditions are attached to the promises, shall we?

Cast your burden on the LORD,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:22)

This verse promises that God will sustain us and that we will never be moved. But only IF we choose to cast our burden on the Lord and IF we are righteous. Notice God did not use the word “anyone” but very specifically says He won’t permit the “righteous” to be moved.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Here we see that our paths will only be directed by Him when we stop trying to direct our own life. We can’t “have our cake and eat it, too”. We can’t expect His guidance while we continue to hold tightly to the reins of our own lives and demand our own way. His guidance is for those who have given up their own will in order to trust in God’s will for their lives. We can see that this will only be accomplished when we stop leaning on our own finite, short-sighted understanding and acknowledge God in all our ways—whether in small choices or huge decisions—THEN, and only then, can we be assured that He will guide us.

You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You. (Isaiah 26:3)

Here, in this well-loved verse from Isaiah, we see that we will only be in perfect peace when our mind is stayed on God. Funny thing is…our mind can’t be focused on ourselves and on God at the same time. We have the opportunity to make a choice each time life doesn’t go our way. Will I trust God for all things or will I dwell on and complain about my unhappy circumstances? It’s a choice we Christians make multiple times each day. And, if you are like me, I, too often, make the wrong choice. No wonder peace is missing. I heard this quote the other day: Stress comes when we don’t yield to God. Yes, that’s true. Stress and anxiety come when we don’t yield our will to God’s. Of course, this all sounds great as I write but you and I both know that when the rubber meets the road, it’s downright hard to live. Thank the Lord for His Holy Spirit, Who moves and works in us to grow us to trust God more and more each day as we walk with Him.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Here is a promise that is perhaps the most quoted one from the Bible. But, here again, we see a condition. Things work together for good to those who love God. And this seems to beg the question—Do I love self more than I love God? If I want to live solely for God and strive to love Him with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30), then I can rest assured knowing that He will work all things out for His glory and my good. If we think little of God and dwell on our own personal safety, comfort, dreams, and desires as we live this life then we can’t hold on to this promise. It’s not for us.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Here again, we have a promise that is so wonderfully appealing. But it, too, comes with a condition. We must let our requests be made known to God with thanksgiving. Then, and only then, can we expect that wonderful peace to guard our hearts and minds. You may think— how can I be thankful in the midst of such a heavy trial? But the redeemed child of God always has something to be thankful for…for we are saved from sin through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and now have the sure hope of eternity in heaven. If we can think of nothing else to be thankful for, may we start there.

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

This is an interesting promise that assures us that the devil will flee from us. But what must we do to make sure this happens? Two things are given here: Submit to God and resist the devil. Submit to God’s will and give up our will (we saw this same idea in Proverbs, didn’t we? The Bible is SO consistent!). When we insist on our own will—fulfilling our personal desires and dreams—we open ourselves up very much to Satan’s subtle and not-so-subtle temptations… “Oh, just lie about this, compromise on this one tiny thing, …it won’t matter.” And because we want what we want, we will do so. We can do so much to resist the devil simply by submitting to God. For it is our lusts and idols that get us into so much trouble. When we submit to God, we can expect the devil to flee from us for his power over us is limited if he can’t tempt us by using our lusts and idols.

So these are just a few well-known promises of God and the conditions that accompany them. Whenever you hear someone quote a promise of God, look for the condition that goes with it. God’s love is everlasting, His kindness is overwhelming, and His promises are sure, but scripture makes it clear that these are not given indiscriminately but are rather given with very specific conditions.

And let me just reiterate as I conclude this post that, though it is easy to write about these conditions of God’s promises, it is so much harder to live them. Let me assure you that I do not write what is above from a place of “arrival” but from a place of striving, right along with you, at turning my eyes from self to God with each new trial. Every day is a new day that gives me opportunity to submit my will to God’s in both the little things of life and the big things.

But when we make the choice to submit to God and to keep our eyes on Him, we can be sure that, without a doubt, we will experience the fulfillment of God’s promises as we go through each new day. What a wonderful thing to consider! They are no empty promises, but given to God’s dear children as they walk through this troubled world. Great is His faithfulness!

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