Her Nose in the Air

                                “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.”

John 7:24 (NIV)

A friend of mine remembers her first experiences as a licensed driver at age 16. Not because she had accidents or near-accidents (although I am sure there may have been some). But she remembers distinctly having to tilt her head up at an angle to see over the dashboard every time she drove. The reason? She was not very tall and their family car was huge. So the only way she could see clearly was to lean back at an angle, nose in the air, focused on where she was going.

  One day at her  high school there were class changes and she found herself in a room with girls she didn’t know. As they became acquainted, the girls chatted about clothes, music and getting their licenses and my friend shared her frustration at being so short that she had to constantly peek over the dashboard as she drove. 

  Only later did two of the girls tell her: “We always saw you driving with your nose up in the air and we thought you were a snob. You never looked at us or even waved. We want to apologize because we judged you on something silly without even knowing you or what was going on.”

I think we have all had that same thing happen at least once in our lives. Someone judged us unfairly and based their opinion on something totally wrong. But let’s take it one step further: have WE been the ones doing that judging? 

How about the time we saw two people together talking and we assumed and judged a relationship that was not there. Then we shared our assumption repeatedly until it became “fact.” Or the time we overheard one comment during a conversation and built a story in our minds that had no basis in fact at all. And we shared our opinions. And people were hurt.

  In John 7:24, Jesus speaks very clearly concerning making assumptions and judging. He doesn’t say “If someone judges you, judge them back.” or “Only judge when you have the facts.” No, He leaves no doubt in what we should do when He says “Stop judging by mere appearance.” Stop it. Don’t do it. Period. 

Why not simply lift up that person in prayer and say “Father, I am not sure if there is something going on in her life but I AM sure that you know. I am lifting them up to you.” There is only one outcome for judging and jumping to conclusions: missing the target and landing face down in a heap of embarrassment and regret. God’s job is to judge. Our job is to pray. Even when it comes to a nose in the air. 

Father, forgive me for those times when I have assumed and judged someone instead of praying. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

• Have you ever had a rumor told about you that was based on a completely wrong assumption?

• Have you ever judged someone because you made an incorrect assumption about a situation? 

Apply

• The next time you are tempted to assume and judge a situation by what you have seen, stop and put yourself in that person’s place immediately.

• Then lift them up to the Lord and thank Him for being in control of all things.

Power 

• John 7:24 (NIV) “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” 

• James 5:9 (NIV) “Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!”

• Luke 6:31 (NIV) “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” 

The Enabler

 “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead,  make up your mind not to put any stumbling block  or obstacle in your brother’s way.”  Romans 14:13 (NIV)

  “You are the exact person I have been warned about!” the woman said to me with a laugh. I confess I stared at her, first because she put her hands up in a defensive pose and second because, although she said it with a smile, I knew she meant it.

     We were at a meeting together along with several other people from around the state. I was helping get orders for coffee and a dessert for each one there. As the woman came up to me, I asked “Which ice cream do you want? Chocolate, strawberry or vanilla?” 

    She shook her head. “Oh thank you but I can’t. I am on a Weight Watchers diet and have to watch my intake. I’ll just have coffee.” I immediately commented “You look great! Can’t you just have a small bowl of ice cream? Surely that wouldn’t hurt your diet.” That is when she commented “You are the exact person I have been warned about! You are an enabler! Thank you but no thanks.”

    I continued serving the other people but I could not quiet my mind. I knew the definition of an enabler was one who either unintentionally or intentionally supports another's destructive behaviors. They do that by downplaying the negative consequences of those behaviors. Was that description really me?

    After I got home that evening, it suddenly hit me: I absolutely WAS an enabler. This woman was wisely following a diet plan to get healthy and I was trying to get her to step out of her diet to stop her overeating by offering the “just a little bit won’t hurt” solution. Why? I didn’t want her to miss out on the dessert. But that encouragement would come with a price:  unhealthy living.

   Then my thoughts went to my behavior as a Christian.  When I talk to someone about my walk with Jesus, and they don’t believe they can live without certain destructive behaviors,  do I hint that some sins aren’t as bad as others? For example, when they tell me that they know they shouldn’t be sharing rumors at work but it’s hard to stop. Do I have the enabler attitude of “just about everybody does that at one time or another so it’s not as bad as (fill in the blank) to Jesus.” 

   What about the woman who confesses to me that she is having an affair because her husband is not nice to her? Do I share what the Lord says about unfaithfulness in marriage and encourage counseling or do I become an enabler? “God wants you to be happy. Your husband shouldn’t treat you that way.” 

     God’s message is clear. You are not only responsible for your own actions but also for the ways you enable someone else to live a Godly life or walk on a destructive path. It’s time for all of us to gut-check our lives and see if we are enablers. And if we are, we need to confess it to the Lord and determine we will not bend a knee to the world’s view of “everything is okay if it makes you happy.”

   The comment the woman made was life-changing for me. It was an encouragement to me to examine every thought or comment before I shared it and to determine if it was within God’s will or from the world’s view. Oh, and the woman who made the comment to me? She got coffee that day. And I got a new determination to never be an enabler again.

    Father, help me to never cause someone to fall because I am not following your Word in my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. 

R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

• Have you ever tried to get someone to change their behavior “just a little bit”?

• Why do you think you did that?

Apply

• When someone shares a situation with you, stop and truly listen to what they are saying.

• Then ask the Lord to give you wisdom before you comment. Follow the Lord’s Words.

Power

• “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.” Romans 14:13 (NIV)

• “Therefore encourage one another and build each  other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

            I Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)  

• “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Hebrews 10:24 (NIV)

The Smell of Sin

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” 

John 14:26 (NIV)

    There is an absolutely gorgeous, exotic plant that thrives in the rainforests of Indonesia. During its flowering phase, the bloom can reach more than 8 feet in height, 20 feet in width and the plant weigh as much as 170 pounds! Its giant leaves and flowers are displayed in breathtaking shades of lime green and dark burgundy. 

    As amazing as it sounds, this plant will only flower every 6-10 years, so with a lifespan of 40 years, it will only bloom 3-4 times before it dies. But there is something even more amazing about this plant – the reason for its nickname. It is called the corpse plant. 

   One only has to get within smelling distance to realize instantly that the amorphophallus titanium, or corpse plant, has a distinctive aroma that smells like rotting flesh. It is believed that the smell helps to attract carrion beetles and sweat bees which are instrumental for the plant’s pollination. Humans, however, are quick to cover their faces to keep them from breathing in the stench. 

   If only sin had the same “road kill” odor as the corpse plant! We wouldn’t be fooled by the outer “beauty” of the corpse plant (sin) because the foul stench would serve as an instant alarm. “Get away! Run! Don’t go there! That is not where you should be!” it would warn us. 

   But wait! We DO have an instant alarm to help us recognize sin, don’t we. That alarm is the Holy Spirit. As John 14:26 tells us, God placed him in the heart of all believers, to guide and direct in each situation every single day. 

   The solution is easy, my friends. Simply ask. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you when you are faced with temptations in your life.  He is faithful. He reminds you of God’s Word and he provides the answer. 

   No matter what you may be facing today, remember to trust the Holy Spirit to sound the alarm when you get near the corpse plant of sin. 

    Father, thank you for your gift of the Holy Spirit. Please help my spiritual ears to be open to his leading each and every day. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. 

R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

• Have you ever felt an “urging” in your heart to not do or say something? 

• Do you think that it might have been the Holy Spirit speaking truth to you?

Apply

• Dig into God’s Word and journal Scriptures that explain why the Holy Spirit was given to believers.

• Listen with your heart to his prompting when you are facing decisions and are uncertain which way to turn. 

Power 

• John 14:26 (NIV) “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” 

• II Corinthians 2:15 (NIV) “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”

• Ephesians 5:2 (NIV) “…and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

What A Bummer!

  “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me . . .”

John 10:14 (NIV)

Even after living on a farm for a large part of my life, I had never heard the term “bummer lamb” before. The speaker I was listening to stated that when the ewe or mother has rejected her lamb, it is called a bummer lamb. And if not taken care of immediately, it will starve and die. He also stated that the bummer lamb will exhibit signs of depression and rejection. It will hang its head down and will simply lay down and not try to get up. The speaker said that what you are watching is a lamb that is dying from a broken heart.

   The question is, why would the ewe reject her own baby? He listed several possibilities. First, the lamb may be weak or sick or the mother may have had a hard delivery. She may simply not have a strong maternal instinct for her baby. Also, if she gave birth to more than one lamb during delivery, she may only bond with one or two of the lambs and reject the others.

    So is there anything the shepherd can do for the little bummer lamb? Oh, yes. He will take it into his home and  bottle-feed it and keep it warm.  He will also hold the lamb against his chest so it can hear the shepherd’s heartbeat. When it gains strength, the shepherd will put it back with the flock.

    But there’s one more interesting fact: the bummer lamb, even when it is back with the flock, will never forget the shepherd; it will recognize his voice, almost as if it realizes that the shepherd saved its life. “When the shepherd calls the flock,” the speaker told us,” the bummer lamb runs to the shepherd as fast as he can because he knows his voice.”

   What a beautiful example of the relationship we have with Jesus. Scripture speaks of Him as the Good Shepherd. John 10:14 says “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me . . .” Matthew 11:28 (NIV) points us to Jesus: “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

   How about you? Are you, like the bummer lamb, feeling rejected and worthless? Have events in your life left you without any hope and broken? For example, has your spouse left you for someone else? Do you have a prodigal child who has turned her back on you and refuses to even talk to you? Are you facing an illness that threatens your very way of life? The list goes on.

    We all have bummer lamb moments. But the good news is that we have a shepherd - the Good Shepherd - who sees our every second on this earth and who watches over us and hears us when we call. He will intervene by  gently pulling us into His arms and letting us know that He is in control. 

    He has a plan if we will trust Him. The Good Shepherd’s relationship with His bummer lambs is full of mercy and forgiveness, healing and love. When we dig deeply into His Word and spend time talking with Him, we will be transformed from a bummer lamb to a blessed lamb who recognizes the voice of the Good Shepherd and never leaves His side.

   Father, I long to hear your voice and to throw all my cares of this world at the foot of the Cross. Thank you for taking care of me and never letting go. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

• Have you ever felt rejected by those around you, no matter what you do?

• Did that lead you to the Lord or to depression and withdrawal from the world?

Apply

• Bring all your disappointment and rejection and heartache to the Lord in prayer.

• Journal “Good Shepherd” and write down all the blessings He has given to you as His child. Find Scripture that addresses those blessings. 

Power

• John 10:14 (NIV) “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.   .”

• Matthew 11:28 (NIV) “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

• Isaiah 40:11 (NIV) He tends his flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”

Truth Is All I Need

 “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.”  

Deuteronomy 4:2 (NIV) 

   As I sat down in the front row at the meeting, I took a deep breath and prayed I would not be nervous. I had been invited to a school district in a large city to share information about the abstinence program I had been teaching at our school for several years.

    I glanced around and quickly realized there were three women at the meeting who were staring at me so I smiled at them. They did not return my smile. I had spoken at several other groups and I knew that some people wouldn’t agree with the program. I was fairly certain they were in that category. My job was not to convince them that they needed this curriculum. It was simply to share what we had done at our school. 

    The superintendent led the meeting by having each person there introduce themselves, tell what they taught in school, and explain their connection, if any, to abstinence education. The first woman introduced herself and immediately turned to me and said “The idea that we should teach abstinence at our school is ridiculous.” The other two agreed with her. 

   I was asked to share our school’s information. I shared how long the program had been in our school system, the success we were having and the support we were receiving from both students and parents. I also stated that while it wasn’t a perfect program, the outcome so far had been positive as students gained confidence in themselves and their ability to make good decisions. The next person to speak directed all her comments toward me.

    “I’ve looked over the material you teach,” she began. It’s childish and no student or parent would take it seriously.” She went on. “I’ve been doing research and here is what I found,” she continued. She cited several different articles and said “These are the facts. You should have gotten the facts before you came here. Any comments?”

“I have those same articles that you just shared, all of them actually,” I told her and passed them out to everyone. “You didn’t share the facts in each one. You simply shared your opinion and it is the opposite of what each article says.” Her smile disappeared. She had not counted on my bringing the same articles with me. The meeting lasted about two hours and I was thankful to finally drive home. But my mind was not on the reason for the meeting. 

    I could not help but apply everything I heard to what I share from the Bible. Am I guilty of doing what the woman had done? Do I read God’s truth but when it doesn’t fit my opinion, either try to change it or not talk about it at all? Do I hesitate to share because I am afraid someone will be angry with me? Am I even reading His Word daily?

    Scripture is very clear. Deuteronomy 4:2 says “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.” My opinion is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is Truth and that only comes from the Lord. 

         As I study His word and hide it in my heart, I will be equipped to share God’s Truth with those around me. Not my opinion, not what I think the answer might be, but Truth from the Living God. I never learned the outcome of the meeting that night but I did learn something much more important: Truth from God’s Word is all that I need.   

    Father, I want to share your Word - Truth - and not my opinions. Please help me to seek you every day so I will have your Word in my heart, ready to share. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. 

R.A.P. it u p . . . 

Reflect

• What are some reasons you give for changing what the Bible says?

• Is it to fit your opinion or so that when you share, the person won’t be mad at you?

Apply

• Write down opinions that you have or that others have shared with you.

• Go to the Word and search for Truth. Does it support your opinions or God?

Power 

• Deuteronomy 4:2 (NIV) “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.”  

• Psalm 119:11 (NIV) “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

• Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV) “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”