Captured By a Camera

“. . . Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to

become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about

the righteous life that God desires.”

James 1:20 (NIV)

 “I am so embarrassed,” my friend greeted me as I opened my front door. “I just made a fool of myself today,” she continued. “That’s an everyday occurrence for me,” I smiled, “so just once isn’t too bad.”

But there was no smile in return. She sat down, shook her head and explained what had just happened.

She had gone to the principal’s office at school because the bus driver had reported that her daughter Sara had been jumping over seats while the bus was in motion and was not listening to his repeated requests to sit down.

“I was so angry when I walked in the office and never gave anyone a chance to speak,” she said. “I glared at the principal and the bus driver and told them that Sara would never ever jump over bus seats nor would she disrespect her bus driver by not obeying what he told her to do.”

At this point she put her hands on her head and looked at me: “I followed that with a comment about how awful it was that they would accuse my daughter of doing such a thing and ended by saying that evidently someone was lying.” I took her hand and silently waited as she finished her story.

“As I made that last statement, the principal leaned over and pushed the start button on his DVD player. I watched what the bus camera had recorded. Sara. My daughter. Jumping over bus seats. Ignoring her bus driver’s repeated demands to sit down.”  Oh my.

She looked at me as regret and shame poured from her eyes and onto her shirt. “I’m a Christian. A Christian! And today I was a horrible example of Jesus to everyone who heard me at the school.”

Ever been there? Ouch. Me, too. Instead of memorizing today’s Scripture from James 1:20 and putting it into practice every single day, I find myself changing the words around a bit so that it sounds more like this: “I am quick to become angry and speak and slow to listen.”

When my mouth engages without ever consulting my Spirit, I know that, within minutes, regret is going to rise to the surface. Regret for what I said and for my very unchristian behavior. That is why James 1:20 is so important for us all.

We need to remember that as Christians we represent the Creator of the Universe. No matter what we say or do, there will always be someone watching and listening, even if we are never captured by a camera.

   

Father, for every single situation that I face today, help me to remember that I am an example of your Son no matter where I am. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever become angry or frustrated and shared everything that came to your mind without stopping to think what you were saying?

Apply

• The next time you face a situation – no matter what the issue – mentally tell your lips that they are super glued together and open your ears to what is being said.

• Then picture everyone around you watching and listening to see if you will be a Christian example to them.

Power

• James 1:20 (NIV) “. . . Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”

• Proverbs 15:18 (NIV) “Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares.”

• Ecclesiastes 7:9 (NIV) “Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.”

A Man of His Word

“For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in

all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice;

the earth is full of his unfailing love.”

Psalm 33:4-5 (NIV)

It was the perfect fishing boat, at least according to my husband. Right size, right make and, most importantly, right price. We had stopped at a garage sale and he had spotted it immediately.

He eagerly looked it over as the owner of this “perfect” boat walked over to tell him how many fish he had caught out of it. I could see “sold” on my husband’s face. There was only one minor problem: we had not brought cash with us.

But we lived just a few blocks away. Would he allow us to drive home immediately, get the cash and bring it back? “Absolutely,” we were told. “That’s not a problem at all.”

And then my husband did what he always did when decisions were made: he shook the man’s hand. “We will be back in 20 minutes with the cash,” he told the owner. “It will be here,” was the reply.

We hurried home and raided the cookie jar of the price of the boat and arrived back in less than 20 minutes to pay for our purchase. But as we pulled up, we didn’t see the boat. The owner met us at our car. “Somebody else came right after you left and wanted the boat and had cash. I didn’t know if you would be back or not. Sorry.”

My husband was stunned. “But we shook hands. I gave you my promise with that handshake.” The man shrugged and walked off.

A man’s word and a handshake used to be considered as important and dependable as a solemn pledge but that does not seem to be true today. How thankful I am for the eternal truth in Psalm 33:4-5.

God’s Word is as true today as it was in the Old Testament days. He has never – and will never – say one thing to us and then do something totally different. Not only is His Word true but it IS truth.

So if Psalm 33 is true – and it is – that means that when we read in Matthew 28:6 that Jesus has risen “just as He said,” we can believe it! When God says in Jeremiah 31 that He forgives us and forgets our sin, we can know that He is speaking truth.

             

 I encourage you today as you read God’s promises in the Bible to thank Him for what He has done and what He is going to do in your life. And while you are at it, thank Him for being a Man of His Word.

Thank you Father for speaking truth into my life and for showing me in your Word that you are faithful in all things. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever settled something and shaken hands on it, only to have the other person back out and change their mind?

• What was your reaction when you realized that they were not truthful when they made that handshake?

Apply

• Journal a promise each day that God has made to you as His child.

• Beside each promise, journal how that truth impacts your life as a Christian.

Power

• Psalm 33:4-5 (NIV) “For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.”

• Leviticus 26:9 (NIV) “. . . I will keep my covenant with you.”

• Matthew 28:6 (NIV) “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.”

Travel Light

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,

who daily bears our burdens.”

Psalm 68:19 (NIV)

I have never learned how to pack for a trip. My husband always warned me to “travel light” and I tried. Really. I just never got the hang of it. There are too many necessities.

Take, for example, hair dryers. Packing two on a trip isn’t unreasonable to me. Yes, they are big and bulky but what if the hotel doesn’t have one and what if my main dryer doesn’t work and I don’t have a backup? My hair wakes up in a whole new world every day. I NEED a dryer to give my hair a semblance of direction.

And then there is the makeup. I don’t want people to see me walking toward them and scream, for Pete’s sake! I realize that three cosmetic bags of makeup might seem to be a lot and I haven’t worn some of the eye shadow in four years, but you never know – right? Makeup equals necessity.

Of course I also need several changes of clothing. What if it’s hot? Or cold? Or cool? Or rainy? Or windy?  Or what if I gain a couple of pounds while we are traveling and can’t get into some of my outfits?

So I shove and push and pack all my “can’t make it without them” items in my bags and sit on each one as I pull the zippers shut as quickly as I can before the contents pop out. Then I drag them to the car and watch as my husband tries to find room for my four suitcases beside his one carry-on bag.

I remember arriving at the airport for one particular trip and seeing the obvious problem:  my husband and his one suitcase could easily move through the baggage check in but my four bags of “necessities” took considerably more time. And even though he helped me, I tripped twice and nearly fell because my baggage was heavy and thus more expensive to check in . . . and . . . dare I say it . . . not necessary.

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So it is with the unnecessary baggage that we carry around with us every day. Our suitcases are busting at the seams with anger and resentment, worries and anxieties. We haul grief and heartache in our backpacks and pride in our briefcases. Each one gets heavier and heavier and heavier as our strength fades and we struggle just to move forward.

The solution? That’s where today’s Scripture from Psalms comes in. Jesus is longing to take our burdens – our stuffed baggage – and carry it for us . . .  not just once but every single day! He knows we are tired and weary and He wants nothing more than to lean down and say “Excuse me. May I carry that for you? Let me take the heavy burdens that are weighing you down and replace them with peace and rest.”

Amazing! Jesus will carry our heavy burdens for us. He will give us rest. He will ease our load. Please trust Him and obey His encouragement to travel light.

Father, I praise your name for calling me to come to you and leave all my burdens with you. Thank you for replacing the contents of my baggage with your peace and rest. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• What burdens are you carrying in your suitcase today?

• Are they getting easier to carry? Why or why not?

Apply

• Write down every burden that you have been carrying around, no matter how many years, on pieces of paper.

• One at a time, give each burden to the Lord to carry for you and praise Him for this gift of love to you.

Power

• Psalm 68:19 (NIV) “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.”

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

• Psalm 55:22 (NIV) “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”

With A Little Help from My friend

“Two are better than one, because they have a

good return for their work; if one falls

down, his friend can help him up. But pity

the man who falls and has

no one to help him up!”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV)

The game of volleyball is one of power, positioning and endurance. It involves the use of every muscle in the body in order to serve, pass, set, attack, block and dig. But perhaps the most important part of volleyball is this: it is a team sport. Everyone has to work together as a team in order to win.

Just one member of the team playing hesitantly or timidly or not trusting other members to do their job can cause the whole team to falter and ultimately, to lose. No one knows this better than Coach Landrum at the local high school. And she has a plan.

In order to help the members of her team learn to count on each other, she begins volleyball season with a one mile endurance run that every girl has to finish. When the faster runners are through, they hurry back to the track to encourage those still running. They stand on the side lines and yell “Come on! Come on! You can do this! I know you can!” as teammates run by.

But that is not all. Still other members take that encouragement to a new level. They grab the hand of anyone slowing down or struggling to continue and they run together. “Come on. Just a few more feet. I’m here with you. We can do this!” they yell as they run a fourth of the distance.

At that point yet another teammate grabs the hand and off they go, cheering for several more feet before someone else joins in. This continues until every single team member has finished the race.

By running alongside their team members and holding on to them, they are learning to count on each other to work together as one. In effect they are saying “I’m here for you. No matter how long it takes, we – you and I – will get through together.”

We know that in the church, the race isn’t a mile run but something entirely different: it is being a single mom because a husband chose to leave or a physically and emotionally worn out daughter caring for a mother with Alzheimer’s 24/7 or a grandmother teaching a Sunday school class with a boy who is struggling with ADHD

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Can I just ask you? Are you the one cheering on the sidelines, yelling “Come on! You can do it. I’m praying for you!” That is fantastic. But do you ever consider grabbing the hand of the hurting and saying “I’m here with you. We will get through this together.”

Both are important, absolutely. But I think there are times when we need to come along side those who are hurting or struggling and offer a hand to help them endure the running as they finish the race.

Will you let me take your hand and run beside you? We can do it – together!

Father, I want to always be encouraging those around me who are struggling but help me to not be afraid to take the hand of someone in need and stay by her side no matter what she is facing. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you seen someone struggling with a situation but didn’t step up and take their hand as they struggled to get through it?

• What kept you from offering that hand of encouragement?

Apply

• Pray about situations in which you know that someone needs not only prayer but a helping hand.

• Ask the person struggling if you can come along side her and help. And then follow through with that offer.

Power

• Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV) “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man w ho falls and has no one to help him up!”

• Proverbs 27:17 (NIV) “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

• Proverbs 18:24 (NIV) “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”