The Superglue of Love

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)

When I made the choice to become serious in my writing career, my good friend Sherri gave me a reminder of that decision: a card holder for my desk with the dog Snoopy from Charlie Brown sitting on a patch of green grass in front of a yellow typewriter. Beside him is an envelope with a clip attached to the top of a tiny five-inch metal pole to hold my business card.

Whenever I get discouraged or unable to think of my next topic to write on, all I have to do is to look at Snoopy and be reminded of the prayers that went into my decision to write and I am revived instantly.

A few years ago I was at that exact point: the ideas were not flowing and I could feel frustration building up so I glanced at my little dog and his typewriter. I couldn’t help my “Oh no!” as I instantly saw that Snoopy had no head!

Arms and body, yes. Typewriter still in place, yes also. But no head! Frantically I moved papers and files and found the head on its side. I was afraid that it could not be fixed but ten minutes and half a superglue tube later, the head was reattached. Thankfully the broken damage was repaired.

Do you ever feel like you are broken and damaged in such a way that the Lord cannot fix you – nor would He want to?

There is absolutely nothing that we can do that will cause Jesus to say “This one is permanently broken. There’s no way to fix her so I will toss her out.”

“But wait,” you tell me. “I stole some money” or “I had an abortion” or “I had an affair.” And you think “Surely the Lord can’t forgive me. Surely He sees the damage and cannot fix me. Why would He want anything to do with me?”

Look at our promise in Romans 8:38-39. Nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of our Father. Read this Scripture aloud but in place of “nor anything else in all creation,” speak the sin in your life.

His love is real; His forgiveness is real. We read in I John 1:9 that when we confess our sins to Him, He takes those fragile, fractured pieces of our lives and He heals every break with a “superglue” of love.

Father, I confess sin in my life that I have allowed to keep me from you. Thank you for forgiving me and healing my broken life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever felt like you have done something in your life so terrible that God could not possibly forgive you?

• Did you share your concern with a Christian friend and ask her to pray for you?

Apply

• Make a list of the things in your life that you have felt Jesus could not or would not extend forgiveness to you.

• Read Romans 8:38-39 aloud and speak each entry on your list in that Scripture. Ask the Lord to forgive you, accept His forgiveness and love, and then tear the list into pieces and throw it away.

Power

• Romans 8:38-39 (NIV) “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

• I John 1:9 (NIV) “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

• Romans 8:1 (NIV) “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus . . .”

Jerry’s Christmas

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;

he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you; You

will find a baby wrapped in clothes

and lying in a manger.”

Luke 2:11-12 (NIV)

I’ll never forget that precious little boy: freckles scattered like tiny raindrops across his entire face, including his ears. Big brown eyes partially obscured by long, wispy blonde hair that brushed against an ever present smile minus two front teeth.

Jerry was a first grade student at the elementary school where I worked. He came from a home that was short on money but long on love. His clothes were always someone else’s property first, but he never seemed to care.

And this Christmas season was no different.

As a mother of three, I was frantically trying to balance home, husband, kids and job while I shopped endlessly for the perfect “only thing I want” gifts for my family. Somewhere in the rush of the season my focus shifted from the birth of a baby in a manger to the number of presents under our Christmas tree.

There was some success but at a price . . . a high price. My Christmas budget was shrinking rapidly. “Why couldn’t my children want something a little cheaper?” I kept thinking. “Why do they think they have to have every thing they see on television?”

Those questions were occupying my thoughts as I walked down the first grade hall and saw Jerry skipping toward me in his winter coat that was about three sizes too large and worn tennis shoes minus the laces.

“Hey, Jerry! How are you?” I asked. “I’m good, Miss Nancy. It’s almost Christmas . . . Jesus’ birthday . . . did you know?” I couldn’t help but smile at that comment. “Yes, I have heard that. So what do you want for Christmas, Jerry?”

He quickly replied “Oh, I already know what I’m getting. It’s the same every year.”

At this point I would have expected a child making that statement to duck his head in disappointment and go on, but not Jerry.

As I bent down to hug and encourage him, Jerry put his hands on my shoulders and, with a huge smile, continued: “When I wake up on Christmas morning, there will be a BIG candy cane under my pillow!” as he licked his lips and rubbed his tummy in anticipation of that moment. “And then, under the tree, I’ll get a little Matchbox car to add to my others. I can hardly wait, Miss Nancy!”

As I hugged Jerry and sent him on to class, I could not hold back the tears of sadness – not for Jerry but for my attitude. Instead of focusing on Christ and His birth, I had gotten caught up in the world’s view that the number of gifts you have under the Christmas tree determines your happiness.

Christmas at our home would never be the same again. All because of a candy cane under a pillow, a Matchbox car under a tree . . . and a very thankful little boy named Jerry.

Father, thank you for the most priceless gift of love you could ever send – the gift of your Son.  May we never forget that He went from a manger to the cross for us.  In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Do you find yourself focused more on gifts than the Giver of Life at Christmas?

• Have you talked with your children about the Ultimate Gift that Jesus gave each of us?

Application

• Sit down with your children and help them write on slips of paper the gifts that they can give Jesus this Christmas, like trusting Him, being obedient, and sharing Him with friends.

• Have them wrap each of their gifts for Jesus in a box and offer each one to Him on Christmas morning in prayer.

Power Verses

• Luke 2:11-12 (NIV) “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you; You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger.” 

• Romans 6:23 (NIV) “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

• 2 Corinthians 9:15 (NIV) “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

• John 1:14 a (NIV) “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

• Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV) “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Ignoring My Security Alarm System

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.

The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Matthew 26:41 (NIV)

                After years of decorating the outside of my house for Christmas – and then having to bring everything back inside weeks later in the freezing weather – I wisely realized that less can be better.

 Translation: instead of multiple lights on my house, porch railing and shrubs, I instead placed a small, artificial tree on each side of my front door. And with even more wisdom, I put two strings of led battery operated lights on each tree! I programmed them to turn on at 6 pm each evening and turn off six hours later.

Can I just share that I was feeling pretty proud of myself? Oh I was. Because now, instead of going outside and freezing, just to turn on and off the Christmas lights, I could simply wait and watch as that happened automatically. It was a great idea but I had not counted on one thing: mischievous boys.

One evening about 8 pm, I realized my tree lights had not come on. When I went outside to check them, I saw why. Someone had turned off all the lights on all four sets!  I found myself wondering who in the world could have done something like that.

Suddenly I remembered that I had a security system! And one of the cameras was on the front porch, aimed right at the door and trees! But just as suddenly I remembered something else. When I woke up the morning after the lights were turned off, I noticed that I had received several notifications during the night of movement around my home.

But I had assumed, wrongly, that it was because the trash trucks were driving through the neighborhood and so I had – without even looking – deleted ALL the notifications I had received! If only I had simply stopped and checked I would have seen exactly who turned off the lights.

Today’s Scripture from Matthew 26:41 is simple, practical advice to us. It’s a security alarm system for our lives. “Watch and pray.” Why? “So that you will not fall into temptation.” In other words, the Lord is telling us “Wake up, child! Keep your eyes open. Things are going to come your way – evil things. Things that will try to pull you away from Me. You are not strong but I am and I will protect you. So listen to me and to my Word.”

We have the Holy Spirit living in us. He is part of our security alarm system. He nudges us to warn us when we are headed in the wrong direction or toward the wrong thing. Maybe it’s a flirting relationship but we are married. Perhaps it is watching movies or stories on the internet that are far from what God wants for us in our lives. Satan knows our weaknesses and he will attack each of us in our weak areas.

We have been blessed with a Security Alarm System from the Lord so use it! Consult it! Don’t ignore the protection it gives you! Remember it’s warning to watch and pray. Don’t ignore the nudging that tells you to run from whatever your weakness may be. Don’t glance back. Don’t long for what you know is wrong. But instead run! The Lord will be at your side. He will never leave you.

As for my Christmas lights, I found out from my neighbor that the night they were turned off, he had seen two boys walking through a yard toward my home. But what they don’t realize is that if there is a next time, I will be sure not to ignore my security alarm system.

Father, you have placed your word in our lives to keep us from turning to sin and away from you. Please continue to nudge me in my Spirit to follow you and to always watch and pray. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

·         Can you think of a time when you ignored the nudging of the Holy Spirit to turn away from something that you should not be doing or saying? Did you regret your decision?

Apply

·         Write “Security Alarm System: Holy Spirit” on note cards and place them by your TV, computer, on your desk at work and any other place that you may be tempted.

·         Memorize Matthew 26:41 and ask the Lord to help you to stay alert to His security alarm system for your life. And pray.

Power

·         Matthew 26:41 (NIV) “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

·         Hebrews 2:1 (NIV) “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”

·         I Corinthians 10:13 (NIV) “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

Early in the Morning

“In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my

requests before you and wait in expectation.”

Psalm 5:3 (NIV)

When my children were small, I had absolutely no time to myself. From the moment they woke up until they fell asleep at night I heard “Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom” from three kids ages 5, 3 and almost 1. There is an old saying that having children is like being pecked to death by a chicken. Mercy.

I could not even take a bath without three little ones watching me and asking for a sandwich, a puppy, a drink of water or another brother.

My prayers consisted of “Lord give me strength – and patience – and more of both!” as I made sandwiches and fed the puppy and got each one a drink and explained why they were not getting another brother. There did not seem to be one minute, much less 30, that I could spend reading my Bible and in prayer.

Until one day when I was whining to the Lord that I just couldn’t fit time with Him into my “busy” schedule and He suggested to my heart the unthinkable: get up at 5 a.m. every morning for quiet time with Him. What?! Are you kidding me?

However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized He was right. If I was going to have any time alone with the Lord, it would have to be early in the morning, before anyone was awake.

Can I be honest with you? The first week I got up with an attitude. “This had better be good,” I would mumble to the Lord. Then I would make a cup of hot tea, grab my Bible, pen and paper and curl up on our sofa in the living room. And wait on the Lord. And wait. And then, in the quiet of the morning, something happened.

I began to sense that the Lord was waiting on me. I was physically up early each morning to be with Him but spiritually I was still asleep. So I flipped my Bible open to Psalms and it fell on chapter 5, verse 3: “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”

Not only was the Lord waiting to hear my voice but He wanted to hear what my day was all about! Just as David had done countless times, I too should have been starting my day by sharing with God everything going on in my life and then quietly waiting on His answers. I was too busy grouching about getting up early to meet the Creator of the Universe! Shame on me.

Now I truly know that we can’t all get up at 5 a.m. to spend time with the Lord. Different jobs and hours can make that almost impossible. But I would encourage each of you to begin your day – whether it’s at 11 p.m. or 3 a.m. or 5 a.m. – by talking with the King of Kings. Share what is on your mind, lay your requests before Him, and allow Him to speak to your heart.

The problems you face before your prayer time may still be there after you talk with the Lord. But you will have strength and courage to face each one just by knowing He listens and answers – early in the morning.

Father, forgive me for making excuses for not seeking your face before my day begins. I know how much more smoothly everything goes when I begin my day with you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• What are some of the excuses you have made for not spending time with the Lord before your day begins?

Apply

• For one week, set your alarm and get up 15 minutes early to meet with the Lord. Make a list of activities and possible problems for each day and lay them down at the Cross. Consider increasing your time with the Lord to 30 minutes.

• Ask God to speak to your heart. Journal His answers and thank Him for His faithfulness. Consider setting aside time for the Lord as your #1 priority.

Power

• Psalm 5:3 (NIV) “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”

• Mark 1:35 (NIV) “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

• Psalm 63:1 (NIV) “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”