Going Through the Door

 

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you

nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

 

I had a surgery scheduled to remove a small fatty tumor on the back of my neck. The doctor said that it was a minor procedure and he could do it in his office – no problem. He explained exactly what he was going to do and what he expected to find.

And yet, because it was on my neck, I was more than a little concerned. Yes, he’s a great doctor and no, he would not have said he could do it in his office if he could not. But I still had considerable apprehension at what was going to take place.

Oh, I prayed about the surgery but my prayers went something like this: "Lord, I am really nervous about the surgery on my neck. What if there is a problem? What if something gets cut that isn't supposed to? What if I can't stay still like the doctor wants me to?" and on and on and on. Can you relate?

And then one day, after a month of approaching the Lord repeatedly with my “what if” sessions, I think He felt He needed to reassure me. My Bible fell open to the Old Testament and I found myself reading Deuteronomy 31:8. It said ““The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

 “I am not going to leave you at the door of the doctor’s office and say “See you when you are done,” the Lord whispered to my heart. “I will never leave you – remember? I will walk through the door, be there through the surgery, and walk out through that same door with you. Just as I have always done. Always.”

I know. I know. How many hundreds or even thousands of times in the past had the Lord gone before me, making a path, and then stayed right by my side. And yet, here I was, facing the unknown and thinking that just maybe, on THIS journey, Jesus would decide not to go.

So let’s be honest: what “door” are you entering, afraid that the Lord will not go with you? Maybe it’s divorce or financial problems or a prodigal child. Or it could be health issues or broken friendships or the loss of a spouse.

Whatever it is, rest assured that just as Moses shared with the Israelites that “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you,” He will be with each of us, no matter what we face or what “door” we may be going through. Always.

May I share with you that Jesus did just as He said. He stayed with me and kept me calm and at peace. I talked to Him during the procedure and thanked Him when it was over. And once again, as has happened so many times before, I knew with all my heart that my Father was faithful. May you have that same conviction today.

Father, thank you for your faithfulness to stay right by my side, no matter what I have faced in the past or will face in the future. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

·         Have you ever been faced with a “door” that you were truly afraid to go through?

·         Did you realize that the Lord was at your side and would never leave you?

Apply

·         Journal some of the “doors” that you have gone through over the past few years.

·         Beside each one, write a sentence of praise for how the Lord stayed with you through each one and never left your side.

Power

• Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV) “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

 

• Exodus 33:14 (NIV) “The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

 

• Joshua 1:9 (NIV) "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 

 

 

The Fragrance

 

“For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who

are being saved and those who are perishing.”

II Corinthians 2:15 (NIV)

 

I remember well coming home from a day spent with a good friend of mine. As I walked through the door, my daughter hugged me and said, “I know who you have been with today.” I smiled and said “Oh, really? How do you know that?” and it was her turn to smile. “I can smell the perfume she always wears,” she told me. And she was right. Even though I didn’t realize it, I had the fragrance of my friend’s perfume on me because I had been with her all day.

 In the same way, a week later I car pooled to an out-of-town meeting with a group of ladies – all of whom smoked. I changed my clothes when I got home and threw them in the laundry room. Later, as I walked in the utility room I thought “Where in the world is that cigarette smell coming from?” and instantly realized that it was my clothes from the drive that day.

 How do those two different “fragrances” fit with II Corinthians 2:15? If I am the “pleasing aroma of Christ” to the people around me, there should never be a single doubt that I belong to Him. The fragrance of love and mercy, compassion and forgiveness should cover me from my head to my toes.

 No one should ever be with me and ask themselves, as they walk away, if I am a follower of Christ. Conversely, if I live by a fragrance that is not of Christ but is of this world, will people know that, too? Sure they will.

 Just as I hadn’t even realized that I smelled like cigarette smoke because I had become accustomed to the smell after a day in it, I can get used to being angry or negative or prideful or jealous and that “fragrance” will be what people hear and see.

 My encouragement today comes directly from the above Scripture. We need to have the “pleasing aroma of Christ” whether we are stuck in traffic, standing in line at the grocery store or visiting our friends at church. And the only way to have that beautiful fragrance is to spend time in the presence of God, reading His Word.

 Father, teach me to be the pleasing fragrance of Jesus, no matter where I am or what I am doing. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 Reflect

• Can you think of times when you were not a pleasing aroma to the Lord?

 

• What do you think the people around you thought about your fragrance?

 

Apply

• Journal two columns labeled “pleasing fragrances” and “unpleasant aromas.”

 

• Now keep track of your conversations and actions for a week by placing them under one of the columns. Which column has more entries? Pray about changes you need to make.

 

Power

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

 

• Ephesians 5:1-2 (NIV) “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 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.”

 

• Philippians 4:18b (NIV) “They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.”

 

 

The Lesson about Gossip

 “They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows.

They shoot from ambush at the innocent man;

they shoot at him suddenly without fear.”

Psalm 64:3-4 (NIV)

 

There aren’t too many new gadgets or ideas that get my attention. I have always been a bit skeptical about most of them - that is, until a few years ago when I saw a shelf at a local store full of packages labeled “Bed in A Bag.” I couldn’t take my eyes off the photograph on each bag of a beautifully made bed without a wrinkle or pillow out of place.

 But what intrigued me even more was the fact that everything that made that bed beautiful – the comforter, bed skirt, the sheets, two pillow shams, two pillow cases and three throw pillows – ALL of it was in one bag!

 I could not resist and left the store with a king size purchase in shades of lavender and gray. I could hardly wait to get home and open it. I imagined the experience would be something like taking a dry, flat sponge and placing it in a sink of water: it would suddenly expand to 20 times its normal size in 5 seconds. I was right. But there was a problem.

As I unzipped the bag and the contents tumbled out, I immediately saw that my king sized comforter was actually a queen. Either the bag had been mislabeled or someone had switched comforters in the store. “Easy solution,” I thought. “I’ll just take it back and exchange it for the right size.”

 But as I began to put everything back into the bag, I could tell that it was not going to be as easy as I thought. I folded and pushed and shoved sheets and pillows but I could not get the entire contents BACK in the bag! I ended up with a broken zipper and a ripped bag. No matter how hard I worked, I could not put everything back like it was.

 Gossip is like that, isn’t it. We allow it to roll out of our hearts and off our tongues so easily, disguising what we say with “I’m telling you so you can be praying.” But just like the bed in the bag, it’s easy to speak out and much harder to take back. The end result? Lives get ripped apart and hearts broken from careless words and comments that do not need to be spoken or shared with anyone.

 Scripture is very clear on this issue. Proverbs 12:18 says that “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”  Ephesians 4:29 goes further: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths but only what is helpful for building others up . . .” That is not a suggestion, my friends. And it could not be any clearer. Let me share an example of “reckless words.”

There was a woman who went to her minister to confess gossip that she had shared. She knew it was wrong and untrue and yet that did not stop her. One day she saw all the damage that was done by the rumors that she had spread and she was broken. She immediately asked her minister how she could change what had happened to make everything right.

He responded by taking her to a hill and cutting open a feather pillow, which he shook in the air. Thousands of feathers were lifted up and twirled by a breeze and – within minutes – were scattered for miles. “Now,” he said, “try to collect all these feathers and put them back in the pillow, for that is easier than trying to reverse the damage that has been done by the gossip that you spoke.”

 The woman could only hang her head in shame because she knew that her task was impossible and the damage could never be completely reversed.

 I never did get all the contents of the “Bed in a Bag” put back where it belonged. And neither can we “put back” all the damage that is done when our hearts ignore the words of Jesus and we speak gossip.

             Father, so many times I have gossiped and called it something else but that is just what it was. Please forgive me for using my tongue to cut and slice reputations and lives and the very hearts of those around me. Help me to remember that I am your child and you desire me to build up and not tear down those around me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Think about the times you have shared gossip and followed it with “I’m telling you so you can be praying.” Is that always true?

 

• Are there times when information does need to be shared so people can be praying? Why or why not?

 

Apply

• Memorize 2 Timothy 2:16-17 and speak it to your heart when tempted to listen to and share gossip.

 

• Be on guard for those moments when someone wants to share gossip with you. Always be ready to encourage and build up rather than tear down.

 

Power

• Psalm 64:3-4 (NIV) “They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent man; they shoot at him suddenly without fear.”

 

• 2 Timothy 2:16-17 (NIV) “Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene…”

 

• James 3:5-6 (NIV) “Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”  

 

 

  

Standing Guard

 “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  

Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

When my oldest grandson was 11 years old, he and his mother went to the mall after his dentist appointment. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Noah quietly turn his head to the left as they walked by the Victoria’s Secret store on the right and not turn back until they had passed it.

They shopped a while longer and when they came back by that store from the other direction, Noah said “Mom, will you walk on my right side?” She responded “Yes, but why?” He smiled: “I want to look at something beautiful.” Noah was guarding his heart.
.
In Proverbs 4:23, Solomon speaks of that very thing. First, he says to guard your heart “above all else.” In other words, before you do anything, your number one priority should be to take care to protect it. Why? Solomon says it is because your heart “is the wellspring of life.” Everything about your character is determined by the condition of your heart.

See, Noah understood something at eleven years of age that many adults do not: what you allow your eyes to see will quickly travel to your mind and make its home there. And from the mind, those images will eventually create a path to dig deep into your heart.

We tell ourselves that just one look at an inappropriate magazine or website isn’t all that bad. And sure, maybe the movie has a few curse words or suggestive scenes but the theme is basically “good.”

What we are actually doing is removing the protection of our heart and asking the Holy Spirit, who lives there, to move over to make room for sin! What we should be doing is asking Him to put that guard back in place to keep the ugly of the world out.

Noah gets it. And I want to be found, as he was, standing guard.

Father, please help me to guard my heart so that there is only room for the Holy Spirit to guide me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.


R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect
· Have you ever watched a movie or read something that you knew was inappropriate as a Christian?

· Were you able to completely forget it or did it find a way into your mind and heart?

Apply
· Keep a note card with Proverbs 4:23 written on it in a pocket, purse or beside your tv remote.

· When you are tempted to turn your eyes – and heart – toward something that is not appropriate, pull out the card, stand guard and pray.


Power

Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”


Luke 6:45 (NIV) “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”


II Timothy 1:14 (NIV) “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you – guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”