But God Said . . .

 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 

Luke 12:20 (NIV)

    As I  walked in the door of my 5-year-old grandson Jude’s school, I saw him in line with his class, getting ready to go to the cafeteria. As he looked my way, I smiled, waved, and motioned for him to come over to me. It seemed like a simple request: I just wanted Jude to step out of line for a second and hug me but he shook his head “no” every time I motioned. So I waved instead and he and his class moved on. Later that evening, when I reassured Jude that it was okay to leave his place in line and hug me he replied “But my teacher said . . .” 

     It immediately occurred to me that Jude was simply following the directions of the one in charge - his teacher. She had told them to stay in line and that’s exactly what he did. What I asked him to do - leave the line and hug me - was not bad, but it was the opposite of what his teacher had instructed. 

    I also realized that the very thing I was asking my grandson to do is what we often do to God. He directs and guides us; we redirect and guide ourselves.  God never tells us no or leads us in another direction in life because He is a mean Father who wants to dominate us and control our every choice. We have free will to do what we want, but we are not free from the consequences of those choices. Jude knew he could have left the line, hugged me, and gotten back in line. But, even at his age, he knew there would be consequences for disobeying his teacher. It could be staying inside at recess or standing on the line while others played. 

   In the Bible, every time we read “But God said . . .”  there was a situation in which men were making choices on what they wanted rather than seeking God’s will in the decisions they were making. For example, Luke 12:20 addresses a rich man who decided to build bigger barns for all his grain. He had a huge harvest which isn't a sin at all. However, his focus was on keeping all the grain for himself rather than sharing it with those in need. “But God said to him “You fool!’”

    What major decisions are you facing today? Perhaps it is a career change or retirement. It could be getting engaged or married, or having children. What about deciding on a college or a job after high school?  Or maybe you are thinking about the next step after the loss of a spouse. 

    Consider trying this for a week: when you are faced with an important situation and you are trying to decide what to do, include God. Go to the Bible. Search for His Truth. Then speak this aloud: “I want to (fill in the blank) But God said (fill in the Scripture). If you follow His wisdom, you will never have to look back and think “I wish I had based my decision - not on what I thought - but on what God said. 

    Father, thank you for always wanting what is best for us, your children. Guide and direct us as we make decisions in our lives. In Jesus’s Name. Amen. 

 R.A.P. it up . . .  

Reflect

• There are important decisions that you make every day.

• Are you deciding what to do based on your opinion or God’s guidance?

 Apply

• Journal decisions that you need to make for one week.

• Lift each one to the Lord and ask Him to direct you. 

Power

• Luke 12:20 (NIV) “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’”

• Numbers 22:12 (NIV) “But God said to Balaam, ‘Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.”

• I Chronicles 28:3 (NIV) “But God said to me “You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’”

 

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 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 everything they see on television?”

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

   “Hey, Jerry! How are you?” “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!” he exclaimed as he licked his lips and rubbed his tummy in anticipation of that moment. “And then, under the tree, I will 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 - 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?

Apply

• Help your children 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 

• 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.” 

• 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.”

Changing God's Word To Make Me Happy

 “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) 

 

    The article's title caught my attention: “Eleven Secrets of Irresistible People.” I have friends I would consider to be in that category so I read on to determine if they were in possession of any of the “secrets” that made them impossible to ignore.

   The first two “secrets” stated that irresistible people treat everyone with respect and focus on that person and what they have to say. No argument from me. But the third one caught me by surprise.

 

   It stated that irresistible people follow the “Platinum Rule” and not the “Golden Rule” found in Matthew 7:12 when Jesus tells his listeners “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” The author of the article went on to explain that the Golden Rule – treating others as you want to be treated – had a “fatal flaw.”

 

   His reasoning determined that not all people are motivated by the same thing and in the same way. So he concluded that we should simply treat people as THEY want to be treated and if we do that, we will have corrected the “fatal flaw” in the words of Jesus.

 

   If the author is right, then anything is allowed. Anything. The alcoholic who wants you to get him a drink before he drives can do that with your blessing. The deacon who wants you to ignore him as he steals from the church treasury should not be reported. The woman wanting to keep her affair secret from her family should have her wishes honored. After all, it’s how each of these individuals wants to be treated, correct?

 

   But the Scripture from Deuteronomy 4:2 could not be any clearer: “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.” There is a real danger when man decides to change and adapt God’s word to suit him and to make him happy. Where do you stop?

 

   For example, someone is bothered by Jesus rising from the grave so let’s change that part of the Word. And what about hell? Too tough to think about so let’s throw it out altogether. When the creation does not like parts of the Creator’s Word and changes them, the outcome will be disastrous.

 

   Read the Word and follow what the Lord has shown you. Period. Do not add or subtract parts that you may not like. God’s Word was written to all of us for a reason. Adding or subtracting what we may not like or agree with has eternal consequences.  

 

   Father, your words are Truth. May I always remember that all wisdom comes from you. And may I follow your every Word. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Have you ever wondered if parts of the Bible were flawed, as the author stated?

•  If so, what parts and why?

 

Apply

• Journal examples of wisdom from the world and compare them with God’s Word in the Bible. Ask the Lord to make clear the passages you do not understand.

• Speak with those with Biblical knowledge who have studied the Word to explain confusing verses. Pray for clarity.

 

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.”

• I Corinthians 1:25 (NIV) “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”

• Proverbs 14:7 (NIV) “Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips.”

 

 

Am I A Fake Person?

“Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.” Jeremiah 10:5 (NIV)

    As a little girl I used to be fascinated – and a bit frightened – by scarecrows. Even though I knew they weren’t real, every time I went with my grandmother to help in her garden, I had an eerie feeling that eyes were watching my every move – scarecrow eyes. And it seemed as if they were daring me to step just one inch closer to the sweet corn growing in perfect rows to see what would happen.

 

   When I asked my grandmother why she put that creepy thing in her garden, she shared that birds loved eating everything she was growing. “But people frighten them,” she continued. “Since I can’t be working  in the garden all day every day, I put a scarecrow – a fake person – by the vegetables so the birds are fooled into thinking I am out there even when I’m not.”

     That conversation with my grandmother was forgotten until I saw a huge scarecrow in a garden last summer. A “fake” person. It also reminded me of Jeremiah 10:5 where Jeremiah talks about idols and equates them to “a scarecrow in a melon patch.”

   They can’t walk or talk; they certainly can’t wave their arms to chase off incoming birds trying to eat the produce. And, despite how important their presence is supposed to be, scarecrows do not keep all birds from sneaking in and pecking their way through a fresh garden meal. Scarecrows have no power to do either good or harm as Jeremiah says.

   Immediately my Christian faith and witness to those around me came to mind. Am I, like that scarecrow, a “fake” person? Do I give the appearance of something that isn’t real? Something I am not?  For example, do I talk about a deep relationship with the Lord but hide that mine is superficial?

   And while I have never thought of myself as an idol, I confess that I have been prideful by considering myself more important than my neighbor. And shared gossip disguised as a prayer request. To be honest, I will confess that I have put the love of money ahead of the love of my Lord more than once.

   Pride, gossip, the love of money. All are idols. Worthless objects in my life. Worthless idols that can make my witness – worthless. But because of the power of Jesus and His forgiveness, I can choose to be alive and an example of Him. My decision? No more being a “fake” person for this gal. And no more idols. Take that, scarecrow.

    Father, I desire truth in my life by throwing out worthless idols and worshiping you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Can you think of scarecrows (idols) in your life that you have placed before God?

• Have you ever stopped to consider that they are completely powerless?

Apply

• Journal your conversations and activities for a day.

• If you can write “scarecrow” – in other words, worthless idol - next to any of them, journal today’s Power Scriptures and go to the Lord in prayer.

Power

• Jeremiah 10:5 (NIV) “Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.”

• Matthew 15:8 “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

• I John 5:21 (NIV) “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.”