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.”

Are You Listening?

 "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)

 

    I decided to take up walking to get in shape. One television program after another  touted how beneficial it was to the entire body: inches would miraculously disappear, muscles tighten up and, better yet, body parts return to their pre-baby positions. Not only that, but this would all happen in a matter of days. 

    And (this part really appealed to me), it was free! No joining a gym or buying fancy workout clothes . . . just a good pair of tennis shoes and a place to walk and I had both of those. So for two weeks I crawled (and I do mean crawled) out of bed at 6 a.m. and drove the short distance to the high school track to work on disappearing inches and tightening muscles.

   I did not have a plan of action as to how I should pace myself to get the maximum benefit from walking; instead, I complained mentally each and every day that I did not see immediate results. After all, isn’t that what those get-fit-quick programs had promised?

    One morning, after only 8 days, I allowed myself to become frustrated because I had yet to see anything disappear except my enthusiasm. I was mentally trying to get my mind to tell my body to get with it when I glanced to my left and saw an elderly gentleman with a cane struggling to get up a slight incline to the track.

    I was trying to decide if I should run across the field to help him when I saw an unbelievable sight! He not only reached the track but immediately tucked his cane under his right arm and began walking with the stride of a man half his age. I nearly stopped in my amazement until I realized that if I didn’t get moving, this gentleman of at least 80+ years would pass me!

   No matter how hard I tried, I could not help but stare. The elderly man kept his near-perfect gait, step after step. I found myself very curious as to how he was able to move with such ease and increased my pace to try to catch up with him.

   As I came up on his right, the gentleman smiled at me but never missed his stride and I immediately realized why. He was evidently hard of hearing;  he had on earphones and an  Ipod turned up so loudly that I could hear what he was listening to: a loud, drill-sergeant type voice repeating in perfect cadence “Come-on-now-you-can-do-it. You-can-do-it. You-can-do-it. Step. Step. Step. Step.” 

    He was not only listening to that voice of encouragement, but he was obeying. It became obvious that he had a definite goal – walking to get in shape – and he was focused on the encouragement that he received from the voice on his I pod to reach that goal.

    Four days later, I again found myself on the track as the gentleman struggled up the incline and began to walk but this time, the result was completely different. After only a few feet, the man stopped suddenly and turned around. I slowed up to see what was wrong, when he smiled and said “I’ve got to go back to my car. I forgot my Ipod. I need that voice to keep me going!” 

   Is that not the truth with all of us in our walk with the Lord? In today’s society we hear so many voices with so many commands to go in so many directions. God has given us freedom to choose the direction we would like to walk. 

     But when we decide to listen to encouragement from the world and not the One, we can easily stumble and fall. Listen for His voice today. Choose Him. Look in His Word of encouragement to you. Come-on-now-you-can-do-it!

    Father, help me to focus on you in this world with so many trying to pull me away. Your voice is the only one I need. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

• When the journey you are on gets discouraging, who do you go to for encouragement and advice? A close friend? The Lord?

• Why do you feel you get pulled away from the Lord during tough times?

Apply

• Write down encouragement Scripture passages on note cards and tape them inside your kitchen cabinets and on your mirror.

•  Memorize those passages to remind you that, when the journey makes you weary or discouraged, you have a Father who understands how rough the road can be.

Power 

• Isaiah 30:21 (NIV) “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it.”

• Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

• Proverbs 4:11-13 (NIV) “I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.”

Help Is On the Way!!

 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and  have  no compassion on the child she  has borne? Though she may  forget, I will not forget you!” Isaiah 49:15 (NIV)

    Captain Scott O’Grady – a name you might hear and forget but whose story is unforgettable. Captain O’Grady is a former United States Air Force fighter pilot. He was shot down during the Bosnian War on June 2, 1995, but was able to eject safely and hide for a week in rough woods before being rescued. The facts of this true story are incredible. 

    The Bosnian Serb Army hunted relentlessly for the downed captain. He had to stay in hiding by day and move only at night, surviving by eating grass and insects and storing rainwater in a sponge kept in a plastic bag. Eventually he was able to radio his position to the Air Force, hoping that they would receive the transmission and he would be rescued.

    He was in hiding for a week - a week that must have seemed like an eternity to the captain. “Am I going to be rescued? Do they even hear my signals for help? Have they forgotten me?” he must have wondered.  But here’s what Captain O’Grady didn’t know and couldn’t see. He was not forgotten. Help was on the way.

    His rescuers included 51 Marines, two helicopters along with two Marine helicopter gunships, and two Marine jump jets. There were also six aircraft along with identical replacement crews, two Navy warfare planes, two Air Force warfare planes, two Marine Hornets, two anti-tank Air Force Warthogs and a NATO radar plane – all intent on rescuing Captain Scott O’Grady!

    And rescue they did. The Marines were only on the ground seven minutes – long enough to rescue the captain and take him to safety. Only later did he discover the extensive team who rescued him. Captain O’Grady was not forgotten. And you know what? Neither are we.

    We read in Isaiah 49:15 that God’s promise to Israel many years ago is also a promise to us today. Just as a mother could never forget her child, God tells the Israelites that He will never forget them. And He will never forget us either!

    I don’t know what you may be facing in your life today. A child has left home and has not looked back. The diagnosis is cancer. The refrigerator has quit and there is no extra money to replace it. We may begin to question if God hears us when we cry out to Him and whether we have been forgotten in this world.

    I encourage you to hold tight to His words of truth in the Bible. Don’t give up! Our hope and trust are in God alone. Our physical eyes may not be able to see what is going on around us. But rest assured that – just like Captain O’Grady – we are not forgotten! Help is on the way!

    Father, you warned us there would be pain and heartache in this world. But I praise you for never forgetting us and for answering when we call.  In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever felt like you were alone and God had forgotten you?

• Did you get to the point of giving up?

Apply

• During your prayer time, read Psalm 18 every day for a week. Write down specific actions that God does for you, His child.

• Praise Him for how He is going to sustain you and deliver you when you call on His name. And thank Him for never forgetting you, His child.

Power 

• Isaiah 49:15 (NIV) “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”

• Psalm 18:6 (NIV) “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.”

• II Timothy 4:18 (NIV) “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

The Shapeshifter

 “His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.” 

 Psalm 55:21 (NIV) 

    There are a lot of science fiction movies that have a central character known as a “shapeshifter.” That term is used  to identify a person or being with the ability to change their physical form at will. My husband met one at his business several years ago.

    For 20 years he worked as manager of a propane company in our town. And for most of those 20 years he truly loved his job. Except the day a man who was unhappy with the price of propane stomped into his office.

    He had concluded that somehow my husband was the one who set the propane prices for Missouri. No explanation would satisfy the gentleman who had already made up his mind where to place the blame – and his anger. 

   For almost 30 minutes this man accused my husband of everything from pushing up the propane prices to create more profit for the store to writing sales receipts that were altered. His side of the conversation was laced with profanity directed toward the propane business, the secretary at her desk and my husband and they were relieved when he finally decided to leave the store. 

    I knew none of this until the following Sunday, when we decided to visit a different church in the area. We both heard a “Welcome, welcome to our church, brother,” and turned to see a gentleman smiling as he grabbed my husband’s hand to shake it, slapped his back with the other and commented “It’s good to see you here, brother! God is good! Praise the Lord” and walked on to talk to some other people.

   “What a nice Christian man,” I glanced at my husband. He just raised his eyebrows and quietly replied “No. No, he’s not.” Only later did I find out how this man had treated him just days before at his business. I was stunned. A man who professed to be a Christian, using God’s name in profanity on Thursday and praising His name on Sunday. 

   In Psalm 55:21, David completely understood the two faces of man. He writes “His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.” In today’s language, we would call him a “shapeshifter” because, although his physical shape doesn’t change, the content of his heart does.

    I cannot read this Scripture without applying it to my life. Have I been guilty of saying one thing and turning around and doing or saying the opposite? Have you? How about complimenting a fellow worker on her outfit and then the minute she walks away, remarking how out-of-style she looks

    Or perhaps laughing at inappropriate language in a conversation – language that we wouldn’t think of using OR laughing at with our Christian friends? Are we the same in church and out of church?  Never forget to guard your heart, so no one can ever accuse you of being a “shapeshifter.” 

   Father, thank you for Psalm 19:14. I pray that my words and my heart will be pleasing to you no matter where I am. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. 

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Can you think of a time when your actions or words were completely opposite of your actions or words in church or with Christian friends?

• If your answer is yes, why do you think you acted that way?

Apply

• Journal conversations that you have had for the past week. Do you recognize language or actions that are totally opposite of Christ-like behavior?

• Memorize Psalm 19:14. Write the Scripture on a note card and keep it on your desk at work, by your kitchen sink or wherever you will see it most often. 

Power

• Psalm 55:21 (NIV) “His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.”  

• Psalm 28:3 (NIV) “Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors bur harbor malice in their hearts.” 

• Psalm 19:14 (NIV) “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” 

Surviving A Grown Up Mean Girl

 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each  other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

         It’s funny how we can forget what we had for breakfast by 11 am but vividly remember a hurtful situation from 20 years ago. That was the time I was formally introduced to the concept of a “grown up mean girl.” 

            The company where I worked had formed a softball team. The coach was the husband of one of my co-workers. My position was pitcher but I also played first base occasionally.   The season had started off well and I was thoroughly enjoying the pastime with my teammates – until Susan, the wife of the coach, became upset with another team member.

           One day Susan came by my desk as I was talking with a co-worker and commented “I am so mad at Connie. She is always talking about how she is better than the rest of us, just because she has played softball on other teams. I think she needs to be benched for a while to teach her to keep her comments to herself. What do you guys think?”

    “I like Connie but I guess you’re right.” my co-worker answered.  I shrugged “I think we have a great team but I wouldn’t bench her for giving her opinion.” Susan went back to her desk and I totally forgot the conversation – until our next softball game.  

           The team ran out on the field and I grabbed my glove and started toward the pitcher’s mound when the coach stopped me. “Hey, Nancy, wait a minute. We have a new pitcher. You’ll go in later.” I was totally caught off guard.  A new pitcher?  I wondered why until I glanced at Susan aka the “grown up mean girl.” Her smile and laugh answered my “why” question. I had not agreed with what she had wanted to do. Therefore, I would pay for it. I finally got in the game:  for the last play of the last inning – in center field. 

   That was only the beginning. I realized that for the rest of the season, I would be sitting on the bench and not playing another inning. Each game was the same: I cheered for the team. I encouraged them when we got behind.  And then I went home and cried until, with half of our games left, my husband gave me some great advice.

   “You have choices. You can quit. Quit the team. That’s what she wants you to do anyway.  You can ask the coach why you are sitting the bench every game but you already know the reason. Or you can refuse to let Susan’s mean spill over into your life and spoil your glass-half-full attitude.”

    Then he gave me a hug and grinned: “Susan doesn’t know it but the ball is in your court – well, field actually. It’s totally up to you how this turns out. It’s your call: keep striking out or hit a home run.”

    He was right. I had gone home after every game and cried at how unfair it was for me to be sitting on the bench because the coach’s wife didn’t like my comment. My conversations at home with my husband were 100% focused on my hurt feelings and my anger and . . . me. And the glass half full that I had always had? It had become emptied and cracked.  I had become miserable at work and I had taken that misery home with me.

    I would love to tell you that I immediately changed my attitude and forgave Susan but I didn’t.  It took a lot of prayer and Ephesians 4:32 to remind me that, as a Christian, my attitude should always be kind and forgiving. Even when I am treated unfairly. Especially when I am treated unfairly.

    The first day at work after my heart change from the Lord was hard. When the “grown up mean girl” walked by my desk with her usual glare, I smiled and said “Hi Susan. How are you?” She replied “What business is it of yours?” and rolled her eyes and walked on. Susan only got angrier as I became kinder. That anger then became directed at the other softball players and by the end of the season, they decided to disband the team.

   I learned a lot from this  experience. As a Christian, my attitude and total reaction has to come from the Word of God. I have to examine my heart and get rid of any anger or bitterness I may have. And I need to forgive just as Jesus has forgiven. Nothing less will do.   

   My heart changed, too. I no longer saw a “grown up mean girl.” Instead I saw Susan: a woman who needed the kindness and forgiveness Jesus had given me. And I prayed that, one day, she would accept His gift.

                Father, please help me have the right attitude when I have been treated unfairly.  Help me to see a “grown up mean girl” through your eyes.  In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

•  Think about situations in which you have been treated unfairly by a “grown up mean girl.”

•  What was your immediate reaction? Forgiveness and love or anger and retaliation?

Apply

• Memorize Ephesians 4:32. Keep it on a note card in your purse and on your bathroom mirror.

•  Let your first response when confronted by a “grown up mean girl” be one of kindness and compassion.

Power

• Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

•  Colossians 3:12 (NIV) “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

• Luke 6:27-28 (NIV) “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”