Holding It Together

“He is before all things, and in him

all things hold together.”

Colossians 1:17 (NIV)

When our children were small, my husband and I decided to buy them a swing set. I was in favor of a simple one with one swing, a glider and a slide.

But my husband felt that with three children bigger was better and we ended up with a monster set complete with monkey bars and every swing, slide and glider known to man. 

           

Stamped on the box in huge letters were these words: “five minute assembly, instructions included.”

May I tell you that it took five minutes just to pull the parts out of the box and another 55 minutes to find all the nuts, bolts and screws that fell out on the ground? It did. And TWO days later (yes, you read that right), only the frame was assembled.

When we finally completed the job (“we” meaning my husband, his brother and two curious truck drivers who came over after delivering a dryer next door), there was some resemblance to the picture on the carton. But there were problems.

The bolts that came with the set weren’t long enough to hold the rides onto the frame and the frame itself was not sturdy enough to support one child, much less three. In addition, some important parts – like chains for the swings – were missing.

We had to reinforce the entire frame and change the bolts and screws for every ride on it, just to get it to hold together. Our five minute assembly was finally completed - in five days.

Life is like that sometimes. Instructions say one thing but reality says something totally different. Relationships that promise “forever” fall apart and no amount of reinforcement can hold them together.

A career that was supposed to have been a perfect fit until retirement crumbles to the ground without warning and we struggle to pick up all the pieces.

In today’s Scripture in Colossians 1:17, Paul shares a part of Christ’s character that is vital to us as believers. When we have lost all hope, when there is no earthly way a problem can be solved or a relationship mended, Jesus the Creator is able to hold ALL things together. Not some things. Not a few things. But ALL things.

While we know there may be times when restoration of certain situations or relationships may not occur, we also know that God remains in control.

Where are you today? Are you facing a situation that promised to be a “five minute assembly” but, weeks or months later, there is no solution in sight?

 When you cannot hold it together, call on the One who can. No instructions needed.

Father, thank you for holding my life together in your hands and keeping me on solid ground through your faithfulness and love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever felt like everything in your life was falling apart and you had no hope?

• Was your first reaction to take it to the Lord or to give up?

Application

• Journal a situation that you are currently facing that does not seem to have an earthly solution.

• Spend time in prayer with Jesus and ask Him to take that situation and reassemble it for His glory. Praise Him for His faithfulness in all things.

Power Verses

• Colossians 1:17 (NIV) “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

• Acts 17:28 (NIV) “For in him we live and move and have our being . . .”

• Psalm 75:3 (NIV) “When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm.”

Is That An Alien?

“Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers

in the world, to abstain from sinful desires,

which war against your soul.”

I Peter 2:11 (NIV)

 “Light Beam on Mars Proof of Alien Life?” the article headlined this week, accompanied by a video supposedly showing a shaft of light coming from the planet’s surface.

Immediately the staunch supporters of alien life forms championed their cause and the equally strong opponents challenged every theory that was proposed concerning the light beam and aliens. And so it begins again.

It seems like we who watch from the sidelines are periodically bombarded by photos from 50 years ago to the present, touted as “absolute proof” of aliens here on earth while scoffers explain away each sighting as fake.

There seems to be a huge fascination with the idea that aliens might be living among us and we aren’t aware of their presence. We are even treated occasionally to television shows and movies that feature a community of extraterrestrials living on earth.

Can I let you in on a secret? There ARE aliens living here on earth. They are called Christ followers . . . Christians. Read today’s Scripture from I Peter 2:11 as Peter cautions us “as aliens and strangers in the world” to remember who we are and the war that we are fighting every day against “sinful desires” which battle to capture our souls. But why warn us in this way?

Peter understood the tendency for Christians to want to belong and fit in with people in the world around them. It’s an easy thing to do, isn’t it.  We hear the old saying “When in Rome, do as the Romans.” In other words, do what you need to do to fit in, no matter where you are or who you are with at the moment.  But that is completely opposite of what the Lord wants us to do!

Have you ever traveled to another country where you did not speak the language or understand the customs? While it can be scary, we are urged – not encouraged – but urged by Peter to live every day as if we were in that foreign country and absolutely did not fit in.

For example, we should be speaking love and forgiveness when those around us are peddling hate and revenge. When the world is promoting wealth no matter the cost, we should be sharing the cost of the Cross with our neighbors.

While the media is glorifying the powerful as gods, we must be focusing on the One True God and sharing Him with the lost living in this foreign land. We must be very aware of anything that is in conflict with the Word and counter with truth from Jesus.

This is a temporary home for us, my friends. We truly must be aliens and strangers, passing through to our eternal home. I urge you today to live your life in such a way that people will look at you and say “There is absolute proof that aliens do live here on earth. They are called Christians.”

Father, I pray that I will be able to stand strong every day as I share with those around me that you are the only way to eternal life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever been tempted to do whatever you needed to do to fit in with the crowd?

• Did your decision make it clear that you were a Christian? Why or why not?

Application

• Journal situations that you are considering being a part of in your life.

• Beneath each one, write “alien” or “earthly” and back up your decisions with Scripture.

Power Verse

• I Peter 2:11 (NIV) “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.”

• I Chronicles 29:15 (NIV) “We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers.”

• Matthew 10:22 (NIV) “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

Not Much to Look At

“All those who were in distress or in debt or

discontented gathered around him, and

he became their leader. About four

hundred men were with him.”

I Samuel 22:2 (NIV)

Going to a Christian concert to hear a favorite group can be a fantastic blessing but imagine hearing not one but six Christian groups at one concert! That’s what I got to do several years ago.

            Each group’s performance seemed to build the momentum for the next one. The music was spirit-filled and beautiful. The crowd was more than pleased as one group after another took the stage. My friends and I couldn’t help but critique the outfits each group wore.

At that time it was the “in” thing to perform with the same costumes so everyone had color-coordinated outfits. One group even had very similar hair styles. We would watch as each group took its turn setting up the stage with guitars, drums and a piano in preparation for their performance.

They had the “look” of professionals and applause would break out even before they began to sing. Anticipation grew as the last group came on stage to perform.

But acknowledgement from the audience came in the form of gasps followed by whispers.  This last group didn’t have color-coordinated outfits or hair styles with each hair perfectly in place.

Instead they had long unruly hair and jeans and wrinkled shirts with rolled up sleeves. Some had t-shirts that weren’t even tucked in! And they had on loafers and tennis shoes with no socks! What in the world was going on?

“Just how good can they be?” one person asked. “They look like a bunch of guys who just met outside and decided to form a group at the last minute. Probably not much to listen to” said another.

In today’s Scripture we read about another group of men who seemed to be thrown together. David became in charge of 400 men who did not appear on the surface to “fit in” with the norm of the day - men who, at first glance, seemed to have nothing going for them except a mountain of problems.

But David looked beyond their appearance, beyond their problems and beneath the surface and made them into what they COULD be: tremendous fighting warriors and a huge reason why David was so successful in the battles he led as Israel’s king.  

Tell me something: have you ever felt like those 400 men must have felt? Perhaps no one has taken the time to invest in who you really are and the woman that you desire to become as a child of God.

 Maybe they have skimmed the surface and haven’t bothered to see your heart, dismissing you as “not much to look at.”

May I suggest that you ask God to use you in a powerful way for His glory? He delights in His children asking Him for guidance and leadership in their lives and He will answer above and beyond anything you can imagine because He loves you deeply!

Oh, and that last group that performed? The five previous groups together did not compare to the strength and beauty of their combined voices as they praised the Lord in jeans, t-shirts, long hair, tennis shoes and no socks.  

R.A.P. it up . . .

Father, please mold me into the Godly woman that you want me to be. Thank you for looking into my heart and desiring to use me for your kingdom. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Reflect

• Have you ever been treated as though you had nothing to offer the Lord by other Christians?

• If so, has this caused you to feel like you have no skills or talents that the Lord can use?

Application

• Journal the talents and abilities that you believe you have that the Lord can use.

• Spend time in prayer, asking the Lord to guide you to what He wants you to do for Him and listen for His answer.

Power Verses

• I Samuel 22:2 (NIV) “All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.”

• I Samuel 16:7 (NIV) “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

• II Corinthians 10:7 (NIV) “You are looking only on the surface of things. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as he.”

He Understands My Prayer

“Praise be to God, who has not rejected my

prayer or withheld his love from me!”

Psalm 66:20 (NIV)

Everyone takes turn praying at mealtime in my daughter’s home. And that includes the youngest – but only after he declared one day that he was “old nuf” to pray. So with all heads bowed, two-year old Jude put his hands together and took a deep breath:

“Loh-dur-lawd-hop-yur-ha-da-gur-da. Amen.”

He opened his eyes and smiled in triumph at his first prayer attempt and everyone smiled back. But no one understood a word he said. Except Jude. He knew exactly what he had prayed.

A few days later before supper it was Jude’s turn again. Excitedly he bowed his head and closed his eyes as, once again, he lifted up his prayer: “Loh-dur-lawd-hop-yur-ha-da-gur-da. Amen.”

This went on for several days with no resolution as to what Jude was saying. Finally his dad could not resist any longer. “I couldn’t quite understand what you said, Son,” he told Jude. “Could you slow your prayer down just a little so I can hear it better?” Jude was happy to oblige: “Hello there, Lord, hope you had a good day.”

Can I get an amen?

Even though Jude’s family couldn’t understand him, I am sure God knew exactly what he had said and His day was made better by that heartfelt prayer.

I wonder if the Psalmist who wrote today’s Scripture had offered more than one prayer up to the Lord but felt like it just didn’t make any sense or that he hadn’t uttered the right words? And, more importantly, have you ever felt that way?

On any given day I search for words and lose my train of thought and fumble and mumble as I talk to the Lord. I pray with anger and resentment and a judgmental attitude hidden in a corner of my heart (or at least I think it’s hidden) and have to repent and start over.

I cannot count the number of times that I have brought a list of “wants” into my prayer closet and never even stopped to listen to God the Father sharing His love and will with me.

And, please forgive me, but I have prayed in a group and wondered if my words would be accepted by those with me.

And yet, according to Psalm 66:20, God doesn’t reject our prayers or stop loving us just because what we say is not picture perfect or acceptable to those around us. If God heard and answered prayers based on words being “perfect” we would all be in a lot of trouble.

Today, this very minute, let us all praise God for loving us as we are and for listening to our prayers lifted to Him. He understands us, even when we don’t understand ourselves. And I’m with Jude: “Hello there, Lord, hope you had a good day.”

Father, I praise you for hearing my sometimes feeble attempts at prayer and for loving me, even when I struggle with my words. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever felt like your prayers weren’t “good enough” for God?

• Have you thought that if you prayed “perfectly,” that God would love you more?

Application

• Begin your prayer time with praise to the Lord for His unconditional love and mercy.

• Pray your words from your heart; then be still and listen for His answer to you.

Power Verses

• Psalm 66:20 (NIV) “Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” 

• Ecclesiastes 5:2 (NIV) “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”

• Romans 8:26 (NIV) “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

No Patches, Please

“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on

an old garment, for the patch will pull

away from the garment,

making the tear worse.”

Matthew 9:16 (NIV)

Growing up in a family of five kids, new tennis shoes were a rare and priceless gift. One pair of shoes was expected to last an entire school year plus one summer. We really didn’t mind; we knew that it was hard for our parents to raise a family whose income depended on farming. Hand me down clothes and shoes were the norm. The oldest sibling really had it the best.

For example, she got the new pair of tennis shoes and as she outgrew them, the next one in line inherited them – no matter what shape they were in. That didn’t keep us from dreaming about having a new pair of shoes – or at least a different pair minus the holes.

One day my sister Patty and I were sitting on the porch step, looking at our wiggling toes poking through the holes in our tennis shoes. Surely there was something we could do, we reasoned, to fix our problem. Suddenly Patty thought of a great plan: why not patch the holes in our worn out tennis shoes?

She excitedly told me that the day before she had found some material that had never been used, tucked away in a basket. Why not cut little squares from it, she said, and sew them over the holes in the shoes?

We were so excited at her stroke of genius! We cut several squares from the new material to cover all the holes and tears. We didn’t wash it first because we wanted the shoes to look as if they had been purchased with bright new patches on them. We found needles and thread and within an hour, we had – what appeared to us – new tennis shoes!

We proudly wore them to school the next day and the reaction was amazing. Kids liked them so much that they immediately went home after school to sew patches on their brand new tennis shoes, just so they would be “in” with what they thought was the latest fad.

 Life was great . . . until the shoes got dirty . . . and we needed to wash them. We had not realized that when we washed the old tennis shoes, the patches made of new material would shrink. And when they shrank, they pulled away from the shoe, leaving us with worse holes than before.

In today’s Scripture, Jesus is explaining to His disciples that His new gift of grace could not be covered with the old law of Moses, just as a new cloth could not be sewn to an old one to replace a tear.

Jesus came to give us brand new life in Him! He will never “patch over” the rough stuff in our lives and hope that it holds; instead He brings us new life!

 

Jesus did not come as an addition to what we believe. He IS what we need to believe! Yes, He came to fulfill the Old Testament but He also came to free us from the old and to cover us with the new: a life of love, mercy, forgiveness and grace that can only be found in Him.

`Do you long for a life without old holes and tears from the past? That is what Jesus offers you right this minute. No patches needed.

Father, I thank you that you have replaced my “old” life with a “new” one with Jesus that does not need to be patched. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Do you have things in your past that you don’t think can be covered by the grace of Jesus?

• Why do you believe that He will not extend you His mercy and grace?

Application

• Make a list of the parts of your old self that come up from time to time in your life.

• Beside each item, write a Scripture that tells you Truth from Jesus and His mercy, forgiveness and love.

Power Verses

• Matthew 9:16 (NIV) “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.”

• John 3:5, 7 (NIV) “Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’”

• II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

From Trash to Treasure

“…to bestow on them a crown of

beauty instead of ashes…”

Isaiah 61:3 (NIV)

There is a trash dump – a landfill – in Cateura, Paraguay, that is unique. I know you may be thinking “Trash is trash, no matter where it is” and that is true to a point. But two things make this landfill unique.

First, a slum is built on the landfill. People live there and sift through the trash day after day, in hopes of finding something they can sell. And secondly, the people at this landfill believe that something beautiful – in other words, a treasure - can be made from someone else’s trash. And they are right.

That’s where the Recycled Orchestra comes in. The instruments that members of the Recycled Orchestra play are made entirely from trash from the landfill in Cateura, Paraguay.

You see, my friends, there are people who carefully dig through what we would consider trash - an old oil can or bent fork or piece of wood - and they recycle these items to build musical instruments, like a cello or violin. Who would have thought that pieces of trash could be transformed into beautifully sounding musical instruments!

I can’t help but relate this true story to my life when I was outside of Christ. Holding a grudge was the norm, getting even was assumed. Looking out for me above everyone else was expected. I wasn’t happy but I felt that nothing could pull me out of the life of trash that I was in. That is, until I met Jesus.

His promises were simple: if I would give Him permission, He would clean out the ashes – the burned up trash – of my life and He would replace it with unbelievable beauty in my heart.

All the dirt (sin) would be removed and I would be as white as snow. (Psalm 51:7) His request was this: that I confess the ugliness – the trash – of my life, ask His forgiveness, and begin a new life in Him.

I admit that there are days when I allow the ugly to sneak back in and I have to take a deep breath, confess it to the Lord, and start over. But oh the joy in knowing that He will take the recycled trash of my life and mold it into a treasure for eternity.   

Lord, today I give you permission to come into my life and to clean out all the ashes from the trash I have carried far too long. Mold me into the woman that you want me to be. I long to be whiter than snow in my heart and I know that can only happen when I turn my life completely over to you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• What are some the trash items that you have carried in your heart?

• Have any of them made your life more abundant with peace and joy?

Application

• Ask a strong Christian friend to be your accountability partner.

• Encourage her to be willing to prayerfully show you those times when trash in your life needs to be turned over to the Lord to be recycled into His beauty for you.

Power Verses

• Isaiah 61:3 (NIV) “…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes…”

• Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV) “He has made everything beautiful in its time…”

• Psalm 51:7 (NIV) “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”

Eavesdropping on God

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,

correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God

 may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

II Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

Many years ago teaching hospitals had an area designated the "operating theater." It was an elevated amphitheater that surrounded the operating room where surgeries took place. The theater was created so that interns and other spectators could observe a surgery beginning to end from above the operating table.

Many times the physicians would explain to those watching exactly what they were doing. But often the interns simply listened to comments the physicians made to each other as they discussed what they found as well as what might be done to contribute to the positive healing and welfare of the patient.

The interns in effect were eavesdropping on the conversations between the doctors as they faced each new patient and surgery. They listened and observed situations in surgery that they would face as future surgeons . . . and they learned.

That is exactly what God, the Creator, has allowed us to do today. The Bible is full of conversations and situations with real people and real drama and real outcomes. God has determined that one of the best ways for us to learn how to make decisions in our lives is for us to be able to eavesdrop on similar conversations and situations throughout Bible times.

For example, when we are afraid and anxious because of a huge uncertainty we are facing, we need only to turn to the first chapter in Joshua and eavesdrop on the conversation God has with His servant as He encourages that warrior to "be strong and courageous because I (God) will never leave you."  

When a child decides that home and rules do not apply to him and he decides to find his own way in the world, we can turn to Matthew 15 to experience a father whose son also left home and the father's joy at his son's return.

As we struggle with forgiving a friend who has hurt us, we listen as Jesus instructs his disciples in Luke 17 about forgiveness.

My encouragement to each of you today is to eavesdrop...eavesdrop on conversations that God has left for us in His Word. Nothing will ever happen in your life that you cannot find an answer to or encouragement for in the Bible. But you will never know the answers if you don't eavesdrop.

Father, I want more than anything to know your answers to my problems. My desire is to know more clearly what you would have me do in my life. Thank you for your Word. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Do you ever wonder if anyone truly understands what you are going through in your life?

• Have you ever felt like you faced a situation that Scripture did not address? Why or why not?

Application

• Journal situations that you are facing this week.

• Eavesdrop on God's Word and write at least two Scriptures that apply to those situations and the encouragement God has for you.

Power Verses

• II Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

• Psalm 143:8 (NIV) ". . . Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul."

• Proverbs 15:33 (NIV) "The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor."