Would Ya Take Less?

 “He replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.’” Luke 11:28 (NIV)

 

I recognized her the instant she walked up to my house. She was quite familiar to me; in fact, she was quite familiar to every person in my town who had ever had a garage sale. Although she didn’t realize it, she was called the “Would Ya Take Less” lady. The reason? No matter what price you had on anything at your sale, she always ALWAYS asked if you would take less for every item she wanted.

  It didn’t matter the price. An item could be marked as low as a quarter and she would ask if you would take ten cents for it. That put you in a quandary. If you said “no” you would appear to be greedy. If you said “yes,” that opened up everything in your entire garage sale to her question again and again. Always trying for a deal, always looking for a bargain. That was the “Would Ya Take Less” lady.

  As I was preparing for yet another garage sale, the “Would Ya Take Less” lady came to mind and I wondered: do I ever do that with God? Do I ever offer Him less than what He is asking? Do you? For example, in Mark 12:31 Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. What is our response? “Absolutely, Lord, I’ll do my best” or do we say “Lord, have you seen what I have to put up with next door? How about I just try to tolerate them?”

God states clearly in Exodus 20:14 that we are not to commit adultery. Do we honor His command concerning marriage or do we think “I know God wants me to be happy and I’m not. So I won’t leave my marriage but I’ll look for happiness somewhere else.”

  In Ephesians 4:26 the writer Paul says that we should not let the sun go down while we are angry; in other words, apologize quickly and work out the situation. So do we apologize to our spouse for what was said or compromise God’s word by deciding to apologize – but not for a day or two?

  Maybe we don’t actually ask God if we can bargain and give Him less than what He is asking but isn’t that really what we are doing? We feel the nudging in our hearts. We know without a doubt what the Lord wants us to do. And yet we try to bargain with Him as if we are the ones in control and God is simply giving us suggestions.

What if Jesus did that same kind of bargaining with us? II Corinthians 5:15 says that Jesus “died for all.” But what if He were to say to us: “I know Scripture says I died for everyone but I’m not too crazy about the depressed or angry or poor so let’s just change it to say I died for some.” Would that be okay with you?

Would ya take less, God? May we never ever ask that question of the One who gave absolutely everything for all of us on the cross.

  Father, I know that I am guilty of wanting to do things my way instead of your way. Forgive me for picking and choosing the parts of your Word that I want to follow. Help me to give you my all and nothing less. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up

 

Reflect

• Can you think of a time when you knew exactly what God’s Word said but you tried to bargain with Him instead of obeying?

 

Apply

•  Journal decisions in the last week that you have made and write Scripture beside each one that shows whether or not you are in God’s will.

• If you are doing less than what the Lord has commanded or ignoring His Word, repent before Him and begin again to be obedient.

 

Power

•  Luke 11:28 (NIV) “He replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.’”

• James 1:22 (NIV) “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

•  John 14:15 (NIV) “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

 

The Sniff Test

“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)

As I walked through the door after spending the day with a good friend, 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 carpooled 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 into 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, as it says, 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 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. If we do that daily, the fragrance of Christ will be with us wherever we go.

  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 situations 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.”

 

 

Anger Issues

 “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1:19-20 (NIV)

 

I love my children more than anything in this world. And I truly want to be the best Christian mother ever. Not that I have to win the “Mother of the Year” award, although that would be nice. The problem is I have blown it as a mom more times than I can count. Let me share just one experience with you. I’m not proud of it; I am embarrassed and ashamed.

My son was four years old and the Tasmanian devil the minute he walked – or rather exploded – into a room. His bedroom was the worst. I would be picking up toys and putting them in his toy box and he would be pulling out all the clothes in his dresser behind me. As soon as I started putting his clothes away, he would run to the toy box and toys would fly. Again. And. Again.

One beautiful spring afternoon I went into his room to see if he wanted to go outside and play. And I flipped out. Maybe it was because I stepped on the helmet of his Transformer with my bare foot. Or it could have been seeing toys stuffed in his dresser and his clothes stuffed in the toy box or the silly putty embedded in his sheer white curtains for the millionth time. I’m not sure.

But what I AM sure of is that I turned into a yelling maniac. I proceeded to tell him how terrible it was to create so much work for me and how he needed to change his attitude and improve his behavior or else. The more I yelled, the angrier I became until I stopped to take a breath – and saw her. My landlady. Trimming the shrubs just outside my son’s bedroom. And yes, the windows were open.

I knew that she heard every syllable of every harsh word I had spoken to my son in anger. And I was instantly so ashamed. Ashamed that I had spoken to my son in anger. Ashamed that it took me realizing that someone heard me, to make me stop.

There is a reason James 1:19-20 is so important to each one of us. First, we as parents are to be Godly examples to our children. I am fairly certain that even if Jesus had stepped on a Transformer, he would not have exploded in anger at the child who left it on the floor.

Secondly, we are to be examples of Christ to those around us. My landlady knew I taught the little ones where we went to church. She must have shaken her head at the thought of me teaching “Jesus Loves Me” to 4-year-olds when I treated my own child in such an unlovely, unchristian way.

  Let me be clear: none of us are perfect and there are going to be those times when we completely blow it. But we must always try to “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” I knelt down, pulled my precious son into my arms, and asked him to forgive me for my angry harsh words. He extended mercy to me as only a four-year-old could and, smiling, said “Okay, Mommy” as he gave me a hug and a kiss.

Mother of the Year? No. But I am determined every day, with God’s help, to be the example that He desires me to be.

Father, I long to be a Christian example to my children and to those around me. Please teach me to be slow to get angry and to listen and speak with love and mercy. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

• Have you ever absolutely blown it when talking to your children? Were you quick to become angry and speak words you immediately regretted?

Apply

• Journal James 1:19-20. Put your name in place of “My dear brothers.” Every morning for a week, read that Scripture before you get out of bed. Ask the Lord to help you be a Christian example to your children throughout the day.

 

Power 

• James 1:19-20 (NIV) “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”

• Psalm 127:3 (NIV) “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.”Ephesians 6:4 (NIV) “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

• Ephesians 6:4 (NIV) “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

 

The Chain-breaker

 “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.” Psalm 107:13-14 (NIV)

 

            It’s not a sight that you see every day – people in identical orange short-sleeved coveralls shuffling along the sidewalk – but you see it in my town. They make their way from the jail to the courthouse and then back to the jail periodically.

 

 Their pace is painfully slow. Chains and shackles keep them from moving any faster.  Their heads are down as they struggle to make sure they are not stepping on the ankles of the person in front and at the same time not getting stepped on by the person walking behind them.

 

Watching this procession, you cannot help but wonder why each one had been arrested and detained. But you also find yourself wondering how it must feel to take every step chained and shackled.

 

No freedom to dance or jump or even turn.  But rather, every movement held in place by metal links locked together to restrain the person wearing them.

 

And then I look at my life. No orange coveralls. Nothing on my arms and legs restricting me. And yet at times I too can find myself in chains.

 

The shortlist? Fear, anger, envy, loneliness, depression, greed, infidelity, jealousy, resentment, addictions, worry, unforgiveness. Need I go on?

 

We have all experienced at least one of those chains. They can rob us of our ability to function daily because they steal our joy and, if we are not careful, consume our every thought and action to the point that our very faith and trust in the Lord is crippled!

 

There is no way to break those chains on our own. Psalm 107:13-14 says “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.”

 

Are chains holding you tightly and robbing you of joy and hope and peace? Every single one can be broken to pieces by giving them to Jesus, the only true Chain-breaker!

 

I encourage you to talk with a prayer warrior friend, a counselor, or a minister and share what chains are wrapped around your heart and holding you hostage. Then go before the Lord and ask Him to free you from each one and replace them with mercy and forgiveness and love. Today, this very minute, trust the Chain-breaker to do what He says He will do.

 

 

Father, there are chains in my life that are keeping me in darkness. Please take them from my heart and replace them with you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up

 

Reflect

·         What “chains” in your life are keeping you from experiencing joy, peace, and mercy from the Lord?

 

Apply

·                           Journal every “chain” in your life – past and present – that is holding you prisoner.

·                           Meet the Lord face to face during your prayer time and hand over each “chain” to Him.

·                           Thank Him for freeing you and replacing each one with His love, mercy, and forgiveness.

 

Power

·                           Psalm 107:13-14 (NIV) “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.”

 

·                           Psalm 116:16 (NIV) “O Lord, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains.”

 

 

·                           Matthew 4:24 (NIV) “News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, and those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.”

 

Quiet on the Set!

 “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him . . .”

Psalm 37:7 (NIV)

 

I was watching a documentary on how movies are made, from beginning to end. But what was most interesting to me was what happened before the actual taping of each scene.

Activity on the set was crazy! There were last-minute makeup and hair touchups as one person ran over to straighten a collar on an actor while the lighting was corrected, and props moved to their correct position by two more workers. It reminded me of ants scurrying to find cover as rain began to pour on their home.

 Then, suddenly, four short words were spoken, and everything immediately changed: “Quiet on the set!” Instantly there was complete silence. After several seconds, an assistant yelled “Action!” and everyone focused on one goal: to film the scene.

              It reminded me of how my life is - a lot of the time. There are Bible studies and speaking engagements and writing deadlines and retired teacher meetings and doctor appointments and meals to prepare and laundry to wash.

 There are groceries to buy and a lawn to be mowed and oil to be changed in my car. There are walls to paint and kids to pick up from school and ball games and email and Facebook. And on and on and on . . .

 None of those activities are bad but when I do not take the time to first simply stop and listen to the Lord – to be “Quiet on the set!” and acknowledge Him as the Creator of the Universe – then I completely miss what His “Action!” is for me for the day.

 My encouragement to you today is this: before one activity is begun, before you make your to-do list with everything that has to be addressed, climb out of your bed and kneel down and simply say “Lord, here I am. . . still before you, acknowledging you as my God, my Father, my Daddy, my Creator. I am yours. My day is yours. Please direct my day to focus on you.

  I promise you that God will give you clear direction as you look to Him and become “quiet on the set.”

 

Lord, each day is yours, from beginning to end. I am still before you now, asking that you direct my every thought and action this day and always. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

 Reflect

• Do you ever have those days where your list of activities to get done gets longer instead of shorter and you don’t seem to accomplish anything?

 

• Did you seek the stillness of the presence of the Lord before you addressed that list?

 

Apply

• Make your list of activities for the day and lay it on your kitchen table and lay your Bible on top of it.

 

• Sit silently before the Lord for two minutes as you ask Him to direct those activities and your path for the day. Listen for His answers through His Word.

 

Power

• Psalm 37:7 (NIV) “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him . . .”

 

• Psalm 46:10 (NIV) “Be still and know that I am God.”

 

• Philippians 4: 6 (NIV) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

 

Four Little Words

“The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said . . .”

Matthew 28: 5-6 (NIV)

  I am amazed at the significance that four little words can have in our lives. Let me give you some examples:

         “The toilet is overflowing.”   (“Where is the plunger?”)

         “My mother-in-law is early.” (“The house is trashed!”)

         “You have been fired.”       (“I have no job.”)

 

But perhaps the most significant, most important four words that have ever been spoken, I believe, are these: “Just as He said.”

  In Matthew 28, we are told that after the Sabbath, two women went to the tomb where the body of Jesus had been placed after He was crucified. They needed to prepare Jesus’ body for permanent burial.

  However, when the women arrived, they found an angel sitting on the stone that had previously been rolled in front of the tomb opening. In verses 5 and 6 we read “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said . . .”

  If we can’t believe Jesus, if we can’t take Him at His Word - “just as He said” - then there is no need for the Bible. Forget Scripture, forget the promises, forget forgiveness and grace, and certainly forget salvation and resurrection.

  But, if we DO believe those four little words with such a powerful meaning, then nothing prevents us from believing every other promise He has made in His Word.

  Promises like this: Isaiah 41:13 (NIV):  “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Or the promise in Hebrews 13:5 that “. . . Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

  And one of my favorite promises in Scripture: “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:12 (NIV)

  The choice is ours: take God at His Word or rely on our own earthly wisdom. I choose four little words that promise Truth in everything He says.  What about you?

  Father, I do not understand everything that is in your Word but I believe you and trust you with my life every minute of every day. Keep my focus on you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Is God’s Word also God’s Truth in your life?

• Do you find that you sometimes doubt whether God really means what He says to you in His Word?

Apply

• Keep a daily journal of the Lord’s promises to you.

• Begin each entry with “Just as He said . . .” and then write down His promise.

 Power

• Matthew 28: 5-6 (NIV) “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said…”

• Proverbs 30:5-6 (NIV) “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.”

• John 17:17 (NIV) “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

 

 

Focusing My Eyes

  “Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite.

This too is meaningless,

 a chasing after the wind.” Ecclesiastes 6:9 (NIV)

 

Confession time: there are days when I do major battle with greener grass. Not on my lawn but in my life. Please understand that I know what I have been given and I realize that God has truly blessed me. 

Unfortunately, there are times when I allow my focus to shift to what someone else has, and I find myself thinking “If only I could look like that or write like her or have more money in the bank like they do, THEN I would be happy or fulfilled or content or . . . fill in the blank.”

I was having one of those “if only” days when I came across an article titled “What Stars Think of Themselves” and it totally surprised me. All the stars mentioned in the article are extremely successful, wealthy, and beautiful by anyone’s standards. The world says they “have it all” but oddly enough, the stars themselves have a different opinion.

Meryl Streep said that she had no self-confidence in her ability to act; Mike Myers was certain that the “no-talent police” would come to arrest him one day. Michelle Pfeiffer shared that she thought she had the “face of a duck” and Angelina Jolie offered this: “Sometimes I think I look like a funny Muppet.” The very ones that I looked at and thought “Oh to be like you” were themselves feeling that their lives did not compare to people around them.

Solomon addresses this very issue in Ecclesiastes 6:9 (NIV). He says “Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Instead of longing to be more like someone else, I should be focusing on “what the eye sees” – in other words, on what I am already blessed with rather than “the roving of the appetite” – what someone else has.

Solomon wisely states that always looking somewhere else for what I perceive as better than what I have is as foolish as chasing after the wind. I’m never going to catch it, no matter how hard I try.

I have been blessed with a Godly husband, three beautiful children, and six even more beautiful grandchildren. I have a home to live in, blankets to keep me warm, and food in my pantry. I have laundry to wash and floors to sweep. I can read my Bible and pray to my Father any time I choose without having to ask permission from anyone.

A roving appetite will never be satisfied. But focusing my eyes on what I am blessed with will satisfy for a lifetime.

 Father, thank you for blessings beyond belief. I choose to praise you and not focus anywhere else but on your face. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

• Do you find yourself with a case of the “if only” very often?

 

• What causes your focus to turn from the Lord and what He has blessed you with to other people and what they have?

Apply

• Journal a list of all your blessings in your life, from the tiniest blessing to the biggest.

 

• Now determine if you would give up any of those blessings in exchange for something that someone else has. Thank the Lord for His gifts to you.

Power 

• Ecclesiastes 6:9 (NIV) “Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

• Proverbs 14:30 (NIV) “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”

 

• Colossians 3:2 (NIV) “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”