a superb day to thank God for His gift of friends.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 KJV
There is much that has been written, and said, about friendship throughout history.
We can probably all remember times in our lives in which friends have played a critical role: a spouse passes suddenly, or a tragedy befalls one of our children; we have a car accident and are injured; we go through the unfortunate unpleasantness of a divorce. The list goes on and on but the action taken by friends in times of need is always the same: a friend is immediately and unquestionably there for us when we need them.
Hopefully none of us will be required to lay down our life for a friend, although this very thing has been done many times and in many places. The world truly is filled with individuals who place a high value on the friendship of another human being.
Do we include ourselves in that group?
Friends are there for us even when we may not think we need them. Our friends will tell us when we are wrong. They will speak up and try to help us to avert disasters that we refuse to see looming before us. In fulfilling the obligations of friendship, sometimes the truth will hurt. However, our friends will never tell us anything but the truth.
After all, “Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.” (Proverbs 27:6 NLT).
Jesus spoke very powerfully about friendship, and the love that is required for it to flourish and grow. His instructions were clear and left no room for misinterpretation.
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12 NIV).
After He spoke of laying down one’s life for a friend, He offered His friendship to us. “You are My friends if you do what I command.” (John 15:14 NIV).
What an incredible gift He is offering to us. Not only has He blessed us with the gift of friendship from those around us, He blessed us with the gift of His friendship for being friends to others.
Offer the gift of your friendship to those around you. Live your life in the manner directed by God, and thank Him for the gift of friendship that you receive.
Author’s Note (4/29/2020): This message holds very special meaning with me as i begin this cancer journey I am on. The outpouring of offers of rides, meals, errands and anything else I may need makes my head swim. Especially during times such as these where people are definitely facing their own personal difficulties during the pandemic, to offer of yourself to another is truly a gift.
My friends are all very important and special to me, and I am humbled that I have so many. I have never felt so loved in my life, and it moves me to tears.
“So I say, live by the spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Galatians 5:16 NIV
Whatever the condition or circumstances of our lives, we arrived at this point under the watchful eye of the Lord.
Some of us are not going to be very happy with that knowledge because we are not in a good place. We might develop a tendency to blame God, but God did not place us where we are, He simply watched over us and allowed us to choose the path that brought us to this point.
If life appears to be wonderful, we have used the talents God gave us to our personal advantage. This, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. But God is watching to see what we will do with our good fortune and how we will use it to help others. He will watch over us to see that we work diligently at understanding His word and applying the wisdom and guidance found there to our daily lives. He looks into our hearts to see if we are in the correct place there.
If life has not been so good to us; if we find ourselves surrounded by storm clouds, trials, and tribulations; if nothing ever seems to go right and all the world seems to be against us: this journey as well has been made under the watchful eye of the Lord. It is at this point that many will wring their hands in despair and look to heaven and ask God, “Why me?”
Perhaps the answer is not as complicated or mysterious as we might think. It is possible to live into our 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and beyond believing that we are “basically” good people. OK, so maybe we drink a little too much, or we might take illegal drugs “once in a while” or abuse prescription ones; we might spend some time on the computer looking at pornography, but “only after everyone has gone to bed”; perhaps we just spend a lot of time watching television or playing video games. But we’re “basically good,” right?
God did not place us where we are.
He allowed us to get there on our own. If we have a “good” life God expects us to share what we have and know that the means of our success came from Him. If we have an abundance of negativity in our lives, God is right beside us, waiting for us to reach out to Him for guidance. All we must do is ask and be sincere in our efforts to know Him and to live in a manner that is guided by the Holy Spirit within us, and the wisdom contained in the Bible.
Each one of us must ask ourselves, “Am I in a place that God wants me to be in or am I in a place of my choosing?”
These words appear in some form throughout the Bible in whichever translation one decides to keep close to them. The words carry with them an admonishment to not do something.
The words, simply, mean “no.”
And, oh, how we hate that word or any phrase that instructs us to stop, or not begin, a particular action. Somehow we became programmed as children to exhibit a little more curiosity when we hear it, or to want what we want with a little more intensity. And when the shoe transfers to the other foot and it is our turn, as parents, to be the ones delivering the dreaded “no” to our children, it is often done with that peculiar “do as I say, not as I do” manner that we adopt as adults.
We are all aware that the largest single list of things that mean “No!” in the Bible would be the Ten Commandments.
God gave each of us the breath of life.
Breathing comes naturally to us and is something to which we do not normally give much thought. However, the act of living the life that God gave us requires instruction. Just as we instruct our children, God instructs us. Unlike many of us, however, God never tells His children to do one thing only to turn around and do something entirely different. He is the perfect example.
While we can never be perfect, we must strive for perfection from a very early age and we must impart the fact to our children that ‘No!’ really means only one thing: ‘No!’ Of the utmost importance is for each one of us to understand and obey without making excuses, finding loopholes, thinking there are exceptions or simply disregarding the “No!” that we don’t like.
“Thou shalt not steal.” (Exodus 20:15 KJV). No taking things that do not belong to us. What part of that is complicated? Yet, Dad comes home with paper and printer cartridges from work and the kids hear Mom ask, “Do you really think you should be doing that?”
We can all hear the response, “They won’t miss it.”
Or “They don’t pay me enough.”
Or, a favorite excuse of many of us, “Everybody does it.”
How about one that may not be so readily discussed in front of the kids? “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14 KJV). This is a tough one for many, many of us, unfortunately.
But ‘No!’ means ‘No!’ does it not?
Therefore, it is critical that each one of us take a step back from ourselves and examine who we are, how we live our lives, and what sort of example we are setting for our children. We must also demonstrate to God that we “hear” His words and we know their meaning.
Our children do not always like it when we say ‘No!’ to them, nor do we like it when God says ‘No!’ to us. But children of all ages need to understand without question that ‘No!’ is not another way of saying ‘Go ahead and do it if you want to.’
“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” Job 8:21
According to the American Cancer Society, in 2020 there will be an estimated 1.8 million new cancer cases diagnosed and 606,520 cancer deaths in the United States. It is second only to heart disease in numbers, and not by much.
Without a doubt, cancer is not a laughing matter.
At the same time, God gave us the ability to laugh, and the gift of a sense of humor, and I do not think it possible to face a future that involves living with cancer without thanking God for that ability and the gift and putting them to use frequently during the course of treatment, and every day while living a life with cancer.
It’s scary, folks. I won’t lie. God and I have had some serious conversations about it.
Well, my prayers have been very serious, and I let Him know I do have my moments where I just feel like sitting down and having a good cry. I know it’s OK to feel that way, and I know it’s OK to cry, and there have been tears shed.
But it’s important we find that ability to laugh and put it to work for us.
God gave us another gift to use, and that is the gift of wisdom, and that particular gift is well-suited to help us find the humor in serious situations.
For instance:
A long time ago, in a faraway land (OK, it was just Lewisville, Texas, but it was a long time ago) my Son, Anthony, was getting ready to complete his first year of elementary school. As a way to close out the year, each child was tasked with constructing a ‘car’ out of a box, or boxes. They had to be constructed in a way that the child could stand inside and walk the car through a course laid out in the parking lot.When the cars (and trucks – it was Texas, after all) were built, the children maneuvered their vehicles through the course. The Lewisville Police Department was there to hand out ‘tickets’ to the 5 and 6 year olds who ran the stop signs (which was about all of them.)
Anthony and I decided to build a McDonald’s dragster.
As you can see, our project got a little out of hand.
Anyway, during the construction of this beast, which included several boxes stuck together with panel adhesive, paper towel tubes, and wheels ‘borrowed’ from a shopping cart (hey, the thing weighed about 50 pounds! No way was he going to just walk around in it like the rest of the kids you can see in the background.)
At one point, when the body was all stuck together, I went to Home Depot and bought the paint and a bunch of disposable brushes so Anthony and his little friends could paint it. I placed it on a couple of metal trash cans in the garage and gave them the paint and brushes and went to go mow the lawn.
Fortunately, I failed to check the gas before I started, and I ran out after about 15 minutes which, of course, meant I had to return to the garage to refill the tank. As I rounded the corner, I was welcomed by the sight of the 5 of them (Kaitlin, Phillip, Nicole, Kyle, and Anthony) engaged in painting everything BUT the car – each other, the floor, the trash cans.
I hollered, “What in the heck (OK, I didn’t say ‘heck’ and, yes, I did cuss at a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds, but, hey, this was serious!) do you think you are doing!”
They all froze and dropped their brushes and looked down at the garage floor. I stood in the carport outside, pointed in the general direction of their houses, and yelled, “Everybody out!!”
In a single file, they all came out, never raising their eyes from the ground. Nicole, Kaitlin, Phillip, Kyle, and Anthony.
Anthony?
My arm dropped down in front of him and I said, “NOT you!”
As soon as the arm came down, the others took off running, and I was sure they would all hear about the paint on their clothes and in their hair. I knew that I probably would as well. Anthony looked up at me, certain he was facing punishment. I looked at the unfinished dragster and the mess around it, then my eyes came back to Anthony.
And I started laughing.
Anthony, thoroughly confused, but now pretty certain he was in the clear, looked at me and asked, “Why are you laughing?”
“Because that was the funniest thing I ever saw! I just wish I’d had a camera.”
“Then why were you yelling at us?”
“Because that’s my job. Yours is cleaning up that mess. Now get to it.”
As you can see in the picture, the car got finished and the picture appeared on the front page of “The Lewisville Times” which I framed and gave to Anthony. The picture you see is a picture I took a couple of years ago when I went to visit him in Bend, Oregon. It was hanging on the wall of his “office” where I slept while there, so I took a picture to remind me of kids being kids and how funny that can be.
I guess God knew I would need it to tell this story.
I had no relationship with Him at that time, but I’m glad He let me use that particular gift which prevented me from punishing my beloved Son for doing nothing more egregious than simply growing up and having fun with his friends.
It was serious, but it certainly was funny.
But now I do have a relationship with Him, which I cherish, and I have a greater appreciation for the sense of humor He gave me, and the ability to laugh, because it sure has come in handy lately.
Like yesterday.
Yesterday was my first day of chemotherapy.
When I took this selfie, I was not laughing, but there was a lot of laughter with my care nurse, Toya, throughout the several hours I was there. Because the situation was just so serious, I had to let her know that we were going to take care of business, but we were going to enjoy it, and laugh as much as we could, because the potential – and time – for tears was always there, lurking.
I told her I admired her for what she did because I was certain that there were times when battles were lost and people she had come to know passed away. It takes special people to do what Toya and her co-workers do, and they all deserve to laugh as much as they can, while they can.
Even though cancer is not a laughing matter, and acknowledging that this treatment I am going through is serious business, it is still critical that we use the gifts God gave us and thank Him while we do it.
“By His death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.” Hebrews 10:20 NLT
The Most Holy Place gives us direct access to God; to talk directly to God and to know that He will hear and answer us.
When we stop and think about it, this unfettered access to the One who created all that we can see, hear, touch, and smell is a truly remarkable gift given to us by Christ through His death on the cross.
If any of us were to have unfettered access to the President of the United States, we would be members of a very exclusive group and we would most likely develop a little bit of an attitude. After all, he’s a very important man and he has little time to waste on trivial matters. We would be very proud of our status and feel very special.
And yet, each and every human being has direct access to God, and most don’t even give it a thought. The giver of life and the creator of the world has all the time you need, and nothing is trivial to Him. He knows your heart and He knows the burdens you carry, and He wants to carry them for you if you will only let Him.
Yet so many of us think nothing of this unbelievably free access to the One who gives us all we have. So many of us look to ourselves, those around us, or even the president to solve our problems. The simple truth is that; we are too involved in the problem, those around us have their own problems, and the president is far too important to be bothered with our problems.
But God always has time, always has the patience, and always has the answers that we need.
So we have to ask ourselves: While it would certainly be pretty special to have the president on speed-dial, isn’t it much, much better to have direct access to God?
Embrace the gift of access that Jesus Christ gave us when He shed His blood for us and died on the cross. Be proud of the fact that anytime you need Him, God will be there to listen and to help.
Step through the curtain into the Most Holy Place and humbly thank God for always being there for you.
TODAY IS… the perfect day to conquer fear with love.
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” 1 John 4:18 NASB
The love that God has for us will protect us if we will only embrace it.
Just as the love we have for our children causes us to keep a watchful eye over them, God watches over us. Does God prevent every bad thing we can think of from happening?
No.
But then, good parents know that children will incur some bumps and bruises as a normal part of growing up. It is not wise to even attempt to protect those we love from events that help them to grow. They would have to be placed in a protective bubble, and that would hurt them in the long run more than the bumps and bruises their bodies and hearts will sustain along the path of life.
Our love will reassure them, give them confidence, and help them to set aside their fears. We will encourage them to get on a bicycle and attempt to ride on two wheels. We will do this knowing they may fall down a time or two and sustain a scrape, a cut, or a bruise. In our love, we will help them up, clean them off, comfort them, and encourage them to try again. This is the pattern of life, and the responsibility of a loving parent. The love we give our children gives them courage to do things they are afraid of: joining a drama club at school; learning ballet; becoming a member of a baseball team; speaking in public.
No matter what their interests, we know that there is an element of fear involved and it is our job to allay those fears, and we do this with love.
So it is with ourselves, our fears, and our God. He is the perfect parent, giving us perfect love, and He is always there for us. He will not remove every obstacle. He will not prevent us from falling down or failing. As the perfect parent, He will watch us, knowing that we will hurt ourselves, and then He will be there to pick us up, dust us off, and show us His perfect love.
And for those times when we get hurt, there is no better place to seek comfort than in the loving arms of God. Let the power of God’s perfect love give you all the courage you need to live to the fullest the gift of each new day He gives you.
*****
Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson
the day to search our hearts for signs of self-righteousness.
“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable…”Luke 18:9 NIV
….and then Jesus went on to tell the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. In telling the story, He compared the sincerity of their prayers. While the Pharisee thanked God that he was better than everyone else, the tax collector was honest and was ashamed to even ask God to hear his prayer, admitting honestly and humbly that he was a sinner.
Jesus was very clear as to which one earned God’s favor when He said, “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14 NIV).
Sometimes it is very difficult for us to admit that we are sinners.
But God knows that we are, so when we admit it to Him, we are really admitting it to ourselves. We need to hear the words come from our own mouths: “Dear God, I am not worthy of the love You give me, but You love me anyway. I am a sinner, but You forgive me. I humbly thank You for Your love and Your forgiveness.”
We must resist the temptation to look down with self-righteousness on the sins, mistakes, and shortcomings of others. It is alright to pray for those around us, but it is certainly not alright to condemn another while expounding on our virtues.
When Jesus told the story of the prodigal son, the message was a little different but still warned against self-righteousness. Upon the younger son’s return from years of decadence, self-indulgence, and sin, the father welcomed him back with open arms. The key here is that while the younger son demanded his inheritance so he could leave home and live a life of sin, his return home was very humble and he was ashamed of what he had done and how he had lived.
“…and the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’” (Luke 15:21 NASB).
Of course, the father was having none of that and his welcome was warm, loving, and forgiving. However, the older brother felt slighted and self-righteously decided his brother did not deserve the love of the father. He felt that only he should receive that love since he had stayed, worked, and demonstrated loyalty while his younger brother was out partying.
Do not fall into this trap either.
When someone admits wrongdoing and seeks to return to the family or to the church, we must set aside any suspicions or negativity, eliminate our self-righteousness, and welcome them back with support, encouragement, and love.
Search your own heart today, and if you find any pockets of self-righteousness anywhere, empty them immediately.
a terrific day to get on the right side of the Lord.
“…and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.”Matthew 25:33 NASB
Does someone’s race, social status, education level, or job determine how we treat them?
Does someone have to be ‘worthy’ of our kindness?
The eyes of God see only the hearts of His children. What does He see when He looks at yours?
Throughout the many beautiful pages of the Holy Bible, the need to show kindness and concern for each other is repeated often, and in many different ways. Christ used several examples and took advantage of many different opportunities to teach the supreme importance of this.
When Jesus was teaching on the Mount of Olives, He told a powerful story about the final judgment.
“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.” (Matthew 25:31 NASB).
When we are all gathered in His presence, He will separate us as a shepherd separates the goats from the sheep. He will place the sheep on His right and He will tell those He places there that they have been blessed by God and have been chosen to inherit His kingdom as promised.
Jesus then tells them why they have been selected:
“For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.” (Matthew 25:35-36 NASB).
He said that the good people He would be saying these things to would be confused, for they would have no recollection of feeding Jesus or clothing Him, taking care of Him when He was sick, or any of those things that He was referring to, so they would ask Him when they were supposed to have done all of those kind and generous things.
Jesus told the crowd, “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’” (Matthew 25:40 NASB).
Christ is in all of us, so nothing else should matter.
We should be kind to one another because of our love for God through Jesus Christ. We should do for everyone we meet as we would do for Christ, and in doing we will show the world our love for Christ and ensure that when we face judgment before the King, we will be on His right side.
“Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”Proverbs 4:7 NIV
Searching for the wisdom of God is the key to a rich, productive, and significant life as a servant of the Lord.
Being a servant of the Lord does not mean we must all be priests, pastors, or ministers. Being a servant of the Lord means that we attach maturity, significance, and seriousness to our time on this earth as we prepare for God’s promise of life everlasting.
Wisdom gives us the knowledge and understanding, coupled with the ability to use them, which helps us to mature as Christians and lead lives that are full of purpose and meaning. In a world that seems to always be caught up in the moment; in a world that is self-indulgent, selfish, self-centered, and materialistic, actively searching for the wisdom of God is more important than ever before.
Life is not as slow, and not as simple, as it once was. At the same time, our ability to help others is greater than at any time in our history. Therefore, so is our responsibility to our fellow man. How best to serve a useful purpose in our short time on earth is easier to determine with wisdom.
The search is never-ending, but it is all too important, especially if we have children who are also trying to find their way in this world. We cannot teach what we do not know, so we must search the Bible constantly for knowledge and show our children where to find it and how to use it.
When we were young, 70 or 80 years seemed like such a long time. Those of us who are older know that it goes by quickly. If we use our time searching for God’s wisdom and applying what we learn to our daily lives, to the way we treat others, and to how we seek out opportunities to serve God and glorify His name, we will spend more of those years with smiles on our faces and the glow of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
One of the wonderful things about the wisdom that God has to offer us, is that no matter when we come to the realization that our lives can be so much better with it, we can be secure in the knowledge that it is never too late to start searching for it.
If you have not experienced the joys of God’s wisdom, pick up the Bible today and begin the search for yourself.
If you already know those joys, then you also know that you must never stop searching for more of the wisdom of God.
“Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.”Proverbs 22:1 NLT
We are all probably familiar with the expression, “You only get one chance to make a first impression.”
We should certainly all want it to be a good one. Not very many people would knowingly, and intentionally, set out to make a bad impression. Our reputation precedes us in many aspects of life. For many individuals, their only impression of us is our reputation.
So we must ask ourselves what sort of first impression is our reputation giving others?
If we are seeking employment and are approaching someone we have never met for an interview, we have probably sent out a resume ahead of us and something about that resume caught the eye of the one making decisions. So far so good. First look is a good one, so we show up for the interview on time, properly groomed, positive, confident, and upbeat. The second “first look” is good. The interviewer checks into your background and things start to go downhill. Perhaps there is a past history of legal problems that we were not forthright about. Perhaps they check with a previous employer and, while it is not acceptable for a previous employer to speak poorly of someone, saying nothing at all, or simply stating that we are not eligible for rehire, speaks volumes in a negative sense.
If we have good reputations in our personal and professional lives, it is of the utmost importance that we live our lives making a conscious effort to keep it intact. A good relationship with God can help us do that.
But what if we have made mistakes? What if some of them are serious errors in judgment? God has assured us of His forgiveness, but what about the forgiveness of our neighbors, our friends, our families and our employers? Can we ever overcome a bad reputation and get a second opportunity to make a good first impression?
The answer is an emphatic, “Yes!”
Do not be discouraged and do not give up. The first thing to do is to look to God’s Word for guidance.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” (2 Timothy 3:16 NLT).
We must ask God to give us all that we need to be forthright with people about our mistakes, and to give us the patience we will require to rebuild our reputation.The process can be a long, and sometimes discouraging, one.
But it can be done.
Whether this is our first or second “first impression”, look to God for help in choosing to make it a good one.
The After-Oakdale Chronicles 