"And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:32

Paula
Sometimes the things people do just plain make me angry. The postman might deliver my mail to some other address, causing me to hunt through the neighborhood for my missing mail. A passerby walking his dog may allow the animal to go on my lawn without cleaning up after it. A careless driver runs a stop sign and swerves in front of me, missing my car by inches, then has the nerve to flip me off. My husband and kids sometimes don’t appreciate me as much as I think they should.

Whenever I feel offended or abused, I remind myself that all of us have faults. No one is perfect—especially me. I’m sure others feel I’ve offended or abused them at times also. And if Jesus is our example of how to love one another and get along with one another in spite of our faults and the injustices we hand each other, then looking toward Him, I have no excuse to harbor anger or unforgiveness toward anyone, no matter what they do or however guilty they may be.

Hanging on a pitiless cross, Jesus, the innocent of innocents, forgave those who had misunderstood and abused him and were now mocking him has he neared death. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,”* was his cry. How utterly selfless, and what a pure example of God’s unfathomable love toward us His plea expressed.

When I came to the cross with my heart laid bare, when I knelt under Jesus’ shadow, He accepted me, forgave my sins, and made me a new human being. I try to remember His incredible depth of forgiveness when anger rises toward someone whom I think has offended me. Jesus not only forgave me, he died for me. If I truly understand this, how can I not, then, forgive others for the wrongs they have done me?

Paul lived and preached this awesome depth of forgiveness as well. While imprisoned in Rome, beaten and suffering for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul wrote the following words to his beloved church at Ephesus:  “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

May we all strive to not merely hear these words but live and practice them.

* Luke 23:34

Pam

Someone paid me the nicest compliment the other day. She said she could tell I was a Christian because I had been so kind to her. I’m not sharing this to boast. I know that any kindness I possess I’ve received from God. And this sweet woman got me on a good day. Too many times I don’t show the kindness I should.

But I thought she brought up a good point. How do you tell if someone is a Christian? Accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior doesn’t give you a glowing halo. (Which could come in handy if you want to read at night but may make it hard to sleep.) Nope, no halos or pink auras. Not even a sublime, peaceful expression for most of us. Unless someone is wearing a cross necklace or lapel pin, there aren’t any visual clues telling those they meet that they are a Christian. So how do believers set themselves apart? And let's be clear on this point: Christians are set apart. We are in the world but not of the world (John 17). We are in the family of God. If we are different shouldn’t we act different?

It seems to me that after all Jesus has done for us, the least we can do is be kind to one another. Give someone the benefit of the doubt when they are less than kind to me. Be slow to anger and quick to forgive. God’s mercy is immeasurable, so shouldn’t our mercy, too, be full and rich?

Christians need always to stand firm and strong for truth and righteousness. Yet, we can and should be kind and merciful in our day-to-day interactions. If we take an eternal perspective we’ll realize that in a thousand years it won’t matter if the design center messed up our order for drapes, or if our cable is out or we were overcharged on our phone bill. These kinds of things are concerns of the world.  We will be here for a very short time, so why not show compassion? What better witness to an unsaved world?

“There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” Mark 7:15

Paula
As our modern world continues to spiral downward deeper and deeper into the vortex of end-time chaos, I find myself bombarded with unclean images and innuendos I’d rather not see and hear. Whenever I turn on the television, read a magazine, turn on the radio, or check out the Internet, up pop sexually suggestive or explicit images and foul language I don’t expect to encounter but cannot avoid. Sadly, the situation is probably only going to get worse as time goes on.

It wouldn’t be practical or wise to toss out my computer, TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines in order to avoid such confrontations. Others may feel differently, but I don’t believe Jesus expects or asks me to do that. One can’t (and shouldn’t) live under a rock, as the saying goes. Yet, the Bible states clearly and without exception what God does expect of us: “...But as he [Jesus/God] who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15). So how do we, as followers of Jesus Christ, keep from becoming tainted or even corrupted by the world and its current mores?

Jesus gave us the answer. He tells us: “There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man” (Mark 7: 15). Jesus is saying that it’s what we do with, and how we choose to digest and process the things that enter our bodies and minds that can harm us. Yes, we must use discretion and guard ourselves from those things we know Jesus would not condone. We must do as God expects and keep ourselves holy as He is holy. But if something unclean does enter in, we can surely take heart. It’s only what comes out of us afterward that will harm or defile. Plainly speaking, Jesus compares the process to food intake and waste output.

We must deal with questionable “intake” immediately and eliminate it from our minds and spirits before it has a chance to fester, exit us through our actions or speech, and finally corrupt us. If we harbor impure thoughts and do not determine to immediately rid ourselves of them, eventually we may act upon them. Then, those things that will come out of us will defile us—and possibly defile others as well. It’s the same with foul speech. We can hear it, but Jesus has called us to a much higher standard. It’s what comes out of our mouths, mouths that God intended for us to use for praise and uplifting, holy speech, that will either bless or defile those who hear it.

I don’t claim to be perfect. I can’t even claim that my own actions and speech are always holy. As the world grinds down toward that glorious day when Jesus makes his return to Earth, it’s going to get harder and harder for me and other Christians to remain in the world but not of it. But I thank God we have the Holy Spirit to guide us and convict us whenever we stray from the path God ordained for us. And all those times when I forget to place myself in another’s shoes, then say or do things I later regret, I remember Mark 7: 15. And I remember that Jesus’ precious blood was shed for the atonement of our sins, and that the power of His blood will keep us and maintain us until the day of His triumphant return.

Pam
Words, words, words. We are drowning in them. It’s been said that the average person speaks about 10,000 words a day.* It seems we are always talking. We give instructions, detail plans, describe events, and order our coffee. We are a culture that always seems to be yakking. So much so, we need unlimited plans for our cell phones. With so many words being uttered is it any wonder, then, that so many sins come from the words we speak? We can use words to lie, cheat, swear, and manipulate. We exhort others to commit sin. We use words to attack. Words are the usually the first acts of violence we commit. A particularly disturbing scene from the movie Hotel Rwanda takes place when  a voice on the radio  urges the Hutus to slaughter their neighbors, the  Tutsis. 

Then there is the much more socially acceptable, seemingly benign yet just as sinful, activity of gossiping. If you want to go an entire day and not hear a negative word spoken about another person you had better check into a remote mountain cave. Office gossip is as ubiquitous as cubicle dividers. And who hasn’t spent time at a family get-together nattering about the faults of the relatives who didn’t show? Backbiting, criticizing, and condemning are common pursuits among believers and nonbelievers alike. So common, it’s easy to forget they are sins. Yet, the Bible is more than clear on the subject. Jesus said we are not to call each other fool (Matt. 5:22). Paul admonishes us repeatedly not to engage in slander (Col. 3:8, Eph. 4:31, Titus 3:2). 

Speaking negatively about another person is a sin I fall into time and again.  If my feelings get hurt, if I’m inconvenienced or annoyed, I find myself making a snarky comment about someone. The Holy Spirit has let me know that no matter how witty or clever I am with my negative comments, I’m still sinning.  This is an area I work on daily. Gossiping is a tough habit to break.

My mother-in-law, who is now with the Lord, had a framed embroidery piece that read, “In this house Jesus is the guest at every meal and a part of every conversation.”  What a wonderful reminder. If we remember to bring Jesus into all our conversations, then all unkind words would die unsaid. Words would only be used to praise, encourage, rejoice, and uplift. We would sing hymns, give thanks, and exalt the Lord.

*http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_words_does_the_average_person_speak_every_day

“He is not here, but is risen!” Luke 24: 6

Ludwig Ferdinand Schnorr von Carolsfeld: Three Marys at the Tomb of Christ

Paula
I get teary-eyed when I contemplate Jesus’ suffering on the cross for my sins—the precious Lamb of God Who taketh away the sins of the world. Fulfilling centuries of prophecy, our sinless Lord went willingly to his agonizing death, sacrificing his life for the redemption and atonement of all humanity—for me and you.

Selah, writes the psalmist: Pause and contemplate this.

But Jesus’ work didn’t end there. He had just conquered His arch enemy satan and removed once and for all the terrible burden of mankind’s sin, yet He must now go on to conquer death itself. Here is what happened:

On the third day (Sunday), early in the morning at sunrise, a group of women went to Jesus’ tomb, bringing sweet-smelling spices to prepare the body for permanent burial. How astonished they were to discover the massive sealing stone had been rolled away and the tomb lay empty! Fearful that thieves had stolen Jesus’ body, the women began to fret. Just then, two angels in shining white garments appeared. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” they asked.  “He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again’” (Luke 24: 4-7).

The women, believing the angels, ran to tell the disciples the wonderful news. However, until Jesus Himself appeared to the eleven men, they doubted the women’s story, thinking their words “idle tales.” Especially Thomas, who stated flatly that unless he put his own fingers into the wounds in Jesus’ hands and side, he wouldn’t believe. Eight days later, the risen Jesus appeared to Thomas and invited the doubting apostle to do just that. Afterward, believing at last, Thomas cried: “My Lord and my God!”

I love what Jesus said to Thomas next. My Lord’s words humble me and make me weep every time I read them. Jesus told Thomas, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20: 29).

Selah.

Jesus’ death and resurrection freed humanity from the bondages of sin and death, but it also ushered in a brand-new age—the Age of Grace. No longer must we sacrifice bulls and goats and doves to atone for our sins. Jesus’ atoning blood, shed for us so long ago at Calvary, provides grace and pardon once and for all. Jesus’ shed blood makes it possible for us to boldly approach the Throne of Grace where our Father God dwells, assured that we will always find acceptance, love and forgiveness there. Because Jesus loved us so completely, he willingly went to the cross, died, and the third day rose from the dead.

It’s been a hectic week for me with plenty of life’s troubles standing ready to choke out the Word of God and tempt me to set aside the awesome significance of Holy Week and Easter Sunday. But I know better than to give in to satan’s wiles. I am so grateful to Jesus for the work He has done on my behalf, and I will celebrate Resurrection Sunday with a heart brimming with thanksgiving and praise. At sunrise this Easter Sunday I will shout along with all the saints and angels in heaven and every believer here below: “Hallelujah! He is risen!”

 Pam

Júnior Miranda, Cruzeiro Gameleira

Writing an Easter blog, I’ve discovered, can be a daunting task. I first thought it should be easy. After all, the story of the Crucifixion and Resurrection is such a rich, complex tapestry, the very heart and foundation of Christianity. The story teems with themes and ideas. We see Jesus at his most human, “…remove this cup from me” and his most divine, “…not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). We see the worst of humankind in the betrayal of Jesus and the best in the joy and faith of his followers. A person could write volumes on the subjects of love, compassion, sacrifice, redemption, obedience, as well as loathing, condemnation, selfishness, and rebellion, which are all present in the story of the Cross.

So what thread of this immense tapestry would the Holy Spirit prompt me to pick up? The thought that comes to my mind is: as Christians, what do we ever have to fear? Jesus went through the worst, the most painful experience imaginable. Not just physical pain, which was tremendous, but the anguish of knowing all His loving, helping, teaching, and healing were rewarded by utter and complete betrayal by men. They were the very men who should have recognized Him as the Christ and fallen to their knees. Instead, they had him Crucified simply because they wanted to maintain the status quo. Yet, on the third day He rose! He triumphed over it all: betrayal, agony, sorrow, and death. We cannot help but sin, but Jesus has saved us from ourselves. Because of his sacrifice, if we stay faithful, we are entitled to the same triumph. No matter what we suffer from the hands of evil men and women, no matter what satan throws our way, we will always triumph in the end. We know the final score at the beginning of the game.

I have to remember this as I go about my daily business. When worry and anxiety threaten to drown out the Word, I have to ask myself, what do I have to fear? Christ died so that I would be saved, so that I could have an everlasting relationship with God. In the next life I will be with Jesus, and He is at the right hand of God.

The Cross brings life out of death. As Christians we can trade fear for faith. Praise the Lord! He has risen.

" Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6: 9

                                                                                    Paula
One day when I was out planting radish and lettuce seeds in my garden, I began to think about the concept of sowing and reaping—how those tiny dead specs of organic matter would, under the proper conditions, come alive and in time grow into mature plants. Radishes would sprout and mature in a matter of a few days, while the lettuce seeds would take longer to develop. Instructions on how and when to sow and when the sower could expect a harvest was all right there, printed on the backs of the seed packets: Work the soil, plant the seeds properly at just the right depth, tamp the rows, water, watch out for invasive weeds and insects, and wait. If only the progression for sowing spiritual seeds could be as straightforward!

I began to think, if only I had some printed information as shown on the backs of these seed packets that would give me hope for when to expect a harvest of answers to my prayers. So, I asked the Lord, “Why is it that when I pray (plant faith seeds) for others, such as for financial needs, for their salvation, or for healing, sometimes the answers come quickly but other times it takes years before I see any positive results? During those times when I don’t see anything happening, when it seems as if my prayers aren’t being of any effect, it’s so easy to get discouraged.”

Well, I’m sure by now you know where this is going. By experience, every farmer understands that it takes longer for some seeds to germinate than it does others. Also, soil and weather conditions as well as countless other factors determine whether a seed will take root or not. The same holds true for spiritual seeds. (In Matthew, chapter 13, Jesus delivered an entire discourse on the subject.)

Perhaps, like me, you’re praying for the salvation of loved ones, for deliverance from unhealthy habits, or for someone’s healing. You’ve sown your seeds of faith and have been tending them for awhile now—but nothing seems to be happening. Every day you look but see only soil, no sprouts. Take courage! Like the farmer, be patient and trust in your heart that God’s laws will surely take their course. Above all, avoid slumping into unbelief merely because you aren’t seeing any results right away. Rest assured that the Holy Spirit is doing His work beneath the surface, whether you see anything springing up yet or not.

Throughout the Bible God has given us instructions on how to sow spiritual seeds. He may not have given us a definite timeline regarding when we can expect a harvest, but as Galatians 6: 9 reveals, when we remain diligent in prayer, hopeful of heart, and faithful that God will bring to pass His Word in due season, we will reap a harvest. We just have to be patient and never lose sight of the goal until the harvest comes. If that takes seconds, hours, days, months, or years, so be it. Our job is to sow the seeds, through faith diligently tend them until they mature, and never allow ourselves to become weary in our well doing. When we follow these instructions, in due season we can then expect God to bring about the harvest—the happy result of our faithfulness.

The Amplified Bible says it this way:  “And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.”

I don’t think the instructions could be any plainer or easier to understand. Gardening is hard work, but a satisfying process nonetheless. In the same way, standing steadfast in prayer takes courage, diligence, and stamina. When we’re engaged in great battles against the weeds and insects of discouragement, fear, and hopelessness—those pests that threaten to destroy our seedlings of faith—that’s when we need to gird ourselves with courage, stand fast, and fight the enemy with faith. And when we’ve done all, we must stand back, watch, and wait. Most importantly, we must trust and believe God will, in His perfect timing, cause the answers to our prayers to come to pass.

I live Galatians 6: 9 and fight the good fight against discouragement every day. People who know me well will tell you that when Paula prays, she never gives up because she understands down to the cellar of her bones that God remains true to His promises. The moment we decide to believe and take God at His Word is the moment our prayer seeds begin to germinate and take root. I keep in mind every time I pray that, no matter what I’m seeing in the natural, God is a master at bringing dead seeds to life.


Pam
So often I can feel the world pinching in. My Christian beliefs tell me one thing and the world tells me something completely different. Christ has asked me to turn the other cheek, not gossip, pray for my enemies, and even feed them if they are hungry.  I have been instructed by God’s Word to be temperate, tolerant, kind, gentle, patient, and joyful. I know acts of love toward others makes God real and visible. I am to trust in God’s love and put my life in His hands.

This is not exactly what the world tells me. A few minutes spent skimming the newspaper, Internet, and popular TV shows tells me just what a schmuck I am for having my beliefs. It’s a dog-eat-dog world, and we have to look out for number one. Selfishness has been elevated to a virtue and an art form. Self-indulgence moves the economy. Compassion is for chumps. Winning is all, and if winning comes at the expense of others, so be it. In the current worldview money is to be praised and worshiped, for it is the scorecard that informs the rest of the world we are either winners or losers; only the accumulation of wealth can provide any kind of security. 

There are times it just seems easier to give in.  Why not indulge and give in to temptation? Why not gossip? Isn’t it kind of fun to feel taller by standing on someone else? After all, everyone else (the mythical, misguided everyone else) does. Why try and hang on to beliefs that are so contrary? These are the times I have to return to Paul’s words. I have to remind myself not to grow weary in doing what is right.

So what harvest can I expect to reap? Will I win the lottery, get a new car or the prize behind door number two? I guess I could receive any one of those things and more. But I think Paul is referring to something deeper and more meaningful. If we persist in doing good, we begin to conform to the image of Christ. And isn’t that the goal of all Christians, to become more Christlike? For Jesus isn’t just our Lord and Savior, but also our teacher and guide. There is no better reward.

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away”. Mark 13:31

                                                                                    Paula
Blessed assurance. Straight from Jesus’ heart, that’s the gift we are given from this wonderful scripture. Jesus spoke these encouraging words after explaining to four of his disciples how to recognize the signs of the end times.

The signs Jesus described were ominous: severe earthquakes, vicious wars and civil unrest, devastating famines, ugly discord within families even unto death, deception by way of false prophets, and severe persecutions. Kind of sounds like what’s happening in the world right now, doesn’t it? Yet, Jesus instructed His followers to take courage. He said, “...Do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet” (Mark 13: 7).

The apostle John wrote of Jesus: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1: 1-4). Through this scripture we come to understand that Jesus the Word, like God the Father and the Holy Spirit, is eternal. Jesus the Word has been in existence from far beyond the beginning of all things, and He has no end. All physical objects (heaven and earth) will one day pass away, but Jesus’ words, Jesus Who is the Word Himself, will never pass away.

I take tremendous comfort from this scripture, especially when I watch the evening news, read about disastrous world events on the Internet, or hear disturbing murmurings over the radio. Jesus persistently abides with us who love Him as we struggle through difficulties here on earth, and He will abide with us throughout eternity when we have at last shed our struggles and left them behind.

Jesus, our blessed assurance. Jesus, our eternal Word.


Pam

It’s tax time again – oh joy. I don’t resent having to pay taxes. It’s not just the money involved that makes tax time such a dread. It’s doing the taxes. What an awful chore. I’d rather have a bus run over my foot than do taxes. So, like many Americans, my husband and I hire it done. We need a professional, someone who can spend eight hours a day keeping up with the ever-changing tax code. Every year the tax laws are different. That is the main reason we don’t do our own taxes. We don’t have the time or inclination to keep up with all the modifications.

One would think I’d be used to constantly changing rules and regs. I work for a Medicare provider. Every month or so I get new forms or have to change how I do things because Medicare guidelines have changed. Don’t get me wrong, I think Medicare is a good program that helps millions of people. But it is a system in constant flux. There is always a tweak here and there.

We live in a world of  ever-changing information. Every morning the newspaper brings the latest news, always different than the day before. The Internet is a steady stream of new ideas, thoughts, philosophies, and values. Entertainment trumps context. We make up “what’s hot and what’s not” lists. There is a huge demand for the fresh, different, hip, and fashionable. The pressure is on the Internet magazine and blog writers to come up with a novel take on any and all subjects. The words of the world are written in sand. Most hold very little value past the present moment.

This is why the world desperately needs scripture. The Bible may get a new translation from time to time to keep up with current language, but its essence stays the same. Scripture is God’s word, everlasting, never changing. I hunger for words that will last. Words that last are a bedrock foundation, solid ground on which to build a life. They are earthquake proof and safe from any flood or fire.

As desperately needed as it is, the Bible is not a quick fix for all our woes. In our instant-access world, scripture can seem frustrating. God’s word is not prepackaged, microwavable, ready-in-five minutes. Truth cannot be flashed into the brain but must be grown in the heart. And Truth does not always go down as easy as pudding-in-a-cup. Scripture not only shows us God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, but it also reveals our humanity, as unpalatable as that can be. Bible study is just that, a study, a pondering, and a questioning. I often have to stop reading and ask myself, what does this scripture have to do with me? What is its relevance in my life? What is God wanting to tell me? Yet, I always find the Bible worth the effort. It brings what is true and what is real into my life. This why I read scripture almost every day; I want and need a touch of the eternal.

“For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him .” Psalm 103: 11

Stefan Gillessen, Reinhard Genzel, Frank Eisenhauer

Paula
When I meditate on the vast expanse of the observable universe, the distances involved seem incomprehensible.  Astrophysicists have calculated that the comoving distance (or unchanging distance, i.e., not taking into consideration the universe’s constant rate of expansion) between Earth and our universe’s edge is approximately 14 billion parsecs, or 46 billion light years in any given direction. One light year equals the distance light travels in one year, or 6 trillion (6,000,000,000,000) miles. Do the math, then try to write out the number! What’s even more mind boggling is that this distance measures only the span between where we are standing and the far-reaching points of light we can see. Only God knows how many light years of universe lie beyond those points!

King David, the writer of Psalm 103, understood the incomprehensible measure of God’s mercy toward His imperfect children. He experienced that mercy firsthand. Past his other relatively minor faults, David desired to take for himself another man’s wife and so crafted a scheme that resulted in that man’s murder. One year later King David got his heart’s desire: Beautiful Bathsheba, Uriah the Hittite’s widow, became his queen.

But that wasn’t the end of the story. Displeased, God sent the prophet Nathan to confront the king (see 2 Samuel 12). After shining a beacon upon King David’s awful transgression, David could no longer, either to himself or to others, mask his deed and pretend what he’d done could be buried and forgotten.

Can God forgive egregious sins like that? He not only can, He did.

From that point on, understanding full well that he had “done evil in the sight of the Lord,” David began an agonizing journey toward repentance. While seeking God’s forgiveness, another psalm, Psalm 51, emerged from David’s deep remorse and from his longing for God’s mercy, grace, and absolution during this time. It begins: “Have mercy upon me, O God; according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” Several verses later David pleads: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”

History tells us that God answered King David’s cry for mercy, completely and absolutely.

Whenever I stumble into sin, as all of us do, whether it be foul temper; unclean speech; intolerance; the temptation to do a job halfway; or the temptation to cloud my mind with debilitating self-doubts that keep me from attaining the goals God has set for me; I think about imperfect King David and his wonderful psalms. Whenever I start thinking God can’t possibly forgive my transgressions because they are too great, I turn my thoughts toward the vastness of the heavens and how great the Bible attests is God’s mercy toward me.

Some of us have committed “really big” sins which we feel God could never in a million years forgive, sins almost too terrible to utter. But God tells us that when we repent from the depths of our hearts and sincerely commit to turning away from our sinful behavior, He will pour upon us His infinite mercy and grant us a measure of forgiveness that will forever absolve us and restore us to a right standing with Him. God declared to all of us through King David’s contrite, forgiven heart and glorious pen: “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear [trust] Him.”

Pam
I love the story in Luke of the prodigal son.  How very human is the prodigal son. So sure of his abilities, so smug in his own wisdom, he grabs his inheritance and goes charging off, knowing full well he will be able to run his life much better on his own. He has no need of the comforts his father wants to give him, and certainly no need of guidance and counsel. He’s much too smart for all that.

As I read the story, it starts to sound a little too familiar. Haven’t we all had times in our lives when we think we can do a better job of managing things than God?  When we say, basically, “ No thanks, God. I got this one”. That is usually about the time my life starts to crumble like a sand castle in the hot sun. The essence of what was holding it together is gone.

Predictably, the prodigal son finds himself covered in muck and eating pig swill.  What could be more humbling? Swallowing his pride, which probably didn’t taste any better than the pig food, he returns home, unsure of his welcome. I imagine he must’ve been asking himself if his father was going to be angry and punish him for his arrogance, his foolishness. Would his father further humble him? It would be no less than he deserved.  But instead of meeting anger, the prodigal son is met with joy. His father runs into his arms. (Joel Osteen points out that this is the only time in the Bible that God runs). Instead of punishment, the prodigal son is given a banquet and fine clothes.

This story so perfectly illustrates God’s mercy.  So often we receive mercy we don’t deserve, but it is freely, lovingly abundantly, given anyway.  Too many times we cannot show mercy or forgiveness to those who offend us, but God is steadfast in His mercy to His children. We cannot fall to depths too low where we can’t be redeemed. When you think about it, what could be more comforting? All I have to do is look toward God, and  start to move in His direction, and He will meet me more than halfway. Loving arms always await. 

Philippians 4: 8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” NKJV

Paula
It seems as if during the past year, one serious crisis after another has bombarded my family and close friends. From devastating illness to financial uncertainty to marriages in crisis to the unexpected deaths of loved ones, some days seem just too difficult to bear. As for me personally, satan* has been working overtime to try and hijack my thoughts. He’d like nothing better than to lure me into his dark wasteland where discouragement and despair thrive. And I have to admit, some days, if I’d allowed my mind to wander into satan’s territory, I would have cast faith aside and caved in to utter despair. But because I’ve been walking with the Lord for a long time and know better, and because I am, by faith, trusting God to work out for my good any adversity that comes my way, I understand to the depths of my soul that I can absolutely rely on the promises God declares are mine in His Word. I am assured that God, who cannot lie, will not and cannot break His promises. Moreover, and here’s the extraordinary part, He will bring His promises to pass in my life. How I marvel at the steadfast goodness, strength, and loving-kindness of my God!

Since I first became a Christian, I’ve understood that my mind is a battleground, and that satan would like nothing better than to win the war, build a castle, fly his standard, and declare himself ruler over the realm of my thoughts. But I also know that I can either allow my mind to wander into satan’s negative territory and risk capture and defeat, or I can win the battle (and ultimately the war) by choosing to meditate instead on the positive, life-giving, life-changing things of God. Winning or losing the war will, and always will be, up to me.

It’s easy to “justify” blaming other people who’ve wronged us for our misery. Or we can blame negative occurrences in our past for why we can’t seem to ever walk in victory over our present circumstances. Adversity and past negative events also make perfect excuses for why we may suffer from low self-esteem, why we can’t seem to dig ourselves out of the hole financially, or why “nothing good ever seems to come my way.” The blame game comes naturally to us humans. Some of us even enjoy being victims instead of victors. It’s always easier—for a time—to shirk responsibility for directing our own thoughts down a positive path instead of a negative one. Then, too, sometimes it just feels downright comforting to place blame for our misfortunes on someone else, then sink into a warm mud bath of negativity. But at what cost? Down in that bubbling pit lies utter defeat. Down in that shadowy pool that at first looked so inviting lurk the denizens of destruction and death.

How much better to halt negative thoughts at the onset before they take root, before they in time sprout, mature, and bear their awful fruit. How much better to take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ, cast down imaginations, (see 2 Corinthians 10:5) and do what Paul instructs us to do in Philippians 4: 8. Paul tells us that when negative thoughts of self-doubt, defeat, self-pity and despair bombard our minds, we need to turn to Jesus and think about all that He is. Paul admonishes us that we can and must control our own thought life and that we must not allow satan to do it for us. All it takes is a conscious effort on our part to wrench back the controls, expose satan for the liar he is, and steer our minds toward Jesus.

Jesus is our peace, our answer. Jesus is noble, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, and praiseworthy. Everything about Jesus garners a good report. When we focus on thoughts such as these, when we plant victory seeds in the gardens of our minds instead of allowing satan’s weeds to thrive, in due time God assures us we can expect an abundant harvest of every good fruit.

*I do not—and never will—give satan the courtesy of capitalizing his name.

 

Pam

I read a book on nutrition the other day. It asserted that one of the problems with eating too much sugary, starchy junk food is that these foods replace healthier fare such as protein and good fats, foods we need to replenish hormones, build muscle, and maintain proper metabolic functions. Even a person with a prodigious appetite can only eat a finite amount of food, so a certain percentage—the higher the better—needs to come from a healthy source.

This started me thinking about the subject of displacement. Every fourth grader knows about displacement. It’s usually demonstrated by completely filling a cylinder with water and than dropping a rock in. The water that splashes out has been displaced by the rock. Fill a bathtub all the way and hop in and you’ll spend the next ten minutes mopping up the floor. The dimensions of the tub are finite.

Pondering this subject led me to ask myself about spiritual displacement. We live in the world. Our bodily life is governed by finite amounts of energy, time, and attention. Our minds, even for those with far more brainpower than I, can only hold so much. Therefore, we have to make choices on how to allot our time and attention and what to fill our minds with.

Could there be such a thing as spiritual junk food? Of course, spending our time doing something as unwholesome as viewing pornography would be the nutritional equivalent of consuming arsenic – even small doses over time will lead to death.

But what about doing something as culturally accepted as watching or listening to inflammatory TV or radio programs generated from either side of political fence? There is a certain pleasure in having our anger and righteous indignation fanned. It is so comforting to be assured that we are right and all those other people who hold a different position are idiots. If they only could think like me then all would be good. Could filling our time and minds with this stuff be to our spirit what eating trans fat-filled donuts is to the body? One or two occasionally probably won’t hurt anything, but a steady diet could stop our hearts. Paul warns us many times in his letters to steer clear of activities that stir anger. We are instructed to avoid malice and slander (no matter how fun it is).

What about the more commonplace but maybe just as unhealthy  practice of constant worry? How much of our day is given to fear and anxiety? Do we fill our minds with carefully constructed scenarios where it all ends badly? Where do we draw the line between having a common-sense plan for the future, and terror that we’ll be living on the streets in our old age?

Anxiety and malevolent media are but two examples of unworthy pursuits.  I could on and on. I am as guilty as anyone of spending my time in vacuous activities when I should be at more praiseworthy pastimes. Yet as I grow in Christ, I have more and more come to realize that if I displace scripture reading, prayer, and service to others with any of the number of unwholesome pursuits available, then I have displaced God with worldly things.
 
I have also learned bad habits can be hard to break. If we have the habit of worry, then our minds will continue the pattern like a wagon wheel falling into a deep rut. Our puny human efforts cannot change our conditioning. Only God can change us. Only He can break us of any of our unhealthy habits, whether it’s watching dreadful TV, eating Cheetos, or fretting. With Jesus, peace, love, joy, and faith replace anger, fear, boredom, and worry--possibly the greatest displacement of all.