Let Yes Be Yes

The Twentieth Day of June 2024

 “But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” (James 5:12)

So when little children first learn a word like “yes” or “no,” they say it to everything. And we laugh because they are babies and it’s cute. But what we don’t do is take them seriously because we know that when, for instance, a toddler says “yes” to having her diaper changed or “no” to a shiny new toy that she doesn’t really understand what the word means. She just likes the response that she gets. But, as adults, we should know what our words mean and we should mean it when we choose to say one over the other. As James writes in this scripture, “let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no.” Simply state the truth, without oath, because lies are neither funny nor cute, and, for Christians, must never be an option. Pass it on.

In His Yard

The Eighteenth Day of June 2024

 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.” (Psalm 32:8-10)

So my granddaughter loves to play outside, and she just wants to run, which is fine when we’re in HER backyard, which is fenced in, but when she’s here, where there is no fence, I have to insist that she hold my hand, and she doesn’t always like that. So she sits herself down, and she cries. And as much as I love to keep that beautiful smile on her face, I have a far greater responsibility to keep her safe. And I think about how God takes care of us and this scripture about trust. Throughout the Bible we hear about “stiffnecked” people, who not only resist but continue to resist the convicting work of the Spirit and how God eventually gives them over to their stubborn and wicked ways. Yet these are not children like my granddaughter, who like the horse or mule, don’t understand what they are doing. These are the people Solomon describes in Proverbs 1 who pay no attention when God stretches out His hand, who disregard His advice and do not accept His rebuke. Now I can soften my granddaughter’s resolve with a gentle and loving prod, and when we, likewise, as Christians, truly put our trust in God, we can also be guided in the way He wants us to go, counseled with His loving eye, and still running free and happy — in His yard. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Proverbs 1:7) Pass it on.  

Babies

The Thirteenth Day of June 2024

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.“(Philippians 4:8)

So at the beach recently, my granddaughter was calling every child she saw “baby.” We kept looking in the direction in which she was pointing, expecting to see an infant, but we would always just see a young person. And, no matter what they were doing, whatever type of fun they were engaged in, she wanted to join them. And I thought about children and just how innocent they really are. Pure and simple, they’re babies. Just as my granddaughter refers to them. They don’t care about race or gender or anything beyond the potentiality for friendship. They just want to play. And, for the life of me, I cannot understand why there are so many out there today who want to ruin that. They want to take our babies and disorient them, strip them of their innocence, and as Christian parents we need to protect them. by “bring(ing) them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4) We need to surround them with the things that Paul describes in this scripture as true and honorable and just and pure so that they won’t be corrupted. My friends, we can’t let them be taken captive by the lies of Satan, but rather we need to cover them with the love of Christ. Now, that’s something to think about. Pass it on.

Chasing Us

The Ninth Day of June 2024

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” (Psalm 139:7-10)

So my granddaughter is obsessed with the cats. They distract her from eating and playing and napping. She follows them everywhere they go. If one is under the table, she crawls under the table. And when she gets to them, she gives them the biggest hugs. And I thought about the parable of the lost sheep, and how Jesus spoke of leaving ninety-nine sheep behind in order to chase after just a single one that is lost, and how he rejoices when he finds it. Just as my granddaughter will climb to the top of the stairs just to give a “cack cack” a hug, God’s love will go to the ends of the earth and to the depths of the sea in order to pursue us. Cory Asbury sings about “Reckless Love,” which is unrelenting and all-embracing, not held back by our shortcomings but poured out unconditionally. My granddaughter doesn’t care that those cats don’t return her affection, she loves on them regardless, and that is exactly the way it is with God. No matter how far we may go astray, His hand will always guide us back home. Pass it on.

Like a Child

The Seventh Day of June 2024

“People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.” (Mark 10:13-16)

So my granddaughter is visiting. And I was thinking about this season of life she is currently in, this time when she looks at me with unconditional love and trust. And then I was thinking about how short-lived it is. How all too soon life hardens us, makes us cynical and wary. And I think that this is also what frequently happens to us as Christians. As seasoned adults, we stop coming to God like little children. We stop believing that all we have to do is fall into His arms and He’ll be there to catch us. And it saddens me, not only that that look in my granddaughter’s beautiful eyes is only a temporary thing, but moreover, that faith, for so many, seems to also be a temporary thing. That we can be hindered from surrendering our lives to Christ by circumstances that He doesn’t create but graciously and mercifully does give us the strength to endure. This world we live in wasn’t meant to last and because we know that His kingdom is coming, we need also to be coming to Him with an open heart, not holding back our trust but praying daily for more of it. We need to look at God the way my granddaughter looks at me, right now. And while her vision of me may be fleeting because I’m not perfect, He is. And He promises that whoever humbles himself like a child will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:4). Pass it on.

Restoration

The Sixth Day of June 2024

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1 Peter 5:10)

So we have had a leaky shower for some time now and yesterday a friend came and replaced the cartridge. Now, I know nothing about plumbing, but apparently, these are essential for regulating water flow from the shower head, controlling temperature and preventing sudden fluctuations. And, according to House and Home Online, “ignoring the replacement may escalate the problem and lead to costly repairs or replacement of the entire shower system.” You see, “over time, the rust and erosion caused by a broken cartridge can spread to other parts of the shower valve, potentially affecting its functionality.” And I thought about our country. We have a government that works like the shower cartridge and when we maintain it, that is, when it is held within the confines of our Constitution and our Ten Commandments, we function the way we are suppose to, but when it’s broken, we don’t and we aren’t. Eighty years ago today, the Allies launched the invasion of Normandy, France — D-Day– and young soldiers from the US, UK, Canada and other Allied nations faced Hitler’s fearsome Atlantic Wall as they landed on the beaches of Normandy. And because the cartridge was working then, we won. But now after years of rust and erosion, our boys aren’t being called into battle AGAINST evil but rather into a relationship WITH it. And now we are suffering. But Paul tells us that this is only a temporary situation and that God wants to restore us. He wants to strengthen us. We just need to invite Him in with the right tools to get the job done. Pass it on.

Emmanuel

The Fourth Day of June 2024

“The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.” (Romans 8:7)

So my driver’s side power window is not working and from the sounds it’s been making, I think it’ might be the motor. Now the motor is needed to power the power window regulator, which is the mechanism that moves the power window up and down. And I think about God’s law and how it is like the motor and we are like the regulator, and our ability to make right choices has been affected by our failure to submit to the law, and because we are governed by the flesh, we are now also regulating by the flesh. And like my window, we keep sinking down lower and lower. And just as the only way I can get my window back up is manually, that is, with human hands, the only way we can justify our wickedness is by removing the authority of God. And from the sounds we’ve been making, I’d say we are very sadly succeeding. It’s time, my friends, to get Him back with us. O Come, O Come Emmanuel! Pass it on.

Has Issues

The Second Day of June 2024

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

So today I was upset by a notification I got on Facebook telling me my “profile has issues.” And because I was continuing to share things that they don’t allow my “posts (would) be moved lower in Feed for 86 days.” And then I went to church, my old church, where I hadn’t been since my mother’s funeral, and I was talking to this woman with whom I’d been friends and who’d recently lost her husband, and, almost immediately, it became clear to me that she had dementia because she kept asking the same questions over and over again. And I was reminded of that stupid notification. Just like my posts, her memories were moving lower in her consciousness, but where my problem would be solved in three months, hers, most assuredly, would only continue to get worse. And I thought about my “issues” and how for too long they have been keeping me from focusing on my neighbors. And that’s exactly the way Satan wants us, nice and selfish. But it’s time, my friends, as Paul wrote to the Philippians from his prison cell, to start counting others “more significant” than ourselves, to move them higher, to prioritize them, to share as much as we can with them inspite of our issues, not hold back because of them. Pass it on.

Wait For Him

The Thirty-First Day of May 2024

“The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him, to those who seek for him. It is good both to hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:25-26)

So tonight we watched a movie about a group of friends’ who make a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, where in 1858, a fourteen-year-old peasant girl claimed she had eighteen encounters with the virgin Mary. Now, they all go seeking very specific kinds of healing from the sacred waters of the baths but come home fulfilled in different and unexpected ways. At one point, one of the women lashes out at the priest who brought them, calling the whole thing a sham, and he explains to her that it is as much about the strength that God gives people when the miracle doesn’t come as the blessing when it does. And I thought about that and how often what we want and what He knows we need don’t match up. We ‘ve been going through some rough times in this country, and, I don’t know about you, but I’ve been praying for relief. And when it hasn’t come in the manner and speed that I’d like, I have to admit I’ve gotten impatient. But it’s not that God isn’t listening or doesn’t care. I know that. It’s simply that He has a different plan, one with a better outcome that we don’t have His foresight to see. So maybe like in the movie, we’re going to walk through some cold water first, but eventually the healing will happen. It’s not a con. Pass it on.

Keep Planting

The Thirtieth Day of May 2024

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness…” (Ephesians 6:10-18)

So rabbits are eating my flowers. No sooner do I put them in, and they are gone. It’s very frustrating and discouraging. Sort of like life, right now. Today the jury came back with a verdict in the Manhattan Trump trial — guilty on all thirty-four counts. And while no one was really surprised considering the venue and the crooked and compromised judge who actually instructed the jury that they “didn’t (even) have to agree on the crime” to convict, but I think we hoped that somehow right would win, that after sowing the truth, he would reap an acquittal. But it’s like the rabbits and my flowers. They simply couldn’t resist the temptation. Their hatred for this man was stronger than their desire to do the right thing. But in light of what might be appear to be a defeat, as Christians and as patriots, we can’t give into the temptation to quit. Now, I am going to do my research and find flowers that rabbits don’t eat and just keep planting, and we need to keep fighting for this country and for this man who puts on God’s armor every day and fights for us. Pass it on.