that did a lot of good

If I cast my mind back, way back, I can remember things I heard as a child.  Sometimes, a recollection occurs at the oddest times.  For instance, recently and for no apparent reason, this phrase just popped into my head, "Well...THAT did a lot of good."  Now mind you, when I first heard this, I was much too young and inexperienced with language to understand sarcasm, much less appreciate it.  But, as time went on I was able to make a connection with the phrase and the fact that something had just "gone-wrong."

Example:
Mama had cleaned and scrubbed us right down to our shoes, and we were ready for Sunday School.  As she herded us toward the car, she may have noticed that someone had deliberately tromped through a mud puddle, instead of around it, and she would exclaim, "Well, that did a lot of good!"  At some point I realized that she meant her effort, not the puddle.

And so it seems that from time to time, our best efforts are thwarted, and made to no avail.  Eventually, we might even question why we try anymore.  This feeling can be directed at circumstances or relationships, the feeling is the same, nothing is working right, it's all gone-wrong.

Well, if you have ever experienced something like this, you're not alone.  Paul, the apostle...not the Beatle, once said that he was the "least likely to succeed," because of what he had done in the past...he had recklessly persecuted the church.  He thought that he would never get away from who he had been.  But, then he added this powerful revelation, "But, by the grace (unmerited favor) of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me WAS NOT IN VAIN."  (I Corinthians 15: 9,10)

Did you get that?! The grace of God in our lives is an investment that He is not willing to risk a loss on.  We are who we are, with all of our shortcomings and imperfections, and that will never change.

What WILL change, what MUST change, is how we see ourselves through His eyes...an investment of His grace.  And THAT did a lot of good!  By His amazing grace, we were saved, ransomed from the fall, and we will live forever with Him one day.

So, when you get discouraged, and you sometimes will, just remember that nothing we do of or for Him is ever in vain.  We may not even see the fruit from our efforts, but we must not think, "Well, THAT did a lot of good."  Just trust and obey.  We are not responsible for the outcome, just the obedience required.  Always do your best...and leave the rest...up to HIM!

stop COPING!

I have always been interested in words...individual words.  I think that our American-English is hard for others to learn because of all the roots in our semantics.  We sway back and forth from Latin and Old English to French and Greek, and 'meaning' often changes with dialects, as well.

I especially enjoy discovering new meanings.  It's odd sometimes; you think you know exactly what a particular word means, or at least in common usage, but then when you take the time to really study it, the subsequent definition might be quite different.

For instance, I have really been thinking about the word c-o-p-e, cope, lately.  As it turns out, I wasn't too far off.  I thought it meant to, loosely speaking, "to get-along with your problems."  And it does, more or less.  Turns out, coping is "dealing with and attempting to overcome problems."  To cope is to "contend or strive, especially on even terms."  It also means to "tolerate stress."

There is certainly no shortage of stress these days.  Stress is to subject (yourself) to physical or mental pressure, tension, or strain.  And there you have it!  By the very definition of stress, it would seem that we can actually choose whether or not we want to participate in the pressure, tension, and strain that accompanies/defines it.  And the answer is: YES!  We definitely have the ability to choose.

In fact, we have been equipped with everything we need to fight against it, to resist, stress.  We don't have to "tolerate" it in our lives.  Jesus paid the price for us to have absolute peace in every circumstance that we come up against.  "Let NOT your hearts be troubled," He said.  (John 14:1)  When facing the opportunity to be completely stressed out, the Lord God said to Joshua, "I will be with you, I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and of GOOD COURAGE."  (Joshua 1: 5,6)  I don't think that either Joshua or Jesus ever considered that there was any other option.  They simply were not prepared to "tolerate stress."

Like them, and all others who have gone before us, it was never intended that we should simply, cope.  We were created for victory.  We were designed to meet all challenges head-on with the full armour of God, always ready to do battle against the enemy of our souls.

In any situation that you might be facing today, look for the chance to be victorious.  Don't waste time fretting over something that you cannot do anything about right now.  Take it to the Lord in prayer, and leave it there.  He already has the answer!  Give Him room to work!  In other words, stay out of His way...don't bring "negative" to His door.

Instead, follow the guidelines set before us in Matthew 6: 25-34.  "Don't worry," He says, "be happy." 
Don't worry and fret and get stressed out; just believe.  Believe that He loves you and cares for you, and is working out everything to your advantage...because He is, He surely is, and that is what He does best!

Make a decision today to stop coping with stress.  Give it up completely, and let the peace of God have its perfect work, instead!

burn it down!

"Our tongues are like matches / our ears are like trees / 
  our words are like sparks on dry summer leaves.
  It doesn't take much / for the flames to rise / 
  And turn a soul into a forest fire...Be careful what you say. Oh, be careful what you say."

Josh Wilson performs this thought-provoking song on the CD "See You."  I appreciate the reminder in the lyrics.  We all need to be reminded of the basics every now and then.  One of the best "basics" I know is the 2/3 Rule.  Before you speak your words, weigh them by this rule:
1) Is it true?
2) Is it necessary to say or repeat?
3) Is it kind?
A 2/3 majority should prevail.  If it doesn't, then don't say it.  I try to apply the rule daily, but sometimes I fail.  When this happens, I repent, try to fix it as the Lord directs, and then I forgive myself, and allow Jesus to set me on a better path so I can try again.  It's a good rule, and when applied, it actually works.

It really struck a nerve with me this past week.  Someone said something to me that was completely untrue, absolutely unnecessary, and very unkind.  My pride was injured and I'll confess that in a private moment, I cried.  And then I realized why I was so upset.  It wasn't for myself after all.  I was deeply saddened by the condition of the heart of this person...someone who was once, and still is, very dear to me.

It's as though they are another person altogether.  And I'll admit that I don't like who they have become.  Their words were once used to encourage and uplift, but that seems like a long time ago now.  The things they say now are mean and hurtful.  But, my sweet Lord knows how to help us remember the best, and forgive the worst in each other.  So, I called out to Him for comfort.  He gently reminded me that I hold the keys to the prison that my "friend" is chained up in.  My words are powerful, too.

James, the apostle, reminds us..."Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things,  Behold how great a matter a little fire kindles. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, (other body parts) that it defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of human nature; and it is set on fire by hell....With the same tongue, we bless God and curse each other...Yes, out of the same mouth proceed both blessing and cursing; my brothers, these things should not be so." (James 3:5-10)

That was not a new thought..."A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth...Death and life are in the power of the tongue..." (Proverbs 18:20-21)

Instead of allowing this person to stay in bondage and burn down everyone around them with their fierce exclamations, I can use my words to help set them free.  There is an awesome power in heartfelt prayer.
"Pray for one another...The effectual fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much."  (James 5:16)
I believe that.  I believe that PRAYER CHANGES THINGS!

So, there we have it...the choice is ours...we can allow ourselves to be burned up and injured or we can burn down the prison and set the captives free!  With the power in the very name of Jesus, the thorough redemption provided by His sacrificial blood, and the Angel-Armies above, there is no fortress that can withstand the attack of powerful words of LIFE.  He's waiting to release all the power that heaven has against that old enemy of our souls, that great deceiver, Satan, who is only interested in turning us against each other.  Let's resolve to deny him that victory.  If you want to start a fire, pick your real enemy, attack his fortress built of lies, doubt, fear and unbelief...and burn it down!

it's too 'jelly'

By the time my grandson was three or four, he had developed quite a discriminating palate for both the taste and texture of the food he ate.

For example, he liked chicken nuggets very much, but he was very particular when it came to the dipping sauce of choice. He liked ranch-style dressing the best, but he tried other things too.  I particularly remember when he tried dipping the tasty chicken bits in cream gravy.  He rejected it immediately and declared, "It's too jelly."  I finally determined that "too jelly" had more to do with the viscosity than the taste!  I still smile whenever I think of that time.

For some reason that incident has remained clear in my mind.  Recently, I remembered it again.  And this time, it got me to thinking...

Sometimes, life gets 'too jelly.'  Somehow the foundation fails and we find ourselves on shifting sand...unstable.  I have discovered that this theory is particularly accurate when it comes to our spiritual lives.  When the circumstances of the day reduce us to tired and anxious, stressed-out individuals, the foundation we are standing on has shifted, it's become 'jelly.'

I am learning that as long as I keep my eyes on Him, the Lord is always there to bring peace and apply a healing balm over the situation, no matter what or who it involves.  When I focus on Him and His will for my life, the storms of life fail to alter my foundation...it's firm.  

Therefore, it behooves me to stay so near Him that I can hear His heart beating, and know that it is beating for me, His beloved.  At the first sign of a shift in any direction, except His will for me, the foundation suddenly becomes 'too jelly.'  I don't like the way it feels!

At that point, I take a giant step backward, free-falling on His mercy and grace.  When I let go of self and fall into Him, I always land on stable ground again.  It's hard to walk on jelly!  It's much easier to find your footing when someone else is leading you.

The next time you find yourself feeling alone or anxious or afraid, or just plain tired and stressed-out, stop and check your footing...you may be trying to walk a path that is just 'too jelly!'
     

seldom is heard

When I was a kid in school, we had our own classroom, with our own teacher, and she was amazing. She did everything! Not only was she responsible for teaching us readin', writin', and 'rithmetic, she was also the PE teacher, the Art teacher, and the Music teacher.

I particularly remember the music times. It was thrilling to see who would get what. She would open the mysterious box and begin handing out the 'instruments,' while we waited to exhale. Surely, this time, I'd get the shiny little cymbals with the elastic bands that slipped over my fingers!

It was there, in our own classroom, lined up (as usual) desk-behind-desk, that we learned all the great music of the world! Our world, anyway. I believe we were taught the beautiful patriotic songs first, and rightly so...'The Star-Spangled Banner', 'America, the Beautiful', 'My Country, 'Tis of Thee', 'God Bless America'. (Yes, even in "Public" school, we could actually sing about the wonderful God who made America what she was...the greatest country on the whole earth.)

We even learned the music from the current show tunes, like 'Oklahoma!' And that catchy little tune came 'sweepin' down the plains' right into our classrooms in Texas. Oh, yes! We had it all.

I still recall the funny songs we learned too: "Old Dan Tucker was a mighty man...washed his face in a fryin' pan..." and of course, "Have you ever heard of sweet Betsy from Pike..." and then there's "Rachel, Rachel, I've been thinking, what a queer world this would be, if the men were all transported far beyond the deep blue sea..." And who could forget, "Henry! Fetch me some water!"

We 'drifted along' with the cowboy ballads and our favorite music from the orchestra was the "William Tell Overture" but we ALL knew it was really the theme from 'The Lone Ranger.'

I don't think there was anyone who didn't love Music. It was an easy "A." All you had to do...was sing!

Thinking about all the wonderful memories from those days, my mind recently wandered through the cowboy ballads and nestled up against, 'Home on the Range.' You remember, don't you...
"Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play, where seldom is heard a discouraging word, and the skies are not cloudy all day...Home, home on the range..."

It got stuck in my head, and suddenly I realized why it was brooding there! One little phrase: "seldom is heard a discouraging word." That's Yoda language for "you don't hear anything that's discouraging very often." 

And that got me to thinking...

What if we took the time to consider what we said BEFORE it became audible? Would things change-for-the-better if we actually APPLIED the 2/3 rule [Two of the three must apply before you say it: 1) Is it true? 2) Is it necessary? and 3) Is it kind?]? What would happen if we tried, really tried, to stop saying things that discouraged ourselves, and others? Perhaps, that is what needs to happen more often in our daily lives...speaking encouraging words to one another.

It's not a new principle, far from it. For example, in Proverbs 25:11, we are reminded, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold framed with silver." Words 'fitly' spoken are encouraging, they have healing qualities in them.

Just for one day, why not try to speak encouragement to someone? Let discouraging thoughts and words be far, far away. Right now, it's just the opposite...seldom is heard an encouraging word...it's time to turn it around, the way it used to be when, "seldom was heard a discouraging word."

Go ahead...put a song in your heart, and see if the words of your mouth sound sweeter.

i know what it is

Every classroom teacher could write volumes on the unorthodox words/actions of her students.  Some of the things they do are thought-provoking, a few are downright bizarre, but I think, most of the unusual situations that occur are just plain humorous.

For example, one year as I stood at the door of the classroom, greeting students as they arrived, I could never have imagined what would happen in the next minute!  As he walked past me, one fifth-grader suddenly sniffed the air.
"What's that smell?" he demanded.
I asked, "Is it a good smell or a bad smell?"
"It smells like perfume!" he responded.
I extended my arm, wrist up, and asked, "Is this it?"
He sniffed. "YES!" he shouted, "What IS THAT?"
I suppressed a giggle and replied, "That's 'Passion.' My perfume is called 'PASSION.'
His face lit up and he continued to his desk; smiling dreamily, he added, "I LIKE 'PASSION.""

Recalling that incident recently, I had to smile. Then I thought of something else:

If Jesus has a favorite perfume, I think I know what it is!  It could very easily be called 'PASSION.'
The fragrance, coming from us, that would be the most pleasant to Him, would be the sweet, crisp scent of our passion for Him in our lives!  Daily being passionate for His presence, desperate for His love and mercy.  So passionate for Him that we could never be content to make a single move without His smiling nod of approval.  "I LIKE PASSION!" I can hear Him shout!  "Look at the way my people adore me! How sweet is their fragrance!"  "How could I not bless them today?!"

Indeed!  How could He not?!  We already know that the aroma of our sacrificial prayers for one another stir Him to action. (Ps. 141:2, I Tim. 2: 1-6, Phil. 4:18)  And that's when we are requesting His assistance, guidance, and provision.  How elated He must be when we simply love Him!  The very fragrance of our PASSION should fill heaven's halls with a glory that outshines even the sweetest flowers that we could bring and lay at His feet.

This week, throughout the Christian world, we celebrate Passion Week.  Referring to the Passion of Christ, for His church, that caused Him to give all He had for her, we honor Him with reverential thankfulness for that supreme sacrifice.  In return, we offer up ourselves that He might live again, in and through us.  What would happen if we kept it simple this year?  What if we didn't purchase that new outfit or shoes, and instead gave that money to the local homeless shelter?  What would happen if we thought of others first, just like Jesus did, and worshiped Him in spirit and TRUTH?!  Would that not be the sweetest aroma in His nostrils: the scent of our deliberate PASSION for Him, just Him.  It's just a thought, but I LIKE PASSION!!

chameleon

When you hear the word, "chameleon," you probably get an instant picture in your mind. For me, it's the cute little color-changing lizard in the movie "Tangled." Whatever you conjure up as your reference point, our various interpretations will be as individual as we are to each other.

According to Webster, chameleon is:

1

: any of a family (Chamaeleontidae) of chiefly arboreal Old World lizards with prehensile tail, independently movable eyeballs, and unusual ability to change the color of the skin

2

a : a person given to often expedient or facile change in ideas or character 

b : one that is subject to quick or frequent change especially in appearance 

 

Recently, the popular song from the eighties, Karma Chameleon by Culture Club, popped into my head. Just like everyone else, I can't recall all of the lyrics, but I know the chorus:

 

Karma, karma, karma, karma, karma chameleon...you come and go, you come and go.

The definition of chameleon also contains a list of synonyms or 'related' words:

egoist, egotist, self-seeker, conniver, plotter, schemer  (ouch!)

And that got me to thinking: 

I think that sometimes we play the chameleon with God. We come and go, we come and go. If things don't go our way, we lose our conviction...we change our colors to suit ourselves, or worse yet, to impress others.

Jesus would be correct in saying, "I heard you say that my love was an addiction. When we cling, our love is strong. [But] when you go, you're gone forever. You string along...you string along."

Additionally, karma is defined:
karma The Buddhist belief that whatever you do comes back to you, e.g. if you do something good, something good will happen to you, and vice versa. (Urban Dictionary) 

The oriental religions claim that they created "karma." But, I know better!

It's was God's idea, to begin with. He called it the Law of Seed Time & Harvest. A universal law, that cannot be broken...whatever you sow, you surely shall reap. If you plant peas, don't expect corn to come up. Call it karma or call it sowing and reaping: whatever you do comes back to you...whether good or bad!

Since that is the case, it would behoove us to follow God closely, so closely that we meld into His shadow, where there is no 'turning,' no changing, no confusion about Who He is and Who we are to Him. 

"I am the Lord, I change not." (Malachi 3:6, KJV) 

"Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8, KJV) 

Keeping our colors true, expecting a good harvest from all of our daily choices, that is what I think He desires most of all from us. After all, the human chameleon would be defined as a self-seeker, a conniver, a schemer...who wants to be counted in that number?!

If you choose to be the spiritual chameleon, you can expect bad karma to kick your rear end all over the place. Instead, cling...let your love cling to the one Who loves you most. That's what will make you strong...a clinging love...a true addiction. Like the air that we breathe, His favor must become a necessity to us. No more coming and going, just a desperate clinging to Him!