Spoiled

What is your response when you hear a reference made to the “spoiling” of children?

If your first response is anything like mine, a spontaneous smile may come to your face as you perhaps reflect on a recollection of having spoiled your own precious little one; though, like me, you may also substitute another word for “spoiled!”

When I consider the actual meaning of a particular word by checking the dictionary, I am usually surprised to find that the word carries a deeper root meaning than I usually think about when using the word.

“Spoil n. 1a:  plunder taken from an enemy in war or from a victim in robbery:  loot; 2a: spoliation, plundering; 2b: the act of damaging: harm, impairment;” taken from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.

There is no positive implication of “spoil” in that definition which states plainly that ‘spoil’ is “the act of damaging:  to harm” or impair in some way.

Nothing to smile about, is it?  “Spoiled kids” doesn’t sound any more pleasant than “spoiled food!”?  We are horrified at the very thought of damage or harm or impairment coming to one of our dearly loved ones, whether child or adult.

 It is much too easy for me to impulsively over-indulge those whom I love.  I see now that many of my prayers to God for my loved ones have been that He, too, would indulge them by blessings only, and never hardships, sufferings, trials and temptations.

Amy Carmichael had this to say in her devotional book, “The Edges of His Ways,”  on page 194:  “How often have I found myself asking for relief for those I love, just simple blessed relief from the grinding pressure of the stones; but would not another, a braver, deeper kind prayer help them far more?”

She includes this meaning of the word “tribulation” from Revelation 2:9:  “the pressure of stones that grind the wheat, or that force the juice out of the grape.”

She goes on to explain, “The making of Bread and Wine, nothing less, is the purpose of that pressure; and He who weighs the winds measures the force of the pressure.  Of this we can be sure.  What about our prayers for those who are under pressure?  Are they of the earth, earthy, or are they Heavenly in quality?”

Then she writes, “Bread and Wine – the very words are hallowed.  Let us pray alongside our Lord as He makes of mortal souls, through pressure, something that will be used for the life of the world, Bread and Wine.”

Ms. Carmichael ends this particular writing thought with acceptance to the Father for whatever He chooses to do in all of life, in Jesus’ own words:  “Yes, Father, for this was Your good pleasure.” (Luke 10:21b.)

I think it is a very good thing that I do not have access to unlimited amounts of money for I would be inclined to indulge my children and grandchildren beyond any good outcome for them.

 I would, I am afraid, certainly “spoil” them forever from understanding the wealth of wisdom that comes from living on a budget and having our needs met by our heavenly Father, and that by not having everything we want, we learn to save and determine a ‘want’ from a  ‘need’.’

God is so good in that He never indulges His children to their own detriment.  Rather, He always does what is best for us as His children.  And sometimes what is best for us may be a season or passing moment in time spent in pain, and uncertainty.

If for no other reason (and I am convinced there are more reasons than finite minds can comprehend for the trials, sufferings and hardships of life), they surely teach us our need of God and our utter dependence upon His abundance.

His generosity is not limited to material matters either.  He gives liberally to all people opportunities to be blessed by the exercise of seeking His face spiritually.

Many, many times just when I am on the verge of sinking into despair because it seems that I have blown away all chance of ever feeling His closeness and peace again, suddenly He envelops me in such an assurance of His love and constant presence with me that I can scarcely take it in and process it in my mind. 

Would we, then, intentionally deprive our precious loved ones the joy of perhaps discovering their own personal relationships with God Himself because we could give them all the material goods their fleshly, human hearts could desire in this earthly, temporary, and highly deceptive life on earth?

We would never consciously choose to indulge them materially to the point they might no longer feel a spiritual need for God in their personal lives.

Our desire as Christians is that all people would find their eternal security in the salvation that only Jesus Christ can give because He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  He is the pathway to God.  There is absolutely no other name given under heaven whereby one may be saved.   John 14:6 and Acts 4:12.

The pressure of the stones of life as Christ is formed in us and in our children and grandchildren often times turn out to be some of life’s very best ‘gifts.’  Never then should we want to deprive our loved ones of the trials that would bring them into closer fellowship with Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Galatians 4:19. 

Jesus and the Holy Spirit:  Bread and Wine for the life of the world that was so loved by God that He gave His only begotten Son to redeem people that any one of us might be drawn back into unbroken fellowship with Himself.

Jesus told His disciples during His final days on earth:  “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace.  In this world, you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”   John 16:33.

And because of that, we can take courage for He gives us His peace and He will never leave us nor forsake us.

In this world, all people will encounter trouble, trial, and woe, including warfare - spiritual warfare.  Because of this warning, we are well advised to avail ourselves of the abundance of knowledge and wisdom that God imparts through Christ, who has been made Wisdom from God for us – and our righteousness, holiness and redemption.  See 1 Corinthians 1:30.

This is God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began…but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.  We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God that we may understand what God has freely given us…. “But we have the mind of Christ.”  See 1 Corinthians chapters 1 and 2.

Jesus and the Holy Spirit – inseparable:  The Bread and Wine that abundantly ‘feeds’ the world! 

Let us turn to The Holy Bible, the Word of the Living God for He has made it open and available to us by His Holy Spirit:  “But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.”  1 Corinthians 1:10.

Happy exploring of The Treasure Book:  God’s Holy Word, the Holy Bible.

Where We Stand

Can I just listen?

That question was asked one time during a lively conversation between two women and a man. 

The man, feeling the frustration any male would who found himself in a similar situation where his words were being drowned out by two women passionately putting forth their feelings in a certain matter, and after trying for some time to get a word in edgeways, he finally asked the question meant to make room for him to talk, but he inadvertently switched the words “talk” and “listen.”

He was, by the way, assured, when all three could stop laughing, that yes, he absolutely could listen!

But, how many of us care to listen when we can talk instead?!  Not many --- men or women,  I think.  Not me, anyway, on too many occasions.

However, I believe the imperative to listen is being impressed upon me, and I want to share it with all who will listen.   Please pardon me for that pun, and please bear with me for a bit.

Who is your favorite person to whom you go for advice?  Can you name one, or maybe two or more?  Think about who we are hearing from regardless of whether or not we are directly listening to or looking to them for advice, for help with troubling questions about life, etc.

There are voices all around us – do you agree?  Most of us have background noise going on constantly that we live our lives to, much like listening to music.

Music may be part of what we listen to every day.

Something happened this week that got me to thinking about what I may be hearing whether I am actively listening or not.  And, what I may not be hearing even when I am trying to actively listen.

It occurs to me that what we listen to helps form our life views and beliefs.  For that reason, don’t you think we ought to think about what we think about?

Let me give you the backstory.

Do you ever have a few words, phrases, tunes that get stuck in your head and you can’t get them out?  They just keep replaying themselves, over and over in your mind, or maybe, they just flit through like a lightning bug and don’t stay very long but still you wonder to yourself where in the world did that thought come from!

Do you think we have a “mind’s ear” as we sometimes refer to our “mind’s eye?”

The things we ‘see’ and ‘hear’ that we don’t really see visibly or physically, just ‘see’ it in our mind’s eye, or ‘hear’ it in our mind’s ear….

Recently, that happened to me.  I could hear this catchy tune in my head but could only remember a few snatches of the actual words:  something about “some who want to own me and some who want to stone me” and “taking it easy” …. And “don’t let…. ??

I couldn’t come up with the singer’s advice about the life issue he was experiencing.

So, I did what I always do and asked my husband if he could remember what I was trying to come up with, and, as usual, he could!

Turns out it was the lyrics to an old Eagles’ tune entitled “Take it Easy.”  I couldn’t rest until I could locate the words and find out what the song was all about anyway!

Also turns out the advice I was trying to identify from those few words would have a sobering effect on  me:   a stop-and-really-think about-this impact.

I began to question how much of what I believe is based on Truth.

It is interesting to me that the guy described in the song that I was humming the catchy tune to was “standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona,” and most telling to me was what I perceived to be the ‘message’ in the song:  “Take it easy,” and “lighten up while you still can,” – whatever on earth was meant by that.  Seemed to me it was an invitation to decide for ourselves to take life lightly and not seriously.

He had seven women on his mind; and, according to the lyrics, what was he doing as he stood on that corner?  He was contemplating yet another woman!

Why on earth would he be interested in adding an eighth woman to the clutter in his mind?!  Well, the lyrics go on to imply that he is looking for that one woman who can “save” him.

Save him from what, I wondered, Just one more night of lonely; or, from a whole lifetime of disappointment?

I confess I have no idea what the writer of the song intended to convey with his words to the music.  Maybe it was simply to link a catchy tune with rhyming words.  Who knows?  I confess that I don’t know.

However, as I consider standing and listening, and perhaps taking life lightly, I realize again that what we listen to can have a real impact on us; and where we stand could well determine whether we stand or fall. 

 Do we stop to think about what we are listening to, and to whom, and more importantly, what message we are ‘hearing’?

I am reminded by the Truth of Scripture that where we stand is important, and to whom and to what we listen with attentive ears or casual not-paying-attention-ears matters.

Matthew 15:10 “Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen and understand.”  The Amplified Bible stresses His words as “Listen and grasp and comprehend this….” 

In the context of Matthew 15:1-20, Jesus is teaching the disciples and all the people hearing Him,  that to whom one listens is important. 

 I encourage you to read the entire passage.  In verses 13 and 14, what Jesus says is in response to being asked by His disciples if He is aware that something He has just said has offended the Pharisees, (whom by the way, Jesus has just called “Hypocrites!”):

“Every plant that My Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.  Leave them; they are blind guides.  If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

In Isaiah, chapter 46, the Lord is speaking to His people to remind them of who He is and who they are, and that trust in anyone or anything other than Himself will result in tragedy and heart-breaking disappointment.

 From verses 8-10, we  see His words and warnings:  “Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels.  Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.  I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.    I say:  ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’”

God’s Words are weighty – heavy with meaning and with authority.  To Whom we listen is vitally important.   And, to treat life lightly and without seriousness can be a fatal mistake.

Isaiah 7:7a,9b:  “Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: … If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”

2 Chronicles 20:20:  … “Listen…!  Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in His prophets and you will be successful.”

Isaiah 40:6b,7,8:  “ …All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them.  Surely the people are grass.  The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”

Hebrews 11:1-2, 6:  “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for.  …  And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

Hebrews chapter 11 gives a very full account of all that faith accomplishes in people who choose to stand firm in faith in God, our Savior and Lord.   And, it also points out in verse 29 the peril of placing faith in man rather than in God.

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”  Proverbs 18:10.

Let’s run to Him and stand firm in our faith with ears tuned to hear His word as we listen with ears fully open to hear Him!

 

What to Keep and What to Throw Away

Have you ever thrown away something you later realized you should have kept? Or, impulsively given away something only to regret it later?

Whether it was a receipt for a purchase later to be found defective, or a box of life’s mementos we felt took up too much precious storage space, we probably have all thrown away or given away something in the moment only to realize too late its value.

How do we know for sure what to keep and what to throw away?  One answer is we learn as we go, and that usually means learning from our mistakes.  That kind of learning is helpful, but it can also come with a lot of regrets along the way.

One important issue in keeping and throwing away things is the matter of storage space.  We have moved a lot over the years and there is nothing like packing and unpacking, and paying the storage costs, that encourages a lot of throwing away!  A family of any size can accumulate a lot of stuff over the years, so storage space becomes very important.

Something I thought I didn’t need at the time, or could do without, often later proved to have been more valuable than I realized when weighed against the lack of space in which to store it.

That brings to mind the places where we store our most valuable possessions.  Some of the first places we think about are, of course, our homes where we live.  Then, depending upon the item itself, it might go into a safe deposit box in a bank, or any number of other places.

How often do we think about our hearts being a place to store and treasure things?

I am reminded of the verse in Luke 2:19 where we are told about Mary’s method of storing some things she couldn’t yet understand but somehow knew these things were only going to become more valuable to her as time passed and she must not let them get away from her: 

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (NIV 1984.)

Wow.  She kept them in the perfect storage place that would always be with her no matter how many times she moved!

Mary, the mother of the Christ-child, Jesus, took in an overwhelming amount of information delivered to her by an angel, in essence telling her that she, an unmarried virgin, would be the mother of God’s one and only Son born in the flesh to a human mother, by an amazing event:  “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you…”   See Luke 1:26 and verses following.

There are so many wonderful things to pull out of these verses and ponder in our hearts, enough to occupy our thoughts for years to come.

But, in keeping with our thoughts today about the things we keep and the things we throw away, and our limited space and time, let’s consider just two things:  purity and faith.

Mary had kept her virginity, for without it, she could not have been chosen as Jesus’s mother; and, when faced with a radically unexpected life change, she kept her faith – her confidence in the God of her childhood.

She kept two most precious and treasured gifts from God Himself:  purity and faith.  And, we can too.

Even when we ignorantly throw away some things of infinite worth before we even realize their value, God provides redemption and restoration to our lives through His Son, and our Savior, Jesus Christ.  God is the greatest Giver of all time; and He gives grace irrevocably.

He gave grace and truth through Jesus, granting forgiveness of sin and restoring purity lost by the robe of Christ’s righteousness that He drapes over us when we admit our sin by repenting of it and turning to Him:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 (NIV 1984).

If you, like me, have a deep concern for the ways the world seems to be throwing away the foundational Christian teachings that many of us had the unquestioned privilege of growing up with and having the Bible and its teachings freely available; and now seeing those privileges increasingly taken away, leaving the resulting confusion of so many people, young and old alike, who are making decisions without the Truth about what really has worth and must be kept at all costs, and  what can be casually thrown away, then you know why I am passionate about God’s Word and keeping the truth alive and available for the precious generations following ours -- each of ours, no matter what year in which we were born.

One morning this summer, I awakened and went into my quiet time with God’s Word open and my pen in hand to study and record what captured my thoughts.  All of my neediness seemed to weigh me down and I began to list some of my perceived needs in my written prayer-letter to the Lord, my Father:

·      My need for my heart’s constant connection with the Lord my God;

·      My need for truth’s clarity of my mind and thoughts;

·      My need to  assess what kind of “fruit” my life is producing;

·      My need to know what my Father thinks of my progress so far.

At the end of my studying and praying-writing time, I was amazed to go back and see how He had pulled together for me that my true need is perseverance and how valuable it is to my felt needs.  Above all, He instilled in me again that He has provided for all of my needs and my part is to continue to have confidence in Him and believe His word.

 And that is why as  I read Hebrews 10:35-36, I had to pause and praise Him that “need” had  indeed pulled me from my bed, but that He, in all His faithfulness, and mercy and grace,  always without fail truly provides for every need that I will ever encounter.

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.  You need to persevere, so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.”           Hebrews 10:35-36 (NIV 1984).

My reading had started in Hebrews chapter 5 and by the time I reached Hebrews 11:16, I was so excited and energized that I just couldn’t wait to begin an in-depth study with Him.

My prayer is that each of us, regardless of age, might know and fully realize how great life with Him is, and was meant to be, and will always be in His Presence.

Sometimes it feels like we, as believers, are living by faith in a world gone blind. 

However, we must not throw away our confidence for it will be richly rewarded one day.  And, we are to hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another --- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.  …  For in just a very little while, ‘He who is coming will come and will not delay’.”  Hebrews 10:25, 37 (NIV 1984).

My friends, we do see the Day approaching, don’t we? And, how are we to live and spend these remaining days left to each of us?

 Prayerfully read in your Bible the passages not typed into this posting:  Hebrews 10:26-34. There is truly a good Bible study found in Hebrews 10:1-39.  I would encourage a good retreat to study this section, and all of the Book of Hebrews.

 I have included verses 38-39 here from Hebrews 10:  “But my righteous one will live by faith.  And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.  But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” Hebrews 10:38-39 (NIV 1984).

The thoughts expressed above are based on, and pulled from, Hebrews 10:19-39, in the NIV 1984 translation.  That section in my Bible is entitled:  “A Call to Persevere.”

We can know what to keep and what to throw away by asking and seeking.  The Lord our God, the Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has preserved His written word that we may know Him.  He knows all and tells us all we need to know.    See Deuteronomy 29:29.

And, we, the saved of the Lord, continue to live by faith and not by sight even if in a world that seems to have gone blind…  We are reminded in Hebrews 11:1:  “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  (NIV 1984.)

An in-depth of study of faith and those who lived by faith and what they accomplished by faith, is found in Hebrews chapter 11, where verses 13 - 16 remind us that:

 “All these people were still living by faith when they died.  They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.  And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.  People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.  If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.  Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one.  Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” 

Be encouraged and excited about our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, as you continue to read and study and explore all the treasure He has kept securely in His written word, for He is coming back for His people. 

“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!”  Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. …  He who testifies to these thing things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”  Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”  Revelation 22:17, 20 (NIV 1984).

Relationships That Satsify

How many relationships are you currently in that fully satisfy your specific needs?

There are many possible answers for each one who reads that question.

For example, if I had asked how many relationships you are involved in, that would have simply involved making a number count.  But, that wasn’t the entire question, was it?

It would probably be pretty simple for each of us to count all our relationships and come up with a number.

 When we consider, however, how satisfying they are, we realize we must first take stock of what our expectations actually are for each individual relationship.   To do that involves assessing just what are our needs. 

We can’t do an honest assessment of our needs until we gain some insight into the matter of our needs and how closely do our felt needs align with perceived needs or real God-given needs.

Deep thinking!

I wonder how many of us are truly aware of God’s desire to be in personal relationship with each and every human being to whom He’s given life and breath. 

Are you in a personal relationship with God, the Creator as God, your heavenly Father?

When I was growing up and first becoming aware of God and hearing about Him from the adults in my life, I don’t recall the exact words used by each one who talked about God, but I do  remember the vivid images that were being formed in my impressionable child’s mind about Him.

“When I was a child, I talked like a child; I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.  For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”  1 Corinthians 13:11-12 (NIV¹)

All of my earlier impressions about God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit have had to be overhauled in a big way!  Not all of them were discarded, but certainly all of them have had to be investigated, validated, and clarified by truth.

 It is impossible for me to have a deep, close, and satisfying relationship with the God of creation as my heavenly Father until I have an understanding of Him and His character, based on the truth of His own Word. 

Please note that I did not say a full understanding.  God is incomprehensible to us humans.  But, He is knowable, for He has gone to great lengths to ensure that all who desire to know Him in truth may come to know Him and to love Him.

This knowing and understanding comes over the course of our entire lives.  Life takes time.

Dr. Charles Stanley said, “…We can better understand God’s heart and character by seeking Him and learning day by day from His Word.  If we genuinely desire to walk in His ways, we must first genuinely know Him.  We come to know our friends better by sharing more experiences together.  Similarly, we will also understand God better the longer we walk with Him and meditate on what He has revealed about Himself in the Bible. … ask Him to help you know Him better.” ²  

It is imperative that all of us have our beliefs shaped by the truth of God’s word and not carelessly and vaguely acquired impressions from the culture around us.  It is all too easy for our personal expectations to far exceed the realities; and when they do, there are definitely troubled relationships in our future.

When we know each other in truth we will have close, personal, and satisfying relationships with each other.  No small feat!

In fact, it would be impossible apart from God, Who is the Author of life, love, and Truth.   It is He who makes relationship possible.    He, who formed humans with a deep desire in our hearts to be known and understood, for the Bible tells us that He placed eternity in our hearts.

In order to better understand ourselves and our human relationships, let us study relationship with God Himself.

 Learning as we go…

 And, having never passed this way before, we look to Jesus, Whom God sent to show us the way: 

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you really know Me, you will know My Father as well.  From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.”  (John 14:6-7 NIV¹.)

To enter into relationship with Almighty God, it will be in His way --- Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life.  God is a holy God and sin cannot approach holy God until the sin has been appropriately dealt with first.  See 1 John 2:1-2 (NIV¹):  “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.  But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

With our eyes on God the Father, whose loving eye is upon us,  and Jesus Christ, His Son and our Savior, we seek His Face daily in His Word, His living and active word:  “For the Word of God is alive and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account.”  (Hebrews 4:12-13 NIV¹.)

The Word of God is absolutely vital as the world moves into the coming age.  The Word of God is as relevant today, in this modern world of 2012, as it was when first written and it is the text book of life written by Life’s Author, God Himself.

We would all do well to pay attention to it!  Treat it as the Treasure Book that it is and explore it to live it.   A million years would not be long enough to exhaust the wonders of the Word of God.  It is a great mystery, and, the Lord God Himself desires that we know and understand a great deal of its mystery.  See 1 Corinthians 2:7-11 (NIV¹).

Deuteronomy 29:29 (NIV):  “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”

Know that God is waiting for you to discover Him.  He tells us in His Word where all things are hidden:  in Christ Jesus.  See 1 Corinthians 1:30(NIV).

Deep thinking!  But, we may have the mind of Christ! (1 Corinthians 1:16b NIV¹.)

{¹The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™.}

{²See In Touch Ministries magazine; March 27, 2012; page 49.}