THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS

By Shirley Wiggins

The day dawns clear, crisp and cold.

Trains of thought come into my mind this morning like engines rolling around the hills and valleys on tracks that will take each one to its appointed destination. 

Casual observers who watch trains go by have no idea where any of them may be going, but the engineers and the conductors onboard know perfectly well where their train will come to a stop at its pre-determined destination.

I am tempted to jump on board one of my thought-trains this morning  and see where it will take me.  But, I don’t.  I wait.  I feel tired and melancholy today, with an overall sense of time passing in a rush, and I want to hold on to my minutes.  I’m not ready to move on, yet, not with this strong sense of something left incomplete.

So I wait, and let the thoughts come and go.  And, I contemplate and meditate as I read my two favorite devotionals¹ for my early morning quiet time. 

Christmas went by much too quickly for me again this year.  There was so much I wanted to do and share and savor and have time to enjoy, but the calendar and the clock both said, “No, you must hurry.”

And so, I fear I left many important things undone.  I love Christmas and each year I want to fully enjoy the season,  most of all, I want to savor the most important aspect of Christmas:  the reason  for Christmas.

Every year I experience this vague sense of disappointment – this sense that something was missing for me.  Maybe it is just the fact that I love to linger long with those things that bring me pleasure and with those people who are dearest to me.

But, there never seems to be quite enough time.

I think I will take this time now and just enjoy this second cup of coffee, and let my fingers run across this computer keyboard and see where my mind takes me.

But not with my idle mind in the engineer’s seat.   I want the God of all creation to guide my thoughts by His Holy Spirit who knows the mind of the Christ of Christmas.  And, it is to Him that I direct my prayer, asking Him to guard my heart and guide my mind as He directs my thinking. 

I don’t have any more time to waste, and this isn’t a waste of time.  This is my life.  My life will not end when I breathe my last breath of God-given air on this earth. 

My life will extend forever, and so will yours, time without end, for all eternity stretches before each human who has ever breathed in the breath of life.   Time will change but it will never extinguish the God-given life.

So, I have the time.  I have time to explore the words of God with the Word of God.

Another train of thought has returned, and it is one I’ve thought on a lot since I first heard about a large sign that was made and paid for and placed  high above the ground  in a city just in time for Christmas this year.

I don’t remember the specific wording of the sign’s printed question, but I surely remember the answer someone assigned to the question.

The question basically asked who needs Christ at Christmas, and someone decided the answer was, “Nobody.”

When I heard that, for a moment I was left astounded and speechless as hundreds of my own questions came pouring into my head.

Like, has this person (or these people) given serious consideration to the Christ of Christmas, and if they have, how could they have reached such an arrogantly erroneous answer?!  What on earth are they basing their conclusion on?! 

I considered that staggering arrogance that someone concluded that their answer applies to every human being!  No one needs to think for themselves, as this person (or group) has determined for all of us that not one of us “needs” Christ.

I am disappointed and dismayed every time I see or hear of another instance of disrespect paid to the God of Creation,  whose love is so high, and deep, and wide, and complete, that, without His help, none of us can comprehend His majestic greatness.

I recognize my own puny efforts at sharing what He means to me as a mere drop in an ocean; yet, He has so impacted my life that I cannot keep silent.  I absolutely must add my small voice to the testimonials of His goodness, His grace, and His loving kindnesses  and forgiveness, and the multitudes of His great and good gifts that He continues to pour out upon His world and its inhabitants.

God is so great that I cannot find words to adequately express what it is that my heart loves most about Him.

Love.  He is Love.  We don’t even know what love is apart from Him.  We ‘swim’ in this vast ocean of His love and fail to recognize Him and His kindness to us.  We can’t even fully appreciate His loving kindness and His great faithfulness to pour out grace upon grace to people who can never be worthy of His holiness.

And yet, He chooses to lovingly teach us again and again about Himself!  He goes to great lengths to reveal Himself to people – many of whom cannot yet see their great need of this One Great God.²

He patiently teaches about His love, His power, His sovereignty, His supreme rule and authority – all the while continuing to give people the right to choose whether they will believe Him or call Him a liar and/or profess not to even believe that He exists.  Amazing!  Astounding!

The Holy Bible.  His Holy Word.  The Christ of Christmas:  Jesus Christ,

Immanuel =  God with us!

God is with us!  Embrace Him by embracing His Word, Jesus Christ Who became flesh and came to earth to dwell for a time; and His written Word, the Holy Bible.

If you do not have a Bible, find one:   get your hands on a Bible and read it for all it is worth!  Find a church where Jesus Christ is exalted, and worship Him for all He is worth, and enroll in a Bible study class and study His Word for all you are worth!

Life will not end permanently with our death, and we will all live forever  somewhere.  Make sure your somewhere is in the holy presence of God, our Savior who came to earth one day – the original  Christmas Day – on a search and rescue mission:                                  Jesus Christ, …“the Son of Man, has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  Luke 19:10.

Don’t let anyone else determine for you whether or not you need the Christ of Christmas --- you seek His face for yourself and you decide based on the Truth of His Word.  You will live with your choice for eternity – time without end.

 

¹Streams in the Desert  compiled by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman; and Daily Light  for Every Day with Anne Graham Lotz.

² To be a child of God, you must first have a relationship with Christ. 

John 3:16-18 (ESV):    “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.  Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
If you have never acknowledged your sin and confessed it by agreeing with God about it, and received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord of your life, you are encouraged to listen for His still small voice to invite you to pray the prayer of repentance sincerely confessing your sin and asking Jesus to cleanse you of that sin.   If you repent and turn from your sin, to Christ, and “confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead; you will be saved," according to God's Word, the Holy Bible, in Romans 10:9.

If you have just prayed to receive Christ, tell someone.  Then become a participant in a church where God is exalted, and His Word, The Holy Bible, is taught as the standard of life.

Reflections

by Hallie Gipson

December – the last month of the year – 25 days before this year becomes history! The end of the year is always a cause for reflection and evaluation. It’s a time to look back and ask myself those deep questions that probe the very depths of my purpose and existence. Being a bit ‘performance-driven’, I might even be OK (on what I think is a good day) with a yearly score card – you know, something tangible that tells me whether or not I’m living up to my God-given potential. My reflections of year 2013 drew me into conversation with my sweet Savior:

“If you were evaluating my year, Lord, what kind of grade would I get – would it be a pass or fail? Have I lived up to all You wanted of me? Of course, the answer is “no”, because I am aware of the darkness I yet carry in my heart, the times I have disobeyed,  my rebellion, my ugly attitudes, all those times I chose other things over You . . . the list of my faults is endless. But praise God that You do not hold those faults and sins against me! Each one that has been carried to You for forgiveness, it has been granted and my sin is cast “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.” (Psalm 103:12-13 NASB).

What a comfort and encouragement to know that You are a compassionate and loving God and that Your love for me is never dependent on me. You are love! Your precious Word tells us “God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16)  It is who You are – Your character. And even though I may change with the passing of time, You do not.”

Hebrews 13:8 assures us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Thank you, Father, that Your love for me never changes and that when You look at me, it is through the blood of Jesus. Nothing I will ever do can earn the love, grace, and mercy that were purchased for me by Your Son. You are Holy and perfect and magnificent in all Your glory! I love You, Lord!!

 DESPONDENCY

by Hallie Gipson

“Despondency” – not a title I’m sure many of you expected to see the day before Thanksgiving! After all, doesn't Thanksgiving usher in what we refer to as ‘the holiday season’? And aren't we happy and excited about the upcoming festivities shared with family and friends? For many of you, the answer to that would be a resounding, “Yes”! But for others, the holidays prove to be distressing or depressing, and a time when it’s easy to lapse into despondency because of grief, unmet expectations, loneliness, or broken relationships.

If we have feelings of despondency and depression, what are we as Christians to do with those feelings? We can’t deny their existence, for to do so would deny that we are human, created by God to experience a wide range of feelings and emotions.

But God didn't create us with feelings and emotions and then leave us to muddle though on our own when life disappoints. He has given us His precious Word as soothing ointment to our wounded and scarred hearts!

Psalm 13:5-6

But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord because He has dealt bountifully with me.

So what does ‘despondent’ mean?

Despondent:

·        feeling or showing extreme discouragement, dejection or depression

·        the word implies a deep dejection arising from a conviction of the uselessness of further effort 

If I were despondent, I would believe it useless to keep seeking the Lord.

2 Corinthians 2:14

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.

That scripture reminds me God’s provision is ‘triumph in Christ’ and it is my responsibility to receive it. Unless I take what God provides through His Son, I remain destitute.

Did you notice the word ‘always’ in the verse above?

Always:

•          every time
•          at all times
•          invariably
•          forever
•          perpetually (valid for all time; occurring continually)

At all times and for all time God is leading me in triumph in Christ! That being true, where do I get the power to live a triumphant life in Christ?

2 Cor. 4:7-10

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”

Hebrews 12:1, 2, 3

“ . . . let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

vs. 3

“For consider Him who has endured such a hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

The knowledge of Him and abiding in Him are what God has given me in the fight against despondency, weariness, and depression.

2 Peter 1:3-4

“ . . . His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature . . . “

Father, if I did not know Your word I would be destitute of the knowledge of Him! Forgive me for having eyes fixed on self!!  I sing to You, Lord. You never fail to speak to me! 
I have Christ so therefore I am triumphant in every thing!

WORSHIP

by Hallie Gipson

Psalm 29:2 

“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

Sometimes when we speak of worship, we tend to think of the corporate worship that we participate in during Sunday services. But as we reflect on what worship means to us in our personal relationship with the Lord, is it a part of our daily communication with God? And what exactly is worship?

Strong’s Dictionary of Bible Words includes these phrases to define the word “worship”:

• To prostrate oneself in homage
• To put religion into practice
• To minister to God
• To revere or adore

What does worship look like for you? How do you let God know how much you adore Him? How inhibited are you in your worship?

The following Scriptures help us focus on several elements of worship –- our ‘posture’ (physical stance), how we worship, why we worship, and our attitude as we worship.

Ø      Psalm 95:6-7

          Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;

          For He is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

The posture/physical stance of the Psalmist is bowed down and kneeling. This also tells us why we are to worship God – He is our maker.

Ø      1 Chronicles 16:29

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.

Bring an offering and come before him;

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

This verse tells us how we worship – with an offering. It is an action we take because of our love for God. We are worshipping God for His attributes of glory and holiness.

Ø      2 Chronicles 29:30

. . . so they sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshipped.

Although this is an example of corporate worship during King Hezekiah’s reign, it is a fitting example of bowing the head. How did they sing their worship? With gladness!! Our faces should not be downcast when we worship.

Ø      Psalm 100:1-2

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

The worship in this verse is with ‘gladness’ and the songs are ‘joyful’.

Ø      Matthew 2:11-12

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary,

and they bowed down and worshipped him.

Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of

gold and of incense and of myrrh.

The Magi showed homage to the Christ child by bowing down, worshipping, and presenting him with gifts.

Ø      John 4:24

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.

Ø      Matthew 28:9

Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings”, he said.

They (the disciples when they saw Jesus after His resurrection) came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him.

Our worship here on earth is also a rehearsal of things to come in heaven. And what a worship service that will be!! Revelation 5:-13 gives us a glimpse of that worship:

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of

myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

          “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive

power and riches and wisdom and might and

honor and glory and blessing.”

And every created thing which is in heaven and on earth and under the earth

and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,

          “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing

          And honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

As you worship Him and meditate on all that He is, consider the attributes listed in the WORSHIP acrostic. God is truly the only One worthy of our worship!!

Worthy

Omnipotent

Righteous

Sovereign

Holy

Incomparable

Perfect

Intentional or Haphazard

By Hallie Gipson

“In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice;

In the morning I will order my prayer to You

and eagerly watch.”   Psalm 5:3 (NASB)

As I was sitting in my favorite place on the sun porch this morning, the clock was chiming 9:00 a.m. --- well past the hour I usually get out of bed to spend my first waking moments with the Lord.  I had allowed myself the luxury of an extra hour’s sleep. By the time I got out of bed, the coffee was brewing and my husband was already on the porch watching the much-needed rain quench the parched earth.

The morning progressed as I read e-mails on my iPhone, ate breakfast, made a few phone calls, and completed kitchen cleanup.  There was nothing ‘wrong’ with these activities and some of them are a necessary part of my day, but the end result was a lack of intentionality in pursuing time with Lord.  I did not purposely seek the Lord before seeking to fill my time in other ways.

Is it any wonder, then, that focusing on God’s Word and prayer were so difficult?!   I suddenly became acutely aware of the subtle ways I allow things of this world -- people, problems, daily tasks, etc. -- to creep into my thoughts.  When God’s Word is not the first thing I read and when my first words of the day are not spoken in prayer, then the ‘world’ has already invaded my thoughts.

Armed with renewed understanding, my approach to my quiet-time once again becomes God-aware and intentional rather than something I haphazardly insert into my day if there is time. It serves to remind me that whether I spend 10 minutes or an hour with the Lord in the morning, that time is vitally important – it helps me to “Set your (my) mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth.”  Colossians 3:2 (NASB) (emphasis mine)

Prayer:

Father, thank You that You do not judge or condemn me, but by Your Holy Spirit’s presence, You speak truth to my heart. Plant within my heart a desire to read Your Word and spend time with You with an intentionality that speaks of my love for You.  Forgive me for placing other things before my time with You.   Amen.

“Establish Your word to Your servant, As that which produces reverence for You.”   Psalm 119:38 (NASB)

SWIMMING LESSONS

By Shirley Wiggins

I never learned to swim, never had much desire to learn to swim, but I have longed to be able to swim.  I do not like for water to get in my face, particularly my eyes, nose, mouth or ears.

Ironically, I love to look at the water and be near enough to “drink” in its beauty with my eyes.  I love the water!  Oceans, lakes, sparkling clear blue pool water  -- all of it!   Especially at sunrise and sunset:   such a glorious sight to see!  To see, mind you, not swim in.

Facing the coming of the autumn this year is both a joy and a delight, even though we missed our trip to the coast again this year.  As August blended into September, I counted this season’s change as one of adventure.

Our two-story house has sold and we have an opportunity to downsize to a house of rooms all on one level --- grateful, grateful!  (To borrow a phrase from a wonderful woman named Lucy!)

A brand-new grandbaby is set to make his debut around mid-October.  He is a beautiful little bundle of surprise coming from God to our daughter and son-in-law.   He is also a special addition to so much good in our future that we have to look forward to with great excitement.

As with all of life’s seasonal changes, challenges come, too, along with the greatest opportunities for new life-seasons.

Details, details, details - bringing in so much to do, much uncertainty, and so much work requiring so much time and energy! 

Over all of life hangs that opaque curtain suspended over the “now,” and “then,” and “when.”  One-day-at-a-time living is called for and with all these uncertainties surely they are bringing unending opportunities to practice the “walk-by-faith-and-not-by-sight principle that God has set for His people.

Determined to go through this time in my life right now in just that way, with all excitement, exhilaration, and enthusiastic expectations of good, I walked confidently into September.  Until… recently when an unexpected something  reared up in front of me and quietly said, “Boo.”  And, I became afraid.

I put on my well-worn “happy” facemask, and waded on into the ‘ocean’ – ankle-deep, and then knee-deep.  I could see the waves of potentially very rough water on the horizon, seeming to roll relentlessly toward me.

Various disappointments keep bobbing up and I keep carrying each one to my Father, who is a very powerful King.

I seek His face in prayer.  I read His word with daily diligent care.  And, still the disappointments come in -- some small and minor, some huge and scary.

And, I become afraid - again.

Awakening in the deep, dark midnight hours or the starry early dawn, I recount each one into my Father’s ears…until peace descends again, covering me with the comfort and assurance of His continued presence, and His thorough knowledge of every situation and circumstance.

Suddenly, on any given day, a most unwelcome visitor is likely to come rolling in, usually right on the heels of several of these “little” disappointments.  His name is Discouragement.

He came in this time with fully packed bags obviously intending to stay for an extended period.  And again, I became afraid.

I assessed my arsenal of resources and believed I could withstand his messy, irritating presence, as he has been a too-frequent visitor to my house in the past.  No matter where I happen to be living, he always seems to find me and barges in unwanted.

I review again in my mind all the ways and times that my Father’s Presence without fail equips me to deal with the despicable deceptions that discouragement always throws haphazardly or methodically all over the place when he drops in for a “visit.”

He makes himself at home and immediately begins to redecorate my surroundings with darkness to block all the sunlight.  He casts a pall of negativity over absolutely everything.  He delights in spreading his deceptively subtle thoughts and innuendos – never including any hint of good about anything.  Every event is always a portent of worse to come.

Soon enough, chest-high water escalates into neck-deep water, and my feet begin to slip in the shifting sands of the deep undercurrent of oppression.

And, I become afraid - again.  Again, I look almost helplessly around me only to acknowledge there is no human hand available to help me:

 I have to learn to swim in deep water!

The waves of life are now too strong, too frequently rolling over me, pulling me into the deep.  It will be foolish, and to my own detriment, if I continue to childishly rely upon any human arm to be available, or even able, to pull me back to the safety of the shore every time another wave of discouragement threatens to pull me into dangerously deep and shark-infested waters.

My feet too easily shift in the slippery sands at the bottom of this ocean I am in, and I shamefully admit that I have wasted too much valuable time wading in shallow water and playing about in life.  I must sacrifice everything it will take for me to finally learn how to swim, and how to float, in order to survive in the unruly waters of this life.  I wholeheartedly intend to survive, because my Father has said that I am more than a conqueror, and furthermore that my future inheritance is so certain that it is guaranteed.

Even a non-swimmer like me can foolishly let self-sufficiency keep us semi-grounded in shallow water as the smaller waves of disappointment roll around our ankles and knees. 

We recognize that feeling of letting our feet sink deep into the swirling and shifting sands of the ocean’s bottom as the gentle, and occasionally the not-so-gentle,  waves roll over us as we stand comfortably near the beach’s shore ankle-or-even knee-deep in the warm summer ocean.

Some of us are so strong-willed that we can keep ourselves mildly stable in our stance, even in the midst of waist-high or perhaps even chest-high water.  We are at ease in our spot as long as we can calm ourselves with the shallow platitudes of common sense reasoning; as long as we rely on our own way of thinking and understanding.

But, when discouragement thunders in on us like a hungry shark, no longer just the passing whale, and seems determined to wash us out of the shallows into the dark, deep, and mysterious waters of life, we realize with the utmost urgency that it is now time to learn how to swim spiritually. 

Life is so similar to the sea, that “great body of salt water that covers nearly three-fourths of the earth”  … “the ocean {that} still holds mysteries that we are only beginning to unravel.”

As we celebrate more birthdays in life, we discover that the more we learn about life, the more that we just don’t yet know about life.  Some of the things we’ve relied on in our belief system just won’t deal adequately with the dead seriousness that life takes on sometimes.

This age in which we now live, for example, is deadly serious and is the time in history for Truth, not common sense reasoning, or the philosophies of mankind, and the foolish dependence upon what we think we know, and what we are taught to ‘believe’ in our heads and recite with our mouths. 

These are the times that ‘try men’s hearts’ – the times that put to the test all we’ve been told and taught to believe in this modern, technologically savvy world in which we currently live.  This is the world which seeks to dethrone God and dismiss His laws and destroy traditional values and replace them with various myths, fables, and fairy tales that were unproven in earlier generations, but still put forth as theories, and which are now being taught broadly as though they were proven truths -- even as Truth itself is being brutally attacked, forbidden and publicly banned from polite society.  "Truth is dead in the streets..."

Disappointments come to all, and discouragement comes to many.  The ocean of life becomes more and more agitated and we hear the news reports of typhoons and tidal waves around the world.  And, we become more and more afraid because we know with ever more certainty that surely one day, they will reach the shores of our dwelling too.

As adults, we ourselves must first and finally learn to swim in the deep water with the deadly sharks, teaching at early ages, our children, and our grandchildren, how to float, and then how to become experienced long-distance swimmers in the sea of life.  Perseverance and endurance is exactly what is needed now.  Firm faith grounded in the standard of God’s truth.

God is the Supreme Swim-Team Coach.  He has mastered life in the shallows and life in the depths because He engineered life and brought it into being.  His Word, The Holy Bible, contains 66 Books of information and illustrative instruction --- well documented, and recorded and preserved forever.  Not one word of God’s Word will ever fail or disappear.  He has provided this Book because He desires that we learn everything about Him that He has revealed about Himself, about life and how to live it, and how to prepare for eternity.

His invitation to “come and dine,” remains open during this Age of Grace.  How long will this current age last?  No one can say for sure, but the Bible states emphatically that God Himself has determined its last “day”.   Each passing day brings us nearer to the preset date in time.

Open your eyes and know that the time approaches – every day brought nearer than it was yesterday.  It is high time to wake up and sign up for your spiritual swim lessons and join the Savior’s Swim Team.

He is awesomely able and wondrously willing to teach all we need to know to survive the challenges of this temporary life and inherit, as more than conquerors, the eternal life He has prepared for all who will believe on and adhere to and trust in Him.¹

Look for more to come about spiritual swim lessons, how to float, and how to swim, swim, swim in the ocean of life.

   

¹ To be a child of God, you must first have a relationship with Christ. 

John 3:16-18 (ESV):    “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.  Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

If you have never acknowledged your sin and confessed it by agreeing with God about it, and received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord of your life, you are encouraged to listen for His Holy Spirit "voice"  to invite you to pray the prayer of repentance sincerely confessing your sin and asking Jesus to cleanse you of that sin.   If you repent and turn from your sin, to Christ, and “confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead; you will be saved," according to God's Word, the Holy Bible, in Romans 10:9.

If you have just prayed to receive Christ, tell someone.  Then become an active member and participant in a church where God is exalted, and His Word, The Holy Bible, is taught as the standard of life.

GUEST ARTICLE By Elaine Ham

We are so happy to have a guest article by Elaine Ham to share with you.  Elaine is Founder and National Trainer for Plans for You, Inc., a consulting company founded in 2000 to assist pro-life organizations in raising funds for their ministries.  She has served as National Consultant for the Southern Baptist Convention.  Elaine has more than 25 years of experience in the business world, as a manger and the owner of two retail businesses.  Elaine and her husband Tom have two children and two grandchildren.

Shirley's  favorite thing about Elaine is that she is her cousin!  Elaine is a beautiful lady who is faithfully following God’s call on her life.  You will hear more from Elaine on this blog site in the future, as well as other venues where she serves tirelessly sharing the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your path.” Proverbs 3:5 & 6  (NIV).

Many times in our lives we define success for ourselves based on actions that others must take to make it happen. For example, because I grew up in a home filled with conflict and insecurity, I was determined that my son’s childhood would be filled with love and happiness. For the most part, that vision became reality.

However, nothing could protect him from a broken heart when his girlfriend dropped him, or when his little league coach benched him, or when he failed to get the part he coveted in a high school play. While most of his life experiences were positive, without experiencing disappointment and loss, he would not have grown into the thoughtful husband and loving dad he is today.

I’ve often wondered why it’s so easy to see God’s hands at work in the life of a friend or family member but so difficult to apply that same principle in my own life. As a young child of about seven, I still vividly remember a scene that happened one evening in my own home. After going to bed, I was awakened by the sounds of my mother and father having a heated argument about money and alcohol, a not uncommon occurrence in our house. I quietly climbed out of bed and, with tears streaming down my face, hid behind a piece of furniture in the living room and listened. The argument finally ended, and I made my way back to bed—but not without making a decision that changed my life.

As I stood behind that door in a cold living room, a thought formed in my mind that has affected my entire life—“I can do better than this.” Throughout my school years I studied and made good grades and, because of my godly mother, made good decisions about my personal life. My drive to be a success in the business world took me to many places with many titles, and God blessed me with a husband who allowed me to chase the dreams and titles that were so important to me.

But through it all I knew something was missing—a close relationship with Jesus Christ. A Christian since the age of seven, I had never made the decision to put Him first in my life. That changed in 1993 when He very clearly called me into pro-life ministry. In that ministry I found the satisfaction and peace of mind I had never experienced before. The last twenty years my husband and I have spent in raising funds for pregnancy resource centers that help women in crisis pregnancies make life choices for their unborn children.

And now, facing retirement, once again I am depending upon God to show me His direction for the latter years of my life. I must admit it’s frightening and calls for more faith than anything I have ever experienced before. But a lifetime of seeing God’s love and faithfulness, and the promise He gave me in Proverbs 3:5-6, remind me that the remaining years belong to him—all I have to do is sit back and watch Him work!

Elaine M. Ham

President
Plans for You, Inc.
www.plansforyou.org

 

WORDS THAT WOUND

By Shirley Wiggins and  Hallie Gipson

 Spoken words that wound…they strike us hard – they wound us internally.

 On the outside, the tears coming from our eyes look like water, but they are tears of heart-blood.

If you have experienced the wounding of words that hit like blows to the face, you know those blows strike deep into the heart, as if making an imprint in the soul and spirit.

A physical body, when beaten, bears outward evidence of the trauma inflicted upon it, whether bruises or gaping gashes.  We know how to treat these external injuries and when to seek medical attention.

 When words wound us, they wound deeply and invisibly.  The anguish inflicted upon the bruised heart will not go away without appropriate attention.

Where do we take this internal wounding?  Who can understand this pain and bring healing wholeness to our lives?

We must take our wounded hearts, minds and souls to the One who created us.  He is also the One who suffered indescribable anguish for us, both physically and emotionally.

To become healthy and whole, we must allow our hearts and minds to be exposed to the Light of God for He is the One who breathed the first breath of life into the first human.  He knows us as no one else knows us – better than we even know ourselves.

 Because He knows exactly how we feel in our wounded hearts, and how we think in our minds, and the depth of the resulting effect on our bodies and souls, He alone knows what is needed for our healing.

 His desire is that we be healed and made whole in body, mind, and soul, for this is His plan and purpose for us.

       

No matter the source of our hurts, the Lord Jesus Christ is our Source for healing:  spiritual, emotional, physical – the Great Physician is the Specialist in every area.

 “The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He delivers those who are discouraged.” Psalm 34:18 (New English Translation NET).

“Praise the Lord … He heals the brokenhearted, and bandages their wounds.”   Psalm 147:3 (NET).

 He loves us as no one else loves us.  How could He love like this, since it was for us that He suffered?

Jesus suffered horribly and awfully in His body until He died, hanging on a cross of shame, exposed to the jeers and mocking taunts of the crowds demanding his death.

 He suffered emotionally in His mind and in His heart and in His soul -- for us.  For each and every one of us, He suffered an indescribable anguish we cannot comprehend. Even as He hung on the cross waiting to die, wounded for our transgressions, these words were a portion of Jesus’ prayers to His Father on that day:

 “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Luke 23: 34 (NKJV).

 “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him.  And by His stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every- one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. … He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.”  Isaiah 54: 5-7,9b (NKJV).

 Sinful disobedience came through deception into the Garden of Eden by one woman and one man, whose sins are described as “failing to hear, heedlessness, and carelessness.”

We know that we each have, in our own individual and unique ways, continued to perpetrate the sin of disobedience to God’s Word and His ways.

 And, the wounded can also be the offender who severely wounds another:

“The words were stinging and seemed to be coming from another’s mouth –

but it was my mouth that was uttering hurtful and bitter words that were unfounded!

Why would I do that?!

 The issue is mine, but I’ve passed it on, trying to make someone else responsible for working it out for me. I have been telling myself that the issue is settled, but the recent argument revealed the lack of truth in that wishful thinking.

My sin is against God, my heavenly Father, and lies in the things not utterly surrendered into His hands that have the potential to enslave and control me – when I least expect it.

 My sin is also against the one I argued with – hurtful, bitter words that lingered in the air long after I had spoken them.  The wounded one bears the burden of the ‘wound’ and the offender, the regret of causing it.

What heaviness of heart, mind, and spirit this conflict of emotions has brought into our lives!”

 Words, once spoken, cannot be taken back.

 “Where there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.”  Proverbs 10:19.

 Words are wonderful, opening the doors of communication.

 But “words are powerful; take them seriously.  Words can be your salvation.  Words can also be your damnation.”  See Matthew 12:34-37 (The Message).

 Our careless and heedless ways have led to great distress for us as individuals, nations, and peoples.  And, still:

 “In all their affliction He was afflicted…”  Isaiah 63:9a.

 There is One who understands and who has provided for the healing of the whole world.  He is the one who suffered the penalty of all sin for all mankind.¹

 The sinless Son of Man: 

"He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.  He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.  And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised and we did not esteem Him.  Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”  Isaiah 53:2b -4 (NKJV).

 “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief.  When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days. And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.  He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.  By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.”  Isaiah 53:10,11.

 Each of us has felt the pain of the wounding words aimed at us by others, and, no doubt, we each have been guilty of being the one who shot the arrow of harmful words into the heart of another, quite probably one whom we loved dearly.

Each one of us requires the forgiveness of God, the heavenly Father by the blood of Jesus Christ, and each one of is to put away all unwholesome words from our mouths.

“You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it may give grace to those  who hear.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  You must put away all bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and slanderous talk – indeed all malice.  Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.”  Ephesians 4:29-32 (NET).

Holy Father,

             “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

             be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

                                                                                                                                    Psalm 19:14

 

 

¹ To be a child of God, you must first have a relationship with Christ. 

 John 3:16 says:

            “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever

            believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

 If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord of your life, you are invited to pray a simple prayer confessing your sin and asking Jesus to cleanse you of that sin.   If you repent and turn from your sin to Christ, and “confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”. (Romans 10:9.)    If you have just prayed to receive Christ, tell someone, and go to church!