Tuesday, June 18, 2013

BY DEATH WE LIVE


By Shirley Wiggins
Does it make you a bit sad to see the spring and summer seasons come to their end and have all those beautiful flowering blooms fade away and die?
Even though I love fall’s bright and beautiful leaves and colors just as much, I must admit I miss the beautiful sights, scents, and smells of spring and summer. 
Winter brings its own beauty, of course, but as the colors change and green vegetation is covered over with the frosts of ‘death’ to the blooms, everything changes and we look for the beauty that may be a bit harder to find.
Death is like that, isn’t it?  It changes everything about life.  Mrs. Cowman’s Streams in the Desert¹  devotional carries that theme in the words of one whom she credits only as “Beecher.”
Beecher tells the story of some beautiful summer asters in the garden and how the goodbye was made as their season ended and they perished.

Then to Beecher’s great delight it was later found that for every aster that had disappeared in winter’s death “fifty plants had been planted.”
He said in picture-sketching words that all the winter “frosts and surly winds” caught his flowers, slew them, casting them to the ground and having trod upon them with “snowy feet” left them as if to say:  “This is the end of you.”  But come the next spring “there were for every root, fifty witnesses to rise up and say, “By death we live.”

With his beautiful words, Beecher said that the same is true in God’s kingdom.  By the death of Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, “came everlasting life.”  By Christ’s cruel death on the cross and his subsequent three-day burial in the sepulcher, and then resurrection day came “the throne and the palace of the Eternal God.  By overthrow came victory.”

“Do not be afraid to suffer.   Do not be afraid to be overthrown.”  “It is by being cast down and not destroyed; it is by being shaken to pieces, and the pieces torn to shreds, that [we, men and women] become [men and women] of might…”
He warned that those who “yield to the appearance of things, and go with the world, have their quick blossoming, their momentary prosperity and then their end, which is an end forever.”

But those who know God through the gruesome death and glorious resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, will spend eternity alive forevermore in fellowship with God and Christ, the Lamb! 
All because Jesus Christ died, so that whosoever will choose Him may live.
The Bible teaches throughout its pages that though there is only one way to God, and that way is through Jesus Christ, that as many as will receive Him by believing on His name, to them God will give the right to become His children through what many refer to as “the second birth.” 

John 1:1-18 tells us of the deity of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, calling Jesus “the Light.”

“The true Light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.  He came to that which was His own but His own did not receive Him.  Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.  The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.  We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. … No one has  ever seen God, but the One and Only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known.”  John 1:9-14,18 (NIV 2011).

John 3:1-21 gives us Jesus’ teaching to Nicodemus about being born again:
Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a member of the Jewish ruling council, who desired to find out more about Jesus because it was evident to him that Jesus was more than just a good teacher.
Jesus startled him with this astounding statement in verse 3:  “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
Can’t you just imagine the bewilderment on Nicodemus’ face as he asked, “How can someone be born when they are old?  Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” (v.4)
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  You should not be surprised at My saying, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows wherever it pleases.  You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. “ (verses 5-8).
Nicodemus asks for more, verse 9:  How can this be?”
Verses 11-21, Jesus said:  Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.  I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?  No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man.  Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him.  For 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.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.  Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s One and Only Son.  This is the verdict:  Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”
Are you, dear friend, as glad as I am that we do not have to explain the unexplainable in order to believe?  I am so grateful that God doesn’t require our total understanding; although, He does call for our obedient commitment to believe what He tells us.
Remember how Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus, received the astounding news from the angel Gabriel that she was highly favored and the Lord was with her and she would be the one to give birth to the Son of the Most High?    When she asked for more information about how that could be since she was an unmarried virgin, the angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will overshadow you.  So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. …” 
Mary’s beautiful response was, “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.”     See Luke 1:26-38 (NIV 2011).
May we say, as she did:  “Lord, I am Your servant, may Your word be fulfilled in me.”    Amen.

 

 

 

¹Streams in the Desert Compiled by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman; ©1965 Cowman Publications, Inc.; pages 294-295.  

 

Saturday, June 8, 2013

BEHIND THE BARRIERS


By Shirley Wiggins
Just like the majestic cedars in my back yard, barriers in a relationship can grow up so high and in between so thick that seeing what is behind them becomes impossible without making the conscious effort to do so.

We planted the cedars when they were only waist-high and with plenty of space left between them for growth.  We could see between them and over them.  That is no longer possible as they are now around 25 feet high and so tightly grown together that only tiny gaps in the undergrowth allow for the slightest glimpse at the grass on the ground behind them.
To see what’s behind them now requires one of two things.  Either take a walk around them which will put us on someone else’s property, or a drive-by in the car on the street behind us to catch a fleeting glimpse as we drive slowly by the property behind us.

My husband reflected on how fast it seems they’ve grown so high and that only last year we could still see over their tops to the rooftops of the houses on the street behind us. Now they provide a barrier that keeps out sound and sight.

Barriers between people can grow like that – imperceptibly:  “extremely slight, gradual, or subtle.”  Imperceptible differences in relationship can seep in:  “not perceptible by a sense or by the mind - <a slight difference in hue between the two glasses that’s imperceptible unless they’re placed side by side.>”
Unless one symbolically places in our memories side-by-side what a relationship used to be and compare it with what it is at the moment, we may not realize a shift has taken place.

Some people will, perhaps, never notice the difference in their relationships at all.  Some will only notice when the relationship has grown so strained and uncomfortable it seems not worth the effort to stay in contact with the other person.
Some people, however, will take notice before the barrier has grown so tall and thick, but will spend so much time and effort analyzing the possible reasons for the “Why?” behind the troubling change,  that they never take the walk around to the other side to see for themselves what’s taking place behind the barrier. 

Perhaps they prefer not to intrude, not to go into the other person’s ‘space,’ their own personal, private property.
Others will possibly get out the car and drive slowly past the backside of the barrier, hungry just for a look at the loved one’s private property, grieving over the lost connection with absolutely no idea of how to get close enough to regain the full fellowship.

Years can go by and the desired invitation to come in and fellowship together may never come.  Year after year, the longed-for invitation never comes, and year by year, the barrier grows higher and thicker and harder to penetrate.
We have a new Lantana plant growing in my favorite pot on our patio.  This year, same as last year, the beautiful pot has been placed carefully in the center of a decorative wrought-iron garden stake in the ground at the edge of the patio.

Recently, I sat outside early one morning, sipping hot coffee, and enjoying the beautiful sights and sounds of nature.  I happened to notice that the Lantana pot was off-center.  When I asked my husband if he had perhaps moved the stake while edging the lawn, he assured me he had not moved it.  After he walked down to the patio to take a look, he said the pot was actually still in its place and not off-center at all.  I just happened to be looking at it from an angle that made it look off-center.
When we try to assess relationships, with or without barriers, our “angle” must be precise.  An “angle” is defined in the dictionary as “the precise viewpoint from which something is observed or considered.  The thesaurus says “angle” is “a certain way in which something appears or may be regarded.”

The way we look at or think about aspects of our relationships with other people can color the way we see the situation and the person, if our angle isn’t centered – anchored – in prayer.
Our emotions can cause the “hue” of our view to be altered based on our feelings and not necessarily the facts.  We know that ‘barriers’ are simply something that obstructs, “something immaterial that impedes or separates…”

The sooner we sense a barrier in any relationship and act to learn more about it, the easier it may be to prevent a chasm that can separate loved ones.
Misunderstandings can grow into barriers.  If we ignore them, or pretend they don’t matter, sometimes they can grow as imperceptibly as the 25-foot cedars until the relationship is so strained, we might be tempted to let it die rather than nurture it by doing the hard and uncomfortable and inconvenient things that will cause it to bloom again into the beautiful part of life that God intended from the beginning.

God designed families and there are no other relationships more important on this earth.  The only relationship that should take precedence over family is that of one’s own personal relationship with God the Creator who also desires to be God, our Father.
He designed salvation to be the Way back into His own family, after sin erected its barrier between God and people.  God sent His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to rescue people and restore us to full fellowship with Him, to tear down the barrier of sin that separates people from the God who created them for that uninterrupted fellowship with Himself.¹

He is the Source we turn to first when we realize that barriers have come up between ourselves and our loved ones, allowing disunity to come between us and another person.  We rely upon the Comforter, Counselor, and Friend that God left on earth after Jesus’ ascension back into heaven:  His Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit then guides us and guards us as we prayerfully seek reconciliation with alienated loved ones.  We never give up on relationship with others because God never gives up on relationship with us.

Family matters to God because He designed family.  (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:20-24.)    
God desires to be Father to every person.  We love Him only because He first loved us. 

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  In this the love of God is manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”  1 John 4:7-11

“Jesus said …, ‘You shall love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”  Matthew 22:37-40 (NKJV).

God desires unity in His family of believers, and also in our human family relationships.  We never give up on Love! 
May we all be blessed with the unity of love in our hearts and in our families. 

 

 

 

 

¹For adoption into God’s Family, 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, I encourage you to pray a simple prayer confessing your sin and asking Jesus to cleanse you of that sin. As 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!

 

 

Good Friday By Shirley Wiggins   “ The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raise...