PERSISTING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD

This is a repost from 2021, but I was immediately reminded of it when I heard this statement the other day:

If we get shot in the war because we didn’t put on the armor provided to us, it is not God’s fault. Dr. David Jeremiah

I love that. It is a poignant reminder of God’s provision. He knew we would need weapons to fight the battles on this earth (which technically are being fought in the heavenly places). I love also that it squarely shifts the responsibility of putting on the armor to us. What soldier would ever go to battle without some type of strategy, without some type of weapon? If we are not putting on the full armor of God, that’s what we have chosen to do.

The white horse moved along, choosing its own trail, heading down and northward on a slant.  With another appraising glance at the cloud, much nearer now, Hopalong Cassidy drew his six-shooters one after the other and carefully wiped them free of dust.  They were worn silver-plated Colt .45’s, their bone handles networked with tiny cracks, their balance perfect.  It had been weeks since he had drawn a gun for any reason, but he knew the price of safety was unresting vigilance.   The Trail to Seven Pines, by Louis L’Amour

Duh, duh, duh, duhhhhhh!!! Louis L’Amour is one of my favorite authors, mainly for his subject matter, the west.  I love the dirt, the grit, the cows, the mountains, the horses, the history.  You know, how the west was won and all that jazz.  I read westerns to relax.  To me they are mindless reading.  I don’t have to concentrate and overthink (which I tend to do) things.  A really good western author like L’Amour has a way of telling a story so that you can see it in your mind’s eye.  You can picture the views, the sounds, the people, the smells.  But when I came across this little paragraph the other night about Hopalong Cassidy, I went from mindlessness to consciousness.  It was my snap to. 

…but he knew the price of safety was unresting vigilance.

Dag…I kept reading that partial sentence over and over.  This crazy profound thought in a book made for entertainment and pleasure.  God speaks in the oddest of places.  So, in order to get context, I backed up.

It had been weeks since he had drawn a gun for any reason…

Hopalong drew his gun for protection against robbers, bandits, rustlers, outlaws, wild animals, you know, the evils of his world.  How long has it been since we have drawn our “gun” to protect us from the evils of our world?  Are there not storm clouds gathering on a day-by-day, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute basis in our lives and the world around us?  How long has it been since we have drawn on our protection?

Hopalong’s protection was a set of perfectly balanced Colt .45’s.  What’s our weapon of choice against this world?  As followers of Christ, we have been given the most perfectly balanced weapon in the universe.  The Word of God.

Now, I know that some of you more genteel readers of this will gasp at the comparison – gun and Bible, but there is nevertheless a connection.  They are both weapons. If we believers are doing what we’re supposed to be doing, we would be drawing on our perfectly balanced protection not just for the moments when robbers and bandits and rustlers and outlaws and wild animals are near –but we would be dusting off our weapon like Hopalong, regularly, long before danger approaches.  You see, sometimes in those moments of danger, it just may be too late.  We must be vigilant, our eternal safety rests on it.

Put on all God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil.  For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rue this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.  Ephesians 6:11-12

Gunslingers of the west were rarely careless with their weapons but they also understood that not using their weapons to aid them in their battle, for protection, would most certainly mean their death.  Have we ever thought about our weapons in that way? You know, the perfectly balanced weapons of God’s Word and words with God.  The Bible and prayer.  The lack of use of the most precious weapons God has given us will most certainly mean our eternal death?

When was the last time you drew your perfectly balanced weapon for any reason?  Have we been vigilant in preparing for a showdown with the rulers and authorities of the unseen world?  We do not fight this battle alone, but in order to withstand the barrage of bullets hurled in our direction by the evil one, we have got to be ready.  We have got to know where our strength comes from and be able to completely rely upon that Source.

Who, knowing danger is all around, would not take steps to protect themselves?  Who would not call across the desert for others to do the same?

We, at Family Bible Church, take steps each week to protect ourselves and to protect others through the inspired Word of God — that’s the Bible in our name.  If you’re interested in studying the Word of God, in a family atmosphere, join us on Sundays at 10:00 am, at 1400 Echo Street, Martinsburg.  Coffee’s ready at 9:15. All are welcome.

We all want deliverance from something, don’t we?  We’re always seeking to get out from under something, aren’t we?  Needing deliverance started way back in Genesis.  Remember Adam and Eve and their date night in the Garden?  They pulled up to the table and ordered the knowledge of good and evil platter.  From that day forward, we’ve needed deliverance.  Deliverance from our own sin or from the collateral damage of the sin of those around us. 

The Israelites are a prime example of both.   We know their story well.  We live their story well.  Disobedience, consequences, redemption, deliverance.  Disobedience, consequences, redemption, deliverance.  Over and over.  We’ve talked about this before.  But, what do we do after deliverance?  Do we just bebop along like nothing ever happened?  Do we expect deliverance, assume deliverance, appreciate deliverance, praise deliverance?  Praise the Deliverer?

Exodus 13-14 tells us of a particular deliverance.  Specifically, Exodus 14:29:

The people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry land, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides.  This was how the Lord rescued Israel from the Egyptians that day…When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had displayed against the Egyptians, they feared the Lord and put their faith in him and his servant Moses.

After this deliverance, what did they do?  They sang!  They struck up the band and sang praises to the God of deliverance. 

            I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

Moses’ Psalm (song), in Exodus 15:1-21, is the very first song recorded in the Bible.  It obviously hit number one on the scroll weekly countdown as it was probably the only song of the day.  Isn’t it interesting that the number one song of that day was a love song?  A love song to God.  We hear all kinds of love songs on the radio today.  Mostly of the heartache and brokenness that is experienced in a relationship.  Moses’ song is a very different love song.  This is not a love song of heartbreak or loss. This was a love song of hope! 

Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord? Who can ever praise him half enough? Psalm 106:2

Do we sing to Him?  We see God’s mighty power and we are delivered daily from our Enemy – God daily parts the waters for us to walk through at home, at church, at work, at life — isn’t that a reason to sing?  Sing for job offers.  Sing for shelter.  Sing for paychecks.  Sing for health.   Sing for healing.  Sing for life.  Sing for death.  Sing for rebirth.  Sing for friendship.  Sing for family.  Sing for protection.  Sing for hope.  Sing for deliverance.  Sing for the cross.  Sing for victory.  Sing for mercy.  Sing for joy.  Sing for love.  Sing for deliverance.  Sing for God!

Who else among the gods is like you, O Lord?

Who is glorious in holiness like you –

So awesome in splendor,

Performing such wonders?

Exodus 15:11

Revelation 4 says that the elders fell down, laid their crowns before the throne, and worshiped the one who lives forever and ever because He is worthy.  They sing!

You are worthy, O Lord our God,

To receive glory and honor and power,

For you created everything,

and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.

Revelation 4:11

Just as the Israelites sang for God’s deliverance and mighty power and just as we read the elders in Revelation sing simply because He is worthy, we should do the same.

Sing to God.  Just sing, sing a psalm, sing out loud, sing out strong, don’t worry that it’s not good enough for anyone else to hear, just sing, sing a psalm. He is worthy of all our praise!

And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

Romans 9:5

When morning gilds the skies,
My heart awaking cries:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Alike at work and prayer
To Jesus I repair:
May Jesus Christ be praised!  

To Thee, my God above,
I cry with glowing love,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
The fairest graces spring
In hearts that ever sing,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Does sadness fill my mind?
A solace here I find,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Or fades my earthly bliss?
My comfort still is this,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

When evil thoughts molest,
With this I shield my breast,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
The powers of darkness fear,
When this sweet chant they hear,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

When sleep her balm denies,
My silent spirit sighs,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
The night becomes as day,
When from the heart we say,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Be this, while life is mine,
My canticle divine,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Be this th’ eternal song
Through all the ages long,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
1828

Bring your praise to Family Bible Church, 1400 Echo Street, Martinsburg, Sundays at 10:00 am. All are welcome.

Life is a series of decisions.  Without thinking about it, we make thousands of decisions in a day.  Studies show that the average person makes about 35,000 decisions a day.  That’s crazy, but if you think about it, you’ve just made a decision!  Should I do this or that?  Should I say this or that?  Should I go here or there?  What time should I get up?  What time should I lay down?  What should I wear?  Heels or flats?  Am I going to work or not?  Church or not?  Eat in?  Take out?  Chocolate or carrots?  DUH!  Sometimes we’re plagued by our decisions and other times it feels like we have the plague when we have to make a difficult decision. 

So how do we make our decisions?  Handwring?  Flip a coin?  Rock, paper, scissors?  Guess?  Analyze?  List pros/cons?  Pray?  Remember – if you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.

Roy Disney was the older brother of Walt Disney.  From what I’ve heard, Roy was the businessman and Walt was the creator visionary of Disney World.  Walt died in 1966 about the time Roy was going to retire.  Roy was able to realize Walt’s dream, and so that no one would forget whose dream it was, when the park opened it was called Walt Disney World instead of Disney World – decision made!  Something tells me there were more than 35,000 decisions a day made on this venture.

Roy Disney said:

It is not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.

Chew on that a bit.  When your values are clear; your decisions are easy.  So, what do we value?  Think about that.  Do we even know what we value?  I really had to think about it.  What do I value?  What has worth to me?  What is important to me?  What principles or standards dictate what I value?  Of course, I can say the perfunctory things like family, friends, home, jobs, God.  But when I get honest with myself, God-honest, the kind of honest He desires, wide-open honest…what do I value? If you’re wondering what you value, take a look at your checkbook and your calendar. The things we spend money on, the things we spend our time doing are what we value most.

You know, if I don’t consciously choose what I value, what has worth to me, what is important to me, the world will choose it for me.  It’s like that for all of us.  I’m sorry to say that too often I’ve not chosen my values and I find myself living “of” the world and not “in” the world. This is quite evident in some of my decision-making.

I think Mr. Disney was on to something.  If we know what we value, what we believe and we’re willing to live by those values and beliefs, our decisions should be easy.  The decision is easy, the follow through is sometimes harder.

Our Lord is quite clear about what are values should be, if we are His.  He also promises that if we are His, the decisions are His.  Doesn’t that make it easy?

Whether you turn to the right or turn to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it.”  Isaiah 30:21

He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.  All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.  Psalm 25:9-10

Over, and over again, He says follow Me, commit to Me, value Me.  So, what do we value?  Are our values clear?  Are our decisions easy?  Do our decisions reflect God?

Jesus walked here on earth radiating the brightness of God’s glory and flawlessly expressed God’s nature.

When I read words similar to that recently, I thought they were, my new favorite word, “profound.” But I didn’t know exactly why until I read them over and over and things started to jump out to me. I could easily have just flited over them. That’s my MO, you know, on to the next thing, the next sentence, the next “to do.” Even in my prayer and study time with the Lord, I’m a scooter. Sure, it might be the next verse, the next person on the prayer list, the next servant act, but nevertheless, I scoot.

Sometimes (most times) it is hard to slow our minds down even to just think about a phrase, a scripture, a prayer. To spur stop what we’re doing, silence the world and Consider This…

Jesus walked here on earth radiating the brightness of God’s glory and flawlessly expressed God’s nature.

Think about it. When I meditated (read it over and over, prayed over it, picked it apart) on this statement, although it initially piqued my interested, I found that the words penetrated my soul and I want to carry these words with me. Consider this…

Jesus walked right here on earth. He took steps. He moved about. He breathed. He built things with a hammer, maybe a table, maybe a house. He went to market. He went to church. He walked and talked amongst people. He had friends. He ate. He laughed. He cried. He taught. Consider this…

That while Jesus was here on earth in everything He did He radiated the brightness of God’s glory. Shine, Jesus, Shine! He did! Every single thing Jesus’ did had the purpose of reflecting His Father. Absolutely everything Jesus did filled this land with the Father’s Glory. Every word, every action, every deed, every step He took. Consider this…

Jesus flawlessly expressed God’s nature. His love, care, comfort, healing, provision, carrying, help, service — Jesus was God here on earth. Jesus was God in action. Consider this…

We are called to be Jesus here on earth. We are called to radiate the brightness of God’s glory. We are called to Shine! Let your light shine before all men. We are called to express God’s nature for all the world to see in every action, every word, every deed, every step we take. We are called to be the voice, the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. Look what happened when Jesus did. The lame walked! The blind saw! The dead rose! Miracles happened and lives were changed!

I thank the Lord today for helping me not to scoot, for helping me to Consider This…otherwise, I may have missed something Jesus wants me to carry in my heart.

Father God, thank you that Your Son, Jesus Christ, walked this earth radiating the brightness of Your glory and flawlessly expressing Your nature everywhere He went. That’s my prayer, Lord, that I, Beth, will radiate Your glory. That I will express Your nature, not my own, while I walk on this earth. Lord God, show me Your glory!!. Lord, I want to radiate Your glory! Not my nature, but Yours. Ah, the glory shown all around. Holy Spirit, work in me so that the brightness shines through me. Change me! Draw me to Your Lord! Holy Spirit, instill in me the desire, the hunger for You. Set aflame the fire, a flash fire, Lord, that continues to grow and spread and burn and not just smolder into dying embers, barely giving light. Lord, may I radiate Your Light and heat. Your warmth, Your comfort that only being in Your Presence can bring. Father, Son and Holy Ghost, may today I walk on Your earth and radiate the brightness of Your Glory, and may I live out Your nature. To God Be All Glory! Amen.

Family Bible Church meets Sundays at 10:00 am at 1400 Echo Street, Martinsburg.  Come Consider This…with us!

There’s our gal. Her name is Haddy, short for Hadassah, one of the names of Queen Esther. The name Hadassah is rooted in the word Hada which means myrtle. Myrtle trees are symbolic of righteousness and known for their sweet smell. And she lives up to her name as she is such a sweet girl.

We’ve had Haddy about five months. Shenandoah, our Worst-Best, passed away in the fall and Haddy joined us shortly thereafter. I talked often of the many lessons Shenandoah taught me over her 11 years. I could see so much of myself in her, mostly the naughty, and I often thought maybe God called me His Worst-Best. I think at times He calls all of us that.

Haddy has a completely different personality. She doesn’t attack the windows when someone drives by, she doesn’t bark incessantly to the point of mania, she doesn’t fight with us constantly for the alpha dog position which we won only by tussle. She’s not fiercely protective. She loves other dogs. And, she’s less than half the weight of Shenandoah so she’s not a very imposing figure.

Haddy is so so sweet. She wants to please at all times. She wants to be right with you every step you take often laying on your feet and getting under your feet while you’re walking. She has a much quieter disposition, she rarely barks and then only at squirrels, bunnies and our poor cat Gracie. She is a super walker, we do miles a day. And she has one particular trait we have always wanted in a dog. She walks off leash. We’ve always wanted a dog we could take out into the yard without having to have it attached to us the whole time, without chasing every single thing in sight and running away. Haddy is that dog…

about 90% of the time…

You can take her for a walk and 10 out of 100 times she’s going to run off. Despite seeing it coming, you know watching her body language, yelling all the commands, and the aid of a training collar, 10 out of 100 times she sees something that she just cannot resist and off she goes. She usually returns within 5-15 minutes, after her chasing has ended and she’s exhausted, running excitedly and sitting at my feet, but as if she never left.

While walking on the ridge the other day, we stopped at the prayer log to well…pray. As I’m sitting there praying and meditating, she runs to me and I think how very much alike we are. She wants to please us. She wants to be in our presence at all times. But sometimes she gets a little too far ahead of me and the pull of the outside world, the temptation to run after something is just too much for her to handle. In those moments no amount of calling or correction can overcome because she’s got so many four-legged things on her mind that my voice is diminished. It’s not because she can’t hear me calling, because I’m yelling “no,” “stop,” “come,” at the top of my lungs. Because she’s not in my presence, walking right beside me, she is easily distracted and, deaf to my calls, off she goes.

So far, her consequences have been relatively mild. A firm correction from us. A dip in the creek on a super cold day making it a shivering walk home. A thorn stuck tight in her skin. A sore foot here and there. All mild consequences. But the eventual consequences should she run and get lost, or encounter a coyote, bobcat or bear, or run onto a very busy road, could be deadly. I say eventual because those dangers are out there and will prevail should she not live within the parameters, the boundaries, the protections we set for her. Sound familiar?

“But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.” John 10:2-5

When it comes right down to it 90% is not a bad percentage, it’s still an A on some scales. But that 10% means there’s room for improvement. 90% is not a bad grade, but God calls us to be perfect as He is perfect. We will not reach a perfect score, 100%, until we meet Him again, only He can perfect us. But we are called to strive for that perfect 100% (whole, complete), as He is perfect. We can’t do that if we don’t know His voice. We can’t do that if we don’t hear His voice. We won’t hear His voice is we are not abiding in Him, focusing on Him, giving Him our full attention.

Morning by morning He awakens me and opens my understanding to His will. Isaiah 50:4

When we return and sit at Jesus’ feet, He too responds as if we never left.

Thoughts on Easter. Oh I know, Easter was Sunday. But, what if we carried on like everyday was Easter? What would the world, or our little corner, look like? What would our lives look like if Easter was ongoing?  Interesting useless fact — another word for “ongoing” is “alive.” Hmmm. Do we want to carry Easter with us into everyday and not just on Easter Sunday? Do we want Easter to continue in our dailies? Do we want an ongoing Easter? Do we want to be alive? Just something to think about. Anyway…

We tend to holiday-ize some Bible events, don’t we?  Christmas and Easter are the easiest to secularize and as a people we’ve done an outstanding job of it.  Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.  Not a criticism, just an observation.  I’m speaking for myself, I’m currently all bunnied up and have gotten supplies for the egg hunt too.  But the down and dirt about it is that the birth of Jesus and the death and resurrection of Jesus are not secular events.  I must not forget.  The Easter story begins with death and ends with life.  We have to understand the death in order to understand the life.

Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there.

Matthew 27:36

Crucified.  Were you there when they crucified my Lord?  Does that cause you to tremble, tremble, tremble?  Me too.  I know why the world has turned Easter into a parade.  It’s awful to think about a man hanging on a cross.  Give me the bunny.  It shocks the senses to think about folks hanging out just waiting for Him to die.  Let’s hide some eggs.  Secularizing Christian events makes them more easily understood, sometimes more bearable, more palatable.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, living for Jesus is definitely not for the squeamish. 

When I think about those who “sat around,” I wonder what they were thinking.  Crucifixions were not uncommon so they may not have been too affected by it.  Maybe they thought nothing – just another crucifixion.  Desensitized.  Maybe they thought about their market list.  Maybe they thought about watering the animals.  I know what you’re thinking – she’s so inappropriate, so crass, but let’s just be honest.  Let’s call a spade a spade.  If we can’t look at the crucifixion  for what it was,  we can’t look at it for what it will be.  Do we think of the crucifixion for what it was?  Harsh, cruel, horrific.

Then Jesus shouted out again, and he gave up his spirit.

Matthew 27:50

Dead.  The sinless One.  Died because we are the sin-full ones.  Do we think of it that way?  In my stead.  In my place, the spotless lamb.  If you know Jesus, not just the name, death is not the end, actually,  it’s just the beginning. 

“I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  He isn’t here!  He has been raised form the dead, just as he said he would happen.  Come, see where his body was lying.”

Matthew 28:5-6

Resurrected.  The real Easter story.  The beginning of a life of eternity.  The key to all things Christian.  Just as He promised – I will come again.  Just as He promised, we will be resurrected to eternal life. 

I want to look at it a little differently this Easter go around.  I want to remember that Easter is not just a celebration of the spring season, but a celebration of the new life.  I want to remember that His death led to my life.  I want to remember that His death took the place of my death – here on earth and for all eternity.  That’s a very long time.

There’s nothing wrong with celebrating Easter with bunnies, eggs, bonnets and all.  But, if we forget about what happened at the cross, the crucifixion, and His death, and we fail to see the  resurrection, it’s just another secular holiday.  We must be Resurrection Day folks.  People who celebrate the life that led to death, that led to life, eternal.   Yours, mine and all who will receive Him.  Let’s live ongoing Easter every day – let’s keep Easter alive.

Perspective is a good thing. In our melodramatic lives where everything is exaggerated, somehow heightened, blown out of proportion, you know over the top, we sometimes lose perspective. We (I) sometimes lose the ability to see what’s really relevant and meaningful. You know, the important stuff.

Well, I was reminded of what was really important the other day. I was given a little perspective. A friend and I had previously shared with each other our schedules for our days leading up to Easter Sunday. All things we were excited about doing, but looking for ways to wring out extra minutes in which to do them. Holiday times are busy weeks for everyone, especially Holy Holidays. But as I was adding one more thing to her week (in addition to what she was already doing for me – don’t you love friends!) anyway, as I was mentioning she had a few things going on, this was her response:

Oh my!! I was thinking about how busy this week is and then I think of how Jesus’ week went. Mine will be alright.

Thwack! Humiliated. Humbled. Embarrassed. Rattled. Shamed. Truth spoken. Whoa! Hard Stop. Sometimes the Truth hurts, and it should.

I have read and reread that text so many times. I don’t ever want to forget the message within it, especially this Holy Week. No matter how our days and weeks go, they could never compare, not even one iota, to how Jesus’ week went. Mentally, physically, and spiritually Jesus’ week was torn apart. I don’t ever want to forget the gravity of what He experienced. His pain and suffering, His hard work (agony) at the Cross, all for me, all for you. That’s some perspective, isn’t it?

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

May we not forget Jesus’ week as we work our way through this Holy Week.

A wind warning has been posted for today. It seems we’ve had many of those warnings the past recent years. This picture is from 2019 when some high winds caused this tree to snap because of it’s inner condition. The state of it’s middle. Today’s wind warning reminded me of this tree and of the blog posted around that time in March 11, 2019. As I read over the blog for that day, I thought, how divinely aligned.

The Wind

The wind blew.  Coming from the west.  It began out of nowhere.  A soft breeze, a little swirling of the clouds.  At first, the breeze didn’t seem to be a problem.  A clean the leaves out of the flower bed breeze.  Those are always good.  It was a sun shining, breeze blowing, flag billowing kind of day.  We remarked at the beauty.  At some point though, things changed.  The sky became a little ominous, from sun gold to gray, you know the look.  The breeze picked up and it was wind storm watch.  As the day progressed, the momentum of the wind picked up and we were at wind storm warning.  The soft gentle breeze had turned to a wind advisory before we knew what was going on.  Batten down the hatches, mates.

One thing I noticed about the wind storm was the sound.  The wind usually pops over the mountain and flows right down Clock Makers Way.  Like a child’s slide.  You can actually hear it when it tops the mountain.  Then as it flows down the driveway, gaining speed and filling all the empty space all around it sounds like a freight train barreling by our house.  No kidding.  The force of the wind was so intense I prayed our windows would hold as our curtains danced to the 66 mph tune.

The wind can be refreshing on a hot summer day.  The wind can dry the saturated surface.  The wind can sweep earth’s floor.  I’ve often wondered if I opened my front and back doors on a windy day, if that could be considered vacuuming?  The dirt wouldn’t be sucked up, it would just blow through.

It is a mighty force, though.  The destructive forces of the wind are amazing.  Things in its path are broken, uprooted, torn, ripped, fallen, crushed.  We move our lawn chairs into the garage, we take down our flagpoles, we move our cars from under the trees, we try to build up, build around, and protect smaller outdoor stuff.  But sometimes, there’s nothing you can do to prevent the damage, or is there?

See that tree there?  It’s been there since we moved in seven years ago.  It’s a great tree, or was.  A big sugar maple momma.  It did its part, it shielded that side of our house from the sun, and provided a cool sitting spot in the summer.  It also provided a little protection from the wind.  But, it was no match for the 66 mph song.  Why not?  Because it was rotten inside, soft.  Oh, it didn’t look like it, it was beautiful on the outside, but decaying on the inside.  It was not strong enough to withstand the winds.  We had warning, over the last year or so, we had a branch down here, a crack in the trunk there. But, when the really strong winds came, it simply could not stand.

Just like trees on a windy day, life has destructive forces that can tear us apart and leave us broken, battered, sometimes limbless and cracked.  Many are self-imposed, all are harmful.  We are neglectful, decaying, sick in spirit and we simply can’t stand.  When gale force blows a dying tree will break.  There will almost always be warning signs.

I’m not a treeologist, I can’t tell you how to keep a tree from rotting, from decaying, from dying.  I do know, without a shadow of a doubt though how we can keep from rotting, from decaying, from dying from the inside out.  How?  The right answer to everything, Jesus!

You don’t have to wait for the End.  I am, right now, Resurrection and Life.  The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live.  And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all.  John 11:25-26

See that?  We don’t have to wait until the end to be alive!  His resurrecting power is resurrecting us, right now.  Do we live as Believers?  Jesus told Martha, if you live like that, you are alive, you don’t have to wait to be resurrected to be alive.  What’s that mean?  We are to live inside like Believers.  Not old, rotted wood, that may crumble at any time.  Not like we’re just waiting for the next branch to fall.  But live like we know whom we have believeth and are persuaded that He is able!  Live as Believers on the inside, allowing His resurrection power to work in and through us.  Doing so will enable us to sway to the winds of life that blow our way. 

We are pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.  So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.  2 Corinthians 4:8-12

The wind storms of life will blow us and we may lose a leaf here and there, a twig here and there, a branch here and there, but we will never perish.  We may be bent but we will never break.  Just as a rotted tree, has death working within it, so is an unbelieving life.  We know what will ultimately happen to that tree.  The evidence is above.  It may not be an instant death, it may happen branch by branch.  But we also know what will happen to a believing life, we will never die!

Something I’ve been chewing on a lot lately is rushing. As an ADHD kind of gal, rushing is one of my built in components. You know, do as many things as you can, all at the same time!

Now, as I’ve said before, I consider my lack of focus and energy to be great gifts. I can get many things done and feel very accomplished. But something I read a couple of weeks ago got me thinking.

Nowhere in the Bible is Jesus rushed, hurried, frantically doing.

In fact, I get just the exact opposite vibe from the Bible. In speaking about Jesus’s ministry, the Bible doesn’t say “He rushed from town to town…” It doesn’t say “In order to accomplish His work here on earth (His to-do list) Jesus hurried on…” and no where could I find in the Bible that “Jesus felt so burdened by the things He had to do on this earth, in such a short period of time, that He was franticly moving about.”

We are a rushed, hurried, frantic people. The world in which we live nowadays is certainly fast paced. It definitely demands a certain amount of mania, or you will get run over. We pack our heads full of requirements of things we must do. Our calendars have no free spaces and we struggle to keep up with the demands we place on ourselves. Life is busy for everyone. It should be, living takes a lot of work. Some would say it’s overwhelming. But sometimes I’m not sure the way we’re (I’m) living is the way Jesus would have me live. Frenetically moving to the next things, even the very good things, can be detrimental. Detrimental, study on that word.

Look at Jesus’s life. He was One Busy Man. Think about what was on His to-do list. Put a plan (one formed before the universe forming) in action in three year’s time, to save the entire world. Talk about busy! Three years to save mankind. And yet Jesus still moved along enacting His plan, without hurry, without rushing, without being frantic. If anyone had a right to feel overwhelmed by what needed to be done, it was Jesus. Hmmm.

We’re not to abandon our living here on earth. We’re not to abandon our ministries, our families, our work, our living. But we are to do it in the way Jesus did it. If our lives and our ministries are frantic, we’re not likely to attract people to the Jesus. Why? Because we don’t look different. We look like the rest of the world. Panicked, agitated, frenetic. No one wants more of that.

Jesus waited 30 years to start His public ministry, He didn’t rush out of the house at 18 to take on the world. Jesus waited 2 days before returning to Judea to bring glory to the Son of God by raising Lazarus from the dead dead. After 3 days Jesus rose from the dead to save us. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

We are to mirror Jesus’s life. His life drew people unto Him. Our lives should draw people unto Him. We need to look to Him as our example and not to the world. Jesus moved along with laser focus on His purpose, with calmness and with peace. How are we moving along?