Uplifted by Truth

     The Wicked                                           The Redeemed

plot v. righteous                                    are upheld by the LORD x 2

laughed at by the LORD                        days known by the LORD

use weapons v. poor, needy                 have enduring inheritance

try to kill the upright                              never forsaken

pierce their own hearts                          remain vital in hard times

much wealth                                         little but better wealth

power will be broken                            enjoy plenty during famines

will evaporate like smoke                     steps secured by the LORD

borrow and do not repay                       share generously and freely

will be cut off                                        children fed and blessed

            Psalm 37:12-26

                Of David.

The wicked plot against the righteous

   and gnash their teeth at them;

but the Lord laughs at the wicked,

   for he knows their day is coming.

The wicked draw the sword 

   and bend the bow

to bring down the poor and needy, 

   to slay those whose ways are upright.

But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

   and their bows will be broken.

Better the little that the righteous have 

   than the wealth of many wicked;

for the power of the wicked will be broken,

   but the LORD upholds the righteous.

The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,

   and their inheritance will endure forever.

In times of disaster they will not wither;

   in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

But the wicked will perish:

   The LORD’s enemies will be like the 

      beauty of the fields, 

   they will vanish - vanish like smoke.

The wicked borrow and do not repay,

   but the righteous give generously;

those the LORD blessed will inherit the land, 

   but those he curses will be cut off.

If the LORD delights in a man’s way, 

   he makes his steps firm;

though he stumble, he will fall,

   for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

I was young and now I am old,

   yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken 

   or their children begging bread.

They are always generous and lend freely;

   their children will be blessed.

Cross Cultural Meatloaf

I hope you're not laughing at the title of this post. 

That would make me really sad. 

What I want to tell you about is so much fun.

We were blessed to welcome this Czech family for a return visit to our home yesterday. They're some of our favorite guests because they enjoy the diversity of God's people as much as we do.

There's no better way to explain that than meatloaf.

As we were planning their first visit earlier this year I explained to Jane* in an email that I would like to offer her family a bit of American cooking while they were with us. Since she is brave and gracious she said that would be lovely. I did my best not to be too ethno-centric with my menus. 

My Honey and I decided that meatloaf might be a good choice for a main dish. We introduced dinner by explaining what meatloaf is and why we'd chosen it. It was obvious that the children had been encouraged to enjoy whatever they were served - hesitant looks and small bites. 

As the meal progressed we noticed faces relaxing and conversation increasing. When John* accepted an offer of seconds we figured we'd made a good choice, but it wasn't until the next day that I learned how good. Jane asked about the recipe.

After our visit when life slowed down I dutifully wrote out every detail I could about how I make meatloaf in the Czech Republic. Some of the ingredients are a bit different than in the USA. Some adjustments have had to be made for dietary needs. I admit that I sent off the recipe with a bit of trepidation. 

All of my apprehension disappeared when I received an email from Jane the following week. She let me know that she'd made a meatloaf that her family really enjoyed. John was even encouraging her to buy a loaf pan so she could make it regularly. And that's just what happened.

Fast Forward

Last week Jane sent an email offering to bring some food for us to enjoy together. When we let her know that would be a blessing she wrote and asked if we might like to try her Czech version of meatloaf. We said we would be delighted.

We enjoyed God's delicious provision which you can see in our photo. Jane's meatloaf did have a Czech twist or two which is just the way it should be. For one, it's much more appetizing to look at than my meatloaves are. For another, the herbs seemed to be a bit more savory - a delectable change.

We enjoyed our meal and our fellowship along with the view of a spectacular sunset. It was a collection of gifts well worth remembering - brothers and sisters around a table in the Father's presence revelling in the unity and diversity of lives united in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

How loving and gracious God is to grant us so many blessings and so much joy through simply following His directions.

"Practice hospitality."  Romans 12:13b

"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it."  Hebrews 13:2

*names changed for privacy

Guidelines for Peace this Week

Do NOT                                                                         DO

fret x3                                                 remember opposition will fade

worry nor be idle                                trust in the LORD & do good

be flighty & anxious                           dwell & enjoy safety

look across or down                          delight in the LORD

flounder in own strength                    commit your steps to LORD

rail & complain                                    be still

get angry & wrathful                           hope in the LORD

CONCLUSIONS

The wicked will be no more, in a little while.

The meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. 

            Psalm 37:1-11

                Of David.

Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Delight yourself in the LORD 
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he wil do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, 
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret - it leads only to evil.
For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.

A Lightning Post

Too late to make my deadline.

Too much turmoil to collect my thoughts. 

Too little strength to face what's ahead.

Please take a moment or two to ask the Lord to lift me up along side my Honey. We're off to get some medical advice. Not sure what to think or how to pray.

May God bless you for bowing beside us. Amen

How to Keep God Secrets

Before I get to the 'How to' portion of this post I want to make my subject clear.

I am NOT talking about keeping secrets FROM God. 

That idea itself is foolishness since God sees and knows all things. Job 37:16; Jeremiah 23:24; Hebrews 4:12,13

I am talking about keeping secrets WITH God.

By that I mean sharing solely with El Roi, the God who sees.

I've got a few reasons for suggesting such an exclusive relationship.

1) It seems that it's nearly impossible for a human being to truly keep a secret. There are some people who do a really great job of keeping information to themselves, but they're rare. In my 60+ years I've only found two or three.

2) When I'm sharing with a real confidante I admit that I tailor what I say based on our human relationship. Though I try to be as open and objective as possible I know it's still one subjective human sharing and another subjective human listening.

3) There are some things that no human ear needs to hear.

4) There are some things that only God can handle righteously.

Let me give you a for-instance, purely hypothetical of course.

You've picked up your husband's dirty socks for the umpteenth time. It's already been a miserable morning and you feel used and unappreciated. A friend calls or stops by and you just happen to mention how sick you are of cleaning up after another adult. Or worse, as you toss the socks into the laundry basket you voice your complaint loud enough for your children to hear. 

Or try this one.

You told your friend at least three times about the importance of being on time to pick up your child and they forgot. It was already a hectic day and you've got to rush over and collect her. As you explain to the teacher why you're late you make a comment about careless friends. Or worse, as you drive home you go on and on about your friend's thoughtless behavior.

I trust you get the idea, but if you want more examples send me a comment.

Numbers 12 communicates God's position on grumbling. Go ahead and read about Miriam and Aaron in their complaining against Moses.

James 5:9 is pretty clear on the subject too. "Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!"

My latest strategy to erase this habit from my life is to have God Secrets.

1) I run to Him. (Some things MUST be shared or I'll explode.)

2) I tell Him what happened. (God already saw, but wants to hear from me.)

3) I tell Him how I feel. (I can't fool God on any front so I might as well be honest.)

4) I refuse to tattle tale. (Others don't need to hear me vent the ugliness of my fallen nature.)

Jeremiah 29:11 has always been a favorite of mine.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I plan to commit the following two verses to memory.
"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  Jeremiah 29:12,13

Care to add anything to my lists? I'm anxious to hear from you.

By the time you get this . . .

I'll be home in Prague.

The end of our five week visit in the USA will be over and we'll be back in our adopted city. 

It was definitely not a Magical Mystery Tour like the one enshrined in song by the Beatles. 

It was a time filled with loads of activity, bundles of sharing, and heaps of unknowns. We're not quite on the plane yet and I'm already counting my bruises.

You might ask how that can be since we were welcomed and hosted and pampered wherever we went.

The truth is that I kept bumping into myself wherever we went.

The sad story includes that fact that there was a lot of stuff to do and people to see with only a loose plan for how to get it all accomplished. 

There were also countless things that didn't go according to the loose plan and other things that popped up. That meant there were a lot of details that had to be sorted out as we went along. That kind of uncertainty, shall we say, keeps me on my toes.

I could go into all the senseless ways I struggle and the poor coping skills I exhibit . Instead I'll share a short list of some of the lessons I relearned.

1. It's not necessary for me to know every detail of my day to live through it.

2. Sometimes the things I think are necessary to do are really just things I want to do.

3. When I stop and ask God to show me His list and deadlines my days flow more smoothly.

4. The unknowns in my days are well-knowns to the One who's orchestrating my life.

5. Time spent in worry and anxiety is always wasted.

6. When I follow my Honey, the leader God's given, I am already in a better place.

7. Even if I don't know how it will take place, God makes sure I eat and sleep.

8. Usually softer and more gentle accomplishes more than hard and tough.

9. Freedom comes from letting go . . . the more the better.

10. When I look back I always find that God's plan was far better than any I could have set.

If you've got your stuff all together, please share a couple of your lessons with me.

If you wrestle as I do, I am praying this Truth over us.

"To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen" Jude 24 NIV, 1984

Freedom is FREE

Sometimes I feel handcuffed by the things God expects of me. One wrist is held securely by the responsibilities that make up my To Do List. The other one is immobilized by the character and attitude standards that He sets for me. 

Leviticus 11:44, 19:2, 20:7; 1 Peter 1:16; and 2 Peter 3:11 are a few of the verses that clarify God's expectations. Though the wording varies a bit each passage explains that God calls His people to be holy because God is holy. 

That means that God's chosen ones must reflect His holy personhood and character; be perfect in every aspect; in our being and our doing.

When I stop and think about that goal and my ability to reach it I find myself stalled, disoriented, and discouraged. 

It's sort of the way I feel on any given Monday . . . only 1,000,000 times worse.

There's this whole week stretching out in front of me. It's got numerous tasks, activities, responsibilities, and events in it that I'm not sure I can finish, do, meet, and attend.

And that doesn't even include all the interruptions, surprises, and rescheduling that normally take place. 

What's a person to do when they run up against what appear to be impossible expectations?

The answer for the believer, the disciple of Christ, is always the same.

We need to turn to God, run to Him, share with Him, look to Him.

When it comes to holiness, He's got the answer.

"Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Say to the Israelites, 'You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy."  Exodus 31:12-13  NIV, 1984

How can that be?

Paul shares the core of this truth.

"To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy. together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ - their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."  1 Corinthians 1:2-3

Those of us who are called to be holy are "sanctified". To sanctify means "set apart". In this instance we are set apart from sin and unto God. The root word in both Hebrew and Greek is also translated "holy". So to sanctify means "to make holy". 

God's Word tells us that being sanctified, made holy, happens when we are "in Christ Jesus". When I am "in Christ Jesus" God declares and sees me as holy. That's my position before Him.

Paul's explanation comes in sort of two steps. My position is holy because I am justified in Christ. However, I need to live a holy life. 

"But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do"  1 Peter 1:15

God's people are meant to be growing in the ways we reflect His holiness. It's one thing to be sitting in the middle of a lifeboat. We need to be rowing toward the heavenly shore. That is the sanctification journey.

And God even takes care of my progress in that regard too.

"for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."  Philippians 2:13

Phew, neither my position nor my progress is not up to me and my weak human energy and methods. 

God provides the holiness He requires. 

Hallelujah! The To Do List just evaporated.

I'm FREE.