Peace, Good Will Toward Men!

My dear friend, Janey, who lives in Birmingham, sent this wonderful writing in her Christmas letter this year. I loved the thought and so, dear blog friends and family, I'm passing it on to you.

Janey wrote: "In Psalm 23:5 David says God's flock is fed in the presence of our enemies. God asks us to pray for our enemies - those who for some reason do not agree with our loyalties to faith and family or country. For this reason, I am including a writing of Mother Teresa that has been a reminder to me this year of what the angels sang at Jesus' birth, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:14. May we all use the love given us to practice this in the coming year to those who do not know the luxury of God's approval because of the personal acceptance of His Son as Savior."

People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.

Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end it is between you and God. It never was between you and them anyway.

Thanks, Janey, for sharing how God wants us to behave "toward men" (toward everyone) as we travel life's joyful journey.

Road Open

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Jeremiah 25-27)

"'Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,' says the Lord; 'and I will make it a perpetual desolation.'" Jer. 25:12

Charlie was signaling to me. He looked excited as he gestured toward the street. I glanced up, from talking to a friend on my cell phone, and peered ahead. At first I was like, what? Then comprehension dawned. The detour sign was gone! The road was open. We could drive straight on through to the lake. No more detour through Seymour. Thirty minutes off our driving time!

"Look at that," he exclaimed as we sped along the smooth new pavement, "Passing lanes! Good bye poky drivers. This was definitely worth the wait!"

"I'm surprised they got it done before winter." I said.

"Oh," he replied, "I thought they'd have it open for gun deer hunting when half the state heads to the north woods."

We got to the lake so fast. I'd forgotten how much quicker it is without the detour.

Are you ever amazed when God opens a door in your life? It seems like you are on a perpetual detour and then - suddenly - something that has been blocked happens. The "Road Closed" sign is gone and there you go.... down a beautiful new path in life's joyful journey. A road has been under construction in your life and voila! It's open before you.

When Jeremiah wrote down God's words about His impending judgment upon Babylon, it must have seemed to the weeping prophet that he was stuck on a big time detour. God had told him over and over that Judah was about to be heavily disciplined and carried off to Babylon. Israel's Babylonian Captivity loomed omniously ahead.

But God never leaves His people comfortless and He gave Jeremiah chapter 27. Inspirationally penning God's word, he must have received hope as God told him that after seventy years, Babylon, too, would be punished. The Exile would not last forever.

Did he have any idea that seventy years later, a famous prophet named Daniel would be sitting in Babylon reading these very words? Could he know that Daniel would be inspired by what he, Jeremiah, had written and start praying for an end to the captivity and a return to Israel? Probably not. But as a result of Jeremiah's faithfulness to write God's words during a bleak time, a marvelous road of return would open seventy years later for his people.

We encounter lots of roadblocks in our lives. But if we will be faithful to what God tells us to do, the "Road Open" sign will come up. We don't know when but God does. He finishes

what He starts. His timing is perfect. Charlie was sure the Department of Transportation would have the road open before gun deer hunting started in Wisconsin. We can perfectly trust the detours of our lives to One much greater than the DOT.

Are you feeling blocked at every turn? Wait, knowing that the new door will open, because our God is an awesome trustworthy God, and He has promised that it will. Detours can lead to shining new roads with passing lanes!

"Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;" Phil.1:6

Life Is A Dash!

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Eccles. 10-12)

"Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth..." Eccles. 12:1-5

They all seemed so young and happy. The line of animated young women talking enthusiastically, to each other, stretched down the long white baby shower table. Somehow, on each side, there was a gap between them and me. My green sherbet punch and I seemed to be on our own little island. But, my island was inhabited. A pleasant looking girl in her thirties sat across from me.

"Hello," I said, "I'm Betsy."

"And I'm Jessica," she responded.

Before long, I found myself in the midst of a very interesting conversation with my fellow inhabitant. She was married with two young boys, she had gone to mortuary school, and she now works in a funeral home. "I'm always on call," she remarked, "because you never know when somebody will die."

"Oh, do you go pick up the, uh er, bodies?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied quite cheerfully, "that's one of my jobs."

There we sat, a rather isolated little pair, talking about death in the midst of a baby shower celebrating life. Life and death. Two very significant words. In fact I've heard it said that the two most important dates in life are the birth date and the death date - with a dash in between. The meaning of that statement is clear: the dash is short and we need to make our swift earthly tenures count.

That's Solomon's point in today's scriptures. Do it now!

"Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, "I have no pleasure in them":

Eccles.12:1

It will never be easier to give our days to the Lord, it will only become harder. We need to remember our Creator now, while we can.

The wisest man who ever lived, goes on to tell us what is going to happen in our futures.

"While the sun and the light, The moon and the stars, Are not darkened, And the clouds do not return after the rain;" 12:2

He warns that as we age we are more and more prone to depression. It's been proven that older bodies do not produce the serotonin that young bodies do. Anyone who has suffered depression knows about the dark clouds that hover and can return so easily.

"In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the strong men bow down;" 12:3a

The "keepers of the house" that tremble are the limbs and the strong men bowing down is a reference to the legs. After having a knee replacement, I can relate. Strength wanes as we add years. Parts start to wear out. Charlie told me that if a machine worked perfectly in a mill for fifty years the operators would cheer. We expect our "fearfully and wonderfully made" bodies to run smoothly much longer than that.

"When the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look through the windows grow dim;" 12:3b

In America we get our teeth crowned, but lots of people in other countries don't have this privilege and their teeth become few. We buy attractive reading glasses when we turn forty, but after while they don't seem to work right, and we consult our ophthamoligists more and more frequently.

"When the doors are shut in the streets, And the sound of grinding is low;" 12:4a

As I tried to hear my interesting new friend's voice, I thought, "I wish my hearing aids were working better! Her voice sounds awfully quiet." The older we get, the more we have to strain to listen. We have to really concentrate. Maybe that isn't all bad.

"When one rises up at the sound of a bird, And all the daughters of music are brought low;" 12:5

There is a reason for the term "sleeps like a baby." The older we get, the lighter we sleep and the earlier we wake up.

"Also, when they are afraid of height, And of terrors in the way;" 12:5a

This speaks of the fear of falling and breaking something - like a hip - necessitating a hip replacement. The older person has a constant battle with fear. It is more difficult to control imaginations.

"When the almond tree blossoms, 12:5b

The white hair of old age is described.

"The grasshopper is a burden," 12:5c

Have you ever watched the slow shaking gait of a very elderly person?

"And desire fails." 12:5d

Most of the ads on TV refer to this.

"for man goes to his eternal home, And the mourners go about the streets." 12:5e

And my new friend and her coworkers go to their funeral homes and take care of our bodies.

It was time to open presents. As we turned to watch, Jessica's final words were, "You know, most people are so unprepared for death to enter their lives. It's like, here in America, we don't expect to die. We live our lives forgetting that they will end. When death comes, we don't know how to deal with it!"

So we left our little island and joined the group oohing and ahhing over the beautiful presents bought especially for this new baby - that no one knows yet. We don't know this little child but God does. And we can pray - that he will remember his Creator in the days of his youth. We can lift him to the Throne of Grace and interceed for him to live for Jesus during the dash that will be his life. And, if he does that, when he leaves this earth, he will be prepared - for his Coronation Day.

All My Life?

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Prov. 20-22)

"Train up a child in the way he should go,

And when he is old he will not depart from it." Prov. 22:6

"I wonder what we'll do with him for the next eighteen years?"

Charlie uttered these words as he looked down at our firstborn son wrapped tightly in his little blue blanket. We had just come home from the hospital and my husband and my mother and I were all gazing devotedly at our tiny new baby sleeping quietly in the bed.

Mom looked at Charlie incredulously and said, "Well, it will be a lot longer than eighteen years. It will be all of your life!"

Neither he nor I had been raised around babies. We didn't have a clue. We both stared at her blankly and wondered what we should do next. We didn't have to ponder long. Twenty four hours later, our morning delight had changed to late evening weariness. Ethan's brand new little outfits were in the wash, I was sore all over, and his diaper needed changing - again. There were three of us attending this little son and we were exhausted. One seven pound baby had turned our lives upside down. " All of our lives" seemed like a very long time.

Six weeks later, we novices were experts on this little fellow......

We knew his eating schedule and we recognized his different cries - "I am hungry, I'm uncomfortable, I need attention!" We could rock him just the way he liked to help him fall asleep. Our newly learned parenting prowess was exciting and satisfying. It's amazing to me that God gives young parents this ability to go from being clueless about babies to becoming uniquely knowledgeable about their own little child's physical needs very quickly.

Meeting our little one's physical needs was tiring but not that difficult. The true challenge was investing in his emotional and spiritual needs "training him up in the way that he should go." The word "train' doesn't mean a choo-choo. We learned that in the Bible the word, "train," has three ideas: dedication, instruction, and motivation.

First of all, we are to dedicate our child to God, recognizing that he is a gift that God has entrusted to us. Our dedication is an action that reflects our understanding that he belongs exclusively to God and we are to raise him as good stewards of this gift.

Secondly, we parents are to instruct our children in the ways of the Lord. We are to teach them how to please God. They are to study and learn and memorize His Word. It is our responsibility to place them under the influence of Godly people who will lovingly instruct them in His ways.

Thirdly, in Jewish writings, this word "train" means motivate. The meaning of this word in Arabic is likened to the action of a midwife who stimulates the palate of a newborn infant with dates or crushed grapes so that it will start sucking. Parents are to stimulate a taste within their child so that he is motivated in his heart to follow God, not by compelling him externally but by creating an inner desire for the Lord.

"Train up a child in the way he should go." Who are we to train up? A child. The word means "dependent" and as long as a child is dependent on his parents, he is to be the recipient of dedication, instruction, and motivation. There are many stages in a child's life and we are to do this throughout each stage.

If we do this, "when he is old, he will not depart from it" the proverb assures us. Old has the connotation of "when he is not dependent." As parents, we are to do the best that we can to dedicate, instruct and motivate our children while they are dependents. Then we are to rest in the last words of this beautiful exhortation trusting that God will bring it to pass in His way and in His time.

This son is a pastor in Alaska now. He and his family were here for the reunion. As he led our Sunday morning family service, it brought us great joy to sit under his wise teaching of God's Word. I looked at Charlie who was listening intently. and remembered, "What do you do with him for the next eighteen years?" We had learned, parenting lasts a lot longer - not eighteen years but for a lifetime. Christian parenting always involves dedicating, instructing and motivating and most of all trusting that "when they are old, they will not depart from it."

Under the Influence

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (II Kings 10-12)

"Jehoash (Joash) did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days in which Jehoida the priest instructed him." II Kings 12:2

It was 1979 and Charlie had accepted a transfer to Corinth, Mississippi to be the operation’s manager for a new mill that was being built there. We knew we were supposed to go because we were reading in Acts 18 and the scripture jumped out at us, “Go to Corinth for I have many people there.” God couldn’t be much clearer than that!

Was it hard to leave Wisconsin and family and friends again to go back “down south?” Yes, it was. But looking back, I can see that in our lives there is better and best. This step of faith turned out to be the very best for Charlie and I and our four children. What God had for us in Corinth far surpassed the difficulties of saying goodbye and moving away from our beloved state. He did, indeed “have many people there.”

That became immediately apparent when we attended a church on Sunday morning and liked the preacher so much that we went back the same Sunday night. After the evening service, we went downstairs for a get together. We had no idea that the people we were about to “get together” with would change all of our lives. I was drinking a cup of punch and casually chit chatting with a woman named Lynn. All of a sudden she said, “Have you met Mary and Elaine?” Before I could even answer she disappeared. Soon I spotted her towing two delightful women who both beamed at me with welcoming smiles.

Lynn was right. Mary and Elaine and I instantly connected. It was more than that, it was a knitting of our hearts as all three of us immediately realized that we were kindred spirits in a very deep love for Jesus. Only a week later, I was attending a Monday morning Bible study in Mary’s home, which “happened” to be just a block away from where I lived. Mary taught and Elaine led the singing and I just studied with them and soaked it all up.

Soon Charlie became friends with Sherman, Mary’s husband. They were our southern “Priscilla and Aquilla.” Sherman and Mary loved our children and were spiritual grandparents to them. When Sherman went to be with the Lord six years ago, Charlie was one of the speakers at his “Homegoing Service.” He was so influenced by this Godly man’s life that he named our collie……… Sherman!

When wicked Athaliah became queen of Judah, she immediately destroyed all the royal heirs except for one. While they were being murdered, the daughter of the dead king, Jehoshabeath, rescued little one year old Joash. She secretly hid him in a bedroom with his nurse for six years. (How do you hide a toddler anyway?) Somehow no one knew he existed except Jehoida the Priest who just happened to be married to Jehoshabeath. When Joash was seven, he was made king of Judah after a daring coup in which the throne was rightfully restored to the Davidic heirs. It amazes me that a helpless one year old boy was the sole link that saved the dynasty of David and the very lineage of Jesus Christ. Jehoida the Priest mentored Joash and under his influence Joash “did what was right in the sight of the Lord.” (II Kings 12:2) We are told that he even restored Solomon’s elegant temple to its original condition.

All was good …until Jehoida died. After the death of the High Priest, the true character of King Joash became clear. Joash listened to the ungodly leaders of Judah and turned away from following the Lord. We read that “they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the Lord; and they testified against them but they would not listen.” ( II Chronicles 24:18,19)

The sad story of King Joash spirals down into incredible depravity. When Zechariah, the son of Jehoida came to warn Joash about his ungodly choices, he killed him. He stoned the son of the man and woman who had saved his life and mentored him. Incredible!

God is so patient and good to us. He sends us many people over the years. We can listen and learn from them or we can reject them. We think we’ll have them forever, but we don’t.

After two years we moved from Corinth to Connecticut. I had a hole in my heart for months and months after leaving Mary. But, we stayed in touch in many miraculous ways over the years. You’ll hear a lot more about Mary in my blog. But, I have to go because we call each other every Monday morning at nine. We talk and pray. Her wisdom and love for Jesus can be counted on to lead me to the highest road on my joyful journey to heaven.

Happy Memorial Day! As we remember the sacrifices of so many veterans for our beloved country, let’s also be thankful for the Godly Jehoidas who have given their lives to mentor us.

A Miracle In the North Woods

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (I Kings 5-7)

“And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.” I Kings 6:7

Saturday night, Charlie and I witnessed a miracle in the north woods of Wisconsin. We attended the dedication of Praise Chapel Community Church in Crandon. Exactly seven years ago in April, the people of this sweet congregation started building a church. The tiny building that they had called home for many years was bursting at the seams and so, after much prayer, they were led by God to rise up and build. This wasn’t the ordinary church building program. It was decided that the new Praise Chapel would be built by faith– they would do it themselves as the money came in. The money did come, the people did build, and the Lord granted them health and safety as they worked. Saturday night we joined with half the community of Crandon and celebrated the dedication of this wonderful debt free “miracle built by God.”

As I sat in the church, I thought about the “coincidence” that in our reading through the Bible, we are right at the dedication of the temple. I don’t believe in coincidences in our lives, I deem them miracles of God’s amazing timing as He orchestrates our lives moment by moment. Eph.2:10 tells us “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before the foundation of the world that we should walk in them.”

In today’s reading, we are told that Solomon’s temple was built without the noise of craftsmen. The huge stones were finished at the quarry. In keeping with the holiness of the structure being crafted, there was no sounding of hammers or chisels or any iron tool in the construction of the lovely building.

This is a good reminder to us not to mistake noise for spiritual progress. We tend to measure the importance of things by the excitement they generate. Yet, we are conformed into the image of Jesus not by noisy human efforts but silently by the power of the Holy Spirit as day by day He perfects His power within every believer.

This happens in our quiet times as we read the Word and meditate on the things that He tells us. Maybe that’s why Christians are told to have “quiet times,” not “noisy” times. We are urged to settle down and listen to the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit as He guides and leads us on the paths of righteousness. He, alone, shows us the course our journey is to take and directs us to the things that need to be done on a daily basis. “In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” Is. 30:15

And then one day, His workmanship is finished and there is a dedication – it may be the temple in Israel or Praise Chapel in the north woods of Wisconsin.

We are told to “sit quietly before the Lord – to wait patiently before Him” as He amazingly does His work on this earth through the likes of believers like us.

Moldy Bread

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Joshua 9-11)

“This bread of ours we took hot for our provision from our houses on the day we departed to come to you. But now look, it is dry and moldy.” Josh. 9:12

“Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions, but they did not ask counsel of the Lord.” Josh. 9:14

“Everything looks great here!” I said to Charlie.

We had just finished unloading after arriving at our lake house. The sun was shining in the windows, the snow was melting in the woods, and the thermometer was looking happy - registering a warm 61 degrees.

Charlie paused by the calendar and reflected, “The last time we were here was February sixth. That’s over five weeks ago.”

Several hours later, after a light supper of toast and cocoa, I opened the drawer to put the bread away. “Aghhhhhh!” I didn’t mean to shriek but my agitated outburst caused Charlie to come rapidly into the kitchen. He saw me holding up an English muffin package full of the moldiest grossest-looking bread either of us had ever seen.

Returning from carrying it out to the garbage, he shook his head and said, “We sure missed that one when we were packing up!”

In today’s reading about the Gibeonites, Joshua and the Israelites sure missed something too.

We read that when the people of Gibeon heard how Israel had totally destroyed Jericho and Ai, they craftily decided to take another approach to save their skins. Their deceptive plan involved asking Israel to make a covenant of protection with them. They dressed up in old clothes and well- worn sandals and pretended that they came from a far country. To emphasize the length of their travels, they even brought moldy bread and showed it to the skeptical Israelites saying, “This bread of ours we took hot for our provision from our houses on the day we departed to come to you. But, now look, it is dry and moldy.”

We are told that the Israelites looked at their provisions; “but they did not ask counsel of the Lord.” Three days later, after a protective covenant had been made, guess what? The children of Israel found out that these so-called travelers were not from a far country but were really their neighbors. Now, instead of attacking their cities, they had to protect this tricky group of deceivers. They were stuck with the Gibeonites literally forever.

If they only would have asked counsel of the Lord! Even the great Joshua, successor to Moses himself, did not seek out God on this decision. It caused them a lot of trouble immediately and later on down the road.

I don’t know about you, but I get myself in a lot of bad situations when I don’t pray before making a decision. It seems to be taking me a long time to learn that God will give me direction if I will just ask. His promise, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” is as true today as when the Bible was written. (Luke 11:9&10) Why do I persist in plunging into things without seeking the counsel of the Lord?

When we arrived at the lake, everything appeared to be in great shape. But, we had missed something. In our own wisdom we often miss important things. Chris, my daughter-in-love, always says, "God's will unfolds." She's right, it does, if we'll just take the time to ask Him what His will is before we pack up and hurry off.

Isn’t it amazing how relevant to our lives the Bible stays? As I was reading about the Gibeonites, I could vividly picture their moldy bread. The English muffins were a graphic reminder that when I make decisions without praying, things get stale very quickly!

The Enticement of Wild Daffodils

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Joshua 1-3)

“This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua 1:8

“Dad. Can I just go across the road this once? I want to pick those yellow flowers.”

“No way!” was my father’s firm response. “ Four year old girls are not allowed to cross highways by themselves.”

Observing the crestfallen look on my face, he paused. “I tell you what, when I get home, I’ll walk over there with you, okay?”

I said, “All right,” but I didn’t mean it. His car had barely backed out of the driveway when my friend, Terry appeared. He was five and I regarded him as much older. He could go with me!

Later, when my father walked into the kitchen, his eyes fell on a scraggly bouquet of wild daffodils leaning precariously out of a glass. Quick strides took him to the front sidewalk where Terry and I were drawing sea lions on the concrete.

“Betsy,” he said, his voice very quiet, “I thought I told you that you did not have permission to go across that road by yourself.”

“I didn’t go anywhere by myself, Dad,” I replied innocently. (After all, Terry had been with me all morning)

My father knew how to deal with that. “Well,” he said, “I’ll bet you didn’t even look both ways when you crossed that busy street.”

“Oh, yes, I did, Daddy,” I answered fervently! Whoops!

The next thing I knew, my father had taken off his shoe, put me over his knee, and spanked me soundly. The spanking didn’t feel so good, but the worst part of it was being humiliated in front of my friends.

Terry had the audacity to say, “Mr. Billings, I just want you to know that I didn’t pick any of those flowers.” Then, my angelic friend left hastily. The rest of the neighborhood kids just stood there and watched.

I burst into tears over the indignity of it all. My dad put his arm around me and said, “You know you are getting double punishment because you not only disobeyed, but you also lied to me. You are not to play with Terry for a whole week!"

Sniffling into his jacket, I said, “I’m sorry, Dad.” I really was.

I didn’t know it but my father had taught me a lifelong lesson in truth and obedience that day. It’s a lesson I still remember.

Our Scripture today talks about being obedient to God’s word as it is written in His book. It is one of the most memorized verses in the Bible.

The year is 1405 B.C. The Israelites have finally grown up and are about to enter the Promised Land. After the death of Moses, God chose Joshua as their new leader. Joshua means “salvation” in Hebrew and “Jesus” in Greek. In fact there are a lot of parallels between Joshua and Jesus. Some call him a type of Christ. He was a very good leader.

One reason that he was such a great man is he had been discipled almost all of his life by the best of men, Moses. He had watched him, listened to him, and modeled his life after him. When God tapped him for leadership, he was ready.

Each generation must be taught the same lessons in truth and obedience. How are we raising our children? Are we taking the time to talk to them, to correct them, and to teach them how to be obedient men and women? What about our co-workers? Moses and Joshua weren’t related, but Moses took the time to train him perfectly. Who is in your life that could become a Joshua? Who are you nurturing?

Many years have passed and over the years I have crossed a lot of streets by myself. Now the snow is melting and spring is coming. Even Wisconsin has bits of green poking up in the cold soil. The tulips and the daffodils will eventually appear. But as I look at them, it is wild daffodils and my father’s training that I will be remembering.

The Counsel of the Strawberries

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Deut. 3-4)

“Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and grandchildren.” Deut. 4:9

The package was waiting for me on my front porch. Paul and Melanie had sent me a very cool birthday present. I opened a box of humongous strawberries that were completely dipped in chocolate – some white and some dark. Not only were they dipped, but each strawberry was beautifully decorated in various colors of pink, white, and red. Every one was artistically done.

Included with the ice packed strawberries were instructions: “Eat within 48 hours!” The (warning) went on to say that since they were fruit they wouldn’t keep - they needed to be eaten. So, I complied. Attractive as they were, I ate them. They tasted even better than they looked. “What a great warning,” I thought, “Eat within 48 hours!”

The next day, while making my bed, I noticed a label protruding from my pillowcase. It threatened, “Do not remove under penalty of law!” I had dutifully hearkened to its warning and left it attached to my pillow for the past year. “That’s the end of you,” I thought as I vehemently ripped it off. “I like the counsel of the strawberries much better.”

There are many warnings in the book of Deuteronomy. The central message of Deuteronomy is obedience. Some form of the words “obey” and “do” occur on an average of five times in each chapter. The whole book is basically a warning both to Israel and to us today. Obedience brings blessings from God and disobedience brings punishment from God. The three messages that Moses pens in Deuteronomy make that pretty clear.

Today’s Scripture gives me four admonitions that I take very seriously. Actually they sum up my life goals and why I write. Here’s how they speak to me.

“Only take heed to yourself,” I am to pay attention to what God tells me to do. A couple of days without reading the Word of God and I start to spoil like the strawberries.

“Lest you forget the things your eyes have seen,” God has done so much in my life. He has painted pictures on my soul even lovelier than the decorated fruit. I don’t want to ever forget the things that He has accomplished since He led me out of my Egypt.

“All the days of your life.” Walking with the Lord is a lifelong commitment. I want to be among those who finish well and never drift away from Jesus.

“And teach them to your children and grandchildren.” That’s why I’m writing. We who have “tasted and seen that the Lord is good” are urged to share our knowledge, insights, and experiences with those who come after us. They may be our physical family or they may be our spiritual family. We all need to remember and reiterate what God has done in our lives, just like the second generation of Israelites needed to hear again what had happened in the forty years since they were miraculously delivered from Egypt.

As we travel though life, we are faced with multitudes of warnings. They may come with strawberries or they may be attached to pillows. There are long lists that we all can name. Some are good and some make no sense. But I’ve lived long enough to know that the aftertaste of obedience to God’s warnings is even better than the sweetness the taste of my birthday berries left in my mouth.

Pay attention to God's Word, don’t forget what He's done, finish well, and teach your children and grandchildren. Isn’t Deut. 4:9 an awesome warning? It's even better than the counsel of the strawberries!

Maybe, though, that advice belongs on all of our Bible covers: "Eat within 48 hours!"

The Banker and the Golden Calf

.“So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.” Ex. 32:20

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Ex. 32-34)

Yesterday I got bent out of shape. It was over a financial matter and it made me very irritable. The combination of numbers and finances can do that to me. Over the course of the day I sent off two e-mails to the person I was dealing with at the bank expressing my frustration. I was okay with sending them. After all, I have a right to be upset don’t I? I was okay until….

I read my daily devotion from Jerry Bridges. Quoting from it: “What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself?” (Matt. 22:39) Among other things, this would mean that you never show selfishness, irritability, peevishness, or indifference in your dealings with others. You take a genuine interest in their welfare and seek to promote their interests, honor, and well-being. You never regard them with prideful superiority or talk about their failings. You never resent any wrongs they do to you, but instead are always ready to forgive. You always treat them as you would have them treat you.”

I thought about my e-mails. Were they something I could be pleased about? Didn’t they actually express peevishness and irritability and indifference in my dealings with my banker?

“Well, that’s fine for Jerry Bridges to write in his devotional,” I thought. “But I’m still frustrated!”

When I went to write in my blog, nothing came. It was like God was saying to me, “Before we get on with life, there’s something that needs to be dealt with here.”

I prayed, “Well, Lord. I confess that I displayed sinful behavior and I’m very sorry. But, do you remember that You said, “If we confess our sins, You are faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness?”

“Yes, I remember that,” the Holy Spirit seemed to be saying, “But there is more. There are consequences to your behavior.”

This morning I got up and reread the devotional. I noticed something that I had never noticed before. Written across the top of the heading were the words, “Transformational Thoughts for Your Spiritual Journey.” The God of details strikes again. Aren’t I writing about my joyful spiritual journey?

So, I picked up the phone and called the bank. I apologized for the tone of my e-mails. My banker said, “Don’t worry, I’ve seen worse,” and laughed heartily. We actually had a good productive talk. Whew, saved again by direction from the Lord!

But, I must confess to you, that my aspiration is not to be a little better than “worse.” I want to please the Lord Jesus Christ whose goal is to present me as His bride one day as part of “a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Eph. 5:27)

What does all this have to do with our reading today?

Aaron and the Israelites blew it big time. While Moses was on the mountain, meeting with God in the cloud for forty days and forty nights, they grew impatient waiting for Moses to come back. So they decided to make God in their own image in the form of a golden calf. God had just written in stone, with His great finger, “No other gods, and no images of gods.”

When Moses and Joshua came near the camp, they could hear the people singing and worshiping the molded calf. Moses became so angry that he threw the stone tablets down and broke them at the foot of the mountain. Why did he do that? It was a dramatic object lesson. Actually breaking the tablets of stone in front of the people symbolized the nation of Israel’s great sin in breaking God’s commandments.

There were many consequences from this sin. A severe reprimand from Moses, a blatant lie from Aaron, a multitude of 3000 disobedient people dead, and even a desperate plea from Moses as he offered himself in their place for God’s atonement – a removal of God Himself as Moses symbolically moved his tent outside the camp. Moses was called back up on the mountain for another forty days and forty nights. Before they could get on with their journey, there was a lot to be dealt with.

In these days of grace, it’s so easy to read this and say, “Those people were so stupid.” But, isn’t it shockingly easy for us to break fellowship with the Holy Spirit through disobedience and willfulness? Just like Jerry Bridges’ devotional. Just like me.

Charlie and I met Jerry Bridges once. We had dinner with him. He was a normal person down to earth and pleasant. He was human just like us. But, the power of the Holy Spirit in his life made me want to be just like him. Thanks, Jerry, for a great devotional reminding us about the transformation God wants to make in us along our spiritual journey.

Come Up To Me......Be There!

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Ex. 23-25)

"Then the Lord said to Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain and be there;" Ex. 24:12

I love my screen saver! I have it set on "beaches." It flashes the most beautiful ocean pictures across the face of my computer. Palm trees, vast expanses of vivid blue water, white sandy beaches without one piece of litter, and, of course, no clouds - only sun, Every picture has the most awesome light.

This morning I was gazing at the screen longingly when the phone interrupted my reverie.

"Mom," my daughter's voice interjected into my thoughts, "Mom," she said. "I've just got a minute but I have a question. Have you seen the sun in Wisconsin in the last week? We haven't seen it in Illinois since I left your house two weekends ago!"

"Hmn," I replied. "Good question! I think we saw it for about two hours on Wednesday. But then it went under the clouds again. At least it went somewhere. It sure hasn't been back."

"Well," she said, "I was just wondering. Have a good day in the gloom. I'm off to exercise. I guess that's where I'm supposed to be right now."

After she hung up, I glanced at my screen. The beach had disappeared, As I clicked it back on, I thought about our conversation.

"Exercise," I thought. "If the sun were shining and I was on that white sand, I would really feel like exercising. But in dull grey Wisconsin, I don't want to get on my dull grey treadmill!"

Don't we always want to be somewhere else? Sometimes it seems like it requires so much effort and discipline to be in the places where we're supposed to be.

The Lord told Moses to come up to Him on the mountain and be there. Moses had to climb up the whole mountain, God didn't even offer to come down and meet him halfway. He just said, "Be there!"

When Moses finished the strenuous climb, was there an awesome "top of the mountain view?" Actually, a cloud rested on the mountain. A cloud that covered the mountain for six days. On the seventh day, God called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. The glory of the Lord was right there in the midst of the cloud. God talked to Moses on Mt. Sinai for forty days and forty nights. A lot of Exodus is about what God gave him those days in the cloud.

Where has God called you to be? Maybe you're looking around and thinking, "There's a thick cloud around me. Could I leave and go to the beach?"

But when God has said, "Come to Me..be there." We need to be there. Right where He's called us to be. Today may be the sixth day. Tomorrow could be the seventh day - the day the "Son" will appear in all His glory.

The Backside of the Desert

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Exodus 2-4))

"Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God." Ex.3:1

It's been said that each of God's true servants must learn the meaning of the backside of the desert.

The desert is such a cruel place. Think of the dangers! Shifting sands, unbearable heat, a dearth of water - how did Moses carry enough drinking water each day anyway? He must have learned to watch every step that his feet (in their toeless sandals) took, because of the ever present snakes and scorpions. What was this compared to the polished tiles of the palace of Pharaoh? Yet, "he kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of Midian." As he led his dependent sheep, did he sense in any way that he was being prepared for the greatest leadership challenges that any man would ever have to face?

"The backside of the desert." Lots of spiritual analogies here, but let me give one family illustration because "backside training" comes in many forms.

My great great grandmother, her name was Betsy, made a quilt.

The quilt is a beautiful basket of flowers embroidered on top of an off-white background. The design of her creation is lovely but what amazes me the most about her creation is this background. It is composed of thousands of little white stitches that make up a pattern of their own. Yet, the pattern is so subtle that all you notice at first is the awesome flower design. As I look at the quilt, I think about the steadfastness that it took to stick at making all those little stitches - day after day, month after month. Did she spend many hours alone working on the quilt? I'm sure she did. Were there friends who came alongside to help her stitch? Did they have special times together talking and sewing? Probably. But, yet, everyday she had to face that same background. Up into the spare bedroom to spend lots and lots of hours repetitively sewing little white stitches. How many times did she think, "Why was I ever led to start this tedious quilt?"

One day great great Grandma Betsy finished her background. Then, only then, was it time to emboider the striking flower pattern that everyone would see.

One hundred and twenty-five years later, when I found Grandma's quilt, it was tossed aside in a box in my mother's basement. I pulled it out and it became my companion in many places. Mary and I used it for many years in the biblical seminar "Heritage Home." It became a physical example to thousands of women of how our spiritual influences are passed down through many generations. It hung in our living rooms in Atlanta and Arkansas and Alabama. My son, Ted - five generations later - made a beautiful frame for it and the quilt now hangs in our lakehouse. People all over the country have commented on the beauty of the flowers and how well preserved the quilt is. But I have noticed that they always say the same thing, "Look at that amazingly detailed background!"

How quickly the Bible skips over forty years of Moses' life in the backside of the desert. Like his ancestor Jacob, he faced years and years of drought and cold and sleepless nights watching out for a flock that belonged to someone else. But God was going to entrust him with a much more important flock when his backside training was complete. The leadership and care of God's own people would be given to Moses. It would be embroidered on this desert background. Forty years went by - forty years of "being steadfast and immoveable" before he was ready to lead his little flock to Horeb, the mountain of God. Forty years before God would suddenly appear and call him from a burning bush that "did not burn." Forty years before God said, "I am sending YOU!"


Do you sometimes feel like your life is set is an insignificant background? Do you ever think, "How many diapers do I change? How many times do I wipe these counters? How many days do I take the children to school? How many times do I get the oil changed?" Do you feel like God should be embroidering the real pattern in your life and not doing so much background work? Be faithful and trust Him, like Moses, like Grandma Betsy. One day He will say, "Now, therefore, go. You have learned the meaning of the backside of the desert."