DO YOU REMEMBER?

February 6, 2019 | lindamowles

Many years ago, a couple of my cousins from Wisconsin would come to Illinois to visit. They were about 10 years younger than I and we would have a good time visiting together. When it was bedtime, I would read to them from an English storybook that my Father brought home when he returned after World War II. The book had adorable pudgy-cheeked children and precious elves and even snow fairies!

I married about 10 years later and these two delightful girls were my flower-girls at the wedding. We really did not have much contact through the ensuing decades, other than some Christmas cards, attending the funeral of a beloved Aunt died, and receiving a wedding announcement.

On our trip last summer, we were going through Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin to visit friends and I contacted one of these ladies to see if we could get together for dinner as we journeyed through the state. Plans were made and we did so.

decoration at campsite — **Decoration at campsite in Rivers Edge Campground, Stevens Point, Wisconsin**

She contacted her sister and the next day both of them came to the campground for a visit and then dinner. We had a delightful time.

pool play area at campground — **Pool play area at Rivers Edge Campground, Stevens Point, Wisconsin**

To my astonishment, they asked if I remembered the stories that I read to them years earlier from that old English storybook. When I said that I did, they asked that I tell them two of those stories before they left the campground that evening. I was honored to do so, and we revisited the Pixie who stole a taste of pink ice cream and the Snow Fairy who disobeyed and became stuck on earth. Two adult women remembering life lessons that had been encapsulated in stories told decades earlier in their childhood, and me cherishing the time with them and recalling when the stories calmed them so that they could sleep in a strange house.

This past week we were working with come elementary school children and singing the song “The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the Book for me, I stand alone on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E.”

In doing so, the children had fun singing at the top of their lungs, while the adults revisited the time in their childhood when they, too, learned the song. But far more than having fun, the song is imprinting the message on the children’s minds that the Bible is the Word of God and it is something that lasts, you can stand on its teaching because it is from Almighty God. They may not understand all that, but it is in their heads and hearts and someday, when they are older, they will remember its teaching, just like my cousins remembered those comforting stories.

The importance of teaching children the Word of God is a direct command of our God. For example, in speaking of the law and commandments of God as given to Moses, we read:

“You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

Deuteronomy 11:19

The Psalmist says the following:

“Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.“

Psalm 34:11

No matter our age or station in life, we all can say with King David:

“Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.”

Psalm 86:11

Snow fairies and Pixies are not real and the stories are not imbued with the imprint of the Holy Spirit of our God. However, Scripture is, and we have an obligation to our children and grandchildren to teach them what God says in His Word to guide them as they go along life’s pathways.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,“

Hebrews 12:1

This great cloud of witnesses refers to those who have gone before us, who paved the way so that we could know of God and of His Word. So, will your children remember when you read the Bible to them? Will your grandchildren remember that you told them the stories in the Bible? Will your family be able to point to you as a person who assisted them in understanding God’s Word? Are you paving their way through the Scriptures?

Father, teach us to do Your will and to tell the next generation about Your marvelous works in our own lives as well as in the lives of those who have gone before. May I spread Your Word as I live my life in witness to Your love, grace and salvation through Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer.

AGAINST ALL ODDS

September 7, 2018September 8, 2018 | lindamowles

The Arlington International Racecourse is located in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The track officially opened in 1927 with 20,000 people as Jockey Joe Boliero won riding a horse named Luxembourg to victory.

In 1981 Arlington was the home of the world’s first million-dollar thoroughbred race: The Arlington Million.

The result of that race is immortalized in bronze at the top of the paddock at Arlington, where a statue shows jockey Bill Shoemaker riding John Henry as the horse charged down the stretch, coming from way back, to catch The Bart at the wire.

It was a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the 40 to 1 long shot, and the statue celebrates Thoroughbred racing’s inaugural million dollar race. The sculpture’s name is “Against All Odds.”

The sculpture is captivating; it is mesmerizing. You can feel the tension, hear the crowd, see the strain and effort of both horse and jockey. The horse ran the race and, against all odds, became the champion, receiving the victor’s crown at the end.

Running the race is, of course, a paramount objective at Arlington. It is also a paramount objective of the Christian. I don’t mean that each of us must go to a race track and run a marathon, sprint, or even a trip around the track’s oval.

Rather, I am referring to running the race in our witness and daily walk with the Lord.

The Apostle Paul uses the race analogy often in his letters to the churches of his day as an illustration of the dedication and focus the Christian should have in spreading the gospel of Christ. Consider the following passages:

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. but I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

“An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”

2 Timothy 2:5

Hebrews 12:1

Ultimately, Paul says:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

2 Timothy 4:7

The horses competing in the race rely on the jockey and their training to carry them through at the race. They only have their own resources to rely upon, and on that day in 1981, John Henry pulled out the stops and won the race, receiving his crown. It was a perishable crown, but that is not what the Christian race is all about. The Christian’s crown will be presented by the Lord Jesus Christ and it will be an imperishable crown. In the words of our Lord:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6:19-21

Train yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually for the race that is set before you. Keep running the race even when it is hard and you are tired. Remember that you have the Holy Spirit to strengthen you, to guide you and to give you the words to speak as you witness to others of Jesus and His love.

The race we are in as Christians is not one on which to wager. Our running is secure in Jesus and through His grace, power and might we will, like Paul, fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith.

Father, I pray that You would enable me to finish the race You have set before me. I pray, too, that I would keep the faith You have given me and that I would persevere to the end as Your child, through Jesus Christ my Lord and my Redeemer.

IN CELEBRATION OF THE REFORMATION – part one

August 15, 2017August 2, 2017 | lindamowles

Sometimes important dates come and fly past us and we don’t even recognize that they are gone. You know, the anniversary that passes unnoticed until someone (wife?) looks at the calendar!

I dare say that the anniversary of the Reformation is not something that many in our society think about on a day-to-day basis.

But whether we think about it or not, this year is an important one in the life of the Christian Church. It is the 500^th anniversary of the day in October, 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of the church in the German town of Wittenberg. This act, so small and seemingly insignificant, lit the fuse that turned into the flame of the Protestant Reformation. And, that flame burns even today, 500 years later.

In thinking about transformation and reformation, one cannot help consider the example of the butterfly. Its change from a caterpillar into the butterfly, a creature more beautiful and powerful, symbolizes the soul, reincarnation, and resurrection.

Beautiful butterfly found in Butterfly Farm in the Cayman Islands.

Butterflies are a type of insect. They belong to the order of insects called Lepidoptera, which means “scaly wings”. The butterfly’s life cycle is made up of four stages, each of which are unique and very different from each other. This process is called metamorphosis which means “change of form.” First, the butterfly starts as an egg. After about a week, the egg hatches and a tiny caterpillar emerges.

After 2 to 4 weeks, the full-grown caterpillar transforms itself into a chrysalis/ or pupa. It hangs from a tree or bush, appearing to be doing nothing, but inside the caterpillar’s body becomes the adult structure of the butterfly. This stage takes 10 to 15 days.

Then, the former caterpillar emerges as a beautiful butterfly.

Butterfly close up (C) — Butterfly having some strawberry lunch

But that emergence did not come easily … the insect has to struggle inside the cocoon, pushing against the sides before ultimately breaking through into the sunlight. It is the struggle to emerge that strengthens the insect’s wings so that it will fly.

In other words, it is in the struggle itself that strength is born!

So, think about your life. When did you have a trial, a struggle? Have you seen strength come from the struggle?

The writer of Hebrews talks about struggles during persecution of believers:

But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.

Hebrews 10:32-33 ESV.

Then there are the struggles that come from sin:

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

Hebrews 12:3-4 ESV

In light of what Jesus did for us, we must persevere and not grow weary during our own struggle against sin. We know that the struggles we have are strengthening us in our Christian life and that we can be strong in the Lord through the Grace that God grants liberally and freely to those who call on His Name.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

2 Corinthians 9:8-9 ESV

Consider the butterfly and the struggle that it had to endure before it could soar over the fields. Now, thank the Lord for giving you the ability to soar in spirit to your Heavenly Father, now and for all eternity.

Father, thank You for granting us salvation through Your Son, Jesus Christ. I praise Your Name for putting me under the protection of the Good Shepherd. Thank You, too, for the struggles that have come which serve to strengthen me and which allow me to grow through Your Grace and Mercy.

A CONSUMING FIRE

November 29, 2016 | lindamowles

This past weekend, my husband and I spent a beautiful evening at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park where we enjoyed dinner at the Dancing Bear Appalachian Bistro in Townsend, Tennessee, with our children and their spouses as we celebrated our 30^th wedding anniversary.

dancing-bear-welcome — Greeting as you begin the entrance to the Dancing Bear Lodge and Appalachian Bistro Restaurant.

Then we spent the night at the Dancing Bear Lodge, all compliments of the children. Yesterday we left the lodge rested, thanking the children for their thoughtful gift, and praising the Lord for the beauty of the mountains surrounding us.

dancing-bear-lodge-sign — Dancing Bear Lodge and Appalachian Bistro entrance, Townsend, Tennessee

As we drove back home, we saw the smoke from the forest fires that have been plaguing our area for the past several weeks. We are in the midst of a severe drought and the mountain woods are dry creating the perfect setting for forest fires. We stopped at a little store in the area and spoke with a police officer about the status of the fires. He said that there were a couple of small spots still burning uncontrolled on the other side of the mountain but he did not know of any real concern at this point.

We continued on our 45 minute trip home and brought our things in from the car. In the afternoon, we turned on the television to learn the upcoming weather and heard about a cold front that was coming and that would bring strong winds and rain.

We were aware that the wind had kicked up significantly because we experienced this as we were driving home. The reality was that the wind was blowing in excess of 80 miles per hour in the high mountains. One result of that strong wind was that embers were picked up and blown a long way, some over a mile from the fire source, where they landed on dry leaves and a whole new fire started. A second result was that trees were blown over and when they hit power poles the fallen power lines fell on dry leaves and burst into flames.

In short, in just 15 minutes, there were multiple new fires all burning out of control and all headed toward the resort towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, two vacation tourist areas adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

The fires were all-consuming. This morning, the report is that well over 100 structures have been destroyed, including resorts, free-standing restaurants, and multi-story hotels. The firefighters have not been able to get up into the mountains to check on how many homes have been destroyed, but there were over 1,000 people staying in shelters after mandatory evacuation orders were given for their protection.

Watching the videos taken from cars as they were driving down the mountain roads with fires on both sides of the street reminded me of the Scripture describing God as a “consuming fire”.

In Deuteronomy 4:23-24 we read this warning:

Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the LORD your God has forbidden you. For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

We think of God as our Father, and for the believer He certainly is that because of the salvation we have through Jesus Christ our Lord. He loves His people and has done everything that He can do to protect us and bring us to eternal life with Him.

But we often don’t remember that He is a jealous God. He wants us to worship Him alone. We are not to worship idols that replace His rightful place in our life. Those idols are insidious, they interject themselves into our lives in what is seemingly innocuous ways. For example:

Family – we love our families and we take care of them, indeed, Scripture tells us to do so. The family is a gift from God. But when our family pushes God out of the picture, the family is now a forbidden idol.
Money – we are told in Scripture to work so that we can take care of ourselves and our family and so that we can donate funds to help others. Money is good. But, when money becomes our god so that we hoard it, we strive to get more and more, we look to it for our security and happiness, when we take pride in how much we have accumulated without recognition that all things come from God, money has now become a forbidden idol.
Fame – we want to be well known so that we can spread the gospel to others, something that Scripture tells us to do. But, when we seek fame for our own glory, when we believe that we have accomplished these things on our own without acknowledging God’s role in our success, we have made fame a forbidden idol.

The list could go on and on, but the point is that God will not tolerate idols in our lives.

In Hebrews 12:28-29, the writer tells us this:

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

We are to “offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

A series of natural events collided in East Tennessee causing devastation and loss by fire — extreme drought and dry conditions, strong winds whipping embers to new locations, downed trees cutting power lines thereby igniting leaves below. I pray that we would search our own lives to see if there are any activities or conditions that would collide with our love for God — effectively pushing God out of our lives or diminishing our trust and devotion to Him.

I pray that

our worship is acceptable to God and that we come to Him in reverence and awe of His majesty, power, glory and honor.
we come to Him with contrite hearts, asking for forgiveness for our sin and seeking His power to live lives that are acceptable to Him.
we would worship and seek His face when we interact with others to spread the gospel.
we would seek His mighty hand to stop the raging forest fires and that He would comfort and strengthen those who have suffered such significant injury and loss.

Father, please put out Your hand and stop the devastating forest fires now raging in East Tennessee. I thank You and there have been only a few injuries and no fatalities at this point, and I pray that You would protect those who are in harm’s way as well as those who are fighting these fires. I pray that You would give guidance to those who are directing the rescue efforts and that You would sustain the workers with Your Spirit’s energy, love, compassion and strength. I also ask that You would encourage, comfort and strengthen those who have suffered loss during these fires. Finally, I pray that You would bless these words and that those who read them would be encouraged and/or convicted by Your Spirit so that blessings will come this day.

A DROP FOR THE LORD ACCOMPLISHES MUCH!

November 1, 2016October 31, 2016 | lindamowles

We went camping at Spring Lake RV Resort in Crossville, Tennessee for a weekend away from the frenetic activities that seem to have overtaken us lately. The campground has a lovely lake with a beautiful fountain and swan, quite the picture. The Lord brought numerous thoughts to my mind while I was staring, almost hypnotized by the falling water from the fountain.

spring-lake-island-swan-and-fountain — Spring Lake RV Campground, Crossville, Tennessee. Picturesque and a quiet respite from a frenzied world.

For some reason I thought of the difference between a drip and a drop. “Not much” you say? Perhaps not, but there is a nuance that favors one over the other, at least as far as personal characterization is concerned.

As a noun, the definition of the word “drip” does include the word “drop” but it also includes the words “trickle”, “dribble” and “leak”. These words reflect, to me at least, some lack of intent … in other words an almost accidental event.

As a noun, the word “drop” has the definition of “the quantity of fluid that falls in one spherical mass”. As far as synonyms, the words include “bead”,”globule”, and “dewdrop”. (I don’t want to be considered a “globule”, but …)

Returning to the fountain, it seems to me that the water sprayed from the fountain and formed drops of water, not drips of water, and those drops rose and then formed an arc when they fell back into the lake.

I further noticed that when the water drops hit the face of the lake, they didn’t just go down into oblivion … rather, they hit the surface and had an effect on the lake, they sent ripples out into the lake.

spring-lake-fountain — Close up of Spring Lake campground fountain and ripples.

In other words, the lake was not the same after the water droplets hit the surface. Each drop had an impact on the lake itself, even though it was small and not all that “important” in the overall scheme of things. While the ripple from an individual drop may not have been huge, the combination of them reached far out into the lake.

So too, we each can make an impact on our world to the glory of God the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit as we reach out and share the gospel story of Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the cross for His people.

We may not be a great preacher, or an important teacher, or one who has a voice which is heard by millions. We may be simple folks who love their family, who work in an inconspicuous role at their church, who sing as a choir member but not even as a soloist.

We may be in the background and think that we are just a small drop, not much to look at and without much effect. We may even think that we are not important enough or smart enough or loving enough … but if you are a Christian, you are part of the fountain that is the Body of our Lord, and each part is important because Jesus Christ died for each one of His people.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Hebrews 12:2.

Each of us can reflect His love, compassion, and zeal for spreading His gospel to others who need to hear the “Good News”. That is the race that which is before us and we cannot run it if we are weighed down by sin.

Praise God that when we ask the Holy Spirit to bless our work and then we do what we do to our best abilities, through His power, God will use our efforts and our impact will change our world. And, I believe, that the “great cloud of witnesses” will rejoice as we fulfill the work that we were ordained to do.

Today, pray that you will reflect Jesus to your world. Even if you feel as miniscule as a droplet from the fountain, remember that each drop impacts the lake in its own way. Remember too that you have been chosen by Jesus Christ to spread His gospel to the “world” into which He in His providence has placed you, and He will empower you to do so.

Don’t be a drip — don’t trickle or drizzle around without power or strength.

Be a drop for our Lord — have an impact for Christ on the people you come in contact with as you live your Christian life through His word His power. Your effect will be multiplied when you join the rest of the drops as together we ripple through society, spreading the message one drop at a time!

Father, thank You for sending your Son to die for my sins so that, through faith in Christ alone, I can join the millions of other saints who will glorify your name throughout all the ages. I pray that You will guide me as I live my life so that through your power, I will give witness to your Kingdom on this earth. And, at the end of my days, may I join the “cloud of witnesses” who will rejoice at the coming of your Kingdom on the earth.

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, No. 12 – PEACE part three.

July 1, 2016July 1, 2016 | lindamowles

PEACE – TRANQUILITY OF ORDER

PART THREE

We have been talking about the peace that the believer has in Jesus Christ through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Now, I am going to ask a question –

Try to suppose for a moment that your religion has been withdrawn from you. In other words, try to conceive yourself without your faith, though in every other way you, and your circumstances, are unchanged.

Now – tell me,

Would you be appreciably the poorer?
Would anyone detect that something was different or that some secret thing had passed away?

What does Scripture say?

Rev. George Morrison, a pastor in London in the late 1800s asked these questions when he was preaching on Romans 15:13 where Paul says

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Rev. Morrison continued to ask his congregation: “Do we go up and down the world with a glad peace because we believe in God through Jesus Christ? It is to that that we are called, whatever our temperament or our lot.”

He recognized that the fruit of the Spirit is ours, “whatever our temperament or our lot” might be. In other words, external circumstances do not control the existence of the fruit of the Spirit. We HAVE the Holy Spirit within us and He desires to grow the fruit in our hearts.

So, if we are to go up and down the world with a glad peace because we believe in God through Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, what does it look like?

It is not a peace I described at the beginning of this series that is based on our own efforts at trying to be peaceful.

In the The New Testament and Wycliffe Bible Commentary, we find the following regarding John 14:27:

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Peace. A frequent word in connection with farewells. But this is a legacy rather than merely a conventional touch. … My peace. A distinctive brand of peace, different from that of the world, which would be panic-stricken at such an hour as this, with death so near. The gift of his peace would make his followers unafraid, as he was. (cf. 16:33).

Here, the peace that is described in Scripture comes, as did joy, from the wellspring of Love for Jesus Christ and the Father. Jonathan Edwards called Love the Sum of all Christianity. If we do not have Love, we cannot have spiritual joy; and, we cannot have spiritual peace if we do not have joy. They flow from each other and all stem from Love.

How does this apply to my daily life?

Dr. R. C. Sproul says that peace as a fruit of the Spirit means that we have a new capacity to live at peace with others and ourselves. I can have this peace with myself and with others because, as the definition of peace explains, I rest in the wisdom and sovereignty of God more than in my own.

What does it look like? Perhaps the language of Paul is instructive when he says in Ephesians 4:1-3 that we should walk in a “manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called … eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

We are unified with each other in the BOND OF PEACE. This unity is referenced again in Colossians 3:15:

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

In all honesty and fairness, I have to throw in a caveat here: We must recognize that living in peace with others is the goal, but it is not always possible. The writer of Hebrews recognized this and said:

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:14

In Romans 12:18 we read:

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Should we seek peace with others at all costs? No. The Scripture says that we should be peaceable as far as it depends on us. If there is something we can do to accomplish peace, we should do it.

But we must realize that just like it takes 2 to tango, it takes 2 to be at peace with each other. We cannot force someone else to be at peace with us … that is their issue. Just like forgiveness, we must forgive others … what they do with it is their business.

How should we guide our life to encourage the growth of the fruit of the Spirit of peace, I suggest Philippians 4:6-9 would be a great place to start:

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Meditate on these verses as you listen to Integrity Music’s Scripture Memory Song entitled “Mediate on These Things.”

Amen, and amen.

My prayer is that you will allow the Holy Spirit to come into your life and touch your heart with His peace that guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Don’t fret – your life in Christ is protected by the best guard you could ask for, the very Spirit of the Holy God. That is peace!

Blessings to you and I pray that you will continue to walk with me as we learn about the fruit of the Holy Spirit and as we mature in our transformation into Christian believers who speak and act as Jesus did and who share in the passions that Jesus had for the lost sheep and for the worship of His Father, the Almighty God.

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, NO. 6, LOVE, PART THREE.

May 20, 2016 | lindamowles

We are continuing Dr. R.C. Sproul’s identification of the characteristics that should be evident in the Christian’s life and heart when Agape love is present through the Holy Spirit. We began consideration of these characteristics last week by noting that:

Agape love gives us the desire in our hearts to worship God;
Agape love believes and trusts God’s Word; and
Agape love recognizes God’s absolute right to govern us.

What does Scripture say?

Let us now consider several additional characteristics of Agape love.

Agape love enables us to desire justice for others.

David, in Psalms 82:3-4 says:

“Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

The prophet Micah says that God has told us what we are to do in Micah 6:8:

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

Of course, we know that Jesus was asked “who is my neighbor” in Luke 10:29 and in response, the parable of the Good Samaritan was given, telling us that all persons are our neighbors. Agape love enables us to want, and to work for, justice and mercy for persons we come in contact with, whether physically or through hearing of their difficulties. They are our neighbors and Agape love encourages our participation with them.

Agape love encourages us to be content in any situation.

Paul said that he was content in whatever the circumstance presented in Philippians 4:11-12. Paul exhibited this contentment when he and Silas were in prison and, after being beaten and put in chains, they were praying and singing praises to God, so loudly that the other prisoners heard them. Acts 16.

Paul understood that contentment is possible when we remember that God is sovereign and that He is in control of the events and circumstances that confront us. Therefore, through His sovereignty, we know that He will use the situation for His purposes and for His glory. We often may not know why certain things happen, but we know the One who has ordained and permitted those things for His reasons and for our ultimate benefit. We, therefore, can be content in His provision and grace.

In 1 Peter 1:6 the demand for contentment sounds impossible when Peter says:

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials….”

Rejoicing while suffering — this is evidence of Agape love because only the Holy Spirit can enable us to do so.

Agape love enables us to resist the sin of bitterness.

Paul says in Ephesians 4:31:

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”

The writer of Hebrews 12:15 warns:

“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled….”

James 3:14 warns that bitter envy and selfish ambition do not come from heaven but rather are earthly, unspiritual and of the devil. James then says:

“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”

James 3:16

Jonathan Edwards describes the response to bitterness in Charity and Its Fruits as follows:

An envious Christian, a malicious Christian, a cold and hard-hearted Christian, is the greatest absurdity and contradiction. It is as if one should speak of dark brightness, or a false truth!

Simply put, bitterness, gossip, resentment … none of this has any place in a heart that is filled with Agape love. Using Christ as our Guide, we see no evidence of this response when He was lied about by false witnesses, rejected and abandoned by His own disciples, accused by the hypocrites in the Synagogue, or when He heard cries for His crucifixion from the very people who within that same week were clamoring for Him to become their leader. Another example of Jesus’ Agape love was His response when He was nailed to the cross and people were “wagging their heads” at Him. Mark 15:29. Rather than bitterness, Jesus’ prayer was

“Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!”

Luke 23:54.

There are times that we forget that the Agape love in our heart through the Holy Spirit is simply another way of saying God’s love is within us. The Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, has the same power and strength as the other Persons in the Trinity and it is this Spirit that has the power to enable us to love as only God can love. The Holy Spirit can impart God’s love to us because He is God … and He has provided this same love to all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Think about the awesomeness of Agape love that is available to us, and then let us commit ourselves to putting that love in practice as we go through our lives, day by day.

How does this apply to my daily life?

Let’s get practical – What can we do to exercise each of these characteristics?

Dr. Sproul suggests using what he calls the Judgment of Charity. The Judgment of Charity is simply the practice of giving others the benefit of the doubt, believing them to have acted in love and not hate, responding in love and not as an enemy. Charity makes it a practice to consider other’s communication in the best light, or the best case scenario, even when that person’s actions or words have wounded us.

Rather than thinking of some negative ulterior motive for why they acted the way they did, the Christian exercising this fruit of the Spirit views the actions of others through the lens of Agape love. In so doing we are following the example of Jesus in our relationship with Him.

How often have we hurt our Savior by failing to honor our commitments, by failing to obey His commands, by failing to serve Him to the utmost of our abilities even when we have promised to do so? Yet, despite knowing our failings, He went to the cross for us, took our shame and punishment, and paid the price of our sin.

The evidence of the fruit of Agape love in our heart is the Spirit’s enabling us to love God and others as Christ loved us. It is a love that honors God and His Word. It is a love that serves others without demanding anything in return. It is a love that enables the Christian to love the unlovely, precisely because the Christian is also aware that she is a sinner and is repugnant to our Holy God, BUT FOR the righteousness of Christ that she has been given through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise the Lord for His wonderful mercy and grace and for Agape Love.

Damaris sings How Deep the Father’s Love for Us on her The Heart of God album. It is a beautiful song that touches my heart each time I hear it. Let the words speak to you as you consider Agape Love and your response to the Spirit as He leads you into a new appreciation of God’s Love! Praise His Holy Name!

Agape love – it truly is way more than casseroles and cards!

Next week we will begin our look at the fruit of the Spirit – Joy.

OF TRUCKS, TRIALS AND TRIPS

March 17, 2016 | lindamowles

We had occasion to be traveling on the highways of our country a lot recently. If you spend any time at all on the roads, you will run into trucks. Well, hopefully not actually run into them, but you will come across them along the way. In fact, as we left a small town in Virginia, I counted over 60 trucks going in the opposite direction, on the other side of the interstate, in the span of about 20 minutes.

Trucks along interstate (C) — Trucks along Interstate 40.

The roads in East Tennessee are hilly, curvy and picturesque. Trucks that run the route often know when the road gets tricky to negotiate and, for the most part, they handle the hills and curves well, usually sharing the road with the smaller cars and vans without difficulty or incident.

Trucks going up and down hills on interstate outside Knoxville (C) — Trucks going up and down hills on the Interstate.

However, one thing that I noticed is that there are times when even strong, big, heavy trucks have difficulty climbing the hills, especially when the truck is heavily loaded and the weight is simply too much to travel at significant speed. When this scenario unfolds, the truck with the especially heavy load will move to the right lane, put its flashing lights on, and plod slowly up the incline, while the trucks coming upon them in traffic will line up behind them until there is an opening in which to pass the slower truck.

Trucks passing along interstate (C) — Trucks passing each other.

We were passing a truck loaded with heavy materials that required slow travel up the incline and I was reminded of how I can get bogged down in my Christian life when sin enters and I allow it to remain.

For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

Psalm 38:4 [ESV]

This huge truck that can easily travel at highway speed was limping up the mountain side, held back by the sheer weight of its load on the steep incline.

The writer of Hebrews warns us to be aware of sin that “clings” to us:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us ….

Hebrews 12:1 [ESV]

When I am loaded down with sin, or with guilt because of past sins, I can no longer climb the hills placed before me. Instead, I am grounded and unable to accomplish the work that Christ has for me. I have effectively taken myself out of the game … sidelined and unable to properly function … I am like the weighed down truck trying to race uphill.

This thought then prompted me to recall a study that the women did at church last year, specifically, Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, an allegory of the Christian life. The pilgrim was originally named Graceless but he received a new name of Christian after coming to faith in Christ. He was trying to walk in the Christian Way and was having great difficulty because he was carrying a heavy backpack that was loaded with his sin and guilt. As Christian approached the cross, he received a fuller view of Christ and the work that was done on the cross for him. It was then that his heavy backpack fell off through no effort of his own; and, as it tumbled down into the tomb, Christian felt the comfort of being covered in his Savior’s care.

David describes this condition in Psalm 51:

Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Psalm 51:9-12 [ESV]

David had sinned … he knew that and he knew that God knew that! He prayed that God would clean his heart, wipe out the sin, be present with him once more, and restore the joy that came from the salvation granted by God.

This is the joy and comfort that Christian felt when his backpack loosened and fell into the tomb at Christ’s cross.

It is the same joy that I can have when I confess my sin and leave it at the foot of the cross.

It is the same joy and comfort that you can experience when you are released from carrying around sin and guilt that has accumulated for years (dare I say decades?)!

Praise the Lord that Christ’s work on the cross enables us to shed the weight of sin and guilt so that we can climb mountains at full speed while we do the work that He has ordained for us to do. We may be called carry heavy weights for Him, but the task will be eased when we remember that our sin is gone and that Christ and His Spirit are with us.

Jesus said:

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:29-30 [ESV]

We will be yoked with Christ, each mile of the road on our trip with our Savior and Lord. We will not limp along, unable to prevail in our work. His power will strengthen and enable us to do the task. Praise His holy Name.

Father, I pray that you would forgive me when I complain about the weight of the task ahead. Help me to remember that You are with me, that your Son is yoked with me and that your Spirit will give me strength to carry on even in the face of difficulties. Help me to honor and glorify You in my life, words, deed, and worship.

JAN AND JILL AND THE FUTURE!

October 10, 2015October 10, 2015 | lindamowles

We cleaned out a storage unit recently and, in so doing, we came across a number of boxes that contained – who knows what! We couldn’t tell from the outside of the boxes and we had no recollection of what we had stowed in them. So we had a type of retro-vintage-Christmas when we opened the boxes to see what they had sheltered for so long.

After going through several boxes, I re-discovered Jan and Jill.

Jan and Jill, vintage friends for a young girl

These two dolls are, today, lovingly called “vintage” rather than simply “old”. They came into my possession in the late 1950s and I recall playing with them often. As an only child, they could be my friends on rainy days and I could tell them my thoughts without fear that they would blab! The box also contained their four-poster bed and closet, complete with drawers and hangers.

A separate box contained quite an assortment of clothes for the duo. Of course the box also contained the accoutrements of the dolls’ haute couture such as earrings, shoes, leggings, a swimsuit, etc.

These dolls reminded me of a different time and place – when I was young and living with my parents. The future was ahead of me and I could tell the dolls all the things that might happen, of course in my anticipation there was only good and no pain or sorrow. Neither the dolls nor I had any ability to affect the course of history, I was just dreaming about what would happen down the road.

The dolls didn’t know they would wind up in boxes that were enclosed in other cartons which moved from house to house, city to city, and ultimately to an off-site storage unit, along with old magazines, records, tax returns, and junk.

I didn’t know that I would move several times before and after college; that my mother would die when I was 21 years of age; that I would go to graduate school long after college; that I would have children and grandchildren; or that I would retire after a 30-year long career in one place. I didn’t know that I would have numerous health issues, many related to the effects of the polio I had as an infant, or that there would be times in my life that I believed I would not be able to handle another day.

No, I had no idea of any of that – but I do know Who did!

My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, came to me when I was a young girl, speaking of His love and sacrifice for me. I did as Paul described in Romans 10:9-11:

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Salvation is through faith in Christ alone. Nothing that I could do would merit my adoption by God and none of my “good works” will accomplish, affect or influence my salvation; because I am a sinner, and the Holy God cannot look upon sin. Isaiah 6. Rather, because of the righteousness that Christ has provided for me, I have forgiveness and I can now call God my Father. Galatians 4:6. I still sin, but I have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and I can confess my sin, repent from it and turn to Jesus. Ephesians 2:8.

Jesus said:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

John 8:33-36.

While I am still a sinner, I am no longer controlled by sin. God’s Son has set me free from the control of sin. Praise the Lord.

So, I don’t need to know the future. God has it in His hands and He loves me because of His Son’s sacrifice for me. In Jeremiah 29:11, God says:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

The Lord God Who said these words regarding His people in the Old Testament is the same God Who cares for His New Testament/New Covenant people. That would be you and me, Beloved, if you are a believer in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Indeed, Jesus said:

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

John 10:27-29. [The emphasis is mine.]

I know that the Jan and Jill dolls cannot remember what I confided in them when I was a young girl. And, if they had the ability to do so, they would likely wonder what their next phase in life will be. That, of course, is in my hands. Unless I find some young girl who would like to have them, they may find themselves on a shelf as a reminder of days long gone.

For me, now that I have retired, I know that my future is not in my hands. It is in the Hands of my Savior. My job now is to pray for guidance from the Lord Jesus Christ, and then to reconfigure my days to follow the course that He has laid out for me.

While I don’t know the future, I do know Who holds my hand. And, I have absolute trust that He will continue to hold my hand through whatever else this life has in store for me and on into the next, where I will join my Savior and the great cloud of witnesses who have gone on before me. Hebrews 12:1.

Praise His Holy Name.

Father, thank You for the gift of Jesus Christ Who paid the debt created by my sin. Thank You that the righteousness You require is not my own but that my Savior has covered me in His righteousness. Thank You that, because of Jesus, I can come before You, not only in Heaven after death but also now in prayer and in worship, and I can call You Father. I praise Your Glorious Name, through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior.