GIVE TILL IT HURTS?

March 8, 2019 | lindamowles

In the days of my childhood, i recall the minister preaching about giving our money, time and talents to the Lord and His Church. One of the phrases that he repeated was that we were to give to the Lord “until it hurts”.

I suspect that the scripture he was using for this thought was Jesus’ comparison of the rich men giving to the temple treasury with that of the widow. Read Luke 21:1-4. In short, the rich were giving out of their abundance while the widow, in her poverty, gave all that she had. Giving to the Lord did not “hurt” the rich men but it cost the poor widow everything.

But, does scripture require us to hurt when we give to the Lord? I don’t think so.

In 1 Chronicles 29 we read of the freewill offerings that the Israelites provided to the house of God. The figures of their gifts that we find recorded for us to consider are truly staggering. In verse 7 we read that they gave 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze and 100,000 talents of iron.

I am not an accountant nor am I a math whiz, but research tells me that these figures equate to approximately 188 tons of gold, 10,000 gold coins, 375 tons of silver, 675 tons of bronze and 3,750 tons of iron. (See the New Living Translation for these figures) And this does not even consider the precious stones that were given to the treasury of the house of the Lord.

When God created our world, He did not skimp. He did not say “they are going to sin and cause heartache for me so I’ll give them a dump to live in, that’s all they deserve! They are going to mess up my creation anyway, so they don’t deserve to have my beauty around them.”

That’s not the way of our God. He created a beautiful world full of abundance and reflective of His glory even though it is now marred by man’s sin.

IMG_20180626_1342546_rewind — Snow-capped Grand Tetons

Ocean verticle sun going down — Sunset over the ocean.

frozen-head-state-park-trees-forming-arch-2 — Frozen Head State Park, Morgan County, Tennessee.

Yosemite 2011 WRM 095 Overlook of Kings Canyon National Park (C) — King’s Canyon National Park Overlook, California

Waimea Canyon Kauai mountains — Waimea Canyon, Kauai, Hawaii

David said it this way:

“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!

Psalm 33:6-8

God displayed His incredible beauty, power, majesty and glory through His creation which He provided to us. We should stand in awe of our God, because He is the Almighty, the one true God. Of course, God’s display of His beauty in our world does not even begin to encompass what God has provided us through His Son, Jesus Christ. God’s steadfast love, mercy and grace is abundantly evident in Christ’s atoning death on the cross.

God gave us His Son to satisfy the judgment of death that sin brought to us. Praise God that Jesus rose from the dead and now intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father in heaven. There is nothing that we can do to earn salvation. We are sinful creatures and have no good within us. Even our best is equivalent to filthy rags in God’s eyes. So we have no ability to bridge the gap between sinful man and a holy God. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, He provides us with His righteousness.

This righteousness is a gift from God. We can do nothing to earn it. But, what is it worth? What would you pay for it if you could do so? In thankfulness, give God your life, your plans, your dreams, your abundance. Love Him with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and then love your neighbor as yourself. Obedience to God is the sacrifice that He desires.

Of all people, we as Christians should be honoring the Lord daily, giving thanks to Him for this great gift of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, and glorifying God by obeying His word. Give until it hurts? No. Give to Him in praise and thanksgiving, with joy and gladness.

Going back to 1 Chronicles and the gifts that the people gave to the house of the Lord, what I find beautiful is not the amount or weight of their gifts, but the fact that they rejoiced in their giving. Here is the record in 1 Chronicles 29:9-13:

“Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly. Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.””

Be like the Israelites of old. They they didn’t grouse about how poor they were! They rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the LORD.

When was the last time you rejoiced in your giving? When was the last time you gave with a whole heart offering your resources, time and energies freely to the Lord? When was the last time you rejoiced in being of service to the King of King, the Lord of Lords, and the Redeemer of your soul?

Give until you hurt? No. Give until your giving reflects your thanks to the Lord for all that He has done for you through Christ as well as on a day-to-day basis.

20180628_142647 — Eruption of White Cone Geyser, Yellowstone National Park

Give willingly and freely. Give obediently and rejoice in the Lord. Let your thanks erupt into giving from a full heart devoted to our God and Lord Jesus Christ.

Father, I praise Your name for the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ my Lord and my Redeemer. Forgive me when my giving has been skimpy and unfeeling, when I cared more for what I wanted to do with my money than what I could give to You in thanksgiving for all that You have given me. May I rejoice in Your steadfast love and may that find expression through joyful giving with a thankful heart.

A GOD OF BEAUTY!

May 3, 2016 | lindamowles

Beauty. Our culture seems to idolize the beautiful people. Mega-dollar industries have been built on providing cosmetics, beautifying potions, exercise machines to make the body sleek, to name just a few examples, all for making people beautiful. But what is beauty, really? Is physical beauty really what is important?

The Merriam Webster online dictionary [found at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/] provides one definition of “beauty” as “The quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit; loveliness.” I like this definition.

In his book, The Holiness of God, p. 196-7, Dr. R. C. Sproul states that God is the source of beauty. Indeed, that beauty is one of the attributes of our Divine Creator.

God Himself is the ground of all unity and diversity, of simplicity and complexity. His very being is internally consistent and harmonious and proportionate. In him there are no distortions, no disorder, no ugliness. His voice admits to no noise or cacophony. The works of his hands are cosmos, not chaos. Chaos is marked by disorder and confusion; it is manifest irrationally. The beauty of God is a sane and rational beauty in that his being is one of perfect sanity and order. Insofar as the beautiful bears witness to these qualities, they bear witness to Him. … To cultivate an appreciation for beauty is to set our course to follow after the sublime Author of all beauty.

Appreciation for beauty is a consistent theme throughout the Bible. The Old Testament Scriptures are particularly appreciative of the beauty of nature. God announced that creation was good in Genesis and, after the creation of mankind, the penultimate act of creation, God declared it to be “very good”! Then, in Exodus we read:

Exodus 28:2 – “And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.”

These words were spoken by God when He gave the instructions and directions for the Tabernacle to be built in the wilderness and for the dishes and implements to be used, even down to the detail to be included on the clothing to be worn by the priests. Note, God included as a characteristic of the holy garments that they are “for beauty”.

The psalms exhibit an appreciation for God’s handiwork in numerous passages. Consider Psalm 8:1, 3-4:

“O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. … When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”

Psalm 19:1 states:

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.”

Psalm 104 describes God’s mighty work in creation noting that He set the earth on its foundations and going on to describe the individual parts of creation all under the umbrella of the prayer “Bless the LORD, O my soul!”

Listen to Brentwood Jazz Quartet’s rendition of “All Creatures of Our God and King” from their album The Best of the Brentwood Jazz Quartet.

Take some time to look at the pictures as you listen to the music, and then meditate on the following Scriptures. Renew your sense of the beautiful and praise God for His wondrous works.

Psalm 96:6 – “Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.”

Sunset and clouds 3 — Sunset and clouds show God’s pallet of colors!

Psalm 104:19 – “He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.”

Brook trees and mountain Oregon 2009 141 — Mountain, trees and brook in Oregon, USA.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 – “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”

Bath Abbey (C) — The door at Bath Abby in Bath, England. Craftsmen creating a beautiful place for worship of a God Who loves beauty.

1 Chronicles 16:29 [KJV] – “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”

Baby girl 1 month old — A baby girl, full of promise and beauty.

Proverbs 31:30 – Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

1 Peter 3:3-4 – Do not let your adorning be external–the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear– but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

Psalm 104:25 – “Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great.”

Schmerhorn building in Nsahville Symphony and choir ready to perform — The Schermerhorn Symphony center in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Orchestra and choir ready to sing a sacred concert to the glory of God in their performance of Dr. R. C. Sproul’s hymn collection “Glory to the Holy One”.

Psalm 104:33 – “I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.”

Snowy tranquility (C) — Snowy tranquility. Snow blankets our surroundings and causes us to stop and cherish the silent beauty of God’s world.

Psalm 51:7 – Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Father, I pray that my meditation is pleasing to You, for I rejoice in You and your Holy Name. (Psalm 103:34) I pray that these pictures, this music and these humble words would be used by Your Spirit to encourage and strengthen those who read this post. I pray that You would use Your Word to speak to the heart and minds of those who encounter these passages of Scripture. Father, I pray that You would be glorified in all things.

WHO IS IN CONTROL HERE?

February 10, 2016February 10, 2016 | lindamowles

I am in control of my life … right? Are you in control of your life? Really?

We get up, brush our teeth, go to work, come home, prepare meals, chauffeur the kids to and fro, do the laundry, mop the floor, make the beds, pay the bills, run to the post office for stamps, wash the toddler’s hands and face, do more laundry, exercise, go to the gym, ride the bicycle … the list is never ending. But, we are in control, right!?

Birthday cake on face (C) — Adorable toddler with birthday cake on her face!

Then there are the other obligations that we have on our schedule. Things like birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, worship at church, preparation for the children’s class party, choir rehearsal, women’s meetings for fellowship and prayer.

Thanksgiving meal new recipe (C) — Yummy acorn squash that folks would enjoy!

We take food to those who are suffering, participate in the Bible study and prayer group, leadership meetings, and work with outreach activities such as Habitat for Humanity, the Soup Kitchen, Second Harvest, etc. And we still think we are in control, right?

Of course, we would be remiss if we ignored the incessant interruptions that the smart phone provides – email, tweets, Skype, messages, not to mention phone calls (the purpose of the telephone)! And we must not forget the magnetic call of social media such as Facebook. Hundreds of our friends want to know what we are doing, minute by minute. Could I honestly post that my status is that “I am in control of my life”?

Being in control of my own life is the focus of our culture … songs glamorize the concept by saying “I did it MY way” and “I want it all and I want it all now!,” an illustration that the focus of our world is I/me/mine! In essence, we are the center of our universe. All else is irrelevant. Yet we still are running, we are out of time and energy, and, because we are so busy that we can’t squeeze another thing into our schedule, we believe that we are in control of our own life!

If we are honest, it would appear that we are slaves to the chores and obligations of family, home, society and employment! Like the little pet hamster, we are on the treadmill — running in circles with no visible exit point where we can rest, rejuvenate, relax, and refresh!

Ocean waves and beach (C) — Oregon beach with waves coming in, nonstop, with soothing sounds.

When was the last time you got off the treadmill and stopped so that you could listen to the sound of Nature? When was the last time you experienced the continual, powerful, pounding of the ocean and remembered that there is no switch to turn it off, yet the Lord could still the waves with His voice? Mark 4:39.

Colorado Rocky Mountains — Colorado mountains, awesome in grandeur and strength.

When was the last time you stopped to look at the mountain and to consider the power of Him who holds the summit in His hand?

Beautiful butterfly found in Butterfly Farm in the Cayman Islands.

When was the last time you were still enough to inspect a butterfly, one of the magnificent beauties of God’s creation? Creatures that are so fragile they will be blown away by the wind, yet they are strong enough to fly in migration across the ocean!

When was the last time you sat in a quiet room with your Bible open, reading it so you can learn more of Who God is? When was the last time you listened for the still small voice of God, speaking to you in a whisper in your soul, telling you that He loves you and wants you to focus on Him, not on the treadmill? 1 Kings 19:11-12.

Cross — Consider the cross, a reminder of the glorious gift provided to us by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The very life we have, breath that we breathe, is a gift from God. Certainly, those blessings are deserving of our thanks. But even more we should be thankful for the gift of salvation, purchased at such great cost as Christ’s death on the cross, as payment for our sin. When was the last time you said “Thank you” to Him for all His blessings that He has given you, because of His grace?

Who is in control here? According to Scripture, the answer to that question is “God is in control.” In speaking to the men of Athens, Paul says it like this:

And he [God] is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.For in him we live and move and have our being.

Acts 17:25-28.

In the Psalms, David describes God in a much more personal way.

For you [God] created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:13-15

God is in control and I can allow Him to take me off the treadmill so that I can do the work that He has planned for me from the foundation of the world.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

May I glorify God and His Son, Jesus Christ, as I experience the glorious adventure of life with my Savior holding my hand as His Spirit guides my path.

Father, I praise, glorify, and honor you as the Creator God, sovereign, all-powerful, and all-knowing. I thank you that you are in control, and I bow in humble gratefulness that I am yours. May I live in the fullness of life that you have provided through Jesus Christ my Savior and through the power of your Holy Spirit.

THE BEAUTY OF HUMILITY

December 22, 2015 | lindamowles

The Christmas Season. A time marked by packages to buy, wrap and send; cards to sign and post; food to prepare for the family and food to take to gatherings of friends; church events to attend; civic concerts of beautiful music hear. Anyone remember the Babe in the manger?
When the world’s focus is on giving and “doing good” during this season, we can even become arrogant in boasting about our busyness; the calls that we have upon our time, talents and finances; and what we have done for others.
Humility has, from the beginning, been difficult to find among mortal men. Adam and Eve turned their back on humility and sinned when they ate the forbidden fruit in their attempt to “be like God”. Genesis 3:5.
But Scripture reveals that we have no basis to be proud or arrogant.

O LORD, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.
Psalm 144:3-4.

According to Scripture, we are temporal, finite, sinners who have absolutely no standing with God. While we may look good to other sinners here on earth, we have no basis to stand puffed up before God. Anyone remember the Babe in the manger?
When I have forgotten the priority of humility, I have to confess, seek forgiveness, and then refocus on the right attitude before God. For me, the best way to remember just who I am is to look at God’s creation and to read His Word.
• The majesty of the mountains.

Mountains view in Alaska (C) — Alaskan mountain range with Mt. McKinley, now Mt. Denali, in background.

• The strength of the hummingbird. Beauty with wings fluttering going so fast we can’t see them with the naked eye!

Hummingbid getting a drink (C) — Hummingbird getting a drink without standing on the feeder, still using wing power even while eating.

• The vastness of the ocean.

Ocean waves (C) — The ocean, continually moving and teeming with life.

• The incredible variety of creatures that inhabit the seas.

Fish from Mississippi Marine exhibit 3 — Coral animals alive in the Gulf Marine Specimen Lab.

Fish from Mississippi Marine exhibit 8 — Are you looking at me? Fish in Gulf Marine Specimen Lab.

Fish - Florida Spiny Lobster — Florida spiny lobsters.

• The detail in a flower.

Flowers at Hotel Alyeska, Alaska, — Flowers in the mountains of Alaska, at Hotel Alyeska.

Flowers (3) — Flowers blooming in brilliant purple.

• The beauty of the newborn baby. All the parts of an adult but in miniature.

Newborn baby girl (C) — Newborn baby daughter, alive with all sorts of possibilities ahead of her.

God is at work in His creation and in my life on a moment by moment basis. He is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (all over, everywhere), and He has extended His grace to us through Jesus Christ, His Son, and our Savior.
What is the response to this powerful, present Creator God? It certainly is not strutting our stuff before Him, as if we could accomplish anything without Him!
Rather, it should be the response that Abram had when God told him that He was making a covenant with him. Genesis 17:3 says:

Then Abram fell on his face.

When the people of Israel were standing outside Jericho and Joshua, their leader after Moses’ death, was looking for guidance from the Lord:

When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” And the commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Joshua 5:13-15.

It should be the response that Ezekiel had when he had a vision of the Lord in His heaven.

Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Ezekiel 1:28

When confronted with the holiness of God, we come face to face with the reality that we are sinners and the magnitude of our unrighteousness is directly before us. There is no puffing or grandstanding before God – we bend the knee, we bow our head, we prostrate ourselves and we submit to Him.
We should have the same attitude that Mary expressed to the angel after being told that she would be the mother of Jesus.

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:38.

Of course, the ultimate example of humility is found in our own Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Babe in the manger grew up into our Savior. In His teaching, Jesus said:

The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Matthew 23:11-12.

Anyone remember the Babe in the manger?

The one who left heaven to come to earth, not as a king or mighty ruler but as a baby, was found in a manger, the rough feeding trough for the animals. It was not the sterile, washed and well-padded baby bed that we find necessary for our newborn children. It is this Babe that Paul is talking about in Philippians 2 when he exhorted the Christian believers to have the same attitude as Jesus Christ had when He came to earth … humility.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:5-8.

May this Christmas find us with an attitude of humble thanksgiving for the grace and mercy God has showered upon us through Jesus Christ His Son. The Babe in the manger became the Lamb on the cross who was crucified for our sins and transgressions. The Babe in the manger then rose from the dead and became our resurrected Lord and Savior. Salvation is possible because of that Babe’s obedience to the will of our Sovereign God and Father, and we receive that salvation through faith and trust in that Babe whose name is Jesus Christ.
Let your Christmas be blessed by our Lord as we serve Him with His heart of humility and peace. Humility is the mark of our Lord on His children, and it creates beautiful lives lived in His Spirit for His glory and honor, this Christmas as well as each day that He grants us life.
Father, I pray that I would live my life in humble obedience to your will, as exhibited by Mary upon the angel’s announcement to her. I pray that you would empower me to do that which you direct, and that you would receive honor and glory as we celebrate our Lord’s birth and your work in human history on Christmas Day.

OCEANS – WHETHER FEARFUL OR PEACEFUL, ALWAYS UNDER GOD’S CONTROL

June 2, 2015June 2, 2015 | lindamowles

What exactly is the ocean? Merriam Webster defines it as “the whole body of salt water that covers nearly three fourths of the surface of the earth, or any of the large bodies of water (as the Atlantic Ocean) into which the great ocean is divided.” [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ocean] But, somehow this definition does not even come close to capturing the essence of the ocean, does it. It does not account for the pounding waves that keep coming ashore with their relentless hammering of the coastline, dissolving the rocks into grains of sand, and destroying even the most well-intentioned child’s sand castle!

We drove along the Oregon coastline and saw the waves pounding against the side of the mountains, receding back into the ocean body as if it had accomplished nothing. But then we would look at the sand along the beach and we could see the result of the wave’s incessant pounding.

The sand dunes at Coos Bay, Oregon are mind-numbing in magnitude and sheer volume. The dunes are literally mountains of sand.

Oregon Sand Dunes - mountains of sand — Oregon Sand Dunes – mountains of sand

The Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area website notes that there are “40 miles of wind-sculpted, shifting sand dunes!” Some of these mountains of sand tower 500 feet above sea level. They are like no other dunes in the world and comprise the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America. “The strong elemental forces of tides, waves and winds have been constantly moving the sand for centuries – up to two and a half miles inland in places!” [See http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/siuslaw/recarea/?recid=42465 ]

Webster’s antiseptic definition doesn’t account for the majesty of the ocean, the pure scope of it; the power of the water as it becomes a hurricane, or the tranquility of the water’s surface at sundown with clouds showing vibrant colors as the sun descends from view. Here we were watching the sun set from a ship off the New England coastline.

Ocean sunset from ship with distant lighthouse

Scripture tells us that God created the heavens and the earth, including the ocean or sea.

“And God said, ‘Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:9-10 [ESV]

In Psalms 24:1-2, David says:

“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.^”[NLT]

When I look at the ocean, I am reminded that my Savior is Lord over all. The ocean and seas of this world, with their incredible expanse and surpassing power, came into being at the power of His voice and they obey His voice, even today. If the oceans of my life are turbulent, and fear engulfs my heart and mind, I must remember that all of creation came into existence at the power of His voice.

That same Creator God is with us in every circumstance. God is in control and we can be confident that whatever flood overwhelms us, whether it be water, problems, illness, finances, relationships, employment, or some other circumstance, our Lord is in control.

Trust Him, even when you feel that the ocean of despair has flooded your heart. Pray, ask Him for help. His voice is still powerful! The power that created the seas of the world can create peace within you.

Look to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Sovereign of this world and the Prince of Peace who also happens to be the Lover of your Soul. Let Him calm the storm of doubt and fear when He provides His rainbow of love, peace, assurance and security.

Praise His holy name!