ONE STOP AND IT’S ALL DONE!

May 24, 2019May 23, 2019 | lindamowles

When we were in Bar Nunn, Wyoming, right near the RV park, there was a sign that I thought was hysterical.

In my mind, I was envisioning the long conveyor belt pulling the car, then pulling a truck followed by a dog, all of them going in tandem through the sprayer with the soap squirting all over, then the brushes or perhaps strips of material swinging around lathering up the soap. Of course, then there is the rinse which is followed by the fans to dry off the car, the truck and the dog!

I started to laugh, with my mind going to a mental picture of our two MinPin canine daughters going through the dog wash.

Cuddles and Snickers near us while moving down highway in RV — Cuddles and Snickers resting between the seats in the RV on our trip out West.

Of course, the dog wash was not actually a mechanical thing, rather it was a room with a tub and faucet for cleaning the little darlings! The mental image, however, stayed with me and brought a chuckle even when they were sitting on my lap sound asleep.

One stop cleaning for car, truck and beast.

Often we want to multi-task, that is, getting more than one thing done at a time. This is especially true in our modern society with all the technical advantages that former generations did not have and could not even imagine.

You can be walking, talking on the phone and looking up the Google map of where you are going all at the same time. We drive the car while eating the fast food on our way to an appointment while an associate is telling us detailed information we need to know before getting to the meeting.

Multitasking, dividing our attention between multiple things is a common sight in the modern society in which we live.

While you can accomplish much with multitasking, there is at least one thing that you cannot accomplish with that technique. You cannot commune with the Almighty God while you are doing numerous other things.

In the Holy Bible, the book of Matthew, we read the following account between a lawyer and Jesus:

“And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law.” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.””

Matthew 22:35-40 ESV

Loving God with all your heart, soul and mind … that doesn’t sound like multitasking to me. That sounds like we are to meditate on God, on Who He is, on His commandments, on His Word in Scripture … we are to think about God and not squeeze Him into our schedule right after dusting and just behind laundry.

The Psalmist talks about meditation repeatedly in the Psalter. Consider these verses:

“I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.“

Psalm 77:12 ESV

“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.”

Psalm 119:15 ESV

Beloved, the Almighty God has given us His Son as a sacrifice to pay for our sins. He who was sinless died a horrible death and suffered the wrath that the Holy God has for sin, our sin. He took our blame so that we could received His righteousness, through faith in His amazing work.

“Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.”

Psalm 29:2 ESV

The vision of God and the recognition that we are to worship Him properly always brings a realization of our sin. See what Isaiah says when he saw the vision of God:

“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!””

Isaiah 6:1-5 ESV

Isaiah clearly was not considering multitasking when he acknowledged his sin after recognizing the holiness of God. God is holy and He deserves, no He properly demands, wholehearted worship. He is the Creator and we are the miniscule creations, but He loved us enough to send Christ to pay the price for our sin. So, while we may be weaklings when compared to the omnipotent God, we are His pride and joy as His children when we come to Him through faith in His Son.

So, multitasking is fine for some things, but the worship of God deserves our full attention as we seek to know Him better and as we give Him the honor and worship due His Holy Name.

The place for the car wash, truck wash, and dog wash pales when we remember that the Christian is washed in the blood of the Lamb, and that washing does not wear off and does not have to be repeated over and over. Further, it is a washing that is unique to each and every one of us, and it makes us God’s children for all time.

Meditate on all that the Almighty God has done for you. Meditate on the work of Jesus Christ as He suffered abandonment by the Father because God could not look on His Son who was covered in humanity’s sin. Meditate on the work of the Holy Spirit as He quickens our hearts so we can exercise faith in Christ and then He teaches us what we need to know about who God wants us to be – people who are transformed into the image of His Beloved Son.

Praise His Holy Name!

SABBATH REST

October 23, 2018October 21, 2018 | lindamowles

We enjoy camping. While our method of camping is certainly not “roughing it”, we do enjoy the retreat into the RV and the varied scenery that we encounter in different campgrounds that we have visited across the U.S.

Mississinewa River, Indiana Standing along the shore looking at the 7 pillars of the Miami Nation of Indians near Peru, Indiana

Camping, getting away from the hectic schedule even we retired people have, is a marvelous way to unwind and just relax, contemplate your relationship with the Lord and with the various people in your family, church, work, etc. And we do just that, but for the vast majority of the time, we relax. We rest. We just sit and look at the beautiful scenery, or we walk and get closer to it.

Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls, Idaho

There usually is no schedule and nothing that would require our attention if we didn’t want to pay attention to it. And, at least after the campground deadline for “quiet time”, there is the solitude that comes from being in God’s creation, simply soaking in the silence and then the sounds of the evening. Rest for the mind, rest for the body, and rest for the soul.

Colorado National Monument, Grand Junction, Colorado

God knows that we need rest – He made us and knows us intimately. He knows that nonstop work is harmful to us, just about as harmful to us as nonstop idleness. He commanded that we stop work and rest on the 7^th day, the Sabbath, the day that He declared to be holy unto the Lord.

In giving the Ten Commandments to Moses, God said:

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

Exodus 20:8-11

In the Garden of Eden things were wonderful – Adam and Eve were not subject to the difficulties that sin introduced into the world. However, once they were banished from the Garden and subject to sin, God had to set out commandments so that His people would know His moral law.

“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.”

Psalm 19:7-9

Consider what the Psalmist says about keeping the law of the Lord. The soul is revived, the simple become wise, the heart rejoices, the eyes are enlightened, not to mention that the fear (reverence and awe) of the Lord endures forever, and His rules are true and righteous.

20180614_100633 — Badlands National Park, Interior, South Dakota

Needless to say, these commandments are not just for the Old Testament folks! While the New Testament Christians are not “under the law”, the commandments reflect how our God wants us to live, and we are told of the benefits of following the commands of our God. Surely, we must obey them even in the 21^st century.

[I realize that there are many in service professions that must work on the weekend, and that includes the day called the “Sabbath” or for the Christian on Sunday, the first day of the week; but for those folks, there should be another day on which they look to their Savior dedicating their time and energy to Him.]

IMG_20180626_1342546_rewind — Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming

God understands that we need that time to recalibrate our lives and to refocus so that we are looking to God as the source of life and all that it has to offer. Contrary to our world’s culture and Hollywood, we are not the center of the universe, God is. He is due our reverence, loyalty and love.

Rest is not only a subject of the commandments — Jesus had some poignant words about rest as well. In one of the most beautiful passages in Matthew, Jesus says:

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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 11:28-30

Rest for your souls. That, my Beloved, is what our culture is longing for and which they will not find in materialism, philosophies, or any place other than God. Don’t be deceived by anything that promises joy, comfort and rest without reliance on God, the Father Almighty. It is in His arms that rest and relief from sin can be achieved. He is the author of rest and it is only through Him that it can be received.

Father, I praise Your Name for the rest that comes only from You through Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer. For those who seek this rest, I pray that You would grant them Your Spirit to show them the way, through Christ our Lord, I pray.

UNDERLYING POWER

October 16, 2018October 15, 2018 | lindamowles

Recently I saw a Facebook post saying something like:

“Watch out for people who are always bragging about what they can do, a lion never has to tell me that he is a lion.”

Of course, the thrust of the comment is that the lion does not have to advertise that it has power — its power is evident and well-known to others. Unlike the lion, however, often the people who are doing the bragging will be embellishing and exaggerating their status whereas people who actually have abilities or who have had accomplishments do not have to brag.

While in Yellowstone National Park recently, we were privileged enough to see a family of buffalo strolling down the road and into some trees. They were minding their own business, walking as a unit without being a threat to anyone and seemingly not aware of our presence. There were three adult buffalo and three young ones.

This baby buffalo is not particularly threatening. We saw him walking through some trees with two of his siblings and three adult buffalo.

Now, these two buffalo present a different picture than the baby did. They are not threatening as they are laying in the grass but staring at us while standing seemed to be potentially threatening. Especially when the National Park Ranger told us that adult buffalo weigh about 2,000 pounds. Combine that weight with an ability to run at 30 miles per hour, and you have a considerable threat both to man and vehicle.

Like the lion, the buffalo does not have to brag about its abilities. It can be calm and in control, and it can also be terrifyingly fast if it needs to defend itself or its family. In short, they are animals of great strength and speed – animals with underlying power that we as humans simply don’t have ourselves. We may be able to drive our car faster than the buffalo can run, but if the buffalo impacts the vehicle, it is probably going to be damaged beyond repair.

The lion and the buffalo have underlying power within themselves.

So, does the Christian. I don’t mean that we can run fast – anyone who knows me realizes that running at all is not likely going to happen. And I don’t necessarily mean that we have physical strength, although some people I know are incredibly strong.

What I do mean is that ALL Christians have underlying power within them, specifically the Holy Spirit sent by Jesus Christ so that we are enabled to be witnesses for our Lord Jesus Christ wherever we are. Jesus said:

“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.”

John 15:26-27

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

Again, after His resurrection, Jesus said:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

We know that the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and that same day they preached the gospel of Jesus Christ boldly. Fishermen and tax collectors who were cowering in fear after Jesus’s death were transformed on that day into evangelists who virtually blanketed the known world with the good news of faith in Christ.

They didn’t brag about their achievements. They gave the glory for what they were doing to Jesus Christ and to the Holy Spirit, praising God for the good works that they were seeing all in the name of the Lord. They were Christians who were powered by the Holy Spirit.

So are we. We have the same Holy Spirit, the same Lord Jesus Christ, the same God and Father Almighty. They are our brothers and sisters just as much as the Christians we see in church. We too have the Holy Spirit, and as part of the unchanging infinite triune God, the Holy Spirit is no different now than he was 2000 years ago.

Underlying power. Do I take advantage of the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life? Do I call upon His power to enable me to do the work that Christ has called me to do? Do I use that power for spreading the gospel? Do I boldly tell others of Jesus Christ or do I shrink back in fear of what they will say, or think?

What about you? How would you answer these questions?

Father, I pray that you would forgive me when I have failed to witness to others of Your marvelous gift of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. I pray that you would embolden me to witness of my Lord without fear and that Your Spirit would put the words in my mouth that will accomplish Your Work in those to whom I speak and in me as I do Your will.

Who are you and where do you live?

October 11, 2018October 11, 2018 | lindamowles

People are diverse, unique, different. Take for example, where we live.

As we were driving on our vacation this summer, we went through the City of Chicago. The traffic going down the highways going into the city were crowded with trucks, cars, vans, busses. Not to mention the train that ran to various parts of the city with terminals in between the highway lanes.

Then, when the highway signs were somewhat out-of-the-way, the skyline came into view!

Thousands upon thousands of people live within the scope of that picture. They live in high-rise apartment buildings which have incredible views of the city beneath and Lake Michigan along the shoreline, some of the views going almost to the Wisconsin state line! However, some live in much less splendor, along the railroad tracks and in dilapidated buildings in the center of town. And of course, there are shops, businesses, banks and all sorts of eateries spread throughout the city.

This kind of congestion is not for everyone, however. One of the places we visited was Bar Nunn, Wyoming.

The campground was rustic and the people were super friendly. The view of the community from the campground was beautiful with its backdrop of mountain terrain.

The first night we were there, the clouds provided a beautiful ending to a glorious day.

In contrast to the “majesty” of Chicago, the little post office next to the campground in Bar Nunn provided a different perspective as it gave the whole community postal services, and we, as sojourners, appreciated its presence since we could purchase stamps and use the handy mailbox to send post cards to the family back home.

We all don’t live in the same type dwellings, in the same area of the country or in the same climate. But, almost all of us are often asked the same questions, no matter where we are: “Who are you, and where do you live?”

Our answer frequently is to respond with the name our parents provided to us and then to give our place of permanent residence. And these are appropriate responses as they give some fundamental information about us to the person we have just met. From there, we can continue the conversation and a friendship might result, or we can walk away after conducting the transaction with the individual without any further personal information being exchanged.

That is not the whole answer to those questions for the Christian.

Jesus said:

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.“

John 14:1-6

Jesus clearly said that the one who believes in Him, through faith alone, will spend eternity with Him in heaven. Indeed, belief in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way that we can enter heaven and come to God. In fact, Jesus also tells us to put our treasure in heaven since there the treasure is secure for all eternity, rather than having it on earth where it can be easily destroyed. Read Matthew 6:19-20.

Paul said it this way:

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,”

Ephesians 2:19-20

In other words, the Christian has dual citizenship – we are citizens on this planet, living in the country, province or state, city or hamlet in which we reside. But we are also citizens of heaven where we will live eternally with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, along with all our brothers and sisters who have been adopted into the family of God through faith in Christ.

So, how do we answer the question propounded above … “where do you live?” We might want to go into an explanation of our dual citizenship, or we might just want to give our address and let our Christian walk do the rest of the talking for us. Either way, let the Lord guide you as you witness for Him in our world.

Father, forgive me when I have been too timid to express my conviction that Jesus Christ made it possible for me to be Your child. I cannot express my gratitude and thankfulness for such gracious mercy extended to me, an undeserving sinner who was saved by grace! May I always be ready to tell others of Your gift of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Help me, I pray.

THE WORD OF HIS POWER

August 24, 2018August 24, 2018 | lindamowles

The word of His power. This is a phrase that we don’t hear in our modern speech, but it is wording that is found in Scripture, specifically in the opening of the book of Hebrews:

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Hebrews 1:1-3

This same creative power was not only extended to Jesus’ work of creation, it also was on display when He was living among us. The same word “power”, or the Greek word δύναμις which is transliterated as dynamis, was used when people who met Jesus discussed His miraculous works:

“and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?”

Matthew 13:54

“And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!””

Luke 4:36

And it is the same word that Jesus used when He said this to His disciples, as recorded in the first chapter of Acts:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

Acts 1:8

This same power is available to us when we are doing that which God has told us to do, specifically when we are witnessing of His great love for us as shown through His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Praise our God and Father for the work of His Son in creation and in sustaining our universe through the power of His word. Praise Him also for sending His Son to save us from our sin so that we could have life everlasting with Him. Silence yourself and worship our God.

“”Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!””

Psalm 46:10

Father, I thank You for your Son and for His marvelous works in creation. I thank You, Lord Jesus, for your wondrous love as evidenced by your sacrificial death on the cross, and I thank You, Holy Spirit, for your work in quickening our hearts so that we can believe and have saving faith in our Lord. I pray that I would silence my fears and concerns so that I can be still before You, as I glorify You, my God and my Redeemer.

TRAVEL IN GOD’S HANDS

August 21, 2018August 21, 2018 | lindamowles

We have just returned from a trip that covered over 6,000 miles, through lands that were densely populated and through lands where there was no person or building for hundreds of miles at a time. We experienced mountains followed by corn fields which were followed by huge ranch areas which had brush, cacti and very few trees. We were in the desert and going through Monarch Pass which registers over 11,000 feet above sea level. It was an incredible feeling to be standing at the Continental Divide, ears popping all the while!

The variety of the landscape is impossible to describe as we traversed from Tennessee to South Dakota, then to Wyoming, on to Idaho, then to Utah, and Colorado, Kansas and Missouri, ultimately returning to home in East Tennessee.

The trip and the thousands of digital pictures will be subject of many future blog posts, I suspect. Suffice it to say today that our overwhelming experience was encountering our marvelous God everywhere we looked. Saint John wrote in the Book of Revelation:

“”Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.””

Revelation 4:11

This is the song that the twenty-four elders sing to our God, and we echoed that song in our hearts as we saw dramatic scenery that revealed His creative power like we have seldom seen. Some examples are the Red Canyon outside Richfield, Utah.

In Indiana we saw the Wabash and Mississinewa Rivers and spent time finding and admiring the Seven Pillars on the river.

And in Wyoming we saw the Grand Tetons looming over the highway, glorious with their snow covered peaks even in the heat of July.

And in Yellowstone, the geyser basins were the source of incredible beauty. The orange surrounding the cobalt blue boiling water is bacteria which thrives in this environment. Watch where you walk, though … the water in these “ponds” is way hotter than the boiling point of water and the ground is very thin. Boardwalks are the only safe way to experience these vents in the earth’s crust.

As spectacular as all this is, God was not only seen in the grand and glorious scenery splayed out before us. His providential Hand was experienced first-hand when we were filling the gas tank in the RV in a very small Utah town. A long-distance truck driver who had been following us for some distance came up to us and said one of the rear coach tires was very low, recommending that we add air as soon as possible.

We thanked him for his kindness and, when the tank was full, we went to the back of the station where there was a three-bay mechanic’s shop. The owner came out and looked at the tires, noting that the tread on one was split and four of them were long past their replacement date. (This clearly was something the mechanic in Tennessee should have told us about, but that’s a different story.)

Needless to say, we replaced four of the six tires on the RV and we were on our way, praising our Lord that He was watching out for us, even when we didn’t know we were in danger.

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!”

Psalm 143:10

We have always known God cares for us and is guiding us with His Hand. But when you can see His Hand working on your behalf, it is overwhelming. The God who created all this beauty cares about us so much that His immutable love is watching each moment, so that His purpose will be fulfilled in our world and in each of our lives.

Keep your eyes open and see His Hand before you. Read His Word and let His Spirit speak to your heart and mind. Bask in the love that our Lord Jesus has for you … He gave His life as a ransom for you. Praise Him all the day long.

Father, I thank You for the marvelous creation of Your Son. I thank You that You sustain all things with the power of Your Word, and yet You even know the details of my life as it unfolds before me. Forgive me when I forget the power of Your Word and when I act as though I am in control. Take my life, Lord, and make it what You want it to be and may the words of Scripture bring forth fruit for Your Kingdom.