WHAT’S MY LINE

I really had to adjust mentally not being able to attend church regularly for the past nine months. I didn’t notice the time passing by so quickly, being busy setting order in my home as a caregiver.  I got a lot of things done, like preparing dinner while watching the service on our computer.  I didn’t have to dress up or take the rollers out of my hair if I didn’t want to. 

Then my soul hit a brick wall.  It began to miss hearing the Word in person.   I missed the faces I’d pass in the hall and the random words of encouragement I’d receive.  I missed sitting in the fellowship hall after 8am service to drink coffee and laugh and fellowship with friends.  Then the thought came that I’m not saved or a Christian any more cause I wasn’t going to church.

But I had a revelation, at least for myself, on this very concept that I’d like to share.  Is it the fact you go to church that makes you a Christian?  Attendance is not good alone; remember the Pharisees and Scribes attended church religiously and they crucified Christ.

That led me to my next thought.  If it’s not by my church attendance, how is someone to know I’m a Christian?  Many of you who are older remember the game show, What’s My Line.  There would be a contestant that appeared before a panel of judges or celebrities who would hear different facts about the individual.  After a given number of clues, they’d try to guess the occupation or special ability of the person.

If our characteristics were listed, would attendance to church be the only identifier we were a Christian?  Would the list name some of the weightier things that Christ considered important characteristics of His followers?  He showed us by the things He did in His life that mattered.  He was kind, honest, helped the needy, visit the sick, feed the hungry, encourage the brothers and sisters in Christ, and yes, fellowship with each other. We should be upright and law abiding citizens.   

Church is where we go to learn how to be a Christian and the world is our proving ground that we learned the lesson.  Church attendance is crucial to those wanting to be Christians.  The scripture says that we should let our light shine so that men can see our good works and glorify our Father which is in Heaven (Matthew 5:16).  Jesus compares the Christian to salt.  Just as natural salt has no effect if it stays in the box with other salt granules; neither will the Christian fulfill the purpose of God in their lives among the world.

Do those you meet see a character and demeanor that glorifies God or are they guessing what’s your line?  Are people glad when you leave the room rather than waiting for you to enter, seeing your presence as a light after a blackout?

The purpose of Church and our attendance isn’t to just gather or become a mere social club.  Church should prepare us to have impact in our neighborhoods, communities, and the stranger’s lives we meet.

I don’t know about you, I want it to be clear for those I meet, what my line is and that I’m a Christian.  Not just because I attend church but because of the Christ-like tendencies I exhibit from what I learned at church.  Join me, won’t you?

INDEPENDENCE DAY

I thought what does independence and freedom really mean? 

You can’t discuss the topic without discussing the costs associated with them.
 

In 1776 when the settlers of the new world decided to fight rather than be governed by England, they understood the cost and gladly paid the price.

In a report I read the U.S. Defense budget at the end of 2009 was $680 million to keep us secure globally.  In 2010 there was approximately $55 million budgeted for homeland security to keep our local borders secure.

The average American has some sort of security system and that cost can vary, but we pay it to keep our possessions secure.  We pay these costs as a consumer, country, or world citizen because security ensures freedom and independence within a set boundary.

 

When you think about mankind before Christ and His work on Calvary, this was our state; our souls were in bondage.

    

Just as the Department of Defense no doubt did a risk analysis when determining if that $650 million was feasible, I’m grateful that Jesus was willing to pay the price to provide a way of independence for mankind by the shedding of His blood.

I am grateful to be an American and enjoy the freedom and independence of this land, but I’m most proud to be a Christian. Christ secured my independence at Calvary.

    

It’s good to be in the land of the free and home of the brave but better to be called one of the saved, the redeemed. 

Are you truly free?  You too can enjoy true freedom and independence by surrendering to Christ.

THE CLOTHES I WEAR

Who would think that God would be concerned with the clothes that I wear?  I drastically changed my style of clothes, under His guidance, before becoming a Christian in 1983.  Now here we are some 30 years later, and God is still very much concerned about what I wear.    

The things I’ve been wearing lately don’t quite fit anymore.  If you’ve ever had clothes that were too big, you know it’s a lot of work.  While trying to determine an outfit to wear, I heard God speak to my heart saying, take off the grave clothes.   I thought maybe I was wearing clothes that made it seem as if I had lost my zest for life or as if I was in mourning.  I recognized that some of the spiritual clothes I had been wearing weren’t carrying the right spirit. 

Mourning or heaviness is not limited to the loss of a loved one.  It could be the loss of a job, a marriage, or some loss that alters your future with a crippling capability.  I began to see the emotional garments I’d been wearing and could feel my shoulders begin to slump.  I felt the weight of the heaviness in my heart, the pain of loss, the sorrow I carried around my neck like a yolk on an oxen and the grief I bore on my chest like a breastplate, and the weight of loneliness I felt as a saddle on my back. 

The bible speaks of several different types of garments; one was the garment of a deceased person, another of a widow, and the garment of the priest.  Other garments were set aside by the owners for specific purpose.  Some garments were worn specifically while praising God; others were worn to seek the face of God. 

Scriptures began to come to my mind that dealt with these issues and I asked God’s help to take off my grave clothes and put on the garments that pleased Him.  I didn’t want to be like Lazarus who when Jesus called His name he jumped up from death, but was still bound and gagged. 

I saw that garments were already promised to be by the Lord.  He said if I mourned, he would give me beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that I would glorify the Lord (Isaiah 61:3).  I learned that if I rejoice in Him that my soul will be joyful in my God because He has covered me with the garments of salvation; covering me with the robe of righteousness and with ornaments like a bridegroom and bride adorn themselves with ornaments and jewels.

One of the benefits of the work of Calvary is to give victory to the believer over life’s situations.  We can overcome the obstacles that come to hinder our mental and physical progress in God.

If you maybe need to change into some lighter garments, God has them waiting for you.  Join me in trading my heavy and unfitting garments for the garment of praise. I promise no longer to be bound but free, to live the abundant life made available through Calvary.

STUCK IN THE MUD

I watched the leaves for the last few days blow from across the street into my ditch.    I waited until the few mornings of frost and rain came and those large maple leaves shrunk to one half their original size, still filling 5 lawn bag.

I went to rake them and some were harder to gather than others.  A few were stuck in the muddy portion of my ditch, hoping they would break free in the wind, to no avail.  My ditch is deep and holds some of the most fertile soil.  The grass that grows there is the greenest and healthiest in the yard.  The snow and rain rest in the bottom of the ditch but many things go over the top and pass on to the neighbor’s yards or street.

I began to understand how God often works in my life.  Many times I feel like that leaf, stuck in the mud in my ditch.  No matter how I try, I can’t move.  I feel as if the weight of a snow storm or a down pour of rain is flowing on top of me .  But, I always survive and seem to grow stronger when my summer season comes.  When I look back over time, even though many things have fallen in my path while stuck, I realize there are more perils that by passed me by because I was stuck in the ditch; protected in my own personal valley.

So the next time you feel as though you’re stuck in the mud or in a valley of your life, remember God has you there for a purpose.  Believe that there are dangers He is protecting you from while He sends the rich nourishment you need to grow for the places He has destined for you to go.  Don’t be discouraged, your season of strength and revitalization will come and your mud will turn to green grass once again

EVERLASTING LOVE

I think we all can say at one time or another we were looking for our one true love.  We dreamed of how they would look, speak, or lavish us with gifts and affection.  Needless to say, when we found them, we had to worry to maintain their affection.  The true relationship is one of give and take to maintain the original spark of love.   We were careful not to do anything to damage the relationship for fear of losing their affection.  Despite all our efforts, that love one either left our lives by way of the gate or the grave.    After the loss of a true love, we may think we’d never love again.  For this reason we should be very careful who we give our heart to.

I have been fortunate to have experienced love many times during my life.  As a result, I’ve had the broken heart that accompanies the end of a relationship.  I’ve also been fortunate that each relationship was progressively better.  I learned more about myself and my unrealistic perspective of love after each relationship.

After the loss of my true love, I realized even then that there was a love in my life that I had overlooked for years.  I didn’t respect His love as I should and consequently didn’t reap the benefits of it during this time of loss.

This is someone who loved me when I didn’t love Him.  He stayed close even when my attention and affection went to others.  His love is everlasting and has stood the test of time.  It’s been with me from my birth and will go beyond my death.  When I finally gave my life to Him, even the angels from His court rejoiced in Heaven.  Even though He shows His love daily, the true sacrifice of His love resonates for me at Easter.  My true and everlasting love gave His life for me at Calvary.  You’ve guessed who it is; it’s Jesus, God manifested in flesh (1Timothy 3:16).

If you’re looking for a real love, like Mary J. Blige sings about, I recommend you look to Jesus.  He’s our true and everlasting love; the lover of our souls.