The question “How can we be holy today?” came from the Brazilian ladies’ group, “Reading Together.” During the month of January, the participants are reading together the books of Leviticus and Luke. The group coordinator, Vicki Matheny, responded (outside the group) as follows:

“The book helps us understand the priestly system that was the shadow of today. In Leviticus, only the tribe of Levi could be priests. God was teaching the people how to worship him. Today it is different because of Christ. All who obey the commandments are priests, 1 Peter 2.9.

“Living a life that pleases God is how we live in holiness, 1 Peter 1.13-25. The meaning of the word ‘holiness’ is ‘separated.’ We are to live a life separated from the world. We live within the world, but we do not live like the world. This is why reading the Bible is so important. In it I find what God wants of me.”

Almost 50 women, disciples and not, participate in the group. The group was created June 2024. A Bible reading guide is published at the beginning of each month. Each day, participants who read the passages of the day share their progress. This serves to encourage everyone to continue the reading schedule.   forthright.net

Psalm 145:18 “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.”

My prior life played out as a middle school geography teacher. (Ah, the stories I could tell!) Each day’s goal was to do whatever necessary for grabbing my students’ attention. One successful strategy was bringing in influential persons to be guest speakers. However, this tactic proved to be no simple task.

As our Canadian unit approached, pursuing a popular local hockey player who grew up in the northern province of Nunavut seemed perfect. So, our class began a campaign to invite him as a guest speaker. We sent letters. We made posters to hold up at the games. We mailed him birthday cards. We sent Christmas cards. We sent congratulatory emails when he scored a goal. We did everything short of stalking him. But sadly, after all our efforts, we did not receive the first response! (In full disclosure, he did once flip a puck into the stands to my student holding up our invitation sign.)

Sadly, that class graduated, and our campaign began anew the following year. Trying a new strategy, while on our St. Louis field trip, I took a photo of our students from high in the arch. The entire class lay on the ground below the arch in the formation of this player’s number: #22. We framed that photo and had it delivered to him along with our 795th invitation to come to our school!

BINGO! After an exhaustive two-year campaign, we succeeded.

As I celebrated the victory, something enlightening dawned on me. Just that very morning, I had enjoyed a one-on-one intimate time with God. Yes God, the creator of the universe, the Father of all living things, The Great I Am whose very name means unfathomable love, had met with little-old-me simply because He desired time with me. I did not chase him. I did not vie for His attention. He did not put me off. I simply approached His throne and entered precious fellowship with Him.

We must never forget what a privilege it is to come before the throne of God. Our Heavenly Father awaits us. He adores time spent with us, and we are never an inconvenience nor an obligation. So, friends, what are we waiting for? Any time we wish, we may approach God’s glorious throne and discover Him waiting for us.

Father God, we stand in awe of the way You adore us.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane

I love buying gifts for my kids. Finding those special things that will make them jump up and down with excitement and throw their arms around my neck in sweet gratitude, ahhhh, I just love it! Today, it seems like there are never ending reasons to buy our children more gifts. Birthday gifts! Christmas gifts! Valentine’s Day gifts! Easter gifts! Gifts from the Tooth Fairy! First day of school gifts! Last day of school gifts! “Just because” gifts! Let’s face it, gift giving can get out of hand, and out of budget real fast. We live in a society that places great importance on giving our children all that their hearts desire, but are we giving them gifts that they need to grow into secure, well-behaved young men and women who will ultimately give their will and lives over to God? Let’s examine some other gifts we as parents would do well to give our children. The beautiful thing about these gifts is they cost nothing, yet have a priceless value.

1. The gift of being wanted.

Your children never asked to be born. They are here because you brought them here. As mothers, we all say, “Yes, I love my children dearly!”, but there’s more to it than merely saying the words, “I love you”. In the day-to-day of raising children, it’s easy to get into a routine of barking orders and giving correction, cleaning one room only to discover they demolished another…children can be quite trying some days! Those peanut butter smeared faces and sticky hands touch everything, snacks are smashed into the carpet, they argue, they get grouchy, they get LOUD, they have accidents, and as a mother it can be quite easy to robotically move through the motions of just trying to keep everyone on some measurable level of clean. But do your children know that you like them? Love is automatic, but like, well that can take some work, especially when they are going through a difficult, moody, stubborn phase. Take a look at your children, catch their eye, and smile at them. Relax from the work for a moment and let them know you are happy they are there, even in all their sticky, whiny, unwashed glory!

2. The gift of identity.

Some of the saddest people on earth are those who are in search of their very identity. The hippy movement of the 60’s was filled with unhappy people “in search of themselves”. And yet we now live in a world that encourages children to question the very gender which is infused in their DNA. Oh for the security of identity! Let your girls be girls and your boys be boys! Teach them what it means to be a girl or a boy. Show your daughters the joys of being a girl, and your sons the joys of being a boy. But above this, give them the knowledge of being a child of God. The identity of being “fearfully and wonderfully made”! (Psalm 139:14) Let them know that they are no accident, they are loved by an almighty Creator who made the stars and the oceans, the giant dinosaurs and the tiny lady bugs! And the same God who makes the world turn around, loves them and cares for them very much. God made them special, and loves them just the way He created them.

3. The gift of “No.”

God’s plan for every child is to be born to two married, committed, mature parents who can help provide them with the skills they need to live in this world. Parents are to be grown-ups who have experience in life and can thus teach their children what it takes to successfully navigate this old world. Children aren’t born knowing what is best for them, and sometimes their little hearts desire things that aren’t good for them. They want to do everything, experience exciting new things, and they want it all right now, all the time. This is where the gift of “No.” comes in. No, you may not have 20 cookies. No, you may not stick your hand in the pot of boiling water. No, you may not run out into the road, no matter how much fun it may seem. “No” will not harm your child’s self-esteem, rather it will establish a comforting boundary that will let your child know that they are cared for and taken care of. Oh they may pitch a fit, hoping to wear you down from your decision, but you are the parent, the life expert here, and not them. A child who is never told no becomes a nervous, unhappy child, unsure of life’s boundaries and unsettled as to what they’re supposed to be doing. This ties directly in with…

4. The gift of security.

Show me a child with parents who don’t take charge, and I will show you an unhappy, frightened, moody, insecure child. I’ve noticed a disconcerting phenomenon of parents asking their children what they want all the time. This places way too much decision making power into tiny hands not yet equipped for such. Don’t ask your child if they want to eat lunch. Tell them it’s lunch time! Don’t ask them if they’re ready to leave the park and go home. Tell them it’s time to leave the park and go home! You know it’s time to go home from the park; you don’t need their agreement. You are the adult. The power of deciding the best thing for your children needs to remain in your hands. When you ask them if they are ready to go home, of course they’ll say no! In your child’s mind, they now feel they have the authority to tell YOU when it’s time to leave the park! Preposterous! God never intended for children to be in charge. The world (especially Hollywood) loves to tell parents that it’s rude and old fashioned to command their children, expecting unquestioning obedience. It is not “neanderthal” to tell your child what to do, it’s a sign of godly parenting!
Think about this, as a Christian, we must give our will over to God. Our wise heavenly Father set up a way for parents to teach children this concept from a very young age. In teaching our children to obey the will of their parents, we are training them to obey the will of God! How on earth can we expect our children to turn their will over to God as they grow older if we don’t teach them to turn their will to us as children? Did God ask Abraham if he wanted to go to a new land? Did God ask Noah how he felt about building the ark? No! God told, then expected obedience. As parents, we need to keep the power in our hands, knowing that even when the children don’t like the lessons of pure, simple obedience, the lessons are truly for their own ultimate good.

5. The gift of boredom.

Repeat after me: It is not my job to entertain my children every waking moment of their day. Ahh, don’t you feel better? Think about it. Before all our modern conveniences, mothers were taking care of a home that required much of their time and energy, and children were just fine, for thousands of years! Our ancestors spent large portions of their day in meal preparation alone, cooking with little more than a pot hung over a fire. What were the children doing all day long? They learned to entertain themselves! And how do they learn this? It starts with being bored, then finding something to do to occupy themselves. When my kids became too old for naps, I continued to give them two hours every afternoon when they had to play by themselves in their bedrooms. You would have thought I was the meanest mom in the whole world some days. Oh, the inhumanity of being forced to play in their room for two whole hours! But I knew they needed time each day to decompress, and I needed that time to decompress as well! I knew they were safe, their rooms had plenty to keep them occupied, and would you believe they actually survived! In fact, they not only survived, they became quite creative in their boredom. They made blanket forts, they read books, they drew pictures. One day my son actually made a gigantic “spider web” all over his room using a ball of twine! Imagination has time to grow and room to soar when a child is bored. Creativity blossoms when the mind has quiet time to ponder and wander. Your children do not need you entertaining them every waking moment, give them the gift of boredom!

Children are truly a blessing, entrusted to parents who love them and have experience with how to live in this world, while looking forward to the next. Let’s make sure that among the gifts of toys and books, we are also giving them invaluable tools that will last throughout this life and aid them toward their heavenly home!

Karla Sparks

Someone (author unknown) has composed the following list of wishes for the new century.  These were obviously written for last January, but most still apply:

May your hair, your teeth, your face-lift, your abs, and your stocks not fall; and may your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol, your white blood count and your mortgage interest not rise.

May you get a clean bill of health from your dentist, your cardiologist, your gastroenterologist, your urologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your plumber, and the IRS.

May you find a way to travel from anywhere to anywhere during rush hour in less than an hour, and when you get there may you find a parking space.

May December 31 find you seated around the dinner table, together with your beloved family and cherished friends, ushering in the New Year ahead.  You will find the food better, the environment quieter, the cost much cheaper, and the pleasure much more fulfilling than anything else you might ordinarily do that night.

May you wake up on January 1 finding that the world has not come to an end, the lights work, the water faucets flow, and the sky has not fallen.

May you have the strength to go through a year of presidential campaigning, and may some of the promises made be kept.  May you believe at least half of what the candidates propose, and may those elected fulfill at least half of what they promise, and the miracle of reducing taxes and balancing budgets happen.

May what you see in the mirror delight you, and what others see in you delight them.

May the telemarketers wait to make their sales calls until you finish dinner, may your checkbook and your budget balance, and may they include generous amounts for your church and charities.

May you remember to say “I love you” at least once a day to your spouse, your child, and your parent(s).  You can say it to your secretary, your nurse, your butcher, your photographer, your masseuse, your seamstress, your hairdresser or your tennis instructor, but not with a “twinkle” in your eye.

May we live as God intended, in a world at peace with the awareness of the beauty in every sunset, every flower’s unfolding petals, every baby’s smile and every wonderful, astonishing, miraculous beat of our heart.

May God bless you with happiness, great health, peace, and much love during the next year and all those that follow.

To the list above I add one thing:

“I pray also that you will have greater understanding in your heart so you will know the hope to which he has called us and that you will know how rich and glorious are the blessings God has promised his holy people.  And you will know that God’s power is very great for us who believe.” (Eph. 1:18-19).

A Smith

Live your life to the fullest
no matter what you do
Live with faith that things will get better,
No matter what happens to you,

Keep a smile upon your face
with a grateful, thankful heart of love.
For the Lord has blessed you richly
from His throne in heaven above.

He will continue to bless you
as long as you turn to Him in prayer
and rely on His strength and guidance.
He will help you your burdens to bear.

Deborah Robbins

During the Republican National Convention this past summer, Dana Perino from Fox News made this comment. She said that the attendees were passionate, emotional, and inspired. Immediately my mind went to the spiritual. What should bring about those feelings in us?

I started with the New Oxford American Dictionary for the definition of these three words. I wondered if they would relate to us in a spiritual way. I was not surprised that they do.

Passion means strong feelings caused by a strong faith. Are you passionate about your faith? Just being passionate about your beliefs does not make you right. In Acts 14, Paul, and Barnabas were in the city of Lycaonia. After Paul healed a man who was said to be impotent in his feet, the people began to call Barnabas, Jupiter, and Paul, Mercury. The priest of Jupiter brought oxen and garlands to offer sacrifices to them. Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes and ran among the people to stop what they were about to do. They told the people, “We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that you should turn from these vanities unto the living God…” These people were passionate about their idols, but their faith was misguided.

Paul told Timothy what he needed to be passionate about. He said, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (Second Timothy 3:16-17). We need to be passionate about the truth so we can be complete and ready to serve God.

Emotion means “Intentional Feelings.” There are many examples of those in Scripture who show various types of emotions. So, what do we need to be emotional? We want to have the type of emotions that allow our hearts to be touched with the Word of God.

Solomon once said, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”  We don’t want that kind of emotion. We want the kind of emotion we can share with others.

Peter gives us the right emotion we need to serve God. “I think it right, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things” (Second Peter 1:13-15). We need to be like that. We need to make every effort to be passionate and emotional about how we live and what we teach so that others will recall those things when we are gone.

The word “inspiration” means to fill with urge or ability to do or feel something; to create a feeling in someone. As Christians, we need to be inspired so we can inspire others.

The Bible gives us a clear passage on inspiration. “All Scripture is breathed out By God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (Second Timothy 3:16-17).

The King James Version says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God”. The American Standard version says, “Every scripture inspired by God.” Our inspiration should come from God-breath, God-inspired Scripture. We should only be inspired by what we find in God’s Word, not man’s ideas or teachings.

The Republicans may have been passionate, emotional, and inspired; but the kind of passion, emotion, and inspiration we have in our lives must come from God our Father, not be man. We need to show passion about our faith. We need to show our emotion in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord.  we need to be inspired by God’s instructions found in His word.

Sandra Oliver

Philippians 4: 6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.”

I saw a poster that read, “I can only help one person at a time. Today is not your day! And tomorrow doesn’t look good for you either!”  

Can we all relate as Christmas season approaches? Somedays, I’m the one muttering these poster-words under my breath at those pulling at me so hard that I feel like a Stretch Armstrong. (And if you don’t know what that is, ask someone who birthed a son in the early 80’s.) Other days, I’m on the receiving end of this statement, desperately needing assistance and finding it impossible to obtain.

Whether it’s tackling a mountain of laundry, making another emergency grocery store run, or opening the door to unexpected house guests, our to-do list stretches endlessly before us. About the time we feel caught up, the finish line plunges ahead in the distance and off we go chasing it, feeling as if we are the coyote in the never winning pursuit of the roadrunner.

I can envision my Heavenly Father looking down on me and shaking his head with a sigh saying, Have you forgotten my Word, child? I don’t want you to stress over this. Give it to Me and get ready for Me, because I will turn your stress into peace. Your precious heart and mind can be stilled by My power. Then, you can think about the good things I have given you, the virtuous and pure things in life, because I am the God of Peace (paraphrased from Philippians 4:6-8).

So, perhaps while folding that mountain of laundry, instead of fuming, we can thank God for the loved ones in our lives. While shopping the aisles of the grocery store, instead of stressing, we can ask God to bless each passing shopper with His peace. And when unexpected guests arrive, instead of panicking, we can greet them with open arms, understanding we may be entertaining angels unaware. (Then quickly clear a path to the guest room.)

Dear Father, I am grateful that my current situation is not my final destination, and that what is weighing me down is actually not even mine to carry. The burden is yours. Help our hearts and minds get rid of all anxiousness, and in its place find Your peace.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane