Called to Be a Rock-Mover

Sep6

Exodus 17:12a – “But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands. . .”

I recall sitting criss-cross-applesauce on the floor spellbound as my Sunday School teacher placed the felt figures on the flannelgraph board. The background featured a mountain top upon which were placed Moses, a rock, and Aaron and Hur lifting Moses’ arms that gripped the rod of God. I was all ears as the teacher recounted Israel winning the battle with the rod of God raised in the air, but Israel faltering as Moses’ arms became weary and he lowered the rod.

Many years have passed since I sat on that floor, but the mountain-top adventure remains fascinating. The protection of a mighty God is woven throughout this story, along with leadership, trust, service, and God’s love. But looking at it with adult eyes renders new questions. If this story seems remote in your memory, stop and read Exodus 17:8-16.

The main characters, other than mighty Jehovah of course, are Joshua the brave commander, Moses the spiritual leader, and Aaron and Hur, the lifters of Moses’ arms. However, might there be other key players in this story, because I find myself intrigued by the rock movers? Exactly who moved the rock under Moses? Perhaps it was Aaron and Hur, but in my mind I visualize them as way too busy with the critical task of holding up Moses’ arms, aware the trajectory of the battle could quickly switch. Perhaps the rock movers were those men not chosen by Joshua for battle. At any rate, whoever moved the rock most likely felt their deed to be a simple, no brainer, non-mentionable event.

However, we serve a Big God who can take even our small rock-moving moments and magnify them to His glory. So, when Moses recounted to Joshua all that happened, the rock-movers were included, for their simple deed held great significance in the victory. Joshua fought, while Moses prayed with Aaron and Hur supporting his arms, and “THEY” moved a rock, allowing a weary man of God to rest.  All these, under the protection of mighty Jehovah God, claimed a part of the victory that day.

We must never overlook the importance of our small gifts of service. Not all of us are called to be brave leaders, but we can all, regardless of our circumstances, be rock-movers. Moving that rock took no preparation, little time, and no follow-up, yet played an important role in victory. Likewise, the small deeds we do for others can be magnified by the Lord to His glory. And who knows which of our small deeds will lead someone to a victorious life in Christ?

Father God, help us remember the importance of the small gifts of service we place in your hands.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane

The One-Stop-Place-to-Shop

Sep5

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” NKJV

Proverbs 3:5-6 is such a beloved scripture, it tops our popularity charts. Its versatility guides us through life’s ups and downs. I suppose we could say Proverbs 3:5-6 is the Walmart-of-scripture: the one-stop-place-to-shop for whatever we need. So, let’s take a moment to browse its wonders.

It opens with God beckoning us to trust Him with ALL our heart. Sisters, committing a portion to Him seems reasonable, but relinquishing ALL is difficult, for it requires us to turn loose our control, admit our frailties, and acknowledge the greatness of the God we serve. When God holds all the pieces of our heart under His mighty wings, (Psalm 91:4) He will protect the part belonging to our family and friends. He will counsel the part devoted to our pleasures and passions. He will guide the part storing our hopes and dreams. And, He will reign over the secret parts we dare not speak.

The next phrase, “Lean not on your own understanding,” is problematic for us as we place great emphasis on our own wisdom and higher education. Notice the Holy Spirit led the writer to the word, “lean,” meaning to allow an object to support you. Have you have ever leaned against an unstable object? If so, you most likely found yourself hitting the ground. When we lean on our feeble and finite understanding of situations, trusting it to hold us instead of resting on God’s infinite wisdom, we are likely to discover ourselves bruised from the fall.

The final challenge comes as God calls us to submit ALL our ways. Have you considered what this indicates? Think of our identities. Are we mothers? Wives? Christian Sisters? Employees? CEO’s? We may discover some of our ways easier to surrender than others. Do we naturally praise God in our homes and churches, yet enter the workplace void of our faith? Sisters, every hat we wear is to be placed in our Father’s hands so others may see Him and come to know Him through us.

The beautiful climax of this scripture comes as God, who cannot lie, reveals to us His glorious promise. If we trust Him completely and submit our entire being to Him, He will direct our paths. So, through the darkness of this world, a Loving Father illuminates our way. Sisters, this side of heaven, it doesn’t get any better than that!

Father God, may each step of our life find us on Your lighted path.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane

I’M COMING TO YOU, TOO+ bonus post

Sep2

Bible study on the Samaritan woman (bonus post by Sandra Oliver)

Last week I witnessed a moving event between two ladies. One of the ladies was using a walker and trying to maneuver her way between the aisles of a classroom to get to a friend she hadn’t seen in a long time. As she pushed her walker along, the other lady said, “Wait there. I’m coming to you.” The lady with the walker replied, “I’m coming to you, too.” When they reached each other, they embraced and visited for a while before the class started. It was so moving to see them, it brought tears to my eyes.

As I thought back on the situation later in the day, I thought how much like this the Father is with us. We see it in the story of the Prodigal Son. A selfish young man decides he wants his inheritance. He wants to take what is his and leave home. Luke says that from a pigpen, the son determined that he wanted to go home. He wanted to just be a hired servant in his father’s house. As the boy arrived home, his father was watching for him and ran to meet him. The father didn’t forget about his son while he was away living a life of sin; he was waiting, watching for him, ready to welcome him home.

Our heavenly Father sent His only son into the world to offer Himself for our sins. He provided us with everything we need to know how to please Him. All we have to do is obey Him. When we fail, He watches, and He waits for our return.

I think about how many times Peter failed in his eager attempts to please Jesus. When he saw Jesus walking across the Sea of Galilee, he wanted to go to Him. Yet, when he got out of the boat and started toward our Lord, he started to sink. He took his eyes off of Jesus.

When Jesus taught the disciples about forgiveness, Peter was the one that tried to set a limit on the number of times we are to forgive a brother.

When Jesus told the disciples that they would all betray Him, Peter assured Jesus that he would not. Yet, Peter ran with the other disciples when the soldiers came to take Jesus prisoner.

When the women visited the grave of Jesus and found that He had been resurrected, Peter doubted. He had to run and see for himself.

When Jesus cooked breakfast for the disciples at the Sea of Galilee, He offered Peter forgiveness for his three denials. Peter affirmed that he loved Jesus, and the Lord gave Peter specific instructions of what he was to do. “Feed my sheep,” Jesus said. But when Peter saw John following them, he wanted to know what was going to happen to him. He couldn’t be satisfied with the assignment Jesus had given Him.

In every case, when Peter came to himself, Jesus was there for him. He took his hand in the Sea of Galilee; He taught Peter that there is no limit on forgiveness; He forgave Peter’s betrayal; and He took away Peter’s doubt.

He will do the same for us. Jesus says, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yolk is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Sandra Oliver

 

Self worth

Sep1

Are you a narcissist or a doormat? A person whose self-worth is off the charts, or does your view of yourself depend on what others think of you or tell you? Chances are you are somewhere in between, as most of us are.

In a landscape setting, some plants are worth more than others. Late in my gardening “path” I discovered that a few really good anchor trees and shrubs are worth spending a little money on, rather than filling the beds with random bargains.

In a way, that was a progression in my own self-worth as a gardener. Sure, the $3 sugar maple gives us a lot of pleasure as it turns red in the fall, and the $1 peach trees gave us much more value in its scrumptious fruit than we paid initially. There is immense satisfaction in knowing one can turn something free or cheap into a treasure.

Now I recommend to new gardeners to spend a little money on the “bones” of the garden before they fill it with treasures they find at bargain rates. A good Curly Willow or a nice little Hearts of Gold Redbud will be worth the investment, and all the other things around them can be moved, tweaked, improved, or composted.

The scriptures tell us that we all have worth — GREAT worth. Jesus bled and died for each one of us.

“And He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf” (2 Corinthians 5:15, NASB).

While we are well aware of our worth to God, we are also taught to be humble.

The idea of humility can be twisted to make us deny our own worth, though. We are not worthless, disgusting creatures; except in relation to the purity and awesomeness of our Lord.

It is okay to acknowledge our strengths, if only to improve on them and become transformed into the image of Christ.

Nathaniel is a clear example. Jesus pronounced him a man “In whom there is no deceit!” (John 1:47). This was directly after meeting him! What a “first impression” that must have been to a man who questioned whether anyone from Galilee could be good.

Rather than hem and haw at the compliment, Nathaniel instead accepted it by asking how Jesus knew him. (John 1:48). After all, it would have been deceitful to deny the praise, thus calling Jesus a liar.

It didn’t make Nathaniel less humble to admit that truthfulness and honesty were among his strong qualities. He had obviously worked on his life and character to be pleasing to God, probably similar to the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-27.

The young ruler had kept all the commandments, and said so. Jesus did not contradict him, but asked him to do one thing that he had not done; nevertheless “Jesus felt a love for him” (v. 21).

Both of these men had healthy self-esteem.

“For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).

We are to think no more highly of ourselves, but certainly no more lowly of ourselves than we ought.  As Christians, we must not let the world tell us how imperfect we are. We already know that. As we become more and more like Christ, let us remain realistic about our progress.

by Christine (Tina) Berglund

The comfort of home

Aug30

It’s not much compared to most of our friends and family, but our humble little home and yard are more than just a shelter and a sanctuary from the cold, cruel world. The “Yard Boy” and I have sat outside on the patio or at the fire pit at night and breathed many a prayer of gratefulness for the pleasant comfort that our home brings.

Sitting underneath one’s own fig tree or grape vine is used to denote a time of peace and safety (1 Kings 4:25, Micah 4:4, Zechariah 3:10).

Yes; our back yard is complete with a fig tree, bearing a dozen or more scrumptious, fresh, ripe figs every day now for the past few weeks.

Imagine sitting under God’s own fig tree … or better yet, the Tree of Life that he placed in the garden of heaven!

The four walls of our homes contain our treasure; our families. No wonder it feels like the elusive but fictional “pot of gold” at the end of the rainbow. But there is something we treasure even more, a home for which we all yearn even if it is not a conscious feeling.

“Lord, I love the dwelling of Your house,
And the place where Your glory remains” (Psalm 26:8, NASB).

There is more to this than simple love for the church, I am sure. We long for heaven, and to truly dwell with the Father. This deep longing is akin to the love and connection we have with those of our earthly family, as God designed it that way.

As strife in the world and even in our own little circles keeps multiplying and encroaching on our peaceful comfort of home, we look to a day where our Father will do away with all such troubles, and we are at Home with Him.

“And He will judge between many peoples
And render decisions for mighty, distant nations.
Then they will beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation will not lift a sword against nation,
And never again will they train for war.

“Instead, each of them will sit under his vine
And under his fig tree,
With no one to make them afraid,
Because the mouth of the Lord of armies has spoken.

“Though all the peoples walk,
Each in the name of his god,
As for us, we will walk
In the name of the Lord our God forever and ever” (Micah 4:3-5).

by Christine (Tina) Berglund

Tell me the story of Jesus

Aug29

The new garden bench got a lot of use today. A young couple showed me photos of the new house they just moved into, and the plans they had to take the barren yard and fill it with flowers.

As about ten different people filtered in and out of the garden today, I heard stories of how the small redbud tree could grow along with a granddaughter, and it filled my heart with joy that the plants I sell will have a story.

I, too, shared some stories. This is the optimum time to transplant irises, the state flower in Tennessee and my personal favorite. My customers smiled as I reminisced about the “Lost Iris” and my quest to fill the void left by a simple garden accident.

Stories continued well into the evening, as an elderly couple sat and enjoyed the cooling shadows on that bench, and told me how a close brush with death led them to commit to their current life’s work in rehabilitation of drug addicts, I shared our story of a recovered addict in our family, and his tattoos that mark the years he has been clean and sober.

Good stories, all. It is important to slow down and tell the stories of struggles overcome, whether they are horticultural or spiritual.

When it gets right down to it, doesn’t our life really consist of sweet, sad, funny, horrific, and heartwarming stories? Whether they are told or not, the stories continue day by day, year by year, decade after decade. Some change us permanently, others just make life better or worse temporarily.

The story that has the greatest effect on your life is the one told in the gospels. Oh, whether you let it affect you now is irrelevant; it WILL change your eternity one way or another, whatever your reaction is in the here and now.

“Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11, NASB).

As my husband and I sat in church not too long ago, we sang, “Tell me the story of Jesus, write on my heart every word. Tell me the story most precious, sweetest that ever was heard.”

That story has “all the feels,” as they say. Joy, sadness, anger, grief, regret, contentedness, amazement and wonder, and deeper sacrificial love than we could ever wrap our minds around.

As we sang together, we glanced at one another as the stanza ended. A flicker of a smile always crosses our lips at that point in the song, because we expect a soft “ding” sound every time. You young people will not understand why.

This was the theme song for the “Jule Miller filmstrips” that were instrumental in bringing so many souls to Christ many decades ago. After learning the gospel through Mr. Miller’s wonderful work and through studying the Bible along with the five-lesson filmstrip series, we then went on to use this method ourselves in scores of home Bible studies, baptizing many.

The “ding” or musical tone we were waiting for was used in these filmstrips to let us know when to turn the knob to project the next image onto the screen or wall, and the first tone was at the title page as the song played from the vinyl record or cassette tape used to narrate.

“The Story of Jesus,” as the song calls the gospel, continued to be told and souls were saved.  Friendships were forged that will last through eternity.

Tell your stories. Tell THE story. “Sweetest that ever was heard!”

Christine (Tina) Berglund

GETTING ALONG TAKES WORK

Aug26

I once had a job in the office of an insurance/investment office. There were several agents that worked in the office, and each one had a secretary. I worked for the owner, and he had a personal assistant that also worked for him. He was a very demanding person and had a super-charged ego. One of his opinions, which he expressed often, was that women cannot get along.

When I turned in my notice to leave to take another position, my boss blamed his personal assistant. He said there must be some problem between us. That was not the case. The problem was the environment in which I was working.

My boss held the same position that many people believe; women cannot get along with one another. To some extent, that may be true. It certainly was true in the case of two women we read about in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. In chapter 4, Paul encourages Euodia and Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. He also asks that someone whom he calls ”his true companion” help them with their problems.

We are not told what the problem was, how long it had existed, or if it was eventually resolved. We are provided only with Paul’s beseeching request to them to learn to get along with one another.

We know that these women were faithful in their assistance to the apostle Paul, according to verse 3. We also learn that their names are written in the book of life. Their problem was some issue between them, and it was obviously affecting the church.

In chapter 1, Paul expressed to the church at Philippi that their manner of life should be worthy of the gospel. He said that he wanted to hear that they were standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, and that they were working side by side for the faith of the gospel. Getting along takes work.

There is nothing more important than unity, especially to those who look at Christians and at the church. If those outside the church see us as always arguing, backbiting, gossiping, and demeaning other Christians, why would they want to be a part of that?

This church was special to Paul. He is writing to them from prison, and we see his love for them in the first verses of chapter 1. He loved them so much that when he received word of the problem between these two women, he was compelled to send a type of reprimand to get them on the right path.

David said, Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” King David knew the necessity of getting along with others. Paul commanded unity to the Christians in Ephesus. They were to walk worthy of their calling, bearing with one another in love, being anxious to retain the unity of the Spirit.

Although we don’t know what the problem was that existed between these sisters in Christ, it was essential that they come to some agreement and stop hurting the church. The problem would not solve itself. They needed help, and they needed to work on the problem.

We should all listen to the words of Paul and get along with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Anything that is of value takes work.

Sandra Oliver

 

What’s a Whipple?

Aug25

The past three months have been a whirlwind of activity. A scan of my lungs at the ER revealed I had pneumonia and a small lesion on my pancreas. The doctors treated the pneumonia, while testing to decide the best course of action for the lesion. It was determined to be pre-cancerous and the only viable treatment was major surgery, the Whipple procedure. It is an operation to remove the head of the pancreas, part of the stomach, the first part of the small intestine (duodenum), the gallbladder and the bile duct. The remaining organs are reattached to allow you to digest food normally after surgery. The surgeon was kind, but frank. Some do not survive the surgery and others are left with problems they did not have before.

I was able to spend a couple of weeks building strength at home. Major surgery came next. It was a success. No cancer! I was in the ICU for two days, five days on a special floor, then transferred to a remarkable rehab facility. Kind, attentive staff and doctors at the hospital and rehab facility and a multiplicity of contacts from God’s loving people have taught me some important lessons:

  • Our loving Father answers prayer. I told the surgeon many  people were praying for him, confident I was not exaggerating. He said he and his sons prayed for me the night before surgery. There would be no way to count all the people who lifted my name up to the Father, thousands for sure, Christians and nonChristians, friends and strangers. James wrote, The prayers of righteous people avail much (5:16-18).
  • Kindness, smiles and laughter are precious gifts anyone can give. My caregivers greeted me with kindness. In fact, I observed them being kind even when other patients were rude to them. The wise man said, A joyful heart is good medicine (Proverbs 17:22 ESV).
  • A positive attitude plays an important role in the recovery process. The staff uses it to keep going on long days. God’s children will readily join them. Jesus instructed his followers not to worry about tomorrow, just deal with today (Matthew 6:34). Paul did not look back, but pressed toward the heavenly prize (Philippians 3:12-14).
  • My plans do not always come to pass. I was supposed to visit my mother twice while Gary went to preach in various places, but none of that happened. I should have remembered James’ words. He said our planning should include, if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that (James 4:13-17).
  • Be thankful for all things. Early detection is rare for people with pancreatic cancer. There are no symptoms until it is already stage three or four. So pneumonia was a blessing for me. After the surgery, I could not eat solid foods for five or six days. A few mouthfuls of chewable food bring joy to those who have only had liquids for days. Paul declared saints should not be anxious, but give thanks in all things (Philippians 4:6-7).

Finally, doors of opportunity present themselves in seemingly dire circumstances. A beaten and shackled Paul found a way to teach the Philippian jailor and his family (Acts 16:25-34). They were all baptized that very hour. Later, while Paul was under house arrest in Rome, he preached to Caesar’s elite. Christians were emboldened when they heard what he did (Acts 28:27-31). Today we must realize that aides, nurses and doctors all have souls. When I invited some, they said they planned to come. One therapist, who has no church home, plans to bring her children to our Vacation Bible School. I found some of the staff were eager to study if only someone would ask. Our neighbors, coworkers, and fellow students have souls. They need to be taught good news. They need to know God’s family as a warm, welcoming place for them.

Yes. I learned mighty lessons through an otherwise disturbing diagnosis! I hope you, too, will choose to see your dark moments as a learning experience, when the light of God’s word brings peace and hope and doors of opportunity are opened wide!

Today’s Verse:  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Audios available at http://christianwomanaudiodevotionals.abiblecommentary.com

By Teresa Hampton