Category: Character

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Good Seeds Good Soil

In years past this is the time I start thinking about what I will be planting in my garden. This year there will be no garden. There’s no place to put one in at the RV park.

Although I won’t be planting a physical garden with tomatoes, onions, peppers, cilantro and the like, I am expecting another kind of harvest.

The primary step to ensure a successful garden is the preparation of the soil. One place we lived had horrible soil. It was rocky and the base was a sticky clay. I had to break up the ground, remove the stones and then add multiple bags of good soil into my garden bed. It was hard to get a good harvest.

“Plow your fields, scatter seeds of justice, and harvest faithfulness. Worship me, the Lord,
and I will send my saving power down like rain.” Hosea 10: 12 CEV

The hard ground of our hearts needs to be broken up too; the stones of bitterness, selfishness, jealousy and anger need to be removed. Good, fertile soil needs to be brought in.

“Jesus told them: If you don’t understand this story, you won’t understand any others. 14 What the farmer is spreading is really the message about the kingdom. 15 The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message. But Satan soon comes and snatches it away from them. 16 The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it right away. 17 But they don’t have any roots, and they don’t last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.

18 The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. 19 But they start worrying about the needs of this life. They are fooled by the desire to get rich and to have all kinds of other things. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything. 20 The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and welcome the message. They produce thirty or sixty or even a hundred times as much as was planted.” Mark 14:13-20 CEV

There are four kinds of ground in this story that Jesus is telling – the hard soil of the road, the rocky ground, the ground with weeds and the good ground. The same seed is being spread on all the ground, it’s the message of God’s kingdom.

Hard-heartedness, lack of being rooted, anxiety and worry kept the seed from growing in each of the first three soils. The good ground is those who hear God’s message and take it to heart. These are tender hearted and the seed takes root and produces a good harvest.

I’m taking inventory – preparing my heart. Have I allowed the ground to get hard? Are there stones that need to be removed, perhaps it’s time to weed out the thorns of distraction and worry?

I want the seed of God’s word to be in a constant state of production. “Lord, I desire to have a heart of good soil that creates an environment for the good seed of Your word to grow”.

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Generosity Is God’s Gift

I have to admit that I struggled with generosity for quite some time. Not that I was selfish, I just didn’t think that the “little” I had could make a difference in someone else’s life. And then I realized that giving is a gift to the one giving as well as the one receiving.

Generosity and trust go hand in hand.

Some people are stingy and miserly because they are afraid they won’t have enough for themselves. Others react that way because they feel everything they have is a result of “their” own hard work and so they have no desire to share.

But a truly generous person realizes that everything they have is a blessing from the Lord and that they can trust God to provide ALL their needs. When the Lord instructs us to give He provides!

I was really challenged by the story of Elijah and the widow woman of Zarepath this morning. Oh, I’ve read it many times – many times but this morning I was challenged.

“There was no rain, so after a while the stream became dry… 9 “Go to Zarephath in Sidon and stay there. There is a widow there that I commanded to take care of you…Elijah said to her, “Would you bring me a small cup of water to drink?” 11 As she was going to get the water, Elijah said, “Bring me a piece of bread too, please.”

12 The woman answered, “I promise you, before the Lord your God, that I have nothing but a handful of flour in a jar and a little bit of olive oil in a jug. I came here to gather a few pieces of wood for a fire to cook our last meal. My son and I will eat it and then die from hunger.”

13 Elijah said to the woman, “Don’t worry. Go home and cook your food as you said. But first make a small piece of bread from the flour that you have and bring it to me. Then cook some for yourself and your son. 14 The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘That jar of flour will never be empty and the jug will always have oil in it. This will continue until the day the Lord sends rain to the land.’”

15 So the woman went home and did what Elijah told her to do. And Elijah, the woman, and her son had enough food for a long time. 16 The jar of flour and the jug of oil were never empty. This happened just as the Lord said through Elijah.”
I Kings 17:7-16 ERV

Here we have a widowed woman in a town who is down to her very last morsel of food. And she is presented with a life and death challenge. This preacher walks into town and requests some bread.

She has a choice – obey God and feed the prophet or make her bread, feed her son and starve. I’m sure she struggled a bit in making her decision. Maybe her struggle came when the Lord first spoke to her or maybe it was when she was confronted by the prophet. A mother who has already seen her husband die and now she knows the life of her son is in danger – her instinct is to protect her child.

She chooses to obey God! Struggle over – victory comes.

What are you struggling with today? Has the Lord asked you to be a blessing to someone – maybe even a stranger? Be obedient, follow the Lord’s instruction, His provision is always enough!

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A New Wardrobe

Living in the RV with limited closet space, I’ve had to rethink my clothing choices. I have never been up on the latest fashions nor am I one with a need for a variety of shoes. I thought I would be fine sharing the one closet with Dave but it has been a challenge.

A couple of long sleeve shirts, my jeans, a few t-shirts. No dresses, well, one. Jackets in a little side closet and shoes on the floor of the closet but it’s far from neat and tidy. I have to rework the space in the next few weeks. Something needs to be done.

I am fascinated by those ads that boast “these 12 essentials are all you need for a fashionable Spring/Summer or Fall/Winter wardrobe”. Twelve pieces. I could do that!

This morning I went to the expert on what to wear. No, not Dave – although he is very good in helping me pick out what looks good, I went to the Apostle Paul. He has the inside scoop on a line of fashion from the Holy Spirit. These items are a must have for anyone. Wearing this line will make anyone look good!

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:12-17 NLT

There you have it! Everything we need for this year’s fashion – tenderness, mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love, peace and thankfulness. Ten pieces that we can mix and match to be perfectly dressed for any occasion.

Time to go through our closets and throw out those old, ill-fitting garments of bitterness, anger, jealousy, unforgiveness, lying and a mean spirit.

“But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” Colossians 3:8-10 NLT

It’s the perfect time to clean out the closet – get rid of the old and bring in the new!

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Everything’s New

I don’t know what the weather is like where you are, but our desert is getting a cleansing shower. It started midday yesterday and continued off and on through the night. About 4 this morning it increased in strength and seems to be setting in for a while.

I love the smell of the desert after a good rain. It doesn’t take long for the wild grasses and flowers to pop up and cover the desert floor with new life.

What a great example of God’s love! He showers us and we grow and blossom!

“Each of you is now a new person. You are becoming more and more like your Creator, and you will understand him better. 11 It doesn’t matter if you are a Greek or a Jew, or if you are circumcised or not. You may even be a barbarian or a Scythian, and you may be a slave or a free person. Yet Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

12 God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. 13 Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. 14 Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together.

15 Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful. 16 Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17 Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him.” Colossians 3:10-17 CEV

These verses tell us God’s love is the same for all of us. It doesn’t matter what our nationality or social standing are, nor does it matter if we are enslaved or free; His love reaches out to make all of us new.

We are to let God’s love flow through us; we are to be kind, gentle, patient and forgiving. Whatever we say or do should represent the love that Christ has placed within us.

Just like the desert blossoms come to life after the rain, our lives should reflect the beauty of God’s love.

He makes everything new!

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Light Up the Night

I remember my grandmother had a Christmas table decoration when I was a small child. It had four small candles and when they were lit the heat from the candles would cause the mobile to turn and the angels would strike a bell causing it to ring.

I would be fascinated for what seemed like hours just watching it.

This morning, as that memory came back, it was also accompanied with some words of Scripture.

“But you are his chosen people, the King’s priests. You are a holy nation, people who belong to God. He chose you to tell about the wonderful things he has done. He brought you out of the darkness of sin into his wonderful light. 10 In the past you were not a special people, but now you are God’s people. Once you had not received mercy, but now God has given you his mercy.” I Peter 2:9-10 ERV

The message of Christmas, Christ is born, is a message of hope and light. Through Christ we are brought into a right relationship with God, the Father. Our relationship with Him is one of mercy, grace and love. We no longer have to live in the darkness of our own futile efforts, we are given His light. After all, He is the light of the world.

Have you ever been to a candle light service where all the lights are off and then one person lights a candle and then they light the candle of the person next to them and so it goes until everyone in the church has a lighted candle and the room is fully illuminated? It’s a memorable experience to say the least.

That’s how we are to be in our world, our sphere of influence – we are to bring in the light, the light of God’s love.

“The sun will no longer be your light during the day. The light from the moon will no longer be your light at night. The Lord will be your light forever. Your God will be your glory.” Isaiah 60:19 ERV

The Lord is our light that shines forever!

When there’s no light we stumble in the darkness. I have stubbed my toe numerous times getting out of bed in a strange place with no light to guide me. The same holds true in our spiritual lives. That’s why God tells us that His word will be a light for our path.

“Your word is like a lamp that guides my steps, a light that shows the path I should take.” Psalm 119:105 ERV

God has chosen to let His light shine through us. He chose us to share His love and goodness with the world. Let’s go out and light up the night!

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Bah Humbug!

We’re only a few days into the Christmas season and I have noticed that some people are already behaving like they’ve lost their Christmas spirit.

It seems sad to me when there is so much to be thankful for; so much joy to share; so much love to experience. It’s not the “grinch” or “Scrooge” that are trying to steal the peace and joy that Christmas brings, plain and simple, it’s the enemy.

“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” John 10:10 AMPC

I can understand how they get that way, but I also see it as an opportunity to share that treasure of light which God has placed within us. These people need an extra hug, a bigger smile, a kind word and an outpouring of love.

“I say this because all of God lives in Christ fully, even in his life on earth. 10 And because you belong to Christ you are complete, having everything you need. Christ is ruler over every other power and authority.” Colossians 2:9-10 ERV

But maybe, just maybe, it’s not the clerk in the store or the other shoppers that has already begun to feel stressed and grumpy. Could it be that it’s the face looking back at you from your bathroom mirror? What do we do when that’s where we find the problem?

“God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, 23 gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways.” Galatians 5:22-23 CEV

Our lives should be a basket of good things. Sharing with others what Christ has done. If we find there is anything unkind or unloving about our attitudes, we need to purge it. One translation for the verse above say these qualities are the fruit of the Spirit, the Spirit of Christ and the true Spirit of Christmas.

“But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35 CEV

Let’s make it our goal to squelch, defeat and destroy the bah humbug and let the true spirit of Christmas, the love of Christ, be evident in all we do!

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What We Do for Love

This morning I’m starting my day without coffee…the coffee maker works fine and I’m not turning over a new leaf with no caffeine. But, our six-year-old grandson is sleeping on the couch and he’s a light sleeper and startles easily…so no coffee because the coffee maker would wake him.

It’s what we do for love.

We make sacrifices. You know the kind – giving up the last piece of pie so someone else can enjoy it. You skip the Hallmark movie so they can watch sports or a travel show. They give us their coat because we said we wouldn’t need one and now we’re cold…I’m sure you have your own list of little and big sacrifices that you make for the people you love.

It’s what we do because we love.

I’m so glad that Jesus was willing to sacrifice because of His love for us. Yes, the sacrifice of giving His love for ours is almost inconceivable but look at the hundreds of other little things He did.

First, He left heaven – get that, heaven. He came to earth where things are dirty and messy. He left a perfect relationship with the Father to be surrounded by some fishermen and tax collectors who were always in competition as to who was Jesus’ favorite. He dealt with constant ridicule and scrutiny. People were always coming to “get” something from Him and not to just be His friend. Why?

It’s what He did because of love.

“…If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others. 27 And if you want to be first, you must be the slave of the rest. 28 The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people.” Matthew 20:26-28 CEV

Because of love, Jesus came with forgiveness and compassion. He went without sleep and missed meals; he brought healing, peace, release from guilt and expected nothing in return. He gave it all…it’s what we do when we love!

“ God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.” John 3:16 CEV

That’s what He did for love. Now, what do we do in return?

“ We love because God loved us first. ” I John 4:19 CEV

“We should be grateful that we were given a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And in this kingdom we please God by worshiping him and by showing him great honor and respect.” Hebrews 12:28 CEV

We love Him and we show Him our gratitude with our honor and respect.

It’s what we do for love! It’s what we do to be like Him!

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Good Deeds

After I shared yesterday’s blog on Fall Harvest, I found these words in a little New Testament book, Titus. It gives us a different look on why we should be willing to share our harvest.

“They must always be ready to do something helpful 2 and not say cruel things or argue. They should be gentle and kind to everyone. 3 We used to be stupid, disobedient, and foolish, as well as slaves of all sorts of desires and pleasures. We were evil and jealous. Everyone hated us, and we hated everyone.

4 God our Savior showed us how good and kind he is. 5 He saved us because of his mercy,
and not because of any good things that we have done. God washed us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gave us new birth and a fresh beginning. 6 God sent Jesus Christ our Savior
to give us his Spirit. 7 Jesus treated us much better than we deserve. He made us acceptable to God and gave us the hope of eternal life.

8 This message is certainly true. These teachings are useful and helpful for everyone. I want you to insist that the people follow them, so that all who have faith in God will be sure to do good deeds.9 But don’t have anything to do with stupid arguments about ancestors. And stay away from disagreements and quarrels about the Law of Moses. Such arguments are useless and senseless.” Titus 3:1b-9 CEV

I’m making these verses part of my daily Bible reading for a while. I know when the Lord impresses me so much with a Scripture it’s something I’m supposed to dwell on.

Dwell, I love that word! Dwell means to live in, encamp there, permanent residence. These verses will be my dwelling place.

This translation says “be ready to do something helpful” and another translation says “be ready to do good deeds”. That same phrase is used in verse eight of this translation – good deeds.

Always ready – why?

Go back and read those verses again, please. Because of God’s kindness and mercy we have been saved, given a fresh beginning, treated better than we deserve! For this reason, because of what the Lord has done for us, we should show the same kindness and compassion to others.

Be thankful for what the Lord has done for you and “be ready” to do good deeds!

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No Time?

As you know I missed yesterday morning’s blog – no quiet time.

If you’ve ever done much camping you know that most, if not all, campgrounds have quiet time. It’s generally from 10 pm to 6 am; while at the racetrack camping with 10,000+ of our non-closest friends, quiet time was from midnight to 6 am. But it was a not so quiet quiet time.

Yesterday morning, trucks were backing up to their trailers at 4 am and some a bit earlier. Motorhomes were pulling out even before that, quiet time was disrupted and things got busy in a hurry. Kim and Austin were up and out the door by 5 am and Dave and I started in right away getting things wiped down and stowed away for the trip home.

I didn’t make any time for quiet…yes, I admit it. My favorite time of the day passed me. It was invaded by a cluster of activity and noise. No time.

I didn’t even take time to write down three things I was grateful for although my heart was filled with gratitude for the events of the weekend and spending time with family and making new friends. This morning I’m back in my favorite place – I’m in my rocking chair, with my cup of coffee, my computer and my Bible in my lap. My heart is filled with praise.

Quiet time should never be an obligation that we check off our daily “to-do” list. It is an intimate time of day when we close off every distraction and focus on spending time with the Father. If we miss a day do we feel God loves us less? I’ve had those thoughts.

However, I have learned over the years that the Father understands my circumstances and my human tendencies to jump right into the day without spending time with Him. I have also learned that when I do start my day with my Father it goes much smoother because I’ve prepared my heart to focus on His blessings and instruction.

I found these words which were spoken by King David shortly before he died. He was giving instruction to his son, Solomon.

“‘”Our Mighty Rock, the God of Jacob, told me, ‘A ruler who obeys God and does right
4 is like the sunrise on a cloudless day, or like rain that sparkles on the grass.’ 5 I have ruled this way, and God will never break his promise to me. God’s promise is complete and unchanging; he will always help me and give me what I hope for.”‘” II Samuel 23:3-5 CEV

Isn’t that interesting? The Lord compares our actions, those who do right, to the beauty of a sunrise or the refreshing of rain on the meadow. He reminds us that His promises are complete and unchanging – He is always with us to help.

Each morning we all have a sunrise. Each morning that sunrise should remind us that God has promised to be faithful to His word and in turn, faithful in His actions towards us. That is what fills my heart with gratitude and joy!

No time?

Let the words of an old chorus be a reminder to us all – “In the morning when I rise, in the morning when I rise, in the morning when I rise Give me Jesus”!

Let’s make time.

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Never Quit

Once we begin to exercise our praise muscle we find it gets stronger and stronger – just like our biceps or any other muscle we develop. It takes repetition and increased resistance to develop and build a strong attitude of gratitude.

“Always be filled with joy in the Lord. I will say it again. Be filled with joy.

5 Let everyone see that you are gentle and kind. The Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. 7 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.

8 Brothers and sisters, continue to think about what is good and worthy of praise. Think about what is true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected.” Philippians 4:4-8 ERV

Notice the words emphasized?

Developing joy and a grateful heart isn’t a mindless exercise. No, it takes concentrated effort. And it isn’t a fatalistic approach to life or “whatever happens, happens”. It’s a concerted effort of placing our trust, our complete trust, in the Lord in every situation and letting Him show us how He will bring us through in peace.

The key is to “think about what is good and worthy of praise”. As a young David faced a blaspheming giant, who was intent on killing him, he wasn’t thanking God for the giant. He was thanking God for His faithfulness because the Lord had already helped him kill a lion and a bear so he knew that God would give him the strength he needed to kill the giant.

He was thinking on things that were praise worthy and good!

This morning, thank God for the sunrise. Thank Him that you didn’t bed down on the cold ground last night. Thank Him for the warm coffee in your cup. Giving thanks for little things exercises your praise muscle. Multiple repetitions with small things builds you muscle.

Then you will be able to be thankful for things that get weightier – things like co-workers who are aggravating, Jesus definitely knew about being harassed by jealous co-workers. Or a lingering health issue, instead of worrying or complaining be thankful that you know the Great Physician and that He knows exactly what your body needs and He will give wisdom to your medical doctors.

Always be filled with joy because the Father has promised to never abandon you or leave you alone in any circumstance.

Never stop praising the Lord!

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