No Telling About Dogs

I was off early this morning to work at Eight Days of Hope.  When I returned home, Ole Lou was looking bad. He was lying in front of the door, unable to move. His head was lolled over to one side, and it appeared he had had a "potty accident".  He ALWAYS greets me when I return, and he gave it a courageous effort. He managed to get up, but his left hind leg would not hold him up, and he promptly fell down. That leg was dragging and it appeared that he couldn't move it at all. A quick exam found that the bone appeared intact and there was no tenderness. 

Poor Ole Lou wouldn't eat, he couldn't walk, and he looked so awful that I called Ryan to tell him his dog was dying. There is no telling what Ryan thought at first. I was crying so hard at losing Lou that I could hardly get the story out. Finally, I said, "Whatever has happened is killing him. I'm gonna give him a bit, but I wanted to let you know I'm probably going to have to put him down." 

Bill the Magnificent came down to help me with Ole Lou. As we were trying to decide what to do and how to move such a big dog, Lou looked up at us, seemed to sense he was in serious trouble, and stood up. Much to my surprise the left hind leg was moving and held him without difficulty. I was speechless.  

Lou hurried out of our way. Bill the Magnificent looked at the departing Ole Lou, and said, "Well, I reckon he got kicked by a horse. That'll make you feel like dyin'."  That comment was just as surprising as Lou's departure. 

At that point, Ole Lou was up and mobile, and I had no idea what was wrong with him, nor what to do. Just in case he really had been kicked by a horse (???), I gave him some aspirin and waited. When I was sure the returned mobility was likely to remain, I called Ryan and gave him the news. He was as startled as I, and asked, "Mama , aren't you a doctor? I thought you could tell about dead people." "Yes, I can," I assured him, "but apparently there's no telling about dogs. It's like he got resurected." 

As I've checked on my surprisingly near-resurrected dog this afternoon, I've thought that the resurrected Jesus must have been even more surprising and baffling. People must have been shaking their heads in confusion and amazement for generations to come. We've lost some of that wonder after so many years, and we treat the resurrection of Jesus as if it was as routine as waking up in the morning. It was not. It was the most astounding thing that has ever happened, and it is the event that gives meaning to the cross. Without the empty tomb, the cross would be just another sad death. To pay the penalty for our sins, Christ had to have victory over sin and death. The resurrection did just that. 

Selah. Pause and consider the miracle of our resurrected Lord. 

We serve a risen Savior.  

He is risen, indeed, and that is cause for rejoicing!  

Distraction at the Door (Luke 8:20-21)

And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. And it was reported to Him, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You." But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it." (Luke 8:20-21 NASB) 

And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." (Luke 1:28 NASB)

Our focus verse is from the passage in which Mary and her sons were outside, wanting Jesus to come out and see them. We pick up the story, however, at the point where Mary was first introduced. As a young girl, the angel Gabriel had appeared to Mary and greeted her with the word that she was favored and blessed by God, as well as the news that she had been chosen to be the mother of the Son of God. In the midst of this divine encounter, it is easy to forget that, although her Son would be fully human and fully divine, Mary was simply and only fully human. Just like us. 

Considering the difficult situation in which she found herself, Mary must have longed for a bit of her Son's divinity, but it was not to be. This young girl faced the most difficult task any young girl would ever face, and there was no divinity within her with which to accomplish it. Mary could not rely on herself. She was totally at the mercy of God, and totally dependent upon the grace of God, and they were sufficient. 

How, then, did she end up at the door instead of inside?  Life. Life happened. We don't know all the twists and turns her heart had taken, but more than thirty years after her meeting with the angel Gabriel, perhaps some of the glow had faded, or maybe she simply wasn't sure what to do. 

One thing is very clear from this passage. The welcome and the joy were with Jesus inside the room, not outside at the door. She was no less related to Jesus outside, but her relationship with Him suffered from the lack of proximity. The close companionship of mother and much-loved Son suffered from the distance. 

The question for us is not how she happened to be at the door, but whether we might also find some distance between us and our Lord. Are we as close to Him as we once were? Are we enjoying that loving, comfortable relationship we once had?  Perhaps we, too, find ourselves hanging back, looking in on what Jesus is doing, rather than joining in the midst of the action. 

It is important to note that Mary was welcome inside, but for companionship and relationship to be renewed, Mary was the one who needed to change location. We cannot forget that it is Jesus who is God and we who are not. It is not our place to command The Holy One, nor direct His steps. It is our job to direct our steps wherever He leads, and that requires the closeness of proximity. 

Is God at work around you?  Are you close to the action or looking in from outside?  If we want to restore the joy of our salvation and our peace with God, it is not our Lord who will need to change. It is us. Me and you. 

Today, pray that we and our loved ones will make whatever change is needed to restore the relationship we once enjoyed with our Lord. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/07/friday-night-with-friends-lost-and.html

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Our terrorist prayer focus this week is Ibrahim al Asiri, one of the most creative and dangerous bomb makers in the world. He is sworn to destruction of believers in general and the US specifically. Pray that his terrorist efforts would be thwarted, that a miraculous conversion would occur, and that his fervor for the cause of Christ would exceed his fervor for destruction.

Friday Night With Friends: Lost and Found by Mrs. Sarah Haggard

I met Mrs. Haggard at my cousin's 50th wedding anniversary.  Although my cousins were the focus of the event, Mrs. Haggard (or Aunt Sarah, as everyone called her) was quite a treat.  She told wonderfully funny stories (like the time her preacher husband mistook her for a prostitute, which I could not convince her to write.  Yet) and was gracious and kind to everyone there.  I begged her for a guest blog, and much to my surprise, I received a beautifully handwritten letter (complete with envelope and stamp!) with her guest post. You will enjoy this delightful lady's offering!
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The challenges of a nonagenarian's life, for me, are not creeping wrinkles or a shrinking body, but losing objects, such as teeth and hearing aids.  These items are not only costly, but also essential to your health!  Such challenges have become opportunities for our Awesome Holy Spirit to miraculously expose the lost and found!

Recent examples are:
- After desperately searching high and low, I ended up finding my lost teeth, wrapped in a napkin, and inadvertently thrown into the waste basket.
- My hearing aid was mysteriously lost in my bedroom.  After days of meticulous searches, I told the Lord my ear and hearing aid belonged to Him, only He knew where it was, and only He could find it!

Days later, I went to the bookcase to get an address book.  As I took it off the shelf, something fell to the floor.  My hearing aid!!  I thought I was seeing a vision!! I have no clue how it got into the bookcase!! I lost no time in giving thanks and praise to our God with Whom nothing is impossible.

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Aunt Sarah signed her guest blog:
Sarah Haggard
12-21-20

Distraction at the door (Luke 8:20-21)

And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. And it was reported to Him, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You." But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it." (Luke 8:20-21 NASB) 

Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household." (Mark 6:4 NASB)

In this passage, we see an interesting vignette concerning the family dynamic between Jesus and his mother and brothers. We will remember, of course, the miraculous events surrounding Jesus's birth. According to Scripture, Mary "treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart." Mary must have been overwhelmed by the inexplicable changes that began with the appearance of an angel foretelling her pregnancy, through her engagement, marriage, the birth of her son in Bethlehem, the flight to Egypt, and finally the move to Nazareth. 

Mary had a bewildering series of events coupled with a steady supply of difficulty and loss. After a while, the exciting times around the birth of her son likely faded in the harsh reality of surviving in Roman-occupied Israel. Added to the stress of everyday life, Mary had more children. With no clear idea of how future events would unfold, what was she to tell her other children about Jesus? 

It must have seemed as if things were finally settling down when Jesus became a man and followed in his father Joseph's footsteps as a carpenter. With a steady income, he could provide for his mother as a firstborn son would be expected to provide. 

After a lifetime of difficulty and challenge, things would have just begun to ease up a bit  Imagine, then, how Mary must have felt when Jesus began to teach and preach. Traveling around preaching was no way to keep a growing business growing.  It was no way to provide for his aging mother, but Mary had already demonstrated the ability to be still and wait on God. 

From the words in this passage, it appears that His family had not embraced the idea of Jesus as Messiah. At least not yet. We know for certain that they were not in the crowd of followers with Jesus. What we don't know is why not. We don't know why they wanted Jesus to leave the crowd. Commentators think they were again calling Him to slow down and rest, but Scripture doesn't say for sure. 

It's easy to be critical about Mary and her sons, (and this is in no way intended to be critical of the mother of our Lord), but they had an unprecedented situation, and discerning the appropriate response could not have been easy. The point is that it was completely understandable if Jesus's family was uncertain about how to respond to His ministry.  We, however, do know how those first century events unfolded and discerning the appropriate response to Jesus is not so difficult.   

How do we respond to Jesus? Are we part of the closely-following disciples or outside the crowd, but not really a disciple?  Are we most interested in our own agenda and needs, or the work of Christ? 

Today, pray that we would be a part of the disciples around Jesus rather than the distraction outside the door. 

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Link to last night 's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/07/castles-in-sand.html

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Our terrorist prayer focus this week is Ibrahim al Asiri, one of the most creative and dangerous bomb makers in the world. He is sworn to destruction of believers in general and the US specifically. Pray that his terrorist efforts would be thwarted, that a miraculous conversion would occur, and that his fervor for the cause of Christ would exceed his fervor for destruction.

Castles in the Sand

My son, Ryan, and I had played in the surf until we were both exhausted.  We settled down on the beach to recuperate and build a sand castle.  Ryan designed it and directed the building.  I was his willing assistant.  It was a wonderful castle, with a huge moat, a drawbridge, a tower, and a layer of seashells covering it all.  There was a gigantic retaining wall surrounding the complex, made also of sand.

The other children on the beach came to see it, then left to copy his design for their own sand castles.  Digging into the sand to deepen the moat, we found "slush"... shifting sand.

The magnificent structure was gone the next morning - washed away by the surf.  The castles of the children who had copied Ryan's were gone, too.  

When children watch us build sand castles on the beach and emulate us, they end up with the same results we do... a structure that will never stand against the pounding surf.  When they watch us build our lives on shifting sand, rather than solid rock, and emulate us, they end up (as we do) with nothing short of tragedy... a life that will never withstand the storms to come.

There are so many little ones who watch us - often unnoticed - as we go about our daily activities and routines.  Let's be very sure that what they see are lives in which every area is anchored on the Solid Rock rather than on shifting sand.

For your meditation:  Matthew 7:24-27
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This article was first published in Physician, July-August 2001

Parable of the Lamp, part 10:

So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him." (Luke 8:18 NASB)

"For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. (Matthew 25:29 NASB)

The focus verse is again from the Parable of the Lamp as found in Luke and the companion verse from the Parable of the Talents in Matthew. They both deal with the subject of stewardship, and now we come to the part of the verse most of us would rather avoid. 

"and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him"

This is a difficult verse, but it was spoken by Christ Himself on more than one occasion, indicating it's importance, and we do well to take heed. The Greek echō is the word translated as both "have" and "has". The sense here is of possessing something in our hand, of holding or wearing it. The word translated as "thinks" is dokeō, and conveys the idea of supposing a thing to be true or assuming it. The word translated as "taken away" is airō, and means to remove. It is used in Matthew to indicate the ripping away of a piece of unshrunk cloth used to patch an old fabric. When it is washed, the patch shrinks and tears away. 

What does all this mean? Dear ones, hear this clearly. It is an important word we must not misunderstand. 

There are those of us in the church who think we have what we do not. Because we have been "raised in the church" or spent quite a bit of time attending services, perhaps even giving tithes and doing good deeds, we have a tendency to think we are "in", just as many of the Pharisees did. What we need to understand is that attending church no more makes us a disciple of Christ than swimming in the ocean makes us a dolphin. Proximity does not confer position, and church membership does not convey discipleship. 

It is obedience because of love for Christ that makes us a disciple, and it is not a "pick and choose" obedience. When we receive teaching from our Lord, we are accountable to obey it. The good news is we have a Lord who loves us and whose plans for us are for good and not evil. Obedience is freeing and absolutely worth the effort. 

For those who rely on proximity rather than relationship, assuming that the form of religion they have practiced will suffice when they enter eternity, there is hard, painful news. Jesus promises that one day our suppositions will be stripped away and we will see ourselves as God sees us. 

Selah. Pause and consider. 

That is so important that it bears repeating. 

Jesus promises that one day our suppositions will be stripped away and we will see ourselves as God sees us. 

We do well to ask God to reveal our hearts now. Is what we are relying on for eternity merely a form of religion, or do we have an authentic relationship with Jesus? Our eternal destination depends upon the answer to that one question. 

Today, pray that we and our loved ones will  evaluate our relationship with Christ, allow God to strip away that which is based on presumption, and move us to the relationship Jesus died to give. 

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Link to last night's post is here: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/07/covered-in-blood.html

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Our terrorist prayer focus this week is Ibrahim al Asiri, one of the most creative and dangerous bomb makers in the world. He is sworn to destruction of believers in general and the US specifically. Pray that his terrorist efforts would be thwarted, that a miraculous conversion would occur, and that his fervor for the cause of Christ would exceed his fervor for destruction.

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You can receive daily emails of the blog posts by signing up on the web version. Don't forget to click on the confirmation email that will come after you sign up.

Covered in the Blood

She had taken a most ungraceful tumble at home, landing in a very unladylike position with her legs folded under her in such a way that she could not get herself up.  A lovely and very graceful woman, her composure was miffed a bit more when she realized she had a freely bleeding wound on her head, and it was quickly making a terrible mess.  As she struggled to get up, the question of what to do about the inability to get up and who to call lost importance beside the question of what to do about her clothing.  To put it delicately, she was lacking a bit. 

She decided in no uncertain terms that she was not calling her daughter.  At last, her husband came in from outside and decided in no uncertain terms that he was calling 911. When they arrived, the wound was cleansed and somehow she managed to convince everyone that it was safe for her to stay at home.

As she told me about her little adventure, we talked about the clothing difficulty and the arrival of the rescue team.  Secretly, I was thinking I would have been mortified.  With the sweetest expression you can imagine, she smiled, waved her hand, and said, "Oh, that was okay.  I was covered in all the blood."  We laughed a bit at that, but I can't help remembering how being "covered in the blood" somehow made her appearance less troublesome, less embarrassing.

One day, we will all stand before the Judgment seat of God, and it will be a much more difficult place than lying on the floor before an ambulance crew.  We will be unrobed of our pretense, our pride, and our arrogance, and we will be seen exactly as we are, unrobed in a sense by the exposure of our sin and our shame.  Mortifying will not begin to describe the experience before Almighty God.  

The only way to survive the Judgment is to be covered in the blood of Jesus.  Scripture tells us that death is what we deserve because of our sin, but we can survive the experience of judgment before God because of the blood of Jesus, who has purchased and freely given us the gift of eternal life.  We don't deserve it.  We can't earn it.  We can't even purchase it. We simply have to be covered by the blood of Jesus, which settles every score and soothes every wound.

Parable of the Lamp, part 9:

So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him." (Luke 8:18 NASB)

"For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. (Matthew 25:29 NASB)

Our focus verse from Luke is part of the Parable of the Lamp. The companion verse from Matthew is from the Parable of the Talents. These words are included more than once in Scripture because they are important and the repetition serves as confirmation. Jesus really means this, and we would do well to listen and live accordingly. In fact, Jesus has told us that very thing. "Take care how you listen."  

The principle here is one of stewardship. The one who handles that which is entrusted to him will be entrusted with more. The one who does not handle that which is entrusted to him (or her) will not only not get more, but what they do have will be taken away. 

If you have an employee who cannot be trusted to do what they are told, you either decrease their responsibilities or fire them. You certainly do not give them more responsibilities. This is not a hard concept to understand, but we do not like it when it is coming from God. What we prefer is for Him to give generously and indefinitely, without an accounting of our stewardship. We may prefer that, but Jesus is very clear that we should not expect that, because we are not going to receive it. Accountability is a part of the life of a disciple, and it is not optional. 

In general, the passages on stewardship deal with "things".  In this passage, we see that accountability extends to the truth of God, as well. What we do with what God gives us from His Word is subject to scrutiny, as well as what we do with the material resources He has entrusted to us. 

Now that we have the principle of accountability established, let's look at the good news. "For whoever has, to him more shall be given;" We can take great encouragement from this verse. If we embrace the truth we learn from the Words of Jesus and live accordingly, more truth will be revealed. This "living accordingly" means that we allow God to change us. Hearing the truth without allowing it to change us is not optional if we want to receive more. When we do "live accordingly", however, we will learn more, live more righteously, and grow closer to our Lord. The intimacy with Christ will be worth the effort needed to manage (or steward) what He has given us. 

We do well to pause here and ask ourselves, "Where are we in this parable? Where am I?" Are we allowing the word of God to change us on a regular basis? Are we more like Jesus today than we were yesterday? 

Pray today that we and our loved ones will have the heart of a steward, willing to allow God's word to so infuse our lives that the flavor of Christ is present in every thought, every word, every action. 

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Link to last night's post is here: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/07/eight-days-of-hope-part-3.html

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Our terrorist prayer focus this week is Ibrahim al Asiri, one of the most creative and dangerous bomb makers in the world. He is sworn to destruction of believers in general and the US specifically. Pray that his terrorist efforts would be thwarted, that a miraculous conversion would occur, and that his fervor for the cause of Christ would exceed his fervor for destruction.

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You can receive daily emails of the blog posts by signing up on the web version. Don't forget to click on the confirmation email that will come after you sign up.

Eight Days of Hope, part 3:

I'd like to introduce you to David. He is a pastor in our area, and was part of the Eight Days of Hope construction team repairing a deck at the site where I worked on Saturday. I first met him when I nearly ran him down with a wheelbarrow full of wet dirt. It was way too full for my prissy self, and I had next to no control. He was standing on the ground a few millimeters from my path as I headed to the hole I was to fill, and my wheel hit a depression in the ground. There was a terrible lurch and I barely avoided hitting him. It was not my favorite way to meet someone, but he was gracious. After that, I headed down the path, emitting "beep, beeps " as I went, hoping to avoid a collision. 

It was typical-summer-warm and the heat index was climbing. He kept right on working, drinking water non-stop. Pretty soon, a member of his team returned with a long blue rectangle. It was a tent canopy. I was surprised he'd thought to bring it, but grateful for the extra shade it afforded. 

At lunch, we sat under his canopy and visited. It turned out the tent canopy was a necessity, not a luxury. David had survived two previous heat strokes. He was not taking a chance on a third, so he had come prepared with all he needed to avoid another illness. 

I was frankly surprised. He saw a need that he could meet, and he did what it took to meet that need, while still being a good steward of the body God has given him. There was nothing about "I can't" in his vocabulary, but neither was he careless about the precious gift of health. He knows he has limits, respects them, and works within them. 

Don't get me wrong. He wasn't focused on his health. In typical nosy doctor style, I pressed until I had the history. What he was focused on was Jesus. You should see his eyes light up when he talks about Jesus coming back!  He is passionate about the Word of God, and it was a joy to meet this brother in Christ. 

I frequently see people who struggle to balance what needs to be done for their health with what they want and need to do for other responsibilities. I often hear them say, "Oh, I couldn't do what you said because..." Probably you and I have done the same thing. We could all take a lesson from David. He wanted to serve, and he did, without drama, without fanfare, and with limited risk. He was not just a good servant, he was a good steward. 

The next time you struggle about balance, don't just do what you can. Do what you should, as well. 

Be a servant and a steward. 

Parable of the Lamp: Part 8: Careful Listening

So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him." (Luke 8:18 NASB)

"Take care how you listen."  On first reading that, it sounds like "Pay Attention!" but there is more to it than that. The word translated as "take care" is blepō. This same word was used in an earlier verse to describe those who "see" the light. We learned in part four that "the word translated as "see" is blepō, and is used to mean both physical sight and mental understanding. Seeing the light of the lamp (the work of God in our lives) can help others to understand with their heart what it is they are to do with their own light. The same word is sometimes used to describe understanding obtained through experience."

In this verse blepō is used to describe our own evaluation of our listening. It seems that Jesus is saying, "Take a good look at how well you listen to My Words. Are you hearing with your heart? Is your hearing making a difference in your living?" If we add blepō to our listening, then we should consistently and regularly evaluate our listening to be certain we are understanding and applying what we hear. Listening to the words of Christ should make a difference in our lives. They should pierce our hearts with conviction and bring change to our behavior. Listening should bring living that is more Christlike and more effective as a witness. 

blepō your own listening. How did the Word of God change you today? This week? What have you learned from your listening and studying? How have you changed? Are you a more effective servant of God because of how you listened? 

Today, pray that we and our loved ones would blepō our listening and make whatever changes are needed to hear and understand with our hearts and allow  whatever adjustment is needed to make us more like Christ. 

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In obedience to the command of Christ to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, please continue praying for Ibrahim al Asiri, who is a brilliant and creative bomb maker for Al Qaeda, and works with the man who has sworn to destroy the cross and those who bear it. 

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Link to last night's post is here: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/07/radical-obedience-ibrahim-al-asiri.html

Radical Obedience: Ibrahim al Asiri

But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:44-45 

NASB)

In obedience to the command of Christ to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, we are taking one terrorist a week and praying for them. I recognize it seems a shocking and outrageous thing to do. Frankly, I would prefer to write a cute Maggie story. Regardless, these people have sworn to destroy us and they are our enemies. Loving them begins with prayer, just as Jesus said. Loving the terrorists does not mean we trust them nor that we invite them in with their bombs. Loving them, in my opinion (which may or may not count for much) involves praying for them to come to Christ. Once they come to Christ, more will be involved, but for now, praying is a good start.  Think of it as radical obedience. 

The terrorist of the week last week was Nasir al Wuhayshi. He is the head of Al Qaeda in The Arabian Penninsula (AQAP) and stated in a recent meeting of Al Qaeda leadership (seen in a video posted on YouTube) these terrifying words. "We must destroy the cross. The bearer of the cross is America."  This man has sworn to destroy the way of the Cross and those who bear it. We need to be praying for a Damascus road conversion (such as the apostle Paul had) and that his efforts would be thwarted. 

The terrorist of the week this week is Ibrahim al Asiri. This young man is likely the greatest bomb maker in the world. He is brilliant, dangerous, and extremely creative. He is a part of AQAP. That's right. The most dangerous bomb maker in the world works with and for the man who has sworn to destroy us. 

To illustrate how dangerous he is, we need look no further than the death of his brother.  Al Asiri recruited his own brother to be a suicide bomber, equipped him with a sophisticated bomb in his rectum, and sent him in to the Saudi security chief Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. He posed as a repentant militant wishing to surrender. When the rectal bomb exploded, the Prince suffered minor injuries but the bomber brother was killed. 

There are numerous other bomb stories that are equally horrifying. What you need to understand is that the sophistication of the bombs has steadily increased, as has the difficulty in detecting them. Even more alarming is that he is training apprentices. Although he cannot pass his brilliant creativity to them, he can and is passing along his vast knowledge of destruction. 

There have been reports of his injury and/or death several times, but none have been confirmed. Even if he has died, his apprentices have been taught by the master bomb maker and they are busy at their work. 

I am asking you to join me in praying for God to move, for al Asiri's conversion, and that every secret plan will be revealed, every bomb discovered, and all the planned destruction will be prevented. 

Friends, as an act of desperate self-preservation, we need to pray for this man. As an act of radical obedience we must pray for him. 

Parable of the Lamp, Part 7: Revealing Secrets

For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. (Luke 8:17 NASB)

Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. (1 Corinthians 3:12-13 NASB)

As we have seen over the last few days, this parable and the one before it have dealt with how we receive and handle the Word of God. In the previous post, we saw that what we have hidden in our hearts will become evident in times of trial and persecution, and that our faith will sustain us when we most need it. 

Today, we look at something that may be painful. If faith and the Word of God are what we have stored in our hearts, then that is what will become apparent in times of difficulty. If faith and the Word of God are not what we have stored in our hearts (or not all that is there), that will also become apparent. 

The first verse above tells us clearly that there is "nothing secret that will not be known and come to light."  The word translated as "secret" is apokryphos and comes from a root word meaning "to hide" or "to keep secret". Most, if not all, of us have things in our hearts we would prefer to keep hidden. If not blatant rebellion and sin, then there are almost certainly attitudes that are displeasing to our Lord (which, by the way, are also sin). For example, the fruit of a judgmental and critical spirit can be more damaging than you can imagine. 

Regardless of what "secret sin" we are hiding, Jesus said that one day all would be revealed. 1 Corinthians tells us that all our works will be tried by fire. That built with gold, silver, and precious stones (symbolizing purity and value) will remain. Those built with hay, wood, and stubble (symbolizing impurity and impermanence) will be evident, because they will not remain after the trial by fire.

Dear ones, it is past time for the disciples of Christ to prepare our hearts in such a way that what we are hiding there will be pleasing to God. Jesus told us that we would have trouble in this world, and we will. It is likely that we will see more trouble than we have already, and regardless of what form that takes, we need to be prepared in advance. When hard times come, whatever the form, we should desire that only that which is good and acceptable to God will be brought forth. The only way that can happen is if we have prepared our hearts in advance. 

You may well ask, like the apostle Paul, "Who shall deliver me?" The answer is simple. Jesus Christ. The how of that is also simple. 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 NASB)

We do not have to store things in our heart that are displeasing to God. We do not have to continue in secret sin, be it active action or passive attitudes. To make that change to a purified heart, we do have to confess that sin and allow not just forgiveness but also cleansing. The crux of the matter is summed up in two words. Will we?  Will we allow the cleansing we so desperately need?  The hard truth is that, if not, one day we will wish we had. 

Today, dear ones, today is the day to allow God to search our hearts and remove that which is displeasing to Him. Today is the day to allow Him to fill us with that which is pure and lovely to Him. Today. Don't wait. 

Pray that we and our loved ones will be willing to allow God to make the changes in us that are so desperately needed. 

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Link to last night's post : http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/07/eight-days-of-hope-part-2.html

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In obedience to the command of Christ to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, please continue praying for Nasir al Wuhayshi, who has sworn to destroy the cross and those who bear it. 

Eight Days of Hope, part 2

Veronica and Mitchell are here in Tupelo for their first-ever Eight Days of Hope. They live in Louisiana, and traveled here to work for several days helping repair homes and hearts. It was my treat to meet them on the first morning as we were preparing to get our assignments. 

They lost a son a while back and were surrounded by the tender, loving ministrations of friends and family. Eyes glistening with blinked-back tears, Veronica said they had been thinking about a way to "give back" in response to the kindness of others demonstrated when their son died. One day, her husband heard an announcement about Eight Days of Hope on Christian radio. 8DOH would be working in Tupelo, where a tornado had caused tremendous destruction. When Veronica realized that the tornado occurred on April 28th, their son's birthday, she knew they were supposed to participate. 

In a way, their giving is in memory of their son, but it is just as much in honor of those who helped so much during their own personal time of heartbreak. Now, this sweet couple is reaching out to others in their time of difficulty.  

Much to my surprise, they were working on the same property where my little group was hauling dirt yesterday. As I watched them building a carport in the blazing Mississippi sunshine, I thought, "That's what healed looks like."  They have reached past their grief to focus on the blessings received in the midst of that grief, and they are giving from the rich store God has given them. 

There's something we need to learn from this sweet couple. They could have chosen to allow their grief to consume them. Instead, they have mourned their son, yet still reached out to others in a way that will make a difference for years to come. They have begun to understand the truth of Isaiah 61:3 in an intensely personal way. 

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. (Isaiah 61:3 KJV)

In the dark nights of our own souls, we need to remember that what God has planned for those who mourn is beauty, joy, praise, and a reputation for righteousness. When you look at Veronica and Mitchell, that's exactly what you see. 

Parable of the Lamp, part 6:

"Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. (Luke 8:16-17 NASB)

These two verses speak of the evidence of our faith and the fire in our hearts. You may remember that the Parable of the Sower spoke of how we receive the Word of God. The Parable of the Lamp speaks of what we do with what God has kindled within us. The imagery is of "the flame He fastened to the lamp which He created and which is fueled by His Spirit".  (LFL7/12/14) 

We now come to verse 17. "Nothing is hidden that will not become evident." The previous thirteen verses specifically addressed the Word of God and the Spirit of God planted in our hearts, as does this verse. Jesus made one thing very clear. What is in our hearts WILL be revealed. 

Taking the ideal, let us assume first that the Word of God has been embraced and planted in our hearts, that it has grown like a luxuriant plant, and that we have become more like Jesus than we were at the beginning. With our assuming, let us consider that the fire of God glows brightly in our hearts. The outcome, Jesus said, is that what we have planted there will be revealed. 

The word translated as "evident" is phaneros, and is sometimes translated as "apparent", "disclosed", or "come to light". It is also used as "tell".  In times of difficulty or outright persecution, our response will reveal the God in us. What has been "hidden" or stored in our hearts will become apparent for all to see. Our behavior will "tell" or give testimony to the validity of our faith.  

The disciples to whom Jesus was speaking would soon face tremendous persecution for their faith. These words must have been a great comfort to them. When their times of trial came, they need not fear. The faith they already had would sustain them and bear testimony to their Lord. 

Do we have that kind of faith? Have we planted the Word of God in our hearts in such a way that we will be sustained in times of great difficulty? In times of frustrating circumstances, does our response consistently reveal the heart and Spirit of God within us?

Pray today that we will so steward the Spirit of God that, in every circumstance, He will be evident in us. Pray, too, that those closest to us will be able to clearly see Jesus in us. 

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Don't forget to pray for Nasir al Wuhayshi, terrorist of the week. Pray that he will embrace the cross instead of attempting to destroy it. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/07/eight-days-of-hope-part-1.html