Untoasted Frozen Bread and the Unrepentant Heart

My breakfast isn't often an elaborate affair. Usually, I have overnight oatmeal or some variety of quick bread with peanut butter. This morning, I looked in the refrigerator and realized I hadn't prepped a thing. 

In desperation, I opened the freezer for a loaf of bread to make toast. I found the bread wrapper with the tail-end piece of the loaf, a mere sliver of bread.

It wasn't much of a breakfast, but I stuck it in the toaster and poured a cup of coffee, took a sip or two, then reached to get my toast. It was still frozen. I'd put it in the toaster, but had failed to turn the toaster on.

As I waited for the bread to toast (once it was actually on) I pondered whether or not I could find a lesson in that frozen bread...

It seems to me that we have a tendency to be more like the frozen bread than we realize. When we're "in Christ," but without power, we're about as attractive to the world as my icy bread. We're brittle and easily broken. 

It's only when the power flows that we're thawed, warmed, and attractive, but we don't achieve that by pushing down a button. Power, for the Christian, comes when we are so connected to our Lord that nothing comes between us.

If our eternal destiny is sealed when we accept Christ, what can come between us? Unconfessed sin. 

1 John 1:9 tells us that, if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness . 

Sin + confession = forgiveness + right relationship with God

The problem is not on the forgiving side of this equation. The problem is on the confession side. Either we want to justify our actions and insist that what we did wasn't sin OR we want to keep our actions and continue our sin. Both of those choices yield unconfessed sin that can have an impact on our relationship with Christ for years to come.

Let's take a look at our hearts today. Are we, as disciples, as appetizing as frozen bread or are we are as warm and inviting as a rich, toasty slice of homemade bread? Which will bring people to Jesus? 

What sin needs to go in order to "turn the power on?"

Friends, we live in a dark and lonely world. People long for significant connection to others and to our God. We can help, but only if God's power flows through us. Let's live in such a way that we're a conduit of our Lord's grace, mercy, and love.

"Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, 'I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.' And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone." Psalm 32:5 NLT
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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: When We Want Proof but We Need Faith 

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The Laundry Chute Pile-Up

You might think, from the photo, that I'm writing about riding a camel. Sorry. I'm not. I used the camel picture because I was ashamed to put a photo up of today's topic.

Dirty laundry.

When I got home from church yesterday, I intended to change into something soft and comfy. To my surprise, there were no clean jeans in my closet. No leggings in the drawer. No sweatshirts. No socks. On and on.

I had a crisis of dirty laundry. On a Sunday.

I never do laundry on Sunday because I want to honor the Sabbath, and because I need the rest. Yesterday, however, I didn't have an ox in the ditch, but I did have a laundry chute that was shockingly full, and an empty sock drawer.

When I change clothes, I dump the soiled ones down the chute that goes from one of the upstairs bedrooms directly into a bin in the laundry room. It's behind a closed door, so I have to be intentional about checking it. 

I hate to admit this, but, when I opened the door yesterday, the laundry was nearly head high. That's not as big a pile as it seems, because its a very small chute, but it was still a lot of dirty clothes.

I loaded the washer with essentials.

I tell this because I sometimes treat sin this way. Let it pile up, instead of dealing with it right away. Before I realize it, I've accumulated a minor mountain of sin and it impacts my relationship with Christ. We probably all do this.

Instead, we're intended to keep short accounts with the Lord. Confess. Repent. Receive cleansing. It's a continuous process that keeps our hearts clean and allows communication to flow between us and our Heavenly Father.

Today, let's check our sin-chute. Have we allowed a pile-up to accumulate? Let's deal with it now, and start this week fresh. 

Confess. Repent. Receive cleansing. 

"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

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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's blog: The Presentation of Splendor.

For those who have had a hard time downloading the James study to their phones, I've divided it into separate blog posts, and you can access it that way. Links are embedded. You won't need the BLB app, but you will need the electronic copy to have the links, even if you print it. Go to Lessons in Discipleship
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Maggie the Wonder Dog: Confession

I am Maggie the Wonder Dog. In case you don't know, I am an eleven pound Shih Tzu. I live on a farm and my job is, of course, to be a wonder, doing many things that no one would expect me to do. Like dancing in a circle, sneaking like a spy, and herding cows.  Yep!  I can do it all.  Well, I can do it almost all.  This business of having a baby sister... Now that's one thing I just can't quite do.  Ok.  I don't seem to be able to do it at all.

My mama told me confession is good for the soul and that I should confess what I have done.  I don't really want to do that confessing stuff.  Do you know what I mean?  Really, I got in enough trouble already.  I don't much want to worry about my soul, too!  Anyway, if it helps me get out of trouble, I'm all for it, so here goes.

You probably know that my mama went to run errands one day.  When she goes to run errands, she always brings me back a treat.  Usually, the treat is jerky.  I LOVE jerky!  On this terrible day, my mama brought me something that she called a surprise.  It was a surprise all right! It was a furry THING that kinda looked like a guinea pig at first.  It squeaked a lot and would pooh in the floor.  I did not like it one little bit.  My mama kept saying it was my adopted baby sister, but I could not believe it.

Finally, my friend Lou told me to sniff the coming-out part, I did, and found out it really was a dog. It's not much of a dog, though.  It is bigger than it used to be, and it looks just like a gremlin now.  You would not believe how pesty this Gremlin-dog is!  She just about drives me crazy.  She has learned about sniffing the coming-out part, and she wants to sniff constantly.  Really, once should be enough! She hops a lot, too.  I don't know why she doesn't walk, but she really likes hopping.  Hey, maybe she's really a bunny!  I like bunnies!  Well, she can't be a bunny, because I don't like her at all, and I would if she were a bunny.  Oh well.  All this hopping is a problem, because she wants to hop on me, too!  Boing! Boing! Boing!  Hopping all the time! 

Friday night, I was sharing Lou's food, just like I always do, and Mamie was trying to sneak some. Maybe she thought she was sneaking like a spy, but we could all see her.  I am the only one around here who sneaks like a spy!  Anyway, I barked at her and she would not quit.  That food bowl was not big enough for Lou and me and the Gremlin-dog, too.  I barked again and started to growl just a little.  She would not quit.  My mama says that is how puppies are, but I say they should learn.  Finally, I had barked and growled, and she wouldn't quit, so I started growling for real.  I was so frustrated that I chased her off the porch and pinned her down.  I was sick to death of her!  OK, I was growling and trying to bite her. My mama came flying in between us and grabbed her up, and a kinda bad thing happened.  I really, really didn't mean to do this, but I accidentally bit my mama.  Well, it was just a little bite, but it was still bad.  I confess it was not a nice thing to do.  My mama thought I was trying to kill my baby sister. I didn't really have killing on my mind, but I did have MAD and SICK TO DEATH on my mind!

 I tried to say I was sorry, but my mama wasn't interested in sorry.  She said, "Maggie.  I have had enough.  You may think you are the Alpha around here, but you are not.  I am the boss.  You are not, and you are going to have to do things my way."  She wasn't smiling when she said that.  Then she said something terrible.  She said, "Maggie, you are not acting like a Wonder Dog at all.  There are about to be some changes around here and you are going to find out who is boss."  My mama makes me sit on a pillow on the floor instead of in her lap and I have to sleep in the kitchen now.  She says I was too spoiled.  I like being spoiled.  I do not like sleeping in the kitchen, not one little bit.

This has not worked out like I expected at all. I thought I might run that dumb Gremlin-dog off, but it looks like I'm the one that's losing.  That dog is here to stay.  Her name is Mamie. That 's what my mama said I should say. She says she's tired of my not-nice names for Mamie.  OK.  Mamie.  Mamie. Mamie.  So there!

I confess it.  Mama said I had to confess and I am.  I haven't been nice to Mamie. I haven't liked Mamie.  In fact, I've been mean to Mamie.  The crazy thing, though, is that I'm the one that has lost out.  Being mean has only hurt me.  My mama is really big on this loving your enemies and being kind when you don't feel like it business.  She says that you don't get blessings for being mean.  You get blessings for loving and being kind.  I didn't believe her, but it looks like she was right. Again.

Mamie seems like an enemy to me, and it sure has been hard to be nice to her, but I'm trying.  Mama is making me.  The funny thing is that it's easier to be nice today than it was yesterday.  Mama says it will be even easier tomorrow.  You know, what else?  My mama has helped me a lot.  When Mamie is being pesty, she moves her quick before I get really angry.  She says that's what God does for her. When she doesn't want to do right, He helps her do it anyway!  That's a pretty good deal she has with God, don't you think? It's why she's helping me, and I'm really glad she is!

Well, Wonder Dogs have to give a Wonder Dog Lesson of the Day, and here's mine:

 There are no blessings for being mean.    

It's better to do things God's way.

If you need help, God will give it.  

Just ask Him. He's really nice that way.

The end.  By Maggie the Wonder Dog.
Sister of Mamie the Apprentice Wonder Puppy.
I can't believe I just wrote that!  Oh well...

Confessing Jesus before Men: The I AM's

"And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. (Luke 12:8-9 NASB)

These two verses seem pretty simple, but there is a depth to them that is remarkable. The word translated as "confess" is a compound word from two words that mean "same" and "speaks". When we "confess" Christ before men, we say the same things about Him that He says about Himself. 

To enable us to speak accurately about Him, we have to know what Jesus said, and that requires that we study Scripture and know Who He is. John, in his gospel, records repeated "I am" phrases with which Jesus tells us about Himself. 

Bread of Life: Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst." John 6:35 NASB

Light of the world: " Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." John 8:12 NASB

Door: "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." John 10:9 NASB

Good Shepherd: "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." John 10:11 NASB

Resurrection and the Life: "I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me will live even if he dies..." John 11:25 NASB

Way, Truth, and Life: "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." John 14:25 NASB

Vine: "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me, you can do nothing." John 15:5 NASB

Over the next few days, we will look at all of these "I am's," but for today, let's do an overview. Read through each one of these verses. Look them up in the gospel of John and get to know the passages. Get to know Jesus in greater depth. 

In the midst of a troubled world where one crisis follows another, one act of unspeakable cruelty leaves us reeling before we've recovered from the one before, Jesus is still the same. He is still the only bread of life that satisfies the craving we have. He is still the only way to God. He is still the only vine that can make us fruitful. He is still I am.

In this world, we will have trouble, but take heart, for HE has overcome the world. (John 16:33)

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Our Father, help me to know You more so that I can confess to the world who You are, telling others with my words and showing them with my life. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Spiritual Detached Retina

"No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness. If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays." (Luke 11:33-36 NASB)

In order to understand the concept of "clear eye", we are taking a detour through a few eye diseases and making spiritual applications. We have previously considered Macular Degeneration and Glaucoma. You can click on the links to see those. Today, we are exploring Detached Retina.

The retina is the light-sensitive lining inside the eye that sends information through the optic nerve to the brain, allowing us to see. When the retina is detached, tearing away from its proper position, it can cause permanent loss of vision. The symptoms are an increase in floaters or light flashes or the appearance of a "curtain" over the field of vision. If treated immediately, usually with laser surgery or cryopexy (freezing), 90% of retinal detachments can be repaired, although recovery of vision can vary. A retinal detachment is a medical emergency and complaints of vision loss, floaters, or light flashes should trigger an immediate search for treatment. 

In a similar way. we as believers can become "detached" from the body of Christ for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you, like me, have had some experience in this. I've found that my propensity for detachment occurs in one of two ways, and is much like being a prodigal. 

I'm not proud of this, but on occasion, I've been physically detached from the body of Christ. In that instance, I've avoided attending church services and, at times, avoided "church people" (other believers). Most often, my detachment has been as a result of my own sin. It was easier to stay home than risk being confronted by truth and conviction. That, of course, was not my stated reason for staying away. At times I claimed a busy schedule and other times I claimed dissatisfaction with the church. I simply didn't attend.

Sometimes, though, I've been in-place but disconnected, much like the stay-at-home prodigal. My body has attended all the usual services, but my heart has been as disconnected from the people in my church, and from my Lord, as if I had stayed at home. This has been because of my own sin, as well. I hate to admit this, but usually it is because of my pride and critical judgmental spirit. You may have a different set of sins, but the result can be the same. 

When I get on my "haughty high horse", I can easily think that my failure to sense God's presence is because the people at my church are somehow at fault. How foolish that attitude is! My relationship with God is not dependent upon the faithfulness of other people, but upon my own faithfulness. God is omnipresent. He is everywhere all the time. If I don't "sense" Him, it is not because He is absent.

Every time, my failure to connect with the body of Christ has eventually affected my spiritual vision and my walk with Christ. The only treatment is to repent and reconnect.

Only our God is without sin. His believers are far from perfect and it's why we need a Savior. That's why there is a place for me in the body of Christ. That's why there is a place for you. We, too, are imperfect people, in need of a perfect Savior. 

Have we become detached from the body of Christ? Are we "detached in-place"? Allowed to persist, that detachment will affect our spiritual vision and our relationship with our Lord. Let's spend a few minutes today evaluating our own relationship with the Lord, including to His church. If there is evidence of detachment, let's treat it like the spiritual emergency it is and do what it takes to correct it. Treatment begins with repentance and reconnection, so don't wait. The body of Christ is dependent upon every part. Let's get in our place and do our part.

For the body is not one member, but many... But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."... Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. (1 Corinthians 12:14, 20-21, 27 NASB)

The sign of the prodigal

As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, "This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. (Luke 11:29-30 NASB)

{I'm taking a little detour today because I found something important on the way from here to where I intended to go. We'll come back to this soon.}

To understand the sign of Jonah for the Ninevites, we need to understand the story of Jonah. (This is the Leanna paraphrase of his story) He was an ordinary man who was grumpy with God, openly rebellious, and had a judgmental, condemning spirit. He was a lot like us. (okay, me) Nineveh was sin city, wicked through and through. God spoke to Jonah. "I want you to go to Nineveh and cry against it, because the people are wicked through and through."  

This next part shouldn't surprise me, but it does, even though I've done the same thing before. I can speak with experience on Jonah's action. He didn't tell anyone God had called him to Nineveh. He didn't seek wise counsel on this move. He didn't discuss it with God or argue with him. Jonah said, "I'm not doing that," and he took a ship in the opposite direction. He headed as far away from Nineveh as he could go. 

Jonah became a prodigal. 

Jonah 1:3 makes me shake my head at his foolishness. Jonah knew when he bought his fare to Tarshish that he was trying to flee "from the presence of the Lord." Surely he knew that God was omnipotent and that he would never escape His presence. Regardless, he made a good try at escaping God. If you've ever tried to run from God's pursuit, you know how well that worked. It didn't work at all.

God didn't take well to Jonah's antics. "The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea." I have the mental image of a major league pitcher winding up, leaning back, and hurling a fast ball at the batter as hard as he can throw. God hurled the wind and whipped up a storm. 

The sailors, who were professional sailors and not usually terrified out of their minds at a storm, were terrified out of their minds at this storm. They knew it was extraordinary and that they were about to die. First, they cried out to their gods to save them. When their gods didn't help, they started throwing the cargo overboard to lighten the load. 

Finally, someone noticed that Jonah was missing. The captain found him, asleep in the hold, peacefully thinking that he was escaping from God. The captain couldn't believe it. "We're about to drown and you're sleeping? Get up and ask your God to save us. No one else's god has been any help at all." I can imagine that Jonah thought, "No way am I talking to God about this." When you are a rebellious prodigal, the last thing you want to do is talk to God about anything, even if you might save your life in the process. (Being a prodigal is a foolish thing on many levels.) 

The sailors decided to find out who was to blame for the calamity. They cast lots and Jonah got the blame. This frightened the sailors because Jonah had already told them he was fleeing from God. These pagan sailors thought, "This man is running from his God and his rebellion is about to cost us our lives." They were right. 

What we never seem to realize is that our time in the "far country" as a prodigal affects more than just ourselves. When we choose to go our own way, to seek our own pleasure, there is fallout. People are endangered by our rebellion and wounded by our choices. Those wounds can be far reaching and long lasting. They don't just go away because we wish it. Saying I'm sorry doesn't make wounds evaporate. It might be easier if it did.

If we haven't had a time as a prodigal, we've probably been the older brother. You remember him. He was a stay-at-home prodigal. Openly obedient, he was inwardly rebellious and angry. Even when we are not actively rebelling against God, we can have those prodigal moments when we think, "No. I'm not doing that, God. I'm not making a spectacle of myself. I'm not forgiving him. I'm not serving her. I'm not..." Those prodigal moments, if allowed to continue, can have devastating results, as Jonah can attest.

For today, let's stop here and consider our bent towards being a prodigal. We've all done it, and some of us have more fallout from out choices than others. Let's ask God to show us the consequences of our decisions and actions in the lives of those we love. 

There's mercy and grace available for all of this, but sometimes we need to "own" our choice and it's result so that God can bring healing. It's what Jonah did. The sailors said, "Jonah, this is your fault," and Jonah said, "Yes. It is." What God did with that confession is truly remarkable. Today, let's do some "Yes, it is" of our own. Confess our own failings and ask God to do something truly remarkable with our failure. Jonah's story changed with that admission and ours will, too. 

The recognition, part 2: what do you say?

And He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God." (Luke 9:20 NASB)

In this passage, Jesus was near Caesarea Philippi, where He had gone to pray. The twelve had accompanied Him and He had asked them what people said about Him. Then, He asked them a simple but profound question. "Who do you say that I am?"  Only Peter answered. He was frequently the spokesman for the group, and he answered rightly with clear insight into Jesus. The odd thing is that only Peter answered. What about Philip, who described Jesus to Nathanael as "the one of whom Moses and the prophets wrote"? (John 1:45) What about James and John, who, with Peter, were part of the inner circle? Why didn't they say anything? 

Peter did well when he confessed that Jesus is the Christ, Son of the Living God, (Matt 16:16) but why did no one else make a confession that day? Perhaps they all silently concurred with Peter, quietly nodding their agreement, but it seems unexpected that only Peter made a verbal confession. 

We must decide for ourselves the answer to the question of "Who is Jesus?" but we also have to confess Him for ourselves. No one can speak for us, not our parents, our pastor, or our dearest friends. We must speak for ourselves, and confess our faith in Jesus for ourselves. Why? Why can't we just nod along in agreement? Our Lord was very clear on this matter. "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 10:32 NASB) The confession of Jesus on our behalf in eternity begins with our confession of Him now, so it is important for us to know what we believe in order to speak it. 

What is it that you believe about Jesus? How quick are you to speak that faith? If we believe that Jesus is the Lamb of God sent to take away the sin of the world, why do we not tell all who will listen?  A perishing world is desperate for faith and hope, and we know the One they need. Friends, let's share Jesus with them. 

Speak up. 

Speak out. 

Say what you believe. 

No one can do it but you.