Maggie Speaks Out: Wanting Eye Drops

The ever-amazing Maggie the Wonder Dog is guest blogging again today. In case you haven't met her, she's a six-year old Shih Tzu who can dance like a ballerina, sneak like a spy, and herd cows like a border collie. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sometimes sisters are so dumb. 

My sister, Mamie the Apprentice Wonder Puppy, might know something about how my eye got hurt. Or she might not. (My mama made me write that, because she says I don't know for sure.) Anyway, whether she knows or not, how she's acted about my eye has been just plain dumb.

My eye was scraped bad and it hurt a lot, too. I had to have eye salve and snuggles and to be still in the dark. Mamie didn't care about the eye salve or the being still, but she didn't like me getting all those snuggles. She wanted snuggles for a hurt eye, too. 

Mamie would jump up on my mama and snuggle, too. I didn't mind. Our pack snuggles together a lot. I did mind it when Mamie wanted to sit on top of my hurt eye and snuggle. That was not nice.

When I got my new eye glasses, Mamie wanted some, too. Mama let her try them on. Unfortunately, they were too big, and Mamie decided I could have them all to myself. I was hoping she's snatch them away like she snatched my little yellow duck. No such luck.

After Dr. Black gave me those eye drops, Mamie got unhappy. Mama and I got home and Mamie said, "Where have you two been and why didn't you take me?" 

"We went to see Dr. Black to get my eye checked, Mamie. You wouldn't have liked it."

"Yes, I would have. I like to go for rides. I like Dr. Black. He's cute."

"Mamie, Dr. Black rolled a Q-tip on my eyeball to see if it was dead. You wouldn't have like it."

She had to think about that. She knew about Q-tips because she got one out of the garbage and ate it. She got in trouble with Mama when she did it, too. "That doesn't sound good, Maggie, but I wanted a ride." She stuck out her lower lip and pouted. 

My mama does not like pouting. "Mamie, pouting does not look good on young ladies."

"I am not a young lady. I'm a apprentice wonder puppy and if you would hurry up and teach me some new tricks I could be a wonder dog, too. Just like Maggie."

It was not a good idea to get sassy with Mama. "Mamie, if you would learn the tricks I've taught you, instead of bouncing like Tigger, you would get some new ones."

Just when I thought Mamie was done for because she was getting so sassy, Mama said, "It's time for eye drops." 

Mamie clearly did not know about eye drops because she started jumping up and down and running in circles. "Eye drops! Eye drops!" 

Mama snuggled me in her lap, gave me a kiss, and put two drops of antibiotics in my hurt eye. They do not feel good and I don't like eye drops. Eye salve feels better, but if I am still, Mama will give me a kiss when she's done.

After I got my stinging eye drops and my kiss, I hopped down, hoping never to have eye drops again. Mamie, though, was still chanting, "Eye drops! Eye drops!" 

"Silly puppy. You don't want eye drops."

Mamie did. "Maggie has eye drops and I want them, too." When Mama wouldn't give her eye drops, Mamie started barking and wouldn't quit. Finally, Mama said, "Okay, silly puppy. I will get you some eye drops." (She didn't give her the medicine ones. She had some artificial tears drops in the medicine box.)

She snuggled Mamie, gave her a kiss, and dropped the eye drops in Mamie's eye. She was so happy. She ran around and around. "Eye drops. Eye drops. I have eye drops, too." 

I shook my head. Mamie is so dumb sometimes.

My mama says people are like that sometimes, too. They want more, more, more. If they see someone else with something (like Mamie and my eye drops) they want that, too. 

Here's what's so silly. When people get into this more, more, more mode, they buy stuff they don't need. They waste the money God gave them instead of using their money for helping others, like he told us to do.

Jesus does not like this "more" stuff. He thinks it's dumb. At His house, they use gold for gravel in the streets, but when He came to help us out down here, He had to walk on plain old dirt. He didn't care. Jesus just did what had to be done and didn't whine about it.

Here's what He said: "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." (Luke 12:15 nasb)

We're supposed to be content. That means to be happy with whatever God has given you and not whine about wanting more. 

My mama said I'm taking too long and to get to the point, so here's the Wonder Dog Lesson of the Day.

Be content.

If Jesus didn't give you eye drops, don't bark until you get some. 

If you're not a dog, don't just buy, buy, buy. Be happy with what you have and don't always want more. Life is not about having more stuff. Help others instead. 

The end. By Maggie the Wonder Dog.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In case you missed any of the past week's posts, here are the links: Maggie: Forgiving and Forgetting, Maggie: Being Light, The Grateful Heart: Predawn Stillness, The Grateful Heart: Orchestration of God, The Grateful Heart: Avoiding Distraction, and Maggie: Eye Protection.

The most read posts of the past week: (for the first time ever there's a tie) Maggie:Forgiving and Forgetting and Maggie: Being Light.

Here's the link to The Clay Papers, (a collection of stories about pottery class and becoming what the potter intends) available as an e-book for personal use or to send as a gift for only 99 cents. 

Here's the link for The Road to Bethlehem: An Advent Prayer and Devotional Guide, available on Amazon for 99 cents e-book. Paperback $6.00 (Also available to send as an e-gift)
#greed #disciple #JesusChrist #MaggietheWonderDog #eyedrops

Where is your treasure?

"Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also." Luke 12:33-34 NASB)

These verses are a continuation of the lily passage. It seems at first glance that Jesus has changed subjects here, but on closer examination, this is a continuation of the previous teaching. The topic began when someone in the crowd asked Jesus to intervene in a matter of inheritance. Jesus responded with a warning against greed. "Not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." (Luke 12:15 NASB)

My life is not about my stuff.

Don't worry about your things, Jesus told His disciples. Don't worry about food or drink or clothes. Seek God and He will handle everything else. 

We come now to the question of possessions. Matthew Henry interprets this passage as an admonition to "sit loose to this world." Jesus recommended that we get rid of our excess of possessions and give the money to those who have little. Instead of focusing on owning things, our focus should be on treasure that lasts for eternity. 

If my life is not about my stuff, why do I spend so much time and care on my things? We all have 24 hours in a day, 365 days in a year. Over the course of my life, I will spend considerable time caring for my things. Silver has to be polished. Clothes need to be washed, dried, ironed, stored. Tools and toys need consistent maintenance, as do vehicles. There's always something that need attention.

The care of stuff can take over my life, but I don't want my life to be about my possessions. I want to live a life filled with God and His ways, His people, not things. When stuff rules, that which matters most can easily get left out. There's a choice that must be made. 

In a culture of affluence, we see relative wealth everywhere we look. It is not so in most of the world. The things we so desperately "need" are not as essential as we think. If we want our life to be filled with God, it cannot also be filled with things. 

How much of my day is spent on things? How much on God? How much on the people in my life? That division of time will tell much about my priorities.

Jesus calls us to take a careful look at our possessions. Do we have more than we need? Are things taking up more time than is reasonable? Call a halt to the tyranny of stuff. Get rid of the excess. Use it to make a difference in the world around you. 

Our lives were never intended to be consumed by stuff. When we die, every one of the things we have so carefully treasured will be left behind. 

Today, let's take a careful look at our possessions. What do we need? What is excessive? What can we do without? Make a choice, then make a change.

Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also... Where is your heart?

~~~~~~

Our Father, who lives and reigns forever in heaven, help me to take my eyes off this world and plant them on eternity. Help me to let go of my hold on things and cling to You, to store treasure in heaven. In Jesus' name Amen

Guarding Against Greed

Someone in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." But He said to him, "Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?" Then He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." (Luke 12:13-15 NASB)

I have a notebook of verses that are my favorite and that have spoken to me at different times in my life. The last verse is one of those. "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" is my favorite translation of Luke 12:15. (Alas, I didn't note the translation but I think it's the TLB paraphrase) 

In this culture of affluence and entitlement, we can easily be swept into the current of covetousness. Don't be. Jesus gives not one warning against greed but two. Beware. Be on your guard against every form of greed. The repeated warning is a confirmation of His intent. Jesus is serious about our need to be intentional in avoiding greed.

The word translated as "beware" is horaō and can also be translated "to see". In this instance, the two admonitions indicate that we are to examine ourselves to prevent every form of greed. We are to be intentional about avoiding greed and the desire to accumulate things.

I look around me and am stunned by the amount of "stuff" I have accumulated over the years. There's a considerable number of items in my house that had no particular meaning for me at the time they were purchased. They serve no purpose other than decorative. I'm not sure now why I bought them, but they have become a symbol of the foolish ways I've used the money God has entrusted to me.

Therein is the problem. The money we have (much of which I have used to purchase "stuff") was entrusted to us by God. He had a purpose in giving it to us and an intended use for every cent of it. 

When I look at my income in that way, I'm shocked by how I've managed my money. If the widow who gave her mite, her last cent to God, is my example, I'm sadly lacking. Judging by the conspicuous consumption of those around me, I'm not the only one with this problem.

Despite all the possessions I've accumulated over the years, they are not my life. The people in my life are what matters. My son, my family, my friends, and (most importantly) my faith are what matters and by which I'd prefer to be defined. At the end of my life, I want people to remember the difference I made in this world, not the number of possessions I accumulated. I wonder if you can tell that from all the things I've accumulated over the years.

A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. 

It's a truth we would do well to understand. The greed that tells us otherwise must be avoided. Beware. Be on your guard. Examine your heart. Is greed there? A lifestyle of consumption? If we want to please God, our greed-filled lifestyles will have to change.

Why does our attitude about possessions matter? Jesus summed it up in Matthew 6:21.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

As we "beware", examining ourselves for the possibility of greed, let's evaluate that which we most treasure. Is it the things of this world or the next? Where is your treasure? 

~~~~~~~

Dear God, forgive me for the ways I have used Your resources and the money You have entrusted to me. Cleanse me of greed and covetousness. Create in me a clean, generous, giving heart. Help me to store my treasure in heaven rather than trust in the things of this world. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Law of Dominion versus the Law of Love

Someone in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." But He said to him, "Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?" Then He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." (Luke 12:13-15 NASB)

A man in the crowd spoke out and asked Jesus to intervene in a family dispute. He wanted his brother to divide the inheritance with him. The law required that the eldest son receive a double portion. Some commentators (including Matthew Henry) believe that this was a younger son who wanted a larger portion. He would have Jesus take from the older brother's legally obtained portion and give it to him. (The discussion about greed and coveting that follows suggests that this was not an inheritance that had been taken from him, but that he wanted to take it from his brother.)

When I read Matthew Henry's commentary on this passage, I was surprised. "In matters of this nature, Christ will not assume either a legislative power to alter the settled rule of inheritances, or a judicial power to determine controversies concerning them." 

This is so well written that I've copied a section of his commentary below. I know that, in this day of outrage, it may not be well-received. Remember as you read it that this was written in the late 1600's. This was a time of considerable unrest and severe religious persecution in England. Many people fled to the Americas to escape that persecution. 

"Now this shows us what is the nature and constitution of Christ's kingdom. It is a spiritual kingdom, and not of this world. 1. It does not interfere with civil powers, nor take the authority of princes out of their hands. Christianity leaves the matter as it found it, as to civil power. 2. It does not intermeddle with civil rights; it obliges all to do justly, according to the settled rules of equity, but dominion is not founded in grace. 3. It does not encourage our expectations of worldly advantages by our religion. If this man will be a disciple of Christ, and expects that in consideration of this Christ should give him his brother's estate, he is mistaken; the rewards of Christ's disciples are of another nature. 4. It does not encourage our contests with our brethren, and our being rigorous and high in our demands, but rather, for peace' sake, to recede from our right. 5. It does not allow ministers to entangle themselves in the affairs of this life (2 Tim. 2:4), to leave the word of God to serve tables. There are those whose business it is, let it be left to them, Tractent fabrilia fabri- Each workman to his proper craft."1

I am not presuming to say how we should respond or not respond to the changes in freedom in our country. This is not a commentary for or against any current law or judicial ruling. I am quoting what a well-respected theologian, whose work has stood the test of time, has written. 

With that said, there is one phrase that I love ."Dominion is not founded in grace." It's a true statement. No matter how great the lack of grace in dominion, it does not change the rule of love. As believers, we must remember that Jesus gave us a Great Commandment, and it is that we must follow.

And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' (Matthew 22:37-39 NASB)

In questions of how we treat our brother or of how we treat our neighbor (even one with whom we disagree), the law of love must rule our words and our actions. This does not mean that we cannot take advantage of our legally-guaranteed rights, but it does mean that the exercise of those rights begin with the law of love.

~~~~~~~

Our Father, forgive me for my lack of love. Create in me a clean heart that loves You with every fiber of my being. Help me to love my neighbor as I love myself, even when we disagree. In Jesus' name, Amen.

1. 1. "Text Commentaries: Matthew Henry (Blue Letter Bible: Luke)." Blue Letter Bible. Accessed 12 Jul, 2015. http://www.blueletterbible.orghttps://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Luk/Luk_012.cfm

Teach us to pray, part 66: Distinguishing of spirits

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" (Luke 11:13 NASB)

But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.  1 Corinthians 12:7- 10 NASB 

Our current series started as a study on the Model Prayer as given in Luke 11. The chapter continued with lessons on prayer and, in Luke 11:13, Jesus promised that our heavenly Father would give the Holy Spirit to us if we ask for Him. To understand what receiving the Holy Spirit involves, we have taken a detour through the passage in 1 Corinthians 12. Today, we come to the manifestation of the Holy Spirit whereby the recipient has the ability of distinguishing of spirits. 

Matthew Henry describes this as the ability or power to "distinguish between true and false prophets, or to discern the real and internal qualifications of any person for an office, or to discover the inward workings of the mind by the Holy Ghost. (One example would be Peter/Ananias in Acts 5:3) MacArthur clarifies this further. "Christians with the gift of discernment have the God-given ability to recognize lying spirits and to identify deceptive and erroneous doctrine." 

Discernment is critical, for, without it, we are easy prey for any scheme of our enemy, Satan. This manifestation works for the common good in several ways.

1) To discern false doctrine: The "prosperity gospel" is certainly appealing but even a cursory examination of Scripture will reveal how unlike Christ that idea of God's blessing leading to great wealth is. That's an obvious example, but without discernment, people can easily be led astray by doctrine that has the appearance of truth but does not actually agree with Scripture.

2) To discern deceptive leaders: Some years ago, several friends who were members of a mega-church invited me to attend services with them. They had a very popular minister who was widely known, and they were eager for me to meet him. When he approached us, I felt uneasy. By the time I had met him, listened to his message, and sat through the service, I wanted to run out the back door as fast as possible. There was something about this man that made me so uneasy that I did not trust him. My strong reaction was so unlike that of my friends and the people in their church that I distrusted it. Several years later, I learned of his involvement in a terrible scandal that had been ongoing at the time I met him. I wept that I had not said something about my uneasiness earlier. It was a Spirit-given manifestation of discernment that allowed me to avoid being swept up in enthusiasm for this charismatic leader.

3) to pray effectively for each other: When, as believers, we are burdened and oppressed by the enemy, it is helpful to recognize the lying spirit doing the oppressing. For example, when someone is overwhelmed by worry, fear may actually be at the root of the problem. In that situation, 2 Timothy 1:7 is a helpful focus Scripture. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind." When we are overwhelmed by fear, we can know that is not from God and we can claim the promise that not only has He not given us fear, but He does give us power, love, and a sound mind. In addition, discernment allows us to pray effectively, whether for ourselves or for others.

4) to to effectively battle evil: (This is closely related to #3) Ephesians 6 is very clear. "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." The purpose of the armor of God is to not only protect us from those forces but also allow us to do battle. Our only offensive weapon is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. When we have the discernment to recognize the enemy against which we are to battle, we can more effectively use Scripture as a weapon, whether that enemy is fear, anger, greed, lust, death, idolatry or some other spirit. I tend to think of these "spirits" in terms of the Ten Commandments: idolatry, rebellion, pride, murder/death, adultery/lust, stealing/coveting, and lying. In general, most sin falls into one of those big categories, and Scripture can be used to ward off our propensity to indulgence in those sins. Recognizing the spirit of the sin helps us to combat it. 

5) to restore our focus: Our battle is against the spiritual forces of wickedness, but our focus should not be on the spirits of the battle. Our focus should always be our Lord. When we recognize (discern) the deception of the evil one, that discernment should point us back to the Lord and away from the deception. Redirecting our focus, however, requires that we discern the misdirection. The Holy Spirit, then, manifests in such a way that our focus can be restored and we can be protected from heading in the wrong direction.

6) to protect us from ourselves: Humans have a tendency to listen to the loudest voice and follow the most persuasive leader. Christians are as susceptible as anyone (perhaps more so) and this should not be. I am often shocked by the way we embrace alarmist doctrine and causes without actually checking Scripture in an attempt to discern truth. Before we run off in every direction, we would do well to ask the Holy Spirit for God-given discernment so that we can recognize truth and discern falsehood.

One of the reasons I have sometimes made stupid decisions that have had costly consequences is that I have not always asked for discernment. Jesus was clear. If we ask for the Holy Spirit, He will give Him to us. My lack of discernment is no one's fault but my own.

The manifestation of the Spirit that allows "distinguishing of spirits" is critical if we hope to live effectively and victoriously as disciples. It is critical if we hope to pray for ourselves and others, and it is critical if we hope to effectively battle evil. The only way to be certain of our decisions is to have the aid of the Holy Spirit, and the only way to have that is to ask. Just ask.