Maggie's Turn: Maggie Needs A Bath

I am Maggie the Wonder Dog and I do not like time out! I do not like it at all! I do not know what my mama is saying, but here's what happened. My mama said, "Let's go for a walk!" Wonder Dogs LOVE going for walks, so we headed out. My mama didn't make me go on a leash, and that is good, because Wonder Dogs LOVE no-leash walks! I ran and ran and ran. It felt so good for the wind to blow through my fur! 

When we came back, Mama and Bill the Magnificent started working on the waterer for the cows. Those cows were getting in the way, so I told them to move, but they didn't want to move at all. They just wanted a drink of water. It was a lot of work, but I ran round and round and finally got them out of the way. I can't help it if I got a little dirty. Those ole cows were standing in the mud!  

My mama looked at me and she did not even tell me thank you for helping with the cows! She did not! She said, "Maggie, you are not going inside without getting a bath!" She knows that I do not like getting a bath, but she would not give up. 

My mama told me that when you get dirty, you are supposed to let your mama clean you up. She said that is what humans in her breed, the Christians, do. I asked her, "Do you have a Christian-bather?"  She laughed. She laughs a lot. She said, "No, dear one, Christians get their souls dirty when they do wrong things and we have to ask God to clean our hearts!" Wonder Dogs do not know much about souls. They don't teach that in Beginners Obedience School, but I hope I don't ever have to get my soul scrubbed. It's bad enough getting my fur scrubbed! My mama said, "Oh, soul-scrubs are just wonderful! You wouldn't mind it a bit because you would feel so much better!" I didn't say it because I would get in trouble, but I thought, "Hah! I don't want any scrubbing at all!"

My mama had scrubbing on her mind, though, and she would not give up! She wouldn't let me in the door with mud on, even though I had worked so hard. I barked and barked. "Let me in without a bath!" I barked, but my mama would not! I barked it so long that my mama got mad at me. She said,"It is too late for a bath, young lady! You are going to time out tonight and getting a scrubbing in the morning!" She was not laughing any more! She was not kidding, either! She would not even let me snuggle on the end of her bed. I was so sad. It didn't even help when I whimpered. My mama said,"I prefer obedience to whiny whimpering!" And she meant it!

I had to stay in timeout by myself all night! It was awful! This morning I had to get a bath anyway! My mama said you could tell how dirty I was because I turned the tub brown. I don't think I did, but that's what she said! Anyway, I finally got to snuggle after my bath and I was so glad! She was right after all! It really is better to be clean. 

Here's the Wonder Dog lesson of the day:

Just obey!

Get clean quick!

You will get lots more snuggles that way!

The end. By Maggie the Wonder Dog. 

Time for Fasting (Luke 5:35)

But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days." (Luke 5:35 NASB)

In response to the question about why His disciples didn't fast, Jesus gave a wonderful answer. He presented the metaphor of a bridegroom coming for his bride. During this time of coming for His bride, the church, His disciples could not be expected to fast. There would come a time, however, when they would fast. "When the bridegroom is taken away," he said. This "taken away" word is actually prophetic. The Greek word here is "apairō" and does mean to take away, but it also can mean "to lift off and take away". The ascension back to heaven was certainly a type of "divine lift off" that took the bridegroom away! There would be no fasting until then. 

The time in which we live is "post-ascension", and we are, by Christ's own words, destined to fast. A voluntary abstaining, fasting has been practiced throughout Scripture, and giving up almost anything can constitute a fast. My own experience has ranged from food to activities. Isaiah 58 tells us of the fast God desires us to make. This fast is one of abstaining from a judgmental, critical spirit and replacing it with a spirit of generosity and giving. (this chapter is worth reading again) 

My son once said that fasting is what we do to let God know we are serious about that for which we pray. Perhaps. I think it also lets US know we are serious. Are we serious enough about the spiritual welfare of our children to fast for them? Today, make a plan for a limited fast to accompany your prayers, and pray that our Lord would use that time of prayer and fasting to draw us, as well as our loved ones, closer to Him. 

A New Legacy

What does it mean to be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?  I have read over those words many times with far too much familiarity when, in fact, they carry much weight.

There is little written about the generations before Abraham.  We never read that God was the God of Terah (Abraham’s father), do we?  But something changed with Abraham.  History did not repeat itself.

Abraham was God’s friend (James 2:23).  The legacy of Abraham’s family completely changed because of his love and obedience to God, in spite of his mistakes.  Never would this family be the same.  Future generations would point back to the devotion of those who had gone before as an encouragement to their own faith.  Abraham’s faith caused a change in destiny.  In the process, Abraham got a new name - a new identity, and he discovered the identity of God – multi-faceted and redeeming.  

Yes, Abraham’s destiny changed in much this way…

He received a crown of beauty where there once had been ashes, the oil of gladness where there had been mourning, a garment of praise replaced a spirit of despair.  And future generations would be oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.  God would rebuild the ruined places of their lives and restore them.  He would trade shame and disgrace for an everlasting joy.  And all who saw them would recognize that they were blessed by God.  (Isaiah 61:3-9)

God took a pagan family from a pagan land and drew from it a man whom He blessed and called His friend.  And God is doing the same even now.  How much I want my children and grandchildren to say that the I AM was the God of Rebecca. May they say that nothing else took His rightful place in my heart and that I did not live under the shadow of the past.  By God’s grace and His empowering, He makes a new legacy possible for each of us, as He did for Abraham.

The Bridegroom is Ready (Luke 5:34,35)

And Jesus said to them, "You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days." (Luke 5:34, 35 NASB)

According to bible.ca, ancient Jewish weddings consisted of three stages. The first was "ketubbah"and was basically the time of arranging the marriage and making the contract. It was binding, but the couple did not live together as man and wife until later. The husband-to-be could not have his bride until he had made provision for her. 

The second stage was the "chuppah". At this point, the groom had fulfilled all the conditions set out in the contract, and all the arrangements for the care of his new bride were made. He and his companions would go to claim his bride at her home, where her companions also waited. There was much joy, and the couple could then consummate their marriage. When the "proof of consummation" (blood was shed) was done, the next phase was the celebration and feast. 

Jesus was describing his time with the disciples as "chuppah" time, during which He and His disciples were like the groom and his attendants coming to claim his bride. That's exactly what Jesus had done. He had come to claim His bride the church with much joy. Why would they consider fasting at such an exciting time?

Even more exciting is that WE are the bride of Christ! The bride he was coming to receive was His church - you and me. It's an amazing thought, isn't it? Right there, with the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus was claiming us and defending us. When the time for shedding of blood came to prove the relationship, Jesus would shed it Himself. THIS is the "match made in heaven".  

As we pray for our loved ones today, remember that the Bridegroom came to seek and to save those who are lost, including those we love. Pray that the seeking will not end until the chuppah finding is accomplished and the celebration can begin.  

Somebody's Praying

Today was a super busy day with more unusual challenges than I really wanted to meet. It was surprisingly smooth until mid-afternoon, when I began to think my day had the potential to completely unravel. I really wanted to act like Jesus in every situation, so I emailed someone I knew would pray and asked them to help.

After work, I had to pick up Maggie the Wonder Dog from play day, run by the grocery, stop by the Sao Thai restaurant, then head home to meet someone at 6:30. Wonder Dog pick up was smooth, but the grocery store was just a fiasco. If I try to tell you about it, I might cry. It was that frustrating. Hint to stock boys: do not put the baking powder on a shelf so high that the average mommy has to have a ladder to reach it. I could not find what I wanted and what I could find was on such a high shelf that I couldn't reach it. 

As I headed to the restaurant, I was blinking back tears and I prayed out loud. "Lord, I need someone to pray for me."  Just as I said it, I remembered, "Oh yeah someone is praying", and I was reassured. Even more comforting was the fact that Jesus was praying for me as well. (Hebrews. 7:25).  My heart was strangely warmed and I settled in to the comforting knowledge of two intercessors praying for my needs and that I would be faithful to the call of Christ. 

Tears dried in an instant, and I proceeded with the day. It was hard, but made much better because of those faithful prayers. Tonight, as you consider the difficult circumstances of your life, remember that you do not face them alone. There is One who is praying for you, and His prayers never fail. 

Drinking Deep (Luke 5:33)

And they said to Him, "The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink." (Luke 5:33 NASB)

The scribes and Pharisees were questioning Jesus. For a teacher, His ways were dramatically different than their norm. It is interesting that they give the example of students of John and students of the Pharisees. Those two groups were, in many ways, at opposite extremes of the spectrum. John the Baptizer is to thought to have been a part of the Essenes, (a religious group who lived communally. Qumran, the site of the Dead Sea Scroll discovery, was an Essene community). John's ministry was marked by fasting, baptism, and self denial with the objective being personal spiritual purification  John dressed in a camel hide robe and was a kind of wilderness preacher. 

The Pharisees were more inclined to enjoy an urban lifestyle. They were religious scholars who were leaders of the day. Their disciples also fasted, but it tended to be more a matter of ritual than of purification. 

Their question was why His disciples did not fast when the two extremes of the spectrum practiced fasting on a regular basis. "Your disciples eat and drink," they complained. We will see what Jesus said tomorrow, but this word for "drink" is worth exploring. The Greek word used here is "pinō" and it does literally mean to drink a liquid. www.blueletterbible.org clarifies it a little further. 

"figuratively, to receive into the soul what serves to refresh strengthen, nourish it unto life eternal"

Those Pharisees had their answer already. The disciples following Jesus spent those three short years soaking up refreshment and nourishment for their souls. They were gaining eternal life. 

When we spend time in prayer and Bible study, we, too, should be "drinking in eternal life".  Does our quiet time provide nourishment and refreshment for our souls or have we allowed it to become a Pharisaical ritual?  

Today, spend time being quiet before our Lord and be still long enough to allow Him to refresh and nourish you. Spend time worshipping Him and thanking Him for all the blessings He has bestowed already. Thank Him, too, for all the answered prayers we will eventually see. 

"Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In every change, He faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end"

Hymn by Katharina von Schlegel 1752

Arctic Blast: Round Two

After the last arctic blast, with all the water problems I encountered and all the water I hauled in my very fabulous garden wagon, this new artic blast was (I have to admit it) quite a disappointment. That was the very reason I made a list of reasons to be grateful in the midst of the cold. That list REALLY helped me and, since I have just finished hauling an insane amount of water to the cows, who seem to be extremely thirsty today, it's time for another list of reasons for thanks.

1) I cannot believe I am thinking this, let alone writing it, but I am grateful I broke my hand last Christmas. Because I was in a great big mess trying to take care of all the critters one-handed, I went in search of a wagon. At TSC, I found a marvelous garden wagon that lifts up and is like a little garden dump truck. It is just wonderful, but without my fracture, I would have never seen a need for it and never purchased it. This is extremely pertinent because that wagon has been invaluable in hauling all this water. The best part is that, when I go over the cattle gap and half the water splashes out of my buckets, the dump-truck function allows me to drain it right back in! How great is that?  

2) One of my patients wanted to come early today, we had a spot, and I ended up leaving the office early. That is doubly wonderful because I was able to haul almost all the water in the daylight! Even better, my patient came with a box of his wife's homemade chocolate covered cherries and coconut bonbons! Those are both unbelievably delicious and outrageously decadent and I am ashamed to say how many pieces of candy I ate. The good news is I have hauled water for more than an hour and burned a few of those candy calories off already!

3) Sam Wiley worked for me from the time I moved to the farm until his hip fracture a couple of years ago. We've done everything together, driven each other crazy, and have become family after all this time. He misses working but is too frail to do much of anything. It just turned out, though, that I had a few little tasks tonight that he could do, he was not quite as wobbly as usual, and we were able to work together to get the job done. He was tickled pink and I was thrilled to have pleased him so much!

4) Because I got everything done so early, I'm finished with all my evening chores early and have time to sit down for a few minutes and relax! What a treat!

Even better, my artic thanks list has cheered me so much that I feel like celebrating!

Many blessings dear readers! Be sure to give thanks in whatever situation you find yourself tonight. Do not fail to pray for all those who are without water, power, or heat or are stranded in difficult circumstances. Stay warm, stay safe, stay thankful!