Simple Thoughts

Watching 50-60 foot long leaf pine trees sway in the wind as the storm approaches. They bend. They sway. But mostly, they remain intact. An article I researched on the long leaf pine says, “It has less dense foliage and a large, deep taproot which serves as a sturdy anchor during wind storms.” (americaslongleaf.org)

What deeply roots you during a storm? Is it your knowledge and expertise? Is it the availability to newer, better, more advanced technologies and medical services? Is it a community of friends and family that you surround yourself with? Yes, yes and yes!

But, is your faith your deepest root system? For God is able to give us the strength to withstand the wiles of the devil. He puts His light in us so we do not need to fear the darkness of evil. We are children of the Day, children of the Light. Le us be “firmly established in the truth.” 2 Peter 1:12

Ephesians 6:13 “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”

Above all the chaos, the news of the day. Above advice of friends. Above the doubts swirling in your own head. Hear Jesus. Let His words, His truths, resound as an anthem. One you believe, trust and follow above all other voices.

When you listen to, read and study God’s word, His voice confirms what your heart knows to be true. Listen to His voice!

It is early still this morning. The sun not yet risen. The dog woke me, needing to go out. Trying to recapture the sleep I was awakened from, I failed. My mind started filling with the thoughts of the day, troubles of this world and I couldn’t find the “off” button. I put my headphones on and chose a favorite Christian station on Pandora. Soon, my thoughts turned to God, drowning out my thoughts. Praise the Lord!

May I ever be aware of my daily need for God. From my waking up to my lying down. May my thoughts be Your thoughts, Heavenly Father. May Your word be in my mind, in my thoughts, in my heart, on my lips. Let me meditate on Your love, Your goodness, Your sovereignty in my life, in this world.

Thank you Lord for allowing me this quiet time to dwell in Your presence. Thank you for Your word that brings joy to my soul. “Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!” Psalm 104:35b

What does Christian service look like? Is it teaching Sunday school or heading up a fall festival event? Is it taking care of babies and toddlers in the nursery so busy mommas can have an hour of peaceful worship every Sunday? Is it counseling fellow sisters in Christ, helping them navigate life, whether it be relationships, jobs, child rearing, seasonal adjustments and understanding the place God has put you, right here, right now? Is it through prayer, lifting up the many needs and interceding on behalf of the saints? Is it visiting the sick and elderly, making a meal, writing a card? Is it mowing, cleaning, hauling off debris? Is it being available when a need arises? Is it walking alongside another, offering wisdom and encouragement? Is it sharing the gospel with those in need of a Savior? Is it being out in public and being a light to a lost and dying world who desperately search for peace, joy, love, comfort?

The short answer is, “Yes!” Jesus commands us with 2 things:

1. Matthew 22:37-38 “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. 
2. Matthew 22:39 “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Serving does not have to be a program. Serving does not have to be scripted. What is does need is a heart of love from God, ready, willing and available.

Have you ever gotten something in your eye and tried getting it out? This morning, I felt an eyelash in my eye. Without looking in a mirror, I was certain I could get it out. That did not happen. It took me looking in a mirror to find that rascally eyelash and removed it. Looking in the mirror revealed the exact location and extraction was simple. Without the mirror, I was floundering and failing.

Can we relate this to our spiritual lives? We go through our day, floundering, hoping for the best, sometimes succeeding and other times failing. Yet, when we open God’s word, whether we are searching for a precise topic, a daily devotion or a bible study, His word never comes back void. It penetrates the soul, “and judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”(Hebrews 4:12b) God’s word transforms us, our thoughts, actions and attitudes and we desire to please Him. Opening up your bible, reading it, studying it, is like a mirror into our soul. Do we want to change somethings about ourselves after looking into His mirror? Praise the Lord! Yes! We want our lives to conform to His will, His desires for our lives. Be changed, be transformed today. Open up God’s word. Let His truths settle in you so you may reflect His light to the world.

Romans 12: 2 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (NLT)

Driving anywhere, on a train or bus, walking. Many forms of transportation will bring billboards into your line of sight. What is their message? Food, law firm, car dealership. Some bring a message you can relate to. You may even write down the company’s name and phone number. Others, you read and decide it is not important to you and you disregard. However, either way, the billboard did its job and got your attention.

If you call yourself a Christian, you have to ask yourself, “If I am a billboard for God, what message am I communicating for God?” Some billboards look like the world, sound like the world, act like the world so your message is a worldly one. You bring attention to self, to promote your opinions and God is nowhere to be found in your message.

Other billboards talk about God, sound good when read, but the message is not very clear. Not wanting to offend, the message waters down God’s word and mixes it with worldly wisdom.

Of course, one billboard will stand up to criticism, to nay-sayers, because this billboard is immersed in God’s word, speaks in love, walks humbly in service to God and points to Another, rather than self.

If you say you are a Christian, review the billboard message you are communicating to the world. Be the billboard that shines the light on Jesus. His message is timeless, appropriate, enduring. His message is life, forgiveness, mercy. His message calls us to Him and that is a billboard worth proclaiming.

2 Corinthians 5:20: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

Gall bladder surgery. Hurricane. Traveling north. It has been a month since getting on our bikes and riding trails. Oh, how we missed exploring, finding quaint downtowns, and just enjoying being outside.

What are you missing today? Life has interrupted a favorite activity, a peaceful moment. Sometimes, you need to take that hiatus. Sometimes, you don’t need to return to the old, but discover something new, fresh, unexpected.

Let God calm you and bring you peace in your downtime and allow God to lead and direct when His timing says, “Go!”

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Dorothy was correct, “There’s no place like home!” But what does that look like to you today? If you just survived hurricane Ian, then home may look very different. It might be the few things you could grab or salvage before it took your house. It may be in a friend’s home, a hotel room or an RV. But wherever you find yourself, if you are surrounded by family or friends, you are home.

We have been gone for 11 days. We left before the storm hit for a trip north with family. Each night with family, where I laid my head to rest, I was home. Lodging in hotels along the way did their best to feel “homey” but when we pulled into our driveway at the end of the trip, I was thankful to be home.

When we come to the end of our journey here on earth, where is your eternal home? If you are a Christian, having trusted in the saving faith of Jesus Christ, then heaven bound you are. Jesus told us before He left this orb, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ” (John 14:1-4)

So, while you wander this earth and find a place to call home, remember Jesus is calling you today to secure your final destination. Trust His promises today.

Hebrews 13:14 “For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.”

Victory in Jesus (verse 3) I heard about a mansion he has built for me in glory,
And I heard about the streets of gold beyond the crystal sea;
About the angels singing and the old redemption story,
And some sweet day I’ll sing up there the song of victory.

When a trial is upon you, when a storm is brewing, to whom do you turn? If it is job related, probably a mentor. If it is relational, a friend, family member or pastor. I recently had gall bladder surgery. Of course, I spoke to family members who already had the surgery, a sister who is a nurse, and of course, the surgeon who explained the procedure to me.

Leading up to the surgery and the day of, I was praying, reading scripture, talking with God, which brought peace to my anxious heart. What a blessing, as I am lying in the bed, the 2 nurses who would be with me in the O.R. were talking about prayer. I turned and introduced them to my pastor husband and we all joined hands in prayer. So thankful to be surrounded by Christians in the O.R. , knowing they would be there with me. I thanked God for their Christian witness.

In our daily walk, we too, are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. Re-read the heroes of the faith in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11. It will remind you that you are not alone. By faith. By faith. By faith. They pleased God. It is by faith we come to God in the first place. It is by faith we believe God, serve Him, worship Him and live for Him. We believe God’s promises, even when we cannot see it. By faith, we still believe. We, like them, “believe in a better life after the resurrection.” Hebrews 11:35b

So, today, let us submit to God’s authority. Let us throw off the sin that trips us up and run with endurance the race God has set before us. (Hebrews 12:1b) Let God’s word strengthen you as you go throughout your day. Be strong and courageous in your Christian walk. You are not alone. There are others you do not know, whom you may have not yet encountered, but they are there, too, living a life of faith.

Thank you, Lord, for a beautiful, sunny, hot September morning. Riding bikes with a thankful heart. Thank you, Lord, for Your beautiful creation to get out and enjoy. Thank you for the ability to ride a bicycle. Thank you, Lord, for the shade that cooled us down!

What are you facing today? Upcoming surgery, job search, stormy relationships, illness? “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Let us pause in our worries, our anxieties and praise God. When we look around and look up, God is always worthy of our praise. Find something to be thankful for today and give thanks to God.

Isaiah 25: 1, 4 “Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago… You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.”

Psalm 100: “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving  and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”