Changed By His Truth

“I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.” Psalm 63:8 (NLT)

My husband and I can be quite different in how we respond emotionally to a situation. You, like me, have probably discovered that opposites attract.  God knew that I’d need a man who had the ability to respond in a calm, analytical way to the unexpected circumstances of life.  While I oftentimes respond like Chicken Little who ran around screaming, “The sky is falling!”, he’s lost in thought identifying the problem and coming up with a solution. It is quite humorous at times, and other times not so much.

I remember while honeymooning in Costa Rica we got a flat tire out in the middle of nowhere while driving to our resort. We had been warned by the rental agency that the roads were known to have potholes the size of small vehicles and were told to do our best to avoid them.  They also cautioned us that if we did get a flat tire to keep driving to the next town and change it there because of the risk of being robbed when stopped in an isolated place.

I’m sure you’re guessing what happened—we hit a pothole the size of a Volkswagon Bug and our front tire went flat.  I instantly panicked, not knowing the first thing to do, while my husband calmly and matter-of-factly gave me the car keys, showing me how to hold them as a weapon in case the man approaching us became a threat.  He grabbed the tire iron to serve the dual purpose of tool and weapon-on-hand, and then proceeded to change the tire as though he were a Nascar pit crew member—it was the fasted tire change I had ever seen!

Every day we have a choice in how we respond to the many situations that come our way.  Our feelings can quickly get us off track and then we’re left overwhelmed with fear, worry, anger or depression.  We have a choice in how we respond to our feelings—we can let them overtake us and shadow out God’s promises, or we can choose to not let them get the best of us and hold on to the Truth we find in His Word instead.  I know it’s tough not to let our feelings take over—ask God to help you and then starting clinging to the Truth for all your worth!

“I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.” Psalm 104:33 (NIV)

Summer has unofficially arrived! Having grown up in Washington, I never got enough of it for my liking. I especially love the summer mornings and evenings here in California. At the start of the day everything is so fresh, crisp and cool, and just coming alive.

Lately I’ve been beating the heat and getting up early to exercise. This morning as I was attempting to come alive on my workout, my focus was interrupted by a little bird sitting on a telephone wire chirping away merrily for all it was worth. I laughed to myself and thought, “Well you missed the sunrise by about 45 minutes, Birdie!” But it seemed so full of gusto and heart-felt purpose in singing its song my next thought was, “Well, good for you, better late than never!”

This immediately reminded me of myself, and how I may at first forget to stop and thank God for answering my prayers. Or how I may at first let my worries or fears crowd out the Truth that He is always with me and my loved ones. But knowing that it’s better late than never to stop and give Him praise or give Him my concerns instead of carrying them myself is encouraging to me. It’s never too late to remember to thank Him. It’s never too late to get back on track. It’s never too late to make a fresh start. Want to join me today?

“As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 (NLT)

It’s true isn’t it?  A woman’s work is never done.  There’s always one more load of laundry to do, a few more lunches to make, several more dust bunnies to sweep up, many more dishes to wash.  I like to jokingly complain about this in the presence of men, but this is true for most of them as well.  There’s always something else we could and most times feel we should be doing.

Let me remind you today through the verses above that you have been given permission to stop and take a break.  And yes, probably not get all the things on your list done today.  I can imagine some of you saying, “No kidding, Jen!” because you already know you don’t have enough hours in the day to accomplish it all.  I’m sure there are others panicking at the thought of not getting everything crossed off.  I’ve been on both sides of that equation.  My point here is whichever side you find yourself on, give yourself permission to do a few less things so that you can make room for what’s most important.

Let’s make it a priority to sit at His feet today.  Life is SO busy, and doesn’t it fly by?  Don’t miss out on one of the best ways to spend your time—sitting at the feet of Jesus, renewing your mind on His Truth and sharing in a friendship that beats all others.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

As we celebrate Memorial Day today, I am remembering. Remembering the price that has been paid for my country’s freedom. Remembering those that lost their lives fighting for it. Remembering those that lost loved ones because of it. Remembering those who have served or currently serve to maintain it.

In remembering the freedoms I have because of the country I live in, I cannot help but remember the freedom I have because of the God that loves me. Again, a freedom bought at a great price, just for you and me. A freedom bought by the God of the universe, Our Creator, by sending His own Son to die in our place so that we could be set free.

I remember the place of bondage I was in. I remember the misery and darkness I lived with as I faced an obsession I could not control and lived convinced the lies whispered by the enemy were true.

Then real Truth came, and set me free. I will remember and not allow myself to go back to living in slavery. I will remember and stand firm, clinging to God’s truth, which sets me free. Will you join me in remembering?

 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NLT)

I’ve spent the last two days reflecting on Jesus’ great sacrifice for me—death by torture on display for all to see, done willingly for me. I am reminded afresh of His unparalleled love.

Today is Easter, the day we celebrate His resurrection from the grave.  For us it represents not only receiving forgiveness but receiving a new life—one which lasts forever.

Most of us have some kind of financial debt. Imagine having it paid for and then being given enough money to live on forever. The same has been done for us spiritually. We “will not perish but have eternal life”.

I’m left humbled and struggling to find words to express how this touches me to the core. He came, died and rose again for you and me—all because of love.

The words of this wonderful hymn have been playing in my mind this past week. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

Were You There?

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?

Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?

Were you there when He rose up from the dead?
Were you there when He rose up from the dead?
O! Sometimes I feel like shouting glory, glory, glory!
Were you there when He rose up from the dead?

(Text: Traditional Spiritual)

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.” Matthew 5:13 (NLT)

Eggs, milk, butter—check, check, check. Add flour and sugar. Smile like Pioneer Woman and stir until moistened. Bake at 350 degrees—ding! Time to eat. Open mouth, chew and . . . bleh! I’d forgotten the salt. Sigh.

Oh to float effortlessly about the kitchen like Julia Child or the already mentioned Pioneer Woman—only in my dreams. I still remember proudly making biscuits from scratch as a newly-wed, serving them to my in-laws and expecting to impress. In my haste to please I accidentally used baking soda instead of baking powder. Sigh (again). The biscuits were inedible, I was humiliated, but thankfully my in-laws were gracious. Next time I served ready-bake pizza. When asked which I prefer, cooking or baking, I promptly reply that I prefer microwaving!

I can laugh at this now, but there’s a great lesson to be learned about leaving “salt” out of our lives. We are called by God to be the “salt of the earth”.  An interesting phrase which means we are to season and preserve the lives of those around us. To season means to enhance and enrich—how do we enrich the lives of those around us?

I like how Webster’s describes season. “To make more agreeable.” How can we make the lives of those around us more agreeable? By showing grace instead of impatience in line at the grocery store, by letting someone else have the closer parking space, by taking out the trash when our husbands forget—and not holding it against them. By taking the time to reach out to someone who’s hurting and most of all, to share the hope we’ve found in Jesus.

Besides being used as seasoning, salt is used to preserve. There is no greater way to save the lives of those around us than to introduce them to their Savior, Jesus. Easter is coming up this Sunday—invite someone to join you at church.  Let’s keep passing the salt and sprinkling it on those around us.