Month: February 2022

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Christian Blog Christian Living

The Inspection

Photo by Ivan Babydov on Pexels.com
Photo by Ivan Babydov on Pexels.com

This story first appeared as a guest post on Devotional Treasures.

The other day I stopped at a local station to gas up my car. As I milled around, I noticed two signs that puzzled me. Near the window washing station a small placard read, “We prosecute ALL theft, such as drive offs and credit card fraud. Every transaction and all tag numbers are recorded.” On the gas pump itself, not three feet away, was a sticker: “No need to prepay. We trust you.“

If they trust me then why are they watching my every move? Maybe it’s because they ARE watching my every move. In other words, the folks at the gas station inspect what they expect. They are not alone.

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.

Ecclesiastes 12:14 (NIV)

The Lord gives us free will, not free rein. Full accountability is a given. Remember what happened after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit? They heard God walking through the garden and hid from Him. But He called out to them, “Where are you?“

Here we have an early example of the leadership style later to be called “Management by Wandering Around.” God already knew what happened, and He insisted on coming down for a personal visit. One-on-one with THE BOSS, this is described elsewhere in the Bible:

So, then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

Romans 14:13 (NIV)

To be clear, I don’t think this means eternal damnation for every Chrisitian who messes up. We ALL mess up (Romans 3:23). No, this inspection of what is expected is more like Jesus’ parable of the talents in Matthew 25.

As the story goes, the master entrusts three of his servants with his property–each to his own ability–and leaves for a long trip. When he returns, two of them have doubled his money, but one is extra cautious and does nothing with it. After all, THE BOSS can be a demanding guy.

The master (God) praises the first two servants but criticizes the third with these words, “You bad and lazy servant!”–Matthew 25:26a (GNT)

Kind reader, each of us will answer to God one day for all we’ve done with the light He has given us. Yes, it’s a sobering thought, but one we should heed.

🙏❤️ prayers and love.

Categories
Christian Blog Christian Living

The Frozen Heart Softener

Photo by Irita Antonevica on Pexels.com
Photo by Irita Antonevica on Pexels.com

This past fall we had a water softener installed in our home. A plumber patched into the main water supply lines and routed new ones— through our attic—-down to a cylinder shaped tank in the garage.

Fast forward to this winter: something absolutely chilling happened.🧊 When the temperature dropped well below freezing, the water lines in our unheated loft began to ice up.

A frantic call to our plumber brought the following advice, “Let the water drip.” I did, and it worked! But on frigid days I now daydream about our water meter spinning like a pinwheel.😳

If I’m totally truthful with myself, I must acknowledge that my heart–before God–is sometimes like those vulnerable lines in the attic. Frankly, there have been a few glacial moments in life that almost turned me into a pouty popsicle.🥶

Thankfully, by the grace of God, I “let the water drip.” For me, this meant looking to Jesus, rather than fixating on my own navel (Hebrews 12:1-3). Was this easy peasy? In a word, NO.

But it sure beat freezing up completely! I’ve lived long enough to know there are few “cookie cutter” answers. However, I found one that makes all the difference: “God is love.”– 1 John 4:16b (NIV)

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sins deceitfulness.

Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)

Thank you for reading. 🙏❤️

Categories
Christian Blog Christian Living

When Little is Much

Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.

Proverbs 15:16 (NIV)

I had a friend in grad school who came from a rather wealthy family. I’ll call him Howard, because, to middle class me, he may as well have been Howard Hughes. His parents had a cabin in the mountains and a cottage on the beach, plus a large home in a gated community. Yet my friend often spoke of his family’s unhappiness.

Howard’s father was a workaholic attorney. His mother was an alcoholic socialite. He and his three siblings lacked nothing, yet fought over everything. I’m talking knock down, drag out, hair pulling fights! Christmas at Howard’s house meant rooms full of presents but little love.

One such winter break, I invited my friend to spend part of the holiday with me at my parent’s modest home. Mom and dad were both teachers, so I wondered what Howard would think of our rather simple lifestyle. But he didn’t seem to mind.

When we took a side trip to my grandparent’s little farm, my well-heeled companion acted like he’d gone to heaven! As we walked along a tree-lined creek I commented, “Though we come from much different backgrounds, you’ve never looked down on me Howard.” “How could I?” he said. “You have the life I’ve always wanted.”

Kind reader, like me do you sometimes long for more? I was awed by Howard’s pedigree and family wealth, yet his heart ached for a life like mine–one filled with God’s love. Today, and every day, may we remember the secret of contentment in all circumstances: “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”–Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

Photo by Gary Fultz on Unsplash