Earlier this week I enjoyed a walk in the woods with a friend of mine. It had rained through the night but we were prepared with boots and waterproof coats. Off we went. Don’t you love the smell of forest and leaves after a good rain?
As we walked along the path we were following, we came to a sudden stop because a tree had fallen over and was completely blocking the path. This was no surprise due to all the flooding that has taken place in recent weeks. There were, in fact, several trees fallen over. Even so, this did not deter our walk. We would simply go around it.
We set off, leaving the path, and making a new path of our own. We walked carefully, watching where we put our feet, and pushing aside wet branches and bushes. At one point, very unexpected, I felt my body lurching forward. The path was clear as far as I could tell, but no! What was that grabbing at my ankle? My arms flew out to steady myself and wonderfully I regained my balance before I toppled over onto a wet and muddy earth below me.
A very thin, but strong vine had crossed my path, refusing to let my leg move forward. I shook my leg and foot, and easily enough, freed myself from this vine trap. If I had not taken swift action to regain balance, and made attempt to free myself, I would surely have fallen down.
As my friend and I got back onto the right path on the other side of the fallen tree, a thought came to my mind. We take physical walks in this world, but we take spiritual walks, too. We can be walking along with God, everything is going just fine. We are enjoying our walk with Him but then a difficulty crosses our path. A tree of great challenge has blocked our way.
We decide not to let a challenge stop our walk. After all, God is bigger than any problem we can ever experience. Therefore, with thoughts still on our walk with God, we veer in another direction, but wait! Something unawares has made an attempt to trip us. Do you ever feel that way? Perhaps a vine of fear and doubt grabs your ankle, trying to make you fall. Maybe a vine of worry causes you to lose your balance. You’re trapped! You’re falling! Help! What can be done?
In these situations there is something most important to remember: Whatever you do, don’t just stand there, and if you do fall, don’t just lay there. Keep focusing on God. Shake your leg and foot with His promises of strength, and get out of the way of what is attempting to stop you in your tracks.
At such moments, Satan will quickly take opportunity to whisper words of failure in your ear. He loves to see us trip and fall. Walking with God isn’t on his agenda for any of us. Satan is always designing unseen vines to hinder our walk with our Father.
I encourage us all, when we know we’re about to fall; when weakness of heart and courage has drained away; when resolve to do what is right has all but disappeared — make a choice to call out to Father for help, and then — walk on. Get up and go. Laying there in failure and defeat will never get anyone to a good place. In fact, you get no where at all.
When vines of temptation or any other weakness crosses your path — make a God choice — take Father’s own strength; shake yourself free, and keep on walking. Don’t concentrate on the whole of the path that needs to be walked; that can be overwhelming. Instead, concentrate on one step at a time. Like the Apostle Paul reminds us in Colossians 2:6, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord – so walk in Him.” Make the choice — walk on and enjoy the views along the way.
Many of you will have received my news about my first novel being published. I shared that piece of news yesterday. Already, lots of you have told me that you’ve ordered the book. You said things to me that were greatly encouraging which I found to be of considerable relief.
Why relief? Well, I admit that as soon as I put the word out, an anxious feeling came over me. Thoughts came flooding in like — I hope people like my book, I hope they will be helped, I hope it’s enjoyable, I hope they like my writing style — on and on went the thoughts, and nervousness grew with every one.
That’s when it hit me! A thought so strong hurled itself into my brain that for an instance my breath caught in my throat. There I was agitating over my book, hoping it would be read and liked, when the fact is, the greatest book ever written sits unused and dusty on too many shelves. Our heavenly Father’s own words are bound in a book we call The Bible. It’s God’s love letter to us. In that wonderful book, He shares His truths, His wisdom, His guidance. He tells us how to live holy in an unholy world. He tells us how to forgive when we consider some things to be unforgivable. He reminds us of His unconditional love for us. He warns us of the subtleties of Satan and shows us how to be wise and strong.
God’s Book is a book without mistake. It tells of the greatest love the world will ever know. It is continually on the best seller list and no other book will ever compare to it. Life gets busy and hectic but let’s not forget to read what our heavenly Father has written. He gives us words to live by and words to live joyfully and peacefully and courageously. There is no better guidance than what God has written. His Words are treasures; they are living words.
As it says in Proverbs 25:11, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”
For several weeks rain has been coming down upon the United Kingdom in torrents. In the southwest, whole villages have been evacuated as flood waters take over towns. Railway lines have been washed away, 80,000 homes are right now without power, herds of cows have been wonderfully rescued before drowning, high winds have blown away roofs and chimneys — and — more rain is on the way!
As I watched the news reports about the damage done by wind and flooding, I began to think of the sheer power of water. I began, too, to try and imagine what it must have been like to be in the ark with Noah and his family and all those animals. I wonder what it felt like as the rain crashed to the earth, and the rivers burst the banks, lifting the giant ark from it’s resting place? Was there fear inside the ark as the waters caused the craft to lurch to the right and heave to the left? Were their hearts in their throats as the ark swayed and bobbed, floating away into — they did not know what! What would tomorrow bring them? They had no idea at all. All they knew of a certainty was that God Himself had closed the door to the ark. He Himself had sealed them inside.
I find this reminder such a comfort. We all have situations in which hardship rains down upon us, and floods of trouble swirl around our once peaceful worlds. Our boats of safety get knocked about on unchartered waters. Like Noah and his family, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, where our boat will end up, and for how long the storms will lash out in fury. However, also like Noah, we are assured of one thing — God Himself has shut the door to our personal ark. He has sealed us inside. He will never leave us or forsake us. We may be bashed and dashed, but we will not be destroyed, for the Lord Himself will hold our boat, bringing us safely to shore.
God promised to never flood the earth again. Likewise, He promises to never allow anything into our lives without also giving us His own strength and courage and peace to get us through. We are sealed and protected. We are safe in His arms no matter the raging waters of life’s storms that toss our boat into trouble and the unknown.
I love the words of Jesus when He said, “…Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Since Jesus has overcome the world, and since He lives in us by His Spirit, then we, too, are overcomers. Let us remember then, when our personal arks are floating away in floods of trouble — don’t look at the water; look at the One who closed your door of safety.
Many of you know that I have had, for many years, the great joy of dog sitting when friends go away for their vacations. I love giving their pets a vacation of their own in my home. We are up at daybreak, take off for the fields where squirrels jump from tree to tree. We go along country lanes where there are a thousand smells for any dog nose to sniff and enjoy. (I call it a dog’s way of reading the daily papers) These dogs give me the greatest of joy.
This week, two of my dear dogs, Rasta and Katie, came to a point where it was needed that they leave this earth. I was with them both, along with their owners, at the vets as they took their last breaths, falling peacefully away into sleep. Oh, the tears that accompanied those departures! Yes, it has been a very sad week.
However, as in every time of difficulty in life, I willed myself to turn to God’s own Word for comfort; as always, I found it. I went to the verses that assure me that, just as I will see human loved ones in heaven, one day I will see animal loved ones, too. Not sure about that? Well, I encourage you to neither accept or reject my word. Look instead at what God says. His Word is the only absolute. For those of you who are animal lovers like me, be blessed with the following from God’s own Word:
“Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast.” Psalm 36:6
“Creation itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Romans 8:21
“But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air and they will tell you; Or speak to the earth and it will teach you; And the fish of the sea will explain to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this. In whose hand is the life (soul) of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:7-10 NOTE: In the original text, the word translated “life” is actually the word, soul.
“To every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life (soul), I have given every green herb for food, and it was so.” Genesis 1:30 NOTE: Once again, in the original text, the word translated “life” is actually the word, soul.
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb. The leopard shall lie down with the young goat. The calf and the young lion and the fatling together. And a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox…they shall not hurt nor destroy in all My Holy Mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.” Isaiah 11:6-9 NOTE: This is a word of prophecy of things to come when Jesus has returned to earth to make all things new, holy, and without sin.
“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse.” Revelation 19:11
“And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all them that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever.” Revelation 5:13
What a wonderful picture comes to my mind in the above verse: not only will mankind be praising God in heaven — but every creature, too. Oh, what joy when every living, breathing, being, will one day call out their praises to the One who loves them so much.
Lest anyone misunderstand — animals having a soul does not mean they share the fellowship of salvation as mankind does with Jesus. It was mankind who messed up the perfect order of God’s world through their own sinful choice. Their disobedience to God brought about a terrible result that cursed the whole earth and every living thing in it. Man is therefore offered a way of salvation, a way to be redeemed, to be cleansed and made holy before God. Mankind is given the privilege of becoming children of God, with all the rights of sons and daughters.
Animals did not choose to sin against God; only mankind was given that privilege and intellect to make that choice. Animals were innocent bystanders. Therefore, they are promised continued life in heaven, and will praise God along with every created being that has breath to praise.
I watched a movie this week about someone who was struggling with how to forgive someone. We’ve all experienced being hurt, whether intentionally or not, by someone’s words or actions. Also, we’ve all hurt someone, whether intentionally or not, by our words or actions. As Christians, we may be well aware of Jesus’ instructions to Peter in Matthew 19:21-22. “Then Peter came to Him and asked, ‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’ ‘No!’ Jesus replied, ‘seventy times seven!'”
We read the words of Jesus above and we are taken aback at His instruction. We question, how on earth, does anyone and everyone, forgive in all situations? Why should we forgive cruelties anyway? Some things are just unforgivable, aren’t they?
First of all, let’s take a look at why we should forgive, no matter what. Further down in Matthew 19:33, Jesus says, “Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?” We don’t deserve forgiveness, but we accept it with a thankful heart. We need God’s forgiveness. It frees us to be who we are meant to be in Him. It frees us to let God do His work in our lives. Taking His forgiveness is imperative to quality of life on earth and promise of eternal life after death.
We see why we should forgive, as we, too, are forgiven, but still the question comes — how do I forgive when I’ve been terribly wronged? The answer in found in Philippians 3:12, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be.” The key is this: don’t give up trying. Tell Jesus you can’t do it, and ask Him to be your strength. Tell Him you can’t forgive by yourself. Jesus will be what you need Him to be, but do not forget one very important thing — it takes time and repeated efforts.
All too often, Christians get upset because they feel they’ve forgiven someone; then, in shocking surprise, they realize that they’ve taken back the forgiveness they thought they had given. Do they have to start over again? Answer: yes. Forgiving someone, like any other weakness we are trying to overcome, can be a daily effort. Sometimes we have to call out to Jesus to help us several times in a day.
Don’t beat yourself up when forgiving someone is such effort — just don’t quit trying — call out, daily to God, to be your strength and your help. Keep running toward the goal, and like a trained athlete, when you fall down on the track, don’t lay there in defeat, get up and continue the race.
I was watching TV the other day when an advertisement came on showing little children walking in their parents’ shoes. There was a little girl with beads around her neck, dangling to the floor, her feet inside her mother’s high heels. Then, a little boy comes into view wearing his father’s boots, the tops reaching him, mid-thigh. Their faces were all smiles as they scuffled forward in their parents’ shoes. What fun!
This act reveals something very important — love and trust. If these children didn’t love their parents, they wouldn’t have desired to wear their shoes; if they didn’t trust their parents, they wouldn’t have dared put them on for fear of making them angry for having done so. They could dare to imitate only because of love and trust shared between them.
It’s the same with our heavenly Father, too. We desire to be like Him when we love and trust Him. Here, then, comes the question: How do we learn to trust God when we’re so afraid? If we don’t trust Him, we can never hope to be like Him. Does He really even love us, no matter what? Fears and doubts can smother a weak trust. What can we do?
Let’s think back to the above little children wearing their parents’ shoes. How did they come to easily love and trust them? It can only be — through watching what they do, spending time with them, and paying attention to what they say. It’s no different with our heavenly Father. When we observe the world He has made, and the works He does in another person’s life, we see His love, and our trust grows. When we spend time with Him, meditating on the loveliness of His instruction to us, and take time, too, to listen to Him speak into our hearts, we know His love, and our trust grows. Observing, spending time together, and listening — those are key elements in any relationship on which to build love and trust.
As we learn to build upon the love of our Father, trusting His ways with us, then we come to understand the wonderful plan He has designed, individually for each of us. May you be blessed as you build your love and trust in your Father.
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster. to give you a future and a hope. In those days, when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.'” Jeremiah 29:11-13
The entire United Kingdom is under flood watch. Rain has been coming in torrents, and ground water has been rising. Fields are flooded, along with roads, and in many cases, people’s homes. Great damage has been done. It’s a terrible situation for many.
My friend, Sally, who collected my mother and me from the airport two weeks ago, told me something which I found fascinating. I share it with you now. She was telling me about something she had seen on the TV news in relation to the recent flooding. The news segment showed trees that had been uprooted due to the water surrounding it. The entire root system had been exposed and the tree had floated away by several feet. While that certainly sounds disastrous, it was being explained that, after the waters have receded, the trees can be moved back into position, and it will take root again firmly in the ground. Isn’t that amazing?
As Sally was telling me this, a thought popped immediately into my head — you and I are sometimes like these trees. Our roots are planted firmly in Jesus. We stand strong in His Word, and we do not bend, no matter the storms of life that try to blow us over, or the waters of fear that try to uproot us — or do we? In actual fact, we all have to admit that there have been times in our lives when we began to focus on the rising waters of our discontent more than we were focusing on the strength of God available to us. Eyes were taken off the soil of God’s truth, which holds us firmly in place, and without intending to do so, we fell over. We were uprooted with our weaknesses; our foibles exposed for all to see.
What can we do? We have two choices. One — we can continue to lay there in our misery and failure. Of course, that will only aid in drying us up spiritually, adding to more gloom. A second choice — we can ask our Father, the Master Gardener, to put us upright again, and plant us once more into the good soil of His truth, and love, and forgiveness. Father leaves the choice entirely to us. He is always ready to plant our roots into His goodness, but He won’t force it. It’s our free choice. Only one choice leads to joy and inner peace; it’s the choice with God’s own promise, which reads as follows:
“Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:7
What a lovely promise to claim when the waters of difficulty uproot us from our place of strength through Jesus Christ.
This past week, Sally, a friend here in the UK, collected my mother and me from the airport. We had been aware of recent weather and of the current forecast — rain, rain, and more rain. However, to the delight of us all, when Sally arrived the sun had broken through the clouds, and the drive home was clear and full of sunshine all the way.
I sat in the passenger seat next to Sally while my mother took the seat in the back. We were are three chatting, enjoying catching up, and soaking in the beautiful scenery along the way. I looked out across familiar fields with sheep grazing. Other fields held horses looking very snug with their winter coats fastened securely about them.
Suddenly, the road curved, leading the car in a direction that put the sun straight ahead. The sun shone brightly through the windshield. That’s when I saw it, and Sally did, too.
Driving along the way, previous to that moment, the windshield appeared to be clear. We could see just fine — or so we thought. In fact, the sunshine blaring straight through revealed that the windshield was actually very smudged and dirty from all the rain of the week. Sally and I were both surprised.
It was that moment of dirty windshield revelation when I thought of our lives as Christians. We get forgiven of our sins, then we go out into our personal worlds where we meet with all kinds of situations. Perhaps we tell a lie, just a little one. Perhaps we are angered unnecessarily. Perhaps we hold a grudge toward someone. Perhaps we have broken a trust. Perhaps we have gossiped, sharing some delicious morsel that we’ve heard about someone else. The list of “perhaps” could go on and on.
We get soiled in the week as the rain of our wrong doings splashes into our lives. Even so, we feel okay. Things look pretty good. Then, the Son shines in, revealing that things in our heart are not as they should be. That’s when we have a wonderful choice available to us. We can go on with dirty windshields, pretending that everything is really okay or we can go to our Heavenly Father and ask Him to forgive our wrongdoings.
What happens then? The most wonderful and joyful thing takes place — Father Himself instantly cleans away the dirty smudges. He cleans our hearts once more. He loves us to Himself. He fills us with joy and inner peace.
Don’t you feel good when you have a clean car to drive? Don’t you love it when the windshield is absolutely clear? It’s even more wonderful to have our lives cleaned up and our hearts made clear by God Himself.
When we ignore our dirty windshield, it only gets worse with time. It won’t clean itself. The same with our lives. The results of sin never goes away with time. We only feel it worse as we drift further and further away from our Father. Let’s all remember, with the start of a new year — go regularly to God’s windshield cleaning service. It’s a joyful start to every day.
“‘ Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.'”
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