Bucket of Grace

You’ve got to earn it. The straight-A report card, the blue ribbon, the team trophy, the medal. You might even have to earn some negatives – not annoying your dad, not losing your birthday money, not forgetting to turn off the oven. All kinds of bad things can happen when you aren’t paying attention, but good things rarely come that way.

Whether trying to please ourselves, others, or God, we may or may not choose appropriate and effective ways to gain approval.

When it comes to pleasing God, we think the effort/reward system is the way to go. I have to please God or He will be mad at me. If I please Him, He will reward me. In fact, God says a lot of that in the Bible.

But He also makes it clear that we cannot succeed in a quest for perfection, that Jesus has succeeded in that quest, and that He wants to share His perfection with us. All that is required is our agreement about our sin, our acceptance of His forgiveness, our submission to Him. But that is everything. Our pride prevents.

He also makes it clear that He longs for us to lean on Him, to depend on Him, to ask Him for what we need and want. We don’t have to earn his care and concern.

Through the prophet Isaiah, He begged the rebellious people of Israel to turn to him with their needs:

“I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help.
    I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me.
I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’
    to a nation that did not call on my name.”       Is. 65:1 NLT

I see myself in the words of the prophet. I don’t want to need help. I want to be able to earn… Well, what is it I’m trying to earn….?

I see myself in the words of the poem:

Lord, I crawled across the barrenness to You

With an empty cup,

Uncertain in asking any small drop of refreshment.

If only I had known You better

I’d have come running with a bucket.

Nancy Spiegelberg ©

--Lynda Shenefield

What is that?

Ex. 4:2 “Then the Lord said to him (Moses), “What is that in your hand?”

In my Bible, I have written “Maylou” with an arrow pointing to this verse. Often I have to ask myself: “Maylou, what is that in your hand that you can use for the Lord and for others?”

Is it a PEN… to use to write a “hard copy” card to a friend…a card that has to be mailed…with a personal note inside…with a stamp on the envelope…that my friend will receive from her/his postman?

Recently I asked the Lord to bring to my attention people from my past that I need to thank. When a person comes to mind, I pick up my PEN and write!

Is it a WHISK…to use to make cookies for a neighbor…for a young man or woman in college… in the military (like our own Brandon McQueen)? GBC has his address. J

Is it a SET OF CAR KEYS…to use to visit someone in the hospital… to take a lonely friend for coffee… to run an errand for a busy young mother?

Is it a COMPUTER/PHONE… to send a note to our missionaries…to text a friend or relative to say you are praying…to contact a young person who is having difficulty with grades in school?

Is it a TOOL BOX… to help repair a sink or stove…to hang a picture for a single mom?

Is it an HOUR OR TWO …that you can give to babysit for a couple so they can have a “coffee date”?

Is it a BALL or BOARD GAME…that you can take time to play with a child (or your spouseJ)?

Is it MONEY…maybe just $1 or much more to encourage someone God lays on your heart? You don’t even have to know the need…just follow God’s leading and give…just slip it into their hands (even a child’s) or in an envelope… watch the look of surprise and gratitude and even unbelief! YOU will feel the joy.

Is it AN APPROPIATE TRACT…with a VERY generous tip for a waiter or waitress?

The Lord is asking us today: “What is that in your hand?”

Our Prayer: “Lord, Show me a need…give me an idea…help me to use what I have in my hand.”

  

 --Maylou Holladay

Stupid Israelites?

         Am I the only one who can’t understand why the Israelites in the Old Testament kept running after powerless idols when they could have had the living God? God rescued them from their oppressors, fought their battles, gave them the most beautiful land on earth, blessed them with large families, clothed them like royalty, made their crops abundantly productive, etc. He longed to be their God and they to be His people. He poured out lavish love on them, and yet, they turned to idols of their own making? Why?

         But, let’s think about this: For His blessing to continue, God required a few things. He asked them to lead a life of restraint, self-control, sacrifice, and obedience. Their false idols (themselves) allowed excessive indulgence (drink, sex, food), “freedom” to do whatever they wanted, self-promotion, and the pursuit of selfish desires. They refused to submit to God’s authority, because they thought any consequences of their behavior would be worth doing what they wanted now. But eventually (and after numerous warnings), their idolatry led to famine, disease, death, war, torture, and captivity. Only a small remnant would be saved.

         If only people could see God’s goodness and love towards us! When He puts restraints on us, it’s for our good. He knows our sin will enslave us and destroy the good things in our lives. Our rebellion will keep us from fully knowing Him and finding satisfaction in Him. And He is more amazing that we can imagine!

         What idol(s) controls you today? Good things taken to excess or out of God’s boundaries seem to be common idols. Food is one example. It seems to be the Christian “drug,” and it has a powerful hold on many of us. In some ways it’s harder to control, because we can’t just abstain from eating. And as Americans, advertisers push food in our faces all day long. We have been conditioned to think we’re worth it. We deserve it, and we need a lot of it. We believe we can’t enjoy life without indulging. Resolutely, we refuse to give up or limit favorite foods we know are bad for us.

         A few years ago, God told me to give up sugar for a year, because it had such a strong hold on me. A year. He forced me to decide to submit to Him or live in idolatry. That was a tough year. I have since loosened the restrictions a bit, but I still have to be careful. Now, we’re working on portion sizes and good choices so I can be healthy. In the future, if I walk in obedience to Him now, I will avoid terrible consequences.

         Our Pastor recently taught a lesson on fasting. I found these points helpful: Fasting breaks the power of food over us and strengthens our self-control muscle. It causes us to lean into God’s power and strength and depend on Him. It is in our leanness that we find satisfaction in Him alone.

         God’s ways aren’t glamorous or fun or easy, but they are good and life-giving. When we fail, He helps us get up, dust our clothes, and try again. In the process, we draw closer to Him and find that He satisfies the true hunger of our hearts.

--Joyce Hague