Not a Complainer

 

In the Bible we read again and again about how the complaining and murmuring Israelites angered the Lord. It seems that this really annoys Him. Complaining reflects a heart of ingratitude and a lack of trust in God. It also easily leads others to join into it too since we all have a predisposition for murmuring. Knowing this, I try not to be that person and thought I was doing okay with it. But then, recently I read the book, “Power in Praise,” by Merlin Carothers and felt challenged. It’s a slim, easy-to-read book, and I recommend it, although there are parts I’m not sure are correct (Like our pastor says, “Eat the meat, spit out the bones.”). Mr. Carothers makes a strong case for praising God and giving thanks in every situation, no matter how terrible or difficult or even evil.

 

Carothers says this, “To praise God is to express our acceptance of something that God is permitting to happen. So to praise God for difficult situations, as sickness or disaster, means literally that we accept its happening, as part of God’s plan to reveal His perfect love for us…I’ve met many people who are able to praise God for their circumstances, simply because they accept the word of the Bible that they are supposed to praise God in everything. Praising Him, they soon experience the results of an attitude of consistent thanksgiving and joy; and in turn, their faith is strengthened, and they can continue to live this way.”

 

After reading this, I wanted an “attitude of consistent thanksgiving and joy,” don’t you? I recognized that my faith needed strengthening, so I decided to try to give thanks in everything, especially the difficult, all throughout my day. Thankfully, I am not currently facing a major trial (I know many who are). Life is full of such things, so I might as well practice praising God for my minor “trials” and irritations until something bigger arises (as it likely will). As I began to practice this type of praising God, it did not take long for me to notice how many times throughout an ordinary day that I murmur to myself about various things. “Oh no, not another cloudy day.” “I hate Ooltewah traffic.” “Why does so-in-so have to be so hateful?” “Oh no, why is my car making that sound?” “My hip hurts.” Sometimes I complain out loud, but often I complain inwardly. And it’s more times than I care to admit.

 

Last week, I went to Walmart and had frozen foods in my cart that I was anxious to put in my home freezer. When I came outside, it was pouring rain, so I waited about 5 minutes, but my internal pressure was building since I had lingered a bit too long already. Once the rain slacked, I hurried to the car, threw my purse, keys, and phone on the seat, and promptly locked myself out of my car, stood in the misting rain, and began pouring sweat in the thick humidity. “Oh man!!” I had to go back inside Walmart to locate a phone to call my husband. Then, I waited for him in the parking lot trying not to fret over my frozen items. I remembered what I had been learning and started thanking and praising God for this ordeal and even quietly sang a praise song. It wasn’t easy, but it did help me be patient and peaceful. My husband shortly rescued me and my perishables, and all ended well. It would have still been okay if my perishables had perished. God numbers the hairs on our heads. He is aware of every detail of our lives and can manage things just fine no matter how things end. It is amazing how He holds things together!

 

Another day last week (likely another test from God) I really was having a strange noise in my car. I spent a whole morning dealing with that while caring for my infant grandson. What could possibly go wrong? I thanked God for this aggravation and asked Him to show me what to do about this problem since I did not even know where to begin. He did show me what to do. A clear thought of direction came to my mind. Things went much smoother than I could have imagined, and the people that worked on my car were more gracious, kind, and helpful that I could have asked. Due to circumstances unrelated to me, my car was placed ahead of three other cars whose owners were not sitting and waiting. Will it always go like this when I choose praise over complaining? Maybe not, but the biggest change was within me. Again, I was peaceful and patient. My grandson was peaceful and patient. Had I become irritated and worried, he may have picked up my mood and been difficult. None of this was in my control, and my response was not given in my own strength. It was certainly Christ working in me.

 

Remember, “And we know that in all things God works for good to those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

 

I heard this verse quoted many times by my former pastor, Dr. Lee Roberson, in reference to the death of his infant daughter, Joy. He was inspired to begin the ministry of Camp Joy because of her death, and hundreds (maybe thousands) were saved through this great work. Even through the death of his child, Dr. Roberson trusted that God had a good plan in all of it. That inspires me even now to give God my praise in the little trials but also in the big ones. God is good. He loves us. He wants our ultimate good. And He’s powerful enough to bring it to pass. Being joyful in this knowledge just makes sense!

 

Are you willing to give it a try?

 

joyce hague

Come

 

Revelation 22: 17: “And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

 In the last two years, over and over we have heard:

 “Stay at home and away from other people.”

“Keep 6 feet apart.”

“Isolation and precaution.”

“Schools closed...online learning only.”

“No indoor dining.”

“Churches closed. View online”

“Ballgames canceled (although outdoors).”

“Weddings, graduations, baby showers, birthday parties, etc., canceled, delayed, or only minimal attendance allowed to the sadness of those celebrating.”

“Wear masks.” (I tried to always smile with my eyes. Hope the other person saw itJ).

The list can go on. Whatever your opinion about this time in our history, here are my thoughts about the “stay away” and the “come.” What a contrast between the words!

 STAY AWAY means “to avoid on purpose.”

 COME means “to move toward something or someone; to approach; to move toward a person or object with a specific purpose.”

My daughter Debbie gave me a sweet plaque by Susan Branch that I have on my kitchen counter. I know Debbie means every word:

“Come in the evening,
Come in the morning,
Come when expected,
Come without warning.
Thousands of welcomes you’ll find here before you.
And the oftener you come, the more we’ll adore you.”

If my Debbie means that, God certainly wants me to come to Him! There are so many beautiful verses in His Word with the invitation to COME that have encouraged me. I cannot think of any verse that tells me God says “Stay away...isolate from Me,” if we are seeking Him. We are the ones who get away from Him. So BE ENCOURAGED:

Isaiah 55 is a chapter you need to read and rejoice in the truths there about God’s mercy. God states in verse 3: “Incline your ear (listen up), and come to Me. Hear and your soul shall live...”

We have to include Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Jesus is on the other side of the yoke...a yoke prepared just for you so it fits. He helps you carry the load. Don’t you think He carries the hardest part? But He doesn’t say we don’t need to carry our share. He just says “COME and I will help you.”

How precious the way Jesus showed His love not just for grownups but for little ones!

 Matthew 19:14: Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of Heaven.”

I love to put my children, grands, and great-grands “in Jesus’ lap” before I go to sleep at night. Why? Because I KNOW Jesus said He wants them all to COME.

And why do I know I can “put my family in Jesus’ lap” every night 

Hebrews 4:16:“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Let’s revisit Revelation 22: 17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

 If you have never accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior, He says “Come.” He will not turn you away.

 --Maylou Holladay 

 

 

 

 

Ta-Da!!

 

Walking in the grocery store, I noticed a couple of women coming my direction. They seemed absolutely ordinary, just like me. One of them was wearing a shirt that caught my attention. In large print, it read, “After God created me, He said, ‘Ta-Da!’” Did you hear the fanfare? I did.

My first thought, only for a split second, was, “She’s no more special than I am.” A moment later, I was bursting with joy. I thought, “I wish I could buy that shirt for every person on the planet!” It’s true for every one of us. God made it clear from the beginning. Humans are His most prized creation. He tells us specifically that He knows every detail of our bodies and minds from the time we are being manufactured inside our mothers. That’s because He’s doing the assembling.

If you had a shirt/tag/bumper sticker/poster like that, could you wear/display/post it? We’ve been taught to be humble, to recognize that we are sinners and not to be vain. So, could you? It seems like we’d be bragging on ourselves, but the idea is absolutely true, and the bragging rights go to God. Can you see yourself as His highest work of value? And just as important, can you see others as worthy of wearing that claim?

The first chance we got, we kind of messed it up and we’ve been doing so ever since. But from the standpoint of “being,” we and all others are God’s most valued possessions. If we could accept that and apply that mindset to all the people we meet, how would that affect our view of them and our relationship to them? We don’t have to pretend that all people are good; we only have to acknowledge that all are God’s treasure. Including ourselves. Me. You. You are God’s treasure. He’s not like us, who get worn down with repetition. He wasn’t bored by the time he got to you, with all the billions of people He’s already made. He made you, and He said, “Ta-Da!” Maybe He even had an angel ensemble blow the fanfare.

--Lynda Shenefield

The Bible Passages We'd Like to Skip

 

I began reading my bible for today with a heavy heart, not because of something going on in my life, but because I knew the story of the passage I would be reading. Have you ever started your bible reading for the day with a pit in your stomach because of what was coming? Perhaps it will be no surprise to you when I tell you that I am studying the book of Judges. Specifically, this morning’s chapter was the one in which a Levite gives his concubine to a group of wicked men to be raped and abused while he goes back to sleep (ch. 19). And this story is by far not the only horrific one in this book. Others include the father who sacrificed his daughter because he felt bound to a pledge he had previously made, Samson whose life was dominated by his lust for women and revenge (14-15), and a group of men who satisfied their need for wives by kidnapping eligible women (21). These were dark days in the land of Israel. This was especially tragic because Israel had been rescued from Egypt, and they were finally in the promised land. Yet they had not obeyed God: They had failed to take the land, and they had turned to the gods of the nations who lived among them. Judges shows what happens to a people when everyone decides to do what is right in his or her own eyes (21:25).

So why read Judges? Why study the books or passages in Scripture that seem dark and depressing? The apostle Paul, who as a Jew knew the Old Testament with its dark tones well, wrote that “all Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  So with that in mind, here are some of the things I’m learning from this dark time in Israel’s history:

-- Never underestimate the power of the influence of those whom you surround yourself with (or even what you watch or read). The practices and beliefs of the foreign nations crept into the lives of God’s people, perhaps at first in ways they hardly noticed. Our culture today is inserting its message into movies, advertisements, human interest stories in the news, etc. We must know truth as God defines it and be aware of how our culture is trying to shape us. We must stand firm in what is true and right.

-- Make sure you are worshiping God alone. The Israelites often didn’t completely abandon their worship of God, they just added the foreign gods to that worship. This, of course, shows that they did not really worship God in truth, for God commands that we have no other gods beside Him. Yet how prone are we in our own time to place our joy, satisfaction, or hope in things alongside God? Judges is full of examples that such idolatry never ends well.

-- God is a God of mercy. This is perhaps the most surprising – that despite the absolute wickedness of the Israelites, He continues to rescue them from their enemies.  He still fulfills His plan for them. They do suffer the consequences of their wrong, but He does not abandon them and start over. We too experience God’s mercy. May we never take it for granted and may it cause us to live in gratefulness to Him.

-- Even in the midst of dark times, there are those who follow God whole-heartedly, providing a breath of fresh air; their examples shine out all the brighter in the midst of the darkness. We see Caleb at the beginning of the book who trusts God and takes the land allotted to him (ch. 1).  We see Deborah who speaks God’s words to the people and then praises Him, recounting what He’s done after He delivers them (ch.5). And, jumping ahead to the next book, the beautiful story of Ruth and her faithfulness to God and to her mother-in-law also takes place during these days. May these people serve as an example to us that we too can shine as lights in a dark world, holding forth the word of life (Phil. 2:15)

               These are surely not all the ways that Judges can be profitable to us, but it is a start. I have been thinking lately that I am thankful that the Bible does not gloss over the ugly. It shows the world in all its depravity so we feel the full weight of it. And then it shows Christ in all His glory and beauty, promising that one day this world will be made new. So, let’s be women of the Word -- the entire Word. Let’s open our bibles and study. There are truths to be gleaned even when the reading hurts.

--Amy O'Rear