We Love our Little Treasures

           I would like to share with you a sweet story by an unknown author that presents a powerful truth. I will summarize the first part. A little girl named Jenny finds delight in some dime store pearls. She works extra hard to earn the money to buy them…

How Jenny loved those pearls. She wore them everywhere--to kindergarten, to bed, and when she went out with her mother to run errands. The only time she didn't wear them was in the shower; her mother had told her that they would turn her neck green! Now Jenny had a very loving daddy. When Jenny went to bed, he would get up from his favorite chair every night and read Jenny her favorite story. One night when he finished the story, he said, "Jenny, do you love me?" "Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you," the little girl said. "Well, then, give me your pearls." "Oh! Daddy, not my pearls!" Jenny said. "But you can have Rosie, my favorite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me last year for my birthday. And you can have her tea party outfit, too. Okay?" "Oh no, darling, that's okay." Her father brushed her cheek with a kiss. "Good night, little one." A week later, her father once again asked Jenny after her story, "Do you love me?" "Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you." "Well, then, give me your pearls." "Oh, Daddy, not my pearls! But you can have Ribbons, my toy horse. Do you remember her? She's my favorite. Her hair is so soft, and you can play with it and braid it and everything. You can have Ribbons if you want her, Daddy," the little girl said to her father. "No, that's okay," her father said and brushed her cheek again with a kiss. "God bless you, little one. Sweet dreams." Several days later, when Jenny's father came in to read her a story, Jenny was sitting on her bed and her lip was trembling. "Here, Daddy," she said, and held out her hand. She opened it and her beloved pearl necklace was inside. She let it slip into her father's hand. With one hand her father held the plastic pearls and with the other he pulled out of his pocket a blue velvet box. Inside of the box were real, genuine, beautiful pearls. He had them all along. He was waiting for Jenny to give up the cheap stuff so he could give her the real thing. So it is with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasure. Are you holding onto things which the Lord wants you to let go of? Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships, habits and activities which you have become so attached to that it seems impossible to let go? Sometimes, it is so hard to see what is in the other hand but do believe this one thing.... The Lord will never take away something without giving you something better in its place.            Amen! How true it is that God will always give us something better because His gifts are eternal and fulfilling, whereas our worldly treasures are momentary and only briefly satisfying. I do want to be careful with that statement and make sure we don’t take it to a prosperity gospel extent, like if I give up my Honda, God is going to give me a Ferrari!

 But most of us, if we stop to evaluate honestly, have these cheap, worldly treasures that we cling to for comfort. We might call them coping mechanisms, hobbies, passions, comfort food, shopping therapy, achieving success, or…idols (ouch!). Idols do not have to be naturally bad things, but can simply be good things that we use in an unhealthy way. Here are a few measures I use to identify idols: anything that you turn to before God or more than God, something that is difficult to go a whole day without, a way that of trying to control life, or anything consumes your thoughts frequently. 

Various idols do look different. For instance, food is a delightful gift God has given us to enjoy, but when our day revolves around what we can eat next that will bring us joy/pleasure/comfort, it sounds like an idol. You shouldn’t go a day without eating, but need to deal with being consumed by it constantly. Then again, with eating disorders/control, it can be just as consuming to constantly think about not eating or how to eat as little as possible.

God has revealed to me ways that I have been coping that have recently become unhealthy and (ooh, I hate to say this) idolatrous. I know that I have throughout my life enjoyed comfort food, escaping to books or TV, and occasional retail therapy. In a small measure, sometimes these things can be useful (though not always most productive) to brighten a tough day or set my heart on a lighter note. But since the miscarriages, it slowly has gotten worse until I finally realized that I am leaning on these methods of comfort or pleasure as a way of coping INSTEAD of turning to God. It is embarrassing (which is just pride), and it is heart-breaking to know that I have substituted the truth and everlasting comfort of God for such paltry things. It is also frustrating that my flesh fights to live the way I want to live and keep my petty joys when God is waiting (lovingly and patiently) for me to trade in these things that do not really satisfy for His abundant, eternal gifts. I am taking the Walking Worthy class, and it is one major way the Lord and I are dealing with these issues.

My dear sister, what consumes you? What beautiful but temporary thing of this world brings you comfort, joy, or peace for a moment, but then you have to turn to it again or to something else to try to continue that comfort? What do you turn to instead of God? How do you ‘cope’ when life is tough? What is the thing that if you don’t get to do it every day or a certain number of times a week, that it really frustrates you? The truth is that most of us have some idols, even if they are fairly well contained. Perhaps you are going through a great spiritual time right now and this is not a great issue – Fantastic! But keep checking your heart because idols creep in all too easily. And perhaps you can be a resource of compassion, strength, and help to a sister who is currently struggling.

For those of us convicted that we hold some things in this world a little too closely, let us turn to God and offer these unfulfilling things back to Him. Let us meditate on the truth of His word – find Scripture that speaks to your situation or to the general heart condition beneath your coping. Find safe people who love and accept you to talk to, confess your struggles, and get some encouragement, accountability, and potentially ideas of how to deal with it. Let us keep seeking God regarding these issues until we can truly let them go and take instead His lasting, fulfilling treasure. In doing this, we will honor the Lord by seeking Him first, and we will simultaneously enjoy more of the freedom and abundant life that He bought for us at such a great price!

“It is for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

--Judith Graham

The Woman Behind Martin Luther

On a beautiful summer day in early July 2009, my parents, Kelly, and I walked the streets of the quaint German town of Wittenberg. We took a walking tour of the city that led us into churches and homes, and concluded our day there at a restaurant eating pizza. Oh, but to have walked that city in the 1520s! What would it have been like? Who would we have seen? What would the mood have been in that important little town?

In two days we celebrate the 500-year anniversary of Martin Luther’s bold statement to the Catholic church when he nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg. These theses stated that salvation was by faith alone, not through the practice of indulgences (paying money to the church to attain salvation for oneself or another). Though Luther did not mean this to be a monumental event, it was, and it became the recognized start of the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther continued to remain faithful to the Word of God in his teaching as he elevated the Word over the edicts of the pope and the corrupt church. In 1521 in the city of Worms, Luther took his stand before the Holy Roman Emperor and other notables and would not recant his teachings on salvation or on the false practices of the church. Labeled a heretic, he then had to hide away for ten months. During this time, he worked on the translation of the Bible into the German language, because of his belief that all should have access to a Bible in their own language and be allowed to read and study it for themselves. In 1522 he returned to the city of Wittenberg and took a large role in leading this reformation movement that had spread throughout the country and Europe. He was still single, but was not to remain so for much longer.

A group of 13 nuns escaped from a convent in 1523 in the darkness of night and made their way to Wittenberg, having received Luther’s help in escaping. They had read his writings and were convinced of the truth of them. One of these women was 24 year old Katharina von Bora. As a 6 year old child, she had been sent away from her family to a cloister school; at age 16, she’d taken her vows to become a nun. Having now escaped the convent and arrived safely at Wittenberg, she had  to figure out how to make a living for herself. Luther took a part in helping the nuns get settled and find husbands, and he actually tried to find one for Kate. She did not like his choice and told him so. However, in 1525 she ended up marrying Martin Luther himself.

Katharine Luther played a vital role in the reformation happenings in the town of Wittenberg. The Luther’s home, a former monastery, was a hub for scholars, university students, escaped priests and nuns, and others who had need. The Luthers would house them and feed them, thanks to Kate’s careful managing of the household as she gardened, bred cattle, and managed their resources and finances wisely. Their table at dinner was always full, and they usually had a waiting list of those wanting to stay with them. Yet Katherine didn’t simply stay in the background; she also took an active part in the conversations that were held in the Luther’s living room as relatives, friends, and house guests spoke about everything from current events to Scriptural matters. Many of these conversations were written down by guests and preserved, known now as “Table Talks.” Kate was an integral part here as well.

Although Martin Luther did not originally marry Katherine out of love, he learned to love her dearly and depended upon her as a faithful partner in life. In speaking of Kate and in his letters to her, he addressed her as “my dear Kate,” “Kate, my rib,” “my most beloved Lady of the House,” “my true love,” and “my sweetheart.” He depended on her as she supported him, challenged him when she felt him to be in the wrong, and encouraged and nursed him in his times of illness. The story is told that at one time Luther was depressed, and Kate’s counsel was not able to lift his spirit. She put on a black dress, and when Luther asked her if she were going to a funeral, she replied, “No, but since you are acting as though God is dead, I wanted to join you in your mourning.” Luther got the point and recovered.

On that day in 2009, we saw the rebuilt church where Martin Luther nailed the theses (the original one burned down), the church in which he preached, and the home of his well-known friends, the Cranachs, among other sites. But my favorite part of the day was visiting the “Lutherhaus,” that large former monastery that Katherine Luther had turned into a home in which many found a welcome place to stay and converse. There she had worked unceasingly as a manager of her household to put food on the table and provide beds for her guests. There she had born six children and sorrowed alongside her husband as two died young. There she supported her husband in the work he was doing for the progress of the gospel. She fulfilled her role as a "helpmeet," which allowed her husband to do what he did.

There is much more to say about Katherine Luther, but my hope here is simply that we may be encouraged and challenged by other women who have gone before us, women who faced great challenges yet walked with the Lord and served others sacrificially. Our daughter Katherine was named in part for Katherine Luther with the prayer that she, like Kate Luther, would be bold in her faith, a strong woman, a dedicated worker for the good of others, and a great support to her husband if God grants her one.

* Information taken from Katharina von Bora: A Reformation Life by Rudolf and Marilynn Markwald

--Amy O'Rear

Good Form

No good thing we do is ever wasted, but sometimes it feels that way. I know we shouldn't do good for rewards, but it can be difficult to understand our own motives. I recently read Peter Pan for a book club I attend, and we learned something interesting from the notorious Captain Hook.

When Hook is fighting Peter Pan on the pirate ship, his greatest concern is that he maintain "good form." The thing that makes this effort difficult is that Hook figures it's bad form to do things for the cause of good form. In order to have truly good form, one must not be aware of it; good form must come naturally.

I can identify with the old captain. Even though he's a silly character in a work of fiction, Hook represents the dilemma Christians have--that of righteousness for the sake of God and not for our own reward even while knowing that God often rewards those who trust in Him and work for Him.

On two separate occasions, I learned months or years after an event that some little thing I did was used by God to bless someone. In one case, a former classmate revealed that I had spoken a word of witness that caused him to turn from his sin and trust Jesus. In another situation, God led me--through a Bible study at church--to send a note of encouragement to a struggling young mother. I didn't hear from her and thought maybe the card had gone astray. Just the other day, a friend of hers told me she had gotten the note and was truly moved by it.

These are the best rewards--knowing that we have been an instrument of blessing in God's hands. Maybe He doesn't always let us see the results right away to help us trust Him for the outcome and not congratulate ourselves for being "good." And we may never see or understand on this earth all God is doing with and through us. I realize that in me "dwells no good thing" (Romans 7:18), but I want to be so controlled by the Spirit of God that I am speaking His thoughts and ministering His love to people I meet.

I'm thankful that even though we don't work for rewards, God is gracious enough to give us the blessing of sometimes seeing the results of His working through us.

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).

--Sherry Poff

Cry to Jesus

I hate for anyone to see me cry. That’s private, for me alone, and I don’t want to share it. And it annoys me when I can’t stop my tears if others are near.

Many years ago, Paul and I were sitting side by side and I was upset about something (not anything to do with him) and I started to cry. I turned away from him and tried not to make any sounds, but he knew. He sat in silent patience for a little while. Finally he said, kindly, “If you will turn toward me, I can comfort you, but if you turn away from me, I can’t do anything for you.”

Is our loving Father saying that to us?

When we are unhappy, do we think to turn to God for comfort first? I don’t. I muddle around in my misery for a while, then try to think what to do to “fix” this. When I can’t, THEN I turn to God for answers. But run to Him for comfort? I’m still trying to learn that. I don’t want Him to see me just sit there and cry. I want Him to get me out of this. Comfort isn’t my first request; action is. Fix it. Then I will be comforted. 

But a lot of the distresses of life don’t get fixed -- even though the Master Mechanic is on our side. He’s not the magic genie in a jar, waiting to satisfy our three wishes. He’s the all-understanding Guide, Guard and Power. When He’s not fixing it to our satisfaction, we are not understanding it to His satisfaction. We need to trust Him, turn to Him, and sometimes cry to Him. If we will turn toward Him, He can help us.

 --Lynda Shenefield

Selah

We named our daughter, Selah, meaning "to pause, take a breath, reflect on the goodness of God."  Daily as I look at that little face I pause, take a breath, and marvel at this amazing little baby created in the image of God. 

I picked up a Bible study in August entitled "Breathe: Creating a Sabbath Margin" by Priscilla Shirer simply because the title was basically Selah's name. Priscilla taught on how God had to create the Sabbath principle in our lives to remind us while work is important, it is not the end game for us. Much of what she shared spoke straight conviction to my easily overcommitted, type A, people-pleasing little heart. She said, "Overworking is a form of unbelief (I winced aloud as I read)...The opposite of faith is not unbelief itself, but control."(I winced aloud again.)  Control of all the details, control of all the people, control of all the emotions, control of all the finances...God did not intend for us control the universe. He also did not create us to overwork ourselves to the point we have nothing left for our families. He set us up as caretakers to this beautiful universe that He created.  He created us for work in this world, but the Sabbath was created for us to remember HE is in control and HE is the one who provides for us.  

In Exodus 16, Moses instructs the Israelites concerning the manna and quail that the Lord would provide for them. 
Gather as much of it as each person needs to eat. You may take two quarts per individual...So the Israelites did this. Some gathered a lot, some a little. When they measured it by quarts the person who gathered a lot had no surplus and the person who gathered a little had no shortage. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat.Now Moses warned them to not try and hoard any of it, but they didn't listen because they were going to control how much they had...not Moses or God. And the next morning they awoke to the manna covered in worms and rotting. I can just see Moses giving a big ol' eye roll to the Israelites because he definitely had no time for this foolishness. :) Fast forward to the end of the week...the sixth day.  And Moses tells the Israelites God wants them to gather a double portion on this day because there will be no manna on the seventh day...the Sabbath. 

For six days you may gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.

Moses was very clear with the Israelites, but do you know what? They got up and went to work anyhow. They didn't trust the double portion they gathered on the sixth day would be enough. 

Yet on the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather, but they did not find any.

Have you ever felt like you've worked so much you were just spinning your wheels and bringing nothing in? You are standing in the middle of the Sabbath margin. If you trust in the Lord's provision, you honor Him by leaving space for the margin where you are not the one working and earning and gathering. You are stopping to take a breath and reflect on the goodness of God.  He has called you to whatever work you are doing, but He has also called you to remember for whom you are working. It's not for yourself.  It's for His glory. Isn't it just like our sin nature to take the good gift of work and distort it into something that distracts us from the Lord rather than its original purpose of pointing us to Him?! 

In our small group study, we are studying Gospel Centered Work and each week we are reminded our work is important, but it is not separate from our faith. Our work does not define us, Christ does. But, whenever we focus on the tasks, the things we feel we can control, we start forgetting for whom the work is being done. The Lord of the Sabbath is the Lord of Creation.  He ordains our steps and our calling. Our work is important, but so is remembering the provision of the Lord and reminding ourselves He is the one for whom we are working. 

--Gabrielle Haston

BLOTTED OUT

            A pleasant fall day.  A family picnic at Northside Park, Wheaton, Illinois.  A grandmother and aunt with easels set up, painting the lagoon.  That was enough to instill an intense desire in me to be one of the ones with an easel set up.  I, too, was going to paint.  But, like other childhood dreams, that one receded into the  background.  It sometimes tried to force itself forward.  In recent years I insisted I was going to make it true.  I even bought canvases and a paint box, filled with the tools I was going to need.  But there it sat in my office closet.  I think I was afraid to try because I was afraid to fail.  But when a friend a few weeks ago said she was going to take lessons at a local gallery, I jumped in.  This time I would learn to paint.  Now, four weeks in, I’m doing all right.  I think I’ve got a decent start on a painting and all the things I’ve learned over the years are coming together.

            I have found that I don’t have to be perfect.  (Is there such a thing as perfection?)  Art is forgiving.  My painting doesn’t have to look exactly like that still life.  I can change, add, or adjust.  Each layer of paint will cover what is underneath. 

            I have started thinking about the concept of covering.  What is covered and who is doing the covering?

            Me!  I am trying to cover—my sins.  I hate to admit that I am a wicked sinner,  so I try to cover my sins, pretend that they don’t exist.  I try to convince myself of that lie and I try to put on a good front so that no one else would believe such a horrid thing of me.  My attempts of covering are not successful.  I know I have not hidden my sins from myself or anyone else.   It’s not even smart to try.  “He who covers his sins will not prosper.”

Me again!  I must confess my sins and ask for them to be blotted out.  “According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.”   “Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.”

But God! “I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins.”  “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.”  He has blotted out my sins for His own dear sake.  I have heard my grandmother say, “I remember choosing to forget that.”  God Himself has chosen to forget.  I can trust that.

Paint may cover my mistakes on the canvas, but only God can blot out my sins, can make me clean.  Praise the Lord!  My sins are blotted out.

                                                            ~~Faith Himes Lamb

**Proverbs 28:13  **Psalm 51:9  **Isaiah 44:20

The Word of Our God Stands Forever

The verse that is my title is Isaiah 40:8b.

 Wow! ‘FOREVER” is a word that cannot be misunderstood.

Our ONE YEAR BIBLE reading for September 22 is Isaiah 39:1 - 41:16. So...in case you didn’t read it...I want to share some of these magnificent verses with you. As you read them, focus, meditate, and consider what they say. These Words will stand FOREVER. I have used the NIV with some and the NKJV with others:

40: 8 - “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.”

One of my favorites when thinking of my children and grandchildren...

40:11  - “He feeds His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms, and carries them close to His heart...”  Just picture that!!!

Speaks of His magnificent power...

40:12 - “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales...”

And...

40: 26 - “Lift your eyes and look to the heavens; Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”

40:21 - “...Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth.”

His wisdom...

40:13 - “Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counsellor has taught him?”

THIS VERY GOD CARES FOR US AND GIVES US THIS COMFORT:

40:28-31 - ²⁸ Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.

²⁹ He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
³⁰ Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,

³¹ But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.”

And...

41:10 (KJV)” Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” I LOVE THIS VERSE!

Brant just returned from Overseas and a very important meeting with his “team” about our Bible ministry. Through the years, millions of Bibles have been placed in needy countries. Some countries cannot be named or are too dangerous to enter.  The Bibles are being carried in not just by our man “G” but by many other Christian organizations. PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD will use His word where, in many cases, missionaries and preachers cannot go.

Take a few minutes, open God’s Word, and read these precious chapters to remind you of the God Who is magnificent in power but also loving to all of us as a FATHER who CARES for US.

 --Maylou Holladay