The Encourager

ISAIAH 41: 6:  They helped everyone his neighbor; and everyone said to his brother, “Be of good courage.”

 

My nephew Jonathan Miles recently ran 100 MILES in the Red Dirt Ultra in Louisiana. No resting except 10 minutes at different intervals. His wife Tamara kept the time and encouraged him back to the grueling track. His time was 27:16:41...and he is a brand new grandpa!

 

One of the amazing parts of Jonathan’s story is that for the last few miles he had “an encourager” who joined him on the track, running right near him to keep him focused on the finish line. I am sure that end seemed very far away when he became so weary, but his encourager was invaluable. What a thrill to finish such a challenge!

 

I also “ran” a couple of 5-K’s to raise money for Grace Baptist Academy. My first one my encourager was Michelle Sledge. She kept reminding me to keep going so we could “have dessert.” I did think I might die before I could cross the finish line. But that first 5-K I raised over a thousand dollars for GBA. Now...the next year, no Michelle, and part of my “race” was a walk. But what a difference “AN ENCOURAGER” makes in any race when a person might be tempted to drop out. I did finish both ...the first was the best.

 

The verses in Isaiah 41 list several different craftsmen and how they basically told each other: “Good job. Keep it up.” There didn’t seem to be jealousy because one person was a goldsmith and yet another used a common hammer.

That can be the case in our spiritual lives also. We all have different gifts but need encouragement to use each one, even some that seem so “common” in the home or church. There might be a person who needs a Michelle Sledge for encouragement to cross the finish line to accomplish her/his goal, or just “to stay in the race” of the Christian life. 

 

Many times when Brant was European Director for BIMI and we visited our missionaries in difficult places, he told them: “We are on your side.” I love that idea. It works with children who might be struggling with a hard decision or grandchildren starting out in life. Or it might be a friend or co-worker who needs a bit of encouragement. There are PEOPLE ALL AROUND US who need a good word or a hug or a smile. Lift up your head as you enter a room or a store or your office or church or your home...be outwardly focused and not self-centered.

 

Brant just read this to me this week from John Wesley:

Do all the good you can, By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can, In all the places you can,

At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can!

ENCOURAGE SOMEONE TODAY! Make this your daily life pattern.

    --Maylou Holladay

Clickbait

 

Does everyone’s browser throw “articles of interest” in front of your faces all day? When there’s no real news, there are always those magnetic headlines.

 “She’s 83 and she looks so different now.” Really? Because the rest of us don’t look different at 83 than we did at 17? Or maybe she looks different from everyone else. (As we all do.) The missing ingredient would be the object of the missing preposition “from.” So far, I’ve never been interested enough to take the bait and find out.

 Then there’s, “Dog has adorable reaction to learning he’s being adopted.” Sheesh. Even smart dogs don’t know the meaning of “adopted,” at least, not before the fact. And, to dog lovers, dogs have an “adorable reaction” to everything. Except ammonia. Don’t ask me how I know. (For the record, it wasn’t me.)

Particularly irritating to me is, “You’re cooking eggs/treating hair/shopping for batteries all wrong.” Just exactly who has the authority to criticize my cooking/treating/shopping methods? I’ve lived a few decades on this planet; why do “they” think I don’t know how to cook eggs? No, I don’t check on these, just to find out. Why would I let those young punks beat me up?

 The Bible has a lot of catchy leading lines, but none of them is clickbait. God knows how to get people’s attention.

 When Jesus said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and he fell among robbers,” he had the attention of his challengers. They all knew this was a dangerous trek. But when He tossed in the word, “Samaritan,” their whole attitude lit up with emotion. We associate “Samaritan” with “good,” but they all had strong opposite responses. They thought, “sinner,” “scum,” “disgusting” and worse. Jesus had their complete focus, and he taught them a principle they accepted only grudgingly, because they couldn’t logically avoid it, at least in public.

 In Acts 17 we read, from the apostle Paul, “Men of Athens, while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘     TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.” He had them. Immediately prior, we had been told, “All the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new. So Paul…” He didn’t have to entice his listeners with nonsense. The relevance of his words to their lives gave him a wide open opportunity to present one of the most electrifying and comprehensive altar calls in history. Some believed; some wanted to hear more.

A dear friend, when she was not a believer and was asking questions about God, was advised, “Read the Bible.” She began at the beginning, of course, and part way through Genesis, the message reached her -- she understood that God was real and cared about her. Her life was changed and she has been active in changing others’ hearts ever since. “Read the Bible” was not just cheap marketing; it was eternally effective advice.

 Everything in the Bible is something God wanted us to know. While a great deal of it is intriguing, shocking, puzzling, annoying or otherwise attention-getting, not a word is worthless drivel, hollow sensationalism or clickbait. There’s real substance there. In John 6, Jesus told his disciples, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you – they are full of the Spirit and life.”

 --Lynda Shenefield

 

Fighting Temptation

 

John Bunyan’s classic Pilgrim’s Progress describes the journey of a man named Christian from the City of Destruction to Celestial City. Along the way he meets those who try to deter him from his narrow path as well as those who encourage him to keep going. He experiences valleys of difficulty and mountains of refreshment. The story is an allegory of the Christian life, and it has much to teach us.

Early in his journey, Christian meets a lady named Prudence with whom he discusses his proneness to still dwell on the things of the world and to sin. He describes how he had had times of victory, but they happen infrequently. Prudence asks the question, “When you experienced such precious times in overcoming carnal annoyances, can you remember how you obtained these victories?” I love Christian’s answer. He points to four things that help him turn away from temptation. When I teach this book to my students, I have them take note of them by writing them down. As believers, I think these four tips can help us too in any type of temptation we face.

1. “When I think and meditate on what I saw at the cross, that will do it.” Meditate on the cross. Think about what your sins cost your Savior. In Colossians 2:13-14, Paul uses this great word picture to drive home why Christ died. In Roman times, there existed a written note of indebtedness when a debt was owed. Paul refers to this record of debt that stood against us because of our sin. This note was “nailed to the cross” when Christ died, showing that the punishment for this debt was being paid. How can we, knowing what Christ went through on our behalf, go on sinning?

2. “When I look at my embroidered coat, that will do it.” Know that you are robed in the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 6:18, Zech. 3:4). We stand no longer guilty before God because of our sin; instead, God sees us through the righteousness of another. Let us remember that identity. We are no longer slaves to sin but to righteousness. Therefore, “how can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:2).

3. “When I read and study the scroll I carry in my pocket next to my heart, that will do it.” Turn to the Word. Let us allow the truths of Scripture to turn our hearts away from the sin we are being drawn to. Let its words remind us that fullness of joy can only be found in Christ and not in the sin that we are tempted to pursue or the worldly mindset we find ourselves drifting toward (Psalm 16:11, John 15:11).

4. “When my thoughts are warmly stimulated about where I am going, that will do it too.” Think about heaven. May we dwell on what is to come – a beautiful, glorious eternity awaits in which we will no longer struggle with sin, and we will live with our Lord and our brothers and sisters in Christ in perfect Shalom. We can do the battle now against sin, knowing that one day the battle will be over, and we will be made perfect.

I don’t know what sin struggles you face or where you are tempted to set your mind on the things of earth rather than the things of God, but I know mine. I know my struggle will start in the morning when I’m tempted to stay in bed rather than get up to spend time with the Lord. I know that my frustration will rise after breaking up fights between my children or listening to complaints about school work. I know that worries may crowd in and cause my mind to look away from God and His good plans for my life and toward all the “What-Ifs” of the future. In moments such as these, we would do well to heed Christian’s advice; even just pondering one will suffice: Meditate on the cross. Remember you wear the righteousness of Christ. Set your mind on the Word. Think about the future that ultimately awaits. Sisters in Christ, let’s fight the sin that so easily entangles and run with endurance as we too walk that narrow path to the Celestial City where our Savior sits at the right hand of God (Hebrews 12:1-2).

--Amy O'Rear

Naked

 

I recently finished a long biographical novel about the life of the Renaissance artist Michelangelo. I first read this book many years ago as a teenager and then picked it up again when my book club chose it for our mid-winter reading. The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone seems to be very well researched, so I trust most of the basic facts. Many of the details the author would have to imagine. For this reason, I am not certain that the remark that sticks in my mind is one that was truly uttered verbatim, but I imagine that the sentiment, at least, is accurate.

By all accounts, Michelangelo was a man who respected God and, to some degree, wanted to honor him. Certainly many of his most famous works are based on biblical characters, and he is depicted as thinking deeply about the experiences of people such as Moses, David, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. According to Stone, the artist admired the great genius of God and the magnificence of the human body as the pinnacle of his creation. Good people through the ages have disagreed about the appropriateness of painting or sculpting nudes. It seems that, after Michelangelo finished painting The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel, some prominent churchmen were highly offended by nude figures, but the Pope is reported to have said, “We will all stand naked before God.”

Certainly, the Pope was no paragon of holiness, despite how this office is viewed by Roman Catholics, but those words really struck a chord with me, and I kept thinking that I had read a similar remark in the Bible. A short search led me to Hebrews 4:13—“. . . there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” A closer look at the context of this passage shows that the preceding verse speaks of the power of God’s word to pierce our spirits and to “judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

It seems pretty clear that the message here is that we can have no secrets before God. There are thoughts and actions we would like to keep hidden from others, and sometimes we can do that. But we can hide nothing from God. Is this fact scary or comforting? I think it’s both. Possibly my favorite portion of scripture in recent years is Psalm 139. The big message of the first six verses of this psalm is that God knows me. He knows “when I sit down and when I rise up.” He knows what I’m thinking and what I’m going to say even before I know it myself. There is no place we can go to get away from God’s penetrating eye. And yet, read these words: “How precious also are Thy thoughts to me, O God!”(17)

 Scripture shows me that God is not only all-seeing, he is also all-loving. Even as we do not despise our own children for their faults, God does not turn away from me but turns to me and beckons me closer to his side regardless of my ugliness. I want to please him, certainly, but I am so grateful that he loves me even when he sees my naked heart and mind.

 --Sherry Poff

Everyday Heroism

 

At the forefront of my mind the last several days has been the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Several times throughout the day, I find myself looking up the latest news to stay abreast of developments. Here and there I read snippets of stories of Ukrainian citizens stepping up to the plate in practical and heroic ways to defend their homeland. These inspiring glimpses into real individuals’ lives remind me that there are still people who believe in ideals greater than themselves, and are willing to sacrifice for those ideals.

I wrote the poem below describing another set of heroic deeds by everyday people when their national government was experiencing an attempted overthrow. May it encourage us to be faithful to our King – Jesus – Who is worthy of our highest loyalty. We never know when/if we may be called upon to do a heroic deed, but if we are faithful to Him in the little things, we will be faithful in the crisis moments.

MaryBeth Hall

 

Ahimaaz and Jonathan

“And the king’s servants said to the king, ‘We are your servants, ready to do whatever my lord the king commands.’” 2 Samuel 15:15

To read more of their story, see 2 Samuel 15:13-29, 17:15-22, 18:19-30.

 

His was a treacherous conspiracy well planned;

Absalom plotted to be king of the land.

In stark contrast to his name “Father of Peace,”*

Suave looks and actions were but a pretense

Designed to win hearts away from King David.

Yet there were some who the rightful king aided,

Whose loyalty was stronger than self-preservation.

Ahimaaz and Jonathan, without hesitation,

Looked danger square in the eye, then took steps forward.

We read of their tale in Scripture recorded.

 

Fleeing Jerusalem, David left priests** there

With instructions to send news of how events fared.

Ahimaaz and Jonathan, the priests’ sons, would stay

At the edge of town to secretly slip away.

After Absalom’s council made their battle plan,

A girl warned the young men, and their trip began.

But a boy saw them and told Absalom,

So they hid in a well in Bahurim.

The lady of that home covered the opening;

Ahimaaz and Jonathan’s hearts must have been pounding

While she talked to Absalom’s servants above them.

When the enemies were gone, they went to King David;

Because of their message, disaster was avoided.

 

Then let us rise up in our day without fear,

With derring-do loyalty to our King Who is near.

Whether it seems important or not,

Be faithful to stand in your God-given spot.

The priests, their sons, Hushai***, the girl,

The lady who put corn over the well –

You join in their ranks when you cannot be bought,

When in little or much, you do as you ought.

 

 

 *The literal meaning of the name Absalom

** Zadok and Abiathar

***David’s loyal counselor who attended Absalom’s strategy meeting

 

Make New Friends, but Keep the Old

When I was a child in Pioneer Girls at the College Church in Wheaton we sang the same campfire type songs that had been sung for decades.  One of these has been in my mind for several days.

 

         “Make new friends, but keep the old.

         One is silver and the other gold.”

 

In today’s world Facebook friends have become the standard for many. After all, if you can’t hang out with people because of the pandemic, let’s measure our friends online.  The only problem with that is that most Facebook friends are not true friends; they’re casual acquaintances, friends of friends, or even just random people who asked to be a “friend”.  So now is the time to recognize our true friends and to work at forming new friendships. 

 

I will start with my family.  Family members should be friends.  I am very fortunate in this sphere.  I count my children as my friends.  I text or talk to my daughters almost every day, to my sons less often.  I have two sisters, both live in Cincinnati, too far away to please me.  I would love to be close enough to have tea with them, to go antique hunting, to have over for dinner, to just hang out with.  One of my sisters has been fighting through cancer.  I am so grateful that it appears I will have her for many more years.  I also have the blessing of four living aunts, three of whom I get to see more than weekly.  What a blessing to have those who have known me all my life, who share the memories with me.

 

I have several friends in this church who began as colleagues, but have over the last fifty years become close friends.  Then there are former students who have stayed close.  One regularly texts to see if I am free for a phone call.  My dearest friend came from joint homeschool endeavors.  We have been through many joys and heartaches together, the latest watching her husband in the process of dying,  She has constantly challenged me spiritually.  We are true sisters.

 

I have wonderful neighbors who are friends, some old and some new.  I am grateful for those.  They check on me, invite me over, take my trash out, carry in my groceries, and stand in the middle of the street and visit with me.  I’m glad I live in a neighborhood of friends.

 

One of my favorite places is our church’s Ladies Bible Study.  Some in the class are old friends, some I have gotten to know through the class.  One of my first steps when I retired was to join the Bible study.  I knew this was a place I could get to know the ladies of our church.  Praying together, studying together, sharing with one another build close relationships.

 

So, why have I gone through this litany of friends?  Because it takes work and concentration to make new friends and to keep the old.  It is too easy to fail to follow up on friends and so lose them. Scripture has much to say about friendship.  These Scriptures are taken from the New Living Translation.  Sometimes another translation can shed new light on a passage.

 

Ecclesiastes 4:10, “If one person falls, the other can reach out and help.  But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.”  I have been in that real trouble, and I can tell you how important the support is.

 

Proverbs 17:17, “A friend is always loyal.”  There have been times in my life when I felt betrayed by those I felt were my friends.  How many more times have I felt the loyalty and support of friends, even when they didn’t understand what was going on in my life.

 

Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”  We should be better people mutually as we challenge and encourage each other. This iron sharpening iron sometimes involves rebuke.  Proverbs 27:6, “Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.”  This kind of friendship also brings counsel.  Proverbs 12:26, “The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.”  Proverbs 27:6, “ The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.”  Of course, this involves choosing the right friends, Proverbs 13:20, “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.”

 

The right friends are valuable, to be treasured.  Proverbs 18:19 says, “An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city.  Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.”  I grieve over every break in a relationship, my fault or someone else’s.  This should be where we learn to forgive.  Proverbs 17:9, “Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.”

 

So here are our instructions:

 

Romans 12:19, “Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other.”

 

I Thessalonians 5:11, “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”

 

Philippians 1:3, “Every time I think of you I give thanks to my God.”

 

John 13:35, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

 

So what can you do to put this into practice?  Phone, email, text, visit.  Reach out.  Be creative.  One of my friends heard me complain that the previous day I had not heard a human voice, except on the radio.  She Face Timed me so that we both had company while we ate our suppers!  Unexpected and delightful!

 

         “Make new friends, but keep the old,

         One is silver and the other gold.”

 

 

                            ~~Faith Himes Lamb

 

 

Immortal, Invisible

 

I’m nearing the end of a Philip Yancey book that I’ve been reading for some time now. It’s one of those books that bear pondering, and I’m sure I’ll want to read it again. It’s called The Jesus I Never Knew, and in this last chapter, the author addresses the simple yet profound idea that Jesus came to earth to show us what God is like.

He points out that we often describe God with words that tell what he isn’t: immortal, invisible, infinite. In other words, God isn’t mortal; he can’t die. He isn’t visible; we can’t see him, and he isn’t finite; he has no end. We, on the other hand, are mortal, visible and finite.

This is what I’ve been thinking about lately. We have a God who is so very different from us, superior in every way. Yet God made man in his own image. He wants us to be like him. In fact, we are exhorted in Ephesians 5 to “be imitators of God.” How can we ever achieve this standard?

When God created people, he gave them creativity, compassion, a longing for community, and he intended Adam and Eve to live in communion with him indefinitely. Their sin, however, brought death—mortality—to the world. So God’s plan to reveal himself in Jesus went into motion.

The immortal, invisible God became visible and lived in a body that could die. He revealed the love and compassion of his father to a world of sorry sinners such as you and me. He became sin on the cross so we could regain the eternal life God meant for people to have. In Jesus, we have freedom to be who God intends us to be. Our eternal life has already begun, and we can use all the gifts God gives us to imitate him each day.

There is so much about life and eternity that seems a mystery. Yancey notes, “When I speculate about such imponderables as the problem of pain or providence versus free will, everything becomes fuzzy. But if I look at Jesus himself . . . clarity is restored.”

In Jesus, we have both a deep, profound mystery and a simple, understandable directive. Jesus, “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) is our model for godly living.

--Sherry Poff