It’s Nigh Impossible to Keep a Secret Secret
Father, we are all becoming very weary. Enable us to see our situation through in Your grace and love. Amen.
John 7:25-31 (<<click here to read the passage)
One thing that I am absolutely awful at telling lies. Even if it is to ensure the keeping of a secret. I just can’t do it!
For example, a few years ago, I was trying to pull off a “surprise” 40th birthday gathering for my wife. We were meeting family at a local Ryan’s Restaurant and Karen saw through my flimsy “story” of why we were meeting my parents there. I told her that my mom really liked their soft serve ice cream – Mom did! – but Karen knew that wasn’t why we were meeting.
Anyway…secrets can sometimes be fun but overall, they quite often get us into trouble, mainly because it is nigh impossible to keep a secret secret! Far too often it finds a way of seeping out. Many people just can’t keep one, so they tell someone else who tells someone else, and ultimately the cat is out of the bag.
Jesus said in Luke 8:17,
For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all. NLT
In today’s text, John communicates that although the teachers of the Law were eager to rid themselves of Jesus, them plotting His murder was probably not something that they wanted to be common knowledge among the populace. But there it was. The last part of verse 25 states, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?
Of course, Jesus knew the “secret” of what was going on. But that every run-of-the-mill person knew, as well, amazingly didn’t slow the perpetrators down one bit. They kept grasping for anything that might be useful in bringing Jesus’ influence to an end.
Even in this passage, Jesus clearly calls them out, saying, “…I’m not here on my own. The one who sent me is true, and you don’t know him.” v28 NLT
The Father had sent His one and only Son, He was true, but the Jewish leaders had no idea who He was. But they did know that Jesus was blatantly pointing His finger squarely in their faces.
Verse 30 goes onto say,
Then the leaders tried to arrest him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. NLT
Though they desired His life, they had no say as to when their desire would be fulfilled. It would only be at the time the Father would set. He always has and always will have the last word, regardless of what we say or think.
We fool ourselves if we think we can have secrets before God. He is omniscient – He knows all there is to know. We can hide nothing from Him. And we – every man, woman, and child to ever walk the face of this earth from day one to the end of time – will all stand before Him of that final day of judgment. May we all ready ourselves for our accounting. Amen.
June 14th, 2021, Mon, 9:45 pm
Sometimes God Wants You to Keep the Rubber Band
There are lots of things on my mind, Father, I would just ask that after a full day of services and taking care of some very important things that I could settle my mind on You. Amen.
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For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13 AMP
This is worth sharing. I did not write it, but it was posted by a fellow school bus driver from Escondido, California. It has a wonderfully inspirational message. Feel free to pass it along.
Sometimes God wants you to keep the rubber band.
Do you ever hold onto something and you’re not sure why, but you hang onto it anyway?
About a week ago I got this rubber band. It was on my bus, and I was going to throw it away but instead, I put it on the gear shift just in case I may need it. Every day I would see this rubber band and think about tossing it, but something kept telling me that I should leave it there.
Today, I was dropping my first group of kids off at school. My normal routine is to secure my bus and head into the school to use the restroom…
As I was heading towards the school, I heard a small voice ask, “Mrs. Andie, do you have a hair tie?” It was one of my littles. This is my third year driving her. Her mom always does her hair in some cute way. Today was she dressed like Wednesday Adams and had a French braid on each side of her head. The rubber band had broken on one side, and she was desperately holding on to the end of her hair to try and salvage her hair-do. That braid was gone.
I paused my journey to the restroom and went to look in the bus to see if I had a spare hair tie. I checked my purse, the compartment in the bus, the pockets of my jacket… nothing.
Normally I have them in my purse, but I had changed purses a couple of days ago so I had none.
Then, I remembered the rubber band.
I grabbed it and went back to her. I braided her hair and secured it with the rubber band. She knew that I cared about her and that I would help her. She trusted me. All my littles know that I will do whatever I can for them.
God knew that the rubber band had a purpose. He knew I would need it to help my sweet student have a successful day. He prepares us for things even though we don’t realize it at the time.
I’m not telling you to be a hoarder of things but do be mindful of the little things He may put into place to help you or someone else.
Sometimes, God wants you to keep the rubber band.
June 13th, 2021, Sun, 8:18 pm
Be Like a Duck
It was quite an adventuresome evening, Father, as we drove through a fair amount of heavy rain. Thank You for the safety You provided getting us to our destination and back again. Thank You, too, for the blessings of family!
John 7:10-24 (<<click here to read the passage)
English actor, Michael Caine, allegedly coined the phrase, “Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath.” I could find nothing to contradict it, so it stands. It is supposed to convey the idea, as it says, to remain unruffled in what people see but to continue to work like crazy beneath the surface to accomplish your goals.
It’s interesting what one can find while poking around on Google. Looking up the aforementioned phrase, I came across a noteworthy article in a blog from an organization, based in southeast Asia, that helps prospective students get into Ivy League colleges across the globe. They posted an article entitled The Duck of Stanford – Struggling for Success.
In it, the author talked about the phrase but instead of focusing on the struggle of paddling beneath the calmness, they emphasized what the duck was designed for. They said,
Consider this:
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- The duck is in its own habitat.
- It was born to paddle.
- The duck is afloat, not through any struggle, but because it was made to stay afloat.
- The duck paddles, because that’s how it goes places.
In the end, the paddling duck is not the struggling duck. The duck was designed for paddling, and thus, it is not a struggle for the duck.
At this point in John’s Gospel, in all reality, Jesus is in the heat of battle. The religious hierarchy is well along the path of seeking His death. All because He spoke the truth for God Himself and in the process exposed their hypocrisy and shallow religiosity.
In the last verse of this particular passage, Jesus says, “Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.” v24
He was saying don’t be sidetracked by what looks like the frantic paddling of a duck but see the duck for what the duck is. It isn’t struggling, it is simply doing what God created him to be – a duck! And paddling is what ducks do!
As followers of Jesus, follow His example and do what you’re supposed to do…be a follower! See the truth for what it is. Don’t be hooked into believing that hypocrisy and shallow religiosity is your goal. When I say, see the truth for what it is, I would be better in saying, see the Truth for who He is!
God created us in His image (Genesis 1:27). We were designed to be like Him! When we serve ourselves and go after what our flesh – our sinful selves – lust after, we go against our own design! Make it your goal to live out your life to be like Jesus more and more each day. Amen – so be it!
June 10th, 2021, Thurs, 10:15 pm
Blood Is Thicker than Water
For the most part, there is just too much for us to deal with on any given day. I know we all deal with a lot but right now our family has a double load on our plates…it’s just the way it is. So, Father, I would ask for strength, love, wisdom, and patience to get through every moment of every day. We fall into Your arms of grace and mercy.
John 7:1-9 (<<click here to read the passage)
My first reaction in reading today’s text was in relation to what Jesus’ brothers said to Him. (A note from the Amplified Bible – The younger sons of Mary and Joseph included James and Jude, who penned the New Testament letters bearing their names, and Joses and Simon. See Mark 6:3.) Verse 5 tells us, “For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.”
Here is what they said in verses 3 and 4,
“Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” AMP
It’s easy for siblings to dish out more than their share of grief, deserved or in this case undeserved. But it made me think of the old phrase, “Blood is thicker than water.” We usually think that that means familial connections should be more binding than other connections we might have with friends and acquaintances. Well, Massey and I were talking about this, and he mentioned that the original meaning of the phrase was really the exact opposite of how we interpret it. And it’s true.
As I did a little digging, I came across a blog that did a great job of addressing the phrase and its origins. The blog is The Mom With Brownies and the post that I read was entitled, BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER… (<<click on the title to read it.)
For my purposes, a shortened version will do.
Biblical covenants often involved cutting an animal in half and the parties making the covenant would stand together between the halves, in the blood, with their right hands clasp, and swear a mutual oath binding them to each other. In some cases, each party would cut their respective hands, bind them together with the other party, allowing their blood to mingle. The resulting union of this blood oath was never to be broken. In effect, the two participants in the covenant would become “blood brothers,” and thus become one flesh.
The relationship born of this union was so knit, that brothers made through the blood of covenants were closer to each other than brothers who were born from the same womb. Hence, blood (of the covenant) is thicker than water (of the womb).
The author goes on to share the stories of Johnathan and David from the Old Testament and of Jesus and His disciples from the New.
Jesus’ covenant with us runs as deep as the blood He shed to seal it. At this point, Jesus’ brothers were not behind Him. They didn’t believe that He was who He said He was. They eventually came around but for now, Jesus was on His own – it was just Him and His heavenly Father.
Lord Jesus, my goal is to be a “blood brother” with You. As the old hymn goes, “Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.” I know Your oath will never be broken with me, but I pray that my blood oath may never be broken with You. Amen!
June 9th, 2021, Wed, 8:52 pm
Not an Easy Pill to Swallow
Today was the last day of school bus responsibilities for the 2020-21 school year – cleaned my bus and had my annual physical. Thank You Father for watching over us this year with all the craziness that went on.
John 6:66-71 (<<click here to read the passage)
A question for you. How many pills can you swallow in one sitting? Do you swallow one or maybe a few at a time? Or can you swallow a whole handful with no issues?
A few years back, one of the dear saints of my church (she has since gone on to her eternal reward) and I were talking, and this subject came up. She, like me, could swallow a whole handful of pills with no issues whatsoever. Someone else I know can only take a few at a time. I guess I must have a pretty size gullet (esophagus) to be able to swallow big and small pills alike.
Another thing I do is to take a swallow of water or juice before I put my pills in my mouth. I despise the taste of some of them and capsules have a bad tendency to stick in the back of my throat – yuck!
I’ve talked about this before, but it bears repeating. Following Jesus is most definitely not a walk in the park. It seems as I have gone through the Gospels, that this has become more clearly evident. There are days when I have struggled to write because what Jesus has said is not an easy pill to swallow. It is difficult to take no matter how I approach it.
The thing about following Jesus is that to truly follow Him, sacrifice and determined commitment have to be involved. We cannot just go with the flow of the world around us and expect to delve deep into His mind and heart. The world is all about “me”. It is very rarely about anybody else. Wholeheartedly following Jesus is not about “me” but first off, it’s about Him, and then it’s about others.
Remember Jesus’ statement regarding the greatest commandment of all?
“The first and most important one is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul (life), and with all your mind (thought, understanding), and with all your strength.’ This is the second: ‘You shall [unselfishly] love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31 AMP
Lord Jesus, it may not be an easy pill to swallow, but You have promised to be with us and will never forsake us in our journey with You. Any sacrifice we make is nothing compared to the sacrifice You made to assure our salvation. Instill in us a determined commitment to follow You will our heart, soul, mind, and strength and then to unselfishly love others as ourselves. Amen.
June 8th, 2021, Tues, 8:04 pm