Proper Perspective
Father, we are so close to wrapping things up for this school year. Transition can be difficult but it is necessary, regardless. May I make the most of it and may children, teachers, families and all the many school employees do the same. Draw us all to You, for truly you are our only hope. Amen.
Mark 10:13-16 (<<click to read the passage)
Sometimes I look back and wonder if I used my time wisely. I wonder did I place the proper amount of emphasis on things that were truly important and hopefully did not place a disproportionate amount of time on things that were less so.
I love my son dearly but, by no means, would I consider myself the perfect father. As Massey got into his Middle School years, I feel the Lord really got through to me concerning what was important and not important in our interactions.
As I’ve gotten “more seasoned” I have come to understand that so many of the things that stressed me out as a young father were, in the scheme of things, worthless. “What will others think? Oh, he’s embarrassing me! He’s old enough to know better!” So, so many times my heart and mind were more focused on myself than on helping him to grow and become a better person – the person that the Lord was molding him to be. I think that that is what the Lord did for me – He helped me to focus my perception on what was actually important in loving Massey into the man he has become
Jesus knew what was important. I love this paragraph from my Life Application Study Bible,
“Jesus was often criticized for spending too much time with the wrong people – children, tax collectors, and sinners. Some, including the disciples, thought Jesus should be spending more time with important leaders and the devout because this was the way to improve his position and avoid criticism. But Jesus didn’t need to improve his position. He was God, and he wanted to speak to those who needed him most.”
Lord Jesus, enable me to maintain my focus on the proper perspective in all aspects of where life finds me. May I see past what the world defines as important and see clearly what You see is truly important. May I listen and feel and love as only You can for You and You alone are at the core of what is genuinely imperative. Amen.
June 3rd, 2019, Mon, 5:04 pm
Cherish These Moments…
Father, I thank You today for the company of my wife. No other competes with her in all she means to me. You have blessed me with a helpmate beyond compare. What a pleasure it is to spend time together! Your generous gift to me is cherished!
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Already today thoughts of cherishing one another have been on my mind. I remember while I worked at Kohl’s, one of the most beautiful things to behold was when a child would reach up and take a parent’s hand as they walked by my counter. I was always tempted to stop them and ask, “Do you know how precious this time is? Do you realize that in just a few short years, for the most part, that won’t happen any longer?” And then I would have liked to have said to them, “Cherish these moments, for they will soon pass.”
I have a kindergartener on my route that gets excited whenever there is someone to pick her up at the end of her driveway (it is so far to walk to her house, lol!) but she is most excited when it is her father. As soon as she sees his truck she squeals, “Daaaadddddyyyy!” Her father and I interact some but with the hustle and bustle of getting kids home it would be difficult to tell him of her excitement and to add, “Cherish these moments, for they will soon pass.”
On the flip side of things, I see women, especially, who would give anything to have one more day with their beloved husband. The ravages of time or disease claimed the one they loved and now they are alone. No one to speak to over supper. No one with whom to run trips into town. No one to reminisce with about the way things were…their children…their parents…the hardships they endured together. No one with whom to laugh. No one with whom to cry. Now they are alone in their remembrances.
I would hope that they took time to cherish those moments they had, for they surely passed too quickly. And now those moments are no more.
Lord Jesus, I have a wife, I have a son, I have a mom and a dad, I have a sister, I have a niece and the addition of her fine husband. And that is just my side of my family. Do I cherish them as much as I should? Do I make the most of every opportunity that we have together? For most assuredly, at some point, these moments will pass and they will be no more.
Lord, please do not let us get so caught up in the craziness and business of life that we forget about what is most important! May we never have the mindset that the ones we love are an inconvenience – that their problems or neediness of our time and energy is a waste. All the things that we think have to get done right here, right now…they can wait. What is more important than the ones closest to our hearts – the ones we pledged to love and honor – the ones we pledged to bring up in the fear and admonition of You? Nothing – absolutely, positively nothing – should outweigh our responsibility – our privilege – to love… Love… Amen.
June 2nd, 2019, Sun, 7:53 pm
Asunder
What a mighty God we serve! So often the world seems to be in utter chaos but “I fear no evil, for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4b AMP) You are a mighty God and my trust is placed fully in You!
Mark 10:1-12 (<<click to read the passage)
In my last 17 years of ministry, I have officiated at fourteen wedding ceremonies. I have married family, friends, church members and total strangers! One thing that was a part of pretty much every service was the phrase taken from today’s passage. I use it after pronouncing the couple husband and wife, “Those whom God hath joined together, let no one put asunder.” The New Living Translation puts it, “let no one split apart what God has joined together.” v9
Does everyone abide by this? In a perfect world, yes. But we don’t live in a perfect world. Our world is replete with sin. I would venture to say that 100% of the marriages I was a part of involved people who had every intention of sticking to their affirmation to follow that proclamation. But even individuals who have a relationship with Jesus can be hurt and broken.
We are all on different parts of the path as we journey to fulfill God’s will in our lives. And sometimes, because of our brokenness and pain, we wander off the path and instead of walking together, we begin walking apart. There are times where we can come together once more but often there is so much distance between us that for the most part, it becomes an impossibility.
Is it ideal? No…but sometimes separation is inevitable. We work and work to salvage that in which we have so greatly invested. We try and try but our mate refuses to reconcile…we can’t make them. Or the relationship has become so abusive – so much one person’s taking and taking and taking – until the other just has nothing left to give. And of course, abuse comes in many forms – physical, verbal, emotional, sexual, etc., etc. For our safety or the safety of our children, the marriage must end.
Ideally? Marriage should adhere to our vow,
“…to have and to hold,
from this day forward,
for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish,
till death us do part…”
But in the humanity of it all sometimes we just can’t hold it together, no matter how much we try…
Lord Jesus, may I remember to pray for those who have fought the good fight for their marriage and in spite of their best efforts, they have suffered loss. May I remember to pray for those who are still fighting to keep themselves from being “put asunder”. May we love, Lord, as You love. When we have to move on, may we do so in Your grace. May we have Your strength and courage and wisdom, as well. It is painful and it hurts…but You will most certainly see us through. Amen.
May 30th, 2019, Thurs, 7:33 pm
Oh, Deer
Today, Father, may this be my heartfelt prayer. As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. Psalm 42:1
Mark 9:50 (<<click to read the passage)
Quite often I see deer as I travel – this morning on my route I think I saw eight of them. They are beautiful creatures but as many of us have experienced, vehicles and deer do not mix. Also, deer are usually flighty. The deer in our part of the world are called white-tailed deer because when they are startled they run away and their tails stick up showing the white fur underneath.
One thing I’ve noticed is that unless they are in an open field, you don’t usually see them for very long. Three of the eight this morning were alone and crossed the road or veered of into wooded growth in front of me. I saw them long enough to realize they were there and then they were gone. I glanced where one had crossed over and there was absolutely no sign of her anywhere.
They may be beautiful to see but I do not want to emulate them in the way I live my life in Christ before others.
As followers of Christ, we are called to be a light – not one-beam wonders! If others just see Christ in us in fleeting glances, what good is it? Jesus calls us to be the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13).
If someone passes the salt before your eyes but then quickly stows it away, how does it benefit anyone?
If we are seeking to live out Jesus’ calling on our lives then we have to live it out! We can’t do so for fear of being seen…or hurt…or shot at even – figuratively and literally. The only way we will impact our world is being in our world, not hiding in the bushes!
Lord Jesus, fill us with You! Strengthen us. May we be filled to overflowing with Your love. Then, and only then, can we be the salt that seasons as it should. Amen.
May 29th, 2019, Wed, 9:57 am
A Young Lady’s Radical Decision
What was brown is now green! Each of the seasons You have given us, Father, is unique and rewarding. I am grateful that I live in a part of the world where they are all very distinct. Thank You for the gifts of Your creative imagination that only an omnipotent Creator could give!
Mark 9:43-49 (<<click to read the passage)
Reading through this passage and the notes that accompany it in my Life Application Study Bible, made me think, of all things, about my mom!
Many years ago, before she met my dad, in the late 1950s, my mom was in a relationship with a nice young man. Now one thing you have to understand about my mom is the fact that she – especially compared to today’s standards was raised in an ultra-conservative environment.
(Here’s a little side story for an example: When my dad did propose, he had a difficult time getting alone to do so because she didn’t want to be seen as doing anything improper – she was a very prim and proper young lady and was very devout in her relationship with the Lord. She wanted absolutely nothing to taint that bond with her Savior. She hasn’t changed a bit!)
All that to say that the young man with whom she was involved was most assuredly above reproach. But…for whatever reason my grandmother – and if anyone on earth could be considered a saint it was her – felt very strongly that the relationship should be terminated. She was so adamant about it that she stopped eating until my mom severed the relationship!
Now it was a different time with different mindsets but my mom acquiesced and did just that – she broke up with the young man.
Now, what is the connection to this passage of Scripture? I think it goes without saying that for my mom, severing this relationship probably felt like severing a hand or foot.
Our relationships with Christ are of the utmost importance! It is easy for us to make excuses and rationalize many things in our lives that we would be better off without. And many times, they are not necessarily bad things, they are just less important things. Or maybe a better way of thinking about it is we cling to the good when God is ready to direct us into the best.
In my teen years, I struggled with the depth of my relationship with the Lord. I could see Him at work in my life and was quite often amazed at the things He accomplished through me. But my struggle lay in the fact that I far too often made excuses and rationalized those things in my life that I would have been better off without. I too often settled for good and missed the best.
Lord Jesus, help us to not cling so tightly to things that quite often are here today and fall through our fingers the next. May we follow Your lead for we will never be led astray. Amen.
May 28th, 2019, 7:22 pm