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
Avoid this Jewelry
Today is sort of a precursor to summer. Father, the path You have led me down will provide me more time in the summer to do different things. As we have observed Memorial Day today, my schedule has been up to me and in a little over a week summer break will be on and my schedule will be quite a bit more open than it has been for some time. Father, may I use this time wisely. Already, You have pulled my heart in directions of service. Use me as You will. Amen.
Mark 9:42 (<<click to read the passage)
Children and new believers in Christ are both very malleable. Those that influence them very early on have a great, long-lasting impact on their lives. As I interact with lots of kids, I can see many “adult” characteristics and mannerisms – the way something is said, the way they respond to situations. Now I realize that sometimes no matter how much love and care a parent invests in their child, the child is going to be who the child is going to be. But that most certainly doesn’t mean we should stop investing.
Proverbs 22:6 (AMP) states,
Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents], even when he is old he will not depart from it.
We definitely have a responsibility but…there is a flipside, too. There are people out there whose sole purpose is to maim and disfigure our children – and new believers in Christ, as well. In John 10:10 (AMP), Jesus is talking about being the Good Shepherd and how others do everything within their power to mess up His good work. He says,
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].
Not too awful long ago some perverse individuals took innocent media on a publicly accessible website and, though they didn’t change the audio, changed the video. They were encouraging kids to hurt themselves. They were teaching them about suicide. They were threatening to hurt their parents. The goal of these “thieves” was to steal the joy and innocence of young lives.
And as Jesus stated in today’s passage,
“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe and trust in Me to stumble [that is, to sin or lose faith], it would be better for him if a heavy millstone [one requiring a donkey’s strength to turn it] were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”
They may never be called to account for their wrongdoings this side of eternity…but someday they will stand before God Almighty and, believe you me, there will literally be Hell to pay.
Lord Jesus, protect our children. Protect new believers. There are many out there who wish to destroy them – at all costs. May we fervently stand in the gap when we can. And may we aggressively lift them in prayer. Amen.
May 27th, 2019, Mon, 4:31 pm