Be a Pineapple!
Father, I humbly come before You this evening. I am forever grateful that You can use this imperfect vessel. With You, all things are possible, and it is proven every day of my life!
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I would think that many of us are familiar with the song This Little Light of Mine. Jesus said in Matthew 5:15-16,
No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. NLT
I saw a cool sign while out with Karen this past weekend, and I thought I would share my spin on it! It read,
Be a Pineapple
Stand Tall
Wear a Crown
and Stay Sweet
Too often, I fear, we slink behind the scenes when it comes to letting our light shine. We have a terrible tendency to put it under a basket. I say be a pineapple and stand tall! We have a wonderful gift from our Heavenly Father.
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. Romans 5:8-9 NLT
No man will [be able to] stand before you [to oppose you] as long as you live. I was [present] with Moses, so will I be with you; I will not fail you or abandon you. Joshua 1:5 AMP
Stand Tall!
A pineapple wears its crown, though our crown is yet to come; I see no reason why we should not live our lives as His children of the King!
In the future there is reserved for me the [victor’s] crown of righteousness [for being right with God and doing right], which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that [great] day—and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved and longed for and welcomed His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8 AMP
You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand,
….a royal diadem in the hand of your God. Isaiah 62:3 NIV
Wear a Crown!
And then, lastly, as followers of Christ, we should daily strive to stay sweet! I don’t think anyone has ever been drawn to a sour believer. It says in 2 Corinthians 2:15,
For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which ascends] to God, [discernible both] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing… AMP
Our goal as our Lord’s followers – His children! – is to introduce others to Him. The best way to do that is to live our lives before them in such a way as to attract them to Him, with the sweetness of our relationship with Him and the sweetness of our love!
Stay Sweet!
May we be all our Lord and Savior calls us to be!
Mar 11th, 2024, Mon, 6:25 pm
Come On In—We’ve Been Waiting on You
Father, praise You for the wonderful day! We had good times of worship; Karen and I had a delightful day together and a pleasant time with her mother, as well. As we wrap this day up, please bless our time together, and then may we have a restful night of sleep. Amen.
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As I was writing last Friday’s post (That Makes My Heart Hurt!), I could not help but think of a long-time friend’s post on her Facebook page. I pray that you will read this post and allow God to speak to your heart about how you would respond.
The Pastor says they sit front and center. The gay boys. Sometimes, they hold hands. And some folks have said he should address the issue. But the Pastor tells me he doesn’t know what to say.
And then there’s the man who sneaks in the back door, fresh off the street, after the service starts and leaves before the altar call. The people sitting close to him complain about how bad he smells—of beer, smoke, and sweat. But the Pastor tells me he doesn’t know what to say.
And then there’s the young mama who wears dirty clothes and lets her four children come in, eat all the donuts, and drink all the watered-down juice. Some church staff say they “…eat like little pigs. Like they haven’t eaten in weeks.” While the Mama just stands there and lets them. And the elders say something must be done and said. But the Pastor tells me he doesn’t know what to say.
And there’s the prostitute sitting among the faithful…everybody knows her. She sits with a painted-up face, cheap perfume, and a broken heart. And those who sit close, well, they all treat her for what they think she is. And at the last staff meeting, her name came up. Something must be done about her. But the Pastor tells me he doesn’t know what to say.
The Pastor is a good man—holy and just. He wants to do the “right and loving” thing and “look like Jesus.” He asked me if I had any thoughts on anything he could say.
Yes, sweet Pastor. I do. Start with this and say it Louder than any other words:
“Welcome to Church. This is a place of love and hope and safety and forgiveness. We will be food for the hungry and living water for the thirsty. We are so glad you are here. You are invited. You are loved. Come on in—we’ve been waiting on you. Welcome here. We are the church.”
Say that. To the called and to the called-out. To the leaders and the greeters. To the dirty and the clean. We are all the same. We are.
May we blow the dust of religion out of our souls and choose love instead. May our words, and actions, and reactions be a sanctuary for all.
Jesus broke many laws to love. So, Jesus, be our voice. Please, be the only words we ever speak. I believe this with all my heart. Years ago, we were kinder. Everybody looked out for one another. We need to go back to that. It takes us all. We have to do better at looking out for each other instead of breaking each other down.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:35-40 NIV
Mar 10th, 2024, Sun, 8:16 pm
That Makes My Heart Hurt!
I have a lot of things pulling at me, Father. During this time together, may I be able to focus on You and what is most important for me to understand and communicate. Amen.
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Over the years, one of the goofy things my wife has been known to say is, “That makes my heart hurt!” And with a lot of “emotion,” she places her hands over her heart. It’s a means of jokingly guilting one of us about some perceived insensitivity towards her. We usually roll our eyes and respond, “Oh, brother!”
That may all be in fun, but recently, my heart has been hurting—not my blood-pumping muscle but the center of my emotions. What I’m about to share may not be well received by some, but it will more than likely be embraced by others. Culturally, it seems that Christians are interacting more and more with their heads and less and less with their hearts. And the world is taking notice.
God has zero tolerance for sin, but as the first Epistle of the Apostle John tells us, “God is love…” The entirety of 1 John 4:16 tells us
We have come to know [by personal observation and experience], and have believed [with deep, consistent faith] the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him. AMP
I hear over and over again from many believers that God will not tolerate sin. I agree. There will come a day when we will all be held accountable for what we have done for and against Him. But until then, He is compassionate. He is loving. He is patient. And as I’ve said before, He is most assuredly long-suffering.
I’ve stated before (and at that time, it was said with more anger than anything else – but now it is more and more with great sadness…an ongoing grief) that you will not find Jesus, anywhere in the Gospels, despising and rejecting sinners.
In fact, the Gospel of Mark, chapter 2, verse 15 says,
Later, Levi [also called Matthew] invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.) NLT
Verse 16 follows that up with the response of those who claimed to have direct contact with God Almighty and proudly proclaimed it to be the case. This is how the holier-than-thou “religious” leaders of His day responded.
When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” NIV
The New Living Translation states, “Why does he eat with such scum?” And that is honestly how they felt!
Verse 17 gives us Jesus’ response.
When Jesus heard this, He said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but [only] those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners [who recognize their sin and humbly seek forgiveness].” AMP
Where do we as Christians get off thinking that God made us the judge of humanity? You won’t find that in Scripture either…
We must abide in love to abide in God. If we don’t do one, we can’t do the other.
We must consider our stance on various issues in relation to that rule of guidance…God’s rule of guidance.
Mar 7th, 2024, Thurs, 7:44 pm
No Time To Vacillate
Father, I am grateful for opportunities to invest time and not just effort. Please bless that time, and may it result in eternal impact. Amen.
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Unfortunately, on my morning route today, I encountered a squirrel in the middle of my side of the road. It is best not to swerve to avoid missing things like that, as you could jeopardize the safety of all on board. This squirrel had every opportunity to escape. It had plenty of time to run to the left or to the right, for that matter. But instead, it vacillated between them both. I don’t know why it couldn’t make up its mind. I’m not 100% sure I got him, but I’m pretty sure I heard the tell-tale “bump” of his demise.
We know not the day or the hour when our time will come. The thing is, we must be ready. Many people throughout the ages had no idea that their time was up…and then it was.
Many think there will be time to set their affairs in order…and I’m not talking about earthly accumulations. I am not here to point fingers. God is our judge. No human creation can take that spot. Our responsibility is to be ready.
Much like the squirrel on my route, we may think we will have time to decide before it is too late, but for many, there will be no time to hesitate, going back and forth between our options. We must have our decision made. Will we live our lives by our own set of rules, or will we submit to God’s will for our lives?
For many, it is a struggle; even faithful followers of Christ battle with some of those decisions daily. Personally, I think it is an overall frame of mind. Followers of Christ give themselves over to Him. He has our heart and understands that this life throws many a wrench into the works. Just because we strive to be faithful in following Him doesn’t mean there won’t be challenges along the way. We are going to have to fight along the way. Christ has won the war, but we still have battles to fight. The glorious thing is, we don’t have to fight them alone. He is with us all along the way…helping us, guiding us, strengthening us, fortifying us with His fathomless resources of love and grace and forgiveness…and the list goes on and on.
So today – right at this very moment, if you have not already done so – decide. Will it be your way, or will you submit to Christ and go at life His way? Do it now, for there’s no way to know if you will have another opportunity.
Joshua, son of Nun, the servant of Moses, declared this to the people of Israel as they prepared to enter the Promised Land.
“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped…and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14-15 NIV
Mar 6th, 2024, Wed, 5:25 pm
A Fork in the Blender
I would ask, Father, that Your hand be upon me this day. Speak through me, whether on this keyboard or my mouth, as I interact with others. May You be visible above all. Amen.
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This morning, on my bus route, another vehicle approached me as I slowed down for a stop. I had my amber warning lights on, which meant I was preparing to stop and pick up a student. Usually, I appreciate it when drivers stop several feet back from my stop. It’s safer for my kids. It keeps others back, with an additional visual that others also need to stop.
The problem was that they came to a total stop several feet past my student. It was light enough that my student was clearly visible, and where they stopped, there was an open field to my right and an empty yard to my left. No one was going to pop from behind trees or an empty field. I motioned them to go on so I could pull up and pick up my student.
The driver’s heart and mind were in the right place – they were doing what they were supposed to do by stopping. They weren’t endangering my student, but they were obstructing my progress. I couldn’t get where I needed to because they were in my way.
How often in our spiritual walk with the Lord do we impede the progress that He seeks in our lives and the lives of those around us?
On Instagram the other day, I came across a guy talking about how he prayed for God’s will in his life instead of asking Him what His life was for his will. At least for me, it was a little hard on the ears. I wasn’t quite catching it, but he went on to give an example.
He prays, “God, what is Your will for my career?”
And God replies, “I need you to forgive the guy you’re mad at.”
And the guy fires back, “Woah, woah, woah, I’m talking about my career here.”
And God fires right back, “I know, but I want to talk about your heart.”
He says, “No, I want to talk about how You need to change my circumstances.”
God replied, “No, I want to change you.”
He then gave an example of him and his daughter making a smoothie when they accidentally dropped a fork into the blender. They were so busy putting the things they wanted to put in that they didn’t notice…at first! In their eagerness, they neglected to look inside the blender and see the big ol’ problem in there. So, when they turned it on, the blender went crazy – sparks and noise and smoke! He said it literally blew the fork out the side of the blender!
He then said that it made no difference what all they put in the blender because things weren’t going to turn out right unless they got the fork out.
He then prayed, “God, would You just show me Your plan for my life?”
And God said, “Would you just let My presence invade your plan? Stop trying to get the secret plan in your head and work on getting the ‘fork’ out of your heart.”
God is eager to work in our lives, and sometimes, it would work a lot better if we just get ourselves out of the way. May we pray as Jesus did, “…yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42 NIV Amen.
Mar 5th, 2024, Tues, 12:52 pm