Lessons from a Pencil
As I sit to write this afternoon, Father, may our time together be profitable. May it produce what You would have set forth to those who would partake. Amen.
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During a little bit of downtime this past Saturday, I flipped through some Instagram reels. One popped up that shared 4 Life Lessons from a Pencil, and I thought it was very applicable, and at least for me, spiritually applicable.
First, for a pencil to be useful, it has to be sharpened. If a pencil were sentient and able to feel pain, it definitely would in the sharpening times in its life.
In yesterday’s sermon, we spoke about life’s “wilderness” periods. We don’t like them because they are, at the very least, uncomfortable and often outright painful…but they are needed if we are going to be useful. It is those times in life that hone us. We learn, we grow, we are challenged. And most importantly, we learn that God is there through it all to help us, sustain us, and show us the way forward.
Secondly, just like the eraser at the end of the pencil, we can correct many of our mistakes along the way. Some mistakes we can fix that way, while there are others, unfortunately, that are written in ink that no eraser can touch. Regardless, we can learn from our mistakes. We may wish they had not taken place, but correcting them allows us to learn and better ourselves for the next time.
I am grateful that God forgives – and forgets – our mistakes…our sins. Many mistakes are beyond our ability to “erase,” but God erases them all…even their memory, for His mind. The author of the book of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah 31:34 when he proclaims,
For I will forgive their wickedness
….and will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:12 NIV
And one more from Micah 7:19,
He shall again have compassion on us;
He will subdue and tread underfoot our wickedness [destroying sin’s power].
Yes, You will cast all our sins
Into the depths of the sea.
Thirdly, wherever the pencil is used, it leaves a mark. Like the pencil, you can write your own story wherever you go. Think of stumbling blocks as stepping stones, and never stop writing.
The thing to remember here is, yes, never stop writing, but realize that some things you write uplift others, and other things tear them down. We must not forget that, as in our second point, some things are written in ink. Learn from those things and strive to leave your mark upon the world as a reflection of the Lord Jesus in your life, not as a reflection of your selfish ambitions. May all your writing be flavored with love.
Lastly, always remember that the most important part of you is on the inside. If it were not for the graphite, even with sharpening, the pencil would be worthless. Who and what you are boils down to the core of your being, not the shell that can be seen. What is important is what is lived out for all to see.
And here is the most essential part of this whole thing,
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 NIV
You are God’s creation. You are His, though you are free to refuse His claim upon your life. But we cannot escape from the fact that, as Proverbs 19:21 proclaims,
You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. NLT
Lord Jesus, may we fulfill Your calling upon our lives. May we make our lives count, leaving a mark on the world that reflects You. Amen.
Feb 19th, 2024, Mon, 2:15 pm
Perspective, Grace, and Love
What a good day we had, Father! It was good at church, good visiting with Karen’s mom, and good with Karen and I running some errands and enjoying a meal together. Thank You for so many blessings!
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So, looking at the picture above, what do you see? Is it a photo of a snow-covered mountain range taken from a satellite? Or could it be a close-up shot of the side of some reptilian species?
Well, what if I told you it was a picture I took of the windshield of Karen’s van after a heavy frost this past Friday morning? (Click this link to see the original photo.)
Perspective.
So many things in our lives impact the kind of people we become – adversity, love, pain, blessings, prosperity, poverty, abuse, encouragement… That list could go on in perpetuity. There are no two of us the same. And we rarely see the same things in the same way.
We may see things as a satellite might picture them – from high and above, cold and disconnected.
We might view things from a very up close and personal standpoint…but because of that, our perspective might very well be skewed in that we are incapable of seeing the bigger picture.
All kinds of people are around us daily; we may know many of them very well, some of them to a certain degree, and others are total strangers. No matter which group other people fall into, as followers of Jesus, we must allow grace to factor into our viewpoints and interactions. Allowing grace to factor in opens the portals of love.
Time and again, I am shocked at how narrow-minded we are. We have this attitude that if someone thinks differently than we do, they are wrong, which leads to the thought that there is no chance for any middle ground.
The Apostle Peter stated in his first epistle,
Above all, have fervent and unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins [it overlooks unkindness and unselfishly seeks the best for others]. 1 Peter 4:8 AMP
If Jesus – God Almighty, in the flesh – loved us so much that He humbled Himself to the point of coming to live amongst us, why can’t we find a modicum of humility when it comes to our interactions with others? We must strive to keep our perspectives open, for truly, we may not be seeing things as they are.
Lord Jesus, help us to seek out Your perspective. Ours are too limited by far too many differing and debilitating elements. Only Yours takes in all possibilities and factors in Your grace and love to its fullest degree. May we love others as You love us. Now, that is a challenge!
Feb 18th, 2024, Sun, 6:30 pm
Part of the Plan from Eternity!
Father, thank You for good productivity and conversations today. There is always more to do, but I ask for Your guidance and discernment in what needs to be done and when. Amen.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (<<click here to read the passage)
My Life Application Study Bible helped get my mind rolling today. As I have mentioned many times over, my key verse is found in Ephesians 1:4. Though I first became “aware of it” almost nine years ago, it still amazes me! I write about it; it comes out in church prayers, and I find great comfort in its words of power. It reads,
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. NLT
The study Bible states that the central theme of the gospel is given in these verses, a key text for the defense of Christianity.
The first point that it addresses is the Apostle Paul’s statement in the middle part of verse 3,
Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.
We all have heard this innumerable times, but honestly, where would we, as His children, be were it not for the truth of this statement? If Christ’s death was worthless, we would still be in our sins and without hope.
We could not do anything about our helpless condition in and of ourselves. Our absolute only hope was that God would take action – and He did before any life on this earth had yet to appear! The only plan that would work was for Christ… the sinless Son of God, to take the punishment of sin so that those who believe can have their sins removed.
When Paul refers to “the Scriptures,” Old Testament prophecies such as Psalm 16:8-11 and Isaiah 53:5-6 come to mind. Of course, these are just a couple of the many Old Testament passages that foretold Christ’s coming. (Take time to read them. They are both linked.)
And this statement is the one that got my mind rolling. Christ’s death on the cross was no accident or afterthought. It had been part of God’s plan from eternity in order to bring about the salvation of all who believe.
It was part of God’s plan from eternity! It blows my mind, knowing what we would do with His perfect world – what we would do with our perfect relationship with Him! – that He would still create us! He set everything into place, knowing we would break His heart. But He had a plan! All praise to God, our Heavenly Father! We got ourselves lost, and He planned for us to be found!!
Feb 15th, 2024, Thurs, 1:08 pm
Mardi Gras Is Just the Beginning!
I am grateful, Father, for a time to come together when my mind is not weary from the day’s tasks. I am all Yours, use me as You will. Amen.
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Today (the day I am writing) is February 14th. If I were to ask what today is, most people – at least in my part of the world – would reply, “It’s Valentine’s Day!”
While that is true, it also happens to be Ash Wednesday. One of the churches in Mt. Vernon (where my churches are) had a sign in front of the building promoting their Shrove Tuesday Pancake dinner. So, is all of that making sense to many of my readers? Some may, but probably for many of you, it’s a jumble of words you’ve probably heard but can’t really relate to too much.
Something that most of us have probably heard of is Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is the French phrase for Fat Tuesday, which many refer to when speaking of Shrove Tuesday. It’s the last “party” day before Ash Wednesday. According to britannica.com, Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) is the custom of using all the fats in the home before Lent in preparation for fasting and abstinence.
So, that’s where the “party” end of things comes from, but what about Ash Wednesday and Lent? How do they figure in? Many associate it with the practices of Catholic and mainline churches. But many other churches have seen the importance of what these observances bring to us.
In my preparation for tonight’s Ash Wednesday service, I came across some worship resources from a Mennonite pastor, who had this to say,
Ash Wednesday begins the Christian season of Lent. We will spend the coming days journeying with Jesus toward the cross, toward the death that ultimately brings resurrection life. Many of us will spend these coming days practicing a new spiritual discipline or giving up something that seems to be getting in the way of the life we long to live. And [in this service], we come together to mark the beginning of this Lenten journey.
We come together to acknowledge our sin, to acknowledge our mortality. We come to glimpse the Christ who offers forgiveness and everlasting life.
The imposition of ashes…is a practice that may not be familiar to everyone. Ashes have been used in Christian churches to mark the beginning of Lent since at least the 10th Century, and ashes are mentioned in scripture as a symbol of purification and repentance.
We offer the imposition of ashes…as a physical reminder of our mortality and sin, an assurance of God’s forgiveness and salvation.*
May we enter this season of Lent, listening and learning. Jesus, the Lord and Savior of us all, has much to teach us.
*https://spaciousfaith.com/2011/03/02/wednesday-worship-pieces-ash-wednesday/
Feb 14th, 2024, Wed, 12:31 pm
Not Disorder but Peace
It has been a “readin’ up” day, and I am eager for my love to return. We will see what being empty nesters is like once more, but I am up for the challenge! Thank You, Father, for the blessing she is to me and so many others!
1 Corinthians 14: 36-40 (<<click here to read the passage)
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. v33
But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. v40 NIV
A good part of humanity tends to lean toward swinging from one extreme to another, and in many ways, it works against us.
One of the things that bothers me, in the church in particular, is that we have a mentality that it’s our way or the highway. Yes, there are many absolutes – the core tenants of our faith- but we hold many other things on the same level and refuse to budge.
One example is the many different components of worship. Music comes to my mind (no surprise there!) I am partial to hymns, but many find great benefit in more contemporary worship styles. There are critics on both sides of the fence. Some hold that giving up hymns releases a great resource of theologically based reinforcement. Others feel that sticking with just hymns lacks the appeal needed to bring in the non-churched – they can’t relate to old fuddy-duddy stuff. But in all truth, as long as they both point us in the right direction – to God, praising Him, and encouraging us to follow Him faithfully – they accomplish what is necessary.
In his address to the Corinthian church, Paul is taking on what sounds like the craziness of disorder in worship. The components were there; the problem was that everyone was doing what they thought best, with no real thought put into how it impacted the body as a whole.
Interestingly, my Life Application Study Bible, in response to Paul’s statement, “God is not a God of disorder but of peace,” states that the preferred alternative to disorder is “peace.”
As I mentioned, to counter disorder, some believers have swung to the opposite extreme by opting for rigid, predictable, and unvarying forms of worship. Disorder is one thing, but responding this way makes God’s presence equally difficult to find. When there is chaos, the church is not allowing God to work among believers as he would like. Worship that “is done properly and in order” should not, however, rule out God’s creativity, joy, and unpredictability.
We must do our part to have worship be a joyful, peaceful, winsome experience that draws people into it.
Only then will it accomplish its goal of engaging us and bringing us into God’s presence to impact and change us as it needs to.
Lord Jesus, help us to make worship what it needs to be, an interaction with You to continue to make us more like You. Amen.
Feb 12th, 2024, Mon, 12:22 pm