A PSALM OF SUPPLICATION

A PSALM OF SUPPLICATION

Psalm 63

¹ O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

² To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

³ Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

⁴ Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

⁵ My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

⁶ When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

⁷ Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

⁸ My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

⁹ But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

¹⁰ They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.

¹¹ But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

WHAT DID YOU DO ALL DAY?

WHAT DID YOU DO ALL DAY?

This story is dedicated to the vast multitudes of women who work so incredibly hard, inside and outside the home, those whom we men (all too often) fail to truly value and faithfully appreciate.

John came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and candy wrappers strewn all around the front garden.

The door of his wife Valerie’s car was open, as was the front door to the house, and there was no sign of the dog.  Proceeding into the hall, John found an even bigger mess.  A lamp had been knocked over, and the rug was piled up against one wall.  In the family room, the television was loudly blaring The Cartoon Channel although no one was watching, and the room was loaded with toys and various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the refrigerator door was open wide, dog food was spread out on the floor, broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was blocking the back door.

John quickly raced up the stairs, navigating through more toys and clothes, desperately searching for his wife.  He was worried she might be ill, collapsed on the floor, or that some other serious thing had occurred.

This worried husband was met by a tiny trickle of water winding its way out of the bathroom door.  As he peered inside, he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn out over the floor.  Rolls of toilet paper lay in wet heaps and blue toothpaste had been smeared all over the mirror and sink.

Rushing to the bedroom, he found Valerie still curled up comfortably in bed, wearing her pajamas and casually reading a popular novel.  She looked up at him, smiled lazily, and asked how his day had been.

John gazed down at Valerie, quite bewildered, as he inquired firmly, “What happened here today?”

Valerie just grinned and responded, “John, you know how you come home from work every day and ask me sarcastically, ‘What in the world did I do all day long?’”

“Yes,” was John’s startled and sheepish reply.

Valerie answered, “Well, today…I just didn’t do it!”

Have a wonderful weekend women (men too)…and be continually blessed!

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE (Part II)

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE (Part II)

Yesterday’s tale of the innocent baby who demonstrated unconditional acceptance of the homeless man challenges both the quantity and quality of our love.  Jesus Christ expressed it best, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)  It is far easier to say ‘I love you’ than to truly exemplify the highest of Christian virtues.  Many people proclaim (with apparent ease), “I love everybody!”  But saying and doing are decidedly different; there must be evidence.

During my elementary school years, science class explored what is commonly called the ‘Litmus Test.’  This simple test determines whether a substance is acid or alkaline.  If the pH (potential of hydrogen in the substance) is acid, the litmus paper turns red in color when exposed to the substance.  If the pH is alkaline, the litmus paper turns blue.  Acids taste sour.  For example, lemon juice is an acidic substance.  Alkaline substances taste bitter.  For example, ammonia is alkaline.

Today, we will take a ‘Spiritual Litmus Test’ to determine if our relationships with family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, or strangers are too extreme (sour or bitter) in one direction are another.

Spiritual Litmus Test #1

Do I look for (and expect) the worst in others?

Signs of this type of behavior include…

1.         A tendency to keep mental records of things others say or do that ‘get on my nerves.’

2.        A tendency to speak more negatively, than positively.

3.        A tendency to think or say “I told you she would do that!  I told you so!”

4.       A tendency to believe others are always being deceptive or lying.

Biblical Solutions: 

I Corinthians 13:5b says love “…thinks no evil.”  Verse 6 says love “rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.”

Spiritual Litmus Test #2

Do I have a low tolerance for other people who exhibit attitudes or behaviors that are different from mine?

Signs of this type of behavior include…

1.         A tendency to prejudge people by appearance, color, culture, or socio-economic standing, i.e. to become prejudiced against others because they are different or unfamiliar.

2.        A tendency to be strongly opinionated or have a know-it-all attitude about most things.

3.        A tendency to feel that only ‘me and mine’ know how to get things done ‘the right way.’

Biblical Solutions:

I Corinthians 13:4b says love “…vaunts not itself, is not puffed up.”  Verse 5 says love “does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own…”

Spiritual Litmus Test #3

Do I have the ability to forgive or the tendency to hold on to troublesome issues for extended periods?

Signs of this type of behavior include…

1.         A tendency to hold grudges, i.e. to keep issues alive and active until they change the way I communicate or interact with others.

2.        A tendency to have a negative attitude that eventually results in critical comments and harsh treatment of others.

3.        A tendency to display childish behaviors, i.e. verbal outbursts or temper tantrums.

Biblical Solutions:

I Corinthians 13:4a says love “suffers long, and is kind.”  Verse 5b says love “…is not easily provoked, thinks no evil.”  Verse 7 says love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

The negative behavioral signs (outlined above) identify sour and bitter personality traits that will not pass the Spiritual Litmus Test.  FYI, there will be no sour or bitter people in Heaven!  Should you find that these characteristics actually mirror your attitudes or actions, here are some divine prescriptions from The Master, Love Personified, JESUS CHRIST:  1] The Golden Rule (Luke 6:31); 2] “Judge not…condemn not…” (Luke 6:37); 3] “…love one another…” (John 13:34-35); 4] “…forgive men their trespasses [and] your heavenly father will also forgive you.” (Matthew 6:14); 5] “…forgive…I say not unto thee, until seven times: but, until seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21)  In other words, forgiveness is virtually unlimited!

Sisters and brothers, let us strive steadfastly to walk in unconditional love…because GOD IS LOVE, and He must be fully alive and dynamically radiating from deep within. (I John 4:7-8)

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE (Part I)

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE (Part I)

Allow me to share a story that I read some time ago.  It is a compelling tale told by a young wife and mother, and it involves something completely extraordinary, incomprehensible and priceless: the unconditional love of a young baby.  It will challenge the quantity and quality of our love!

We were the only family with children in the restaurant.  I sat Eric in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly eating and talking.  Suddenly, Eric squealed with glee and shouted, “HI!”  He pounded his fat baby hands on the highchair tray.  His eyes were wide open with excitement and his mouth displayed a huge toothless grin.  He wriggled and giggled with merriment.

I looked around and was surprised to see the source of Eric’s joy.  It was an old man whose pants were baggy…with his zipper at half-mast…and his toes poking out of would-be shoes.  His shirt was filthy and his hair was unwashed and uncombed.  His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose had so many varicose veins that it looked like a road map.  We were too far from him to catch a whiff…but I was totally sure that he smelled very bad!  He was just sitting there, hands waving and flapping like Jell-O, completely holding the attention of my beautiful baby!

“Hey there baby…hi there big boy!  I see ya’ buster,” the man called out gently to Eric.  My husband and I exchanged looks and whispered, “What should be do?”  Our adorable baby boy, Eric, continued to laugh and answer this disheveled man, “Hi!  Hi!  Hi!”  We were completely flabbergasted.  Everyone in the restaurant seemed to notice and they glance over at us sympathetically…and then they looked with disgust at ‘that man.’  Their eyes seemed to say, ‘That old geezer has some nerve, creating a public nuisance with such a handsome baby!’  As our meal came, the man kept calling to Eric across the room, “Do you know patty cake?  Do you know peek-a-boo?  Look at that smart boy…he knows peek-a-boo!”

Nobody thought any of this was cute.  He was obviously drunk and dirty.  My husband and I felt embarrassed.  We ate in silence, except for Eric, who was now running through his repertoire of the things-he-could-do to gain more admiration and attention from this skid-row bum, who in turn reciprocated with his annoying comments.  We hurried through our meal so we could head for the door.  My husband went to pay the check and asked me to meet him in the parking lot.

The old ragged man sat positioned between me and the door.  “Lord,” I thought, “if you can just let me get out of here before he speaks to Eric or me.”  As I drew closer to the door…closer to the man…I turned my back, trying to side-step him and by all means to avoid any odor or air he might be exhaling.  As I did this, Eric suddenly leaped over my arm, reaching out with both arms in a baby’s ‘pick-me-up’ position.  Before I could stop him, Eric had propelled himself from my arms, right into the man’s arms.

Immediately, this very old smelly man and my young beautiful baby consummated their growing love relationship.  In an act of total trust, love and submission, Eric laid his tiny head upon the man’s shoulders.  That old homeless man’s eyes closed, and I saw tears rolling down his face.  His aged hands, that looked to be so full of grime and pain, gently (so gently) cradled my baby’s bottom and stroked my baby’s back.

Watching this union, I felt sure that no two human beings had every loved so deeply in such a short period of time.  I stood there…paralyzed and awestruck.  The old man rocked and cradled Eric in his arms for a moment, and then his eyes opened and set squarely on mine.  He said in a firm, sober and commanding voice, “You take care of this baby.”  Somehow I managed to squeeze “I will” from my constricted throat, which at the moment seemed full of stones.  He pried Eric from his chest, unwillingly, longingly, as though he was in actual pain.

I happily received my baby as the man whispered, “God bless you, Ma’am, you’ve given me my Christmas gift.”  I said nothing more and raced toward the car, holding Eric close to me.  My husband wondered why I was holding on to Eric so tightly, crying and mumbling, “My God, my God, forgive me.”  For I had just witnessed Christ’s love, shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin and made no judgments…a child who saw a living and loving soul…and a mother who had only seen raggedy and dirty clothes.  I was a Christian who was blind, holding a baby who was not blind.  And I felt as if God, Himself, was asking – “Are you willing to share your son for a moment?” – although HE had shared HIS SON for all time and eternity.  That homeless old man and my son reminded me, unwittingly, that “To enter the Kingdom of God, we must become as little children.”

Stay tuned…more to come tomorrow!