Are You One of Them?

Posted on March 31, 2013 by 4Seasons2013

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering”—Romans 8:1-2 (NIV).

Hypocrites. Sinners. They warm the church pews each Sunday. They’re not perfect, just forgiven. I’m one of them. I’m not where I want to be, but by God’s grace, I’m not where I used to be.

According to the “World English Dictionary,” the word hypocrite has its origins from the Old French “ipocrite,” via Late Latin, from Greek “hupokrites,” or one who plays a part, a person who pretends to be what he is not. Yes, there are hypocrites in the church, people who play a role, who pretend to know Christ.

Before I came to know Jesus as my personal Savior, my identity was linked to the expectations of others. In the past, if someone had asked me, “Who are you?” I would have defined myself by my career. I might have also replied that I was someone’s daughter or the mother of two sons. My identity was wrapped up in the roles I played, the positions I held and the awards I received. I was in my late 40s before I found freedom to be who God created me to be in Him.

Since rededicating my life to the Lord, in 2001, I have strived to live a life of intention, a purposeful life of discovering who I am in Christ. To accomplish this, one must do as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3: “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

Today, as in Jesus’ day, people still have a hard time grasping this eternal truth. We all have sinned and fall short of everything God intends us to be. None of us is perfect but “by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14).

We’re not there yet. However, in spite of our imperfections, we strive to be faithful.

Jesus was faithful to death. Remember Good Friday?  A gruesome death. A perfect sacrifice. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

When the Unknown Soldier was buried in Arlington, he was given the Congressional Medal of Honor and other decorations. However, when our Savior was laid to rest, he knew no pomp and ceremony. His only honor came from His Father who caused the earth to shake, the midday sun to become shrouded in darkness and who opened graves to let the dead walk.  A Roman centurion said, “Truly this man was the Son of God.”

However, it didn’t end with His death. Easter Sunday is coming. Have you accepted His perfect plan?

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Have You Accepted Deliverance?

Posted on March 24, 2013 by 4Seasons2013

“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus,who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel”—2 Timothy 1: 9-10 (NIV).

Listening as a church member shared her story of loss, I was filled with compassion and a hope that comes from knowing Jesus. Mary, who gave birth to two children, has lost both of them.  Her daughter and her son were born premature. Her daughter, however, only survived eight weeks. Her son was 32-years-old when undetected heart problems claimed his life.

While many parents, including myself, can only imagine the pain of losing a child, Mary has experienced the loss of two, her only children. Although a day doesn’t pass without her recalling the wonderful times she shared with her son, she is using his death to reach out to others who have also lost a child.

Mary misses her children, but she knows the purpose to which God has called her. To share her story and help bring healing to others, including her only grandson, who will never know his father, Mary’s mission in life was born out of tragedy. Mary, however, also sees it as an opportunity to share Christ with others. She shares how her adult son received Christ as well as new joy and purpose in life. She shares photos of her grandson and talks about his mother, who has done a wonderful job of raising him, she adds.

Another Mary lost a child, a grown son, a man who came to deliver us from sin. His Holy birth, His simple life, His ministry, His Crucifixion, were all part of God’s plan. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

On Palm Sunday, as Jesus fulfilled the prophecy revealed in Zechariah 9:9, He came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. “See, your king comes to you,righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey,on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Jesus didn’t ride into town on a mighty steed. Instead, the Savior of the world arrived on a lowly donkey, an unbroken colt. Riding a donkey into Jerusalem during the Passover period might have appeared insignificant to those who were waving palm branches that day.

I like this John 12:13 translation, found in the “Complete Jewish Bible.” “They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Deliver us! Blessed is he who comes in the name of Adonai, the King of Isra’el!’”

“Deliver us?” They were looking for a King, a flesh and blood man to sit on the throne of Israel. Instead, God sent our Redeemer so that we might be delivered from sin.

Have you accepted His deliverance?

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Are You a Loser?

Posted on March 11, 2013 by 4Seasons2013

“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ” Philippians 3:7 (NIV).

“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”

When I read the above quote in “Guideposts” magazine, I was more than surprised at the source. Why? Because I am seeing a trend as more celebrities figure out that fame and fortune is not the answer to a joy-filled life. Actor Jim Carrey, famously known for some distasteful movie roles, is the man behind the quotation. I admit Carrey’s a brilliant actor. His statement gave me hope.

Hope is what we need in a fallen world. The standard dictionary definition of hope is “to feel that something desired may happen.” Those two words, “feel” and “may” are vague. For example, we might say, “I hope it will not rain on Saturday because we have a baseball game,” or “I hope my car will start today because it’s been giving me trouble.” We might also say, “I hope I get that job because it means a bigger paycheck.”

However, in Scripture, the word, “hope,” has a precise meaning for believers. According to the Hebrew and Greek translation of the word, hope is an indication of certainty. “Hope,” according to the scriptural use means “a strong and confident expectation.”

A synonym for expectation is anticipation. Romans 8:24-25 states, “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”

What do you await eagerly? Is it the next sporting event? Maybe it’s the release of a highly-publicized movie everyone’s talking about or the next big thing in technology, soon to be replaced with an updated version, leaving that one obsolete?

Many believe that Christianity is on its way to becoming obsolete. A 2012 Pew Report revealed that one in five adults in this country have no religious affiliation. Theories abound with the rise of those claiming “none,” when asked about their association with a religious institution.

Can the church, made up of imperfect people, be one reason for this decline? Many rebel against an institution that does not practice what it preaches. Without attacking any church or group of individuals, I would like to challenge devout churchgoers to examine their lives in light of Christ’s command to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).

The philosopher Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Lent is a time for self-reflection, a time to examine your life, and ask questions like, “Where is God on my priority list?” “Am I willing to make sacrifices in order to grow in my relationship with Him?” “Do I attend church out of social duty or do I really want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, losing everything for His sake?”

Will you say, “Yes?” The answer will determine your future.

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Enter Your Password Please

Posted on February 18, 2013 by 4Seasons2013

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well” 1 John 5:1 (NIV).

My frustration level was high recently when I tried to pay an online bill. I knew I was typing in the correct log-in information, including the password, because I had purchased an Internet Password Logbook several months ago to corral all of my sensitive data in one place. Designed like an old-fashioned address book with tabs, the black book is perfect for keeping track of the websites I use that require a user name and password to access accounts.

I write my passwords in pencil because I change them frequently to protect myself from hackers who like to get their hands on people’s secrets. Keeping my passwords handy makes things easier, even as life has become more complicated and overwhelming at times. As I was trying to log-on to this particular account, I checked and rechecked my password to determine if I had it right. I did. Finally, I had to seek help at the site through chatting online with an agent.

Multiple log-on tries and 20 minutes later, I was able to access my account and pay my bill, but only after I had earned several more grey hairs. I’ll have to schedule another hair color appointment soon anyway.

In our high-tech society, life has certainly become more complicated. I could pay my bills the old-fashioned way with an envelope and a postage stamp. However, the irony strikes me because even though technology can make our lives more complex, it does simplify some things—like bill paying. I don’t have to worry about purchasing stamps very often, nor do I have to make a trip across town to the post office, where I have to stand in line as long as 20 minutes sometimes. I do have to admit, however, that standing in line at the post office has taught me patience.

Even less complicated is our communication with God. We only have to remember one password, Jesus, and it never changes. Through Jesus, we can have a personal intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Isn’t it nice to know that when we are hurting, frustrated, lost, angry or overwhelmed, we have a God of mercy who understands our every need. We must remember, as followers of Christ, just how vital it is to maintain our relationship with Him. In John 15:5, Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Growing in intimacy with God requires us to be intentional, spending time with Him because it’s the most important conversation of our day. He cares. He listens. He responds.

Do you give God the first part part of your day? Just like giving the first fruits of your money to Him, why not give Him the first fruits of your day?

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Prayers are Powerful

Posted on December 10, 2012 by 4Seasons2013

I’d like to share this guest post written by João de Deus Brasil, a senior military officer from Brazil who, after being an atheist in his youth, was blessed to experience numerous spiritual phenomena that led him to return to his faith in God. A father and grandfather, João lives in Torres, Brazil, where he enjoys reading, studying, and writing.

Have you ever wondered how some people consistently grow in their relationships with God – how their faith is ever increasing? If you have, you are not alone.

Many people wish they could see their faith strengthened, but they don’t know what to do in order to achieve a new level. This may be because they have forgotten the teachings of Jesus and aren’t doing what he instructs. Simply put, Jesus teaches us that praying is essential and the absolute best way to develop a relationship with Him. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” He say, in Mark 11:24, as well as “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith” in Matthew 21:22. 

These scripture passages enforce the idea that it is only through prayer that we will be able to strengthen our faith.  The more we pray, the more we are led to believe. It is something powerful and mysterious, but effective. We may not recognize changes immediately, but when we pray on a daily basis, our faith grows increasingly stronger.

It hasn’t been always easy for me to work for my relationship with God. I’ve had hard moments, when everything seemed senseless and meaningless. Yet, out of sheer stubbornness at times, I haven’t given up. Being aware of the fact that faith is rational has helped me to keep focused on the pursuit of a stronger faith. The following prayer is one I usually say to draw closer to God:

Jesus, Your faith was in the Heavenly Father, Your steadfastness being my living model! Kindly grant me the richness of such faith, To embrace Your Father as my true Provider, Having staunch belief in His eminent powers, And to remain loyal to Him until my last day. If my faith shifts as temporary waves, Rush to my rescue without any hesitation, Protecting others from my fleeting frailty. May Your Presence always be lively enjoyed, Enabling me to shine as a flame of faith. My faith  loyally reaches out to You!  

I sincerely hope my words will help you succeed in strengthening your faith in God and in the divine power you have been granted. God bless you!

Why I Believe in God: Atheism: A Self-Delusion by João de Deus Brasil is available at amazon.com.
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Can You Hear It?

Posted on December 5, 2012 by 4Seasons2013

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel“–Isaiah 7:14 (NIV).

I wanted to share the following poem written by one of my former students, who is also a dear friend. Clayton Bates is the Associate Pastor of Worship at St. Andrews Assembly of God. Clayton shared this poem and the reason he had written it with me recently.

“It is becoming a Christmas tradition for my brother and me to text Christmas poems back and forth as we look forward to seeing each other.  Most of these are nonsense and a lot of silliness, but once in a while we write something a little deeper,” he says.

The following poem is definitely deeper and a wonderful reminder of what Christmas is really all about–the celebration of our Savior’s birth. If this poem has touched you, please share this link with others.

Can you hear it,
buried beneath a million things
vying for our attention?
Drowning in a sea of voices,
never-ending choices
competing for our ear.
Surely you will hear it if you listen,
among the tinsel as it glistens.

It’s still there.
Do we care?
Will we dare
to stop and be still,
to feel the thrill
of more than just a passing pleasure,
a priceless treasure from heaven’s vault
to cleanse our fault
and make us new?

Do you…hear God’s love calling,
like rain it’s falling upon our weary existence…
refreshing, reviving, rebuilding, restoring…
Do you hear it?

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If You Count Your Blessings

Posted on November 26, 2012 by 4Seasons2013

“God did not spare his own Son. He gave him up for us all. Then won’t he also freely give us everything else?” Romans 8:32 (NIRV).

 While some people are still grumbling about the outcome of the election, many, like me, realize it does no good to complain. Because I was tired of hearing the negative campaign advertisements, I was certainly relieved when the election was over. We may not be happy with the results but if we look through the lens of faith, we can find hope in this lost world.

What if we quit complaining and started counting our blessings? As I write this, I am grateful to celebrate another birthday. I am blessed by the hundreds of birthday wishes I received on my Facebook page. Some of these well-wishers I have never met; however, through our connection in cyber-space, they reached out to help me celebrate the day I was born 59 years ago.

When I read the obituaries each day, I am reminded that there are those who are younger than I am or not much older who have already passed from this world. I am grateful for my health and the ability to do more than some who face serious disabilities and crippling illnesses.

When I survey what God has provided for me since I retired from teaching, I’m not only amazed, I am humbled. Am I rich? Not by man’s standards.  I am rich with a loving family, cherished friendships and a caring church family. Do I want for anything? No, a generous God supplies my needs on a daily basis. He has blessed me beyond measure. My cup overflows so that as Proverbs 11:25 says, “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”

Recently, I was returning from an early morning walk when I noticed two teens who had missed their school bus. I knew where they lived but didn’t know them by name. They were walking ahead of me back to their house where I assumed someone would give them a ride. However, I felt God’s nudging to offer them a ride to school. At first, I resisted because I had a full day planned. I gave in to that still, small voice, ran to catch up with them and offered to drive them to school, which is across town. They accepted my offer because they were reluctant to wake their mother who works nights.

On the way, our conversation led to introductions. When the older teen said, “I am Hannah and this is my brother Eli,” I was astonished at the revelation because, as Hannah explained, their mother had chosen the names from the Old Testament. In Hebrew, Hannah means “grace” and Eli means “God on high.”

When I dropped them off at school, the two showered me with thanks. However, as I drove home, I realized I was the one who had received the greater blessing. Refreshed in spirit, I looked forward to the rest of my day.

If you count your blessings, you might realize that complaining is not an option.

Coming soon: Carol’s new book, “Sola Fide: by FAITH alone.”

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What’s So Amazing about Grace?

Posted on November 12, 2012 by 4Seasons2013

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”—Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV).

It seems a cowboy from Colorado skipped church one Sunday to go bear hunting in the mountains. As he turned the corner along the path, he and a bear collided. The cowboy stumbled backwards, slipped off the trail and began tumbling down the mountain with the bear in hot pursuit. Finally, the cowboy crashed into a boulder, sending his rifle in one direction and breaking both legs. As the bear closed in, the cowboy cried out in desperation, “Lord, I’m sorry for what I have done. Please forgive me and save me! Lord, please make that bear a Christian.”

Suddenly, the clouds parted and a beam of light shone down on the bear. The bear skidded to a halt at the cowboy’s feet, fell to its knees, clasped its paws together and said, “God, bless this food which I am about to receive.”

While we can laugh at this joke, how many of us fail to grasp the breadth of God’s amazing grace? One scripture holds the answer. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

One of my favorite hymns is “Amazing Grace.” Slave trader John Newton, a man deeply entrenched in sin, penned the song in 1773 after he experienced the transforming power of God’s grace during a violent storm at sea. During the Civil War, both sides sang the song and on the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee Indians used it as a requiem for their dead. Civil Rights protestors defiantly sang it during Freedom Marches. When Nelson Mandela was freed from prison and when the Berlin Wall came tumbling down, “Amazing Grace” rang out. A mourning world sang the lyrics on September 11, 2001 and when the New Orleans Saints marched back into the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina, reviving the spirit of a fallen city.

In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul wrote: “It is a trustworthy statement, deserv­ing full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”

What’s so amazing about His grace? Christian author Regina Franklin has this to say about grace. “His grace should cause us to be speechless before Him. The temptation comes, however, either to make God no more significant than the latest thrill or to view Him as noticeably distant and cruelly authoritative. “A consuming fire” (Heb 12:29), He does not desire our destruction but burns away anything that would destroy us. His work in our lives reminds us that we are not God. Rather than quaking in fear, however, we bow with steady knees and reach with confident arms. May we live with a palpable sense of His incredible power, brilliant holiness, and genuine goodness.”

Grace—we don’t deserve it. We can’t earn it. It’s a gift. Isn’t that amazing?

Coming soon: Carol’s new book, “Sola Fide: by FAITH alone.” 

 

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To Whom It May Concern

Posted on November 5, 2012 by 4Seasons2013

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name…’”—Matthew 6:9(NIV).

 Letter writing seems to be a lost art. I can recall writing letters of recommendation for students when I taught high school. I always requested the name of the person to whom I needed to address the letter, if it were available. “To whom it many concern” seemed so impersonal.

I thought about this phrase when we were discussing prayer and its role in our lives during a recent Sunday school discussion. Many people who know of God, but don’t know Him personally, seldom turn to prayer unless it’s an emergency. For those who do know Him personally, they don’t address their prayers, “to whom it may concern.”

In “Committed to Christ: Six Steps to a Generous Life,” author Bob Crossman, says, “To grow toward a deeply devoted prayer life, one must pray.”

We’ve made prayer complicated and difficult and it has somehow become lost, as Crossman says, “in all kinds of theological technicalities, liturgical formalities, and religious language.”

If you have read and studied the Bible, you know that Jesus began each day in prayer. In Mark 1:35, he tells us, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

Do you think Jesus’ prayers to His Abba Father were elaborate? I doubt it. In Matthew 6, Jesus goes right to the heart of prayer when He says, “When you pray, do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the pagans do, who think that their gods will hear them because their prayers are long. Do not be like them.”

In his book on prayer, Richard Foster says, “What I am trying to say is that God receives us just as we are and accepts our prayers just as they are. In the same way that a small child cannot draw a bad picture so a child of God cannot offer a bad prayer.”

If we can’t offer a bad prayer, why do so many Christians not pray? Here are some reasons (excuses) I came across and my replies:

“I don’t have time.” You must make time. It’s a discipline, just like anything else—if you want it badly enough.

“God never answers my prayers anyway.” God has answered more of my prayers than I ever thought possible. Praying and waiting requires patience and perseverance.

“I don’t know how to pray.” Prayer is simply a conversation with God. You also have to listen more than you speak.

“Why would God want to hear from me anyway?” Because you are His child, He wants to hear from you. He loves you so much He gave His only Son for you.

“If I pray, God might want me to change.” Yes, He does. Prayer does that. It changes the one who prays.

We can come to God in simple prayer, knowing He hears our concerns. We don’t have to pretend to be holy or pure, we just have to be authentic.

Don’t forget to leave me a comment  below. Coming soon: Carol’s new book, “Sola Fide: by FAITH alone.”
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Picked from the Patch

Posted on October 28, 2012 by 4Seasons2013

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of”—Luke 6:45(NIV).

 Fall means cooler weather, leaves changing colors and the explosion of pumpkin patches. Children, especially, love picking a pumpkin to carve a face into the round fruit and then decorating it with a candle so the scary face glows in the dark.

When someone says, “pumpkin,” the first thought in most people’s minds is Halloween. For me, it’s pumpkin pie. However, I had never considered how a Christian is like a pumpkin until I came across the following story: A woman, recently baptized, was asked by a co-worker what it was like to be a Christian. She replied, “It’s like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in and washes all the dirt off you. Then he cuts the top off and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed and other sinful stuff. Then, He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for the entire world to see.”

While this may be a simplistic explanation of Christian transformation, it can give us pause to consider what it really means to be a Christ follower. First, it starts in the heart. While we can intellectually choose to believe, profess our faith through baptism and clean up our behavior, if we haven’t allowed Jesus to have complete access to our heart, what comes out of us may not be very Godly.

One way to monitor what comes out of us is to track our words. The Apostle Paul said, “If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate” (1 Corinthians 13:1 MSG). If anger, criticism, bitterness and hatred spew out of our mouths, what does that say about our heart condition?

In Luke 6:45, Jesus says behavior starts in the heart, so we need cleaning from the inside out. Once our hearts are right, Godly behavior follows. We might try to hide the condition of our hearts by being insincere in what we say or do, but eventually the truth is exposed. God wants to give us a new heart, one scrubbed clean.

King David, confessing the sin in his own heart, invited God to change its condition: “God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 HCSB).

In 1967, history was made with the first human heart transplant. Forty-five years later, science has made even more strides in medicine. However, there is only one way to be completely transformed into the likeness of Christ.

Have you allowed God to capture and clean your heart? When you do, He’ll also set a guard around it. Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Coming soon: Carol’s new book, “Sola Fide: by FAITH alone.”

Leave a comment for the author below.

 

 

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