April 28, 2016

Trust Jesus To Provide

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. -- Matthew 14:15-18

The other day we were heading South when we spotted some teenagers waving signs to advertise a yard sale. Have I mentioned I love yard sales? We did a U-turn and headed back to the church.

The people were wonderful. Teenagers were everywhere helping, right along with the adults. Prices were reasonable. We were happy to buy more items we didn’t need.

They were raising money to send their youth to summer camp several states away. They collect items all year and have one large yard sale. They do it every year. One man noted that they always have enough money, with a little left over.

God provides. Always. We ask for His guidance. We work hard. And we leave the results to Him.

The disciples lived with Jesus day after day. They watched Him perform miracles. They saw Him interact with others. They heard Him teaching again and again. And, yet, their first plan was to send the people away to get food.

They didn’t have enough. They weren’t enough. And they didn’t think to ask Jesus to provide. They did what we all do. They did what was reasonable. They came up with a plan and presented it to Jesus, expecting Him to go along with it.

Just like we do.

I wonder what would happen to our lives if we simply gave Jesus all we had and expected Him to provide the rest? I wonder how our lives would change if we really understood we could count on Him to provide everything we need to follow His plan?

They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. -- Matthew 14:20

Amazing what Jesus can do if we only trust Him to provide what we need.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Make Good Choices Moment To Moment

“The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

-- John 10:10

Yesterday I had a choice to make. I could choose something healthy and low-calorie for lunch. Or I could choose something unhealthy, high-calorie and yummy. I chose the yummy. And then I felt guilty.

Life is all about choices. And, yes, sometimes those choices are big ones. We give a great deal of time and thought and prayer to moving across the country or changing jobs. But we don’t tend to think so much about those smaller choices.

So we make choices that end up becoming bad habits. And bad habits are really hard to change. Why do you think that is?

Well, they’re part of who we are. Even the ones that are destructive. Even the ones we hate the most. Because it’s comfortable, like having that bowl of ice cream every night before we go to bed. Being overweight is who we are. Being tipsy at every gathering is who we are. Using foul language all the time is who we are.

But we don’t want to be who we are anymore. So why do we keep making bad choices? Maybe we think we don’t deserve better. Maybe it’s safer to be who we’ve always been than to dare to become who we might be.

Then one day you wake up and decide this time you really are going to change. This time you’re going to make the right choices. That’s when Satan starts his steady chant. He’s quick to remind you that you can’t change. That you’ll never be more than you are right now. Satan makes us forget he is a liar.

Honestly, it would be easier to just keep on doing what we’ve always done. But we can change if we want to. It won’t be easy. But it is possible. How? By making good choices, moment to moment. It’s not about the choice you made yesterday or the choice you might make tomorrow. It’s about the choice you make in this moment that counts.

I think sometimes we fail because we’re trying to leave behind all our bad habits in one massive jump. We’re just setting ourselves up for failure. Nobody can do all that and the frustration of it will send anybody scurrying for the chocolate.

Pick one thing. Just one. Then make right choices until those choices are the habits you always wanted to have. Then pick another and stay with it until your choices are now your habits. And on and on. One choice at a time. One moment at a time.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Sharing Meals Strengthens Families

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him.”

-- Luke 24:30-31a

Here in the Deep South we are all about food. Not fancy food but comfort food. The kind of food that makes a table groan from the weight. The sort of food that makes a person feel loved and nourished and cared for.

Whenever anything happens -- be it death, illness, celebration -- everybody brings food. A dear friend once explained that we just want to do something to let others know that we care, so we take food. Handing someone a casserole or plate of cookies is a tangible thing that says we care.

It used to be that families sat down together at least once a day for a meal. It was a time to reconnect, to share stories, to remember who we are. No more. We are part of a fast food nation that runs like crazy and shares meals on the go. It’s really kind of sad.

Jesus used meal times to teach about God and the lessons of life. I’d never really paid too much attention to how many passages in the Bible speak of food and feasting until reading the book, The Jesus Life by Stephen W. Smith. It’s amazing in some ways and in other ways it is just so right and true.

What is a meal all about? Preparation. Serving. Sharing. When someone takes the time to prepare your favorite dish you can’t help but feel loved. When someone invites you to share a place at their table, you feel welcomed and wanted. It is so intimate and yet so open and welcoming.

Of course, just sitting at the same table and sharing a meal doesn’t deepen relationships. That happens when we talk to one another. No television. No cell phones. Just conversations where you look someone in the eye and really hear what they have to say. Text messages tell us a lot but nothing replaces human contact.

There are many ways to start conversations. Sharing a good moment from the day, sharing a concern, talking about current issues. It’s all part of our days. Listening is something learned. It becomes not so much about what we have to say as what we have to hear. Taking time to respect the views of those closest to us enough to really hear what they have to say.

So many families these days don’t really know each other. Not really. Because we’re just too busy, too distracted, too focused on things that don’t matter to sit down and share a meal and really talk to each other. Imagine the things we could learn, the stories we could tell, the laughter and love we could share.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Feeding Bodies Nourishes Souls

Still they stood there doubting, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” -- Luke 24:41

They were not expecting to see Jesus. They were discussing His horrible death and all that had happened as they walked toward Emmaus. Jesus was dead. They knew He was. But there He was, in front of them. How could that be?

They doubted. Of course, they doubted. Jesus was dead. How could He be alive? And, yet, their Lord talked with them. He showed them His hands and feet. And then He asked them for food and He ate. He wasn’t a ghost. He was real. Jesus was alive.

Jesus taught His disciples and other followers. He quoted the Scriptures and told them parables to help them understand. But Jesus also cared for their bodies. His first recorded miracle was to turn water into wine. He fed the masses with fish and bread.

It’s far easier sometimes to focus on the spiritual. Truly. Because we can quote Scripture, pray and be on our way. But that wasn’t how Jesus showed us we should live. He cared about the spiritual, of course. But Jesus also cared about our physical needs. So should we.

Many years ago I observed an organization geared to helping homeless teens. The vans would head out shortly after dark, patrolling a seedy area filled with prostitution and drugs. The workers offered free sandwiches and a beverage. No strings attached.

It was a good thing. Most of these kids were hiding. One young man told me the streets were safer than his “home.” Many of the others had similar stories. Oh, sure. I’m certain that a few runaways came from wonderful homes. But most left horrible situations. Authorities would merely try to reunite the family, even if that meant more harm to the teen.

So this organization met the teens where they were. They understood that someone hungry, someone afraid, someone who learned early not to trust adults, wouldn’t respond to a sermon. At least not at first. So they fed their bodies and gave them a friendly smile and encouraging word.

The teens were offered a spot in the group’s shelter. They certainly had people to pray with them and for them. But mostly they learned about Jesus from the hands and feet of those who fed their bodies.

We’d rather turn our time and attention to something that’s easy. I doubt riding in a van throughout the night, looking for runaway teens in seedy areas of town was easy. But those folks showed many, many teens the face of Jesus as they provided nourishment for souls by first feeding bodies.

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Let God Set You Free

Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. -- Romans 6:6

Sin is no longer your master, for you are no longer subject to the law, which enslaves you to sin. Instead, you are free by God’s grace. -- Romans 6:14

Freedom. Wow. That just seems so amazing. Unbelievable really. How can I be free from the sins that haunt me? How can I take a different path, make better choices, and still be me?

But I’m not me anymore because Christ lives within me. His strength powers and protects me. Satan may offer temptations but Jesus can deflect them all. I can resist that piece of chocolate cake. I can walk away from that insult. I can find time and strength and peace.

I can also do things I never thought possible. Because it isn’t me doing them, it’s Christ. And He can do anything. So when He calls me to do something, I go. I get scared and uncertain sometimes but I know those doubts come from Satan. God wouldn’t call me to do something without giving me everything I need -- including His Presence -- to make it happen.

I have heard so many people tell me what they cannot do. I don’t doubt them. Because they’re trying to do things through their own power and will. They don’t understand why they keep failing at the same things. It’s because they’re trying to do it on their own.

What happens when we give it to God? Sometimes we think it’s crazy to expect God to keep us from that extra scoop of ice cream. Why? God wants us to be healthy. That includes learning to crave Him instead of food.

The same is true of other addictions. Or anger. Or frustration. Or worry. The list goes on and on. God can take whatever holds us captive and turn us into something new. And, in doing so, God removes the power of sin from our lives and replaces it with His power.

How can this be? Strength for this moment. Prayer for this minute. Scripture for this day. When you’re faced with a choice, give it to God. When you’re struggling with your actions, give it to God. One time after another time after another time.

So stop beating yourself up because you can’t do something, or refrain from something, on your own power. Give it to God. Let it go. You are free from whatever held you captive the minute you trust God.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Turn To God When You’re Stressed

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. -- Romans 8:26

What do you do when you’re stressing out? Do you yell and take it out on everyone around you? Do you pop a pill? Do you eat? Do you exercise? Do you lie awake all night worrying?

We all have our different ways of coping with stress. And worry. Because worry is such a large part of stress. We just can’t seem to deal with whatever is going on in our lives.

Some of the stuff is awful. Dealing with the death of someone you love. A major illness that threatens everything you know. A child that has taken a wrong path and is headed toward certain destruction.

Some things are minor but they just add up to such a huge burden that it just seems you’ll never make it to the end. Single parents juggling a job, kids, bills, and household chores come immediately to mind. So do couples separated by deployment or caretakers for those who are elderly or sick.

I’ve learned that the best way to calm down is to go somewhere alone and read my Bible. It might only be for five minutes. Sometimes that’s all the time I can grab at that moment. But it calms me. It doesn’t even matter what I’m reading. It’s just that turning to God calms me.

One friend turns to her piano. When she is just so upset that she doesn’t know what to pray, or even how to find the words, she plays out her heart and her frustrations before God. And He hears her and calms His child.

I wonder what would happen if we all turned to God when anxiety takes over. I wonder how our lives would change if we cried out to our Heavenly Father in those moments of stress and worry. I imagine we would all eat less. Get angry less. Showcase our evil tongues less. And we would sleep better knowing that our Creator was taking care of us and those we love.

We are human and we want to handle everything all on our own. But we can’t. There are just too many things we can’t even begin to control. Even those things we think we control, honestly, we don’t. God does.

This doesn’t mean that bad things won’t happen. They do and they will. It’s just part of life in this fallen world. But we don’t have to let those things control us. We can give them to God, along with all our stress and worries.

So next time you’re about to eat a box of chocolate, open your Bible instead. The next time you’re about to lash out at those close to you, open your Bible instead. And the next time you stay awake in the night worrying, get up and open your Bible instead.

God hears. He knows. He cares. Give it to Him and let Him take care of you.

Wednesday, January 4, 2011

God Satisfies Our Cravings

And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

-- 2 Corinthians 9:8

Many of us are familiar with this Scripture. We know it means that God will provide all of our financial needs if we just trust Him. Right? That is what we know isn’t it? Could it apply to other things as well?

Last night I heard a speaker on a radio talk show apply this verse to weight loss. Stop laughing! I’m serious here. And she actually made sense. God does promise to provide all our needs -- money, food, shelter, clothing. In our country, food is plentiful. So we eat. And we eat. We should be sharing more and eating less.

Most of us are blessed to have enough food. Not everyone. It’s a fallacy to think that every American has enough to eat. I don’t want anyone to misunderstand that. But we do have an obesity problem. We eat too much and we don’t eat the right things. We know this.

I’d never thought of food as trying to fill that craving, that inner space, made to be filled only by God. It’s a different way of looking at food. Have you ever considered it that way?

The speaker said she came to understand this when she went to God with her yo-yo weight and frantic desire to change. She wanted peace far more than a particular weight or jean size. She quoted Psalm 23 but substituted food for God. For example: Chocolate guides me along right paths. It’s funny. Except it isn’t.

I know that I enjoy eating most of the time. I’m not a chocoholic. My craving has always been crunchy. Pringles comes to mind. So do Wheat Thins. And Cheeze-its. Well, you get the point. Do you have a comfort food? Do you crave certain foods when you’re unhappy or upset?

What would happen if you turned to God instead of food? Imagine reading Scripture rather than crunching on chips or downing a box of chocolates. It feels sort of like freedom, doesn’t it? Suddenly, it’s not about my willpower. It’s about God helping me control something that’s trying to control me.

I guess I never really considered that God cares what we weigh. Oh, I know He wants us to be healthy. How else can we do the things He’s called us to do? God expects us to take care of His temple, which is what our bodies are. It just makes sense that He cares.

I’m grateful that God provides all of my needs. And I’m grateful that He gives me enough to share. I hope I remember that the next time I’m tempted to eat that whole thing all by myself.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Be Sensitive To Others

"It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall." -- Romans 14:21

Alcohol is a big deal in the Deep South. There are those who argue vehemently that the Bible says don't drink. It doesn't say that but you'll never convince them. The other side is just as adamant. They argue that there's nothing wrong with drinking alcohol, especially in moderation.

Another big issue in this part of the country involves food. Lots and lots of food. We do church suppers like nobody else. If the table isn't groaning, something is dreadfully wrong. Desserts will line one long wall. Table after table after table of delicious concoctions. We all get a plate and get started. A taste of this and a taste of that and we're on a sugar high that won't end for a week.

Nobody ever suggests doing away with the dessert table. They'd probably kick you out of the church, and possibly the South, for even suggesting such a thing. We tend to ignore news reports about our obese nation and the health problems all that extra weight causes.

The Bible verse above and others in the same chapter are frequently used by those who oppose alcohol. They insist we shouldn't sell alcohol because some folks have a problem with it. We don't want to encourage drinking or tempt alcoholics. Certaintly, Paul warns against doing anything that would cause someone else to fall.

Where does that leave dessert? Everyone knows someone who is obese. Most of us are overweight. Many people are dealing with weight-related health issues such as diabetes and heart disease. Where are the people intent on protecting others from bad influences? If they're going to condemn alcohol, surely cakes, cookies and pies deserve the same fate.

Wait a minute. I don't hear anything. You mean nobody wants to ban desserts from the church social? Are cookies and cupcakes forever going to tempt us as we move down the grocery store aisles? Remember Paul didn't limit his example to alcohol. He included meat and anything else that might cause your brother to fall.

I realize that to some people dessert and alcohol are nothing alike. Drunks can and do have car wrecks that kill innocent people. Overweight people usually destroy their own health. They also hurt their families and take a huge chunk out of all our pocketbooks. They suffer an addiction much like an alcoholic.

Each of us has different weaknesses, just as we have different strengths. We should help those around us as they struggle, whether it is with alcohol, food or anything else. That means don't drink in front of an alcoholic. And don't serve a rich dessert to someone struggling with weight issues. We should be sensitive to those around us even as we exercise our right to partake of something the Bible doesn't ban. Paul gave us sound advice. We should follow it.