Check Your Connections

Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

One missionary tells of his experience about being assigned a car that would not start without a push. After pondering this problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years.

When a new missionary came to take over his station, he proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started. As he was talking, the young missionary picked up the hood only to find that the only trouble was a loose cable. He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and the engine roared to life.

For two years, needless trouble had become routine — but the power was there all along.

Hmmm. How many of us have a loose connection today? I know I do. I think we need to check under our hoods and examine what's loose. How often do we find a way to get around the problem rather than find the solution? Is it really easier to live adjusting our lives to the problem rather than fixing it? Sometimes we do simply accept the problem rather than take the time to examine and correct it. As an example, the storm door going to my back porch didn’t shut well. If you didn’t make a point of pushing it just right, it would not catch properly and would pop open. At the time, the grandkids were living in the home, too, so you can only imagine how often that door didn’t close right and, consequently, how often “Shut the door right!” rang out. One day, sheer frustration motivated me to fix the door problem. It took less than 10 minutes to make the adjustments needed…that’s it, less than 10 minutes of focused time and attention to correct the annoying door issue. Color me disgusted! All the angst and frustration over that stupid little door issue could have been avoided had the time to actually address it rather than accept it had been spent.

What other issues in our lives are just ignored or shrugged off even though we know things are not aligned to what is godly and right? It’s rather like speeding, isn’t it? We drive along thinking a few miles over the speed limit isn’t any big deal and before you know it, you’re 10 miles an hour over the limit. We justify it thinking it’s okay because we have to keep up with speeding traffic, right? If everyone else is speeding, then surely we must, as well. If everyone else commits adultery, then we must, too? If everyone else lies, then no big deal for us too, huh? When our connection to the Lord and godly living isn’t tightened and focused, we quickly get to the point where making those adjustments are accepted as a standard way of life. A little town named Sodom comes to mind……. 

Whatever our problems are today, the power is there for us to utilize. It's only a loose connection keeping us from putting that power to work! We need to be hungering and thirsting for that bond, that union, that connection with the Lord.

Listen to the Voice

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

I had a powerful and ugly reminder in the night to listen to the small still voice which tries to guide us, often in spite of ourselves. For several days now I have had a moment’s pause when taking my medication both in the morning and evening. I knew something wasn’t right as I looked at the medication in my hand and even ‘heard’ a small warning. I can picture myself sitting there with the meds in my hand, looking at them. Then, as habit would have it, I swallow the lot down in one gulp and went about my business. I ignored the inner voice’s warning.  

I was wakened in the night very ill; I struggle with Crohn’s. Diagnosed in August, it was a relief to finally have a medication prescribed that made a significant difference in the quality of day to day life living with the Crohn’s. As I dealt with the illness for hours last night I saw the mental image of myself looking at the meds in my hand and ignoring the ‘voice’ inside telling me something was wrong. I had left out the Crohn’s meds when I filled my pill sorter. And because I always fill the sorter for the week, I just pop them in and go. Warning ignored, I followed my habit, status quo, business as usual…until the price for ignoring the warning came due.

People, when that spirit voice inside tells you something isn’t right, SOMETHING ISN’T RIGHT. Had I listened, I could have spared myself hours of intense pain. Had I paused long enough to even ask God what it was I was missing, what I didn’t understand or couldn’t see, I know He would have directed me to the answer. But I didn’t, I relied on myself and my habit. God didn’t make me ill or cause me to hurt last night; I did that by ignoring the small still voice of insight and direction. He’s not going to shout at me to get my attention and once I realized all the opportunities I passed up to listen, I asked for forgiveness for being so stubborn and set in my ways. I took a dose of the missing medication and, shaking all the way, climbed into my bed. I knew it might be a short-lived reprieve but I needed to lie down. As my head hit the pillow, I was aware a peace came over me and I fell into a deep sleep for the rest of the night.

My physical body is still recovering and quite shaky from last night’s misadventure. My bed is still unmade at 8:43 am, and I might just crawl back in it later BUT, I am wiser for having had the experience, feeling a bit foolish because I know better in the first place and humbled by the lesson. I am still in awe of the sense of peace that fell over me as I laid down last night and know Jesus had His hand all over me. It was a painful, hard lesson I shall not soon forget. Listen to the voice!

  

Call of the Wild

Phillipians 4:8-9 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on in every person. He said, "My son, the battle is between two 'wolves'. One is evil — it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good — it is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Need I say any more?

Let's start feeding the good wolf so we might flourish for the Lord and do great things for Him!

Thanksgiving

1 Corinthians 15:57-58 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Scottish minister Alexander Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit. He always found something for which to be grateful. One Sunday morning the weather was so gloomy that one church member thought to himself, "Certainly the preacher won't think of anything for which to thank the Lord on a wretched day like this." Much to his surprise, however, Whyte began by praying, "We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this."

You see, there is always a way to thank God, even in the worst of circumstances. Where there's a will, there's a way. Some days it might seem we have to look harder for the will but there is always a way.

I love our American Thanksgiving holiday. It is a time when even non-believers stop a little while to be thankful and appreciative. Traditions are important to me and this holiday is full of them. This year a lot of what I know as normal Thanksgiving tradition is not happening in my world; this year, however, will still find me grateful and giving thanks. Being thankful isn’t based on the food you eat, the company you keep or the day of the week. Being thankful comes from inside your heart and soul, not what you serve on the side.    

Let's experience a true happy thanks giving — let's will to thank God, and do it happily! As we draw near to Him with our thanks, He will draw near to us and bring victory!

Giving Thanks

Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Having been out for a while, I was excited to get back to Truth in the Morning. I enjoyed my first cup of coffee at 3am and prepared to ‘get to busy’. That was when the first rolls of thunder and flashes of lightening started. No wisdom being on the computer during a thunder storm so I unplugged it and crawled back into my cozy bed with another cup of coffee to read. Note to self: box of books in trunk is useless in wee hours during storm.

The silver lining of bookless, computer-less state was that I had a divine opportunity to just lie in bed and listen to the storm. When the power of nature is swirling all around you, it is a perfect time to thank the Lord for all He has done. Some praise, some prayer and the peace of Him lulled me into a sweet spot knowing all is well with my soul. I fell back to sleep and rested during the rest of the storm. Fell asleep thankful and woke thankful. A sweet spot, indeed!

The whole reason for saying thanks is to let the giver of a gift know how much you appreciate something. Author G. B. Stern once said, “Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.”

William Arthur Ward said, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

Showing our gratitude is obviously important in human relationships, but it’s even more essential in our relationship with God. As we think about the many blessings we have received, do we express our thanks to Him throughout the day? And when we think of the amazing gift of His death and resurrection for forgiveness of our sins, do our hearts bubble over with awe and thanksgiving? (Rom. 6:23; 2 Cor. 9:15).

Take the reminder in Psalm 107:1 to heart each day: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!”