Steadying the Ladder

Our lives as Christians are doing one of two things each and every day. We’re either *Clarifying the gospel message or *Confusing the gospel message. Which does your life most often do? In other words, when persons look at the way you live, do they say, “Alright, I get it—that’s what it’s like to be a Christian.” Or are they more inclined to say, “Hmm, if that’s what it’s like to be a Christian, I’m not so sure.” As long as we’re living, we each have a job to do. As we constantly strive to do what the Word says, we do it best by recognizing the necessity of operating and partnering together as believers. We get the most out of life when we realize and celebrate that we all have different gifts, one not being more important or more valuable than another. Some of us preach from a pulpit with words while others preach in the workplace with actions. Some of us like to visit the sick while others make meals for young mothers. Some of us simply smile and have a good attitude while others of us are patient and gentle as we change yet another diaper. It’s been said that the man who steadies the ladder at the bottom is just as important as the man at the top. All kinds of spiritual gifts are clearly needed. It’s when we live out our lives, sharing these giftings with others, that the gospel message is best Clarified and understood. What spiritual giftings do you have and where can you freely give one today?

Aunt Bee and Footballs

In an episode from The Andy Griffith Show, Aunt Bee comes to live with Sheriff Andy Taylor and his son, Opie, after the death of Andy’s wife. They thought that maybe Aunt Bee could bring that missing feminine touch. Opie wasn’t impressed, so Andy tried to help them bond by inviting her to go fishing and frog catching. She fails miserably at these things and later with trying to throw a football. One night, Aunt Bee talks Andy into taking her to the bus station. Opie hears her crying and guesses that she is leaving. He then runs out and exclaims, “We can’t let her go, Pa, she needs us. Besides, she can’t even catch frogs, bait a hook, or throw a football. Pa, we’ve got to take care of her, or she’ll never make it.” We know that it takes one tree beside one tree beside one tree to create a forest. Together they provide many purposes and produce life-giving shelter, food, and oxygen. As we exist one person beside one person beside one person, we too can produce life-giving effects in a spiritual way. Instead of waiting for something “big” to happen, we can decide to be faithful and bloom wherever we’re planted. Here's to a good harvest!

6:01am

James wrote, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (1:22). Clearly, it’s one thing to listen to something or to read about something, and it’s something quite more to do what it says. My wife Jocelyn had been waking up a little earlier than usual to start out her day with some uninterrupted “quiet time” with God. She had been getting up great for a while, but like all of us, she sort of started the habit of hitting the snooze button again. One night she asked the Lord not to let this happen again the next morning. She really wanted and needed this time alone with him, so she earnestly prayed that he would “get her up.” At six the next morning, she reached over and shut off that annoying sound of the alarm clock and started drifting off back into la-la land. At 6:01 a.m., a vehicle went past our house, and a man yelled out his window, and I quote, “Get uuup!” This had never happened before and hasn’t happened since. As she laughed to herself, she rolled out of bed and started the coffee, amazed once again at her Creator. She could’ve simply listened to that wild man’s voice and stayed in bed, but she chose to do what it said. How do you read, hear, and listen to God’s Word? Do you view the Scriptures as mere suggestions or as commandments to be lived out?

A Humbling Provision

Soon after I became a pastor, my family’s financial situation became strained, to put it mildly. Jocelyn and I were living in an eight-hundred-square-foot house and parenting three boys, ages
four, two, and four months. Jocelyn was a stay-at-home mom and could no longer contribute financially to the family. My beginning pastor’s salary only stretched so far. Having never been in financial need, we were in uncharted territory. We never knew how to ask for assistance and yet we found ourselves at a desperate point where we needed help. Reluctantly, we signed up with the Women, Infants, and Children public assistance program, which generously provided many of the necessities our little guys needed. I remember how humbling it was when we went through the grocery lines and saw people’s judgmental reactions as Jocelyn handed over the food vouchers. At one point, all I could do was cry. In retrospect however, once we got past our pride, we now recall those years as some of the best years of our lives. We realize now that it was an integral time of learning and of substantial spiritual growth for both of us. We’ve actually thanked God for allowing us to experience those circumstances. He is indeed Jehovah Jirah—our Provider.

Junk Food

You’ve hit another milestone birthday, and your spouse has decided to remind you of this by throwing a surprise party. You and I have been friends for a few years, and so when I get my invitation, I make a note of it on my calendar and plan to attend. The days leading up to your party are hectic for me and on the actual day of it, I’m flat-out swamped. Somehow, I do manage to remember your party and arrive, albeit a little late. When I get there, my heart sinks because everyone else is giving you a birthday gift. It obviously slipped my mind to get you a gift, so I quickly rush next door to the convenience store. I scan the shelves for an entire minute and hurriedly grab a bag of chips and a king-size candy bar. When I come back to your party, you smile, thank me for coming, and gladly receive my gift, sort of. It’s obvious that I didn’t spend a great deal of time picking your gift out, unless I can convince you that every time I think of salt and vinegar potato chips, you readily come to my mind in an endearing way. You know my gift wasn’t from the heart and, quite frankly, it does make a difference. Have you ever treated God this way?