Pour on the Oil

In 1757, Benjamin Franklin sailed for England. From the deck, he noticed that the water behind most of the surrounding ships was churning and agitated, but one ship had calm wakes as though gliding through the sea. Asking the captain about it, he was told, "Oh everyone knows that. The cooks on that ship have just thrown their greasy water overboard." Franklin spent years pondering this phenomenon. When at a lake or river, he would amaze his friends by bringing along a little oil and no matter how choppy the water, when he poured the oil onto the surface, it would become calm.

How? The answer is simple. Ripples and waves are caused by friction between air and water. When a gust of wind blows over a body of water, the air grabs at the water and lifts it up. But, when the surface is coated with oil, even a small amount, the wind cannot easily get hold of the water, and the friction is reduced.

The Hebrew forefathers in the faith understood God's Spirit to be as oil. Oil was used for anointing which was the sign of being equipped. Priests were anointed. Kings were anointed. The Holy Spirit anoints those who are in Christ Jesus. (But you have an anointing from the Holy One. 1 John 2:20)

One familiar passage in Psalm 23 (verse 5), says that our Lord, the Shepherd, anoints our head with oil. We frequently overlook, however, a very important thing: that we are anointed at a table prepared for us in the presence of our enemies.To be anointed with oil in the presence of one’s enemies is to be equipped and to be fortified. It also means to be comforted in the Renaissance English sense of “comfort” (formed from two Latin words, con and fortis meaning “with strength”). God's Spirit equips, fortifies, and strengthens us even in the presence of our enemies.

Sometimes people tend to rub us the wrong way. Often differences in opinion or personalities cause friction and ripples of disharmony. But, when we apply the oil of God's Holy Spirit (who produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control in us), the friction is calmed. We will not easily get angry. We will not easily be offended. We will not allow a root of bitterness to take over. We can forgive, wish the best for others, and grow in grace. May the Spirit of peace be like oil on the choppy waters of your life.

Need a lift?

The other day I heard about a lady who was going to her doctor for a "lift" (not sure for which body part but don't think I want to know anyway!), so when I received a related tweet yesterday from Christine Caine, founder of the A21 Campaign, I thought the following lifts were such better ideas.

Lift your eyes 

I lift up my eyes to You, to You whose throne is in heaven. Psalm 123:1

Lift your hands  

I will praise you as long as I live, and in Your name, I will lift up my hands. Psalm 63:4

Lift your soul 

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. Psalm 25:1

 

Lift your voice 

I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. Psalm 142:1

 Lift your head But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. Psalm 3:3  Lift your face Surely then, you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God. Job 22:6  Lift your banner  We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. Psalm 20:5

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and HE will lift you up. James 4:10

"Small" Sins

"You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, 

you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, 

the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy [God].  

It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect 

is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing." 

 (the demon Screwtape writing to the demon Wormwood 

in The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis)

 

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 

Ephesians 5:8-11 

It is easy to excuse what we think are "small sins". Over time, our consciences become hardened as we justify what we think is "not so bad". The tempter will provide many reasons to help us explain why whatever is OK for us in our particular situation. He will provide examples (other deceived folks) that we can compare ourselves to and feel better about it (self-righteousness, a false sense of true righteousness). He will provide opportunities for us to sin in private (seemingly), void of any consequences (supposedly) and then pacify us out of any guilt we may feel about it (wrongly). This "getting away with it" then leads us to repeat it. And, then, my friend, the noose is set. 

Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:14-15

Today, let us ask for God's mercy to help us avoid anything that would grieve the Holy Spirit within us and cause us to stray from His light. No matter how seemingly big or small, there is no sin or temptation that can bring greater joy than the presence of our Lord. Praise Him forever.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion 

looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

 

The Peace of Submission

 "This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome..."                                                        (1 John 5:3)  Lately, I have been having thoughts about submission. Maybe because our ladies' class studied First Peter not too long ago. Maybe because our pastor is preaching on having a biblical home. Or perhaps it is because of the difficulty I see in my children to submit (those little guys just want to make their own rules... or ignore the rules altogether). But, instead, I'm sad to say, maybe it is because of the difficulty I find in myself to submit (the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, right?).

 
So, I just wanted to share some concepts on submission that I've learned from a couple of great books recently and hope they help you too. Spiritual Authority by Watchman Nee and Touching Godliness Through Submission by K.P. Yohannan
 

• The controversy of the universe is centered on who shall have the authority, and our conflict with Satan is the direct result of our attributing authority to God. 
• The fall of man was due to disobedience to God's authority.  
• Our flesh hates and resists submission. 
• Salvation is not only receiving the life of God through faith but also maintaining His authority through obedience.
• The greatest of God's commands is that we love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). And, if we love Him, we will obey Him (John 14:15). So to maintain God's authority, we must be subject to it with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. 
• Obedience is absolutely honoring to God for it takes God's will as its center.
• Am I willing to give up my will and surrender unconditionally to the Lord praying, "Your will, God, whatever it may be, is what I want."? For if I am still "in control" of my life, God cannot mold me like the clay in the potter's hand. 
• Submission to authority is an eternal principle by which Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is our perfect example. 
• God desires that through our submission we demonstrate to the world His eternal purposes.
• Obedience to God includes submission to His delegated authorities, and to rebel against God's represented authority is to rebel against God Himself.
• Without the authority of the head, there can be no unity of the body. 
• Authority is not a matter of outside force but of inward revelation.
• Symptoms of a lack of submission to authority:
    Do you regularly experience strife and disunity with others?
    Do you live with bitterness and anger toward those above you?
    Are you quick to correct others without thinking of their feelings? 
    Are you desperate to be in control of situations?
    Do you feel hurt and offended when someone corrects you?
    Is it difficult for you to believe and obey the commands of God?
    If you are in authority, do you "lord it over others" and cause them pain?
  

I am certainly still a work in progress in this area, but learning biblical submission brings the peace and joy of God into my heart. 

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I love listening to the music from the Passion conferences.

Here is a good one from the 2012 White Flag conference that relates. 

Lay Me Down - Chris Tomlin

Children's Company

President George Washington once said, "It is better to be alone than in bad company." I don't know if he read his Bible, but that sounds very much like 1 Corinthians 14:33, "...Bad company corrupts good character."

All children have social needs, but often today, Christian parents are criticized for being too selective and intentional when it comes to choosing who their children are permitted to interact with. It is often said that our children must be exposed to the numerous temptations and bad influences of the world so they can learn how to resist them or learn how to win them, but, history and experience often show that this does not work. A child is much more susceptible to being influenced than one who is mature.

Dear parents, let us be encouraged to place a higher priority on the quality of our children's social contacts than on the quantity; that we may keep them safeguarded from bad company and we may encourage godly purposes for the company they do keep. And, may God bless us as we strive to set our children apart unto Him.
  

Fear Not

 

The phrase “fear not” is mentioned 365 times in the Bible. It is no coincidence that God gave us one for each day of the year. What are you afraid of today?

 

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior..."  Isaiah 43:1b-3a

 

 

  

 

Pentecost & Prayer

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Acts 1:8

Sunday (May 19) is the day of Pentecost, also called the Feast of Shavuoth by Jews. Observed 50 days after the Easter holy-day, Pentecost traditionally celebrated the giving of the Ten Commandments, but for believers in Jesus Christ, it now means so much more. We celebrate God's pouring out of the Holy Spirit on His people (the Holy Spirit who now writes God's laws on our hearts instead of tablets of stone!). The Pentecost that occurred in Acts chapter 2 also sparked the beginnings of the church's focus on missionary efforts to the "ends of the earth".

There are so many points of doctrine, inspiration, and application that could be discussed from the description of this particular day of Pentecost, but one thing that has impressed me lately is what the believers were doing while waiting for this promise of power from on high. It says, "They all joined together constantly in prayer," (Acts 1:14). So, if they prayed constantly, it is very likely in Acts 2 when they were "all in one place" and the Spirit fell that they were praying together (easy logic). And, I was reminded of the need for us to pray together. Oh, I know personal prayer time is so very important, but how often do any of us pray with other believers, corporately? I mean, really pray. Not just a blessing over a meal or an introductory time before a Bible study. I am sad to say for most of us that it is very rare. Yet, in those times that I have spent time in prayer with fellow believers in Christ, I am always strengthened, encouraged, and blessed. So why not do it more often? I am challenged, and I want to challenge you too.

Do you realize that, historically, the most significant trends in the church are prefaced by movements of extraordinary prayer? Just for example, consider Jeremiah Lanphier's story. He was a simple businessman who, burdened by the needs around him, invited others to meet with him in prayer. His prayer meeting started with only a few, and it grew, and it grew, until....the result, oh, just a New York City revival! I would like to see something like that in my lifetime. What are we waiting for? Let's be ready and willing to labor in the work of prayer...and do it together!

 

"In prayer we leave the business of time for that of eternity, and intercourse with men for intercourse with God." Jeremiah Lanphier

  

 

Home Run movie

Wisdom from Proverbs 23

29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? 

30 Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. 31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly.32 In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. 
33 Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. 
34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging.35 "They hit me," you will say, "but I'm not hurt! They beat me, but I don't feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?"

We had the opportunity to see the movie Home Run this past weekend. I had been wanting to see this Christian movie but didn't know if it would come to a theater near us. When I found out it was showing in Paris (Tennessee that is; you should have heard our boys when they thought we were flying to France to see a movie), we loaded up and went (a Mother's Day treat complete with popcorn).  I wish more people would get to see this movie; especially anyone who struggles with alcohol addiction or has experienced abuse due to it. If you do, please find a Celebrate Recovery group near you today. 

Truly, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
(2 Corinthians 5:17 )

Raising Arrows

Children are a precious gift to us, but our happiness and fuzzy feelings are not the reason we’re given children. Their purpose is not to win beauty pageants or become the best athlete so we can brag on Facebook about them. Their purpose is to “contend with the enemies”. To be raised as mighty warriors, strong, competent, wise and bold. To further the gospel, to stand for truth, to increase the army of God and to glorify Him in all the earth.

And that takes a committed, deliberate, costly focus.

Kelly Crawford, Generation Cedar   

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. Psalm 127:3-5

 

Dictionary for Moms

A Mother's Dictionary in honor of all you moms out there...


patience - a character quality which young children instinctively aim to develop in those around them

family trees - generally tend to produce a variety of nuts

experience - what we call the result of our mistakes

problems - psychiatrists tell us that talking solves these (it also seems to cause them)

answers - what we have for other people's problems

worry - something that keeps more people awake than coffee

conclusion - something you arrive at when you are tired of thinking

future  - a time to schedule all your work

yesterday  - when you needed to finish your work

clear conscience  - often the sign of a bad memory

diplomacy  - the art of letting someone else get your way

jacket  - something children wear when their mother feels cold

bad day  - when the only thing that goes off as planned was your alarm clock

home - a place where you are free to say what you think and no one listens

flashlight  - a container used to store dead batteries 

11 minutes - that time of day when all the laundry is completed

maybe - a mother's answer when she's not listening to the question

temper - what you cannot be rid of by losing it

opinion - something others can have as long as it's the same as yours

optimist - a husband who thinks "just a minute" means 60 seconds when his wife is getting dressed to go somewhere

vacation - something that begins with children asking "Are we there yet?"

reality - what you see while NOT watching a TV reality show

mother - a woman whose heart walks around outside her own body

grace - what we don't deserve but all need

A cheerful heart is good medicine....Proverbs 17:22

(credit to "Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends" from which I adapted some of these definitions: this is a great book for those of you who have multiple children)

Malachi

Lately, I've been reading the book of Malachi. I know it's considered a minor book of the Bible, but it has some major things to say! I love that "Malachi" means "my messenger". If he had a blog back then, I wonder if he would have called it something like, oh maybe, "Messages Delivered." 

It was a hard message that he had to deliver. His prophetic words were the last ones given by God before the 400 year silent period (before the coming of Christ), and he had the difficult job of addressing the sins of his people.

The Israelites were back in their homeland but in less favorable conditions than they would have liked. Coming out of exile in Babylon, they returned to widespread destruction and were facing an economic crisis. Despite their complaints, Malachi addressed the symptoms that diagnosed their spiritual sickness:

1) Apathetic service (they were offering blind, sick, and polluted sacrifices)

2) Broken relationships (they were breaking covenant with their spouses)

3) Failing to obey God's commands (they were robbing God of the tithes and forsaking the Sabbath)

Ultimately, their illness had a terminal effect on their worship of God. I wonder, do you notice any of these symptoms in our society today or even in your own heart. What about the ones below that the Apostle Paul warned us about in 1 Timothy 3:1-5 that would take place during the last days?

* loving self                          * loving money                  * boastful            
* prideful                              * abusive                          * disobedient to parents 
* ungrateful                          * unholy                            * without love   
* unforgiving                        * slanderous                      * without self-control

* brutal                                * not loving good               * betraying       * rash or reckless                  * conceited                        * loving pleasure rather than God   * religious but denying the power of God

 

If you checked any of these symptoms indicating a spiritual illness, know that Malachi's message ends with hope for you too. The prescription? Repent and honor God, who is a Great Physician standing ready to heal.  And, He promises you will feel so much better!  "But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall." Malachi 4:2

Not Conformed to This World

"Ironically, the more we Christians pursue worldly relevance, the more we'll rend ourselves irrelevant to the world around us. To be truly relevant, you have to say things that are unfashionably eternal, not trendy... Christians make a difference in this world by being different from this world."
  Tullian Tchividjian

 

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed 
by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is
 --His good, pleasing and perfect will. 
Romans 12:2

His Helper

As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD

by failing to pray for you. 1 Samuel 12:23

 

A wife is called to be a helper for her husband (Genesis 2:18; "help' = "ezer"; the same Hebrew word used to describe God as our help). I can think of no greater way to help than to labor in prayer for him daily. Just wanted to share these thoughts with you today from Doorposts.

• Do I earnestly pray for my husband's spiritual growth and wisdom as he leads our family?
• Do I pray for my husband in his work, his leadership responsibilities, and his relationships?
• Do I pray for a reverent heart and submissive response to my husband?
• Do I pray for my husband in his relationship with each of our children?
• Do I pray for my husband when I know he is going through times of testing and hardship?
• Do I pray for my husband to be strong in his particular areas of weakness and temptation?
• When my husband is in sin or when I believe he is making an unwise decision, do I humbly entreat him and then earnestly, patiently, and quietly pray for God to lead him?
• Do I pray for my husband when he has offended me or do I criticize and harbor bitterness?

Time spent in prayer is never wasted.

Francois de Fenelon

 

To Truly Love God

Do we desire God above all things? 

 

“The critical question for our generation—and for every generation—
is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the
friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and
all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties
you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no
human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven,

 if Christ were not there?” 

  John Piper, God Is the Gospel: Meditations on God's Love as the Gift of Himself