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Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Down here in the south, that's a good thing. "Oh, she's so sweet!" "Well, aren't you just the sweetest thing!" "Wasn't that a sweet song?" "Just look at that sweet baby!" "Okay kids, be sweet!" Sweetness carries with it a connotation of being desirable, doesn't it? I've been reading through my Old Testament, spending some time in Ruth. One of my first impressions of her is that she was sweet. Even in her unspeakable grief following the loss of her husband, brother-in-law, and father-in-law, she was loyal to her mother-in-law. As I read the account of her resolve to stay with Naomi, her sweet spirit flows off of the page. "But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God." (Ruth 1:16) This must have been such a comfort to Naomi, who was already in a strange land due to famine, and had lost those closest to her- her husband and children. What unspeakable grief she must have been experiencing! This could've been such a time of great isolation for her, but sweet Ruth "clung to her." (Ruth 1:14) And Naomi needed a "sweetener." Her life was so marked with grief that she gave herself a new name, "Bitter." The word for it in the Hebrew was "Mara," and that's what she was asking those in her hometown to call her upon her return. She came home with a new identity- bitterness. "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me," she had said. (Ruth 1:20) But sweet Ruth was by her side, and I believe it was to have a great effect on Naomi. The Old Testament records another time when something "Mara" needed a sweetener. Exodus 15 records that after the people had crossed the Red Sea into the wilderness, they went three days without anything to drink. When they finally came upon the welcomed sight of water, "they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah." They grumbled, and cried out to the Lord, who showed Moses a tree branch that he threw into the water, "and the waters became sweet." (Ex. 15:25) What the people needed was not available until God acted. This time, He chose to act through a branch. As I read and reflected on the instance at the waters of Marah with Naomi in mind, I realized that He sent a "branch" into her bitterness as well- Ruth. Sweet Ruth married Boaz, and gave birth to Obed. "Then the women said to Naomi, 'Blessed is the Lord who had not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel. May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.' " (Ruth 4:14) The child of whom they spoke was Obed, the father of Jesse, grandfather of David. Ruth was King David's great-grandmother! And the "Branch" (Isaiah 11:1) which was to come, Jesus, would offer sweet salvation to those of us stuck in our bitter sin. He can trace His earthly familial roots to sweet Ruth. I believe she had "branch-like" qualities. She sweetened the waters of Naomi's bitterness, and was to begin the family line that would eventually lead to the "root and branch of Jesse." Is there someone you know who could use a sweetener today? Do you know someone who is embittered by life's circumstances or is in a bitter struggle with sin? Could you be that branch for them? If you are in Christ, you are a part of the Branch, the True Vine. Could He use you to sweeten the waters in someone's life? Maybe, like Ruth, He could use you to "cling to" someone... to not abandon them in their grief. Ruth certainly had her own reasons to grieve, but she allowed God to use her to sweeten someone else's time of pain. I'd like to follow her example, how about you? I want to be sweet!  I'd love for you to visit my personal blog (where I try to always be sweet!) One Day More . Labels: Cyndi's Articles, Relationships Leave a comment... 6 Comments Links to this post Earlier today I prepared a silly post about a beady-eyed buffalo with shaggy dreadlocks and a bizarre midnight game of roadway chicken. However, I will save it for another day because God interrupted my day with an experience that leaves me humbled and at the foot of the throne. I am compelled to tell you what happened. My family returned home from a weeklong vacation in Yellowstone National Park this past weekend. We arrived home after midnight and fell into bed exhausted. I awoke early the next day expecting to get a jump on the unpacking, mountains of laundry, yard work and a zillion other chores to be completed before we leave again in three days to visit the in-laws. My husband found me this particular morning with my cup of coffee in hand, sitting at my computer reading through my email. He delicately mentioned that his cousin and very pregnant wife, twins, telephoned and would be stopping by for lunch in a few hours. It is my nature to freak-out over unexpected visitors especially when the house is a disaster. Let alone the enormous amounts of work ahead and little time to accomplish it all. However, I remained calm (inexplicable, I know) and I did not take my frustration out on my husband which has been known to happen.--Divine intervention-- I ran to the grocery store to buy sandwich fixings for lunch. While standing in the checkout line, I thought to myself, I can do this. It’s only an hour, two at most. There will be plenty of time after lunch to get all of the unpacking done as well as most of the laundry. My husband’s cousin and his very pregnant wife, twins, arrived. Had it really been five years since we last got together? We sat in the kitchen and chatted, ate lunch, chatted, moved to the family room, and chatted and then…. chatted some more. Six hours later, my husband, and I waved from our driveway as his cousin and very pregnant wife, twins, drove away. I think I wanted to be angry. I wanted to feel sorry for myself. What an imposition. What inconvenience. Wasted time. I am a true testament to the patience of our God because He impressed upon me at this moment the words of a prayer I pray often. Lord, make me available to intercept lives that need Jesus. God spoke to my heart: Lynn, I am God. I will use your life to serve my purposes and in my perfect timing. I will not cater to your schedule, but you my child, need to be available for my schedule. Lives are more important than laundry. Relationships with your family are critical as there are many who do not believe in me yet. Their lives rank higher than an unpacked suitcase. Lynn, your obedience to be available is what will change the world. As I type these words, tears flow. *Gulp* What a lesson! I will never forget it. Today, I still have one unpacked suitcase in my bedroom, the dog hair flows across the upswept tile, the ironing awaits but I will NEVER again think of relationships, of people, less than my first and foremost priority because they are God’s first and foremost priority.  Please stop in for a visit at my place: Spiritually Unequal Marriage. Labels: Lynn's Articles, Relationships Leave a comment... 4 Comments Links to this post  "Community” has become a religious buzzword of late, used to underscore the obligation and privilege of walking with Christ amidst a family of believers. Christian communities are meant to be dynamic organisms marked by the interdependence, availability, accountability, generosity, vulnerability, fellowship and responsibility of all members toward each other. That’s a big order to fill.In other words, holding a membership in a church, or a church sub-group, such as “the Young Families Sunday School Class” or the youth group, does not necessarily mean the members fulfill what Christ had in mind for the Body in his prayer in John 17: “My prayer for all of them [believers] is that they will be of one heart and mind, just as you and I are, Father—that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me.” Despite idiosyncratic ideas and flaws that can entrap and divide us, we are to be unified with each other in spirit and engaged in each others' lives. That’s easier for some than for others. I belong to the group for whom true intimacy and connectedness does not come naturally or wholeheartedly by nature/personality. All I can say is, thank goodness that my friends do not let me rest for long in my bent toward Lone Rangerism. In fact, they understand that often we Lone Rangers don’t even realize we are lonely or disconnected, and we don’t see that the Enemy attempts to spiritually pick us off because we’re more vulnerable without loyal friends to help us fight. For those reasons and many more, we’re not meant to travel this road alone, even those of us who feel fairly self-sufficient. If I asked you to recall scriptural exhortations and examples of community, you might remember passages such as Paul speaking in 1 Thessalonians2:8, “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.” Or Acts 4:32, “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” However, there are many, many examples of community tucked into both Testaments that are easy to miss if we’re not looking carefully. For example, in John 19, the trial of Jesus, a passage not commonly drawn upon for examples of community, I noticed four distinct instances: 1. Verses 2 and 3 show the Roman soldiers’ and Jewish leaders’ perversion of community: mob mentality. Both factions share a common fear, a common hatred, a common sin, which allows two divergent groups to temporarily merge to accomplish a goal, as in verse 16 when the Jewish leaders shout, “We have no king but Caesar!” 2. In verse 25, we are told that Jesus’ mother, his aunt and Mary Magdalene are standing near the cross together—forming a community sharing sorrow and love and perhaps despair, all three surely comforting one another in an intensely intimate moment. 3. In verse 26, Jesus commends his mother to John’s care, and John reports that she lived in his home thereafter. Likewise, Jesus bids his mother to love John as she would her own son. Thus, each accepts the responsibility, commitment, and privilege to care for one another on a daily basis for the rest of their lives as family. 4. In verses 38-40, Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret follower of Christ, and Nicodemus, who had come to Christ in the cloak of night, emerge together now in broad daylight to prepare Jesus’ body for burial, no doubt encouraging each other in their newfound boldness for Christ. So here is my challenge: Choose a couple of chapters in any book of the Bible, and look for as many instances as you can find of true community. You may see very familiar scripture in a brand new light. I would love to hear about what the Holy Spirit reveals to you in this exercise!  Please visit my blog at 2nd Cup of Coffee. Labels: accountability, Bible study, Community, Linda's Articles, Relationships Leave a comment... 4 Comments Links to this post There was a Sunday about 7 years ago I will never forget as long as I live. Our oldest son, then four, had attended his first "real" Sunday School Class after graduating from the nursery. Emotionally for me, he may as well have begun Kindergarten. I could not wait to get ahold of that child and find out everything he had learned in his new 'big boy' class. When we got into the car, my interrogation began, "Did you like your class? Was your teacher nice? Were you scared? Do you want to go back again next week?" To which he answered, "Yes. Yes. No. Yes." They learn the Man Thing early: Few words, fewer details. In an attempt to get more information (because you know we moms need the minutia), I asked "Well, who was your lesson about?" His response? "I have NO idea but I did find out if people eat poison apples it makes snakes talk." I would be willing to bet Adam and Eve have never heard that version of their story before. Of course, The Preacher and I laughed and laughed. "Oh isn't it cute how he got that all mixed up?" But the more I thought about it, the more I believed he got the point dead on. In thinking about ways we "empower the snake", I was reminded of this passage: Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:25-32 I think of all the times Satan has attempted to embitter me towards another person by subtly slipping me the poisonous fruits of self-pity, anger, bitterness, and distrust. Like Eve, I am often tempted to take a bite by thinking I am somehow entitled to harbor these feelings. If we are not careful, these are just the emotions Satan will use to feed our hearts until we grow fat with pride. Satan is very crafty in using human relationships to gain a foothold. For example, when we are angry with someone we have to see on a daily basis, every encounter gives him the opportunity to whisper, "Can you believe she did that to you? Said that about your children? Brushed you aside like that?" We then have two choices: Take the bait, or feed the snake. Consider Genesis 3:15 (NLT) and I'll explain: "From now on, you and the woman will be enemies, and your offspring and her offspring will be enemies. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." I don't know about you, but the woman in me still feels righteously indignant that Satan cornered Eve. I can't help but have compassion for her and the ridicule she has endured all these thousands of years from the generations of people who blame our plight on her naivete'. Do you ever wonder if Adam brought it up to her? "You know Eve, we wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for you, dear." Something tells me he did at least once in their 930 years together. This fact alone makes me praise God all the more that he gave her a chance to redeem herself by being the mother of Salvation. The fact remains that Satan still singles women out today. He attempts to isolate us, busy us, frenzy and frazzle us until we are in a corner where he can feed us poisonous fruit. We can fall for his scheme once again, or we can instead feed the snake: a darling high-heel in the head that is. Genesis 3:15 reminds us that Satan will always inflict pain, but that he will ultimately be crushed under our feet. On behalf of every one of us who has ever fell prey to his wickedness, I want to plant my spiritual stiletto in such a way that he will never forget it. "You've fed me long enough - now eat this." It's time for a rising up, girls. Time for recognizing Satan's game and calling him on it. It's time we crush his head! Let's beg the Lord for spiritual eyes to discern the enemy's schemes. Put on the full armor of God, and whatever you do, don't forget your shoes!  Labels: Lisa's Articles, Relationships, Satan's schemes, Spiritual Warfare Leave a comment... 11 Comments Links to this post
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