THE TASK OF OUR HOLIDAY WORK

The holidays can sometimes be so overwhelming that when they are over and we can get our breath, it quickly becomes obvious to us that we, ourselves somehow missed the fun and pleasures that they bring. We missed out because we were so busy making them happy for everyone else, covering all the details needed to insure our families and friends get as much out of their holidays as we can possible provide for them to. If only we could learn the balance that is needed to enjoy the work, as we are doing it. I believe that we can! It is only a matter of getting into an atmosphere of worship as we go about the task of doing. Mary the sister of Martha did. Because her priorities were in the right place, Jesus said to Martha of Mary, in Luke 10:41-42, that she chose the right thing; while Martha was running around stressed and panic stricken over her work. In contrast to Martha, if we will get into the same atmosphere as Mary did, we too will do what is needed before and in the middle of our work and still be able to enjoy them for ourselves. You see as we take the time to go before the Lord, to learn from Him and see Him as He is, and what He is doing, He comes along side of us as we are working. It is as though we have one who comes from outside our situation to bring us the help that is needed to accomplish our task. When we are in the middle of a stressful moment, the problems are often times all that we can see. God will empower us with the solutions that we need, but we must make the conscience effort to create the atmosphere for His presence in our lives. Just like putting up the tree at Christmas, wrapping the presents and placing them under the tree, and filling our homes with Christmas music, that creates the atmosphere of the Holidays, so must we make the effort to create for ourselves an atmosphere of thanksgiving, praise and worship to One that we adore. For He is the reason for our celebrating, no matter what they holiday may be. When we do this, He never fails us. He comes and joins in to save the day! The task of our Holiday work does not have to overwhelm us, if we will only choose that which is needed, as Jesus told Martha. “How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.” Psalm 31:19 Wishing you and yours a most wonderful Thanksgiving!

Hold Fast,

Bren

THE PURPOSE OF WHERE YOU ARE

 

No one in their right mind ever chooses to suffer, be it through health, wealth or relationship. But choosing God’s will in our life, even if it means that we have to learn through the means of suffering in one way or another is something altogether different. We are also encouraged to be very careful in how we interfere with a lesson that is being taught in other Christian’s life as we see them suffer as well. 1 Peter 4:19 says, “Let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good…”. Jesus understood suffering better than anyone, and it is only through a relationship with Him that we can understand what God is after in His dealings with us or others. It is never beneficial for us to seek to carry out God’s request or will through shortcuts of our own, as we often try to do. God’s way is always the way of suffering at some point in life. Some of the suffering that we must bear, is not always meant for us personally. Yet, their design is to make everyone involved useful in God’s hands in some way or another. It can also enable us to understand what takes place in the lives of others, once we understand how God works through suffering.

Because God works on this level, we are to never be surprised by what comes our way. Dealing with a difficult person for instance might very well cause you to think, that you cannot deal with nor tolerate them. However, God tells us that we can and gives us sufficient opportunities to learn from Him concerning that situation. But, if we are not careful, we will turn away from what He is saying, and not heed the lesson that we are being taught, because it is too much trouble for us to do so. Then again, if we are going to be used by God, He will take us through a number of experiences that will stretch us to the point of being broken over it, and that is a good thing. Our sufferings should produce in us the same thing that it did in Jesus as He so earnestly prayed in the Garden before His arrest. He said, “…what shall I say? "Father, save Me from this hour"? But for this purpose I came to this hour. "Father, glorify Your name." John 12:27-28. The human side of Jesus knew what He was spiritually up against and dreaded what He would have to face. But as He prayed and surrendered His will to His Father's will, peace, comfort and a new will to carry on flooded His being.

Brokenness may be the very thing we are needing to bring us to the point of humility and accepting the will of God no matter what it may cost us. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life. Wallowing over the fact that we wish it were not, is spinning our wheels and wasting our time. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are real in everyone’s life, and it is not for us to say that God made a mistake by allowing them. If you will accept yourself in the fiery pain, of sorrow and suffering in your life with humility, God will elevate you to a higher spiritual ground and make you nourishment for those around you as well as those that He will bring into your path. May I encourage you today sweet friend, do not waste any suffering that God may allow to come your way, not even the smallest amounts of it. Are you partakers of Christ’s sufferings today? Are you ready for God to stamp out that personal ambition that is in you and destroy your individual decisions by supernaturally transforming them? If so, it may very well mean, not knowing why God is taking you the way that you are going until He is ready to reveal it to you. Will you wait for that? We often times never realize at the time what God is putting us through and then suddenly, we come to the place where He reveals the purpose of that suffering and we “get it”. Until His answers come to us, we must be like Christ, who knew that no one on earth could understood what He was going through or the purpose of it just as Peter did not understand in Matthew 16:23, yet Jesus settled with only the sympathy of His Father and the ministering angels. Never measure your life by how or where you may be at the moment, nor think that you are of no use to God there. For God places His children where they will bring Him the most glory and we are totally incapable of judging where that may be. No matter where you are right now in your life, it is not a waste. Take the role of the postage stamp and stick with it until it gets you where you are intended to go!

Hold Fast,

Bren

WORRY ABOUT YOURSELF

“Worry about yourself”, said my little 2 ½ year old granddaughter to me the other day, as I was asking her if she was “supposed to be getting into her mother’s purse”. No sooner did she get those words out of her mouth, did her mother respond back to her in the spirit of a 911 emergency operator, loving, but stern rebuke, by telling her not speak to her Granna like that. She bowed her little head and said, “I sorry Granna”! How precious that was! Not her harsh rebuke to me for questioning her business, but the humility she showed, when her higher authority spoke. My daughter apologized and told me that our little princess was copy-catting her Mom because that is the response that she gets from her mother when she tries to tell her brother what to do. Her mother tells her to, “worry about yourself” and leave your brother to me. My little granddaughter is having to learn one of the toughest character builders in life, and that is to mind her own affairs. God’s word even tells us to do that! It says, “And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you…”  in 1 Thessalonians 4:11. In Proverbs 26:17 Solomon provide us with a little bit of imagery or practical mental picture to help us understand the importance of minding our own business by saying, “Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.”, Proverbs 26:17.

 

Fooling with someone else's problems, butting into other's arguments, meddling in other people’s affairs is just not smart. In fact, it is just about as smart as grabbing a dog by his ears. When I see people in big quarrels and animosity towards each other that causes division and conflict, I am sometimes so tempted to step in and get everyone straightened out by giving them some great advice, but then, I quickly remind myself about what would happen, if I picked up a dog by the ears. As I hold my own tongue, and not get involved, I do as Jesus told Peter to do in John 21:20-22,  Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” I do this because I believe in Romans 14:12, “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God”. Some people will go through life and never learn to keep their tongue under control. You can tell that by looking at the long trail of damage they have brought about that leads straight to their own mouths. In the end they too will give an account of what they have said, and friend it will not be a good thing! I think my daughter hit the nail on the head when she said, “worry about yourself”!

Hold Fast,

Bren