Let Me Show You My Monkey Dance

To trap a monkey, you put some peanuts inside the trap. The monkey grabs the nuts, but his hand gets caught in the snare. The snare is in fact nothing but a hole which is wide enough to let his hand out, provided he would let the nuts go. By letting the nuts go, the hand would not be double fold, and his hand can come out. But the monkey will not let go and is trapped.

Shall I do my monkey impressions for you?  Or, perhaps you've seen it already.

There are many things we hold on to that keep us from moving forward. No matter how hard we try, we hang on to things (aka peanuts) that are not profitable for us. Some of the things that keep us entrapped are unrealistic expectations, unhealthy relationships, and anything we hold onto because we have placed unnatural value on them. We even hold on to things like anger, unforgiveness or regret. These three will keep us from moving forward, they steal peace and can ruin relationships.

"Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open." Corrie Ten Boom

The gospels tell of a meeting between Jesus and a young man who asked Jesus what he had to do to gain eternal life. Jesus told him he had to keep the commandments, to which the young man answered he had kept all of them.

"Jesus said to him, 'If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.' When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions."   Matthew 19:21-22

Please don’t misunderstand the point of this encounter – for this man it was his possessions that kept him from following God, but it could’ve very well been worldly knowledge, power, a job, a relationship. God plus anything else is unnecessary. The Lord wants us to trust in Him alone.

Is there something in your life that you are stubbornly holding onto with hands gripped tight? Are you holding onto something that Jesus is telling you to release because it’s not God's will for you? Confusion, uncertainty, fear, doubt, debt (financially or morally) become foreign concepts when you live within the safety of God’s will for your life. 

No one is as miserable as the poor person who maintains the appearance of wealth.
Charles H Spurgeon

Like the young man in the scriptures, I thought where I lived was important. My job description defined me. Nice clothes and beautiful things were also important. There was no substance in me or in the things I made that wasn't important. I was always looking, searching and, therefore, empty. But, unlike the rich young ruler who let his possessions rule him, I decided to follow my Savior. 

In following Jesus, I learned that who I am, where I live and what I wear all comes from above. He strips away the unnecessary. God has had to pry my fingers open on many occasions! And yes, it hurts, and yes, sometimes it took more than once as I grabbed things back, but ultimately He taught me to `let go and let God’

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

Let go of what you are holding onto that does not profit or prosper you. Be freed and renewed by the love of God through Christ Jesus. Find your value in Jesus because, Child of God, He gave His life for yours and that makes you intrinsically valuable. He alone gives you wealth beyond measure, assurance of a future and eternal life. One day all of our earthly possessions will burn because in the Kingdom of Heaven earthly things have no worth.

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.    Galatians 5:1

by Eve Montano

 

Hunger and Thirst After Righteousness

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Matthew 5:6

I hadn't thought about her for a while, but God reminded me of a sweet dental patient I knew for years. Lee H. was one of those magnetic personalities....warm and funny....strong and optimistic....kind and full of Southern grit. Her spirit was bold and bright, but her body was greatly damaged from childhood polio. Although her arms were almost completely useless to her, she kept her mouth immaculate. She would press her electric toothbrush to the counter with her left arm--the one she could control a bit. Then she would sit in a chair and move her mouth around the brush until she finished.

Before she died, she suffered greatly with post-polio symptoms. She was on many medications that dried her mouth out at night. She wore a CPAP mask for oxygen which also caused dryness. Most mornings, she would wake up with her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth and her cheeks totally dry. Nothing in her mouth would move.

She came up with an ingenious plan to deal with that problem. She lay in bed and began to dream of strawberries, her favorite food! Juicy, sweet, perfectly ripe strawberries became her focus. Before long, those thoughts began to affect her salivary glands. Slowly, moisture started to flow in her parched and depleted mouth. Her craving for sweet strawberries had the desired result of life in her mouth.

After thinking about Lee's situation and her solution, I realized there were two "take-aways" that fit this Beatitude:

FIRST:  WHAT WE SET OUR MINDS ON WHEN WE'RE HUNGRY AND THIRSTY DETERMINES THE OUTCOME

Lee could have bemoaned her situation, but she set her mind on strawberries. We need to set our minds on Christ.

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it." Psalm 81:10

The Beatitudes were given near the beginning of Jesus' ministry. Toward the end of His ministry, Jesus instituted Communion. He knew we were great at wandering and forgetting, so He reminded the disciples, "Do this in remembrance of Me." We set our minds and hearts on Jesus, our Righteousness. We taste and see that the Lord is good. The Bread of Life and our Living Water satisfies us. We may come to Him depleted and dry as dust, but Jesus brings us life.

SECOND:  THE INTENSITY OF OUR HUNGER & THIRST FOR GOD WILL AFFECT THE OUTCOME

As we are told to hunger and thirst for righteousness, Jesus shows us we must be "starving after righteousness." JN Darby has a great quote about hungering. He says,

"To be hungry is not enough. I must be really starving to know what is God's heart toward me. When the Prodigal Son was hungry he went to feed on the husks of the pigs, but when he was starving he went to his father."

We learn we cannot be satisfied eating pig slop. We must become empty and restless in our chasing after second-bests. We must be craving and yearning for the righteousness only Jesus can give. We must be poor in spirit and mourning over our "dry as dust" condition. Our spiritual stomachs are God-shaped and only He can fill us and leave us satisfied.

Warren Wiersbe, in "Heirs of the King," says,

"Whatever you need, says Jesus, I AM. Man's name is "I AM NOT"; we just don't have what it takes to make it alone. But God's name is I AM, and His mighty resources are available to us."

"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21

by Peggy Farina

The Silent Roof

"... love bears all things ..." I Corinthians 13:7

The word 'bear' means to endure, suffer with. It also means to cover, conceal. 'Bear' comes from the Greek word 'stege' which means to roof over, or figuratively, to cover with silence (to endure patiently), (for-)bear, suffer.

Love covers. I love that about love! True love, God-love, covers ALL my sins. It hides them, it turns away its face from them just as much today as it did that day on Calvary Hill when the Father turned away from the sin laid upon His Son. In that "deep" of God's love, His grace concealed and buried them.

It grieves my heart to think what a keen eye I have to spot the sins of others. It's sad and shameful to think how clever I can be at pointing them out, as though this empowers me in some twisted way. Forgive me, Father, please. 

This 'love' in 1 Corinthians 13 we know to be 'agape' in the Greek. It is also the word 'charity' in the KJV.

When I think of the word 'charity' I think of the word 'need'. 

I need love. You could say I am a bona fide charity case! I need God to cover me, to put a roof over me and protect me. Not so I can keep sinning in the privacy of my own self or avoid accountability for my sin. Of course not! If this is how I read the verse, as to cover or put up with willful sinning, then I'm way off track. 

But, what is my heart's response when I discover sin in myself ... in others?
What do I do with it? 
Do I ask God to protect? ... bring change? ... cleanse? 
Do I choose to endure? 

I need ALL of those in ALL things. I ought to want the same charity for others. 

Consider the tabloids. Gossip magazines publish sin and print it for profit (whether true, half true or untrue) to entertain masses. The headlines receive a lot of attention when they speak of "juicy" details; and so does the enemy.

So, I ask myself: Am I a deadly tabloid to expose others' sins, faults and weaknesses, or am I a living testimony of love, covering all things in love, through prayer, through enduring? 

Lord of Love, Christ of Charity, forgive me for the times I've exposed someone for attack instead of choosing to shelter them from Satan's storm.  Help me to desire for others the same covering You graciously give me. Help me to be Your help to them in time of need. Help me to love the way You love. 
Amen

The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed." Matthew 8:8

by Dana Lange

 

Blessed Are The Meek...

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5

What does it mean to be meek?

First of all, meekness is a position of strength and not weakness (as is often mistakingly thought).
It is a "...a voluntary resignation and submission to the divine will of God with grace." Meekness is rooted in a deep belief that God is for you. It implies a softness of temper and humility along with the submission.

I love Warren Wiersbe's description in his book, "Heirs of the King," when he says that meekness is power under control... that "meekness does not show itself when we are wrong,  but (actually) when we are right." (Page 69)

Meek people submit themselves and their enemies to God, trusting HIM to handle the problem and the outcome.

Meekness is not something we manufacture. It's part of the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Like many of the characteristics of the Fruit of the Spirit, meekness is cultivated in the difficult experiences of life. 

The meek person surrenders with complete trust that the LORD knows best, and with a deep belief that everyone and every circumstance that comes into her (or his) life has been divinely filtered through the wisdom of God himself for HIS glory and for the believer's ultimate good. The Meek know that everything is right on schedule, everything is going according to plan - God's Plan.

Meek people have learned that they only reign in life by resigning their life. They can accomplish this once they understand that their very life is not their own but is actually owned by God.

So when meekness is lived out, the meek are afraid of no thing and no one. They know that God is in control of them and their circumstances.

Undesirable circumstances come into our lives and make us appear outwardly as extremely vulnerable and weak. When we rely on God's power, the patient and hopeful endurance in our circumstances identifies us as inwardly resilient and strong.

The truth is meekness does not identify the weak but more precisely it identifies the strong. The one who has become meek knows she has been placed in a position of weakness by the sovereignty of God. She can persevere because she knows it's God's chosen venue to reveal the ultimate plan of The Most High God! 

It is power under control!

Our ultimate example is Jesus who willingly submitted because he knew his Father was in control. He told Peter

"...shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given me?" John 18:11

The meek drink whatever cup the Father gives them, not reluctantly, but deliberately, and with GRACE.

May the Holy Spirit fill us until we overflow with the spirit of meekness as we surrender to HIM!!

Abundant Blessings,
Cyndie Patrick

Don't Give Up

"Nicodemus said to him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  John 3:4

She looked so small sitting on the overstuffed chair, her feet barely resting on the ottoman in front of her. She sat playing with a little strip of paper rolling it over and over again with her finger.

“What does it mean to be born again?” I looked up, surprised by her question.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well you people are always calling yourselves born again Christians. What does this mean? How can a person be born when he is old?”

Her voice was quiet, not accusing. Her eyes were downcast, looking at the paper in her hand. My husband, Anthony, who was in the kitchen, overheard her question and walked to where we were. He looked at me as I mouthed the words “Please pray”.

The woman in the chair was Rosie, my mother in law. She had been released from the hospital the day before. We were supposed to spend Labor Day together but when we went to pick her up at her home we found her sitting on the floor disoriented. Her normally immaculate home was a mess with dirty dishes everywhere. Even her body was dirty. We cleaned her up and took her to the Emergency Room. We thought she had suffered a stroke, but a CT SCAN showed she had a tumor in her brain that took up one third of the space in her head pushing the brain over to one side. She must have been in so much pain. I had been with her only two weeks earlier, but she had never complained.

When I looked at her CT SCAN I had to go outside. My heart cried out, “NOOOO!!!” Tears streamed down my husband’s face as we listened to the unthinkable. Because of her insurance coverage she was released to us for the two days until the day of surgery when they would try to remove as much of the tumor as they could.

At the time of her release I was angry, wondering why they would send her home. She could barely walk! But, as we sat in my living room less than 24 hours before her surgery, I realized God had a plan. For nine years we had been praying to hear the question she had finally asked. 

Anthony prayed silently as I shared the gospel with his mother. “We say Born Again because when we give our lives to Jesus we are recognizing He died on the cross for our sins. He did that because our sin separated us from Him. The act of confessing and repenting for our sins and accepting the gift of forgiveness is called being ‘Born Again.’ The Bible tells us

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

I took a breath, praying silently for wisdom and said, “The Bible says He did that because He loves us."  

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.  John 3:16-17

She looked up at me and her eyes filled with tears. “I’m scared,” she said.

“Do you want to pray and ask Jesus into your life so you too can be born again?” I responded. "He will take away your fears and replace them with His peace regardless of what happens during the surgery. After that, you are assured you will be with Jesus for all eternity.” She nodded her head and prayed that day to receive Christ. For the first time since I met her I knew she would be fine. 

On Thursday she had the surgery. When she woke up she smiled at me and said, “I surrendered!”

I cried as I wrote this because I believe, while she was having the surgery, our Lord revealed Himself to her. The rest of her days were peaceful. She was free of fear possibly for the first time in her life.

Rosie died 15 days later. She fell asleep on September 17th and woke up once to talk and smile at her sons gathered at her bedside. She then fell asleep until she went home to the LORD on September 19th.

I write this to tell those of you who have stubborn family members who refuse to see the need for Jesus Christ in their lives – GOD has a date with them. Don’t ever give up on them. Keep praying. Keep believing God can reach them and save them. He saved you. What He did for you He can do for them.

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God the you may know that you have eternal life."  1 John 5:13

by Eve Montano