Renee Andrews's Blog, page 2

Temptation

Mondays with Jesus 2017: Devotions to Begin Each Week of the Year

“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:13-15

As everyone in the room snickered, I watched our oldest son, Rene, ask our oldest grandson, Alanus, the same question.

“You didn’t eat a doughnut?”

Alanus, eyes wide, shook his head again. “No, sir.”

What Alanus didn’t know, and what had the whole room struggling to contain the laughter, was that his right cheek was covered in white sugar from the doughnuts on the platter. The same doughnuts he’d been told he couldn’t eat.

As Rene looked to all of the adults in the room in disbelief, one of the kids who had been watching Alanus explained, “He didn’t eat one. He just moved them on the plate and then licked his fingers.”

Temptation. It’s so tough to resist, and often, we get close enough to the forbidden fruit…that we look guilty, merely because we’ve gotten too close, like my grandson and that tray of doughnuts.

I have no doubt that, if left alone with that plate, eventually moving the doughnuts around and licking his fingers wouldn’t have been enough. The temptation would’ve been too strong, and he’d have given in. Likewise, when I know I struggle with something tempting, I’m only hurting myself by getting closer to the situation, or to the thing I want so badly, or to the individual who isn’t good for my spiritual life.

Now, I’m not saying that I stay away from those that I might have the opportunity to bring to God; however, I also need to remind myself that, if a person—or thing—is keeping me from Him, then I need to get away from the plate…before I’m standing, ashamed, with sugar on my cheek.

This Week: Take inventory of your biggest temptations. I’m assuming everyone has more than one; I know I do. If you’ve placed yourself in a situation that is setting you up to fail, back away. Ask for help from a family member or friend—even better if you know someone who struggles with the same problem—and keep yourself from standing in front of your Father with sugar on your cheek.

Renee Andrews

Rejoice Always!

Mondays with Jesus 2017: Devotions to Begin Each Week of the Year

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

As a teen, I wasn’t the best at being thankful. In fact, I was far from it. My parents both worked hard to give us everything we needed. My father built tires at the Goodyear plant; my mother sewed infant clothes at the Health-Tex plant. I didn’t know any of my friends’ parents who, in my opinion, worked harder than mine. But in spite of my parents sacrificing to attempt to give us everything we needed/wanted, I wasn’t as appreciative as I should have been. I would eye my friends’ new clothes, their jewelry, new cars with a green eye. Even things as trivial as the newest makeups caused a bitter vein of jealousy to find its way to my heart.

When I turned sixteen, I honestly didn’t expect to receive a car. And my parents weren’t able to buy one; however, they had Daddy’s 1973 Buick Century repainted and fixed up so that I, like the majority of the other kids in my grade, would have a vehicle to drive to school. Now, don’t get me wrong; I was thrilled to have a car to drive. BUT—I was still envious of the new Camaro that a friend drove each morning and parked in her spot, right next to mine. Ditto for the Corvette and Firebird a few parking spaces down.

But then, one of the football players stopped me and asked if he and some of the other teammates could take a look under the hood (to be honest, I didn’t even know how to open the hood then, but they helped). They marveled at how well the engine had been maintained and cleaned. And they all but drooled over the 350 engine, with several asking if they could drive it sometime.

Suddenly, I had the “cool” car. And my appreciation for my parents’ gift went through the roof. This was no longer my Daddy’s old work car; it was my treasure! I made sure to keep it clean, was happy to open the hood to the people that asked (and many did) and was absolutely joyful that I had such an amazing ride.

Thinking about me back then, and the way I felt when I saw my car through another’s eyes, I wonder if, when people see Christians, they see us as something that isn’t desirable, something old and not as shiny as the world, with its appealing sin. In fact, the only way they may have to see the beauty of the gift is if they see it through my eyes, the way I finally saw the splendor of my car through the football team’s eyes. Perhaps, if I really want to bring others to Christ, I need to make sure that they see enough appealing about the way I’m living my life…that they want to look inside and see more. I hope, when they do, that they are as excited as those guys were when they found that 350 under the hood.

This Week: If you ‘wake up on the wrong side of the bed,’ remember that someone may be watching you today and seeing what Christ looks like through you. Even though you may be going through a rough spot right now, think of five things to be thankful for. Recall those blessings throughout the day so that others will want to know more about what you have inside, the way those guys wanted to know what was hiding inside of my ‘old’ Buick!

Renee Andrews

Thy Will Be Done

“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” Jeremiah 32:17

I’ve been praying. No, that isn’t all that unusual. I do my best to pray daily, and I strive to pray more than the initial prayer time J.R. and I share each morning to begin our day and the mealtime blessings. But lately, I’ve had something on my heart that is simply causing me to follow 1 Thessalonians 5:17’s directive to pray continually.

Have you ever found yourself like that? So wrapped up in something, absorbed in it, consumed by it, or—as in my case now—distraught over it, that you simply can’t stop praying? That’s where I am.

If you follow me on social media or have read my devotions in the past, you know I’m a kidney donor. I can’t say enough about the joy of giving a chance at a normal life to someone, and in my case, the young man who was a stranger on the day we met and I decided to donate my kidney to him…but is now part of my family. He’s like a son. And when he hurts, I hurt.

So when he called to tearfully tell me that he was in the hospital and that the kidney wasn’t working correctly, I hurt. And I prayed. It’s been five years since our transplant, and the kidney has done fine. Matt has been living a normal life with no dialysis. He has been able to take trips with his family. He has had two sons. At the time that I write this, Ryan is close to turning three and Brooks will have his first birthday the same month as his big brother.

I’ve been praying. Praying that my kidney won’t fail. Praying that Matt will continue to live a normal life. Praying that I can be a very real part of his life, because a part of me lives in him. But, in the midst of all of this praying, I found myself saying…

“God, if You can, heal Matt.”

If You can? How dare I question my Lord? The God that created the universe can do anything He pleases (Psalm 115:3 and 135:6). Didn’t I pay attention to those powerful verses in Job 38, when Job dared to question God?

I’ve been praying. Usually, prayer makes me stronger, but at other times, like now, my prayers show me just how weak I am…without my Lord. Yes, He can heal Matt. He can move mountains. He can create. He can destroy. He is the Almighty. And He is my Lord.

And I trust Him.

I’ve been praying. Praying continually. Praying that Matt will be okay and praying that I will be okay too, that I will keep my faith strong and trust God’s plan. Most of all, I’ve been praying…for God’s will to be done. If the medical team can’t cause my kidney to work as it should, and if Matt ends up on dialysis again, it isn’t because God didn’t answer my prayers. It isn’t because He can’t do anything He pleases. It is because that was not my Lord’s will. And I will trust His will. Always. Forever.

Forgive me, Lord.


This Week: Are you praying continually over a piercing struggle? Are you or someone you love going through a difficult time physically? Emotionally? Spiritually? Do you have a loved one at death’s door? Does your heart ache, and you feel certain no one understands? Trust this: God does. And believe this, whether your request is answered with a yes or a no, trust in Him, that He knows your heartaches and, whether the outcome is your utmost desire—or your biggest heartache—God’s will be done.

Renee Andrews

I will praise You in the storm...

“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2

I had to wait for the tears to stop before I could write this devotion. Sometimes, you read or hear a story that touches your heart so completely that you are moved to tears. That has happened to me this morning.

As an organ donor, I’m genuinely drawn to stories of organ donation, but even more when the story involves a child’s life. Today, I read the story of a family in Alabama whose baby boy had heart failure shortly after birth. He was the youngest patient in the United States to use a Berlin heart, a device that helps pump blood while the infant awaits a heart transplant. His mother said they never prayed for a heart, because they knew praying for a heart was praying for something tragic to happen to another baby.

Four months later, in Louisiana, another family did have something tragic happen, when their six-month-old little boy began running a mysterious fever, and doctors found him to have bleeding on the brain. His parents prayed for a miracle, but during the surgery to stop the bleeding, doctors determined major malformations that couldn’t be repaired. Before the doctors took their son off life support, the couple was asked if they wanted to donate his organs.

Not only did they agree, but they pushed the transplant team to find a place for his heart. The team wasn’t sure they could find a baby close enough to receive their son’s heart, but then they found the baby in Birmingham and rushed the organ for surgery.

My heart hurts for that family. I can’t imagine losing a child in any manner. But my heart also swells with admiration in the Christ-like action, their determination to help others even in the midst of their suffering. Their decision saved another child’s life, blessed another family…and reminded many people, like myself, of what it truly means to live like Christ.

This Week: Search online for stories of organ donations touching lives and remind yourself of how, in a world filled with pain and suffering, there are those who push through the pain and find that some of the most amazing gifts can be given—and received—in the midst of a storm.

Renee Andrews

Heavenly Reunion...

Mondays with Jesus 2017: Devotions to Begin Each Week of the Year

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household.” Ephesians 2:19

Each year, our extended family gets together for the traditional family reunion. When my Granny Bowers was living, she would organize the event, which always took place at Noccalula Falls, a beautiful park near my hometown that features a 90-foot waterfall, trails and playgrounds for children. It’s a stunning place to visit, but even more so when you consider that your family members will travel from all over to gather together and enjoy a meal, visit and catch up on life each year.

I always enjoy seeing the new babies (grandbabies in my case), meeting those who have recently joined the family through marriage, etc. Occasionally, I’ll have to pull my mom or dad aside and ask someone’s name (everyone changes a little with age, and my memory sure isn’t what it used to be.) But this year, two men joined the event that no one recognized. And I wasn’t the only person pulling others aside to find out the identity of the newcomers.

Eventually, we realized that my cousin Lisa, who now organizes the reunion, had inadvertently tagged the two on Facebook, because they happened to have the same last name as our family. And so they saw the invitation, brought a covered dish, and drove an hour to attend a reunion with a family they had never met. (You can laugh – we all did.) But what was even more interesting is that, after talking with the two for a while, we learned that we really are related…way on down the line.

One day, we will gather, like these men, with a family that we haven’t met before, but a family that shares our name. Christians. And what an amazing family reunion that will be!

This Week: Call a family member that you haven’t seen in a while. Feel the excitement of reconnecting, learning about everything that has happened in their life, and then imagine reconnecting with your family members that have passed on…and with all of the amazing family you haven’t even met! Praise God!
Renee Andrews

Work with all your heart, as if working for the Lord...

Mondays with Jesus 2017: Devotions to Begin Each Week of the Year

“Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:21, 23-24

Growing up, I remember a worn brown grocery sack as a steady constant on our dryer. Though Mom often exchanged the bag with a fresh one from the grocery store, the smell of its contents lingered in the small laundry room next to our carport.

The scent of rubber or, more accurately, of a tire plant.

My Daddy, James Bowers, worked at Goodyear for thirty-seven years. He began building tires at merely twenty years old, working third shift for years before finally moving to days. The work was labor intensive, to say the least. Back then, we had one car, and Momma would drive us to the plant to watch the men pouring out when their shift ended. My sister and I would search for the familiar walk of the man who provided everything we needed, the man who loved us unconditionally…and never complained about the position that would send him home with the potent scent of the tire plant on his clothes.

Even though it has been decades since that brown bag stayed on the dryer, I remember the scent vividly and would recognize it instantly even now, years later. It’s a reminder of what my Daddy was willing to do for us, every day, without complaining. It’s a reminder of his love for his wife and children.

As I read the verses above, I realize that Daddy never made us feel bitter toward the plant, but instead made sure we knew how thankful he was for the opportunity to work. And Daddy didn’t go to work and leave his Lord at home. The men and women who worked with him through those years knew that he wasn’t there alone; he worked with God in his mind and in his heart and didn’t hold back from sharing his Lord with his coworkers at the plant.

This Week: If your current employment isn’t what you had planned for yourself, or it isn’t as appealing as you would like, look at what it provides, rather than what it prevents. Look at it the way my precious Daddy did, as an opportunity, rather than a hindrance. And remember that you aren’t in that position to serve man, but to serve your Lord.

Renee Andrews

Open my eyes...

Mondays with Jesus 2017: Devotions to Begin Each Week of the Year

"Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” Psalm 119:18

In the early and mid 1990s, I, as well as a large portion of the world, became rather obsessed with stereograms, those images that allow some people to see 3D images by focusing on 2D patterns. This form of art is identified by a horizontally repeating pattern which differs slightly with each repetition, therefore giving the illusion of depth when each eye focuses on a different part of the pattern.

The Magic Eye books that were filled with these stereograms hit the bestseller lists in record time, and entire stores were devoted to selling the popular 3D art. I remember spending the majority of a Saturday morning in such a store in New Orleans attempting to see images like the Statue of Liberty and rockets hidden in a bounty of posters.

When I read Psalm 119:18, I am reminded of those stereograms. There is so much splendor in the Word of God, but often, we are unable to see the beauty that is only obtained by looking deeply into the scripture. More than that, I’m reminded that I can’t see the wonders of God’s word without His help. I need Him to open my eyes, to allow me to see more, to understand more, to appreciate the awesome jewel that He has given me by providing me with His Word.


This Week: Find a stereogram and search for the hidden image beneath. Feel that moment of triumph, excitement and satisfaction when the veiled figure comes into view. Next, pray for God to open your eyes to the hidden beauty of the scripture, then spend time in His Word. Take a look at 2 Corinthians 3. Read about how you are a letter from Christ, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human heart. Start there, and then delve into more scripture, into more hidden beauty. Have your eyes opened to the wonders of God’s Word.

PS - Let me know if you see the picture...

Renee Andrews

Christ is the Key

Mondays with Jesus 2017: Devotions to Begin Each Week of the Year“Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Hebrews 7:25

Last week, Ariel, my daughter-in-law, had several items to put in her car as she was preparing to leave her house for the day. While Naomi, our nine-month-old granddaughter played just inside the door, Ariel took her purse, the diaper bag and some other items to the car. Then she returned to the house to get her little girl…and realized she’d accidentally locked the door.

She ran to the side door, which has a window, and peered in to see Naomi, crawling around, happy as she could be. Ariel tapped on the window, got her little girl’s attention, and Naomi smiled, clueless mommy couldn’t come in.

With no spare key and her phone still inside the house, Ariel began to panic. She thought about going to a neighbor’s home to use the phone, but she was fairly certain that her neighbors were all at work. Then she thought about attempting to break through the window to get to her little girl. But she wasn’t certain how that would fare either. What if Naomi crawled toward the glass, or if Ariel cut herself badly in the process?

Deciding her best option was to find a neighbor at home, she prayed for help, ran to her car, sat in the driver’s seat and glanced down to see the key that our son, Rene, had left in the cup holder. She began thanking God immediately as she grabbed the key and ran to the door to get to her baby girl.

When Ariel told me the story, I could feel her anxiety. She knew she had to get to Naomi, but she didn’t know how…until she found that key.

Aren’t we like Ariel, when we know what we want, what we need to get to more than anything else, and yet we need the key?

What do we want to get to most?

God.

What is the key to getting to God?

Christ.

He is our interceder, our path to the Father. He is our means to getting what we need most, what we want most, what will give us more joy than we can ever imagine.

To get to her daughter, Ariel needed the key.

To get to our Heavenly Father, we need Christ.

Thankfully, He is there, waiting to intercede, wanting us to gain access to what we need most. To give us even more joy than Ariel found when she opened that door and found her baby, safe on the other side.

This Week: Make a spare key for your home. Put it somewhere safe, but a place that you would remember if you’re ever locked out. Whenever you look at the key, remember the Key we have to access the door to our Father. Thank God for Christ’s ability to intercede.

Renee Andrews

Thy Will Be Done

Mondays with Jesus 2017: Devotions to Begin Each Week of the Year
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39

My husband likes old cars, particularly old Mustangs. He has a ’67 Mustang (that’s about all I know about it, but he could give you a ton of car lingo that would mean something to car enthusiasts). Recently, he bought a ’92 Mustang convertible that had seen better days. It didn’t run. In fact, we could hardly find anything on the car that worked. However, it was priced at $300, so my sweet Cajun decided it was worth the investment. He tinkered with it for months, rebuilding an engine to get it running again and replacing almost every part that formed the car.

Eventually, I needed to run errands, and that Mustang was my car of choice. I was impressed at how well it ran, given we’d had it towed to the house. But I quickly learned that the vehicle was still a work in progress.

After completing my errands, I started home. That’s when the skies turned dark, and rain poured down. Not an ordinary rain, but the kind that comes with a severe thunderstorm of tornadic proportions. Unfortunately, this was when I realized my husband had yet to put the wipers back on the car. The air, heat and defroster also hadn’t been fixed yet, and the windows started fogging with the changing temperature. Luckily, I was able to roll the windows down, but that only caused the rain to dump all over me as I squinted through the storm and attempted to find a shoulder on the side of the road where I could park the car until the storm passed.

The biggest problem? I had just started across a bridge with no shoulder when the rain began. I couldn’t see the lines on the road. I couldn’t tell when the bridge ended. My hazard lights didn’t work. I slowed the car to a near crawl as I tried to see, which only caused other cars to zoom past and send more water through the window.

Years ago, I would have yelled. Or cried. And I did cry, but my cries were to my Father. “Lord, don’t let it happen this way. This isn’t how I want to die.” An eighteen wheeler passed me, and I honestly could no longer see. The windshield was completely fogged over. And I continued praying. I put one arm out of the window and began waving it up and down, as if this might let the other cars know my dilemma. And maybe it did, because they all slowed and stayed behind me, allowing me to marginally see the path ahead well enough to tell when the bridge ended, and when I could safely ease over to the shoulder.

But even then, as I came to a standstill, I prayed. I thanked God for being there through the storm, and I thanked Him for answering my prayer. I did think there was a chance I’d be hit, that my car would be pushed over the side of that bridge or that an eighteen wheeler would crash into me at any moment. But my Lord granted my request. I didn’t want to die that way, and I didn’t.

And then I thought about Christ’s request, when He prayed to His Father at Gethsemane. He asked for the cup to be taken from Him. He asked God not to die that way. But unlike me, when I prayed through my journey across that bridge, Christ didn’t merely ask not to die that way. He also prayed that God’s will be done. And unlike me, He wasn’t facing a mere death that would lead me into a blissful eternity. The cup He asked God to take away was my sin. And all sin. The sin of the world. Placed upon Christ, the Perfect One, the only man who had never sinned.

The pain of what He bore that day is unimaginable. And He knew it would be. Unlike me, in my pitiful trek with the Mustang, Christ knew what would surely happen. He knew what would come and the agony He would face at the cross. But He still prayed…Thy will, not Mine.

And He still went to the cross.

This Week: Reflect on the cross, on the pain that came with the weight of our sin, and on the prayer where Christ asked for that cup to pass…but also asked that His Father’s will be done. End each of your prayers this week with, “Thy will be done.”

Renee Andrews

The View Above the Clouds

Mondays with Jesus 2017: Devotions to Begin Each Week of the Year

“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:2-4

A dear friend is traveling this week and sent a photo she took from the window seat of the plane. She titled it, “The view above the clouds.” I was amazed at the beauty, at the way the white clouds looked golden beneath the sun, the way the sky positioned between the sun and clouds mirrored Caribbean blue water and at the way my heart felt peace, simply by admiring the perfection of God’s beauty.

I don’t fly as often as I used to, but I always thought that picturesque view probably resembled the scene in Heaven. I imagined those streets of gold, transparent as glass, pearly white gates, city walls covered in precious jewels. That was surely the best way to describe the beauty of Heaven.

But then I realized…I was so very wrong. The true beauty of Heaven won’t have anything to do with pearly gates, golden streets or jeweled walls, and for me to equate it to such things—things—devalues the magnitude of beauty God has planned for us at His Home. Because the true beauty of Heaven isn’t described in the verses that center Revelation 21. It’s described in those verses above:

There will be no more tears, no more death, no more mourning, no more pain. And the ultimate true beauty of Heaven is that God will dwell among His people. He will dwell among us! Praise God! I can’t imagine anything more beautiful than that!

This Week: Get up early enough to see the sun rise, at least once. Plan your evening to see the sun set, at least once. Imagine that the night never comes, and neither do tears, of suffering or pain. Thank God that, in your future, you will encounter a day where the sun never sets!