Michele Huey's Blog: God, Me, and a Cup of Tea, page 45

Murder by Mouth

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You shall not murder. – Exodus 20:13(NIV)

Most of the memories of my college days are not ones I remember with fondness. I learned some hard lessons of life during those pressure-filled academic years.

One incident in particular I still recall with pain. My friends and I had planned a surprise birthday party on our dormitory floor for our friend Penny (names have been changed). Since we had to wait for her to return from some contrived errand, I decided to spend a few quiet moments with my boyfriend in the downstairs social room.

About the time Penny was to have come back, Tammy, one of the party planners, approached me.

“Penny isn’t back yet,” she said, “but I’ll let you know as soon as she comes.”

Then she went upstairs and told the girls, including Penny, who had returned, that I said I didn’t want to come. After that I had no friends.

Murder by mouth. With her lie, Tammy destroyed precious friendships, my reputation, and what little joy I found in college.

The tongue, James wrote, “is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. . . . It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. . . . It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:5–8).

The tongue is sharper than any knife, slicing into the aorta of someone’s character with malicious gossip and causing a reputation to bleed to death. And we hone our skills of verbal cruelty. Maybe that story we’re repeating is true, however unkind. But does it build up or tear down?

“With his mouth,” the writer of Proverbs notes, “the godless destroys his neighbor” (Proverbs 11:9).

But lies, slander, and gossip aren’t the only ways we murder with our mouths. We are adept at destroying dreams, too.

We tell our kids to “aim for the stars,” then shoot them down when they do. A high school athlete dreams of being a major league ballplayer. A young girl aspires to be an astronaut. A want-to-be writer wrestles with putting a sentence together. A learning- disabled student dreams of becoming a teacher. Do we support them in their pursuits, unlikely as their dreams may seem to us? Or do we “bring them down to reality” with words that are meant to “soften the landing”?

Who knows, maybe that aspiring ballplayer will be the one in 10,000 who will make it to the big leagues. Perhaps that young woman will walk on the moon someday – or discover another star. Or that aspiring writer will win a Pulitzer Prize. And the student who struggles will become the best teacher because he understands and knows how to help.

Words can kill joy, too. Have you ever said something to someone and watched the light die out of their eyes? Maybe your husband did the laundry and you complain that the clothes aren’t folded right. Or perhaps your daughter cleaned the kitchen or your son washed your car, and instead of telling them you appreciate their efforts, you find the places they missed. Or maybe your wife went out of her way and took time, in spite of a busy schedule, to cook your favorite meal and you comment that the meat is a “little tough.”

“Do to others what you would have them do to you,” Jesus commanded us (Matthew 7:12). That includes our speech: “Say to others what you would have them say to you.” Framing our words in a positive manner means applying the Philippians 4:8 rule to our speech: Say only the words that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.

Words can bring death or life. The choice is ours.

Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. – Ephesians 4:29 (NLT) [image error]

Let me always be an encourager, Lord. Amen.

Read and meditate on James 3:2–12; Psalm 119:81–96

(c) 2017 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.

Generation Gap

[image error]My father and mother in 1959 relaxing during a vacation at Cook Forest. I’m the one in the cowboy hat (I was horse crazy). I was 7 years old then.

 

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. – Exodus 20:12 (NIV)

Growing up in the 1950s and ’60s, I understood the fifth commandment, “Honor your father and your mother,” to mean to obey and respect them, not to talk back to them or make fun of them. But “honor” means more than that – it also means to cherish, to prize highly, to treat as precious and valuable.

Like most kids, though, I didn’t appreciate my parents until I became a parent myself. Then it was too late. Dad died when I was 20, and Mom suffered from Alzheimer’s disease until she died 15 years later.

My parents’ generation fought World War II and the Korean War. Many didn’t even finish high school because they wanted to do their part. After the war, they married, raised families, supported their churches, and built communities.

My generation fought a war, too – the Vietnam War. Some of us lost our lives and our loves over there. Those who returned, returned to a nation in tumult: abortion on demand. Assassinations. Riots. They returned to war protesters, flag burners, draft dodgers, and Hollywood actresses siding with the enemy and making them feel ashamed for “doing their part.” They returned to “flower power” that was little more than a façade for crumbling values and moral decay.

So where are we with “honor your father and mother” today – now that we of the flower power generation are of retiring age? Forbidding prayer in schools was only the beginning. Now, headed by the media, the government, and lawyers who claim to fight for what they call “civil liberties,” society is doing its best to stamp out any reminder of God.

The greatest empires in history were not conquered from without, but crumbled from within. And it all started with moral decay. How do we reverse this downward slide? It all comes back to the fifth commandment, which Paul explained to the Ephesians: “Honor your father and your mother” – which is the first commandment with a promise – that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on earth – (Ephesians 6:2-3 NIV, emphasis mine).

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The first commandment established the ultimate authority: God. The fifth commandment established authority in the home. There’s nothing said of government in the rest of the commandments. No other laws but to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love others as yourself (Matthew 22:36–40).

Fourteen hundred years after God gave the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, the apostle Paul described the last days: “There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:1–5 NIV).

Where did this all start? One Bible commentator wrote, in commenting on the fifth commandment, “Not only in Israel, but in all nations and individual lives, the destruction of the home marks the beginning of the end” (Wycliffe Bible Commentary).

So how to reverse the trend? It all starts in the home. First, put God where He belongs – in first place. Then build strong homes founded on God’s Word, honoring our parents and teaching the next generation to respect the authority God Himself established.

“A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother.” – Proverbs 10:1 (NIV)

Father, when I look at the world around me, I feel only despair. How far we’ve come from what You planned for us to be! Help us to get our lives back in line with Your Word. Amen.

Read and meditate on Proverbs 23:22–25; Psalm 119:65–80

(c) 2017 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.

My Day of Rest

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He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. – Psalm 23:2-3 (NIV)

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” – Exodus 20:8

It’s funny how songs from childhood stay with us throughout life. I remember my mother singing along with the songs that blasted from the radio that sat atop the refrigerator as she went about her housework. Singing made the work seem easier, the time go by faster, and lightened the load of responsibility, care, and worry.

I especially remember one song that even I liked to sing: “Oh, you can kiss me on a Monday, a Monday, a Monday is very, very good. Or you can kiss me on a Tuesday, a Tuesday, a Tuesday, in fact, I wish you would. Or you can kiss me on a Wednesday, a Thursday, a Friday, a Saturday is best, but never, ever on a Sunday, a Sunday, a Sunday, ’cause that’s my day of rest” (“My Day of Rest”).

Sixty years later I still find myself quietly singing the lyrics, especially when Sunday has become anything but a day of rest. When I was a child, Sundays meant reading the comics (we called them the “funnies”), going to church, having a sit-down dinner of roast beef with the entire family, and relaxing the rest of the day.

I remember when I first became aware of the increased pace of life on Sundays. We live in the country, and for years we attended a small country church near our home and rarely had a reason to come to town on a Sunday. One Sunday we came to town to bring my daughter’s friend, who’d spent the weekend with us, home. Town was as busy – even busier, I thought – than a weekday. Cars were buzzing down the main street, blocking intersections, and jumping red lights, all in a hurry to get where they were going. Parking lots were full.

“Whatever happened to Sunday being a day of rest?” I wondered.

Modern technology has given us devices that save time and labor, but what do we do with the time we save? Cram more activities into already over-crowded schedules. Stress has become a major health issue.

After putting in a 40-plus-hour work week, it’s tempting to use Sunday as an extra Saturday. I find I’m living my life like I drive: hurried, tail-gating slow pokes, jumping red lights, slowing down, and cruising through stop signs. I have to remind myself that “stop” means exactly that. It doesn’t mean “merge” or “yield.”

And that’s what Sabbath literally means. Sabbath comes from a Hebrew word meaning “to stop or to rest from work.” God Himself set the example: “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Genesis 2:2–3).

Holy in this case means “set apart for special use.” No other day was blessed, only Sunday. No other day was set apart, only Sunday. Sunday was not meant to be a burden, but a time of laying aside the burdens and focusing on rest and worship. Remember what Jesus said: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

Sunday is a gift – a gift of time. Time for restoration, time for re-energizing rundown, worn-out bodies and spirits, time to focus on all that God is and does, and worship Him. And true worship, like singing, will make work the rest of the week seem easier and the burdens we carry lighter.

Help me, Lord, to put away the ever-present do-list on Sunday and take that nap, because I know I will feel better the rest of the week. Amen.

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Read and meditate on Exodus 20:8–11; Psalm 119:49–64

(c) 2017 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.

Hallowed Be Thy Name

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    You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God. – Exodus 20:7 (NIV)

When my son and his friends were in high school and a part of our church’s youth group, they’d really get into the worship music.

One song especially seemed to be a favorite: “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord.” When we’d come to the part where we sang the words of Proverbs 18:10 – “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” – they’d have the entire church doing the motions with the words: flexing triceps for “strong”; forming a tower with two arms raised above the head, hands together at the fingertips; running in place (“run into it”); and, of course, a baseball umpire’s motion when a player is safe.

The motions reinforce the words and make them easier to remember. And quite a number of folks, especially those with too much on their minds or those whose years are creeping up on them – and I fall into both categories – need some help remembering things, especially names.

God’s name isn’t hard to remember, though. I hear it around me everyday, often in ways that give no honor to the name the Jews considered so holy, they wouldn’t even pronounce it or write it out entirely: YHWH. The first line of the Lord’s Prayer reinforces the holiness of God’s name: “Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9). The word “hallowed” means “to make or consider holy or sacred; to honor as holy or sacred.”

Little, if anything, in our society today is even considered holy, let alone God’s name. The word itself conjures up visions of pious saints, perfect in all they said and did. This, of course, is false. Only one Person who ever walked this unholy ground we call earth was ever perfect – Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity. The rest of us struggle with our human nature.

God’s holiness is something we humans cannot fathom. When the prophet Isaiah saw the vision of God seated on His throne (Isaiah 6:1–7), and angels surrounding Him, calling, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty,” he immediately felt his sinfulness.

“Woe is me!” Isaiah cried. “I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

Centuries later, the apostle Peter, after a night of fruitless fishing, obeyed Jesus and let down his nets one more time – for the catch of a lifetime. Falling at Jesus’ feet, Peter cried, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

Both Moses and Joshua, when approaching the Holy, were told to “take off your sandals, for place where you are standing is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5; Joshua 5:15).

Job’s reaction, after God responded to his complaints about unfairness of his troubles, after catching a glimpse of the Holy, cried, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. . . . My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:3,5–6).

How do we react today when we are given glimpses into God’s holiness? Like Job, Moses, Joshua, Isaiah, and Peter, are we made painfully aware of our sinfulness, of our unworthiness? Or do we walk away, allowing the glow of the Holy in our hearts and lives to fade when we go out into a world where nothing is truly holy?

“Let those who love Your name be joyful in You.” – Psalm 5:11

Too many times, O LORD, I hear Your holy name used flippantly. Forgive me when I, too, take Your name, and all it means, lightly. Teach me what “holy” means. Amen.

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Read and  meditate on Isaiah 6:1–7 and Psalm 119:33–48

(c) 2017 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.

I Will Not Bow Down

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For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. – Psalm 96:5

“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them” (Exodus 20:4–5).

 

When I was in college, one of the girls in my dormitory claimed to be able to foretell someone’s future by reading the lines in that person’s palms. Of course, I had her read my palm.

“You’re going to get married and have four boys,” she told me.

I raised two sons and a daughter.

Who isn’t curious about the future? Who doesn’t want to know what the coming days and years have in store? In high school, a group of us got together one Friday evening and played with a Ouiji board. We were just looking to have some fun. We were clueless that we were on dangerous ground, dabbling in the occult.

The occult – practices that are used to seek supernatural knowledge and power – is expressly forbidden by God Himself: “Let no one be found among you . . . who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD” (Deuteronomy 18:10­–12). Why? Because this supernatural power and knowledge doesn’t come from God – it comes from His archenemy: Satan and his demons.

Today we don’t have to look very far to find those who claim to be able to foretell the future. The means they claim to use are many: tarot cards, psychic ability, the stars, séances. They hang out their shingles or advertise their wares on television. Witchcraft and sorcery are the themes of many a television show or movie, even on children’s networks.

Consulting the stars to foretell the future is to bypass the Maker of the stars – the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, infinite, immutable, sovereign, holy, one and only God. And the second commandment forbids us to worship anything but God.

You may not dabble in the occult, but there are other ways God gets nudged out of first place. Matthew Henry, the renowned Bible commentator, gave us insight into how this can happen:

“Pride makes a god of self, covetousness makes a god of money, sensuality makes a god of the belly; whatever is esteemed or loved, feared or served, delighted in or depended on, more than God, that (whatever it is) we do in effect make a god of.”

I may not bow down physically to an idol, but whenever I put anything before God, I am worshipping that thing – giving honor and reverence to it that belongs only to God. I need to examine my life daily and ask God to show me the idols that have crept into my life.

I need to know Him better, love Him more and serve Him with every thought, word, and deed, because the closer I get to God, the more I realize that He and He alone, controls the future, and He and He alone is worthy of my total praise and adoration.

 

“Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but they cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them” (Psalm 115:4­–8).

You alone, O God, do I worship. Amen.

Read and meditate on Exodus 20:4–6; Psalm 115

(c) 2017 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.

Cat or Dog?

 

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The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. – Proverbs 9:10 (NIV)

A newspaper ad left me chuckling: “Free to good home: Litter-trained kittens.” I understood the intent – whoever wanted a kitten wouldn’t have to worry about training it to use the litter box. But anyone with experience knows you can’t train a cat. A cat does what it darn well pleases.

[image error]Jonesy, my daughter’s cat, has slowed down with age but still loves to curl up someplace soft, warm, and cozy. (Photo by Dean Huey)

Case in point: A number of years ago, my daughter obtained two kittens from the local humane society. To keep the felines off the countertops and tables, she kept squirt guns around the house and would shoot the cats with a jet of water when they trespassed on forbidden territory. It didn’t work. As for “litter training,” all I did with my kittens was plop them in the litter box once or twice. They instinctively knew what to do (except Rascal).

We’ve had a cat in our home for more than 25 years, and I’ve yet to “train” one in the way I wanted it to go. Rather, it seemed the cat trained me. When he wanted out, he’d go to the door and meow. When he wanted back in, he’d peer in one of the windows, and, if I didn’t come right away, tap on the glass with his claws.

[image error]Don’t let that sweet face fool you. Tucker, my youngest son’s puppy, is the most hyperactive dog I have ever seen. (Photo by David Huey)

Our dog, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. It takes time and patience to train a canine, but eventually you can command it to roll over, give you a paw, fetch a ball, heel, come, and stay. The dog learns who the master is – the person who takes care of its needs and is to be obeyed. You can take care of a cat’s needs all you want, but it will never accept you as “master.” Sometimes I think it’s the other way around. But a dog, once you’ve established the relationship, will be devoted, loyal, and faithful to his master, even mourning the master’s death.

When it comes to us, we humans have a problem with the word “master.” We’re like cats – we’d rather master than be mastered. We want our independence to be who we want to be and do what we want to do. We want to be masters of our own destiny.

Such a creed may be lofty, idealistic, inspirational, and motivational, but it isn’t biblical. And the Bible is our guidebook for living, our “manufacturer’s handbook.” Embedded in the pages of Scripture are ten simple rules that govern our relationships, first with God, then with others.

The very first commandment establishes the primary relationship and sets the foundation for the other nine: God tell us who He is and what He’s done for us:

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2-3).

Who is God? He is LORD. The word “LORD” (all capital letters) is translated from the Hebrew word Yahweh (YHWH), which means the self-existent or Eternal One, the One who exists because of who He is. The word “Lord” (Hebrew Adonai), when used for God, means “master or owner of all things.

Each of us must find out for ourselves the identity of our master.

Look around. Read the headlines. Listen to and watch the news. It’s like the familiar adage, too many cooks spoil the soup. Too many masters spoil the world, society as a whole. No wonder we have problems with the other nine commandments: We don’t have God in His rightful place.

There can be only one master. Either it’s self or God. Which one created the universe? Which one is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, all-wise, eternal, faithful, good, merciful, just, and holy? Which one takes care of our needs and, hence, is to be obeyed? Which one suffered a horrific death to break the bonds of our slavery to sin and open the way to our Promised Land – Heaven? Isn’t that the Master we should heed?

How about you: Are you a cat or a dog?

“Let him who boasts, boast about this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:24).

Dear God, when I am tempted to put myself on the throne instead of You, remind me of Who You are – Elohim, Yahweh, Adonai – and of what I am and how foolish that would be. Amen.

Read and meditate on Psalm 119:17-22; Exodus 20:1-17

2nd in the 10 Commandment series

[image error]My cats, Rascal (front) and Provie (short for “Providence”), like to huddle near the woodburner on a cold, winter day. (Photo by Dean Huey)

(c) 2017 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.

Finding My Way

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Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. – Psalm 119:133 (NIV)

When I was about 10 or 11 years old, my sister and I decided to take a walk in the woods surrounding our family cabin in the western Pennsylvania mountains. We walked, all right, and walked and walked and walked – because we couldn’t find our way back to the cabin!

We must have been wandering around in circles, because I remember walking through the same meadow about three times. Finally, after what seemed like hours, we saw the outline of a building through the trees. At last! Camp! As we got closer, however, we realized that it wasn’t our cabin at all nor any of the three cabins near ours, but a rustic log building we hadn’t seen before. Where were we?

A boy about my age was chopping wood in the backyard. As we approached, he turned to leave, apparently not hearing us.

“Stop! Stop!” we cried, breaking into a run, hopping over fallen limbs and pushing through waist-high grass. “We’re lost! Stop!”

It turned out that we had wandered in the opposite direction of our cabin. Neither my sister nor I even knew what direction camp was. We just followed the way through the woods that was easiest and seemed to lead us in the direction we wanted to go. We didn’t have a compass, but it wouldn’t have done us much good because neither one of us knew how to use one.

A compass helps the traveler because its needle always points north. But before you can make use of a compass, you need to know three things: where you want to go, where you are now and what direction – north, south, east or west – to travel. Once you know that, you can set out, using the compass to keep on course.

As we travel through life, we need a compass to guide us. There are many paths we can take, some seeming to lead us in the way we want to go but, in reality, will take us in the opposite direction. God knew we needed help, so He gave us His Word. He began by writing, with His own hand, 10 simple laws that, if we follow them, will lead us to a fulfilling, satisfying life.

[image error]The Ten Commandments. Like a cross, with a vertical beam and a horizontal one, these ten rules govern all our relationships. The first four deal with our relationship with God (the vertical beam); the last six with our relationships with others (the horizontal beam).

The Ten Commandments. The subject of Hollywood movies and lawsuits. Why have they become so controversial? And how do laws established 3,450 years ago relate to us today?

Over the next ten weeks, I’m going to delve into each commandment – one per week – study it, meditate on it and explore its relevance to today’s world – and, more importantly, to me personally. I invite you to come along with me, and let the Holy Spirit be our teacher.

As we study the Decalogue, as the Ten Commandments are sometimes called, you’ll notice the suggested readings will be from Psalm 119, a psalm written as a devotional on God’s Word.

Like a compass, God’s Word points us in the direction we are to go. But we first need to find out where we are: on the narrow path that leads to life or the broad way that leads to eternal death (Matthew 7:13–14). Only then can we set our course for true north: God Himself.

“Blessed are they whose way is blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.” – Psalm 119:1 (NIV)

Come, Holy Spirit, be my teacher and  guide as I make my way through a cluttered, loud world where there is so much to lure me away from the only path that leads to everlasting life with You. Give me wisdom to understand Your Word, the faith to believe it, and the courage to obey it. Amen.

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Read and meditate on Psalm 119:1–16; Exodus 20:1–17

(c) 2005 Michele Huey. All rights reserved. All images in public domain.

40 Days

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Examine yourselves, to see whether you are holding to your faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? – 2 Corinthians 13:5 (RSV)

Ever notice how the number 40 occurs at critical moments in Scripture? It rained on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights. It was the number of days required to properly embalm a body for burial in ancient Egypt.

Moses, especially, is linked to the number. Not only did he lead the stubborn Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years, but his life is divided into three 40-year periods: his Egyptian years, his shepherd years and his wilderness years. He spent 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Sinai being personally tutored by God Himself in the law.

The Israelite spies cased the Promised Land for 40 days. Goliath defied God for 40 days. Elijah fasted in the desert for 40 days. Jonah told the Ninevites they had 40 days to get their act together before God would judge them.

Prior to beginning his earthly ministry, Jesus fasted and prayed in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights. And His final 40 days on earth between His resurrection and ascension were spent giving last-minute instructions to His disciples.

Notice how the number is associated with judgment and preparation. Lent, the 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday commemorating Jesus’ fasting in the wilderness, is a time of self-examination and spiritual preparation. We “give up” things, such as eating candy and pop or watching television, to practice self-denial and self-discipline.

But the most important part of this time should be examining our hearts, minds, and spirits, asking God to show us anything we harbor that hinders us in our spiritual growth.

First, examine your heart, the seat of our emotions and true character: Are your motives right? Do you choose love over hate, forgiveness over resentment, self-control over anger, contentment over envy, generosity over selfishness, faith over fear, humility over pride, hope over discouragement, trust over doubt, patience over impatience, thankfulness over complaining?

Next examine your mind: Are you allowing God to transform and renew your mind? Or are you still hanging onto control of your thoughts, especially the bad ones? Are you capturing every thought and giving it to God? Are you filling your mind with the positive or the negative? Use Philippians 4:8 as your report card.

Now for the soul and spirit. According to the Children’s Ministry Resource Bible, my soul is the part of me that responds to the world, while my spirit is the part of me that responds to God. I am not to love the world or the things of the world. Instead I am to fix my eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and use Him as my model. Am I still running from Him, a rebel with my own agenda, and making myself miserable? Or am I running to Him, needing His love, forgiveness, strength, and wisdom as desperately as I need air? Do I allow Him to guide my footsteps, day by day, moment by moment, or do I insist that I do it my way?

Some pretty hard questions, but ones that God will help us with if only we ask.

Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts; and see it there be any wicked way in me. And lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-34). Amen.

Read and meditate on Psalm 139

© 2004 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.

God’s Storehouse

 

Ask and it will be given to you. –Matthew 7:7 (NIV)

[image error]I was going through a kitchen cupboard a couple of weeks ago looking for a set of keys when I discovered $130, cash, I didn’t know we had. I was so excited! Not that I was ready to go out and spend it right away, but it sure was nice to realize we weren’t as broke as we thought we were.

Hubby and I have never been big spenders. When the kids were little and his was the only paycheck coming in, we had to be tightwads. Now that the kids are on their own and I’m able to contribute to the breadwinning, we still hesitate to spend money.

Not that it’s bad—in today’s world, it’s what helps us survive when the living expenses increase and the income stays the same. We just don’t want to dip into what reserves we have set aside in case something comes up that we’ll need it and won’t have it.

I wonder if I apply the same “don’t spend” philosophy to the riches I have in Christ. How often do I access God’s storehouse?

I’m not talking about material goods, although God does promise to provide for all our needs (see Matthew 6:25–34 and Philippians 4:19). I’m referring to spiritual riches—and they aren’t just for when we get to heaven. They’re available to us now, while we make our way through life. In fact, we need them now.

While God’s storehouse overflows with riches “exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or imagine,” today we’ll look at just one: grace.

Grace is receiving something I don’t deserve—forgiveness for my sin before I even asked and eternal life in heaven.

As fabulous and mindboggling as that definition is, there’s more to grace. Grace includes God’s daily care of each of us, His strength, His guidance. Grace is why we can carry the cross we’re called to carry, bear the pain we’re called to bear, tolerate people we don’t particularly like, and—going even further—show them kindness.

Grace is what enables us to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us (Matthew 5:44). We couldn’t even begin to do that on our own.

Remember Paul’s thorn in the flesh? We all have at least one, don’t we? Paul prayed more than once for God to remove it. God’s answer to Paul is the same as His answer to us: “My grace is sufficient” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

His grace is all we need—for anything and everything. His grace is why we can go to God in prayer, and go boldly (see Hebrews 4:16).

God’s grace, like the rest of the treasures in His storehouse, is unlimited, infinite, and available to us 24/7. All we have to do is ask.

Have you made a withdrawal from God’s storehouse lately?

Remind me, Father, that I have all I need in You. All I have to do is ask. Amen.

Read and meditate on Matthew 7:7–11

(c) 2017 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.

Let Me Count the Ways

 

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The greatest of these is love. – ­1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways . . .” begins one of the most famous sonnets by nineteenth-century British poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

“Wait a minute!” you say. “Valentine’s Day is over. Shouldn’t you have written about love  last week?”

Yes. And no.

You see, love isn’t something to celebrate only on Valentine’s Day, wedding days, or anniversaries. Love should be celebrated every day, every minute, every second of the year—with every breath you take.

“What a romantic!” you think—and you’re right.

Romantic love, though, is only one kind of love. The kind of love I’d like to address today is the everyday kind of love. The kind we miss if we aren’t paying attention.

There are more ways of showing love than sending flowers, giving chocolate, murmuring sweet nothings, and buying overly expensive cards because we can’t put into words the feelings that are deep in our hearts.

Here are four simple ways to show someone you love them. Since I love acrostics, I’ll use the word T-A-L-K.

[image error]First, take time for them. No matter how busy you are, stop what you’re doing and give them your attention. Now, I know we need to set boundaries, but sometimes we set those boundaries too close, too tight, and push away the very ones we want to draw near.

Too often during the time I spent with my children when they were little, I was thinking of what I should have been doing, what I was going to do next, etc. I wasn’t giving them my undivided attention. I don’t make that mistake with my grandchildren. When they come, it’s Grandma Time and out come the games and the teapot.

Look up Psalm 90:12 and reflect on TIME.

[image error]The second way is to show appreciation. Notice the little things they do. Say thank you. I know how unappreciated I feel when I make dinner and someone has to find something wrong with it (too hot, too cold, too bland, too spicy, or “different”).

“Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Ephesians 4:29).

Remember the words of Mother Teresa: “There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.”

[image error]The third way is to listen. Once again, give that person your undivided attention. Don’t be half-listening and half-thinking of what you’re going to say when they’re finished talking. Listen to understand, not to reply. Most times that person doesn’t want answers or for you to fix whatever is wrong. They simply want someone to listen to their heart. So listen with yours.

And remember: you have two ears and one mouth. The Amplied Version of James 1:19 notes that you should “be a careful, thoughtful listener.”

I love what Frank Tyger said: “Be a good listener. Your ears will never get you into trouble.”

[image error]And finally, demonstrate your love by showing kindness. Intentional kindness. Do little things—a chore that person usually does (like making the bed or loading/unloading the dishwasher). Put a note in his/her lunch. I like to put a Hershey’s kiss on Dean’s pillow when I go to bed. I’m usually asleep when he comes to bed, so that’s my goodnight kiss for him. He doesn’t like chocolate, though, so he puts it up on the bookshelf. When I make the bed the next morning, I enjoy it (I love chocolate!). That’s kindness going two ways.

“Be gentle with one another, sensitive” (Ephesians 4:32 The Message).

Once again, I quote Mother Teresa: “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness.”

So, tell me, how do you T-A-L-K?

Father, never let me pass up a chance to let others know I love them. Amen.

Read and meditate on 1 Corinthians 13; 1 John 4:7–21

(c) 2017 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.