It was near the end of my spelling test in elementary school. Once again I looked down at what I had written on my paper for word number seven: “O-N-O-R.” I read it back to myself quietly. It sounded right but something was missing, I was sure!

Time was running out. I closed my eyes tight and tried hard to remember what it should look like. All the correct sounds were there, so what was I missing? I took several frantic glances around the room for any spark of “inspiration,” but soon resorted back to silence and intense thought. Silence! That was it! I knew what was missing: a silent letter. I had skipped the very first part!

Without delay I added the letter and read it again: “HONOR.” Yes, that was it!

Honor is important (and not just for elementary test grades). Do you want to know how to please God? Find out what pleases the Lord. Find out with a relationship with Him. Obeying your parents pleases the Lord. Honoring your parents pleases the Lord (See Colossians 3:20). This “honoring” looks different during different seasons of your life—as a child, as a young adult, as a married man or woman. But the heart of this commandment remains intact throughout all our years.

The fifth commandment, “honor your mother and father,” is the first commandment with a promised attached, “so that you may live long on the earth” (Eph. 6:1-3). We want to have a long life, for things to go well for us, to bring delight to the Lord, and to receive God’s grace. But have we skipped the first part?

“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (I Peter 5:5–7).

My favorite song to sing with children is “this little light of mine!” If you have trusted Christ to be you Savior, God has commanded you to be a light. There are several ways that we are, or should be lights. First, is through our smile; by having and displaying a sincere smile we are showing that the joy of the Lord resides in us and is our strength.

The second way we are to demonstrate the light of Christ dwelling in us is in the light of our eyes. Matthew 6:22 says, “the light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” When Moses came down from being with God on the mountain, his face was glowing. May we all reflect form our faces what being with God really means.

Lastly, we are to show Christ’s light in us is by our good works. “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in Heaven” (Matt. 5:16). If we honor the Lord in the tasks He gives us to do, and other people see that we are doing it for Him, that action may plant a seed in someone else’s heart.

God has given me the desire to joyfully serve Him by serving others. Many times it is so easy to help people because I love doing it. They always are so thankful, but by serving them I am also able to show them how much I love the Lord. There is no greater thing than to be a beacon of light for the King of Kings!

(photo via Flickr)

Flexibility. Dependability. Sacrifice. Peace. Flexibility allows us to enjoy the fullness of our time, energy, space, and possessions being completely surrendered to God for His purposes.

While serving in the ATI Department, I’ve truly seen the rich quality of flexibility displayed by my officemates over and over again. Although we have a larger department than many others, valuable people are constantly being cross-trained in other areas, enabling them to use the talents that God has given them. Also, there are times for trips, conferences, seminars- things that are well worth the time being away. What this requires, however, is flexibility.

One time in particular I’m thinking of is such a clear reflection of this attribute. It happened very recently- a few days ago, actually. (As I write this, I am at home with my family, spending some time away before the rush of the busy conference season. Ironic, right?) Working in the office that day, my head simply swarmed with things to do, people to call, emails to write, etc. At the beginning of the day, it all seemed pretty feasible. The morning went well, and I was anticipating a good afternoon. Little did I know, the afternoon was going to bring much turmoil and stress for me.

The task list of things to do was not getting much shorter. All week, my roommate had been preparing for a gathering of girls to come over that night to celebrate the beginning of Spring. My ride home had just called to let me know that we would be leaving in a few hours. I was not packed. The floor needed to be vacuumed, I felt- at least people couldn’t see what needed to be done on the computer screen! I was swimming in my thoughts. Where would it end? Would I even be ready to leave? Could I entertain guests while trying to pack a suitcase?? Beyond that, was I ready to face the trial waiting for me at home?

Alas. The first demonstration of flexibility. In the midst of my tizzy, a dear friend told me that she would take care of things so I could take a short walk. Not my usual habit in middle of a work day, I did take a few moments to tell the Lord just what I was feeling. And to know that the office was taken care of while I was doing it was a good relief.

However, as not a whole lot changed between that time and the end of the day, I wasn’t sure exactly what to do. There would not be many people in the office next week. I would be gone, my boss would be gone… Just then, I heard a voice say, ‘What can I do? What do you need me to do next week while you’re gone?’

Not quite sure why I was doing it or how I could stand for it, I dumped a huge load, piece by piece on another’s desk, who willingly took it on. I saw her eager eyes wait for more: here, a person to call; there, a fax to send. There would be more than that too- a huge ATI mailing that needed to get out soon. Those holding down the fort would be taking this project.

I was able to share my burden with sisters in Christ who so readily demonstrated the quality of Flexibility. I was so blessed. The Lord really used that experience to teach me to trust Him, and He used the character in other people’s lives to show me a glimpse of His sovereignty. For this I am grateful.

“I want Justice!”

The word seems right and has entered all of our minds at some point in our life….but do we really understand what we are asking for?

The Hebrew root word for Justice, found in Strong’s Concordance (# 6663), means “right” or the state of being right. God himself is the only one that is “right”. This right refers to the righteousness that God has and is. His righteousness is expressed towards us though his son Jesus Christ. Justice is utterly dependent upon righteousness. Out this state of being supremely righteous, God alone has the authority to make final judgments and he will exercise this right upon Judgment day.

Justice is a continual process and is carried out when we make decisions based on God’s Judgments. God’s judgments, simply stated, are His definition of what is “good” or “bad”. Justice, by its nature, will always be in accordance with the Character and Laws of God (I Kings 3:9).

Justice when applied to our lives brings order and peace. These are necessary for the survival of our very being. When it is not part of our daily existence we experience stress between our spirit and soul resulting in illness and disease.

The purpose for Justice is found in two of its basic meanings; to rectify and to prosper. God’s justice is for the purpose of bringing that which is wrong (sin) in man back to what is right, ultimately to restore man’s fellowship with his creator.

The depths of God’s mercy and love will never be experienced to its fullest until we understand Justice.

(photo via flickr)

“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Matthew 4:19

Following Jesus Christ and obeying His commands has been a truth stressed in our family for a number of years. Being a pastor’s daughter, I have seen many youth of the present-day Christian church walk away from the things of the Lord and attempt works in the power of their flesh. My heart breaks as I hear story after story of sons and daughters choosing the ‘broad way’.

One of the key principles in faithfully following Christ is a daily submission of our wills. A surrendered person is a broken person. “A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” A state of surrender involves losing ourselves in the will of God. This is done by giving our purposes to the Lord and embracing His purpose in our lives (knowing and serving Him and making disciples).

Too often, Bible-believing Christians are categorized as hypocrites. This is because the world is seeing us ‘talk the talk’ but not ‘walk the walk’. They see us living for our own selfish ambitions but claiming we love Christ and are following Him whole-heartedly. It’s a life of contradiction. No wonder our youth are falling away!

We will never be able to be fishers of men and draw others to the love of Jesus unless we begin to follow Christ by taking heed to the Spirit and obey His commands. We are to be the light of the world shining bright for the Lord! When others see our good works they will be able to glorify the Father which is in heaven!

I admit that I am continually learning to dethrone my intellect and allow Christ to sit on the throne of my heart. Though many instances in my life, I have had to learn the hard way. Accomplishing my will always results in hardship, pain, suffering, and sorrow but following Christ and discipling others results in a life of freedom, joy and peace. Not only am I blessed in the process but Jesus Christ is glorified!