Healing...isn't that a blessing!

Hi y'all! Hope all is well with you & yours. :) As for me, I went to visit my son lately and had a super time (...he even took me to a pro tennis match...loved it!). So I guess I was trying to give him a taste of his Mama's home cooking, too. But in the process, I burned my hand on the pot of grits and the bacon drippings popped up on my arm. Ouch! Maybe I was trying too hard, huh? Besides my son is kind of a health nut, now, and I don't even know if he still likes grits & bacon...but you know how us mothers do. :) I immediately slapped on the toothpaste (any brand) to prevent blisters, applied anti-bacterial ointment daily, put a smile on my face & carried on with the fun.
Anyway, I've been watching my burns heal, and I'm so amazed. We are indeed "...fearfully and wonderfully made". (Psalm 139:14) And, now, after a few weeks, one of the spots is almost invisible, and the other is returning to a matching shade of fabulous. The Lord made it such that one boo-boo is not the end...not the end of our skin...not the end of our lives. We can heal. We can recover. Isn't that a blessing?
And, thankfully, it's not just a physical phenomena. It's an emotional reality, too. And I think it's one we should focus on as often as we do our physical mishaps 'cause the process is the same. When we have an emotional upheaval--disappointment, upset, heartbreak, injuries of any kind, we have to act immediately to address the situation. Maybe it's not toothpaste we use, but we have to clean the wound by admitting it to ourselves and confessing our feelings to the Lord. (1 Peter 5:7) This keeps our hearts clean and open to receive the love of the Lord, which is the balm for our souls. (Psalm 23; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4) This immediate attention is only the beginning, however. Until the wound is completely healed, we must continue to bathe it in the Word of the Lord so our hearts will stay flesh and not become hard and turn to stone. (2 Corinthians 3:3) The Bible will remind us to forgive, not to let bitterness creep in, and not to play the blame game with others or ourselves. His Word will remind us that His grace and mercy are everlasting and always at our disposal. (Psalm 103:17) After all, everything that comes our way--no matter who delivers it--comes to us through the hands of the Lord, either to teach us by His mercy, or grow us in His grace. And no matter what happens, we can lean on Him. And no matter who does what, Jesus will never leave us or fail us. (Hebrews 13:5) And with time, not only will our hearts heal, but we'll be stronger in faith for the experience. (2 Corinthians 12:9; 1 Peter 4:19) Now... isn't that a blessing! :jb

Idols...get in the way!

Hey y'all! Hope you're planning a Happy 4th...it's raining down here :) But rainy days are a great chance to read. Now, I've read 1 John lots of times, 'cause I enjoy the book. The writer soothes us with the knowledge and the eye witness account that God loves us (for real!), and He wants us to have joyful fellowship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. We are encouraged to keep the channels of communication open between us and the Lord by confessing our sins, which He will freely forgive, and then give us that added bonus of grace--cleansing from all unrighteousness. (Chapter 1) And if that doesn't leave you shouting, he goes on to tell us in Chapter 2 that we don't have to do it the world's way, especially since the world is passing away anyhow. When we live in Christ, we know the truth, we're taught the truth, for He is The Truth. We need but to abide in Him. Then Chapter 3 drives home how much we're loved by the Father that He would send such love into the world in the Person of His Son to show us how to love others. And then it gets even better than that. Chapter 4:16 says, "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him." And verse 17b goes on to say, "...as He is, so are we in this world." WOW! When we believe in Jesus, we live in God and God lives in us, and we are as He is in this world! The key, however, is when we 'believe'. Because Chapter 5:4 declares, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."
So having read these chapters again on this quiet, somber, rainy day, something dawned on me that has puzzled me for some time. After all this Good News, why does the writer end the Book of 1 John with a verse that seemingly pops up out of nowhere: "Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." (5:21) What? Why on earth are you saying this now. How does this tie into all the previous promises and sweet caresses of truth? It's like drinking a dose of vinegar after a slice of sweet potato pie. What? Well, today I got why John saved this warning until the end--for impact. Because he knew it is so-o important that we do not put anything or anybody between us and the Lord--no idols--not our children, or our spouses, not even our most cherished desire. Idols fail. And when they fail, it will short circuit our 'belief' that God loves us completely. (...'cause how could He let this happen?) And if our faith slips, we will cease to abide in His love, and when that happens our love will cease to be "...made perfect that we may have boldness...." (4:17a) For the very next verse (4:18) tells us, this lack of uninterrupted faith in God's love will cause us to have fear and bring on torment. (Makes you think of Adam & Eve, huh?) God wants His love relationship with us, through our Lord Jesus Christ, to be perfectly sealed and airtight. Idols...weaken the bond. Idols...get in the way. Get it? I finally did. Be Blessed!! :jb

Suddenly!!

Hi y'all! I laughed all the way home yesterday. :) I had gone to Tuskegee, about 50 miles up the road, to participate in their Juneteenth Celebration and to sell some books. Well, the day started out somewhat overcast, but everyone seemed to be semi-satisfied with that 'cause it kept the temperatures down and the sun from beating down on our heads. There was a tentative feeling about the weather all day, however, and I heard a number of people murmuring they had prayed to hold back the rain. Now, who they were praying to was at issue in my mind because, whereas it was Jesus who delivered us slaves out of bondage, it seemed homage was being paid to everyone but Jesus on this high-Afrique occasion. My musings aside, however, a beautifully diverse program had been planned and a good time was being had by all, including the folk at the 'fish & grits' stand (not to mention the stand with the sausages on the grill to die for :) So along about 4 o'clock, when all the activities were simmering at a steady beat, the wind picks up--only slightly at first, enough to knock over my umbrella. Then it swirled a little harder--enough to get the attention of the musicians on the bandstand, who shut down for fear of impending lightning. Then the wind became even more demanding, and us vendors started to pack up--casually at first--while our host got on the mike to apologize that the event might have to end sooner than planned. About that time, all rain broke loose. We were deluged in a matter of seconds, not to mention the wind that was whipping at a mild tornado pace. I was soaked from head to toe, down to my skivvies in less than a heartbeat. It had seemed like we'd have a few minutes to pack up before the rain came, but it turned into a mini-flood on the Square in micro seconds. Children were squealing and water was standing wade-high in the streets in a twinkling of an eye. When I was able to toss all of my rain-soaked paraphernalia into my truck and squish my rain-soaked body into the driver's seat, I started to smile. And when I'd driven less than a mile to find that it was dry just down the road, I started to laugh. "Lord, You're too much!!"
I was reminded of the words I love most in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John), referring to Jesus' life and ministry in the New Testament--'suddenly'; 'immediately'. Isn't that how Jesus operated in His earthly ministry? There is nothing too hard for God, and Jesus proved that every time He was around the throngs that came to witness His miracles. It started when the angels got in on Jesus' birth. (Luke 2:13) Remember the crippled man at the Bethesda pool who had been there 38 long years? When Jesus took up his case, the Bible says 'immediately' the man took up his bed and walked. (John 5:9) Or the woman with the issue of blood? She touched the hem of Jesus' garment and immediately her blood was cut off. (Luke 8:44) How about Lazarus, laying in a tomb for four long days? "Lord, by this time he stinketh," Martha said. But when Jesus said, "Lazarus, come forth." Guess what? He did--immediately. (John 11:44) And if you do a quick search of the word, 'immediately', you'll find it got it's start in the New Testament, and it's usually referring to Jesus touching the lives of people who believed He had the power, authority and willingness to help them. (Matthew 8:3; Matthew 20:34; Mark 1:31; Mark 1:42; Mark 10:52; Luke 4:39)
That rain reminded me that Jesus does not take a long time to do anything. When we're in His presence and He takes up our case, things change--immediately, suddenly. And until then, we are to pray, watch, trust, believe and find enormous comfort in knowing that Jesus will take up our case (because His word says so: John 14:14). And when He does, we will be deluged with an answer, just like I was with the rain. What seems like dry ground only moments before will be soaked with His marvelous provision. We don't have to worry. It won't take long. Our God reigns!! Love you. :jb