Honest Reflections

“Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Psalm 34:14 NIV

In order to seek peace, you have to pass peace on to others. Passing the peace is something that has been done in churches for centuries.  Typically, it’s a time during the service, before the sermon, when congregants greet each other. The words originally exchanged, “Peace be with you,” as people shake hands.  This is a physical way of passing the peace from one person to the next. It’s been years since I’ve attended a service where they actually “pass the peace.” Typically these days it’s not done at all, or if it is, it’s a “high five” rather than a handshake.  But passing the peace isn’t something that can only be done in church. Passing the peace is something you can do in all aspects of life. 

My husband and I pass the peace in our marriage.  We pass the peace when we put the other person ahead of our needs.  When my husband is dishing up dinner plates, he always gives me more than himself.  He’s passing peace. When I do the laundry and put away his clothes, I’m passing the peace with him.  We pass the peace by respecting each other. We pass the peace when we’re willing to agree to disagree on a subject.  Every month when we strive together to come in on budget, we are passing the peace. We are seeking peace by passing it.  Seek peace by passing peace.

Seek peace by passing peace.

Jesus sought peace everywhere He went.  Jesus sought peace when he fed the 5,000, healed the sick, loved the unlovable.  Everywhere Jesus went, he sought peace. One of my favorite passages is found in John 8:1-11 NIV.  A woman caught in adultery is brought to Jesus at the Temple where He is teaching.  They expect Him to stone her because that is the penalty for the crime. Instead Jesus sought peace.  Without saying a word, he knelt and wrote something in the sand. What He wrote no one knows for sure.  What we do know is that one by one her accusers left. Jesus quiets the crowd without saying a word. He was the Master of seeking peace.

We can live our lives like Jesus.  We can seek peace wherever we go. Jesus was the Master of Peace because He sought the Father first (Mark 1:35 NIV).  When we seek God first, we’ll become masters of peace as well.  We’ll put others needs ahead of ours. We’ll forgive our offenses and pray for our enemies.  We’ll love our neighbors as ourselves. When we do those things, passing the peace becomes a lifestyle.  Everywhere we go, like Jesus, we’ll seek peace. When we seek peace, we’ll pass peace to those around us.

Question of the Day:

How can you pass the peace today?

Further Reading: Exodus 37:1-38:31 NIV, Matthew 28:1-20 NIV, Psalm 34:11-22 NIV, Proverbs 9:9-10 NIV

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Psalm 34:8 NIV

The good life is found in God. You can never know if something is good or not unless you taste it.  Something may look good, but when you actually taste it, not so much. When I was in elementary school I was playing at a friend’s house.  She gave me a piece of apple pie that looked delicious, but she had added salt to it as a prank. The pie looked good, but when I bit into it unpleasantness filled my mouth.  What looked good tasted awful. In order to taste it, I had to try it. If we’re going to know how good life with God is, we have to try. We have to take a taste and see that He is good.

How do we taste the Lord?  We put His word into practice.  Opening the Bible to read it can seem like a daunting task.  Understanding what it says can seem impossible. But it’s not.  My favorite book to read is Proverbs. The practical tips for life are easy to understand and apply to life.  Others recommend the book of John as a good starting place to read. Youversion is a free Bible app that has Bible reading plans you can apply to any area of your life.  Enlist a friend to read with you. Find a way to take a taste, God will do the rest.

Find a way to take a taste, God will do the rest.

Google searches are a great way to get a specific taste of God’s word quickly.  For instance, I just googled, “scripture on forgiveness.” Immediately this appeared on my screen: “Colossians 3:13 – Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Matthew 6:12 – From the Lord’s Prayer – “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”  From these scriptures there is an immediate next step we can take to taste the good life.  We are to forgive like the Lord forgave us. How did God forgive us? Completely and unconditionally.  How are we to forgive others? Completely and unconditionally. A quick Google search gives us a next step, a way to taste the Lord.  When we taste of His goodness, we find the good life.

Whatever you’re dealing with, God has an answer.  He wants you to taste and see He is good. He wants you to have a good life in Him (John 10:10). Start small, just take a nibble, before long you’ll find yourself feasting on His goodness.  When you take a taste of God, you’ll find His peace, His provision, His presence in your life. When you have those, you truly have found a taste of the good life.

Question of the Day:

What’s one way you can take a taste of God today?

Reading: Exodus 35:10-36:38 NIV, Matthew 27:32-66 NIV, Psalm 34:1-10 NIV, Proverbs 9:7-8 NIV

 “All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” (Matthew 27:25 NIV).

If you want to know the truth, give it time. This pivotal verse describes our human state of brokenness, the reason we need Jesus.  The people were answering Pilate, who had just released a murderer instead of Jesus. He wanted to know what Jesus’ crime was. Their response, “His blood is on us and our children!” (Matt. 27:25 NIV).  The crowd put Him on the cross, an innocent man who had done nothing wrong.  We do the same thing, We condemn the innocent when we don’t know all of the facts. But in time, the truth will be revealed.

When I first moved to Virginia in the early 90’s, I was a waitress.  I had moved here to finish college. I tend to keep to myself in new circumstances until I feel comfortable.  As a result, I’m quiet and reserved, not offering any more information than necessary. I didn’t realize I was being crucified.  Months later I found out that everyone thought I had moved to Virginia because I was pregnant. Nothing could have been further from the truth, yet I had been convicted and condemned of this crime.  As time passed, the truth was revealed. The same thing happened with Jesus. As time passed, three days, the truth of His purpose was revealed to the crowd. Time can’t be stopped, truth will always be revealed.

Time can’t be stopped, truth will always be revealed.

Tell Me Who I Am is a movie currently streaming on Netflix.  The documentary covers the lives of twin brothers.  Andrew lost his memory in a motorcycle accident at the age of 18.   After being in a coma for 3 months, he awoke. The only person he felt connected to was his twin brother, Marcus.  He remembered no one else. Marcus decided to create a happier past for Andrew than what had actually happened in their lives.  As a result, Andrew never fully recovered; he always felt like there was more. And there was more, that was revealed years later.  They had been the victims of sexual abuse by their mother. Over time, the truth came out in its entirety, but it took years. When it did, true healing began for the twins. 

When the people learned the truth about Jesus, healing began.  When we learn the truth about Jesus, what He did for us, our healing begins.  As we accept His truth into our lives, then begin to apply it to them, we start to experience healing.  Time will always reveal the truth, we can’t judge until we know all of the facts. If we do, we’ll condemn the innocent.  Instead, give it time for truth to be revealed.

Question of the Day:

What truth are you waiting on time to reveal?

Further Reading: Exodus 34:1-35:9 NIV, Matthew 27:15-31 NIV, Psalm 33:12-22 NIV, Proverbs 9:1-6 NIV

“When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain,  they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” (Exodus 32:1 NIV).

One thing we have in common with the Israelites, we all follow other gods. Especially when we don’t feel like God is doing anything for us.  The Israelites were waiting at the bottom of the mountain where Moses was talking to God. He was gone for 40 days. Just over a month, the Israelites were giving up on God.  They’d watched Him free them from slavery, part the Red Sea and drop manna from heaven, yet they turned their backs on Him. We turn just as easily from God, probably in less time.  One recent study of 800 million people found that New Year’s Resolutions will be abandoned by Jan. 19th.  Only 19 days and people give up on their newfound ways. Staying the course means accepting the mundane. 

Staying the Course means accepting the mundane.

Following God in our daily lives is mundane.  Each morning I get up, read my Bible, and tackle my work load for the day.  Within that, I get dressed, I eat meals, I do chores. Most of the things I do in a day, I don’t remember.  They are the same things, day in and day out. There are some mornings when I read my Bible nothing jumps out at me.  There are other days when the words I find within its pages are speaking right to my heart. But each day, I do it again.  Same routine, same actions. We live in the mundane, our day-to-day lives. God teaches us in the silence of the mundane.

At this point in my life, I don’t doubt God’s presence during times of silence like I have in the past.  God is often silent in our lives as we walk through our struggles. I’ve listened to stories of people who have prayed for years, are still praying for something, and God is silent.  One of the wisest men I know summed it up well when talking about God’s silence:

“The only thing I can conclude from God’s silence, is that this is something He wants me to work through.”  Mike Cooke   

I believe He is right.  When God is silent, He wants us to work through our circumstances.  He wants us to learn to forgive as we work through the process of forgiveness.  He wants us to learn to trust in Him as we apply His principles to our life. He wants our faith to grow as we take the next step, with Him.  Even when God is silent, He is still with us. He has promised to never forsake us (Hebrews 13:5 NIV). In the mundane, God does His greatest work in us.

Question of the Day:

How has God’s silence impacted your faith?

Further Reading: Exodus 32:1-33:23 NIV, Matthew 26:69-27:14 NIV, Psalm 33:1-11 NIV, Proverbs 8:33-36

“Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.” Proverbs 8:32 NIV

God’s ways are not our ways, His thoughts not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV).  How are we to keep His ways if they are different from ours?  By doing what Jesus commanded us to do: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’  There is no commandment greater than these.”  (Mark 12:30-31 NIV).   God’s way is love.  If we want to keep His ways, we need to love in all circumstances.  If we love Him first, He’ll give us the love we need for others. When we are loving others, we are keeping His ways.  We will be blessed.

What does it mean to love?  Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthians: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV).  God’s ways are not our ways, none of the things love requires comes easily to our humanness.  But with God, we can do anything.

But with God we can do anything.

When we partner with God, we can wait patiently.  We can be kind to people that are difficult to be kind too.  God will teach us how to be humble and honor others. He will help us put others first, not easily angered, keeping no record of wrongs.  God will show us the truth. His love protects us, can be trusted, is full of hope and unconditional. Because God loves us that way, when we receive His love, we can do the same for others.  We can love others because God first loved us. He went first. He sent Jesus to show us how to love (John 3:16 NIV).  Jesus is the one who gave us the greatest commandment.  Through Him we learn to love God and love others. As a result, we are blessed.

Question of the Day:

Which do you need to work on today, loving God or loving people?

Further Reading:  Exodus 30:11-31:18 NIV, Matthew 26:47-68 NIV, Psalm 32:1-11 NIV, Proverbs 8:27-32 NIV

“Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.”  Matthew 26:14-15 NIV

When someone has betrayed you, it’s hard work to forgive them, but it can be done.  Today’s verses are the starting point for arguably the worst betrayal in history. Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for what would be equivalent to $185-216 today.  He wouldn’t have even been able to buy a smartphone with his money. Yet He betrayed Jesus for it. I wonder what Judas’s heart motive was? Obviously greed, but what else?  Why would money cause him to betray his Lord and Savior? Understanding these details helps work towards forgiveness. We can see in hindsight, Judas’ betrayal, for whatever reason, was part of the plan.  If Jesus hadn’t been betrayed, He wouldn’t have been crucified. If He hadn’t been crucified and raised again, none of us would be saved. God uses all things to the good for those who believe, even our betrayals (Romans 8:28 NIV).

My neighbor for years was Debbie Smith.  She is the reason the Debbie Smith Act (DSA E) exists.  Four years before we moved beside her, she was raped in the woods behind our house.  Her husband, a police officer, was upstairs sleeping after working the night shift.  The armed man entered their house, dragged her into the woods and raped her repeatedly.  DNA was collected, but not analyzed until 1994. When it was, her rapist was found, already behind bars for another crime.  Debbie turned that dreadful event into a glory for God. The result of her work is the DSA which is designed to end the backlog of untested, unanalyzed DNA.  A movie has been made about that fateful day, A Life Interrupted debuted in 2007.  Debbie was betrayed by someone she didn’t even know.  A victim of someone else’s sin. Debbie had every right not to forgive, but instead she gave it all to God.   When we give our hurts and betrayals to Him, He turns them into wins. He takes ashes and turns them into beauty.

He takes ashes and turns them into beauty.

Betrayal is a part of life.  None of us escape it. Family betray us, Friends betray us, strangers betray us, our bodies betray us.  Betrayal is one of the hardest acts to forgive. When our trust in someone or something has been broken, it is not easily built back.  But trust can be restored. Over time, with hard work, we can overcome our betrayals. We can forgive the offender, create healthy boundaries and be free from the hurt.  The key to overcoming hurt, it’s a team effort. We can’t do it without Divine Intervention. God’s guidance, His presence, are what helps us overcome. Together, with Him, anything is possible, even forgiving betrayal.

Question of the Day:

What betrayal do you need God to help you forgive?

Further Reading:  Exodus 29:1-30:10 NIV, Matthew 26:14-46 NIV, Psalm 31:19-24 NIV, Proverbs 8:14-26 NIV

“Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief.”  Psalm 31:9 NIV

One way to handle sorrow in your life is to cry out to God for mercy.  In this past week in my life, I’ve witnessed three heartbreaking situations.  First, a 26-year old father with a pregnant wife, died in a car accident. Then, a friend’s husband, a Christ following man, died of pancreatic cancer, five months after diagnosis, only 52 years old.  And the crash of the helicopter that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter and 7 other people has gripped our nation in grief. All of these stories tell the fragility of life. They tell of unfulfilled dreams, missed moments, words left unspoken.  They are stories of heartache and loss that can cripple us. When we are in the depths of despair, we cry out to the Lord for His mercy. He will comfort us in our time of need.

My hairdresser lost her sister and nephew last year.  Her sister passed away first. She told me the story of how God comforted not only her family, but another one as well.  They were in Florida where her sister had lived. Her family had gathered at the beach at sunset, grieving together for their loss.  As the sun started to set, the clouds in the sky started to move. They slowly shaped the form of a heart. She has pictures to commemorate the moment.  Immediately, the family was comforted. All of them knew the heart was a sign from God that their sister was with Him. On the beach with them was another family who had lost a child to suicide.   When they saw the heart, they felt the same peace. They knew their loved one was alright. These two families, both in grief, met on a beach. They grieved together, comforting each other in the midst of their storms.  God’s mercy comes in miraculous ways.

God’s mercy comes in miraculous ways.

God’s mercy came in an unexpected form that evening on the beach for my friend.  His mercy came in an unexpected way for all of us when Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem.  God knows how desperately we need Jesus. He knows the depths of our heartache when we lose people we love.  He knows how temporary our lives here on earth are. He knows our pain. Jesus is His answer. Jesus is the bridge that connects our sinful lives with God’s sovereignty.  When we don’t understand why things happen, God does (Deut. 29:29 NIV).  Our perspective is limited, we can’t possibly understand the whole story from here on earth, but one day we’ll know (1 Cor. 13:9-10 NIV).  Until then, in our sorrow, we can cry out to Him for mercy.  His mercies are new every day, they never run out (Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV).

Question of the Day:

What sorrow do you need God’s mercy for today?

Further Reading: Exodus 28:1-43 NIV, Matthew 25:31-26:13 NIV, Psalm 31:9-18 NIV, Proverbs 8:12-13

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Matthew 25:21 NIV

If you want to learn how to manage what you have well, search the scriptures for guidance.  Today’s verse is talking about money. The Master has given three servants different amounts of money to keep for Him. One doubled his amount, he is who the Master is speaking to in the verse above.  One servant made nothing because he buried it in the ground for safe keeping. As a result, the servant who doubled his money was also given the second servant’s money. The reason being, the Master now knew who He could trust with His riches.  If you learn to manage what you have well, you’ll be given more.

By the time I graduated college, I had a boat load of debt.  I had student debt, credit card debt and car debt. It took me years to pay it all off.  The way I learned to handle money was based on Biblical principles, there are over 800 scriptures on money in its pages. I did what the Bible said to do with money.  I tithed, I saved and I paid off my debt. During those years, I would often cry out to God for a big check. After all, He has all the resources in the world, what’s wrong with dropping a few thousand in my lap?  I didn’t understand why He didn’t just pay it off for me. But now I do, I had to learn to manage what I did have well if He was going to give me more. Search the scriptures to learn how to manage what you have well.

Search the scriptures to learn how to manage what you have well.

God isn’t just talking about money in this parable.  Our wealth can be our health and relationships, as well as our money.  When we learn to manage our health by eating nutrition rich food and exercising, we have good health, which leads to more good health.  When we nurture our relationships by loving God and loving others, we’ll have better, richer relationships. And when we follow God’s plan for our finances, we’ll have more finances to manage.  God talks about all of these things in His word, through His people. All of us can learn to be better managers of our lives. As we begin to manage our lives better, our lives will be fuller and richer than we ever thought they could be.  God has it all written out for us what we are to do in His word, we just have to do it.

Question of the Day:

What do you need to learn to manage well?

Further Reading: Exodus 26:1-27:21 NIV, Matthew 25:1-30 NIV, Psalm 31:1-8 NIV, Proverbs 8:1-11 NIV

“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. (Exodus 23:20-21 NIV)

If you want God to protect your path with an angel, you need to listen to what the angel says.  Angels can be those who have gone before us. My mom passed 6 years ago this month. I have heard her words in my head so many times since she died.  I understand her words more now than I did when she spoke them to me on earth. Now I understand why she constantly told me to slow down, not rush all the time. Now I understand why she told me to stop and think.  Now I understand what she meant when she said, “God will get you through.” If we want angels to protect us, we need to listen to what they say.

Not only are we to listen, we aren’t to rebel.  Submitting to authority in our lives can be difficult.  We all want to do what we want to do. God did give us free will.  Submitting is something we ALL have to do. Everyone is accountable to someone, first and foremost, God.  All will stand before Him one day and be judged (2 Cor. 5:10 NIV).    When He does, I hope and pray that Jesus is your defender.  Accepting the need for Jesus in our lives is an act of submission.  In order to not rebel, we must submit.

In order to not rebel, we must submit.

I remember the moment I asked Jesus into my heart.  I was 12 years old, it was a Sunday, something in the pastor’s sermon that morning in church stirred my heart.  I knew I desperately needed Jesus in my life. I ran home from our small country church, ran upstairs to my brother’s room, and crawled on top of the bunk bed.  I wanted to be as close to heaven as I could be. I wanted to make sure God heard me. Then I cried out to Jesus and asked Him to live in my heart. I didn’t want to go another day without Him.  I knew I needed Him desperately. That is what I did when I submitted my life to Jesus. I wasn’t in church, I didn’t say some special prayer. I just told Jesus I knew I needed Him. And I’m still doing the same thing today.

Each morning I ask Jesus to help me all over again. I now know He hears me where ever I am.  I tell Him I need Him, I can’t make it through one moment without Him. Each day I submit again.  If we’re going to ask for God’s protection through His angels. We need to start by listening to what they say and submitting. 

Question of the Day:

What area of your life do you need to submit to Jesus today?

Further Reading: Exodus 23:14-25: NIV, Matthew 24:29-51 NIV, Psalm 30:1-12 NIV, Proverbs 7:24-27 NIV

“All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose.” (Proverbs 7:22 NIV)

People fall into traps of their own making all of the time. The choices they make, the actions they do are destructive to their very lives, yet they have no idea.  They willingly follow to their slaughter, completely unaware of what is about to happen. Parents watch their children make poor decisions. Spouses suffer the consequences of their partners.  Friends watch friends snare themselves in traps. As hard as you try to tell them, they won’t listen. They are bound and determined to do what they want to do. And in the end, it leads to death.  Death of a dream, death of a marriage, death of a friendship. And sometimes, we’re the ox. Sometimes, we’re the ones who are following a destructive path, stepping into a noose, falling into a trap.  The only way to avoid a trap is to keep the Son in your eyes.

The only way to avoid a trap is to keep the Son in your eyes.

I don’t know any other way to avoid traps than with Jesus.  But what does it mean to keep the Son in your eyes practically?  First, don’t follow people blindly, seek the counsel of wise people.  Solomon tells us if we seek the advice of wise people and accept discipline, we’ll be among the wise (Proverbs 19:20 NIV).  Not only do we have to seek wise counsel, we also have to accept the discipline that comes with it.  Discipline such as not putting ourselves in tempting situations, not following known troublemakers, listening to what our wise counselors tell us.  And we have to trust God.

Not only do we have to trust God to keep us out of traps, we have to trust Him to keep the ones we love out of their traps.  We can do that by praying for them, talking to them, and loving them, no matter what. God will help us stay out of traps, and He’ll help our loved ones stay out of theirs.  But it may not be the way we think it should be. Sometimes, God does allow the trap to close because He knows, it’s the only way to teach us a lesson. Whatever trap you or someone you love is facing today, keep your eyes solidly focused on the Son.  Let Him be the One to lead you to safety.

Question of the day:

What trap do you need God’s help with today?

Further Reading: Exodus 21:22-23:13 NIV, Matthew 24:1-28 NIV, Psalm 29:1-11 NIV, Proverbs 7:6-23 NIV