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Chaplain’s Corner – He Is Risen!

Apr21

 “After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: “He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.” Now I have told you.’ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’” (Matthew 28:1-10)

Early in Jesus’ earthly ministry, he had been challenged by some Jews who were offended when he destroyed their money-making schemes right on the steps of the temple. They asked him on whose authority he overturned their tables (literally and figuratively). His response was recorded in John 2:19-22:

“Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’ They replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?’ But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.”

Apparently, it took Jesus death and resurrection for his disciples to really believe his divinity. We have all that evidence, plus the ongoing testimony of transformed lives, and the witness and counsel of the Holy Spirit.
He is who he says he is, and he will do what he says he will do. Don’t wait one more day to put your trust in Jesus.

God’s many blessings on you and your loved ones on this most holy of days.

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Hosanna!

Apr17

I had a Chaplain’s Corner devotional already prepared for today, but my experience at church this past Sunday has led me to change what’s on my mind. I’ll save that one for another time. So, back to last Sunday — Palm Sunday. I’m sure you know that is the day that Jesus made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, marking the beginning of Holy Week.  Matthew, Mark, and John each record this event. John 12:12-13 reports:

12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!’”

At my church, the little children paraded around waving their palm branches, and the expressions on their faces were full of excitement. As I watched these precious children while we sang “Hosanna”* (Hillsong), my thoughts turned from happy thoughts to sad thoughts as I realized how much these children resembled the people of that day, and indeed the people of today.

  1. Most of these children likely were not thinking about what was about to happen in Jesus’ life. They were all caught up in the celebration of the moment. Even though they (the children as well as the people of that day), and we, should know teachings and prophecies from the Bible, including those about the crucifixion (Isaiah 53:7), most of them were just exulting in the current atmosphere of celebration. We do that sometimes, don’t we? We get caught up in the beauty of a worship service, or in the spectacle of nature, or in the miracle of a newborn child. We worship, and we recommit ourselves. And that’s not bad….
  • But they quickly fall back into their old ways. Once the church service was over, the children went back home. Once Jesus passed on into Jerusalem and the celebration died down, John 12:37 reflects:  “Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.” It’s very interesting that this same John writes in the book of Revelation about the church at Laodicea (and about so many of us today) being lukewarm in the attitudes of our hearts (Rev. 3:14-21). Maybe we aren’t so bad, but if you are anything like me, you are also not consistently following through on your commitments and rededications as fully as would be pleasing to God.

Despite all this, Jesus fulfilled His promise to satisfy the terrible curse for our sins so that we could have the hope of salvation from the death that we deserve and to the promise of Eternal Life. We know that Jesus, following his Resurrection and Ascension, is now sitting at the right hand of God, on His throne as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And we know that He will come again one day to defeat Satan and usher in the new heavens and the new earth (2 Peter 3:13).

*I love this song, “Hosanna”, by Hillsong. You can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnMevXQutyE

These lyrics reference Jesus’ second coming. Of course his first coming was marked by being born in a humble manger; and for his triumphant entry into Jerusalem he fulfilled the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9 by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, which was the symbol for kings coming in peace. However, for his second coming He will arrive riding on a white stallion. The website Got Questions states it this way:

“What a vivid contrast we see in Jesus’ return with all His angels (Matthew 25:31), as compared to His entry to Jerusalem upon a donkey (Matthew 21:7-9)! He is no longer riding a humble donkey. Jesus will return on a fiery white charger, bringing judgment, just as He had promised (Matthew 25:31-33).”

My prayer for myself and for all of us today is taken from the last verse of “Hosanna”:

Heal my heart and make it clean.
Open up my eyes to the things unseen.
Show me how to love
Like You have loved me.
Break my heart for what breaks Yours.
Everything I am
For Your kingdom’s cause
As I walk from earth into eternity.

Amen.

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Blessings and Curses

Apr10

“…you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse….” (Deuteronomy 21:23 NIV)

Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:5-8 ESV)

In this day and time, we take the idea of blessings and curses too lightly. I might sign off on an email with the closing “Blessings.” We might say “bless you” when someone sneezes. We say, “Bless her heart” when, well, you can finish that thought…. And curses, well, we all surely know how prolific yet thoughtless we can be with our curses, from voodoo witch doctors to taking the name of God in vain.

But in the Bible, when God blesses us, this means life. And when He curses, this means death. Blessings and curses are serious business – Life and Death. Throughout the book of Deuteronomy, Moses speaks to the children of Israel reminding them of the blessings and curses that God has specified. For example, in Deuteronomy 30:15-20:

 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, …”

There are many examples in the Bible of God demonstrating the power of the curse. Sometimes it was against enemies of his chosen people. Sometimes it was for infractions that might seem insignificant. In Leviticus, for example, we read about God’s reaction to the sons of Aaron when they offered strange fire. After quite an investment in their training and their investiture as priests, God did not hesitate to punish them by death for not following his precise commands. “Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.” (Stop: Just try to imagine this!) “Moses then said to Aaron, ‘This is what the Lord spoke of when he said: ‘”Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored’” (Leviticus 10:1-3).

Make no mistake; God is serious when he pronounces a curse. We should definitely take seriously the teaching on blessings and curses; they continue to be God’s promise to us. In the Old Testament, in order to receive the blessing, one had to love God, walk in his ways, and keep his commandments. Even in the New Testament, Paul writes in Galatians 3:10 “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’”

The difference is that with coming of Jesus, God has provided us an alternative to relying on the works of the law. God fulfilled His promise made to us beginning in Genesis 3:15 that he would send a Savior. In Isaiah 53, God speaks through Isaiah to tell us more about how the Messiah would save us. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).*

Paul writes in Galatians 3:13-14 (quoting from our opening passage in Deuteronomy 21:23):  “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”*

This is why God sent his son: to be the curse that God has promised from the beginning, to take on our sins and to die an unspeakably horrific death on the cross (tree). The curse that every single one of us deserves has been borne once and for all by Jesus, our Messiah.

We are approaching Easter in less than two weeks. As you prepare your hearts to celebrate the Resurrection (which could not have happened without the death of Jesus), let’s reflect on the meaning of the Crucifixion. If you haven’t already, I hope you will turn your life over to Jesus and ask Him for and receive forgiveness for your sins, thereby sparing you from the curse of eternal death. Let us all thank God for his many blessings, and most especially eternal life.

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).

In Christ,

Judy

*Extra credit: notice the verb tenses in these two passages. This is important to really understanding the meaning of the Scriptures.

Chaplain’s Corner – God Is Love

Apr3

I had promised myself I’d be done with the topic of loveafter 11 weeks on 1 Corinthians 13, but my curiosity has led me to exploreanother perspective. In leading up to Easter, I wanted to write about God. Onething we all know about God is that “God is Love” (1 John 4:8).That is straight out of the Bible, so that prompted me to do a search to findout when the first use of the word love occurs in the Bible. Boy was Isurprised! Of course it depends on the translation, but in the NIV, the firsttime love is mentioned is in the context of having sex (I guess I have yourattention now!). Adam made love to his wife, then Cain made love to his wife,then Adam made love to his wife again! Throughout the book of Genesis, love isreferenced in relationships—Abraham and Sarah, Abraham and Isaac, Isaac andRebekah, Isaac and Esau, Rebekah and Jacob, Jacob and Rachel, Jacob/Israel andJoseph. There is also a reference to Jacob’s love of meat. The first referenceI found for God’s love was when Moses claimed God’s love for his people afterGod parted the Red Sea so they could escape from Egypt. “In your unfailing love you will lead thepeople you have redeemed” (Exodus 15:13 NIV). But, note that the KJV substitutes “mercy” forunfailing love and the ESV substitutes “kindness.”

You may recall that in the Chaplain’s corner for January 16 Iincluded a definition of love, as follows: TheGreek language has at least four words for “love:” Eros (sexual love), philia(brotherly love and affection), storge (family love), and agape love. Agapelove is the type of love that is described in 1 Corinthians, and is sometimestranslated “charity.” It is a “self-giving love that loves without demanding orexpecting repayment. It is a love so great that can be given to the unlovableor unappealing. It gives because it loves; it does not love in order toreceive. It has much to do with self-denial for the sake of another.”*

What all of this leads me to believe about God’s love for usis that it is a love that is explained by what he does for us more than how hefeels or what he says. In observing and benefitting from his actions, we thenknow that he is, indeed, love.

God is Creator. He is sovereign. He is just. He is holy,holy, holy. There is none like Him. God didn’t have to make us, but He did. Hedidn’t have to make us in his image, but He did. He didn’t have to breathe His lifeinto us, but He did. He didn’t have to provide a covering for us when wedisobeyed–first of animal skins and then of the blood of the lamb and then ofthe blood of the Lamb–but He did. This is how He showed His love for us. Hedidn’t have to express it in words, although the writers in the Bible who wroteof God’s love were certainly inspired by Him. His actions are more than enoughto demonstrate his great love for us.

In the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday, let us remember howgreat is our God, and how great is His love for us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begottenSon, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlastinglife” (John 3:16).

*Words in quotes from this reference: https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-1Cr/1Cr-13.cfm

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Love Never Fails

Mar27

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a.

The “always perseveres” part of this passage refers to agape love that never gives up, which is impossible without encouragement from the Holy Spirit. No matter how hard we try or how hard anyone else tries, in this life we will always fail, we will always disappoint. We are human, we are fallen. While as believers we are saints, that does not mean we don’t sin. When we sin, we repent, we seek forgiveness from God and each other, and we forgive others when they sin. Always. This is persevering. Always seeking to obey, always seeking to love, always seeking to forgive.

We can do this because God is love. And the love of God is eternal; it will never fail. One of these days, the world as we know it will end. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare”2 Peter 3:10. The only thing that will remain is God and his saints.

”Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” 2 Peter 3:11-13.

This righteousness is God. God is love, and as the psalmist sings in Psalm 136, “his steadfast love endures forever.” Take time to read this beautiful psalm. Don’t just skip through the repetitions. Dwell on these wonderful promises.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.


2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.


3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

4 to him who alone does great wonders,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 to him who by understanding made the heavens,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 to him who made the great lights,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and brought Israel out from among them,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
13 to him who divided the Red Sea in two,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

17 to him who struck down great kings,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
18 and killed mighty kings,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
  for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
22 a heritage to Israel his servant,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from our foes,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 he who gives food to all flesh,
  for his steadfast love endures forever.

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

I pray that you will be always and forever blessed by the love of our God of Heaven.

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Love Always Trusts, Always Hopes

Mar20

“4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

The Greek word used here means “to believe, place faith in, or trust.” I really like how the website www.gotquestions.org explains this passage:

“Those who love will always ‘believe’ in the other person. There is no second-guessing or questioning of whether the person should be loved. Love is simply given. It is unconditional. The loved one does not need to perform anything or achieve a certain goal in order to be loved. Just as Christ loves His children unconditionally, He calls us to love others. Love is based on who He is, not on what others do.

A person with God’s type of love will ‘always trust.’ That is, he will not be suspicious of the one he loves. He will be slow to believe any damaging news concerning the loved one and will always give the benefit of the doubt. Whatever the situation, love is ready to trust. To trust someone means that you are ‘ever ready to believe the best’ (AMP) of him or her. The loved one may have a checkered past or be in some other way undeserving of trust, yet true love is able to look past that and meet the need of the individual. Mistrust, cageyness, and suspicion are at odds with godly love.

If brothers and sisters in Christ would believe in one another, setting suspicion aside and extending unconditional love, what a difference it would make in the church! When our focus is on Christ, we can show His love to meet the needs of others.”

I was not a perfect kid, but I was pretty good. I believe that one of the reasons is that my parents not only set a good example for me, they always believed in me and had high hopes for me. I remember my Dad telling me once that he was confident that I would make the right decision about something because I was a leader. I remember being shocked. Me, a leader? I had never thought of myself in that way. Dad saw something in me that I had not seen in myself, and he instilled into me something that he believed I could aspire to. That’s a lesson I never forgot. He believed and saw potential in me.

Again, the website www.gotquestions.org really explains this passage perfectly:

“Part of showing love is hoping, and part of hoping is seeing the potential of others. As Goethe said, ‘If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.’ In love, we can always be hopeful and show confidence in others. This does not rule out confrontation or the redress of wrongs, but the impact of a positive attitude in the life of another person is incalculable.

How many times in the Old Testament did Israel fail God? Yet their failure was never final. Love never says die. Peter failed Jesus, yet the Lord restored him. The Corinthians failed Paul in some ways, yet the apostle, in love, patiently corrected them and called them ‘sanctified’ (1 Corinthians 1:2). Love always points to a brighter day ahead. Love is the lifeline that the hurting can hold on to.

If you have ever had a person believe in you and share a hopeful attitude for your future, then you have experienced some of what 1 Corinthians 13:7 teaches. As long as there is love, there will be hope.”

If you had someone who believed in you, then it is your responsibility to pay it forward. If you did not, then it’s time to break the cycle.

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Love Always Protects

Mar13

“4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

Other translations of this word “protect” include “love bears all things” and “love covers all things.” Regardless of the translation, notice that the word “all” is used. Not some of the time, but ALL OF THE TIME, in every situation, love never fails to protect, bear, or cover.

Many of you doubtless know what it feels like to be unprotected—on the battlefield, on the street, in an abusive relationship, in an unsafe environment. I can’t imagine the fear and hopelessness you may have experienced. That is not God’s plan for you. However, we know that in this present time, “that the whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19b). But then, we have the amazing promise of Christ, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

So what does it mean, then to protect? One way is to not allow ourselves to be used by the evil one to inflict harm on others, whether it’s physical, mental, or emotional. And of course, we are to be on the lookout for others who might be in harm’s way so that we can offer protection. We can best do this by putting on the armor of God, which is what God has provided for us for protection against the evil one.

I also like the idea that love means “having your back.” Don’t you love it when someone “has your back?” That means that they are looking out for you, they want the best for you, they are defending you, perhaps even instructing or redirecting you, all because they have your best interest at heart. What if this motivation was behind everything all of us did all of the time? Can you imagine what a glorious place this would be? It brings to mind the scripture from 1 Peter 4:8 “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.” One of the ways we can have fervent love for one another is to always “have their back.”

Christ has overcome the world. Now, all of the time, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Love Rejoices with the Truth

Mar6

“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”  1 Corinthians 13:4-6 (NIV).

This underlined sentence (Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth) is a type of literary structure that restates itself in an opposite way for emphasis. So in other words, it’s saying the same thing twice, but in a different way—for emphasis.

According to Webster, the word “delight” means “high degree of gratification or pleasure, joy; also extreme satisfaction. The word “rejoice” means “to give joy to or to gladden”, so we can say that they mean essentially the same thing. Here’s a verse where both words are used:

“Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation” Psalm 35:9.

We know that God is love (1 John 4:8), and if we love God, we should love what He loves and hate what he hates (Psalm 97:10). God hates evil. In a speech by Franklin Graham, he says this about hate: “The only things I believe the Bible says we should hate are the very things God hates:”

  • “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16-19).
  • “Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9).
  • “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate” (Proverbs 8:13).
  • “The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence” (Psalm 11:5).
  • “O you who love the Lord, hate evil!” (Psalm 97:10).

Jesus describes himself as the truth (John 14:6). Jesus wasn’t afraid to call Satan what he is: a liar and the father of lies. Jesus said, “There is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44). 

I believe that in this passage, Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth, we learn that a very important attribute of love is scrupulous honesty. God hates evil; he describes Satan as the father of lies. Truth and dishonesty are mutually exclusive; that is, if there is a lie, there is no truth, and if there is truth, there is no dishonesty. The very first tenet in the Mission’s Code of Conduct is Honesty, and it is the foundation of every other tenet. Honesty is essential to integrity, or wholeness. As the Scripture reads, “I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent” (1 Chronicles 29:17).

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten Season. Many who observe Lent do so by giving up something; however, the key to observing Lent is to focus on repenting of sin and consecrating oneself to God. Let us observe this holy time leading up to Easter showing our love for God and for each other by striving to be completely honest in all our ways, while also demonstrating all the attributes of agape love that we have been learning about.

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Love Is Not Easily Angered

Feb27

“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.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NIV)

Have you ever lived or worked with someone around whom you had to tiptoe—literally and figuratively? You had to watch every word to be sure you didn’t set them off? There was no grace for a slip up. That’s a miserable existence. I know at times I have been guilty of “wearing my feelings on my sleeve,” so even though my reaction might have been sulking rather than anger, anger usually eventually resulted. I’m not proud of that, and I believe I have matured so that I’m not so sensitive.

Interactions between human beings are so complex. They are based on our histories, our perceptions, our biases and prejudices. We learn to be intuitive and to try to understand each other based on all sorts of cues, which is admirable. But many times we also read into these interactions messages that were never intended, especially when we have been building up that history, or record, of times that we were hurt or wronged.

We should not provoke others to anger, and we should not be easily provoked. We should seek to really understand and we should assume best intentions. After all, isn’t that how we want to be treated? The Golden Rule is really about how we treat each other in love.

“Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.” Ecclesiastes 7:9 (NIV)

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Love Is Not Self Seeking

Feb20

“4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.5It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking….” 1 Corinthians 13:4-5.

I think there is a reason that these two attributes of what love is not are placed together: love does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking. Here’s what I mean. Have you ever been in a prayer meeting when you hear something like this: “We need to put Brother Joe on the prayer list. I was at his house bringing some food over because you know he got fired and they don’t have any money coming in now.”

What is the intended message? Is it that I want you to know how good I am for bringing food over? Is it that I want you to know Joe must have done something bad at work? It’s really questionable if the intended message was really about needing to display some compassion and help for Joe.

This is similar to the “bless her heart” way that we talk about others, seemingly in a way that makes us look holy but during which we manage to get in some kind of put-down. “Bless her heart, she has never been able to manage those kids.” Sorry, but I think we all see through that one.

The cure is to be sure that our motivations are pure whenever we are talking about anyone. It follows what we talked about in the Chaplain’s Corner last week about boasting and pride. As an attribute of love and therefore a fruit of the spirit, being others-centered requires the ongoing help of the Holy Spirit. We are most like Jesus when our motivation is others-centered rather than self-centered.

In Christ,

Judy