Chaplain’s Corner – Advent: Love

Dec23

This fourth and final week of Advent we celebrate Love. We have celebrated Hope, Peace (Shalom), and Joy in the previous weeks. While we can describe these biblical qualities, what I hope has been made clear is that not only are these attributes of God, these are God.

  • “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).
  • “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation” (Ephesians 2:14).
  • “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11).

But nowhere in the Bible is there a clearer statement about who and what God is than what we find in 1 John 4:7-12: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what a blessing to know that we worship the God of love, peace, and joy; and therefore He is our Blessed Hope.

We are made in the image of God. That means that we can grow more like him in his personality. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, each of us is empowered to exhibit the fruits of the Spirit, which include peace, joy, and love (among others).

Frequently, God tells his people that he wants our obedience more than sacrifice. So how do we obey? Jesus told us exactly how: “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” (John 13:34-35).

Our love for each other is our testimony to a broken and needy world, which is so apparent during these days of sickness and isolation and grief. In the world in which we currently reside, let us remember that God is love, and as the hands and feet, we are called to be love to each other.

“My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!” (1 John 4:11-12).

Merry Christmas,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Advent: Joy

Dec16

“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.'” (Luke 2:9-11)

What is joy? I typically go to Webster’s Dictionary when I want a definition. Webster says of joy: “a. the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires: delight. B. the expression or exhibition of such emotion: gaiety.” So, Webster says joy is an emotion or the expression of that emotion, which is the result of well-being, success, good fortune, or possessing what one desires; therefore, joy is conditional on our circumstances. But we as believers know that’s not the biblical definition of joy.

We must look to the Bible if we want understanding of biblical joy such as that referenced in our scripture above. If we turn to the Bible (which I should have done in the first place, right?), one of the key verses about joy is in Galatians 5:22-23 which speaks of the fruits of the spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Breaking this down, we first see that joy comes from the Holy Spirit, not our circumstances. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” We see in Jesus’ teaching that true joy can survive the harshest of circumstances because it is not dependent on circumstances. It is instead dependent on God and his promises for his people’s eternal future. (Bible Project / Advent Reflections).

Toward the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, he spoke about joy. It was only with Jesus’ arrival on earth that believers could have true joy, the joy of having Jesus in their (our) hearts. And when Jesus ascended to Heaven, he sent to us the Holy Spirit to give us continual access to joy, the joy of man’s desiring.

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11).

“So, with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy” (John 16:22).

“And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52).

Joy is having Jesus in our hearts, which God made possible by sending his Son to earth to redeem us from our sins and make the way to have life everlasting.

Joy to the World, the Lord Has Come, sung by Charlie Pride

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Advent: Shalom

Dec9

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6)

I have two brothers, and between them and our Dad, our house in my childhood was rather rambunctious to say the least, and often full of conflict, with fighting, yelling, etc. My sweet mother suffered through all of this and begged for peace. She would have been happy if everyone just stopped yelling and fighting. However, as a mother myself, I know now that what she really longed for was not just the elimination of conflict but the restoration of love and reconciliation between all the members of her family. Maybe you can relate at some level. As a mother, I am most happy when all my children are together and truly enjoying each other. It is then that I feel whole, complete. I hope you can relate. That sense of wholeness is the essence of “shalom.”

“Shalom” is the Hebrew word for “peace,” but it means much more than the absence of conflict. It means restoration or reconciliation, completeness or wholeness. Many times in the Old Testament we have seen reference to peace treaties after a time of war. We have seen peace treaties in modern world history. Typically, there are conditions and regulations to ensure not only a ceasefire, but to instruct how to live in harmony with each other.  We know these peace treaties are legally binding, but not always long-lasting. But when Isaiah prophesied the birth of Jesus in Isaiah 9:6, he revealed God’s promise of reconciliation, not primarily between people, but between people and God.

Ever since God sent Adam and Eve from the Garden, we have felt the consequence of our sin which separates us from God. It is only through the mediation of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, that we are not only spared the wrath of God but allowed back into God’s presence. It is only the sacrificial horrific death of Jesus on the cross that has gained for us the ability to rest in peace with God, eternally in His presence, whole and complete in His love. We celebrate Advent, the first coming of Jesus, because he is the Prince of Peace, our mediator to reconcile us and restore us to God’s holy eternal presence.

May you rest in His peace forever. Shalom.

“Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne  and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it  with justice and righteousness  from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty  will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9:7).

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Advent: Hope

Dec2

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. Titus 2:11-14

This is the season of Advent, and during this first week we will focus on hope. Hope has many definitions, but the one we use is a person. Jesus is our hope, our blessed hope as the above scripture reveals.

What’s your plan for Christmas? Mine tends to read like this: decorate the house and tree, get the Christmas cards mailed, make candy and cookies, buy presents, plan the family gift-giving and eating gathering. It’s no wonder then, that when it’s over, I’m exhausted. I dread putting up the Christmas decorations, I dread getting the pounds off that I put on with all the candy and cookies, I dread seeing my credit card balance from all the spending, and I’m worn out from all the celebrating. That just sounds awful, doesn’t it?  Why would we put ourselves through it? We say we do it for everyone else, because it’s expected of us. Really?

Now I know some people don’t go in for all that. They don’t decorate, they don’t participate in gift giving or family gatherings. But the people I know who are like that usually have less than positive reasons—Christmas is a depressing time for them, and they just want to get through it, ignore it and hope it goes away uneventfully. I can see that, and I understand. Really, I do. But it sounds equally awful.

What if we celebrated Christmas another way? It might only take changing our mind about what we are doing. What if our mindset was totally on celebrating the birth of the Christ Child, the arrival of the Savior of the world? If so, then:

  • We might still decorate, but we are decorating for the most important birthday party in the history of the world. We are honoring our Savior by putting out our special beautiful seasonal décor, our best things that we save for such a time as this.
  • We might still cook, but we are preparing these foods to offer hospitality and our most delicious treats in honor of our King and to welcome others into His presence.
  • We might still send Christmas cards, but the purpose is to remind others of the coming of the Christ Child, which we can do with nativity-themed cards and messages, and even religious-themed stamps.
  • We might still give gifts, but it’s all in recognition of God who loved us so much that He gave us His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not die but have eternal life.
  • We might still celebrate with family and friends, but we do so with the intention of sharing the gospel message through our love, words and deeds.

So, again I ask, What’s your plan for Christmas? Is it to follow the culture? Or is it to be intentional?

I pray that you will enjoy Christmas for all it’s worth. I pray that the Holy Spirit guide you and strengthen you as you dedicate this season to the celebration of Jesus, who as God incarnate, the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, came to save his people from their sins. Our blessed hope. What a gift!!

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – True Thankfulness

Nov25

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

(Psalm 105)

The Thanksgiving holiday is very special to me. I love that we have a day to focus on being thankful. It’s neat to read Thanksgiving Facebook posts about things we are all thankful for, and I love the practice of speaking about what we are thankful for during our Thanksgiving celebrations. However, this year, I’m just holding my breath that we will be able to gather with our family and that no one will get sick as a result.

On an individual level, many of you have had worse times in your lives than Thanksgiving 2020. 2017 was a very difficult year for me. My father passed away just five days after Thanksgiving following an extended illness, and honestly, I don’t remember much else. Many of you have dealt with grief or illness or family concerns in past years. But on a group level, I’m hard pressed to think of a more challenging Thanksgiving season than we are experiencing right now. Everyone is impacted by something hard; and people I know and love are telling me they are scared.

The Scriptures tell us we should not make our thankfulness conditioned upon our circumstances. We should have a heart of continual thankfulness, no matter what we are going through, and we should even be thankful publicly when it is appropriate. Here are a couple of do’s and don’ts about how to be more genuinely thankful:

  1. Do treat thankfulness as a spiritual discipline and be intentional about practicing it. How can we be intentional? Set goals, schedule it, and measure your progress. That may sound unspiritual, but it is actually very spiritual because it is intentional. That doesn’t rule out spontaneous thankfulness, but it does ensure daily thankfulness and a growing awareness of the need to be thankful. Daniel is a great example to us in this when he was in exile and in a very vulnerable position in the public eye. “Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before” (Daniel 6:10). Daniel obviously was very intentional about his prayer life which including giving thanks.
  2. Do be thankful for everything, even the bad stuff. Why? Because the Bible tells us so. “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:15-20).
  3. Don’t have a hidden agenda in your thankfulness. Maybe a good way to describe this is through Scripture using as example the Pharisee who prayed “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.” Jesus could see right through this Pharisee, saying “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 18:9-14).
  4. Don’t use your thankfulness to spread gossip.  We’ve all heard these prayers, which go something like, “Lord, thank you for bringing Joe through this bad time when his wife was running around on him.” Every word that we speak should be to build up and not tear down, whether we speak it privately or in public.  “Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure” (Psalm 101:5).

I can’t think of anything that is as likely to change our state of mind, attitude and behavior for the good like thankfulness. Thankfulness points us to the Giver of all good things; it re-orients us to the sovereignty of God and aligns us with our true position in the family of God.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col. 3:12-17).

Give Thanks

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Paint What You See

Nov18

“I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25b)

I have been taking art lessons for the past couple of years. In fact, I started shortly after moving into this Chaplain role. I didn’t think that I had any talent for art but just wanted to participate with some friends of mine as a lark. My teacher says he can teach anyone who can hold a brush, and I guess I have proved him to be right. And one of his first instructions is always to “Paint what you see.”

There are skills that one can learn in order to paint all types of paintings from portraits to landscapes. However, the first and most important skill he has taught me is to see details, the nuances of an image. And it never fails, the longer I study the image, the more I see. A shadow here, a reflection there, a highlight where the sun is coming through. The better I see, the better the final work of art. To truly see is something that can be learned, and like any learned skill, practice helps us to improve.

This gift of seeing is what I have appreciated most about learning to paint, and it has made me realize the importance of seeing as well as using my eyes to listen to people around me. You see, in the past I was more often guilty of thinking about myself when I with others and not really paying attention. “What do I think, what do I want to say, how do I want to come across?” Or worse, I might have been thinking about something else altogether. Too late I would realize that I had missed an opportunity to learn something about the other person during our interaction. If I focus on seeing inside my head while painting, my canvas doesn’t reflect the truth about the object I am observing. It works the same with my conversation. If I focus on my internal thoughts while the other person is talking, my response won’t reflect what the person needs to hear from me.

Blind Bartimaeus could see that Jesus was the son of God even though he was blind (Mark 10:46-52). Meanwhile, the chief priests and teachers of the law had fine eyesight but still didn’t see that Jesus was the Messiah (Mark 10:32-34). How could they have missed something so important?

So, I recommend taking to heart what my art teacher constantly counsels, “Paint what you see.”

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Power

Nov11

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

One definition of power is “the ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing … to supply with electricity or other means of power.”

It’s difficult, maybe impossible, to get much done without power. In the olden days we operated using horsepower; now we use electrical power, battery power, nuclear power, gas power, etc. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I think I am completely out of gas. Then something comes along that is a crisis, or maybe it’s something fun like seeing my grandchildren, and I find an inner reservoir of power that keeps me going.

And we admire powerful people, probably because of their ability to get things done. I once heard a highly respected person in the Nashville community speak on power (Nelson Andrews, now deceased). He said that a person could have wealth, position, intelligence, physical ability, talents or skills; however, unless that person spent those resources, they did not exhibit power.

As humans, we need power to keep us moving, and we also need power to keep us on course. Likewise, Jesus, in his humanity, needed power to keep him perfectly obedient. Did you ever wonder how He did it? How was he able to be perfectly obedient? After all, he was challenged, he was tempted just like we are. Many biblical scholars would say that it was impossible for Jesus to sin because of his God nature. I can’t argue with that; however, I believe that the Holy Spirit played a major role in Jesus’ perfect obedience. We know from Scripture that the Holy Spirit was with Jesus during his entire life on earth. Here are some verses that point this out:

  • At His conception:  “And the angel answered (Mary) and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God’” (Luke 1:35).
  • At His baptism: “And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, ‘You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased’” (Luke 3:22).
  • During his time in the wilderness: “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness” (Luke 4:1).
  • As He worked: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed . . . Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:18,21).
  • As he performed miracles: “But, if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:28).
  • To raise him from the dead: “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).

The Message puts it like this in Romans 8:9-11:

“But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God’s terms. It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!”

The song, Same Power, by Jeremy Camp plays over and over in my mind, reminding me that I have the power of the Holy Spirit residing in me. And you have the power of the Holy Spirit residing in you. It’s up to us to call on this power residing in us, to use it to obey more perfectly, to grow in our Christlikeness, and to empower our ministry here on earth in Jesus name and for His glory.

Chaplain’s Corner – United in Christ

Nov4

“Jesus didn’t come to take sides; he came to take over” (Dr. Tony Evans).

I write this on Election Day, not having a clue who will win or even when we will know. Most political experts say we won’t know for weeks, maybe months. This is not the first time in our nation’s history that we have been so divided. The United States has survived our founding with its philosophical differences between strong central government (Washington) and states’ rights (Jefferson). The United States has survived the Civil War, the bloodiest conflict America has ever faced. The United States has survived the Great Depression and other traumatic experiences. There have been eight highly contested elections in U.S. history, and we have survived them all. We will survive this election. We will survive this president, whoever it is. And in four years, we will do this again.

My pastor* had a great perspective on this subject in his sermon this past Sunday. As believers, we hold dual citizenship. Yes, we are citizens of the United States of America, but we are first and foremost citizens of heaven. And as citizens of heaven, we have responsibilities that transcend our responsibilities as U.S. citizens.

We are called to be ambassadors of Christ, highest ranking, chosen and appointed, diplomats from heaven to the world:

“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:16-20)

Jesus said in John 15:16: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” Galatians 5:22-23 tells us what that fruit is: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

We are called to be a royal priesthood, representing Christ to the world, and as such we must keep our conduct honorable at all times: “…you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ….Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:5,12).

 It is true that whether our candidate wins or loses, we are called to submit to our elected leaders. “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves….Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.” (Romans 13:1-2,5).

And as Christian subjects, we are commanded to pray for our leaders. “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

So, brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s not worry about who is president. Win or lose, let’s not be critical of those who supported a different candidate. GOD IS IN CONTROL. Let’s continue to do our civic duty, and let’s remember what our Christian responsibilities are:

  1. Pray for our leaders. 1 Timothy 2:1-4
  2. Submit to our leaders. Romans 13:1-2,5
  3. Keep our conduct honorable since we represent Christ to the world. 1 Peter 2:5,12
  4. Go and bear fruit. John 15:16, Galatians 5:22-23
  5. Be reconciled to God; be reconciled to each other. 2 Corinthians 5:16-20

In Christ,

Judy

*Spencer Barnard, Pastor, Life Center Church

Dr. Tony Evans

Chaplain’s Corner – Praise God

Oct28

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise him all creatures here below
Praise him above ye heavenly hosts
Praise father, son, and holy ghost.

I have written two Chaplain’s Corners for today, but all the while the above refrain keeps playing in my head. Rather than publish either of those other devotions, I just want to praise God for his goodness and mercy. I am so thankful today.

I am thankful that our leadership team had the foresight way back in the early days of what would become a pandemic to insist that we have additional shelter capacity in the city for those in quarantine as well as to accommodate social distancing.

I am thankful for our leadership team who have made the hard decisions in a timely way all during these past eight months.

I am thankful for all our fantastic staff who have carried out the decisions and made “in the moment” calls when needed.

I am thankful that we have the relationship with the Health Department to help manage the medical side of this pandemic, and I am thankful for the testing capacity.

I am thankful we made it so long without an “outbreak.”

I am thankful for the staff at the Women’s Campus who have courageously covered while so thinly staffed. (And the Men’s Campus have had their share of this as well.)

I am thankful that most of our women’s staff who tested positive are getting better, and some have already returned to work.

I am so thankful that we have been able to transport the remaining women guests to the overflow shelter where they will be cared for while giving our staff a much-needed break.

I am thankful that the number of positives at the Men’s Campus has been mercifully low.

I pray that our staff who are out on leave will recover to full health and be back at work as soon as possible.

I pray that those awaiting test results will get negatives.

I pray for our program participants and guests who are quarantined will be restored to good health.

I pray that we will be able to use these next two weeks to get back to full strength in every way.

I pray that we will all have grateful hearts, and that God will use us in a mighty way to testify to His glory and love.

I pray all this in Jesus name,

Amen

“Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 The Message).

Chaplain’s Corner – Fall Cleaning

Oct21

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

I love gardening. I have several small gardens around the house for my herbs, flowers, and vegetables; and I also have plenty of potted plants.

This is the time of year to clean and prepare for next year; and as much as I love to see things grow, I also enjoy the cleaning process. My pots can get pretty nasty looking. You don’t notice it much when the flowers are blooming, but when the plants die and it’s time to toss them and the old dirt, the pot needs to be scoured.

At first, it’s not too difficult. A quick wash and most of the dirt is gone. However, there is always some crusty stuff that sticks to the sides of the pot; and it needs to be scraped, and sometimes soaked and scraped again. I admit that sometimes I just leave it, thinking it won’t hurt that much. You can’t see it anyway. But then the next year it’s even worse, and the horticultural experts say that the salts and bacteria residue are bad for the soil and therefore the plant.

There are so many metaphors that compare gardening to our Christian walk, but this is one that I hadn’t thought of before. However, as I was really scrubbing those crusty places on my pots, I thought about the extra effort it takes to scrape out our hearts of that residue of bitterness, pride, resentment, self-pity, and unforgiveness. It’s easy to let it go and cover it up with pretty words and actions thinking that no one will notice the quality of our heart, or that the crusty places won’t eventually infect the quality of our ministry.

We all have these areas that need cleaning out. Let’s commit to the hard work of inspection and cleaning. With the Holy Spirit, we have tools that would be the envy of any gardener, so let’s be diligent and faithful to this important element of our daily walk.

“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many” (Hebrews 12:15).

For a real blessing, listen to this song below as you read Psalm 51.

Create In Me A Clean Heart, O God

Psalm 51

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
    you who are God my Savior,
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart
    you, God, will not despise.

In Christ,

Judy