Month: May 2017

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight (Ephesians 1:3-4).

Two years ago on June 1^st the love of my life went home to be with the Lord. Three years ago on May 27^th my mom went to her eternal home with the Lord.  Needless to say, these past few weeks have been weepy.  This past Sunday was the Annual Murphy Reunion with three brothers and their parents missing. The grandchildren (of Wayne’s parents) are grown and many are married with their own children.   My two daughters were able to attend the reunion along with four of my seven grandchildren. Since the weather was rainy we met at a church building instead of the park.  That made it a bit easier, I think, since we had not made memories in that setting.  I know that family reunions are difficult to maintain after a few generations but I’m glad this one is still going, at least for now.

Wayne and I, as well as our daughters, have many memories of those early years when Papa and sons would roast a pig. The process started very early in the morning and by noon everyone enjoyed barbeque sandwiches. Several traditions rose from those beginning years. One of which was Nannie’s pictures.  She always wanted a picture of all her children, one of her grandchildren and a picture of each of her children’s families. After Nannie’s home-going one of her daughters continued the photos. Now we have missing faces in the photos.

Families change over the years and death will come to all of us. Another generation will go on until death takes them as well. Death was not God’s intent when he created the world and mankind.  He wanted man to live and have fellowship with Him. But because of sin death entered the world and no one is exempt. What amazes me is that God planned for our salvation even before the creation of the world! (Ephesians 1) He created us to be holy and to live in “praise of his glorious grace.” So it’s more important for the generations to continue to live lives of holiness and praise to God than it is for the tradition of family reunions to go on.

I pray often for the younger generations. The culture today is accepting immoral living as a “right.” Those who stand for the truth of the Word of God are considered “intolerant.”  In fact some deny there is truth.  If we deny God’s truth we have no anchor, no moral compass to guide us. We have nothing but ourselves to live by. Living according to “me” is selfish and destructive. I need the grace of my Creator. That grace is available to every believer who chooses to accept it.  Then one day we will enjoy the greatest family reunion ever! Praise God!

 

As I reread Psalm 37 the other day I was stuck by the first part which seems to suggest a plan for life. Maybe these six steps will be helpful for you as they were for me.

“Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong” (Psalm 37:1). Do not fret! I find myself worrying or becoming upset sometimes when I hear of the evil happening in our country and world. As I grow older I find myself thinking about my grandchildren and how the evil of our world affects them. I have also learned to pray more and fret less. Life is better when I’m not wasting time on worry. It’s healthier for the body, too. Besides, God is not blind to what is going on and He has promised to be with us till the end.

“Trust in the Lord and do good” (Psalm 37:3). Complete trust is hard for me. I have to remind myself there is no one, but God, who is completely dependable. He will not fail. He will never leave me or stop loving me. Romans 8:28-39 assures me of this. So I choose to trust and He helps me with the “doing good” part.

“Delight yourself in the Lord” (Psalm 37:4). My dictionary defines delight as extreme satisfaction. I have to ask myself. Do I find extreme satisfaction in the Lord? Sometimes I try to find satisfaction in things or events or maybe other people. Those are satisfying but often temporarily so. The prophet, Zephaniah says, “He (God) will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17b). Yes, I find great and lasting satisfaction in that!

“Commit your way to the Lord” (Psalm 37:5). Commitment is a big word and a big idea. Commitment involves giving up my way for God’s way. It means I keep on giving up my selfish desires and find my delight in serving Him. Verse 6 says, “He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn.”

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7). This may the hardest of all—to be still and wait. I’ve done a lot of waiting in the last few years and I’ve discovered the best way to wait patiently for the Lord is to spend time reading His Word and talking to Him in prayer. The Word helps me focus on Him. There have been times when I didn’t know how or what to pray. All I could do was claim God’s promises and hope. The Apostle Paul in Romans 8:26 tells us that the Spirit intercedes for us when we don’t know what we ought to prayer for. There is hope for the Christian during dark days of waiting.

“Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil” (Psalm 37:8). There are many reasons why one may be angry. Sometimes, we are hurt by another or certain situations provoke us to anger. Unresolved anger is bad for our health and it isn’t what God wants. Unresolved anger can lead to sin so with God’s help we must let go of it. At the end of the day, I have to let God handle whatever has angered me. It’s the only way to peace of mind.

I encourage you to read Psalm 37, all 40 verses. I think you’ll find David’s words helpful as you continue this life journey on earth.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of who are moms or have mothered another.
God bless you!

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:13-16)

I had the privilege to worship with my daughter and family this past Sunday.  I was impressed by something the pastor said in his communion meditation. He said the communion time was a time for us to align ourselves with Jesus.  In thinking about how my life aligns with my Savior’s I realized my life doesn’t measure up to the life of Jesus.  Jesus said, “Be holy, because I am holy.”  Sometimes I see a little something that might be considered holy. Does reading my Bible count?  Or, maybe giving my offering on Sunday morning?  How about helping my neighbor or being considerate of the other driver? Actually, none of that makes me holy!  I can’t be holy on my own.  Those things are the result of having been made holy.

It is only through the blood of Jesus that I can attain holiness. On the cross He took my sins so I could have His righteousness.  Paul says in Ephesians 1:4-8, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”

So the pastor’s idea of aligning oneself with Jesus takes on new meaning when I consider the cross. It took Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection to make holiness possible for me. He surrendered His will to the Father’s will and I must surrender my will to His will.  In Romans 6:19   we are told to offer our bodies in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. Being a slave to righteousness requires complete surrender to Jesus who is our righteousness.  “. .  . the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).  What a gift!

Communion time is a time to align myself with Jesus by surrendering my will to His. On the other hand, this surrender must be done daily. I am prone to veer off course. It is the cross that brings me back.