May 12

The stages of a child’s growth are much like our growth in the things of God. Your parents help you through each stage, guiding you along the way. You start out defenseless, relying on them for your food, and care. You then get teeth, begin to crawl, and then walk. You are a little more sturdy and beginning to do a few things on your own. At no time were you without the help of your parent or someone else experienced in life. This is the same way we grow in the knowledge of the Holy. The Lord is our guide. He never leaves us on our own. He slowly takes us into the living water, first in the shallow where it’s only ankle deep. Then He takes us a little deeper so the water is knee deep. It’s not as easy to walk, but you’re in a little deeper. Then He takes you into the water past your waist. He measures again and then takes you in over your head where the water is so high that it’s not passable and you must swim. Then He leads you out. He’s with you every step of the way. Growing in the knowledge of the Holy doesn’t happen all at once. Be patient with yourself, it’s a process. You’re growing and eventually you will be swimming in the living water that’s flowing from the temple! 

Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. Ezekiel 47:3-5

May 11

My daughter and I had some business in Tampa, ate lunch and then decided to take a drive through the Bayshore area. It’s like traveling back in time to a past era. The homes are exquisite, well appointed, and meticulous in design. Many are of the old Florida style which is personally my favorite style. I can just imagine myself sitting on the front porch drinking a cold glass of sweet tea, watching the day go by. Then reality sets in! We’re in a different time where everything and everyone is fast paced and there is barely any time to stop and smell the roses. A girl can dream, can’t she? Life goes on and things change, people change, and mindsets change. There is one thing that remains the same, Jesus. He is the same today, as He was yesterday, and will be the same tomorrow. Isn’t that comforting to know? If you long for the days of old, take the time to rest comfortably in the arms of the Father.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

May 10

Sometimes I get so bothered and distracted by the things going on in my life, that I forget who’s in control. Will this turmoil have any effect on my eternity or the eternity of others? Certainly not on my own eternity and hopefully not on that of others. There are some things that I wish I hadn’t committed to at all and other things I wish I were more committed to. I think about some things too much then there are other things I don’t think about enough. My mind is working overtime and all I want to do is turn it off for a while. How do you decide if what you are doing is a profitable undertaking for the kingdom? Will the light of the Lord shine through me even though it is secular?  Most jobs are like this, where you don’t know how it could make a difference other than your bottom line. I guess it all comes back to doing all things for the glory of God. Besides, it’s just a minor blip on the screen of life.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

May 9

My grandson, Trey is finally big enough to peddle his John Deer tractor that we got him a couple of Christmases ago. Every time he comes to my house he asks to ride it. Up until yesterday, we had a rope tied to it that we used to pull him with. I think he had more fun when we pulled it. It’s amazing how quickly children grow and learn to do things for themselves. It reminds me that as Christ followers, we should be growing in our strength in Jesus. We should be peddling our own tractor rather than having someone pull it for us. We should now be eating solid food, feeding ourselves, rather than being fed from a bottle. Just like Trey, it’s easier to have someone pull you, you don’t have to think and you don’t have to work for it. As you continue to grow in your relationship with Jesus, someone else feeding you will only serve as confirmation for what you’ve already learned. Feeding yourself is very satisfying and it fills your belly.

for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:13-14

May 8

There is a story in the Bible that kind of hurt my feelings a little bit. It’s in this story that you realize that Jesus may not have always been polite. It’s about a Greek woman, referred to as the Syrophoenician, a Gentile. Jesus was in a home, most likely for some rest, away from the stir that He had caused in the Jewish areas. Her young daughter was possessed by a demon and she was asking Him for help. And he said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." He called her a dog! But, her reply was awesome! "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Thank goodness the Jews had their fill and there were some leftovers! Are you humble enough to eat the leftover scraps? I’ll take whatever I can get from Jesus. His crumbs taste better than anything else we could ever eat. We must humble ourselves before Him, because whether we are Jew or Gentile, He is God. 

This story is found in Mark 7:24-30

And he said to her, "For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter." And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. Mark 7:29-30

May 7

We all have neighbors that aren’t exactly living up to our standards. Just the other side of the perimeter wall and fence are some well meaning people who decided to clean and clear their back yard. In most cases that would be a good thing, however, they stopped. They left piles of debris and leaf filled bags everywhere! It’s a sight for sore eyes! Because the whole area is shaded and would take too long to grow vines as a cover, we decided that we would fill the chain link portion of the fence with slats. What a job! It’s amazing the work one will put in to have things the way we want. What are you willing to do to clean up yourself? Your sins are forgiven if you know and love Jesus, but is there something that keeps drawing you that is not pleasing to Him? If there is, you need to work as hard at cleaning up your life as I did cleaning the fence. You don’t want someone putting slats in their fence so they don’t have to see you anymore, do you?

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Roman 12:1

May 6

I bought a new full length mirror for my bathroom. It’s not high end nor is it the dollar store variety. My concern is that I’m not seeing myself as I really am and that my image may be a bit distorted. As I thought about this, I decided to press on the center of it, when I did, my shape changed! My waist appeared to be longer! Now, I don’t trust it! This is comparable to how we see our innermost being. If we see ourselves through the lies the enemy has told us along the way, our self image becomes distorted and does not show us who we are. We are a new creation in Jesus and we are hidden within Him. If you don’t see Jesus when you look at your inmost reflection, your mirror is lying to you, don’t believe it! He didn’t just take away a few of our sins, He took away all of them, so don’t let the devil keep throwing your past in your face, your flesh doesn’t define you anymore.

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. 2 Corinthians 5:16-17