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Archive for April, 2021

A Spring Celebration

Posted in Blessings, Uncategorized, tagged Blessings of God's Word, Cinquain, Growing in God's Word, Lady Bugs, Nonet, Pantoum, Poetry Month, Ralph Waldo Emerson, spring on April 29, 2021| 20 Comments »

Since 1996 spring has become associated with poetry. That’s the year the Academy of American Poets established April as National Poetry Month.

This season does lend itself to getting creative with words. So before we turn the calendar page to May, let’s celebrate spring–with poetry.

To begin, allow Ralph Waldo Emerson to inspire:

In addition to those grand changes around us, we often find delight in minute pleasures as well. The following cinquain resulted from a small moment at our nearby nature center.

Beetle,

dotted and domed,

Pausing, watching, preparing

To fly away on hidden wings.

Lady bug

Delight is found in humor also. God had fun with us Midwesterners last week, supplying a day of outlandish weather. To celebrate I tackled a poetry form called nonet (non’-et): nine lines starting with nine syllables in the first and descending in number until the last line only includes one syllable.

April 21, 2021

Sun and Snow engaged in tug-of-war.

At dawn, Snow controlled the landscape,

cloaking every blade and branch.

But Sun fought valiantly

and gained back her ground.

However, Snow

returned! Yet . . .

. . . spring Sun

Won!

Sun and balmy breezes of April send many out to their gardens, preparing for May planting while dreaming of what’s to come:

Come fall however, our gardens will fade to pale stems and dried petals. “The grass withers and the flowers fall,” wrote the prophet Isaiah (40:8a). “But,” he added, “the word of our God endures forever” (v. 8b).

In celebration of the eternal spring of God’s Word, I experimented with the pantoum form—a poem that includes four-line stanzas in which the second and fourth lines of each become the first and third lines of the next. The last line of the poem is often the same as the first.

Growing in God’s Word

Thank you, Father, for the delights of scripture!

Your Word refreshes my soul.

Your promises produce security, hope, and comfort.

Your truth sows wisdom, encouragement, and strength.

Your Word refreshes my soul.

Understanding develops contentment.

Your truth sows wisdom, encouragement, and strength,

And diligent study causes my spirit to flourish.

Understanding develops contentment.

Your Word abounds with wonderful things,

And diligent study causes my spirit to flourish.

Thank you, Father, for the delights of scripture!*

* * * * * * * * * *

I praise you O God for Spring, its delights of birth and life that feed our souls. I praise you also for your Word, its delights and depths that provide the nutrients for a fulfilling spiritual life. May I send my roots deep into your truths.

*Psalm 119:24; 28 AMP; Ephesians 1:13; Psalm 119:14; 50 NLT; 19:7; 119:28 NLT & NIV; Proverbs 19:23; 119:15-16; 119:18

Photo credits: http://www.wikimedia.com; http://www.hippopx.com; Nancy Ruegg; http://www.pixabay.com; http://www.flickr.com; http://www.canva.com; http://www.pxhere.com.

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The Failures of Jesus

Posted in Encouragement, Excellence, Jesus, Service, Success, Uncategorized, tagged Excellence, God's view of success, success on April 22, 2021| 27 Comments »

The internet offers plenty of advice for maximizing time and effort in order to achieve success. The suggestions include:

Prioritize and protect your agenda. Identify the crucial tasks for each day and focus on those items first. Limit interruptions; shut down distractions.

Build an efficient routine into your schedule to streamline how time is allocated.

Pursue your own goals; don’t let others set them for you.

Network—especially with influential people who can expedite your success.

Jesus failed to follow any of that advice.

Instead:

His agenda shifted often, and he allowed frequent interruptions.

People interrupted his teaching and traveling all the time with requests for miracles. Jewish leaders interjected questions while he was speaking. When he tried to take the disciples to a quiet place for rest, the crowds followed, eager to hear him preach.

And out of compassion, Jesus complied. [1]

Sometimes even his interruptions were interrupted.

While answering a question of John the Baptist’s disciples one day, a ruler intruded upon the conversation, begging him to come and raise his daughter from the dead. En route to the ruler’s house, another interruption occurred when a woman touched his robe in hope of healing.[2]

It’s a wonder he ever arrived at his intended destinations.

Jesus had no routine.

Scripture seems to indicate Jesus lived in the moment—teaching, building relationships, healing, and performing miracles as opportunities presented themselves.

However, Christ did make time for important habits, including seclusion, prayer, and worship.[3]

Jesus’ overarching goal in life was to accomplish his Father’s goal.

“For I have come down from heaven

not to do my will but to do

the will of him who sent me.”

–John 6:38

Jesus set his sights on the joy awaiting him, when all earthly pain, frustration, and humiliation would be over and he’d be seated at the right side of his Father’s throne.[4]

Jesus built relationships, not a network.

At the end of three years, he’d assembled 120 followers.[5] That’s an average of 40 per year; less than one per week. Not very impressive.

Yet Jesus was the most successful Person who ever lived because:

True success is excellent living—

when a person’s thoughts, decisions,

and actions honor God.

–Chrystal Evans Hurst[6]

And Christ accomplished that perfectly.

Now, thousands of angels encircle his throne, giving Jesus praise, honor, and glory because of his triumph over sin and death.[7]

What about us? Are we focused on the culture’s view of success or God’s?

Do we accept—even celebrate—what he chooses to do through us and then leave the results to him?

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Lord God, help me to be a failure like Jesus! I confess that worldly standards of success cloud my vision of what true excellence entails: obedience to you. Remind me you know what you’re doing and you do all things well; circumstances are not reliable indicators. I reaffirm my trust in you whose works are always perfect.

(Jeremiah 7:23; Proverbs 19:21; Deuteronomy 32:4)

[1] Matthew 9:18-19; 21:23-24; 20:29-34; Mark 6:30-34

[2] Matthew 9:14-26

[3] Mark 1:35; Luke 4:16

[4] Hebrews 12:2

[5] Acts 1:15

[6] Kingdom Woman Devotional, Tyndale House Publishers (2013), p. 49.

[7] Revelation 5

Art & photo credits: http://www.pixabay.com (2); http://www.freebibleimages.org (2); http://www.canva.com; http://www.dailyverses.net; http://www.pxhere.com; http://www.canva.com.

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Give Me Jesus

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Fanny Crosby, God's Blessings, John 1:16 on April 15, 2021| 24 Comments »

One day a neighbor of Fanny Crosby complained, “If I had wealth I would be able to do just what I wish to do, and I would be able to make an impression in the world.”

Some might have expected Fanny to reply, “At least you have eyes that can see.”

Fanny had been blind since the age of two months. Few would blame her for reminding the dissatisfied neighbor that his lack did not begin to compare with her own.

But Fanny answered instead, “Well, take the world, but give me Jesus” (1).

Why would Fanny respond like that? She provided part of the answer in the hymn she wrote, inspired by the above encounter. The title: Give Me Jesus (1878).

Her reasons mentioned included his everlasting love, watchful care, deep mercy, and redemption for our sins.

Fanny’s 8000+ hymns and choruses celebrate numerous other reasons, as you can imagine.

If I ever wrote a hymn, the lyrics might include such blessings as these:

With Jesus,

Every need is provided,

Every promise fulfilled,

Every delight enhanced (2).

With Jesus,

Every sin is forgiven,

Every shame erased,

Every grace applied (3).

With Jesus,

Every worry is calmed,

Every fear assuaged,

Every prayer answered (4).

With Jesus,

Every decision is guided,

Every step ordered,

Every circumstance controlled (5).

With Jesus,

Every moment is lovingly attended,

Every necessary truth revealed,

Every God-given task empowered (6).

To view these gifts altogether is like gazing into an overflowing treasure chest. We find the impact of each blessing magnified, the splendor augmented, the wonder increased by the sheer number of gifts.

And wonder ushers us into worship.

We praise you, O holy God! You are completely separate from all else in the universe. No one is your equal in power, wisdom, splendor, and love—all manifested in the glorious work you do in us and for us.

Thank you, Giver of all good gifts, for every kindness mentioned above and more.

With Fanny each of us can say:

Of course this post includes only a partial list of the blessings we experience with Jesus. What would you add? Please share in the comment section below!

Notes:

1. https://wordwisehymns.com/2011/12/16/take-the-world-but-give-me-jesus-2/

2. Philippians 4:19; Psalm 145:13b; Psalm 16:11

3. 1 John 1:9; Isaiah 43:25; John 1:16 ESV

4. Philippians 4:6-7; Psalm 23:4; 1 John 5:14-15

5. Psalm 32:8; Psalm 37:23 NLT; Psalm 103:19

6. Psalm 23:4; John 8:32; Philippians 2:13

Art & photo credits: http://www.worldwidehymns.com; http://www.canva.com; http://www.dailyverses.net; http://www.canva.com; http://www.dailyverses.net; http://www.flickr.com; http://www.canva.com (2).

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Stars of Heaven

Posted in Encouragement, Faith, God's Power, Holiness, Maturity, Uncategorized, tagged 2 Corinthians 3:18, Cullinan Diamond, Diamonds, Hebrews 12:5-11, Psalm 19:1, Zechariah 9:16 on April 8, 2021| 21 Comments »

On January 25, 1905, diamond mine superintendent Frederick Wells inspected the walls of the Premier Diamond Mine in South Africa—as usual. Suddenly his practiced eye caught a telltale glimmer in the rock.

Workmen cut free the luminous stone that very day, then took it to be weighed in the office of mine owner Thomas Cullinan.

The miners knew the fist-sized gem was a stellar find, but no one expected what the scale revealed. Before them lay the largest diamond ever found—3,106 carats worth, and a perfectly clear specimen except for one black spot in the middle.

Frederick Wells with the Cullinan Diamond

Named for the mine owner, the Cullinan Diamond was sold to the Transvaal provincial government and eventually presented as a birthday present to England’s King Edward VII in 1907.

King Edward hired master-lapidary I. J. Asscher of Amsterdam to divide the stone. Asscher studied the Cullinan for six months before making the first cut, and subsequently created nine major stones along with ninety-six smaller ones.

The largest diamond is called the “Star of Africa I” or “Cullinan I” and sits atop the British royal scepter; Star of Africa II is part of the Imperial State Crown.[1]

Star of Africa I is the pear-shaped embellishment atop the scepter.

Star of Africa II, front and center of the crown, just above the band of ermine.

Why did God create diamonds? For the same reason he created everything in the universe: to display his glory.[2]

Diamonds offer a magnificent example of God’s creative power, as he applied heat and pressure to simple black carbon and created mesmerizing stones.

Of course, it takes tremendous pressure (50,000 times more than that at the earth’s surface) and severe heat (2000 degrees Farenheit) for the transformation to take place. Such extreme conditions only occur deep in the ground—at least 90 miles below the surface.

Humans have only been able to drill a little over seven miles into the earth. So how were diamonds even discovered? Because of another spectacular display of God’s power: volcanoes, which spew them up to the surface.

And though raw diamonds do glimmer, their full magnificence is not released until the lapidary cuts the stones on all sides, to maximize the refraction and reflection of light. Today’s popular brilliant cut requires 58 facets. The process takes up to two weeks.

The ancient Greeks believed that a diamond was a chip of star that had fallen to earth. We smile at their naiveté until we learn astronomers discovered a star in 2009 that has cooled and compressed into a massive diamond—10 billion trillion trillion carats worth!

Imagine the smile on God’s face as the scientists proved lyricist Jane Taylor closer to truth than she knew: “Twinkle, twinkle, little star . . . like a diamond in the sky” (1806).

With Job, we can affirm:

In addition to displaying God’s glory, diamonds also provide valuable lessons—much as he’s used trees, sheep, and ants to teach us.[3] At least two lessons have been encapsulated in memorable quotes.

Lesson #1:

You know what else makes God smile? Transforming black-carbon lives into radiant diamond-people. Think of those like Kirk Cameron, George W. Bush, and Franklin Graham, all of whom once lived in dark rebellion and now reflect the light of Christ.

Such transformations require a lengthy process, and most often the heat and pressure of difficult circumstances, but the results are quite spectacular.[4]

Lesson #2:

A lapidary reminds us of our Heavenly Father. He chips away at our self-centeredness and pride until we’re Stars of Heaven, fit for his crown and radiating his glory in brilliant perfection.[5]

So, my fellow stars-in-process, “let faith and patience have their perfect work, for in the day when the crown will be set on the head of the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, one ray of glory will stream from you”—Charles Spurgeon.

Notes

[1] https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/worlds-largest-diamond-found# and https://www.capetowndiamondmuseum.org/blog/2017/01/worlds-largest-diamond-the-cullinan/

[2] Psalm 19:1

[3] Jeremiah 17:7-8; Psalm 23; Proverbs 6:6-8

[4] Hebrews 12:5-11

[5] Zechariah 9:16; 2 Corinthians 3:18

Photo images: http://www.wikimedia.org; http://www.flickr.com (2); http://www.wikipedia.org; http://www.canva.com (2); http://www.wikimedia.org.

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Why Doesn’t God Intervene?

Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Godly Character, Hope, Perseverance, Suffering, Uncategorized, tagged 2 Corinthians 4:17, Hebrews 5:8, Romans 5:3-4, Suffering, Why God allows suffering on April 1, 2021| 28 Comments »

Most of us have asked at one time or another, “Why does God allow so much suffering? Why doesn’t he intervene?”

Surprisingly, people of the Third World where suffering is common don’t ask these questions. They accept the fact that no one leaves this life without enduring times of trial and distress [1].

Even God’s own Son endured suffering. Unimaginable suffering. And it didn’t begin with the physical torture inflicted by Roman soldiers or the horrific crucifixion sanctioned by Pilate.

It began the night before, in the garden of Gethsemane, as he experienced overwhelming desperation and sorrow, and his sweat fell like drops of blood [2].

BUT! God Almighty takes the worst deeds of man that cause the greatest pain and turns them into glorious victory with eternal benefits.

As we wait for that day, God uses our suffering to fulfill higher purpose beyond our comfort and prosperity—purposes such as these:

God doesn’t intervene so we can learn to surrender and obey.

Even Jesus “learned obedience from what he suffered” [3]—poverty, hunger, temptation, pain, exhaustion, derision, and stress. Anything we face, he faced.

God knows if we don’t learn to surrender to his ways and purposes, we end up living to please ourselves—and not liking the selves we’ve pleased.

On the other hand, obedience does lead to confidence in God, prosperity of soul, and the ability to face life with resilience and poise.

God doesn’t intervene so we can develop character.

Suffering works for the believer, not against, producing perseverance which leads to character; and character to hope [ 4].

So we strive to act wisely and in the process learn self-control. We withstand discomfort and learn fortitude. We endure self-sacrifice and learn how to love.

God doesn’t pour the rains of affliction upon our souls for nothing. “Springing up beneath the pounding rain are spiritual flowers. And they are more beautiful and fragrant than those that ever grew before in your stormless and suffering-free life” [5].

God doesn’t intervene so we can inspire others.

Some of you may know the name Bill Sweeney, a popular blogger diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease in 1996. He graduated to heaven just after Christmas 2021.

Bill outlived many others with the same diagnosis, but he suffered much. For years his entire body was immobile. Eventually Bill was composing his posts on a computer that tracked eye movements—posts that reflected deep faith, great strength of spirit, and delightful humor.

Commenters affirmed again and again Bill’s impact in their lives as he provided stellar encouragement and inspiration, all the more impactful because of his deteriorated health.

God doesn’t intervene so we can exhibit faith.

Bill Sweeney exhibited great faith even though he was incapable of anything beyond typing with eye movements. But it wasn’t the suffering itself that produced spiritual strength. It was his response. Without self-pity he lived his life and shared his heart—humbly and honestly. And thousands of people found hope.

It’s important to understand: Christ did not suffer to exclude us from suffering; he suffered to exclude us from the consequences of our sins. However, we can be confident of this:

That means Bill Sweeney’s sacrifice of suffering counts for all eternity.

And God will make your sacrifices of suffering count for all eternity too [6].

[1] Philip Yancey, Grace Notes, p. 69.

[2] Luke 22:44; Mark 14:34-36

[3] Hebrews 5:8

[4] Romans 5:3-4

[5] L. B. Cowman, Jim Reimann, ed., Streams in the Desert, June 15.

[6] F. Elaine Olsen, Beyond the Scars, p. 163.

Photo credits: http://www.wikimedia.com; http://www.hippopx.com; http://www.canva.com; http://www.heartlight.org; http://www.flickr.com; http://www.canva.com; http://www.dailyverses.net.

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From the Inside Out

Impressions Becoming Expressions

Archive for April, 2021

A Spring Celebration

The Failures of Jesus

Give Me Jesus

Stars of Heaven

Why Doesn’t God Intervene?

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