Ruby: A Tribute to My Granny

Our Friday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Hank:

"Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies." Proverbs 31:10

I recently returned from a trip to North Carolina. I was there for the funeral of my Granny, Ruby Brake. She was born in 1913, and lived to be 98 years young! I was so blessed to have such a wonderful woman for my grandmother. The funeral was a celebration of her amazing life, and when I had a chance to speak, I shared this verse, and I said that I can totally understand why God chose to use rubies as the standard for virtuous women. You see, if a woman's value is far above Ruby, my Granny, then she is indeed an extremely virtuous woman. My Granny was the most Godly woman I have ever known. As my Mom says, "your Granny had a direct line to God's ear". She was the first person you would call with a prayer request, because you knew she would be faithful to pray. And because she walked so closely with God, her prayers were uninterrupted and unhindered. I am grateful to God for the impact she had on my Mom, and for the legacy of faith they both passed along to me. I concluded my comments at her service with a poem written especially for her, which I'd like to share with you now:

The Message Of Reconciliation

"And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation." II Corinthians 5:19b

Somewhere early in school, I was taught to never begin a sentence with the word "and." Later in school I learned that there are some exceptions. Obviously, this is one of them. When dealing with the Bible and using English grammar rules, you just have to be careful for at least two reasons.

The Cure for the "TIN MAN" Syndrome

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you ; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep My laws." Ezekiel 36:25-27

The other night, I was watching a movie, and in the movie the main character was refer to as being like the "Tin Man." Why? Because they said he was a cold hearted individual, who's actions made him seem like he didn’t have a heart - just like the "Tin Man."

Drawn

Grace Harbor Saints - here's another great Max Lucado short story, and it highlights why so many of us chose to fellowship at Grace Harbor! We were drawn to it, by the compelling presence of the people, the pastor, and the purpose of the church. We are all in the process of change, and the Holy Spirit is the greatest change-agent there is. I can personally attest to the power of "letting go" and letting God, as I was roadblocked at finding a solution to a serious problem in our personal drama at home, so I turned it over to Him, and His solution was mind-bending. I was drawn to Him, waited on Him, trusted in Him, prayed of course, and He provided - as promised. Oh, how He love us! Here's Max:

Do Not Fill God’s Heart with Pain

"The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and His heart was filled with pain." Genesis 6:5-6

From the very beginning, after God first molded man out of the dirt on the ground and placed him in the Garden in Genesis 3, we get a glimpse into the closeness, intimacy and communion our Heavenly Father desired to share with His created people: He walked with them. Why do you think God “walked” with them? Colossians 1:16 tells us that "All things were created by Him and for Him.", including people! I think the reason scripture records this tandem part of the relationship between man and God in the Garden was because it allows us to see that God loved Adam and Eve, and wanted to spend intimate time with them by walking alongside them, listening to what they had to say, sharing His heart with them, what a beautiful thing to consider. Have you ever tried walking with someone and not saying anything? That is really hard! Fellowship is a two way street, and God wanted openness and freedom for His creation to come to Him, the Creator. I believe this brought great JOY to God’s heart and was His original intent when He created mankind!

It's for everyone

"And it shall come to pass afterward I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions." Joel 2:28 NKJV

When the cellular industry first began, it was mounted into cars and it was very expensive. And when they made the first portable cell phone, it was very expensive as well. Not only did these two phones cost thousands of dollars to buy, but the cost per minute was ridiculously expensive as well. At the time, it was thought and believed that only the extremely wealthy would be able to afford cell phones. But as we now know and have seen, is that cellphones are available and affordable for the general public.

We Live By Faith, Not By Sight

"We live by faith, not by sight." II Corinthians 5:7

One of the shortest verses I will ever write a devotional about. Just seven little words, but very packed full of meaning. We live in a very sensory stimulated world. The sights, sounds, tastes, smells and touch of things are thrown at us constantly and relentlessly. I don't even think we escape it in sleep. We even dream about what we saw, heard, tasted, smelled and felt recently and even a long time ago. We are probably over-stimulated, and I'm not just talking about caffeine here either. Think about it!

Look at the potential!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." II Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

Some of you may not know this, but I'm a hot rod fanatic. I love everything about it. From taking a plain jane looking car and tricking it out to where it doesn't even look like the same car. In 1994, my family and I moved to Southern Illinois to minister in a small farming community of six thousand people. It was so much fun driving through the countryside and seeing old classic cars sitting out by the barns rusting away. I'd get so excited that I would tell my wife, "Wow! Look at that!"

We Do Not Lose Heart

"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart." II Corinthians 4:1

This has been quite an interesting period of time in my life. I have literally experienced the entire spectrum of feelings, in seemingly alternating extremes for weeks. For example, within a couple of days, I sensed awful despair and overwhelming hope. In another brief time period, I knew great confidence, followed by gripping fear. I am not particularly prone to extreme feelings, but I have never known such fluctuating polar feeling since I was much younger.

Build an ARK?

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

Have you ever watched a movie that made you laugh so hard that your eyes watered? I did the other night. I watched the movie EVAN ALMIGHTY. This movie was set in today's society, and the story line was that God had asked the main character to build an Ark.

Did God REALLY say...?

Our Friday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Lahoma:

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Genesis 3:1-5

Our Wednesday night women’s Bible study group has started in the book of Genesis. This first book and its contents have been read and taught throughout most of my life being raised in a Christian family and Biblically sound home church. In our devotion passage today, we find a dialog between satan and Eve, in the newly completed Garden of Eden. The chapter before explains all that God DID say to Adam and Eve and yet the first temptation recorded in scripture was a direct challenge to what God had said.

9-11 Has Come and Gone-Now What?

"if My people who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." II Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

Well, this past Sunday has come and gone, and my question is, will we truly remember 9-11? Yes, we remember the horrific tragedy that transpired, and all the senseless lives that were lost. We can even remember in great detail exactly where we were and what we were doing. Every imaginable smell, sound, sight, taste that was active at that moment, we can relive. But we have forgotten, how Congress came united as one in front of the White House lifting their prayers to God, or how everyone was turning to their local churches for help, prayer and support. Completely humbling ourselves to God, pleading and seeking His divine help and intervention. But now 10 years later, we have totally forgotten.

The Progressive Process

"We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." II Corinthians 3:18

Moses had to veil his face because he saw just a glimpse of the Lord's glory. But we who have seen the God's glory in His Son's face reflect that glory without a veil. Probably some more brightly than others, but we all do reflect Him to some degree. Even if it is very poorly. We sure can be a poor reflection of Him. In this verse we can see three reasons why this is not easy,

Read My Letter

"You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter of Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." 2Corinthians 3:2-3

Paul is writing to the Corinthians and encouraging them to live their lives in such a way that everyone would see the 'gospel' just by observing them. This is both a compliment and extremely convicting at the same time. I think all of us have heard the saying that goes.... 'You may be the only Bible somebody may ever read'. So we want our lives to reflect Christ. On many pulpits I have stood behind there is a plaque that says, 'Sir, we would see Jesus'. Always makes me pause and think; that’s for sure. Our lives and words or thoughts shouldn't judge people like the tablets of stone which refer to The Law or Ten Commandments. Our lives and words or thoughts should be a heartfelt living testimony of good news of His love and grace, hope and joy. Who we are should be an encouraging open letter of all that God has done is doing and will do in our lives.

Real Men Do Cry

"Jesus wept." John 11:35

When I was a child growing up my father taught me, that men do not cry nor do they show emotions. Any sign of emotion was a sign of weakness, any sign of weakness meant that you would be beaten and destroyed in this game we play called "LIFE." Certain words were not allowed in my vocabulary - "Can't, Quit, Pain & Fear."

Know your opponents game plan

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

Well, its that time of the year- FOOTBALL ! We get to watch these teams try to out hit, run, throw and out strategize the other team. There's nothing more exciting than to see a tackle that totally rocks the person hit or to see the quarterback connect with his receiver for a long pass or how about the running back that runs down the field for a touchdown. But you know what? Before any of us sees these exciting moments during the game, these teams have spent many hours practicing and learning what their opponents were going to do during that game. In fact they knew what their tendencies would be for each and every down at any point on the football field. They knew exactly what it would take to beat them and to have a major victory over their opponent.

Spare Me

"I call on God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth." 2 Corinthians 1:23

Paul didn't say, "I swear to God", because he wouldn't do that, but this strong statement of calling on God as his witness is spoken with the same intensity. He wanted the Corinthians to know that He could not put it more emphatically that God had told Him not to go to Corinth. They had not followed his instructions from his previous letter in response to their questions about what they could do and not do as new believers. Perhaps Paul spared them a personal visit because the "lost letter" that had caused them such sorrow was more than enough said and to see him in person would only make them feel worse. It is not easy to stop from "piling on" after someone is broken. It is too easy "to add insult to injury" or, "pour salt in a wound". Even if they had it coming. Even if they deserved to be scolded or chastised.

What do you Smell?

"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death, to the other the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?" 2 Corinthians 2:15-16

When God looks at us in the final analysis, He sees Jesus. Praise be to God for that huh? While we are here though, we are to be the sweet aroma of Christ not only to each other, but also as a witness to those who need and may choose to be saved. Christians shouldn't be stinkers. When we relate to one another and with seekers, we should be a fragrance that is a blessing. This is why in the early church the reputation of the Followers of the Way was that they loved each other. Wherever they went and whomever they came in contact with they made a pleasant and enticing aromatic impression on most everyone. In contrast to this reaction they ordinarily received was another response that came from those who opposed the Way and were in rebellion to God. To them even the sweetest, most pleasing fragrance was repulsive and repugnant to them.

Walk like Indiana Jones!

"2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV" For we walk by faith and not by sight.

I really enjoy the Indiana Jones movies. I mean, how can you not enjoy them? There's action, drama, adventure and comedy. It's got the best of everything rolled into a single action packed movie. We definitely get our monies worth - that is for certain! ;-) In one of the last movies he made with Sean Connery, he was in search of the cup of Christ. Like all of the previous movies, there were a series of tests that he had to complete before he could safely get to the chamber were this artifact was hidden.

To be like Peter and John

Our Friday Devotion comes to us from, Rick Ballester:

"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled , ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Acts 4.13

When I was 11 years old, my parents went away on a weekend getaway to Palm Springs. What made this weekend so unique is that my dad left me in charge of running the garage and gas station that he owned. I had been working with my dad for years and he believed that I would be able to keep everything on track.

God Declares

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Over the past two months, I have had the privilege as a father to listen to my daughter Emily’s hopes and dreams for the future. You see, Emily has just graduated from high school and started college.