Boys Will Be Boys

I have two sons, and, from an early age, they were into weapons. No matter that Mom hates guns, boys will be boys, I was told, and even if I never let them have guns or watch shows on TV with guns, they would eat their toast into the shape of a gun and then pretend to shoot someone with it. 

What’s up with that? 

In James 5, Jesus’ brother talks about the corruption, exploitation and, ultimately, the murder of the innocent by which some of the rich in that day were characterized. That was not just an example of boys being boys. It was considered evil. “The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.”

Speak for those who have no voice. Be a champion for the downtrodden (Proverbs 31:8). Do not promote violence, but promote peace (Matthew 5:9). How about a new saying: Boys will be like Jesus.

 

Dirty Dishes

Does life sometimes get overwhelming? Is it because God has given us more than we can handle? I’d like to think it was His fault rather than mine, but since I believe the Bible is true, that can’t be the case because the Bible says He won’t give us more than we can handle.

So when, on top of everything else, I’m commanded to be holy as God is holy, and purify my mind and be worthy of my calling, I can feel overwhelmed. I just want to get the kitchen cleaned, for crying out loud, how am I then also supposed to cleanse my heart?

Just do the next thing. Spend time in His Word. Take time to worship. Stay in fellowship with other believers. Confess my sins not only to God, but to a close friend who can help build me up in my faith.  

Letting the dishes pile up in the sink doesn’t move me toward my goal of a clean kitchen. I have to take one plate at a time and deal with it. Letting the spiritual dishes pile up in my soul doesn’t move me toward godliness either. Get moving. One dish at a time.

Stapled Apples

I was in a small group of moms a short time ago, studying together about parenting. Between us six women we had 22 kids ranging from college age to infant. One of the books we read together was Age of Opportunity by Paul David Tripp. There was an analogy in there that I will never forget.

Tripp talks about children behaving out of the heart. He gives an analogy about an apple tree in your yard. Every year it blooms and grows apples, but just before they are ready to be picked, the apples fall to the ground and rot. In order to fix the problem of not being able to enjoy delicious apples, you go to the store, buy a couple of bushels of apples and an industrial stapler, cut all the old apples off the tree and staple on the pretty red ones you just bought at the store. What a great idea, right?

Wrong. As Tripp said, the problem is more than a fruit problem; there is something fundamentally wrong with the tree. You have exchanged good fruit for bad fruit, but it won’t last, because the tree itself can’t produce good fruit.

One of my mantras has been: “You can’t legislate morality.” The Pharisees tried to do that. More laws didn’t save them. Only Jesus coming and giving His life to break the hold sin had on them changed them–but only if they let Him.

David and I don’t give our money to political causes: we give our money and our time and our very lives to helping change hearts. James 4:1 says wars and quarrels happen because we want what we want. Our hearts are dark. But Jesus is the Light. We don’t want to just staple apples on the tree: we want to be grafted in to the perfect root that will bring the most beautiful, delicious fruit. Change from the inside out.

Taming the Tongue

A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. (James 3:3, 4 MSG)

I can’t remember the statistic exactly, but it takes something like 20 positive comments to erase the effect of 1 negative one. I think the ratio is even higher than that actually. My husband has often mentioned in our 20 years of marriage that I still don’t believe it when he tells me I’m pretty. That’s because I never heard it when I was growing up. And did, in fact, hear joking comments to the contrary.

I was single for more years than I’ve been married, so maybe that’s why the numbers haven’t caught up yet. I tell my kids that they aren’t allowed to say things like “look at you–you’re so fat!” (My kids are all slim.) Even the joking and the “Just kidding” afterwards doesn’t negate the negative affect of the words.

Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Such a great and wise instruction. May it be so for all of us today.

Faith and Works

The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse. (James 2:26 The Message)

Tomorrow, a group of people from Vista Community Church Vista Churchare heading into the city of Orlando to help meet the needs of the people of the city. We call it “Vista Serves.”

Do we in any way think doing these things will save us? Emphatically, No. But are we commanded to serve? Emphatically, Yes. The living, breathing church is people, serving other people. Bring a cup of cold water in the name of Jesus.

I don’t have any idea what my family and I will be doing tomorrow, but I know that by doing it, we are living out our faith, proclaiming the name of Jesus by what we do.

All men are equal

At the beginning of the year I started a year-long study called Draw Near: 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with God. I write a note about my thoughts on each day’s devotion, so I thought I’d just copy that here and share them with you. I’m 25 days in, so I might go back and share past ones; we’ll see how that goes. Meanwhile, here’s today’s, straight from my iPhone with no pretty enhancements. I may add that later. Or not.
James 2:9
We’re in the midst of studying U.S. sites and symbols at school. Yesterday the class learned about Abraham Lincoln. They made a poster with all kinds of different people represented on it. They talked about slavery and emancipation and freedom for all people. It’s what the country was founded upon, yet even today not all people are free. Slavery exists, even in America.
But besides physical slavery, people everywhere are enslaved to sin: addictions hold them captive as firmly as any chains. Do I look down upon them? Do I consider myself better than they? James warns that I’d better not, or I am guilty as they. Don’t turn up my. nose to anyone because but for the grace of God, there could I be.

One of those days

This post failed to upload several days ago, so it’s actually from last week Monday, I believe.

Cough, cough, cough. That’s all Morgan and I have been doing today. She stayed home from school with a fever. I went in to teach my 2nd graders until Grandma had to leave to teach piano lessons.
Since then, we’ve been coughing, coughing, coughing, working on school work, grading papers, coughing, coughing, coughing. Not much fun. Nobody wants to work when they’re not feeling their best. Especially a 9-year-old. And especially not her mother.