Grumbling....Guilty as Charged!

Phil 2: 14-19 reads:
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation." Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.  But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.  So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.  

Isn't it interesting how the Spirit works on us when we need a little honing?  Recently, I read the passage above and even though I've read it many times before, this time it hit me like ton of bricks. At that very moment I was convicted by Paul's writing.  I too needed the same reminder that the church in Phillipi needed.

Too often I let myself grumble and argue. Most often it's about little insignificant things. Nonetheless, I waste time and energy by allowing myself to get caught in the mix when I should have a positive attitude and choose to let it go. I dont always have to agree nor do I have to like certain situations, but if it's not in my power to change it and if it won't have a negative consequence then I shouldn't grumble about it.   The time I waste grumbling should be spent on something positive and productive working in our Father's kingdom. I should choose to rejoice and be joyful in all situations just as Paul instructs.

Perhaps you find yourself with this same habit? Thankfully, we have a loving Father that forgives us of all our shortcomings and has promised to take care of us in every possible way. What more do we need? 

Father, forgive me for squandering time grumbling and arguing about insignificant things. Please help me to choose to be positive and joyful. Thank you for your unending care and love.
In Jesus' name, amen.

Michelle Tittor
Grapevine TX

Symbol and Covenants

A few months ago my heart sank when I looked down and realized a diamond in my wedding ring had been lost during the day’s activities.  My heart grieved until I recognized that the ring I have worn for 29 years was merely a symbol of the cherished marriage covenant I had entered with God and the man to whom my heart belongs.  Only a fragment of the token that represented our married journey together was lost-but the precious covenant remained stronger than ever.

Many Christians display crosses as jewelry, bumper stickers, on walls in our homes, etc.  A young niece walked into a relative’s home and stated, “Boy, you sure love Jesus,” as she gazed at the various crosses on the wall.  Again, my heart pondered; it is not our crosses that are precious to us but the eternal covenant they symbolize.  This treasured covenant gives us great hope, daily joy and a holy, pursuant love for lost souls.

Psalm 39:7 “And now, LORD, for what do I wait?  My hope is in You.”

1 Thessalonians 5:8 “But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.”

Psalm 51:12 “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.”

Psalm 132:9 “Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let Your godly ones sing for joy.”

Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit,”

Romans 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

2 Corinthians 5:18, 20 “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,” “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us, we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

Thank You, Holy, Loving Father, for the covenant we enjoy with You, through the loving sacrifice of Your Son.  Your love for us is boundless and treasured.  Thank You for the marriage covenant You created for us to honor and cherish.  Help us to be faithful, covenant people with You and the spouses You have graciously given us.  May we keep the symbols of these covenants in proper perspective to the remarkable gifts they represent.

In the precious name of Jesus, amen.

Mischelle Oliver
Stephenville, Texas

Prayer VS Worry

It is inevitable that life is full of ups and downs. Some of these things are beyond our control and some, quite frankly, we create ourselves because we are people with clay feet. The problem that I have--and to which most of you can probably relate--is how I cope when they arise. My first instinct as a human being is to worry about the situation to bring about a resolution. I will confess I have spent an awful lot of time in my life worrying. I’ve worried about my job, my wife, my kids, approaching deadlines and shrinking budgets. I’ve worried about bills and expenses, rising gas prices, insurance costs and endless taxes. I’ve even worried about having my home in perfect condition for my family and company. With two little ones around and company that have kiddos, the house is turned upside down seconds upon their arrival and no one even notices.  

I’ve worried about first impressions, political correctness, terminal diseases, whether my house is going to sell or not and the list goes on. In spite of all this worrying I am still alive and well and bills are paid and life is good.

Over the span of my 32 years on this earth (yes, I know I am young and still have a lot to learn), worrying accounts for numerous hours of invaluable time that I will never get back. Over the past several months, I have been in constant conversations with my God and have made a conscious effort to spend my time more wisely and more enjoyably. Yeah, I know you are probably thinking, "Come on, Landon, I have heard this time after time and this is a Basic 101 concept, but how do I get to the root cause and stop actual worry?" By reading this far in this article if you’re not convinced yet to give up worrying (I know easier said, than done), here are some biblical reasons not to worry. This is the answer to the questions you have formulated in your head up to this point.

1.  Worrying accomplishes absolutely nothing.
If you are like me, I do not have time to waste these days and worrying is a waste of very precious time to solve a problem or bring about a solution. Why waste the time and effort? Matthew 6:27-29 asks if all your worries add a single moment to your life. And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.

2.  Worrying is not good for you.
Worrying is destructive to us in more ways than one. It is mentally destructive. It can cause us to grow physically sick. Proverbs 12:25 says worry weighs a person down, but an encouraging word cheers a person up.

3.  Worrying is the opposite of trusting God.
The energy that we spend worrying can be put to much better use in prayer.
Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us not to worry about anything. Instead, we should pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Jesus Christ.

4.  Worrying puts our focus in the wrong direction.
When we keep our focus on God, we know how much He loves us and we realize we truly have nothing to worry about. God has a plan for us and part of that plan is taking care of us. Even when difficult times arise and it seems God does not care, we put our heart and soul in His hands and focus on His kingdom. God will take care of our every need. Matthew 6:31-33 says we shouldn’t worry about such things as: 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but our heavenly Father already knows all our needs. Seek the kingdom of God above all else and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. 1 Peter 5:7 says we should give all our worries and cares to God, for He cares about us.
Father, Give us the strength and wisdom to be conscious and put our total focus on you.  You loved us so much and care for us so dearly that you sent Jesus to die for us. Help us to be constantly reminded of that and strengthen our faith. We love you, in your precious name, Amen.

Landon Kribbs
Springtown, Texas

I Didn't Know That

If anyone asked me as a child what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said “an astronaut.” I was fascinated by the idea of exploring the universe and actually leaving the earth. I loved the US Space Program and the astronauts were my heroes. I thought I knew everything about some of the more famous missions. Here’s something I didn’t know until recently:

The day that astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took their historic first steps on the moon, another “first”  took place. Before the Apollo 11 lift-off, Aldrin was looking for a way to honor God’s presence in the mission. So he took with him a piece of communion bread, some wine, and a tiny cup. They were sealed in plastic packets and stowed in his personal preference kit (each astronaut was allowed to take a few personal items with him.)

July 20, 1969 was a Sunday. After the Eagle touched down, Aldrin took the “supper” out of the flight packets and put it on a small table in front of the abort guidance-system computer. Then he called Houston and asked for a few moments of silence.

I would have SO loved to be there to watch the wine curl gracefully up the side of the cup when he poured it in the moon’s gravity of 1/6 earth’s gravity.  To have communed with Jesus on the MOON!  And to have had the supper with the astronauts as Aldrin read, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5.

I can only imagine the peace they must have felt there on the moon that day – just because, well, IT’S THE MOON! But when I think of what the Supper means (“This is my body; this is my blood”) I realize that, as violently as He was sacrificed for us, from this act came peace with God; a new covenant, making all things new.  And what must it have been like there, in that peaceful “new” place no man had walked before?

The communion unifies us; it makes us one people at His table. When we “devote ourselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer,“ (Acts 2:42) his unity wipes out differences of Nation, race, class, and any other cultural or social barriers.  How wonderful that must have been, celebrated on the Moon.

Father of the Universe, You are so great. You made it all. You are in still in charge, which is such a comfort, because we have made such a mess of “our part.” May we never take for granted or cease to wonder at Your creation.

God, I am so thankful for the sacrifice of Jesus.  And for the opportunity to celebrate each week His death and resurrection and the expectation of His return. May I never wish for more – as if sharing the supper with my Brothers & Sisters could ever be better, even on the moon. In His name, amen.

Lynn Anne Hughes

Stephenville, Texas

Living the Gospel in Prayer

I love how Matthew 5 starts.  “Blessed be...” is something I can work with.  I like to be blessed even if it requires a little effort on my part.  Sure, I may not always want to be meek or mourning or peacemaking but if I’m going to be blessed it sure sounds good.  

So Matthew 5 starts out pretty good but as it goes along Jesus seems to build up steam and, if I do say so myself, gets a bit demanding.  He gets away from telling me I’m going to be blessed and says something over the top like pray for those who persecute me.  Excuse me?  Can you repeat that?  Now, I’m great with the concept of prayer while I’m telling God all the people to cure and all the hurts to mend but this praying for those who persecute me business is asking more than I want to give some days.  

I’ve tried it.  I have prayed for someone who is persecuting me and I’m not very good at it.  In fact, I’m still in a season where I kind of throw it back in God’s lap.  My prayer goes something like this, “God, I pray for this person and ask that you touch their heart so you can work in their life.”  Now, that doesn’t sound too bad I suppose but it’s nothing like the prayer for my children when I cry out for God to work, nothing like the prayer for his help in overcoming my sins were I plead and cry tears of pain, nothing like the prayer for the hurting parents who lost a child or a child who lost their parent too soon.  Those prayers have a level of conviction that is palpable but my prayer for the persecutor is simple and not so heartfelt most of the time. Maybe it’s because I really want to ask God to allow me to seek retribution so that I may have the victory more than I want God to make them lovable and more in His image.  My heart isn’t in the prayer for my persecutor like it is for the person who I can love/sympathize/empathize with easily.  Jesus asks a lot from this prideful person when he asks that I pray for my persecutor.  

Paul, in Chapter 12 of his letter to the Romans, goes so far as to tell them to bless those who persecute them. Do you think he means bless them by doing something for them?  To reach out to them?  Oh my.

God gives us commands that I don’t believe are so much about doing what He wants us to do as they are a check of where our heart for Him stands.  If I can pray and bless those who persecute me, I am living a Christ-like life but if I can’t do that, it speaks volumes about where I am as a disciple and what is Lord of my life.  I’m secure that God is not condemning me because my prayer is so inadequate right now.  Instead, I believe He is reminding me of how much I can look like Him if I want to, if I’ll just let go of what breaks down and destroys and take hold of what builds up and glorifies.  

There are times I wish following God was easier but love isn’t easy.  It can’t be easy for God to love me at times but He does because God IS love and I know He is watching me and telling me that I can be love too. It’s what He hopes for me and what He wants for me and it’s who I want to be in my walk to reflect Christ in my life.

Jeff Jones

Decatur, Texas