A Letter to my Grandfather.......

Pappaw, here we are again...at home, surrounded by the familiar & precious sights & sounds & smell of family.  All my life we've been seperated by miles yet I could always pack up and come home & you'd be here waiting. You wouldnt be sitting in the rocking chair or twidling your thumbs & you wouldnt be still for long when I joined you, but you'd be here just the same, glad to see me & sad when our time together was over.
          Home is where we've shared many a summer day & made lots of happy memories....like learning to swim in your pool, or sitting in a deer stand, just the two of us, & you showing me a doe with her fawn walk out of the wods. Thats the same time you scared me when you put on a camo mask & I almost fell out of the stand! Then there's the times when I was younger when you would let me comb your wavy hair & one time you even combed mine! I remember places you took me & things you bought me. I remember all the Thanksgiving Days & how you always won the 'christmas eve gift.' And how could I forget cutting down my first christmas tree with you after I got married. It was huge & you tied & tied the rope. It took us hours to get it off the top of that honda civic! I remember all those happy things and it makes me smile.
             But something is different this time. I'm home & ur not here. And it's something more than miles that keeps us a part.  I can't jump in the car anymore & come see you or even pick up the phone & call you. We won't have another summer together & mimmaw won't celebrate another anniversary.  And that's why I'm crying.
               I've always told you I love you but I want to say it again. I love you & think you are the greatest grand dad anyone coud ever have! Your my hero because of all you did! You fought in WWII. You love my grandmother faithfully for  almost 65 years. You lead my dad to the Lord. You came to all my piano recitals. You touched my life!
           I want you to know, like always I can't stay here long. After today, i'll go to my house & keep living, making  memories with our family. I'll tell my kids about you & show them pictures. And as often as I can, i'll come back. But home is changed forever; life is changed forever.
        But, let me tell you 1 more thing... 1 day we'll b 2gether again, you & I. I'll join you in heaven, our real home, a home that last 4ever with no cancer, old age, separation & crying. And the best part...we'll all be with our Lord & Savior, Jesus.  And right nw, I promise 2 do everything I can to bring all our family with me!
          Your granddaughter forever, Kristy

January 24, 2011

PROVERBS OF THE DAY: “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” Just when you think you’ve got everything right & inline, sometimes you get hit with what can be described as a “spell of weakness” of the mind & body! Its Monday morning…..I’ve been to church & got fed, I’m prayed up, got the right attitude, and already read my Bible;  I’ve even had a healthy breakfast (ha ha), but now somehow, my strength is small. Boy, does the devil ever quit?

Anyway, looking forward to a busy, “something-every-night” week, here’s two reasons not to kill the cat or declare a “Anne of Green Gables day” & camp out on the couch….

1.       Jesus never quit! Hebrews 12:3-“For consider him that endured such contradictions of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”

2.       There’s a reward coming! Gal.6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

I think I’ll pray some more, wipe another yucky nose & keep crawling along. No matter what has happened or what will happen, my husband’s kisses are sweet, I love my babies and my Father’s always in control.

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Corinthian Criticisms, Comparisons, & Complaints

I Cor. 4:6-21

I Cor. 4:9 says, “For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death; for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels and to me.”

In verse 10 Paul points out some interesting comparisons; contrasting himself & other apostles with “ordinary” Christians……-Fool/wise, Weak/strong, Honorable/dishonorable.

And in verses 11-13 Paul lists what could be called “complaints”….hunger & thirst, nakedness, beatings, homelessness, hard work, sufferings, slanderings. He  also says, “We are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.” He’s not talking about all Christians, just the apostles!

He didn’t say all that to make the Christians feel bad.  He just wanted them to know what was happening to him, their spiritual father (and to all the apostles), & to warn them he could die or be taken away from them very easily (vs. 14).  He didn’t ask for help in this passage or use his problems as excuses. Then, he went further & told them to follow him. My favorite verse here is verse 16…”I beseech you, be ye followers of me.”  He wanted his kids to be like him.

I have a spiritual father. I also have had people in my life who have taught me & been my example, people who have worked & prayed for me. I am learning not to take them for granted or treat them lightly. I won’t have them forever.

 Now, I find myself in that position. I’m the one who has been through some things (nothing like Paul, of course) & I’m doing the begging now or rather, the praying...  Lord, please help me display a faithfully example for my daughters & teens & others so they might see the Savior & follow Him!  

January 22

Proverbs for the day: “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, & loving favour rather than silver & gold.”  Saturday, we buried my cousin Mathew. There were a lot of people at his funeral; old & young. They all held Matt in “loving favor.” That’s greater than Fort Knox! He also had a good name and that’s better than a million bucks! I leave Mat to the Lord & daily seek to transform my own reputation into something that will bring glory to my Savior.

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Motives

I Cor. 4:5: “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts and then shall every man have praise of God.”

This verse says one day the Lord will reveal my motives; the “counsels of my heart”, the why-I-do-things.

What motivates me to do right?

-FEAR?  What the consequence/results/outcomes might be if I don’t…  

-DUTY? My husband/family/friends/church expect it of me…

-HABIT? Its what I’ve always done…

Let me just tell you…..my personal motives for doing what’s right is definitely NOT because it is easy or because it is fun or because there’s nothing else I’d rather do!  That’s for sure!

No, I’m convinced my motivations should be…..love for the Lord!

John 14:23 & 24 says, “If a man love me, he will keep my words…He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings”. And vs. 15 says plainly, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

Knowing this causes David’s words in Ps. 119:143 to make more sense! It says, “Trouble & anguish have taken hold on me: yet they commandments are my delights.”  The more Jesus loves me, the more I love Him….and the more I love Him, the more I’ll want to (or the more I am motivated) to obey His words.

If my motive is fear, when judgment is prolonged, I might think I got away with something & sin again. If its duty, I might quit when I get tired or when someone disappoints me. And if its habit…..Well, we all know that doesn’t fly when the going gets tough! But if it is His love; well, that’s never-ending. He has a vast supply ready for me every morning.

So when my heart & soul is held by trouble & anguish (Just so you’ll know, that’s a regular thing for me these days!) this girl knows what to do! I try to do the right thing for the right reason! And that would be: obey the Lord out of a heart of LOVE.

Then I won’t have to tell everybody how my I love the Lord…..they’ll know it.  He’ll tell them Himself one of these days!

Servants of Christ

1 Cor. 4:1-"Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ..."

That verse says that others should consider us to be servants and the Lord  our Master.  We have an excellent text for being a servant....John 13.

In vs. 4 & 5 gives us a great outline to follow when it comes to serving others...
-He quit what He was doing
-He removed any hindrances
-He found the tools He needed
-He prepared Himself
.....and then He washed their feet. And in a further example of self-sacrifice He dried their feet with the towel He was using to keep Himself dry.

He served Thomas knowing he would doubt.
He served Peter knowing he would deny.
He served Judas knowing he was a devil.
He served the others knowing they would forsake Him at His death & hide in fear.

Jesus wasn't their servant b/c they were deserving and certainly those around me don't deserve it either (nor do I). No, He served & I should serve b/c it is the Master's wish. It's a 'ur wish is my command,' kind of thing.

Peter almost had it right. He was closer than the others anyway. He realized the impropriety of the situation & argued for Jesus to stop in vs. 6 & 8. But he fell short of the best response. Instead of opening his big mouth he should have followed the perfect example before Him & taken the Lord's place on the floor with the towel & basin of water. He should have been the one to have washed the dirty feet. Or better yet, he should have come up with the whole idea himself when the host or hostess didn't provide a servant to do it. That's the lesson here...don't wait to be served, serve others. I know it's not easy. Peter had the Lord right there in the very same room & he couldn't do it!

What is it that I am complaining about in my life? I should stop arguing with the Lord & start washing some feet! If I'm serving others I'll be too busy to notice what others are or are not doing & it will not go unrewarded. Matthew 24:46!!!

1 Cor. 2:8

'...Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified theLord...'

Often times we codemn theJews, especially the temple leaders, b/c they killed the Lord. But the Word tells us they didn't kno who He was. If they had, they wouldn't have done it.

Thinking about this past year, I realize....if I had known at the beginning of 2010 what was going to happen, I wouldnt have done a lot of things that I did do! I did things (in ignorance) that caused problems. Shouldn't have said that! Shouldn't have done that! Shouldn't have gone there! Shouldn't have watched that! Etc. Looking back, these are things I regret. I didn't know what would happen. I wish I could take them back. Probably a lot like the Jews feel today, by the way.

I didn't know what would happen ...but, of course, my Lord did!  He had that knowledge from the beginning AND He has the knowledge of what's gonna happen in the new year. In light of this, I am striving to walk in His wisdom in 2011. Doing that, I can have a great year....a year with no regrets! It's Jan. 1st and so far, so good....