A Mother's Heart

A MOTHER’S HEART

God makes a wondrous thing

When He forms a Mother’s heart.

He fills it with such love

Beginning at the start. 

The baby once within

Now a child who comes of age

The Mother’s heart enlarges

With every passing stage.

The heart that shapes the life

Does day by day choose best

For the children who at one time

Nurtured at her breast. 

The heart that guides the young one

Continues to lead the teen

Cherishes, treasures, holds

Through trials unforeseen. 

A Mother’s heart so light

It carries much inside.

At the thought of precious children

Bursts easily with pride. 

How grateful are we all

For the Mothers God graciously gives

She loves like none other

           For all the time she lives.           

            Wendy West

Facing the Future

I am getting a bit unnerved by all the bad news lately. The vast majority of which is so horrific I fear violating the commands in Scripture for our speech to be edifying.  The news which I don't watch on TV or subscribe to the newspaper still creeps into my heart.  I find it somewhat terrifying what people do to one another. So it was very appropriate that our Bible Study on Monday night spoke of how to face the future.  Our teacher's main truth was: "The only way to face the future wisely is with God."
What an understatement in these days and times. I struggle to cope well as a believer and thus I shudder to think what my life would be as an unbeliever.

I was talking with a friend earlier about some things. She said she was grateful that God had sheltered her from the world's ways. I wholeheartedly agree. I wasn't as sheltered but am glad that now I restrict a lot of things I watch and hear.  Every choice we make now affects our future faith. I don't want anything in my head that doesn't speak of the glory of God. Now trust me I am far from doing that but it is my goal.  The other stuff causes much anxiety.  Genesis 49: 24 and 25 describe the Lord as "The Mighty One of Jacob", the "Shepherd", the "Stone of Israel", "God", and the "Almighty who blesses you".  That is He in whom we can put our trust. Only in knowing Him can we hope for an unshakable source of calm. Only by knowing Jesus Christ can we face death unafraid for He is our ultimate destiny.  Oh for the grace to put these truths to practice in my own life. Oh for the peace it would bring!

Where Has All the Decorum Gone?

Tonight I went to an award ceremony for the top 100 professionals in a given field.  Who and what doesn't matter. My point is the reactions of the audience.  I should have gotten my first clue when the passed out cowbells and clackers on the way into the auditorium. I have witnessed a trend for years of the loss of decorum and reverence at graduations and similar services. Tonight however crossed a line that made me very uncomfortable.

 From the time the first name was announced there were the aforementioned cowbells, clackers, air horns, police sirens and a couple of screeching loud noises I didn't recognize.  My head hurt and my ears rang the entire ceremony. There were signs and flashes and neon eyeglasses. Pity the poor person bothered by such stimuli. The air horns blasted by the family in the row behind us left us with wet heads and necks. It was particularly distressing to me that a father instructed his children to blow loud and hard. The behavior was way beyond rude. It was troubling that so many people weren't bothered at all. In fact, it was a contest to see who could be the loudest.

Sometimes I am left wondering where this will all end.  I am stunned by such irreverence, lack of professionalism and outright silly and rude behavior.  I was proud of my loved one for her achievements. The ceremony left me wondering just what has become of not only North Texas but America as well. Have we lost our collective conscience?  Dr. MacArthur wrote a book entitled "The Vanishing Conscience." It is one of my favorites of his. I have to agree with his statement :"We live in a culture that has elevated pride to the status of a virtue." We are living in a time when moral judgment and rightness have taken a back seat to doing whatever seems right in our own eyes.  The results of such an attitude are tragic. I fear we have gone too far way too far.

Life is a Vapor--Remember the Dash

I have lost three aunts to death in as many months. All three were in the 80s or 90s and lived long lives as the world counts it.  There have been many others who have passed away this year thus far. How quickly the time passes. The Scripture says our lives are as vapor.  One wisp and we are gone to meet our eternal destiny. I can remember my aunts for the nearly sixty years I've been alive.   the time roared by. Someone once said that the most important thing on the tomb stone is the dash.  The dash between the birth date and date of death. It is what we do to redeem that time represented by this dash that God deems most valuable. 

I had some friends over for dinner tonight. One of them commented about a prophetically minded man who has gone home to be with the Lord. His name was Leonard Ravenhill. My friends remembered hearing him speak in person here in Fort Worth. Ravenhill spoke of wishing he didn't have to eat as often so he could have more time to share the Lord. He wished he could be freed from all earthly pursuits in order to preach the excellencies of Jesus Christ. Oh how convicting that was for me. How little I think of Him. How much my mind is occupied with temporal pursuits. Our lives are vapors. They are short even if given a hundred years here.  We choose what we are going to spend our time doing.  Remember the dash. It reflects the life. A life lived for Jesus Christ or one lived pursuing earthly ventures. The Lord determines how long is the dash. We determine how we choose to live during it..

The Levite Blessing

We studied Genesis 49 in Bible Study tonight. The chapter details Jacob's blessing to his 12 sons. Two of them, Simeon and Levi, are told that they were cruel and brutal. Jacob remembered the massacre of men in Shechem in revenge for the rape of Levi and Simeon's sister Dinah.  The two brothers talked Shechemites into accepting circumcision as a means of integrating the two cultures including intermarriage.  Then when the men were particularly vulnerable the brothers took their own men and slaughtered everybody and looted the town.

Much later God blessed the Levites at the golden calf incident.  While Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Law Aaron and others were busy building the golden calf as their god.  Moses came down from the Mount and was furious. Aaron lamely said that he didn't do much. He threw the gold into a fire and a calf came out.  Exodus 32: 24:  I [Aaron} said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.” Aaron shifted a bit of the blame.

It was the Levites who stood for the Lord and killed some 3000 men who had so grievously sinned against  the True God of Israel. Exodus 32: 25- 29:   Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control—for Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies— ²⁶ then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him. ²⁷ He said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Every man of you put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.’” ²⁸ So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day. ²⁹ Then Moses said, “Dedicate yourselves today to the Lord—for every man has been against his son and against his brother—in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today.”

God blessed the Levites by choosing them as the priestly line.  These people carried the Ark of the Covenant, ministered later in the tabernacle and temple and the High Priest was chosen from among their ranks.  God in His grace took a curse and made it into a blessing. How comforting to know that God can relent and take our bad circumstances and use them for our good and the good of others.  When we repent, God can do marvelous things in our life.

Evangelistic Hospitality

Last night I was listening to a Christian radio talk show. The hostess was interviewing Rosaria Butterfield a former liberal lesbian that the Lord transferred from a domain of darkness into the kingdom of His Son.  Rosario was befriended by a pastor and his wife who loved her into the kingdom.  Ms. Butterfield set out to refute certain biblical claims. In all fairness she said she needed to read the Bible first. 

The pastor wrote her a letter and ended up inviting her into his home. His was not a hate letter by any means but he asked her some penetrating questions. She said that the couple didn't share the Gospel or invite her to their church but rather had her and others over for a meal.  Had they pressed the Gospel or church attendance she stated she would have run away.

I found her comments compelling.  She is well educated and savvy women  with a Ph.D. in English. She is no dummy. The couple was patient and kind enough to continually to open their home and hearts to her. As she read the Bible, they answered her questions without any prejudice.  Their heart was for her to come to know the Jesus Christ they knew.  After months of reading and studying Jesus first hand in His Word, the Spirit brought her to faith.  I think there is a valuable lesson here.  I've been guilty of shotgun evangelism where you toss out facts like a machine gun. I've pressed for church attendance but I haven't always been loving and patient opening MY heart and home.  There are other Rosarias out there to be loved. Perhaps God will direct one my way and I this time I  respond with love and truth.

"Surprise" Christians

Today I visited my Dad at the facility where he resides. I was wheeling him back to his room from the dining area.  A praise song we sang at church ran through my head.  As I turned the corner to my Dad's room I heard a male voice singing the same song.  I looked at the guy and the first thought in my head was "Surely he's not a believer is he?." I'm not saying that singing praise songs necessarily means you know the Savior.  But it does indicate the presence of some fruit perhaps.

I was astonished at my bias.  There really was no reason for me to judge him one way or another. In fact, I don't know why my first thought was that he wasn't a believer.  I think I wasn't expecting to find a Christian in the facility. It is a foolish thought because I've talked to others there who seem very genuine in their faith. Later when talking with the Lord the Spirit convicted me of my prejudice. The man was the same race as I, near the same age as I and could have been my next door neighbor. I judged him unfairly.  It was sinful and wrong.  I hope I'm more aware of it in the future. It blessed me afterwards to think that he is a brother.  I hope I see him again. Maybe we can sing the praise song together next time. I'm going to be on the lookout for more "Surprise Christians."