Waning

Years ago our family had a favorite restaurant that was located in other cities, but not ours.  If we were going out of town, we would plan our route to stop by Birmingham or Montgomery to visit the Macaroni Grill in one of those towns.

When our son finished Airborne training in Fort Benning, we left after the graduation ceremony and headed to Montgomery to celebrate with a lunch at Macaroni Grill.

One day several years ago, we noticed a new building come up not a half a mile from our house.  We joked that it would be neat if it were a Macaroni Grill.  We watched the progress of the building speculating what it would be.  Once the shape of the outside could be made out, I began to look online for restaurants with that form.  And what do you think I found?  It was exactly like a Macaroni Grill I found online.

Indeed, within a few weeks the Macaroni Grill in Mobile opened for business.  While we were thrilled, we did notice the service and food was not quite the caliber of the other restaurants we had visited.  Nevertheless, we could order our favorite dishes and enjoyed quite a few family celebrations there.  In fact, it was there I chose to have my last meal the night before my tonsillectomy.

Lemon Passion Cake

Over time, the joys and pleasures of the Macaroni Grill began to wane in our eyes.  Except for that wonderful Lemon Passion Cake, the food didn't seem to be the same, the service was not as stellar and the general atmosphere seemed somehow different.  We began to choose different restaurants for family dinners.  It has been a few years since any of us had even been there now.

In life, all things wane.  Everything loses its luster, its attraction.  Something we may have longed for dearly becomes old, worn and obsolete.   Everything that is, except the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ironically, the Scriptures say that He is without "form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him," (Isaiah 53:2.)  And yet, He is the very thing that our hearts --everyone's heart-- desires.  We try desperately to fill that void with other things, but our hearts, as St. Augustine said,  ". . .are restless till they find rest in Thee."

He is such that the more we know of Him, the more we long to know.  The more we experience His love, His grace and His mercy, the more we desire to experience Him.  He is a wellspring of flowing water to our thirsty hearts, He is the Bread of Life to our hungering spirits.  He is the "all and in all."  

He will never diminish, He will never fade, He will never wane.  We will spend all eternity discovering new facets of His character, His nature, His person and His creation and we will never tire of doing so.

From the poem "Always Rejoicing" attributed simply to Pauline T. :

"The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,

A fountain ever springing;

All is mine since I am His-

How can I keep from singing?"

Surf the Waves

I had the sweetest patient the other night.  She and her husband were a joy to be with.  Although she wouldn't be delivering on me, we had several talks about her upcoming labor the next day.  She wanted to go without an epidural and had never labored before.  That would be sort of like me wanting to do a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail when I have never camped before!

I talked to them both about what they could expect and what their various roles would be.  "If you are sitting in that recliner," I told the dad, "then you aren't doing a good job."

The main thing I told my patient was that she couldn't be passive with the contractions.  I told her how the contractions were like strong waves at the beach.  When in the fierce surf, you can't let the waves just through you around, you have to be active, you have to have a plan ahead of time.

I encouraged her that she could indeed meet her goal, but she would have to be ready to work with each contraction.  She needed to be prepared for it when it came and have a plan for how she was going to deal with them.

After I left work, I thought how that was so much like our Christian walk.  There will always be temptations, distractions and deceptions from the world, the flesh and the devil.  We cannot be passive as thoughs "fiery darts" come our way.  We must have a plan how we will deal with these when they occur.

The Lord Jesus used Scriptures when He was tempted, and this is a perfect pattern for us to follow.  Relying on the written word of God helps us to affirm what is true, what He has said is true.  It strengthens our own heart as we hear those words and it helps us identify the truth from those falsehoods our enemies through at us.

The Birdhouse

There is a house in our city which has an interesting feature outside.  

It is a birdhouse which is an exact replica of the house.  We have passed it several times on our walks and it never fails to bring a smile to my face.  Since this house is in a historic district, I am pretty safe in assuming the birdhouse was made to resemble the house and not the other way around.

The birdhouse looks exactly like the house. . .the same shutters, the same porch, the same painting scheme.  The birdhouse, however, is not and will never be the house.  The house is more grand in every way than the birdhouse can ever hope to be.  The birdhouse is merely that which points to, and draws attention to the house.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.   

For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."  Romans 8:28,29.

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18

As Christians, we, too, are replicas, or we are being changed into a replica. . .a replica of Christ.  His Spirit is working in our spirits to conform us to the image of the Lord Jesus.  We are not and will never be Him.  He is more grand and glorious than we could ever imagine to be.  We exist to point to and bring attention to Him, because in all things He must have the preeminence.

"For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.  And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence."  Colossians 1:16-18.

What a wonderful thought that we are being made into His image, His likeness and His character, and yet, the attention will never be on us, but on Him.  For all eternity, every Christian, in their own unique way, will point to the wonders and glory of the Lord Jesus.

Follow His Feet

When Glen and I go out walking, we have learned it is best for only one person to decide if it is safe to go at the street crossings.  Glen takes on this role as "navigation."  He will check the traffic and either issue a "Go" or a "Stop."

Sometimes, his feet move before his mouth has told me what to do.  In those situations, I just follow his feet.  I know I won't be wrong if I step when he steps and stands when he stands, even if I haven't audibly heard his voice telling me what to do.

There are times in our lives when we face decisions and just aren't sure which path to take.  It is in those times we must trust the Lord to reveal His path to us.  While we won't hear an audible voice telling us to "go" or to "stop," He will lead us in a "plain path" as the psalmist wrote.

In those times when we truly don't know what the Lord's will is, we should follow His feet.  Which path most closely resembles the character, nature and actions of the Lord Jesus?  Which path most closely aligns to the life He lived, the choices He made and the Person He was and is?

When we start looking at our choices in the view of His choices, our path may become clear indeed.

All My Springs

Glen and I have a song entitled "All My Springs."  When Glen introduces the song, he usually says something like this:

"When David wrote the words, "all my springs are in Thee," (Psalms 87:7) he wasn't just speaking of a nice waterway in which to spend a Saturday morning.  He was talking of their very life.  A source of clean water meant the difference between life and death for them.  David was telling the Lord that He was his very life.  Indeed, He is our very life as well.  He is all we need in every sitution.  All our springs continue to be in Him and Him alone."

This week he introduced the song this way and I immediately thought of something more recent in our lives.

Walking out in the hot, summer Mobile days, having water readily available is imperative, especially as our mileage goes into double digits.  Thanks to my wonderful hydration pack, I carry a minimum of two and sometimes up to four liters of water with us as we walk.  There have been several days when we have consumed every milliliter of those four liters.  The water flowing out of my pack is essential for our health in the heat.

The Scriptures tell us of another flowing water.  "He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, our of his belly shall flow rivers of living water," (John 7:38.)  The little phrase contained in the center of the verse is essential:  "as the Scripture hath said."  We do not just believe on the Lord Jesus in any willy-nilly way, but in the way laid out by the Scriptures.  That is the way of grace through faith.  As the old hymn says, "nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling." There is no good thing we can do that is "good enough" to satisfy the Lord's requirements.  We must solely trust on Him.

The Lord Jesus has completed everything in order for us to have a relationship with Him, and He is doing everything to maintain that relationship.   Our part is to believe this by grace through faith and to walk in that faith believing that we do so through the "power of His might."  Philippians 2:13 tells us that it is His work, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure," not ours.  He works in us and we work through the power of His might, not our own. 

These are the rivers of living water, the things He works in us and the things which subsequently flow out of us.  The river does not flow for itself, it is for others, and the living water of Christ flowing through us is for others too.  We work not to obtain our own salvation, for that is futile effort.  We do work, however, that the life of our Lord Jesus will flow through us to those around us.

All My Springs

WORDS AND MUSIC BY GLEN DAVIS

 All my springs are in Thee,

You are the fount of my being, 

And I look only to Thee
to find fulfillment and meaning. . . 

For all my springs are in Thee,
All my springs are in Thee. 

 Rivers of purest joy
flow swiftly into our spirits, 

And as the mercy tides roll,
Your voice, Lord, Oh, I can hear it. . . 

For all my springs are in Thee,
All my springs are in Thee. 

 So let me drink, Lord, of Thee,
o, lead me beside Thy Wellspring; 

And in the water I'll see
reflections of Christ so lovely. . . 

 For all my springs are in Thee,
All my springs are in Thee. 

 All my springs are in Thee.

To Pull Down

On April 14th of this year, our whole Labor & Delivery unit, along with the Nursery moved from the location it has been since it was built thirty years ago.  For thirteen months contractors will be creating for us a brand new, combined unit.

Progress with this renovation has been very slow up to this month.  Workers have been meticulously removing anything that can be used later somewhere else.  I have visited our old unit every week and the changes have been few and far between.  Until last week.

I had a few minutes and walked around to the old unit.  The main double doors, which were always locked when we occupied the space, were open.  I didn't even have to step across the threshold to see the changes.

My view from our unit's doors.

What had once been two hallways with rows of birthing rooms was now a pile of rubble and a tangle of wires and pipes.  I have to admit, it brought tears to my eyes to see the unit I have loved for the past twenty-two years so destroyed.  (If you look on the right side of the picture, however, you can see my desk still sitting where was the day I left.)

The view from our kitchen to our operating rooms.

It would have been impossible for the workers to create a new space for us without first taking away the old.  As the days, weeks and months pass we will begin to see our shiny new unit emerge from the rubble.

We see this truth in the Bible, as well in the instructions the Lord gave the Prophet Jeremiah:

"See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, 

to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, 

to build, and to plant."  

Jeremiah 1:10

Jeremiah was instructed to do six things, four were of a destructive nature and two were of a constructive nature.  The old and the wrong had to be pulled down before the new and the better could be built.

Many times in our own lives the Lord must first root out, pull down, destroy and throw down before He can build and plant.  Perhaps we have wrong plans or intentions, misconceptions or beliefs.  As my husband said yesterday, first we must "unlearn" the wrong we have picked up before we can learn the Lord's truth.

The pulling down process is often hard for us. . . it brings tears to our eyes.  But when we see the Lord begin to create the new, the right, the perfect in us, well, that brings tears to our eyes as well.  Tears of joy, tears of thanksgiving, tears of awe for His infinite understanding.

None of us enjoy the pulling down stages in our lives, but we can know that His pulling down has the accuracy of a surgeon's scalpel, that nothing we truly need will be removed.  There is great comfort in this knowledge and as we walk by faith with Him through our renovation, we can take great comfort that He is conforming us to the image of "His dear Son."

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.  For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified. 

What  shall we say then to these things?  If God be for us, who can be against us?"  Romans 8:28-31

The Comfortable Place

Less than an hour ago I was asleep, cozy & comfortable in my bed.

When one works night shift, they become experts in making a comfortable sleeping arrangement.

First if all, my room is chocolate brown, to facilitate darkness.  The windows are covered with dark fabric under the curtains to block out all daylight.

When I sleep during the day I can arrange the six pillows on our bed in any way I want,  I can sleep anywhere on the bed, too.

I have a soft velour eye mask and great earplugs that block out the sounds of the world.

My fan keeps me cool and my fluffy cover keeps me warm.  My beagle snuggles next to me for company.

It is very comfortable.  But from where did all that comfort come ?

It came from God, whom the Scriptures describe as "The God of all comfort."

Isn't it just like God that "all comfort" comes from the One who willingly gave up all comfort?

The Scriptures say that the Lord Jesus had no place to let His head, and they refer to Him as the "Man of Sorrows, aquainted with grief."  Born in a manger and died on a cross, He gave up comfort that He might freely give it to us.

So the next time we feel something comfortable...a bed or  a chair, a piece of clothing, the touch of a friend's hand, let us remember to thank the One from which it comes, the Man of Sorrows, the God of all comfort.

My Armour

It takes me a bit longer to get ready to walk than it does Glen.  I have more "armour" to put on.

I have, of course, my walking shorts and tops.  These are chosen to be as light and cool as possible and to reduce any friction while walking.  

I also take my hydration pack, which is strapped securely in place and provides me with cool water as we walk.  

I would not walk without taking special care of my feet.  I make sure to coat them with lubricant to prevent blisters then put on two pairs of socks.  Next come my trail runners.  

I then put on my running wallet which carries my cell phone and lip balm.  Attached to that is a towel to wipe my face.  

I always wear my orange "Sweet Olive" hat to keep the sun out of my face and my sunglasses to keep the sun (and branches overhanging the path) out of my eyes.  If we are walking on nature trails, I also carry my walking stick.  

While it takes a few minutes to gather and don all of the items, each has a purpose that none of the other items can fulfill.  I would feel lost without any one of them.   The time spent in preparation beforehand is well worth it on the road.  

It reminds me of this passage of Scripture:

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  

 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" (Ephesians 6:10-18.)

Each of the things the Apostle Paul urges us to "take" have a particular purpose, which cannot be fulfilled by any of the other things.  Each is something necessary for us to "stand against the wiles of the devil."  

Let us remember each day that there is a battle raging, whether or not we hear the cannons or see the smoke.  There is an enemy whose purpose is to devour us and we must be prepared against all the "fiery darts of the wicked."  

Let us trust be strong in the Lord and the power of His might and find ourselves prepared for battle with His armour.

Empty Inside

There is a great oak tree at the entrance of our subdivision which welcomes all who turn into our streets.  Originally, there was one on each side of the street, but a few years ago a hurricane damaged one to the point it had to be removed.


The other day, I don't know if it was the result of a storm or if it just happened spontaneously, part of this grand old tree fell down, the huge branches covering the yard and the street.

What I didn't realize when I first saw the fallen tree was that it fell because the entire inside had rotted away.  While there were still beautiful large limbs and an abundance of green leaves, the inside was almost hollow.  This gave no support for the tremendous weight of the limbs.

Once the homeowner began cutting the limbs out of the street and yard, we could see that even many of the limbs themselves had hollow places in them.

Until the tree fell, looking at it, one would only be impressed with its beauty and grace, it's size and longevity.  But now we know, as Paul Harvey used to say, "the rest of the story."

The tree needed the strength and soundness of the trunk to continue.  The beauty and structure of the limbs mean nothing without what should have been inside the trunk.  The same can be said of us.

It is well and good to do things for the Lord, and in fact, we are called to do many things.  But if our heart, our motives, are not right, we are like this tree with an empty trunk.  In fact, the Apostle Paul said it this way:

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. "   I Corinthians 13:1-3

All these things he mentions are great things, let's face it, how many of us have "moved mountains?"  Yet, if our motive is not love of God and love of man, then however great the thing we are doing, no matter how earnestly we perform it, no matter how diligently we continue it is, it is nothing.

It is amazing to me how easily wrong motives can creep in with the right motives.  The motive of wanting to be noticed, wanting to be appreciated.  The motive of thinking I am good because I have done one thing or another.  I suspect that often we have motives we would be ashamed of it there were made known, and yet we don't even know we have them.

I am not one to suggest anyone participate in self-inspection.  In fact, I don't believe the Bible teaches any type of focus on ourselves.  I do believe, however, that as David did, we can ask the Lord to inspect our motives.

 "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting," (Psalm 139:23, 24.)

May we open our eyes to that leading of the Lord, to His correction in our lives when necessary.  And may we also seek that one will: the eternal glory of Christ.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  Nothing else.

Death Heals

Mostly because of our ministry in nursing homes, Glen and I have attended quite a few funerals.  Some of these dear ones who have passed away were leaving behind a physical life of pain, discomfort and loneliness.  For them, death was the ultimate healing.

In fact, death will be the ultimate healing for all of us.

At the most recent funeral we attended, the preacher said this, "We are all desolving.  Right now, this minute, you are desolving."  We are all headed to death (apart from the returning of the Lord Jesus in our lifetime).  It is inevitable.

But it is not bad.

After nine months (more or less) a baby is evicted from the womb by the force of labor.  The baby leaves everything it has known, it leaves sure provision and comfort for a new world it knows nothing of.  Birth, for the most part, is the envitable conclusion of conception.  But once the baby is in the arms of the mother, I doubt a single one ever longs for the days of the womb.  They breathe air for the first time, they see colors and shapes they have never known before.  They smell, they hear clearly, they touch and are touched.  They know love in a way they could have never imagined in the womb.

The day will come when each of us is evicted from this life to another.  We do not cease to live, but as our dear friend Tom said after my Daddy died, we just move to "a better neighborhood."  We begin to live, indeed.

We will know life as we have never imagined it here.  We will drop the robes of pain, discomfort, tears and loneliness as we fly into the arms of "Joy unspeakable," Peace which "passeth all understanding," and "Love which passeth knowledge." 

In a moment, a twinkling, we shall be healed.

Acclimated

I did not get to walk Sunday.

 I was on-call for the hospital and got called in just at the time we normally have for walking.  I did however, experience some of the effects of my six months of walking.

Once I arrived at the hospital I found out I had been called in to be the scrub nurse on a Cesarean Section.  Since our unit has temporarily been relocated (while the hospital builds us a brand new obstetrics unit) we no longer have our own operating rooms.  Instead the Cardiovascular surgical department has been gracious enough to "loan" us one of theirs.  It is in the building next door, one floor higher.  This means to scrub on that C-Section I had to go up one floor and walk about 1/3 of a mile to reach the CVOR.

Once I got there, I was busy rushing about trying to set things up before the patient -- and more importantly, the surgeons -- arrived.  The operation had barely begun when I felt what has become common to me lately, sweat running down the middle of my back.

It seems I have become so heat acclimated that the slightest bit of heat or physical exertion, causes my body to produce sweat.  So there I was, in an operating room that feels about 50 degrees, sweating.

"Through reason of use" my body has been exercised to become more efficient at dispersing heat.

As Christians, we can become acclimated as well.  As we throughout our lives read the Scriptures and hide them in our hearts, we become more acclimated to the how of dealing with temptation.  "By reason of use" we exercise our sense to discern both good and evil.

It reminds me of what a dear young man we know said when he was just a boy, "Satan tries to make good things look bad and bad things look good."  How true, Sterling!  But as we become skilful in the word of righteousness, we begin to discern what is God's way and what is the lie of the enemy.  We become acclimated to righteousness. . .our spirits become more efficient at choosing rightly.

Let us all have it said of us that we are "of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil," (Hebrews 5:14.)

Alive Again

I never noticed how many palms there are in our city until we started walking.  Some are tall trees, some are more bush like, and some are in between.  They are not a plant I generally care for, but in some instances they look just perfect.

The ice-storm we experienced this past winter was not a pleasant thing for these palms.  In fact, as we walked through our city  afterward, I was saddened on more than one occasion by the apparent death of the palms.  Their fronds had become a mass of brown and I wondered how the various land owners would deal with the loss of their plants.

Then Spring came.

I began to notice something very interesting about the palms.  They didn't look so dead after all.  It first began as a cone shaped thing coming from the center of the palm.  Looking closely, I could see the hope of palm fronds to come all bundled together in this mass.


The center cone became larger and larger as the days passed.  Then the individual parts began to blossom.

Finally, over the weeks, the tan blossoms turned green. The palms were back.  Many of them look healthier and prettier than before they were covered in ice.

The Lord built into that palm plant the how and when to renew itself, to be alive again.  The plant didn't do it for itself, God put that in there.

As those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus as our Savior, He has put in us the how and when to be "alive again" as well.  In fact, He has accomplished the death and resurrection of our inward man Himself, our only response is faith.

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" (Ephesians 2:4-6.)

We were dead in our sins without the Lord, and He quickened us -- He made us alive in the spirit-- and bonded us to Himself.  He raised us up and has set us with Him in heavenly places.

I love the old word "quicken."  It means alive.  In an obstetrics sense, a woman is said to have experienced "quickening" when she has felt the baby move. . .she knows by what she feels the baby is alive.  When we come to know the Lord by grace through faith, we know that we are newly alive as well.

The Apostle Paul describes our quickening more fully in Romans:

"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?  Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.   

For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.  

Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God.  

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:3-11.)

Like the palms that to me were dead and are now alive, in Christ we have been created as a "new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."  (2 Corinthians 5:15.)

Let us live in the joy and truth of the resurrection that the Lord has wrought in our very hearts.  We are no longer that "old" person, but we are new with hearts that  "delight in the law of God after the inward man," (Romans 7:22.)

The Silent Partner

(Thanks to my sister for the inspiration for this Powder Room.)

Twenty-three years ago, when I was pregnant with my youngest daughter, Emmie, I was going through a particularly stressful time at work. I had been moved to a shift I was not used to working, and with co-workers I had never worked with before. 

I was so tempted to feel alone.  But I was not alone, because everywhere I went, Emmie went with me and  I took great solace in that.  It was as if I had a secret friend with me everywhere. . .a silent partner.

Other than the occasional kick, Emmie really didn't and couldn't communicate with me, but I knew she was there.  Sometimes I would talk to her, (I talked to all my babies before they were born) but even if I didn't, I knew she was on my team.

As Christians, we always have that "silent partner."  The Lord is always on our team. He is for us. And there is no place we can ever go that we will be apart from Him.

The Apostle Paul spoke of this great union as the hope of glory:

 "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:" Colossians 1:27.

He also said that when we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, His Holy Spirit comes to live within us, ". . .because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us"  (Romans 5:5.)

In fact, Paul tells the Corinthians that when the Holy Spirit comes to reside in our hearts, we become "one spirit."   "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit," (1 Corinthians 6:17.)  Of course, we do not become God, anymore than a man and woman joined in marriage as "one flesh" become each other.  But God forever resides in us.  

What a great comfort, what source of peace and joy to know there is never a place where He will not be with us.  He will always be wherever we are, always available, always loving and always residing in our hearts.

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; 

and be content with such things as ye have: 

for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

Hebrews 13:5

Sidewalks

There is one issue we must continually address when walking in our city. . .the sidewalks. If you ever pass people  walking in the street and wonder why they aren't on the sidewalks,  there is probably a good reason.

There are many areas in our city with good, flat sidewalks. One of my favorite places to walk is on Government Street because the sidewalks are shaded by a large canopy of oak trees and they are wide and usually in good shape.

Blocked sidewalk

There are areas with problems, however.  Some of these areas are where the sidewalk is flat and intact, but the aggregate in the concrete is made of big, smooth pebbles.  The slightest dampness makes it so slippery, it is dangerous to traverse.

Then there are places where trees,  scrubs and other plants have encroached the pathway enough to make it impassable.  Today we encountered some type of thorny vine across the sidewalk. . . we definitely didn't want to get tangled in that!

There are places where the sidewalk is broken up and pieces project up at odd angles.  I have seen some as much as ten or twelve inches above the rest of the sidewalk.

Some areas where the sidewall itself is intact,  have been covered with the erosion of topsoil from the adjoining yard,  creating a substance as slick as oil.

My favorite area of sidewalks in our town is downtown.  The trees are encircled with beautiful flowers, the sidewalks are usually swept and clean.  The gas lights add a pleasant touch, and there is always something interesting to see.

The main thing about sidewalks, though, is that they are a path.  As Christians, we all follow a path in life.  Sometimes that path is wide and covered with shade, making for a pleasant time.  Sometimes the path is cracked up and broken. We must trust the Lord for His wisdom and guidance as to where we place our feet.

Sometimes our path is covered with slick, dirty stuff.  We all experience times when the temptations of the world, the devil and our own flesh seem to obscure our path.  As with our physical sidewalks, we do best our best to avoid these spots at all costs.  We should never harbor so much pride that we think we can walk through the mud-slick without coming away with mud upon us.

Sometimes our paths have uneven places, places that even require us to climb a bit.  These places cause us to trust the Lord more and to help us to "grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ."

May we each seek to walk the path the Lord has set before us, and in those times when the way is not clear, let us pray, as did David, "Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path. . ." Psalm 
27:11.

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in His way."

As He Said

"He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. 

Come, see the place where the Lord lay."  

Matthew 28:6

There has been no event more amazing, nor more significant, upon the face of the earth than the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In a lifetime of miraculous events -- a sinless life, a virgin birth, a transfiguration -- the culminating event had to happen to make the others significant.  If the Lord Jesus Christ had not risen from the dead, there would be little cause to discuss the other events.  The Resurrection is the evidence that all the others were true.

There is one point of the resurrection which makes it even more spectacular.  He told His disciples that it would happen.

"For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."  Matthew 12:40

"And He began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again."  Mark 8:31

It would have been one thing for God the Father to have resurrected the Lord Jesus when no one knew about it.  It is quite another for it to be predicted and then actually happen. 

This had to speak so much about the faith the Lord Jesus had in His Father's words, His Father's purpose and His Father's character.  He believed His Father would raise Him from the dead, He said so, and it was so.

Now if I tell you I am going to do something for you, you might expect it.  But I might forget I had made that promise, or I might be providentially hindered from fulfilling my promise.  I have learned that even the best intentions and plans sometimes are thwarted by no fault of our own.

The Lord Jesus, however, knew that nothing would, or nothing could prevent His Father from accomplishing His resurrection.  He said it would happen, and it happened just as He said.

There are many promises the Lord has made of us, His children, in the Scriptures.  We need to search them and know that what He has promised, that He will do.  Let us remember the One who has promised is called "Faithful and True."

"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; 

(for He is faithful that promised;)" 

Hebrews 10:23

The Stick

I have a walking stick I use when we walk on nature trails.  Glen picked it up for me when we were walking the mountain bike trails at the University of South Alabama.  I stripped the bark off it and sanded it down until it was smooth.

The stick as several purposes.  It keeps me steady when I don't see roots crossing the path, it helps me when I have to go downhill -- acting as a third leg.  It helps propel me up when the path goes uphill.  I can use it to move branches and limbs away from my face.  Some have even used their sticks to remove snakes from their path, but fortunately I haven't had that opportunity, yet.

There are other times I use a stick, too.  When I take our dog, Sparrow, outside she sometimes likes to dawdle in the yard.  Being a beagle she feels compelled to sniff every blade of grass.  That's when I gently touch her behind with a stick.  She gets the message it is time to go inside and hurries along.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I will fear no evil: 

for Thou art with me; 

Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." 

Psalm 23:4

The Scriptures speak of the Lord's rod and staff comforting us.  When I read this, I think of carrying my stick while walking.  It is a comfort to me, to know it will help me keep from falling.  For Sparrow, the stick is a remembrance to her that I am there, it is an extension of myself.  My touch with that stick reinforces my command.

Let us remember there is no path we will travel where the Lord is not present.  He is there to comfort, to guide and to protect us.  We need not fear the evil that surrounds us because He is with us, indeed, He is in us.  

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; 

and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. 

This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, 

and their righteousness is of Me, saith the LORD."  

Isaiah 54:17