Intentional Faithfulness

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Colossians 3:23



I noticed my neighbor's house a couple of weeks ago with its flag flying over blue hydrangeas. Then I noticed red chairs and red roses flanked the flag. Wow! What a patriotic statement. I wondered how intentional the arrangement was or if it just turned out that way. Would it change when July ended with other decorations take its place?

Gone Fishing

 We spent the last week at a campground in Florida and at St Andrews State Park. Our campground provided lots of opportunities for freshwater fishing, boats, docks, boardwalks. The ocean was rough with two red flags for days, so people fished, from the rocks, from boats, and along the coast. Salt water, fresh water, on a dock or in a boat or on the rocks, everyone cast their lines and hoped for a fish.

 Worms, minnows, spinners, cut bait, each person had their own bait for their specialized fishing. One little girl of about seven caught a bream from the dock on Lake Holley. She jumped up and down thrilled and amazed but she wasn't touching it. They barely got her to hold the line for a picture, but she sure was proud.

 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19

Have you ever considered how Jesus used fisherman and fishing to demonstrate how to win souls? Many of his disciples were fishermen by trade. Once when the disciples told a group to stop doing miracles in Jesus name, Jesus scolded his disciples telling them to let them alone. If they aren't against us they are for us. (Mark 9:38-40).

Would we tell the little girl she was fishing all wrong just because she wouldn't hold the fish? Absolutely not! Would we tell someone to stop fishing because they didn't use our kind of bait or fish in our kind of spot or water? Absolutely not!

Fishing for Jesus is a lot like fishing for fish. We want to attract people to Jesus. Does that mean we put on a long face and sing chants of the middle ages? That won't impress most people. Most people - that's an interesting concept. Who are most people? People are a lot like fish. They are found in different places, with different tastes and interest. They dress differently, understand language differently and prefer different types of music. There are no most people.

So how are we to win the world if there is no set way? Love, love conquers all. Ever heard of that? Kindness. Gentleness. Meekness. Joy. Let them see your Joy in Christ and discover all the other qualities that Christ gives us in salvation. That's our bait. Joy! If we quarrel among ourselves we don't demonstrate love. We can't use our joy to win others. There is no joy in quarreling over music, versions or whether jeans are appropriate dress for church. May we remind ourselves Timothy says modest apparel is the appropriate dress. Sounds right to me.

Jesus said go into all the world and preach the gospel. Where will you go fishing for men? What are you taking for bait? Don't forget you have to cast the line to catch the fish, no holding back. The "fish" are waiting to see what we have to offer.

Hey Kids:

Do you remember a song about Peter, James and John in a sailboat?
They fished all night and caught no fish.
When Jesus told them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat they didn't give up.
When they obeyed their nets were full and breaking.

Have you tried your best to witness to a friend but your friend casts you off?
Don't give up. Let Jesus tell you how to fish for your friend and give it another try.
I'll be praying for you.

Gone fishing,

Gail

Bloom!

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11KJV

Have you ever heard the saying, "Bloom where you are planted?" Last year my husband put down greenhouse paper and rocks over most of our flower beds because we didn't have time to maintain them. I had a basket of petunias hanging on the fence.

This year a lone petunia came up through the rocks. I thought dry weather would soon kill the flower, but no, it grows and blooms right where the seed fell.

This week our VBS was about Joseph. He obeyed and had patience, confident his faithful God had a plan for him. Things really looked bad when Joseph was sold into slavery then ended up in prison for something he didn't do. But Joseph continued to serve and believe that God's plan would be the best.

God has a plan for each of us. He planned for us before we were even born. Like Joseph, we need to be obedient, patient and confident God will bring us to an expected end. In other words, "Bloom where we are planted."

Hey Kids:

My petunia plant is what gardeners call a volunteer. It grows without someone planting or tending it often in the worst possible place.

We don't choose our families. Sometimes as kids, we often feel like we must be in the wrong family. But God has a plan and a purpose for you right where you are.

Have you read the story of Joseph? It's found in Genesis chapters 37-45. In VBS we looked at the life of Joseph in only a chapter or two each day. In about a week you can have the whole story read. Jot down some things you notice about Joseph's life as you read each day. It might be a good idea to do this with a friend. We acted out a lot of the story with a beach towel for a coat of many colors, a fuzzy white sweater for a baby animal and a red scarf for the blood. A few other homemade items designated characters. Acting out a story helps us see what's happening and feel the emotion of the situation. It improves our understanding. Girls, you can do this too. We face the same types of situation as boys and Joseph.

Here's an idea:
Day 1: Dreams were important ways for God to communicate in Joseph's day because the Bible wasn't yet written. God gave dreams to Joseph. Jacob, his father, took note of the dreams though he seemed to scold Joseph. Was Joseph simply repeating what God had told him or was he being a bragging little brother?

Day 2: Why would the brothers sell their little brother into slavery? How do you think they felt when they let their father believe Joseph had been killed?

Day 3: To whom was Joseph obedient? What is the verse that supports your answer? What can you learn from Joseph's answer and actions?

Day 4: Is life always fair? How did Joseph always end up in a good position even in a bad situation?

Day 5: I wonder why the prisoners didn't always look sad. How do you think Joseph helped his prisoners lead happy lives even in prison? Do you think it was easy to give a good interpretation to one man and then a bad interpretation to the other? Who actually gave the interpretation?

Day 6: Have you figured out yet how long Joseph has been away from his family, a slave and a prisoner? How do you think he felt when he was forgotten by the cupbearer?

Day 7: Finally out of prison with a bath and shave. But now he must interpret a dream for Pharoah. Joseph was confident in his interpretation. Why did Pharoah make Joseph second in command?

Day 8: How did Joseph feel when he saw his brothers? Why do you think he treated them roughly?
What verse tells you how the brothers felt about their situation? What did Joseph tell his brothers when they confessed to having mistreated him years before?

Share your thoughts with a friend or family. Ask questions about things you aren't sure about. Talking about the things of God with other Christians helps us all to grow where we are planted. And don't forget God has a plan specifically for you.

Blessings,

Gail

Rabbits, Foxes, and the Little Things

Isn't he precious? He's so cute! I named him Peter, BECAUSE :

 He destroyed  my tomatoes!

He decimated my cucumbers!

  And last night I caught him in the bush beans!! 

He is not precious. I have guarded my garden with high narrow fencing thinking to keep out the deer

and the groundhogs and the rabbits! Ahh! but it's the little rabbits that spoil the garden. How is he getting in? I slowly walked upon him to see if I could find his secret passage. There was no secret. He just melted into the fence and came out on the other side. The scoundrel!!

My garden is a lot like our families. We put up guards around them. We teach them. We preach to them. We pray God's watch care over them, protecting them. We try to be careful what they watch, what they read, what they hear, who their friends are, even where they are educated. But the little things that creep into our lives are like my rabbit or as King Solomon says like little foxes that spoil the vines. 

Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes. Song of Solomon 2:15 NKJV

Isn't it the little things that creep into our lives that cause destruction in our homes, our marriages, our children, and our very lives? 

Why do our addictions seem so harmless, so relaxing, so cute? 

We don't even have to make a list. They're running through our heads right now. 

The things that steal our time, our joy, our health, and even the very food from our children's mouths. 

Could it be we allow the little foxes to destroy our lives?

Hey Kids:

We laughed when my Grandma told us she would sneak her old aunt's clay pipe off the hearth and take a few puffs. It wouldn't have been funny if Grandma had continued to smoke causing bad health for her and the rest of her family. 

What little things are sneaking into your life?

• Have you noticed a difference in how would you are when you overindulge in sweets? For our kids, it's the blue food coloring that causes them to become unhinged.
• Do you try to act grown up by using bad language when you think no parents are listening? It will slip out at the wrong time.
• Have you happened upon a website that is "interesting" and you keep going back? Remove it from your favorites and don't go back. 

Remember that little song you learned? 

Oh, be careful little feet where you go, little eyes what you see, little ears what you hear....

A Pearl

It's beach season. So many things to do and see, the ocean, the sand, the roller coaster, and the shells. I look for the showy shells but those aren't the ones that have the most valuable contents.

I went out on a boardwalk in the state park. Along the edges were these huge oyster beds. I had to read the signs to understand this wasn't just waste washed up. They were actually a filtration system. But back to my original thought. I wondered if there were any pearls there.

I gave our granddaughter a pearl still inside a shell she was supposed to open and place inside a necklace. There was a silly secular message included saying that the color of the pearl would bring a certain kind of good luck for the wearer. The outside of the package told us the color of the pearl included. Luck was not my point in giving her the necklace.

The Lord created everything with a purpose. Part of the oyster's purpose is the filtration system for the ocean. Another purpose is to demonstrate value. The more perfect the pearl found inside the oyster, the greater the value. Pearls are formed by the coating an oyster puts around a grain of sand to keep the sand from irritating the oyster. In other words, sand doesn't belong in the oyster. However, the pearl can be of great value or price when the grain of sand can no longer be seen.

Jesus tells of a merchantman who traveled far distances in search of a pearl of great price. When the merchant found the pearl, he sold all he had to purchase the pearl (Matthew 13:45,46). Jesus left heaven traveling that far distance to give His life to purchase our souls. The sin in our lives is an "irritating" substance that has to be covered with the blood of Jesus for us to belong to the Lord. Then and only then can we become that jewel of great price.

My granddaughter is only seven but I explained to her she is that pearl of great price. Jesus gave His life for her. I wanted her to wear that pearl, not as a secular good luck charm but as a daily reminder of how valuable she is to the Lord.

You are a pearl of great price too. What reminder do you have that you are of great price?

Hey kids:

Jesus used lots of parables, earthly stories, to help them understand spiritual meanings. Matthew 13 contains several of the parables and their meanings.

What is your favorite parable?
How do you see it applying to you?

I hope you will share the insights the Lord gives you this week as you read and study Jesus parables.

Blessings,

Gail