the outside still looked good. It made me think about how in life we often try to disguise sin by wrapping it up in something that looks appealing or pleasing. But when you take the cover off, the sin remains. You might be able to conceal the sin for a time, but just like how the pumpkin rotted, sin that is left unchecked in our lives will start a decaying process in us and lessen our witness for God.
Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:27 that we should not give Satan an open door to enter into our lives. “And do not give the devil an opportunity.” The enemy gets that opportunity when we try to cover up our sin instead of dealing with it head on. Satan is just a big bully. Once he gets one foot in the door of our life, he makes himself at home, where he keeps doing more damage, and we begin to drift a little further from the Lord. The good news is that there is a way to put this bully in his place. And that way is through Jesus. James 4:7 tells us that if we will resist the devil, he will flee from us. My prayer for us is that we don’t allow the enemy to put even a toe in our life. Instead, I pray that we keep our focus on the One we want to 100% fill our lives … Jesus!!
22…Mold Me
Good morning! As I was looking through some pictures, I found a picture of Alan and I that had been taken seven years ago at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. We went there to celebrate our birthdays. We both turned 50 that year and so did Silver Dollar City. We were sitting in a sleigh in front of one of their huge Christmas trees. Such good memories. One thing we enjoyed there was watching craftsman at their trade. My favorite craftsman was a potter making clay pots. As he worked at the wheel, he’d take a lump of clay and mold it into a beautiful and unique pot. He took his time perfecting that pot, patiently smoothing out all the rough spots and imperfections. It was amazing to see what he could create out of a lump of clay.
It reminded me of the verse in Isaiah talking about God being the Divine Potter. Isaiah 64:8 says, “But now, O Lord, Thou art our Father, we are the clay, and Thou our potter; and all of us are the work of Thy hand.” Just like the potter we saw in Branson, God is very patient with us, smoothing out our imperfections, which will one day mold us into that perfect vessel that He designed us to be.
All of us are a unique creation with the same goal of being transformed into the image of Christ. I guess the question we need to answer is, “Are we willing to let the Divine Potter mold us into a beautiful vessel or will we fight that process and remain an imperfect lump of clay?”
Here’s to letting God smooth out our flaws!
23…Getting Rid of the Ashes
Good morning! As it gets closer to the end of October, we tend to hear about lots of hay rides and bonfires going on. I was thinking about those bonfires as I was picking up sticks and yard debris and throwing them in my fire pit to burn. When my fire finally burned out, all that remained were ashes. I took those ashes and tossed them aside as they had no value to me. I was reminded about those ashes when I read 1 Corinthians 3:12-15.
Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which has been built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.
As believers, we know that our salvation is a free gift but the Heavenly rewards that we get once we are in Heaven depend on the Kingdom work we do here. Those works will be put through the fire and our good works for the Kingdom will remain and those that were not pleasing to the Lord will burn up and only ashes will remain. Those ashes will be tossed aside, just like I did with my fire pit ashes, and whatever works remain will be rewarded. Here on earth, I only want ashes as the end result of my fire. But in Heaven, when my works are tested by fire, I want as few ashes as possible to remain. Hope this is your goal, too!
24…Peace vs. Chaos
Good morning! We have several feral cats at our place, a baker’s dozen to be exact. The other day when my granddaughter was here, she accidentally let one get inside the house. I was able to get the cat cornered in my bedroom and closed the door. As it freaked out, it pulled down some blinds, knocked almost everything off my nightstand and the same with the dresser. That stupid thing decided it was going to camp out underneath the dresser. So, I had to go to Plan B.
As I was getting the leaf blower out of the garage, my son and his family pulled up. Of course, he wanted to know what I was doing with the leaf blower so I quickly filled him in. When I returned to my bedroom, I stuck the leaf blower under the dresser and turned it on high. That cat came flying out from the back of the dresser and ran crazy through the room again, but this time my son was able to grab him and boot him outside.
Do you ever have chaos in your life???? It seems like the chaos in our lives always comes when we absolutely don’t have time for it. You know, when our schedules are so busy you almost have to pencil-in sleeping. How many times have you caught yourself saying, “Seriously, I don’t have time for this?” But John 14:27 tells us that Jesus left us a valuable gift to combat the chaos … His peace. Regardless of our situations in life, His peace is always available for the taking. He is NEVER too busy to extend His peace to us. That concept of never being too busy for us boggles my mind since there are a gazillion people He offers that peace to. So, my prayer is that we accept this beautiful gift He gives us. Here’s to worshiping the Prince of Peace!
25…Making Memories
Good morning! I’ve been doing a lot of reminiscing lately. Do you ever do that? Just spending some time going over in your head how things were at different times in your life? I’ve been thinking about things that warmed my heart as a child, and there were lots of them. Times with my parents and the lessons I learned from them. Crazy stuff with my siblings that have happened over the years. Times with my girlfriends that will stay with me forever. And all the ways Alan loved me that will be forever etched in my heart.
On tough days, those memories make my heart smile. It’s as if the memories make my heart do the Happy Dance. And when your heart is happy, everything seems better. As great as those memories are, I stopped and asked myself what memories I was making with Jesus as I walk with Him every day. I could make an endless list of all the ways He has blessed me but that’s about what He’s given me.
What things am I giving Him? When He thinks of me, am I warming His heart? When I finally see Him face to face, will He remind me of a time when we …? I want Him to know that when I do things, I’m doing them for Him. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” So lately, before I do something for others, I just simply tell Him and remind myself that “Lord, this is for you.” When I’m walking in Heaven with Jesus, I want Him to be able to put His arm around me and tell me of a time when I warmed His heart. So, what memories are you making?
26…Perspectives
Good morning! What sounds better to you, $9.99 or $10? What about 365 days or one year? It’s all about your perspective, isn’t it? Have you ever wondered why some people refuse to accept the Lord’s invitation for salvation, especially with how crazy this world is becoming? For those of us who have accepted the gift of salvation and know that Heaven is our forever home, it’s often hard for us to understand why anyone would want anything but that.
Before we accepted the path that Jesus made possible for us, we most likely had the same false perceptions as those who haven’t accepted Jesus yet. Do you remember some of your perceptions at that time? You might have thought things like you could never see yourself as being good enough or you thought that God would never forgive your wheel barrel full of sins. And maybe you thought if you became a Christian, the days of you having any fun would be over. But then, someone came along side you and started speaking truths in your life and you started wondering if maybe your perceptions had been wrong. As Believers, we are the living example of Christ. Those who have yet to come to faith watch us carefully to see if our words match up with our actions. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in