Category: Character

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Protect What’s Precious

Only one verse this morning and I think that it is often overlooked. I’d like to highlight it because I happen to believe that all of God’s word is profitable for our instruction.

“ Don’t give to dogs what belongs to God. They will only turn and attack you. Don’t throw pearls down in front of pigs. They will trample all over them.” Matthew 7:6 CEV

When we look through Scripture at verses that talk about dogs we find a spiritual implication. In the Psalms it says enemies are like dogs and it also compares stupid leaders to dogs. In one place it says liars roam the city like a pack of wild dogs.

The Apostle Paul told us to beware of dogs.

“ Watch out for those people who behave like dogs! They are evil and want to do more than just circumcise you.” Philippians 3:2 CEV

These people that Paul was talking about wanted to brag about their own exploits and wanted to draw attention to themselves and pull the Christians away from their belief in Christ.

Jesus also warned about giving what was precious to pigs. Peter made a correlation between people who hear God’s word but ignore it and return to their old ways and pigs rolling in the mud.

“They would have been better off if they had never known about the right way. Even after they knew what was right, they turned their backs on the holy commandments they were given. 22  What happened to them is just like the true saying, ‘A dog will come back to lick up its own vomit. A pig that has been washed will roll in the mud.” II Peter 2:21-22 CEV

Jesus knew that there were those in the crowd listening to Him who were religious hypocrites. Those who would try to discredit the message He preached. You will notice that Jesus didn’t go searching for them, trying to persuade them to believe that He was the Messiah.

No, instead He went to those who were hurting, lost and afraid. Those who He referred to as lost sheep.

We will encounter those who think we are foolish for following Christ; those who would try to drag us off to follow a different philosophy or teaching and some who just want to wallow in the mud of their own making.

One simple verse. Don’t give to dogs what belongs to God – that would be our love and devotion. Don’t let anyone pull you away from what God has given you!

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Be A Rebel

Oh, how I love God’s word! It is so practical. It gives us everyday answers for everyday situations. God’s sole purpose in giving us His word was to make our daily lives fruitful and blessed.

He’s offered to carry our load, forgive our sins, remove our worry, strengthen our minds and fill us with His love. What can be better than that.

We’re returning to the Jesus’ teaching on the mountain.

” Don’t store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. 20  Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. 21 Your heart will always be where your treasure is.” Matthew 6:19-21 CEV

Good advice.

It’s hard not to look at earthly treasure. Checking the stock market, the savings and checking accounts, looking at the 401K and if that’s not enough the interest rates on homes and cars, the price of bread and eggs, the crime report and it can send us spiraling down the rabbit hole of fear and lack.

Store up our treasures in heaven. How do we do that? There’s no heavenly ATM where we can make a deposit or is there?

“Then the godly people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food? When did we see you thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you with no place to stay and welcome you into our home? When did we see you without clothes and give you something to wear? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you?’

40 “Then the king will answer, ‘The truth is, anything you did for any of my people here, you also did for me.’” Matthew 25:37-40 ERV

Always Think of Me = ATM.

Always be ready to make a deposit in our heavenly account.

“ Each one of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give. You should not give if it makes you unhappy or if you feel forced to give. God loves those who are happy to give. 8 And God can give you more blessings than you need, and you will always have plenty of everything. You will have enough to give to every good work.” II Corinthians 9:7-8 ERV

When our earthly treasure is invested in heavenly purposes, we will have enough for every good work that God asks us to give too. We’ll be quick to give because we know we are doing it for Him.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven.” Ephesians 1:3 ERV

Be a rebel – count your blessings!

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No Showoffs Please

First of all, this morning I would like to thank you for following the link and going directly to the website to read yesterday’s blog. I’m not sure if I will be able to post to Facebook again this morning but I’m hopeful.

However, if you are blessed by reading this each morning and want to receive it each day, uninterrupted, please go to the blog tab of the website, www.arizonakristi.com, and on the right side of the page fill in your email address and you will receive it each morning, just like the old-fashioned morning newspaper.

It somehow seemed appropriate that a morning teaching on not being irritated or short-tempered would be removed for whatever reason. It certainly gave me the opportunity to practice what I preach – I was able to stay calm, it didn’t spoil my morning.

Now, on to more of Jesus’ teachings from the mountain. He had just told us to love like His Father, our Father, in every situation.

“When you do good deeds, don’t try to show off. If you do, you won’t get a reward from your Father in heaven.

2 When you give to the poor, don’t blow a loud horn. That’s what show-offs do in the synagogues and on the street corners, because they are always looking for praise. I can assure you that they already have their reward. 3 When you give to the poor, don’t let anyone know about it. 4 Then your gift will be given in secret. Your Father knows what is done in secret and will reward you.

5  When you pray, don’t be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward. 6 When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private and will reward you.” Matthew 6:1-6 CEV

There was a problem in the Jewish synagogues with the religious leaders trying to call attention to themselves. They wanted everyone to see how long they prayed and how much money they gave. They sought to be the center of attention. They weren’t there to worship God but to draw attention to themselves.

We are often guilty of the same thing – telling people about the “good” we do to help others. Bringing attention to ourselves.

“As Jesus was teaching, he said: Guard against the teachers of the Law of Moses! They love to walk around in long robes and be greeted in the market. 39 They like the front seats in the synagogues and the best seats at banquets. 40 But they cheat widows out of their homes and pray long prayers just to show off. They will be punished most of all…42 Finally, a poor widow came up and put in two coins worth only a few pennies. 43 Jesus told his disciples to gather around him. Then he said: I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 44 Everyone else gave what they didn’t need. But she is very poor and gave everything she had. Now she doesn’t have a cent to live on.” Mark 12:39-44 CEV

Jesus was not impressed with their piety; in fact, he faulted them for their hypocrisy. They had their reward.

God doesn’t need show-offs; His desire is that we show out His love and compassion.

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Irritated & Short-Tempered

Now, I know that doesn’t describe me or any of you reading this but, on the off chance that it should describe someone you live with or work with, I feel we all need this instruction that Jesus gave.

I’ll let you eaves drop on my conversation with the Lord.

“ You have heard people say, ‘Love your neighbors and hate your enemies.’ 44 But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. 45  Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong. 46 If you love only those people who love you, will God reward you for this? Even tax collectors love their friends. 47 If you greet only your friends, what’s so great about this? Don’t even unbelievers do that? 48  But you must always act like your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:43-48 CEV

What?

I must ALWAYS act like my Father in heaven?? Lord, you’ve got to be kidding. Do you see who/what I have to put up with? Surely, you don’t mean that I must be loving and patient with them.

What?

Oh, you mean them too? The ones who are so contrary and aggravating? Ok, I hear You – I’m supposed to be like my heavenly Father in every situation; that’s a big ask Lord. Oh, You weren’t asking; You were telling me that’s what I MUST do.

Well then, if that’s the case, I need Your strength and Your restraint. I need to see others as You do and treat them with the same patience and compassion that You show to me.

What was that Lord?

And not just my friends but my enemies as well. Ah, come on Lord, that’s more than I think I can handle.

“Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. 38 This is the first and most important commandment. 39  The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’ 40 All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 CEV

Wow, Lord. That’s big.

“ Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don’t yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude. 32  Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ.” Ephesians 4:31-32 CEV

Well, if that’s Your will for me then I know that You will give me the desire and the strength to do it. You were my example when You prayed: “not my will, but thine be done”. Thanks for loving me enough to die for me when I was at my worst. Now, I choose to live for You.

Good talk Lord. Good talk. Thanks!

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Protect the Fruit

For the last few weeks, I have given a number of teachings on soil, seed and getting a harvest. Good soil, great seed should equal a good harvest but there is one other thing that we need to watch out for. Varmints.

“Catch the foxes for us— the little foxes that spoil the vineyard. Our vineyard is now in bloom.” Song of Solomon 2:15 ERV

In my case it wasn’t foxes but the gophers that spoiled the vine.

Years ago, I made a serious attempt to plant a garden. It was a difficult task because we lived in an area where the soil was good but the water wasn’t. I had to keep the water slowly running in the garden because if it didn’t soak down into the soil the surface would become dry and a salty crush would form.

I took good care of my garden and protected it from the varmints with a rabbit fence. It discouraged the coyotes as well. I watched as the watermelons developed and could hardly wait to cut one of those delicious dark green beauties open.

The kids kept asking if they could pick them, but I said they weren’t quite ready – I was checking every day and then the day of harvest came. We went to the garden, with mouth watering we bent down to pluck the melon from its vine. To our shock and great disappointment, the melon was ruined.

It looked beautiful – a rich, dark green – big and round. It was going to be the best melon ever and it would have been if the gophers hadn’t come up from underneath and eaten a hole in the rind and devoured the middle!

A life lesson here – as Christians we are to bear fruit – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, faith. But if we aren’t careful, the little foxes and the gophers (varmints), will come in and destroy the fruit. We know those critters better as worry, fear, self-reliance, peer pressure, overwork, laziness, etc. These varmints will try to destroy the fruit that God wants to produce in us.

“I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I to you, you will produce plenty of fruit. But separated from me you won’t be able to do anything. 6 If you don’t stay joined to me, you will be like a branch that has been thrown out and has dried up. All the dead branches like that are gathered up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 Stay joined together with me, and follow my teachings. If you do this, you can ask for anything you want, and it will be given to you. 8 Show that you are my followers by producing much fruit. This will bring honor to my Father.”

…16 “You did not choose me. I chose you. And I gave you this work: to go and produce fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.” John 15:5-17 ERV

When we follow Christ’s teaching, we will produce the fruit that He has instructed us to. We will love each other as Christ loves us.

We need to protect the fruit and keep the little foxes out of the garden.

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Growing Strong

As I was reading in Psalms this morning, I came across some verses I needed to think on for a while. In light of yesterday’s blog, these verses took on a deeper meaning.

Psalm 85 is captioned “A Prayer for Peace” in the CEV translation. That title intrigued me, and what I read in the last few verses really ministered to me.

“I will listen to you, Lord God, because you promise peace to those who are faithful and no longer foolish. 9 You are ready to rescue everyone who worships you, so that you will live with us in all your glory. 10 Love and loyalty will come together; goodness and peace will unite. 11 Loyalty will sprout from the ground; justice will look down from the sky above. 12 Our Lord, you will bless us; our land will produce wonderful crops. 13 Justice will march in front, making a path for you to follow.” Psalm 85:8-13 CEV

“I will listen to what God the Lord will say. For He will speak peace to His people, to those who are right with Him. But do not let them turn again to foolish things. 9 For sure His saving power is near those who fear Him, so His shining-greatness may live in the land. 10 Loving-kindness and truth have met together. Peace and what is right and good have kissed each other. 11 Truth comes up from the earth. And what is right and good looks down from heaven. 12 Yes, the Lord will give what is good. And our land will give its fruit. 13 What is right and good will go before Him and make a way for His steps.” Psalm 85:8-13 NLV

Seed sprouting in the ground, producing a crop. It’s what we were talking about yesterday. The ground..the seed..the crop.

When we listen to God’s word, what He says, we are receiving seed. Seed that will sprout up from the ground. When the ground is good the harvest will be fruitful. I know that this is referring to the land of Israel having bountiful crops but I believe it is more than that, it’s a changed heart.

Peace, truth, love, goodness. This is the same fruit that Paul tells us will grow in our lives when we have the Holy Spirit controlling us.

“But the fruit that comes from having the Holy Spirit in our lives is: love, joy, peace, not giving up, being kind, being good, having faith, 23 being gentle, and being the boss over our own desires. The Law is not against these things.” Galatians 5:22-23 NLV

When the ground of our hearts is prepared, and the seed is planted we will produce a harvest.

“ And those are the ones sown on the good soil. They hear the word and accept it and produce fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” Mark 4:20 TLV

May we allow God’s word a place to grow strong in our lives.

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Light the World

Before we downsized and moved into our tiny home I had a collection of oil lamps. They weren’t just for decoration, I used them when the power went out. It was important to keep the chimney glass clean. If not, the light would be dimmed by the buildup of soot and their usefulness was diminished.

Soap and warm water cleaned them right up. The cleaning took patience. The old glass was delicate and could be easily broken. Once cleaned, they needed to be dried, so the glass wasn’t spotty, it needed to sparkle.

Isn’t that the way it is for us.

“ People don’t hide a lamp under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand. Then the light shines for everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:15-17 ERV

We are to be a light for the world, letting God’s love shine through us. But sometimes we aren’t as bright as we should be. Sometimes our chimney is dusty from lack of use, sometimes its coated with soot; regardless of the issue, we need a good cleaning.

“…just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.  27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.” Ephesians 5:25-27 NLT

We all need to be washed by God’s word, our wicks trimmed, removing those things that keep us from burning correctly (by anger, jealousy, personal offence) and then made spot free so that we shine brightly with His love.

If necessary, spend some time being washed by God’s word and then go out and shine brightly so the world will see the Father’s love.

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Keep Doing Right

Do you know how often I stop to pray for you?

Of course, it’s always first thing in the morning when the Lord fills my heart with what He wants to share but it’s also during the day when I am impressed with how blessed I am to be able to share God’s love with you each day.

I can relate with the Apostle Paul and his greeting to the Christians in the church of Philippi. I will probably never meet many of you this side of heaven, but I hold you in my heart and my prayers.

“ Every time I think of you, I thank my God. 4 And whenever I mention you in my prayers, it makes me happy. 5 This is because you have taken part with me in spreading the good news from the first day you heard about it. 6 God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.

7 You have a special place in my heart. So it is only natural for me to feel the way I do. All of you have helped in the work God has given me, as I defend the good news and tell about it here in jail. 8 God himself knows how much I want to see you. He knows I care for you in the same way Christ Jesus does.

9 I pray that your love will keep on growing and you will fully know and understand 10 how to make the right choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent when Christ returns. And until that day, 11 Jesus Christ will keep you busy doing good deeds that bring glory and praise to God.” Philippians 1:3-11 CEV

Growing and making the right choices.

What are the right choices? I’m so glad you asked.

“Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful…17 Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him.” Colossians 3:15-17 CEV

Remember a few years ago when people were wearing those bracelets, WWJD? That’s a good way to do right. But this just wasn’t a new concept that Paul was teaching. No, God had put it in place thousands of years before. This is what Moses said:

“ You must be sure to obey the commands of the Lord your God. You must follow all the teachings and laws he has given you. 18 You must do what is right and good—what pleases the Lord. Then everything will go well for you, and you can go in and take the good land that the Lord promised your ancestors.” Deuteronomy 6:17-18 ERV

Solomon said this: “Doing what is right and fair pleases the Lord more than an offering.” Proverbs 21:3 CEV

And Isaiah recorded this: “ The Lord said these things, ‘Be fair to all people. Do what is right, because soon my salvation will come to you. My goodness will soon be shown to the whole world.‘” Isaiah 56:1 ERV

“When people live to please the Lord, even their enemies will be at peace with them.” Proverbs 16:7 ERV

Doing what is right is good; we will never go wrong making the right choices. We may be misunderstood by those around us; we may even be judged unfairly. But, when our heart is right before God, we please Him and that’s more than enough!

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The Glad Game

How many of you remember who this young actress is portraying? If you said Pollyanna, you’re right. If you have no idea, you should look up her name and the Disney movie that was made with the same title.

Pollyanna was a little girl who weathered some very trying, life-changing, challenges but never lost her joy. Oh, people tried hard to discourage her and tell her she was wrong for always being so optimistic, but she wouldn’t allow them to stifle her enthusiasm.

Watching that movie, I wanted to be like her. Little did I realize at the time, but she was a living example of what happens in our lives when we trust, completely, in God’s love and kindness.

Pollyanna invented the “Glad Game”. She insisted that the people around her always look for something to be glad about instead of the adverse. I like her style and so would have the Apostle Paul.

“Always be filled with joy in the Lord. I will say it again. Be filled with joy. 5 Let everyone see that you are gentle and kind. The Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have.” Philippians 4:4-6 CEV

The qualifiers in this verse are obvious: always, everyone, anything, everything. Those words leave nothing out. Filled with joy, don’t worry, give thanks.

It reminds me of what Jesus said.

“So I tell you, don’t worry about the things you need to live—what you will eat, drink, or wear. Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than what you put on it. 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Don’t you know you are worth much more than they are? 27 You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.” Matthew 6:25-27 ERV

Worry doesn’t change our circumstances. Faith in God does.

“ Do everything without complaining or arguing 15 so that you will be blameless and pure, children of God without any fault. But you are living with evil people all around you, who have lost their sense of what is right. Among those people you shine like lights in a dark world,” Philippians 2:14-15 ERV

We need to look at our struggles as opportunities for refinement. Gold is purified and refined when it is heated. That’s the difference between 10k and 24k, the purity that only comes through fire. It’s important to remember that the gold isn’t destroyed, it only increases in value. It’s the impurities that are burned off.

My dear friend, I need you to remember this always.

“So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us. 32 He even let his own Son suffer for us. God gave his Son for all of us. So now with Jesus, God will surely give us all things.” Romans 8:31-32 ERV

God is definitely for us. He’s on our side. Why else would He have sent Jesus to suffer and die? The reason is He loves us and wants to fill our lives with the richness of His goodness.

Other than Jesus, I think the Apostle Paul faced more hardship and struggle than any other Christian.
“ We never give up. Our bodies are gradually dying, but we ourselves are being made stronger each day. 17 These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing. 18 Things that are seen don’t last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. This is why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen.” II Corinthians 4:16-18 CEV

Next time struggle or adversity comes stop – before we engage in complaining or worrying let’s look to the unseen and remember that God is on our side.

Now, that’s something to be glad about!

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Impatiens or Impatience

Before Dave and I were married he took me to meet his grandparents. They both had such green thumbs. His grandmother knew the name of nearly every plant in the desert. His grandfather had beautiful ferns that I was envious of. And then there were the impatiens – everywhere and in all colors.

This morning while I was searching for an image to use for this blog on impatience, I came across many pictures of impatiens. I like impatiens more than impatience.

Impatience is destroyer and impatiens are a beautiful reminder of God’s provision.

I’m sharing a writing I did years ago; it seems so appropriate for today.

Impatience is a destroyer of faith. When we become impatient, we begin to try to work things out on our own – we wonder if God is ever going to come through – what’s taking sooooooooooo long? Those kinds of thoughts come from doubt and bring fear – fear that it is never going to work out right. Doubt and fear will choke out the promises of God’s word – they can outweigh faith, if we let them. We must stand with confidence in God’s word if we expect to see God’s promises fulfilled.

“Dear friends, don’t forget that for the Lord one day is the same as 1,000 years, and 1,000 years is the same as one day. 9 The Lord isn’t slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.” II Peter 3:8-10 CEV

Let’s follow Abram’s example. He followed God from his home out to the middle of nowhere because God made him a promise. A promise that he would possess great land and be the father of many nations. But Abraham never really took possession of the land he had been promised – he lived the life of a nomad – moving from place to place, all the time holding fast to God’s promise.

“Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him…By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to a place he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise…11 By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she considered that the One who had promised was faithful. 12 Therefore from one man—in fact, from one as good as dead—came offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as innumerable as the grains of sand by the seashore.” Hebrews 11:6, 8-12 CSB

What is it that God has promised you? What have you left to follow God? No looking back – keep your eyes on the prize of the high calling of God. Don’t give up – don’t fall back. Move forward – continue to follow in obedience what God has put in your heart.

Don’t let impatience get the upper hand. Stop and enjoy the beauty of the impatiens as you wait on the Lord.

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