Several times throughout the year, I find myself serving in the toddler nursery of our church. I enjoy watching the children play, color, read, and sing. Toward the end of the church service, we instruct the children to begin cleaning up the toys. However, while our pastor is typically punctual, there is just no guarantee of when the service will end.

Once the toys are put away, it is like herding cats while trying to keep the room clean as the children “patiently” await their parents. As all can probably agree, five minutes in “toddler-time” might as well be five hours in “adult-time.” One thing that I like to do is to sit the children down beside the wall to sing songs or to tell them Bible stories.

When sharing stories with toddlers, it is imperative to tell ones that will grab their attention and to recount these stories in an expressive, bombastic manner that engages their curiosities and minds. One of my favorite Bible stories to share with these little ones is the story of Jonah.

Imagine, if you will, a row of tiny humans with hands folded neatly in their laps and giant eyes absorbing the story of Jonah as told by a crazy woman.

“He ran from God!” (SHOCK! GASP!)

“The rains came in the boat! The wind was tossing the boat around like a ball! (Arms flailing about; making whooshing noises to simulate the rain.) But where was Jonah?” 

Tiny eyes glue to the storyteller as if to say, “Where? Tell us?”

“ASLEEP! (Makes loud snoring sounds) He was asleep!” 

“The sailors threw Jonah off the ship, and a giant whale gobbled him up!” (Raises her arms to circle them around one of the children and gulps loudly, as though her arms are the lips of a magnificent sea mammal.)

We have all heard the story of Jonah. It is a wonderful but cautionary tale of the consequences of disobedience. However, as I was reading Jonah the other morning, something stuck out to me that I previously had not noticed.

In Jonah 1:10, it reads, Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

The men sailing the ship knew Jonah was running from God because Jonah himself had told them. It made me think of the people I have met who have said, “Oh, yeah. I used to be a Christian but…,” or “I used to go to church but…”  These men already believed that an angered deity of some kind caused the storm because they had cast lots to find the culprit. When they found it was Jonah, he identified himself as a Hebrew and continued to simultaneously acknowledge and reject God.

Throughout the first chapter of Jonah, an apathetic spirit plagued Jonah. Running from God, he happened upon a ship and paid to board. In the midst of the storm, he was asleep in the ship. When the sailors were stricken with panic and fear, he responded to them in Jonah 1:12 saying, …Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

I love the ocean and the beach. I am terrified of most sea creatures. I cannot say that I would respond with, “Yeah, guys. I know it’s my fault. Sorry for the trouble. Just throw me overboard, and I’ll swim to shore. That way, y’all don’t have to lose your boat.”

No! My thoughts would have been more along the lines of, “Um…we can make it. I’m sure everything will be ok. I mean, having the water ONLY on the outside of the boat is overrated. Besides, we’re safer in the boat than out of it, right?” Regardless, I would not have been volunteering to leave the ship. However, in his callused heart and with his apathetic attitude, Jonah offered to be thrown overboard.

What really stood out to me was the next verse. Jonah 1:13 says, Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. I thought, “I’m sorry…they what? What do you mean, Nevertheless?  They rowed hard?  As if they hadn’t already been rowing, now they’re going to row hard?”  Jonah had just given them the cause of the problem and the solution, but they rejected the solution. They were the victims of the selfish Christian mindset of, “I’m hurting no one except myself,” yet they chose to ignore the solution and tried to do it their own way.

Continuing in the story, we see that, try as they might, they could not fight the storm. It was only when they cried out to God and surrendered to His will that they found peace. Keep in mind that Jonah was not in a state of submission yet, but these sailors finally ceased from their stubbornness and turned to God.

Jonah 1:15 says, So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. It was immediate. I do not know how long they toiled in the storm. I do not know how many minutes or hours they struggled with the sails, the rigging, the winds, and the waves; but once they did what needed to be done, the peace was immediate.

So often in our lives, we struggle against God’s plan because we are simply being stubborn. We may not be necessarily running from God, but we are trying to accomplish our own plans instead of His. We find ourselves exhausted from fighting the wind. We find ourselves weak from the battering of the waves, when all God wants us to do is to submit to His will. When we submit to His will, we will receive an immediate peace.

After Jonah was cast out and peace came upon the sea, these men feared God. I am not sure who these men were, what kind of culture from which they came, or how they lived the remainder of their days, but when confronted by the Lord, these men saw His mighty power despite the testimony of a backslider. They worshipped God. The Bible even says they …made vows…

This is what we as Christians ought to do when we find ourselves in a struggle against the Lord. We need to immediately surrender. Then, the peace will come, and we can walk forward in His will, praising Him for His mercy and grace and vowing to walk always in His way.

by Krystal Salm

The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness. – Proverbs 10:31-32

I spent many of my childhood days outside playing softball. My older sister and I started playing on a team at a young age. Of course, being so young, we were not very good. However, consistency paid off because we were decent players by the time we were teenagers. By the time I was twelve years of age, I was ready to play on our Christian school’s girls’ softball team. The coach had me in the outfield first. Soon, I moved to being the catcher, and eventually I played shortstop. To play shortstop, I needed to be willing to get hit by the ball and be able to catch and throw the ball in a hurry to first or second base.

In my mind, I was unstoppable. I was good at softball and thoroughly loved the game. One day at practice when I was near fifteen or sixteen years of age, I had a terrible attitude and yelled at my coach immediately after being corrected for something that I did. He benched me that day. I remember going home and telling my mom about it, thinking that she would take my side. Of course, she did not take my side. She actually made me apologize to my coach.

Many of us have been there, developing a bad attitude and letting our words come out before even thinking about the consequences. It is easy to get aggravated and overworked by things that come into our lives. The Bible talks about having a froward mouth. Froward means “difficult to deal with.” The Bible talks about how …the froward tongue shall be cut out… That sounds painful; however, it does not mean that we must go into outpatient surgery to get our tongues removed.

Before we are saved, it is our nature to sin, and we are without the Holy Spirit to help us overcome these sins. Once we are saved, He comes into our hearts and is there to help us. To start growing in our Christian lives, we can apply Colossians 3:8-9: But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; How wonderful that we can put off the old man (our flesh) and put on the new man (a Christ-like mind)! Colossians 3:12-13 says, Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. This is not an overnight “transformation.” Once saved, we become new creatures, but this takes time and God’s grace. Perfection can never be obtained until we get to Heaven.

After staying at home for seven months after my daughter was born, I was ready to go back to work part time on an ambulance. This would allow me to get away for a few hours a couple of days a week but still be able to spend time with my family. My boss explained that I would not be working on an ambulance out in the field but in the office as a dispatcher instead. I was not happy about this. I did not enjoy answering phones and being inside all day. This was not my expectation of coming back to work. I wanted to be out in the field working on an ambulance.

I went into his office and stated in an angry voice how much I hated working in dispatch. I was very upset. He explained to me that I was good at dispatching and that they needed someone to fill in that day. I walked out upset and thought, “I don’t care if I’m good at it! That doesn’t mean I like it.” The next day, I went into his office and apologized because the Lord had not let me sleep that night. I knew better than to act that way, and my behavior had been wrong.

As Christians, we must allow the Lord to control our tongues. We need to take this list of the deeds of the old man and get rid of it, then put on the new man. We must allow the Lord to do a work in our lives. Everyone may not have the temper like mine, but I know that we all fall short somewhere in our lives. We may be uncomfortable in our own situations, but that does not give us permission to have a froward mouth. We may have difficult times when we must juggle many different things just to survive, but that is no excuse.

I challenge you to memorize this list describing the old man and the new man and to compare your life with it. Proverbs 11:20 says, They that are of a froward heart are abomination the Lord: but such as are upright in their way are his delight. The second part of that verse tells us that the Lord takes delight in those who are upright. As Christian ladies, we have many opportunities to be a delight in the Lord’s eyes. Let us see each day as an opportunity to be a delight in the Lord’s eyes.

There are people who look to you, and you are their encouragement. You probably don’t even know it. Those who watch you understand that you are a human being with shortcomings, but you can be a good example and not a stumbling block with your words. Whether speaking to your children, to a Sunday school class, or even to the babies in the nursery, you can be a delight to the Lord with your words so others can see Him through you!

by Mandy Harper

Happy Monday. Keep walking.

As we are enjoying the summer season, I think back to previous summers when there was much in the news about wildfires burning in the West. People lost homes, acres of land were incinerated, and smoke clouded the horizon. It is always sad to hear the reports of people rummaging through charred remains of what once was their homes in an attempt to save any irreplaceable item that may have survived. On these news reports, we often hear said from the victims of the wildfires, “We are alive, and we can always rebuild.”

This statement reminds me of a quote from author and medical doctor James Richards. He said, “It is not the intensity of the pain, but the significance you attach that determines the effect.” In the trial, we awaken to what is really important. That gives us the correct perspective, which brings hope back to our souls.

In my acquaintance are sweet people whom I consider to be in the furnace of affliction. There are some enduring broken relationships, battling broken health, nursing broken hearts, and mourning broken dreams. Many reading this may say, “Yes, that’s me, too!”

Recently, as I was reading the account from the book of Daniel of the three Hebrew boys being thrown into the fiery furnace, something stood out to me. Daniel 3:25 says they were …walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt;… Think about it: That furnace was seven times hotter than normal. These young men were facing certain death, but they kept walking. In their stand of faith, One came to walk with them in the fire. These men came out of that furnace with not a hair singed or even the smell of smoke on them. In addition to this miracle, the same king who had ordered them to be thrown into the furnace then promoted them!

I believe that when we keep walking, even in the hot and trying times, a promotion always comes. We gain the promotion of a new knowledge of the One Who also walks with us in our fires. We also expand our steadfast faith in the fact that we are more than conquerors with Him.

“‘The road is too rough,’ I said;

‘It is uphill all the way;

No flowers, but thorns instead;

And the skies overhead are gray.’

But One took my hand at the entrance dim,

And sweet is the road that I walk with Him.”

– George Matheson, 1842-1906

Let Him take you by the hand today and, together, just keep walking!

by Beverly Hyles

From the Mondays with Beverly blog. Reprinted with permission.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;…He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. – Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, 11

I went to a garden center recently and spent far too much time wandering the aisles, admiring all the beautiful blooms. It is the middle of summer in my native state of Florida, and the sweltering heat is enough to make even the most enthusiastic gardener miserable. Yet, here at the garden center, it seemed that every plant was full, healthy, and perfectly in bloom.

The truth is that, even in the most talented gardener’s landscape, not everything will be blooming at once. Azaleas, a quintessential flower in southern gardens, bloom for just a few short weeks in the year. Morning glories, as their name suggests, bloom only a few short hours in the mornings. In my own garden, even my most prolific bloomers have dormant seasons. I am a novice gardener, and I often find myself being disappointed by a plant that is no longer blooming. It bloomed before, so I expect it to keep blooming. If it does not, I believe I have somehow failed! I have foolishly applied extra fertilizer, changed locations, or watered more often, but to no avail. The plant was simply not created to bloom in that season. There are also plants called annuals that God created to last only for a single year. Perennials are created to live for many years. Still, neither was created to be in constant bloom.

In the garden of life, God has given us many plants to tend. We all juggle spiritual, family, work, home, and personal responsibilities. The older I get, the more I realize that not everything can bloom at once. When my family is thriving, my work focus suffers. When I am thriving at work, my house is covered in dust. When I am more focused on my fitness, my reading habits suffer. However, in another season of life, those areas that once suffered will thrive again.

Other plants in my life were just annuals. My time and energy no longer allow me to practice playing the flute as I once did. It was an annual plant, only meant to last for a season. As frustrating as it may be, this is just a part of life. I would be foolish to devote needless time and energy to what will not flourish in my particular season.

God did not create everything in our lives to bloom at once. In our finite minds, we believe this would be the most beautiful, but it is not God’s way. We must trust Him as the Master Creator and Designer to make …every thing beautiful in his time:…

by Abigail Medford

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. – Philippians 4:8

A while ago, I was challenged to literally think on Philippians 4:8 throughout the month and took time to dwell on each of the traits that are mentioned: the six “whatsoevers.” They are:

• Whatsoever things are true
• Whatsoever things are honest
• Whatsoever things are just
• Whatsoever things are pure
• Whatsoever things are lovely
• Whatsoever things are of good report

As I considered the things that are true, I thought about many of the difficult and negative things happening in this world. Then, my mind redirected to God’s Word because, when it is all said and done, that is the real Truth. The other day, I was speaking with a teenage girl who is struggling with having negative thoughts about herself. I reminded her that those things she was thinking are not true because they are not what God says about her. I know I, like that young lady, can get into my head and think negatively. However, according to Philippians 4:8, I am supposed to think on thesethings that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report.

Since all those words are attributes of God’s Word, what does God think about us?

The Bible says we are loved.

Jeremiah 31:3 says, The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. On our most unlovable days, when even our husbands and children have a hard time loving us, God loves us with an everlastinglove. Here, God uses the same word as He did in John 3:16 about the life He came to give us: everlasting.

The Bible says that through Him we are capable of dealing with any situation.

Philippians 4:13 says, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. When he recently preached a sermon on Philippians 4, our pastor pointed out that verse 13 goes along with the previous verses that talk about contentment. These include times when we abound or are abased and when we have plenty or suffer need.

That Bible says that we need Him to accomplish anything.

John 15:5 says, I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. Sometimes we defeat ourselves before we even start because we decide that we cannot win. However, God has promised to finish the work that He has started in us. Philippians 1:6 says, Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

The Bible reminds us of God’s love for us through the many names and attributes God gives us as Christians.

God proves His love for us through His Word over and over again. Here are just a few examples:

• Accepted in the beloved (Ephesians 1:6)
• Redeemed (Isaiah 51:11)
• Heirs of God (Romans 8:17)
• Justified (Romans 5:1, 9)
• Called with an holy calling (II Timothy 1:9)

We often criticize the world and their notion of “my truth” while we simultaneously declare our own truth about who we are. Above all, that truth is God’s Word, and we should meditate on that alone. Lest we get too stuck on ourselves, the Bible also reminds us in John 1:9 that we are sinners who need to confess our sins.

While we know how God thinks of us, how can we control our thought life and …think on these things?

It does not escape me that Philippians 4:8 begins with the word finally. God told us earlier in verse 4 that, before we start thinking on all those things, we should Rejoice in the Lord alway… Then, verse 5 says, Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Moderation means “the quality of doing something within reasonable limits.” Verse 6 tells us to stop worrying and, instead, to pray about everything. When we do that, we can have the promise of verse 7: And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. The last of the list of “to-dos” here in Philippians 4 is the conclusion: Finally,… think on these things.

It is true that our thoughts will affect our actions, but for Christians, our actions can help to guide our thoughts. This little children’s chorus reminds us of just that:

“It’s amazing what praising can do.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

It’s amazing what praising can do.

Hallelujah!

I don’t worry when things go wrong.

Jesus fills my heart with a song.

It’s amazing what praising can do.

Hallelujah!”

To dismiss the worry, doubt, fear, and negative thoughts, let us spend our days praising and serving God so we can live Philippians 4:8 and …think on these things…!

by Vicki Voorhis

…pass over a transgression. – Proverbs 19:11

This verse has been on my heart so much recently. We all experience two things in the Christian life. We will hurt and be hurt. Whether done intentionally or unintentionally, it is part of our Christian lives. In reference to hurting others, it is crucial that we put our words through the filter of God’s Word and be careful not to hurt another Christian with our words. If we do hurt a brother or a sister unintentionally, we need to go to that person and mend that hurt. We cannot just say, “Well, I didn’t mean to. They need to stop being so sensitive.” That attitude does not create unity in our church families.

In reference to being hurt, God gives a clear plan of action: Pass over a transgression. This is easier said than done! Sometimes words and actions can cut us so deeply, and we just want to hold on to that hurt. When we do, we let it grow to become anger and then bitterness, but the Lord says in Proverbs 19:11, …it is his glory to pass over a transgression. It is in our best interest to let go and to move forward. We do not need to make that person our best friend. The offender does not need to be our favorite person, but in order to move forward, we must pass over that transgression.

Think of a runner trying to reach the finish line. Imagine there are hurdles in his way that he must pass over in order to finish his course. He cannot reach his goal if he cannot get past those hurdles. He cannot run the rest of his race without conquering those hurdles. That is how we are as we run our Christian race. We cannot move closer to Christ if we continue holding on to transgressions that we have experienced with fellow Christians. If we turn over the situation in our minds a hundred times and do not move on, still feeling anger in our hearts when we think of that person or that instance, we will not move forward.

Just as a runner feels when he passes over the hurdles and gets closer to his goal, we will experience a very “freeing” feeling when we let go of the weights of bitterness and just pass them over to move closer to Christ!

by Elizabeth Myers

Happy Monday. “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” – Helen Keller

I recently was scanning my bookshelves when my eyes saw the book The Gift of Pain and, next to it, How to Stop the Pain. It spoke to me that there is a lot of pain, both physical and emotional.

Are you in pain?

Ask a person who knows about leprosy, and they will tell you that pain has a definite purpose. When a healthy person touches a scalding pan, the pain says, “Let go!” Lepers become numb to this signal, and great damage can be done as a result.

Pain helps the doctor with his diagnosis. The patient can describe his pain—how often and how strong—when he is seeking medical treatment. The doctor then is able to gauge the severity of the patient’s symptoms to reach a more definitive conclusion.

I do not know who first said it, but it has been said, “Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.” This is so true of the emotional hurts that come into our lives. Often, our pain will tell us that we must learn to “let go” when we incur too much damage in life.

Several years ago, one special verse gave me guidelines to help with the pain that others could not see. Isaiah 41:10 says, Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Using the fingers on one hand helps me to remember these five things—and they work!

1. I must not fear for I’m not alone. Psalm 27:1 – The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2. There is no need for dismay or apprehension for it is Jehovah God Who is there. Joshua 1:9 – Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
3. When I am weak, He will be my Strength. II Corinthians 12:10 – Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
4. When I need help, He runs to my aid. Hebrews 13:6 – So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
5. When I am about to “faint,” He holds me with His mighty right hand. Isaiah 40:28-31 – Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Can we trust that we are to lean on these promises? God, Who cannot lie, gave them to us in His unchanging Word. We can trust the One Who died for us to care for us, even when the pain seems to be too much to bear. Trust the Great Healer with your hurt today.

by Beverly Hyles

From the Mondays with Beverly blog. Reprinted with permission.

Psalm 1:3 – And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

I have tried many times to have nice plants leading up to our front door. Every spring I would go to pick out some plants that did not need too much TLC, and every year they unfortunately would not make it. I planted some toward the front of the walkway and some a little farther down. The ones closest to the front door never made it. The ones farther away from the front door lasted longer but ended up dying as well. They were so beautiful to look at when I first planted them. I always started with fertilizer, then I would plant my purchases, surround them with new rubber mulch, and give them plenty of water. They still never grew and ended up dying. The problem was not the plant but where I planted them. I did not water them as I should have, and they never got enough sunshine.

I finally gave up on trying to plant anything in that area leading up to our front door, so now we have just rubber mulch in that flower bed. However, we have always had hibiscus bushes in front of our home, and they have always flourished. Even now, they continue to look beautiful. No matter how many times I trim them back, they still seem to grow bigger and more beautiful. With as much rain as we get in Florida, I never need to water them, and they get plenty of sunshine where they are planted.

I know from my experience that it makes such a difference where we are planted in our Christian lives. First of all, we should be planted in God’s Word. God’s Word says in Psalm 119:105, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. I John 1:5 says, …God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we make it a habit to be in God’s Word on a day-to-day basis, we will grow.

Next, we should plant ourselves in church. As we get involved and stay faithful to the things of the Lord, we will grow. Hebrews 10:25 says, Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

We also should be planted in our prayer lives. Luke 11:1 says, …Lord, teach us to pray,… My daughter once noticed a homeless person, and we both decided to pray for him every night together before she went to bed. A few days later, we saw another homeless person, and she said, “Mom, I think we need to pray for her too.” Praying is so important in the lives of Christians. It is a way we talk to our Heavenly Father, a way we grow, and a way to get grounded in our Christian lives.

Just as those plants did not grow because of lack of sunshine and water, a Christian cannot grow without God’s Word, prayer, and church. We need to plant our lives in God’s Word and have a prayer life. We cannot grow in the things of the Lord if we are not watered by God’s Word and guided by His light. Let us make sure that we are planted where we can grow for His honor and glory!

by Mandy Harper

My three children have three different sets of interests. My oldest son loves sports. My middle son enjoys watches. My youngest, my daughter, adores all things animals. When I am choosing gifts for them, I cannot use a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Gifts must be chosen specifically for each child. My 12-year-old would be less than thrilled to receive a Littlest Pet Shop play set. My daughter would not be excited about getting a basketball. When I am choosing a gift, I think about what that child would enjoy and what I feel would be useful to him. The only gift my children may collectively enjoy would be a game, but a game is basically useless unless the child playing has another one who also wants to play.

We each have unique gifts—talents and abilities—given by God to use for His glory. I was reminded the other day of the verse in I Timothy 4 which says, Neglect not the gift that is in thee… While specifically written to Timothy referring to preaching (he was admonished to give attendance to reading, exhortation, and doctrine in the previous verse), I believe verse 14 is a call for all Christians.

I Corinthians 12:7 says, But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The Scripture goes on to list different spiritual gifts and likens the church to the body of Christ. We all are given abilities by the Holy Spirit which are meant to be used to profit the body of Christ.

Imagine that our eyes just decide one day they do not want to see. They have the ability, but they just refuse to do so. We would stumble around and would have a fairly unproductive day.

One of my children, upset about going to a different doctor’s office for a checkup, refused to look at the eye chart. I covered one of his eyes, but he would close the other. He would not allow his eyes to see to benefit the rest of the body.

It is easy, at times, to see our gifts as insignificant when comparing our gifts to another’s, but God is no respecter of persons. If every sin is equally bad in God’s eyes, would not every gift be equally good and individually chosen?

Your talents and abilities were not an accident or a coincidence. God’s gifts were specially selected for you and were designed to be shared. What are you doing with yours?

by Vicki Voorhis

I am sure most have heard variations of these phrases:

“Don’t judge me; only God knows my heart.”

“Ignore the haters; they don’t know your life.”

“People that judge you are not worth your time and attention.”

The world has given much focus to encouraging people, especially young women, to live their lives “authentically” without the fear of criticism from others. In my Bible reading recently, I came across a verse that caused me to ponder a different perspective to these popular mantras.

The verse was I Timothy 5:14, I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.

Mentally, I checked off the boxes:

Marriage? Done.

Bearing children? Done.

Guiding the house? A work in progress.

These were commands I had often seen throughout the scriptures. The last phrase was what arrested my attention: …give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.

Who is our adversary? Verse 15 explains further, For some are already turned aside after Satan. We know from scripture also that our sworn enemies are the world, the flesh, and the devil. I wondered how often my decisions as a young Christian woman have given occasion for those adversaries to speak reproachfully of me?

I believe that we all would do well to consider our actions more carefully. If they give even the appearance of evil, or if they could be misconstrued by a judging world, are they even worth doing? Do they give an excuse for others to turn away from the things of God? Do our own thoughtless words give fuel to the fire of those who would criticize Christians?

 Like it or not, our lives are being displayed in a public way to the world, whether in person or increasingly through social media. As Christians, our actions will always be judged and criticized by a world diametrically opposed to our beliefs. We should strive, though, to avoid bringing that suffering upon ourselves.  I Peter 3:16-17 tells us, Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

Other verses in the Bible give us additional motivation. II Corinthians 6:3 admonishes us to give …no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: I Corinthians 10:32-33 commands us, Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God…not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. These verses show us that by giving offense to others, within the church or outside of it, we can cause the ministry to bear unfair reproach and even dissuade others from being saved. What a contrast in perspective to a flippant “ignore the haters!”

The more I ponder these passages the more determined I am to try to live a more selfless, Christ-honoring, and ministry-honoring life, one that is a light to the world; not a stumbling block, an excuse for criticism, or a cause for offense.

Would you join me today in considering the “haters” as motivation to live a less offensive life?

by Abigail Medford

In our ever-busy society, it is easy to get caught up into thinking that the only way we can accomplish anything is by multitasking. This is huge misconception. While most of us—especially moms—like to pride ourselves in our ability to multitask, it is scientifically proven that multitasking results in errors and hinders productivity. In fact, it is impossible to give one hundred percent of ourselves to more than one thing at a time. As people have come to this realization, a societal push to encourage the fatigued multitasker to focus on the task at hand has developed.

“Be present” has become today’s new mantra. It simply means that when doing something, it is best to give our full attention to that one thing. This definitely is easier said than done. Our world is overflowing with constant distractions, from smartphones to social media to television. Certainly, many must struggle, as do I, to “be present.”

We may think that this is a modern-day problem, but it is an age-old problem that God addressed in Exodus 24. Verse 12 says, And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. Before God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, He instructed him not only to come up in the mount but also to be there. In this verse, we can see that God was telling Moses that, in order to teach the commandments to the people, it was not enough for him just to come into the mount to receive the commandments; he had to …be there… In other words, Moses could not allow anything to distract him. God knew that it would be impossible for Moses to teach the commandments to the people if he was too distracted to receive them as God had intended.

When I read this verse, my heart was pricked. It was as if God were speaking directly to me. He reminded me that I need to …be there… when I am with Him. How many times do we open our Bibles to read, bow our heads to pray, or even go to church to hear; but are we really there? We allow our minds to wander and become distracted by so many things around us when, instead, we should dismiss the distractions to focus on the task at hand.

Just as God’s instructions to Moses were important for him to follow to successfully minister to the people, we must follow the instructions given to us in God’s Word so that we can help others. We have so much to do for God, but if we ever hope to “give it one hundred percent,” we must focus on what He has for us to do. We can effectively teach others—whether that is our children, our students, or a Sunday school class—and even grow spiritually ourselves, as long as we make sure to …be there…

by Crystal Collingsworth

What a week it has been! The news has been filled with events that may cause us to fear or to feel faint-hearted. We can listen to, watch, or read the news on any given day to hear of economic downturn across the world, unrest in the Middle East, extreme weather causing tragedies across the Midwest, or forest fires on the West Coast. In these troubled times, what are we to think or do?

To quote Elisabeth Elliot, whose husband was savagely killed by the same people to whom he was taking the Gospel: “The real question we need to face is exactly what a Christian is supposed to do when terrible things happen. There are two choices, and only two: We can trust God, or we can defy Him. We believe that God is God, He’s still got the whole world in His hands and knows exactly what He’s doing, or we must believe that He is not God and we are at the awful mercy of mere chance.” It seems we each have a choice to make.

Why does God allow tragic circumstances to invade our lives? On occasion, all of us face adversity; and throughout our lives, we endure personal losses that are heartbreaking. According to the Word of God, He has a plan for each life, and that plan may be related to the tough times we face. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us, 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.

Two verses that capture my attention are found in the little book of Habakkuk. The first verse reminds us that troubled times come to everyone. Habakkuk 3:17 says, Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

In today’s world, this verse perhaps would read more like, “Planes fall out of the sky, the wars continue, the fires rage, and the storms create desolation. Though our lives are turned upside down…”

Oh, but wait for verse 18! Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. It seems that the Bible is reminding us once again what to do in the midst of trouble, when all hope seems lost.

Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,… I have decided to make that my choice. Will you join me? 

by Beverly Hyles

From the Mondays with Beverly blog. Reprinted with permission.