Devotions for Church Leaders and Small Groups

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If you're stopping in because you're looking for the latest devotion, I hope you'll come back again sometime after December 3. I'm busy working on Advent Readings for 2009 right now, so I have had time to update these readings. If you'd like to get devotions delivered daily to your e-mail inbox, you can subscribe to my e-mail list HERE or advent-subscribe@lynnemodranski.com. Just send a blank e-mail and you'll automatically be added. Instructions to unsubscribe will come with your confirmation, so you'll never be stuck!

So, until after the first week of December, enjoy what you find here, leave a comment below and have a tremendous Advent Celebration!

Luke 1:5-20 & 26-38

A familiar story with well known responses to Gabriel's message. Zechariah can't beleive he's really going to have a son after all these years of waiting and his doubt results in 9 months of silence. Mary doesn't understand how she'll have a baby since she's a virgin with no consequences, just an explanation.

I've heard many explanations of why Gabriel treated the two in such drastically different ways. The most popular is that Zechariah spoke in doubt and Mary asked in wonder. And of course, that makes sense. However, I have another hypothesis that might teach us a thing or two. As I've read scripture and considered all the times we feel like God doesn't answer us, I wonder if some of the times we don't hear God have anything to do with the reason Zechariah couldn't speak for 9 month?

When the angel told Zechariah that he and Elizabeth were finally going to have the child they'd been waiting for, his response was, "How can I be sure? We're really old after all." Could it be that part of Zechariah's problem was that he hadn't paid attention to what God had done in the past? Abraham and Sarah had a child when they were 100 and 90. Samuel's parents were getting up there in age. It's not like God had never done this sort of thing before. Instead of being excited that he was getting the same treatment as his anscestor Abraham, he was second guessing an angel! Mary on the other hand, when she asked, "How?" was asking a legitimate question. A virgin had never given birth to a child before.

The whole story caused me to wonder how often we ask for answers to questions that God has already answered or demonstrated his will or power through scripture or in our own life. If we have a question about God's will and it correlates with something that He's already dealt with in scripture, why should we expect an answer? Does our Father really have to keep repeating Himself? That's just another reason why it's so important for Christians to be in the Bible often, at least once a day. How can we know what God's "good, pleasing and perfect will" (See Romans 12:2) is if we don't know His Word?

While we're at it, let's look for just a moment at Joseph, Mary's betrothed. Joseph knew exactly what he should do when he discovered Mary was going to have a baby. The law, which he knew well, said he should divorce her. Fortunately for Mary, Joseph was a man of worth, so he was going to save Mary's reputation and do it quietly. Joseph didn't even ask God about it. He knew what the right thing to do was because he knew scripture. So, when God had something different than what Joseph would have expected, God gave him a dream to help him know the truth.

What if God expects us to just step out on faith sometimes when we can see that the correct thing to do is what lines up with his word? What if we were like Mary and didn't hesitate to do God's will? Even Joseph wasn't hesitant to do what he knew was the righteous thing to do, until an angel in a dream helped him see that this was a special circumstace. How often do we wait on a sign or wonder, when God has already told us or shown us exactly what we need to be doing?

So, take this opportunity to give yourself permission to follow God's will in your life. Sometimes it will just be the "common sense" thing to do. Other times God will give you a special sign, a dream or an angel to help you line your life up with His bigger plan. But don't wait on the signs and wonders. Stay close to the vine, trust that He'll give you plenty of notice and enjoy all that He has planned for you!

Updated December 1, 2009

Samuel was growing old and the prospect of his sons being judges over Israel didn't look too promising to the people. The elders noticed their improprieties and dishonesty. They started getting a little worried about what would happen to Israel after Samuel's death. So, they came up with what seemed like a great idea. Instead of having Joel and Abijah run the country, let's get a king. I'm guessing they figured this was the best solution to what was sure to be a disastrous alternative. They probably thought it through, weighed the pros and cons, perhaps even mulled it over for a week or so to be certain there weren't any better ideas they could come up with. Yep, other nations were doing pretty well with kings, it was time for Israel to step into "modern" times and catch up with those other countries. A king would be the perfect remedy to a couple of judges that were destined to be Israel's worst nightmare.

The problem with their plan surfaces immediately. God doesn't think it's a good idea. God warns them that they taxes are going to kill them. He gives them a heads up regarding the status of their property, children and future. However, none of the warnings make a difference. They know what they want. They're positive they've discovered the best possible route and they are insistent that Israel take that path.

I don't know why they thought God's way of raising up judges in the past few decades wasn't working. It seems the Creator had done a pretty good job with Deborah and Gideon. They'd come on the scene at just the right time to bail the people of Israel out of tough situations. The elders must have thought the system needed some adjustments, because they had some forward thinking plans they intended to carry out. And at first glance, it looks like a reasonable request.

The whole scene makes me wonder how many "solutions" I've come up with in my past that were great ideas but not GOD ideas. Seriously, I've always got the answer to tough problems. I sit and think about all the possibilities, weigh the options and consider every scenario. By the time I have a plan, you can be sure it's the best answer humanly possible. And right THERE is where I run into trouble. I come up with the best answer HUMANLY possible. But my heavenly Father has the plan that is MORE than humanly possible. In fact, His plans are only SUPERNATURALLY possible.

Knowing this, I have to wonder why we humans spend so much time scheming, dreaming and leading instead of praying, listening and following. I call it running ahead of God. It's much like King Saul in 1 Samuel 13. Saul was in such a hurry to please God, He offered a sacrifice without waiting on Samuel as he was instructed.

Here are a few questions to help you discover if you have GOOD ideas or GOD ideas:
- What ideas do we have that we haven't cleared with the Almighty?
- What instructions from God are we willing to ignore to have things our way?
- Who do I respect enough in Christ to get confirmation of God's will before I carry out my "good" idea?

The leaders of Samuel's day got stuck in thier "good idea." Even after Samuel shared all the consequences of thier request, they wanted to move ahead. As you make decisions this week, consider Samuel and the Israelite elders. Pray about your ideas and get the opinion of an "elder" who isn't afraid to speak the unpopular truth to you. We can learn the difference between our "Good" ideas and the better "God" ideas.

November 17, 2009

English teachers all over America cringe at the words "ain't" or "gonna." Dialects that include "d'jeet jet"(1) and "whichadija"(2) are just a couple of examples of ways we create vocabulary. Plus there is an entire chapter of words that many people find offensive, none of which we'll mention for obvious reasons, and most that Christians try to eliminate from the vocabulary in order to honor Paul's admonition in Ephesians 4:7 to "not let any unwholesome talk" come out of our mouths.

Despite our atttempts to clean up our mouth and create a vocabulary that honors our Savior, there is still one word Christians use every day that is completely unChristlike and unscriptural. It's a simple word, a tiny contraction, a word we hear and speak often, most often incorrectly. The word . . . CAN'T. You won't even find a definition for it in the dictionary. We have to look up "can," which means "have the ability to." So, can not means to NOT have the ability to . . . or impossible. The New International Version of the Bible only has the word used 14 times. And even well versed theologians must have a problem understanding the usage of the word because of those 14, the translators have only used it correctly twice.

Most often when we use the word "can't," what we really mean is "don't have permission." It's not that we aren't able. Our correct response would be "may not." On other occasions when "can't" is used, the word we should use is "won't". We often willfully choose not to do one thing or another and instead of honestly expressing our willfulness, we say, "I can't." By now you're thinking about all the times you use the word, "can't". I can't, you can't, we can't . . . and you're considering those times when someone asks you to dinner but you "can't." But think about it. It's not that you don't have the ability to eat dinner with the person. The truth is we should say, "I'm sorry, I have a prior commitment."

- I will not.
- I do not choose to.
- I may not.
- I don't have permission.
- My schedule doesn't permit.

It's quite easy for us to mistakenly rephrase any of those sentences to include the word, "can't." As I said earlier, there are two places in scripture where one of those statements just won't work as a substitute for the word "can't". Both are found in the dialogue of the chief priests and teachers of the law when Christ was on the cross. These learned Jews said, "He can't save himself." They were obviously wrong! However, they really believed that it was impossible for Christ to save Himself even though He saved others.

Although we truly can't save ourselves, and we generally can't do anything about a terminal illness that we didn't bring on because of some unholy lifestyle, for the most part when Christians say, "I can't" we throw out at least two verses of scripture. In Matthew 17:20 Jesus says that just a bit of faith give us the ability to do ANYTHING . . . Nothing will be impossible for you. And Luke 1:37 gives us Gabriel's message to Mary, "Nothing is impossible with God." If we truly believe these two verses, it becomes necessary for us to throw the word "can't" out of our vocabulary.

We use the word "can't" arbitrarily; however, we often believe it. And it's not necessarily using the word that's terrible, but it's the confidence we place in it. For instance, I often say, "I can't cook." And at first glance, most would say it's true. But the more appropriate description would be I don't LIKE to cook. I'm not good at it, and I've never chosen to devote the time to learn to do it well.

And while that seems pretty harmless there is a more destructive use of the word "can't." This comes when we feel a call from God. It's then that we hear logical, but false, reasoning. For instance . . .
- I can't go to Africa because . . .
- I can't teach a Sunday School class . . .
- I can't host a small group
- I can't read scripture every day
- I can't pray in front of people
- I can't give my testimony

Why can't we? Because we don't believe scripture and we don't trust God to keep His promises. We don't really believe that "nothing is impossible with God." We believe the lie of "can't." And sometimes we perpetuate the lie by passing along the sentiment to others around us including our children. In America our conversation is generally more casual, we almost never articulate our thoughts in full. We use the easiest verbage possible. So there will be many times we get lazy. Not a big deal. But it's important we be aware of the words we are using. As Christians we have the power to defeat the "can't" attitude. By our encouragement, our prayers and our faith we can strengthen the body of Christ and rid the family of the word "can't"

NOTES
(1)Pittsburgh's version of "did you eat yet?"
(2)Foxworthy's redneck dictionary says you would use it in a sentence like this, "You didn't bring it with you did you?"

November 8, 2009

2 Kings 2:23-25
From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!" [24] He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths. [25] And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.

This is a really hard piece of scripture. It reminds me of Numbers 16:28-35 and the family of Korah who got swallowed up because they rebelled against the leadership of Moses and Acts 5:1-11 when Ananias and Sapphira lied to Peter and the Holy Spirit about gifts they gave to God. For a time as I read this story of Elisha, I prayed, "why?" In fact, because this happened so soon after Elisha took over Elijah's ministry, my first thought was, "He really thinks a lot of himself." Some kids call him a name, so he calls down curses from God. And I wasn't too impressed by the fact God actually answered his prayer.

But the more I thought about it, the more I considered perhaps God is trying to show us the seriousness of our words. Our Father often used extremes to give us a glimpse of how he felt about certain situations. Korah, for example, helped us see that it's unacceptable to rebel against God's chosen leader. Ananias and Sapphira set the stage for the rest of Christianity so we would understand that God didn't want our gifts if they were given to make us look good or contributed as a lie.

In his work, "Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl," N.D. Wilson talks a lot about the power of the spoken word. After all, everything we can see and touch was created by the mere mention of it by our Creator. Likewise, our words hold power . . . more power than we can imagine. The things we say have the power to build up and tear down. They can create or destroy. What if God allowed these young men to die so that we might truly understand the power of our words?

I think that God wants as Christians to have fun. There's nothing worse than a boring gospel or dry, pious Christians. However, it's often easy to allow our "fun" to turn into bullying. Even Christians enjoy a bit of teasing and sarcasm, and often it's harmless. But unfortunately, more often our words hurt and tear down. Sometimes we mean well. We're just having a good time. We think that the person we're teasing understands we love them and don't want to hurt them. They laugh, too! Other times, our teasing is really sarcasm. We mean what we say. The tone we use sounds like teasing, and we laugh after we say it. The one who is the focus of our "joke" laughs, too. So, it must be OK. But in these times, we are more like the young men calling out "baldhead" than the image of the living Christ.

Joking can alleviate tension and help get conversation started. Levity can be healthy for relationships. Laughing is good for our health. But does all of our laughing, joking and levity bring glory to God? Could any of our powerful words be construed of "bullying"? Even if the subject of our jokes laughs too. As Christians it's important that even our light hearted speech is holy.

Ephesians 4:29 says: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. This week consider every word that comes out of your mouth. Evaluate them according to the power they have and their potential to "build others up." After all, you don't want to be mauled by a lion!

Updated October 18, 2009

[2] It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim, and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the LORD. [3] And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, "If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." [4] So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only.

Most of us who've been in the church for any amount of time know the story of Israel. They had a definite cycle they followed. Over and over again they served God for a time, then followed false gods. After a while the going got tough so they cried out to the One and only True God and He rescued them. Because of their gratitude, they followed Him, but it wasn't more than a generation or two later that the cycle of unfaithfulness began again.

As I read these verses in Samuel, I wonder if there are a few words here that give us a clue to Israel's problem. For 20 years the Ark of the Covenant, God's presence as far as the Israelites were concerned, was at Kiriath Jearim. The entire time it was there the people of Israel followed God. It must have looked to Samuel like they were finally sincere in their desire to worship their Creator because Samuel challenged them to get rid of their foreign gods. He told them that if they really wanted to completely return to God, they should "rid themselves" of the idols and gods of their enemies.

At first read, it looks like verse 4 tells us they did just as Samuel commanded; however if we look at it just a bit closer, we see that they only half obeyed. The text says, "the Israelites put away" the false gods. When I think of "get rid of" I imagine a garbage can or a fire. On the other hand "putting away" brings to mind a closet. The Israelites didn't dispose of them forever, they put them on a shelf in case they needed them again. And as we know from history, the day came when they once again turned their backs on the one who delivered them time after time after time and turned instead to the powerless statues and idols of wood and stone.

It made me stop and think, "are there 'idols' in my life that I've put high on a shelf but haven't completely rid my life of?" And can I "commit myself to the Lord and serve Him only" if I have these hidden treasures to fall back on? Perhaps we've even forgotten they're there, but sure enough if we don't completely get rid of them, at some point we'll feel compelled to clean out that closet and find those gods that keep tripping us up.

I'm not sure why they are so attractive. After all, we've seen, we know the power of the Almighty God. We really WANT to follow Him. But much like the Israelites, we find ourselves giving our devotion to those idols instead of our Father. The god of scheduling, jobs and time management demands that we shorten the moments we spend with Christ. The god of entertainment and leisure knows how much we enjoy television, computer, video games and the like. This god promises fun and even delivers to a point. Much like the Israelites, it's easy to get sucked into these vices without even realizing we're turning our back on the One God who actually cares about us.

Much the same way the god of money, family and things can blind us to our need to spend time with the Omnipotent One. Most of these idols seem innocent and good. Stop and think about it. Back hundreds of years ago, I'm sure it made sense to worship the sun and the rain. After all, humankind learned early that these two resources were necessary to grow food. Now that we're aware these are just creations of the same God who created us, it seems foolish to bow to solar, wind or water power. However, when we spend more time at our jobs than with our family and more time with our family than with the One who gave us these gifts, we run the risk of being as foolish as those who worship the sun god.

Think for a moment about the gods you've followed in your life. Have we truly ridded our lives of them? Or are they in a closet, up on a shelf behind our Bibles just waiting until we feel as though we need them again?

Judges 2:1-15

The angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, "I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I swore to give to your forefathers. I said, `I will never break my covenant with you, [2] and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.' Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? [3] Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you."

[4] When the angel of the LORD had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, [5] and they called that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the LORD.

[6] After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance. [7] The people served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel.

[8] Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten. [9] And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

[10] After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. [11] Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. [12] They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the LORD to anger [13] because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. [14] In his anger against Israel the LORD handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. [15] Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the LORD was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.

Verse 10 says "After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel." As I read that I wondered about how a generation could serve the Lord throughout their lifetime and the next generation all completely turn away from God. As parents and those who minister to children, this passage proves the awesome responsibility we have to our children. We can't assume just because we serve the Lord, they will figure it out.

We can't really tell from these few verses what went wrong in the Israelites lives that made it so difficult for their children to serve God. However, one can assume that they probably were so busy following the rules and "serving" that they forgot to teach their children the greatest commandment, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind and all your soul and all your strength."

And in our lives we have even a greater love to teach our children. Paul tells us in Ephesians that Jesus "abolished the law" in His flesh. He did away with all the regulations. Not that there aren't standards that followers of Christ should follow, but if we can teach our children to love Jesus first, whether they belong to us biologically or spiritually, the standards that He set with the way He lived his life will automatically follow.

As parents, we teach our children to love Christ with our actions even more than our words. Our priorities about worship, work and family will train those young ones much more quickly than even everything in their Sunday School teachers' lessons. It's up to us to make sure they see us earnestly worshipping and loving our heavenly Father so our children aren't part of that "next generation" that falls away from God.

And if you are a leader in a children's ministry, you have a similar responsibility. Next to a child's parent and perhaps their school teacher, you have the most influence in these young people's lives. Every lesson you prepare should be geared toward helping them love Christ. Similarly, the love we show them and the example we set when we see them outside the church will influence their future in the faith more than you can imagine.

As you prepare to work with or raise these precious young ones that God has put in our care, look closely at your relationship with Christ. Do you love Him with all your heart, soul and mind? Or are you serving Him by following the "regulations"? Is you life a reflection of one that the "next generation" will want to imitate? And if they do, will they also be imitating Christ?

Added September 17, 2009

Joshua 9

This story falls right after many wins for the Israelites. They'd been blessed by God and had been able to overtake their enemies on every side. Unfortunately, countless victory got the best of them.

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Joshua was a fine leader. He was devoted to God and lead the people of Israel in a way that kept them following their Creator. But when the Gibeonites came by impersonating foriegners from a country far away, he made a fatal mistake. Despite his doubt and ignoring the nagging suspicion that we can hear so obviously in his voice, he looked at the bread and the wine, the clothes and the shoes and neglected the most important step of his investigation. Joshua and the leaders of Israel forgot to consult their commander in chief. Their egos got the best of them. They'd won enough battles that they got a little cocky and decided to start making decisions on their own.

That was their first mistake. And then they made the treaty with the Gibeonites. Little did they know how quickly that would come back to bite them in such a short time. Some mistakes take years for the repercussions to become evident, but for Joshua and the nation of Israel it only took three days for the folly of their ways to catch up with them.

As leaders in the Kingdom of God, we have to be very careful we don't let our egos outwit our wisdom. We often come to our meetings from busy days and stress filled lives. Too many times we are in a hurry to get in and out, and it's just too easy to rely on our own wisdom as we make decisions that will effect the body of Christ. We look at the finance reports and listen to common sense reports and base our decisions on what our eyes can see and ears can hear instead of inviting and waiting for the Holy Spirit to speak.

As a result we find ourselves too often running ahead of God, doing things that seem wonderful but aren't in His master plan. How might our decisions change if we come to every meeting having prayed for at least 15 minutes? What would our decisions look like if we spent time in prayer, not before every vote, but before each discussion? How might our personal lives change if we were in the scripture first thing in the morning every single day?

If the leaders in Joshua's day had consulted their one true King, Gibeon's ruse would have probably been uncovered. Israel could have seen one more win. As leaders we have a responsibility to learn from Joshua and Israel's mistakes and continually look to God to reveal His will to us.

Early in his leadership Joshua told the people "Choose this day who you will serve." He was worried about the gods of the other nations getting in the way of Israel following God. It never occured to him that ego would be just as lethal. Let's not let the blessings God gives us keep us from the wisdom he wants to bestow!

added September 10, 2009

Today I heard someone speak about their surprise about planning for growth in ministry. They were shocked that we would think ahead and prepare for a time when we outgrow our present facility. My response was that no one ever birthed a baby without hoping and preparing that the child would one day turn 18 and be on his own. Have you ever heard of anyone watch their daughter graduate without praying that she would continue to learn and develop into a mature responsible adult. Every ministry must prepare, plan and grow or it might as well prepare and plan to die.

Likewise, every mind must continually be growing. I so enjoy watching my grandson learn new things everyday. He's growing so fast. Not just in height and weight, but in his mind. He learns new words constantly and the world is an exciting place for him. Even a dandelion blowing in the wind will bring a "WOW!" But just as much I enjoy talking with older saints who are still growing. Oh, their body may have shut down years before, but they never stop asking questions, reading scripture and studying. There are some 70 year olds who are beginning to learn the computer or have begun to read things that they've never taken time to study before. Their minds are sharp because they are still growing. On the other hand, some who are the same age don't want to even attempt anything new. They have a difficult time grasping new concepts (and I don't mean Altzhymer patients). After I talk to them for just a short while the truth always comes out, "I just don't need to learn any of that new stuff."

This principle not only applies to our physical bodies, it also applies to our spiritual life. Just as you feed and nurture a baby, so you must constantly feed and nurture your spirit. Jesus didn't call God's Word, "The Bread of Life" and "Spring of Living Water" for nothing. The scripture contains delicious morsels that are essential for sustaining real life.

As I sadly consider some elder church folk I've met, I wonder when they stopped growing. Just like those who "don't need to learn the new stuff," these people believe they've already heard every sermon and read every word of the Bible at some time or another, so they quit. They completely stop the growth process. And as any farmer will tell you, when the seed ceases to grow, it begins to die.
We each have a choice to make. We can choose to grow until we pass from earth into heaven or we can choose to begin to die until our heart ceases to beat. I'm not sure why anyone would choose the latter, but day after day I meet people who've chosen to begin to die. Not physically, but spiritually.

I can give you examples of those who've chosen to die, but I believe it would be better to give you examples of some who've chosen growth over death.

Let me tell you about my Aunt Ethel. She passed away in 2007, but more than 10 years before that the doctors gave her six months to live. Many would have had her go to bed and preserve the weak heart they were sure would give out at any moment. Instead, she continued her daily routine as much as her heart would allow. Yes, she slowed her pace some and even grew weaker and thinner; however, during this time (and in her 70's) she learned how to use e-mail and still had stimulating conversation with anyone who would visit. At one of my last visits with her, she was gravely concerned with her sister's temporary ill health and talked as if her own malady were just a cut or scrape in comparison. Right up until the day she died, she was still growing. The time finally arrived when her body gave out; however, it her mind and spirit are chose life by choosing to grow.

I hope if you've ever driven through Southeastern Ohio, you may have had opportunity to meet Helen. I believe she's gone now; but at age 94, she was still managing the general store that her father had started in the late 1800's. She sat in the front row of the church so she could hear the pastor because "hearing aids were for old folks." Yes, she'd probably get one when she got "old." Some may have thought her stubborn for not wearing a hearing aid; but she believed it was a sign of not growing. I don't know how many quilts she made each year, but I'm assuming there was one in the frame on the day that her body quit working the way her mind told it to. Although her body showed her advancing years, her mind never stopped working, turning and growing.

Finally, let me tell you about Betty. Somehow, I think everyone thought Betty would never die. Perhaps it was because she never quit asking questions, questioning the answers and growing in her spirit. At age 70 she probably brought more questions to the Bible Study discussion table than anyone in the room. She contemplated every answer and held it up against scripture. When they called to tell me Betty had gone to be with Jesus, I was speechless. It had never really occurred to me that Betty could possibly die. Even with white hair and a frail body, she never seemed old enough to die. Her joking was full of love, her fun was youthful and her passion for life and learning were childlike.

So, now, today, I want to ask you, are you growing or are you dying? Yes, those are your only two options. Consider this carefully, it might be the most important question you'll answer this week. I'm assuming since you're reading something other than the daily paper, you're choosing to grow. Colossians chapter one says this:

10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (NIV)

Never stop "Growing in the knowledge of God," for everything that is growing bears fruit and everything that is not growing is dying.

We've been gone for a week. The bad news is no rain fell the entire time we were gone. Everything is so dry, the grass is starting to turn brown. The good news is no rain fell the entire time we were gone, the grass shouldn't need mowed.

And as we pull into the drive we realize we were correct, the grass does not need cut; however, the weeds are more than a foot high. I'm not sure how this phenomenon actually materializes. How can it be that the grass does not grow at all, but the weeds look awful? I suppose if we'd spent more money on better grass seed, the lawn wouldn't look so bad. As it is we (OK, my husband) must spend all afternoon cutting grass that doesn't really need cut in order to cut down the weeds so the yard will look decent.

It caused me to consider the old saying "You're growing like a bad weed." I understand where it came from now, but I also realize I'll never use that phrase to describe anyone I care for. You see I decided that bad weeds grow in spite of having any nurturing or feeding. They grow without water and without care. They grow fast and furious. And unfortunately, they grow wild and ugly.

How easy this is to compare to children. Children who are nurtured and cared for are often more naïve and innocent. They will generally be younger looking and kinder to others. However, children left to themselves, made to survive alone in this world, tend to grow up quickly. They become street smart and world wise. They tend to look older than their years and generally develop bad habits quite young. Just like good grass and domesticated animals, children need years of tender loving care. They need to be well nourished physically, mentally and spiritually. Just like grass in the middle of summer, a child who isn't well cared for and fed will either wither and die or become a weed.

A similar phenomenon is true of our spiritual lives. Without regular prayer, study and devotion our spirits will either wither and die or turn into a weed. As a weed, we might grow, but we'll grow fast and furious. As the Bible says, we'll become puffed up with our knowledge (or lack of it) and be obnoxious Christians. Just like those weeds in our yard that are much bigger and tougher than the grass, we'll think we're better than our well fed friends (especially when they're going through a dry spell). Unfortunately, the Bible says if we allow ourselves to be weeds, we'll only be good for stubble for the fire.

It's imperative that we grow, but it's even more important that we grow properly. If you aren't growing, you're probably dying. Unless you're growing like a bad weed!

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