“Oh, no!” says the Lord. “That’s not your lot. “Look unto me; I’ve not forgot. “Give Me your hand, “And come my way. “You have a future. “It’s a brand new day.”
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgiveyou: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgiveyour trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15)
Christian philosopher, Bible teacher, author, and prolific poet, Margarett Inez Bates is a graduate of Mount Vernon Bible College with a Bachelor’s degree from the Christian International School of Theology. Actively involved in Christian service for over forty years, she currently resides in her hometown, Kokomo, Indiana. Margarett has published two books: Poetical Insights: Lifting Up a Standard, and Poetical Insights Vol. 2: A Closer Look. You can read more of her work at Kokomo Poet.
The room is filled with deafening silence except for the tick of the clock and the periodic roar of the blood pressure cup inflating. We find ourselves once again in life’s waiting room. Dad has just come back from having his heart cath. He sleeps. I write. We both wait for the doctor to inform of us of the next step.
These days seemed to be filled with waiting and unknowns. My prayers of adoration often become overshadowed by prayers of desperation. “God, what is the next step? Just tell me and I will do it.” And just like we wait now for the doctor, I wake each day waiting for God to step in and provide light for my next step. Next steps for…
Dad’s health
Wisdom for caregiving
Guidance in my job
Answers for hurting friends
Stewardship of time and resources
Strength for my weary body
I glance toward my father. His deep breathing now adds to the rhythmic sounds being played out in this room. As my eyes witness the gentle rise and fall of his chest with each breath, my mind replays his favorite verse. The one I need to hear right now in the wait.
“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31
This “doing heart” of mine is unnerved with waiting. You too? To just sit seems so counterproductive. I would much rather be busy, moving around. At least then things are accomplished. But are they the right things? Are they the best things?
As I reflect on this familiar passage, my eyes move past the phrases at the front end and land on the “doing” words. “They will walk, they will run, they will soar.” These are the words that grab my attention when steeped in turmoil. However, these action words give me a false sense of control when life is filled with uncertainty. Then God draws my attention to the first half of that scripture. My eyes shift and I stare at the uncomfortable part of this passage… they that wait.
It is in the waiting light is given for the next step we take. It is in the waiting wisdom is gleaned for the race we run. It is in the waiting courage is gained so that we may soar higher than we dare dream.
Perhaps this is due in part to the desperation that comes in the silence of waiting. Our hearts yearn for comfort, direction, and wisdom. We intentionally lean in anxious to hear answers to the prayers we have poured out in the night season. We strain to hear the Father whisper hope to our worn heart.
My friend, maybe you can relate to the season of waiting. I am right there with you. One thing I know… God speaks in the wait. It may not be within the realm of our comfort zone, but He does speak. So, we must resist the temptation to rush ahead. The slow pace of waiting affords us precious time in His presence that is often stolen by the fast pace of life. It is in this time, waiting at His feet, that He does a transformative work in our hearts.
Let’s hold tight to Him knowing that He is with us in the wait. He is renewing, strengthening, and transforming us.
Until next week, let’s find hope in the journey. Evelyn Sherwood
Hi There! My name is Evelyn. I am a lover of all things family, faith and Fall. So grateful that you found your way here. The chaos of life can leave us feeling a bit worn around the edges. Sometimes a little ray of hope is all we need to provide courage for the next step in our journey. So come on in, take a deep breath. My prayer is that in this space, you will be able to grab hold of hope. For more of my blogs, see my website Hope for the Journey.
Jesus Christ on the excruciating cross of human salvation is a frightening image, one upon which only the very crassest among humanity would gaze and ask: “What’s in it for me?”
Fact is, none of us wants exactly that – the cross of Christ – as Christian life’s promise. Believe in Jesus, be Christ-like, do Godly things with a Godly attitude, love God, love others, read the Bible, go to church, be selfless, kind, obedient … and what do we get? A horrendous and humiliating public death? No thanks.
That’s not the deal anyone is looking for.
We must be especially wary, then, in our Christian witness and preaching, to be very clear what it is exactly that Jesus did on the cross. The world sees punishment, shame, payment, retribution, and maybe feels a little (or a lot of) personal sin and guilt. The neurotic Christian may wilt with remorse: “That agonizing passion on the cross is my fault! That bloody end is what I deserve!” The arrogant libertine may be repulsed and dismissive: “How can a good God allow that to happen to His son? I don’t believe any of it!” A devious theologian may see a means to control people with fear and guilt.
What we see on the cross is less a picture of God than of what a perfect human will do to glorify God. In that sense a little neurosis about our fate is quite apt. The wrathful God of the Law is the same loving and sacrificial God of the New Testament. God never changes, but the enormous gift we are given through Christ is to see the true nature of a Godly human: Jesus is our example of what a perfect human in God’s eyes actually is. Our fallenness makes it hard to see that.
We are – each of us individually – a great mess of conflicts, fear, aspirations, hope, and pain-avoidance. The sneaky truth of Christ that takes a while to truly see is that our greatest human joy – and our highest, most God-like humanity – is the picture of Christ humbly sacrificing himself for others. Seeing the cross as God’s love and mercy for us, rather than seeing it as God’s anger and wrath for our sin, changes everything about what kind of Christian we can be: loving? … or judgmental?
Our greatest joy, then, is in serving others in freedom, freedom not just from sin but freedom to be all that God created me to be… what He created each of us in His own image to be. I get that the cross is a picture of humanity’s gross failings and sinfulness, but more importantly it is the picture of God’s love, Christ’s humility, and the Spirit’s illumination of truth. In this picture are glory, love, self-sacrifice, humility, restoration, forgiveness, repaired relationship, covered sins, eternal life, the conquering of both sin and death… and overwhelming peace that exceeds all understanding.
As much as we fallen humans focus on “being forgiven,” in Jesus’s entire last prayer – indeed His final teaching we see in John 13-17 including foot-washing, the last supper, the vine, His relationship with God, the Kingdom as life, God as Father, Jesus as Son, the Spirit as comfort, plus persecution, glory, faith, and perseverance – there is not one word about forgiveness of sin. Instead, there is assurance of God’s truth.
When the chips were down and His own end was near, Jesus prayed humbly for God’s glory, His own restoration, and for our faith. So should we. It’s part of the deal.
That’s the best thing I can do for my sake; that’s what’s in it for me.
“I don’t know” … and … “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
— Cain, to God, Genesis 4:9
First a lie, then a dumb question… after starting with a weak offering.
Cain simply did not understand, embrace, or cherish his responsibilities to God.
Since the second generation of man – well, if we include Adam and Eve it actually starts right at the beginning – humanity has sustained an overall miserable record of discerning that for which we are and are not responsible in the eyes of God.
Abel – the object of God’s question and the brother whom Cain had just killed – was an exception. Abel honored God with an offering of the best that he had, and God looked upon him with favor. Cain, essentially, offered God leftovers and God knew the difference. God’s favor was not on Cain, and Cain was self-righteously outraged.
You can read the entire story in Genesis 4, but here let’s focus on God’s reaction and some of the important aspects of man’s various responsibilities to God, to Mankind, and to all God’s creation. I can’t think of a better starting point than Cain and Abel.
First, note God’s even-keeled response to both offerings. He favored this and didn’t favor that. No celebration, no anger … just … favor or not. Abel’s pleasure was in honoring the Lord, period. Cain’s heart was set more on the transactional dynamic of if he gave something to God, God better like it and act like He likes it! Or I’ll get angry!
We often skip over Cain’s dissatisfaction with God and think Cain is simply but murderously jealous of his brother Abel. No … Cain is angry at God so he destroys that which God favors. Who/what does that sound like? Satan’s playbook; Page 1.
Just as God never asks a question to which He does not know the answer (such as, “Where is your brother?”), so too He knows the exact heart of every man and woman in His creation. Abel with his “fatted parts of the firstborn of his flock” revealed a heart truly with God. Cain thought his own duty to God amounted to something like a trade for which Cain could keep account. It is an error still with us today the world over – in church and out of church. Do we simply love God? Or are we working an angle?
I bring this up because I see a modern society quick to assign and approve an entirely self-directed, secular, and personal responsibility in sole support of one’s own appetites and opinions. But it is a one-dimensional responsibility to self, not the proper, manifest palette buttressing the workings of a Godly and civil society: responsibilities to family, community, nation, and God.
The shame of the modern public square is its numbed, frequent, and shockingly dire opposition to – and typically total ignorance of – God’s coherent commandments for how things go best for us. Call it “360-degree accountability.” We must honor God, but also weigh and discern the circumstances of our brothers and sisters; and they, ours.
This is the great lesson of Jesus Christ, what true responsibility before God and mankind looks like. We wildly assert personal rights of pleasure, comfort, and opinion, yet vehemently shout down suggestion of Godly regulation extending beyond our liking.
Jesus’s death wasn’t so much a payment; it was a picture of responsibility.
In the light of Jesus, we are all each other’s keepers and our responsibilities are never just to ourselves. We must always ask others: What can I do, for your sake?
This past Sunday, Steve preached a message about what it means to start each day by “putting on Jesus.” What does it mean to get up each day and lay down self to be clothed with Christ? In the sermon, he shared the story of the good Samaritan from Luke 10:25-37. One I grew up hearing.
In short, a Jewish man gets beat up, robbed and left for dead. A priest walks by, sees the man and crosses over to the other side of the street. Then an assistant at the temple walks over, takes a look at the man lying in a crumpled heap, and turns away from the desperate scene. Finally, a Samaritan, despised by the Jews, sees the wounded man and has compassion. He cares for the man’s wounds then goes even further by ensuring that his medical needs were cared for. Jesus asked which of the three was a neighbor to the man.
This morning as I climbed into the car for my morning commute, the question Jesus asked so many years ago, haunts my heart. I will most likely not come upon a physically wounded stranger. But I may find myself surrounded by those whose wounds and scars are hidden to the natural eye. But I want to put on Jesus. I want to walk in compassion. How will I know if I don’t have His eyes to see? This line of thinking prompts a prayer on my lips, “Lord, who is my neighbor today?”
That was the prayer, plain and simple, nothing more. But that simple prayer set my heart on a journey. It was an invitation to journey with eyes wide open to the wounded. An invitation to embrace my neighbor and wrap their wounds with grace. I arrived at work ready to meet my neighbor.
What a surprise God had in store for me. Instead of God sprinkling my path with neighbors to love He brought neighbors to love on me. I was the wounded one, lying in a heap and I didn’t even know it. But God let unassuming strangers see me. They saw past the facade of “I’m fine, really I am.”
It started with the lady at the flower shop who heard me as I shared why I needed pink flowers. “My friend is still in the hospital battling cancer. She loves pink.” With that, a few extra flowers and greenery were added to the mix at no additional cost. With an encouraging word and a bit of wisdom, “Don’t forget to take care of yourself,” she sent me on my way.
It was in the smile of the barista who looked me in the deep in the eyes and asked, “So, how is your day going?” Her gaze at me reflected a heart that genuinely cared.
It was the bubbly teller at the bank, the one who threw her arms up in excitement as I entered the building. She had mistaken me for a dear friend. Though I was a temporary embarrassment, the kindness, smile, and conversation that proceeded, brought a ray of sunshine to both of us.
While I had hoped to be a neighbor to others, God taught me a lesson today.
When we love the Lord with our whole being and demonstrate that love by serving our neighbors with compassion, He, in turn, wraps our wounded places with His grace and mercy.
“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Luke 10:27
I can’t wait to see who my neighbors will be tomorrow!
Who are your neighbors?
Until next time, let’s find hope in the journey, Evelyn
P.S. If you know someone who is weary, struggling to hold tight to hope, please invite them into the journey with us. Let’s encourage one another on to love and good deeds.
Hi There! My name is Evelyn. I am a lover of all things family, faith and Fall. So grateful that you found your way here. The chaos of life can leave us feeling a bit worn around the edges. Sometimes a little ray of hope is all we need to provide courage for the next step in our journey. So come on in, take a deep breath. My prayer is that in this space, you will be able to grab hold of hope. For more of Evelyn’s columns, see her blog Hope for the Journey.
9AM—6PM, Saturday, July 27, 2019
Criterion Water Labs, LLC (329 E. Firmin St., Kokomo)
Hey Overcomer!
Have you ever thought about why we call you an Overcomer? Well, it simply means there is something to overcome. Surely this is spiritual but there are also natural or physical things to overcome as well. It could be a loss of a hope or dream, loss of a loved one, or even a job. But it doesn’t have to be a loss at all. It could have to do with something else that holds your attention and keeps you from feeling free to thrive moving forward.
Stressful events are something that many people face but not everyone that experiences stressful events will get Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. I want to help you understand why that is.
It is not something you plan for, nor is it something you can write steps 1, 2, and 3 of how to get through it during the difficult moments. But, we have created a panel to discuss the Biblical principles to a person’s journey before, during and after stressful events of life.
We have used biblical, scientific and psychiatric studies to create this amazing conference and we invite you to join us online as we have this panel discussion. We believe you can overcome all traumatic stresses with God’s Word. Come and join us for this one day dynamic discussion and receive a new level of understanding for your journey of overcoming.
We want everyone well holding to this standard of all we do…
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 1:2
God wants you to be happy, well, sane and healthy. And so do I!
Would you join me online for this one-day discussion panel on Overcoming PTSD? This will not only help you if you are stuck in the past of a traumatic event but it can also help you NOT be affected by PTSD in the future.
Lately, I keep hearing the word “delight” whispered to my heart. It has been following me through the day like a puppy longing for attention. So tonight, I turn to face this word head on and ponder why God keeps dangling it in my view.
I retrace the steps of my day looking for clues. Woke up, prepped for the day, ate breakfast, grabbed the to-go coffee cup, and headed in to work. On my drive to the office, I spent time in prayer. Told God all my requests, my hopes, my dreams, my burdens, my sorrows. Arrived safely and jumped into the piles of paper on my desk.
Then it hits me- I have been so caught up in me that I have been missing Him.
Did I notice the sunrise this morning? On my way home did I take note that the farmers were finally out in the fields prepping to plant due to a day filled with sun rather than rain? Even now as I type this out, I am catching hints of God’s daily presence; the songbirds outside my window, the hummingbird as it lands so delicately on the feeder, and the fresh blooms dotting the backyard with color.
The pleasure of delighting in Him had slowly been replaced by the duty of doing for Him. It happens so swiftly and yet subtly. This has been His whisper. He has been calling me back to His heart, to the simple act of delighting in Who He is. To delight is to give keen enjoyment or to take great pleasure in.
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. –Psalm 37:4
Several years ago, while experiencing a waiting time in my life, the Lord impressed upon my heart this little essay/song. It rocked my heart then, and today it calls me back to the joy of delight.
Hush. Be Still. Don’t rush away.
Don’t just settle for a touch from Me.
Stay. Linger. Come know Me.
As did Adam, come walk with Me
In the cool of the day.
Know Me. Know my heart.
Do you see it?
Do you see the delight in my face as we walk together?
It’s because of you.
I created you and I bought you.
You are my precious treasure.
I do-I do delight in you.
Do you delight in Me?
Sarah Young once wrote in her devotional Jesus Calling, “I begin each day with a sunrise, announcing My radiant Presence. By the time you rise from your bed, I have already prepared the way before you. I eagerly await your conscious thought. I rejoice when you glance my way.”
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” – Psalm 118:24
When was the last time I truly delighted in, took great pleasure in the person of Jesus Christ? Today, may we take time to glance His way. To delight in His love, His grace, His communion with us, and to behold His beauty.
“The one thing I ask of the LORD— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.” – Psalm 27:4
Hi There! My name is Evelyn. I am a lover of all things family, faith and Fall. So grateful that you found your way here. The chaos of life can leave us feeling a bit worn around the edges. Sometimes a little ray of hope is all we need to provide courage for the next step in our journey. So come on in, take a deep breath. My prayer is that in this space, you will be able to grab hold of hope. For more of Evelyn’s columns, see her blog Hope for the Journey.
We want to invite you, your friends, and your family to join us in 2019 to attend 1 of 16 conferences we are doing nationwide on our Real Solutions Tour. There you will learn the foundations for healing and restoration in every area of your life and find the Real Solutions you have been looking for.
Friday, April 26, 1PM through Saturday, April 27, 6PM DoubleTree by Hilton-Cincinnati Airport | 2826 Terminal Dr. Hebron, Kentucky
Many people have come to us after many years of trying everything, frustrated and tired, but were rejuvenated with hope and experienced lasting healing they found nowhere else.
Along with teaching we will also be doing laying on hands ministry at the end of each conference to allow our Father to come and work powerfully in our brothers and sisters lives.
There is no fee to attend. Freewill offerings will be taken and our resources will be available for purchase.
During the conference, we will have two exclusive Q&A events with the Be in Health® team. Dinner Friday evening and lunch Saturday afternoon. Seating is limited so reserve your seat today!
Dr. Henry Wright and Be in Health® would love to teach you how to be an overcomer: to come alongside you and show you how to recognize the root issues behind disease and to overcome the works of the enemy in your life. Issues like, bitterness, rejection and fear, anxiety, and stress (just to name a few) that break down relationships and lead to disease.
May we lead you into restored relationships with God, others and even yourself?
We believe that when your spirit is healed and recovered that your body with follow suit. Thousands of people are healed and whole because of the principles they’ve learned here at Be in Health®. And we strive to provide a safe, nurturing environment for you, our brothers and sisters.
If you were given the opportunity to learn not just how to survive but to truly thrive would you take it?
We would like to extend that opportunity to you right now. We invite you to walk with us in our mission to establish generations of overcomers: “May the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
