What's Controlling You?

I had a bit of an epiphany last night. While chatting with friends, the subject of a certain television series came up. One of the ladies present said that she had purchased the series, having heard that it was quite good. It chronicled the marriages of Henry VIII of England, and all the political intrigue that went along with them. This lady admitted that she hadn't watched television in about three years, for various reasons. She brought the dvds home and suggested to her husband that they watch an episode. Not long into the program, a rather explicit sex scene unfolded. She fast forwarded the dvd, hoping that there would be no more. Alas, along came another one. They stopped the dvd, and didn't watch any further.

My friend was shocked at the sexual content of this program. She returned to Walmart, and expressed this to the clerk, stating that it was nothing short of pornographic. She couldn't believe that this type of thing would be allowed on televisoin. At first I was tempted to think that she was exaggerating. Then I realized that she was right on.

The first time that I watched the same program, I was shocked by the sexual content. I decided that I wouldn't watch any further episodes. But as is too often the case, I found myself tuning in again. I justified this by telling myself that having no cable or satellite, I didn't have much of a choice in programming. Also, I reasoned that perhaps the next episode wouldn't have such blatant sexual scenes. I was wrong.

As I sat and listened to my friend express her shock, I was convicted of how lax I had become around what I was watching on televison. Not only television programs, but movies that I rented or borrowed from the Library. All too often, they were filled with cursing, violence and sex.

In the morning of the same day, I had listened to an interview on a Christian radio station. A woman author was talking about her book. In it, she encourages parents to do all that they can to guard their children from being polluted by the influence of a morally bankrupt worldview. She told of how parents were so shocked to find that their young sons were viewing pornography on the Internet. "What do they expect? Garbage in, garbage out," was her response. She was referring to the influence of televison and movies on children and teens today. Sexual content has become commonplace, and we are being de-sensetized to it.

Thinking about these things has brought me to a resolution to be stricter about what I allow myself to take in, when it comes to televison and movies. My flesh doesn't object to mindless consumption of garbage from the idiot box, but I know from past experience that whatever I watch is automatically saved in my memory bank.

There seems to be no limit to the crudeness and blatant sexual innuendo that is allowed on televison today. It's not only the children that need to have their minds protected; we adults have to make sure we choose wisely what we allow to enter through our eyes and ears. So much of what is on television and in movies today is nothing but sin in action; we accept as "normal" what God finds offensive and an abomination. I don't know about you, but I think I had better find other things to occupy myself with for "relaxation". There doesn't seem to be much on televsion that is edifying or glorifying to God these days.

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." Rom. 4:8

So Happy Together

Recently I attended the New England House Church Conference in Putnam, Connecticut. It started on Friday evening and finished up on Saturday evening, and was well worth the 9 hour drive each way. New friends were made, questions answered, and there was fun had by all. I’m so glad that I went. Not only did I gain a clearer understanding of what God’s intentions are for His body here on earth, but as an incredible bonus, I took a huge leap in my apprehension of God as my Father.

My travelling companions and I have been friends for at least 8 years. God has kindly brought us together to encourage and support each other. They are friends that I can just be myself with, and that is a great blessing. Always when we are together, we laugh a lot. We tease and kid one another, tell really bad jokes, act like fools, and freely express our love for each other. These relationships are so precious to me.

During our drive home, we listened to a tape by Beresford Job, who spoke at the conference. He was describing God as our Father, and explaining that the primary thing that God desired from us, His church, was our love. He wants us to show Him that we love Him. Of course, this love we ought to have for Him involves obedience. But that is not the total definition of it. In Matthew 22, verse 37, Jesus explains the greatest commandment: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

As I listened to Beresford quote scripture, and talk about God’s love toward us, His children, it was as though I had a new glimpse of the Father heart of God. Something in me relaxed. Something that had perhaps all my life been held at arm’s length, cowering, afraid to step forward. I dared to view God the Father as a REAL father, and not just as my Father in name only.

I have heard it said many times that we can impose aspects of our relationship with our earthly father onto that with our Heavenly Father. My dad was an alcoholic. Life at my house was interspersed either with outbursts of anger, or tense silences filled with anticipation of those outbursts. Perhaps it was growing up in that atmosphere that has stunted my understanding of actually being the child of a God Who loves unconditionally. Or maybe it was the strict, graceless religion of the teaching I received from the Catholic Church. God was represented for me by that shadowy figure of a priest behind a screen in the dark confession box. I crept in there with fear and trepidation, hoping I had remembered all of my sins, then slunk out to say my “penance”. Any peace of soul was shortlived, as I strove to appease the God of my understanding, who continually observed me from a distance, tracking my every misdemeanor on some great celestial clipboard that He held.

As a Christian, I know that I carried this performance-based attitude with me. Even though I understood the truth that I was saved by grace alone, I still struggled with trying to measure up as a Christian. Leaving the institutional church has alleviated a great deal of that pressure, but still, in my innermost being, I have found it difficult to realize experientially the acceptance that I have with my Father in Heaven in Christ. I choose to believe what Scripture says about Him, but don't often have a true heart realization of these truths. He is not a distant, demanding, critical Father whose love and acceptance comes and goes. He is the father that ran to meet the returning prodigal son. He is not that faceless priest who listens silently while I mumble out a list of sins, and then hands out my “sentence” in a matter of fact way. He is “Abba, Daddy” that I cry out to, and pour out my soul to. He loves me the same way that He loves His Son, since I am included in Christ, accepted in Him.

As we neared the end of our homeward journey from the conference, the night sky was dark, and dotted with brilliant pinpoints of shining stars. Praise music played on the radio, and any conversation was quiet. I laid my head back and gazed out the window, reflecting on the greatness of a God who had hung each star, and knew each by name. It occurred to me that as His children, we were like a bunch of kids who were coming home from a day at the beach, or the fair; all tuckered out, happy to just be together, content after a day of play, food and fun. I imagined Him gazing down at us, delighted in our joy at being together. I had a sense of His pleasure at our pleasure.

John Piper coined the phrase “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” That night I really caught the truth of that thought. Because we were satisfied in Him. All of our joy, fellowship and pleasure was because of Him; His Spirit in us, His love for us, our love for one another. And we knew it. It was an unspoken truth, but one that I know we would all agree on. He has knit us together in love, with each other, and with Him. Our fellowship is IN Him, through His Son. Joint heirs with Jesus, we are His children, loved with a perfect love.

Walking By Faith

This is a devotional from "Streams in the Desert." I thought it was quite good, and one that I'm sure many can relate to.

"We walk by faith, not by appearance." (2 Cor. 5:7, R.V)

By faith, not appearance; God never wants us to look at our feelings. Self may want us to; and Satan may want us to. but God wants us to face facts, not feelings; the facts of Christ and of His finished and perfect work for us.

When we face these precious facts, and believe them because God says they are facts, God will take care of our feelings.

God never gives feeling to enable us to trust Him; God never gives feeling to encourage us to trust Him; God never gives feeling to show that we have already and utterly trusted Him.

God gives feeling only when He sees that we trust Him apart from all feeling, resting on His own Word, and on His own faithfulness to His promise.

Never until then can the feeling (which is from God) possibly come; and God will give the feeling in such a measure and at such a time as His love sees best for the individual case.

We must choose between facing toward our feelings and facing toward God's facts. Our feelings may be as uncertain as the sea or the shifting sands. God's facts are as certain as the Rock of Ages, even Christ Himself, who is the same yesterday, today and forever.

(Author unknown)

For The Least of These..............

I gave twenty dollars to a stranger today. He was standing at a busy intersection, holding a cardboard sign that said "broke and hungry." This is a common practice in my city. Sometimes it is a young woman, sometimes a young man, or maybe both. The fellow today looked fairly down and out. He wore a t-shirt emblazoned with a skull motif, and had many tatoos. A heavy backpack completed his outfit.

These folks make me uncomfortable when I come across them. My first impulse is usually to open my wallet to give them some money. If my husband is with me, I don't do this. He is convinced that they are all drug addicts or alcoholics looking for a fix. Or people with jobs who are making extra money. So, knowing this, I hesitate. Lots of times I just drive by. But today, even though I am going through some financial hardship myself, I decided to stop and talk to the guy. I knew I had the twenty dollar bill in my wallet, and some small change. I thought that even though things were tight for myself, at least I had a home and food in the fridge.

I asked him what was going on with him. He told me a story about being injured on the job, coming from Kingston, waiting for Worker's Compensation, thinking about going out west to find a job. Of course, I had no way of knowing if he was lying to me or not. So I handed him the twenty dollar bill and said "God bless you." He thanked me, said "God bless you too." Then he walked away.

As I waited for the light to turn green, I watched him walk over to a bicycle, hop on it and ride away. A little dog ran alongside him. For all I know, he could have been heading for the Beer Store, which was just across the street. I didn't bother to "tail" him, however. If that is where he went, I didn't want to know.

I wonder if it is our pride that makes us hesitate to give money to these people. We don't want to be taken advantage of, or be "taken in" by some kind of scam. Or perhaps we don't want to risk being an "enabler" to someone's addiction. I only know that there must be some truly desperate, needy people out there, among the "fakers". I only know that I have been so incredibly blessed in my life, and that it might have been me, or my son, or my daughter, out there on some street corner, trying to survive in desperate circumstances.

Of course, I always have to ask myself, "what does God want me to do?" I think He would want me to share what I have been blessed with, and leave the results up to Him. What about you? Do you have any similar experiences to share? Any thoughts?

Not Finished Yet.............

I received some very disappointing news the other day. Not totally unexpected, but I really was hoping for a different outcome. It has threatened to plunge me into an abyss of hopelessness. But I keep clawing my way back up. I don't want to go there.

I read this verse from a daily devotional this morning:

"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." (Psalm 138:8)

The reading was about how God uses suffering to bring us into a place of peaceful submission to His will, after which He will do a great work in us. To quote:

"Oh, the blessedness of being absolutely conquered! of losing our own strength, and wisdom, and plans, and desires, and being where every atom of our nature is like placid Galilee under the omnipotent feet of our Jesus."

Sounds glorious, doesn't it? I can read those types of quotes on a good day and agree with them. But when I am in the midst of a struggle, I say to myself "just wake me up when it's over!" Do you ever feel that way?

Still, we are in His hands, no matter what the circumstance is. We are in process. Just like the young cardinal above, who has a long way to go before he is a glorious red color, we are growing in Christ-likeness. God is doing a work; not outwardly to make us a brilliant crimson against a blue sky, but to perfect in us a sweet smelling savor that will draw the lost, and an inward brightness to be lights in a dark world.

THE TREE

I saw the tree, how bent it grew,
Tall standing, hanging o’er.
It seemed to reach the highest height,
Could knock on Heaven’s door!

All bare, the branches made their mark
Set dark against the sky.
Their gracious foliage stripped away,
For winter’s drawing nigh.

What was it made that sturdy trunk
To lean as though to tumble?
Had raging wind so fiercely pressed
While summer storm did rumble?

No matter now, its place is set,
Nor can there be a question.
It reigns above the neighbourhood;
Almost defies destruction!

And there it grows, withstanding time;
How long ago its birth!
Its rugged arms long, reaching out,
Its roots dig deep the earth.

Though majesty it now enjoys
And seems will ever be,
Like every living, growing thing
It will Death’s stamp yet see.

In ages still to come, perhaps,
Though only God can say,
Disease and weakness it will know;
Its life will slip away.

As with all things this earth brings forth
It will wax old, defeated.
Return to that from which it came,
Its purpose be completed.


©2007 Maureen Breakspear

Thou Remainest (Heb. 1:11)

I love getting together with my brothers and sisters in Christ. We meet on Sunday mornings, and it seems we are lingering later and later each week. No one really wants to leave. As I have heard said, being with each other to remember Christ and worship Him is the closest thing to heaven that we can experience here on earth.

Yesterday was no exception. We all shared; our struggles, our convictions, our joy in knowing that God's grace is there for each of us, every moment. We shared words of life and encouragement, and sat in awe of how God is working amongst us, giving us such a love for each other, and a desire to know Him more and more.

Every week I am challenged. Every week I am edified. Every week I come away with a renewed confidence in God's promises, with my heart stirred up afresh. Oh how I want to stay in that place of happy submission and dependence on Him! But the world, my flesh, and the devil so soon creep in, threatening to wash it all away, like a sand castle at the beach is slowly dissolved by the approaching tide.

Yesterday I read from my daily devotional, "Streams in the Desert". It spoke of the difference between "realizing" Christ's presence and "recognizing" it. I will quote some of it here:

"Realizing is blessed, but rare. It belongs to the mood, to the feelings. It is dependent on weather conditions and bodily conditions. The rain, the heavy fog outside, the poor sleep, the twinging pain, these make on's mood so much, they seem to blur out the realizing. But there is something a little higher up than relaizing. It is yet more blessed. It is independent of these outer conditions, it is something that abides. It is this: recognizing that presence unseen, so wondrous and quieting, so soothing and calming and warming. Recognize His presence, the Master's own. He is here, close by; His presence is real. Recognizing will help realizing too, but it never depends on it. - S.D. Gordon (Streams in the Desert, September 6th)

I was so encouraged by these words. I hope they encourage you today, to remember that no matter how we are feeling, or what circumstances we are in at the moment, He is there. Never to leave nor forsake. When our thoughts stray from Him, still His remain on us, and His care of us never wavers. Be certain of it today.