God Bless You

Walking on a sidewalk in the winter a stranger passed me with all the obvious signs of a cold. When he sneezed I said, “God bless you.” Then I added, “Have you prayed for that?” He replied, “I don’t need to pray for it, I already have it.”

At first I thought he was being smart but then I realized that his cold had made him irritable. I also thought later how we often say things without thinking what they truly mean.

“God bless you!” It seems like we are too often either saying it or hearing it this winter. Whether it is for a sneeze or a cough we say it without thinking. We say it as a blessing like a prayer for quick healing. We might even think we are saying it as a shield to keep from getting whatever is going around at the moment.

There are viruses and the flu making the rounds this winter. Some families are getting it all at once. Others pass the virus from person to person until the unhappy parents feel like they are having an unending season of sickness. No one likes to be sick or wants to constantly take care of someone who is. But, because we love each other we show up with care, prayer, and say “God bless you,” a lot.

To bless someone is to pray for their happiness. Only God can truly bless because only God has the power to insure that what He says will happen. When we say, “Bless the Lord,” as we see in the Bible, we are offering ourselves for God to use as a blessing for His service. A blessing is a request for God to do something good for the person you are blessing. We can be specific, “God bless you with…” and finish the prayer with the happy desire you have for them. Most of the time we give the general blessing, “God Bless you,” trusting God for health, in the case of a sneeze, or happiness as God chooses to bless us.

All of God’s blessings are good. James said, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father…” (James 1:17 NKJV)

God bless you. Have you blessed anyone today?

Bro. Robin

Double Dipping

Every year at Christmas time we get the family together for a day of candy making. The kitchen becomes a symphony of laughter, dishes, and wonderful smells as we all work together. We make brittles, truffles, fudges,and hand dip a variety of cookies, pretzels, and crackers.

One of our favorites is peanut butter and cracker sandwiches dipped in chocolate. It was the end of the day and the men and boys had retreated to the shop to work on a Christmas surprise for the children. Brandon, 2, and Avery, 3, wanted to help.  Nanna gave them shakers of sprinkles and set them on stools to decorate the freshly dipped chocolate delights.

Avery was immediately a pro and tried to show Brandon how it was done. Brandon, paying no attention to his sister, did his best. He sprinkled the candy glitter but accidentally touched the fresh chocolate. No problem. He simply licked the chocolate off his shaker and went on to the next one. But this time his action was more deliberate as he dipped his shaker in the wet chocolate and then licked it off the lid. All the while Avery was saying, “No Brandon, you’re not getting enough sprinkles on it.” It was obvious by the look on his face that Brandon was doing just fine.

Double dipping is cute when a two-year-old does it. As adults we know double dipping is not appropriate. We know better than to lick the spoon and put it back in the bowl!

Jesus welcomes double dippers. He said, “Ask, and it will begiven to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”(Luke 11:7 NKJV) 

The language of this verse tells us that we should continuously ask, seek, and knock and He will continue to respond to us. You can keep coming back to Jesus and He will always be there for you. His answers are always relevant, His forgiveness is always complete, and His knowledge is always perfect.

Bro. Robin

Be Holy

My daughter was busy making a pot of chicken chili for us to enjoy. As the pot got warm she reached for a wooden spoon to stir with.

“Not that spoon!” Joyce said as she reached for the spoon. “That’s the bread spoon.”

“Oh,” she said, “I forgot.” And she handed her mother the spoon.

It was an honest mistake. In the crock with all the spoons and spatulas there is one special spoon. It is a long-handled spoon that was hand carved by an uncle of Joyce’s. It is used for only one purpose - the making of bread. We make sure that no other smells or flavors touch that spoon so that it will not affect the flavor of the bread.

We all know this and respect the special purpose of the bread spoon. The reason is simple. We love the taste of Joyce’s homemade bread.

When I think about the bread spoon I am reminded of the meaning of holiness. The meaning of holiness is to be set apart for God’s purpose. Likewise, Joyce’s wooden spoon is set apart for one purpose and if the spoon is used for any other purpose it can become tainted. If we give ourselves to an unholy purpose we too will become tainted.  

¹⁵ But as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; ¹⁶ for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy. (1 Peter1:15-16 HCSB)

When we keep ourselves holy we will have joy in our lives because we are living according to God’s holy purpose.

Bro. Robin

Respect All Life

I pastored a church that had a parsonage directly behind the church offices. It was convenient for me because a sidewalk connected our back door with the back door of my office. It was convenient for the church because we shared a back yard and that meant I would keep it mowed, along with the yard in front of the office.

One day I was walking the yard in preparation to mow and I noticed a small hole in the ground about the size of a man’s fist. When I investigated the hole I saw that there were four baby rabbits in it.  I knew they were too small to survive on their own.

I called the local veterinarian and she explained how the mother leaves them and checks on them at morning and night.  She said they would probably be fine. The hard part came after I mowed around them. The children found them and I had to keep them from playing with the baby rabbits.

The veterinarian was pleased with our concern for the rabbits. Their family soon became involved in our church. She told me later that anyone who cared for the welfare of wild rabbits would also be concerned about the welfare of her family.

This week we observed another anniversary of Roe v. Wade. It is a sad reminder that our generation has lost their respect for life. I think about the mass shootings and terrorist acts that have taken place in the last couple of decades. The blame that goes around includes guns, medications, and radical religious ideas. No one blames a culture of death that trivializes the termination of the least among us. It is time for us to stop and remember that life has value and is worth living.

Respect for life is about respect for all life. Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the sky…your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?”(Matt. 6:26 HCSV) Jesus valued life. Respect for life means that we value and honor life.

Bro. Robin

The Cost

We have a tradition at Christmas that we started a few years ago. Joyce makes everyone new pajama pants and we wear them with a t-shirt of our choice all day on Christmas. It is again that time of year and we are all picking out our flannel for the pants. Joyce told me that she had found the perfect one for me so one afternoon we were off to the fabric store. She was right. It was black with deer heads and I liked it.

We took the fabric to the counter and they measured out three yards. There was only another three-fourths of a yard left so Joyce said she would take it and they told her she would get an end of the bolt discount. The attendant punched in the numbers and on her screen was a total of 3375.000 yards at $5.99 a yard for a grand total of $20,216.25! The machine quietly and automatically added the numbers to the paper receipt along with the words, “Reason: End of Bolt Discount.”

Joyce looked at the screen and said, “Ummmm…ma'am, I think there is a mistake. I only wanted 3 yards of flannel for pajama pants. That's rather high…”

She then looked at me, laughed, and said, “I love you honey, but not that much.”

We have all had a good laugh as we shared this story with our friends. Some have asked for pajama pants for their families. We could clothe everyone we know with that amount of cloth! Others have said it was a good thing we got the discount. I thought about it later and remembered the words of a chorus:

“He paid a debt He did not owe;
I owed a debt I could not pay;
I needed someone to wash my sins away.
And, now, I sing a brand new song,
“Amazing Grace.”
Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.

(Ellis J. Crum)

Paul said: “He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors…” (Romans 8:11b-12a NKJV)

Jesus looks at our sin debt and He does not laugh or dispute the cost. Jesus loves us that much and more.

Bro. Robin

Mothball Christians

I recently went on a vacation to go hunting with my brothers in Missouri. They have a piece of property south of Rolla, Missouri. They have set up tree stands and made roads only 4-wheelers can travel. There is also a Winnebago type camper for us to eat and sleep in complete with electricity, but little else.

Out of a concern for mice the camper is decorated with mothballs. I noticed the smell right away but got used to it quickly. Better that than mice, right? I brought all my gear in and spent the better part of a week living in the camper.

I came home and began unpacking my gear when I noticed something that should have caught my attention earlier. Everything smelled like mothballs. I had carefully kept my dirty and clean clothes separate but now realized that everything needed to be washed. The smell of mothballs had permeated everything I had kept in the camper with me.

Jesus used yeast in parables because it has the characteristic of permeating completely a dough mixture when bread is made. He said, “the kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into 50 pounds of flour until is spread through all of it.” (Matthew 13:33, HCSB) I enjoy the way the house smells when Joyce bakes bread. The fragrance of her labor fills the house and makes us all feel good.

Jesus wants all of us to be like a substance that touches and changes everything around us. Jesus example was yeast but the point of the parable could also be illustrated with mothballs.

I did not intend for everything to smell like mothballs. The mothballs did what mothballs are made to do. As Christians we too should do what God made us to do. Paul said, “For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (2 Cor. 2:15, HCSB)

Jesus should show through your life in a way that touches lives and makes people want what you have.

Brother Robin

Perspective

There was a tree in our yard that I climbed almost every day of my childhood. It wasn’t so much the tree that was important; it was the perspective it gave me. I liked the idea of looking out on the world and seeing the bigger picture. From my tree I could see all around the house. I felt safe above it all.

I like the sign at the mall with the arrow that says, “You are here.” It is a picture that gives me visual perspective. It tells me where I am in relation to everywhere else including where I want to go from here. It would be nice if there were signs like that for life. Instead of signs we have several ways that God speaks to us to give us perspective.

God speaks to us through His Word. As we make a daily habit of reading and studying God’s Word we will often hear from God. God also speaks personally, as in a call to ministry or a specific call to minister to someone. His still small voice always agrees with scripture. The blessing comes when we agree with Him.

God also speaks through people. Friends help us see the bigger picture and give us godly advice. God places people in our lives who walk with Him and can help us on the journey. Our vision can become blocked or blurred by our circumstances and we need a friend to give us perspective and help us see ourselves the way they see us.

The poet Robert Burns sat in church behind a noble lady when he noticed a louse roaming around her bonnet. As a result he penned the poem, “To a Louse,” which ends with the lines,

“And would some Power the small gift give us
To see ourselves as others see us!
It would from many a blunder free us,
And foolish notion:
What airs in dress and gait would leave us,
And even devotion!”

Sometimes I miss my Tree and the perspective I gained there. Mostly I am thankful for friends and the counsel they give. Jesus called His disciples friends, (John 15:13-14). Call a friend today and be thankful for the gift God gave you through them.

Bro. Robin