The Transforming Word of God

How often have you heard someone say, "I don't need church; I can worship God better in the woods"? I know I've heard that said often enough. The truth is, there are times when I can worship God better in the woods, by the lake, in my own  home. As I've said before, however, worship is an attitude of the heart. But church is so much more than worship. Yes, we get together to corporately worship God in music, in prayer, in learning, in fellowship with others. It is the "others" that is so crucial to church. Granted, we are sinners saved by grace gathering together. Some of us are well-versed in Scripture; some are just beginning to study the Bible. Some of us are Christians who have walked with God for years, who have gained a certain level of maturity, although even mature Christians stumble and fall; some of us are brand new Christians, learning and growing. We even find seekers in our midst, people who do not yet have a personal relationship with G

Why is it that children raised in good Christian homes and regularly attending church services, choose to abandon the church as adults? The answer most often given is that they do not see the relevancy of Christianity and the church in the lives they lead.  Of course, there's also the age-old excuse that the church is full of hypocrites. Could they be right? Yes, to a point. After all, we are sinners saved by grace who come to church to learn more about God, to fellowship with other believers, to be encouraged, to gain accountability, to grow more like our Lord. Imperfect people meeting together with a common purpose. In theory, at least. But the church is only as relevant as its message and the people who speak it and live it. And that message is contained in the Word of God—the transforming Word of God! It is the message of salvation through Jesus Christ, the evidence of God's love for us. As we allow the Spirit of God to work in our lives, we become more like Christ and,

What hinders you from being strong spiritually? From spending time in the Word? From spending time in fervent prayer? What time-wasters control you, hinder you, from full obedience? I found myself convicted, asking myself those same questions as I read Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV): ...Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith... What sin entangles me so I cannot be effective? Does the lure of kitchen goodies waste my time and harm my body, the temple of the Holy Spirit? It really hurts when I name succumbing to that temptation as the sin that it is, the sin of gluttony. Or what about the computer game that calls to me every time I sit down to do those things for which a computer is necessary? Even responsibilities can hinder me from spending time loving my God. I need to ask myself if there are some responsi

Anyone who knows me associates me with one or more of three things: stamping and handmade cards, varieties of loose black tea, and reading. I read at least one book almost every week. As an avid reader, especially of fiction, I'm discovering parallels in the author's creativity and God's sovereignty. I don't always understand what the author has in mind as she writes her novel, but that doesn't mean she has made a mistake. The same thing is true of God: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8, 9 (NIV) But I understand that the author has a plan as she begins writing, a plan that sometimes varies as she creates her characters. She knows how each person in her book thinks and acts and responds. But she also makes sure that somehow the ending is in line with h

I've been thinking a lot about discipline lately. I know part of the reason is my weekly Weight Watchers meetings. It's also the awareness that I tend to spend too much time playing on the computer. I visit blogs. I play a stupid, addictive game (Ancient Jewels). I frequently miss my early morning prayer times. But the discipline of dieting yields a lot of principles for the disciplines of life. There's nothing wrong with any of the food we eat; the problem lies in quantities. I just have to say "no" to that extra piece of chocolate or the extra slice of bread hot out of the oven. But I find that the more I think about that chocolate in the candy dish, the more I want it. Soon the temptation becomes such strong desire that I find myself giving in. That sounds a little like what James wrote: "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted

I've been thinking a lot about changes lately, perhaps because of all the historical novels I've been reading. Some changes are easily accepted by the vast majority of us—like indoor plumbing and refrigeration. Some are more difficult to assimilate into our daily lives. It doesn't seem like that many years ago that I advised someone struggling with finances to give up the cell phone because it wasn't a necessity. Funny how it no longer appears to be the luxury it once was. Speaking of cell phones... Technology has brought rapid change to our lives. Just sitting here at a computer, typing away on a blog, is something I would never have dreamed of thirty years ago. Even the idea of a personal computer was unheard of when Bob and I were married almost 45 years ago. And smart phones? Other changes have come slowly, gradually. Like clothing. My grandmothers wore house dresses, although my Grandma Wallace did buy one pair of jeans for gardening. I remember how surprising

"Good behavior owes itself to lack of opportunity". I love this quote passed on to me from one of the ladies in my Community Bible Study core group. How true it is! If I don't have the opportunity to misbehave, I won't misbehave. Like dieting. If I don't have chocolate in my home, I won't eat it because I can't eat it. If I think about those things that are honorable, just, pure, lovely and commendable (Philippians 4:8), I will not be thinking about things that lead me into temptation, that lead me to opportunities to misbehave. The first two verses of Psalm 1 say it another way: Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. No opportunities to misbehave when delighting in the law of the Lord, when meditating on it day and night. Admittedly, we do not want to believ

    What do you think of when you think of good works? My first thought is of Mother Theresa. Or a medical missionary to the jungles of Africa or South America. Or maybe someone who courageously works with the homeless. Something tangible. Something with results that show. Something big and difficult.     So when I looked more closely at Ephesians 2:10, I was intimidated. Such a familiar verse, but it never had me questioning myself before. The verse reads like this: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”     Walk in them? That would mean that good works are just a way of life for me.  Matthew Henry wrote that to walk in good works is to “glorify God by an exemplary conversation and by our perseverance in holiness.”     And apparently the Apostle Paul thought good works were extremely important, judging by the frequency of his call to do them. Notice:     1 Timothy 2:9-10 tells us to adorn oursel

Why do I always feel as though my life isn't my own? Someone always needs something from me. Friends and family need a listening ear. Housework beckons and is never done. I need to stop what I'm enjoying to fix a timely meal. You know how it goes. And it is nice to be needed. Just as any mother knows, hearing "Mommy" this and "Mommy" that often wears on her nerves, yet she wouldn't have it any other way. And it's nice to know that someone values your advice or your time or your efforts. But, sometimes... Just why do I think my life should be my own? The truth of the matter is, my life is not my own. First, I belong to God. "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31, ESV). And because I belong to Him, I am "to be conformed to the image of His Son" (Romans 8:29, ESV). Jesus Himself said that "the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve" (Matthew 20:28 ESV