Choices Will be Made

By not choosing one or the other, you've made a choice. If you don't choose right away the choice will pass you by.

What's the best choice here? Both are ice cream, both are delicious, both are whatever you prefer. But you are faced with two choices, Neapolitan or rainbow sherbet. You must choose one of those, or a mixture of those.

Or is that so? If you don't choose either, you've made another choice. The delay in choosing is a choice itself. Considering ice cream, if you don't choose quickly, the choice ends up melted all over the place. So, make the choice and enjoy the decision.

What about dresses? Consider which one would be appropriate for the occasion and get dressed. You can't not wear something, so you must make a choice. You can't stand there all day undressed, nor can you go anywhere like that. (Unless you live in a nudist colony, which there is an option about ten miles from here.)

What about the choice to witness to your neighbor or someone you run in to at the store? Do you speak words of Christ to a lost person or do you wait again and let the opportunity to melt away?

I am so guilty of avoiding decisions that need to be made. I don't like to choose because I don't want to be responsible for any bad decision that may come about. Also, I don't want to offend anyone or stir up controversy.

But the decision to witness has to be made, and it has to be made quickly. Actually, the decision should be made before the opportunity arises. As Christians, we have to be ready at all times to answer questions about the hope within us or speak Jesus' name to a lost world.

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.  I Peter 3:15 (emphasis mine)

Am I ready to make a defense for the gospel? Am I ready to answer anyone who would ask the reason for the hope which is within me?  Will I choose to share with those I'll see tomorrow when I go to the grocery store?

Evangelism

Often when I see a street preacher or sign holder I think, "Fanatic." But, honestly, I don't know those people or their hearts.

Whether a person shouts out and says, "Woe you hypocrites" or quietly meets in the garden to instruct. Our hearts must be about witnessing to the lost. We have to care for souls. So if you see a person holding a sign that says "Jesus is the only way" or someone carrying a cross, don't automatically think, "Nut case." Pray for them. It isn't easy to stand out and be bold for Christ. If you see someone whispering in the corner with a lost person, don't automatically think that they're up to no good. Pray for them. They could be sharing the Gospel for the first time.

There are many examples of witnessing in Scripture: Paul standing in the coliseum proclaiming Christ, Timothy being instructed by his mother and grandmother, Jesus preaching to the crowds, the believing wife who might win her husband over without a word. Read the story of Ananias, he was afraid to do what God asked him to do but he went anyway.(Acts 9:10-19) We don't have to engage in all of these methods for sharing the Gospel but we do have to be sharing.

If my theology doesn't lead me to witness for Christ then my theology is weak. I wish I knew where this quote came from but it is powerfully convicting. 

As I pray, I must be praying for a heart for the lost and for my theology to drive the method I use to evangelize.

When Lydia opened these conversations about baptism I had her and Mary do writing assignments that reflected our discussions. They were to write out who God is, what He has done for us, who we are, and what He requires of us. Lydia's is following in her own spelling and punctuation (I wish I could copy her sweet handwriting too):

1. The Creator of the universe the one who im reqierd to love and prais 

2. He sent his only son to die on the cross for me. He created me in his own imge. He took care of me Loved me

3. A sinner in need of Jeasus. Who has rebelld agisant the one who cratad me and loved me beafore I was born. 

4. To love him with all my heart soul and mind to care for people in need live out a christian life. 

"Have mercy on me a sinner." Luke 18:13

Mary's is coming up...

Sweet Days!

Early Monday morning, Lydia asked if she could go with me to the grocery store instead of Sarah. (Sarah is my unofficial grocery shopping partner.) When we got in the car, Lydia started immediately with a conversation that went something like this one below. I wish so much I had a recorder, because like similar conversations with the other girls, I want to remember every word and tone of voice.

Lydia - Mama I think I want to be baptized. 

Me - Why would you want to be baptized? 

Lydia - Well the Bible says that Christians should be baptized. I want to be obedient. And you remember last Summer that I became a Christian? 

Me - I remember clearly. What makes you a Christian? 

Lydia - Jesus, God... 

Me - Why do you need a Saviour? 

Lydia - Creation is evidence that I need to be saved. And you are evidence, Jesus had to make you. 

Me - And what else? 

Lydia - Because I'm a sinner. I need to be saved from my sins.

There are a few points of discussion that need clarifying, but I'm pretty sure I see a baptism service coming up soon. Lydia's nickname has been "Badness", I didn't mean for it to be, but it just stuck to her. And possibly as a result, she has always seemed to be aware of her own sin. She is sensitive to times when she sins and usually wants to apologize quickly. Not all children are quit to confess and repent so it is refreshing to my heart, and a pleasant reminder that God truly saves sinners.

What a Mother is to Think

The girls have often thought this to be a funny line from the movie Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth's sister has just been found in an inappropriate situation and will be married to a less than appropriate husband. Mrs. Bennet is just thrilled that her daughter is to be married.

Elizabeth Bennet: [On Marriage] Is that really all you think about?
Mrs. Bennet: When you have five daughters, Lizzie, tell me what else will occupy your thoughts, and then perhaps you will understand.

But as we have talked a lot lately of Lydia's desire to be a Christian, I quoted this line for the girls last night. This is what must occupy a mother's thoughts for her children - their salvation! To know that your own dear children love Christ and want to serve Him is and must be the mother's greatest prayer. How wonderful to be able to talk to your children about walking with Christ and how to deal with sin as a Christian.

Confidence

Last night at the end of our prayer meeting and Bible Study, Lydia came to me to ask if she could talk to me and her Daddy. She told us she wanted to be a Christian. What a joy! As we walk through these days with her of growing and understanding her faith we have so much to be thankful for! Ray's breakfast devotions for her and the rest of us were about confidence in our salvation:
Confidence when we face temptation - we can be sure that there is a Helper to keep us from sin.
Confidence when we fall to sin - When we do sin, we don't condemn ourselves or lose our salvation. We are secure in Christ.
Confidence when we die - We will be with Jesus! Lydia's comment, "It's not really like dying."

The Kind of Call a Mom Loves to Get

I hadn't talked to Hannah in a couple of days when she called this morning. I was excited to hear from her, but she was more excited to tell me her news. She was with a girl last night who received Christ as her savior. Hannah was amazed at how God worked through her and in this young girl's life. She kept saying things like, "I was remembering verses that I didn't even know I knew, and the prayer she prayed was so sweet and from her heart."
I am amazed at how the Holy Spirit works. He moves in our lives and gives us help when we need it most. At a time when Hannah would have normally been nervous about her own abilities to share the gospel, the Holy Spirit gave her boldness, confidence and a great recall of what she had learned years before.

Salvation

When you pray for someones salvation, what do you expect? I expect my children to be saved, I have complete faith that God will bring all of them to Himself and have prayed for that since they were born. So why am I surprised when God brings in others that I have prayed for? A dear family that has been a part of our church for years has touched my heart many times. They have faced as many trials as a family should ever have to face, yet they are faithful in attendance and seem joyful to be there. Their 16 year old twin son and daughter professed Christ and were baptized recently. It was hard not to tear up at their testimony of how God brought them to Himself using the faithful witness of godly Christians in their lives. As they stood waiting their turn to go into the waters, they almost bounced with joy. Praise God that He is faithful to answer our prayers and redeem His own!

The Wrath of God

When is the last time you heard a sermon on the wrath of God? When I was a kid, I heard all the "hell, fire and brimstone" sermons that were preached and I think people were often "scared" into making decisions for Christ. I know I ran down the aisle to "be saved" because I was so afraid of the fires of Hell. Looking back at those times, I'm sure those pastors had good intentions, but I know for myself, that was not true conversion. Nowadays, we live in a self-help society and we are so worried about offending or hurting people's self esteem that sin isn't preached as often.

An expositional teacher, preaches verse by verse through the Bible. He preaches the verses to say what they are intended to say. A topical preacher thinks up what he wants to say, then (maybe) he finds a verse to back that up. Ray is an expositional preacher and uses Scripture to guide his teaching. When we came to the book of Romans, it was not easy to sit through the sermons on the wrath of God. I'm thankful that Ray preaches God's Word faithfully. Here is the link that you can hear the sermons that have helped me see the awfulness of sin in my own life and God's remedy for that.

Christians need to hear the gospel. I've always heard that all Scripture points to the cross. That doesn't mean that any random verse will tell the story, but in its context, any Scripture passage will point to the message of salvation. When we sit in a worship service and listen to a sermon, we aren't just learning of our need for a Savior. We are hearing the gospel over and over. Since all Scripture points to the gospel it would only seem natural that sermons based on the Scripture will too. Worship services are designed for Christians to worship our Saviour. What better way to worship Him than to meditate on what He has done on the cross? We can learn all the intricacies of salvation as we learn the whole of Scripture, then we can worship Him better.

Changing the Mantra of Graduation

Now that the weekend is over and I've had some time to rest, I counted how many graduation speeches our family heard - 12! Can you imagine sitting through twelve! graduation speeches? Some were short (thankfully) but others were very painfully loooong. We heard a lot of admonitions to dream big, do something that matters, reach for the stars and blah, blah, blah... I did hear a couple of speakers that I would actually like to hear again, so don't think it was all bad. Those two speakers were creative, intelligent and truly knew how to captivate the audience.

My question is - where are the speakers who are pumping up the crowds to do the hard work of day to day living? There are tv shows, articles, and such all over the place about someone who has gone above and beyond to do something incredible. What about the millions of people who live every day faithfully doing what they are called to do? There are days upon days of working, sleeping, raising families and doing normal things without one time of something news worthy happening. Can you imagine our society if everyone were always out making a name for themselves and doing the "big " things of life? I would be willing to bet there would be no one at home to read a bed time story, no toilets would get cleaned, no hand holding and pay checks would all be spent trying to make that "big" break.

We need to teach our young adults to do the hard work of being faithful where they are right now. Luke 12:48 is a verse our young adults should have memorized and be practicing. "But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more."

I know there are many who are called by God to do great things. I love the stories of Moses, Noah, and David, yet I am also thankful for the stories of Lydia, Epaphroditus, Timothy and Miriam who were where God called them to be faithful. Some of my favorite readings are from a missionary family in Papua New Guinea, the Housley's. Thanks to the internet, I can rejoice with them over their day to day faithfulness when they teach people to read, share the amazing story of Christ and baptize new believers. I also feel their pain as they confront sin and help grieving parents through the loss of a small child. These missionaries are doing "GREAT" things for God while they do "daily life" and I'm sure few graduation speakers would rush to have their story publicized in the tabloids.

Doing Hard Things

We are all on a sort of spiritual high around here these days. In the past ten days we have seen three conversions of those close to us and some of us attended a very encouraging conference. On the conversions: one of which was Sarah; one was a 16 year old I had been praying for for a couple of years and who is a friend of Hannah's; and another was a 18 year old young man in our church. As I watch Sarah grow in her faith, I pray that God will turn her quiet spirit into an appropriate boldness for Him. It is so encouraging to see the fruit of prayers come to pass. Though we know these are mountaintop experiences and that God will bring us through valleys also, we are encouraged. The conference we attended was called "Do Hard Things" put on by The Rebelution. It is geared toward young people and challenging them to step out of the low expectations society has put on them and to rise up and do the hard things that God has called them to do. The girls seem to be affected by the messages and are trying to put into practice principles they learned. Teenagers are often overlooked as too immature to be truly productive. As we train our children we need to give them responsibilities and hold them accountable to fulfill those tasks.

A note on how good God is to us: Sarah has a few friends that our not in our family, one in Florida and another in Knoxville, TN. As we were walking into the conference building, I saw a car that looked familiar and commented. The girls agreed, then you could feel their excitement. It was our friends, the Carr's, from Knoxville. Neither of us knew our families were planning to be there and we were thrilled for Sarah and their daughter Rachael to spend the day together. Pictured above is Hannah and Sarah with the conference speakers, Alex and Brett Harris and Sarah with Rachael Carr.

Testimonies

Recently, our church celebrated the baptism service of a dear lady in our church. Her baptism has spurred a lot of conversation in our church family especially among the children. She wrote out her testimony and it was sent out on Ray's email list. Her testimony has had a huge impact and we have received so many comments on how it spoke to people. One of our daughters has asked a lot questions concerning testimonies and we used that as a beginning of a great Bible study in our own family worship time.
We studied Paul's testimony in several different passages and what it means to actually have a testimony. We looked at our friend's testimony and found that it has all that a person needs to make clear of his faith in Christ. She didn't give a lot of sordid details about her past but made clear her need of a savior. She told how she realized her need and what God has done since then. Reviewing and writing out your own testimony is a great exercise of faith. It will be encouraging to you and those that you would share it with. It should include but not be limited to: your need before Christ, how you came to faith in Christ, and what He has done since your salvation.
The focus of a testimony is not you but God and His greatness. No matter our past and what "big" sins we've committed, we were all just as lost as the "biggest" sinner we know. We all had the same need for a savior and His salvation is still amazing.