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The Fragrance of Life

Posted by NormaGail on Oct 22, 2012 | Comments Off on The Fragrance of Life

“For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.”

2 Corinthians 2:15, 16a

“She can’t stand to be at your house. She hates coming here.”

The words hurt, but I was pleased that our home, and being around us could be enough to make someone feel God’s presence. We pray to be so in tune with the Lord that our presence and our home glorify God. What was sad was that those we hoped to minister to rejected the opportunity to choose salvation.

I spent many, many hours witnessing, talking, explaining, even had them in church with us for a time, and now the definitive truth, they had chosen to reject salvation. It hurts to know that a terrible judgment awaits them, and I pray for them on this dangerous pathway.

To reject Christ is to align yourself with the enemy, and choose eternal separation from God and certain judgment. The writer of Hebrews says, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” I don’t want that for my loved ones. God doesn’t want it for anyone. He does not choose that any should perish, but He will allow us to make our decision, and once made, condemnation has already taken place.

Who have you chosen to align yourself with, the God of heaven and earth, or the enemy, Satan, the god of this world?

As Christians, we are to be light to a dark world, showing forth the glory of the living God. It should be felt in the atmosphere of our homes, the way we run our business, how we treat others, and in the way we choose to live every aspect of our lives.

Choose to spend enough time in God’s presence that people know there is something different about you which they desire for themselves. Let His light, and His life, flow from you to everyone you meet. Be the aroma Christ everywhere you go, that others might know the joy of His salvation.

Just Ask

Posted by NormaGail on Oct 15, 2012 | Comments Off on Just Ask

“When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in

this condition for a long time, he asked him,

‘Do you want to get well?’” John 5:6

“I think I need to go to the doctor.” For my grandmother to admit that meant she really needed help. Going to the doctor was reserved for when you had done all you knew to do. You waited for things to get better on their own, seeking medical help only if you couldn’t stand it anymore. She had fallen when she went to the mailbox and hurt her leg. It was swollen, painful, and broken, and she had walked on it for two days.

Born in 1886 and brought to New Mexico by wagon in about 1888, my grandmother was used to hardship. Her father and older brother were murdered in the corral one morning. Another brother lived the rest of his life with a bullet lodged close to his spine.

She had eight children, survived the Great Depression, and had two sons in the military during WWII. When my grandfather became unable to work, they left the community where they spent most of her lives and moved to the city. She worked hard, possessed little, and didn’t complain, even when she was almost blind. Her faith in God was not something she talked about much, but I know it was there.

John tells of a man who lay as an invalid for thirty-eight years. It seems odd that Jesus would ask if he wanted to get well, but He did. The man said he had no one to help him into the pool of Bethesda, noted for its healing waters. Jesus’ reply was not what you would expect. He simply told the man to get up, pick up his bed, and walk.

We have to be willing to admit our helplessness. We must be willing to let Jesus touch and heal us, and then act in faith, obeying what He says. No matter what your problem, Jesus can and will heal you, but first you must admit you are powerless. Unlike this man, it may not be exactly the healing you would expect, but He will heal in the way He knows you need it the most.

Assess your condition, physical, emotional, or spiritual. Recognize you can’t fix things yourself. Admit you need His help, and reach out to Jesus today. He is waiting, and willing to lift you out of your helplessness.

Rise to Live

Posted by NormaGail on Oct 8, 2012 | Comments Off on Rise to Live

“…For a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”

John 5:28b-29

Standing at the grave of a loved one causes you to examine the strength of your faith in the God who has promised hope and eternal life. Even more difficult is contemplating the fate of loved ones who fail to accept the gift of eternal life offered by Jesus. Hope springs up in the heart when you have the peace of knowing someone knew the Lord. When someone refuses every opportunity, we can only hope that sometime God spoke to their heart and they believed without our knowledge. We must trust that in heaven all will be right.

I know the sharp contrast of standing next to the grave of those who accepted Christ as their Savior as opposed to the sadness when they have refused Him. I know the urgency of prayer for the living, who turn their backs time and again.

We live in uncertain times. The world is full of evil and unrest. Terrorists, criminals, accidents, illness, are all on the rise. When you wake in the morning, you can never be certain what the day will bring. Each day is gift from God to be lived to the fullest; in thanks for His gracious protection and provision, as well as in glorifying His name by the way we live our lives.

Unsaved loved ones should be a constant burden on our hearts, but along with that must come a trust that God is merciful, just, and will make everything right in the end. I am conscious of the separation from loved ones who reject the Savior I live my life to represent. My heart breaks to think of them being condemned. We are separated in how we view the world and in our priorities. Our interests war with one another. When they won’t listen to my words, I must pray my life will be an open Bible speaking to their souls.

Make your rising prayer a plea for God to use you throughout your day, as a light of hope, a testimony of action if not words. Look forward in hope, living each day in the power of His promises, a blessed child of God, at peace with Him and in His service, knowing you are safe for all eternity—that the grave holds no power over you.

Comfort in Sorrow

Posted by NormaGail on Oct 1, 2012 | 1 comment

“Then he led me back to the bank of the river… There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there… Fishermen will stand along the shore… there will be places for spreading nets…”

Ezekiel 48:6b, 9b, 10a

“Mom, I think Grandpa went straight from fishing on that river in Farmington to fishing on that river in heaven.” The words of my young son, spoken only moments after hearing of the death of my father, brought a smile to my face in the midst of unspeakable devastation, shock, and grief. The insight of children is often a blessing, and of course I encouraged the idea as it came from his heart and brought comfort to us all.

My father went to be with the Lord seventeen years ago, yet it seems like yesterday in many ways. Still, the pain can be as sharp as it was in those first few moments. He was struck by lightning while fly fishing, gone in an instant that still seems unreal.

What was and is very real is the comfort of God, often coming in unexpected ways, but always just when needed, ever faithful and full of His grace. Sometime later, my sister called to see if I had read our Bible study lesson for the week. I had not, but went to do it and was overcome by the words of scripture, speaking of the River of Life, spoken of in Ezekiel and in Revelation 21, the river which flows from God’s throne in the millennial kingdom.

I don’t know exactly what it will be like in that wonderful new heaven and new earth God is preparing for us. The scriptures speak of a place where nothing is lacking, where pain and parting will never occur again, a place where the light comes not from the sun, but from God and Jesus Christ.

Whatever is going on in your life right now, you can be assured that God’s word speaks to your need. Whether you approach your time of trial with the faith of a child, or the maturity of a long-time believer, there are words of comfort and of healing in scripture.

Open God’s word today. No matter what you are seeking, you will find the answers there. He offers hope for the future and peace for the present. We are safe in His hands, for He is faithful.

Priorities

Posted by NormaGail on Sep 24, 2012 | Comments Off on Priorities

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,

and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

Too many projects, too little time! I want to do so many things. I have committed to do so many things. Time is limited and I want to do well on the things I choose to do. How to decide?

I have a Bible study lesson to prepare and research to be done. Next to my sewing machine are a few caps to make, which the ladies of our church supply to patients undergoing chemotherapy. There is a stack of mending for my family. Finishing my writing projects is important, and there is housework as well as home projects. I really want to read a book.

It’s hard to decide which thing needs done the most. It’s easy to become distracted and let the fun come first. Then the phone rings and the whole schedule goes out the window.

Life is full of choices. Many are good, some are better, and a very few are the absolute best. It takes discernment and wisdom to order them all and make the wisest choice. Often, at the end of the day, I realize how much time I have wasted, how much more productive I could have been.

The Bible is full of people who made choices, both good and bad. John the Baptist knew his place was to prepare the way for the Messiah. Paul knew his ministry was to the Gentiles. Jesus knew His place was to do the work of His Father and then die that we might have everlasting life. No identity crisis there.

My father taught us to make wise choices by reading a chapter of Proverbs daily, with its practical, godly advice. I won’t say I always choose the best, but my priority is my time with the Lord, take care of His things first, then everything else falls into line according to how pressing its completion is.

How do you set your priorities? What dictates how you spend your time? Unless we keep a biblical attitude toward our choice of activities we can miss out on the best for the mediocre, the useless, and the futile.

The words of Jesus ring true even in our day, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” When you learn to keep the first things first, everything else will fall into place.

Do You Look Back?

Posted by NormaGail on Sep 17, 2012 | Comments Off on Do You Look Back?

But Lot’s wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis 19:26

The lightning hit our house with a startling jolt, so bright I could see the sparks through the window blinds. When we smelled the smoke my dad said to get out of the house. It was 1:30 in the morning and I didn’t waste a second. I ran barefoot, in my pajamas, only to realize that my glasses had been left behind. Everyone else could see the gaping hole in the front of the house except me. Abraham’s nephew, Lot, had chosen to live in the city of Sodom. He was so successful that he was among the men who sat at the gate of the city, the place where the officials and important business men sat. But God had seen the wickedness and warned Abraham that he would destroy them. He was so willing to show His love and grace that, for Abraham’s sake, He sent two angels to rescue Lot and his family.

Lot’s family had become so much a part of the society of Sodom and Gomorrah that he was willing to offer his daughters to the men who were clamoring to have illicit relations with the two angels! His sons-in-law refused to go. There was no evidence that their lives were any different from those of their neighbors.

Being led out of the city forcefully by two angels should have shown Lot’s wife they truly were in serious danger. They were instructed to, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere on the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” Yet something back there held her heart so tightly in its grip that she had to look back.

What about the society we live in today holds on to your heart? Are there things that draw you: material possessions, alcohol, drugs, gambling, porn, marital infidelity, or homosexuality?

Jesus said to store up treasures in heaven where they cannot be destroyed. Today many things that tempt us are right at our fingertips by virtue of the internet and television. We have to work at keeping our hearts set on the things above. Run from the things that tempt you away from God and toward those that cannot be destroyed. Therein lays the safety of your soul.