Archive for the ‘ Hands and feet ’ Category
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22, ESV
Be kind to others, lifting each other up.
Encourage others, bring a shoulder or an arm to help.
Share the Lord, showing His joy and healing.
Change your understanding and find wisdom at Proverbial Thought!
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2, ESV
you me
Let us change, and
(written with Kendra Page)
Let us change the world,
you and me,
with the help of God
for His Glory.
Let us change a life,
you and me,
by sharing His Love
with somebody.
Let us change our hearts,
you and me,
and focus back on the One
Who set us free
Let us change our thoughts,
you and me,
and rid them of anger, lust,
envy and greed.
Let us change our actions,
you and me,
by standing strong for God,
not being lazy.
Let us change our minds,
you and me,
by realizing God
is all we need.
Get over to Proverbial Thought for Chris’s wise commentary on Proverbs 28:9!
This is the third week of my favorite Christmas carols. I started with one of my original favorites, The Little Drummer Boy, and last week I looked at a more recent favorite, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.
This week, I continue with the theme of bells, but it comes from an unlikely place.
Silver Bells
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style.
In the air there’s a feeling of Christmas.
Children laughing, People passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on every street corner you’ll hear.
Chorus:
Silver bells, silver bells
It’s Christmas time in the city.
Ring-a-ling, hear them sing.
Soon it will be Christmas day.
Strings of street lights, even stop lights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures.
Hear the snow crunch, see the kids bunch.
This is Santa’s big scene.
And above all this bustle you’ll hear.
(Chorus)
The video above comes from The Lemon Drop Kid, a movie (yes, black and white) from 1951 with Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell. It is a fun little movie about a gambler and crook who decides to go straight.
There is some debate over the actual inspiration of the song, but I prefer to go with the story that it was inspired by the Santa Clauses and Salvation Army people ringing bells for donations.
It reminds me that we are to help others out of our abundance.
Now, it is all well and good to do something for goodness’ sake, but …
The real reason we should help people is out of the love and compassion given to us by our resurrected Lord and Savior.
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15, NIV
Christmas reminds us of this, because God showed His love through the most unlikely of acts.
He was born as a human baby and laid in a feeding trough. The Creator of everything was born into squalor.
And too often we stop with the birth.
Yet the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, reminds us that He came to save us from our sin and rebellion. His birth reminds us that we must be born again. His birth reminds us that we must show the same love and compassion He shows, and we must take that love and compassion to others.
That is why Silver Bells is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Though a secular song through and through, it reminds me that God has given us all a purpose: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)
In truth, this means we care for all people whenever we are able.
Encourage your soul with some wisdom from Proverbial Thought!
12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end …
Hebrews 3:12-14, NASB
This will be short and sweet today.
Relationships are very important. The Bible is all about God’s desire for relationships with us through His Son!
Therefore, I encourage you today to encourage each other.
Call your friends and family to tell them you love them.
Share Christ with family and friends who may not know Him.
Lift each other up in prayer, and tell those for whom you pray that you are praying for them!
Be with friends (“in spirit” if need be) who need friends: an ear, a shoulder, a helping hand.
Just love those who are close to you!
Take the time today to show those who are close to you that you care!
Learn the wisdom of the Kingdom by reading some thoughts at Proverbial Thought.
I am on a role with these song-inspired posts, as of late, so here is another.
The Kingdom of God Is Near
Prayer is certainly important in the life of a Christian, as discussed last week.
Jesus taught us to pray:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from the evil one.”
Matthew 6:9-13, NIV
Perhaps the reason we fail to see revival and change in our society is because we do not really pray for “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Sure, we say the words, but how often do we mean it?
A chapter earlier, Jesus says:
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.“
Matthew 5:13-16, NIV
Perhaps we do not see revival and change in our society, because we have not really asked our Father to change us through His Holy Spirit to be His salt and light in our world. We have a tendency to think God will just change all of their hearts without our intervention.
I could go on and on, but I think the Rend Collective Experiment sang it out best in this prayer to song:
Come set Your rule and reign
In our hearts again
Increase in us we pray
Unveil why we’re made
Come set our hearts ablaze with hope
Like wildfire in our very souls
Holy Spirit come invade us now
We are Your Church
We need Your power
In us
We seek Your kingdom first
We hunger and we thirst
Refuse to waste our lives
For You’re our joy and prize
To see the captive hearts released
The hurt; the sick; the poor at peace
We lay down our lives for Heaven’s cause
We are Your church
We pray revive
This earth
Build Your kingdom here
Let the darkness fear
Show Your mighty hand
Heal our streets and land
Set Your church on fire
Win this nation back
Change the atmosphere
Build Your kingdom here
We pray
Unleash Your kingdom’s power
Reaching the near and far
No force of hell can stop
Your beauty changing hearts
You made us for much more than this
Awake the kingdom seed in us
Fill us with the strength and love of Christ
We are Your church
We are the hope
On earth
Do not be a fool, and go get some wisdom over at Proverbial Thought!
Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman
36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Luke 7:36-50, NIV
Christianity is the most popular religion in the United States of America. In fact, approximately 74% of Americans claim to follow some form of Christianity (found at census.gov).
That is amazing! 74%! That is about three-quarters (3/4) of those living in the USA!
How well do we live up to this?
Welcome or Unwelcome?
Many people look to this passage and Luke and see the love and faith displayed by this woman in Jesus as Messiah.
Most times this passage is used to show how God’s love and grace goes to all people, but those who are painfully aware of their sin are those who are most grateful for the forgiveness they are given.
However, look at what is said about the two people most interested in Jesus here.
“Sinful Woman”:
“she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair”
“this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet”
“she has poured perfume on my feet”
Simon:
“one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him”
“You did not give me any water for my feet”
“You did not give me a kiss”
“You did not put oil on my head”
Simon, a religious leader, comparable to a pastor today, invited Jesus into his home for dinner.
Typically, when you have a guest, you greet them, then you offer something such as a place to put shoes or jackets.
In this case, Simon should have greeted his Guest with a kiss (on the cheek or the lips or, for you Baptists and Nazarenes, with the hands in the form of a good handshake). He then should have offered at least some water to clean His feet and/or some lotion or perfume after having walked around in the sun all day.
Instead, Simon expected his Guest to take care of himself (except for the food, of course). His real intention was to either find out more of this so-called Messiah or to look important for having this great teacher in his home.
Simon disregarded all forms of respect and love to look important. He did not treat Jesus as a welcome guest.
A Land of “Simon the Pharisees”?
How many Americans (or christians from around the world) treat Jesus the same way?
I am sure there are honest people out there who are doing the best they can, and perhaps they are simply living by what they have been taught.
If you look around at this nation, there are a lot of people who invite Jesus into their houses, but they ignore Him most of the time.
We have athletes who thank their Lord Jesus Christ after every game; but they sleep around with various partners, get into drugs and alcohol, or lose all of their money to frivolous and/or dangerous things.
We have politicians who pray in the name of Jesus, but they lie, cheat, and steal from their constituents and government on a regular basis.
We have preachers who use Jesus as a reason for a 501(c)3 status (tax-exempt) and promote a different gospel of good feelings and good intentions.
We have churches as fancy as country clubs where people carry their Bibles to look good and holy, but the only time they spend with Jesus is an hour on Sunday mornings and maybe on Wednesday nights.
We have committees and groups who promote social justice and stopping the liberals/conservatives from destroying the fabric of American society, but they lack love for some of the very people who need love the most.
Remember …
Those who look good or know all the answers tend to be the ones who invite Jesus in to their homes, but it is the people who serve Jesus who are forgiven and accepted by God.
How do you love Jesus? By expecting some of the glory or by humbling yourself and serving others?
