Peacemakers

Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Good morning ladies,

There is a saying in Awana that you always “have to stomp the circle.” which comes from the tradition in Awana that every game is finished by someone running into the center of the circle and either grabbing a pin, a beanbag or if both all already taken, stomping your foot on the empty space. Basically it conveys the idea you always have to finish what you start.

That is how I have felt about the Sermon on the Mount. Some of you might remember that I started writing about it earlier, but I got to this verse and stopped.

I told you the first part of the Sermon on the Mount, referred to as the Beatitudes, addresses who we are because of Christ. The next two chapters speak to how we are to act because of that. Nothing about the Sermon on the Mount can be accomplished without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. You can try, but you will only end up being frustrated.

And this verse is a perfect example.

What does it mean to be a peacemaker?

All of us know someone who is really easy to get along with. They are very laid back and don’t really ever get upset about how things turn out.

Is that a peacemaker?

I don’t think so. Otherwise those of us who aren’t like that are doomed.

A peacemaker is someone who cares about what God cares about-and that’s people. They love others more than they love themselves. They realize there is a bigger picture than whether or not things are done “their way.”

It is not easy to be a peacemaker. You have to be humble, you have to love, and you have to die to your own agenda. Basically you have to be like Christ, who came to earth to do His Father’s will and save the lost.

And if you can do that-you will be called a son of God.

Love,
Jill

Truth in Love

Ephesians 4:15
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

“The truth in love” has been a rather irritating phrase to me. What exactly was it supposed to mean? I mean I understand truth-it is the Word of God, and I understand love, or at least I think I do but I could never really get the two to go together, until recently.

In the first chapter of 2Samuel, an Amalekite comes to David and tells him Saul is dead, killed in battle, and claims credit for killing him. Now the Amalekite expected David to reward him for getting rid of Saul, but he didn’t know David’s heart. Instead of rewarding him, David had the Amalekite killed for daring to raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed king.

Good story, but what makes it really great, is that the Amalekite lied. He did not kill Saul; Saul killed himself after he had been mortally wounded in battle. The Amalekite only told David that so he would win favor in his eyes and possibly get a reward.

What can we learn from the Amalekite? Have you ever seen people bring news to another person with impure motives?

Yes. Me, every time I tell someone to do something because they should, or because I know it is the right thing to do, even if I’m right.

My motives are not pure, they are prideful.

What if the Amlakite had loved David? He would have still run to tell him the news, he would have still taken him Saul’s crown and bracelet, but he wouldn’t have lied. He would have known that David would be grieved by Saul’s death and he would have told him gently.

That is speaking the truth in love.

You don’t change what you say; you change why you say it and that will change and how you say it.

Have a wonderful day ladies, I love you all.

Jill

New Food

Good morning ladies,

A few weeks ago I started feeling sorry for my dogs. Everyday, at every meal they have to eat the same old thing. It was good for them, it had all the necessary vitamins, but I decided they had to be bored and I started buying a variety of dog food to “spice” up their lives.

At first they seemed rather excited about the new food. Then they started getting picky. Certain food they liked certain food they would leave in their bowl. I became obsessed about finding the perfect food.

This morning I decided to go back to feeding them the original food, the stuff the vet recommended and they loved it.

They know what’s good for them.

I woke up tired this morning. You would think after a “day of rest” I would be refreshed and ready to go.

But the truth is I wasn’t.

Yesterday was a great day, filled with a lot of wonderful things, church, Awana meeting, leadership meeting and the Truth Project. All actives centered on God-but they are not God.

There is no substitute for reading God’s word and spending time alone with God in prayer and meditation. It is my life blood. It is what sustains me. It is what allows me to do His work.

Maybe it is because I am old, but I don’t need a lot of variety in my life anymore. I almost resent activities that take my focus away from God. I don’t have any other hobbies or passions. I just have God everyday.

Some people think it is boring, but I have found what is good for me, and it is enough.

Love,
Jill

Growling dog

Luke 14:26
If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.

Joshua, my dog, loves me more than he loves anyone else in the family. If he is sitting on my lap and someone comes to pick him up and take him away he growls.

Now, I know this is bad dog behavior and I always correct him, but secretly I am pleased. After all I am the one who does everything for him.

Up until five years ago, I stayed home and took care of my family. I did that because I loved them and I knew that they needed me. Heck, all the research shows how important it is to have a parent home with the children.

When I went back to work, my children were my biggest concern. Who is going to take care of them, God, if I am not here? Do what I am asking of you, He said, and I will take care of them. And He did.

This time I am staying home and taking care of my family because I love Jesus and that is what He has asked me to do.

It is the same action, but the motive is different.

Mothers, I think are especially susceptible to making their children into gods and idols. We want the best for them, we worry about them, and sometimes we even obsess about them.

But the truth is God loves them far more than we do. He wants what is truly best for them. And what is truly best for them is to have a mother and father who love Jesus first and them second or third.

Love,
Jill

Smell Like Jesus

Good afternoon ladies,

I just got home from subbing at the school. Gary is working at home today so he greeted me with a hug and a comment, “You smell good.”

Now this is not something I usually hear. It is not that I stink; I just never wear perfume, it irritates my nose. But before I left school I had hugged a teacher who wears a very distinctive perfume.

I didn’t smell good-I smelled like Mrs. Fine.

It made me think of something Daniel shared at church a couple of weeks ago. He said that he had a youth pastor who used to challenge them to spend so much time with Jesus that they would not only act like Him, they would smell like Him too.

Interesting, I thought, what would Jesus smell like?

People who have a lot of money, “smell like money” and people who have a lot of power “smell like power.” So, Jesus would probably smell like what He had a lot of.

What did Jesus have a lot of? Love, Jesus had a lot of love. So much that He was willing to die on the cross so that we could have a new life filled with love.

Ephesians 5:1-2
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Go and spend some time with Jesus so that you can pass the aroma on to others.

Love,
Jill

Can You hear me now?

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
James 5:16

Good morning ladies,

Do you ever feel like your prayers are not heard? I do. I know it isn’t true, that Jesus always hears my prayers but sometimes the line between us seems fuzzy.

Joshua and Abigail are wonderful dogs. I love them to death. But they have one REALLY bad habit. They like to eat clothing.

Sometimes I catch them in the act, other times I can just tell by the way they are behaving that they have done something wrong.

The same is true of children, you might not know what they have done, but you can tell by their actions they have done something.

The same was true of Adam in the garden, when he sinned and ate the apple-his behavior changed. For the first time he hid from God because he was ashamed.

Probably the same is true of us. When there is sin inside of us it changes our behavior. We try to act like everything is fine, but God, who knows our heart, is not fooled. But He is forgiving.

If you are in place where God feels distant, perhaps it feels like He is not listening to you, ask Him to show you if there is any unconfessed sin in your life that is causing the problem.

Then confess it and allow God to restore clear communication.

Love,
Jill

Partial Obedience

Good morning ladies.

Last night, before I went to bed, I told the kids to straighten up the house before they went to bed themselves. This morning, when I woke up and it had not been done.

When I talked to the kids, they pointed out things that they had done, a pillow put away, a blanket folded. Unfortunately for them their partial obedience didn’t really show.

They both apologized, but the heart of the matter is that pleasing me is not their primary motivator in life.

Katherine disagrees; she says that making good grades in school is driven by a desire to please me.

Now, I think getting good grades in school is important, and I always want them to do their best, but I have never said that I expected straight A’s.

Katherine wants straight A’s and works to get them. She is doing something for herself that she honestly believes she is doing for me.

How often do we do that with God?

We either partially obey or we give to God something that He never asked for.

God has asked that we love and obey Him, that we spend time with Him, that we worship and adore Him.

He has not asked that we run around like a chicken with our head cut off doing fifteen million things and being distracted by the world.

Today put down that book, turn off the electronics, quit cleaning, quit talking, skip lunch if you must, and spend some time doing what God thinks is most important.

Luke 10:38-42
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
Love,
Jill