A Demonstrated Love

Through the years, I’ve happily taken hundreds (perhaps thousands) of photos of birds of all sizes and species in their natural habitats. Even so, I’m not as “smitten” with birds as birders are. For example, avid bird watchers have extensive knowledge of birds and can identify them by sight and/or by sound—and can even mimic their vocalizations.

Bluebird in my neighbor's yard

But Mr. Al Larson, whom I’d very much like to meet, takes his love of birds, particularly bluebirds, a giant step beyond that of avid birders and photographers. He DOES something to help the birds survive and thrive! In the video* I watched on YouTube, Mr. Larson, age 97, was still building nesting houses for the bluebirds. At the time the video was made, he’d built and placed over 350 nest boxes, many of which he continues to monitor. He estimates he's helped over 40,000 nestlings. Thus, he’s affectionately and widely known as “The Birdman of Idaho.”

As I watched the video again and again, I realized that many of us who profess to “love” birds actually do very little to help them. Mr. Larson, on the other hand, demonstrates his love for them by quietly and faithfully taking actions to benefit them. 

As I thought about that, I remembered that the Bible says that when we love someone, we are to do more than just talk about how much we love them. Like Mr. Larson, we are to do something that demonstrates our love. That's what God did when He sent His Son to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. You see, we’re all sinners, even the best of us, and no matter how good we try to be, we can never, by our own efforts, be good enough to be invited into the presence of the Holy God. Thankfully, God saw our plight and then demonstrated His great love for us by making a way for us to live in His presence for all eternity. God sent Jesus, His Beloved Son, to earth to die in our place, to undergo the punishment (death) we deserved. Once we accept God’s gracious gift (Jesus’ payment of our sin debt), then God not only forgives our sins but He also adopts us into His family! As His holy and deeply-loved children, we get to love Him and enjoy Him—now and throughout all eternity.

Amazingly, God did all this for us even when we weren’t seeking for Him any more than the bluebirds are seeking for Mr. Larson. But God, like Mr. Larson, looked through the lens of love and found a way to save us. Oh, how grateful we should be!

Sadly, not everyone accepts God’s gracious gift. I can’t understand why they wouldn’t, can you? Why, even the bluebirds are wise enough to accept Mr. Larson’s gift. They just happily settle into the safe home he lovingly provides for them. Shouldn’t we receive God’s gift to us?

*Click here to watch the video about Mr. Larson: https://vimeo.com/350127646

Scriptures referred to in this post:

John 3:16

Romans 3:10

Romans 5:8

Romans 6:23

Romans 10:9, 20

Ephesians 1:4

Ephesians 2:8-10

1 John 1:9

1 John 3:18

1 John 4:19

A Kind Word

Words and Thoughts

Lessons from the 5K, #1--Encourage One Another

I was tempted to give up before the 5K Run/Walk started, but I decided to be brave and give it my best shot. I'm glad I did for the experience brought to mind several important lessons about life. I'll share a few of them with you in the days ahead, one lesson per post, so "stay tuned."

As the 39 participants gathered near the START line, I realized I was probably the oldest one, but I hoped I wouldn't be the last one to finish. But I was! And I knew that I would be--right from the start--because all the runners took off, as did the half-dozen or so walkers, leaving another woman and me waaay behind--and with no hope of catching up.

My face was almost as red as my windbreaker as I walked as fast as I could along the busy four-lane road in the small town where I live. I hoped that no one I knew would pass by and see me lagging behind. I wanted to head back to the START line, while it was so close behind me. But I thought, No! I paid to do this! I've trained to do it. I've told people I'm doing it. And, last or not, I'm going to do it.

When I reached the first water station, I smiled at the volunteers as I hurried past them. "I'm the last one, so you can go home now."

"We're proud of you," they said. "Keep on going! You can do it!" 

Because of their words of encouragement, I felt my shame lessen a bit. I held my head higher. I became even more determined to keep going rather than give up.

Lesson: We often fail to realize how powerful our words of encouragement--even a few simple ones--can be to others, especially those who are tempted to give up rather than press on toward their goals.

Give a Rose

A friend of mine always prefaces a compliment by saying, "Now, [name], I'm going to give you a rose."

She prefers to "give roses" while her friends are living and can savor her sweet words and be uplifted by them rather than to give a wreath of roses after her loved ones have passed away.

The Bible says gracious words (pleasant words, kind words) are sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (See Proverbs 16:24.)

Give a rose to someone today! 

Acknowledge God!

When we’re reading, it’s easy to skim right over familiar words rather than stop to reflect on their meaning, as I discovered one recent morning when I came to these familiar words in Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV:

⁵Trust in the LORD with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

⁶In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.

Thankfully, something “stopped me” before I could speed right past them. I wondered, What does it mean to acknowledge God? I jotted down a few words that immediately came to mind: recognize, consult with, defer to….

Next, I read those same two verses in various versions of the Bible and noticed that acknowledge has been translated submit, think about, know...

Then I consulted a Merriam-Webster Dictionary and discovered even more words that are closely associated in meaning with acknowledge: admit, own, avow [boldly declare], confess. One of the longer definitions given in that dictionary says, “to regard or describe (someone or something) as having or deserving a particular status.” Another definition says, “to say that you accept or do not deny the truth or existence of (something).”

Finally, I checked Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible and found a long list of closely related words, including these: be aware of, comprehend, consider, declare, discern, discover, perceive, regard, respect, understand…

As I reflected on my findings, I wrote this summary:

To acknowledge GOD means:

• to believe that He is the true and the living God
• to be respectfully aware of who He is and of His power
• to think about Him throughout each day—i.e., to live in constant awareness of His presence
• to consult with Him (through Bible reading and prayer) to discover His will, His preferences
• to humbly and gladly seek to please Him in matters both great and small
• to tell others about Him

Bottom line: Dear Reader, if you and I will trust Him fully,  depend on His infinite wisdom rather than on our limited understanding of things, and constantly confer with Him about decisions to be made and actions to be taken, then He will make our paths (our "road ahead") straight rather than like a maze.

   

Therefore, doesn’t it make sense to acknowledge God by giving Him full control of our lives, including our calendars, our agendas, our to-do lists, our checkbooks…? To ask Him to show us what to add and what to leave out?

Clean Heart, Clean Speech

Ripe Figs

People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Can you pick olives from a fig tree or figs from a grapevine? No, and you can't draw water from a salty pool.

~James 3: 7-12, New Living Translation

But the words you speak come from the heart...

~Jesus in Matthew 15:18

Create in me a clean heart, O God.

~David in Psalm 51:10

Note: The heart refers to the whole inner man (the soul, mind, spirit, will) that makes a person what he is (a conscious, intelligent, responsible being). 

Gentle Words

Words As Sweet As Honey!

Gracious words are like a honeycomb,

sweetness to the soul and

health to the body.

Proverbs 16:24, ESV

When I read the above verse, I immediately recalled the photos I’d taken the day my husband robbed the bee hives he’d put at the far edge of the backyard. After he’d suited up in his beekeeping garb and gotten the smoker ready, etc., he headed to the hives and removed the wooden frames that held the honeycombs. He placed them in a big, aluminum dishpan, and then he brought the pan of delicious sweetness to a table on the screened-in porch. There, he used a sharp knife to release the honeycomb from the frames, as shown in the photo below. My mouth watered at the sight of that golden goodness oozing from the honeycomb.

He no longer tends bees, but we always keep “store-bought” honey on the lazy Susan on our kitchen table. It’s especially delicious on a homemade biscuit, but I love it so much that I’m happy to eat it all by itself—one teaspoonful every day or so. But now when I eat it, I’ll think of the above verse, which will remind me how sweet and healthy gracious words are!!!!!  (They’re calorie free, too, so I can enjoy them all day—every day!)

Have To?

I remember well an insight I received while reading a blog post many years ago. The man who had written the words that were burned into my heart and brain the moment I read them had no idea the impact his words had on me. (Thankfully, I did get the opportunity to tell him, much later on!)

In the post, he wrote about what was going on as his brother battled cancer. He wrote, “I have to do [thus and so] for him today.” But the writer immediately corrected himself, saying, “I get to do [thus and so] for him today.” I don’t recall whether the writer explained the huge difference in “have to” and “get to” but I saw it and resolved to avoid saying (and feeling) that I “have to” do this or that. For example, instead of saying, “I have to unload the dishwasher,” I will learn to say, “I get to unload the dishwasher.”

Now, that’s not a job I look forward to, but by changing from “I have to” to “I get to” my attitude shifts from negative to positive. Saying, “I get to” reminds me to be thankful for so many things: that I have dishes to use, that those dishes were filled with food and drink, that family members and I enjoyed meals together as we “dirtied” the dishes, that I have a dishwasher, that I have clean (and hot) water in which to wash them, that I am physically able to do household chores, that I am living in my own home….

Dear Reader, do you see how what appears to be a simple word change makes an ENORMOUS difference in our attitude? If you do see it, then resolve with me to banish “I have to” from all conversations.

Open my eyes that I may see

Glimpses of truth thou hast for me.

~Clara H. Scott, 1895

Refreshing Water

I am awed by the way various writers convey similar messages on any given morning during the hour or more I spend praying and reading the Bible, devotional books, and hymnals before I began to write a blog post.

Even though the Bible and the other books were written by various authors in various centuries, the “message of the day” is basically the same! And, even more astonishing, each one relates to what I am experiencing at that time. How is this possible? I wonder. How do they know how to write so specifically to my need on any given morning? How do ministers and hymn writers do the same kind of thing?????

According to John Gill, the famous Puritan pastor, here’s how the process works: The doctrines (teachings) a godly person absorbs and fills his heart with and which his mouth utters are like pure, purifying, and refreshing water. And the wellspring of wisdom within such a person is like a flowing brook, like a spring of spiritual wisdom and knowledge within him. From there “it flows freely and constantly; communicating itself liberally unto others, and ministering grace to the hearers [and readers!], for their edification [instruction, enlightenment, guidance]” Gill’s Exposition of the Entire  Bible.

I am indescribably grateful for such godly people who freely share truths they’ve gleaned. And I long to be one of them.

The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;

the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

Proverbs 18:4, ESV

Like a Bubbling Brook

The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;

the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

Proverbs 18:4, ESV

When I read the above words, pictures of bubbling brooks I’d taken through the years immediately flashed in my mind. Although I didn’t fully understand the meaning of the words in that verse, I was strangely drawn to them. So, the following day, I read Bible commentaries to help me understand the meaning. Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible was particularly helpful because as I read that interpretation of the verse, I began to understand why it had captured my attention.

Let me explain. For the past few weeks, I had noticed (and been awed by) the way various writers (of the Bible and self-help books) seemed to be telling me the same thing every morning during the hour or more I spent reading the Bible, reading devotional books, praying, writing, etc.

Even though the Bible and the other books were written by various authors in various centuries, the “message of the day” was basically the same! And, even more astonishing, each one related to what I was experiencing at that time. How is this possible? I wondered. How do they know how to write so specifically to my need on any given morning? How do ministers and hymn writers do the same kind of thing?????

According to John Gill, the famous Puritan pastor, here’s how the process works: The doctrines (teachings) a godly person absorbs and fills his heart with and which his mouth utters are like “waters,” waters that are pure, purifying, and refreshing. “Deep waters” make no noise and cannot be easily plumbed. Out of this abundance of wonderful “water" in a godly person’s heart, his (or her) mouth speaks. And the wellspring of wisdom within such a person is like “ a flowing brook; like a spring of spiritual wisdom and knowledge within him; like “a well of water, springing up unto everlasting life; and from [there] it flows freely and constantly; communicating itself liberally unto others, and ministering grace to the hearers, for their edification” (instruction, enlightenment, guidance).

I am indescribably grateful for such persons. And I long to be one of them.

©2015 by Johnnie Ann Gaskill