Like a Little Child

Goodbye October. The Trick-or-Treaters come tonight in Ankeny. It is very unusual for cities to change the day of Trick-or-Treating, but because of the storms predicted they moved it from last night. And it was a good thing. There were downpours and lightening and wind and even tornado watches last evening. Thank you, Ankeny, for protecting the children. 

As grandparents, we are to guide our grandchildren (and other children) toward Christ by our example, our words, and our actions of kindness and love. Children are so easy to love. Their innocence requires us to be accountable for teaching them about Jesus and the Word. Children are dependent upon the adults around them. Children trust the people near them. They are humble and sincere. They are a blessing to us and we are to be like them.

"Jesus called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me,"" (Matthew 18:2-5 NIV).

As the children come to our doors tonight, dressed in costumes we may not even recognize, we need to show them kindness in our words and actions, and with our treats. They will bring smiles and laughter, and riddles to solve. They will delight us with their excitement and eyes of wonder.

Dear Lord, help us be beacons of light to the children we meet today. We pray for the little ones to learn about You and to trust in us and in You. Protect the children as they are out traveling through our neighborhoods tonight. Keep them safe and shelter them from anything or anyone who might make them stumble in their faith. Lord, we pray in Jesus' Name, Amen.

More Like Jesus

 I want to be more like Jesus. 

Every day I start out ready to be like Him, then I mess up somehow. I say or do the wrong thing. I know I can never be perfect but I'd sure like to be a little closer to being without defect.

"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me," (John 15:4 NIV).

Remain in me, Heavenly Father, lead me to do the right things and say only good words. Let the Holy Spirit work in me and lead me to righteousness. Use me to shine Your love upon the little part of the world that I touch. Show me the Way in all I do. Make me more like Jesus. Amen.

An old hymn that speaks the message I need to hear today is "More Like Jesus Would I Be" written by Fanny J. Crosby and William H. Doane in 1867. The words follow:

"More like Jesus would I be, Let my Savior dwell in me; Fill my soul with peace and love, Make me gentle as a dove; More like Jesus while I go, Pilgrim in this world below; Poor of spirit would I be; Let my Savior dwell in me. If He hears the raven's cry, If His ever watchful eye Marks the sparrows when they fall, Surely He will hear my call: He will teach me how to live, All my sinful thoughts forgive; Pure in heart I still would be; Let my Savior dwell in me. More like Jesus when I pray, More like Jesus day by day; May I rest me by His side, Where the tranquil waters glide; Born of Him, through grace renewed, By His love my will subdued, Rich in faith I still would be; Let my Savior dwell in me."

It is a new week, and a new day to follow Him and welcome Him to remain in me. I'm thankful I don't have to walk alone in this life. Remain in me, Jesus. Make me more like You.

The Glory of Fall

This fall seems like one of the most colorful seasons I remember. The trees are just amazingly beautiful; at the peak of color in Central Iowa right now. I praise God for His artistic designs all around us! This is one of my favorite trees. We have been watching it grow since we moved to Ankeny eight years ago. It is our view out our deck door or our kitchen window.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shining shadows," (James 1:17 NIV).

The autumn fields are becoming bare as harvest continues during this very dry season. The clouds of dust are evidence of a working combine or corn picker. Semis are parked along the fields waiting to be filled by the golden corn and soybeans. It still thrills me to watch the farmers work the harvest.

One of my favorite fall hymns is "We Plow the Fields, and Scatter". The words are perfect for this season. 

"We plow the fields, and scatter The good seed on the land, But it is fed and watered By God's almighty hand; He sends the snow in winter, The warmth to swell the grain, The breezes and the sunshine, And soft refreshing rain. All good gifts around us Are sent from heaven above; Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord For all His love. He only is the Maker Of all things near and far, He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star; The winds and waves obey Him, By Him the birds are fed; Much more to us, His children, He gives our daily bread. All good gifts around us Are sent from heaven above; Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord For all His love. We thank Thee then, O Father, For all things bright and good, The seed-time and the harvest, Our life, our health, our food; Accept the gifts we offer For all Thy love imparts, And what Thou most desires, Our humble, thankful hearts. All good gifts around us Are sent from heaven above; Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord For all His love." Written by Matthias Claudius, 1782 and Johann A. P. Schulz, 1800; Trans. by Jane M. Campbell, 1861.

Holy Father, I pray this morning with grateful heart for the beauty of the earth. You fill our lives with bountiful blessings for which I am so thankful. Guide my steps and control the words I speak, so I am pleasing to You in all I do today. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

 

Changing the World

The world. What an all-encompassing word. Everywhere we look there is lying, evil, bitterness, racism and prejudice. As Christians we are called away from worldly customs, to follow You instead. Yet, we are encircled by the world and have to live and work within the world's values that often include selfishness, envy, hatred and corruption.

Scriptures tell us to give up pride, covetousness, selfishness, arrogance, cheating and stubbornness - the world's ways. Instead, we are to choose behaviors that are fitting for God's plan. That means we must allow our minds to be renewed by the Holy Spirit. It is our goal to walk in God's purpose for our lives.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will," (Romans 12:2 NIV).

Christians are called to discern what is right. Paul spends several chapters of Romans giving guidelines on how we should behave. "We are to give ourselves to Christ as living sacrifices, obey the government, love our neighbors, and take special care of those who are weak in the faith," (Life Application Study Bible NIV).

Living in Christ is challenging at times. Once we accept Jesus as our Savior He lives in us and He is always there to help us through the tough times. He helps us reject the evil of the world and be molded into faith-filled believers who can change the world.

Dear God, we need You today. Encompass us with Your protection. Fortify us so we can stand up to what is wrong. Help us make right decisions, and strengthen our faith so we can be Your Light to others around us. In Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Goal Setting

When I forget how old I am, I often think like I did when I was younger. I don't know how many years are ahead in my life, but I still set goals. They aren't big lofty goals; often my goals are just to get through the day. 

I read a book by Mark Batterson, "Win the Day," that was full of encouragement toward setting a goal and working toward your dream every day. I may be too old to dream but I think it is good to have goals. One of my goals is to bring glory to God with all that I do. It is perhaps a lofty goal, but it is something I strive for everyday. Some days I am an utter failure. But, I keep striving.

Mark Batterson said, "Show me the size of your dream and I'll show you the size of your God."

The Bible is also full of encouragement toward setting goals in life. Hebrews 11 is filled with evidence of how having faith combines assurance and anticipation of what God can do. My Life Application Bible commentary says, "When we believe that God will fulfill his promises even though we don't see those promises materializing yet, we demonstrate true faith (see John 20:24-31)".

"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus," (Philippians 3:13b-14 NIV). 

That is my ultimate goal in life - to be called "heavenward in Christ Jesus". 

Dear God, hear our prayers today and lift us up with the assurance of Your promises. We come to You with our dreams and goals, confident that You can do anything. Help us achieve our goals with Your guidance. We know You are big, God. Really big! We are thankful that we can trust in You always. In Jesus' Holy Name we pray. Amen.

"Just Thinking"

When I was in high school we had a young man from Ramallah Palestine live with us and attend school. He was placed in a grade level too high and his understanding of English was rough. Still he worked very hard to learn. One of his frequent phrases was, "just thinking." Whenever he was quiet for awhile he would respond with "just thinking."

I can't even imagine all that was going through his head as he struggled to use a new language, learn a new culture, adjust to being away from his family, and live in a new country. We also introduced him to Christianity as he attended church and youth group with me. He was like a sponge, absorbing everything around him.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things," (Philippians 4:8 NIV).

Ali and I remain "brother" and "sister" even after all these years. He finished high school out east with a relative and went on to college. He attended Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, and graduated from there. He has a successful office in Buffalo, New York, where he is now semi-retired.

Dear Lord, as we begin a new day and a new week, guide our thoughts to what is good, as suggested by Paul. Thank You for all good things You have given us. We thank You especially for the life of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. We pray in Jesus' Holy Name. Amen.

The Privilege of Prayer

Yesterday we spent several hours watching the weather channel as Hurricane Milton approached the Gulf Coast of Florida. We have several friends who live or winter there and their homes are in the danger area. Our prayers went up for them as we watched Milton get closer and closer. We were thankful that they were not in their homes and they had moved to safety, many hours away.

 It was hard to look out our windows here in Iowa and see the sun shining and beautiful blue sky and think about the black stormy skies approaching Florida. Tornados preceded the hurricane and caused lots of damage inland. Weather experts were calling Milton the storm of the century! I do not know yet what actually resulted on land, but I am still praying.

"In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence," (Ephesians 3:12 NIV). 

Whether it is a huge hurricane like Milton, a serious health diagnosis, a mental health concern, or the healing of a sick child, we can always come to God with our honest prayers. When we come to God in faith He will always hear us. What a privilege it is to have a God who listens and responds to our cries for help!

Lord, protect the people in the hurricane's path. Shelter the homes of those who live in Florida. Bring help to those who were hit by the storm. Hear our prayers and cries in our concerns for healing, for comfort in grieving, for direction in our confusion, and for peace as we struggle to understand our suffering. Guide our steps today, Lord, and lead us down a path of righteousness. We pray these things in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Keep Moving

Hello, Monday. We are already seven days into October. It is fall and time keeps moving along. John and I walked through a portion of Ankeny yesterday after church. The wind created a fierce battle as we walked into it and it was only 58 degrees. It was chilly. But as we walked and experienced windbreaks created by the houses, the sun brightly warmed us, we expended some energy, and it became more comfortable. 

That seems to be the way life in general goes. When we face a new situation or challenge, it is so difficult at first. We are confused about what to do next. There are decisions to make. Maybe even changes are required. It can be hard. As we adjust to the new thing, we accept the routine that develops and we move ahead one step at a time. 

Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament and it offers us hope, no matter what our life is like now. "God controls the future, and everything will be made right. We who have loved and served God look forward to a joyful celebration. This hope for the future becomes ours when we trust God with our lives." (Commentary for Malachi 4:2ff, Life Application Study Bible New International Version).

""For you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things," says the Lord Almighty," (Malachi 4:2-3 NIV).

Dear Lord, thank You for the hope You give us through Your Word. We need You, God, to guide us through our days, leading us toward the Promised Land. Help those who struggle today. Give them courage and strength to take each step forward. We revere You and honor You with all our hearts and souls. We pray in Jesus' Holy Name, Amen.