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Remembering the Giver

11/25/2015

“And one of them…turned back and with a loud voice glorified God and fell down on his fact at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.” Luke 17:15-16

We are so quick to remember our gifts - to give thanks even, for our gifts. But do we take time to remember the Giver?
This passage in Luke is such a familiar one - perhaps too familiar? Perhaps we see its reflection in our hearts?
   Of course, in Luke, these ten lepers had been driven from society and sought what little comfort they could find in the fellowship of one another. Having heard of the miraculous cures of Christ, they sought Him. They proved their faith by their obedience. Jesus justified their faith by healing them.
            Ah, but the ten men who appeared to be so much alike in the day of their distress, proved to be quite different on the day of their deliverance. Nine of them went their way, joyfully healed but forgetful of their benefactor.
They loved the gift - but forgot the Giver.
     Only one of them returned to give thanks to Him who had healed them. While the nine received that for which they had prayed, and considered the transaction closed, this one recognized the need to express his gratitude.
            This solitary Samaritan shows us that gratitude does not depend upon the state of one’s health, but upon the state of one’s heart. All ten men were healed, but only one was grateful.
   All loved the gift. One loved the Giver.
            This Samaritan also teaches us that gratitude does not depend upon what one has in hand, for all ten men received the same wonderful gift. In fact, even that first national Thanksgiving in Plimoth, 1621, was a day of extraordinary thanks for everyday blessings - for a frugal harvest amid manifold dangers and multiplied privations. Gratitude depends upon the heart of the one receiving the gift.
            This Samaritan understood that he received that which he had not earned nor deserved. Likewise, beloved, let’s make the heart of our Lord glad by once again reaffirming our faith, and taking time to truly, humbly, and gratefully thank Him for His love, His goodness, His mercy, and His blessings, great and small.
Let's remember the Giver.

            Dearest Heavenly Father, we are grateful for the joy of our everyday blessings. But today we want to express our humble thanks for the greatest blessing of all. Thank You, Lord, for the gift of salvation through Your Son, Jesus Christ. In His name, amen.

Have a truly blessed Thanksgiving!
Cara & Patti

Classic Christianity

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Fear...

11/17/2015

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"So Many People Forget That the First Country the Nazis Invaded was Their Own"

How are we to respond, when the world seems to be falling apart? The mourning with those who mourn part seems easy, when the lives lost are so innocent. But after mourning and shock, if we aren’t careful, comes fear. Have you heard it?

Fear is pervasive in the world right now. It crawls through the airwaves and slithers through the strands of the web in countries around the world, injecting itself into talk radio, social media, and television nearly equally. Its clammy hands are strangling every other emotion and driving every other thought from hearts and heads around the world. How can we feel anything else in the grip of fear?

What will become of this world?

Where will they strike next?

Is it still safe to go out? To take that trip? Get on that airplane?

And just like that, fear has overtaken faith. Just like that, fear has overtaken compassion. And, if we allow fear to overtake us, just like that, fear has won. ”God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (I Tim. 1:7)

Fear is an enslavement. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” (I John 4:18a)

The command “Fear Not” appears 365 times in Scripture, by some counts. Man is a fearful creature, it seems. Life is fragile, and in moments like these we grasp onto life as if it were the object. Life is not the object of our relationship with God. Life is the result of that relationship. That cannot be taken from us.

“Whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.” Proverbs 1:33

Listen to God. Soak up His word, which He gave for our comfort, our instruction. Inside the pages of Scripture we find confirmation – life IS precious. But life is a gift from God. He planned us. He formed us. He cares for us. And no one can snatch us out of the Father’s hand.

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." Matt 10:28-31.

But, I hear you say, the world is a chaotic and sin-laden place. Yes, it is, but the world does not rule or control our lives. God does. Listen to His word. We dwell securely in His hand, whether in this world or eternally with Him. Our security does not lie in this life. Our security lies in eternal life. Be secure in your relationship with God, and fear not, dear friend.

So then, how do we react? What should we do?

Pause and pray. Be absolutely sure that your responses, your words, and your calls to action come not from fear, but from faith.
Guard your heart. Take your thoughts captive – exert control and discipline over your thoughts, focusing on the truth of Scripture rather than the sounds of fear you hear all around you.
Remember what our purpose on this earth is. We are not called to focus on preserving our lives, but to focus on spending them to serve Him. How can you serve Him in this crisis?
Finally, act as a result of the motivation to be the hands and heart of Jesus, to share the love of God with those who need to experience it, to bring glory to His name.

Actions motivated by fear do not glorify God; actions motivated by faith, love, and compassion do. Stop. Pray. Think. Act in love.

And that title - “So Many People Forget That the First Country the Nazis Invaded was Their Own”? – that is a line from the movie Captain America, but it applies. So many people forget that the first religion to suffer at the hands of ISIS was Islam. The first people to be killed by ISIS were Muslim. The first countries to be invaded by ISIS were their own.

There is no question that we are in the middle of the biggest refugee crisis of our lifetime. There are many, many fine agencies working with the refugees overseas – I have listed contact information for two that we recommend below. Let’s not lose track of who the enemy is.

Don’t allow fear to overcome your faith. Trust God. Continue to live for Him, to be His hands and feet, to show His love however you can.

Blessings,
Cara & Patti
Classic Christianity

Here are two organizations we can wholeheartedly recommend:

If you would like to provide help to the Syrian refugees in Jesus’ name, Samaritan’s Purse is an excellent organization, helping the refugees in Greece. They need volunteers and they need donations. Here is their link:
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/aid-for-refugees-on-samos-island/

Servant Group International has been working with Muslims in the Middle East for over twenty years. They are inside Iraq, Greece, and in other hot spots, providing care and help for refugees as well. They need donations, and they need people willing to go in 2016 – teams are forming now for short and intermediate length team assignments.

http://www.servantgroup.org/

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A Reason to Live

11/10/2015

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We just celebrated the 498th anniversary of the birth of the Reformation. When Martin Luther nailed those 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg, he was daring much for the sake of truth.

Now, some of us may embrace Luther as the father of Protestantism, and some will think it nearly unforgiveable that he started the movement that eventually split the church in twain. But I hope all of us will consider the bravery it took to stand up to a wrong.

How much does it cost to peer into Scripture to find truth, and speak it in opposition to authority?

It could have cost his life. It did cost him excommunication, trial, hardship. But we remember.

Here in the United States, this week we celebrate Veteran’s Day. We set aside this day to thank and remember those who wrote our country a blank check. They shouldered their corner of our international conflict and, feeling liberty was worth the price, left the amount blank – up to and including the cost of their own life.

How much does it cost to peer across the field, to consider the value of life lived in liberty, and stand in opposition to those who would take it away?

It often cost their lives. It always cost sacrifice of time – time away from family, time in horrific conditions. It cost innocence and pain. It cost scars, both physical and mental. It cost. But we remember.

Today, consider the possibility that it is only those who have something they are willing to die for that ever really live. And what about you, friend? What, in your life, is bigger than you? What, in your desires, is bigger than what you want?

When our lives become more about truth, justice, and faith than about ourselves – when our lives are more about serving others than serving ourselves – when our lives are more about speaking what is true than what people want to hear… when we lose our lives to Him - THEN we begin to live.

It costs effort. It can cost public attack. It can cost friendships. It might cost money and time. Most painfully, serving the Lord costs self. But if you, too, are willing to peer into Scripture, find truth, and act on that truth…He will remember, eternally.

Isaiah 1:17, “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”
Micah 6:8, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Matthew 25:35-36, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”
John 8:32, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Ephesians 4:15, “…but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.”
James 1:27, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Blessings in your journey,
Patti & Cara
Classic Christianity

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Remembering the Giver

Fear...

"So Many People Forget That the First Country the Nazis Invaded was Their Own"

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