Galatians 6:7-8

7.Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8.The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

In this chapter, Paul is reminding the believers that they have a responsibility to each other. And we, as believers, are charged with the same responsibility. There are always consequences to our actions and attitudes, but to be aware that consequences aren't always negative, they can also be positive.

I think about my vegetable garden. What have I sowed? Nothing.. What will I reap? Nothing.. Then I go one to one of my flower gardens. What have I sowed? Time, fertilizer and work. What have I reaped? Lot of flowers, no weeds and it's sort of pretty to look at...

And when it comes to friendships, you have to think about what you are sowing as well? Do you show respect, gentleness, patience and forgiveness? Or does your attitude need an adjustment? If what you reap isn't very good, you need to ask God to help you see what you are doing wrong and ask how to correct it. There is a saying that I've heard throughout life - what goes around, comes around, which I would guess is a secular take off of verse 7.

Our acts are what we sow, which in turn will show up in what we reap.
Something to really think about and decide on.

Nancy

Mark 3:35

The person who obeys God's will is my brother and sister and mother. (The Message)

The NIV gives a little blurb about verse 35 and it says - membership in God's spiritual family, evidenced by obedience to him, is more important than membership in our human families.

From what I've gathered, Jesus had difficulties with some of his half brothers. And in this particular story, mom and brothers show up and want to see him, but Jesus turned to the group and said, 'Who are my mother and brothers'? 'Here are my mother and brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.' (NIV)

Like Jesus, I think most of can find a relative or two that we may have trouble with. Jesus' biological family wasn't perfect and neither is ours.
My devotions say that Jesus didn't try to control their behavior or let their behavior control Him and he didn't demand they agree with him. They did their thing and He did his.

I think we sometimes want to change people, especially ones we think are difficult to get along with, we want them to think or act like us or like we want them to. We must never stop praying for that difficult family member, but rather than trying to change them into who we want, (as only they can decide to change) we need to put our main focus on our spiritual family.

I am trying to put focus on my family in Christ, I am trying to be obedient and surrender everything to God and not to focus on difficult family members. I need to be with those who share my faith, who will encourage me and who will support me emotionally and never laugh or put me down for things beyond my control. My brothers and sisters in Christ can do that and I am so thankful that I have them in my life.

Nancy W

Psalm 8

1. God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name.
2. Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you; toddlers shout the songs that drown our enemy talk, and silence atheist babble.
3. I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
4. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?
5. Yet we've so narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden's dawn light.
6. You put us in charge of your handcrafted world, repeated to us your Genesis-charge.
7. Made us lords of sheep and cattle, even animals out in the wild.
8. Birds flying and fish swimming, whales singing in the ocean deeps.
9. God, brilliant Lord, your name echoes around the world (The Message)

Hasn't God given us an awesome responsibility? David was amazed at God's concern for human beings and amazed to the fact that God wanted puny man to be in charge over all his creatures. And as David looks to the skies, he see can the Glory of God in the moon and the stars (sky jewelry), he sees God's majesty and greatness. Put yourself in David's shoes that night of old testament times staring up to the sky. No science, just awe of God.

Do we see what David saw when we look up the heavens? Or because of studying science, do we have it all figured out? We know how storms are created, we know how deep the oceans are, we've learned how it all works.

Has our knowledge of science taken away the wonder of how God created it? Go out and lay on the lawn on a clear starry night, think about what God has done and what charge he has given us for his creations. Try and see what David saw.

Nancy

Hebrews 13:5

I like how the ESV writes it: Keep your life free from love of money and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." - But I also like The Message: "Don't be obsessed with getting more material things, Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, "I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you."
- - -
Our security shouldn't depend on 'material things' or how much money we have or our big house or (you insert your 'thing'). Our security should be God's presence in us. Be it at work or in school or in the car or even sitting in numbness - He's here, 24/7. The real security is in the promise that God made.

But sometimes we can be so numb (unable to even feel emotions) and not even begin to feel His presence. A friend wrote me a note and one line says; 'God loves me and said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." I read that note more times than I like and I have to because I need reminding that I"M NEVER ALONE, EVER. That one line can help me get through my numbness.

God is always knocking on the doors to our hearts, waiting to be invited in. Some of us will open those doors and some won't. Hebrews 13:5 should be written down and kept in our Bibles or on the wall, so to be reminded of God's presence. Believe me when I say it can make a difference. When God knocks, please open your door, love Him and thank Him for His promise.

Nancy

In Essence, Jubs

Friends,
Well, it’s happened. We’ve joined that (what’s the opposite of elite?) group of pet owners whose entire house shouts,
“ A SMALL, SMELLY PET LIVES HERE!!”.

Here we are, a family of 5 (2 of us pre-adolescent boys) and our .37 lb. hamster (so says my postal scale) out-smells us. Even the lemon air freshener I bought specifically to “hide” pet odors results in a smell I can only refer to as “hamster fruit salad”. As it is I clean the hamster cage more frequently than the rest of my house and yet she remains ever-present. So I resign myself to the fact that this is who we are now and I often hear myself saying the same thing I said when the kids were in diapers,
“Good thing you’re cute.”

Have a great (rest of the) week,
Carol

Matthew 11:28

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. (The Message)

The first sentence in my devotions say, 'As long as Jesus is one of many options, he is no option.'

There are 432 different brands of cereal at the store to choose from. You can stand there and go nuts trying to decide which one you want, which one meets your needs for today and then end up closing your eyes and just picking out anything. Way, way too many options.

We also have too many options to choose from when it comes to life. In our hectic lives, we get stressed and burned out and tired and crave rest and peace. Well, here are a couple of options for rest and peace.

1. TV ads. They tell us we can get can have it if we buy their products or if we follow their directions.
2. God. He tells us we can have it by coming to Him and giving Him our heavy burdens or situations.

I wonder which option is better? The world's way or God's way? Personally, I believe God's way. After all, He is in control and He loves us. The world doesn't love us and it likes to think it's in control, but if we listen to the world, there absolutely will be no rest or peace.

Jesus, on the other hand, is waiting for us to turn over our sins, our burdens and grief and will give us rest when we do. He says when we are yoked to Him, He will calm our storms.

The world can't do that, only Christ can and our option should be only Him.

Nancy W

Thank You

Thanks again Dave and Nancy, for such a great fellowship lunch.

I was so happy it fell on a Sunday that my family could be there as well. We had a great time and the food was soooo good.
(I told the girls to bring their bathing suits, but unfortunately, with the down pour, the only one who went swimming was Dave! )
Dave, that was so nice of you to do all that barbecuing in the rain.
Thank you Nancy for being such a great hostess.

Sue W

1 John 3:17

If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it, but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love. It disappears. And you made it disappear. (The Message)

---

How's that for telling us exactly what it is? We can make make God's love disappear by not helping a brother or sister, by being selfish and wanting to keep our means to ourselves? What if we don't have enough? What if we need it later and give it away now, what will we do then? How will we survive?

We say we'll help people, with money or friendship or whatever the person needs, but do we actually do it? Is it all talk? With some people it is, with others, they would go so far as to give us their eye teeth.

Sometimes the smallest help is the biggest help. It doesn't have to be your life savings, it doesn't have to be taking someone into your home, it doesn't have to be volunteering every waking moment. It can be the little things that mean the most.

The help I need comes from a smile or a hug or knowing someone is here for me when I'm struggling or knowing I'm loved by my brothers and sisters in Christ. Just knowing these simple things helps get me through each day. I have friends that don't turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, they are here for me and that is showing God's love inside of them. And for that, I am so thankful. And for that, God is pleased with them.

Nancy

Luke 10:40-42

But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later she stepped in, interrupting them (Mary & Jesus). "Master, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand."

The Master said, "Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it-it's the main course, and won't be taken from her." (The Message)
- - -

Both the sisters wanted to show neighborly love, so they invited Jesus to to supper. As Martha got busy preparing the meal, Mary sat at Jesus' feet and listened to His teachings. Well, that did not set well with Martha and she came out of the kitchen very upset and angry at Mary. And that was when Jesus told her to calm down.

Imagine having Jesus telling us to calm down! Not that we ever need it though. Sometimes we can get caught up in 'doing things for God' and get angry at others because they aren't 'doing things for God' and I wonder if He is pleased with that or if He would rather have us 'doing things' with a loving heart. A heart that wants to serve Him in love and not a gotta do it for Him attitude.

Mary chose to sit with Jesus and chose to listen to His words and Martha was so busy, she never heard what Jesus was saying. Maybe we should think about that story and think about our lives. Do we ever stay still long enough to listen or do we run around and 'do things'? Mary will always have the words of Jesus with her and Martha won't.

I want those same words with me. Do you?

Nancy

John 10:14-15

I am the Good Shepard. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. (The Message)


If you were to picture a crowd of people and sort of hover over them looking at the group, what would you see? Would you see individuals or just a herd of people? Most likely, you would only see people milling around, eating and talking. How come you wouldn't see them as individual persons and how come you wouldn't know all their names? And would they know who you were?

Now think about when God were hovers over that same crowd of people, He doesn't see a herd, He sees individual persons with individual faces and individual names. We would like to think that those individuals would know who God was, but unfortunately, they probably don't. So that is where we are charged to witness to them and introduce them to God.

God is our Shepard and we are His sheep/His children. He loves each one of us and will never forget us. We have the greatest Shepard there could ever be and when we hear Him whisper our name, we need to listen.

Nancy West

The Hamster Diaries - furry cars and bridges

Friends and countrymen,

I’m fairly exhausted when I get to bed these past couple of weeks, cleaning out an estate during the day, painting the office in the evenings – more physical labor than I’m used to. Last night was no exception. After I put a load of wash in the dryer I crawled into bed and closed my eyes, sure that sleep could find me quickly….

Clink, tumble, clink, clink, tumble, clink, tumble clink clink.

For Pete’s sake! Something with zippers in the dryer. Nope, money.

Twenty cents richer I got back into bed, closed my eyes and….

that old familiar tune filled my head. You know, the one. “All Night Long”. It goes something like this, Got all the snacks I need and I’m gonna run All Night Long. Jub Jubs had once again filled her “silent wheel” and was off on her nightly run, so I’m out of bed again to empty her silent wheel of nuts and corn increasing the efficacy of our routines; her running and my sleeping.
After a short conversation with her, one-sided on my part but very attentive on hers, I am assured she is still happy enough with her accommodations and unless we leave a cage door open, won't be leaving us any time soon.

This morning I came downstairs and looked into her cage. I yelled up to Rachel, " Guess who slept in her wheel last night?"
Rachel yelled back down, "Jubs?"
I answered, "Yep"
Rachel came downstairs and we oohed and aahhed over how cute she was.

Now that verbal exchange might seem like just a wasteful use of time and energy and words to someone looking in but for Rach and I it's a bridge to getting to the same place. Amazingly, this little hamster has been the cute and furry vehicle that makes it possible for us to see things the same way when we come from two very different temperaments and mindsets. All very important stuff because some day, whether the cage door is open or not, Rachel will proclaim her independence and it'll be good that we can both get back to the same place.

Have a great week with family and friends,
C

Hebrews 12:1-3

12:1 Do you see what this means - all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running - and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins.

12:2 Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of onor, right alongside God.

12:3 When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls. (The Message)

Life is like a race and it takes endurance to keeping running to the finish line - heaven. That takes faith. That takes focus. That takes discipline.

As we struggle in our lives, faith, focus and discipline doesn't come easy.
God knows and understands that. He knows it's a hard road and knows when we can't run anymore and knows when we want to quit - we are so tired.

How can we, as Christians, cheer someone on who doesn't see a finish line?
It takes more than a lot to love someone who constantly struggles with life.
Sometimes life comes at them faster than they can handle and they don't have the endurance to keep running. We must continue to encourage them and never stop until they see there is a finish line. Jesus began and finished his race with his eyes always on God. We have to remember that, even if we need help from our brothers and sisters.

Think on These Things

Lauri Perry forwarded me this list (we can't find the author to give credit though). I thought it was pretty good and wanted to share it with you all.

Dave

ONE.
Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO.
Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE.
Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.


FOUR.
When you say, "I love you," mean it.


FIVE.
When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.


SIX.
Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN.
Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT.
Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.


NINE.
Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN.
In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.


ELEVEN.
Don't judge people by their relatives.


TWELVE.
Talk slowly but think quickly.


THIRTEEN.
When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"


FOURTEEN.
Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk..


FIFTEEN.
Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN.
When you lose, don't lose the lesson


SEVENTEEN.
Remember the there e R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN.
Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.


NINETEEN.
When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY.
Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your
voice.

TWENTY-ONE.
Spend some time alone.