Christians in Disguise

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I read an article the other day that told how the assassination threats against the President of the United States are increasing daily. I’m not here to write about politics, but this article mentioned that the threats are no longer disguised. They’re out in the open. People are plainly and clearly saying they want to kill the leader of the free world. Regardless of how you feel about the man in leadership, there is no reason to kill him. Politicians come and go, and that’s the fact of the matter.

But the article got me to thinking about being in disguise. I wonder how many of us who call ourselves Christians go about living our faith in disguise. Do we hide our faith? Do we shy away from situations where our faith might be made public? Do we make sure to state our opinions and thoughts in such a way that we don’t come across as Christians or too Christian? Would we rather put our faith on the back burner when we’re in public instead of letting our light shine as Jesus told us to? How do we let our light shine if we’re always hiding it?

I remember as a child in Sunday School singing “this little light of mine, I’m gonna let shine.” If I believe that with all my heart, do I live like I do? Or do I hide my faith behind a safety net that I drop only when I attend church? Do I disguise my faith when it’s convenient, so that I’m not inconveniently targeted by those who might disagree? What kind of witness am I if I am always in disguise?

You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:14-16

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Philippians 1:27

Obedience and faithfulness to God’s word is not optional for a believer. How can we expect to be rewarded with eternal life with our Lord and Savior if we don’t actively live for him and pursue a closer walk with him? Why do we expect something for nothing? God, our heavenly Father, sacrificed his only Son to die on a cross for our sins. Yet we live as if it cost nothing. We don’t think of the pain and sacrifice that Jesus paid for us to have eternal life. And we hide our faith behind the idea of fitting in with the crowd. We don’t want to be turned away or ignored by the popular crowd, so we pretend that we’re just like those who have no faith.

We can’t soften or reinterpret Scripture to say what suits us. God’s word is clear on how we should live and what we should avoid as believers. We don’t have to live with regrets. So why is it easier to pretend we’re in agreement with Scripture when we live as if we aren’t? Why do we seek approval from everyone else but God, when God will be our sole Judge on judgment day?

Our faith can’t be passive and disguised. We must actively obey God’s call to live out our faith in public. Oh. We don’t have to be a street preacher. But we also can’t straddle the fence and play both sides depending on who our audience is. We can’t live close enough to the world’s standards to fit in with our nonbeliever friends, while at the same time attending church every Sunday so believers will think we’re one of them. It doesn’t work that way.

But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! Revelation 3:16

Sure. It takes moral courage and spiritual depth to be able to stand in front of the firing squad of today’s culture. It isn’t easy to be ridiculed or mocked because of our beliefs. But what if no one stands for truth? What if no one speaks up for their faith? Who will win then? We can’t hide behind someone else who’s taking the cultural bullet of cancellation and play it safe. We need to be willing to speak up and let our voice of faith be heard, as well. We can’t live in disguise.

Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.  For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. Philippians 1:28-29

Muslims sure don’t hide their faith. They make it known that they’re out to conquer the world. All the while, we Christians want to blend in with everyone else so no one will call us out for being different. Here’s the thing. Our God is the One True God. He’s the one and only God, and yet we’re ashamed to admit to others that we’re one of his prized possessions and we want them to join us. What’s wrong with us?

I admit. It’s easy to stay silent. It’s easy to pretend we’re busy with something else when a faith question or comment pops up in a conversation. What are we afraid of? I remember when I was in seventh grade, a new boy asked if anyone in our class was religious. People pointed at me. I said, no, I’m not. I knew what he was talking about, and I knew I would be ridiculed. I could see the smirk on his face. So I chose to stay silent. I wanted to fit in. All these years later, would I still do the same or would I be courageous enough to tell of my faith and its importance in my life? How would you handle the situation today? It’s a question we all need to be willing to answer. And we believers need to be willing to live out our faith in obvious love for our Savior without concern for ridicule or contempt.

I Hate This Day

~ mercyfortheday ~ 1 Comment

I was walking through the grocery store minding my own business. Headed my way was a young mom with a little girl trailing close behind. I noticed the little girl was crying. Not outrageous crying, but she was sniffling and a bit whiny. As I got closer to them, I heard the little girl say, “I hate this day!” And she kept saying it as they continued on their way until they were out of hearing distance. I hate this day! I hate this day! I hate this day!

I wondered what on earth would cause a three-year old to declare over and over that this was the worst day ever. What had happened that morning? Did she get out of bed on the wrong side, or was she not allowed to pick out her own clothes? Did she want pancakes for breakfast and got eggs instead? Had she begged for a treat in the store and her mom refused? I have no idea. All I know is that she wasn’t happy. And her mom just kept moving forward as if she was on a mission. I thought her mission was probably to get her shopping done and get out of the store as quickly as possible before she hated the day, too.

Have you ever had one of those days that you just hate? A day that never seems to end, even if it is only ten o’clock in the morning? And all you can think of is how miserable you are. You wonder what else could happen that could make the day worse.

There are days when too many things just seem to be going in an opposite direction than we want them to. We don’t understand why life is hard. We may not know why life has turned upside down, and we can only assume why difficulties abound. We may realize that some troubles and trials are preventable and sometimes things are just out of our control. Sometimes we’re just not prepared to hear the word “No”. And the kicker? Sometimes one bad day turns into a bad week. A bad month. A bad life. Because sometimes life twists out of control and there’s no going back.

When those horrible events happen that change the course of our lives, we have to learn to pivot. We must learn to live life a new way. We may have to move. Or change jobs. Or adjust to a lengthy unemployment. We may have to rearrange our finances and standard of living. We may have to change our diet. We may have to change the way we get out of bed every morning. We may find ourselves living alone earlier in life than we ever expected. Everything in our lives may change, and we just have to go with the new flow. Like it or not.

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Psalms 46:1-3

In my reading as of late, I’ve been noticing the theme of God’s provision. Provision means to provide. And when we consider God’s provision, we’re considering the ways God provides for his people. Psalm 46:1-3 tells us of different levels of God’s provision. He is our refuge. He’s our strength. He’s ready to help us when we’re in trouble.

During the days of Israel, God had cities of refuge for people facing an uncertain future. If they had unintentionally killed someone, they could live in a city of refuge and not be killed themselves. Because in those days, they believed in an eye for an eye.

God was the source of strength for his chosen people, and his strength worked through them in their battles against their enemies. God was their help. When troubles arose, God was the helper they called on. He was always ready to help.

The same holds true today for those of us who are children of God. He is our refuge, the one we turn to for safety and comfort. He’s our strength. He gives us courage and grace to walk through the unknowns of life. He is our helper. He doesn’t leave our side. We need only to call on him. We do not need to live in fear when we are faced with uncertainties. When we hate the day we’re in, God is ready to help. Oh. He may not solve our problem on the spot. But he will strengthen and uphold us with his righteous right hand.

We have to realize that we aren’t in control of our world. Sometimes we’re reminded of this in the most painful of ways, and there’s nothing we can do about it. But we don’t have to be out of control alarmed, because Jesus knows our pain. We are not at the mercy of an out of control world, even though that’s the way it seems at times. God is in control of our life events and global events at all times.

Every believer has Christ at his back, following him as he goes, with strength for every condition and trial. ~William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour

We find multiple verses throughout the Bible that tell us that God will never leave us. God doesn’t make empty promises. We can trust in his providence and timing for every good thing he gives us. And when the trials of life come, he doesn’t forsake us. He will be with us in every event of our lives. These promises of God are comforting and they can give us courage to face the unknown. We can live unafraid in the face of uncertainty and troubling times, because God surrounds us with his presence.

The good news is this. Jesus will return one day to set all things right in this world. Oh. It will get worse before it gets better, but Jesus is the ultimate victor of the ages. Satan and destruction will not have the final say in this world. Our God sits on the throne in heaven and he is the King of kings and Lord of Lords. May his name be praised.

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:8

The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. Psalms 118:6-9

Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6

Fighting the War

~ mercyfortheday ~ 1 Comment

When you read Numbers 31, you will find that God sent twelve thousand Israelite men to fight the five tribes of Midian. One thousand men from each of the twelve tribes fought the Midianites who were ruled by five kings. To understand why God wanted the Israelites to destroy the Midianites, we need to look at history.

God directed Abraham to leave the land of his forefathers to move to an unknown location. God told Abraham that he would show him where to go. And he did. Abraham, his wife Sarah and nephew Lot left the land of Haran and set out for Canaan. Due to a famine, they went through Egypt and landed in the hill country east of Bethel. Both Abraham and Lot owned large herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, so they decided to split up instead of sticking together. Lot chose the more fertile land of the Jordan Valley, leaving Abraham to settle in Canaan.

Lot and his wife had two daughters. They eventually moved into the town of Sodom, which became so evil that God declared he would destroy it. He sent angels to warn Lot and his family to leave the town immediately, so he and his wife and daughters were forced to flee the next morning. The two men engaged to Lot’s daughters refused to leave with them. And as Lot and his family were running for the hills, his wife turned to look back at the destruction. God had strictly warned them against this, and she turned into a pillar of salt right on the spot. Lot and the girls kept moving forward.

The story turns very sordid, because the daughters knew they would never find other men to marry them and have families. They somehow decided to get their father drunk and sleep with him. And, lo and behold, they both became pregnant. By their father. They each had a son, and the boys were named Moab and Ammon.

The Israelites were descendants of Abraham who had one son, Isaac, with Sarah. Isaac’s son Jacob had twelve sons. These twelve sons and their descendants were the nation of Israel. After Abraham’s wife Sarah died, he had several sons with Keturah. One son named Midian then had five sons, who were named kings over their own tribes.

God commanded Israel to destroy the Midianites because their women had seduced the Israelites into idolatry and sexual immorality. God would have none of it, and they had to be destroyed for their evil behavior and influence over his chosen people. During the battle, Balaam a Moabite, was killed along with the Midianite man and the five kings. Balaam was a key figure in Midian’s fight against Israel. He had been very influential in advising the Midianites on how to turn the Israelites away from worshipping the One True God to worshipping false gods. He had encouraged the Midianite women to seduce the Israelite men into sexual immorality and idol worship.

The Israelites won their battle that day by killing the Midianite men. Then the Israelites took all the Midianite women and children captive and plundered Midian, taking all the cattle, flocks and goods. And finally, they burned what was left. Upon the order of Moses, all the Midianite women who were not virgins and boys were killed, as well. Only the virgin girls were allowed to live. This may seem extremely harsh, but God does not play around with the worship of false gods. He will exact revenge however he deems best, and the Midianite women were the instruments used to entice the Israelite men away from serving God. The Midianite culture taught boys to avenge their father’s death, so they too were a continual threat. It’s a gruesome story, but God was fed up with any evil nation that would lead his chosen people, the Israelites, to bow down to other gods. He would not stand for it.

Although they had not been instructed to kill the women and children, the women were not allowed to live because of their earlier participation in leading the Israelites into sin. God exacted the appropriate punishment upon them and used Moses to correct that wrong in a mighty way. It wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t fun, but it was necessary in order to wipe out the threat of the Midianites.

When they went home and all the Israelite soldiers were counted, not one of them had been killed. Yes. All twelve thousand soldiers survived this huge battle. Oh. Some may have been injured. And I’m sure there was physical, mental and emotional trauma they dealt with. But none of them died. We would ask today how that could happen. But let’s look at the source of their strength. The giver of life and the taker of life won the battle through them. Supernatural protection by our God Almighty is real. God’s vast providence and protection in the battle was immense in preparing the Israelites in future battles against the Canaanites.

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God. Psalms 42:5

Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, came near to Moses and said to Moses, “Your servants have counted the men of war who are under our command, and there is not a man missing from us. Numbers 31:48-49

You can read the full story of the Israelite victory over Midian in Numbers 31.

We may ask what this story tells us today about our fight with sin and temptation and disobedience to God.

When we walk faithfully with God, we will fight many spiritual battles in our lives. They don’t have to destroy us. We may walk away from those battles with scars and wounds, hurts and aches. But we will survive them. With God’s help, we can be victorious over the tests and temptations thrown at us. We can stomp on Satan’s plan to destroy us and come out walking closer to the Lord. He is with us in our battles and he will fight for us.

In this historical story of the battle with the Midianites, the Israelites were led by God to eliminate these enemies who had swayed their hearts from serving God. Sure. They won the battle, but there was still a cleansing to be done. They not only divided the spoils of war with the people, the officers generously gave an offering to the Lord in gratitude for his provision and protection. They showed a reverent obedience to the God who had spared their lives.

We too must live and act in gratitude for Jesus’ sacrificial gift of dying on the cross for our sins. It was a necessary, painful death required by his Heavenly Father. We too may be asked to suffer for our Lord and Savior. Will we be faithful in our calling to serve him regardless of the cost?

We must prepare for spiritual battles on a daily basis. We must stay in prayer, asking for God’s provision and protection in our battles. We must surround ourselves with godly people who can mentor and support us. We must remain in God’s Word, taking life from his message of forgiveness, hope, sacrifice, justice and mercy. With God’s help, we can be victors over Satan’s ploys.

Read God’s Word attentively. It gives a history of the most remarkable battles between the great soldiers of Christ and their adversary Satan. You can read how Satan has foiled them and how they recovered lost ground. There is not a lust of which you are in danger, but you have it disclosed; there is not a temptation which the Word of God does not arm you against. ~William Gurnell, The Christian in Complete Armour

Heap of Trouble

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I was in the grocery store earlier this week for my weekly shopping trip. I always start in the produce section, since it’s near the door. I’ve noticed lately that a lot of the refrigerated produce is limp or the shelves are bare. This week, there were no honeycrisp apples. Being a honeycrisp lover, I was stumped. I asked the lady stocking the produce displays if they were out of the apples. She said they were. Then she went on to tell me that that particular day was the first day of the week they had received shipments of any fresh produce. Their warehouse is in a city at least two hours away, and because of the bad winter weather they couldn’t make their previously scheduled deliveries.

When I first saw that the entire display of my favorite apples was bare, I was a bit perturbed. It was in the morning hours and the store wasn’t crowded, so why wouldn’t their shelves be full? I saw that the apples were on sale, but how could they be sold out at ten o’clock in the morning? After a short conversation with the lady just doing her job, I cooled off a little. I realized there was more to the story that what I knew. I hadn’t taken into account the harsh weather conditions of the past few days. So I made the painful decision to choose another apple variety that I had never tried and hoped it would be good. It wasn’t.

It’s easy to become disturbed when we see or hear a story in the news. It seems these days that the news stories are lopsided and political opinions of the journalists take precedent over the actual facts. And at times, the full story isn’t being told. That’s exactly what I was doing in the grocery store. Oh. I wasn’t letting my politics affect my attitude, but my attitude was affected by my expectation of full shelves of fresh produce. I was disappointed in what I saw. But I didn’t know the full story, and the full story explained a lot more than what the first glance offered. I had to readjust my expectations. It was pretty simple. The truth is not always visible to the naked eye, and at times we must dig to find the truth. It would have been wrong for me to assume that the grocery store workers were being lazy, when all along they didn’t have the produce in stock. They were doing the best they could.

 Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right. ~Charles Spurgeon

We’re in a heap of trouble. You know that, don’t you? At least, that’s what some people are saying. That’s what the news organizations and influencers would tell you. Look at all the trouble in this country and in this world. Some people point the finger at just one man for causing all the problems. Others look at someone else. No one wants to own up to any of the issues that we see. It’s always someone else’s fault. Regardless of my response, I’m not at fault. It must be him. Or you. But never me.

We even hear stories from both sides telling how horrible the other side is. And our side is always right. Right? We don’t seem to have any wiggle room in our way of thinking. It’s either them or us. That’s what we’re told.

But I just wonder. Do we have to continue down this snaking path of us versus them? Me versus you? When do we sit down and talk it out? When do we actually admit that we could be wrong? Both of us. And I’m not taking sides here. I’m just admitting that each and every one of us is flawed. No one is ever right all the time. Can’t we just agree to disagree? Or better yet. Why don’t we actually examine both sides of the argument and see where the truth really lies? Let’s be openminded and be willing to admit we’re wrong and change our opinion, if needed.

What am I really saying? Let’s think before we speak. Let’s stop and check out the facts before we repost someone else’s opinion. Let’s not make up our minds about a situation before we’ve heard both sides of the story. And let’s listen to both sides. We can’t assume the person we trust is always the most reliable news source. We might be surprised by what we learn if we have an open mind about an issue we strongly support or oppose. Not everything is black and white. There’s a lot of fuzzy gray swirling around that we don’t even consider. We just believe what’s easiest for us and we go on about our business.

The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8

Here’s the truth. There are some black and white issues in life, and people these days don’t want to admit it. There is a red line when it comes to biblical truth. Some people and even some pastors won’t talk about it these days. It’s called the truth about sin. What is sin and what isn’t? There’s only one book that tells us for certain where the red line is. Oh. I know. There are some gray areas in that book. Not everything is spelled out specifically, but many things are. Rights and wrongs. Dos and don’ts. Some practices in the Old Testament are obsolete now that the Promised Messiah has carried out his mission by dying on the cross for our sins. But truth is always truth. Regardless of what we believe, the truth doesn’t lie.

We can’t really tell how crooked our thinking is until we line it up with the straight edge of Scripture. ~Elisabeth Elliot

For example, if we read through the Ten Commandments, which ones would we say are no longer valid today? Do we still believe we should abide by all of them, or do we pick and choose only the ones that don’t make us squirm? As Allie Beth Stuckey says, politics matter because policies matter because people matter. We can’t ignore politics because we’re a Christian, and we can’t ignore biblical truth because our politics don’t line up with it.

We can deny God’s Word, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. The Word of God stands forever. It’s also easy to twist the original meaning of Scripture to support our beliefs. We can’t cherry pick certain Bible verses or phrases and then cut out the parts that make us uneasy. If Scripture makes us uneasy, that’s where we need to stop and examine our own hearts. What is God trying to say when we feel uncomfortable when confronted with the truth? When the truth of God’s word is distorted, it is sinful.

Avoid a sugared gospel as you would shun sugar of lead.

Seek that gospel which rips up, and tears, and cuts, and wounds, and hacks, and even kills, for that is the gospel that makes alive again; and when you have found it, give good heed to it.

Let it enter into your inmost being. As the rain soaks into the ground, so pray the Lord to let his gospel soak into your soul. Open the windows of your heart; God help you to do so, by devout attention and prayerful meditation, that the blessed, perfumed gospel may come floating through, and penetrate into the deepest recesses of your soul.

~Charles Spurgeon

To Boast or Not to Boast

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I remember over twenty years ago when I had a bully boss. He would belittle his employees in public. And then laugh. He would lord it over us and let us know that he was the man in charge. And behind closed doors, he would treat women on his team disrespectfully if he felt threatened by them. I heard other women say subtle things about his behavior, but I didn’t quite understand what they were talking about. Until one day, it was my turn to be belittled and threatened.

He had begun to push certain work onto me that was not mine to do. I let him know that I disagreed with his intentions, so the bullying began. And boy did he know how to bully. I had never experienced that type of behavior, and boy was it uncomfortable. He threatened my job and made my work life miserable. I finally understood what the other women were talking about. And I stood firm in my decision to say no to his demands.

And then after one of the most experienced women on our team left the company, she called me. She knew what was happening to me, so she suggested I call HR and fill them in. So I did. After everyone had left for the day, I walked into a conference room and closed the door. Then I called our HR representative and told my story. What I didn’t know at that time was the woman who had called me the day before had told a similar story to mine in her exit interview. After a proper investigation was completed in our department, no one was told if any punishment was meted out to our manager. But he suddenly became nice to me. And then I got laid off a few months later.

This man wreaked havoc not only on the women, but he would make inappropriate comments to his male employees in department meetings. He was rude and unchecked. He acted as if he could reign supreme and nothing would happen to him. Anyone was fair game. But usually it was women he set his sights on.

This man who thought he could treat his employees as underlings later learned that he was no better than them, because he too eventually lost his job when that company closed its doors. He too became unemployed along with everyone else. He did not have the last laugh. He had to find a new career, just as I had already done months earlier.

A warrior putting on his sword for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won. 1 Kings 20:11

Have you ever known a really evil person who once in their lifetime says something profound? I’m not sure that I have, but it has happened. At least once. And it wasn’t recent.

King Ahab, the most evil king who ever ascended the throne of Israel once suggested one of the wisest truths of all times. Oh. He had an unwieldy past with his nation, so let’s explore that before we think about his wise saying. His father, King Omri had been considered the worst king of Israel. That is, until his son Ahab took the throne. Over time, Ahab gained the reputation of being the absolute worst and most evil king who ever ruled Israel.

Ahab had married a princess named Jezebel, the daughter of an evil king from Sidon. She brought idol worship to their marriage, mainly the worship of Baal. And Ahab, wanting to please his wife, allowed her to worship this manmade god. He did not follow in the footsteps of some of the earlier Israelite kings in worshipping the One True God. He was in a line of kings who descended further down the path of running from God. Running from God is a very slippery slope. Like his father, he allowed others to influence his spiritual life, and he led the nation down a dark, dark path of idolatry. The further they moved from worshipping God, the more evil he became. It is a natural progression, even still to this day.

Together, Ahab and Jezebel wreaked havoc throughout the nation of Israel. And that really isn’t anything to brag about. How can they claim bragging rights to building up the country when a noticeable spiritual decline was in progress? The country went from bad to worse.

The other unique thing about Ahab’s reign is that, even though he kept running farther and farther away from God, God still helped him win battles against his adversaries. But Ahab kept ignoring God’s help. And his adversaries kept coming for him and Israel. They would not let up in their pursuit of this nation.

King Ahab was able to defeat his enemy, King Ben-Hadad of Aram by following God’s instructions. This enemy king had brought thirty two allied kings with him to wipe out King Ahab in Samaria, the capital city of Israel. And still in his running from God, he and his army defeated them.

You can read the story of King Ahab’s victories and downfall in 1 Kings 20.

It’s unusual for most people to boast before they’ve been announced the victor, but that’s exactly what King Ahab did. Oh. He was addressing the other king who had been boasting. Here’s what he said. He stated that a warrior putting on his armor for battle should not boast like a warrior who has won. And he spoke wisely. When you examine that one sentence out of his entire life, it seems odd that it would come from him. He didn’t act or live like a godly man, but he knew the power of God. Even though he wasn’t living in obedience to God, he knew what God was capable of doing. He knew that all things are possible with God. Perhaps he wasn’t even considering that God could win the battle for him when he said that. He may have just been relying on himself and his army. Who really knows.

But Israel did indeed win the battle that day. He not only beat Ben-Hadad, but he also beat the other thirty two kings who had come along that day. If he thought he needed to boast, now was the time to do so.

Don’t we all know it? The best way to be defeated is to boast of victory before it’s ours. It’s a known fact that we shouldn’t puff ourselves up before the contest has begun. It’s a sure sign of failure. Ahab warned Ben-Hadad of just this thing, and he was proven right.

We can never be too self assured. We never know what’s around the corner. Whether we’re being attacked or if we’re on the attack, humility and faith in God are the winning way in life. Oh. It isn’t always easy. It doesn’t always seem the most popular route. But when has trusting God really been the popular route to take? Or the easiest? Living the Christian life isn’t for wimps. It isn’t for the cowardly. If we are to boast, we must boast in our Lord Jesus Christ. And we can boast about him every step of our journey, because we know that in the end he is the supreme winner.

In our race to win the prize for Christ, we can’t boast in our own efforts or gains. We don’t know what lies ahead. We don’t know the battles we haven’t yet faced. Our boasting, if we must, must be in the all knowing, all seeing, all powerful God of the Universe. Only he is worthy of praise and honor. Our successes will fall by the wayside, but he stands forever strong. We must always stay on guard, because we too may fall on the sword of boasting before our battle is won.

God is Good All the Time

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I remember when I was around twelve years old, my mom told me that I was old enough to start having daily devotions. So I went into my dad’s office to look for a devotional book. I remember the one I selected. It talked about the Trinity. And that’s how I became more familiar with the roles of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. After that, I started making a habit of reading my Bible every day.

Through the years, I would use select devotional books and other devotional guides. But for the past five years, I have read the Bible through each year. For a couple of years, I read through the Bible Recap. Then for the next two years, I read through two different chronological Bibles. For the past year, I followed a chronological guide on the Bible reading app.

I decided that for this year I needed to try a different approach to my devotions. I love reading through the Bible chronologically each year, but I wanted to slow the pace and focus on fewer passages of Scripture. I’m doing a study called Christ in all of Scripture. I’ve only finished three weeks of the study, but it definitely slows me down to read the same select Scripture all week long.

The study this week focused on the first chapter of Genesis. Since I’ve read the story of creation multiple times, I knew what to expect. It tells how God created the earth and everything on it in six days. And at the end of each day, he looked at what he created and saw that it was good. He liked what he had created. It was all still in its purest form, like a newborn babe. Then he made man to rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the wild animals of the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground. At the end of the sixth day, he looked at the man of his creation and saw that it was very good. Man wasn’t just good. He was very good.

It got me to thinking that since God saw that all of his creation was good, it’s a reminder that He too is good all the time. Even when times of discouragement and dread overtake us, God is still good. Our circumstances don’t dictate the goodness of God. Our situations can change unexpectedly, but that doesn’t mean that God changes. He is always consistent and his ways are higher than our ways. For this I am thankful. He is the author of life, and he dictates when it begins and ends.

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:8

Can we still praise God when our world has turned upside down? We might ask what’s there to give praise for when our whole world has collapsed. It’s easy to say that God is good all the time when times are good. But when times of trouble come our way, why do we suddenly question him? Why does doubt suddenly creep in? Has God changed? No. Our circumstances have. And yes. God is the author of life. He’s the giver and taker of life. He knows everything about us and what’s ahead before we do. He knows when we fail him and when we doubt him. His love for us never changes. Regardless of what we’re facing, God is with us.

We may think that God is not present in our lives when trouble comes our way. But does the sun fail to exist when it’s covered by clouds? Just because the sun isn’t shining doesn’t means there’s no sun. Does the moon die every day when daylight hits the skies? No. And God still exists and sees us even when he’s silent in the middle of our need.

When we’re going through a difficulty, it might be time to ask what we can learn from the situation instead of how to get out of it. Instead of focusing on ourselves and what we want, we need to shift our mindset to making sure we’re pleasing God with our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. The situation may not change. Even if it does, it may not be in our complete favor. But God is still good, and he’s still in control. He surrounds us with his presence. He is our hiding place. Let’s run to him instead of to something else that numbs our heart and mind.

God goes before us and he walks behind us. He hovers over us and encircles us with his presence. God is our ever present help in times of trouble.

You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5

He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. Deuteronomy 32:10

You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah Psalm 32:7

Thank you for your faithfulness, Father. In the middle of trouble. In the storm of uncertainty. Lord, you’re the one thing we count on. Every day your faithfulness carries us through. ~Brian Doerksen

Be Strong in the Lord

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

Our small group has been studying the book of Jude. If you haven’t read Jude, you might want to dust off your Bible and read it. Jude is only one chapter with twenty-five verses. It would probably take ten minutes tops to read it in one sitting. What I find interesting about this book is that Jude continually writes in these few verses about apostasy in the church. If you don’t know what apostasy is, well here’s the definition.

Apostasy [uh-pos-tuh-see]: A total desertion of or departure from one’s religion, principles, party, cause, etc.

Jude’s full name was Judas, but who wants to have the same name as the disciple who betrayed Jesus? No one. And Jude was the brother of Jesus, so I’m sure it might have felt a bit uncomfortable to share the name of the man who betrayed your brother. I’d probably change my name, too.

But did you know that neither Jude nor the other three brothers of Jesus actually followed Jesus’ teachings while he was alive. It wasn’t until after he had risen from the dead that they became believers. Isn’t that interesting? Perhaps we should believe Jesus when he said that a prophet is not welcome in their own hometown. What child would actually believe that their older brother was the promised Messiah? I know that I never thought that my older brother was the Son of God.

And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. Luke 4:24

When Jude began writing his letter, his plan was to write about the faith he shared with his fellow believers. But he had to quickly change the tone of his letter when he learned that their church had been infiltrated by corrupt teachers. These teachers were now leading others astray by their false teaching and immoral behavior. Immoral behavior is a sign that someone’s theology has been tainted, otherwise they would still be following the teachings of Jesus.

These corrupt teachers were way off base and trying to take a church with them down a path to eternal death. It isn’t clear why they had stumbled in their walk of faith, but what we know is that they disobeyed the Word of God. Then they crept into the church unnoticed. Now they were encouraging others to follow their unsound teachings.

In his letter, Jude was urging the church to defend their faith. He was asking them to fight for what they believed and knew to be true. There are multiple ways to contend for our faith today. We can do it by calling out false teachers. We can support and applaud biblically sound teaching. Another way is to live out our Christian faith in an uncompromising way.

Jude had planned to write an encouraging and uplifting letter to this unnamed church but found he had to divert quickly in the letter to more pressing business. The same should be said for us today when we find false teachers quietly infiltrating our churches. We must stamp out the corrupt teaching and right the wrongs that have been done. We can’t let Satan’s work take shape in our churches or in our lives. We must fight the good fight until the end. We must contend for the gospel, which means that we must stand up and speak the truth even when it’s difficult.

Who knows. These corrupt teachers may have been well liked. Perhaps some people who were led astray believed those who had come into the church unnoticed were just misunderstood and should be given an opportunity to teach. Perhaps their teachings felt easier to follow than what Jesus had taught. But Jude knew what would happen if these infiltrators were allowed to continue preaching a false gospel. Many souls would be lost and the church would have seen a devastating loss.

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. Luke 24:45

We might ask how false teachers can quietly infiltrate a biblically sound church. It seems like that can’t happen, but it has happened many times over. It was happening so soon after Jesus’ ascension into heaven, and it has never stopped. We see it in churches all around us today. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing who appear to be sincere in their faith, but are trying to thwart the truth behind closed doors. We must be on guard at all times.

Just recently, I spoke to someone who told me that most of the churches in our area do not teach biblical truths. Yet some people who attend these churches may never realize they’re being fed lies. Perhaps misinterpreting the Bible is confirmation that the sinful life they choose to live is acceptable. They’re not seeking biblical truth. They’re seeking affirmation of their choices.

We Christians must be united in our fight against the evil powers of darkness. Our faith is worth being protected. Our salvation wasn’t freely given. It was bought with a huge sacrifice by the Son of God. He paid with his life. We too must sacrifice our selfish goals and desires and maintain a steadfast faith in our Savior.

As Jesus walked with two followers on the road to Emmaus, he shared the Scriptures with them in detail. Oh. They didn’t realize he had just been raised from the dead that morning. They didn’t know who he was. So he showed them by quoting Scripture after Scripture, letting the truth sink deeply into their hearts. And then when he broke bread with them, their eyes were opened. They recognized who he was.

As I was writing this, I was reminded that we need to put on the full armor of God every single day. It’s so important that we don’t set it aside at the end of the day and forget it the next morning. We have to get fully dressed every day in order to keep the enemy at bay. Then I found a couple of quotes in “A Gospel Primer for Christians” by Milton Vincent that said the same thing.

As long as I am inside the gospel, I experience all the protection I need from the powers of evil that rage against me. It is for this reason that the Bible tells me to “take up” and “put on” the whole armor of God; and the pieces of armor it tells me to put on are all merely synonyms for the gospel. ~Milton Vincent

That God would tell me to “take up” and “put on” this gospel armor alerts me to the fact that I do not automatically come into each day protected by the gospel. In fact, these commands imply that I am vulnerable to defeat and injury unless I seize upon the gospel and arm myself with it from head to toe. And what better way is there to do this than to preach the gospel to myself and to make it the obsession of my heart throughout each day? ~Milton Vincent

Our hearts must be open to reading and studying the Scriptures so we can discern truth from lies. We’ll be caught off guard if we don’t know why we believe what we believe. We must be able to explain our faith in simple terms to those who may ask for proof. When we know the Scripture, then we will also be able to detect untruths someone else may foist upon us.

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Ephesians 6:10-18

Run for Your Life

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

I remember an incident from many years ago that makes me laugh still to this day. I was minding my own business buying groceries. Ahead of me was a woman with a little boy tagging along behind her. She was going about her business of filling her cart with groceries, not really paying much attention to her son. He was also paying no attention to her. He was just following his mom. At one point, he turned around to hang onto my grocery cart without looking back to see who was pushing it. As we walked along, I knew what was about to happen. And when he turned around and saw me instead of his mother, suddenly nothing was right in his world. I was not the person he was expecting to see. He screamed and cried, which caught his mom’s attention. Then he ran back to the safety of his mom’s arms and all was right with him.

In that brief second that he was suspended between fear and surprise, he didn’t know what to do. He was too young to figure out what was happening. All he expected was to see his mom when he turned around. And I wasn’t his mom. He wasn’t expecting to see a total stranger. When ahead of me, I could see his mom and knew exactly what was going to happen if he turned around and looked at me. And then he did.

If this little boy had continued to hang onto my cart and trudge along with me, his mother would soon have a problem. She would come looking for him, and he would have to return to her. I held no ownership over this child, nor did I want to. It would have been very inappropriate. He was his mother’s, and his mother was his. And that’s the way it was meant to be. I was not meant to be a party to their excursion.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

I had never heard the phrase “situational agency” until recently. I didn’t know the meaning of it, so I asked AI to define it and provide examples. Here’s what I learned. According to AI, situational agency refers to the capacity of an individual to act and make meaningful choices within the specific constraints and opportunities of a given situation. Clear as mud, huh? Basically, we can choose to act or resist within the boundaries of our immediate circumstances.

This definition sits clearly within the confines of choosing to sin or choosing not to sin when faced with a temptation. We have the power to choose how we deal with an “opportunity” to sin or to walk away from it. We aren’t powerless when it comes to sinful temptations. We can refuse to submit to the temptation. God gives us the autonomy to give into those temptations, yet we don’t have to. As children of God, we are made new when the stain of sin and the desire to sin is removed.

When we find ourselves near sin, we must run even harder and faster to the safety of our Heavenly Father. We don’t want to get caught up in sin or even be influenced by it in any way.  We must keep our eyes on our Savior and not turn back without looking to see whose sinful cart we’ve attach ourselves to. We can muster the strength and will to push back against Satan’s schemes.

Psalm 1 tells us that we have a choice when it comes to sinning. We can choose to walk the path of sinners, or we can stand solid in our fear of the Lord. We can say no when tempted to sin. We don’t have to spend time with people who act in a wicked manner, tempting us to join them. We don’t have to accompany someone who is on a path of self destruction. We can stand alone in our faith. We can resist.

As the holidays have now passed and we were tempted to eat too many sweets, we always know that we can resist them. We don’t have to eat too many cookies. We can refuse them. And as believers in Christ, we have become a new person. Our old life is gone. We have been forgiven of our sins, so why would we want to sin again? We don’t have to.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord , and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Psalm 1:1-6

The joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10

We must pray for God’s grace to help us resist temptations. We must ask God to guard our hearts and minds from being prideful or haughty. We can resist Satan’s advances with God’s help. And above all, we must pursue God at all times.

The love of God working in me causes me to hate, with the Holy Spirit’s hatred for sin, anything that is not in keeping with God’s holiness. To “walk in the light” means that everything that is of the darkness actually drives me closer to the center of the light. ~Oswald Chambers

Invited Guests

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

We were invited to a Christmas party by a host we didn’t know. And we knew none of the other invited guests. It was quite interesting to say the least. We were the strangers entering a home where most everyone knew someone else. It felt a bit awkward at first walking into a house full of unknowns, but we managed to meet some interesting people. The house felt a bit cramped with such a large crowd, and the host informed me that they wished they had made the kitchen and dining room bigger when they were building the house over twenty years ago. At the time, they were expecting their third child. Then a fourth came along a few years later. Now in a few months, they’ll be empty nesters.

The house was overflowing with talking, laughter and food. Their youngest son, who is a musician, played for the crowd. The mini concert was beautiful, but it caused even more noise in the cramped space. Some people who were already living with hearing loss felt as if they had lost even more of their hearing that night. But we all continued talking.

We met a couple who had moved here from San Diego four years ago. They said they didn’t miss anything about their life out west. They had settled into this neighborhood we were visiting and loved it. She was working remotely, but was planning to retire soon. They were building onto their house. She said they had attended our church for a bit when they first moved here, but it wasn’t the right fit. They have since found a “theologically conservative” church a little farther away.

Another woman has been single more years than she had been married, and she didn’t expect that to change anytime soon. She said she met the hosts at church. She enjoys visiting her daughter at work on Sunday evenings for dinner.

Then we met a couple who attends our church. I’ve never seen them before in my life, but there they were. After talking for a time, we discovered we had attended the same college a few years apart. And we even knew some of the same people. The wife has had two cornea transplants in the past year, and her husband is losing his hearing. But they love life and enjoy camping in nice weather.

The hosts were very pleasant people. We talked as if we had known each other for years, even though the wife and I had met only days earlier. And my husband, who is a musician, had a great conversation with the musician son. We had a nice time with a group of strangers that evening. After all, friends start off as strangers.

The house was crowded with standing room only for the latecomers. It was loud with many voices all at the same time. You had to talk loud and listen closely to the person next to you. But somehow it worked. Everyone took it in stride. There was no pushing or shoving, just polite jostling as people struggled to get from here to there. People moved cautiously through the space carrying plates of food and cups of warm wassail. It was a pleasant evening in the midst of strangers.

It’s the holiday season and people are being merry and bright. Festivities abound this time of year, and it doesn’t hurt to meet new people who are celebrating the birth of our Savior.

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Luke 2:10

This time of year is when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I think about the trip Mary and Joseph took that led them on an adventure of a lifetime.

I wonder what thoughts and fears were swirling in the minds of Mary and Joseph when they learned they must go to Bethlehem. I wonder what strangers accompanied them as they set off for Bethlehem. They couldn’t have been traveling alone. After all, Augustus had authorized a census to be taken throughout the Roman empire. Every man was forced to return to his ancestral town to register himself and his family. There must have been hordes of people on the roads going in different directions during that time. There must have been much confusion and anxiety in the preparations for travel.

But a couple in their situation, engaged to be married and pregnant with her first child, it would have been very unusual to travel together. Yet, here they were. Traveling to a distant place where Joseph’s ancestors were born. I wonder. Did he still have family in Bethlehem? Did he know anyone there who could assist them in any way?

Mary and Joseph were most likely surrounded by strangers. They intermingled with them and made acquaintances as they traveled. And they kept traveling. Others could see that Mary was heavy with child. Who knows if they offered assistance. They didn’t know that this couple traveling weren’t yet wed. They didn’t ask. And I’m sure Mary and Joseph didn’t tell. They were all on a journey to be counted. All familiar yet unfamiliar. Even Mary and Joseph not yet married. They knew each other, yet they didn’t. They had never lived together, yet they were alone in a crowd sharing the most intimate of times. Tied together through a betrothal and a pregnancy all begotten by God.

And when Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, all the inns were full. People who arrived first got first pick of the best places to lay their head. By the time the couple arrived, there was no room for them. Oh. I’m sure they weren’t the only ones stranded out in the open. But a bigger problem was that Mary was heavily pregnant. Due at any time. What were they to do?

They eventually found a space to keep them sheltered from the elements. It could have been a barn. Or a cave. It was in fact a stable for the cattle. That’s where they lay their heads. And as it would happen, Mary delivered this child of God. Born in a stable in the dark of night. Was anyone with them to help her? Or were she and Joseph all alone? We don’t really know.

But there were people out and about. In the fields, shepherds were watching their sheep. Suddenly an angel was hovering in their presence. And he spoke words of joy and blessing to them. After he shared the good news that the Promised Messiah had been born, a host of angels joined him singing and praising God. Then this band of weary shepherds went to find the babe in the town of Bethlehem, just right where they were told he would be found. He would be in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. And he was.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:14

Oh. Mary and Joseph weren’t alone for long. As this strange band of shepherds burst into the stable, there was the baby just as they had been told. He looked like any other baby. A newborn. But they knew he was different. And they bowed to worship him. I’m sure Mary and Joseph were in awe. How did anyone know they were in the stable and that Mary had just given birth? How did these men know? They weren’t strangers for long, as the men shared how the angels surprised them in the field with the great news of the birth of Jesus.

You can read the full story in Luke 2.

Mary and Joseph encountered these shepherds coming to worship the Messiah. They wanted to pay tribute to their Savior. Little did they know of the life he would lead, but they bowed before him in humble gratitude. Strangers yet kin in spirit.

Later, when the wise men came to call, it was with the same reverence they bowed in worship. As they offered their humble gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, the knowledge of who they were worshipping left them in awe. A small child yet the Savior of the world was in front of them, unaware of the mission of his life. They too were strangers in a foreign land yet bound by the Lord of the universe.

We too can be strangers to the Savior, yet we don’t have to be. We too can bow in worship before him, not only during the season we celebrate his birth, but we can choose to bow before him in submission every day. I pray that your life will be lived in surrender to His will. Don’t be a stranger to the goodness and forgiveness of God. He is the Good News the world has been awaiting.

Observations of a Seasoned Church Goer

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

I had an interesting conversation with a stranger the other night. I was standing in a mostly empty parking lot in the dark with a group of people I don’t know. We were waiting to pick up orders we had placed that had been delivered to an empty church parking lot. It may sound sketchy, but it’s all legit. I promise. I started a conversation with the woman standing nearest me. Oh. I had heard her name and thought I knew something about her, so I asked her about it. I asked if she attended the church I attended. She hesitated for a second. Then she said no. She said she used to attend the church but had left it.

This woman then proceeded to tell me the reason in detail why her family had left the church that I have fallen in love with. She said she didn’t feel community in the church. Oh. Her family had been attending the church for several years so their kids could be involved in the youth group. Several of the family members were heavily involved in another ministry of the church. She and her husband had been a part of a small group that later disbanded. And in their attempts to join another group, they weren’t made to feel welcome. After awhile, they felt the church had become too cliquey. She said that when they left the church, no one from the church reached out to them to see if they were ok. No one contacted them to find out what was going on. No one. They heard from NO ONE.

She admitted to me, a stranger, that she knew they were partially responsible for not finding community in the church since they weren’t involved in a small group. She knew that was part of their problem. But she also said she and her husband felt it was time to move on after a key person in the church moved away. So they left, too.

I know it sometimes seems easier to slip away quietly and never look back than it is to keep trying even though no one’s watching.

Oh. They haven’t found a new church home yet. They’re still looking. And she said something interesting, yet not surprising. Most of the churches in the community aren’t biblically sound churches. They don’t really teach the Bible, and they’ve lost their way by instead focusing on cultural approval. That’s not what she’s looking for. And she knew that although our church is biblically sound, it just doesn’t seem to be the place for her. They’ve been attending a newer church where some of their kids attend. They’re not sure if that’s where they’ll land, but that’s where they are for now.

I told her of our experience with this church when we were newbies. I told her that no one was friendly. No one talked to us. But we have since gotten involved in a small group and other ministry areas. We are feeling community around us, and we’re developing relationships. And that’s the important thing to do in church. Get involved and meet other people. Many people are looking for friendship with others who have similar beliefs. It isn’t easy or comfortable. It takes work, and we need to push aside the discomfort we will feel when putting ourselves in an unfamiliar setting. It takes time to grow relationships and find our people. We need to embrace the need for community and actively seek it. We’re making progress, but we still have a ways to go.

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. John 15:12-13

After talking with her, I thought of two other women who were attending the church when I first moved here. I don’t know their names, but I saw them on a regular basis. They weren’t together. They didn’t even know each other. Each of them sat alone. I never really saw them talking to anyone. Being new myself, I didn’t know if they were new or just kept to themselves. And, of course, I never spoke to them. Now neither of them are attending the church. I haven’t seen them in months. I wonder if they too felt a lack of community. I wonder if they too were overlooked by a church full of people every Sunday. It can happen, and it does happen far more often than we may realize.

Church. We need to do better than this. Even if we’re a solid introvert, we can still extend the hand of friendship when we see someone sitting alone. When we see a new person walk through the doors, we can greet them and introduce ourselves. And when someone is looking for a new small group, why not invite them to join yours? We all need community. We all need friendships. We all need fellowship. And we don’t get that by sitting alone and not getting involved.

This woman I met in the dark wasn’t looking for affirmation that she did the right thing by walking away. Nor was she looking for a lecture telling her she should go back and try again. She just needed to be heard. She needed to let out all the loneliness and disappointment when no one else had stopped to even ask. Perhaps it was easier telling a stranger in the dark. Oh. I had no idea that I would hear such a story. I was dismayed to think that my church could treat someone unkindly. But I also knew how I felt when no one spoke to me for weeks. When no one even saw that I existed.

I reached out to her the next day to let her know that I was praying that she and her husband could find a church where community and fellowship were plentiful. There are those churches. But I’ve learned something in life that’s easy to forget. The church is full of people. Imperfect people. And imperfect people sometimes overlook other people. We sometimes forget to open the door of friendship to someone else who isn’t already one of us. We don’t include those who are new. We don’t allow people who’ve attended our church for years to become part of our small group, because we don’t welcome change. We can do better. We must do better. Because if believers don’t treat other believers well, how are we treating unbelievers?

Later in the evening, this woman responded to my text. She said she had thought about our conversation that morning. Then she invited me and my husband to her family’s Christmas open house. We’ll go. We are all looking for friendship, fellowship, discipleship, acceptance and accountability. That’s what community is all about. And meeting new people is always the way to expand your community.

This problem isn’t confined to only my church. If we’re honest, it probably happens in most churches. We get set in our ways, and we expect someone else to take care of the new people or those who are searching for fellowship. We assume someone else will notice them. And that’s how many people are unknowingly pushed aside. If most people were aware of this problem in their church, they would be horrified. But would they make sure it never happened again? After all, church is the place where everyone is supposed to feel welcome.

It’s too bad that the church is just like workplaces and schools and neighborhoods where only the select are made to feel welcome. Locked-in friendship groups are very real in churches, just as they are in other areas of life. This isn’t community. It’s a clique. Shame on us Christians. Let’s open our hearts to those who are seeking relationships with fellow believers. No one is above the other.

Well, gotta go! I have a Christmas party to attend.

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 1 Peter 4:8-9