August 1967

                      June 2017                                     

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17-18).

Please, allow me to reminisce for a bit.  My older daughter chose to spend a couple weeks with me on the anniversary of her dad’s death.  This is the second year and I don’t think it’s any easier than it was last year.  We decided last year to spend the day at Coopers Rock State Forest.  It’s a beautiful forest with amazingly huge rocks with hiking trails to walk among them.  This year we visited Seneca Rocks, Seneca Caverns, and Blackwater Falls.  Fifty years ago this August Wayne and I spent a couple days in that area on our honeymoon.  I had hoped we could revisit it this year.  Since we could not, I was hoping my daughters and families could plan a trip there, but schedules wouldn’t allow that.

Marianne and I, along with grandson, Braidon, spent two days exploring the sights in and around Monongahela National Forest, driving many of the same roads Wayne and I had traveled 50 years ago.  Those mountains are a wonderful example of God’s handiwork.  It was interesting to compare pictures from 50 years ago to the ones we took on this trip.  The trees were taller around the Blackwater Falls and the lodge.  A rock at the bottom of the falls was smoother on one side than it had been before. Time changes many things.  Of course the biggest change was that Wayne was no longer by my side.

These two years have been difficult and memories often bring tears.  Grief has unanswered questions, at least in this life, and I try not to spend much time trying to figure out why I’m suffering such a great disappointment.  God is still in control. Death was not His intention. His creation was pronounced  good and  very good.  It was mankind’s sin that brought death. It is God’s Son that makes life possible again.  In fact, as I mentioned in my last  blog, God planned for our salvation even before creation!

I don’t often read the book of Habakkuk, but recently it was referenced in a Bible study I attend.  Habakkuk was a prophet of God who had to tell God’s people of their impending doom due to their idolatry and disobedience.  Habakkuk knew terrible times were coming for the people, yet he chose to praise God and trust His mercy. He says, “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2).

Habakkuk’s trust in God was amazing as is evident in the verses I referred to at the beginning.  Habakkuk is determined to rejoice in the Lord no matter what has happened or what he is lacking.   I’m not there yet. I do find joy in the Lord but not in my circumstances.  I’m still working on that and praise God He is with me and helping me through the struggle.  One day, I may be able to say, “Though Wayne no longer lives on this earth and I spend my days and nights alone, ‘yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.’”

I like the way Habakkuk closes his book.  His words give me hope and encouragement.

“The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,  he enables me to go on the heights”  (Habakkuk 3:19).

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight (Ephesians 1:3-4).

Two years ago on June 1^st the love of my life went home to be with the Lord. Three years ago on May 27^th my mom went to her eternal home with the Lord.  Needless to say, these past few weeks have been weepy.  This past Sunday was the Annual Murphy Reunion with three brothers and their parents missing. The grandchildren (of Wayne’s parents) are grown and many are married with their own children.   My two daughters were able to attend the reunion along with four of my seven grandchildren. Since the weather was rainy we met at a church building instead of the park.  That made it a bit easier, I think, since we had not made memories in that setting.  I know that family reunions are difficult to maintain after a few generations but I’m glad this one is still going, at least for now.

Wayne and I, as well as our daughters, have many memories of those early years when Papa and sons would roast a pig. The process started very early in the morning and by noon everyone enjoyed barbeque sandwiches. Several traditions rose from those beginning years. One of which was Nannie’s pictures.  She always wanted a picture of all her children, one of her grandchildren and a picture of each of her children’s families. After Nannie’s home-going one of her daughters continued the photos. Now we have missing faces in the photos.

Families change over the years and death will come to all of us. Another generation will go on until death takes them as well. Death was not God’s intent when he created the world and mankind.  He wanted man to live and have fellowship with Him. But because of sin death entered the world and no one is exempt. What amazes me is that God planned for our salvation even before the creation of the world! (Ephesians 1) He created us to be holy and to live in “praise of his glorious grace.” So it’s more important for the generations to continue to live lives of holiness and praise to God than it is for the tradition of family reunions to go on.

I pray often for the younger generations. The culture today is accepting immoral living as a “right.” Those who stand for the truth of the Word of God are considered “intolerant.”  In fact some deny there is truth.  If we deny God’s truth we have no anchor, no moral compass to guide us. We have nothing but ourselves to live by. Living according to “me” is selfish and destructive. I need the grace of my Creator. That grace is available to every believer who chooses to accept it.  Then one day we will enjoy the greatest family reunion ever! Praise God!

 

As I reread Psalm 37 the other day I was stuck by the first part which seems to suggest a plan for life. Maybe these six steps will be helpful for you as they were for me.

“Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong” (Psalm 37:1). Do not fret! I find myself worrying or becoming upset sometimes when I hear of the evil happening in our country and world. As I grow older I find myself thinking about my grandchildren and how the evil of our world affects them. I have also learned to pray more and fret less. Life is better when I’m not wasting time on worry. It’s healthier for the body, too. Besides, God is not blind to what is going on and He has promised to be with us till the end.

“Trust in the Lord and do good” (Psalm 37:3). Complete trust is hard for me. I have to remind myself there is no one, but God, who is completely dependable. He will not fail. He will never leave me or stop loving me. Romans 8:28-39 assures me of this. So I choose to trust and He helps me with the “doing good” part.

“Delight yourself in the Lord” (Psalm 37:4). My dictionary defines delight as extreme satisfaction. I have to ask myself. Do I find extreme satisfaction in the Lord? Sometimes I try to find satisfaction in things or events or maybe other people. Those are satisfying but often temporarily so. The prophet, Zephaniah says, “He (God) will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17b). Yes, I find great and lasting satisfaction in that!

“Commit your way to the Lord” (Psalm 37:5). Commitment is a big word and a big idea. Commitment involves giving up my way for God’s way. It means I keep on giving up my selfish desires and find my delight in serving Him. Verse 6 says, “He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn.”

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7). This may the hardest of all—to be still and wait. I’ve done a lot of waiting in the last few years and I’ve discovered the best way to wait patiently for the Lord is to spend time reading His Word and talking to Him in prayer. The Word helps me focus on Him. There have been times when I didn’t know how or what to pray. All I could do was claim God’s promises and hope. The Apostle Paul in Romans 8:26 tells us that the Spirit intercedes for us when we don’t know what we ought to prayer for. There is hope for the Christian during dark days of waiting.

“Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil” (Psalm 37:8). There are many reasons why one may be angry. Sometimes, we are hurt by another or certain situations provoke us to anger. Unresolved anger is bad for our health and it isn’t what God wants. Unresolved anger can lead to sin so with God’s help we must let go of it. At the end of the day, I have to let God handle whatever has angered me. It’s the only way to peace of mind.

I encourage you to read Psalm 37, all 40 verses. I think you’ll find David’s words helpful as you continue this life journey on earth.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of who are moms or have mothered another.
God bless you!

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:13-16)

I had the privilege to worship with my daughter and family this past Sunday.  I was impressed by something the pastor said in his communion meditation. He said the communion time was a time for us to align ourselves with Jesus.  In thinking about how my life aligns with my Savior’s I realized my life doesn’t measure up to the life of Jesus.  Jesus said, “Be holy, because I am holy.”  Sometimes I see a little something that might be considered holy. Does reading my Bible count?  Or, maybe giving my offering on Sunday morning?  How about helping my neighbor or being considerate of the other driver? Actually, none of that makes me holy!  I can’t be holy on my own.  Those things are the result of having been made holy.

It is only through the blood of Jesus that I can attain holiness. On the cross He took my sins so I could have His righteousness.  Paul says in Ephesians 1:4-8, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”

So the pastor’s idea of aligning oneself with Jesus takes on new meaning when I consider the cross. It took Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection to make holiness possible for me. He surrendered His will to the Father’s will and I must surrender my will to His will.  In Romans 6:19   we are told to offer our bodies in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. Being a slave to righteousness requires complete surrender to Jesus who is our righteousness.  “. .  . the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).  What a gift!

Communion time is a time to align myself with Jesus by surrendering my will to His. On the other hand, this surrender must be done daily. I am prone to veer off course. It is the cross that brings me back.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18).

I missed writing last week.  I had substitute teacher assignments for three days in each of the past two weeks. I was tired.  I retired because teaching is tiring and age seems to have a way of making fatigue come sooner than it used to.  These physical bodies are “wasting away.” They wrinkle and sag and the stamina weakens.  Sometime last week I heard those verses from 2 Corinthians and thought, “How true!”

I can’t do all the things I used to do, at least, not at the same pace. I don’t like to spend much time thinking about getting old so I forge ahead until my body says, “Wait a minute! You need a rest!”  God created Adam and Eve to live forever but sin changed that and now our bodies wear out. They are not eternal, but the soul is eternal. Based on this truth we should be paying more attention to our souls  than the outer or physical person.  This is not to say we shouldn’t care for our bodies. Certainly, eat your vegetables and get your rest. Live for God and serve others as long as you can.

Our souls need nourishment and daily renewal by the Spirit’s power. The Apostle Paul explained earlier in chapter 4 that because of God’s mercy and grace to him he was given power to keep preaching the gospel even through the tough times. Paul compared the physical body to a jar of clay.  The treasure of Christ lives in fragile bodies and His light shines to the world through no power of our own, only by God’s power.  Inwardly, we are constantly being renewed, while outwardly we fall apart.

I just spent a weekend with friends who had attended Eastern Christian College. For most of us at the reunion it has been 20 to 50 years since we were college students.  Our bodies don’t look the same but what shines through now is beautiful maturity and experience of years of ministry. Many shared how God has blessed and used them.  I was renewed inwardly by reflecting on the faithfulness of God, my Rock, Jesus, the Cornerstone on which I build my life.  As the old hymn reminds me, “all other ground is sinking sand.”

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge” (Psalm 18:2).

 

“There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain:

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose again!

And as He stands in victory

Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,

For I am His and He is mine –

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.”

(Words from the song In Christ Alone)

A dear friend of mine sent me a YouTube video of this song done by an acapella group.  This song is so Scripture-based and holds much meaning for me. Jesus’ sacrifice for my redemption is proof of a love beyond my comprehension.  What kind of love allows such suffering in order to save sinners?   This song also brings to mind times when Wayne and I stood together singing those words in worship.  Yes, I cried while listening to the recording and again today when we sang it at church.

Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus every Lord’s Day when we partake of the communion bread and juice.  We celebrate His resurrection when we pray and when we spend time studying His Word.  These activities would mean nothing without the resurrection!  We celebrate Jesus when we encourage each other, when we forgive, and when we serve.   It is indeed in Christ alone that we exist.  It is in Christ alone that we stand forgiven. It is in Christ alone we have hope of our own resurrection!

Whenever I read Ephesians 1:19-20 I am reminded the power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to believers.  That’s a lot of power! God wants to work in us and His power is limitless.  Sometimes I fail to allow God to work in me. I let doubts and fears short-circuit His power. Sometimes trusting Him is hard.  When I remember the power of the resurrection I am encouraged to trust God more and to allow Him to work through me.

“By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones). And (so that you can know and understand) what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His (own) right hand in the heavenly (places), far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named (above every title that can be conferred), not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come” (Ephesians 1:18-21 The Amplified Bible).

Alleluia! Christ arose!

I had the privilege of enjoying worship with some of my family yesterday.  Though it was a special treat for me to be with family I especially appreciated the selection of music. Nearly every selection emphasized the majesty of our Lord.  “Majesty” is one of those words that sounds like its meaning.  It has the feeling of kingly splendor and sovereign power.  What word could be more appropriate for our wonderful Lord?  He is the King of kings and Lord of lords!  I need to be reminded often that I serve this King and He wants to be Lord of my life.

Since I’m enjoying a couple days with my daughter and her family I’ll close with this challenge from the Apostle Paul found in 1 Timothy 6:11-16.

“But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.”

“He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30).

I heard a radio preacher use this verse in an illustration he was giving.  With the uncertain radio reception we receive here in the mountains I didn’t quite hear all he was saying about it, but my brain  started thinking about what John was saying. He explained that he was not the Christ, but was only sent ahead of Him.  Now it was time for Christ’s work to become more important and John’s work to decrease or become less important.  In fact, John is put in prison and later is beheaded because he spoke the truth. I guess that’s the ultimate “decrease.”

John 3:16 is often quoted, as well it should be. It’s amazing to think God loved this world so much he was willing to sacrifice his only Son for our salvation. Those of us who have accepted this eternal gift must live as John spoke.  Jesus must become greater while we become less. This is a lifetime process and requires commitment and diligence.

Jesus calls me to take up my cross and follow him.  My desires must be His desires.  This demands obedience and self-denial.  The Amplified Bible puts it this way in Matthew 10:38-39.

“And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me  (cleave steadfastly to Me, conforming wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also) is not worthy of Me.  Whoever finds his (lower) life will lose it (the higher life), and whoever loses his (lower) life on My account will find it (the higher life).”

Carrying my cross is not putting up with life’s burdens. Rather, it is becoming like Jesus.  It is allowing Jesus Christ to control more and more of my life so that my life looks more and more like Him.  He must become greater, I must become less.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

I cleaned my desk today. It’s really Wayne’s desk–the one he bought as his retirement desk.  That’s a story for another day. The point is the dust was getting thick and the piles disorderly so I got busy and sorted, straightened, threw out and wiped off the dust.  It looks pretty good, if I do say so myself.  There is one corner I will get to another day.  You know those paper organizers that hold your papers upright in neat little sections. It’s not looking so neat. Thus, it will be another day’s job.

Cleaning the desk reminded me of how I live life.  Sometimes, I let clutter build up in my heart.  Yes, I read my Bible, I pray, and serve God in different ways.  But if I look closely there’s a bit of greed over in the corner of my heart. Yes, there’s even some pride piling up in another corner.  And would you believe? There are specks of deceit right there in the middle of the floor!

As a Christian I must guard my heart against these less-obvious sins. I would never murder, steal, or curse, but it is all too easy to let pride or greed slip in unnoticed. My friends may not see it at first, but if I don’t clear it out it will eventually be noticed.  Of course, God knows what’s there.

The Apostle John writes, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2).  So Jesus is ready to clean and purify my heart if I confess and allow Him full access to every corner of my heart.  John writes in the first chapter of 1 John, verse 9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

So just as I have to clean the dust off this desk once in awhile, I also have to ask God to clean out my heart. I need to pray David’s prayer every day. “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).  I’m so thankful Christ is the great Forgiver and Purifier.

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth” (Deuteronomy 11:18-21).

Moses spoke these words to the Israelites as they were preparing to enter the Promised Land. They are actually a repeat of words found in Deuteronomy 6. In fact, Moses repeated many times the words “follow the commands,” “pay attention to these laws,”  “observe the Lord’s commands and decrees,” and other similar words.  Moses knew he would not be allowed to enter the land but it was his responsibility to make sure they understood the seriousness of God’s commands.

I know we no longer live under the Old Covenant but these verses are a strong reminder of the importance of passing on God’s commands to our children.  The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”  Parents have the primary responsibility for this but I believe grandparents, other family members, and friends also are responsible for training and instruction of children in their sphere of contact.  Oh, I don’t mean we’re responsible for sitting down with our neighbor’s kids and teaching them a lesson. I mean our lives, our behavior, and our words will influence children.

Sometimes our actions don’t match our words. I remember one incident when my girls were at the age of learning to drive. We were on the Interstate highway and I missed the exit. I immediately slowed down and pulled onto the shoulder of the road.  As I began to slowly back up to the missed exit, I remember telling my girls, “do as I say, not as I do.”  We laugh about it today, but what I did was not a safe practice.  Fortunately, there was little traffic and we were safe.  I wonder though, have I told my girls it wasn’t nice to talk about their friends in a bad way and then turned around and gossiped about a neighbor down the street?  Did I teach my girls one thing and then turned around and did the opposite?

I’m sure all parents have failed to live up to what they “preached.” I always say I left a lot of empty spaces in my parenting and I’m grateful that God filled them in with his grace.  The point is God has called His people to be separate from the world. We are in the world, but not of the world.  God said to “be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).  To be holy is be set apart for a purpose. God’s people  honor and praise Him. The lives of God’s people must look different from the worldly way of life, even in parenting.  May God bless all of you who are still raising children, and may those of us who are on the other side of parenting remember our lives still influence children. I pray that children see God at work in us.