Monthly Archives: November 2024

A Great App Idea

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Have you noticed how there is an app for everything these days? If you need any type of fast food, a service, tickets to go somewhere, some kind of product, it can all be had by an app on your phone. Now with AI the list of questions one can ask is limitless.

Maybe a new idea for an app would be one that gives guidance on whether or not something is permissible for a Christian. You know, the kind of app that would tell you if the activity was sin? You could type in, “should I go to …or watch ….” and it searches Scripture and comes back with an answer. Hmm, but that might be pretty difficult considering the key words people would enter these days for their search such as a movie title, particular amusement, concert, entertainment, sports event, or TV show.  Those might be what a Christian would want direction on but those words aren’t even in Scripture. But that doesn’t mean we have to abandon the idea of an app.The question could be typed in: “Should I go/do …..” The answer would come back: “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him” (2 Corinthians 5:9). Then one could click on the word “accepted” and it would give the Greek word meaning (g2101. εὐάρεστος euarestos; from 2095 and 701; fully agreeable: — acceptable(-ted), wellpleasing.” (Strongs Concordance).

Wouldn’t that be incredible? Actually, why go to all the expense of an app when the answer is simple. Shouldn’t everything we do be evaluated by, “If I do it, will it please the Lord that owns me and my time?” And if that isn’t clear enough, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Will my doing it bring my Lord glory? 

Or “That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:10). That something not only isn’t sinful, but in view of God’s heart, is it excellent? 

No need for an app. It really is pretty simple isn’t it? May we use our precious time on what will bring our Lord glory and please Him. 

How Many Last Week?

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Imagine the end-times judgement of those who were not followers of Jesus Christ. We aren’t given many specifics, but what if the redeemed are able to observe the judgement of those who never came to Christ? If so, can you imagine with me one of your neighbors is summoned and stands before the Lord. The Lord, the Judge of all the earth is told that your neighbor’s name is not in the Book of Life. Your neighbor then hears those terrible words, “… I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23a). Your neighbor is horrified and realizes his fate is eternal hell. If only he had been told earlier. 

Then he turns toward you and points a shaking finger and SCREAMS, “YOU HYPOCRITE! YOU KNEW I WASN’T A FOLLOWER OF JESUS, AND YOU DIDN’T DO EVERYTHING YOU POSSIBLY COULD TO HELP ME COME TO HIM?” 

“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

Brothers, how serious are you in sharing Christ with those you know, neighbors, and extended family? Might the worst hypocrite be the one who is saved and does not love his “neighbor” by telling him about salvation by the blood of Jesus?

(My Brothers I had to share again. How many have you attempted to share Christ with last week? We must be busy about the Lord’s business and not slack.)

How Committed?

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Two men were standing outside the entrance to the Colosseum. One said, “This should be great today. I heard there were 13 of those worthless Christians who are going to feed the lions today. It was really good last week. One guy put up quite a fight, but he had no chance.”

Then he says to the other man, “Hey, we can go in now. Aren’t you going in?” 

“No I’ll be staying out here.” 

The other replied, “Don’t let a little blood bother you.” 

The other one replied soberly, “It was my dad’s last week, and it will be my mom and sister’s today.”

“He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight” (Psalms 72:14).

“And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration” (Revelation 17:6).

SIMPLE BUT STRATEGIC WAYS TO TAKE THE STRESS OUT OF CHRISTMAS

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While most of us love the Christmas season, sometimes all the busyness, activities, and things that must be done put us into overload mode. Stress levels rise, and instead of a joyful season of worshipping Christ our Savior, we become crazy women running to and fro, impatient and frustrated. That sure isn’t my picture of a godly, Christian woman, and I don’t want it to characterize my life during the weeks that are so precious in my year. So how can we take the stress out of the Christmas season?

1. REST IN THE LORD

Perhaps the greatest stress reliever is to remember the words of Christ Himself. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). During the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, are we truly coming to Him? Are we continuing in our daily time to worship Him through reading His Word and praying? 

2. WRITE IT DOWN

Write down what you want to do during the Christmas season. Often stress overwhelms us when our minds are trying to track, manage, remember, and juggle all that needs to be done. Our memory becomes so full of all the “stuff,” that we can’t handle it. When you write it down, relief descends. It is in a safe place to be retrieved and referred to. 

3. PARE DOWN

The third thing you can do to help relieve holiday stress is to pare down. Once you have that list, determine activities or duties that are no longer a priority. Just because you have always done it, doesn’t mean that you have to keep doing it.
What Christmas activities draw your heart to Jesus? Which ones share Him with others? Which ones teach your children to love, that it is better to give than to receive, or to worship Christ? I would rather have a peaceful heart and do half as many Christ-related traditions and activities than to do the full measure of them stressed. 

4. PLAN

Next, you take the pared-down, prioritized list of Christmas activities and write out steps needed to accomplish each one. Perhaps there are supplies to be purchased and gathered. Maybe a date should be put on the calendar to reserve the time. It could be that others are to be invited.

5. DEDICATE TIME

Even with the best-prioritized, planned list of Christmas activities, if you don’t have any time to do them, you feel stressed. How does a busy mom find time for doing more than she currently does in her normal daily life?

Start with just one hour per day in the month of December for Christmas preparations—a specific hour that you know you can consistently be committed to keeping. If you are a homeschool mom, shorten your school day by one hour for the month of December to accommodate. You will be pleasantly surprised with the progress you can make on things like Christmas cards or letters, online gift shopping, gift wrapping, meal planning, and make-ahead baking in just one hour.

With available time, look at your lists and steps, and choose what you will tackle during that time frame.

CHOOSE TO DESTRESS

Christmas is the last time of year when you want to be a stressed woman. This Christmas season would you choose to set aside Christmas stress and pick up the joy, peace, and rest of the Savior?

Here are four resources that I recommend to help you with holiday de-stressing or any-time-of-the-year de-stressing:

Managers of Their Homes
Managers of Their Chores
Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit
Sweet Journey

Changed or Not

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It seems like everyone has a favorite story to tell when talking with someone new. What’s yours? Recently, a brother in Christ told me that the Christian group he is a member of encourages them to polish and hone their personal testimony to make it interesting, clear, and less than 2 minutes long to be used when meeting people. I realized I was missing opportunities and began using my testimony more. 

Our testimonies should be incredibly powerful. Imagine someone being born again. Huh, what’s that? Seriously, are you for real? “. . . can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?” (John 3:4b). 

Change should be the true response after encountering the Living God of the universe, much like the demoniac in Luke 5. He was a changed man after he encountered Jesus. Jesus then sent him to go home to his friends and tell them the great things that the Lord did for him (Mark 5:19).

 Paul had no demon, but after his encounter with Christ, he was a new person. The same was true for the Apostles. They were normal men, but then they were changed. 

Brothers, are you a changed person after receiving Jesus? If not, then the question is: Why not? First, make sure you are truly saved – no change without salvation. If you are saved, then are you living for Him who died for you? “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).