Lord, Have Mercy!

Many of us have either said or heard the phrase, "Lord, have mercy!" We may even recognize it as part of one of the simplest prayers we can utter, "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!"

The phrase "Lord, have mercy!" is also used to express great shock, awe or fear, especially in response to something unexpected.

When the weather forecasters predicted a string of 100+ degree days earlier this summer, many of us cried, "Lord, have mercy!" as we sweated our way through the unseasonable onslaught of heat.

When Washington, DC and surrounding areas experienced an unusual earthquake, some of us thought, "Lord, have mercy! An earthquake? Here?"

When Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene threatened to devastate almost the entire east coast of the US and Canada, we looked at the size, power and scope of the storm and exclaimed, "Lord, have mercy!"

Well, considering the low death toll of all of three of these natural threats combined, it appears that the Lord, indeed, had mercy on us.  But, do we really understand and appreciate His mercy?

Untold numbers of people earnestly prayed and sought the Lord's intervention in each of these crises, so why is it that when He stretched forth His mighty hand to answer our cries, we instead began to "cry foul" because we were expecting more devastation than we received?

Did we really want the east coast quake to rough us up?  Did we really want Irene to devastate more lives and property?  Remember, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.  Also, God controls the winds and the waves. So when, as one newscaster stated, "something seemed to hold the storm back," why aren't we shouting praises and glory as loud as we would have been wailing and shouting, "why me?" if we had fully experienced all that Irene was clearly capable of doing?

"Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water."  Revelation 14:7

The dry summer heatwave and Hurricane Irene eerily parallel parts of Amos 4:7-8 which reads, "I also withheld rain from you, when [there were] still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city...Yet you have not returned to Me, says the LORD."

Instead of "humbling ourselves and turning from our wicked ways" some of us saw the hurricane as an opportunity to get drunk and engage in other behaviors that continually deny the fact that we've been "bought with a price" and are to "present our bodies as a living sacrifice...."

O LORD, [are] not Your eyes on the truth? You have stricken them, But they have not grieved; You have consumed them, But they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; They have refused to return.  Jeremiah 5:3

Let's not have such hardened hearts and hard heads that it takes severe devastation before we stop mocking God for holding back His fury and finally start giving Him the glory due His name.

In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.  Revelation 11:13

I don't know about you, but I would much rather give God the glory now by how I use my body, mind and time than to be brought to my knees trembling because I didn't take God's Word seriously and heed the gentle reminders. 

I don't know the day or the hour, but one day God will stop issuing warning tickets, and unleash the real sting of the real thing.  The good thing is, when we accept God's gracious gift of salvation, made available through the blood of Jesus Christ, we won't have to experience the real sting, which is eternal separation from God. 

If we think life here on earth is hell sometimes, try trading the temporary pleasures of this life for being separated from God for eternity.  THAT'S enough to make you say, "Lord, have mercy!"

BNcouraged!

Rev. Karen

Shaken, Not Stirred!

Well, well, well...  Many of us have been desiring to see some things get shaken up in Washington, DC, but who knew God would step in and do the job personally--and literally!

Earthquakes occur along fault lines, so why on earth would any of us be surprised that Washington, DC would have enough "faults" in and around it to experience a measurable quake?  We've been on shaky ground for a long time--due to the physical faults in the ground and the figurative faults in the people--so we were long overdue for a shake up!

Thankfully there have been little to no serious injuries reported as a result of the quake. I have heard, however, that some people were emotionally shaken up or fearful that the end of the world was taking place.

Frankly, it never crossed my mind that the world might be coming to an end.  And, even if yesterday was "the end" (oh, wait, that date has been moved to October 21 per doomsday prophet Harold Camping) I am ready to meet the Lord, so fear would not have been a factor.

If we are truly followers of Jesus Christ we know that we belong to God, we were created in God's image, we were all given a plan and a purpose from God, and will one day leave this earth and go to be with God.  That gives us the blessed assurance that no matter what happens around us, we remain in the palm of God's hand.

That blessed assurance also makes us mindful that God's Holy Spirit will lead us and guide us into all truth--truth about how we should treat one another, truth about how we should use the gifts and the time God has given us, truth about how in our everyday lives we ought to give God glory. 

We shouldn't get all stirred up and run to God only in time of fear or need, and give thanks only when things go our way.  If we have been treating God like a part-time lover, perhaps it's time to get serious and really commit ourselves to a full-fledged relationship. 

If we could just let go of all the fussing, cussing, flexing, sexing, sexting and  excessive texting we'd stop wasting time and live life like it's a blessing.

That way, when things start going haywire all around us, we will not be moved.  We might be a little shaken, but definitely not stirred!

BNcouraged!

Rev. Karen

Something's Phishy!

Some people refer to technology as evil or a source of evil.  However, I believe that technology is no more than a tool that can be used for evil or for good, depending on the intent of the person utilizing it.

The Lord has enabled me to utilize technology to encourage and challenge people across the globe to "choose this day whom they will serve" and to "keep on keeping on" once they have made a decision to serve the Lord.

There are those in cyberspace, however, who are either influenced by the prince of the air or merely enticed by their own wayward desires to use technology as a tool to hurt people.

One example that has struck close to home is a tactic known as "phishing."  This involves an individual contacting someone under false pretenses, mainly to trick them into giving out personal information that can be used to access bank accounts, send spam, or carry out other nefarious notions. 

Some of my friends and family members' accounts have recently been hacked or "phished." Thankfully these attacks have only resulted in the nuisance of having been used as spam portals, and no sensitive information was compromised.

I spoke with one of my friends who had been "phished" and we were intrigued by the fact that something Jesus instructed his disciples to do--become "fishers" of men--has in essence been mockingly morphed from its friendly faith-filled focus, and connivingly co-opted by corrupt con artists who find it funny to be phony and therefore "phish" for men to fall instead of "fishing" for them to be fulfilled.

But, oh, if we in the faith community had the diligence of the phony "phishers."

The scripture is so true when it says the wicked never rest.  The scammers never tire of using technology to reach out and pull others into their wicked web.  Meanwhile, some of us Christians avoid technology like the plague and miss out on fishing for those who can only be reached by casting the internet, not the fishing net.

We must be wise as serpents but harmless as doves.  We must be determined to have a voice in the marketplace of ideas and spread love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control--the fruit of the Spirit--by any means necessary. 

Imagine the fruit of the Spirit spreading like a virus and "infecting" untold numbers of people, the way computer viruses run rampant through cyberspace! 

Our prayers,  persistence, and presence in the technological community helps to adjust the "ph" balance, foiling the forgery of the phony phishers who promulgate promiscuity and other problematic practices as panaceas to life's problems.

We must be present so we can prophetically proclaim that "who the Son sets free is free indeed" to a world so easily entangled by empty promises. May we never give up spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ through word, deed and example, for in due season, we shall reap if we faint not!

BNcouraged!

Rev. Karen

    

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength!

God’s ways are SO beyond our ways.  For example, when we think of the word, “strength,” we might consider images of body builders, mean-looking “tough guys,” or strong material like steel.  But, our standards or measures of strength are completely opposite of what God calls strength. 

We might think a hard, stern expression on the outside is an indication of great strength on the inside.  And, sometimes, that's just what we want others to believe when they look at our faces. Actually just the opposite is often true.   Often, the harder we appear on the outside, the softer we really are on the inside.

In God’s system, joy on the outside is an indicator of strength on the inside.  When we display joy, it says that we recognize that God is in control of everything and that truly all things work together for good. 

This recognition allows us to rest in the truth that all of our external circumstances are ultimately temporary. It frees us from the anxiety of not knowing (and not even needing to know) exactly how things will turn out.  When we trust completely in God, we can rest assured that however things turn out, we will have the victory because we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ.

We must not ever forget that joy is a fruit of the Spirit.  We often perceive joy as a light, trivial thing reserved only for children. However, the presence of joy is actually an indicator of the presence and power of God’s Holy Spirit at work in our lives.  Through the presence and power of the Spirit, we are able to bend, not break during tough times.  Through the presence and power of the Spirit we are able to smile and laugh even in the midst of sorrow—for we know that “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

The presence and power of the joy God gives us through His Holy Spirit (remember it is the Joy of the Lord) point to the seemingly paradoxical combination of child-like wonder and mature faith that enable us to hold on a little while longer when the storms of life are raging and to fully expect God to make a way out of no way.

The absence of joy may be an indicator that, instead of child-like wonder, we are filled with grownup cynicsm.  And, instead of mature faith, some of us are so immature in the faith that we readily throw in the towel the minute our faith is tested.

Some of us really need to let go of the negative attitude and sour faces that we have been mistaking as signs of our strength.  We think a hard facial expression shows everyone that we are not to be messed with.  Actually, a hard expression might be an indicator that the world has already messed with us, to the extent that it’s written all over our faces!

When life is unfair and overwhelming, don’t dwell on it and rehearse negative things over and over in your mind.  Pray, ask God for wisdom in responding to the situation, follow those instructions, breathe, and smile.  Kirk Franklin says it best, “you look so much better when you smile!” 

Life can be challenging, but we simply cannot afford to let a root of bitterness spring up in us and defile the whole person. Instead of letting fear, doubt, anger or bitterness flood your soul, open your heart to the joy of the Lord, and let His joy flood your soul.

BNcouraged!

Rev. Karen

ANSWER: This Two-Timer is the Talk of the Town!

QUESTION:  What is the tongue?

I know, I know.  You were expecting the question to refer to one of our assorted (or is it "a sordid") married state and Federal leaders from California to the New York islands whose two-timing antics have been chronicled all over the news lately. 

No, the two-timer that I'm referring to is our own tongue.  James 3:9-10 says, "My dear friends, with our tongues we speak both praises and curses.  We praise our Lord and Father and we curse people who were created to be like God, and this isn't right." (Contemporary English Version--CEV)

Those of you who are fans of the game show Jeopardy no doubt recognize the answer and question format reflected in today's title and opening line.   Hopefully, all of us will also come to realize that when we use our tongues, or voices, to praise God and then turn right around and use the same tool for cursing and profanity, without question we put ourselves in jeopardy and will answer to God for our actions --and that's no game.

If you picked up the use of profanity or foul language during your teen or rebellious years, maybe it's time to put it down.  Psalm 109:17-18 admonishes us that "as he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him. As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones." (King James Version--KJV)

That passage is probably not one often memorized or recited, but it's one we simply cannot afford to be ignorant of.  Just think about it.  Proverbs 18:20 explains, "Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." (KJV)

Those who are into New Age, Metaphysical concepts like "The Secret" view this as a reciprocal principle of the universe--whatever you put into the universe is what comes back to you.

As Christians, we understand that those teachings are nothing more than repackaged versions of what the Bible describes as reaping and sowing, "Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same." (Job 4:8 CEV)

In light of the principle of reaping and sowing, is it possible that some people have so much to curse about because they curse about so much?  I have heard conversations where profanity served as the subject, adjective and verb in the sentence.  It's getting so out of hand that women are actually accepting and proudly referring to one another with the word for female dogs.  Sorry, but our four-legged friends were not created in the image of God, we were.

Maybe a fast from cursing (or as some of us refer to it, "cussing") is necessary to begin to reset our tongues.  If you are wrestling with a cursing habit, try substituting words of praise for profanity.  Not in the way that some have turned the name of Jesus Christ into a swear word, but sincerely calling on the power inherent in the name of the Lord in a time of pain or crisis. 

The Bible tells us that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow; that demons tremble at the name of Jesus; that healing takes place at the calling of Jesus' name.  So, it seems reasonable to expect "Oh Jesus!" to be far more helpful to us than "Oh, s#*t!"  And, if we have whatever we say, just think about which one you'd want to have shower down on you in a time of need!

BNcouraged!

Rev. Karen