The Debt I Could Not Pay

By Heather Allen –

Last week my son Noah and I had a conflict of interests. I was interested in him obeying.  He was interested in playing and ignored what I asked him to do. After ten minutes of discussion and internal prayer, I sat him down. I looked into his bright teary eyes and told him the consequences of his continued disobedience: a week without any video games.

The week before this fairly normal event, I read through a few pages of parenting tips.  On occasion I have given a consequence and then released my child in order to show what mercy is. But one of the tips I read took that idea a step further, encouraging parents to take their children’s consequences from time to time. As much as I like Tetris, it is a rarity for me to play video games. But my, oh my how I love a hot bath after a long day.

I looked at his sad face and felt compassion. I said I would take his discipline. I would forego a pleasure bath for one week. Honestly, I am not sure what response I was hoping for, but  he smiled and said, “You mean I can play video games?”  I repeated what redemption is, and why we need it. I thought about pulling out a dry erase board for some illustrations. He looked so happy. Surely, he does not understand how much I like baths!

I did not expect my older children, lingering nearby, to offer to take the consequences by giving up what was important to them. One thought ran through my head as I asked them to join us at the table—I should have thought this through.  I felt we were standing on the brink of great spiritual understanding and I was not sure which direction to go.

If I were having this conversation with God, what would he emphasize? I spent moments throughout the day thinking about this.

I talked to my husband about it as I climbed into bed and kept talking as he snored. Do I remind Noah that his sin costs more than a bath and an apology? Does God remind me of my sin to reveal his salvation?

Romans 7:7 says we know what sin is because of the law. The Ten Commandments are the law. If we break one of these, we have broken them all. Saying sorry does not cover it.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood” (Romans 3:23-25, NIV).

Sometimes I will be able to carry my children’s consequences but I cannot atone for their sin. Correction can be used to show children their need for a Savior, even if it takes awhile for them to understand. In our case, it meant showing Noah that God’s word says children are to obey their parents. When he chooses not to, he not only disobeys me, he disobeys God.

When he understands he has sinned against God, my son can also understand there is a consequence. The consequence of his sin is death. The only one who can cover this debt is Christ. And He already has.

God exposes sin, to reveal his love. Christ died to pay a debt I could not. Salvation is miraculous and beautiful only to those who know how badly they need it. The law exposes sin and grace covers it, remembering it no more.

“Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him” (Romans 4:7-8, NIV).

Heather Allen spends most of her time caring for her hubby and three kids.  Check out her blog at http://www.thebloodknot.blogspot.com.

Techno-Challenged

By Robin Steinweg –

“What is it?” I asked my husband and sons. I’d opened my birthday gift—a slender, metallic-pink case.

“An external hard-drive.”

I smiled. “But what is it?”

Have you ever heard of a techno-geek? I am not one. If I’d lived long ago, there’d be claw marks on my papyrus scroll as I resisted switching to parchment. I’d have struck the point of my quill pen deep into my desk and lashed myself to it. Mr. Gutenberg’s printing press would have appeared like a monster.

Even after years of daily use, I mistake computer-ese for ordinary language: a keyboard is for teaching piano; a byte is what you get from mosquitoes; ram and mouse are mammals; floppy is how I don’t like my fries; and USB (for some reason) reminds me of the United Parcel Service van bringing me my Timberdoodle book order.

When someone explains a new online technique to me, my eyes glaze over and I hear what sounds like Charlie Brown’s teacher: “Bwah, bwah, bwah, bwah…” Is there any help for me?

The Lord is infinitely patient with me through these challenges. Recently (okay, this morning) He showed me the root cause of my tendency to replace technological terms with the word “thingie.”

I have fear! God’s Word has something to say about that. Fear and faith cannot co-exist. It is only possible to please God with faith. Patient He is, but persistent too. He wants to conquer fear in me. If it’s true that God is all-wise, all-powerful and absolutely good (and He is), then I can confidently yield to His work in me. I will no longer run away from what He wants me to do (like Jonah did). I will stand firm and face my giant (like David did). And with the Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind that He’s promised, Techno-Fear will give way to Techno-Faith.

PRAYER: I place my hand in Yours, Lord. I know I can trust You to give me victory as I fight fear in this and all other areas of my life. I really do want to please You.

“And the apostles said unto the Lord, ‘Increase our faith’” (Luke 17:5 KJV).

Today’s devotion is by Robin J. Steinweg. Robin’s life might be described using the game Twister: the colored dots are all occupied, limbs intertwine (hopefully not to the point of tangling), and you never know which dot the arrow will point to next, but it sure is fun getting there!

The Stress Effect and Your Health

By Don Otis –

I was having dinner recently with a friend who works for our local power plant. He told me that half of his employees are on anti-depressants. Pharmaceuticals have become a way of like for many, if not most Americans.

When I went in for a treadmill test last year, a nurse asked me to fill out a form explaining which medications I was on. After I turned it in, she said, “Excuse me, I think you missed a section.” I didn’t miss the section; I just didn’t have anything to put in there. I asked her if this was unusual. She said, “Everybody is on something these days.”

Stress is a killer. Stress will tear you down physically, emotionally and spiritually. According to a new book, The Healing Code, stress is directly linked to 95 percent of all illnesses. Stress is linked to cancer, emotional disorders and even heart disease. The long terms effects of stress are enormous. As Christ-followers, we may believe that we should be impervious to stress. I disagree. As humans, we live in a fallen and broken world where stress predominates. The question isn’t whether we will have stress; it is how we deal with the stress.

If stress is prolonged, it weakens our immune systems. When our immune systems are unable to perform as God designed them, our physical defenses are unable to ward off sickness, disease and viruses.

Many of us live in a continual state of fight or flight, grabbing breakfast on the run, driving to work in stressful traffic, working through our lunch breaks, running kids to school or sports, committee meetings, small groups–you name it. We live hurried and harried lives. This lifestyle takes a toll on us. It saps us of our energy, keeps us from sleeping soundly and can even put pressure on our relationships.

Over time, this stress leaves us vulnerable to disease. But what can we do?

First, as followers of Christ, we lean into Him and on Him. He says, “Come unto Me all, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NIV). He knows we worry and stress over life and He gives us hope in Himself.

The second thing you can do is to become active. I remember years ago when my father was in such depression that he was curled in a fetal position inside a room in my house for days. The room was dark. He refused to eat or to get up. One day I finally said, “Dad, I’m going to the running track and you’re going with me!” He did. I ran and he walked. It was the turning point for him. All of us feel overwhelmed at times. We just want to run away or medicate ourselves into numbness. Don’t.

When we exercise, we combat the stress in our lives, build our immune systems, and send oxygen-rich blood to our brains and extremities. The stress-effect will destroy us while the exercise-effect will help cleanse the impurities from our bodies. The more we elevate our heart rates through aerobic exercise (walking, biking, swimming, running, hiking), the more we build our heart and lung muscles. We also send the cleansing stream of blood pulsating through our bodies, which helps clean out our delivery systems.

Life is tough. Stress is toxic. God has given us avenues to overcome.

Don S. Otis (don@veritasincorporated.com) is an ACE Certified personal trainer, the author of Keeping Fit after 40 and Whisker Rubs: Developing the Masculine Identity. He is the president of Veritas Communications, a Christian publicity agency based in Canon City, Colorado.

September

By Lori Freeland –

I have a love/hate relationship with the month of September.

Strolling the Back to School aisles of Target, tossing twenty-five cent crayons, pencils and glue sticks into my cart, gets me giddy. Pretty folders decorated with kittens and flowers beckon to me, while the notebook aisle disperses that new paper smell and packages of dollar markers, with their untouched ink-filled tips, whisper of new beginnings.

Yet in the midst of my back-to-school euphoria, lurking just around the corner is heaviness, a foreshadowing of all the labor that is to come, and it slips down around my shoulders like a mantle, harnessing me until Spring.

For the last three years, since my homeschooling career began, I have wrestled with all that September offers.

September offers an end to chaos, re-instating organization, neatness, schedules, activities and goals. Skyrocketed bedtimes plummet back to earth. Family dinner hour resurfaces. My calendar, filled with weekly repetition, makes expectations clear.

September also offers an end to spontaneity, stifling my impulsive nature. No more sleeping in or late night TV. No more ordering out or yelling, “Get your own!” No more spur of the moment afternoon movies and days at the pool—there are too many things on the schedule for that!

It’s love/hate because it’s hard to pick a side. Chaotic “make up your own rules” days vs. “consistent know what to expect” days. I love order and structure—but not if I’m tied to them!

Does God understand my war?

He does! The Bible promises He is always the same, never changing, and dependable without fail. In Revelation 1:8 (NIV) God tells me that He is the “…Alpha and the Omega…who is, and who was, and who is to come…” And Hebrews 13:8 (NIV) assures me that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Yet, God’s character is still filled with novelty and my relationship with Him never needs to be idle. There is always a fresh start. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:18-20, NIV).

As I press on through September, going from one extreme to another, I know that I am not walking this path alone and I love that God understands me, even in all my strangeness and contradiction. He sprints beside me through my chaotic impulsiveness and marches evenly alongside me through my structured organization. And one day when my kids are grown and gone, we will make a brand new path together. Although, I think September may always lure me in with its nostalgic memories and my desire to reconcile the two sides of myself.

Lori Freeland is a freelance author from Dallas, TX, with a passion to share her experiences in hopes of connecting with other women tackling the same issues. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a full time homeschool mom. In addition to the articles she is writing for The Christian Pulse, she is currently working on her first novel, based on the journey her family has taken in the world of pediatric cancer.

What Do We Do with God’s Garden?

By Peter Lundell –

The BP oil disaster is finally over. Or not. Millions of gallons remain unaccounted for, some coagulating and settling on the ocean floor, some dissolved with toxic dispersants dumped in the water. Underwater oil clouds and oil-soaked beaches and wetlands are creating toxic waste zones that will continue to decimate the environment and the food chain long after the spill becomes history.

And the drilling goes on. The oil that wasn’t spilled gets burned in engines, then belched into the air. Every four days, California sends as many tons of pollution into the air as the oil spill sends into the ocean in a day. But California does it nonstop. And it’s just one state.

Oh, well. Jesus is coming and the world will burn up anyway. But until then, what about our health, our lives? What about our children? What about God’s command to take care of His garden (Genesis 2:15)?

I don’t hug trees or sing about mother earth, but I want to take good care of what God gave me, whether my soul, my body, my relationships or this beautiful world He created for us. I do it because I want to honor God. And because I’m compelled by mercy toward those who would be harmed if I didn’t.

I can’t do much about large-scale disasters, but I can control how I live. There’s nothing particularly religious about going green. But I can take care of the creation in honor and love to my Creator—which becomes a witness to the world.

Would you join me? Trust me, if Jesus tarries, your children will thank you.

AUTHOR QUOTE: Lord, beyond the politics and science of the environment, I choose to be a good garden keeper of this beautiful world You gave me. Lead me to care for this great gift and to do it with a daily attitude of worship toward You.

“The Lord God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it” (Gen. 2:15, NET).

Today’s devotion is by Peter Lundell, author of Prayer Power. A rising new voice on connecting with God, he is a pastor, Bible college teacher, and conference speaker. Visit him at www.PeterLundell.com for his inspirational “Connections” and free downloads of articles, parables, short stories, and book chapters.

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