The Accuser

By Cheri Cowell –

I don’t know about you, but I carry an invisible person around with me. No one else can see her, but I know she’s there. Most of the time she is silent, but her voice, even when not audible, is loud and clear to me. Sometimes she can go for weeks without speaking, and at times I almost forget she’s there. Then, when I least expect it, she speaks in a cruel, accusing tone, almost in a whisper, but she might as well be shouting for all the world to hear. She is my accuser. Jesus knew her.

On this day as Jesus sat in the place of authority in the Temple, she’d been brought before him. Her sins were great. Everyone knew what she’d done, but no one knew more than she. Although the men who stood ready to stone her for her sins were visible, her accusers—her memories—were always with her. When one by one the accusers left, unable to stand in Jesus’ presence with the stones of judgment in their hands, there was another less visible who was also banished. Jesus’ question, “Where are your accusers?” was meant to show the woman (and us) that in light of His forgiveness, even the accusers we carry with us have no place to hide. Their voices are silenced.

The next time your accuser rears his or her ugly head inside of your mind, remind that voice that you belong to Jesus and see how fast your accuser flees.

“Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” (John 8:10 NIV).

PRAYER: Jesus, I hear you asking, “Where are your accusers?” and when I look around I see both the visible and invisible have no voice. Help me to accept that I have been truly forgiven.

Paid In Full

By Mary Sefzik –

I recently bought a new iPhone, and along with this tech toy came a bill. As a blind person, writing and mailing a check was not my first choice. I decided to try paying online. I created an account, logged in, and entered all my information—only to be met with an error message. I tried again but was greeted by the same unknown error. I went on to Option No. 2—paying by phone. Entering numbers quickly as a beginning touch screen user was not going to happen. My frustration level increased as an automated voice kept repeating “I’m sorry, I don’t understand you.”

With tears rolling down my cheeks, I launched the AT&T app on my phone. This time I was told my user name and password did not match their records. I screamed. Why did something that should be so simple turn out to be so hard? I took a deep breath and tried again—focusing all my brain power on entering the correct letters. Finally, Success! I received a text message saying my payment had been processed. Another tech battle won.

Paying bills is a necessary part of life but there is one bill we can never pay—the debt of our sin. All the money on earth couldn’t pay this debt. There is only one payment option and thankfully it is a one-time payment. And the payment process is easy. No need to create an account with a secure password containing at least one capital letter and one number. No pesky capchas to solve or security questions to answer. All the fields have been filled in for you. Every sin you’ve committed in the past or will commit in the future has been paid for in full by Jesus’ death on the cross. No multi-page agreement here.

All you have to do is accept His terms. Accept the fact that you are a sinner, believe Jesus defeated death by dying on the cross and rising from the dead, and accept Him as your Savior and the Boss of your life. Your one-time acceptance of these three simple terms grants you eternal life in heaven and strength to meet the daily trials of earthly life. This promise is secure—unaffected by company mergers or computer hackers. Your confirmation number is John 3:16 NIV “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Act now. This is a limited time offer. Today is the day of salvation.

Jesus Walked by My House Today

By Charlotte Riegel –

I was working in my yard, tending the flowers. A young man walked by on the sidewalk out front of my house and I noticed it was Jesus. He did not look my way so I chose not to greet him, though I pondered for some time what I might have said if I had spoken to Jesus.

“Hi Jesus! How are you today?”

He might have replied, “Fine. And you? Your flowers look lovely.”

“Thank you,” my response.

Trivial stuff. He was obviously on a mission and oddly enough, I did not feel particularly communicative.

It’s peculiar living in a theatre arts community with professional actors/actresses as neighbors and friends. The young man is playing the character of Jesus in this summer’s Canadian Badlands Passion Play. He did indeed walk by my house today and we do often chit-chat as friends.

I wonder how Jesus spoke with people when he was out and about in the community. I suspect there was plenty of trivial chit-chat, but I also ponder how He might have gotten past the trivial and down to the heart of where people were. For instance Zacchaeus, or the woman at the well.

Prayer: God, forgive me in my forgetfulness that You really do walk past my house, in ALL the people, not just the character in this play. I desire to be faithful to minister to You through them as You give me opportunity.

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:37-40 NIV).

Rethinking Routine

By Cindy Martin –

Just like the end of the school year brings relief from our often overcrowded schedules, back to school can be a welcome friend, ushering us back into regular routines.

I relished the thought of summer break as all the year-end wind-ups had gotten me a little wound up! I had visions of all the rest I would enjoy as well as all the things I would get accomplished. In my head it made so much sense… but as the summer has played out, I’ve discovered that routine is both my friend and my foe.

Structure is great but so is flexibility. Good habits are foundational but emotional freedom is equally essential. As with most things, any strength carried to an extreme becomes a weakness. It can be an intense struggle to not let the form get in the way of the function. This has been especially true in my quiet time with God. Routine provides the time, structure and habit that serve me well in the spiritual disciplines I believe God has called me to. Yet, as it’s been interrupted, I’ve seen routine become my foe. I’ve experienced what it’s like to value my routine over my relationship with God. At times, it’s caused me to become disgruntled, cranky and sometimes just plain spiritually rebellious. Not exactly the spiritual oasis I had anticipated.

As the inner turmoil in my spirit flashes and flares from time to time, God has lovingly but firmly spoken the truth of His word into me:

“These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote” (Isaiah 29:13 NLT).

“For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17 NLT).

On my spiritual journey this summer I have encountered what we have often encountered on our family vacations – road construction! I have detoured through self-sufficiency, taken the wrong exit of excuses and argued with my Navigator about the best route to take. Yet, when I have stopped to let my Savior recalculate the direction of my spirit, I have experienced what my head knows but my heart forgot – an intimate relationship with Him stems from the flawlessness of His character, not mine.

Prayer: “Lord, remind me often that all my righteousness is as filthy rags. Create a thirst in my spirit that longs for You more than it longs to fulfill a routine.”

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NIV).

The Flood in Calgary, Alberta Canada

By Gillis Killam –

Six of us travelled from Calgary to Southern British Columbia for a golf trip. The weather was wonderful for the trip there and we stopped near Kimberly British Columbia for our first round. We then motored on to beautiful Kokanee Springs, nestled in the Rocky Mountains, surrounded with lush green trees, flowers, grass and tall cedars.

After a day and a half of good weather, everything changed when heaven opened and torrents of rain came down on the green landscape. Everyone sped their carts back to the lodge where we waited hoping it would soon clear up – it didn’t. We saw on TV that a massive flood had hit Calgary and surrounding towns. Houses were evacuated and businesses shut down. The whole downtown core of Calgary was without power and communication and the response teams moved quickly to get people out of the flooded areas and into dry places. People were rescued from their flooded homes in a variety of unconventional means. It was a disaster of great magnitude.

Deciding to travel back home, we arrived to witness the devastation first hand and were in awe! It was worse than what we imagined. Nearly one hundred thousand people were evacuated. Hundreds of homes and public buildings were destroyed in just minutes.

What came to my mind was Noah’s flood that covered the whole earth: a gigantic disaster. No one escaped except eight people in the ark Noah had built. We don’t know why this flood hit Calgary and what God’s message was, but in Noah’s day people had become exceedingly evil and violent (Genesis 6).

Whenever there is disaster it is time for people to look heavenward and remember the words of the Lord to nations and people that forget God. It is not for me to say that the flood in Calgary was for the same reason, but God does warn of a day of reckoning. In Noah’s time He warned the people of the coming flood, but they thought him crazy and refused to listen. The Apostle Peter wrote about those who scoffed at God’s warning of coming judgment:

“ But they deliberately forget that … By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Peter 3:5,7 NIV).

Prayer– Lord, I know that you are not willing that any should perish, help me to be a light in these dark times.

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