A Spiritual Lifeline

Rosemary Flaaten –

Struggling in the churning water, my tattered lifesaving vest threatened to disintegrate with each wave slamming over me. My eyes, clouded by the sea water, barely distinguished the sailors feverishly trying to get close to me. With full strength they threw the rope and despite my fatigue I caught it and held on. Just as hope started to surge, a wave hit with unbridled fury. The lifeline that had promised to draw me to safety, instantly snapped and I was engulfed by a wall of water. That’s when I awoke.

Such nightmares highlight the feeling of being lost and our need for a secure and trustworthy lifeline. As we go about our daily lives we put our trust in many things. We trust that if we drive defensively, we won’t end up in an accident. If we raise our kids right, we hope they’ll mature into upright citizens. If we stick to our Bible reading plan we’re confident we’ll measure up as a good Christian.

But when a wall of tragedy slams against us, do these lifelines hold or do they snap? Are we relying on our good Christian works to secure us in the storms of life?

The writer of Hebrews gives what he calls “an unbreakable spiritual lifeline” (Hebrews 6:18 TM). He outlines several attributes of God’s character that if held onto will become a lifeline that will never break in the fury of life. What is it that is so completely dependable and completely trustworthy?

God has made us a promise that He will never leave us or forsake us and that His purposes will be fulfilled. God has a plan for each of our lives and it is a future with goodness, hope and prosperity. And how do we know that this promise can be trusted? Because God has given His word. He has made us an oath and it is impossible for God to lie.

Therefore, be encouraged today. Grab hold of the hope God offers. It is an unbreakable spiritual lifeline.

PRAYER: Forgive me for my apathy and doubt and instead help me to grab hold of Your promises and to place my full trust in Your goodness.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

When There’s No AAA

By Peter Lundell –

My friend, Ron, along with several other men was driving through the African nation of Burundi to meet local people about orphan assistance projects. None of these Americans spoke the language. Their radiator erupted, and steam billowed from the engine.

Ron automatically pulled out his AAA card. But he was in Africa. Then a boy came by with water on his head. Out there, water is a precious commodity for which people commonly walk long distances.

With a hole in the radiator, the car broke down about every two and a half kilometers. Thirty-eight kilometers lay between them and their destination—all of it through rural areas. And AAA was half a world away.

The car broke down twenty-four—yes 24—times. Imagine your car breaking down that many times on one trip. And these guys were doing this for God.

We might ask why God would allow such trouble to people traveling to the other side of the planet to serve Him. Why wouldn’t God provide something else, like a better car? Or why wouldn’t He supernaturally prevent the engine from continual breakdown? Because this problem provided a graphic illustration of something more important: Every single time the car broke down, God provided. Each of those breakdowns happened by a stream, a pond, or as someone generous to give their water was walking by.

Which do you suppose is more important to God: (A) Making our lives easier so that we no longer need Him—and forget about Him. (B) Showing faithfulness in meeting our needs and drawing us closer to Him when we’re in trouble.

You also may have experienced this sort of thing. Think how God works in your life: He loves you so much He’ll let you have trouble. And He’ll meet you in the middle of it.

“My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NIV).

“Father, You are the one who meets my needs. I commit to grow my attitude and trust You rather than get upset when things go badly. Meet me and grow me and draw me closer to You in the midst of my needs.”

Pimento Cheese Memories

By Hally Franz –

My 92-year-old grandmother went on to her eternal home two days ago. Grandma had been healthy and active most of her life, enduring only a couple years of declining energy and mobility. She was blessed. I, along with all of her family and friends, have a ton of wonderful memories. We were also blessed.

In preparation for the funeral services of Erma Rhea Tucker, we family members have gathered together to recall and document some of our most notable memories of my grandmother. Some are heart-warming, others not necessarily family-friendly, most funny.

My earthly father, who greeted Grandma sometime during the early morning hours on September 5, told me a story about pimento cheese, and the tough, enduring character of his mother. Dad told me about a time when he was a child of perhaps 8 or 10. He, along with his younger brother, rode alongside my grandmother in an old truck as they drove home from the dentist in Louisiana, MO. Grandma drove with one hand while she used her other to roll toilet paper in wads that she shoved into her bleeding mouth. She’d been to the dentist and gotten sixteen teeth pulled. I only recently learned the exact number, because when dad told the story he simply said “every tooth in her head.”

When Grandma and her young sons arrived home, she immediately went to the kitchen and began grinding pounds of pimento cheese for dinner or perhaps some upcoming event. This was how my dad viewed his mother, a resilient and gritty woman. The story has always been a favorite of mine.

Cinnamon rolls, college sports, needlework, old hymns, little league ball, a school cafeteria, Frank Sinatra – those images congregate in my mind when I think of Grandma Tucker. Pimento cheese lingers the longest.

One of the greatest gifts Heavenly Father gives us is the people in our lives. Their influence and inspiration, their love and legacy are among the greatest things about life here on earth, and among the many things to look forward to in Heaven.

PRAYER: Merciful Father, thank You for the loved ones in our lives. What a gift they are to us. Help us to appreciate and remember good times spent with them, and give us the strength to smile when they begin their eternal lives with You.

“Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.” (Jeremiah 31:13).

The Blame Game

By Carin LeRoy –

I like to play the blame game in my marriage. My husband tells me I always find a way to fault him for something.

“Are you coming? We’re going to be late,” he’ll say.

“I’m coming, but since you didn’t show me how to work the alarm clock, I got up late” (not that I should have read the directions).

“When can you sew the button on my pants?”

“I can’t find the button, where did you put it?” (even though he gave it to me when he asked me to sew it).

After over 30 years of marriage it’s now become a joke between us. I can always find a way to blame him for something—as ridiculous as it may be. With a roll of his eyes he’ll say, “Well I knew it had to be my fault.”

Well, if I’m full of blame, then he’s full of excuses. He can find an excuse for anything.

“Is there a reason you threw the paper and wrappings all over the garage floor instead of just putting it in the garbage right here,” I’ll ask.

“The lawn mower was in front of the trash can. (Really? Why not push the mower over?)

“How come you didn’t ask if I wanted a little rice pudding, too?”

“Well, you looked pretty content.” (But why not ask?)

I think our little traits go way back to the Garden of Eden when we read God’s questions to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3.

“Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat?”

Excuse from the man: “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” (Where was your responsibility in putting your own mouth around that fruit?)

Then the Lord said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

Fault-finding from the woman: “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Excuse me, but didn’t you pick the fruit and disobey what God said?)
It’s an age-old problem – laying blame and giving excuses. It started the day man and woman chose to sin. We see how mankind has been affected by those beginning days in the garden. In part, my husband and I joke about it in our marriage. But in serious situations, assigning blame or making excuses can have grave consequences. Learning to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand by admitting our mistakes and wrong behavior will bring healing and peace in our relationships. God will be pleased, too.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to take responsibility for my actions. Excusing my sin or blaming others is not pleasing to You. Give me humility and help me to recognize and admit my mistakes in order to create harmony and peace in my relationships.

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3 NIV).

Delayed Gratification

By Cheri Cowell –

Over the last few years America has undergone a shift, and I think it is a good one. We’ve learned to live on less, to embrace delayed gratification, and to count the cost before jumping in. I wish my mother-in-law could see us now (she’s living with Jesus) because the excesses of the 80’s and 90’s bothered her a lot.

She grew up during the depression and understood that all the “stuff” was false security. She practiced delayed gratification and counting the cost. She tought those lessons to her son, my husband. And although we didn’t always heed those lessons, they formed a solid foundation for our thinking so that when Jesus used this same principle in the parable below, we got it. I hope you do, too.

Prior to this passage, Jesus has warned and rebuked the leadership for not walking the talk. However, they still wanted to know, what does following Jesus really require? This parable makes it clear that disciples should count the cost of following Jesus, because success will not come easily. We will suffer, life will be hard, and we’ll need to learn to live on less while delaying our gratification. If we sit down and carefully count these costs, when the bill comes due we won’t be blindsided.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for counting the cost and then willingly paying that cost for my salvation. Help me not only to count the cost but be willing to delay gratification so the cost will be worth it in the end.

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish’ (Luke 14:28-30 NIV).

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