Red Plate Day

By Cheri Cowell –

“It’s a Red Plate Day, Grandma!” I’d exclaim on the phone to my grandmother.

“Oh, tell me all about it,” she would say as she listened with the enthusiasm only a grandmother can show. Sometimes the story was about an award I received at school, a new skill I mastered, or something that might have seemed insignificant to anyone else but my grandma and me. “OK,” she would say, “I’m getting out my Red Plate for dinner tonight and you get yours; together we will celebrate your Red Plate Day.” The red plate was our take on the Red Letter Day tradition that began when churches marked the holy days on their calendars with red ink.

God has a lot to say about making people feel special. In this verse, Paul is teaching that because we are Christ’s representatives in the world, we should reject all that corrupts and strive to treat others as God treats us. Paul outlines six concrete ways that Christians “put off” their old lives and “put on” life in Christ, and how we use our speech can make someone feel special…like they are having a Red Plate Day.

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29 NIV).

PRAYER: Thank You, God for the love You show through the encouraging people You’ve placed in my life. Help me to be more like You in how I treat others—help me use my words to lift up those who are down and encourage those who are discouraged.

The Wonder of It All

By Gillis Killam –

While waiting in the examination room of my eye specialist, I was awed by a colored graphic of the human eye. I studied it for a moment and was astounded at the intricacy of the creation of the eye. I wondered how anyone could deny the existence of a Master Mind that made this amazing organ that can send millions of pictures and messages to the brain that ensures I see where I’m going, that I can be alert to danger, and causes me to appreciate the wonders of God’s creation all around me.

So often I take the things of God for granted; just as Job who complained about things he knew nothing about. Sometimes I forget the wondrous life I have, being part of God’s glorious plan of salvation, and all the benefits that come with it. Job’s response to God’s inquiry shows me that I know so little of the awesomeness of God in His creation, and human life on this planet.

When I think that all this creation of the heavens and earth, the animals, plant life, man, and the intricacy of the system that God has put in place, and how it is all held together, I marvel at His great power.

We read in Colossians, “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth…all things have been created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16 NIV).

The human body is a fantastic work of the Creator. Why should I ever question anything, or take all of this for granted?

When Job was questioned by God he acknowledged his insignificance and how little he knew. Acknowledging the wonder, knowledge and power of The Almighty, he surrendered to God’s will, without question. He repented for the questions he had levelled at God.

When I get a glimpse of the Creator’s work in the human body, and in the mountains and the forests, I too feel I need to repent of any questions.

PRAYER: O Lord, Creator of all things, I thank you for speaking to me through your creation and causing me to bow in adoration. O the wonder of it all that you should love even me! AMEN

Blue Ribbon Worthy

By Cheri Cowell –

One of the highlights of a good old-fashioned county fair is the farmer’s market. Here locals compete for the title Best in Show with flowers, fruits, vegetables, and livestock. I particularly like the flowers and vegetables because it is easy for me to see what the judges saw. They (and I) are looking for the perfect specimen—the one without blemish or spot. God is looking for the same thing and He’s placed a blue ribbon on you and me.

We are blemished. Sin has disfigured and scarred us. We are no longer perfect. God presents us at His county fair for judging. But miraculously, we are presented as unblemished—our scars removed, our disfigured souls replaced with souls that are perfect, holy, and blameless. God, in grace, places a blue ribbon on each of us. We’ve been forgiven and judged Best in Show.

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:21-22 NIV).

PRAYER: Thank You, Judge, for the miracle of forgiveness, for presenting me as blameless and deeming me Best in Show. I praise You for daily making me blue ribbon worthy.

Storm Warnings

By Charlotte Riegel –

The media warned, over and over again, “A big storm is heading our way. High winds, drifting snow, and plummeting temperatures will arrive sometime overnight. The commute to work tomorrow is expected to be very challenging. If you can work from home, please do.”

Twenty-four hours later major highways were closed after several multi-vehicle accidents and huge drifts made travel impossible. No one was going anywhere while the winds continued to blow and the snow continued to pile up everywhere.

People were told to stay home. “If you choose to be out there and get into trouble, slide off the road or get stuck in a snow drift, you will be on your own because no one will be able to come to your aide,” cautioned the authorities. “The plows and emergency vehicles are unable to maneuver the roads because of deep snow drifts and zero visibility. For the sake of everyone, please stay off the roads and wait till the storm passes by and road crews can clear the snow enough for driving on.”

And yet, people considered themselves invincible, disregarded all the warnings, and proceeded to drive, usually meeting a snow drift too big to plow through or a ditch too deep to exit.
This reminds me of the ‘storm warnings’ in Revelations. Lots of cautions are listed. Signs of the coming ‘storm’ at the end of this age are abundant. Yet, people choose to ignore these warnings believing themselves invincible and continue on their merry way, perhaps looking for adventure.

Adventure is sure to be found, both for the prepared and the unprepared. The final storm blows ever nearer. When exactly it will hit, no one knows, yet we are indeed foolish not to prepare because it WILL come. Perhaps it’s time to read the Book of Revelation and be reminded of the intensity of the coming storm.

Prayer: “Lord God of Heaven and Earth, help me not to take lightly Your storm warnings but to prepare well for its arrival.”

“The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near” (Revelation 1:1-3 NIV).

From Nobody to Somebody

By Cheri Cowell –

Are you widowed? Disabled? Downsized? Empty nesting? Do you feel the world telling you that you are no longer useful or have no purpose?

During Bible times a widow, even one with considerable wealth, would have been someone without purpose, someone to be pitied and powerless. Women had value primarily through their husbands or fathers, but many widows had no such connection.

As a woman of wealth, prior to her husband’s death, Mary, the mother of John Mark, would have commanded a leading role in supporting her husband’s affairs. However, upon his death, she would have become powerless and a nobody. But then she met Jesus through a traveling missionary and all of that changed.

We know that Mary’s home was the gathering place for the early Christian Church in Jerusalem. When miraculously released from prison, Peter went directly to Mary’s home where he knew the believers would be gathered. She was no longer a nobody without influence or power. In the world she was just a widow, but in God’s kingdom she could use her gifts to glorify Him and serve the growing Church. Because Herod Antipas had recently executed the Apostle James, it took courage and great faith to offer her home as a place of worship and prayer. She was no longer a nobody; she was a somebody with a mission and purpose.

“When this had dawned on him [Peter], he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door” (Acts 12:12-13 NIV).

PRAYER: God, there are times when I feel like a nobody or someone lacking purpose and direction. I ask you to give me a new purpose like you did with Mary. Thank You that in Your kingdom there are no nobodies, because You as my Somebody has re-purposed each person who gives his or her life to You.

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