Winter Blues
Psalm 42:11 “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”
It’s that time of year again when the days are shorter, the weather colder, and the sun hides behind clouds more often. We spend more time indoors; and sickness seems to be looming everywhere.
Many people struggle with the winter blahs. Some may sleep more, others eat more. Some do less, some watch more TV and others cry more. Some just feel blah, down, or sad. If you are one who struggles with this you may feel like life goes into neutral, grayscale rather than full color.
The Psalmists like Korah, David and others portrayed in the Bible certainly express similar emotions.
Most of us have times when we feel more down or blue than other times. It is part of life in a fallen world. AND IT WILL NOT BE OUR EXPERIENCE IN HEAVEN.
In times like these we become introspective and our vision of the world tends to narrow. Let’s face it pain – emotional or physical — tends to give us tunnel vision. Slam your hand in the car door and that mental list of 5 things you stopped to get at the supermarket goes right out the window.
What do we do on those days when we feel cast down in our countenance? We can wander around feeling sorry for ourselves or we can intentionally think beyond ourselves.
The Psalmist makes the simple statement “Hope in God.” Taking time to step back and consider the bigger picture, a God-sized picture, can and does expand our vision beyond ourselves.
Offering a sacrifice of praise (and in times like these IT IS a sacrifice) is sweet to the Lord and begins the climb out of the doldrums.
“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” Hebrews 13:15
“The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me…” Psalm 50:23
“Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” Psalm 50:15
“…Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” Psalm 42:11
Blessings,
Diane
Diane Hunt is part of the ministry team at America’s Keswick. She is a regular writer for Victory Call and one of the authors of Crossing the Jordan Bible Study. Diane has been married to her husband John over 27 years. She has 2 adult children and 3 grandchildren and 3 adult step-children with 7 grandchildren making 10 in all. She delights reading and teaching, but mostly laughing at the funny things her grandchildren say and do.
After the Battle is Won
Abram said to the king of Sodom…”I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.'”- Genesis 14:22-23
“Abram had just fought and won an impressive victory. This was a public battle, a supernatural outcome, a God thing. But when Abram returned home, he was faced with a second battle – a private battle. We can all relate to those moments in the afterglow of a significant victory, when we are vulnerable, depleted, and tired and when it is easy to forfeit much of what we gained. Returning home victorious, Abram was met by two kings. Melchizedek, the king-priest of Salem- thought by some to be a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ Himself- fed Abram with bread and wine, blessed him in the name of God Most High, and led him to worship. The King of Sodom, on the other hand, while appealing for the return of any captives taken in battle, bargained with Abram by encouraging him to “take the goods for yourself” (Gen. 14:21). You deserve it! Indulge yourself in the rewards of your labor.”- Nancy Leigh DeMoss, The Quiet Place, January 12
You and I can also face these times after a victory. We can take credit, we can be tempted to sit back, enjoy the spoils of war, or we can take our weary bones to the One who will renew our strength. Rather than turning to the King of Sodom, Abram sought fellowship and the presence of the Lord. He could have chosen what was attractive to his flesh but was only temporary. Nancy continues to say, “We are sure to lose the ‘battle after the battle'” if we do not quickly receive the provision, rest, and replenishment of soul that Christ, our King of Salem (peace), offers.”
Nancy’s devotional ends with these questions:
When you finally unwind from a period of great exertion or responsibility, what kinds of temptations are you most likely to be vulnerable to? How could you better prepare for the “battle after the battle?”
My own personal question is- “Would you choose the King of Salem’s offer of peace over the temporary things of this world offered by the King of Sodom?”
Blessings,
Kathy
Kathy’s on staff at America’s KESWICK in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 26 years. They have two adult children. Kathy is active in her local Church and has previously served as a Teaching Director for Community Bible Study. Her passion is to encourage women to deepen their walk with Jesus Christ by finding and living out the truths of God’s Word.
The Lord has done great things for us….
Psalm 126:1-3
“When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.”
We live in a fallen world and there is much suffering surrounding us. It isn’t just out there at malls, and supermarkets, and schools, with stabbings, shootings and muggings which have been all over the news of late. We don’t have to go very far at all to find those suffering – perhaps it is even in your own home or your own heart. I don’t negate any of that with what I am about to say.
The LORD has done great things for us.
Even in the midst of a fallen world the LORD remains good. No thing or no one can dislodge the very essence of the goodness of God. He continues to delight to give us good things. Even in the darkest times of human history, God was still present and still good.
Suffering, by its very nature, tends to cause us to have tunnel vision, more focused on our pain and circumstances than anything beyond that. Although it may be the nature of suffering, it is not a requirement of suffering.
One of the most powerful weapons against discouragement and despair is to consider, meditate, and dwell upon the goodness of God. EVERYONE has something to be thankful for, EVERYONE. There are restorative properties in a thankful heart.
Perhaps today or a day very soon, your mouth will be filled with laughter and your tongue with shouts of joy, when those around you will say “The Lord has done great things for her.” Remember the Lord HAS done great things for you, be glad.
Blessings, Diane
Diane Hunt is part of the ministry team at America’s Keswick. She is a regular writer for Victory Call and one of the authors of Crossing the Jordan Bible Study. Diane has been married to her husband John over 27 years. She has 2 adult children and 3 grandchildren and 3 adult step-children with 7 grandchildren making 10 in all. She delights reading and teaching, but mostly laughing at the funny things her grandchildren say and do.
Facing the Door
Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name. (Psalm 119:132 ESV)
You can probably recall a time when you entered a room and felt out of place, like you didn’t belong. No one turned to welcome you, making you feel very awkward.
My sister-in-law told me about a seminar she went to that talked about “facing the door” at your church. Too many times we huddle with those we know and when a new person comes in he/she feels like an outsider. The challenge given was to “face the door” of your church so that you can make others feel welcome. I’ve thought of this so often, as I’ve been a visitor, I scan the room to look for a friendly face to see if I’ll be welcomed or if anyone cares that I am there. My husband and I once visited a church where no one said a thing to us the entire time we were there. Even when they had people stand and turn and shake hands, no one even said hello. After the service, we looked at each other and simply turned and walked out. We’ve often laughed about that day. We never went back. It has also helped me to remember how important it is to “face the door” and make sure no one goes away feeling unwelcome.
The next time you feel alone, or unwanted, remember that your heavenly Father turns toward you and is gracious to you.
Joyce Hayes
Artist-in-residence at America’s Keswick
Writer for “Real Victory for Real Life”
365 Devotional Thoughts in the Spirit of America’s Keswick
VOLUME 2
To order a copy of “REAL VICTORY For REAL LIFE” 365 Devotional Thoughts in the Spirit of America’s Keswick, forworded by Dr. Joseph Stowell visit www.americaskeswick.org and click on store.
YOUR CHILDREN WERE NOT THERE
Recently, my husband and I had the privilege of viewing the movie, “Lincoln.” Before we went I did my normal thing of checking the reviews on line. There were many positive reviews, but in the midst of the good comments were some not so good comments…
“He [Lincoln] was playing the slavery angle to end the war. What they are showing is how…even in those days…it was politics as usual. Yes the first hour of the movie very hard to sit through. Moving slow and boring. l thought the movie could and should have been better done. Needed more action to hold viewers’ attention.”
As I read the above comments, I was reminded of these verses in Deuteronomy.
Deut. 11:3 “They [your children] didn’t see the miraculous signs and wonders He performed in Egypt against Pharaoh and all his land.”
Deut. 11:5 “Your children didn’t see how the LORD cared for you in the wilderness”
In others words, the children were not well-informed regarding factual history. These reviews are obviously jaded and the writers are uninformed about actual history.
Children need to go to someone to find honest answers. Hopefully they can come to you.
How much have you told your children about your past? Several years ago my son-in-law was sharing his concerns with me about his son who had not yet invited Christ into his life. I asked my son-in-law if he had shared his life story with his son. “All of it?” “No of course not.”
“So, he thinks you were always a Christian. That’s quite an example to live up to.” I encouraged him to share when he became a Christian and why, skipping some details, but yet giving my grandson the truthful history.
Within two weeks, My grandson called me, saying ‘Grammie, I became a Christian tonight.”
We must not be afraid to tell the truth, being sensitive of course just how many of the details we share. Children learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others in history. Our children may not have been ‘there,’ but God gave them to us and He wants us to use our experiences to teach our children and help them learn from our mistakes.
Marilyn Willett Heavilin
Marilyn Heavilin
Is a wife and mother; author & International conference speaker
Author of Roses In December,
December’s Song
Becoming A Woman of Honor,
Profound Common Sense
When Your Dreams Die,
Grief Is A Family Affair,
I’m Listening, Lord
Shine as Lights
[Jesus] said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 NIV)
As I was doing my exercises, I began to see sparkling lights on the wall and ceiling. Trying to discern what was causing them, I realized that as I moved my arms and hands my rings were catching the sunlight coming through the window. As I watched the colorful display, I thought about the fact that without the sun hitting them they did not transmit the beauty that I was seeing. This made me think of my life – does it transmit the beauty of the Son within, shining forth to attract others to want to know what the cause is? The reflection of the sun on my rings got my attention. I pondered, “does His reflection in my day to day activities draw attention to Him?” Jesus said in Matthew 5:14,16 (NIV), You are the light of the world…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. And also Paul reminds us in Philippians 2:14-16, Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life… We do not have to do this in our own strength though, …for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (vs. 13). Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). As He lives within us and His “light of life” is reflected by us in and through our lives, we will bring glory to God the Father and the Son.
Consider the following Scriptures and be challenged and encouraged to keep on “shining” and “reflecting” Him – for Him, by Him, through Him:
2 Corinthians 4:5-7 (NIV) For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Lord, Let it be so. Amen.
DeEtta Marsh
Writer for “Real Victory for Real Life” May 8th
365 Devotional Thoughts in the Spirit of America’s Keswick
VOLUME 2
To order a copy of “REAL VICTORY For REAL LIFE” 365 Devotional Thoughts in the Spirit of America’s Keswick, forwarded by Dr. Joseph Stowell visit http://www.americaskeswick.org/233853.ihtml?id=233853&productid=26675
Grace Greater Than Our Sin
The following is from “Open Your Hymnal Again: More Devotions that Harmonize Scripture with Song”. By Denise Loock – A freelance writer.
The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. I Timothy 1:14
“Do you remember using the phrase “very, very” as a child to describe the magnitude of something? A “very, very big dog”, perhaps? Or at the conclusion of a school essay did you ever write, “the very, very end”?
I used the phrase often until one of my teachers declared war on my “very” habit. “One very is enough,” she wrote on my papers and drew blood red lines through the extra ones. After that, I stopped including the extra very’s in my stories, but mentally I still used them. In certain situations Paul used a Greek version of “very, very” in I Timothy 1:14. He was reflecting on his life before Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus. Paul said, “I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man” (v.13). But he added, “the grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly” (v.14). In the Greek “abundantly” is hyperpleonazo, which literally means “abundantly abundant.” That’s the reason the KJV uses “exceeding abundant” and the ASV uses “abounded exceedingly” in this verse. For Paul, one abundant just wasn’t enough to describe the grace that God had poured out on him, the self-acknowledged “chief of sinners” (v.15).
Julia Harriet Johnston also understood the “very, very” aspect of God’s grace. She wrote the lyrics to “Grace Greater Than Our Sin.” However, her life story was nothing like Paul’s. In fact, I doubted that anyone ever used the words blasphemer, persecutor, or violent in reference to her.
She was raised in a Christian home and headed the Sunday school department in her church for 40 years. She also served as the president of the local chapter of the Presbyterian Missionary Society and wrote over 500 hymns. But just like you and me, Julia Johnston still needed God’s abundantly abundant grace, the grace that “exceeds our sin and our guilt,” the grace that “points to the Refuge, the mighty Cross.”
Johnston doesn’t use “very, very” or “abundantly abundant” in her hymns, she uses her own seemingly redundant phrase: “Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace.” The repetition of grace in the refrain suggests that she too was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the grace that flowed into her life, and that she also had difficulty finding suitable words to express her wonder and her gratitude:
Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin.
As a child, I used “very, very” because words like gargantuan and delectable weren’t part of my vocabulary. But when it comes to God’s grace, no words can describe its immensity or infinity. That’s why Paul resorted to redundancy and Johnston to repetition. Which is fine with me: After all, if God’s grace was describable, it wouldn’t be able to cover my sins and yours. And that’s the kind of grace we need. Abundantly, abundant, very, very big grace.”
May this year be a year of God’s abundant grace in your life: a grace that will pardon and cleanse within; a grace that is greater than all our sin.
Blessings,
Pat Spies
Development
Introvert-Extrovert
The words introvert and extrovert are two words that the majority of us are most likely familiar with. In fact, most of us would be quick to say that we fall in one of these categories. For me, it would most definitely be introvert. Truly, I tell you that this has been an issue off and on my entire life. As a child I had no idea why I behaved a particular way around people and I’m not saying now that my ways can so easily be summed up with a single word. That would be grossly over-simplified.
Recently, I read a blog titled, “The Christian Introvert”. As soon as I read the title I was intrigued. So I quickly followed the link and what I read had an interesting impact on me.
First of all, I realized I was not alone in some of the specific ways that I feel and think most of the time. You see, I am acquainted with many extroverts who thrive in the crowd – literally. More often than not it is difficult at best to garner much sympathy from them about my apparent disdain for speaking publicly or being in crowds, and rightly so. For them to pander to my preference would not be what’s and would/could give me permission to stay in my comfort zone and thus, be guilty of not serving well, the people whom the Lord has brought me to. I could easily fade to gray and be content to exist in the shadows.
Secondly, I was encouraged and thus challenged to see the bigger picture. How I am is part of God’s design. So I can stop a lot of negative talking that goes on in my head and embrace the temperament He has given and implanted in this flesh of mine. Lest I lead you to misunderstand, let me share with you some of what I read:
“…There is no doubt that I am an introvert. If we place introversion and extroversion on opposite sides of a line and say that each one of us falls somewhere between the two extremes, I would be pretty far from center along the introvert side of the scale. I may not be as far along as some people, and I still enjoy some exposure to crowds of people, but at heart I gain energy and perspective in solitude and then expend it in a crowd. My default reaction to a crowd is to run away to find a place of quiet. I love and enjoy people, but do better with small groups than large ones. Even after several years of public speaking, it still takes a lot of effort and self-denial to stand in front of a crowd. I walk to the front of a room slowly and, when finished, sprint to the back.
I believe that God made me introverted. It seems clear that some of us are naturally more outgoing while others are naturally inclined to be quiet. I am naturally quiet and this is part of God’s good design. Neither one is inherently wrong and neither one is intrinsically better than the other…we inhabit a world of sin where any trait or quality can be used for God-glorifying ends or for self-glorifying ends. Not only that, but God calls us to be always willing to deny our desires in order to serve others. Both introverts and extroverts will face particular temptations to sin. My temptation as an introvert is to run away from people instead of serve people. It is to be selfish instead of giving.
The Christian life is a life of self-denial. It is a life of saying, ‘Even though this may be what I want, duty compels me to do something different.’ There are many times when I am to deny my own desires in order to serve others. Even the desire to be alone…, the Gospel compels me to deny even that trait (introvert) and all its desires in order to serve other people.
What I had to face…is that introversion is what I am, not who I am. And this is where the discussion of introversion and extroversion often seems to go wrong. We elevate these traits too high and use them to justify selfishness instead of selflessness. I have to be slow to define myself in a-biblical categories. This is not to say that it is wrong to say that I am an introvert, but that this is a distinction the Bible does not make. With this being the case, I don’t want to allow introversion to define me or to dictate my behavior. Introversion is a useful description, but a poor definition.”1
So dear ones, the short of it is this: whichever you are; no matter what character trait you profess or possess, let it be in you to the glory of the One who called, saved, equipped and empowered you to be to the glory of Him who sits on the Throne. Amen.
Stephanie
Stephanie Paul, wife and mother of two grown children. An “instrument of change” in the Redeemer’s Hand, in the lives of wounded and hurting women. Currently serving as a part of the Addiction Recovery Team at America’s Keswick as Woman of Character Program Director.
1 http://www.challies.com/christian-living/the-christian-introvert
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