January
And Be At Peace by Cynthia Saladin
February
Subjected to Futility by Cynthia Saladin
March
Our God by Cynthia Saladin
Be Kind, Even When There is No Sign (collected from Cybersalt.org)
April
Yes! There is Good News! by Bill Rollins
Ten Ways to Love (collected from Cybersalt.org)
My Kinsman-Redeemer by Cynthia Saladin
Sleep in a Storm (collected from Cybersalt.org)
January
And Be At Peace
by Cynthia Saladin
The summer before I started kindergarten, my dad brought home a puppy from the dog pound. Being five, I was not overly imaginative when naming him; the black puppy with four white stockings and white bib became Blacky. He was an amazing dog! I could tell you stories! But when he was still a puppy, he was extremely destructive when left alone. One day he started running laps in the backyard. Every time he went past Mom’s cherry tree, he grabbed a branch. Pretty soon, branches were strewn all over the backyard. That poor cherry tree was never very pretty after that but was bent and misshapen. The day, however, that Blacky chewed up the seat on Dad’s motorcycle was nearly the final straw!
Blacky wasn’t the only destructive dog we ever had. Tinker, a poodle mix, decided she didn’t want to be left inside the garage one day. So she chewed an arch-shaped pattern into the bottom of the door going out of the garage. She easily chewed through the outside of the door, but was stopped by the solid core. Dad was mad. The next time we had to leave her, he left her in the backyard. When we came home, there was a matching arch on the exterior of the door where Tinker had tried to get inside.
For Blacky and Tinker, it seemed to be more than just puppies needing to chew. They just didn’t know what to do with themselves while we were gone. They were not at peace.
2 Peter 3:13-14 (ESV) says, “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.”
We are waiting, sometimes more impatiently than other times, for the fulfillment of God’s promise. We long for Jesus to return and set up His kingdom where there is righteousness, and no more sorrow, or tears, or pain, or death! We believe with all of our heart that it is coming.
So we wait, and we tend to focus on the first part of the admonition. We are diligent to study His word that we might not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11). We strive to walk worthy of the calling we have received (Ephesians 4:1). As we examine ourselves, knowing that we are unable to save ourselves (Romans 5:6), we rely on God’s promise that He will purify the Bride of Christ (Titus 2:14; Ephesians 5:25–27). We think about the effort that is involved in choosing to walk in a way that pleases God. We persevere and overcome - enabled by that power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.
But do we give the last part of this admonition the same weight? Are we at peace?
Every once in a while, I have to be out of the house, running errands, keeping appointments, or spending time with my granddaughter. It is not unusual, when I ask how the dogs were while I was gone, for Ron to tell me that Pepper went upstairs, curled up in his bed, and went to sleep. I’m not home doing stuff, so Pepper just waits until I am. And he’s at peace - at least until he hears my car coming down the road.
What a fantastic object lesson for me to take to heart! God has given me a job to do until Jesus returns. I’m to live a life that points others to my Messiah, and a huge piece of doing that is the way I live my life - being at peace. A person who is calm and at peace witnesses to the hope set before her - without even using words. It’s so incredibly powerful because other people want that peace. But it’s not putting my head in the sand and ignoring the violence and vileness of our society. It’s not dismissing the greed, grief, and godlessness as just a part of the end time scenario. It’s seeing the world around me that is in such desperate need of the Savior and recognizing that God has given me an opportunity to be a light in an ever-darkening world. That light shines brightest when I exude His peace - because I trust Him and I know He’s coming back. Jesus will set all things right. I might not know why so many people are suffering, why there’s so much evil and pain, and how God can use it to His glory. But I don’t need to know. I just need to keep my focus on Him . . . and to be at peace.
What a gracious God I serve! I deeply appreciate the gentle object lessons He sets around me - teaching me, helping me to grow and to become an ever-more useful vessel for His service. And that’s the point, isn’t it! God is sovereign. He has a plan. The tapestry He’s weaving is altogether beautiful. My job is not to tell Him how to weave, but to be part of the final product. From my perspective as a thread, I cannot see the whole picture. I just need to do what He has set before me and to be at peace. After all, God’s got it all sorted.
February
Subjected to Futility
by Cynthia Saladin
I was sitting in front of the fire, thinking about the upcoming week and all that has to be done. As cold as it’s been and with all of the snow, we’re going to have to get some more wood in. Sigh. Groceries. Making meals. Washing dishes. Paying bills. Laundry. The to-do list is long. Then I happened to look up. Oh, there are cobwebs on my ceiling. I need to do some cleaning too.
How many things are there to do which just have to be done again periodically!?! I remember as a kid laughing at a line in a kids’ song: “Why should I wash my hands when they just get dirty again?” Sweeping the floor. Knocking down cobwebs. Pulling weeds. Mowing the lawn. Cooking meals. Trimming brush out of the fence line. So many things that are never truly done; they’re just done for right now. And when you’re surrounded by the never-ending list of things that have to be done, it can seem more than overwhelming. It can start to seem rather pointless.
“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Romans 8:20-21
It certainly does seem like we have been subjected to futility - and some days more than others we feel that bondage to corruption!
But maybe, God in His mercy, subjected us to futility in these areas (washing our hands, sweeping the floor, pulling the weeds, etc.) so that we’d have an undeniable object lesson constantly before us. We, as human beings, have this inexorable proclivity to sin. Our first inclination tends towards the carnal. It takes work to bring every thought into subjection to Jesus Christ. It takes conscious diligent effort to choose God’s ways. It’s not one and done. It’s persevering through every instance and every new experience. Not being perfect, that perseverance is not 100%. Sometimes we fail. Sometimes we feel like being subjected to futility also applies to becoming perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. We may not feel like we’ve any chance of coming anywhere close. It feels hopeless and pointless.
Ah. But here’s the message of the object lesson: are you going to let the weeds take over your garden and allow it to produce no fruit? Are you going to allow the grass to grow in your yard until the bugs move in and devour your house? Are you going to let the cobwebs and dust and dirt take over until you are thoroughly ill? No! And you don’t allow sin to take over your life either! When you see the weeds, you pull them. When you see the grass is long, you cut it. When you see the dirt, you clean. And clean. And clean. And when you sin, you get back down on your knees and you ask God for forgiveness. Again and again. As many times as you need to. He is faithful to forgive. And more than that, He is faithful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Eventually, the desire for God’s righteousness (because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit) causes a change in our behavior. Our eyes and our hearts are focused on God. Our conduct follows.
I know I’m going to have to go get the broom and clean the cobwebs. I am likely to find more than I noticed at first glance. And while I’m at it, it’d be a good time to think about some of my recent choices. Did I go with my first inclination? Should I have considered what Jesus would have done? Have I some sin I should be repenting of? Now would be a good time to take care of that too. It’s not, after all, an exercise in futility, but being subjected to futility in hope that I seek Jesus Christ and be set free to obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
Happy cobweb hunting.
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People often ask me why I prefer
to teach math instead of English.
I tell them it's because
fractions speak louder than verbs.
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Christian Grace
The other day I was hangin' out with a friend.
This friend is a Christian but doesn't always act like one. Some days she's in line with God's Word, and some days life's struggles get the best of her.
As our eyes met I really wanted to say something about it but decided to let The Lord speak to her heart knowing nothing I could say would have the same impact as her Father's Words.
So I prayed with her.
And after some time passed, I winked at her.... and walked away from the mirror.
March
Our God
by Cynthia Saladin
Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Deuteronomy 8:4
As you think back over the incredible miracles and ways that God provided for the Israelites, do you think about this verse? Do you think about clothes not wearing out on you or your foot not swelling in forty years of wandering in the wilderness?
It reminds me of a couple of things: first, God didn’t overlook little details. He provided for what they needed. But think about it. If you’d been traveling with the Israelites and your clothing wore out, it would have been a big deal, not a little detail! There’s no local Wal-mart. You have to plant the flax, turn it into linen (with all that entails) and then make your clothes. Or you have to plant cotton and harvest it. Or you have to shear your sheep, wash and card the wool, spin it, weave it, make it into cloth, and then make your clothes. Clothes wearing out was a big deal. Now imagine clothing not wearing out for forty years! Do you realize what a miracle that would have been?! Similarly, not having trouble with your feet swelling when you’re traveling?
There’s another aspect to this provision from God: you don’t see your clothing wearing out. You don’t see the initial swelling of your feet. All of a sudden, a seam gives out and you realize the whole piece of material is rotten. Or you wake up one morning and think, my feet hurt. The absence of the problem sometimes causes you to overlook the fact that it’s not normal! God has done a miracle and you didn’t even notice!
Another thing to notice from this verse is God’s almighty hand. God could completely eliminate all trouble and pain from our lives. But He doesn’t. The verse right before this one talks about God letting the people hunger and then providing manna for them to eat so they might know that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. This section goes on to talk about how God humbled the Israelites and tested them that He
would know what was in their hearts. Then Moses continues by telling the people that God is disciplining them.
So, even though God could make our path straight, level, and smooth, sometimes He chooses not to. Why? Because He knows what we need in order to form us into the image of His Son. He knows how to mold us to guide us so that we will follow His leading. He does what is best for us in the long-term because He loves us. Sometimes that means keeping our clothing from wearing out. Sometimes it means leading us in the wilderness.
Next time you’re on your knees, you might thank God for the many things He has provided for you, and then thank Him for the provisions that you just took for granted - that you didn’t even notice, and then thank Him for loving you so much, for continuing the sanctification process in you, even when you’re not feeling grateful for the discipline.
And maybe the next time you pull out an old, favorite shirt, thank God that it hasn’t worn out yet.
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Be Kind, Even When There's No Sign
collected from Cybersalt.org
This morning, on my way to work, I found myself behind a car with a handwritten sign taped to the back window: “Learning stick. Sorry for any delay.”
Reading that, I instantly softened. I stayed patient through the slow shifts and jerky starts — and honestly, they were doing pretty well for someone still learning. But then a thought hit me: Would I have been just as patient if I hadn’t seen that sign? Probably not.
And that realization stayed with me. Because the truth is, most people don’t have signs explaining what they’re going through. You don’t see:
“Going through a divorce.”
“Lost a child.”
“Feeling depressed.”
“Just diagnosed with cancer.”
If people wore their struggles where we could see them, we’d move through the world with so much more gentleness. But the truth is — we shouldn’t need a sign to show kindness. Everyone you meet is likely carrying something invisible, something heavy. So today, and every day, let’s choose patience. Let’s choose grace. Let’s choose love — even when there’s no sign telling us to.
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April
Yes, There is Good News! by Bill Rollins
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Considering the gravity of the concept of our entering the kingdom of heaven, it must be imperative for us to look at this idea of ‘the will of God’!
I have heard people say, “Oh, if I only could know the will of God for me, how much easier my life would be”. Maybe yes and maybe no on that sentiment; but we can know God’s will. God is never going to ask us to do something without giving us a path and the knowledge of that path in order to accomplish His instruction.
Let me put it this way, the path to knowing God’s will is simple but it is not easy. Is that ‘good news’ or not such ‘good news’? ‘Simple’ is good but in our society and in this age, we do not look to doing hard things. I have said it before and I will say it again, those things that are hard or tough are of much greater worth than those tasks that are easy!
So let’s start with Paul to lead us off in our search for the will of God. In his letter to the Romans, he gives us a very strong statement to ponder; starting in chapter 12 verses 1 and 2, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your rational act of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
The first word we must notice here is “appeal.” In other translations we see the word ‘beseech’ and ‘urge’, this is a strong admonition by Paul; it is not just a suggestion for he really does urge us to do something! Next, we see that he urges us “by the mercies of God;” God’s mercies toward us are founded upon the crucifixion and death of the Son of God. Jesus shed His blood for our sins and by that blood we find God tremendously merciful. And next we read that we should “present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.” Wow!
God wants all of who we are – and this is that “living sacrifice” which becomes our “act of worship.” And how do we become this living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God? We do this by not conforming to the ways of the world; by being “transformed by the renewal of our minds.” It is then that we may discern what the will of God is; His “good, acceptable and perfect will.”
I told you these were strong words from Paul. The Apostle Paul may truly be the most zealous person for the ways and truth of God in the New Testament, and he wants to lead us to the maturity, completeness and perfection of the calling God has for us. That is not all we see in the New Testament regarding God’s will. God willing, we will look into this subject further, next time. Remember Matt. 7:21, “Only those who do the will of God shall enter the Kingdom of God”!
Ten Ways to Love (collected from cybersalt.org)
Listen without interrupting (Proverbs 18)
Speak without accusing. (James 1:19)
Give without sparing. (Proverbs 21:26)
Pray without ceasing. (Colossians 1:9)
Answer without arguing. (Proverbs 17:1)
Share without pretending. (Ephesians 4:15)
Enjoy without complaint. (Philippians 2:14)
Trust without wavering. (1 Corinthians 13:7)
Forgive without punishing. (Colossians 3:13)
Promise without forgetting. (Proverbs 13:12)
My Kinsman-Redeemer by Cynthia Saladin
Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a kinsman-redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel. Ruth 4:14
The first time I saw Jason Gray’s video of “Remind Me Who I Am,” I was so struck by the reality of the words. We are, each of us, sinful, carnal human beings who manage to embroil ourselves in ungodly situations. Some of the signs in the video are unloved, rejected, angry, betrayed, used, refugee, addict. All of them tug at the heart as realization of the universality of the hopelessness of existence without Christ sets in.
That’s where Naomi found herself. Her husband has died. She’s too old to get a new husband. Her two sons have died. She has no one to perpetuate the family name.
Because of the relationship between Naomi and Ruth, Ruth is determined to follow Naomi back to Bethlehem. But it’s not an easy life. Ruth is found with the poor of the land, gleaning the fields for food after the harvesters have taken the shocks of grain. It’s dangerous (as inferred in Ruth 2:8-9). It’s very hard work. Both Naomi and Ruth are struggling just to have enough food to eat.
Enter the kinsman-redeemer. Who was the kinsman-redeemer? Boaz? To whom was he a kinsman-redeemer? He was the close kinsman of Naomi’s dead husband, Elimelech. But what was a kinsman-redeemer?
A kinsman-redeemer was God’s merciful way of rescuing a person from dire conditions. If a person found themselves in debt, they could sell themselves. A kinsman-redeemer could redeem them, pay their debt. If a person sold a piece of property, their inheritance from the Lord, the kinsman-redeemer could buy the parcel back to keep it in the family. (Leviticus 25) The redemption needed by both Naomi and Ruth was the perpetuation of the line of Elimelech. By marrying Ruth, Boaz purposed to fulfill that need (Ruth 4:5), to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.
A kinsman-redeemer had to be a close relative, but, as we see in Ruth 4:6, that didn’t always ensure he would provide the needed redemption. There also had to be the desire to redeem. Otherwise, the opportunity would fall to the next closest relative. Boaz, in the story of Ruth, was not the closest relative, but he was the one who cared about Ruth enough to redeem Naomi’s land and to marry Ruth.
So, this beautiful story of Ruth reaches down to King David and on to our Messiah, Jesus Christ - the ultimate kinsman-redeemer.
But wait? Are we related to Him? Is He our kinsman? Jesus said that those who do the will of His Father in heaven are His brothers and sisters (Mark 3:35). Furthermore, Romans tells us that we are part of the family of God, that our spirit testifies with His Spirit that we are the children of God (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 4:6; 1 John 3:2). Jesus is our Elder Brother. He’s our kinsman.
Furthermore, there’s no doubt that he’s our Redeemer. (Job 19:25; Psalm 19:14; Isaiah 44:6, 48:17, 59:20; 1 Corinthians 1:30)
In essence, the story of Ruth foreshadows Jesus Christ becoming our Kinsman-Redeemer. We have been sold as slaves to sin (Romans 7:14), and while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8), God sent His Son, who knew no sin, to become sin for us, to become the propitiation for our sin (I John 2:2), reconciling us to the Father (Romans 5:10-11, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20). This is huge! Remember the two qualities of the kinsman-redeemer? First, He had to have the means. Jesus Christ is the only One who could pay the sin debt for all mankind. No one else is worthy. Because He is the builder of the house, Jesus is worth more than all of the house (Hebrews 3:3). He is the only possible proper payment! (1 John 4:10; Romans 3:25) So Jesus had the means to redeem us.
Secondly, He had to care, to have the desire to redeem us. Stop to think about this! These human beings, these created beings who owe everything they have and their very lives to God, are nevertheless in rebellion against God (Romans 8:7). Yet, while we were yet sinners God sent His Son to die for us. That’s love of a magnitude that we cannot even comprehend.
I love the story of Ruth. The character of Ruth and Boaz is so admirable and praiseworthy. But their lives give glory to God beyond what we can see within these four chapters. As the writer of Hebrews said of Abel, we can also say of Ruth and Boaz: “And by faith [they] still speak, even though [they] are dead” (Hebrews 11:4). Both of their lives are woven into the tapestry of lives who testify to God’s plan, God’s greatness, God’s character. Not only are they honored to be the progenitors of Jesus Christ, they also get to foreshadow the gospel and His work on the cross to become our Kinsman-Redeemer. Wow! What a legacy!
Beloved of Christ, what do you think your legacy will look like?
Sleep in a Storm (Collected from cybersalt.org)
Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer.
"Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him.
"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.
Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!" The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.”
Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.
When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We, as believers in Christ, secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of God. We don't need to understand, we just need to hold His hand to have peace in the midst of the storms. I hope you sleep well!
And Be At Peace by Cynthia Saladin
February
Subjected to Futility by Cynthia Saladin
March
Our God by Cynthia Saladin
Be Kind, Even When There is No Sign (collected from Cybersalt.org)
April
Yes! There is Good News! by Bill Rollins
Ten Ways to Love (collected from Cybersalt.org)
My Kinsman-Redeemer by Cynthia Saladin
Sleep in a Storm (collected from Cybersalt.org)
January
And Be At Peace
by Cynthia Saladin
The summer before I started kindergarten, my dad brought home a puppy from the dog pound. Being five, I was not overly imaginative when naming him; the black puppy with four white stockings and white bib became Blacky. He was an amazing dog! I could tell you stories! But when he was still a puppy, he was extremely destructive when left alone. One day he started running laps in the backyard. Every time he went past Mom’s cherry tree, he grabbed a branch. Pretty soon, branches were strewn all over the backyard. That poor cherry tree was never very pretty after that but was bent and misshapen. The day, however, that Blacky chewed up the seat on Dad’s motorcycle was nearly the final straw!
Blacky wasn’t the only destructive dog we ever had. Tinker, a poodle mix, decided she didn’t want to be left inside the garage one day. So she chewed an arch-shaped pattern into the bottom of the door going out of the garage. She easily chewed through the outside of the door, but was stopped by the solid core. Dad was mad. The next time we had to leave her, he left her in the backyard. When we came home, there was a matching arch on the exterior of the door where Tinker had tried to get inside.
For Blacky and Tinker, it seemed to be more than just puppies needing to chew. They just didn’t know what to do with themselves while we were gone. They were not at peace.
2 Peter 3:13-14 (ESV) says, “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.”
We are waiting, sometimes more impatiently than other times, for the fulfillment of God’s promise. We long for Jesus to return and set up His kingdom where there is righteousness, and no more sorrow, or tears, or pain, or death! We believe with all of our heart that it is coming.
So we wait, and we tend to focus on the first part of the admonition. We are diligent to study His word that we might not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11). We strive to walk worthy of the calling we have received (Ephesians 4:1). As we examine ourselves, knowing that we are unable to save ourselves (Romans 5:6), we rely on God’s promise that He will purify the Bride of Christ (Titus 2:14; Ephesians 5:25–27). We think about the effort that is involved in choosing to walk in a way that pleases God. We persevere and overcome - enabled by that power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.
But do we give the last part of this admonition the same weight? Are we at peace?
Every once in a while, I have to be out of the house, running errands, keeping appointments, or spending time with my granddaughter. It is not unusual, when I ask how the dogs were while I was gone, for Ron to tell me that Pepper went upstairs, curled up in his bed, and went to sleep. I’m not home doing stuff, so Pepper just waits until I am. And he’s at peace - at least until he hears my car coming down the road.
What a fantastic object lesson for me to take to heart! God has given me a job to do until Jesus returns. I’m to live a life that points others to my Messiah, and a huge piece of doing that is the way I live my life - being at peace. A person who is calm and at peace witnesses to the hope set before her - without even using words. It’s so incredibly powerful because other people want that peace. But it’s not putting my head in the sand and ignoring the violence and vileness of our society. It’s not dismissing the greed, grief, and godlessness as just a part of the end time scenario. It’s seeing the world around me that is in such desperate need of the Savior and recognizing that God has given me an opportunity to be a light in an ever-darkening world. That light shines brightest when I exude His peace - because I trust Him and I know He’s coming back. Jesus will set all things right. I might not know why so many people are suffering, why there’s so much evil and pain, and how God can use it to His glory. But I don’t need to know. I just need to keep my focus on Him . . . and to be at peace.
What a gracious God I serve! I deeply appreciate the gentle object lessons He sets around me - teaching me, helping me to grow and to become an ever-more useful vessel for His service. And that’s the point, isn’t it! God is sovereign. He has a plan. The tapestry He’s weaving is altogether beautiful. My job is not to tell Him how to weave, but to be part of the final product. From my perspective as a thread, I cannot see the whole picture. I just need to do what He has set before me and to be at peace. After all, God’s got it all sorted.
February
Subjected to Futility
by Cynthia Saladin
I was sitting in front of the fire, thinking about the upcoming week and all that has to be done. As cold as it’s been and with all of the snow, we’re going to have to get some more wood in. Sigh. Groceries. Making meals. Washing dishes. Paying bills. Laundry. The to-do list is long. Then I happened to look up. Oh, there are cobwebs on my ceiling. I need to do some cleaning too.
How many things are there to do which just have to be done again periodically!?! I remember as a kid laughing at a line in a kids’ song: “Why should I wash my hands when they just get dirty again?” Sweeping the floor. Knocking down cobwebs. Pulling weeds. Mowing the lawn. Cooking meals. Trimming brush out of the fence line. So many things that are never truly done; they’re just done for right now. And when you’re surrounded by the never-ending list of things that have to be done, it can seem more than overwhelming. It can start to seem rather pointless.
“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Romans 8:20-21
It certainly does seem like we have been subjected to futility - and some days more than others we feel that bondage to corruption!
But maybe, God in His mercy, subjected us to futility in these areas (washing our hands, sweeping the floor, pulling the weeds, etc.) so that we’d have an undeniable object lesson constantly before us. We, as human beings, have this inexorable proclivity to sin. Our first inclination tends towards the carnal. It takes work to bring every thought into subjection to Jesus Christ. It takes conscious diligent effort to choose God’s ways. It’s not one and done. It’s persevering through every instance and every new experience. Not being perfect, that perseverance is not 100%. Sometimes we fail. Sometimes we feel like being subjected to futility also applies to becoming perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. We may not feel like we’ve any chance of coming anywhere close. It feels hopeless and pointless.
Ah. But here’s the message of the object lesson: are you going to let the weeds take over your garden and allow it to produce no fruit? Are you going to allow the grass to grow in your yard until the bugs move in and devour your house? Are you going to let the cobwebs and dust and dirt take over until you are thoroughly ill? No! And you don’t allow sin to take over your life either! When you see the weeds, you pull them. When you see the grass is long, you cut it. When you see the dirt, you clean. And clean. And clean. And when you sin, you get back down on your knees and you ask God for forgiveness. Again and again. As many times as you need to. He is faithful to forgive. And more than that, He is faithful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Eventually, the desire for God’s righteousness (because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit) causes a change in our behavior. Our eyes and our hearts are focused on God. Our conduct follows.
I know I’m going to have to go get the broom and clean the cobwebs. I am likely to find more than I noticed at first glance. And while I’m at it, it’d be a good time to think about some of my recent choices. Did I go with my first inclination? Should I have considered what Jesus would have done? Have I some sin I should be repenting of? Now would be a good time to take care of that too. It’s not, after all, an exercise in futility, but being subjected to futility in hope that I seek Jesus Christ and be set free to obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
Happy cobweb hunting.
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People often ask me why I prefer
to teach math instead of English.
I tell them it's because
fractions speak louder than verbs.
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Christian Grace
The other day I was hangin' out with a friend.
This friend is a Christian but doesn't always act like one. Some days she's in line with God's Word, and some days life's struggles get the best of her.
As our eyes met I really wanted to say something about it but decided to let The Lord speak to her heart knowing nothing I could say would have the same impact as her Father's Words.
So I prayed with her.
And after some time passed, I winked at her.... and walked away from the mirror.
March
Our God
by Cynthia Saladin
Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Deuteronomy 8:4
As you think back over the incredible miracles and ways that God provided for the Israelites, do you think about this verse? Do you think about clothes not wearing out on you or your foot not swelling in forty years of wandering in the wilderness?
It reminds me of a couple of things: first, God didn’t overlook little details. He provided for what they needed. But think about it. If you’d been traveling with the Israelites and your clothing wore out, it would have been a big deal, not a little detail! There’s no local Wal-mart. You have to plant the flax, turn it into linen (with all that entails) and then make your clothes. Or you have to plant cotton and harvest it. Or you have to shear your sheep, wash and card the wool, spin it, weave it, make it into cloth, and then make your clothes. Clothes wearing out was a big deal. Now imagine clothing not wearing out for forty years! Do you realize what a miracle that would have been?! Similarly, not having trouble with your feet swelling when you’re traveling?
There’s another aspect to this provision from God: you don’t see your clothing wearing out. You don’t see the initial swelling of your feet. All of a sudden, a seam gives out and you realize the whole piece of material is rotten. Or you wake up one morning and think, my feet hurt. The absence of the problem sometimes causes you to overlook the fact that it’s not normal! God has done a miracle and you didn’t even notice!
Another thing to notice from this verse is God’s almighty hand. God could completely eliminate all trouble and pain from our lives. But He doesn’t. The verse right before this one talks about God letting the people hunger and then providing manna for them to eat so they might know that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. This section goes on to talk about how God humbled the Israelites and tested them that He
would know what was in their hearts. Then Moses continues by telling the people that God is disciplining them.
So, even though God could make our path straight, level, and smooth, sometimes He chooses not to. Why? Because He knows what we need in order to form us into the image of His Son. He knows how to mold us to guide us so that we will follow His leading. He does what is best for us in the long-term because He loves us. Sometimes that means keeping our clothing from wearing out. Sometimes it means leading us in the wilderness.
Next time you’re on your knees, you might thank God for the many things He has provided for you, and then thank Him for the provisions that you just took for granted - that you didn’t even notice, and then thank Him for loving you so much, for continuing the sanctification process in you, even when you’re not feeling grateful for the discipline.
And maybe the next time you pull out an old, favorite shirt, thank God that it hasn’t worn out yet.
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Be Kind, Even When There's No Sign
collected from Cybersalt.org
This morning, on my way to work, I found myself behind a car with a handwritten sign taped to the back window: “Learning stick. Sorry for any delay.”
Reading that, I instantly softened. I stayed patient through the slow shifts and jerky starts — and honestly, they were doing pretty well for someone still learning. But then a thought hit me: Would I have been just as patient if I hadn’t seen that sign? Probably not.
And that realization stayed with me. Because the truth is, most people don’t have signs explaining what they’re going through. You don’t see:
“Going through a divorce.”
“Lost a child.”
“Feeling depressed.”
“Just diagnosed with cancer.”
If people wore their struggles where we could see them, we’d move through the world with so much more gentleness. But the truth is — we shouldn’t need a sign to show kindness. Everyone you meet is likely carrying something invisible, something heavy. So today, and every day, let’s choose patience. Let’s choose grace. Let’s choose love — even when there’s no sign telling us to.
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April
Yes, There is Good News! by Bill Rollins
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Considering the gravity of the concept of our entering the kingdom of heaven, it must be imperative for us to look at this idea of ‘the will of God’!
I have heard people say, “Oh, if I only could know the will of God for me, how much easier my life would be”. Maybe yes and maybe no on that sentiment; but we can know God’s will. God is never going to ask us to do something without giving us a path and the knowledge of that path in order to accomplish His instruction.
Let me put it this way, the path to knowing God’s will is simple but it is not easy. Is that ‘good news’ or not such ‘good news’? ‘Simple’ is good but in our society and in this age, we do not look to doing hard things. I have said it before and I will say it again, those things that are hard or tough are of much greater worth than those tasks that are easy!
So let’s start with Paul to lead us off in our search for the will of God. In his letter to the Romans, he gives us a very strong statement to ponder; starting in chapter 12 verses 1 and 2, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your rational act of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
The first word we must notice here is “appeal.” In other translations we see the word ‘beseech’ and ‘urge’, this is a strong admonition by Paul; it is not just a suggestion for he really does urge us to do something! Next, we see that he urges us “by the mercies of God;” God’s mercies toward us are founded upon the crucifixion and death of the Son of God. Jesus shed His blood for our sins and by that blood we find God tremendously merciful. And next we read that we should “present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.” Wow!
God wants all of who we are – and this is that “living sacrifice” which becomes our “act of worship.” And how do we become this living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God? We do this by not conforming to the ways of the world; by being “transformed by the renewal of our minds.” It is then that we may discern what the will of God is; His “good, acceptable and perfect will.”
I told you these were strong words from Paul. The Apostle Paul may truly be the most zealous person for the ways and truth of God in the New Testament, and he wants to lead us to the maturity, completeness and perfection of the calling God has for us. That is not all we see in the New Testament regarding God’s will. God willing, we will look into this subject further, next time. Remember Matt. 7:21, “Only those who do the will of God shall enter the Kingdom of God”!
Ten Ways to Love (collected from cybersalt.org)
Listen without interrupting (Proverbs 18)
Speak without accusing. (James 1:19)
Give without sparing. (Proverbs 21:26)
Pray without ceasing. (Colossians 1:9)
Answer without arguing. (Proverbs 17:1)
Share without pretending. (Ephesians 4:15)
Enjoy without complaint. (Philippians 2:14)
Trust without wavering. (1 Corinthians 13:7)
Forgive without punishing. (Colossians 3:13)
Promise without forgetting. (Proverbs 13:12)
My Kinsman-Redeemer by Cynthia Saladin
Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a kinsman-redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel. Ruth 4:14
The first time I saw Jason Gray’s video of “Remind Me Who I Am,” I was so struck by the reality of the words. We are, each of us, sinful, carnal human beings who manage to embroil ourselves in ungodly situations. Some of the signs in the video are unloved, rejected, angry, betrayed, used, refugee, addict. All of them tug at the heart as realization of the universality of the hopelessness of existence without Christ sets in.
That’s where Naomi found herself. Her husband has died. She’s too old to get a new husband. Her two sons have died. She has no one to perpetuate the family name.
Because of the relationship between Naomi and Ruth, Ruth is determined to follow Naomi back to Bethlehem. But it’s not an easy life. Ruth is found with the poor of the land, gleaning the fields for food after the harvesters have taken the shocks of grain. It’s dangerous (as inferred in Ruth 2:8-9). It’s very hard work. Both Naomi and Ruth are struggling just to have enough food to eat.
Enter the kinsman-redeemer. Who was the kinsman-redeemer? Boaz? To whom was he a kinsman-redeemer? He was the close kinsman of Naomi’s dead husband, Elimelech. But what was a kinsman-redeemer?
A kinsman-redeemer was God’s merciful way of rescuing a person from dire conditions. If a person found themselves in debt, they could sell themselves. A kinsman-redeemer could redeem them, pay their debt. If a person sold a piece of property, their inheritance from the Lord, the kinsman-redeemer could buy the parcel back to keep it in the family. (Leviticus 25) The redemption needed by both Naomi and Ruth was the perpetuation of the line of Elimelech. By marrying Ruth, Boaz purposed to fulfill that need (Ruth 4:5), to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.
A kinsman-redeemer had to be a close relative, but, as we see in Ruth 4:6, that didn’t always ensure he would provide the needed redemption. There also had to be the desire to redeem. Otherwise, the opportunity would fall to the next closest relative. Boaz, in the story of Ruth, was not the closest relative, but he was the one who cared about Ruth enough to redeem Naomi’s land and to marry Ruth.
So, this beautiful story of Ruth reaches down to King David and on to our Messiah, Jesus Christ - the ultimate kinsman-redeemer.
But wait? Are we related to Him? Is He our kinsman? Jesus said that those who do the will of His Father in heaven are His brothers and sisters (Mark 3:35). Furthermore, Romans tells us that we are part of the family of God, that our spirit testifies with His Spirit that we are the children of God (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 4:6; 1 John 3:2). Jesus is our Elder Brother. He’s our kinsman.
Furthermore, there’s no doubt that he’s our Redeemer. (Job 19:25; Psalm 19:14; Isaiah 44:6, 48:17, 59:20; 1 Corinthians 1:30)
In essence, the story of Ruth foreshadows Jesus Christ becoming our Kinsman-Redeemer. We have been sold as slaves to sin (Romans 7:14), and while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8), God sent His Son, who knew no sin, to become sin for us, to become the propitiation for our sin (I John 2:2), reconciling us to the Father (Romans 5:10-11, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20). This is huge! Remember the two qualities of the kinsman-redeemer? First, He had to have the means. Jesus Christ is the only One who could pay the sin debt for all mankind. No one else is worthy. Because He is the builder of the house, Jesus is worth more than all of the house (Hebrews 3:3). He is the only possible proper payment! (1 John 4:10; Romans 3:25) So Jesus had the means to redeem us.
Secondly, He had to care, to have the desire to redeem us. Stop to think about this! These human beings, these created beings who owe everything they have and their very lives to God, are nevertheless in rebellion against God (Romans 8:7). Yet, while we were yet sinners God sent His Son to die for us. That’s love of a magnitude that we cannot even comprehend.
I love the story of Ruth. The character of Ruth and Boaz is so admirable and praiseworthy. But their lives give glory to God beyond what we can see within these four chapters. As the writer of Hebrews said of Abel, we can also say of Ruth and Boaz: “And by faith [they] still speak, even though [they] are dead” (Hebrews 11:4). Both of their lives are woven into the tapestry of lives who testify to God’s plan, God’s greatness, God’s character. Not only are they honored to be the progenitors of Jesus Christ, they also get to foreshadow the gospel and His work on the cross to become our Kinsman-Redeemer. Wow! What a legacy!
Beloved of Christ, what do you think your legacy will look like?
Sleep in a Storm (Collected from cybersalt.org)
Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer.
"Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him.
"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.
Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!" The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.”
Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.
When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We, as believers in Christ, secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of God. We don't need to understand, we just need to hold His hand to have peace in the midst of the storms. I hope you sleep well!
