January
Do Not Quarrel on the Way by Cynthia Saladin
February
Help, Need, Don't We All (Unknown, Source: Cybersalt)
March
God Be With You by Cynthia Saladin
April
Hurtling Through Space - by Vance Agee, collected from cybersalt.org
May
Reflections from The Feast of Unleavened Bread 2025 by Shirley Doss
Lesson in Teamwork: Buddy the Blind Horse (collected from cybersalt.org)
June
Godly Encouragement by Cynthia Saladin
July
Trouble and the Christian by Cynthia Saladin
August
Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover or an Ear of Corn by its Husk by Cynthia Saladin
September
Molly by Cynthia Saladin
October
God's Great Love and Molly by Cynthia Saladin
November
Witness by Cynthia Saladin
January
Do Not Quarrel on the Way
by Cynthia Saladin
Then he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the way.” Genesis 45:24
I love this verse. It makes the story so real! Think about it! Joseph’s brothers have just found Joseph alive - and second-in-command in Egypt. They’ve just been given plenty of food. Remember the famine? Remember how Jacob had sent them back to Egypt to get food so they wouldn’t die? Now, not only have they been given food without having to pay for it, they are also moving to the best land in all of Egypt for the duration of the famine. They also get to take Benjamin back to his father uninjured. Things are very good. What would they have to fight about?
I can just imagine Reuben: I told you not to hurt the boy [Joseph]! Now he’s second-in-command over all of Egypt. Do you know how he could get revenge? Oh, if you had only listened to me!
Then Judah chimes in: Well, at least, I stopped you from killing him.
Then Dan or Naphtali: Yeah, like you didn’t want to kill him. You just wanted the money selling him could bring.
Or Zebulun: Yeah, it was your idea to kill him in the first place.
Judah: It was not. I never wanted to hurt him.
Asher: Like selling him isn’t a death sentence, well, normally.
Levi: Uh, guys, who’s going to tell Dad that Joseph is still alive? Who’s going to tell him what you guys did - selling him into slavery and sending him to Egypt? I’m not telling Dad.
And another round of fighting ensues. They have the whole trip home to hash out the events of the past, bickering the whole way. Now, I don’t know that they did this. But I know how families can be. I know the little things they can bicker about - even when life is good.
Picking blackberries: Hey! This is my patch. You go get stuck somewhere else. I want these brambles to poke me.
Swimming in the pool - think about it - you’re already wet: Mom! He’s splashing me. Mom! He’s making too many waves.
Oh, the myriad of bickering points: He’s rocking his chair. He’s humming. He’s looking at me. He’s breathing my air.
I know it sounds funny, but, in reality, it isn’t! Bickering may start small, but it escalates. Pretty soon, there are harsh words spoken. Words turn into feelings which express themselves in actions. Pretty soon, you can’t stand to be around your brother.
And it’s not just families - physical brothers and sisters. It also happens in church families. Really. If it didn’t, then why do we have all of these verses?
1 John 3 :10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
1 John 4 :20-21 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Hebrews 13:1 Let brotherly love continue.
1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
1 Peter 1:22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
2 Peter 1:7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
1 Peter 2:17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
And a favorite around our household is:
Romans 12:9-10: Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
When Christopher was little, he read the verse this way: “Love one another with brotherly affliction. . .” And although we laugh, that’s really the way we love each other sometimes - with brotherly affliction. We shouldn’t. We have been given so much. God has blessed us beyond measure! We’ve been given a Savior to redeem us from our sins. Even if we’re suffering in this life, we’re assured of a glorious future with Him forever. We have so little to complain about!
Jesus has given us a job to do - go and make disciples of all nations - much like the job Joseph gave to his brothers - go and bring all of the family to me. And like Joseph said to his brothers, Jesus could very well say to each of us, “You’ve got a job to do. Don’t quarrel on the way.”
February
Help, Need, Don’t We All
~Author Unknown (Cybersalt)
I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife. Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society would consider a bum. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money.
There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of those "I don't want to be bothered times."
"I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought. He didn’t.
He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn't look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus. After a few minutes he spoke.
"That's a very pretty car," he said.
He was ragged, but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond beard kept more than his face warm. I said, "thanks," and continued wiping off my car.
He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came.
As the silence between us widened something inside said, "Ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to the inner voice.
"Do you need any help?" I asked.
He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments. I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me.
"Don't we all?" he said.
I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun.
Don't we all?
I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day.
Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help. Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that. You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see.
Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he was more than that. Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves.
Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, then said, "Go minister to that man cleaning the car. That man needs help."
Don't we all?
March
God Be With You
by Cynthia Saladin
Life is hard.
It doesn’t even have to be a direct consequence of a poor choice you made or a sin. Just living in this world can be, at times, a struggle - and age just seems to exacerbate the difficulties. Taking care of infants, completing home repairs, fixing cars when they inevitably break down, keeping up with paperwork! I’m convinced that as the dryer eats socks (because why else is there always one left over?) paperwork multiplies on my desk overnight. And then there’s death - death of a pet, death of a relative, death of a spouse, death of a child. Life is definitely hard.
That’s how Moses felt about leading the Israelites after the episode with the golden calf. God said He wasn’t going to go with them lest He destroy them on the way (Exodus 33:3). Moses’ response was that if God didn’t go with them, he didn’t want to leave.
What an incredible example for us! Is that my mindset? Before I do anything, or go anywhere, I want to make sure that God is with me - right? Well, I’d like to think that’s the way my mind works. But the reality is that when things are going well, human beings tend to get caught up in their successes, enjoying satisfying their curiosity and achieving things. They forget that they’re not supposed to run before God or, worse, run without Him. God even warned his people to guard against this (Deuteronomy 6:11-12). But we all know the cyclical history during the time of the judges. The people would fall into apostasy and idolatry; God would send their enemies against them; the people would cry out to God for relief; God would send a judge to lead them in God’s ways. As long as the judge was alive, things were good. After the judge died, the people gradually, bit by bit, turned away from God and fell into apostasy and idolatry. Over and over again. So I have about 400 years of Biblical history to back up my statement that when things are going really well, I had better be extremely careful to seek God with all of my heart; the human condition has a perverse predilection towards choosing their own way rather than God’s way.
Doesn’t that seem odd to you?! God’s commands make life work well. They give wisdom (Psalm 119:98). They make the path plain (Psalm 119:105). Who wants the separation from the Sovereign of the Universe that comes with committing iniquities (Isaiah 59:1-2)? Don’t we, rather, want God to save us when things are not going well? Well, of course, that’s why our prayer request list is always so long.
But maybe, just maybe, I’m supposed to be keeping all of the difficulties in life in perspective. After all, just because
I am experiencing trouble doesn’t mean that all is lost. Jesus told his disciples, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). In other words, life is going to be hard. But you can’t lose your focus on what you have! You have a relationship, you are in covenant with, the Great God of the Universe. Your Heavenly Father loved you enough to pay the penalty for your sins through the death of His Son so that you can be adopted into the family of God and live with God for eternity! Think of the great love of God that He would do that for you!
I have to stop focusing on what I think would make life perfect right now. Adjust my perspective. Think of what I have already been given. Worship God with gratitude for the abundance of all the things He’s already done for me (Deuteronomy 28:47). Like my aunt would say, “Quit your belly-aching!” I must fix my eyes, like those cited in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11), on the promises of God. After all, God has been so good to me. He has blessed me over and over again. I have every reason to believe He will continue to do so.
I am so glad God listened to Moses’ entreaty to accompany His people. He told Moses, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14). I hold on to that promise. No matter how difficult this life is, God is with me. He will give me rest. And, if you trust Him, He will give you rest too. So go with God.
April
Hurtling Through Space
- by Vance Agee, collected from cybersalt.org
It was just a regular day at Darien Lake, an upstate New York amusement park.
My daughter, her friend, and I were standing in the usual long, snaking line to ride the park's roller coaster, called the Viper. It was our first ride of the day, and we like roller coasters, both wood and steel.
In line with us was a group of teenage African-American girls. They were passing the long wait by joking and laughing and just having a good time. In their care was a little girl, about nine years old, just barely tall enough to reach the magic mark of amusement park adulthood that earns access to the Viper.
When we reached the final point-of-no-return before launching, I noticed that the little girl was an odd number in her group, and therefore, without someone with whom to ride.
I hesitated. After all, I was a stranger and a white man. On the other hand, I was with my own kid and her friend, so I would probably be considered “safe."
I didn't have a fellow rider, either. The older girls suddenly noticed their predicament and were talking about what to do -- where would the little girl ride? I finally mustered the nerve to speak up.
"She can ride with me, if she wants.”
They asked her and she said, “Okay."
They had her get in the chute next to mine.
I let her in the car first and once we were both seated, I pulled down the safety bar.
The coaster started up.
Then the little girl turned and looked up at me.
"Would you hold my hand?" Shocked inside, I just replied, “Sure."
She put her little hand inside mine, and we climbed the first hill. When we started down, she squeezed my hand for all she was worth, closed her eyes so tightly that they were barely visible slits, and cried as intensely as she possibly could.
We were hurtling out into time and space and the universe together, just the two of us, this little African-American girl and this white Anglo stranger.
I had been there before, but this was new and frightening for her, and she trusted me for her safety and comfort.
Every time we reached a level area, her eyes opened and she relaxed her grip -- a little. She never let go completely. But whenever we went into a dip or turn, she bore down, and the tears fell again.
At the end of the ride, I think that she was proud of herself. I told her older friends that they should buy her a special "I survived the Viper" button. They smiled and left for other rides.
As our groups turned to go their separate ways, I thought about the little children who had been hurt by adults over the decades and the centuries. I thought about the responsibility that we adults have toward them. I thought about the tremendous privilege inherent in that responsibility.
And I thought about trust. This little girl had not bothered to see a stereotype, what I might appear to be on the outside. She just knew that she needed someone to trust. In just a few moments she had given me the best lesson I have ever had in trust, both how to trust others and how to respect, value, appreciate, and enjoy the trust given by another person.
Years later, I can still feel that little hand inside mine. Thank you, little girl -- I wish I had asked your name.
As human beings on this planet, we are thrown together into many situations and roller coaster rides. We hurtle through space at thousands of miles an hour. The single most important aspect of our ride is how we treat those in the car with us.
May
Reflections from The Feast of Unleavened Bread 2025
by Shirley Doss
I have a U.B. cleaning list which I plug into my planner several weeks ahead of time. I leave extra time slots for the potential “fires” that pop up to be attended to.
This is my 51st year to observe U. B. and my second year to meet and fellowship for the full 7 days. Both years we stayed in our local area and met in our homes on the non-holy days. It was a challenge both years – not because of going to a meeting each day but because of all of the unexpected things that demanded my immediate attention before and during the holy day season. This year a regular Sabbath fell before Passover and the first holy-day so we met, had a study and shared a meal for 9 days in a row.
I really felt the impact this second year of trying to keep myself from being swallowed up by the demands of living in the world. Several other ladies and I shared our struggles throughout this time. When we met, we would say to each other “just one more thing.” The extra “fires” ranged from minor to very time consuming.
It occurred to me as I mentally thought about each “one more thing” that instead of feeling “woe is me,” I should look for the blessings in each one.
Here is an example. I was removing my books from a room for our son Adam to move into. I had books in bookcase hutches on top of a desk and low chest, with a corner bookshelf on a base between them. We have owned this furniture for 25 years without incident. As I was moving the last books from the larger bookcase the corner bookcase shifted causing the one in front of me to fall toward me. I caught it with the help of a stack of books still sitting on the desk and maybe divine help I couldn’t see. Thankfully, John was across the hall and could come quickly to help me.
Scary and frustrating – YES! But – here are the blessings. I had removed all of the books before the bookcase fell. Otherwise, the books and bookcase would have pushed me to the floor and fallen on top of me. It happened to me and not to a small grandchild. A clock with a glass globe covering it fell from the top of the corner bookcase over behind the bookcase that fell toward me and did NOT break. We moved all 6 heavy pieces of furniture away from the wall and I made a brace so this can never happen again. I cleaned the area and we moved the furniture back in place.
At times I feel these are orchestrated trials given to us to teach us lessons or to save us from devastating problems in the future. We may need to see or face something to learn a lesson but many times God spares us from the full impact, unless we continually refuse to listen.
As an example, we let a child learn to walk on a carpeted or safe floor, not a gravel drive or concrete patio. We let her learn in a protected environment.
During these 9 days I wanted to focus on God, spiritual thoughts and fellowship. I wanted to step out of my routine and be renewed. It was a lesson in how much I’m linked-in to a world that won’t let go.
I don’t feel the connections I have in the world are bad or wrong. We are in the world but not of the world. They just consume my time as part of life on earth. I’m encouraged to make a stronger effort to let go of unnecessary earthly things and embrace my spiritual connections even more.
I’ve looked at statistics that say airplanes are off course at least 90% of the time while flying to their destinations. The pilot has to continually course correct to arrive at the planned destination in the specified time.
We also have to course correct in our spiritual journey. It’s a continual process. It’s much easier if we keep our attention focused on the destination and only need to make minor adjustments.
Remember – God is always looking out for us.
Lesson in Teamwork: Buddy the Blind Horse
An out-of-towner drove his car into a ditch in a desolated area. Luckily, a local farmer came to help with his big strong horse named Buddy.
He hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, "Pull, Nellie, pull!" Buddy didn't move. Then the farmer hollered, "Pull, Buster, pull!" Buddy didn't respond. Once more the farmer commanded, "Pull, Coco, pull!" Nothing. Then the farmer nonchalantly said, "Pull, Buddy, pull!" And the horse easily dragged the car out of the ditch.
The motorist was most appreciative and very curious. He asked the farmer why he called his horse by the wrong name three times.
The farmer said, "Oh, Buddy is blind, and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn't even try!"
June
Godly Encouragment
by Cynthia Saladin
When things look dire, you’re crying out for help, and you have no hope, what can someone say to you that will fan that spark of faith that God will save you? There’s a fascinating passage in Exodus 6:6-8. These three short verses contain God’s subtle, but powerful, promise of salvation, help, and hope. When Pharaoh’s initial reaction to Moses was to make the task of the enslaved Israelites much more difficult, God instructed Moses to say to His people:
“I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.”
First look at how many times God says, “I will. . .” There are seven times in these three verses.
“I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.”
Seven is synonymous with God proclaiming an oath. God not only affirms that He will do these things. He repeats the promise with the number seven. The Hebrew shaba (#7650) which means “to oath, to swear, to seven oneself” is the denominative verb form of sheba (#7651) which means “seven.” So God is promising that He will do these things for His people, confirming it with an oath. But then it is confirmed again because it’s put into a chiasm:
A. “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, [The Israelites are subjugated. They have nothing, no hope, no future.]
B. and I will deliver you from slavery to them, [They are stuck in slavery in Egypt.]
C. and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. [They will be redeemed in an obvious way by God.]
D. I will take you to be my people, [This is the covenant language found throughout the Bible. I will be to you a God, and you will be to me a people.]
C.’ and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. [Now they belong to God, redeemed/bought with a price - obviously done by God.]
B.’ I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. [God will take them out of slavery into their own land, from slaves to land owners.]
A.’ I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.” [God will give them everything, their own land, an inheritance, freedom - hope and a future.]
In three distinct ways, God promised to save His people, to enter into covenant with them, and to give them a future. Do you know what the people’s reaction was? They missed it. They didn’t believe God. Exodus 6:9 records that “they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.” That didn’t deter God from fulfilling His promise. God did rescue His people from slavery, He did enter into covenant with them, and He did give them hope and a future.
So this begs the question: was it just the Israelites who looked at the situation in which they found themselves and lost hope in what God could and would do for them? I suspect that there is a human proclivity to lose sight of the promise in light of current conditions, if the myriad of verses is any indication: Number 23:19; Hebrews 10:23; Romans 3:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Deuteronomy 7:9; 1 John 1:9; Titus 1:2; Lamentations 3:22-23; Hebrews 6:18; Isaiah 55:11; Psalm 119:90; 1 Samuel 15:29.
We are told that at the end there will be a “wearing out of the saints” (Daniel 7:25), that the beast will be “permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them” (Revelation 13:5-7). Matthew 24:13 says that the “one who endures to the end will be saved.” This all presupposes two things: 1) Life is going to become more and more difficult as the return of Jesus approaches; and 2) Many of God’s people will be tempted to lose heart and to give up. Don’t be among those! Rather, fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Stay the course. Believe the promises of God. Be encouraged by God’s faithfulness. He will save us.
July
Trouble and the Christian
by Cynthia Saladin
Why do gardeners have to battle bugs and weeds? Why is there illness? Why do air conditioners go out on the hottest day of the year? Why do we have trouble? Aren’t things supposed to go smoothly once you become a Christian - because God will take care of you? Well, God does take care of us. We have experienced His goodness time and time again. He will work all things to our good - even if we can’t see it yet. But Jesus also said that in this life we would have trouble. Becoming a Christian, entering into covenant with Jesus Christ, does not give you a get out of jail free card. It doesn’t mean that the roses won’t have thorns. You’re still going to have weeds in your garden.
Why?
We know that God is all-powerful. He could say the word and save us from any and all trouble. But He doesn’t. Why?
Perhaps one of the reasons is found in Job’s story. Satan’s allegation was that Job served God because God blessed Job. Satan asserted that if things weren’t going so smoothly for Job, Job’s loyalty would soon disappear. As far as we read, Job was never told why so many disasters happened to him; he just had to trust God. What about us? What do we do when disaster strikes? Do we trust God or do we accuse God of letting us down?
Ron Dart famously said, “God doesn’t want to spend eternity with a bunch of losers.” So in spite of difficulties and trouble, God is looking for those people who value His ways so much that they are willing to persevere - no matter what. Our mindset must be like Peter’s: where are we going to go; God’s way is the only way to life. So perhaps the second reason is to determine just how much we value God and His ways. Is having a relationship with God worth it to you?
Perhaps a third reason is discipline. Discipline is one of those words that can be taken negatively or positively. And honestly, when it comes to trouble, it could be either. That is, you are experiencing difficulties because of your sin and mistakes. God is disciplining you to get you back on the right track. That’s the good thing about trouble: we do what we need to in order to avoid it. But it could also be discipline in the positive sense. Just as an athlete disciplines his body in order to perform at a very high level, God disciplines us to be fruitful, effective servants.
Jeremiah 12:5 reads, "If you have run with the men on foot and they have wearied you, how can you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you fall down, how will you fare in the thickets of the Jordan?” Perhaps part of the reason we experience difficulties now is to harden and strengthen us so we can persevere when things get increasingly troublesome as the return of Jesus nears. So perhaps part of the reason for problems is preparation for what is coming.
But why wouldn’t God just save us out of the trouble - like He did the Israelites for the last seven plagues in Egypt? It’s possible that 2 Corinthians 1 gives us another reason. We are supposed to be able to comfort others with the comfort with which we have been comforted. If we never experience any trouble, we don’t need comfort and we don’t know how to comfort others. In other words, people are watching us and our reactions to trouble. People in the church are encouraged by our peacefulness and trust in God. People who don’t know God intimately want what we have and are open to us explaining why it is we can be at peace in the midst of trouble. What a powerful witness we can be for God - if we’re at peace because we trust Him no matter what.
Trouble is never fun - flat tires, thistles, broken machinery, et cetera ad nauseam - but it’s all temporary. It will also soon be forgotten. But the character that is built will last for eternity if we run with endurance the race that is marked out before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
🌽 🌽 🌽 🌽 🌽
I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chatted all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.
I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne’er a word said she;
But, oh! The things I learned from her,
When Sorrow walked with me.
~Robert Browning Hamilton
🌽 🌽 🌽 🌽 🌽 🌽
August
Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover or an Ear of Corn by its Husk by Cynthia Saladin
A week or so ago was harvest day for corn. It’s a bit tricky to hit just right: when the corncob is filled out and mature, but not so mature that it has slipped over into tough. Mom used to check the corn by pulling back the husk just a little to see
the state of the kernels. But, my experience is that if I decide to check the corn, the raccoons decide the corn is ready and they demolish the entire patch overnight. So I try to gauge the dryness of the silk and the fullness of the ears from the
outside. I missed it just a little this year. The corn was just on the verge of being too ripe.
There’s something very thrilling and satisfying about husking corn. You never quite know whether the cob will be completely filled out with rows of tender kernels or if a corn worm will have helped himself to the bounty. This year all of the time and effort of planting and weeding and trying to keep the critters from eating it was definitely rewarded.
But I couldn’t help thinking about how, like judging a book by its cover, it’s almost impossible to know what the corn is actually going to look like before you pull back the husks. And, similarly, it’s almost impossible to know what is going on in a person’s heart. Oh, we get some clues from their actions and their words. But just like the plumpness of the ears gives no indication of whether a corn worm is busily munching away inside the husk, we really don’t have any idea of the state of someone’s relationship with God - not truly.
All we see, from the outside, are hints, which may or may not lead us to an accurate conclusion. While each of us are tasked to be a light and to bring glory to God through our words and deeds, our hearts remain truly exposed only to God (1 Samuel 16:7). Unfortunately, even knowing that doesn’t stop us from looking at others and wondering about the motivation behind their actions. Have you ever caught yourself saying (or thinking), “Why did he do that? I wouldn’t have done it that way. What was he thinking?”
Shucking corn this year left me with five conclusions:
- Who am I to judge another man’s servant? (Romans 14:4) I need to be very careful of making assumptions about why someone is doing what they’re doing. I might be totally off-base. And in reality, it’s not any of my business; I have more than enough to keep myself occupied with why I’m doing what I’m doing.
- What kind of fruit am I developing - is it full and ready for harvest or full of worms? At the end of the age, will God be pleased with how I have used the time and the talents He’s given me? Matthew 13:47-48 indicates that God doesn’t keep all of the fish! I must be diligent to be found in Him! (2 Peter 3:14)
- What kind of hints do I express to the world around me? That is, does the outward expression through my words and deeds accurately reflect my inward reality? I don’t want to be good at play-acting; I want to honestly be a trustworthy vessel to be used by Him. (2 Timothy 2:21)
- The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). I need to prayerfully ask God to help me view myself through His eyes and to realize that He’s still working on my sanctification; I need to renew my zeal to seek Him with all of my heart.
- God loves me. I’m not an ear of corn which is merely consumed; I have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:20). Many scriptures reflect God’s immense love for means me and all who are in Christ: Psalm 139:14; Romans 8:38-39; Isaiah 43:4; Colossians 3:12; Jeremiah 1:5; John 3:16.
I love harvesting from the garden. I love how God can take an ear of corn and use it to draw me closer to Himself. That’s what makes all of the time and the effort worth it - and I get to eat fresh fruits and vegetables as a bonus.
September
Molly
By Cynthia Saladin
Don’t you love how God uses the things in our lives to teach us more about Him? (Romans 1:20)
Ron and I have a new puppy. Molly has been with us for thirteen days now. Ron looked at me like I had two heads when I told him we hadn’t even had her two weeks yet. It feels like it’s been a month . . . at least. She has rapidly inserted herself into our lives and hearts.
It seems like I’m teaching her two things: No and Come. When I realized that, it occurred to me that God starts with each of us that way. “No. Don’t do that.” and “Come to me.” I wonder how much that is still the essence of His communication with me. That is, I need to stop doing whatever it is that I’m doing right now and I need to get closer to God.
As I was thinking about this, I looked at Pepper. He’s ten. There are times when he is definitely helpful. I very much appreciate the warning when someone is here. I appreciate how he dispatches the horse flies which bother me. He has become a very useful servant in many ways. And yet, I find myself telling him, “No, don’t do that” and “Come.”
Being a puppy, one of Molly’s first lessons is “DO NOT bite.” She bites my shoelaces. She bites Pepper’s tail. She bites the cat as she walks by - although since the cat has long hair, that turned out a whole lot better than I thought it was going to! Molly bites leaves. She bites the fingers which try to pet her. How incredibly apropos Galatians 5:15 is! As Christians, we must be on our guard against “biting” one another!
Another first area of training is house-breaking. Thanks to Phil and Lisa, we have a crate to aid in this process! And again, isn’t it interesting that the Israelites coming out of Egypt had lost so much of what constitutes healthy living that God had to specifically tell them to bury their excrement!! They too had to be potty-trained! (Deuteronomy 23:12-14) This physical behavior was indicative of the unholiness and uncleanness that God exhorted them to eschew . . . which caused me to consider another aspect/analogy of having a puppy in the house.
Molly is a mixture of Australian shepherd and blue heeler. To say that she has strong herding tendencies would be an understatement! She has lots of energy. She’s going to require lots of work - a huge time and emotional investment - as a couple of people felt they had to warn me. Hmm. Again, the similarity to my relationship with God came to mind. That is, God spends an enormous amount of time on me (and each of us). It is no little thing that God describes Himself as long-suffering and patient. He has to invest a lot of time and energy into disciplining and discipling me.
Another dear friend expressed his dismay that Ron and I would undertake a puppy. Dogs don’t live very long, comparatively. Inviting her into our hearts means we’re setting ourselves up for pain. I think about God so greatly desiring fellowship with us that He was willing to create us with free will, despite knowing what Adam would choose. It’s mind-boggling to think that Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). God knew the cost, the enormous cost of adopting sons and daughters into the family of God - and He was willing to pay that price for me and for you.
Which brings us to Molly. Jennifer asked me Friday night, August 8th, if I wanted to get a puppy. I told her no. I have never gone looking for a puppy. If one comes to me, that’s a different matter. Imagine my shock when Sam, out of the blue at Sabbath services a few hours later, asked me if I wanted a puppy!! I asked the breed and saw the photos. Pepper is part blue heeler. And my dog when I was a teen was a blue heeler/Australian shepherd mix. Teddy was an incredibly intelligent dog! I have a soft spot for this mix - and probably wouldn’t be tempted by any other breed, even a lab. So then I called up Mom and asked her opinion, fully expecting her to tell me that I’m too busy to have a puppy right now. That’s not what she said. She said to get a female. O.K. I decided to put out the fleece. If the female was still available, I’d take a puppy. Then Jennifer asked me if I was considering names. I hadn’t been. After all, I didn’t have the puppy yet. I hadn’t seen her behavior. I rejected “Bandit” right away because 1) that’s a boy’s name and 2) everyone calls their Australian shepherd “Bandit.” I was busy working on something when Jennifer had texted me the question, so I went back to work, fully preparing to put off the name until later. Unexpectedly, “Molly” popped into my head. I have no idea why.
So Ron looked it up to see what “Molly” means. It has a couple of possible meanings: “bitter or rebellious.” Oh! That’s not a very nice name to saddle a puppy with!!! Or Molly can mean “beloved.” Oh! Kind of like me - rebellious against God, but He loved me enough to redeem me from my rebellion, to make me His own. Molly seems just about perfect.
So Ron and I have a new puppy in the house. I can’t wait to see what God shows me next.
October
God’s Great Love and Molly
by Cynthia Saladin
I must have needed a concrete object lesson to show me who I am to God. So God gave me a puppy. Oh, she’s so cute. But, being a puppy, her natural inclination is to bite. She also wants to make friends with the cat. She wiggles up to the cat and licks her tail. The cat does not appreciate this! So she moves away. Molly tries to mollify the cat by getting very low to the ground and licking her some more, but she can’t help herself: she bites the cat’s fur. The cat puts up with it for just so long and then, she vacates the premises, often speedily. Uh-oh. What was a conciliatory puppy is now an attentive, ears up, energetic puppy who thinks the cat is engaging in a very satisfactory game: tag. And they’re off to the nearest place the cat can find to escape Molly’s overtures. I’m never like that, am I? Rubbing people the wrong way in my natural inclination and exuberance? Hmm. I might need to be more aware of how others are perceiving my actions.
It’s tricky teaching a puppy to come when they are called, especially if she is engaged in chasing the cat, if she thinks she’s in trouble, or if she thinks I might put her in that scary car. She doesn’t always trust me. I’m making food for her, taking her for walks, keeping her clean, watching out for owls and UPS trucks, taking her out in the middle of the night - but she hasn’t learned to trust me all the time. Do I treat God like that? God provides all that I need. He even gave His Son to pay for my sinfulness. Do I trust God despite the scary situations I find myself in? Do I try to hide from Him when I’ve sinned?
Thankfully I have a well-behaved older dog that Molly is content to imitate. Pepper comes when he’s called. When he helps himself to Molly’s bone, he’ll actually drop it and leave it when I tell him to - if I catch him quickly enough. I’m quite well aware that Pepper is a huge help in Molly’s training. Hmm. It’s a good reminder that iron sharpens iron. We can exhort and encourage each other in the Lord and our relationship with Him can grow more robustly, if we fellowship with believers.
Pepper and the cat have been incredibly gentle with this puppy of teeth, a tail, and persistent exuberance. We brought Molly home when she was 3 lbs. 5.2 oz. Either the dog or the cat could have dispatched her speedily. But they didn’t. However, they have become gradually more aggressive in their discipline because she needs it! I think God is similarly gracious in disciplining us. When we’re a new Christian, He is very gentle. (Think of God not wanting the Israelites to face war immediately upon leaving Egypt lest they become discouraged and turn back.) But as our rebellion persists, God increases the consequences. And I suspect He allows (or arranges) circumstances and people around us to discipline us. It’s a much better approach than instant lightning bolts for every infraction - especially to get us to where He wants us: obedience out of love. So the next time someone is irritating me, I’d better think seriously about what lesson it is that God has prepared for me instead of just becoming annoyed.
And then there’s the garden. In order to keep the critters at bay, Ron and I have an electric fence around it. I have been diligent to turn it off when Molly is around; I doubt she would appreciate the shock, especially since her first inclination is to chew on the wire. Sigh. How many times does God protect us from our own bad choices - without us even realizing what He has done?! I suspect, if we knew just how much protection and provision we receive, we would be overwhelmed with His graciousness to us.
I’m so very glad that God gave me a puppy. (Thanks, Sam, too!) It’s caused a lot of introspection - and I’m very grateful that God has prepared my heart to be ready to do that too. God is good all the time . . . Gotta go. I have to rescue my slipper. . . .
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November
Witness
by Cynthia Saladin
In Deuteronomy 30:19-20 God says to the Israelites, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” Similarly in Deuteronomy 4:26, Moses calls heaven and earth as witness against the people of Israel, adjuring them to keep God’s law. Two faithful, reliable witnesses.
In Joshua 24:27, after Joshua recorded the events in the book of the Law of God, he set up a large stone under the oak that was near the sanctuary of God, “And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” Another faithful, reliable witness.
In Micah 6:1-2, God calls upon the mountains and foundations of the earth to witness God’s case against Israel. Genesis 31:52, Isaiah 19:20, Joshua 22:34, Romans 2:15, Isaiah 30:8, Matthew 24:14, Luke 10:11, and Deuteronomy 31:19 also record witnesses: a mound, a pillar, an altar, a conscience, a scroll, the gospel, dust, and a song. And of course, we are quite familiar with God, John the Baptist, Jesus, and people being called as a witness. In fact, there are 602 verses which have the word “witness” in them!
But during Dave Manning’s Eighth Day message, hearing the Tabernacle in the wilderness, the tent of meeting, the Tabernacle of the Covenant also referred to as the “tent of witness” hit me differently. In the Hebrew it’s eduth (H5715) and is translated “testimony, witness, admonitions, ordinances, warnings.” But it was the instance in Stephen’s address to the Sanhedrin which specifically caught my attention. “Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen” (Acts 7:44, ESV).
The KJV repeatedly calls the Tabernacle in the wilderness a tent of witness in the Old Testament, but I rarely read the KJV, so seeing it was striking. Furthermore, seeing it here, as part of Stephen’s legal case against the Jewish leaders, gave me pause! The people of God agreed to a covenant, affirmed that they would obey God, that they would be to Him a people and He would be to them a God. The tabernacle traveled with the Israelites in the wilderness. It was as constant as the heaven and earth in their lives. Therefore, the tent of witness was part of God’s legal indictment against His people for their breach of contract.
The second aspect of this term probably impacted me so strongly because we were at the Feast of Tabernacles. We have often drawn the spiritual lesson that we dwell in these tabernacles, these temporary bodies (2 Corinthians 5:1-2) and that we are the temple of the living God, if God indeed dwells within us (2 Corinthians 6:16). We talk about how Solomon finished the Temple in the eighth month (1 Kings 6:38), and it was dedicated during the Feast of Tabernacles the following year (1 Kings 8:63). There are no coincidences with God, so it follows that the house God is building on David’s lineage (Jesus) would be God’s people, those in covenant with Him. Peter tells us quite plainly that God is building that spiritual house with the lively stones of man (1 Peter 2:5). And the fulfillment of what God has built is actualized after the return of Jesus Christ, when He sets up His kingdom.
With all of this as the foundation, consider that we are also a tabernacle of witness: a place where God’s Spirit dwells, a temporary dwelling, a house carefully built by God’s direction and purpose. Now we know that we are ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) - meaning that we exemplify His agenda, we speak His words, we accomplish His goals. But more than that, we are also witnesses - in a legal sense of proclaiming who God is, what He has done, and what He is doing. As the holy and righteous Judge, it only stands to reason that God would call witnesses to honestly, accurately, faithfully, reliably verify the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And here’s the crux of the whole matter: It is NOT a good thing to be a false witness! (Proverbs 19:5; Proverbs 19:9). A false witness is in the list of the things God hates (Proverbs 6:19). The Ninth Commandment prohibits bearing false witness! So, body of Christ, brothers and sisters in the faith, how is our witness as we live in this world? Are you faithfully, honestly, reliably witnessing about our Great, Righteous, and Just God? It’s worth considering.
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Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it. ~Blaise Pascal
