Saturday, August 29, 2009

The fear factor

Today’s Reading: Acts 5: 11 (NIV)

11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

Good morning!

Whenever I’m afraid, I get a belly ache. Sometimes it passes with a little antacid and a cup of soup. Yet, unaddressed fears can literally hold you back in life, leading you to make poor life choices; keeping you from moving on, moving up, and moving out into the world. It is kind of like getting stuck behind a door that will not open no matter how many keys you try. You may find yourself sleep deprived in the middle of the night, worried and fearful of what the morning will bring. Scripture teaches that fear is not of God and that we must choose not to walk in fear but live by faith. Do you remember the words of the angel when He appeared to the Shepherds the night our Savior was born in Bethlehem – He said, “Fear not!” Knowing not to fear and not giving in to fear are two very different choices.

There are times when fear is actually a very healthy response. Fear teaches that we are not in control; we need to be aware of the imminent danger ahead, and to watch our next step. If you’ve ever seen a toddler leap off a sofa, or climb upon a counter totally fearless, then you may understand why the fear factor can actually be a very good thing. We must learn to understand and maneuver through the danger zones of our lives. We must face our fears head on, address them, repent, and receive the peace that can only come from Jesus Christ.

The Father allowed fear to seize the church after witnessing the sudden deaths of Sapphira and Ananias. Often, we portray the Lord as a God of perfect love; holy and good, with rich mercy and everlasting kindness. He is every bit of this, and so much more. Yet, we tend to disregard and even forget that the Father is also a jealous and righteous God; He judges the unrighteous and holds each of us accountable for the sins we’ve committed in life. We need to remember that God takes sin seriously at all times; especially within the church. When we choose to lie to each other, we not only single-handedly destroy our interpersonal relationships; we jeopardize our living witness for Jesus Christ. God will not allow the stain of sin to continue inside or outside the walls of His church.

There is no perfect pastor, parishioner, believer, seeker, or skeptic alive. All of us are human vessels; suffering from the sin sickness that has plagued us since the beginning of time and the first fall. Jesus obediently and willingly gave His life so that we might receive forgiveness for the sins we’ve committed; we can be restored to a right relationship with the Father. We must learn to recognize and avoid the sins that get in the way of living a life that is pleasing to God. And if it takes a little healthy fear to get us there, then I say, “Bring it on!” Father, give us a healthy fear of sin; lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and power and the glory forever and ever! Amen.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

___________________________

© Copyright 2009, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Dirty feet

Today’s Reading: Acts 5:9-10 (NIV)

9 Peter said to her, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” 10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

Mary,

The last thing I remember was seeing their dirty feet. It was obvious to me they had been out in the garden, where many of our kin are buried. My husband’s dead body is mere inches from my head. Our lies have brought us to this place, where our physical bodies will rot together. The dirt in this grave is very cold. This is the coldest place I’ve ever known.

My husband was called the rainmaker, for he could close some of the biggest deals in town. Many thought he was the most influential and successful land owner in our city. No one would have ever dreamed were living a lie. We pretended we had a relationship with the Master– that we had found new life in Him. But my husband was a great spin master. He could tell a tale as tall as that mountain; as wide and as deep as the Galilean lake. I knew there were times when he would willfully step across morality’s line just to finish a deal; yet, he never seemed to get caught. I somehow thought it would all be okay in the end. Mary, I was wrong.

Many people thought my husband was as honest as the day is long. Some who doubted his integrity may have feared what he might do had they tried to expose the man who he really was. I’ll admit I was frightened of what he might do to me, if I even questioned his impure motives. Ananias was a good provider, giving me everything that could be bought. But I never knew real love because the Truth is not for sale.

I’ve wasted my life, Mary. I traded the truth for a lie. I realized it when I saw the feet of the men who came to carry my dead body away. The dirt of death is never far behind. We may try to fool ourselves into thinking we can outlive the lies just to make ourselves look good in the eyes of man. But we can never fool the Lord. He sees right through our filthy hearts. His Truth has a way of finding you, one way or another. And in the end, we all face the same dirty grave.

I’ve wasted my time here on earth. I wish I could turn around and change the things I’ve done. I’ve been fooling myself all these years, believing my husband could talk our way right out of hell. Now I know I bought into a raw deal. His lies became mine and now I must face the penalty for my sin.

Dear sister, do not wait until you see the dirt from the graveyard caked upon the feet of the undertaker before you seek His Truth. Cry out Jesus and ask Him to forgive you, while there is breath left in your body. I am spending my eternity in torment, totally separated from God’s peace. If you want to live in Truth, then you must give your whole heart to Jesus Christ now. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Only Jesus can cleanse you if you seek Him now; invite Him into your heart by faith. He will help you know and understand what Truth is. Please do not waste your life living a lie.

Sapphira

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

___________________________

© Copyright 2009, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Dying lying

Today’s Reading: Acts 5:7-8 (NIV)

7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her: “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

Good morning!

Sapphira had a choice to make – would she tell the truth about the money or keep her husband’s secret? If you suddenly found yourself in a similar situation, what would you do?

This is such a tough teaching. I don’t know about the rest of you, but it certainly speaks to me. I often find it is much easier to make excuses than accept responsibility; to try and justify an action rather than see it for what it truly is. I’ll confess this is something I have struggled with for years. I could blame my obsessive “sweeping the family dirt under the rug” habit upon my childhood upbringing. I was raised in a time when it was not proper etiquette to talk about addictions, abuse and anger management issues. There were no self-help organizations where people could go and find assistance for the things that were utterly destroying their lives. It is much easier to make excuses for the ones we love and look the other way, rather than embarrass them (and yourself), facing the problem head-on, admitting it, and beginning the process of healing and restoration.

Sapphira lived under the rule and thumb of her spouse. He was not just her marriage partner; he owned her, as women were considered to be the property of their husbands. If she had chosen to confess the dishonest actions of her husband, it may have saved her life for the moment, but surely it would not have spared her from the wrath of an angry man. If Sapphira had known that Ananias died lying, would it have somehow freed her to speak the truth without fear of certain death?

When we choose to cover up the truth, we die lying. This story rings true in all our lives today. When we give our hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ, we are committing not just a portion of our lives to Him, but all of ourselves and all that we have to give. Jesus takes us as we are, with all the garbage we carry from our past, the choices of our present, and He holds our very future in the palm of His nail-scarred hands. Jesus died to free us from living a life of lies. If Sapphira had really understood that the Lord of life would have seen her through to tell the truth, I am convinced she would not have tried to cover up her husband’s sin. When she lied to the Apostles, she took Ananias sin and made it her very own.

Lord Jesus, we need your help today, to be honest with ourselves and each other. Pinch us hard when we refuse to see the truth, speak the truth, and live in truth. Help us trust you completely to free us from the sins that separate us from our Father. Help us let go right now. Amen.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

___________________________

© Copyright 2009, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles.

Monday, August 24, 2009

The fall

Today’s Reading: Acts 5:5-6 (NIV)

5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

Good morning!

I took a fall on Saturday morning. Jeff and I were leaving the parsonage to attend a visitation, and this just happened to be one of Jeff’s first trips out of the house other than to see the doctor since his elbow surgery on August 5th. He had just walked down the two steps into the garage and was headed for the car when I came out the door behind him. As I turned to shut the door behind me, my sandal strap broke and I completely missed the two steps, free-falling onto the hard concrete floor. I found myself suddenly wedged between the car and the wall. It happened so fast that I didn’t even have time to scream. I fell really hard. When Jeff realized I was no longer behind him, he turned around to see where I had disappeared to. Talk about a blessing in disguise – I could have fallen on him and caused even more damage to his slow-healing arm. After the struggle he has to heal, I’m not sure I could have forgiven myself had that happened. I just sat there on the floor of our garage, trembling and shaking, wondering how I was going to get up.

Have you ever fallen down and not been able to get back up? Fortunately, I had not broken any bones, but, I was literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. I couldn’t move, wedged between the front tire of my car and the wall. Jeff opened the back door and asked one of our college students who was staying with us this weekend to come outside to help me up. I couldn’t decide which actually hurt the worst – my back side or my pride. Either way, it was not a pretty sight. I decided I needed something along the line of a bridge crane to help get me up off the floor. That’s when I noticed all of the dirt. It was everywhere –and now it was all over my clean white jacket. Sometimes it takes a fall to wake you up. For me, the fall brought my mind back to reality. The Father’s message to me was coming through loud and clear.

Ananias had made a huge error in judgment. It wasn’t just that he lied to the Apostles, or that he had tried to withhold some of the proceeds of the sale for himself. The biggest mistake that Ananias made that day, as best as I can tell, is that he was not sorry for his sin. The floor of his heart was just about as filthy as the floor of my garage. He looked pretty good on the outside, but his heart was an absolute mess, rotten to the core on the inside.

If we are not careful, we can let our human heart condition advance to the place of no return. When we begin to compromise the truth for a lie, we may be able to fool others for awhile, but we cannot fool the Lord. He not only sees all the dirt in our heart, clogging up our arteries and veins, but He knows for sure whether we’re truly sorry or just trying to squeeze by. Now that my house guests are gone, the first thing I intend to do today is clean my garage. I’m also going for a nice, long walk. And while I’m out, I intend to have a heart to heart with Jesus. He is the only one who can clean up the filth in my life and recreate me from the inside out. He can take that dirty white jacket of mine and make it clean and whole again. It won’t be long before I am squeaky clean, covered in Christ’s righteousness alone. When we are truly sorry for the mistakes we’ve made, Jesus Christ will help us even after we take a sudden and hard fall.

Poor Ananias. If he had only said, “I’m sorry, Lord” and meant it.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

___________________________

© Copyright 2009, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles.