Whatever is Pure, Inspiring Christian Poetry, Devotionals and Testimonies November 2010

When we were children our lives stretches out in front of us. The summer holidays seemed endless and Christmas crept round so slowly!

Now, as adults, the months fly by. It is autumn before we know it and one year gallops into the next. "Where has the time gone?" we often ask, regretfully, with tasks unfinished and others not even begun.

Perhaps, like me, you have reached the autumn of your life and it has crept up on you unawares. As the leaves fall and the trees take on their wintry silhouettes, you take a hard look at what you have accomplished. What legacy do you leave behind for the generations that follow? Has your life counted for anything? Most importantly of all, have you fulfilled your potential in God's plan?

If you ask yourself these questions and are full of regret, there is still time to act! Others in middle or late years, who have looked closely at their "track record" and found it wanting, have been gripped with a passion to use their last years for God. I personally know three widows who, with less than a handful of years until retirement, have blazed a trail for God and are still red-hot in their passion for the Master and for souls. Others, hindered by age and ill-health from active evangelism, have a remarkable ministry of prayer and encouragement.

What can you do? You can do anything...if it is the Lord's plan for you! For even in your autumn years, if he is your God, he will guide, strengthen and carry you. It may not be that he wants you to go to the foreign mission field like one old lady I know, but there is a job for you to do, and potential for you to fulfil.

So as the fall colour emblazons the trees around us, and eventually the golds and reds turn to ochre and brown, us "oldies" can give thanks to God for whatever life we have left. We can tell him how grateful we are to have every day, and we can turn that gratitude to service for him, knowing that he will keep his precious promise: "I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you. " (Isa. 46:3,4 NLT).

Lin edits First! magazine, published by the Faith Mission, Edinburgh, Scotland. You can see more of her writing, and other helpful articles, at First! magazine the online digest of the magazine. You can also contact Lin through her website to seek permission before using this article in any format.

Being thankful is an easy thing to do,
When wonderful occurrences happen to you.
Being thankful when rocky times roll around,
Doesn't come easy when your face is to the ground.

Daily our attitude must be one of new hope,
Keep expectations high while we struggle and cope.
It's all in our attitude and the choices we make.
There's a lot to be thankful for. There's a lot at stake.

Our very well-being hinges on how well we perceive,
The notions, commotions, hurts and pain we receive.
When someone slaps you on the cheek,
Words of forgiveness you must speak.

Don't hold bitterness and resentment in your heart.
Wake each morning prepared to make a brand new start.
If you approach each situation and people in this light,
Your conscience will be clean and your heart will be right.

The fact that October was designated Pastor Appreciation month in many churches across North America happily coincided with a desire within my own heart to spend time in prayer for my own pastors and church staff. It was not until after I invited a few friends to join with me that I discovered the 'happy coincidence', rejoicing that I was joining in with other intercessors across the world in praying for protection and blessing for our pastors.

Although I happen to be fiercely protective of those I love, my pastors included, I don't go quite as far as a father who made international headlines recently in his attempt to stop bullies from attacking his disabled daughter on her daily bus ride to and from school. His angry, curse-laced tirade was inappropriate especially as none of the bullies happened to be on the bus he stormed that day. However, his desire to protect his daughter coupled with his frustration with the school system that refused to deal with her attackers led to his actions.

Our heavenly Father has the same desire to protect and defend all his children, including those who have sacrificially stepped up into servant leadership positions. While it is easy for the average church-goer to forget that their pastor is just as susceptible to being wounded by gossip, passive-aggressive bullying, slander, and unjust unfounded criticism as themselves, God never forgets. God understands the weariness that pastors face as they deal with the impossible expectations that many congregants place upon them. Although some might think that a ministerial title disallows the individual carrying that title the 'luxury' of being fully human and therefore vulnerable to emotional hurts and wounds, God thinks differently. He sees past the title and mantle and sees his precious child, who more times than not has no comforter outside of the Holy Spirit from which to find solace.

Although October is soon over, I plan on continuing to pray for my pastors on a daily basis. I believe as I pray blessings upon them that I cannot help but be blessed in return. As I pray for God's refreshment, healing and encouragement to be poured out upon my pastors, I know only good came come from it. For as long as my pastors dwell in God's place of healing and restorative protection they will find freedom to seek His face for vision and sound biblical direction for those they serve.

Gal. 6: 6-7: "Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."

1 Thess. 5: 12-13: "Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other."

1 Tim. 5: 17-21: "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages." Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear. I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality."

Heb. 13: 17: "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you."

I would recommend Nancy Leigh DeMoss's 31 day prayer guide for praying for your pastor. This excellent resource is free to download and as long as you follow the PDF's copyright conditions, you are free to pass the guide on to friends.

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Pastor Weaver has a new car. I didn’t know his old van was on life support until he tore into the church parking lot behind the wheel of that candy-apple red foreign jobbie, dealer plates and "temporary" sticker still plastered to the rear window. Talk about a beaut.

I immediately resented its purring presence. I’m thinking: You could stock a food bank forever on that puppy’s retail value. A more spiritual spin: Think of all the worthy ministries and charities you could’ve supported with the money you spent on this heap of power windows and fuel-injected intake!

You’ll be relieved to hear that I didn’t say this out loud. But I thought it. So, why am I thinking like this?

For starters, it’s been "one of those days." Fatigue has breached my defenses and most of my better judgment. More to the point, it’s because we need a new car, too. Nothing fancy. I’d settle for a "pre-owned" domestic jobbie that rolled off the assembly line when they were still cranking them out in one color. No particular make or model, just something fresher than the 1984 Japanese tin can we’ve been tooling around in for decades.

So, variation on a theme: He doesn’t need a new car. His wife’s car is newer and nicer than our old clunker was the day it was born. They don’t even have any kids at home anymore. Where do they get the money to buy a fancy new car?

Long ago when I was young and foolish – like last week – I’d reproach myself big-time for such silly, petty thoughts. Why should I begrudge God’s blessing of another saint? That’s His business, not mine. Sit down and shut up, sister. Today, however, I’m ashamed of my self-centered reaction to another’s material blessing.

Why am I telling you this? Well, protestations of envy, discontent, unfair comparison and frustration aside, is my reaction to that candy-apple red intruder unusual?

What about the colleague who gets the promotion you applied for – especially when you have more experience and a stronger resume? What about the parental braggadocio who’s spouting off over her four-point-oh honor graduate, the boy genius who never cracked a book in his life, while your kid studied his brains out to scrape up some Cs? How about the neighbor who’s heading out for a Caribbean cruise while you’re camping at the beach?

Warning: I’m going to take a sharp turn here, so buckle up! I’m giving you a sneak peek inside a writer’s mind and telling you where temptation often lies. So forget about that seat belt. Better get an industrial strength winch.

You see, at this point a writer is tempted to toss in a few Bible verses, fold over a pithy quote or two and wrap up this story with a bow of trite clichés and call it done.

I could do that. You might even smile and nod and agree. No loose ends. Nothing unpredictable or surprising. Nothing that requires any thought deeper than a Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. Comfortable. Nice. Neat. And excruciatingly disingenuous.

Maybe that’s why this nagging niggling won’t let me do that. So indulge me for a moment while I sail into a different sea. Wonder with me if God may be up to something in this car envy episode. Could He be delving into depths, dredging into the Marianas Trench of my soul and bringing up… self-centered sludge? There it is again: the oozy, inky mire of me-ism. Rooting around in my Marianas Trench, could God be bringing these character flaws and defects to the surface because He’s after something deeper?

Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

My heart isn’t exactly a sparkling cup of Aquafina right now. Measuring myself against someone else, I’ve come up short. The result? A "wellspring" clogged with self-pity, myopic me-ism and wounded pride. But God keeps digging. Why? Because He’s after my heart. Yes, He’s already redeemed it. His Son paid the ultimate price to ransom me out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light. So why am I grubbing around here in the mud?

But God is a patient teacher. He gently points to this dark, mucky part of my heart and says, "Will you give me that?" It’s a request, not a command. How gracious He is. I hang back, hesitant. Then I think, "What in the world am I waiting for?"

For the next four hours I say yes to God. He dives again and again, hauling one bucket of yuck after another to the surface. He points and asks. I nod. Repentance. Forgiveness. Cleansing.

I slowly realize that the gunk surrounding my reaction to Pastor Weaver’s new car has little to do with the fancy import. It’s about a hole in my heart, a craving I’m trying to fill. How kind of God to gently remind me that a new car, house, job, promotion, or even "best-selling author" status will never fill the hole in my heart that He’s surfaced via a 2009 Toyota Camry. He made me with a "heart hole" that only the love of God in Christ can fill. And He does, especially from the driver’s seat.

Excerpted from "how I got to be 50 and other atrocities: a baby boomer reflects on the boom and other splashes of everyday life" by Kristine Lowder. Please contact Kristine through her website (below) to gain permission before reproducing this article in any printed or electronic format (including forwarded email to friends).

Bio: A multi-published author, Kristine Lowder has published 12 books, hundreds of articles, short stories, essays and devotionals. She enjoys reading, camping and hiking in the Cascades with her husband, their four sons, and their incurably affable yellow Lab, Eve. She manages or administrates six blogs. Visit her at: Thank You

2008 Emily Kooiman

Permission must by given by Emily before using her poem in any format, printed or electronic.

When we were children our lives stretches out in front of us. The summer holidays seemed endless and Christmas crept round so slowly!

Lin edits First! magazine, published by the Faith Mission, Edinburgh, Scotland. You can see more of her writing, and other helpful articles, at First! the online digest of the magazine. You can also contact Lin through her website to seek permission before using this article in any format.