Fortitude and Strength of Character

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, Who forgives all your iniquity, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, Who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.”

~Psalm 103:1-5

David had a lot of ups and downs in his life, some of his own doing, and some due to the jealousy of others. He often found himself alone, abandoned by his friends, and pursued by his enemies. David gave in to his own fleshly desires on occasion, he whined and complained, and sometimes, he felt like giving up. I think we can all identify with David in one way or the other. I know I can. But the what I take away from David’s life isn’t that he sinned and did stupid things that caused a lot of pain in his life and the lives of others, but that David always, always came back to God with a contrite heart and repentance. He never let foolish pride stand keep him from confessing his sins and asking forgiveness. To me, it takes more courage to admit you’re wrong and in need of forgiveness than it does to commit those sins in the first place. In fact, I think committing sin only takes pride and a lack of humility. When I was living according to the flesh, it didn’t take any courage at all to sin. In fact, I think sin shows a serious lack of fortitude and strength of character. Standing up and saying, “I was wrong, and I’ve sinned against Jesus Christ, and made a mockery of all He did on the Cross,” takes a whole lot more guts than living with sin does.

“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything. Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by His power (1 Corinthians 6:12-14).” 

We were given free will and can choose what we do, when, and with whom but that doesn’t mean it’s good for us. In free will, we can also choose that which will save our lives not just here on earth, but for eternity. Our lives were bought with a hefty price and when we honor our lives, we are honoring God. When we make the choice to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are also making the choice to give up the world around us. No one can ride two horses with one saddle. We can either live in this world as a testimony to what Christ did for us, or we can live as if the world is all that matters. And with either choice, we have chosen the consequences—eternity with Christ, or eternity without Him. When we choose Christ, we are choosing to live a life that takes courage, conviction, fortitude and strength.

“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does (1 Peter 4:1-6).”

Read Proverbs 1-10

©2018 Marie McGaha

Liar, Liar

“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.””

~Genesis 3:8-13

When my kids were little, I heard a lot of excuses, and I heard a lot of blaming. It was always someone else’s fault no matter what happened. Or they flat out lied to me, even when I caught them doing something. But passing the buck, making excuses, and lying goes all the way back to the beginning of mankind. It’s part of our nature to want to share the blame and therefore, share the punishment. Adam and Eve did it. They stood face-to-face with God Almighty and straight up lied to Him! Every time I read that portion of the Bible, I’m struck by their audacity to lie to God’s face but one day, I read that and thought, wow, we are still lying to God’s face. Every single one of us lie to God’s face every time we deny that we need His help, His grace, and His forgiveness. Every time we blame someone else for our situation, we are lying to God. I’m not saying others don’t affect our lives, but we are ultimately responsible for our own lives and how we live them. We might follow the crowd but that doesn’t make it right. We make choices every single day that affect how our lives are going to be tomorrow and there’s no one to blame but ourselves. We are all big fat liars who don’t want to take responsibility for ourselves. It’s just so much easier to wallow than it is to stand up and say, “It’s my own fault. I did this. I’m the one who messed up my life.” There is no action that does not have a consequence, good or bad. Choose the action, and you are choosing the consequence.

“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are His delight (Proverbs 12:22).”

I’ve lied. I’m just as guilty as everyone else. But what I came to realize it that lying does nothing good. It doesn’t help, in fact, it just digs a bigger hole that gets deeper and deeper until you can’t climb out. Lies hurt the one being lied to and the one doing the lying. Lying erodes the very foundation of every relationship we ever have. And those lies always come to light one way or another. To me, lying is just not worth the trouble. Another thing I’ve discovered is that the truth is a lot more fun. People seem geared to handle lies but the truth will throw them for a loop. But lying to others is one thing, lying to God is impossible. God sees all, knows all, hears all, and every time we lie, it breaks His heart. And there is no room for liars in Heaven.

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator (Colossians 3:5-10).”

Read Psalm 119

Weekend reading Finish Psalm 119

©2018 Marie McGaha

Walk of Faith

“As it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.”

~Philippians 1:20-26

For a law abiding citizen, I’ve spent a lot of time in prison. My late husband was in both state and federal prisons, where I met and married him and spent the last four years of his stretch in visiting rooms all over the country. The feds like to move their charges around a bit. One of my sons is in the federal system, and is also moved around quite often, but never close to me. Sometimes I think it’s a conspiracy to keep us as far apart as possible. I don’t get to see him often. I have also worked as a drug and alcohol counselor in the prison system, and I’ve been involved in prison ministry, so I’ve seen prison from every side. But no matter how much prison I’ve seen, I’ve never seen it the way the Apostle Paul did. There was no judge or jury, no three hots and a cot, no visiting days, TVs, weight piles or boneyards. It was a dark, dank cell with rats, insects and a prisoner chained to the floor. There was no early release or parole, and prisoners often died from disease or malnutrition, unless the governor of the province released them. But Paul, bound and chained to the floor never lost his joy. Instead, he dictated letters to be sent to the churches he established so the congregations wouldn’t lose heart over his situation. He knew sheep scatter when the shepherd is gone. He also knew that no matter where he was, Christ was with him. His only goal in life was to see Christ glorified and preach the gospel. Imagine if today’s prisons were full of prisoners like that!

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel (Philippians 1:27).”

Paul wanted the people to continue their walk of faith whether or not he was present. The same thing Christ wants of all of us. We cannot physically see, hear or touch Jesus Christ, but we can see, hear and touch Him through the Holy Spirit, in our inner being, in our own spirits. He is alive and real, living within our spirits through His own. It’s a mind-bender but it’s the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced. When we get that into our minds and hearts and understand the full implications, we can rejoice like Paul. No matter what happens in this life, the important thing is that Christ is glorified in our lives. In prison? Death of a loved one? Cheated on by a spouse? Talked about by a friend? Left behind by the crowd? Fired? Got a failing grade on a test? It doesn’t matter. Is Christ glorified in your life by what you do no matter what’s going on? That’s the important question and the only that matters. Life sucks. It sucks bad. Life will knock you down, jump on top of you and beat the crap out of you. And when you try to get up, it’ll kick you in the face. But that isn’t important either. What’s important is when you were on the ground, was your manner of life worthy o the gospel of Christ?

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:9-14).”

Read Psalm 131-150

©2018 Marie McGaha

The Potter's Hands

“This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.’ So, I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so, the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me.  He said, ‘Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?’ declares the Lord.”

~Jeremiah 18:1-6

When we come into this world, we are like the clay in the potter’s hand waiting to be molded and shaped into a vessel that God can use for His glory. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy for us to be molded as it is clay, and it also has to do with who is doing the molding. We don’t always get an experienced potter in life. Sometimes, we get an untalented potter without a clue as to what they should do with the clay in their hands. Sometimes, we wind up with the chore of molding ourselves into some semblance of a productive human being. It can be a rough start for many of us.

I wasn’t raised by Ozzie and Harriet and we didn’t live like The Brady Bunch. We were more like Married With Children without the humor. I was always envious of those Brady kids though, with parents who were kind, loving, and understanding; siblings who were helpful and considerate, and a maid to do the cooking and cleaning. I would’ve killed to have Alice in our house! Even though we are products of our childhood, and we don’t always get the skilled potters as parents, we can still come out of it in pretty good shape.

“But when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now, we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Corinthians 13:10-12).”

The Amplified version of this verse reads:

“But when that which is complete and perfect comes, that which is incomplete and partial will pass away. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now [in this time of imperfection] we see in a mirror dimly [a blurred reflection, a riddle, an enigma], but then [when the time of perfection comes we will see reality] face to face. Now I know in part [just in fragments], but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known [by God].” 

Only God sees things as they are. He sees us for who we can be in Him, not for all the mistakes we’ve made in our lives, not for all the names we’ve been called, and certainly not for the dim view we have of ourselves. He sees us through the lens of the blood of Jesus Christ. God sees us wrapped in the light of His glory, flawed human beings who have been saved by grace and justified by His Son. If we could only take a moment and look into the mirror and see what God sees in us, we would have a completely different take on who we are and what our true worth is. 

Look into the mirror and repeat God’s words in Jeremiah: “Can I not do with you, (insert your name here), as this potter does?” Let the Potter mold and shape you from the inside out. You are what the Lord says you are, and no matter what has been said about you, or to you, it's what God says that matters. Be the clay in God's hands, take the shape He wants you to have and you'll become a beautiful piece of art.

“The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you (Jeremiah 31:3).”

Read Psalm 120-130

© 2018 Marie McGaha

God's Grand Design

“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it.”

~Song of Solomon 8:6-7

Being in love is a heady feeling, which is why people pursue love. It’s why writer’s write songs, poetry, books, and movie scripts about it, and singers croon about it. It’s something we all want and desire, dream of, and cry over. That feeling of falling in love, being in love, and searching for love is a driving force that has created a billion-dollar industry in dating sites. We want to fall in love and live happily ever after, yet, divorce is at an all-time high, infidelity is at an all-time high, and more people are living together without the benefit of marriage. So where did the human race go wrong when it comes to finding love? I suppose that is a question easier asked than answered.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).”

God designed marriage; it is a covenant between one man, one woman, and God. When God is removed from the equation, love and marriage no longer have the meaning they were intended. God is god of all—over all, above all, in all, around all, through all. And when we remove God from any part of our lives, chaos ensues. We see it all around us today in all parts of our society. God was removed from our schools and governments and the end result has been disastrous. There is no longer a clear-cut idea of right and wrong in society or in our personal lives. So, if society can’t handle life without the clear presence of God, how can we expect to handle our own lives without His presence in every aspect, including love and marriage? Our threefold cord in marriage is God, husband and wife. Remove any one of those members from the marriage, and it falls apart. We must be all in when it comes to our marriages—100% in the marriage 100% of the time because marriage is God's grand design.

“You husbands must be careful of your wives, being thoughtful of their needs and honoring them as the weaker sex. Remember that you and your wife are partners in receiving God’s blessings, and if you don’t treat her as you should, your prayers will not get ready answers (1 Peter 3:7).”

In a godly marriage, the husband is expected to do the heavy lifting in supporting his family, being a godly leader, showing his family how to live instead of telling them one thing and doing another. The husband is to follow Christ’s lead in loving and caring for his family, and when he does that, the wife and children will follow that lead. The contrary is true, if a husband is not leading by godly example, whether he knows it or not, he is still leading his family and they will follow the path he’s on. A man who abuses his wife will have children who learn that abuse is acceptable. Those children are likely to become abusers, bullies, and violent people, while those who are raised with love will likely become loving, caring people who put others’ needs before their own. Love is a learned concept just like everything else.

“Be beautiful inside, in your hearts, with the lasting charm of a gentle and quiet spirit that is so precious to God. That kind of deep beauty was seen in the saintly women of old, who trusted God and fitted in with their husbands’ plans (1 Peter 3:4-5).”

God created everything in perfect harmony, including our marriage relationship. Each husband is to love his wife and lead his family with caring and concern. Wives are also leaders in the family, a different kind of leadership role, but no less important. Women are to be gentle with their husbands, follow his lead, and to be kind and loving to her family. While men are leaders of the family, it is often the wives who are the spiritual backbone of the family teaching the ways of the Lord by what she does and how she expresses her love to her family. Women are gifted in ways men can never be, and while women may not have the physical strength of a man, they are gifted with stamina, endurance, strength of mind, courage, and fortitude. In the same way that Christ is the head of the church, and church leaders lead the congregation, it is a representation of the family. God is a family man, the ultimate father to us all, and He leads by example—being kind, faithful, patient, loving, and never giving up on any of us no matter how far we wander. It is His plan for His family to follow His lead and model our lives in the same way.

“If I gave everything I have to poor people, and if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t love others, it would be of no value whatever. Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him (1 Corinthians 13:3-7).”

Read Psalm 100-118

© 2018 Marie McGaha

Those Unseen Things

“May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”

~2 Peter 1:2-4 

I know a lot of people who worry about dying, even Christians, but that has never been one of my worries. I have never worried about the length of my life, or even wanted to live into my 90s or longer. To me, life has always been a burden I’d rather not carry; something fleeting and temporary that I’d just as soon not have to deal with. But I do feel blessed that I’ve lived as long as I have without killing myself. When I was young, I was pretty reckless and never gave much thought to the outcome of any given situation—the folly of youth, I suppose because when I look back at some of those situations with all the years of experience I’ve accumulated, I just shake my head and offer a thanks to God because I know He is the only reason I’m alive today. While that may sound like a contradiction, the difference is, in my youth I never gave a second thought to the eternal outcome of my actions, so I’m glad God did, and I’ve had the chance to ensure that outcome. And now I know that my length of days is solely in His hands, as is everything else in life.

“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).”

We are blinded to the truth of God by the things of this world. Whether it’s our own youthful folly, money, sex, drugs, or all the other things available to us in this life, we are all just hairless monkeys looking at something shiny. We want what we want when we want it and we don’t care who gets hurt or what the consequences will be. There is a veil over our minds when we don’t see the truth of God. We ignore the Bible, and we ignore the idea of eternal consequences. It’s easier to believe that this life is all there is, and death brings nothingness; or that we come back to try it all over again until we get it right; or that we become animals or insects that travel on to the next plain of existence, or any of the other dozens of fanciful ideas about what happens after this life ends. But the wisdom of this world is folly to God (1 Corinthians 3:19), and when we finally see the folly in our own thinking, that veil is lifted, and we see the truth of God. Our lives here are temporary and fleeting but at the end of this life is eternity. It’s up to us to decide where we will spend it.

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).”

Read Psalm 89-99

© 2018 Marie McGaha

One Man's Weeds

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

~Matthew 5:44-45

I like growing a garden. Having flowers around makes me feel better, and I like digging in the earth but one of the problems with gardening is you have to weed. Flowers and weeds grow together but I don’t think all weeds are equal. Some choke out what you are trying to grow, so they have to be yanked out regularly. But some weeds aren’t really weeds at all, like dandelions. My next-door neighbor has a little tool that goes into her lawn and plucks the dandelions right out, I let mine grow. Not only do they produce a pretty yellow flower, even if it doesn’t smell good, they also produce some very healthful and beneficial leaves and roots. And, if you’re so inclined, they make good wine. I like dandelion greens in my salads, they are chock full of vitamin A and iron. The root can be dried and used as a coffee replacement. One man’s weed is another man’s flower. I think it’s why we are to love our enemies and pray for those who  persecute us—we never know who’s a weed and who might be a dandelion.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34).”

In the Old Testament, the belief was “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth (Exodus 21:24).” If someone harmed you, you had the right to exact vengeance. Even though some still believe that today, Jesus said we aren’t to seek revenge but to love everyone the way He loves us. That is, we must remember that we were just as unlovable as anyone who has harmed us, and instead of exacting revenge, we are to pray for them. That being said, it doesn’t mean we have to be friends with people who have harmed us, but we do have to remember that prior to accepting Christ as our Savior, we, too, harmed others in some way. If each of us received what we deserved for the sins we’ve committed, we’d all be in hell. Thank God for sending Jesus Christ as the propitiation for our sins. There are enough weeds out there, but it isn’t up to us to decide which ones get plucked out and which ones are just dandelions.

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, 

then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father,  inherit the kingdom  
prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me food, I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked, and you clothed Me, I was sick, and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.’  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me’ (Matthew 25:31-40).”

Read Psalm 69-72

Weekend Reading Psalm 73-88

© 2018 Marie McGaha