Peace and Quiet

“But now even more the report about Him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear Him and to be healed of their infirmities. But He would withdraw to desolate places and pray.”

~Luke 5:15-16

I am not good in crowds. I don’t like cities either. The noise, the stench, bumper-to-bumper traffic, people pushing and shoving—to me, it’s maddening and has a negative physical effect on my body and mind. I get short of breath and I feel faint, in short, I have panic attacks. I need solitude and silence, which works well because my husband has a job that keeps him away all week and I am home alone Sunday through Friday. I like peace and quiet. I can get my chores done, tend to my little garden, mow the lawn, all the things I must do because someone has to, but I also have plenty of time to spend alone with the Lord. I like having the time to read the Bible without interruption, to write devotionals, and spend time in prayer and worship. Any intimate relationship requires time spent without interruptions, chaos and noise. That is especially true of our relationship with Christ.

“And He went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So, His fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought Him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and He healed them. And great crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan (Matthew 4:23-25).”

Everywhere Jesus went, He was called to help others, and everywhere He went, “great crowds followed Him.” Jesus was a busy man, but He always found time to be alone with the Father and pray. Jesus understood that His ministry was important but spending time with God was how He was strengthened to continue His ministry. Even though Jesus was God, He was also confined to a human body that needed rest and food, and He had a human mind that needed peace to clear the cobwebs and be able to think, and He had a human heart that needed comfort by being near our Heavenly Father. If Jesus needed those things, how much more do we?

“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).”

Sometimes we feel as if we must be “on” all the time, and if we’re not, we are failing. We all fulfill many roles in life, and as we grow older those roles change from time to time, but they are no less demanding. We go from children to adults to parents to grandparents, and we have so many outside forces dictating our lives—jobs, spouses, friends, obligations, church, ministry and the list goes on. Our lives can get very full and hectic, sometimes to the point of breaking. I’ve been there. I’ve reached the point to where I felt like I couldn’t go on, couldn’t give one more part of who I was to anyone, couldn’t muster the strength to get out of bed, answer the phone, or feed the dog. It’s life burnout and it can be debilitating. That’s why it’s so important to spend time alone like Jesus did, away from the cities, people, and those who need something from us. We need time alone with our Savior to pray, worship, and rest in Him.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:4-9).”

Read Isaiah 56-60

Weekend reading Isaiah 61-66

©2018 Marie McGaha

Watch Your Mouth

“A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. When wickedness comes, contempt comes also, and with dishonor comes disgrace. The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice. A fool's lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating. A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.”

~Proverbs 18:2-8

When I was a kid we were taught manners, politeness, kindness and respect. We didn’t talk back to our elders, and we didn’t get smart with Mama. If our tone of voice even got out of line, we heard, “Watch your mouth!” When I had kids, I taught them the same thing—respect. That is something I find sorely missing these days from almost everyone. It seems people think just because a thought pops into their head, they have to post it on social media or rant about it on a blog or video. One thing I like to remember is, “Better to be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt (Proverbs 17:28).” Apparently, people no longer care whether they sound like a fool or not.

^“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear (Ephesians 4:10).”

Using foul language, telling coarse jokes, shouting obscenities from the rooftops, being opinionated and rude permeates our society. Even among those who call themselves Christians. I am appalled at how people act, and more appalled they don’t seem to care how they look or sound to others. It seems the louder and ruder someone is, the more the world applauds them. And I don’t get it. Especially with Christians. It is a slap to God’s face for us to call ourselves Christians and continue to act like everyone else. It is a disgrace to what Christ did for us on the Cross when we sound like heathens, and it’s disrespectful to everyone. We are to be in the world, but not of the world (1 John 2:15-17), in other words, we are supposed to act like Christ did as we walk our way through life. We are supposed to be an example of the new life Christ gives us to show others it’s a better way; but if we sound like everyone else, how does anyone see Christ in us? We are going to be held accountable for every word that comes out of our mouths (Matthew 12:36) when we stand before God one day. And rest assured, every one of us will stand before God and answer for our lives on earth (2 Corinthians 5:10). If your words are not lining up with Christ’s example, if you sound like everyone else, if your speech isn’t gracious (Colossians 4:6), perhaps you too, need to watch your mouth.  

“If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also, the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water (James 3:3-12).”

Read Isaiah 49-54

©2017 Marie McGaha

Sweet Little Lies

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

~Galatians 5:16-21

When my kids were little the first thing they learned to do was lie to me. As soon as they could toddle around the house and get into things, they began to lie, and it continued into the teenage years. When they were very young, I thought it was funny, cute even. I could watch them do something, ask them if they did it, and they would say “no.” They also began to hide the evidence of their little baby crimes. “Did you take that cookie I said you couldn’t have?” Immediately, the cookie went behind their back, “No.” Even though their face was covered in cookie, they lied to me. As they got older, their crimes got larger. Telling me they were going one place but going somewhere else, sneaking out of the house, smoking cigarettes, drinking, and all the other things teens do that apparently, parents never did and are too stupid to figure out. The very things I did, and my parents did, and presumably, my grandparents did.

As we get older, we do learn right from wrong, and we develop a sense of personal morals and justice. But some people are just really good at ignoring what’s right and wrong and moral and just. Instead, they choose to continue to gratify their own desires no matter the cost to others, or even to themselves. But when they get caught, it’s never their fault. Someone else is to blame. Society, the cops, the judge, their mama—the blame always lies outside of their responsibility. On the other hand, a life in Christ is contrary to that thinking. A life in Christ is absolute responsibility for everything we say and do. From the thoughts we think to the words we say to the actions we take—Christ holds us responsible. Right down to our souls, we are responsible for choosing the right way to go, for choosing to humble ourselves and ask Christ to forgive our sins, and then to live for Him, and share Him with others. A life in Christ goes against our very nature.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25).”

If you’ve read the story of Christ’s arrest and subsequent death, you know crucifixion is a hard way to go, yet we are told to crucify the flesh along with its passions and desires. We are to crush those desires, get rid of them, and never look at them again. The desires of the flesh are nothing but trouble and cause us a lifetime of pain and suffering. It is only through a personal relationship with Christ that we can overcome our flesh and live by the Spirit. And through His death and resurrection, we can keep in step with the Spirit all the way through this life and into Heaven. Every choice we make, good or bad, has consequences. Living for the flesh leads to death and an eternity in hell. Living for the Lord leads to life and an eternity in Heaven. When you choose an action, you are choosing the consequence. Choose wisely.

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:4-5)?”

Read Isaiah 43-48

© 2018 Marie McGaha

What Sort of Man Is This?

“And when He got into the boat, His disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but He was asleep. And they went and woke Him, saying, ‘Save us, Lord; we are perishing.’ And He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?’ Then He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey Him?’”

~Matthew 8:23-27

Have you ever been in a situation where you were so scared that your blood felt cold and you couldn’t take a breath? It’s like your body shuts down and doesn’t know what to do. Our reactions to any given stressful situation is called fight or flight, but I don’t know what it’s called when you’re too scared to run or fight. Being frozen with fear is a horrifying experience. Everything is out of control and you just stand there like an idiot unable to move, speak or even think. I’ve been in situations where I’ve had to fight, and I’ve been in situations where running was the only option, and I’ve been in situations where neither was an option because there was nowhere to run and nothing to fight. The disciples were in that situation. They were in a boat on the sea when a huge storm roared to life, tossing them about and threatening to sink them. They had nowhere to run and there was nothing to fight. I imagine their fear was at a 10. Hearts pounding, breathing fast, palms sweating, knees shaking, no way out. Yet, there was Jesus, fast asleep with no worries. I imagine me in that situation and I have to laugh. I’d be plenty scared but somewhere in the back of my mind, I’d be thinking ‘seriously, you’re sleeping now?’ My husband is like that. The man is made of steel and he can sleep anywhere at any time no matter what’s going on. On the other hand, I’m a light sleeper and if something’s bothering me, I’m a no sleeper. He irritates me. On the other hand, he is the perfect man to have around during a crisis.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7).”

Sometimes we forget who is ultimately in control. It’s not me, it’s not my husband – it’s God. Just like the disciples, who, even though they knew Jesus was the Son of God, were afraid of the winds and waves, we often forget who is in control in the face of crises. And when the seas were calmed, the disciples were amazed that Jesus simply spoke to the winds and they ceased. Everything became calm in the presence of Jesus. Our lives are like that too. When things get out of control, we start to panic and seem to forget that Jesus has the situation well in hand. Our lives in Christ are safe, no matter what’s going on around us. Like a hurricane, life can spin out of control, but in the center of the hurricane, it’s calm, and so our lives are with Jesus at the center.

“The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as King forever. May the Lord give strength to His people! May the Lord bless His people with peace! (Psalm 29:10-11).”

Read Isaiah 37-42

©2018 Marie McGaha

The Words We Speak

“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.”

~Ephesians 5:3-4

As an editor and publisher, I see lots of manuscripts and get asked a lot of questions about what is acceptable for publishing with my company. One of the things that comes up regularly is curse words and “adult” situations— would-be authors want to know how much cursing and sex we will accept. My answer is, of course, none. As writers, we should be able to express our thoughts without using those elements, and as Christians, we should already know the answer. What people really want is approval to use those elements and I won’t give it to them. We are Christians and held to a higher standard by God, so the least we can do is hold ourselves, and each other, to that same standard.

“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak (Matthew 12:36).”

When we claim to be followers of Christ, our lives are to reflect His life. There should be obvious changes in how we act, how we speak, and in our demeanor both privately and in public. What we do reflects who we are, and if we are living for Christ, that should be as obvious as when we were living in sin. Everything we do is done in the presence of Jesus Christ. Every word we speak or write goes to the ear of God and we will be held accountable. You can’t ride the fence between living for Christ and living in the world; we are to live for Christ alone.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).”

It’s easy to follow the world’s morals and standards because the bar is very low but following Christ requires us to separate ourselves from the world and its ways. It takes strength to follow Christ and abide in Him and His ways. Being separated from this world is what following Christ is all about. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we are called to be different than we were, different than the rest of the world, and we are to show that difference in everything we do.

“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 Isaiah 31-36

©2018 Marie McGaha

RUN!!!

“And after a time, his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master's wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her. But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.” 

~Genesis 39:7-12

Have you ever been in a situation where you knew you should just walk away but because the end result sounded so great, you didn’t? It could’ve been the offer of money or a good time, something that appealed to your senses, yet somewhere inside, that little voice of reason kept warning you to get out, instead you ignored it and wound up wishing you hadn’t. I’ve been there. I’ve done the wrong thing because it either offered something I thought I wanted, or because I didn’t want those around me to think I was weak or afraid. I heard that voice inside and told it to shut up and leave me alone, only to regret it later. Seduction is a heady feeling and appeals to all our mortal senses. It makes us feel included, liked, special, and part of something. It appeals to our most base senses and it’s one of the devil’s greatest tools.

“You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's (Exodus 20:17).”

If there’s one commandment I’ve broken, it’s been the one above. So, what does it mean to covet? Simply, it means to want something someone else has. It’s a yearning, or desire to have something, which leads to doing anything to obtain it. How do we first covet? With our eyes. We covet what we see every day. Whether it’s our neighbors big house with a pool, the ’57 T-Bird they drive, the gold and diamonds they hang on their necks, the furs draped over their shoulders, we covet what we see. It’s the whole “keeping up with the Joneses” deal that’s been going on since Cain killed Abel. It’s what happened to Jesus when the devil took Him on the pinnacle of the temple and showed Him all the riches of the world and offered to give them to Jesus if He just bowed before satan (Luke 4:5). Covetousness grows into lust and lust becomes unbearable until we give in and go after the object of our desire. People throw away their marriages from lusting after another person; they gamble away their savings lusting after more money; they throw away their lives lusting after drugs and alcohol, and it all begins with that little seed of desire that we allow to take root when we ignore the voice that says, “RUN!”

“For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness (1 Timothy 6:7-11).”

Read Isaiah 18-23

Weekend reading Isaiah 24-30

©2018 Marie McGaha

Wives, Submit! Really?

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.”

~Ephesians 5:22

This is probably the most unpopular verse in the Bible for women, and one of the most abused by men. What does submitting to your husband mean? Is this just a way for men to control women? Before you decide the Bible is anti-female, let me assure you, it’s not. In fact, this verse doesn’t mean what most people think it does, and it is most definitely not intended to be used as an excuse for men to run roughshod over women.

In everything that God does, there is an order. There’s an order in the church -- Christ is head of the church, a pastor is second-in-command, followed by the associate pastor, and then any others, such as deacons or whatever an individual church calls their support ministry. Every person in a church is subject to their pastor, who is subject to God. However, the pastor is also subject to his congregation in the sense that if a pastor is stepping outside of biblical parameters for his position, the church body has a responsibility to say something to ensure the integrity of the church.

As a whole, society is built on the same order as the church. We have a government that is responsible for the nation, with individual state governments, county governments, city and local governments that are all responsible for the people of that area. Each of us are subject to local, state, and federal laws. All of these are designed to keep peace and order for the citizens, and to ensure our individual liberties and protection as human beings.

But order and peace begin within the home. Without biblical order in the home, we find that the family begins to deteriorate, children become unruly, and we see that happening more and more. Women are becoming the heads of households, and are single parents raising and trying to support their children on their own. This was not God’s design for the home.

God’s design is for a godly home, where parents are devoted to Jesus Christ, and put Jesus as head of their own lives first. In a godly home the husband is the head of the family. This does not mean the husband is to dominate his wife and children, but that he is submitted to, and under the rule of, Jesus Christ. It means he is responsible for his family’s support, care, and welfare, and he answers to God for his family.

A man is to “cleave” to his wife (Genesis 2:24). In other words, they are to be glued together. They are to be “one flesh” (Mark 10:8), and are to consider their bodies as belonging to the other spouse (1 Corinthians 7:4).

As the husband submits himself to Jesus Christ as Lord of his life, he is under the protection of God. In the same way, when women submit to their husbands, they come under his protection. When it’s storming out, we put on our jackets and get out the umbrella to be protected from the elements. In the same way, when we submit, we come under the umbrella of the protection of our husbands who are under the umbrella of protection of God.

This is why it is so important to make sure that we marry a godly man. We are to wait for the Lord to bring us our husbands. But even men who are in the church are not always what they seem, so we have to enter into these relationships with prayer, godly advice, and the assurance that the person we are about to marry for life is truly the person God wants us to marry for life.

“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14).”

In the same way, men must choose their wives through prayer and godly counsel because, “It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife (Proverbs 25:24).”

From Shine His Light by Marie McGaha

©2017 DWB Publishing

Read Isaiah 12-17