Doing the Dishes

            I did the dishes last night. No big deal right? Sometimes I can fall into a pattern that my dad lived – maybe once every two or three weeks I remember seeing him do the dishes. He would be quite proud of himself for helping out. My mom was a very hard worker at home and then both at home and at a job she held at J.C. Penney for many years. I’m sure she appreciated when my dad would do something like that, but I’m also quite certain she wasn’t as impressed as he expected she would be. She probably felt more like saying, “Welcome to my world.”

            Actually I do the dishes more often than my dad did (He said trying to justify himself!). But growing up I never did. I had three older sisters and in those days the women did “those” jobs. We never had a dishwasher, so I’m sure they did more dishes than they ever wanted to. The clean up every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and most Sunday dinners was massive, but the men were always off watching football or sleeping the turkey and gravy off. Joanne has lots of stories about doing dishes when she was growing up. In a family of eight with a mother who cooked and baked profusely, I know she did them in the thousands – probably even tens of thousands as the years went by. She is, no doubt, not unique in this experience. So I’m sure whenever I do them she is not all that impressed. But she is always thankful.

            There isn’t much about doing the dishes in the Bible. Perhaps the story of Jesus’ visit to the home of Mary and Martha comes the closest. Mary was doing nothing but enjoying being at the feet of Jesus, while Martha was out in the kitchen doing all the work. She didn’t like it and got angry at her sister. Then she “used” Jesus to try to settle her feelings toward Mary. Jesus patiently told her that Mary had chosen the best thing to do and that Martha was fretting too much.

            But someone’s got to do the dishes... eventually. I don’t think it was wrong for Martha to be doing the work. Her real problem was her attitude about it. I understand her attitude. We can become frustrated when we feel like someone else is not pulling their weight and stepping up to help. Frustration can lead to feeling sorry for ourselves, which can lead to anger and resentment and any number of negative emotions.

            It does not have to be this way. There is a solution that takes us down a different path. It’s a way that ends in joy. I try to practice it and to encourage others to go for it. The Gospel makes it possible. It is doing the job – whatever it is – as to the Lord. Others aren’t doing their share? I will do it as to the Lord. People are neglecting their responsibility? I will do it as unto the Lord. Feeling overwhelmed? I will do it as unto the Lord. And whenever I do… things are different. It is a real attitude changer. And it ends up being an opportunity for joy. It’s amazing how the Gospel at work in my life will change my attitude and perspective. It’s no longer getting “stuck doing it”. It is now a way to serve Jesus. This doesn’t just happen by itself. It involves being open and sensitive to the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life, and being responsive to God’s Word.

            So… whenever I do the dishes… may I do so as an act of worship, conceiving of it as if I am either cleaning up after Jesus Himself or getting them clean for the next meal as if Jesus Himself was going to be there.

Luke 10:38-42 - ³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

            ⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Matthew 25:40 -  ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Colossians 3:23-24 - ²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

PRAYER:  Father, may the everyday activities of life that are for the sake of someone else... be opportunities for me to serve Jesus with joy. Be glorified in all of life – from the mundane to the sublime. Thank you for the privilege of seeing what I do in this way.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott

Appreciation and Prayer for Veterans

            Today is Veteran’s Day, 2014 – a good day to remember and appreciate all veterans of our armed services who are still living, along with those who have died in service or after service to our country. My own family has a limited connection to military service. My dad’s draft age came between World War II and the Korean War. My oldest brother obtained a deferment and my next oldest brother enlisted in the National Guard. The Vietnam War came to an end just before I graduated from high school and not long after that serving in the U.S. military became voluntary, so I never became a military man. I had an uncle who served in Korea. My son-in-law is a Captain in the U.S. Army. He did active duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He continues service in the Army National Guard in South Carolina. I have many friends and acquaintances who have served.

            With such a background, much of the impact of military life, service, and loss is not as personal for me as it would be for those who grew up all over the place because their dad moved around a lot. The experiences of those who saw combat duty has not been my experience. Many of the veterans I have known who saw combat duty were not all that fond of talking about it, especially if they lost buddies or fought and lived through extremely fearful or harsh situations. When I was just starting out as a youth pastor I used to visit an older couple in the church I served in upstate New York. The wife was a lovely and gracious lady who had patiently cared for and loved her husband for many years. He had been a veteran of World War I and had experienced “shell shock” (what they called it then). He had a difficult time communicating and I had a difficult time trying to understand him. His wife was a great help. They were grateful for my visits (filling in for the pastor of the church) and were very kind, but I never felt like I had really ever done very much. Perhaps just taking the time and showing an interest in him meant a lot to them.

            While there are veterans who may prefer not to talk about things related to their time of service, I think that they still are blessed if people simply show an interest and express appreciation to them. It is nice to be remembered. We may also remember in prayer both our veterans and those who currently serve in any of the armed forces. They may or may not be aware that we are doing this, but we know. We may place them in God’s hands for His will in their lives. We may pray for their safety… healing… encouragement… and in many other ways.

            I encourage you to pray for a veteran today… and to reach out to one if you can. Say thank you and give them a blessing. There is a sobering video at http://prayercast.com/war.html that reminds us that war is still a reality in many places in our world. There is an excellent prayer that you may want to join as you listen/watch. May God bless you today if you are a veteran with all that He gives us through Jesus Christ His Son.  AMEN!

Joshua 1:9 (NIV)  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Psalm 33:20-22 (NIV) ²⁰  We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. ²¹  In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. ²²  May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.

2 Samuel 22:2-4 (NIV) ²  He said: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; ³  my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior-- from violent men you save me. ⁴  I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.

John 15:13 (NIV)  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Psalm 46:1 (NIV)  God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

PRAYER:  Father, thank you for the men and women who have served our country in defense of freedom around the world. May their service not be in vain, and may they be encouraged in their families, communities, and churches. May they come to know the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be transformed buy its power. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott

Two Four-Letter Words

            There are two four-letter words that we don’t always think about together, but it is quite important that we associate them. Though our citizenship is in heaven, we are called in Scripture to have a relationship with the governing authorities in the earthly realm as well. According to Romans 13 this relationship is to include honor and respect. While we are not called in Scripture to support and obey anything that is contrary to God’s Word and His revealed will, we are called to love people – even those we may strongly disagree with. But I think we have a calling that goes even further, and here is where the two four-letter words come in. The two words are “vote” and “pray”.

            While I may be tempted to pray a prayer of thanksgiving that the constant barrage of political phone calls and advertising will be over, today (Tuesday, November 4) I will honor God by voting and I will seek for the Lord’s will to be done in prayer. If you get this via email during the day, I encourage you to connect these words as well. Take time to vote. And also take time to pray. Voting is not the same as praying, but it is important to do both. Though it may seem that voting is active and prayer is passive, we know that praying is one of the most proactive things we can do in life. We minimalize prayer when we say, “all we can do is pray”, or “just pray”, or when we pray “as a last resort”. On election day, my prayer is not really too different than it would be on any other day, but I do have the election results in mind when I pray, as Jesus taught us, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10).  I pray for God’s will to be done in each race, in each referendum, and in each result. I pray that God will give wisdom and grace to each winning candidate as well. Though my vote is an opportunity to impact the election result, my prayer is no less significant. It puts me in a place of trusting the Lord in and through each result.

            And this call to prayer is not limited to election results. The Scriptures call me to pray for all those in authority, for through them God mediates the opportunity for peaceful and quiet lives in which we may seek and experience holiness and godliness. All the more reason for me to connect the words “vote” and “pray”. Prayer should precede and follow every election. It can be tempting to stop praying for the ones we did not vote for, yet were elected. We can feel like we didn’t get our way. We may want to think that God doesn’t get His way. But God always gets His way. He is sovereign over all things – even elections. And He calls us to keep praying beyond every election day. A couple of the words He associates with this action are “intercession” and “thanksgiving”. Because we trust the Lord, we can be thankful even in results we may not like. If it were up to us, how different might it be! But we do not wish for what we want. We are seeking what He wants. And when we pray, we trust Him.

            May prayer be our earnest activity throughout today. But may it not end when we see how things go. Let us commit to continue in prayer, and to continue in a confident reliance upon God, whose ways are higher than ours, and whose will we trust will be done.

Romans 13:1 (NIV) – “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NIV) – “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— ² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

Romans 8:28 (NIV)  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

PRAYER:  Lord, may every election result in every part of our country today be according to your will. And may each winner do your will. When an elected official acts against your will, may Your Spirit bring him/her under conviction and may your grace be at work in that person’s life. May my confidence in you never wane, regardless of how the results may look to me. I trust you. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott