Over this final week of 2021, a thought has come to my mind more than once. I've asked myself, (or maybe the Lord has asked me):

"Chris, what are you going to do to help push back the darkness in 2022?"

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This is a good question for all who claim Christ as Lord and Savior; for he has called each of us to be his Light bearers.

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Here is one place that I am excited to share the Good News:

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A wonderful ministry called Girls Living for God wants to use a bible study I wrote called Picture Scripture. This seven-week study uncovers seven biblical images in order to teach and encourage its readers in God's word. In this case, the participants will be teenage girls. The word of God is the beacon of light in their culture's darkness and my prayer is that these young ladies would learn it, trust it, and cling to it not only in their younger years, but all their lives.

Will you join me in this endeavor?

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If you would like to make a year end donation to help fund this project please do so at this link: http://GL4G.com/partner

Once on the donation site, check these boxes: "Dedicate this gift" and then "Picture Scripture"

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Thank you in advance and with sincere gratefulness.

Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. Psalm 145:4

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Today, in this festive time of the year, the cornucopia is often the choice item that makes its way onto the center of our kitchen or dining room tables. This decorative piece symbolizes both "abundance" as well as a "bountiful harvest", which then leads to much gratitude as we count our many blessings.

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With this visual in mind, I couldn't help but compare it to an on-line devotional series that I am currently reading, (see www.soulsistersministry.com). Over the past month, many women have willingly shared why they have been "Thankful in All Circumstances" this year. To say this series has been powerful is an understatement. Just like the differing harvest fruits and vegetables that are attractively placed in a cornucopia, these unique posts have become a beautiful collection of living testimonies bound together in the love of Christ.

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Here are some of the fruits on display:

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Acknowledging that age brings wisdom

Recognizing the little things, the daily things

Believing that God keeps his promises

Experiencing the love of Jesus in extreme sadness

Receiving forgiveness in a relationship

Recognizing we are made in God's image

Choosing to embrace all of life's moments

Choosing life and birthing redemption

Rejoicing in a God-given relationship

Giving thanks for answered prayers, both small and big

Choosing a thankful heart no matter the trial

Celebrating healing of body and soul

Choosing to grow in difficult times

Resting in God's plan, past, present, and future.

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These Soul Sisters of mine have made my intangible Thanksgiving centerpiece become very real and alive in my heart. What a bountiful display of blessing upon blessing! (And the series is not over yet!)  If I were to add to this cornucopia of thankful hearts, I would have to say my fruit would be entitled:

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Embracing life-change.

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What about you? What are you thankful for this year? What has God done for you in even a difficult circumstance? Take a moment before the Lord and ask him to reveal one thing to you and then thank him for it. Allow this blessing to be the seed of gratitude that has the potential to bear much fruit; may each one of us be full to overflowing with an array of colorful praise.

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‍Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving... For the Lord is a great God... Psalm 95:2-3

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I'll be the first to let you know that the subject of "false teaching" scares me to the point of silence.

However, in my on-line Bible study, we just "happen to be" going through 2 Peter, and I just "happen to" get assigned a passage to unpack and write for my Soul Sisters. Guess what ALL of chapter 2 is about? Yep, false teachers. Yikes.

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So, I'm jumping the fear hurdle yet one more time, and sharing God's word concerning this topic. False teaching is in our midst, so let's gain wisdom together: 

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This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!

2 Peter 2:10-14

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I bet you would all agree with me that these above verses will never show up on the inside of an encouraging Hallmark card. Wow, Peter holds nothing back, right? But let's remember, this is God's word through Peter; we are hearing from the Lord's heart concerning his true feelings about false teachers. 

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Why is judgment on these deceivers so severe? Because God loves his children. Think about it on a human level. If someone with questionable intentions were trying to lure your toddler away from you, wouldn't you stop at nothing to prevent this from happening? Likewise with our Father. His righteous anger is fueled by his protective love.

 These verses give us some discerning "tips" on detecting a false prophet:

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1. They despise authority
2. They are bold and arrogant
3. They lack understanding of the things they talk about
4. They are creatures of instinct (follow their flesh)
5. They carouse in broad daylight (unashamedly lure)
6. They enter in the church and feast with its members
7. They don't stop sinning (for selfish gain)
8. They seduce the unstable

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These descriptions seem so obvious that one would think that false teachers would be easily spotted, but yet these men in Peter's day were gaining followers from within the church! Sadly, this happens all too often today too. In his book Be Alert, Warren Wiersbe says it well: "Outwardly they appeared to serve God and minister to the people, while inwardly they fed their own egos and feathered their own nests."

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So, how can we prevent being lured away from our faith in Christ?

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 Know theTruth. 

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The only description in the verses above that is given to potentially-lured-people is that they are "unstable." The more you know the truth of God's word, the less unstable you become, and the easier it will be to pick up on some of these false teachers' sometimes subtle character flaws.

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As I looked at the list above one more time, I was struck at how opposite these things are from the attributes of Jesus. Christian leaders (and all of us) are called to be like Christ! These false teachers, who claimed Christ but twisted his truth, were nothing like him at all. 

 As Jesus walked the earth:

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he submitted to the authority of his Father,

he was humble and gentle, 

he was full of wisdom,

he listened to and followed the Spirit,

he was sinless even when tempted,

he brought truth into the church,

he emptied himself, serving others,

and he lured the lost with his truth and love.

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This is the Leader I want to follow, don't you?

Dear Lord,

Thank you for your protective love. Give us a desire to know the truth so that we will not be deceived by anyone who does not stand fully for you. We ask for your Spirit of wisdom and discernment as we open your word. Then help us to walk forward, unswayed by anything false. Amen.

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For those who are following along with the Moses devotional, thank you for walking with me! For those of you who are not, please join us on the journey by following my facebook page: @respitefortheweary. These posts are stand-alone devotionals that you can glean from day to day, so it's easy to jump right in!

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Here is a sampling:

Pursuit and Passageway

The Egyptians—all Pharoah’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea…As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them They were terrified and cried out to the Lord…Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:9-13

Suggested reading: Exodus 14

Exodus 14 has to be one of the most action-packed chapters in the whole Bible. The Egyptians changed their minds and chased theIsraelites, who were terrified. They blamed Moses for dragging them out to the desert to die. God told Moses to rally the people to trust him, yet one more time. They were at the edge of the sea and then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them.The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side, so neither went near the other all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left (v.19-22).

And we know the rest of the dramatic story: the Egyptians followed the Israelites into the sea. God threw them into confusion, causing the chariot wheels to fall off. And then God told Moses to once again lift his staff. In doing so, the water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh…not one of them survived (v. 28).

Thoughts:

Oh my, so many thoughts! The powerful movement of God. The faith of Moses in lifting his staff. The Israelites crossing on dry ground. The defeat of the Egyptians.

I marvel at it all the BIG miracle of the waters being pulled back, but for some reason, whenever I read this story, I am amazed at the subtle, yet repeated, mentioning of the “dry ground” phenomena. I mean think about it, this was the bottom of a very wet, deep blue sea (well, actually it was the Red Sea, ha ha). The dryness to me is a miracle within a miracle. Not only were the Israelites walking between walls of water, they were not having to march through thick muddy sludge to get to the other side. I personally have an aversion to thick muddy sludge, so maybe that’s why this miracle makes me so happy. I know if it was wet and slimy, I would be looking down at my feet, trying to figure out which way to step. But God took care of that for them. He wanted them to look up…

to wonder at his power,

to feel the gentle spray of water as they maybe even skipped along this remarkable carved out path,

to potentially catch glimpses of the colorful rays in the midst of the sun-lit waters,

to make a memory that would last a lifetime…

to tell their children and their children’s children about their awesome God who delivered them from their enemy.

I want to live like I’m walking on dry ground with magnificent walls of water on my right and my left. I’m not sure what that means, but I want it…to know and experience all of God. I don’t want to miss anything!

He is for us, not against us.

It is for freedom that he set us free.

Let’s look up, not down, and marvel right now on our paved-out pathway from death to life.

Going deeper and sweeter: John 10:10; Romans 8:31; Galatians5:1

Dear Lord,

We praise you for creating a way to cross from darkness to light! May we learn how to live in the freedom that your Son died to give us.We want your abundant life TODAY! Amen.

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I wanted to let each of you know that I am currently providing a 30 day devotional on my Respite for the Weary facebook page. It's entitled Moses: Called, Challenged, Changed. The Scripture-based posts are offered Monday through Friday, and we have just completed our first week. It's not too late to grab a friend a follow along! Below is a sampling of one of our days from week one.

If you are interested, you can follow me on facebook @respitefortheweary or press the facebook icon on this website.

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Moses: Called, Challenged, Changed

Day 3: A Sister and a Momma

But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. Exodus 2:3-4

Suggested reading: Exodus 2:1-10

Since Pharoah’s plan “A” involving the midwives was not working, he constructed plan “B”:

all baby boys were to be tossed into the Nile River. Unthinkable!

Scripture takes us into one of these Hebrew homes where fretful parents were trying to hide their beautiful baby boy. When it became impossible to do so, a Levite momma had her own plan. Rather than throwing her baby into the Nile to drown, she gently placed him in a basket, chose a specific spot on the river, and sent his older sister to watch the hopeful plot unfold…and it did.

Pharoah’s daughter who “happened to be” bathing in this particular place, saw the basket, opened it, and felt immediate compassion for the child. The sister (Miriam) saw her moment and seized it. This young female slave approached the prominent Egyptian princess and said, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” (v. 7). Miriam knew just who to go and get!

Amazingly, the baby’s mother (Jochebed) was now being paid to nurse her own son! (I think she may be the ONLY woman in existence who has ever gotten paid for the selfless role of mothering.) Oh, what a “give-back” story! Can you imagine the deep sorrow of letting her baby go, only to be met with abundant joy of receiving him back in her arms to nurse again? I’m sure, knowing that her time was limited, she held him even tighter, and prayed for him even more fervently, all the while trusting God for the things that lay ahead in his future.  

When the child grew older, she took him to Pharoah’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water” (v.10).

Thoughts:

Yesterday, we looked at the heroic acts of the faith-filled midwives who did not kill the Hebrew newborn baby boys as Pharaoh had commanded. Now today, we are observing yet two more heroines in Exodus. What descriptive words would you give Moses' (possibly 8 year old) sister? "Brave" and "risky" come to my mind. And what about Moses' mother? "Protective" and "Abounding love" are words I see in her actions.

Is there something in my life and yours today that requires a bold faith like that of Moses’ mother and sister? Is it to speak truth in love to someone or to share the gospel with a friend?

Or is it to step out into unknown territory for the sake of another human being--at work, at home, or in your community?

Will you take the "risky" step and approach this person with God's love?

May we each be called, challenged, and changed as we meditate on and then act like our faith-filled ancestors of long ago: the midwives, a sister, and a momma.

Going deeper and sweeter: Psalm 31:24; Hebrew 11:23; 2 Timothy 1:7

Dear Lord,

Speak to us. Where do you want us to step out in courageous faith? Give us a heart’s desire to obey you and the feet to follow you wherever you want us to go, for the good of your people and the glory of your name. Amen.

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From our forth floor balcony at Panama City Beach, my husband, my daughter, and I watched the waves roll in and the waves roll out. We could have gotten mesmerized by the rhythmic sight and sound, but it was a different kind of evening on the white sandy beach beneath us. Several boats with blue swirling lights were driving back and forth in search of a young 20 year old who had gotten pulled away from his friends by a riptide. His panicked friends and accumulating spectators lined the shore in hope.

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At 11 pm, the search was over, the young man was found. A thriving life ended, and inexplicable grief began.

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Only 24 hours later, same balcony, same white sand, same rolling waves. Yet, what we witnessed on this perfect sunset-evening was a young man, dressed in khaki and blue who had set up a twinkling "marry me" sign in the sand. He waited for his sweetheart, and sure enough, she came. He bent to one knee and asked the question that young girls dream of. When they embraced, the condo balconies erupted in applause.

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At 7pm, the search was over, the boy got his girl. His anxious thoughts stopped. Uncontainable joy began.

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To be honest, I'm not sure what to make of the two extremes, the high and the low of it. I'm still processing the waves of emotion on both ends.

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My only consolation with the young man who was swept away so suddenly is to think that Jesus himself was with him, saying, "Come with Me to a better place." There is a better place, I hope you know...maybe that's why I'm writing this right now...to tell you there is a better place than this life, and Jesus will take each of us there if we believe in him as our Savior. Yes, He saves us...from messes, from chaos, from riptides.

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My genuine hope for this young, engaged, very happy couple is that they will walk with Jesus in the land of the living. Maybe that's why I'm writing this right now...to tell you that you don't have to walk this life alone, and that Jesus will help you in each moment and in every relationship. Yes, He helps...in the happy and in the hard.

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We will always have the extremes...the high waves of over-the-top-joy as well as the low undercurrents of knee-buckling sadness.

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Life and death and everything in between. The hope is this: Jesus is in the midst of it all.

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Maybe that's why I'm writing this right now...to tell you that Jesus is in your midst...and to tell you to hold His hand in your extreme.

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For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39