My No. 2 monkey boy is a big fan of pie. He claims that it is his favorite food. The other day, he took a poll of his brothers to find out what their favorite kind of pie is. Nos. 3,4 & 5 answered simultaneously, so I don’t remember who said what, but I recall hearing buttermilk, apple and chocolate. No. 1 acted all tweenager/aloof and didn’t answer the question, so No. 2 asked him directly:
“What’s your favorite kind of pie?”
“Pizza. Pizza pie.”
Spoken like a tween, indeed!
The good news about God’s unfailing grace is that even when we’ve turned our backs on him, he welcomes us to turn back around. Will you?
It’s one thing to make a spectacle of oneself on reality TV; it’s another for God’s people to make a spectacle of him by the way they live.
I love blank sheets of paper. There is something inviting about seeing a clean slate. Will I write a story? Draw a picture? Make a to-do list? Fold it into origami? The possibilities are endless.
I like to keep spiral notebooks handy for the boys. They each have one of their own, but we also have a few “community” ones for everyone to share. They are great to keep in the car and take to church to keep fidgety boys occupied. They all like to draw, but I’ve noticed lately that they also like to make lists and plans.
In the car yesterday, Nos. 2 & 3 worked out a business plan for the bakery they are planning to open when they grow up. They developed a menu and tossed around possible names for the store. Besides marveling in their creativity, it impressed me that they worked so well together — collaborating and sharing ideas! — for at least a half hour … no bickering, no raised voices … it was glorious.
They even agreed to put a low-carb buttermilk pie on the menu, just for me. 😉
Compromise doesn’t just mean “big” issues. Ask God to reveal some areas in your day-to-day life that need to be overhauled.
When we refuse to compromise, Psalm 125 says that we are like a mountain: immovable! Are you willing to trust the Rock with your problems?
Strawberry cream cake
straight from the grocery store!
Easy to please you.
Tomorrow, August 2, would be my brother’s 33rd birthday. He always liked the strawberry cream cakes that come in the plastic bundt container from the grocery store bakery. Easy-going culinary tastes, kinda like him — not a lot of frills; keep it simple. 🙂
If we keep compromising on the same issue over & over, have we really, truly repented of it? Or, are we just sorry we got caught?
God already knows the answer, but talk to him today about an area where you have compromised. Start by confessing & asking forgiveness.
Do you remember the jingle from the Klondike® commercials, “What would you do for a Klondike bar?” with people doing silly antics to earn one? What if the stakes were higher than just a square chunk of chocolate-coated ice cream?
What would you do for $100? $1,000? $1,000,000? Would you eat bugs? Would you violate your moral convictions? Would you put your life at risk?
In this age of reality TV, it’s obvious that many people will do just about anything for attention: live in the wilderness for months, subject themselves to public scrutiny and berating, face grueling physical challenges, even marry a virtual stranger. What if the stakes were higher than just a few minutes of television fame or a prize jackpot?
What if the stakes were eternity?
The Amplified Bible translates Psalm 125:3 as: “For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest upon the land of the [uncompromisingly] righteous, lest the righteous (God’s people) stretch forth their hands to iniquity and apostasy.” Uncompromisingly righteous … that seems to mean that people who otherwise live righteously still make unrighteous choices sometimes. We compromise. We give into lesser stakes—but for what? For fame? For glory? For something that feels like love? For a sense of self-worth? For spite?
The Psalm goes on to say, in verse 5, that our “crooked ways” boil down to our indifference toward God. When we compromise, we say to the Lord that we don’t care what he thinks. The Bible is clear that God does not want anyone to perish (John 3:16, 2 Peter 3:9), but when we turn our backs on him, sometimes he lets us keep walking. Psalm 125 ends with a sobering image of God’s people walking off with evildoers. Is any amount of worldly gain worth separation from God?
faith, sweat & tears 