Category: Sonshines Journal

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What Would You Pay for a Pearl?

pearl of great price2aProverbs 24 “The Pearl of Great Price”

Pirates search the Caribbean looking for sunken treasure. Yet God’s treasure is not hidden but found in Jesus Christ. The pearls of great price are hidden except to those who choose to dive into the depth of God’s Word and accept His plan.

To an oyster a grain of sand is annoying; an uninvited visitor.  Unable to remove it from its shell, it works hard to cover it over with a substance that when hardened becomes a pearl. It takes great pains and a price to cover that grain of sand. So in like manner, our sin is our uninvited visitor. We can attempt to cover it by working hard or seek to buy it through many sacrifices but only the covering of Jesus’ blood will make us like the pearl. Then we will know the truth of what Isaiah the prophet said: Isa 43:4 “you are precious and special in my sight, and I love you,”  When Jesus has completed his work we become His pearl of great price. Our sin is covered with His blood that He shed on the cross.

Jesus used that analogy in the parable of the kingdom of heaven: He said it is “like a merchant searching for fine pearls, when he found a pearl of great value, he went out and sold everything he had and bought it.” [Matt 13] Jesus’ point is obvious—there is no prize greater! It begins when we allow the blood of Jesus to cover that annoying grain of sand called sin. We can’t buy it or work for it but we must be willing to forsake everything to become that pearl of great price.

Jesus loves you and wants you to be His pearl.

Will you let Him cover your ‘uninvited visitor” called sin with His blood? 

 

 

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Today “is” but tomorrow is a question

vanishing smoke2aPsalm 146 “Today “is” but tomorrow is a question”

The psalmist extols his view of life and of God. He sees God as his protector, redeemer and steadfast unlike men who are untrustworthy and unreliable. As with many psalms he begins with praising God. “I will praise the Lord as long as I live” because whatever we may plan for today may not come to pass and tomorrow is even more questionable—so redeem the time you have been given. James captured this in a nutshell:

James 4: “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” You don’t even know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like [a puff of smoke/vapour] that appears for a little while, then vanishes [is snatched out of sight]. Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

Today as you go about your day, stop and give praise to God for every moment you have been given. Praise Him for all He has given and done for you. Use  today to praise God and see His plan for your day. Begin your day with asking what He would have you to do today because:

There is no guarantee of a tomorrow.

So Psa 105:4  Seek the Lord and the strength he gives!Seek his presence continually!

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The Master’s Tool is to Forge us in Fire~

forged in firesa2 Cor 13 “Forged in the Fire”

Just as in olden times weapons were made by those called “bladesmiths.” A Bladesmither on the TV show “Forged in Fire” takes a piece of steel, heats it to extreme temperatures to make the strongest weapon available. The weapon is then tested by others as to its sharpness and strength.

That analogy is like the message of the gospel. Christ was tested in the wilderness, mocked and scorned by those who saw him as weak. They sought to remove his weakness through the cross. Even though He was “crucified by reason of weakness … he lives because of God’s power.” We too, as believers, are seen by the world as weak but our inner strength comes because of the power of Christ who overcame the cross to be our strength. “Therefore, [Paul says] I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.”

Are we content with our weaknesses allowing Christ to “forge us in fire” or do we strive to be strong in our own strength? Sometimes God sends us through the forging process to make us strong as Christ.Weathering the fire makes one strong just as the bladesmith makes the steel stronger in the fire. A believer is made strong in the “fire” that God allows so that we may be able to face the onslaught of the adversary and be holy for His kingdom work. In your weakness do you see the end result as more strength to face the next trial?

Don’t be fooled by the adversary’s words—let God take you to the forge; get your strength from the cross.

 

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Do You Need an Attitude Adjustment?

grateful journal2a2 Cor 12 “How to have an Attitude of Gratitude”

Have you ever given but did not receive even a thank you in return? The Corinthians needed an attitude adjustment and sometimes we do as well. Paul had given and given and given and yet this is how he felt in his heart:

“Now I will most gladly spend and be spent for your lives! If I love you more, am I to be loved less?”

In other words, Paul was saying I have bent over backwards to spend for you and yet this is how you treat me, you love me less! His heart was hurt and perhaps you can relate. You give and give and yet the person(s) do not return in like manner their gratefulness for what you have willingly and perhaps sacrificially given. We all, at times, behave in this way. We too need an attitude adjustment to see life through the lens of gratefulness.

Cultivating gratefulness or gratitude begins in the heart when we ponder how much God has given for us. Instead of the “o woe is me” attitude we need to plant seeds of gratefulness and cultivate them. Then let the Fruit of the Spirit pour forth from you. We need to take our focus off of self and pour it out upon others ….EVEN if we get nothing in return!

The hymn writer was right: Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and you will see what God has done.  For what are you grateful today?

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DO NOT ENTER!

fence2A2 Cor 11 “Fences Are to Protect—that is why they are labeled—

DO NOT ENTER!”

Thirty years ago a small 18 month old child fell into a well where her foot got lodged into a dogleg in the shaft. Had it not been for that, and persistence, the rescue might never had happened.  The unanswered question remains as to why the well was covered with just a rock and no fencing.

Truth: Fences are placed to protect us from danger.

Because God loves us He has erected fences called His Ten Commandments to protect us from the subtlety of Satan who comes as a roaring lion or an angel of light. Yet, often we wander away thinking that we know better and like Eve we are deceived. We fall for Satan’s lies and fall into his well of sin.

What part of “DO NOT ENTER” do we not understand?

Believer, God wants to protect us because He desires that we be a chaste bride for Jesus. Paul too felt this same way for his beloved Corinthians who had fallen for the false apostles. Vs 2: For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy, because I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. And I burn with indignation against those who have led you astray. [vs 29 author’s paraphrase]

How do we feel when see Satan’s trap sprung and a believer falls?

Does it grieve us as it did Paul? 

Are we on our guard? Are we saturating ourselves in scripture so we don’t fall?

Can we discern truth from what is false?

Believer, today watch out for others and watch out for yourself lest you too be led astray.

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How Kind Are We?

heart.2ajpg2Cor 8 “Kindness…and Generosity”

“Kindness”…a Fruit of the Spirit. The Macedonians were a poor people but a kind and generous people. They had listened to Paul’s plea to help the saints in Jerusalem who were facing difficult and challenging hardships. There had been a famine and then the double taxes put upon them left many of them without means to take care of their personal needs. Yet, “They [the Macedonians] gave according to their means and beyond their means…they did so voluntarily.” That is kindness in real life.  The Corinthians needed a fresh reminder of this Fruit.

You know the drill. You say you will give but then you get busy and other things take a greater priority.  Maybe, like the Corinthians, we all need a fresh reminder that when we have an abundance to give we should set aside a small portion for to help others.  This is practical kindness in real life.  For us it means that we give so that others are blessed. The Corinthians were in need of encouragement to give liberally, generously and kindly just as the Macedonians had done. We may need the same.

kindness 2cor82aWhenever I read this passage the Holy Spirit pricks my heart. He is saying when you give you put feet to your words. Does it do the same for you? When God makes you aware of a need do you step out to share out of your poverty or riches or do you look at your wallet and count the bills lying on the dining room table?

This cup’s saying is my today’s reminder. How kind and generous are you, am I?

 

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Is Your Blindfold On?

blindfolded2aProverbs 23:23 “Is Your Blindfold Still On?”

A recent experience reminded me of what a blindfold does—to hide what should be seen. Pilate was a man who walked blindfolded. When Jesus sought to remove his blindfold by telling him that he came to testify to the truth so men might see and recognize Him as Truth, Pilate sneeringly asked Jesus: “What is truth?” Not being interested in further dialog, he walked away.   The image of God, Jesus, TRUTH, stood before Pilate yet it was as if he willingly chose to put the blindfold of ignorance back on!

The Proverbs writer wisely said “acquire truth and do not sell it…” This truth is so precious because it cost the life of Jesus!  Perhaps that is why Jesus gave us this short parable about truth. “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field. [Matt 13:44] The treasure is Jesus who is TRUTH and when we stumble upon Him we should be willing to surrender all to Him. Jim Elliot captured this in a nutshell: “he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

The question then before us is why, when truth is revealed would we choose to put the blindfold back on? It is because  2Co 4:4 “the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.” Like Pilate we have the choice. We can let Truth remove our blindfold we can see Him in all of His glory or return to the blindfold because we don’t want to see our need for Truth.

Is your blindfold still on or have you received the TRUTH with joy?

 

 

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What’s In Your “Wallet”?

alone-I stand.ajpgPsalm 112  Are you yoked with Christ so when adversity comes you are prepared?

The world clamors for peace and harmony yet they deny the Yoke of Christ. They deride those who choose the path of godliness yet they cannot deny the evidence which stares them in the face. They cannot understand how it is possible to stand firm when faced with adversity. They are like Job’s comforters who could not wrap their minds around Job’s intense faithfulness in the midst of the worst tragedies to befall a man.

How could he sit in ashes and mourn yet keep his faith in God?

What was his secret?

Like the psalmist Job knew that he walked in harmony with God. He yoked himself to God and allowed Him to train him to walk beside Him in the furrow. It was then he could see beyond the temporal circumstances to the eternal reward for them who walk uprightly. He submitted his will, heart and mind to Him.  He chose to not be conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of his mind.  This is what he knew no matter the circumstances of life: “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. May the name of the Lord be blessed.”  Therefore, like the psalmist, he could say: I will not be shaken and I will remember Him who is just and knows the beginning from the end.

‘Taking a cue from a credit card company:

We could ask what’s in your wallet? 

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Let’s Talk…

 

coffee chat

2Cor 6 “The Yoke of Jesus”

Jesus said; “Take My yoke on you and learn from Me.” [Matt 11:29] In that relationship we will find rest for our souls. Paul is in essence saying the same thing to the Corinthians who were trying to straddle the fence in relationships.

So grab a chair, get a cup of java and let’s see what he wants us to learn because some of it is perplexing to say the least.

Let’s talk about friendships vs relationships. On the one hand Jesus ate with sinners and we too are to reach out to those who need Christ but on the other hand we are not to become partners in life with them like in a marriage or a business relationship because it puts us on a collision course and open to the ways of Belial.  Paul asks the rhetorical question: what do you share in common with an unbeliever? The answer is of course nothing!  Remember the words of Amos: Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Beloved, in a marriage or a business relationship of unequally yoked persons your desires and principles will eventually clash because you are not compatible. So Paul’s advice is don’t walk that road! It can’t be done. God will not share His glory/ his yoke with unbelievers!

 

Jesus is saying

Choose My yoke

Let’s learn together how to navigate life.

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A Word to the Wise…we are in this together whether we like it or not.

fellow workers2 cor 62 Cor 6 “A Word to My Fellow Workers”

This is how Paul sees his relationship with the Corinthians. How do you see your relationship with those you partner with at your church; are they your fellow workers as well?

Paul reminds us that as a fellow worker we are not to take or receive God’s grace in vain – that is as something that just came and went like a passing rain shower. No!  God’s grace came at a high price and Christ was the one who paid it.

Stop and ponder that phrase “fellow workers.”  Paul saw these Corinthians as God saw them. Paul had an eternal connection with the Father and in that connection he saw these people made in the image of God. Even in his blustery way, they had developed a connection with him and he wanted them to know how he felt about them; fellow workers in the kingdom. David Staal in his book “Show Up” writes “a one way relationship is after all, no relationship.” That is what Paul knew about his relationship with Christ and he wanted his fellow workers to also experience this one on one, which is why he implored them to “not receive the grace of God  in vain.”

Today look at those about you and consider them  your fellow workers in this journey of life. You won’t be disappointed. We are in this kingdom work together. There is no “him or her, ” no “them or us.” We are fellow workers and each one is gifted to carry this out as Jesus commanded: “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel.” He didn’t qualify it to some and not all. It is a command for all of us.

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