Category Archives: Affection

Abiding, Affection, Bible, Choices, Commands, Friends, Gospel, Neighbors, Scripture

UNKNOWN

GALATIANS 1:22

“I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which are in Christ;”

In this day of Facebook, Instagram and other social media, it is harder and harder to not be known. People leave a digital footprint all over the place. You may not know somebody personally, but you are friends on the internet. I have friends all over the world, most of whom I have met. But there are some whom I have never met in person. I am known to them, but I am also not really known by them.

Paul stated in today’s verse that the churches of Judea (outside of Jerusalem) did not know who he was. He had not visited them. There were no pictures of Paul being circulated. He could have walked into any of those churches, and they would not have known who he was. Sure, his reputation as a Christian persecutor had spread quickly, but they did not know Paul, especially this new Paul who had been converted and was now preaching Jesus.

APPLICATION

Let me ask you a question. Who knows you? I mean, who really knows you? Do your neighbors know you love Jesus? I have to admit that a lot of the people who live on my street do not know me. Oh, they know I am the guy who drives by in his white pickup. They may have met me at an HOA meeting, but they don’t really know me.

Today’s verse has convicted me that I need to get to know my neighbors, not so much for me, but for them. I need to find out who they are spiritually. I have been placed where I live for a purpose. I have been given the opportunity to be a witness for Jesus right on my street. Would you pray for me that I could be a better neighbor and reach out to those who are literally all around me?

In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus asks the question – who proved to be a neighbor? If we answer as the lawyer did, we will get Jesus’ reply. Luke 10:37b “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’” We are commanded to take the healing balm of the Gospel to those around us. Will you join me in reaching your neighbors for Jesus?

Forgive me Father for not being more “neighborly” and reaching out to those who are all around me.

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Affection, Affliction, Altars, Apologies, Bible, Bitterness, Crying, Emotions, Flesh, Forgiveness, God's Will, Grace, Relationships, Scripture

WHAT A SHAME!

MALACHI 2:13

“And this is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and sighing, because He no longer gives attention to the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand.”

Our sinful behavior has effects on others. Sometimes we are not aware of the effect. Other times we are well aware. We see the damage it causes. We hear the anguish in the other person’s voice. The hurt we cause because of our sins weighs heavy on the Lord. He sees their hurt and holds us accountable.

The Pulpit Commentary says this about this verse, “Not only did they marry heathen females, but they divorced their own legitimate wives to facilitate such unholy alliances.” Thus, the tears that are staining the altar come from the priests’ legitimate wives whom they have divorced in order to marry the foreign, idolatrous wives. It was a travesty that Ezra dealt with earlier, but they had lapsed back into.

APPLICATION

Is this you? Have you caused someone else harm by your actions? If so, repent of that. Ask forgiveness of both God and them. There is nothing sweeter than forgiveness when it is offered and received, when two parties are able to mend their broken relationship. God is pleased by such expressions of agape love.

Look back at today’s verse at the last phrase. It says, “because He no longer gives attention to the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand.” Our blindness to unforgiveness and unrepentance leads to this. God will not accept our offerings. God will not hear our cries to Him. Our sin separates us from the very One we need most.

If you have ever experienced such an event, you know how painful it can be. To be unforgiven or to be unrepentant can lead to hardness and callousness. Only God can break through this. Matthew 6:14 says to us, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,” We also read in Colossians 3:13 we read, “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” Be like Jesus this week. Make things right with someone whom you have offended or has offended you. That makes God smile.

Lord, forgiveness is hard, it seems. But You sent Your Son to die to forgive me. Now, that’s hard.

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Affection, Bible, Correction, Disappointment, Gifts, Giving, Guilt, Holy Spirit, Hypocrisy, Praise, Scripture, Worship

FORGET THE GIFT

MALACHI 1:10

“‘If only there were one among you who would shut the gates, so that you would not kindle fire on My altar for nothing! I am not pleased with you,’ says the LORD of armies, ‘nor will I accept an offering from your hand.’”

I have to admit something to you. I have given gifts out of guilt. Yep, I’ve done that. Don’t point your finger at me, though. I bet you have done the same thing. I have hurt people in the past, most of them unintentionally. So, what do I do? I try to find a way to make it up to them. That may involve a small gift of some sort. That is such hypocrisy, isn’t it?

The Lord speaks through Malachi in today’s verse and tells the priests, “nor will I accept an offering from your hand.” God doesn’t want gifts that are made half-heartedly. He wants us to come to Him with sincerity and purpose. God even hinted at even closing the doors of the temple to prevent them from offering sacrifices erroneously.

APPLICATION

Jeremiah 6:20 says something similar. “‘For what purpose does frankincense come to Me from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable and your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me.’” This thought wasn’t exclusive to Malachi. All through Scripture God abhors false worship.

Carl, what’s all this talk about worship. Can’t we just restrict that Sundays? Are you kidding me? Worship is a daily event. We should be worshipping the Lord every day through praise, through thanksgiving and through listening for His voice. By the way that is PTL – Praise, Thanks, Listen. Try that today and see if you don’t worship.

This past Sunday at the church I attend, the worship service was truly Spirit-filled. I don’t mean we got Pentecostal (nothing wrong with that if it’s genuine). After all, we are Baptists, lol. But there were tears shed. There were hands raised. There were people standing up in their pews in celebration of praises going up through music. But I know my worship isn’t just on Sundays at my church. It’s every day.

I worship, O Mighty God, there is none like You.

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Affection, Bible, Death, Emotions, Gentleness, Joy, Mourning, Scripture, Sorrow, Tears

MOURNING – NOT JUST A WOMAN THING

ZECHARIAH 12:14

“all the families that are left, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.”

Okay, let me ask you something. How many of you grew up being told that real men don’t cry? I can remember my own, dear mother telling me, “Now, now, big boys don’t cry.” I know she meant well and was just trying to comfort me. After all, no one wants to be a cry baby, right? But emotions are felt by all.

In Zechariah 12:12-14, Zechariah says five times, “and their wives by themselves.” Now no one during those days would have been surprised by that. In fact, there were women who were professional mourners. So, why does Zechariah point the women out. Perhaps he wanted to say that so that it would highlight the other mourners, the men. Mind you – this is just my speculation, but it is a thought.

APPLICATION

Let me address the men today. Listen to me – big boys do cry. There is nothing weak about shedding a tear. There is nothing unmanly about showing sorrow and grief. In fact, one of the manliest things you can do is show appropriate emotion when it is called for.

Do I have to remind you of John 11:35. “Jesus wept.” Our Lord and Savior wept at the grave of his dear friend Lazarus. He did not weep because of Lazarus’ death. That would soon be overturned. He knew before He even left for Bethany that He would call forth Lazarus from that tomb. He wept because of the sorrow He saw in the faces of Mary and Martha and others. His heart was touched by that.

I used to get asked to sing a lot at funerals. I seldom had a problem doing that without getting choked up, even if I knew the person well. But if I started looking at the loved ones as I sang, I could easily get teary eyed. Sorrow and grief, men, is a natural emotion God has given us. Show other men how powerful it can be in their lives as you love on others during these times.

Father, thank You for the power of sorrow. It prepares the way for joy!

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Affection, Bible, Crying, Darkness, Death, Despair, Grief, Mourning, Scripture, Tears

WAILING

ZECHARIAH 11:2

“Wail, juniper, because the cedar has fallen, for the magnificent trees have been destroyed; wail, oaks of Bashan, because the impenetrable forest has come down.”

Have you ever heard someone wail? What is that? It’s a loud scream or howl. It has the sound as if someone is dying. It’s an extreme mournful sound. I have heard that sound several times in my life. All of them came at the scene of death. Someone had died and their loved ones were wailing at the thought of never seeing them again. It’s a gut-wrenching sound.

Zechariah continues the imagery of trees and their representation of Israel, the temple and its leaders. If the temple (cedar) has fallen, then the juniper and oaks (their leaders) would certainly fall. The word for “wail” here is used exclusively by the Old Testament prophets. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel, Ezekiel, and Amos also employ the use of this descriptive word.

APPLICATION

What are you wailing about? What has you so upset that you can’t eat or drink? I have seen believers who were so upset they could not function. If that is you, may I encourage you to dry your tears and turn your thoughts towards Jesus. He is the author and finisher of your faith. He can restore what you have lost in His own way.

There have been a couple of times in my life when I found myself wailing from deep, personal heartache. We are told in Revelation 21:4, “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” Do you believe that? Then trust Him now.

Instead of tears of heartache, I prefer tears of joy. I would rather have tears of repentance than tears of mourning. So, are you wailing? Let your wails be wails of repentance over your sins. Wail to God for Him to forgive you. Wail to Him over the way you have not followed Him as you should. But trust Him in the midst of the wailings. God never runs out of Kleenex to wipe away your tears.

Thank You, Lord, for wiping my tears. I want to wail only over my sins and trust You with all my life.

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Abuse, Affection, Bible, Blessing, Comfort, Commands, Deceit, Family, Friends, Goodness, Mercy, Scripture

DOING GOOD TO OTHERS

ZECHARIAH 7:10

“‘and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’”

When I read this verse today, I thought Who would hurt a widow or orphan? Who would mistreat a stranger or a poor person? However, I am very aware of the evil in this world. The intentions of man are not normally in tune with God’s principles. It’s a dog eat dog world, and some people will take anything from anyone at any time just to get ahead.

The Lord, through Zechariah, continues his instructions to the people. In verse 10 He expands His commands to include how to treat the widow, orphan, stranger and poor. The Hebrew word for “oppress” can be translated as deceive, defraud or violate. In other words, He is saying do not treat these people badly. All through Scripture we read how God cares for these individuals.

APPLICATION

I spent over thirty years caring for the “orphans.” My years in the child welfare field had me involved in residential care, foster care and adoptions. Nothing stirs the heart strings of people like sharing stories about these children. Is there a children’s home near you where you can volunteer? They always need volunteers. You will be blessed.

James 1:27 is one of my favorite verses. “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” Our good treatment of these individuals is pleasing to our heavenly Father because they are near to His heart.

Look around you. There are tons of opportunities for you to minister to this population. Widows and widowers need friends they can talk to. Orphans need loving families. The strangers and the poor need a hand up. Just ask the Lord how He could use you. You might just be surprised at His answer.

Open my eyes to people around me who need some love and compassion.

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Affection, Bible, Crying, Joy, Scripture, Sorrow, Tears

THE REST OF THESE HORSES

ZECHARIAH 6:3

“with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot strong spotted horses.”

Emotions – they get the best of us, don’t they? I’m a crier. I’ve shared that before. I can cry at the slightest thing. Hallmark commercials make me cry. That old Maxwell House coffee commercial with the young man coming home at Christmas and slipping through the kitchen door, surprising everyone – oh man – waterworks for me, lol.

Why am I talking about crying? Because these last two horses – white and spotted – could cause tears to fall. The white horse can represent joy and victory, two things that bring about tears. It also represented the empire of Alexander the Great, who for the most part was gentle to the Jews. The spotted horse means a mixture of emotions, both good and bad. It also stood for Rome, who in itself was a mixture of all the nations it had conquered.

APPLICATION

What drives your emotions, your tears? When was the last time you cried over a lost soul? The western society manhood card says men cannot cry. Excuse me, but that is just plain baloney. Real men are not afraid to cry. They aren’t afraid to get vulnerable. But we can also cry for those joyous moments. We don’t have it recorded in Scripture, but can’t you just imagine those disciples around the campfire with Jesus after His resurrection? There had to be some tears of joy going on.

Our emotions range from sadness to joy, and both can be expressed through tears. Jesus wept in sorrow over Jerusalem. We know He wept at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35). Do you want to be like Jesus? Then be willing to show your emotions. Cry a little. Laugh a lot. (I just believe Jesus had a great sense of humor.)

Joy and mixed emotions were portrayed by those two horses. That must be important for us. Will you join me in crying tears of joy in knowing all that Christ has done for us? Will you join me in crying tears of sorrow at the estate of our world right now? But let’s not just cry. When we are done and have wiped our eyes and nose, let’s put those tears into action. Let’s tell the greatest story every told to everyone. Let’s get a response out of them. Hopefully, that will bring even more tears of joy!

Tears of joy flow down my cheeks as I think of all You have done for me, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

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Affection, Bible, Bitterness, Brokenness, Comfort, Despair, Encouragement, God's Will, Healing, Kindness, Love, Scripture

A NEW MESSAGE

HAGGAI 2:1

“On the twenty-first of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,”

Have you ever tried to encourage someone who was intent on feeling sorry for themselves? It is difficult to get them to see beyond themselves. All they see is what they don’t have, who has hurt them or how unfortunate they are. All the coaxing in the world will not get them out of their funk. Sometimes, you just have to be like Job’s friends who showed up and just sat with him (Job 2:13).

In the second chapter of Haggai, he is going to deliver a message of encouragement to the people. The date he mentions, the 21st day of the seventh month, happens to be the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles when Israel is supposed to be dwelling in structures outside and praising God for all He has done for them. It was the time to gather in the harvest and celebrate it. For the Israelites, however, they were discouraged due to the lack of the harvest and no temple in which to celebrate. Haggai has his work cut out for him.

APPLICATION

So, how do you encourage someone? Well, all I know to do is to point them to Jesus. We do have instructions in His Word. I am thinking of 2 Corinthians 1:3-5. “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.”

You see, it’s not our words that do anything. We just have to be present and show His comfort. His comfort is always perfect. We can’t force this on anyone, but we can be there when the time is right. Just as Haggai was given a message from God to deliver to the people, He will give us the words to say at just the right time. He promises that.

I am thankful that God can use me like that. One of the greatest opportunities of ministry for me has been to comfort friends and family in the loss of loved ones. I have been there. I have lost both my parents, a child and a brother. I have grieved with my wife in the loss of her parents. Just be there. You don’t have to go with a prepared speech. Let the Spirit guide you in the words He has for you. You have a message for them. It’s one of grace and mercy in Jesus Christ.

Father of compassion and God of all comfort, comfort those around me who are in need of mercy right now.

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Affection, Belief, Bible, Commands, Relationships, Scripture, Testimony, Wisdom, Witnessing

WHAT ANIMAL CHARACTER ARE YOU?

HABAKKUK 1:8

“Their horses are faster than leopards, and quicker than wolves in the evening. Their horsemen charge along, their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swooping down to devour.”

My title may sound a little crazy, but there are actually personality tests out there that will designate which animal type you are based on your test scores. Check this one out –

4 Animals Personality Test – Focus on the Family

I think I am a beaver, lol.

Unfortunately, the Chaldeans were not defined by a personality test. They were defined by their ferocity and savagery. God says they are “faster than leopards, and quicker than wolves.” They are horseman who charge and “they fly like an eagle swooping down t devour.” Not a pretty picture if you are the prophet who has to deliver this message to the nation. But there you are. When God speaks, you have to deliver the message.

APPLICATION

I am really not interested in what animal you are. I am more interested in how you treat others. I pray you are not like the Chaldeans, who devoured others. People use the excuse all the time – “Well, that’s just the way I am.” That is no excuse. We are all flesh, and left to that, we are all horrible human beings.

But through Christ, we are changed into a new creature (a new animal, to keep the analogy going). All our old behaviors and habits are nailed to the cross. We are no longer the same. We don’t have that excuse anymore. We are to live as Jesus directed us in Matthew 10:16. “‘Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as wary as serpents, and as innocent as doves.’”

Jesus names four creatures in that verse – sheep, wolves, serpents and doves. Which are you? I pray you aren’t the wolf. Treat others as you want to be treated. React to others as Jesus would. Don’t prey on others. Instead pray for them. One little letter changes the whole meaning, doesn’t it?

O God, You have transformed me into a brand new creature in Christ. Let me live to honor You in all I do.

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Affection, Bible, Comfort, Modeling, Relationships, Scripture, Suffering, Sympathy, Testimony

COMFORT

NAHUM 3:7

“‘And it will come about that all who see you will shrink from you and say, “Nineveh is devastated! Who will have sympathy for her?” Where shall I seek comforters for you?’”

Some people just have no sympathy. They can walk past a hurting child and ignore them. They can look the other way when they see someone in obvious need of help. Our world today is getting less and less sympathetic. It is all about “me.” People do not want to risk getting involved.

The Lord is saying through Nahum that people will do that to Nineveh. They will flee from them in the midst of their destruction. Nineveh, who showed no compassion, will now receive no compassion. There will not be anyone who will come to comfort them.

APPLICATION

My mind immediately goes to 2 Corinthians 1:3-5. “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.”

We are not to be like the onlookers who passed by Nineveh. We are to reach out and comfort those around us who we see in need. As Paul said above in 2 Corinthians, we are to use the comfort we have received from the Father to comfort them. It is “trickle down” comfort. We share what has been given to us.

I have been both the recipient and giver of comfort in my life. Let me tell you – I had rather give comfort than receive comfort. I am not a good receiver. But, oh the joy I receive when I can give that to others. In a hospital or a funeral home, I can give that which the Father has given me. So can you. 

Father of all comfort, thank You for comforting me with Your Spirit. I can share that now with others.

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