Row of Ducks

It’s Saturday. I stretch out on a lounge chair and read a book. The sun warms the air around me. An ice-cold Dr. Pepper fizzes in my cup. My husband sits next to me, holding my hand. The laundry is folded. The dishes are washed. The house is clean. The bills are paid. The pets are fed. The fridge is full. Emails are answered. Family and friends are happy and healthy. All is right in my world. I am content.
In my dreams!

REALITY CHECK

My instinct is to put “all my ducks in a row,” and when the line is perfectly straight, I can sit back and

enjoy life. But have you ever tried to put real, live ducks in a row? Not having attempted it myself, my guess is that they wouldn’t stay there for long, if at all. I’m not sure why anyone would even bother trying. Ducks will only fall naturally into an imperfect row when following their mama.

If I was waiting for when I could get my “ducks” to align simultaneously, I’d be waiting until I meet Jesus face-to-face to be satisfied with my life. But – whoops! That means I’d spend my entire life feeling discontent! Contentment isn’t a result of perfect circumstances, it’s an inner peace in spite of circumstances. We live in an imperfect, fallen world. Life is never going to be perfect.
Contentment is an inner peace in spite of circumstances.

WHAT’S THE SECRET?

Contentment comes from God. “And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” Isaiah 58:11

Contentment is learned. “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Philippians 4:11

Contentment results from thankfulness. “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” I Thessalonians 5:18

Contentment can’t coexist with worry. “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:34

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

Life isn’t about to-do lists. It’s about glorifying God through loving Him and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39). John Piper, author and theologian, states that, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” Instead of concerning ourselves with aligning our row of ducks, let’s focus on following our Father, in whom we can find perfect contentment under any circumstance.

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” I Timothy 6:6-7

Jessie Chamberlain
Family Radio Staff

Keeping Your Word

March 20, 2017

“I get so frustrated by your culture! Please don’t tell me ‘Let’s get together sometime,’ if you aren’t going to follow up on it! Just keep your word – act like a Christian!” This opening to my Intercultural Communication class in college was unanticipated and uncomfortable, at the least. While my Korean professor didn’t direct her morning diatribe toward me or anyone else in the class, I will never forget it. Her swift motions as she prepared her desk for teaching class that day conveyed the sense that a recent conversation, in addition to an accumulated mountain of similar irritations, served as the catalyst for her eruption. Were her feelings unfounded? Maybe not. Our society has gotten into the habit of saying we’ll do things without any real intention of following through. If it happens, great! If not, no sweat.

SO WHAT?

Just because something is culturally acceptable doesn’t mean that it’s biblical. It’s our responsibility to test and discern what glorifies God best through reading His Word – the lens of absolute truth through which we view and interpret the goings-on in the world. So, then, what does the Bible say about keeping our word? •  “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.” James 5:12 •  “Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are His delight.” Proverbs 12:22 •  “The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.” Proverbs 11:3 The Bible uses some pretty strong language to emphasize the importance of keeping our commitments. It also doesn’t mention keeping our word only when it’s convenient or when we feel like it. But it does promise blessing to those who choose integrity. The Bible promises blessing to those who choose integrity.

LET’S BE HONEST

When we say we’re going to do something, we are giving our word. The words “I promise” or “I swear” shouldn’t have to be present for a statement to mean anything of significance. In fact, the Bible even encourages us not to use such vernacular (Matthew 5:33-37).

God doesn’t call us to meet the status quo. We are called to stand out, to be in the world but not of it. Romans 12:2 says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” If we live like the world does, we are unrecognizable as followers of Christ. Not only that, but the world is watching us to see if we live according to the standard we claim. Mahatma Gandhi said, “I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” OUCH! The world can see when we are hypocritical and judges us for it. Instead, God desires our conversations to be “...honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation” (I Peter 2:12).

LIVING IT OUT

I find that we are tempted to break commitments if a better or more convenient opportunity comes along. I Corinthians 10:23 says, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” Edification is all about setting ourselves – our needs and desires – aside for the purpose of building up others. My Intercultural Communication professor saw a direct link between following through on our words and acting like a Christian. Let’s test our actions to see if they represent Christ well to the glory of God, and make changes if necessary. Our God is full of mercy and grace! “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.” I Peter 3:15-16
Jessie Chamberlain
Family Radio Staff

Life of Purpose

Haman rose to power as the king’s right hand man over the Persian Empire. Mordecai, a servant at the king’s gate and a follower of God, refused to bow down and pay Haman respect like the other servants so he wouldn’t dishonor God. Haman grew angry at this perceived disrespect – so angry that he obtained the king’s permission to destroy not only Mordecai, but his entire people – the Jews. Haman cast lots, or purim, to choose the date this atrocity would occur.

IMPENDING DESTRUCTION.

Mordecai sought the help of his cousin, Esther, who just happened to be queen over the empire. He suggested she use her position as queen to implore the king’s prevention of this atrocity – but approaching the king without first being summoned by him was punishable by death. Would she risk her own life to save others? Mordecai reasoned with Esther, “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and [tweet_box design="box_05" float="none"]who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?[/tweet_box]” (Esther 4:14). He saw that God had placed her in her position of importance for a purpose. Esther followed Mordecai’s advice, and through her brave actions, God saved both her and the Jews from annihilation.

TRADITION!

On March 9, the Jewish nation will celebrate God’s deliverance of His people from the Persians during the festival of Purim, named after the lots Haman used. Purim is celebrated by reading the book of Esther aloud. It’s traditional for those listening to make a commotion every time Haman’s name is mentioned – a total of 56 times!

Purim is also marked by donating to charity in honor of Esther 9:22, “...the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.” But what fun would a festival be without good food? The day ends with a delicious dinner and a special dessert called “Haman’s Ears” – a jam-filled, three-cornered pastry – because Haman received his “just dessert.”

A PURPOSE AND A PLAN.

Like Esther, God has a purpose for each of His children. Psalm 119:12, 16 says, “For Thou hast possessed my reins: Thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb...Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in Thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” We can take comfort that God didn’t just know we were going to be born, but intended each of our days to have purpose before the foundation of the earth was even laid.

While Haman left the date of the Jew’s destruction up to chance by casting lots, God doesn’t gamble with our lives. He has specific reasons for having each of us in a particular place at a particular time. II Timothy 1:9 says, “God; who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” There are lessons we can learn, people we can bless, and opportunities for our faith to grow, living a life of purpose to God’s glory and because of His deliverance, as the Jewish nation so aptly celebrates this time of year.

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13

Jessie Chamberlain
Family Radio Staff

Fleeing From Temptation

Joseph found himself in dire straits. His own brothers had sold him into slavery, whereupon he was immediately carted off to Egypt to work for his new employer, Potiphar. He may have felt alone in a new culture and a new land where he didn’t know anyone, but he was not forgotten. Genesis 39:2 says, “And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man…” Potiphar saw God’s hand on Joseph’s work, and made him overseer of his house. “…The Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake…And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured” (Genesis 39:5-6).

THE STORM

But, as so often happens after a season of comfort, the storm came. Potiphar’s wife became attracted
to Joseph and pursued him when her husband wasn’t present. He refused, not wanting to sin against God or his master. Relentlessly, she pursued him. The day of her final endeavor, she grabbed his cloak, but he slipped through her fingers and ran away, leaving the cloak in her hands. She was so angry that she accused him of soliciting her, and Potiphar threw him in prison.

By God’s grace, Joseph faced temptation and overcame it. He knew what was before him wasn’t God’s best for him, so he didn’t just politely decline – he ran in the opposite direction. II Timothy 2:22 says,

“Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

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GOD’S FAITHFULNESS
We all struggle with different temptations, whatever they may be –
harsh words, retaliation, deception, gossip, laziness. And just like Joseph, we don’t have to face them alone. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry” (I Corinthians 10:13-14). Through God’s strength, we can train ourselves to run the other way when we recognize temptation.

If we do succumb to temptation, there is no shame in approaching God with repentance. He will welcome us with open arms, just like the father in the parable of the prodigal son. “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father,I have sinned

against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:18-20).

BIGGER AND BETTER
The difficult part about Joseph’s story is that although he did the right thing, he still got punished for it. Ultimately, God had a plan for Joseph that was bigger and better than anything he could have imagined. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” God used Joseph to bring glory to His name among a people that knew nothing about Him.
Let’s flee from the temptations that hinder our relationships with God, and run the race set before us with joy!

 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

Jessie Chamberlain

Family Radio Staff

Unalienable Rights

“Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” This week we celebrate the birthdays of two men who upheld these unalienable rights for the American people, one at our country’s inception, and the other at a time when our country faced permanent division. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were the backbone and glue uniting our great nation under God and preserving our unalienable rights to the benefit of us all.

George Washington, the only United States President to be unanimously voted in by the electoral college – twice – stated,

“It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”

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 His wisdom and leadership, along with that of the other Founding Fathers, led to the construction of the United States government according to biblical morals and principles.

 

PASSING ALONG THE BATON

When President Washington resigned as commander-in-chief on December 23, 1783, he concluded, “I consider it an indispensable duty to close this last solemn act of my official life, by commending the interests of our dearest country to the protection of Almighty God, and those who have the superintendence of them, to His holy keeping.” Washington understood that ultimately God, rather than any man, could preserve the United States of America.

Influenced by reading and re-reading his beloved copy of Washington’s biography, Abraham Lincoln recognized the importance of the foundation that our Founding Fathers laid: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” Lincoln fought hard to apply that proposition to people in both northern and southern states during the Civil War, one of the most arduous times in our nation’s history. 
 

THE GREAT BOOK

Known as “Honest Abe” – the result of the reputation he held with his law practice clients – President Lincoln grew to be one of our most beloved presidents. He held the Bible in high esteem, articulating that, “In regards to this great Book, I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s welfare, here and hereafter, are found portrayed in it.”

The United States lives under the blessing of unalienable rights thanks to our Heavenly Father’s divine leading of these two men. We commemorate them this week.

Jessie Chamberlain
Family Radio Staff

The Red Flag

Oops! I did it again. I made another mistake. I wasn’t even thinking when I did it. And now it’s out there for people to see. I hope no one takes offense to it. It was thoughtless – I realize that now – but I didn’t mean for it to be!

How often have we found ourselves in this exact same position? We go through life, doing what needs to be done and having some fun along the way, when a red warning flag waves itself at us. Then we realize that we’ve blown it. We slipped up, goofed, blundered, miscalculated, misjudged – no matter which word you choose, the definition remains the same.

We all make mistakes. It’s inevitable. Some of us beat ourselves up afterwards. Others are terrified of God’s wrath. The Bible tells us that the best medicine for us to heal from our mistakes is repentance.

– Isaiah 55:7 “…let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”
– Joel 2:13 “…and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”
– Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
– James 4:6 “But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
– Lamentations 3:22-23 “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.”

We can fearlessly own up to our mistakes by confessing them to God. Then we can make it right with those involved, grow as we face the consequences, learn from the situation, and move on. None of us will attain perfection until our marathons end (Philippians 3).

We as individuals don’t have a monopoly on blunders. Let’s be gracious to others as they learn throughout their own life journeys. Instead of taking offense or judging their mistakes, we have the opportunity to come alongside to give encouragement. Ephesians 4:32 says, “…and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

God cares for us so much! He desires that nothing – including mistakes – separates us from Him (Romans 8:38-39), so He provides the Holy Spirit to wave that red warning flag in our hearts so we can turn to Him.

Jessie Chamberlain
Family Radio Staff

A Beautiful Masterpiece

We’ve all been there. That painful moment when you realize – publically – that you’re wrong. Your cheeks flush. Your pride gets wounded. You have to decide whether to admit or ignore your blunder (and pray no one calls you on it). Thankfully, God can transform humiliating experiences into humbling ones.

Humiliation and humility differ in that the former is a negative emotion and the latter a godly attribute. Humility accepts our imperfection, allowing and relying on Christ to make up the difference (II Corinthians 12:9). God can take our natural fallible reaction of humiliation, which stems from pride, and mold it into a beautiful masterpiece.

In some situations, we are prideful and don’t even recognize it. In Leviticus 4:2-3, God holds the Israelites accountable for such things: “…If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord…then let him bring for his sin…a young bullock without blemish unto the Lord for a sin offering.” Christ is our sin offering, graciously paid once and for all, the balance never outstanding.

Humility becomes a question of motives. Are we glorifying God, or ourselves? Are we treating people with the sacrificial love to which God calls us? Are we seeking to understand, or do we inwardly believe that we know best? Matthew 7:5 says, “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

When we enter into humility, we affirm and encourage those around us. Philippians 2:3 says, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” Let’s not forget Christ’s commands to “…love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mark 12:31) and “…as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:31).

Humility is an act of holiness – being set apart for God by choosing His ways over our instinctive responses. It doesn’t come naturally to most, but by prayer and practice. Ephesians 4:23-24 say, “be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

Let’s take a moment to check our hearts throughout the day. How can we allow God to transform our selfish motivations into His beautiful masterpiece?

Jessie Chamberlain
Family Radio Staff