Sunday, August 30, 2009

Dew Drops and Rainbows

“Campfires, dew drops, leaves, rainbows, Teddy bears.” These words came to me in an email as the Bible verse of the day last week from an internet list. Amused, I wrote back to say I was kind of wondering how I was going to write a devotion based on that "verse" which was actually the group’s bingo list. The sender said it would be a good trick and to let her know what I came up with. I’m always up for a good trick and thought since I had missed a few days, I should go for it.

While I realize these words were drawn at random from a large list, I think I see a common thread, though it might need a bit of a stretch, something I’m often doing so please loosen the elasticity of your brain and bear with me as I try to weave this thread.

Campfires, dew drops and leaves remind me of camping vacations from younger days. Pictures come to mind of lovely waterfalls, rock formations, hiking trails, squirrels, food hanging from a tree, and, of course, bears. Campfires are an essential part of a camping trip each day, not just for cooking and heating water, but for sitting around and singing before bed time and keeping warm.

Dew drops covered the leaves each morning and if it were dew accompanied by rain, there would be a rainbow, which might douse the campfire and get the Teddy bear wet because it had been left out by a mesmerized child. So what do we do with all these boring tidbits? Write a story? Not today! A nobler task waits.

I tried looking the words up in my Bible’s dictionary-concordance, which I’ve found is much too small, (the print, too). Drop was the only word that came close to being in there in the form of “dropsy,” which with another little stretch might elicit a few thoughts. It says, “puffiness or swelling of the body caused by a disease of the kidneys, liver or heart.”

OK, I know you are saying that’s silly, but since Pastor Jim admitted to being silly during his sermon Sunday, then I’m going to do it, too. Besides, he uses these silly moments quite skillfully and makes most of us laugh, which is good for the soul and perhaps the only time during the week that some people manage to crack a smile. Trust me on that one or get a bigger concordance than the one in this Bible and look it up yourself because this is off topic for me today. Laughter is healing!

Let’s go back to the camp. (I highly recommend Yosemite, it is gorgeous.) Don’t you love the sparkle of the dew drops on the leaves as the sun rises and paints an original watercolor each and every morning? A fresh, new canvas waits to be filled with every color of the rainbow. It’s a chance to start over and blot out the stuff on yesterday’s page that we weren’t pleased with. It’s a time to acknowledge that this artwork did not at any time, nor does it continue to be, nor will it ever be in the future painted every morning by an amoeba or some of its offspring. One needs to think about that for only a second and realize the absurdity of such a claim.

It is, however, an opportunity to recognize and praise God for His provision, to make Jesus our best friend and to cling to the Holy Spirit as our Comforter instead of to an admittedly cuddly Teddy bear. It’s a time to let the fire burn up the imaginary threads that we dream up that are not based on Biblical truths or that might cause our hearts to puff up in praise of ourselves for anything we think we have done without the materials or the intellect provided to us by the one true living God.

“Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1:3 NIV

~Praisingly, Marcia Walthers, August 30, 2009, 4:45 p.m.

Me Worry About Tomorrow?

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. MATTHEW 6:34



Years ago while in my early 20s, I took a two-week job running a women’s clothing store while the owner took a little worry-free vacation. She trusted me because I worked Mondays for her already. Behind the counter a sign that read, “Worry—a responsibility God does not intend for you to have.” That sign has stuck with me over the years and often comes back to hound me or others whom I feel the need to quote it to with or without their permission.



This verse, however, isn’t exactly clear without reading the context. It has a “therefore” at the beginning which requires me to go back. The beginning of the chapter starts with Jesus giving caution as to how we should give to the needy so as not to lose our rewards. Prayer and Jesus’ famous example comes next, then directions for discreet fasting. Verse 19 tell us not to store up treasures on earth because we cannot serve two masters, hating one and loving the other as we cannot serve both God and Money. Then Jesus says not to worry about our lives and goes on specifically to tell us what we should not worry about and gives us colorful examples about life being more important than food, the body more important than clothes. He shares about birds and lilies who don’t work and yet God cares for them and Jesus asks if we are not more valuable than they. Then an awesome rhetorical question, “Can we add a single hour to our lives by worrying! “



I feel compelled to look up worry…as if I didn’t have enough to worry about with writing this devotion! My American Heritage Taking Dictionary served up a mess of worry in itself. Just read this:



wor-ry To feel uneasy or concerned about something; be troubled To pull or tear at something with or as if with the teeth. To proceed doggedly in the face of difficulty or hardship; struggle: worried along at the problem To cause to feel anxious, distressed, or troubled. 2. To bother or annoy, as with petty complaints. To seize with the teeth and shake or tug at repeatedly: a dog worrying a bone. To attack roughly and repeatedly; harass. To touch, move, or handle idly; toy with: worrying the loose tooth with his tongue. wor-ries. The act of worrying or the condition of being worried; persistent mental uneasiness. See Synonyms at anxiety. A source of nagging concern or uneasiness.



Incredible, I had a Border collie mix that I had to give to a farmer because he chewed through Tabasco-coated air conditioning wires in my backyard. I was told she was going to learn to herd sheep. Instead she grabbed…well she did what the example said and found herself in “grave” trouble. What disastrous consequences we bring upon ourselves by that little five-letter word. Considering the Bible was written long before that time, Jesus was quite justified in telling us not to worry, knowing what adverse impact it would have on our minds and bodies and knowing that our Heavenly Father knows our needs. More than worrying he says to seek “his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to us as well.” To whom? To us as well as the animals and plants as long as we are seeking his kingdom first! Usually before we find a “therefore,” we’ll find some explanation or directions.



Now back to the verse of the day and why we find the “therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” That strikes me as a bit funny in a way. Tomorrow will worry about itself. We will worry about it because of our human nature. We can’t seem to get it when we put our head on the pillow at night that worrying ourselves to sleep is only going to continue to the next day. Each day can certainly have enough trouble of its own—because we forget just who is our Father and continue to take responsibility that belongs to him in the first place—worry. Know where does it say, “Thou shalt worry!” unless it’s taken out of context and I’m not going to worry myself with looking that up. Like the sign said, it is a responsibility God never intended for us to have. So let’s give it up…and yes I have plenty of experience in giving it up. When I put my head on the pillow and start to think about my worries, I give it up and start singing, Praise the Lord in my head. It drowns out those worries and yup, I might have to drown them out with praises the next day, but I’m working on it and it is much more pleasant and better for my mental outlook. Praise the Lord.

--Huggingly, Marcia Walthers August 21, 2009 9:57 a.m.

In Plenty or in Want?

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13


Not the traditional wording for the time (richer or poorer)—the title words were part of my wedding vows—in 1966. We wanted something different and our pastor definitely came through for us. I have always especially liked the book of Philippians and particularly chapter four. I have claimed verse 13 as a promise many times and admired Paul for learning and sharing his secret of contentment. Wait a minute. I need to read that verse again. He said he learned the secret of being content in any situation, but did he reveal the secret as I just said he did?


I decided to consult, “John Gill's Exposition of the Bible1.” Gill confirms that Paul knew what it meant to be lowly and how to conduct himself, “not to be depressed and cast down, or to fret, repine, and murmur:” He also knew what it meant, “to excel; to be in the esteem of men, and to have an affluence of the things of this world, and how to behave in the midst of plenty; so as not to be lifted up, to be proud and haughty, and injurious to fellow creatures . . .” These were the lessons given to Paul throughout his life. Lessons which he acknowledged came through the strength given to him only by God. He was keenly aware that he was powerless without God’s strength and stressed this lesson. He “directed others to be strong in the Lord, and in, the power of his might, and in the grace that is in Christ,” according to Gill.


Plenty or in want . . . most of my life I am thankful to say that we have been in plenty, not that we never struggled, but we had enough to pay the bills and were quite content. I must admit I haven’t been so content the last year and a half. My husband and I are learning to be content in want. We want him to land another contract. In fact, we need him to land another contract. God knows our need and yet, my husband has struggled to find work (no contracts during nearly half of the time since April 2008) and we have had more family crises and medical bills than ever before in our 42 years of marriage. We have had to withdraw all our resources to survive and they will soon be gone.

What can we do? Nothing and yet Everything . . . through Him who gives us strength! How? I haven’t a clue, but God does and I trust him to carry out his promise! I can still be content, I can lift up my spirits, I can be strong in the Lord through the power of his might, and most importantly, I can remain steadfast in the grace I have through Christ. Grace, oh the wonderful grace of Jesus. I will praise him in the morning, noon and evening and look forward to seeing how God works this all out.

What strength we have when we can operate in the joy of the Lord in plenty and in want.


Trustingly—Marcia Walthers August 24, 2009 11:47 p.m.



1 The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible, Modernized and adapted for the computer by Larry Pierce of . All Rights Reserved, Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Honoring our Bodies?

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

I decided to honor my body by going to bed earlier than my usual time even though I didn’t feel tired, but had a headache that wouldn’t stop. It was about 1:30 a.m. and I took my usual meds which includes Ambien CR and added two Naproxen. After praying and praising the Lord with silent songs in my aching head while listening to the nasal and throat sounds from both my husband and dog for more than 45 minutes, I decided to beg God to let me go to sleep in spite of the fact that this was Decadron day and sleep eludes me until at least 4 a.m. (I take it to stop the horrid itching--a symptom of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.) I decided if I hadn’t drifted off in 15 minutes that was it. I was getting up. The head kept throbbing, the snoring kept annoying me and I hadn’t looked at the clock yet. Twenty minutes had gone by and I knew I needed to put the ice bag in the freezer for morning, because the headache continues, but tapers off, throughout the next day, so I crept to the kitchen and low and behold…I hadn’t noticed the 6 oz. containers of ice cream when I retrieved the ice bag and since it was lower in both fat and calories I knew I was obeying this verse. Of course, that would be a lie because I hadn’t chosen the verse yet, Peggie did yesterday.

The Lord has been urging me, well, urging isn’t quite the right word, perhaps nudging, prodding, (gently with the cattle prod, please) and just plain telling me in more than one way that I should resume writing devotions. My resistance with excuses has gone on long enough. Earlier the brain failed to recall why I had stopped, but I think it was when I went to work full time several years ago. I’ve told myself I should start again and tonight was a huge command. The Holy Spirit has been trying to get my attention, reminded me that Jesus owns me and I committed to serve and make Jesus the Lord of my life. I don’t exactly remember saying anything about my body, but I’ve read this verse at least 50 million times (that’s my favorite number) and there went another lie. God forgive me, but I know it’s been a lot because I memorized it as a kid and for the record I am NOT in the habit of telling lies.

Now why did God add that honoring Him with our bodies? I’ll go read more of the passage so I can look at the context. I’m back…wow, what a revelation. It certainly makes a difference and has little to do with Edy’s slow- churned rich and creamy mint chocolate chip. At the beginning of chapter 6, Paul chastises about lawsuits among believers. Verse 12 begins with all things permissible and specifically mentions food, all of which are not necessarily beneficial, that Paul will not be mastered by anything and that both the stomach and food will be destroyed by God. Then immediately he says, “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body….Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never….But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.” Wow, stick me with the cattle prod. I don’t remember reading that example before. But most important is in verse 18, “Flee from sexual immorality (that’s a repeat). All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.” Wow, again. We are not just nudged, cajoled, cattle prodded, nor is it merely suggested that we honor God with our body, it is, “Therefore, honor God with your body.”

I hadn’t thought of the outside and inside aspect of these verses. Well, OK, I’ve read it before, but I have a retention problem with my brain—is that an inner defect? Back to the subject, I don’t think we need to explore honor. It appears frequently in the Bible and the 10 commandments are quite clear that we shall live a longer life if we honor our father and mother. Respecting fleshing parents is another thing, but honor is commanded. Let that sink in and let the Holy Spirit reveal to you what you are to do with that one. He did me a number of years ago and I was blessed for being obedient (most of the time).

Back to our bodies—Paul devotes 1 ½ verses to the outer body and gives 18 ½ verses to the inner body. When we unite ourselves with the Lord we are one with Him in spirit, making us a temple of the Holy Spirit. We have the Spirit with always. Praise the Lord. He is also known as our Comforter and Counselor. How often do we use the brain power God has given us to access our hearts and draw upon the services of the third part of the most powerful trio we have available to us? Usually--not often enough. I know I haven’t recently and it has caused me to be more depressed and irritable and worrisome and God forgive me, please. I know I will do better because I’ve been reminded of your commands and the Holy Spirit power you have given me to obey your commands. Thank you, all Three.
--Lovingly, Marcia Walthers, August 20, 2009, 4:18 a.m.