Burnt Pie

Cody Bret shares the best kept secret to a long lasting relationship: “When I was a child my grandma spent countless hours in the kitchen cooking food that was fit for kings. But one day she was taking clothes off the close line outside and forgot about the pie in the oven and unfortunately didn't have the ingredients to bake another, so she took the pie out and let it cool, and set a big piece of pie in front of my grandpa. Out of curiosity I stuck around to see what my grandpa would say. But to my astonishment he ate every morsel of the piece of pie and asked me how school was treating me. Then I heard my Grandma apologize to him for the way the pie turned out. Till this day, I'll never forget his response. "Honey, this is one of the best pies I've ever had." Later, I asked my Grandpa if that was the truth. He said "Come here my boy" as he put his arm on my shoulder and said, “Your grandma had a long day and after 43 years together I know when she's tired. I couldn’t care less about the pie being burnt, but if I had chosen to say something negative about the pie it could have hurt her feelings." We all make mistakes, but we shouldn't focus on those mistakes, rather support those whom we truly love.”

The temptation, of course, is to react negatively when things don’t go our way or when others make mistakes that affect us. When we feel the urge to respond in negative ways, remember how God wants us to react. “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you” (Colossians 3:12–13).

Relationships are more important than pies. Remember that next time someone burns one.

God loves you!

Mike

Raining Reptiles

Don’t have enough to worry about? Let me add falling iguanas to the list. The recent cold snap in the eastern US prompted this recent article. “As residents across the Gulf Coast and Southeast experience significant drops in temperatures, experts say there's a chance iguanas could drop from trees. Through at least Jan. 12, widespread temperatures 12-25 degrees Fahrenheit below typical of early January are projected to expand across much of the central and eastern United States…This sudden cold snap brings with it an unusual hazard: cold-stunned iguanas falling from trees. These cold-blooded reptiles become immobile and can lose their grip on branches when temperatures drop below their tolerance threshold…Once the temperature drops below the mid-40s, iguanas go into a dormant or cold-stunned state and sometimes fall out of trees where they go to sleep. They appear to be dead, but they are not. They remain breathing with critical body functions still operating…When fully grown, iguanas can be up to 5 feet long and weigh up to 25 pounds. Such large lizards falling from trees can cause injury to unaware humans who don't normally prepare for raining reptiles.”*

I doubt that Jesus was ever concerned about falling iguanas but He did have something to say about worry. A significant section of His teaching in the sermon on the mount is devoted to cautioning His followers to avoid worry and anxiety (Matthew 6:34). When He explained His parable about the soils, He targeted worry as one of the thorns that can choke the growth of the Word in our lives (Matthew 13:33). The apostles of Christ mirror the attitude of their Master toward worry. Paul instructed the Phillipian church to give up their anxieties and turn to prayer instead (Phillipians 4:6). Peter invites his readers to cast all their worries on God instead of trying to carry them on our own (1 Peter 5:7).

I suppose this biblical advice would apply to falling iguanas if you lived where that was a problem.

God loves you!

Mike

*https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/falling-iguana-alert-amid-cold-temperatures-in-florida/1730875

Is It My Business?

“My co-worker said, "You should never eat donuts for breakfast!” to me today. I told her, "My grandmother lived to be 100 years old." She asked "Did she eat donuts for breakfast?” I said, "No, she minded her own business."” 

I don’t know whether this was a real event in a real person’s life or not (I suspect not). But it does make a real point in a humorous way. There are times in life when it is best to mind our own business. Were you aware that the Bible teaches this as well? When the apostle Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica, he notes that part of living as a follower of Christ is “...to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12). In his second letter to the same church, he writes: “For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread” (2 Thessalonians 3:11–12).

But there are times when a fellow Christian’s business becomes our business. For example, I shouldn’t ignore my brother or sister in their times of weakness. “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves” (Romans 15:1). When fellow believers are mixed up in sin, I should get involved in their business. “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).

Father God, please help me know when it is best to mind my own business and when I must get involved. Please teach me discernment in such matters.

God loves you!

Mike

Fallout

“Fallout” refers to the unpleasant results or effects of an action or event. For example, nuclear fallout describes the radioactive particles that are carried into the atmosphere after a nuclear explosion or accident and gradually fall back as dust or in precipitation. Political fallout could show up as a decline in the polls due to an unpopular position taken. Actions have consequences - sometimes good and sometimes not so good.

The fallout from the sin committed in the garden by Adam and Eve was immediate and devastating. First, it brought a loss of innocence and, with it, a sense of shame (Genesis 3:7). Second, it damaged their close relationship with the Creator. Instead of enjoying God’s presence, now they fearfully hid themselves from Him (Genesis 3:6-10). Third, after being confronted by God, the couple began to blame others for their failure (Genesis 3:11-13). Fourth, God outlined specific consequences for everyone involved in the mess (Genesis 3:14-19). And, finally, Adam and Eve were sent out of the garden and their access to the tree of life was blocked. Wow! Talk about fallout! Who would have thought that one sin would lead to such disastrous consequences? Apparently Adam and Eve didn’t. And yet, there they were, with pieces of their shattered lives laying all around them.

But even with this example (and numerous others in the Bible), some of us still manage to think that we will be the exception to the rule. That somehow we will be the one to escape the fallout from our sins. Oh sure, we know that in the Bible it says that “you reap what you sow…” (Galatians 6:7-8) -- but that doesn’t apply to me. Yes, we know that “...when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished , it brings forth death (James 1:15) -- but it will be different for me.

Sin is an equal opportunity destroyer of lives. And there is only One fallout shelter -- Jesus Christ. Consequences from sin are inevitable in this life, but He can protect you from eternal repercussions.

God loves you!

Mike

Life-Saving Blood

The National Public Radio website posted an interesting piece recently (3-3-25) on the death of someone who was devoted to saving lives. “Australia's most prolific blood and plasma donor, James Harrison, has died at age 88. Known as the "Man with the Golden Arm," Harrison is credited with saving the lives of 2.4 million babies over the course of more than half a century…Harrison donated blood and plasma a whopping 1,173 times, according to Lifeblood, every two weeks between 1954 and 2018…Harrison's plasma contained a rare and precious antibody called anti-D, which was discovered in the mid-1960s. It is used in medications to prevent haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) — also known as rhesus disease — a potentially fatal disease that occurs when a pregnant person's blood is incompatible with that of their unborn baby, prompting their immune system to attack it…Once Harrison learned he possessed anti-D, Lifeblood says he was "happy to continue to donate and switch over to plasma donation in order to help as many people as possible."*

What an amazing story of an impressive giver!  Of course the greatest blood donor of all time was Jesus Christ. His precious blood (1 Peter 1:19) was drained from His body in a much less hygienic and much more painful way -- as He hung on a Roman cross for sins He didn’t commit. But the blood of Christ is so powerful that it only had to be donated one time to secure eternal redemption for those who accept the gift (Hebrews 9:12). By Christ’s blood donation, recipients are not only initially cleansed from spiritual disease but also have ongoing protection (1 John 1:7). By Christ’s blood donation, fellowship with God can be restored (Hebrews 10:19).

Thanks to James Harrison for donating blood that saved so many babies. Thanks to Jesus Christ for donating blood that potentially can save the whole world (1 John 2:2).

God loves you!

Mike

*https://www.npr.org/2025/03/03/nx-s1-5316163/james-harrison-blood-donor?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=6705360be2fc7ec1680f85f6

History Repeats Itself

“Now the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God really said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'" The serpent said to the woman, "You certainly will not die! For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make [one] wise, she took some of its fruit and ate; and she also gave [some] to her husband with her, and he ate” (Genesis 3:1-6).

The battle between good and evil has been there from the very start. The adversary of the human race seeks out Eve and sets his devilish trap, baiting it with doubt and deprivation. “Has God really said…?” “You certainly will not die!” “You will become like God…” The more Eve thought about it, the more she looked at the delightful tree and its fruit, the more she was convinced that God was holding out on her. Sadly, Eve (and Adam as well) give in to the temptation not to trust their Creator and eat the forbidden fruit. And the rest, as they say, is history.

From the very beginning, our problem has been a love of the world, unrestrained lust, and selfish pride (1 John 2:15-16). And, like Adam and Eve, sin still leads to separation from God. Thankfully, a coming Descendant of Eve would crush the head of the deceiver (Genesis 3:15) and restore fellowship with God. History may repeat itself but it’s not the end of the story!

God loves you!

Mike

Powerlines

““I know when Jesus died,” five-year-old Joshua exclaimed. “It was when He went to hang the power lines.” Joshua had been shown a picture of Jesus carrying the cross. Since it looked just like the utility poles in his yard, Joshua assumed that Jesus was at work for the electric company. When his Sunday school teacher corrected him, explaining that this was a picture of Jesus on His way to die, Joshua simply combined the ideas: Jesus died when He was hanging power lines. Joshua hit upon an important truth. Jesus’ death and resurrection did establish a powerline for us” (preaching.com).

I’m guessing that most, if not all, of those who viewed the crucifixion of Jesus saw it as a display of powerlessness on his part. An itinerant rabbi from a back-water town in Galilee was learning what happens to those who foolishly dare to challenge the real powers-that-be -- the Jewish Sanhedrin and the Roman Empire. In their minds, the cross was a demoralizing sign of defeat, not a victorious statement of power. Even his own disciples thought it was all over. But, in reality, the cross was a display of the power of God Himself. Note the following:

The cross gave God the opportunity to display His resurrection power. “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power” (Acts 2:24).

The cross displays God’s power to save sinners. “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

The cross displays God’s power to defeat the devil. “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil…” (Hebrews 2:14).

The cross was not a humiliating defeat but a powerful victory!

God loves you!

Mike