Let me lose myself in Your vastness. Let me forget myself in the remembering of You.
Arrogance
Arrogance can sometimes masquerade as spiritual authority.
A spiritual “know-it-all” is far, far from Jesus’ example.
” Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45)
Beacon of Liberty: That’s US, not the U.S.
For some reason I ended up musing yesterday upon the poem engraved on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
This sentiment may never have been true for America as a country, but I believe it captures the essence of what we as Christians, and corporately as the Church, are called to be.
“You are the light of the world, a city built on a hill” (Matthew 5). Open hearted. Willing to associate with the lowly and wretched. Willing to get our hands and lives dirty in our caring for others.
© 2015 Deborah Morris
3 Things ONE Christian Can Do About Syrian Refugees
1. Pray for all those in authority, that they will have both wisdom and compassion in their governmental roles.
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” (1 Tim 2:1-2)
“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” (Proverbs 21:1)
2. Ask God specifically what he would have YOU do to materially aid those in need.
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:17-18)
“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” (Hebrews 13:2-3)
3. Teach your children and grandchildren by words and example how to honor God by caring for the needy and oppressed, in your own area and around the world.
“Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” (Prov 14:31)
“Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.” (Proverbs 21:13)
© 2015 Deborah Morris
Stand Firm
by Terry Morris
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” (Hebrews 12:1)
Many years ago, I took a week off my regular job to work on a longline fishing boat. We fished for swordfish in the Atlantic Ocean off the East Coast of Florida and each crewmember was paid a share of the catch. If you have seen the movie The Perfect Storm, you have seen a very accurate description of what it is like to work on this sort of vessel.
The name longline comes from the 12-mile spool of line that we set out like a giant trotline. From this line were suspended many smaller lines, each with baited hooks. We would spend the day moving to the spot, baiting hooks, and coiling lines. In the late afternoon we would set the line, the next morning we would reel it in and claim our catch.
There were many dangers associated with this type of fishing, and at the time I went they were losing about one fisherman a month. Some simply slipped off the deck while standing the night watch, pacing to keep awake while their companions slept. Others were killed in accidents. Being dragged underwater by a moving line was a very real possibility.
My friend David, whose father was the captain, warned me: “Don’t move your feet when we set the line. There will be all sorts of lines and loops moving around your feet and legs as we set the line. If you step into a loop, you will be pulled off the boat.”
The danger was real. As the 12-mile line was paid out, there were sets of knots every 100 feet. We clipped baited 20-foot leader lines between these knots, and a float every 10 sets. Everything that was clipped to the line was dragged overboard. The coils of line whipped around my feet as I stood firm for hours.
“When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.” (Proverbs 10:25)
“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” (Psalm 40:2)
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” (Ephesians 6:14-15)
© 2015 Terry Morris
Reconciliation
Forgiveness alone can’t bring Reconciliation.
Repentance alone can’t bring Reconciliation.
Forgiveness is a raw and intimate act, a holy act, offered in the power and authority of Jesus. It’s not “letting it go”.
Repentance is also a raw and intimate act, a humbling, a brokenness, a change of heart. It’s not “let’s move on”.
It’s when the kiss of Forgiveness is met with the kiss of Repentance that Reconciliation is joyfully born.
© 2015 Deborah Morris
Low Aspirations
My highest aspiration is to be the lowest person on the planet.
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet: John 13:1-17
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
© 2015 Deborah Morris
Fear
Fear is the furnace that Faith walks through. Trust the One who knows best to do what is right and good, no matter how it looks to us.
“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)
© 2015 Deborah Morris
Church Life: Welcome to the Rock Tumbler!
At home group last week, Terry shared a spiritual insight that really stuck with me.
Our daughter recently borrowed his rock tumbler, and he carefully explained the process required to turn the rough and dusty stones she’d collected into beautiful polished stones. It’s a lengthy, messy process that involves abrasive grit, water, and long periods where the stones bang into each other repeatedly.
You start with a very coarse grit to knock off sharp edges and smooth out rough surfaces. The next step is a slightly finer abrasive. More muddy water. More tumbling. More detailed refining.
After 5 or 6 weeks, the stones look startlingly different from the rough, dull rocks that went in. They are now smooth and satiny to the touch. Colors pop. They have become almost jewel-like in their beauty.
So it is with life in the Church. THAT is why genuinely engaging is so important. Not attending, not supporting, not regularly visiting, but jumping right into the rock tumbler with all your imperfect brothers and sisters. Forgiving. Loving. Confronting. Repenting. Rejoicing. Mourning. Praying. Humbling yourself. Gradually getting refined and polished so you can accurately reflect the beauty of the Father.
Terry calls it the “rock humbler”. There are no important rocks and no insignificant rocks. We each play a crucial role, and if we endure the process with faith, we eventually come out beautiful. One rock alone can’t do it.
So come on, jump in! There’s room for you.
“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood…” (1 Peter 2:5)
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)
“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Ephesians 4:16)
© 2015 Deborah Morris
Tale of Two Shepherds
Today I enjoyed reading two different chapters about God’s heart as a shepherd: Ezekiel 34 and Psalm 23. The chapter in Ezekiel makes clear much of what Psalm 23 is saying. There’s a lot in there to think about, some of it startling. Check it out.
Eternity in My Heart 