Who do you love?
August 1, 2010
Love. Love is one of those words that seems to get thrown around in today’s world without much thought being given to its true meaning. We say “I love you,” but what does it mean to love? I’m going to date myself a bit here, but I have to go back to an old DC Talk song from the 90’s called “Love is a Verb.” Have you ever looked up the word love in the dictionary? One of the definitions actually does list love as a verb! A verb is something that requires action, so I guess that means that love requires some action then, right? My mother-in-law went home to be with Jesus seven weeks ago. She was perhaps one of the most caring, selfless people I’ve ever met, but our family didn’t realize the full truth of that statement until she was gone. At the funeral home and at the church, we heard story after story about how she would buy this for someone in need, or send money to that person, all without giving a thought to hers or Dad’s own needs. She always put others first. To me, that’s a perfect description of “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). I’m not saying that you have to go buy a car for someone or give up your life savings (unless, of course, that’s what God tells you to do!), but look around. There are people next to you at the store, at school, at work, who could use a random act of love every now and then. Start asking God to show you times when you can love someone around you. Oh, and by the way, don’t expect anything in return. Selfish love really isn’t love at all. (“[Love] is not selfish.” I Corinthians 13:5) If you start truly loving your neighbors, God will reward you in ways you can never imagine. by Rachel Snyder
I'm Having a Nip & Tuck!
May 16, 2010
As we delve further into the year of 2010, I contemplate the changes in my own life. I've renewed my desire to diet and exercise (losing 14 pounds to date!), all the while wishing that I could just wake up one morning and all my added pounds would be gone! Let's face it, power walks and the elliptical are hard work! I've even thought about, well, you know, getting a little 'nip & tuck'. Then, as I pondered on this thought, I got a friendly prompting from the Lord... I CAN get a little (or a lot) of a nip & tuck. We all can. "How?" you say? Well, I'm not referring to the physical/outside nip & tuck, but the inside. It would start with my attitude; perhaps with your attitude also. It's about a change in how I treat others, and an adjustment to the words I speak out. I'm calling it my 'Attitude Nip & Tuck'. Now let's think about this for a moment: how do I treat others? Do I really walk in love? Do I join in gossip and laugh at others? Do I discuss others in a negative manner when they don't live their life the way 'I' think they should? Do I really reflect the Biblical description of a Christ-like life? Do I truly walk in LOVE as described in Luke 10:27? Would Jesus be pleased with me today, or would He see me as smug and self-rightous? Would He be saddened by my behavior? My behavior? More Nip & Tuck... When we're at the store and we're in the 12-items-or-less lane and the person in front of us has their cart loaded, what do we say? How do we act? What about in the restaurant...how do we respond when the waiter or waitress gets our order wrong? Would we still be able to invite them to church at the end of our meal? Let's talk about being at the office or at our place of work. Are we gossiping? You know...that little 'tittle-tattle' or little 'chit-chat' about others? Those hushed murmurs and little whispers about so-and-so and what you 'heard' they did? OK, let's touch on a little church behavior. Are we sharing with others what we know about this person or that person, under the pretense of 'just so you can pray about it'? Yep, that's considered gossip too! Let's do just a little more Nip & Tuck and finish up with at home - with our spouse, our parents, or our children. Do we roll our eyes at them? Ignore and treat them disrespectfully? Yell at them and call them names? Do we dishonor them by giving TV, sports, jobs, and other 'things' more priority? I believe we could all use a little 'Attitude Nip & Tuck' when we consider these exchanges. So as we enter into the summer months of 2010, why don't we all go under the knife (so to speak!) and get a little internal Nip & Tuck? Together, let's think about the words we speak to and about others, and consider the way we treat others and the way we react to situations. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you O Lord; my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14) Are you ready for a Nip & Tuck? Be blessed! Pastor Grace
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