Stains

Stains

by Barbara Chadwick



I don't like stains.

Washing dishes the other day a favorite plastic bowl was stained with the sauce from chicken cacciatore. I used soap and a scrub brush with no changes so I added bleach to the soapy water and let it soak. This got me to thinking about stains.

So I went to the Dictionary on e-sword (a computer Bible program) It gave me the following words (the words in red)

Soil, v.t. 1. To make dirty... to stain; to defile
Soil, n. 1. Dirt and foul matter upon another substance
2. To stain, tarnish. A lady's honor will not bear a soil (stain)

I was in the bathroom at Barnes & Noble in Anchorage one day and a lady came in. She began to wash - actually scrub - her hands. As I washed my hands in the next sink I noticed that her hands were red and raw and yet she scrubbed away. I dried my hands and as I left I glanced her way again. She was oblivious to me as she scrubbed. What stain had so wounded her that she couldn't scrub it away?

Speck, n. 1. A spot; a stain; a small place in anything that is discolored by foreign matter.
2. A very small thing.

My mother bought a yellow wool sweater in Scotland and gave it to me. It's my favorite sweater. One day as I cooked a wonderful spaghetti sauce, some of the sauce just jumped right out of the pan onto my sweater! I have tried everything I ever heard about to get that stain out! I have worn it a couple of times anyways, thinking, "Who would notice?" But would you believe people's eyes would go straight to that spot?! It is now (after repeated scrubbings) a small spot but it has ruined the whole sweater.

Every time I see that sweater I feel guilty. Guilty that I ruined the special sweater that my mother gave me, guilty that I didn't wear an apron to protect it, and guilty that I didn't make the sauce that morning before I got dressed for company. I also feel guilty when I remember certain other things I've done or said.

But as a Christian feeling guilty is wrong. It's like a stain in itself. Satan loves for us to feel guilty because it keeps up in his grasp. But the Bible assures us that Jesus blood washes away all sin.

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." Ephesians 1:7

Discolor v.t. 1. To alter the natural hue or color of; to stain

We picked up a computer table at a garage sale. It had a dark stain on top. I thought, "No problem, I'll just scrub it off." I used Bam, then Windex, then Comet. It wouldn't come off! I asked Kenneth to sand it. Even that wouldn't take it off. The stain was too deep. So we bought some dark brown paint and painted the top of the cream colored desk. OK! I like it! A two-toned desk. Beautiful!

Whatever that stain was is still there but you can't see it anymore.

In Matthew 23:27-28, Jesus calls the Pharisees, "whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones. . . On the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."

In verse 12 of chapter 23 He says to be humble. In verse 23 of that chapter he continues the discourse saying if you tithe but then neglect justice, mercy and faithfulness, you're a hypocrite!

It's easy to think of sins like murder, theft, pornography, etc. as being dark stains but Jesus put a lot of emphasis on the stains of pride, hypocrisy, greed and self-indulgence.

"First, clean the inside of the cup and dish and then the outside will be clean." Matthew 23:26

Indelible 3. That cannot be effaced or lost; impressions on the mind may be indelible; reproach or stain on reputation may be indelible

Melissa Greene says in, To Trust In You, "...after any trial or tragedy you have to get back up and take the next step with God. You don't have to figure out how you're going to make it to the end of the journey. You just have to take the step."

Stain v.t. 1. To discolor by application of foreign matter 2. To dye 3. To impress with figures in colors different from the ground 4. To blot, to tarnish, to stain the character.

What if our lives were so stained (impressed) with Christ that we exemplified the justice, mercy and faithfulness Jesus talks about in Matthew 23:12?

Stain n. 1. A spot 2. A blot 3. To cloud or obscure by Superior Splendor

Rev. 11:17 Lord God Almighty.
The One who is and the One who was.
Rev. 15:3 King of the ages
Rev. 15:4 for You alone are Holy
Rev. 22:16b I am the Root and the offspring of David, the bright Morning star

These last words are like an Ode to Christ:

Unblenched 1. not injured by any stain or soil
Unimpeachable 1. One who cannot be accused, free from stain
Unspottedness 1. The state of being free from stain or guilt
Whiteness 1. Freedom from any darkness. 2. Purity, cleanness 3. Freedom from any stain
Wipe 1. To cleanse from evil practices or abuses. 2. To overturn and destroy what is foul and hateful. 3. To wipe away a stain or reproach

Praise God the blood of Christ cleanses from all sin! We are all stained. We have all sinned. Just as every mother of small children carries wipes to wipe away stains from every imaginable kind of thing, Jesus Christ wiped away our stains on the cross. We continue to grow and change in our Christian walk. We can all say with Susanna Aughtmon,

"So here I am. . . I'm barely breathing after kids, work, church, disappointment and weaknesses cloud my vision. But I have the hope Peter had. God knows who I am and who I'm supposed to be, and even though I'm frequently caught napping, Christ isn't done with me!"
(from the book, Confessions of a Supergirl by Susanna Aughtmon)

Am I a real light? Or am I just for show?

Yesterday was the 4th of July. And it occurred to me as I listened to the firecrackers going off outside, that they are beautiful ... but they are just for show. They don't last and their light won't shine all night. I want to be the real deal. I don't want to be a flash in a pan, a ten-second star in the night. I want to be someone that God can use ... really use ... until He takes me home.

I subscribe to an online magazine that I find very inspiring. This past week they published an article that was so profound I felt that I should share it with you. The question stopped me in my tracks and it's been hovering in my mind for days. I hope it does the same for you.

The Question That Changed My Life - by David Ryser.

(The Parousia Network of House Churches - (www.parousianetwork.org)

Editor’s Note: This article was forwarded to me by Andrew Strom. To subscribe to his e-mails send a 'subscribe' email to- prophetic@revivalschool.com)

A number of years ago, I had the privilege of teaching at a school of ministry. My students were hungry for God, and I was constantly searching for ways to challenge them to fall more in love with Jesus and to become voices for revival in the Church. I came across a quote attributed most often to Rev. Sam Pascoe. It is a short version of the history of Christianity, and it goes like this:

Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise. Some of the students were only 18 or 19 years old--barely out of diapers--and I wanted them to understand and appreciate the import of the last line, so I clarified it by adding, "An enterprise. That's a business." After a few moments Martha, the youngest student in the class, raised her hand. I could not imagine what her question might be. I thought the little vignette was self-explanatory, and that I had performed it brilliantly. Nevertheless, I acknowledged Martha's raised hand, "Yes, Martha." She asked such a simple question, "A business? But isn't it supposed to be a body?" I could not envision where this line of questioning was going, and the only response I could think of was, "Yes." She continued, "But when a body becomes a business, isn't that a prostitute?"

The room went dead silent. For several seconds no one moved or spoke. We were stunned, afraid to make a sound because the presence of God had flooded into the room, and we knew we were on holy ground. All I could think in those sacred moments was, "Wow, I wish I'd thought of that." I didn't dare express that thought aloud. God had taken over the class.

Martha's question changed my life. For six months, I thought about her question at least once every day. "When a body becomes a business, isn't that a prostitute?" There is only one answer to her question. The answer is "Yes." The American Church, tragically, is heavily populated by people who do not love God. How can we love Him? We don't even know Him; and I mean really know Him.

I stand by my statement that most American Christians do not know God--much less love Him. The root of this condition originates in how we came to God. Most of us came to Him because of what we were told He would do for us. We were promised that He would bless us in life and take us to heaven after death. We married Him for His money, and we don't care if He lives or dies as long as we can get His stuff. We have made the Kingdom of God into a business, merchandising His anointing. This should not be. We are commanded to love God, and are called to be the Bride of Christ--that's pretty intimate stuff. We are supposed to be His lovers. How can we love someone we don't even know? And even if we do know someone, is that a guarantee that we truly love them? Are we lovers or prostitutes?

I was pondering Martha's question again one day, and considered the question, "What's the difference between a lover and a prostitute?" I realized that both do many of the same things, but a lover does what she does because she loves. A prostitute pretends to love, but only as long as you pay. Then I asked the question, "What would happen if God stopped paying me?" For the next several months, I allowed God to search me to uncover my motives for loving and serving Him. Was I really a true lover of God? What would happen if He stopped blessing me? What if He never did another thing for me? Would I still love Him? Please understand, I believe in the promises and blessings of God. The issue here is not whether God blesses His children; the issue is the condition of my heart. Why do I serve Him? Are His blessings in my life the gifts of a loving Father, or are they a wage that I have earned or a bribe/payment to love Him? Do I love God without any conditions? It took several months to work through these questions. Even now I wonder if my desire to love God is always matched by my attitude and behavior. I still catch myself being disappointed with God and angry that He has not met some perceived need in my life. I suspect this is something which is never fully resolved, but I want more than anything else to be a true lover of God.

So what is it going to be? Which are we, lover or prostitute? There are no prostitutes in heaven, or in the Kingdom of God for that matter, but there are plenty of former prostitutes in both places. Take it from a recovering prostitute when I say there is no substitute for unconditional, intimate relationship with God. And I mean there is no palatable substitute available to us (take another look at Matthew 7:21-23 sometime). We must choose. - Dr. David Ryser.

Gifts

Gifts

by Barbara Chadwick

I was standing at the jewelry counter looking at watches. Kenneth said, "I'll be back. You just get whichever one you want." The clerk, a tiny young lady, smiled, then chuckled and repeated, "You just get whichever one you want!" That's wonderful! I wish my guy would say that!"

I tried on one and then another and made comments. I like this about one and that about another and she repeated "You just get whichever one you want!" and she chuckled again and said, "You are very lucky." and I smiled and said, "Yes, I am. He likes to give me good gifts and tomorrow is my birthday. He said I could pick it out"

You know the Lord wants to give us good gifts too. He offers Joy and Peace, Love and Salvation and He says to us, "You just take whichever one you want. I love you and want to bless your life."

Sometimes we want to choose just "stuff". Have you seen the movie "Confessions of a Shopaholic?" Becky Bloomwood, the protagonist, can't walk past a store without being drawn in by the things advertised in the shop window. Her apartment is crammed with "stuff." There is hardly room to move around. She has even forgotten she had some of this "stuff".

Now, this "stuff" wasn't blessing her life. In fact, it was messing with her life. There was no joy, peace, love Or salvation in any of it. There was no room in her home for another thing and yet she couldn't stop herself from going into another store when her eye caught something she thought would make her life complete.

If our eyes could catch the vision of being in harmony with God and letting Him fill our hearts then our lives would be complete. Jesus says in John 15:9-11:

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

What My Father Did

What my father did for me is probably something that I will never fully grasp. The things he denied himself in order to provide for me and my brothers; The quiet restful evenings he could have had if he hadn’t engaged me in conversations based largely on the never-ending questions of a pre-schooler and in later years the endless haggling and gripping known fully well to parents of a teenage girl.

My Dad also gave me some things that I came to appreciate eventually, like long hikes in the mountains, and all the “drug” habits he forced on me. (Like the song-writer, my parents started me early on “drugs”. They drug me to Sunday morning and evening services. And they drug me to Wednesday night prayer meetings. And they drug me to funerals and weddings. They drug me to school.)

When I was eleven we moved to Las Cruces, NM. My father was a new catalytic missionary and he wanted to help Hermano Ernesto Prieto with the church he had started in La Mesa. We were the only two families attending this church … like forever! I cannot begin to describe to you how incredibly boring that was for a young girl with adventure on the brain. My life certainly didn’t read like the novels in the school library. (Although I’ll bet the novels were significantly tamer than they are nowadays.)

Fast forward to 2007 - my husband felt like God wanted us to move to New Mexico and here I am once again living in the Rio Grande valley under the shadow of the Organ Mountains which guard the city of Las Cruces.

A dear friend called me the other day to tell me that Ernesto Prieto had passed away. My mind flooded with all the sweet things that man did for me and my family. And I realized if it weren’t for my Dad, I never would have met Hermano Prieto. I never would’ve known an angel in real life. He was an angel along the lines of Gabriel or Michael. He was huge and powerful and passionately devoted to God. Even though at that young age, I thought he was a boring speaker, I was inspired by his life and his love for others and wanted to learn more about God and to have that same kind of passion for myself.

I called my Dad and thanked him for introducing me to the Giant, Ernesto Prieto. I believe that God uses our Dads to show us things about life, seemingly insignificant things, boring things, things we never would’ve looked for, but things that reveal God to us and open our eyes to the Giants among us. That's what our Father God does for us.

The Giant Named Ernesto Prieto

I was eleven years old
when my father introduced me to his friend
the Giant named Ernesto Prieto.

He was towering over me with that great big smile
and as I lifted my hand
two buckets of steel reached down and
held my hand tight.

His hand descended onto my shoulder
Eyes burned deep holes into my head
“Cristo te ama …
Jesus loves you!
… Me too!” he said,

His laughter rumbled
His voice rolled like thunder
The sky split open when he smiled

I can still hear that voice praying for me
Talking to his God like one friend to another
They carried on long conversations
… while I waited and listened
… trapped under the weight
of his hand on my head.

He spoke with confidence
Like he really knew
Someone was listening
and would answer him too.

His prayer was simple
Straight from his heart
“Cristo bendiga esta niña
y déja que su vida
estará dedicada a Tí.
… Jesus, … bless her,
make her life Yours!”

Although there was a gap
in my understanding … and his
He was a man who loved God with a passion
that could only be explained by
a Giant whose God was even greater than he!

He became my friend too,
The Giant Named Ernesto Prieto

by Audrey Wauson

Grant Us Wisdom

Grant Us Wisdom

by Barbara Chadwick

Last year at this time Kenneth had served for nine months as interim pastor Canyon Ridge Baptist Church in Bellvue, Colorado. The church called a pastor and he had just arrived. The following is my journal entry for that day:

Last night I was disgruntled and anxious after Praise Team practice. My fingers just wouldn't follow the music!

My thoughts:
- Maybe somebody else should be playing the piano
- We should go somewhere else and give the new pastor (here one week) a chance to get settled
- And what IS God going to do with us now?
- What IS our future going to be?

I fretted all the way home from Bellvue to Crystal Lakes - an hour and 15 minutes

When we got home we had our evening devotion before tumbling into bed. Our devotional book for that time was a book on hymns. Kenneth began to read:

Joshua 1:9
Be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt! For remember the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

God of grace and God of glory
On Thy people pour Thy power
Crown Thine ancient church's story
Bring her bud to glorious flower
Grant us wisdom
Grant us courage
For the facing of this hour

Set our feet on lofty places
Gird our lives that they may be
Armored with all Christlike graces
In the fight to set men free
Grant us wisom
Grant us courage
That we fail not man nor Thee
by Harry Emerson Fosdick 1873-1969

Lord, I pray that as I remember Your creation, Your mighty acts of deliverance and Your awesome being I will remember that You have the power and desire to grant us wisdom and courage for facing life in retirement.

Soon after that day we got a call from Glacier Valley Baptist Church in Juneau to come and serve as interim pastor. I praise God for His faithfulness.

Help her … You ARE her only hope!

My recently moved neighbor/friend dropped by today right in the middle of my messy cooking. We’d been busy all morning digging holes for planting trees and rose bushes and then planting them and then watering them, so everyone was hungry and I was cooking an early lunch … or brunch. When I finished, she and I went out to the back porch to talk.

That’s when all hell split open, and in my backyard unbelievable ugliness reared its horrific head. She told me that she’d discovered that her husband was having an affair … again (this is the third one in 25 years of marriage). And it’s been going on for almost three years!

How do you get over that? How do you recover? Where do you go from here? Tears spilled over and splashed on my cheeks. It’s never happened to me but it’s so horrible that what I see and hear breaks my heart.

I’m thinking, "Revenge! Or just simply kill him and put us both out of our misery. Oh that the ground would just open up and swallow me and deliver me from this agony!"

The problem is … there’s no getting away from the pain. Even if you could exact pain and retribution, you still have a crushed heart … the petals of your crushed heart leaving stains on the sidewalk … you still have ashes for dreams … you’re still broken and no one can fix that.

Or maybe there is only just One who can. But how do you let Him? How do you let go of the pain long enough to ask for help? How do you trust anyone after that? Even God … I mean the anger … the rage … … the hopelessness … the utter aloneness. Because even if you share with someone else what’s going on … when you leave them you’re still left with those raw infected emotions and the fever of pain burns through every pore of your body.

Oh dear sweet Jesus … please have mercy on my friend!

Like Jeremiah, I hear my friend saying things like, "Cursed be the day I was born! ... cursed be the man who brought my father the news ... May that man ...hear wailing in the morning and battle cry at noon. For he did not kill me in the womb ... Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame?"

Jeremiah 20:14-18

Someone asked, “Where was God when this horrible thing happened?” and the reply given was, “The same place He was when His own precious Son was nailed to a tree.”

Please Lord Jesus, help my friend to know ... really know that, "You long to be gracious to her, that You rise to show her compassion. For You are a God of justice. And she will be blessed if she waits for You!" Isaiah 30:18

Dear God please have mercy on my friend. God give her courage to face this situation, give her strength to carry on. Surround her with the knowledge of Your love, comfort, and protection. Help her … You ARE her only hope!

Obedience

OBEDIENCE
by Barbara Chadwick


To obey is better than sacrifice. (I Samuel 15:22)

Heavenly Father, I ask You to give me wisdom and discernment in reading Your Word.
In I Samuel 13:7-9 we read about how Saul took matters into his own hands. How human!

I'm so critical of Saul when I read about him however, when I think of how many times I have taken matters into my own hands - just reacting to a situation - and not taking the time to stop and pray and seek God's face about it, I feel pretty sure I would have acted in the same way Saul did in this circumstance. Look at the situation as Saul saw it:

In verse 6 - "the men of Israel saw that their situation was critical and their army was hard pressed. They hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns."

Verse7b - "all the troops were quaking with fear."

Verse 8 - "He (Saul) waited seven days, the time set by Samuel" This is a most critical time. Just when we think the time is up - we need to wait some more!

"but Samuel did not come. Saul's men began to scatter."

Verse 9 - "So he, (Saul) said, bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offering." When we think we're in charge our brain says, "It's up to me!"

Verse 11 - "Samuel said, 'What have you done?'" God is speaking through Samuel here.

Verse 13 - "You acted foolishly. You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you."

Many times Saul made desicions on his own, on his own knowledge and what seemed right to him at the time. I'm afraid I do the same thing.

But, we need to remember the words of Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 32:7-8:
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord, our God to help us and to fight our battles."

So whether the battle is a physical one involving others or a spiritual one within us we must be obedient. First, before all things, we must call upon the Lord, our God to show us the way. Then we need to wait upon Him.

The Psalmist said, "Wait for the LORD; be courageous and let your heart be strong. Wait for the LORD." (Psalms 27:14)

Dear Heavenly Father,
I'm sorry, Lord. I need Your hand to guide me. I ask You to forgive me. I need Your Presence to nudge me at those times and cause me to hesitate. Make Yourself known to me. I want to follow Your leading. I want to be Your servant.

To obey is better than sacrifice. I Samuel 15:22