Stamp On It!

Picture from: https://www.pexels.com/search/spider/

This time of year, I often see Halloween decorations with spiders and their webs. Now, I can appreciate the role spiders play in eating other insects, but I really don’t like spiders. They give me the creeps. Their beady eyes, nasty fangs, and hairy bodies make me shiver. So you would think that my immediate reaction to seeing one in my house would be to kill it, right?

But it’s not. See, I really don’t like the feel and sound they make when you squish them. It completely grosses me out. That crunch-squish thing is so nasty! I just shuddered thinking about it.

I remember one day many years ago seeing a spider on the shower caddy while I was taking a shower. I could have taken one of the shampoo bottles and squashed it, but I just didn’t. Instead I spent the entire shower watching it to make sure it didn’t jump on me. (This got really tricky when it was time to turn around to rinse my hair!) I’m sure I would have been much better off if I had just put on my big girl panties and just gotten rid of that thing for good, but instead I spent the whole time in that shower in fear that it would end up on me. And then, the next time I showered I was nervous because I didn’t see it. Was it hiding somewhere watching me?

Several years ago I was bitten by a spider on the back of my calf. My leg became so swollen and red that it was painful to walk. When I got to the doctor, a red streak was working its way up to my knee. Some antibiotic was required to heal that up. One more reason I don’t like spiders!

I was thinking about spiders a lot one day as I walked because I kept walking through spider webs that would then stick to my face. Yuck! And then I started thinking about how spiders and sin in my life were similar.

Even though I do not want either one anywhere near me, I am hesitant to stamp them out. When it’s sin in my life, I am often uncomfortable getting rid of it completely. It has become a habit or a practice that I sometimes believe I am incapable of getting rid of. I make excuses about it, or I convince myself it’s not a big deal. And yet, its presence makes me miserable! But I don’t want to deal with the work and the mess of getting rid of it, either.

Paul writes about getting rid of sin in Colossians 3:5-10, saying:

“5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander,and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”

Paul says we should put these things to death -- stamp them out -- squish them dead! Not “live with them creeping around in the corners”; not “keep an eye on them so they don’t jump on you.” Nope. Paul says, “Put them to death.”

If I allow sin to hang around, there will be consequences. It will eventually come back to bite me. Sometimes these consequences are very painful, like the spider bite I experienced. Most of all, the sin in my life creates a rift in my relationship with my holy God. Of course I don’t want that! But I often fail to see my sin as God sees it -- not only detrimental but offensive and ugly. Repulsive even.

I’m so thankful for God’s mercy and forgiveness that He pours out for me over and over! I know I don’t deserve it, but I appreciate how God disciplines in love and forgives my sin because of Jesus’ sacrifice for me and my faith in Him. I want to please Him. I want to obey Him. And sometimes that means taking a serious look at my thoughts, attitudes, and actions and then working with the Holy Spirit to allow Him to change me.

It’s not easy for me, but with the help of the Holy Spirit who convicts me of my sin and gives me power to overcome it, I can get rid of the sin in my life and put on the new self - the one that looks like Christ.

Lord Jesus, help us to be sensitive to Your Holy Spirit. Help us to recognize our sin and to see it as You see it. Give us the courage and desire to stamp it out of our lives. Guide and direct us, and help us to be more like You.

For Small Groups:
What is the hardest part of removing sin from your life?
How can someone else help hold you accountable this week?

What to Wear?

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14

picture from https://www.womenfitness.net/wardrobe/

Parent Teacher Conferences are this week. I know those of you who are teachers have already spent many hours preparing for these meetings with parents. There is a lot of work involved in just getting papers organized but also thinking through topics that need to be discussed and how to approach parents with more difficult topics to cover.

But today I am convicted about another preparation that I know will take a good chunk of my time this week. I’m going to admit it. I will spend a ridiculous amount of time standing in front of my closet trying to decide what to wear. Anyone else? Just me?

I will struggle more so this week than usual, probably, which is saying something because I often struggle with this decision. Some days it takes forever to choose something that is appropriate for the changing weather. Some days I search for something comfortable--I admit there are days I try to choose an outfit that will look good with a particular pair of more comfortable shoes! Some days I long for something new or at least a different combination. Some days I just don’t even know what I’m looking for!

When I read this passage from Colossians, though, I am convicted about how much time I waste on choosing my physical wardrobe for the day when I should be spending that time putting on the best clothes for my heart and mind. Especially as I prepare for a busy week full of precious time meeting with parents!

Paul says our spiritual outfit should include compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love. I should be wearing this particular outfit every single day! How I treat others will be directly related to the attitude I have cultivated in my heart and mind, and I need to make a conscious effort to get my heart dressed up for my day.

I need to allow the Holy Spirit to work in me to see others’ needs and to get my own self-importance taken down a few notches until it’s in the right perspective. Then I can be compassionate to others throughout my day.

I need to remember how others have shown me kindness and gentleness and how that felt so that I can look for ways to do the same for someone else.

I need to wrap myself up in the memories of all the amazing things God has done for me so that I can be patient and forgiving and merciful to others like He has been to me.

And I need to put God’s love on top over everything else because if I go through my day with that powerful, amazing love in my heart, then I will treat others in ways to help them experience God’s love also.

So, I challenge you this week to spend more time carefully selecting the clothes you wear on your heart and mind, and think of these virtues Paul lists even as you stand in front of your closet and choose your physical clothes each day. I guarantee you will look beautiful to everyone you meet!

Heavenly Father, help us to take the time each day to work on our attitudes and perspectives so that we can wear these virtues and honor You. Help us to see others as You see them - precious and dearly loved. Guide us as we try to be more like You, and forgive us for all the times we have failed.

For Small Groups:
Which of the virtues that Paul lists is hardest for you? Which ones do you see in those in your group?

Berries and Apples

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited,provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:22-26

There is a little tree on our school’s playground. It’s planted near the door where I enter and exit the building every single day. I have seen that tree grow over the last several years since it was planted. Honestly, it’s kind-of shrubby looking. A bit bushy almost. I‘ve never given it a whole lot of attention. It’s not really the prettiest tree. I’m not sure who planted it or how long it’s been there, but I know it has grown several feet over the years. I’ve walked by that tree for years and never even examined it closely or even thought about what kind of tree it is.

Until this summer, that is. I’m not sure when I first saw it, but one day this summer I suddenly noticed for the first time that it was bearing fruit! It’s an apple tree! I had no idea! I don’t have a lot of experience with apple trees. I’m sure other people at school had probably figured out that this was an apple tree long before I did. An expert would see the leaves, the bark, the shape of the tree and its branches even, and know that it was an apple tree. But not me. I didn’t know it until I saw the fruit.

When I mentioned it to a friend one day, she took me over and had me look closely at one particular branch. This branch was covered with fruit, too, but it wasn’t apples. It had some kind of red berries -- cherry-shaped, but smaller than cherries. She was puzzled by the fact that this tree seemed to be bearing two kinds of fruit, and so was I.

When I investigated further, it looked to me like this branch with the berries was not actually part of the apple tree. It was another plant that had grown up right next to it. That made more sense to me. You see, an apple tree cannot produce berries. It just can’t.

Tonight, I am thinking about how I compare myself to others. Sometimes I see the “fruit” that other teachers produce, and I think, “I really want to do that!” Some of my co-workers are absolutely fabulous at always keeping their cool when dealing with difficult students. Wish I was like that.

Some moms I know are at every single game or activity their child has. They never miss. Wish I could manage that.

Some teachers have lesson plans written for entire months at a time, copies made and ready to go weeks and weeks in advance. Wish I had tomorrow figured out!

Some teachers have classrooms that are decorated so cute and cozy and neat. It’s so inviting to step into their room. Wish mine was more like that.

I could go on and on. But here’s the thing: God has not made all of us to be apple trees. We are not going to produce the same fruit in the same way that anyone else produces. God has created each one of us as unique individuals with special talents and gifts. He made each of us just the way we are, and He has planned in advance good works for us to do. He expects all of us to produce fruit.

Galatians 5:22-23 lists the “fruit of the Spirit” - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. These are qualities that the Holy Spirit produces in every believer. But Paul also talks about spiritual gifts in many of his letters and explains that not every believer has the same gifts. In other words, God has not created us to produce all the same kind of fruit in the same ways. Instead, He created us to be part of a body of believers with Christ as the head, working together in many different ways to reach the world around us. More like a salad bar with lots of different fruits to offer!

So why do I feel like I should be producing the same fruit as those around me? Why do I want to see apples instead of berries? Why do I look at my own life and compare it to others like that? God has been teaching me that I should stop this habit. It is His Spirit within us that produces good fruit. It’s nothing we can do on our own anyway. God in His perfect wisdom created me just the way I am, and He is working in me and around me to complete His perfect plans. Paul wrote:
“4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” 

I Corinthians 12:4-6

So today I am trying to grow and develop so that He can produce fruit in me -- whatever fruit He has decided is best for me -- and to stop envying those around me for the fruit His is producing in their lives.

Lord Jesus, Help me to stop envying those around me. Help me to better understand the gifts You have given me so that I can grow and mature and the Holy Spirit can produce fruit in me and through me. Thank you for creating me the way I am and for fulfilling Your purposes in my life!

For small groups:
Take a minute to share with someone else in your group one of the gifts you see in him/her. (Examples: encourager, mercy/compassion, administration, spiritual teaching, wisdom, etc.)
How have you seen God use the others in your group for His kingdom?

God's Math

9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” John 6:9

Recently, I have seen several versions of these math puzzles posted. Have you seen them? Here’s one I found just now when I searched:

https://scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/23659559_879047908925117_610745945081284191_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=0c6ad018a7c1de7e66993f379dde515e&oe=5C1BE28F

These puzzles frustrate me! For one, math is not my strongest subject area. (Yes, there is a reason I teach reading!) Second, they never post an answer with them, so how are you supposed to know when you get it right (or wrong)?! But, third, they are really designed to be tricky. Everything looks pretty simple until the last line, and if I don’t look carefully enough, I will mess it up. Notice here, for instance, that the waffle fry containers are doubled in line 3, but single in line 4.

But the multiplication sign is where I’ve noticed many people get thrown way off. See, if you add first, then multiply, you probably get 60, but if you multiply first (“please excuse my dear Aunt Sally” order of operations), you get 15. That multiplication sign makes a surprisingly big difference in your answer.

Sometimes math just really surprises me--especially God’s math! When Jesus noticed that there was a very large crowd gathered at suppertime, he asked his disciples, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” (John 6:5). Now, there was no Walmart Supercenter nearby--no drive thru windows, no pizza carry-out joints--they had nothing available to them to purchase food, even if they would have had the money (which they didn’t). Philip says that even if they had half a year’s wages, they’d be lucky to give each person a single bite to eat.

But Andrew brings a boy to Jesus who has two small loaves and five fish. This isn’t much, and Andrew knows it. So why did he even bring it to Jesus? He even voices his own doubts in verse 9 saying, “How far will they go among so many?”

You probably remember the rest of the story. Jesus took the small amount, gave thanks for it, broke it into pieces, and had it distributed throughout the crowd. Not only did they have enough, but there were 12 baskets of leftovers.

Often, I feel like I have so very little to bring to Jesus. I even find myself thinking that my little bit could not possibly be enough, so why even bring it? In Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s accounts, the disciples tell Jesus to send the crowd away so they can find their own food and lodging. I admit, sometimes that is my attitude as well. I can’t possibly make a difference here, so they’ll have to go somewhere else. Money, talent, time--why bother when it is such a little bit in the face of so many needs and problems?

This story reminds me why: because God’s math is surprising. God’s math takes a tiny bit and multiplies it exponentially. Even if I have very little, if I am willing to give it up to God, He can make more of it than I ever dreamed possible. Subtract to multiply!?

I can’t do everything I wish I could do for my students at school. I don’t have the time, talent, or money to help my coworkers like I wish I could. But God doesn’t ask me to do the multiplication. All I have to do is the subtraction: give it up to Him and let Him do the rest.

Father God,
Help us to recognize the little bits that we have can become astonishing amounts in Your hands. Give us hearts willing to give up even our small offerings of time, talent, and money to be used to multiply Your kingdom. Thank You, Lord, for multiplying our gifts to You!

For Small Groups:
Share a way that something little done by someone else has made a HUGE difference in your life.
What is one little thing that you could give to God this week?

Show and Tell

17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. James 2:17-18

Do you remember having “Show and Tell” time in kindergarten? I do! When it was my turn to bring in something to share, it was a big deal to me. Not just any old item would do. It had to be something special. We weren’t normally allowed to bring our toys to school, but if it was for “Show and Tell,” then that was different. You could tell your classmates about a special toy or object any day of the week, but bringing it to class so they could actually see it and touch it and pass it around -- that was what made “Show and Tell” significant.

When Jesus was on earth, He modeled this “Show and Tell” idea in His teaching. He did not just tell His disciples how they should think, believe, and act. He showed them through His own example. When His disciples needed to learn to be humble servants to each other, Jesus washed their feet. Can you imagine? The Lord of the universe took a towel, knelt down with a basin, took their filthy feet in His hands, and made them clean. He showed them what it looked like for the first to be last. John 13: 14-17 says:

14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus didn’t dive into a 30 minute sermon with three alliterative and parallel points. Now, there are definitely other times when Jesus taught through a sermon or lecture format, but here he chose a different method. He showed them first, then He briefly explained what He had done and why. And they did not forget. This is just one example, but Jesus did this all day, every day with His disciples.  And when Jesus did lecture or preach, it still always matched what they saw Him doing.

When my students (or children at home) need a lesson to correct their behavior, though, I often launch into a lecture. I want to tell them what they should do. But do I show them? If I expect students to wait patiently for their turn to speak, shouldn’t I be showing them how to do that? If it’s important for them to be quiet in the hallway, should I not strive to be quiet in the hallway myself? If I want them to treat each other with kindness and grace, can they tell what that looks like by watching me?

And what about my coworkers and friends? Do they see that my actions match what I say I believe? I wish I could say that I did this well, but I am definitely a work in progress. We are not going to be perfect, of course, but I want others to see that I live out what I profess to believe.

James says that if we do not show our faith, then it isn’t really faith at all--it’s dead. In other words, we should strive to “Show and Tell” every single day.  Every day, I should live out my faith and act on my faith - not just talk about faith.

Heavenly Father, help us through Your Holy Spirit to be the examples You want us to be in our world. Change our hearts each day to make us more like You, and enable us through Your power to not only hear Your word, but to do Your word.

For small groups:
Share about a time when you learned a powerful lesson by watching someone else’s example.
Share one area where you find it difficult to “practice what you preach” so that others can pray for you specifically.