Monday - February 6, 2012

Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood. – Isaiah 7:4

I know. This is last week’s verse. I have learned something new about this verse and wanted to share it with you.

It is much easier to “keep calm” and “don’t be afraid” when you have first listened to God and “been careful”. I have only been back from Africa for a little over a week. Saturday morning my stomach starting hurting. I began throwing up. It got worse and worse all day long and I ended up in the emergency room on Sunday morning. I asked the doctor “could I have malaria”? I was not as calm and unafraid as I could have been because I wasn’t as careful as I should have been. Yes, I went to Africa without malaria pills. I took all the recommended shots. I wore bug spray as perfume. I slept under a mosquito net. However, I did not take the malaria pills. You may be asking - why not? My reasons really do not matter. The simple fact is I wouldn’t have been worried that I had malaria if I had just taken the pills. I could have stayed calm and waited for Monday to go to the doctor. I could have saved the emergency room charges. I could have not been afraid.

How often are we like this in our spiritual lives? We do not follow God’s counsel for a variety of reasons. We do not take time to find out what His word says regarding our situation. Or, we do not like His commands and reason that our logic is sound. Or, we feel that we deserve to “let loose” once in a while. Our capacity to reason our way out of doing what God tells us to do is truly boundless. I often get aggravated at those silly Israelites who kept falling back into grumbling, complaining and idolatry on their way out of Egypt. Then I realize that I am not all that different.

My prayer for all of us today comes from Deuteronomy 12:28 “Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God.”

Tuesday - January 31, 2012

Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood’. – Isaiah 7:4

During my personal devotion time while I was gone to Ethiopia, the story of King Ahaz caught my attention. The King of Israel and the King of Aram got together to fight against King Ahaz. They must have had the power to destroy him because the Bible tells us that Ahaz’s heart was shaken.

I was so struck by this verse that I found myself meditating on it the entire time I was gone. The only strange part of this story is that it did not relate to my present circumstances at all. No one was mad at me. We had not experienced an attack against the ministry. So, I kept asking myself “why is this story so vivid in my mind”?

Yesterday, my first day back, the Show Low Clinic was extremely busy and I was called upstairs to do a pregnancy test. As I talked with Jane*, it became apparent that two important people in her life had agreed to behave in a manner that had the potential to destroy her. I felt the Lord nudge my spirit with the knowledge that this precious woman needed to hear the same words that King Ahaz had heard so many years ago…be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid…

How amazing is it to know that the Creator cares about us so intimately as this? He spoke to one woman in Ethiopia in order to encourage another woman in the United States and then put their paths together. We are truly in His hand.

*not her real name

In everything set them an example by doing what is good. – Titus 2:7

Any time you drop by Hopeful Treasures Boutique (next to Sonic in Show Low, AZ), you are likely to find her there. She will be busy sorting clothing to find the best items to offer for sale in our Children’s Room. Marie also puts aside all the articles of clothing that will later be transferred to our Clinics to put into our Baby Boutiques. At each of the clinics, moms and dads take many kinds of classes to earn Mommy and Daddy Money that they can use to purchase baby supplies, maternity supplies and other household items.

In addition to sorting clothes, Marie will be cleaning baby furniture and toys, stacking books and videos and generally making our Children’s Room a delightful place to shop. Marie has volunteered her time and energy at the Boutique for many years because she believes in the mission of Living Hope Women’s Centers. She has set such a good example of doing what is good that her granddaughter now volunteers with her. We are so grateful for the many volunteers, like Marie, who sacrifice to give babies, moms, dads and families the hope of a better future.

There are many ways that you can volunteer to support life. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact us at lhwc@womenscpc.org or give us a call. Show Low…(928) 537-9032 Springerville….(928) 333-0597 Whiteriver…(928) 338-1830

One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. – Proverbs 11:24-25

In today’s economic environment it is tempting to withhold monetary gifts. It is much easier to tithe, donate to charities and support missionaries when unemployment is down, wages are up and we are not hearing news reports of a possible depression every time we turn on the television or radio. Uncertainty and fear start creeping in to our mind causing us to think it might be better to hold on to that money – just in case.

The Bible gives us an interesting viewpoint on giving that is directly opposite to conventional wisdom. God says those who give freely prosper but those who could give and won’t – don’t. They not only won’t prosper, they end up in poverty. Now, you may argue, these verses don’t directly apply to money. That is true. When we are generous with our time, our talents and our money, God promises to bless us. If you will read Proverbs 11 in its entirety, you will notice that God is warning us not to trust in riches because money or wealth will not protect us. The righteousness that God bestows on His people is our only defense in times of trouble, uncertainly or even normal decision making.

I found today’s key verse most fascinating in that not only do we gain financially by being generous, we will be refreshed when we refresh others. I took this listing from dictionary.com:

re•fresh: (1) to provide new vigor and energy by rest, food, etc. (2) to stimulate (3) to make fresh again; reinvigorate or cheer (4) to freshen in appearance, color, etc., as by a restorative

When your financial gifts provide new vigor for a father looking for work, new energy to a single mom with small children, stimulation to a non-profit organization depending on donations, or reinvigoration to a client advocate working tirelessly to teach the devastating truth about abortion to young men and women, you will be filled with new vigor, more energy, and renewed resources. In these difficult times, please consider making a generous donation to support the life-saving work of Living Hope Women’s Centers.