Consistent Effort Pays Off

It’s pumpkin season. I’ll bet you’ve seen plenty around, but have you seen one that weighed 2,749 pounds?  

My friend saw this huge pumpkin on TV. I had read about it and was shocked to learn that the winner received nine dollars a pound. He had entered the 50^th World Champion *Pumpkin Weigh-off contest in Half Moon Bay, California.

He won by giving his pumpkin patch extra care. He watered up to twelve times a day and fed and fertilized a bit more than usual.

The challenge was not only growth but transportation. It had to be moved from Minnesota to California. When asked why he tries to win, Travis said “I put in the work so I can see a smile on people’s faces . . . ”

Jesus told a parable about the payoff of consistent efforts. People were given different talents to invest. It wasn’t the amount that mattered, but how they handled it (Matthew 25:14-30 NKJV).

I’m thinking about the opportunity we have to read the Bible daily. We’re not all going to be theologians, understanding the minutest details of scripture. But we can get the big picture. God loved us enough to put His eternal goals for us in writing.

Scripture reading is not meant to be burdensome. In fact, there’s a daily payoff if you consider how to apply it to your life. Devotional books have their place. They’re a small daily spiritual jumpstart. Or perhaps they’re a spiritual snack, but what about pursuing “The Bread of Life” or the “Meat of the Word?”

If Jesus called you home today, would you see Him smiling and saying, “Well done (your name), you’ve been faithful over a few things . . . enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:21 NKJV).

Isn’t an eternal reward worth more effort than raising a gigantic pumpkin that will eventually perish?

Consistent effort in a pumpkin patch paid off. Maybe it’s time to consider upping your effort for a spiritual payoff by reading your Bible a little more.  

Psalm 119 says it's a win now, but the bigger payoff will be Jesus’ “well done” greeting, along with a smile. 

*Pumpkin Weighing 2,749 Lbs. Wins California Contest, Sets World Record for Biggest Gourd, Online ABC News Report, 10/09/23 (Winner: Travis Gienger of Anoka, Minnesota).

Photo from Pixabay, Pumpkin Orange Harvest

Skip to the Bottom Line

Have you ever sat through a long-winded meeting wishing they’d cut to the chase, or skip to the bottom line? It always reminds me of the old Dragnet show where detective Joe Friday would say, “Just the facts, ma’am.”

The Apostle Paul did a good job of doing just that when he wrote Romans 13:8-10. Instead of lingering over the “do nots” he cut to the chase or the bottom line with one “do.”

It doesn’t matter which Bible translation you read, the don’ts are things that intrude on another’s space or do them harm. For example, sleeping with someone’s spouse, taking their life, stealing from them, or wanting something they have that you don’t. I’m sure you can think up your own list of hurtful things.

The way to avoid the negative is to live in the positive: Love others as you love yourself. This week on Turning Point, I heard Dr. David Jeremiah say, “People like to deceive, but I’ve never met anyone who wanted to BE deceived.”

Would you like to simplify your life? Then skip to the bottom line in relationships: Love others as you love yourself. Such love does not harm self or others.

Jesus skipped to the bottom line when He declared that all the Law and the Prophets hung on two commandments: (1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and (2) Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40).

Martin Buber, a twentieth-century philosopher, makes a good point about this bottom-line principle: “. . . There is no one who knows your many faults better than you! But you love yourself notwithstanding. And so you must love your neighbor, no matter how many faults you see in him.”*

He skipped to the bottom line. Now all we have to do is take it to heart. That means we think before we speak or act. Would I want someone to speak or act like this toward me? No? OK, then I won’t do it to them either.      

*Martin Buber, azquotes.com, Love Your Neighbor as Yourself Quotes.

Stock meeting image by Pixabay.

 

You Can Count On This

Recent world events have people on edge. The signing of certain peace agreements had given us hope for the future. When a friend recently quoted 1 Thessalonians 5:3, I inwardly brushed it off. It says when people say peace, peace, sudden destruction will come.   

That section of scripture refers to the Lord's second coming, but scripture also comes true on several levels. In hard times we seek for an anchor. We want something to believe in, something to hold us steady. What can we do?

Movies have given us some memorable songs about confidence. In The King and I we learn when we’re afraid we can whistle a happy tune. In Sound of Music, we learn we can be encouraged by thinking of our favorite things. As much as I enjoy these musical productions, I have a different way of gaining confidence.

I find it in God’s word, for several reasons: (1) God has said not to be anxious about anything, but to make our requests known to Him (Philippians 4:6 NKJV), (2) I have read a great many testimonies, from our times, as well as centuries before us, of answered prayers, and (3) God has given us His word with a purpose.

After using an example of the trustworthiness of rain to make things grow so we can have food, Isaiah 55:11 (NKJV) says: So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Read the Psalms and you’ll see David pouring out his heart to God. You’ll also see praises and songs of thanksgiving to a God who answers prayer.

After decades of following David’s example, I can tell you God does hear and answer prayer.

God always keeps His word. As you read scriptures in your Bible or on your cell phone, note those that really speak to you. As I studied Psalm 27 this week, the last verse reminded me that answers to prayers are not spontaneous. We are to place our confidence in His word and not give up.   

Photo: Pixabay, Harvest Background, Sunset: akirEVarga 

A Promise and Time

 

People think it’s strange when I take off my glasses to read. Even when I explain why, they seem skeptical. Maybe my experience is more unusual than I think.

A school eye test in sixth grade revealed my need for glasses. The doctor said I needed bifocals. Hardly any kids I knew wore glasses and I thought bifocals were for old people! I wasn’t a bit happy until I heard him say, “If you wear these now, you won’t have to wear them when you are older.”

I graduated from high school wearing bifocals . . . completed college, got married, and started teaching, still wearing bifocals. Years went by right up to retirement. That’s when I realized there’d been a change.

It happened in a photography class. I noticed people around me putting on their glasses to see close up, while I took mine off. I questioned my eye doctor at my next appointment and he confirmed, “You don’t need bifocals. You can read without them.”

Wow! After all those years the sixth-grade promise came true! Of course, promises aren’t made when something is imminent. Promises take time to fulfill.

Jesus made a promise that He was going away to prepare a place for those who believe in Him and would return later to take them to it (John 14:2-3).

Perhaps you feel about His return like I felt about my bifocals. I heard the promise, but years went by before it happened. I could do nothing to make it happen sooner. In fact, Jesus, like us, is waiting for the promised day of His return. He said only His Father knows the day and hour (Matthew 24:36).

His promise, like all others, requires time. World events have people asking, “Are these the last days? Is Jesus coming soon? Is the rapture real? Is there really going to be a Great Tribulation?” The Bible has proven true over thousands of years, so the answer to these prophecy questions is “yes.”

If you would like to learn more, I recommend *Dr. David Jeremiah of Shadow Mountain Church in El Cajon, California. He has been a minister, Bible teacher, and author for over forty years, and has also written several understandable **books about end-time events.

Make yourself a promise to pursue answers to the above questions. Then take time to fulfill your promise.

*Find Dr. David Jeremiah online under Turning Point. **His books are available wherever books are sold.

 

Joy Beyond Tears

How often have you seen a grown man cry? Not often, would be my guess. There are times, however, when tears are comforting and just the release of pressure that is needed.

That's what you would have seen back in 2007 when my husband and I had just gotten out of the doctor's office with the report on my breast biopsy: Cancer, Stage 3, immediate treatment needed. 

Out in the car, we shed our tears, then said, “We’d better get on over to the recommended Oncologist’s office.” It had many chairs, nearly all filled. I was not very used to medical scenes because I’ve enjoyed generally good health for most of my life. I sat there thinking this felt like a cattle call, and then I thought what a strange term!

My name was called and my new life began. The interview covered health history, recent medical reports, and insurance. Then I was given an almost immediate appointment with the oncologist.

This wonderful woman did not let me out of her office until she had personally booked my lab work to be done that very day, a MUGA test for my heart, and my next appointment. Her plan included chemo, surgery, and radiation.

My case was unusual in that I not only had Stage 3 Breast Cancer but Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC). It was so painful I couldn’t bear to wear a seatbelt or have any pressure on my breast at all.  

What kept me encouraged through 9 months of treatments was God’s word. I found hope in the Psalms. I was reading Psalm 84:5-8 (NLT) this week and it reminded me of the joy I found while walking through my valley of tears.

Verse 5 says, “What joy for those whose strength comes from the LORD.” Verse 12 adds “What joy for those who trust in you (LORD).    

God’s word is true. I experienced joy beyond tears during my cancer journey. Perhaps you’re on a tearful journey of your own. I encourage you to find a translation you enjoy and look for hope in God’s word every day.