Psalm 99:1-3
God rules. On your toes, everybody!
He rules from his angel throne—take notice!
God looms majestic in Zion,
He towers in splendor over all the big names.
Great and terrible your beauty: let everyone praise you!
Holy. Yes, holy.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugeterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO.
All rights reserved.
When we were looking through things at my Mother’s, we found a little “Tell-a-Tales" book that had belonged to my maternal grandmother. She read it to my sister, brother and me when we were children. The book…Little Black Sambo. Today, I read this book to Nathan before his nap.
Some
of you may think I am politically incorrect to share this book with our
little ones. But let me remind you of the story, if you don’t remember
it or have never heard it. Little Black Sambo’s parents are Black
Jumbo (the father) and Black Mumbo (the mother). Black Jumbo goes to
the bazaar and buys a suit of clothing for Little Black Sambo…a jacket,
pants, shoes, and a parasol (umbrella). Remember, this book was written
in 1899!
Little Black Sambo feels truly fine and regal in his
new clothes. But as he goes through the jungle, he encounters
tigers…and one by one, they strip him of his clothing under the threat
of “eating him up!” Little Black Sambo convinces the evil tigers to
take his articles of clothing instead…and each tiger declares himself to
be “the grandest tiger in the jungle.”
Ultimately, the tigers
meet up and get into a fight over who truly is the grandest. They grab
each other by the tail and begin to chase themselves around a tree -
until there is nothing left but a big puddle of pure butter. Black
Jumbo happens along and discovers the butter and takes it home to his
family. Black Mumbo makes pancakes for the family and fries them in the
butter. And Little Black Sambo gathers up his clothing and returns
home to enjoy his pancakes.
I cannot tell you how many times we
read this story when I was a child. And the lesson we learned was not
to think more highly of ourselves than we ought…that we are not “all
that and a bag of chips”…and that “things” do not make you grand or
powerful – and thinking otherwise can get you into a lot of trouble!
A
lot of people have gotten into a battle with each other and are chasing
around and around a palm tree (metaphorically) in competition for the
title of “Most Powerful” or “Grandest in the Jungle!” And as you can
see from this children’s story, the end result is often anything but
what these “tigers” expected!
In my mind, we should be like
“Little Black Sambo”…going about our business…serving God…respecting His
authority and supremacy…and refusing to buy into the tricks of the
“tigers” in our lives. Better to give them our shirt or shoes than to
risk either becoming like them – or being swallowed up by them. These
agents of the devil hold no true power, if we stay focused on God.
Their names will never be as big as His…or as brightly spotlighted.
They can put on fancy shoes or a beautifully tailored jacket and pretend
to be majestic or persuasive. But those who trust in God and listen for
His voice know Who is really in charge!
My question today is
this…”Who are you chasing…God or the devil’s ‘tigers’?” Have you bought
into their lies and joined the pack that chases its tails in vain?
Aren’t you ready to step back and regroup – to shift your focus to the
One who deserves to be honored and glorified? Make this the day that
you step up on your toes and shout to the Heavens, “God is my King…let
everyone praise Him! Holy, yes, HOLY! Amen and AMEN!” Let this be
your battle cry - and your defining statement…forever and always.
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label conforming to our culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conforming to our culture. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for April 12, 2015
Romans 12:1-2
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
A few days ago, I flipped on the television while preparing our lunch, and a daytime soap opera was just ending. I wasn’t paying close attention, but I caught enough of a glimpse of the program that I actually checked the channel to make sure I wasn’t actually on a “cable” channel. I admit, a few decades ago I watched soap operas every day…but it’s been awhile…and things have obviously changed! I could not believe what I was seeing in this “bedroom scene” on a local television station during the early afternoon!
Along the same lines, I was discussing suitable television channels for children with the nursery workers at church this morning, and they pointed out quite a few “cartoon channels” that are now airing all sorts of programs that are not suitable for little ones. Certain four-letter words that would NEVER have been uttered in public even a few years ago are now commonplace on television and movie screens…across social media…and in the general public.
I say all of this to illustrate that many of us have indeed become so well-adjusted to our culture that we fit into it without even thinking. And the key words here are “fit into it.” Nobody wants to be considered different. Certainly none of us want others to think of us as pious. But you don’t have to be condescending or condemning toward others in order to take a stand for God. You don’t have to make a show of “going against the grain”, so to speak, in order to please God and live for Him.
If we focus on living for God…listening for His voice and acting as He directs, we won’t have to worry about any of this…it won’t even be on our radar. People who pepper their language with obscenities and foul words will fade from our “circles”. We’ll turn the TV off – or change the channel – more often. We will thoughtfully choose everything from our words to our company to our clothing and extracurricular activities. And the world will notice…maybe not that we don’t participate in the things that others do…so much as they will see that there is something different about us - but in a good way.
We must tune into God’s word and will for our lives. We must be more awake and alert – for God’s presence, and for the everyday things of our culture that we are absorbing and accepting without truly giving them consideration. Whatever we must do to be able to operate more clearly and consciously aware in each moment…let’s do it! Let’s ask God to show us how to live for Him…to grow in His wisdom and maturity...to care less about fitting in and more about pleasing Him. We can do this! Are you ready?
©2015 Debbie Robus
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
A few days ago, I flipped on the television while preparing our lunch, and a daytime soap opera was just ending. I wasn’t paying close attention, but I caught enough of a glimpse of the program that I actually checked the channel to make sure I wasn’t actually on a “cable” channel. I admit, a few decades ago I watched soap operas every day…but it’s been awhile…and things have obviously changed! I could not believe what I was seeing in this “bedroom scene” on a local television station during the early afternoon!
Along the same lines, I was discussing suitable television channels for children with the nursery workers at church this morning, and they pointed out quite a few “cartoon channels” that are now airing all sorts of programs that are not suitable for little ones. Certain four-letter words that would NEVER have been uttered in public even a few years ago are now commonplace on television and movie screens…across social media…and in the general public.
I say all of this to illustrate that many of us have indeed become so well-adjusted to our culture that we fit into it without even thinking. And the key words here are “fit into it.” Nobody wants to be considered different. Certainly none of us want others to think of us as pious. But you don’t have to be condescending or condemning toward others in order to take a stand for God. You don’t have to make a show of “going against the grain”, so to speak, in order to please God and live for Him.
If we focus on living for God…listening for His voice and acting as He directs, we won’t have to worry about any of this…it won’t even be on our radar. People who pepper their language with obscenities and foul words will fade from our “circles”. We’ll turn the TV off – or change the channel – more often. We will thoughtfully choose everything from our words to our company to our clothing and extracurricular activities. And the world will notice…maybe not that we don’t participate in the things that others do…so much as they will see that there is something different about us - but in a good way.
We must tune into God’s word and will for our lives. We must be more awake and alert – for God’s presence, and for the everyday things of our culture that we are absorbing and accepting without truly giving them consideration. Whatever we must do to be able to operate more clearly and consciously aware in each moment…let’s do it! Let’s ask God to show us how to live for Him…to grow in His wisdom and maturity...to care less about fitting in and more about pleasing Him. We can do this! Are you ready?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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