James 2:8
Yes indeed, it is good when you truly
obey our Lord’s command, “You must love and help your neighbors just as
much as you love and take care of yourself.”
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
The boys were playing with
some new toys they chose as rewards for good behavior. Timothy had
quickly passed over a bag of plastic spiders, ants and beetles because
the kids really do not like bugs. Instead, he selected a plastic
chameleon. So Nathan readily chose the bugs! Then things got
interesting, as Timothy immediately had “buyer’s remorse” and wanted to
play with the bugs. The more he wanted to play with them, the more
Nathan did NOT want to share! So we had to have a little “lesson” in
sharing and how to think as much (or more) of the other guy as you care
for yourself! There were a few tears, but in the end, the brothers
figured out how to play together and get along…and love won!
Forty-one
years ago today, Greg and I promised to love each other “till death do
us part.” We promised a lot of things that we probably didn’t fully
grasp at ages 17 and 20…certainly not like we understand them today.
I’m pretty sure that we didn’t fully realize that the love it would take
to sustain more than four decades of marriage would surpass our young
definitions of this word. We couldn’t possibly envision the patience
our love would require as we built a business together…the strength we
would need to share in order to lift each other through illnesses and
injuries…the hope and faith that would be required as we consoled each
other in times of grief and loss. We readily signed on to be the
biggest cheerleader for each other…but I don’t think we had a clue that
there would be days that we might have to cheer even when we really
didn’t feel like doing so.
To say that a happy marriage does
not require hard work would be a lie. But I can tell you one thing for
sure…it’s a whole lot easier when God is at the center. When each party
makes a concerted effort to love God with his/her whole heart…and then
to love one’s spouse with as much tender care as God gives to us…things
fall into place with amazing precision. “Bumps in the road” aren’t as
bumpy…there is nothing that cannot be prayed over and worked through.
The art of “give and take” becomes second nature…and we both find
ourselves putting the needs and desires of the other ahead of our own.
These
same principles apply to any relationship. You have to think as much
of the other guy as you do yourself, or there will be trouble and
conflict. You have to consider his/her feelings at every turn. I’m
talking about much more than leaving the last piece of pie or deciding
who gets to pick the restaurant or movie. It’s more than letting
someone have the last word - or sharing your “toys” and possessions.
God
wants us to be so steeped our love for Him AND our love for each other
that it becomes the rhythm of our lives. He wants us to be so
comfortable in sharing and living unselfishly that we discover what it
truly means to be His disciple. He wants us to understand how Jesus
loves us…and to emulate this in our daily living. I am grateful and
blessed to be loved by God…and to be able to share His love with
others…especially my Greg. And I thank Him for teaching me to love
others without judgment and conditions. I am a work in progress, but I
am certainly making the effort to do this!
Whoever God places in
your path, my prayer is that you would love each of them with the love
of Christ. You may not always get to share their “bugs and spiders,” but
you will impart something far more valuable - unconditional love and
acceptance. And God will use your efforts to do amazing things! Are you
ready to see for yourself?
©2015 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label extending Gods patience and love to others. Show all posts
Showing posts with label extending Gods patience and love to others. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for January 8, 2015
Ephesians 4:2
Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
I finally got all of our Christmas decorations taken down and packed away for another year. As I “undressed” the Christmas trees (yes, we have more than one!), and boxed up my nativity collection, the thought occurred to me more than once…”These are going in a plastic bin upstairs in the attic…no need to wrap each one so carefully.”
Then I considered these ornaments and decorations…which are truly just “things”…but they represent so much more. There are the ornaments that my students lovingly gave to me almost 40 years ago…the wooden pieces I painted by number in our first years of marriage…the precious decorations my Mam-ma Polly made for us, and the delicate trinkets I inherited from my maternal grandparents’ tree. There are nativity sets that I purchased with a beloved cousin and sister-in-law who share similar tastes and interests…the plaster set that I rescued at the estate sale of my mom’s first-grade teacher…and the Madonnas that I have purchased at the local estate sales of people who made a difference in my life – and now celebrate Christmas every day in heaven.
Virtually every piece tells a story…has some sort of meaning. But even those that were merely bought at an after-Christmas-sale or have been broken and glued back together have worth and deserve careful treatment. And that’s what God is telling us in this verse. Each one of His creatures is precious. We are no better than the next person. We must make allowances for the faults and flaws of others – just as they (hopefully) do for us.
So this year, I gently covered my decorations in tissue and bubble-wrap. I sorted and cleaned and carefully boxed away these “things” that help to make the holidays so cozy and special. I set aside a few items to mend and rejuvenate…and I gave care to even the most pedestrian ornaments and trinkets. I thank God that He does this for me each and every day…and I am going to step up my game with regard to how I treat others in His kingdom. Are you with me?
©2015 Debbie Robus
Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
I finally got all of our Christmas decorations taken down and packed away for another year. As I “undressed” the Christmas trees (yes, we have more than one!), and boxed up my nativity collection, the thought occurred to me more than once…”These are going in a plastic bin upstairs in the attic…no need to wrap each one so carefully.”
Then I considered these ornaments and decorations…which are truly just “things”…but they represent so much more. There are the ornaments that my students lovingly gave to me almost 40 years ago…the wooden pieces I painted by number in our first years of marriage…the precious decorations my Mam-ma Polly made for us, and the delicate trinkets I inherited from my maternal grandparents’ tree. There are nativity sets that I purchased with a beloved cousin and sister-in-law who share similar tastes and interests…the plaster set that I rescued at the estate sale of my mom’s first-grade teacher…and the Madonnas that I have purchased at the local estate sales of people who made a difference in my life – and now celebrate Christmas every day in heaven.
Virtually every piece tells a story…has some sort of meaning. But even those that were merely bought at an after-Christmas-sale or have been broken and glued back together have worth and deserve careful treatment. And that’s what God is telling us in this verse. Each one of His creatures is precious. We are no better than the next person. We must make allowances for the faults and flaws of others – just as they (hopefully) do for us.
So this year, I gently covered my decorations in tissue and bubble-wrap. I sorted and cleaned and carefully boxed away these “things” that help to make the holidays so cozy and special. I set aside a few items to mend and rejuvenate…and I gave care to even the most pedestrian ornaments and trinkets. I thank God that He does this for me each and every day…and I am going to step up my game with regard to how I treat others in His kingdom. Are you with me?
©2015 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for June 4, 2013
Romans 2:6-7
God will reward each of us for what we have done. He will give eternal life to everyone who has patiently done what is good in the hope of receiving glory, honor, and life that lasts forever.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
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.
If you are like me, there are days when you wonder why you bother… with certain people, projects and situations. I am reminded of the child whose family a social worker, a pediatrician, and I tried to help when I was teaching kindergarten. The more we did, the more the father demanded we do. One day he told the social worker, “Oh… and I need a car, too.” She replied, “What color would you like?” She said later, “The demand was so preposterous that I felt it merited an equally ridiculous response.” Of course, DHS was not going to provide this family with a car – nor was anyone else! But we didn’t stop trying to help them… and we certainly did not stop loving the innocent children in this situation.
And this is the point of the Apostle Paul’s words to the Romans. God expects us to “keep on keepin’ on.” He calls us to be patient and to persevere. He doesn’t expect us to be doormats or to take any and all “dirt” that others wish to heap on us. God doesn’t want us to be mistreated any more than He approves when we mistreat others. But God does want us to keep trying… to never stop loving, serving, caring… and behaving with dignity. To do otherwise is to ignore God and thumb our nose at how He has patiently loved and nurtured each of us… and in the long run, this could have significant consequences!
I like how these verses (and Verse 5) are stated in The Message… “You’re not getting by with anything. Every refusal and avoidance of God adds fuel to the fire. The day is coming when it’s going to blaze hot and high, God’s fiery and righteous judgment. Make no mistake: In the end you get what’s coming to you—Real Life for those who work on God’s side, but to those who insist on getting their own way and take the path of least resistance, Fire!”
In the end, everyone who tried to help my little student’s family decided the only action that made sense was to buy them all bus tickets back to their home state of Pennsylvania, where hopefully family members who lived there could help them. But that doesn’t mean I quit caring about this little boy and his sister. To this day, I think of my little Chuckie often and wonder what became of him… and pray that he is safe and well. I believe this is my “part” now on behalf of this child… and that God will handle the rest.
I fully understand the temptation to quit… to give up on certain people, situations… and sometimes, even our faith in God - if things are really going badly. But this is not the hallmark of a faithful Disciple of Christ! We would not want God to give up on us… we most certainly do not want Him to become aggravated or disgusted and toss us into the Lake of Fire (and thankfully, I don’t believe He will do this to those who truly are His born-again disciples). I am so grateful for God’s patience with me… the blessings He continually pours out on me, even though on any given day I am so undeserving – and probably make Him feel like my doormat. I am determined to do better… to love and serve Him more… and to be more patient and caring toward others in His name. What about you… are you with me?
©2013 Debbie Robus
God will reward each of us for what we have done. He will give eternal life to everyone who has patiently done what is good in the hope of receiving glory, honor, and life that lasts forever.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
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.
If you are like me, there are days when you wonder why you bother… with certain people, projects and situations. I am reminded of the child whose family a social worker, a pediatrician, and I tried to help when I was teaching kindergarten. The more we did, the more the father demanded we do. One day he told the social worker, “Oh… and I need a car, too.” She replied, “What color would you like?” She said later, “The demand was so preposterous that I felt it merited an equally ridiculous response.” Of course, DHS was not going to provide this family with a car – nor was anyone else! But we didn’t stop trying to help them… and we certainly did not stop loving the innocent children in this situation.
And this is the point of the Apostle Paul’s words to the Romans. God expects us to “keep on keepin’ on.” He calls us to be patient and to persevere. He doesn’t expect us to be doormats or to take any and all “dirt” that others wish to heap on us. God doesn’t want us to be mistreated any more than He approves when we mistreat others. But God does want us to keep trying… to never stop loving, serving, caring… and behaving with dignity. To do otherwise is to ignore God and thumb our nose at how He has patiently loved and nurtured each of us… and in the long run, this could have significant consequences!
I like how these verses (and Verse 5) are stated in The Message… “You’re not getting by with anything. Every refusal and avoidance of God adds fuel to the fire. The day is coming when it’s going to blaze hot and high, God’s fiery and righteous judgment. Make no mistake: In the end you get what’s coming to you—Real Life for those who work on God’s side, but to those who insist on getting their own way and take the path of least resistance, Fire!”
In the end, everyone who tried to help my little student’s family decided the only action that made sense was to buy them all bus tickets back to their home state of Pennsylvania, where hopefully family members who lived there could help them. But that doesn’t mean I quit caring about this little boy and his sister. To this day, I think of my little Chuckie often and wonder what became of him… and pray that he is safe and well. I believe this is my “part” now on behalf of this child… and that God will handle the rest.
I fully understand the temptation to quit… to give up on certain people, situations… and sometimes, even our faith in God - if things are really going badly. But this is not the hallmark of a faithful Disciple of Christ! We would not want God to give up on us… we most certainly do not want Him to become aggravated or disgusted and toss us into the Lake of Fire (and thankfully, I don’t believe He will do this to those who truly are His born-again disciples). I am so grateful for God’s patience with me… the blessings He continually pours out on me, even though on any given day I am so undeserving – and probably make Him feel like my doormat. I am determined to do better… to love and serve Him more… and to be more patient and caring toward others in His name. What about you… are you with me?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for May 31, 2103
Psalm 86:15
But you, O God, are both tender and kind,
not easily angered, immense in love,
and you never, never quit.
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.
Today, our little great-niece Zola celebrated her second birthday. My husband and I took gifts to her this morning and spent some time playing with all three children… Timothy, Zola and Nathan… and visiting with their mom. One of Zola’s gifts was a new shirt that says “Little Sister” and a ruffled skirt to match. Zola promptly had her mom help her change shirts so that she could wear the new one… but she didn’t really think about the skirt for another twenty minutes or so. When she rediscovered it, she decided to put it on… over the shorts she was already wearing!
We all watched as she struggled… first taking off her shoes… then trying to put the skirt on upside down… then turning it over in the right direction and pushing her feet through the bloomers that were attached. Then she tried to stand up! Finally, Zola was able to stand to her feet, but she could not get the skirt pulled up completely over the other pair of shorts she was wearing. But she never quit. She kept trying until they were fairly well in place… and her mother helped her get them fixed the rest of the way.
I have mixed emotions as I watch these little ones do things for themselves. I love them so much I can’t explain it. I want so badly to jump in and help…to do things for them…to give them that little boost they need to get over the hump. And sometimes, when I am frustrated with their frustration… or they won’t stop crying and take their nap… or it’s “one of those days” and they have multiple meltdowns… I want to throw up my hands and walk away. It would be so easy to call their mom and say, “Here… you can have them back! I’ll let you deal with this! Call me when they are 25!” But I keep trying to soothe ruffled feelings… I keep rocking a crying baby and hoping he/she will settle down and drift off to a peaceful slumber. I wait and watch and marvel at how they figure out things and grow and learn – even from their mistakes.
God does the same thing with us… on a far grander scale. He must be so tempted to walk away and give up on us… probably many times each day! He must be terribly frustrated as He watches us fumble and bumble our way through life. It must be all He can do not to simply do things for us and make everything right when we are confused or struggling. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for Him to watch us falter and fail… knowing we need to learn from our mistakes – but hurting for us all the same. But God never quits. He never stops loving us… never turns His back and walks away. We test His patience and try his resolve… we insult Him, disrespect Him, and cause His heart to break… and still He offers us love, kindness, and tender mercy.
I wonder… do we really stop to consider how patient God is with us? Do we use His example as a model for how we treat our own children, friends, family members, and acquaintances? Do we offer the same tender kindness and love to others that God extends to us? Do we see that we are often God’s two-year-old trying to put on a skirt over our shorts?
Every single one of us has moments of frustration and impatience. And each of us has the perfect example of what to do in these situations… and what not to do! Stop and consider God’s longsuffering patience, love, kindness and mercy toward you. Thank Him for being so enduring and tolerant… for His tenderness and understanding. Learn from His rhythms and offer hefty doses of these traits to everyone you encounter. God will never, ever quit caring about you… pursuing you… nurturing you. What will you learn from Him? Will others see these qualities in you? Shouldn’t they?
©2013 Debbie Robus
But you, O God, are both tender and kind,
not easily angered, immense in love,
and you never, never quit.
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.
Today, our little great-niece Zola celebrated her second birthday. My husband and I took gifts to her this morning and spent some time playing with all three children… Timothy, Zola and Nathan… and visiting with their mom. One of Zola’s gifts was a new shirt that says “Little Sister” and a ruffled skirt to match. Zola promptly had her mom help her change shirts so that she could wear the new one… but she didn’t really think about the skirt for another twenty minutes or so. When she rediscovered it, she decided to put it on… over the shorts she was already wearing!
We all watched as she struggled… first taking off her shoes… then trying to put the skirt on upside down… then turning it over in the right direction and pushing her feet through the bloomers that were attached. Then she tried to stand up! Finally, Zola was able to stand to her feet, but she could not get the skirt pulled up completely over the other pair of shorts she was wearing. But she never quit. She kept trying until they were fairly well in place… and her mother helped her get them fixed the rest of the way.
I have mixed emotions as I watch these little ones do things for themselves. I love them so much I can’t explain it. I want so badly to jump in and help…to do things for them…to give them that little boost they need to get over the hump. And sometimes, when I am frustrated with their frustration… or they won’t stop crying and take their nap… or it’s “one of those days” and they have multiple meltdowns… I want to throw up my hands and walk away. It would be so easy to call their mom and say, “Here… you can have them back! I’ll let you deal with this! Call me when they are 25!” But I keep trying to soothe ruffled feelings… I keep rocking a crying baby and hoping he/she will settle down and drift off to a peaceful slumber. I wait and watch and marvel at how they figure out things and grow and learn – even from their mistakes.
God does the same thing with us… on a far grander scale. He must be so tempted to walk away and give up on us… probably many times each day! He must be terribly frustrated as He watches us fumble and bumble our way through life. It must be all He can do not to simply do things for us and make everything right when we are confused or struggling. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for Him to watch us falter and fail… knowing we need to learn from our mistakes – but hurting for us all the same. But God never quits. He never stops loving us… never turns His back and walks away. We test His patience and try his resolve… we insult Him, disrespect Him, and cause His heart to break… and still He offers us love, kindness, and tender mercy.
I wonder… do we really stop to consider how patient God is with us? Do we use His example as a model for how we treat our own children, friends, family members, and acquaintances? Do we offer the same tender kindness and love to others that God extends to us? Do we see that we are often God’s two-year-old trying to put on a skirt over our shorts?
Every single one of us has moments of frustration and impatience. And each of us has the perfect example of what to do in these situations… and what not to do! Stop and consider God’s longsuffering patience, love, kindness and mercy toward you. Thank Him for being so enduring and tolerant… for His tenderness and understanding. Learn from His rhythms and offer hefty doses of these traits to everyone you encounter. God will never, ever quit caring about you… pursuing you… nurturing you. What will you learn from Him? Will others see these qualities in you? Shouldn’t they?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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