Daily Devotional for December 20, 2016

Proverbs 11:24-25
It is possible to give away and become richer! It is also possible to hold on too tightly and lose everything. Yes, the liberal man shall be rich! By watering others, he waters himself.

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 latest issue of our county’s historical journal has a reprint of an article that features my Mam-ma Polly.  The story was written by our dear friend Merrellyn, who was Mam-ma’s neighbor in the last 2 decades of her life. Merrellyn peppered the article with Mam-ma’s recollections of her childhood, as well as some interesting experiences from her adult life.  She notes how hard that she and her siblings worked to help my great-grandmother with chores…and that she did not have a home with electricity until 1938 - six years after she and my grandfather married. My dad was two by then. I cannot imagine life with a toddler and no electricity…can you?

I’ve said many times that I always thought my grandparents were rich…because they were always sharing SOMETHING with someone else.  By the same token, I grew up hearing about a few people in our community who legitimately were financially able to do a lot of good things for many people…but they were so attached to their money and possessions that they could not bear to think of parting with any of them – even for a “good” cause.  And when I thought of these people, they seemed lonely, bitter, and sad.

I’ve known more than a few people who isolated themselves and “hid their light under a barrel”…and when the time came that they were in need, there were few people who were even aware of them enough to step forward and help.  On the other hand, I’ve known people who gave generously of their time, energy and whatever they had to any and all who required what they had to offer…and there was practically a line around the block to help them whenever they needed assistance.

I’ve attended funerals for people who were virtually penniless…yet they gave all they could and lived a “rich,” full life filled with service, love and joy.  And I’ve attended services for some who lived such stingy, self-absorbed lives that barely a dozen people showed up to pay their respects.  I’m not saying that this is always how the equation works.  I’m sure there have been mitigating circumstances, and generous people who were neglected or “flew under the radar.”  I know there were probably some selfish folks who appeared to have a bevy of friends and people who cared about them in spite of their egocentric nature.  But Scripture tells us in Galatians 6:7 that “…a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows!”

The goal is not to die surrounded by people who care and sing your praises…or those who will note how “rich” you were.  The aim should be to serve God with everything we have…because it ALL ultimately belongs to Him in the first place.  The rewards and blessings that come from giving are a nice byproduct - a bonus, if you will!  God does not bless us so that we can become self-centered hoarders of our time, talents and money.  He showers us with abundance so that we can share with others in the name of Jesus.  We can all do better at this.

My challenge today is that we all take inventory of our lives and see where we could “share the wealth” a little more - and glorify God in the process.  Are you willing to take a closer look?  Isn’t this the perfect week to do so?

©2016 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for May 30, 2015

1 Corinthians 10:30-31
If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why let someone spoil everything just because he thinks I am wrong? Well, I’ll tell you why. It is because you must do everything for the glory of God, even your eating and drinking.

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
When our nephew John was about three or four, he went to visit Greg’s parents.  During one of the meals, Grandma “E” served corn on the cob.  When she put John’s plate in front of him, he came unhinged.  There were no “things”!  Grandma “E” could not figure out at first what he was talking about…but she quickly realized that he needed “handles” for his corn…namely, those yellow skewers that look like miniature ears of corn – the ones that you get in the kitchen section at a department store!  These were what his mother had…didn’t everyone have them?  Well, Grandma “E” did not have those (she did shortly thereafter!), and in what I thought was a stroke of genius, she stuck toothpicks into either end of Johnny’s ear of corn, and he reluctantly used those for handles!

The absence of those yellow “corn” skewers did not alter the ear of corn.  It didn’t change how it was grown – or how it tasted!  But in the mind of a 3-year-old, it changed everything and was not up for negotiation!  I wish I had a nickel for every time a child has looked at a food that has been presented to him/her and retorted, “Blech!” without so much as even a single taste. 

We can somewhat forgive children for this, because after all, they ARE children who are still learning the art of polite behavior. But I have seen adults turn up their noses and refuse to sample something with embarrassing fanfare.  I have seen grown men and women refuse to eat a casserole because “different foods were touching!”  I saw beauty, fashion and home design editors for some of the country’s top magazines turn up their noses at beautiful trays of bite-sized pieces of catfish, carefully prepared by a wonderful New York City chef.  People who would not give a second thought to spearing a snail from its shell in a fancy French restaurant waved the tray away, and with an air of superiority, uttered… “No, thank you!”  For the record, those who actually dared to sample the fried tidbits LOVED them and were immediate converts!

What Paul is telling the Corinthians here is about more than just food or our dining customs.  Paul is telling us that we need to get over ourselves.  Just because this is not necessarily how WE have always done things does not mean that the other person is wrong – or less of a Christian...or even less of a human being, for that matter.  We must not look down on the poor…or those who are less fortunate, for how they manage from day to day.  We must not be judgmental and critical of those who have a different way of doing things, and we most certainly must not do this to people of other cultures and ethnicities.  We must remember that God made them, just as He created us…and how we treat them must glorify and honor Him at every turn.  We must also not criticize others for their worship style or how they demonstrate their faith.

We all get too caught up in the “that’s-not-how-it’s-done” way of thinking. From even the littlest things like “my roommate or spouse doesn’t fold the towels like I do” to “what kind of mother lets her kids go out looking like that” to “we never did it like that at my other church/school/team/club/place of work”…our words and actions are often not the kind that glorify God and honor all that He has done for us.  They do not say to others, “God loves us and wants ALL of us to belong to Him…not just the chosen few who ‘do everything my way’.” 

Change is never easy…and some of us have been stuck in our ways for a long, long time!  But if we want to glorify God and honor Him, we have to be willing to make the effort to set aside our own egos and see the bigger picture.  Let's face it...you may still like to eat your corn on the cob with those little yellow skewers, but at least you’ll know that it tastes the same, either way.  We must learn that there is often a difference between compromising your Christian values and doing things in another manner than the one you prefer.  As long as God is exalted and respected, considering and accommodating another person’s feelings may be best for all concerned.

©2015 Debbie Robus