Does God favor frailty?

Could it be true? Is it possible that the Almighty God actually desires the debilitated? Is He fondest of the faint? Could the Lord prefer people who are powerless?

What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!

(Romans 9:14, NIV)

God is fair and impartial.

OK, we get that. The Bible says so.

He doesn't care how great a person may be, and he pays no more attention to the rich than to the poor. He made them all.

(Job 34:19, NLT)

For God does not show favoritism.

(Romans 2:11, NIV)

Despite what the popular (and somewhat irritating) tee shirts say, claiming “God loves everyone, but I’m His favorite,” the Holy One is wholly fair and adores each one of us more than we can imagine.

Still, is there something inherently special in God’s eyes about those who are feeble, fragile, infirm, rickety, shaky, spent, and even wavering?

Maybe so.

After all, it is only when we are out of gas that we may be refilled.

Jim Cymbala expressed this idea thusly (in Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire: What Happens When God's Spirit Invades the Heart of His People):

God is attracted to weakness. He can’t resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need him. Our weakness, in fact, makes room for his power.

What a great God we love, who desires nothing more than to supply for our shortcomings, perfect our imperfections, and save us from ourselves.

Image/s:

Magdalene

by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

c1596

public domain

Related Items:

• Soul-Worn - a Poetic Piece on the Great Release
• Facebook etiquette: Is it rude to reveal loved ones' health concerns?
• A to Z Writing: Waiving Weak Wordings
• Z is for Zaccheus
• No Victim of Violence

 

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. You are also invited to join this writer's fan page, as well as the Chicago Etiquette Examiner, Madison Holidays Examiner, Equestrian Examiner and Madison Equestrian Examiner on Facebook.

Share

Today is 3:16 Day -- Gotta love it!

March 16 is 3:16 Day.

What a wonderful reminder of God's promise of His love for the whole world.

“For God so loved the world

that He gave His one and only Son,

that whoever believes in Him

shall not perish

but have eternal life.”

John 3:16, NIV

Come to think of it, every day is 3:16 Day.

Thank God.

Image/s:

Adapted from Earth

NASA public domain photo

Related Items:

• Beckoned Homeward - A Sonnet Scripted for the Sacred One
• The Gospel Ladder
• Easter's Origins and Meaning
• The Borrower - a Loan in Spring of Which We Sing

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. You are also invited to join this writer's fan page, as well as the Chicago Etiquette Examiner, Madison Holidays Examiner, Equestrian Examiner and Madison Equestrian Examiner on Facebook.

Share

Mocha Joke-a: Does the Bible talk about coffee-makers?

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, today might be a suitable opportunity for a mirthful peek at marriage.

First, I have to admit that I didn’t start this story. In fact, I’m not sure where it began, as it’s been passed around a bit. (If you know the original source, please comment to let me know, so I can properly credit the source.)

Here’s a loose paraphrase, but you’ll get the perks.

Apparently, a husband and his wife (Let’s call them Greg and Gertie.) were bickering about daily details. Imagine that.

Greg rolled over in bed and tapped Gertie with one toe. 

“C’mon, it’s your turn,” he said.

“Nope. You gotta do it,” Gertie replied.

“You’re the wife. You do all the cooking anyway,” Greg remarked. (Not a solid move, buddy.)

“Uh, no,” Gertie said with a groan. “Hey, the Bible even says the guy should make the coffee.”

“Huh? What?” Greg asked.

Gertie propped herself up on one elbow and reached for her Holy Bible on the nightstand. She opened the well-worn volume and flipped the pages deep into the New Testament before passing it to her husband.

“Look, Hebrews!” the wise woman exclaimed.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.”

(Hebrews 10:24, ESV)

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Here’s to domestic tranquility … and good coffee.

Keurig K-Cup Home Brewer

Image/s:

Sleeping Couple

by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

1893

Coffee and Doughnut

WP ClipArt

Related Items:

Laundry Lingo: How-To Remove Stubborn Coffee Stains

The Mean Bean - a Rhyming Spurt to Stay Alert

The "Why" Chromosome - Should a Woman Preach and Teach?

Top 10 Bible Verses for Children's Valentines

 

NIV Couples' Devotional Bible

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. You are also invited to join this writer's fan page, as well as the Chicago Etiquette Examiner, Madison Holidays Examiner, Equestrian Examiner and Madison Equestrian Examiner on Facebook.

Share

 

Is the Christmas spirit fleeting? Or, What’s in your wallop?

The holiday season seems somehow to bring out the best and the worst in people.

Aren’t we all inspired by the heartwarming stories of folks giving secret surprises or performing extra-mile helps to brighten the lives of others at Christmastime?

We love to hear about someone dropping a solid gold bar or a diamond ring into a charity bell ringer’s bucket outside a busy shopping mall. 

We may even tear up to see a news story about a long-lost prodigal returning home to a warm welcome and reconciled relationship.

On the other hand, Christmas can make people downright crabby.

I’ve been there. I’ve been the crabber and the crabbed. Recently, I faced an in-your-face reminder of this curious holiday phenomenon.

Finishing up at the checkout counter of a local store, I caught the lady behind me huffing and puffing and groaning. "Could you just hurry up?" she growled at the cheery cashier and me, as we exchanged a quick holiday pleasantry.

I turned and glanced at the impatient customer, realizing then that this was the same lady I had seen a few moments earlier in another department, struggling to pull an item off a wall rack. I had set down my stuff to help her untangle and remove the things she wanted.

"Are you looking for one of these, too?" she'd asked.

"Nope, just saw you needed an extra hand or two," I'd replied.

I'm not sure she connected the dots in the checkout line. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered.

Just before I left, I leaned in to whisper to the long-suffering checkout clerk, "Be extra nice to the lady behind me. She's probably had a rough day."

And I meant it. The lamenting lady likely had a long list of tasks to accomplish before her day was over. Maybe she’d faced a personal tragedy. Possibly, a nagging health condition made her uncomfortable and irritable.

Or it could be she was just feeling a little crabby at Christmastime.

God only knows.

Perhaps we’ve all had grouchy, Grinchy days. We’ve all had folks step ahead of us in crowds, pull into our chosen parking spots, or even confront us rudely for no apparent reason.

If we say that we have no sin,

we deceive ourselves,

and the truth is not in us.

(1 John 1:8, KJV)

Frustration is part of the human condition in a fallen world, isn’t it?

Perhaps we’ve all encountered folks who shocked us, in our own grumpiest moments, by treating us kindly.

All I know is this: Each of us can only choose our own actions and reactions.

None of us has to absorb the anxious, aggressive, or antagonistic attitudes of those around us. And others need not take on our occasional testiness, either.

If you love those who love you,

what reward will you get?

(Matthew 5:46a, NIV)

After all, what’s the end result of a knee-jerk response? Who becomes the jerk?

In His mercy, God often nudges our spirits to prompt us to stop and step back. Only then do we stand a chance of considering a gentler way, instead of a quick comeback or a quiet seething.

And be ye kind one to another,

tenderhearted,

forgiving one another,

even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

(Ephesians 4:32, KJV)

That’s grace. But it can be hard – so hard.

Oh, baby, we’re a long way from biblical Bethlehem.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus. In the meantime, help us to stop embarrassing You when we’re feeling a little moody, especially while preparing to celebrate Your birthday.

 

Image/s:

Salvation Army Bell Ringer by Dwight Burnette 

Creative Commons Licensing Photos

Store Checkout

US Navy photo by Journalist 2^nd Class Jim Williams

US Government Photo/public domain

Related Items:

• Facebook etiquette: Is it rude to reveal loved ones' health concerns?
• A Glimmer of Grace: Kyrielles of Blessings’ Bells  
• Grime and Grace - a Poetic Pause on the Ten Top Laws
• Mended and Commended: A Poetic Pace on Wondrous Grace

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. You are also invited to join this writer's fan page, as well as the Chicago Etiquette Examiner, Madison Holidays Examiner, Equestrian Examiner and Madison Equestrian Examiner on Facebook.

Share