I Told You It Would Hurt

"So be careful. If you are thinking 'Oh, I would never behave like that' - let this be a warning to you. For you too may fall into sin. But remember this - the wrong desires that come into your life aren't anything new and different. Many others have faced exactly the same problems before you. And no temptation is irresistible. You can trust God to keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it, for He has promised this and will do what He says. He will show you how to escape temptations power so that you can bear up patiently against it." I Corinthians 10:12,13 TLB



Written 8/95

Courtney was holding a silk flower pin that had come off of one of my jackets. She opened it. It told her "Be careful, it will stick you and it will hurt!" As I stood there and watched her, she deliberately stuck the pin into her finger and began to cry. I looked at her and said, "Why did you do that? I told you it would hurt."

God has told us if we "stick" ourselves with sin, it will hurt. He has given us a choice, we can "stick" ourselves or we can "put the pin down."

At the time of this writing, Susan Smith, a young mother, had just been convicted of murder for the drowning of her two small sons in a South Carolina lake. As her story unfolded, her tragic life was filled with "sticks from the "pin", lying, adultery, etc. etc. If we can only let people know the "pin" hurts before they "stick" themselves, pain can be avoided. If we are tempted, God has also promised to give us the strength to withstand or provide a way of escape. Sometimes all we have to do is simply put the "pin" down & walk away.

Let's tell people holding the pin it will hurt, but don't forget to tell them about God's grace and undying love through His Son Jesus Christ.

Please put the pin down, it will hurt.

...It's Only $19.99!

"Be careful - watch out for the attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart."
I Peter 5:8 TLB

Written 8/10/95

Courtney had been watching cartoons and had come to the dining room table to eat her breakfast. She was very excited about something she had seen on TV. I wasn't quite sure what she was talking about, and then she said, "Mama, it's only $19.99, and it cleans wheels and tires in just seconds!" She thought she had seen a truly wonderful thing! It may have been a perfectly good product but at her age it is very hard for her to determine if she is being conned by a sales pitch.

Satan packages his traps in much the same way. He does not present his temptations as they really are. He makes them look exactly like what we want. It looks like a truly wonderful thing! If we are not conscious of his 'cons', we too can and will be drawn in by his 'sales pitch'. We must stay in God's Word and in a close relationship with Jesus to keep our awareness up against Satan's tricks. Let's get and use Christian maturity to slam the door in Satan's face!

Promise?

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful"
Hebrews 10:23 NIV

Written 7/25/95

Courtney was in the bed, wide-awake. I sat beside her and told her I needed to go do my nightly "rituals" (i.e.; put on my PJ's, take out contact lens, etc.). I promised as soon as I finished, I would come back and check on her. She asked "Promise?" I said, " Of course." Even though she knows when I promise her something, I won't break that promise, as I was leaving her room she asked, "Do you REALLY promise?"

How many promises are in God's Word? When you know God has made you a promise, don't ask Him "Promise?" He will not and cannot break a promise!

I'm Sorry ... I said I'm Sorry

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."
Psalms 103:12 NIV

Written 7/25/95

Courtney was climbing on the kitchen counter (which is a no, no) and spilled a cup of milk sitting there. It ran down between the cabinet and the refrigerator and made quite a mess. The refrigerator had to be pulled out so we could clean the floor. Courtney was truly sorry! I told her, "It's OK, just forget it." As I cleaned the mess, she stood and watched and continued to apologize. I told her, "It's OK, you’ve told me you're sorry, you can forget it." I really want Courtney to know when I've forgiven it's forgotten.

When we tell God we're sorry for something, He promises we are already forgiven. For some reason we keep on telling Him we're sorry over and over again for the same thing. When we ask, he has already forgiven and forgotten. We must then forgive ourselves. If we don't, we are no good to anyone! Let's forgive ourselves and go on for His glory. We're already forgiven and it's forgotten!

I Can't Make that Decision for You

"That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, 'WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED"
Romans 10:9-11 NASB

Written 7/19/95

As I've told you before, Courtney is not a morning person and the reason is, she won't go to sleep at night! It seems we've tried every "tactic" there is to get her to go to sleep on time and by herself, but nothing seems to work. When a mother gets desperate, she'll try anything, including bribery! I told Courtney if she would go to bed and go to sleep, by herself, on time, for 2 weeks, I'd take her to the Disney Store. She agreed. To Courtney the Disney Store is the next best thing to Heaven!

Each night bedtime came with the same struggles. Finally one night I asked her "Don't you want to go to the Disney Store?" Pitifully she said, "Yes." It told her "You're going to have to go to bed and let me go to bed or you can't go. Now, do you want me to stay in here with you or do you want to go to sleep by yourself so you can go the Disney Store?" She answered, "I can't decide." I told her "I can't make that decision for you, you have to do it yourself. But if you don't decide, you still can't go to the Disney Store."

Everyone wants to go to Heaven, but not everyone wants to make the decision to put their life in Jesus hands and follow Him. No one can make that decision for you. You have to make the decision either; 'Yes, I want Jesus' or 'No, I don't'. You may say, "But I can't decide", but indecision is saying 'No'. If you don't decide you can't go to heaven. So please decide, I know you want to go!

You've Got To Feed Yourself

"... Listen and I'll tell you where to get good food that fattens up the soul"
Isaiah 55:2 TLB

Written 7/4/95

Even though Courtney is five years old, she still wants to be babied. She is a very picky eater and I have a hard time getting her to eat (good food anyway!) When I am trying to get her to eat, she still wants me to feed her. I tell her "Only babies have to be fed. When you grow up, you've got to feed yourself."

Christians want to remain babies, too. We want our pastor or teacher to feed us the word of God. We do need them to direct and teach us but when if we are to mature in Christ, we must learn to feed ourselves. Even if we don't know exactly how to study and dig into the Word, we can read God's Word every day. God will teach us even if we just read.

When we learn to feed ourselves, we will grow in God's knowledge and grace.

Thank you for Saving Me!

"One of them came back to Jesus, shouting 'Glory to God, I'm healed.' He fell flat on the ground in front of Jesus, face downward in the dust, thanking Him for what He had done"
Luke 17:15, 16 TLB

Written 7/17/95

We live on a very steep hill so Courtney is not allowed to ride her bike in the driveway. She does, however, ride in our garage. As she was circling in our garage one day, she decided she wanted to ride down a small slope onto our front sidewalk (which is flat). She was a little bit afraid at first but I told her that I would stand between her and the hill and catch her if she lost control. She said "Are you sure you'll catch me?" I said, "Of course, just trust me." She started riding up and down the slope, to the garage, to the sidewalk and back, while I stood there. She was getting a little braver and then, out of control, she flies by me, screaming. I was close enough and caught her and stopped the bike. She looked at me with wide eyes and said "Thank you for saving me, Mom!"

How many times has God and His heavenly warriors been standing between danger and us. We know He's there and we get a little braver and a little braver and get closer to the danger. Before we know it, we're out of control, but He is standing there to catch us! If we are His child through Jesus, He not only saves us from everyday dangers, He has saved us from the ultimate danger, eternal death. Let's not take this for granted and remember to say "Thank you Jesus, for saving me!"

Cover me up!

"He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge..."

Psalms 91:4 NIV

Written 7/14/95

Even if it's mid-summer, if Courtney is sleepy, she wants her blanket. In the mornings I wake her up and pick her up to carry to the living room (even though she's five). She immediately says to me "Cover me up!" and pulls the blanket up around her shoulders. The blanket has been hers since birth and I know it is a very comforting and secure feeling for her to be under it.

When we are in Christ, we are covered in His blood and because of this, we are covered with God's love and protection. All we have to do is ask him to cover us up! What a comforting and secure feeling!

footnote ... she still has what is left of that blankie! 2-2010

It is So Boring in this House

"Commit your work to the Lord, then it will succeed."
Proverbs 16:3 TLB

Written 7/10/05

We had just gotten home from work and school. I was in the bedroom changing clothes so I could start supper. Courtney came in the bedroom with me and stated (or should I say whined) "It is so boring in the house!" I told her to get up and get busy. Go do something about it!

If we are bored in our Christian life, don't whine about it. Get up and get busy! Go to the nursing home, help the needy, volunteer to work around the church, keep the kids for an overworked mother, etc., etc., etc.! Do something about it!

...I Just Couldn't Stop!

Written 7/7/95

Courtney and I stopped by the grocery store after school for dog food. She spotted the candy rack and begged for "Butterfinger B.B.'s.” I bought them for her but with the understanding she would not open them until after supper.

When we got home, I noticed she was being especially helpful. She even put the "B.B.'s" in the cabinet for me! After we finished eating she remembered her "B.B.'s" so I got them out of the cabinet. They were open and half of them were gone! We had a little talk and I asked her why she had disobeyed me. She said, "But Mom, I just want to see what they tasted like, and they were so good, I just couldn't stop!" I told her that if she had obeyed me to begin with and not opened them and tasted them, she would not have gotten into trouble.

Sin is a lot like "Butterfinger B.B's.” We just want to taste. We think just a taste won't hurt us. The taste may be good and once we've indulged we just can't stop and before we know it we're in big trouble. God's rules are to HELP us, not hurt us. If we just won't taste what we know we're not supposed to, we won't have to worry about stopping and we won't get into trouble!