There are not degrees of sin—sin is sin. I know that. But sometimes, when sin looks like pure evil…well, that’s harder to swallow.
I recently attended a presentation on human trafficking in the United States. The speaker, a senior criminal investigator, informed us that there are more enslaved in the U.S. today than in any other time in history. I’d already been hearing that, so I wasn’t shocked, but to hear him describe the crimes, the victims, and how the traffickers work…it was upsetting in ways I can’t describe.
I watched as he paced while answering questions and heard his attempt to temper his words.
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For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. ~1 Peter 1:23
Jesus stands in a boat teaching the masses, telling one of His most well known stories. He tells the parable of a farmer planting seeds describing the soil and ultimately the outcome. Apparently the disciples were not completely clear because Mark records the fact that once His core group of followers had Him alone, they questioned the meaning. Isn’t it reassuring to know that those closest to Jesus didn’t always get it? Jesus patiently and persistently elaborates:
“You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom—you know how it works.
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There you are in the quiet of the morning, ready to meet the Lord for strength for the day. Your Bible is open and perhaps you’ve already studied, read or done a devotional.
It’s a little bit like an appetizer to a good meal. But, if all this is appetizer for the quiet time meal, what’s the main course? Prayer.
But what about those times when your prayer conversation falls short? What when words fail to come? What when the heart sighs, and the voice is too weary to articulate even the one word prayer , “Help.”
Have you ever just sat in His presence and felt that you had nothing to say or pray?
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(Photo by Oh Paris via Flickr Creative Commons)
It happened three times in a single week.
Three separate friends either sat facing me, eyeball to eyeball, or on the other end of the phone, and with their full attention asked…
How are things?
With home, school, Allume?
And what about that thing you said you were struggling with? How’s that going?
As much as I wanted to simply say, “fine,” and leave it at that…
I was not fine. And I couldn’t pretend that I was.
As much as I wanted to be the “good Christian” who suffers joyfully and counts her blessings…
I was not fine.
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A friend of mine often reminds me that “no” can be a complete sentence.
My urge to supply ample explanation and curry favor with the delivery of my dissent is strong. I fear rejection, disappointment, and disapproval. Sometimes, meanness and retaliation may occur to my “no.” Pouting too.
This creates a cloud of overwhelming emotion. It becomes confusing to know what to say.
Which is when my friend reminds me to just say no.
This is rooted in scripture too:
But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
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Last week, when my kids were still in school, I took my car to the dealership to get it serviced. When I went into the waiting room, I found a table to sit at and got my laptop out. I clicked to connect to the wireless network and smiled at the thought of an uninterrupted hour of getting things done online.
But then an error popped up on my screen, saying I needed a password to log in. I tried clicking on the network again. It still didn’t work.
I got up and went to the front desk and asked if there was a password I should use.
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![MP900441048[1]](https://faith.5minutesformom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/MP9004410481-580x580.jpg)
Sometimes God stops us in our tracks…for our own good.
I was recently on my knees in prayer…over a situation I have no control.
A situation that was getting the best of me.
I didn’t know what to pray anymore, and I’d moved to just trying to prepare myself for whatever might happen.
While I talked with God, something changed in how I was praying.
“I know what you’re doing here God, and…”
Immediately, I felt God ask me…
“Do you know what I’m doing?”
My breath caught sharply, and I thought of the book of Job when God gets fed up with Job and challenges him with a lot of questions.
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Today is my birthday and I’m 46. It’s one of those times in life when you look in the mirror and ask yourself questions.
Because I recently had lunch with a beautiful older woman who told me she couldn’t recommend the facelift and laser treatment she’d had (which she said felt like a blow torch on her face), I’m not considering a facelift.
Is Your Faith Sagging?
I have been considering how to repair my sagging faith. Like aging skin, faith can lose its strength so gradually that you don’t even notice. It isn’t that I’ve neglected my faith routine any more than I’ve neglected my skin care.
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