Galatians 6:9-10 NASB Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

When moving out of my first apartment in college, my roommate and I were determined to clean the apartment well enough to get our deposit back. So we cleaned every inch, every drawer, we even cleaned the oven: it was cleaner than when we moved in, I’m sure. When the apartment manager came by to check us out, he walked around for maybe a minute and said it looked good. We felt pretty silly afterwards for all the great lengths we went to cleaning, when he obviously didn’t care! But you know what? Cleaning up after our own mess was the right thing to do, and I’m sure the next people that moved in appreciated how clean it was, right?

It’s easy to become discouraged in doing the right thing, when the world around us doesn’t notice, and doesn’t seem to care. But if our good deeds are done for God and His kingdom work, then He promises they won’t go unnoticed, and in due time we will see results.

-Kevi

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Matthew 5:14-16 NASB You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

The other day I asked my husband to use his flashlight app on his cell phone to help me see when the power had gone out. He did, and it was very helpful, but then he turned it to the strobe light setting (to be funny) and it was NOT very helpful. I’d rather be in the dark than have to see with a strobe light!

Sometimes we Christians use our “religion” in such a way that it turns people off of the faith that we are trying to shine a light on. Our light should be a brightly lit city on a hill, or a candle on a lampstand, not a strobe light!

-Kevi

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Matthew 5:14-16  NASB You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Every time I drive down Highway 9 in Norman (which I happened to do this evening) I look for my light post. It’s the light post I hit when I wrecked my car in college. It’s generous to call it a light post because when I hit it I knocked the lights off of it, and they never replaced them. It’s not a city light, it’s one of OU’s campus posts, and although it has no lights, it still has OU flags on it: so I guess I should call it a flag pole now!

Just as a light post with no lights isn’t worthy of the name, a Christian that doesn’t shine with the glory of God, well, isn’t worthy of the name Christian (Christ-like). Now you know I’m not talking about perfection; I’m talking about how we “were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:8-10 NASB

-Kevi

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John 8:4-5; 7; 9-11  NASB  they *said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say? ”But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”

Sunday morning someone was singing Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) at church. As they sang I thought about how God’s grace really is amazing! But my grace? Not so amazing. Really subpar grace. My critical spirit is quick to judge others, and slow to forgive.

What makes Jesus’ grace amazing is that He has the right to judge, the right to condemn. He could have carried out the law by stoning this woman but He chose to extend her grace. He chose to extend me grace, too. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could extend that same grace to others?

-Kevi

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Lamentations 3:39-40 NASB   Why should any living mortal, or any man, Offer complaint in view of his sins? Let us examine and probe our ways, And let us return to the LORD.

If you spend any time with children, you will inevitably hear them complain “but that’s not fair!” And it isn’t just my nieces that I hear it from, it’s adults too, we just have more grown-up ways of saying it…

Jeremiah started to complain in Lamentations that things weren’t fair, that God’s judgment went too far…but then he remembered his own sin, and that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23).

Instead of complaining that God isn’t fair, we should be praising him for not always doing what is fair, but instead offering us the free gift of salvation that we don’t deserve (Romans 6:23).

-Kevi

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Mark 10:42-45 NASB  Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

My dad has always been great at serving his family in that quiet, behind the scenes way, so much so that I probably don’t even notice all the things he does for me. One Christmas break during college I was working in Tulsa and there was a cold front and some ice that came through while I was at work. I was really dreading going out to my car, but when I got there, my windows were already scraped! My dad had stopped by on his way home from work. (I wonder how long he had to drive around in that huge parking lot to find my car?) Just last week I was in Tulsa and was leaving my parent’s house in the morning. My dad helped me carry my son out to the car and we noticed the car had frosted overnight. Before I even got the car started I turned around and there was my dad, scraping the windows, I didn’t have to ask!

Jesus didn’t have to be asked to serve others, and I’m sure there were many times he served others unnoticed. Mark said that’s why He was here: to be a servant. I’m grateful my dad has modeled servanthood for me, and I hope my children can one day say the same thing.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Love,

Kevi Joy

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Matthew 11:28 NASB  Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

We got a new refrigerator and my husband had to move the old one from the kitchen, out the back door, around the side of the house and into the garage. When he came back inside he said the longer he pushed the refrigerator, the heavier it became! I think the fridge probably weighs the same in the garage as it did in the kitchen, but he made his point. If we carry something longer than we are meant to, it can become too heavy for us.

If we carry our sins around instead of asking for forgiveness, we become laden down with guilt and shame. If we carry our fears and our worries, they will start to consume us; that’s why Jesus said to cast “all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 NASB.                                                                                                                                

Don’t let your load get heavier and heavier, give it to the One who will give you rest.

-Kevi

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Judges 16:23 NASB  Now the lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice, for they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hands.”

My one year old wants to be independent and do things for himself. This now includes climbing up and down the furniture. Well, today he fell off the couch twice, and although he wasn’t really hurt, there were many tears after his failures! Of course, we wouldn’t say it was the couch that caused the defeat, but his own weakness (stubborn independence) that got the best of him.

When Samson was finally captured by the Philistines and imprisoned, they claimed it was their god Dagon that defeated Samson. Of course, Dagon could no more defeat Samson, than my couch could rise up to defeat my son! Instead, it was Samson’s own weakness that led to his capture. He trusted his secrets to Delilah (who had already proven she was not trustworthy) and lost his God-given strength as a result.

Although Satan is actively trying to tempt us, it is often our own sins and weaknesses that trip us up. Instead, let’s admit our weaknesses and trade them in for Christ’s power.  “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

-Kevi

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John 5:8-10 NASB  Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day. So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.”

This evening my husband was watching this show he likes and they were showing the best way to make a certain kind of eggs. He missed a crucial part and asked me “did you see what they just did?” Well although I was technically "watching" the show, I really wasn’t paying the slightest attention because I could care less about how to make the perfect egg (my husband is the cook in our family, if you didn’t know). I was only seeing the Solitaire game on my phone.

At the pool of Bethesda in John 5, Jesus miraculously healed a man who had been ill for 38 years. This man, who minutes before could not walk; was walking and carrying his sleeping pallet. But did the religious men see the miracle of a man walking after 38 years of illness? No, they only saw someone breaking the rules of the Sabbath, by carrying his pallet. They missed the big picture, because they were focused on something else.  

I wonder what else I didn’t see, because I was focused on the wrong things.

-Kevi

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John 4:7-10 NASB  There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

My niece will be turning four in a few weeks. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she innocently replied “A cake!” I had to explain I was asking what presents she wanted for her birthday.

Sometimes, like my niece, we don’t know what to ask for, or who we should be asking it from. The Samaritan woman at the well had a tremendous opportunity to ask Jesus for salvation, but she almost missed the opportunity, because she didn’t know who was standing in front of her.

Thankfully, Jesus didn’t let her miss her opportunity. He wants to help us ask the right questions too: do you know what to ask for?

-Kevi

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