We all love our guilty pleasures, however, when the guilty pleasures start to fill the hole intended for God to fill, this IS sin. Proverbs 26:11
We have all seen many changes. Attitudes have changed. Language has changed. The meaning of language has changed. One that particularly hit me is the meaning of the word sin. Once upon a time the word ‘sin’ meant something. Proverbs depicts sin as very serious. If it were a movie it would be rated R. Having knowledge of sin opened the 'doorway to the gospel.' In today's world, sin has been downgraded to PG-13. Now, it’s just an extra piece of chocolate cake. The question is: Did Jesus die on the cross for just an extra piece of cake? If this is how the world sees things, then why do we need a crucified savior? PROVERBS 26:11 A dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool returns to his folly. Although the world we live in doesn’t take sin seriously, God still does. The vile image of a dog returning to its own vomit is how God sees it. And it’s exactly how we need to see it too. So not only does the image reveal something of how God sees our sin, but it also reveals something of the nature of sin. Why do we sin? First, a dog doesn’t have a problem eating its own vomit...they’re used to vomiting. Maybe the food is too spicy or the flavor is different. Vomiting could be an everyday occurrence for the dog. In comparison, humans have cast iron stomachs...it takes a lot to make us sick. But dogs are different. After they eat and they fall ill, they just see it as just the way it is. So, dogs have no problem woofing it down again. It’s that failure to recognize it that makes it so easy for the dog to carry on. People sometimes don't recognize their own sin, so they just carry on with it. We don’t see it as God sees it; we don’t recognize it for what it is. Failing to see sin far too often in our actions may cause us to have no problem woofing it down again. We eat it because like the dog we don’t have a problem with it. Second, we eat it because we’re used to it. It’s hard for us to change our sinful nature. Sin has become an unnatural part of who we are. For some, it’s so deep that we can’t even see it. We’re like the dog and his ‘eat anything’ habit. We’ve gotten used to sin. Third, we do it because we think we need it. Dogs re-ingest their vomit because they think they need it. When a person has something missing in their diet, they take vitamins. For a dog, the richest source of vitamins is probably what they ate last night. A reason why we sin is because we think sin offers us something we need. We spend so much time and energy chasing stuff that makes us happy. Is that sin? Yeah you better believe it. God is supposed to fill that space, that's why he made it. It’s sin to try and fill our needs with anything else. I guess we don’t really see sin in the same way God does, but when you see it as vomit, and your stomach starts to churn a little, then you can start to realize how bad it really is. It should repulse us, but often that’s not enough. We actually need to reboot and figure out the behavior that got us in our current state. The first thing is obvious...you need to name it for what it is – Sin. Then, you need to keep away from it. If something causes you to trip, avoid it. Try and recognize that it’s bad for you...it’s not what you need. Recognize that it’s an issue. Don’t brush it under the rug because vomit stinks...deal with it. Give it to God. He hates it but he can deal with it. His Holy Spirit is there to help you overcome your sickness. Someone said to me a few months back that this whole thing doesn’t fit. How can we say God loves us, when He sees us for what we are? A vomit eating fool. I guess we need to realize that God’s love is bigger than our eating habits. He loves us even if there’s a string of vomit hanging from our chins. Maybe you feel as though you have done something so disgusting that you feel God could never want you back. Are you a fool? Mistakes are inevitable; we’re all going to make them. Every now and then, you’re going to “vomit”. But when you do, learn why it happened and resolve to never do it again. The fool is not the one who makes a mistake and sins, but the one who continually makes the same mistake without learning from it. The good news is that there is a way back to God. As you give the contents of your sick bag to God...there is a way to forgiveness.
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A holy man said, "it is my nature to save, and must I change my nature because the scorpion does not change its nature?" How to Punish Your Enemy…in a Christlike Way (Proverb 25:21-22) A reporter was interviewing an old man on his 100th birthday. "What are you most proud of?" he asked. "Well," said the man, "I don't have an enemy in the world." "What a beautiful thought! How inspirational!" said the reporter. "Yep," added the centenarian, "outlived every last one of them." A parable: A man was engaged in his morning meditation under a tree whose roots stretched out over the riverbank. During his meditation he noticed that the river was rising, and a scorpion caught in the roots was about to drown. He crawled out on the roots and reached down to free the scorpion, but every time he did so, the scorpion struck back at him. An observer came along and said to the holy man, "Don't you know that's a scorpion, and it's in the nature of a scorpion to want to sting?" To which the man replied, 'That may well be, but it is my nature to save, and must I change my nature because the scorpion does not change its nature?" “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty give him water to drink. For so you will heap coals of fire on his head and the Lord will reward you.” Proverbs 25: 21-22 We often hear people talk about “getting even with their enemies" but the Christian way goes well beyond just “getting even”, it describes an appropriate, powerful and effectual punishment. CHRISTIANS MAY HAVE ENEMIES…BUT SHOULD NEVER BE ONE! Paul had many enemies. Some were Jews; some were pagans; and tragically, some were professing Christians who were leaders in some of the churches he had established. Consider Paul’s declaration to Timothy regarding the persecutions that he endured at the hands of his enemies. “But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra---what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” II Timothy 3:10-12. Also we need to consider the word spoken by our Lord to His disciples: “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” John 15: 20b THE WORLD’S APPROACH TO THE "ENEMY PROBLEM" The most common approach seems to be: “Do unto others as they do unto you!” Some would even say: “Before they do unto you.” Under the law, the command was: “Then you shall do to him just as he intended to do to his brother.” Deuteronomy 19:19. But the Christian is to be reminded that we are not under the law but under grace and that forgiveness…not retribution…should be the guiding principle of our life. GOD’S WAY IS: Unique because its concept is absolutely alien to the natural man. Magnanimous: (“elevated above what is low, mean, or ungenerous. Exhibiting nobleness of soul.”) Effective: in volume (“heap”); in intensity (“coals of fire"); and in exposure (“upon his head”). Rewarding: (in four distinct ways): 1. A clear conscience before God because you have been obedient to God’s will as set forth in Romans 12:21: “Be not overcome by evil. But overcome evil with good.” An enhanced respect for one’s self 2. Greater respect from your fellowman. 3. A heavenly reward: “…and the Lord will reward you.” “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted the prophets so were before you,” Matthew 5:12 4. It is God-honoring because it leaves judgment and punishment in the hands of God. Paul made this quite clear when he wrote: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saithe the Lord.” Romans 12:19. DEAR CHRISTIAN FRIEND, DO YOU NOT AGREE THAT THE CHRISTIAN WAY TO PUNISH YOUR ENEMIES IS FAR MORE EFFECTIVE….AND CHRIST-HONORING….THAN TAKING JUDGMENT INTO YOUR OWN HANDS? John 13:35 “By this people will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”
Written by Liz Latta Marcella's Kitchen's mission statement: Founded on unity, love, and acceptance. Marcella's Kitchen exists to unite a community of believers to be Christ's hand extended by loving and providing meals for those in need.
Marcella's Kitchen in Benton, Kentucky is a community kitchen that serves thousands of meals every month to those in need. After relocating the nonprofit organization to 868 Guy Mathis Drive, they've added another 'community program' to it's resume' namely, the official Red Cross Emergency Center for Marshall County. The founder of Marcella's Kitchen, Marcella Perkins said the organization received money from the Marshall County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster and the Carson-Myre Charitable Foundation. With the funds, Marcella's Kitchen bought a generator that can hold 325 gallons of diesel fuel and power which will operate the facility for approximately a week in case of emergencies. Not only does the generator help Marcella's Kitchen become the new Red Cross Emergency Center but so does the new building. One side of the room could be used to set up cots while the other remains the kitchen and dining area. Emergency preparedness could be anything from a natural disaster to a an apartment fire. Some volunteers for the community kitchen will have special training with the Red Cross next year. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, October 22, 2020 to inaugurate the new facilities' opportunity. Since the pandemic, the nonprofit has more than tripled the number of meals served each month. Two years ago, they served 1,600 meals a month. Now it's closer to 5,000. Meals served include home-bound deliveries and students at the Marshall County Exceptional Center. Deliveries have almost increased ten-fold. The community kitchen will continue on with their role as a kitchen feeding those in need and will add the new emergency center responsibilities. Since the shuttering of businesses in March, Marcella's Kitchen closed in-person dining. Instead, the community receives prepared meals through a drive-thru service at the front entrance for meal pickup. They are open Monday through Friday 11 am to 1 pm. If you would like to donate or volunteer for the community kitchen, reach out to Marcella's Kitchen through their Facebook page. We’ve made it to August…and although it is like no other August we have previously experienced, some things are (mostly) the same. From kindergarten to college, our kids are headed back to school in one way or another and the home gardens we planted this pandemic spring are now producing in earnest. The seeds and tiny plants we nurtured through the heat of summer have grown, flowered and are now, with a little luck, producing lots of good food. During what I have been calling “a very corona summer,” many people planted vegetable gardens, quite a few for the very first time. Maybe you put in some tomatoes and peppers or maybe you planted zucchini. I read somewhere that zucchini plants are often so abundant, some gardeners complain that they are “too easy to grow.” Have you found yourself with an excess of zucchini?
When I was a young girl, my maternal grandfather, Granddaddy Hutchens, kept a very large vegetable garden. My grandfather worked nearly round the clock at his Benton restaurant, “Hutchens BBQ” but once he retired, the garden filled his time. Afternoons spent with Granddaddy often meant playing on the tree swing at “the garden, ” just a short walk from his home. Many, many times my mother and I would arrive home to find a big haul of fresh produce at the door….Granddaddy had driven over to Paducah and left his unique calling card…home grown tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and more, usually in an old cardboard box. “Daddy was here. Look at those tomatoes!” my mother would say. In August of 1982, when I went away to college at Transylvania in the big city of Lexington, I received letters from Granddaddy saying “I dropped off some zucchini to Ms. Gammel.” Ms. Gammel was my paternal grandmother and I called her Granny Gammel. Having both lived in Benton many years, Granddaddy Hutchens and Granny Gammel had known each other most of their adult lives. My parents divorced before I turned five but my grandparents continued to treat each other with courtesy and kindness and respect. A week or so after receiving Granddaddy’s letter, I would get an important notice in my student mailbox. It would read: YOU HAVE A PACKAGE. I would run to the student PO and grab my prize, a care box from my Granny….brownies and rice crispy treats were staples, as well as “Sock It To Me” or “7-Up” cake, a quart jar of homemade dill pickles (my absolute favorite)…and then, wrapped in tin foil, a loaf of zucchini bread. There was always a letter from Granny…“W.C. left a big box on zucchini on the porch. I’ve been making zucchini bread so I’m sending you some. I took about a half dozen loaves over to him.” My Granddaddy would put his hands to the ground and grow zucchini, which he then would gift to my Granny, and other town folk. In her kitchen, she would transform the zucchini into moist, sweet bread and return it to him and a bunch more folks. One evening years ago, after a long, hot, wonderful day in my garden, I called my father…just a little giddy. “Mike made me a raised bed and I planted peppers,” I exclaimed. “He’s making a second bed but I don’t know what to plant.” “Plant zucchini!” my Dad said, and I laughed out loud. I learned many powerful lessons from my grandparents…maternal and paternal: What you give always comes back to you, but it might look a little different. Be kind. Be respectful, regardless of the circumstances. Be respectful BECAUSE of the circumstances. Be generous. Plant zucchini. Give it away. Bake bread. Give it away. Love one another. What does all of this have to do with prayer and meditation? John Shelby Spong says this about prayer: So praying and living deeply, richly, and fully have become for me almost indistinguishable. Perhaps, I conclude, that is what the apostle Paul meant when he said, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17 KJV) or “constantly” (RSV). We are to live as if everything we say and do is a prayer, calling others to life, to love and to being. During these difficult days of the corona virus, how can I live my life a little more like a prayer? Where can I be a little more generous…a little more abundant…in deed, word and gesture? In the spring of this global pandemic, what seeds were sown in my heart….and what is waiting now to be harvested? “Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always….” (Luke 18:1, NRSV) |
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