Jean Coleman's Blog - Posts Tagged "christian"

I looked at the thermometer and saw that it read 102 degrees. The heat was oppressive and it wasn't even noon. I wondered how I could make it through the day. But even worse than the heat was the homesickness. Most of the time I was content to live in Australia, but as the Christmas season approached I longed to be back in America. My mind just couldn't adjust to having Christmas come in the middle of summer vacation.

I actually dreaded the thought of Christmas. Perhaps what I missed the most was the excitement of gathering together with family and friends on Christmas day for a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. It just didn't seem like Christmas day with only our own little family around the table. We really needed someone to celebrate with us, but who could it be? All our friends were away for the holidays. Surely there was someone in Melbourne who would like to join our family for Christmas.

Suddenly an idea was birthed within me. We could adopt an elderly pensioner for the day, perhaps an old man who had no family. He could be our special Christmas guest. I could sense the excitement rising up within me and it didn't take long to make a phone call to Social Services with my request. They were more than delighted to arrange for someone to spend Christmas in our home.

Christmas then took on a whole new atmosphere. We had taken our eyes off of ourselves and focused them on another. Eagerly we purchased special gifts for our Christmas visitor and even baked him a beautiful cake with fluffy white icing. Christmas had become a time to give instead of receive.

The children spent Christmas afternoon waiting for our anticipated visitor to arrive. I heard their shout, "He's here! He's here!" And what a marvelous old man he was! Sid was slightly stooped and walked with a cane. A bowler hat sat jauntily upon his white hair. We quickly seated him in our best chair and a footstool was brought so he could rest his bad leg. Tears rolled down his wrinkled cheeks as he was presented with his Christmas gifts. And how Sid enjoyed the traditional American Christmas dinner that had been prepared.

"Did you know that today is my birthday?" he asked as he passed his plate for seconds. "I was born on Christmas day many years ago, but it's been a long time since I had a real birthday celebration like this."

When I heard his words, I began silently to pray. "Dear God, please let there be some birthday candles in the drawer in the kitchen."

Five minutes later I was carrying a cake ablaze with candles into the dining room. We lifted our voices and sang the familiar chorus, "Happy birthday, dear Sid, happy birthday to you."

We learned the true meaning of Christmas on that hot summer day in Australia when we opened our home and our hearts to a stranger. Did we entertain an angel unaware? Or perhaps our visitor was someone even more special who had come to spend HIS birthday with us. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me" (Matthew 26:40).

Several years ago we spent seven weeks in India and I was often frustrated by my inability to communicate with others while we were there. One afternoon we were informed by a pastor that he would like us to visit a young couple in the church whose only child, a boy of fourteen months, had died the previous day. One day the youngster had been healthy and happy and then overnight he had developed dysentery. Four days later, he was gone. They had buried their child that morning.

I wondered how I could possibly comfort this grieving family, especially when I learned that no interpreter would be going to the house with us. No one there could speak a word of English and we certainly couldn't communicate with them in Telugu. The language barrier loomed up before me like a formidable wall. How do you scale the heights of heartbreak when there are no words to provide a foothold?

The child's parents lived in a tiny hut with a thatched roof and a dirt floor, but as I stood in the doorway of that simple dwelling, I sensed the presence of God filling the place. The Lord certainly understood the pain of losing a son for He had also watched as His only begotten Son died on Calvary. And now He longed to comfort this young couple through us and to assure them of His eternal love.

As the child's mother began to walk across the room toward me, her anguish and pain was evident. Never have I felt so totally inadequate. What did I have to give this grieving woman? I couldn't even speak one word to convey my sympathy. And then the Lord spoke into my heart, "You can speak to her in the language of love, a language that requires no words."

As the young woman moved toward me, I opened my arms wide and received her into them. I embraced her as a mother would embrace a wounded child and desperately she clung to me. No words were necessary. We were communicating at a level that words could never hope to achieve. As her tears flowed, mine intermingled with them.

What a blessing to speak the language of love. My tears told her that I cared deeply. My arms imparted to her comfort and peace. My lips against her cheek showed love and compassion. I sensed her tense body relaxing as I held her close. She was not wrapped in the arms of a stranger, but rather enfolded in the arms of God. The Lord had used my arms to envelop her in His.

The language of love is the language of the spirit. It can be spoken through a smile, an embrace or a tear. It is uttered through a friendly arm draped around a shoulder or through a hand reaching out to grasp the wrinkled hand of an elderly widow. A wave across a crowded room can convey to a rejected person that she is accepted, not only by you but also in the Beloved. And the wonderful thing is that the language of love can be spoken anywhere in the world and the Holy Spirit Himself will be your interpreter.

Reach out today to someone who is hurting. Don't be concerned about what words to say. Just speak the language of love.

Viola had a tender heart. She had given her heart to the Lord at the age of seventy-five and immediately felt the call to be a servant. She reached out a helping hand to the sick, the aged, the lonely, the unloved and began to share the love of Jesus with them.

Joe was an elderly man whose family had discarded him years before. Viola seemed to be his only friend. She drove him to the doctor's office, prepared him hot soup, tidied up his small apartment and continually told Joe about her best friend named Jesus.

Joe had a very bad heart and finally it was determined that heart surgery was the only answer. The evening before Joe was to enter the hospital, Viola stopped by his apartment to see if there was anything he needed or if there was anything that she could do to help him. "There is one thing that I need," Joe responded reluctantly, "but I hesitate to ask you to help me with it."

"Don't be silly," Viola replied with a smile. "That's what I'm here for. What is it that I can do for you?"

Joe looked down at his lap before he answered. "Well, actually I need someone to cut my toenails. My arthritis has been so bad that I haven't been able to bend over to cut them for months and I'm ashamed to go into the hospital with my feet looking like this."

Viola tried to keep the repulsion from showing on her face. "No problem, Joe," she answered. "Give me the clippers." Kneeling down on the floor before him, she removed his slippers and socks, fighting nausea as the odor of sweaty feet filled her nostrils. Silently she prayed. "Lord, I don't want to cut this old man's toenails."

And from within she heard a still small voice reply, "Have you forgotten that I washed the disciples' feet?"

Humbled before the Lord, her tears fell upon Joe's feet as she ministered to him. Suddenly she felt Joe's hand upon her shoulder and raised her eyes to look up at his face. Joe's eyes were also filled with tears. "Viola," he asked with a shaky voice, "I want to know your friend Jesus too. What must I do to be saved?"

Viola brought Joe over to our house that night and we had the privilege of introducing him to the Savior. Joe opened his heart, received forgiveness of his sins and was born again.

A week later we stopped by the hospital to see how Joe was doing following his heart surgery. At the information desk we were told that there was no one by that name listed in their patient files. "But he has to be there," we explained. "He had surgery this morning and should be in the Coronary Care Unit. Could you look again?"

The receptionist checked the computer a second time and then asked us if we were relatives. Upon learning that we were pastors, she informed us that Joe had died on the operating table that morning during surgery.

But we knew that Joe was not dead. He was very much alive. He had simply changed his address and gone home to meet His Savior face to face. We also knew that Joe had already seen Jesus through the life of a humble woman with a toenail clipper in her hand, a woman named Viola.

Your Bible is very much like a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle. When you pick up the Bible, it is like you are holding the puzzle box containing the many pieces that must be put together to form the total picture. Between the covers of this most remarkable book you will discover a picture of Almighty God, but you must painstakingly assemble the pieces that are supplied, line upon line, precept upon precept until the entire puzzle is complete.

As in any puzzle, the most important place to start is with the border and you will quickly learn that the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John comprise the border of the Bible. Every doctrine and teaching in the scriptures is based upon the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as recorded in the gospels. Without the gospels the rest of the Bible wouldn't hold together because the framework for the entire Old and New Testaments depends upon the solid message of the four gospels. Without the gospels you can only see scattered pieces containing historical facts, narratives, parables and allegories. But within the confines of the gospels everything falls into place and is held firmly by the tremendous revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Once the border is in place, it is time to start working on filling in the center of the puzzle. The Book of Acts and the epistles connect easily with the gospels and will make the picture much clearer. The many great doctrines brought forth by Paul, Peter, James, John and Jude through their letters reveal more and more of the mind of God. The picture of who God is and His plan for mankind becomes more obvious as each piece is sought, found and put into place. At times the magnitude of this undertaking can be almost overwhelming. Who can hope to comprehend the mysteries of the kingdom of God? But the Holy Spirit continues to encourage with these words, "Seek and you shall find." Every piece that is firmly positioned into place shows more of God's likeness.

The Acts of the Apostles and the various epistles are really like the pieces that form the background of a jigsaw puzzle. In the Bible you begin to see the church come into view as people are tightly joined together side by side. These vital pieces combine to bring forth the revelation that the Holy Spirit is making us one in Christ Jesus and gathering us together in His name.

The Book of Revelation might be compared to pieces that when connected show mountain ranges far off in the distance, with the colors difficult to discern but nevertheless bridging heaven and earth. The puzzle becomes more difficult to put together now and involves more trial and error. The piece you thought was the correct one yesterday, viewed in today's light obviously does not fit. It can be tempting to give up at this point. The "easy" part of the puzzle is completed and the going becomes very slow. One can become discouraged and stop working before the entire puzzle is assembled. So many pieces still remain outside the frame.

And what about the Old Testament? How does that fit into the picture puzzle? It can possibly be compared to the hundreds of pieces of sky that must be put into place before the puzzle is finished. You don't need these pieces to see Jesus, but without them the puzzle remains incomplete.

It will take a lifetime to put together the entire puzzle joining piece to piece, but don't get discouraged. The Lord has sent a Helper to assist you in finding the right piece at the right time for the right place. The Holy Spirit will be there at your side pointing out the pieces and showing you how it all comes together.

Did you even wonder why Jesus was a carpenter? He could have been a fisherman, a farmer, a shepherd or even a merchant. But His father ordained that He should become a carpenter and apprenticed Him at Joseph's knee. Year after year Jesus practiced His trade, taking dead wood and making it into something beautiful and useful to society. As He patiently awaited His call from God, He could be found in the carpentry shop with hammer in hand and blueprint at His side fashioning something from nothing.

And then the call came and Jesus moved into His ministry declaring Himself to be the very Son of God. "Isn't this the carpenter?" the people asked and they were offended by Him.

Yet as Jesus went about healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind and binding up the brokenhearted, He didn't leave behind His profession. Jesus continued on as the Carpenter. He went forth boldly declaring, "I will build My church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt.16:18). The Master Carpenter had come to build a church on earth according to heaven's blueprint. He had come to take some "dead wood people" and transform them into something beautiful and useful. The Carpenter of Galilee had come to build His people into a holy habitation where the glory of God could be seen. He was going to build His church out of very ordinary people who submitted themselves to His hammer, saw and chisel.

But there was a day when the hammer was taken from the Carpenter's hand. The Builder's creation suddenly decided to destroy the Builder. The One who had spent His life driving nails into wood now found the nails being driven into Him. The One who was accustomed to the sound of a hammer heard it once again on a hill called Calvary. And this time instead of the Carpenter holding the wood, the wooden cross held Him.

As Jesus gave His life on the cross, the foundation was laid for a spiritual building. By faith the Master Carpenter saw with His trained eye the holy habitation completed. He had done the finishing work that was required. With a loud voice He cried out, "It is finished!"

Those who were watching that day on Calvary thought that it was the nails that were holding Jesus onto the cross, but it was actually love that held Him there. As He gave His life, He formed a new creation on earth that was not built by human hands. It was truly a holy habitation whose Builder and Maker was God.

But the grave couldn't hold Jesus and the Carpenter rose from the dead. Jesus is alive! The Carpenter lives! And Jesus continues on in His profession today as He skillfully builds, repairs and restores, making His followers into something beautiful and useful. He is still patiently working in the lives of His people bringing about the miracle of change. We are truly His workmanship. Let the Carpenter finish the good work that He has begun in you.

A man and his faithful dog were taking a walk through the woods. It was a beautiful day and the dog trotted eagerly along at the side of his master. Suddenly the man stopped and picked up a large stick from off the ground. The dog wagged his tail enthusiastically. He knew what was going to happen next. He was so excited.

"Fetch!" the man commanded as he threw the stick across the field. Instantly the dog was off and running. How he loved to chase after the stick. He picked it up and carried it proudly in his mouth as he came racing back to the side of his master.

"Good dog!" exclaimed the man. And picking up the stick, he once more cast it forth for the dog to retrieve. "Fetch!" Again the dog went bounding across the field after the stick. It was the dog's favorite game. It was so exciting when his master would throw the stick for him to fetch.

As the dog dropped the stick at the man's feet, he wondered how far his master would throw it the next time. Oh, there it went! The stick was in the air! The dog waited expectanly, his muscles straining as he anticipated the order to fetch. Then the man spoke forth with great authority and the dog heard the command, "Stay!"

The dog looked longingly across the field to where the stick was lying, but he remained steadfast at his master's feet. It was so much harder for him to stay than to fetch, but the dog was being taught obedience. After a few moments, the man reached down and patted the dog's head. "Good boy. Now come on, it's time to head back home." And without even a backward glance at the far off stick, the dog faithfully followed his master along the path toward the house.

It is my prayer that someday we might all develop that dog-like attitude of obedience. So often our attitude seems to be, "Lord, we want to walk with You as long as You allow us to chase after the stick. Just don't ask us to sit and stay!"

Let us fetch the stick, Lord! We don't want to just sit at Your feet. Fetching the stick always looks like the most exciting thing to do. Let us chase after signs and wonders. Let us visit foreign lands and preach the gospel. Who wants to sit at Your feet when there's a stick waiting out there to fetch?

How long is our obedience training going to take? Will we ever learn that a period of waiting is often God's perfect will? What does it take to convince us that it can be just as important to stay as it is to fetch?

So many times we react to the command to stay by putting up our hackles and growling at the Master. We murmur and complain about our situations and occasionally even leave the Lord's side to chase after the stick. But there is never any joy in fetching the stick in disobedience.

Lord, make us willing to sit at Your feet. We want be like Mary of old who sat at Your feet and chose the good part. Teach us to be content and to learn to stay and to wait. The true joy comes when you are able to sit quietly at the Lord's feet and hear Him say, "Well done." That's the great reward of staying

Her shopping completed, a young mother stood in front of the grocery store with her four small children and overflowing cart. It had been a long morning and the youngsters were tired and fussy. She sighed as she contemplated the challenge of getting the children and groceries into the car.

Just then she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to find one of the older women from the church smiling at her. "You look like you have your hands full," her friend said. "I'm sure it isn't easy to raise four children in this day and age."

As the two women continued to talk together, the children stayed close to their mother's side. The smallest boy clutched the hem of her garment tightly in his hand like a security blanket. He wasn't about to let her out of his sight.

It was obvious that the mother was very much aware of her little brood at her feet. Every few moments she would stretch out her hand to stroke a child's hair or to hoist up a pair of drooping jeans. She opened her purse and took out a tissue to wipe a runny nose and a few minutes later she bent down to tie a shoelace. There was no doubt about it, she was love in action.

The older woman watched all of this mothering with great interest and finally asked a very pointed question: "How do you manage to divide your love among so many children?"

The young mother was instant in season with the answer. "I don't divide it. I multiply it. Then there's always plenty of love to go around."

What a tremendous number of children there are in the family of God. Our Heavenly Father has a multitude of sons and daughters composed of every kindred and tribe scattered all across the face of the earth. "How do you divide Your love among so many children, Lord?" we might be tempted to ask. And God replies, "I don't divide it. I multiply it!"

Isn't it wonderful that God has more than enough love to go around. There is always more than enough love for everyone. He gives and gives and still has more love to give.

And the Lord is always very much aware of those little ones who stand close to Him, holding tightly to His garment of righteous. His hand is always outstretched to comfort one of His children or to apply discipline when necessary. When the shoelaces of our lives get all tangled up, He is there to help us straighten things out.

Multiplied love! Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fish the day he fed the multitude and there was plenty of food for everyone. There was even enough food left over that the disciples were able to fill twelve baskets with the fragments. It's interesting to note that there were twelve baskets and also twelve disciples. Not a one of the disciples went away empty-handed or empty-hearted. The love of Jesus never runs out. It just keeps on multiplying.

As disciples we are also called upon to share a lot of love with others. We reach out to the hurting and wounded, loving them with the love of the Lord. The miracle is that we give and give and yet there is always more of God's love on reserve within us. The multiplying God never ceases to multiply His love in us and through us.

Our amazing God always has more than enough!

A number of years ago a friend of mine went on a short vacation to California. When she returned, she presented me with a brightly wrapped package. Brushing aside my protests, she stated, "The minute that I saw this in the shop, I knew it was for you and I couldn't resist buying it. Go ahead and open it up."

With great excitement I peeled back the wrapping paper and found a small framed wall mirror for my office. But it certainly wasn't an ordinary mirror. I had never seen anything like it before because right in the center of the mirror was a wooden cross.

I loved the mirror from the first moment that I held it in my hands and with great delight I hung it on the wall near the door. However, my delight with the gift ended the first time I approached it with lipstick in hand for a quick touch-up before leaving the office. As I looked into the mirror, I couldn't see me. All I could see was the cross. I was actually hidden behind the cross.

I shifted this way and that way trying to position myself so that I could see past the cross, but it remained firmly planted in the center of my vision. My face was completely blocked out.

Finally I discovered that by standing on my tiptoes, I could see my eyes. And if I stooped down a little and moved to the left, I could actually see well enough to apply my lipstick. But the cross dominated my view of myself.

As I pondered my new mirror, I sensed the Lord speaking deep down in my heart. "This mirror will serve as a constant reminder that the cross must always be in the center of your life and the way you see yourself. This is how I always view you—hidden behind the cross of Christ.

Many years have passed since I received the mirror, but a day rarely passes that I don't glance into it once or twice. I may be running a comb through my hair before going to a meeting or putting some powder on my nose, but when I see the cross, my thoughts immediately turn to Jesus and His wonderful love.

Through the miracle of God's grace, my life is hid with Christ in God. When God looks down from heaven, He sees me through the cross and I am reflected to Him as holy and righteous.

How are you viewed by your family, friends, neighbors and coworkers? What do they see reflected through your life? Do they see you or do they see the cross of Christ?

We should be serving as mirrors in the world, mirrors used to reflect the glory of God. Jesus is described in the scriptures as being "the express image of the person of God" (Hebrews 1:3). What kind of image do you project?

One day the disciples came to Jesus with a request. "Lord, show us the Father and we will be satisfied."

And the Mirror of God replied, "Have I been with you all this time and you haven't realized? If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father. I am the reflection of His very Being" (John 14:6).

The world will not see Jesus unless they see Him reflected through His people. Let us hide behind the cross so that only Jesus can be seen. God grant that we might be able to respond the same way that Jesus did and say with assurance, "He who has seen me has seen Jesus."

Perhaps that statement may seem rather bold, but if people don't see Jesus in us, where are they going to see Him? We call our selves Christians. Do you know what Christian means? Christian means "Christ-like". When we say we are Christians, we are stating, "I am like Christ." It's a bold power-packed statement, but others really should be able to see Jesus in us reflecting His life, His love and His service.

Are you reflecting His glory? Are you being conformed into His image? Are you being changed from glory to glory? You should be the mirror that people look into to see Christ revealed. Just keep the cross before you at all times and follow in His footsteps.

Your Bible is very much like a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle. When you pick up the Bible, it is like you are holding the puzzle box containing the many pieces that must be put together to form the total picture. Between the covers of this most remarkable book you will discover a picture of Almighty God, but you must painstakingly assemble the pieces that are supplied, line upon line, precept upon precept until the entire puzzle is complete.

As in any puzzle, the most important place to start is with the border and you will quickly learn that the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John comprise the border of the Bible. Every doctrine and teaching in the scriptures is based upon the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as recorded in the gospels. Without the gospels the rest of the Bible wouldn't hold together because the framework for the entire Old and New Testaments depends upon the solid message of the four gospels. Without the gospels you can only see scattered pieces containing historical facts, narratives, parables and allegories. But within the confines of the gospels everything falls into place and is held firmly by the tremendous revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Once the border is in place, it is time to start working on filling in the center of the puzzle. The Book of Acts and the epistles connect easily with the gospels and will make the picture much clearer. The many great doctrines brought forth by Paul, Peter, James, John and Jude through their letters reveal more and more of the mind of God.

The picture of who God is and His plan for mankind becomes more obvious as each piece is sought, found and put into place. At times the magnitude of this undertaking can be almost overwhelming. Who can hope to comprehend the mysteries of the kingdom of God? But the Holy Spirit continues to encourage with these words, "Seek and you shall find." Every piece that is firmly positioned into place shows more of God's likeness.

The Acts of the Apostles and the various epistles are really like the pieces that form the background of a jigsaw puzzle. In the Bible you begin to see the church come into view as people are tightly joined together side by side. These vital pieces combine to bring forth the revelation that the Holy Spirit is making us one in Christ Jesus and gathering us together in His name.

The Book of Revelation might be compared to pieces that when connected show mountain ranges far off in the distance, with the colors difficult to discern but nevertheless bridging heaven and earth. The puzzle becomes more difficult to put together now and involves more trial and error. The piece you thought was the correct one yesterday, viewed in today's light obviously does not fit. It can be tempting to give up at this point. The "easy" part of the puzzle is completed and the going becomes very slow. One can become discouraged and stop working before the entire puzzle is assembled. So many pieces still remain outside the frame.

And what about the Old Testament? How does that fit into the picture puzzle? It can possibly be compared to the hundreds of pieces of sky that must be put into place before the puzzle is finished. You don't need these pieces to see Jesus, but without them the puzzle still remains incomplete.

It will take a lifetime to put together the entire puzzle joining piece to piece, but don't get discouraged. The Lord has sent a Helper to assist you in finding the right piece at the right time for the right place. The Holy Spirit will be there at your side pointing out the pieces and showing you how it all comes together. Who knows? Perhaps it will be in heaven when your last piece is finally placed and the puzzle completed.

Following In His Footsteps: Walking Day by Day with Jesus