ODE TO A GRAND LADY – PEARLE SMITH

Please join us as the Smith family celebrates the home going of a very grand lady, my mother Pearle Smith.  She was a wonderful mother and wife, having raised three children all the while being the support of her husband, Tom, as he served in the US Navy.  I have many fond memories of her and there are a few that stand out and I would like to share them with you:

For a while we lived on her Uncle Harry’s ranch in Colorado and Mom used to help bring the milk cows in for milking by riding Uncle Harry’s quarter horse called Bob.  Bob was a “cutting” horse and worked well with cattle but along with all those milk cows there was an old bull.  It was a challenge to get the cows into the corral but keep the bull out.  I remember when I was about six years old Mom and I were riding Bob bareback to bring the cows in for evening milking.  She had on a jacket with her nickname “Dusty” embroidered across the back.  I was hanging on with my arms wrapped around her waist, and believe me – I was hanging on tight – because that old bull kept trying to get into the corral.  Bob responded to every move Mom directed by dodging this way and that to block that old bull.  We finally managed to get the cows in and keep the bull out.  When I think back on this memory I realize I never felt scared and I know it was because of the confidence Mom exuded.  I imagine this is why I tend to be a confident and positive person – I take after my mother.

When our family was stationed at Rota (the US Naval/Air Base in Spain), I remember Mom becoming a Cub Scout leader.  She would have regular meetings with a number of servicemen’s young boys on our patio at the on-base housing assigned to us.  When the boys were there she would serve refreshments, help them focus on earning their badges, and generally let them have fun all the while keeping them well “corralled” and safe.  Sometimes I wonder how those boys turned out.  They would be in their mid to late 50’s now, but one thing I am sure of – Mom’s values and encouragements surely made a difference in their lives.

Mom tended to be quiet and reserved which often hid her intelligence.  I was so impressed when she started teaching a monthly Bible Study at her church.  She would pour over scriptures, books and commentaries then write up about a three-page typed study for the ladies of her group to read and discuss.  I loved to visit on the weekends these Bible Studies were held so I could attend too.  It was wonderful fellowship with ladies strong in their faith and it stirred my heart to go harder after God when I observed Mom’s ministry of sharing the Word.

There are many more things I can share, but I guess the story I am most fond of is this:  In the mid 1970’s I was the only Christian in my family.  My Dad was searching for God, although he did not know it.  He was working as a cook at a work camp run by the county (where non-violent inmates stayed and did work by clearing brush and working to put out fires).  Unbeknownst to me he worked with a deputy sheriff who was a believer and attended a large local church.  This deputy was sharing about the Lord with Dad on a regular basis.  When Dad was home in the evening we would have arguments about God.  He would ask questions such as, “You believe there is only one God, right?”

“Yes,” I would reply.

“Well, if an Indian goes out and worships just one tree he is worshipping just one god – why can’t he go to heaven?”

I was only three years old in the Lord so I would research the Bible and talk to Christian friends and then come back the next evening with an answer, but then Dad had another question.  All the while this was going on my Mom would be sitting in the living room reading (or at least that’s what it appeared she was doing, but come-to-find-out she was listening intently to us).  I remember getting so frustrated that I just quit arguing about God with Dad, then one week Mom asked me if I wanted to ride along with her to the Air Force Base in Marysville because she had to pick up some medicine there.  I went along and about halfway there she asked me why I did not get into ‘discussions’ with Dad anymore.  I started to blurt out angrily about how frustrated those arguments were to me.  After I got out all my complaints, Mom – in that quiet way of hers – said I ought to try discussing God with Dad again.  I remember looking right at her and saying, “Why should I?  Nothing’s changed.”

She smiled and replied, “It wouldn’t be an argument because we went forward in Church and accepted the Lord two weeks ago.”

I was so stunned I remember just sitting there with my mouth open!

What a wonderful witness of God my mother was, and now she is in His very real Presence full of joy and peace, praising and worshipping Him face to face.  I will see her again, and what a story she will have to tell!

I love you Mom!

PRIME THE PUMP

“Bring all the tithes (the tenth) into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you [so great] a blessing until there is no more room to receive it.” – Malachi 3:10

I count myself fortunate to have a wealth of memories and experiences.  It seems almost every day I see or hear things that remind me of something I experienced when I was younger.  This happened the other day while listening to my pastor’s sermon on giving.  As he shared the thought struck me that giving was like ‘priming a pump’.  Having lived in the country as a child I remember using a hand-pump to draw water for livestock.  When the hand-pump had not been used for a while we would have to add water to it to get water out of it.  Sounds kind of strange, right?  For the most part (excepting some rural areas in the U.S. and some 3^rd World Nations) in our day and age we have the convenience of hot and cold running water at the turn of a knob but in the late 19^th through the early 20^th centuries the only way to obtain water was by a hand-pump that was connected to piping that went down into a well.  For the pump to work there had to be water in the pump at the operator’s level so that the pump could create suction to draw water from the well.  Otherwise all you got was air.  If the pump did not have a valve that held water within the pump or if it did and the valve was leaking then water had to be added to the pump to create the needed suction, thus the phrase ‘prime the pump’.  A good animated graphic of a hand-pump can be found at:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hand_Pump_-_Animation.gif#/media/File:Hand_Pump_-_Animation.gif

How can we apply ‘prime the pump’ to our giving?  One thing I learned about giving is that God does not NEED our money.  He is well able to accomplish His will without our money for sure, but He knows that we need to give because when we do so it releases a spiritual growth in us.  He loves to see us give because of the good it does for us!

“Let each one give [thoughtfully and with purpose] just as he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver [and delights in the one whose heart is in his gift].”   - 2 Cor. 9:7

Sometimes we ‘prime the pump’ as a result of spiritual growth and awakening that has already taken place as in Zaccheus’s case:  “Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, ‘See, Lord, I am [now] giving half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I will give back four times as much.'" - Luke 19:8

Some people ‘prime the pump’ to get something out of it.  I have heard it taught that this is giving for the wrong reason, but I am of a mind that it is actually giving for the RIGHT reason – the reason being that you believe God’s promises and trust His Word!  “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over [with no space left for more]. For with the standard of measurement you use [when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return.” – Luke 6:38

Then, of course, there is the warning for those who do not ‘prime the pump’:  “For to everyone who has [and values his blessings and gifts from God, and has used them wisely], more will be given, and [he will be richly supplied so that] he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have [because he has ignored or disregarded his blessings and gifts from God], even what he does have will be taken away." - Matt. 25:29

One final thought comes to mind when I think about ‘priming the pump’.  Lest we think that it applies only to financial giving let me encourage you that in any of our giving (time, effort, caring, visiting, encouraging, supplies, etc.) we will experience that fresh supply from the spiritual well of God:  “For it is not [intended] that others be relieved [of their responsibility] and that you be burdened [unfairly], but that there be equality [in sharing the burden]—at this present time your surplus [over necessities] is going to supply their need, so that [at some other time] their surplus may be given to supply your need, that there may be equality; as it is written [in Scripture], “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not lack.”  - 2 Cor. 8:13-15

Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in.  – Gal. 6:9

So, get busy and “PRIME THE PUMP”!

“Then I will rebuke the devourer (insects, plague) for your sake and he will not destroy the fruits of the ground, nor will your vine in the field drop its grapes [before harvest],” says the Lord of hosts.  “All nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight,” says the Lord of hosts.”  - Malachi 3:11-12

(All Bible quotes are from the Amplified Bible unless otherwise noted.)

GIANTS AND GRASSHOPPERS

“They told Moses, We came to the land to which you sent us; surely it flows with milk and honey.  This is its fruit.  But the people who dwell there are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; moreover, there we saw the sons of Anak…Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once and possess it; we are well able to conquer it.  But his fellow scouts said, We are not able to go up against the people of Canaan, for they are stronger than we are…The land through which we went to spy it out is a land that devours its inhabitants.  And all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature.  There we saw the Nephilim (or giants), the sons of Anak, who come from giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers…” –Numbers 13:27-33 AMP

I know most of us have read this chapter and wondered at how the Israelites could have doubted and been afraid.  There is a catch-phrase that applies to the fear in this circumstance, “Circumstances dictate.”  The report the spies brought back was called “bad”.  Why?  Was the report factual?  Yes.  Was it embellished?  No.  The report was truthful in the people’s eyes but that is because they forgot who they were and Who God is.  They started looking at the circumstances and not at God.  Whatever you focus on will order your responses and actions.  “Circumstances dictate.”  Can you imagine what would have happened if they choose to focus on God on that day and all the miracles He wrought on their behalf?  Envision what would have occurred if they reminded and repeated God’s promises to themselves instead of succumbing to doubt and fear.  They would have indeed done like Caleb encouraged them to do, conquer the land and all its peoples.  They would have avoided another 20 years wandering in the wilderness.

Are you facing difficult or impossible-looking circumstances today?  It is so easy to see yourself as a grasshopper when you face giants, yet there is hope!  Do not let “circumstances dictate” your responses and actions.  Get your focus off the circumstances and on the One Who is greater than any circumstance!  Remind yourself of everything He has promised you.  Reflect upon every event where He delivered you.  Remember every occasion where He brought you through a tough time.  Get into His Word and read every promise He made. 

Start looking at yourself as God sees you; You are “I AM’s” child!  You are the child of the King of Kings.  You are the child of the greatest Being there is, ever was, and ever will be.  Who can touch you when you really KNOW who you are.  You are His!  No matter the circumstances, they will come to naught when they do not align up with His will and plans for your life.  Remember Jeremiah 29:11 and KNOW that it is His plan that shall stand for your life.  You are no grasshopper!

LEGALISM

Legalism:  A strict adherence to a literal interpretation of a law, rule, or religious or moral code.  Dictionary.com states it is, “a strict adherence to the law, especially the stressing of the letter of the law rather than its spirit.”  The Miriam-Webster Dictionary even goes on to say that it is, “a strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code.”  The word “legalism” does not appear in the Bible but rather it is a concept often used by religious people to describe a doctrinal position emphasizing a group or system of rules and regulations.  These people are often called “legalists” and they promote (and sometimes demand) a strict and literal adherence to set behaviors which they believe are supposed to help a person gain salvation, and then continue on to gain spiritual growth.

“For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through your faith.  And this salvation is not of yourselves (of your own doing, it came not through your own striving), but it is a gift of God; not because of works (not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands), lest any man should boast.  (It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.)” –Ephesians 2:8-9 AMP

Christian legalists tend to use the Law as an exact science:  complete “this” list or order your life according to “this” way of doing things and you will be saved, or you will grow in your faith.  The Law was never meant to be just a list of rules and regulations to follow to gain and keep salvation.  The real purpose of the Law was to be the catalyst that teaches and leads us to Christ (Galatians 3:24).  Legalistic believers tend to lose the ability to be gracious to one another, judging each other instead of accepting and helping believers whose faith is weak (Romans 14:1).  For a good example consider the believer who smokes, or drinks alcohol, or goes to movies, or dancing.  If he avoids these things will he be guaranteed salvation or spiritual growth?

“For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through your faith.” –Ephesians 2:8a AMP

“For we hold that a man is justified and made upright by faith independent of and distinctly apart from good deeds (works of the Law).  The observance of the Law has nothing to do with justification.” –Romans 3:28 AMP

“If then you have died with Christ to material ways of looking at things and have escaped from the world’s crude and elemental notions and teachings of externalism, why do you live as if you still belong to the world?  Why do you submit to rules and regulations?” –Colossians 2:20 AMP

Gotquestions.org re-states Colossians 2:20-23 in this way, “’Do not handle!  Do not taste!  Do not touch!’ are rules destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.  Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.” Consider it this way; legalism will not bring about God’s purposes because it is an “outward performance” instead of an “inward change”.

So, just what is it that will maintain our salvation and bring spiritual growth?  We must focus on God Himself.  We must be reading in His Word every day.  He is our Creator and knows just what we need to change and grow.

“Set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.  For as far as this world is concerned you have died, and your (new, real) life is hidden with Christ in God…and have clothed yourselves with the new (spiritual self), which is (even in the process of being) renewed and remolded into fuller and more perfect knowledge upon knowledge after the image (the likeness) of Him Who created it….Let the Word (spoken by) Christ (the Messiah) have its home in your hearts and minds and dwell in you in all its richness…” –Colossians 3:2-3, 10, 16 AMP  (I strongly recommend you read the whole chapter of Colossians 3)!

“Now may the God of peace (Who is the Author and the Giver of peace), Who brought again from among the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood that sealed, ratified the everlasting agreement (covenant, testament), strengthen (complete, perfect) and equip you with everything good that you may carry out His will, while He Himself works in you and accomplishes that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ (the Messiah); to Whom be the glory forever and ever to the ages of the ages.” –Hebrews 13:20-21 AMP

Brothers and Sisters in Christ:  quit striving to be perfect and sinless.  You just cannot accomplish that state of being through your own efforts.  Focus on Jesus and allow Him to complete His redeeming work in you; only then will you be complete, perfect, and pleasing in His sight!

"I'M BLESSED...UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES"

Where I go to church when someone asks how you are the common cultural response is, “I’m Blessed”.  It is such an automatic response that it sometimes loses its meaning.  Some people respond that they are blessed but then they go on to share about all the things that are going wrong in their lives.

When a woman came to a preacher I know and asked for prayer he asked her if she believed God could deliver her from her troubles.  Her response was, “Yes but, under the circumstances, it may take a while.”  His response to her was, “What are you doing UNDER the circumstances?”

“He makes my feet like hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly or make progress on the dangerous heights of testing and trouble]; He sets me securely upon my high places.”  -Psalm 18:33 AMP

“The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!” –Habakkuk 3:19 AMP

Being “under the circumstances” is clearly not where the Lord wants us.  We are prone to forget that our God is GREATER and any circumstance.  When we are going through something we tend to look at what we are going through, much like Peter felt the strong wind he took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink into the sea (Matthew 14:28-30).  To walk the walk of faith, whether on water or on land, we need to keep our eyes on the One Who gives and grows that faith in us.  Let me also point you to the many believers listed in Hebrews 11 who have walked in faith and accomplished what the Lord had for them:  Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rehab…at this point the scripture says it best:

”And what shall I say further? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by [the help of] faith subdued kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promised blessings, closed the mouths of lions, extinguished the power of raging fire, escaped the devourings of the sword, out of frailty and weakness won strength and became stalwart, even mighty and resistless in battle, routing alien hosts.” –Hebrews 32-34 AMP

“But Linda,” you say, “they were all mighty men and women of God.  I am not perfect.  How could I ever compare myself to what they did?”  Think about it…were they “perfect”?  Noah got drunk, Abraham had sex with someone other than his wife, Sarah doubted God, Joseph was a bit arrogant and boasted to his brothers, and Moses murdered a man.  David could have felt he was under the circumstances when he faced Goliath but instead he shouted, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, Whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will smite you and cut off your head. And I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel” (1 Samuel 17). I could go on but I think you get the picture.  God loves working with imperfections because His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).  So, when you determine to believe like those mentioned above you will find yourselves walking in faith and no longer living “under the circumstances”.

“The apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith (that trust and confidence that spring from our belief in God).  And the Lord answered, If you had faith (trust and confidence in God) even [so small] like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, Be pulled up by the roots, and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you.” –Luke 17:5-6 AMP

How much faith do you need to walk in faith?  You only need as much as a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20).  That is not very much, but imagine what can be done with it!

“But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].” –Hebrews 11:6

God does not leave us out there hanging on by our fingertips.  He always provides a way for us.  All we have to do is look to Him…for truly “He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him”.

Seek Him out.  In Acts 4:13 we see men who took a stand and their faith was visible to the world for the world “recognized that they had been with Jesus”.  Do you spend regular time with Jesus?  “So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself)” (Romans 10:17 AMP). When you spend time in the Word your faith will grow and the world will recognize your relationship to Him as well.

In conclusion, when you find yourself asked, “How are you?” you can respond with confidence, “I am blessed!” for God has blessed you indeed and placed you far above the circumstances on the heights where His is.

 

“He makes my feet like the hinds’ [firm and able]; He sets me secure and confident upon the heights.” -Samuel 22:34

REJECTED and ACCEPTED

REJECTED

There is a phrase that fit me well when I was about 25 years old, “She wore her feelings on her shirt-sleeves.”  When someone is said to “wear their feelings on their shirt-sleeves” it means that their feelings are so close to the surface that they become easily offended.  When you are offended you “feel” rejected.  Unless you turn to the Lord and seek to forgive the offender it will fester and cause you to draw back from the offender and others that you perceive will offend you.  I was always allowing my emotions to rule my responses.  Because of this I actually rejected others for fear that they would offend and/or reject me.

Do you find it hard to maintain friendships and relationships?  The fear of being rejected by others can be a strong cause of failed relationships.  Physiologists teach that if you have the fear of being rejected, you will reject others before they have the chance to reject you.  Fear does not come from God.  It is Satan’s tool.  He hates God and knowing that God loves you he will do any and every thing to hurt you thus ultimately hurting God. 

ACCEPTED

When you realize how fully deep and complete God’s acceptance of you is, you will see the fear of rejection ebb away as God takes pre-eminence in your life.  Where God is rejection cannot stay.

“Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to give his life even for an upright man, though perhaps for a noble and lovable and generous benefactor someone might even dare to die.  But God shows and clearly proves His own love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ the Messiah, the Anointed One died for us…for if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more certain, now that we are reconciled, that we shall be saved (DAILY delivered from sin’s dominion) through His resurrection life.” –Romans 5:7-8, 10 AMP

He loves me!  What a marvelous realization that is.  How deep is that love?  He left all His power and authority behind when He left heaven – just for me!  He took on the same kind of life that I live right now, lived, died on the cross, and rose to life again to set me free from sin’s dominion.  He did it just for me!  He did it just for you too!!

Sin is like a stain, a blemish, a mark that shows you were once under condemnation. There is a wonderful song being played on Christian radio right now called “Flawless” by the group Mercy Me and it is a good example of just what God’s love and acceptance can do:

There's got to be more
Than going back and forth
From doing right to doing wrong
‘Cause we were taught that's who we are
Come on get in line right behind me
You along with everybody
Thinking there's worth in what you do

Then like a hero who takes the stage when
We're on the edge of our seats saying it's too late
Well let me introduce you to amazing grace

CHORUS

No matter the bumps
No matter the bruises
No matter the scars
Still the truth is
The cross has made
The cross has made you flawless
No matter the hurt
Or how deep the wound is
No matter the pain
Still the truth is
The cross has made
The cross has made you flawless

Could it possibly be
That we simply can't believe
That this unconditional
Kind of love would be enough to
Take a filthy wretch like this
And wrap him up in righteousness
But that's exactly what He did

CHORUS

Take a breath smile and say
Right here right now I'm ok because
The cross was enough

Then like a hero who takes the stage when
We're on the edge of our seats saying it's too late
Well let me introduce you to grace, grace,
God's grace

CHORUS

No matter what they say
Or what you think you are
The day you called His name
He made you flawless

He made you flawless

“He exclaimed O my love, how beautiful you are!  There is no flaw in you!” –Song of Solomon 4:7 AMP

Let me rephrase my main point of acceptance; when you truly realize just how much God loves and accepts you then there is no room for rejection.  How does this play out in real life?  Now that I realize the full and deep love of God for me I find I no longer anticipate that someone will reject me so I do not reject them first like I used to, and when someone does reject me (which is very seldom) Jesus takes the pain of the rejection, reminding me that it is not me that is being rejected, but Him (Luke 10:16).

“Nevertheless I am continually with You; You do hold my right hand.  You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to honor and glory.  Whom have I in heaven but You?  And I have no delight or desire on earth besides You.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the Rock and firm Strength of my heart and my Portion forever.” –Psalm 73:23-26 AMP

“It is because of the Lord’s mercy and lovingkindness that we are not consumed, because His tender compassions fail not.  They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.  The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him.” –Lamentations 3:22-24 AMP