Stars

I gave my problems to Jesus today,
And in his fanciful merciful way
He took my hands, curved them just so
Helping hold those problems I would not let go.

He and me, we blew breath on that living dish,
And like a dandelion wish,
Those problems swirled to ash
Bringing my heart peace in a dash.

To my amazement the ashes they flew,
To what end I hadn’t a clue.
Up to the heavens new stars they made
Light from the darkness the Master bade.

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The Word

…and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph 6:17, New Living Bible)

 God’s Word is an indispensable weapon (The Message)

Last week I took the opportunity to be mad at someone.  I mean really mad.  He was a business partner;  my husband had been working on a deal for several months, and was in the last throes of completing it.  Then this guy changed his mind.  In my eyes, he did a one-eighty from what he promised us he would do.  I felt the anger rise in my heart and in my mind, consuming me.  In the heat of my moment, I became an idiot, and I called the business partner and left a message saying some terrible things in a quite angry tone and hung up still mad.

The thing of it was, I knew I should not have made that call before I picked up the phone.  Nonetheless, I picked up the phone.

Then something worse happened.  As I sat at my desk thinking how terrible and Un-Christian-like I was, he called back.  Did I calm down and listen to his side of the story?  Of course not. Continuing on as an idiot,  I raged and rambled some more, and I hung up on him.

Here’s the crazy thing:  two Bible verses came to me.  The first one convicted me: “Your anger can never make anything right in God’s sight” (James 2: 20).   The second one (in my mind) convicted him: “…for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  They can’t make up their minds.  They waver back and forth in everything they do” (James 1: 6-8).  I understand I cannot change anything about the business partner’s decision, but that one sure made me feel good.

Astoundingly, I was able to link the Word with my life.  These particular verses came to mind because I have been memorizing the Book of James.  I took a Beth Moore course about James in which she challenged us to memorize the whole book (it’s five chapters).  It has amazed me how often those verses will pop into my head at the appropriate time.

This was a living example of spiritual warfare.  The Message says that God’s Word is an indispensable weapon (Eph 6: 13-18).

Anger is one of the Devil’s tools, and I forged a wall with it.  I had a friend who told me one of his mother’s sayings was: “Those who the gods wish to destroy, they first make angry.”  Oh dear.  The next day,  I applied what I memorized, and I called and e-mailed the business partner and apologized.

We are a work in progress with our sinful nature. If we commit to fighting spiritual warfare, one of the best uses of our time  is memorization of the Word.

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