Reaching Out In Unity- He Said

"I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one - I in them and you in me ­ so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." - John 17:22-23 (NIV)

Listen to Reaching Out In Unity

A former neighbor called this week. Turns out my friends Kim and Beth aren't speaking to each other… again. For the past several years they've argued over Kim's loud music, Beth's complaints to the town board, Kim's kids playing in Beth's front yard, the government's role in health care, abortion rights, immigration and on and on. Whatever the issue, I always know where Kim and Beth stand-on opposite sides of the fence.

This time their disagreement was over money. Beth claimed Kim owed her $230. Kim was sure she'd paid the bill. She had. She'd paid me $230 for work I'd done months ago on a project initiated by Beth.

I hung up thinking; I ought to just pay Beth the $230 out of my own pocket. Maybe then they'd stop fighting. But would they? Even if I settled the accounts for them, would it matter?

Christ claimed our unity, love and forgiveness would be a sign to others that we were His-that the sacrifice of His Son for us mattered to us. But does it?

A few hours later I met with another friend, Suzie. She's a missionary in Romania. Suzie told me of all the miracles she's seen, the healing of broken bones, deaf ears opened, the sudden disappearance of cancerous tumors. Then she said, "But you know, even in my city, despite God's outpouring of love, we're divided. There are other churches that won't speak to us because of doctrinal differences. Imagine how confusing it is to those outside the Church when those of us inside the Church are arguing like this."

"No need to imagine," I told her. "I see it every Sunday."

I sent Beth a check for the full amount, asking that she respect our friendship enough to allow me to pay the debt of my other friend and her neighbor. Now it's up to them to resolve their differences. I pray that they will. I pray I haven't wasted my money.

I pray God hasn't wasted the life of His Son, either.

I’m sorry, Opa! - Kevin Spencer

"And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient." II Timothy 2:24

“I’m sorry, Opa.” My 5 year-old grandson looked up at me wide eyed. In each little hand he held a piece of my wife’s prized German antique. It was a little ceramic Oktoberfest teddy bear, wearing lederhosen and clutching a small mug of beer. At least it used to clutch the mug of beer. Now the arm that held the mug was in one of Caleb’s hands, and most of the rest of the bear was in the other.

The little bear was an artifact that had come from Bavaria with Charlotte, given to her by her grandmother (in German, her “Oma”), and because Charlotte also collects bears, the little Oktoberfest bear had always had a prominent place on her étagère.

Perhaps too prominent, because it also attracted the attention of Caleb who, despite being warned repeatedly that it was not a toy (“If it’s not mine, don’t touch it. If it’s not mine, don’t touch it.”), had given in to temptation and picked it up—and promptly dropped it. Hitting the floor, it had broken into at least three pieces.

This is where I wish I could write that I reacted with forgiveness and compassion and used the incident to teach Caleb a valuable life lesson. That isn’t what happened. I reacted with anger. Anger at being disobeyed and anger at the loss I knew Charlotte would feel. With a face flushed with a growing rage, I yelled and gestured and stomped and, yes, Caleb got a spanking. Three hard slaps on his little backside. Tears rolled down his eyes and between little gasps he repeated “I’m sorry, Opa.”

I left the sobbing little boy sitting on his bed to think about what he had done and stomped out of his room. In the hallway outside his room was a full-length mirror. I glanced up as I went by and saw myself, my face filled with anger and rage and on the jagged edge of self-control. I recoiled in shock. I knew that face. Knew it well. I had seen it more than once when I was Caleb’s age. From Caleb’s room came one more half-whispered, “I’m sorry, Opa.”

My heart broke. I knew what it was like to be punished in anger, had been terrified of it, and here I had done the same thing to that dear little boy. Stumbling to my bed, I fell to my knees and bowed my head. “I’m sorry, Father,” I prayed. “I’m sorry.”

Our Father is slow to anger. He doesn’t raise his voice, or stomp, or shout, or even take us over his knee. His is a gentle teaching, His Word a guidepost in the way we should go. I pray that I can learn to follow His example, that I can learn to be slow to anger…because I don’t ever want to see that face in the mirror again.

“I’m sorry, Opa.”

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Kevin Spencer lives in Tennessee with his beautiful wife, Charlotte, and grandson Caleb. A former prodigal son, Kevin is now trying to use the gifts God gave him, and by the grace of God has a life far better than he ever deserved. Read Kevin's devotions.

Landing in "Grace"-land - She Said

“...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Romans 3:23


Listen to Landing in "Grace"-land

One, two, three, four, five, six…I count the steps in my head every time I start down them. I started counting steps when the kids were little, after our son took a tumble.

Cameron was six when he fell. He stood at the top of the stairs in his Under-roos and matching Scooby-Doo socks, smiling and laughing. Tim stood behind him and I was at the bottom. I sat my load of laundry on floor and turned just in time to see Cameron’s feet slip. Horror stricken, Tim grabbed at him trying to grasp any part of his tumbling body. I did too, but missed. Cameron flipped twice, somersaulted down the stairs until he hit the wall, smacking his head against the railing.

Unconscious, we scooped him up and rushed him to the ER. The doctor examined him and sent him for x-rays. “You say he fell down the stairs?”

“Missed a step and his feet just flew out from under him. I tried to grab him but was too late.”
“Well, we’ll keep your boy overnight until the swelling goes down, but I think he’ll be fine.”
I miss steps, too, and when I do I feel as though I’ve disappointed God. It seems the harder I try to be what God wants me to be, the more I trip and stumble—the more I feel I’ve let God down. My friend scolded me yesterday, told me there was no way I could let God down.

“You can’t disappoint Him. He loves you too much. It’s like saying your disabled son disappoints you—it just can’t happen.”

I thought about that. A lot. And then I realized he was probably right. We can’t really disappoint God. He loves us too much. He knows we can’t always match up to His perfection. He understands I fall short of His glory. Our weakness and “fallings” are made perfect in Christ. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try to steady my steps. The day I quit making the effort, is the day God cries.

“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Yes, we sin and fall short, but there’s no way we can let God down. Not when Christ is lifted up.

When you stumble and fall, remember the place you land is called “grace,” so take His hand and stand in "Grace"-land.

Eddie Jones and Cindy Sproles are friends and co-founders of ChristianDevotions.us. They co-write the popular He Said, She Said devotions and host BlogtalkRadio's Christian Devotions Speak UP! along with Scott McCausey.

And now you can catch them each Friday evening at 7 p.m. on He Said, She Said Radio! (Call in number, 646-929-0706 ). They travel with Christian Devotions Ministries teaching the art of writing devotions at writers conferences across the country. Eddie and Cindy are featured in Faith & FINANCES: In God We Trust - A Journey to Financial Dependence.

Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9822065-4-6
Price: $9.95