Rubbed the Wrong Way

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  2 Timothy 2:3

Ever have someone rub you the wrong way?  You can tell when you are being rubbed the wrong way, because your patience with that person wanes thin.  You become easily angered and annoyed with that person.  Perhaps it's the way they speak, how they say it, their idiosyncrasies?  The very thought of them makes you want to roll your eyes and high-tail and run when you see them walk your way.  

In the context of 2 Timothy 2:3, we are told to 'suffer hardship with someone' for the sake of Christ.

I will tell you a secret; when we do that, we become diamonds.

(Diamonds are made of carbon.  They form as carbon atoms under high temperatures and pressure, and when that happens, they bond together to start growing crystals.)

Webster defines 'hardness' as: The cohesion of the particles on the surface of a mineral as determined by its capacity to scratch another or BE ITSELF SCRATCHED.  (Capitals mine)

I found that musing.  Resistance to scratching!

Did you know that the longer you rub something, it begins to make an indentation?  It can be smooth or rough depending on how long it is being rubbed.

Again, the dictionary used the example of the 'hardness' of a diamond.  Beautiful, but when necessary, it can cut glass.

A wood's hardness makes it suitable for carving.

When the world whittles away at me, what is my reaction?  The opposite of hardness is flexibility, gentleness, laxness and mildness. 

When God works on me through the situations in my life, He is whittling away my self-image so that I can become more like Him.  Am I resisting, or am I enduring?

'Good Soldier' means to have a favorable character or tendency.  Bountiful, fertile, suitable, sound, profitable, agreeable, pleasant, considerable, kind, loyal and well-behaved.  A skilled warrior in all things.

'Of Jesus Christ.'  When I'm being rubbed the wrong way, is my behavior pleasing my Saviour?

On the flip side, maybe the irritations that cause us to bristle in others is because we tend to have those same traits in our own life.  Let's be honest-we rub others the wrong way too.

When we are being rubbed the wrong way...

    Endure a little longer...

        A design is emerging...

            But that's just me!

"They tell me that I rub the fur the wrong way, I don't; I let the cat turn around."

    Billy Sunday

Cast

Cast they burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.  Psalm 55:22

When I think of the word 'cast' I picture a fisherman taking his rod, placing it over his shoulder and with all the strength that he can muster, or by the simple flick of his wrist, he jerks his rod forward and straight out in front of him.  The line with the bait soars through the air for a far distance, (or at least that is the goal) and then he hears a 'plunk' when the bait hits the water and slowly sinks.

That's what we are supposed to do with our burdens.

But sometimes our line gets tangled.  I remember fishing with my dad as a little girl.  (I love fishing!)  And sometimes I would place my fishing rod over my shoulder and swing, but my line would get tangled in the tree above my head!  Or perhaps get tangled in a log not too far from the shore.  I would watch my dad try to untangle my line.  Sometimes he could; sometimes he could not.  It was at those times when I would watch my dad cut the line and attach a new hook.  He would tell me that I was releasing the line too early. And so, I would try again.  Pretty soon I could cast my line right where I wanted it to be.

When we totally surrender our burdens to the Lord, He promises to sustain us, (give support, relief, supply with sustenance, nourish, keep up, carry and bear up.)

And He will keep our feet from being moved, meaning, we have a secure footing.

I LOVE THAT.

But the key is casting our burdens upon Him.

We have to cast and release.

Sometimes our lines get tangled by the distractions of the world.  Sometimes we let go of our lines before getting them to our Heavenly Father.  Maybe, we release our lines on our friends before we take them to Heavenly Father?

Yes, we are called to bear one another's burdens, but we need to go to the Lord first.

Sometimes, I cast and then in mid-air I yank my line back.  By doing that I continue to carry my own burden.  What causes me to do that?  Doubt?  Pride?

God doesn't want me to cast my burden only to yank it back.  He wants to carry my burdens for me.

Have you ever seen a Fly-Fisherman?  They wear their Wader-Pants and stand in the middle of the current.  They cast their lines with a flick of their wrist, no tangles, no lost hooks.  They have done it many times.  They are used to casting.  Their feet are secure even in the midst of the rapids.  It's a peaceful sight!

I think the more we cast our burdens on our Lord and trust Him to carry them just like He promised, it will become easier to do.  Our feet will be unmovable, and we will be at peace.

Cast...

    let go...

        let God...

            But that's just me!

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.  1 Peter 5:7

Burning Hearts

And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? Luke 24:32

I was thinking about the Bible this morning and it being God's Holy Word.

I was reminded that it was the Holy Ghost who gave these words to holy men of God to write down for us. (1 Peter 1:21)

The Holy Ghost.  The Third Person in the Godhead:

    Our Comforter- John 14:16,26

    Our Intercessor- Romans 8:26,27

    Our Earnest Promise-Ephesians 1:14, 2 Corinthians 1:22

    Our indwelling presence of God- John 14:17

That should do something to us!

The world thinks the bible is a book of Fairy Tales.  A book to be disregarded and burned.

But to the Believer it is our Love Letter from God Himself.  God reveals Himself to us through His Word, reconciles us to Him through the blood of Jesus Christ, reproves us when we are wrong, and restores us when we repent.

God's Word refreshes our souls in a sin-sick world.

So, I had to ask myself:

    Does my heart still burn when I read my bible...?

        Is there still a flame, a spark...?

            Or has routine caused God's Word to just smoke...?

God, Help my heart to burn!

    But that's just me!

Over-Packed

As I teen, being invited to sleep-overs required three items:

-pajamas-

-a pillow-

-a sleeping bag.

My how things change when we become older.  

I've been invited to my friends Lake House for a sleep-over and as I make my list of things to bring, it's turning out to be quite a long list!  After all, I will be gone for a whole night, who knows what I might need while I'm away?

Whether it's an overnight getaway, or a two-week vacation, I always seem to over-pack, but while I was preparing for this over-nighter,  I was reminded of 1 Timothy 6:7. 

It says, 'For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.'

I find comfort in that fact.  

You see, when God calls my name...

    I won't be leaving home...

        I will be going home...

            But that's just me!

This world is not my home, I'm just-a-passing through,

My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue,

The angels beckon me, from Heaven's open door,

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore!

    Jim Reeves

Trusting in...

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright."  

Psalm 20:7-8

Sometimes it's easier to trust in anything and anyone else except the Lord.  It's because we can 'see' the help we are seeking.  However, we cannot trust what we see.

In David's time, the strength of chariots and horses were relied on in battle.  The men going to war found strength in such 'solid and strong' things.  But David reminds us that nothing is as strong as the Name of the Lord.

To update this to our present time, we can trust in our cars, trains, planes, technology, doctors and the list could go on and on, but we are reminded in Scripture that 'vain is the help of man.' (Psalm 60:11b)

Enemies can only be brought down in the Name of the Lord.

Enemies aren't only people.

They can be strongholds that keep us bound.  

Enemies can be our thoughts, situations and circumstances.

But when we call on the Name of the Lord and rely on HIS strength, and HIS power, all our enemies will be brought down, and we will be able to stand in any adversity.  And not only stand but remain upright.  Our posture is marked by strong moral rectitude when we trust in the Lord.  We have a confidence that only comes through trusting in the Name of the Lord.

Trust doesn't always come easy, but I have learned that the more I trust, the more the Lord reveals to me that He is in control and that He CAN be trusted.

Our Pastor often reminds us that "if we can trust the Lord to save us from our sins, then we can most certainly trust Him for everything else!"  (Pastor Josh Fryman)  

When I first got saved, I trusted God in the 'small things.'  Then as my faith grew in Him, I began trusting Him in the 'big things.'

He has never let me down...

    But the key is to trust...

        In the Name of the Lord...

            But that's just me!