The Odor of Mendacity

 

THE ODOR OF MENDACITY

    The judge in a recent court trial wrote a decision which included the phrase, "the odor of mendacity," referring to the apparent lies told by the defendant in the trial.  The definition of mendacity is "untruthfulness; lying."

    I believe the judge in the case in question was trying to dress up his pronouncement of lies by using big words to cover the stink of the word "liar."  Some lies stink to high Heaven, while others have been doused by the cheap perfume of partial truths and fancy words until we're not quite sure why the statement has an off-smell to it.  It's the lies that are packaged in pretty paper that confuse and even convince people that they are truth.  How many times in life have we fallen for a well-spoken lie, mistaking it for truth?

    In the picture above, I'm playing out a part and here's what it's saying:  I've just become aware that I'm being followed by a big scary monster with sharp teeth and a vicious bite.  This horrible creature with glowing eyes wants to devour me and if I'm not careful, he might succeed.  But, notice, although I'm rightfully wary of this creature - and he does give me the shivers -- I'm not panicking.  I've seen this ugly mug before; he's been chasing after me since my earliest memories.  He's not usually so blatant in his attacks, preferring to approach me in softer disguises  -- sometimes even appearing as an angel of light, if you can believe it!

     So, what was it about this particular day that caught my attention and when I turned quickly I caught him in his true form?  Hmmm....I think it was a particularly nasty smell - oh, I know -- it was the odor of mendacity that wafted toward me.  I remember Jesus speaking about the devil in John 8:44, saying, "He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."

       Knowledge is power and since I know that I've a demon at my heels waiting to pounce and I know the One Who can handle him, I say the "magic" words, "Jesus, help me!" and the creature disappears.  "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world," 1 John 4:4.  Knowing that the Spirit of Almighty God dwells within me and that He's greater and more powerful than all the demons and their wicked master, I can walk through this world without fear because "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind," 2 Timothy 1:7.

     

      "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name...And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one, for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen," Matthew 6:9 & 13.

Note two Bible verses:  "For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.  Therefore it is no great thing if hs ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works," 2 Corinthians 11:14-15.

    "So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world: he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him," Revelation 12:9.

The Joy of Reading

 

THE JOY OF READING

 

I'm calling this "Throw-back Thursday," because this is a post from Thursday, August 30, 2018.  I was re-reading some of my posts and couldn't resist re-posting this sweet ode to Reading with my darling grandkids - and encouragement to get out there and "READ!"

 I have loved to read ever since the summer I was 12 years old and discovered the mobile library that visited once a week down the street from our house.  A whole new world of adventure opened up to me and I've never stopped reveling in the wonder of the written word.

And so, I'm thrilled when I see my grandchildren into books.  Marisa and Landon avidly read their library books while they enjoy a nice cuppa tea.  Noelle peeks over the shoulder of her sturdy friends to see what they are reading, as she repeats her stock photo word, "Cheese!"

 

 

This photo with my dearly-departed mother and grandson Storm when he was just a little guy is very precious to me.  She was reading him a book about an Angel and he was leaning in, not wanting to miss a word of the story.  It reminds me how wonderful it is when generations pass on the love of reading to the generations to follow.

 One famous author wrote: “To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.” ―W. Somerset Maugham, Books and You.

 I've always said, you will never get bored in life if you enjoy reading. So - I hope you are caught up in a lovely adventure on the pages of a wonderful book for at least an hour each day (:

 

  

Guide My Path

 

Guide My Path

Just as I need oxygen to breath, I need you, O Lord, to guide and direct my path.  I can't seem to go two minutes without messing up in my own strength -- or more precisely -- my own weakness.  I need You to tell me what to do and then to help me to do it.  Empower me, O Holy Spirit, to live out those powerful verses in Proverbs 3:5-6:

   "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;

     In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths."

I like the song by the group Hillsong, that speaks of trusting without borders and walking futher than you would wander.  I want that close walk with Jesus of continual newness and renewing of mind.  I love this life of adventure with my Father!  He "graces" me in beautiful ways.

In Psalm 32:7-8, God is saying to us, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go."

Psalm 37:23:  "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way."

Photo:

   I took the photo of a path through the woods years ago on a trip to Scotland.  Hmm...wonder where the path leads?  I'm sure thankful that God knows that answer!

Anxiety -- What's That?

 

ANXIETY -- WHAT'S THAT?

      Jesus asked a question of His disciples:  "...why are you anxious...?"  He went on to explain to them how God would take care of their needs and that, by the way, "which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?"  

      The answer would be, "Uh, that would be -- none of us."

      I love when Jesus pointed out how the flowers "neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you.  O you, of little faith?"

       The white camellia pictured above is a work of art from the Master's Hand.  The way the delicate petals whorl outward from the center into a circle of beauty looks much like a rose.  And notice the blush of pink faintly coloring the white, along with occasional strokes of deeper pink.  And it's all framed by deep green leathery leaves.  Yet, this exquisite work of art will only show forth such beauty for a few days before it begins to wilt and eventually fall from the bush and wither away.

        One of the truths I believe Jesus was pointing out is the comparison of the detailed care God gave to this beautiful short-lived camellia in comparison to the detailed care He gives to His beloved followers who are created to live eteranally.  How much more will He even take care of our needs.

        When the Apostle Paul was in a Roman prison, he wrote to his dear friends at the church in Philippi, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus," Philippians 4:19.  In the previouis verse, as he gazed out the barred window of his cell, he wrote, "Indeed I have all and abound.  I am full." 

        Paul was able to make these statements while behind bars because he had the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding that was guarding his heart and mind through Christ Jesus (4:7).  And how was he able to write all these things with such certainty?  Because he believed and lived the admonition found in the preceding verse:  "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."

Photo:  taken by me on the UNCW campus in Wilmington, NC early this month.

The Battle Rages

 THE BATTLE RAGES

     The ugly picture above is a version of Satan on display at the St. Catherine Church in Brussels, Belgium.  The statue depicts Satan under the foot of the angel Michael, but I prefer to think he is under the foot of Jesus Christ.  I see this as being a picture of the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15, when God cursed Satan in the Garden of Eden and said to him, "He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."

     This version of Satan's appearance also gives us a better glimpse of his true nature which is evil and ugly, beastly and vicious.  The sharp teeth are used for tearing apart his hapless victims.  While he sometimes disguises himself as angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), his true nature is the epitomy of evil and he is the father of lies (John 8:44).  

     Sadly, too many people fail to see Satan for what he really is and they fall for his honey-laced lies over and over again.  He's actually not very creative, because he's using the same lie that he's been using for thousands of years -- the same lie he used with Eve in the garden when he said, "Has God indeed said..." (Genesis 3:1).

     In her book, "Praying God's Word," Beth Moore wrote, "Tragically, Satan has successfully duped the vast majority of our churches into imbalance regarding all things concerning or threatening him.  We tend to give the devil either far too much credit or not nearly enough.  A war of unprecedented proportions is raging against the church and the people of God.  We must put on our armor, learn how to use our weapons, and fight with the confidence of those who know they are destined to win."

      I love the way she ended that quote -- we are indeed destined to win in the battle against our enemy Satan.  He will not win and he knows it.  Therefore, he fights tooth and nail to keep sinners from being saved and to keep Christians off their knees and distracted by the world.  We need those weapons described in Ephesians 6:10-20, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places," verse 12.

      Suit up for battle, sisters and brothers!  We are definitely on the winning side, but we don't want the enemy gaining any ground in the meantime.  Stay true to our commander, Jesus Christ, and He will give us victories that will thrill our hearts and set the enemy running for cover.  I love the verse in 1 John 4:4 that tells us of the awesome power who resides in us as children of God:  "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

     

Like a Phoenix Rising

 

LIKE A PHOENIX RISING

    This piece of artwork in my daughter's home reminds me of a bird in motion, which makes me think of the story of the Phoenix rising from the ashes.

     In Greek mythology, there is a bird called the Phoenix.  At some point in its life, it burst into flames and burns up.  The Phoenix then rises from the ashes of its burning death and is reborn more beautiful than before.

      While the story of the Phoenix is only a myth, the work God does in the lifes of His children is very real.  By the power of God, you can rise from the ashes of your burning sorrow.  You can come out of it stronger and more beautiful than ever before and be a light in a dark world with your story of God's miraculous work in your life.

     One of my many favorite verses offers us God's variation of that myth with His real life promise.  In this verse, God is saying that He will "give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified," Isaiah 61:3.

     This verse tells us that when something bad happens in our lives, God will turn the bad into good.  He will lift something beautiful from those gray ashes and lift your heart from mourning and change your sad garment for one of praise.  The outcome of that miracle is that you will be planted by the Lord to stand firm in His righteousness, and all of this wonder and grace will result in God being glorified.  And - in the process, you will experience joy that is beautiful!

     To experience this wonder and grace and joy, we need to be open to God's work in our lives.  Sometimes people hang onto their grief, bitterness, and/or pain as if it was a life-ring keeping them afloat when all the time, there is a lifeboat floating right beside them, just waiting to pick them out of the tumultuous sea and bring them to safety.  That lifeboat is God's loving grace and plan to give them "beauty for ashes..."  

     There's an old song we used to sing that goes like this, "Let go and let God have His wonderful way.  Let go and let God have His way.  Your sorrows will vanish, your night turn to day; let go and let God have His way."

     God says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness," Jeremiah 31:3.

     

Celebrating Our Lord

 

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given;

and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name

shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God,

the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace,"

Isaiah 9:6

"...when the fullness of the time was come, 

God sent forth His Son..." Galatians 4:4

Praise God from who all blessings flow and praise our precious Savior.  We celebrate Your birth, Your love, and Your amazing sacrifice!  Thank You for saving me and for keeping me!