Unequally Yoked

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.
2 Corinthians 6:14

The farmer led the oxen into the stall preparing to put them under yoke for plowing. He laid the wooden crossbeam over their necks. Next, taking the yoke itself, he sent the stave end up through the hole on one side of the beam while his son held the other end in place; he then spun on the wooden nut. At that moment, the low-side ox was stung by a bee. Jerking his head and causing the loosely tied cinch reigns to come undone, the ox stepped out of the yoke, causing the full weight of it to fall on the off ox, who twisted its head sideways under the strain. The farmer quickly grabbed the yoke, lifting it and relieving the unwanted pressure. His son grabbed the trailing reigns, coaxed the ox back into the yoke, and tightly tied the reigns to the stable cinch. Back under the yoke, the oxen shared the weight of the load.

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When we choose to disobey God’s directive not to become unequally yoked with unbelievers, we expose ourselves to unnecessary problems and heartache. Unbelievers don’t respond the same as believers to trials or difficulties. Unbelievers do not adhere to God’s directives, nor do they care that we do. And when problems arise, a believer can be left with the full weight of responsibility, thereby twisting his neck out of joint, causing emotional turmoil. This diametric opposition can cause broken relationships.
Some of us enter relationships thinking, I can help them believe, and so we go about implementing change in an effort to mold the person into the image we desire them to be. In the end, we only cause or reveal insurmountable barriers.
Only God can affect that kind of change. And His desire is that we leave it to Him and not enter into those relationships unless the person changes. It’s our responsibility to refrain from relationships with anyone who does not follow God’s instruction.

Prayer

“All Knowing Father, help us to steer clear of relationships that are not founded on You. Help us to deal rightly with human desire. Please show us grace when we fail to listen to Your decrees and gently bring us back under Your instruction. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

The Breath of Life

The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living thing.
Genesis 2:7

The car came out of nowhere, slamming into the driver’s side door of her SUV. The side airbags deployed immediately, preventing her serious injury. But the man in the oncoming car had been ejected through his windshield, coming to rest on the hood of her car. Regaining her senses, she climbed over the console and exited the passenger side door, coming around the front of the car to check on the man. Holding her fingers to his neck, she discovered he had no pulse. Climbing up beside the man, she began first aid. Looking for blockage in his airway and finding none, she pinched his nose and began respirations, then pumped on the man’s chest. She continued CPR, and after five repetitions, the man responded, yet remained unconscious. He was transported to a nearby trauma unit where he eventually recovered from his injuries. The very person he hit had saved his life by providing the precious breath necessary to sustain his life.

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It has been said we breathe some of the very air Jesus himself breathed two thousand years ago. Science says that all oxygen is recycled, stating that .00037 percent of all air molecules have been co-breathed by everyone who has ever existed. Regardless of the validity of that statement, we have all been given the gift of life. When God “breathed into his nostrils,” He created life and an oxygen-rich environment capable of sustaining that life. We should never mistake the truth of the statement made in this passage. He didn’t just bring Adam to life; He created an atmosphere that would sustain us forever, giving us an opportunity to understand the awesome power of God.

Prayer

“Breath of Life, we thank You for life-giving oxygen. Without it, we could not survive. Help us to understand the power You possess and Your desire that we become vessels of that same power through the gift of the Holy Spirit. May we become fresh breath in a stagnant world. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Proper Timing

Whoever obeys his commands will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.
Ecclesiastes 8:5

He stood silently by and watched as I swung the sledge against the wedge, attempting to fell the tree. It was a big, old tree, seventy feet tall and spreading out some forty feet. It would make a lot of firewood. I began to hear a chuckle every now and again.
After ten minutes of pounding, I was tiring quickly and sweating profusely. I’d made no progress, and he was openly laughing. In my wounded pride, I said, “If you think you can do it better, have at it.” He stepped over, re-placed the wedge, and in three, well-timed swings, dropped the tree right were he wanted.
Exasperated, all I could do was shake my head, smile, and ask, “So what’s the secret?” My father-in-law winked, pointed at the sky, and said, “You have to look up when you’re wedging a tree. You wait until the tree sways against the wedge, then, as it begins to sway the other way, you drive the wedge deeper and wait, driving it deeper with each swing. It’s all in the timing. To get the timing right, you have to look up.”

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Often, we struggle against unseen pressures, forgoing the council of those wiser than ourselves. Instead of seeking their experience in regard to the pressure we’re facing, we forge ahead, making our own way. Our self-sufficient mind-set doesn’t leave much room for admitting we could benefit from someone else’s wisdom, and our efforts are diminished when we navigate life on our own. Like wedging a tree, we need wisdom concerning our actions in overcoming the pressures we face. God, if we will allow Him, can move people and sway things to work in our favor, moving them in such a way that it increases our strength, not deplete it. “A cord of three strands is not easily broken.” That’s God, us, and others.

Prayer

“Lord, I tend to have tunnel vision at times. Please whisper for me to look up to You. Help me change from my self-sufficient ways in an effort to become God sufficient. I admit I cannot do this on my own. Amen.”

Granddad’s Treasure Chest

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19

As Tom brushed dirt from the miniature treasure chest, he was transported fifteen years back through time to the day he and his Grandad had buried it in the backyard of the family farm. Grandad had said, “Tom, there are only a few things really important in life: the love of family, the feel of a good book in your hands, and most of all, the love and faithfulness of God. Without the latter, the others don’t have any significance.” Throwing dirt over the chest, he had said, “Let’s dig it up on your twentieth birthday and weigh the importance of the things we’re burying today.”
As Tom opened the chest, he couldn’t suppress a sob; he wished Grandad were here to do this with him. The first item he uncovered was the medal Grandad had received for service to his country. Next was an old pair of Grandad’s eyeglasses; Tom had always liked them and thought he might need them in the future. There was an old report card, a few old coins, and a pack of baseball cards. The last item Tom pulled from the chest was a pocket-sized Bible. It had been the first item Grandad had placed in the chest.

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Tom remembered what his Grandad had said when he’d placed that little Bible in the chest. “Son, everything we have placed in here will have a price placed on it when you dig it up, all except this one; this little Bible is priceless. The words of this book will sustain you when all these other things are gone. Never place a higher value on the things of this world than you do the Word of God. If you trust in God, you’ll never be alone, never be poor, and never be lost.” Tom smiled. He had adhered to his Grandad’s faith.

Prayer

“Lord Jesus, I want my heart to be in heaven. Help me live for You here so that I can live with You there. Amen.”

Anchors Away

Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.
Proverbs 23:4

They had a swimming pool in the backyard, a five-bedroom, thirty-two-hundred-square-foot home on seventy well-groomed acres, a cabin in the mountains, and stress that wouldn’t be assuaged!
Brad and Beth worked nonstop, six days a week, and never seemed to have enough time to relax and enjoy the things they’d worked so hard to obtain. Brad could still hear his father assert, “Be the best at what you do, Brad.” He’d taken it to heart. He was the CEO at Corporate HQ and Beth was a successful civil attorney.
Top in their individual fields, they had gone on numerous business vacations over the years for business personnel only. Their kids were being raised by a nanny and seldom saw their parents during daylight hours.
It had all seemed so grand in the beginning; now it seemed as if they worked too hard and missed too much just to pay the bills.

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Having material possessions is not wrong in and of itself. However, how we make use of those possessions and our time does matter. Brad’s father had died young, leaving Brad as the man of the house at an early age.
What Brad had thought of as sound advice had driven him to his version of success. He had achieved the top of the hill. But since Sundays were their only day off, they spent them maintaining their property, including spring cleaning and fall closure of the cabin, which was mostly rented out to people they would never meet.
They hardly ever had time for family outings, rarely used the pool, and never made it to church. All the things they held precious had turned out to be anchors around their necks. Brad remembered how in Sunday school his father had told the class, “We should live our lives as pleasing unto the Lord.” Somehow in his youth Brad hadn’t made the distinction between working like a dog and working for the Lord. It was time to make some changes.

Prayer

“Father, please give me the wisdom to know when I’m working for me instead of You. Help me to know when enough is enough. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Pop Bottles

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Luke 6:38

It was a hot Saturday afternoon, and the boys of Scout Troop 429 were on a pop-bottle drive. They needed new pup tents. The torn and leaky World War II leftovers just weren’t cutting it anymore, so they were in search of anyone who would donate to their cause. Coming to a place that appeared to need of a lot of yard work, the boys noticed several bottles lying by the back door. It looked as if they’d been discarded where they’d been finished.
Knocking, they were greeted by a gruff-voiced old man leaning on a cane. They explained why they were there and proposed that they be allowed to keep the bottles in exchange for mowing his lawn, saving him the trouble of cleanup. The old man thought a moment, rubbed his bald head, then smiled, saying, “Tell you what. If it’s okay with your parents, and you younguns would like to help me out a mite by cleaning things up and such around here, I’ll just buy each of you a tent myself, and you can have all the bottles you find.”
Wow, what an offer! With their father’s permission and the details ironed out, the boys spent the rest of that day cleaning off the porch and with a mower retrieved from the backyard shed, mowed the lawn, restoring the Jenkins place to its former charm. Per their agreement, they would tackle the windows and garage next week.

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What the boys hadn’t known before striking their bargain with Mr. Jenkins was that his garage was stacked full of old soda bottles he’d never gotten around to redeeming—over two thousand bottles at three cents apiece! What a deal indeed! Willing to help Mr. Jenkins for the promise of only a few bottles, they were rewarded beyond their wildest dreams.

Prayer

“Lord, we ask for your guidance. Teach us to care about others, not for personal reward, but because it’s the right thing to do. Lead us to those who are unable to help themselves and use us to meet their needs. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

The Chair and Tuesdays

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:8

I had noticed the chair but hadn’t asked about it. It sat just to the right of the headboard of her bed, close enough that she could reach out and touch it. The story she shared was from her soul. “That chair’s been sitting right there since 1984. That’s the year Bill died. I put it there so I could talk to him. I sure do miss him. I never really got over losing him, you know. I was angry at God for a while, especially about Tuesdays. It was a Tuesday when Bill died. The following Tuesday, Bill’s best friend died. The week after that, my dog died, and the week after that, Mom had a stroke and died fourteen months later on a Tuesday. I hate Tuesdays!”
She shared her pain with me that day, and I understood; we all have things we get angry at God about. Even the most God-fearing people get angry at God from time to time. She finished by saying, “I’m not angry at God anymore, but I still hate Tuesdays! Now the chair is there so me, Bill, and God can all spend time together; then they don’t feel so far away. I sure miss Bill.”

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We have a God who knows our pain, every wound of our heart. He knows every thought, too. So He’s not surprised when we finally admit that we’re mad at Him for one reason or another. He has enough love and patience to hear us out, walk beside us, or carry us when that’s necessary. He knows all our faults and waits us out, hoping our rebellion will end so He can lead us into deeper understanding.
God’s desire is that we bring Him the burdens we weren’t meant to carry. He always meets us where we are and accepts any advancement in His direction.

Prayer

“Abba, forgive me for my unrepentant anger. Help me want to give it all to You. I struggle with forgiving others. I feel it’s my right to hang on to the pain. Help me understand what Jesus meant when he taught the disciples, ‘And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.’ In Jesus’ Name, amen.”