I Am Thankful for . . .

November is the month of Thanksgiving. Over the next few weeks we at Mulberry Moments will be posting devotions telling things we are thankful for. We invite our readers to participate. You may do this in one of two ways:

1. Post a comment in response to our devotional thought for the week in the “Comments” section, responding to the “Thankful” thought for the week, or
2. Emailing your own “Thankful” devotional to me at the following address – office(at)fbcmulberrygrove(dot)com

Our weeks will be arranged as follows:

• November 2-8: Country
• November 9-15: Church
• November 16-22: Family
• November 23-29: Faith

Thank you for participating.

The Grass Is Always Greener . . .

Mat 14:27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
Mat 14:28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee upon the waters.
Mat 14:29 And he said, Come. And Peter went down from the boat, and walked upon the waters to come to Jesus.
Mat 14:30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, Lord, save me.
Mat 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and took hold of him, and saith unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

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According to the website www.deproverbio.com, that old proverb "The Grass Is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fence!" dates back in American form to 1957. In other sentence structures and words, similar phrases date to the late 1800's and a Latin derivative was stated by Erasmus of Rotterdam and put into English in 1545 by Richard Taverner. But common American usage is said to come from 1957.

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In 1983, James Pomerantz proved that optical and perceptual laws alone will make the grass at a distance look greener to the human eye than the blades of grass perpendicular to the ground. (ibid) It is suggested that even horses and cows prove this to be true when you watch their behavior in pastures seeking out the most tasty grass (as far as the cows are concerned, but not for me!)

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Of course, the truth of the proverb holds so true for each of us. We are constantly seeking the new job that will be just perfect. It, of course, fails to meet expectation when we have been there at least 8 hours. And, why is it, that after the first mortgage payment, something seems to be wrong with that house that seemed so perfect when the realtor opened the door the very first time? And that new car or electronic toy--after a couple of hours of fiddling with it, your spouse wonders why you got that thing anyway because you complain and whine when the newness wears off.

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Peter was excited with the prospect of walking on the water when he saw Jesus. It could have been the excitement of seeing Jesus or perhaps it was just stepping out into the vast unknown, where no man, but Jesus, had gone before. But for Peter, when reality stepped in, faith stepped out. He found himself splashing in the waves in a very undignified and fearful position, as the excitement of the moment was gone.

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"Death and the grave are never satisfied, and neither are we," says Proverbs 27:20 (CEV) Maybe we should be! We love desserts, but when we know we can't have them, we can be satisfied because we made up our mind. I can't afford that new car in this economy--so I will get to work in the car I have or one that will make do. Wanting is all a state of mind! Even when the grass looks greener, it really isn't. Just like the grass in the proverb, it's an illusion. Christians don't have to fall for it. Christians just need to trust God a little more and themselves a little less. Funny how that always works out!!!

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Dear God, teach me to be happy with what I have! You always know what I need and you are all I need! Thank you for the death of Jesus and the life it brings! May it always be enough for me! In Jesus' name, Amen!

Conversations Over Coleslaw

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
(16) For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
(17) After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
(18) Therefore encourage each other with these words.





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I think we should popularize the idea of getting a cup of coleslaw and talking to each other. I know coleslaw doesn't have the same image as a cup of fine roast coffee and in most places coleslaw doesn't cost $3-$5 a cup. Of course, it isn't good with cinnamon and whipped creme and all the latte flavors. But still, some interesting conversations can be had over coleslaw.

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Let me see if I can explain myself. Obviously, coleslaw is made from cabbage and vegetables just don't have the appeals that a steaming hot cup of coffee has, especially served in an atmosphere with tall tables and light conversation. But, perhaps my recent experience will connect with you.

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Just yesterday I was working with one of my fellow employees at our local fish emporium, otherwise known as Long John Silvers. Our job was to make coleslaw for the next day. The gleaming white slaw making tub was scoured and sanitized and waiting for the crisp fresh cabbage and carrots to be added, along with the creamy sauce that gives LJS slaw its unique and delicate flavor. (That's an awfully flowery statement for slaw, isn't it?) As she was adding the cabbage and carrots we began to strike up a conversation! And our attention turned toward the state of the world and many people that we knew. In a God-moment I felt the Holy Spirit prompt me to say that our hope is in Jesus Christ and one of these days, HE IS COMING AGAIN! She looked over the top of her glasses a moment and in a profound tone of voice said something like this, "Yes, and I think it is going to be soon, very soon!" This conversation of encouragement about the Lord's return continued right through the slaw making process. And we both felt significantly encouraged that we might make it through another day of work and another day of life by God's grace; we just needed to hold on to the hope of Jesus and remember that what we are experiencing here "ain't all there is"!

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It doesn't take a coleslaw party to encourage people with the return of Christ! It can be over the waterfountain at your job, a piece of pie at the end of supper, or even a simple text message over the phone. You know, as well as I do, we are living in an age when we see things falling apart. The stock market on which we have relied is nosediving one day and surging the next. Leaders are not trusted. And most of all, we feel so insecure! We can take hope. Heaven may or may not be a lot like earth. But my hope is this: I trust Christ! Whatever happens, WHATEVER happens, He will be there to support us in difficult times. I kind of like that. Jesus is NOT a crutch; He gives strength to my legs to make the most of these days for Him. I trust He will so work in your life as well.

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Father God, we haven't a clue about what will happen tomorrow. We don't know if we will have money or if we will all be poor! But help us to realize that we will always be rich in Jesus Christ; that when the money fails, He will always be there. It is a difficult thing for the world to accept, but yet the truth is so good! In Jesus name, Amen!

You've Got the Power

Act 4:29-31
(29) And now, Lord, take notice of the threats they have made, and allow us, your servants, to speak your message with all boldness.
(30) Reach out your hand to heal, and grant that wonders and miracles may be performed through the name of your holy Servant Jesus."
(31) When they finished praying, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim God's message with boldness.
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We are churches so powerless? I wonder if it is because those people who claim to love the Lord are stymied into believing there is nothing to stand firm for. This is a short thought, but yet so true -- the early church prayed for the ability to do miracles to glorify and testify to the amazing power of God in Jesus Christ. I wonder if we believe that modern day (?) church can have that same power or if folks believe we are just powerless and can't do a thing. As our special guest preacher said this morning, "It's time to get up off our butts and get busy!"
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My 5 year old granddaughter told me that some of those words might not be appropriate! But in all honesty some of our so called Christian actions aren't appropriate either -- especially when it involves not serving God when we know better!
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Dear God, please remove the blinders from our eyes and the doubt from our minds and help us to serve you with our whole hearts! Help us to honor you and honor Christ our Savior and may the world learn of Him through us. In Jesus name, Amen!

Jesus Wept

Jesus Wept -- John 11:35

What a simple verse! As a matter of fact, it is often one that I encourage small children to memorize first because of its simplicity, its truth, and its hope.
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Let me see if I can explain its importance this way. On Monday, Lord willing, I am going to Indiana to share in a memorial service for my wife's neice's family. The guest of honor is a man I would guess to be around 50. He tripped going down a set of stairs and hit his head causing internal damage and, sadly, he died from his injuries. To complicate the story even more, the family no longer has a local church. As I understand it, though these folks were involved in a church at one time, some rather unChristlike actions from within drove them away. How sad the story!!! How many times it happens that way!!!
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What I want to share with the family is that while man may let you down, Jesus will never let you down. His love never gives up, even when we often fail and have to hurt His Heart of Love.
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What a great example is seen as Jesus wept in this passage. He did not weep because of death, because Jesus is the Lord of Life and Death. He did not weep out of hopelessness because the word does not exist in his vocabulary. Jesus wept because He understood those around Him were hurting. And as Hebrews reminds us, we have a GREAT HIGH PRIEST who understands things just like we do. What a Savior! I hope you will trust Him to meet those empty moments in your life.
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Father, it is no secret that we need you. We need you in our strength and in our weekness; we need you in our sadness and our joy; we need you when it seems everyone else has left us. Thank you for your unending love, no matter what circumstances befall us! In Jesus' name, Amen!

One Body of Christ

I Corinthians 12:12-20, 26-27
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body.

If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

We all have different understandings about the meaning of scripture. We all have different views on what the church should be and how it should operate, otherwise we would just be one church. It is possible that Jesus had intended that we would be one church, but I doubt it. He did understand human nature after all.

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness he quoted from Deuteronomy 8:3 saying, “Man does not live by bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” If we are the body of Christ and his body lives on every word that comes from God, then we can expect to understand those words differently.

Bread is very different to the eye than to the tongue; different to the stomach than the tongue and so on. We are different parts of the body of Christ and we understand God’s words differently just as our body parts understand bread differently. The eye cannot say that the stomach is wrong about bread so why would any of us say that another faith community is wrong about God’s word?

I do not agree with some of the Roman Catholic church’s understanding of God’s word. But that does not make them wrong. I do not agree with their holding to the traditions of men rather than the teaching of God. But I do not agree with the United Methodist church on that issue either. It really does not matter.

Every Christian church and all Christians are all parts of Christ’s body. As Paul said: “If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it; if one part is praised all the other parts share its happiness.”

In this community we are all strengthened by each other’s ministry. When one of us suffers the others help. When one is successful, all rejoice. We are partners in ministry not competitors. The competition is all around us – the devil and his workers. When we work together in ministry we can beat the competition.

Lord, help us show the competition just what your body can do. Help us take your light to people in darkness. Amen.

Come to the Table – And Dine

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6:26 ESV)

This Sunday one of the ladies of our congregation shared with me this picture. It immediately brought two verses to mind. Today’s meditation and Psalm 23 – ¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
²He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
³He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

⁴Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

⁵You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Bringing those thoughts on God’s provision to mind reminded me how we often lose sight of all that He does provide. Are we truly thankful for what we have? We have shelter, clothing, transportation. We live in a country where we can enjoy an open worship service in honor of God—or not, as the case may be. Let us not forget Who is sovereign in all that we have or will have. Let us come to the table, let us dine sumptuously for He has provided.

For that which You have provided, make us truly thankful. Amen.