Mac And Cheese And A Coke

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Posted by Erin Roberson, June 13, 2023

Not long ago, we were traveling to see our son in another state. We stopped at a gas station for a quick bathroom break. As I sat in the car waiting for us to get on the road again, I couldn’t help but notice a large poster in the window of the gas station..."Mac and Cheese and a Coke, $3.99".

What a deal! It looked so yummy! I could imagine the gooey creaminess of the mac and cheese and the refreshing taste of the Coke. But then I started thinking. That meal might fill my belly, but would it provide any health benefits (beyond carbs and calories)?

Jesus warned against focusing on just “filling our stomachs” in John 6:26. Instead, Jesus came to fill our lives with the very presence of God. Jesus taught that He is the source of “food that endures (John 6:27).” Isn’t it interesting that Jesus spoke these words shortly after he had filled thousands of people’s bellies with 5 small barley loaves and 2 small fish? Jesus also described himself as “water that wells up to eternal life (John 4:14).” He said these words to the Samaritan woman who had been unable to find satisfaction through multiple marriages.

What am I doing that “satisfies” but provides little value? Junk food is one, but what else? What about the following time-fillers? Perhaps it’s the amount of time I spend on social media. Maybe it’s forms of entertainment that bring temporary satisfaction but have no lasting benefits. (I finally had to delete my favorite game app from my phone because I was drawn to it every free minute!)

There may be addictions that bring a temporary feeling of happiness but quickly leave only emptiness.

Gossip may seem harmless at first, but it damages relationships and negatively impacts a person’s reputation. What if I replace the “junk food” activities in my life with things that add value to myself and others? Here are a few possibilities:

1. Celebrate with others by sending notes of congratulations and encouragement.

2. Nurture my relationship with God by spending time in His Word, talking to Him through prayer, and listening to His voice.

3. Invite a friend to have a cup of coffee or reach out to someone who is hurting.

4. Serve God and others with my time by noticing a need and meeting it.

What if I choose to focus my attention based on scripture rather than the empty, time-consuming entertainment offered by the world? Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.”

I can’t think of any better way to spend my time than “eating” and “drinking” everything God wants to pour into my life and letting His work in me overflow into the lives of others. Do I always live up to this lofty goal? No way! That’s a lot to think about after seeing an advertisement for a great deal on Mac and Cheese and a Coke, but that’s the way God works sometimes. He uses the ordinary things around us to draw us to His Truth!

Here’s a song that reminds us to allow God to fill our cups! Click here to listen to "Fill My Cup" by Andrew Ripp.

Erin Roberson is a wife and mother of two wonderful grown boys. She is a lifelong educator who loves learning and teaching others. She believes our primary focus should be on our relationship with God, learning who God is, who God says we are, and how God wants us to live.

Too Much Flesh

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Posted by Annette Burrell, June 7, 2023

As I looked around, I saw was a sea of umbrellas, cabanas, canopies, and tents. Once I settled into my chair, I took a deep breath and began to relax. I wish I could say the salt air smelled wonderful, but my sense of smell is limited, and I wasn’t smelling a thing. My sight and sound sensory, on the other hand, was quite good.

The beach at Hilton Head is one of the most wonderful places for children to play. The first morning we arrived, the tide was out, leaving lots of puddles and shallow pools for young children to pretend-swim in. The sound of squeals and laughter drew me to watch them as they lay in the water and built sandcastles: the hard-packed sand allured runners and bikers of all ages. One thing I will never get used to at the beach is the bikini bottoms that seem to get skimpier every year. I can remember a time when the flesh you saw around a female’s bottom was just a pair of legs. Now . . . let’s just say I saw way too much flesh.

You see it in Paul’s writings to the churches, and you see it in Peter as he grew in the grace and knowledge of God after he let go of his flesh. The flesh, as referred to in their writings, is

...that which is contrary to the spirit, or something that opposes God and seeks sinful gratification.

We can’t get around it; we all have a sinful nature. Jesus spoke of the weakness of our flesh when he said to Peter, James, and John in the Garden of Gethsemane. Mark 14:37-38 says,

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Simon,’ he said to Peter, ‘are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’

Yes, our flesh—our sinful nature—is weak.

If you ask a child what sin means, they might say it’s when you do something bad. That is a simplistic definition of sin, pointing us in the right direction. God loves us, but He hates the sin. In fact, He loves us so much that He sent His only begotten son as a sacrifice for our sins so that we could have everlasting life with Him.

In the Old Testament, we see David, a man after God’s own heart, commit a terrible sin, and he tries his best to cover it up. David has lust in his heart and sleeps with Bathsheba and then sends Bathsheba’s husband to the front line in the battle, where he is killed in an attempt to cover up David’s sin. We all know we can’t cover up our sin from God.

No matter how hard we try, He sees our flesh.

In 2 Samuel 12, God sends Nathan to David to rebuke him. 2 Samuel 12:1-7 says,

The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup, and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him. David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity. Then Nathan said to David, You are the man!

God uses people, circumstances, and “things” to get our attention and help us grow closer to Him.

In my case, seeing lots of flesh helped me look at my own flesh and see that I, too, show way too much flesh at times. By that, I mean I get wrapped up in things contrary to the Holy Spirit, and I am seeking my own gratification. Ouch, but so true.

Covering up my flesh may help me look blameless in the eyes of others. That’s not necessarily true. It doesn’t matter anyway. When all is said and done, God is the only one who sees all of me. All my flesh—covered or not. Thank God, He loves me and forgives me! And He loves and will forgive you too.

1 John 1:9 (NIV) says,

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Thank you, God, for always finding a way to reveal my own flesh to me. Thank you, God, for providing a way for my redemption. Thank you, God, for loving me. Help me in my weakness and strengthen my desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of your son Jesus Christ. Amen

Annette Burrell is an author, speaker, and singer/songwriter. Through Annette’s years of being a public servant, and her devotion to studying the Bible, God has equipped her to lead women into His presence, and share with them how they can grow in Christ. Her passion is learning, sharing about the Heavenly realms, and God’s plan of protection for us as believers.

Tune My Heart

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Posted by Martha Wilson, May 30, 2023

“Create in me a clean heart O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Ps. 51:10

Every Thursday morning, I stepped into the Fellowship Hall at my church where women were buzzing around like busy bees preparing a place of beauty and order for others to gather to experience God. The sound I encountered was different from a typical Thursday. The sounds were like one of a child tapping on the keyboard of the black baby grand piano. The same note was repeatedly struck, making for an annoying song. As I drew closer, I discovered that a professional piano tuner was the source of what sounded like chaos. What appeared to be noise had a purpose in bringing this instrument into perfect tune. He struck the string and released or tightened the tension to the perfect pitch.

The busyness continued attempting not to disturb his work. But I quickly noticed he disregarded our buzzing around and remained undisturbed and focused on his task of tuning this black beauty. The headset covering his ears shut out distracting noise from accomplishing his purpose.

As I moved about the room quietly, my heart was gently pulled into what was happening. The more I listened, the more I felt God’s pulling on my heart. He was actually inviting me to allow Him to tune my heart. My heart belongs to Him, and He is the only one who can calibrate it with His heart.

We are forever in need of a heart-tuner. All of the banging of life can put one’s heart out of tune. We don’t always realize when we are out of tune with God, but there is nothing random about God’s work in my heart. Yes, it can feel like a hammer striking a wrong chord, but it is an intentional and purposeful work of the Spirit to align my heart with Almighty God. His word is that tuning hammer that aligns us with His will and purpose.

My home piano hasn’t been tuned in many years, and I am keenly aware of how poorly it sounds. I don’t know if it has gone flat or sharp, but I do know that when I press the ivory key, it sounds like I am on the neighboring key. I regularly dust the piano and wipe down the keys, but this doesn’t change the sounds that come from the beautiful instrument. Only the tuner with perfect hearing can bring it into tune.

It is easy to do the same with our lives. We can appear pretty and clean, shiny and beautiful, yet have a hard heart full of bitterness and unforgiveness. Every offense can lead to a sharp tongue or a flat response. God longs to calibrate our hearts to sound just like His. He knows how much pressure to apply and how tight to pull the strings. He longs to hold the strings of our hearts and make beautiful music for His glory. But we must allow the magnificent tuner to hold the tuning hammer and create beauty within so that beauty may flow out of our lives.

The phrase from the old hymn is playing in my spirit, and it is not sharp or flat. It is an invitation for God to tune my heart, and the tuner is waiting to tune yours also.

“Come thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace.”

Click here to listen to "Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing".

Martha Wilson is a writer, speaker, blogger and co-host of “A Burst of Hope” weekly podcast. She is the founder and director of Touching Hearts Ministries for women. She has led women to pursue an intimate relationship with Jesus for most of her adult life. She is bold, tender, and transparent as she teaches women to embrace powerful Biblical truths. Martha and her husband, Ed, live in Fayetteville, Georgia, and enjoy their blended family of five children, eight grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter. You can connect with Martha at: Facebook and Instagram @TouchingHeartsMinistries or listen to the A Burst of Hope Podcast.