Sherry Sharp

“Therefore, keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” Mark 13:35-37, NIV

I am still mortified! When my husband, Richard and I were newlyweds, we lived in a very small apartment; four rooms to be exact. One day, we had a knock on the door and when I opened it, there stood my father-in-law, coming for a quick surprise visit. To tell you that our little abode was a mess would be an understatement. I wanted to close the door and pretend he wasn’t there but, of course, that would have been beyond rude; I had to invite him inside. He never said a scolding word even though he could see our bad habits laying all around: clothes and shoes, dirty dishes everywhere.

Why do I confess this to you today, when it could remain a well-kept secret over fifty years later? For one thing, that one little incident taught me early on to always be prepared for the unexpected; it taught me about integrity, which is trying always to do my best; and it reminds me today, that there are no guarantees for a “do over.” You see that one short visit with someone whose respect I very much wanted had been tarnished and could never be erased. By God’s grace and the love of a great man I always admired until the day he went to heaven, allowed me the room to mature without condemnation.

We are in the month of December and for Christian’s, it is the Advent Season. This means we are in a time of “preparation” to receive the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. In the book of Mark, the passage of Scripture is about another “Advent Season,” as we await the time when Jesus will return to the earth to gather up His people. Friend, you nor I know when that time will be; God only tells us to “be ready!” Are you prepared to answer the door? No…you do not have to clean everything spotless; that is impossible. God knows you and I are works in progress. The question is, will you be happy to see Jesus when you open the door because you are expecting His arrival? He is coming…one day.

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.” John 16:13-14, NIV

Some of you know that I have three dogs. They are a joy of my daily life. They are getting old (like me!) so we understand each other really well. When I nap, they are more than happy to lay right beside me and remain calm. However, when they were much younger, this was not the case. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to train a young puppy how to walk on a leash, then you know how willful our four-legged friends can be.

When Daisy, who is now fourteen years old was young, whenever we went out for a walk it was hard to determine who was training who. Of the three dogs, Daisy is the most willful and stubborn even into her aging years. Training our pets is important not simply to show them who is the “boss,” but so when they hear our voice, they listen and obey. Why? Dogs are smart but they don’t have wisdom; they respond by repetitive action. If I am walking with Daisy and I see a car speeding around the corner, I want her to obey me when I give the command, “STOP!” Not listening and pulling away could potentially hurt or even take her life.

The apostle John tells us that “the Spirit…will guide [us] into all truth.” In a world where “truth” is hard to recognize, how comforting it is, knowing that we have the Holy Spirit watching over us, leading us and guiding us from the dangers of deception. Our all-knowing, all-wise God will protect our hearts and minds when we submit to His “way” and resist going off on our own. He is gentle and kind, but He will let us know when we pull away. The question is, will we submit to Him, or will we insist on going astray? I pray you and I will trust the One who loves us enough to die in our place so that you and I might live with Him in eternity.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3, NIV

Every year around the same time, I go to my doctor and get a physical (I hope you do too!). A few weeks following the examination, the doctor meets with me to go over my lab reports and the results of the diagnostics. One of the reasons I chose my doctor is because of his stellar reputation both as a physician and as a compassionate person; He has not let me down. Sometimes I have had to call him after office hours and he answers my questions and concerns, and when necessary, he prescribes medication to help me feel better and get well. This process does not always produce immediate results and when no effect to help the problem happens after a reasonable timeframe, the doctor suggests another path but usually, this takes time. In the meantime, I trust he has my best interest in mind, so I try to be patient.

Someone very dear to me recently told me that she has been praying over some difficult circumstances happening in her life and that of her family but because God did not seem to be doing anything to change things, she is not sure God hears her plea. How many times do you and I take our cares to God with the idea that we already know what the best outcome should be, therefore if things do not go our way, then we assume God is either not listening or does not care?

Just like when we trust our doctor when we’re sick, “We [can] know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Sometimes in the physical world, healing takes time; the same thing is true, as God works things out in our lives both here on earth and in heaven. Maybe we won’t even see the results until we get to heaven. In the physical world, you can always seek a second opinion; with God, there is no one higher, wiser, better, smarter, or more reliable! God is never late with his promises. He just might not be early.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23, NIV.

We see them all the time. You know, which ones I’m talking about…the television commercials where fruit and vegetables are freeze-dried and put into capsules to be taken each day and promise to increase our energy and make us healthy. Oh, friend, think about it for a minute; wouldn’t it be nice to discover a process by which you and I could “freeze-dry” the fruit of the Spirit from God as expressed in the book of Galatians? Imagine, waking up in the morning, popping into our mouths a few of the capsules and being assured that for the whole day, we would have everything needed to make us spiritually healthy and to be a positive influence on those around us.

Well, unfortunately, at least as far as I know, this process does not exist. However, I do know this much, if it were not possible to experience the “fruit of the Spirit,” God would not offer us the opportunity to incorporate it into our lives. Something the capsules, as seen on television have in common with God’s fruit is that they both require action on the part of the recipient. To activate the capsules, one must be deliberate in wanting what the product offers, and then, be willing to ingest the recommended dose. To receive the fruit of the Spirit, one must be willing to receive it from God Who has an unlimited supply. Like the fruit and vegetable capsules, you, and I must also seek a fresh supply of God’s Spirit each new day. When you get up in the morning and take your vitamins, ask Jesus to fill you with His Spirit and then, watch and feel your day become fortified with everything you need for a better and healthier YOU.

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7, NIV.

Have you ever put a pot of some liquid on the stove, turned on the heat, and gotten busy doing something else only to turn around and see the pot boiling over, making a mess? If this has never happened to you, then you might have to consider something else, like pouring a fizzy drink and watching, helplessly, as the bubbles race to the top of the glass; you quickly begin slurping the popping liquid, so it doesn’t run over the top. I think we all get the picture. Well, now consider that boiling pot and fizzy drink as “thankfulness” and “gratefulness” you hopefully feel every day of your life.

Loved one, I don’t know what your life looks like, and my intention is not to make light of any circumstance with which you may be dealing at this time or ever, that causes or has caused you pain. After losing my husband to younger onset Alzheimer’s disease, I wondered how I would live without the man I had known since we were teenagers. As beautiful as God’s created world is, no one, if he or she lives long enough, travels through it without experiencing some level of pain, either physical, mental, or emotional pain. So, how, where, and when do thankfulness and gratefulness fit into your life story and into mine?

Being thankful and grateful are not a result of how full and rewarding our lives are; they are the result of how full our hearts are because you and I are loved by God. Beyond our wildest imaginations, the God of all that is, has been, or ever will be knows and loves you and me intimately. Now, go ahead, let that pour into your understanding and just try and hold back your overflowing joy. On the other hand, let it spill over onto everyone you meet; both you and they will be glad you did.

Jesus said, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” And Pilate answered, “What is truth?” John 18:37-38, NIV

Have you noticed? The temperature in the air is cooling and the leaves on the trees are changing colors. These two transitions remind us that “fall” is here, once again, and, oh, what a lovely time of year it is, indeed. Even in Florida, the sweltering heat begins to lift and makes room for cooler days and nights. Although what we see taking place in the atmosphere looks like “change,” this change is all part of the bigger truth that never changes: every fall season, the temperature cools and the leaves fall from the trees. Therefore, this “truth” is objective, not subjective.

The current culture would like everyone to believe that each person can have their own truth. You may have heard the expression, your truth is not my truth, as though truth is relative and subjective. Friend, while you and I can disagree on substantive issues, if we do not agree, then one of us is either correct and the other mistaken, or we can both be mistaken but we cannot both be correct. This idea may sound like a tongue twister but if you think about the rationale for a moment, I think you will agree with it. If I like the color blue and you do not, this is an example of subjective truth because our choices are not relevant to anything that constitutes the need for a universal understanding.

When Jesus said to Pilate, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Jesus narrowed down the choices of what is true to one thing, listen to me. Pilate obviously missed hearing there is only one option, because he asks, “What is truth?” In that moment, Pilate had a choice but according to Jesus only one choice is true and the other, by obvious deduction, is false. Today’s culture wants everyone’s choices accepted and validated, unless, of course, one does not agree with the culture, then, that person or that otherness thinking is considered narrow-minded and unloving. Christians are followers of Jesus Christ and, while He calls us to love others as we love Him and ourselves, but love is sometimes having to say, I don’t agree with you; and our disagreement should be based on a deep understanding of the life and example of Jesus.

In the book of John 8:1-11, the religious leaders, hoping to back Jesus into a corner and make Him either side with their “narrow thinking” or appear discredited, brought a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. According to the Jewish law, women (not men, which I believe Jesus addressed in the story that follows) who were caught in adultery were to be stoned to death. As the woman waits, no doubt half naked, Jesus bends down and with His finger, writes something in the dirt, after which, the men one by one drop the stones and walk away, leaving the woman and Jesus alone. Jesus asks, “Woman…has no one condemned you?” She says, “No one, sir.” Jesus said, “Then neither do I condemn you, Go, and leave your life of sin.” I like to think that what Jesus is writing in the dirt are the names of each man holding a stone and listing their sins of adultery, according to God. Whatever He wrote, He did not let the woman leave believing she was okay to continue her dangerous lifestyle. Why? Because He loved her too much to agree that her truth was His truth.