Sherry Sharp

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our Lord will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8, ESV

One of my new favorite activities is to delve into reading some of the classic literature, like Dante Alighieri’s The Inferno. Other writings I enjoy are poetry and short stories that have managed to survive for centuries. On a recent assignment for one of my English courses at Liberty University, the question was posed, “what makes ‘good literature’ good?” Of course, there are no doubt many answers that might follow this question, like literature is good if I enjoy it. Or maybe good literature has a lasting message. Both answers and others give hints as to what makes good literature, good.

This morning, while watching the pastor teach on the Holy Scriptures, I am reminded, that The Bible is one of the longest gifts of literature to stand the test of time. On September 7, 2010, The Huffington Post in an article naming the top 16 most sold books in the world stated that the Bible was the top seller. Is it still, you might ask? According to a survey in April 2020 by the Guinness World Record “the Bible is the best-selling book of all time, with over five billion copies sold and distributed.” Friend, think about this statistic for a minute. How many books have you read more than once? Okay, maybe you have a few of them, but how many books have you reread time and time again, only to discover something new each time?

Every day, people read the Bible and the wisdom found within the pages transforms their lives. The Bible has been a lifeline in my life for forty years. The Word never gets old or boring! To the contrary, the Word of God is so rich that it is like a treasure chest without a bottom. Some read the Bible because it is “good literature;” others read it because its message is timeless, trustworthy, and true. The next time you are searching for a Good Book, check out the Bible!

“The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, MSG.

Water. Fire. Guns. Knives. Sex. Money. Freewill. The list is inexhaustible. What do these things have in common? They all have the power to be both useful and destructive, depending upon in whose control they find themselves. At their basic core, perhaps we should say that this short list is even necessary to human existence for survival. Water and fire provide life. Guns and knives provide protection and the means with which to hunt for food. Sex provides for procreation. Money provides wellbeing. Freewill provides strength for the spirit.

As I sit writing this devotion, I am looking out onto the Atlantic Ocean. The day is beautiful, and the waves are gently rolling upon the sandy shoreline. The sun is glistening across the water like stars I have imagined as falling from the sky when night gave way to the morning. I have, however, looked out on this same ocean during a hurricane when the view was quite different. The wind blew and the water swelled violently breaking over the dunes put in place as a boundary intended to hold back rushing water that now refused to abide by the “rules!”

“We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.” We live in a time when “warped philosophies” have taken control and threaten to smash over the very boundaries set up by God for our protection.

So, what are the “powerful God-tools” given to “tear down barriers erected against the truth of God?”

Ephesians 6:10-18 explains the “…full armor of God…Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray…” (NIV, emphasis mine).

Friend, make no mistake. The “god” of these “warped philosophies” is as old as the Garden of Eden, when he said to Eve, Did God really say…? God loves us and has given us boundaries for our protection. To which God are you listening? Pray in these days, that we will not be deceived.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Matthew 5:13, NIV.

A friend was visiting with me recently, along with her precious three-year-old daughter. When lunch time came, the little one asked for water to drink along with her sandwich. Since all of my grandchildren are grown up, I no longer have the sippy cups or plastic child-proof dinnerware in my cabinets. When I opened my cupboard and pulled out one of my porcelain cups, the mom, standing next to me said, “Oh, maybe something unbreakable!” After rummaging through my stash of travel mugs, I found just the perfect small size cup for my little friend. However, I couldn’t help thinking to myself about how pretty my cups are but if they only sit in the cabinet and just look pretty, then they aren’t fulfilling their purpose, even at the risk of getting broken.

The Scripture in the book of Matthew are words spoken by Jesus as He encourages His followers to be salt and light in the world. In other words, what good is salt if it “loses its saltiness,” or as He says in verses 14 through 16, what good is a light if it’s “hidden…under a bowl?” Just like my pretty cup is meant to be useful as a drinking vessel; just like salt is meant to enhance the flavor of food; just like a light is meant to illuminate the darkness, so are we, as followers of Jesus Christ meant to make a difference in the world, even if it means taking risks.

What were you created for? Every person has been given a gift/gifts by God, not to enhance who we are, or illuminate ourselves before others. Rather every strength you and I possess is meant to identify us as a lifeline to the One Who changes lives. Technology makes having a platform on which to stand and stand out, precariously easy. Will you be salt and light in a world that desperately needs to know Jesus? If so, use your gift or talent in a way that is useful in the work of God’s kingdom. The rewards are eternal!

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through [Jesus] who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:12-13, NIV Translation

What does “Having a good day” mean to you? Think about this question for a moment. In our fast-moving day to day world with so many amenities at our disposal, we may have a somewhat distorted expectation for defining contentment.

The writer of the passage in Philippians, the apostle Paul definitely had a realistic and broad understanding of what it means to have a good day, or bad day, depending on the circumstances. Before his Damascus road experience when he encountered Jesus, Paul was a Roman citizen and Pharisee, well respected and enjoyed a high leadership role within the Roman government. After Jesus met him and transformed his life, Paul, as a Christian often found himself in prison, fighting the establishment, or ship-wrecked when on a mission for Christ. Most Bible scholars believe that Paul ultimately died a martyr for his faith by decapitation. This was no doubt the ultimate bad day for Paul, or was it?

In our current culture, Christians often find ourselves at the center of either joining forces with the “everything is acceptable” movement or being at odds with what feels like the masses. A popular phrase today is “Find your true north.” Actually, I do not disagree with this philosophy as a Christian because Jesus is my True North. Jesus is my Compass in all circumstances, not the other way around. In other words, do your circumstances control where you find contentment or is your contentment rooted in Jesus Christ, the Rock of Ages Who never waivers or changes no matter what the circumstances or culture climate?

Friend, while there are many metaphors we could use to think about godly contentment, I would like to challenge you to give prayerful consideration to the question above, what does “having a good day mean to you?” If your answer is guided by your circumstances, then contentment will always fluctuate, depending on which way the wind is blowing. If Jesus is where you are grounded, then like the apostle Paul, you will have discovered “the secret of being content in any and every situation…”

“The LORD said to Job: ‘Will the one who contends with the almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!’” Job 40:1-2, NIV Translation

While waiting for an appointment last week, I became privy to a conversation taking place right next to where I was sitting. Actually, I became included in the conversation when one of the women heard me comment about having had the Covid-19 virus this past winter. A very young woman who said she was twenty-two years old immediately jumped onto my admission by sharing that her family had also endured the virus and that her parents were still experiencing side-effects. Then, she said something that completely caught me off guard; she stated, “this is why I don’t believe in God.”

Of course, my heart was breaking as I could only think that at such a young age, over something relatively mild as her challenge, she had passed judgement against God for not fulfilling her presumed duty, and that she still had a lot of life left with more and doubtless deeper challenges ahead. What then will she say of God?

Job is one of my favorite Bible characters because he lived through the toughest of all earthly tragedies losing everyone and everything known to him. Still, he loved and trusted God, knowing everything comes from Him and belongs to Him. The young woman leading into this story is not unique in how she reacts when her story does not play out as she desires. We all tend to think that because we pray a certain request to God, that He is obliged to follow our directions; when He doesn’t, we think the deficiency is in Him. Years ago, I heard a speaker say, “God is not a sugar-daddy of whom we make requests, expecting that his sole responsibility is to fulfill our desires.”

We will all face disappointments in this world. I pray that when we do, we will lean into God and not pull away. He is our Comforter and Sustainer. Through Jesus Christ, God is our very best Friend in all circumstances.

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” Philippians 4:8-9. (The Message)

A couple of days ago, while searching the internet for a drawing of Jesus I love and wanted to buy for a friend, scrolling down the page, I could not believe my eyes; after several beautiful renditions of pictures of Jesus, in a bold large photo popped up a rendition I was not expecting; a nude woman displaying her curves in a crude and suggestive manner. My first reaction was to say out loud, “WHAT??” Talk about switching gears!

The Scripture verse from the book of Philippians encourages us to take control of our thoughts and to keep them positive and pure. The instruction by Paul comes from a man who was every bit as human as you and me. He knew the struggle of harnessing and reigning in the thoughts running through the minds of people who live in a broken society. Living in our current generation where every action, lifestyle, and deviant behavior is demanded of us to accept as being “normal,” might confuse some, but make no mistake, friend, God is not confused, and His Word is very clear. Our culture may believe we have progressed with the mantra that everything I want to think, do, and say is not only okay, it’s going to receive everyone’s stamp of approval, or else…!! You may fill in the ellipses with whatever comes to mind and then look around; you will see it happening in a home, relationship, family, school, church, and city near you.

Back to my opening remarks, my human eyes and thoughts are not without sin, so seeing the photo on the internet did not make me faint; however, I do try to practice God’s precepts and fight against my flesh. In frustration, I clicked out of the page source claiming to have pictures of Jesus, (sigh) and thought about how hard it is to keep our thoughts pure when unsolicited images bombard our surroundings from every direction. Pray, pray, pray for our children’s futures where so many opportunities exist to corrupt their minds and hearts from a very young age, then, pray for those in our world who need a good dose of reality, knowing that if we do not confess to God and change our behavior here on earth, we will answer to Him one day. Our God is long-suffering in His patience, but it is only as enduring as we each have need of oxygen to breathe.

His forgiveness awaits all who long for it and who will humble themselves to ask!