Ham and Eggs Marriage

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, not unto men.

Colossians 3:23

 

 

It occurred to me, while eating breakfast the other day, that we can learn a lot about marriage from this little meal. Now you might not think that we can find spiritual inspiration in what we eat, but there are lessons to be learned in even the most mundane of God's creation.  For me, my revelation came from ham and eggs.

 

You see, it occurred to me that we enter into a marriage with a certain level of commitment.  We tend to approach our marriage as either the pig or chicken does toward our breakfast. If we are like the chicken, we make positive contributions to our marriage, just like the chicken does with our breakfast by providing eggs.  We invest in the relationship, but within limits.

 

The pig, on the other hand, displays a level of commitment that the chicken fails to reach.  By becoming the delicious ham on our plate, the pig shows that it is giving itself whole-heartedly to the breakfast.  There is no possibility of walking away from the commitment; the pig is "all in." It has literally laid down its life for the relationship.

 

So the next time that you sit down to enjoy a breakfast of ham and eggs, take the time to think about your attitude toward your marriage.  Have you given yourself wholeheartedly to the marriage or are you holding back?  Are you a chicken or a pig?

 

 

The Power of the Tongue

Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Proverbs 18:21



We've all heard at least a dozen sermons on the damage that the tongue can do. Sometimes it's easy to forget that the tongue can also bring life. We can curse or we can bless with our tongues. We can bring grief or we can bring joy with what we say.

Even language itself can bring joy.  Though Satan may do all he can to pervert language, there can also be great beauty in it- though we seem to have forgotten that in this nation.  If you need reminding, just read the poems of Emily Dickinson or Ralph Waldo Emerson. Or, if you are really daring, read something from William Shakespeare.

Unfortunately, in this time of texts and tweets, our emphasis is on brevity rather than quality of writing. It is easy for us to forget that, at the time that our Bible was translated into English and made available to the common man, the English language was at its zenith. From that early King James Bible have come verses that we have known since childhood:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  John 3:16

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." Eph. 2:8

In fact, that early translation of the Bible has become such a part of our day-to-day language that we are no longer aware of it. To emphasize the impact that the Bible has had on the English language, I thought that I would provide a fun, little quiz to show how frequently we use phrases from the Bible without even knowing the source. 

See which of the following phrases you think originated from the Bible and then check back next week to see how well you did.

1. A sorry sight
2. Apple of his eye
3. To pine away
4. A fool's paradise
5. The skin of his teeth
6. All of a sudden
7. The blind leading the blind
8. As dead as a doornail
9. As pure as the driven snow
10. The eleventh hour
11. Beside himself
12. His head on a plate
13. Dash to pieces
14. A stone's throw
15. Eaten out of house and home
16. Heart's content
17. Sharper than a serpent's tooth
18. Hold my tongue
19. Safe and sound
20. The crack of doom

Walking By Faith

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.

Colossians 2:6

 

 

 

In the early 1930's a tight-rope walker was entertaining spectators by walking a rope that was suspended thirty feet above the road.  The crowd was amazed as they watched him push a wheelbarrow back and forth along the rope, however, the performer didn't stop there.  Loading the wheelbarrow with two one-hundred pound sacks of grain, he pushed the weight effortlessly across the rope.  The spectators cheered as he successfully reached the platform with his load.  Turning to the crowd, the acrobat shouted down to the crowd.

 

"Who thinks that I can safely carry a man across the rope in my wheelbarrow?"

 

A multitude of hands were raised to signify their belief in his abilities.

 

"Who will be the first to climb in?"

 

Needless to say, he had no volunteers.  The story may be a familiar one, but it is a striking example of the difference between faith and belief. 

 

It is unfortunate that, in the English language, there is no verb form for the word faith, as there is in the Greek.  Instead, we are forced to translate the word, pisteuo, as "believe," even though the words mean two very different things.  The difference is about eighteen inches: the distance between our head and our heart.  What I mean by that is that belief is something that we do with our head and faith is something that comes from the heart. 

 

In the story above, the people in the crowd believed with their minds that the performer could safely carry a person in the wheelbarrow.  However, their unwillingness to place their life on the line by volunteering to be that person shows that they lacked true faith.  As Christians, we are required to walk by faith, not by belief.  If we are not willing to put our life on the line for our faith, then what we have may be belief and not faith. 

 

Belief will never give us the ability to rise above sin or empower us to do what is right. As Paul says in Colossians, as we received Christ, we are to walk in Him.  If we accept Christ on an intellectual basis only, our walk will consist mainly of stumbling and falling.  However, if we have the kind of faith that is life changing, our walk will show it; we will be victorious.

 

I get so frustrated by the old adage, "I'm just a sinner saved by grace."  Satan loves for us to think that, but it just isn't true!  In the Scriptures, once a person is saved they are never referred to as sinners, but as saints!  By continuing to think of ourselves as sinners, we make it easier to justify sin in our lives.  But that old sinner was crucified with Christ and we are now a new creation. 

 

As a new creation, saved by faith, let us walk in that faith. It won't be an easy walk and we will seldom have the luxury of seeing more than a few steps ahead of us.  However, just as we have the confidence that the Christ, who raised from the dead, was able to cleanse us of our sin and give us eternal life; we can have faith that He will be walking with us as we continue in our journey of faith. 



Exercising My Faith

For we walk by faith, not by sight...

II Corinthians 5:7

A couple of years ago, my husband and I made a New Year's resolution to exercise regularly together. We wanted to make sure that we stayed healthy so we could enjoy watching our grandchildren grow up. I still remember that first day of exercise (using an exercise DVD that our daughter had loaned us), we put everything we had into it. Surprisingly, it wasn't as hard as I expected it to be. I went to bed that night feeling really good about myself.

I woke up the next day and could hardly get out of bed. I was sore in places where I didn't even know there were muscles. Every step, every breath, every movement was agony.  I wondered what I was thinking, to put myself through so much pain. I seriously considered just quitting. Surely nothing could be worth this much hardship.

But I didn't quit. For weeks I dreaded our exercise time.  I wondered if it would ever come easy to me. Two years later, we still exercise regularly.  Our health improved and we have greater stamina than I ever thought possible.  I can't say that I necessarily look forward to exercising, but it has become second nature to me- a part of who I am.

Faith is a lot like this. In many ways it is like one of the muscles in our body. The more that we exercise it, the stronger it gets. Conversely, a muscle that is seldom used becomes flabby and, eventually, will atrophy.

Exercising our faith is usually difficult, and sometimes downright painful. It is only when it becomes a regular part of our life that we can expect to reap the benefits.  While physical exercise profits little in comparison, exercising our faith has eternal benefits.  It gives us the spiritual stamina to survive every crisis that comes our way.

When you start any exercise program, it is best to start with small steps and work up to bigger things.  This week, start with the simple things that God is prompting you to do.  Go and share your faith with that lost neighbor or co-worker. Or maybe you need to agree to teach that Bible class at church that no one else wants.

It may be easier to be a spiritual couch potato, but you'll never truly exercise your faith until you get out of your comfort zone.  Only by living by faith will you see the full power of the risen savior, Jesus Christ.