Composer Iannis Xenakis said, “The collision of hail or rain with hard surfaces, or the song of cicadas in a summer field. These sonic events are made out of thousands of isolated sounds; this multitude of sounds, seen as totality, is a new sonic event.”

What would one cicada sound like, or a lone hailstone hitting the ground? Would we even hear that? How about one raindrop, one low rumble of thunder? But put those individual sounds together in groups and they’re powerful.

What can one coin in an offering plate accomplish? Or one volunteer from an entire congregation? What if John the Baptist’s lone voice had never been joined by the disciples, and all the Christians after them, sharing the Gospel?

One voice alone isn’t inconsequential, just as one coin, one volunteer, one raindrop isn’t nothing. But if each felt inconsequential and stopped contributing its “sound,” soon there would be nothing. Conversely, when many individuals stay in the game, soon they find they aren’t alone at all. God brings their contributions together, creating a whole new “sonic event”!

  Little Flatrock Christian Church’s

Yard Sale/Bake Sale/Car Wash

Conservation Club, Hwy 44 East

Friday, May 11, 8:00 a.m. — 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 12, 8:00 a.m. — ??

Bake Sale and Car Wash Saturday ONLY, starting at 9:00 a.m.

All proceeds benefit the mission teams.

 

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.”   Philippians 2:3-4

We all know that the person who has a strong self-esteem and feeds their ego through self-promotion, often at the expense of others, is not the poster child for biblical humility.  However, biblical humility also isn’t demonstrated through the person who has a low self-esteem, acts humble and shy, and lacks confidence, allowing people to walk all over them.  That’s humiliation.

Truly humble people have a strong self-esteem stemming from knowing who they are in Christ.  A firm grasp of your eternal position as a child of God gives you confidence that you have nothing to lose.  Knowing that your position is not up for grabs affords you the opportunity to put the needs of others above your own.

 

 

In Philippians 2:8 Paul cites Jesus as the poster child for humility: “being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death.”  Jesus, with a strong sense of who he was, put your needs above his own and suffered so that you could gain a relationship with God.  If you want to be like Jesus, take on his brand of humility.

–from The 31 Day Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.”  Philippians 4:5

When you study the virtue of gentleness throughout the Bible, it carries three practical ideas:

• Thoughtfulness — Think before you speak.
• Consideration — Put yourself in other people’s shoes, and give them room to make mistakes.
• Calmness — Don’t raise your voice or tense up your facial muscles.

Because we belong to Christ, these qualities should be evident to everyone who comes in contact with us.

But why does Paul throw in the next sentence? “The Lord is near.”

This can mean one of two things.  Once, the Lord’s return to earth is near.  When Christ returns, we don’t want to be found as harsh, arrogant, uptight, and loud.  Two, it could simply mean that the Lord’s presence is near us right now.  He is watching everything we are doing all the time.

Bottom line, in all of your encounters with people, imagine Jesus in the room with you, because He is in you, and He might actually show up face-to-face in front of you today.  Act accordingly.

— from The 31-Day Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.  Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”  Proverbs 3:3-4

The other day I went to a coffee shop for a meeting.  As I was getting a refill, a young lady sitting at a nearby table called out my name.  Knowing I didn’t recognize her, she introduced herself as Duane Whitfield’s granddaughter.

The first words out of my mouth were, “Anybody connected with Duane Whitfield is a friend of mine.”  Why did I say this?  Because Duane Whitfield has established a good name with me and has simply won my favor.  Over the last seven years I have known this man, he has consistently been an advocate for me.  He has never turned down any of my requests and has actively sought to encourage me and stand up for me. He has been a faithful friend.

I can’t speak for God, but my best guess is that Duane has established a good name with God because he faithfully relies on God’s presence in his life.  Through Duane’s good name, people like me who have been blessed by him extend favor to his offspring.  What a wonderful gift to give to your children.

Everyone has a name, but not everyone has established a good name.  In God’s strength, shoot for a good name.

— from The 31 Day Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.”  1 Thessalonians 5:15

 

Words matter, particularly in the Greek language of the New Testament.  The Greek word Paul used for “wrong” in the verse above is kaka.  Now, that is a perfect choice — “Make sure that nobody pays back kaka for kaka.”  What an awful way to live.

When Paul countered with a word translated “good,” he could have used the Greek word kalos.  It refers to outer beauty.  When you gaze at a sunset, you might say, “That is so kalos.”  If you give a kalos response to someone, you might offer a kind or courteous word on the outside while you are steaming with anger on the inside.  But instead of using kalos, Paul used agathos, which refers to an outward act toward others that is first generated from an inner moral sense of what is right and best for that person.  This inward sense rests in our heart, where the key beliefs of Christianity and Christ himself resides.  Regardless of what people offer us, we offer Jesus back to them.

The next time someone dishes you up a little kaka, don’t repay them with kaka or even some nice kalos.  Go deep into your heart and pull out a serving of agathos.

— from The 31 Day Believe Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.”  Proverbs 14:29

When you think of the virtue of patience, think of a thermometer.  When you are in a situation that pushes your buttons and frustrates you, put a spiritual thermometer under your tongue and monitor how quickly you are burning up with anger.

Developing a resistance and immunity to the bacteria of frustration involved ingesting daily doses of God’s patience toward you.  Aren’t you glad that God cuts you some slack and loves you in spite of your foibles and failures?  In spite of your missteps and mistakes?  As a growing follower of Christ, you long to be like him and offer that same patience to others.

The vision?  The next time you are in that same frustrating situation, place the spiritual thermometer under your tongue again and see if it doesn’t take a bit longer for your temperature to rise.  If that is indeed the case, you will have tangible evidence that you are growing in the virtue of patience.

— from The 31-Day Believe Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.  It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.”  Hebrews 6:19-20

The first-century symbol of Christianity was an anchor, not a cross.  Pictured on the epitaphs of first-, second-, and third-century believers, it symbolized the hope they had in the life beyond because of Christ.  If you look closely, however, you will notice a large portion of the anchor is made up of a cross.  Strangely enough, while chips have changed dramatically since that time, the anchor used today has pretty much remained unchanged from ancient times.

The writer of Hebrews tells us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (13:8).  Much like the anchor.

Life changes from day to day, and turmoil and tempests come with no warning, but Jesus Christ never changes.  You can count on him to hold you steady no matter what the storms of life throw at your boat.  He will hold you secure until the billows have calmed and the skies have cleared.

The cross has always been the anchor of hope for those who believe.  When tempests in life shake your boat, put your hope in the eternal life offered through our anchor, Jesus Christ.

–from The 31 Day Believe Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“The grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”  Titus 2:11-12

There’s a conversation I had with renowned pollster George Gallup, Jr. that I would never forget.  We were working on the assessment tool built around the thirty key ideas found in this devotional.  We were discussing the virtue of self-control, and apparently I was pontificating on how Christians just needed to pull themselves up by their spiritual bootstraps and stop doing things they shouldn’t be doing.  George interrupted me and said, “You’re not an alcoholic, are you?” I answered no.

Then he said, “Well, I am, and so was my father.  When I took my first drink, it affected me differently than most people.  I couldn’t stop.  Even as a Christian, I tried and tried, and I couldn’t lick it.  Then one day I heard Jesus whisper, ‘George, if you never figure this out, it is okay.  I already died for this.’ And I haven’t taken a drink in thirty years.”

It was because of this conversation that we added the words “through Christ” to the key idea below.  The law of “have to” only makes us want to do the things we shouldn’t do more.  But grace, when embraced in our soul, gives us the power to say no to those things that harm us and others.

Jesus offers you the same grace to overcome your greatest temptations.  Hear him whisper this offer to your soul.

I have the power through Christ to control myself.

— from The 31 Day Believe Devotional by Randy and Rozanne Frazee

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6-7

One summer day when I was a kid, I made a bet with two boys I met at the local farmer’s market.  For every ball they hit over the fence, I’d give them fifty cents.  For every ball I hit over he fence, they’d give me five dollars.

Within minutes I was down five dollars.  I said I’d have to go get money at home and return with it.  But I didn’t have five dollars at home, and I had no intention of coming back.  I just ran off and hid in my bedroom with overwhelming anxiety, expecting to live out the rest of my days there.

Two hours later my dad asked me if I owed some boys five dollars.  The thugs had tracked down where I lived.  So I confessed.  He informed me that he’d paid the bill in full, and he hoped I had learned my lesson.  I walked out of that room relieved.  I just wished I had gone to my dad two hours earlier and saved myself from such intense worry and anxiety.

God wants us to do the same thing.  Whenever you feel anxiety or fear, don’t delay. Take it to your Father, and find peace that transcends all understanding.

–from The 31 Day Believe Devotional by Randy & Rozanne Frazee