Livin Lively

By Peggy Lively

            I got an email this week from a friend in ministry and the subject of the email was, “Are you discipling others?” My first thought was, “No” since I am not currently in a one-on-one discipleship relationship or leading a formal mentoring group through my church. Then a few days later, my ten year old daughter saw this email in my inbox as I sat at my laptop.

            She read it as, “Are you discipline-ing others?” and then answered, “You do that with me.” I told her that this is true; I do discipline her when necessary in order to teach her right from wrong and to promote obedience. Then I explained to her that the word was actually, “disciple-ing” and that this means teaching people about Jesus and showing them how to follow Him in their lives. Then her sweet response was the same, “You do that with me.”

            This was such a good reminder to me that discipling others doesn’t always involve a scheduled weekly meeting or a structured group through the church. I am discipling my children every day in the things I say and do and in how I strive to point them to Jesus in all things.

            Are you discipling others? Do you have children that are looking up to you and modeling your behavior? Then encourage them, “Follow me as I follow Jesus.” (I Corinthians 11:1) Do you have a co-worker, a friend, or a family member that respects you and seeks your advice? Then follow Jesus closely, and encourage them to come along. Soon they will begin to follow Him even if you aren’t there to lead them. “When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” (John 10:4) Help them learn how to hear His voice and follow Him.

            Look for opportunities to disciple others throughout your day, for those teaching moments that point to our Savior. Your words may be the very ones to spur someone on to follow Him.

^“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” (Daniel 12:3)

By Peggy Lively

           I am a list maker. I make lists of the tasks I need to do, people I need to call or email, and things I need to get at the store. I make these lists in order to insure that I don’t forget anything important. However, sometimes I forget my lists. Many times I have gotten in the grocery store and realized that I left my list at home, in the car, or misplaced it all together. As a result, if there is something really important that I must not forget, I write it with a permanent marker on the palm of my hand. This way I will see it, and I can’t lose it.

           I thought of this as I read the following verse, “I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” (Isaiah 49:15-16) The Lord is reassuring His people Israel that He will never forget them. If we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, we are His people too and are engraved on the palms of His hands. How are we engraved there? I wonder if the cross has something to do with it. Jesus said, “They have pierced my hands…” (Psalm 22:16) Jesus allowed them to pierce His hands because we were that important to Him. He loved us so much that He made a permanent mark as a reminder, not because He forgets, but because we forget.

          When Thomas doubted Jesus’ resurrection, he wanted to see His hands before He would believe.  He said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” Jesus was happy to comply: “A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:25-28)

          Do you sometimes doubt your worth and your value? Do you wonder how Jesus could really love you? Stop doubting and believe. He has put you on the palms of His hands with a permanent mark as an eternal reminder of how much He loves you…so much that He died for you.

“The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them.” (John 15:13, CEV)

^“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, NIV)

By Peggy Lively           

            I was eating lunch with my husband a few days ago when I made a new friend. We were sitting at a table for two, and he sat in a chair on one side of the table and I sat on the bench side of the table. The bench was a long one which was shared on one side by several different tables. As my husband and I sat talking and eating, suddenly I felt someone nudge up close to me on the bench. It was a cute blonde headed little girl about sixteen months old. Her mother sat at the table next to us and kept calling her back, “Madeline, come here, Madeline,” as she reached out for her to come back. But the more her mother tried to persuade her to come back, the more she clung on to me, a total stranger. She was very cute and sweet, but I thought this was very ironic that she was holding on to me and pulling away from her mother.

            I was flattered that Madeline wanted to hug on me and sit in my lap, but she wasn’t coming to me because she knew me and loved me. She was holding on to me simply because she did not want her mother. Her mother represented authority, and she was rebelling against her even if it meant turning to a total stranger. It was interesting to observe how our human nature even at such a young age has a tendency to rebel against authority. Nobody had to teach Madeline how to do that; it came very naturally.

            Sometimes it is very hard to respect those whom God has put in authority over us. It may be a boss, supervisor, husband, teacher or parent that seems very demanding and unreasonable. Or maybe we just don’t like being told what to do. So, like Madeline, we run away, to something or someone else. We aren’t really concerned with what we are running to as much as what we are running from. However, the Bible tells us that we must obey our leaders and respect their authority (Hebrews 13:17), and that we should pray for those in authority over us. (I Timothy 2:2) When is the last time you prayed for someone in authority over you?

            The Bible also says, “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’” (Matthew 28:18) Jesus is our ultimate authority, so we need to consider how we are responding to Him as well. Are we clinging to Him and His Truths, or are we rebelling and running from His instructions? He knows us better than our own Mothers and loves us more deeply as well.

            This week, think about how you are yielding to Jesus’ Lordship in your life and how you are respecting those whom He has placed in authority over you. I am thankful to my new friend Madeline for reminding me of this life lesson.

By Peggy Lively

            While reading the Christmas story in Luke Chapters 1 and 2, I became increasingly aware that there are two important births foretold and fulfilled in these chapters. In Luke 1:13-15, the birth of John the Baptist is foretold to Zechariah: “But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.’” Then just 14 verses later, the birth of Jesus is foretold to Mary: “The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.’” (Luke 1:30-32) The angel informs Mary that Elizabeth is going to have a baby too, and that she is already in her sixth month. So Mary hurries to visit Elizabeth, and she barely enters Zechariah’s home when Elizabeth shouts out to her. “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!’” (John 1:41-42) So here at this meeting is Jesus and John the Baptist, womb to womb.

            The birth of John the Baptist is recorded in this same chapter, “When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.” (Luke 1:57) Then the birth of Jesus is recorded just 25 verses later, at the beginning of chapter 2. “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:6-7)

            The significance of these two births is found in the importance of their relationship. John and Jesus did not grow up together, nor did they know each other until they were about 30 years old. (Luke 3:23) It says that John, “grew and became strong in spirit, and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.” (Luke 1:80) In fact, John says he would not have even known Jesus if it had not been for the sign of the dove: “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.’ Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:29-34)

            John’s whole life purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus. He was, “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” (Matthew 3:3) When people wondered if John himself might be the Christ, he answered them saying, “I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.” (John 3:28) “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Luke 3:16) John continually pointed to Jesus, saying, “He must become greater; I must become less.” John “exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.” (Luke 3:18)

Jesus promises that He will return again, how are we preparing the way for Him? Are we continually pointing to Him, preaching the good news to all people?

             As we honor the birth of our Savior, let us also consider the birth of His servant John and how we might be like him, preparing the way for our Lord. Jesus spoke of John saying, ^“I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John.” (Luke 7:28)

Have a very blessed Christmas!

By Peggy Lively

            For the last few months, I have been working through Beth Moore’s Bible study on the book of Revelation. One of the verses we examined in our homework was Revelation 16:15: “Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.” Moore’s question regarding this verse asks, “What do you think the terminology means in reference to not being found naked?”

            As I thought about the answer to this question, I looked up several verses in the Bible that tell us how we are to “clothe” ourselves. One of the verses I found says, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12) Then I also found Romans 13:14 which tells us, “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

            As I looked at Revelation 16:15 again, I also thought about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They did not realize that they were naked, and they were not ashamed until sin entered into the picture. “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” (Genesis 3:6-7) So if through sin, we become “naked,” then we have to find a way to clothe ourselves because all of us have sinned. (Romans 3:23) The only way to adequately cover our sin, or clothe ourselves, is in Jesus Christ.“Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:16-17, NLT)

          While it is important for us to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, it is even more important that we clothe ourselves with Jesus Christ. Then on that day when He returns like a thief in the night, we will not be found naked. We will be found in Him.

          At the end of time, when the wedding of the Lamb (Jesus) and His bride (His Church, His people) takes place, He will give us what we need to wear: “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” (Revelation 19:7-8, NASV) Therefore, put your trust in Jesus, clothe yourself in Him. “Salvation is found in no one else.” (Acts 4:12)

“He has clothed me with garments of salvation.” Isaiah 61:10

By Peggy Lively

          A member of our extended Lively family died unexpectedly and suddenly in her sleep last week and yesterday we went to the funeral. The pastor read a verse during the service that stuck with me as we left to return home. It was Psalm 116:15, “The Lord cares deeply when his loved ones die.” (NLT) Another version says, “How painful it is to the Lord when one of his people dies!”  

          I had been thinking about this idea of God being sad or grieving when His children die because I had just been to another funeral a week earlier. It was the death of a friend’s father who had been killed in an accident. At his memorial service, our pastor said that he believes God is sad about the death of His children, and that He grieves with us when they die. In addition to these funerals, I had also talked with a friend last week who lost her 33 year old son-in-law in a tragic accident about 5 years ago. She said the same thing. She said, “I have to believe that God is really sad about his death too.” I never really thought about God being sad when His loved ones die because it is then that He finally gets to be with them. Yet death is a result of sin, and was never a part of God’s original plan. Therefore, I think He must grieve at the death of a teenager in a car wreck, a child in a hunting accident, a young mom to cancer, or a father to a heart attack.

          “Jesus wept” (John 11:35) when his friend Lazarus died even though He knew He was going to raise him from the dead. Again, death was not part of God’s perfect design; it is the result of sin, and that’s why He sent Jesus to defeat it on the cross. Death grieves His heart, and He grieves and hurts with His children when they lose someone they love. I believe He “weeps with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15)

          So if you are spending this Thanksgiving and holiday season without a loved one this year, remember that God grieves with you and that He is with you to comfort you. Then encourage someone else with these words. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (II Corinthians 1:3-4)

Have a very blessed Thanksgiving

By Peggy Lively

            I read a verse this week that caught my attention, so I began to look more carefully at what it says and means. It reads: “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (I Peter 1:13) As I read, I noticed that there are three distinct instructions given in this one verse.

            The first instruction is, “prepare your minds for action.” We must actively engage our minds as we walk and grow in our faith. Paul reminds us, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2) Jesus tells us, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)  Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” And Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Our minds play a very active role in our faith, so we must prepare and protect them by studying God’s Word and intentionally focusing on Him.   I Peter 4:7 says, “Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.” Not only do we need to engage our minds, we also need to control our actions. This brings us to the second instruction of I Peter 1:13, “Be self-controlled.”

            Self-control is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, so if we are living by the Spirit and keeping in step with the Spirit, self-control should become more and more evident in our lives. (Galatians 5:23-25) As indicated in I Peter 4:7, self-control is needed so that we can pray, but it is also necessary for resisting the temptations of Satan.“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8) Self-control, through prayer and relying on God’s power, will protect us from the enemy’s attacks. And it is relying fully on God that is the third instruction of I Peter 1:13.

            We are told, “Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” As I read this, I focused on the words, “hope fully.” These two words seem to have different meanings when they are together and apart. “Hopefully” seems to indicate a possibility, but no certainty. Yet to “hope fully” is to put complete confidence and trust in something or someone. So in the context of this verse, even though we are told to participate actively in our faith with our minds and our actions, we do not put our hope in these things for our salvation. Instead of saying, “Hopefully, my knowledge of God and my good deeds are enough to save me,” we can confidently say, “I rest my hope fully on the grace of God to save me!” God’s Word tells us, ^“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

            So prepare, protect and participate actively with your mind; be self-controlled so that you can pray and resist temptation, but rest your hope fully on God’s grace to save you. His grace is sufficient.

“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” (II Thessalonians 2:16-17)

By Peggy Lively

          I stopped along the road yesterday and took this picture; it is the carcass of a raccoon surrounded by vultures. This is a common sight around where I live. It seems that there is always a possum, armadillo, raccoon, or some poor animal that has fallen victim to the road side. I took this picture because recently I have been thinking about a passage of scripture that uses this analogy, and I was trying to figure out what it is supposed to mean. In Matthew 24, Jesus is speaking about the end of times, and this is what He says:

²³ At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. ²⁵ See, I have told you ahead of time.²⁶ “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷ For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.” (Matthew 24:23-28.)

            I have always believed the “carcass” to represent the false prophets mentioned in these verses, and the vultures to symbolize the many people that will flock to them being deceived and resulting only in death. Jesus warns us that if people say they have found the physical person of Christ, do not believe them. Just because a large number of people may follow a person that claims to be the Christ, does not mean it is the Truth. Jesus goes on to say that His return will be very visible in the sky just like lightening is visible to all. We don’t have to worry if we are going to miss His return; we will see Him!

          One Bible commentary explained the meaning of this verse as just a comparison of how obvious the coming of Jesus will be. It is obvious to me that when I see a circle of vultures on the ground that there is a carcass in the middle of them, even if I don’t see the carcass. The coming of Jesus will be very obvious to all; we won’t have to try and guess what is going on.

            Whatever the symbolism is meant to be, the good news is that Jesus will return in a very visible way that we won’t be able to doubt. So if you have to question if someone might be the Christ, then they are not. Jesus will not be out in the desert, in a church building, on the street corner, or in a hidden room. Our Savior will make a grand entrance when He returns:

“The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.” (Mark 13:24-27)

By Peggy Lively

           In Houston, Texas, we have a large Mexican population, and they have a very good reputation for being diligent workers. They work long, hard hours until they get the job done. However, in the middle of the afternoon, it is not unusual to see eight to ten Mexicans lying in the grass underneath a tree sleeping. I’ve often wondered if this is the secret to their productivity, balancing work with rest. We all might be more effective if we got adequate sleep.

           I believe many Americans are so sleep-deprived that they can hardly function. For example, one day I was in line checking out at a drug store, and there was a lady being helped in front of me. She looked back at me and then back at the cashier. Because I didn’t think she spoke English, I just looked at her like, “I don’t know.” Then she looked again at the cashier with a worried look on her face. As I looked at the cashier, I noticed she was holding the scanner in one hand and an item in the other hand and was completely still. I watched her for about ten seconds and realized that she wasn’t moving at all. Then I got concerned and asked her, “Are you okay?” She shook her head, coming out of her trance, and said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I was up most of the night last night, so I didn’t get very much sleep.” She had fallen asleep right in the middle of scanning an item!

           How many of us really get adequate sleep? There is a hotel that advertizes, “Get a better 6,” meaning 6 hours of sleep. For me, a “better 6” is more like 8. We may not be able to take a nap in the middle of the afternoon, but most of us deprive ourselves of the rest our body really needs.

           In the Old Testament, observing the Sabbath (a day of rest) was very serious business. Those who did not observe the Sabbath were punishable by death.  “For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.” (Exodus 31:15) God set the example for us by resting on the seventh day after He created all things: “…for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested.” (Exodus 31:17) All powerful, almighty God did not need to rest, but He observed and established a day of rest for mankind. In Leviticus, God even instructs Moses that the land itself must observe a Sabbath, for a whole year: “When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the LORD. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a Sabbath of rest, a Sabbath to the LORD.” (Leviticus 25:1-7) Realize that when the land rested, all those who worked the land rested too, for a whole year. This also made them dependent on God to provide their food for them. God said, “Whatever the land yields during the Sabbath year will be food for you.” (Leviticus 25:6) I believe that is part of God’s purpose in instructing us to rest, so that we will rely upon Him more and our own work ethic less. So we will trust Him to provide for our needs.

           Are you resting in the Lord? When is your Sabbath? It may not be on Sunday, but find a time to rest in Him. Trust Him to honor your rest and to provide for you as you depend on Him.

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: ”In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15)

By Peggy Lively

            On Sunday night, almost 2 weeks ago, my husband and I were sitting on the couch talking and watching TV. I thought I heard a car door in our driveway and asked him if his truck was locked. Neither one of us got up to check it out, just dismissing it as maybe the neighbor’s car or a car in the street. Soon after that, I locked both our car doors and latched the gate coming into our backyard. Unfortunately, it was too late.

            The next morning, my husband discovered that someone had been in his truck and taken whatever valuables they could find: his wallet, two expensive pairs of sunglasses, his cell phone and a spare key to my car. It was so frustrating that we were home sitting about thirty feet away as they helped themselves to whatever they wanted. We made it so easy for them.

            That same Sunday, my husband had just returned from leading a weekend camp for the student ministry at our church. They had joined with another church and together took almost 200 students. As I reflected on his amazing weekend of ministry and then being robbed on the same night, it seemed very much like a spiritual attack to me. As I contemplated this, I thought of John 10:10 which says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” It was a spiritual attack. That is the goal of Satan, our Enemy, to steal and to destroy, in whatever form it may come in. Anything in this life that works to that end is from him. Sickness, death, and destruction entered this world when sin entered this world by Satan’s introduction in the Garden of Eden. Our world today is not the way that God created or intended it to be.

           In the rest of John 10:10, Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The message version says, “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. “ They are the complete antithesis of each other. So be careful not to blame God for Satan’s handiwork. Thank God that He is capable of bringing good out of Satan’s evil intentions, as He did for Joseph: ^“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20) Somehow, God in His sovereignty and His grace is capable of bringing good out of the worst of circumstances for those who love Him. “And we 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) As long as we are following God and living according to His word, His intentions are never to destroy us. He longs to give us life to the fullest, real and eternal life.

          If you are questioning why things are happening in your life today, trust God that He is big enough and sovereign enough to somehow bring good out of your circumstance. Seek Him with all your heart, and He will give you life better than you ever dreamed of.