Month: July 2022

The Lack of Agape in a World Apart from Christ

On By Susan Cort JohnsonIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39b

     I have been dwelling on agape love, a selfless love, for a long time. Studying scripture verses, looking up the definition of the Greek words used to define it. The Lord has been bountiful in His help.

     This week He provided more information in a chapter of my Bible study, “Living Wisely” by Cynthia Heald. This author wrote about the difficulty she had loving her father who was an unpredictable man who caused stress. Her way of dealing with the situation was to distance herself from him. But this way of coping was not of God, she wrote. We are to love others as Christ loves us (John 13:34).

     “Christ’s love is unconditional, sacrificial, and everlasting,” wrote Heald. 1

     It is important to understand this love, for it proves to the world we are Christ’s disciples (John 13:35).

     It has nothing to do with how people treat us, but everything to do with how we treat them.

     Reading modern advice columns, I see the lack of agape in the world. Here are a few of the issues that would be easy to resolve with sacrificial love.

     **Neighbors ask this person to take care of their cat but never reciprocate or bring a thank you gift. Often they ask for the favor the night before leaving town. [Tell them it is your pleasure to help them out.]

     **A father keeps sending articles on career advice the recipient finds insulting. Other than the messages he sends, contact is limited. The son or daughter wants to know how to tell their father to stop giving unsolicited advice. [Thank dad for the advice. Regularly invite dad to meet you for coffee, breakfast, or lunch.]

     **When family members came to town, which is a tourist area, one couple let them stay in the motorhome parked in their driveway. This helped their family save money on the price of a hotel. Hospitality was further extended by hooking up water, gas, and electricity to the motorhome. Yet upon their departure, the family members simple stripped the bed before leaving.

Advice was needed on how to let these family members know the motorhome was no longer an option when they came to town. [Continue to be hospitable. Make your motorhome available to out-of-town guests anytime you are in town.]2

     Agape love is not an “if you do this, I’ll do that” kind of love. Yet often we want it to be so, and we justify our response with the term “setting boundaries.” Truthfully, I need to find the scriptural guidelines for this practice because I am not so sure it is currently being used correctly. [I will be writing about what I find.] There are too many severed relationships within Christian families.

     Agape love cannot be practiced apart from Christ for it is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

     Rom 5:5—”Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” NKJV

We cannot expect this love from the world, but we are expected to demonstrate the love of Christ to the world.

Let’s Talk:

Challenge–

In the next few weeks, I am going to be purposely practicing agape love. This entails looking for all the opportunities God presents and charting my response. I will record my reaction, how it is right or wrong according to God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit’s direction on how to show the love of Christ.

Let me know if you will join me in this challenge in the comments below.

References:

1-“Living Wisely, Believing the Truths of Scripture” by Cynthia Heald, NavPress.

2-“Real Simple” magazine March 2022 issue, “Modern Manners.”

©2022 Susan Cort Johnson *All Rights Reserved

We Only Find Extraordinary at the Source

On By Susan Cort JohnsonIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I watch Katie Button pour maple syrup over a grilled goat cheese sandwich. As she picks it up and takes a bite the crust crackles with the impact of her teeth. She chews slowly to savor the flavors before dipping her sandwich in the puddle of syrup left on her plate.

 She has discovered maple syrup has a wide range of flavor profiles. Therefore, it pairs with a variety of foods, not just pancakes.

 Katie, a chef with a passion for food, is investigating maple syrup. Her research and discovery has taken her to a small, specialty syrup maker in upstate New York where she filmed an episode of “From the Source” which airs on the Magnolia Network.

The sap from each Sugar Maple is unique, the flavor changing with the seasons, temperature, barometric pressure, and even the phases of the moon. Therefore, the syrup is never the same, not even when it is tapped from the same tree on a different day. Owners Paul Haldeman and Deanna Nelson process each batch separately to maintain the distinct flavors.

  The business owners say they don’t know what maple syrup tastes like because the flavors change.

“Every batch of maple syrup they make is different from any other batch of maple syrup they have made. And that is completely contrary to what I think of maple syrup,” said Katie while filming the episode.

Each time Katie seeks the source of an ingredient she cooks with, whether honey, salt, cheese, corn, rice, or apples I praise God for His creativity. Only He can make a Sugar Maple produce a different sap every time it is tapped. Ultimately, He is the source.

Discovering and labeling what the trees have done is one of the most exciting parts of the process, according to Deanna. One label reads, “reminiscent of black locust honey… sweet with light fruity aroma, delicate acidity, delicious, with a vanilla note.” A flavor profile is written for every batch of syrup.

 In the Sap House Paul and Deanna are careful not to mask the flavors produced by the trees. They make sure they do not over boil the sap and when it is almost caramelized, they move it to a benching evaporator. Once the sap is officially syrup it is poured into settling jars so the minerals will settle.

They contend it is “pretty magical.” But I know, as I watch the show is not magic but God. Although they seem to be in awe of their trees, they are in awe of God the creator of those Sugar Maples. I pray those who watch the show realize they are witnessing the invisible qualities of God.

 In Scripture we learn that everything God made reveals His invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature (Romans 1:20). God is so creative He never has to repeat what He has done. I have always read there are no two snowflakes alike, but now I know if the maple syrup I pour on my pancakes tastes like the syrup I poured yesterday the unique flavor the tree produced when the sap was drained has been masked. There are no two maple syrups alike. God only does marvelous things.

 I experience extraordinary delight as I watch this show on maple syrup. If sap from a maple tree is this complex, I can’t even imagine the complexity of human beings. It is easy to join the psalmist and state: “Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” (Psalm 139:14)

Let’s Talk

1-What have you discovered about God’s creation that has left you in awe?

2-If snowflakes are each unique and the sap from the maple trees each time it is tapped, what else could be one of kind each time it is formed?

Sharing our stories

On By Susan Cort JohnsonIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I just learned that someone I know was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. A diagnosis that prompts a person to contemplate mortality is not foreign to me. I have passed through those waters. Therefore, I plan to tell her how God sustained me; write down the scriptures I prayed; explain how I knew He had kept His promise to be with me. [Isaiah 43:2]

When we share our stories, faith grows because others gain a greater understanding of God Almighty. God is so vast it is difficult to find words to describe Him, to explain His great care. Yet no matter how inadequate our efforts it is good to try because God wants us to.

Psalm 78:5-7
He planted a witness in Jacob,
set his Word firmly in Israel,
Then commanded our parents
to teach it to their children
6 So the next generation would know,
and all the generations to come —
Know the truth and tell the stories
so their children 7 can trust in God,
Never forget the works of God
but keep his commands to the letter. [The Message]

Telling others what God has done has never been easier. Entire books are written about the marvelous work God did in a writer’s life.

For example, I came across “Life Can be Good Again, Putting Your World Back Together After it all Falls Apart” by Lisa Appelo during her book launch. In it she shares the biblical insight God gave her following the sudden death of her husband, which left her a young widow with seven children. The book isn’t just for widows, but for those who have experienced a massive change in their circumstances and must find firm footing, the means to not just cope but thrive.

Also, we have social media. Many Christians are opposed to interacting on such sites as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter but I see great opportunity. Not only can we post about “the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders [Psalm 78:4 NLT],” we can share what others post and respond to their messages with our own scripture-based insight adding to the wisdom and understanding that might be gleaned.

I am not inclined to comment with hearts, praying hands, or a big thumb pointed upward or another emoji to indicate an emotion. Only when the Holy Spirit gives me a word that will add depth do I respond. Something that will make the conversation more meaningful because social media is meant for interaction.

 Not only do I write blogs, but I also read blogs. One of my favorite websites is livingbydesign.org. Another good website, in my opinion, is Proverbs31.org which offers daily devotions inspired by scripture. Both these sites have Bible studies.

  And Bible studies are another way to share our stories. The chapters and books of the Bible create the theme, but the author helps us apply the lessons by using illustrations from his or her life. Personal stories of biblical application. Group study builds on these stories as participants discuss their answers.

Whether you share your story in a letter, on Facebook, or during a Bible study I hope you will not hold back. Take advantage of all the amazing ways modern society has provided a megaphone to tell people about God and why He is worthy of our praise.

Let’s Talk

1-What personal story can you share that has brought you into a more intimate relationship with God? Perhaps a way He showed you His love, or helped you understand why He is your refuge.

2-How do you use the various storytelling tools we have available in modern society to bring God glory?

References:

1-Passages from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson.

©2022 Susan Cort Johnson *All Rights Reserved

Devotions in All the Spare Moments of the Day

On By Susan Cort JohnsonIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Most mornings I wake at 5 a.m. so I have plenty of time to sit with the Lord before the day begins. I just finished the book of Hebrews in the Bible.

Consistent reading keeps God’s Word constantly before me, so I can practice it as I interact with people.

Author Cynthia Heald wrote, “I need the cutting edge of the Scriptures daily, and I have found that any amount of time I spend reading the Word is always profitable.”1 Her statement referred to Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” NLT

In her book “Living Wisely,” Heald gives a tip I want to share for it helps us consistently study God’s Word. And this ensures it’s written on our heart and ever ready to guide us along the paths of righteousness.

Her suggestion is to create a portable carrying case with a Bible, a notebook or journal, a devotional book, and Bible study or nonfiction, Christian book. She uses a cloth bag, but it could be a backpack, briefcase, or even a small box.

This bag is kept next to the chair she sits in for early morning devotions. But when she leaves the house, it goes with her so she can study whenever time allows providing opportunities throughout the day even when she has sat at Jesus’ feet that morning. She calls this “pitching her tent.”

The concept was gleaned from “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers. Highlighting Genesis 12:8 he wrote that Abraham built an altar and worshipped the Lord between Bethel, a symbol of communion with God, and Ai, a symbol of the world. “Abraham pitched his tent between the two,” wrote Chambers. “We have to pitch our tents where we shall always have quiet times with God, however noisy our times with the world may be.”2

He warned that thinking you missed your chance if a morning slipped by without quiet time was a snare. Heald writes: “The snare was my thinking that if I missed the early-morning quiet time, then I would have to wait until the next morning to spend time with God. It has been freeing to have my tent ready to pitch whenever I can find a few moments to myself in the midst of a busy world.”

During the summer, I am frequently stopped for roadwork as I drive the mountain roads where I live. Waiting for the pilot car to lead my lane of traffic through the construction site can take 10 minutes to a half hour depending on what the crews are doing when I arrive. But the time is well spent for I pitch my tent at traffic stops.

Are you too rushed in the morning to read your Bible? Take your tent with you so you can pitch it during your lunch break, waiting for a flight, or in a doctor’s waiting room. Pitch your tent wherever you are as time allows.

Let’s Talk

1-Have you found you skip reading the Bible if you miss quiet time in the mornings? When might you “pitch your tent” during the day?

2-How has consistently reading your Bible helped you grow in your knowledge of Christ and His ways?

References:

1-“Living Wisely, Believing the Truths of Scripture” by Cynthia Heald a NavPress resource published in alliance with Tyndale House Publishers.

2-“My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers. January 6 devotion.

©2022 Susan Cort Johnson *All Rights Reserved