Uplift Radio
The Smell Test
When you’re grocery shopping, do you smell fruit, such as cantaloupe or peaches to determine if they’re ripe? I remember the first time I saw someone hold a cantaloupe close to her nose. After she placed it in her basket, I decided to try the smell test. The first cantaloupe I held close to my nose had zero fragrance. I returned it and reached for another one, wondering if the smell test was bogus. But as I held the second one close to my nose, I was pleasantly surprised. It had a sweet aroma. That evening, when I took a bite, I wasn’t disappointed. It’s taste matched it’s smell. Second Corinthians 2:15 says that Christians are a fragrance of Christ to God and to others. In other words, as we move about and connect with people, they get a whiff of us. I wonder. Do they smell the sweet presence of Jesus or, do they get a whiff of our anxiousness, impatience, or sin? To find out how you can become a sweet aroma of Christ, please click HERE.
The Why Behind This Plant
Have you noticed how stores are filling with poinsettias and people are using them to decorate? The poinsettia, also called the Christmas Flower or Christmas Star, reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas. Why? The red petals point to the reason Jesus came from heaven – to take our sin and judgment on His holy body and die in our place on the cross. The green leaves? They point to the gift of eternal life in heaven God gives us when we place our faith in Jesus. The gold crowned center of the poinsettia reminds us that Jesus is the crowned King of heaven, and one day, we will bow before Him. In the midst of shopping and parties, the poinsettia reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas as stated in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” To learn more about Jesus and why we celebrate His birth, visit debbietaylorwilliams.com.
Why Did I Do That?
Have you ever done something and immediately afterwards you said, “Shoot! Why did I do that?” That happened to me the other day. I’d tackled a stack of papers that had accumulated on my desk – you know – the to dos, notes to myself; as well as important papers like bills. I was quite pleased with the amount I’d shredded. Then, after writing out a check and looking for the self-addressed envelope, I realized I’d shredded it, too. My haste had made waste. It caused me to stop and think about how I handle my days. Am I running around so busily that in my haste I waste precious time that could be spent with my Heavenly Father in prayer and meditating on the important truths in the Bible? If you, like me, don’t want to get to the end of your life and realize that in your daily haste you wasted time that could have been spent in prayer and Bible reading, please join me HERE.
Are You a Fisherman?
“Are you a fisherman?” someone asked after I’d shared that my husband and I’d fished on our vacation. “Yes! I love to fish.” “So do you fly fish,” my friend questioned. “I do,” I replied, noticing by his, “hymph” that he was a little surprised. Then, I decided I needed to clarify. “Well, I like to cast and I like to catch fish, but I really don’t take the fish off the hook. And, I need someone to tell me what bait to use.” The more I thought about it, I wondered if I should even say I’m a fisherman. That caused me to realize that sometimes in the United States we use the word “Christian” rather loosely like I rather loosely said I’m a fisherman. What does it mean to be a Christian? Well, certainly not just showing up at a church building a couple of times a year. Christ defined His followers as those who actually followed His teachings. If you’d like to know more about what it means to be a Christian, please click HERE.
Good to the Core
A few mornings ago as my husband headed out the door, I said, “Hey honi, want an apple to take with you? I was really surprised when he looked at me and said, “No! Those apples are horrible.” I was shocked. Organic. Firm to the touch. I decided to try it for myself. I took a bite and ugh, he was right. It was mushy on the inside. You know, it’s really not how we appear on the outside that counts as much as whether or not we have goodness on the inside. There’s only one person who can make us good on the inside and that’s Jesus.
Lord, thank you for making us good on the inside.
Eyes in the Back of Your Head
The other day my daughter shared with me that when her son was little, he started looking through the back of her hair. His little fingers were just combing through it, separating each strand. She said, “Hudson, what are you doing?” He said, “I’m looking for the eyes in the back of your head. haha He was so accustomed to her being able to know what he was doing even when she wasn’t looking at him, that she’d kiddingly explained, as many of us parents have, “I can see you. I have eyes in the back of my head.” Well, we parents certainly wish we did have eyes in the back of our head so we could watch out for our little children and warn them if they were getting into something they shouldn’t or about to hurt themselves. No, parents don’t have that capability, but there is someone who does. Our Heavenly Father. He watches out for us and over us. Learn more about how God is our Rear Guard.
Thank You, Lord, for watching out for us and over us.