Category: Love

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The Last Word

The Last Word
Do you remember life at Age 3? Probably not, but, if you’re a parent, I imagine you do remember what your child was like at Age 3. Their vocabulary can be quite entertaining! A three-year-old can certainly push the boundaries of independence as they seek to have the last word.

Who’s the Boss?

My husband witnessed this firsthand when our neighbor brought her grandson over for a swim recently. He later shared the story with me, and we’ve been chuckling ever since. Apparently, it was time to go home, but the little guy was having none of that. As 3-year-olds do, he threw a bit of a fit. He said, “I’m NOT going home, and THAT’S that!” He may not have had the last word, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort.
We’ve been getting mileage out of that little boy’s statement ever since. I’m NOT fill in the blank and THAT’S that! God reminded me through this story that I’m not so different. I’m no longer three and may not use that same lingo, but I can display that same level of disobedience quite easily. How about you?
Just as any parent, God desires obedience from His children too.
And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
‭‭2 John‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Disobedience = Sin

I fall short. Very. Short. We all do. They call that sin. Sin separates us from God. It took the blood of His Son, Jesus, the final and perfect sacrifice, to restore us to a right relationship with Him.
This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.
‭‭ Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭25 NIV‬‬

No Greater Love

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
‭‭ 1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Our Heavenly Father gave us something priceless, Jesus, in exchange for something worthless, our sin. Why? I can just hear His response—“because I love you, and THAT’S that!” God ALWAYS has the last word. Aren’t you glad?
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Lessons from the Ballpark – Part II

As a booster, whether working as an usher, greeter, program salesperson or in some other capacity, our job is to create “WOW” moments for all those who enter the ballpark gates. The goal is to treat fans to such exceptional service that we leave them speechless! Though easier said than done at times, we strive to make that happen.

Rising to the Challenge

As supervisor of the ushers, I got an up close and personal look at a variety of situations encountered by our ushers, presenting them with an opportunity to create that WOW moment. It was gratifying to witness the different ways our boosters stepped up and met the challenge.

Sun vs. Shade

I won’t bore you with the many different scenarios that crop up over the course of the season, but I will share one with you. Weather makes ALL the difference at the ballpark. A seat in the sun is the preferred location some days. But on other days, that same seat causes misery. The same is true of the seats in the shade. Obviously, the weather is beyond our control; however, depending on the size of the crowd, we are sometimes able to relocate fans to a more desirable seat. No matter the situation, some ushers are more lenient than others regarding people not sitting in their ticketed seat. That’s just an observation, not condemnation or approval of the practice. I’ve been on both sides of that scenario and there really is no “one size fits all” approach.

Lesson II

My next revelation formulated during Spring Training applies to that situation and every other one that presented itself throughout the season. Here’s what I decided:
If we all treated others the way that we’d want to be treated, a lot of problems could be avoided.
I believe Jesus told us as much! In what is referred to as the Golden Rule, Jesus had this to say:
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”
‭‭ Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬
As I write this, I can almost hear Pastor Dave saying, “It’s simple, but it ain’t easy.” How true! Have you noticed that it’s easier to receive grace than extend it? Me too.
No matter our role, this should be our goal. Jesus set the bar high. Let’s reach for the sky!
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The Identity Property

Lesson 1-8 Properties of Real Numbers - ppt video online download

I wrote about the Division Property of Zero in my most recent blog post and that got me thinking about other math properties that I teach my students. The Identity Property is one of them. In mathematics, an identity is defined as a transformation that leaves an object unchanged. With regard to addition, that would be zero (13 + 0 = 13), and in multiplication, it is one (13 x 1 = 13). The best way I found to explain it is by asking my students what they see when they look in a mirror. Answer: Themselves! That’s their identity. Or is it? 

What is Your Identity?

When it comes to Jesus, He has a knack for turning things upside down, including the Identity Property! As Christ followers, we choose to put our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Our identity is found in Him and Him alone. 

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

‭‭ John‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Out with the Old, In with the New

We are a child of God, a new creation, redeemed and forgiven. Unlike a mathematical identity, when one’s identity is found in Christ it is a transformation that leaves us radically changed! 

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

All Because of Jesus

Our new life would not be possible without Jesus. Keep that in mind as you gather with friends and family to celebrate His birth in the coming days. 

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

‭‭ Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Ultimate Gift

That is cause for celebration! Jesus truly is the Ultimate Gift, one to be treasured anew each day. 

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

‭‭ Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Image result for merry christmas clip art images

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Division By Zero

Impossible!

As most of you know, I teach developmental math at the community college. My basic math class took a test on whole numbers and integers recently and one of the concepts included on that exam was division by zero.

The Division Property of Zero

Ready for a math lesson? Zero divided by any nonzero number is zero. But dividing BY zero is a whole different story. I illustrate this idea to my students with a cookie analogy. If I bring ZERO cookies to class to divide among my students, how many cookies does each student receive? NONE! However, what if I bring 2 dozen cookies to share with my students and no one shows up? (Believe it or not, that HAS happened—the last part anyhow) I can’t share them, can I? No, I just end up eating too much! Anything divided by zero is undefined in the world of math.

Division Abounds

Let’s apply that concept to the world in general. I think we would all agree that there is no shortage of division in this world. If that doesn’t affect you, then let’s narrow the scope. Is there division in your country, state, county, community? How about in your church or school? Have you been affected by it? What about your neighborhood, your family, or even your own home? I suspect everyone is affected by division every single day on some level simply because we live in a fallen world.

The Division Property of Zero: A Real-Life Application

On the way to class on the morning of that exam, God provided me with a revelation and consequently some writing material. You know I’m always looking for that, not to mention the time to put it into words. With division apparent at seemingly every turn these days, just remember this math lesson. You CANNOT divide by zero. It is undefined. If NO ONE participates, division is NOT possible. Think about that.

The Opposite of Division = Unity

God has a better way. He calls it unity. In God’s perfect timing, the verse of the day as I sat down to finish this post is Galatians 3:28. It reads:

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Because of God’s amazing grace, we all stand on equal footing no matter our age, race, gender, social status, political beliefs, etc. No matter what, we are all ONE before God, standing on a level playing field created by Jesus.

Achieving Unity

As Christians, we are called to live out that unity here on earth. What does that look like? It certainly is not easy, but we have been given some instructions.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Colossians 3:12-14 (NIV)

I believe we’ve been called to a higher standard as children of God. After all, we are a new creation in Christ Jesus. We have the power of the Holy Spirit at our disposal 24/7 to guide and direct us. As we sang in church just this past Sunday, “they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” That should be the goal!

Doing Our Part

Let’s strive for unity right where we’ve been planted. Remember, division is not possible if no one participates! I am going to put forth a more conscious effort not to engage in any activity that promotes division. To use more math lingo, I want to be part of the solution, not the problem. Will you join me?