Peas in a Pod

English peas are one of my favorite vegetables.   Growing up I only avoided them.   Even as I began to have an extensive taste for all kinds of food, that was one I could not like!  Until one day, I was introduced to "fresh" English peas.  These were clearly a world apart, not anything like the canned ones  I had tried.  The taste of the fresh was a delightful surprise, and I've loved them now for many years.  Sometimes I have a hard time finding them and for the last two years, my curb market suppliers have not been able to get them.  Last week I found them at our local grocery store, all shelled and bagged in the organic section.  I paid the price, brought them home, and enjoyed each bite.  It was the first time I had ever bought them shelled.  I've always shelled them and it is a very easy task.  Sometimes you come across one that is kind of old and when you open it, the peas are tiny and shriveled.  But most of the times, the pods are healthy and the peas inside of them are fat, round and yummy.

 As I walked this morning, I was praying for a Bible study group.  I was considering the closeness of the group and praying for a greater unity.  I also prayed for how that is reflected in each life to a world in need.  As I prayed, I thought of the peas in the pod.  We can become very comfortable in our little pods.  We grow, we become secure and protected.  And then sometimes, we become fearful to extend outward.  But if we only stay "peas in a pod", we become dry, limited and shriveled.

I know these kinds of illustrations break down, but only if the peas are cooked, salted, and tasted are they of any good to others.  Trials, the Word and the giving of ourselves are the ways God uses believers in a world hungry for hope.  This is why God doesn't take us up once we are saved.  We are here to be tasted and provide nourishment for a very sick and needy world.  Praise God for His use of us in these things.  As we endure the heat of trials and enjoy the nourishment of the Word, may others "taste",  notice, holiness as we reflect our Lord in our every day routines of life.  May the Holy Spirit be our help moment by moment in this great work.

Devil Run

No, that's not the name of a new, over-the-top, obstacle marathon.  It's what believers in Jesus Christ want the enemy of our souls to do.   As stated in James 4:7, "Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

We have a room in our house with a mirror that I've come to avoid at all costs.  There is much light, and as I've grown older, it's not a pretty sight I see in that mirror.  It shows EVERYTHING!  I had no idea how much I'd changed.  So, over the last year, when I go to that room to clean, I avoid that mirror at all costs.  I want to stay in a good mood so I just do not look at my image in that mirror.  Last week, as I took great pains to avoid it, I literally had to look down in order to clean in front of it.  It occurred to me, the intense effort I was taking in the name of vanity.  And immediately, I thought of sin.  How intensely do I stay away from sin?  I hope I'm this diligent to avoid every aspect of sinfulness in whatever way it manifests itself.

"It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret." (Ephesians 5:12)  We must not think about it, look at it, discuss it or even "mention" it.  "Resist it",  as advised in James, and "the devil will flee from you."