Okay,
nothing as embarrassing (but, clearly needed) as a spiritual time out.
Not too long
ago, I woke up complaining. It’s a nasty habit I need to break, for sure. But,
I clearly heard God say to me, “If you’re complaining about someone, you’re not
praying for them. If you were sincerely praying for them, you wouldn’t want to
hinder those prayers with doubt, unbelief, grumblings and complaining.” Ouch!
Proverbs 3:12 tells us plainly, “For
whom the Lord loves, he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he
delights.” (KJV)
Of course,
He’s right. He’s always right. Those are the arguments we can’t win, there’s no
defense when God points out something like that. Conviction sets in, repentance
falls from your heart and you start over, yet again.
(photo from parents.com)
Makes me ponder
the point: how many of our prayers go unanswered because we ask amiss. (“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask
amiss….” – James 4:3 KJV) Surely, it would be considered asking amiss to
pray and complain about the same person/situation.
Do you have
that one person or situation you find yourself complaining about a lot? In the
Old Testament, God became so angry with the Israelites for grumbling and
complaining that the ground opened up and swallowed a bunch of them. (Numbers
16)
Thank God for the covenant of grace!
I just
wanted to share this “spanking” with all of you, so that God doesn’t have to
chastise you, too. Or, perhaps, so that He can use this blog post to do the
chastising for Him.
Heads up:
Complaining and praying do NOT go hand in hand.
Mark 11:24-26 “Therefore I say unto
you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them,
and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought
against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your
trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in
heaven forgive your trespasses.” Mark 11:24-26 (KJV)
Matthew
5:23-24 “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest
that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the
altar, and go they way; first be reconciled to they brother, and then come and
offer thy gift.” Matthew 5:23-24 (KJV)
This is my Christmas story, I've share it before - but, here it is again. However you imagine the hammer used to nail Jesus to the cross, here's the story inspired in me many years ago. I hope you love it as much as I do....and the songs that follow the blog post.
(picture from ispygod.net)
The Hammer
by Helen Williams!
Since Mary and Joseph had been
turned away from all the inns and told they could stay in a barn and that their
child could sleep in the newly made manger when he was born, that’s where they
found themselves the next morning. Their child had been born late in the night,
a boy child. They named him Jesus. He lay quietly on a bed of hay in the
manger. As Mary sat there watching him sleep, she couldn’t help but notice what
a beautiful manger it was. Considering it was built to hold hay for the cows,
she wondered why its maker took such care and put so much delicate work into it.
Her husband, being a carpenter, might know. She called it to his attention and
asked him why he thought the carpenter that built it would have made it so ornate.
‘Well, either he just takes a lot
of pride in his work, no matter what he’s making, or he had nothing much else
to do and decided to put all that detail there to keep himself busy. Or perhaps
God told him that our child – His child, would lay there. Only the carpenter
himself knows. And yes, he did a wonderful job on it. But we’ll probably never
know who made it, dear.’
As he was answering Mary some
straw from the hayloft sifted through the boards and they heard a rustling
coming from above.
‘But then again,’ he whispered,
‘one never knows.’
He tiptoed around to the steps
that led to the hayloft and as quietly as he could, climbed them. When he got
to the top he boldly asked, ‘Who’s up here?’
He waited for an answer. At first
there was silence. But when he saw the straw moving, he asked, ‘Shall I come
see for myself?’
At that, the straw moved a lot
and from it emerged an old man. He tried to stand, but lost his footing and sat
down.
‘Hello, master. It is only I, the
keeper of the animals. I mean you no harm. I sleep here alone. I’ll be on my
way about with my chores now.’
He got up and hobbled to the top
of the steps as Joseph descended. He came down slowly. By the time he reached
the last step, Mary eagerly asked him if he knew who had made the beautiful
manger.
He nodded his head. ‘It was I,
ma’am.’
Mary noticed that even though he
was on the ground now, he didn’t stand up straight. She complimented the
craftsmanship he’d so skillfully used on the manger but had to ask, ‘Why did
you make it so special? A manger is for animals to eat from. You made it look
like a piece of furniture for a king’s house.’
‘Ah yes, ma’am. I did make
furniture for the king’s palace, and he did like it to be perfect. I can still
work as well as I used to, even though I’m all bent over now. So my work
carries on. Though the only job I could get was here. You see ma’am, once
you’ve worked for the king and been let go, no one wants you. I’m a reproach
among men and they don’t even know why. The king didn’t like the way I look. When
I was young and strong looking they liked to have me as the king’s carpenter.
But as I’ve aged, time has not been so kind to me. The longer I live, the more
bent over I stay. When the king dismissed me no one would even look at me. I
felt as though he’d spit on me. All I managed to bring with me was that big ol’
hammer there.’
(picture from pinterest.com)
He pointed it out. ‘So now, you
must know that God’s hand is upon me for me to make such a craft using such a
big hammer. The other tools I use, I’ve made myself. They too are meager, but
that big hammer was once in the king’s carpenter shop. I guess it’s rather
special to me. I worked there a long time.’
As he rambled on, he came nearer
to the baby and was straining his neck to see him. Joseph sat down behind Mary,
putting his hand on her shoulder. They both smiled at the man. Mary asked,
‘Would you like to see our baby? Come closer. He seems to have awakened by your
voice, but he’ll not cry.’
‘Why, his eyes are opened and
he’s just a newborn. I’ve never seen the likes of him,’ he chuckled. ‘It looks
as though he’s looking right up at me, almost as if he knows me. Cute little
boy. What did you name him?’
Joseph spoke up, ‘His name is
Jesus. Come closer. Would you like to hold him?’
‘Oh, you can’t trust my back. I
don’t think I should.’ But there was a look of yearning in his eyes.
‘God’s hand is upon you,
remember? You said so yourself. Pick him up and hold him close,’ Mary said.
The old man came closer and bent
over to pick him up, praying he’d be able to hold the boy Jesus. As he stood
up, he kept straightening himself to a standing position. At first he didn’t
even realize he stood up straight, as he did in his youth. He smiled at the
child and talked to him ever so quietly. He looked at Mary and said, ‘If I
didn’t know better, I’d think he was trying to tell me that he knows me. Just
the wishing of an old man…’ His voice trailed off.
Suddenly realizing he was
standing tall, he exclaimed, ‘Why, little Jesus, if you could see me now! I’m
standing again! It’s a miracle!’
He held the baby close to himself
and began to dance around the room. Joseph smiled at Mary and she said, ‘It’s
not the first one to happen in this barn.’
After returning the baby to the
manger, the man said, ‘I’m blessed by the hand of God, indeed. I can’t repay God
for the miracle He’s done in my life, but I do want you to take my hammer with
you when you go. I want you to teach this young child to be a good carpenter.
As he grows, show him how to bring life to something as simple as a piece of
wood. And tell him about me when he’s older. And tell him about the manger.
And, I wish I could tell him myself. If you were going to be around for a
while, I’d make him something to take with him, from me. But I’m sure you’ll be
moving on shortly here. So take the hammer, please. The hammer reminded me of
when I worked for the king. But my walk will remind everyone that I walk for
the king, now.
His eyes gleamed with joy and
delight.
Joseph accepted the hammer from
the old man and promised that it would be Jesus’ to use as he grew, knowing
that he’d have to be quite a little man to swing that hammer. It was a big one,
indeed.
When Jesus was big enough to
swing the hammer, the first thing he made was a manger for his donkey to eat
from. He took time and care and lovingly made it after the pattern his mother had
described so many times. When he’d completed his work, he called his mother to
see it. He led her by the hand into the workshop where he and his father worked
so diligently. She was proud of his work and her eyes filled with tears.
Jesus said, ‘Mother, if my donkey
can come into the house, we can keep it there! It does look beautiful enough
for a king’s house, doesn’t it?’
‘It sure does, my son. But the
donkey stays outside. We’ll keep the manger forever. It will remind us how our
heavenly Father wants us humbled before Him, so He can lift us up with His
blessings. The manger you laid in was truly a blessing, to me, as well as to
the old man. I wanted you to have the best, but God wanted you to be born in a
barn. But in the midst of that barn, He let us know that He was there with us.
Oh my Jesus, I love you.’ She hugged him tight.
As Jesus grew older, he grew in
the wisdom of God and in love. He always showed his love, never esteeming
himself more highly than others. He knew that it was better to give than to
receive and he knew that he would give the ultimate display of love at the
appointed time. He knew that when you lend, expect not to receive back what
you’ve lent. And he always gave his best, which is why when a city boy came out
to where Jesus lived, looking for the biggest and heaviest hammer he could
find, Jesus gave him his.
The boy told him, ‘My father is
the biggest man in the city and he has a big job to do. I told him that I would
find just the right hammer for the job and I’ll keep looking until I do.’
Jesus stopped him and said, ‘Why
did you promise to find this special hammer for your father?’
‘Wouldn’t you?’ the boy replied.
‘Besides,’ he added with a whisper, ‘if I do bring home the perfect hammer, he
won’t send my mother and me away.’
(picture from icollector.com)
Jesus told him, ‘Well, you’ll
need a little help to carry my hammer. It’s very big; just right for that big
job. I’ll help you carry it.’
They walked together for almost a
mile. Pointing, the boy announced, ‘There’s my father. We live over there. He
will be please. Would you like to meet him? Come on.’
The boy ran ahead of Jesus,
calling to his father. Looking up, he saw them coming.
‘I’ve found the biggest and best
hammer for you, Father!’
His father looked at Jesus and
furrowed his brow. ‘Do I know you? You look so familiar. Your look says you
know me.’
‘No,’ Jesus replied, ‘you don’t
know me yet.’
He handed him the hammer and
shook his other hand. After Jesus turned to walk away, the man looked at his
hand, the one that held onto Jesus’, running his fingers over the palm as if he
were feeling for something.
‘He was a big man, wasn’t he,
Father? He sure had a big hammer, and he gave it to us, Father!’
Years later on a hill called
Golgotha, Jesus saw that hammer again, and it was being used for a big job
alright. After the soldier swung the last blow of the hammer, he looked at the
man he was nailing to the cross. His eyes filled with horror as he recognized
his face. He fell to his knees but quickly got back up before anyone would
realize that his heart was being pierced. It seemed like forever as he looked
into Jesus’ eyes, everything he’d ever done came up in his mind. He felt so
helpless and he somehow knew why.
(picture from pinterest.com)
Jesus said to him, so quietly
that no one else heard, ‘Now, you know me. And yes, I’ve always known you, and
I love you.’
It was no coincidence that his
marriage was mended from the day he received that.
It was no coincidence that his
son was standing there beside him, also in a Roman soldier’s uniform.
He dropped the hammer and walked
away from the cross, looking back only once. In his heart he grieved. But he
knew that God knew of his grief when Jesus cried aloud from the cross in the
air, ‘Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.’
He followed after the disciples –
forgiven and alive for the first time in his life.
Have you yet to hold that hammer
in your hand?
The house the King desires to
live in is your heart. What have you let Him build there – with His hammer?
When we’ve called ourselves Christians
for a long time, but no one around us has a clue that we profess Jesus Christ
is Lord, it can be an awkward step to speak out about our faith and to walk it
out in front of our friends.
What better time to take advantage of
the holiday season? Blame it on Christmas! Speak out a little bolder, give a
little more generously, love a little more freely – and blame it on Christmas. Jesus
IS the reason for the season, take advantage of that.
Speakers sometimes brings up the
challenge, “If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough
evidence to convict you?” Does it make you feel a little uncomfortable, do you
squirm in your seat a little more than usual? Do you wonder? Where is your
evidence?
(picture from lpcso.org)
In James we read, “What
does it profit, my brethren, if
someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked
and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and
filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body,
what does it profit? Thus, also faith by itself, if
it does not have works, is dead.
But someone will say,
“You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without yourworks, and I will show you my faith by my
works. You believe that there is on God. You do well. Even the demons believe - and tremble! (James 2:14-10 NKJV)
Yes, our faith empowers our works.
Without faith in God, nothing we accomplish will mean a thing throughout
eternity.
(picture from pinterest.com)
It’s time for your big break, hide
behind the mantel of the season, if need be, but exercise your faith. Speak up
when conversations or situations make you uneasy; it’s the Spirit of God inside
of you moving you to speak, to take action.
When you feel that nudge from God –
blame it on Christmas!
