A Weekly Walk in the Word

Proverbs 22:1  A good name is more desirable than great riches: to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

The evening routine at the Playter home has changed this past week. Every night after dinner, we come together to cheer and watch the Olympic athletes on TV. It seems as if the world has slowed down a little to come together to watch their team compete for the coveted gold medal.

The athlete’s sole purpose in life is to be at the top of their sport. The commitment to training they make to their body and mind is incredible. So, we cheer from our living rooms for a victory, and a gold medal.

What is your soul purpose in life? I am in training these days. Not for a gold medal, but to walk on streets of gold. Please join me in the race. I will be cheering you on!

1 Corinthians 13:4-7  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Do you have a favorite “love” Bible verse? My favorite is actually the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 13. I memorized those verses in catechism class as a teenager with Mr. Hiemstra. The same verses of love were read at our wedding. The word love can be found 319 times in the Old Testament and 232 times in the New Testament of the New International Version (NIV) Bible. Love, is not an accident. Love, is not a suggestion.  Love, is a command from God. Love, is important.

Wednesday is Valentines day. It is easy to say I love you, especially on Love Day. But how will you do love throughout the year? Let’s make love a priority in 2018!

1 Corinthians 15:57  But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Just in case you haven’t heard, there is a football game today! The super bowl hype has been in full swing for several weeks now with the game being played just up the road from where I live. Pray that God would be honored throughout the super bowl.

The super bowl is not only the perfect time for snacks and cheering, but also the perfect time for outreach, prayer or maybe even an opportunity to share your faith. Who will be with you during your game day party? Is it someone with whom you can share your faith story?

No matter who wins and who looses, remember that the most amazing victory of all times was not by a sports team. The most amazing victory came through the eternally victorious Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 40:3-5  A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

We had 18 inches of snow dumped on our town last week. That is a lot of snow, even for Minnesota!

My day job is working in the streets and parks department for our city. I am the voice on the other end of the phone when people call to complain regarding snow issues. “The plow is getting too close to my curb and clogging my driveway.” The plow isn’t getting close enough to my curb so I won’t be able to get my mail.” When will the plow be in my neighborhood to clear streets?” Everyone believes their street should be plowed first! Everyone views their reason for getting down the street to be the most important.

The City crews worked long hours, coming into work at 2:00am to plow streets. Contractors began clearing snow from the downtown area at midnight for two nights. Neighbors worked together clearing driveways and sidewalks. Today the streets are clear for citizens to move freely from one place to another.

Do we work with the same urgency to clear the way for the Lord to move freely in our lives? Friend, if you have an obstacle blocking the path of Jesus to work in your life, I pray that the glory of the Lord may be revealed for you to see. Walk the path with Jesus moving freely in your life.

Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Faith is believing in something we cannot see or prove, but which we trust to be true.

Hebrews 11 is filled with an all-star list of faith heroes. Men and women who demonstrated confidence in God’s plan for their lives. They knew God would give them everything they needed to complete the tasks asked of them. All of these faith heroes had an expectation that God would fulfill everything he had promised.

Take the time to read the entire 11th chapter of Hebrews this week. Who is your faith hero? What can you learn from them as you continue on your faith walk?

The most important thing we can pass along to our children is our faith in God’s promises.

1 Timothy 2:8  I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.

Tomorrow we celebrate the life and achievements of the influential American civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr. He shared his dream of equality and peace in America.

What is your dream?

Begin your Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on your knees in prayer. Lifting up your dreams for your life, your country and your world.

My dream is for peace and love.

Matthew 25:14-27  Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.” His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” The man with the two talents also came, “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.” His master replied, “Well, done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Then the man who had received the one talent came. “Master,” he said, ” I know that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See here is what belongs to you.” His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Our oldest son travels quite a bit for work, which allows him several hours of windshield time. He fills many of those hours listening to financial experts on talk radio. So, a year ago for Christmas he gifted each family member Dave Ramsey’s book The Total Money Makeover, a fifty dollar bill tucked in the cover, and a hand written challenge to invest the money wisely.

I failed. One year later, I found the crisp fifty dollar bill, untouched, tucked in the cover of my unread book. How could I have let such a thoughtful, generous gift go unused?

God has blessed us all with gifts and talents to be used. Don’t be like me or the third servant who tucked our blessings away for safe keeping. Use the gifts and talents God has given you. Don’t let another day pass without opening the book he has given you to learn how to wisely invest the gifts you have been given.

How will you answer when the master returns to settle accounts?

Luke 19:3-6  He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

Happy New Years Eve! What are your plans for the new year? Many of us will spend today reflecting on the past year as we welcome and plan for the new year, 2018.

Zacchaeus was in a tough spot. Because he was short and in a large crowd, he knew he would not be able to see Jesus when he came into town. Instead of sulking and complaining, Zacchaeus climbed high into a tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus. And, because of Zacchaeus’ efforts, Jesus not only recognized the tax collector in the tree, they had dinner together at Zacchaeus’ house! What an incredible day for Zacchaeus.

As we begin a new year, how will you climb to new heights to catch a glimpse of Jesus? Step out of your comfort zone and remove all obsticals that stand in your way. I pray that your 2018 be filled with God sightings!

Matthew 1:18-2:12

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 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.”  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which means, “God with us.”  When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”  When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.  “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

” ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’ “

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”  After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented  him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

I pray that on your journey,  you search and find life’s true treasure – Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

Luke 10:40-42  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”  “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

As we spend this next week preparing for Christmas celebrations, let’s not forget the reason we are celebrating. Slow down long enough not only to hear the Christmas music, but sing along with it. Share a sugar cookie and cup of coffee with the neighbor across the street. Purchase the extra gift for a child in need. Turn off the TV and read Luke 2 with your family.

How will you intentionally keep Christ in your Christmas preparations this year?