Jul

22

Tried and True – Trust It

By Julie B Cosgrove | 3 Comments


For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.  Psalm 66:10

For a silver refiner to “try” silver, he must remove the impurities called dross from it. That is how it gets its purity. The best way to do this is to insert the silver into intense heat long enough for the metal to soften and the impurities to rise to the surface. Then the refiner scoops off the dross, leaving the shiny silver. When he can see his face clearly in the glow of the liquid metal, he knows it is purified. He has “tried” it and found it to be true.

But the thing about silver is that it tarnishes very quickly. It doesn’t stay shiny and bright for long. Like a magnet, it attracts impurities to its surface.  As a child, I would sit at the kitchen table spread with newspapers and help my mother polish the silver for Thanksgiving dinner.  Using soft cloths, we’d rub and rub the polish into the crevices where the black gunk lay, then rinse the silver and buff it dry.  Then my mother learned a trick. Put in a piece of chalk to absorb the moisture then wrap the silver tightly in Saran wrap to keep out the air. It sort of worked.

Trying and carrying for silver describes the Christian life, doesn’t it? God heats us up just enough to let the impurities in our lives rise to the surface so He can help us deal with them. Past hurts, fears, misunderstandings and hate all are dross.  If we are to reflect Him in our lives, if He is to shine through, we need people to see His purity, not our flaws.

Easier said than done, because we all have dross. That is where trust comes in. God knows how hot the purifying fire must be to keep us from melting away or burning up.  As He works with us, more and more of the dross will disappear. It’s a careful process performed in the loving hands of the Master. Yet, it doesn’t end there, does it?

Living in the world constantly exposes us to things that can tarnish us. So,we need a good polishing on a regualr basis. We need His grace to rub down into the crevices and get all the black out.  When people see that happening, they can see God at work in our lives and be encouraged.  Perhaps, like the tip my mother learned, with the Holy Spirit as our chalk,  we can be wrapped in a shield of prayer like Saran wrap. That will keep a lot of the tarnishing out, but not all. Still, it will make the polishing a bit easier.

One more thing, silver that is constantly used stays shiny longer. Let God use you and shine forth His love in your life. Trust in Him.

Jul

2

Rendered

By Julie B Cosgrove | Comments Off


Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.  Matthew 22:19-22

When the Federal Mint started issuing the State Quarters in 1999, my  husband and I bought a little folder to house them all.  Yesterday, we finally got “Hawaii”. Now we have all 54- including DC, Puerto Rico, Samoa and the Virgin Island coins.  So, when I read this passage today, something struck me about Jesus’ words.  

On the Roman coin was a picture of Caesar and an inscription to him. The coin honored him, claiming all the money in Rome was essentially his property to take at any time. He was just letting the people use it to pay taxes to him.  But as Christians, we see all things as the property of God, our creator and Heavenly Father.   Jesus was basically asking them to determine where their loyalties lay. Today, He asks the same of you and of me.

Our coins in the US typically honor a historical person or a symbol of our freedom. But they are not the coins of the realm, because there is no kingdom here. They are not the government’s property, but that of the people of this democracy.  We elect people in government to help us spend these coins and manage them. We pay taxes so our roads can be serviced, the poor cared for, our children educated ( or so it is supposed to be- but that’s another topic all together, isn’t it?) , and our troops equipped to defend us.  But, the money is still rendered unto us, We the People.

Perhaps, that is why our founding fathers, in their wisdom, placed  four  simple yet profound words on every coin – In God We Trust.  Perhaps, they too had this passage in Matthew and this lesson from Jesus in mind.  It’s like saying, remember to whom you, this land and everything else belongs. Maybe, it is a message we need to clarify today.

Jun

15

Can’t He Provide?

By Julie B Cosgrove | 1 Comment


He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?”   Psalm 78:20

Recently at a talk I gave on my book P.R.A.Y.I.N.G., a lady said she had gotten an email  cartoon picture of a man complaining that a small rock had bopped him on the head.  He asked why God had allowed that to happen. The next picture shows Jesus warding off thousands of huge boulders from crushing the guy.  Another lady said she was reviewing an old journal entry when she felt a bit down and distant from God. She used to pray as a teenager she could live near water. As she read that and remembered how much that had been her hearts desire so many years ago, she looked out over her swimming pool to the horizon of the lake near her house. Yes, God does hear.

How often do we forget the water God has gushed into our lives in response to a past prayer and are only concentrating on why He is not answering us right now, this very minute?  Just like the Hebrews wandering in the wilderness we can have a tendency to whine a bit.  Daddy, I want and I want it now.Paul said he had learned to be content in all circumstances. I am not there yet, but I am trying harder to get there. God is a promise keeper with perfect timing. In my miniscual tunnel vision I can only see what lies directly in front of me. He sees everything at once, past, present and future. 

 Lord, forgive me for whining about the small pebbles plucking against my brain when I know You are blocking huge boulders from crashing in on me all the time. Forgive me for not thanking you enough for past blessings and for being too caught up in my “now needs” to remember them. Instill in me more peace in all circumstances, good and bad, here and in the future so I can be more content in the knowledge of your ongoing and unfailing love and grace. Through Your Son, I pray. Amen.

 

to read more on prayer – please consider buying my book P.R.A.Y.I.N.G. It looks at the letters in the word praying as types of prayer- Praise, Recounting His blessings, Atoning, Yielding to His will, Interceding, telling Him our Needs and Glorifying Him.

For more of my reflections on verses in the Psalms,  please check out my new book Song Notes,  through www.juliebcosgrove.com. It’ll soon be on Amazon.com. It is dedicated to this website and contains many of the blogs I have contributed.

Thanks.

Jun

9

Up in Smoke

By Julie B Cosgrove | Comments Off


 My soul longs for your salvation;
I hope in your word.
 My eyes long for your promise;
I ask, “When will you comfort me?”
 For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
yet I have not forgotten your statutes.      Psalm 119:81-83

David felt invisible to God. Like wineskin in smoke, he felt he could not be seen. God wasn’t noticing him or his needs.  He cries out for comfort,  “Hey, I’m down here, please look. ”

Do you feel invisible at times? Do you feel as if the world is going on around you but, like a ghost in the movies, people are whisking by without even realizing you are there?  You can’t get anyone’s attention and your soul is screaming out inside, “Hey, look over here. I have needs, too. ”  It is like you are buried in smoke, hidden in the haze.  Invisible hands doing the work without recognition. Being taken for granted. Attending to everyone else’s needs and hurts yet no one is even noticing yours.

But the truth is you are never hidden from God’s love.  This is the God who compared himself to the shepherd who goes after the lost sheep or the widow who turns her house  upside down looking for a lost coin. Here is the God who knew you before you were knitted in your mother’s womb  and loves you so deeply He took your place on the cross and died so you could live. He is not turning away from you now, or ever.  He can see through the smoke and take hold of His child.  It is just sometimes we are crying out so much inside that, like a child lost in a department store, we do not realize our parent has found us yet.  In fact, our Heavenly parent has never taken His eyes off of us.

Even in his despair, David knew this.  He has hope in the Word of God.  He knows God keeps His promises and he longs for it. He doesn’t forget God’s statutes. He knows deep down that all is good – that God is there, even in the smoke.

Feb

12

White As Snow

By Julie B Cosgrove | 1 Comment


“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.  Isaiah 1:18

Yesterday we had a snowstorm in Texas- that is a once in the lifetime rarity. Over 10 inches.  This morning I woke up to a gorgeous site. Those of you who live in the snowy north, pardon my gushing!  The tree limbs were coated in fluffy white, outlined so vividly. It enhanced their graceful beauty more than the Spring leaves ever will.  The ground was blanketed in pristine white, covering all the things under it, including the dead brown grass and the dandelion weeds that had decided to pop up in droves after a good few weeks of rain.

Yeah- I was humming that children’s hymn  -  “What can make me white as snow.”   Now I get it Lord. Now I see how you can cover my flaws with the beauty of Your grace, blanket my life with your mercy and make what was once dead, and what has been weeding up in my world,  pristine and gleaming. 

Thank you, Lord for the majesty of your creation and for your mercy, new every morning. Cover me with your grace, hide my sin from sight  as you deal with it and make it all new in Your wonderous wisdom. And, yes, thanks for this rare and wonderful snow day to point out to my heart how awesome and encompassing Your love is.

 

God's blanketed mercy

God's blanketed mercy

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