THE NEW EWE

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"

Luke 15:4-6

April 20, 2022

LIFE IN THE FOLD

I recently read something written by bluegrass artist, Rhonda Vincent. It's a true story that happened when she was growing up and performing with her family. I thought it had a great lesson that was worth sharing:

Growing up, Rhonda and her brother, Darrin (who has, also, been very involved in bluegrass music for many years), performed with their parents at Silver Dollar City, as well as at bluegrass festivals. One particular day, rain was absolutely pouring, all day long at SDC. The two kids told their dad that they should wait until the rain stopped. They were playing to empty chairs. He told them, "No! They are paying us and we're gonna play all our shows."

A week later, the dad got a call from the general manager of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN, inviting them to play on the Opry. The dad had thought that someone, whom they had just met, had recommended them for the Opry, and mentioned that he would like to thank that man for his recommendation. The general manager told him that that particular gentleman had nothing to do with it, so the dad asked how he knew about their family.

The general manager of the Opry said, "Last week, while your family was playing in the pouring rain, I was on vacation with my family, and was standing around the corner listening." Rhonda said she learned a life lesson... to always do her best, because you never know who's listening.

There are times when it's easier to do something when others are watching or will notice, than it is to do it in secret where we think no one will know. The truth is, sometimes when we are quietly doing what we are supposed to be doing, we can get overlooked; at least for a while.

It's difficult to be faithful to a job, working steadfastly and doing what you're supposed to be doing, while seeing someone else, whom we know are schmoozing or only working when the boss is present, is the one getting the promotions and pay raises. It's hard to keep a good attitude and continue doing what's right, when that happens. Especially, if we are doing work that they are getting credit for.

We may work hard for our money, are faithful in giving of our tithe and offerings, and generous in our giving to others; yet it seems like we have to always pay for everything we want or need. We know that God is blessing us and are so very grateful! But when we see others who aren't working, or are not faithful to give of their tithe and offerings, being blessed and seemingly handed things whenever they have a need, it's sometimes hard to be happy for them and rejoice. It feels unfair. They're the ones who have the testimonies of answered prayers, while we are blessed -- but not seeing God do the same types of things for us as He's doing for them. What I sometimes have to remind myself is that I only know the situations as my eyes can see, I don't know their hearts or other things that may be going on in their lives. And I'm not God and it's not my job to decide what's fair and what's not.

Doing things in secret, being faithful when we don't think anyone is watching or listening, is often hard for our flesh to faithfully do. Had the father not been firm in his believe that they should perform, regardless if anyone is sitting in the audience or not, because that was their job and what they were being paid to do; they may never have had the opportunity given them to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. Had he listened to his kids and said, "Okay, you're right! No one is here listening and all the seats are empty, so we can just wait until the rain stops;" then the general manager of the Opry may not have ever heard them perform. The dad had no idea that anyone was standing around the corner listening to them; he was just being faithful to do what he had said he would do. In doing so, he was teaching his children the importance of integrity; even when it seemed no one was paying attention.

Jesus taught along these same lines in Matthew chapter six.

"Watch out! Don't do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose your reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don't do as the hypocrites do -- blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they will receive all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you."

The following verses go on to speak about prayer and fasting; to not do it for show or to be seen of others. That's not to say that we are not to pray in front of others or in public, and to only do it in private when no one is looking. If we are fasting, there are times when it is necessary to tell others, so they will understand why we aren't eating or can't attend a dinner or function. We may even give to the church or to someone in need or do a good deed, and it is seen by others, and that's not a sin either. But we are not to "blow trumpets" or make a big production out of it in order to satisfy our ego or so that we can get recognition. God rewards when we do these things with a heart to please Him and obey what He asks us to do; not to do it for attention or applause.

How God rewards us for our faithfulness may look different for each person. For the Vincent family, their reward came as an unexpected opportunity to play at the Grand Ole Opry. God gave them the gift of music and they were faithful to play and use their talents, whether or not they had an audience. He rewarded them by giving them a bigger stage to perform on and the biggest audience that they had ever played in front of. Both of those children have gone on to play in their own groups at the Grand Ole Opry, as well as all over the US and possibly even in other countries.

God may reward our faithfulness for our obedience and integrity in doing what is right, whether or not anyone is watching or aware, in many different ways. It may be by making sure we have consistent work and a paycheck, when the economy is weakened and businesses similar to the field we are working in, are closing. It may be by protecting our home, everything inside our home, and our vehicles so that we don't have to pay to make repairs. It may be by protecting our health, when Covid or viruses or flu are seemingly running rampant all around us. There are hundreds of other ways in which God can bless, promote, protect and provide for us!

During these last couple years of Covid, neither Jon nor I ever got really sick. We thank God for that! In all of the many ups and downs in our economy over the past several years, Jon has always had work and has never missed a paycheck. We thank God for that! We've had very few car repairs; and really nothing major on our home, other than normal maintenance or updates. We thank God for that! I've been able to babysit these past few years and spend time loving on those kids; as well as being available to take my mother-in-law to appointments and helping her when necessary. I thank God for that!

Sometimes it may feel like we are "playing to empty seats" and see no results to being faithful to do what we know is right. We may even wonder at times if God even notices or cares. It may feel like we are only doing what we are supposed to do each day.... nothing exciting. But God sees what we are doing each and every moment of our lives. He loves seeing His children being consistent and living life with integrity, when they feel like no one is paying attention. They do what is good and right in the privacy of their home, in the workplace, when they go grocery shopping or out to eat, when they are with friends and family, when in church, when they are cleaning their toilets and doing housework, when they are cleaning the garage...... whatever they do each day, they do it as until the Lord and not for men.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

There are also many verses about being steadfast. We may not be able to run like we are in a sprint every moment of every day. There may be times when the best we can do is to hold our ground, or to stand fast. Those are the days when we may need to sing to an empty auditorium, or go to work and put in a good day's effort.

Every prophet and every king, judge, and priest in the Bible had days with victories we read about thousands of years later. But they also had days, months, even decades with nothing more worthy of being written down than simply standing fast, doing whatever they needed for each day.

ON THE MENEWE:

Strawberry Trifle Cake

(This is probably one of my favorite desserts; and great for family summer gatherings! My nephew calls it "salad cake", because it is layered like a salad. LOL It's his very favorite dessert and he loves when I make it.)

Prepare cake. You can use a store-bought angel food cake or pound cake; or I generally bake a white cake, then let it cool completely. (I'm not a fan of angel food, which is why I like the white or yellow cake.) Cut cake into cubes.

In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft set.

In a trifle bowl or large glass serving bowl assemble dessert like this:

Place cake cubes in the bottom of the bowl; enough to make a thick layer. Top with a layer of pudding. Layer sliced strawberries and blueberries next. Spread a layer of Cool Whip over the fruit.

Repeat with a second layer, ending with Cool Whip.

Garnish with berries on top, if desired.

This is best if you can refrigerate for a few hours before serving. Can even be made the day before. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

**Note: Original recipe calls for making this in three different layers, but it always works for me to make it in two complete layers and the ingredients come out evenly doing so. Easy to put together and a light delicious dessert!

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

Ten years ago this month, Jon and I were experiencing the trip of a lifetime! We were in Celle, Germany for three weeks. It was a work trip for Jon and purely pleasure for me. We got to see and experience things that we never imagined or dreamed of. Those are memories that we will both cherish and remember for the rest of our lives. This was an unexpected blessing that neither of us ever dreamed possible. The trip got delayed a couple times, before we finally got to go. It's one of those rewards that I was writing about in my devotional this week; a reward and blessing from God for being faithful and doing your job and what is right, regardless of who may be watching. Jon and I had never even imagined that traveling internationally was even a possibility, nor was it something that we had even discussed. But God decided to bless us with that opportunity and we are so very grateful!

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

God doesn't excuse sin, but God does forgive sin. - Pastor Phil Taylor

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org