Stone Soup

 

The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.”

—Exodus 4:2

During the years of my public-school teaching, one year I had my third graders put on a musical play based on the legend of Stone Soup. This old story has been told in various cultures and in various renditions.

In our particular play, three soldiers returning from war stumbled into a village they had visited before the war where they had found the villagers happy and generous. But now, these people suffered from poverty and heartless selfishness brought on by war and had no food or lodging to share with these men.

Through a stroke of creative thinking, one of the soldiers asked for a stone with which to make a special soup. The puzzled villagers filled a caldron with water, placed a stone in the caldron, and set the caldron on a fire. Once the “soup” was hot, the soldiers asked them to taste it.

One of the peasants tasted the stone soup and decided it needed an onion. That villager went quickly home and brought back an onion and put it into the soup.

Another peasant tasted the soup and decided it would taste much better if it had a carrot. That peasant went quickly home and brought back a carrot, which he put into the soup.

Still another peasant tasted the soup and declared that the soup needed some herbs. So, that peasant went quickly home and brought back some herbs, which she quickly put into the soup.

One by one, the villagers added various ingredients that they felt the soup needed until their individual efforts all merged and produced a succulent broth that became a meal for everyone present. They ate, sang, and spent the day rejoicing and bringing back to their small town the happiness it had once known. The Stone Soup story teaches the moral that when people each give what they have, all of them can then enjoy a magnificent supply of wonderful things.

In Scripture, we read of several places where God asked people to give what they had, even from the depth of their poverty. As a result, God used what they gave with miraculous results.

1 Kings 17:7-17 provides an account of a widow in Zarephath whom God sent Elijah to visit when he, too, needed food. The widow, obedient to Elijah’s request for bread, had only a handful of flour and a little oil, but she gave it to feed Elijah because she believed he spoke to her about the true God. This Bible account goes on to tell how, after she obeyed, the jar of flour was not used up, nor the jug of oil. She had every bit of flour and oil that she needed to feed herself and her household for many days.

Similarly in the New Testament story of the Marriage at Cana from John 2:1-11, Jesus showed His power to spare the bridegroom great embarrassment by turning six stone jars of water into delicious wine. In this story, we see the point of Jesus’ miracles when, in John 2:11, the Scripture states:

He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

Remember the boy who came to listen to Jesus with the five thousand others? Jesus saw that these people, too, needed food with no supply. This story, recorded in John 6:1-14, shows us again how His miracle of taking the boy’s five small loaves and two small fish, gave witness to His power among the people.

In these three Bible stories, we find the same happy ingredients:

• A known and expressed need.
  
  
• A willing and obedient servant.
  
  
• God wanting to reveal Himself to His people.

The bottom line  for all these, as in the story of Stone Soup, resulted in gladness and rejoicing.

Most of us have experienced a poverty of some kind, whether spiritual, financial, or material. Sometimes, God asks of us the last bit of strength we have so that He can make it into a glowing example of His power and grace. At other times, He may ask of us service for which we do not naturally feel suited. Still other times, He may ask us to give to Him from our nearly exhausted resources in order to accomplish His purposes.

God wants us all to render praise to Him and experience the joy that comes from obediently giving Him all that we have. Oftentimes, such an action on our part allows others to rejoice in God’s goodness to us, and we’re as happy as though we discovered the secret recipe to Stone Soup!

 

 

The Dog House

 

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

—1 Peter 4:8

When I was growing up, on the kitchen wall of our house, we had a carved wooden plague. This plague had the image of a very cute doghouse. To the side, six little wooden doggies hung from hooks. Each doggie had a label with the name of one of our family members. From time to time in order to poke fun at each other, we would place each other in the doghouse. For example, my mom would sometimes get her doggie hung in the doghouse for not making my father’s favorite kind of pie often enough.

I think many families don’t have the kind of loving, fun relationships we enjoyed. Today, society might label such families as dysfunctional. In some, a family member must earn love. In others, members have learned how to manipulate each other to get his or her own way. Some have perfectionist expectations that children, or spouses, can never reach. Still others have a workaholic parent whose time for the family gets stolen by “more important matters.”

We can also look at our society and say that, in many ways, it has become dysfunctional, too. We could say that the traits of greed, selfishness, and power have taken over our love for country and each other.

What about the church? Can a church body carry dysfunctional characteristics, as well?

I think the Apostle Paul nailed some of those dysfunctional characteristics in his writing we call the “Love Chapter,” found in 1 Corinthians 13. Paul has just spent the first twelve chapters speaking of factions, status-seeking behaviors, jealousy, and various disagreements over who might have the greatest gifts. He takes a turn in Chapter 13, when he examines the characteristics that counter all the negative examples he has just given in the previous chapters.

Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones speaks of the hypercritical spirit, or the dysfunctional spirit within the church.¹

Love “hopeth all things,” but this spirit hopes for the worst; it gets a malicious, malign satisfaction in finding faults and blemishes. It is a spirit that is always expecting them, and is almost disappointed if it does not find them; it is always on the look-out for them, and rather delights in them. There is no question about that, the hypercritical spirit is never really happy unless it finds these faults. And, of course, the result of all this is that it tends to fix attention upon matters that are indifferent and to make of them matters of vital importance.

But, the Apostle Paul here admonishes us. We should not live with this kind of spirit in the church. Recently I read these words by Lisa Igram of Biola University:²

For those us in Christ, Jesus’ self-giving, bending-down-in-mercy kind of love has become our new reality. Here, Paul exhorts us to live into this new reality, received when we agreed to Jesus’ Lordship over our lives. In our divisive political and social climate, the unity of Christ’s Body is actualized when I value those who bring a diverse perspective (1 Corinthians 12:12-30), create space for the vulnerable (1 Corinthians 8:12), learn from those I may perceive to be weak (1 Corinthians 1:27, 12:22), and give up my own ease and interests for the well-being of the whole (1 Corinthians 12).

When compared to our culture and to the dysfunctional families that comprise our culture, our church—as a part of the Body of Christ—should live in a radically different way. The Gospel of Christ, lived out in our gathering together, should shout loudly to the world around us, pointing always to our loving and forgiving Lord.

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1 Lloyd-Jones, D. Martyn. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1971. Vol. 2, p. 167.

2 Igram, Lisa. The Advent Project. La Mirada, CA: Biola University Center for Christianity Culture and the Arts, December 28, 2019.

 

 

Madame Worry

 

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.”

—Philippians 4:6 TLB

You’ve met her. You could very well know her as the most domineering person in your life. “Madame Worry” loves to talk. She has an active imagination and creatively tells you about all kinds of terrible eventualities. She has a powerful knack for exaggeration and a natural tendency to take over your life. To recognize her, you only have to hear the words, “Yes, but…” or “What about…?”

Jesus directly alluded to “Madame Worry” in His Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6:25-33, four times Jesus says, “Do not worry.” He uses the conditions of nakedness, hunger, and thirst as His illustration of circumstances. Yet, we could add any number of personal incidents in which a person quite naturally worries.

D. Martin Lloyd-Jones, famous Welsh Evangelical who served for many years as pastor of Westminster Chapel in London, speaks of “Madame Worry” as a separate and distinct person from the things we worry about. God can relieve us of these burdens. But, she continues to hold on to us, to bring up something new, or something we’ve placed on the “back burner” for awhile. He writes that in “Madame Worry” herself lies the worst and most persistent problem. When she has a grip on us, she never lets go.¹

According to our Lord, the vital thing is not to spend every day of your life in adding up a grand total of everything that is ever likely to happen… But the great thing to do is to realize that every day must be lived in and of itself and as a unit. Here is the quota for today… There are certain people who are so concerned about how they are going to be able to live in the future that they have no time to help the causes which are in need at this moment. That is what is wrong. If I allow my concern about the future to cripple me in the present, I am guilty of worry; but if I make reasonable provision, in a legitimate manner, and then live my life fully in the present, all is well.

Jesus taught that He will provide daily bread, just as He provided daily manna for the Israelites in the wilderness. To solve the problem of worry, we must trust Him.

According to Philippians 4:6-7, God intends to garrison our hearts and minds with His peace. This is the deadly antidote to the intrusive words of “Madame Worry.” If we pray and present our requests to God, He will give us that peace.

Perhaps we need to learn to talk back to “Madame Worry” and determine not to remain intimidated by her seemingly reasonable and sometimes compelling arguments. In the war against this satanic force, we have the “Sword of the Spirit” that the Apostle Paul writes about in Ephesians 6:17. That “Sword” is made strong and sharp by God’s written Word.

We must believe that God knows about “Madame Worry.” He knows what an influence she has on all of us. And, He wants us to know that she is no match for His powerful peace, love, strength, and provision.

______________________

1 Lloyd-Jones, D. Martyn. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1971. Vol. 2, Pp. 148-150, 154.

 

 

The Outskirts

 

“Behold, these [creation] are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?”

—Job 26:14

If I were to take you to my hometown and leave you on the outskirts—say, a couple of miles from the center of town—you would see houses far apart, large, meticulously groomed lawns, barns and cows, a decorative windmill or two, and, in the summer, clothes blowing from lines stretched across backyards. Based on your observation of what I’ve described, what would you know about the town? You would rightly say that here you will enter a simple and proud farming community, perhaps of Dutch heritage.

If you came within a couple of miles of the city limits where I live now, you would see some abandoned factories, signs of boats and marine life, homes close together, and a thriving number of small shops and attractive plazas, doctor’s offices, traffic signals, and fire hydrants. Likely you would say you are about to enter a small city with a history of manufacturing, perhaps experiencing a renaissance of business and recreational life, with a location near a water port.

In general terms, the outskirts tell us what we will see if we more deeply examine the core. When we think of this in terms of Scripture, I like what Eugene Peterson says:¹

A well-furnished and generously blessed creation is but “the outskirts of his ways.”—the center is the love in which we respond to our Lord in reverent praise.

I see this in larger terms when I study Psalm 19. Here we observe, in the first six verses, how the creation “pours forth” its speech to the whole world, declaring the glory of God and the work of His hands. You might say that here we read about the outskirts of God’s person. We see His wisdom, creativity, power, and careful preparation for His living creatures.

When we read further, in verses seven through eleven, we begin to see the core of our God’s person, as He proclaims Himself to us in His written Word. Here, we see His perfection, His righteousness, His joy, His light, His endurance, and the introduction of His revelation to each of us personally.

Do the “outskirts” that we looked at in the first six verses lead us to think of someone different than we see in His revealed written Word? Not at all. These verses are like the “thunder” of His power after the “whisper” of His first approach to us.

Has God brought you to see the “outskirts” of His goodness? Keeping moving through His written Word until you begin to see the larger truths of who He is and hear the thunder of His powerful voice calling you to know Him better. Our God is faithful and delights to have us find Him through the wisdom and lovingkindness of His ways!

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1 Peterson, Eugene H. Praying with the Psalms. San Francisco, CA: Harper-Collins Publishing Company, 1993. Entry for December 26.

 

 

Daddy's Girl

 

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

—1 John 3:1

I probably did not even know what calling someone “Daddy’s girl” meant. But, looking back, I can see that the moniker fit me. From spending time in the barn with my farmer dad, to riding the work horses, to gathering eggs from the hens, to riding through the woods collecting sap for maple syrup, and to the “tickle torture” on the couch, I knew my father loved having me around.

We see this kind of love from the father of a newborn baby.

He looks on with intense anticipation as his wife labors. He cries with joy as he gets the first look at the baby. He lovingly tends to the baby while mom is tended to by the nurses. He proudly carries the baby down the hallway to the waiting room and announces his or her arrival. He is proud. He is a father. This is the moment he gets to tell everyone the news. That child will never have to wonder who Dad is. The father lavishes love upon the child so that the child’s identity is bound up in the father’s love.¹

If someone looking at a child can say, “It is evident that her father loves her,” then certainly, when people see us and the blessing of God’s presence in our lives, they should be able to say the same thing about God’s relationship with us.

God’s written Word refers to us as the “apple of God’s eye” (Psalm 17:8). He, who planned for us long before He created the world, has provided for us a beautiful world in which to live. After we disappointed Him by disobediently putting up the sinful barrier between us, He made a way to sacrifice His Son to bring us back into fellowship.

[1 John 3:1] reminds us that God not only calls us his children; he makes us his children. He has done all the work of adoption and given us the gift of his divine family. Because of this truth, we can have all the assurance that God is faithful, true, sure, and full of love… Claim this promise today: you are a child of God!²

Let’s rejoice in God’s presence today and thank Him that He has created us and blessed us with such lavish love. And, let’s be glad that He delights in knowing us, really knowing us.

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1 LaGrone, Jessica; Andy Nixon; Rob Renfroe; Ed Robb. Under Wraps. Nashville, TN: Abington Press, 2014. Pp. 91, 92.

2 Ibid.

 

 

The Bow

 

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring the clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

—Genesis 9:12-16

Noah and his family must have felt terrified once they left the ark and, for the first time, saw storm clouds begin to form in the sky. In their experience, clouds meant devastation, loss, and probably provoked in them intense fear.

God had seen what His clouds had brought upon the earth. He had spared just this one family of godly people and a select number of animals. He wanted His creation to know, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that, above all, He is faithful and interested in having an everlasting relationship with mankind, not in causing their destruction.

God created something new after the flood. Never before had mankind seen such a spectacular sight in the heavens as the rainbow. This massive curve of refracted light meant promise, protection, and covenant between God and His creation. What an assurance this sign must have been to Noah and his family. As they gazed at the rainbow, they had a visible sign that God had spoken and He would keep His word.

Why the symbol of the bow? We can only speculate on God’s reasonings because we cannot know the true depth of His great wisdom and love that oversee all that He does. But, we can speculate a bit, in light of our knowledge of Him. Charles Spurgeon comments in this way:¹

The rainbow is thus made the lovely symbol of God’s truth. A bow unstrung, for war is over; a bow without a string never to be used against us; a bow turned upward, that we may direct our thoughts and prayers thither; a bow of bright colors, for joy and peace are signified by it. Blessed arch of beauty, be thou to us ever the Lord’s preacher.

When clouds form over our lives, we must remember the rainbow. It never appears without the clouds. And, just when we need to know that God sees and remembers us, He will show us a sign of His love and faithfulness.

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1 Spurgeon, Charles Haddon, Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, reprinted 1982, Public Domain. p. 16.

 

 

Stability

 

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.”

—Psalm 90:1-2

I can think of no better way to begin a new year and a new decade than with the words of Psalm 90. This Psalm is a prayer of Moses, as he saw the wanderings, the weaknesses, and the uncertainty of the pathway ahead in the wilderness of Sinai. We can rest and rejoice in the foundation of our God, His eternality, and His ability to keep His people in the protection of His divine Presence.

In this prayer, Moses admits the frailty of humans and their need of God’s love in their fleeting lifetimes. The verbs drive the prayer along.

In Psalm 90:5, Moses cries, “Teach us.” In verse 13, he begs for God’s compassion. In verse 14, he asks that God satisfy us with Himself. In verse 15, He prays for God to make the people glad in light of all they have suffered. In verse 17, He pleads for God’s favor to rest on His people and finally that God would establish the work of their hands.

What a wonderful prayer on which to meditate as we begin another year. How can we but know success in following our God when we humbly ask for those same things that Moses asked for in his prayer?

My beautiful sister painted Psalm 90:1 on the wall over our front door to remind anyone who entered that brick and mortar won’t last. And, that our homes, like Moses’ dwelling places, serve as fleeting places of rest. Only God’s everlasting care will keep us—not only through this decade, but through all generations. What a powerful thought!

After the heart of Moses, A. W. Tozer prayed these words.¹ Perhaps, following Tozer’s example, you can write your own prayer based on Moses’ words:

O Christ, our Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. As conies to their rock, so have we run to Thee for safety; as birds from their wanderings, so have we flown to Thee for peace. Chance and change are busy in our little world of nature and men, but in Thee we find no variableness nor shadow of turning. We rest in Thee without fear or doubt and face our tomorrows without anxiety. Amen.

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1 Tozer, Aiden Wilson. The Knowledge of the Holy. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1961. p. 49.