A Little Help Please!

A Little Help Please!               



How much does a normal bull weigh? 

If you’re a rancher or deal with livestock, you’re probably asking, “What kind of bull?” Well, it’s the kind of bull my granddaddy would have on his tiny farm in the mountains of Virginia, out in Carroll County. 


What I know about that bull’s weight is that when he stood with one hoof on my foot, I couldn’t get him to budge. My own weight and all my strength were that of a normal eight-year-old girl and it was no match for the bull. 


Sometimes we get in predicaments that are bigger than we are. Can you think of a time when a situation overpowered you? Are you in that kind of dilemma now? 


When that happens, we need help. We need help from someone who is stronger, more powerful, or knows more than we. We need a helper who knows what to do and we might even need for them to take the reigns and handle the situation for us, or at least help us manage it. 


Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26 NKJV). 


Psalm 46 is one of my favorite go-to passages when I feel overwhelmed. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even thought the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.


“There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God; the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her… Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted above the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah” (Psalm 46 NKJV).


I loved following Granddaddy around, especially when it involved his animals. Milking the cow was my favorite thing—or maybe it was letting a calf suck my finger. When milking, I never could get a long loud “bing” sound when the cow’s milk hit an empty metal bucket, like Granddaddy could. And the barn cat was out of luck if it was me trying to squirt milk into his mouth. He didn’t appreciate the milk covering his feet or grazing the top of his head.


On this particular morning I went with Granddaddy out to feed the bull. As Granddaddy poured grain into the wood feed box, I stood on the opposite side of the massive animal petting his neck.

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Suddenly, the brute stepped forward to eat and placed his left front hoof right on top of my flip-flop clad foot. I immediately tried to pull my foot away but it wouldn’t budge. I pushed on the giant bovine but he was satisfied to just stand still and enjoy his meal.  


I needed help!


I called out, “Granddaddy, he’s standin on my foot!” 


My strong, six-foot-tall, grandfather instantly went into action. He began to push the monster from the front, trying to get him to take a step back. That didn’t work. The big boy just kept munching. He was too focused on breakfast to pay any mind to my predicament.


But Granddaddy knew what to try next. He picked up his metal bucket and whacked that big guy right on the forehead. Finally, after the third whack the creature took a small step back and released my poor foot from its trap. That giant didn’t miss a beat in his chewing rhythm. 


We examined the foot carefully. There was no blood and apparently no broken bones. Fortunately for me the barnyard had enough of a layer of mud to cushion the bottom of my foot so that it was not crushed under the enormous weight.

I limped a little for the rest of the day but was left with a unique memory to share with my beloved grandfather. 


That memory serves as a reminder that we sometimes need help. As humans, we have limitations, but we can always count on our Creator to help us find the solutions when we face trials and obstacles. The solution may come in the form of another person, a piece of information, a miracle, a work of the Holy Spirit, or even a ministering angel sent from God. We can always have peace in knowing that our Lord knows our situation and knows what needs to happen for our benefit. Our God is indeed “a very present help in times of trouble” and He’s only a prayer away. 


Jesus reassures us saying, “In Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NKJV). 


What is troubling you at this moment? Are you trapped? Do you feel like a big ole bull is standing on your foot or sitting on your chest?


Like I cried out to my grandfather, perhaps you need to cry out to Jesus. He’s right there, wanting to step in and help. Turn to Him in prayer and listen for His reply.


Here’s a song that might be a blessing to you. It’s called Cry out to Jesus, sung by Third Day - https://youtu.be/JmVxRl5bc4Y


Your comments are welcome.


©Copyright 2019 Connie Wohlford

So Now—Love! 1 Peter 1:22-25

So Now—Love!  1 Peter 1:22-25            

(Continuing in 1 Peter)

Have you noticed that not everyone is easy to love? … And some of those people live under our own roofs or are in our own church fellowships. They really test our love capabilities. 

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In 1 Peter 1:21, Peter acknowledges that our faith and hope is in God and wants his readers to grasp what has taken place on the inside which helps us love others. He then says: “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because ‘all flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever’” (1 Peter 1:22-23).

 

Peter wants his readers to comprehend what has taken place and gives real-life application which reaches the core of God’s great salvation—Love. So now—LOVE! 

He points out that we have seen the truth of the Gospel. We get it—at least we should. We know the truth through God’s Spirit. Thus, our souls have been purified. So now this is the means by which we love the brethren sincerely. 

[“When Peter and other writers of Scripture speak of the brethren, to whom are they referring?” you might ask. The literal meaning is brother, but scripture writers are generally referring to followers of Jesus—members of God’s family—as brothers and sisters.]

Verse 22 begins with the word, since—meaning “by reason of” or “insomuch as.” Peter is showing how our souls have been purified. As always with God, it’s about love.

After all, love is the reason:

> God created Mankind.

> God sent Jesus to earth.

> God offers everlasting life. 

When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus said, love God and love others (Matthew 22:36-40). By reason of the fact that you have purified your souls by obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, now love one another fervently and with a pure heart. 

Doesn’t that sound lovely? But the reality is, it’s not always easy. People can be very annoying. Bet you have someone pop into your mind right now. 

How do we love others fervently and with a pure heart? 

Fervent means impassioned and intense. It’s heartfelt and zealous. A pure heart is translated, unhypocritical. It’s a heart void of dishonesty and self-seeking motives. That person who popped into your head—imagine loving them enthusiastically and without selfish motives. 

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Now, there’s some incentive!

So, how can love our brethren enthusiastically, without hypocrisy and with sincerity, integrity, and with unselfish motives?

Notice Peter inserts, “through the Spirit.”  <>  That’s it! That’s the key. Only with the help of “the Helper” (John 14:26)—the Spirit of God—can we love in such a God-like way! This is agape love.

So, for those who challenge our love aptitude—through God’s Spirit we can sincerely love them. 

Consider it an act of worship…Ponder that for a moment. 

Peter continued the thought in verse 23: “having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.”

Here we see the regenerating power of God’s Word. The word, regenerate, is very descriptive regarding what takes place when the Word of God is understood and applied to one’s life. 

In the physical sense—in a living organism, when regeneration occurs, new tissue is regrown to replace lost or injured tissue. Merriam-Webster (online) defines regenerate: 1- formed or created again; 2- spiritually reborn or converted; 3- restored to a better, higher, more worthy state.

Through regeneration a radical transformation takes a person from the physical realm into the spiritual realm. This occurs when a person is born again. It is a supernatural work of the Spirit of God just like salvation is a supernatural work of God.

Jesus said, “I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:24-25). 

We need to be regenerated. “Just as we owe our natural existence to the Creator’s spoken word and life-giving breath, so we owe our New Birth to the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s activation of its power. God’s intent for our created being is only completely fulfilled when our spirits are alive toward Him. As sin has produced spiritual death in people (Ephesian 2:1-3), so salvation in Jesus Christ has provided spiritual life. This text (v.23) tells us that the ‘seed’ that has produced new life in us is the Word of God, which has begotten us again by the Holy Spirit’s power (Titus 3:5) and made us members of God’s new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). The power of God’s Word—the Holy Scriptures—is in no way more manifest than in this: its power to bring spiritual life to all who are open to its truth. “* 

Thank You, God, for the regeneration power of Your Word which has brought us into spiritual rebirth, that we have been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible. It is through Your own Word which lives and abides forever—Jesus, the Word made flesh. Lord God, we’re so grateful. We are indeed gratefully redeemed! So now … we really can LOVE! 

Have you experienced a time when the Holy Spirit helped you have genuine love for a challenging person in your life? Your comments are welcome.

©Copyright 2018 Connie Wohlford

*Spirit Filled Life Bible, NKJV, “Kingdom Dynamics,” Thomas Nelson Publishers, page 1909.