Quiet Contemplation - An Introduction

           Thank you to all who have taken time to read one or more of my blog entries. My prayer is that in some way you were blessed or inspired by something you read. Perhaps the information was new to you, or perhaps simply a new perspective. In any case, my prayer has always been to write whatever it is that the Lord needs someone else to read. My focus has always been to  encourage others.

That being said, I make no apologies for being honest and holding fast to the truths presented in scripture. It is never my intention, nor will it ever be, to water down the gospel just to make it more pleasing and acceptable to others. If you ever read something in my blog that causes you to question what you have always thought or heard, I encourage you to open your own Bible and study for yourself. Be confident not only in what you believe, but also in why you believe it. I will do likewise.

Write From My Heart is embarking on a new mission, or perhaps more accurately, a new format. Rather than longer, more in-depth, blog entries, the format will be similar to a brief devotional guide. Entries will open with a brief scripture text, followed by lighthearted casual commentary, and concluding with a prayer. It is my prayer that these daily snippets will help you develop a consistent time of quiet contemplation bringing you closer to your heavenly Father and encouraging your own time of spiritual growth.

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee;

The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee;

The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV)

Respectfully written and submitted by

Dotty Willmon, Resurrection Christian—looking for the blessed hope of Christ’s return!

Entry #41 - Perfect Love

Our Nation is still in the midst of the global viral pandemic commonly called Wuhan Virus, or more formally referred to as COVID-19. By either name, it is still a serious and devastatingly deadly disease. So my first responsibility is to urge every reader to heed warnings and observe those precautions put in place by governmental authorities whether nation-wide, state-wide, or local. The inconveniences we face now will seem small when the crises is over—and yes, I believe we will persevere!

Moving on to our blog entry, I believe one of the simplest, yet marvelously complex, verses in the Bible contains the following three-word statement:

                        1 John 4:16 (NIV)  God is love.

This small portion of scripture is perhaps one of the first memory verses you, your children, or grandchildren learned in Sunday School. So simple, yet we can barely scratch the surface of its true value. “God is love.” Not, sort of, kind of, like love…  Not something that has lots of love…

GOD IS LOVE!

                       

God is the very epitome—the very personification—of love itself. Only Love would create beings intended to be perfect, knowing it would cost the life of his one and only begotten Son to save those same beings when they erred. This is why we celebrate the Easter season. Christ died and rose again to become the perfect solution for our problem of a willful (e.g., obstinate, stubborn) and sinful (e.g. offensive, faulty) nature.

Here in our little town, we have at present only 6 known cases of COVID-19.  However, my sons live in major cities rampant with COVID-19, and one of them works directly with the state health department performing test analyses. I am not alone. Each of you as you read this blog can name dozens of family members and personal friends who are in major cities, involved in healthcare or emergency work, or who are otherwise in the direct path of this virus. Are we concerned? Absolutely! Do we fear? No! (Let me explain.)

We have established that God is love. For the one who has not accepted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, this is an invitation to do so. Because for the one who has accepted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, we are given a promise.

                        1 John 4:18 (NIV)  There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…

God knows. God understands. There is no concern, worry, or even fear, that we cannot take to him in prayer. We may not know what lies ahead in our future, but God does. What we do know is that God loves us and cares so deeply for us that he provided his Son to be our salvation. That is what lies ahead—forgiveness, redemption, relief from fears, the blessed hope of resurrection, and eternity with our Creator.

Remember, because God is love, we have all the answers we will ever need during this life. His perfect love drives out fear. We then become free to share the wonderful news of God’s love with others.

Respectfully written and submitted by:

Dotty Willmon, Resurrection Christian—looking forward to the Blessed Hope of Christ’s return!

Entry #40 - A Pandemic Worse than COVID-19

This writing comes at a time when the world, including our own Nation, is facing a global viral pandemic often resulting in pneumonia and sometimes death, especially in elderly patients. Now, I don’t consider myself to be an alarmist, at least I don’t think so. But this is serious business and not to be taken lightly.

I was recently encouraged in my writing by a dear friend and relative who found my writing to be “very good, full of information and a nice splash of humor. Concise, informative and enjoyable.” My humble thanks! Yet even though I don’t consider myself to be an alarmist; you will no doubt find a sense of urgency in today’s writing, and probably not as much humor.

Historically speaking, there have always been epidemics (rapid, widespread of disease) dating as far back as the 15^th century and earlier. Here are just a few examples of epidemics in early history (facts are approximations—I do not have verification—but this gives you a good picture of seriousness).

·         The Plague of Athens, thought to be typhoid, dates between 429-426 BC and responsible for somewhere between 75,000-100,000 deaths.

·         The mid-700s AD  smallpox epidemic was thought to be responsible for the death of nearly 1/3 of the Japanese population at that time.

·         Black Death (Y. pestis plague) occurred 1331-1353 AD and spread throughout Europe, Asia, and North Africa with death estimates reaching nearly half of the European population.

·         1485-1551 AD was the first suspected hantavirus-type outbreak affecting England and later continental Europe with death estimates greater than 10,000.

·         In the early 1700s, Iceland lost nearly 1/3^rd of its population to the Great Smallpox Epidemic.

·         The worldwide spread of Spanish Flu 1918-1920 (Influenza A virus, subtype H1N1) caused millions of deaths worldwide.

·         Epidemics become pandemics when they affect many people over large regions, e.g., worldwide.

The point is millions of deaths occur with any plague, epidemic, or pandemic; and COVID-19 will be unlikely to be any different. I am so thankful to live in the United States of America. I am so proud and thankful for the leadership of President Donald Trump. I urge all Americans to heed the precautionary guidelines put into place to slow the spread of this deadly disease.

Now that’s probably the longest introduction I have ever written—but it is just that—an introduction!

Today I want to write about a global pandemic worse than COVID-19 and our warnings and precautionary data comes from the Bible. The problem is not described as a virus; rather, the term famine is used. In the world, we face a very real, very deadly physical disease. According to God’s Word, we also face a very real, very deadly spiritual disease spreading just as rampantly across the globe.

Isaiah 59:14-15 (NIV)  So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice.

Amos 8:11-12 (NIV)  “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.  Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.”

2 Timothy 4:3-5 (NIV)  For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

Jude vs. 17-19 (NIV)  But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

So why do these things happen? Many ask; “If God is so loving, why does he allow things like COVID-19 to happen?” On a spiritual level, many ask; “If God knows the world is becoming so sinful, why doesn’t he just fix things?” [He did. More on that in a moment.] But questions like these take us back to the beginning, even before the creation of mankind.

God is not just loving, he IS love. God is who God is. He will be what he will be. While humans require measurements of time to “get through life,” God has no such time constraints because he has always been, is, and always will be. Humans are bound by the necessity of time. God knows the result before the cause. God knows the outcome before the onset. Humans glimpse a momentary slice of time. God doesn’t hop back and forth between periods of time. God sees and inhabits eternity—past, present, and future—simultaneously.

It is a difficult concept for the human mind to grasp. It is significant because it clearly demonstrates a Creator God who gifted his creation with freedom of choice, while providing the necessary solution for our future failed choices. This is the reason God’s Son came to be our Savior. This is the reason God’s Spirit comforts us in times of worry or need.

The harsh reality is that many thousands, perhaps millions, may die before COVID-19 solutions are fully implemented. It is too late to help those who have already died. But there is still time to help the living. Preventative measures can be taken.

The even harsher reality is that many billions, perhaps trillions, have already died before accepting the solution to our sin—Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. It is too late to help those who have already died. But there is still time to help the living. Preventative measures can be taken.

Exodus 34:6 (NIV) The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.

Psalm 32:5 (NLT)  Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

As our nation participates in slowing the mortality rate of COVID-19, many are asked to work and/or remain at home. In our state, group gatherings are limited to 10+ people; restaurants function at 50% capacity or function only as drive-thru or pick-up services. Schools are closed. Church services are cancelled. What do we do while we wait? We take time—we make time—to pray!

                        Psalm 31:24 (NIV) Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

                        Philippians 1:4 (NIV) In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy…

Colossians 4:2 (NIV) Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

1 Peter 4:7 (NIV) The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.

1 Peter 5:7-8 (NIV) Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert.

Those of us who are teachers or retired teachers know the value of visual aids. So here is my challenge:

·         Find some paper and something with which to write (pencil, pen, crayon, etc.) [Okay, for some of you that might be a big challenge all by itself!]

·         Make a list…a REAL list of every relative and friend you can think of, and don’t worry what order the names are in. Just keep listing names as they come to your mind—the point is to get it on paper where it is visible to you!

·         Pray for each name that (1) at some point in time they have already accepted Christ as their Savior in the past, or that they will soon do so  (2) pray for their health and safety

·         Pray for our Nation (1) that we might once again be, “One Nation Under God” (2) that we might be proud to be a people of prayer (3) that loss of life because of COVID-19 might be minimal  (4) that appropriate vaccines might be developed quickly and utilized effectively

·         Pray for our President, our Vice President, our Congress, our 3 Branches of Government (e.g., Executive, Judicial, Legislative branches) as well as State and Local officials [If you can name names, then by all means, list them!] (1) pray for wisdom in leadership decisions (2) for honesty and truthfulness

·         Pray for first responders, law enforcement officers, health care professionals, medical testing technicians and researchers (1) pray for their health and safety  (2) pray for wisdom as they seek solutions to COVID-19

·         Pray for all the unsung heroes—businesses helping others, those who continue to go to work each day (without recognition from government or news) to keep America operational (1) pray for their health and safety (2) pray with joyful thanksgiving for the jobs they do

·         Pray for our educational system, teachers, and students

·         Pray for your church family while we are unable to meet

In the end, only time will reveal to us the results of this round of pandemic. But my unfaltering personal prayer will be that whether I survive or succumb—that God’s Spirit will comfort me and sustain me until I am able to complete each task my Heavenly Father asks me to do—starting with prayer!

Respectfully written and submitted by:

Dotty Willmon, Resurrection Christian—looking forward to the Blessed Hope of Christ’s return!

Entry #39 - A New Year for a New You

Welcome to another new year! One of the more popular scripture passages welcoming us to a new beginning is Ephesians 4:22-32.  This passage describes the difference between the old life we lived prior to accepting Christ as our Savior, in contrast with some of the changes we make as a result of following the example Christ set before us. Although the passage contains eleven verses, I have decided to include this text for you since it will be the foundation of today’s blog entry.

Ephesians 4:22-32 (NIV)  You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

     Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Occasionally when I study a passage of scripture, I begin by jotting down some anecdotal notes on a slip of paper. Sometimes I look up the definition of words—even well-known words—just to see if there is a new angle or perspective to guide my understanding. This is the pattern I used for studying today’s passage and I was quite humbled by what I found. Let’s begin with a simple table of Old Self words in contrast with New Self words.

Words used to describe our OLD SELF	Words used to describe our NEW SELF
deceitful desires	new attitude
falsehoods	righteousness
anger (used twice)	holiness
stealing	truth
unwholesome talk	work
do not grieve the Holy Spirit	useful
bitterness	sharing
rage	helpful
brawling	building others up
slander	kind
every form of malice	compassionate
	forgiving

As a former teacher, I know the value of visual aids. Just looking through the above chart goes a long way to helping us get a clearer picture of how our lives change once we are committed to following the example of Christ. But this is a new year, and I want to take a new look—I want to dig a little deeper.

Taking a cursory glance at the negative words used to describe the Old Self might cause us to say something like: “I’m not deceitful – I don’t steal – and maybe I get angry once in a while, but I don’t rage or go around brawling.” I know you think these things, because I think them, too. Or, at least I did. After taking a closer look at some of these words I quickly see that I have room for improvement this year! Let me show you some of the things I found.

deceitful desires:  This isn’t just a matter of cheating, but it includes other forms of dishonesty such as simply misleading others. Telling “little white lies” are still lies, and still wrong.

falsehoods:  Yes, the focus might well be telling lies. But guess what, it also includes any lack of accuracy. This includes repeating interesting information about someone when you haven’t checked the facts or when you’re not sure if it’s true.

anger:  We probably most often associate this word with hatred or extreme dislike. But anger also includes any strong feelings of displeasure. Is it okay for Christians to be angry? Sure! We are called to always be angered by sin—but not the sinner. Christ is our example of how to love others, even when we are strongly displeased and angered with their wrongful actions.

stealing:  We teach our children that it is wrong to take something that does not belong to them. We teach them stealing is taking something dishonestly or in a secretive manner. We don’t steal. Do we? What about stealing someone else’s time or resources by getting them to do what we should have done?

unwholesome talk: This one is straight-forward. It includes anything harmful to either one’s body or mind. Essentially, it includes all forms of negativity in our speech. But here is some new information. It doesn’t just apply toward others; it also applies to yourself. Stop putting yourself down!

do not grieve the Holy Spirit: When we grieve, it is usually because of the deep sorrow we feel when we lose someone dear to us. But what does it mean to “not grieve” the Holy Spirit? If I’m the one causing grief, I burden someone or cause them sadness. Therefore, I must ask myself, “Do my actions burden or cause sadness?” I suppose to put it more bluntly, “Am I always making messes that the Holy Spirit will have to follow behind me and clean up?”

bitterness: Once we let anger get the best of us; from there, it is a short hop to feeling sharp and disagreeable with others. Bitterness is basically a failure to let go. It’s hanging on to old feelings.

rage: The most common definition of rage is having strong, uncontrolled anger. But it can also include blurting out in haste. The old adage to “think before you speak” can be a great deterrent to rage.

brawling: Honestly, I always figured I was safe with this one because it had to do with people who spend too much time in bars. Guess again. Brawling includes all forms of quarreling, arguing, or loud bickering.

slander: Yes, slander is spreading a falsehood that harms someone’s reputation. But for the Christian, it also includes not coming to the defense of others whom we know are being slandered. When you hear someone speak ill of another person (and you know the truth), what course of action do you take?

every form of malice: Perhaps this is the “catch all” because it includes any action of ill will or spiteful intent. This includes anything from hurting or frustrating others, carrying a grudge, being rude, or acting in an impolite or discourteous manner.

The great news is that these negative words now become the things which no longer have control of our lives. Now we have a new list of words upon which to focus our lives. And to be honest, when we focus on the next list—we will find much less time to be involved in the old list. To me, this is the most encouraging news to improve the new me in the new year! Let’s take a closer look together!

new attitude: I now have a new focus for my mental state and mood—I can focus on following the examples of Christ; studying new passages of scripture and applying them; and at any moment I can pray for guidance and help along the way.

righteousness: My focus is on the things that are upright and just. I once heard a camp counselor explain that righteousness is “being in right-standing with God.”

holiness: To me, only God is truly the Holy One. But my calling to holiness is being set apart from the worldly point of view and striving to be dedicated to following God’s will for my life.

truth: To be truthful is to be honest. However; there seems to be more. It is also taking the time to follow established or verified facts. There is no “fence-sitting” or “straddling-the-fence” with this one.

work: When I take a closer look at this word, it isn’t just a matter of doing something that requires bodily or mental effort. It’s doing something worthwhile that produces results. It’s not giving up. And it is closely tied to the next word.

useful: This is something purposeful and serviceable. The range of activities included are almost limitless and seemingly only hindered by lack of imagination. Baking a pie or taking a casserole to someone in need is a useful activity. Praying for others is a useful activity. Helping a child tie a shoe is a useful activity. Studying God’s word and putting it into practice is a useful activity!

sharing: I always thought I knew what this meant. I always thought sharing was dividing things into equal parts. Well, yes—but that is only part of what it means. Sharing is also joint participation. In other words, it isn’t just simply giving away free stuff—it includes working along beside someone to guide or help them. It includes sharing of intangible things like time, encouragement, and God’s love.

helpful: I am helpful any time that I make it easier for someone else to accomplish or achieve something.

building others up: Regarding my words; do my words in any way improve the lives of others?

kind: Some great synonyms for the word kind include sympathetic, friendly, gentle, benevolent, generous, and cordial. To me, it’s just plain and simply being NICE!

compassionate: Perhaps this word reaches a little deeper for most people. We show compassion when we are inwardly sorrowful for the sufferings or troubles of someone else. How we handle compassion may vary dependent upon our abilities. Some may show compassion by physically lending aid. Others may show compassion by spending quality or undisturbed time in prayer for that individual. Christ did both. It depended on what the situation required, and we are called to follow his example.

forgiving: To forgive is to overlook or cancel a grievance. To truly forgive someone is to give up the desire to punish in any way. In other words, forgetting is also a part of forgiveness. When you think about it, and when you follow the example of Christ—He didn’t just forgive our sins and then secretly promise to “get even” with us some day. The Bible says forgiveness is the “blotting out” of our sins and they are remembered no more. This is the way in which we are to forgive others.

Isaiah 44:25 (NIV)  I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

Yes, another new year has arrived. My prayer for you is that 2020 will bring you peace and the blessings of a NEW LIFE in Christ Jesus. The old things are gone; let them go. Focus on your New Life.

Respectfully written and submitted by:

Dotty Willmon, Resurrection Christian—looking forward to the Blessed Hope of Christ’s return!

Entry #38 - Kaleidoscopes

One of my favorite childhood toys was the simple cardboard tube with bits and pieces of colorful plastic inside. I could turn the small outer ring slowly and watch the myriad of colorful shapes appear. Even trying as hard as I could, I never seemed able to create the same colorful pattern more than once. The variety of patterns seemed endless. The bits and pieces of plastic inside were not always distinguishable. I vaguely recall seeing a small red heart, and perhaps a yellow diamond shape; but other than that, the pieces seemed random and undefined. The tiny pieces were not always colorful by themselves; some pieces seemed bright, but others seemed dark. I also recall trying to count how many bits there were, but I could never hold the Kaleidoscope still long enough to count them before pieces would shift and a new pattern would appear.

It may seem a little corny, but to me, this is an excellent metaphor for our daily lives. Our lives are a collection of emotions and activities—always shifting, and always changing. Each day brings bright times or dark times, happiness or sadness, joy or sorrow. Some days we are too busy to notice the time fly by, other days the minutes drag by in slow motion.

For the Christian, our one point of consistency is God Almighty.  He fully understands all the negative bits and pieces of our lives:

Job 7:4 (NIV): When I lie down I think, “How long before I get up?” The night drags on, and I toss till dawn.

Psalm 38:8 (NIV): I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.

Psalm 39:2 (NIV): …I was silent and still, not even saying anything good…

Psalm 94:18-19 (NIV): When I said, “MY foot is slipping…” ; When anxiety was great within me…

Again, for the Christian, our one point of consistency is God Almighty. He never grows weary and he is always available to us when we call to him. Not only does he fully understand all the negative bits and pieces of our lives, he is the one who provides our source of joy and strength to keep going. God balances the negative bits and pieces in our lives with positive ones.

Psalm 4:8 (NIV): I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 34:18 (NIV): The LORD is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 40:3 (NIV): He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.

Psalm 94:18-19 (NIV): …your love, O LORD, supported me. ; …your consolation brought joy to my soul.

When we take time to study the scriptures, we can find so many contrasts such as the few I have provided. I think the point is simply that our Heavenly Father knows what a Kaleidoscope of emotions and activities our lives have become. Through it all, he is there, waiting for us to come to him and trust him as our true source of consistency.

Psalm 90:1-2 (NIV): 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.

To this day I still do not completely understand the science and mathematics of the reflective parts placed at specific angles that it requires for Kaleidoscopes to create such beautiful displays. But I do know this, God is able to take all the random bits and pieces of our lives and reveal the inner beauty within each life.

Respectfully written and submitted by:

Dotty Willmon, Resurrection Christian—looking forward to the Blessed Hope of Christ’s return!