by Carolyn Schnitt

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

The above verses encourage me to look to the Lord in order to understand what is meant when I read different parts of scripture.  

In Matthew 6:26-31, Jesus alludes to birds and wildflowers as examples of how God cares for creatures and beautiful plants to encourage us humans not to worry but to trust in His love and provision for us. 

 Taken from the context of Jesus’ own life experience, it might give the idea that because God takes care of the birds and flowers, Jesus is against hard work, but that is not true. Jesus knew what it meant to work for a living. Mark 6:3 mentions Jesus as the carpenter, and Matthew 13:55 mentions him as the carpenter’s son.   

In Paul’s letters to the different churches, he reminds people of how they should honor God by doing honest work; he warns against being idle and gives himself as an example of working even when he and other apostles had a right to be paid.

• In I Thessalonians 4:9-12, Paul commends the brothers and sisters living there on their love for each other, and he encourages them in their daily life:

Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. 

• In II Thessalonians 3:6-10, it appears that some people ”in solo”, were not working and were causing problems, so Paul called them out:

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” 

• In Colossians 3:23-24, Paul tells them what kind of attitude to have as we work:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 

• In Philippians 4:4-9, Paul encourages his readers in our thoughts and actions: 

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

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by Carolyn Schmitt

My, how time flies!  Just three months ago it was the first Sunday in Advent, then we celebrated Jesus’s birth and the start of 2024 and now we are three weeks into Lent, and in less than a month it will be Easter Sunday.

“One day at a time,” is a comment many of us make as we are going through difficult times. I  wonder if Jesus might have thought, maybe even have said it as he grew to adulthood in Nazareth. 

From the time he was born, the only time we get news of him is recorded in Luke 2:41-52, when, as a twelve year old boy, he is in Jerusalem sitting in the temple courts conversing with the teachers there. The only words we “hear” him say are, “Why were you searching for me. Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Then he went back to Nazareth, was obedient to Joseph and Mary and, “… grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.” 

Thirty years have passed, one day at a time, when we see him next at his baptism.

The Baptism of Jesus

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:13-17

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 

After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:  

‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,”
he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. Matthew 4:1-11

So it seems to me that when Jesus teaches us to pray “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one“, He is sharing with us his experiences of being tempted by the enemy, especially when we are going through times of weariness and weakness.  

Knowing that Jesus shared our experience and understands our weakness can give us confidence in coming to Our Father in Heaven for help to resist the evil that would tempt us to turn from him.  As we pray the Lord’s prayer, also rest in the truth that Jesus is also praying in heaven for us.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16

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by Carolyn Schmitt

As a young child I was taught to say the “Lord’s prayer” this way:

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.  Matthew 6:9-13 KJV

Along with Psalm 23, it was what I knew best by memory.  Then some years later this verse became very important to me: 

Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 NKJV

I have only one living memory of my own father who died when I was 4 years old. What I desired more than anything was a father who I could belong to. 

This verse in Psalms has comforted me for many years both as an orphan and as a widow:

Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
Lift up a song for Him who rides through the desert—His name is the Lord—be in good spirits before Him.
A father of the fatherless and a judge and protector of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.
God makes a home for the lonely. Psalm 68:4-6a AMP

 So I have realized that God desires to be called, “Our Father”! (My friend, Grace, pointed out the next two verses to me.)

“I thought to myself,
‘I would love to treat you as my own children!’
I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land—the finest possession in the world.
I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’
and I wanted you never to turn from me.” Jeremiah 3:19 NLT

Are we not all children of the same Father? Are we not all created by the same God? Malachi 2:10a NLT

I love how Jesus prays for his disciples in the whole of John 17, especially since his prayer is not only for the ones who have been with him for the years since he first shared his Father with them, but that he prays for all who have come, and will come to him and his Father through all the years until his return.

Jesus Prays for All Believers

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” John 17:20-26

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by Carolyn Schmitt

The word “hypocrite” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word “hypokrites”, which means an actor or someone who performs on a stage. Basically it means a person who looks like a very spiritual, virtuous person, but who doesn’t live in truth what they portray in public. In more familiar terms they ”don’t practice what they preach.”  

Although the following scriptures taken from the The Message Bible don’t use “hypocrite”, I felt that the translators gave a good visual description of the word.

“Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding.” Matthew 6:1 MSG

“And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for fifteen minutes of fame! Do you think God sits in a box seat?”  Matthew 6:5 MSG

He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income. Luke 18:9-12 MSG

“Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, ‘God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.’” 
Luke 18:13 MSG

Jesus commented, “This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.” Luke 18:14 MSG 

These verses remind me that God always listens to us when we come to him.

Years ago, as I was driving to church, rehearsing the words I wanted to “contribute” when the worship leaders and sound team met that morning to pray before the service. Feeling good about having something to offer, I “heard” a quiet voice in my head say, “ Child, I heard you! You’ve already prayed it to me”. It was a gentle reminder from God to not perform in public prayer anymore than in private prayer. 

by Carolyn Schmitt

But when you help a needy person, do it in such a way that even your closest friend will not know about it.Then it will be a private matter. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you. Matthew 6:3-4 GNT

As I pondered the words I highlighted in the above verse, I asked myself some questions.  

What does “needy” mean? By simple definition, it is: something wanted or required: Most often, I think it is taken to mean material necessities, but it also includes physical, mental, and emotional needs.

Who is a “needy“ person?  It’s easy to think it is someone else, but the truth is that I am needy in certain areas, too.

What does “private” matter mean? Simply defined it is: something that is not meant to be advertised or shared with others.

What does “help” mean?  It may mean to offer services or resources to aid someone to do something, or it may also mean listening, praying, and simply being present.

What does it mean that the Lord, the Father, “sees” what you do? As I’ve mentioned before, Psalm 139 is my go to for:  how the Lord sees, knows, and can’t be fooled by me or anyone.   

What does it mean that the Father will “reward” you?  Dictionary definition: “Reward” is a thing given as a recognition of one’s service, effort, or achievement.

But what if the Father’s reward is beyond things, like a closer relationship with him, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and more loving relationships with people, including even our enemies?

My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you.The greatest love you can have for your friends is to give your life for them.
John 15:12-13 GNT

I think that we too often think of “laying down our life for someone” as doing something heroic.  But Jesus pointed out to me that it really has to do with my time.  

The time each of us spends doing tasks or services for someone, meeting or having phone conversations with someone, praying with or for someone, really means we are “laying down our lives” for them.  And the reverse is also true. They are, “laying down their lives” for us, too.  Because we can’t get a refund on time!

The Matthew scripture above mentions, “closest friend”.  Other than the Lord, my closest friend was my husband, Phil. I don’t think I ever knew all the quiet, caring things he did for people at work,  church, in our neighborhood or the surrounding area.  I do know that almost 16 years ago at his memorial service, around 700 people joined us to celebrate his life.  Phil would never have imagined what people, including young children, teenagers and adults of all ages shared about him that day.  

Phil’s love for Jesus and his trust in God’s promises showed on earth in his love for people.  I do know of some “rewards” that God gave to Phil through our children. 

Our daughter, Liesl, and Phil each had an appointment book in which they would record a time to have a “date”. They marked the day with a special sticker and called it their “Sticky Date”.  Even after she got married and after she and our son-in-law moved to Oregon, Liesl and Phil kept their “Sticky Dates”  by phone.

One morning Phil and I were in the kitchen talking with our, at the time, 20 year old son, Erich. Suddenly, Erich turned to Phil and said, “You know Dad, everything I understand about God as “Father”, I learned from watching and living with you.” Phil never expected such a treasure!

Jesus gives us a loving command about how we are to help each other as “needy” people.  Lord Jesus, help us be aware of and to be willing to serve each other as needs arise, quietly and lovingly. Amen!

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