“I don’t know what to do!” Jenna cried for the 10th time in between her sobs. She sat surrounded in the kitchen by spilled milk. Such a mess! What, oh what, was she to do? If only she knew!
“Wipe it up with the rag right there,” her mother’s voice called out yet again.
“But then I don’t know what to do!” Jenna cried.
“I’ve told you what to do. Wipe it up with the rag.”
“But then I don’t know what to do!” Jenna sobbed yet again.
“I’ve already told you what to do, Dear. You don’t need to know all the other details yet. I’ll guide you step by step. But start with what I’ve already told you.”
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 (ESV)
“…For this is the will of God, your sanctification:” 1 Thessalonians 4:3 (ESV)
It was a good question. To be honest, Will wasn’t quite sure. The path was well worn–one he’d traveled often whenever he wanted to head down to the river for a swim. But he’d never really stopped to think about why he’d chosen it.
“It’s just the path I take to the river,” he mumbled.
“That doesn’t make it the best path,” Joshua pointed out. “There’s all kinds of dangers on this path: snakes, poisonous plants–I could go on. There’s a much better way to get to the river.”
Joshua pointed as he spoke to a barely visible path in the distance.
“But that path is hardly a path!” Will objected.
“That’s just because you haven’t traveled it much,” Joshua replied. “Make yourself travel it every day instead of this one, and it will become a solid path over time too. Come on, Will. New pathways might be hard to forge at first, but it will be worth it in the end to take the better route.”
The town of Discord was an unusual town, to say the least. It was filled with instruments–oboes, clarinets, violins, guitars, and more roamed the streets. All day long, they each attempted to play their own tune by rubbing or twisting their instruments as best they could. The result was the most disharmonious sound you could imagine–and some badly twisted instruments!
It hadn’t always been this way. Originally, all the instruments had been in perfect harmony. The Master Conductor had played each one with expert skill. But the Great Deceiver thought he should be the conductor instead. When he failed, he set out to destroy the instruments the Master Conductor loved. He convinced them to play themselves and make up their own tunes. The instruments that had been made to be part of a great concert of music chose instead to listen to the Great Deceiver, exchanging the Master Conductor’s beautiful tones for their own discord.
Jammy, a run down guitar, was one of these instruments. He was as good as all the others at making up his own discord, breaking one string after another in the process. Then one day, he met the Master Conductor. He learned he’d been fashioned for a different purpose. The Master Conductor gave him a beautiful song to play instead of the discord.
Jammy wanted to play that song wherever he went, so others would learn of the Master Conductor. But Jammy found this a challenge. He’d gotten so used to playing discord, that he didn’t know how to play anything else.
He ran back again to the Master Conductor, listening to him play the harmonious tune and attempting to imitate it. But his attempts to imitate on his own failed.
“You have to let the Master Conductor play the tune on you,” his friend Melody explained.
Jammy was taken aback. “You mean we were designed to be played?”
Melody nodded. “Yes! Instruments aren’t supposed to play themselves or make up their own tunes. We were all designed to be played! Only in the Master Conductor’s hands can our proper music soar.”
To Jammy’s great delight, as he yielded himself to the Master Conductor, the Master Conductor poured out his beautiful song through Jammy’s strings.
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. Romans 6:13
(The Greek word in this passage probably referred to an instrument of war or work instead of music, but the point remains that we’re to yield ourselves for God to wield.)
Samuel itched his skin again. He hated this terrible itch! Yet how could he escape from it?
His clothes. That’s what the doctor had said. He needed to put off these clothes and put on the ones the doctor had given him.
Samuel hastily changed. That was better.
But the following morning, he was back in his old clothes again, just a slightly different outfit. Not until the itch became unbearable did he remember that he was supposed to wear the doctor’s garments, which were made out of a different fabric.
Samuel realized he needed a plan. He needed to proactively put reminders to himself to wear the new garments. He even asked his brother to say something if he saw Samuel reaching for any of his old clothes.
Even with the reminders and help, Samuel still found himself itching in his old clothes at times. You see, those old clothes were hard to get rid of. They were made of a fabric that simply wouldn’t destroy here on earth. He’d tried burning them, freezing them, and more, but he couldn’t get rid of them. He tried to hide them, but they had a way of turning back up. They were troublesome clothes, to say the least. Samuel realized he’d have to stay vigilant.
I need to put them away and put on my new clothes, he reminded himself over and over again. With time and lots of help, Samuel began wearing his new clothes more and his old, itchy ones less and less. But he knew what clothes he wore would always be a daily choice.
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.…But now you must put them all away: anger,wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another…Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…above all these put on love…let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…be thankful.” Colossians 3:5,8,12-15 (ESV)
Jessie never thought he’d actually miss a flight. He’d cut some close—where they shut the door right behind him—but he’d been flying for decades and had never actually missed a flight.
Then one day, it happened. He’d gotten to the airport in plenty of time. But then his ride got turned around in the wrong terminal and had to circle the airport before dropping him off…in what turned out to be the wrong place. He got lost finding check in…and had to wait a long time. Still, he was doing okay, so he grabbed a quick bite to eat. He hadn’t counted on the security line taking an hour, nor was he even tracking the time to see how late it had gotten. He was too busy having a good time in line, visiting with other people, playing on his phone, listening to music.
By the time he realized his flight was about to leave, it was too late to do anything. He raced through the airport as fast as he could, but when he arrived at the gate, the door was shut. He begged the attendant to open up, but it was no use. The plane had departed…without him.
“For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2 (ESV)
“As it is said, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.’” Hebrews 3:15 (ESV)
Laura pulled her sleeves back and set to work, determined that these weeds would get out of here. She wanted a well-kept garden desperately, but right now, it looked more like a garden of dandelions and crab grass. No more! This garden was going to get in shape.
Hours later, Laura dragged herself back into the house, satisfied with a job well done. The area where dandelions used to reign was now mainly just overturned soil—weed free at last.
How did this happen? Laura could hardly believe her eyes. She’d been busy inside and hadn’t checked on the garden in a few weeks, and it was completely overgrown yet again!
Once again, Laura set to work. And once again she yanked everything out of the ground. When she finished, there was not a plant standing when she finished.
But once again, the weeds just grew back, even bigger and stronger than ever it seemed. Laura was getting discouraged. What was she doing wrong?
She mentioned her dilemma to her neighbor one day, an older, wiser gardener named Phoebe. “I just don’t know what to do! Why do these weeds keep coming back?”
“My dear girl,” Phoebe replied. “Have you been planting good plants in their place?”
The question might sound like a rhetorical one, but it wasn’t. Laura hadn’t been planting anything in the garden at all—she’d just been trying to remove the weeds and hoping good plants would grow on their own…or at least that it’d stay weed-free.
Seeing the look on Laura’s face, Phoebe continued to explain, “You have to plant good plants in the garden so there’s no room for the weeds to grow. And you’ll want to nurture those plants and watch for weeds sneaking through, pulling them before they multiply. Don’t despair, child. You can have a beautiful garden yet! How about we work on getting some good plants planted?”
To Ponder: If we want to get rid of sin in our life, we have to not only put it off, but also put on Christ Jesus. We need to turn to away from sin and toward the Savior. Actively pursue Him. Make decisions to watch, read, spend our time, etc., in ways that promote His Fruit growing in our lives. For example, if you struggle with complaining, don’t just stop complaining, but also start praising. If you struggle with an addiction, don’t just stop, but also start filling your time with pursuing Jesus. What do you need to put off/put on today?
“to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24 (ESV)
Ryan looked up from the pages of the how-to-code book with a sigh. This was sooooo hard! His eyes wandered out the window to where his brothers were throwing a ball their father had given them. Why couldn’t his father have given him something easy to use too? He was frustrated…and afraid of failing.
“I gave you just what you need.” Ryan’s father’s voice startled him. Ryan had forgotten his father was sitting right there.
“It’s just so hard,” Ryan muttered.
His father smiled. “Of course it is. You know, I never expected you to do it alone. I’m right here and can help you.”
Ryan looked back at the frustrating coding pages. He would try again…this time, with his father’s help.
The book was still tough, but it made such a difference to do it with his father! A strange thing began to happen. He began to actually enjoy his coding assignment and become thankful his father had given him it. Truly, his father had known what was best!
“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:17 (NASB)
“Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:11 (NASB)
Cherie knew she wasn’t as strong as she needed to be. Somehow, exercise just never made the top of the to-do list.
One day, she decided to change. She began exercising.
But as she did so, she quickly became discouraged. She couldn’t keep up with the people in the exercise video. Her muscles screamed at her after just half the repetitions. Plus, old injuries began hurting again. Hadn’t she already rehabilitated that knee? Why was it causing problems yet again?
“I just can’t do it,” she moaned to her friend Anna.
Anna’s reply surprised her. “Why, Cherie, did you expect to get fit overnight?”
“Well…” Cherie wasn’t sure how to reply. In a way, she sort of had.
“Cherie, it takes training and work to get strong. Don’t give up just because you’re not instantly fit.”
“Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7-8 ESV
Maureen stared at the shelves of medicines in awe. Why, Sarah’s medicine cabinet rivaled any pharmacy’s…as did her knowledge of the different medications.
“What does this one do?” Maureen asked, holding up a bottle of pink pills.
“Oh, that’s an antibiotic for infections. It—” Sarah’s voice cut off in a cough that caused her to double over in pain.
“Are you okay?” Maureen asked, concerned.
After the coughing finally finished, Sarah replied in a shaky voice, “I’m fine. I just have a bad infection. But no worries.”
“What’s this cream for?” Maureen asked, pointing to a cream on the shelf.
“Oh, that helps skin infections,” came the quick reply.
Maureen glanced at her friend in confusion. She knew her friend had often complained about her skin infections. In fact, Sarah was constantly sick. “I don’t get it,” she confessed. “If you have all of these medicines, why are you always so sick?”
Sarah hardly looked up from the letter she was attempting to write. “I don’t know. I’ve had the medicines for years, but I guess I’m just doomed to sickness.”
Maureen turned from the medicine cabinet and sat next to her friend. What could be the problem? “Do you take the medicine like it’s prescribed?”
Sarah blushed. “Well, now that you mention it, no, I guess I don’t.”
“So let me get this straight. You have all of these medications, and know all about them, but you don’t take them?”
Sarah nodded, blushing more. “I guess that’s about right.”
Maureen shook her head in disbelief. “I guess we both know now why they’re not working. Sarah, you have to act on what you know.”
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” James 1:22-25 (KJV)
Susan stared at the mixer in positive frustration. Mixing this cake was SO much work! She was trying so hard, yet it seemed she hardly made any progress. She thought baking was supposed to be fun. What was wrong?
“You are supposed to mix this batter,” Susan lectured herself (and, in a way, the mixer). But lecturing about what she was supposed to do didn’t seem to help at all. What was wrong?
Her mom walked by and saw her frustration almost instantly. “Susan, you need to plug the mixer in,” she explained.
Sure enough, a plugged-in mixer made a world of a difference!
“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15: 5 (KJV)
Meet the Author
I’m a sinner saved by grace through Jesus Christ. I’m also a writer—I’ve been writing ever since I could hold a pen. I… Meet Katherine [Loop] Hannon.
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I’m a sinner saved by grace through Jesus Christ. I’m also a writer—I’ve been writing ever since I could hold a pen. I… 
