Cathy’s Corner

 

This week we are teaching about Daniel and the Lion’s Den from Daniel 6:1-28. It isn’t always easy to do the right thing.

Daniel found himself favored by the king. Because of his integrity and his exceptional qualities the king planned to put him in charge over the whole kingdom. There were administrators who were trying to find grounds for having Daniel declared corrupt. They couldn’t because he was trustworthy, and neither corrupt nor negligent. They finally decided the only way they could get to him was to find charges that had to do with the law of his God. They were able to get the king to issue a decree that anyone who prays to any god or man except the king during the next thirty day period would be thrown into the lion’s den. King Darius put the decree in writing.

Daniel was not moved and he went home and opened up his windows and prayed three times a day, giving thanks to God, just as he had done before. Then the men reported him to the king and the king was saddened to learn it was Daniel. He was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort to save him. But the men were insistent that he follow his own law. So the king had Daniel thrown into the lions den but he also said. “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”  The king then spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being bought to him, and he could not sleep.

The next morning the king rushed to the lion’s den and called out to Daniel to see if God had rescued him. Daniel was unhurt and the king was overjoyed. He had Daniel’s accusers thrown into the lion’s den. Because of what happened King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language issuing decrees that in every part of his kingdom people must fear and revere the God of Daniel.

 

I received this in an email devotion this week and thought the part on obedience went along with our lesson.

 

A Faithful Man "A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished." Proverbs 28:20

There is a distinct difference between the workplace believers who operates based on living in the Promised Land versus the one who operates in Egypt. In Egypt, the workplace believer sweats and toils to generate an outcome. The final objective is foremost in their mind. Outcome is everything.

In the Promised Land, we learn that obedience is the only thing that matters. We are called to execute, and leave outcome to God. Sometimes that outcome is very positive, yielding a return. In other cases, we may not yield a corresponding return. We may even get a negative outcome. The difference is that we know that we have been faithful to what God has called us to and we yield results to God. God often blesses obedience beyond what we deserve. If God brings wealth to your life, it should come as a by-product of obedience, not an end in itself.

God may call each of us to be obedient to situations that may not yield immediate, positive results. It is in these times that our faith must be obedience-based versus outcome-based. What if Jesus had considered the immediate ramifications of whether he would go to the cross? Based on the immediate outcome, the decision would have been an easy one. Who wants to die on a cross? However, for Him there was a higher purpose in that obedience. We are called to this same kind of obedience. This means putting our own flesh on the line daily, dying to our own self-will. This is what it means to be a faithful man. I pray that God will make us all faithful men and women today.

Today God Is First (TGIF) devotional message, Copyright by Os Hillman, Marketplace Lead

 

Cathy’s Corner

 

This month we’ve been teaching about doing the right thing. There is a saying, “It’s never wrong to do the right thing.”  At least I think there is a saying like that.  If there isn’t, then it still is true. There was a show I ran across last week about a hidden camera crew who was watching people to see how they would react to certain situations and if they would do the right thing in certain situations. In one of those it was set up for a guy to take the gas pump from someone else’s car and fill his tank up while they were inside. Those who were outside watching this happen were being observed to see what their reaction would be. Some people just looked on in amazement, not saying a word. Others might tell him he shouldn’t be doing that, but for the most part, no one really got involved. Then there was the woman who saw what he did, told him to stop and then stood in front of his car so he couldn’t leave. When the person who was stolen from came out, she told them what had happened. She was indignant that he would be so bold as to do something like that.

 

It says a lot about us and our character when we do the right thing. Some people are just in shock when they see something happen and just stand around like they can’t believe what they are seeing. They don’t respond because they are processing what’s going on in front of them. In this day and age, we’ve also learned that we can actually be putting ourselves and possibly those around us in danger if we do step in to intercede when something is happening. Fear is definitely a motivator for not interfering.

 

What about when you have information concerning something that you know shouldn’t be happening or you know something that should happen and isn’t? We all see things, hear things and have a gut instinct about certain things. But what do you do when you’ve been enlightened and you have the information? There is no turning back; you can’t just ignore it or put it out of your mind. By divulging the information you have, it’s probably going to cause you some stress and aggravation or maybe even the loss of your job. No one’s going to know if you don’t tell; it probably won’t even come out.

 

What’s your response? It’s easy to say we would do the right thing, but when faced with the situation, it may not be that easy. I honestly have to say that I’ve been faced with that situation more times than I can count and unfortunately, in church work, just as often as in the secular world. Disappointingly, sometimes the reactions weren’t any different from those involved in the church and secular world. All you can do is what your conscience is telling you to do - which is what the Holy Spirit is telling you to do. It doesn’t matter that you may get a lot of grief from your superiors or the person that is in the wrong. You have to do what you know God wants you to do. I feel very responsible for our preschoolers and their families and for my teachers. I am obligated to protect them, as well as to teach and minister to them. We answer to someone higher than our spouse, our boss or the people we work with.

 

I can only imagine how hard it must have been for Daniel to stand up for what he believed in and to refuse to eat the king’s food. He probably got all kinds of grief and pressure to give in, but he chose to do the right thing. Joseph could have retaliated against his brothers because of all the grief they caused in his life, but he chose to forgive them and to do the right thing. Deuteronomy 6:18 says, “And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may go well with you, …”  Sometimes its not easy to do the right thing but its always what God wants us to do.

 

Have a great day in the Lord!

 

Cathy’s Corner

 

So, in May we were again waiting on a baby. Our son and daughter-in-law were expecting at the end of June. J called me on May 18^th and said they put Lindsay in the hospital because she had high blood pressure and preeclampsia. With our family history of having babies early and having preeclampsia, I wasn’t surprised.  I really had hoped since Lindsay was not blood related that she wouldn’t have any of the same problems that seem to plague our family. But that didn’t seem to be the case and there we were facing another high risk pregnancy. They were trying to determine if they were going to have to take the baby early. Hopefully they would be able to get Lindsay’s blood pressure under control and just send her home on bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy.

 

The baby was measuring at thirty-one weeks instead of thirty-four weeks. They were concerned about small birth weight since at Lindsay’s previous check up the baby was right on target. Six weeks doesn’t sound like a long time until it means that’s how long a baby needs to finish developing. There are organs that still need to develop, especially the lungs.

 

Preeclampsia causes the blood vessels to constrict, resulting in high blood pressure and a reduced blood flow that can affect organs throughout the body, including the liver, kidneys, and brain. When less blood is being delivered, it can mean problems for the baby, such as poor growth and too little amniotic fluid. Changes in the blood vessels caused by preeclampsia may cause the capillaries to "leak" fluid into your tissues. This results in swelling, known as edema. When the tiny blood vessels in the kidneys leak, protein from your bloodstream spills into your urine. A few studies have found an association between high levels of stress and preterm birth. The theory is that severe stress can lead to the release of hormones that can trigger contractions and preterm labor. Experts have also been studying occupational factors to see what effect having a physically demanding job or working long hours has. One study showed that moms-to-be who had to stand for more than 40 hours a week or who had extremely tiring jobs were more likely to have preterm deliveries.

 

Finally, some researchers are studying the role of genetic factors because preterm birth seems to be more common in some families. Hello, that seems to be our family and the only way to get the blood pressure under control is to get the baby out.  So they delivered the baby by C-section on May 28^th. Grace Lynn Jones weighed 4 pounds and 9 ounces and was 16 ¾ inches long. She was the tiniest little baby and I fell in love with her immediately. Okay, I already loved her but now I had a face to go with that love. Since we have been used to some big babies these last six months, it was a change to have such a tiny baby in the family. She and Lindsay had to stay in the hospital for a week but are home and everyone, including dad, is doing fine. Gary and I got to go there the week after VBS and stay and help out. I loved getting to hold her, change her diapers, talk to her and sing to her, as with my grandsons. Last week at her check up, which was her original due date, she weighed 7 lb 10 ounces; she’s catching up fast.

 

This week Kiersten and Tex are coming in from Virginia Beach. Her husband Jay is in the Navy and couldn’t come this time. It will be the first time Kiersten will meet her new niece and nephew. So Gary and I, Cassandra, Scott and Jackson, J, Lindsay and Grace, Kiersten and Tex and Caitlin will spend a few days together. It will be the first time for Gary and me to have all three grandbabies together and we can’t wait. I’ve bought matching outfits - and yes two boys’ and one girl’s. I wouldn’t do that to Grace. We plan to have a great time and take lots of pictures.

 

My blessings are over flowing and I am thankful for three healthy grandbabies. I’ve prayed for them since I first knew they were on their way and I pray for them everyday. I ask God for Gary and me to be a strong spiritual influence in their lives. There is so much I want to teach them, but most of all it is for them to know how much Jesus loves them and for them to love Him with all they have.

 

Have a great day in the Lord!