Papa Bear's Chair

"No servant can serve two masters." Luke 16:13

"They tell how you turned to God from idols to 

serve the living and true God." 1 Thessalonians 1:9 

A friend of mine has a beautiful pond surrounded by lush trees, a little playground for their kids - and now their grandkids, and, my favorite, the 3-bear's chairs. 

I had to get a picture! Which one did I pick? Papa Bear's chair, of course! No one chooses a small chair when they have the best and the biggest.

It looks like I'm seated on a giant throne, doesn't it? All I'm missing is my crown.

My throne. My crown.

Should one called to serve God claim the throne for his own? 

Serve. None of us like that word. We are masters of our own fate. We are captains of our ships. We command our destinies.

I think we miss the meaning of the word serve in these verses. Webster's Dictionary has many meanings. I was surprised how many had to do with waiting on a customer. But, buried deep in the list was the one I think we are looking for:

To give the service and respect due. (to serve God) 

Why do we serve God? How can we not?  

We were slaves to sin and Jesus died to release us from slavery to freedom as God's child. We are filled with a desire to grow closer to Him and to walk with Him in love and obedience.

We serve Him because we love Him.

Master, Idols. Whether we admit it or not, we all have masters. We aren't truly free. We are controlled by what we value. Our actions reveal what we find most important.

I've had lots of masters: money, success, possessions, Facebook, TV...the list goes on and on. As I sat in Papa Bear's chair, laughing, I thought about that often-asked question:

Who is on the throne of your heart?

All the earthly masters I have served have been harsh and demanding. I'm driven to chase them until I am exhausted, never satisfied.

And then I turn from my idols to God. 

• My Father
• My Savior
• My Confidant 
• My Guide 
• The Lover of my soul

My heart floods with such love, peace, and gratitude that it is pure joy to follow Him, to serve Him, to obey Him! 

Occasionally, I'm tempted by the Enemy to pursue one of the world's idols but it's not long before the sweetness of God's grace draws me back to Him. 

Lift your hands in praise to your Father! He has set you free from the cruel masters of this world. He has called you His child. 

Serve Him with joyful abandon!

M.D. Anderson Life Lessons

This time of year we all have many things to be thankful for, and family usually tops the list.

I went to work at M.D. Anderson straight out of college. I was young, idealistic, and death seemed far away. But God used my time there to teach me some valuable life lessons.

I worked with in-patients; most of them at the end of their lives. As I talked to them, God used those conversations to teach me some important truths about life.


During my six years there, I never heard:

• I wish I'd spent more time at the office.
• I wish I'd met my goal to be CEO of my company.
• I wish I''d earned enough to have a bigger house or a Mercedes.
• I always wanted to travel to Europe.

I did hear:

• I wish I'd spent more time with my kids when they were growing up.
• I wish I'd shown my wife how much I loved her.
• I wish I'd been closer to my parents.
• I wish I'd focused less on my career and more on my family.

Yes, I am thankful for my family.

• For a marriage that's built on the Lord as our solid foundation.
• For the strong love my husband and I share during the ups and downs of life.
• My husband who's been a wonderful provider and companion. 
• My two daughters who've grown to be such wonderful, responsible young ladies.
• My two grandchildren who are my pride and joy. 
• And, as silly as it sounds, the greyhounds who have shown me unconditional love.

And I am thankful for each of you. Without you, I would have thrown in the towel years ago! You are my friends - you encourage me, hold me accountable, and pray for me.

My prayers to you and your families and to all who are precious to you.

Photo credit: Gratitude via Creative Commons