Better Together - Tranece Harris

Two people are better than one, because they can reap more benefit from their labor. For if they fall, one will help his companion up, but pity the person who falls down and has no one to help him up. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NET

Feelings of defeat and hopelessness overtook me as life’s circumstances proceeded to kick me in the side and punch me in the gut.

I sat paralyzed in my office chair, allowing rivers of tears to stream down my face. I threatened to call someone but convinced myself no one would understand. How could I live in a community of like-minded believers, yet feel isolated and alone? As I reflected, reality sank in. My loneliness was a self-inflicted wound. My assumptions and lack of healthy conflict resolution caused me to convince myself that relationships were too much work. There I sat in the desert, left to face the hardest person I had ever faced—me.

Metaphorically, I felt battered, bruised, and broken and wanted to scream out to the Father and ask Him why He had forsaken me. But at that moment, something clicked, and I felt closer to my Savior than ever before. If no one else could relate to my emotions or understand my circumstances, Jesus certainly could.

I attempted to peel myself from my desk chair to no avail, justifying my withdrawal by verbally reminding myself that Jesus was all I needed. I pictured a hollow chocolate Easter bunny—the only image I could produce to convey my feelings. Isolation proved more difficult than fellowship.

King Solomon explained that we all fall and need encouragement from fellow believers, but we must connect to the body of Christ to get it. We can accomplish more working together than on our own. Even if we think no one can relate to our situation, we may be surprised at how many others experience something similar. Exposure to others provides varying perspectives and new insights.

We were not meant to go through life alone. We are relational beings, meant for fellowship with like-minded Christ followers. Realizing we need others evidences spiritual growth and maturation, not weakness.

What are some ways you can encourage others?

Tweetable: Are you feeling down in the dumps? 

Tranece Harris is pursuing a M.A. in Christian Education at Dallas Theological Seminary. She serves as the president of the ARISE Women Student Fellowship at DTS and works as an admissions counselor. Upon graduation, Tranece plans to start her own nonprofit to offer life coaching to women at no cost. She wants to help women discover their God-given purpose, identify their unique design, and realize their self-worth. She and her husband, Terrence, serve as spiritual growth facilitators. When Tranece is not studying or working, she spends time with her three beautiful daughters, Thalia Faith, Tianna Grace, and Tamara Peace.

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Bread and Juice - Martin Wiles

On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people. 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 NLT

After seeing the bread, I couldn’t help but wonder about the juice.

At the first church I pastored, the chairman of deacons carried the responsibility of preparing the elements for the Lord’s Supper. Being a conservative sort of chap, he always bought a large pack of crackers and a deluxe size grape juice. Since he demonstrated faithfulness to his duties, I never worried about things being ready and in order.

We had a small congregation and hardly made a dent was made in the elements. When the chairman finished preparing the crackers and juice, he returned them to a dark cabinet. On the ninth month of the year—we only observed Communion once a quarter—the chairman pulled out the same box of crackers and the same bottle of juice.

I stood before the congregation, waiting on the deacons to pass out the elements to the congregants. When they returned with the crackers, I looked down to pick up my cracker, say a Bible verse, and invite the members to eat with me as we remembered the broken body of Christ. As I reached for my cracker, I saw a maggot crawling around in the plate. What was I to do? I carefully selected a cracker far away from the varmint and continued with the service. The crackers were stale.

Next came partaking of the juice. I wondered what we were in store for. The deacons passed it out and returned the remaining cups to the table. I reached down, picked up mine, said a Bible verse, and invited the members to drink as we remembered the blood Jesus shed for us. Coughs reverberated throughout the congregation. Obviously, I had no wine drinkers among my members, for the juice had almost fermented.

My chairman and I had a talk after this experience. No more using of leftover bread and juice unless it had been refrigerated. And he was to buy smaller quantities. We laughed about it—as did everyone else I told—but a lesson emerged.

Our experience was distasteful, but so was Jesus’. Soldiers battered and bruised His body, out of hate and misunderstanding of who He was. He endured for us. When we received the crackers, we remember that. The blood He shed was for our sins. He embodied the perfect sacrifice. The juice reminds of that.

Next time you partake of the Lord’s Supper, remember the elements represent what Jesus did for you.

Tweetable: What emotions does Jesus' crucifixion create in you?

Prayer: Father, thank You for sending Your Son to do for us what we could not do for ourselves.

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A Taste Beyond All Others - Martin Wiles

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Psalm 34:8 NLT

Loving to taste is why I’m where I am.

Though I love vegetables and meat, I’ve always had a taste for junk food. Nothing like sitting down with a bag of barbecue potato chips, a Reese’s peanut butter cup, and a glass of milk. And Little Debbie’s?  Any kind will do. Surely, God anointed the person who invented them. I’d rather eat a few of them than a homemade cookie or cake.

For many years, my taste never led to weight gain—and I wanted to gain weight. I was skinny and often made fun of. So I topped off my junk food diet with things like Weight On. Nothing worked. Around age 38, my wish to gain weight came true. The trouble was, I didn’t want to gain as much as I gained. Twenty years later, I still have to monitor my taste habits to maintain the proper weight level.

I think we’ll still enjoy eating in heaven—but with an added pleasure. I’ll be able to taste and consume anything I want without worrying about weight gain. The psalmist had another type of tasting in mind: tasting of the Lord to see how good He is.

When Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples, He gave them bread and told them to taste it. It represented His body which would soon be given for their sins and for the sins of the world.

Tasting the Lord involves accepting Him as my Savior, which is preceded by recognizing I’m a sinner in need of salvation. But doing this is only the beginning of a lifelong journey. Doing nothing more won’t let me experience how good He is.

On a regular basis, I must taste God’s Word. Like the bread, I must ingest it, let it settle into my inner soul, and then bear fruit in my actions. I’ll never know how good the Lord is without tasting His Word. Tasting is also more than just a quick read. I ingest by thinking about what the Word says and by asking God’s Spirit to lead me into full understanding so I can let it influence my thoughts, actions, and words.

I also taste when I ask God to give me a continual hunger for Him. A hunger to know Him better. A hunger to understand His ways more fully.

Don’t back away. Taste and see how good God is.

Tweetable: Have you tasted of God's goodness?

Prayer: Father, motivate us to taste of You daily so we can experience the fullness of a life lived well. 

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Flashback Friday - What’s for Supper? - Martin Wiles

What’s for Supper?

“What’s for supper?” A question we three brothers often asked Mom, but one we also knew the answer to-“You’ll see when I get it fixed.” 

Suppers in the South are delightful, but while sumptuous, a traditional southern United States supper is almost always unhealthy. Vegetables are not just placed in a pot and boiled. Real sugar is added--as well as several tablespoons of salt and often hunks of fatty meat. Meats are rarely broiled or baked. Fried is almost synonymous with the South. And not before the meat is rolled in a mixture of egg and milk, covered in self-rising flour, and placed in a pan of hot sizzling lard. Read more...

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Best Meal Ever - Martin Wiles

Series: The Things We Say

This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Luke 22:19 NLT

According to my wife, I eat some strange things.

My wife and I come from different regions of South Carolina and have different eating habits. On one of our earlier dates, she was fixing my dinner plate. Out of habit, I said, “Make sure you put some pot liquor on my rice.” A saying and practice foreign to her (pot liquor being the juice in the pot with the cooked vegetables). 

Nor did she understand putting vegetables over white rice—until she spent a few years in the Lowcountry and was served white rice with every meal. And some of the things we put together—such as grits and fried cubed steak, she had never experienced. Getting her to add vegetables on top of the gravy she had just put on her rice was out of the question. 

Since I love to eat, almost any meal I consume is good. But I suppose the one Jesus served to His disciples was strange. Not the bread and wine, but what He told them about it. Eating the bread was eating His body, and drinking the wine was drinking His blood. The practice was why early Christians were accused of cannibalism. And some church traditions teach that the wine and bread become Jesus’ blood and body when consumed.

Early churches observed the Lord’s Supper every time they met. I’ve been more accustomed to churches who do so quarterly. Dad always gave the biblical warning to examine oneself before partaking of the elements. Paul said Jesus reminded them they were proclaiming the Lord’s death every time they observed the tradition. 

So what’s the big deal about Communion or the Lord’s Supper? Of all the meals I might enjoy, this should be the most pleasurable because of what it represents. Other meals merely fill my belly, feed my muscles, and leave my body. This one sticks around and gives me continual spiritual nourishment. Eating the bread reminds me Jesus was my substitute. His body was broken as He paid for the sins I had, was, and would commit. Drinking the wine—or juice, reminds me of the blood He shed for my sins because without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. 

Enjoy a good meal, but don’t neglect the best meal.

Prayer: Father, thank You for allowing Your Son to give His life so we might have life. 

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