Browsed by
Tag: Jesus

Freedom Isn’t Free

Freedom Isn’t Free

Comments 2 comments

Freedom Isn't Free--American flags with a cross in the backgroundOn Memorial Day, we remember that freedom isn’t free. Many paid a great price for us to enjoy our parades, cookouts, and fireworks.

Freedom isn’t free gives thanks for those who make freedom possible.

Men and women who serve in the military often risk their lives. May we never forget those who:

  • Remain missing in action
  • Live and bear the scars of their service
  • Give their lives to defend ours — those gone but not forgotten

The Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. includes the engravement “Freedom Is Not Free.”

The memorial with that engraving honors and respects soldiers of one war. Yet its truth relates to all our heroes.

This idiom applies spiritually as well.

When Jesus died on the cross, He gave the ultimate price. He sacrificed his life to offer us eternal life. When He arose on the third day, He conquered sin and death. We share that victory when we follow Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Enjoy the holiday. Remember the reason.

Have fun with family and friends. Be sure to also give thanks for those who make that time possible. Above all, accept and give thanks for the greater freedom we find in Jesus.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36 NIV).

Thanks to Beckham Wilson for the suggestion. Image by Em Sawyers from Pixabay.

The Apple Does Not Fall Far from the Tree

The Apple Does Not Fall Far from the Tree

Comments 8 comments

The Apple Does Not Fall Far from the Tree--red apples on ground around a tree trunkThe apple does not fall far from the tree in orchards. The same is often true for children.

When children act like their parents, we might say the apple does not fall far from the tree.

We all learn from the people closest to us.

  • Parents
  • Guardians
  • Other relatives

They teach us how to:

  • Walk
  • Talk
  • Live

One of the scariest statements a child can make is, “When I grow up, I want to be just like you.” That should make us pay attention to our words, actions, and attitudes.

The apple does not fall from the tree does not always apply.

Children do not always look or act like their parents. Sometimes that is the children’s choice. They may:

  • Rebel against positive examples.
  • Rise above negative examples.

We cannot change our biological roots. We can change our behavior.

May we all learn and live well.

No one, including the best parent, is perfect. Therefore, we want to follow the one and only perfect example we find in Jesus.

When we root ourselves in Jesus’ love, we gain the best life now plus an eternity with Him in heaven. We also bear fruit by sharing Jesus’ love with the rest of the world.

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8 NIV).

Thanks to Thad Reames for the suggestion. Image by Manfred Richter from Pixabay.

Do you have an expression you want explained or thoughts about this one? If so, please comment below.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Whistle Past the Graveyard

Whistle Past the Graveyard

Comments 9 comments

Whistle Past the Graveyard-graves at Arlington National CemeteryI grew up near a graveyard. Later, my husband and I built a house across the road from one. We laughed and said we would have quiet neighbors. However, some people fear living so close to graves. They feel the need to whistle past the graveyard.

When we whistle past the graveyard, we hide our fear by acting calm.

We may be afraid of our own shadow. However, we don’t want anyone to know.

Whistling past the graveyard happens often.

In addition to passing a cemetery, we fear:

  • Public speaking
  • Competition for a championship
  • Any embarrassing situation

To whistle past the graveyard may increase courage.

Acting with courage often makes us more courageous. We survive what we fear, so the next time becomes easier.

The Bible tells us we have no need to fear death.

Followers of Jesus know that death and the grave are not the end. When Jesus arose from the grave, He conquered sin and death. We can share that same victory and look forward to an eternal home in heaven.

“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice” (John 5:28 NIV).

Thanks to Bobbie Smith Bryant and Martha Orlando for the suggestion. Image by Carol Colman from Pixabay

Do you have an expression you want explained or thoughts about this one? If so, please comment below.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Bigger Fish to Fry

Bigger Fish to Fry

Comments 10 comments

Bigger Fish to Fry-red plate filled with fried fish and lemon slicesDo you prefer small fish piping hot from the grill or oven? Or do you enjoy bigger fish to fry?

For non-food decisions, go for bigger fish to fry.

Bigger fish to fry means more important matters to manage.

You deal with:

  • Major activities rather than minor
  • Emergencies rather than routine
  • Long lasting rather than brief

Bigger fish to fry does not mean never having fun.

Meaningful moments include:

  • Relaxing
  • Resting
  • Focusing on relationships

Personal accomplishments do not equal success.

  • Quality time with family is more important than awards.
  • Helping people in need matters more than promotions.
  • Investing in lives outlasts investing in stocks.

How you spend your time and money reveals what you value most.

  • Will it make a difference?
  • Does it have eternal worth?

Be sure bigger fish to fry are worth the effort.

Focusing only on self often leads to fishy situations. Focusing on God’s will and helping others keeps you on the right track. Jesus said to follow Him and become fishers of people. All people. Everywhere.

“Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people” (Luke 5:10 NIV).

Thanks to Lindy Pierce for the suggestion and to Terry Pennington, owner of Creekside Restaurant, for the photo.

Do you have an expression you want explained or thoughts about this one? If so, please comment below.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Throw Your Hat into the Ring

Throw Your Hat into the Ring

Comments 8 comments

Throw Your Hat into the Ring--two people throwing their hats into the air with the sun setting behind themDo you often throw your hat into the ring? Maybe for a group activity, fun event, or political office? You decide to give it a whirl.

If you throw your hat into the ring, you announce your decision to join or compete.

You may:

  • Enter a contest.
  • Make or accept a challenge.
  • Participate in a special event.
  • Start a new step in life.

Throw your hat into the ring began with boxing.

According to The Phrase Finder, “The expression dates from at least the early 19th century.” Boxing rings were “circular spaces in a crowd of onlookers.” No “square roped ‘rings’” like today. If someone wanted to compete, he threw his hat into the ring. That was easier than shouting above the noisy crowd.

Be careful before you throw your hat into the ring.

Many activities prove worthwhile. Others you want to avoid at all costs.

When Jesus calls, always follow.

The cost may be great, but the reward will be greater. Many believers endure persecution such as:

  • Ridicule
  • Job loss
  • Rejection from friends and family
  • Imprisonment
  • Death

Nevertheless, they throw their hat into the ring with Jesus. They prefer to suffer rather than deny their Savior.

“Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:3 NIV).

 Thanks to Lam DeBrot for the suggestion. Photo by Nabil Naidu with Pexels.

Do you have an expression you want explained or thoughts about this one? If so, please comment below.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Onward and Upward

Onward and Upward

Comments 6 comments

Onward and Upward--Old Faithful geyserOur family loves to visit Yellowstone National Park. We always watch the Old Faithful geyser erupt. Several times a day, Old Faithful moves onward and upward.

This wonder of nature reminds us of the importance of our own faithfulness.

Onward and upward means to keep moving forward.

We work toward:

  • Improvement
  • Progress
  • Success

Onward and upward often means steady rather than sudden growth.

Old Faithful begins with a sputter but then grows higher and higher. We don’t have to start fast either. However, we do want to keep going and growing.

Onward and upward encourages us not to give up.

We all face difficulties and disappointments. Yet, we advance one step at a time. Failure teaches us what does not work. To reach our goals, we keep on keeping on.

This challenge applies to every age and circumstance.

  • Youth graduating from school
  • Adults seeking the right job
  • Retirees beginning a new stage in life

As long as we live, we have meaning and purpose. May we always seek to find and fulfill them to the best of our abilities.

Our greatest advancement occurs when we step from this life into the next.

If we follow Jesus’ plan for our lives, we find the best now and through eternity. Let’s keep moving onward and upward.

“In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13 NIV).

Thanks to Joy S. Taylor for the suggestion.

Heart of the Matter

Heart of the Matter

Comments 4 comments

Heart of the Matter--Wood Christmas carving with a red T to represent a crossMost of the time, we want people to get to the heart of the matter. Quit beating around the bush. Stop wasting our time. Cut to the chase.

The heart of the matter refers to what is most important.

It is the:

  • Main point
  • Central issue
  • Primary problem

We require our physical hearts to live and function. Likewise, we focus on the heart of the matter to be most effective.

To deal with a situation, we must address it.

Dillydallying does no good. If a problem exists, work on it. If people do a good job, tell them. Concentrate on what matters most.

The cross is the heart of the matter in Christmas.

We love to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Yet, our music, gifts, and decorations mean nothing if we forget why Jesus came. We must look beyond the manger to the cross.

The Savior of the world came into our world to save us from our sins.

The Christmas message finds fulfillment at Easter. Jesus:

  • Lived a sinless life
  • Gave his life for our sins
  • Rose from the grave in victory over sin and death

Will you give your life to the one who loves you that much?

“I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11 ESV).

Thanks to Beckham Wilson for the suggestion.

Do you have an expression you want explained or thoughts about this one? If so, please comment below.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Filled to the Brim

Filled to the Brim

Comments 14 comments

Filled to the Brim-Coffee pot filling a Christmas coffee mug to the topThis time of year, our lives become filled to the brim. That can be both good and bad.

Filled to the brim means completely full.

We have no room left for anything else. Our cups run over.

Christmas often results in:

  • Activities that crowd every minute
  • More food than we can possibly eat
  • Music, lights, and decorations that leave us in awe

All that overflow results in emotional highs and lows.

  • We love time with friends and family. Yet, we need quiet moments too.
  • The food tastes wonderful. But overeating leaves us sluggish and makes our tummies hurt.
  • Sights and sounds lift our spirits. However, they eventually leave us exhausted.

Filled to the brim also means totally satisfied.

We frequently search for satisfaction in things and activities. Yet, they always fall short.

True satisfaction comes only through a relationship with Jesus.  

Jesus:

  • Came to earth as a baby
  • Lived a perfect life
  • Gave His life as a sacrifice for our sins
  • Rose from the grave in victory over sin and death
  • Offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who accept Him as Savior and Lord

That, my friend, is a filled-to-the-brim life.

And that is what Christmas is all about.

“Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim” (John 2:7 NIV).

Thanks to Tracy Crump for the suggestion.

Do you have an expression you want explained or thoughts about this one? If so, please comment below.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Give Up the Ghost

Give Up the Ghost

Comments 6 comments

Give Up the Ghost--Sunset rays over a field and under dark cloudsFor years, I knew only one meaning for give up the ghost. However, according to The Free Dictionary, the expression has at least three. All three mean an end.

To give up the ghost means to die.

This was the definition I knew. Other death idioms include:

The Free Dictionary further explains, “The ghost here is the soul … separated from the body upon death.”

To give up the ghost also means something stops working.

No physical possession lasts forever. All eventually wear out. Therefore, we must keep buying:

  • Appliances
  • Cars
  • Phones

To give up the ghost also means to quit trying.

We cancel plans we think will fail. This may include:

  • Work
  • Trips
  • Special events

Although our bodies die, our souls can soar!

We choose our destination for this life and life after we give up the ghost. If we accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, we have the promise of an everlasting home in heaven.

“Man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?” (Job 14:10 KJV).

Thanks to Bobbie Smith Bryant for the suggestion.

Do you have an expression you want explained or thoughts about this one? If so, please comment below.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Practice What You Preach

Practice What You Preach

Comments 8 comments

Practice What You Preach-young ministerial student on stageWhen I was in college, we lived next door to a ministerial student. Every week, we heard him practice what he planned to preach. Our walls were paper thin.

If you practice what you preach, you do what you tell other people to do.

This proverb warns against hypocrisy. It wasn’t enough for the preaching student to practice saying his words. He also needed to practice doing them.

Example has a greater impact than advice.

  • Children pay more attention to parents’ behavior than words.
  • Students listen better if teachers’ actions match their assignments.
  • Employees watch their employers for acceptable business practices.

You are the real McCoy if you practice what you preach.

No pretending. No falsehood. You live what you say.

The world is filled with pretense and falsehood, but you have a better choice.

Jesus set the example. When we follow Jesus, we live and tell His truth to a world that needs to see and hear it.

“Do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach” (Matthew 23:3 NIV).

Thanks to Meghan Bowker, Editor, Missions Mosaic, for the idea and to Hayden Dabney, children’s minister at Campbellsville Baptist Church, for the photo.

Do you have an expression you want explained or thoughts about this one? If so, please comment below.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.