Beverly Joy Roberts

Tax exemptions are awesome.    I remember when we had three children at home, and we qualified for lots of deductions.  That's when I’d do a good ol’ happy dance when the tax returns came.   At tax perpetration time, I would search for anything that I was allowed to declare that would benefit me and give me some extra money in the income tax return.    There is a feeling of euphoria when I’d find a great exemption.   Which meant that I was exempt, but others were not. They have to pay, but not me.  Sometimes that same ‘tax exemption’ superiority crosses over into bad behavior.  In life sometimes I want to get a ‘tax exemption’ on my bad behavior while holding  you  to a different standard.   Here’s the bottom line, God’s word applies equally  to everyone ; believers, unbelievers, boomers, generation X, millennials, and those who are yet to come.  No exemptions! See, it really doesn’t matter if you believe it, God’s word remains the same and it’s… To Everyone: In 1 Thessalonians 5:1

When I worked a job where I was paid money for hours served, there were times I didn't like my responsibilities.  Some of the jobs I've held were in food preparation, cleaning, babysitting, cooking, secretarial, and ministry.   Without exception, there were duties required of me in each of these jobs that I didn't want to do.   If given the option while babysitting, I would not choose to change a dirty diaper.   At the restaurants I worked in, I would not choose to scrap the garbage off people's plates or touch the dirty napkins they used to blow their nose. When cleaning the church, there were toilets, lots of toilets.  Enough said. While working in an office setting as a secretary, there were phone calls I would have liked to avoid.  I didn't always want to do the assigned duties of the job I was chosen to do, but I did because these jobs were mine to do.   In Colossians 4:12 & 13 (NASB) we have all been given jobs to do as people chosen of God. So, as those w

It doesn't happen often, but sometimes I get blindsided.  I mean really blindsided by someone.  Their words catch me off guard, and I don't respond the way I do when I have my wits about me.   I'm can be sailing along having a great day and POW, I go down for the count.   It's at that moment that I have a choice.  I can wallow in the pain, look for someone to blame, or I can choose to safeguard myself.   If you are anything like me, the blame choice is the usual place I go.  But WRONG, that’s not the correct answer, so don’t even go there. Now, the word  safeguard  may sound like counselor jargon, but the term  safeguard  was first used by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:1 when he told us this amazing truth. Finally, my brethren,  rejoice in the Lord . To write the same things  again  is no trouble to me, and it is a  safeguard  for you.   Philippians 3:1 (NASB) The  safeguard  that Paul was speaking of was the safeguard of rejoicing, being glad, being joyful in the L

  Not too long ago, my three-year-old grandson played on the deck with a dishpan full of water.  He was splashing his toys in and out of the water.  As you can imagine, the area around him became wet.   He spotted another toy and jumped up to get it.  When he returned to the dishpan of water, he was unprepared for the wet area beneath his feet.    He fell and I mean hard.   It was one of those cartoon falls, where his feet hit the water and he became airborne for a second before coming down with a thud.   He stood up as quickly as he fell, but his face revealed his emotions.  He was embarrassed, hurt, and confused.   From across the deck, I watched this all play out and I asked the question.  "Are you okay?" When his eyes met mine, he burst into tears and ran to me.  I held him in my lap and reassured him that he would be okay.  After a few minutes, his tears stopped, and he climbed down and went back to his play. My warning to him as he headed right back to the wet area on t