Don't just pucker up!

If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals,

they are most blessed.  (Proverbs 29:18)

"If life gives you lemons, make lemonade." This was Dale Carnegie's way of telling us to keep a positive focus on a whole lot of negative stuff that is happening to us in life - from business difficulties to personal ones. Have you ever noticed that after a while a steady diet of lemonade gets to taste pretty bitter! If your physical body can only handle so much "acidic" intake before it starts to rebel with changes internally that you may not fully recognize until they have created a state of imbalance that you cannot easily bounce back from, what about the 'rest of you'. Guess what - your spiritual state of "balance" can be equally as disturbed by a steady diet of "bitterness". The bitterness of life can present us with much difficulty in our physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational health!

Our passage reminds us that not being able to see what God is doing leads to us kind of stumbling all over ourselves. Sometimes we even find ourselves stumbling all over each other in the process of trying to make forward progress beyond the bitter stuff in life. For many of us, "not seeing what God is doing" can be more common-place than some may think. It took me a long while in my own walk to finally come to the place where I took the time to just settle myself down long enough to finally get to the place that God could even show me what he was doing instead of just getting all wigged out about the 'unkind' things that were happening! I charged around in the chaos of the moment, wondering all along what God was doing, but not even bothering being quiet in my spirit or emotions long enough for him to speak to me. I was adding even more chaos to the situation by my inattention to God and my unwillingness to take control of my emotions instead of allowing them to control me.

The danger of becoming more focused on how we can deal with the "lemons" in life than on how God wants us to be processing those "lemons" is that we may become very bitter by their influence inside us. Whenever we give life's issues more attention than we give God, we get chaos - we get 'wigged out' by the very 'sour' stuff of life. Where chaos is present, the soil of our hearts, minds, and spirits are ripe for a harvest of very bitter or sour fruit. Chaos is a state of utter confusion, disorder, or turmoil. In chaos, we don't see clearly because we interpret things through a perspective that is clouded by the acidic nature of the circumstances. Acid burns and it creates a sour mood, unkind responses, and unintended consequences both to us and to those around us in life.

It is a fine line between being caught up in the moment and being silent in God's presence. It is a matter of the internal will to be very attentive to quieting oneself in the midst of chaos. Yet, as we are reminded in our passage, that is exactly how God intends to keep us from a steady intake of "lemonade" that turns us bitter on the inside! In the quiet of his presence, we are "re-balanced" - the acidic stuff of life is allowed to 'neutralize' in his presence. Whenever I find myself interpreting life's issues as though they are lemons just ripe for making lemonade, God helps me to remember that I really don't like the taste of lemonade! His Holy Spirit is kind of like our spiritual "litmus" paper - that tiny strip of paper that lets us see if a substance is acidic or alkaline. Too acidic and we need to re-balance in order to not become bitter old bags! Too alkaline and we need to re-balance in order to have any impact as the salt of this earth!

As you may have heard, to be "blessed" is to be happy. It is not a promise that God will lavish all kinds of material blessings on us, but rather a reminder that our hearts, minds, and spirits will be "re-centered" on what matters, what gives true hope, and what will create inner peace in the time of trial. If life is giving you lemons right now, ask God to show you how to handle the lemons. Get quiet long enough for the Spirit of God to show you just how much of those lemons you have internalized and how they have affected your inner spirit. When you do, he can and will bring balance again and help you to avoid the bitterness that comes when we try to deal with truckloads of lemons all on your own! Just sayin!

Proof Positive

A gang of cynics can upset a whole city; a group of sages can calm everyone down. 

(Proverbs 29:8)

Have yoiu ever noticed just how many cynical people there are in this world? I caught a commercial the other night in which it displayed one of those support groups that meet in circles. The 'members' of the group were those who were 'cynical' about all those promises made by those 'shopper programs'. The purpose was to show shopping with one particular online 'add on' would actually 'ay off'. Their cynicism only ended when she showed them the rebate check. There are times when it seems like there are a lot of cynical people trying to paint a picture of doom and gloom about the things that life deals us. It is easy to follow along with their perceptions of gloom, if we allow our minds to drift there, and if we never see proof otherwise. In order to counteract them, we need to become strategic in our thinking, understanding in our interpretation of life, and dependent on God to give us insight in times of darkness - in times when evidence really has to be discovered because it isn't just staring us right in the face.

A cynic has several characteristics, but the most prevalent is that they believe that there is an obvious selfishness motivating every human action. In other words, nobody does a nice thing for no reason at all - there must be an ulterior motive - an underlying benefit to the individual who is doing the good action. The cynic needs to see proof. They won't change the cycle of thinking until they see something that tells them their way of thinking is wrong. The cynic tends to be bitter about life - interpreting everything through the eyes of pessimism. They are skeptical - sometimes unwilling to take a chance on life because they don't really trust - they don't believe things could be other than how they perceive them to be.

With this in mind, it becomes quite apparent how a gang of cynics (and they usually do manage to congregate together at some point as though some magnetic force brought them together) can upset a whole city. Get a couple nay-sayers together in a workplace and see what havoc they can create in just a short time. Allow a group of cynics to congregate in your church and watch every action of the congregation, pastoral board, deacons, and pastor himself be scrutinized to death! It is a contagious attitude of one that feeds on negativity and is well-fed when there is a multitude of negative people to help keep them cynical.

Our writer reminds us that the antidote to cynicism running rampant is to introduce the 'sage' into the mix - like the lady that recounts her positive shopping experience and then holds up the check as proof. A sage person is one who has incorporated sound judgment into their way of thinking - they have taken what they have experienced in life and filtered it through the truth God reveals in his Word. In the end, they have 'proof positive'. A sage individual acts as a "calming" agent in the midst of the cynical unrest of the masses. Sage individuals have an inner peace - they are not swayed by the ups and downs of life today because they are assured of their anchor. Even with the ups and downs of today's issues, they remain fixed on the 'proof positive' they have discovered in placing their trust in God, his truth, and his protection.

In scripture, a sage person is a wise person. As you read through the Proverbs, you can observe repeated times where there is the comparison between the fool and the wise. The fool runs head-long into the trouble ahead - the wise waits for God's direction and then moves with purpose and understanding. Our world, our workplace, and even our church, need sage (wise) individuals who will stand against the doom and gloom nay-sayers who abound all around them. The best way out of a pit of mire for the one caught in that pit is to reach for the hand of someone who has already been delivered from the pit! Let's become sage in our counsel and our behavior - there are enough pit-dwellers in that miry pit already! Just sayin!

Sour fruit

You can't whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them.
(Proverbs 28:13)

Whitewash makes things look pretty - it has a way of fading over time, though. It was used by farmers to minimize the sun's effect on the trees in the cold months of winter when the trees were supposed to be dormant for a while. The sun could get to the trees easier since the leaves had fallen off or were thinner, and the warm sun would stir the trees into "false" growth if left without this protective coating. It wasn't permanent - but the purpose it served was directly related to the health of the tree. The base of the tree was coated until it gleamed white in an attempt to stay off the growth, allowing the time of dormancy in the trees in an otherwise 'unsuitable' climate. Since the roots are in cold ground and not much moisture was to be found in the winter, if growth was begun prematurely, the tree would be in a dehydrated condition and the fruit produced would not be as delicious the next year. We might think it counter-productive to stay off growth, but growth without proper 'maturity' only produces sour fruit!

Whitewash could also refer to any deceptive word or action that we use to cover up or gloss over faults or errors in our behavior. It is an excuse! We cannot whitewash our sins and get away with it, though. We may look okay on the outside, but all the whitewash is doing is keeping us from really developing the good fruit we really need to be producing! We look okay, but our roots are in "cold" soil and the growth that would be produced is less than "full and ripe". We aren't going to develop the maturity of character if all we are doing is painting a good coat of whitewash over our lives through clever excuses and disguised actions. There is value in admitting our sins and then leaving them behind. It sets us free to get solidly rooted and opens us to the growth that really needs to occur. Keeping sins hidden is pretty tough. Whitewash doesn't remain forever - it fades with time. If we seek to hide behind some kind of whitewash excuse, we will always be  "touching up" the exposed places of our lives.

It is a constant effort to attempt to 'cover over' any of our non-productive growth - an effort that would be better applied to learning how to walk away from the cold, dry ground that produces such stunted and 'sour' fruit in our lives! Next time you are tempted to bust out the "whitewash" and gloss over a sinful action or response, why not ask God to help replant you in some soil that will allow for your growth - you will find you enjoy the "son-shine's" effect! The sooner we realize there is no benefit to 'sour fruit', the more we will allow God to tend our lives as only a skilled gardener or arborist can. The 'whitewash' God applies isn't the kind that wears off in time - it is that which gives us genuine purity and strength of character. We all seem to go through seasons in which there is a sense of 'dormancy' or 'non-productive' growth. Even that time of dormancy serves a purpose - it is preparing us for the next phases of our 'extensive' growth. Short burst of extensive growth are often the result of having had those seasons of just 'waiting it out'. We don't need physical whitewash in our lives, but we do need the protection of the Holy Spirit 'enveloping' our lives and helping us not to rush growth - because rushed growth only produces stunted and sour fruit. Just sayin!

Open invitation

God, who gets invited to dinner at your place? How do we get on your guest list?  "Walk straight, act right, tell the truth. "Don't hurt your friend, don't blame your neighbor; despise the despicable. "Keep your word even when it costs you, make an honest living, never take a bribe. "You'll never get blacklisted if you live like this." (Psalm 15)

David stands as a great example of how it is we are to communicate with God. He certainly doesn't seem to have a lot of preconceived pretense in his "discussions" with God. It isn't rehearsed or all that formal. He is conversant with God in a casual, relaxed manner - allowing God to reveal things to him as he just opened up his heart to God and then listened. David asks a question that I suppose many have asked over the years: How does someone get welcomed into God's presence? If anyone is ever curious about that truth, God isn't going to turn away, but he is going to respond to that curiosity. God gives him a list of fourteen characteristics that "stand out" in a man's character that makes that man "stand out" in God's eyes - things that are 'built in' the more we spend time with Jesus in thoughtful and prayerful discussion. Let's briefly look at each:

Walk straight - suggests that you are not stagnant in your walk. The walk is characterized by straightness - it has directed purpose, an aim in mind - the movement is not just movement for movement's sake. That movement or aim is God's best being achieved in one's life - single-minded focus that makes all movement purpose-driven and heading toward the target.

Act right - when our walk is directed purposefully toward the things God desires of each of us, it becomes easier to have our action be affected by the very goal we are directed toward. Action is always affected by the aim of our heart and mind - if it is rightly focused on God, we tend to act more consistently in accordance with his love and grace.

Tell the truth - look at the progression here: First, your aim in life needs to be Christ-centered. Then, your choice of action is affected by the fact that Christ is at the center and self is no longer the main object of your satisfaction. In turn, you begin to see your speech (words) be affected. The words we speak take on meaning and become life-giving when our aim is right. That is what truth is and what it produces - it is a well-spring of life to those that hear it.

Don't hurt your friends - did you know that one of the easiest ways we hurt each other is in the carelessness of our words? Our actions and our words can both hurt, but most people will be quick to tell you that words cut deeply. Actions may be more easily forgiven, while words are not quickly forgotten. Guard well your words. 

Don't blame your neighbor - we may not like it, but we are to own up to our behavior and don't shift blame to others. It is easy to blame-shift, but it takes a strength of character to say, "It was me; I had a part in that outcome." It is this admittance of blame that often begins the road to healing after an offense has been felt.

Despise the despicable - the mean, vile things are to be despised - akin to 'hated'. It is easier to despise a "scumbag", but a little more challenging to despise the sin that motivates the man to act as he does. It is never God's intent that we throw the sinner out with the sin - we are to embrace the sinner, and despise the sin. Oftentimes we get that backwards - but when we keep the right focus on this one, we find the sinner draws closer because they are intrigued by our openness to embrace even the unlovely.

Keep your word even when it costs you - and it WILL cost you to be true to your word! We use our words sometimes a little too freely and promise what we really did not intend to provide. God asks us to only promise what we can provide - words often commit us beyond our capacity or capability. Words like, "I will NEVER...." are rarely achievable, nor truthful. We need to learn to be realistic in our commitments - both to God and to others. In so doing, it becomes easier to keep our words.

Make an honest living - we all have a contribution that is to be made to society, family, and local community. Whatever that is, we need to engage in it with a focus on contributing what we are capable of contributing. The thing we might contribute that is most valuable is our time.

Don't take a bribe - this really goes hand in hand with making an honest living. Honesty and upright conduct should be the hallmarks of all we engage in.

If our conduct is reflective of his actions within our life, we are truly blessed individuals. Don't get me wrong - you don't need to be perfect - just moving in that direction! God welcomes those with a right focus - the rest is an outcome of focus. So, come right on into God's presence - he welcomes those who welcome his presence into their lives! Just sayin!

You want what?

1 God said to Moses, "Now you'll see what I'll do to Pharaoh: With a strong hand he'll send them out free; with a strong hand he'll drive them out of his land." (Ex. 6:1)

Try as we might, we cannot resist the powerful hand of God on our life.  Many have tried to escape his plans, but in the end all they do to escape is get deeper and deeper into bondage to something they didn't want or like either.  Even the hardest of hearts and the one who just demands there must be a different way can be tamed and softened under his mighty hand.  Moses was coming to realize that the God he served was the "El Shaddai" - the Lord Almighty - not just "one" of the run-of-the-mill gods of the land, but the mighty God of all - creator of all that exists. When we begin to come to a revelation of the one true God in our life, there is no denying his power or his ability.  God never forgets his covenant with his people. His truth will endure. It will make an impact in our lives. There is a deep sense of his peace that should accompany that revelation in our lives.  Even slavery is not a thing God will leave us in for long - because he is a God of deliverance - he delights in bringing freedom from bondage in our personal walk.

God yearns to make us his own special people.  There is nothing selfish in this plan - because it is done solely from a heart of deep, passionate, adoring love. He doesn't redeem because we deserve it. He redeems because we NEED it! No one really wakes up one morning and dreams of being a slave - unappreciated, used for the benefit of another without consideration to how much misuse of his body, soul, or spirit occurs as a result. When God redeems, it is with his mighty acts and a great show of his power.  He WILL be known as the God of Redemption to all who have eyes to see and hearts to respond. Bondage becomes an entrenching thing that robs us of our joy and our hope - the two things that go a long way toward what we label as 'strength' in our lives.  A hopeless people are a helpless people.  Where there is no hope, there is little chance that faith will be built because faith is built upon hope.  Hope that there is something more, something better, something 'real' - something that sets us apart. 

We can argue with God's plans all we want - but he only needs a yielded vessel to accomplish his purposes.  Moses struggled with God's call on his life because he felt unworthy and incapable of accomplishing what God was asking him to accomplish.  Truth be told, God is not looking for the most "competent" vessel for his purposes - he is looking for the most "yielded" vessel. If he was looking for the most competent, he'd have a hard time finding anyone! God knew that a "strong orator" (one who could make a good speech or win a debate hands down) would rely on his own strength and ability when facing the challenge of a wicked Pharaoh hell-bent on having his own way.  Moses was in absolutely NO position to demand the release of every Israelite from the rule and reign of Pharaoh - he was a servant himself, under the bondage of an ungodly dictator.  Yet God called him to do just that - demand their release and then lead them out of their bondage into a land flowing with milk and honey (the land of promise and hope and dreams).

What looked impossible in the hand of Moses was entirely possible in the hand of God - not only possible, but plausible (believable and worthy of confidence and trust) .  When God gave Moses the plan to lead the people out of captivity, he did it with a specific directive - lead them out division by division.  I don't want us to miss that God does things orderly - there is a "master plan" that he follows.  God does not operate in a fit of chaos, but in an orderly manner. Those divisions (family clans, so to speak) were purposeful - there was a plan to God's directive. There is no greater threat to a society than chaos - when chaos exists, the plans go askew. God uses his plans to maintain order - to assist with guiding what otherwise would be a thing of absolute chaotic disarray.

Moses asks one important question - "Why will Pharaoh listen to me?"  The answer is simple - a child of God carries a mighty strong message - even if we don't think the message is getting through!  We should never be intimidated to bring the message God has placed in our lives - it is always backed by the mighty hand of a MIGHTY God.  God blesses the obedient with his presence and power.  When we learn to discount the negative influences of doubt or disbelief, we learn to listen with hearing ears and an open heart - listening as we should.  No one man could lead Israel out of Egypt - BUT God could with ONE yielded vessel he would use to accomplish his purposes.  Let's learn to be that "ONE" yielded vessel in his hand!  It may amaze you what God will do through you to bring order out of chaos and lead many out of bondage into a place of safety and peace! Just sayin!

What's that I see?

We justify our actions by appearances; God examines our motives. (Pr. 21:2)

I can honestly way that we sometimes spend far more time working to show ourselves as good, or as justified in what we do, than in trying to change what it is we are doing. We want to be free from blame or guilt that might be associated with our actions or thoughts, but really don't rise above the wrong ones as much as we'd like to. What is worse is that we look at the actions of another and we begin to form judgments about that individual based solely upon their actions. The problem: we are making evaluation of that individual by what we see on the outside. We evaluate the activities of man, thinking we know the motives based on the actions that we see revealed - but I think we can also be totally truthful here - it is almost impossible for us to know the motives of another.

It is pretty clear to me that actions do not always align with motives. This is why God looks closer at the motives of our heart than the activities we engage in. In fact, he told us he'd rather have their worship - stemming from a grateful heart - than any measure of sacrifice.  Our motives are those inner drives, or impulses, that lead to action on our part. God knows the specific reason for our actions - man does not, although he tries to by means of 'analysis' and 'patterns' which are manifested frequently enough. They call this profiling in the law enforcement community. Yet, we all know a 'profile' is just a guess - it is not always going to be spot on. So, the lesson for us: Don't rely on appearances! We may find ourselves in a position of mis-judging someone and then be guilty of forming very incorrect opinions about their actions.

The important thing for us to remember is that "mixed motives twist life into tangles; pure motives take you straight down the road." Since God pays such close attention to our motives, it would be wise to ask him to keep us on track with those motives. When our motives are selfish, we make choices that are self-serving and "anti-Christlike" in appearance. If he knows our motives, it is also possible he has the way to help us change them from the inside out - so that our appearance matches our motives! Pure, pollution-free, motives get at the heart of right choices - when we are influenced by motives that are tainted by any form of self, we make wrong choices. Those wrong choices lead to wrong paths in our daily walk - inconsistencies in our choices. It is when we are on those wrong paths that we appear to "walk alone". God wants us on paths that don't lead to our destruction - involved in things that just end up tying us up in "knots" on the inside!

Nothing clever, nothing conceived, nothing contrived, can ever get the better of God. Clever stuff is the kind of stuff that is "thought to be smart", but often proves to be far from intelligent when put to the test (in fact, it usually is kind of dumb). We will do well to remember that our own intelligence pales when compared to the omniscience of our God. We may think our clever plans are "all that", but God knows the skills we possess are made by him alone and are only worth their full value when used for his purposes! Conceived things are those things that we allow to form in our minds, or imagine in our hearts, that may not even be true or accurate. They can be tainted by the view of life we have at the moment. We don't even know the motives of our own heart, let alone the motives of another. When we put "faith" in the in the imaginations of our mind, we may be selling ourselves, or another, totally and completely short. Contrived thoughts are unreliable - they are devised without much attention to outcome. Our thoughts, at best, are "one-sided" - they need the filtering of the Holy Spirit so they become balanced, reliable, and trustworthy.

Our thoughts, as flawed as they are, can be instruments God uses to bless others, but we have to allow them to be energized by God. No matter how creative we are in our own self-thought / self-taught manner, we can never be as clearly thinking as we'd like to be - we need God's help to keep clarity in our thoughts and mixed motives out of our actions. Just sayin!

I don't have that piece!

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day. (Psalm 139:13-14 MSG)

Body and soul - marvelously made. Being a nurse, I understand much more about how the body's 'parts' interact - seeing the linked relationships between one system and the other. I studied hours upon hours to learn this stuff - because it helped me to understand the potential cause of my patient's symptoms. Yet, even with all my hours of study, I don't fully understand the human body. I went to Bible College and studied hour upon hour to learn the truths contained within the Word of God about the man's soul and spirit, yet I don't understand either of them very well. Sure, I know we have a sin nature and that nature gives us a whole lot of trouble in this lifetime. I even know that we can live with an exchanged nature, but do I really understand that nature all that well? Not really. There is so much about each of us that is 'complicated' beyond our full comprehension - yet the Creator knows all those intricate inner-workings of body, soul, and spirit completely. He knows how one plays off the other and then affects the whole. Why then would we look to any other source for our help for what troubles our minds? Why would we seek other 'spiritual guidance' when we have full access to the one who breathed that spirit into us in the first place?

From nothing into something - this is how God works in all of us. He takes what really amounts to nothing and from what others may write off as 'nothing' he creates a thing of majesty. I have come upon a pile of Lego blocks left by my grandsons on occasion as they hurried off to engage in some other activity that caught their interest. I will not shy away from admitting I love these little building pieces. They are so 'versatile' - allowing the imagination to create item after item until one's creativity is satisfied with what has been created. Yet, even with all my 'vision' of what I want to create, there are times some of the blocks just don't seem to be in the pile that will 'fit' my vision. God isn't limited by what is in the pile of our lives, though. He isn't bound to create only what others can see in us, but is free to create from 'nothing' - he doesn't need that 'one missing piece' because he IS that one missing piece!

Inside and out - we are known. There is no hiding from the one who does the creating because he already knows what is within and what has been put on display for all to see. He knows about that blemish on my chin long before it emerges, just as much as he knows about that blemish in my soul that emerges because my choices weren't always the best. As much as I'd like to be 'blemish free' in this life, I am not. Inside me there are struggles between what my body wants, what my spirit needs, and what my emotional soul is driving me toward. On the outside, I might not give the impression there is a battle raging on the inside, but trust me on this one - there is! Others may see what is on the outside of my life - those things I have carefully allowed to be on display. God sees what is inside my life - those things I am a little bit afraid to display! He even knows those things that I'd be ashamed to put on display - those things from within my soul that really don't belong there any longer. 

We aren't made haphazardly - we are a thing of created excellence. We may not be fully perfect, but in God's eyes, we are a things of magnificent beauty and purposeful intent. We may not have all the pieces of our lives together as some would see us, but in God's capable hands, all the right pieces are there - he is at work putting them together as only he can do. Just sayin!

Muck and Mire

You can't find firm footing in a swamp, but life rooted in God stands firm. 

(Proverbs 12:3)

Swamps aren't exactly my idea of a good place to make a home. There are lots of critters who'd just as soon eat me than leave me alone. There are pesky bugs, and way too much moisture. The opportunity for dry ground just isn't all that frequent - not to mention the unpleasantness of all that humidity and 'foul-smell' of boggy places. In the swamp are many obstacles that impact our ability to be on the footing that allows for solid growth. There are some lessons in the swamp, though - - - a couple of common obstacles found in a swamp are kind of like some of the obstacles we face in our daily walk.

A swamp is made up of water, reeds, muddy bogs, and lots of pesky critters. The water of the swamp is not known for its clarity or purity. In fact, it is known for the extreme, almost impenetrable  murkiness. Within the murky waters are all kinds of insatiable "creatures" that science has come to term as "leeches". These little wiggly creatures serve a purpose - to suck the very life out of that which they attach to! The swamps of life are full of those things that exist to suck life from those who wander into the murky waters - all too often unaware of what is just below the surface. Those leeching creatures are upon us faster than we know and are already hard at work long before we realize their attachment. It is important to note that we cannot be continuously immersed in the murky waters and not be affected by what is contained in their murkiness. We cannot expect to live pure lives (righteous lives) if we continually surround ourselves with the murkiness of sinful relationships, sinful practices, etc.

Within the waters of the swamp are all kinds of outgrowths - reeds that sway gently in the winds and provide shelter for birds looking to nest their young. Although they form a welcoming shelter to some  and appear to give a semblance of peaceful repose - providing a temporary place of refuge for some - they also have an ominous side to their existence. The reeds of a swamp can make progress difficult, preventing the one traveling the swamp from getting through their masses, or hiding terrorizing swamp creatures within their gently moving leaves. They look good, but hold some pretty terrible consequences. They can have an entangling effect for some who enter, making them easy prey. They blow in the wind, but they are sharp on the edges - one wrong move and you can realize a sharp gash that produces much pain. If you or I get entangled in them, movement forward in life may be limited, responses to issues dulled, and the opportunity for our endangerment and potential harm increased.

The muddy bottom of the swamp is the most telling feature of the swamp. It is filled with all manner of silt, fallen trees, rocks, uncertain drop offs, and bottom-crawling beasts that are just waiting for their prey. Muddy footing provides no soundness for our movement - it is easy to get "stuck" in a place where the footing is not sure. Silt gets easily stirred up with any kind of movement, making the already murky waters of the swamp even murkier. Vision becomes impossible. Tree limbs that have fallen into the recesses of the swamp act as hidden obstacles, just waiting to trip up the one who is unaware of their presence. Uncertain depths and unexplored recesses make and movement risky at best.

The writer of Proverbs reminds us that we cannot find firm footing in a swamp - in other words, we cannot expect to live in the midst of compromising stuff and not be affected by it. What waters do you find yourself navigating today? If they are a little too murky, you might ask if you have drifted into some swamp land - places we might just want to avoid at all cost because they are designed for our harm and not our good!  Just sayin!

Relearning those lessons?

If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes with it— how shortsighted to refuse correction! (Proverbs 12:1)

Once in a while, I take a little heat from my friends because I like to learn new things and relish a good 'how to' book or discovery while searching facts on the internet. I have a curious mind that is only satisfied when I have discovered a new fact - like taking something apart to see how it works, or discovering the name of a bug that crawls out of a hole in my back yard. The writer of Proverbs says that if we are the kind of people that love learning, then we will also love the discipline that goes with it. Most of us could say that we are open to learning new things, but does discipline REALLY have to be part of it? According to God, yes. According to me....uhm, no thanks!

The process of learning requires that we take in knowledge or a new skill through the process of being instructed or through some means of self-study. We go through a process of learning - it is usually quite systematic. Learning is seldom "instantaneous", although it can be. Sometimes we approach the learning we experience in our spiritual walk with the expectation we will get some "instantaneous" learning experience and then be able to move on. Honestly, I find that doesn't happen too often. Instead, we get those repeated learning opportunities. We get repeated exposure to whatever it is we need to learn - but have you noticed that somehow, for some reason, we don't take it seriously until we are in the midst of a really painful situation! We call this type of learning "behavior modification" - we engage in a behavior, it produces an "ill effect", and we recoil when we experience the effect. Do this long enough and you will eventually recoil from the very thought of even engaging in that behavior - your behavior becomes modified! Most of us need to be honest here and admit that we need some 'modifying'!

God doesn't want us to have to experience the "bad stuff" in order to "modify" our behavior, though. He wants us to embrace the process of learning - willingly, enthusiastically, and with a trust in the one who is doing the teaching - HIM. Learning is a process of first being able to take in the knowledge - having an open heart to his teaching is foremost. Then we must have open minds - being able to discover what truth he is revealing, because we are paying attention. To this, he adds that we need to have "hearing" - this is a combination of both an open heart and an open mind - we rarely just hear with our ears. It is this "hearing" that brings us to the place where we finally "know" the truth that is being revealed. Discipline is the type of training that corrects - it molds us or perfects our mental faculties enough that our moral character is affected by it. The passage points to the fact we need to couple learning with discipline. We could take that to mean that we need to be "disciplined" in our learning - and this would be one truth that we could adopt from this verse. Yet, the meaning God probably has in mind is that learning becomes the most effective when it includes elements of disciplined correction, or the perfecting of those things that need to be changed in our inward character.

The end of all teaching (as God sees it) is a greater awareness of just how much our "self" interferes with our character growth and then the embracing of that which will finally deal with "self" so that our character is changed. That means that if I truly love learning, I will whole-heartedly embrace the discipline or correction that comes along with it! I was always disappointed when my teachers would return a paper to me with a grade that suggested I had not "learned" the materials. Some students in the class would just accept that grade and go on getting that same grade throughout the entire semester. That "grade" made me try harder - study more, get another viewpoint on the material presented, etc. I guess that is why they gave the grade in the first place - to show us where we needed improvement. God doesn't use a "grading" system to show us where we need to embrace learning in our lives - but he does use the promptings of the Holy Spirit to show us where we are responding inappropriately, believing stuff that is dangerous to our moral development, or surrounding ourselves with things that will distract us from what is important. We would do well to learn to appreciate the "discipline" of learning! It provides an opportunity for our development that we'd never experience otherwise. Just sayin!

SO very incredible....

It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah. (Ephesians 2:1-6)

The scripture sure knows how to "peg" us with the reality of our sinful nature - mired and stagnant, following the advice of someone who is just as unaware of the destructiveness of their path as we are! Look also at how simply he puts his amazement that God has compassion on such a wayward lot of hopeless, sin-filled people - people often so messed up that even they don't have a clue how they came to be such a mess! Mired lives - yep, that about sums up the reality of where I was prior to giving my heart to the Lord. As a matter of fact, there are some moments in present day living when I wonder if the "mire" was completely washed away! My choices seem to indicate I may just be living a little bit by my own motivations, and listening to the wrong source for my life choices on occasion. The difference today is that listening to the world's advice and using those sources as my chief way of living is not a consistent thing - I march to the beat of a different drummer now!

Look at all God has done for us in salvation. First, he exhibits the greatest of restraint in not just zapping all of us with his "fire from on high" and doing away with us! Paul puts it in politically correct terms when he says "he didn't lose his temper".  To be truthful, there are some days I'd "zap" the whole lot of us if I were God! That is why I am not God - I don't have infinite mercy and I am far from long-suffering on occasion! He has immense mercy - far beyond what we can even imagine or comprehend with our finite minds. It is not just his mercy for those messes of yesterday or some time in the future - it is new every morning and present even before we need it (or think to ask for it)!

God is SO very incredible in love - he'd have to be to exhibit that kind of unconditional mercy and compassion for a lost world. We simply don't understand this kind of committed love today. We live in a society so "free" to give love and just as "free" to walk away from it when things get tough that we don't really understand the covenant (permanent, binding, unbreakable) love of God. It is that depth of love that reaches out to us even before we are aware that we need to be reached out to - he initiates the love, keeps it going, and embraces us over and over again, even when that love may not be immediately reciprocated. Bask in that revelation for just a while!

In the end, he pulls us out of the muck and mire of our lives. Mired lives simply mean that we are bogged down, entangled in stuff that causes us to sink deeper into the sinful and rather self-focused condition we are living in. Jesus provided us the way out of the "bog" of our sinful existence and provided the extreme opposite of that entanglement - total access and freedom to sit at the side of a holy and loving God. The amazing part of all of this is that God provides it all without ONE iota of work on our part! It is a gift. The opportunity to be "in Christ" is a gift. The opportunity to be loved and embraced by a loving God is a gift. The freedom to no longer be led into things that entangle us and bog us down is a gift. The freshness of mercy new every morning is totally a gift. We may have received gifts in the past that "under-whelmed" us - making us head for the "exchange" line as quickly as possible. God's gift to us through his Son and his ongoing gift "in us" through his Son IN us is certainly a "keeper" - no exchange necessary! Just sayin!

Principles run deep

The integrity of the honest keeps them on track; the deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin. (Proverbs 11:3)

We can so easily get off course - caught up in all the things that vie for our attention each and every day.  According to scripture, the integrity of an honest man or woman keeps them on track. Though we may veer off course, we are soon able to recognize, through the help of the Holy Spirit within, that we have drifted and then correct our course so that we are 'back on track'.  The soundness of our character (words, actions, and thoughts) and the intensity of our desire for an undivided heart are what God has in mind when he "pulls" us back a little. It isn't always that we 'want' to get back on course - it is that we somehow know it is really for our well-being that we do 'attend to the course'.

A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart, but a principled life can stand up to the worst. (Proverbs 11:4)

The habitual devotion to the right principles laid out in God's Word are going to help us evaluate if our course corrections have been 'good ones'. The Word of God lays out these principles and is quick to point out for us where we have character traits that do not align with those God desires of his kids.  We can understand the forces and forcefulness of all kinds of evil when we remain true to the principles in the Word.  God designed the written Word to give us a foundation for our safety, long life, and intelligent choice - to ignore what is contained within its pages is to say we know better than he does.  I don't know about you, but it isn't a bankroll I am holding onto when life deals me troubles - it is the principles I have learned in God's Word.

Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances. (Proverbs 11:14)

A 'good person' is saved from trouble, while those who do not possess the character God desires actually run toward trouble with a passion. Goodness isn't just a matter of trying to do good at all times. It is worked into our lives as we repeatedly allow the Word of God to refine us - much like sandpaper removes the flaws and brings out the richness of the grain contained within the wood. Without good direction, we lose our way.  We often trudge off in the direction of what we think will offer us fulfillment, only to find it to be a disappointment to us.  When this happens, we become disillusioned about the circumstances we now find ourselves enduring.  God provides wise counsel in our lives - we just need to have ears to hear and a heart to respond.

Counsel is defined as a plan of action or behavior.  Counsel can be revealed to us in the Word, through the words of a friend, or in something like a sermon we hear.  Counsel is also guarded thought or actions.  It is the ability to "filter" what we see/hear and then to apply what we know to be true about God before we take the action.  It is the continual 'planning' for our actions and the 'guard' we place over our thoughts that helps to keep us in the place where we operate in the realm of protection from making rash decisions.  How valuable it is to not only have (possess) good counsel, but to live by it (act on it).  

Integrity is developed in the midst of good counsel - first through the Word of God made real in our lives, and in the wisdom of those who have developed good character themselves.  A principled life is a valued treasure.  It is something we both relish and put on display.  Others learn from what they see - so don't be ashamed of the principles God develops in your life.  They may run a different course than the mainstream of society, but they are the examples God wants society to see.  The principles he places deep in our heart act as wise counsel to those who most desperately need it. Just sayin!

Why isn't this working?

Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; God probes for what is good. (Proverbs 16:2)

Count them all up and you may just be surprised by how many times you "settle" for the first thing that comes along - something or someone appears to be whatever you think will fulfill your immediate need or emptiness of spirit and you just 'settle'. We definitely need to be a little more discriminating in our choices - as evidenced by some of our choices. God's greatest desire is that we would come to use the wisdom and direction of the Holy Spirit to move us toward what truly matters and away from what only holds value for the immediate moment.

We settle - God probes. God searches deep into a matter, investigating and understanding prior to taking action. Look at how many examples we are given in scripture of God's examining hearts, looking deep for ones who are committed to following him, really getting to understand the heart behind our actions, not just the actions we display. He could "settle" for a run-of-the-mill half-hearted belief, but he probes deeper to find the commitment of heart that reveals a passion to be embraced by totally in his love.

Put God in charge of your work, then what you've planned will take place. (Proverbs 16:3)

God is not a forceful God when it comes to his leadership in our lives. He asks us to put him in charge of our lives - even though he could quite easily take charge of us, manipulating us like puppets on a string. God is looking for open access to our lives - a backstage pass, as it were. When this type of access occurs, he is free to direct the situations and opportunities of our lives toward what will truly fulfill and truly bless us. The 'forcefulness' of God is not in his taking charge, but in his protectiveness of those who have given him that place of leadership in their lives.

It scares me to see how frequently we leave God out of our plans - trusting our own abilities or thinking - the stuff we can muster up in our minds and dreams - rejecting a total trust in our Lord's oversight and protection. It is a foolish and dangerous predicament to find ourselves in - we are almost assured there will be failure when we take steps God has not directed for our lives. In the ninth verse, the writer calls to mind that we may plan the way we want to live, but the very ability to live that life comes from one source alone - God. Our plans, in the hands of God, can be ignited into purposeful and fulfilling work. Apart from his Spirit's guiding force in our lives, plans fail.

God is always giving us new ability beyond what we imagine possible. He gives us the wherewithal to 'live out' what we imagine - not because we imagined it alone - but because as we align our desires with his, those 'imagined things' become more and more like what he has imagined for our lives all along. He also protects us from stepping out into things that are sure to bring us defeat. It is probably way past the time to let God do some 'probing' in our lives, uncovering what he sees as impeding our progress. When he does, we will be free to allow him to energize us with the plans he has for us. Just sayin!

S.O.S.

I came across this quote this morning and just had to share it with you: "It is an ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way." (Rollo May, Psychologist) While I don't subscribe to many of the beliefs of existential psychology, this thought just captured my attention because of the simple observation May made about us 'running faster'. Those who have lost their way often are like little gerbils in the proverbial wheel - running, running, running. All the while, they are getting absolutely nowhere. It doesn't matter how fast we run - we are still lost! The more we run, the deeper into the place of 'being lost' we find ourselves. Sometimes the best thing we can do is just to sit down, admit we are lost, and prepare to be rescued!

God rescues good men from danger while letting the wicked fall into it. (Proverbs 11:8 NLB)

In situations of survival, one of the things they teach you is not to wander from where you find yourself at the point of 'being lost'. The more you wander, the harder it will be for you to be found! The more you wander, the deeper into 'lost-ness' you actually become. To be rescued, one has to stop long enough to prepare the signs that they need to be rescued. For example, they tell you to gather kindling and wood to be ready to start a fire to alert search planes of your location, or place a bunch of driftwood or stones together to spell out SOS so it can be seen from above. You find something shiny, like a piece of glass or a mirror to signal using the sun's light to reflect your location. You 'do' something, but it doesn't involve running!

The 'running' comes when we realize we are not where we are supposed to be - we panic and we want a quick way out of where it is we find ourselves. We run because we are scared - we are not excited about where it is we find ourselves at the moment. The place isn't 'right' for us and this causes an emotional response of 'panic' - that sudden, overwhelming fear that causes us to do things that would otherwise be considered irrational. Panic has a way of getting us into circumstances that aren't going to make things better - they are just going to compound the issues we face! I had three cats at one time and when one would get startled, jump and run - all of them would. They had no clue why they were running - they just panicked because the first cat was running!

We have a tendency to 'run' with a sense of panic because we see others running. This might be fine in nature when the gazelle is attempting to escape the lion pride on the hunt for their next meal, but it isn't going to cut it in our day-to-day actions as humans. We might experience overwhelming fear on occasion, but running from that place of fear doesn't usually deal with what it is we feared in the first place. It just gets us very, very tired! Did you ever stop to consider why the SOS signal is placed on the beach or the fire is lit to signal one's whereabouts? It is because rescue oftentimes comes 'from above'. While rescue is possible from the ground level - the line of sight is much greater when it is from above. This is why they use search planes and helicopters to attempt to find lost hikers and downed wreckage of crashed planes. 

The view from above has a different perspective of what is below. In life, our rescue isn't so much on the same parallel plane on which we 'got lost' in the first place - it is from above! We need to not run away from our 'lost-ness', but admit it, prepare for rescue, and be alert to our coming rescuer! Those who are rescued the quickest are those who don't run away from the place of their first discovering they are lost! Just sayin!

Time to Tend

First plant your fields; then build your barn. (Proverbs 24:27)

A farmer has several things in mind as he is going about his daily chores of life - although I have never officially been a 'farmer', I have had many friends who have helped me understand some of these facts. He needs a plot of ground in order to plant for a harvest. He starts small - a garden is certainly not a farm, but it will yield fruit in time if tended well. It is in tending the garden that we can learn the skills to help us create a "farm". I can tell you for a fact that is tougher than it looks - even small gardens demand a lot of knowledge and attention! You cannot just go down to the local nursery, pick up some seeds, come home, drop them into unprepared soil and expect miraculous growth of beef steak tomatoes, gargantuan zucchini, and a mountain of chili peppers! There is preparation necessary and the crop that is yielded is a direct result of the quality of the preparation.

Accountability is much the same in our lives. It begins with the small stuff - the tiny, well-tended gardens will yield a much bigger harvest. At times, I think we see our 'present state' and think there is just no way we will get to where we dream of being. Discouragement sets in and we languish in our guilt of having tried and failed, or of having not even tried at all. Okay, bear with me here - I'm going to a secular movie to drive home this fact! "What About Bob" is a movie about a man paralyzed by his phobias. He cannot get out of his apartment, cannot face the world because he is a germa-a-phobe. In this movie, his psychiatrist gives him some advice that we need to probably embrace ourselves - take "baby steps". Throughout the movie, you observe Bill Murray taking "baby steps" to deal with his phobia. It is not the best movie in the world, but it illustrates the point. When we want to see results, we have to do SOMETHING about it - even if it means taking tiny, but measurable steps!

When we have the small steps accomplished, we move on. The writer of Proverbs says we plant the field, then build the barn. What a crazy thing it would be to build a barn and have nothing to fill it with! Yet, we often look at our faithfulness in these things we are attempting to 'build into' our lives in just that way. We have compared our "garde" with another believer's "farm" and we don't see the same results, so we get discouraged. That is why Scripture warns us against comparing ourselves with one another. If we want to have a barn, we have to start by planting a garden - not a whole doggone field at one time! It doesn't happen overnight, but eventually we will see the garden become a field and the field a farm. Soon, we have a barn, full of refreshing stuff that will bring life to those who partake of its stores.

You're gardening right now - relying on the fact that a "failed" crop is never really a failure. Even if you don't "tend the garden" each day this week, the soil benefited from being tended as many days as it was! The crop produced may not be as rich as you'd hope to see it, but the soil benefited from being tended! Don't tackle more than you can handle - perhaps you begin with a "flower pot" sized growth opportunity. There is no shame in starting small - baby steps, remember? In time, that well-tended plant will outgrow the pot and then there is the opportunity for the garden! Tend it well, then begin to look at expanding to a field. At the pot level, you use your hands and just fill the pot with soil. At the garden level, you need a trowel to actually begin to turn over the soil. At the field level, you need a plow, because the 'clods' of dirt get bigger, and harder to turn. The work becomes harder and the time involved in producing a crop takes a little longer the more we grow up in Jesus. The barn could still stand a ways off, even for one who is tending their field! Eventually, there is sufficient harvest yielded to require the barn. It is incremental growth that God designed us for! Have fun with your garden! Don't forget to tend it well. The time spent tending is time well-spent. Just sayin!

Bathed, Clean, Freshly Dressed

It wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God's gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there's more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this. (Titus 3:3-8)

Hmmm...both stupid and stubborn...not exactly the way I would want to be described, but in truth that description isn't too far off!  In our sinful, self-absorbed life "before Christ", we are all both stupid and stubborn.  Stupid implies that we were lacking the ordinary quickness or 'soundness' of mind that we now possess with having the mind of Christ.  Our thinking outside of Christ was pretty dulled, especially where it came to the things of deep spiritual awareness or knowledge. It was slow as it comes to the spiritual things and pretty wishy-washy to boot.  We'd like to "clean up" the description of our state of mind as "foolish", but truth be told - it all means the same thing!

Stubborn is quite applicable to our state of 'being' prior to Christ.  Stubborn carries the idea of being so fixed on some way of thinking or course of action that we are resolute in that course of action regardless of where it will cause us to end up.  We don't "want" to waiver from it because we have "willed" to continue, in spite of the consequences - we might not even consider the consequences because we are so attached to the pursuit we can see nothing else.  I'd say "stubborn" about wraps up our condition of "willful" disobedience prior to Christ taking over the controls of our lives! I might even go so far as to say stubborn describes some of my current actions because I just don't let go of stuff that I know clearly is the wrong stuff to be pursuing!

The neatest part of this passage is the "but when".  But when God...
Think about it - when God stepped in, he saved us from the dulled thinking and placed us on a course that would not take us off some deep end into a pit of despair.  I love the "buts" in the Bible - there is always a hope for something better when we see that the condition we are in is not determined to be our permanent condition because we have a merciful and gracious God that reaches out to lift us out of our stupid and stubborn life pursuits. The 'buts' are there to help us realize we aren't 'bound to' being the stubborn and stupid individuals we can be apart from Christ!

We have been washed us inside and out by the Spirit and that washing is a continual thing.  We are washed so that our choices will be affected - so the actions we exhibit won't be as stubborn or stupid as they would be if we remained steadfastly committed to doing things 'our own way'.  Choices begin in the thought life - if it is moved from a place of 'lacking soundness' to a place of 'soundness of mind', won't the choices we make be better?  Certainly!  Actions proceed from our thoughts - so the way to better actions is through better thinking.  The way to better thinking is an exchanged mind - renewed (washed) by the Spirit of the living God!  We've been given the freedom to exhibit a new life - the life given by the Spirit of God. It is not 'positive thinking' - it is 'positive living' because our thoughts have been purified (cleaned up) by the Spirit of God within.

Our new life demands new choices and new actions.  We don't take a bath and then put on our old, filthy clothing we just finished the yard work in an hour before.  We put on fresh undies, don a freshly laundered shirt, and pull on a clean pair of shorts.  Snug in the feeling of freshness that we experience through the "bath" and the "donning" of the clean clothes, we feel like a new person!  Translate that into our spiritual life for just a moment.  We are "bathed" by the Spirit and the Word - cleaning up our minds, washing away the dirty effects of sin in our lives.  Then we are told to clothe ourselves with some pretty awesome stuff - peace, joy, righteousness, etc.  There is a "freshness" in the renewal of the mind that produces a "freshness" in our "appearance". I guess it goes without saying that I certainly don't want to embrace a life of stupid decisions followed by stubborn actions - that would be silly.  My life has been transformed - I've been bathed by the Spirit.  How about you? Just askin!

Most valuable

If you listen obediently to the Voice of GOD, you God, and heartily obey all his commandments that I command you today, GOD, your God, will place you on high, high above all the nations of the world. All these blessings will come down on you and spread out beyond you because you have responded to the Voice of GOD, your God: GOD’s blessing inside the city, GOD’s blessing in the country; GOD’s blessing on your children, the crops of your land, the young of your livestock, the calves of your herds, the lambs of your flocks. GOD’s blessing on your basket and bread bowl; GOD’s blessing in your coming in, GOD’s blessing in your going out. GOD will defeat your enemies who attack you. They’ll come at you on one road and run away on seven roads. GOD will order a blessing on your barns and workplaces; he’ll bless you in the land that GOD, your God, is giving you. GOD will form you as a people holy to him, just as he promised you, if you keep the commandments of GOD, your God, and live the way he has shown you. (Deuteronomy. 28:1-9)

We may not fully recognize the meaning of “blessing”. Webster describes “blessing” as anything that is conducive to our happiness or welfare. In other words, a blessing is something that is given or provided that directly provides for our protection and preservation. It is a thing that gives us a sense of approval and encourages us in difficult times. It is a sign to us that divine care is rendered in a loving, careful manner, seeing that every measure is taken to provide for our spiritual, physical, and material prosperity and happiness. We would do well to see that these blessings in our lives come directly from GOD, our God - they are not 'man-made'.

In exploring these various blessings or gifts promised, it comes without surprise that they are conditioned on the obedience of the one looking to God for these blessings. We do our part, and God does his. This is the basis of covenant relationship – there are conditions to be met. In order to fully understand, apprehend and appreciate the blessings in our lives, we need to be obedient to the revealed will of God as he has defined it in his Word. In so doing, we are given provisions beyond number, protection beyond our means, and deep-seated happiness that is not based on circumstance, but upon the sense of tremendous welfare we enjoy. We sometimes describe blessing in our lives as a “treasure”.

Treasures are wonderful things. They can be described as anything that we consider as a type of “wealth” that we could store up or hoard. Treasures are wealth of any kind or of any form that produce a sense of “richness” in our lives. They are more than money, more than flocks or herds, and definitely more than a fleeting thing enjoyed. A treasure is something held as precious, cherished, and prized. Treasures in the natural sense are often things “hoarded” for ourselves, kept for our own enjoyment or use. The treasures of God are never meant for self-gratification, or self-enjoyment. They are designed to be on display and to be put in use for his glory and honor. The treasures of God are given in generous measure to an obedient heart. In turn, what has abundantly been supplied is to be shared without measure. Perhaps the greatest blessing of all is that he is making us into a holy people – a provision that goes beyond my ability to comprehend or ability to provide in my own efforts.

God is in the work of making us each into something of extreme value – a treasure of his purpose. A thing of value is declared by the one who beholds it to be of worth, useful and important to the one that possesses it. In God’s eyes, we are a treasure trove – a valuable and productive discovery that he declares as "most excellent". As a result of his touch in our lives, we are declared to be something that is intrinsically valuable and desirable. He considers us to be of more value than any other possession he has. He declares us to be his riches – that which he esteems, prizes and regards highly. We are his treasures. Just sayin!

Passion is part of waiting

God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up.  They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness!  I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left. God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks.  It's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God.  It's a good thing when you're young to stick it out through the hard times.  When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence.  Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions.  Wait for hope to appear.  Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face. The "worst" is never the worst.  Why? Because the Master won't ever walk out and fail to return.  If he works severely, he also works tenderly.  His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.  He takes no pleasure in making life hard, in throwing roadblocks in the way.  (Lamentations 3:22-33 MSG)

The merciful love of God - his loyal love - new every morning! Beyond the mundane of my today is the awesomeness of God's love! Our writer is feeling pretty beat up by life - he is in a low place. If you took the time to read the couple of chapters just before this, you'd see that he has been through some pretty ugly stuff and his walls seem to be coming in around him. Life has been a challenge and he is barely keeping up! Yet, in the midst of it all, he has made a determination of heart that keeps him steady. That determination? He is sticking with God no matter what comes! In the midst of the toughest stuff we face in life it is not uncommon to feel like all we have left is God and nothing else. The writer goes on to say, "God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks." What a hope for each of us when God becomes ALL we have left! Most of the time we think of 'all we have left' as the dregs of life, but when our ALL if God, there are no dregs coming our way!

Please indulge me just a moment here while I explore the meaning of "passionately" and "waits" with you today. I don't know about you, but I don't really connect waiting with being passionate! In fact, I find the two ideas just a little bit at the opposite ends of the pole.  If I am passionate about something, I usually am pretty much driven by that passion - it energizes me, pulling me forward, and I am "active" in some respect in that passion. Waiting implies that I am not moving forward, perhaps not even very energized about the whole thing - I am standing still - or so some may think. So, why does this writer connect the two? Let's look.

Passionately carries the idea of being affected by something so deeply that there is an expression of intensity within - kind of like an enthusiasm that moves you forward. It also has a way of revealing us as capable of being acted upon by some external agent or force - not dead to what once moved us deeply and that 'force' is free to move us deeply once again. To be moved in such a way that you exude fervor or zeal - intense emotion that compels you to act and not be immobile - this is passion. Most of my 'waiting' doesn't actually seem to come with this type of intensity, though. The idea that comes to mind when I think of passion is something like a current - maybe it is hidden below the surface, but it has an intensity that carves out the course of the river and keeps the waters fresh and new each and every day! Waiting implies that we are staying in one place, but it doesn't have to mean we are getting stagnant! We stay in place in expectation of something, with a readiness to receive or respond. Now, do you see why the writer connects the two?

Think of it this way - we are having our passions ignited by a holy and passionate God in order to be ready to respond to the moves he makes within our life! Even in the waiting, there needs to be the compelling of our heart to earnestly seek with a passion that comes from deep within. To this end, the writer adds that we need to be diligent seekers. Steady, earnest, and energetic in our pursuit of God's best in our lives - not the mediocre, but the best. Someone who seeks is one who makes every attempt to discover, to ask for or request in such a way that nothing else will satisfy until what is hidden is discovered completely. That is the absolute culmination of passionate waiting! As we realize there is actually a passion in our waiting, we might embrace our waiting just a little bit differently. Just sayin!

Exchange is possible

And how blessed all those in whom you live, whose lives become roads you travel; they wind through lonesome valleys, come upon brooks, discover cool springs and pools brimming with rain!  God-traveled, these roads curve up the mountain, and at the last turn—Zion! God in full view! (Psalm 84:5-7 MSG)

The psalmist declares that "happy" is the one in whom God "takes up residence" - the one that gives him right placement in their lives. As I read this passage again today, I asked myself the one question I like to ask myself from time to time: "Is my life marked by the footsteps and hand prints of God?" If God "passes through" my life on a frequent basis, my life should be marked well by his "tracks". If I spend time following him, the only footsteps that should be seen are his! If I find my hand securely in his, the only hand prints that should be molding my life are his - they are the ones that should be making the greatest and most lasting impression.

A little further into this psalm, we find the reminders, "he doesn't scrimp with his traveling companions" and it is "smooth sailing all the way with God!" Does that mean that you and I will never encounter any difficulty in our life if we will just surrender to God? Absolutely not! What this says is that God spares nothing to provide us with the protection we need, the provision that becomes more than we need, or the presentation of his unending and boundless grace as we travel along with him into uncertainties galore. God's provision is always greater than our awareness of our need - we might think we know our need, but he knows the specific provision that will meet that need in ways we never imagined possible. His protection is quicker and more thorough than our awareness of the dangers we face - even when we think we have a good handle on these obstacles, his view of what lies just beyond that present danger might just be an even bigger danger he has to guard us against. His offered grace and mercy are freer than any other offered blessing that crosses our paths along our journeys in life.

That being the case, I wonder what we do with his provision when it is offered - do we embrace it, or are willfully rejecting it? Do we hoard it up all for our own enjoyment and satisfaction, or do we disperse it into the lives of others around us so that they too may be blessed in their journey? What is it that we do in his protective arms - under the umbrella of his watchfulness and safe-keeping? Some of us might just nuzzle up there and enjoy the protective arms of our God, but I also know that we may, at times, chafe under that watchfulness. Instead of finding shelter there, we complain about the limits that shelter places in our lives - all the while pushing against those limits because we don't like being "limited" - our willfulness getting the best of us on occasion. When we examine our response to his mercy and grace, we are afforded an opportunity for the examination of our heart and mind as it relates to the healing of our pasts. His mercy and grace are there to create wholeness out of the emotional, physical, and spiritual injuries of our past.

Sometimes, we don't want to let go of what is so imperfect within us, choosing to hold on to the crushed emotional state, or what we could come to call the 'experienced damage' of our spirit. Although those areas of our lives are damaged and hurt, they have become a thing of certainty in our lives and letting go presents a place of uncertainty - so we hold on. Yet, God extends his arms and offers his mercy and grace - looking for an exchange to occur (our pain for his provision). A traveler is impacted by his travels - there are memories that are formed, experiences that are new and fresh that become things we hold onto, and moments of awe as we partake of something new, boundless, and beautiful. Those we choose to travel with along our journey in life impact the beauty and enjoyment of the path we travel. Therefore, they also impact the memories we form along the way. We can choose God as our traveling companion and be blessed along our journey - and this is just exactly what the psalmist had in mind as he penned these words. Our blessings are determined by who travels with us. Choose your traveling companions wisely! Just sayin!

What's that I hear?

"Heaven's my throne, earth is my footstool.  What sort of house could you build for me?  What holiday spot reserve for me?  I made all this! I own all this!"   "But there is something I'm looking for: a person simple and plain, reverently responsive to what I say."  (Isaiah 66:1-2 MSG)

It is an encouragement to me to know that God is not looking for the eloquent or fancy to use for his purposes because I am neither. He is looking for the simple and plain to utilize as his instruments of grace and mercy to a hurting and hungry world. I spent some time a while back just looking at the various definitions of "simple" and "plain" found in Webster's dictionary. It is always a wonder to me to discover the "less than common" meanings of the various words we use in our English language. Know what I discovered? Simple isn't all that simple and plain isn't all that plain! For example, did you realize 'simple' means to be free, but freedom comes in many forms. It is to be free from guile - the bad stuff that pollutes our lives and affects our innocence. It also speaks for the freedom that exhibits itself in modesty - without vanity getting in the way of others seeing us as we really are. Most of us think of 'simple' as uncomplicated or free from that which gets us muddled up. This is true, but never truer than when 'simple' describes the need to not 'display' anything in our lives other than Christ and his grace.

While simple carries a little more 'complicated' meaning, is it possible 'plain' does as well? As a matter of fact, 'plain' might mean to us that something is kind of 'unflavored', but being plain in the sense God desires means we carry a much different flavor in our lives now that Christ is in it! We might be free of that stuff that impacts our purity in life, but we are also able to see things clearly because our lives are free of impediments that once obstructed the view. We find our perception is clearer and our minds are more open - they aren't as cluttered anymore. Plain might just be the way we would describe a life that is free of anything extravagant or 'pungent', but a plain life in Christ isn't 'flavorless' or without a sweet odor! In fact - we might just say is it something to be 'savored'!

All that meaning in two simple words. Break each down a little, and you will see a picture of the one whose life God can continually pour more of his power and grace into. Our passage today indicates that God is looking for the one who is willing to live above the guile or mess of this world (the insidious cunning in attaining a goal; crafty or artful deception; duplicity of character that is exhibited in so many who live without God in their lives). Those that do not need to be the center of attention attract the attention of God! Isn't it amazing how God works? Step out of the limelight and God shines his glory through you!

What does it mean to be free of complications in our lives - to be free of that which obstructs our view? It means that we don't complicate our lives with things that just keep us busy, not really producing anything of lasting value. I have a tendency to complicate my life with all kinds of things. It could be those relationships that don't bring any real value into my life (like hanging around with those that bring us into places of compromise in our choices). It could be those activities that take my time, but I am just using it to 'fill a spot'. Whatever it is that "clutters" our life - it acts as a obstruction or a complication in our spiritual walk. It keeps us from a clear view of God's plan and his purposes for our lives.

If you try listening to ten people talk all at one time, making requests of you to perform multiple different tasks simultaneously you will like not catch the absolute intention of each of the ten petitioners or the specific task they need accomplished! When our lives are free of clutter, it is easier to hear what is being said! Our hearts are more prone to respond when their is clarity in what we are hearing. We can "unclutter" our lives, but as with any other 'cleaning job', it takes some effort, but it is worth the effort! We might just begin to hear that still small voice of our God in the hidden recesses of all that clutter being moved out! Just sayin!

Called into account

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. (James 1:2-4 MSG)

Our passage today refers to the process of our "faith-life" being forced into the open by the challenges we face in our daily walk. We don't always like it when our "faith-life" is brought into the open, though. Many times we try to compartmentalize our "faith-life" as something separate from the rest of our 'real life'. Pressure helps to produce evidence of our faith in Christ and brings evidence of Christ-like maturity in our choices - those 'real life' choices. I don't want you to miss the statement that "true colors" are revealed - these are often hidden or need something else to be removed in order for them to show through. Pressure is simply a burden of physical or mental stress. It can be a constraint that comes into our lives that demands our attention at this very moment, no delays. There is usually an urgency about what we face - we are not able to sweep it under the rug - it just keeps exerting that pressure until we pay attention to it. James is pointing toward the process where both our growth of character and spirit is in unison - the type of unified growth that produces unity between our 'faith-life' and our 'real life'. He is giving us the simple truth that the pressures we face in life have an impact of producing what God desires - the image of his Son deep in our lives.

If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. (James 1:5-8 MSG)

Ask boldly - this is the attitude of heart that we are to have when faced with challenges that we don't understand - challenges that exert pressure and oftentimes don't let up until long after we are thinking we are sort of "done" or "over" dealing with them. To be bold is to be fearless, assured, and confident. A bold person stands out - they are conspicuous - there is no hiding their boldness. God never expects us to either keep our needs hidden, or to feel like we have to just barely let out a "squeak" in his presence while laying our burdens down before him. He tells us to come boldly - totally assured he will be listening, absolutely confident that he will be responsive, unwavering and fearless to lay it all down (even the ugly stuff that may not come easily for us to actually admit or deal with). It amazes me how many times I come to God as the "worrier" and not the "warrior"! That 'boldness' isn't always evident in my life and I bet I am not alone on this one.

Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life. (James 1:12 MSG)

Meeting challenges head on can only be done under the anointing of Christ. Lots of times we have all the passion, but we need him to give us the ability to actually fulfill what needs to be done in that moment. A challenge is something that calls us out - invites us into competition - it opens us up to the possibilities of something being different from what it is right now. It stimulates us - exciting our passion. It also serves to call us into account - or into question! What calls us into combat at this moment? Are we facing those "giants" or running from them? What invites us into competition - in our thoughts, our actions, or simply our interests? What is it that stimulates us - what do we get excited about? Those things that stimulate us act as a "goad" to draw us out of our present complacency and to move us into places where we can often feel a little exposed - but our 'faith-life' and 'real life' actually get very intertwined when this happens. A challenge that will produce right character, or that will reveal an opportunity for change in our lives isn't always embraced eagerly, but when the pressure is allowed to expose something new in our character, what an awesome sight to behold! Hold onto this truth - that pressure is revealing your true colors! I want mine to be the colors I don't mind "flying high"! How about you? Just askin!

Plans involve the margins

Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and prayerful always. (Romans 12:12 TLB)

Ever notice how well you can plan things when you are really motivated by the thing you are planning? I don't get much time away from the house, especially to just relax and fish, or hike. I am a caregiver to an elderly mom during all my 'off hours' and work a full-time job. That means the things I 'plan' are for my renewal and overall well-being. It means I plan pretty much all I can so as to really make the most of these times away. Even the best laid plans don't always go as they were designed because there are just some things we cannot plan - like the weather, the fish biting, or the mosquitoes leaving you alone. You have to trust God with the things 'not in your control', while you plan well what you can exercise control over. Know this - God is always planning on our behalf. His plans are bigger than our plans and he has a way of orchestrating them to the very last note!

We all know plans don't come without some difficulties. These are hurdles we must overcome if we are to see the fulfillment of the plans. I am planning to finish a backyard flowerbed 'remake' I began with my grandson's help a few week's back. The concrete block is in, but the 'top' finish is not. I am torn between solid tile, broken mosaic tile finish, or pebble rock finish. The issue isn't that I don't have the money or time - it is that I don't want to have to fill all the holes in the block with sand, gravel, or mortar in order to accomplish a smooth surface to allow adherence of whatever I put on top of those blocks. I am trying to create as I go and when I do this, I often have to take a week or two between project phases to just think things through. It is often the 'thinking through' phases in life that bring us the greatest clarity and help us to recognize the next steps we are to take. These times cannot be discounted or discarded unused - they are important to the process.

Part of planning is this 'patience' thing - something I don't always excel at, especially when I am eager to see a project through to the finish. The longer I wait to finish this current project, the hotter the weather will be, making it less and less enjoyable to complete! There are times the 'planning' puts is smack-dab into 'timing' we didn't count on, right? The things we don't 'count on' are ALL in God's hands - so don't get all up in arms about them. The moment we turn them over to him, the more we begin to enjoy the moment, even if it comes with a little bit of a 'delay' in the fulfillment of the entire plan. Part of patience is prayerful contemplation. I put it that way because I am not a big "pray on your knees" kind of gal. In fact, I often just sit and contemplate God's plans, shoot him a question or two, and just listen. Sometimes my contemplation takes on the form of 'out loud' conversation - at others it is silent conversation (yes, inside my head, and no, I am not 'hearing voices').There comes clarity in those moments - something we can never take for granted. Prayer (or contemplation) is never to be bypassed in the interest of 'seeing the plans fulfilled'. We need these times, or we might just miss out on something beautiful he has planned for us!

As I was putting together some of that 'build it from a box' furniture for my grandson's room makeover, I was given a rather large instruction booklet. Each page had the 'plans' for how it was to be assembled. Follow those plans and you ended up with a pretty nice entertainment center. Leave out some steps and I am pretty sure you wouldn't have either a stable piece of furniture, or one that would endure the wear and tear of teenage boys! What I appreciated most about the instruction booklet was the moments that just made you pause and chuckle a little. At the top of some of the pages, after you had just completed some major step in the process, it would tell you to go make nachos! Yes, that was actually in the instruction book! I wonder how many people miss that because they are so intent on the plan to build the object in front of them that they discount the stuff written in the margins! We can go through life just focused on the plans and miss all the 'margin' stuff we might just get a kick out of along the way! Just sayin!

Do a little gardening today!

7-9 The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy.  The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes.   God's reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee. The decisions of God are accurate down to the nth degree. (Psalm 19:7-9 MSG)

We all have those times when we just don't feel like God is getting through to us, or that we are getting through to him no matter how 'hard' we pray, make our requests known, or struggle to find his will in a matter.  Some of us may even feel that the attempts we make to draw closer through his Word or times of contemplation are so unrewarding that we have grown weary in trying.  As we examine this passage from the Psalms this morning, I want you to catch what our Psalmist is saying:  The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes! It doesn't imply they are quick to come, but that they are 'plain' - in other words, they are distinct from the other answers we get from all around us. They are able to convey their meaning to us very clearly.

I often think that we make God's Word harder to understand than it really needs to be because we don't believe it could be that 'simple' or 'easy' for us to grab hold of.  We buy the translation that another believer uses and expect that it will "translate" into our lives in the same measure that it has in another's.  When it seems to be just as unclear as ever, we are defeated by our "seeming" lack of understanding.  Go back to the Bible Book Store and get a different translation - one that will help you actually 'get' the passage you are reading! Don't hold out to some day be able to actually understand the King James Version - you may never really 'get' the 'thees', 'thous', and other word structures in that one! Your desire for an understanding of the Word of God isn't going to be bolstered if you cannot understand what you are reading!

I daresay that I have more Bibles than I use!  I have translations galore - each speaking to me in a different way and in different seasons of my life.  I switch them up in my study, but really have come to enjoy the everyday reading of The Message Bible and the New Living Translation.  Yep, I know these are what are referred to as paraphrases, but if the words on the page touch my heart with how plainly they are written and God's words "get into" my spirit and can have a chance to affect my conduct, could they be all that wrong? I don't think so! They are helping me to understand 'plain truth' - making it meaningful, purposeful, and 'directional' for my life. This is what we want from our Bible.

God's intention for our times of personal study is to make the revelation of who he is, how he acts, and what he desires of us to be so apparent that there is no second-guessing on our part what our actions, attitude, and direction should be.  God does not want us to settle for less than a complete revelation of him - he wants us to press in fully to him and he will reveal himself fully within us.  David is extolling God in this Psalm - he is praising God, declaring his wonders, and enjoying his presence revealed in his life.  His heart is responding to the revelation of God in the most natural manner of exaltation that comes from a grace-filled heart. It is through revelation that David stands in awe of God and his heart swells with the knowledge of God's goodness, protection, and provision.

Why is David so assured of his God?  He has a growing appreciation of God because he has learned God's promises, heeded God's warnings, embraced God's goodness, and watched God's interventions in his life.  In turn, he is assured that God makes accurate decisions down to the "nth" degree.  Decisions that directly impact his life. This type of revelry in our God awaits anyone brave enough to get into God's Word.  I say "brave enough" because it takes commitment, stepping out into territory that is sometimes scary, a little too revealing of our faults and short-comings, and sometimes downright challenging to our character.  As we do, God meets us there and opens his "life map" to us, showing us not only the highways of good conduct, but the hidden paths of the secret gardens of his love and grace.  Get into his Word today and let his Word get into you!  Enjoy the "gardens" that await only you!  Just sayin!