I never did earn an allowance for all that long as a kid. As a matter of fact, if that quarter a week lasted much longer than a month total I would be surprised. You see, mom and dad equated the 'earning' of that allowance as a 'payment' for certain chores done around the house or yard. When they came home at the end of the day, they'd see if I had done what I said I would do - but not just that it was 'done' - it also had to be done 'right'. In reality, they were helping me realize any job undertaken in life had the potential for very positive outcomes when I put my full effort into it. Eventually, the chores were done, but maybe not to the level mom or dad would have desired. The dusting was perhaps only 'superficial', not really moving all that much out of the way to get at the surface dirt. The patio may have been free of leaves, but did I pick them up or just push them into the yard where they'd be free to clutter the patio again by the next morning? Making my bed in the morning was never considered a chore for which that allowance could be earned. It was my room and my responsibility to keep my room neat and clean. Now, before you judge my parents too harshly over this allowance thing, they taught me some very good lessons which have served me well into my adulthood. Not ALL we do is done with our ALL. Not ALL we do is done for just our own enjoyment or purpose. Not ALL we do is done because there is a 'reward' attached to it. There are times when I think we approach the things God asks us to do as though they should have some system of 'reward' attached - maybe there are things we are asked to do that are more of a responsibility because of all we have been blessed with in the first place!
Does the God who lavishly provides you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does he do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust him to do them in you? (Galatians 3:5-6 MSG)
We can know for certainty that God lavishly provides for his children. He is not a selfish, scrimpy, or self-serving provider of good things – his provision is not “measured out” in limited, small, or short quantities. His provision is full, complete, and capable of meeting every present need, not to mention every future need. Provision comes by trusting, not by striving - as we rest in God's grace, we received his every provision - we don't earn it. God’s method of provision is exactly opposite of the world’s. The world would tell us that if we want something, we have to pull out all the stops to pursue it, even at the sacrifice of other things that require our attention. God’s method is to ask us to submit to his leading and see what he will do – plain and simple - take responsibility for our actions and he will provide the grace to help us change those actins. As we obediently lay down our willful pursuit of things that are fruitless in pursuit of his purposes, he provides abundant fruitful outcome in our lives. His provision is prepared before we ever need it and is revealed in the times of our obedient pursuit.
So those now who live by faith are blessed along with Abraham, who lived by faith – this is no new doctrine! And that means that anyone who tries to live by his own effort, independent of God is doomed to failure. (Galatians 3:9-10 MSG)
We can never do enough to earn our salvation, a better standing with God, or a change in our character. We cannot do it fast enough - though we may try to speed up what God has begun in us, we cannot rush his perfect timing. We cannot do often enough those things that would gain us anything in the kingdom of God. No amount of service is “just the right amount” to earn us anything in God’s economy. We cannot do “life” well enough to gain us any increase in stature. So why do we keep trying to earn with half-hearted commitment what we receive with whole-hearted obedience? Just askin!
A daily study in the Word of God. Simple, life-transforming tools to help you grow in Christ.
Saturday, June 30, 2018
Friday, June 29, 2018
What is your focal point?
Something crazy has happened, for it’s obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. (Galatians 3:1 Msg)
Clear focus is a challenge for even the most dedicated believer. We are called to evaluate our focus because God often sees that we no longer have Jesus set before us clear enough to remain on track. There are times when we have allowed something else to fill the center of our focus that only Christ should be filling. With all the input we receive in a day or a week, it isn't hard to get off track. The things that are all around us act as distractions to what really needs our focused (undevided) attention. Focus is the position in which something must be placed in order for clarity of perception to occur. If we change that position even minutely, the clarity of our perception is directly impacted. Spiritual focus is impacted by a number of things.
Changing the distance at which we hold Christ in our daily lives can have a dramatic impact on how well we face or resist these distractions. We actually distance him anytime we neglect daily times of praise, prayer or worship. A simple change of distance, although quite small in our minds, makes a huge difference in the clarity of our purpose and direction in our daily walk. It allows for compromise to begin to be made. It might be hard for us to think one missed day in the Word or in time with him will matter all that much, but it is like letting down one's defenses. It is much like turning off the electrified fence for even a while. Whatever should have been held off by that current is no longer deterred. It is free to pass through. What passes through the defenses is free to attack us.
Allowing things to cloud our focus actually creates a 'screen's behind which things go unnoticed. By placing something in our field of clear vision, we allow for a “film” of sorts to develop over our spiritual eyesight. We do not perceive the things or events around us in the same manner as we once did. What once might have been clearly recognized as a threat, or something not all that good for us, becomes something we hardly pay any attention to and it is now free to gain even more access into our minds, hearts, and spirit.
For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren’t smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? (Galatians 3:3) a
If you haven't examined the meaning of “crazy” in the dictionary to find the most interesting meaning of the word, take a gander. It could be defined as simply making poor choices or being unsound in mental capacity. It seems that the word “crazy” also carries a meaning of being full of cracks or flaws. No wonder that we refer rather quickly to someone as “crazy” who is unsound in their capacity to make decisions in a competent manner. Sometimes I think God might just refer to us as crazy people because he sees us as full of cracks or flaws – unsound in our walk because we have let ourselves be impacted by the opinions of others, the misguided teachings of those who do not have a direct relationship with a living God, and the “wacky” perception that rule-keeping can assist a man to live in a manner that is deserving of God’s approval. Cracks don't have to be big to do damage....even small fissures allow all manner of stuff to leak out, or get access within.
For most of us, the cracks are so small that they are almost imperceptible in our lives. It is quite possible we even have developed a “mesh” of fine cracks in our character – allowing for things to penetrate that should have stayed on the outside of our minds, never getting our attention or changing our focus. Crazy people are impractical, or erratic in their behavior. They are distracted with desire or excitement – they are passionately preoccupied with what leads them askew. To those of us who get so easily led astray by those things that distract because they are allowed to take the focus off of Christ in our lives, we might feel we are not smart or strong enough to ever get to the place where we see God complete the work Christ began in us. Nothing g could be farther from the truth.
Our intentions are good, but our follow-through is poor. We don’t possess the knowledge to grow as we should. We don’t possess the where-withal to resist the things we should and embrace those things that will encourage us in faith. So…why do we try to do it on our own? Rule-keeping or religious pursuit of things we do to gain God’s approval is simply trying to do by our own power what only God can accomplish in his power. Our passages today describe this as a “crazy” pursuit (full of cracks). If you are numbered among the "cracked pots" of this world, then take heart. There is a plan God has for even us "cracked pots"! It begins with not losing focus, but even the best plans need some nurturing. Just sayin!
Clear focus is a challenge for even the most dedicated believer. We are called to evaluate our focus because God often sees that we no longer have Jesus set before us clear enough to remain on track. There are times when we have allowed something else to fill the center of our focus that only Christ should be filling. With all the input we receive in a day or a week, it isn't hard to get off track. The things that are all around us act as distractions to what really needs our focused (undevided) attention. Focus is the position in which something must be placed in order for clarity of perception to occur. If we change that position even minutely, the clarity of our perception is directly impacted. Spiritual focus is impacted by a number of things.
Changing the distance at which we hold Christ in our daily lives can have a dramatic impact on how well we face or resist these distractions. We actually distance him anytime we neglect daily times of praise, prayer or worship. A simple change of distance, although quite small in our minds, makes a huge difference in the clarity of our purpose and direction in our daily walk. It allows for compromise to begin to be made. It might be hard for us to think one missed day in the Word or in time with him will matter all that much, but it is like letting down one's defenses. It is much like turning off the electrified fence for even a while. Whatever should have been held off by that current is no longer deterred. It is free to pass through. What passes through the defenses is free to attack us.
Allowing things to cloud our focus actually creates a 'screen's behind which things go unnoticed. By placing something in our field of clear vision, we allow for a “film” of sorts to develop over our spiritual eyesight. We do not perceive the things or events around us in the same manner as we once did. What once might have been clearly recognized as a threat, or something not all that good for us, becomes something we hardly pay any attention to and it is now free to gain even more access into our minds, hearts, and spirit.
For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren’t smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? (Galatians 3:3) a
If you haven't examined the meaning of “crazy” in the dictionary to find the most interesting meaning of the word, take a gander. It could be defined as simply making poor choices or being unsound in mental capacity. It seems that the word “crazy” also carries a meaning of being full of cracks or flaws. No wonder that we refer rather quickly to someone as “crazy” who is unsound in their capacity to make decisions in a competent manner. Sometimes I think God might just refer to us as crazy people because he sees us as full of cracks or flaws – unsound in our walk because we have let ourselves be impacted by the opinions of others, the misguided teachings of those who do not have a direct relationship with a living God, and the “wacky” perception that rule-keeping can assist a man to live in a manner that is deserving of God’s approval. Cracks don't have to be big to do damage....even small fissures allow all manner of stuff to leak out, or get access within.
For most of us, the cracks are so small that they are almost imperceptible in our lives. It is quite possible we even have developed a “mesh” of fine cracks in our character – allowing for things to penetrate that should have stayed on the outside of our minds, never getting our attention or changing our focus. Crazy people are impractical, or erratic in their behavior. They are distracted with desire or excitement – they are passionately preoccupied with what leads them askew. To those of us who get so easily led astray by those things that distract because they are allowed to take the focus off of Christ in our lives, we might feel we are not smart or strong enough to ever get to the place where we see God complete the work Christ began in us. Nothing g could be farther from the truth.
Our intentions are good, but our follow-through is poor. We don’t possess the knowledge to grow as we should. We don’t possess the where-withal to resist the things we should and embrace those things that will encourage us in faith. So…why do we try to do it on our own? Rule-keeping or religious pursuit of things we do to gain God’s approval is simply trying to do by our own power what only God can accomplish in his power. Our passages today describe this as a “crazy” pursuit (full of cracks). If you are numbered among the "cracked pots" of this world, then take heart. There is a plan God has for even us "cracked pots"! It begins with not losing focus, but even the best plans need some nurturing. Just sayin!
Thursday, June 28, 2018
These steps won't register on my smartwatch
The instructions to each believer are clear - get out there and walk! Okay, before you jump off the deep end and tune me out, I am not heading down the path of needing to adopt a physical exercise program! Although most of us need a little more exercise in our day, there are a lot of 'steps' we take that won't 'add up' on our step counter smartwatch! We do need to be active in our spiritual walk - avoiding the urge to settle in and rest comfortable in the realm of our spiritual growth - something we could do very easily if things are going quite well at the moment. It would make Satan very happy to know that we have decided "we've arrived" and then just settle in and relax in what we have received in Christ without growing any further! The 'urge' to move forward is seldom there when everything is 'going well', but we almost run at full speed when things are going wrong! Why is that? We are desperate for deliverance! Maybe we need to be as 'desperate' for consistent growth as we are for deliverance!
In light of all this, here's what I want you to do. While I'm locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. (Ephesians 4:1-3 MSG)
It is a pretty well-marked road that God has called us to travel - to make strides, some quicker than others, but we are called to make consistent progress toward a goal. In our spiritual walk, we are always preparing for a journey! We no sooner get to one destination in Christ that we are preparing for our next! It isn't that God doesn't want us to enjoy where we are at - he just knows what he has prepared just beyond that point! Behind the scenes of our life, there are "planners" who are operating under God's guidance with the sole purpose of preparing the course and readying the experiences we will encounter in along the way. Our part is to be ready, packed and anticipatory of the hour we are to begin the next journey - not being content to just 'settle in' where we are right now.
We ready ourselves in a lot of different ways - some pretty clear such as by exposing ourselves to the Word, allowing it to take root in our lives. Other preparations may not be as clear - such as those things we 'guard against' much in the same way we pack sunscreen for a trip to the beach, or bug spray for a trip into the woods. All preparation is important, and these are not steps we can skip. As we prepare for the journey ahead, we are laying up "provisions" for our journey - we are prepared in advance for what it is we might come to experience. The path is revealed for us little by little sometimes - rather than in huge chunks that help us to clearly know where we are going. We can count on his leading to be just the course we need to travel in order to accomplish maximum benefit for our journey. All our courses will include twists and turns we cannot clearly see around, but if we 'hug the road' tightly, remaining consistently on the right side of the 'dividing line', we will be safe in our journey!
We make "fits and starts", but we are warned against these all too common of an occurrence in our lives - the journey needs to be consistently taking us in the forward direction with the key word being 'consistently' here! We mean well, then "peter" out somewhere along the way. Remember this - the enjoyment of the journey is in taking it, not in observing it from a position of idleness. So, today is a new day for each of us. Are we ready to take some steps forward today? The journey awaits! Just steppin!
In light of all this, here's what I want you to do. While I'm locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. (Ephesians 4:1-3 MSG)
It is a pretty well-marked road that God has called us to travel - to make strides, some quicker than others, but we are called to make consistent progress toward a goal. In our spiritual walk, we are always preparing for a journey! We no sooner get to one destination in Christ that we are preparing for our next! It isn't that God doesn't want us to enjoy where we are at - he just knows what he has prepared just beyond that point! Behind the scenes of our life, there are "planners" who are operating under God's guidance with the sole purpose of preparing the course and readying the experiences we will encounter in along the way. Our part is to be ready, packed and anticipatory of the hour we are to begin the next journey - not being content to just 'settle in' where we are right now.
We ready ourselves in a lot of different ways - some pretty clear such as by exposing ourselves to the Word, allowing it to take root in our lives. Other preparations may not be as clear - such as those things we 'guard against' much in the same way we pack sunscreen for a trip to the beach, or bug spray for a trip into the woods. All preparation is important, and these are not steps we can skip. As we prepare for the journey ahead, we are laying up "provisions" for our journey - we are prepared in advance for what it is we might come to experience. The path is revealed for us little by little sometimes - rather than in huge chunks that help us to clearly know where we are going. We can count on his leading to be just the course we need to travel in order to accomplish maximum benefit for our journey. All our courses will include twists and turns we cannot clearly see around, but if we 'hug the road' tightly, remaining consistently on the right side of the 'dividing line', we will be safe in our journey!
We make "fits and starts", but we are warned against these all too common of an occurrence in our lives - the journey needs to be consistently taking us in the forward direction with the key word being 'consistently' here! We mean well, then "peter" out somewhere along the way. Remember this - the enjoyment of the journey is in taking it, not in observing it from a position of idleness. So, today is a new day for each of us. Are we ready to take some steps forward today? The journey awaits! Just steppin!
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Don't be pushed around!
It would definitely be appropriate to ask, "What are you imagining God will do for you today?" There are lots of us who face each day with all these agenda items that we have laid out for ourselves and others, all the while being pretty oblivious to what it is that God is preparing for our day instead. We also go to God with huge desires, but somehow we think God's plan to meet those desires is to do it in a smaller, or less significant way than we are imagining in our hearts and minds. Both ways of facing life are equally riddled with issues - if not because of how much control we want, then with the limits we are putting on God. When we exclude God from our plans, we open ourselves up to failure that really doesn't need to be there in our lives. When we limit God by our lack of faith, we do not fully appreciate the magnificence of his love for us and how that love would design moments we need - not just the ones we want.
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. (Ephesians 3:20-21 MSG)
God CAN do anything - it is not that he has limitations in being able to 'do' when we don't see answers to our prayers - it may be that WE are limiting him in some way. Wildest dreams aren't always bad things - some might even think of them as their faith on overdrive! There have been times when hear all those reports that tell us something is just not possible. When we have the faith to take that need or 'impossible thing' to God, openly admitting that we are not totally sure how he will do it, or that we might not completely believe it is possible, he has been set free to act FULLY on our behalf. Even when we are not 'comfortable' handing it all over to him, he is gracious in his love toward us and willingly works with even the smallest measure of our trust. God works WITHIN us to accomplish the thing we desire. He doesn't work WITHOUT us! We have to be on the same page with him. If we are ahead or behind, it makes it difficult for him to fulfill our "wildest dreams" - we find our lives a little out of sync. If we are not willing to acknowledge him IN the midst of our need, how will we be able to acknowledge him as the one who is at work meeting that need?
God does his work within us, but not by pushing his way into our busy lives, or by demanding his way be immediately obeyed. He moves into where he is welcomed and where he is free to act beyond our limited understanding or comprehension. When he is welcomed with an open heart and yielded spirit, there is much he can do with even the tiniest bit of trust (faith). We might imagine trust needs to be 'entire', or fully formed, in order for God to do anything in or through us, but the truth is just the opposite. He takes even the smallest 'seed' of faith (trust) and begins to work with that seed. Remember, mustard-seed faith is all God ever expected of us - we might want it to be mountain-sized faith before we act upon what he is doing within our lives, but if we'd learn to act upon the much smaller 'seed-sized' faith, we might just find ourselves in a better place!
Anything - that is what we refer to as God's capabilities on our behalf. Absolutely anything you could imagine or ever dream possible - and God can work with what we imagine or dream when we give it to him. What are you believing God for today? Healing of your weary emotions? Deliverance from some lingering habit? Restoration of a relationship? NOTHING is impossible with God - ANYTHING is possible when he is given the opportunity to move on our behalf. Begin to trust him with your wildest imaginations - then stand back and see how he begins to move in your life. It will amaze you what God can do in and through a yielded life! Dreams aren't bad things. Imagination isn't a thing to be shut down. We aren't going to be pushed to do - we are going to be asked to do and supported as we begin to do it. God is always able to work with a seed-sized trust that is willing to take the first step toward that dream. Just sayin!
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. (Ephesians 3:20-21 MSG)
God CAN do anything - it is not that he has limitations in being able to 'do' when we don't see answers to our prayers - it may be that WE are limiting him in some way. Wildest dreams aren't always bad things - some might even think of them as their faith on overdrive! There have been times when hear all those reports that tell us something is just not possible. When we have the faith to take that need or 'impossible thing' to God, openly admitting that we are not totally sure how he will do it, or that we might not completely believe it is possible, he has been set free to act FULLY on our behalf. Even when we are not 'comfortable' handing it all over to him, he is gracious in his love toward us and willingly works with even the smallest measure of our trust. God works WITHIN us to accomplish the thing we desire. He doesn't work WITHOUT us! We have to be on the same page with him. If we are ahead or behind, it makes it difficult for him to fulfill our "wildest dreams" - we find our lives a little out of sync. If we are not willing to acknowledge him IN the midst of our need, how will we be able to acknowledge him as the one who is at work meeting that need?
God does his work within us, but not by pushing his way into our busy lives, or by demanding his way be immediately obeyed. He moves into where he is welcomed and where he is free to act beyond our limited understanding or comprehension. When he is welcomed with an open heart and yielded spirit, there is much he can do with even the tiniest bit of trust (faith). We might imagine trust needs to be 'entire', or fully formed, in order for God to do anything in or through us, but the truth is just the opposite. He takes even the smallest 'seed' of faith (trust) and begins to work with that seed. Remember, mustard-seed faith is all God ever expected of us - we might want it to be mountain-sized faith before we act upon what he is doing within our lives, but if we'd learn to act upon the much smaller 'seed-sized' faith, we might just find ourselves in a better place!
Anything - that is what we refer to as God's capabilities on our behalf. Absolutely anything you could imagine or ever dream possible - and God can work with what we imagine or dream when we give it to him. What are you believing God for today? Healing of your weary emotions? Deliverance from some lingering habit? Restoration of a relationship? NOTHING is impossible with God - ANYTHING is possible when he is given the opportunity to move on our behalf. Begin to trust him with your wildest imaginations - then stand back and see how he begins to move in your life. It will amaze you what God can do in and through a yielded life! Dreams aren't bad things. Imagination isn't a thing to be shut down. We aren't going to be pushed to do - we are going to be asked to do and supported as we begin to do it. God is always able to work with a seed-sized trust that is willing to take the first step toward that dream. Just sayin!
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
I only have a little ability
The Apostle Paul seemed like quite a well-educated, very capable guy when you looked at him from the outside - on the surface, we can appear just about anyway we like, but it is what is at the center of a man that really makes the man. Paul took honest moments like this in the letter to the church at Ephesus to explain his own personal struggle with feeling "ill-prepared" for what God had called him to do. He tells us what he recognizes as his calling on his life - to help people understand and respond to the message of salvation - something he felt very ill-prepared to do, but which he knew with a certainty was what he was to go about doing. It was this message that he spent the remainder of his years attempting to get out to as many people as possible, establishing them in the truth that God had made a way for all people to have access to the atoning sacrifice of his dear Son, Jesus. Sometimes the thing we feel the least equipped to do is the very thing we should go about doing!
This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities. (Ephesians 3:7-8 MSG)
Paul's calling was illustrated in scripture as what I'd label "pretty doggone dramatic". He was encountered along the Damascus road by a light so bright that he falls to the ground, stunned beyond words. He had been going about the work of killing off and torturing men and women who professed belief in Jesus - because it was contrary to what he had learned from his teachers of the Law. Then he was encountered by the very light he was attempting to extinguish - sometimes this is just the way it is with God's plan - it encounters us in exactly the opposite way we are pursuing. The voice of God actually spoke to him from within the light - I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. I'd probably think this was pretty clear proof that the one I thought was some guy just calling himself the Son of God was perhaps who he said he was - especially since he had been killed on the cross some time earlier! He is told to go off into Damascus, where he had the opportunity to meet with a disciple named Ananias, while all the while he was left blinded by the brightness of the light he had been exposed to on the road that day. He had traveling companions that day who saw the same light, but they did not hear the voice. They were left with their sight unimpaired, while Paul lost his for a period of time. God is truly amazing in how he works just what he needs to work in order to get at the heart of one who needs to hear his voice!
When Paul says that this gift came to him as a "sheer surprise", he is not kidding! There was absolutely nothing within him that even wanted to explore the possibility that Jesus was the true Messiah. He was content to go along in his condition of heart that had him out there persecuting and killing Christians. But God had a different plan - an encounter of the "spiritual kind" because of which he'd never be the same again. Our conversion to Christ may not have been as dramatic, as memorable, or come complete with audible voice from within a bright light - but our conversion was just as real, just as transforming, and just as much of a surprise as was Paul's. When we least expected God to reach down into our lives with his grace and his forgiveness, he did. Just that simple! Along with that grace came his provision. A provision for all we'd need to both walk out our own salvation day by day in the grace he provides, but also the provision to share the gospel message, making it plain to those who need to hear it just as badly as we needed it.
You may say that you are not called to be a "Paul" to the world, but that is okay because that is not your purpose in life. You are called to be faithful to bring the message of hope to those you encounter in your walk of life - even though you aren't called to 'father new churches'. Paul says he was not equipped, although he was very well educated in 'spiritual things'. It was God that did the true equipping of Paul - the same God that equips us with all we need to be messengers of his grace to a lost world. The very next time you feel "ill-equipped" for the work you are called to do - don't sweat it, but look up. God is already at work equipping you in just the way he plans to use you! We tend to focus on the natural abilities - as did Paul - but God focuses on the willingness of heart that allows him to pour in all that we need (words, abilities, talents). In his hands, a yielded messenger is more valuable than gold. Don't focus on what you don't have - focus on what God can and will provide when your heart is yielded to his equipping. Don't remind God you don't have this or that ability - but simply act upon the ability you have and see how amazingly awesome that little ability can be when motivated by the hand of God! Just sayin!
This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities. (Ephesians 3:7-8 MSG)
Paul's calling was illustrated in scripture as what I'd label "pretty doggone dramatic". He was encountered along the Damascus road by a light so bright that he falls to the ground, stunned beyond words. He had been going about the work of killing off and torturing men and women who professed belief in Jesus - because it was contrary to what he had learned from his teachers of the Law. Then he was encountered by the very light he was attempting to extinguish - sometimes this is just the way it is with God's plan - it encounters us in exactly the opposite way we are pursuing. The voice of God actually spoke to him from within the light - I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. I'd probably think this was pretty clear proof that the one I thought was some guy just calling himself the Son of God was perhaps who he said he was - especially since he had been killed on the cross some time earlier! He is told to go off into Damascus, where he had the opportunity to meet with a disciple named Ananias, while all the while he was left blinded by the brightness of the light he had been exposed to on the road that day. He had traveling companions that day who saw the same light, but they did not hear the voice. They were left with their sight unimpaired, while Paul lost his for a period of time. God is truly amazing in how he works just what he needs to work in order to get at the heart of one who needs to hear his voice!
When Paul says that this gift came to him as a "sheer surprise", he is not kidding! There was absolutely nothing within him that even wanted to explore the possibility that Jesus was the true Messiah. He was content to go along in his condition of heart that had him out there persecuting and killing Christians. But God had a different plan - an encounter of the "spiritual kind" because of which he'd never be the same again. Our conversion to Christ may not have been as dramatic, as memorable, or come complete with audible voice from within a bright light - but our conversion was just as real, just as transforming, and just as much of a surprise as was Paul's. When we least expected God to reach down into our lives with his grace and his forgiveness, he did. Just that simple! Along with that grace came his provision. A provision for all we'd need to both walk out our own salvation day by day in the grace he provides, but also the provision to share the gospel message, making it plain to those who need to hear it just as badly as we needed it.
You may say that you are not called to be a "Paul" to the world, but that is okay because that is not your purpose in life. You are called to be faithful to bring the message of hope to those you encounter in your walk of life - even though you aren't called to 'father new churches'. Paul says he was not equipped, although he was very well educated in 'spiritual things'. It was God that did the true equipping of Paul - the same God that equips us with all we need to be messengers of his grace to a lost world. The very next time you feel "ill-equipped" for the work you are called to do - don't sweat it, but look up. God is already at work equipping you in just the way he plans to use you! We tend to focus on the natural abilities - as did Paul - but God focuses on the willingness of heart that allows him to pour in all that we need (words, abilities, talents). In his hands, a yielded messenger is more valuable than gold. Don't focus on what you don't have - focus on what God can and will provide when your heart is yielded to his equipping. Don't remind God you don't have this or that ability - but simply act upon the ability you have and see how amazingly awesome that little ability can be when motivated by the hand of God! Just sayin!
Monday, June 25, 2018
Nibble on this
Ignore the Word and you will certainly suffer! Did you realize that is actually a warning provided to us in scripture? It also offers a pretty awesome reminder of what happens when we don't ignore the truths of God - if we honor God's commands, we will grow rich! Okay, don't get me wrong, study of God's Word is not a "get rich quick" scheme! It is actually a pretty orderly, sequential growth process that has many rewards for the one who takes the time to make the investment into taking it in. Yet, we can go days and days without any intake of the truth that has the potential to free us from our hurts and hangups. We toy with truth like it was something to we might find beneficial at some point, but not at others. The long and short of it is that if we merely toy with truth, it cannot have as deep of an impact in our lives as God intended!
Ignore the Word and suffer; honor God's commands and grow rich. (Proverbs 13:13)
All of scripture teaches us that an appetite for good brings much satisfaction. We have many ways of satisfying the various 'appetites' we have. If we want chocolate, we purchase a chocolate bar, peel back the wrapper and dig in. If we want a salty snack, we may rip open a bag of peanuts and chow down. The Word of God is often referred to as that which satisfies the cravings, or longings, of our soul. If we want some good "soul food", we need to just open the cover and dig in! God doesn't make this pursuit of truth impractical to us - it is quite simple! When we neglect, or disregard, what is given to us for our spiritual health and well-being, we soon become "starved" for that which our spirit literally craves or yearns for deeply. There is a "weakened state" or spiritual "anemia" that occurs when we neglect to have a regular and consistent "intake" of the Word. That is why scripture reminds us we will suffer if we ignore it! What is fed grows - what is neglected weakens and eventually dies. We sometimes find ourselves complaining, "I am just not growing." Well, if we aren't "feeding" on the right stuff, we might not actually have what it is we require to nourish our lives.
Another truth is that the teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, but we need to heed the warning to stop drinking from "tainted" wells. What we allow into our minds affects our spirit. When we are filling our minds with a consistent intake of the Word, we are building our spirits and allowing the Word to reshape us. When we are negligent in regular intake of the Word, we are "shaped" by whatever we are allowing as intake in its place. We need to learn to be as wise in our spiritual "food" intake as we are in our other types of 'food' intake. We cannot consistently eat "junk" food and expect to look like beauty queens (I could stand as an example of that one)! We need a balance - not huge portions, just consistent intake. Let's learn to take God's Word in on a regular basis, shall we? It is time to "peel back the wrapper" on what will really satisfy our hungry souls. Then, through regular intake, we might just find our 'anemia' in that problematic area of our lives begins to be reversed until what was once the weakest part of our character becomes the strongest! Just sayin!
Ignore the Word and suffer; honor God's commands and grow rich. (Proverbs 13:13)
All of scripture teaches us that an appetite for good brings much satisfaction. We have many ways of satisfying the various 'appetites' we have. If we want chocolate, we purchase a chocolate bar, peel back the wrapper and dig in. If we want a salty snack, we may rip open a bag of peanuts and chow down. The Word of God is often referred to as that which satisfies the cravings, or longings, of our soul. If we want some good "soul food", we need to just open the cover and dig in! God doesn't make this pursuit of truth impractical to us - it is quite simple! When we neglect, or disregard, what is given to us for our spiritual health and well-being, we soon become "starved" for that which our spirit literally craves or yearns for deeply. There is a "weakened state" or spiritual "anemia" that occurs when we neglect to have a regular and consistent "intake" of the Word. That is why scripture reminds us we will suffer if we ignore it! What is fed grows - what is neglected weakens and eventually dies. We sometimes find ourselves complaining, "I am just not growing." Well, if we aren't "feeding" on the right stuff, we might not actually have what it is we require to nourish our lives.
Another truth is that the teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, but we need to heed the warning to stop drinking from "tainted" wells. What we allow into our minds affects our spirit. When we are filling our minds with a consistent intake of the Word, we are building our spirits and allowing the Word to reshape us. When we are negligent in regular intake of the Word, we are "shaped" by whatever we are allowing as intake in its place. We need to learn to be as wise in our spiritual "food" intake as we are in our other types of 'food' intake. We cannot consistently eat "junk" food and expect to look like beauty queens (I could stand as an example of that one)! We need a balance - not huge portions, just consistent intake. Let's learn to take God's Word in on a regular basis, shall we? It is time to "peel back the wrapper" on what will really satisfy our hungry souls. Then, through regular intake, we might just find our 'anemia' in that problematic area of our lives begins to be reversed until what was once the weakest part of our character becomes the strongest! Just sayin!
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Really?
Pretentious people don't really get the most out of life. They are so busy putting up the 'pretense' they don't really get much time to enjoy what is really happening all around them! We cannot forget the importance of living genuinely - showing our "real colors" vs. living with a "facade" in place. The tragedy of not living a life that always puts on a show or keeps up a certain image is that others only see only a pretense of happiness. Too many times, it is easy to hide behind what we want to portray to the world vs. being our real selves. This is because we interpret our 'real' selves as unworthy of public display, not of value - so we create a facade to hide behind. This is a very dangerous place to be - live there long enough and you will become less and less familiar with what exists behind the facade!
A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life. (Proverbs 13:7)
God wants us to realize a life that is pretentious (pretend, false, make-believe) is really an empty life - it is void of something every life desperately needs. Empty lives do not contain what one would expect to find when examining those lives closely. Look upon an individual that has become skilled at the use of their "facade" of being spiritually and emotionally "all together" and you will usually find somebody as messed up as the rest of us! They have just become quite skilled of hiding behind the facade - all the while enduring their extreme emptiness hidden deep within. God has placed us into 'families' to give us a place of safety to actually come out from behind those 'images' we portray publicly - to protect us from living empty, hidden lives. It is within these relationships, both those into which we are placed by birth and those we label as 'extended families', that we are to be open, vulnerable, and real. Yet, so many today find themselves unable to truly be who they are, even in the one place they should be able to be as 'real' as they truly are 'under the mask'. Why?
Perhaps it is because society teaches us that it is best to "create an image", placing that on display for all to see. Or maybe we just don't feel comfortable being "real" with anyone because any other time we have tried to be real in the past, we have been hurt or rejected or put down in some way. Regardless of the reasons for the pretense we display, it keeps us from growing as we really need to mature - in all our relationships including our relationship with God. It is not until the facade is removed - the pretenses are destroyed - that we are free to emerge as the person God created us to be. A plain and simple life is a full life. If you are feeling like your life is pretty empty most of the time, you might ask yourself if you have been living behind some pretenses - displaying what is really keeping you in your place of emptiness. I am always impressed with an honest person - one who is willing to be who they really are - despite the flaws and imperfections of their character. When I see this kind of genuineness, I know that individual is well on the road to developing some tremendous spiritual character traits!
A plain life is marked by several things:
A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life. (Proverbs 13:7)
God wants us to realize a life that is pretentious (pretend, false, make-believe) is really an empty life - it is void of something every life desperately needs. Empty lives do not contain what one would expect to find when examining those lives closely. Look upon an individual that has become skilled at the use of their "facade" of being spiritually and emotionally "all together" and you will usually find somebody as messed up as the rest of us! They have just become quite skilled of hiding behind the facade - all the while enduring their extreme emptiness hidden deep within. God has placed us into 'families' to give us a place of safety to actually come out from behind those 'images' we portray publicly - to protect us from living empty, hidden lives. It is within these relationships, both those into which we are placed by birth and those we label as 'extended families', that we are to be open, vulnerable, and real. Yet, so many today find themselves unable to truly be who they are, even in the one place they should be able to be as 'real' as they truly are 'under the mask'. Why?
Perhaps it is because society teaches us that it is best to "create an image", placing that on display for all to see. Or maybe we just don't feel comfortable being "real" with anyone because any other time we have tried to be real in the past, we have been hurt or rejected or put down in some way. Regardless of the reasons for the pretense we display, it keeps us from growing as we really need to mature - in all our relationships including our relationship with God. It is not until the facade is removed - the pretenses are destroyed - that we are free to emerge as the person God created us to be. A plain and simple life is a full life. If you are feeling like your life is pretty empty most of the time, you might ask yourself if you have been living behind some pretenses - displaying what is really keeping you in your place of emptiness. I am always impressed with an honest person - one who is willing to be who they really are - despite the flaws and imperfections of their character. When I see this kind of genuineness, I know that individual is well on the road to developing some tremendous spiritual character traits!
A plain life is marked by several things:
- No pretense - not needing to embellish the reality of what is hidden just beneath the surface. We all have pasts - each of us has been affected by them in different ways. We all have formed opinions of how that past makes us "appear" and have become skilled at covering up what we don't appreciate or fear exposing. God is asking us to expose it to him first, allowing him to gently turn the negative effect of our past into something in which he can display his glory and grace. In turn, he asks us to willingly display our "true self" to others - revealing his glory and grace for others who so desperately need to see how much he is capable of doing when given the access.
- Humble appreciation of God's grace - not an elaborate display of what we think that grace should look like in our lives - but the simple, unpretentious display of his love through us. When we are free to be who he has created us to be, his love becomes so evident in us that others are drawn to that love like bugs to a light! It has an "attracting" force that no spiritual facade could ever produce.
The next time you think your life is too plain or too simple or too 'anything' that you don't think others will understand or appreciate - finding yourself tempted to mount some facade of pretense - STOP! The "real you" is the one God wants on display - it is the one that brings honor to his name and draws the weary outcast to his feet. It is not a "make over" we need - it is just a simple display of his grace that "makes over" what we spend so much time "concealing over". Be real! Really! Just sayin!
Saturday, June 23, 2018
Okay, I finally get that one....
There are times take a little ribbing from my friends because I like to learn new things and get excited about stuff like learning new formulas in Excel, or finding out the origin of certain words or sayings. 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. I know they say curiosity killed the cat, but I am not a cat! I think an inquisitive mind is given to us by God himself and he delights in seeing us put it to good use! According to scripture, 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?!? I mean, come on God, does discipline REALLY have to be part of us discovering new stuff?
If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes with it— how shortsighted to refuse correction! (Proverbs 12:1 MSG)
The process of learning requires that we take in knowledge, or perhaps learn the steps of a new skill through the process of being instructed either in person or through self-study. We go through a process with learning - it is systematic - precept upon precept, line upon line, step upon step. Learning is seldom "instantaneous", although it can be. Putting my hand on a hot item the first time without any potholder to protect it certainly became an 'instantaneous' kind of learning moment. The injuries of the blister and subsequent 'burn healing' "convinced" me to use the wisdom God gave me to place something between my hand and the hot object the next time. Oh, don't get me wrong - there were lots of warnings from other more sage in this cooking skill than I was, but those warnings weren't enough. So, could we say it was "instantaneous" - not really. I had been exposed to the knowledge part a lot earlier, but chose to not apply what I knew to be true until I was injured.
It amazes me to know that this is also how we sometimes approach the learning we experience in our spiritual walk, relationships, and tough decisions. We get repeated exposure to the opportunity to learn - but somehow, 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! God doesn't want us to have to experience "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. Learning is a process of first being able to take in the knowledge - having an open heart. Then we must have open minds - being able to discover what truth he is revealing. To this, he requires a need to have "hearing" - this is a combination of both an open heart and an open mind. It is this "hearing" that brings us to the place where we finally "know" the truth that is being revealed (like when I realized that my injuries could have been minimized had I been properly protected).
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 truth is that we need to couple learning with discipline. We can take this to mean that we need to be "disciplined" in our learning - and this would be one truth that we could adopt immediately. Yet, there is a deeper meaning - 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 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 our embracing of that which will finally deal with "self" issues that need to be 'gone' or 'corrected' in our lives. That means that if we truly love learning, we 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 or relationships 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 learnin!
If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes with it— how shortsighted to refuse correction! (Proverbs 12:1 MSG)
The process of learning requires that we take in knowledge, or perhaps learn the steps of a new skill through the process of being instructed either in person or through self-study. We go through a process with learning - it is systematic - precept upon precept, line upon line, step upon step. Learning is seldom "instantaneous", although it can be. Putting my hand on a hot item the first time without any potholder to protect it certainly became an 'instantaneous' kind of learning moment. The injuries of the blister and subsequent 'burn healing' "convinced" me to use the wisdom God gave me to place something between my hand and the hot object the next time. Oh, don't get me wrong - there were lots of warnings from other more sage in this cooking skill than I was, but those warnings weren't enough. So, could we say it was "instantaneous" - not really. I had been exposed to the knowledge part a lot earlier, but chose to not apply what I knew to be true until I was injured.
It amazes me to know that this is also how we sometimes approach the learning we experience in our spiritual walk, relationships, and tough decisions. We get repeated exposure to the opportunity to learn - but somehow, 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! God doesn't want us to have to experience "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. Learning is a process of first being able to take in the knowledge - having an open heart. Then we must have open minds - being able to discover what truth he is revealing. To this, he requires a need to have "hearing" - this is a combination of both an open heart and an open mind. It is this "hearing" that brings us to the place where we finally "know" the truth that is being revealed (like when I realized that my injuries could have been minimized had I been properly protected).
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 truth is that we need to couple learning with discipline. We can take this to mean that we need to be "disciplined" in our learning - and this would be one truth that we could adopt immediately. Yet, there is a deeper meaning - 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 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 our embracing of that which will finally deal with "self" issues that need to be 'gone' or 'corrected' in our lives. That means that if we truly love learning, we 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 or relationships 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 learnin!
Friday, June 22, 2018
Pass me that plate, will ya?
Receive and experience the amazing grace of Jesus. It is more than just a saying. This is the specific instruction of hope for the people who love God - that they both received and then begin to experience very deeply the intensity of the love that extends such magnificent grace. We can 'receive' a lot of things in this lifetime, but none of these things 'received' really matter until we begin to experience something as a result of what we 'received'. Think for a moment about the dishes passed around the table at a huge family meal, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas meal. If your house is like mine, there are a variety of dishes, all prepared with tender-loving care. Some are quite simple - like the mashed potatoes. Others are a little more 'fancy' - like the corn casserole or baked green bean casserole. We might just allow those dishes, received into our hands, pass us by because our plate seems too full already, or we don't really need two starches on our plate at one time. We received them into our hands, but we never really experienced the bounty that was offered. Receiving does not always equal experiencing!
Receive and experience the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, deep, deep within yourselves. (Philippians 4:23 MSG)
Grace is described to us as the unmerited favor of God - something not earned or deserved because our actions were inconsistent with what was received. To understand God's grace, we must first know that it is freely given, even when we don't know we need it - but things 'given' must be 'taken in' in order to have the greatest value or impact in our lives. Yes, grace is unmerited (unwarranted), but it may also be "unrealized" because we take such a long time coming around to the place that we recognize our need for the love of God to be expressed in our circumstances of life. It is like we let the plate pass us by because we think our plate is full enough, or we may not have need for what is offered so freely to us.
Favor is a definite expression of love - the intense love of a father's heart for his dear children - even when their actions or attitudes don't express any sign of "deserving" that love. We have a hard time understanding that concept because we link love to an equally 'deserving' action - if you do something "deserving" of the expression of my love, I will reciprocate with similar actions of love. If your actions are "pushing away" my love, such as an action that reflects your anger toward me, or your mistrust of me, I withhold my love until you prove that you 'deserve' it again. God is exactly the opposite of that - he reaches out even more when we are pushing him away or withholding ourselves from him! He isn't going to let the plate pass us by - we find it coming around again simply because it has something on it he desperately wants us to experience!
Grace carries with it the idea of the influence of God in our lives - operating through his Spirit to regenerate and strengthen us in our daily walk. Without God's grace being renewed in our lives on a daily, moment-by-moment basis, none of us would be able to live this Christian life. We have to 'experience' many 'helpings' from the grace plate! That is the idea of grace being given even when we don't realize we need it. We act, think, respond - sometimes almost by rote or without real intention on our parts - all the while with God's grace in the background just waiting to "cover" our action, "change" our thinking, or "regenerate" our response. We are to both receive and experience God's grace. To receive it means that we acknowledge our need for it. To experience it means that in those times when it has been extended without us even asking, we embrace the results of that regenerating and strengthening he has provided.
For grace to be fully apprehended, we must welcome it. We need to have open hearts to respond to God's grace - sure, it is extended even before we realize our need for it - but God wants us to open up to a full experience of what he provides with each new expression of his grace. If you find yourself saying that you need some strength to make it through, or some regeneration of your passion, purpose, or pursuit in life - you are saying you are open to the grace of God being poured into your life afresh today. You can equate God's grace to his love. They are one and the same - his love reaches out before we realize our need. His grace is renewed fresh every day - he passes the plate more than once because he knows once we experience what he offers, we will want seconds and thirds and even more! Our strength is as solid as the God of the universe. Our hope is as deep as the endlessness of his grace! Receive and experience the grace of God afresh today - deep within your heart. Just passing the plate one more time!
Receive and experience the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, deep, deep within yourselves. (Philippians 4:23 MSG)
Grace is described to us as the unmerited favor of God - something not earned or deserved because our actions were inconsistent with what was received. To understand God's grace, we must first know that it is freely given, even when we don't know we need it - but things 'given' must be 'taken in' in order to have the greatest value or impact in our lives. Yes, grace is unmerited (unwarranted), but it may also be "unrealized" because we take such a long time coming around to the place that we recognize our need for the love of God to be expressed in our circumstances of life. It is like we let the plate pass us by because we think our plate is full enough, or we may not have need for what is offered so freely to us.
Favor is a definite expression of love - the intense love of a father's heart for his dear children - even when their actions or attitudes don't express any sign of "deserving" that love. We have a hard time understanding that concept because we link love to an equally 'deserving' action - if you do something "deserving" of the expression of my love, I will reciprocate with similar actions of love. If your actions are "pushing away" my love, such as an action that reflects your anger toward me, or your mistrust of me, I withhold my love until you prove that you 'deserve' it again. God is exactly the opposite of that - he reaches out even more when we are pushing him away or withholding ourselves from him! He isn't going to let the plate pass us by - we find it coming around again simply because it has something on it he desperately wants us to experience!
Grace carries with it the idea of the influence of God in our lives - operating through his Spirit to regenerate and strengthen us in our daily walk. Without God's grace being renewed in our lives on a daily, moment-by-moment basis, none of us would be able to live this Christian life. We have to 'experience' many 'helpings' from the grace plate! That is the idea of grace being given even when we don't realize we need it. We act, think, respond - sometimes almost by rote or without real intention on our parts - all the while with God's grace in the background just waiting to "cover" our action, "change" our thinking, or "regenerate" our response. We are to both receive and experience God's grace. To receive it means that we acknowledge our need for it. To experience it means that in those times when it has been extended without us even asking, we embrace the results of that regenerating and strengthening he has provided.
For grace to be fully apprehended, we must welcome it. We need to have open hearts to respond to God's grace - sure, it is extended even before we realize our need for it - but God wants us to open up to a full experience of what he provides with each new expression of his grace. If you find yourself saying that you need some strength to make it through, or some regeneration of your passion, purpose, or pursuit in life - you are saying you are open to the grace of God being poured into your life afresh today. You can equate God's grace to his love. They are one and the same - his love reaches out before we realize our need. His grace is renewed fresh every day - he passes the plate more than once because he knows once we experience what he offers, we will want seconds and thirds and even more! Our strength is as solid as the God of the universe. Our hope is as deep as the endlessness of his grace! Receive and experience the grace of God afresh today - deep within your heart. Just passing the plate one more time!
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Think, don't just act
Remember how fretting and worrying wears us down and brings us into a place of paralysis in our faith? There is a lot of power behind our thoughts - our way of thinking has a great deal to with how it is we perceive a situation and how it is we will approach it. There are very specific things we are supposed to be thinking on - allowing these types of thoughts to become fertile ground in our minds can go a long way to keeping us from fret and worry. Remembering that there is first the need to "put off", then to "put on", we can conclude that some thoughts are meant to be left behind and others pursued. For some of us, the thoughts we have been mulling over for some time have become almost habitual with us - maybe not even the best of habits for us to have! You have to put off a bad or less desirable habit, and in turn, you put on a better one. When God tells us to have no other gods before him, he also says to honor him with our entire hearts, minds and souls. When we are told to stop stealing, there is the follow-up command to get a job. The idea is that we MUST replace one behavior (which begins with thought) with another, or there will be a "gap" that is open to being filled - if not purposefully, then by whatever comes along that we embrace with any actual thinking - including the thinking that leads us to worry and fret!
Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. (Philippians 4:8-9 MSG)
We are told to do two things here - fill our minds and then meditate on what we put in there. There is only as much room to "fill" any object as there is "room" made for what will fill in that space. Our minds are amazing "tools" - they can be used to do such tremendous things. With the mind, we can begin the visionary work of creating or inventing - picturing what is to become even long before we have all the tools and resources at our disposal to create whatever it is we envision. With the mind, we can think through a scenario, step-by-step, until we see what we envisioned take form - like creating a blueprint. As I am fully aware, the mind can be like a "steal trap" or a "leaky sieve". When someone has an uncanny ability to remember all kinds of facts or details, we say they have a mind like a steal trap. If the opposite occurs, and the individual cannot seem to recall facts longer than say a nanosecond, we say they have a mind like a leaky sieve. It always amazes me to see the sports enthusiast that can recount the entire career of some ball player, complete with every stat of their season right on the tip of their tongue, yet they cannot remember the birthdays of their children! What's up with that?
The mind controls every function in our body, every action of day, and every inaction, as well. With it, we make choice, interpret input, and "feel" things with what we call emotion. It is our mind that gives us the ability to resist temptation, or plunge full force ahead into disaster. That is why God takes time to point out to us what to put into our mind. He asks us to center our thought life on things that will build up, give a foundation, and provide a safe course for our Christian walk. Let's briefly see what he poses as the type of thought we are to fill our minds with:
Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. (Philippians 4:8-9 MSG)
We are told to do two things here - fill our minds and then meditate on what we put in there. There is only as much room to "fill" any object as there is "room" made for what will fill in that space. Our minds are amazing "tools" - they can be used to do such tremendous things. With the mind, we can begin the visionary work of creating or inventing - picturing what is to become even long before we have all the tools and resources at our disposal to create whatever it is we envision. With the mind, we can think through a scenario, step-by-step, until we see what we envisioned take form - like creating a blueprint. As I am fully aware, the mind can be like a "steal trap" or a "leaky sieve". When someone has an uncanny ability to remember all kinds of facts or details, we say they have a mind like a steal trap. If the opposite occurs, and the individual cannot seem to recall facts longer than say a nanosecond, we say they have a mind like a leaky sieve. It always amazes me to see the sports enthusiast that can recount the entire career of some ball player, complete with every stat of their season right on the tip of their tongue, yet they cannot remember the birthdays of their children! What's up with that?
The mind controls every function in our body, every action of day, and every inaction, as well. With it, we make choice, interpret input, and "feel" things with what we call emotion. It is our mind that gives us the ability to resist temptation, or plunge full force ahead into disaster. That is why God takes time to point out to us what to put into our mind. He asks us to center our thought life on things that will build up, give a foundation, and provide a safe course for our Christian walk. Let's briefly see what he poses as the type of thought we are to fill our minds with:
- Things that are true - that which conforms to reality or fact. He reminds us that our minds can indeed come up with any conclusion they want - we need to remember to center on what is fact. It is oftentimes easiest to see what we want to see, but that isn't always what is true!
- Things that are noble - that which is of the highest quality. The idea is that we should not accept mediocrity in our thought life - we are to strive for the best. I can buy lower quality paper towels at the grocery store, but it takes more to finish the job that the ones of a little higher quality!
- Things that are reputable - thinking on that which is worthy of honor or is respectable is sometimes one of the most difficult parts of our thought life. We do a lot of damage in our thought life with both the reputation of others and of ourselves - simply because we think upon things that would be best left alone. Paul reminds us that reputation, even God's, can be broken or built up in our minds.
- Things that are authentic - genuine and supported by indisputable evidence. Isn't it surprising just how much of our thought life could be discounted and discarded when put to the test of authenticity? We need to be cautious here - we can find almost any evidence to support our belief - therefore, we need to go to the evidence that has "born up" throughout the ages (The Word of God) - test what you believe.
- Things that are compelling - this is the type of thought that drives an individual into action. It has a powerful and irresistible effect on us to think in such a manner. It is important to see what is compelling us to move - does it line up with what God outlines in his Word - with what he desires for us?
- Things that are gracious - the thought that immediately moves us into actions of compassion and mercy - not judgment and guilt - these are the thoughts we need to entertain the most.
- The best, not the worst - how many times am I guilty of "jumping to conclusions" - immediately drifting into negative thought about a person, situation, or perceived threat? I sometimes go to the "worst" first, but find myself having to "reign in" my thoughts, taking control of them through active choice, and "shifting" to the best way to see that person, situation, or threat. The "best" may not be our first thought, but it should be our final one!
- The beautiful, not the ugly - okay, don't get me wrong here, but there is some pretty ugly stuff out there just waiting to get into our brains! Whatever we allow in will have an affect. Guard your mind - don't let that ugly stuff in!
- Things to praise, not to curse - if we keep all the rest in perspective, it is easy to allow things in that we want to speak about - things that build up - rather than those things that we can only formulate more and more negative talk about.
We are not just to fill our minds with the right thoughts, but we are to meditate upon them. Think of this as "chewing on them". Sometimes we'd do well to take a little more time in thought before we actually speak or act upon the thought we are entertaining! There is a place of safety in learning to meditate on the right stuff. What are you "chewing on" today? If it something that is really "chewing on you", then maybe it is time for some fresh thought about the situation. Just sayin!
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Anti-corrosive barrier
Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
(Philippians 4:6-7 MSG)
Honestly answer this: When you are faced with the type of things that cause you to worry even a little, is your actual first response to those worries to 'worry' or 'pray'? Honestly, I think most of us might admit it is to worry, then to pray when we finally realize we are worrying! The Apostle Paul experienced some rather tough trials in his time in service to the Lord. He was jailed, brought before magistrates to give an account for his actions, engaged with others in ministry that had a hard time getting along with each other, and he faced physical ailments in his body...just to name a few of the things that might have caused him just a little bit of worry. We are directed to live a life that is free of fretting and worrying. Instead of worrying - we are to pray. Okay, you are already saying, "Easier said than done." I am right there with you! I often struggle with the worrying long before I remember, or trust him enough, to turn it over to the Lord for his answer!
Fretting is a corrosive process - it affects us by gnawing away at the peace and faith we have, even when we think we have some 'anti-corrosive' barrier erected in our lives. The corroding effect of fretting on life's problems eventually eats a hole through our faith, exposing us to doubt, frustration, fear, etc. Fretting behavior is quite easy to recognize - it is a behavior that is marked by being even a little bit agitated. I know when I am in a fretting state when I look at my own inability to "settle down" and focus as I should or normally would in the situation. We are given a directive to 'not worry'. Why does scripture refer to the process of both fretting and worrying? Don't they have a similar meaning? Well, they are close, but worry carries with it the idea of causing yourself torment! In other words, you are "doing yourself in" by the behavior you are engaging in! Every move you make is like you are dragging yourself along, no energy or passion in the movement, just barely making progress at all. Your steps are tentative and extremely guarded.
The "antidote" to corrosive thoughts/actions and self-tormenting activities is supposedly prayer. Not just the "Dear God, please intervene..." kind of prayer, but a pouring out of our heart before God with the nitty-gritty stuff that has us "wigged out" in the first place. It is an acknowledgement that we aren't feeling very 'easy' over the situation. It is an intense opening up of ourselves to God in honest exposure of the things that are acting as a corrosive influence in our thought life. In so doing, there is this promise of an eventual "washing away" of the corrosiveness of fretting and worry, and a refreshing peace beginning to settle down in place of that corrosive thought pattern or activity we had previously been involved in.
Christ displaces worry at the center of our lives - amazing thought and a totally amazing action on our behalf! Don't lose sight of of the fact that when worry or fretting gets a foothold, Christ is displaced from the center of our lives - he becomes a second thought, definitely not our first. When we are honest about our struggles, we are asking Christ to come back to "center" in our lives - refocusing us on the one who IS peace and GIVES peace and BRINGS peace. So, the next time you find yourself a little agitated on the inside, or in a place of self-torment, perhaps the best thing to do is to turn your focus toward "center" again. As long as we keep Christ there, the corrosiveness of whatever life is dishing out will be lessened and the abundance of his grace will deliver us from the self-torment of our own fickle thoughts. Gotta love it! Just sayin!
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Ready....Set....Love
God's goal for each of us is that our love would flourish – not just be evident, but be overwhelmingly, undeniably present in all our actions, speech, and emotions. We get the emotional part of love, but it is the words of love and actions of love that oftentimes don't quite measure up. Flourishing love is contagious love. Flourishing love is an active love – producing byproducts of its action in the lives of those it touches. This type of love is not in word only, but is a daily lived, sacrificial, unconditional reaching out of our lives for the benefit and well-being of others. We are encouraged to not only love, but to do it well - there is no 'half-way' when it comes to love. How many of us can truly say that we have learned to love well? We may be able to say that we have loved much, but loving well is a totally different story.
So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.
(Philippians 1:9-11)
We are to learn to love appropriately – using specific “tests” of our motives, actions, and thought-life to guard us against loving in any other manner - avoiding the missed steps and 'half-way' commitments we so often find ourselves replicating. Scripture does not describe the love of a believer coming from the realm of emotions – scripture directs us to use our “head” or minds to test this love. A person given to simple reliance on the feelings of the heart (emotions) is easily swayed, often discouraged, and frequently misdirected in motive. I've said it before, but it bears repeating - emotions can be quite fickle!
Scripture emphasizes the importance of running our emotions through a “filter” – the filter of our minds. As we grow in Christ, our minds become daily storehouses of new thought, changed attitudes, and exchanged values. It is that renewed mind that scripture recommends we use as a “filter” to guide our emotions. Scripture is not saying that we can understand all that love is, but that we can exercise maturity in the display of our love when we are conscious of our actions, sensitive to the instability of our emotions, and conscientious to guard both. It is this type of life that becomes an attractive “billboard” of God’s grace – standing as examples of the impact of God on a sensitive heart.
God's goal is to see us grow in Christ in such a way that there is no denying the work of grace in our lives. There is no better way to evidence God’s grace than to display it in unconditional, sacrificial love for others - and not the half-way type, either. This type of love is not sentimental dribble, nor is it calculated, manipulative action aimed at a certain effect. It is an outpouring of the Spirit in our daily choices, guiding our daily actions, and creating a welcoming and accepting place for hurting people to find help. This image is reproduced in our action – action that exemplifies the sacrificial love of our Savior.
Yes, love has an emotional aspect, but the impact of love is felt in its action, not just in its emotion. We are invited (maybe even commanded) to focus more on the actions of love and less on the sentiment of love so that we might be instruments of God’s grace reaching out to those he has placed in our paths. Let us love well – displaying the attractiveness of God to all. Just lovin!
We are to learn to love appropriately – using specific “tests” of our motives, actions, and thought-life to guard us against loving in any other manner - avoiding the missed steps and 'half-way' commitments we so often find ourselves replicating. Scripture does not describe the love of a believer coming from the realm of emotions – scripture directs us to use our “head” or minds to test this love. A person given to simple reliance on the feelings of the heart (emotions) is easily swayed, often discouraged, and frequently misdirected in motive. I've said it before, but it bears repeating - emotions can be quite fickle!
Scripture emphasizes the importance of running our emotions through a “filter” – the filter of our minds. As we grow in Christ, our minds become daily storehouses of new thought, changed attitudes, and exchanged values. It is that renewed mind that scripture recommends we use as a “filter” to guide our emotions. Scripture is not saying that we can understand all that love is, but that we can exercise maturity in the display of our love when we are conscious of our actions, sensitive to the instability of our emotions, and conscientious to guard both. It is this type of life that becomes an attractive “billboard” of God’s grace – standing as examples of the impact of God on a sensitive heart.
God's goal is to see us grow in Christ in such a way that there is no denying the work of grace in our lives. There is no better way to evidence God’s grace than to display it in unconditional, sacrificial love for others - and not the half-way type, either. This type of love is not sentimental dribble, nor is it calculated, manipulative action aimed at a certain effect. It is an outpouring of the Spirit in our daily choices, guiding our daily actions, and creating a welcoming and accepting place for hurting people to find help. This image is reproduced in our action – action that exemplifies the sacrificial love of our Savior.
Yes, love has an emotional aspect, but the impact of love is felt in its action, not just in its emotion. We are invited (maybe even commanded) to focus more on the actions of love and less on the sentiment of love so that we might be instruments of God’s grace reaching out to those he has placed in our paths. Let us love well – displaying the attractiveness of God to all. Just lovin!
Monday, June 18, 2018
Strategically Placed Tools
Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God’s Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.
(Philippians 1:3-6 MSG)
It is a truly comforting thing to know that God has placed leaders, mentors, and caring relationships in each of our lives that are frequently moved into "prayerful consideration" of our needs as we cross their minds. God can do much with a soul that is yielded to his purposes – especially when that yielded vessel is willing to reach out to the needs of others. The “trigger” toward "prayerful consideration" is born out of the newness of heart that God places within us at the time of our salvation. A trigger is something that initiates a process or response - it starts the ball rolling, so to speak. God places a desire for his people deep into our hearts as we begin to grow in his graces – this desire moves upon us to uphold those that he has surrounded us with - not so much because they aren't doing a good job of reaching out to God themselves, but because we all need the strength that comes in numbers.
The support of our fellow believers is more than just a pat on the back periodically. It is God purposefully placing individuals in our lives that will boldly take us before the throne of God - as the need becomes apparent and even when there is no evidence of need! Our daily walk is affected by the many prayers of those who stand as a 'supporting structure' in our lives – oftentimes unnoticed, perhaps even unknown to us. Did you ever to stop to think of that BFF as a 'supporting structure' in your life? Well, there is more shared in prayer for each other than we may first realize - oftentimes because that other individual wants only the best for us!
At the time we welcomes Jesus into our hearts, God began his work within us. God wants to complete the work that he began in each of us. This work is a two-fold work, with the first being fully accomplished by the work of the cross, and the second being a process of life-altering, character-transforming work that is walked out in our lives daily. No other thing is more important to God than our growth and maturity after we say 'yes' to his rule in our lives. His focus is one of producing the fruit of our new relationship with him – fruit that evidences his grace, love, and compassion. Yet there are times when fruit seems to evade us – change is not as quickly evident in our lives as we would desire. We are just not growing as we might have expected.
It is important to keep perspective as we daily walk in this newness of life. We are changed incrementally – changed by the blood of Christ, God’s grace, and his daily mercies in our lives. We want growth by leaps and bounds, but God prepares us for growth in fragments - incremental changes that sometimes take more time than we might want and lots more more than we thought we'd have to invest. The believers God surrounds us with in our 'extended' family, those we encounter in mentoring relationships, as well as those who speak into our lives at those critical moments are strategically placed in our lives to assist in the process of completing the work within us that God began. There should be no doubt in our minds that the very thing God begins, he also provides a means for the successful and undeniable completion of that work.
Whenever we are tempted to get down on ourselves because our progress is slow, or the "same old" sins or problems just seem to be coming around again and again - it is time to reach out to our "family" in Christ. Their support is often the deciding factor in the success of our ability to overcome those all too familiar sinful patterns. The family of God is like a tool in a well-equipped tool box. If we never pull the tool out to use it, it is nothing more to us than something we look fondly at and are proud to have in our box. If we lay hold of it and use it as it is fashioned to be used, the results can be astronomically wonderful. No tool is just decorative - they are meant to be used! Just sayin!
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Welcome back!
God, your God, will cut away the thick calluses on your heart and your children's hearts, freeing you to love God, your God, with your whole heart and soul and live, really live... And you will make a new start, listening obediently to God, keeping all his commandments that I'm commanding you today. God, your God, will outdo himself in making things go well for you: you'll have babies, get calves, grow crops, and enjoy an all-around good life. Yes, God will start enjoying you again, making things go well for you just as he enjoyed doing it for your ancestors. But only if you listen obediently to God, your God, and keep the commandments and regulations written in this Book of Revelation. Nothing halfhearted here; you must return to God, your God, totally, heart and soul, holding nothing back. This commandment that I'm commanding you today isn't too much for you, it's not out of your reach. It's not on a high mountain—you don't have to get mountaineers to climb the peak and bring it down to your level and explain it before you can live it. And it's not across the ocean—you don't have to send sailors out to get it, bring it back, and then explain it before you can live it. No. The word is right here and now—as near as the tongue in your mouth, as near as the heart in your chest. Just do it! (Deuteronomy 30:6-14 MSG)
It does not catch God by surprise to find our hearts wandering, our focus dwindling, and our attitude twisting toward things which should not really get our attention. While it would please him most for us to be consistent in our focus and attentiveness toward the things he loves and blesses, he knows it is hard for us. He also knows we sometimes have no clue we are even being lured away by our apathy, or some laxity we have allowed in our lives. Therefore, he reminds us there is a way for restoration when it is needed - as heart devotion wanes, it can be restored by embracing the truth of his Word and 'beginning again' where we left off. Most of us know the "way back" is never as easy as the steps we took in our wandering away - but as long as we use the tools he has that guide us back into a place of restored grace, we will find our path restored. Our return to a straight path is conditioned on heeding, or paying attention, to the things that begin to surface in our lives. The first step back is to recognize that we even need to make a turn in the first place!
It does not catch God by surprise to find our hearts wandering, our focus dwindling, and our attitude twisting toward things which should not really get our attention. While it would please him most for us to be consistent in our focus and attentiveness toward the things he loves and blesses, he knows it is hard for us. He also knows we sometimes have no clue we are even being lured away by our apathy, or some laxity we have allowed in our lives. Therefore, he reminds us there is a way for restoration when it is needed - as heart devotion wanes, it can be restored by embracing the truth of his Word and 'beginning again' where we left off. Most of us know the "way back" is never as easy as the steps we took in our wandering away - but as long as we use the tools he has that guide us back into a place of restored grace, we will find our path restored. Our return to a straight path is conditioned on heeding, or paying attention, to the things that begin to surface in our lives. The first step back is to recognize that we even need to make a turn in the first place!
Do right, and we enjoy blessing; if we pursue wrong purposes,we experience curses upon our nation - not just our own house, but our wrong-doing actually affects other lives around us because there are always others watching what we do. God says we need to "tune into" our lives a little better (and a little more consistently), allowing the Holy Spirit to expose our motivations, our heart attitudes, and then weigh them against what God defines for us in his Word as "righteousness". If we find ourselves falling away from the "standards" he defines there, then it is time to make an about-face and come back to center again. "No matter how far away you end up, God, your God, will get you out of there..." This is the promise in scripture - for those that acknowledge they need a 'return' can be assured he will be there to help them return. That should squelch all doubt we have in our minds that we could ever drift away from God unnoticed by his watchful eye, or unreachable by his caring hand.
WHEN we drift (and not IF we drift), God is a restoring God - scripture makes it quite clear that it won't always be a 'consistent path' we walk - we will drift. When we recognize our condition, then respond to the grace God is extending, and take the identified actions to return, look at the actions God takes on our behalf:
-He brings us back - it is not OUR efforts that get us "back on track" in our walk, but his!
WHEN we drift (and not IF we drift), God is a restoring God - scripture makes it quite clear that it won't always be a 'consistent path' we walk - we will drift. When we recognize our condition, then respond to the grace God is extending, and take the identified actions to return, look at the actions God takes on our behalf:
-He brings us back - it is not OUR efforts that get us "back on track" in our walk, but his!
-He removes the calloused parts of our heart - freeing us again to love him with our entire heart. Think about a callous for just a moment - it is hard, unsightly, and abrasive to everything it touches. It is also pretty impenetrable. If a "physical" callous was around our heart muscle, the heart would be so restricted that the normal and regular beating of that heart would be impossible. God is the one to remove those callouses of our spiritual heart - removing our "restriction" in obedient worship of him.
-He places us in the very circumstances where we can make a new start - dealing on our behalf with our enemy (our own lust, our immense pride, and even the devil himself). Our part is to listen obediently - callouses removed, giving us freedom to "beat again" in unison with his heart, we are free to listen and respond.
-He will outdo even himself - in making things go well with us! He blesses us over and over again - outdoing all we could ever imagine about his grace, his love or his ability on our behalf.
-He will ENJOY us - it absolutely amazes me that God could ENJOY me! Sometimes I don't even bring much joy to myself - much less others - so how could I ever bring joy to him? Yet, he says we will become a thing of enjoyment to him.
Our part is to hold nothing back - no half-hearted attempts at obedience. God knows we will slip up from time to time. He also knows he will give us grace to get up again and move on. The worst thing we can tell ourselves is that we can never move on in life. It is the heart attitude he is focused on here - one of commitment, dedication, and entirety in our responsiveness. If you have ever found yourself moving at a speed of 45 mph down a busy surface street, approaching the intersection, and suddenly the light turns from green to amber, you make a split-second decision to screech to a stop and possibly have a multi-car pile-up, or plunge on through the intersection in spite of that amber light - risking even more. If you decide to do the latter, it means you are "committed" due to the speed of your vehicle, the traffic coming at a face pace behind you, etc. Commitment describes a determination that drives us forward, truly calculating the risks, and then acting in spite of those risks. That is what God expects of us - make a commitment - allow it to drive us forward despite what we see may be the risks. When we do, he stands ready to restore us.
His word to us is to "come back". His action on our behalf is to "welcome us back". His blessing to us in coming back is to "take back" what we have lost and restore it to us completely. Don't get bogged down in the fact that you may have wandered - listen obediently to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, respond with an open heart, and come on back! Just sayin!
Our part is to hold nothing back - no half-hearted attempts at obedience. God knows we will slip up from time to time. He also knows he will give us grace to get up again and move on. The worst thing we can tell ourselves is that we can never move on in life. It is the heart attitude he is focused on here - one of commitment, dedication, and entirety in our responsiveness. If you have ever found yourself moving at a speed of 45 mph down a busy surface street, approaching the intersection, and suddenly the light turns from green to amber, you make a split-second decision to screech to a stop and possibly have a multi-car pile-up, or plunge on through the intersection in spite of that amber light - risking even more. If you decide to do the latter, it means you are "committed" due to the speed of your vehicle, the traffic coming at a face pace behind you, etc. Commitment describes a determination that drives us forward, truly calculating the risks, and then acting in spite of those risks. That is what God expects of us - make a commitment - allow it to drive us forward despite what we see may be the risks. When we do, he stands ready to restore us.
His word to us is to "come back". His action on our behalf is to "welcome us back". His blessing to us in coming back is to "take back" what we have lost and restore it to us completely. Don't get bogged down in the fact that you may have wandered - listen obediently to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, respond with an open heart, and come on back! Just sayin!
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Don't steam in it any longer!
"Count yourself lucky." We use this phrase, "I am so lucky", often without realizing what it means to be "lucky". It means that we are "favored" - to find a special space or focus of attention where all is going well. We should count ourselves as specifically favored by God - an object of his special focus! Being the special object of his favor should produce within each of us a sense of awe - tremendous wonder at how the God of the universe could have favor on us. His care for each of us begins with a specific action of his love - he forgives us - giving us a fresh start. The slate has been wiped clean! How many times do we say, "I wish I could get a fresh start"? Well, we can as many times as we need that 'fresh start' - God's footstool is the place of fresh starts. Fresh starts are characterized by being able to leave all the mess of our past exactly where it is and moving on beyond that place of 'messiness'. Not only is this possible - it is a reality as we cry out to our God - an assurance his kids can count on all the time.
Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be—you get a fresh start, your slate's wiped clean. Count yourself lucky—God holds nothing against you and you're holding nothing back from him. When I kept it all inside, my bones turned to powder, my words became daylong groans. The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up. Then I let it all out; I said, "I'll make a clean breast of my failures to God." Suddenly the pressure was gone—my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared. (Psalm 32:1-5 MSG)
Sin has a way of getting us into places where we just yearn for a breakthrough. I probably don't have to point out the misery of spirit, mind, and body that becomes the "mire" of our lives when we remain in our sinful condition, wallowing in our failures. It weighs heavy on us - bringing disease, sickness, depression, and even something scripture refers to as a "dryness". Living in the desert, I understand the effects of heat - the tremendous drying effect of the hot air and blazing sun. I have seen the sun literally turn a body that is otherwise healthy into a mess of dehydration, electrolytes totally out of balance, and the ensuing weakness absolutely destroying internal organs. Where there is "dryness", it is impossible to maintain life! The issue isn't that lack of moisture - it is that the 'heat' isn't something we are equipped to deal with!
Why is it that we live like we are inside pressure cookers? We let all the pressures of life build up, then at the point of absolute explosive capacity, we let it all out - sometimes not very well and usually making a big mess when we do! We remain in our place of absolute misery - unaware of what tremendous grace and peace lays just on the other side of our pressure cooker - and stew in our misery! When he finally "let it all out", the pressure is gone. That was not recorded for all time in the Word simply because it sounded good - God knows all too well our tendency to keep it all inside and attempt to deal with life's failures on our own terms. He also knows how messed up we can become when we do! I have a pressure cooker and when I release the steam that has built up, I have to wait a couple minutes longer to actually release the lid. Why? There is unrecognized pressure still in there long past the time I think the pressure has been released - pressure that is still capable of hurting me. I need to let the pot rest a little to ensure it is not going to bring me harm. Sometimes we need to just rest after God has relieved the initial pressure of our sinful state, not because we aren't feeling release, but because we need to allow the release to finalize!
Today, if you have been keeping it all wrapped up inside - afraid to let it go - allowing the very juices of your joy to be dried up - it is time to let it all out! Not in ways that will bring you or others harm, but under the guidance of the knowing hand and eye of the God that knows us all too well. God is not stunned by our guilt - he already has made provision for that. God is not shamed by our failures - he already has provided a way back from those failures and out of that shame. He is not intimidated by the mess of our lives - he has already made a plan for restoring the disorder of our past with the perfect peace of the present and the joyful anticipation of the future. Whatever it is that is robbing you of your joy, keeping you bound in your failures, let it out! God stands ready to relieve you of that pressure today! Not just for a little while, but for good! Just sayin!
Friday, June 15, 2018
Throw it all in
Blessed be God—he heard me praying. He proved he's on my side; I've thrown my lot in with him. Now I'm jumping for joy, and shouting and singing my thanks to him. God is all strength for his people, ample refuge for his chosen leader; save your people and bless your heritage. Care for them; carry them like a good shepherd.
(Psalm 28:6-9 MSG)
Each of us have been through a rough stretch or two in life - times where we don't think we are going to make it because either relationships fall apart, circumstances keep us so frustrated and busy, or coming to the realization absolutely nothing was working out as we had hoped no matter how hard we tried. Companions may have turned against us, maybe even conspiring to destroy our reputation and keep us from some role we had been dreaming of all these years. The constant running, the immediate danger, and the ever-churning frustration causes us to cry out to God for help - it could be we are just left silent and pondering quietly what to do next. In our cry and depth of contemplative thought, we come to the place where we are acknowledging our need to "throw our lot in with God". In other words, we want to abandoned our own way of doing things and now completely rely on God to be all that is needed in the moment. God has heard even our silent praying. We can see over and over in scripture and hear it time and time again from other believers - God hears - the answer may be delayed, but he heard when we cried out - even in our silent contemplation of 'what do we do next'!
Somehow, we don't think God is "on our side" if we don't have an awesome outcome to every circumstance in life. We wonder if our prayers have fallen on deaf ears, or if he has abandoned us to our own devices because of some root of rebellion within that we don't readily recognize. Many times the circumstances have proven to be overwhelming, uncomfortable, or just plain undesirable - not because God has not listened or heard, but because we have chosen the course we are on apart from listening to him. Ouch! Now that I've gone meddling, perhaps I should say that I am not immune to this same type of moving out ahead of God and then asking God to bail me out! I also struggle with the "God, why aren't you listening?" prayers. The skies can be like brass to me, as well. The times when things don't work out as planned just keep on coming for me, too!
The conviction in the heart of our writer states clearly that God is all strength to his people - not just to the "good ones", or the ones that "deserve" his attention and get everything right the first time (thank goodness, because I rarely get things right the first time). God is ALL the strength we need - plain and simple. Finding ourselves in a moment of rehearsing our misery is not an uncommon occurrence - but finding ourselves celebrating the strength and shelter of our all powerful God should be the "norm" - not the exception. Look at the exact way God is described here - he is ALL strength. GOD - Jehovah - the one who is unchangeable in his promises, permanent in his commitment, and divine in his compassion - is all the strength we need for this moment. He is our physical strength. He is also our mental strength - giving us the power to overcome negative self-talk; the authority to stand against evil thoughts. There is a "potency" that is palpable in his presence. Where his presence is, there we will find ample resources for the present need in our lives. We just need to "tap" them - to avail ourselves of those resources.
God is presented to us as an ample refuge - not some mediocre, broken down shack we can find some meager shelter from the heat, a little protection from the rain - but an ample refuge. God is fully sufficient and more than adequate for every purpose or need in our lives. He is a God of "liberality" - a giving, caring, and compassionate God. His presence is a place of shelter and protection from all forms of danger - real or perceived. Three things can be counted on: he will save us, bless us, and care for us. Save us - rescuing us from all possible error or harm - which we get into or that comes our way. Save us - because we find ourselves in circumstances where we lack the power to come out on the other side unhurt and unburdened. Bless us - because without his divine favor, life is not worth living. Care for us - like a good shepherd, tending with gentle care over his sheep. Care for us - because he is concerned about us, and he lets us see that concern. We are God's heritage - we belong to him by reason of our birth into his family. Would God ever let his heritage go into a state of disrepair? Would he ever shirk his duty as the Good Shepherd? Absolutely not. When we feel the skies are brass - he IS listening. When we feel that we cannot trust - he is faithful. When we are more focused on the battle than on the Commander of our lives - he stands strong on our behalf. God is our ample refuge. It is time to lift his praises! Just sayin!
Thursday, June 14, 2018
But....but....but...
Ever find yourself paralyzed by fear? Considering something 'ominous' in front of you, with memories of what you once had behind you? These thoughts plague us and we find ourselves wondering if we can ever make it past the past and getting fully into the present. There isn't much hope of ever experiencing the 'newness' of the present until we let go of all the excuses we offer to attempt to stay connected with our past!
Attention, Israel! This very day you are crossing the Jordan to enter the land and dispossess nations that are much bigger and stronger than you are. You're going to find huge cities with sky-high fortress-walls and gigantic people, descendants of the Anakites—you've heard all about them; you've heard the saying, "No one can stand up to an Anakite." Today know this: God, your God, is crossing the river ahead of you—he's a consuming fire. He will destroy the nations, he will put them under your power. You will dispossess them and very quickly wipe them out, just as God promised you would. (Deuteronomy 9:1-3)
We sometimes find ourselves in similar circumstances, looking ahead, knowing we need to "make our move", and we are almost paralyzed by fear because of what lays just beyond the borders of where we are now and where we are headed. We might make excuses for our unwillingness to take the first step - focusing squarely on the insurmountable odds rather than the imperceptible strength of our God - pointing out each and every pitfall along the journey. Perhaps we have been asked to take steps toward something and away from something else. It may be that God has been tugging at our heart, asking us to spend time and energy on something we find hard. We look at what is just ahead and all we see is rock-solid walls that seem like they will never be penetrated. We want to 'step out', but we only feel waves of paralyzing fear in face of past failures. Wherever we find ourselves this morning, God is saying, "It is time to take the first step. Trust me to guide you."
We don't take those first steps alone. As the nation of Israel stood on the very edges of what God promised to them, God stood alongside. GOD (Jehovah) - the unchanging one, the one who becomes all we need, the one holding us accountable - stands ready to go alongside. God (Elohim) - the creator of all things, the possessor of absolute power and authority, the covenant keeping God - stands ready to exhibit his power on our behalf and not let one of his promises fall short of completion in our lives. Look at his position - he goes ahead of us to put under his power all that would stand in the way of our victory! That means he is going ahead of us to bring understanding into our times of personal chaos and confusion. He is going ahead of us into the fearful places of budding relationship and past failures. He is the consuming fire - the fire that burns through our doubt and fear; the fire that illuminates our path; the God that creates newness where we can only see devastation.
I know this passage refers to where Israel stood that day, but I believe it has meaning for us, as well. God is to be realized as both our unchanging one and our becoming one. He is the Alpha and Omega - the beginning of newness in our lives and the finisher of all that he promises. Walls may seem huge, and even impenetrable - holding us back from realizing what awaits us on the other side. There is no "wall" that can withstand his power or authority - no enemy can stand in the midst of his mighty acts on our behalf. Giants may loom over us - God stands taller and stronger than any giant standing in our way. Today is a day of new beginnings - it is definitely time to step out, God going ahead of us, preparing the way for us. Our part is to take the first step - his is to go ahead of us, driving out the giants and tearing down the walls. His part is to be all we need - our part is to be obedient to his voice. Is God urging you to step out today? If so, take the first step knowing whole-heartedly that he goes ahead of you! Just steppin!
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