Prayer Worrier or Prayer Warrior

You might think that is a play on words, but it isn't! Many times we enter into our moments of talking with Jesus like intimidated little kids, head hung low, shuffling our feet, and dancing around the truth of what it is we really are there in need of at that very moment. We don't want to 'impose' on God, or maybe 'tick him off' with our constant asking, so we just dance around the subject, grazing on it from time to time. Prayer worriers - those who fret over how to say it, what to say, or in just being honest about what they are feeling - the end is always going to be the same...we won't feel like our time in prayer has accomplished very much! Why? We never really got to the meat of what needed to be shared - and God didn't get a chance to take care of whatever it was that was on our heart in the first place!

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

Prayer warriors are those who don't mince words with God - they know they don't have to pull their punches. They are as transparent as glass and they don't feel the need to temper their words to 'fit' some type of 'prayer etiquette'. I don't know about you, but when someone comes to me and really opens up their heart to me, I don't care if their sentences are grammatically correct, or even if they got all their thoughts into some 'ordered sequence of ideas'. I just appreciate that they opened up - because I know just how hard it was for them to be that transparent about their feelings and needs! God isn't any different - he knows it is hard for us to sometimes be honest with ourselves, much less him!

There are indeed times we don't have a clue what to ask God for - we just know how we 'feel' or that something isn't quite 'right' in a matter. We might have a notion as to what may be the issue at hand, but there are far more times we have very little information as to the 'true nature' of the matter. We just realize there are needs that go much deeper than we really know and we need his help to get at those needs and get those matters well in hand. This is why we just need to come honestly. There is no harm in admitting to him that we have 'no clue' what we really need, or what will help another individual past their moment of need. We just share what we can and then we allow him to do the rest. He listens to our honesty and then he meets it with his power and grace!

Sometimes we want to 'keep our options open', so we 'propose' to God all the possible scenarios to either the problem or the solution - hoping we might just hit the nail on the head in all this dancing around. The issue with this is that we rarely stop long enough to just listen to him. We get all tangled up in explaining ourselves, or how we see the situation, and we forget to just listen to how it is he actually knows the situation to be! The more we just lay things out there honestly, then stop to listen, instead of laying out all the options or possibilities, we might just find there is a solution we had never considered. The solution may lie more in our honesty than in the volume of words we use to express our need. Just sayin!

This isn't Monopoly

Have you ever struck up a bargain with someone, crafting your "investment" into whatever it is they want out of the deal in order to get out of it exactly what you wanted? I used to play Monopoly with friends when younger and you'd find us in an all out battle to the finish, attempting to persuade each other to let go of that one last railroad, high end property, or utility. We wanted the monopoly so we'd be able to bankrupt anyone landing on that square! The bargaining got somewhat loud on occasion, with an almost 'begging' or 'pleading' tone to it. The pleading was met with firm resistance, no matter how 'broke' that other player was and how much they could use our 'capital' to keep going in the game. They just didn't want to give the other player the satisfaction of doing everybody in as they made their way around to that property block. There are definitely times when a little bargaining isn't really all that bad - like in the playing of the game - but there are times when I think we want to approach God this way. We want to 'make a deal' he cannot refuse - or at least one we think he cannot refuse. We think we know what the specific 'deal-breaker' will be, so we avoid it like the plague. Yet, when it comes right down to it, we just don't believe God isn't in the business of 'wheeling and dealing' - he is in the business of loving, caring, and protecting.

Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better? (Matthew 7:7-8 MSG)

God wants us to be direct with him - straight up, spot on, and totally transparent. If I wanted the railroad so I'd have made the monopoly, then I could have just said to my son that I was intending on gathering all of those four blocks and then 'milking' money from him each time he had the unfortunate fate of landing on that square! Instead, I crafted some 'generous' offer that was met with resistance. Why was there resistance? The other player really knew what I was doing no matter how well I crafted my bargain! God isn't going to be fooled by our 'crafty bargaining' - he knows when we want to have something a certain way because it will fit our purposes. We might think we are being clever in how we are wording our requests to him, but he knows the 'back-story' of that plea! If we'd learn to be honest about the 'back-story', we might just find God helping us to see how the story really isn't the one he is writing in our lives - making us more likely to let go of the thing without much hesitation at all.

Honestly, there are more times I don't have a clue what to ask God for in my life, I just know I have a need of some sort. Sometimes I feel lonely and a little down in the mouth. Do I come out and ask God for friends in my life? Nope. I just express my feelings of loneliness and leave things in his hands. Usually in a pretty short order, I begin to see how he has placed special moments in my path that build me up, make me feel cared for and loved, and I am not feeling quite as lonely anymore. I laid out my need the best I could and he did the rest. I didn't formulate the plan for how I expected him to 'fix' my sense of loneliness. I trusted he knew specifically what I needed in that season of my life. Sometimes it was a close friend who'd just minister into my life. At others, it was someone else in need that crossed my path and in meeting their need, my loneliness lessened until I wasn't really feeling all that lonely anymore. This may seem like a lame example of asking God for something in our lives, but in truth, I really finding laying out the specific need is all I need to do - I don't need to outline the 'fix' for the need! Just sayin!

Please get rid of those weeds

If you were to look at the yards of my neighbors around me right now, you'd see a massive overgrowth of weeds in more than a few yards. As much as we try to keep our homes free of weeds, they seem to come up. One neighbor who neglects their overgrowth can actually 'support' the growth of those little nuisances in the yards of all the other neighbors! You know, if we stop to think about it, the 'weeds' we tolerate in our spiritual life are equally as 'prolific'. The ones we associate with can actually be affected by their overgrowth in our lives - causing their lives to become 'infested' with those weeds if they aren't quick to notice those seeds drifting their way!

Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8 MSG)

Weeds don't require planting - they just pop up! They don't require 'maintenance' and fertilizing - they just grow wherever they find the place to grow. They are 'opportunistic' - they don't really need a place of their own because they are quite content in yours! We might not even notice there are a few 'weeds' in our lives, but when we engage the help of others, we might just begin to see things a little differently. We just see the 'green' there and figure it is all 'good' growth, but when the one who sees our lives with 'fresh eyes' looks at us, they see signs of 'weedy undergrowth' - which if left unattended will become the 'weedy overgrowth' before long!

While none of us is totally comfortable with 'outside eyes' focusing on our lives, it may be necessary to engage the help of another to actually begin to notice where 'weedy growth' has taken root in our lives. We don't always see the things that are right in front of us, do we? Sometimes we do, but we ignore it because it is too much trouble to deal with it. One of my neighbors is that way - I think they think if they ignore their weeds long enough, they will somehow just 'disappear'. Nothing could be further from the truth, though, for even long after they wither in the heat, the seeds are left behind for that time when the rains will come that will spark the new growth of the next 'bad harvest'.

This may seem like a kind of 'lame' post today, but consider this for just a moment - whatever sin we tolerate to the least degree in our lives today will probably eventually grow into astronomical proportions at a later time. Until we deal with the weed, there will always be another seed. One seed is capable of multiplied seeds. Each seed producing another round of 'weedy growth' in our lives. The only way to deal with sin is to rid ourselves of it once and for all. It might just take us engaging the help of another because we don't have the wherewithal to deal with the root of the problem on our own. It is okay to ask for help. Until the root is removed, the potential for regrowth is still there. 

God isn't going to just spray a little bit of weed killer in our lives and call it 'done'. He wants us to get at the root - not on our own, but with his help and the help of others he places in our lives to help us expose that root and get it out. The Sunday sermon may have been a little bit like 'weed killer' - helping you to halt the growth of the 'weed' in your life, but the Sunday sermon only helped curb the growth. There must be ongoing maintenance - observing for any sign of regrowth and tending to it immediately. The seeds are still there - but they don't have to take hold again if we allow the Spirit of God to be our diligent watchman! Just sayin!

Choose a side

I was watching a show last night in which a physician was asked to be an 'expert witness' in a malpractice case. As healthcare providers, physicians and nurses are often called upon to give 'expert testimony' as to the practice exhibited by another provider during the care of a patient that didn't quite go as expected. If you are called upon to be the expert witness on behalf of the one being tried, you are there to give testimony to the evidence of the care being provided in a reliable manner - it met the standards of care. If you are called upon to be the expert witness against the one being tried, you are expected to bring out errors in judgment that led to the 'bad outcome' of the patient. It is clear from these examples, we can be a 'witness' on either 'side' of the issue - it depends on who's side we 'side with'!

'I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down like an animal. But now, up on your feet—I have a job for you. I've handpicked you to be a servant and witness to what's happened today, and to what I am going to show you.' (Acts 26:15-16)

A witness is one who has sufficient knowledge to constitute enough proof that something exists, or perhaps that someone is who they say they are, or that there is evidence to the contrary for one or the other. It may not be clear to you, but you are being spoken to by God - direct communication with God - and the message is clear! We are being "handpicked" by God to be his messenger and to act as a witness to the power of our holy and righteous God. We are called to stand on the side of God - to give a testimony to the reality of his existence - to proclaim his actions are 'spot on' in all regards. The effectiveness or what others will believe about our witness is often viewed by the kind of people that we are in our ordinary everyday lives, not what we say. All the preaching, teaching, or sharing we do is useless if what we "say" doesn't match with what we "live out" in our everyday lives. To be faithful to the message of hope that lives within us (Christ), we need the power of the constant flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

There is no substitute for power - we can light a candle, but it dims in comparison to the light afforded when a light bulb is connected to an outlet that feeds it the voltage to "light it up". That difference is found in the 'energy' source - one 'burns' the small wick secured within that candle wax; while the other 'burns' the energy provided by huge turbines moved by pressures exerted by wind or water. One is dim because the source of energy is less than the other. It is the same with our Christian walk - we cannot find any substitute for the power of the Holy Spirit within us. The operation of the power of the Holy Spirit will be that which produces conviction, convinces of the truth, and affords a conversion in our lives. Our own energy to 'live right' is kind of like that candle - it is dim in comparison to the energy source of the Spirit within. A witness has a personal awareness of what they share. It is the work of the Holy Spirit within to bring about this personal awareness of God.

The 'witness' within our lives comes first in conviction - bringing us to a place where we recognize our need for a Savior, moving us into a place where we are constantly aware of the sinfulness inherent within our lives apart from Christ. The witness grows as we are convinced of the truth - allowing us to see the error of our wrong choices, opening to us the truth of God's standards by which we are to pattern our lives, moving us from making wrong choices to making better ones little by little. In bringing about the conversion of our lives into that which brings honor and glory to our holy God, the Spirit of God within is helping us to become 'reliable witnesses' of the work of God's grace within us. It is the last point that makes us solid witnesses of the truth about who God is in our lives. When there is a lifestyle change, there is a witness that is linked to the grace of God.

God's work within our lives is never secretive. There is always a witness of his grace touching us - we may not display the "why" behind the grace (the sinfulness that led us to the place of needing that grace), but we definitely display the "freshness" of that grace (the hope and joy it produces in our lives)! That is the type of "witness" that God asks us to be - channels of his grace by allowing his grace to be "lived out loud" in our lives. Wherever God's grace has affected your life, let it shine out! The witness of God's grace in that area of your life may be the very hope that reaches out to another in need of that same grace in their life! Just sayin!

Hmmm...what could I do for you?

Most of the time we don't need the grandiose teaching, nor the higher education principles, to just know what is right for us to do - we just need to do what we know! There is a lot of emphasis on getting the 'best teaching', most 'profound advice', and 'latest understanding', but truth be told, there isn't a lot of 'new stuff' out there, my friends! Truth is truth and it always has been. Truth will be truth, now and forever - period. What we need more than anything else isn't 'new' - it has been there all along - it is simple, good, and essential for 'solid' living. The simple solution may not always be thought of as the 'best' solution to any issue, but it can be surprising how much the 'simple' is really the best!

Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. (Matthew 7:12 MSG)

A simple guide for our behavior - man, oh, man, don't we need something that will help us guide our thoughts, attitude, and actions? A simple guide - a rule-of-thumb guide for our behavior - where could we find this? Actually, we already have that 'guide' to behavior 'built-in'. We 'want' certain actions 'done for' or 'done to' us. We 'want' certain attitudes to be betrayed behind those actions. We 'want' the basis of those actions and attitudes to be grounded in the 'thought patterns't that evoke those actions and attitudes from deep within. What we 'want' is for others to do certain things 'for' us in ways that will meet our 'needs'. Maybe we should be asking what those 'wants' betray about how we might just want to treat others.

Oftentimes, what we desire to receive from others is exactly what we need to be 'giving out' ourselves. We desire to be listened to - so in order to be heard, we need to hear others. We desire to be respected for our contribution to a certain project - so maybe we need to see just how another also contributes to the outcome regardless of how small or great their contribution will be. We desire to have the ability to change our minds from time to time - so perhaps we need to cut another a little slack when their actions indicate they have had a change of mind on occasion. There is much truth in this simple passage - when we begin to ask what it is we want others to extend to us, then we understand what it is others probably are just as desirous of having extended to them!

Lest I sound a little 'too preachy' here, let me be the first to admit I sometimes know exactly what I want others to do for me, but I don't want to do the same for them. Why is that? If I were to be entirely honest here, I'd have to admit that sometimes I don't see beyond myself - I want it to be all about me. I see no further than the end of my nose - that very same focus is what actually leads to me being critical of others! Rather than seeing beyond my own nose, I focus on me, me, and yet again, me. There isn't a whole lot of room for this kind of focus in God's kingdom, though. So, just as I have to look beyond just myself, we all need to see those things we need and want are probably the exact things another needs and wants (maybe in a slightly different 'package' - but the root of their need is pretty close to the same as ours), I guess we all could do this a little better from time to time.

See in yourself what it is you want another to do - then ask yourself how it is you could do that very same thing for another. You might just be surprised at how much more rewarding it is to do it for another than always asking for it to be done for you! Just sayin!

I am not tripped up that easily!

Have you ever tripped over your own feet? Worse yet, have you done it in public? How'd that leave you feeling? Kind of goofy and a little embarrassed, if you are at all like me! Your immediate response might be to poke a little fun at yourself for being so clumsy, but inside you are kicking yourself for not paying closer attention and you are dealing with utter humiliation. Imagine the 'trip up' was not a literal one of falling over your own two feet, but of a more spiritual and emotional nature. You 'slip into' a bad thought pattern and then begin to act upon those thoughts. You are way past tired and begin to respond to others in a curt and unreasonable manner. You get mildly distracted by something that should hold your attention for all that long, but when you finally realize you are distracted, you are already way too far into the 'fall' that you cannot stop yourself. Been there - done that - dealt with the humiliation of it!

If I keep my eyes on God, I won't trip over my own feet. (Psalm 25:15)

This may be a short verse, but it packs a wallop! It has both a condition and a result. We call that "cause and effect" in the world of science. If we see the cause of an action, we understand better the effect of that same action (or at least we think we do). God's conditions are a little easier to understand than some of the other 'cause and effect' things we explore in this world. The condition: IF I keep my eyes on God. The result: I WON'T trip over my own feet. I know that "if" is a pretty short word, but it conveys a great deal of meaning. I looked it up (you knew I would) and found that there are eleven dictionary meanings for this tiny two-letter word! In light of this scripture passage, I think a few of them are worth considering.

"Granting or supposing that..." - Suppose that I keep my eyes on God, what will my outcome be? What impact will that focus have in my life? What obstacles will I avoid in my path? "When or whenever..." - Perhaps we need to see that our focus can actually drift. We can allow other things to become central in our focus, taking our eyes off of God and placing them on things that will provide some "tripping" opportunities. "Provided that..." - This is the conditional part of the statement. It implies a condition on which something depends or that must be in place before something happens. Our safety, security, and spiritual well-being is "conditioned" on dependence on God's leading. Without his leading, we are bound to "trip up". The outcome or result of meeting the "condition" of the "if" is that we "won't" trip up! Look at what makes us trip up, though. It is our own feet! In other words, it is the stuff we allow to clutter up our thoughts, our speech, and our activities. God's plan is that we allow him to remove obstacles from our path, and to help us maneuver around those things that are not going to be removed because they serve a purpose to help us grow. 

 I remember crossing an old suspension bridge once. It was probably 50 or more years old - something most would not want to cross if they were entirely sane at the moment. I had a friend who went across ahead of me. He stood on the other side of that great divide and helped me "maintain focus" as I crossed. He would continually remind me to "not look down". When I did look down, the obstacle of crossing that bridge was overwhelming - panic arose in my mind and I was almost paralyzed in my forward movement. When I kept (and redirected) my focus on him, having gone before me with ease, I knew I'd make it.The same is true with our Lord - he has gone before us in all that we face. No obstacle is in our path that he will not safely maneuver us around - IF we keep our focus on him. No obstacle in our path need trip us up - including the obstacle of our own two feet! Just sayin!

What evil lurks in them there shadows?

Every now and again, I will purposefully use 'bad grammar' just because I am trying to get a point
across - usually to show my genuine openness to an idea, or because I am just being a little silly. If you ever hear me tell my BFF that I just 'got schooled' in something, or 'learned me a new thing', it is just a way of letting her know I know something today I didn't know before. It may be seriously important information, or it could just be something that peaked my curiosity. I can be heard saying, "Hey, let's Google that", meaning that I want to understand the meaning of a word, figure out where something originated, or what something looks like. Yesterday, it was an herb used in traditional Mexican dishes, while a week ago it may have been why lady bugs are always called lady bugs and not man bugs! Being interested in learning is a very good thing, my friends, especially when the 'thing learned' helps us to grow stronger in Christ, more loving or caring in our actions, or to just plain 'grow up'.

Show me how you work, God; school me in your ways.Take me by the hand; lead me down the path of truth. (Psalm 25:4-5)

There is nothing that God delights in more than hearing his child ask than to be schooled in HIS ways. When I was in school, one of the things my teachers soon learned about me was that I was a visual learner - if I could see it, I grasped the truth much quicker than if it was something more ethereal. I am a "show me" kind of person - not that I always need to see it, but I make a different connection to it when I do. When I was a kid, I took things apart - just to see how they were made. I would dissect a flower to see the various "pieces" - learning that stem, petal, and leaf all had their own function, somehow fit together, and when together they formed a pretty amazing thing of beauty.

God NEVER turns away a person who comes to him with a "show me" or "school me" desire. In fact, he uses that for his glory. There are two different things we can ask God for, as our scripture points out - things that just delight him to no end. One is to be shown how God works - the other is to understand God's ways (his plans). When we understand God's plans, it may be easier to see how he works. When I took apart the flower, it was not because I wanted to destroy the flower. In fact, I wanted to understand how life was accomplished in that flower - how did it gain the nutrients it needed to grow. When we come to God with a heart open to understand what he plans for his children, we are also asking him to show us how it is that we will "grow into" those plans.

God's "ways" are those things that add discipline and order to our life - they create a framework for how we are to live, act, and react. His "work" is what gives our lives blessing and satisfaction - meaning and purpose. His ways add structure, while his work in our life brings revelation and reward. As God to "show" you and "school" you - it is by being "hand-led" down the path with God that we both are shown and schooled. I have found myself coming into a dark house at night, groping around in the darkness for a light switch, avoiding the sharp edges of end tables, seeing shadows and wondering if there was any evil lurking there. It is a little scary to "be in the dark" groping for the light, constantly unaware of what is there. God knows the facts about our spiritual, emotional, and thought life - both those we allow out into the light and those that are hidden away in darkness. We all have times when we are "groping around in the dark" hoping to find some "light" to give us direction in life. His delight is in being that light for us! When I am "hand-led" through dark places, I don't fear the "sharp edges" or even the potential evil lurking in the shadows! I know that someone who already knows the way has me in his hand. Just sayin!

Got a root-problem?

Do you ever feel like a yo-yo? Up one day, down the next? Or maybe a slinky? Stretched and falling all the time, regrouping only to fall again all over again? Yup...that can describe a good many of us from time to time - some of us more frequently than others! What gets you going in the morning? I have a Facebook friend who posts continual reminders of her 'need' for coffee - not just a little bit to help her get going, but a WHOLE LOT of coffee! Some of us need more 'motivation' in life than others toward certain things - not just with coffee, but with encouragement, compassion, and even a little correction from time to time. We are just not living as freely as we could be living - bound up by all manner of worries and anxiety-producing troubles. We need balance - to do more than 'bounce back' so we can spring into those same actions all over again!

My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence? (Galatians 5:16 MSG)

That root of self-interest gets us into more pickles than we'd honestly like to admit. We find ourselves smack-dab in the middle of a muddle because of some way we responded to something we should have left alone in the first place! Why is it we cannot 'leave alone' whatever it is we were reminded to leave alone? It is usually that root of self-interest that gives us the grief, my friends. We cannot steer away because we cannot take our focus off of that thing we aren't supposed to be messed up in. This whole walk of faith is muddled up with a walk directed with a whole lot of 'self-interest' in the middle of it! God doesn't just mysteriously take away all of our 'self-interest' one day, never to be seen or heard from again. He asks us to move away from needing to pay such close attention to it all the time, though! Easier said than done, huh? That voice of 'self-interest' is pretty loud and demanding at times.

We are going to be motivated by something - some internal drive will move us toward or away from whatever it is we are dealing with at the moment. It can be the internal drive of 'self-craving' (self-interest), or it could be the internal drive of the Holy Spirit within us helping us to see that interest as taking us nowhere good. The true way to deal with a root is to dig it up - get is exposed and deal with it. I had some problems with my water main a few years back, resulting in a little bit of trouble for the plumber who was called upon to fix it. The pine tree in the front yard had grown such large roots that it was putting pressure on the pipe, causing micro-fractures in the pipe. While a micro-fracture may not seem like much to you, with all the pressure in a water main, I was losing hundreds and hundreds of gallons of water each month until we realized what the problem was!

Sometimes we don't realize the 'pressure' being placed on us to conform a certain way - all because of some unrecognized root in our lives. The pressure may not seem like much at first, but when the 'pressure' being exerted is greater than the strength of the pipe, the pipe will have a hard time containing the pressure within the walls of that pipe! In our lives, we can only deal with so much conflict within, eventually succumbing to the pressure that exerts the greatest force! The greatest force may not always be the right pressure, though. If that pressure is that of the Holy Spirit, holding our lives together and helping us keep the focus of our lives directed correctly, this is a very good thing. If that pressure is our own self-interest, we get a whole lot different results. We begin to 'leak' where we should be contained!

The self-interests of life can only be dealt with in the same manner as the plumber restored my water main to 'health' once again. He had to deal with the roots that were causing all that external pressure. He had to cut away at those roots until a clear path was exposed for the water main to once again be in alignment and secure. Sometimes the things we allow the Holy Spirit to cut-away from our lives are the very things exerting all the pressure to get us to conform to our own self-interests. We might not like that we had to go through all that effort to find the root problem, expose it for what it truly is doing in our lives, and then get it finally dealt with, but until we do, the free-flow of God's grace and love can be greatly impacted! Just sayin!

Let's get this right ALL of the time

Those who spend their lives teaching will tell us the ability to learn a subject is directly influenced by our specific desire to learn that subject - if we don't find the subject interesting or useful, we often discount the learning opportunity, making it more difficult to ever get much from what is being taught. We often miss out on some of the most profound (yet insanely simple) lessons in life simply because we don't want to take the time or energy to apply ourselves to that learning. There are also times when we feel that we don't "need" to learn the lesson being offered - seeing ourselves as above the lesson - already having knowledge about a particular subject and feeling as though we didn't need to learn anything else. Both scenarios are dangerous ground to tread, for learning happens only when hearts are open.

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

It is shortsighted to refuse correction - for correction is basically the opportunity to begin a new lesson in life - an opportunity to learn. Did you ever consider that "correction" is directly tied to "learning"? Think of it - you do a series of math problems, turn in your paper, get it back "graded", observing that there are "red marks" on those problems that you did not get "right". If you go through math class refusing to change the way you solve the problem, you will never get a "passing grade" in math. In fact, you will probably never graduate! That "red mark" is designed by the teacher to point out where you needed to focus some attention in order to avoid making the same "error" over and over again.

Think of God's discipline as the similar to that type of "red mark" - it is designed to focus our attention on the areas of our lives where we need to make some changes in how we are doing things. The purpose is not to humiliate or frustrate us, but to help us move into a place of understanding - to come to a revelation of how things have been going and the things that need to change in order to get on the right track again. The goal is that we "graduate" from doing things our own way into learning the value of doing things God's way. In so doing, we develop a consistency of getting "right answers" each and every time (as important in 'real life' as it is in math class). Disciplined living is evident when we see a heart that is consistently looking for insight into right choices. I always challenged my math teachers by asking why "my answer" was wrong - citing that if I got the right answer, why was the method I used to determine that answer necessarily wrong. The reply was always the same (no matter the teacher). It was simply that I would not "consistently" get the right answer if I did not use the proper method to solve the problem each and every time. It was the consistency that was lacking - not the wherewithal to solve the problem 'this time'.

The same is true in daily living - we can arrive at the same answer today that we got yesterday by using the same principles we applied yesterday. But...will those same principles applied a year from now produce the exact same answers? Probably not! Why? Simply put - things change! We need to grow, so the problems become a little more complex as we grow. Just as in math class, we moved from simple addition (2+2=4) into more complex problems like solving for "x" in an algebraic equation. What I learned in basic math and simple addition lent itself to solving the algebraic equation, but I needed more complex thought processes to solve the latter - and I needed even more completion of learning to understand trigonometry. I needed to "grow" in order to see the new concepts of algebra or trig, or I'd never solve the problems consistently. In daily life, there will always be a growth opportunity that comes with two choices - remain bull-headed and stubbornly rooted in the past ways of doing things, or yielding to the possibility that there is something new to be learned in the present. The disciplined life will embrace the learning with the desire to build insight into how to consistently arrive at the right choice each and every time we are faced with whatever life hands to us as the 'present problem'. Just sayin!

A rudderless ship?

A ship without a rudder is kind of 'dead in the water' - it can propel in some direction, but without the rudder, the direction is haphazard and subject to drift by the most powerful current it faces. A "principled" life can stand up to the worst life throws at it. Principles acts as our "rudder" - giving us the guidance for right conduct. They give us the fundamental truths by which we make our decisions. A life that is governed by the right principles will withstand the toughest of life's conflicts and all those disappointments we can face in our lifetime. Moral character and integrity act as marching companions of "principles" - each bringing the balance we need to "stay the course" when the worst is upon us.

The integrity of the honest keeps them on track; the deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin. A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart, but a principled life can stand up to the worst. Moral character makes for smooth traveling; an evil life is a hard life. Good character is the best insurance; crooks get trapped in their sinful lust. (Proverbs 11:3-6)

Over and over again, scripture has record of the importance of developing wisdom and understanding. In order for wisdom and understanding to fully develop, we need certain foundational principles to be built into the fiber of our being so that our choices are consistent and upright. In the pages of scripture, we have record of the struggle that man faces with overcoming pride and embracing humility - one leading to honor from our heavenly Father, the other man's own disgrace. Honesty must be our guiding action in our affairs of life - otherwise our end will be ruin. Some 'foundational truths or principles' we must 'add into' our lives as we will with Christ are outlined as follows:

Silence - learning when no answer is better than any other answer we can bring into a situation. There is much wisdom in learning when our mouths will betray us with words that sting or belittle. It is best to never utter a word than to allow words to be spoken that bring another down. To this, we have the reminder about the destructiveness of gossip - words best left unspoken and unheard.

Submission - learning to accept the wisdom of counsel (those who have gone before us in learning the lessons of life). There is safety in wise counsel - learning to trust in that counsel is quite another thing. It is a struggle of "will" to learn to seek out wise counsel instead of plunging ahead in our own self-will and self-determination.

Sensitivity - coming into an awareness of our surroundings, those we are with, or the impact our words and actions make on others. The principled man or woman has learned to use their beauty wisely and modestly. The needs of others are foremost in their thoughts. The example that is set is one of integrity.

Service - the freedom to extend oneself in an openness of heart that betters the life of another and provides a positive example of the heart of God to those around us. Sacrifice and service go hand-in-hand. The heart of a servant is moved by the needs of those around them - they need not look far to see where their service is best used.

A principled life is both continually refreshed and rewarded. There is an unending supply of all we need to live well, live consistently, and live outwardly. There is an "emotional energy" that is "spent" in living a life of integrity (principled life). Yet, we can look forward to the continual refreshing of our mind, spirit, and emotion as we walk in the principles of righteousness. There is much to be discovered in "living well"! Let the rudder of your life be solid and right principles and your course will be steady. Just sayin!

How to spot a counterfeit

If you were to tell me something today - something very important for me to remember - I'd do my level best to keep that foremost in my memory, rehearsing it until it was committed there. Unfortunately, if you were to just talk to me about something without really impressing the importance of it to me, I might not give it a passing thought again. I would just see it as 'information' shared, but not really see it as something I needed to hold onto very long. It was what we shared in the course of the day - something in passing - but it wasn't expressed to me in such a manner as to make me commit it to memory. Telling me what is on sale at the local grocer this week is only of use to me until the end of the week and the new ad being released. If I commit it to memory, it won't do me much good because it no longer applies - it was time-limited and specific to that store. When you tell me where you hide the spare key for your house in case I ever need to do a welfare check on you, that is much more important for me to 'hold onto' in my memory! When God tells us something - is it held onto, or do we let it just be passing thoughts that really never get committed to memory?

I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you, I attentively watch how you’ve done it. I relish everything you’ve told me of life, I won’t forget a word of it. (Psalm 119:15-16 MSG)

God asks for us to ponder his Words as wisdom we will never really find anywhere else. He also encourages us to consider his actions - to pay attention to the ways he works, the timing of his actions, and the specifics of his movements. Why? He wants us to be able to recognize counterfeit "truth" when it comes along! He wants us to be so familiar with him that we don't get caught up in anything that is only 'partial truth'. Those who work with the Department of Treasury will tell you they didn't take courses on how to spot 'counterfeit' monies by studying the 'fake' bills - they studied the real until they became so familiar with all the aspects of the 'real one' that they can easily spot a fake! The more we study God's Word, combined with the observations of how he moves heaven and earth to accomplish his purposes, the more we will be able to spot the 'counterfeit' as it comes along!

When we 'relish' something, we are saying there is sufficiency in that 'something' to satisfy us - it meets our desires. The more we come to appreciate his Words as more than just 'good advice' and really count on them as life-sustaining, the more we will find our desires begin to change. What once we found satisfaction in pursuing just doesn't impress us with that deep sense of satisfaction any longer. We recognize those things have been 'counterfeits' of the very real life-giving, life-sustaining truth we are now surrounded by when we embrace his truth. We understand there was an element of truth in everything we embraced previously, but it wasn't 'totally' or 'thoroughly' accurate. Much of the 'truth' we come to believe in life is because it was taught - either by example or in some form of instruction. Imagine how we feel when someone comes along and shows us an even better solution to that problem in life - the 'truth' we were using over and over again in our lives becomes apparently 'deficient' in potency. We take up the even 'greater truth' we now see and understand - using that truth to solve the problem moving forward.

In God's kingdom, truth doesn't change. It remains the same, but our appreciation for it grows over the course of time. We begin to realize we have bits and pieces of 'counterfeit' truth influencing our lives and we don't want to keep the 'counterfeit' any longer. We yearn for the real, trustworthy, and reliable truth. We lay down the counterfeit for the real. Why? The 'real' has more value than the counterfeit, doesn't it? We know the counterfeit only 'looks real', but it lacks something - it won't accomplish what is needed in our lives. We need the 'real' if we want to see change be real and lasting. The counterfeit might get us by for a while, but eventually it will be exposed as only partially 'true' by the results it produces within us! Just sayin!

Don't make a way for sin

For just a moment, think about what it means to be in "common relationship" with others. We have a variety of 'common relationship' experiences in life. As we drive down the freeway to our destination, we have the 'common relationship' of being motorists on the roadway. As we nurse ill patients back to health, we have a 'common relationship' of being that momentary caregiver administering medications, dressing wounds, and helping them feel safe. As we sit in the theater with our best friend, all the others there are in 'common relationship' with us - seeing the big screen come to life and the picture capture our attention. Of all the 'common relationships' we can explore, there is none as rewarding or captivating as that of our common relationship with Jesus Christ!

But now you have arrived at your destination: By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ’s life, the fulfillment of God’s original promise. [ In Christ’s Family ] In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” heirs according to the covenant promises. (Galatians 3:26-28 MSG)

Many will find it hard to think that we can all be in 'common relationship' with one another just because we are in 'common relationship' with Jesus Christ. Why? There have arisen all manner of denominational walls that divide us, setting one against another, causing us to create opinions and judgments about each other. While I am quick to admit that not all 'denominations' are really that different, there are some who oppose things others approve and vice versa. Here is the cold, hard truth, my friends - IN CHRIST JESUS we are brought into common relationship with one another, but WE can drift away from that place of "common relationship" simply by making inaccurate judgments about what sin is/is not, what attire is holy/unholy, or even if tattoos are 'honorable' or dishonorable' to a body. 

I am not naive - there are definite differences in our beliefs - some have veered far from what scripture clearly 'allows' or provides us directive about as to our behavior. Some differences are perfectly harmless - such as choosing elaborate church buildings or 'open', more versatile buildings in which to meet. Some differences are quite harmful to the message of Christ's grace - such as embracing what God has clearly described as things he disapproves of, or worse, absolutely abhors. Whenever we veer into this latter territory, we are choosing to no longer align our beliefs to the Word of God and the grace pathway established via Christ's sacrificial death on the cross. To say there is any other way into relationship with God except through Christ is clearly taking us out of "common relationship". To say Christ is "one way" to realize heaven's glory is clearly not what God said in his Word.

There are indeed differences that mark us out as unique from one another - some like loud music, others like hymns and melodic harmony; some will encourage us to look our best in church meetings, while others will tell us to come and be comfortable. These aren't differences we should worry about, my friends. We would do well to look at the things that take us out of 'common relationship' with Christ - such as accepting what God has clearly defined as sin. Yes, we embrace the sinner, but we don't make a way for the sinner to continue in their sin! We provide a means for them to leave that sin and enter into this common relationship with Christ. That was always God's plan - for us to leave our sin and to enter in. Just sayin!

Checking off too many on the list?

Scripture outlines six things God hates, and if six were not enough, God adds just one more (kind of like the cherry on top) that God has some pretty serious feelings about (in fact, we might call it a total loathing for that thing). Hate carries the idea of a very intense, passionate dislike of something. Loathing carries a sense of disgust and gives one the idea that God is repulsed by the type of action he is observing - actions not 'befitting' a person who calls himself a child of God. In total, seven things God asks us to take notice of in our lives and then seek his help to break free of them so we can live in a manner that shows we are engaged with him on this journey of 'right-living'. Our eyes get us into so much trouble - almost as much as our mouth - so it should come as no surprise that the 'top two' things God hates have to do with these two!

Here are six things God hates, and one more that he loathes with a passion: eyes that are arrogant, a tongue that lies, hands that murder the innocent, a heart that hatches evil plots, feet that race down a wicked track, a mouth that lies under oath, a troublemaker in the family. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

#1 on the list: Haughty eyes (arrogant eyes) - in other words, being way too prideful for our own good. Pride is a battle we must fight every day. When we have a higher opinion of ourselves than those around us, we are probably dealing with an issue of pride. Sometimes we need a "pulse check" from another we trust to see how we are doing in this area. The call is to lay down one's own agenda for the good of the whole - to not become focused on what you believe is "due" you because of your position, contribution, sense of self-worth, etc. God pretty much declares that pride becomes a barrier that keeps us from realizing some of the best stuff he has. #2 on the list - coming it at a close second:
Lying tongues. Words are more powerful than we'd first like to give them credit. Our words make or break a situation - they either tear down, or build up. Plain and simple. More defilement enters into our lives through the destructiveness of our words than we'd probably like to admit. Hurtful words drive wedges, create animosity, and destroy character. God simply cannot abide that kind of behavior in his family - because it destroys the family's integrity.

Lower on the list, but not to be overlooked or 'reduced in rank' by any means are the hands that murder the innocent. In most cases, we don't go out and kill each other, but our hands are tools that can either reflect the grace of God's touch, or the hurtfulness of selfish, prideful self-will. Much is conveyed in a touch, but nothing rises to the level of touching that which is innocent and bringing death by that touch. In our society today, we could go so far as to say this is not just the "taking of a life", but the stripping away of the dignity and respect of a life by the use of any type of inappropriate touch (bringing death emotionally). Innocence is lost in just one touch. Following closely on the heels of 'wrongful touch' is the idea of our heart. Hearts that plot evil - our emotions are either positive or negative (there really is no "emotional middle-ground"). Envy, lust, pride, fear, anger, rage - these describe emotions that stem from our heart. Each of these emotions are a reflection of something within. They may be the response to an actual circumstance, or the imaginations of our mind. Regardless of their "source", the action is the same - repaying or responding out of our emotion. God looks at the outcome of our thoughts - not so much that we simply had the thought. He works on changing the thought patterns, of course, but his focus is on the outcome (what we do with the thought we have). 

 
We may find the next one a little unflattering, because most of us wouldn't think our feet could be the problem when it comes to making right choices. Don't they go where the mind tells them to? That is probably why God dealt with our hearts first - because our emotions do a whole lot to encourage our feet along! Feet that race to do wrong - it is one thing to meditate on what is wrong, or on what will yield an outcome of sinful behavior, but it is another thing to embrace it and follow hard after it. Whenever we find ourselves "racing" toward what we know is wrong, we are in a place of dishonoring our God. The more we focus on the actions God doesn't want to see in his kids' lives, the more we cannot veer away from dealing with the mouth once again. The mouth gets us into more trouble - doesn't it? A false witness - more than someone who just tells a lie - this is the testimony of one against another. The testimony of our lives is one of either living out the message of the gospel, or the message of a self-directed life. We make a choice - reveal God's grace in how we live out our lives, or reveal our selfishness and pride. To say that we are Christian and choose to live selfish, pride-filled lives is to have a false witness.

A person who sows discord among brothers (family) - the cherry on the top! God's method of accomplishing his purposes is within "family" - anything that destroys family is an abomination to God (something he abhors). God desires us to be in relationship - to be "builders" of relationship, not in the "demolition" business. As we embrace patterns of sinful behavior, we are working to destroy the integrity of the family. The list starts out pretty "tame" - deal with your attitude of "self-importance" and ends with a strong warning about not destroying family. All that comes in between builds upon the others. Rarely do we see one of these traits in isolation of another in our lives. Most of the time, they go hand in hand with each other. Learning what it is that hurts God's heart is paramount if we want to draw close to him. When we realize the things that drives a wedge between us and him, we also realize just how much we need his help to be free of those very things. Just sayin!

The making of a Royal Beauty

Now and again, mom begins a discussion by saying she doesn't know what she has done in this lifetime to 'deserve' all the pain she experiences because of her arthritis, stenosis, and neuropathy. Any one of those can be quite debilitating - add all three together and you rarely have a day when one or the other isn't a troubling thing. Add to this that she is legally blind, hard of hearing, and 100 years old, and you can see why she might just 'bemoan' some of these ailments once in a while! While we may not understand the 'why' behind the present set of worries and woes that we experience, we can be assured of one very important fact - the day is coming when we will live healed and whole once again if our hearts are surrendered to Christ!

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole. I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory. (I Peter 1:3-7 MSG)

It is our faith that is proven in the fires of all these present trials we may endure, my friends. We might not fully appreciate that as we are going through those trials, but the purest of gold isn't just 'found' somewhere along the way - it is exposed and rises to the top in the fire. I get it - fire isn't comfortable, nor is it desirable when the exposure has been long. I also have had many a conversation with God about 'why' some things had to go the way they did in my life and have come to the conclusion on more than one occasion that there really was no other way to 'prove' the 'metal' of character any other way. The fire was the turning point for something within me - it brought out some things I may not have realized needed to rise to the surface so they could be 'taken out' of my life, as well as exposing some things that needed to be realized for the beauty that was really there.

Healed and whole is a good goal, but if we live with the expectation of seeing that in totality while here on earth, we have unrealistic expectations set in our minds. We aren't going to beat disease 100% of the time - colds will happen, flu will knock us down a notch or two on occasion, and even bones will become brittle and less 'movable' over time. Parts wear out! We aren't going to avoid all calamity in life - storms will tear away roofing, waters will invade spaces where pipes didn't hold secure, and cars will get dings. We don't control the weather, nor can we observe pipework hidden behind drywall or buried beneath the earth. These things are not always in our direct control - so we will have to face them when they arise. We aren't going to be able to keep out all manner of temptation - media will bombard us in every direction, opportunities will present themselves, and desires will still mount an attack within us. We are human!

The very best news I can share with you is that Jesus isn't going to abandon us in the midst of the disease, calamitous event, or incessant temptation. He is going to be there in the midst of the 'fire', not because he wants to see us 'burn', but because he wants to show us how much beauty is being exposed in the midst of it. He doesn't allow the fire to punish us - he allows it to purify us. At first, this seems kind of cruel, but when we stop to consider the beauty produced because of the fire, we might just reconsider the value of it. Yes, we can get excited about the time when we will be whole and healed. Yes, it is something assured to each of us. Yes, the time will come when all these present worries just slip away. In the meantime, there might just be a little refining going on behind the scenes in our lives that is producing within us a thing of 'royal beauty' that compares to no other. Just sayin!

Are you a hoarder?

Treasures come in all forms, from small to gigantic, 'observable' or 'unseen'. The 'unseen' treasures can be the most valued of all to us, but never really known or appreciated by others. They are 'just ours' - to be enjoyed and appreciated by us and us alone. Memories can be treasures - unseen by others, but treasured up in our hearts and frequented as often as we like. They aren't 'tangible' like a diamond ring, but they are appreciated and felt nonetheless. Treasures can be 'laid up' in all manners, as well. Today, if someone has way too many 'treasures' we might just call them hoarders! They make entire TV shows to show the unhealthiness of being too focused on saving all these 'tangible treasures' that one can amass, but have really little to no use of over the long range. I wonder if it is possible we also can 'hoard' intangible treasures - such as memories we should have let go of long ago because they don't really provide any benefit or enjoyment for us. It has been said the things we ponder long enough, or frequently enough, will be the things that guide our actions. If that is the case, then maybe some of the thoughts we 'hoard away' really need to be discarded once and for all in order for them to no longer have the influence they do over our actions!

Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. (Matthew 6:19-21 MSG)

Stockpiles exist because someone is either preparing or hoarding! Stockpile a load of lumber in anticipation of building a room addition and you are preparing your materials for the project that is ahead. You are stockpiling because the lumber is expensive, the budget is small, and you will need to have things all in place before you can begin the project that will provide added room your family will utilize as an office, new bedroom, or the like. Stockpile a load of guilt and shame in your memories and you are not preparing to build anything other than walls that keep you 'boxed in'. The wrong stuff stockpiled, or things stockpiled just for the sake of never letting them go, are the things we call 'hoarded treasures' - they are not really valuable in the true sense of the word, but we have placed an 'unhealthy' value on them. Sometimes a 'memory hoarder' needs to let go of the 'unhealthy' treasures they have amassed in those unhealthy relationships!

Examples of hoarded memories that might just be unhealthy in nature could range from those memories of wrongs done against you to the ones we created after engaging in activities that we knew to be wrong. We don't exactly 'build walls' of guilt and shame overnight. Our actions, and those of others, create those walls over the course of time. The wall is always built brick by brick, board by board, or stone by stone. Even cement walls are erected in sections! Even a hoarder begins by saving away that first 'treasured item'. He doesn't just back a truckload of 'treasures' up to his home and dump them there, creating him as an 'instant hoarder'. He brings one item into his home, then another, and another - not really parting with them - until one day there is a massive increase in his 'treasures'. The problem is that no one really wants to 'steal away' those types of treasures - they are not valued by anyone else and the 'burglar' isn't even enticed to give them a second thought!

Most of us are 'guilty' at times - we say or do something that makes us 'feel' we didn't 'do right' or 'perform well'. We might file that memory of guilt away, not really dealing with it at the moment. If we do, we might find ourselves revisiting it later on, sometimes repeating that revisit. One day, we realize that guilt wasn't really dealt with in the moment and we have been 'treasuring' it (and similar memories) way too much. When we come to this realization, it is hard to part with those 'treasures' because they have taken up a whole lot of space in our lives - they have become the walls that we have been enclosed within. They weren't 'healthy walls' for us to build, but they have become walls of 'comfort' to us. Can guilt bring us comfort? Sometimes even the unhealthy stuff in life can provide a sense of 'comfort' or 'security' to us - because the walls seem to protect us from what we fear may be on the outside of those walls! Unhealthy memories are not walls we want to keep erected in our lives, but until we deal with the fear of what may be outside of those walls, we won't desire to be free of them! Just sayin!

In one, out the other

Do you all get things right the first time you attempt them? Have you ever heard from someone there is a better way of doing something? What did you do with that advice? If you are like me, there are times you have embraced it, while there are other times you have 'let it go in one ear, then out the other'. Wisdom comes through a process of learning. Good judgment is something that must be developed. We'd like both to be "instant", but they only come in the process of time. They are a result of exposure to learning opportunities and time invested. The matter I choose to let out the other ear is not always the right matter!

Listen, friends, to some fatherly advice; sit up and take notice so you'll know how to live. I'm giving you good counsel; don't let it go in one ear and out the other. (Proverbs 4:1-2)

Ever see someone limping around after they have done some type of activity that they are not "used to doing"? It is like when I spend a day out in the garden or shop working, then feel it in every bone and muscle the next day. I try to bend over like it is no problem, but instead of "bending" I find myself creeping slowly back to an erect position, regretting each movement because of the pain. Why do I feel the pain? Simply because I don't use those muscles often enough - my back aches because I have spent more time doing what I don't usually do in the course of a day than my body is used to doing!

The same is true in the development of wisdom and good judgment - they are spiritual, emotional, and intellectual muscles that must be used over and over again to not get "flabby" and out of shape. We can lose what we don't use. Let us not forget we are to guard our heart above all else - because it affects every choice we make - we don't want 'flabby spiritual hearts' more than a flabby heart beating in our chest. Our emotions affect our choices - so we must be on top of our emotions. Our intellect gives us the basis for choice - we choose what we believe because we think it will make the most sense. Our spirit guides our choice - acting as a governor over choice when neither intellectual insight nor emotional pull can be trusted. If not maintained, these "muscles" of wisdom and good judgment will cause us to live a pretty "halting" walk.

There is no sense in living in the past and we all know there are more than ample opportunities that present themselves as distracting forces in our lives. The past is just that - it is not the present. Too many times, we attempt to revisit the past, finding nothing more than disappointment in the process. The past is simply not what we are to be focusing on - it is the present that has the power to affect our wisdom and good judgment the most. The past served a purpose - learn from it and then move on. Don't dwell on it; it will hold you back if you do. Maybe it is okay to let the 'past' be the thing that goes out the other ear!  We can be assured of this one fact: God knows our heart very well. When he speaks words of wisdom and works on developing good judgment within us, he is doing so with the knowledge of how our heart works (what it responds to, what moves it the most). His call to us is this: "Don't let his wisdom go in one ear, and out the other!" Act on it - live it - exist in it. Just sayin!

Follow the pattern

The pattern makes all the difference when we don't know how to do something and need a little guidance to get the job done. I used to sew my own clothes and clothes for the kids. I used a lot of patterns back in the day. Some were very simply making it very easy to follow along with the completion of the garment. Others were quite hard, requiring a lot more concentration and attention to the details if I was going to get the job done right. I have assembled my share of 'out of the box' furniture - gaining me the privilege of being called upon by my family to always do it now. Why have I become so proficient in the task? Because I made my share of mistakes of NOT following the directions, having to start over again, and now I remember to read the instructions word for word! They are given to guide me in the assembly and to discount them is to allow for error. The Word of God is given as our instruction, but we are also asked to watch God and see what he does - his actions serve as an example or pattern for us to learn from and begin to emulate.

Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. (Ephesians 5:1-2 MSG)

Watch and do. This is an age-old way of learning new things. Try as I might, I never did learn to line dance even though I really wanted to, although I have had great examples to follow. Why? It isn't in me to learn it! I think I don't have the rhythm or something, but it didn't ever really 'sink in' no matter how much I observed their example. Forward, backward, side to side, slide, glide, turn, AYE! Now my feet are all muddled up and everyone is bumping into me because I went the wrong direction! I was watching my example, but I didn't do it right! We don't always get things 'right', do we? Sometimes we have the best example around and still don't get it 'right'. We make a wrong step, turn the wrong way, and alas, we find ourselves stumbling or being a stumbling block!

I gave up on line dancing. but I didn't give up on learning a life of love by keeping company with the one who loves like no other. Line dancing won't minister to a hurting heart, or lift a spirit knocked down by life. Love will! Keep company with God - learn of him, observe his actions, see when he doesn't act, and really soak it all in. There is something powerful in observing the actions of another. Not only do we see how it 'should' be done, but we can also observe how it should 'not' be done. The coin has two sides, doesn't it? I have observed examples I really don't want to emulate - simply because the outcome of their actions didn't produce what I desired in my life. The examples we choose to emulate will be those that produce the outcomes we desire or 'crave' in life.

God's love doesn't quit - it is steady, persevering, and focused. His love doesn't find favorites - it is open to all who would receive it, even though they don't know they want or need it. His love finds ways to reach people - it is powerful, penetrating, and persuasive. His love is unmatched by any other and it is a great example for us to follow. We only learn of his love by observing him - by keeping company with him and those who have already learned a great deal of his love in their own lives. Examples - patterns to be followed. Being new to woodworking, I realize the importance of a good 'pattern' to follow. I can go to Pinterest for ideas of all manner of projects, but if I want to really know the way to construct something, Pinterest is not the end-all. I need the pattern. I have to go to the site of the individual who posted the project and read the intricate details of each cut, joint, and required tool.

God provides all these instructions in his Word, but he doesn't expect us to learn of his love from words alone. He provides examples - repeatedly showing us HOW he loves. Why? He knows very well that when we connect the HOW with the WHAT, we might just understand a little better the WHY behind the actions we are taking! Just sayin!

A few gaps?

Mind in gear? What does that mean to you? When I consider a 'mind in gear', I think of the one who is deep in thought, creating, coming up with plans and ideas, or working to put those ideas into application. I think of the carver who looks at a plain piece of log and begins to fashion what he sees in his mind. I also think of the one who might calculate the risks and benefits of a particular set of actions and then formulate a plan they will act upon - such as a surgeon considering the best course to take with a patient to optimize their health. Having one's mind in gear is really a sign of being engaged in the process - you are more than a casual observer. God isn't after those who have all the answers as much as those who will engage with him and be more than casual observers in his kingdom.

So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” (1 Peter 1:13 MSG)

As long as we are doing nothing more than 'casually observing' the promises and commands of God, we are never going to really grow into our full potential in Christ. We each have been given so much potential - but how we engage in the use of that potential determines if we will reach the fullest extent of it! God doesn't just ask us to follow him, all getting in a line and following after him like a game of "Simon says". He is looking for those who will learn of him, engaging in the things that exemplify his love and grace in our everyday lives. It doesn't take a 'message from on high' to take some actions - they are common sense! They are in alignment with his will because they exemplify his love and grace, so act upon them. 

We are shaped by God - that 'shape' takes form with each step which reveals our total engagement with the things he is teaching and doing in our lives. He looks for a mind in gear, a heart in total dedication, and a body willing to be used in the labor he sees fit for us to engage in. This is how he operates - ready hearts receive, open minds understand, and eager hands are set into service. It is easy to see that God is pleased when a life is willing to be pulled into a way of life shaped by his hands, energized by his Spirit, and filled by his grace!

Lest you or I think it is impossible to be holy (right, true, and honest), think again. God's existence in our lives actually fills us to overflowing with this 'rightness'. We are free to move about, not as 'unclean' and 'unholy', but as examples of his holiness. As such, we are also examples of his 'wholeness' - for where his presence dwells you will always find his grace filling every gap in a man's character that has been left by sin's outcome. If you feel a little 'drafty' today because of all of the 'gaps' in your character, take heart....those gaps are filled, sealing out all manner of unholiness because Christ isn't going to leave us deficient in any manner. Just sayin!

Bouncy, Bouncy, Bouncy

Back in the day, there was this little contraption you'd suspend from the door jam that allowed the infant to bounce happily up and down. Suspended in the enclosed seat, the infant could test out their legs a little and develop some strength in them. These simple devices were eventually replaced with walkers with four wheels, then these walk behind toys, and even more complex contraptions over the years, but the idea is all the same - to help the child develop their strength and balance. God gives us a whole lot of things in life to help us develop strength and balance, but none as lasting and true as his Word! We can hang onto his Word like nothing else - it never fails because it is backed by his oversight and careful attention to each detail contained within it! 

Remember what you said to me, your servant—I hang on to these words for dear life! These words hold me up in bad times; yes, your promises rejuvenate me. (Psalm 119:49-50 MSG)

His words have a unique way of rejuvenating each of us - not by some magical power, but because truth brings restoration, renewal, and reformation where needed. The change that occurs when we have a steady intake of his words into our minds, souls, and spirits actually is attributed to his strength and power, but it produces a strength and power within us that isn't possible without the constant ups and downs of life. The ups and downs of life are like that hanging contraption that suspended the infant - they help us develop strength - not in ourselves, but through the application of truth where it is needed. 

David was often heard asking God to not let his words return void to him - reminding God that he was counting on them. He also frequently asked God to not forget what he promised - because he wasn't going to develop 'independent strength', but he was going to rely upon the strength that comes from connection with God. The truth we choose to believe is very important. Think about that infant suspended in that seat in the doorway. The child could look around for a while, just admiring the new view he had of his surroundings. That wouldn't be uncommon, but eventually he will realize that his feet move and he moves when they do! He will become curious about how this change in viewpoint is occurring - not realizing it is by his own strength made possible because of the strength the 'contraption' he is sitting in gives him!

The Word is kind of like that - we place our hope and trust in it - enjoying our new viewpoint in life. Shortly after the Word lifting us up, we realize we can develop a little strength that we didn't have before in our lives - all because God's Word is actually supporting us in such a manner as to let us build that strength. It won't be strength that makes us independent and no longer in need of his support in our lives, but a strength that helps launch us into new places we hadn't explored before. Eventually the infant is free of the contraption and is wandering all around the house. His growth is giving his new freedom. This is the same with us in Christ - the Word helps us build new strength - and in turn, we begin to enjoy new discoveries previously hidden from our view. Don't ever underestimate the potential of being 'suspended' in his strength for a while until you are strong enough to learn to walk into these new discoveries! It is part of his plan! Just sayin!

Collect and Guard

What have we come to 'treasure' in life? There are lots of treasures when we stop to consider it, but we probably have some things that rise above the rest. For me, it is relationship - first with God and then with others. We place a 'premium' on what it is we come to treasure - devoting time and energy to those things. We are asked to live disciplined lives - exhibiting the ability to "listen" well and to "treasure" the right things in life. The ability to listen may be hampered by the life choices we have made. The clarity of what is heard becomes crystal clear when we learn to treasure the relationship we have with Christ. We won't want to miss what he says - the advice he gives.

Good friend, take to heart what I'm telling you; collect my counsels and guard them with your life. Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding. That's right—if you make Insight your priority, and won't take no for an answer, searching for it like a prospector panning for gold, like an adventurer on a treasure hunt, believe me, before you know it Fear-of-God will be yours; you'll have come upon the Knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:1-5)

Think of the "listening" process similar to "tuning" into a radio station. You have to sometimes turn the dial so precisely to get the best reception of the station. I have a radio that just won't 'tune' beyond the station it is stuck on right now. I know it is fixable, but it is kind of annoying because the tuning is just a little bit off, making the station a little less than clear. To listen to God, there is an effort on our part - we have to tune out all the distractions, situations, and choices that are in conflict to hearing his voice. We have to fix what is keeping us out of tune! We also have to concentrate on understanding. One of the things we learn in school is that we learn best when we are able to concentrate on what is being taught. If we are distracted, we often miss "key content" in the lesson being taught, thereby not really learning fully. Understanding is directly related to how well we are able to reduce or eliminate the distractions in life. Understanding is not always quick or easy. There is much effort placed into understanding - attention must be focused and we must be in an attitude of willingness to learn what is being taught.

God grants wisdom - a gift in our lives that comes directly from his hand. He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly. This "good sense" becomes the shield of protection we so often need to keep us from making "bad choices". Sometimes we expect to hear a booming voice from God that tells us not to take a particular course of action. What God wants us to do in those circumstances is to simply listen to the "good sense" he has already given us - not expect the 'booming voice'. God protects the faithful - when we waiver in our consistency of walk, how can we expect protection? The seat of our emotion (the thing that causes us to waiver so much) is our heart. Wisdom isn't just to be found with our heart, but with our head and spirit working in union with our heart. Wisdom helps us to not always be driven by whatever emotion is the loudest or most active in our lives at that very moment. It is wisdom that gives us that rational response to those irrational situations. Wisdom saves us from wrong relationships, wrong money decisions, and even wrong choices in what we eat. 

Scripture reminds us to follow the steps of good men - we have them recorded as our examples because God knows that we learn best (come to better understanding) when we set our eyes on an example we can follow. It is like using tracing paper to get the outline onto a project we are completing - so we know how to follow the pattern. The choices we have to make may not be exactly the same choices that our example has had to make, but the principles of living that are exhibited in their lives serve as an illustration of how right choices are made. There is a value in setting our eyes on right examples - it comes in learning how to differentiate between right and wrong choices in life. When we focus on the right examples, it affects our choices. When we focus on the right authority within our lives, we have our understanding expanded. Just sayin!

Quench that stench

If you have ever had your eyes diverted for just a moment or two while driving, then realized how dangerously close you were to heading into the tail-end of another car or swerving into someone else's lane, then you probably also know the 'immediacy' of your reaction to 'correct' your course. You immediately brake, bringing the car back into a safe distance behind the one in front of you, or you get back into the lane you were to be in and then remain vigilant to remain there! With all the texting while driving I see these days, it is easy to see how accidents can be on the rise - for diverted eyes only take a moment to allow the catastrophic to occur. The same is true in our spiritual lives - diversions are dangerous to us - they change our course, put us in harm's way, and can take a little bit more 'over-correction' than we might first imagine.

God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course. Give me insight so I can do what you tell me—my whole life one long, obedient response. Guide me down the road of your commandments;
I love traveling this freeway! (Psalm 119:33-35)

God doesn't go about 'teaching us' stuff from his Word - things about the way he works, what to expect of his careful attentiveness over our lives - just so we can live as we please. He expects us to use these truths to guide us into 'carefully lived' lives ourselves. This means we have to guard against the diversions that come our way. Back in the days when warfare was a little less 'scientific' than it is today, one of the tactics utilized was to 'divert' the supply of water, food, and needed supplies away from the place you were attempting to 'take over'. They did this to cut them off - so they'd get desperate and let their guard down. Desperate people do desperate things - not always all that carefully thought out or purposeful!

If they diverted the flow of water coming into the township, there would arise a panic because water was a necessary part of daily life. If it wasn't available any longer, the chances of survival were significantly reduced. Yes, they could look for alternatives, but eventually they'd need the water. The  body isn't made to survive without it. Similarly, the spirit of man isn't meant to be cut-off from God - although one may survive for a while, the vitality of life soon fades and you begin to experience a sense of being 'dry' on the inside. The human spirit needs connection with God's Spirit - continual and uninterrupted. Only then do we sense the 'fullness of grace' that God desires for each of us.

Diversions also lead to chaos in our lives. If you have ever been diverted from doing something that needs to be done, but you chose something else in place of that action, you know what I am referring to with this thought. Leave the laundry just a few days beyond when you should have addressed those piles and you will become desperate for clean underwear at some point! Sure, it could be as simple as 'buying new' to further avoid the needed task, but eventually the piles will require some action on your part. Eventually the stench of dirty laundry will reach your nostrils! Diversions can lead us away from the course we should be on and take us down ones we might find add a little bit of a 'stench' to our lives. When this happens, the stench can only be avoided for so long! Eventually we will desire to 'quench the stench'!

Divert your attention away from God long enough and you will find your living a very barren and dry life filled with all manner of not so 'sweet' a scent to it! The connection we maintain is one of attentive and purposeful choice to stay on course - to not be enticed by diversionary tactics used by the enemy of our soul. I choose not to text and drive. I choose to pay attention to the road. If we can make this purposeful choice in our driving habits, why can't w make similar choices when it comes to our spiritual focus and purposeful connection with a loving God who cares for us so deeply? Just asking!

Let's get stupid together!

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I don't 'get stupid' with my friends like some may think of 'getting stupid' with their friends. I don't know how you interpret what Emerson said, but in my opinion he was trying to say it is okay for us to be our true selves with those we are able to call true friends. Why is that possible? I think it is because trust has been established and we know it won't be betrayed when we 'bumble' a little around a friend. It is a true blessing to have such a friend - it is a greater blessing to be such a friend!

Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family. (Proverbs 18:24 MSG)

Old friends are those we usually refer to as 'true friends' - they have endured the test of time, the challenges of relationship with us, and become our truest companions along some of the toughest journeys. Not all of us have experienced that kind of friendship - not all of us have been that kind of a friend. Yet, it is not too late - for we have the ability to make that connection - to be that connection - as long as we have breath left in us.

"Stupid" is really the word Emerson used to describe someone acting in an unintelligent or careless manner. This can describe us in so many ways, at so many times! The 'senselessness' of some of our words, much less our actions, can sometimes be quite annoying! Yet, the true friend will stick with us even when our words and actions get a little exasperating. I was always told that to have good friends you have to be a good friend. There is very good wisdom in those words!

How do we 'befriend' another? Isn't it through attraction of some sort? We see something in them, or they see it in us, and we are drawn to them. We want to associate with them - because we admire something in them, or we just enjoy their enthusiasm and joy. We make ourselves available in relationship and then we see where it goes. Not every venture into friendship will end up with us having that BFF kind of relationship, but there will be those that rise to the top. When we have these kinds of relationships - we must treasure them well.

To be a good friend, one must be faithful to the relationship. One must treasure the relationship. We do this by not only spending time with each other, but spending time in prayer for each other. There is as much 'behind the scene' work in relationship as there is 'face time'! We need those supportive prayers, and even those prayers that will turn us away from our folly. We treasure most those times when we feel the support of another - even when they lack the ability to 'fix' the issue for us. 

Be a good friend - exemplify the love of Christ in those relationships you have been given. Be a 'grace-giver' where grace is not so much 'deserved' as it is 'needed'. Be a faithful companion - showing you can be trusted to walk alongside another long after others have drifted away. Be a good friend and you will be surrounded with good friends! Just sayin!

Inside or Outside - Where are you looking?

We make decisions all day long, from what time to awaken to what we will wear, eat, or do within that day. Some are quite easily made - like taking a drink of water when we are thirsty, or crunching on a cracker or two when we want a snack. Others are a little harder - like when we have to figure out the budget or what market moves to make with our investments. Still others are astronomically hard for us - like taking the first step toward seeking forgiveness when we know we have been wrong or making things right when we have made a mess of things. Decisions are not all easily made - some take us some time, while others almost 'percolate' within us until they are finally fully formed and we are ready to take action upon them. There are just some that should not be overlooked, though - especially the ones that are the harder ones to make!

Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. (2 Corinthians 5:16-18)

The decision of God to provide us restoration through the death of his Son wasn't something I believe God had to 'percolate' on - he just knew it was the right decision and he set things in motion to move heaven and earth so he could see us restored to full relationship with him. If God didn't think twice about his greatest decision, why is it we have to 'mull things over' time and time again when it comes to taking steps of obedience with him? Maybe it is because of our stubborn determination to 'get things right' ourselves. How's that been working for you? It hasn't been working very well for me! The decision to be obedient may not always be the most popular, the first one you consider, and definitely not the easiest, but it is guaranteed to be the most rewarding!

We look a whole lot at the outside of a man or woman and make judgments about what they are like. It is one of our downfalls to consider only what we see on the outside, though. The outside can often present an image quite different than what is truly going on within the man's soul, heart, and mind! The soul can be in a place of tumultuous upheaval, steeped in guilt, shame, and sin's damaging accusations. The mind can be in turmoil because it is unable to rest as long as these accusations are allowed to continue. The heart can be sensing very little positive love because the mind and soul see's themselves as 'unworthy' of any love. All that can be going on inside, while the outside looks kind of like the individual has it all put together in a neat little package! The outside is no indication of what is on the inside - that is why they say the eyes are the window into the soul - they 'betray' the reality of what is on the inside.

We are created anew in Christ Jesus - but we all know it can take a little bit of time for the 'inside' and the 'outside' to 'catch up' with regard to this dramatic transformation process. In the meantime, we struggle with the old image of how we see ourselves and each other. The important thing for us to remember is that the cross makes us spotless - there is no flaw in us any longer. The reality is that we are kind of 'messed up' and it can take a little while for the mess to get all cleaned up! There is no change within us until we decide (make the decision) to take the first steps toward obedience that God asks us to take. Yes, they may be hard, but they are necessary. Yes, we may have to 'eat crow' a few times, while admitting we were wrong in some matter, but that is the first step of GRACE taking care of business in our lives!

The scars will be there. The hurts will creep in from time to time. Yet, the truth never changes - we are made new in Christ Jesus. The old is passed away - the new has come. Now get on with those decisions of obedience! Just act upon what you know he is asking you to do and without even noticing that it has happened, your 'inside' will begin to make a transformation you never knew was possible! Just sayin!

Old history be gone!

I don't think there is anything more damaging to our overall sense of well-being than for us to continually rehearse the 'bad stuff' in life. The 'stuff' may have happened TO us, or we may have been the ones to have DONE it. Regardless, to continually go over and over all that "old history" is really not all that productive and it might actually be the cause of why we aren't moving forward right now! There is something much more powerful in 'being present' in the moment - to be focused on what it is we can take control of within ourselves, then turning the rest over to God to let him have the reins in our lives. 

“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands." (Isaiah 43:18 MSG)

To forget about what's happened one must be willing to let go of both 'hurts' done to us and those things that aren't doing us any good to hold onto, like all those hang-ups we continually make excuses to ourselves and others about instead of dealing with them. I know this is easier said than done, for I also have struggled with holding onto hang-ups God has asked me to put down. It may have been my stubbornness or simply my inability to trust things will ever 'get better' if I did put them down. To let go I had to yield where I had been unyielding, and go 'all in' where I had been lacking in trust. It isn't that I didn't know what to do - it is that I had to be willing to live in the present, allowing God to change my present, instead of me holding onto my past!

"Old history" - we all have it. We all deal with it differently. We all have those moments when we resort back to some old way of thinking - falling back on what happened instead of focusing on what is happening now. We miss what is happening now if we do! We close our eyes to God's presence in our lives - we only see the impossibilities - but where he is, there are infinite possibilities. Desert places aren't easily traversed, are they? Why? There are obstacles in the way. The dry places we experience there make the journey even harder. Isn't it good to know that God is in the business of clearing the way and providing for us to be refreshed along the way?

Be alert and be present. Actions are described there, my friends. Most of the problems we have with our 'old history' is that we have been unable to take some action we have been asked to take at some point along the way. We were supposed to seek forgiveness from one we wronged, but we didn't. We were asked to lay something down, but we stubbornly held on. We were called to go above and beyond, but we simply stood still and let life happen around us. Be alert - pay attention, get focused, and be prepared for action. Be present - take notice, and be real. Being present means we are willing to be 'genuine' about ourselves - admitting where we have failed, owning our next steps, and then taking the action required.

The more we focus on the 'old history' portion of our lives, the more we get mired down by that history. The moment we come into the present, we open ourselves to being transparent, real, and truthful with ourselves, God, and others. This is the starting place for moving out of the 'old history' portion of our lives and into the 'new places' God is about to bring us into by his grace. Just sayin!