Get a little Biblical - why don't ya!

Contributions vary depending upon talent, time, or treasure - or at least that is what we'd like to think.
I have heard many a person hopelessly announce with a finality to their declaration, "I don't have anything to contribute." In considering what they "have" in the light of how they may compare to another, they see their own talents or treasures as "deficient". This is totally not true of any of us - we all have something to contribute! I believe scripture plainly addresses the issue. Each of us is given a measure of talent - NEEDED talent. It has a purpose - even if it is a small one 'compared' to someone else's. Look at the widow with the one tiny mite (not even a single penny). She gave it all - nothing compared to the "sizable" monetary offerings of the others who came to the temple that day, but it was EVERYTHING to her. Faithful hands and a yielded heart is all God ever wants. He isn't going to turn anyone away who comes with those two things!

God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you're ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it, "He throws caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living, right-giving ways never run out, never wear out." This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God. (2 Corinthians 9:8-11)

Faith begin to arise from within us as we begin to yield our lives to God in whole-hearted surrender. As we "center" our focus and thoughts on him, we begin to feel the "settling" influence of his Spirit in our lives - first a little, then a little more, until we become 'solid' in our footing and beliefs. This very "settling" of our emotions (fears) begins to allow us to "rest" in him. This "rest" becomes the place out of which we begin to "give" out of what he has given to us. At first, the "giving out" from what God has given us may seem like it is small, and even insignificant, but it is a SIZABLE thing in God's eyes!

God can (and does) pour on the blessings - and he does it in ways so astonishing we may not fully be able to comprehend it! I have learned God seldom meets my need in the exact manner I imagined. In fact, he often has some other awesome way of meeting it which I would never have considered! One thing I know for certain - God is not limited by our imagination - and thank goodness for that! His presence in our lives makes all things different. His very presence is what gives us the ability to stand when we are weak, trust when all seems to be falling apart, give when it hurts, and reach out when retreating to a place of refuge would be so very much easier. It is God's unique way of blessing us - give and it shall be given - give again and it comes back in even bigger measure. God knows no limitations. I rarely get to the place of "throwing all caution to the wind", yet it is commonplace for God to do so! He delights in pouring into our lives - his presence, his peace, his love. Whatever the need - he is ready. What he gives, he desires to use as a blessing not only for us, but for those whose lives we will touch in turn. I honestly believe this is one small way he is able to show his limitless love and power! He uses his blessing in our lives to touch the lives of others (no matter how small it may seem).

We always have something we can give away. I frequently get the calls from the agencies who run the various thrift shops in town. They are seeking donations of used goods they might be able to sell within their various stores. The concept is simple (and it is kind of biblical actually). It is in the giving of what we have so that others are put to work in a productive manner. As the donation is made, the truck drivers have a mission (a purpose). The donation is sorted by others who needed productive work and income for their daily needs. The items are distributed to the various stores to be resold to those looking for that bargain find. In so doing, even this small gift of what we saw as no longer useful in our lives becomes a huge blessing to many, many others. The one who purchases the item is only the recipient of it after it has been a blessing to many others along the way! Throw caution to the wind, my friends! God wants both the things of our abundance AND of our need! He delights in seeing us give from our abundance, but he is overjoyed when he sees us giving out of "need"! In so doing, we are blessing him - but we also see the many blessings of others being touched by what God is doing in our lives. In learning to give in such a way, we are learning to live "robust lives" in God's goodness and grace! Just sayin!

The Battle is On!

There are days when I feel ever so grateful and aware of each breath, each rhythmic thump of my heart, and each wisp of air as it gently passes through my hair. The moments don't pass me by unnoticed - keenly aware of the people surrounding me, the challenges ahead of each of them, and the enjoyment we find in just being together. Perhaps we get too caught up in life at times to even realize the type of fight we all are really in with each new step we take. In the specific moments we take to actually pause long enough to look around, we often discover we are in the fight of our lifetime - not alone in this fight, because others are right there, dukes raised, readying themselves for their own fights!

God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. (Ephesians 6:10-12)

It is a good thing we are given well-made weapons of the best materials, isn't it? Yet, a weapon in a locked cabinet is of little use to the one gazing upon it from the outside! We are reminded of the need to "put on" all we are given - not just parts and pieces, selectively chosen as the "attire" we WANT to put on. To be truthful, there are days when I don't want to be in shoes, much less binding or confining clothing. I just want to walk around barefoot - comfortable, not bound up inside shoe leather, toes free to just luxuriate in the open air. It may not have occurred to you yet, but my toes are a whole lot more likely to get stubbed in some situations when they are not properly attired! While walking around my home barefooted may be okay, doing so around the hospital where I work is not.

I may not WANT to wear the shoes, but they actually protect me in ways I might not fully appreciate. At work, for example, I wear them to keep me from getting unwanted germs on my body - from creeping into the dark spaces between my toes and under my nails, setting me up for disease. As I walk on the street, I wear them to keep my feet from frying to a crisp on asphalt made unbearably hot in the blazing Arizona sun! The shoes serve a very worthwhile purpose - different from circumstance to circumstance, but a significant purpose nonetheless. We cannot simply look upon what God has given to us to make us strong and see that it only serves ONE purpose - it is likely that what we are given to keep us strong serves varied purposes depending upon the fight we are in.

This is no afternoon athletic contest! Did you catch that in our passage today? For most of us, this escapes us because we no longer engage in those Sunday afternoon football skirmishes on the family lawn, or a leisurely game of stick ball where it was us against them, may the best teamplayers win. An afternoon athletic contest is not really a true "contest", but a time of "playing around" with being an "athlete" - a time to 'fight hard', but it isn't for the Super Bowl trophy! This walk with Christ is not a leisurely thing! It is a fight to the death! Someone is after our peace and it is a pretty devious enemy who fights to take it away from us! If he has skin in this game, isn't it time for us to put as much skin in the game? We don't go up against our enemy unprepared if we ever expect to win. We have been given the best of all weapons - the Word of God making us strong, the righteousness of Christ guarding our hearts so we remain strong, the peace of Christ guiding each step we take so our faith is built up with each step, faith firmly grounded in assurance of the protective power of our God at our fingertips, and the blood of Christ covering our missteps, making our minds and hearts strong. Above all, we have the sword of the Spirit - the Word of God. All in all - no one piece stands alone - no one piece is to be left off.

We can be all "clad" in armor and have no weapon to launch an attack of our own! At best, without a weapon in our hands, we can only stand against the attack for so long! This is why we need the Word in our hands - the Spirit of God using it to defend us and to divide truth from lie in our minds and hearts. So, as much as we might want to take shortcuts in life, maybe we need to be consistent with the application of what we have been given for our defense more than we need to take the shortcut! We are in the fight of our lifetimes, perhaps without even recognizing it. This is no afternoon athletic contest! We need the real deal when it comes to being equipped and ready for the battle ahead! I don't want an unprotected heart, or an easily influenced mind! You don't either! So, gird up! The battle's on! Just sayin!

Recall override

Cynical people are continually worried - finding it very hard to find anything at all positive in any of life's circumstances. They are also very determined that everyone else in life is after their own interest and have ulterior motives behind everything they do. Their belief that only selfishness motivates human actions significantly limits how they interact with others. Their disbelief in or minimizing of any selfless acts or disinterested points of view usually sets them at odds with others in life. I thought a cynic was perhaps just a nay-sayer - one who just opposed things because they had a genuinely "sour" disposition! Maybe it could be they were just people who had been "burnt" so many times they no longer believed good things to be possible in life. Regardless of their frame of mind at the moment, the cynic cannot see much good in life. It truly would be miserable to face life as a cynic because they have a hard time ever seeing life from the perspective of truth!

Cynics look high and low for wisdom—and never find it; the open-minded find it right on their doorstep! (Proverbs 14:6)

Cynics - those who think human beings are basically motivated by selfish actions - have a hard time finding wisdom. Those who cannot entertain an opposing point of view have a hard time coming to a place of learning from their experiences - therefore, they also have a hard time learning so as to gain any form of personally possessed wisdom. Solomon tells us the cynic looks high and low - they are on a quest, but it is just something they have a hard time finding! This means the cynic is not really "disinterested" totally in finding wisdom, but rather are just having a hard time wrapping their hands, heads, and hearts around it because they have a basic "bent" which causes them to not realize it is right in front of them! Know anyone who fits this type of personality type? Always suspicious of the actions of another - believing they must be doing whatever it is they are doing in order to gain something for themselves. This makes for a miserable view of life. To believe all action - both human and divine - is centered in selfish ambition almost minimizes and undoes any action of love or grace. It also makes for a life in which trust is elusive.

No wonder they struggle with finding wisdom! Wisdom has a basis in trust - you have to experience knowledge in such a manner so as to develop a trust in it. For example, if you open a package of meat, only to be encountered with an odd smell, you might not "trust" this meat is fit for your consumption. What led you to this conclusion? Perhaps it was the "smell" of rotting garbage you experienced on a hot summer day when you lifted the lid of your outside trash receptacle to throw away something. That pungent smell left an impression of something being "rotten" and not good for eating! Now, when you open the package of meat, a little off-color in appearance, the "smell" confirms the suspicion you have formed based on past experience - it is rotten and not good to eat! What happened when you lifted the trash can lid? You developed a memory of the "bad smell" and equated it with "garbage" or "discarded waste". What happened when you opened the package of spoiled meat? You "recalled" the memory of what you came to label as 'garbage'. When you threw the package of spoiled meat in the trash instead of consuming it, you were exercising wisdom (practical application of knowledge obtained at an earlier time).

The cynic has a hard time with wisdom because they stop short of applying the knowledge. Why? Perhaps it is the past experience the cynic has had with "knowledge" of some sort. If they reached out to take a pretty flower into their hand and were stung by a bee the first time they did this, they likely would not "trust" flowers to be safe and enjoyable again! We "filter" all kinds of things through our minds and form memories of them in some fashion - both good and bad; correct and incorrect. Those memories go a long way in helping us interpret new "knowledge" as it comes our way. Right or wrong - we apply what we came to believe by our past experience and interpret all of life through that perspective. The cynic is best served by learning to trust afresh. There is always the hope a cynic will learn to open their mind to a new perspective in life. Not every "memory" of life is a good one to place trust in. We need the wisdom of Christ to help us sort out the ones which actually keep us from experiencing all the good in life God has prepared for his kids. When we come to Christ with open minds, he delights in filling them with "memories" which we can trust! Just sayin!

Are you resourceful?

There are moments as I am reading through scripture when I have to ask, "What were they thinking?" It is though the actions someone took were clearly not right, but they chose them anyway. Sound familiar to anyone else besides me? Do you ever think God is maybe just a little comical in what he records in scripture? Sometimes you come across something you know is really not "comical", but when you see it, you cannot help yourself - you laugh! When I came across the portion of scripture which described a billy goat as a "solemn dignitary", I had to ask if God was actually being just a little sarcastic in that description! God nails it, though, because there are times when we put 'goats' in positions of power and forget who really 'owns' the barnyard! We get so focused on the one thing in our path that makes the most noise, or just simply elevates itself to some position 'over us' that we cannot see God is really still the one who controls ALL the animals!

There are three solemn dignitaries, four that are impressive in their bearing—a lion, king of the beasts, deferring to none; a rooster, proud and strutting; a billy goat; a head of state in stately procession. (Proverbs 30:29-31)

Okay...now come on...did you ever consider a billy goat as a "solemn dignitary" of the barnyard? I got the whole king of beasts lion thing and even the rooster strutting his stuff - but the billy goat as a majestic or royal critter of the barnyard? Not exactly my impression of goats. As is often the case, I laugh first, then consider what I laughed at in the first place - because I think perhaps God is talking just a little bit to me in this passage! Think about the goat. First, he is pretty sure on his feet. I have tried to move one or two goats out of my path on occasion and discovered quite quickly that if they don't wanna move, there is a whole lot effort that has to go into moving them! What God may have been trying to show me in this passage is to be "solid" in my footing - grounded well - but not stubborn and firmly planted in places where I don't belong. There are 'barnyards' we should avoid and there are times when we plant our feet so firmly where we don't belong, finding we are constantly trying to be 'moved along', but we still stubbornly take our stand right there, aren't there?

Second, the billy goat is pretty "unaffected" by the goings on around them - even when there are geese fighting in one corner, cows bellowing in another, and chickens pecking at each other across the way. Barnyards can be kind of 'messy' spots - filled with all kinds of ruckus-type behavior. Whenever I observe the animals at my nieces house, I see lots of activity, but the goats can almost stand there seemingly unaffected by the noise, the hub-bub of the moment around them, just caught up in their own little world. Maybe this is what God intended when he presents the billy goat as an impressive creature - the ability to not be swayed by the chaos. I think God may be talking to all of us here! There is something good in shutting out some things, but don't forget...shutting out everything may not be what God intends. The 'messy' spots in the barnyard may not be our 'doing', but we could be focused so much on our own needs that we don't see the others right around us who might just need someone to help them out of their muddle.

The goat is pretty resourceful in its finding of food! I have observed the goats going quickly to the feeding spot, or to the outstretched hand willing to share some tasty treat offered to them. They seem to make a beeline to it without ever being called - it is like they don't even have to look - they just expect to be fed. They know where to look! My hands are almost always empty when I go out to my niece's paddock - I just want to pet them. When they are hungry - they want more than a pat on the back or scratch behind the ear! They have a way of tapping the resources available to them - so they make a beeline to the one they know will feed them! Perhaps this is what God had in mind when he called the billy goat a dignitary of sorts - they know exactly where to look for what it is they desire! The goat isn't going to stick around empty feed bins for long - they are willing to seek out their food and will make their hunger well-known. Ever heard them fully escalated in excitement to be fed? It is quite a racket they make - asking to be noticed - to be fed. They aren't content to just wait around - the seek their feed. Maybe God is telling us to seek a little harder than we have been - not being content to just wait around for the occasional hand-out.

The next time we want to laugh at something God "labels" as worthy of the status of "dignitary", perhaps we'd do well to consider what God might have to show us when we take time to really observe the ones he "labels" a certain way in scripture - it could just give us insight into some things we may have missed in ourselves on occasion! I bear many labels - "mom", "daughter", "employee", "friend". The most important label I hope to wear is "faithful one". Solid in my footing, unaffected by the hub-bub of the hour, and resourceful in finding my sustenance! How about you? Just askin!

Here's a little, but wait, there is more...

My frequent and ongoing struggle to keep weight off my body has me investigating how to keep my metabolism moving right along so I can burn the calories I put in. I have discovered fasting from a meal or two a day on occasion actually helps me to keep weight off. It isn't that I am starving myself, as I have reserves! I am just asking my body to use what it already has and not to demand what it doesn't actually need! The term "fast" has a couple of meanings, but when we use it to describe a condition of heart, mind, and soul which abstains from something in order to focus on another, we call it "fasting". There are all kinds of fasts - some from food, others from input of various forms of media, or perhaps from a special treat we enjoy. The season just before Easter is called Lent and is considered by some churches to be a season of temporary "fasting" - giving up something in order to get a little closer to God during that season. I wonder if we really have considered the kind of "fast" God is really after in our lives? It may be he is after what is keeping our heart captive and our mind focused on things that just deter us from our time with him.

"This is the kind of fast day I'm after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I'm interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, God will answer. You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.' (Isaiah 58:6-9)

We focus on what we "give up" when God seems to focus on what we "do" with the time we set aside for HIS use. It is more to him a matter of us being willing to be available to do things WITH him instead of always being so willing to do them without him! God's primary purpose of asking for our "focus" is for him to "tune us into" the various needs which exist around us and sometimes within us. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own lives, we miss the apparent needs all around us. We all have something to share - yet we often don't think of the impact our action of withholding what we have at our access is to those around us! There are just times when we need to get things in order within our lives, then share how God transforms lives just as he has transformed us in those areas. Others need to learn from what we have learned. We need to be mentors in our faith.

Sharing food with the hungry can be both in the literal and spiritual sense. We almost always have the ability to share food with the hungry in the natural sense. For the majority of us, we have cupboards with extra stuff on the shelf that could meet the needs of another who is hungering for a good meal. We have the ability to give out of our "abundance" most of the time, don't we? The truth of the matter is that God also asks for us to give out of more than our abundance - simply because giving out of abundance does not cost us much! When we stop long enough to share something from a spiritual "shelf" within our lives, we are giving as God would have us give. The physical food is good - the spiritual food just "ices the cake"! We may not feel anyone would benefit from what we could share in a spiritual sense, but the opposite is quite true. I have learned some of the most profound lessons from those who thought their 'simple' learning experiences couldn't benefit anyone else! You just never know when what you have to give - even when you think it is 'too simple' to matter to anyone else - will touch the lives of those who have been hungering for that in their own lives.

Inviting the poor into your homes is a touchy subject for some, I know. We are very protective of our "space", aren't we? Guess what? You can become proficient in 'opening your home' in a very practical sense by being willing to open your heart doors to the spiritually poor first! Then you will begin to identify ways to open your doors to the physically poor later! Our willingness to meet the needs of others is one of the ways we grow in our faith. Being open to share from your heart is probably one of the biggest steps we each take in this walk of faith. We like our facades, don't we? Get real with others and you might just see how much 'good stuff' is on the shelves of your 'heart pantry' that others can actually find hope in! Put clothes of the ill-clad. We don't find it hard to part with the clothes we no longer want to wear, but have you ever given something which was your very favorite? It costs you something different, huh? In the giving of this simple gift, much is accomplished because you have shared a part of yourself that you actually enjoy!

Be available to your own families - why does God actually need to tell us this? There are times when we become so wrapped up in meeting the needs of others, we neglect our own. I think God is giving us a little "process check" here. He reminds us of the need to cultivate our own fields. Cultivated fields grow much richer crops than those which have been neglected by the passage of time and attention! We have much to "give" from within our lives , but did you ever consider what you give as a matter of "fasting"? Well, if you consider your "fast" in light of what God said about the 'fast' these many years ago, you just might find it easier to 'fast' than you ever did before! Just sayin!

Setting up a landmark

Have you ever started out on a journey and found yourself there, almost unaware of the twists and turns you took to get there? It is though your car moved you on auto-pilot, but it was really your brain that did it! There are just some places our brain shouldn't take us on 'auto-pilot', but are destinations we all travel at times. We all have 'mental' roads we travel so frequently, we could drift into a state of total absent-mindedness and still get to our destination without even noticing how we got there! The ability of reaching the destination time and time again is really based on how frequently we "travel" the same path. The more we travel it, the more every twist and turn becomes something we maneuver through with ease. Have you ever considered the paths you travel with God (and he with you) in this same, familiar manner? I hope there are more of those paths than the 'mental paths' we shouldn't have been traveling in the first place!

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

When God "travels" the roads of our hearts and minds with a frequency, we find mental roads which lead to some of the choicest destinations for our thought life. Places like peaceful springs of his everlasting life, abundant fields of choice fruit, and lush valleys of perfect rest. I liked this illustration of "familiarity" with God - our lives being like roads he travels with ease and comfort. To me, this speaks of frequency of passage - well-known by both of us - frequented often. He travels in our "space" and we in his. The only difference between our "mindless" travels from one point to another in a day-dreaming mode is our active participation in his "traveling" the roads of our lives. Those places God "frequents" in our lives are the very places we need to experience his presence and touch the most. Did you ever consider the places God seems to "frequent" in your life as "purposefully" frequented? Take a moment to consider just one "place" God seems to 'end up' in your life - those places you sense his watchfulness over your thoughts, actions, or attitudes. It may be he is frequenting 'space' in your emotions, your thoughts, or even passing through your spoken words from time to time. In these very areas, he hopes to create lush valleys of his rest, abundant fields of the very best fruit, and springs of life galore!

God-traveled lives are "affected" lives. We cannot have the passage of God's presence without the corresponding effect of his presence. It is impossible to be "touched" by God and not bear some evidence of his touch. The very frequency by which he "touches" certain "paths" in our lives is evidence of how much he wants to make an impact in those areas - nothing catastrophic ever happens without someone taking the initiative. The impact may be subtle at first, but in time, the evidence of his passage will be clear to all who look upon us. Indeed, we live blessed lives - simply because of the "travels" of God in our lives. We are also blessed to have a God who "travels" the same paths in us until we are affected by his passage in those areas - in mind, emotion, and will. I have traveled many places, but some I know much better than others. Those places I have only visited once or twice are not well-known to me. There are no landmarks which I recall with ease. Those places I travel frequently have a familiarity to them which bespeak the frequency of travel! God's desire is to travel our lives with such frequency so as to have our lives bespeak his travel! He desires to leave landmarks in our mind, heart, emotions, and will that show where he has been. Just sayin!

I didn't get what I expected out of that....

I am going to ask some 'telling' questions, but unless you post a comment in this blog, I will never know your answer. God will, but I won't! Ever pass a little gas in public, only to quickly walk away, looking as nonchalant and "innocent" as possible? Or maybe hit the snooze button one too many times, then blame your tardiness on being "caught in traffic"? Or perhaps a deadline passes without your work being finished and you excuse it away with just how "busy" you have been? It is silly how we try to "cover up" our little "misgivings" with all kinds of make-shift "screens", isn't it? As I was reading the story of Adam and Eve being tempted by the serpent in the Garden of Eden this morning, I had the revelation of this "cover up" concept being a pretty OLD way of dealing with our short-comings! Covering things up has been around a long, long time! We continue to rely upon cover-ups as a means of dealing with life's issues, even when they have proven ineffective!

When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she'd know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate. Immediately the two of them did "see what's really going on"—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves. (Genesis 3:6-7)

Isn't that the main reason we use some form of cover-up? We want to get something out of our mess up, but we failed to recognize our 'desire' to get something out of the circumstance would leave us in a muddle. Our "cover-ups" are nothing better than "makeshift clothes", aren't they? At best, they provide a "flimsy" excuse we attempt to hide behind. Yet, we are all subject to the same types of reactions to our misgivings, aren't we? It is a tactic we use that is as old as dirt. Any time we try to cover up our failures, we are trying to "make do" with our short-comings - we aren't trying to be free from them. We "improvise" - or some may say jury-rig our "fix". I found myself suggesting the use of duct tape to cover over a blemish that was snagging me up on one of my workbenches the other day, instead of breaking out the plane and sander to deal with it. This may not seem like much to you, but if you know anything about workbenches, a little duct tape may cover the snag, but it does nothing to really address the issue! The proper "fix" would be to plane it down and sand it smooth so it didn't 'snag me up' each time I passed something over it.

Healing only begins when we submit our failures to the one who can really do something about them. Healing began when Adam and Eve finally admitted their "naked" condition to God - explaining WHY they felt the need to cover-up their misdeed. We do all kinds of things to cover our "naked" condition of soul - yet nothing adorns us in the same way as grace! We can manage to cover-up quite a bit very cleverly until one day something 'undoes' our cover-up and we find ourselves uncomfortably exposed. It isn't a good place to be! Why does grace "fit" us so well as a "cover" for our sinfulness? Simply because grace is "formed" on the framework of all Christ did at the Cross. If you have ever sewed, or watched a seamstress in their craft, you will know the purpose of the "form" they use to pattern a dress. The "form" helps them provide an end-product which is "form-fitting" and uniquely designed for the individual. The Lord "form-fits" grace using the form of Christ as the "model" by which grace is made specific to our need!

I don't know about you, but I have only bought a few things in the stores which actually fit me like a glove - just following my form and falling on me in such a flattering manner. Yet, every time I have asked God to "outfit" me with his grace, I feel so well-adorned, like it just "fits" me like a glove! When he sees me, he sees Christ. I don't know how this all works, but I do trust him to "outfit" me with the best for my life - and the "outfitting" begins whenever I stop trying to "outfit" myself with my makeshift excuse of a "covering" for my misdeeds! How about you? Have you considered how well you are adorned today? If you have been 'settling' for the makeshift coverings you have managed to 'fashion' to cover over those misdeeds in your life, then how about considering the one God has designed on the form of Christ - the one marked "MY grace is sufficient for YOUR need"! You'll love the fit and it will adorn you perfectly! Just sayin!

Do you feel it?

I like to watch the cop shows and then try to figure out the "who done it" of the show. One of the things we see repeatedly in these shows is the cops questioning individuals who have witnessed the crimes - they want to capture as accurate of a description of the suspect as possible. Have you ever been asked to describe God - to give an accurate description of who he is? It is harder than you might think! We take a deep breath, then launch out into some kind of lengthy explanation of what God does, how he moves among us, what he has created, but these are his actions, not necessarily a description of HIM. All the while we are describing his actions, we are really struggling with getting anything "concrete" in our answer of who we know him to be in our lives. Try it! It is hard! David had a really good way of describing God - simple and to the point - light, space, and zest!

Light, space, zest— that's God! So, with him on my side I'm fearless, afraid of no one and nothing. (Psalm 27:1)

Three simple words, but pretty all-inclusive if you ask me! Light, space, and zest - what could he possibly have meant by using these words? He isn't just describing what God does or how he acts, but he is describing what God does within us and how he displays his character (who he is) through us. He displays himself through us as Light. This is the message we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in him there is no darkness at all (I John 1:5 NIV). In him we find all glory and majesty - light can be described as displaying the majesty of the one who possesses the light. No wonder scripture repeatedly refers to God as "light" - it is not something which is "in" him - he is the perfect and purest LIGHT. There is no darkness within him - he is holy and his holiness reflects in the purest of Light. That same holiness resides in us - giving us the purest of light within!

Ever think of God as Space? John 4:24 tells us God is "Spirit" - does a 'spirit' take up 'space' or create 'space'. Perhaps this is the best way for us to understand just how he can be everyone at one time - he transcends the limitations of human nature - he isn't limited by 'space' because he is the one who gives or creates the ultimate 'space' we see before us. He is above all, in all, and creator of all. As such, he is like "space". Unlimited, and with a greatness that is really, really hard to 'calculate'. Try as we might, we cannot "box" God in - he is not an equation - something we can sum up! He is infinite and our finite minds have a hard time with not understanding everything all at once! God creates space for all we need and he removes from our 'space' all that will hinder us and make us stumble in this life.

Zest is a little harder to understand because it kind of suggests action - he gives liveliness to all he animates - zest is liveliness or that which we describe as 'coming alive'. In him is the inherent ability to impart the truest form of energy - that which animates and gives abundant life to a lifeless soul! Sin robs us of this "animation" of spirit - God's touch and his presence in the space he has created within us that is specifically for his Spirit is what restores it! No wonder David stands so assured when he considers who is "on his side" in his daily walk! The purest of the pure - able to push back all darkness. The limitless one - powerful beyond our calculating. The one full of life - imparting life with each brush of his hand or passing of his breath over our lives! Afraid of no one and nothing! Why? We fear the dark - God's light exposes what is hidden. We fear the unknown - God's limitless supply is ours. We fear death - God's life is assured to those who choose him. Therefore, why fear?

The Lord is my light and the One Who saves me. Whom should I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom should I be afraid? (New Life Version) Whenever we are afraid, we are filled with apprehension. When we describe ourselves as fearful, we are saying we are filled with a dread of the impending danger, evil, or pain we perceive. The Lord is MY light - the one who saves ME. Here is the "grip" we hold onto in the midst of impending doom - MY light, the one who saves ME. In the words of an old hymn: His eye may be on the sparrow, but he watches ME! He is a personal God - he walks WITH and WITHIN us. In his carefulness over us, light dispels darkness, perceptions are enlarged, and we are reanimated again! Just feeling the zest of God today!

What's that I see?

I am not much of a recipe follower, but when I am interested in finding new ways to enjoy whatever it is I desire, I sometimes seek out a different type of preparation in order to experience the same ingredients in a different way. Have you ever followed a recipe so closely so as not to miss one important ingredient and then wondered why your "finished product" did not appear just as the beautifully adorned photograph in the picture, or as you imagined it would taste? I have! No one told me I'd need a sprig of parsley, a lemon wedge, and a fancy drizzling device to make my plate appear EXACTLY as the picture! I had the SAME ingredients for the main dish, but lacked something else. The dish was similar, but not the same. Sometimes we have all the right ingredients, but we lack something in the presentation of what we have right there in front of us.

Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

There are times when we know we have all the "right ingredients" which go into living for Christ, but then we find ourselves wondering about the "presentation" we lay out there for all to see. The stuff which "go into" making us strong in the Lord, building us up, and producing the image of Christ in us is all there - we have the right ingredients for our salvation, but we lack something in the "presentation" of what he has done within us. We can possess all the right ingredients, BUT if it is not presented well, it just does not have the same "appeal" as when we allow God to present within us what he has already prepared. The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to help us with the "presentation". God still provides and 'puts together' the 'ingredients' of goodness, holiness, and kindness (just to name a few). The 'presented product' of our lives is because we allow those ingredients to be 'combined' in such a way that our lives 'put together' and ultimately become quite 'presentable'.

Presentation is everything! We can present almost anything as reality - we simply have to believe it well enough to "present" it in a convincing manner. We have been given all things in Christ Jesus that are needed to ensure a 'good presentation'. What we "do" with what we have been given determines the "finished product". What we need is a "tutor" to assist us with the "ingredients" and the final "presentation" of all that will be produced when the "ingredients" of grace are 'put into' our lives! We are enabled to share in the divine image of Christ - simply by the gift of all God provides in giving us everything which goes into a life of pleasing him! We don't even need to "find" the ingredients - he gives them all to us. Have you ever gone into someone's home for a planned baking day, finding a recipe laid out on the counter, and then finding all the ingredients you'd need right there? It is kind of like that with God - he does all the prep work for us and lays out what we will need to see grace ultimately worked into a pretty awesome work of beauty!

Our "mind's eye" may see the ingredients coming together in one way - while God's "divine eye" sees them in quite a different way! Because our mind is limited, we just don't consider all the ways God sees his graces coming together into a glorious presentation of his goodness and love in us. God knows best how to display his graces in our lives - he is the master of "presentation". We'd do well to trust him with it! Our part in the process is the "leaving" - we leave the things which corrupt - those choices which would "taint" the freshness and goodness of what God is creating within. The promise of what lays ahead is enough to "wet our appetites" for the outcome of his creative process! Nothing compares to the life which has been prepared for those who trust Christ Jesus! We don't need to 'add to' his grace in our lives - it already provides just the right ingredients to produce the best results! Just sayin!

Oh, I am dirty again!

What are some of the ways you get the 'dirtiest' in life? For me, I am tinkering with learning to work with wood. All that type of work can leave you incredibly 'dusty', 'stained' with this or that, and kind of 'stinky' by the end of the project. Clean hands and a pure heart - two conditions we often find eluding us or hard to maintain. Our hands get "dirtied" by the things we do - the actions we take - like the times I am working out in the shop. Our hearts reveal their "soiled" condition by the words we speak, the thoughts we entertain, and the ways we respond to life around us. There are clearly benefits to maintaining both clean hands and a pure heart, but I wonder just how often we focus on one and not the other?

Who may go up the mountain of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart. He who has not lifted up his soul to what is not true, and has not made false promises. He will receive what is good from the Lord, and what is right and good from the God who saves him. (Psalm 24:3-5)

The question posed - who may go up to the mountain of the Lord? Today we don't find ourselves making the journey to the city of Jerusalem like they did in the times this passage was penned. The journey was for them to go to the Temple of the Lord - to kind of 'go to church' as some might think of it today. In the times of the psalmist, this was a regular journey for the worshipers of the Lord. In fact, there were regularly "scheduled" feast days when all of Israel was to gather, bringing various types of offerings all the way to the city - regardless of where they lived or how long the journey might be for them. Each offering served a purpose - some to make "atonement" for sins, others to offer thanks for the tremendous harvest taken in from the fields - but all pointed to some aspect of the work of God in our lives and the ultimate sacrifice his Son would make for us.

Today, we think of "going up to the mountain of the Lord" as approaching the throne of grace - getting ourselves in a frame of mind and heart to receive from God what he might provide to us in that time of focusing on him for just a while. It is us going into God's presence, sitting at his feet, and worshiping him - not always alone, but with deliberate focus and purpose. Since the completed work of Christ at the cross, we all have this access to the "holy place" of God's presence. In fact, scripture declares we may come boldly into his presence! Yet, the "condition" of our hands and hearts may give us a little concern in doing so! We 'get dirty' with things we don't even know are 'soiling' our lives at times. The condition of our hands and hearts oftentimes isn't even in our focus as we enter his presence, but God knows the condition of these two things determines how well we will receive what he has prepared for us!

Clean hands and a pure heart are not a one time condition. The ability to keep clean hands is impossible without frequent washing! Think about it - how many times in a day do you "physically" wash your hands? Why do you wash? Simple - to get rid of what "contaminates" those grubby little hands! You probably are like me and desire they be clean before you eat, after you touch something which "soils" them, or just as "good measure" to avoid spreading all manner of 'unseen diseases'. The same is true of our "spiritual hands". They need frequent washing to remain clean! Purity of heart is elusive if the heart is not continually touched by the great healer himself. In time, our physical heart, if not taken care of, will become "occluded" with all kinds of fatty build up and hardened by "calcified" crusts. A similar process occurs when our spiritual heart is not continually renewed by the touch of God's healing hands. We begin to feel the "choking off" of the very supply we need in order to survive. We become hardened to the very things which move his heart so freely. Our hearts need "tending" and "mending" in order to beat as his does!

He who has not lifted up his soul to what is not true and has not made false promises will enter boldly into the presence of God. Guess what? All of us struggle with getting a good and solid grip on truth! All of us absent-mindedly promise things we have very little intention of ever doing! Yet...by the grace of God, we can enter boldly into the presence of God - even when we aren't all that 'pure' or 'washed' prior to coming into it. It is as we "wash again" and submit to the "purifying process" of God's touch we are made "clean" and "pure" all over again. No one struggles with this 'purity' thing alone - we are all in the same boat! Maybe this is why God encourages us to look out for each other, spurring one another on in this walk of grace! We all need grace - renewing of our minds, cleansing of our hearts, and our actions being anointed by his grace. So, who goes up to the presence of God - ALL who are willing to be washed! We don't wash alone! There is BIG "sink" in God's house! The moment we realize we need to be 'washed' is the moment we realize where it is we find this 'cleansing'. Just sayin!

Are you downloading or offloading?

Most of us love a bargain find of some sort garage sale find, that sale rack at the mall, or the older models being phased out to make way for the new! Whenever we come across the item marked down to something less than its original price don't we just get a little excited about the 'find'? If not outwardly, you are probably celebrating, emotions dancing on the inside. Bargains are awesome. The problem is - some "bargains" are merely "made up" to appear as bargains! They end up not really being much of a "bargain" in the end. You know what I mean - those "treasures" you thought you could not live without that now just clutter your cabinets, drawers, or provide 'dust bunny collection spots' in your home. There are lots of things that present themselves in our lives as "bargains" - things we absolutely need - but are in reality going to provide nothing more than a fleeting moment of enjoyment.

Don't for a minute envy careless rebels; soak yourself in the Fear-of-God — that's where your future lies. Then you won't be left with an armload of nothing. (Proverbs 23:17-18)

A "bargain" which is really not a "bargain" is like loading ourselves up with "armloads of nothing". We find we have been "sucked into" the frenzy of believing the "false claims" of the things we loaded ourselves down with. Don't miss it - we load ourselves up with all kinds of supposedly "good things" in our lives - but we do it without truly thinking (in a frenzy). There is something to be said about 'taking time to consider' before we actually 'acquire' things in life - even the things that present themselves as "Christian" or "good for you".

We have a natural "bent" of comparing ourselves to others. We see another walk past us and in an instant, our minds go into the "processing mode" of analyzing how they are dressed, how their hair style fits their "look", and maybe even evaluating their other physical attributes (such as fat/skinny, tall/short, blemishes/perfect skin). In one quick glance, we form all kinds of opinions. It is like we have one of those infrared scanner devices in our mind's eye, passing each "subject" over it, registering the "coded" information we store in our brains, and then coming to a conclusion just as quickly. Pretty soon we begin to analyze what they 'present' as being in possession of in their lives and we might just want what they 'present'. Don't miss it - most of it is 'window-dressing', my friends. Most of the time what we 'portray' isn't what actually is on the inside. It is good to allow our "processing mode" to be Spirit-directed in order to avoid jumping to unreliable conclusions.

The danger for us lies in the immediacy of how quickly we jump from our own place of contentment to envying others who "pass our scanners" with the "appearance" of having it all together! You know, if you have ever seen me on a workday, you might even have come to this very conclusion about me! The conclusion you jump to in seeing me dressed for work might have someone saying,"There goes someone who has it all together and is ready for her day." I hate to burst your impression of me in that moment, but I do NOT have it all together. I struggle with judging others, involving myself in conversations which would be better off not said, and being careless in so many choices. In fact, I probably struggled with a few of those things even before I finished dressing for my day!

None of us is above envying the carelessness of those who seem to have life by the horns - living by their own might, means, and motives. We just naturally jump to the conclusion they must "have it all together" and be doing "all right" with life. The cold reality is those very individuals we envy are probably struggling terribly just beneath the surface in their lives! One who is without Christ is without hope - one who is without hope is just aimlessly wandering this earth. Although they may possess every physical attribute man considers worth having, they lack the one which assures them lasting peace, unending joy, and constantly renewed faith in hard times. Soak yourself in God - wise words indeed. Why? Simply stated - one without Christ has no real hope for the future. Theirs is a life of "today" without any real sense of what tomorrow will bring - it might look good on the surface, but underneath that surface view things are a totally different picture. One who rightly pursues Christ as the center of their life will not always know what circumstances tomorrow will bring, but they will know who holds them close as they venture into each new day.

I wonder how many times we senselessly pursue armloads of nothing in our lives. If our arms are so packed with "nothing", when Jesus offers us "something", we have little room to accept his greater gifts when they are offered. It is only as we lay down the armloads of nothing we struggle so hard to present as 'the front' we bear that we are able to embrace the things of greatest worth which Christ desires to bestow upon us - the things that give us more than a 'front' in life. It is not in how "full" our arms are that we "judge" the greatness of an individual - it is the "load" those arms carry! Christ told us his "load" was light, unlike the armloads we amass in our frenzy of envy! The armloads the careless rebels amass are acquired in haste. A rebel is anyone who chooses his or her own way. It is a word we could use to describe ourselves at times. The armloads of blessing God gives are acquired in moments of stillness. When we yield our will to live on our own terms, we often find it necessary to unload our lives of the things that we have amassed as a result of living by some of those choices we have been making. Sometimes the greatest "load" we carry is the peace of having "offloaded" a burden we were never meant to carry in the first place! Just sayin!

Oh, so I am the enemy

Did you ever stop to think how much your 'enemy' can tell you about yourself? Your true self, that is. Some of us find ourselves making excuses for our enemy's attacks - blaming them - all the while missing what that 'enemy' is telling us about ourselves. Some of us think this enemy is strutting around, just gloating because we aren't able to be free of whatever it is that is attacking us. Maybe if we'd stop long enough to consider the 'enemy' we face, we might just find we have been beaten by ourselves! I wonder how many times we find ourselves experiencing this "beaten down" state simply because of the subtle, but consistent, compromises we have made - allowing the 'enemy' inside of us without a single thought as to how it will affect us.

She played fast and loose with life, she never considered tomorrow, and now she's crashed royally, with no one to hold her hand: "Look at my pain, O God! And how the enemy cruelly struts." (Lamentations 1:9)

This passage speaks of the condition of heart and soul anyone will experience when taken in by the 'enemy of their soul'. If God took the time to leave us these words, we should take the time to consider how they might apply to our lives. Some of us would do well to recognize the 'enemy' reveals much more about ourselves than we might like to admit - things like our actual 'willingness' to compromise! I would like to take some time to consider four things today:

The condition of our soul: She played fast and loose with life. All of us are subject to this same condition of "soulish and immediate" enjoyment of life. We give into our whims and fancies, only to find ourselves totally unfulfilled and the cost of our fast living proves to be too much for us to keep up with. Don't miss it - she played FAST. The old idiom, "Haste makes waste," comes to mind here. Whenever we don't take time to really consider our choices, we often regret the outcome!

The condition of our mind: She never considered tomorrow. When one is living fast and loose, there is nothing more alluring than the pleasures of today - completely missing tomorrow's demands and needs. Take for example the choices we make to ignore the few extra pounds we see on the scale today. Eat as we like and those few will soon amount to many in the tomorrows which will come! It is often our lack of "forethought" which gets us into so much trouble. Our mind plays a tremendous part in the activities of today - for all action is based on our thought!

The condition of our spirit: She now has crashed royally. There is a tremendous cost to inattentive living which we rarely consider in the moment we make the choice to pursue that pathway. If you have ever experienced the "crash" of your hard drive, you know the sudden panic at having "lost everything"! The spirit of man is what gives us the unique animation and capability of deep, interpersonal relationship with others (especially God). When the spirit crashes, it is like our internal "hard drive" has crashed! The very thing which animates us, drawing richness from the throne of God, is interrupted in its ability to "make the connection".

The condition of our heart: She has no one to hold her hand. When we have no "connection", we lack the very thing we need to help in life's darkest moments! Compromise has a cost far greater than the moment of soulish or immediate enjoyment we experience. Mind, spirit and heart all bear the effect. A disconnected spirit leads to an empty heart. Don't despair! God's able to see beyond our choices and knows us better than we know ourselves. We just need to submit to the touch of his hands in our lives! As he touches us, respond with a new animation of spirit, the submission of your mind, and a whole new determination to consider carefully the steps you take. In turn, his hands remain close, bearing us up until we are restored into purposeful and delivered condition of heart, soul, and body! Just sayin!

It is hampering my growth

One thing is said, another is meant. One thing is done, but the intention behind it is completely contrary to the "appearance". At times, we are presented with individuals who seem to have an "ulterior motive" in their actions. In other words, what is presented is really a "mask" for something being done to deceive the individual on the receiving end of the action. This is very dangerous ground for us - simply because we really don't know what to expect, or when to trust. When expectations are not clear, or trust is not fully established, we can get ourselves into all kinds of pickles!

Mixed motives twist life into tangles; pure motives take you straight down the road. (Proverbs 21:8)

We would probably call an "ulterior" motive a "second motive" - one which is usually a little selfish or self-centered in nature. These motives result in a life that ends in a tangled mess! Not my idea of where I want to be living, but I have known my share of tangles! In fact, when I am faced with these kind of individuals, I tend to pull back from relationship with them - simply because I cannot trust their intentions and they have a tendency to "complicate" my life way more than I want! Don't get me wrong - I don't always have the purest motives myself! I just try my best not to purposely work in the realm of "secret" or "hidden" agendas! God is perfectly aware of our "hidden" motives - those we'd call "selfish" or "self-centered" in nature. Times such as when we ask God to bless us with a new car and what we are really saying is, "God, I don't like the one you have already blessed me with!" The desire is genuine, but the motive is a little self-centered.

People who purposefully set out to deceive by their actions not only leave their own lives in a mess, they leave the lives of those they touch in a mess of tangles. They are never free from the tangled mess themselves because any life of deception requires a whole lot of effort to keep up the facade of untruths used to mask the reality of what lies just beneath the surface! I think these are the individuals God was "aiming at" in the verse above - those who hide their guilt behind a facade live in tangles and leave others in tangles. Pure motives keep us on a straight path. God understands our "bent" toward selfish motives, but he expects as we become aware of these motives, we will hurriedly lay them at the foot of the altar and have them changed by the touch of his grace. If we are finding our life caught up in a jumble of tangles as a result of the deceptiveness of our actions and thoughts, we might need some altar time to untangle the mess we've created!

In examining the word "tangle", I found it not only relates to the mess of inter-twisted parts, but also it carries the idea of being caught or held in a trap or snare. Mixed motives actually serve to entrap us; snaring us in their grip. There is a 'hampering effect' which occurs anytime the motives we choose to obey are those which are not pure in nature. They hamper our growth, relationships, and even our access to God. Perhaps this is why God places such emphasis on purity of heart! His goal is to never have anything keep us from straight-forward, immediate, and unhindered access to him! Mixed motives deceive - pure motives open the doors of trust. Mixed motives ensnare - pure motives allow freedom in relationship. Mixed motives will overgrow if never placed in check! We need to be constantly examining our motives - not in light of our own perceptions - but in the light of the Cross. The Cross exposes what is just beneath the surface - revealing exactly what it is we are "covering over". Never forget that it is at the altar we are altered. Never "under-value" the time you spend at the altar of God's grace! In the end, what emerges is pure and good. Just sayin!

Noticed by grace

Stop and notice life around you from time to time - you might just be surprised by what you observe!
Sometimes we miss the "little things" in life. I guess I am as guilty of "glossing over" stuff as the next person. I wonder how much I really miss out on because I never stop long enough, listen close enough, or draw close enough to really "catch" what is happening? There are times when life passes us by at break-neck speed, or perhaps we are passing it by at that insane speed! Slow down, listen a little, get in touch with things and people around you. Notice stuff - it might just blow your mind!

I spelled out your character in detail to the men and women you gave me. They were yours in the first place; then you gave them to me, and they have now done what you said. They know now, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that everything you gave me is firsthand from you, for the message you gave me, I gave them; and they took it, and were convinced that I came from you. They believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I'm not praying for the God-rejecting world but for those you gave me, for they are yours by right. Everything mine is yours, and yours mine, and my life is on display in them. For I'm no longer going to be visible in the world; they'll continue in the world while I return to you. Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life that you conferred as a gift through me, so they can be one heart and mind as we are one heart and mind. (John 17:6-11)

After a not very restful night's sleep, the first thing attacking my conscious mind this morning was the awesomeness of being "given" to Christ. So many times we think we "came" to Christ - like it was some doing of our own. The most amazing thing to me is our utter inability to find our way to Christ! Without his being "given" us as his own, we'd never have "found" him! We belonged to God the Father, given as a gift to his Son, Jesus! Have you ever thought of yourself as an "inheritance" - something of value given to another by the one who owned it in the first place? By this very definition we are more than "junk" cast aside, but rather a personal possession of the God of the Universe - made to give him glory and honor - given in tender care as a matter of "birthright" to the Son of God! It should give us immense joy to know God considers us of the highest worth - for only things of worth are given as an inheritance!

The truth is it may take a while for those given as an inheritance to actually do as they are instructed to do. Just belonging to Christ doesn't make us immediately obedient to all he desires, does it? "They have NOW done what you said..." The very use of the word "now" suggests some point in time of  each one of us NOT doing what God instructs. This certainly pictures my life! I know I have those moments of absolute surrender - I think there is a Christian worship song which refers to these as "second chances". We serve a God of huge second chances! This is truly awesome news for me - since I need so many of those 'second chances' in my own life! Nothing we get from Christ is "stale" knowledge. He gives us what he receives directly from his Father. It is alive, life-giving knowledge. What else could the Creator of all things do but share knowledge which is capable of producing life for those who will embrace it? Here's the rub - we have to embrace it! We settle for something "stale" so many times - when the freshness of the Creator's touch is right there for the taking! God's greatest joy is in sharing and producing life!

Christ's life is on display in us. This is no after-thought on Christ's part - he is purposeful in his prayer to his Father about each of us. He knows we are the display of his grace - to a world who will have no knowledge of the Creator without the evidence of his Son displayed through us! We are trophies of his grace - displayed for the world to see. Our every action, reaction, and even our lack of action displays the character of God (or it should). Yet, his prayer is for us to be guarded - with a "watch" set over our lives. Not just a "watch" to ensure no one destroys us - but a watchfulness to ensure the display of his grace is not tainted by our tendency to mess things up. Jesus knew we'd struggle with the simple stuff in life! Jesus' prayer is for us to be of one heart and mind - moving in the same direction, spurring each other on toward grace and goodness. We can allow the simple things to divide us, or we can focus on the truths of God and build upon them in unity. I think this is what Jesus had in mind as he prayed for us so many years ago. The next time you are tempted to "gloss over" some of the "familiar" stuff in the Word - don't! The truths we skip may be the very blessing we need! Just sayin!

Icing? Yes, please!

Have you ever blamed someone else for something you did wrong? If you lived in a house with more than one sibling growing up, you might have tried to blame a sibling, or the infamous person referred to a "I dunno". Most of the time mom or dad knew perfectly well that one of their 'charming children' was to blame for the broken glass, empty cookie jar, or missing remote! There are times we "blame" God for the ignorant stuff we do. We venture into stuff without clearly thinking it through - just plunging right ahead and never considering the end before we take the first step. In the end, we look back, wondering where God let us down! Proverbs reminds us people ruin their own lives by their own foolishness (Proverbs 19:3). God is seldom to "blame" for our missteps. In fact, when we come right down to it, the steps were miscalculated on our part - plain and simple.

Grow a wise heart—you'll do yourself a favor; keep a clear head—you'll find a good life. 

(Proverbs 19:8)

Grow a wise heart. There is no implication of a wise heart being given to us on a silver platter, or because we are some 'favored one'! Wisdom is something which comes over time - through consistent application of truth as it is revealed to us. It is like icing a cake. You begin with a full bowl of icing - perfectly prepared for the cake. Until you take the spatula and begin to "apply" it to the cake, the cake is unaffected by the icing in the bowl. Now, cake without icing is okay - but cake with a rich layer of icing wedged between the layers and slathered all over the surface is much more luscious! The 'topping' of the cake is really the 'application' of truth in our lives! The Word of God is "prepared" for us - just like the icing in the bowl. God took special time to pour out each and every word contained within scripture - just as one who designs a recipe takes the time to consider each ingredient carefully and with precision. He prepared his Word in advance of us needing to "apply" it to our lives. In the application, we experience the rich lusciousness of the Word. It satiates us with its richness!

"The one who gets wisdom loves life..." Do you love life? If you are not pursuing the Word in such a manner so as to apply it actively to your life, you may not actually love to 'embrace' wisdom! Wisdom is "grown", not just "known". Keep a clear head - there is no implication of a clear head being the result of some mystical process. The very simple truth is we must "keep" our heads in "right" condition - "keeping" is really our responsibility. Whenever we "keep" something, it implies we have brought it into right order to begin with! When you "keep up", you are saying you are maintaining possession of something placed within your control. These are "our" minds - they don't belong to anyone else. Therefore, the keeping of a clear head is really an active process on our part.

"The one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper." We have a tendency to "keep up" something we cherish. Look at a man with his polished and preciously restored vintage automobile. Hours of hard work, tender care, and skilled application on display for all to behold. A clear head is something like this man's automobile - it needs our hard work, tender care, and skillful application of truth in order to set it in right order and to keep it in this condition of order! If the man only looked in on that vehicle from time to time, the 'upkeep' of the vehicle would be wasted. We are not left on our own to do the "ordering" of our minds. This is a good thing! We have been given the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to assist in the process - kind of like having the technical manual at our fingertips, along with a skilled instructor to guide us through.

Today, I want to challenge us to examine our application of knowledge - to move beyond the mere attainment of knowledge. Mere knowledge is nothing without application - in applying what we learn, we soon become wise beyond our age - beyond our experiences! It is in the application of truth and the "keeping up" with the application of it over time until it produces the desired result that we begin to realize clarity of mind and thought! We don't apply truth to just have it adorn our lives - it is applied because it makes the enjoyment of our lives richer and more meaningful. Just sayin!

Is any of that for real?

I have a observed this trend to get eyelash extensions, lip puff ups, and other types of augmentation. If you have them don't be mad at me right now, but why on earth do some of these gals get those eyelashes almost an inch long? It is like they almost need to work at opening their eyes! Those lashes are so long and with all the mascara on them to boot, they must catch the focus of their eye a whole lot. I also notice the lip enhancements with some form of stuff that is meant to puff them up, the eyeliner that goes on forever, and the six inch heels with the pointy toes. Mom had always taught me to leave the house "presentable". This does not mean I dress up, or 'super-enhance' what I have, but simply that I don't go out in my PJs or with hair every which way! Silly, isn't it, how much we focus on the external as our "view" of being presentable or beautiful to those around us?

So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place." Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The "curtain" into God's presence is his body. So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:19-25)

Presentable INSIDE and OUT! This should be our goal! Jesus knows exactly what we are like - it doesn't matter how we "dress ourselves up" - he knows us inside and out, just as we are underneath everything we try to 'add' to our appearance to give some 'other' impression of what we are already! Amazingly, he loves us exactly as he knows us - exactly as we are! There is no hesitation in approaching God when we do it through relationship with Jesus - because 'in Jesus' we are made as beautiful as we could ever hope to be. Just as every home needs a doorway by which we enter, so access to God is through the blood sacrifice of Jesus. There is no other way to God EXCEPT through Christ. It is this relationship which gives us the boldness to enter into God's presence - no longer fearful of what he sees when he looks upon us. Why? Simply because he sees Jesus and the effect he has in our lives when he looks upon us!

We often hesitate to enter God's presence because of some guilt over past or recent sin, kind of like when we have curlers in our hair or no make-up on and don't want to be seen in public. The truth of the matter is God already knows about our sin and he has provided a perfect "covering" for our sin - the blood of Jesus. We need not avoid contact with God simply because we have sinned - in fact, we need to confess our sin and move right up close to God for his healing touch! The confidence of being fully presentable (inside and out) is something we need to appropriate and believe in our lives. We live far below our potential when we listen to our own mind's arguments of our "worth" or "value" or "beauty". The very thing which gives us supreme value and beauty is Christ inside of us! There is no other action which makes us "more presentable" or "more beautiful".

The good news is the "clean-up" or "transformation" of our lives has begun, but it isn't finished! We come to Christ with all our "baggage" of past hurts, wrong actions, and selfish deeds. He takes them, one-by-one, and replaces them with the perfect touch of his grace. We need a firm grip on what keeps us "centered". Plainly put, this is the Word of God. The more we allow the Word of God to get INTO us, the more it will affect what comes OUT of us (inside and out equally affected). No amount of 'self-beautifying' effort is more rewarded than the time we take getting the Word into our lives. The good news is we don't need to look into the mirror of the Word alone - we have been given each other to spur each other on - to help each other take frequent and long looks into the mirror of God's Word. No race is easy to run! In fact, whenever we "ramp up" our momentum, there are usually multiple obstacles to overcome. This makes it all the more important to not run alone! We need each other! A spur "digs in" and causes the one being spurred to become acutely aware of the action required. It is good to have others who will alert us to action and to assist us in "ramping up" when we need to! So, blemishes and all, don't be afraid to enter God's presence! Who knows - maybe his touch will leave you with so much inward beauty you won't care about those 'artificial beautifiers' any longer! Just sayin!

I'm too tough to cry!

There is a saying goes something like, "If I didn't laugh right now, I'd probably be crying!" Golda Meir said, "Those who do not know how to weep with their whole heart don't know how to laugh either." One of the most popular columns in the Reader's Digest when I was growing up was the "Laughter is the Best Medicine" feature. Why is it we enjoy laughter more than tears? Might it be that we equate tears with melancholy and tears with joy? Could it be that tears leave us drained, while laughter seems to build us up? Maybe it is because the more we cry, the deeper the worries set in and the more we laugh the worries seem to lift for even just a while.

A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired. (Proverbs 17:22)

A cheerful disposition is good for our health! Sadness leaves us feeling like we have been wrung out and left to dry out like a used washrag. Ever see a dried, used washrag? It is brittle, stinky, and pretty inflexible - you can pick it up of the place it was left to dry out and it still has the shame of what it hung upon! No wonder we enjoy the laughter so much - none of us wants to be dried up, stinky old washrags that have been 'formed' by whatever life leaves us! There is an old Jewish proverb which goes, "What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul." Think on that one for just a moment or two today. Tears have a real "cathartic" effect for our bodies, don't they? We may feel a little "wrung out" for a while, but there is definitely something "cleansing" for our 'soul' in having shed all those tears. William Shakespeare reminded us, "To weep is to make less the depth of grief." So, tears are really not a bad thing after all, but they do seem to have a 'deep' effect in our lives.

So, why is it we prefer laughter to tears? Going again to our passage, the clue lies in the word "disposition". It is not the tears which do us in so much as it is our disposition! The prevailing "tendency" of our spirit is what determines either the sense of release, or the turmoil of remaining under an overwhelming burden. When the "tendency" (disposition) of our spirit is consistently submitted to God's will and his love, even the tears of sorrow can leave us liberated! Laughter is a good thing indeed. I enjoy a good belly-splitting laugh now and again. The kind which leaves you with tears leaking from your eyes and your side hurting - those are the ones that seem to release all those 'good hormones' that leave you feeling a little bit 'released'. There is nothing as enjoyable as sharing some laughter with a friend. In fact, to make light of a "faux-pas" is often the most delightful release! I actually seek out individuals who aren't afraid to laugh, especially at their own 'faux-pas'.

Disposition is everything. How we approach life's challenges when they are hurled our way is based upon our inward disposition - the "set of our spirit". It is truly a sad thing to be so weighed down by life's griefs until it so deeply affects an individual to the very bones of their frame! There are many who carry loads beyond their bearing - all because they choose a disposition which holds onto their grief instead of letting it go! Why do you think the scriptures warn against holding onto things that would best be forgiven? Easy! It affects our internal disposition - the disposition of our spirit! We call the resulting effect of 'holding onto wrongs' "bitterness" - it makes us "sour" on people, life, and sometimes even God. Why does scripture advise not to turn our backs on wise counsel? Simple! Unwise counsel trips us up and gets us down on ourselves. Gloom and doom leave you "bone-tired". As a nurse, I know this to be a fact. I see many a "worn-out" soul carrying many a burden beyond their 'bearable' capacity - all because they cannot or will not let it go! As some food for thought today, here's one final quote: "Time engraves our faces with all the tears we have not shed." (Natalie Clifford Barney) What is your face telling you about your disposition? Maybe it is time for a little release of what we have kept so deeply pent up for quite a long, long time! Just sayin!

More than a friend

Whenever someone or something forces you to continually direct your attention and energy to whatever it is you are doing is said to be 'keeping you on your toes'. Staying on your toes is a term used to describe being prepared for whatever could happen - the potential or eventuality is in the forefront of our thoughts. In simplest terms, it means to be ready for action - ready to jump in and to take whatever action is required. In another sense, we can describe this as alertness or awareness of what is going on around us. Either way, there is attentiveness, intentional preparedness, and an investment of ourselves. To be 'on the watch out' for something or someone is a very similar term. It means we are aware as a result of being challenged!

So watch your step, friends. Make sure there's no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as it's still God's Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn't slow down your reflexes. If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we're in this with Christ for the long haul. (Hebrews 3:12-14)

We are called or challenged to take a good, hard look at Jesus. This is suggestive of more than just merely "entertaining" a fleeting acquaintance with who he is or what he has done. It is suggestive of being deeply engaged in finding out who this Jesus guy is. In taking this "good, hard look" at Jesus, we are to come to recognize he is the center of all we believe - not just part of our belief. As the center, it is important to realize everything else we believe must then begin and end with him. We are also reminded to consider the failure of our those who have gone before us in the faith who failed miserably in trusting God over and over again. For a while, they'd surge ahead in faith, aligned with God's plans, but when they got "comfortable" with God's grace in their lives, they began to take God's grace for granted. In the end, they'd fall into all kinds of sinful misdeeds which God warned them to avoid. Their actions are referred to as "trying God's patience". Imagine that - to be totally honest with you, I see myself here! I wonder just how many times I have taken God for granted, settled into my comfortable place, and drifted into complacency?

Guess what? I am not in this "comfort zone" alone! I think I have other companions in this place of comfort who have done the same! In fact, this is why we are frequently reminded to "keep each other on our toes"! God clearly knows comfort's "drift" will come. He also knows the best way to avoid the "drift" is to have a companion in the journey - one who helps us to remain on our toes, challenging us and helping us to remain alert to the compromising complacency that settles in like an early morning fog. In counseling terms we'd call this an "accountability partner". I honestly believe having someone in our lives who keeps us on our toes is more than having someone we confess our struggles to and ask for prayer. As a matter of fact, one of my most important "accountability" partners doesn't even know she is holding me accountable! In the simple ways she challenges me to consider my actions, to temper my words, and to reconsider my choices. I am kept on "my toes". Yep, she is helping me to draw nearer to Christ just by being in my life.

Did you ever stop to consider the actions of a fighter in the ring? He needs to be "on his toes" when he is faced by an opponent. It is the presence of an opponent which brings him to full attention. I wonder how many times we have discounted the activity of being faced with an opponent in life? Perhaps the presence of an opponent is really helping to keep us on our toes! We are in this for the long haul - through comfort and unease. We have to be ready for anything - good or bad. We will face much in the journey - some things we face will be more enjoyable than others. In the midst of it all, we need each other's "coaching" to remain on our toes - so we don't give into the "drift" and lure of that place of comfort. Who's in your life, keeping you on your toes today? It could be a friend - and it could be the one who stands as an opponent in the ring with you! Either way - keep Christ at the center, stay on your toes, and don't get too comfortable! Just sayin!

Oh, that is what you said!

Have you ever just chased your tail round and round? The harder you seem to work at solving something, the more difficult it seems to become to solve it. You never seem to "catch up", never seem to fully "grasp" the goal - the solution seems to evade you and you try repeatedly to solve whatever it is that stands before you. In the end, you just sit there in total frustration, more in a muddle than you were when you first began, wondering if there are any 'untried solutions' to the issue. Just as quickly as we started, we find ourselves out of energy to continue to journey! We stop short of the goal - never really crossing the finish line. What a waste to have started and then to not finish it. We are reminded of the importance of staying focused. We are also reminded of the senselessness of relying on anything other than Jesus to give us prominence or importance in the Kingdom of God.

"I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back." (Philippians 3:12-14)

We need to be insanely open about the struggle (the strain) it takes to reach the goal set out before us. Contrary to our frequent opinion about ourselves, we are not the "expert", but we are to know the voice of our God beckoning us onward - toward him. Here we find the point of most of our failure - it is based in the actual hearing of God's voice beckoning us onward. We all struggle with the "stretch" once in a while, but sometimes we struggle more than others - either because we hear and don't respond, or because we just refuse to hear. "So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it."  (Philippians 3:15-16)

Anything less than total commitment really is not true or authentic commitment! Commitment suggests engagement - active participation from those involved. Therefore, anything less is really "dis-engagement". The reminder to us is focused on the need for total engagement. Throughout scripture, we see accounts of many who start well, then get off-course along the way. Why? It usually begins in the "listening". We "hear" a lot of stuff - what we "listen to" is what affects us the deepest. I have shared many times - listening is an action, not a passive process. Listening is indeed engagement. This past week my BFF needed to run by a store to find a particular item. I "heard" her announce the retailer she desired to visit and told her we'd stop on the way home. What I failed to "hear" was which one of these retailer locations she desired to visit. I chose the wrong one and she was delayed by one day in finding her purchase because of my 'listening, but not hearing'.

It makes no sense to hear clear direction and then ignore it, right? Yet, we do all the time! We read God's Word, become acquainted with his direct will for us, then just go on without ever "conforming" to his direct will. It is all a matter of focus - the clearer our focus, the easier it is to stay on track. It is God who gives us clarity - it is up to us what we do with the clarity we receive! Just sayin!

Say What?

One day, Paul was writing a letter to the Roman church. He is quite clear about his intention in writing – he wants only the best for his readers. He goes one step further in explaining his intention – he wants their salvation. His real “heart feelings” are summed up in the words of Romans 10:3 when he says, “After all these years of refusing to really deal with God on his terms, insisting on making their own deals, they have nothing to show for it.” He goes on to outline the receiving of grace by faith - not a system of "works" - in the heart action of believing we are saved, not in the doing of 'actions' to get our salvation. Then he asks a question he says has been asked for years by almost every prophet or preacher along the way, "Is what I am saying really making any difference?" I think there are times we all ask this question - especially when it comes to sharing our faith. The very next thing he said caught my attention this morning: Have you ever equated trust with listening?

Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ's Word is preached, there's nothing to listen to. (Romans 10:17)

The words which caught my focus today - BEFORE you trust, YOU have to listen. There are various stages we all go through prior to trusting someone, aren't there? For example, the first time someone told me dirt did not taste bad, you can imagine I was quite skeptical because it 'looked' and 'smelled' bad! It took some convincing on their part to actually get me to take the leap of faith to actually consume even a small amount of it! Yep, you heard me right - I ate the dirt! Now, this was probably not my wisest moment in life, but I have made it well past the mid-century mark now, so it probably did not do me any serious harm! Before I trusted what my friends were telling me, I had to listen to a whole lot of arguments about how it could not hurt me. Guess what? Most of what we do in life is done in faith. When you turn on the faucet to take your shower, you expect hot water to pummel down. When you go off to the grocer to buy groceries for the week, you trust the grocer will have stocked the shelves. You are doing all kinds of things "by faith". How did you develop this faith? You listened and then you acted!

You took driver's education, listening intently to the requirements of a good driver, then you acted upon what you had heard by actually driving the car! You listened to mom or dad tell you to jump in the shower to wash off the day's grunge and you found you actually enjoyed the clean feeling it left you with. As God moves in our lives, we are exposed to a whole lot of opportunities to learn. What we do with what we are exposed to determines the outcome we will realize in our lives! As we listen to what he tells us, we might actually find ourselves being moved to "apply" what it is we are hearing! Notice, I did not say we would AUTOMATICALLY apply what we heard. Obedience is seldom AUTOMATIC. In fact, it is a step of trust and trust is based on how well we are listening. After we listen well, we likely will find ourselves desiring to act well!

When I refer to our "listening" ability here, I am assuming we are doing the kind of listening which is "on purpose", with "sincere attention", and truly "in the moment". We actually probably do a whole lot of "second-hand" listening in our Christian walk - just like when we overhear bits and pieces of conversations and think we really know what others are talking about. We are probably actually surprised to find what we thought they were discussing is really not what we heard! We often aren't "intentional" in our listening - especially when it comes to opportunities God presents to us which are for the increasing of our faith! Trust is based on listening. Listening is based on attentive focus. Therefore, if we are to build our faith, it is the intentional application of what we are listening to which produces the building of our faith! BEFORE we trust - we have to listen. Not sure what God may be speaking into your lives this morning, but it is definitely worth the "listen"! Just sayin!

Where'd I put that thing?

I used to enjoy watching the re-runs of the TV series, "The Waltons". The simpler times of 'pioneer life' have their intrigue - if not immediately, at least when you are in the midst of a traffic jam on the highway or a huge delay at the airport! The struggles to remain true to their convictions when times were quickly changing around them is a reminder to me of the speed of change demanding our attention today - change happens at the speed of light these days, or so it seems. What touches me the most in these shows about pioneer life is their simple trust - in their neighbors, in their family, and in their God. One of the characters on the show, Ike Godsey, is the store owner and local postmaster. His store is never really seen as what we'd call "impressive" by today's standards, but it always seemed he could get his hands on whatever anyone was looking to obtain - even if he had to special order it. Sometimes we forget we have a great big God who is able to do above and beyond whatever we imagine in our lives - not in terms of granting our every wish, but in terms of helping us find and keep what is best for our lives.

He said, "Then you see how every student well-trained in God's kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it." (Matthew 13:52)

To be a student well-trained in God's Word is being the like the owner of a general store - able to put our hands on anything we need - exactly when we need it! The idea of a vast storehouse which is at our disposal might make some think we serve God for the 'goods' he can give us, but quite the opposite must be true in our lives. We are given access to a great deal in this relationship with him, but if we are in it merely for the 'goods' we receive, we have it all wrong. We often have "access" to many things. I have access to a copy machine right in my office area. In fact, I have access to a laser printer, copier, scanner, and fax machine without having to walk more than 20 feet. Yet, none of these office machines are mine. I can "use" them in the day-to-day operation of my work, but I don't get to take them home at the end of the day. They are not owned my me. Access is the ability to "use" these items only. I have been granted "permission" to utilize them, and I can grant permission to others to utilize them as they have need, as well.

As Jesus is speaking with his disciples, he refers to being "students" - well-trained in God's kingdom which really equates to them being like store "owners". The one who owns the store is able to access anything within the store whenever the need arises. The one who merely "purchases" from the store is one who must seek permission to purchase what is needed and they must have the 'goods' with which to barter for the item they desire. Being a disciple of the Word is like being the keeper of a vast storeroom of "good stuff" you may "access" at any time - not having to barter for it in order to obtain it. New or old - exactly when you need it. Here's the joy of becoming a student of the Word - the vastness of the resources available to us! Some truths will be like the pillars of a building - holding us strong through thick and thin. Other truths will be used less frequently, but like the fine china which comes out on special occasions, they grace our lives with beauty. Then there is the cumulative effect of one portion of the Word adding to another - providing wisdom for our journey and sustenance to our soul.

I need to find some things in my workshop that I have 'put away' for safe keeping. As I got the tools, I unpacked them and put away the small parts. As I am becoming aware of what the small parts actually do within these devices, I am not struggling to fine them! What I need to do is create a space for them and make them more visible so I am able to find them now. In other words, I need to deal with some 'clutter' in my shop in order to have things be available when I need them. It is often in the "de-cluttering" of our lives we find out just how blessed we are - that we really do have the 'parts' we need to accomplish whatever it is we are in need of doing! Sometimes we "clutter up" our storeroom of faith with all kinds of things which only serve to push the good stuff to the back, making "access" a little difficult. Maybe we need to "de-clutter" our spiritual storerooms a little, too. In so doing, we may find treasures we'd long forgotten! Just sayin!

More than "feeling" it

The gist of the entirety of scripture is the concept of taking what we come to know or discover there, and then applying it to our lives so our lives are affected by whatever it is we are discovering. Isn't this the basis of all learning? Application being the basis of all change because without application there really is no advantage to knowledge - it is nice to have, but if not applied, it is 'trivia'.  It is only when knowledge is applied that we can say we are truly developing "wisdom".  As we explore scripture each day, I think God is wanting to tell us something more than, "This is a nice little tidbit of knowledge for you." In fact, he likely is saying something closer to, "Take this, use it, learn to live within it, and be blessed beyond your wildest dreams."

Later a few religion scholars and Pharisees got on him. "Teacher, we want to see your credentials. Give us some hard evidence that God is in this. How about a miracle?"  Jesus said, "You're looking for proof, but you're looking for the wrong kind. All you want is something to titillate your curiosity, satisfy your lust for miracles.  (Matthew 12:38-40)

Day after day, week after week, Jesus has been healing the sick, setting the demon-possessed free from their torturous existence, and teaching the truths of the Word. Still, after all these "signs and wonders", the religion scholars "get on" Jesus about his "credentials" for teaching the Word of God! If I had been there, my response would have been something like, "Wake up dudes!" It is quite possible to be surrounded by the greatest of evidence and totally miss the point of it! They came with the demand for "hard evidence".  If opening the eyes of the blind from birth, or unraveling the shriveled hand of a man born with a birth defect is not "hard evidence", I am not exactly sure what they were looking for! They ask for a miracle! What on earth had they been seeing over these past several weeks or months right there in their midst? In fact, they had seen more miracles in one day than most of us see in a lifetime and they were still looking for "hard evidence"!

Jesus hits it on the head - all they wanted was something to "titillate" their curiosity. It is amazing to me how many times we fall into this same trap. We wander off to church each Sunday, go to our small groups one night a week, attend a revival meeting, or go off to a retreat center, all in search of something to "titillate" our senses. What we miss in our "wandering" is the touch God designed for our spirit, not our senses! It is our spirit that requires the touch from him, not our senses - yet we look for that which will 'thrill' us in some manner. I imagine this disappoints God a little because he has prepared so much for us to enjoy and we seem to miss it. Did you know the root of the word "titillate" is "tickle"?  We are often looking for God to "tickle" our fancy - give us just a little sense of his presence, assurance, or direction. We aren't really looking for life change - we want "sensation". God gave us the functional capacity to be curious - he also gave us the spiritual capacity to be in sync with his movement. When our focus is only on the "feeling" of being "tickled" by God's grace, we often miss the evidence of his grace right in the midst of our most desperate need for it!

Jesus encountered this face-on. He did not back down. He called it what it was - sensational seeking! Whenever we want the "sensation" of God's presence apart from the change his presence desires to bring, we miss it! Those who received their miracles came expectantly - not looking for the sensation of healing, but for the ACTUAL healing! This is what God honors - expectant faith, hungering hope. I wonder how many times we have missed what we so desperately needed for our deliverance from some life struggle we have dealt with incessantly for years simply because we come to Jesus hoping he'd tickle our fancies with some "feelings" of deliverance? Over the years, I have come to realize Jesus does more in one moment of yielded obedience than he ever does in the hours I have spent in church! Yep, church attendance is important, but if we were honest, it is in the quiet of alone time with him where we are most frequently touched by his grace! Maybe we need to open our eyes afresh to the "hard evidence" of obedience in our lives - this seems to be the "evidence" which produces change! It is not about "feeling" deliverance as much as it is learning to walk in it until the "feeling" becomes a permanent part of who we are and how we respond to life. Just sayin!