Be successful

Success is the sum of small efforts - repeated day in and day out. 

(Robert Collier)

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 weekend war 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 6:10-11)

Many of us go through the same routine day after day, without thought as to why or how we do whatever it is we do within those routines. Do you honestly think through the steps of brushing your teeth, combing your hair, or even putting on your clothing? Do you just head to the coffee pot not really thinking through the 'desire' for that first cup? If you are heading to work today, do you actually think about each twist and turn in the road, or do you kind of drive out of 'habit', already knowing the route you will take? There are routines we don't need to mess with because they accomplish the desired results - our teeth are clean, we are clothed and caffeinated for the day, and we make it to our destination without problems. There are some 'routines' we are called to build into our lives, but they DO require some consistent focus from us - the routines of putting on the full armor of Christ, taking up every weapon he gives for our defense, so we can stand strong against whatever the devil WILL throw our way today. It is the small efforts we repeat that move us toward consistency - what most of us refer to as 'success' in life!

Collier also reminds us: "In every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win the victory next time." We won't always do a great job of 'keeping up' these routines, wavering on occasion because some distraction comes our way, and we find ourselves totally side-tracked. We will encounter attacks from our enemy, unthinkingly respond to them, and fail miserably in our response. In that failure, we can take away a lesson for how to be best prepared for his attacks, or we can miss the lesson in the failure - it depends on our focus. In the winning of the battle, there are lessons, too. We sometimes don't realize those lessons as easily as we do the ones from our failures. Why is that? We relish the 'success' so much, we forget to ask God how it was we actually 'succeeded'. We 'got through' unscathed and we forget to understand the specific 'weapon' or 'armor' that kept us safe through that enemy's attack.

We always want to know how to win the battle the next time whenever there is a failure to win it now, but we don't always look to understand and appreciate how it is we withstood the attack so well today. I want us to consider the last time we faced some temptation to say something we shouldn't say actually didn't say it. Did that happen by accident, or was there some preparation of our hearts and minds to recognize when the words would be best left unsaid? I daresay there was a whole lot of prep work ahead of that victory, my friends, for our words are one of the hardest things for us to control! What prep work occurred? Perhaps God had been exposing you to thoughts from his Word in your study time that recounted the reminders to not engage in gossip, speak only what is helpful, and refrain from critical judgments. You were being 'readied' for the battle - although you may not have recognized it at the time. The 'success' we experience today may be the result of positively recognizing what goes into our past success - not just our past failures. Just sayin!

Trust is....

“But blessed is the man who trusts me, God, the woman who sticks with God. They’re like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers— Never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf, Serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season. (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

What comes to mind when you hear the word "trust"? If you are like me, you might immediately go to the idea of being able to rely upon someone because of their integrity. They exhibit steadfastness of character and strength that invites you to 'trust' their ability. Some may go the route of saying 'trust' means you can count on something or someone. None of these definitions is wrong - they are all accurate ways to describe trust. There is one other way to describe trust - probably the most accurate of all - Jesus. He is the one with supreme ability and strength; integrity that goes beyond whatever we have seen modeled in others; and the foundation upon which we can fully place our weight upon.

There is something about trust that actually causes a change of position for each of us. We move from self-reliance to a reliance on something or someone outside of ourselves. We learn a different way of dealing with life's challenges - not by our own strength, but 'within' the strength of another. That may seem a little disconcerting to some because reliance upon anything other than one's own ability seems a little too risky. There is a hesitation to put all of one's eggs in one basket, so to speak. The more we resist letting God carry our eggs, the more our eggs are subject to some pretty 'jarring forces' that will leave us with more than a few cracks and spoiled eggs!

Trusting God and living within his embrace doesn't mean we are uprooted and made to live our lives in an unpleasant, ritualistic or religious way. It means we are 'replanted' in a place where we can grow freely - because all we need for healthy growth is provided there. I think there are a whole lot of 'religious' people in this world that have made us think 'trusting in Jesus' means we give up everything we desire. God works with our desires, purifying them so what is produced through those desires is 'good fruit', untainted by the impurities of bad choices. We yield our desires for his inspection - allowing him to point out when a desire may be something that will bring anything other than a good outcome in our lives.

We looked at what some think trust is, but what does trust 'do'? Trust places us upon a solid foundation - one that has been tested already and found to be trustworthy. Trust brings us into places where provision has already been made - we just need to learn to tap into it. Trust engages us in life - not as passive observers, but as active participants. Trust brings forth growth - not just signs of life, but actual fruit. Why is fruit so important? Fruit brings more life - for the seed is within the fruit. God isn't looking for our religious piety as much as he is asking us to trust him to 'replant' our lives in a place where we are assured of a much better harvest than we could ever accomplish on our own. Just sayin!

A nutrient-rich environment

Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That’s why the prophet said, "The old life is a grass life, its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers; grass dries up, flowers wilt, God’s Word goes on and on forever. This is the Word that conceived the new life in you. (I Peter 1:22-25)

At the point of conception, life begins. We may not see all that is occurring, but we know there is a 'multiplication process' at work that is bringing new life upon new life. God's Word conceives life within us - new life - each and every time we hear it, embrace it, allow it to affect our lives. New life upon new life - this is the assurance we have in Christ Jesus. Our lives are not ours alone - we are meant to share that life with others - by modeling the love of Christ in us. Our new life is born of the Word of God - we hear his welcoming message, then his Word begins to mold and change us until we align with the principles contained within.

How do we see our lives changed? It is by following - not by leading. We are meant to be disciples - followers of Christ. That means we lay down our willfulness (what some may call stubbornness and pridefulness). How on earth do we lay down our stubbornness? If you are anything like me, you can dig in your heels from time to time, not wanting to take the steps God directs for your life. It isn't that we don't desire the growth to happen - we like this 'multiplication' of his life within but resist the 'requirements' of growth. As a new life is conceived, there are multiplied requirements in order to nourish that new life. The new life is being nurtured as it is allowed to develop. A lack of nutrients will yield stunted or arrested growth.

It is hard to be consistent with our intake of the Word of God, but it is so very essential if we are to see our lives changed. When I thought about beginning this blog, it wasn't to be a 'scholar' of the Word. There was a burden to bring the Word of God in 'bite size chunks' so we could take it in - portions small enough for us to appreciate what God is saying to us. A new life growing and developing doesn't consume everything provided for its nourishment all at one time. It only needs what it requires for the season of growth it is in. The same is true of each of us. We might find God is asking us to grow in this area today, but in a short time the development required will be in a different area. Nutrients come as we take in the Word of God with consistency and obedient service to the Lord God.

We can be in a 'nutrient rich' environment and be 'growth deprived'. We must take in what is provided - that means we stop and eat. We allow what is provided to be 'incorporated' into our lives. We may think we don't need what is provided, but there is not one Word of God spoken or recorded that we do not need. We may not need that 'nutrient' at this moment, but there will come a season of growth in which we will hunger for that very 'nutrient'. Take in the Word of God - the nutrients you require for spiritual growth - see the new life of his love and grace take on new form each and every day. Just take in his Word - you never know when you may need what has been provided. Just sayin!

The fruit of willingness

But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified. (Galatians 5:22-23)

I often speak of finding 'something new' in scripture - passages I have read a hundred or more times, but all of a sudden something new comes across to me. There isn't any 'new truth' - it is just that I was finally open to seeing the truth that has always been there. What was today's 'revelation'? It began when I saw the words, "What happens when we live God's way", and came to life within me when I read those words, "We develop a WILLINGNESS to stick with things". That may not seem like much of a revelation to you, but if you have ever struggled with the 'willingness' to do what you know must be done in your life, you know how hard it is to get to the point of being totally abandoned to doing it. Your flesh is weak, as is mine, and your desires are lofty, as are mine! We desire to do things the way God expects us to do them, but we lack the 'umph' to 'get 'er done'. 

The crux of this passage is the bearing of fruit - the fruit that comes not of our own doing, but because God causes that fruit to come forth in our lives. We begin to see evidence of this 'spiritual fruit' in the areas of our affections (the things we desire), exuberance for life (enthusiasm to embrace all God asks), and our serenity (the deep inner peace that guides our path). In turn, we begin to witness the development (not the instantaneous occurrence) of consistency (the willingness to stick with what God asks). If you have ever struggled with obedience in any area of your life, this may just your lesson today. Christ "killed off for good" the desire to go our own way, but we may not feel like those desires are 'fully dead' within us. How is this possible? Our 'will' hasn't seen the full maturity of the fruit God is growing within us yet, but it is growing!

The fruit God's Spirit begins to grow within us doesn't just appear fully developed - it is like the citrus on the tree. It must move from bud to tiny hints of green fruit. The green fruit grows a little bit and is challenged by the winds, cool nights, and heat of day. As the fruit begins to be nourished by the 'attachment' it maintains with the tree branch, sheltered by its leaves, it grows larger, but remains quite green. As the seasons come one after another, the fruit 'matures', but looks unchanged externally. The growth is happening on the inside long before it is evident the maturity is occurring on the outside! We change on the inside long before we see those changes manifest in outward obedience. The willingness to change (mature) begins as a tiny bud, but the fullness of the fruit may not be seen for many seasons of change within our lives. Just sayin!

Will you be overcome or will you overcome?

Who has a harder fight than he who is striving to overcome himself?

(Thomas Kempis)

Every God-born person conquers the world’s ways. The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. The person who wins out over the world’s ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God. (I John 5:4-5)

It is indeed a hard fight to live as an overcomer in this world, is it not? There are all manner of temptations just lurking around every corner. If you don't see something on TV that gets your mind to consider things that bring fear into your heart, you have ample opportunity to glean some fear-invoking thing from any number of social media sites. We are inundated with all manner of seed thoughts that could take root if we aren't careful. The media attempts to spin fear with reports of shortages of all kinds. You may not even have considered 'laying up storehouses' of goods until you hear these bleak reports of doom and gloom. One thing I have had to learn over the years is when to shut my ears and eyes to some things, while remaining totally aware of others. It is not wrong to be informed, but when information begins to create fear in our hearts, we are not in a good place. Our peace has been disturbed, not in a good way that brings us closer to Jesus, but in an evil way that attempts to turn our focus inward toward what it is we can do or work out on our own. 

Sometimes the hardest enemy to fight against is ourselves. Our minds have a tendency to give into fear - it is called the fight or flight response and we all have it. We either put up our defenses and launch a good fight, or we turn tail and run. Even if we are frozen in the spot by whatever fear it is we have given ourselves over to, we are actually turning tail and running. Our faith is a powerful weapon against the enemy of our souls. If he can plant seeds of doubt that lead to a growth of unreasonable fears, he gains an inroad into our lives. We may not want to give into that fear, but as long as we continue to feed that fear with what we allow our eyes to see, ears to hear, and minds to ponder, there will be an incremental growth in our fear. The antidote to fear is trust - trust is maintained in relationship - relationship is the strongest when it is the primary focus of our lives. What relationship will you feed? Will it be the relationship you have with this world, or with Christ himself? If you choose the first, you are moving toward eventually being overcome with this world's fears and doubts. if you choose the latter, you may just be surprised by how little the world's taunts, doubts, and 'spins' actually affect the peace you have come to live within. Just sayin!

Appetite or Hunger?

God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. (Psalm 23:1-3)

I don't need a thing - how many of us can speak those words with our heart bearing full and total agreement with them? Most of us will give lip service to the idea, but deep down inside we desire things we don't have, look for ways to acquire what we think we 'need', and are always on the search for 'more' of something, aren't we? Our desires stem from what we feed the most - it creates an appetite within us for what we desire. If you had never tasted chocolate in your lifetime, you likely don't have any type of craving for it. Indulge yourself with a couple of pieces of rich chocolate and that 'taste' will create a desire for more. Why? Appetite has more to do with our thinking than it does the need to correct an imbalance of some vital nutrient within our bodies. Hunger is purely 'biological' - we need to raise our blood glucose, so we feel the pangs of hunger to replenish that necessary resource. Appetite is actually our 'relationship' with what we take in - we form habits based upon our appetite.

What do you find 'pleasure' in these days? As I entered into retirement, I thought I would miss the hustle and bustle of a daily work life. Actually, quite the opposite is true. I have come to enjoy not making plans for my day - just rising, observing the weather, feeling the desires I may have to create something new, and then heading out to the workshop for a little 'wood fun'. I also enjoy the spontaneous text from my BFF that asks if I want to go with her to the store, explore the thrift shops, or go over to her sister's house for a bite to eat. There is something different in the 'pleasures' I experience in retirement than there were during my working years. Have my desires changed? You might think so, but those desires have always been there. I have always wanted to create with my hands - so workshop time has always been a craving. I have always desired to find a good bargain - so thrift shop trolling is a fun pastime for me. I just have the time to do these things more frequently now - not having to cram them all into one weekend!

If you feed the desires God places deep within your soul - mind, will, and emotions - you will find your desires grow (your appetite changes to desire more of those things). Feed your body fruits and veggies often enough and you will actually crave them. Feed it cookies, donuts, and salty snacks and see how those cravings begin to direct your food choices when hungry. Feed your spirit the Word of God and you will begin to understand its content. Feed your spirit with times of worship and praise and your desire to spend time with Jesus just might increase. You are what you eat - we have probably all heard that one before. If what we 'take in' the most often is what we desire the most (becoming what makes up our appetites), then it stands to reason that if we feed upon the Word, spend time worshiping at his feet, and actually begin to pour out our thoughts and desires before him, those desires just might change for the better! Just sayin!

Are you gifted?

He who loves with purity considers not the gift of the lover, but the love of the giver. 

(Thomas a Kempis)

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. (Colossians 3:12)

Maybe you hadn't really stopped to think about it for a while, but God's gift to you is his love. We think often about what we need God to do for us - extend grace, bring healing, keep us from harm, open doors that are closed - the list goes on and one. How frequently do we stop to consider the 'giver' of the gifts? All God gives is for our best - all God gave was his best. That bespeaks love with a depth none of us really fully understands or experiences in this lifetime. What God desires of us in return is that we live this new life completely adorned with the good character he provides so graciously to each of us. While it may not be easily worn, it is will never bind us, nor will it be ill-fitting.

Love provided the wardrobe - pure love that loves without strings attached. In fact, his love gave and gives without cost to us. To wear the garment of his love means we will make different choices, think in ways we never considered before, and move as he directs our path. Life will not the same after embracing Christ for his love demands a change of heart - mind, will, and emotions made new, focused intently on grace. Not just the grace we receive, but the grace we can repeatedly give. All throughout the sacred scriptures we see this thought of forgiveness - receiving grace where it is least deserved. Why is it spoken of so frequently? 

Perhaps it is because God wants us to know the giver as well and as frequently as we experience the gift. What does love look like when it is in action? There will be compassion, kindness where least deserved, humble appreciation of each other's talents, a willingness to not always be noticed, and a strength that is not a result of one's own self-will. I wonder if you see a description of the character of the giver in this description? Love gives and never looks back. Where Christ dwells, love abides. Where love abides, grace is given. Where grace is given, freedom abounds. No other garment will fit us as well as his garment of grace. Grace is the result of love - forgiveness gives what isn't sought and definitely not deserved.

We find it easy to focus on the gifts, but hard to focus on the one who gives such gifts. We'd do well today to take time to remember the giver of each of these gifts. The more we focus on the giver, the greater these gifts will become evident in our lives. Just sayin!

A slip of the mask

Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within. (James Baldwin)

Jesus’ primary concern was his disciples. He said to them, “Watch yourselves carefully so you don’t get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness. You can’t keep your true self hidden forever; before long you’ll be exposed. You can’t hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You can’t whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day’s coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town. (Luke 12:1-3)

A great many of us fear being 'exposed' for who we really are - believing ourselves to be unwanted, unappreciated, and perhaps even under-valued - so we hide behind some mask. What's worse is that Christian believers hide behind a mask of 'religious piety', all the while attempting to hide their very real struggles looming just behind that 'pious hypocrisy'. I know these are strong words this morning, but I did this for many years, so I am the first to admit my own sin! We cannot hide our real selves behind a mask of religion. All that does is terribly confuse those who are observing our lives for the evidence of the difference Christ can make in a life lived for him.

The point Jesus made all those years ago remains true today. The Pharisee paraded their piety in an attempt to be 'judged' as worthy or important. What they failed to recognize was the inadequacies of good works and 'religious performance'. The point Jesus made was one of relationship - learning to be 'real' at all times and allowing God to express his goodness through us even when we don't always do or say the right things all of the time. He was asking us to be 'truthful' with ourselves and others. In other words, don't conceal our shortcomings behind cleverly created 'religious masks'. 

I am probably going to step on some toes here, but I am going to do it anyway. Have you ever been around someone who is so 'heavenly minded' that they are no 'earthly good'? They say all the right 'phrases' like, "Be Blessed", "Praise God", and "May God be Glorified". Life is coming at us pretty hot and heavy, but somehow those words don't 'ring true' in the moment. The fact is we needed to hear, "I am here for you. What can I do to help you right now?" We needed to see faith put into action. We likely really needed to hear them admit they struggle with similar doubts, fears, or misplaced trust, so we didn't feel like we would never get our life together.

I will be the first to admit it - I don't have my life together. I don't have all the answers, but I am willing to live this life right there alongside others of you who also don't have your lives together. I am willing to roll up my sleeves, get a little dirty, and even pull you along when you don't want to move. I need others in my life who will the do the same for me. That requires you and I to rid ourselves of our religious masks and just get real with each other. It may not seem like much, but when we are open with each other, God can move amongst us - using each one of us to be his messengers of grace. Just sayin!

Lego Lessons

So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books. (I Peter 1:5-8)

Don't lose a minute building - that is a pretty direct explanation about how we are to live our daily lives. We are to be engaged in this walk with Jesus - not just onlookers. We are to build and allow for there to be his building within. We are to allow one character trait he may focus on today become the launching point for where he may focus tomorrow. You may have heard it said, "Line upon line, precept upon precept". God's attributes are to be alive and active in our lives - not passive and dying off from stagnation!

I haven't really met many people who don't have some 'goal' for their day. There might be grocery shopping that needs to be done, a trip to the bank in order to deposit or withdraw monies, laundry to be washed and folded, or a hard conversation to be had with someone you love or admire. Regardless of the 'goal', there is a desired outcome. We could order those groceries delivered, saving the trip to the grocer, but we still need to put them all away. We could snap a photo of the check for deposit through the banking institution's app and be done with the deposit, but we still had to make some effort to accomplish this small task. Nothing is accomplished without goals.

God put it this way - if the people have no vision, they will perish. The writer of Proverbs reminds us: If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed. (Proverbs 29:18) We can go through life stumbling all over ourselves, but in the end, we will have accomplished very little compared to what we may have been able to accomplish with a clear vision (goal). God is doing something within each of us, and in turn, he does something through each of us. Embrace the goals God has for you today - allowing him to build upon what he accomplished yesterday and preparing you for what he desires for you tomorrow. You may just find today's goals aren't all that hard to embrace when you see them in light of being building blocks that 'fit together' in the end. Just sayin!

Forth-Tell the Story

Your love, God, is my song, and I’ll sing it! I’m forever telling everyone how faithful you are. I’ll never quit telling the story of your love— how you built the cosmos and guaranteed everything in it. Your love has always been our lives’ foundation, your fidelity has been the roof over our world. (Psalm 89:1-3)

We can count on God - he is faithful. We can count on him because he has been, is now, and will always be faithful. We can remember his faithfulness in our lives - the times and seasons when he has been right there with us through it all. God is trustworthy - we can count on him. He is 'foundation' for our lives. We aren't trusting in a shaky foundation - we are trusting on the one who brings grace upon grace into our lives. Grace in the past, grace in the present, and grace that will ever be needed in our lives. We forget that God has prepared both our present and our future. We forget he has been faithful yesterday and we begin to worry about what it is we will face today. How fickle we are! His grace and peace come with us into day and will ever be present with us into our tomorrows.

Never quit telling the story of God's grace in your life. Why is this act of 'forth-telling' God's story in your life important? As we 'remember' what he has done and recount those moments in our lives, we begin to feel the presence and peace of God afresh in our lives. There is power in recounting the graces of God - the times when he intervened, when he overcame, when he stilled the storms. This 'forth-telling' actually builds our faith - not so we can convince God to be more faithful today - but so our faith will be built up in order to allow God to reveal what he will do in our lives today. He built the cosmos around us - how much more will he build the very next chapter of our lives? If he can create the expanse of the universe, how much more will he take care over our lives - the ones who worship and honor his name?

What is your foundation today? If it is God's love, it is the surest foundation you can stand upon today. If it is anything less - it will be a little wobbly. God's trustworthiness will keep us - we can count on it. We oftentimes hold onto things in our day that only create all those worrisome thoughts we are considering, but God asks us to remember his faithfulness. Why? In so doing, we are actively letting go of what is not worth being trusted and placing our faith into what always will be worthy of our trust - God's grace and love. Just sayin!

Is God your second-hand friend?

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. (I Peter 1:4)

Getting to know someone isn't always that easy, is it? We can hold back a little until we realize the other person is kind of 'all right' and we can probably share a bit more with them. We don't just dump everything out into the relationship and hope for the best. We wait to establish trust and then we unpack a little. Why? We don't want the discovery of some things by just anybody. We want those things to be shared with only those we consider to be our 'inner circle', or the ones we value and trust the most. Imagine that God invites us to get to know him personally and intimately - not holding anything back - because he values and trusts us! He trusts us with the knowledge of how he moves amongst us and what moves his heart. He opens up the secrets of his grace and inner peace to each of us. In turn, he asks us to trust him to always be open with us and invites us to always be open with him. 

To know one 'personally' means we don't settle for a second-hand relationship. I know some of my BFF's friends, but it is more of a second-hand relationship. I am not all that close to them, but I respect them, am invited into their gatherings, and enjoy their company. We have 'contact', but it isn't as 'direct' as the contact I enjoy with my BFF. The relationship I have with them is kind of 'general' - not much sharing of 'personal' stuff occurs. We talk about family, acquaintances, happenings, and plans. We don't generally talk about our hearts, hurts, and hopes. When I share with my BFF, it is just the opposite. It is pretty much with open abandon, knowing she will not laugh at my dreams, judge my 'way out there' ideas, or shut down my hopes. God doesn't want us to 'hold back' our true selves in relationship with him - he values us too much to ask us to 'reserve' our true feelings from him. 

To know one 'intimately' might just mean there is a confidence we can be our real selves in their presence. Where this 'confidence' exists, there is a freedom of movement and expression that is allowed. God isn't trying to put us in a box and hold us captive to certain beliefs. He has opened the box we were captive within and shows us exactly how our beliefs create a sense of freedom to be who he created us to be in the first place. We may run back into the box from time to time, all because the discovery of who we really are is kind of frightening to us. Intimate relationship with God is all about knowing boundaries but being totally free to live within those boundaries. Putting aside our 'reservations', we embrace freedom. Welcoming him into our lives, trusting him with our innermost thoughts, and giving him our absolute trust - this is what God asks of us. Just sayin!

We are family

God wasn’t attracted to you and didn’t choose you because you were big and important—the fact is, there was almost nothing to you. He did it out of sheer love... Know this: God, your God, is God indeed, a God you can depend upon. He keeps his covenant of loyal love with those who love him... (Deuteronomy 7:9)

It is a foolish thing to believe we come to Christ all on our own - as though we were on some quest to "find God" and came upon him all of a sudden. We are chosen - he seeks us out. Certainly this 'seeking' on his part has nothing to do with our goodness, nor does it have anything to do with how 'hard' we are seeking for him at that moment. Even the desire to seek is all his doing. Sometimes we get too 'big' of an impression of ourselves - as important as a positive self-image may be, it doesn't mean a thing in God's economy. We don't 'get chosen' because of our 'goodness' or 'seeking' - we are chosen because he loves us right there in the midst of all of our muddle and mess. If you don't believe there is any muddle or mess in your life, think again! As 'good' as you may be, there is ALWAYS some 'dirty laundry' laying around.

Though we may be of little value in the eyes of others, we are of extreme value to God. We are not 'valued' for what we do. Our value comes in who it was that created us in the first place. We are not 'self-created' - we are "God-Created". Within each of us is a place designed specifically for his Spirit to dwell - until he fully indwells us, we are never really 'full-filled'. God doesn't choose us for our greatness - he gives us HIS. Let that one sink in a little - his gift is out of sheer love - not our sacrifices, good works, or how much we give in the offering. His attraction to us is one of pure and holy love - to redeem us from our misguided selves. Know this - did you see that part of our verse today? What does it mean to 'know' something? It means there is more than a casual acquaintance with the facts. We come to a place of understanding it is God who seeks; God who redeems; God who gives first; and God who loves first. 

We don't "know" truth with our heads alone - it is a matter of the heart (mind, will and emotions) all coming into a place of thoroughly trusting in the one who seeks, redeems, gives, and loves. We don't "understand" apart from the guidance of his Spirit. When he seeks us, it isn't to just gather us into some big household. He wants us to become his sons and daughters - fully integrated into his family, wholly entrusted with our inheritance within his family, and completely entwined in the love this family brings into our lives. Knowing God does more than 'make us Christian' - it makes us family. Just sayin!

Not one more blow!

Is not My word like fire [that consumes all that cannot endure the test]? says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks in pieces the rock [of most stubborn resistance]? (Jeremiah 23:29)

Both fire and a hammer have an effect of changing what they touch, don't they? They both can reduce to pieces that which are touched by their influence. There is a "heating" effect of both. The hammer begins to "heat up" the nail as it drives it through the wood - repeated blows from the hammer actually change the temperature of the nail! Why on earth does God compare his Word to fire and a hammer? The Word of God changes whatever it comes into contact with, and it has a way of changing the "temperature" of whatever it touches. It is important for us to see God does not say the purpose of the fire is to consume us. It is just used to consume whatever cannot hold up to the test of the heat! In other words, whenever we feel like the Word of God is a little "consuming" in its focus, it is like a farmer doing a controlled burn around his place. The purpose of the controlled burn is to remove the weeds and brush which threaten the potential for his harvest! The Word of God is really not after the good stuff - it is after the "chaff" - the unfruitful, unproductive, and choking influences of our life. 

Have you noticed how well some of the wood burns in a fire, while the other wood seems to be harder to "catch" and it burns a lot longer before it is reduced? The "hardness" of the wood is often the determining factor of how long the fire has to "work" upon the wood to achieve the optimal effect of reducing the wood. Sometimes our heart is responsive to the fire of God's Word, allowing the Word to take hold quite quickly. At other times, it is a little harder, isn't it? The likeness of the Word of God to a hammer is pictured here not so much as the hammer driving home the nail, but of pounding upon rock. I think this is an appropriate picture of our hearts sometimes - rocky, hard, and just needing a little "pounding". My dad used to have a couple of sledgehammers - some smaller like hammer size, others bigger like the size of an ax. It took quite a bit of effort to wield the sledgehammer, regardless of the size. Why? They carried some "weight" to them because what they would come into contact with was often unyielding and required a little more force to affect the desired change. I think God's Word is sometimes like the sledgehammer - it encounters some pretty unyielding stones and must break those stones up into smaller pieces, allowing for those pieces to be removed and discarded in order to begin to prepare the place it occupied for fresh growth.

The hammer on the stone produces some "heat" with each blow. It is perhaps the influence of this "heat" which gets the stone to the point of beginning to yield to the blows. A sledgehammer applies force, and it is that force which begins the process of changing the consistency of whatever it touches. If you know anything about using a sledgehammer, you know it is the weight of the hammer which is used to produce the force. God's Word is a "weighty" thing in his hand! It is by the strength of his hand and the force of his Word we are changed - the places of our most stubborn resistance are broken into manageable pieces until they no longer find a suitable place of dwelling in us any longer. The Word embraced becomes the basis of change. Embrace it quickly and we see the effect of its influence almost immediately in our lives. Exert a little stubborn resistance to its influence and we might find we need a little more heat or a few more blows to get things accomplished within our stubborn hearts. Just sayin!

Just needs a little fixin'

I know, God, that mere mortals can’t run their own lives, that men and women don’t have what it takes to take charge of life. So correct us, God, as you see best. (Jeremiah 10:23-24)

Have you ever found yourself in a position where you required a substitute for what is wrong or inaccurate in your life? Correction is needed, but maybe it is not so much because we are completely wrong, but there is some "inaccuracy" in our lives which gets us going in the wrong direction. It is kind of like only seeing half of a room in front of us one way, then turning around to see the room we thought was filled with beauty also contained a few smelly corpses. Correction puts things in the right framework - gives us the right perspective when what we have been pursuing is just a little inaccurate. It also gives us a swift kick in the seat when what we have been pursuing is totally and completely wrong! If you have ever taken your hands of the wheel in your car to see if your car will "drift" a little to the right or left, you probably did it to see if your wheels were aligned. Why? Aligned wheels get better wear, don't cause as much effort in the driving, give us better gas mileage, and just keep us on course better than misaligned ones. If you have ever been distracted by something flying around in the car, swatting furiously at the thing trying to shoo it out the window, you might just have experienced the sudden need to "jerk" your car back into your own lane! Both of these require correction - one is rather immediate with the action required well within your ability, while the other requires expertise outside of your skill set.

There is a point in our lives where we must realize some of the required correction within us is outside of our skill set! We need to go to the one who knows best how to get it done! Adjustment in course is part of life. Sometimes we can do it because we took our attention off the course a little and we are able to make an adjustment quickly. At other times, we need to admit to God we cannot - we need his help to sort out what keeps us from being on course! I can see the uneven wear on my tires. I don't know whether it is too much tilt this way or that - mechanics refer to these as caster, camber, toe, and thrust angles. I could find that information on any search of internet highway, but can I go out today and fix the alignment on my car? I don't have the tools, the right measurements to choose, or even the desire to get that dirty! I take my car to the mechanic I trust because he can set these things all in right order and in less time than I could ever do it. There are times in our spiritual life when we don't have the right tools, either. We need something outside of the "regular" tool set we have come to rely upon. Times when we might just need to go to someone of greater spiritual maturity than ourselves. They might just possess the tool God designed to be used to correct whatever is out of alignment in our lives. There are other times when we need some alone time with the Great Mechanic, God himself. In those moments, he sets about to correct what causes us "drift", excessive "wear and tear", and even a little "discomfort" in our travels.

Have you ever let a gentle correction go unheeded? I have! One time I came out in the morning to a small indicator light on showing my tire pressure low. I thought it meant it was low, not flat as a pancake! I drove a couple of miles to the nearest gas station, not realizing the tire had about zero air in it. Guess what? I not only could not maintain the air pressure in this tire, I needed a totally new one because I damaged the sidewall by driving on it! Some of us don't heed the gentle corrections we receive in life. When we don't, a more "robust" correction may be needed. I could have called AAA before I left the house to change the tire and put on my spare - if I had looked at what the warning light was trying to say to me before I pulled out of my driveway. I could have saved myself about a hundred bucks if I had. The tire swap with the spare would have been relatively cheap compared to the ultimate problem of having to replace the entire tire, especially since my AAA was paid up and the tire change would have only cost me a little time! As much as we don't like correction, if we ignore the warnings long enough, the damage caused by our unwillingness to accept the correction will far outweigh the small investment of our time, energies, and focus to pay attention in the first place! Just sayin!

Multiplied blessing

All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

God comes alongside of us in hard times - that should bring comfort to someone who needs that word today. If you don't need to hear it, perhaps you are the one to come alongside another who is going through the hard times today. Either way, God is at work! Have you ever noticed how you can be going through some really rough stuff and then before long you find yourself helping someone else who is also going through something a bit harder than they can handle alone? This isn't by accident - God has prepared you for that moment. A full measure of God's comfort and healing is made available to us in hard times - share what it is you have been given and witness the multiplication of the magnitude of God's grace!

Hard times aren't optional - they will come. What we do when facing them is where the 'option' part comes into play. We can choose to lean into God a bit harder, or we can pull away and declare we are 'out'. There is always a choice, but when we choose to lean in, allowing God to come alongside of us, we might just be surprised as to how his work begins to be multiplied in and through us. He brings us comfort - helping us to find our way through to the other side of the issue. He also prepares us to bring comfort to another - helping them to stand strong in their own struggle. It is in the 'going through' that we learn how to lean upon someone other than ourselves!

For years, I didn't like to lean on anyone. In fact, I almost perceived the need to lean on someone as a weakness. I don't actually remember the moment God began to deal with my pride issues, but once I began to yield to his tug to let go of my need to do everything myself, I began to realize just how many people he had prepared to come alongside me in my times of struggle. As long as I stood too proud to ask for help, or even acknowledge I was going through difficulties, I was actually denying someone the benefit of seeing their preparation time in their time of struggle put to use in my life. 

It is a hard thing to admit I used to deny others their opportunity to be a blessing, and I still struggle with letting go of my desire to do things myself on occasion. The more I step back and allow God to come alongside in my life - admitting I am not as strong as I believe myself to be - the more I see how he has all kinds of 'instruments' just ready to be used. You may have been one of those instruments in my life on occasion - thank you. You may be that instrument to another soon - be faithful. You never know how your hardship 'prep time' will one day be a blessing in the life of another. Just sayin!

Be known

Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life. (Psalm 119:23-24)

It was a pretty bold thing for David to 'challenge' God this way, wasn't it? If you are anything like me, you'd rather not have God looking all that closely at times! You'd rather not give him the 'clear picture' into your soul because you know exactly what he will find. Yes, we are men and women with a heart after God, but to be entirely truthful here, we don't always have all that great of a track record of remaining 'sin-free'. David was not deterred from asking for God's 'examination' because he knew with each 'exam' came a greater influx of God's grace into his life - mercy given when and where it was the least deserved. David wasn't asking God to just 'seek out his sins' - he wanted God to know exactly what was in his heart - wishes and dreams; fears and doubts; passions and desires.

He was asking God to find out everything about him - then reveal what he found. Why is this so powerful of a prayer for us to pray? We don't truly 'know' ourselves as well as we think we do. We need God's revelation of who and what we are at the very core of our being - all those places we have tucked away little things here and there until they become a muddled mess we don't even recognize anymore. It is quite apparent David didn't want any sin in his life to be standing between him and God. He wanted total transparency, but even when we want to be entirely truthful and forthcoming with our lives, we may not really know the truth about ourselves apart from God's examination of our lives. When we ask for God's examination, we aren't entirely sure what he will find, are we? We hope for the best, but how many times have we been surprised by what he uncovers?

When God uncovers something, it is never for our 'undoing' - it is so he can be revealed in us just a little bit clearer. There are really three parts to this prayer: 1) We seek to be known as we really are; 2) We hope for God's mercy where it is most needed; and 3) We ask because we want to be directed down a course that continually leads to right choices. Indeed, this is a bold prayer for any of us, but it is oh so important we pray it. The hardest part may be asking to be 'known'. The second hardest part is asking to be led. The easiest is seeking mercy where it is not deserved. We don't always like the discomfort of transparency - of others (even God) seeing us as we truly are. Without it, we live very shallow lives - never really knowing ourselves, nor fully appreciating the tremendous love and grace of God. Just sayin!

Not another wait

When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions: Wait for hope to appear. Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face. The “worst” is never the worst. Why? Because the Master won’t ever walk out and fail to return. If he works severely, he also works tenderly. His stockpiles of loyal love are immense. (Lamentations 3:28-32)

Life isn't always going to go our way. In fact, we will likely face more than one hiccup in our day today. When hiccups come, how do you handle them? Do you complain like I do sometimes? Do you say life isn't fair like I do at times? Do you just want to escape it all like I do on occasion? If you didn't notice it as I asked those questions, I don't always embrace what I am going through - there are times I want to find the quickest and easiest way to be 'out of the mess'. Life is heavy and hard to take - sometimes more frequently than we might like. When we face these 'hiccups' in life our response isn't to run - but to wait. Okay, I know I just crossed the line there when I reminded each of us to wait. Waiting when trouble is abounding is definitely not the way most of us would deal with life - we want to run away, question God's goodness, or complain in bitter anger because we don't feel like things are 'fair'.

Enter the silence - in other words, get your mind, will, and emotions into times of 'prayer' - talk to God about it and then shut-up and just listen! I know, I am not supposed to tell anyone to 'shut-up', but sometimes we just need to be in a place where we can finally hear what God is about to do. Understand this - 'shutting-up' is more than us not talking. How many times can you sit in silence, all the while your mind is racing, emotions moving every which way, and your will just itching to get things underway? If you are anything like me, I can sit in silence and be 'calculating' in my mind, 'ramping up' in my emotions, and 'digging in' with my stubborn willfulness. Enter into silence - mind, will, and emotions settled, attentive, ceasing to plan and manipulate. Why is this so powerful for us to understand? It is as we 'settle into' God's presence, we find we make room for his movement within us. 

Have you ever entered into silence and felt the conviction of God? Yup, been there, done that, got the shirt, and worn out the shirt more than once! As we 'settle into' God's presence, we might soon find ourselves sharing our doubts and fears - nothing is too superficial to share with God. As we share those doubts, he can bring us into a place of trust. As we share our fears, he can bring us into a place of understanding his power. As we share our wrong responses, he can share his mercy and grace - forgiving us, creating his peace within. When conviction comes, don't run from it - embrace it. Whenever conviction comes, grace is God's response. Silence may just bring the hope we so eagerly desire, but before it comes, we must 'settle ourselves', lay down our fears and doubts, and just embrace his love. In the time it takes us to 'settle in', we are learning to 'wait'. Don't resist the wait - embrace it - grace is on the other side of that 'wait'. Just sayin'.

What are you tolerating?

Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)

What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace. (John Wesley). Have you heard that before? Have you stopped to consider just how true this statement actually is? Think about the days gone by, regardless of your age. I was born in the late 50's, so I have seen a bit of change around me. I have seen dress lengths go from mid-calf to just a tiny bit under the backside. I have watched as pant legs have gone from baggy to form-fitting, flared to skinny, finely tailored to ripped and torn. Hair styles have gone from bobbed to flowing length, coiffed weekly to wildly out there, grey colored at all costs to grey added at a bigger cost. TV became the thing in the 50's - today there is one in every room, streaming services abound, and the need to go to a drive-in or indoor theater no longer exists. We've gone from well-disciplined students in classrooms to all manner of disrespect to teachers. We've moved from respect for our laws to questioning each and every one of them. It amazes me how a small 'tolerance' of some particular behavior will result in the acceptance of that behavior as the 'norm' in the next generation. 

Where to societal norms really begin to change? In our children. They see what is modeled, but then they also observe well what isn't modeled. They see what is tolerated and where the envelope can be pushed a bit. They are keen to discover the chance to be just a little bit more daring than we were as kids. No wonder God tells us to get his Word into their hearts and minds. It isn't that we cram 'religion' down their throats - it is that we model relationship with Jesus and let them know exactly how much they need their own relationship with him. It isn't about hours reading the Word of God to them - it is about them beginning to discover how to use it to make right choices in their lives. It isn't about the endless hours in church services - it is about the times of simple sharing of our hearts with them in open abandon. It isn't that we tell them they should not struggle with obedience - it is that we admit how hard we know it can be to be totally obedient. God isn't asking for us to increase our tolerance level as much as he is asking us to decrease it. There is no greater threat to our families and society as a whole than to lower our tolerance levels for what is right. To fail to clearly define right from wrong will introduce the opportunity for one to define their own 'right' and 'wrong'. This is why he tells us to get the Word into our homes - into our daily lives - into our moment-by-moment decisions. It is so we will always be reminded of what he defines as right and what he will not tolerate because it is clearly wrong. Just sayin!

Timid people don't get the answers they desire

Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take. (Joshua 1:9)

As we contemplate these words spoken to Joshua after the death of Moses, I want to focus on just a couple of things today. The instructions to never let God's Word be out of mind seem mighty important to me - God emphasized this a couple of times in one conversation! Anyone ever get 'off track' in life? I don't think I have ADHD, but I can be headed out to the shop to do one project, see something else that piques my curiosity or interest, and almost without any further thought, I am my headed to take on a totally different project. As a woodworking hobbyist, that isn't all that unusual - creative folks tend to 'wander' a bit in their creativity - almost allowing the wood to dictate what they will create. If I were to tackle life like I tackle some of my woodworking projects, I would be in a total mess! God focuses so intently on his Word because he knows we need a 'guide-book' of sorts to help us make life decisions. There are times I am at a loss when it comes to a family issue, or some niggling feeling that I am about to do something that will not turn out so well. If I didn't have God's Word to help me when I am squarely facing these issues, I would be sure to go down a wrong path more often than not! Why? I am not all that wise on my own! I need God's wisdom working in me and through me - so I 'digest' his Word on a very regular basis. 

The other thing that seems quite clear to me from this passage is that we all desire to succeed at things in life. I don't think this is a wrong ambition at all, but when pride gets in the way of us asking for help when we don't know what to do on our own, we can find ourselves in a muddle of a mess without any idea how we will ever get out of it! There are times I have been too 'timid' to ask for help - thinking others just expected me to know exactly what to do or how to respond. Timidity is really fear - the fear we will appear weak may just keep us from seeking the very help we so desperately need. There have been times when I just kept plugging away at the same old thing, wondering why I wasn't getting 'results'. Success evaded me, not because I didn't pursue it, but because I wasn't open to any other way of obtaining it! Courage is one thing, but the stubbornness that keeps us from admitting we don't possess all the answers will stop us dead in our tracks. We can have all the courage (determination) to see something through but lack the wisdom (know how) to get it done. If you are anything like me, asking for help may not come easily. When we stop long enough to recognize we cannot get new results by doing the same old thing, we may just stop long enough to ask for the help to see how we can do things differently. Just sayin!

Not ever gonna be a size five!

How lovely are Your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to the living God. Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; they will be singing Your praises all the day long. (Psalm 84:1-4)

We have all kinds of "longings", don't we? If the day just seem to drag on and on at work, we "long" to be home or out pursuing some other activity. If the laundry is piled high and the sun is shining, we long to be outside enjoying the weather, not scrubbing away yesterday's stains. If the traffic jam keeps us barely inching along, we long for another passenger in our car so we can take the high-occupancy lane! There are all kinds of "longings" or "yearnings", huh? Many times, it is the process of "yearning" which actually gets us to take a few steps forward when it is most difficult or uncomfortable to do so. We just aren't satisfied with the way things are, so we move toward what or where we think things will be different. Yearning is really just us having an interest or strong desire or longing that brings us to a place where we are moved or attracted toward some particular 'pull'. What we desire the most will become the object of our attention - whatever is the object of our attention becomes the object of our affection. 

What captivates our affection becomes the dominating and overriding influence for our choices in life. If you don't believe me, think about the one thing that just seems to keep getting you into trouble in life. It has a "pulling" influence, doesn't it? No matter how hard you "try" to avoid its influence, you get "roped in" every time! It might be you are just like me - needing a little adjustment in your "longing" department! We can yearn for both beneficial and harmful things - almost at the same time. If we are hungry, we can yearn for something sweet or salty - the "loudest" yearning will be fed - sometimes with one overriding another for a short time, then the other rising up to demand equal fulfillment. We sometimes confuse longing with passion. Passion is just the emotion we attach to the yearning. The yearning actually comes from a deeper place. Maybe this is why David turns to God and tells him his SOUL (his mind, will, and emotions) yearn for God's presence. He connects the three - not just the emotions. His mind has been made up - it desires the one who can fulfill every longing. His will has determined who it is he will pursue. His emotions might just get him moving toward God's presence, but they don't do all the work!

There is a power behind these yearnings of ours. Whenever we want to understand how to "break the hold" of a yearning that is not beneficial to us, we have to understand the "power" behind the yearning. If I struggle with being critical toward others, I need to understand what the root of that judgmental pattern in my life actually is. It might have a link in not feeling good about my own abilities or accomplishments, so I find it easy to criticize the accomplishments of others. If you struggle in this area, it could have a root in being told you'd never amount to anything, so you are a little jealous of others who actually accomplish things easily. Regardless of the root, the fruit is manifest in the critical attitude and response toward others. Getting at the root helps us break the "power" behind the yearning - for in understanding the root, we begin to allow God's power to change the fruit. There is a depth to each desire. Some desires are fleeting - they just are there and then gone. Other desires are lasting - such as the need to be loved and to love another. This particular one can get us into a lot of circumstances we'd have been better off avoiding. For some, this longing is connected with the root we call lust. Lust is a powerful emotion and can send reason right out the door. Understanding the difference between lust (longing for immediate satisfaction) and love (the long-term commitment to meet the needs of another) is the starting point for recognizing when lust is the motivating influence. The depth of the desire determines just how frequently we will pursue the desire.

There is a sense of something being unattainable. We often have longings or desires which we honestly don't believe for a moment we will ever be able to achieve or attain in life. Maybe we are wearing a size 14 dress - we long to be a size 5 dress - but...our main problem is not the dress size, it is the reality that our body (bone) "frame" is one which will likely never be that small. Could you realistically achieve a size 5 - yes! But...you'd look anorexic! Some of our longings are linked to how we "see" ourselves. Others are linked to how others see us. Either way, we get defeated because we don't "think" there is any remote possibility of attaining our desire. This goes back to the power behind the desire. When the focus is right, the desire lines up. It isn't that we'd be healthier at a size 5, we'd just be skinnier! One thing I have learned is that my "image" is not realistic when it is governed by comparing myself with others. When I do this, all those desires somehow present themselves as unattainable - in the far-off distance, not in the here and now. I need to let God deal with the here and now, knowing with confidence he will address the far-off distance in his perfect timing and way. Chances are, what is so all-fired important to me today will pale in comparison to what he has for me tomorrow! Just sayin!

Barren or Promised Growth?

If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins, if you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—firm muscles, strong bones. You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again. (Isaiah 58:9-12)

I live in the Arizona desert, so growing things here is a little more difficult than it might be in the lush greenbelts of our country. Xerarch is a term that indicates the ability to grow and even 'evolve' in dry places. Most of us face those "dry places" in life much more than we do the really well-watered ones! Those "barren" places just don't look very promising when we are smack-dab in the middle of them, do they? In fact, the very word "barren" suggests "sterile" ground - unproductive and unfruitful. I think the barren places are the exact places God will choose to show his power in our lives! A full in life in the emptiest places - isn't this the same as "dry places"? Dryness actually produces emptiness. Emptiness begs to be filled. Even dry places become "collectors" of something. Here in Arizona, we have dust storms from time to time - big ones! The roof shingles get a real workout with some of the high winds! What do those winds do in the driest places? They stir up the dust, moving anything that has withered and become "brittle" in the heat of the day. One of the things we are known for is our tumbleweeds. In the midst of the dry places, these weeds spring up, wither and die - leaving mere skeletons of what once was. When the winds come, those are easily plucked from their spots and are carried away in the winds. The desert floor will be littered with the results of the windstorm - not much to look at, but signs of growth once there. What we don't see is the result of the winds - they move the seeds and spread the soil over them. In the coolness of winter, the rains will come. The growth once evident on the desert floor will again be seen. Even dry places have the promise of growth!

Our lives are much like the desert floor at times - filled with all kinds of "tumbleweed" issues - pricking at us like there is no tomorrow. They spring up, looking like they are going to produce something of real value in our lives, but they just cannot stand the heat of the day, so they wither where they took root. Plucked up by the storms of life, the "floor" of our lives is cleared again to become the planting spot for the things which promise lasting growth. Until the dead stuff is cleared, the "void" that has been covered by all that stuff cannot be filled. The dead stuff takes up valuable room in our lives - it has to be cleared away before that space can be filled with what matters. The good news is that God uses the rubble of our old lives to build us anew! Even the stuff that looks dead has a purpose! As those tumbleweeds in our lives blow across the desert floor of our weary soul, they serve as a "sweeper" of sorts. They begin to gather other dead rubble in their path and sweep it along in the path they are taking with the force of the winds of God's Spirit. As the old is cleared away, the place for newness to spring forth is prepared - readied for the planting that will yield a positive harvest.

If you have ever studied the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem found in the books of Nehemiah and Ezra, you will understand what I am going to say next. They didn't "start over" with the building materials - they used what they had, salvaging what could become useful again when placed in right order. Some of the things in our lives are simply not in "right order". We definitely need "new materials" to be infused, just as Nehemiah and Ezra did when rebuilding the walls, but there will always be some portion of our experiences, past learning, and even our past mistakes that God can be put in "right order" again. Once in the "right order" those things no longer become stumbling blocks or rubble piles, but the potential stones that help to form a foundation in our lives! God uses the old, brings in the new, and ensures the way is made for the dry places to bring forth something afresh and promising. The dry places seem more frequent in our lives because they are the hardest to endure. Anyone hiking across the desert will tell you it is the hardest hike they have taken - until they try to climb Everest! The altitude of the highest peaks can also be our "undoing"! We long for the "peaks" and "lush valleys" in life. The point between both may very well be the driest place - God stands smack-dab in the midst of the driest place, his hand poised to bring forth growth where none seemed possible. Just sayin!

So, that's what I am worth!

God blesses everyone who has wisdom and common sense. Wisdom is worth more than silver; it makes you much richer than gold. Wisdom is more valuable than precious jewels; nothing you want compares with her. (Proverbs 3:13-15)

Wisdom, worship, and worth - could wisdom lead to worship, worship to worth? Wisdom is really application of the knowledge we have already received. It is when we finally make the connection between the "how-to" and the "let's get 'er done". Worship is simply a matter of heartfelt dedication and directed thought, action, and emotion toward another. Our attention is to be directed toward none other than God - perhaps because he has shown us how to make the connection and we are finally 'getting 'er done'. Worth is sometimes the hardest thing for us to get hold of because we have all kinds of things running around in our minds about "worth" that aren't actually 'truth-based'. The term "worth" was originally attributed to the value of a coin. As a lump of silver, gold or bronze was fashioned into a coin, it was given a "worth" based on its weight. The more it circulated, the less its worth. Why? It wore down. Instead of the "worth" being consistent, it was diminished by its use. I think this is where we might find ourselves today - we feel diminished by how we have been "used" or by how we have "used" ourselves! We have taken on the 'how-to' and tried to figure out the 'get 'er done' all by ourselves - taking God out of the picture. Then we wonder why we never feel like worshiping, or feel 'devalued' when we see our end result.

At the point the coin maker created the small coin, he had an intended "worth" for the coin. He put into it exactly what it needed to have "full value". As long as it was uncirculated, it maintained the "full value" - but why make a coin unless it has a purpose? The purpose of the coin was for it to be given in exchange for something. The one who possesses the coin has a clear indication of its worth. Wisdom directs him how to make the most of the full value of the coin. Worship directed how he would use the coin. Worth determined the return on his investment. Too many times we "diminish" the worth of what our Creator has placed in our lives - through our negative talk, or self-deprecating behavior. The issue is not the "declared worth" of our lives, but the "believed worth" of them. We don't make the connection between God's "measurement" of our worth and our "perception" of its worth. We forget that unlike the coin, the "circulation" of our lives in areas where we got tumbled around a bit in some pretty dark places doesn't diminish our worth in Christ's eyes. In fact, when he rescues us from those dark places, he actually returns us to the refiner's fire! It is not so we can experience pain all over again, but so he can re-fashion us as we were originally created - so we return to our "full-worth"!

Common sense and wisdom don't always interact well together. We learn common sense through experience. You don't need "Bible knowledge" to figure out some of life's challenges - you need common sense! You do need "Bible knowledge" to get to the place of exhibiting wisdom in the choices you consistently make. You need "application" of the knowledge you are exposed to. In other words, learn what the Word of God says about God's creation. Get it straight in your mind and then let God get it straight in your heart! Wisdom is when we finally get our eyes off of what we "think" we know about ourselves and let God direct us toward what it is he sees as the reality of our worth in his hands! We allow God (our Creator) to declare the "worth" of our lives instead of us determining it based on our past or present experiences. Worship directs our focus - gets our eyes off of us and what we think about ourselves. Wisdom helps us connect the dots, so to speak. Worth is a result of the right focus, combined with the right understanding, affecting the beliefs we adopt as reality in our lives. Get the first two right and the issues we have with the latter one will soon begin to melt away. Just sayin!

That isn't what I thought I saw

Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction. (Psalm 29:18)

Many of us think of 'vision' as the ability to see with our eyes. When it is not there, such as when we have been plunged into darkness by someone covering our eyes with a blindfold, we grope our way through life, don't we? We have to rely upon our other senses or else we will stumble. How well do you move in this state of total darkness? Are your movements as fluid as normal? Not likely - you probably take shorter steps, feeling your way to make sure your footing is solid before you even take the next one. I think we sometimes approach our spiritual life this same way - with a "blindfold" of sorts making us "stumble along" with uncertainty and a lack of vision. Vision is more than what we see with our eyes - it is what we hope in our hearts, understand with our minds, and sense in our spirit. Perception and discernment - the combined form of actually "seeing" and "knowing". If you have ever seen something, but then had to ponder for a while what the thing was you were beholding, you might know what it is like to possess sight without understanding. If you can interpret the general shape of an object while blindfolded, you might be able to guess at what it is you are not seeing, but you might not know for sure. Perception and discernment go hand-in-hand. They are God's way of helping us not only walk, but to do so with assurance and firm foundation.

Perception is the ability of the mind to actually apprehend an idea - we call this cognition. Discernment is the ability to put some "discriminating thought" into what it is we perceive. In other words, we can make some "judgment" based on what we know. We are reminded that without vision a people perish. In other words, when we don't have a clear perception of the redemptive work of Christ in our lives, we stumble around a lot. We need to apprehend (comprehend) the redemptive work of Christ - making us new creations in him. We give a lot of "lip-service" to this idea of being new creatures in Christ, but I wonder how many of us are really wearing our blindfolds and just stumbling along trying to perceive, but having our perception blocked by the self-imposed blindfold. Open your eyes with a blindfold on and what do you see? The blindfold! With the blindfold in place, we only have "internal reminders" of the things we previously perceived. We stumble around the furnishings because we remember their general shape, size, and likely location. We don't actually see them, but we recall what it is we know about them in order to avoid them. I wonder how many "hazards" in life we merely stumble around, blindfold in place, simply with the use of our "internal reminders" of them being there? The memories we form might give us a perception of the way things "were", but the ability to discern how they "are" now is only possible when the blindfold is removed by the grace of God's work in our lives.

The purpose of the blindfold is to impair the awareness or clear thinking of the one who is wearing it. When we put a blindfold on a child, spin him around, and then send him toward the picture of the donkey on the wall with a little "tail" to pin on it, how does the child respond? It becomes clear that his awareness of his surroundings is altered by the blindfold and his disorientation as to where he 'stopped' when he launched forward to pin the tail. He doesn't think clearly, but blindly walks forward (at least he thinks he is walking forward) and aims at whatever he comes into contact with. The danger is the tail may get "pinned" where it doesn't belong! Awareness or clear thinking are necessary in order to perceive. Until we have clear thinking, the thing we "think" we perceive will be only based on what it is we have formed an internal reminder about in our memory. Vision is the ability to have clear thinking and awareness of the redemptive work Christ is doing and has done in us. The redemptive work began at the moment we welcomed Jesus into our lives as our Savior. The work continues each day until we reach perfection in Christ Jesus. Since none of us are there yet, I believe we need to continually ask him to help us remove the blindfold from our eyes, so we see clearly what he desires to do in every area of our lives. We can stumble around with past memories (internal reminders), or we can get a fresh perceptive. The choice is ours. I think it is time to begin to ask God to remove some of the blindfolds we might have just kept on because we were afraid of the light! Light exposes, but once it does, the internal reminders are free to be understood exactly for what they are - past perceptions which need not influence our present reality! Just sayin!

Committed to one focus

Lord, who shall dwell [temporarily] in Your tabernacle? Who shall dwell [permanently] on Your holy hill? He who walks and lives uprightly and blamelessly, who works rightness and justice and speaks and thinks the truth in his heart... (Psalm 15:1-2)

Men and women of understanding know there is a time and place for everything. The events of today prepare us for those of tomorrow. We may not always see clearly today what tomorrow holds, but we do know if we conduct our affairs to the best of our ability today, listening intently to the voice of God as we do, we will be in a better position for what tomorrow brings. Most of us think of living 'uprightly' as being in line with what is right, but it also means being directed vertically. In a spiritual sense, we are to conduct our "business" of today - directed vertically, upward in our focus. The opening statement of this psalm causes us to consider two aspects of our walk - the here and now, and the future state of our existence. The here and now is temporary - the future is permanent. The question - who gets to commune with the Holy God? The answer - those who walk blamelessly (upright). 

There is evidence in the life of the one who actually walks in an upright manner - things like being just, speaking and thinking truth in his/her heart. Walk above the defilement of this present day. This may seem difficult to some, but I believe it is possible when we keep our focus "vertical". If we stop viewing things from the "horizontal" perspective, we begin to see them differently. When we are "horizontal" in our focus, we see others, often comparing our actions to theirs. We get wrapped up in the "littleness" of today's demands and forget to maintain the perspective of one who is on mission for Jesus. "Vertical" focus provides a framework for living in this world without being overcome by its pulls.

Stand up where you are right now. Look around the room or place you are standing while maintaining a focus which is at eye level (don't raise or lower your head). What do you see? I am in my den, so I see computer, computer desk, bookshelf, a small table, and the window looking outside. Now, look up. What do you see now? How much of what you saw when you were just focusing on a "horizontal" level do you still have in your view? Some of it, right? Yet, it is less than you had before. On a "horizontal" level, we tend to look as far as our eye can see from the ground up to about a foot over our eye level. Turn your eyes upward and the possibilities of focus are vastly different. If you are able, climb up on a step stool for a moment in your same room. Now, look horizontally again - what changed? Your perspective is affected by where you are standing, is it not? The same is true in a spiritual sense. Where we are "standing" at the moment creates a vantage point for a variety of different perspectives.

From the step stool vantage point, you might see some spots you haven't dusted in a while, or perhaps a little cobweb gathering in the corner of the ceiling. Maybe you look down and see just how cluttered your "space" really is. Vantage point is important, isn't it? This is why God doesn't want his kids just living continually on the horizontal level. He knows we see a whole lot of obstacles and impossibilities on that level! When we take our eyes off the obstacles and begin to anchor them vertically on him, the obstacles are no longer in our view. The "clutter" doesn't get us all muddled up and unable to see beyond the mess we are in. Instead, we can sort out some things and see them in an entirely new perspective.  Perspective helps us "right size" our life's challenges. Maintaining an upright focus is key to getting right perspective. Uprightness is merely determining where our focus will be and maintaining it regardless of the pull to do otherwise. Just sayin!

They're looking at YOU

Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped. Don’t put it off; don’t frustrate God’s work by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we’re doing. Our work as God’s servants gets validated—or not—in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we’re beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we’re telling the truth, and when God’s showing his power; when we’re doing our best setting things right; when we’re praised, and when we’re blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all. (2 Corinthians 6:2-10)

Consider how it is God builds character within - the starting point being the moving of what we call knowledge in our heads about what God wants us to do into an attitude of allowing God to actually do it within each of us! Temperance generally means moderation - the ability to exhibit a little self-restraint, especially when it applies to any of our "natural" appetites. We think of this as passing on dessert when we know we don't need the extra calories, or perhaps it is avoiding awkward situations where you likely would compromise yourself. The idea of self-restraint is one we kind of understand better than "temperance". Truthfulness is more than just "telling the truth" - it is a lifestyle which "conforms to" truth. Put these two together and you will find yourself moving from a wishy-washy life into a very stable one. Living what we preach is hard work! I remember hearing the phrase, "Do as I say, not as I do". What kind of conflict does that conjure up in your mind? Isn't this just the way we are, though? We say one thing but end up doing another. We don't want anyone else to pattern their actions after ours because there are inconsistencies in those actions. 

Our work as God's servants gets "validated" in the "details" of what we say and do. What is more concerning to me is the next statement - people are watching us! Eegads! Don't you just wanna crawl under a rock about now? This is where truthfulness and temperance come into play in our lives. When we begin to take our lives to God and allow him to remove the masks, we begin to live "real" lives. Those real lives are filled with all kinds of things that actually need some "refining" and "cultivating". Some of the things we'd like to just have "refined" a little, God is actually working on taking completely out of our lives as they don't do a thing for his testimony in us. Self-control is only learned in the midst of the compromising circumstance or situation. You don't need it at any other time, do you? It is something we call upon when we are tempted or in times of trial. God talks about the reality of dealing with "stuff" in the here and now which we'd probably rather not have to deal with at all. Things like hard times - when the going just gets rougher. Or perhaps the sorrow is heavy upon us, bringing tears easily and heaviness of heart like nothing else can. People are watching us when these circumstances are upon us - because they want to see what Jesus would do with them in similar circumstances! They watch US because they want to see what JESUS will do with the circumstances!

What would Jesus do? (WWJD) Remember that one from a few years back? People got bumper stickers, bracelets, book covers, necklaces, and signs - all brandishing the little logo "WWJD". I wonder just how well that worked for them? I would sometimes drive behind one of those cars and watch as they'd swerve in front of others, speed down the highway, or simply be doing stuff not safe to do while driving (like texting or applying their make-up). I was watching! Looking for the testimony of Christ in their lives! This is a tough message this morning. My testimony can sometimes not reflect the best self-control, nor the most truthful side. Transparency is a hard process - one which requires vulnerability and a willingness to be under "scrutiny". It also makes us a little more accountable for our behavior. Maybe this is why God values it so much! It helps to bring us to a place of accountability in our lives. The Apostle Paul lived it out in the open, the good and the bad alike, hoping people would see more of Christ than they would of him. This is truthfully all we can do - live as close to Jesus as possible in the moment, then trust him to do the rest. We cannot get down on ourselves for each moment when self-control went out the window. We can turn to Christ, ask for his help the next time, and for the courage to admit when we are faced with struggles beyond our capacity to deal with alone. We are getting to the point of living so Jesus is seen in our actions. We only reach the goal as we take one step at a time. There are no "teleporters" in this "maturity thing". You cannot just ask to be "beamed up" and go from start to finish in the blink of an eye. Character is a process - lesson upon lesson.  Just sayin!