Abandonment Issues

Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple. (Luke 14:33)

A disciple is a fancy term for a pupil - one who is in a place of learning. We can all admit we are disciples - in some place of learning as we go through this life. Jesus' main purpose was to help the disciples to learn what it meant to have the Kingdom of God in their midst - the presence of God dwelling among them. Isn't this the purpose of all our tests and trials - to get us to the place we understand we have the presence of God within us at all times? A disciple doesn't concern themselves with the "what can I do" mentality in life. Instead, they make the shift from the "what can I do" to the "what will Jesus do in and through me" if I yield to him right now. 

What a disciple does well is to bring God into the picture. The disciples who traveled with Christ day after day had a purpose - they went ahead to get a place ready, to find the meals, and to prepare a meeting spot. They were preparing the way for God to be "brought into the picture" for those out ahead of them. Maybe we have a real fear of the adventure. All of life is an adventure, but not all in life are adventurers! Adventurers are willing to get out of their comfort zone and enter a new realm. An adventurer is always looking for the possibilities. They don't limit themselves by the impossible but are always looking for a way around, through, or over the impossible. I think God honors that kind of heart in each of his disciples - willing to move beyond the impossible into the realm of possibility.

Disciples don't always have an explanation for what it is they learn at the feet of the Teacher. There are some things of God's grace, wisdom, and majesty we can reflect, but will never fully understand. Sometimes this is all God asks of his disciples - the willingness to reflect him, even when we don't understand all we are reflecting. It is the things we sometimes don't understand which have the greatest impact in the lives of those touched by them. God is busy behind the scenes creating things greater than we will ever be able to take credit for - simply because he is using us to bring him into the picture of those within our circle.

A disciple allows a shift of priorities to occur so what once consumed so much focus begins to be abandoned - laid aside - for the magnificence of what Christ does when he is brought into our present. Abandonment is kind of a scary concept. It means the leaving of something we often consider to be quite secure and comfortable in order to embrace something with seemingly less comfort, and therefore, the perception of it also being less secure. All the Teacher asks of the disciple is to be willing to abandon themselves - knowing the control is best left in his hands. Sure, the disciple is asked to participate in the revelation of the Teacher. We do this best when we reflect his actions - things like grace, purpose, and love. What we have the power of bringing into the midst of any situation is the connection of the pupil with the Teacher - to open the way for God to come on the scene. Maybe if we'd abandon ourselves to this purpose today, we'd see what God will reveal when we do! Just sayin!

Wisdom Encouraged

But the wisdom that comes from God is first of all pure, then peaceful, gentle, and easy to please. This wisdom is always ready to help those who are troubled and to do good for others. It is always fair and honest. People who work for peace in a peaceful way plant a good crop of right-living. (James 3:17-18)

I daresay we all want to act wisely, but as much as we 'want' it, we fail to always exercise the greatest of wisdom in some of our choices. How can we 'want' something so badly and still miss out on it so frequently? I don't think it is by accident because we don't always remember the 'rules of wisdom': 1) If it is wise, it will be pure; 2) If it is wise, it will be done with a peace of mind and heart; 3) If it is wise, there will be a gentleness to the action; and 4) If it is wisdom, it may not seem to be the easiest course up front, but it will definitely be the easiest on the back-end!

We are surrounded by all manner of impure options, thoughts, and examples. We need to learn to recognize the pure from the impure. There is so much presented to us with just a 'margin' of impurity that we easily embrace the whole as 'pure'. How can we develop an awareness of the 'pure'? It comes as we spend time getting to know God's Word, listening to his voice in the form of what some might call an 'unction' (a fancy word for having the impression something is right for us to pursue), and being aware of the little 'checks' that can occur when we are about to pursue something that isn't wise.

Can we use peace as a means of evaluating a 'wise' versus 'unwise' action? It is possible to use this as one of the 'tests' to evaluate our actions but remember that relying solely upon 'feelings' can be a little untrustworthy. We can think we have 'peace' about a matter but miss hearing God's voice on the matter because we are driven by our desire more than submitting that desire to his guidance. Peace about something rarely stands alone - we need to evaluate the intended action against what we know to be true of God's character, what is declared in his Word, and the 'checks & balances' we receive from the Holy Spirit within.

If we review our passage again, there is other 'evidence' of wise actions - such as the action being fair and honest. In other words, we don't seek to take the action because it will benefit us alone. We keep the needs of others in mind, as well. If we are constantly evaluating our actions through the eyes of the Spirit who resides within, we will be less likely to take actions that further impurity's inroad in society. We will be concerned not only about our welfare, but that of those around us, as well. We will be engaged in actions that produce a good crop - one that is able to reproduce wise actions in those around us. Just sayin!

Be the soil

A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves. (Henry Ward Beecher)

Pride leads to destruction; a proud attitude brings ruin. (Proverbs 16:18)

I have had those moments when I thought I didn't get as much as I deserved - credit where credit was due; thanks for a job well-done; or some form of remuneration. As a young leader, I thought this stuff was important. As I matured a bit, I learned it wasn't all that important - there was a certain sense of joy in just doing a job well, no matter who got the credit, thanks, or 'payment' for it. I have come to realize it is quite a dangerous thing to drift into this pathway of believing we are 'owed' something. If we are to be truthful here, our attitude about why we are doing something is very important. 

Proverbs 29:23 reminds us, "Pride will ruin people, but those who are humble will be honored." It is important to have the right attitude behind our actions. Look at what Beecher said - a proud man is seldom a GRATEFUL man. It isn't that we want the gratitude directed towards ourselves - it is that we are grateful to be called upon to do whatever it is we are doing. Grateful for the skills we have been given. Grateful for the time to complete the task. Grateful for the hope or pleasure it will give another. There is no greater honor than to have completed the task and see the work become a means of blessing to another.

Do you know the rest of the quote by Beecher? The full quote is: "Pride slays thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves." Pride slays thanksgiving - herein is the crux of our study today - gratitude. Do things from a grateful heart and the outcome will be much different. Think less about what you will get from the action and more about how it will be a blessing to another. Become the soil out of which thanks grows. Gratitude is grace in action. Just sayin!

Plan Number One

Got any plans for your day? One nice thing about being on vacation is the lack of plans! We find ourselves very spontaneous, making plans only if it involves being at an established location at a certain time (such as to catch some fish in the early morning hours). Other than that, we kind of just like to take it one day at a time! Not a bad way to live, but how many of us can actually live like this? Unless we are retired, it is not likely! 

We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it. (Proverbs 16:9)

We plan the way we WANT to live - but only God makes us ABLE to live it. Plans and ability are two separate things, are they not? We make a lot of plans which we never seem able to fulfill, right? They just don't come together as they should, or never really get finished because other demands seem to creep up which require our attention. Let's be honest - we all have plans we sometimes have no ability to fulfill - we just hope we might make some progress toward them sometime down the road. It is God's business to give us the ability to live out the plans, but I think he scrutinizes the plans we make to see that they line up with his "master plan" for our lives.

When God lays out our path and we determine to walk within that pathway, we are led away from evil and toward the place of safety in our lives. "The road of right living bypasses evil; watch your step and save your life." (vs. 17) I cannot help but examine some of the paths I have taken in my life because I wanted to go down those roads. As I look back, there are some pretty deep pot-holes, rocky courses, and the like which I had to navigate through in order to come out on the other side. There are even some I actually abandoned instead of seeing them through to the end. Why? They weren't the right paths! They weren't honoring God and they weren't fulfilling me. So, in the end, I wasted a lot of time discovering this, but somehow when I did, God was right there ready to get me back on course again. What he was doing in the time it took me to figure out I was pursuing a wrong course was getting me good and ready to pursue the right one! So, not even a wrong course is wasted in the hands of God.

"Failure is certain when pride becomes our mode of operation in life. First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall." (vs. 18) One thing proud people don't do well is listen to instruction. It is their pride actually closing off their "hearing"! To prosper, we need to listen to instruction and trust in God. "Prosper" is a word of action. It means to thrive. If you have ever experienced being in a desolate, dry place in your life, you probably have known the opposite of prospering - nothing thrives in dryness but pretty prickly stuff like cacti and tumbleweed! Does it surprise you that the dry places seem a little barren? It shouldn't because any time we choose our own way over God's, we choose the rocky and prickly path!

"A wise man is known for their understanding. It pays to take life seriously; things work out when you trust in God. A wise person gets known for insight; gracious words add to one’s reputation."  (vs. 20-21) The words of the wise are persuasive while the words of the fool might be able to dupe us into believing them. The words of the wise carry an authority unlike any other. We don't gain wisdom in isolation. Wisdom is learned while being "on the journey". Learning is a lifestyle - not a pursuit. Learning is made up of disciplined steps. A foolish man will take steps without much thinking, but those steps determine his destiny. Disciplined steps are discretionary steps. There is some matter of choice made by the one taking the steps, but these choices are based on what has become evident as prudent or sensible. Prudent or sensible steps become evident because you get to know the one who gives good judgment - God himself.

Although there are many reasons for planning, nothing is more motivating that some element of hunger. The right "hunger", not just an appetite. "Appetite" is really a drive to satisfy a need - it could be physical, spiritual, or emotional. What we determine to be our "needs" is important to consider in light of how those "needs" will be met as we pursue getting them met. Appetite for spiritual graces draws us closer to Jesus and makes us pursue him harder. We would do well to consider our appetites when we are planning our course. Plan but don't forget who makes you able to fulfill the plans! Just sayin!

Upon the conduct of one

Remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all. (Alexander the Great)

The fate of all - really? I believe this to be true, for my conduct could very well influence the conduct of another. The things I say, do, or even ignore have the potential to influence and change the course of another's life. We all have that potential - so it is pretty important that we recognize it now! Alexander also said, "Whatever possession we gain by our sword cannot be sure or lasting, but the love gained by kindness and moderation is certain and durable."

Two people are better than one, because they get more done by working together. If one falls down, the other can help him up. But it is bad for the person who is alone and falls, because no one is there to help. If two lie down together, they will be warm, but a person alone will not be warm. An enemy might defeat one person, but two people together can defend themselves; a rope that is woven of three strings is hard to break. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

We get more done by working together - not against each other. I have frequently spoken of the need to be a solid example to others around us. I also will remind each of us from time to time that we need one another in our lives - to keep us on the right path, be there when times get tough, and lead by example. Truly, we don't want to be alone if we are about to fall! We want someone there to help catch us before we do.

Kindness and moderation go a long way when we are working to cultivate 'solid' relationships - the type of friends that will be there when we need them most. Moderation - a word we don't hear much these days, but it is rich in meaning. Beyond the sense of 'restraint' we might operate within, there is the idea of avoiding the things that are either extreme or excessive. There are going to be times when we need one another to help us avoid those 'excesses' or 'extremes' in life.

Moderation also has a similar meaning to kindness; in that we exercise patience with each other - being calm and fair in our dealings with one another. What moderation brings to the relationship is balance. We 'balance' each other out - where you may be weak, I could be just a bit stronger, and vice-versa. Upon the conduct of one depends the fate of the other - a solemn thought, don't you agree? Just askin!

Is it all a show?

“If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.” (John 8:31-32)

How many of us can really say we have excellent "stick-to-it" determination at the beginning of a project or task? Most of us, right? We don't usually start out with "I don't think this is worth finishing, but I'll start it". We usually will say something like, "This is a big task, it may take me more than one day to accomplish, but nothing ventured, nothing gained." Freedom is often the result of determination. If you have spoken with a former of prisoner of war, they will share the things they held onto in their minds, hearts, and spirits which helped them make it through till their release. You will hear of the tremendous determination and doggedness required to hold on when things really don't show any signs of changing. I think true freedom is based on how determined we are to get and keep the truth inside us.

Truth sets free all who hold to the teachings of truth. Get truth inside you and focus on it long enough - you will begin to see freedom breaking upon you like the new dawn! What are the conditions of freedom? No one finds truth with the heart and mind determination to pursue deception. When we want truth, we seek truth, but finding it down Deception's Alley will not be likely. We turn from deception to find the pathway to truth. Once we find the pathway to truth, we have to continue on the path. In the most literal sense, this is obedience. The conditions of freedom are seeking and obedience. Truth has a purpose - to impact our lives. The way we are living, the things we are doing, the words we are speaking. 

Truth comes the idea of "propositional" truth - the formal statement of a truth to be demonstrated or an operation to be performed. In this regard, we have things like doctrine, theology, and instruction. The problem with living by "propositional" truth is the lack of impact it makes on our lives. We can believe there is a God, that he is pleased with good actions, and displeased with wrong actions. What is missing? The power and ability to live this way! Propositional truth needs to be combined with personal truth in order for it to impact our lives - it has to become part of who and what we are, impacting what we are doing. 

Truth is a living thing - not a studied topic. Truth is not just a list of facts - it is a playbook of well-orchestrated plans which will drive the enemy back and ensure we continuously hit the goal line. Is it possible to be "smart", but dumb at the same time? We can have all kinds of "topical" knowledge but lack the wherewithal to actually use any of the truth! We can have the "knowledge", but still come up lacking. Unused knowledge follows the "use it or lose it" theory. Don't use it, and you will lose it! Truth is only as good as when it is used. Time in the Word of God is great. We should get into it regularly. Yet, time in the Word is really not fruitful if we don't bring it before Jesus and ask him how to use it in our lives. What we can learn from the passage we take in is often determined in those moments of contact we make with Jesus - where he begins to show us how the principle taught can become a way of life for us. To the observer, this is what makes the difference between being genuine or phony. Phony people profess (they have propositional truth) - genuine people practice (they have truth which sets them free).

The group in scripture who probably came as close to "illustrating" propositional truth were the Pharisees. They gave all kinds of "show" of truth, but did truth really change their lives? Not really. They had knowledge but lacked wisdom. Wisdom is the outcome of applying what you have been taught. Knowledge does not ensure right living - only the application of knowledge combined with the presence of the "Teacher" in our lives will ensure right living. Truth only finds anchor in our hearts when we act upon it. Truth moves us to the degree we embrace it and put it into practice in our lives. We can believe right and still act very wrong! The missing ingredient is obedience! Obedience is only possible when we are willing to be challenged by the truth. We can make truth a way of life, or we can add truth to our life. These are quite different concepts. Only one will impact the course of our actions - when we make truth our way of life. Truth really is a person - Christ. We pursue a person - embrace him - then we live out truth. Just sayin!

Gamble on HIM

Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists. (Blaise Pascal)

Wager, without hesitation, that HE exists. Gamble on the truth - not just a pittance, but all you have - because truth will surely reveal much more as you lean into it. God has more for us that we often realize, but until we put our faith out there a bit, we may not see what he has for us. Faith isn't just a belief - it is the heart's drive to see what is not seen, understand what is not known, and gain what we presently do not possess fully.

Words from wise people are like sharp sticks used to guide animals. They are like nails that have been driven in firmly. Altogether they are wise teachings that come from one Shepherd. (Ecclesiastes 15:11)

Scripture is not given to us just to fill our minds with verse upon verse. I used to think memorizing scripture was so doggone important - like an aim all its own. I soon realized memorizing it was a whole lot different than believing it and standing upon it. As soon as I realized I needed to put my trust in what I had memorized, I began to look at scripture just a bit differently. It wasn't the quantity I could amass as much as it was the dependence upon the words I took in.

Faith isn't built in a day. It requires taking in the truth, then placing one's trust in it, followed by actually taking steps to do as it instructs. Therein is the rub - we get the 'taking in' part pretty well, but when we are asked to 'trust' and 'act upon' it, we sometimes get all bundled up in what we see as impossible. Faith is really one act of obedience upon another - not just the 'belief' something good will happen. There are times when we just need to be obedient even when we see no evidence of anything "good" happening.

Wager without hesitation that HE exists - faith is oftentimes riddled with doubt. Doubt can cripple us if we allow it to overtake our faith. The real 'test' of our faith comes when we are willing to 'wager' everything - total abandonment to the trust we have that HE exists and will be with us as we take those steps of obedience. Will it always be easy? Definitely not. Will it require us to go beyond our limits? Definitely, otherwise it would not be trust! Just sayin!

Perfect is not a real condition

Those who wait for perfect weather will never plant seeds; those who look at every cloud will never harvest crops. (Ecclesiastes 11:4)

Edmund Hillary said, "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." We see the mountain and convince ourselves it is too hard to traverse. If we are ever to get to the other side, we need to get over ourselves and embrace the mountain! We could wait for all the conditions of our lives to be 'perfect' before we take the first step toward whatever it is that stands as your 'mountain' - but we all know 'perfect' is hard to find and short-lived. Some of us need to get over ourselves and begin to take the steps we know to take - not the ones we might take if conditions were 'right'. 

"Perfect" is a condition where all the parts conform ABSOLUTELY to the description or definition of some 'ideal' we have formed within our minds. Many times, our 'ideal' is not quite accurate - it has been created in our imagination and the list of all the 'requirements' are super-hard to meet. If we wait for 'perfect', the seeds will not be planted - the seeds of faith grow best when sown, not when they are saved up for the 'perfect' conditions to be met. We never harvest unless we sow the seeds. A farmer doesn't wait for the 'perfect' time to sow the seeds. He does so when he knows it is time to do so.

What mountain stands in your way? What have you imagined about this mountain? Yes, I did ask what you 'imagine' about that mountain. Why? Most of the time we know very little about the mountain before us - we have to create 'images' of what we believe it is we will need to overcome in order to conquer the mountain. What happens when we create these images? We begin to place 'conditions' on our heart - conditions that must be met before we begin to conquer the mountain. "Perfect" seldom happens, my friends. Truth be told, we just need to put aside all these imagined obstacles and begin to climb! Just sayin!

Another sunrise

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. (William Arthur Ward)

Ordinary opportunities are often overlooked - we just don't see them. We might not know what we have missed until someone else actually points it out. Stop for a moment to consider your body. There are times when I just look at those tiny hairs on my arms, standing almost upright, goosebumps forming because of a cool breeze passing over the surface of it. I am amazed that God created us with all those tiny muscle fibers that actually make that hair stand on end - a tiny muscle for each one. Then I look at intricacies of the eye - outwardly appearing one way, but inwardly a maze of blood vessels, tiny receptors, and nerve endings. Ordinary opportunities to miss the very thing that bespeaks the tender care God took in creating each and every fiber of our being - missed until we stop to notice. There are likely things in this day you and I have missed, but when we stop to notice, it might just bring us to a place of thanksgiving.

You made my whole being; you formed me in my mother’s body. I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way. What you have done is wonderful. I know this very well. (Psalm 119:13-14)

All God does in our lives is amazing and wonderful. We just might not notice all the wonder in what he is doing. We don't know how many times he kept us from stumbling - but his Spirit helped us avoid the fall. We may not realize how much his Word within us bolstered us throughout the day - but through whatever came our way, we stood strong. It is in 'noticing' that we begin to appreciate the amazing ways God watches over every aspect of our lives - from our very creation to our very next step. There are times we want to exclude God from some area of our lives, but he made us with all of our 'areas', so how is it we think we can exclude him from any of them? God can take what we see as 'common' or 'ordinary' and use it for the extraordinary - but do we notice when he does?

Ward also reminded us, "Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them." God doesn't look for our enthusiasm as much as he looks for our appreciation of what he has done in and through us each day. He looks for a grateful heart - because he knows a grateful heart has really begun to realize the blessing of grace. Don't miss today's opportunities to take notice of his grace. You may never get the same opportunity back again. Just sayin!

Lipstick on a pig

Charm can fool you, and beauty can trick you, but a woman who respects the Lord should be praised. (Proverbs 31:30)

Ladies, I am going to share a bit with you today, but guys you will do well to consider these words, too. The godly woman bears one significant and constantly evident trait: She is in love with Jesus. She keeps him first - in tending to her family's needs, giving of herself within her church congregation, and even in just being a member of her community. A life surrendered to Christ gets noticed - because Christ shines through in every action of her life. 

A woman might feel a bit inferior because she doesn't dress as others who are 'more stylish' than she is, be married to a 'successful man', or even have a career others will 'admire and praise'. Let me be the first to acknowledge - there is no 'successful man' in my life other than the Lord Jesus himself. I don't wear the most stylish of clothing, following the latest trends - but I am adorned with the garments of salvation provided by my dear Savior. I am retired from my 'career' - but it never 'made me' what I am - only Christ did that.

Charm and beauty are deceptive, indeed. We can put a whole lot of effort into what we 'display' on the outside but be kind of 'lacking' on the inside. The greatest beauty is displayed in the kindness of our actions, the dedication of our heart, and the gifts of God's Spirit coming through in all we say and do. We may want to focus on the outward - having the nice clothes, fancy car, and even the 'right man', but if we neglect our time with Jesus, exploration of the Word of God, and fellowship with other believers, we are just 'putting lipstick on a pig'. Just sayin!

How about you?

Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; 

Truth isn't. (Mark Twain)

Truth isn't limited to the possible - it transcends it. So many of us focus on what we see as 'possible' rather than looking toward what may seem a little impossible to us. We limit ourselves by the 'belief' that we are 'limited' to what is possible - based upon our talents, status, upbringing, or training. I never knew riding a two-wheeler would be so hard, but after a few falls and a whole lot of wobbly attempts, I was able to realize the 'impossible'. That one 'skill' allowed me to be 'mobile' like I never could be just on foot. If I had of looked at that old Schwinn two-wheeler and my brother's assistance as though they were going to harm me, I never would have got up on that thing. Sometimes we have to put aside our 'belief' that something is impossible if we are ever to move beyond into the possible.

Learn the truth and never reject it. Get wisdom, self-control, and understanding. (Proverbs 23:23)

One of the greatest things we can do is push beyond our lack of understanding - God's answers await those who are willing to seek truth. Learn truth and never reject it - why? Truth will never limit us as much as our own understanding. If we limit ourselves to what we understand, we are saying we only count on what is possible. As we enter into a relationship with God, we are actually moving into the impossible - because none of us actually deserves to enter into his presence. We enter in because the way has been opened through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus - the impossible became the possible. As we seek God's wisdom, we may just be surprised by what we call the impossible becoming the possible in our lives.

Love and truth bring forgiveness of sin. By respecting the Lord you will avoid evil. (Proverbs 16:6)

Love and truth - together they bring grace - the forgiveness of our sin. Not only forgiveness, but 'release' from a debt we could never repay. If God could extend grace to the undeserving sinner, what makes us think he could not open doors that we see no way of opening? Truth has to be embraced - we have to enter into it fully. It is by embracing truth and his love that we begin to step out of the impossible and into the possible. I never thought I could resist evil in my life - sin came naturally to me. In being embraced by truth, allowing truth to embrace me fully, I am able to move beyond my sinfulness and walk in his grace. How about you? Just askin...

Don't be a vessel

Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. (Mark Twain)

If we were to be honest about our anger, we would likely acknowledge there is something within us that was wounded - our pride took a hit of some sort. Most of the time it is not that we just have a bad temper - it is an issue with our pride that causes us to have those outbursts that bring riffs in relationships. Most of us don't have 'rage issues' or 'bad tempers' - we just get a bit miffed at one another on occasion because something struck us wrong, we were disappointed by some response, or we just plain got our undies in a bundle because we didn't get our own way. I know - I just meddled in your mess a bit - but I also am meddling in mine!

If you are angry, be sure that it is not out of wounded pride or bad temper. Never go to bed angry—don’t give the devil that sort of foothold. (Ephesians 4:26)

I think this translation of this passage does a disservice by using the word 'if' - it is more accurate to use the word 'when' you are angry. God knows when our pride gets in the way, anger may not be far behind. We get 'moody' and a bit 'testy' when we find ourselves with a bit of 'wounding' to our pride. It comes out in all kinds of forms - curtness, sulking, shutting someone out. Regardless of the form it takes, it is something WE must own - because anger in any form is our doing, not the other person's. 

I think that is why Twain reminded us of the 'acidity' of anger when it is 'stored up' within us. It actually eats away at us - not the other person. God reminded us to not 'hold up' anger - deal with it in the here and now, not allowing the devil to get a foothold that could eventually become a stronghold in our lives. Anger isn't always someone else's fault - sometimes we do or say things that just escalate the situation and lead to things being said or done that would not have been otherwise. Remember: "He who angers you conquers you." (Elizabeth Kenny)

Rather than allowing the wound to fester, we owe each other the benefit of forgiveness. We actually might need to admit our 'pride' took a bit of a hit, but when we are humble enough to say we didn't respond well, we are on the road to letting go of the offense before it has a chance to become 'acidic' in our relationship. The hardest lesson we may have to learn is how to lay down our pride and actually learn how to reconcile issues as they arise. Reconciliation requires humility - there is no room for wounded pride if two are to agree on anything. Just sayin! 

Knowledge of my ignorance

It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance. 

(Thomas Sowell)

Since we are God’s children, you must not think that God is like something that people imagine or make from gold, silver, or rock. In the past, people did not understand God, and he ignored this. But now, God tells all people in the world to change their hearts and lives. (Acts 17:29-30)

God may let us get away with some things for a while, just because we really don't know any better. Let him begin to unfold the Word of God and his principles on how to live upright lives for a bit and he begins to ask for some change. Why? We are no longer ignorant - we know what is expected. Sometimes it does take quite a bit of knowledge to show us just how ignorant we have become - not because we are 'dumb', but because we have been influenced to ignore those things for so long. For a long time, God's people may go along, living as they want, then the day comes when they realize what they 'want' isn't exactly what God desires. Change is required. We are accountable for the knowledge we have been given and we cannot continue to just ignore those areas where God's Spirit is directing his attention.

This makes us a bit more than uncomfortable, because it is much easier to be ignorant of the need to change than to know one needs to change and ignores the instruction to change! Nothing makes us more fearful sometimes than the instruction to change what we are doing. I can recall some pretty uncomfortable discussions when others have been led to point out some ways I needed to change. My words were more hurtful than I intended - I needed to think before I spoke. My actions made others feel like their opinion didn't matter - I needed to give them time to express their ideas. My non-verbal communication made them feel I was better than they were - I needed to deal with my pridefulness. Ignorance was bliss - knowledge meant I needed to change.

When God tells us to change our hearts in some particular manner, how do we handle it? If you are anything like me, your first reaction might be to become a bit defensive - if not outwardly, at least on the inside. You might pout a bit - get quiet and withdraw. If we really want to see changed hearts, we must embrace what we may not know even exists within us. Changed hearts will yield changed lives. In other words, the knowledge of our ignorance begins to open up new choices. We choose to be cognizant of our words, non-verbal expressions, and actions. We choose to listen more than we speak. We choose to ask hard questions of ourselves - not just others.

As a child of God, we are no longer to dwell in our ignorance. In fact, we are to seek and develop wisdom. Do you know how to overcome ignorance? We take the knowledge we have been given and we put it into practice - we develop wisdom! Just sayin!

Who gets the credit on this one?

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. 

(Harry S. Truman)

It was Truman who was first quoted as saying, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." There are times we feel the heat rising in our lives and we get doggone uncomfortable in the process. If we took Truman's suggestion, we'd bolt every time we felt a bit too uncomfortable for our liking. If we always bolted when things got a little too 'heated' in our lives, what do you think we'd accomplish? Not a whole heck of a lot, that's for sure! We'd spend more time running that we'd spending 'accomplishing'!

The fastest runner does not always win the race, the strongest soldier does not always win the battle, the wisest does not always have food, the smartest does not always become wealthy, and the talented one does not always receive praise. (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

We ALL can start the race, but will we ALL finish it? Some will drop out along the way - not because they didn't want to 'win', but because they saw the race as too hard for them to finish. We may not finish 'first', but if we persevere until we cross the finish line, we have indeed won the race! Credit goes to the first to cross the line - in all the races on this earth that we can think of from the Kentucky Derby to the Boston Marathon. With a different perspective toward 'running the race', we can ALL be 'winners', even when we don't cross the line first.

To persevere means we persist in anything we have undertaken, while maintaining our purpose in spite of difficulties faced along the way. There will be obstacles, and it is certain that discouragement will enter into our thoughts along the way. The goal is to continue steadfastly in spite of all these things that seek to dissuade us from the original aim. I used to have a teacher who told me if we all started well, we'd end well. That isn't always the case in real life, is it? Sometimes we start pretty well but do a miserable job finishing what we started.

God isn't after the fastest or strongest runners in this race - he is looking for those who will persevere till the finish line. I am planning on being a finisher - how about you? Are you running to 'win', or to let the 'race' bring out whatever it takes to get yourself across the finish line? If you are like me, the 'whatever it takes' may be a little harder than you imagined when you first started 'running'. We aren't seeking fame or acclaim - we are just seeking to finish. We aren't always going to be the fastest, smartest, wisest, or most talented - but when we run with all we've got - we will cross the finish line well! Just sayin!

Let's get caught up

You have probably heard it said that the enemy of the present is our past. In other words, we fight battles with our past more frequently than we fight battles with our present - but we are fighting them in the "space" our present is supposed to occupy! Our "present" has a purpose, but we occupy it with the things from our "past" which still gnaw at us. I wonder just how much of the present we miss because we are so focused on the past? The only thing changeable is the present - the past is forever just that - past. Why then do we spend so much time focusing on it? One of the most common reasons we do this is the familiarity we have with our past – it is an easy place to drift into because it is a former “routine” for us. We hope by focusing on the past, we might just find something worthwhile there which can "benefit" our present. The issue with this is that most of what is in our past really brings us to the point of being overwhelmed in our present - because the past worries and sins coupled with the present worries and sins will give us way too much to deal with! Don't get me wrong - there are indeed benefits to dealing with some of the stuff in our past - like letting go of addictions. Yet, most of what is in our past only produces greater amounts of guilt when we bring those things into our present.

Now God, don’t hold out on me, don’t hold back your passion. Your love and truth are all that keeps me together. When troubles ganged up on me, a mob of sins past counting, I was so swamped by guilt I couldn’t see my way clear. More guilt in my heart than hair on my head, so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out. (Psalm 40:11-12)

The problems of yesterday were "created" on a different "level" from where we are today. Trying to relate to them today will likely bring them into focus in a different light. This is how we deal with the past - we bring the things which trouble us from our past into a different light - a different "level" of maturity. We shouldn't try to deal with those things with that past "level" of maturity because we'd be frustrated if we did. This might just be why we continue to deal with the same old stuff over and over again - we never grow, never reach a new "level". How do we get past this level of immaturity so we can deal successfully with the stuff which needs to be finally and firmly put into the past and left there? God is the best one to help us identify what belongs truly in our past and what has a value or lesson for our present. When we don't take those things from our past to him to see if there is any relationship to our present, we miss that there are things from our past which God uses to improve our present and set us up for success in our future. Breaking bondage to a certain habit is a good example of this. The habit began in the past, was built in the past, and is ever-present in the here and now. When God begins to help us identify what led us into the place of bondage to that life-controlling habit, we begin to let go of those things in our past, focusing on the possibilities in our present, and setting our focus right for both the present and the future.

God has given us the resources TODAY to deal with what we did not deal with well in the PAST. Today's resources are based on things like our attentiveness to learning from the Word. As we live in the present, taking the Word we receive today, applying it to today's challenges, yesterday's worries and challenges may actually take on a different light. We are beginning to see them from a different "level". Our perspective changes when we focus on today and allow yesterday to no longer define us. When we allow God to take what he gives us today to the point of changing who we are today, we cannot help but see how he puts the stuff of our past into a "right perspective", as well. God wants to be our focus. Whenever we focus on the impossibilities of our past, we exclude him from our focus. We almost make our past our master instead of God. As long as we keep God in the center of our present, he will put our past into perspective. When we allow our past to master us, it makes it almost impossible for us to connect to the grace God extends to us. Grace is unmerited favor - we get what we don't deserve. Oftentimes, we let go of the past by embracing the grace we didn't deserve, but which was extended to us in his love. God puts the past into the past - his focus is not on what we've done, but on what we are doing. He gives us grace sufficient to "deal" with our past - but it is silly for us to keep seeking grace for what he has already declared to be "erased".

Changing our today doesn't always mean we have to change our yesterday. We allow yesterday to be put into right perspective - grace erasing what we could not. We are limited by what we focus on in our past - it affects who we are. God's hope for us is to live in the present, disallowing the "limitations" of our past to affect our present. We will always be limited by our past - but we can live in limitless grace and hope as long as we keep our focus clearly in the present. Just sayin!

Shaped by the master craftsman

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. 

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect. (Romans 12:2)

When one 'conforms', they will become similar in form, nature, or character to that which they are seeing modeled. Behavior is most often 'modeled' before it is anything we 'conform' to, isn't it? For example, you may not even consider having an ice cream cone until you see everyone along the boardwalk happily warding off the heat of the day with their favorite scoops. They became the 'models' of the behavior you are about to conform to - obtaining a cone of your own delightfully rich scoops! The ice cream example is tame compared to some of the things modeled for us today - things that we may not exactly want to conform to - things that will create within us a set of behaviors that will in no way honor our heavenly Father.

God asks us to keep our eyes on Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith. Why? He knows we need a solid 'model' by which we can evaluate our behavior. He also knows he wants us to have a solid example of the character developing within us as we walk along with Jesus each and every day. It is that character that will help us to no longer be carried along by every whim and fancy of the hour. It is the integrity of Christ's example we are to model - taking on his nature and allowing his character to begin to transform us within. The 'shaping' process of character development is not instantaneous - a craftsman needs time to bring out the right form.

Our way of thinking is the beginning of all character transformation. We need God's help more today than ever before to keep our minds clear and focused on pure thoughts. As markets go up and down, prices go up and up, and calamity after calamity seems to mount, it is imperative that we keep our minds clearly focused on what will give us solid footing. It would be easy to be caught up in all the negative predictions and unrest around us. Maybe this is why God reminds us it is not this world we need to conform to - it is Christ - his mind, his peace, and his heart. Just sayin!

Great things happen when...

When a believing person prays, great things happen. (James 5:16b)

There should be no doubt in the power of prayer - God delights in hearing from his kids, even though he may not hear from us as often as he'd desire! Great things happen in those times of conversation with him. Just in case you haven't noticed, he brings seed thoughts that we can think upon the rest of the day. There is no substitute for spending time just sharing our heart with him.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so God can heal you. (James 5:16a)

This is the other part of this verse - something we also should not overlook as we consider spending time with God in conversation. There is power in confession - it is the beginning of our healing - emotionally, physically, spiritually, and relationally. The more we open up to him, the greater the opportunities for him to begin to bring order to our confusing life.

When we are uncertain what to pray, just pray for God's wisdom. Did you forget that God gave us his Spirit within to help us with those prayers we don't know how to pray? He knows the need and he has a way of expressing it to our heavenly Father even when we don't. Mark Twain said, "A man's character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation." God has a way of exposing our true character in times of prayer - this is the beginning of our healing.

I don't know about you, but I find myself telling God some of the same things on occasion - how much I need his help with a certain habit, what I am struggling with in my thought life, and where I need his intervention in the lives of those I love. He isn't bothered by my continual 'reference' to these things. In fact, he is delighted I trust him enough to continue to bring those things to him. The prayers of a believing heart accomplish great things - belief begins in trust.

You can trust God with your heart's expressions in times of prayer. He isn't going to trample on it. If we are truthful here, we may not trust ourselves well enough to be totally honest with what it is we know to be our real need. Lay out your need - the need of others around you - and even those 'unseen' needs you really cannot put your finger on. He is delighted to hear your voice expressing your trust in him to take each one under his wing. Just sayin!

Today or Tomorrow

Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. And God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength. 

(Corrie Ten Boom)

I don't want to brag or anything, but I haven't worried about anything in the last ten minutes! Yes, I am making light of a much bigger problem, but it is good to laugh once in a while, isn't it? Worry indeed robs us of our strength - the strength we need in order to face whatever we are going through today. I used to worry a great deal about what tomorrow would bring - especially when I was working. Every new day meant new challenges - some I didn't want to face, others I actually enjoyed. As a kid, I had a terrible problem of nail biting. It was a nervous habit - done unconsciously, without real effort, and was quite difficult to stop. 

Mom bought me one of those flat, smooth stones with the divot in the middle called a 'worry stone' to keep in my pocket. I was supposed to fetch it from my pocket, place it in my hand and run my thumb over it repeatedly every time I felt the urge to bite my nails. Let me just tell you right now - it didn't work. I used this foul-tasting iodine-based stuff you painted on your nails and cuticles - it didn't work. Mom would give my hands a gentle slap when she saw me gnawing the nails - it didn't work. Do you know what worked? Being in microbiology class one day, doing a culture from the stuff under my nails, and seeing just how many of those gross, scary looking microbes actually took up residence there! If I wasn't going to break the habit for any other reason, the 'fear' of ingesting one of those ugly things under the microscope actually helped me break the habit.

Was I biting my nails because I worried a bit? Maybe so, because I really was quite insecure as a child and teenager - even well into my adulthood. Was this insecurity based in anything real? Not at all - I just didn't like myself very well, didn't believe others would ever like me, and didn't know how to 'fix' that. If you looked at me today, you would never believe I grew up with all these insecurities. It is amazing what we can make our minds 'worry over' in our lifetime. Some of the silliest stuff comes to mind as I think back, as I am sure you have a few tales to tell, as well. Worry is very seldom based in fact. Even when I looked at the bank account as a single mom in nursing school, wondering how I was going to make each payment that was coming due, that worry was never based in fact. It was based in a lack of trust in the one who held the future squarely in HIS hands.

Sometimes our worries are legit - we have done something we shouldn't have done and now the consequences are coming back on us like a tornado about to suck the very life out of us. Even when they are 'reality-based', we don't have to settle into worry or anxiety over them - we can take them to Jesus, ask for his forgiveness, then listen carefully as he guides us through what to do next. We have all probably allowed way too many 'todays' to be taken from us because we were overly concerned with all those 'tomorrows' instead. It is time to break that cycle of letting tomorrow rob us of our peace today. Put your worries on HIS shoulders - test him with the burden you are carrying right now. I bet you will see that he makes your load lighter, the path you are to take a little clearer, and the 'way out' a bit easier than if you were to continue to follow that path of worry any further. Just sayin!

A sacred place

Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission. (Arnold Bennett)

Bennett also reminds us "it is easier to go down a hill than up, but the view is from the top" - something we'd do well to consider when we are just 'coasting through life'. We oftentimes take for granted the things we allow to 'penetrate' our minds, almost without any real thought to it at all. It is as though the process of things 'getting into our minds' can be a little 'passive' when we are not 'on guard' to keep out unwanted influences and misguided half-truths. Maybe the one thing we can do to 'guard' our minds seems a bit too easy, but in allowing the Word of God to begin to penetrate our minds more and more, we are actually 'setting up the guard'.

Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life. (Proverbs 4:23)

Indeed, our thoughts dictate so many of our actions - both good and bad. Perhaps this is why we struggle with some of the things that seem to trip us up on more than on occasion - we have not given thought to what we allow to become 'resident' within our minds. As Bennett so aptly put it, we 'give permission' to some thoughts that have absolutely no right to be allowed into the inner sanctum of our minds. If our minds are a 'sacred enclosure', why can the 'wrong stuff' so easily find its way in? Simply put, we don't have any good defenses to keep them out!

I sometimes don't pay much attention to what I am watching on TV and almost without even noticing, I hear a bad word and it goes right past me. The next time the character has something go awry, he spouts the same bad word. After a handful of the expletives, I can almost anticipate the expletive every time something goes wrong for this TV character. Do I use those same expletives in my life when things go awry? They are not my first thought, but plant that seed long enough and it could very well become the first thought!

We need to 'think' about what we allow to enter our minds. I like to do crossword puzzles - it challenges me. I don't always have any clue what they are asking, but sometimes when I see the solution the next day in the paper, it is as though I should have known that. There are times when we might want to consider a thought, but we don't have a clue why we are considering it. Then the next time we look into the Word of God, we realize why we were considering that thought - good or bad, we find clarity as to the intention of those seed thoughts.

We will always find our actions beginning with some form of thought. Plant the right seeds and see them nourished to maturity if you want to consistently perform the right actions. Plant the wrong seeds, allowing them an inroad into the good soil of your mind, and you may just be needing to do a bit more 'weeding' than you desire. Just sayin!

Obedience is not easy

Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. (Romans 12:12)

I have a theory that burnout is about resentment. And you beat it by knowing what it is you're giving up that makes you resentful. (Marissa Mayer) Ms. Mayer makes a very good point about 'burnout'. We create this scenario in our minds about having to 'give up' something in order to pursue something else, and it is this 'something else' that is making us feel burned out. Truth be told, it is the 'resentment' we form toward what we perceive as 'given up' that leads to the feelings of burnout. Remember, feelings can be fickle - they can lead us down pathways we don't want to be traveling. The harder we try to not focus on what we perceive we are 'giving up', the more the feelings of resentment grow toward whatever it is we see ourselves pursuing instead. We have to remember there are seasons in each of our lives - sometimes we have to put something on the back burner for a bit because we are being asked to focus on something else. If we are being led by the Spirit of God, we can be assured that anything we are asked to 'put on the back burner' is really going to lead to us achieving something even better because we are pursuing what God intends for this moment.

Resentment isn't always toward someone we are in conflict with - it can also come when we are asked to go a different path than we really wanted to travel. God is good at putting those types of 'change requests' in front of us on occasion, isn't he? We are going one direction, pretty content to just be going that way, then he puts this 'change request' forward in our minds and we are at a crossroads. We sometimes stand there at that crossroad point for what seems like an eternity, pondering what must be put on the 'back burner' and what it is we are now being asked to do. We mull it over repeatedly, almost beginning to come to a 'slow boil' because we form these ideas that we are being asked to 'give up' something in pursuit of something else. Oftentimes, God isn't asking us to 'give up' anything - he just asks us to have a change in our priorities for a period of time. There is no doubt he has something good ahead for us, but we were pretty comfortable right where we were. Why mess with a good thing? 

God knows the enemy of spiritual, relational, and emotional growth is comfort. We don't want to have our comfort disturbed. When we are pursuing what seems 'comfortable' to us, we aren't feeling like there is any conflict. When we find our comfort being disturbed so God can bring a little growth within, we get downright obstinate, sometimes even angry because he disturbed our comfort. This is where resentment begins to enter into the equation - we attach feelings to the new thing we are being asked to pursue, and they may not always be positive. Pride and selfishness begin to muster forces within, and we begin to form some pretty 'sour' feelings about moving forward. The sooner we recognize these feelings, the sooner we can confess them, ask God's help to move beyond them, and make the steps down the path he has determined to be best for us today. Just sayin!

Live in the moment

Don’t brashly announce what you’re going to do tomorrow; you don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. (Proverbs 17:1)

I wonder just how many of us actually gamble on our future? We go through each day, making plans for the future, but not really living for today. While I am a big proponent of 'saving for a rainy day', and being prepared for unexpected expenses, I also know we are not assured of our tomorrows. Maybe that is why I ask God to show me how to live each day, where I can make an impact today, and how it is I can use what he has given me for his glory. I want my 'today' to count! How about you?

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. (Mahatma Gandi) If we are 'in Christ', we are going to live forever, but maybe not in this 'lifetime'. Live as though we were to die tomorrow - not with the attitude of a million tomorrows, but with the attitude of making the most of each day. Redeem the time - you are not guaranteed more of it! If you were to learn to live each day under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, how much differently would your day proceed?

You would likely still make the coffee, read the paper, and go about some form of a routine. If you were really living under the tutelage and guidance of God's Spirit within, you might find what you planned for today doesn't 'pan out' quite as you expected. God's Spirit may just provide a few 'interruptions' in your plans! I have seen it on many occasions in my own life - thinking I was going to do this or that - then sensing I was to let those plans go in pursuit of something quite different.

What we do with those 'urgings' of the Spirit of God makes all the difference. It could be your obedience to lay down your agenda and take up his will make the difference in the life of another. It could be that you are in the right place at the right time with the right intervention to make the life of another a little more blessed. Wouldn't it be wonderful to live each day in this manner? We can - but we have to be willing to live in the moment just a bit more. Just sayin!

Focus your energies on...

Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting. (William Arthur Ward)

If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings, who would stand a chance? As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit, and that’s why you’re worshiped. (Psalm 130:3-4)

As it turns out...those are actually words of realization on the part of our psalmist. When we have that moment of recognition that only God can provide, what a moment it is! Just grab hold of what he is saying here - God could keep record of all our mistakes, making it impossible for any of us to actually 'clean up our acts' totally. He could make us pay restitution for each and every failure, but he doesn't. Instead, he paid the price - not out of 'obligation' or 'regret', but out of love. His 'habit' is to live and breathe love - where love is, grace abounds.

If God gives so freely of his love - forgiveness being an integral part of love - how is it we can hold grudges against each other? What is a grudge anyway? The formal definition is a 'feeling' of ill-will or resentment. Did you notice I put 'feeling' in quotes? A grudge is an emotional tie to the offense we have internalized. We form 'feelings' toward the person committing the action, not so much against the offensive act itself. Then we hold the person in some form of 'emotional prison' deep within us. 

Ward also reminds us: It is wise to direct your anger towards problems - not people; to focus your energies on answers - not excuses. The issue is oftentimes NOT the focus of our grudge - it is the person. If we took our eyes off the person and focused on the issue, we might just have less hatred and enmity in our society today. When I have a water leak in my sprinkler system, I am not happy. I could kick the valve, curse at it, and even talk badly about the leak ad nauseum. The leak would still be there and all those 'feelings' I have now attached to the leak would cause me to dread repairing it even more.

That is exactly how holding grudges works - the feelings we attach to the 'person' and the 'problem' actually never fix the 'leak' in the relationship. The leak is still there, and we dread fixing it even more than we would have if we had of worked it out right then and there. God is immediate in his forgiveness - confess your failure to him and grace is immediately extended (in fact, he provides the very measure of grace we need even before we ask for it). How could we possibly think it is okay for us to hold onto those negative feelings towards another? It could be we need to do a little work of letting go of those 'feelings' and focusing a bit more on what it will take to remedy the issues. Just sayin!

An elusive goal?

Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit. (Hosea Ballou)

We can find many ways to seek happiness in this lifetime, but few measure up to true happiness. In fact, ask any ten people for their definition of happiness and you will receive ten different answers. What becomes evident is that happiness is pretty much 'accomplished' when something we want comes to fruition. We are happy when it is a sunny day, and we are not working so we can enjoy it. We are happy when there is money in our bank account, sufficient to pay the bills, but with a bit left over to enjoy some 'free time'. Contentment differs from happiness, because it is not based upon some external condition being met. When the heart and mind are at rest, peace abounding within, spirit in communion with God, we are content. We may not be 'happy' because there are clouds in the sky, but we can be content to know God is at the helm of our day.

I inherited your book on living; it’s mine forever— what a gift! And how happy it makes me! I concentrate on doing exactly what you say— I always have and always will. (Psalm 119:112)

True happiness is based on who we are, not what we can achieve or accomplish. We are redeemed children of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. We are heirs of grace and benefactors of forgiveness. We are restored lives, broken no longer by life's bad choices. Happiness is an emotion we experience because we realize these things - contentment is a state of mind, heart, and soul because we know these things. God's Word has a way of creating 'discontentment' within us - it drives us to seek with all we possess, confess what doesn't belong any longer in our lives, and reach out to be enveloped in God's open arms. Why? To bring us into the place of contentment - the place where we don't just seek the 'highs' of happiness, but we abide in the 'evenness' of true contentment.

What a gift! Yes, the Word of God can produce many emotions within - ranging from angst over something we knew wasn't the best for us to pursue to the peace of knowing we are right where we need to be right now. Are we to dwell on these emotions? No, but we are to allow them to stir within us the desire to understand why it is we are experiencing them at that moment. The angst should drive us to stop, turn around, and take a different course. The peace should assure us we are traveling on a good course. Too many times we pursue the emotional avenue - if it feels good, we do it; if not, we don't. Truth be told, not every step of obedience will come with the emotional 'high'. Some steps of obedience actually come with some emotions like 'fear', 'doubt', and 'frustration'. 

How can that be if God's desire for us is to take those steps of obedience? Obedience doesn't mean the way will be easy - it just means the way will be marked by his presence affirming we are on the right path. If we live by the standard of 'happiness', we will be chasing an elusive goal. If we live by the standard outlined in the Word of God above all else, we are likely to experience this 'condition' of contentment. Just sayin!

Use it or lose it

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. (Arthur Ashe)

There are times when we find ourselves thinking we don't have 'enough' of the 'right stuff' to do what lies ahead. We discount what we have, thinking only about what we lack. Ashe put it very well - use what you have, right where you are today, in the best way you can, and you might just see that God that as an offering he can totally bless! What we 'don't have' doesn't have to dictate what we can do with what it is we have been given!

We all have gifts. They differ according to the grace God has given to each of us. (Romans 12:6)

On the path of 'doing what we can', we might just discover God has given us something we didn't even know we had. It is while we are going about the things God asks us to do when we discover what we thought was 'missing' really didn't matter all that much because God had something else in mind. He had prepared us for that moment of discovery a long time before, but we needed the circumstances to be correct in order for us to realize he had given us all we needed.

The gifts God gives are not mystical - they are oftentimes quite practical. If God has gifted you with the desire to serve others, there are tons of way to be of service. My aunt makes lap robes for those going through cancer treatment. My sister gives her time to socialize pets at the local shelter and feed the homeless at food bank in her area. My brother picks up food with his truck and trailer for the food bank. Seems simple, doesn't it? God doesn't need the 'flashy' gifts to touch the world - he needs the simple and practical!

Grace is the basis of it all. We take the grace we have been given, put it into use the best we can imagine, and then we let God do the rest. That's all he needs from us - our willingness to be used by him. We focus on the difficulties and deficiencies, allowing those things to keep us from being obedient. God focuses on those things just a bit differently - for he sees the possibilities and the way needs will be met when we take that first step to use what we have been given. Just sayin!

But it seems that...

How little do they see what really is, who frame their hasty judgment upon that which seems. (Daniel Webster)

I pray that he will use his glorious riches to make you strong. May his Holy Spirit give you his power deep down inside you. Then Christ will live in your hearts because you believe in him. And I pray that your love will have deep roots. I pray that it will have a strong foundation. (Ephesians 3:16-17)

If you looked upon my life on any given day, you might not always see the evidence of Christ coming through is some of my actions or words. Why is that? While I have a 'strong foundation' (Christ in me) and believe the 'right stuff' (the Word of God and the Holy Spirit's urging), I don't always make right choices. I speak before I think, step out before I seek direction, and sometimes just lazily approach life as though time didn't matter. If you just looked at the outward, you might form a wrong impression. If you knew the struggle going on inside me between my will and God's on occasion, you might ask why I am still struggling with some of the stuff that seems so simple to you. We are all at differing levels of growth or maturity. We may 'see' something, but not know what it is that is really occurring 'below the surface' inside one's mind, emotions, and soul. When it comes to forming any 'opinion' about another, we need to rely upon God to show us what is truly beneath the surface - not just form our hasty judgments by what 'seems' to be the case.

One of my most favorite quotes from Mr. Webster is the reminder that "the most important thought that ever occupied my mind is that of my individual responsibility to God." That is a bit of a deep one, but I like it because he reminds us of our responsibilities in this walk - it isn't to impress others - it is to please God. We can have all manner of outward appearances that seem to please what others think, while we are doing God a great injustice in our inner man. Webster also said that a strong conviction that something must be done is really the parent of many bad actions! It takes more than strong convictions to live obedient, growing, emotionally and spiritually healthy lives. It takes falling in love with Jesus over and over again. It can require us to leave certain things behind, take up other things, and refocus our lives more often than we might consider to be within our comfort level. This walk with Jesus is not for the wimpy - it requires some 'mustered strength' at times.

You and I may not know how much 'mustered strength' someone is actually working within on any given day, but if we are hasty to judge by the measure of strength we observe outwardly, we may just make irrational judgments. Christ is indeed at work inwardly, but it can take a while for the inward work to get to the outside sometimes! Evidence of that strength may not come through until the work is a little more 'final'. Remembering that roots grow in a periodic and slow manner may actually help us to not be too quick to judge another by what 'seems' to be the evidence of growth in one's life. Just sayin!

Tree Climbers Unite

Jesus said, “Today is salvation day in this home! Here he is: Zacchaeus, son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost.” (Luke 19:10)

If you didn't grow up in Sunday School, you may have missed the story of the 'short man' who climbed a tree to see Jesus - his name was Zacchaeus. He was a Jew, born of the line of Abraham, but was probably not very well-liked by his people because of his profession. He was the Chief Tax Collector in Jericho. As a tax collector, he was viewed as a 'defector' to his people - 'siding' with the Roman government. His identity as a member of Jewish society had probably been lost because he would have been shunned for choosing this course of life. It made no matter what lineage he proclaimed - he was an 'outsider' to his own people. Sometimes we can 'be' all the right things, but choose to 'do' the wrong things, making us feel like we are pretty much on the 'outside' of everything we desire.

As Jesus entered into his hometown, he desired nothing more than to see Jesus, but the crowds were way too big, and he was way too short! So, he did the only thing he could think of and climbed up into a tree to get a glimpse of the great teacher. Imagine a man of great stature in the government shimmying up the tree and hunkering down on a large limb. He did very little to maintain the 'integrity' of his prestigious position with that move! There are times when we just need to get past the 'outward appearance of importance' to get what it is we genuinely desire inwardly. Zacchaeus was no fool - he had all he needed in terms of society's offerings, but his soul was likely quite empty and needy. He 'needed' to see Jesus. There are times we just need to get ourselves in a position and posture where we will be able to 'see' Jesus a little better and hear his voice a little clearer.

Jesus took specific notice of this 'wee man' up on a limb and called him down. He told him he would go to his house to dine with him. This may not seem very significant at first, but to dine with a tax collector would have been considered dining with a sinner - making Jesus ceremonially 'unclean' in the eyes of all the Jewish leaders. Jesus took so much guff from these leaders over his choosing to commune with sinners, but he never stopped pursuing them, calling them out from the crowds and down from the trees! He knew they were 'hungrier' for him than most of the 'religious' of the day. Do you know the significance of what Jesus said to Zacchaeus that day - the passage we are looking at in our study this morning? He was telling Zacchaeus he was restored - Son of Abraham - a Jew - true to his name.

Zacchaeus actually means "pure" or "innocent". As Jesus finished with his time at his table, Jesus was telling Zacchaeus he was no longer unclean, but was now restored: whole, pure, and innocent. What would have happened if the 'wee man' didn't climb that tree that day? He risked his life, his reputation as a 'man of society' - putting pride aside, he climbed out onto the limb. Could he have missed this opportunity for restoration if he didn't? Perhaps, but all we know is that he did climb out on the limb, and he didn't miss it! There are going to be times when we not only 'need' restoration, but we will have to do whatever it takes to be in the 'position' and 'posture' to receive it. If we aren't willing to risk it all, we may miss it! Just sayin!

Win/Loss Ratio a bit low?

Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it. (George Halas)

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (Romans 12:1-2)

Do we live with regrets? Yes, sadly, many of us do live with regrets - things we wished we would have said, done, or pursued. There is no place for regrets in this walk with Jesus, though. Jesus doesn't 'set us up' for regrets - he sets us up for victory. We may fail to keep our promises to him on occasion, but that doesn't mean we have to form an 'attachment' to the failure by stashing it away as a regret. It means we have the opportunity to take it to him, lay it down at his feet, and allow him to 'remold' the regret into the next steps we should take. It is commonplace to actually 'fail' and dwell upon the failure. God asks us to not live 'commonplace' lives, but to live 'extra-ordinary' lives - IN HIM. There is absolutely no room for regrets when we walk with Jesus - only redeeming moments. 

Do we sometimes think we have given our best and still don't do as well as we had hoped? Yes, of course that happens, but it must not be our stopping place. We might 'give it our all' and still not quite make it as far as we imagined. If we stop there, we give into the idea that we are incapable of ever achieving the goal. That may very well be true! Sometimes we need our goal adjusted a bit - because WE chose the goal, not God. At other times, we gave our all, but God is showing us he wants to be there to make up for what our 'all' is not capable of producing. We might need to lean in a bit closer and hold on a bit tighter to achieve the goal. Either way, God has the power to redeem the moment - it is not all a failure!

Do we want the best, but have no idea how to achieve it? It is possible we have some idea of what the 'best' will look like, but there are times when we have no clue. We just see that big hurdle in the middle of our path and know there is absolutely no way we are going to make it around it, over it, or even under it! We imagine the worst even before we take the first step toward it. George Halas was a baseball player, football player, and eventually a football coach, and team owner, nicknamed "Papa Bear" by his friends in the sport. Do you know what his regular season win stats were? In 47 years, his wins amounted to 67.1% of the games his teams played. Did he give up after the first loss? No, he pursued the win - for 47 years. The win may evade us on occasion, but it never suggests we just stop pursuing it, my friends. Just sayin!

Time to stop competing

Harmony makes small things grow, lack of it makes great things decay. (Sallust)

A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. (James 3:3-6)

Harmony is probably one of the most difficult things for humans to achieve. Why is that? It could just be this propensity we have to always seek our own 'best interest' in life, or our insane desire to always be out ahead of each other in one way or another. Harmony can be disturbed when competition becomes the focus. It can be destroyed when envy leads us to not only desire to be 'ahead' or 'better than', but to achieve it regardless of the cost to us. It might just be that we desire harmony, but have no clue how to achieve it, having been in competition with one another for so long we don't even realize we are. It doesn't take much to achieve true harmony - just lives committed to one purpose. Oh, that isn't all that easy, you say? In Christ, all things are possible - even harmony!

The main culprit in the destruction of harmony in the home, workplace, or communities might just go overlooked because it is so simple - our words. All of us need to know the power of our words. We also need to understand the motivation behind them. It is one thing to say 'nice things' - it is another to actually have the internal motivation that means them. I can say you are beautiful, but on the inside, I could be envious of your clear complexion, thin figure, and perfectly coifed hair. The words said one thing, but the internal 'meaning' of those words was quite different. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can actually help us each bring our 'internal motivation' and our words into unity. We need the power of God's Word working within us if we are ever to achieve perfect harmony.

Sometimes we believe harmony is really the achievement of consensus - the big word that just means we came to some 'common ground' we can each agree to pursue. In terms of obedience to God, it is rare that we reach 'consensus'. God requires certain actions on our part - they aren't negotiable. One of those things is love - love one another as he first loved us. Harmony requires understanding and empathy. It means we get out of ourselves long enough to see things the way God sees them - allowing him to move our hearts as his heart is moved. That may see a little too simple, but if we began to see things and others as God sees them, do you think we'd still be in competition with one another? Instead of competing, we'd draw another along so they could enjoy what God provides so abundantly. Just sayin!

Opposites attract

Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God. (I Peter 1:18-19)

I listened as my pastor shared the moments in his life where he had struggles with doubts - something we don't expect a pastor to share with his congregants. I understood what state of mind he could have been in when he was experiencing these doubts. I was fully aware of my own doubts along the way - times when I wondered if God 'really said' or 'really meant'. It is never wrong to have doubts - it is always wrong to not bring those doubts to God. He wants to sort them out for us - not because we need a good trip to the woodshed to deal with them, but because as we sit in the confines of his presence and just let them out, he meets with us and settles them for us. Indeed, we need to have a deep consciousness of God - to understand where our doubt and fear collide with faith and hope.

Faith and hope both grow in the presence of their opposing forces - not in the absence of them. Would we ever feel the intense desire and passionate pursuit created if we never knew the absence of hope? At the end of the rope, we consider life just a bit differently, don't we? We see things from a different perspective. When all seems to be collapsing around us, we reach conclusions about what it is we have put our trust in, don't we? We begin to feel the push and pull of faith, working feverishly against the push and pull of our doubts. The opposing forces are at work in our lives, not to take us away from God, but to move us closer into intimate relationship with him - settling once and for all whatever needs to be settled within us.

It is because of Christ's sacrifice - on our behalf even before we knew we'd need that tremendous gift - that we now stand assured that we have a future in God's presence. Why do we doubt this at times? If we are honest, it isn't that we doubt our future with him as much as we doubt our 'worthiness' to be in his presence for all of eternity. We have 'done' things, 'thought' things, 'said things', and they make us feel as though we don't 'deserve' his presence. Truth be told, we don't! Thank goodness our present and future ability to stand in his presence unashamed and whole isn't based on what we do, think, or say, but on what he has done, thought, and said on our behalf. The doubts may not diminish immediately, but given space in the presence of God, they will soon be replaced with an ever-increasing faith. Don't resist the opposing forces, but allow them to drive you closer into what God has prepared for your life. Just sayin!