Spurts - not zero to sixty

It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.” (Romans1:16)

Right with God means we can stand before God without fear of judgment. How is this possible? We place our trust in the finished work of Christ at the cross. We learn to live a new life at the foot of the cross - beginning the moment we say 'yes' to Jesus and then continuing on as the Holy Spirit begins to take the Word of God and apply it various areas of our lives where we most need it. Trust is the basis of faith - faith is required in order to stand strong. As we discussed in an earlier post, faith isn't just 'given' - it is grown within us. The seed of faith is placed there by God himself, then nurtured within us until it comes to full maturity. Sometimes we think we should have a 'full measure' of faith the moment we place our trust in Christ, but if it were just 'given', we'd never learn to depend upon him.

Many of us struggle to maintain a 'steady' walk with Christ, up one day and down the next, like a rollercoaster. We feel like our faith is growing, then we feel like we are just drifting along, not fully aware of Christ's presence. Trust doesn't always have to 'feel' or 'see' in order for it to give us a firm foundation upon which we stand strong. It means we don't forget who is in control even when the circumstances seem to get out of control for US. They aren't out of control for HIM. What Jesus asks of us is to remain consistent in taking the steps that indicate we have placed our trust in his control. This might take on the form of taking in the Word of God regularly, being built up at times, convicted at others. Faith doesn't mean we will never feel 'wrong', it will just mean we know there is a way to be made 'right' whenever we feel 'wrong'.

We see the flaws - God sees perfection. We see ugliness - he sees beauty. We see wobbly steps - he sees strength growing within us. Faith is a seed that must be nurtured - watered by the Word, nourished within the light of his presence, and stimulated to full growth through the continual tending by the Holy Spirit. We might have set backs in our 'faith growth', but if we remain (trusting fully), we will develop an internal strength that outgrows our own feeble strength. Don't get discouraged with the set backs, but press in, take hold, and hang on - you are on the verge of some pretty phenomenal growth! Just sayin!

Now faith is...

Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark. (Rabindranath Tagore)

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd. By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see. (Hebrews 11:1-3)

For some, the days may seem like they are a little 'dark' - nothing good seems to be in visible sight at all. For others, they have just come out of their darkest place to date, glad to be 'done with it', but ever so grateful for all they learned as they leaned into Jesus throughout that darkness. Faith isn't born in the 'lightest' places of our lives - it is most frequently found growing leaps and bounds when the 'darkness' comes into our lives. Why do you think that might be? It could just be that there is no other 'resource' quite as good as Jesus and his intense love for us. Trust in God is built - it isn't just 'given'. It isn't inherited from our parents or a good mentor in our lives. It isn't a result of reading our Bible from cover to cover as we would a novel. While the teachings of our parents and mentors may help us see faith in action, it doesn't 'create' faith within us - it just spurs us to look for that same faith by going to Jesus to understand for ourselves how it is faith is born and grows. Reading our Bible may give us an understanding of how God works, but just understanding how he works doesn't build our faith.

I like how Tagore put it - faith is 'feeling the light when the dawn is still dark'. When you at that darkest place, does light seem to trickle through that deepest darkness? Fear seems to be put down, we rise to our feet in some unknown faith, and we stand with a strength not our own. How? God comes alongside us in that darkness, allowing us to 'feel' his light long before we see it. While God doesn't want us to depend upon our feelings (emotions), he made our emotions to help us 'sense' things around us - including his presence, power, and peace. This might be the greatest thing we learn in the time of darkness - nothing replaces his presence, power, or peace - shadows may come and forces may be at work to replace them in our lives, but they will never be overcome by any opposing force. Darkness actually isn't darkness when we have the light within us. Just sayin!

A bit of contrast needed

Get wisdom—it’s worth more than money; choose insight over income every time. The road of right living bypasses evil; watch your step and save your life. First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall. 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. (Proverbs 16:16-18, 20-21)

Contrast is the tool by which life responses are often evaluated. Pride enters, destruction is close on its heels. Haughtiness results in a fall; humility results in an increase in one's life. Pride or haughtiness are set out as "wrong" paths for our life. Wisdom and insight are presented as better than all the wealth we could accumulate. Trusting in God and listening to wise instruction outweighs doing things our own way (creating a 'history' we may regret). God commends the wise, because they have come to the place of doing more than appreciating good teaching - they embrace it, putting it into application and then seeing the results of its application born out in the reputation they form. Two paths may lead to the same destination - but only one is right. Contrasts are set forth in order to get us to evaluate our choices.

Pride comes through in so many ways, does it not? Wherever there is an inordinate amount of "self-esteem" or conceit, things are surely not going to turn out well. Delight or some form of elation over some action we have performed, a possession we come to own, or a relationship we enter into can turn from simple pleasure to a moment of "prideful" display quicker than we can bat an eye. How do we guard against allowing pride to taint what God intends as good things within our lives? By listening to instruction and learning to trust in God. When we first begin to listen with the intention of applying instruction, we are learning to pay attention to things so as to "heed" the instruction. We want to "catch" what is being taught - not just make good notes we can keep in a journal we will allow to gather dust over time. When we are listening, we can be led. When we are obeying his leading, we are prospering. When we learn from him, our lives are secure. When we rely on his ability, our ability seems way too limited and untrustworthy. When we are good students of the precepts he teaches, our lives become strong and flourishing. All action is based in trust, all trust is reinforced by action.

We just need a little discretion in our actions - a little caution before we act. God is trying to teach us to make responsible decisions - by learning to separate one choice from another. God's plan is to help us see one choice and its outcome versus another choice and its consequence. Not every thought needs to be spoken; not every action needs to have a counteraction. We have to learn the caution we should exhibit in both our speech and action. The contrast of wise words and those of a fool involves the "flavor" of the words and the "effect" they lend to the relationship. Kind words are like honey, bringing energy to the relationship. Unkind words diminish the energy within the relationship. An empty stomach is a powerful motivator, isn't it? I wonder if we'd say the same thing about an empty spirit? Does it motivate us to become students at the feet of Jesus, eager to embrace what he teaches and in taking it in, find nourishment for our souls and delight for our spirit? We might take a gamble on the outcome of our pursuits if we are unclear about what it is we are pursuing. The most important question we can ask is not "what" we are pursuing, but "who" we are pursuing. 

If our eyes are inwardly directed, we are likely pursuing things which will tickle our fancies. If our eyes are outwardly directed, we are likely to pursue things which will please others around us but may totally leave us feeling unfulfilled. If our eyes are upwardly directed, we now enter a different plane of action - we move from self-direction or other-direction to divine-direction. To gain wisdom, apply knowledge. To grow strong, exercise your knowledge. To impact your actions, understand where they are based. Contrasts set forth in order to help guide our steps and to keep us safe. Contrasts show us the differences between one thing and another - one action over another; one bit of "heard" knowledge over one bit of "applied" knowledge. Opposites are presented because they speak the loudest. Just sayin!

A tended landscape

People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them. (James Baldwin)

I'd have to say this is pretty accurate about most of us - our history actually 'traps us' and we are bound to it like super-glue to our fingers. All of us have a 'history'. All of us has had to deal with that 'history' or else we bury it deeper and deeper because it was too hard to deal with. Regardless of buried or 'dealt with', the history remains - it happened - it left a mark of sorts. On occasion I am haunted by some of the things I have done, said, or thought - in my distant past, but still coming up in my memory from time to time. It isn't that these things aren't under the grace of Jesus - sins confessed, dealt with, and moved on from. It is that our memory has a way of being used as a 'weapon' against us during some of our weakest moments. Maybe this is why God emphasizes us bringing EVERY thought captive - because the battle begins in the mind! If we allow those 'past events' to cloud our present, even when under the grace of Jesus, we are allowing things into our present that have absolutely NO right being there. It will lead to frustration, despair, hopelessness, and sometimes even anger. No good will come of it.

Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life. (James 1:21)

While our 'history' is within us - it happened, we were there and involved in it - it doesn't have to be in our present. God asks us to allow him to 'landscape us with the Word'. Why? The power of the Word of God combats those 'histrionic thoughts' that keep coming up. I am able to 'tell' my mind there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1-2). I am able to 'tell' my mind every thought is being brought captive and I will not dwell on past sins, missed opportunities, or wrongful decisions (2 Corinthians 10:5). Do you see what I did there? I used scripture to combat those thoughts that come to haunt me from my past. What did Jesus do while facing Satan in the wilderness? He used the Word of God! Why would it be any different for us? It shouldn't be! We are to be 'landscaped with the Word of God' - taking in the Word actually creates a 'different landscape' than our past laid out before us, and this is a very good thing!

We have to invite him into our 'history', though. When we do, grace covers over the things that could haunt us for years and years. In fact, he takes our 'history' and turns it into HIS STORY. The story he tells with our lives is one of grace upon grace. It is the turning of the soil time and time again that makes the richest of gardens. The landscaper doesn't just plant, walk away, and hope for the best. He tends each plant, replenishing the soil, turning it from time to time, and adding what is needed to bring about the most luxurious of landscapes. Can we expect God to do the same within us through his Word? Absolutely! Some of our  history brought us grief and peril - but through the Word of God, grief was replaced by joy and peril by hope. Trust him to do his work with your past. The landscape is set - let the landscaper now tend it! Just sayin!

Regrets anyone?

God, the one and only— I’ll wait as long as he says. Everything I need comes from him, so why not? He’s solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, An impregnable castle: I’m set for life. (Psalm 62:1-2)

I saw a quote by "Missional Women" that read: "It is better to wait on God than to have regrets." It hit me that we all deal with regrets and if this 'waiting on God' part of our lives were just a bit better, we might not have quite so many. As King David proposed, if we wait as long as God says, the outcome may just be a little more certain. Why? The ground we stand upon is solid - the place where we take refuge while we wait gives us the needed time to breathe in and breathe out. We are to go to God, waiting upon him as long as HE says, not trudging ahead because WE say it is time to move.

I speak for myself here - waiting is tough business. My mind gets me in muddle and the muddle just gets worse as I imagine all "I" could be doing if "I" just moved ahead. Did you catch all those "I's" in that sentence? Most of the trouble I find myself in is my own doing because I didn't take time to wait AS LONG AS HE SAYS. Yes, I emphasized that for a reason because I believe we ALL need to hear that one. AS LONG - this is more than likely hard for us because of that one day with God is as a thousand years with us thing (2 Peter 3:8). His timing is not slow - our expectations are too quick.

Regrets are things we feel sorrow or remorse for - missed opportunities, actions that lead to negative outcomes, disappointment over expectations not met as we hoped. When we regret something, we are actually looking upon it with a strong emotional sense of loss. As much as there may be emotions attached to taking action, there can be even more intense emotions when realize the loss associated with taking actions too quickly. If we never stop long enough, taking time to actually sit and listen to what God says, we are likely to always be taking steps we find end in some form of the emotional upheaval we call regrets. Just sayin!

Link to Missional Women: Missional Women | Facebook

No grit should remain

Only the person involved can know his own bitterness or joy—no one else can really share it. Laughter cannot mask a heavy heart. When the laughter ends, the grief remains. Only a simpleton believes everything he’s told! A prudent man understands the need for proof. A wise man is cautious and avoids danger; a fool plunges ahead with great confidence. A short-tempered man is a fool. He hates the man who is patient. The simpleton is crowned with folly; the wise man is crowned with knowledge. (Proverbs 14:10, 13, 15-18)

Whether we know it or not, we often bear our bitterness alone - although others may step in to attempt to help us bear it, it is primarily something we bear alone. We can experience great joy, but no one can fully experience it the same as we do. Emotions are really something others attempt to share with us and we with them, but in essence, the joy or bitterness of another is something we can never truthfully fully comprehend and experience in the same manner as the one experiencing it personally. Bitterness is a harsh emotion. I have a dark grey/black quartz kitchen sink and if I us an abrasive cleanser to clean it, I usually see something after having finished the cleaning - a residue. I don't wear gloves in the process, so I usually experience a little bit of an "after-taste" of the cleanser on my skin when I bring my hands to my face. Bitter things often leave an after-taste and a lot of residue in our lives. The after-taste and the residue are really experienced by the one with the bitterness - although others may see the mess left and get a little flavor of the issue which led up to the mess they see just by being around the bitter person.

Laughter is often used to attempt to conceal either the mess which has been left behind or the sourness which remains. Even after the laughter ends, a heaviness frequently returns - unspoken, but real to the one experiencing its weight. Things that are hard for us to bear, or wear us down, are never meant for us to bear alone. They aren't meant for us to hide deep within and never express. Try as we might, we really can never conceal what leaves a residue or gives a sharp after-taste anyway! The prudent carefully consider their steps unlike the fool who just believes everything he sees or is told. Now, consider how we might deal with bitterness in another. Brush the surface of that 'offended' area and we know something is hidden deeper because we experience the "grit" of bitterness. If we "listen" with our hearts to the 'concealing' laughter of the one who is really dealing with the mess left behind in their life by tragedy or misguided steps, we might just hear the extreme hurt and haunting emptiness bitterness has left in its path.

Laughter is an action or sound. In most circumstances we'd think it was linked to joy or excitement, but in some situations, it may just be a masking of something wearing the individual down on the inside. We use it as a tool to hide the real emotions we are experiencing. We have become quite proficient at concealing our emotions - using one thing or action to mask another. The wise will see beyond the action of laughter or the sound of "cheer" it may resemble. What they will experience when the laughter fades away is the "after-taste" of bitterness. If we really want to help another bear up under the weight they are experiencing, we need to cut past the laughter and get at what has left the residue - what brings the offensive after-taste in the first place. When we considered my sink, scrubbed a little raw by the cleanser, we might just have believed what remained is just a sign of the "cleanliness" of the sink. If we are truthful, the residue which remains isn't very attractive, nor is it pleasing to us because it rubs off on those who come into contact with it, the food rinsed in it, and neither is all that pleasant.

How do we deal with the cleanser's residue? Don't we rinse it time and time again until it has finally all found its way down the drain? Maybe we might just learn from this illustration as it applies to the residue of bitterness in our lives. We need a little more than the initial "cleansing" of those bitter feelings - we need the continual rinsing provided by the Word of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit until the remaining residue and sour after-taste is finally gone! We often don't see the residue because we believe the cleaning was all there was to the matter. A close friend may be the one who will actually point out the need for the "rinsing" of the residue! If they experience a bit of the 'grit' of bitterness, they might just say something - we need to hear what they say. Just sayin!

A steady stream

Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.” (Matthew 4:4)

I love stream fishing because that running water helps me actually have a good time getting the fish on my line. They hide away under rocks, fallen tree limbs, and branches along the shoreline. I have to 'float' that bait just right to get the trout to see it, be enticed by it, and then take hold of it. I wonder if God's Word is a bit like 'stream fishing' where he "floats" the Word just right and we eventually see it, are enticed by what is offered, then finally take hold of it. The stream of God's Word flows constantly, but the one who gets hold of what God offers within that 'stream' will indeed find themselves 'captivated' by what he offers.

More than bread alone - more than tidbits that are quickly taken, easily digested, and used up as quickly as they are taken. Is it possible God intends for us to look for more than 'bread' - maybe even find a bit of 'meat' in the seeking? Meat might be harder to ingest and digest, but it lasts a lot longer than bread, doesn't it? It provides energy to our physical body longer - because the digestive process takes longer. I think God may plan an entire meal for us when we come to partake of his Word each day, but many times, we settle for bread (the quick fix) and then walk away without anything to really sustain us for the long haul of the day.

God's Word is to be taken in as a steady stream - not a hit or miss commitment to take it in. Meat isn't always going to be served first, but if we stick around long enough, God brings the meat along with the bread. The meat may be harder to 'chew upon', but it is in the 'chewing upon' that we find the deepest and most meaningful truths. God 'floats' a lot of good stuff our way, some hitting the mark, others just passing us by unnoticed. Why is that? Why don't we see it all as he presents it? I guess we may not always be 'positioned right' to see all he offers. The fish in the stream doesn't always have his mouth positioned toward the bait I float his way. In fact, I often see nothing more than a tail!

What is the position we must place ourselves in if we are not to miss the things he sends our way in that stream of life within his Word? If we want to get both bread and meat from his Word, we need to dine long enough, with a hunger that goes deeper than a 'quick intake'. It will cost us a bit of time, and perhaps a bit of contemplation, such as when we take the time to look up a word or two. Grasping what God sends our way in his Word isn't hard - it just requires us to be positioned to receive it. Heart open, conscious clear, ears attentive, eyes eager to discover - and a will that is intent on 'sitting still in the stream' until he provides. It is this 'sitting still' that is hardest for us. We want instant - God wants constant. Just sayin!

Wandering off?

I prayed to God, ‘Dear God, my Master, you created earth and sky by your great power—by merely stretching out your arm! There is nothing you can’t do. You’re loyal in your steadfast love to thousands upon thousands—but you also make children live with the fallout from their parents’ sins. Great and powerful God, named God-of-the-Angel-Armies, determined in purpose and relentless in following through, you see everything that men and women do and respond appropriately to the way they live, to the things they do. (Jeremiah 32:17)

NOTHING he cannot do. NO ONE he overlooks. NOTHING he will not respond to. Three very important things we must learn about the God we serve. He is ever-present, all-knowing, and all-powerful. This is the God who requires obedience of his children - of those who say 'yes' to his invitation to become part of his family. God is also LOYAL. I don't believe we fully grasp the meaning of loyalty, for at best, we have seen 'images' of loyalty, but not true loyalty. He is faithful to each and every oath he makes. No promise is given in haste - it is well-planned and backed by his power, love, and presence. The steadfastness of God might just mystify those of us who tend to waver back and forth between obedience and doing our own thing. That 'steadfastness' of God is something we can 'bank on' even when our 'loyalty' to him isn't all that 'loyal'.

Steadfast means he remains when we wander. When our commitment is very 'flexible', his loyalty to us is 'inflexible'. This 'inflexibility' of God's commitment to us is based in his tremendous love, cemented in his never-ending grace, and 'redoubled' in our hearts and minds each time we feel his presence within us. God's love is relentless - it pursues and pursues, never letting go of even the most hard-hearted of us. This should come as good news to those of us who pretty much struggle with this thing we call 'obedience'. The other thing about God's steadfastness that we may not recognize at first is that it is 'unquestioning'. We can go our own way for a while, but when we decide we have had enough of our own wandering, God looks at us through eyes of unquestioning love. Yes, his heart breaks with our disobedience, but his heart never turns away from us.

Do we always get what we deserve by our wandering? Indeed, we do not. There are many circumstances in my own life where I put myself smack-dab in the middle of a muddle that should have ended poorly. Did I always reap the ugliness of my sin? Indeed, I did not. Did I regret it and deal with emotional upheaval over it? Absolutely, but I did not have to dwell in it because God's love restored what I could not do on my own. Nothing he cannot do, no one he will ever forget, and nothing he will not respond to - remember these things about God the next time you decide to 'change your loyalty' a bit and wander off for a while. It is these very things about God's steadfast love and commitment to us that bring us back time and time again. Just sayin!

Headed into stress

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)

The way we think is the determining factor in how we perceive the circumstance in front of us right now. In changing the 'way' we think, we can be transformed. When we ask God, he tends to give us a different perspective than we've been seeing through our own eyes. There are some of us who go through life just feeling like 'come what may', we are stuck with it - there just isn't anything else we could have done about whatever it is we are facing. We don't live by some "chance" encounter or outcome (fate). We live by faith - based on a firmer foundation than kismet. Sometimes we live with a whole lot more stress in our lives than we really need to - simply because we think the stress is coming from outside of us. Stress is something INSIDE of us - it comes from the way we think and the choices we make as a result of our thinking. One of the easiest ways to get out from under the pressure of stress is to "reframe" our thinking. We want to discount the actual "benefit" of stress - seeing it as a bad thing and something to be avoided. Stress is really God's way of speaking to us - it is a means of getting our attention. It is a signal of sorts - to get us to see things from his perspective. We are not going to see things differently until something gets our attention which will cause us to question the way we are seeing them. This is how God uses stress in our lives - it begins to get us asking questions - and God can use those questions! If we understand what causes stress, we might hear the questions a little clearer and a little faster!

Stress come whenever we find ourselves making compromises. Anytime there is a struggle between what is "right" or "wrong" in our lives, we find ourselves encountering some of the feelings we associate with stress. Even when we choose to take the path of "right", we often feel like we aren't stress-free. Why? It is a good kind of stress! Stress actually pushes us beyond the last place we were. If you think of muscles, they only develop strength when we push them beyond what they are "used to" doing - they need a little stress to get them "toned". Even with the path of "right" there will be stressful challenges designed to help us develop. Two things come out of this "good stress" - a building of integrity (foundation) and a letting go of control (trust). Stress is present anytime there is conflict within relationships. This type of stress is usually related to someone's selfish choices. When the other person can see things only their way (or perhaps it is you who sees things this way) - it is that way which makes sense to them, and they don't quite understand why the other party cannot see things the same way they do. Conflict has started! Then there comes this belief that no one understands where you are coming from - unreasonable as though it may be, not everyone will be able to think exactly like you think! Conflict takes root! Changing our perspective can help us see our selfishness and open us up to the possibility of another's viewpoint.

Stress increases as we sense of any form of "competition" within either the relationship or the circumstances. If you don't believe me, watch a family play a rousing game of Monopoly sometime. Someone wants Park Place or Boardwalk - when they get it, they manage to buy all those houses and hotels, causing the rent on that tiny square to skyrocket to astronomical values. Landing on that space almost bankrupts the other players. What does the other guy do to offset his losses? He buys up lots and lots of other property, getting monopolies on those properties until he can garner some monies of his own from others landing on his investments. The one property has some value, but when you "own it all", the value multiplies! Competition at its finest! At the core of all this competition is something we might not recognize - comparison. You own this, I don't. You own that, I don't. You have a monopoly, I don't. Competition also involves making value judgments about what the other guy is doing and why. We see things as "against" us - every move is designed in some way to "take us down". If you don't think this increases stress, just drag out the Monopoly game! When competition enters the picture, what we forget is the truth of God's grace and favor - they aren't given because we compete to get them. They are given because he loves us first! Competition always puts grace out of the picture - compassion brings grace to life! Not sure what is getting at you 'internally' today, but I do know a change of perspective might be in order. Just sayin!

Well of Life

The mouth of a good person is a deep, life-giving well, but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse. (Proverbs 10:11)

Words matter, don't they? When was the last time someone spoke encouraging words into your life and you just felt like they had inflated an emotional "flat tire" inside you? Words can build up, or they can tear down - the course of our conversation is important to consider each and every time we open our mouths. Yet, how many of us actually consider our words BEFORE we allow them to come forth? If you are like me, hindsight is really great, but foresight as it comes to my words is not always that 'clear'!

God's intent is for our mouths to be deep, life-giving wells - that doesn't leave much room for the frivolous words, much less the hurtful, demeaning, critical, or angry ones, does it? Don't get me wrong - not every word we speak needs to begin with "God this..." or "God that..." - but our words should not create wounds. That said, there are times our word will ring 'true' in a person's ears, but they will have 'hurt emotions'. Why is that? The words might have brought some form of conviction into another's life without you even knowing it.

We aren't in the business of bringing conviction, but when we speak from a life-giving well, there will be times when the words just 'strike center' in someone's life. They will sting a bit, but they won't leave a gaping wound. They will actually bring the relationship closer and create a sense of awareness of the love within the relationship. I have had my closest friend speak something to me, revealing to me just how selfish or prideful my behavior may have been, but that didn't tear down the relationship. It revealed to me how much the relationship matters and that my behavior needed some adjustment.

Truth often convicts - truth in love doesn't tear down - it creates a platform from which growth may occur. Words matter - but always let them be framed in love, not hatred, anger, or arrogant pride. When we learn to consider our words, asking the Holy Spirit to act as a guardian of those words, we are less like to speak from a 'bitter well' and more likely to speak from a 'well of life'. Just sayin!

Governance required

The thoughts of those who are right with God can be trusted, but the words of the sinful are false. (Proverbs 12:5)

Have you ever thought to yourself, "Where did THAT thought come from?" There have been times when I found myself considering some thought that seemed to come 'out of left field' without any idea of its source. I had to stop myself, actually reflect on the 'wisdom' of the thought, and then reject it without further thought because there wasn't much 'wisdom' in it at all. I think this is why scripture does so much to warn us of the power of the mind - thoughts can be good or evil, but they can also be somewhere in-between. We have both the requirement and authority to examine our thoughts and consider the 'source'. If the 'source' isn't bearing up to the truth we know about God, how he works, what he says about us, or what he says about others, it is likely not the best thought to be dwelling upon.

Let me assure you I know how hard it is to 'change' a thought pattern once it gets established in our own lives, so why are we constantly trying to meddle in someone else's lives over their thought lives. There is more truth to the saying, "Curiosity killed the cat", than we may actually appreciate. Meddling in the affairs of another will get us into trouble, for sure. That said, God actually helps us 'sort out' our 'unreliable thought patterns' when we are with close friends who are also following close to Jesus. Notice I said they were following close to Jesus - it is unwise to run our thoughts past someone who is not aware of what scripture outlines as the boundaries for our lives. Wise counsel doesn't tell us which thought patterns are right or wrong, but it will help us to determine where there may be any untruth in what we are considering.

The man right with God can trust his thoughts. Why? God's 'governance' over our minds makes it easier to 'spot' any untruth when it presents itself to us. Have you ever had one of those moments when you just knew something 'felt a bit off' about a circumstance, opportunity, or idea? That was God's Spirit within you helping you to 'sort out' those thoughts about the matter at hand. Some think 'governance' is kind of a harsh word to describe the life God wants with us, but all obedience is really submission to some form of 'governance' in our lives. We can submit to our own governance if we desire, but that probably won't get us very good things. We can submit to the governance of someone we look up to but putting our trust in the authority of any man or woman is not a good thing because they are equally as fallible as we are! Trust in the Lord and realize the 'freedom' of governance that actually provides the highest degree of protection over your life - including your thought life. Just sayin!

Well-rooted and bearing our own fruit

A sensible person wins admiration, but a warped mind is despised. Better to be an ordinary person with a servant than to be self-important but have no food. The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel. A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense. Thieves are jealous of each other’s loot, but the godly are well rooted and bear their own fruit. (Proverbs 12:8-12)

Good sense or sound judgment seem to fly out the window on some occasions. There you are, sailing right along and then all of a sudden, wham! You come smack dab up against a moment of decision, letting all your good sense fly right out the window, and you are smack-dab in the middle of a muddle you have created. When this happens, we may not think too much about it because we all fall prey to getting a little distracted, or just not thinking before we act. If this becomes the way we always live life - we begin to think our "sensibility" is a little warped - we might even say we begin to wonder if we don't even put to use the good sense our God gave us! Everyone admires someone who seems to operate in the realm of using their "good sense" - but when we encounter someone who cannot even use the good sense they were given, we might actually begin to see their actions as repulsive, or worse yet, we see the person as repulsive.

See that obedient person? Their decisiveness and wise actions just lead us to "marvel" at their obedience and quick judgment. On the other hand, see the individual who seems to not even use the good sense God gave them, and we might find ourselves looking down on them with a little bit of what scripture refers to as contempt. We are really saying we see their "value" as decreased by the 'not so great' decisions they are making. This is a very dangerous road to trod. Our "value" is not determined by our choices - it might look a little tarnished by the wrong ones we have made, but it doesn't decrease the value of an individual. Senses are really tools of awareness. When we use our senses, we have a discerning awareness and appreciation of the situation. It is the ability of our minds to make effective application of truths we know in response to what it is we are becoming aware of as it unfolds before us. You don't really think about putting the brake on when you see a car begin to fishtail in front of you - you just do it because you begin to "sense" there will be danger if you don't. The adrenaline begins to pump throughout your body, and you go into this immediate response mode because you sense the danger ahead BEFORE you experience it fully. Senses give us the ability to grasp or comprehend the moment. They become motivating because they enhance our awareness of either danger or good.

Since senses are closely related to perception, when they get a little out of touch with reality or "warped" by our "ignorance", we are in dangerous territory. Senses can be "twisted" out of shape, both by inaction and by wrong action. When we don't respond to the "sense" of danger, we might just head into dangerous circumstances totally oblivious to what is coming our way as a result. Probably one of the easiest ways for our senses to get "twisted" or "dulled" is when there is distraction in our lives. There are times when we allow what we once believed to be true to be "twisted out of shape" because of the influences of others, or even the lack of apparent consequences when we did not get "caught" by our own misdeeds. The Lord gave us our senses - he expects us to use them. One thing which might just interfere with us using our "good senses" as we should is our pride. Pride keeps us from making rational decisions on occasion. When pride keeps us from making the right decisions, we fall into temptation easier, sometimes even more frequently, and eventually the irrational, or wrong decisions become the "norm" rather than the occasional happening. Pride also has a way of driving away the people who can help us make rational decisions and draws those closer to us who are going to operate in the realm of irrational decisions. Surround yourself with good company and you probably tend to lean toward using better judgment - the opposite is true, as well.

Fruit might actually be influenced by the amount and frequency of good sense we exercise in life. Think of good sense as the absence of a stubborn decision-making pride - good fruit can be more easily grown when there is a teachable spirit within. Pride definitely hinders having a teachable spirit. Begin to think of good sense as the ability and willingness to make better choices. Our inattentiveness or distractibility might actually hinder our 'sensible' ability to comprehend the choices which are just in front of us. Just sayin!

Innumerable pixels

If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both. (I John 4:20-21)

It can be hard work to really get into any relationship - from our relationship with Christ to the one with our cubicle mate at work. If you haven't figured it out yet, Christianity is not something you "live out" alone - you actually do much better in your growth when it is shared in relationship with another. We "sharpen" each other by the various things we each lend to the relationship. It is the "differences" we each possess that actually make each relationship so important - for it is in the "differences" where we learn to "walk out" our Christian faith. Immaturity demands everybody be just like who we are - maturity recognizes the differences actually allow people to grow. The sooner we learn to appreciate the differences in each other, the sooner we are open to learning FROM each other. It is not just "what" another person is that makes them different, it is "where" they are in their life experiences, too. The "what" is the make-up of their personality or temperance - the "where" is made up of the relationship characteristics they bring into the mix because of their own personal struggles and strengths. God accepts us just as we are, and soon we begin to acknowledge his work in our lives at exactly the right moment. We should be exhibiting just as much acceptance of the other person in our lives - because we are examples of his love. When begin to interact with others on a different level - not from a self-absorbed, self-focused level, but one which is much deeper because it looks beyond the stuff people so often focus on in relationships which is nothing more than surface deep.

We may come to a place where the "what" of another person's make-up will kind of get on our nerves. If they are in a place where they are struggling, we might just get impatient with them. If they fail us because of where they are at in their own growth experience, we get disappointed. There is nothing that squelches relationships quicker than failing to deal with these disappointments or holding onto them until they mount into one mighty big deal. The other person is not equipped to take care of our disappointment - if they were, they wouldn't have disappointed us in the first place! The only one really in a place to deal with our disappointments is God himself. He knows the bigger picture and can help us "re-frame" our own "picture" of the situation, so it comes into better focus. When he does this, we often see our disappointment in a new light, and this helps us let go of it or know exactly how to help the other person. The Bible is a textbook for living - complete with all kinds of instruction and insight into the "stuff" that makes us tick, helps us when we need help the most, and just plain gets us moving when we don't feel like we can take another step. 

People will disappoint, so we have to learn to forgive them and do it quickly. No offense is meant to be held onto. The condition taught in scripture is the "obligation" to forgive, not the "option" to forgive. Forgive as God forgave you - you don't see any option presented there. If you remember an offense, stop what you are doing, go and forgive your brother, then bring your prayers before God - no option there. If we'd learn to forgive a little sooner, we might just save ourselves a whole lot of additional frustration and disappointment! We cannot expect others to do for us what only God can do in our lives. Whenever we elevate someone else to a place of significance in our lives which only belongs to God, we are in danger of having some pretty unrealistic expectations in the relationship. Your fellowman is human - don't expect him to be divine! Don't expect them to fill your emptiness - only God can truly do that. Feelings have to be worked through. The best one to help us with this is God himself - he is able to sort through them and bring us to the crux of the issue in a shorter period of time than we could ourselves. It is in the process of allowing him to walk us through our feelings until we reach a place of being less reliant on them that we come to a place of being able to stop relying on those feelings as a measure of whether things are "okay" or "working" in a relationship. We get focus - feelings muddle our focus - God sorts things out and brings the "innumerable pixels" of relationship issues into focus.

Nothing is more important than knowing we can take things to God. No relationship issue is too small, or too great, for his help. He is concerned with what concerns us. He uses his word and his "children" to speak to us when we most need to sort things out. Don't just rely upon his "children" (fellow believers) to help you sort it out - be intent on learning what the Word has to say about the issues, as well. Jesus is our example of how to work through many relationship issues. He was pretty much treated with every form of contempt; loved by some, hated by others; had an inner circle of close friends, and knew many others as acquaintances; and dealt with the worst of sinners as though they were the most valuable of people in this entire world. Since he already figured this out for us, we might just save ourselves a lot of headaches if we'd just learn to take things to him a little sooner! Just sayin!

Adjustment needed?

We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. (Charles R. Swindoll)

Who is like the wise man? And who understands the meaning of anything? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine. The hard look on his face is changed. (Ecclesiastes 8:1)

What are we truly able to change? Many times, we think we can change others, but that probably hasn't worked so well for any of us. We have a hard enough time trying to change ourselves, much less another! We might think we can change the circumstances upon us, but most of the time we can just 'adjust our attitude' toward them. We sometimes believe we could have changed the world, but the world likely didn't want to be changed as we wanted it changed! Change is inevitable, but our attitude toward it is not. We choose the attitude by which we will face change as it comes. We don't change the past - it is already set. We don't change the future - it isn't in our control. We can impact the present - all by having the right attitude toward past, present, AND future.

Wisdom is what most of us actually need, but we seek other answers. We search for some 'truth' that really isn't there, all the while missing the truth that God wants us to see in that moment. We rally around events, people, and ideals we cannot possibly fully understand, but neglect to bring God into the plans around each of these. In the end, we wonder why things went so miserably wrong and why we feel so terrible over the matter or relationship. We left God out - we didn't make room for his wisdom in OUR plans. The fool trudges ahead, regardless of what God reveals, thinking he is wise in his own reasoning. The godly know they are foolish, regarding God's wisdom over their own in order to remain in the place of safety and godly protection.

Attitude is a choice. We can grumble against the plan of God - the place where we might find ourselves heading right now - but we all probably know that won't end as well as hoped. We can embrace it - thinking there has got to be a better way than the way God is choosing, but we know half-hearted commitment to God's plans isn't really what he is after. We can admit we are struggling with where God has us headed - honestly acknowledging our internal struggles with his plan - facing the circumstances with a commitment to see them through God's way, not our own. Which one do you think will bring us closer to God's desire for our lives? If you said the latter, you are probably right. 

God's ways may be hard to accept at times, but when we allow our attitude to be one of 'not my will, but thine', then we are likely to do more than 'endure' them. We are more likely to invest ourselves in his plan when we release our stubborn will and allow him to lead us. Attitude always determines altitude. Where we focus the most, and the 'attitude' we have within our hearts - that is what determines how well we will come through it all. Wisdom isn't always the same thing as understanding - we don't always need to understand God's plans to wisely walk within them. Just sayin!

Best, Good Enough, and Just Enough

The desires of good people lead straight to the best, but wicked ambition ends in angry frustration. (Proverbs 11:23)

Desires go a long way in determining the end results. Integrity - lives lived out according to God's plan and purpose, with honesty and humility. Anytime we have "twisted desires", it leads to "twisted hearts" and the outcome will be less than good. I think twisted ambition is what gets us so frustrated most of the time. We get our undies in a wad - either at another individual, over something we cannot control, or totally because we are mad at ourselves - all because of some "twisted" desire or ambition. When we learn to "untangle" our lives a little bit, it is amazing how much differently things actually appear! Life is filled with all kinds of choices. There are "good" or "best" choices, aren't there? Sometimes the difference between the two is a very fine line. I have been guilty of making a whole lot of "good" choices in life, but I really have to wonder if I have always made the "best" choices. If I were to perfectly honest, not every "good" choice has been the "best" - but the outcomes were pretty amazing anyway. I can honestly say some of my "worst" choices yielded some pretty awesome things in my life - not because bad choices produce good results, but because God is able to redeem even the worst to create something good out of it.

Ambition is kind of a fickle thing - it is okay to have desires, but when they drive us into actions without any forethought, they become detrimental to our well-being. Think of ambition as a "driving" force. Imagine desire as the feeling behind ambition - it creates the sense of "need", while ambition sets our feet into motion to see the need fulfilled. This is probably why our studies have focused so much on controlling our feelings! The way we "feel" about a certain thing makes all the difference in determining if we will pursue it or not. Sometimes I don't "feel good" about some particular option available to me - if I ignore those "intuitions" I might just come to an end result which I would have liked to have avoided. You may have realized this in your own experience, as well. God's plan is for us to learn to align our desires with his purposes - this is what truly brings safety into our lives.

The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped. (Proverbs 11:25) Work hard - get a paycheck. Have a paycheck - pay your bills. Help others - you are helped yourself. You see, hard work is a good thing - having money in your account is awesome! Getting a paycheck is tremendously satisfying - living debt-free is overwhelmingly liberating. Reaching out to others in need is rewarding - seeing a return on your investment in the blessing another receives is priceless. Search for good - find favor.
Search for evil - you will find it. Desire for what is right and good leads to finding favor with God and our fellowman. Ambition misdirected toward evil just ends in evil. The reward of right choices is something we experience here and now on this earth - contentment. Favor is experienced in both the mind and in our actions - we get our minds set straight and our steps ordered. When these two things occur, contentment is certainly not far behind. All forms of discontent are really linked to either not having our minds at peace, or in engaging in some missteps along the way.

Sometimes we fail to recognize the value of what we have been given. We have been given all kinds of "good" in life - but what awaits us is really something pretty "great" - the "best" is our target. If you look at a target, there are concentric rings which come to focus on some really small circle in the middle. All the outer rings have "hallow space" in between them. Getting anything inside one of those spaces is good, is it not? Yet, the "solid" circle in the middle of the target - the small circle - is the best, isn't it? The "best" is not the biggest, nor the easiest to hit - the smallest is. Did you ever stop to ask why it is a solid circle in the middle? I think it might just be to help us focus on it! All the other "hallow space" just leads us to looking directly at "dead center" on the target! Best is always going to be "dead center" in our lives. Whatever, or whoever, controls "dead center" determines the "score" in our lives. Just sayin!

Exist as one

  He will receive what is good from the Lord, and what is right and good from the God Who saves him. Such is the family of those who look for Him, who look for Your face, O God of Jacob. (Psalm 24:5-6)

Family - the complex intertwining of individual personalities, traits, and talents into one big conglomerate. Did I mention 'complex'? In the business industry, a conglomerate is often used to describe multiple 'divisions' of a corporation or multiple corporations who do 'business' together. Don't miss that part - the 'divisions' that come together to do 'business' with each other. Families are a bit like that at times - 'divisions' of the 'same blooded' members coming together to 'do business', but when they part again - they are still divided!

In the family of God there is no room for 'divisions'. In our earthly families there is also no room for 'divisions'. We don't 'come together' to just 'do business', regardless of whether we are referring to our earthly or heavenly families. We are supposed to come together to learn from each other, bringing needed support and encouragement to one another. Family life is complex, to say the least, but it is also quite rewarding. Did you take your first steps alone? Nope - in fact, someone helped you realize the strength of your own two legs, catching you when you toppled to one side or another, until you finally stood without wobbling and took those first steps.

We frequently hear the jokes about the 'in-laws', referring to them on occasion as the 'out-laws' in the family. There is always going to be some cousin whose ears are too big for his head, that aunt who is eccentric to the 'nth' degree, and the wayward teen struggling to find their identity with way too many tats and piercings. There will always be 'complex individuals' trying to mesh into a 'complex entity' we call family. Since we recognize the complexity, why is it we still create 'divisions'? Maybe it is because we find it easier to be divided than to work it out, so we are finally united. 

In the church, there is no room for division - Christ made that perfectly clear. Whether we do 'family' at home, in the office, our neighborhood, or even at church, divisive forces will always be at work. If we are to be united as one, it is time to recognize what those divisive forces may be and deal with them once and for all. Unity isn't 'won', but it can be 'lost'. It isn't 'made up', but it may require us to 'make up'. It won't exist when we are 'critical', but it is 'critical' that we exist as one, not many. Just sayin!

Aspirations and Ambitions

An empty-head thinks mischief is fun, but a mindful person relishes wisdom. The aspirations of good people end in celebration; the ambitions of bad people crash. The speech of a good person clears the air; the words of the wicked pollute it. (Proverbs 10:23, 28, 32)

Ever said to yourself, "Now why'd I do THAT"? I think we probably all have at some point. We plunge right in and then in 20/20 retrospect, we wonder how we ever got as "messed up" as we did. It was probably because we had one of those times when we just didn't stop long enough to consider the consequences of what we were doing - the scripture calls this being "empty-headed". These empty-headed decisions are really not built on a solid foundation therefore they will not turn out well. Our conduct may be fun for a while, but eventually empty-headed decisions catch up with us. Mindful decisions are marked by attentiveness, awareness, and great care. These types of decisions make for a much better outcome - their foundation is a lot stronger and more enduring.

A schemer leans to the side of embracing the impractical - they have a plan, but it may not be well thought out. The developer leans to the side of development - allowing one piece to build upon another until they see the result of the finished work. Scripture promises the planner a much better outcome than the schemer. Why? There is a tendency for the planner to stop long enough to get God's perspective on the matter, while the schemer just takes off, hoping God will back them in their plan. I have been on both sides of the fence on this one! I can be the best of planners and the worst of schemers! I have had some of those empty-headed moments - but I'd like to think I have come full circle to becoming more mindful about my actions. A mindful person really has their "mind full", but with the right stuff!

The godly rest secure because they their plans are made and acted upon in God's sight. The fool might just make a few of their decisions under the cover of "darkness" - kind of like they hope to "fly under the radar" on some of them! It took me a long while to realize God doesn't need the radar! His powers of observations far outdo the radar - so there is really no "flying under the radar" with him! Mischief - ever stop to consider this word? It dawned on me it could be written as "MIS-Chief". In other words, the control (chief) in our lives is "misplaced". We determine to be "chief" instead of keeping God at the center. Anytime we do this, we are open to some pretty empty-headed decisions and actions! Mischief is really anything which will bring hurt or damage - getting anything but God at the center of our decisions is sure to produce both.

The goals or objectives of a godly man or woman end in celebration - because the desire, longing, or aim of their hearts is to please only one. The godly are contrasted to the foolish who don't have aspirations, but ambitions. Ambitions are pursuits which will result in a distinguished honor, power, fame, or even wealth. Some might think aspirations and ambitions are closely related - they wouldn't be wrong, but it is the "intent" behind each which determines if they are right for a child of God. If we really have no idea where God fits into the picture of whatever we are pursuing, it is likely an ambition and might just be one of those "empty headed" moments!

When the storm is over, there’s nothing left of the wicked; good people, firm on their rock foundation, aren’t even fazed. (vs. 25) When we allow our minds to be governed by the action of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we make better decisions. The "quality" of our decisions to act are based on a solid foundation. The result of the "well-planned" actions which are the result of having the right focus will end in better outcomes. We can have a lot of ambition and still totally miss the mark in the end. Ambition alone will not stand the test of time, or the challenge of testing. We need the desires of our heart to be filtered through the mind and heart of Christ. Until this occurs, we are just seeking ambitions - we never really move into aspirations. What stands the test of time is not the empty-headed decisions, but the well-rounded decisions of a heart willing to wait on God for his direction. Getting his perspective makes all the difference when the storms challenge our decisions. Just sayin!

Disturbed by a need

Follow My teachings and learn from Me. I am gentle and do not have pride. You will have rest for your souls. For My way of carrying a load is easy and My load is not heavy.” (Matthew 11:29-30)

We all have moments when we see needs, but we have no clue how to meet them. Things upset us, these things are right there in our face, many times making us mad, sad, and desiring to see something different as a result of some action we may take. When we are disturbed on behalf of God, we are oftentimes moved in the most significant ways. We may even embrace a calling in life as a result of the burden we bear over the matters that upset us. When we are bothered by something - the need is right there before us - we are likely going to see God impact the lives of people IF we put ourselves out there.

We don't have to have a formal position to meet a need if we possess a God-given passion over the need around us. We will make a difference if we follow the burden God places in our hearts. Seek God over the matter faithfully - not just once, or even twice - but repeatedly until you see the results. We may 'hurt' for the need on our hearts for a while, but as long as we are taking that 'hurt' to God for his wisdom and direction, we will be in the best place to receive the wisdom to know what to do. Talk with God about the need you see before you - frequently, deeply, in truth. In prayer, God will help you see his 'bigness' and his 'ability' to help with that burden.

Nothing is too small for God's heart. Nothing is too big for his power. If we have a heart and vision for the need, God wants to hear about it. There is power if prayer - time talking with God. Let God help you define the calling upon your life over the need. It needs to be very clear, but many times we begin with a very 'muddy' understanding of the need and how we may be involved in seeing that need met. It is in times of prayer that we get that clarity. God has a way of getting the 'mud' out of our vision. It only happens when we bring it before God and allow him to bring that clarity. 

God desires to not only carry that burden, but to help us see where we can be instrumental in his hands to meet that need. The burden comes because we are upset by what we see. The calling comes as we clarify that vision before him. Then we give him the burden - he carries it while we DO what he asks us to do. There is no need to carry the burden alone - it is HIS. We are HIS workers - it is never just OUR burden. If we pray on it long enough, we begin to see how he plans to use us to begin to engage in the need. Just sayin!

Your trust is where?

The Lord says, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man, who trusts in the flesh for his strength, and whose heart turns away from the Lord. For he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when good comes. He will live in dry wastes in the desert, in a land of salt where no other people live. Good will come to the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord. He will be like a tree planted by the water, that sends out its roots by the river. It will not be afraid when the heat comes but its leaves will be green. It will not be troubled in a dry year, or stop giving fruit. (Jeremiah 17:5-8)

If you have had a 'dry year' thus far, maybe you are not feeling like 'celebrating' what this year has brought into your life thus far. You may not exactly feel overjoyed by the 'dryness' of the season you are experiencing but let me assure you of this - you are planted in the right place to endure the dryness if you have roots deeply planted in Jesus. WHERE, WHEN, and HOW we place our trust in hard, dry times is equally as important as WHO we place that trust in. The 'who' is Jesus - on that we hopefully agree. The 'where' and 'when' come long before the dry times, though. We don't experience dry times and THEN decide to follow closely to Jesus - we follow in both the good and the bad, the easy and the hard.

How do we know we are trusting in Jesus as we should? I think we are given a pretty big 'hint' in this passage. When we place our trust in 'man' - in the flesh - we are going to be rooted in some pretty uncertain ground. What does this look like in our daily life? It might be that we find little to no time to actually bring our day before God for his direction and wisdom over the matters that will come our way that day. It could resemble us hearing, but then choosing to do it our 'own way' because it is 'easier', 'quicker', or 'less complicated'. It could also take on the appearance of us always turning to another to look for the answers instead of taking time to seek them out in scripture, times of prayer, or quiet introspection before God. 

HOW we trust is important because if we choose to put our faith in man or man's strength and ability alone, we are sure to face the 'dry times' without the necessary rooting to survive well. We may 'make it through', but will we be bearing fruit in the end? Not likely. Dry times come - it is part of life. HOW we prepare for those seasons is up to us. We can choose to dig in and be solidly rooted in Christ, or we can stubbornly choose to live our own lives apart from his wisdom and guidance. The latter is a bit too risky for me and I hope it is for you, as well. Roots are established before the storm, but their importance may not be revealed without the storm. Just sayin!

Squander no moment

So, my dear friends, listen carefully; those who embrace these my ways are most blessed. Mark a life of discipline and live wisely; don’t squander your precious life. Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me, awake and ready for me each morning, alert and responsive as I start my day’s work. When you find me, you find life, real life, to say nothing of God’s good pleasure. But if you wrong me, you damage your very soul; when you reject me, you’re flirting with death. (Proverbs 8:32-36)

We began to look at this passage yesterday and I would like to focus on the idea of becoming 'nurturing' individuals today. Nurturing carries the idea of protection. We protect what we value most, don't we? I have insurance on my car, not so much because it is the law, but because it gets me too and from everywhere I need to be. To be without it for any length of time, or to lose it completely, would place me in a position of having to walk long distances in the Arizona heat - something not very appealing to me! I "insure" my vehicle because I value the convenience of having this transportation. The insurance is a means of protecting this huge investment. The same is true in every relationship - we invest in, watch over, and insure the existence of it because we have come to value it. It has a "declared worth" in our hearts and minds.

Nurturing speaks to the support and encouragement which is so desperately needed in times of our spiritual, emotional, and even physical growth and development. Relationships require support and encouragement as they move or transition from one level to the next. Nothing is easy as it applies to moving into a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God or another individual. Both require much support - both flourish when they are encouraged. We sometimes experience relationship "burnout" because we don't feel the support of another, nor do we sense there is any encouragement from the other to keep pursuing any depth within the relationship. At this point, what we do in our relationships with each other determines whether they will "last" or "split apart". Sometimes the difference is made is the tiniest bit of encouragement - even a glimmer of light is better than nothing at all.

What we have been speaking about today is something we might call relationship development. We want to guard against 'squandering' the life we have been given - including every relationship we have within our life. Focus first on your relationship with God, then on the ones he gives you for that day-to-day support. We cannot be in relationship with anyone if there is any form of arrested development - if development stops, there is a lack of continued growth. In other words, death ensues. Where there is a lack of growth, there will be insufficient "supply" in our storehouses. To ensure "full" storehouses, we must focus on the development and growth of that which results in their "filling". Anything short of watching "for" and "after" those things which really provide for the ultimate "filling" of our storehouses is to neglect some of the greatest opportunities we are afforded. Just sayin!

Watch with me

So, my dear friends, listen carefully; those who embrace these my ways are most blessed. Mark a life of discipline and live wisely; don’t squander your precious life. Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me, awake and ready for me each morning, alert and responsive as I start my day’s work. When you find me, you find life, real life, to say nothing of God’s good pleasure. But if you wrong me, you damage your very soul; when you reject me, you’re flirting with death. (Proverbs 8:32-36)

Having a "storehouse" gives us the ability to "save up" for the days of leanness that are sure to come. God's storehouse has resources always available for us: Direction; Strength; Success; and Insight. We can access his storehouse at any time - making the necessary withdrawals. It is also important to lay up for times of leanness in our own lives - things like Trust, Patience, Endurance, and even Faith. The blessings God distributes to his children are also things we need to "tuck away" in our storehouses: Unending Riches such as wealth, honor, justice, and emotional wholeness. Sometimes we only think of wealth in the sense of what we have in our bank accounts and investments - God thinks of wealth as what we possess in the way of relationships! Gaining the right perspective on what he prepares for us as "items" which "fill our storehouses" will help us to embrace them as they are provided.

Those who have full storehouses possess the ability to remain watchful. They are constantly on the lookout for what will best "fill" the storehouse. Following Christ involves watchfulness. It is easy to miss what can "fill" you like nothing else ever will - just because you are neither watching "for" nor "after" what you have been given. One is expectation - the other is nurturing. We expect, so we watch "for". We want to preserve and have at the ready, so we watch "after" what we have been entrusted with until it is nurtured into something of full value in our lives.

The concept of "watching after" what we are given in life is foreign to many. We live in a world of disposable everything - even relationships. The first relationship to watch over is the one we have with our Creator and Lord, Jesus Christ. If there is insufficient attention paid toward maintaining this one, all the others we work on maintaining will pale in comparison. The thing which keeps relationships strong is the willingness to nurture them. Nurturing requires some investment on the part of the individual within the relationship. Nurturing involves feeding - we have to "feed" any relationship. When we don't "feed" our bodies, what happens? We run down, don't think very clearly, and soon we begin to burn muscle / fat - reserves we have stored up against a "future day". The same is true in relationship - when we don't regularly "feed" it, we burn through the "reserves" we have built up within it! Just sayin!

Get that truth

Ever been caught "off-guard" by something or someone? You were not prepared, got caught in the moment, and then fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Sin has a way of "taking us in" - catching us off-guard, just like that. To protect us from being "taken in" when sin's promises and our own lust entice us to do something or act a certain way, we need the correction of discipline. The "correction" of discipline - for no discipline is without correction. Even if you are trying to live a healthier lifestyle, rising early, taking walks, getting enough rest, and making wise food choices - there will be times when you need to "correct" your actions to still "match" the discipline you are trying to achieve. More than anything, you and I need the "action" of the Word over our soul - correcting and guiding us toward discipline.

Dear friend, do what I tell you; treasure my careful instructions. Do what I say and you’ll live well. My teaching is as precious as your eyesight—guard it! Write it out on the back of your hands; etch it on the chambers of your heart. Talk to Wisdom as to a sister. Treat Insight as your companion. They’ll be with you to fend off the Temptress—that smooth-talking, honey-tongued Seductress. (Proverbs 7:1-5)

There are certain actions God expects of us as we respond to the Word - without these actions, we are just consumers of the Word - we don't allow it to discipline our lives. There will be times when we need a little correction, putting us back on track to exhibit the disciplines in life God desires for us. With respect to the Word of God, this is what God asks of us:

- Follow it. We need to be pursuing the truths contained within its chapters, making every effort to attain the truths contained within. It is one thing to attain something, it is quite another to allow it to affect your life. Following involves not only apprehending a truth but also allowing it to become a way of life for us. We are to become "imitators" of the truths contained within.
- Treasure it. This is the idea is of collecting and storing up for the times of future need we are sure to experience. We never really know when the time of need will arise, but when our storehouses are full, we have sufficient to draw from. That which is stored up is held as precious - it is a reserve we count on when the need exists. We cannot go through life thinking we will always be able to "sponge" on what someone else has stored up! We need to do a little of this "storing up" ourselves.
- Obey it. Compliance and execution go hand in hand. When we determine to act a certain way, execution of our actions becomes practiced and reliable. If we never really learn the lessons, we find it difficult to practice the disciplines.
- Guard it. Something which is guarded is both protected and defended. Truth protects us, but we must always be 'on guard' as it relates to the truth we allow to take up a place of residence in our hearts. Truth can be mixed with untruth - it is the tactic used to get us to embrace untruth. Maintain a watchfulness over what we embrace and hold to be true - test it, find out its integrity, and then discard all which does not hold up under the scrutiny of the Word.
- Remember it. The Word gives us reminders of the intensity of God's love toward each of us. It is also the place where we get to understand how he acts on our behalf and what his power is capable of doing for those who place their trust in it. The more we rehearse the Word, the more we are reminded of these things. Rehearse the right stuff and the right stuff will be in your storehouse when you need it most.
- Write it. The location of this "writing" is to be deep within our hearts. It is as though God were asking us to allow his Word to imprint our hearts - guarding them against the many things which attempt to invade our hearts with their untruths. Imprinting is when something or someone leaves a mark on your heart. There is nothing more awesome than when God leaves his mark in our lives!

The Word in our lives affords us protection, correction, and discipline. The place of compromise is often outside of the boundaries God sets over our lives. This place is most easily recognized when we have taken the actions God asks of us as it applies to how we handle and embrace his Word. If we engage in senseless activity, the outcome is more than likely going to be less than stellar. When we begin to engage in the active intake of his Word and the impression it leaves, life choices begin to be less "senseless" and more "mindful". God's desire is for us to have wisdom - something akin to common sense but based upon getting to know him better each day. When we allow his truth to get inside us, imprinting our impressionable hearts, we will be able to discern truth where we are "naive" in our understanding and beliefs. Just sayin!

Be thee humble?

Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. (John Wooden)

Have you ever heard the quote from scripture that God takes care of the humble, but opposes the proud man? I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be on the 'opposing' side to God! I am not thinking that would end very well at all. 

Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud. (Psalm 138:6)

God cares for the humble - the one who realizes how much they owe to the one who has redeemed their lives. I used to think a humble person was one who always went around kind of timid, shyly carrying on tasks behind the scenes. I have since discovered God actually has quite a few humble servants who aren't afraid to put themselves out there each and every day.

They value relationships and work hard to keep not only their relationships 'solid', but they are constantly seeking to see all relationships be on their best footing. They value what talents they have been given and are obedient to put them into use. They know the truth and aren't afraid to bring light into darkness by sharing that truth. You see - the humble aren't shy - they are bold in Christ.

Probably one of the most significant characteristics of a humble man or woman that I have observed over the years is this trait of always being grateful. They have a spirit of thankfulness that just exudes from them. It isn't 'mushy' or 'gushy' in anyway, but you can just sense that they are 'at peace' with their lives and are grateful for each blessing God has bestowed. 

God opposes the proud, but he gives grace upon grace to the humble. To the one who is willing to cultivate a spirit of obedience - God is more than willing to cultivate all the other characteristics of humility that we observe in the truly humble individual. I have never been obedient to what God asks me to do and then not been thankful in the end for what he helped me to see, avoid, or come into as a result of that obedience. 

The dictionary may define humility as the state of feeling a bit inferior to others. The very presence of God within our lives could never make us 'inferior' to anyone else - in fact, it makes us appreciate those around us, pray for their needs, and be there when they need a helping hand. Humble people aren't 'saints' - they are just obedient sinners redeemed by God's grace. Just sayin!

No consultation needed

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. (Theodore Roosevelt)

But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?). I thought, “Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. (Ecclesiastes 2:11-13)

The best thing we can do is the right thing, but how many times do we choose the wrong thing? We might be pursuing the right thing, but find we complicate it what we really think might make the 'right thing' even better. Ever do that? I have, and I have to admit, things don't turn out as well when I bring my foolish ideas into the 'right thing' God wants me to pursue. Compare wisdom with foolishness and you might find two very different pictures of yourself. We do all kinds of things without asking for God's advice. Oh wait...God doesn't give advice - he gives direction. 

Too many times we treat God's words to us as 'advice' we can either heed or embrace with half-hearted commitment. We cull out the parts that don't give us the warm and fuzzies, embracing all the other parts that do. Then we wonder how we get so many mind pictures of us doing the foolish things. Advice is something we can either embrace or reject - we choose what we will do with it. God's words to us are not something we can pick and choose - they are truth, plain and simple. Fools don't want plain truth - they want advice. They want to have options. If you know anything about the commands of God, they aren't 'optional'.

The right thing seems like it is might be kind of hard - but mix up you own philosophy and misguided beliefs in any element of God's truth, and you will find it much harder to hit what you are aiming at. Why? We might mix opinion or advice with truth, but we only get 'close' to the bullseye. The clearest vision, combined with the very best knowledge of what we are aiming at will help us hit the target. We have all probably known someone referred to a Consultant Physician because of something the PCP finds in their exam. Why do we go to the consultant? We want a second opinion. God isn't our Consultant Great Physician. He is our Great Physician - no consultation necessary where obedience is concerned! Just sayin!

Engage with me

We aim above the mark to hit the mark. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live... (I Thessalonians 4:11-12)

Knowing where we are aiming is important, because our aim determines our course. We don't walk with an aim in front of us and then walk backwards. We set one foot in front of the other, hopefully in the direction of our target. Living a 'quiet life' is not having our head in the sand all of the time. We must engage in life, but in a respectful, peaceful, and kind manner. Christ didn't stick his head in the sand, avoiding all the tough issues, but rather he confronted them with a positive example, loving attitude, and kindness of heart that drew people to him.

A 'quiet life' isn't a 'sheltered' life - one in which we withdraw from what is happening around us. In fact, according to author Tim Ross, God calls us to 'upset our world'. That doesn't mean we get all radical and in everyone's face. It means we get up, go out, meet our neighbors, do life around us, and be there as Jesus was always there. We learn to 'relate' as God intended for all of his kiddos to relate to one another - in kindness and in love. The 'quiet life' isn't devoid of activity - it is action in the right direction - with the right aim!

I challenge you to begin to 'upset your world' today - not in any manner that is hostile - but with love and kindness. Every now and again, there is a man probably somewhere in his 5th or 6th decade of life, standing on the corner of our local big box hardware store, holding a sign that tells people they need Jesus in their lives. He doesn't get in anyone's face, nor does he shout 'repent or die' slogans. He just stands there during rush hour traffic and holds that sign. I don't know what made him take up this habit, but he is committed to getting the message out that people need Jesus.

He may not have a pulpit, have written a book, or even marched in a protest group, but he has an aim. Do I know if it is working? No, I don't, but I do know when God asks us to do something, no matter how 'weird' or 'out there' it may seem, he backs that plan with his presence. Someone may have seen his simple message and thought about it long enough to give their heart to Jesus - if not, the seed was planted. Is this my calling? No, it is not, but I admire him for being faithful to do what he believes God asked him to do. You and I live life daily, going about our business, sometimes without even 'seeing' or 'hearing' others, but we need to begin to both see and hear. God's message isn't always proclaimed from the pulpit, or on the street corner. It is best 'preached' by living a simple life where we engage with those God puts in our path. Just sayin!

Feeling it?

Forget about the wrong things people do to you, and do not try to get even. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18)

As you might well imagine, as long as there are people attempting to coexist on this earth, there will be conflict of some sort. Some of it is really kind of silly conflict, such as when a team pitted against another on the football field begins to push and shove others on the opposite team, erupting into a few chosen words and punches. Other conflict is quite real, such as when one nation rises up against another, taking life after life in the conflict. Some conflict might just be a little selfish, such as when we pout because we didn't get our own way about something. Regardless of the reason for conflict - it exists all around us. As you might imagine, God's answer to conflict is to expect it, but not to dwell within it - don't get caught up in it, engage in it, or harbor the type of conflict that lasts forever.

This concept of 'getting even' seems to come quite naturally to us, doesn't it? We 'feel' wronged in one way or another, even at times when the battle is really not our own, but we take it on. There we are, right in the middle of the fray, holding fast to one 'side' of the conflict, determined to 'win'. If you are anything like me, you have been on the wrong side of the conflict a few times - choosing to dig in when you knew the right thing was to let go. It is hard to 'let go' when we 'feel' anything toward the issue at hand, isn't it? We allow those feelings to begin to dictate our response to the conflict rather than looking at the people we are about to engage with. We overlook their emotions and investment in whatever it is we are about to enter into conflict over - standing stubbornly in whatever opinion we have formed because of how we 'feel' toward the issue. Sadly, our feelings can begin many a 'conflict' that we really don't have the energy, time, or treasure to invest. 

Perhaps this is why God focuses so much on the idea of 'expecting' conflict, but not 'entering into' it. He knows once we yield to those emotions, we go down a slippery path that leads to even further conflict in our lives - damaging relationship after relationship. That path is fed by our emotions, bolstered by the return of emotion we see from others engaged in the conflict, and fueled by our pride far more than we may want to admit. It is that 'I am getting even' attitude that gets us into so much unwanted 'additional conflict'. If we'd stop long enough to acknowledge the emotions on both sides of the conflict, then listen closer to our Lord's voice urging us to lay down our hurt instead of being led by our emotions, we might just realize a whole lot more of the 'forgetting of the conflict' he desires to see from each of us. We'd stop before things got 'out of hand' and we'd work to reconcile quickly. Just sayin!

A little game of hide & seek

No one can hide where I cannot see him,” says the Lord. “I fill all of heaven and earth,” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 23:24)

As a young child, I used to play 'hide & seek' with neighborhood friends. It was a grand game because we lived in a neighborhood comprised of huge trees, fenced yards, grandiose rose gardens, and a shed or chicken coop in every back yard! In case you didn't catch my drift there, what made it a spectacular game is that there were innumerable ways to hide. To deal with the tendency of one to go the extra mile to hide out so they wouldn't be found, we'd set some limits like not climbing trees or venturing further away from the starting spot more than one house's distance. That meant there may be four yards to be searched, but there were times we'd say no one could leave the yard of the home where the game was being played. What we did by 'limiting' it to one home's yard was limit the hiding places and save whoever was 'it' from having to run hither and yon to find each of us. We still found great hiding places, but with all those limits on where we could hide, we were usually 'found out' in rather short order. 

There are innumerable ways to attempt to hide from God, but all of those ways are really not very effective, are they? The more we give of ourselves to God, the more we find our 'hiding places' shrinking - making it harder and harder to 'hide' from God. We still try, don't we? We find ourselves 'playing games' with him, hoping we won't have our sin discovered. In the end, we find the boundaries get smaller, the hiding places become less and less effective, and he already knows the best ones we have created! It is impossible to find a way to 'hide' from God what he already knows, but we try. The more we 'try', the worse we feel. The worse we feel, the harder we try to hunker down, so we won't 'get caught'. This life with God isn't a typical childhood 'hide & seek' game - it is a 'come to me and be free' game. In the childhood game, we waited until we thought the coast was clear, then we ran like mad to whatever we had designated as 'home' and hoped we'd make it there before whoever was seeking us would get there! We were free when we made it to home base. God's plan is that we realize that when we 'expose' ourselves, we don't have to run. We are free because we exposed ourselves to him! Just sayin!

Are we continuing in the right direction?

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. (Thomas A. Edison)

Do you give up easily? Or are you one of those tenacious individuals that will never say die? I used to be in the 'never say die' camp, but as I have grown a little older (and hopefully a little wiser), I am probably somewhere in the middle now. I don't give up too easily, but I don't beat a dead horse, either!

My friends, do not be surprised at the terrible trouble which now comes to test you. Do not think that something strange is happening to you. So those who suffer as God wants should trust their souls to the faithful Creator as they continue to do what is right. (I Peter 4:12, 19)

Testing comes - count on it. You can give up easily, walking away totally defeated; finish a bit of the test, then walk away; or hold on for dear life until you convince yourself you know the reason for the test, all the while missing the real reason. It amazes me that God's children think testing is supposed to never happen once they say 'yes' to Jesus - like it is some strange force at work. The 'strange force' you think is at work is really the enemy of your soul, hoping you will cave sometime soon. Worse yet, that 'strange force' could be your own stubborn pride or envy. Ever see someone just doing something because they were trying to 'outdo' someone else? They keep hitting roadblock after roadblock but fail to see that it is God's roadblock they are bumping into repeatedly. Their stubborn pride makes it impossible for them to admit they need to just stop. Sadly, that was me for a long, long time.

In the end of all that head-butting with God I learned the important lesson of recognizing a roadblock as a warning I wasn't to continue to pursue that path any longer. How about you? Have you been coming up against roadblocks in your path and attributing them to 'not having the right plan' and 'needing to return to the drawing board' instead of stopping to listen? The hardest thing to admit sometimes is that the force opposing us is US. Trials and testing come - we can be sure of this. Roadblocks will not always be of our own doing, but when we stop at each roadblock to evaluate WHO put it there (God, the devil, or our own self), we might just find there are some we need to plow through, while turning completely around at others. When put there by Satan, we might find God tells us to move it aside and trod on. When we erect it or he puts it squarely there, it is time to listen closely to 'why' it is there, 'how' we deal with it, and 'what' we are to do if we ever encounter it again. Just sayin!