Trying to act right?

People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed. (Proverbs 10:9)

Most of us really desire to have a walk of integrity - consistent, upright, and firmly grounded. What happens between desire and action is a mystery to many of us. We start so well, with all the right intentions in mind, but then somewhere in the middle, we just make wrong turns and get off-course. How do we become 'people with integrity'? When we ask this question, we are really asking how do we become 'whole'. We become 'whole' in the presence of Jesus - we remain 'whole' because we keep Jesus central in all our decisions.

As I did a bit of a deep dive into how we become people of integrity, I was amazed at how many self-help gurus have outlined the 'steps toward integrity'. All of these gurus completely leave Jesus out of the 'steps'. For example, in one article it tells us to 'try to keep our promises even if we need to make sacrifices to keep them'. Another tells us to 'discover our inner life', while someone else tells us to 'accept and listen to helpful criticism'. Sheesh! No wonder we are so confused about becoming people of integrity!

We don't find our 'integrity' in some 'set of steps'. We find it in Jesus. He is the only thing that completes us - makes us whole, consistent, and firmly grounded. When we struggle with right decisions, it is usually because we have moved Christ 'off-center' in our lives. When we really want to walk with integrity, we realize it is not found in 'doing', but in 'trusting'. We place our trust in the finished work of Christ, relying upon his wisdom and grace to help us take the necessary steps to 'be on course' all the time. That means we stop trying to help ourselves 'act right' and we allow him to create the conditions in our heart and mind that actually help us walk right. Just sayin!

What? Who? Where?

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. (Romans 8:35, 37)

There are lots of things and people working overtime to separate us from the pursuit of our first love - Christ. What? You say he isn't your 'first love'? Well, if he isn't, he needs to be! We will never experience any love so loyal, any grace so deep, or any peace so settling as what we enjoy in putting him first in our lives. Could it be we are so easily overcome or overwhelmed by life's hard things because we haven't given him 'first place' in our lives? 

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (v. 38-39) 

Our fears for today and our worries about tomorrow go a long way in distracting us from putting Christ first in our lives, don't they? We get so hyper-focused on those things that we actually stop taking time for our most important relationship. Nothing should separate us from his love - yet our inattention to the relationship might just cause us to drift apart a bit more than we'd actually like to admit. Does that mean we are 'separated from Christ'? No, it means we have allowed other things to become distractions!

Learning to recognize and control life's distractions is the first order of business, but we don't even have to do that alone! If we put Christ back in the right place in our lives, asking him to help us both recognize AND control those distractions, he will. We get pulled away from Christ at center because we don't recognize other relationships or things we are accumulating as distractions. When we attempt to 'control' the distractions all on our own, we probably don't do a very good job for more than a little while. We get pulled away again and then we wonder where that 'closeness' with Jesus went.

One thing I have learned is to regularly examine my choices. What am I choosing to spend my time on FIRST? Who am I choosing to spend my time with FIRST? Where is my attention focused most of the time? When I begin to answer anything other than Jesus to the first two questions, it is likely that the answer to the third one will reveal Jesus really isn't with me in whatever it is I am focusing so much time and attention on. Just sayin!

Thrown another curveball?

Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful. (Proverbs 16:20)

Norman Vincent Peale told us, "It is always too early to quit." Most of us want to 'prosper' - not just have prosperity. We want to have things 'go well' in our lives, without too much resistance involved. People who want to 'prosper' are not quitters. They find a way, maybe one that was not even considered in the beginning, but one they come to see as opening up before them. We might want to open a few doors ourselves, but until we learn to listen to God about which ones we are to open, we might just find ourselves opening a few that should have remained tightly closed.

We have already said some consider 'prospering' as coming into a patch of good fortune - amassing something of 'value' that one thinks of as 'prosperity'. I think God has a different type of 'prosperity' in mind for us than amassing things or finances. He wants us to thrive - to actually flourish in his ways. The opposite of this idea is that of failing. One moves toward the good, the other toward a position we would not really want to assume. God gives us the key to prosperity - listening to his instruction, then trusting him fully with our lives. 

I might talk a lot about obedience, but that is only because I know how hard it can be to actually take steps toward obedience in my own life. Trust me on this one - I want to flourish, but sometimes I put myself in situations where the conditions for thriving are just not ever going to be met! This is where God's grace comes in. He knows where we are struggling, and he provides the necessary instruction, encouragement, and faith to help us move forward. I think that might just be how we prosper - we recognize our choices are a bit 'weak' and we allow God to 'firm them up'.

To flourish, one needs the right conditions. We are all capable of starting out well, but when the conditions aren't favorable for our growth or development, what then? If we are wise, we'd turn to the one who knows how we 'prosper' even when the conditions might throw us a curveball. Just sayin!

God, I think I have enemies

When people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them. (Proverbs 16:7)

Wouldn't it be great if we all lived together in perfect harmony, never again raising fists to fight, or sending missiles high into the air to wipe out entire communities? We don't always do a very good job at living 'at peace' with others - much less with our enemies! Living at peace with each other doesn't come naturally to us. It is a direct result of us aligning our lives with Jesus and then allowing him to live through us. This doesn't mean we will never have enemies - it just means God will allow our enemies to see godly character in us. They will still be our enemies, but they won't 'war against us'.

We should live in such a way that others desire the things they see in our character. Maybe our enemies will still be our enemies, but they will admire what they see in us, even when they don't know exactly why it is we are the way we are. I have had 'enemies' who didn't understand my actions - hard actions I was compelled to take because of my ethical standards. They might not have understood, but they trusted me because they knew I lived by those standards. Christ isn't telling us we won't face uncomfortable circumstances, or always be understood by others. He is reminding us to seek him first, know his ways, endeavor to live within those standards, and let him take care of our enemies.

Maybe the greatest part of this verse is the reminder to keep God first. As we give him the right place in our hearts, seeking his truths and living as he shows us to live, we find ourselves in circumstances where our enemies cannot really touch us. Whenever we try to please others first, putting God in any other position than FIRST, we find it difficult to 'live at peace' with others and vice-versa. When God is first in our lives, our response toward our enemies will be kinder and a whole lot less defensive. We will allow God to be our defense and just lean in a bit closer to him. Just sayin!

His faithfulness on our behalf

“Let me ask you something: What kind of action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil? Helping people or leaving them helpless?” (Luke 6:9)

If Jesus just came right out and said, "Let me ask you something...", we wouldn't have to ask if the little voice we hear "mulling things over" in our minds was just us or if it was his Spirit speaking with us. We might just take a few more steps forward in confidence, step back when danger is imminent, and be so in tune with God's next steps that we never are out of touch with what he is doing. We get so bogged down in 'is that God' because our minds have a hard time wrapping themselves around the idea of God talking with mortal man. Maybe we just don't quite "buy into" what he is saying and doing in our lives, so we stand there finding a way to "discount" it. Either way, we often miss out on the best he has for us because we don't act upon what we hear!

There are times we come to God quite expectantly; at others, we find ourselves in the place where we might discover his awesome power if we would stop long enough to pay attention. Most of the time, God speaks to us in the everyday stuff we do. The discoveries we make about Jesus and his faithfulness in our lives are in the "everyday" stuff we walk through with him. Even in the "regular", we sometimes need to act a little "irregularly". God wants us to be faithful in the things he wants of us on a consistent basis. When we find ourselves consistent in our walk, perhaps we will also find ourselves in these moments when the "regular" becomes the "supernatural" in our day!

I know I have faltered on occasion - how about you? In those moments of 'faltering', we need to learn to just step out - for in the regular we find our opportunity to experience what we could only imagine apart from his power displayed on our behalf. God doesn't need our religious piety - he needs our heartfelt sincerity. He doesn't speak to our religious performance - he meets us in our deepest moments of need. He speaks in ways we may not notice because we are so intent on what we might believe will be the way he will act. If we just listen closely, we will hear his call to come forward. In that moment, his faithfulness on our behalf is made alive in our need. Just sayin!

With or Without - That is the Question

Have you ever just looked at something and thought what was ahead of you was absolutely impossible? We all probably face that overwhelming feeling on occasion. What we don't want is to not move forward just because we think something is impossible. Arthur C. Clarke reminds us, "The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible." When we do what we know to do, God takes us beyond the 'possible' into the 'impossible'.

“What is impossible for people is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)

As we move right along in our new year, we may have faced a few things we have already labeled as "impossible" - not because we haven't 'tried' to make a go of them, but because we faced many a roadblock when we did. Roadblocks aren't always there to stop us - sometimes they just slow us down and get us to take a different route we didn't already consider. When God is at the helm of our lives, we can be assured that each roadblock is just that. He stops us long enough to get us to consider the route he has planned for us. 

Look again at that passage. It might be impossible for us, but WITH God, there are innumerable possibilities that open up before us. We might fail in our own power, but WITH God, failure isn't an option. The 'impossible' seems to be unfathomable. We just don't 'see a way'. What we need in those moments isn't our own 'vision' or 'perspective' on the matter. We need God's! We need to see what he sees. How does this happen? When we stop trying to do it WITHOUT God and start doing it WITH him. Too many times we work 'counter' to what God desires - because we imagine our own efforts to be sufficient. Sadly, they rarely are. 

With or without - this is really the question today. Will we face the impossibilities WITH God, or without him? If we want to find ourselves ever moving past those roadblocks, we might just want to consider doing it WITH him! Just sayin!

Finally sinking in...

The skeptic swore, “There is no God! No God! I can do anything I want! I’m more animal than human; so-called human intelligence escapes me. The believer replied, “Every promise of God proves true; he protects everyone who runs to him for help. So don’t second-guess him; he might take you to task and show up your lies.” (Proverbs 30:1-2, 5-6)

The only reason we don't fully accept truth is because we have believed a lie. Deceived people are often the most skeptical! The skeptic treads on pretty thin ice because he claims there is no God - mostly because no one can understand or comprehend God with his mind alone. It is our spirit that comprehends the Spirit of God. Our spirit is the "communion" point for each of us to enter into deep, inter-dependent relationship with God. If we depend on our minds, rational thought, or reasoning ability to get us to the point of trusting what God says as true and worth believing, we will fall very, very short of the depth of relationship God wants for us. In fact, we may spend a little more time playing the part of the skeptic than we may want!

The believer relates to God out of faith. Faith is described as the evidence of things not seen - but I could go one further and say it is the acceptance of what is not easily comprehended by our finite minds - those things which are also not easily understood. There are things about God which I will not be able to say I fully understand. Take the Trinity - being able to comprehend how God is one, but there are three - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - all as one - this escapes my ability to reason and comprehend in the natural mind. I don't need to have this all figured out because I can see evidence of God all around me in what he has created, feel the presence of God within me because his Spirit is communing with mine, and experience the evidence of his Son's actions on my behalf as I stand before God forgiven and clean.

I don't "get" how God could pursue me when I am so unlovable in my state of sin, totally bent on pleasing whatever need I find the most appealing to me at the moment - but I know he does! This is a mystery to me - as it may be to you - because we are so much "performance" driven individuals. In other words, we give love to another based on the performance we see or experience within relationship with them. It is a reciprocal thing - you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. If someone disappoints enough times, we might pull away and no longer pursue that relationship. This has not proven to be how God works though. Although this is a foreign concept to my natural mind, I can accept it based on what I have come to see and know about God in both my own experience and that which I have observed in others.

This is what you might refer to as the development of faith. We experience certain truths which may have been foreign to us before, and we step into new avenues of discovery within the truths God wants for us to understand and fully comprehend. The skeptic cannot come to this place of understanding because it is not something we are able to "come into" by any natural means - you cannot study yourself into faith. God helps us experience faith through our circumstances. Then we actually begin to take steps toward deeper faith as a result of what we are experiencing. Faith isn't totally based on experience, but it is developed within our experiences - within those life circumstances where we step out of our comfort zone, trusting in what God has promised, and seeing the manifestation of his promise within our circumstances.

The skeptic cannot get beyond the logic he insists must exist in each thing he embraces. I don't understand the logic behind the world markets - the ups and downs in the value of the dollar, gold, futures, and other investment opportunities. What I do understand is that somehow all these ups and downs influence the way people invest their monies, countries engage in trade, and stock traders make a living! I know this exists, but I don't have to fully understand it to experience the outcome of these ups and downs! I may even think some of the things done in the realm of world market trading is a little illogical! It doesn't stop me from investing in my retirement or placing money into a CD!

So, if we have been hung up on believing something God says to us, we might just be "hung up" because we are trying too hard to make it "compute" within our minds and we just need to let it sink into our hearts instead! Just sayin!

More than time

Treasure your relationships, not your possessions. (Anthony J. D'Angelo)

D'Angelo also reminds us that 'without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community'. As important as our lives may seem at the moment, we must always include quality time for others. I have heard that term 'quality time' bantered around a bit in the 'counseling community', but to be entirely truthful with you, 'time' isn't the issue - 'investment of self' is the focus of any amount of time we spend together. This is especially true when it comes to our time with God - make him first in your 'time expenditures' each day and you will notice a huge difference in how you face the daily grind.

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Our priorities can get a little out of hand at times. We don't make the things that should matter most all that high on our list of priorities, while making things that really won't matter in the long run our top ones. Whenever we get those things in the wrong order, we find ourselves out on our own a lot of the time. We aren't listening to the plans God has for our day - trudging ahead on our own. We aren't investing in filling our tank with his presence or peace - then get all wigged out when we are coming unglued as things aren't going as we planned that day. Notice that I did not say 'investing time' in filling our tank - it is more than time. It is being present on purpose, listening intently, and sharing with an open heart whatever is in our heart with the one who will help us make the most out of each day.

I treasure my relationships with others, but I treasure my relationship with Jesus above all others. I have a great relationship with my kids and grandchildren, and I treasure every moment we share together. I so greatly enjoy time with my BFF, not doing anything all that special, just hanging, taking a walk, sharing what's been going on since the last time we saw each other. Why do we treat our relationship with God any different than the ones we have on this earth? We 'get together' with our family and friends, so why would it be any different with God? If things seem a little 'strained' between you and God right now, it could just be that you have been giving him 'time', but not YOU. Just sayin!

Rejecting the invite?

How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

We all probably have a place of blessing - a place where we set our minds to rest and just breathe a bit. Some of us would describe an actual "place" - like a cabin in the woods, a quiet corner in the house with a comfortable chair, or maybe even our local church building. Others would describe a place of relationship, such as their spouse, kids, or even a dear friend. Maybe even a few will say it is a place of rest - where they can just shut off all the worries of the day and gently glide into some sense of quiet repose that re-energizes their body and mind. For the child of God, HE is our place of blessing - physically, emotionally, relationally, and even in our repose.

His places of blessing are not simply the comfy chair in the corner of the room, but the places of deep peace and tender mercies found only at his feet. Those places of blessing are what we refer to as places of repentance, forgiveness, and restoration. In those places of blessing come the hopes of wrongs made right and renewed vision in place of crumbled lives and shattered dreams. The nearer we draw to his heart, the nearer we draw INTO the place of his blessing. God had us in mind even before he made this planet upon which we live. Before there were habitable regions on this earth, while it was without form and void of life, he had us in mind. He envisioned you, just as you are, completely his. You were the focus of his love - first in his visionary creative mind and heart, then made by his creative hands. The very image of what he saw thrilled his heart and directed the creative power of his hands. You and I are the direct result of his creative love.

He created us to be made whole and holy by his love. All we can bring to him is brokenness - all he envisions for us is wholeness. For our every need, he has a perfect solution. Our sinfulness could not be made right by anything we could do, so he even provided the means by which we could be made spiritually "whole" - Christ Jesus. In restoring what sin took away, he makes us whole; in re-energizing us with his Spirit through Christ Jesus, he makes us holy. Whole and holy - that is how God envisioned us. God knew our need even before we were created, and he planned for it all the same. Each of us probably has a little bit of savings set aside in case an unrecognized need in arises in our lives - by setting aside a little of our earnings, we are planning for our future needs like car repairs, appliance replacement, and the occasional vacation. God knew there would be need and he planned for it before it even existed - knowing the end from the beginning. He "recognized" the need and knew exactly when it would need to be met. He "recognized" the one means by which that need could be met, as well.

He took "pleasure" in planning for our needs. If you are someone who likes to entertain, you might recognize how much pleasure you take in planning out each detail of the event. From specific place-settings, serving pieces, and even decorations, you set things in motion. Then you consider each specific member of the crowd you will be entertaining and cater to their need - some liking soda, others juice, still others bottled water. You craft the dishes you will prepare with those who you will entertain specifically in mind. You take "pleasure" in planning and preparing. In much the same way, God took pleasure in planning for his creation and then preparing for their every need. Wouldn't it be silly to reject the invitation to participate in what has been prepared specifically for us? Just sayin!

Irritants are burdens

Are you being an irritant or surrounded by irritants? A telling question indeed, for many of the things that actually irritate us about others are things that irritate us about ourselves! Mom always used to say, "It takes one to know one" and she was pretty 'spot-on' with that observation. If you are able to see such things as kindness, goodness, and graciousness in others FIRST, above all their other traits, you are likely doing pretty well allowing God to develop those traits deep within your heart, as well.

Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. (Proverbs 3:3-4)

Irritants are burdens none of us want to carry - much less emulate in our lives. I found it amazing that one tiny 'burr' under the saddle blanket could cause a horse to act up so much. They become downright 'agitated' by that tiny burr! How many times do we find ourselves getting irritated by the 'small stuff' in life? When we find that happening, we might want to consider how much 'weight' we are applying to the 'irritant'. 

The horse doesn't consider the size of the burr, he just feels the pressure of all the weight placed against it! Sometimes we apply way too much 'weight' to the 'burr'. We allow other pressures to build up around that one tiny 'irritant' and then we are downright 'agitated' by such a small thing. Most of the stuff we 'wig out' over is really not all that 'insurmountable' - it just gets us 'amped up' because we don't want to admit how much weight we are carrying ourselves over that same 'insurmountable' thing in our own lives.

Some of us would do well to focus on the 'weight' of all that guilt and shame we are carrying over that 'burr' in our lives. When we unburden ourselves of that unnecessary weight, the burr becomes obvious and easier to remove. We can look for the 'burr' under the saddle all we want, but until we remove the saddle we have no idea where to even look! We just feel the pressure and know something isn't right. When another comes along with a similar 'burr', we react. God is asking us to let kindness and graciousness be our response by getting rid of all that stuff piled upon our own 'burr'. Just sayin!

New Beginnings Start Here

Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?” ...God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. (Romans 15:1-6) 

We are to live strong - robust, able to stand up to the tests of life. Strength can be mental power, physical ability, and even moral firmness. It is something developed over time - not something which comes as a matter of inheritance. You can desire to be strong, but what brings strength is the exercise of the strength you possess until you begin to reveal you possess an even greater strength. Strength is sometimes not used the way God would intend for it to be used. When we possess mental, physical, and even spiritual strength, God wants us to use it as he would intend for us to use it - not in any manner which causes harm, destroys others, or leaves emotional scarring.

Strength is for service, not for status - true enough statement, but how do we put this into practice in our lives? We are to look after the good of the people around us - asking ourselves how it is we may help them in their time of both need and plenty. We find it easy to help when someone is at their strongest, but how about when they are at their weakest? Do we see them as a "drain" on us? Do their problems seem like too much of a bother for us to get involved in? Do we see their struggle as something they just need to "get over"? If we are to use our strength for service (as Jesus did), then we need to be operating as Christ did - not in avoidance mode, but in embrace mode! Jesus didn't avoid your troubles any more than he avoided mine. He took them to the cross with him and dealt with them there.

You may never know when the strength you possess is the strength prepared in you for the purpose of meeting the needs of another. We possess strength so we can use it to help one another out wherever the need presents itself. People who are strong in the Lord are involved in the lives of others. They don't pull back, isolate, and run from those times when things might get a little messier than they'd like. Jesus got right in the middle of the messes of our lives. It is "in the middle" that we are most effective - for strength is meant for the "middle" moments!

Jesus is all about "beginnings, middles, and new beginnings" in our lives and he wants us to be involved in the middle of people's lives, so they have the hope and potential of new beginnings! 

What matters most to Jesus is that his children are drawn closer to him, deeper into relationship with each other, and away from the messes of their past. Our part is in this is quite simple - to be in the middle of the mess, offering our strength in their weakness, and affording the help needed to see their "middle" become the launching pad for a new beginning in life. Just sayin!

Knock, Knock...what's in there?

By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. (Romans 5:1-2)

God wants to do so much for us. We are to enter into what he is doing in and through our lives. Back in the day, we didn't lock doors when we left our homes - now we secure them with multiple locks and security screen doors. There are also doors within us, too. The doors we keep securely "latched" in our lives so as to keep others out, limiting our "exposure" to others. These doors act to keep others out and to keep our "messy lives" under wraps! God's plan is to have those doors opened to him - not so he can criticize our "mess" of a life, but so he can help us clear out the space and allow it to be put in right order.

His door is open wide to those who will take the first step toward him, admit their need for his grace in their lives, and then allow him to gain access to the doors of our heart and mind. He will set in order what we have been working hard to keep under wraps! He does this by putting us into a position of "right-standing" with him - not through our own efforts, but through the efforts of Jesus Christ. All of us were created with a "space" into which God's Spirit "fits" - fill it with anything else and it will never "fit right". It is like trying to put a square peg into a round hole - it could be done, but it sure doesn't fit right and takes a whole lot of altering to get it to fit!

We have "secured doors" in our lives because we think these areas are beyond fixing. God wants to assure us that if we open up, we will discover he has already provided whatever we need that will help us to set right what is behind those sealed doors of our lives. This should be good news for those of us with a whole lot of junk behind those doors! It isn't until we open the door that we discover what Christ has available to us. We know he has "good stuff" for his kids, but we don't come to appreciate what that "good stuff" is until we see how it begins to help us with the "cleaning up" of our messiness.

Open doors not only allow access, but they allow a way of escape. Things we have bottled up so tightly in our hearts and minds are finally free to find a way of escape once we open the door to Jesus' grace. We must open up if we are to recognize the path of escape. It isn't that we escape the hurt that has been bottled up behind those closed doors, but we finally realize a means by which the hurt may be removed so it no longer causes us hurt and it cannot be used to hurt others. Sealing away life's hurts and disappointments may be a means of dealing with stuff we find too difficult to handle, but it is not God's plan for us. Opening to him is the means by which grace enters and hurt leaves. Opening the door actually creates the egress for the anger and bitterness of past hurt. Once the places of concealment are emptied, they are open to be filled again - only this time, they are filled with grace, love, compassion, forgiveness, and peace.

So, we all have doors. The only one with access to open those locks and bolts is the one who secured them in the first place - and that would be us. All Jesus asks is for us to open the door. He does the rest. In opening the door, we might feel a little vulnerable, but grace doesn't mistreat our vulnerability. Instead, it embraces it and loves us through the discomfort of being open and real with him. Just sayin!

Alert! Alert! Alert!

Modern-day cell phones have those built-in 'public safety alerts'. Why? We want to avoid the harm associated with the warning or be on the look-out to help someone who is in danger themselves. The purpose of a warning is to give us sufficient notice to prepare or be 'alert'. Even when I take my car into the local auto shop to have them fill my tires with air and rotate them every 5000 miles or so, they check the tread and general condition of the tires. This simple practice is designed to alert me to the potential of uneven wear, possible sidewall damage from road hazards I did not recognize, or wearing tread that may result in the need for new tires. They are concerned about safety. They know I will come back when I recognize the need for new tires - sometimes even before I truthfully need them. I take their warnings seriously - because they are the experts! Why is it we don't take other warnings in our lives just as seriously? It isn't because they aren't delivered by an "expert", but perhaps it is because we are trying to be the "expert" in our own lives!

It’s urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living. It’s urgent that you get this right: The time has arrived—I mean right now—when dead men and women will hear the voice of the Son of God and, hearing, will come alive. Just as the Father has life in himself, he has conferred on the Son life in himself. (John 5:24-27)

When Jesus takes up residence in our hearts, he expects to become the "expert" we trust and listen to uncompromisingly. The issue is us being asked for obedience and actually choosing to listen to the voice of the expert in our lives. Between thought and action there is always choice. It is kind of like the "dash" between two numbers. This "space" between thought and action may not be very long, but a lot is determined by what occurs in that tiny space! It is often the place where we choose to listen to the voice of authority (the expert), or we choose to live as the voice of authority (the rebel).

The voice of the authority is Christ. He puts it all out there for us to see, so there is no second-guessing his intention or purpose for our lives. It is urgent that we listen carefully to his words. As we all know, the space between hearing and listening is almost as significant as the space between thought and action! Hearing and listening are two entirely different things. One is casual, the other is focused and intentional. Jesus requires the latter. Belief should lead to alignment. We can attest to all kinds of beliefs, can't we? Christ asks for our heart's belief to align with our life's actions. In other words, when we say we put our trust in him, he expects us to actually do it. He is the expert, so we have to step aside and trust him to guide our lives as he sees fit.

Trust is the basis for relationship. As we align ourselves with Christ, we are coming into restored relationship with the heavenly Father. No other path exists to God the Father other than that of Christ Jesus. We take a step from being on a course with death into a lasting and permanent relationship with God's presence and peace. Life is not lived on our own terms. We may try to live it that way, but whenever we act as our own authority, choosing our own path, we find the "space" between thought and action doesn't always keep us from making wrong choices! Our thoughts may start out as good intentions, but they don't always end up in wise choices.

We have plenty of warnings, but we don't ask what they mean. If we did, we might just be kept from some pretty unwise choices which only end in "death" within our lives. It may not be physical death, but any form of "disconnection" from that which gives life is a form of death. Jesus' warning is clear - pay attention to the voice of authority in your life. It makes all the difference between life and death! Just sayin!

I am not that any longer

 For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does. He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth. (Psalm 33:4-5)

Notice - we can trust everything he DOES. Our passage doesn't just point to everything he SAYS - it focuses on both his Word (what he says) and his actions (what he does). He backs what he SAYS by what he DOES. Why do we think God would expect anything less of us? We SAY a lot (promising to do this or that), but we actually DO a lot less than what we say. 

As my pastor pointed out this weekend, we do what we do because of how we see ourselves. We see ourselves as failures, and we fail. We see ourselves as victors, and we come closer to total victory than we would have if we saw ourselves as failures in all we do. We TELL ourselves a whole bunch of stuff about ourselves that actually LIMITS our behavior (either in a good way or in a bad way).

God doesn't tell us to focus on the bad within us (the failure mode). He tells us to consider, ponder, mull over, repeatedly focus upon what is just and good. Nothing will hold us back more than focusing on the 'failure mode' within us. When we want to focus on what is just and good, we need God's Word within, his Spirit working within, and his grace giving us a plan to embrace justice and goodness with everything within us.

When we 'reformat' the way we think about ourselves, we have the ability to overcome the habits we may have wanted to let go of for years. When we focus on Christ, not the failures of our lives, we will see a change in our response to what life puts in our path. Truth is that we are a new creation IN CHRIST JESUS. Truth is we are not the same old man or woman we WERE (past). Embrace truth - embrace grace - embrace God's help. Truth, grace and justice are our present condition. Just sayin!

Today or Tomorrow?

Are you given to the habit of procrastination? The thing about 'putting off today what you plan to do tomorrow' can actually wreak havoc in one's life. Ben Franklin told us, "You may delay, but time will not." How sad to let time go by when things of importance need to be addressed. I am not just speaking of our 'chores' like vacuuming, dusting, and that oil change. I am also referencing those words that need to be shared, letting go of the grudge that has been held way bast its expiration date, and spending time with a loved one who so desperately craves a bit of your attention. These are the things that cannot be guaranteed to be 'done tomorrow' because none of us are guaranteed that time will not change our circumstances.

Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)

There is very little we can afford to 'leave till tomorrow' when it comes to our relationships. They are a 'today' kind of thing. As we read on to the end of this chapter in James, we find there is a reminder we all need to heed. "Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do, then not do it." (vs. 17) If we know an apology is owed, to hold onto the grudge is sin. If we realize it has been way too long since we spent quality time with someone we hold dear, it is sin to not make the time. If we know we need to share our heart with someone and then hold back, it is sin. Go - do it today - no one is guaranteed the 'right set of circumstances' will exist tomorrow. 

Many ladies who have delivered a baby in the wee hours of the night, labor coming on unexpectedly, will admit to being concerned about 'not shaving their legs' before they went to the hospital. It wasn't that they couldn't have shaved them earlier that day, but they thought they had time. As silly as this may be, it is a real look at how we 'put off' what could have been the easiest thing to do at a much earlier time, only to find it much more difficult or impossible at a later one. We don't hold time in our hands - we are unable to turn back a clock. There are times when we must put aside our pride, take on the task, and just do it. No one wants to find themselves on the opposite side of time, looking back, wishing they had done what needed to be done. Just sayin!

To soar, one must stoop

Wisdom is oftentimes nearer when we stoop than when we soar. (William Wordsworth)

Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me! My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” (Psalm 27:7-8)

Come and talk with me - these are God's words to each of us. Somehow, we think prayer is some art form we must master through recited phrases, but it is nothing more than talking with God. He calls, we respond. That is prayer - just talking plainly with him. We might not think he needs to hear everything in our heart, but when we speak those truths to him, he is assured we know what is in our heart! I hope your heart's response to God's beckoning call is "Lord, I am coming." 

We always want to 'soar', but before we soar, we must 'stoop'. Why do you think we kneel or bow our heads when we pray? Most will say it is an action that reflects us humbling ourselves before him. I would submit that it just gets us in a 'posture' to listen. Some might see prayer as a sign that we don't know what to do next when we really do. We might believe prayer is unnecessary, but without prayer, our lives are pretty much lived on our own terms. God isn't inviting us into his presence as a means of pointing out our failures and shortcomings, although we may find ourselves a little convicted when we begin to share the reality of what is in our own heart!

We don't have to pray for hours, but rather engage in a consistent seeking of his wisdom throughout the day. How? I find myself just sitting for a moment or two and 'pondering' my next steps. Am I on my knees? Do I always have my head bowed and eyes closed? Nope. Do I recite prayers learned in some way? Nope. I just stop, ask God outright to enter into my moment, and listen. I might begin to share how something has frustrated me or brought me extreme joy. I could even admit to being tempted or giving into some temptation around me. These aren't long intervals of prayer - they are short, honest, and direct. I think God likes it when we are this free with him - free to share our heart honestly right there in his presence. Just acknowledge that you know he is there and begin to speak with him. He isn't going to help you soar if you are weighed down by all the stuff you should have rid yourself of when you 'stooped' a little while before him. Just sayin!

Pulling Your String

Give us help for the hard task; human help is worthless. In God we’ll do our very best; he’ll flatten the opposition for good. (Psalm 60:11-12)

Winston Churchill reminded us, "Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it." No matter how we live, or where we live, or who we live with - opposition is all around us. The blood might move freely toward your toes, but it faces gravity as an opposing force in order to return to your heart. Your arteries have no valves - allowing free flow outward. They have valves on the 'return visit' through the veins because gravity would pull it all back down again if there weren't some 'chambers' to catch it and move it along with each heartbeat. If God made our bodies with the ability to 'face opposing forces', what makes us think he would make our spirits any differently?

We 'rise' because of opposition - we don't rise going in the same direction as the opposition. We might not think about it, but the force exerted 'against' us isn't really pushing us down as much as it is driving us upward. Hard tasks surround us each day - from the words we will have to choose to speak to the actions we will choose to NOT take. As much as we may try to 'rise above' the 'hard tasks' in our path, we might feel like there is nothing within us capable of risking above them. We are not far from the truth on that one - without God's help, all those opposing forces will eventually weigh us down and keep us from rising above them. Could it be that God needs us to understand the benefits of 'small pit stops' along the way, much like our blood returning to the heart has to make?

Maybe the key to overcoming and rising above isn't so much that we ask for help, but that we take small moments throughout the day to stop, ask, and listen. In that short 'spiritual pit stop' we might just find there is strength to rise, a pull toward doing what is right vs. what is wrong. Maybe God's hope is that we will call out more, listen more, and rely upon him just a little quicker each time we take a 'pit stop'. Our spirit is refreshed when we do, much like the wind catching that specific pitch of the kite's fabric at the very point where the resistance is the greatest, causing it to soar high. 

If you have ever flown a kite, you know there are times when it seems to dip, almost like it is going to crash to the earth. At that point, what keeps it up? A hard pull on the string! The kite faces the resistance once again and begins to resume the position of rising. The one holding the string has the greatest control over the kite. Perhaps we need God to give us a hard pull on the spiritual strings of our life in order for us to rise above the opposing forces once again! Just sayin!

Advice or Truth

Advice is like snow - the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind. (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

Dear friend, take my advice; it will add years to your life. I’m writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way, I’m drawing a map to Righteous Road. I don’t want you ending up in blind alleys, or wasting time making wrong turns. Hold tight to good advice; don’t relax your grip. Guard it well—your life is at stake! Don’t take Wicked Bypass; don’t so much as set foot on that road. Stay clear of it; give it a wide berth. Make a detour and be on your way. (Proverbs 4:10-15)

Is it possible wisdom could add years to our lives? If we believe what God says, then it quite possibly could! When someone tells you something in such a way that it 'lingers' for a while in your thoughts, it might just be the thing they have shared has some significant meaning. It could be a warning to not proceed based on something they have already figured out, or it could be they encourage your next steps because they hear your heart behind the vision you share. When advice comes in the form of a warning, we might not like to heed it, but when it 'settles in' and begins to build up over and over again in our minds, we might just want to hold tight to it!

God's whole intent in giving us his Word was for us to have a 'road map' to show us the way to live life within the boundaries he has established. There are far too many times we treat God's Word as 'good advice', then go our own way without really considering carefully what he has said. This is part of our stubborn human nature - we don't think we need to heed the warnings. Self-willed and self-directed individuals don't want anyone (even God) telling them the way they should live. God may 'deliver' his Word in a bunch of ways, but the more that Word dwells upon our hearts, the more God wants us to heed it. Why? The longer it 'dwells' and the more it 'builds', the greater the chances are that it will break us free from some evil intent that we didn't even know existed within us.

We must never treat God's word as nothing more than 'good advice'. Why? Man's advice is an 'opinion' that is offered to guide our actions, but it can be rejected. God's word is offered as truth and truth does more than offer an opinion - it offers a solid foundation upon which we can stand when all else seems to be crumbling around us. Truth is unchanging - it stands the test of time. Truth is indisputable - it remains valid no matter how many times you test it. Truth is undeniable - the facts are right there for us to discover and hold onto. Advice or truth - which will you choose to heed? The more you heed truth, the less you will find yourself taking 'Wicked Bypass'. The more truth dwells in your heart, the less you will even be tempted to 'detour' from God's best for your life. Just sayin!

Don't fall short

Most of the time, we consider someone a "loner" when we see them isolate or insulate themselves from relationship with others, but scripture might just shed a little light on some other characteristics of these individuals. The primary characteristic is that of "doing our own thing". This might just describe us a little more than we'd like to admit at first, but if we were honest, we all have times when we are more concerned with "our own thing" than the good of the "group"!

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way. (Colossians 3:15-17)

We might think of a loner as someone who avoids the company of another or prefers to be alone. We all need times when we prefer to be alone, simply because we need to regenerate our emotional or physical strength. To live this way all the time is just not practical, though. We need each other to "sharpen" our character. When we isolate, we avoid conflict. To avoid conflict may keep us out of the "emotional soup" we seek to avoid, but it is creating an emotional hole from which we may not fully dig out if we allow this isolation to continue.

Doing things one own way stems from having the belief our way is the best way - our solution to the issue is the best solution. When we settle on just our own solution to an issue, we often miss out on the synergy that is created when a problem is open for the "group" to address. This is the power of small groups where others with similar spiritual pursuits join together. They provide an atmosphere where it is okay to begin to examine the issues and then get the "read" of the group on how it is we can best handle what life is sending our way.

When we are involved in the lives of others, we are doing exactly as God intended - we are being the iron sharpening the iron of another's character. We are not to be their conscience, nor their "leader" to whom they submit all their life decisions to in order to garner support. We ARE to be engaged with each other, so that we hold each other accountable, not allowing the other to slip into patterns of behavior which are destructive or contrary to what the Word defines as "safe" for us. In small group relationships, it is easiest to allow every detail of our lives - words, actions, and the "whatever" - to be looked at through the eyes of those who care about our success in this walk with Jesus. 

When we isolate, we avoid the "care" another may provide. To walk alone will allow one to be without restraint - for our own actions will almost always seem okay to us but could be clearly in defiance to what God outlines as specifically "wrong" for his kids. If we find we have been a little too guilty of just going off to do our own thing, maybe it is time we re-establish our relationships with one another. In those moments of accountability, we are subject to change that could make all the difference in helping us realize the potential God has for our lives vs. ending up falling way short of our fullest potential. Just sayin!

A Lesson From Forrest

 In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. (Ephesians 4:2)

Have you seen the movie, "Forrest Gump"? One line from that movie, "Run, Forrest, run", really depicts a heart of 'steadfast commitment'. One of the most amazing things he says is, "You have to do the best with what God gave you". God tells us to 'run', not walk, because idle hands make for way too much opportunity for compromise. Our 'walk' is to be steady - consistent and disciplined. We can barely crawl, stroll, or outright run this race - it is up to us to not have a whole bunch of 'false starts', though.

We are all probably a little guilty of making a whole bunch of 'false starts' in life. When I ran track and field in school, one of the things we were taught is how to use a 'starting block' to get ourselves in 'equal position' to begin the race. We put our feet squarely on the two blocks, fingers squarely positioned just even with the inside of the starting line, and our posture such that we were to spring forth onto the track. If you were a bit anxious to start, like I was, you might 'over-anticipate' the sound of the starter's gun. You'd jump forward and cross the line, but there was no real direction to start the race yet. That's a false start. God doesn't want us 'jumping the gun', he wants us in sync with his movements, but at the ready at all times to go where he leads.

Forrest reminds us, "You got to put the past behind you before you can move on." Some of our false starts are related to holding onto things in the past that get our focus off the present. Let go and focus - then you will be able to clearly hear God's direction. Some are related to us thinking 'ahead' of God, like when I jumped the starter's gun. We honestly have great intentions, but poorly executed plans. God has a 'grand plan' for each of us, complete with a whole bunch of 'mini plans' that we have to work through before we ever see the bigger plan coming together. We can get all caught up in how things aren't moving fast enough for us and jump the gun, too. Either way, we aren't running well - we are running, but just not as well as we are supposed to run. 

God may be asking us to put the past behind - so do it once and for all - holding onto it is just going to mess up our present and keep us from our future. God may be asking us to 'hold on' a bit until he gives us the direction to move - but when he does, we better be ready to go. God may be reminding us that he gave us all we need for the 'run' that is ahead - so trust him with the 'race' because he has already equipped you thoroughly! Just sayin!

Christ in us - the hope begins there

When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves. (Viktor E. Frankl)

I would challenge this thought a bit to remind each of us that change is not our job alone. We try a lot of things to change things about ourselves. We diet, wanting to look a certain way in our clothes - but then we bounce back to needing to wear that bigger size. We deep clean our homes, wanting that 'clean and fresh' look - but then we drift back into allowing the clutter to build and the dust bunnies to collect. WE try, but God asks us to allow him to transform us.

You didn’t think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think that because he’s such a nice God, he’d let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change. (Romans 2:3-4)

God isn't 'soft' on our sin - he might not always crack down hard on us right away, allowing us to proceed as we so desperately desire. When we have pursued our sin to the end, we feel guilty and then we want to change. We don't ever change just because we feel guilty - we need a new mindset and that only comes through the power of the Holy Spirit within. We do not change our attitude, mindset, or actions alone. We need God moving in us and through us if we ever want to change.

Over the past couple of days, we have explored the importance of our mindset and how the mindset we keep formulates our expectations (hopes, beliefs). Until God moves in us, change won't come forth from us. It is Christ in us that is the hope of our glory. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ...we teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That’s what I’m working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me. (Colossians 1:27-29)

The power of Christ works through us - it begins deep within us when we feel conviction because of one of our weaknesses. Then he works within us, changing our mindset, and ultimately, he changes our 'heart-set'. Change is possible when the heart is changed by his power and through his grace. Change becomes 'permanent' or 'lasting' when we allow Christ to be the one making the change within us - building new habits within us until we no longer pursue that sin any longer. Just sayin!

Inward or Upward?

Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm. (Robert Louis Stevenson)

I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we’ve been shown the mystery! (Colossians 2:2-4)

Woven into a tapestry of love - not through human effort, but because God binds us together as 'interwoven members'. This should give us a sense of 'belonging' even when we don't feel like we 'belong' anywhere else. This should also give us a sense of being created for a purpose, not just to sit idly by as life passes us by. We are called to work together - not just the physical work some might think of, but that 'spiritual' and 'emotional' work of being united in Christ. Yes, it does require work to live in unity because we have to put aside our differences and come together on the common 'plane' of Christ's love and grace. 

Minds confident and at rest. Yesterday we explored how a mindset can actually drive us forward, or it can keep us locked into a pattern we have allowed to hold us in one position. A confident mind doesn't just 'happen'. Confidence is 'built' - on the power of one bigger than our problem; on the trustworthiness of one stronger than our problem; and on the reliability of one who remains when all else fails. We might not always be 'at rest' in our minds, but that unrest may actually bring us to a place where we encounter whatever it is that is keeping us from knowing God's perfect peace. I was once told that God only disturbs our present so he can improve our future. Rest disturbed today? Maybe God is working on something great in your future!

When our minds are focused - not on something fleeting and uncertain - but on the power and ability of Christ, we are strong. When our minds wander into the territory of our own self-effort and abilities, we can know a bit more than just 'unrest'. We can face fears, a lack of hope, and even a little bit of 'wobbliness' in our stand with Christ. Why? Self-help or self-effort are not enough to bring our minds peace and safety. We need the wisdom of Christ to know full confidence and rest. We don't find that when our focus is inward - we only find it when our focus is upward. Just sayin!

Mindset = Expectation

All our words and acts are passing in review before God. (Ellen G. White)

Talk and act like a person expecting to be judged by the Rule that sets us free. For if you refuse to act kindly, you can hardly expect to be treated kindly. Kind mercy wins over harsh judgment every time. (James 2:12-13)

Expectation is a mindset that creates a sense of anticipation, is it not? When you invest your money in a fund, you anticipate a return. When you tell your teen to be home by curfew, you expect a timely return by that curfew end. What do we expect from each other? Those expectations create a mindset within that actually builds anticipation of some 'return'. We expect someone to be kind - revealed through kind words and deeds. This mindset is based on a form of hope. We could expect someone to act harshly, based on a set of expectations we have created about that person created from some character traits they exhibit. We have created a mindset based upon what we have observed. Because our 'minds' can be 'set' by a myriad of different things, expectations varying based on emotion and observations, we need someone to help us form the best 'mindset' possible. When we allow God to 'set' our minds, we are also allowing him to set our expectations. 

The RULE that has set us free is the one that should guide our 'mindset'. That rule? God's love seeks, finds, heals, and brings wholeness because of the finished work of Christ. Didn't Christ tell us to 'treat others as we expected to be treated'? Didn't he also live by that truth - leaving us with an example of how the 'rule' worked in everyday circumstances? What is 'hoped for' and what is 'observed' - both play a very important part in our journey with others. The truth is that we need to become the person that lives with God's love flowing through our veins. When you go to the Word of God, do you 'expect' it to change you? Or are you there to just 'check that one off the list' for the day? When you pray, do you expect God to hear and answer? Or are your words hollow and without true hope? 

We must understand the power of 'expectation' and how that creates a sense of anticipation within. We must also understand the power of the right mindset. When Christ is first in our lives, it is revealed in our choices and those choices are a direct result of having our expectations set by Christ. We 'expect' to live in safety - so God creates boundaries we are to live within. We 'expect' to be healed in areas where sin has left us in a world of hurt - so God brings us into times of closeness with him that allows him to minister to those wounds. All of our 'expectations' are tied to some form of 'anticipation', even in our relationship with God. Struggling? Disappointed by people? Disappointed by yourself? Ask God to purify your expectations - to give you a fresh mindset. Lean into him, anticipating his movement within. We might just have different expectations of those around us and ourselves as a result. Just sayin!

God's Gallery

Eve Arnold was a photo-journalist. She asked one question that really prompted me to 'look around' a bit in my own life. The question? "What do you hang on the walls of your mind?" A pretty 'probing' question if you ask me. The mind is a bit like a photo gallery - with all kinds of 'scenes' on display - we call them memories. We 'hang' them up so we can revisit them from time to time. I have some hanging in my mind that I somehow revisit, but I don't like what I see. I have others hanging that really bring me peace, hope, and great joy. Could it be possible that we might have a few things 'hanging' in our mind's gallery that we might not even know we have 'put up' for display within those 'walls'? Proverbs 14:30 tells us, "A sound mind makes for a robust body, but runaway emotions corrode the bones." How many of us have 'runaway emotions'? It could be possible that the things we 'put on display' within our minds don't lead to a sound mind. In fact, they stimulate the condition of 'runaway' emotions'. It may be time to do a little 'gallery remodeling', my friends.

I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. (Philippians 4:8-9)

God gives us this instruction so we can have our mind's gallery filled with the right things - so that our emotions won't have those ugly memories to ponder repeatedly. Fill your minds and meditate - two very pointed instructions. To put something in means we have to take something out. I have a tendency to leave a cup of water by my chair throughout the day. Over time, it warms a bit, and it doesn't taste the same as the fresh water that comes from the refrigerator. In order to get that 'freshness' I desire, I don't just add water from the fridge to it. I empty it out, then refill it with the fresh water. Why? The old would 'taint' the taste of the new.

There are things on display within the gallery of our minds that have been there for way too long. We have held onto those 'images' of past hurts and sins, not really sure why, but we did. When we take a picture down that has been hanging for a long time in the same place, what might we see? An outline of where it hung! Even the image left an impression that remains! This is why God tells us to do more than just 'replace' the image - we are to meditate upon his goodness, righteousness, and grace. In other words, we 'repaint' the walls of our minds, so the 'impression' of the ugly image is totally removed, as well. We empty, God 'repaints', and then we hang up 'fresh images'. 

Why do we hang photos? We want to remember - the image brings us some sense of enjoyment. If we have images hanging on the walls of our mind's gallery that 'recreate' a sense of anger, hurt, disappointment, shame, or any negative thought, it is time to 'take them down' and remove them completely from our 'gallery' while God helps us 'refresh' the walls to remove every impression left by those images. This is God's Gallery, and it is time that we display the things that reflect his grace and goodness. Just sayin!

A favorable wind

If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable. (Lucius Annaeus Seneca)

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over. But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline; don’t sulk under his loving correction. It’s the child he loves that God corrects; a father’s delight is behind all this. (Proverbs 3:5-12)

I have been guilty of 'setting out' before considering the 'destination' - how about you? We might do this more often than we think. It may not be us setting out for a physical destination as much as going places in our minds we should not be going, spending without considering the expense, or even just lollygagging around the house when we know there is stuff we should be doing. Destinations matter - they should not be taken lightly. Trying to figure out 'how' we got somewhere AFTER we are already there is harder than considering the way we are headed BEFORE we set out on the journey. Give God the first and the best - this seems like it should be easy, but what 'first' was the last thing you gave to God? What 'best' was dedicated to him and not to ourself or someone else? Time, talent, finances, and even our thoughts - the best and the first - they belong to him.

Trust God from the bottom of your heart - the journey made with him is better than the journey made without him. The journey 'back to him' simply because we did not consider his direction FIRST is harder than the one we take with him. In school, the firefighters came and taught us what to do when there was a fire in our home. They taught one simple thing that has stuck with me through the decades - stop, drop, and roll. You probably have heard it, said it, and maybe even seen it save a life. One thing - considered for just a moment - made an impression that was enduring. I wonder what God might do in us with just one moment of wisdom we receive at his feet. Could it make a 'life-long impression' in our souls and spirit that would keep us throughout all our decades?

We aren't kept on track by happen-chance. We are kept on track because we considered the direction we should take with our time, talent, finances, and thoughts by ask God's wisdom BEFORE we took on the first leg of our journey - and kept on seeking his direction as the journey progressed. Have you ever had that 'check' in your spirit that makes you a little unsettled with whatever you are doing? That is God, my friend, telling you the destination is compromised, not exactly right for you, or pursued in the wrong timing. We need to heed God's 'little checks' as well as we heed his bigger ones! It could be the thing that keeps us from heading into disaster. Just sayin!

We don't - God does

Well-spoken words bring satisfaction; well-done work has its own reward. (Proverbs 12:14)

Words and work - both can be done well, or both can be done without thinking. Think your words before you speak them and you are likely to reap a harvest closer to what you desired, not a reactionary and hostile response in return. Think through your work, planning carefully each step you must take, and you will likely end up with the results you desire. Be lazy with either your words or your work and the outcome will be less than desirable.

John F. Kennedy reminded us that gratitude is good, but "we must never forget the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." We are to live by our words - so we must be very, very careful what words we utter! John C. Maxwell tells us that people "hear our words but feel our attitude". What are your words revealing about your inner attitude right now? Remember, you can attempt to conceal with 'just the right words', but the heart will betray the attitude at some point.

"All life demands struggle. Those who have everything given to them become lazy, selfish, and insensitive to the real values of life. The very striving and hard work that we so constantly try to avoid is the major building block in the person we are today." (Pope Paul VI) Work isn't for the weak, nor is it for the wishy-washy. It involves this 'striving' that Pope Paul referred to - the exertion of vigorous effort and thought. We might attempt to gain wealth other ways, but the most rewarding is when we have given ourselves to the process and given the best we could give. 

Thomas Fuller reminds us, "All things are difficult before they are easy." We don't have a change of attitude just because we want one - we have to work for it. We don't change a negative habit just out of the blue - we have to adjust our lifestyle to no longer pursue that habit. We don't learn to think before we speak on a whim - we must practice listening, processing, and then use the wisdom God gives in the process. We don't - God does. This is the point here - good people aren't good inherently - they are good because God is in them, working to change their words and work so both match up and bring him honor. Just sayin!

Stop, ask, then listen

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

How many times do we launch into life's daily activities, then come up against something that kind of bewilders us? It is likely at least once in a while for all of us, but sometimes this happens quite frequently - especially when life seems to be throwing you curve ball after curve ball. Sadly, I think a great many of us attempt to muddle through in our own effort, only stopping to ask for help from God when we get things so messed up that we cannot figure our own way out! We reveal a lot about ourselves by doing so - a lot about our pridefulness, stubbornness, and self-focus!

If we don't know what we are doing, why don't we stop to ask for help? H.G. Wells always said, "If you fell down yesterday, stand up today." How many of us have 'fallen down', attempting to do things without asking for direction or help, only to find ourselves falling down again and again as we repeatedly face the same hurdle? How much wiser would it be to just 'stop', 'ask', and 'listen'? I didn't say it would be easier, because when we have to actually go through the process of asking and listening, it requires us to STOP. Whatever it is, we have to STOP, ask, and then listen - that means we don't take a step forward until we have sought the direction we are to take.

I think we want to make good decisions, but we don't like to admit we need the wisdom of Christ to make them. We need only look as far as the Book of Proverbs to find repeated instruction in how to move - when to move, how to move, and when it is wiser to just not move at all. We have wisdom at our disposal, but do we STOP long enough to consider it? As we explored yesterday, we have to ask honestly - not with only 'half-truths' or 'insinuations' of our real need. When we are vulnerable like that, God can answer us with the wisdom we really need to work through the problems at hand. We will only 'stand up' today because we stopped long enough to learn from yesterday's mistakes and missteps. Just sayin!

Show that underbelly

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

There is this tendency to be a little 'indirect' with God - we 'skirt around' what it is we actually want to say to him and what we need so desperately to ask from him. To 'be direct' just isn't how some of us are built - we sort of share what we want to share, but we never really get down to the 'brass tax', so to speak. We don't get to the core of what we really desire - the issue remaining unexplained, unexplored, and unmet.

Ask for what you need. Seems pretty easy, right? Yet, we know how 'intentional' we must be if we are to be open and honest with God and others. To share from the heart, not just the surface, requires vulnerability and that doesn't come easy to any of us. If you have had a dog or cat, you know that when they roll over and show their bellies, they are being very 'vulnerable'. They cannot run while on their bellies. Their neck is quite open to an 'attack' - should you want to do them harm, you could very easily. Yet, they do it because they hope for a little rub and some much-desired attention. Maybe being 'vulnerable' with God and others is a little risky - we are making ourselves open to something we didn't expect, but we know we really want very much.

I think this is why God asks us to be direct - because he wants to do something in us that we never expected, but that we really desperately need. Being vulnerable with God is more than not being able to run away - it is us being willing to lay before him while he touches us where we are most 'vulnerable'. When we take the first step toward being direct - admitting what we desire - we can begin to feel the touch of God that actually brings us closer to him. That dog or cat doesn't run from the loving touch of the hand rubbing their underbelly - they lean into it and enjoy every stroke. Maybe it is time we 'lean into' God, letting go of our inhibitions and becoming a little more 'vulnerable' with him. Just sayin!