In that quiet place...

Be alert and think straight. Put all your hope in how kind God will be to you when Jesus Christ appears. Behave like obedient children. Don’t let your lives be controlled by your desires, as they used to be. Always live as God’s holy people should, because God is the one who chose you, and he is holy. That’s why the Scriptures say, “I am the holy God, and you must be holy too.” (I Peter 1:13-16 CEV)

In medical assessment, a patient who is less alert than their baseline assessment had been at a previous point might be under the untoward influence of a sedative, or perhaps have suffered a life-altering event such as stroke or bleed into their brain. To be alert, one is to be fully awake and able to direct full attention toward something. If someone is awake, but drifts easily back to sleep, without being able to focus or concentrate on what you are asking them to do, we begin to look for causes of this "drift" in attentiveness and alertness. It is this "alertness" faculty which gives us our ability to make decisions, engage in thoughtful process, and even follow along with a train of thought someone else may be discussing. Without alertness, we are simply "there", but not really engaged in the moment. To be less than alert places us at risk - for what we turn our attention toward is what we often pursue or become. When we are unable to focus our attention, the dangers are often great!

Be alert and think straight. If you have ever tried to 'be alert' when you are just a little bit scattered in your thoughts, you might find it is kind of difficult. Even when you have your thoughts well-ordered, you might find yourself drifting out of alertness just because there are distractions all around. The two work together, yet they are not entirely 'dependent' upon each other. The influences of life's demands place us at risk of decreased alertness and into circumstances where 'ordered' thought is more than a little bit difficult! When we are alert, we are keenly aware of what is going on around us. We process this "data" and form certain opinions of how it is we are to use it, reject it, flee from it. If we possess the ability to "think straight" in those same moments, we can trust the input to be "sorted" well and those things which should be embraced will be, and those which should be rejected will find their way quickly out of our minds and hearts. Obedience is based on being alert and thinking straight - for in embracing the "correct" stuff and rejecting the "lame" stuff, we are beginning to walk as we should - as obedient children of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Most of us don't consider ourselves as "holy" - we are just on the journey which leads to the incorporation of better choices, upright living, and honesty in our actions. In some sense, we see this as being "less than holy", but in reality, we are already declared to be holy - we are just in the process of learning to "walk this out" in our daily lives. Even when we don't "feel" holy, we are. What God is to remain alert to the things which will "dissuade" us from making right choices - in other words - be alert! Use some good "thinking skills" in making our choices - not allowing our minds to become so cluttered by life's demands and distractions that we make spur of the moment choices that are not well thought out. When we begin to live in such a way, the steps toward obedience are quicker and more reliable.

What consumes our thoughts will impact our choices. If we are "on alert" to what can so easily consume our thoughts, we will be quicker to reject the stuff that is just going to add "clutter" to an already complicated amount of thought. If we let our "alertness" drift, we might succumb to the loudest impressions we are exposed to - making our choices less than reliable and very inconsistent from what we would desire for our lives. 

When our focus is fully awakened, we are "alert" to the possibilities of what stands in our midst. Some of the time, we engage in life without bringing our focus into full "alertness" - we just go about life without really spending time to get our focus right. This is why I start my day with study in the Word, over a cup of coffee, and in a quiet place. I remove distractions, focus my attention, and let the level of "alertness" begin to bring order to my thoughts. Anything less would place me at risk of hasty decisions, and not very reliable actions. How about you? Are you allowing your focus to be fully awakened? You might just be surprised what purpose you might discover in today's activities when you allow such an awakening! Just sayin!

Trading?

Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for? (Mark 8:32-37)

Are you a follower of Christ? If so, your life is marked by some very unique things, such as embracing suffering, not being so intent on yourself that you cannot see the needs of others and being willing to allow Christ to take the lead in your life. How many times do we ask Jesus to take the lead in our lives, intending to live a holy, upright, and circumspect life, only to take the lead right back from him whenever the urge hits us? If you are anything like me, it has been like a game of musical chairs!

Followers LET Jesus lead - that means we do more than invite him to lead - we actually put our own self-reliance to rest and allow him to actually lead. It is easy to slip back into that 'self-reliant' phase in our daily walk - especially when things are going well for us. As soon as something begins to rattle our cage a bit, we become acutely aware of what we lack in dealing with the issues at hand. That's when we ask Jesus to take the lead once again. Jesus is either on the throne, or he is not, but he isn't going to lead if we keep relying upon our own abilities all the time.

Embracing suffering seems to be an odd thing to say right after Jesus tells us to let him take the lead - to be in the driver's seat of our lives. If you think about it, he is actually telling us that our self-reliant way of living will do all it can to avoid suffering and pain. To give up the control might just seem a little like we are entering into a place that could have some suffering and unknown pain. Embrace it - follow him. That momentary 'suffering' or 'pain' we endure by not getting our own way all the time, doing things under our own strength or power, isn't all that hard to bear up under when he is leading the way.

All good things in life come with a little, if not a lot, of sacrifice. Allowing Christ to lead will actually mean we sacrifice our desire to be in control. It might be scary to not have all the 'say' over our actions but having all the 'say' over my actions hasn't always resulted in the best outcome! How about you? Have you a desire to allow Christ to lead? If so, it will require less reliance upon self, a 'dethroning' of some desires, and more than just a bit of willingness to do what may be a little frightening to us at times. Just sayin!

Sin-Bogged Shoes

You have changed my sorrow into dancing. You have taken away my sackcloth and clothed me with joy. You wanted me to praise you and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever! (Psalm 30:11-12 ERV)

Some days I just don't feel like dancing, how about you? There are just times when the weight of all that I am feeling 'plants my feet' in one spot and I just muddle through. The more I muddle in the muddle, the more weight I feel. If you have ever walked through a particularly muddy section of land, you would likely have noted how quickly the mud attaches itself to your shoes. Before long, those lightweight shoes begin to feel like lead boots! Sin is kind of like that - we muddle through it and wallow around in it long enough and we will find we get 'weighed down' by the 'attached dirt'. The more we try to move, the harder it becomes to actually take big steps in the right direction. 

God's greatest joy is when one of his children actually look down at those mud-bogged feet and then turn their eyes to him, asking for his help to be freed from the 'bog' of sin. Too many times we think we must 'muddle through' on our own, but if we want to be free, we might need to leave those 'sin-bogged shoes' right there in the bog! God is more than capable of lifting us out of the bog, but he doesn't want us to take those sin-bogged shoes with us! They only serve to hold us back from the freedom he wants so badly for each of us to enjoy. Maybe that is why repentance includes being 'redressed' through God's grace.

Redressed by grace means we shed the sackcloth - the torn, dirty garments of our old nature - allowing his Word to wash us clean, then taking the 'fresh clothes' he offers. Joy, peace, hope, love - garments he gives us through grace. Remember the story of the wineskins? Jesus said we don't 'patch' the old wineskins with new patches - we replace the wineskins or risk the new wine being lost when the patches don't hold! Too many times we ask God to do a 'patch job' in our lives, not really wanting to shed the old and take on the new. Truth be told, we are trying to control how God gives us his grace. We want it on our terms, holding onto the old baggage, while attempting to take on the new nature.

I cannot tell you how much God's silence in those moments of me holding onto what he tells me to leave behind have affected me through the years. That silence 'speaks volumes', doesn't it? It is as though God is just waiting for us to realize walking around in those 'sin-bogged shoes' won't cut it anymore. He waits and he watches, allowing us to get a bit more mud on those already bogged soles. Not because he wants to, but because he wants us to want to be rid of whatever weighs us down, free to take on the beauty and joy he provides when we finally do. Just sayin!

You here for me?

No way out - or at least that is what you begin to sense. We all come to those moments when we just cannot see the tree for the forest. Life throws daunting obstacles our way, some of which we can successfully maneuver, while others just trip us up - especially those we call temptations or the pull toward conduct that is unbecoming or downright wrong. We actually need another to come alongside, to take us by the hand, and to help us see the way 'out' of our troubling path, but we can resist this helping hand at times, either out of shame, pride, or anger. What we give up by not taking their help could just be the one thing we need most in order to move past some of the worst times in our lives.

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. (Galatians 6:1-3)

It is quite easy to be 'overcome' - things getting the better of us without us even noticing. Rarely do we set out with the purpose of indulging in some sinful behavior at the beginning of the day, but along comes the struggle a bit later, and it may just be that the 'internal conflict' with knowing what is right and actually doing what is right become real. At that moment, we can all give into the temptation or resist it, but if we choose to give in, be assured the guilt or shame that follows can almost be our undoing. That is why we need others in our lives - to help us with gentle reminders of God's grace and small 'pushes' to get us back on the right path.

Sharing each other's burdens is actually a very 'spiritual' thing to do. We may think we don't need anyone to help us with those burdens, but nothing could be further from the truth. We don't even know the weight of the burden - how it is affecting our mental, emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual health. We just stumble along under it, thinking it will 'get better' somewhere down the road. I have news for each of us - a longer path doesn't mean there will be healing at the end of it! It just means we walk under the burden for a while longer than we really have to. 

None of us likes to admit we struggle, fall short of the mark, or simply cannot get the 'wrong thoughts' out of our minds or hearts. There is something powerful about another actually 'seeing' the influence of those thoughts, laying it out there for us to see, and then reassuring us that they are there to help us walk through to the other side, isn't there? If you resist that help, it is likely you will not resist the temptation to engage in the wrong behavior once again somewhere else just down that path. Take the offered hand and see what a difference it makes to have another help with finding the right path once again. Can you do that? Just askin!

Growing and Vibrant - Oh, my!

How does love blossom and mature? Perhaps it grows through time spent together, doing the little things that make the moments special. It might also be the pursuit of things important to the other person, considering their wants and needs above your own, and laying down your life for theirs. Spending time together is a whole lot easier than this idea of considering another's needs above our own, or being sacrificial in our time, energies, or talents. Yet, the more closely we allow love to be based on the pursuit of things important to the other person, learning to consider their needs above your own, and giving out of our lives in a sacrificial manner, the closer we are coming to emulating the love Jesus has for his children!

I pray that your love will keep on growing and that you will fully know and understand how to make the right choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent when Christ returns. And until that day, Jesus Christ will keep you busy doing good deeds that bring glory and praise to God. (Philippians 1:9-11)

Love is a HUGE growth opportunity - you don't just wake up one morning with the determination in your mind that "today I will love someone deeply and with a lasting permanence in that love". Little by little, as time is spent together with another, we develop an "affinity" toward the other person. In a little more time, we actually develop some kind of desire to see the other person blessed and happy. We want what is best in the relationship - pursuing things which bring unity and a sense of "cohesiveness" in the relationship. For those who are following Jesus, love begins at the point of grace - unmerited favor extended into our lives. As time passes, we grow closer to him by spending time with him. In those moments together, there is a changing of the guard of our hearts. The desire to be "in control" and pursuing only what is important to us seems to change - we begin to experience what it is like to pursue the things important to him - those things which bring him honor and praise.

Our choices become apparent - those which are selfish and primarily produce outcomes which only benefit us will be exposed; those which begin to reveal the heart of God to others will also come to the surface. Our choices begin to be refined. I know not all of us have been blessed to have a positive earthly example with respect to love, but this is what God had in mind before sin got the best of our human race! In the family of God, we are to see the right choices modeled. He sent us Jesus, who took on human form - to model for us the right choices we are to make when we commit to this love relationship. Flawed earthly examples could not model his love in quite the same manner.

To fully know and then to actually walk in the right choices is a process. It comes by watching - no, more like studying the behavior of another - Jesus. The more we behold his example, the more we begin to emulate his behavior. His life stands as a testimony of the power of living a pure life. His example points us toward love like we have never experienced before. His modeled behavior directs us to the place of obedience over and over again, until obedience becomes "second nature" to us. It is no longer hard to produce the right outcomes because they have become part of who we are. This is love, growing and vibrant, indeed. Just sayin!

Filtered or Unfiltered?

Careful words make for a careful life; careless talk may ruin everything. (Proverbs 13:3)

We all manage to say things we later regret, don't we? In a moment of 'not thinking', we blurt out something that either comes across too harsh, too crass, or too weird. In that moment, we almost wish we could snatch them back right out of the air, hoping they would never reach anyone's ears. It has proven difficult for me to actually snatch back words once spoken, although I have found myself doing more than my share of 'back-pedaling' to attempt to 'get out of' whatever it is I have managed to get myself into. Careless words just hang there for a while, don't they? 

How do we become for 'careful' with our words? You might not believe this, but it is by engaging our brain before we engage our mouth! We disengage our emotions, think through what needs to be said and how it should be said, then consider if it even needs to be said at all. Why would I say we need to disengage our emotions? Emotions cause us to blurt out all kinds of stuff - good at times, but mostly foolish, selfish, or just plain unkind. It isn't that we aren't to convey emotion in what we say, but we cannot let our emotions 'lead' the conversation.

I find myself asking God to 'filter' my words at times when I am emotionally 'charged' or just emotionally 'drained'. The more he filters those words, the less likely I am to say things I will later regret. What does this filter look like? It might not function like a gag in our mouth, but it may just function like a gag over our emotions. For example, heated moments need time to cool off a bit, so his 'filter' over heated emotions help us take time to 'chill' and then regroup to talk things through. It is like a little prompt to take a step back, inhale deeply, exhale slowly, and then re-engage once you have allowed those emotions to settle a bit.

Not one of us wants to be known for our careless or foolish words. We'd much rather be known for our wisdom and kindness, right? I have had coffee made with grinds in the bottom of the pot and that which has been run through a filter that contains the grinds. I much prefer the latter! Filtered words are always going to be preferable - we just have to remember to check our emotions, ask God for clarity and wisdom, and once our emotions are settled securely behind that filter of God's presence, speak. Just sayin!

Get truth...

Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment. (Proverbs 23:23) 

We might think wisdom comes just because we have found truth, but truth must be embraced if it is ever to 'translate' into wisdom. Wisdom is the knowledge of what is true and right, but it is always coupled with the 'right judgment' that leads to correct actions. Some will call this 'understanding' - truth embraced brings an understanding as to what actions are worth pursuing and those we should just walk away from.

Discipline is what comes when one has been trained. The truth will require certain actions of us and with repetition of those correct actions, we develop discipline. Discipline actually 'improves' our lives. It takes truth to open the door to our understanding, but it takes discipline to actually bring a consistency of 'right actions' into our lives. Experience through adversity is one way of developing discipline, but I prefer to embrace truth, grace, and God's love, allowing those to fashion my inner man.

Good judgment is the outcome of wisdom and discipline. The more we appreciate and understand what God tells us in his Word, the more we want to have the discipline developed within us that produces consistent obedience in our lives - good judgment being paramount to knowing when the 'wrong person' is in control of our actions! When we take the lead, allowing ourselves to just 'coast along' because all seems to be going well, we are lulled into a place of poor judgment many times.

Get truth - allow it to begin to move upon your heart - then see if it doesn't lead to wiser choices, consistent actions, and better judgment in your life. You might just notice that you are more aware of when to act, how to take action, and how those actions will affect not only you, but others around you. Isn't this what we all need? Just askin...

Keeping the list?

Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness. (Philippians 3:8-9)

When someone embraces beliefs, they begin to 'embody' those beliefs. All their life seems to rotate around their beliefs. If we believe in the right stuff, what we 'embody' begins to affect others in a positive manner but embody the wrong stuff and the impact upon others can be quite negative. Beliefs matter, but we must take notice that there are a variety of beliefs laid out for us in scripture - some are worthy of our embrace, while we are clearly cautions to avoid others.

Early on in Old Testament writings, we observe warnings to not 'intertwine' ourselves with cultures or beliefs that elevate any other God than the One True God. All those idols and superstitious beliefs of the day were to be avoided. As we come along in scripture, we will note Israel embracing them (becoming intertwined in their culture and beliefs) actually made the people's hearts grow 'cold' toward God. The more they accepted the beliefs of the pagan lands, the colder their hearts grew toward God.

We will note that there were even examples of how we could choose the right 'religion' but miss the mark as it pertains to relationship with God. Embracing practices, such as recited prayers, following certain rules on certain days of the week, avoiding certain practices on others, all could be considered 'religious practices', but those who followed the 'rule' without the relationship had not really embraced what God hoped they would. They had all the 'right' practices, but no heart desire to actually 'know' God.

God is more than pleased when we settle into his embrace and forsake all those other beliefs that we held onto for one reason or another. He opens our hearts to his embrace of grace and then he begins the important work of setting in order our hearts, minds, and emotions. In turn, the rules become less and less significant, while the time we spend at his feet rises to the place of significance once held by those beliefs that brought us no real satisfaction or peace. We could 'keep the list', but isn't it better to choose the robust life that comes from really entering into a trusting relationship with Christ? Just askin...

Disreputable?

Later Jesus and his disciples were at home having supper with a collection of disreputable guests. Unlikely as it seems, more than a few of them had become followers. The religion scholars and Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company and lit into his disciples: “What kind of example is this, acting cozy with the misfits?” Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually-fit.” (Mark 2:15-17)

Unlikely as it seems - that statement really says way more than we might initially think. We have a tendency to 'gloss over' some words that really 'set the stage' for what is about to be revealed. We cannot ever forget the 'company' Jesus kept, because not only was it a 'sticking point' for the religious leaders of the day, but it was a revelation of what was about to come - liberty, healing, hope, and restoration. Unlikely candidates for grace are oftentimes the most grateful for it! 

The sin-sick vs. the spiritually-fit - what a challenge that must have been for the 'religious leaders' who always shunned the sinful and elevated their own worth by being 'showy' about all their religious deeds and book-learning. The sin-sick needed help, but they did not find it in the religion of the leaders. In fact, they were often excluded from 'practicing' their religious customs because they were considered to be 'unclean'. Clean people don't need a bath - dirty ones do!

Cozy with the misfits - the crux of the matter is the company Jesus was keeping. He had healed a paralyzed man lowered on a mat through the roof of a house; healed the one with a disturbing spirit that kept the man in constant agony, tortured from the inside out; and opened his heart to those that were 'religious outcasts' of the day. This drew the 'negative attention' of the religious leaders who thought of these individuals as 'misfits' - not 'fit' to enter into the presence of a holy God. It is good news to know that misfits are welcomed at the table of the Lord!

Disreputable guests? Unlikely as it seems - they followed Jesus. We sometimes don't believe our life testimony speaks very loudly, but when others see something of Jesus in us, it draws them. They develop a curiosity about that which has so significantly changed our lives. Don't be afraid to reveal Jesus through your life - in actions and attitude. You never know how many 'misfit' and 'disreputable' will be drawn into his presence because you do! Just sayin!

It is dark in here

Imagine being surrounded on all sides, enemy forces about to tromp on you, fear mounting, despair permeating every fiber of your being. You may not realize how 'dire' the circumstances really are, but you know something has happened to change the course of 'good times' in your life. We all get there on occasion - sometimes by our own doing. We choose to compromise our lives with some 'little sin' that really isn't 'all that big'. Then we wonder why we find ourselves with mounting pressures and attacks. Truth be told, that 'little sin' let in a dump truck load of other temptations you might not have wanted to entertain, but now they are there. In those times when the pressures seem to be closing in, keep in mind one very important fact - God has not forgotten how much you need light in your life!

The Lord will bring me into the light, and I will see his righteousness. (Micah 7:9)

Sin has a way of creating 'dark places' in our spirit, affecting our bodies, and disrupting our thought life until we feel like there is likely no way out. Remember this - with God all things are possible - there is always a way out. We may not readily see it, nor do we have a clue what got us where we are right now, but God does, and he will walk us through those dark places if we give him the chance. The nation of Israel was facing much conflict, rulers within their nation were even a bit corrupt and not following the Lord as they should have. The pressures from neighboring territories were mounting and war was always imminent. How much pressure do we have to be under before we realize we need God's grace to get us back to a place of light again? If we are anything like Israel, we may need to go 'through' a few battles, feeling a bit 'beat up', before we finally acknowledge we have walked down a wrong path.

What we can never forget is that God stands at the ready to dispel darkness - to deal with sin, then to bring restoration to the sinner. God doesn't like operating in the realm of 'punishment', but sin has a way of beating us up. It is a consequence of wrong choices. Grace is the blessing of right ones! Restoration begins at the point of confession, but we must remember that confession is more than an acknowledgement of sin. It is a starting point for repentance - the turning away from that which brought the darkness in the first place. Just sayin!

You ready?

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

Have you ever needed to take refuge in the midst of a storm? How about in the midst of a huge battle? Growing up in Arizona, monsoon season hits each summer, bringing these huge winds, walls of dust for miles and miles, and some pretty terrifying thunder and lightning to boot. As a wee lass, I would feel the winds picking up, but I would play on because nothing could distract me from my play. Then all of a sudden, the skies would rumble and roar, and that peace I had felt was no more! I'd call out for mom, run quickly to the fence line between my friend's home and ours, standing there waiting. Waiting for what? For those 'rescuing arms' of mom's that would reach over that fence to lift me to safety. As soon as she had me safely over the fence, all was well, for I knew I was going to be 'sheltered' from the worst of the storm and safe in her care.

I wonder how many times we find ourselves in the midst of the winds, sensing that things are about to change big time, but still finding ourselves content to just remain where we are, going about whatever holds our interest so dearly, until something 'bigger' awakens us to the imminent danger approaching. In instant things change, going from okay to freaky in the blink of an eye. What only gave us mild 'concern' is now a full-fledged storm, and we are right there in the midst of it all. We can be 'undone' by the storms of life or the battles that rage around us, can't we? In those moments where we find ourselves in need of a refuge, do we call out? Do we move away from what has distracted us up to that point and move toward who it is we will find our safety within? God's arms are stronger than mom's ever were, but we might just have to reach out for them if we want to experience that refuge.

Two things we need to keep in mind. First, we have to leave whatever it is that has us distracted in the midst of the storm or battle. We must put ourselves in a state of mind that is aware of the dangers approaching. That could very well mean we have to stop, get focused, and then respond to whatever the dangers are that are fast approaching. Second, we have to put ourselves in a position to be 'helped' in the midst of the mess we are in. I moved away from the pile of cars and twigs toward the fence, but that wasn't the only move I made. I would stand there with my arms outstretched in anticipation of mom's arms coming to my rescue. We might call out, but do we always move away from the distractions and toward the one who wants to be our refuge? We might call out, get a little nearer to his help, but are we ready to find refuge - reaching out to take hold of what God has prepared for us? Just askin!

Marching Orders

The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

I wonder how many times God comes right out and tells us what we are to do, how we are to live, and when to move, but we stand there like we haven't a clue? God requires very specific things of his family - there should be no mystery about it. To do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly WITH our God - these are three very specific 'marching orders' given to us by God himself.

Do what is right - that pretty much says it all, doesn't it? Yet, we will have those around us, and possibly even our own moments, when we attempt to give our own definition to what is 'right' or 'good'. It is as thought what God declares to be right is just not what we are interested in right at that moment - usually because we are trying to justify something we are doing or allowing others to do that isn't quite 'right'. 

Love mercy - grace being the foundation of our faith, God asks us to operate in the realm of mercy within all the relationships we maintain. That may mean we don't always get our own way. Even when we don't see eye-to-eye on a matter, we don't have to be unkind, hurtful, or outright bullies toward others. Mercy is undeserved kindness - the extension of grace that God asks us to give one another because he first extended it to us when we least deserved it (and he continues to do so over and over again).

Walk humbly with our God - this really caps the other two requirements, for humility will always draw us back to doing what is right and to consider those around us as valuable individuals worthy of God's grace. If we want to consistently 'do' what is right, we need to embrace God's truth as revealed in his Word. Then we need to allow that truth to change our hearts, so we begin to exemplify his 'grace-filled' attitude toward others. 

Marching orders being very clear here, I wonder how many times we choose what is 'more or less' right, but miss the center of the mark on that one just because we want to live 'close to the line'? God's instructions are pretty clear in scripture and even when they are not clear, we need only ask, but we must be willing to hear something other than our own opinion on the matter when we do! Just sayin!

Soaking it all in

A good reputation and respect are worth much more than silver and gold. The rich and the poor are all created by the Lord. When you see trouble coming, don’t be stupid and walk right into it—be smart and hide. (Proverbs 22:1-3)

Every day in our lives is an opportunity to leave a legacy of some kind. It can be positive or negative, uplifting or kind of a bummer, rewarding or just plain dumb. Some days are the type we might call 'transition moments' - a time when God is taking us from one place to another - spiritually, mentally, emotionally, or even relationally. Transition is just a big word for change - moving from one position to another, passage from one state into another. The old adage certainly holds true - there is one constant in life and that is change. Sometimes change comes in ominous, crashing ways. We need to know we have an opportunity to not take those change moments alone - Christ walks at our side, even leading the way so we have a clear pathway through even the most difficult of change.

How another "estimates" our worth or value is based on what they observe in our practice. We might think this is kind of sad since what someone may see might not fully represent who and what an individual is on the "inside". I daresay this is often the case with my own actions - for sometimes my actions align well with what is at the core of my being, and at others they just go all askew and are totally out of character to the truth that Christ dwells in me! All of life is a journey from one point to another. We are to be "smart" about how we face the transition points of change. The one constant we have in the midst of transition is Christ!

Change equals growth. It almost seems like our passage tells us to go somewhere and hide while transition is coming our way, but I want us to consider something a little closer to the point. To ensure we face transition well, God is telling us to avoid the unwise choices, running instead into the place of safety we have in Christ Jesus. After all, God is our hiding place, is he not? When the winds of change in our lives come, are our roots deep enough to help us stand strong in the midst of their force? If we want to know how deep our roots are we need only look as far as the soil in which they are planted. 

Hardened hearts don't allow for deep roots. The occasional watering (only going surface deep) of our hearts with a little of the Word of God once in a while is not enough to give us depth in our lives. In fact, we will be deceiving ourselves if we think a little "taste" of God's Word is enough to help us endure the forces of change in our lives! We need good soil - in order to be made good, it has to be worked. We need depth of watering - in order to get to the depths of our soul, we need to allow time to be soaked in his presence and his Word. Just sayin!

As surefooted as a deer

I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. (Habakkuk 3:18-19)

I have observed the deer upon the mountain sides, almost traversing the narrowest of trails with the greatest of ease. They seem to have 'suction cups' upon their feet, holding them upright while ascending very treacherous paths. Have you ever wanted to be just like the deer? Treading on paths that seem impassable, easing your way upward until you reach the top, not even concerned about the narrowness of the path you are on? We can 'tread' this narrow path with 'surefooted ease' when Jesus is at the center of our lives.

To be surefooted as a deer means we are able to stand firm, with a strength that defies the pressures put upon us, to actually know where to go and when to move in that direction. It also means we will know what to do, and when to do it - never really questioning the timing or the direction. I'd like to say I am as surefooted as a deer, but there are times I don't always match that definition! I can question his timing, wonder about the path I am on, and even balk a bit at the pressures I am feeling at that moment. I think we all want to be surefooted in our faith, like the deer, but find ourselves stumbling around a bit from time to time.

If you have ever watched a deer in the wild, you likely have observed a little bit of their gracefulness. They seem to just go about their daily business, undisturbed by things around them, and able to avoid hazards galore. They are 'ever-vigilant' in their observations - knowing when to move and when it is safe to stay where they are. They are wary of 'outsiders' who interlope into their territory and are swift to move on when it seems those interlopers are not likely to leave anytime soon!

Maybe we need to be a little more like the deer - swift to move on when things come our way that act as 'interlopers' in our lives. Perhaps we need to be a little more 'vigilant' in our observations, able to spot those interlopers quickly and respond appropriately to their presence. If we were to operate that way, we might find ourselves moving out of the way of the things that could 'trip us up' a little quicker and moving into places of safety once again. Just sayin!

Do you have a rumination partner?

I caught a little quote from Positive Mind this morning on someone's social media feed and it gave me a moment to just consider the message: "If you focus on the hurt, you will continue to suffer. If you focus on the lesson, you will continue to grow." I don't always remember to focus on the lesson, do you? Sometimes it is just easier to focus on the hurt and let that ruminate a bit. Problem is that ruminating just increases the amount of 'acidic influence' of the hurt. Maybe what we need most is someone in our lives that won't let us ruminate our way into a bitter heart!

Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. (Hebrews 12:15)

God actually commands us to 'watch out' for the root of bitterness - not just in ourselves, but in each other, as well. We are sometimes more sensitive to someone's 'ruminating' than they are themselves. It is easy for the one doing the ruminating to focus on the hurt repeatedly but be totally oblivious to what all that ruminating is actually doing to their spirit, emotions, and their bodies. When we have an accountability partner in our lives, there is a good chance they will 'call us' on our behavior. When they do, it is time to 'spit out' that stuff we have been ruminating on and rid ourselves of all that foulness that goes along with it.

The bad part of bitterness is that it never just affects us - it affects all those around us. Sometimes I think we justify our 'hurt feelings' a bit too easily, allowing that rumination to begin. We were wronged, even if no one else sees how 'wronged' we were, so we are going to focus on just how wronged we were over and over again. If someone else is willing to listen to us list all the ways we were wronged, all the better. When we share the hurt with another who is not going to encounter us about our focusing on the hurt instead of the lesson and we will find ourselves with a 'rumination partner'!

We are to look after each other - so not one of us fails to receive the grace God has for us in the hurt. The lesson comes with an ample supply of grace - the grace to let it go, the grace to forgive the other person, and the grace to rebuild the relationship once again. When we have an accountability partner, they focus us on the grace that is available, while the rumination partner focuses us on just how 'right' we are to be ruminating in the 'wrong' done to us. We need a partner who consistently points us toward grace and away from the 'rumination pit'! These are the individuals that help us change our focus from the hurt toward the lesson. Just sayin!

Strength Has Many Forms

There are a couple forms of strength that we use to 'get by' in life. One is this thing we call physical strength. It is the 'brute strength' we use to pick up a heavy object or move a stalled car. It is technically the ability exert physical force upon an object. There is also mental strength - the thing we use to overcome pain and push a bit further when all we want to do is give up on that five-mile run. If allows us to be productive throughout our day and to be more efficient. It is how we get things done. There is emotional strength, which some clearly lack, while others seem to have it all together all of the time. Sometimes we struggle to make it through a day because we are a basket case, while at others we can muddle through just fine. The type of strength we all need but may not have right now is this thing we refer to as spiritual strength. It is the God-given strength that goes beyond physical, mental, or emotional strength. 

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (Ephesians 3:16-19)

God's strength surpasses all other forms of strength, but he uses all the other forms of strength to get things done through us in this world. He uses our physical strength to build his churches, move church gear in and out of auditoriums each Sunday, and even to see an elderly woman's house cleaned up. This spiritual strength actually 'bolsters' all other forms of strength we utilize. It gives us insight into what we should be doing every day, but we oftentimes don't even bother to ask God how we should use the strength he gives. We just go aimlessly about our 'routine' and then we wonder why we are lacking some form of strength for whatever it is we are attempting to accomplish.

Spiritual strength is developed when we take time to read his Word, engage in conversation with him, and worship at his feet. Unlike all the other forms of strength, this one is not of our own making, but we do need to make ourselves available to him if we are to see it developed. Unlimited resources are available to us when we do. So, why do we resist these quiet times with God, time in his Word, or those moments of reflective praise? It is usually because something else distracts us and we allow those distractions to take precedence over the 'development time'. Power comes as we quiet down long enough to allow it to be developed deep within. Unlike all other forms of strength, it is in the times when we reveal our weaknesses that we are made strong. Just sayin!

It is all about communion

I know, dear God, that you care nothing for the surface—you want us, our true selves—and so I have given from the heart, honestly and happily. And now see all these people doing the same, giving freely, willingly—what a joy! O God, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this generous spirit alive forever in these people always, keep their hearts set firmly in you. (I Chronicles 29:17-18)

There is a saying that goes something like, "You cannot put lipstick on a pig" - meaning that it is pretty much impossible to improve anything that is bad and stinky. There are lots of times I think we try to 'put lipstick on the pig', trying to make ourselves look kind of good on the outside, but forgetting that the character on the inside is what God is really after. Some may even dress up really nice for church and live like the devil the rest of the week.

While God doesn't want us going around all dirty and stinky, he also isn't as concerned about what the outside looks like as he is about the inner workings of our heart and mind. He wants those dedicated to him, first and foremost, then willing to use the grace we have been bestowed to bless the lives of others around us. Ever try to 'outgive' God's grace? It is impossible, but I have seen some try to do one good work right after another, all in the attempt to somehow do 'enough' to deserve God's blessings in their lives.

It is a futile effort to live that way, though. God cannot be 'outgiven'. His grace is limitless because our need for it is also limitless! He brings one wave of grace after another, all for the purpose of helping our minds become uncluttered, hearts undivided, and spirits undefeated. There is something that is a natural outcome of being blessed by God - giving from a grateful and dedicated heart. This is fine, but doing good works to get more blessings is never God's intent!

A generous spirit stems from embracing the generosity of God's grace. When we begin to see our emotions settled, our thoughts reordered, and our empty spirit filled to overflowing, the outcome is worship and praise. That gift of worship may not seem like much to 'give back' to God, but it is the greatest thing he can receive. Why? It lets him know we have connected our spirit with his and we are settling into the place of communion with him. This is what God is after. Even when David and Solomon set about to collect all the materials needed to construct the Temple of the Lord, the 'gifts' were not just about 'giving' - they were about communion. Just sayin!

Tutor, Text, and Teacher

I know, my God, that you test people’s hearts. You are happy when people do what is right. (I Chronicles 29:17)

If you have ever bombed a test, you know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach knowing how that 'bombed test' will affect your total 'grade'. Rarely do we get the opportunity for a 'retake' in life's 'tested moments'. There may be that rare opportunity when we do, but most of the time a 'bombed life test' is just that - bombed. It is so wonderful to serve a God who doesn't see a 'bombed test' as our 'final grade'. In fact, he made a way for us to 'redeem' that 'life grade' through the blood of his Son, Jesus! God doesn't 'grade on the curve' - he simply helps us repeat the lesson until we no longer fail the test!

Wouldn't it be nice to never have to 'retake' one of those 'life tests'? It would be like living in heaven! Most of us need those 'retakes' because most of us don't always do well learning the lesson the first time it is taught. We might want to refer to those retakes as 'grace lessons' - the repeated opportunity to learn the lesson regardless of how many times it takes us to grasp what God is teaching us. God is indeed pleased when we get the lesson the first time, but he knows our human nature challenges us to learn some of the most important life lessons.

What is it within our nature that keeps us from learning the first time? If you are anything like me, you have emotions that get in the way at times. I rely upon my feelings a bit too much on occasion, 'feeling' like one choice is better than another, then pursuing the 'feeling'. While that isn't always the case, it happens more than I'd like. Then there is this thing called 'rational thought' that somehow gets in the way of 'faith' in our lives. We put too much of our own 'thinking' into something God is asking us to do and we find ourselves helplessly making wrong choices.

Life lessons come at us from all sides, but when we rely upon the 'tutor' we are given to help us learn them well the first time, we are less likely to have to repeat them. The tutor? The Holy Spirit. The text? The Word of God. The teacher? God himself. The right answer? Following the leading of the Spirit and not the leading of our feelings. We might need a whole lot of retakes in life, but we might just need a few less if we used the text, learned from our tutor, and listened to our teacher! Just sayin!

Emotionally Charged?

A gentle answer will calm a person’s anger, but an unkind answer will cause more anger. (Proverbs 15:1)

Our answers matter, so perhaps this is why God asks us to take time to consider the words we deliver. They can build us up, giving us just the right amount of encouragement to take a step forward. They can also tear us down, anchoring us even further into the doubts and frustrations we have at the moment. If we become angered with one another, it could be out of frustration, or even a feeling like we have lost some 'control' in the matter. When things cause us to 'spin' into anger, we say things we might have never intended to say. It is like a leaky pipe, at first not noticed, but eventually it will burst, leaving damage in its wake.

All of us get a little irritated at times, no matter how 'godly' we are. It isn't that we have a lifestyle of anger, it is just that we have moments when we are overly tired or overwhelmed by life, and our response may be a little less than 'godly' when things seem to 'prickle our emotions'. While anger may range from outbursts to words spoken that cut or sting another a bit, God asks us to allow him to help us avoid these responses. We cannot avoid anger on our own - we need God's help to continuously make us aware of our 'emotions' and our 'senses'. Emotions because they get 'prickled' and senses because they get 'fried' when we deal with things that are overwhelming us.

I will be the first to admit that a 'gentle answer' is sometimes the furthest thing from my mind when I am at that point of saying something in the 'heat of the moment'. I can attempt to 'bite my tongue', but it doesn't deal with the 'down deep' feelings I am experiencing. It just keeps those words from escaping that I would really like to say! When I take a moment to ask God to show me what another may be experiencing, and why they are reacting as they are, I can tell you with almost 100% assurance that he does. He helps me settle my 'down deep' feelings toward that person's reaction, and then he helps me settle the emotions, so I act kindly instead of reacting in kind toward the other person.

It doesn't come instantly at times. Sometimes I need to take a moment to breathe and then address the situation. At others, I need to completely restructure the situation - like doing something different until I find the emotions settled and the answers coming that will be kind and loving toward another. In taking the time to lean into God for my response, I always find them to be gentler, more grace-filled, and with less 'charge' to the emotions we are each experiencing. Just sayin!

Wisdom or Sensibility?

Are any of you wise or sensible? Then show it by living right and by being humble and wise in everything you do. But if your heart is full of bitter jealousy and selfishness, don’t brag or lie to cover up the truth. That kind of wisdom doesn’t come from above. It is earthly and selfish and comes from the devil himself. Whenever people are jealous or selfish, they cause trouble and do all sorts of cruel things. But the wisdom that comes from above leads us to be pure, friendly, gentle, sensible, kind, helpful, genuine, and sincere. When peacemakers plant seeds of peace, they will harvest justice. (James 3:14-18)

Perhaps one of the greatest struggles we will face in this life is to respond with wisdom and sensibility when others attack us. Get in a position of not seeing eye-to-eye with another in relationship and you will soon note that sensibility is something which flies out the window. Both parties somehow forget how to act toward the other - they are responding to the emotion of the moment. In turn, things get said, attitudes get displayed, and memories are planted which just don't belong within the relationship. This is how bitterness and resentment get started. Sensibility is just the capacity to experience senses - we need wisdom to keep those senses in check!

The things which are said don't actually reflect reality to us - but they do reflect reality to the other person. We know there must be something behind those words which come as an attack - but we aren't seeing the relationship moment the same way they are - so we need this wisdom from above to weed our way through the messiness of relationship. One response to being threatened, or feeling like you have not been understood in relationship is to become a clam. The individual pulls tightly into their shell and closes down. If you have ever tried to get a live clam open, you know you are struggling against their desire to stay "shut up". The same is true in relationship - when someone pulls in and shuts down, the damage done trying to get them to open up before they want to can actually be quite devastating!

Even clams will die in their "bitter juices" if they don't expel the "waste" of what they have taken in! In relationship, we take in a whole lot of stuff - wisdom dictates we take in the best and leave the rest. Yet, we don't always use wisdom, do we? In fact, we sometimes take in stuff, clamp down on it and allow ourselves to fester in the juices of the garbage we took in! In time, our whole life turns bitter because of what we have been marinating in and on! If we are "clam-like" in our response to attacks within relationship, we may live a long, long time, but we become pretty hardened by what we have marinated in all those years! Bitterness has no part in our lives, yet it takes root quicker than weeds! When words are spoken, our minds latch onto them, form memories around them, and file them away. We rehearse them when we cannot figure out why the other person said them, what was behind them, or when we just want a good pity party. In time, what is rehearsed forms a new reality for us - it clouds how we see the relationship. The root is set, and we are going to harvest a huge crop of resentment if we don't get a handle on it early on!

Every opportunity for the relationship to fail is there, but every opportunity for it to grow in Christ is at our access. It takes opening up to each other and God in order to get in freshness - it takes letting go of the gunk we have clamped down on for so long in order to bring in newness. All of us has the potential to be the clam. All of us have the potential to be the one who brings freshness into the relationship. It may not be the easiest thing to be a peacemaker, but if you find yourself being impressed to be one today, step out and see the potential in the newness you can bring into someone's life today. It may be the only "fresh water" they have taken in for a long, long time! Just sayin!

Argue less, trust more

I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and to make it mine. Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he made me his. Brothers and sisters, I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above. All of us who are spiritually mature should think this way, too. And if there are things you do not agree with, God will make them clear to you. But we should continue following the truth we already have. (Philippians 3:12-16)

If any of us were what God wants us to be, we'd be perfect, and I haven't met one 'perfect' person yet! There have been some I'd say were 'pretty close to perfect', but nobody is perfect on this earth - especially apart from having Christ in their lives. Perfection is something people attempt to attain, through medical procedures, fad diets, self-help programs, and other mind-boggling weirdness. All we could 'do' doesn't really 'do' much for us, though. All we need to move toward 'perfection' is given to us in Christ Jesus.

We all have goals for our lives (at least I hope we do). Those goals may be partially material, such as a new car, while others are a bit more spiritual, such as wanting to stop using foul language because we know it doesn't honor God. Regardless of the goals, we are aiming toward something. What many of us forget is to bring our goals to God and allow him to clarify or 'purify' them so they are really worthwhile for us. That doesn't mean God doesn't want us to have a new car, it might just mean we need him to guide us to the one which would completely meet our needs for safety, be within our budget, and run for a long time without issues.

None of us is what God wants us to be quite yet, but we must continue to reach toward that goal. This could mean we need to do a periodic 'check-in' with God to ensure we are remaining 'on task' with what he desires to see produced within our lives. Have you ever disagreed with God about the path he is asking you to take? I have and I have struggled with obedience on more than one occasion. I had my own goals and dreams, not really wanting to be going toward the ones he had for me. I wasn't all that 'happy' or 'content' with where I was heading, though. God has a way of disturbing our present so he can drastically improve our future, doesn't he?

When we finally get 'on task' with what goals he has in mind for each of us, what a difference it makes as it relates to being 'at peace' and operating 'in peace' as we pursue those goals. Maybe this is a good indication of when we are 'on task' - this peace. Sometimes we don't follow the goals because we don't know where they will be taking us, but if we remain steadfast in what he asks, we might just find we argue a little less, trust a bit more, enjoying the journey with a whole lot less angst. Just sayin!

Wisdom dictates...

Make fun of wisdom, and you will never find it. But if you have understanding, knowledge comes easily. Stay away from fools, or you won’t learn a thing. Wise people have enough sense to find their way, but stupid fools get lost. Fools don’t care if they are wrong, but God is pleased when people do right. (Proverbs 14:5-9)

If we go through life making light of everything we encounter - as though life had to be filled with jokes and humor all the time - we'll miss out on so much of what may have come if we avoided the sarcasm. Sarcasm actually "demotes" or causes something to have a lesser "degree" of importance. We often use sarcasm or joking to cover over the depth of your anxiety, guilt, or regrets. Wisdom calls for us to be men and women of integrity - having fun with life - but not making light of what life entails.

Understanding is closely related to one's perspective at the moment. If one's perspective is different from another's, as in the case of one being in the thick of the matter and the other being only an onlooker, it is easy to make "slight" of what the one in the middle of it is seeing, feeling, and experiencing. It is often much better to allow an individual the "space" or "comfort zone" to unwind about what it is they are experiencing than it is to jump right in with some "light humor" which we hope will diffuse some of their anxiety or grief. In so doing, we are acknowledging the other person's "perspective" as important and worthy of being understood.

Wisdom warrants our attention to the details - reading where another is "at". These moments when stress is high are not usually the best time to make light of the issues at hand. Wisdom warrants us allowing another to share their perspective openly and honestly, then coming alongside to help them navigate the difficulties of the situation. The closer you are to another individual, the easier it is to "read" them. You begin to pick up on the subtle signs of the stress, which is mounting internally, and you know when something is "not right". At the other end of the problem, we can often look back and bring a little levity into the situation. In the heat of the moment, the levity may elude us. Sarcasm only adds fuel to the already hot embers burning inside the one who is the middle of their muddle! Be sensitive to the words we speak, when we speak, and to whom it is we speak.

The fool acts impetuously, responds without thinking, and really is oblivious to the needs or "sensitivities" of another. Wisdom is learned when we come into greater places of understanding, both personally and in relationship with others. The fool cannot be patient enough to stand by while understanding is being "unfolded" - he needs to jump in. Someone once told me there is almost always an element of truth in sarcasm. It is a taunt, cutting remark, or a little bit of irony which tends to mask some underlying message. Wisdom dictates us "checking our words" for the underlying message before we speak, if we speak at all. 

I know I have good friends who laugh along with me when times get a little hairy. We take time to laugh a little, because it diffuses the tension and helps us to get back at the tasks at hand. What those good friends DON'T do is make light of the actual pressure I am feeling. They know it is real to me and they come alongside to support me in those times of pressure. This is what wisdom dictates - this is what comes of understanding another's viewpoint or perspective. Just sayin!

Even the smallest act

The most satisfying thing in life is to have been able to give a large part of one's self to others. (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin)

...be an example to the believers with your words, your actions, your love, your faith, and your pure life ...continue to read the Scriptures to the people, strengthen them, and teach them. Use the gift you have... Continue to do those things; give your life to doing them so your progress may be seen by everyone. Be careful in your life and in your teaching. If you continue to live and teach rightly, you will save both yourself and those who listen to you. (I Timothy 4:12-16)

We are not put on this earth to live as we might please, but to live as it pleases God. In living in such a manner, we will find that we will be drawn to the needs of others, finding ways to minister to that need as we are able. Why? We are following the example given by Jesus and being living instruments of grace. We are to use the gifts we have been given - not for our own edification, but for the building up and restoration of others. 

In all manner of 'living', there is some form of 'teaching' that occurs. It might not be that we stand before a class and instruct from a book, but we 'instruct' with our actions (our daily lives). God asks that we 'live' in such a way that our 'instruction' will guide others to seek truth and to find relationship with him. We become instruments of grace, not so much by 'preaching the Word', but living the Word out in our daily lives.

How do we strengthen each other? It may be in small ways at first, but as we get 'better' at living with others in mind, not focusing on ourselves all the time, we find 'bigger' ways to be a blessing in the lives of those around us. What has God called you to do today in the life of another? Pray for them? Spend time helping them with something around their house? Bringing them a meal? Small steps result in big rewards, friends! Take even the smallest step today in obedience to what God prompts and see what amazing blessing he will bring to each of your lives! Just sayin!

Lost Your Way?

Rollo May has reminded us, "It is an ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way." Really ponder that reminder for a bit, because most of the 'running' we do in life is a result of having made choices that have led us down paths we would otherwise not have traveled. It also seems we 'pick up pace' as we run toward what we know we shouldn't be moving toward in the first place. We have chosen what we want over what we need.

No, the Lord is all I need. He takes care of me. My share in life has been pleasant; my part has been beautiful. I praise the Lord because he advises me. Even at night, I feel his leading. I keep the Lord before me always. Because he is close by my side, I will not be hurt. (Psalm 16:5-8)

God's plan is for us to pursue godliness - decisions that will promote and maintain his presence, peace, and power within our lives. Does it ever amaze you that the 'wrong direction' is the easiest one to pursue? I think the enemy of our soul knows if he made temptation too 'difficult', we'd never veer away from God's commands. The one who has lost their way will be the first to admit just how 'easy' it was to get off track with what they knew was right. 

What does it mean to be 'lost'? It can simply mean to be set 'adrift' - really having no purposeful aim in life. Not all of us are 'goal setters', but without a purpose, it is hard to set a course. It also carries the idea of being 'absent'. Too many times we can be 'present' but be totally and completely 'absent'. Our bodies may be there, but our hearts and minds are just somewhere else. 'Lost' people don't always realize they aren't 'present' in the true sense of the word. They just aren't all that aware of being 'absent' in the moment.

If we desire God's best in our lives, we will soon realize mindless drifting is just not what he has in mind. We all need a purpose - a path to follow. We all do much better when we have 'followed the directions' set our for us than we do when we have struck out on our own. Just sayin!

Led with intent

The Lord gave us each a mind, and nothing we do can be hidden from him. (Psalm 33:15)

I've been both a follower and a leader. Everything I did as a follower was based on some insecurity I had formed that almost demanded I do things to please others. In order to "feel" accepted, I did what others asked - even when what they asked would be contrary to what common sense, learned values, and/or sound advice would have warned against. My wrong choices have landed me (on more than one occasion) in many a predicament which required either my attempts at covering it up (when what I did was clearly wrong and would land me in trouble) or in me being "accepted" but all for the wrong reasons entirely. Being a follower is not always the best thing - unless the one you are following is Christ! Even as we follow Christ, he doesn't want us to do so blindly or without purposeful intention. To this end, he gives each of us a mind and expects we will use it!

What we believe doesn't always affect how we act. I did a whole lot of stuff in my youth which was contrary to my beliefs! A follower actually comes along behind another and follows in the same direction. As kids, we'd play this game of "follow the leader" - one would be the leader, taking us through various obstacles hither and yon, and we'd line up behind the individual doing exactly what they did. If we wouldn't do it, we were out of the line. Some of the choices of the leader were easy to follow - like when they turned three times in place, or jumped up and down on one foot, then sprinted across the lawn. When they climbed out on a tree limb and jumped to the ground, some just wouldn't take the risk of breaking a bone in the fall! Too often, those who wouldn't go to the extremes were labeled as "chicken" or "cowards". Way too many times, I did things I wasn't comfortable with just because I did not want to wear either one of those labels!

What would life be like if we learned to follow with intention rather than because we feel pressured to follow or too insecure not to be in the group of others who are following? I think we might just find we wouldn't follow so closely to some of the practices which are "required" of us in Christian circles today. We might just choose to read our Bibles at our own pace rather than having to follow some reading plan or reading through it in a year. We might just go to church somewhere that embraces us just as we are rather than having to get all "prettied-up" in order to be accepted. We might even find we make some decisions based on our own convictions rather than always having to do things based on the convictions of another!

If God gave us our mind, don't you think he intends for us to actually use it? I'd suspect every one of us has at one time or another chosen to be a follower of another's advice, urging, or guilt - even when it contradicted what we wanted or knew better than to do. Any time we choose to blindly follow, we are in danger of following the wrong leader. Any time we choose to purposefully follow - making choices based on what we know to be true - we are actually lining up behind a leader we can count on to lead us well. God knows the intentions of our heart - the purpose of our mind. He also knows how to lead us into things which are going to stretch our understanding and give deeper root to the matters of heart which will make us richer and stronger. If we are going to follow - it better be with the right intent. If we are going to choose a leader to line up behind - it better be one who will not lead us astray. If we are going to lead - we better be following the right leader ourselves! Just sayin!

More than half-hearted?

So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. (Colossians 3:1-4)

Whenever someone asks me if I am serious about a matter, they are really trying to figure out if I am trifling around with them or the matter at hand. When I am serious about a matter, you usually can tell it, though. My focus changes from that of making light about a matter to being quite concentrated on the matter at hand producing whatever outcome is required. It is this change in focus that clues another into the "seriousness" of the matter and the desire to have all actions align with the desired outcome. This is true in our walk with Jesus - we can "trifle" around a little with it, or we can be "serious" about our focus. Either way, our focus will be determined by the way we are treating this pursuit - if seriously, then the outcome will surely differ than if we are only half-hearted!

If we are serious about living as though we have been resurrected into new life with Christ, our actions will reveal it in the way we "pursue" things over which Christ presides. In our lives, Christ is invited to preside over our minds, hearts, and will. In turn, we are called to pursue the things of righteousness which he produces within. We get consumed with the things right in our immediate focus and forget there is a bigger picture we are to behold. Whenever this happens, our perspective becomes pretty limited, and the actions produced by limited focus will always fall short of the actions produced when you can comprehend and apprehend the bigger picture.

Walking with my head down means my focus will be pretty limited because I don't see things around me, just the things at my feet. I might find something good with that view, but not very often. When we think about either living with what others have discarded or discovering something totally afresh and new, it does make a difference! When I look up, around, and down - I have changed my perspective. My "intake" of things around me changes when I change my perspective. In our spiritual walk, when we change our perspective of focus, our intake changes. We can go through life so "inwardly" focused, tightly holding our focus on how things will immediately affect us, or what is right in front of us, that we miss out on the things God has prepared for us just up ahead.

Whenever our focus is too limited, we find ourselves losing momentum. When all we can see is the immediacy of a matter, we don't hold out for the end. We want it to be over as quickly as possible - to see the outcome sometimes long before it was ready to be produced. The things God presides over in our lives are not usually produced with immediacy - they are cultivated. What is taking place on the inside matters. We might think we are ready to move onto the next step in our lives, but if we need more time to have the inside affected as totally as the outside has been, we won't be happy if we just settle on our limited perspective of the outside. God is at work on the inside. He is presiding over our hearts to bring balance to our emotions and commitment to our purpose. He is presiding over our minds to give integrity to our thoughts and see actions produced which are consistent and reliable. He is presiding over our will to reduce the variability of outcomes which are produced through either the stubbornness of our own wants and wishes or the disillusionment of pursuits way ahead of their time.

If we want to live as Christ desires, we need to determine if we are serious about our perspective. Perspective is beyond the immediate - it takes in the whole thing and helps us to form a "life picture" which differs a great deal from what we see when all we are considering is what life has laid at our feet. Just sayin!

A vacuuming lesson

Do you think God wants to judge anyone 'guilty' as they stand before him? If you know anything about scripture, you will know it is quite the opposite - for God "did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him." (John 3:17) God's greatest joy is to receive us each into his great big family through the work of his Son, Jesus. If we desire to be free of guilt, we only need ask for that gift!

The Light has come into the world, but they did not want light. They wanted darkness, because they were doing evil things. All who do evil hate the light and will not come to the light, because it will show all the evil things they do. But those who follow the true way come to the light, and it shows that the things they do were done through God.” (John 3:19-21)

When we ask for light, we receive it and so much more. Grace comes in waves upon waves. Aren't you glad that grace is limitless? How is it that grace begins to do more than just remove our 'guilt' and 'shame'? Grace brings a new way of living - a new way of making choices - not for us, but according to God's will. How does God change our life from dark to light? By giving us the light that never goes out - the light that illuminates every area of our life, making it impossible to bury any of our guilt or shame any longer.

Grace has a way of digging up our guilt, bringing it to the surface so the light can finally take it away. As I was vacuuming this morning, I found if I kept the lights off in the room, using the very bright light on the vacuum to illuminate the path of the vacuum, I saw all the pieces of dirt that had been hidden with the other light on in the room. It took getting light close to the 'dirt' to actually expose it! Sometimes we may not feel all that comfortable having light shown into our 'darkest spots', but if we want to actually be rid of the 'dirt' once and for all, we may have to let God's light get closer to those areas than we might like!

Darkness, or even a dim light, has a way of concealing much that really needs to be dealt with, but remains a bit too well hidden. We might feel more comfortable with the dim light, but God wants us to have the brightest light possible - his Son! That way we will be able to be rid of the dirt that just serves to muck up our lives. Just sayin!

Happy?

Do what God’s teaching says; when you only listen and do nothing, you are fooling yourselves. Those who hear God’s teaching and do nothing are like people who look at themselves in a mirror. They see their faces and then go away and quickly forget what they looked like. But the truly happy people are those who carefully study God’s perfect law that makes people free, and they continue to study it. They do not forget what they heard, but they obey what God’s teaching says. Those who do this will be made happy. (James 1:22-25)

How many times did you have to be told something as a kid? Mom would ask me to do something, and I might not want to do it, but if I didn't act upon it the first time she asked, there was no asking a second time! Some of you know exactly what I mean. Obedience was expected, the first time, without hesitation. Is it to be any different with God? There are times he asks for us to do something very specifically, but we hesitate. Why is that? It could be that we think the thing he requires of us is just a bit too hard - like consistently reading the Word each day or beginning to tithe faithfully. I have found that when we finally do take the steps of obedience he requires, what we feared the most about taking those steps wasn't really all that bad. Obedience doesn't have to be 'burdensome' or 'harder than we'd like' - it can actually be quite rewarding.

If we examine our passage closely, we will observe there is a state of emotional well-being that is the result of obedience. Doing what God asks results in freedom - freedom brings a sense of emotional 'happiness' that we might just be missing out on if we are dragging our feet about something God is asking for us to do. One might think they could ignore God's requests, but there is a definite 'rub' that comes when there is indifference to his teachings. When we actually allow his teachings to permeate our minds, our will begins to change and that actually affects our emotional status. If we are a bit too 'on edge', angry all the time, disappointed in ourselves or others almost continually, we might do well to ask God if there is some area of our life that he has asked for obedience in and we haven't responded to that request.

Obedience isn't optional, but it is up to us to actually take those steps toward whatever it is God is asking of us. We might not believe 'freedom' or 'emotional well-being' will be the result of our steps, but when those steps are taken because God asks them of us, the end result will be good. Just sayin!

Foresight or Hindsight?

The Lord sees everything, and he watches us closely. Sinners are trapped and caught by their own evil deeds. They get lost and die because of their foolishness and lack of self-control. (Proverbs 5:21-23)

As a child, I'd try to blame someone else for the "wrongs" I had done. If it was me who snatched a cookie out of the cookie jar before dinner and left a trail of crumbs right up to where I was sitting playing, I would try to deny it was me! I also remember the time mom came home to find my mouth black and my breath smelling heavily of anise only to hear me deny repeatedly that I had been into my grandmother's licorice candy! I denied because I knew the admittance of guilt would bring punishment - but denial doesn't EVER guarantee escape! It only shifts the blame or focus for a moment, but not for the "savvy" parent. The parent who loves and knows their child will not be caught off-guard by the child's adamant denials! In fact, they will pursue the denial until the child squirms a little and finally admits to the "crime"! Why? They love us too much to let us get away with the "sin"! God loves us in the same way - pursuing us until we admit we are trapped by our sin and cannot find a way out.

God sees everything. My own guilt "found me out" most of the time. In the most literal sense, sin (or our lack of self-control) has a way of "trapping us". Guilt is like a trap - it encompasses us, making us feel like there is no way out, and then strings us up until we cry "uncle". If you are strung up long enough, you are eventually cut off from all things which are your life supply - like food, water, and exercise. In the trap, you wither and die. Guilt is so powerful because it "cuts us off" from those things we need - like fellowship, freedom to move, and nourishment. A trap is any device, strategy, trick designed specifically for catching something "unaware". Our own lack of self-control presents all the right circumstances so as to create this opportunity to be "caught unaware" - simply because we weren't paying attention to where we were heading or what we were setting ourselves up to do. We usually wake up making a fresh commitment NOT to do something that almost always ends up in us making some foolish decisions and pursuing something we should have left untouched.

This "self-control" problem is not new! When God created man in his own image, he also created this ability for self-control deep within man. In the same manner, he created us with the ability of choice. If man chooses wisely, exercising a little self-control (restraint), then man doesn't deal with the other thing God created - his emotions (guilt). If man chooses unwisely, allowing all restraint to fly out the window, then he will also deal with the conflict of emotions which come as a result of having pursued something he intended to avoid in the first place! We are not designed to be solely reliant upon our self-control! Too many times we live very defeated and guilt-ridden lives simply because we think we have to avoid sin completely by our own doing. God also created us with this "space" within each of us that is the place we call "spirit" - the place he is designed to inhabit. If we allow this space to be filled with the Spirit of God, then we find we have help to avoid the traps! The sad thing is that we sometimes set the traps we fall into, while at other times they are set for us. We cannot always be aware of the ones being set for us, but we can be keenly aware of the ones we are setting for ourselves. The Spirit of God within can trigger our awareness - we just have to ask him to do so and then be willing to listen when he does!

It is important to have a living and vital relationship with God - so we can call upon him, learn from him, and be guided by his "fore-knowledge" of what lies ahead. The closer we are to him, the easier it is to avoid the traps! The more we avoid the traps, the less guilt we have to deal with. The less guilt we have, the freer we will be in our worship and adoration of our Lord. That is what God intends for his kids! Just sayin!

Rich, but poor?

Jesus said to them, “Be careful and guard against all kinds of greed. Life is not measured by how much one owns.” ...who will get those things you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be for those who store up things for themselves and are not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:15, 20-21)

Do we own it, or does it own us? It is sometimes hard to decide which one actually is the truth, but a sure way to find out is how we react when it is taken from us. Remember Job? He had riches galore, a large family, lots and lots of herds of animals, crops in abundance - in essence, he had it all. He was a good man, known in the community to be faithful to his family, considerate of others, a good friend. Then one day, it was taken from him. He lost the crops, herds began to die, family members were lost, and he found himself sitting on a hill of dung, scraping boils on his body with a broken shard of pottery. If you or I were to face similar circumstances today, how might we react?

It took some 'talking it out with God' to get all the things off his chest he really didn't understand. He asked repeatedly why all these events were transpiring - something I know God didn't mind. He might have even began to question his faith a bit - another thing I don't think God minds us talking with him about. There are times when we just don't understand our 'losses' - times when we might call into question our own beliefs and where it is we have put our trust. If our trust has been placed in the 'things' and not in God himself, our faith will falter a lot. If we find ourselves bemoaning our 'losses', but keeping God at the center of our prayers, it is likely we have placed our faith in the Creator and not the creation.

God's plan is for us to be rich toward him - not ourselves. We can amass all manner of 'goods' and 'things' that really don't fill the empty space in our spirit but might just fill more than one empty space in our homes, garages, workshops, or storage rooms. We would be happy with our riches for a while, but the reality of the 'hole' in our spirits would still be there. We need to remember that Christ desires to fill us to overflowing with all manner of good blessings, but they begin on the inside and are not stored in garages! We might be 'rich' to some, but we are 'poor' where it really counts. Just sayin!