Invade my space

If I had not found joy in your teachings, my suffering would have destroyed me. I will never forget your commands, because through them you gave me new life. I am yours, so save me! I have done my best to know your instructions. The wicked tried to destroy me, but your rules made me wise. Everything has its limits, except your commands. (Psalm 119:92-96)

The remedy for life's challenges is to lean hard into God's promises and commands - to find direction, solace, and strength within the instruction laid out there. Find joy in God's teachings and you will find the "remedy" which sustains you even when there seems to be no deliverance or end. It is more than memory of scripture (although there is merit to hiding God's Word within our minds). It is more than frequent time in the Word (although we cannot learn from God's Word without the sacrifice of time). It is more than a Bible-reading plan for the year (although it might focus us a little). It is the deep, intimate, act of drawing close to God's heart that gets God's Word into us in such a way it will keep us when life's challenges head our way.

As a mother, I used to enjoy those times when I would sit and read a story to my kids, them drawing up to me close and listening intently. They'd run their toes up and down my back, twist their hair around their fingers, nuzzle their teddy, and run the tiny truck back and forth across the bed. Something happened in those moments of just "connecting" with each other. We found closeness and bonds which cannot be broken because of this connection which occurred often and with regularity. Now I continue this with my grandsons - although we may not read as much anymore, we can talk about the latest welding or leather creation, the other creative ideas they have, and the observance of things they saw that day. In those moments, connection is made - connection which cannot be broken despite the pressures, pulls, and prevailing winds of time.

We don't recognize the importance of just sitting to enjoy God's presence until we haven't had it for a while. We don't miss what we have not realized is missing until we finally "miss it". The adage, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder", is indeed true. To "miss" something, one has to have drawn close and experienced it in the first place! Too many times we have a cursory appreciation of God's grace - but when we experience the depth and breadth of his grace fully - we don't want to ever be separated from the way that makes us feel. God's plan is for us to experience him - so that his words get deep into our being - affecting the depths and crags of our inner man within those places the world has tried so hard to affect with the pressures it brings. The world adds rocks, sand, and even immovable objects in our path - but even with those present, there is room for grace to invade the spaces those things cannot! Grace has no limits - there is no space his grace cannot invade! Just sayin!

The Watchman

Lord, your word continues forever in heaven. You are loyal forever and ever. You made the earth, and it still stands. All things continue today because of your laws. Like slaves, they all obey you. (Psalm 119:89-91)

God's care and watchfulness keep all things in this state of continual renewal. It is a little appreciated fact that God's breath animates the world around us, keeping the things in alignment within the universe, making the tides swell and recede. The very watchfulness of God should give us encouragement in the dark times when we think there is nothing going as it should, or the high and impenetrable walls of stress are closing in around us. There is nothing which exists or continues in its existence (and this includes us), which doesn't do so because he has made it possible for it to exist!

Like it or not, suffering is part of life. We are not exempt from the troubles of life that occur by being inside a human body subject to the aging process. We aren't going to escape the winds that blow, the waters that rise, or the fires which rage - their effect may not be immediate to us, but they will ultimately affect something in our lives. We might attempt to navigate around traffic jams on our way to our destination, but even the best GPS cannot save us from the fact people occupy space in front of us in their vehicles, on similar journeys as we may be on, crawling along at a pace slightly faster or slower than our own.

Everything has limits - except the power and purpose of God's Word. His commands have no limits. They are meant to support us when we are troubled by the things of this life, build us up when our strength is waning, and restore us when our minds are fatigued by the many pressures invading our emotional space. Destructive forces are around us on every plane - God's Word is the one thing which will make us wise enough to avoid what can be avoided, embrace what cannot, and walk away stronger. The truth will always be the same - God is loyal forever and ever. Try as we might, we cannot define "forever and ever" because the words express a lack of beginning or ending. It is like when we say our sins are removed as far as the east is from the west - immeasurable distance exists between us and our sin once Christ is invited into the midst of our lives. Limits don't exist where God is at work. Just sayin!

The Kingdom of God is at hand

Get relationship right with God - giving him ALL of your heart - not just the part given to him on Sunday mornings, or when someone is looking. Focus on him as the only source of your devotion and dedication - not as much on every passing whim or fancy. Intently choose to follow his will instead of the constant pull of your own. Submit your thoughts to him and allow him to purify them, filtering out all the "noise" the world adds. Take up the tasks he lays before you and don't seek to accomplish them in your own ability or talent. This is what makes up the first and most important command. The thoughts of most religious zealots would be, "We have this down pat!" There will always stand this one command that will expose our hearts. To consider another above yourself - to focus on loving with integrity instead of with false pretense - this comes closely on the heels of being rightly related to God.

“The most important command is this: ‘People of Israel, listen! The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second most important command is this: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ These two commands are the most important.” (Mark 12:29-31)

Nothing but truth can open the blind eyes, crumbling the prideful elevation of thought which keeps others at an arm's distance. Jesus addresses how someone can portray a self-made confidence which will melt away in the face of the reality of the love of the one who truly has the first command correct in their lives. He is revealing that we might not have kept the first command all that well! If we love to get something in return for the actions we display, we don't have the first command correct yet! Jesus rewards this man with something we might otherwise miss in the subsequent verses. Read along: 'Jesus saw that the man answered him wisely. So he said to him, “You are close to God’s kingdom.”' Jesus commends the man for recognizing truth and then he tells him he is close to God's kingdom - he might not have said this man was about to enter into truth fully, but I think he offered it to him that day. The man was getting a deeper revelation into truth than he might have experienced before - we may not know if he embraced the Kingdom of God that day, but we know he was on the verge.

Jesus is always ready to reveal his truth to a willing heart. He isn't frightened by being challenged about truth, but when a hungry and seeking heart comes to him seeking truth - he isn't going to hold back. In fact, he will offer all he has to save but one soul. He will reveal truth and then give not only what we seek, but we don't know we have need of in the first place. This is just what we can expect from Jesus. Maybe we need to lay down our pride long enough to consider the truth he gives. Who knows how close we are to embracing what may prove to be the most liberating of truths we could ever encounter - the kingdom of God is at hand! Just sayin!

Not for show

He saw that Jesus gave good answers to their questions. So he asked him, “Which of the commands is the most important?” Jesus answered, “The most important command is this: ‘People of Israel, listen! The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second most important command is this: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ These two commands are the most important.” (Mark 12:28-31)

Jesus taught anyone who would listen - even the Pharisees and Sadducees - the religious leaders and zealots of the day who were most likely the ones who would challenge everything he would say. They weren't really all that "open" to his teachings; it was more that they wanted to find some way to trip Jesus up in his teaching and discredit him publicly. They were quite jealous of the attention he was getting - after all, they had been the primary "religious" teachers of the day and now they had a little "competition". Our pride is a dangerous thing whenever it puts what we have accomplished, think we know, or even actually do know above the potential of learning truth or seeing truth in a fresh way. The "teacher of the law" saw that Jesus was pretty good at accurately being able to answer the questions and challenges of the group. He asked what he thinks might be the hardest of questions to answer: "Which of the commands is the most important?" Could this have been a 'challenge' to see if Jesus would say something that 'tripped him up' and let the crowds see him as a 'false teacher'? Jesus wasn't stumped by this line of questioning but came back quickly with not only the most important, but the second most important! It is just like Jesus to not only give us what we want, but what we also need!

The answer the teacher wanted was the "most important" command. He didn't expect Jesus to throw in the second most important which actually revealed to the crowds that he had a greater hold on truth than the religious crowd believed he did. Jesus works this way time after time, giving us not only what we ask for, but what we don't even know we have need of. These religious leaders were working hard to discredit him - challenging him with tough questions it had taken them years of study to sort of understand. Baffled by his "brilliance" in answering each and every one of them, they want him to identify what would actually support all the other teachings he had elaborated on up to that point. You see, these religious leaders hadn't treated him, nor those they lived with on a regular basis, with the kindness and dignity God expected. Their religious works were for show, but deep down inside their inner man, their pride got in the way of them really connecting themselves as "equal" with the sinners all around them. In essence, they might have wanted to know what Jesus considered the most important truth, but they needed to understand how they treated others mattered! We can understand truth and still treat others 'differently' or with less kindness than we should. Just sayin!

You drowning?

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. (Havelock Ellis)

At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:16-17)

What do you hold onto what actually weighs you down? A drowning man seeks to be free of all that adds weight to his body - shoes, jacket, shirt, and even pocket change! Why? It will drag him down - creating extra 'drag' on his body. Learning what creates 'drag' in our lives versus what liberates us to move freely is sometimes quite a challenge. We hold onto what God says we should give up and then wonder why we don't seem to have the 'capacity' to take on what he wants to give us next. 

I know this seems simplistic, but when God deals with something in our lives, he is asking us to give it over to him. Does this mean it will never surface again as a memory or 'tempting force'? No, but just because the man sees his shed shirt and jacket come to the surface once again, it doesn't mean he has to put them on! He shed them for a reason, and he needs to remember all he did to be rid of their 'drag' in his life. He also remembers what his end goal is - to be rescued, placed on dry ground, and living without encumbrances.

The drowning man clings to that which gives him buoyancy and lets go of what weighs him down. We cannot cling to both - one will pull us down if we don't rid ourselves of it. Christ's goal is to give us 'buoyancy' in this walk. When he asks us to let go of something, it is meant to be a means of finding that 'buoyancy'. When we let go of what gives us 'buoyancy' and reach again for what will just pull us down, we struggle to keep going until we let go again and reach for his hands once more. Just sayin!

No longer...

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. (Romans 8:1-3)

If you have ever stopped to wonder why Jesus had to take on the form of a man, there's your answer. He came to this earth in a body 'like the body we sinners have', so that he could be the sacrifice for our sins. In all he did in that one action, he provided an END to sin's control in our lives - so we are no longer controlled by our sin nature - we have been given a new one - Christ's.

Paul has just explained that he desires to do what is right - what the commandments declare he should do and how he should behave. Yet, in spite of his extreme desire to live 'right', he makes wrong choices time and time again. Why? The sin nature within is at war with the Spirit of God who indwells his spirit. It wants to continue to choose to do unwise things. Until we grasp fully that we are freed from its power, we will continue to condemn ourselves for those wrong actions that stem from our sin nature.

There is NO condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. Read it again and then do it again. You aren't condemned because you mess up from time to time because you belong to Christ and his life-giving Spirit has freed and is freeing you from the power of sin. It is a finished and a continual action. That seems a bit like a contradiction - finished and continual. Yet, God's work of renewal is available to us with each new day. We don't have to continue with the wrong choice or live under the guilt or shame of it. We give it Christ, allow his Spirit to cleanse us, and move on.

In that body...an end to sin's control was accomplished. Christ's sacrifice did it all. Lean into that truth and allow his Spirit to wash over your mind, emotions, and inner spirit. He does not condemn you; sin has no control (even though it still has an appeal from time to time); and you are a new creation because of his loving act on your behalf. Just sayin!

Is this change right?

All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward. (Ellen Glasgow)

No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people. (Romans 2:29)

The Apostle Paul is dealing with a whole lot of 'we are better than they are' mentality - it is 'better to be a Jew' than a Gentile kind of thing. Isn't it silly to compare ourselves to others by what we see as 'superior' in ourselves compared to what we see as 'inferior' in others? The most profound thing he pointed out to those who opposed Christ as the Messiah was that a changed heart is produced by the Spirit of God, not some 'act' or 'practice' man engages in. A changed heart is God-produced, God-ordained, and God-blessed.

The 'we are better' mentality comes with prideful attitude of seeking approval from others merely because of what you 'do', not what you really 'are'. We are ALL sinners - but they failed to appreciate that fact. We ALL need a Redeemer - but they failed to recognize that every outward action they performed really didn't change the fact that their hearts were still impure and given to sin. A person with a changed heart seeks praise from God - they don't need to call attention to themselves through religious actions. Their heart shines!

All mankind can do on its own merit is produce more flawed individuals, complete with complex hang-ups and deep hurts. What God can do when a man or woman says yes to him may not seem significant, but that is because the heart is often hidden from view. It becomes evident in the actions produced when his Spirit indwells our spirit, and the true communion begins. A changed heart is what we desire - not just changed actions. Eventually the actions will match the heart, but until they do, trust him to do what he began. All change is not growth, so make sure the change you seek is directed by his Spirit. Just sayin!

Connected and Reconnected

They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (Mark 8:22-25)

We don't know why Jesus made him walk out of town with him. Maybe it was so he would begin to trust Jesus a little by walking with him for a while; learning to depend on him to bring him safely to the place he needed to be. We don't know why the first application of mud didn't do the trick. Maybe it was because Jesus knew something about this man, or those who were looking on that day, which made him take that time in order to help others around him come to a greater place of trust and faith. We may not know the reason for the delay in our 'total healing' in some of those areas where we seem to be blind to any form of light. When we make frequent and purposeful connection with Jesus, we can count on our healing to come. When it does, we need to celebrate it with those who had the faith to bring our need to Jesus in the first place!

It isn't until we reach out and take the hand extended to us that our journey toward healing can begin. It is a starting point. We might want immediacy, but Jesus wants connection. We can imagine Jesus walking this man past one obstacle and then another, until he finally has him right where he wants him to be in order to receive his ultimate healing. We might not recognize the obstacles we are avoiding along the way, but with the navigation of our Savior, we are sure to get to our destination. We want the conventional, but Jesus is not afraid to use the unconventional means to do what needs to be done. I am not sure if I would have been all that excited about mud made from spit being placed on my eyes, but I do know God has used some pretty "unconventional" means by which he has opened my eyes to the reality of who he is in my life. I don't want us to count on the "tried and true" as being the only "way" God works within us - he may go about bringing healing into our lives by some pretty "odd" means. Our part is to remain open to the possibilities of what he is accomplishing by his touch.

There were multiple points of "connection" with Jesus in order for this man to realize his full healing. He gained a little hope with the first "mud" application - but he gained much more with each repeated touch from the Savior. It is this frequency of connection which brings us to a place where we "open our eyes wide" so we can see fully what he has been accomplishing not only in us, but around us. The blind man depended on others to help him find his way, and as his healing began, he still didn't have perfect clarity. We often don't realize fully what God is doing in us, but it is that repeated connection with him coupled with our willingness to do as he says that brings us to the place of complete deliverance in our lives. Just sayin!

I need my friends

As we come to Jesus, we might expect the immediate healing of all our anxieties, hang-ups, and long-held issues. We know there are things in our lives Jesus forgives but then he "deals" with them for a while until we realize they are finally gone. The sinful stuff in our lives that gets our focused attention through God's eyes will get dealt with in pretty short order compared to the stuff we just let 'hang on' even when he is telling us to let it go.

 
Jesus and his followers came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch the man. So Jesus held the blind man’s hand and led him out of the village. Then he spit on the man’s eyes. He laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see now?” The man looked up and said, “Yes, I see people. They look like trees walking around.” Again Jesus laid his hands on the man’s eyes, and the man opened them wide. His eyes were healed, and he was able to see everything clearly. (Mark 8:22-25)

We come to Jesus just as we are - complete with all our hang-ups and messiness - with no need to clean up before we say yes to him. We sometimes are with Jesus in our lives for a while with more than a few of these hang-ups and messy areas in our lives - not because he doesn't have the capability to immediately deal with them and remove them, but because there is something which happens in the continual washing over time. In those moments of seeking him time and again, we find there is a connection made much like the connection made when he led this blind man out of the village.

At first, we may not even realize how to get free from those things which have been "with us" for so long in our lives. This is where we need the faithfulness of friends who will walk with us to the place we come face-to-face with Jesus. This man might have known he was in the presence of Jesus, but he didn't yet see Jesus fully for who he was. The friends were the ones interceding for this man - it wasn't the man begging for his healing - it was the friends. We need each other - plain and simple. We may not recognize how much until we find our friends interceding for the mess our lives have become. Just sayin!

Bedraggled and Maimed

The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. (Hebrews 1:3)

When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down. There is much said in those words, isn't there? 

When he had - it is a finished work, nothing else is required, the job is done. Cleansed us from our sins - it was not his sins that took him to the cross, but ours. The mission was complete when he lifted his eyes to heaven and breathed his last breath on that cross. He sat down - in a place of honor, authority, and oversight. He continues to watch over all of mankind, having completed it all on our behalf, waiting for us to join him there through faith in his finished work. He sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. That 'sustaining power' is what we can count on when we say 'yes' to Jesus. Not just the power to take in our next breath, but the power to live as overcomers to sin in our lives. We no longer are subjects of our sin but have the authority of Christ in our lives to live as overcomers. 

So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose. (Hebrews 2:1-4)

Because Christ finished the work of salvation, we must press in. Never drift away from what is right, true, and honorable. We cannot ignore his work on our behalf - a work confirmed over and over again as one life after another is transformed by his great power. We cannot deny what we can see in the way of a changed life, but we frequently argue about doctrine we don't understand. Jesus never asked us to adhere to a 'doctrine' - he asked us to press into a relationship with him - to live so close to his presence that we become one with him. If we want to live as overcomers, we must first decide to invite Jesus into our lives. Then we must press closer and closer to him, the one who has all authority and power to create anew what sin has left bedraggled and maimed. Just sayin!

Traditions are good, but...

What defiles a man? Some would say it is one specific act, while others would say it is an accumulation of actions, all of which would be labeled as 'not very good'. Jesus was very specific - it is what in the heart that defiles a man. The actions are just a byproduct of what the heart desires or craves.

So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” (Mark 7:5-8)

There will always be those who think tradition must be upheld. It doesn't matter that it has become meaningless and 'mindlessly' performed. It just needs to be upheld. What sense does that make? Traditions are good, but when they become meaningless and are nothing more than 'performance', they really aren't worth pursuing, are they?

What is worse are those 'religious traditions' we 'follow', but we have no real understanding as to 'why' we are following them or what they are supposed to accomplish in our lives. This is why Jesus focuses so much on relationship with him. Relationship might involve some tradition - after all, Jesus taught his disciples to pray and to remember him through the 'tradition' of communion. The 'tradition' is not the focus, but rather the one who is the focus of that 'purposeful activity'.

Remember this - Jesus is always after the heart. His desire is a change of heart for each of us. Not so much that we forget all human traditions, but that we consider the 'value' or 'worth' of them based on what they accomplish. The tradition of gathering together on a certain holiday might bring those together who are miles apart, allowing a renewal of relationship, up close and personal. The tradition of going to church on Sunday just because it is what you have always done might not be such a good one because it lacks the closeness of relationship Jesus desires. Just sayin!

Use it or lose it

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10)

Mother Teresa said, "If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one." Most of us don't feel extremely talented or gifted, but we can take on small tasks that make all the difference in our hurting world. Whatever gift you have received is for the purpose of serving others. No matter how small, use that gift in service for others and see how God will bless it in grand ways.

God isn't after the 'grandiose' in us - he is after the obedience or what we refer to as 'faithfulness' in each of us. My dad always used to quip, "Use it or lose it". It was not bad advice! Use what you are given or lose out on what God intended or purposed for that 'gift' within you. I don't make perfect woodworking projects, but I enjoy blessing others through whatever talent I have. I may not be a published writer, on the top 100 list, but I enjoy using the talent God has given me - even if it helps just one.

Leo Tolstoy reminds us, "Joy can only be real if people look upon their life as a service and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness." The object - Christ. The service - whatever you are gifted at doing. It may be baking - so bake. It could be singing - so sing. It could be keeping company with someone - so be there. No gift is too small, no impact without return. What 'gift' have you been discounting as 'not worth much'? It could just be that God is challenging you today to pick it up, dust it off, find a way to use it to bless others, and then keep on using it. Use it or lose it... Just sayin!

The first step

Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go. (Herman Hesse)

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 3:12-14)

Too many times we hold onto our mistakes, focusing all our thought and attention on them instead of what Christ wants to do with them. He actually wants to use them as a catapult to move us forward, not anchor us to the past. God is always doing something new - reminding us to forget what lies in the past and focus on the new (Isaiah 43:18-19). God is making a way forward, but we have to step out into it if we are to ever be free of our past. When we focus on today, we are letting go of those things we are unable to change and leaning into what God wants to do with and through us today. 

Psalm 55:22 tells us to cast our burdens on the Lord so that he can sustain us. In other words, we 'throw off' what is not useful and move toward what is most promising - Christ's grace, provision, and purpose. Some of us are still trying to make sense of some hurt or hang-up in our past, all the while missing out on what God is so eager to do in our present. Sometimes we just need to let go of the drive to understand - to make sense of it all. We may never fully appreciate the things that created such disappointment or disgust in our lives, so we must not dwell upon them. 

When we begin to put all our cares and worries about those things upon the shoulders of Christ, we let the one who can bear that burden carry it. How do we do that? 'Cast' carries the idea of putting forth effort in order to no longer be in control of what we once held so closely. We no longer desire to carry the thing - so we throw it far from us. It isn't useful to us; therefore, it needs to be removed as far from us as possible. No one moves forward until they unburden themselves from the past. Maybe our way forward begins with the first step of letting go of the burden of our mistakes. Just sayin!

Go and Tell

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. (Mark 5:18-20)

The one set free from a lifetime of torment and torture was not always so 'grateful' and 'trusting' toward Jesus. When Jesus first sees the man who was demon-possessed, he asked Jesus to leave him alone - to not change anything in his life. He actually saw Jesus as 'interfering' with his lifestyle. Tortured though he was, the evil spirit within him didn't want to leave him. Jesus wasn't put off by the demons asking to stay. "Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?” And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.” Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place." (vs. 9-10) Why was this man's healing so long coming? Why is our deliverance so long coming? Could it be that Jesus is just waiting for us to be honest about what it is that is troubling us? 

At first, the demons did not want to leave - they had become comfortable right where they were. There was a 'willing host' and they weren't excited to be leaving. What do we hold onto that has become comfortable to us that is actually holding us back, bringing us down, and causing us so much misery. Like the man tormented by so many demons, we might just need to identify what it is and then be willing to let it go! The demons leave the man at Jesus' command and enter a herd of pigs, who promptly run wildly from their keepers and straight off a cliff. Nothing remains when Jesus utters the words of deliverance, my friends. We can rest assured that whatever it is that troubles our hearts is of concern to Jesus and his word is all it takes to change the course of what has been happening within us.

The man was free. The pig keepers were stunned. The crowds were amazed, but also a bit afraid. Why? When God displays his power in our lives, it can be a little frightening at times. We may not understand how he works, but we can always see evidence of his work. The change may be immediate, like it was for this man, but it could be gradual in revealing itself. Either way, our commission is to go and tell - all that Jesus has done in us is a message of what he can do in others, as well. Just sayin!

Go gloveless

Nathaniel Hawthorne said, "A pure hand needs no glove to cover it." A pure heart needs no covering, either. It becomes evident no matter how hard the journey - purity is something we cannot (and should not) ever try to hide. Some might want to shun such purity, probably because it pricks at their conscience just a bit more than they'd like. Regardless of society's norms, we need to remain true to those God lays out in his Word. Only then will we realize purity of heart, mind, spirit, and soul.

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob. (Psalm 24:3-9)

Be a generation that seeks him. If we want to see God move across our city, we might just be the first one to seek him. It takes one spark to ignite a whole forest - be the spark. Don't ever fear that others will be offended by what God is doing within your life - it is light in a very dark world that pushes back that darkness, little bit by little bit. Stand with God - regardless of those who stand against him.

Vindication from God our Savior - isn't that a mouthful? I know I have so much sin that I need Jesus to wash away from my life. I needed his light to reveal what I kept hidden - no glove could cover over my sin. How about yours? We try hard to 'make good' what is really rotten to the core within our lives, but we don't do a very good job of it. A glove merely masks what is underneath it. Our facades are nothing more than lame masks trying to put forth one image of 'us' to the world, all the while knowing there is something else underneath that facade we don't want them to seem.

Who may stand? The one with clean hands and a pure heart. Clean hands come from a pure heart. A pure heart comes from having our sins washed away by the blood of Christ. Grace is the only thing that washes us clean. Grace means we don't need the gloves any longer. Just sayin!

A calm spirit

He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. (Proverbs 17:27)

Have you ever had so much internal agitation that you found it hard to talk rationally or act responsibly? There is nothing our enemy likes more than for that type of agitation to take over within us. Confusion is a great tactic to keep us in a muddle and cause us to be paralyzed with fear. Worrying does us no good, but that is what confusion brings - worry upon worry, until we are either not able to take action, or worse yet, we take action that is impulsive. The consequences of both are alarmingly similar - we stumble around in our confusion and find ourselves feeling pretty helpless and sometimes even hopeless.

Our passage reminds us that “a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.” How on earth can we enjoy a calm spirit when everything is coming at us at break-neck speed and in a disorderly manner? What some of us have yet to realize is that actually living with a calm mind requires training. We don't just gain a calm mind by osmosis! It requires us to get into scripture, allow it to get into us, and then we rehearse it time and time again. We pray scripture - especially when confusion abounds. This is why God tells us to bring every thought captive - training our minds to focus on him, not the confusion that abounds.

A calm spirit is desirable, but is it achievable? Yes, with every action we take to bring thoughts captive and to recount the promises/teaching in God's Word. Peace isn't going to come into confusion until we allow it access. Most of us have a hard time always being in a state of a 'calm spirit', but we can certainly focus on developing one. Knowledge is good - wisdom is better - understanding is awesome. We get all three the more we study what God says, how he acts, and then take steps to move when he moves. A calm spirit isn't hard to find - it is found in the presence of the one who brings all peace. Just sayin!

Reputation Aside

Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.) But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?" When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (Mark 2:15-17)

Have you ever noticed that sentence in this passage before? "There were many people of this kind..." What a way for people to 'label' other people. "Those people" - that is a label, isn't it? They didn't 'measure up' to the standards being imposed upon them - much like you and me on occasion. They didn't 'follow the rules' some of the time - like us rule-breakers. They didn't always know what was right, much less do it - very much like some of us, huh? Yet, Jesus' opinion of 'those people' was different - he put reputation aside in order to minister to the need that was obvious, as well as the need that wasn't as apparent.

The ones who followed Jesus knew their reputation. They understood that they 'didn't measure up', but perhaps that is why they sought Jesus out. They might secretly have desired to 'measure up', but they just didn't see how they could. Much like us, they knew they had a need deep within for 'something more', but they might not have realized where their need could be met until they heard about Jesus. They may have looked at every other option (alcohol, prostitution, service to the Roman government, and even thievery), but come up lacking. That is until they met Jesus!

Society can 'label' people - not always realistically or with rational standards. Those labels can follow individuals for years, making it seem impossible to ever be 'seen' differently. Jesus put his reputation aside in order to help those with a reputation put theirs aside once and for all. This should be good news for those of us who haven't always 'done right' in this world. I am the first to admit I needed a 'reputation overhaul' when I came to Jesus. Jesus doesn't see our reputation and turn the other way. He sees the one trapped by that reputation and embraces them anyway. Just sayin!

Way-Finding Friends

While he was preaching God’s word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:2-5)

I don't know about you, but I want these kinds of friends in my life! I want friends who will 'bare-handedly' remove rooftops for me! I want to know that regardless of my ability or faith, they are right there when I have needs I may not be able to handle on my own or even recognize I have a way to have to have those needs met outside of the 'normal' way of meeting them. How about you? Do you have those kinds of friends? Do they recognize a need in your life even before you recognize it yourself? If you do, you are truly blessed!

The crowd wasn't too much for them - they saw the need of their friend and it would take an army to stop them! They dug a hole in the roof - nothing was stopping their friend from getting in front of the Lord of Lords. We actually don't need namby-pamby, wishy-washy faith friends. We need 'roof removing', 'get 'er done' friends - nothing being too great of an obstacle to get our need before the Lord. One thing I have observed to be true - faith isn't obstacle free. If we want our miracle, we are likely going to have to get past some obstacles in our path.

Seeing their faith - it wasn't the man's faith that Jesus took note of - it was the faith of the four friends. There are times when my faith is nothing to speak of - it wavers just like it does for you on occasion. When it doesn't match the faith needed to 'get 'er done', we'd actually do well to 'lean into' the faith of those God has provided as our spiritual companions in this journey. Why? They aren't affected by the intensity of our need - the intensity that actually paralyzes us and makes it difficult to bring ourselves before God on our own. They find a way where we see no way. 

I want 'way finding' friends. If you don't have those type of friends in your life, isn't it about time you find them? Just askin!

Logos

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. (John 1:1-5)

Did you know the word "Word" (logos) meant more than 'word' in the Greek language. It also carried the idea of divine reason, mind, wisdom, principle, and message. When John uses 'logos' in this passage, he was indicating all things divine were inherent in Christ - none more important than that he brought the message of salvation for all of mankind!

Stop for a moment to consider why John used this form of the word 'logos' to describe Jesus. Perhaps it was because words are what makes up communication - they are what allows the passage of ideas from one person to another. It could be that John's intent was to show us that Jesus is the way that God communicates with mankind. Jesus is that 'go-between' much like words between you and me. He is the mediator between God and us. 

Jesus’ life is God’s way of communicating truth and life to us. If you want to know about God, perhaps the Book of John is a good place to begin. Within its pages, we can actually study Jesus’ life. In essence, John is telling us that Jesus is God’s sermon to us. Studying the book of John is not just about learning of the person of Jesus. It is a direct window into the mind, purposes, and plans of God.

In other words, knowing Jesus (learning from him) is how we come to know our heavenly Father. God's life and character are reflected in all Jesus did and said on this earth. We learn through him. The message is inherent in the person - Jesus. Hear it and believe. Then watch all of heaven open up before you as God reveals himself more and more. Just suggestin...

Tainted Wealth

Tainted wealth has no lasting value, but right living can save your life. (Proverbs 10:2)

I found myself revisiting an old medical TV series over the past few days where more than one of the characters were quite entangled in 'making money', sometimes at the expense of others. As depicted by their characters, their absolute greed drove them to do things that were totally outside of the reason they ever got into their profession as doctors. They were so focused on fame and fortune; they lost sight of their calling. Wealth sometimes has a way of 'undoing' us - actually changing our focus from what we know to be 'true' and 'right' in our lives. Perhaps this is why God reminds us we cannot have our eyes on both wealth and God - the former one will eventually erode away at the relationship we have with him.

Tainted wealth is that which is 'ill-gotten' - it might have started out quite innocently, but the more we pursued the wealth, the more it consumed our focus. Eventually, we find that the 'pull' of fame and fortune just isn't satisfied - there is never 'enough'. While the characters on the TV show are fictitious, the struggle is quite real in our world today. There has always been a drive for 'more' since mankind came to be on this earth. That 'drive' led them to do unthinkable things, all in the pursuit of what they would never attain. That is how sin works in our lives - it gets us following desires that are never satisfied and whims of fancy that can never be appeased until we let go of them.

Sin isn't appeased easily, though. The enemy of our souls has no desire to let us go easily. His intent is to confuse us as to what truth really is, where we might find absolute peace, and how it is we might let go of all that doesn't allow our continued focus on God alone. Wealth and fame are two very powerful 'lures' that are not easily rejected. As much as God warns us to avoid the pull of these two 'lures', we sometimes cannot resist them. We are like silly fish, following whatever moves in front of us, not even seeing there is one big hook on the end of that lure! Keep your eyes on Jesus and you will not be so easily lured into the dangers the enemy lays before you. Just sayin!

You willing?

For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:19-21)

For God... The message is clear - God made the provision, did all that needed to be done, and now we stand 'reconciled' through faith in Jesus. It is indeed good news that my sins are no longer counted against me, and this should be good news for anyone who has said 'yes' to Jesus. The message is clear - we needed Christ's sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection in order to realize forgiveness of sins and the removal of all the guilt associated with them.

God makes his appeal to others through us... We may not believe it, but God actually intends for us to be his voice - his hands reaching out to a hurting and lost world around us. We might believe this 'role' to be limited to those who fill the pulpits each Sunday, but the truth is that God's work is done through those who are willing to become his hands and feet. We speak for him - not in place of him. We bring the message of salvation - not of condemnation and critical judgment. Come back to God - the words are clear, but will the message be heard if we are unwilling to be used?

So that we could be made right with God... The movement from sin into grace requires us to acknowledge our need, but the ability to make the move from sin into grace is actually given to us by Jesus himself. We lack nothing when it comes to being reconciled to God - God has provided all we need. When things are 'right' between two individuals on this earth, what does that look like? Isn't there an intimacy that is felt, an integrity that is palpable? What would make us think it would be any different when we are drawn into relationship with Jesus? The plan was always to make a way for this type of intimacy and integrity - we just need to step into the plan and then be willing to share it with others. Just sayin! 

Finding Favor with God

Noah found favor with the Lord. (Genesis 6:8) 

The hope of every believer's heart is that they 'find favor with the Lord' in all they say, think, and do. At times, we aren't very wise in our choice of words, so we waver a bit there. We waver a bit in the area of our thinking as we don't always 'put our thinking caps on' before we speak or act. We definitely waver in the 'doing' part of life as our mind may desire to do one thing, but we end up doing what our emotions 'feel' rather than what we know to be right. Noah was righteous and blameless before God. Out of all the people on earth, he alone found favor before God. Compared to the rest of the world around him and you will see they were so evil that God got to the point he could not bear it anymore. His justice demanded that he punish them. 

I can only imagine how difficult it would be to live a righteous life in this kind of evil and vile environment. There was absolutely no restraint against sin. Everybody else was engaging in the worst of sins shamelessly and actually encouraging others to follow in their choices. Violence, immorality of all kinds, cheating in the marketplace, lying to get ahead, murdering one another, and a number of other sins that would curl your hair if I wrote them here. But Noah, just like Enoch and Seth before him stood out to God as 'different'. He didn’t make the same choices as those around him. From God's account of the conditions that existed around him, there was no one else outside of his own family who truly trusted God. 

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2) 

We also live in a dark world, but it is not nearly as dark as at that time. We have the blessing of fellowship with other believers who can help us where Noah and his family were truly alone. If God were looking at us as he did that day, do you think we would find favor in God’s sight? If God were to build another "ark", who would he choose to build it today? Would any of us stand out as being righteous, in love with Jesus, and following in his footsteps, or are we basically the same as everybody else? Just askin...

The walls are necessary

My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. (Psalm 62:7)

While attacks will come, there is no greater way to settle our emotions than to remember God is our immediate and long-term refuge. The most important thing we can remember when under attack by the enemy of our souls is that NO enemy can reach us when we seek refuge in him. We aren't going to avoid attack, but we don't have to face it without protection! I have been high up in the mountains, enjoying the serenity of a cool stream and stirring sounds of nature, all the while 'out of reach' to anyone. The cell towers just don't reach those remote places yet! God's protection is more than 'being out of contact', though. It is a definite 'place' of protection. The walled cities of olden days are no longer, but there was a lesson to be learned there. Those walls actually provided protection from whatever was on the outside trying to get in. We might need to do a better job of setting up our defenses so what is 'outside' our lives that is 'trying to get in' isn't successful. We do that by developing this deep, intimate relationship with Jesus.

An outsider could have found 'protection' within the walls of the fortified cities, but they didn't 'live there'. They didn't enjoy the security of knowing their defenses were in place all year round. They just found themselves in the right place and the right time. God wants more for us than to find ourselves in the right place at the right time, though. He wants us to learn to dwell within the protection of his presence, purpose, and provision. Those walls protected more than the people - they also protected the stored food, housing, and livestock. They were meant to 'keep secure' all that was inside them. God's intent is to 'keep secure' all who seek refuge in him. That means we run to him in times of trouble, but also that we find ourselves abiding there when all is well within our lives. The walls were there in good times and bad. The attack may not be immanent in our lives today, but we want to be sure we are right where we need to be to enjoy the highest degree of defensive protection when it does come. Just sayin!

In this together

Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. (Philippians 1:28-30)

Stop for just a moment to think how your strength in the midst of trials and hurtful things speaks to others. It actually stands as a 'sign' to your enemy that you are going to be standing stronger when it is all finished! That frightens them more than you know because they realize they won't fair as well. We have the privilege of standing in the midst of those hurtful things with the presence of Christ - something they know full well they lack. We have the privilege of trusting in Christ. Have you ever thought of your faith in Christ as a privilege that gives you an 'advantage' over your enemy? It gives you the 'edge' to not only stand strong in the midst of the attack, but to come out of it stronger than you were when you were in the midst of it. 

The first sentence is important: Don't be intimidated IN ANY WAY by your enemies. If you are anything like me, you find it a bit easier to 'stand strong' without fear or intimidation overcoming your emotions in SOME circumstances, while others evoke the immediate 'fight or flight' response that gets your whole insides in a bundle rather quickly. The power behind intimidation is the fear it evokes. There is something your enemy will use as a 'trigger' to attempt to make you feel like you cannot stand against the attack. That is his method - to use what evokes fear in us. The sooner we recognize that, the easier it will be to recognize when he is at work doing his best to 'intimidate' us and wear us down.

Intimidation works because there is a belief someone has more 'power' or 'strength' than we do. They give the impression of being 'superior' to us or our standing somehow. Remember this - it is only a 'role-playing' position for them - they have no superiority over a child of God! We don't 'out-whit' our enemy, we 'outweigh' him on every plane. The sooner we recognize that the sooner we will send our enemy packing when he comes with overwhelming circumstances aimed at evoking inner fear and the dread that accompanies it. Just sayin!

Desperately Determined

She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” (Mark 5:27-28)

There is something 'desperate' about this woman's faith, isn't there? She wasn't afraid of the crowds - even though she would have been deemed 'unclean' because of her disease. She wasn't concerned that her need was too great for the healing touch of her God. She wasn't going to allow her 'weakness' to impact her drive to obtain her healing. She was 'desperately determined'. Some of us need to get this desperate and determined in our pursuit of the things we need God to do in our lives - to 'drive toward' our healing instead of wallowing in our weakness.

If I can but touch his robe...

She didn't even need to talk with Jesus, have him stop and acknowledge her. Her desperation led to her to believe that even though it would be better to behold his face, hear his voice, and 'feel' his touch, she would do whatever it took to get 'just close enough' to receive from him. Sometimes we approach God this way, don't we? We get 'just close enough' to receive, but not 'near enough' to really relish his presence. The thing about God is that he understands this type of faith, but he takes it one step further! Just like Jesus did that day, he turns toward us, asks the pointed questions, and then waits on our response.

Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?” (Mark 5:30)

Who touched me? As much as we might want to just be 'healed', Jesus is more concerned that we share in his presence. The woman's desperate faith gave her the drive to press through the crowds, but would it be enough to drive her toward 'come forward' with her need in the midst of what seemed like a humbling situation? Some of us need to be humble enough to acknowledge our need. We could just continue to 'creep up on Jesus' whenever we have a need, but he is much more delighted with our face-to-face encounter with us. If we approach with desperation, driven by hope, why is it so hard for us to just openly acknowledge our need? When we do, miracles happen! Just sayin!

Baby Steps

I am sure that the good work God began in you will continue until he completes it on the day when Jesus Christ comes again. (Philippians 1:6)

We can sometimes feel like we aren't going to get to where we hoped to get to, finish what we hoped to finish, or just accomplish that one big thing we set in our sights. What we do with those moments determines if we will ever direct our focus toward it long enough to see it completed. We cannot think of having to "rest" in between the spaces or seasons of "accomplishing stuff" as a negative thing. I think God purposefully gives us some seasons in our lives where we kind of "coast" for a while because he knows we'd be overwhelmed if he didn't. He knows our personality and our emotional make-up. Just because you need to step back for a moment, don't be defeated - God isn't finished!

The seasons of emotional, physical, and spiritual frenzy would be our undoing if they continued on and on. Don't you think it is reasonable that God gives us "pauses" in our growth? It isn't that we aren't still soaking in his nourishment and provision - it is just that we aren't growing at the same pace as we were when we were in that "push forward" kind of determination. We just want to be sure we don't stop growing all together! That would signify something we have come to appreciate as "death"! Slowed growth doesn't mean we are about to die - it means our bodies, minds, spirits, and emotions have been under enough "pressure" - we need to rest and renew.

God begins good things in us all the time. They are like the tiny seedlings I find springing up in my garden from the seeds planted there much earlier. They aren't strong enough to survive yet, but they are signs of life and of more to come. In examining our lives, we find lots and lots of signs of life - promises of more and more to come. We should not lose heart when we don't see those things coming at the pace we might have imagined! Focus on the small goals and they will mount up to help you realize the bigger ones. We can count on one thing - God isn't finished with us. He may be giving us seasons of rest, followed by some intense seasons of growth, but he won't stop until he brings us to the place he desires for us to be. We might want to focus on the fact we don't feel growth occurring right now, but he is focusing on getting us rested for the growth opportunity he has coming for us just around the corner! Just sayin!

Until then...

Thomas Fuller reminds us, "In fair weather prepare for foul." We prepare for a life with Christ in eternity by living a life close to him today. We are preparing for whatever may come our way. In living close to Christ today, we are ensuring whatever storm or battle comes next, we are prepared to face it with his assistance. The closeness we develop with Jesus today is something we can count on to be our firm foundation into every tomorrow. 

So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:16-17)

Way too often we evaluate others by what we observe on the surface, not really knowing what has been going on inside of their hearts and minds. We 'see' one thing but have no idea what preparation has been going on deep beneath the surface. I have come to realize the outward change we might expect to see in someone isn't always the first thing we will observe, though. The inward has to change, then the outward begins to follow suit. 

The new comes as a result of Christ's work IN us, not so much his work ON us. The moment we realize that God is at work IN an individual, we are able to encourage them to continue the work of 'preparing' for whatever comes next in their lives. Newness has come, but the old is often shed slower than we might like. God is not disappointed by the speed at which we allow the outward change - he is still at work drawing our hearts and minds close to him. 

Allow the work of today to prepare you for tomorrow. Invite the presence of God and the insight of his Word to invade every space of your new life in Christ - making ALL things new by his touch. The outward will eventually follow the inward work - we must be patient with ourselves and others until it does. Remember, the battle we face tomorrow is won by drawing closer to Jesus today. Just sayin!

The cost

Sin will take you farther than you ever wanted to go, keep you longer than you ever wanted to stay, and cost you more than you ever wanted to pay. (Anonymous)

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

It's easy to travel the broad road, enjoying the pleasures all along the way. It's the most popular road: lots of people are on it. The real problem is where the road ends. The beginning may not seem 'all that bad', but the end is where we find much regret, sadness, and 'spoiled lives'. Whatever enticed us down that wide road may not ever be worth the challenge we face when we finally realize the destination!

Farther than you ever wanted to go. Can that describe some 'journey' you may have taken in life? It can describe more than one for me! What started out 'small', ended up taking more than a little more from me each time I continue along that pathway into sin's depths. Compromise isn't hard when you heart isn't following close to Jesus. In fact, it becomes easier and easier the further we allow ourselves to drift from him.

Kept way too long. We don't know just how long the journey 'into compromise' may be, but if you have ever taken even a few steps into sin's pull, you know 'working your way back' to where you began is like taking one step forward and falling two steps back. It is almost like quicksand - the more you struggle with the compromise, the more it pulls you in. The truth is that we need to stop struggling, reach up, find his hand waiting, and let him pull us back into the safety of his arms.

Cost isn't a factor when we are starting out, but the more we compromise, the greater the cost. We lose intimacy with Jesus, allowing doubt and fear to replace his peace within, getting deeper and deeper into sin's clutches. The more we compromise, the more our enemy takes from us (or perhaps we give it to him). The cost of sin is great, even though Satan paints the cost of following Jesus as 'greater'. Don't get duped by his lies that the 'cost' is too great to follow Jesus. We haven't fully seen the cost of sin yet! Just sayin!

Surprised by God

O Lord, if you heal me, I will be truly healed; if you save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for you alone! (Jeremiah 17:14)

God does nothing 'half-way' - he takes everything to completion. It may not be in our timing, on whatever terms we imagined in our minds, or even as someone else might think God should be working in our lives. He comes through each and every time - sometimes with blessing beyond measure, and sometimes with correction that is much needed. What he heals, he does unto completion. When God begins to work on an area of your life, don't be surprised when he continues to work time and time again until the mission is complete!

God's work in our lives is sometimes slower than we'd like, and he focuses on areas that we might have thought he was through with a long, long time ago. All of a sudden, he begins to speak to you about that area and you almost take a sudden deep breath as though you were surprised to find him tackling that issue once again. You actually knew it was 'better' than it had been before, but if you were honest with God and yourself, you knew he hadn't completed the work yet. So, he is back at it again - asking you to reveal a bit more, bringing things to the surface you had thought were finally gone, and then he sets out to complete what he began.

Why? We weren't ready for the completion of the work he began at that earlier point - we needed to 'adapt' to the change he began and get that 'settled' in our lives before he could do a bit more. When God 'begins again', it isn't because he didn't do a 'good job' the first time he spoke to us about what needed his healing, it is because we weren't ready for the depth of his work quite yet. It takes time for us to come to the place of obedience sometimes and God doesn't rush to 'push his will' on us. He gives us time to adjust to his will and find peace with his work within us. Then he works a bit more until the mission is complete. Healing isn't immediate - those are miracles. Healing is intermittent and consistent. When God begins 'again' what you thought was 'done' already, just go with it. He has much more for you! Just sayin!

Respect

Respect the Lord and be humble. Then you will have wealth, honor, and true life. (Proverbs 22:4)

If you have wondered what it takes to live a "blessed life", then you have to look no further than the examples we find in scripture. Yes, there is a whole lot of tragedy and suffering recorded in those pages, but all are written so we can live a blessed life. We are to learn much from our suffering - to be made stronger and grow in our relationship with Jesus and others. A blessed life is one in which the Lord receives the right placement and the right honor. When we are humble enough to acknowledge we have need of the Savior's oversight and work in our lives, we begin the journey toward true blessing. As long as we hold onto the reins of our lives, we won't realize the blessing of being in his protective care. It is much more work to hold on than it is to let go. As "hard" as we may think it is to "let go" of those reins, it is much, much harder to hold so tightly to them when the world around us is spinning in every direction!

- Appreciate God - we are to give him the place of the highest of regard in our lives. This means we do more than place him on a pedestal as some "thing" we worship, but rather we give him the prominent place in our lives. Imagine for a moment that the prime minister, highest government official, or President of your country announced he was going to take supper at your home next Monday and you had the time to prepare for his visit to your home, what would you do? I imagine you'd clean up the place, buy a few luxurious delicacies, and then ensure the nicest of meals was placed before him that night. Why? To show him honor or regard for his position. When we appreciate the position of Christ in our lives, we are acknowledging he holds the most prominent and influential position.

- Give him awe. The opposite of awe is none other than apathy. The opposite of apathy is passion, emotional investment, and excitement. Respecting the Lord brings into our lives a certain passion - because we begin to pour ourselves into the pursuit of the good things. At first, the relationship is definitely one of what we can imagine we will "get out of it", but in time, the relationship begins to turn to what we can "give back into it". We move from a place of "bless me, God" to a place of "God, make me a blessing". In essence, we are moving into a place of passion and excitement - a place where God can begin to use us. There is no greater honor or respect we can give him than to be of use to him in his kingdom!

- Recognize his presence. Give admittance to him so that we might learn to understand his ways and his movements. Whenever we let someone into our lives, don't we become more familiar with how they act, what they mean when they say something, how and where they move? Recognition of God's activity in and around us is a way of showing him respect. It is us taking notice of him which begins many a great work within us. Just sayin!