Committed to the framework?

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

(Daniel Webster)

Gold can be proved to be pure by fire, but gold will ruin. When your faith is proven to be pure, the result will be praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ comes. You have not seen Christ, but still you love him. You can’t see him now, but you believe in him. You are filled with a wonderful and heavenly joy that cannot be explained. Your faith has a goal, and you are reaching that goal—your salvation. (I Peter 1:7-9)

Your faith has a goal - one you may not fully understand, but one you will 'grow into' as you spend time with Jesus. We don't see what we will become, but God has ordained (purposed ahead of time) for all that we will do, experience, and become in Christ Jesus. Faith must be proven - probably something you didn't want to hear, right? Without the 'proving' of our faith, it is kind of mushy, wishy-washy, and 'limp'. We need a 'backbone' to our faith and that only comes through testing. 

What may 'seem' one way in your life today may be the framework for what will become something totally beyond your wildest expectations. We don't always know what the building will become just by seeing the framework going up, do we? We see walls being added, but still, we don't see the end result. Once the drywall is up, it still won't give us the final impression of what the framework was designed to become. Faith is kind of like that - adding to it every day is important, so that we can eventually see what God has designed for the 'inner working' of that framework.

The working out of our salvation is not accomplished in a flash and then it is all done. Yes, we are set free from our sin, washed clean by the blood of Jesus, and stand redeemed before God the moment we say yes to Jesus. The time between saying yes to him and our last breath on this earth is the time God will be working within that framework to help us be formed into the beautiful creation he has purposed for us to be. To live within the framework is to commit to the development of the inner structure! Just sayin!

Change my world

People who try hard to do good and be faithful will find life, goodness, and honor. A wise person can defeat a city full of warriors and tear down the defenses they trust in. (Proverbs 21:21-22)

Harry S. Truman reminds us, "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." When we live by the standards God lays out for us in scripture, we aren't doing it to 'get credit' for doing good, but we can be assured God takes notice of our obedience. We may not feel the effects of our obedience immediately, but others may see it, finding themselves facing challenges similar to those we are going through, and take heart that they also can make wise choices. While it is undeniably hard to 'do right' or 'good' all of the time, the more we choose to respond to life's challenges in a wise manner, the more it brings honor to God; and when we bring honor to God, it is always a good thing!

Tearing down a city's defenses may seem a little out of league, but there is something so powerful in obedience that a whole city can begin to feel its effect. It takes one tiny spark to ignite a huge fire. It takes one obedient act to ignite the passion for the next obedient act. Soon the multitude of obedient steps one takes will begin to impact others around them. This is how a city's defenses are broken down - one obedient servant taking one obedient step one step at a time. Some of us think those tiny steps of obedience aren't really noticed by anyone, much less making an impact in our sphere of influence, but they are. It isn't the physical walls of a city we are affecting as much as it is the emotional and spiritual defenses that erected to keep others feeling 'safe' or 'protected' from what they perceive as a threat.

Take steps of obedience, trusting that God will multiply their effect - both in your own life and to the benefit of others around you. Obedience may seem like it is a really intimate or personal thing, but it has a rippling effect way outside of your own limited vantage point. The first step toward obedience may not seem to impact the 'world', but it sure begins to change yours! Just sayin!

Shore up those gaps

Building upon a strong foundation is important. The materials we acquire for the building must be put to use. I have a home improvement store (one of those huge ones) about one mile from the house. I love to take time to go up and down the aisles exploring the various things they have there. If I could have my "run of the store" without worrying about paying for the stuff, it would be like "heaven on earth"! From the little fasteners which seemingly disappear as they are put into the wood, or the drill bit adapter which creates that perfect angle by which you get that screw in at a perfect 45-degree angle, I could create and create and create! As long as those tools and materials remain at the local home improvement store, they are just materials. Unless we actually take into our possession what God gives us for building up our lives and put them to use in our lives, they are simply dreams we hold. We have been given great resources, but if we don't put into practice the Word of God, it is like a great pile of resources which goes untapped. Untapped resources might mean the difference between being able to withstand the storms of life and 'going under' when they come.

“Whoever hears these teachings of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not fall because it was built on rock. “Whoever hears these teachings of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. And it fell with a loud crash.” When Jesus finished speaking, the people were amazed at his teaching. He did not teach like their teachers of the law. He taught like someone who has authority. (Matthew 7:23-29)

The storms will come, but we don't have to be obsessed with them. I don't make a living staring at those radar screens like the meteorologists do at our local TV stations. Their mission in life is to give us as much "early warning" of inclement weather as possible so we stay safe and are prepared for what will come. If I spent all my life watching the horizon for what may come next, I would miss out on what is right in front of me today. The wise builder doesn't build "in the moment", reinforcing the structure for whatever "weather" is predicted for the day. He prepares for what will come by building for all manner of weather. He doesn't build in a flood area because he knows waters might come with such force so as to wash away his hard work. He doesn't forget to nail down the shingles because he knows the winds will come and leave his home exposed if he does. He doesn't neglect sealing the cracks and crevices because he knows the heat and cold will seek a way inside, making life hard to bear. He prepares in advance of what is sure to come. 

I think we can take a lesson here - not to be so concerned about what will come, but to allow the right attention to the details of what gets "worked into" our lives up front so that we are prepared when the issues arise which might come against us like gale force winds and raging currents. If they do, we are well-prepared and on a strongly anchored foundation. Get God's Word into you and you will be amazed at how strong that foundation becomes. Let his Word change the way you respond to life's events, and you will likely 'shore up' places where you once were weak and your resistance to the storms was quite ineffective. Just sayin!

The right foundation

Everybody who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise builder who built a house on bedrock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the wind blew and beat against that house. It didn’t fall because it was firmly set on bedrock. But everybody who hears these words of mine and doesn’t put them into practice will be like a fool who built a house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the wind blew and beat against that house. It fell and was completely destroyed. (Matthew 7:24-27)

We hear of natural disasters all the time with nature's full force overwhelming the land. In those places where such devastation occurs, we often see structures that appear okay on the outside but are totally destroyed by the floods or the winds that blew with gale force. What gave the appearance of being "built well" may not have been "planned" well, nor "maintained" well! There is a difference between erecting a structure and then erecting one which will withstand the forces which come against it!

Jesus gave us all some insight into how we "build" our lives which we will do well to consider. We can count on storms coming - it is not something we can avoid in life. We cannot find a place on this earth where we can escape the ups and downs of the weather - nor can we find a place in this world where we can totally avoid the good and the bad in life which comes as a matter of being part of this human race. If we cannot avoid the storms, then we had better look at what Jesus said about being prepared for them!

The foundation is what matters. It doesn't matter how well we "decorate" our lives with this talent or that skill. It matters what "foundation" we create in our lives. It is more than the "materials" used for the foundation; it is also the placement of that foundation onto something that will remain strong. This is what Jesus refers to as "bedrock". Two foundations are contrasted - one is sand, the other is bedrock. We could erect a structure upon both, but one will erode away under the pressures of wind and water, while the other will resist these pressures because it has an "anchor". In life, we need the right "anchor" upon which we build - not just the right tools and materials with which to build.

The foundation is built when we both 'hear' and 'put into practice' God's Word. Without the right foundation, we will flounder in the midst of the storm. Just sayin!

In the right position?

Come, let us bow down and worship him! Let us kneel before the Lord who made us. He is our God, and we are the people he cares for, his sheep that walk by his side. Listen to his voice today... (Psalm 95:6-7)

We are to approach, not with pride, but in humility. Not with the list of good deeds we have managed to accomplish, but with the trust that our lack of goodness will be met with the fullness of his grace. If we are to come - to approach or move toward - we have to a set course of purpose. Let us bow - we are to incline ourselves so as to be in the position of reverence; to yield ourselves to God alone. Let us worship him - honor and adore him because none other should be our focus. Take a knee in submission so as to no longer be in a position to run. Before him, we are waiting on him. Quite a beginning to our study today, isn't it? There is no longer any running - but yielded spirit, open heart, and focused attention. This is how we approach the throne of God.

He is our God and we are the people he cares for. We often gloss right over the words of this passage as though they were just nice "poetry" or "kind words". We miss what God wants us to get into our hearts and minds about who we are in his eyes. As we approach his throne, it isn't in our own effort, but in the beauty of his grace. What is more remarkable is that by humbling oneself we become even more blessed by his hand! As we approach with yielded and expectant heart, we are met with outpourings of his care and "carefulness" over our lives. He is the giver of both the correction which makes our path certain and straight, and the grace and love to walk therein! Without God's care we'd be in quite a mess in our lives! God expects us to actually spread his grace around - not just enjoy it all by ourselves. 

We frequently walk ahead of God - getting our timing all messed up because we think we have it all figured out. Then we get a little behind him in matters where we find it a bit more of a struggle to "get on board" with what he desires to do in or through our lives. If we can just find the "cadence" of walking alongside him, we'd be much more satisfied in our walk. There is something of strength garnered from being side-by-side in the walk, not struggling to lead, nor lagging behind in frustration or fear. God's desire is for us to not "keep up" but to be "kept" alongside. God doesn't want us out front, boasting in our own strength, or being pushed along to get us moving in the first place. He doesn't want us lagging behind, for he knows the enemy often attacks from the rear! How is it we actually hear God's voice? We need to be in a position to hear it! I think position and attitude is quite important when it comes to listening and to being heard! Just sayin!

Be kind AND wise

Be wise in the way you act with those who are not believers. Use your time in the best way you can. When you talk, you should always be kind and wise. Then you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should. (Colossians 4:5-6)

Always be kind and wise. Does that describe your responses to other people you relate to on a frequent basis, much less others who might not know you that well? We have all probably seen those funny memes that depict someone getting on your last nerve, or that one that asks 'did I just say that out loud' kind of humor. The truth of the matter is that we frequently run into situations where we could say something that would not be all the kind or wise, but we 'hold back'. Sometimes it takes more than a little conscious effort to 'hold back', especially when tempers are running high, disappointment abounds, or the 'last nerve' type of stress kicks in.

Be wise in the way you act. I know the passages references the way we should treat those who are unbelievers - who have yet to say yes to Jesus - but it is also very important for us to treat all individuals with courtesy, respect, and sometimes even a bit of 'slack'. Wisdom exercised in relationships might mean we don't always speak all we want to speak or respond with actions that match or outdo the hurtful actions of another. There are just times when it is wiser to 'turn the other cheek' than it is to engage in whatever silliness our emotions might want to lead us into! 

Wisdom in relationships doesn't always come naturally, or all that easily. Sometimes we find ourselves challenged a bit, wanting to stand up for ourselves, and knowing if we do, a tremendous argument will ensue. I was in the doctor's office a few weeks ago when a man came in and began to 'goad' the whole room of people waiting to be seen. First it was his lecture about cell phones and no one looking at each other anymore. Then it got into political discussion. Last, but not least, came the discussion about churches not doing enough to respect the older members of the community by embracing all those new songs and types of worship services. To say the least, it took a great deal of wisdom to avoid jumping into the mess that rant created! There are just times when you'd like to speak, but you know wisdom dictates you shouldn't!

Be kind and wise. If you really stop to think about it, it is pretty difficult to be kind all of the time unless you allow wisdom to dictate your responses. Just sayin!

The place of true joy

Always be full of joy. Never stop praying. Whatever happens, always be thankful. This is how God wants you to live in Christ Jesus. (I Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Regretfully, there are just some moments in life when joy is the furthest thing from the emotions we are feeling at that moment. The world seems to equate joy with happiness, though, so when anything disturbs our happiness, we might say that our joy has been stolen by the event or memory. Joy is a much deeper feeling and is not based in circumstance - it is based on the relationship we have with Jesus. Happiness is elation over something that happened - it is fleeting and isn't guaranteed to be 'evoked' all that often.

Joy is the emotion that emerges when we remember we have been placed securely in the arms of Jesus, that nothing and no one can rock our world so badly as to remove us from that safe place. Some will understand it best when we say that joy is internally based, while happiness is externally stimulated. If the external factors are just right, there will be happiness. If they are not as expected, the joy is soon fleeting. Joy is found in knowing we serve a big God - bigger than the circumstances at hand, always overseeing our lives, and never letting us flounder when our faith is a bit challenged.

Whatever happens - always be thankful. That isn't possible when all we rely upon is the emotion of happiness. Nothing guarantees the external factors will always be 'right' or 'good', but God ensures us that he walks with us through anything - good or bad, easy or difficult. Never stop praying - perhaps this is the key to understanding joy's deeper roots. We always have someone to turn to, even when the emotions aren't as 'positive' or 'high' as we might like them to be. We can turn directly into the arms of Jesus, look fully into his face, and share those ups and downs with him. This is the place of true joy. Just sayin!

Do I really need this?

My brothers and sisters, if anyone wanders away from the truth and someone helps that person come back, remember this: Anyone who brings a sinner back from the wrong way will save that person from eternal death and cause many sins to be forgiven. (James 5:19-20)

Most of us don't run away from truth - we let little things come into our lives that 'add distance' between us and God. It isn't really all that recognizable at first. The little things come in, crowding out time with Jesus, refocusing our attention away from truth, and silently bringing death where life once dwelt. Compromise isn't always a conscious choice - sometimes it is accomplished without us even noticing.

It is always important to have at least one person in your life that is able to spot the little things that might lead to even bigger things. We call that an 'accountability partner' - someone who is willing to 'take notice' and then isn't timid about letting us know they have noticed even the subtle changes in our lives - especially when they aren't in the right direction! We want them to encourage us when we are moving in the right direction, but we also need them to help us see what we might not be seeing when we are moving in the wrong one!

There is much growth needed in our lives - we each spur one another on toward growth. When both of us stagnate, or find ourselves drifting away from Jesus, it isn't a good thing. When one isn't careful, they will surround themselves with others who 'allow drift' instead of encouraging a 're-centering' of one's focus. The company we keep may just be the company that keeps us - on track with Jesus, willing to confess our sins to one another, and just as willing to pray for one another until we are both traveling the right course once again. Just sayin!

HIS peace stands guard

Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds. (Philippians 4:6-7)

If you struggle with what to say when you stop long enough to talk with God about things you are experiencing anxiety about, you are probably among a huge group of others who experience similar anxious thoughts. Anxiety has become one of the biggest issues today simply because of all the uncertainty in the world around us. Supply chain issues, rising interest rates, difficulty finding jobs that pay enough to make ends meet, unrest over one's beliefs, and the list goes on. For some, these things can become overwhelmingly difficult to deal with. The desire is to have God take it all away, but the reality is that God primarily helps us walk through those difficulties rather than removing them completely.

The most important part of this passage is something we all need to hear: "HIS peace can..." It stands guard over our thoughts. It keeps our emotions in check. In other words, HIS peace brings the checks and balances into our lives that keep us on an even keel. God's peace can do this BETTER than anything our human minds can accomplish with all that worrying and fretting. Some of us are habitual worriers - we aren't even sure what causes all the worrying, or that we are even engaging in worry, but those anxious thoughts just creep to the surface so easily. When there is so much worry, there is little room for peace. That's why God tells us to cast those cares upon him. Bring them to the surface, being direct in admitting they are there, even when we don't actually know the cause of those worries. Then he does the rest!

The thing we might miss in this passage - it is HIS peace that stands guard over our minds and our hearts. Both are affected so deeply by anxiety. Emotions ride high one day, low the next, all jumbled up at times that we cannot even explain what we are feeling or where those thoughts are coming from. Our minds ruminate on things that we should never have entertained in the first place. At other times, there is genuine concern for a situation, but we don't bring it to God, choosing to just rehearse it over and over again in our minds until our emotions are in a jumbled mess. The thing we need to ask God is to place a guard over our hearts and minds. When we are tempted to 'own the worry', we need to stop, remind ourselves that God has placed that guard there because he can bring peace far better than any human reasoning can ever provide. Just sayin!

Was that in there?

...if my people who are called by my name become humble and pray, and look for me, and turn away from their evil ways, then I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

If my people - notice that God doesn't say 'when', but 'if'. There is a condition - we must make the first move when it comes to repentance. This message isn't written to those who don't already have a relationship with him - it is written to those 'called by his name'. These are believers who obviously have grown cold, a little too apathetic and indifferent. This is where we find ourselves whenever we allow our focus to become clouded by the things of this world - coldness drifts in, hunger begins to be fulfilled by something other than his presence. If we want to 'come back' from wherever it is we have drifted, it begins by humbling ourselves and asking for his help to return!

Humble yourself, pray, and look for him - these are three very specific actions that are involved in repentance. First, we must recognize we aren't on the right path. This oftentimes requires more than a bit of humility because we might just want to hide our misguided adventures and not be very open about them. When we are finally willing to admit them, we are on the path to restoration. Then we are to pray - talk with God about what we realize to have been our failure. At this point, don't be surprised when God shows us something entirely different that led to the choices we have made. We might think it is one thing that got us off course, but when he shows us there is something quite different that led to the compromise, we need to listen intently.

Look for him - it is only in seeking that we find things. Have you ever noticed the urgency that comes when we are seeking something we have need of or have misplaced? We uncover a good many other things in the process, don't we? Things we may have forgotten about entirely, but that clutter up our lives. When we move toward confession, we might just discover there are a few more things we uncover that we need to lay out on the table before God, as well. Perhaps this is where the 'turning away' comes. As we discover the 'stuff' we didn't realize was tucked away, we don't want to just leave it there - we want to get it out in the open and rid ourselves of it. Repentance isn't always convenient, easy, or without complications. It is necessary, though! It is where we find ourselves ridding ourselves of what only clutters our lives and makes things more difficult for us. Just sayin!

Can I lighten that load a bit?

As you serve the Lord, work hard and don’t be lazy. Be excited about serving him! Be happy because of the hope you have. Be patient when you have troubles. Pray all the time. Share with God’s people who need help. Look for people who need help and welcome them into your homes. (Romans 12:11-13)

Is it possible to be a little 'lazy' in our service to the Lord and his people? Of course it is! We aren't going to be 'on cue' 100% of the time, no matter how hard we try to be consistent. The heart is what matters - are we intentional in our service, focused on what God desires for us to be doing, and looking for ways to help others? Look for people who need help and then do what you can to be of help to them. This is God's plan.

Our plan may not always be the same as God's, but as long as we are making ourselves available for his use, he will reveal his plan to us. If you have ever been prompted to do something 'out of the blue' that met the need of someone around you, you have probably been listening to the prompts the Holy Spirit gives related to being 'of service' to one another. Does help always have to be physical or financial? No, it can be emotional in the form of supportive encouragement, or even spiritual in the form of praying for the other individual.

We don't want to limit God's actions through our lives, so whenever we feel we are getting a bit 'lazy' in our service, it is time to ask God to show us new ways to be engaged again. God knows we are not always going to be 'on cue' with him. He also knows there are needs all around us that he has specifically prepared us to be of use in meeting. If we are dragging our feet a little in stepping up to meet the need, he sometimes brings a bit of conviction to our inner man that almost 'stings' when we hear it. Why does it 'sting'? We knew we were being prompted and yet we didn't step forward.

Service is more than working in the nursery during church service, being a youth leader, or making the coffee for Sunday service. Service is really any action that is deemed helpful in the moment. It may very well be holding someone's hand during a difficult talk with their doctor, or even helping a widow sort through the challenges of setting things in order for a funeral service. God doesn't ask for us to be engaged in 'church work' as much as he asks for us to be sensitive to the needs of those around us every day that we might somehow lighten their load. Just sayin!

Overwhelmed by God

I’m overjoyed at your word, like someone who finds great treasure. (Psalm 119:162)

We all have those things in life that just bring us joy. I love petting a sweet kitten, or fluffy puppy. I get all giddy when I reel in the catch of the day. My heart swells when I see something one of my grandboys has made. What brings you joy in life? How is it that you experience joy? There are many today who equate happiness with joy - if I am happy, then I will be joyful. Joy comes when you have experienced a "deep delight" in something which you have found pleasurable. Something exceptionally good or satisfying has been experienced and we find extreme pleasure in it - lasting, deep, and meaningful pleasure. A silly joke makes us happy, while the experience of the birth of our firstborn may make us joyful. One carries the idea of the emotional "response" to the situation, while the other describes the condition of the heart and soul as a result of what one has experienced. Happiness is a little more fleeting than joy - with joy, there is a memory formed which goes a lot deeper than that of the thing which gave us a little bit of happy emotional "release".

To be overjoyed is to be overcome with this deep sense of having experienced something of great delight. In Latin, this term comes from the root word which means to "fill with gladness". When we think of being "overjoyed", we can equate it to being a cup that is not only filled to the brim, but the stream of water filling the cup continues to run, causing the cup to be continually filled to overflowing with a newness or freshness of that water. When God gives us a blessing through is word, it isn't just to fill us - it is to bring us to the place we overflow with his goodness and grace - until we are experiencing a continual filling and renewal of that life-giving source within us. We all find some things pleasurable, while others are not so memorable or significant in the scheme of things. We might get a regular paycheck which is pleasurable, but when we get a bonus for some reason - that brings us a sense of unexpected blessing and joy. There is something about being given what we didn't expect which just delights our soul. God knows this and he is intentional in his actions of "overwhelming us" with what will bring great joy to the depths of our spirit and soul. He isn't concerned with what makes us "happy" in a fleeting sense of the word, but what makes us deeply content, settled, and assured.

Our psalmist is overjoyed AT God's Word - because it is what has become the constant resource for his daily bread. He is well accustomed to finding his renewal there - AT the table of God's grace. A lot of the time we are content to have the Word of God WITH us, but God wants us to experience what it is like to be AT the faucet of his grace and spiritual renewal continually. One of the first things someone who is trying to survive in the wilderness will do after they construct a place of shelter is to find some source of "consumable" water. The water has to be consumable - without bacteria which will invade their bodies and wreak havoc on their system. Probably the most important thing they must consider is that the source of water must be sufficient enough to sustain them for their entire time in the wilderness. They might find water, but until they find a source that is continually renewed, they are not going to settle for that place of dwelling. Maybe this is what God has in mind when he draws us deeply into his word - he knows it is what will help us dwell long in his presence and find life-giving resources for the challenges which lie ahead. Just thinkin!

What's your real need?

The Scriptures say, ‘I don’t want animal sacrifices; I want you to show kindness to people.’ You don’t really know what that means. If you understood it, you would not judge those who have done nothing wrong. (Matthew 12:7)

Picture Jesus out with his followers, walking through the fields, probably on their way from one spot to another. It was the Sabbath - a day which carried very strict rules the religious of the day had to follow if they were to be even remotely close to being acknowledged by God. One such rule was that of not "working" on that holy day - so all manner of normal "housework" or "house care" was to have been pre-planned on the day prior to the Sabbath. This meant they prepared enough bread for two days instead of their normal one, laid aside a portion of the meat they had cooked on the day prior to the Sabbath for the partaking on the Sabbath, and ensured enough water was drawn from the well to make it through. It was like work shut down for the day - because the Sabbath was dedicated to the Lord. 

The only problem with this was that there was also a whole lot of other "rules" added as time went on and the purpose of the Sabbath somehow got "lost in translation". To the Jewish believer of the day, the Sabbath had so many rules attached from how many steps one might be able to walk in that day, to not even being able to pulverize a medicinal herb should the need arise. It was on this day, with this frame of reference, that the Jewish religious leaders point out the followers of Jesus as "non-adherents" to the rules of the Sabbath. They were passing through the fields, hunger setting in, and plucked a few grains of wheat in passing. Shucking the wheat a little in the palms of their hands, they partook of those tiny grains to give them nourishment and stamina for their journey. In so doing, they have "broken the rules" of the Sabbath and are now judged by the religious leaders as "non-adherents" to the Law. It was as though Jesus was being pointed out as one who was leading these people into some type of sin. It was just like Jesus to take their own "rule" and turn it around to show how utterly absurd it was to rely upon the "rule" more than the soul of the one being expected to keep the rule!

Hearing this condemnation, Jesus began to point out how much it mattered that they found nourishment. It was something they didn't have time to pre-plan for when they set out to follow the one who would lead them into all truth and liberty, they didn't know their journey would extend into the Sabbath. Truth was right there being revealed in the person of Christ setting at liberty all who would follow, but the religious leaders could only see the "rule-breaking" behavior, not the hungry hearts of those seeking truth. Isn't it just like us to focus more on the rule being broken rather than the heart behind the rule-breaking? Jesus counters their judging spirit with a pretty awesome answer when he tells them they really didn't know the "intent" of the rule - they were just keeping it without understanding why God gave the rule in the first place. That is sometimes how we go through life - keeping rules without any clue "why" we keep them or "why" the rule was given. We keep the rule because we feel some "obligation" to keep it. Maybe this is the way we view life within "religion" - as a set of rules for which there is no room for violation. We believe penalty awaits those who "violate" the rule.

While there is some truth to this, rules aren't given to penalize or punish the individual - they are given to provide the individual an element of safety or protection when they are kept. Rules place someone under obligation. If we view rules as always carrying a penalty, we will see them like the religious leaders of Jesus' day - judging the behavior of those who don't adhere fully to the rule as "wrong" or "deviants". We often "miss" the intent of the rule because we focus on the "action" over the "heart". Jesus countered with: "I want you to show kindness to people." Jesus was saying when we focus on the action only, we miss need within their heart. We see the behavior and don't even stop to consider the hunger driving their heart. These were "hungry" people - not just physically hungry, but emotionally and spiritually hungry. They longed to be in the presence of the one who revealed truth and who actually embodied truth. This even impacted their "planning ahead" so much that they had no meal prepared for the Sabbath. They were willing to "risk" the violation of the rule in order to be in the presence of the one who would give them what their hearts yearned to receive.

We are "doing wrong" by judging without knowing the heart of the one behind the "rule violation". Do we ever find ourselves seeing only the goodness of others by how well they keep the rules? The lesson for us today isn't whether the rule is right or wrong - it is that the heart is always to be considered anytime there is a violation of a rule. The rules are provided for a reason - but we might have a good reason for violating the rul. The heart always matters more than the rule - failing to see more than the rule will always set us up to discount the needs and the actions of the human heart. Jesus made it a priority to consider the heart - we would do well to follow his lead. Just sayin!

Post-Haste

Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same. God decided to give us life through the true message he sent to us. He wanted us to be the most important of all that he created. (James 1:17-18)

Whenever we are faced with something that is less than good, honorable, or pure, we can know for sure that it is not from God. It is something of this 'earthly realm' that really isn't meant as 'the best' for us. When we settle for what isn't the best, we actually are rejecting what God has prepared for us that is meant for our good. We should never think God is tempting us with the 'less than' stuff in life - it is either our own fleshly desires having their way, or the enemy of our soul purposing to redirect our attention away from God. 

We are important to him, so he prepared in advance to send his Son to this earth to ensure there was a way to always enter into his presence and enjoy the privileges of this 'family life' with him. What 'perfect gift' have you rejected in the pursuit of something that is actually 'less than' what he intended for your life? It isn't too late to turn away from the pursuit of that 'less than' thing and turn fully toward all the good God intends. One thing I have noticed about my own 'fluctuating desires' is that they are definitely not consistent. One day I may find things of this 'earthly realm' to be appealing and the next I find myself disgusted by them. God's gift to us is always there - we just need to recognize them as consistent and good.

How do we get to the point we choose the best and not the 'less than' so often? It comes in choosing to take in the Word of God. God sent 'the true message' to us so that we'd seek things that are good and that add value to our lives. The living Word of God came, leaving us his written Word, providing us with a teacher of the Word so we'd learn to choose the best and reject the 'less than'. Get into his Word and allow it to begin to reveal the 'good', 'pure', and 'honorable' things God has prepared for your life. You will begin to see the 'less than' things of this world for what they truly are. When you do, you will soon realize they are to be rejected quickly and the things God offers are to be embraced 'post-haste'. Just sayin!

Are we there yet?

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. (James 1:5-8)

We are reminded in Proverbs 3:5-7 to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." As we all have varying backgrounds, we likely approach life's challenges in various ways. We might just find ourselves turning to this world's wisdom first, then when it doesn't do what we hoped it would do, we turn to God. As long as we rely upon the wisdom the world offers, we will be limited in our perception of the issue. The limitation? We see things through our natural eyes - emotions being played upon, we respond based upon emotion, not godly wisdom. Godly wisdom is always available to us, but we might just have to stop long enough to ask for it, ruminate on it a bit, and then allow its application in our lives.

There are probably more times we lack wisdom than we might first admit. We come headlong into a situation and then we stumble around a bit until we realize what we possess in the way of earthly knowledge isn't cutting it. Pride sometimes gets in the way of us asking for God's help - making it almost impossible to avoid the hiccups that come from facing things we cannot control, much less fully understand all in our own wisdom. Once we put aside our pride and turn to God for his help, we find new wisdom for the circumstances at hand. Although we delayed in seeking his wisdom, he never criticizes us or judges us when we take so long to ask! It is far better to ask sooner than later, but some of us just take a bit of time to put our pride in the backseat and allow God to take over. Remember, God always welcomes our requests for help - we might not think so, but we find repeated examples of his intervening grace recorded for us in scripture whenever someone humbles themselves before him.

Sometimes we don't ask for God's help because we think the answer we receive will be a little different or 'worse' than what we imagined the answer to be. It may not be the answer we anticipated, but God's answers are always the best ones - we must rely upon his wisdom to keep us protected, and within the safety of his caring arms. God hears the first word we utter and he isn't afraid to answer, but sometimes he allows us to get things out of our system in prayer before he begins the work of answering. He isn't afraid to show us his will, but sometimes we need to get to the place we will accept it and walk in it! Just sayin!

Before, not within

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. (James 1:12-15)

It should not catch any of us by surprise that God doesn't say "IF" testing or temptation comes your way, but rather that if "WILL" come your way. The 'patient endurance' thing may have more than a few of us concerned because we are less than patient when crazy stuff messes with our life! If we ALL face trials and temptations, testing our faith and bringing freshness into our walk with Jesus, maybe we'd do well to learn how to deal with them BEFORE we need to face them. We cannot control when they will come, nor even what they will be, but we can prepare our minds, emotions, and spirit to be ready to endure them as they do.

Perseverance is harder than some might think. We have this crazy idea that if we are tough enough, or 'studied up' enough, we will be able to endure these tests and resist the temptations. Truth be told, no amount of 'self-directed' resistance will help us to endure the test or resist the temptation. In order to 'bear up under' a trial or test, we need something built up within our character that helps us turn to God quickly and not lean into our own strength or 'earthly wisdom'. If we are facing these crazy things in our own strength, we are surely not going to 'bear up under them'!

Whenever we attempt to face the craziness in our own strength, we will be tempted to give up. Why? Doubt begins to enter in, fear takes root, and soon we find our 'flesh' winning over our spirit. We weren't as 'prepared' as we thought we were. The discipline to endure the trial today is built into us BEFORE the trial ever begins. We press into God now in order to face what comes tomorrow. When it comes tomorrow, we lean into God a bit more and then we listen to what he is telling us in that moment. We hear his voice clearer in the midst of the craziness of the test because we have learned his voice when there was no craziness messing with our heads!

When we lean a little less on our own strength and a little more on the strength Jesus brings, we find that although we may not face the test or temptation 'perfectly', we have come out the other side unscathed and stronger than when we began to face it. While we may not want to hear it, trials and temptations actually help us to rid ourselves of our 'false trust' in our natural ability and strength. We learn there is a greater power that we can lean into when the craziness of life places demands upon us that we are really not strong enough to persevere through anyway. Just sayin!

Growing in Jesus

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. (James 1:2-4)

I bet there aren't too many of us that actually think trials are good for us, much less that God could actually allow more than a few of them to come our way. Trials are meant to test our faith - period. Within the trial comes the chance to really show who it is we serve and what it is we believe. In other words, we are showing God we put him first and rely upon him for all we have need of in our lives. It is in the midst of the trial that our 'true self' emerges. It is within the trial that we see how much we rely upon ourselves through the knowledge we have amassed, or our ability to 'reason it out' on our own.

These trials may not be easy, but they actually put our faith in God to the test. They aren't enjoyable - we don't actually welcome them with open arms. Within the trial, without us even realizing this is happening, our faith is put to the test. The test actually reveals how much we will lean into God, and it often reveals areas where we have been too prideful to allow God to do any work. There are always life lessons to be learned, and believe it or not, the most frequent place we learn them is right smack in the middle of the trial. The good news is that we can be quick learners. The bad news is that sometimes we need to repeat the lesson because we didn't get it the first time!

The other thing we need to keep in mind is that trials are 'assured' - in other words, they cannot be avoided forever. We will eventually face a trial that will begin to uncover things within us that need exposure. Either we embrace the work God is about to do through that trial, or we resist it and assure ourselves we will face it again, just in a different way. Sometimes the trials are quick and relatively painless. At others, we have a lot of angst and struggle because the trial is about to expose something much deeper and that has been affecting our heart way too long. God isn't trying to 'hurt' us, but it may hurt a bit. Just because it hurts doesn't mean he isn't with us in the midst of it!

The goal of the trial is that we may actually grow a little - leading us to the place where our faith doesn't lack anything. Sometimes we don't realize what is lacking until we are in the trial. We think all is well within our hearts and minds, but the trial helps to reveal where it is we haven't seen growth yet. Maybe there are buds of growth, but the trial will help the roots of that growth take hold and go deep. Remember this - maturity isn't instant - it is slow and steady - it is never-ending. Just sayin!

Nuzzling up

I always remember that the Lord is with me. He is here, close by my side, so nothing can defeat me. (Psalm 16:8)

If anyone sees my BFF and I walking together, it is me on the right and my BFF on the left. Why? She hears me better on the right! So, I have learned to position myself on her right because that is her "better ear". Now, to the "unknowing" this may seem like a little oddity they might notice about the two of us, but to those who have come to know us well, they understand perfectly why we "position" ourselves this way. One thing remains true no matter whether we are at work around the house or on vacation together - closeness matters! We want to spend time together because we learn from each other, are encouraged by the strength the other possesses, and just plain enjoy the company of one another. I think our heavenly Father might just want us to come to this same realization about what life is like when we have Christ as our "nearest and dearest" companion in life!

We don't always need to be with each other, but we do enjoy being near enough to each other to appreciate the other is "there". Proximity seems like a little thing, but it isn't really, because "proximity" matters as much in relationship to another human being as it does in our relationship with Christ. As much as we might want to be around other human beings, quietly going about the regular stuff of life, knowing they are there right beside us if we need them, we need to appreciate the nearness of Christ as we walk through the various things our day holds. In recognizing the "proximity" of Jesus to the matter at hand, we often recognize we are not standing in our strength alone to face it, but have the benefit of his strength to help us with the challenge standing in our path.

The nearness we maintain with Jesus is going to determine our perspective when faced with challenging situations, especially anything which presents a little bit of temptation in our lives. When Christ is near, we don't feel as "free" or "uninhibited" to just pursue whatever our fancy might lure us into. Christ is a whole lot stronger than any of us, so when he whispers in our ear that we shouldn't pursue something we are considering, we would do well to listen and "lean into" the strength he gives to resist that urge. The "nearness" of his strength and ability to help us navigate through some of the more challenging temptations in life matters because not everything is "simple" in life. There are things like the temptation to respond in anger or hostility when someone disappoints us, or the desire to engage in actions which will damage a relationship. These give us "big" challenges and we need his nearness to help us navigate those challenges successfully. 

It didn't really matter to me how much I relied upon Jesus' strength and ability until I finally recognized my continual failure and subsequent disappointment when faced with temptation. It was really a result of not maintaining that closeness to him. Whenever I see myself drifting into things I know I shouldn't be doing, I pull back, recognizing I have allowed myself to drift a little out of that deep, intimate closeness with Jesus. I have to renew that relationship frequently - just like I do those I have with my friends on this earth. Sometimes we don't recognize the value of the "nearness" until we have drifted away. Just sayin!

Transformation and Renewal - We Need Both

This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you... Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect (mature) in their relationship to Christ. (Colossians 1:26-28)

The message is clear - God wants us in his family. There are unrealized riches awaiting all those who say yes to Jesus. Because Christ lives in us, all that Christ possesses - his riches and glory - are shared by those who enter into this relationship. The more we hear this message, the more it should strike a chord within our hearts that reminds us just how much we are loved. We could have been abandoned to our sin, but God chose to give us the very thing that would cause sin to relinquish its control over our lives - Christ's power and presence. Both lead to us having perfect peace that passes all understanding.

Sometimes we need a warning, while at other times we are quite open to whatever wisdom God gives. Why? There are times when we just move headlong toward the things that will lead us into bondage of some kind, all the while knowing in our minds that it isn't good to go that direction. We might not realize it, but God wants us to embrace his teaching, heed his warnings, and step into his peace more than anything else. Why? We move away from sin and closer to his heart whenever we do.

The message is written in our hearts at the point of salvation - a message meant to be shared, not so much in words as in renewed (different) actions. We might not see ourselves changing, but little by little, his Word is transforming us and his power is renewing us. Our choices are changing. Our attitude is adjusted so that others see something of Jesus in us. Transformation is both immediate, while renewal is ongoing. Remain in Christ and you will see both the transformation and the renewal. Just saying!

Thanks for the advice

Some people like to do things their own way, and they get upset when people give them advice. Fools don’t want to learn from others. They only want to tell their own ideas. (Proverbs 18:1-2)

Some people just cannot see any other solution to their issue than what they can manage to come up with in their own minds or through their own power. To suggest something outside of that imagined solution somehow makes you the "crazy one" in the equation! There is much danger in being so determined to just do things our own way, though. In many circumstances, the way we determine to be the "best" or "right" may just be the easiest and present the least resistance. I know I have chosen this option more than a few times, only to find out that the easiest "up front" isn't always the easiest on the "back end". My pride kept me from finding out if there was an "easier" or "better" way other than what my mind could muster on its own.

Sometimes pride determines the course we take whenever we are faced with something a bit "over our heads". We might think we have a solution, but pride keeps us from asking if we are even on the right track! Pride is one of the most limiting things we can face - probably more limiting than just about any other issue in our lives. Why? Pride limits our ability to see any other solution to life's issue than our own - it is our way, or the highway. We don't even look for another solution because we have our minds and hearts so wrapped around what we believe to be best that we almost shut out any other possibilities. Pride escalates one's ideas and beliefs to the place of superiority and shuts down any other idea or belief not completely like one's own. 

There is a tell-tale sign one is experiencing some issue with pride in their life. When you are presented with another solution to what is front of you, do you immediately reject it as "wrong" or "unworthy" of your time or attention? Do you even stop to consider any other way than your own? There are times when we want this immediate rejection of ideas - like when they are totally wrong or violate God's commands. For example, if someone says the way to get to work sooner is to just be a ding-dong of a driver on the road and weave furiously in and out of traffic until you nearly run every driver off the road, you might want to reject that one! On the other hand, if someone tells you to set your alarm 15 minutes earlier and avoid hitting the snooze button five times, you might want to give that one some consideration. 

Some of what we imagine is "right" or "good" may not be "bad" - it just may not be what is best in the moment. We need to first weigh what we are about to do against God's commands - if it is okay there, it is likely okay for us to pursue. Then if the scripture doesn't give us any real clear advice on the matter, we have to rely upon conscience - something a little less reliable. When another comes alongside to give us advice, we weigh it against scripture and our conscience. If it doesn't violate either, we might do well to give it consideration. We may never know when that "teachable moment" may occur which actually helps us move beyond something we've been struggling with for a while! Just sayin!

Oh, that is a much better outcome!

People think that whatever they do is right, but the Lord judges their reason for doing it. (Proverbs 16:2)

"Either I will find a way, or I will make one." (Philip Sidney) We all have those moments when we just "feel" like doing something is the right thing to do, so we just go ahead with our plans. There are even times when we kind of suspect there might be a little "issue" with what we are doing, but then we go ahead anyway. Whenever we just move without fully thinking it through, or getting God's perspective on the matter, we are usually pretty disappointed with the results! There are times when we have duped ourselves into believing our actions are fully "justified" by the actions of another. It is like we are saying, "Well, he did this, so I did that" - thinking our actions are "made all right" because of the actions of another. If they don't think about the outcome of their actions that is one thing, but we have the responsibility to think about how our actions exemplify the heart of Jesus, so we may not want to respond without thinking things through!

Whatever we do may not always be "right" - we have to look at the heart behind the actions. The heart behind our actions is what God is after, not just that the actions are "right". We can produce all kinds of "right" actions and still have a wrong "heart" behind them. I can pay my taxes, but bad mouth my government and criticize how those funds are spent. I can wave at my neighbors in a kindly fashion each morning, all the while cursing them under my breath for having a barking dog at night. I can say I love someone, but but be holding onto all manner of bitterness toward them for something they may not even realize they have done. You see, the action can be "right" while the heart behind it is not as "honorable" or "right".

God looks at the "reason" behind the action - the "heart" of the matter. All action stems from thought - thought being influenced by our "heart" as scripture defines "heart" as the seat of our emotions. Try as we might to "think" one way while our emotions are tied up in knots in the completely opposite direction will not make them magically "align". What God wants to do is help us live "above" our emotions - not dependent upon them. We would probably be surprised to find out just how many of our actions throughout the day are totally based on some emotion we are feeling at the moment. Your actions don't always agree with your emotions, but God is after the emotion, not just the action. 

We have a tendency to focus on what we "feel" is important in our lives - God wants us to focus more on what he has declared to be valuable to him. We have a desire to put this right action together with that right action and see right results as the outcome. God wants us to put the right heart behind the actions, then watch him produce the outcome! Just sayin!

Look around

 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. (Romans 1:20)

When you consider all the wonders in nature and the beauty all around us, it is almost impossible to deny the existence of God, but some still do. Why? There is this innate desire to 'explain away' the things we don't understand - the things that are very hard to wrap our heads around. So, we deny the existence of a higher power and say all that is around us is the result of some big bang - it just evolved that way. I have t ask - if it just 'evolved', who put it there in the first place with the capability to 'evolve'?

Like it or not, the 'invisible qualities' of God are all around us. We cannot escape the fact that heaven and earth exists and there must be a way it all came together. The more we consider the sheer miracle of all things working together, the more we must consider there is a creator of it all. There is no excuse for anyone not being exposed to the Creator of the Universe - they merely need to look around to see him. If creation was enough to reveal God to us, how is it he gave us his Word, sent his Son, and continues to speak to us through his Holy Spirit?

Perhaps we need to see (creation), hear (the Word of God and the life of Jesus on earth), and feel (the ministry of the Holy Spirit prompting us). God made us 'multi-faceted' in that we have emotions, the power of rational thinking, and even the capacity to interact with each other and the things around us. He ministers to us in all the ways we are capable of knowing him. Now, that tells me we have a Creator that didn't leave things to chance and continues to reach out for those he has created. Just saying!

Hey, God, I need your help

O Lord, I give my life to you. I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others. (Psalm 25:1-3)

If you have ever approached God with a bit of 'hey, God, I need your help' prayers, then you know how it is to feel a bit useless, helpless, and at risk for some reason. There is absolutely no better place to take your 'hey, God, I need your help' issues, for he is the only one capable to meet those needs. No one who trusts in God to help will ever be disappointed, or stand in the midst of the battle disgraced or defeated.

Disgrace might be the loss of respect for some, but it can also be the feeling of shame that comes from doing something we might now find ourselves regretting painfully. God's answer to that feeling of shame is repentance - to turn away from whatever brought those feelings and embrace his grace. There is absolutely no room for shame where grace exists and it exists in the presence of God. The 'hey, God, I need your help' prayer is exactly what begins to bathe us in that grace.

When we feel ashamed or like we aren't exactly 'right' with God or others, we might want to hide from them rather than open up to them. That is never going to begin the work of restoration, though. We need to trust God to hear our cry for help, listen intently to our heart, and then to begin to minister to us exactly as we need in order to be restored to right standing with him and others. Deceive others by covering over your 'wrong actions' that left you feeling a bit 'outside of grace' and you will never be at peace. Bring those actions to God first, then go to the other who you have been trying to deceive by your 'cover-up' God will be there to help because you trusted him to bring grace right there into the midst of that issue. Just saying!

Broken cookies are still good!

The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken! (Psalm 34:18-20)

Truth, spoken in love, mends the broken heart by setting the person who bears those wounds free from their emotional bonds tying them to those wounds. I believe in trusting that modeling love in our lives will go further than any words we can speak to bind up the wounds of another. I think this is why Jesus didn't just open heaven's expanse one day, speak down the words "Come to me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest". He didn't just expect us to understand this - he needed to come down to this earth and model the release of those burdens for us. He had to model how much his love meets our brokenness. He didn't just forgive the sinner - he bound up their wounds, straightened their deformities, and restored them to a place of honor or respect in society. The leper wasn't just healed of their diseased skin - they were told to present themselves to the priest and be restored. The prostitute wasn't just forgiven for her indiscretions - she was honored by Jesus as "worthy" of his time and attention and trust.

Some of us believe we cannot possibly be of value to others because our "brokenness" is too great - because we still limp, not always getting things "right" in our lives. I still limp. I still have some pretty deep scars. I don't have all the "pieces" of my fragmented life all put together in perfect order. I am on the road to mending - as are all of the other folks I have met along the way. The most realistic thing we can do is to realize we will walk this life "broken together" until the pieces mend! As soon as we recognize EVERYONE has those fragments - some are just more visible than others - we won't be willing to walk "broken together". We will be either too judgmental to accept the broken-hearted, or too focused on our own wounds to feel we can be of any value to another in relationship. We probably have all heard someone say, "He sure has a lot of baggage" or "She's pretty messed up". Truth be told, we ALL have baggage. When we judge another by their baggage, we could be limiting the great blessing that other person will bring into our lives (complete with all that baggage)!

I really don't know "how" your fragmented life happened, but I know those fragments will mend in time when Jesus has a chance to work in your life for a while. I don't know who violated your trust, abused your body, or sent you deep into an emotional storm with gale-force damage - but I do know who can be trusted above all others, brings healing to broken souls, and settles the worst of storms in our lives. Some of those who saw Jesus restore blind eyes and straighten bent limbs asked the telling question: "Who sinned - the parent or the child"? Isn't that just like us when we see "damaged goods" restored? We want to know "who was to blame" when all Jesus wants to do is elevate them back to the place of freedom, liberty, and celebrated recovery! Maybe we'd do well to adopt that at best, we all live life "broken together" until Jesus completes his work in our lives. Broken cookies are still quite tasty! Just sayin!

A less complicated life, please

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he saves those whose spirits are crushed. (Psalm 34:18)

We live in a world where there are many 'broken' people. To be broken means one's life has been reduced to fragments; ruptured, torn, fractured; is not functioning properly; is somehow incomplete; or that it has been infringed upon or violated. This is exactly how each and every one of us arrives at the feet of Jesus. Somehow, whether through our own choices, or the impressions others leave in our lives, we arrive reduced to fragments, not functioning as we should, and sometimes just plain violated by another. It isn't that our lives are perfect, and we finally come to the feet of Jesus - we bring him the messiness of our lives and he welcomes them with open arms. 

One of the songs which really ministers to my spirit is the one by Casting Crowns that expresses this thought of being "Broken Together". If you haven't heard it, there is a part of the song which simply states, "Maybe you and I were never meant to be complete...could we just be broken together". If we stop for just a moment to understand the wisdom in those simple words, we might begin to view our relationship with Jesus and each other a little differently. In coming to Jesus, we are bringing broken (incomplete) lives to him - his response is to say it is "just fine" that we each come this way. In sharing "community" with other believers maybe we need to have more of this perspective - allowing others (and ourselves) to just be "broken together".

The main desire most of us have is to go back to a time when life wasn't as complicated and messed up as it gets when there are wounds, shattered dreams, missed opportunities, and all the resulting emotional scars which result from us "living life". Broken hearts yearn for repair - this is just true of all who are broken. No one wakes up one day and makes a conscious choice to be wounded, violated, left with shattered fragments of a life. There are times when we make some conscious decisions to just "walk around" in our shattered state, though. 

Whenever we reject the welcoming arms of Jesus, feeling too ashamed or too afraid to approach him with the reality of our brokenness, we are going to continue to live pretty fragmented, emotionally "damaged" lives. While we don't want to "live" in a state of brokenness, we need to recognize it sometimes takes a little while for the shattered pieces to mend - much in the same way it takes a shattered bone a while to "remodel" and become strong again. Even when the shattered bone heals, being helped along by the skilled hands of the orthopedic surgeon, that bone doesn't heal without scars. Our lives are impacted - scars form - but we don't need to be ashamed or fearful to allow those scars to be seen. Just sayin!

But...we know him

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (Matthew 6:27-33)

Changes come and changes go. We cannot control them, nor can we escape them. To worry over them is simply not productive. Jesus says this type of "worrying" or "creation of emotional chaos" in our lives because of the frequency or consistency of change is what those who don't know him engage in. It isn't to be the "mode of operation" for those of us who are all a part of his family. When our focus is centered correctly on "who" gets us through the present change rather than the change itself, we find this perspective keeps the "emotional chaos" at bay. Only then will our intentional actions that allow us to navigate through the changes we are facing become ordered, productive, and on-target. 

It isn't always our responsibility or even within our ability to control the change, nor is it to be the change which controls us. We are to bring the change to God, allow him to set the course, then settle into the course he has us on. In the end, we find as long as we remain set on observing his "navigational instruction" in our lives, we don't have the overwhelming chaos in the midst of change. We might have a little "turmoil" because change suggests the old is being purged and the new is coming into focus, but this is a good kind of turmoil - nothing to worry over.

What gets our clothes clean in the washing machine? Isn't it the turmoil of tumbling over each other and the friction caused by the changing of the cycles within that machine? Without this action, the resulting effect of "being in the washer" would be of no value. Clean and ready clothes are a result of the action and the "agents" within the washer. Water, soap, and the action of the spinning or agitating tub are essential. So, not all types of turmoil are bad - sometimes they help create the "friction" we need to get us to a new level of "cleanliness" or "readiness" in life. The turmoil is "helped along" to do the work it needs to do when God adds in a little of his living water and a lot of his cleansing power! Just sayin!

Get today right, will you?

Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will have its own worries. (Matthew 6:32-34)

Stop for just a moment - get quiet and focus with me for just a second or two. What were you just worrying about - that thing you just kept mulling over and over in your mind that you just cannot seem to put out of it? To worry means you pass over something with repeated focus, almost as though you were wearing a "rut" into it just by the frequency of thought or attention you are giving it. In some respects, worry is understandable and kind of productive. When you cannot figure out the solution to the puzzle before you, you "worry" on the solution because you know it is there - you just have to recognize it. In thinking it through, you either pick up the right piece and place it correctly, or you find the five-letter word which fits the letter combo perfectly. What that form of "worrying" produced was a solution which was possible because of something you already possessed - you just needed to recall that information or notice the solution was right there before you. 

Most of the "worrying" we do is of a different sort, though. It is the type of worry where we "borrow" from tomorrow's sets of issues and bring them in today's focus. In other words, we compound today's issues with tomorrow's "what-if" scenarios. What if it rains? What if we don't get as much in our paycheck as we hoped for? What if the person I like doesn't like me? What if I don't get the job? What if my possessions aren't enough to sustain me when I am lonely, depressed, anxious, or just plain in need of entertainment? There are lots and lots of worries, but most of them are just not really intended to be our focus in life. These are the ones we need to learn to sort out and leave where they belong - in the past or the future!

I wonder how many of us multiply our frustrations and fears in life because we just create chaos with all our "frequent changes" and "chaotic clamor"? We cannot settle on this or that, constantly being drawn to the next "thing" we believe will fill some open space in our heart, that will create a sense of peace in a tumultuous time or give us some satisfaction when we are just craving something a little bit beyond our reach. The pressures mount and we find ourselves adding to today's worries by "borrowing" some from tomorrow, or "recalling" some from yesterday. We are actually "multiplying" our frustration and anxiety, creating an increasing sense of emotional chaos within our minds until we find ourselves about to declare ourselves on "overload". You won't find me ever denying change as either inevitable or good. In fact, I believe change is kind of a refreshing thing as long as we can let go of what belongs in the past, stop focusing so much on what lays ahead in the future, and focus on getting today right. Just sayin!

On the defensive

The Lord is your Protector. The Lord stands by your side, shading and protecting you. The sun cannot harm you during the day, and the moon cannot harm you at night. The Lord will protect you from every danger. He will protect your soul. The Lord will protect you as you come and go, both now and forever! (Psalm 121:5-8)

When someone has a "bodyguard" they have someone standing watch over your life. I have never been famous enough to need a bodyguard, nor have I had enough wealth to support such an expensive "personal protection" service for my life and I honestly don't believe I need one. I have gone into some pretty scary places, unarmed with natural weapon, nor supported by any burly dude big enough to stand up to any attacker who might come my way. I have been awakened to some "creepy" noises and wondered if someone was about to pounce on me in the dark of the night. I haven't felt the need for another protector in my life because I have the privilege of being protected by the biggest "bodyguard" there is! He not only protects my body, but my soul and spirit, as well!

A protector is one who stands in a defensive mode in your life - one who is at the ready to provide whatever intervention is necessary to see that your safety is assured. Whether it is attack, invasion, potential loss, or just plain annoyances which are coming upon you, the Lord stands ready to defend. Attack carries the idea of being "fought against" in a violent manner. It isn't just a call to give over your jewels and wallet, it is a lunging of full force against you in order to overtake and over-power you. When we think of being "attacked", it brings to mind the hostilities of aggressive and over-powering behavior. Invasion carries the idea of "entering into" your life - unwelcomed, often unnoticed, but with the intent to do harm. We think of germs as "invading" forces which enter into the body and then set up shop to do their destructive work within you as their "host" for their activity.

God stands as our defender from attack, invasion, loss, and even annoying things. He is on the ready - at the guard - not like the burly personal bodyguard of the rich and famous, but as the defender of our souls, spirits, and bodies. His "impressiveness" isn't his "size", but his authority. We can invite things into our lives that bring resulting problems, but God isn't to blame for the bad stuff which comes when we do. He still was standing guard - we just didn't let him do his job! We opened the door for the attack, or invited in the thing which is giving us the greatest of problems now. We knew he set up a defensive to not allow these things INTO our lives, but we chose to "shut down" his defenses by our rebellion and self-determined behavior. It is as though we "ducked out" on our bodyguard and now we find ourselves in a "problematic situation".

When we embrace the authority of God in our lives, we can rest assured we will be upheld by his hand. When we resist it, we can also be assured he will not leave his post. He is at the ready to set in order what we allowed to create chaos in our lives once we come to the recognition of the futility of our misguided "judgment calls" which allowed us to "skirt" his authority. This is called restoration - something we'd need a whole lot less of if we'd just trust his "defense" of our lives a little more! Just sayin!

 

Intentional love

Partiality is not going to serve anyone well. In the time of Christ, there were "systems" of people - some might call them "castes" - some more affluent and "honored" than others, while others were looked down on because of disease, poverty, mental state, or even what they did for a living. The idea of God allowing the sun to shine on the rich and the poor, the diseased and the well, the farmer and the tax collector, is Jesus' way of reminding us that no one sticks out as the "shining star" in God's eyes. All are equal - all receive the same attention, privilege, and honor in his eyes. 

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who treat you badly. If you do this, you will be children who are truly like your Father in heaven. He lets the sun rise for all people, whether they are good or bad. He sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. If you love only those who love you, why should you get a reward for that? Even the tax collectors do that. And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than anyone else. Even the people who don’t know God are nice to their friends. What I am saying is that you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)

Neither money nor poverty impact how he thinks about us. Neither beautiful physical features or the plainness of a simple way of living impress him. He exhibits an attitude of grace and acceptance of all who turn his way. The religious leaders of the day had a hard time with this one - especially when Jesus modeled it by hanging out with tax collectors, prostitutes, the diseased, and then came into the synagogue to teach a lesson or two on the Sabbath. It just wasn't in their "system of beliefs" to be lacking in this "social partiality". But...it was not Jesus' intention to win a popularity contest - it was his intention to embrace all of mankind with his grace and love! We'd do well to model this behavior in our own lives.

Love sometimes doesn't get returned in the way we might expect it to be returned. We have the idea there should be some form of "compensation" for what it is we "bring" into the relationship with one another and even Jesus. Jesus didn't just go to those who accepted his teaching and warmly embraced him. He stood in the crowds of naysayers and those who were in out-right opposition to him. He helped the widows and the captains of the armies - both with nothing to give back to him. He opened the eyes of the blind and made the withered arms straight - some never even looking back to say thank you for the tremendous reward of being made whole again. 

Learning to give "into" a relationship without expecting something "from" it might just be one of the hardest lessons for us to grasp, because love just yearns to be returned in some manner. Jesus yearned for a return of his love from those he touched - he didn't demand it, though. It was intentional that he loved us - he just loved, and loved, and kept on loving - not waiting for a return of that love. Just sayin!

Give just a little more

You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, don’t fight back against someone who wants to do harm to you. If they hit you on the right cheek, let them hit the other cheek too. If anyone wants to sue you in court and take your shirt, let them have your coat too. If a soldier forces you to walk with him one mile, go with him two. Give to anyone who asks you for something. Don’t refuse to give to anyone who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who treat you badly. (Matthew 5:38-44)

There aren't too many of us who haven't heard the teaching of "turning the other cheek" whenever someone wrongs you - like we needed to actually be hit twice! Yet, in the breadth of this teaching, Jesus is really laying out the path he will walk during the next several years of his teaching ministry - continually allowing the criticism, forgiving the hateful words of others, and refusing to strike back when deliberately opposed by those who would seek to shut down his ministry on this earth. In the Old Testament, if a man killed your donkey, he was to restore it and something extra in return. In making restoration of the one thing which was lost, he was also to make some type of restitution for the lost item. Steal from someone and you had to not only repay what you stole, but a portion more. Maybe God was trying to help us see the connection between sin and that there was always a cost associated with sin. Or maybe he was just trying to help us see the distress sin brings into our lives. It doesn't really matter why he established those rules in the Old Testament, because Jesus was about to blow the minds of those listening to his sermon when he tells them they should turn the other cheek, give a coat to one who steals their shirt, and hate their enemies! A totally radical thought for a generation who had grown up under the Law! 

The first lesson we can learn from this teaching: Give more than you are asked to give. Most of us understand what it is to have some kind of "debt" we might owe to someone. When we go to the grocer, we fill up our baskets and then head to the checkout.  At the checkout, a bill is produced for all of the items in the cart. This becomes a debt we must pay if we are to remove these groceries from the store. Until the debt is settled, we are not free to roll that cart out to the car and make our way home with those delectable treats. We understand that we have to pay for what we put in the basket, but how many of us actually would think to give the grocer another ten dollars at the end of the transaction, just because we wanted to give something to recompense the grocer for the debt we incurred? I daresay we'd point out if we were over-charged by the clerk or the dispenser didn't give us the right change, but would we actually leave more than what we owed? If we are to live out this principle, then we have to begin to ask what it is we do that is just a little more than what we are asked to do. It may not be much, but if we always just go through life giving exactly what we are asked to give and never anything other than what is asked, we will live kind of empty lives. Learning to bless another is to be a way of life for us. We need to see the "value" in giving sacrificially - not just when something is demanded of us. Just sayin!

You tapped in?

The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. He gives me green pastures to lie in. He leads me by calm pools of water. He restores my strength. He leads me on right paths to show that he is good. (Psalm 23:1-3)

No matter how much food or 'things' we have, if we aren't washed, refreshed, and made new by the waters of God's grace, we are just not going to be going very far in this life! One of the things a survival expert will do when he is in a new place is find an appropriate place to shelter. He must decide, based on his surroundings, whether he wants a shelter off the ground, within a cave, in the tree line, or on some flat space. He sets out gathering wood, leaves, branches, and vines with which to construct his shelter. He finds water, looks for things in the area he can use for fire building, and might even scout out a few things he may eat from the land. What do survival skills have to do with our walk with Christ? We are kind of "dropped into" a world we are a little unfamiliar with when we first come into this relationship with Christ. We kind of find our way around this newfound faith by experimenting with the various "tools" we have at our disposal. We read a little bit of the Bible because we know it is supposed to be a source of nourishment for us. We spend a little time in prayer because we are told it becomes a place of rest and release. We don't really know what all we have access to in Christ until we spend a little more time getting to know our "new placement". We don't know what is at our disposal until we begin to look around, experimenting with what we have been given, and then the real journey begins. What we receive in Christ is not by our own doing - although we sometimes get this a little confused and still go about trying to accomplish things within our lives only grace can really provide.

As a survivalist stays a little bit longer in their environment, he begins to experience it with eyes and ears that see and hear things he begins to recognize as good or bad. He has roamed freely and found resources which will benefit him, while being keenly aware of those things which must be guarded against in order to remain well, protected, and in the "survival" mode. He may have a few challenges that are harder than others. It often takes us a while to "dig in" when it comes to our Christian walk - finding all kinds of resources, but not really understanding how we access them, what benefits they will have for us in the long run, or what to do with them once we have them. A coconut in the tree is good - in our hands is even better - but finally opened up and enjoyed is like heaven! Until we possess and access the bounty within, it is merely a "resource" untapped. In our daily walk with Christ, we have lots and lots of resources - many "untapped" as of yet. Our goal today is to examine the resources we have been given, look closely at how it is we access them, and then to do more than just possess them. We need to go to the next level with those resources - such as the survivor does when he digs the small purifying "well" next to the body of water, or the rubbing of sticks together to produce the fire which will function to purify that water. God doesn't expect us to do all the work but trust me on this - the "effort" we exert in obtaining what God has put at our disposal and actually beginning to "use" or "employ it" in our lives is worth it! Just sayin!