One path

I am the path, the truth, and the energy of life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you know Me, you know the Father. Rest assured now; you know Him and have seen Him. (John 14:6-7)

Pathways don't just 'become pathways' out of the blue. The first set of footprints across that path leaves small impressions where your foot came to rest with each step. The more the same steps are followed - either by your own movement or that of others - the more a "path" begins to be worn. The original footprints are still there, but they are underneath all the others which have passed over the same spot. This a path - the route which has become the place of movement and passage. I want us to begin to think of what Christ did on our behalf as he took the first steps into an eternity of grace on our behalf. Eternity's "grace" path began with one set of footprints, and down through the ages, by others following in those footprints, eternity's "grace" pathway has been followed over and over again.

Lots of us choose to follow no other set of footprints, no matter how well the path has been marked out through the ages, wanting instead to blaze a trail ourselves. The excitement of being the first to go where others have not gone is something that excites us and energizes us in ways which are kind of hard for us to understand. It is this tendency to want to do things our way - being the one who leads the path of our own destiny - which will end in us missing out on the pathway of grace. It could not be clearer - Jesus is the path - he is the one who walked that "grace" path - establishing not only the pathway we are to follow, but the means by which we can actually take those steps. All other paths we could travel in our own deliberate "trail-blazing" activities in life are simply not going to take us to the same destination. There is but one pathway to the destination of an eternity of grace.

A pathway is actually a very narrow walkway. It isn't blazed with a bulldozer, but with one set of footprints. In the case of eternity, Christ's footprints lead right into the throne room of God himself. Jesus said there are three things we need to recognize about this path 1) There is but one path. He is that path. No other means exists to ensure eternity is lived out in grace. There is but one trail which leads to an eternity of grace and that is the path created by Christ alone. 2) Those who travel this path don't live by speculation or guess about which turn to take - for the path is one which is true and the markers along the path are all found in the truth of his words. Truth keeps us from having to speculate about how to live, or which way to follow when decisions present themselves. Christ is the truth - he marks the trail with clarity and light. 3) The path isn't followed in our own strength, but by the energy of life which emanates from Christ himself. 

We can be the ones to blaze the trail to somewhere in our lives, but trust me on this, that path will not be the one to an eternity of grace. Grace has but one path, narrow, but already navigated. We simply place one foot in front of the other, stepping INTO what Christ has already done on our behalf, then walk on into the place prepared for each of us in the very presence of the eternal God himself. One path - one truth - one energizing force. The way could not be clearer. Just sayin!

God's Wealth

Ordinary riches can be stolen; real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you. (Oscar Wilde)

I enjoy following your rules as much as others enjoy great riches. (Psalm 119:14)

Some will follow every scheme known to man, or create a new one, in order to obtain some form of 'riches', but they seldom last, nor do they bring the ultimate pleasure one believed possible. We can measure 'wealth' in various ways, but if we seek 'wealth' in forms that take us away from following God with all our hearts, then the 'wealth' we seek is flawed. God's riches oftentimes cannot be measured in terms society really understands.

"There is nothing wrong with men possessing riches. The wrong comes when riches possess men." (Billy Graham) While I agree with Graham, I would add that there are riches that can 'possess a man' that are really not wrong for mankind. Those riches are measured in how well the Word of God is known to us, has influenced our choices, and is able to direct our path each day. These are riches unknown to many and cannot be 'bought or sold'. 

Riches are not a bad thing, but there are some that can control us without us even knowing we are headed down that path. Whenever our focus is on how much we want some 'thing' that is outside of our reach, we need to ask ourselves if it is really going to add good things to our lives. The Word of God and the commands contain within may seem like they are a little 'out of our reach' at times, but whenever we ask God to incorporate those truths into our lives, we are always made better.

Great riches are enjoyable - especially when they are the riches that come from knowing God, understanding his plans, seeing how he works in our lives and the lives of others. It is a good thing to pursue God's 'wealth' with all our hearts, souls, and minds. It is the pursuit that will be greatly rewarded in the end. Just sayin!

Stop fighting and know that I am God

Is it possible to disagree on things and still be at peace with each other? If we are serving Christ, I believe it is possible, but unfortunately the majority of the world doesn't serve Christ! Therefore, there are all manner of disagreements, arguments, hostility, and even wars. If we want peace, we need the God of all Peace to invade our lives once and for all, changing hearts and minds to see there is much more to be 'gained' in giving one's life to Christ than there is in all this endless striving and strife we pursue.

God says, “Stop fighting and know that I am God! I am the one who defeats the nations; I am the one who controls the world.” (Psalm 46:10)

He is indeed the one who controls the world, right down to the day-to-day operations of hundreds of 'heads of state', 'supreme commanders', 'world leaders', and 'elected officials'. Do they all serve God? Absolutely not, but "To the Lord, a king’s mind is like a ditch used to water the fields. He can lead the king wherever he wants him to go. (Proverbs 21:1)" What does God think about dictators? Maybe what Richard Perle described is close to how God views them: "Dictatorships start wars because they need external enemies to exert internal control over their own people."

Leadership is risky business - there is a whole lot of scrutiny from those 'external' to those decisions that have to be made. There will always be criticism one way or the other when it comes to those who hold government or official office. Why? Not all of society is in agreement with the 'agenda' of the one who leads. There seems to be multiple 'agendas' in society, and the one put forward by the one who leads at that moment may not always be the most popular or widely accepted. Perhaps this is why God asks for us to pray for our leaders - they need his wisdom and guidance to make wise decisions.

Perhaps it is time we stop fighting about everything and refocus our priorities as a nation, people, and community. We need one another. We need leaders to help guide our direction as a nation. Instead of poking fun, finding unending fault, or mudslinging, let's stop and pray for those who lead us. It could be our pastor, our boss, or our elected officials. They all need our prayers. I wonder what would happen if the prayers of the faithful were to be behind each and every leader in our nation. Just askin!

The way is paved

A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble. (Charles Spurgeon)

Let everyone see that you are gentle and kind. The Lord is coming soon. 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. Brothers and sisters, continue to think about what is good and worthy of praise. Think about what is true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected. (Philippians 4:5-8)

While society pushes for this thing or the other, believers are to be focused on one thing above all - allowing God to develop his character within us through the actions of the Holy Spirit teaching, reminding, and reinforcing the true character of Christ in our lives. While society tells us to think about our own needs, God tells us to think about the needs of one another. While society finds peace easily interrupted by one crash of the market, or the devastation of a storm, God tells us to build upon a foundation that is strong and enduring - his Word. God's peace is standing guard when our hearts and minds seem to be swaying back and forth between what society touts as 'worthwhile' and 'important'. We begin to 'feel' the Spirit of God sorting out the chaff from the wheat in our thoughts, and then it begins to affect our actions, bringing 'evenness' and 'peace' while others seem to be in all manner of chaos. 

God wants us to look out for each other, so who is it that he has brought across your path today who may need your help? Who is it whose mind is whirling with all manner of uncertainty, just longing for someone to help them sort out those feelings and thoughts? Where is it that your hands can be useful? God isn't just improving our thought life and giving us peace within our hearts so we can sit on our hands - he expects us to share that peace. Who needs to shift their focus away from all the chaos of society and toward the things that are good and worthy of praise? Perhaps you will be the one to help another realize the futility of all that strife and striving - helping them to find the peace and grace of God to endure even when life isn't all that 'great' right now.

God's message for us today is simply to 'continue'. Continue in his grace to give of yourselves, even when others seem to reject your efforts. Continue in his peace, allowing others to feel the 'spill-over' effect of that peace. Continue in hearing his Word, then putting it into action in your life until it begins to affect more than just you. When we begin to allow the Spirit of God to develop the character of Christ within us, we are paving the way for him to touch the lives of others through us. Just sayin!

Do we trust the engineer?

When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer. (Corrie Ten Boom)

Even if I walk through a valley as dark as the grave, I will not be afraid of any danger, because you are with me. (Psalm 23:4)

In the midst of some of your darkest moments, how hard is it to just sit still and trust? Do you find yourself trying to figure out a way to somehow change the circumstances, so you don't have to be in the darkness any longer? Do you chafe in the waiting? If you find yourself in a dark place right now, take heart because God is likely moving you from one place to another and you just don't know the destination yet!

The dark place may actually be a tunnel - the train needs the tunnel to go through 'immovable' objects in its path, doesn't it? There are lots of 'immovable' objects in our path that seem to only create challenges we don't know how to overcome. Did you stop to consider to 'overcome' you may have to 'go through'? The train cannot 'overcome' the mountain - it needs to go through it. God doesn't engineer some pathway up that 'steep grade' in our lives, but he prepares a tunnel.

What does the engineer in the train have that we don't have? A light! He sees clearly what is at the end of that tunnel and he knows the strength of his 'engine' to pull that train straight through that dark place. Why wouldn't we trust the 'engineer' of our lives - the one who possesses the greatest light - to guide us through that dark place? If we can trust the engineer to navigate the places where we can see clearly, why would we change our trust in his ability to get us through the darkest of circumstances? Just askin...

The 'poor' search for what they need

It is easy to steal from the poor, but don’t do it. And don’t take advantage of them in court. The Lord is on their side. He supports the poor, and he will take from those who take from them. (Proverbs 22:22-23)

W.C. Fields once quipped, "A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money." A poor man with money - imagine if you will the scenario of being 'rich' in all the ways a man can imagine, but poor in all the ways God sees. The richest of men can have the poorest of spirits and most burdened of souls! We are not living to impress God - we are not earning his approval by our actions. We are 'approved' through the gift of his Son's blood at Calvary, but if we don't turn over the 'possession' of our life to Jesus Christ, we are poorer than the one with no funds, no property, and no means of obtaining either except to beg. 

Why do you think Solomon started with this one instruction in his list of thirty instructions? Perhaps it is because the 'ease' at which we 'steal' a man's dignity reveals the true intentions of our heart. The one who has given his life to Christ realizes we are all cut from the same cloth. No one is a 'better' person than another. No one is above need - to turn against anyone in 'need' is to do the unthinkable. Take care of those who are in 'need' within your circle of influence, with more than physical means - show them the love and grace of Jesus Christ so they may become the 'richest' among men. 

A poor man will find some way to have his needs met, even if it means searching endlessly, and settling for less than what is really needed. Doesn't that describe the state of a soul that isn't redeemed by the grace of God? A poor man will 'dig through' unthinkable 'filth' to find the scrap he hopes will satisfy his soul's deepest longing. We have the means by which to help them stop 'digging', but we must stop long enough, care deep enough, and give of ourselves often enough that they can be introduced to the very thing they need the most. 

Jesus met the woman at the well, not because he was just thirsty and needed a drink. He met her there because she had a need she had not been able to meet, and he had the means by which meet it! We meet the 'poor' right where they are - then we reveal the means by which their hunger and thirst can finally be relieved - Jesus. Let your life be one of seeking out the 'poor' in spirit so the abundance of grace and love that Jesus has to give them is brought into their deepest place of 'need'. The life you bless may just be your very own. Just sayin!

Are you a watchman?

If you would test the character of anything, you only need to enquire whether that thing leads you to God or away from God. (Watchman Nee)

Whenever I bring enemy soldiers to fight against a country, the people choose someone to be a watchman. If this guard sees enemy soldiers coming, he blows the trumpet and warns the people. If people hear the warning but ignore it, the enemy will capture them and take them away as prisoners. They will be responsible for their own death. They heard the trumpet, but they ignored the warning. So they are responsible for their own deaths. If they had paid attention to the warning, they could have saved their own lives. (Ezekial 33:2-5)

Most believers wouldn't think of themselves as 'watchmen' in the sense of being chosen to guard against enemy intrusion, but nothing could be further from the truth. We are all called to be 'watchers' - eyes attentive to what is happening around us, minds open to hearing from God, and hearts willing to put it all out there in order to see people redeemed, made whole and able to resist the attack of the enemy themselves. What are we 'watching' for? Nee said it well - does the thing we are observing lead us closer to God and his grace, or does it pull us away, further and further from his grace and love? If the latter is the case, it is time to sound the alarm!

We are called to pay attention to the 'character' of a matter or a person. We aren't judging individuals or circumstances by our own standards, but in accordance with what is revealed in the Word of God. Does it align with the Word? If not, don't move toward it, but reject it. Does it reflect the character and wisdom of God as revealed in scripture? It takes more than a cursory knowledge of the Word of God to know this, so the more acquainted we become with what he reveals about his character through our times with him in his Word, the better equipped we will be to make this 'judgment'. Does it make us desire more of this world's offerings, or does it lead us into contentment with what God has already abundantly blessed us with? If the latter is true, embrace it!

The watchman plays a very important role - he warns against danger, but he also welcomes that which 'belongs' amongst God's people. We aren't called to look at the charisma of a man, but his character. We all have 'qualities', but we also all have 'quirks'. Do the qualities outweigh the quirks? A quirk is more than just a peculiarity of action or thought - it is the 'shift' or 'evasion' of that which draws us closer to God or leads us further into the selfishness of our own fleshly desires. God is working on our quirks if we are following closely after him, but one who is given to being led by his quirks is not someone we should follow or even let into our 'camp'. The watchman will be able to warn others who may not be on guard against welcoming such an individual. Just sayin!

Opening the cabinet door

As people understand your word, it brings light to their lives. Your word makes even simple people wise. (Psalm 119:130)

Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. (Charles Spurgeon)

I need light, especially when it is the darkest. In the middle of the day, I even need light in some of those 'recessed places' in my life. Not everything is evident to light until light comes into the place where it has been excluded from exploring. Some of us need a little 'exploring' by Light, don't we? I have often heard believers say they don't know what the Bible has to say - that it is a bit too hard to understand. In answer, I often ask what 'translation' they are using. It could just be that the 'understanding' of the Word is a little 'blunted' because we choose to read the Word of God from a translation that is too hard for us to understand. Most commonly, it is that we haven't asked God to open our eyes of understanding to what it is we are reading. Once we ask for understanding, we also need to ask for help in implementing what it is we are reading!

Light in our lives isn't just automatic. I have several good lights in the kitchen, but the recesses of that corner cabinet next to the stove are not reached by those lights. I still need the flashlight to see 'way back there' in the recesses. Some of us have 'corner cabinets' in our lives that get a 'glimpse' of light on occasion, but there needs to be some very specific 'light shining' done in order to uncover what has been masked and hidden away in the recesses of our heart and mind. It is the stuff in the 'recesses' that God often focuses on when we spend time in his Word, but unless we actually open the 'door' to the light he brings, it is as useless as the flashlight with a closed cabinet door! I am still not going to know what is hidden in the recesses of that cabinet if I keep the door tightly shut! Some of us have tightly shut those areas of our heart where we have secret sins, hard to break habits, and humiliating hurts. Don't be surprised when God actually asks you to open the 'cabinet door' so he can reveal them!

God wants us to do more than just 'know' the Word of God. Many will memorize portions of scripture, but what do they really mean to them? What life-change has occurred because those words have penetrated the recesses? As we have likely heard, we need to both here and do what the Word of God commands. James 1:25 reminds us, "But when you look into God’s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God’s blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard." Pray for wisdom, but don't expect it to be automatic. Sometimes we need to take steps of obedience in order to have the light reflected into those 'recesses'. I have to open the cabinet door to find the rolling pin way back there in the recesses. You and I might just have to open up a few unpleasant thoughts, memories, or habitual patterns to his review in order to find the root and be rid of it once and for all. Just sayin!

Power in his presence

Let your hearts fall under the rule of the Anointed’s peace (the peace you were called to as one body), and be thankful. (Colossians 3:15)

"When you enter his presence with praise, he enters your circumstances with power." (Author Unknown) We see stuff with our eyes, hear it with our ears, and even get it into our minds okay, but getting it to actually affect our hearts takes some doing. When we enter - we bring all manner of worry and heartache with our precursor of praise, don't we? When we enter - we bring all manner of emotional upheaval and depth of need, don't we? All we are called to do is enter - with praise on our lips - and then he does the rest! It may seem hard at times to really praise God, especially when the circumstances are beyond our understanding, or the weight of our burdens has become too great for us to bear up under. Scripture reminds us to enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise (Psalm 100:4), but honestly, it is pretty hard to be thankful at times, much less be filled with praises about the circumstances we find ourselves facing. God doesn't expect us to be false in our praise, but if we remember the purpose of praise, we might just be inclined to praise even a little more than we might feel like it!

Praise is really a way of reminding ourselves who is in the "lead position" in our lives - God. This may be why he asks us to enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. The courts were the place the King did his business - where he sat upon the throne and ruled. When we enter with praise, we are acknowledging he is the one on the throne of our hearts. In the mess of all the muddle around us, he remains the true one in control - giving him praise just acknowledges that control. It is an acknowledgement that he is the one who possesses all we need in order to break free from all the worry, weight, and weariness we bring to him. He enters our circumstances with his power. Power is the opposite of worry. Power is the opposite of the weight we carry - for even the action of simply beginning to lift our hands to the one who is all powerful requires us to lay down what we have been carrying, giving him the ability to pick it up and remove it from our midst. Power is the opposite of the weariness of our bodies and souls which brings us down and makes us slow - for the simple action of lifting our voice in words of heartfelt praise brings refreshing to our souls and eases the weariness of our bodies.

Praise is also a source of exchange - we leave behind what we came with and take up what he provides in exchange. We never leave God's presence empty-handed or empty-hearted. We enter - acknowledging the one who meets our needs fully and without measure. It is praise which opens the doorway to his courts - the place where we find the power we need for the circumstances we cannot overcome without his intervention. We look for power in many places, but it is found only in the midst of his courts. We enter those courts through praise, then worship begins to break open our hearts until we find ourselves "settling down" into the peace of those courts. There it is we find the exchange of our "missed opportunities" and lack of peace beginning to become the opening of new opportunities and the restoration of our peace. As we enter his courts, we "fall under his rule" - our hearts acknowledge his position in our lives, but our spirits are filled to overflowing with the peace which comes from no other source. We bring worry, weariness, and weight beyond our control - he gives us peace, power, and provision - such an exchange has never been offered in any other source. Perhaps we have been looking for the circumstances to change in our lives. Maybe the thing we need to realize is the place where these circumstances actually change - in the courts of the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords! Just praisin!

The white coat syndrome

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Eliab is tall and handsome, but don’t judge by things like that. God doesn’t look at what people see. People judge by what is on the outside, but the Lord looks at the heart. Eliab is not the right man.” (I Samuel 16:7)

When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself. (Wayne Dyer)

We can make some pretty false claims about others simply because we only see the 'message' they deliver on the outside. We can lift a man higher than he should be just because he 'plays the part' we expect based upon the 'role' he plays in life. Case in point - I observed almost every male nurse who wore a white coat over his work scrubs into a patient's room was asked if he was the doctor. The 'impression' of the white coat made the patient think the 'role' the male nurse was actually that of their physician. We can never judge someone by their appearance - there is always something much deeper that we must see - their spirit.

The heart of man is made known to those who are willing to look deeper than the 'first impression' of the outer presentation. A well-spoken orator may be the loneliest of individuals, hiding it well behind his speech. A well-dressed businesswoman may be struggling with a hidden addiction behind that well-coiffed exterior. A well-developed body doesn't always make for a sound mind, does it? The outside is easy to see, while the 'interior' of a man's heart is much harder to 'register' on our 'judgment radar'. We must get to know them a bit before we really understand what is hidden deep within their heart.

God's view of man is always the heart first - the outer impression matters very little to him. His view of our life's accomplishments goes beyond the degrees, promotions, awards, or duties performed. It goes to the things hidden within our heart. Do we view God's heart first - or do we look only at the outward things we can see and interpret with our mind's eye about who he is and what he does? Get to know his heart and you might find your own heart changing for the better. The inner workings of his heart are not always evident by the actions we see around us, but we can trust that his deep love and unyielding holiness will never be content to allow sin to dwell within our hearts. Just sayin!

In short order

Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves. Hearing God’s teaching and doing nothing is like looking at your face in the mirror and doing nothing about what you saw. You go away and immediately forget how bad you looked. But when you look into God’s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God’s blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard. (James 1:22-25)

I share often about 'hearing', but 'doing' nothing with what we 'hear'. Why? The importance of being a 'doer of the Word' cannot be outlived, outsourced, or outdone! We need to incorporate the Word of God into our daily lives - making the teachings therein the source of our instructions on how to live with one another. Ever look at yourself in the mirror and be so dissatisfied with what you are seeing that you just turned away and tried to forget what you saw? You likely wanted a 'different picture' reflected back, but we don't get a 'different picture' until Christ makes a difference in our hearts.

When we look into the Word of God, the 'picture' we see reflected back to us can either be quite concerning, or perhaps it is quite satisfying. The difference is determined in how much the Word of God has become more than just 'good words' to us. When the Word of God is allowed to ruminate deep within our spirit, we find there will be a change of heart that affects our minds and eventually begins to affect our 'appearance'. I am not sure how God does all that work within us to make us 'new', but I am confident he has begun it in each of us. We may not see the reflection today that we expected to see, or even hoped was possible, but we can trust that when we are taking in the Word and allowing it to work within us, the reflection is changing.

Many believe the Word of God is outdated, but truth is never outdated or outdone. Truth remains when all else fades away. We might have been believing something that is 'close to truth' in our lives, but it actually is not truth at all. If we allow all manner of 'untruth' to come into our lives, we might just find ourselves getting a little confused as to what is really true. If we want answers, we look to the Word of God, not some show on TV or self-help guru. We find truth in Christ and him alone. Our 'reality' is sometimes clouded by what we have 'added to' truth within our lives. Ask God to ferret out any untruth we have believed, and he will go about this work in rather short order. Just sayin!

Peace producing plan

While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart. (Francis of Assisi)

People who work for evil make trouble, but those who plan for peace bring happiness. (Proverbs 12:20)

What is your 'plan' moving forward? It doesn't really matter that you have made a mess of the plan up to this point - it matters what you will do moving forward. Our planning is important - God's plans are more so. What God plans can change the heart of a man - our plans merely change 'things' around us that may affect our heart, but rarely does it change our heart for good. We need God's plans worked out - especially when we have made a mess of the plans we imagined!

Plan for peace - get your heart right with God - them move on. The more we turn our plans over to God, the more we may find those plans have been affecting our heart (our inner man) in some ways that have actually kept us from realizing all God has for us. Sometimes we need that 'adjustment' that God does in order to turn from our plans and trust his plans fully. Will we always understand his plans? Absolutely not! We can trust them, though. Plan for peace - bring your plans to God, leave the ones there that don't align with what he purposes, and step out into the ones he has prepared for us in advance of us asking for his wisdom.

People who work for evil will make trouble in this world. Do all the planning yourself and you are likely to be planning to make 'trouble' even though you don't realize it. It will be easier to step on each other's toes, creating chaos, and inciting others to rebel when we are reliant upon our own plans as the way we will 'do business' in life. God's best comes when we are willing to lay down those plans, submitting them to his scrutiny, and then executing the plan he reveals. Will his plans always be dramatically different than ours? Not always, but when we submit them to him, we have a much better chance of them producing a peace within us as we move forward in executing them. Just sayin!

What does it mean to be chosen?

But you are a chosen people, set aside to be a royal order of priests, a holy nation, God’s own; so that you may proclaim the wondrous acts of the One who called you out of inky darkness into shimmering light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received it. (I Peter 2:9-10)

Chosen - selected from several, sometimes for the uniqueness of the object, but always because the one choosing wants to make that which is chosen their own. We are the object of his desire - selected specifically because there is something in each of us which he uniquely desires and has "use for" in his Kingdom. The specific purpose God has in mind for you may differ from what he has in mind for me, but as long as we understand clearly that he has selected us BECAUSE he has a purpose for each of, then we are on the same path! Our purpose? One purpose that is NOT unique to each of us is that of loving him with all our hearts, souls, and minds. All of us are called to fulfill this purpose. None of us is unique in that calling. We also have a common purpose of proclaiming the wondrous acts of the One who called us out of INKY darkness into SHIMMERING light. 

I don't think there is a better illustration of sin's "darkness" - for the INKY darkness of sin's hold is indeed a stain from which we cannot apply any amount of detergent or scrubbing action to successfully remove. Yet, somehow by the tremendous power of Christ's blood applied to that INKY dark stain of sin in our lives, we are made WHITE as snow! Shimmering light - that is what describes our position in Christ Jesus - no longer bound up in the INKY darkness of sin's hold. We are to proclaim the transformation which has occurred - to be living testimonials of his mercy and grace! This is our common calling - and it is this purpose which we are called to fulfill with each breath we take. We each have other unique traits - things like our ability to lead, organize, sing, play an instrument, welcome people, or even run a sound system. These seem very practical and a little "not so spiritual" but remember even these talents are "spiritual" when yielded to his hand for his use and purpose within his Kingdom work!

We are "set aside" to be a royal order of priests - a holy nation, God's own. We may not feel very valuable on occasion. Chosen - selected for a specific purpose; set aside - called out so we could fulfill the purpose of being his OWN. Even if we don't feel like we "belong" anywhere on this earth, we BELONG in his Kingdom. Do you know what it means to NOT be chosen? It means to be overlooked, but the problem with how many of us do the choosing is that we don't look deep enough. God does more than take a cursory look our direction - he looks deep into the possibilities in each of us. Then he goes beyond the surface glance, searching the depths of our hearts until he sees just what he wants and lifts us into his arms and into his presence. So, the next time you want to be down on yourself and think you don't fulfill any particular purpose in this life - think again! You are chosen! You are a holy people! You are a child of the King! You are taken from INKY darkness into SHIMMERING light! You are his chosen one! Just sayin!

Careless talk?

Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly. (Plutarch)

You might think you are a very religious person. But if your tongue is out of control, you are fooling yourself. Your careless talk makes your offerings to God worthless. (James 1:26)

I cannot help but think of the times I have droned on and on with someone about a topic I have such interest in, only to realize they have not been listening because I am the only one interested in the topic! I have had to learn to 'read the crowd', so to speak, and listen more than I speak. It was not an easy lesson to learn, but a necessary one, especially as it pertains to sharing the truth of the gospel message. I used to think I needed to preach a sermon, but then realized my life was speaking louder than my words.

Know how to listen - this is our instruction today. The tongue can wag on and on, making it hard to really 'hear' what is being said. The more 'words' we use, the more we think others will get the point. The truth is that we don't need 'big words' as much as we need heartfelt words that encourage trust. An out-of-control tongue can do much damage, turning the 'hearers' into walled off 'listeners'. As Jesus commissioned his disciples to go out two-by-two, spreading the good news about him and the freedom he brought to them, they ask what they should say. Why? They were not 'learned teachers of the Law of Moses', so they didn't think they 'knew' what to say.

Jesus' response to them? Don't worry about what to say but trust the Spirit of God to give you the right words, in the right time, delivered to the right audience. We can glean from this that if we want others to listen, speak what the Spirit gives us in that moment. How do we come to the place of knowing what to speak and when to speak it forth? We learn to listen to Jesus. At first, the disciples actually spent more time listening to Jesus than they did speaking of him. They learned by listening - taking in the teachings and then allowing them to 'ruminate' within. Learn to listen - then you will know when and what to speak!

The more 'learned' one has become is not important - books don't bring us life. The best 'learning' comes sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening intently. It is in listening that we learn to control our words. Just sayin!

BC / AC

Most people would say that God's commands are a set of rules we need to keep in mind as we go throughout our lives. They are a set of 'guidelines' we are to 'adhere to' the best we can in order to somehow 'make our way to God'. There is 'no making one's way to God' - he already made his way to us! We 'keep' the commands of God not because we 'have to', but because they are what actually gives us a new way of living.

I will never forget your commands, because through them you gave me new life. (Proverbs 119:93)

Let's look at it this way - BC (Before Christ) we likely 'colored outside the lines' a bit with our lives. Then AC (After Christ) was given control of our lives, we have likely observed some change in our priorities, actions, and even our attitude. Yes, his presence begins this work, but it is more than we just keep his commands. We actually delight in keeping them - we see them as a way of making better choices. We don't resist them any longer, trying to color outside the lines, but trust the 'lines' are there because they will shape us into loving and caring individuals.

The commands of God aren't burdensome to a believer because they are actually shaping our lives anew. We don't keep them because we have to, but because we delight in the 'freedom' of spirit, soul, and mind that comes when we do. Most outside of a relationship with Jesus would think that an odd statement to make because they cannot see any set of rules as giving us 'freedom'. Our freedom is 'bought' by keeping the commands of God, but reinforced when we move from just knowing the commands into the place of allowing them to affect the way we live.

Some might believe that this scripture implies the keeping of his commands as the way to new life, but this isn't what is meant when God tells us we are given new life through them. We are given new life when we take hold of Christ, allow him to be the central part of our lives, and then trust him to show us how his commands create a circle of protection over our lives. The more we ask God to show us his truths, coupled with the prayer to help us incorporate those truths into our daily actions, the more we will delight in those commands. Just sayin!

No man left behind

I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. That’s what Christ Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason he made me his. Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven. (Philippians 3:12-14)

All of us can truthfully say that we ae not exactly what God wants us to be - we haven't fully reached that point where we have done all we should do, developed all the character traits God wants us to develop, or completely been the person he wants us to be to reach others for him. The best we can admit to being is one that is 'continuing on' - doing what we are asked to do, learning from the instruction we receive, and allowing God to use us as he sees fit in each encounter he brings our way. Life isn't perfect - neither are we!

All God expects is that we are obedient to the knowledge he brings into our lives and that we pay attention to those around us that he purposefully places in our lives. He has placed them there so he can impact their lives through ours. It may seem a bit odd that the God of the Universe would actually choose to use us human beings to do his work on this earth, but he does. We must be faithfully obedient to do as he instructs, even when it seems a bit odd or hard. God's plans don't always make sense at the beginning, but in the course of time, we see how he is working in and through us.

We all still have a long way to go - so exercise a little patience when others don't seem to be growing as we think they should, or you find yourself just a bit 'off-kilter' from time to time. The more we press forward, the further we get from our past. We don't have to pack it up and bring it along! That 'long way' we each still have to go isn't going to welcome all that baggage! A runner cannot carry a heavy pack upon his back and God calls for us to be runners, not burden-bearers! The past is behind, the present awaits, and the future is prepared. We might just be the one called to help others 'unburden' from the weight of their past sins, but it is easier to do that when we have done so ourselves. 

Maybe we are each removing one small part of that burden that belongs in our past from each other's 'pack'. It is as we let go that another may be willing to part with a piece of their burden, as well. We need to spur one another on toward the goal, with the same philosophy of the military - no man is left behind. Just sayin!

The importance of the pattern

We have all these great people around us as examples. Their lives tell us what faith means. So we, too, should run the race that is before us and never quit. We should remove from our lives anything that would slow us down and the sin that so often makes us fall. (Hebrews 12:1)

If you stop very long to consider some of the examples you have patterned your life after, you might just decide you fashion sense didn't improve, your financial situation really hasn't done much for you, and your relationship isn't any stronger than it was before. Why? They are 'faulty' patterns at best. We need to understand the importance of the 'pattern' before we just 'willy-nilly' follow it. I used to sew by pattern all of the time, but when I got confident enough, I often set out with the pattern and didn't follow the order of the instructions. That usually resulted in some seam ripping in the end! The importance of having both the pattern and the instructions cannot be negated!

The pattern gives us the 'pieces' we need to make our life, but the 'instructions' actually show us how the various pieces all fit together properly. If we look at our life examples again, we will see some very good things within those 'patterns', but they are only pieces of the whole. We need God's instructions on how to take those 'pieces' and use them within our lives in a way that brings our life together whole, complete in every way. Sometimes we find it hard to understand the instructions, much less figure out how to follow them. With some sewing patterns I used to get, if I neglected to really read the instructions from start to finish, I didn't understand the importance to the 'order' of the instructions.

God may not give us all his instructions at one time because he knows the importance of us following them in a particular order. He may not lead us to examples of those instructions all at one time, but he will unfold those 'patterned lives' before us intermittently so that we can see the instructions lived out in many different scenarios. Why? Life never comes at us the same way every day! There will be times when his instructions seem hard, but then we see the example he gives us of that instruction 'lived out' and we begin to see how the 'pieces' of his instruction guide us to live complete and holy lives. 

We each are unique, and we see God's instructions through the 'uniqueness' of our lives. Wouldn't it be a shame to waste the examples we are given, especially when we don't fully understand the importance of the instructions we have received in his Word? Just askin!

Things hoped for

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for. (Epicurus)

While we don't always hope for the best things in life, we all have some form of hope that occupies our minds and somehow motivates our internal man just a bit. Hope for the 'right stuff' and you are praised; hope for the 'wrong stuff' and you are criticized. What is the 'right stuff' in life? Is it really 'stuff'? Or is the 'right stuff' really what another delights in providing in our lives? Who is that 'another' I speak of? You already suspected it - Christ! We cannot hope for anything greater than his presence within us, his purpose being worked out through our lives, and his provision sustaining us as we fulfill that purpose.

Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1)

If faith is what 'makes real' the things we hope for, why is it some hope for so much and really don't see the evidence of it in their lives? It could be the thing hoped for is the worst thing for us! We don't always have the purest of hopes, do we? Sometimes we hope for things God knows will bring us nothing more than increased anxiety, overpowering feelings of guilt, or 'debt' of some sort that burdens our minds and souls. Those things might become anchors that weigh us down when all God wants for us is to be free. So, can we hope for a new vehicle? Yes, of course, but it may be that the timing is not correct, the financial burden too great for us right now, as the price we are about to pay will actually come down in just a few short months. God's 'no' to what we hope for is not to hurt us, but to protect us from unwise choices.

Faith is what makes real the things we hope for - proof of what we cannot see. There is no greater hope than for our lives to be renewed - regenerated by the power of the living God within us. There is no greater pursuit than righteousness, but how many other 'hopes' get in the way of that pursuit? What we hope for may actually be good, but the timing may not be correct. God may be working on other things within our character that will prepare us for whatever it is we are hoping for. We have to understand God is in the 'line upon line', 'precept upon precept' business. He does a little here within our character, so that he can impact a little there within our character. All the while, we are hoping for the work to be complete within us, but there are a few more 'lines' that might need development before we can say it is complete! Just sayin!

Wasting time?

There are times when I have to 'hurry' and others when I can just linger, doddle, or sit still. Most of the times when I have to 'hurry' it involves me not planning well, so I find myself trying to 'catch up' or 'get something done' so I can move on like I am supposed to. Hurrying is not the best way to live, though. Unfortunately, it is riddled with all manner of 'oops' moments. The best 'plan' for our day may actually be to stop wasting time in the unimportant stuff and direct our attention fully on the important stuff God has for us right now.

I thought very carefully about my life, and I decided to follow your rules. Without wasting any time, I hurried back to obey your commands. (Psalm 119:59-60)

Without wasting time, I hurried back...

This suggests it is possible for us to have been where we should not have been, been attentive to the wrong stuff, or been too laissez-faire about where we were headed to see how far we drifted from where we wanted to be. Either way, we needed to refocus and 'hurry back' to where God intended for us to be in the first place. This might mean we have to refocus our attention, stop doing something, or just plain start doing something he asked for us to do.

Without wasting time...

When we don't want to do something, we find ways to waste a bit of time, don't we? When we don't know what to do, we spin our wheels perhaps a little too long. When we can't find our way because we allowed ourselves to drift into things we were never to be involved in, we find ways to just 'stay involved' but really aren't all that invested, wasting time on the thing God never intended to us to be involved in at all. Could it be that one of the hardest things to do is stop wasting time as it applies to be obedient to what God asks us to do?

When we make a heart determination to stop 'wasting time' in our walk with Jesus, we find there is a pull toward obedience. When we allow our minds to be renewed by the power of his Word each day, we find our minds drift into 'mindless thought' and more toward what it might be that God intends for our day. Wasting time is really not optional - we need to stop wasting time in our walk with Jesus. The days are short! Just sayin!

Lulled?

Those who learn from the lessons of life will join the others who are wise. Those who disregard discipline sabotage themselves, but those who are open to correction gain understanding. Reverence for the Eternal is the first lesson of wisdom, and humility always precedes honor. (Proverbs 15:31-33)

"You were given this life because you were strong enough to live it." (Author Unknown)

We don't receive lessons in this life through osmosis, but because we walk through them and learn from them. Someone might think they were given the life they were given because only THEY could live up to the challenge. The challenge wasn't given to you because you had the strength, it was given to you to reveal the strength the Almighty would give you to walk through it. We call it life and it comes at us at extraordinary speeds on occasion. The lessons of life will lure us in like a slow, lazy river gives us the sense all will be peaceful as we launch out only to find it takes us straight into the roaring rapids of chaos! Most of us want the lazy river kind of lessons - the ones we learn by laying back, luxuriating in the beauty of the moments which pass, and the sounds of peaceful breezes coming through the trees. We might get a little curious when we begin to hear the rapids in the far-off distance, but we still don't connect those sounds with the river until our raft begins to rock a little, picking up speed, and we begin to wonder a little, but we are still not stirred enough to make course corrections. Yet, when the full-on rapids begin to jerk us back and forth, tossing all manner of cool spray into our faces, and the horror of the moment grips our emotions, we somehow begin to pay attention!

The wise don't avoid the river altogether - they learn to navigate it because they don't allow it to lull them into repose and stupor. They remain attentive to the sounds of the journey, for the subtle changes only catch a listening ear - they alert them to course corrections long before they become "necessary". They enjoy the journey not because it is without challenges, but because each challenge reveals a new opportunity to embrace life and learn what is revealed in the moment. There are those who regard discipline as "control" - either that which you exert in the moment, or that which is imposed upon you at the time. Did you know the word "discipline" can be translated "education". To learn is to live a disciplined life - a "discipled" life. The followers of Jesus were asked to do more than just "float the river" with him. They were asked to "learn of him" - to engage in life with him, actively participating in the journey. We learn the greatest lessons when we actually participate in them.

Disciples (disciplined individuals) actually exhibit two very important character traits: 1) development and 2) preparation. Preparation involves time - time spent "getting ready". A baby is in the womb for how many months? Nine, if they are full-term. What is happening during that time? The baby is developing - getting ready to be born. Born too early and it needs all manner of artificial support, because it wasn't intended to live outside the womb that early on its own. What happens to the parents during the time the baby is in the womb? They are preparing for that which is developing within! They are making adjustments to their lives in order to be ready for the new life about to become part of theirs for a long, long time. The room is set up, the seat is installed in the car which will ensure the baby is secure for whatever journey they will take together, and the clothes are amassed which will keep that infant warm as it slumbers through nap times galore. Sometimes they actually make life corrections, such as beginning to save money, knowing the time has come to change how much they spend on only themselves, as another is coming who will count on them to provide for their needs. They are learning - preparing and developing.

As we go through life, it isn't the challenge which actually prepares and develops us, but the one who walks us up to the challenge, then continues to walk with us throughout it! He prepares us in the quiet, lazy river moments, only if we are attentive to his lessons. He strengthens us and takes us into the "advanced lessons" of life in the rapids, but he never abandons us upon the waters - ever! Just sayin!

We want so much

Man finds it hard to get what he wants, because he does not want the best; God finds it hard to give, because He would give the best, and man will not take it. (George MacDonald)

Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Mankind wants so much and finds only part of what they seek when they seek to fulfill their wants and needs on their own. Mankind seldom wants the 'best', but God has prepared the 'best' for all who will seek his truth. His truth is resident in his Son - his 'best' is Jesus. Our 'best' falls somewhere below God's all of the time, so why do we seek it with all our effort when there is so much more awaiting us when we say 'yes' to Jesus? Perhaps it is because we find it hard to trust completely what God offers - we find it hard to believe God could give exactly what we need.

Our own knowledge will always get us less that what we truly want or need, but it will always seek to 'find a way' to achieve, accomplish, gain. Why? The 'hunt' for the 'best' is intense. It begins at birth and continue our lifetime, sometimes without us even being aware we are 'hunting'. The newborn 'ruts' its tiny head until it finds milk. The toddler pulls this out, pushes that away, getting into all manner of 'trouble' all because he wants to know what is not fully within his reach. The more we seek, the less satisfied we become in the 'solution' we find to our intense need. The need we feel driving us forward could be lust, pride, or even fear. Those 'drives' won't ever get us what we really need, though.

God's best is revealed to us in his Son, but in order to find what has been prepared for us in Jesus, we need to turn away from all those things we 'want', but don't really need in life. That might just be hardest thing for a self-directed individual. Their trust in self is hard to break, so God's best can seem a little elusive to those individuals. God gives his best, but the self-willed individual finds it hard to take what is offered. Somehow, God breaks down the walls the self-willed erects. In one simple act of setting aside one's own knowledge and choosing to trust God's plan for his 'best', even the self-willed find the greatest of all gifts! Just sayin!

Fuel comes in many forms

Desmund Tutu said, "Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness." We can see all manner of darkness, but we don't see clearly in that darkness, do we? We are enveloped by its heavy shadow, but we can push back that shadow when we bring light into that dark place. Someone once said we can either be a candle or the mirror that reflects the candle - either way, we are pushing back darkness. We may not feel like it, but our very presence on this earth brings light into some very dark places.

Lord, you provide the flame for my lamp. You, God, turn the darkness around me into light. (Psalm 18:28)

God provides our 'flame' - we reflect his light. There is much to be said about having the 'right fuel' for our fire. You could start a fire with a gallon of gasoline, but it isn't all that safe because it has an explosive power. You could start a fire with a mirror, but it isn't reliable unless you have the brighter light of the sun to reflect in that mirror. You could start a fire without any light, but the friction required to start that fire takes a toll on an individual. We need God's 'fuel' for our inner fire, but we also need it for the fire that is aimed at impacting a very dark world around us.

Fuel comes in many forms. I have discovered you can get camp stoves that burn with propane, butane, or kerosene. You can gather matches, wood, and kindling to create a fire. You might even be able to use fuels such as paper, wood shavings formed into 'logs' of sorts, or even dried animal dung. While the latter doesn't seem like a good option for 'fuel', it works, nonetheless. We might not see the fuel used as some can be odorless and colorless. We might not observe the qualities of the fuel at first, but some burn longer and brighter than others. Whatever the fuel, it has a purpose. Whatever the fuel God puts in your tank, it has a purpose!

The whole purpose of light is to turn darkness into light. The whole purpose of fuel is to keep the fire ignited. Without the fuel, there is no ignition. Without the ignition, there is no fire. Without the fire, the darkness remains. Since God gives us the fuel and his Spirit ignites it within us, isn't it about time we use that light within to push back some of the darkness around us? Just askin!

Stir it up

I need to know your commands. Don’t keep them hidden from me. I constantly feel a hunger to understand your laws. (Psalm 119:19-20)

The psalmist has just said he feels a bit like a stranger on this earth - something we might have felt ourselves from time to time. When things get a little too wonky for our taste, or the tides of change are just more than we can endure, we might actually tell God things are a 'little foreign' to us. The very thing our psalmist does is what we likely should do, as well - he asks God to help him understand - to really 'know' his commands. Why? There is a hunger for truth that God 'plants' within each of us that drives this 'urge to know' truth.

This hunger doesn't come naturally - it is God 'planted' within our spirits. Our mind might seek to understand truth, but the hunger for it comes from deep within our spirit. It is within our spirit that we commune with God - where his presence dwells. We might not realize it when we pray for wisdom, but we are really asking God to keep us on course. If you have ever been enticed off-course for even a short while, you know that something inside of you is urging your return to truth. Why? Your spirit is one with God's now and his Spirit cannot abide in sin, so you are convicted and urged to turn away from that course.

How constant is your hunger for truth? If it isn't pretty gnawing at times, you might just need to ask God to 'stir up' those seeds of truth he has planted within you and let him draw you back into truth's pathway. The more we get his truth inside our minds, the more our spirit will desire even more of truth's evidence to be revealed within our lives. It is like we cannot live without it - like it is the very 'life source' we need in order to survive in a crazy, mixed-up world that does nothing more than create chaos in our minds, emotions, and souls. 

We may think God is hiding his truths from us, but it is likely that we haven't taken time to discover it as we should. His truth abides within, but sometimes we need to have it stirred up a bit in order to realize it is at work inside of us. Just sayin!

Following the right voice?

God is very powerful, but he does not hate people. He is very powerful, but he is also very wise.
He will not let evil people live. He brings justice to the poor. He watches over those who live right.
He lets them rule in high places. (Job 36:5-7)

There are times when we stand back in wonder, pondering how it is that evil can get such an advantage in this world. We might not see God's forces at work because the evil just seems to 'outdo' what we see God doing, but we can rest assured what we don't see is the legions God has moving to overtake evil! God is wise and we need to trust his timing. Sometimes evil abounds, but he still protects those who serve him and love him with their whole hearts.

God doesn't hate people, but people respond to evil's pull and influence sometimes more rapidly than they do God's beckoning call to abandon sin. It is easy to get caught up with the movement of the crowds and neglect to see there are some faithful servants of Christ standing back, pulling away, and standing strong against the current. They don't do that in their own power, but because the Lord God is within them. The ones following the crowds aren't listening for his voice, but they are hearing what they want to believe.

What we can count on is God's justice. He won't let evil prevail or go unpunished. In fact, he gives time for repentance, but he isn't going to resist the evil desires of one's own heart. Evil abounds because the people follow their own desires, form their beliefs on what some charismatic person says, and then the move ahead blindly. God's wisdom dictates we don't listen to any other voice than his - allowing his Word and his Spirit to be the things that form our beliefs.

God watches over those who live right. How do we make right choices? We learn to discern the voice of this world system from that of our Lord and Savior. We assess every word and action of those who ask us to follow them against the Word of God. We see if the life testimony aligns with the Word of God - if not, we reject the message. There will always be evil until Jesus comes again - so we must learn to identify its influence, stop listening to its voices, and trust his power to help us resist the urge to follow the wrong voices. Just sayin!

I am with you

Don’t worry—I am with you. Don’t be afraid—I am your God. I will make you strong and help you. I will support you with my right hand that brings victory. (Isaiah 41:10)

If most of us started each new day with this promise in mind, I wonder just how differently we'd face the issues of the day? I imagine we might just not be as haggard at the end of the day, exhibiting just a bit more wisdom with the actions of the day, and perhaps with a bit more accomplished than we'd see without his help. The instructions: 1) stop your worrying, 2) let your fear go, 3) trust your God, 4) lean into his strength, and 5) you will feel his support.

Stop worrying - because God isn't deserting us, but going with us, having prepared a way before us. If we'd just get this simple instruction worked into our brains, reminding our emotions that they aren't in control, God is, then maybe we'd find it a bit easier to turn away those worries when they start to creep in.

Let go of your fears. There is nothing like showing your enemy your belly and neck regions to make your enemy feel he is in control. God doesn't ask us to just lay down and take whatever comes our way. He reminds us of the importance of putting on his full armor because we don't want the enemy to gain any advantage over us.

Trust your God - not the situation, the threats, or the imagined issues. Trust YOUR God. Not the god of this world or the 'thing' that might happen if we just let go and lean into Jesus. Fear is an emotion that is not always based in fact. The fact we need to recount throughout our day is that we serve the God of the Universe - the Creator and Sustainer of all things. 

Lean into his strength and put down the desire to do things in your own strength or wisdom. Both will not sustain us long. We need his wisdom as well as his strength - we find both when we lean into him. That might mean we stop seeing the issue and look for the solution. To understand the issue, we might need his wisdom to 'break it into pieces'. An issue 'dissected' under his watchful eye is easier to resist, solve, or remove!

Feel his support. It is indeed a thing to feel his strength with us. You might not realize it if you don't start at the top of this list and work your way down. Get to the point of leaning into his strength and you are sure to realize his support. Just sayin!

Is God fair?

Do you ever feel 'ashamed' about your understanding of the Word of God? There are indeed times when someone will come out with some 'deep' insight into what God has said, then we simply sit there in a state of 'awe' because we had never seen that truth before in that particular passage. We shouldn't ever feel 'ashamed' that we didn't see the truth like they did - we should revel in the fact God surrounds us with people who can see things we might have missed and that they are willing to share them with us! It is one of the means God uses to actually help us learn his truths.

Lord, you gave us your instructions and told us to always obey them. How I wish I could be more faithful in obeying your laws! Then I would never feel ashamed when I look closely at your commands. The more I understand how fair your laws are, the more sincerely I will praise you. (Psalm 119:4-7)

God gave us his instructions, not so they could sit on a shelf or in a bookcase never being read. He gave them to us as practical tools to keep us away from temptation, safe within the boundaries he sets, and so we'd have the weapons we need when the enemy of our souls tries to convince us we will never be safe or overcome sin. Always obeying these instructions is where we struggle. We understand them to a point, but it could just be we need to understand them a bit better. We won't come to that place of deeper understanding on our own, though. We need the help of the Holy Spirit, teachers of the Word, and even our closest friends to help us 'see' what remains hidden within those pages.

Perhaps we avoid time in the Word of God, choosing to just be 'spoon fed' bits and pieces on a Sunday morning. Maybe we don't want to make the effort to discover what it is God wants to reveal. The more we get into the scripture, the more 'insight' we will develop. Insight is nothing more than discernment - another big word that means we can see an underlying truth. God's plan for us is to give us insight so we will grasp and begin to incorporate that underlying truth within our lives. For example, when he tells us not to covet what our neighbor possesses, he isn't keeping us from good things. He is instructing us to avoid the traps of jealousy, comparisons, and pride. 

His laws are indeed 'fair', even though Satan might want us to think otherwise. This world's philosophies will attempt to tell us there is no 'fairness' in God's 'restrictions', but both his 'restrictions' and his 'allowances' are fair. The frequency at which we expose ourselves to God's truths will determine how well we begin to appreciate both God's allowances and his restrictions. Both are for our safety and blessing. God is always 'fair' - even when he places a 'do not go there' sign clearly in our path. Just sayin!

Deuces or Aces?

The Lord will keep good people safe, but evil people will have many troubles. (Proverbs 12:21)

Josh Billings said, "Life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing those you hold well." We might not always be dealt the 'best hand' in life, but we can 'play the cards' we are dealt to the best of our ability, all the while trusting God with the outcome. We 'hold' certain cards in life, some good while others are not as good. I learned a long time ago it didn't do much good to complain about the hand one receives. It is best to take those 'cards' to Jesus, ask him for the wisdom to 'play them well' and then trust him with the rest.

The Lord will keep good people safe - these words ring true time and time again in our days, even when we don't realize how much 'safety' he has provided along our path. We want a 'clear path', but we don't see what goes into clearing it because God has done all that work ahead of us. We want a smooth path, but we don't realize how many times he has 'leveled it' just for us. We want a quick path, but we don't appreciate how much he has prepared for us to behold along the way. God's plans are not always evident in the 'hand we are dealt', but we can trust that his provision, power, and purpose will be revealed along the way.

When we have troubles, does that mean we are 'evil' as this passage might suggest? No, it just means we live in a crazy, mixed up, fallen world! We will face trials and struggles - that is a given. We don't always find the smooth or easy way in life, but we don't travel that way alone. We have God's presence with us, and he gives us one another to help in that walk. We might think things could be 'simpler', but we don't always 'need' simple - we might just need a little bit of a challenge to help us grow stronger, keeping us on track with Jesus as it does. 

Remember, three aces are good, but four twos are better! We might think we have nothing but 'low cards' in the deal, but with Jesus, the 'low cards' could just be the highest hand! Just sayin!

Pushing back the darkness

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

I say this because all of God lives in Christ fully, even in his life on earth. And because you belong to Christ you are complete, having everything you need. Christ is ruler over every other power and authority. (Colossians 2:9-10)

If Christ lives in you, all of God lives in you - you are complete, lacking in nothing you ever need, full of power and might. Now, how many of us are actually living like we believe that? Most of us would cop to a plea of living somewhere below that mark, believing instead in the things that give us worry and stress as a bit more powerful right now. As Tagore said, 'faith is the bird that feels the light' even when the darkness around you hasn't been pushed away entirely by the light. We might just need to ask God to reveal himself in the darkness so it can be pushed back entirely!

If Christ rules over every power and authority that exists, why do we worry so much about things we don't seem to have control over? Perhaps it is because we think WE need to be the one to be in control, living with a courage that really isn't part of who we are in a natural sense. We are faced with bills we cannot pay right now, so we fret, lose sleep, and look for a second job. We extend ourselves beyond what God intended for us to be extended physically, impacting how we feel emotionally and then wonder why our spiritual life is not 'holding us up' any longer. Truth be told, we are neglecting that while trying to figure out how to be our own life's power and authority!

When we welcome Christ into our lives, he becomes the ultimate authority. Like it or not, we must relinquish our 'control' to his ultimate power and authority. We really weren't controlling life well anyway, so how hard should it be to give over control? It is hard for us to admit we are 'not dealing well' with life's challenges, but we hold on to the edges of our sinking ship like it will save us. That 'sinking ship' is really a bunch of 'plans' we made that didn't really 'pan out' all that well. To hold onto those plans is to trust our lives to an anchor, not a life raft!

We would do well to recognize that all power and authority comes to us in the person of Christ. The more we let go of our need to control things, the more we will recognize the futility of the anxiety of working our own plans. It won't be easy to let go, even though the ship is sinking. We might not see our deliverance immediately, but we can trust God's promises. His Son lives in us, therefore his power lives in us. The very thing we need to overcome the darkness that seeks to invade our souls is present within us. Maybe we just need to let his light push that darkness away until we see clearly what we need to do right now. Just sayin!

You allowing the planting?

My dear brothers and sisters, always be more willing to listen than to speak. Keep control of your anger. Anger does not help you live the way God wants. So get rid of everything evil in your lives—every kind of wrong you do. Be humble and accept God’s teaching that is planted in your hearts. This teaching can save you. (James 1:19-21)

How good are you at listening? I don't mean just letting someone speak on and on, but truly listening to what is being said. We can all tune out someone who is droning on about some subject. It takes some effort to reconnect and pay attention, doesn't it? Listen more than you speak - those are words to live by - if we'd just listen to them!

Why is it we have relationship issues? It usually began with something said that was misinterpreted, or a failing to say anything at all when the moment came and went. Truth be told, the 'relationship issues' we have with our heavenly Father are no different. We come and talk, talk, talk with him in 'prayer' and then we walk away wondering why things aren't change in our lives. The moment we stopped 'talking', we were done, so we thought prayer was done.

Talking with God isn't much different than talking with each other. We talk, then we are to listen, and sometimes we actual hear what WE are saying even before HE begins to say a thing. When we actually begin to hear what we are saying, it might just make us take a beat and listen a bit longer. We might just discover that our prayers are a bit 'shallow', 'hollow', or 'trivial' in nature. We only scratch the surface of what needs to be said and wonder why we 'never get anywhere' when we pray.

Always be more willing to listen than to speak. This principle is good in any relationship, but if we apply it to our relationship with Jesus first, imagine what might happen with our earthly relationships that have been struggling a bit. As we begin to listen more to God than make complaints, the more his teachings will begin to be planted in our hearts. Planted teachings are the ones that have the opportunity to grow. Just sayin!

Change the outcomes

People who live following their sinful selves think only about what they want. But those who live following the Spirit are thinking about what the Spirit wants them to do. If your thinking is controlled by your sinful self, there is spiritual death. But if your thinking is controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace. (Romans 8:5-6)

Thinking or not thinking - both can present problems we might not want to deal with. If we think upon things that are not honorable or will bring dishonorable actions into our lives, we get the resulting problems associated with those sinful thoughts. If we fail to think before we act, relying only upon what feels good to us at the moment, we will reap the results that will not always be very rewarding or wonderful. Thinking must be controlled - it cannot just be willy-nilly. If we are to live upright lives, we need a 'thinking partner' in this walk. That is why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to live within us. We need his presence to help us filter out the 'not so good' thoughts and rehearse the ones that lead us into right actions.

One thing I have learned about my own thoughts is to question if what I am about to say or do is based upon what I want, excluding how it may affect others. That is what our passage says - people who live following their sinful selves think ONLY about what THEY want. When I stop long enough to consider how my way of thinking will affect others if I act upon what I am thinking, I often will not take that particular action. Why? It would not honor them, or it would present difficulties within the relationship. There are times when I think one thing but find God prompting me to see things a bit differently than the way I have been looking at those things. Why? God knows if I continue along that way of thinking I will produce actions that will bring less than desirable consequences.

It didn't come naturally to me to begin my day by asking God's Spirit to take control of my thoughts, but once I did, I also found myself asking him to take control of my words and all the actions in my day. Why? Thoughts lead to words and actions - I need his help to make the most of both of those! It isn't hard to ask the Spirit to take the lead in your thought life, but it is a little harder to listen to his leading! It is that age-old issue of knowing what is right, but not always choosing to act upon what you know to be right. As long as I seek his help with the day, I am placing myself in the best possible position to see the outcomes within my day be the best they can be. The same will be true for you. Just sayin!

Influence me

But don’t let sin control your life here on earth. You must not be ruled by the things your sinful self makes you want to do. Don’t offer the parts of your body to serve sin. Don’t use your bodies to do evil, but offer yourselves to God, as people who have died and now live. Offer the parts of your body to God to be used for doing good. Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God’s grace. (Romans 6:12-14)

I know sin doesn't seem to just leave us alone - there are opportunities to compromise at every turn in the road and more than we might seem to recognize. When we welcomed Christ into our lives, we actually 'died' to sin - meaning that sin has no control over us any longer. We all know that temptation is real. We all realize the appeal of certain 'habits' don't just disappear. We have to put forth some effort to resist - to 'repel' sin's pull. What we might not recognize is that by offering our bodies to God daily, we are actually asking God to help us resist or repel those urges to do what we know we shouldn't be doing any longer.

The sad truth is that we actually 'offered' ourselves to serve sin. We might not realize how often we do this, like when we engage in just a bit of gossip about another individual. Is that information you are receiving honorable? Not usually. It isn't as though you have the best interest of the other individual in mind when you are taking it all in. You just want the juicy tidbits! We 'offer' ourselves to sin by listening when we have no business knowing what is being shared! Sin has a way of luring us in, creating a sense of 'ease' for the moment, but later we find that we aren't feeling all that good about what we just did, said, or are now thinking about. We let sin have an entrance and now we deal with the guilt.

What does it mean to offer ourselves to God. I can only share what it means to me, so let me begin by saying I offer my thoughts to him repeatedly throughout the day. I know how carried away my thoughts can get when they are left to their own devices and influenced by all the stuff around me, so I need his help to keep me 'on task' with him and able to resist those 'influential thoughts' that come at me. I also ask him to guide my words so they will be spoken in a gentle, healing, and wholesome manner. Does that mean I always succeed with my thought life and my speech? Not always, but I soon recognize when I am not in a 'safe place' with both areas because he brings little moments of conviction that turn me around quickly.

Perhaps offering ourselves to him means we take time to ask him where we struggle the most. I know my thoughts and words create the majority of issues in my life. So, I start there! Your struggles may be a little different, but you get the idea. When you offer yourself to him, he will show you where he needs to 'influence' your life the most - then all you need to do is allow him to do it! Just sayin!