Is it a weed seed?

Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8)

Tricked, deceived, deluded, fooled, misguided - regardless of the word we use, the meaning is all the same. When we are 'misled' down any path, we reveal quite foolish choices that lead to very foolish actions. We cannot plant one seed and expect a different harvest. Seeds bear the fruit they were created to bear - period! Ignore God's wisdom to avoid such paths that lead to sinful actions, and we will reap the consequences of those actions. Can a man really claim to be 'ignorant' of his choices? He may be 'uneducated' or 'uninformed', but even those 'excuses' are without excuse. God makes a way for each of us to be more than adequately 'informed' and 'educated' through the wisdom that comes in his Word, through the prompts of the Holy Spirit, and even in the example of others who follow Christ. We can attempt to make excuses for our sinful actions, but we are all really without excuse.

I don't know about you, but I want more than a crop of weeds to lay at God's feet. I want good crops - like kindness, understanding, forgiveness, grace, and peace to be the 'crops' that emanate from my life. Does that mean I never see a weed or two creeping through? Nope, it just means I allow God's Spirit to show me where the weeds are growing, helping me to 'pluck them right up' and rid my 'garden' of their presence. A weed is a pretty accurate description of sin. A weed is a 'wild plant growing where it is not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants'. According to Wikipedia, a "weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation" because it grows where it is in direct "conflict with human preferences, needs, or goals". In most cases, these are plants with characteristics that make them "hazardous, aesthetically unappealing, difficult to control in managed environments, or otherwise unwanted" in one's garden, farm, or other 'planted area'. 

Thinking upon that definition a bit, we might begin to consider some of the choices we have been making as a little too 'weed productive' in their outcomes. Those actions are producing unwanted outcomes that are in direct conflict with our needs and God's preferences. Maybe it is time God does a bit of 'weeding' in our garden. If so, don't resist because the 'crop' produced when the weeds are finally ousted will delight you more than you will ever know. Just sayin!

A stand out performance

My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are contrary to each other, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence? (Galatians 5:16)

Choose to be led - those four words are quite informative, aren't they? We 'choose' 'to be' 'led'. Choice is always part of our walk with Jesus. Some may look at Christians as a bunch of people who are given no choice other than to never smoke, never chew, and never run with those who do. I am certain there are a few other 'don't do this or that' items we could add to that list, but you get the point. Christians are given a choice - obey God's commands and thrive within the freedom that brings or choose our own way and see if that gets us 'close enough' to being 'okay' without being totally 'awful'. I don't like the possibility that the outcome could be that I just add guilt or shame to an already overburdened soul, do you? I choose obedience even when it is not convenient, not because I 'have to', but because I want to. How about you? Do you choose to be led by the Spirit of God? Be careful how you answer that for your actions speak much louder than your words. Words are easy - choices are harder!

To be - choices are usually 'actionable' - in other words, they involve something occurring, coming into existence, or happening. When we choose obedience over 'selfish desire', we are allowing God's Spirit to bring into existence the very power to overcome all the desire to live opposite of that choice. Look again at our passage - disobedience actually 'feeds the compulsions of selfishness'. That pretty much defines some of the choices I have made over the course of my lifetime, how about you? If you find you have been 'feeding the compulsions of selfishness' a bit too often, it isn't too late to walk those choices back. We can choose again, allowing the new actions to produce a new outcome. Choose to be 'led'. This is probably the most important thing we do after we make the choice to follow Jesus. Following indicates there is a leader, doesn't it? We all follow someone, like it or not. For example, we could follow societal norms, religious dictates, or political ideals. Who we choose to follow is important. When we make a conscious choice to follow Jesus, we might not realize it, but we are choosing 'against' many of those norms or ideals that are out there today. To choose to be led means we might just 'stand out' as different. Perhaps that is a good thing? Just askin!

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!

A little too enthusiastic?

Have you ever blamed someone else for something you really should have taken responsibility for? It is like you know you initiated the matter, but then it escalated out of control, and you don't want to step up to take responsibility. Have you ever done this with God? We forget that he knows the intention of our hearts and sees the foolishness of our actions, but it as though we want to shift the blame to him. It is that person you brought into my life, God. It was because you didn't intervene sooner, God. It was that circumstance, God. Anything or anyone other than us - even God - is to blame. People ruin their OWN lives by their OWN foolishness, but that doesn't give them the privilege to blame God or others for THEIR foolishness.

Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes. People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord. (Proverbs 19:2-3)

Do you know what 'enthusiasm without knowledge' really is? It is doing, THEN thinking things through! We might not realize it, but when we jump at this opportunity or that one, THEN think about the decisions we have made, it could be we are already reaping the consequences for the 'wrong choice'. I don't take a lot of time to make a grocery list. I just find the items we need and purchase them. I get a few things that look good in the ad and save a little money. When I buy a car, that is an entirely different matter. I take time to research the basic price, package price, taxes, fees, and cost of insurance. I might look a bit 'wishy-washy' by taking so much time to purchase the vehicle, but I have made hasty decisions in purchasing one before and regretted all the repairs I had to put into it. Haste isn't our best friend - it almost brings chaos and unnecessary complications into our lives.

I take responsibility for my decisions rather than blaming God or others for my 'hasty choices'. It isn't always the easiest thing, but I know it is the right thing to do. My life got way too complicated by MY compromises, not God's. My relationships got messed up by MY choices because of my actions, not God's. Did anyone else play a part? Maybe, but when we take responsibility for our actions, listening to what God tells us led to the chaos or consequences, and then learn from those 'hasty decisions', we are less likely to make them again. Don't blame others when at least some of the blame belongs to you. Don't accuse God of 'allowing' you to make mistakes when you clearly didn't consult him in the matter. Own up to those mistakes, allow correction to come, and then take note of how to avoid them in the future. You are doing yourself a great favor when you do! Just sayin!

Stop flipping the coin

Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. (Romans 6:2-4)

Can we continue...pretty pointed words, aren't they? We 'can' continue, but do we 'want' to continue? That is probably the most accurate way to say it. We might not believe it, but the 'bond' to sin has been broken when we said 'yes' to Jesus. The 'desire' remains, causing us much difficulty at times. We know the right words to say, but the wrong ones make it past our lips. We know the right actions to take, but we drag our feet. We understand right from wrong, but we lean to the wrong side of the decisions just a little too frequently. The struggle is real, but there is always another choice to be made - to live in a power not our own.

Since we have died to sin - past tense. Now we also may live new lives - present tense. It is the 'in between' tense that gives us all the trouble, isn't it? We get mired in the way we chose to live 'in the past' and we want to plunge head-long into how we are called to live 'in the present', but we actually live 'somewhere in between'. We don't always make wise choices - mostly because we haven't figured out how to live 'in present tense' yet! We died - past tense. We were buried with Christ - past tense. As Christ was raised by God's power, we can live in this 'new tense'. 

If we don't have it all figured out yet, it is okay. We don't have to understand grace fully to walk inside its protection. We don't have to always feel God's power at work within us to know it is working. We might just find ourselves relying a bit too much on the 'feeling' of power rather than trusting in the 'presence' of power. When we don't 'feel it', we don't always think it is working within us, but God doesn't always have to be 'felt' to be deeply at work within. It is the 'now' we need to focus on - NOW we MAY live new lives. It is a moment-by-moment choice. 

We MAY do a whole lot of things but choosing the right side of the 'MAY coin' is important. We "MAY" choose to live according to the old way of life, or we "MAY" choose to live under the authority of Christ and the power of his presence within us. Some of us live life like it is a coin-toss. It isn't! There is only one side to the 'coin' - Christ. There is no 'tails' side to this 'coin'. Truth is, we need to stop 'flipping the coin' and just lean into his presence and power within. As soon as we do, we might just find the "NOW" is a whole lot easier. Just sayin!

More than the prophets ever had

This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward. They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen. (I Peter 1:10-12)

If the prophets could have known and experienced what we now know and experience in Christ Jesus, would there have been any stopping them? They longed to know more about his coming and what he would accomplish by it. They desired to see the fulfillment of all of God's promises - in the person of Jesus Christ. What the Old Testament prophets wanted to learn and experience we already know. We see a much bigger picture of God’s plan than they did. We can learn from the life of Christ and understand in depth God’s plan for redemption. Knowledge doesn't always change a person, though. It takes much more than a knowledge 'about' Jesus to change us. It takes an engagement between the mind and the heart in order for the knowledge we have to begin to affect us.

The mind decides - the heart follows up with action. What dictates our decisions? Is it knowledge alone? No, because we have a whole lot of knowledge, but we don't necessarily take action on it. We 'know' that clouds may carry rain, but do we always carry an umbrella when there are clouds in the sky? The knowledge that clouds carry rain on occasion doesn't change our actions unless we really perceive the threat of rain as 'real'. We don't always embrace truth the first time we are exposed to it but get rained on often enough and you learn when the clouds actually threaten rain! You likely begin to act upon that knowledge the next time you see the threat of rain.

Fill the mind with the 'right stuff' and the right actions are more likely to occur. Just fill it to overflowing with superfluous stuff and you will likely be so 'muddled' in your thoughts that it is hard to know what the right actions are when you need to take them. Idle thoughts let the mind run wild - it gives the mind permission to do whatever it 'thinks' it wants to do. Scripture reminds us that every thought is to be taken 'captive' because we don't want to give ground to foolish actions as a result of foolish thought. The prophets had knowledge and acted upon that which they had. Do we act upon the knowledge we have been given? If not, maybe it is about time we turn knowledge into wise action.

The more we act upon the knowledge we are given, the more we will avoid the pitfalls afforded us through all the new problems that come against us each day. We might want to consider just how much we let idle thoughts get the best of us and then ask God's help in engaging our minds in response to the knowledge he brings. When we take the first step toward incorporating that knowledge into our actions, we begin to see the Word of God become a living thing within us. Our actions may not immediately change, but the more that knowledge is embraced, the quicker we will see that change realized. Just sayin!

Wound Up?

I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. (Romans 7:24-25)

Many of us live 'lives of contradiction' - wanting to make right choices, but finding ourselves at the mercy of who knows what making all the wrong ones. If there is one thing I know it is this - the harder we 'try' to live right, the more we find ourselves decisions that are not always right. Why? This walk with Christ isn't meant to be us 'trying' - it is meant to be him empowering us through his Spirit and his Word to make the right decisions. 

If we are constantly making wrong moves, does that mean we haven't really invited Christ into our lives? No, it just means we haven't stopped trying to be the ones to make our lives line up with what scripture teaches. We are still holding onto control - 'trying' is not the same as 'trusting'. The good news is that we are guided into making the right choices the more we 'settle into' this new life with Christ. The more we discover how he speaks to us and what he wants us to do, the more we find our desires changing. Changed desires make it a whole lot easier to change our actions.

I stopped asking God to help me do things right a long time ago. Instead, I ask his to make my desires different. It is like when I attempt to change the way I am eating from a not very healthy lifestyle to a healthier one. At first, I desire all the wrong stuff, but as I rid my house of the wrong stuff, my desires change little by little. When I made the choice to 'be healthier', I needed to make a shift in the way I bought groceries. One action led to another, until I eventually began to consistently make wiser choices. The same is true in our spiritual, emotional, and relational struggles - the actions change little by little.

I think we get ourselves all wound up when we don't see change coming quickly into our lives. We want to pray once, seek answers once, and then see immediate change. The truth of the matter is that spiritual change (the deeper inner struggles we all have with who will be in control in our lives) come slowly. As one principle is learned, we begin to put it into practice in our lives, and that leads to another principle (truth) being learned. No builder erects a building in one fell swoop. It takes planning, preparation, and consistent 'steps'. The same is true in our spiritual lives - plan to live right, prepare to live right, and then allow God to help you take the consistent steps toward right choices. Little by little, line upon line, precept upon precept. That's a biblical thing, you know! Just sayin!

Looking and Feeling Our Best

You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully. Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands. As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! I will obey your decrees. (Psalm 119:4-8)

To what or whom do your compare your life's actions? God charges us with the responsibility and "goal" of keeping his commands - with consistency and dogged determination. We are actually reminded that the 'comparison' we need to make is with his commands - how well are we measuring up to what he asks of us? How consistent are we in making right choices? How much does 'obedience' out-trump all the other choices we could make?

Did you ever stop to consider that your life of obedience is actually an offering of 'thanksgiving' to God? Our passage reminds us that when we live as we should (obedience), we are actually lifting thanks to God with each 'right action' that aligns with his commandments. If we don't know his commandments, how can we live by them? If we don't take time to know the one who gives us those commands, how can we understand the heart behind each one? To know God is more than attending church and hanging around with other church folks. To know God means we take time to actually form a relationship with him.

As relationships are formed, we get to know each other - feeling free to point out something that isn't just right with the other person. My BFF helps me see those tiny wayward 'chin hairs' that sometimes escape my glances in the mirror. They catch her eye at just the right moment, and she is able to point them out to me so I can 'deal with them' when I get home. I want that kind of relationship with God, too. I want him to be able to 'point out' those 'wayward' things in my life that don't bring him honor - choices I have been making that don't reflect his holiness in me. When those things 'catch his eye', it isn't by accident - it is because he is the perfect light, and they NEVER escape him. 

Some think commandments are 'laws' or 'rules' that make it hard to live the way we want. Could it be that the 'way we want' isn't actually the best way for us to be living? Could it possibly be that a loving, all-knowing God sees the end even before we begin down that path? Might it be he loves us too much to see us hurt ourselves with unwise choices? I think all of us need a little time with Jesus each day - to get to know him and to allow us to see just how much he already knows all about us. In that 'sharing' of time, don't be surprised if he points out some 'wayward' choice that needs your attention. It isn't to shame you, but to make you look and feel your best! Just sayin!

Custom Edition

By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path. I’ve committed myself and I’ll never turn back from living by your righteous order. Everything’s falling apart on me, God; put me together again with your Word. Festoon me with your finest sayings, God; teach me your holy rules. (Psalm 119:105-108)

How is your life going? You might be living by default rather than by any particular design. When you buy a new electronic device, there is a "factory preset" for how the system should work. It is called the "default" operating system. As time goes on and you become more familiar with what the device can actually do when it gets off the "default" mode, you might actually find you can do some pretty handy things with the device. "Default" is only a beginning spot - it isn't where we are designed to live. When we settle for "default", we negate the purpose of being created with the various abilities God has worked into our temperament and character. Whenever we settle for living in the "default" mode, we are simply saying we are content with following a script. From the beginning of time, God's intent has been for us to live by "design" rather than "default" - this is why he gave us the right to make choices. We have a free-will - how much we choose to use our free-will to move closer to him, or further away from him is all up to us.

Each of us is created with a "default" operating system - body, soul, and spirit. The body is animated by the spirit, the soul is what gives us the uniqueness of connection with one another. The body gives a framework - the soul is what allows us to rationalize, make choices, and respond with any range of emotions. The spirit is the place where we either embrace a closeness with God as our Lord and Savior, or we live with a void here. By default, we have this void - the place of connection. We either "fill the slot" with him, or we fill it with whatever seems to matter MORE than him. By default, we are empty in this space - by choice the space is filled. Oftentimes, the choices we make kind of "override" the intentions of our heart. We might think we will get to the place we desire in our heart, but the choices we make don't actually make it possible for us to actually see those desires met in the manner God intended for us.

God grants good sense to all of us - it is a choice to use it! People tell me they don't know what God's will is for their lives. I have to go back to the "owner's manual" to help them frame their understanding of what God's will actually is. God's will becomes clear when we understand the three parts of our "default operating system" and see how they are interrelated. When we do something which will not benefit our body, it is not going to provide a good framework for our soul or spirit any longer - so it is likely not God's will. When we want to embrace things which will fill our minds with confusion, challenge the things we know to be true, or allow idleness in our thought processes, this is definitely not going to benefit either our body or soul. If we choose to fill the place where God's Spirit desires to be "plugged in" within us with anything other than his Spirit, we will fall short of being animated as he would desire.

Learn the power of asking the right questions. You can go through life asking questions, but if they aren't the right ones, you tend to lean toward the "default" answers. When we begin to ask the right questions, such as "How will this impact my relationship with ..." or perhaps "What will this decision cost me in time which I should be directing into my relationship with Jesus", then we are going to find a different set of answers to help us live by design, not default. It is amazing to see how the right questions produce different outcomes from questions which are superficial or just don't really require any effort to answer. When my teacher asked, "How did you get to that answer?" He was asking me to form the right sequence of thought which consistently produced the right answer. Often, we "got to" the right answer, but in the next set of problems we would be given, using that same "train of thought" would not produce the same results. Why? We weren't asking the right questions to help us consistently solve the problem at hand.

Ask whether this current decision you are faced with is congruent with God's "design" for your life. If you have never asked God to reveal his "design" and have always just been content to live by "default", you might be surprised what you will learn if you actually stop long enough to consider his design. Living by default allows us to have moments of indiscretion - times when we choose to go one way, because we think we will get the same results with our choice as we got the last time. When we are not clear as to what God's plan is for our lives, we tend to make a lot of attempts at "solving the issues" in our lives, but never quite doing it with any consistency. We end up living by "trial and error". Trial and error are two "defaults" I am trying to avoid! We have been given the "owner's manual" (the Bible) to help guide our choices. As long as we follow the principles displayed there, solutions are much more consistent! We don't need to understand how the whole "system" works to understand there is an opportunity to live a "customized" life. "Customized" doesn't mean we do the choosing and hope for the best. In fact, the best customization comes when we have a skilled craftsman actually helping us to understand the best use of what it is we have at our disposal. Just sayin!

Wisdom Encouraged

But the wisdom that comes from God is first of all pure, then peaceful, gentle, and easy to please. This wisdom is always ready to help those who are troubled and to do good for others. It is always fair and honest. People who work for peace in a peaceful way plant a good crop of right-living. (James 3:17-18)

I daresay we all want to act wisely, but as much as we 'want' it, we fail to always exercise the greatest of wisdom in some of our choices. How can we 'want' something so badly and still miss out on it so frequently? I don't think it is by accident because we don't always remember the 'rules of wisdom': 1) If it is wise, it will be pure; 2) If it is wise, it will be done with a peace of mind and heart; 3) If it is wise, there will be a gentleness to the action; and 4) If it is wisdom, it may not seem to be the easiest course up front, but it will definitely be the easiest on the back-end!

We are surrounded by all manner of impure options, thoughts, and examples. We need to learn to recognize the pure from the impure. There is so much presented to us with just a 'margin' of impurity that we easily embrace the whole as 'pure'. How can we develop an awareness of the 'pure'? It comes as we spend time getting to know God's Word, listening to his voice in the form of what some might call an 'unction' (a fancy word for having the impression something is right for us to pursue), and being aware of the little 'checks' that can occur when we are about to pursue something that isn't wise.

Can we use peace as a means of evaluating a 'wise' versus 'unwise' action? It is possible to use this as one of the 'tests' to evaluate our actions but remember that relying solely upon 'feelings' can be a little untrustworthy. We can think we have 'peace' about a matter but miss hearing God's voice on the matter because we are driven by our desire more than submitting that desire to his guidance. Peace about something rarely stands alone - we need to evaluate the intended action against what we know to be true of God's character, what is declared in his Word, and the 'checks & balances' we receive from the Holy Spirit within.

If we review our passage again, there is other 'evidence' of wise actions - such as the action being fair and honest. In other words, we don't seek to take the action because it will benefit us alone. We keep the needs of others in mind, as well. If we are constantly evaluating our actions through the eyes of the Spirit who resides within, we will be less likely to take actions that further impurity's inroad in society. We will be concerned not only about our welfare, but that of those around us, as well. We will be engaged in actions that produce a good crop - one that is able to reproduce wise actions in those around us. Just sayin!

Plan Number One

Got any plans for your day? One nice thing about being on vacation is the lack of plans! We find ourselves very spontaneous, making plans only if it involves being at an established location at a certain time (such as to catch some fish in the early morning hours). Other than that, we kind of just like to take it one day at a time! Not a bad way to live, but how many of us can actually live like this? Unless we are retired, it is not likely! 

We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it. (Proverbs 16:9)

We plan the way we WANT to live - but only God makes us ABLE to live it. Plans and ability are two separate things, are they not? We make a lot of plans which we never seem able to fulfill, right? They just don't come together as they should, or never really get finished because other demands seem to creep up which require our attention. Let's be honest - we all have plans we sometimes have no ability to fulfill - we just hope we might make some progress toward them sometime down the road. It is God's business to give us the ability to live out the plans, but I think he scrutinizes the plans we make to see that they line up with his "master plan" for our lives.

When God lays out our path and we determine to walk within that pathway, we are led away from evil and toward the place of safety in our lives. "The road of right living bypasses evil; watch your step and save your life." (vs. 17) I cannot help but examine some of the paths I have taken in my life because I wanted to go down those roads. As I look back, there are some pretty deep pot-holes, rocky courses, and the like which I had to navigate through in order to come out on the other side. There are even some I actually abandoned instead of seeing them through to the end. Why? They weren't the right paths! They weren't honoring God and they weren't fulfilling me. So, in the end, I wasted a lot of time discovering this, but somehow when I did, God was right there ready to get me back on course again. What he was doing in the time it took me to figure out I was pursuing a wrong course was getting me good and ready to pursue the right one! So, not even a wrong course is wasted in the hands of God.

"Failure is certain when pride becomes our mode of operation in life. First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall." (vs. 18) One thing proud people don't do well is listen to instruction. It is their pride actually closing off their "hearing"! To prosper, we need to listen to instruction and trust in God. "Prosper" is a word of action. It means to thrive. If you have ever experienced being in a desolate, dry place in your life, you probably have known the opposite of prospering - nothing thrives in dryness but pretty prickly stuff like cacti and tumbleweed! Does it surprise you that the dry places seem a little barren? It shouldn't because any time we choose our own way over God's, we choose the rocky and prickly path!

"A wise man is known for their understanding. It pays to take life seriously; things work out when you trust in God. A wise person gets known for insight; gracious words add to one’s reputation."  (vs. 20-21) The words of the wise are persuasive while the words of the fool might be able to dupe us into believing them. The words of the wise carry an authority unlike any other. We don't gain wisdom in isolation. Wisdom is learned while being "on the journey". Learning is a lifestyle - not a pursuit. Learning is made up of disciplined steps. A foolish man will take steps without much thinking, but those steps determine his destiny. Disciplined steps are discretionary steps. There is some matter of choice made by the one taking the steps, but these choices are based on what has become evident as prudent or sensible. Prudent or sensible steps become evident because you get to know the one who gives good judgment - God himself.

Although there are many reasons for planning, nothing is more motivating that some element of hunger. The right "hunger", not just an appetite. "Appetite" is really a drive to satisfy a need - it could be physical, spiritual, or emotional. What we determine to be our "needs" is important to consider in light of how those "needs" will be met as we pursue getting them met. Appetite for spiritual graces draws us closer to Jesus and makes us pursue him harder. We would do well to consider our appetites when we are planning our course. Plan but don't forget who makes you able to fulfill the plans! Just sayin!

Obedience is not easy

Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. (Romans 12:12)

I have a theory that burnout is about resentment. And you beat it by knowing what it is you're giving up that makes you resentful. (Marissa Mayer) Ms. Mayer makes a very good point about 'burnout'. We create this scenario in our minds about having to 'give up' something in order to pursue something else, and it is this 'something else' that is making us feel burned out. Truth be told, it is the 'resentment' we form toward what we perceive as 'given up' that leads to the feelings of burnout. Remember, feelings can be fickle - they can lead us down pathways we don't want to be traveling. The harder we try to not focus on what we perceive we are 'giving up', the more the feelings of resentment grow toward whatever it is we see ourselves pursuing instead. We have to remember there are seasons in each of our lives - sometimes we have to put something on the back burner for a bit because we are being asked to focus on something else. If we are being led by the Spirit of God, we can be assured that anything we are asked to 'put on the back burner' is really going to lead to us achieving something even better because we are pursuing what God intends for this moment.

Resentment isn't always toward someone we are in conflict with - it can also come when we are asked to go a different path than we really wanted to travel. God is good at putting those types of 'change requests' in front of us on occasion, isn't he? We are going one direction, pretty content to just be going that way, then he puts this 'change request' forward in our minds and we are at a crossroads. We sometimes stand there at that crossroad point for what seems like an eternity, pondering what must be put on the 'back burner' and what it is we are now being asked to do. We mull it over repeatedly, almost beginning to come to a 'slow boil' because we form these ideas that we are being asked to 'give up' something in pursuit of something else. Oftentimes, God isn't asking us to 'give up' anything - he just asks us to have a change in our priorities for a period of time. There is no doubt he has something good ahead for us, but we were pretty comfortable right where we were. Why mess with a good thing? 

God knows the enemy of spiritual, relational, and emotional growth is comfort. We don't want to have our comfort disturbed. When we are pursuing what seems 'comfortable' to us, we aren't feeling like there is any conflict. When we find our comfort being disturbed so God can bring a little growth within, we get downright obstinate, sometimes even angry because he disturbed our comfort. This is where resentment begins to enter into the equation - we attach feelings to the new thing we are being asked to pursue, and they may not always be positive. Pride and selfishness begin to muster forces within, and we begin to form some pretty 'sour' feelings about moving forward. The sooner we recognize these feelings, the sooner we can confess them, ask God's help to move beyond them, and make the steps down the path he has determined to be best for us today. Just sayin!

Let it be recorded

I may never write a book, but I am able to write a blog. A friend once asked me to write a book. The idea of having to put into words my life experiences almost intimidated me, not to mention the stories I have heard about getting a book edited and published. When I began to really think about it, I came to the realization we are all writing a book of sorts. We might call it the "book of decision" because each day is really a 'record' of the decisions we have made throughout that day. Each action we take is somehow "writing the next chapter" of our lives. Our response to today's events go a long way in determining the events of tomorrow, don't they? The events of one "chapter" open up many other chapters of victory or tragedy, gain or loss, celebration or grief for many more days to come. The same is true of our obedience - although it seems to us as less likely to affect as many or to be as profoundly impactful, each 'obedient choice' turns the page to another and another and another. 

And then the People of Israel were back at it again, doing what was evil in God's sight. God put them under the domination of the Philistines for forty years. At that time there was a man named Manoah from Zorah from the tribe of Dan. His wife was barren and childless. The angel of God appeared to her and told her, "I know that you are barren and childless, but you're going to become pregnant and bear a son. But take much care: Drink no wine or beer; eat nothing ritually unclean. You are, in fact, pregnant right now, carrying a son. No razor will touch his head—the boy will be God's Nazirite from the moment of his birth. He will launch the deliverance from Philistine oppression." (Judges 13:1-5 MSG)

Two groups are set before us today. The first is the People of Israel. The "chapter" they were writing was one of "being back at it again" - doing what was evil in God's sight - "pages" of their 'book of life' being filled with all manner of disobedience. Seems like a familiar chapter, does it not? We all can see ups and downs in the lives of the many people God brought out of Egypt - a people redeemed from slavery, but who so easily embrace the things God clearly told them to stay away from in the first place. Moments of close attention to the decisions which would be recorded in their "book" as moments of obedience, followed by moments of inattention which lent themselves to being recorded as "chapters" of disobedience, self-will, and significant compromise. When we see the 'page turn', we see a "new chapter" dawning for the nation - through the actions of one mother and father. Manoah and his wife would be instrumental in changing the course of a nation - by their simple and trusting obedience. As this couple were going about their normal routine, an angel of the Lord appears to them. No trumpets sounded announcing his arrival, or even revealing his identity. He just came in a simple way, almost unnoticed because of his "ordinary" appearance. I wonder how many chapters in our own lives have been opened in just such a manner? God coming to us in an "ordinary manner" - almost unnoticed for the significance of what he brings as that page begins to turn.

The woman was barren - unable to bare children. A tragedy by all accounts in the community in which she lived and worshiped. In fact, others may have looked upon her and made the assumption she was somehow not in right standing with God since she had not been blessed with any gift of life from her womb. Others may have been writing the "chapter of rejection" or "pages of judgment" in her book. God was going to change all this by one simple action of "opening" a new chapter for them! The angel announces they will have a son. They had a part to play - begin to nurture him well, even while he was in the womb, take great care of this blessing.  After he was born, they were to raise him as a devotee of God (a Nazarite). Indeed, a new chapter was dawning - simply by the actions of that one moment. Manoah and his wife were observed spending some time questioning the angel, wondering how this boy should be raised, trying to wrap their heads around it all. Still not recognizing this individual as an angel from God, they ask for his name. I wonder how many chapters of our book have been opened by God without us recognizing who was actually doing the "writing" upon our pages? Isn't it just like us to attempt to wrap our heads around 'stuff' so great like this and find ourselves more muddled than we were before any words began to be recorded upon the page?

At the very end of this chapter, we see the words, "The woman gave birth to a son. They named him Samson. The boy grew and God blessed him. The Spirit of God began working in him..." The boy grew and God blessed him. A new chapter was indeed being written for the nation of Israel. If you know anything at all about Samson, you know his life and actions were instrumental in delivering the nation from the hands of the Philistines - tremendously powerful, huge armies, mighty warriors. He was raised to be a "deliverer" for the entire nation. His life was to be dedicated to this purpose and each "chapter" written reveals the actions which God used to accomplish his purpose. I wonder how many chapters of our lives will be found to add up to a story of God's grace and actions within us which he uses for his glory? Probably more than we think, but what an awesome 'book' this will be! Don't discount the small decisions of today. They begin to write the pages of tomorrow in multiplied ways! Let God write upon your "page" today - it will be the beginning of a great chapter for tomorrow! Just sayin!

Life comes at us fast...are we ready?

I have been cleaning out small spaces lately, going through all of mom's belongings, sorting little things to give to family that will hold meaning to them. In the process, I came across a small trinket I have carried with me for years - a "Dope-Stopper" coin given to me by Art Linkletter when I was around 12 years of age. I was honored to hear him in person, having won a challenge at my local school to create a poster that spoke to remaining drug-free. In the height of the 60's, drugs were rampant and kids everywhere were beginning to experiment with the stuff. His goal was to speak truth and hope into the lives of pre-teens, on the cusp of making life-changing decisions as they entered their challenging teen years. My "Speed Kills" poster afforded me the opportunity to meet this great man, but most importantly, gave me the chance to hear his message of his daughter's addiction and her ultimate death. In the end, I walked away with his words echoing deep within me to keep kids - friends and those I'd never even met yet - safe from the damaging influence of drugs. I am grateful he shared his pain, because the careless decision to 'do drugs' carried more than one 'bad outcome' in lives all around me. If we were to be honest, there are a whole lot of things that we 'do' in this lifetime that are blatantly 'careless' and without much thought. Drugs aren't the only thing we should avoid - because there are a whole lot of careless living choices we make that take us down pathways that lead to pretty awful outcomes.

Keep the rules and keep your life; careless living kills. (Proverbs 19:16 MSG)

I have shared this before, but my poster, entitled "Speed Kills", featured a man taking speed, then speeding down a road filled with turns, until finally he crashed and died. Kind of morbid when I look back on it, but my thought was to capture the twists and turns life puts us through and the dangers created when we don't "obey the rules". The rules we 'violate' are the ones that would have helped us avoid those twisty and danger roads! "Keep the rules and keep your life". Many don't realize Mr. Linkletter was an orphan, adopted by a preacher, growing up as a "P.K" (Pastor's Kid). He was abandoned by his own family when he was only a few weeks old, adopted by an evangelical preacher, and he grew up to be quite a man. One of his most talked about accomplishments in life is the longevity of his marriage! 75 years married to the same woman! Not a thing most people in Hollywood can boast! One of the things I liked best when he spoke to us was what he said about choices in life - there will be many, but not all will be the best for us. He was saying we have to keep growing, constantly developing, because none of us is perfect yet. So true!

Life comes at us fast - decisions made on the fly often get us by, but they don't always make sense for the long haul. When we have a good foundation, we often respond better to the "on the fly" choices we have to make. When we don't take time to lay the right foundation, we often lack consistency, or what some may call integrity in our decisions.  We have choices in life - not everything is cut and dry. If you have ever tried to find some things in scripture, such as exactly when to marry, if you should marry at all, or if you should get a tattoo, you might be a little frustrated to see there are no clear cut "words of wisdom" recorded for us on these matters. Sure, there are "guidelines" like not doing something that will offend others. There is nothing in scripture which clearly says YOU should marry HIM, or YOU should not ever marry ANYONE. In fact, the Apostle Paul tells us some will desire to marry, and this is okay. Others will desire to stay single, this is still okay. Not one set of guidelines fits for everyone. In cases such as these, we need to go with the guidance of scripture and prayer. God is giving us choice in some matters such as marriage - so, if it is for you, go for it! Just use wisdom in selecting the one you are going to spend the rest of your life with - it is a "for keeps" relationship!

Carelessness kills. Being careless is when we don't really pay attention to the choices we are making. We might think of it as being a little too "unconcerned" about the outcome. In making choices, when we are not concerned with the outcome, we almost always will be caught a little off-guard with what "comes out" of our choices! Rules are there for our safety. Although I don't like to think of scripture as a set of "rules", they are! The guidance set out in scripture does what a "rule" does - it sets boundaries for living. Embrace them and we usually come out okay. Disregard them, and we are mopping up the mess! The heart of our heavenly Father beats for us as his kids. His words to us are heard over and over in scripture - the beat of his heart for us is found in the words recorded for our learning and protection. His goal in all the "rules" - for us to avoid the hazards of carelessness. What seems burdensome to us at this moment makes all the difference in the outcome! Just sayin!

Huh, I chose this?

Most of us realize it is one thing to "know" something - quite another to "do" it. I know how to eat well - to choose the right things to eat continually is a very real struggle, though! We know rewards of eating right always outweigh the short-lived enjoyment of the wrong choices, but we have cravings that demand to be fed. So, why do we act surprised when we get on the scale and see a few extra pounds? We made the choices - now we see the consequences. We need to recognize that both the knowledge and the action must make a connection within us in order to get the results we desire. This is one of the hardest lessons to learn and to put into practice in our lives, is it not?

Keep and live out the entire commandment that I'm commanding you today so that you'll live and prosper and enter and own the land that God promised to your ancestors. Remember every road that God led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not. He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry. Then he fed you with manna, something neither you nor your parents knew anything about, so you would learn that men and women don't live by bread only; we live by every word that comes from God's mouth. Your clothes didn't wear out and your feet didn't blister those forty years. You learned deep in your heart that God disciplines you in the same ways a father disciplines his child. (Deuteronomy 8:1-5)

Here we find Israel on the verge of greatness as a nation. God has delivered them from one of the biggest struggles of their lives - their servitude to Egypt, working as nothing more than menial laborers in their fields and homes. They "came out" to be "brought in". In other words, they were delivered to be free, not to enter into another form of slavery. So many times, we get "delivered" from one object of "trial" only to be faced with another. We thought we'd arrived, but realize it was only one leg of the journey! Experiencing God in every dimension of our lives is definitely a journey which takes an entire lifetime. It is not a one-time deal, or an on again - off again experience. In fact, if we look at the examples recorded for us in scripture, we see every diverging path of one of God's faithful leading to an obstacle of some sorts - until they come face-to-face with the reality the path was the wrong choice to make.

As God instructs Israel, the lessons were repeated over-and-over again. Sometimes I get exasperated when I have to explain things more than once or twice - how about you? Yet, God is infinitely more patient than me (or you)! In the explanations we always find evidence of his grace. In the re-explaining, we repeatedly experience the evidence of his grace. God's infinite patience in teaching and reteaching until we finally understand the lesson is beyond my comprehension! His first words to us: Keep and live out the commandments I give you. Not just some of them, or the easier of them, but all. It is not up to us to pick out which will "suit us", or to "tailor" them to our circumstances. If God says, "Don't", then it means don't. If he says, "Go", then we'd better be up and about it. Look at the instruction again - KEEP and LIVE OUT. Sometimes I think we believe "keeping" to be a one time deal, but let me assure you, God thinks it is a lifetime project!

Remember every road you've been on - how can we do this? The instruction is to "remember every road God leads us on" - not necessarily every road we have chosen to follow by our own doing. I think we get this muddled up in our minds - thinking the negative roads were God's doing or his responsibility because he should have 'kept us away' from them. In fact, those roads were probably a result of our own choices and our ignoring of his promptings to avoid those roads. God instructs us to remember the ones he designed for us - those are the ones where we were tested and proven faithful. When we mix the two up, we have a tendency to get confused by the shame and guilt the wrong roads produced. Hard times are followed by refreshing. No amount of bad compares to the good God gives at the end of the journey. Today's trials are just tomorrow's blessings in disguise. As long as the road is the one God places us on, we are in good hands. If we diverge on our own path, even the obstacle he places in the path of our own choice is a sign of his grace and intense love for us. The obstacle is a call to turn around!

God's disciplines are good. He never disciplines haphazardly. God's disciplines are never directed at us in anger. There is always hope in his discipline - a plan for how we may find ourselves on the 'right road' again. There is a fresh infilling of grace. If we find ourselves disciplined - we also find ourselves intensely loved! Don't lose sight of the most important thing - even the obstacle in your path today is a sign of God's intense love! How we deal with the obstacle determines the path we will follow next. We can either experience the next obstacle, or turn again into the path he designs for us. The choice is up to us. The weight of one path is light - the other, not so easy to bear up under. Which path are you walking today? Just askin!

Not a path I'd like to travel again

Moments of hardship and trouble don't always seem like the things we will learn from, do they? As a matter of fact, we'd like to dis-enroll from the "school of hard knocks" and "difficult lessons", wouldn't we? We struggle, muddling through the bad stuff, until we can ultimately say that we "made it through". We don't get a diploma or certificate of completion to show we made it through, but we have learned a lesson or two that we probably were desperate to learn in our lives! The ride was tough, but the journey was well worth it.

My troubles turned out all for the best—they forced me to learn from your textbook. Truth from your mouth means more to me than striking it rich in a gold mine. (Psalm 119:71-72)

David reminds us frequently that the hard times forced him to learn from God's textbook - the Word - and they can do the same for us, as well. It almost goes without saying, but we find ourselves in the midst of a moment of indecision and THEN we look for the answers to the issues at hand! I think many of us head down a path without any clear indication as to where it will lead us probably more frequently than we'd like to actually admit!

On various outings, I have "explored" parts unknown to me - things awaiting my discovery one by one. Ever take the first path you came across? I have and it wasn't always the greatest of paths to take. Let me tell you about some the lessons I have learned along some of those paths. Perhaps you'd like to know about the lesson I learned about what goes in the mouth. Did you ever realize if it enters the mouth, it usually ends up finding a hiding spot somewhere in your body? Those extra calories may not seem like much when consumed in small amounts here and there, but too many of the 'here and there' kind of moments and those calories will end up as 'reserved fat' in your body. 

Another lesson I've learned - not every path is meant for me to follow! Some of those paths are just not going to benefit my life, nor were they ever intended for my travels. When I force myself down a path I really wasn't meant to travel in the first place, the journey isn't going to be very worthwhile for me. As a matter of fact, I may suffer loss or frustration that just makes the journey all that more unpleasant for me. The more we push ourselves down paths we aren't designed to travel, the more we develop what we can refer to as 'resistance' to the path, but have you ever noticed just how easily we stay on that path instead of getting of it?

Why do we stay on the path? Maybe it is stubbornness, believing we will somehow 'win' our way through to the end. It could be fear, because this is a path we already have become a little bit familiar with and any other path would be a little bit 'unknown' to us. So, we stay where we are despite our frustration and hurt and building resentment over the path. We chose this path and we are going to stick it out till the end. How's that working for you? Develop an appreciation for the Word as your guidebook for living and you will likely be challenged at every turn to evaluate the path you have chosen.

We know things may hurt us, but we just don't know how to get away from them. David certainly had learned this lesson the hard way when he was involved in admiring what God clearly said he should not admire. His "romp" with Bathsheba left him with a sticky situation to deal with - he'd taken another man's wife, found out she was with child, and then he chose to cover up what he clearly should not have embraced! The wrong path, with wrong results, leaves us with further wrong actions each and every time! Sin is like that - it presents itself, affording the opportunity to admire what we should clearly leave alone. Either we walk away, or we stand around long enough to get taken in! The more we turn to the "textbook" BEFORE we encounter the bad stuff along the path, the more we will be ready to avoid the path entirely! Just sayin!

Door Number One? Two? Three?

The arrogant eyes (pride-filled attitude of looking down on others in judgment), the lying tongue (that destroys others and builds self up), the hands that murder the innocent (often without really "killing" them), and the heart that hatches evil plots (just because it can!). The feet that race down a wicked track - now that is indeed a description of some of our responses to temptation in life - we actually run toward them rather than away!

Here are six things God hates, and one more that he loathes with a passion: eyes that are arrogant, a tongue that lies, hands that murder the innocent, a heart that hatches evil plots, feet that race down a wicked track, a mouth that lies under oath, a troublemaker in the family. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

Feet carry us on our journey - they are what propel us forward or stop us in our tracks. In this case - they are racing forward - not at a pace that suggests any hesitation in the way they are going, but with determined purpose. Their direction is down the track - they are making progress away from the point where they started. Their destination or course they are traveling is that of less than a desirable end - it is a wicked track. Now, lest we quickly dismiss this 'path' as one upon which we'd never place our feet, let me ask each of us to recall the last time we lost our temper, or became so frustrated with something that we took something into our own hands. Did you gingerly just meander down that path, or did you run like a fool on fire? I daresay, we all 'run' in the wrong direction at times, my friends.

This wicked path is more than a subtle mischievous path. It is characterized by both bad principles and bad practice - having principles doesn't always keep us from practice that is wrong - even the best intentions can go awry on occasion given the right impetus. When we set ourselves toward embracing principles (values) that are bad, the practices (actions) that stem from that foundation will also be bad. God is emphasizing that we have something within us that propels us forward down a path that we should not even be on at all - something within that motivates us to move in a particular direction with quite a bit of haste. He describes spiteful, malevolent, vicious actions caused by hearts that are not guarding against wrong-doing.

That is how it is when we allow compromise to enter into our lives - we find ourselves maybe only trying something once, but if the results are even a little bit satisfying, we try it again. This is fine if the choices we are making are righteous in nature, but it is quite a different thing if they are morally wrong choices. I can pick up a fishing pole and throw in a line from time to time, relaxing and enjoying an occasional catch. If this becomes a habit that results in me calling in to miss work, avoiding family duties or responsibilities, etc., then it isn't a righteous course any longer. Each time we compromise it makes it easier for our entire being to lower our resistance to the forces that entice us to go a little further. In turn, our response to the temptation to compromise comes into our thoughts a littler easier, making it appear that we are heading down the track without really exerting much effort at all.

So, how do we guard against having feet that take us down the "wicked track"? It is a moment-by-moment assessment of our responses. We can change course quite easily - but only if we are attentive to where we are heading! Remember that each of these seven characteristics lends to the 'success' of the other. Asking God to show us where we have problems with our pride is the beginning of staying on track. Counting on God to help us use our tongue in ways that continually honors him and build each other up keeps us from being a stumbling block for others. Allowing God to reveal how our words, actions, and attitudes destroy the character of others, hold back the growth of another, etc., will open our eyes to pathway choices that are reflective of bad principles and bad practices.

We are given the Holy Spirit as the means by which we can guard against running wildly down the pathway of bad principles and bad practices. He infuses us with the power to make the right choices, building upon the right principles within. We get those principles "in" by frequent exposure to the Word of God and times of deep, personal worship in God's presence. Sometimes we think it is hard to guard against compromise - and we would be right if we are assuming that task alone. We are given the Holy Spirit to assist us in avoiding those wrong principles from taking root. He acts as a guard over our actions by first assisting us to guard our attitudes. So, get time alone with him this week and see where he will lead you! Just sayin!

Anything but ordinary

Gonna ask a tough question this morning - how many of us actually live disciplined lives? A disciplined life is characterized by self-control, orderly and prescribed conduct, and exercise in things that produce solid moral character.  Most of us would associate ourselves with some other 'title' than 'disciplined' - especially when we consider all the areas of our lives where discipline may not be exercised. I don't always have a disciplined life with every aspect of my house cleaning, nor my maintenance of flowerbeds. Sometimes I let dust build up, and a few things to get gangling growth before I do anything about it. If we have mastered the art of living disciplined lives, it is usually in some area such as our finances, health, exercise, etc.  The type of discipline that is required to produce a 'spacious life' encompasses these types of 'disciplined living' and much more.

An undisciplined, self-willed life is puny; an obedient, God-willed life is spacious. 

(Proverbs 15:32 MSG)

The self-willed man is one who directs attention to his own needs without considering the outcome as it relates to his overall character, or the potential impact it will have on the character of another who follows his example.  In other words, if it feels good, gets me what I think I want, or makes me feel better about the situation I am in right now, I direct my attention toward those things because they give me an immediate fulfillment of some 'good' feelings.  The will of man is that which is exercised within us that reveals choice, appetite and passion.  A self-willed person has appetite and passion focused on what brings gratification to the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, or the pride of life. The God-willed man focuses on what choices God would have him make as it relates to his eternal well-being, and the example his choices set for others. God is not as focused on our immediate pleasure, although it matters to him, as much as he is on our eternal well-being and reward - because the only thing that really matters to him is the eternal.  The writer makes it clear that the God-willed man is living in obedience to the direction or oversight of his will (his decisions) by his heavenly Father, forsaking the desires of his own will when they do not match the will of God.

A puny life is the reward of the self-willed because self can only think of self - self-focused individuals end up with a rather 'puny' focus on life because that focus can see no further than the reach of their own hands.  Choices, desires and intentions are all directed at building up, protecting, or driving forward the agenda that creates the sense of internal and external gratification of selfish desires - what pleases me at the moment regardless of how it might affect others. In truth, a puny life is characterized by weakness.  In other words, the self-centered, self-willed man is given to those things that don't really allow strength to be established in the inner part of him which some refer to as his moral character. The reward of a self-willed man is also puny.  All his striving and conniving really does not pay off in the end with the reward he was hoping for - aim low and you will hit that target every time.  A spacious life is the reward of the godly. Spaciousness can be thought of as that which produces ample, or larger than is ordinarily realized results.  It is a comfortable life - magnificent in every way.

We will do well to examine our choices. They reflect our heart - the desires we nurture within that end up being acted upon in some for or another in our daily choices. If we find they are a little too focused on self, we need to make some course adjustments, because that course of action will always lead us down paths riddled with regret, not all that fulfilling in the long run, and potentially harmful to those who see our lives as examples they should follow.  If they are correctly focused on the only thing that can really 'center' us in life (God), then we will find ourselves moving from ego-centric choices to God-centric choices on a pretty consistent basis. Remember:  God's economy makes us extra-ordinary in every possible way.  If we find our focus is consistently on the ordinary, we may want to ask God to increase our vision for the extra-ordinary. Just sayin!

Bathed, Clean, Freshly Dressed

It wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God's gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there's more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this. (Titus 3:3-8)

Hmmm...both stupid and stubborn...not exactly the way I would want to be described, but in truth that description isn't too far off!  In our sinful, self-absorbed life "before Christ", we are all both stupid and stubborn.  Stupid implies that we were lacking the ordinary quickness or 'soundness' of mind that we now possess with having the mind of Christ.  Our thinking outside of Christ was pretty dulled, especially where it came to the things of deep spiritual awareness or knowledge. It was slow as it comes to the spiritual things and pretty wishy-washy to boot.  We'd like to "clean up" the description of our state of mind as "foolish", but truth be told - it all means the same thing!

Stubborn is quite applicable to our state of 'being' prior to Christ.  Stubborn carries the idea of being so fixed on some way of thinking or course of action that we are resolute in that course of action regardless of where it will cause us to end up.  We don't "want" to waiver from it because we have "willed" to continue, in spite of the consequences - we might not even consider the consequences because we are so attached to the pursuit we can see nothing else.  I'd say "stubborn" about wraps up our condition of "willful" disobedience prior to Christ taking over the controls of our lives! I might even go so far as to say stubborn describes some of my current actions because I just don't let go of stuff that I know clearly is the wrong stuff to be pursuing!

The neatest part of this passage is the "but when".  But when God...
Think about it - when God stepped in, he saved us from the dulled thinking and placed us on a course that would not take us off some deep end into a pit of despair.  I love the "buts" in the Bible - there is always a hope for something better when we see that the condition we are in is not determined to be our permanent condition because we have a merciful and gracious God that reaches out to lift us out of our stupid and stubborn life pursuits. The 'buts' are there to help us realize we aren't 'bound to' being the stubborn and stupid individuals we can be apart from Christ!

We have been washed us inside and out by the Spirit and that washing is a continual thing.  We are washed so that our choices will be affected - so the actions we exhibit won't be as stubborn or stupid as they would be if we remained steadfastly committed to doing things 'our own way'.  Choices begin in the thought life - if it is moved from a place of 'lacking soundness' to a place of 'soundness of mind', won't the choices we make be better?  Certainly!  Actions proceed from our thoughts - so the way to better actions is through better thinking.  The way to better thinking is an exchanged mind - renewed (washed) by the Spirit of the living God!  We've been given the freedom to exhibit a new life - the life given by the Spirit of God. It is not 'positive thinking' - it is 'positive living' because our thoughts have been purified (cleaned up) by the Spirit of God within.

Our new life demands new choices and new actions.  We don't take a bath and then put on our old, filthy clothing we just finished the yard work in an hour before.  We put on fresh undies, don a freshly laundered shirt, and pull on a clean pair of shorts.  Snug in the feeling of freshness that we experience through the "bath" and the "donning" of the clean clothes, we feel like a new person!  Translate that into our spiritual life for just a moment.  We are "bathed" by the Spirit and the Word - cleaning up our minds, washing away the dirty effects of sin in our lives.  Then we are told to clothe ourselves with some pretty awesome stuff - peace, joy, righteousness, etc.  There is a "freshness" in the renewal of the mind that produces a "freshness" in our "appearance". I guess it goes without saying that I certainly don't want to embrace a life of stupid decisions followed by stubborn actions - that would be silly.  My life has been transformed - I've been bathed by the Spirit.  How about you? Just askin!

There is more than me?

In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves. Don’t be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too. (Philippians 2:3-4 ERV)

Okay, a moment for true confessions here. It is very hard being the caregiver to an elderly parent sometimes. There are just times when you want to have a little more sleep, get a little alone time or time with the girls, or opt for a bowl of cereal after a long day's work instead of cooking a meal. We all have these moments, whether we admit it or not, when we just want to ask, "What about me?" In those moments, it could just be God reminding us that not everything in life is about us! There are just times when life has to be about others.

It is so easy to consider our own needs, and even to drift into moments of complaining because they aren't being met as we think they should be. It is hard let go of what we think we "deserve" or should be given to us as a "courtesy" in life. As a new mother, I quickly learned sleep was never guaranteed. Babies have different schedules than ours! I also learned they don't care if it is dinner time for the rest of the family - when they want to eat, it is time to eat! As much as we might want to eat with the rest of the family, the tiny infant has needs that outweigh ours at that moment. It is hard to learn to let go of the things we believe to be our "rights", isn't it? 

By definition, a right is something "due to" someone because of some "claim" made to that "right". Many homes have a particular chair, maybe a recliner, which is "laid claim to" by one family member such as the father. That chair is referred to as "Dad's chair" and the rest of us in the family don't even think of sitting in the chair Dad has laid claim to. There are many "claims" laid in life, but none more important than the claim Christ laid for our lives. The truth is that Christ laid claim to us - at the point of the cross - and now he isn't willing to let anything or anyone else lay to claim to us!

This includes our desire to be in control, make selfish demands, or feel sorry for ourselves when our demands take backseat to another's. We may want a little more sleep, but the needs of another rise above that desire. We may want to enjoy a television show, but the earnest pleas of a small child, crayons and coloring book in hand beckon us to redirect our attention. We may want to shut out the day over a warm meal and relaxing bath, but the neighbor's flat tire or dead battery require some resource only we possess. Not all in life is going to be "fair" - nor is it going to cater to our desires. In fact, scripture reminds us to avoid too much of an "inward" focus because when we have one, those inwardly focused choices will be selfish, and selfish choices take us down a pathway of prideful decisions. Just sayin!