Consistently, or most of the time?

The fruit of the [consistently] righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise captures and wins souls [for God—he gathers them for eternity]. (Proverbs 11:30)

The fruit of the 'consistently' righteous - those who make the choice to live 'right', following the directions God gives over their lives. The idea of consistency might just vary a little bit depending on who you ask. To the one who is 'always' on the mark, they will define it as never missing the mark. To the one who occasionally misses the mark, they might define it as making good decisions the majority of the time with a 'once in a while' slip up. I will not debate this with anyone - when God asks for consistency, he means with no or very few exceptions. He forgives those exceptions when we ask for his forgiveness, repent, and actually turn back to him. He would much more prefer that the seeds he sows into our lives would produce 'consistent' growth, but he knows that even the most 'righteous' among us misses the mark on occasion!

When we choose to pursue righteousness, we are not only doing so for ourselves, but for all those around us who 'witness' how it is we choose to live out our daily 'Christianity'. I put that in quotes because so many claim to be Christian, but their life choices certainly don't add up to 'right-living'. Pursue righteousness and you might just be labeled as 'weird', 'out there', 'a holy roller', or even 'a goody two shoes'. I think I have been referred to in all these ways and that is fine by me. Do I 'hit the mark' all of the time? Certainly not! I do want to live in a way that honors the sacrifice Jesus gave so willingly for me. I don't always demonstrate wisdom in my choice of words, actions, or even thoughts, but I know that God's plan is for me to lean into him, be as consistent in my walk as possible, and then trust him to bring about the changes within me that will help me to make wise choices more and more.

Just in case you haven't thought about it in a while, your choice to 'live right' actually is a means of 'evangelizing' the world. Your actions are making an impact on a life right now. Choose to live consistently by asking God to help you make 'right choices'. Then lean into him to help you choose wisely. Don't just ask for his help and then go around doing your own thing. The proof of who we live for is really observed best in the fruit that is produced. Just sayin!

Baby Steps Forward

 Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. (Mother Teresa)

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities." (Luke 16:10)

Faithfulness in the little things may seem like a bit too much when you are struggling to get the 'big things' right at the moment, but it is the cumulative effect of the little things that actually helps you to get the 'big things' right! The often overlooked 'little things' in life are the ones we should spend our time on, not just the big ones. This might be the time we spend in prayer, thinking prayer has to be a certain amount of time on our knees, lifting holy words to Jesus, but prayer is so much more. It is the simple ones that add up throughout the day. The moment you express one thought of gratitude for some blessing you enjoy is a moment of prayer. The simple 'God help them right now' lifted up when you observe someone struggling with a flat tire on the side of the road, even when you are not able to help them with that need, is a prayer God will honor. The 'small prayers' add up - meaning that we are taking time with him throughout the day, not just at one specific moment.

Faithfulness involves consistency. We oftentimes find ourselves starting out well, waning a bit down the road, then recommitting to the process. That up and down of daily life is so real to all of us. It is the small steps that add up to the bigger ones - keep that in mind. Every moment we commit again is a positive step in the right direction. Even if we have to 'recommit' ten times over, God isn't put off by our lack of progress. He is just concerned that we make it to the destination! Yes, he would like us to commit, put our heads down, and just 'get er done', but he knows the frailty of our human will. He knows there will be times we will struggle with what our minds commit to do, but our bodies resist so much. This is why he offers us his power and strength - knowing ours will be insufficient to get the job done. The little steps in the right direction all add up and each time we step into his power or strength, we will find those steps just a bit easier. The new year may be filled with tons of baby steps, but each one matters. God doesn't want us to 'bite off more than we can chew' as much as he wants us to be able to 'digest' what we have right now. Just sayin!

Am I consistent enough?

 Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust. (2 Peter 1:4)

Sometimes we aren't sure we are doing everything that will make a difference, so that we are living in such a way that our lives truly please God. We want to live consistently in a manner that allows God to be seen through us to a hurting and searching world, but we aren't sure we are 'consistent enough'. Let me assure you of this - if you are walking with Jesus in a genuine manner - heart, mind, will and soul committed to serving him - you are 'consistent enough'. We don't always hit the mark we are aiming at, but we are taking steps in the right direction (at least generally). We aren't perfect, but God never came to redeem perfect people - he knows we will grow closer as we seek him, but we aren't as close today as we will be down the road. When we pursue him, knowing we are drawn in by his love and grace, we are being 'consistent enough'.

Pleasing God doesn't require our perfection - it requires pursuit of the right stuff, in the right time, with a right heart. The pursuit is the important part. Are you pursuing God through daily habits that will shape your heart in a manner that pleases God? That is the most important question we can address today. The habits we develop in the pursuit of God's plan for our lives are what will change our hearts. We are given an invitation to enter into the pursuit. If we have accepted the invitation, we are likely called into some new habits such as reading God's Word, prayer, and receiving good teaching through God's messages delivered by faithful pastors and teachers.

The invitation is accepted, and the pursuit begins. Sometimes we think we need to pursue in some super-spiritual way, but God isn't after our 'religious habits'. He wants us to read his Word because we want to learn more from him. He hopes our prayers will be an open expression of our heart and mind, so he can work with us about our thought patterns. He wants to change the way we see ourselves, so he uses his Word and simple truths he brings to mind when we pray to show us how he sees us. When we take in good teaching, our hearts are being transformed - especially when we take that teaching to heart and allow God to bring out more of his grace and love from within us.

The habits of 'consistency' are developed in these times together with Jesus. The more we listen, the more we will develop consistently wise choices. The more we yield our heart to him, allowing him to show us where our heart is weighing us down, we will be called upon to let go of the weights. Today we will not be as close to God as we have the potential of being tomorrow. When we take the small and consistent steps of good spiritual habits, we will be drawn closer and that freshness of intimacy with him will help us take the next steps he seeks from us. The invitation is there - take the one small step he seeks today - then keep taking that step. Before long, he will show us the next step and we will take it. Do you know what is happening when we do? We are developing 'spiritual habits' that actually are helping us develop consistency in our relationship with Jesus. So, keep stepping! Just sayin!

You 'wear' that differently

“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for." (Matthew 5:5,7)

In the older translations the word for meek was used to indicate a person was humble and patient with others. Most of us really don't use the word "meek" or "meekness" in our vocabulary all that often today, opting for the more commonly used word "humble". Mercy seems to be something we pretty much understand - at least in theory, if not in perfect practice yet in our lives! Now, you may not have seen either word in these passages, but if you go to a more "traditional" translation, you will observe: 5 Blessed are the meek (the mild, patient, long-suffering), for they shall inherit the earth! and 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy! Jesus says we are blessed (happy, joyous) when we become content with just who we are. We enter into a state of no longer trying to keep up with everybody else, being settled into the place where God has us, and just enjoying it to the fullest. Meekness is really the result of being right where God wants us and doing exactly what God wants us to do. We find our behavior is the result of the inner working of God in our lives. There is an inward "tempering" of our spirit that helps us accept everything God is doing in our lives as "good" - even when it may not appear so on the surface. 

When we see meekness in another, we see the ability and willingness of the person to accept God's dealings without disputing them or putting up a ton of resistance. It is more than being "resigned" to what God is doing - it is being intentional in the pursuit of what he is doing, because we know the activity of his Spirit in us only produces the best results, even when the journey may get a little "rough". Meekness in today's vernacular is really what many will call "self-control". This trait is not weakness, or the absence of a backbone. It is the evidence of inward power - the type of power that does not come naturally to any of us. It is the result of the inner working of Christ in us. It is the reliance upon the limitless resources of his power within. When we exhibit true meekness we are showing less "self-assertiveness" or "self-interest". We are revealing "control" of self - not self in control. Many times people equate meekness with weakness - like someone just standing there and "taking it". It is just the opposite, for meekness is really "active participation" in resisting the urge to take control and doing things our own way.

Mercy is "partnered" with meekness simply because we learn the lessons of mercy most in the midst of learning the lessons of meekness! In fact, as we journey through the things God wants us to walk through with him in order for his power to be revealed in us, we find we need a whole lot of his mercy to embrace the actions of meekness being produced. Self will rise up repeatedly, resisting the actions of God - we need mercy to put self back into place! I think we believe mercy is just needed for dealing with sin in our lives. The truth be told, we need mercy each breath we breathe! Mercy is what helps us relate to the goodness of God and it is what helps others see the goodness of God in our lives. Mercy is the trait of being "cared for" and then sharing an equal amount of care for another when they most need it. It is the trait we sometimes equate with "empathy" - being compassionate with others who often struggle with exactly the same things you have or are presently struggling with. We often "behave" in a manner quite the opposite of being merciful, don't we? In fact, when we see the behavior in another, we often are critical of it. Letting God express his mercy in our lives is one thing - extending the same mercy to another takes it up a notch!

We need to continuously look at mercy in conjunction with meekness. When we begin to realize ALL go through the same struggles of dealing with our "determined self-will", we might begin to recognize the behavior in another as simply a manifestation of the same things we might have already "struggled through". We probably "resisted" a little at first, leaning heavily on God's grace to help us through, and we needed a whole lot more mercy each step we took toward breaking free of that struggle with our "self-will". As we actively participated with what God was doing in our lives, we began to see the evidence of God's "re-creating work" in us as meekness began to take root. In the course of time, responding to what God was doing became easier and we actually "resisted" less. The thing is, we all go through this similar "up and down" kind of struggle until the change is evident. Repeatedly we will need to lean upon the mercy of God and others. Repeatedly we will need to rely upon the "strength" of meekness learned in our last lessons to get us through our present. Meekness is really a "strength", not a weakness. Mercy is really the ability to live above being critical of self and others, because we all are going through the same stuff, the outward appearance of the struggle may just look a little different. Just sayin!

Just walk

In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. (Ephesians 4:2)

Walk, better yet, run! How many of us have barely figured out how to walk with Christ, let alone actually run well? This walking with Christ thing isn't as easy-peasy as 'snap your fingers and make it so', is it? We actually have to take some steps in the 'training' of our lives to be able to 'work up to' running with him. We all have a road to travel - at first by just taking some consistent steps forward - eventually learning how to 'pick up the pace' a little and learn to 'run' with endurance. If you are a 'fits and starts' kind of person, you are not alone - me, too! I get going well, then get a little distracted by life, and there goes the consistency! In the natural sense, we get a little 'flabby' and 'deconditioned' whenever this happens. In the spiritual sense, it isn't much different - we get 'weak' in our walk.

Sitting around on our hands is just not an option. If that is where we find ourselves today, then it is time to get up, take a few steps in the right direction (actually one is better than none). We may not 'feel like it', but even one step in the right direction is going to bear rewards. Every January, it seems like I look at the extra pounds I put on over the holidays and think it is time to 'rein in' those eating habits that got way out of control. Every January, I commit afresh to following a healthier eating plan. Somewhere in the next eleven months I get off-course. I don't really know where it happens, but it does as sure as the sky is blue and the grass is green. I could just sit back and tell you it is inevitable that I will get off-course, so why should I ever try to 'stay the course'? But...I have heart disease in my family and I know the extreme risk of just 'setting on my hands'. 

Yes, I need to shed the holiday and COVID pounds, but most importantly, I need to walk a couple miles a day without feeling like my legs will fall off or that my heart will explode in my chest! I am back up to 2-3 miles a day, remaining consistent with at least 30 minutes of sustained exercise every day. Since I am convinced God still has a great deal for me to do on this earth, and a great deal to learn as I live out each day, I am committed to doing what it takes. I know there will be slips and stalls, but it doesn't stop me from making every effort to move in the right direction. In a spiritual sense, there will be slips and stalls by all of us, but God is looking for the commitment from us that we will get up, take the next step forward, and know that he backs us up every time we 'start again'.

Fits and stalls - we all experience them in one way or another. If this is where you are today, don't give in to the lie that you will always fail. Failure is not permanent - it is a stepping stone to doing again the things that will help us move in the right direction. One foot in front of the other, breathing deep of his grace, we can develop the consistency together, my friends. Whether it is the commitment to live a little healthier, or to dig into his Word daily, develop a better prayer life, or just invest time in the relationships you have been given, do it! Take the first step in the right direction and stick with it. You are not walking to run right away - you are learning to take one step and then another - eventually you may run, but for now, just walk! 

Let's get this right ALL of the time

Those who spend their lives teaching will tell us the ability to learn a subject is directly influenced by our specific desire to learn that subject - if we don't find the subject interesting or useful, we often discount the learning opportunity, making it more difficult to ever get much from what is being taught. We often miss out on some of the most profound (yet insanely simple) lessons in life simply because we don't want to take the time or energy to apply ourselves to that learning. There are also times when we feel that we don't "need" to learn the lesson being offered - seeing ourselves as above the lesson - already having knowledge about a particular subject and feeling as though we didn't need to learn anything else. Both scenarios are dangerous ground to tread, for learning happens only when hearts are open.

If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes with it— how shortsighted to refuse correction!  (Proverbs 12:1)

It is shortsighted to refuse correction - for correction is basically the opportunity to begin a new lesson in life - an opportunity to learn. Did you ever consider that "correction" is directly tied to "learning"? Think of it - you do a series of math problems, turn in your paper, get it back "graded", observing that there are "red marks" on those problems that you did not get "right". If you go through math class refusing to change the way you solve the problem, you will never get a "passing grade" in math. In fact, you will probably never graduate! That "red mark" is designed by the teacher to point out where you needed to focus some attention in order to avoid making the same "error" over and over again.

Think of God's discipline as the similar to that type of "red mark" - it is designed to focus our attention on the areas of our lives where we need to make some changes in how we are doing things. The purpose is not to humiliate or frustrate us, but to help us move into a place of understanding - to come to a revelation of how things have been going and the things that need to change in order to get on the right track again. The goal is that we "graduate" from doing things our own way into learning the value of doing things God's way. In so doing, we develop a consistency of getting "right answers" each and every time (as important in 'real life' as it is in math class). Disciplined living is evident when we see a heart that is consistently looking for insight into right choices. I always challenged my math teachers by asking why "my answer" was wrong - citing that if I got the right answer, why was the method I used to determine that answer necessarily wrong. The reply was always the same (no matter the teacher). It was simply that I would not "consistently" get the right answer if I did not use the proper method to solve the problem each and every time. It was the consistency that was lacking - not the wherewithal to solve the problem 'this time'.

The same is true in daily living - we can arrive at the same answer today that we got yesterday by using the same principles we applied yesterday. But...will those same principles applied a year from now produce the exact same answers? Probably not! Why? Simply put - things change! We need to grow, so the problems become a little more complex as we grow. Just as in math class, we moved from simple addition (2+2=4) into more complex problems like solving for "x" in an algebraic equation. What I learned in basic math and simple addition lent itself to solving the algebraic equation, but I needed more complex thought processes to solve the latter - and I needed even more completion of learning to understand trigonometry. I needed to "grow" in order to see the new concepts of algebra or trig, or I'd never solve the problems consistently. In daily life, there will always be a growth opportunity that comes with two choices - remain bull-headed and stubbornly rooted in the past ways of doing things, or yielding to the possibility that there is something new to be learned in the present. The disciplined life will embrace the learning with the desire to build insight into how to consistently arrive at the right choice each and every time we are faced with whatever life hands to us as the 'present problem'. Just sayin!

No two pots alike

In the field of medicine, we often use the phrase, "See one. Do one. Teach one." It describes the process of not only being told "how" to do something, but demonstrating you are going to do it with consistency each time. The other night, I made mom a pot of soup as she had been saying she fancied homemade soup. I had lots of ingredients for the vegetable dense soup, complete with 97% fat free ground beef with which I created a multitude of tiny meatballs to add the mix. She loved it. After it was all gone, she asked if I'd make another pot, but if you know how I make soups, you will quickly know that no two pots turn out exactly the same! I add a little of this, that, and the next thing until I reach the taste I am looking for with whatever ingredients are available at the time. Needless to say, she ate it and enjoyed it very much, but as she said, "It wasn't quite the same." The consistency was not there between the two pots of soup because there was no set recipe I followed and that made the 'experience' of the soup different each time. In our walk with Christ, there is room for unique experiences, but there is great value in developing consistency!

We saw it, we heard it, and now we're telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.  (I John 1:3)

Fellowship is more than an acquaintance with someone. It is a closeness of relationship that involves companionship - that type of relationship that is comfortable. For many people, fellowship with a holy God is a scary and overwhelming thing. There is a fear of entering into fellowship, finding they are getting too close to God for comfort, because God is good and we are not. Communion, or fellowship, speaks of a degree of intimacy that is not easily "faked". It must be genuine - developing over perhaps years - and is not easily broken. Our communion with God is the same. There are no short-cuts into fellowship with God. If we have fellowship with God, we have fellowship with one another - a condition that will definitely encourage our growth and development. If we have been affected by the blood of Christ, we are on a pathway of being purified from all sin.

That should give us encouragement that we are able to approach a holy God - it should also give us hope that we can develop this type of intimacy with him. God knows that we are "visual" people - we often need to see something to fully understand it. So, in his love for us, he gives us each other - in order that we might learn the principles of fellowship (communion, intimacy). The next time you look at a close friend, or even a budding acquaintance, rest assured that he/she is placed in your life to teach you some of the principles of true fellowship. They are also there to help us learn the 'consistency' of fellowship and communion - a type of "life-line" for our continued growth and development.

There are all kinds of reality shows these days where folks are left on islands, devoid of the trappings of home, and often devoid of other human contact. The 'alone' experience is not all that some think it will be - they absolutely cannot live without that human contact. Some have said that companionship (fellowship) is a basic need for humans - without it, we wither up and are not able to meet our full potential. We are created as social beings. Love is something we both need and are required to give away. It is a two-way street. We crave relationship on one hand, yet fear it on the other. The neat thing about God's plan is that he always brings someone across our path that will help us learn to love. We often find ourselves gravitating toward someone who has learned to love well - thereby learning how to love well in return - becoming more and more consistent in our love. We are looking for models all around us - we are imitators of what we see, hear, and experience.

This is exactly why God sets us up in the local church - to learn to love as he loves. It is a place of "learning". We "learn" to be companionable creatures - often by trial and error. We "learn" to be truthful and we learn to hold onto a truth that has been shared. In time, we "learn" to trust deeply. God has been providing us with the opportunities to develop intimacy in natural relationship so that we understand the aspects of intimacy with him (fellowship). The invitation is to come into fellowship. The opportunity for fellowship is two-fold: first with God, second with those he puts in our path. We learn to be comfortable in companionship from other "path dwellers" as they serve to drive us deeper into companionship with our God. As we learn to love God, we are also learning to love those individuals along our path. Love is reciprocal - it must be experienced and passed on - it must become consistent.

The more we desire to love God, the more we will desire to love those he places in our path. What are your other "path-dwellers" showing you about God's love, grace, and joy? What are they exposing in you that brings you to your knees? What are you exposing in them that brings them to their knees? Remember...love is experienced in stages - each building upon the other - exponentially. Fellowship with God grows in the same way - one revealed truth after another. Come into communion (fellowship) with God and experience what he has for you today. In time, consistency will develop. Just sayin!

Another grace moment awaits

11 For the free gift of eternal salvation is now being offered to everyone; 12 and along with this gift comes the realization that God wants us to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures and to live good, God-fearing lives day after day, 13 looking forward to that wonderful time we’ve been expecting, when his glory shall be seen—the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:11-13 TLB)

Have you watched one of those "infomercials" on TV and heard their hard-sell pitches to get you to buy their product? It isn't enough we get one of those non-stick magic pans for the low, low price of $29.99 - hold your hat - we get two (for an additional shipping and handling charge which is equal to almost as much as the cost of another pan). They show you ten meals in less than one minute, dazzling you will the hype of how this will make your life so much easier, while giving you the healthiest meal possible since God created the first apple tree! Life offers us the "hard sell" on a whole lot of stuff - God offers us the "soft sell" when it comes to our salvation. The gift is ours - there are no gimmicks or "fast-pitch" tactics to rope us in. It is truly the gift that keeps on giving, but it is also the gift we can enjoy time after time again - never really growing tired of ALL that the gift accomplishes in our lives!

God doesn't need the "hard sell" because what he offers is the genuine deal! There is no substitute "on the market" for what grace affords in our lives. We can try a whole lot of other "marketed" lifestyle changes, but the true change happens only once we receive the gift of grace. Grace brings us to the realization of needing to embrace a new way of living - it helps us to recognize our choices haven't been all that God-honoring, and maybe even a little bit "self-centered". In turn, that initial gift of grace brings us into a daily "inflow" of godliness - changing us day after day until we become more and more "models" of God's goodness.

Grace may not seem to make our lives "easier" because there is some degree of "work" involved in "maintaining" this gift - the connection we must maintain is oftentimes harder than we imagined, but the "dividends" of grace are multiplied multi-fold each day we work on that connection with God's grace! Each new moment of connection with his grace brings us to the realization change is likely necessary - though not easy. God doesn't "spruce up" this day-to-day walk requirement by telling us it is the best thing since sliced bread. He doesn't promise a two-for-one deal in order to "win us over". What he does is offer us genuine change - through grace - and then he asks us to walk out that change by taking daily and consistent steps of obedience. 

At this time of the year, many of us are already beginning to wane in commitment when it comes to our "resolutions". The exercise program is just proving to be too hard, or more difficult to "fit into our schedule" than we might have originally thought. The "healthy eating" program we launched is just way "too healthy" for us! The promise to spend more "quality time" with the family begins to get a little complicated when we realize it actually requires "time"! God's not going to let us get away with "waning" grace moments for very long, though. When we said "yes" to Jesus, he opened up a whole bunch of grace moments to us - now he expects us to actually walk in those moments. 

That means consistent obedience to the principles he teaches us through his Word, good pastoral teaching, and solid biblical advice from other believers. As we engage in those consistent steps of obedience, those "grace moments" become more and more fulfilling. Those moments may not seem like much when taken one by one, but as they all add up, there are huge dividends that come from those consistent moments with Jesus! Just sayin!

Change - is this the right time?

A long time ago I began to realize the very best thing to do was to change before someone told you that it was time you did! While change is not always easy, it may be the more respectable and desirable of courses to take! Those who actually "make it" in big business will tell you they have to remain ahead of the curve - they must keep up with the demands of their customers - always anticipating if change will be necessary in order to have a product or service that will remain in demand. There are just some things that must change in order to remain "ahead of the curve" in our lives, but there are also some things that must remain very consistent if we are to change in the right direction!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. 

(Proverbs 3:5-7 ESV)

The things that must not change:

1) The steadfastness of our trust - we must guard against placing this trust in anything or anyone other than the Lord himself. Any other foundations will crumble - causing us to be taken off-course very quickly. Trust implies a reliance upon - what we rely upon the most is revealed in our actions. If our actions betray a trust in something other than him, it is time to take the right action to move toward him as our Lord. As is declared in that "title", the Lord is one who is owner, possessor, master, and supreme authority. When Jesus gets his right place in our lives, we are assured to have a foundation that helps us live "ahead of the curve".

2) The commitment to place heart and mind in his care - both of these are pretty much "connected" when they are spoken about in scripture for the mind is greatly impacted by the "bent" of the heart (emotions). This being said, it is critical to our remaining consistently ahead of the curve to have both of these in alignment with the heart and mind of Christ. I find this easiest when I take time each day to just listen to what he has to say to me - in scripture, in prayer, and in just observing things around me. He speaks through others, in the gentle bending grass in the field, and the tumbling leaves in a gust of wind. The evidence of his good and caring heart is all around me - I just need to look. Once I see it, I lean into it and just enjoy that revelation of who he is. This builds trust and gives a sense of "settling peace" to otherwise chaotic and sometimes downright disturbing thoughts that could take me down paths I don't want to pursue.

The thing that must change:

1) The tendency to trust our own understanding of the issues - when we really submit to his lordship in our lives, we begin to realize we don't always see the bigger picture, nor do we understand how each step we take will impact the other steps we will have to take to realize our destination. Yet, we take those steps in faithful determination to remain on course - not because we "have to", but because we know our own understanding may be "flawed" by what we perceive, feel, or have trusted in before. We develop a better understanding of life's challenges with each one we face, but a lesson is best learned when we are open to understanding things from his perspective! Just sayin!

No matter what

Always, constantly, no matter what - three "timeless" commands. Always gives absolutely no room for "sometimes".  Constantly gives no space for "once in a while".  No matter what includes the good and the bad.  In none of these words is there any implied "if I feel like it", or "maybe if the circumstances are just right".  In fact, there is little "wiggle room" at all - celebration, giving thanks and prayer are to be continual, unending, and "non-circumstance-based".  

Celebrate always, pray constantly, and give thanks to God no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. This is God’s will for all of you in Jesus the Anointed. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 VOICE)

Celebrate always.  Ever notice how easy it is to celebrate the home run that brings three other runners into home base, securing the "win" for the team?  There is a whole lot of revelry when this happens.  On the other hand, we don't see the same level of enthusiastic encouragement and "celebration" when the fly ball is caught and the third out is proclaimed!  Didn't all the players play as hard as they could?  Didn't every swing and miss count?  Didn't every advancement of base make a difference?  It is kind of amazing to me that we only see our "wins" in life "worth" celebrating when they are perfect!  The command to us today is to celebrate always - even if we don't always hit a home run. 

Pray constantly.  As I've said on more than one occasion, I am not the kind of person who prayers on their knees.  I am not knocking it if you are, but my knee surgeries have made that pretty much an impossibility for me, so I walk and pray, sit and pray, drive and pray, and even garden and pray.  I don't think there is a right way or a wrong way to pray.  It is just time talking with God and if the connection is being made - it is all good!  When we think of the instruction to pray "constantly", it doesn't mean with each waking breath we are uttering some word of prayer.  Instead, it means there is no variation in our "practice of prayer" - we make it a regular and consistent part of our lives.

Give thanks no matter what.  Most of the time we struggle with the "no matter what" part of this instruction because "no matter what" can involve some pretty ugly and not so welcomed stuff in our lives. It doesn't mean we thank God "for" the ugly stuff, but "in" the ugly stuff.  We don't thank him "for" the cancer, but "in" his keeping power to walk through the fight against it!  No matter what isn't conditional - it is not based on the situation at hand.  It is based on the first two commands being an agreed upon practice in our lives - Celebrate always and Pray constantly.  When these two are operational in our lives with consistency, the giving thanks no matter what part is a whole lot easier!  Just sayin!

Removing variation

It is good to know that in a world riddled with all manner of inconsistencies one thing remains totally and completely consistent - God's love and care are never going to change, nor are they ever going to wane.  My job is really focused on removing inconsistencies in how we deliver healthcare to our patients.  We put processes in place which are designed to ensure a certain turnaround time in testing, lab results, etc.  We design processes to avoid making errors with care such as safe medication dispensing and administration practices.  We even look at how we communicate with one another when "handing off" care from one clinician to another.  All because variation or inconsistencies place someone at risk - usually the patient.  I am grateful to know God doesn't change how he treats my sin - consistently extending grace where it is needed.  I am also grateful he doesn't change in his love for me - loving me even before I understood or appreciated his love.  My hope is that you can say the same in your life.

My dearly loved brothers and sisters, don’t be misled.  Every good gift bestowed, every perfect gift received comes to us from above, courtesy of the Father of lights. He is consistent. He won’t change His mind or play tricks in the shadows.  We have a special role in His plan. He calls us to life by His message of truth so that we will show the rest of His creatures His goodness and love. (James 1:16-18 VOICE)

God's plan for our lives has been prepared from time in eternity.  He saw you and I long before we were forming in the womb.  He even prepared the "sufficiency" of his grace to cover each of our sinful deeds, knowing full-well we'd struggle with certain habits, entertain occasional lusts, and succumb to temptations we might not have realized were so appealing to us in the first place.  That boggles my mind sometimes - to realize God "prepared" every measure of grace I would need to cover over my sins far in advance of me ever reaching out for it.  

It makes no difference if we have lived pretty "good" lives by the measurement of the standards laid out by society because that measure is flawed, my friends. Anything short of the perfection of Christ is "below" the standard God uses as a measuring stick when looking at his creation.  That means no matter how much I compare myself with the actions of another, I can never "validate" my actions as "better" than theirs.  We are sometimes misled into believing we can evaluate our actions against those of another - using that "societal norm" measuring stick. Truth be told, it is a short stick compared to the one God uses to judge each of us!

The only way we "measure up" is to accept the good and perfect gift of grace God extends through the gift of his Son's life.  Now, doing "good" isn't wrong, but we can never think what we "do" is what helps us to "measure up" to the standard God evaluates us by.  It is only by what his Son did that we are measured.  When God applies the "measuring stick" of his Son to our lives, we are over-shadowed by the grace he gives - allowing God to no longer see us as sinful, but as grace-covered!  That is indeed good news.

In all the inconsistencies of my stops and starts in this grace-walk with Jesus, I am comforted to know he remains consistent even when I don't.  How about you?  Can you say the same?  If not, there is no time like the present to throw away that "measuring stick" you have been using to evaluate your actions as "good" or "bad" and to allow the shadow of his grace to become the only measure we use in life - both in our own and in the life of those we walk this path with on earth.  Just sayin!

Your imagination playing tricks on you again?

You know when you are strong or weak, tall or short, fairly good looking or in need of a good make-over.  We all examine ourselves in one way or another and make some judgment as to our "status" in this life.  Some will admit to being a little too heavy, others a little too thin.  Regardless of our "status" in this life, we have ways we "show" what it is we really are - through what we demonstrate in this life to others, ourselves, and Christ.  What we demonstrate in the moments we think we are "in control" may be the most telling of the truths about our real "make-up" in this life.

This will show that you are a good servant of Christ Jesus. You will show that you are made strong by the words of faith and good teaching you have followed. People tell silly stories that don’t agree with God’s truth. Don’t follow what these stories teach. But teach yourself to be devoted to God. Training your body helps you in some ways. But devotion to God helps you in every way. It brings you blessings in this life and in the future life too. (I Timothy 4:6-8 ERV)

Most of us strive to be good servants of Christ.  In fact, we really don't wake up in the morning hoping to be a lousy servant today.  If we are honest, we are probably lifting up little prayers as we rise which go something like, "God, will you please help me be better today", or perhaps "God, I did a pretty poor job with life yesterday, so I am hoping for a better start today."  We want a fresh start because we didn't do so well with the fresh start we received yesterday!  I am so glad we don't exhaust our fresh starts with God.  His grace is never depleted.

We are made "holy" not by the things we eat or don't eat, do or don't do.  We are made holy because we embrace the grace we are given and we endeavor to draw closer to God today than we were yesterday.  Admit it - we receive a lot of good teaching - we walk in about a tenth or less of it.  Good teaching is effective only to the degree it is embraced.  Yesterday, our attitudes and actions may have shown we didn't do the best job embracing those teachings.  Today is a fresh chance to embrace even one of them!

We get life "right" far less than we get it "wrong".  This is part of human nature. It is impossible for us to live above "failure" or even not having tried.  There are times when we are just not going to make the effort, or the effort we make is totally not sufficient to get us even remotely close to the obedience God desired of us.  In those moments, it is imperative that we keep our wits about us, turn again fully into God's grace, and allow him to bind up whatever it is we have "undone" by our lack of obedience.  

We actually "teach ourselves" to be devoted to God, not so much in the "never failing", but in the "failing".  This may not make sense to some, but here is something I have come to appreciate in my life:  I can do a whole lot of things well with a pretty high degree of consistency.  When I might muff something up which I usually do well, it is easily overlooked because it is a "fluke".  If I see them as "flukes" - simple aberrations which really don't mean much - I miss the opportunity to take the "miss" or "fail" to God for his input and help. When I bring them to God, I often get a far different perspective on the matter at hand, finding it is far less of a "fluke" than a "root" which must be dealt with for me to really be "consistent" in my walk.

There are some who will rise this morning, don work-out gear, tie on the tennies, and head out to the streets to beat a path around the neighborhood and then back home.  I am not one of those.  In fact, since my knee replacement I am unable to run any longer, so the best "path beating" I can do is either on a bicycle or by walking.  The path we beat with such consistency is indeed good for us, but if we are caught up in this being all there is to keeping our bodies well, we miss out on a whole lot of other important aspects of taking care of ourselves.  In much the same way, we need a well-balanced perspective on our devotion to God.  We don't just "do prayer", or "do Bible reading", and expect we will develop into well-balanced followers of Christ. 

We need devotion which drives us, but we need sometimes settle for a passing fancy when it comes to our relationship with Jesus.  If we are to enter into the fullness of all God has prepared for us, we need to teach ourselves devotion. This means we aren't too quick to pass over the "flukes" in our day, but we are open to discussing them with Jesus and allowing him to show us where those "flukes" are really rooted.  If we are to be honest with ourselves, we need this type of help because until we get his perspective on our lives, we only see things as we imagine them to be.  Heaven knows our imagination plays tricks on all of us!  Just sayin!

Satin or suede - each have a purpose

I had a friend in high school who had been a ballerina since she was just a wee girl.  She went to lessons several days a week, making her way from the tiny ballerina dances of twisting and twirling into becoming quite proficient as dancing on "toe".  If anyone knows what I am referring to here, you will recognize the work it takes to get to this point - and the strength.  Toe shoes (pointe shoes) are kind of squared off at the end, and the dancer spends nearly the entire dance up on their toes.  I used to look at her feet and wonder why she'd endure the pain of all those practices, until I saw her dance one day.  I had seen her practice this leap or that twirl, but when I really saw her "dance", wow!  All the "dogged plodding" of her daily practices really showed!  What I saw as "dogged plodding" on her part was really a thing which she viewed as a living and spirited dance!  

We ask you—urge is more like it—that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. God wants you to live a pure life.  (I Thessalonians 4:1-3 MSG)

There were some things she taught me about the shoes she wore and the dance she performed so very well.  These things might just apply to our lives as "dancers" in God's courts.  

- The better the shoe support, the better the dancer performs.  Cheap shoes resulted in injuries to the feet.  She saved for months to get her shoes.  The quality of the "inner support" of the shoe was paramount to avoiding injury.  These shoes are very light-weight, usually made of satin and ribbon, and have a "hard" toe box, some type of suede sole and a little bit of support for the arch.  To protect her feet, she had to not only get the right "fit" to the shoe, but she had to ensure she danced on them as they were intended to be used. In other words, she did not put on "pointe shoes" to dance freestyle.  She put them on to dance "on pointe".  I think there are many choices of "shoes" to put on in life - some will be the right fit, but at the wrong time; others will be an improper fit, opening us to injury.  Still others will be just the right "shoe" with the right "fit" at the right "time".  If we want to be "on point" with God's best for our lives, we want to be sure we are "in" the "shoes" which will help us to dance "on pointe" the best!

- The shoes revealed progress.  I really never thought about shoes much before she told me about all the pairs of ballet slippers she owned.  She'd take them down from the shelves, open the tiny boxes one-by-one, displaying well-worn shoes.  Each had a meaning to her.  These memories were actually milestones in her career as a dancer.  She'd saved them because they had meaning.  Some were trophies of moving from one level of dance "theory" into the next.  She had mastered some of her art and was moving to the next level, as evidenced by the many different sizes, shapes, and purposes for these various shoes.  I noticed she had some made of soft leather, others of beautiful satin.  She explained the purpose with such patience and pride.  

First, the leather ones were durable.  They stood up to all the frequency of practice required to master the skill being taught.  They endured the "long haul".  Second, the canvas ones were inexpensive and easy to find.  They were simple, quick to obtain and wore out quickly.  These were probably the most "tattered" ones in her bunch.  I asked her why she saved such "ratty" looking ones.  Again, they spoke to her about a milestone - a time when she thought she'd made a good purchase, just to find they did not perform well over the long haul.  Third, the satin ones were beautiful.  They were in varying shades of pinks and cremes.  She displayed these with such pride.  These were her "performance" slippers.  They were put on when she would be dancing before her audience.  

Each slipper had a purpose.  Some were obtained quickly, but wore out way before their time - maybe like the "quick fixes" we hope for in life.  When we try for the quick fix, we are "cheaping out".  Others were quite practical, enduring well through tough use, but not much to look at.  They spoke of the day-to-day consistency needed to make the progress one desired in the "dance".  The shiny, smooth satin ones spoke of the joy of dancing with abandon and joy.

- Her greatest joy came in putting on those satin slippers on.  She'd abandon herself in her dance.  To her, she was dancing for an audience of one - Jesus. Her heart was reflected in each graceful move and elegant leap.  She'd be lost in the dance - something I think Jesus took great delight in as he'd gaze upon her gracefulness and exuberance in the dance.

I think Jesus may just want us to learn the lesson of the ballet slippers today.  When we "don" the right ones at the right time with the right fit, we find ourselves moving in step with him.  There is nothing more delightful than dancing a "spirited dance" with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  Just sayin!

Which "face" are you showing?

 ¹⁴But when I saw that they were not maintaining a steady, straight course according to the Message, I spoke up to Peter in front of them all: "If you, a Jew, live like a non-Jew when you're not being observed by the watchdogs from Jerusalem, what right do you have to require non-Jews to conform to Jewish customs just to make a favorable impression on your old Jerusalem cronies?"

(Galations 2:14 The Message)

Paul has spent a significant amount of time giving the run-down of his credentials for preaching the Word of God, his calling being direct and affirmed by those who had walked with Christ during his earthly ministry.  He had submitted to the leadership of the New Testament church in order to have his teachings "validated" or "affirmed".  This was not so much because of any "need" to get his ministry "blessed" by the other leaders, but because he wanted to be sure he was aligned in his teaching - accountable and committed to sharing the whole revelation of Christ.

In the process, he began to observe an "inconsistency" in the walk on Peter.  You see, Peter had engaged in behavior we all have probably been involved in at some time in our life - acting one way with a certain group, and another with the other group.  When he was not being "scrutinized" by those of the Jewish "conservatives", he did not find it offensive to eat with non-Jews.  But...when the "conservative" Jewish brothers were in town, he refused to associate with the non-Jewish believers.  Paul confronts him for being a little "two-sided" in his behavior.

We cannot ignore the fact - we are probably as concerned with making a "favorable" impression in some "circle"!  We act one way when not being "watched" by one set of eyes, but a completely different performance is observed when oversight is likely to occur.  I wonder if we treat God this way?  I am thinking we just might!

There are times when we think God is not really watching us too closely - those are the times we allow ourselves to "indulge" in the things God has declared to be unwise, harmful, or mal-aligned with his will for our lives.  You have heard the example of the couple who argues all the way to church in the car, but once they hit the parking lot of the church, smiles appear, arms are around each other, and kindness abounds!  It is as though God wasn't there with them in the car!

For some of us, we'd call this being "two-faced".  What we are / do in private differs from the image we put forth to the public.  This is a very dangerous place to live!  Whenever we allow "inconsistencies" between what is done in private and what we are in public, we are trying to straddle the fence of dual allegiance.  When it suits us, we align with Christ - when it doesn't, we make an excuse for our behavior.  If we have to make an excuse for our behavior, we probably feel we have to defend it!  I'd rather have God be my defense - he does a much better job!

Maintenance Required

Turn my way, look kindly on me, as you always do to those who personally love you.  Steady my steps with your Word of promise so nothing malign gets the better of me.  Rescue me from the grip of bad men and women so I can live life your way.  Smile on me, your servant; teach me the right way to live. 
   I cry rivers of tears because nobody's living by your book! 

(Psalm 119:132-136 The Message)

We often use words to express our heart.  Our writer is doing just this!  He cries out, "Turn my way!"  It probably is not because God has actually turned AWAY from him, but that he does not sense the presence of God at that very moment.  The writer has come to DEPEND on the presence of God with him - - on the approval of God.  Whenever we ask someone to "look kindly upon us", we are asking them to express approval of our actions.  I am sure we all know that our actions are not always worthy of approval - - especially when the approval originates from God!

Yet, in the midst of this sentence, David buries a huge truth - - God looks kindly on us, turns our way, because he is in a relationship with us bound by love.  He loves us FIRST, we in turn, love him back.  His head is "turned" toward those who love him - - who have entered into a "personal" relationship with him.  The result of God looking "kindly" upon us is the steadying of our steps - - keeping us from things we would call "malign".  

We usually think of "malign" as an action word - - a verb.  In this case, it used as an adjective - - the Word has the ability to keep him from injury.  The evil effects of life choices made without the continual guidance of the Word have the propensity to bring malicious (malign) stuff into our lives.  David's hope is that God will show himself faithful to keep him from the injury of wrong choices.  What is the purpose of braces on teeth?  Isn't it to bring into alignment?  How is this accomplished?  Simply put, it is through constraining movement!  It is in the establishing of "boundaries" in which the teeth are brought into what we observe to be a beautiful smile!  Therefore, boundaries / constraints are not always a negative thing - - they can produce much beauty when they fulfill their purpose!

May I take a little liberty in giving a definition to the word "malign" here?  When our lives are "lined up" with the word, we'd say they are "aligned".  When we are taking steps outside of the boundaries God established, we'd likely say we are "not in line" - - "mal-aligned".  In Spanish, "mal" means bad.  We have "bad alignment".  Ever drive a car with bad alignment?  Try as you might, you are "fighting" with the steering wheel the entire journey!  The "mal-aligned" wheels determine the course the vehicle takes - - we fight to stay the course!

Our psalmist is giving us insight into maintaining "good alignment" - avoiding the wayward drift of being "mal-aligned".  I regularly "service" my vehicle to ensure the wheels are in good alignment because it helps maintain tire wear, avoiding unnecessary wear and tear which could result in my having to replace those tires before their time.  When we pull into God's love for regular "servicing", we are asking him to do the same - - "service" us so our choices remain consistently on track, not bringing unnecessary "injury" into our lives which could result in us having a major deviation from our steady course!

I think the beginning of a new year is always a good time to look at "servicing" the areas of our life that haven't had regular and consistent attention in a while.  Love grows cold without regular attention!  God's love remains consistent on our behalf, but it takes TWO to enjoy and celebrate love!  Maybe it is time to pull closer to him - - allowing him to "align" us again with his purposes.  

Sermon Lessons: Consistency

^33-37"And don't say anything you don't mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, 'I'll pray for you,' and never doing it, or saying, 'God be with you,' and not meaning it. You don't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say 'yes' and 'no.' When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong."

(Matthew 5:33-37)

^26-27Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.

(James 1:26-27)

I remember watching James Bond movies as a kid.  Secret Agent 007 would cleverly avoid those pesky pursuers with the such things as trick pens that dispense sleeping gas, or a car equipped with a gadget that emitted a huge billowing smoke screen, causing his car to be able to speed ahead without his enemies knowing he had moved on.  We are sometimes guilty of using these kind of tactics to avoid real disclosure of our true intentions, the hidden secrets of our hearts, or the hurts of our past - sending up smoke screens with our words to attempt to create a "disconnect" between the real us and the image of "reality" that we want to portray.

James puts it that we are really just "setting ourselves up as religious" by talking a good talk!  We have probably heard it said that "talk is cheap" - I think that is what the Lord may have had in mind when he said that we need to be "real" in our walk.  There is no value in "embellishing" our character with talk.  Whenever we do this, we are presenting a false image of who Christ is and what Christ has done.  

I always thought Christians were supposed to act all pious and "in control", never really showing any sign of fear, mistrust, anxiety, etc.  To admit that you struggled with depression, feelings of low self-worth, or even being addicted to something was something we considered a sign of tremendous weakness!  So, for years, we Christians kept things "bottled up", presenting nothing more than "smoke screens" that gave an illusion that kept people from examining us too deeply.  The end result is that we may have "escaped" people knowing us for who we really are, but that "escape" comes at a high cost.

There is nothing more helpful for me than to hear another believer share that they struggle with some of the same things that I do.  The fact is, we are all made of the same material and influenced by much the same influences.  We may not have been raised in the same home environment, faced the same challenges, etc., but we have similar emotional, spiritual, and physical make-up.  So, why do we struggle so hard to be what we are not?  In the removal of the smoke screen, we become who we are, allowing others to see us as the "real" us.

Jesus and James speak of the same idea - we need to say what we mean, means what we say, and live openly.  In so doing, we are not saying one thing, but doing another.  There is no "facade" to our religion - it is genuine.  This is what we could call consistency or congruence.  What is seen is in alignment with what has been said - no smoke screens.  Jesus refers to putting up the "religious facade" as in-genuine - you look good, but if you were examined closely, the image of what was portrayed would not hold the test.

There is something liberating in being the "real" you.  There is also something quite enlightening to others - they see that even Christians struggle with the tough stuff of life.  When faced with cancer, we crumble in fear.  When challenged with debt, we attempt to dig our way out.  When overtaken by temptation, we find ourselves mopping up the damages.  When crushed by criticism, we doubt our value.  We are human!  We struggle with human stuff!  There is no value in putting up a "religious" smoke-screen!  

The sad thing is that when we put up the "religious" smoke-screen, we destroy the other person's ability to see how God's grace counteracts the fear of cancer, improves our financial stewardship, restores what has been damaged by wrong decisions, and builds us up when we are feeling low.  The value of "consistent" or "congruent" living is that others get to see how God answers the basic needs of hurting lives.  So, the next time you are tempted to send out a "smoke-screen" to hide behind, think again!  

Consistency 101

¹ If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes with it— how shortsighted to refuse correction! 

(Proverbs 12:1)

Teachers will tell us that the ability to learn a subject is directly influenced by our desire to learn - if we don't find the subject interesting or useful, we often discount the learning opportunity.  We often miss out on some of the most profound (yet insanely simple) lessons in life simply because we don't want to take the time or energy to apply ourselves to that learning.  There are also times when we feel that we don't "need" to learn the lesson being offered - seeing ourselves as above the lesson.  Both scenarios are dangerous ground to tread.

It is shortsighted to refuse correction.  Did you ever consider that "correction" is directly tied to "learning"?  Think of it - you do a series of math problems, turn in your paper, get it back "graded", observing that there are "red marks" on those problems that you did not get "right".  If you go through math class refusing to change the way you solve the problem, you will never get a "passing grade" in math.  In fact, you will probably never graduate!  That "red mark" is designed by the teacher to point out where you needed to focus some attention in order to avoid making the same "error" over and over again.

Think of God's discipline as the same type of "red mark" - it is designed to focus our attention on the areas of our lives where we need to make some changes in how we are doing things.  The purpose is not to humiliate or frustrate us, but to help us move into a place of understanding.  The goal is that we "graduate" from doing things our own way into learning the value of doing things God's way.  In so doing, we develop a consistency of getting "right answers" each and every time.

Disciplined living is evident when we see a heart that is consistently looking for insight into right choices.  I always challenged my math teachers by asking why "my answer" was wrong - citing that if I got the right answer, why was the method I used to determine that answer necessarily wrong.  The reply was always the same (no matter the teacher).  It was simply that I would not "consistently" get the right answer if I did not use the proper method to solve the problem.

The same is true in daily living - we can arrive at the same answer today that we got yesterday by using the same principles we applied yesterday.  But...will those same principles apply a year from now, producing the exact same answers?  Probably not!  Why?  Simply put - we need to grow, so the problems become a little more complex as we do.  Just as in math class, we moved from simple addition (2+2=4) into more complex problems like solving for "x" in an algebraic equation.  What I learned in basic math and simple addition lent itself to solving the algebraic equation, but I needed more complex thought processes to solve the latter.  I needed to "grow" in seeing the new concepts of algebra, or I'd never solve the problem consistently.

In daily life, there is a growth opportunity that comes with two choices - remaining bull-headed and stubbornly rooted in the past, or yielding to the possibility that there is something new to be learned in the present.  The disciplined life will embrace the learning with the desire to build insight into how to consistently arrive at the right choice.

Know it alls unite!

^5-6 Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own.  Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
   he's the one who will keep you on track.

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

The very next verse in this same passage goes on to say, "Don't assume you know it all."  The common theme I hear from other Christians is how much they struggle with "knowing the will of God" for their lives.  Our passage gives us insight into getting "connected" to the will of God.  First, there is a development of a trust relationship with the God we serve.  Next, we have to stop relying on what we can "reason out" in our own minds.  Then, we have to truly begin to listen to the still small voice of God - no just some of the time, but in all we do and in every decision we make.  The promise is that God will help us stay on the right course in our lives if we do.

Psalm 32:8 tells us that God "looks us straight in the eyes" and gives us the good advice that we need to make the decisions of our day.  He will teach or counsel those that place their lives in his hands for his control.  There are conditions to getting his guidance, though.  Here are just a few:

• We need to "make a clean breast of our failures" with God - in other words, we confess our sins, have them forgiven (hidden in Christ), and get our spirit in alignment with his.  (Psalm 32:1-7)
• Allow the Word of God to expose our rebellion, show us the truth, correct our mistakes, and train us to live God's way.  As we continue in the Word (really spending time getting to see what is contained within the pages of the Word), we are allowing it to train us.  In this way, we are becoming equipped for every good work God has in store for us.  (2 Timothy 3:14-17)
• We need to seek God's guidance in incorporating his commandments (the wise counsel of the Word) into our lives - it may not be plain to us why we have the commandments of God, so we need his assistance in understanding how we incorporate them without rebellion.  In other words, we are allowing the Word of God to become a counselor in our lives. (Psalm 119:35)
• There needs to be a daily renewal of our mind - no longer conforming to every whim and fancy this world promotes as the "next best thing".  We have to take our daily, everyday type of decisions/choices before God and ask him what he thinks about them.  It is a difficult thing to resist the ease of "adjusting to our culture" instead of establishing the culture of God in our hearts.  (Romans 12:1-2)
• One thing we often lack in our lives (and often don't connect with knowing and acting on the will of God) is the idea of cultivating a spirit of gratitude (thankfulness).  We may not see how this connects with getting to know the will of God, but when we begin to be truly thankful for the blessings of God, the challenges God allows, and the ability to seek him for the answers, we are on the road to discovering his will on a more consistent basis.  As a matter of fact, God honors this kind of consistently grateful heart - with his presence.  What better guidance could we have in our lives than the consistent presence of God? (Colossians 3:15-17)

These are but a few of the ways we can discover in scripture that give us insight into cultivating the presence of God, understanding his plans for our lives, and living above the influence of our culture.  All are key to discovering the will of God.  All help us to avoid the trap of "thinking we know it all".  Knowing the will of God is not hard, but it does require "consistency".  Consistency in seeking; consistency in discovering; consistency in engrafting the Word; consistency in renewing our minds.  Without consistency, we lack what we need to really "walk in the will of God".