Sit on those hands

Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither. (C.S. Lewis)

Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil. (Proverbs 15:16)

Back in the day, we watched wholesome programming depicting the 'ideal family'. Leave It to Beaver, My Three Sons, and Happy Days seemed to depict people all getting along, easily resolving any kind of conflict that might arise, and working together on projects to see the best of life emerge. How many of us realize that 'real life' isn't all that smooth, people don't always work together well, and conflict is almost inevitable? Inner turmoil is the outcome of striving for what we don't have, probably don't need, and almost certainly don't have the best of motivation in seeking in the first place. Aim is important - without proper aim, we could hit almost anything, but 'anything' may not be what we really want!

God's plan is to put him first. What does that mean really? If you are anything like me, you probably find yourself asking God to take the reins in your life, then you reach out to tug on one of them again, not really fully trusting him to get you to the hoped for destination. As soon as you tug on that rein, he loses that position of 'first' in your life. Almost as soon as you tug, there is this 'conviction' that comes putting you on notice that you just took back the control you said you desired him to have. God's intent is to honor your intent - you might 'say' you want to put him first, giving him full control of your life, but your actions speak much louder than those words!

Contentment comes when we stop striving for control and settle into the wonder of all God has prepared for us. To move from being 'in control' into the place we allow God to actually have the reins fully in his hands requires trust. All contentment begins with establishing trust - full trust in the one who has control of the situations and circumstances we call 'life'. The 'little' we have in Christ will far outweigh the 'much' we can obtain in our own power. In actuality, the 'little' we imagine is really a whole lot more than we'd ever obtain on our own. As we launch fully into this new year, let us begin to trust God with the reins. It might mean we sit on our hands a bit, allowing that trust to be built, but when we do, God's plans outdo anything we could 'control'. Just sayin!

A hole filled cross

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. (Galatians 5:24-25)

Hey, does your cross have a bunch of holes where the nails have been driven time and time again? I know I have a seen God drive a nail home when he convicts me of something he wants to change in my life, then after a while, there I am with the hammer trying to remove that nail! Nail and hammer in hand, I go about doing the very thing God asked me to allow him to nail to the cross! It is likely we all struggle with that from time to time, all because we want to control the course of our lives just a bit too much. The 'control thing' is really a combo of our pride and our lusts getting the best of us. We want what God says we should not have, then we struggle with the desire to possess it, before long giving into that desire instead of leaving that thing nailed to the cross where he helped us to secure it in the first place. God's greatest hope is that we give him the hammer and allow it to remain there!

Passions and desires are not a bad thing unless they are moving us away from Christ's best for our lives. When God convicts, our response is usually repentance. That conviction leads to God taking up the hammer and driving the nail home - we experience a change in our actions because that sin was nailed to the cross. Whenever we take our eyes off Jesus, we find our desires soon gravitate once again toward what we were asked to leave on that cross. Taking up the hammer and trying to remove that nail will only leave holes in the cross and 'holes' in our heart! We need to leave it there - like it or not. The struggle to do what God says we shouldn't do is real, but the more we lean into Christ, the less likely we will be to feel the pull away from the cross. 

We have frequently explored the need to keep the right focus, but it cannot be said enough. What we focus upon, we lean upon. When the cross is what we lean upon, we will find there is less likelihood of us trying to take back what God asked us to leave there. The cross isn't a 'temporary holding place' for our sins - it is the place where they find permanent death. In order for death to occur, they have to stay on the cross! If you find you have your hammer at the ready almost immediately after God asks for you to relinquish control of some sin in your life, nailing it to the cross, then it is time to also give him the hammer. We may not want to immediately relinquish the hammer, but the more we lean against that cross, the quicker the death to that sin will actually be. Just sayin!

Pushing back the darkness

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

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

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

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

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

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

No longer...

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

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

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

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

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

Trading?

Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for? (Mark 8:32-37)

Are you a follower of Christ? If so, your life is marked by some very unique things, such as embracing suffering, not being so intent on yourself that you cannot see the needs of others and being willing to allow Christ to take the lead in your life. How many times do we ask Jesus to take the lead in our lives, intending to live a holy, upright, and circumspect life, only to take the lead right back from him whenever the urge hits us? If you are anything like me, it has been like a game of musical chairs!

Followers LET Jesus lead - that means we do more than invite him to lead - we actually put our own self-reliance to rest and allow him to actually lead. It is easy to slip back into that 'self-reliant' phase in our daily walk - especially when things are going well for us. As soon as something begins to rattle our cage a bit, we become acutely aware of what we lack in dealing with the issues at hand. That's when we ask Jesus to take the lead once again. Jesus is either on the throne, or he is not, but he isn't going to lead if we keep relying upon our own abilities all the time.

Embracing suffering seems to be an odd thing to say right after Jesus tells us to let him take the lead - to be in the driver's seat of our lives. If you think about it, he is actually telling us that our self-reliant way of living will do all it can to avoid suffering and pain. To give up the control might just seem a little like we are entering into a place that could have some suffering and unknown pain. Embrace it - follow him. That momentary 'suffering' or 'pain' we endure by not getting our own way all the time, doing things under our own strength or power, isn't all that hard to bear up under when he is leading the way.

All good things in life come with a little, if not a lot, of sacrifice. Allowing Christ to lead will actually mean we sacrifice our desire to be in control. It might be scary to not have all the 'say' over our actions but having all the 'say' over my actions hasn't always resulted in the best outcome! How about you? Have you a desire to allow Christ to lead? If so, it will require less reliance upon self, a 'dethroning' of some desires, and more than just a bit of willingness to do what may be a little frightening to us at times. Just sayin!

Life Hack #31: Throttle Down on the Control Factor

Life Hack #31: 

Your life is not your own - it is merely on loan. Life choices may be made in haste, but the consequences will be around a long time to come. In the movie, "Rebel Without a Cause", a bunch of emotionally confused and morally rebellious youth reveal absolute defiance against all authority and repeated "bad choices". The truth portrayed in the death of a best friend is really a reminder to all that without warning life can turn upside down. Today's choices will affect more than today's outcomes. Rebel a little here and there, repeat the behavior, and before long, you are living a life that is really not close to God at all.

Fear God, dear child—respect your leaders; don’t be defiant or mutinous. Without warning your life can turn upside down, and who knows how or when it might happen? (Proverbs 24:21-22)

Most of us would not classify our 'rebellion' as outright defiance - that open discontent with someone or something, or outright daring and bold resistance to it. Ever heard anyone say, "I may be sitting down on the outside, but I am standing up on the inside"? They are being a little rebellious or defiant to some authority. Our 'rebellion' may not be "open", or outright bold, but is just as damaging to our character! Inward defiance is dangerous, for it sets down roots and begins to grow until it eventually finds a way of becoming expressed in our actions and attitudes.

Rebellion brings into play the questioning of traditional beliefs or norms. A rebel resists control by anyone other than himself. There is no desire to 'conform' inwardly or outwardly. A rebel seeks to take over control - to assume the authority belonging to another - because he believes he can do it better. Our list of "life hacks" has been long, but all are important. We must have a sound foundation for interpersonal relationships, a right respect for authority, and a proper focus on the one who really matters deals with the tendency of our heart to resist control. 

Our 'hacks' began with the idea of "tested principles" by which, when embraced, we will come to live "accountable" lives. If you look back at these principles, you will see a tie between how we treat others and ourselves being directly linked to the respect we give to God in our lives. If we won't submit to his authority as primary, all these sayings are merely that - sayings. If we take his authority as that which is the only one worth submitting to, we are on our way to developing a strong foundation for living thoroughly accountable lives.

We end with the attitude of heart and mind which reflects our own desire to be in control! It is a dangerous thing to hold onto the reins of our life so tightly that we become "rebels" and "deviants". Our lives will be turned upside down if we continue to hold so tightly to our own ways of doing things - the need to be in control overriding all sense and sensibility. Authority is evident all around us and what we choose to do with it matters. How we choose to submit, or resist is determined not in the immediacy of the moment, but in the "set" of the heart and mind in the long term. When our heart is right with God, we find rebellions against authority (even his) are a little more difficult. Focus determines heart direction - stay focused on Jesus and your heart's tendency toward rebellion and deviance will soon begin to have less pull in your life. Just sayin!

Large and In Charge!

God is in charge of human life, watching and examining us inside and out. We justify our actions by appearances; God examines our motives. Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors mean far more to God than religious performance. 

(Proverbs 20:27; 21:2-3)

Has the thought ever occurred to you to consider carefully who might just be "in charge" of your life? Most of us would say we believe God is in charge of our lives - and we'd be correct in this assumption - yet most of us live as though WE were in charge of our lives! We don't consult God with our daily decisions - we make them and then look to him to "back us up". We get ourselves into "binds" and expect him to bail us out. At those moments when we are struggling to hold our head above water, we even get to thinking God may have just abandoned us. Our reality isn't that he abandoned us, but that we totally missed out on the fact of his watchful protection over our lives even when WE insisted on being "in charge". After wallowing for a while in our self-pity because we recognize our "plans" were not all that good, we find ourselves a little "exposed" by our folly, don't we? Exposure often results in us wanting to "cover up" - we don't want to honestly admit the mess we have made of things, but it is hard not to!

God has an amazing way of penetrating our hearts. The "power" of this penetrating light actually allows discovery where there is resistance. This is what "penetration" means - something exerts enough force or strength so as to overcome the resistance it faces. God has a way of doing exactly that - not settling for a glossing over of our inner character just because we are resistant to change. In fact, God not only "sees into" us - he sees "through us". This is a good thing since so many of us still like to hide behind our "masks" thinking no one will ever be able to uncover the reality of our shame, guilt, or pride. Motives are the things which actually cause us to act a certain way. When our motives are not self-serving, we see the actions as being sacrificial and directed toward the best for another. When we see our motives are inwardly directed, we might just see all the actions as a little self-seeking or selfish in nature - the actions serve to satisfy self. This is why God needs a spotlight - to expose the motives which influence or direct our actions. Motives are "internal" and there is the need to "unmask" them in order to really get at the heart of what makes us act as we do.

We cannot escape his examination - because without it, he cannot get at what motivates us to act as we do. Until he gets past our rebellious "crust", he cannot impact our inner character. When we finally admit we have been in charge - he is free to begin to take control. He moves from just "bailing us out" all the time to actually keeping us out of the position of being over our heads in mucky stuff in the first place! When we are young, we rely a lot upon our strength. When we begin to get a little older, we rely not so much upon our strength, but upon our wisdom. We have learned a few lessons along the way which help us to "work smarter" instead of "work harder". We may think our ways are right, but God is the best judge of this, not us. We see things with "blinders" on - only allowing a cursory view of what is immediately in front of us. God has a way of seeing things without the blinders - he knows the peripheral effect of every action and has the greatest opportunity to help us avoid the harmful hazards. The Christian walk is not about a lifetime of bringing God sacrifices - what it is we DO for him. It is about a lifetime of what God DOES for us, because even the purity of our heart and motives is all because he intervenes to DO the clean-up for us!

Our mode of operation is to make hasty decisions - not thought out well, kind of self-centered, and a little bit too close to the edge. God's mode of operation is to help us learn to wait on his movements - taking the time to plan well, moving beyond our secret rebellion of always wanting to be in control, and then moving further away from the edge and more to the center of where he wants to keep us - right next to his heart. Just sayin!

Gonna meddle a bit...

 If you haven't figured this out yourself by now, we live in a world where people just don't seem to fight fair. There are events that happen that reveal just how some will pick apart others, while some stand idly by allowing it all to occur. Truth be told, it is a dog-eat-dog world out there! Dogs eating dogs is not a very pleasant thought to me - but it definitely paints a graphic picture, does it not? The world just doesn't fight fair. But...as a believer in Christ, we have a different way of fighting our battles!

The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.  (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)  

Dogs get hungry and nothing will stand in the way of their hunger. They go on the prowl - looking for the thing they think will be the substance they desire to fill the hollow of their bellies. They don't hunt alone - they have a way of hunting in packs. The nature of their "hunting instinct" is to gather those around who also have the same hunger - because there is strength in numbers. They circle their prey - almost leaving their prey defenseless against either their driving hunger or their vast numbers! Maybe this is an apt illustration of our sinful flesh - it gets hungry for the things which we "feel" will satisfy the "hollow" of our souls. When we are listening to the hunger of our sinfulness, we gather those around who only serve to remind us of our hunger. There is something "undeterred" in our passion that is only fueled when we only choose to associate with those who have a similar hunger as our own! If a hungry dog hangs out long enough with others who have "fullness" already, he has less chance of going on the prowl! We don't live or fight our battles by the "rules of the dogs"! We have a different way of fighting our battles. Ever seen someone marketing or manipulating their prey? Why use these two terms? Maybe it is related to the definition of "dog-eat-dog". There is a deep-seated sense of competition. Isn't the purpose of marketing to get the biggest "share" of something? The one competing wants to win. When our flesh competes with our spirit, it is a battle to the finish! One needs to win - neither is fulfilled until the other loses! The other thing to keep in mind is there is a ruthlessness (and sometimes destructiveness) to the competition. The "marketing and manipulating" tactics of our flesh often "out-voice" our spirit, don't they? They pull, divide our attention, and distract us from our original intent. Just like a dog minding his own business gets caught up in the hunt of fellow "hungry dogs", we follow "instinct" (feeling) rather than "sensibility" (spirit). The issue is really one of a lack of self-restraint. We often fail to deny flesh when we lack self-restraint.

We fight our battles (and win) a different way. We have at our ready access "God-tools" to deal with our hunger - we just don't use them as we should. They are for "smashing warped philosophies". Got any of those hanging around in your brain? Simply put, a philosophy is a system of beliefs, values, or concepts we have adopted. God calls them "warped beliefs, values, or concepts" we have adopted and are living by. Our God-tools are for "smashing" these warped philosophies. God's intention is for us to completely demolish, by the use of his power, those things which are "distorted" truth in our lives. In other words, we come to believe some things which are just not totally true - the stories we tell ourselves, the stories others tell us, or the misconceptions we form because we don't get into the Word of God to see what it says itself! First "Got-tool" we use:  WISDOM. We learn to apply the Word to our lives by living it out - wisdom is simply applied knowledge - putting into practice what we see modeled in scripture. God-tools are also good for tearing down barriers erected against truth in our lives. Not every dog's belly will be filled as a result of the "hunt". In fact, the more dominant dogs will get their share first - then if there are left-overs, the weaker dogs get the rest, but may not even come close to filling the "hollow" of their hunger! If you told those dogs they'd not be fulfilled at the end of their hunt, would it change their hunt? Not likely! They are so caught up in the hunt, they "erect walls" to the truth! We have a whole lot of barriers we have erected to the truth in our lives. God-tools like the Word of God, the Holy Spirit indwelling us, the testimony of others who have walked before us, are just some of the God-tools we can use to begin to tear down walls we have erected against truth. We do the erecting, not God. His tools are for tearing down the walls we have erected!

The God-tools we have been given are for fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of a life shaped by Christ. Somethings just need to be "firmed up" in our lives - so we have stability and strong structure. Other things need to be torn down completely. Either way, the tools God provides are there to accomplish the task. We see evidence of where the weakness comes in the structure. It is in our loose thoughts, emotions, and impulses! A dog joins a pack of other dogs just "cuz" it has nothing better to do! It is living loose! There is much to be said about getting a "tight rein" on our thoughts, emotions and impulses! I will just leave that one to God! Just sayin!

Measure twice...cut once...

I am learning to build stuff from wood, but trust me on this one, the design may be good, but the execution of the measurements may not always be. Hence the little saying in woodworking: "Measure twice, cut once." I have made some stuff that looked great, but when we went to use it as it was designed, it was too narrow, too wide, too long, or too wobbly. All the work that went into it was grand. I took great care to sand, stain, and finish the piece, only to find it didn't 'measure up'. I wonder how many times we think we are building "good stuff" into our lives, only to look back and see how little we actually "built" that was all that 'good'. We always seem to think the endeavors of our lives are totally worthwhile - but in retrospect, how many of them really produced what we originally believed possible? The most amazing thing happens though when we set out on an endeavor with God - usually MORE than we believed possible happens!

If God doesn't build the house, the builders only build shacks. If God doesn't guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap. It's useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don't you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves? (Psalm 127:1-2 MSG)

I have certainly done my share of "shack building". I am not a skilled builder, by any means, as you can plainly see by my own confessions as to the failures I have produced. I can drive a nail, even cut some wood, but I don't understand the "principles" of architecture or strength of various wood that actually help a building to be secure! In terms of erecting a "building", I'd defer to those who have actually studied how it is to be done! The same principle holds true in terms of our Christian walk. We are all able to take baby steps on occasion, but are we able to lay a solid foundation of principled values, honorable choices, or rock-solid emotions? I am thinking the answer to this question may be "not so much". We lack the "principles" of building these into our lives - we can measure, cut, and put together, but if something isn't quite right, the end result is kind of 'wonky'. This is why we need to get into the Word. We need to "study" how it is done in order to understand how we are involved in the building!

God actually is the builder - he looks to us to "relinquish" the control of our life-long "building projects" to him. He is like the general contractor on a building site. He oversees each and every task undertaken which will ensure a great finish to the project. If he has a "rogue" builder out there on the site, just building away, oblivious to the plans for the building, who knows what will be produced! I have seen some pretty weird "building projects" in my life. I have observed some very "amateur" attempts at adding a new room, or remodeling an existing room. I have installed a few ceiling fans, crawling through the attic and "tapping into" wiring in order to accomplish the task. I guess since the house never burnt down, I did an "okay" job! But...I am not an electrician. I don't proclaim to be "comfortable" with the schematics of how the "load" of each wire in the house was planned. This is where I need the assist of the general contractor, the electrician, and even the carpenter.

In terms of my family life, or my Christian development, I definitely need someone who knows the "schematics" of how this all works! I don't have it all down yet - so I need the "general contractor" to have control. God desires nothing more than to be given this control. How about you? Has there been some "rogue" building being done in your life? If so, it is not too late. A little "de-constructing" may be necessary, but in the end, the finished product will be a whole lot more secure! I have thought the projects I have created that didn't turn out so well wouldn't serve anyone well, but it amazes me how God can direct me to do one small thing and then the project takes on a different appearance, fits together much better, or gets the job done despite the imperfections. Some of us focus way too much on the imperfections in the 'life-long building project' God has undertaken with our lives, but trust me on this one - he isn't done, nothing is hopeless, and there is still lots more he will do to complete the work he has begun. So, God - build on! 

Just a little longer...

I wonder how many times we try to go it alone in life, kind of like some of us are doing right now, only to find ourselves in a worse muddle at the end? If you are like me (and I kind of think some of you might just be), you may try things on "your own" for a period of time, simply because you think you've "got everything under control". Then when the edges begin to fray a bit and life becomes a little more challenging than you expected, you begin to get a little worried, but you still hold onto control just a little longer. Why? The "fraying" is just a little annoyance at this point - you will deal with it. You don't feel the impact of a total "unraveling" quite yet - so you plunge ahead on your own. When do we finally take notice of how much "unraveling" has occurred in your life because you have been trying to do it alone? When the full-size blanket is the size of a washcloth?

Love God, all you saints; God takes care of all who stay close to him, but he pays back in full those arrogant enough to go it alone. Be brave. Be strong. Don't give up. Expect God to get here soon. (Psalm 31:23-24)

What happened to make the edges "unravel"? We either got "snagged" on something (or someone) who just began the process of pulling on the "one thread" which was holding us together, or perhaps we never really took notice of the "unfinished" edges in our life in the first place. Either way - we fray! We often don't recognize areas in our life where God needs to work on us until we begin to see them unraveling a bit. Sometimes we go for the "quick fix" - like when we cut material with a pair of pinking sheers to "minimize" the unraveling. The truth is - the edges still unravel - the "pace" is just a little slower! At other times, we just don't see the "unfinished" parts of our lives - either because we don't look, or because we are too preoccupied with "stuff" to notice. When we go with the "quick fix", we miss out on the beauty and security of God finishing our edges! The quick fix may get us through, but will the end result be as beautiful as he designed it to be? Not likely. I am not a true seamstress, but I can put together a garment if I have a pattern to follow. I have tried to "jump ahead" of the instructions that come with the pattern from time to time. Whenever I do, I usually find myself frustrated with having to rip out the seam and starting over because I sewed the facing on inside out! Isn't it amazing how much longer it takes to "redo" what we have done? When we jump ahead of God, we often find the "redo" much longer and harder than if we'd have just followed the directions in the first place!

When we ignore the unfinished edges of our lives, we are in danger of others helping us find them! Just as an unfinished edge of fabric will begin to unravel by the first thing that snags it, so our unfinished edges will begin to manifest when the "snagging" influences of life sweep across the surface of ours! There are a whole lot of "snagging" influences in our lives - maybe they are put there to help us see the unfinished edges. If you have ever tried to "repair" an unraveled edge, you will note quickly the weakening of the material that has unraveled. The "integrity" of the material is disturbed because as one thread begins to pull out of "alignment" with the others it is interwoven into, the strength of the fabric becomes compromised. Guess what? When we begin to have even one "string" of our life pulled by some snagging influence, the integrity of what we think gives us strength begins to be affected. We are never in a better spot than when we are closest to God. He is the one who protects us from unraveling and he is the one who is in the business of finishing our edges. But...in order to allow this to occur, we have to be close enough to him to let him "work" the edges.

One thing I have come to expect in life: God goes for the edges! He is focused on what I would not give a moment of thought to otherwise. He is reluctant to let me unravel by a careless snag. He wants the integrity of the fabric of my life to be strong - not weakened by some careless snag. Now, that said, I have to be willing to follow the directions he gives! Just as I had to read the instructions (and follow them) with the pattern for the garment I made, so I must pay attention to the instructions he gives to provide my life to be perfect with all edges finished. There are no short-cuts to God's "finishing" of our edges. He has in mind a garment of beauty when he looks at your life and mine. In his eyes, all edges are perfectly finished. We may jump ahead on occasion, not quite paying attention as we should, but when we do, we either overlook some edge, or we spend a whole lot of time "undoing" what we wish we'd never done! There is no better place to be than in the hands of the one who "finishes" our edges. Just remember this: There are a whole lot of snagging influences just waiting to help unravel our edges! Weakening our integrity is their main goal. We guard against this best when we are close enough to Jesus to allow him access to the edges first! Just sayin!

No need to bluff

There are times when we feel like no one is "in charge" - not even us - when the moments just seem to tick on and all the chaos of the moment have us bumping into all kinds of obstacles. We all face these times - the times when life deals us a hand we just would rather not play, not even a little bit! When "dealt our hand", we can either throw it in, ante up and play, or bluff our way through. Which way are you facing what life deals you today? If you are bluffing your way through, you are likely frustrated, seeing things as very difficult to deal with, but imagining you will get through somehow. If today's plans don't work, you will try something different tomorrow. The problem with living 'out of control' is that we soon get weary trying to maintain balance with the skill and power we possess. Our attitude begins to falter and we all know the attitude soon begins to impact the altitude to which we will ever be able to climb!

The day my enemies turned tail and ran, they stumbled on you and fell on their faces. You took over and set everything right; when I needed you, you were there, taking charge. (Psalm 9:3-4)

If we throw in our hand right now, we may miss out on the reward which awaits us! If we are bluffing our way through - faking it until we make it - we may not always be able to keep up the facade! But...if we ante up, pick up our cards, and play like there is no tomorrow, no telling what we may end up with! Take heart, my friends! The very obstacles others want to place in your way are exactly what they will stumble upon in the end! The thing we think we don't have any way of getting through is perhaps the very thing we will find God's redeeming power helping us to not only 'get through', but come through with new graces built into the fibers of our being.

The day our enemies turn tail and run, what happens? They stumble upon God! They stumble upon the very one who takes over when we allow him to direct how we should play those cards in our hands. They come face-to-face with the one who has the power to set all things right - even the worst of cards in his hands can be played skillfully so as to draw out the enemy. No need to bluff your way through life - when your hand is being overseen by the God of the Universe, you have all the right cards! The more God draws them out, the more of their hand they reveal - making it very apparent how they will move next!

David knew one fact in life - when he most needed God, he knew God was there. Not just as an observer, but as the one in charge. Many times we see God as an outsider in life's challenges - just an observer, keeping an eye over us, but not really involved. The exact opposite is true! God is there! He is taking charge! We may not know how, when, or where, but he is orchestrating our "hand" according to his divine plan. I often wonder if those who set up such opposition within my life will ever get their "just rewards". I imagine I am not alone in this pondering. The answer is right there in our passage - they cannot run, they cannot hide, their course of action is in the hands of the Almighty. Not ours! He will be the one they stumble upon, not us! We try to present the best defense in the time of trial, but God is our ONLY defense in time of trial and blessing!

They stumble upon him - and they fall on their faces. I can only imagine their posture is something both orchestrated to humble them and to bring honor to our great God! Upon their faces, the only direction of hope they have is in looking up! It is the same direction we all have to look in order to find our deliverance - UP! Just sayin!

The best gift is...

Wouldn't it be great to have someone just tell us everything was going to be all right in our life? There are moments in time when things just seem to spin out of control and all we want to hear is that it is going to be well with us - we are going to make it through, survive, and rise above this current unease or unrest. We are loved by God and kept by Jesus Christ - therefore, what spins today is still in his control. Some of us just need to hear, "Relax, everything's going to be all right; rest, everything's coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way!"

But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God's love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life! Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith. Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven. (Jude 1:20-23)

There are people in our midst that make it their mission to view the grace of God we have received as a license to continue in sin - to spin out of control - to let the world dictate what they should do and say.  We need to know without any doubt that grace NEVER licenses us to continue in sin - it never encourages us to spin out of control.  We need to be carefully built up in the faith - in order to counteract the things that are contrary to a life of peace and rest.  We are reminded of the necessity of "continuing" - whatever is begun in our lives at the moment we say 'yes' to Jesus is something we must continue with all through our lives.  When one is on a trip to a destination, the best method of arriving at the destination is to "continue" in the course laid out.  If we stop, we never realize the joy of the destination.  If we continue moving away from where we started, we get closer to where we are headed.

The opposite of living a life that spins out of control (freely pursuing sin just because we think we can receive the grace to cover over that sin anytime we like) is to stay right at the center of God's love.  I have never experienced the terror of a tornado, but those who have speak often of what it is like when the "eye" of that tornado passes over.  For just a period of time, the very center of that tremendously destructive force is calm, peaceful, and a place of rest.  All around that "eye" there is a pulling force of wind that is attempting to tear up all in the path of that storm.  We need to stay in the middle of God's love - thereby avoiding the pulling of the forces that exert pressure on us, pulling us into things that will cause us to spin out of control once again.  No other place is as safe as right in the middle of God's love - it is a stabilizing force, a peaceful place.

In addition to moving "away" from sin and "into" the center of God's love, we are to keep ourselves open to receiving God's mercy.  Open arms are welcoming - they invite us into their embrace.  To live in such a way that we are always open to receiving God's embrace - this is where we find our spinning ceases.  We are to be tough on sin, but easy on the sinner.  It is the sin that stinks - not the sinner.  We often find ourselves throwing the baby out with the bathwater - we can't or won't deal with the sinner because we have an issue with their sin.  The practicality of loving the sinner while not condoning their sin is difficult for us to grasp.  We cannot seem to separate the two.  It might help to remember that God looks at us, not our sin.  He is moved by our need, not the sin.  He is touched by our helplessness, not the sin. He desires to end the spinning - not to just slow us down.

The challenge is to "go easy" on those who "hesitate" in the faith - those that might set out on the journey, making good progress for a while, then kind of "stall out" for a while.  They are no longer making progress toward their destination.  They may have been caught in the "fringes" of sin once again - pulled in unaware of the destruction that awaits.  Our part is to love them, reminding them of the welcoming arms of Jesus - of the gift that beckons to them to be unwrapped and embraced.  Grace is most appreciated when it is most needed.  We often don't know we need water until we are parched with thirst.  If we know someone spinning out of control today, maybe the best gift we offer them this Christmas is grace! Just sayin!

I need dance instructions!

I always thought I'd enjoy learning how to ballroom dance. I like to watch the gracefulness of two people being so totally in sync with each other that they can just glide across the floor. If you have ever watched my try to dance, you will know I have absolutely no understanding of the concept of being led in the dance. I struggle with not getting ahead of the one who is leading! I don't know why that is, but maybe it is because I have never really had a dance partner that knew how to ballroom dance themselves! I have never been led by one who knows how to lead. Having the right lead in our lives goes way beyond the ballroom.

Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for? (Matthew 16:24-26)

Jesus has spent endless days answering the accusations of the Pharisees - men who just plain did not accept him as the Messiah. They were so consumed by all their religious rules - Jesus was consumed with the fact that access to God is not with keeping rules, but in knowing Christ. They pushed away from him - he pulled those who were open to his teaching near - because he desired to lead them as the one who knows perfectly well how one is to be led! Jesus has just finished asking his disciples who they REALLY think he is. They answer with the "pat" answers, the easy answers - well, people say you might be John the Baptizer, Elijah or Jeremiah. He asks them to declare who THEY think he is - one lone disciple spoke up - Peter. He declares with a certainty - you are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. He recognized the one he wanted to lead in his life!

To that revelation Jesus adds this teaching we have before us today. Anytime there is a revelation of the person of Christ, hearts are opened - leading is occurring. Anyone receiving that revelation comes into a place of discipleship. Jesus tells them - anyone who intends to come with me must let me lead. This is the stumbling point for many a person - letting Christ lead. We want the controls - we find it difficult to not pursue salvation on our own terms. Jesus reminds us that it is not a self-help pursuit - discipleship is sitting at the feet of the Teacher, learning of him, allowing him to direct our path, and enjoying the privileges of his leading. People of the day in which Jesus was teaching would have understood this concept better than we do today. We are not accustomed to having to wait for the Rabbi to circulate into our townships in order to get the teaching of the Word - to become educated, learned, and wise. Today, we can simply turn on our computers, seek out innumerable teachings online and find ourselves immersed in all that promises the answers to life's woes.

The message of leadership over one's life is found in a person, not in the pursuit of a religion. It is Christ that desires to lead - to be the one helping us gracefully make it across this ballroom called life. It is his GIFT of sacrificial love that we embrace with open arms, allowing ourselves to be led. Jesus asks us to answer one important question today - who do YOU say that I am? If you call him Savior, rejoice! If you have yet to call him Savior, reach out to him today. He is waiting to be invited into your life. Remember this: Jesus not only wants to lead our lives - he came to this earth specifically to make a way for our lives to be led. When we submit to him, we are allowing the fullness of the gift of his sacrificial love to be at work in our lives exactly as he intended. Open up to his leading - control is best when it is submitted to one who knows how to perfectly lead. Just sayin!

Positive or Negative???

Memory requires some effort on our part, does it not? Try learning your mathematical 'times tables' for the first time and you will likely have to 'memorize' the fact that 3 times 3 equals 9. Eventually, in the course of 'rehearsing' that which you have memorized, you will form long-term memory of that fact. It is a fact, not fiction, for three rows of three oranges a piece will yield you nine oranges. There are parts of our memories though that are a little more fiction than fact. We all 'add to' memories, not the stuff we memorize, but the memories made in the moments of life. Most of what we remember will be true, but there are parts of our memories we 'make up' to fill in some gap in those memories. It just could be because we didn't 'take notice' of those things 'in the moment', but now we are recounting something from those moments and realizing there was more we never even saw while we were living in that moment!

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.  You know when I sit or stand. When far away you know my every thought.  You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am.  You know what I am going to say before I even say it.  You both precede and follow me and place your hand of blessing on my head. (Psalm 139:1-5 TLB)

Much of what we 'remember' is based upon the significance of the event or moment. Much of what we memorize is based on some 'fact' or 'subject matter' we want to store away for one reason or another. Memory and fact are not one in the same, though. It can often be our downfall when we remember what would have been best to forget and forget what we might have done well to hold onto! Every now and again, it is good to just sit and recount what it is we remember - allowing God to point out the 'gaps' in our memories that need filling in a little. If we allow him to point out what it was we missed in the moment, we often see these memories from a whole different perspective. If we attempt to paint in those gaps with what we 'imagine' to be true, we can be filling in the gaps with what really is nothing more than imagination.

In the moment, we see only portions of what is around us. It is impossible for us to take everything in with total clarity. We are just not created to comprehend all things at one time. In fact, this is why we learn at a steady pace instead of just waking up one day totally 'smart' in some area! We add fact to fact until we form knowledge of the subject. My math teacher started us out with the one times one equals one because understanding one times anything still leaves you what you started with. When we got to the zero times anything equals zero, I kind of got a little depressed. I was hoping that 'times' thing would always 'multiply'. I didn't expect it to leave me with zero! When she threw in the negative numbers and tried to teach me a negative times a negative equaled a positive, I admit it ... she lost me! If you had less than zero and multiplied it with something else less than zero, how on earth did you get a positive?

I don't know how that works except she told me it was like saying do NOT NOT do something. A double negative really was moving you in a positive direction! It was contradicting the negative. Admit it . . . you were lost right along with me! So, the best I could do with that one was memorize the facts - a positive and a positive yield a positive, opposite signs yield a negative, and two negatives move you back into a positive direction again. There, I have recited the facts and I still don't understand the 'why' behind them! But...I do know that God takes my negatives and turns them to positives. I am not bound by what I remember or the memory parts I didn't form correctly in the moment. I am free to allow a positive to come out of the negative because he is the one who knows how to bring positive out of negative even when I don't! Just sayin!

I am too busy for a crisis!

Kissinger once quipped, "There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full." Many of us would share his sentiments. Our schedules could not manage a crisis of any nature - much less a little 'hiccup' along the way. The more busy our schedule, the more we can count on something to disturb it, though! The moment we are too busy for any type of 'crisis', that is the moment we are too busy for life! Life isn't going to stand still so we can manage through some crisis - it keeps coming at us at whatever pace we had 'scheduled' and the crisis will loom until we pay it some mind.

12 Dear friends, don’t be bewildered or surprised when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual thing that is going to happen to you. 13 Instead, be really glad—because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterwards you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory in that coming day when it will be displayed. (I Peter 4:12-13 TLB)

The times we manage best in crisis are the times when we realize they are to be 'expected' - they aren't unusual. The other day my daughter wanted to accomplish so much and her morning didn't start out so well. She wanted to wash the car, but the car wash didn't clean it very well. When she wanted a refund or another wash, she was denied. Her car battery died, but was able to be jumped into life again - just long enough for her to make it home and get it changed. She had to wait for the service man to replace it - adding another kink in her plans. Her oil change didn't go as expected, requiring a second trip back to the service place to get them to put the glove box back correctly after changing the cabin filter. Sometimes we might just want to go back to bed instead of dealing with what life sends!

The matters she dealt with seem small to some, for their moments of crisis are much bigger. They expected a routine mammogram, but ended up with a catastrophic diagnosis of breast cancer. They set out to walk home after a night out team-building, only to be left in a life-altering coma and suffering severe brain damage. They went to bed without a worry in the world, but awoke to the screeching of smoke detectors alerting to imminent danger and the loss of all they possessed. Life happens - crisis is NOT diverted - and now we must 'deal'. How is it you 'deal' when crisis comes your way? If you have Christ at the center of your life, you are probably more 'at ease' in the crisis than one who does not, but the crisis still comes.

Our trials may be small compared to those of others, but every trial has a moment of opportunity for us to realize something we might have missed, or been too busy to even consider. If we stop long enough to just 'breathe' in the midst of the crisis, we might just realize how very much we were depending on our own plans to all work out. We didn't imagine other plans may emerge along the way. When our trust is in Christ and our attention is directed toward him first and foremost in each of our daily activities, we may still tend to 'over-extend', but we aren't bound to the frustration of the crisis. We can rise above the crisis, because we live with a confidence that it isn't all about our control, but about his. Just sayin!

Good vs. Evil

12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. (Romans 6:12-14 NLT)

Something always exerts control - it is the nature of how things work. The "control" or force of gravity exerts the pull that keeps us from flying away from the surface of the earth into the oblivion of outer space. Oxygen controls the ability for human life to continue to exist on this planet, for without the availability of oxygen we'd all die. Weaker are consumed by stronger, simply because they can have a greater "control" over the outcome of the chase. If control is the issue, then we ask the next big question - what control governs or exerts the biggest force of restraining or directing influence over our lives? 

The answer to this could be as varied as there are human beings walking the surface of this earth right now, but in general there are probably just a couple of "forces" governing our lives - truly directing us one way or another. These are often referred to as the forces of good and evil. In old movies, it was depicted by some dark force against a lighter one - the cowboy bandit with the dark hat and clothes against the one with the lighter hat and clothes. As the dark force of evil would plot against the lighter one of good, even the music would play on in some mysterious way, building until there was a crescendo of furious noise as the two would clash upon the screen. As the "force of good" made gains, the music would change to depict that all was well once again.

We don't live in a world where evil always dresses in dark colors, though. At times it isn't as easy to see what is working against us and there isn't any ominously building music to warn of impending doom! We find ourselves smack-dab in the middle of darkness sometimes without realizing we entered that place - all because evil has a manipulative way of cleverly disguising itself! The forces still exist - good and evil - but the ever changing "mask" of evil may not always make it plain to us which force is pulling for control in our lives. There are some simple things we can recognize though - every controlling influence of evil is "demanding" - it wants what it doesn't have or what it isn't about to stop pursuing.

God's goodness is a powerful "force", as well, but it is not a "forceful" thing - it is gentle, patient, and loving. It pulls, but it doesn't manipulate. It guides, but it doesn't force its way into our lives. God's goodness isn't going to demand, but it beckons. We can often tell the difference in the force which is in control in our lives by the characteristics of that force's "pull". God's grace pulls us toward peace - not chaos. It persuades us with truth, not lies. It moves upon us in order to move into us as a welcomed guest, not as a demanding and manipulative one. We might do well to consider the "force" at work in our lives in terms of the influence it is exerting - for God's influence is first of all kind, gentle, and restorative. Evil's influence demands its own way, takes away rather than restores or builds up, and takes what it wants instead of waiting to be invited in. Just sayin!

Less is more when more is no good

The great architect Frank Lloyd Wright once said, "Less is more when more is no good." Let that sink in a while and you might just agree with Mr. Wright. When what we desire is no good, it doesn't really matter if the desire is a little one or a huge one - it is still not good for us to pursue! One of the Roman philosophers of the first century, Publilius Syrus wrote, "If you wish to reach the highest, begin at the lowest." In other words, what we don't think might matter is what usually will give us the greatest difficulty. We take for granted the washer in the faucet until the drip begins to keep us awake at night!

13 So get yourselves ready, prepare your minds to act, control yourselves, and look forward in hope as you focus on the grace that comes when Jesus the Anointed returns and is completely revealed to you. 14 Be like obedient children as you put aside the desires you used to pursue when you didn’t know better. 15 Since the One who called you is holy, be holy in all you do. (I Peter 1:13-15 VOICE)

We are to focus on the grace that comes from, in, and through Jesus Christ. It isn't the natural way of thinking to focus on what we cannot earn, do not deserve, and have no fathoming of the depths of its reaches. The instructions to us today are pretty simple - let's explore:

- Get yourselves ready. I sometimes call my daughter on my way to work in the morning. When I do, I usually have to be interrupted in our conversation several times with her reminding the grand-boys to stop what they are doing and "get ready" for school. They have used their mother's distracted attention to engage in some activity they know is not part of their normal morning routine - simply because she isn't paying as close attention as normal. It is always amazing to me to realize how many times we know we need to be ready for something, but we dilly-dally along the way, allowing for things we know better than to focus on at the moment to get our attention. The first call to us is to "get ready" - not to have someone else ready us for what may come, but for us to put forth effort to be ready.

- Prepare your minds. If we think for one moment readiness is just a state of having a few things "prepared", we have a much too simplified view of being prepared. I live in a community not too frequently ravaged by any type of severe weather, such as flood, blizzard, or hurricane. Yet, my local "big box" store carries pallets of five gallon buckets filled with all manner of food staples - just so people can be prepared for whatever. Maybe they are preparing for the "zombie apocalypse" TV and film seem heck-bent on portraying as a possibility some day! What amazes me is how these things actually sell! Someone believes there is a need to "be prepared" for some "emergency". How much more do we need to prepare our minds for things we don't even realize are coming? Rather than focusing on some of the stuff we spend time on, it is more beneficial to us to prepare our minds through study of the Word, pondering the ways God works, and the true mystery of his grace. When we are preparing our minds, we are preparing our hearts to act - to know how to respond when life throws us stuff we didn't expect.

- Control yourself. Up until this point, I think most of us could find ways to actually "do" what we are asked to do. On this one point, many of us will struggle for controlling "self" is sometimes not the easiest endeavor! The fact of the matter is that God doesn't say he will control us - he asks us to put our focus right, fill our minds with the right stuff, then act upon what we know to be true - in turn, we use the right stuff to produce the right actions. I have talked with believers who wonder why the continue to struggle with the same issues over and over again. If the truth be known, it is probably because they haven't prepared. There is nothing in reserve when the time comes to act - so they reach for what comes naturally - and that may not always be the most godly response we could give. God doesn't control us - but he does give us his Holy Spirit to be "resident" within us to help us sort out our responses when the time comes to respond. If we will do a little work ahead of time to prepare, we might just do a little better when the need for control arises.

- Look forward in hope as you focus on the GRACE Jesus gives. Grace isn't a thing - it is a person. It isn't a condition - it is a living, breathing existence fusing two lives together. As our lives become "intertwined" with Jesus, we begin to draw from his strength - even when the circumstances of life seem to tell us we won't make it. His will becomes the center of what we do - not our selfish desires. We find purpose in things he values - not in the things the world tells us matter. We find hope in grace - when our eyes are turned from what WE can produce to what he IS within us. Just sayin! 

Who's driving anyway?

Walt Kelly is quoted as saying, "Every burden is a blessing."  Walt is probably best known as the cartoonist who created the little character strip known as "Pogo".  He began as a cartoonist for Walt Disney, bringing characters to life in Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Dumbo. In one of his simple strips in the Pogo series, Pogo is walking along with Porkypine and is struggling to make it across the forest floor because of the prickly pine needles. As the two sit to nurse those wounds inflicted by the thick undergrowth and ponder the dilemma, Pogo simply says, "We have met the enemy, and he is us."  The enemy is us - what a somber thought, huh?  I once heard it said there are three people in the driver's seat of our lives - the person we are at this very moment, the one we could be if we gave into every whim or fancy of evil which presents itself to us, and the one we most certainly want to be by letting Christ do the driving.  The struggle comes in deciding which one will slip behind the wheel of our lives the most frequently!  If every burden is truly a blessing, then how is it we continue to resist those burdens and demand our own way while attempting to carry them?

Guide my steps in the ways of Your word, and do not let any sin control me.  (Psalm 119:133 VOICE)

Too many times, we are tripped up by the prickly stuff in life which makes our journey just a little bit too much for us to manage.  We find ourselves "nursing our wounds" and agonizing over the burden we are carrying - all the while forgetting we were clearly told to turn those burdens over to the one who has all the power and strength to bear them!  I believe the burden best becomes the blessing when the burden is squarely upon the shoulders of Jesus! It is then the burden can take on meaning, building within us character for the journey and helping us to navigate without unnecessary encumbrances.  Yet, we hold onto the "driver's seat" in life - thinking we will somehow figure out how to bear the burden in our own strength or wisdom.  The moment we "slide over", allowing Jesus to get behind the wheel, we notice something rather odd happening - evil is closer to the door and therefore further away from the driver's seat, we are closer to Jesus than we had been before, and he is navigating us safely through the journey because he actually knows the way!

Most of the time we find the "three drivers" are kind of at war with each other, though. We want to be in control, so we slip in behind the wheel again, trying to navigate potholes, maneuvering at break-neck speed around obstacles, and then wonder why our journey seems so hard for us.  Since mom doesn't drive anymore, I do all the driving in the family. She assumes the seat as "passenger", but if you were to speak with her about it, she isn't always that comfortable there!  She would like to be behind the wheel again - because by no longer being able to drive she lost some of her independence.  I think this may be the very thing which trips us up so frequently in life - the fear of losing our independence and being even remotely dependent upon anyone or anything else!  As she ages, she has also had to assume the use of a cane, wheelchair, and occasionally a walker.  Even the "aids" she has become burdens to her as she must remember where she laid the cane last, how to navigate the walker past corners of walls when she cannot clearly make them out with her limited eyesight, and how to trust someone to push her safely through traffic into buildings when she must go longer distances than she can easily endure.

Aids are good things - but they can also become a reliance which become a burden to us at times!  Don't believe me?  Auto-correct on our smart phones was meant to be a "predictive aid" for us.  How's that been working for you?  Ever send a text to find the words you thought you typed came out totally funky?  That "aid" actually "predicted" the words totally different than what you intended to send.  Nothing is more frustrating to me than to have to type the same word ten times over trying to convince that "aid" known as auto-correct to NOT correct my spelling!  What we think might be a benefit to us in life can sometimes become a burden - not easily shed, constantly trying to influence us, but not always "right" in the influence it exerts!  Not every "tool" is the right tool - not every influence is the best.

I don't know who is behind the wheel right now in your present circumstances, but I do know that until we move evil to the door and then actually encourage evil to get out of the car, we aren't really going to appreciate the beauty of the journey!  I don't know what "aids" we have become dependent upon, but I do know they can become burdens to us which we were not really meant to bear.  I think our journey is best made in a "two-seater" - Jesus at the wheel and us squarely in the passenger seat.  I also think we must see all we might muster up as a plan to deal with life as "aids" to us as potentially not so beneficial after all! Just sayin!

You are not truly flying this plane!

Wars, quarrels, wanting our own way, lusting for what we don't have, but probably also don't need - sound like society today?  If you said "yes", you are probably observing some of the same things I am.  The problem, as James explains it so aptly, is the "war within" each of us - wanting things we really don't need or things which will eventually be our undoing.  Life deals us all kinds of options - learning how to sort through those options is imperative to living well.  James also warns us with getting so close to the things this world has to offer that we stray dangerously close to the line of compromise all the time.  A couple of weeks ago, I commented about how my pastor spoke about being in the world, but not of it.  His illustration was that of a thermometer and a thermostat.  As Christians, we are to be thermostats - controlling the temperature of the culture around us, not being thermometers who just "adjust" to the temperature the culture affords.  Maybe we'd do well to listen to this advice - then take inventory of our actions.  Are we being more of a thermostat - bringing society into alignment with the principles God desires, or are we being more like a thermometer - adjusting our beliefs, principles, morals, etc. to what society declares to the the "norm" of the day?  The truth, as declared by James, is that if we are just "thermometers", we end up flirting with the things of this world every chance we get, and this will ultimately end in us being enemies of God.  Something I don't think any of us really desires!

So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.  (James 4:7-10 MSG)

How do we accomplish this "living in the world" without becoming just "like the world"?  I think we find the beginning of our answer to this question in the instruction to let God work his will in us.  First of all - see the wording here - it is not "give God permission" to work his will in us - it is LET him actually do it.  I have given some manicurists permission to do a pedicure on me, but when it comes to them scraping the bottom of my feet, on the arch portion, I am terribly ticklish.  Therefore, although I gave them permission to do the pedicure, I didn't let them go as far as driving me insane with the scraping on my ticklish portion of the foot!  I think this is an over-simplified explanation to the idea of "letting" someone have their way in our lives, but it works.  We do a lot of giving God permission - as when we pray "change me", "create this or that anew in me", etc.  We do a whole lot less of the "letting" God do what it is he wants to do in us, though! 

Letting God do his will in our lives is something akin to stepping back, yielding control of the reins, and then allowing the direction of our lives by the expert.  I had a friend when I was in high school - mom and dad's friend, actually.  He was a pilot and owned a small plane.  He'd get me in the co-pilot seat and then lift the plane adeptly from the runway, soaring over the edge of the mountains of Los Alamos, New Mexico.  Then as soon as we were airborne, he'd turn to me and say, "take the controls".  To say the least, I never learned how to fly - I just learned how to keep the nose of the plane headed in the right direction!  He may have said he was allowing me to "take the controls", but I know the truth - he still was operating everything from the pilot seat.  He remained the expert pilot - I was only "playing" at being in control.  At best, we all play at being in control of our lives - I think we might just want to consider how fortunate we are to actually have someone still truthfully in control!

Another important aspect of "letting" God take control is our willingness to say "no" and mean it.  Too many times we make a half-hearted attempt to say "no" to the things of this world which give us heartache and turmoil, but we don't really mean our "no".  We just give lip-service to letting go of these things - but we are still really intrigued and drawn in by them.  The only way to deal with what acquires and demands our attention is to change our focus. As long as we look intently at sin, we will sin - even if we have convinced ourselves we don't want to!  Why?  Our focus is on the sin - how hard it is to let it go, how much influence it has on our lives, etc.  When we turn our back on the sin and focus instead on the one who desires to take control (Jesus), we no longer see the sin.  We see the Lord - and when we see him - we don't have room for the sin in our view!  It may seem simplified - but truthfully, these things are not rocket-science.  God tells us to determine our focus - HIM. Then choose to remain consistent in that focus - not dabbling in the things of this world one day, and then the heavenly the next.  Whenever we dabble, we don't have determined focus.

So, thermostat or thermometer?  In the world, but not of it?  In the world, and having a hard time leaving it behind?  Get your focus redirected.  Eyes fixed on Jesus yields one in control who actually knows how the controls work together to keep us in flight!  Just sayin!

What's your modus operandi?

In charge - has the thought ever occurred to you to consider carefully who might just be "in charge" of your life?  Most of us would say we believe God is in charge of our lives - and we'd be correct in this assumption.  Yet, most of us live as though WE were in charge of our lives!  We don't consult God with our decisions - we make them and then look to him to "back us up" with those decisions.  We get ourselves into "binds" and expect him to bail us out.  At those moments when we are struggling to hold our head above water, we even get to thinking God may have just abandoned us.  Maybe the better perspective for us to have is not that he abandoned us, but that we totally missed out on the fact of his watchful protection over our lives even when WE insisted on being "in charge".  After wallowing for a while in our self-pity because we recognize our "plans" were not all that good, we find ourselves a little "exposed" by our folly, don't we?  Exposure often results in us wanting to "cover up" - we don't want to honestly admit the mess we have made of things, but it is hard not to!

God is in charge of human life, watching and examining us inside and out. We justify our actions by appearances; God examines our motives.  Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors mean far more to God than religious performance.  (Proverbs 20:27; 21:2-3 MSG)

God has an amazing way of penetrating our hearts.  It is like he has a super-high powered spotlight which just gets into the corners of what we'd rather not admit is there.  The "power" of this "spotlight" actually allows discovery where there is resistance.  This is what "penetration" means - something exerts enough force or strength so as to overcome the resistance it faces. God has a way of doing exactly that - not settling for a glossing over of our inner character just because we are resistant to change.  In fact, God not only "sees into" us - he sees "through us".  This is a good thing since so many of us still like to hide behind our "masks" thinking no one will ever be able to uncover the reality of our shame, guilt, or pride if we do.

Motives are the things which actually cause us to act a certain way.  When our motives are not self-serving, we see the actions as being sacrificial and directed toward the best for another.  When we see our motives are inward directed, we might just see all the actions as a little self-seeking or selfish in nature - the actions serve to satisfy self.  This is why God needs a spotlight - to expose the motives which influence or direct our actions.  Motives are "internal" and there is the need to "unmask" them in order to really get at the heart of what makes us act as we do.

We cannot escape his examination - because without it, he cannot get at what motivates us to act as we do.  Until he gets past our rebellious "crust", he cannot impact our inner character.  The "penetrating" effect of his "light" may not be all that "enjoyable" at times - but it is totally necessary if we are ever to actually recognize his desire to be "in control" of our lives.  When we finally admit we have been in charge - he is free to begin to take control.  He moves from just "bailing us out" all the time to actually keeping us out of the position of being over our heads in stuff in the first place!

When we are young, we rely a lot upon our strength.  When we begin to get a little older, we rely not so much upon our strength as we do upon our wisdom. We have learned a few lessons along the way which help us to "work smarter" instead of "work harder".  I think this is also true in the spiritual sense - we don't rely so much upon our strength to get things done as we do upon the wisdom he gives.  This is when we know we are actually allowing the walls of resistance to his governance of our lives to come down - giving him control.

We may think our ways are right, but God is the best judge of this, not us. We see things with "blinders" on - only allowing a cursory view of what is immediately in front of us.  God has a way of seeing things without the blinders - he knows the peripheral effect of every action and has the greatest opportunity to help us avoid the hazards of what might actually do us harm. There are many who think this Christian walk is about a lifetime of bringing God sacrifices - what it is we DO for him.  Truth is, it is about a lifetime of what God DOES for us, because even the purity of our heart and motives is all because he intervenes to DO the clean up for us!

Our mode of operation is to make hasty decisions - not thought out well, kind of self-centered, and a little bit too close to the edge.  God's mode of operation is to help us learn to wait on his movements - taking the time to plan well, moving beyond our secret rebellion of always wanting to be in control, and then moving further away from the edge and more to the center of where he wants to keep us - right next to his heart.  Just sayin!