Ready to do life?

 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. (Ephesians 5:15-17)

How do we begin to make the most of the opportunities in front of us? It might just begin the moment we take time to think through our decisions. We all make flash decisions, but that should not be our primary way of living. We need the time to bring our day before the Lord and listen to what he says to us. In the church, this is called our quiet time, but in my life, I call it my planning time. Why? It is when I take my day to him, gaining his perspective on what should have priority and what should not. It includes time in his Word and sufficient time to actually think upon it. It involves prayer - discussion with God. Maybe the most important thing is the time I take to listen, so I don't go off my own way and do things without reason or outside of his timing.

We 'take care' in how we live when we put Christ first in our day. A fool has no time to get God's perspective, but plunges ahead without much thought. The more we learn to stop and just listen, the less we will make rash or foolish decisions. There will be less missed or bungled opportunities. Have you ever been outside of God's timing? No matter how well-intentioned you may have been, you bungled the opportunity because it wasn't the right timing. We don't overcome temptation in our lives without a plan to deal with it when it raises. Do you think God tells me HOW I will be tempted each day? No, but when I have committed the day to him and sought his will for my day, I stand a better chance of recognizing it when it comes. That point of recognition is important because it is the beginning of resisting it. 

We all get ahead of ourselves some of the time, but a pattern of living like this all of the time is not healthy for us emotionally and spiritually. We must learn to take care - allowing God to connect with us before we rush off to 'do life'. When we do, we will find our decisions are ordered and our actions yield better results. Just saying!

Let it be recorded

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

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

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

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

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

Deciding with desire

Know anyone who just has a hard time making decisions?  I do!  I must confess there are times, especially when I need to plunk down a great deal of money on something, when I just take forever to make a decision.  I almost "labor" over the decision because I don't want to make a mistake when it comes to spending that sum of money.  Recently, I purchased a new washer and dryer.  Do you know it took me nearly six months to settle on the ones I was to buy?  Yep, six months.  Oh, my other ones were limping along, so I still had clean clothes, but in the interest of efficiency, timeliness of drying, and the like, they were at the end of their lifespan.  The space constraints where they had to fit were one of the biggest factors, but when I found a couple which would work, they were hard to get in a set.  It seemed one place would have a washer the right size, but not the dryer.  The next place would have a dryer, but not a washer.  Do you think either of them had complementary matching pieces?  Nope!  That made the challenge of making a decision even harder.  I could go with only two brands and none of the distributors had a set of either one!  When I finally found the ones I purchased, I even hesitated a little because it was a little more than I wanted to spend, but they fit, they were a good brand, and they were a matched set!  Sometimes decisions we have to make in life come that way - a little awkwardly at first, leaving us with many a point of consideration, and presenting more of a challenge for us than we may have wanted to consider in the first place.  Life isn't always as easy as following the steps in a recipe book. Sometimes it gets a little complicated and we just need the help of the one who wrote the recipe book to walk us through it!

Do any of you need wisdom? Ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to everyone. So he will give you wisdom. But when you ask God, you must believe. Don’t doubt him. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is blown up and down by the wind. People like that are thinking two different things at the same time. They can never decide what to do. So they should not think they will receive anything from the Lord. (James 1:5-8 ERV)

One of the factors which plays into our decision-making is this whole idea of knowing when it is time to ask God for his help, or if this is perhaps the time he counts on us to use our common sense and past learning to make that decision. I don't think God particularly cared if I got this washer or that one, but he didn't want me to be a bad steward of the finances he graciously provides for me. He also didn't want me to stress over the decision!  Herein is our main issue at times - the stress we put upon ourselves in these moments when we are between deciding and acting.  Stress is often the simple "arguments" we engage in deep within ourselves which give rise to anxiety, hopelessness, and a plethora of other emotions.  We don't mean to do it at times, but we just do because we either don't fully trust God to do what he says he will do for us, or we don't trust what we know to be right and then act upon it.

The struggle between knowing and doing is as old as creation itself.  It dates back to the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve had to decide if they'd act upon their own desires, or listen obediently to the desires God set forth for their lives.  This is something we almost miss when we read over the story in Genesis. It is one of desire - the struggle between ours and God's.  You didn't get that wrong - I said desire is at the root of many of our trust issues and usually the main cause of our obedience issues, as well.  We know what is right for us, but we don't always desire to act upon what we know.  Desire brings passion into the mix where decisions have to be made.  Often the thing we are most passionate about is what we find ourselves gravitating toward when we make the decision at hand.

When I need to purchase something like a new laptop, I become passionate about a couple of things.  I want power, because I like to surf the web and play games at the speed of light.  I want portability, because I don't want it to take up a lot of room in my backpack when I travel and I don't want a backache from carrying it.  These two things are not always congruent, though.  Power and portability are not always accomplished in the purchase.  If they are, it usually means some other trade off - including a larger dollar figure!  Desire plays into our decisions each and every time we make them - we may not realize it, but it does.  If we can recognize this up front, we might just begin to make wiser decisions - because we will see how much we need to pray for God to not so much help us with the decision, but to clarify and bring into alignment our desires!

If we want to become "good" at making decisions which are consistently in keeping with what God would desire for our lives, we need to ask him to work on our desires first.  When our desires mesh with his, we become much more reliable in the decisions we make.  Just sayin!

You decide

We all have desired or intended results to every action we take in life.  Even setting the alarm before bed is an action intended to awaken us at a particular time to afford us the opportunity to be up, dressed, and engaged in some activity.  Some of our "aims" in life are little rote - like setting the alarm to awaken in the morning.  Others are a little spontaneous - such as when someone calls and asks if you want to hang out a while.  You manage to drop a few things you have going and make plans with the individual because you enjoy the relationship and want to get together.  Still other "plans" or "aims" in life are a little more formalized, take a little longer to accomplish, and serve a specific purpose - as when we make a savings plan or choose to live by a budget.  I don't consult anyone when I set the alarm - because I "own" that activity for my life.  I do consult someone when I want to change my investments to have them perform a little better - because their expertise is appreciated as beyond the knowledge I possess alone.  When the friend calls, I may consult my mother to see if she minds me going out, but it isn't for permission as much as it is to inform her I plan on being gone for a while. Some plans require a lot of pre-planning, while others merely come together. Those which require expertise outside of our own might not always be recognized though - because we perceive we are able to handle much more than we actually are!  Learning when counsel is necessary in forming our "purpose" is important if we are to understand the difference between choosing our own way and learning from the wisdom of others.

Form your purpose by asking for counsel, then carry it out using all the help you can get. (Proverbs 20:18 MSG)

Not all counsel is wise, though.  Some counsel is based on a totally different set of values than our own - making the counsel a little less than desirable for our lives.  In seeking counsel, we need to be sure we are aligned with others who have similar values, but also that we run all counsel through the Word of God for validation or verification.  If counsel doesn't "add up" to the principles taught in the Word, it is likely not the best for us to follow.  I think this is why it is so important for us to have a "base" upon which we make our judgments or decisions.  This "base" is the minimum set of values taught in scripture - such as those found in the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Christ.  God also gives us insight into life decisions through the recorded actions of the people captured in scripture.  The narratives don't just make good reading, they are meant to help us form a basis of understanding about good and unwise decisions.

Now, I began with stating there were various types of decisions we make each day in planning our day - some very basic and elementary, others more complex and requiring more thought.  Those basic things don't need a whole lot of counsel.  I think God gives us something called common sense to handle some of those things - such as knowing it takes us one hour to get ready for work, so setting the alarm at anything less than one hour prior to our time to leave is not going to get us out the door on time.  We don't need to spend a great deal of time asking God what time to set the alarm for - he gives us the latitude to decide.  If we are struggling with finding time in our day to read the Word, pray, and learn from him in our quiet time, this might be something he wants us to get some counsel about - figuring out how to order our day so we can carve out that time.  Even this counsel will be basic and not overly difficult - so just realizing we may need to arise a half hour earlier and go to bed a half hour earlier doesn't even take a trained counselor to advise us!

Those decisions which require counsel outside of our own wisdom may be those which involve changes in career, moves we may want to make with our finances, or even relationship issues we just cannot see our way out of because we are too closely involved.  When these issues arise, we seek biblical counsel - because the values incorporated into our counsel matter! We need to keep in mind the principles of counsel.  Rarely should counsel violate what we likely already know to be true in a circumstance.  For example, if it is a relationship issue which causes you to seek counsel, you likely know a little bit about why you are where you are in the relationship.  Talking it out with someone isn't meant to give you clarity because they know all the right answers, but just that they can help you bring out the pieces you already know and put them together into an ordered fashion.  Going to someone for counsel, receiving advice or plans beyond what we can see in scripture may not be biblical counsel - so we also need to follow the principles outlined in scripture.

There is safety in receiving counsel when big decisions may loom and cause us a little concern.  Military leaders of old would do this prior to engaging in any military action - and they still do down through the ages.  Why?  We learn from the wisdom of others who have had similar experiences.  A word of caution - counsel is not based on experience alone - it must align with scripture, find agreement in our spirit, and be consistent with the character of God.  We can receive some pretty good advice - but advice which does not find agreement in our spirit (the place where we commune with God's Spirit), is not worth our following.  Remember, common sense helps us with many decisions.  When they get a little tougher, God expects us to go to him with those - in turn, he may help us out a little by bringing someone into our lives with the biblical counsel to assist us in sorting things out.  Never let counsel steer you away from these safety measures.  If it does, you will find yourself in a worse place.  Just sayin!

Are you aspiring or ambitious?

Have you ever experienced one of those "empty-head" moments when you just do something and then look back and say to yourself, "Now why'd I do THAT"? I think we probably all have at some point.  We just plunge right in and then in retrospect, we kind of wonder how we ever got as "messed up" as we did. It was probably because we had one of those times when we just didn't stop long enough to consider the consequences of what we were doing - the scripture calls this being "empty-headed".  These empty-headed decisions are really not built on a solid foundation, therefore they will not turn out well. Our conduct may be fun for a while, but eventually empty-headed decisions catch up with us.  Mindful decisions are marked by attentiveness, awareness, and great care.  These types of decisions make for a much better outcome - their foundation is a lot stronger and more enduring.

An empty-head thinks mischief is fun, but a mindful person relishes wisdom. The aspirations of good people end in celebration; the ambitions of bad people crash.  The speech of a good person clears the air; the words of the wicked pollute it.  (Proverbs 10:23, 28, 32 MSG)

I have to ask - are you a planner?  If so, would you say you lean more to the side of being a "schemer" or a "developer"?  A schemer leans to the side of embracing the impractical - they have a plan, but it may not be well thought out.  The developer leans to the side of development - allowing one piece to build upon another until they see the result of the finished work.  Scripture promises the planner a much better outcome than the schemer.  Why?  There is a tendency for the planner to stop long enough to get God's perspective on the matter, while the schemer just takes off, hoping God will back them in their plan.  I have to admit, I have been on both sides of the fence on this one!  I can be the best of planners and the worst of schemers!  So, I speak from experience on this one.  I have had some of those empty-headed moments - but I'd like to think I have come full circle to becoming more mindful.  A mindful person really has their "mind full", but with the right stuff!

The godly rest secure - because they can do so when their plans are made and acted upon in God's sight.  The fool might just make a few of their decision under the cover of "darkness" - kind of like they hope to "fly under the radar" on some of them!  It took me a long while to realize God doesn't need the radar!  His powers of observations far outdo the radar - so there is really no "flying under the radar" with him!  Mischief - ever stop to consider this word? It dawned on me it could be written as "MIS-Chief".  In other words, the control (chief) in our lives is "misplaced".  We determine to be "chief" instead of keeping God at the center.  Anytime we do this, we are open to some pretty empty-headed decisions and actions!  Mischief is really anything which will bring hurt or damage - getting anything but God at the center of our decisions is sure to produce both.

Aspirations - the goal or objective of your focus.  The goals or objectives of a godly man or woman end in celebration - because the desire, longing, or aim of their hearts is to please only one.  The godly are contrasted to the foolish who don't have aspirations, but ambitions.  Ambitions are some pursuit which will result in a distinguished honor, power, fame, or even wealth.  Some might think aspirations and ambitions are closely related - they wouldn't be wrong, but it is the "intent" behind each which determines if they are right for a child of God.  The focus of our minds, hearts, and spirit is what is brought into question here.  If it is God and no other (including ourselves), then we are likely pursuing aspirations born in our heart by God himself.  If we really have no idea where God fits into the picture of whatever we are pursuing, it is likely an ambition and might just be one of those "empty headed" moments!

Aspirations and ambitions come across in our speech.  What we are entertaining in our minds eventually comes across in what we are saying.  The godly lean toward speech which is helpful and productive - the fool tends toward the speech which really sounds good, but isn't backed by anything of real value.  The wise offer words of good advice - the fool cannot help but deceive others because he is deceiving himself by his own empty-headed decisions.  The wise will speak what ends in blessing to the hearer, and ultimately even brings blessing into their own lives.  The fool will speak what tends to corrupt, ending in destruction to those who hear and embrace the fool-hardy advice of the empty-headed.  Our words are good indicators of the condition of our soul and emotional well-being.  If pure, then our words are usually reflective of a heart right with God.  

I want to end with another verse from the same portion of scripture this morning:  When the storm is over, there’s nothing left of the wicked; good people, firm on their rock foundation, aren’t even fazed.  (vs. 25 MSG)  Putting this all together, here's what we can observe:

- When we allow our minds to be governed by the action of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we make better decisions.  The "quality" of our decisions to act are based on a solid foundation.  The result of the "well-planned" actions which are the result of having the right focus will end in better outcomes.

- We can have a lot of ambition and still totally miss the mark in the end. Ambition alone will not stand the test of time, or the challenge of testing. We need the desires of our heart to be filtered through the mind and heart of Christ. Until this occurs, we are just seeking ambitions - we never really move into aspirations.

- What stands the test of time is not the empty-headed decisions, but the well-rounded decisions of a heart willing to wait on God for his direction. Getting his perspective makes all the difference when the storms challenge our decisions.  Just sayin!

Can we get there from here?

Somehow, though he moves right in front of me, I don't see him; 
   quietly but surely he's active, and I miss it.

(Job 9:11 The Message)

Have you ever been looking so diligently for something only to find that what you sought with such great earnestness was right there in front of you all the time?  When you finally realize that the object of your search was just within your reach, didn't you feel a little silly having spent all that time and energy in the seeking?  It's kind of like you just have to say, "Duh!  Here it is!" and give yourself a little knock up beside the head!  

There is a process in the business world called "building shared vision" that in its simplest form is usually facilitated by bringing a group of people together for a period of time to tap into what it is that they imagine for the success of the group.  Now, I have made this definition pretty broad, but you get the idea.  It is all about getting the people in the group to bring their thoughts and ideas into play as they "vision" the work they do as a group.  It opens communication, gets people on the same page, identifies some barriers to "being on the same page", and can help a group see the steps necessary to move forward in a full "team approach".

In the end, the group will be asked the telling question:  "How do we get there from here?"  I think this is a question that we often ask God in our daily walk.  We see ourselves in some present circumstance, imagine what we'd like to see come out of that circumstance, and then we stand there wondering what steps we will have to take to realize the end that it is we are hopeful of achieving.  I call this the "Y" moment.  We stand at an intersection - one path leads to one outcome, the other to quite a different one.  At the moment of decision, we stand there asking "WHY" do we choose one or the other - often deliberating to the point that we don't move at all.

The goal of a good group "facilitator" is to give people the chance to talk things out.  In other words, the "facilitator" asks the "who", "what", "where", "when", and "how" questions with skillful tact.  The ones in the group answer while the facilitator "pulls out" common themes.  I think Jesus does this with us.  We stand at that "Y" point in our lives, he spends a little time with us "pulling out" the common themes of past choices we have made that got us in our present circumstance (and others like it), then allows us to figure out that choosing the path in that direction will just lead us into the same muddle again!

I often hear believers say, "I just don't know what God wants me to do!"  To that I simply answer, "He has probably facilitated this conversation with you multiple times already - you just did not recognize it was him facilitating that discussion!"  Just like the Old Testament believer Job, we probably utter the words, "Somehow, though he moves right in front of me, I don't see him; quietly but surely he's active, and I miss it."  We are so focused on the "V" of the intersection of familiar choice vs. best choice that we don't see him moving down the path of best choice ahead of us.

The path of best choice is often the one we have never been on before!  I have a pastor friend that says it this way:  "If we always do what we've always done, we will always get what we've always gotten!"  So, think that through today.  Ask yourself this question:  "What path have I settled into a little bit of a comfort-zone while traveling?"  It may very well be that God will bring you to a "Y" moment soon.  In that moment, let God "facilitate" that discussion that "pulls out" the common themes of past choices that may not have been all that helpful to you.  In that "discussion with God", stop long enough to realize his movements - then ask yourself, "Can I get THERE from where I am traveling today?"  If the the answer is "probably not", then perhaps it is time for a change of course!

Ruining your own life

² Ignorant zeal is worthless; haste makes waste.  ³ People ruin their lives by their own stupidity, so why does God always get blamed? 

(Proverbs 19:2-3)

Ever hear someone say, "Why did God let this happen to me?"  It is a natural question to ask whenever something bad happens in life.  We somehow feel that we did not "deserve" this moment of disappointment, season of loss, or depth of difficulty that we are experiencing.  Solomon gives us insight into how these "bad things" sometimes come into our life exclusive of God "doing" anything to orchestrate them.  He tells us that it is our own ignorant zeal - hasty decisions, careless answers, silly compromises - that get us into the "soup" we are in.  Uh oh...now the truth is revealed!  People ruin their own lives and God gets the blame for our own silliness - that is what he puts forth to us in this passage.  So, rather than asking why God allowed something to happen, we might do well to examine what was in our own heart that lead to this result!

⁸ Grow a wise heart—you'll do yourself a favor; keep a clear head—you'll find a good life. 

(Proverbs 19:8)

A wise heart is both the result of taking advantage of learning from what God provides as direction for our lives and of determining what is beneficial in our pursuits.  People with good sense restrain themselves.  Restraint is one of the most difficult things for us to learn.  Restraint is nothing more than having a system of "checks & balances" by which we "run through" a decision before taking action.  In the end, the results are usually better because they have been thought through with some level of consciousness.  Our thinking is often clouded by whatever is the most demanding thing in our life that day - it could be the needs around the house, the chaos at the office, or the inner turmoil of emotions on edge.  Solomon reminds us that we need a "clear head" in order to process life correctly (with wisdom).  

It takes time to "clear your head" - haste does not give us the "time" we need for the decisions of the day.  When we compromise the investment of time, we compromise the outcome of the decision.