Instant or Consistent?

 Mother Teresa reminds us to "be faithful in small things because it is them that your strength lies." Jesus told his disciples, "If you are honest in the small things, you will be honest in the big things." (Luke 16:10) Faithfulness isn't always the easiest things - consistency to always do the small things is hard, isn't it? I remember to dust the TV console because the dust is quite evident. I don't always remember to dust the picture frames - because they are smaller, out of my immediate line of sight, and easier to 'forget about'. It is like the rungs on the kitchen chairs - I can completely ignore them until one day the light reflects on them just the right way and I realize just how badly they need my attention! There are things in our lives we attempt to ignore just a bit and they could be the very things that need the biggest part of our attention right now!

What are some of the small things God is asking you to pay attention to today? Yes, I am meddling a bit here, because it is time for us to begin a new year once again and we likely will make some type of resolutions. Don't get me wrong - having a purpose is good, but most of the time our 'resolutions' are merely 'nice ideas'. We start well, peter out somewhere down the road, and forget we had any intention of keeping those 'resolutions'. Instead of us making lofty goals this year, how about each of us making an 'analysis' of the small things that need a little more of our faithfulness? Could we all look at our closest relationships today and find small ways where we could be more faithful? Let's be honest - we all could do a better job with the 'little things' - the things that actually mount up to 'big things' if we neglect them too long.

The more we look, the more we will discover. Every now and again I have to clean out my file drawers. They get messy - things not 'exactly' in the right place. You know how that happens? I get lazy. I get the stuff to the drawers, but I don't always want to file them away correctly. It is easier to just stuff them in. In the end, when I need something I should be able to find quite quickly takes me a whole lot of time and frustration to put my hands on. Something I have had to learn - small steps today make for a better foundation for the steps we will take tomorrow. Neglect doesn't happen overnight - it is progressive. The same is true for faithfulness - it isn't instant, but consistent. Just sayin!

Well done

I wonder how many of us could say we have done well with Mother Teresa's challenges to "be faithful in the small things because it is in them that your strength lies." Our strength lies not in the greatness we achieve, but in the faithfulness we manifest in doing the things that it is likely nobody will notice! I think that is what Jesus had in mind when he challenged his disciples to tell them what they had spent so much time arguing about while on a journey one day. It was right after they had been out on a mission with Jesus, listening to him teach, seeing him work miracles, observing great deliverance from lifelong disease and demon-possession. They find themselves right where we find ourselves many times - wondering who will be the greatest among them - who will be the 'most favored' of all the disciples Jesus. Isn't it strange that we worry about who will 'rise to the top' more than we think about all that can be accomplished just by being faithful in the little things?

And so they arrived at Capernaum. When they were settled in the house where they were to stay, he asked them, “What were you discussing out on the road?” But they were ashamed to answer, for they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest! He sat down and called them around him and said, “Anyone wanting to be the greatest must be the least—the servant of all!” Then he placed a little child among them; and taking the child in his arms he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming my Father who sent me!” (Mark 9:33-37)

I think I might be ashamed to answer if Jesus just came right out and asked me point blank such a question. Oh, wait...he has asked that question of me on more than one occasion! I am pretty sure that I am not the only one that gets their undies in a wad on occasion when someone seems to get all the credit for the work others have done, am I? I think that is what irked me so much about having to do all those team projects in school - someone usually did more work than the others, but we ALL received the same grade for the project. It didn't seem fair - isn't that what envy is all about - someone gets more than we think they deserve? Faithfulness isn't about always receiving the credit - it is about putting forth whatever effort God expects of us, consistently and without fail, and letting him get the credit!

The disciples were just asking the logical question any group would ask - so don't judge them too harshly. They were used to a system of 'checks and balances' that allowed certain 'privileges' as a result of certain efforts. It was how every government or religious system of the day worked. You do well by the king and you were elevated to a place of prominence in his government. You could work the fields for years and years, never being noticed, but one day you uncover a plot to kill the king, sending a message in earnest hope it reaches his court before the vile offense can be carried out, and the next day you are wearing royal garb! No wonder they were focused on 'who would be first' in God's kingdom. It was just natural that they would think that way.

Jesus challenged them, though. He used a simple illustration that revealed to them something they had overlooked - it is about embracing service, not about striving for greatness. Don't be afraid to embrace the little things in life with all the fervor you can bring forth. It isn't in the big things we do that we find our greatest joy - it is the day by day faithfulness to the little things that we find our reward. We think our reward is based on what others will see and notice, but our reward is most often found in the simple words, "Well done, thy good and faithful servant"...the words Jesus speaks deep into our soul, not shouted out for public display. Just sayin!

Let's get this right ALL of the time

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

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

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

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

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

Plant on

Good people are like budding palm trees. They grow strong like the cedar trees of Lebanon.  They are planted in the house of the Lord. They grow strong there in the courtyards of our God. Even when they are old, they will continue producing fruit like young, healthy trees. They are there to show everyone that the Lord is good. He is my Rock, and he does no wrong.  

(Psalm 94:12-15 ERV)

Martin Luther said, "Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I'd still plant my apple tree." Tomorrow may not be assured, but what we can do today is still in front of us. We must take advantage of what is right in front of us and not be so focused on what lies ahead that we ignore the tasks or responsibilities right in front of us. Luther reminds us we may not always see the fruit of our labors, but today's labor may be the very thing that produces tomorrow's harvest!

The moment we sacrifice what is right in front of us, the opportunity which may come further down the road may no longer be in our path. All God expects of us is our faithfulness with what we are given today. He doesn't deny us the right to "plan" for the future, or to even look forward to it, but he does not want us so consumed with the future that we fail to partake of the things we are called to do today. The time we spend planting today is never wasted. The farmer doesn't withhold the seed because he fears a few bad weather days or dreads the weeds!

What has God called you to plant? Is it your family you are to be "tending" right now? Or perhaps your "extended family" in church or your community? In just a little bit of faithfulness to those God has placed in our path there could be the reality of a harvest way beyond anything we might ever realize in this lifetime. Seeds planted in years and years before I was even born are producing a great harvest today - not just through the lives of "celebrity" preachers or teachers, but through the lives of regular people, consistently doing regular things, in quite regular ways.

It is natural to want to experience the fruit of our "labor", but it isn't always possible. To limit our focus to what we can see, feel, or touch right here in the here and now is to be way too near-sighted. There are times when we need to be faithful to what we are impressed to do and then leave the harvest to the next person who comes behind us. It may be hard to let go, but we aren't the ones responsible to bring the fruit - the Holy Spirit has that job. We are called to be faithful with what he asks of us, then leave the rest into his hands. In so doing, we are assuring what is planted has the potential to bring forth the greatest amount of fruit in just the right season. The key to fruit is faithfulness. Just sayin!

The same, but not the same

"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."  (Heraclitus)  Ponder that one for a moment or two and you will likely see the wisdom in these words.  We often think the things we are going into (or through) are just like they were the last time we went into (or through) them.  Sometimes when you actually take the time to look closer you see what once was is now different - including you!  It might come as a shock to some, but "the same" is never really "the same" in life.  There is always going to be some type of difference - even when it comes to the stuff we think we have already learned!

Forever, O Eternal One, Your word stands in heaven, firm and resolute.  Your faithfulness endures to every generation; You founded the earth, and it remains.  (Psalm 119:89-90 VOICE)

There is something which never differs or changes from what we could call "time past" to all of  time into eternity - God's faithfulness.  Charles Stanley said, "Too many Christians have a commitment of convenience. They'll stay faithful as long as it's safe and doesn't involve risk, rejection, or criticism. Instead of standing alone in the face of challenge or temptation, they check to see which way their friends are going."  This also is a true statement worthy of consideration.  WE define faithfulness is so many different ways - but most often it comes with a misguided belief that faithfulness is revealed by everything being exactly the same each and every time we see or face it.

As Stanley says, faithfulness involves risk taking, the potential of rejection, and even a little criticism from others on occasion.  They don't understand or comprehend the magnitude of the actions we are taking based upon faith, nor do they fully grasp the idea that faithfulness on our part is really only possible because of faithfulness on God's part.  Our commitment to walk according to the truth revealed in God's word is only possible because of his faithfulness to us in and through that Word being revealed in us by his power and through his grace.

I agree with Stanley - safety isn't defined by everything being the same.  I think it is bolstered by knowing there is someone faithful standing behind each and every action we take.  Every step has the potential to help us see something we didn't see before, or to realize we have become something different than what we once were.  We may not realize it, but when we take the first look into the mirror of God's word, we see one image.  In returning to his word again, we might just see a different image.  His word didn't change - but what we perceived the next time around did!

I once heard it said that without darkness nothing is birthed, and without light nothing ever flowers or blooms.  No darkness is ever the same; no blossoming of new growth is quite like the last.  All are unique - yet they stem from something which appears the same.  Darkness gives way to light - that seems the same at first, but with each new dawn there is the potential of a new day and all it holds.  Buds on a plant promise the evidence of beauty and a fragrance unique to the plant from which it stems.  No two buds are the same - no fragrance quite identical.

We need the darkness to bring an appreciation of the light.  We need attachment to the place from which life comes forth in order to reveal the beauty of our growth in the fullest way. We might resist the darkness because it seems different than what we have been in before - but the potential of what comes out of that darkness as light begins to dawn is unique to the period of darkness we have endured.  Just sayin!

Ever stop to consider....

Do you take for granted things like the consistency of the sunrise or the predictability of the phases of the moon?  Most of us probably do unless we make our living predicting something based on their predictability.  If we were to stop for just a couple of minutes and consider what the scriptures declare about the sun and moon, we might just be amazed all over again at the next sunrise, sunset, and the phases of the moon!  Why?  They are simply doing what they were designed to do - to keep telling the wonders of God and declaring boldly what he has done!  They declare his creative power and his ability to sustain all things with nothing more than the sound of his voice!  This should give us cause to pause for just a few moments to consider his greatness and to bask in his brilliance!

The heavens keep telling the wonders of God, and the skies declare what he has done.   Each day informs the following day; each night announces to the next.   They don’t speak a word, and there is never the sound of a voice.  Yet their message reaches all the earth, and it travels around the world.  In the heavens a tent is set up for the sun.  It rises like a bridegroom and gets ready like a hero eager to run a race.  It travels all the way across the sky.  Nothing hides from its heat. (Psalm 19:1-6 CEV)

When we think of the sun and the moon, we are to consider them as "declarations" of God's continued care for each of us.  Without a word, the sun sets and the moon takes its place in the sky.  Without a sound, the sun begins the slow journey from somewhere below the horizon into the majesty of the sky above.  In the passage of hours, it finds itself lingering just along the opposite horizon, giving that final glow of daylight as the moon sets about the path it will keep during those ensuing nighttime hours.  No announcement is heard - no words are spoken - yet the brilliance of the sun's brightness and the faithfulness of the moon's passage tell of the faithfulness of our God.

Scripture tells us if we don't tell of his faithfulness, even nature will declare it.  The message we declare is heralded by the brightness of day and the heralding of the night hours.  The world is without excuse when it comes to knowing there is a God - for even the things we take so much for granted declare his faithfulness and grace.  Without the sun, we would be launched into perpetual darkness and frigid temperatures.  Without the brilliance of those rays beating down on plants below, the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen would never occur.  Apart from their faithful coming and going, all life as we know it would cease to follow its pattern of life.  Even us!

We take for granted things which God has taken so much care to prepare and preserve for our well-being.  I am not a "save the whales" or "stop hunting the seals" kind of girl, nor do I hug trees and tell make-up manufacturers to stop killing the animals.  I do have an appreciation for the majesty of what God has created and the tremendous amount of care he put into the handiwork each object of his creative power exhibits.  Whether it is you or I that is being considered as his handiwork, or the tree fully in bloom with magnificent magnolia blooms filling the air with their sweet smell, or the seeming ease at which the humpback whale rises from the depths below - God is declared to be GOD in all of these things.

Stop to consider these wonders now and again.  As you do, think a little deeper into the mystery of these objects.  We don't really know what keeps the sun and moon in their places in the skies above, although scientists have studied their existence and course for years and years.  We don't really know how they came to be, although scripture declares clearly their existence is clearly from God's hand - created from nothing - something we cannot comprehend with our finite minds.  

I was pondering how consistent the sun is in coming and going every day.  Some days reveal the passage of those bright rays in shorter spans than others, depending upon the time of year we observe their presence.  Maybe this is because God wants us to recognize there are times when we need to bring rest to the earth and seasons when productive growth are to occur.  Maybe this is symbolic of how we go through seasons of tremendous growth, followed by what seems like times of coolness and barrenness.  Those aren't times of barrenness my friends - they are times of preparation - for in those moments when the days seem darker, our hearts are being prepared for the returning of the brilliance of those productive seasons soon to break upon the horizon of our lives!

No announcement is necessary for the sun to take its place high above us - but know this - God's care is behind the dependability of its rising and setting!  Just as consistent as he is with the care he takes in arranging for the sun to take its course high above us, his care over our lives may be depended upon because his carefulness over our lives and the course we take within them is for more important to him!  Just sayin!

Step on up

This life would be made a whole lot easier at times if Jesus just came right out and said, "Let me ask you something..." - wouldn't it?  We wouldn't have to ask if the little voice we hear "mulling things over" in our minds was just us or if it was his Spirit speaking with us.  We wouldn't have to ask, "Is that really you, Lord?"  We might just take steps forward with more confidence, step back when danger is imminent, and be so in tune with God's next steps that we never are out of touch with what he is doing.  There are probably more times when we are found asking if God is really speaking to us, if we can trust what we are hearing or sensing, and if this really applies to us in our present circumstances!  Why?  Maybe it is because our minds just have a hard time wrapping themselves around this idea of God talking with mortal man; or maybe we just don't quite "buy into" what he is saying and doing in our lives, so we stand there finding a way to "discount" it.  Either way, we often miss out on the best he has for us because we don't act upon what we hear!

“Let me ask you something: What kind of action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil? Helping people or leaving them helpless?”  (Luke 6:9 MSG)

There are times we come to God quite expectantly; at others, we find ourselves in the place where we might discover his awesome power if we will just stop long enough to pay attention.  As we unwrap our scripture passage today, it is important to recognize that the man being touched by Jesus is not there by accident.  It was the Sabbath - the day for church.  He was going about his normal routine - because it was the day to gather in the local church house.  Most of the time, God speaks to us in the everyday stuff we do. There is a time and reason for fasting, attending retreats, or taking a time away to discover what God has to say to us about something more "significant" than or everyday routine.  Most of the time, the discoveries we make about Jesus and his faithfulness in our lives are in the "everyday" stuff we walk through with him.

Both the man with the crippled hand and the Pharisees (religious leaders) were going about the "regular" stuff they do on the Sabbath.  No one was really there for a retreat, or because it was declared to be a "Feast Day" with solemn fasting and sacrifices being offered.  It was a regular church day.  In the moments we take pause to listen to the voice of Jesus, we have the potential of seeing the "regular" become the moments of "supernatural" connection with him.  The religious leaders may have been looking for a way to make Jesus lose credibility in the eyes of the congregation, but the man with the crippled hand wasn't about to pass up what could be a very special moment for him.  In the "regular", he was about to experience the "supernatural" and he wasn't' going to miss out!

Even in the "regular", we sometimes need to act a little "irregularly".  It would not have been customary for the crippled man to approach the teacher at church.  In fact, the withered hand made this man "less than perfect", so he would possibly have been in a group of "other unfortunates" who also suffered from diseases of their bodies or deformities of sorts.  He would have come to church because it was the customary thing to do, but on this day, I wonder if he really knew what would become of his faithfulness.  We probably don't know what will become of our faithfulness, either.  It isn't that we go to church regularly - it is that we are faithful to the things we know God wants of us on a consistent basis.  When we find ourselves consistent in our walk, perhaps we will also find ourselves in these moments when the "regular" becomes the "supernatural" in our day!

We never know when we will be the "called out" in the crowd.  In that moment, the way we respond makes all the difference.  I know I have faltered on occasion - how about you?  In those moments, we need to learn to just step out - for in the regular we find our opportunity to experience what we could only imagine apart from his power displayed on our behalf.  God doesn't need our religious piety - he needs our heartfelt sincerity.  He doesn't speak to our religious performance - he meets us in our deepest moments of need. He speaks in ways we may not notice because we are so intent on what might believe will be the way he will act, but if we just listen closely, we will hear his call to come forward.  In that moment, his faithfulness on our behalf is made alive in our need.  Just sayin!

You...God....You

There are very few things in this life we can actually be sure of - most of which are totally out of our control as Benjamin Franklin once said in the old adage:  "Nothing is certain but death and taxes."  If we were to be totally honest, I think we might just be able to add a third one to this list:  Mistakes. It is totally human to make mistakes, so it stands to reason we can count on it as a "given" in life - something we can count on happening.  If there are things we can know for sure will happen, we have a different mental focus about them, don't we?  For example, I don't even think about the taxes coming out of my paycheck until someone asks me about them, or I go to prepare my income tax statement every year.  Why?  They are a "constant" I can count on, so no amount of worry will ever change the fact they are coming out of my paycheck.  It is as though they just "happen" - they are out of my control.  I can try to manage them by taking the legal amount of deductions to minimize what comes out of my paycheck, but if I don't do this well, I may actually owe more at the end of the year.  I may have "manipulated" the situation, but I don't change the fact I still owe the taxes.  In reality, there is something much more important we can count as "certain" in our lives, but which we frequently need a lot of reminders to actually believe:  God will take care of everything you need!  Yep, everything!

You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity.   (Philippians 4:19-20 MSG)

This passage is not written as a "maybe" God will kind of proposal, but as a statement of fact - "God will take care of everything you need" - period! Here's the kicker - we try to manipulate things so we figure out a way to take care of what we need or what we actually don't need, but maybe just want pretty badly.  We are master "schemers" - manipulating things so we can either accomplish them outside of God's timing, or get what we want regardless of what it will do to us once we have it.  It is kind of like cheating on your taxes, though - you still owe the taxes, you just found a way "around" paying them. When we don't rely upon the certainties God tells us we can count on, it is like we are "cheating" on God!

Our writer points out several things we need to stand on in order to not operate outside of God's timing, or "cheat" on him by manipulating things to go the way we want them to go.

- YOU can be sure...  This passage begins with us - you and I - it is about what we think, say, and do.  

• YOU - the person being addressed in this passage is not someone else, it is us - the readers
• CAN - you have the ability and the power to do this; you know how to; you have the means to; but most importantly - you have the right and qualifications to
• BE SURE - you have the right and qualifications to confident, fully assured, certain beyond question, and free from doubt as to the qualifications and reliability of God's desire and reliability in providing for your needs

- GOD will take care of everything you need...  Although the passage begins with US, it quickly directs US to GOD.  

• GOD - really this is God - Elohim - the creative one, the governing and sovereign one, in possession of absolute power and authority, and the one who enters into "covenant-relationship" with is creation.  At first, this may not seem like a big deal, but it is - because "covenant" is unbreakable in God's eyes.
• WILL - not maybe, but is totally disposed toward, without any hint of regret or unwillingness on his part
• TAKE CARE - he will pay serious attention to that which he promised, simply because he doesn't take his promises lightly
• OF EVERYTHING - easily said this literally translates as "every thing" - the total amount, all things wrapped up into one
• YOU NEED - he brings it back to us - starts with us, turns it to him, and then refocuses on us.  It is about our NEEDS, not someone else's - it is what he finds to be necessary in our lives - but may not be "every thing" we want in our lives.  Here's where we need to learn to trust God, because he knows whether our wants will present things which will only add worries and trouble to our lives.  We don't know this - maybe that is why I added "mistakes" to our list of things we can count on!

It is good to recognize God's generosity.  It begins with grace - for none of our actions warranted his mercy, but in his generosity, he reached for us with the gift of grace.  It continues with growth - for none of us is able to grow without oversight and protection.  It blossoms with gratitude - for God examines the intentions of the heart and the responsiveness of our spirit. We can count on him to be there - no matter what the circumstance.  We cannot always see his hand in action, but we can know for sure it is IN ACTION.  Just sayin!

Oh, and I wanted water!

I have been considering the life of Moses and his leadership over Israel in my recent studies.  One thing I want us to see about Moses is just how God made him a gifted leader.  He didn't just "get" magically awesome answers from God in the spur of the moment - he spent time in God's presence and this connection is what allowed him to receive the "magically awesome answers" to his prayers!  Maybe this seems like it should go without saying, but keep company with God and he will keep company with you.  Most of the world doesn't get this, though.  They choose to keep company with anything BUT God and wonder why they don't have the answers they need when the times seem to challenge them.  All success in life is a matter of this connection - apart from it, there can only be fleeting success.  Today we will consider the things God uses to change our world.

Moses led Israel from the Red Sea on to the Wilderness of Shur. They traveled for three days through the wilderness without finding any water. They got to Marah, but they couldn’t drink the water at Marah; it was bitter. That’s why they called the place Marah (Bitter). And the people complained to Moses, “So what are we supposed to drink?”  So Moses cried out in prayer to God. God pointed him to a stick of wood. Moses threw it into the water and the water turned sweet.  That’s the place where God set up rules and procedures; that’s where he started testing them.  God said, “If you listen, listen obediently to how God tells you to live in his presence, obeying his commandments and keeping all his laws, then I won’t strike you with all the diseases that I inflicted on the Egyptians; I am God your healer.”  They came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They set up camp there by the water.  (Exodus 15:22-27 MSG)

Sometimes we come up against some pretty bitter places in our lives.  People don't understand us, we are misinterpreted, our paths seem to converge in some place of absolute chaos.  We get the sense no one is "for" us and the world is "against" us.  In those moments, the bitterness can begin to define us or drive us - the difference is in the choice we make when faced with the "sourness" of our circumstances.  Much of the time, the choice of what we will do when we are faced with the "bitter waters" of life is determined by how we handled the last choice we made.  If we chose to complain about the last set of circumstances, chances are we will launch right into complaint this time around, too.  If we pulled away, like a turtle in a shell, hoping it would all just go away, chances are we will respond to the bitterness with avoidance this time.  The only way to change the cycle of our response is to get closer to God's presence in the midst of the circumstance.  Bitter waters are a place of choice.  Probably one of the hardest places to find ourselves is at the place of bitter waters when we have been "doing everything right".  Let me give you a little word of advice here - there is no assurance of refreshing waters just because we are "doing everything right".  There is just an assurance of provision - it may not come exactly as we expected it, but it does come!  

The bitter waters are one thing - the place of no water is another.  These are the seasons where everything in our lives just seems to be dry, dry, dry.  No matter how much we try, all comes back dry and barren.  These are the seasons where we just want to give up and not even try anymore.  At those moments, even bitter water seems better than no water at all!  At least there is water - you cannot enjoy it, but it is there!  One thing we need to see - even the farmer knows the purpose of the barren seasons.  He allows the fields to lay dormant for a while - not because he likes to see them brown and unwatered, but because he knows the "rejuvenation" of the soil comes in allowing the soil to rest a while.  No water seems a little harsh, but even the worst of water will grow weeds!  Some of us are facing these "down times" when the soil of our lives seem a little dry, parched, and totally barren.  In these times, we are tempted to turn to places where we might just find a little water - even the bitter waters.  Please know this - God has you in a season of barrenness not to "do you in", but to prepare you for the next phase of what he plans for the "soil" of your life.

In the places of bitter waters and no waters, we often come across folks who will attempt to get us focused on the condition of the "water" in our lives. They will be quick to point out how bitter our circumstances are, or how absolutely unfair it is for us to be so unproductive during this season.  The temptation for us is to actually listen to these folks instead of God.  The problem comes in their interpretation of the bitter or absent waters.  Their response to the bitter waters might be to complain, become angered over the conditions which led to the bitter waters, etc.  They have an ability to infect us with their negativity.  Those who come alongside to offer their interpretation of the lack of water seem to focus on the inability and unfaithfulness of our God.  They just don't see the work of rejuvenation "under the soil" which is preparing us for the good waters which are to come.  Be careful who you listen to in the midst of these bitter water and no water places.  It will often affect how you interpret these times and can even cause you to get a little bitter or angry yourself!

If you missed the "fix" in the passage above, read it again.  The "fix" one piece of wood - not something they brought along with them in their journey, but something prepared for them IN their journey.  The wood was there because God caused it to be exactly where they needed it to be in order to accomplish the purpose he had for the wood.  Even something as insignificant as a piece of wood in the hands of God can turn the bitterest places into the most refreshing.  The thing God wants us to see is his ability to provide even when it looks like all hope is lost.  If you missed the second part of the passage, read it again.  The bitter waters were the place where God started testing them!  Don't get frustrated with the bitter water and no water places. They are really signs of God's careful concern for our development.  There may seem to us to be some other way God could bring this development, but trust me, he knows the exact things which brings growth in us.  This is really the purpose of these places - nothing else will do what he can accomplish there. Just sayin!

The bridge between faithfulness and fullness

How many of us can truly say we are true to our word?  Not just some of the time, but each and every time?  I don't imagine it is many of us - for we all struggle with this at times - no matter how much we live in a manner which consistently follows through on what we say we will do.  In fact, most of the time, we struggle with the "promises" we make God more than we do the ones we make to our fellow man.  Today, we look at two inter-related character traits:  Faithfulness and Fullness.  I think we will begin to see how much these two are really intertwined - for learning to be faithful leads to quite a full life!

You are right and you do right, God; your decisions are right on target. You rightly instruct us in how to live ever faithful to you. My rivals nearly did me in, they persistently ignored your commandments. Your promise has been tested through and through, and I, your servant, love it dearly. I’m too young to be important, but I don’t forget what you tell me. Your righteousness is eternally right, your revelation is the only truth. Even though troubles came down on me hard, your commands always gave me delight. The way you tell me to live is always right; help me understand it so I can live to the fullest.  (Psalm 119:137-144 MSG)

I think we follow through on what is important to us.  If we hear our doctor tell us we will be dead in a year unless we make some dramatic changes in the way we eat and exercise, I daresay most of us would be on Weight Watchers and the treadmill by the end of the day!  Why?  We "value" our time on this earth, so we will make the necessary adjustments to our way of living because we want more than a year!  If the "thing" motivates us enough, we take whatever steps are required in order to realize the goal, don't we?  This is exactly where the "rub" comes at times in our lives.  We find certain "value" in some things because they have an immediate evidence of "return" - such as when we get our haircut in order to deal with our "dowdiness".  The haircut lifts our spirits and makes us feel better about our appearance.  It is immediate - at least within an hour!  When the "value" of something isn't immediate, we sometimes wane in our commitment to it because we don't see the "return" for quite some time.

Faithfulness is something God honors - as David put it, God is right and always does right - his decisions for our lives are right on target.  Then why do we struggle with his decisions so much?  I think it may be the "immediacy" of the "return" we are struggling with more than the decision!  Faithfulness is based on a certain steadiness of allegiance - commitment to a purpose, the ability to remain even when the going gets tough (or the results just don't seem to surface).  Faithfulness begins in listening.  What we are "willing" to hear often makes the determination of heart much easier.  When we "hear" the doctor with both our mind and heart, we are moved to action.  If we just hear it as a "suggestion" of change, we might just linger in our unhealthy lifestyle a little longer.  David says God rightly instructs us on HOW to live faithful lives.  Any good teacher will confirm that a student only learns when he takes what he hears and puts it into action.  This is the "bridge" between knowledge and learning.  We can possess knowledge, but be devoid of learning.  God's desire is for the "bridge" to be made.

Why is it we can stand on God's promises?  Isn't it because they have been tested and they stand true?  Then why do we struggle with them so much?  For example, Matthew 6:33 tells us one of God's promises to us is to be anxious for nothing - to seek first his purposes - and then we will have all our needs met (maybe not all our "wants", but definitely all our "needs").  Yet how many times do we worry over where we will find the money to pay the next bill, what we will do when we lose our jobs, or the like?  There are even "smaller" worries we take into our lives each and every day - not because we have no resource to find them met, but because we aren't making this knowledge - learning bridge.  We have the knowledge of the promise - we just don't have the "connecting" bridge which makes it a fact in our hearts!

Faithfulness if directly linked to fullness.  When we have this "connection" between "hearing" and "doing", there is a certain "fullness" which is created in the deep places of our lives.  Fullness is defined as containing all that can be held.  The amazing thing about God is his ability to expand our capacity!  When we think we have come to the place of holding all which can be held, he gives us more capacity!  Not capacity for "stuff", but capacity for him!  Maybe this is where we find our struggle with faithfulness - in seeking "stuff" instead of him.  We "want", but our "want" is sometimes for stuff which limits our capacity for being filled!  I think it can be said - capacity is directly linked to our willingness to be emptied.  David puts it well:  "The way you tell me to live is always right."  Look at what he says next:  "Help me understand it..."

There is nothing God loves more than to hear us ask for his help with understanding his ways in our lives.  I don't think he ever leaves us hanging when we do.  In fact, he often begins to "piece together" the knowledge we possess until they begin to become "learned".  In so doing, he is "piecing together" the very bridge which will become our lifeline in times of need.  The "piecing together" process may seem a little tedious at times in our lives - seeming to not show immediate evidence of the "bridge", but be assured of this - no bridge is built without a good master plan.  Every piece fits because their is a plan for it.  We want a bridge - no matter how well constructed.  God wants it to endure!  So, in order to endure, sometimes there is a "clearing process" in order to lay the foundations of endurance.  Empty vessels are God's choicest vessels, for it is the empty ones he can fill!  Just sayin!

"IS"

Is:  To exist or live; to occupy a place or position; to continue or remain as before.  A small word, but it tells us much, doesn't it?  One that "is" really is one who exists and lives - occupying a placement or position unlike any other.  The most amazing part of the definition of "is" can be found in the last part - the concept of continuing or remaining as before - unchanged by what has come or what lies ahead.  This is the definition of the character of God - unchanged by what has been - what is today - or what will come in the future.  Solomon spends a great deal of time outlining all the accomplishments of a man on a quest - getting more of everything, living without restraint, not held back by anything.  He even tells us of his tremendous struggle with "accumulating" all (wisdom, houses, wives, lands, personal property - you name it).  It comes at a price - after all is said and done, time spent and body worn, nothing really all that satisfying emerges from the pursuit.  Then when it seems like he is going to really leave us with a "downer" in this book, he drops in little tidbits like the one below.

I know that whatever God does, it endures forever; nothing can be added to it nor anything taken from it. And God does it so that men will [reverently] fear Him [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is].  (Ecclesiastes 3:14 AMP)

Whatever God does - it endures.  Whatever he does is perfect - nothing can be added which will lend to its perfection, nothing can be taken from it which will leave it less than perfect.  Whatever God does, it is with the intention of capturing the attention of man's heart - so man might enter into relationship with the one who "is".  

The "whatever" of God - do we really understand it?  I doubt we do, for the "whatever" encompasses all he does - the full extent of his love, grace, peace, provision, and power.  Solomon says God "is" - he is continuing as before - he changes not.  If this doesn't give you hope, then I don't know what will for everything around us changes - except God.  

"Whatever" really means "no matter what".  Solomon is saying "no matter what God does - it endures".  I often use the expression, "Whatever!"  What I am really saying when I use it is that no matter the circumstances or choices, what will be will be.  Solomon was likely saying something quite similar - no matter the circumstances - God "IS".  He IS our ability to overcome.  He IS our refuge and strength.  He IS our hope and trust.  He IS all we need.

Knowing that he IS - Solomon comes to this conclusion for all man faces in life.  It is God's goal to show himself as continually present - constant in all circumstances - always faithful to his promises.  Now, this may not seem like much to you, but when we put this in perspective, we begin to see the truth of God occupying a placement in each of these circumstances - not just "present" to observe, but to be our "whatever" in the midst of them!  

Solomon concludes from all his life's events - seeking all that would promise satisfaction:  Nothing satisfies like the "whatever" of truly recognizing the one who IS.  When men come to a place of recognizing God as the one who existed before our circumstances overwhelmed us, present in the midst of the pressing storms, and ever-faithful to navigate us through the continual flux of the future, he determines a need for the one who will not change his position - he remains central in our lives no matter the circumstances.

I think it might help us to see another translation of this passage to put this all together:  I’ve also concluded that whatever God does, that’s the way it’s going to be, always. No addition, no subtraction. God’s done it and that’s it. That’s so we’ll quit asking questions and simply worship in holy fear. (MSG)  The thing God asks of us - trust the one who IS.  Stop asking questions and simply worship him (his consistency, his unchangeable character, his faithfulness).  Life deals us different hands at different stages - much like a game of cards.  One hand may seem quite good, allowing us to "score a few points".  Another may seem to "subtract" from the overall "score".  The truth is, life is not a game of chance like cards.  God IS - he has been in our past, he is in our present, and he will be in our future.  All these are "tenses" of "IS" - to have BEEN, IS, and BE.  If you don't get it by now - Solomon is really helping us disconnect from what will constantly change - amassed treasures, positions, etc.  He is pointing us toward the connection which will remain constant - humbly submitted to the one who IS.

Not sure where you stand today, but when I face the "whatever" of life, I want to know I am walking through it with the one who IS.  Just sayin!

Need a transplant?

Some of the Psalms of David are filled with all kinds of things which seem to be said not once, but multiple times in the same psalm - kind of like a chorus or refrain in a song.  Maybe this is because so many of his psalms were indeed set to music!  As he begins this particular psalm, he lays out the "words of the refrain" - "God, the one and only—I’ll wait as long as he says.
Everything I need comes from him, so why not?  He’s solid rock under my feet,    breathing room for my soul, an impregnable castle:  I’m set for life."  (vs 1-3 MSG)  This refrain, or the crux of it, is repeated not less than three times in as little as twelve total verses!  So, it must be important, right?  Here's what is sandwiched right in the middle of these refrains:

My help and glory are in God—granite-strength and safe-harbor-God—so trust him absolutely, people; lay your lives on the line for him.  God is a safe place to be.  (Psalms 62:7-8 MSG)

David had such a personal relationship with God.  He was always "My God" to David.  He wasn't just the God of his Fathers, but he was up-close and personal with God.  He had developed an intimacy with God, sharing freely of his own heart, and in turn, I believe God shared his heart with him.  He points us to the "granite-strength" of God in many of his psalms.  He also refers to consider the safety of God's protection and covering.  These are not foreign concepts as taught and understood by David, but how did he come to know God as his "granite-strength" and "safe-harbor"?  

I think David faced some tough stuff in life which exposed him to the inadequacies of his own strength as much as he experienced the need to "run for shelter" into the arms of one who could comfort like no other.  We'd do well to take a lesson or two from this man - the man God honors with the words, "A man after my own heart".  Maybe he was a man who actually wanted to live life with a "transplanted" heart!  You know - the exchange of his own hardened heart with the heart beating afresh with the love and grace of God himself.  

There is much to be said about being at the point in life where you need a heart transplant.  In fact, it is a most desperate condition.  When the heart is not functioning well, nothing else in our body seems to function at capacity either.  Without the constant and steady pumping of blood throughout our bodies, we have no life for our cells, no energy source for our brain, and no carrying capacity to transport toxins to the organs which will assist in their removal.  The circulatory system is really like an intricate system of highways and byways - each carrying either life to or "garbage" away!  When these don't function well, it is worse than the traffic jams on a busy highway in rush-hour traffic!

Transplant recipients will tell you what the "exchanged" organ means to them.  There are expressions of gratefulness - for what was once very close to death is now infused with new life.  There is renewed energy and capacity - often allowing actions once only dreamed of as possible.  The same is true when we exchange our hardened and damaged "spiritual hearts" for the "vitality" of God's heart!  We who were so used to producing nothing but what appeared to be death are infused with a newness of life.  There is a vitality which gives us capacity beyond our imagining.  Pretty awesome, huh?

David reminds us "God is a safe place to be".  I cannot improve upon this thought!  Yet, we often choose "places" outside of his protection and care.  We choose to live with "damaged hearts" instead of coming into his watchful care.  Where the heart goes, so does all of activity.  If the heart is burdened and hurting - the activity we reflect will reveal the intensity of hurt and the crushing weight of the burden, will it not?  Here is the rub - we want new hearts, but we fear the transplant!  We hold onto what barely works when offered newness and vitality.  Silly us!  

In a spiritual sense, the heart is made up of our emotions and is closely tied to our will.  If we are used to dealing with our damaged emotions, the "highways" of "good emotions" are often so blocked by the highways of our bad emotions so as to not allow anything to "pass through" to the side of "good" very often.  We see only the traffic jam of the "bad" and not the wide open spaces of the "good".  

David reminds us God is "granite-solid".  Granite is one of the most durable of stones.  It is also widely used due to the durability and impenetrability of the stone itself.  I don't know about you, but when I need to make an exchange of this hardened heart for a new one, I want to be able to "stand" on the integrity of the one making the exchange possible.  I want to know what I am receiving is "solid" and will stand the test of time!  God has proven to be "rock solid" - time tested and true.  When we really "get" this, we don't hesitate to "lay our lives on the line".  Isn't that what a transplant recipient does?  They lay their lives on the line - knowing one "sort of working heart" will removed before there is any "space" created for another "working heart".  To receive the new, they have to be willing to part with the old. 

To stand upon the solidness of God's grace, we need to be willing to lay our lives down.  Just sayin!

I ain't no quitter!!!

^11-12 Now God, don't hold out on me, don't hold back your passion.  Your love and truth are all that keeps me together.  When troubles ganged up on me, a mob of sins past counting, I was so swamped by guilt I couldn't see my way clear.  More guilt in my heart than hair on my head, so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out. 

(Psalm 40:11-12)

David starts this psalm with the words, "I waited, and waited, and waited for God..."  Have you ever been in the position of just waiting, and waiting, and waiting - all the while growing more fearful and frustrated that nothing is happening?  If you have walked with Christ for more than an hour, I think it is safe to assume that you might have experienced this kind of agony in waiting!  We don't understand the delays and we don't remember the next time how long of a wait it was the last time!

David's next thoughts are, "At last he looked; finally he listened."  That is often how we think about God when the answer seems delayed.  But...I don't want us to miss the entire context of this psalm.  David really gets down to the crux of things in the middle of the psalm - when he begins to describe what he had come to realize about his condition of heart.  Here's just a taste of what David had been through:  "⁶ Doing something for you, bringing something to you—that's not what you're after.  Being religious, acting pious—      that's not what you're asking for.  You've opened my ears so I can listen."

David had been in a place of "doing" - being religious, acting pious - really with no true heart devotion behind the actions.  In fact, he goes on to say that it was when he actually took time to read what God wrote about him (from the Word) that he made the turn-around.  I think that is a natural response to the "waiting" that we sometimes experience with what we expect God to do, what we hope he will answer, etc.  We "fabricate" all kinds of "doing" in order to see if in the "doing" God will take notice and act!  David came to realize that all the "doing" in the world really does not move the heart of God - our heart devotion is what moves him!

Then we come to this revelation that David makes - "I am so swamped by guilt - I could not see my way clear of it!"  I just wonder if the "wait" is sometimes to bring us to a place where we see our need for repentance. That is actually one of the outcomes we see repeatedly in the Bible.  God allows his children to experience some delay in the answer they are seeking, they come to a place where they recognize unrepented sin in their lives, and when they begin to reveal their desire to be free of their guilt, God begins to intervene.  For some, that time of waiting instantly goes to a time of self-examination and repentance.  For the rest of us, we wallow a while in our misery of sin's guilt and try to figure out why the prayers we lift are not answered!

Yet, look at what David said, "More guilt in my heart than hair on my head!"  He was pretty down on himself at that point, yet he acknowledges that if God would "unleash" his passion over David's life, his guilt would be lifted.  It was God's love and truth that would restore him - hold him together when all else seemed to be working to tear him apart.  This is true of us...nothing holds us together, puts the pieces back together, than the passion of God unleashed in our lives.

So, we cannot end there...we need to see how David ends this prayer to his faithful God.  Here it is:

 ^16-17 But all who are hunting for you—oh, let them sing and be happy.  Let those who know what you're all about tell the world you're great and not quitting.  And me? I'm a mess. I'm nothing and have nothing: make something of me.  You can do it; you've got what it takes—but God, don't put it off.

He recognizes that there are men and women around him who are "stronger" than he is at that very moment.  He turns to them and asks them to proclaim the truth over his life and the lives of others who are in the similar place of hurting.  His proclamation is that God is NOT quitting!  He may be a mess personally, but it is God that can take that mess and turn it into a glorious thing.  

You may be in the place where you feel that all you have to bring to God are the "messes" of your life.  That is okay - God can deal with the honesty of our repentant heart.  He already knows about the messes anyway - at the moment we bring them to him, we begin to realize that he is NOT quitting!  He has us in his sights and he desires to intervene right where we need the greatest interventions!  We may need the strength of another who is walking this path with Christ to proclaim that truth over our lives until we finally "get it".  That is okay!  Let me be the first to proclaim it -- "God is NOT quitting!!!"  He has you in his sights and he is at the ready to release his passion in your life once again!  Open up to him and see him restore what your doubt, fear, fatigue, wrong attitudes, etc., have destroyed!  God is NOT a quitter - don't you be either!

Drinking from our own well

Mark well that God doesn't miss a move you make;
   he's aware of every step you take.

(Proverbs 5:21)

This chapter begins again with a warning to pay attention to wisdom and listen closely to the Words of God.  I think Solomon was sharing an important concept - the power of a listening ear and a responsive heart.  He was also repeatedly concerned with the idea that we need to be selective about what and who it is that we are paying attention to.  As we pay attention and learn to listen carefully to wise counsel, we learn to make discretionary decision and to grow in knowledge.  Today, we have various "counsel" that influences our "discretionary" decision - what we hear in the marketplace, the example of leaders, in-your-face celebrities, and the list goes on.  Our youth of today are often influenced more by the examples portrayed in our media than they are by examples right before their eyes in "real life". 

Solomon begins with the idea:  Run from evil!  Notice, he does not say to simply turn our backs on evil - the statement is to "RUN" from it!  The idea is to put some distance between us and what is evil.  Whenever we entertain wrong thoughts/ideas, we are certain to be affected by them.  When we embrace them, we are headed right into that which will destroy our focus, impact our intent, and influence our integrity.  His warning is clear - there is a certain end to embracing sin and that end is far from pleasant.  

This entire chapter deals with the relations we have with those of the opposite sex - those we might enter into relationship with in more than just a casual sense.  His advice to us is to be very, very careful!  There is a destructive influence to treating these relationships in a casual manner.  I will not dwell long on this, but suffice it to say that our society has devalued the importance of marriage - of solid, committed relationships.  In fact, there is a tendency to say that there is nothing wrong with living together without the commitment of marriage.  Marriage is indeed a "dis-solvable" state.  If we find we cannot "solve" issues - we simply dissolve the union!

^15-16 Do you know the saying, "Drink from your own rain barrel, 

   draw water from your own spring-fed well"?

It's true. Otherwise, you may one day come home 

   and find your barrel empty and your well polluted. 

The message is pretty clear - if we are going to have the advantages of a married relationship, we need to be committed to it.  We are not to be flitting about from relationship to relationship.  There is something within us that yearns for commitment - even if we say we don't.  It is in the make-up of our inner being.  The damaged people who experience the end results of never making a commitment are scattered all over our communities at this very moment.  Talk long enough with these individuals and you will see that emotions are raw, desires have been left unfulfilled, and trust is far from easy.  

The "advice" of our wise counsel in this chapter is to consider well the choices we make with the relationships we pursue.  They can be our greatest undoing, or our greatest advantage.  It is all in how we pursue them, value them, and commit to them.  God sees clearly what a man does and he examines every path he takes.  Nothing escapes God's view - he also ensures that we always have positive examples in our view so that we can learn to pattern our lives by those examples.  To be sure, we also have plenty of "not so good" examples around us.  We must become selective in those we choose to emulate - our end as a society is based on the choices we make in the hear and now!