The dividing wall

Then the angel of God, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp. The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them. The cloud settled between the Egyptian and Israelite camps. As darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire, lighting up the night. But the Egyptians and Israelites did not approach each other all night. (Exodus 14:19-20)

In reading through the account of Moses and Egyptians standing at the shore of the Red Sea with the Egyptian armies approaching from their rear, I was caught by this account of God's protection. Moses had been telling the people God would defend them, that he'd be their place of safety as they left Egypt, but some did not realize he would do what he was about to do on their behalf. They complained, wanting to turn back, even if it meant being in bondage to the Egyptian people. It isn't uncommon to want to turn back when we realize the struggle ahead may take us into the unknown. In fact, we probably have all stood at our 'Red Sea' at one time or another, not really sure we want what lies ahead, but also not so happy with what lies behind. We are indeed dissatisfied or disappointed with our past, but we are very uncertain about our future, so we might just opt for the 'known' instead of trusting God with what is 'unknown'.

What I would like us to observe this morning is where God positions himself in this picture. He moved to the rear of the camp. Isn't that an odd place for the angel of God to be? Wouldn't we expect him to be out front, leading them onward, telling them to keep their eyes on him? The angel of God placed himself at the rear, effectively drawing a line between the Israelites and the Egyptians - so there was a boundary of sorts. Why is this important for us to see? While God positions the pillar of fire and cloud before them, he positions the angel behind them. Perhaps this was so they'd see they were surrounded with God's protective power. When we are tempted to 'turn back', maybe God sends something we don't fully see to act as a barrier between us and that 'history' we need to put in our rear-view mirror. We may not recognize it as the angel of God, but I think it may be as powerful!

God creates a barrier between the past and he prepares a cleared path into their future. Perhaps the barriers we have been pushing back are meant to keep us from turning back. If so, maybe it is time we recognize God doesn't want us going that way any longer and has a well-prepared path prepared for us just up ahead. Every step of obedience is always accomplished when we face forward and stop pushing back against the barriers to our past. Just sayin!

In the past...

But you are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. You were chosen to tell about the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. At one time you were not a people, but now you are God’s people. In the past you had never received mercy, but now you have received God’s mercy. (I Peter 2:9-10)

A chosen people - chosen for a purpose. The purpose? To tell the world about the wonderful acts of God - especially his 'action' of redemption. The 'righting' of the world through the grace we find in Christ Jesus. Whether we are willing to admit it or not, we all live in a 'dark place' without Christ. We make decisions that are self-directed, and we don't always make wise ones. With Christ at the center of our lives, we are called to live lives that reflect the light that comes when his grace enters our lives. That 'telling' is our role - but even the empowerment to 'tell' is given by God himself.

Scripture does much to point out the 'before and after' of life with God in control vs. life without him in control. Numerous examples are given of the 'with and without' experience. Either you have entered into his mercy, or you have not. There is no middle ground on that matter. Notice that there is also this 'past' and 'present' condition of heart that is referenced. The moment we receive grace, there is a past. The more we invite Christ into the present, the past is put behind us.

We are called - chosen to live a life where Christ is enthroned in the very center of it. Christ cannot be on the 'fringes' of our lives. That isn't where he belongs. As long as we attempt to keep him at the 'fringes', we will never know fully what grace has done for us. We only experience the depth and breadth of those actions of grace when he is at the center of our lives. If we want to see real and lasting change within our lives, it begins with the invitation to come to him. Then it continues on with us allowing him to be the center of our thoughts. As our thoughts begin to be affected by grace, all the rest of the stuff we find to be a part of the 'past life' will begin to drop away. Just sayin!

Aggravated?

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole. I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory. (I Peter 1:3-7)

A new life and everything to live for - what that involves is a new start on life, and the joy of living life as we were created to live it - in close, personal relationship with God our Father. We may think of the "future" as way off in the "then", but in actuality, the "now" is the beginning of our future. We start living our future today - in Christ Jesus. We finish living our future some day - in Christ Jesus. Our future is without end - so is there really a finish? Eternity begins now and lasts a whole lot longer than our limited minds can imagine. God is keeping careful watch over us. 

Healed and whole. Too many of us deal with things today in our physical bodies and even in the turmoil of our minds which indicates we are far from "whole" and definitely not "healed". Wholeness and healing is finalized in our future state as we fall before God's throne in perpetual worship throughout all of eternity. Yet, today's promise is the beginning of this healing and wholeness. In the time between today and total healing / wholeness, we have a whole lot of what appears to be "aggravation" we have to deal with. It is this "aggravation" God wants to help us with in our daily walk.

Aggravation is simply an increase in intensity, seriousness, or severity of whatever it is we are dealing with. As the intensity increases, we experience an increase in anxiety, emotional response, and experiences we had not endured before. There is a "turning up of the heat" and we begin to sense the seriousness of the circumstances. All Christ has provided today and what is promised in him for our future state makes all this intensity and seriousness worth it! It also means we don't walk through this intensity or seriousness of issues without him. We have him alongside and inside.

Do you think today's issues are really little annoyances you can somehow get beyond if you just try hard enough. I don't know about you, but the harder I "try", the harder it gets to get beyond those things that cause me so much aggravation. "Trying" is not "doing" - it is the state of venturing out, but it is in our own effort. The reason we have issues with getting beyond the intensity of the circumstances is that we cannot get beyond it by our own effort. Our faith is what brings us out on the other side - not our efforts. Human nature wants to "do" in order to "get". In Christ's economy, our future state is today - we just have to "be" in that state in order to begin to realize the victory which overcomes today's aggravations and builds our faith as pure and holy. I don't know about you, but I am determined to live in the "future" now, not in the "then". Just sayin!

Life Hack #30: Take Focused Steps, Not Calculated Ones

Life Hack #30:

Do you know where your future lies? Our decisions TODAY impact out outcomes tomorrow, but we don't control ALL the possibilities of either day. We can "manage" as much as possible, but there are just "unknowns" we cannot really plan for. Knowing our future is important - especially in terms of where we are headed spiritually. If we haven't really made an "about-face" from doing things our own way, under our own terms, and for our own benefit, we might just be "play-acting" at this "Christianity" thing. Our future is as secure as our focus - that which we set our eyes on the most becomes the direction we take, and it also becomes what fills our "head".

Don’t bother your head with braggarts or wish you could succeed like the wicked. Those people have no future at all; they’re headed down a dead-end street. (Proverbs 24:19-20)

We might allow things we see or hear to fill our heads with ideas and images which really don't do a lot to help us move forward. Focus on what gives you the greatest worries or problems in this life and that is what you will be constantly moving toward. If we want to move beyond those worries or problems, we have to change our focus - do an about-face. Unless we truly have eyes in the back of our head, that about-face maneuver will bring things into a new light simply because we cannot look forward and still be looking back. Focusing on our worries and problems leaves us with a pretty miserable future.

We get "bothered" a lot of times by the things which really don't amount to much. The braggart boasts about what he thinks makes him look important - things he uses to puff up his pride and show off. The wicked get along pretty well, seeming to avoid all the pitfalls which should await them because of their dishonest ways. All the while we get a notion in our mind that life isn't fair, and somehow, WE were overlooked for the blessings or the goodies. We see the one with the goodies and we begin to wonder why it isn't possible for us. We see the one with all the success and realize the "littleness" of our present position. Focus on them long enough and we will learn to live a pretty dissatisfied and ungrateful life.

It is time to keep our focus on the things and the ONE who really matter in the long run. Once we realize how important focus is in determining our ultimate future state, we begin to consider making change in our posture. Have you ever found yourself just looking down at your steps? The problem with looking down at is that we miss the obstacles in our path! We don't get a clear picture of where we're heading, just of every step we're taking. We don't need to make a continual effort of focusing on each step if we are focusing on the principles God teaches us to live by as we 'step along'.

We can focus so intently on each "step" in our journey, but in so doing, we often fall head-over-heels into the obstacles in our path. We need a broader perspective which only comes by looking at the objective out in front of us. Today's objectives will differ from last week's because we are taking steps forward. If you are trying to develop in your intimacy with Christ, you don't need to focus so intently on the "steps" such as Bible reading, prayer, and the like - you have to focus on him - he helps you take the steps without even realizing you have taken them. Maybe some of our closest experiences with Christ would come if we just kept our eyes intently on him and not so consumed with whether we read two chapters a day, prayed fifteen minutes, or memorized twelve verses this month. Just sayin!

A life healed and whole

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole. (I Peter 1:3)

This was one of those verses I'd remind mom of anytime she'd worry over her many aches and tremendously haunting neuropathic pain. We'd just sit for a bit and imagine her walking upright, without pain, able to see perfectly once again. She had a hard time imagining it, but she held onto that promise time and time again - life healed and whole. Sometimes all we have is the hope - we cannot let go of it no matter how long the answer may be delayed - because the day is surely coming! I don't know what you delay may be, but trust me on this one, the day is coming!

Too many times we think the 'future' begins at some point in the distant 'future', but as God reminds us - the future starts now. God's plans for us may not be at the point of fruition yet, but if we hold onto the promise of his purpose in our lives, we won't be disappointed. His plans will always come to pass - hold on. Whenever I feel like my 'hopes' are dipping a bit, I remind myself how blessed I am to have a God who loves me enough to fulfill his promises. I also remind myself that timing is everything - God's timing is way more important than mine. I may not see the things I am hoping for as evident right now, but is that any reason to doubt his plan? No, in fact it is a reason to ask God to help me continue to have my faith built up, made solid and sure, leaning heavily upon his arms as I wait.

Plans don't just 'happen' - they unfold. That is the nature of a plan - it is laid out, orchestrated, then put into action. I don't plan a vacation by just getting on the road and heading somewhere, who knows where. I plan the lodging, route to take, things I might do while there or along the way. Then I know the day I will leave, but I don't settle on the time to leave until closer to that day. I plan my wardrobe based on the weather forecast for that time away, but don't pack until the day before the trip. Plans in our real, ordinary, everyday life unfold - little by little. Why would we think God's plans would be any different? The future begins now, but the culmination of the thing we hope for so much may take some orchestration by God - and that takes time. Time for us to be ready. Time for the things that need to be put in place around us to be complete. Time - the four-letter word we have the hardest time reconciling! No matter the timing, a life healed and whole is my goal. How about you? Just askin...

Today will be different

God makes everything come out right; he puts victims back on their feet... God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love. He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever. He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him. And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins. As parents feel for their children, God feels for those who fear him. He knows us inside and out, keeps in mind that we’re made of mud. Men and women don’t live very long; like wildflowers they spring up and blossom, but a storm snuffs them out just as quickly, leaving nothing to show they were here. God’s love, though, is ever and always, eternally present to all who fear him, making everything right for them and their children as they follow his Covenant ways and remember to do whatever he said. (Psalm 103:6-18)

Memory is a powerful tool - learning how to use it to our advantage can be one of the most difficult tasks we can undertake, for we remember what we'd be best to let go, and we don't remember some of the most awesome moments God provides for our growth and restoration. If you have ever caught yourself bemoaning where you ARE, you have probably forgotten where you came FROM. We have selective memories, at best. Focusing too intently on one thing keeps us from seeing the things we might just need to hold a little closer to our hearts. We can be a little guilty of yearning for the "good old days". We want things to be the way they used to be - not because things were all that much better, but our memories paint the picture of those bygone times being way cooler or better than our present circumstances. One thing I have learned to do when I am hit with a sudden bought of "good old day" yearning is to run things through my memory again, but through a different "filter". I ask the Holy Spirit to make clear what it is I recall - not relying upon my "translation" of what I recall as the way it was. Even the "good old days" were riddled with some pretty heavy stuff and challenges I almost thought would break me. I just choose to remember the good stuff and shut out the bad and I don't believe I am alone in this "memory" issue.

What does asking the Holy Spirit's help do for our "memory"? He helps put into perspective the things we went through to get where we are now. In essence, he helps us remember things from our past which we've "worked through" - things we'd probably rather not go through again. We recall the "good stuff" - he helps us remember the "hard stuff". Remembering the "hard stuff" helps keep us from repeating mistakes, making unwise choices, and having to "relearn" lessons. Another thing the Holy Spirit does by refocusing our "remembrance" of events is help us define who we are - God's kids, cared for by his hand, and made right because he has watched over us through all of life's circumstances. As we go through stuff in life, he is there to help us process "through" them, keeping us from muddling through by our own efforts. We sometimes forget this important "companion" we have on our journey - thinking we have to make it through on our own because in our mind we think we ought to be able to handle stuff. We often formulate this belief of having to "handle stuff" we go through because it is kind of familiar to us - like we have been through something similar in the past. If there is one thing I know for sure, the thing which seems vaguely familiar to me may look and sound a lot like something I have walked through before, but there are all different players, I am at a different point in my life, and the event is only "similar", it is not the "same". We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit to show us the similarities, but to also help us see the uniqueness in the circumstance.

The important thing to keep in mind is the work of the Holy Spirit in helping us with our "filing system". You see, he is a "master filer" - he knows what will be needed again and what is okay to just "shred"! If you are anything like me, you have a pile on the top of your desk right now - old mail, notes, and idea sheets. Some needs to be discarded while others are important. Very few of the items in the pile actually need to make it to the filing cabinet - because they need to be saved for future reference. The Holy Spirit is attuned to the "right stuff" to save for "future reference". He can guide us in "shredding" the stuff which is just junk and the stuff which really doesn't matter once processed. Then he leaves us with the things which really need to be "filed away" for future reference. Since the work of the Holy Spirit is to both help us remember correctly and to file away what really matters, isn't it important to consult him when we might just be experiencing a little "recall" problem? When we allow him to help us with recall, we often get a different perspective on the matter. My "memory" of the way things were doesn't always match "reality". We "file away" things which don't always "translate" into reality in quite the same manner! The next time we get a little too focused on wishing for the "good old days", we might just do well to ask the Holy Spirit to help us recall the "truth" about what we filed away! He will help us see the work of God in our lives a little clearer and keep us on track today. We only need to ask. Just sayin!

Yesterday versus Today

He left there and returned to his hometown. His disciples came along. On the Sabbath, he gave a lecture in the meeting place. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. “We had no idea he was this good!” they said. “How did he get so wise all of a sudden, get such ability?” But in the next breath they were cutting him down: “He’s just a carpenter—Mary’s boy. We’ve known him since he was a kid. We know his brothers, James, Justus, Jude, and Simon, and his sisters. Who does he think he is?” They tripped over what little they knew about him and fell, sprawling. And they never got any further. (Mark 6:1-6)

To form a perception beforehand as a result of previously held or known information is not always the smartest thing we can do in life. Some of us have a tendency to gravitate toward what we "know" about a person, forming an opinion of that person based on the small number of facts we have already ascertained, but neglecting to dig any deeper or try any harder to get to know much about them. The problem with this is the limitation in what it is we know about that individual. We likely have some facts, but we really don't get beyond those "facts" to consider the "rest of the story". Jesus found himself in that predicament on this day. He returns to his hometown - the folks who should know him best are all gathered around. He spends time teaching on the Sabbath - probably preaching a good lesson to boot. We even hear that he "made a real hit" with his friends and associates - impressing everyone who heard his teaching. Just as quickly as they were "impressed" by what they heard, they become just as "unimpressed" with him because they recount what it is they "know" about him. They belittle his ability to teach because he was merely a carpenter in their eyes - a commoner of the times, not a revered religious leader. The truth be told, we do the same type of 'belittling' of each other because we have limited knowledge of someone's past behavior, responses, or the like. They could be changed people today, but we continue to base our "impression" of them on what it is we "know" about their past.

What does this do? It causes us to "trip over what LITTLE we know" about the individual - never getting any further in the relationship. The issue is not the other person - it is us. We are the ones tripping and it is over what "little" we actually know. We base our judgments on a fraction of the evidence - what we immediately see. The term "preconceive" is really made up of two roots. "Pre" speaks to us of something occurring "before" or "prior to". "Conceive" speaks to us of "forming". We are "forming" opinions prior to getting the whole truth. We sometimes do this with ourselves! We look in the mirror, remember the old self, and forget about the many new "facets" of beauty God has already worked out in our lives. We see what our mind tells us to see. This is often true in our relationships with others - we see what our mind tells us we are seeing. If we have been hurt in the past, we find it difficult to not recall the hurt today. The part of this passage I want us to see this morning is the "little" they knew about Jesus and how this "little" caused them to not be able to get beyond that point. They knew "of" his family. They knew "of" his past job - a carpenter. They knew "of" his upbringing - under Mary's watchful eye. Yet, they really did not know Jesus - the Son of God.

What we find when we look deeper than what we know "of" somebody's background, reputation, or past performance might actually surprise us. If we get beyond that immediate knowledge, we might actually find ourselves face-to-face with someone who really blesses our lives. When we focus on what know of an individual, we are linking what we perceive with the actual identity of the individual. Identity is an evolving thing - we come from certain backgrounds, but we are always evolving as we are exposed to new things. Sure, we have the background of those things we are known for - our reputation does indeed precede us. Yet, if we begin to allow Jesus to be our mirror instead of that shiny piece of glass in our bathroom, I wonder how differently we might just see ourselves and others. When we allow Jesus to reflect back what he sees in us and those around us, we might just find the "little" we know "of" another is really not how that individual is today. It would be a shame to stop at what we know "of" an individual and ourselves when what we are today is not the same as what we were then! Just sayin!

Three, but two

Life is divided into three terms - that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present, to live better in the future. William Wordsworth
Life is indeed past, present, and future - what have you been doing with each of these parts, my friends? Some of us hold on so very tightly to the past, not willing to let it go, thinking we may somehow be able to change what has been. Others live so fully in the present, all the while forgetting the future will have demands of us we need to prepare for somehow. Very rarely do we get this past, present, and future thing down well in our lives, but when we do, what an amazing thing it is!

It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. (Ephesians 1:11-12 MSG)

Who are we really? Many times we feel as though our past has left indelible evidence of some things we find it impossible to believe we could be free of in the present. It is as though those mistakes of the past have been woven into the fibers of who or what we are today. Did you ever stop to think through a few miracles recorded for us in the pages of the Bible? There is much to be said of the way it was and the way it is now. For example, think of the woman with the issue of blood. She was the woman with the issue - unclean by the standards set out by the Law of Moses, plagued with some form of debilitation from the unceasing flow of blood. She became the woman healed and whole! No longer defined as the unclean, but as the clean and whole. 

Why do we let our past define our present? The blind man saw again - no longer blind, he wasn't defined by his 'previous condition', but by his present one! He was a man with sight! Lazarus wasn't the corpse any longer - he was the brother of Mary and Martha, head of the household, and dear friend of Jesus. Paul was not longer the prosecutor of the Christian believers - his past was gone and his present differed by leaps and bounds. Our present doesn't have to be our defining influence. It doesn't have to be how we view ourselves, nor how others view us. It can be left where it belongs because there is something quite different in the present by which God defines us - it is called grace.

The past may leave tell-tale reminders in our lives, like those scars created when we skinned our knees, bunged our noggins, or biffed it royally. The scars don't define us - the healing does! The scar is a reminder of a former way of living - of choices made - not of choices we continue to make! The fact is that Christ in us changes our present and sets up for the future. His eye isn't on our past, it is on what he is doing in us right now, in order that we will be prepared for what he has created for us well into our future. God is a past, present, and future God - but it isn't the past he focuses on as much as it is the present and future! Why should we be any different? Just askin!

Let the past launch you into the future!

"One faces the future with one's past." Pearl S. Buck

The other day the hospice nurse was chatting with mom. They were talking about how mom feels like she is sometimes a burden - something I think most parents feel when they become a little more dependent upon their children for their daily needs. As they chatted, the nurse kindly reminded mom that I appeared to be very happy doing what it takes to keep her safe and well-cared for, then she said that maybe it was my turn to repay mom for the many times I may have been a handful for her in my younger days. While she didn't know me as a kid, she certainly had me 'pegged'! I did my share of things that put mom and dad through heartache and the simple acts I perform today to keep mom safe and well are nothing compared to those times! We all have those 'tales from the past' we'd rather like to keep hidden from view - things we are neither proud of, nor very appealing to onlookers. Yet, they are the very things that actually can launch us into greater things in our present and into our future!

The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:21-24 MSG)

This mess we get ourselves into isn't a hole we cannot escape - it is a launching pad for us into realms of grace when God does the launching! Realms of grace that we come to fully know as we are fully known and loved by him each and everyday. He fully knows us - like no other can. His grace is able to help us face our future, not based upon our past reputation and performance, but on his present ample influx of grace in our lives. It is an exchanged life - the past doesn't hold us down when it is placed in his hands - it launches us into new heights of grace-filled living.

I often go back to this very passage from Romans to re-read it - not because I don't believe it - but because I sometimes need reminders that grace HAS DONE the work in my life (and yours). The work is done - the past is just that - and the future is what I need to focus on today (not the past bumblings of my life). The impossible has happened - what I could not do for myself - getting past my past - has happened by sheer and utter grace. While I don't always forget I have a past, I no longer dwell upon it as the present reality of who I am today! I am a new creation (and so are you) - as such, we don't act upon the past, but use it as a catapult to push us into the newness of our present grace-filled life!

It was Pearl Buck who reminded us: "Our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them, for the test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its helpless members." It isn't my past guilt that 'makes me' do the things I do for mom, but my present love of her made deeper and deeper with each passing year. In fact, the tasks may be hard at times and even become a little taxing on both strength and stamina, but they are rewarded by the even greater return of her love. We aren't bound by our past, but we can allow the experiences of our past to build into our lives a great love for the things we come to value as 'the best' in life! The moments mom poured love into my life when I was far from deserving of her love and grace only pointed out to me how God loves each of us. Grace returned for actions far from deserving of grace! That is how God operates  --  and he wants us each to realize he loved us in our 'past', and continues to love us in our present, preparing to love us in an ever-deepening manner into our future! Just sayin!

Is it today or tomorrow that we get that?

There is clearly a difference from being willing to learn and being excited to be taught. It was Winston Churchill who reminded us, "Personally I'm always ready to learn, although I don't always like being taught." We won't always like the topic we are learning, nor will we be in the best of mindsets to receive what is being taught. There are still going to be those 'lesson moments' when we hope to make it through relatively unscathed. We are just getting through it by the skin of our teeth.

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole. (1 Peter 1:3 MSG)

In the meantime, there is a whole lot of discomfort on more occasions than we'd like as we are taught what it is we need to learn along this pathway called "life". We are headed to a life healed and whole, but along the way we might just discover how 'unhealthy' and 'broken' we really are. God isn't surprised by our desire to learn, and he is equally not surprised when we find ourselves feeling a little like life caught us unaware. He knows we have difficulty with staying focused, so he designs specific learning moments that help us to recognize how much we still have to learn and just how broken we are without his health making us whole again.

Many of us live for some time in the future. Don't believe me? How many of us have a retirement fund of some sorts set aside for the day we retire from our regular, day to day employment routine? Isn't preparing for our income at that time actually living for some time in the future? Today we are focused on all the things that need to be done and setting aside that little nest-egg for that day in the future when we won't have to punch the clock any longer. This isn't something God frowns on because he asks us to steward well all the increase he brings into our lives. Yet, there are places in our lives that remain untouched and unprepared simply because we see them as 'future' and not for the here and now.

The future starts now. God isn't preparing us in the flash of an eye for all he has prepared for us to enjoy in his presence - he is preparing us in the now for all that we will come to fully enjoy in the future. Today we see and understand only fragments of what we will come to fully understand in the future. This incremental growth in our understanding is the way we learn - not all at once. All God is doing today in our lives leads up to all that he has prepared for us in the future, but the future isn't really anything we 'put off' - it is embraced with each new breath!

It is Christ in us that brings us into our future - it is Christ in us that makes every moment of today an opportunity to learn something new - to see life through his eyes and not just our own. We get so caught up in the here and now, we miss some of the beauty of what he has prepared for us right now. We don't want to see some of these things because we don't 'feel worthy' of them. To that I simply say, "That's bunk!" We are declared worthy and we are brought into his safe-keeping. In that moment, we become students of his grace. This is a life-long journey into our full future, but we are living our future with each new embrace of grace in our lives. Grace made our future possible - grace brings our future into our today, also. Just sayin!

Hit it big!

Many of us spend an inordinate amount of time planning, organizing, and generally creating a vision for our future without any evidence that implies we are guaranteed that future! It is human nature to count on the unseen, the unknown, to come to pass - for some, it is 'hope', but for others, they are counting on what will never come to pass because it was never intended for them. Those who hold out to win the lottery are playing against odds so great that their chances of ever winning are astronomical. Yet, they keep playing. Is that hope, or is that 'false hope'? If they are putting off the pursuit of goals because they would need that windfall fortune to do it, chances are they will never realize their goals! There is a place for hope, but hope must be founded in faith, rooted in a solid foundation, and reliant upon something (or someone) that can actually produce the outcome!

Don't brashly announce what you're going to do tomorrow; you don't know the first thing about tomorrow.  (Proverbs 27:1)

The idea expressed in this passage is not that we aren't supposed to have a well-thought out plan or a vision for our future, but simply that we are not to brashly just expect that we have the guarantee that it will come to pass, or that things will work out exactly as we plan. When we approach our tomorrows as though they will always be there, or that somehow we control the events of our tomorrows, the idea of trusting God for the outcome is not really there. Over the past several years, many of my friends and acquaintances faced tremendous things they never thought they'd face. Several have undergone mastectomies, still others have watched as their daughter underwent brain surgery, hours of painstaking therapy, and 'relearning' all the things that most young children only have to learn once. Lives have been changed by 'being in the wrong place at the wrong time', such as the young man whose family is now watching him relearn how to care for himself, walk, and say even a few words as a result of those injuries suffered at the hand of a hit and run driver.  None of them had these things "penciled" in on their date books as things they would be facing! Yet all of them are clearly in the hands of our Lord through it all. Life deals us things we never expected - much to our surprise!

We often find we have trusted in a false belief that we would never have to face these tragedies and 'unlikely events'. Tomorrow is never a guarantee and today is the focus, my friends! This can be a tough lesson to learn - today being our focus and tomorrow being left squarely in the hands of the one who holds those tomorrows. There are definitely times when God has a plan that may "perfectly" match our imagined or dreamed plans, and at other times, he may allow some things to cross our path that just don't "fit" with our plans. In those moments when the plans don't seem to 'fit' what we imagined, we need to learn how our God works, what he is looking for in us, and how we can nuzzle up closely to him through it all. That is the only guarantee we have! That he will be with us in our today, using every moment of today to prepare us for our next tomorrow. 

While tomorrow is not guaranteed, the placing of our trust in the one who holds those tomorrows in his hands is never 'misplaced trust'. In essence, God is asking for us to allow him the privilege of directing our path - to do more than live with 'pie in the sky' hopes. He is asking us to allow him to refine our dreams and build upon our hopes. In turn, we find we are brought into places and positions bigger than our dreams. Sure, they may not be 'lottery rich winnings' we realize, but the treasure of gaining what God has prepared for us is much richer than any lottery will ever pay off! Just sayin!

No guarantee here

Never brag about what you will do in the future; you have no idea what tomorrow will bring. (Proverbs 27:1 ERV)

"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." (Melody Beattie) 

None of us is ever guaranteed a "tomorrow" - we all have today and can do the best with today as is possible. We allow all kinds of things keep us from enjoying our "today" - including the issues of our past or the constant focus on what it is we might accomplish tomorrow. I am no different, here, for there are times when I get so "future focused" so as to miss what is right in front of me. The sad truth is that there is absolutely no guarantee there will even be that "tomorrow" I spent so much time planning for! What a shame to miss out on so much because we are not able to see what is right in front of us!

For many, their lives were changed the day the towers came down in New York. Others would never be the same because of some school shooting, rampage in some mall, or being at a concert enjoying some time with friends. None of these people woke up one morning and expected their end, or their maiming. No soldier sent off to war expects to return with body parts missing from some explosive device cleverly put in his or her path. These are not things we "plan for" in life, but they come our way, often without any real purpose or warning. The best we can do is let go of the past, focus on today with all the effort we can dedicate to it, and be cognizant of the steps we should take to be as ready as possible for tomorrow.

Today is our challenge. Yesterday may have left us with a bit of guilt over what wasn't accomplished, or how some encounter didn't go as we planned. Today is where we can start afresh with whatever it is we need to take care of in order to be rid of guilt, restored in right relationship with God and each other, and to be living with intent (purpose). We must learn to be people who make "today" our focal point and then invest wisely in the opportunities that today may afford us. They could be opportunities for relationship - those that will be discovered, made right, or set aglow in a freshness that comes from just being together and focused on each other. They could be opportunities to learn something new, or remember something learned long ago, then pass that learning onto another.

Today is what we can make the best use of, isn't it? Tomorrow may involve a little planning, but to be hyper-focused on tomorrow while losing sight of today is to be a little too tunnel-visioned. Just sayin!

The past has no cure

I have carried you since you left your mother’s womb. I carried you when you were born, and I will still be carrying you when you are old. Your hair will turn gray, and I will still carry you. I made you, and I will carry you to safety. (Isaiah 46:3-4 ERV)

There are times we just need to be reminded of God's faithfulness toward each of us - today may be one of those times for some of us. Regardless of what you are going through, if you look hard enough, you might just realize that God is the one who has been carrying you for quite some time! From moment to moment, we may forget who is at work in our lives, believing God has abandoned us on occasion simply because things get a little tougher than we would have wanted. Whenever we get to feeling like we are abandoned, we just need to look to our Creator - for the one who creates will never abandon his creation.

It was Elizabeth the First who said the past could not be cured. Too many times we go about our day's efforts trying to improve upon (or cure) what yesterday brought our way. What is past is past - what we are left with is sometimes a little bit of the aftermath of the past, but we cannot ever change the past. What we can allow to happen is for God to change us in our present so our past mishaps and misgivings don't have to be repeated. The past may not be cured, but it sure can be repeated, can't it?

The seasons of the past that weren't all that great give each of us moments of grief because we would have done things differently if we only knew the outcome was going to be what it turned out to be. We wouldn't have spoken those words that cut to the quick. We wouldn't have allowed the distance to come that is now like a cavernous abyss we see no way of crossing. We wouldn't have chosen that route of downward compromise. Those choices were made, but today's choices remain to be made. What we focus on is not the ones we made in the past, but the ones we can make in our present.

Choices made incorrectly in the past haunt us in the present and make choices today harder because we may fear repeating them or really don't know what choices will yield different results. This is when we lean into Jesus' care over our lives just a little bit harder. We stop doubting his provision and start trusting him to help us do things differently - making better choices today, not so much to cure the past, but to improve the present and make way for the future. Just sayin!

Leaving and cleaving

I know the passage I chose for today is a message to Israel - to turn from their wandering after other gods and to return to their first love - God himself.  Yet, in the words which unfold, there is some great teaching for everyone of God's kids.  I hope you will give me the liberty to share just a few thoughts from the passage below.

Out of here! Out of here! Leave this place!  Don’t look back. Don’t contaminate yourselves with plunder.  Just leave, but leave clean. Purify yourselves in the process of worship, carrying the holy vessels of God. But you don’t have to be in a hurry.  You’re not running from anybody!  God is leading you out of here,  and the God of Israel is also your rear guard.  (Isaiah 52:11-12 MSG)

There are times when we plainly hear God telling us to beat a path in the totally opposite direction from the one we have been headed.  In contrast, there are also times when he confirms the path we are on and encourages us to keep traveling that "higher road".  Truth be told, we often need more warnings to turn around!  There is a process taught in the scriptures of leaving and cleaving.  We are to leave - go out of or away from something or someone.  The idea conveyed in leaving is the idea of never returning again.  There is a departure which is permanent.  We are then to cleave - to adhere closely, stick to something, cling to it as though your very life depended on it.  As equally as we were to move away from (in the completely opposite direction) something or someone who has caused us to travel a path which is not well-suited for a child of God, we are to cleave to the one clearly laid out by God.

The problem comes in our leaving.  It is like we treat our leaving as a little "vacation" from the issue.  Our leaving is not without its returning - kind of like when we board a plane to travel for a little while, but then return home.  Why do we return home?  It is a comfortable place for us - a familiar routine, a place of rest and comfort.  Did you ever stop to consider the things you take comfort in?  It may be a physical location, a relationship, or even your favorite chair.  For some, your place of comfort may not seem very comfortable!  To you, it is your routine.  Do you know the definition of routine?  It includes thoughts such as typical everyday activities; unvarying and habitual practices; and unimaginative, rote behaviors or actions.

So, if God asks for us to leave some familiar, rote, habitual, unvarying behavior or action, maybe it is gonna be a little harder than we might imagine.  Why?  Simply because our "routine" is being replaced by the unknown.  This is inherent in the process of leaving and cleaving - we embrace the unknown, leaving behind the known.  God's words to Israel should ring loud and clear in our ears, "Don't look back!"  Not only does God tell them to get up and get moving - away from where they have been - but he tells them the hazard of looking back!  If you are familiar with Lot and his wife, you know when she looked back, she didn't make out too well!  Looking back suggests a continued tie with the past.  The process of leaving and cleaving involves a "cutting" of the tie - much like a baby's umbilical cord is cut at birth.  The baby no longer is free to just lull around in the womb any longer - it has to breathe, find the breast, and somehow learn to explore this bright new world it has entered.

God gives us many dawnings of a bright new world.  The way we choose to embrace each of them makes all the difference in how much the new world will affect us.  If we try to embrace it while still "tethered" to the old, we will probably not get very far down the road because whatever tethers us to the old keeps us from enjoying the new.  God tells Israel to "just leave" and then he adds, "...but leave clean".  Curious, huh?  He tells them to get their hearts in right order as they leave.  Not just to "clean up their act", but to draw near to him in the process of leaving - to purify their hearts in worship.  This might just have something to do with how it is we make a clean break with that which we are leaving and learn to cleave to that which is in our new path.  We sometimes don't take the time to get with God on the matter of what it is we are leaving and we sure don't get with him on the stuff it is we are trying to cleave to.  In the process of leaving him out of the "leaving/cleaving", we simply don't purify our hearts.  That which remains in our hearts, though it be a fragment of what was once there, has the potential to continue to tug on our hearts.

I found it interesting God would tell Israel they did not need to be in a hurry - no one was pursuing them as they went about their "leaving".  I think we suspect just the opposite to be true - we need to be in a hurry to leave and in a hurry to cleave.  I think God might just be asking us to take some time leaving because there is some "sorting out" of junk which makes sense with the move!  This goes along with the process of purifying ourselves - we are ridding ourselves of the stuff which only clutters up our lives and ensuring we are only taking the stuff which adds purpose to our lives as we set out to our new destination.

Last, but definitely not least, God reminds them they are both being led out of their past and into the place of newness AND they have a rear-guard to ensure their past remains in the past.  He has our back, so to speak, as we go through this process of leaving and cleaving.  He knows things from the past will pursue us - so he places himself in the position of keeping distance from them and us!  Now, that should she a little light on how it is we break free from the "routine" in our lives and pursue the unfamiliar, but promising place of all newness!  So, get up, get moving, and make a clean break of it.  Purify yourself in worship as you do.  Then, don't be surprised when you recognize the great help of your protector and guide as you traverse between the known and comfortable into the unknown and a little bit scary.  God is both your guide and your rear-guard.  He has your back!  So, don't look back.  He has that all under control!  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!