Outgoing love

Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love. (Romans 13:8)

Sum it all up and what really matters at the end of a person's life? I'd have to say it is that we have loved and lived well. Love others well and your life will be lived well. It would be terrible to go through life without having known love, but how many of us go through life being 'stingy' with our love? We have been hurt by others, so we pull in a bit and don't put ourselves out there like we should. We have hurt ourselves, so we we see ourselves as 'not worth the investment', holding ourselves back from others because of this untruthful view of ourselves. Love well, my friends and you might just be surprised how well your life begins to be 'lived'. I will not make light of your having been hurt by others, but the time for healing has come. It is time to move past hurts that are really part of our 'past' and begin to put ourselves out there so we can begin to really live in the 'present'.

God isn't after anything other than our 'outgoing love'. If you have ever taken notice, you will soon realize scripture doesn't have to tell us to love ourselves. Some have believed the lie that until we can love ourselves it is impossible to love others. If we wait until we love ourselves, we could be limiting the opportunities to love and live well! I honestly believe God says love is an 'outgoing' thing - what we 'feel' as a result of that 'outgoing action' of loving others is great, but that feeling follows actions, doesn't it? Love is 'outward' because it is 'action-based' - the feelings of love are inward because they are interpreted through our 'emotions'. We might have thought if the emotions aren't there, then there is no love either. The truth God wants us to realize is that love is continually 'outgoing' even when the feelings aren't quite caught up with the actions yet.

Even if you fall short, never stop making love 'outgoing' in your life. You won't love well all of the time - you will fall short on occasion. You won't always 'feel' like you are lovely - but that doesn't mean you aren't able to show compassion, give mercy, embrace someone else, or fill up someone's emotional tank. If we wait till we 'feel' like we are loving and living well to start loving others, we may not ever start! Surrender to the love of God in your life and allow his grace to begin to embrace your bruised and damaged emotions. In short order, you may just be surprised at how much his love begins to be expressed in 'outgoing love' through you. Just sayin!

A fresh perspective

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 1:9)

I almost glossed over this verse today, but a seed thought sparked as I read it a second time. Have you ever given grace to someone BEFORE they even knew they would need that extension of grace? I daresay many of us have given grace in the moment, but have we really just extended it without any strings attached long before we even know what the individual will require grace for or way in advance of the individual realizing they stand in the need of our grace. God extended grace from the beginning of time - before we were even walking this earth. In advance of our many mess ups - way before we even took our first breath. No 'mess up' makes his grace any less available - it was already provided way in advance of us ever taking that first step toward sin!

The verse just before this one encourages us to 'never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord'. We don't need to be ashamed of God's grace - embarrassed by our feelings of guilt because we have acted in foolish ways. When we are ashamed of his grace, we are saying we are afraid of disapproval - we aren't confident in that which we stand upon. If you stand upon a foundation of grace you can be assured there is no firmer foundation from which to live life! The verse just after this one reminds us the power of death has been broken in our lives - all because of the death of Christ. In fact, Jesus 'illuminated the way of life and immortality' for each of us - another pretty 'solid' foundation upon which we stand. I don't know about you, but when I consider all I have received in this action of 'extended grace', I am brought to my knees.

As this passage goes on, the Apostle Paul says he will not be ashamed of the fate he has endured by being imprisoned for preaching the gospel of Christ. He knows 'the one in whom he trusts, and he is sure that he is able to guard what he has entrusted to him.' That is what grace does within our lives - it gives us the hope and peace that exceeds the expectations of others. Most would expect prison to break a man. Paul stood strong, continued to share the gospel message, and trusted his Lord for both the strength and wisdom to endure this season of captivity. He knew the grace he had received outweighed any worries of his presence circumstances. Maybe when we feel a little overcome by life what we need is not more of this or that, but a fresh perspective on God's grace already given to help us overcome those things that seek to overcome us. Just sayin!

Even in our rebellion

I just want to take a moment or two to remind each of us that God isn't done with us, even when we find ourselves in worst of places in life, our choices perhaps not the wisest. In the midst of our disobedience, God never stops finding ways to get to our heart - he uses all of this earth's and heaven's resources to reach the recesses of our hearts. The many and varied ways he uses to get the message of his power and protection across to his creation is not limited by the finite because he has access to the infinite. We often don't realize the means God will use until we look back "after the fact" and realize how much God was displaying his power, purpose, AND his protection in our lives. It is in the "hindsight" where revelation occurs - where our mind begins to comprehend what God has been doing in our hearts all along.

Then they prayed to God, "O God! Don't let us drown because of this man's life, and don't blame us for his death. You are God. Do what you think is best." They took Jonah and threw him overboard. Immediately the sea was quieted down. The sailors were impressed, no longer terrified by the sea, but in awe of God. They worshiped God, offered a sacrifice, and made vows. (Jonah 1:14-16)

The seas are out of control, even for the most skilled of sailors. The sailors, all skilled in their task of steering and controlling the ship, tried desperately to return to shore - but to no avail. They had "discussed" their circumstances with Jonah, being told by him that he was clearly the "cause" of their present danger. Yet, they choose to attempt any other alternative than what he proposed. His proposal was that they throw him into the sea - essentially allowing a man to drown - something tantamount to murder in their eyes. I don't know about you, but I have been asked a few time to "throw someone under the bus", but I find the internal struggle with this whole concept just a little unnerving!

In all their efforts to escape whatever calamity awaited them if they remained in the storm, they return to Jonah one more time. His answer is the same - throw me overboard. Not exactly the answer I am sure they hoped for - they were looking for any alternative to this life-ending action, but they weren't being offered anything by Jonah. They are in a quandary and the only option they have is to PRAY!!! Imagine that! Prayer didn't come naturally to these fellows, but in the midst of the storm isn't amazing just how many find themselves 'given to prayer'? They turn to the one they "think" might be willing to listen - the God of Jonah - although they didn't know him or serve him personally, they were willing to 'give it a shot'. After all, it his God who is responsible for the sea's upheaval - at least according to Jonah.

They turn to the God they really don't serve, but who seems to be in control of their present situation. Even in Jonah's running away from God, God is still using him to touch the lives of people who need to discover the power and grace of the one true God! How is it God can use even our disobedience to speak to the lives of others? I don't really fathom how he does it, but I see it recorded for me over and over in scripture, not to mention what God has done through my own life. They still don't want to throw their newest acquaintance overboard, but he seems to insist there is no other way to 'manage their fate'. They actually seek to be forgiven even before they take their next step. Jonah could have told them to turn the ship around, and then head for Nineveh like he was supposed to. It is quite possible his repentance could have calmed the seas. Instead he insists they throw him into the crashing waves. Why do we find our rebellion such a stronghold? I don't imagine Jonah is alone in his "firmness" of rebellion.  

In our rebellion - we don't see any way of escape but to be consumed by that which is a result of our rebellion! Don't lose sight of this last part of the passage - they trust Jonah's God to do what "he thinks best". Heathen men, praying to the divine God of the Universe, a God they did not know until now, trusting him to "do what he thinks best"! Do you know how God responds to their faith? God immediately calms the seas and they all stand on the deck of the ship, totally amazed at the power of Jonah's God. I wonder how many actually had the seed of salvation "planted" that day? The power of God on display - the hearts of men changed forever! 

I will never encourage our rebellion, but I am encouraged God can even use our rebellion as an instrument of grace in the life of another. In the openness about my own rebellion (running from God), others have been touched by the grace of God. I can only imagine how many times God has used our "cumulative" rebellion as an evidence of his grace! We cannot lose sight of what comes next - the sea does not consume Jonah - in spite of their fears and their reticence to throw him in, they do. Here's our hope - our sin may get us into some pretty wicked messes, but it need not consume us! In our rebellion, God even provides for OUR protection! Run as we might, God still watches over us! Just sayin!

Better Than a John Deere

Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of. (Charles Spurgeon)

If you have wondered about the value of the present 'trial' you are enduring, you might just wrap your words around Spurgeon's thoughts today. They 'dig up the soil' of our lives - revealing to us exactly what we are made of. Sometimes we discover the soil is pretty much 'infertile' - rocky, hardened, and just plain 'uninhabitable'. At others we may find that soil to be easily turned, full of all that will give and bring life, and able to bear much fruit. Do you know something? It is the same soil! It is just that the latter has been 'worked' a little bit more by the hands of the one who knows exactly how to bring forth life and fruit from our lives.

Dear ones, don’t be surprised when you experience your trial by fire. It is not something strange and unusual, but it is something you should rejoice in. (I Peter 3:12-13)

I am looking at the condition of some of my raised beds right now and noticing just how much the soil within them needs a good 'turning'. It needs to be aerated again, turned over so the roots of the plants can penetrate the soil more easily, and the leaves that have landed on top of that soil can be turned into the soil so they can begin to decay and provide nourishment for the plants. It isn't that I don't know 'what' to do to make them grow better - it is that I don't always take the time to do it! The same holds true in my own life. It isn't that I don't know what God is after in my life - it is that I don't give him my time or attention long enough for him to actually do it!

There is no excuse for some of our 'infertile soil' in life - it is simply that we have allowed it to become neglected. No wonder God will use some form of trial to begin the turning process - to begin to stimulate growth in those areas where it has become stagnant, or even non-existent. I don't imagine the soil in the farmer's acres look fondly upon the passage of the disc harrow attached to the tractor he maneuvers throughout those acres. That 'harrow' has but one purpose - to chop up the weeds and left-over crop remnants, while breaking up the soil. Yet, I know the acres are likely to be more displeased with the use of the plow! Why? It digs deeper, cutting into the soil, and exposing what is hidden.

God uses some trials as plows, while others are just like the harrow. Some will cut deep, expose much, and get at the 'root' of what holds back growth in our lives. Others will simply rejuvenate the soil of our lives so that we are ready for the fresh work of growth God wants to bring forth. I don't know why we resist trials so much, but I know we wouldn't if we fully understood the purpose behind each one. I have learned one thing - God uses the right implements at the right time to produce the right results the soil of my life most desperately needs. How about you? Have you learned to fully appreciate the 'implements' God uses to rejuvenate your life? If not, today could be the place where you begin to allow God to dig up, turn under, and refresh your life again. Just sayin!

Leaving the Shack

Temples of God - what does that phrase mean to you? To me it means there is a special dwelling place where the presence of God dwells. As we have discussed in the past, that 'temple' is actually human beings, filled with the presence of the Most Holy God through the gift of grace provided by the sacrificial offering of His One and Only Son, dying for the sins of the world. As a young girl, I remember going through some areas as my parents would set out on a long weekend away from it all. I recall seeing both very new, modern looking homes standing right next to a very old buildings fashioned out of adobe brick, tree branches, and even a few sod roofs. I asked my dad why the new homes were built, but not lived in and do you know what he told me? Those 'new homes' weren't what the people dwelling in the land were familiar with - it was foreign to them. They chose to live where they were most comfortable. I wonder if we sometimes are like those people I observed all those years ago - too comfortable in our old 'dwelling' to move into anything new prepared for us in God's grace?

We know that the earthly tent we live in will be destroyed. But we have a building made by God. It is a house in heaven that lasts forever. Human hands did not build it. During our time on earth we groan. We long to put on our house in heaven as if it were clothing. Then we will not be naked. (2 Corinthians 5:1-3)

What a tragedy to have something so magnificent prepared for us only to find that we don't aren't 'comfortable' in it, so we opt for the old. God makes our hearts new, our minds freshly renewed each day, and even fills our spirit over and over again with the joy of his presence. Even when we don't feel it, he is still working on this 'new dwelling' we abide in now. To now enjoy this new 'habitation' is to choose a life absent from the infilling presence of God. Indeed, this is a tragedy of astronomical proportions! Why do we choose what is 'most comfortable' over what is actually 'most beneficial' for us? I think it is because we want to hold onto the 'inferior' because we are familiar with it. Truly 'familiar' is the enemy of God's blessing in our lives many times. God's blessings oftentimes come no so much in the 'familiar', but in the place where God stretches us to move out of that comfort zone in life.

Human hands didn't build this temple - God's hands built it. Human hands may have corrupted it, abused it, run it down, and left if pretty much in shambles, but it was built by God's hands. We don't just want rebuilt lives, patched together here and there - we want God to have the access to make his best temple out of each of us. This may mean he tears down a few walls, but likely it could mean he tears us down to the place of the foundation and creates a brand new foundation in our lives. He takes the bits and pieces of our lives and puts them back together, but better than ever before, because the foundation is right, strong, and with perfect integrity. Our lives become the dwelling place of God and he begins the work of creating within us a healthy environment. 

This is an earthly 'tent' we dwell within today, but to stay in some run-down 'old life' because we are too scared to let go of the past is to really restrict the expansiveness of God's grace within us. The 'new home' he has for each of us is of 'TEMPLE MAGNITUDE', not a tiny run-down shack or a leaking tent! God isn't finished with any of us yet, but as his 'temples' we are being continually built. God doesn't want us to 'settle' in life - he wants to give us expansive lives that are filled with his very presence. Let's not just live 'shack lives' - let's begin to live 'temple magnitude' lives! Okay?

Doing it by rote

Billy Graham reminded us, "It is not the body's posture, but the heart's attitude that counts when we pray." How many of us focus so much on the 'way' we do something and forget all about the 'why' behind it? I think we might just do this a little more than we suspect as evidenced by us doing things 'by rote'. We do hundreds of things each day, simply by rote. Do you think through the steps of brushing your teeth, donning your socks, or even making the coffee? Probably not...they have become 'rote' tasks you just do without even putting much thought into them. If you really think about it, there are probably a lot of 'spiritual things' we can do totally by rote if we aren't careful. Some will pile into the cars on Sunday mornings - make their way to their local church building - all by rote. There was no real 'preparation' to participate in that worship service - they were there because it was Sunday and that is what they do on Sunday. Rote is a good thing with repetitive tasks such as brushing one's teeth and making the coffee, but it can be a 'not so good thing' when we begin to worship or pray simply by rote.

Watch and pray so that you will not be tempted. Man’s spirit is willing, but the body does not have the power to do it.” (Matthew 26:41)

Jesus tells his disciples to 'watch and pray' - because he knows where a lack of watchfulness exists, temptation will find an inroad. Watchfulness involves all the senses, not just the eyes. There is a vigilance in the attention and an alertness that isn't always there when we aren't 'on watch' in our lives. To be vigilant is to be keenly aware there are threats just waiting in the shadows. Danger is just around the corner. I used to watch that old show on TV called "Lost In Space" and I recall the robot who always said, "Danger, Will Robinson" to alert the young boy to some danger just lurking around the corner. That robot was always 'vigilant' and 'aware'. God doesn't want robots, but he does want us to pay that close of attention to the dangers all around us. Prayer involves being watchful, alert, vigilant, and even a little bit wary at times. Wary because we need to be 'on guard' for the enemy of our souls. That enemy doesn't carry a pitchfork and have a pointy red tail, my friends. That enemy comes in the form of just about anything that attracts our attention away from God, or allows us to simply 'serve by rote' in life.

Remember, Jesus told us to 'watch and pray', but he also reminded us that our own body does not have the power to be at this level of alertness or vigilance all on our own. We need the presence of God in the form of his Holy Spirit with us each moment of the day. In order to avoid the drift into 'rote' practices of 'worship' and 'prayer' that are devoid of the heart's dedication and attentiveness, we need to have that still small voice of God alerting us. Man's spirit is indeed willing to do a lot of things, but our hearts oftentimes don't have that same willingness and fortitude that we need in order to do things for the right reasons and in the right ways. Rote becomes our enemy whenever it is the 'norm' for how we approach God in prayer. I know Jesus taught his disciples what we now call the "Lord's Prayer", but it was not so much a prayer we could say by 'rote' as much as it was an outline of the reasons we pray. We are to pray for each other, forgiving any offenses that have occurred. We are to lay out our physical needs, trusting God to provide for those needs. To merely say the words of this prayer is not enough - the heart must be open to what God will say in return and it must be yielded to what God may ask of us. 

The heart is God's connection point - but if our lives lean too much toward doing things 'by rote' in our spiritual lives, the connection isn't going to be there. The heart isn't connected through 'rote' actions - it is connected by fresh, vital and living interaction. Just sayin!

Do life as you do life

What are the people in your life doing today? I didn't ask what you are doing - I asked for you to tell me what they are doing. Do you know? Did you bother to ask? If you did ask them, what was the motivation behind your asking? There are times we ask what someone will be doing or what they are doing right now because we really want them to be doing something else - something we want done. There are also times we ask because we don't want to interrupt them if they are knee deep into whatever it is and our interruption would only waylay them, robbing them of their time and energies that would be best invested in exactly what they are doing. I think we might not do as good of a job 'understanding' what another is doing, though. We 'hear' them tell us they will be doing this or that, but do we take time to understand the 'why' behind their 'doing'? It may seem insignificant, but when I realize someone I care about is doing laundry for the fourth time this week, I may begin to appreciate they need some help with the task!

Nothing should be done because of pride or thinking about yourself. Think of other people as more important than yourself. Do not always be thinking about your own plans only. Be happy to know what other people are doing. (Philippians 2:3-4)

Our plans are good, but I think some of us may be guilty of trying to always include the other person in our plans, sometimes at the exclusion of theirs. When we begin to see how another prioritizes their work, we get insight into where they are investing their energies. For example, I 'prioritize' my blog for first thing in the morning. Why? I am at my best and this is the time I have set aside to get alone with God, study his Word, and let his words come through me. Yes, I have written a few blogs later at night, but the truth of the matter is that I am a morning person. Early to rise and early to bed. That's me. When someone wants to support how it is I 'do' my day, they will also recognize the importance of me giving my best time of day to God first. Understanding why a person prioritizes their day's activities is only one way we begin to understand how they 'do' life. 

Some 'do' life 'out loud' - needing to talk through things with others because in so doing they find their 'answers' are sorted out - not because the other person had the answers, but because in talking them out, they were able to see them clearly. Learning to listen and not 'talk over' someone who needs to 'talk through' their plans is hard sometimes. We want to 'interject' our ideas and thoughts about how they should 'do life', but in truth they aren't asking for our opinion or approval! They are merely using that time together to bring clarity to their plans - by talking them through with another. Others 'do' life in a more 'list checking' kind of way. They are organized to the 't' and find it absolutely mind boggling to live without a list. They don't understand those who can live 'spontaneously' and just 'do' what suits them at the moment. They 'need' their lists - it gives them focus and they thrive best when they have focus.

You see, we all live life a little differently, don't we? We all 'do' life at our own pace, using our own 'methodology' for how we get things done. Instead of trying to make someone live life as we do, it is quite honoring of the other to allow them to do life as they do. Just sayin!

Live in and you will love out

God is greater - greater than _______. You fill in the blank. Go ahead, give it a whirl. Greater than . . . that speaks volumes, doesn't it? I wonder if God is your 'greater than' in real practice in your life.  Practice is merely the habitual or customary performance we exhibit as we go about our daily routines. it is the performance we repeat over and over again. The difference between talk and practice is simply our action - practice requires the action that backs up the specific talk we might talk. In other words, there is substance to our words. Today we are reminded that love is really an action, not just a "message" or a thing we "say". It requires action to back it up!

My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. (I John 3:18-20)

As a matter of fact, this passage goes a step further and reveals the "means" by which we can evaluate if we are really living in the reality of being kids of the King - it is us putting love into action on purpose in just the right way, in just the right timing! So, it is more than just "action" - it a "measuring stick" by which we can determine if the reality of a life change within has occurred or is occurring. You see, self-centered individuals put love into action, but the action is directed toward themselves, not others! Christ-centered individuals put love into action in such a way that their actions reveal Christ's love to the world. Maybe one of the most important things we see in this passage is the ability for the practice of love within our lives to "shut down" our own self-criticism.  Do I need to remind any of us of the debilitating effect of our self-criticism? I don't think there is probably a person reading this who has overcome all aspects of self-criticism. In fact, if we were painfully honest, we'd admit we often struggle with being a little hard on ourselves on some of the same issues over and over again, right? We can shut this type of "impractical" self-talk down - with the practice of love in our lives.

God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. This truth has the ability to be eye-opening to us if we give it a chance. Let's break it down a little, shall we? God is greater. We don't even need the rest of the passage - God is greater is more than sufficient to shut down ALL of our self-criticism. "God is greater" than any of our foolishness or self-centered actions! Now, if that doesn't put things into perspective, I don't know what will! God is greater - not just bigger, but greater. He is our "more than enough" - more than enough in our failures, more than enough in our deficiencies, and more than enough even when success might build up our egos a bit. Our worried hearts are best handled by the one who settles the storms. God is greater than our worried hearts - this speaks more than most of us realize. You see, we torment ourselves with all kinds of disturbing thoughts, don't we? God is greater than any mountain of disturbing thoughts we could muster up! All the things that "harass" us with continual "nipping at our heels" - those little and big things which we tend to muddle over time and time again - are not outside of his care. We just need to place them squarely into his care! God is greater - but he wants us to realize those worries are best placed into his hands in the first place.

Definitely, the most settling thing about this passage is the final thought: God knows more about us than we do ourselves. Now, that might seem a little hard to believe - another knowing more about us than we do ourselves, but the fact is, the Creator knows the creation best! This should give us some sense of hope - the Creator knows exactly how we were created and he is able to put in order anything which may have become a little "disordered" in our lives through the influence of sin, the self-destruction of various behaviors, or the misguidance of another. Nothing could fit into that "blank" for which God is not sufficient (more than enough) to overcome, fix, or put out of the way in our lives. Love in action in our lives is to realize the most important relationship we can maintain is that which centers us squarely on the one who is "more than enough" to overcome all our worries. We often think we are the ones doing the "loving" in our lives, but until God does the "living" in our lives, all the "loving" which comes out of our lives falls short of what the Creator really designed. Just sayin!

A little stuck?

Have you ever heard the story of the valley of dry bones from the Book of Ezekial? There is this place where skeletal remains all over the place, totally picked clean, dried up by the sun and time. God leads Ezekial around the valley, then through it, experiencing the full vastness of its expanse and the multitude of bones contained there. We probably won't experience anything like this, but there is significant meaning within this prophesy for the nation of Israel. I also think there could be a lesson or two for us, if we look close enough! In order to get as much out of this as possible, I am going to take you on a little "word journey", so bear with me!

Then God said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Listen to what they’re saying: ‘Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, there’s nothing left of us.’ “Therefore, prophesy. Tell them, ‘God, the Master, says: I’ll dig up your graves and bring you out alive—O my people! Then I’ll take you straight to the land of Israel. When I dig up graves and bring you out as my people, you’ll realize that I am God. I’ll breathe my life into you and you’ll live. Then I’ll lead you straight back to your land and you’ll realize that I am God. I’ve said it and I’ll do it. God’s Decree.’” (Ezekial 37:11-14)

A huge valley filled with DRY bones. No signs of life - DRY. If God were to look at our lives, would he see staleness, a lack of freshness - people no longer communicating warmth, enthusiasm, or tender feelings? Bones without FLESH. They may have rotted away by time, circumstance, or the lack of no longer being fed. I wonder what the impact of time has done to us? Or perhaps the involvement in circumstances spinning beyond our control, or the simple lack of taking time to feed upon that which maintains life? These bones may have been picked clean - by the predators all around them. How many of us suffer the impact of "predators" without even realize we are being "picked clean"? No APPEARANCE of hope for resuscitation. In the eyes of man, there seems to be little hope. They are dead by all of man's estimation and human understanding. But...when God sees them, his estimation and understanding see life. Perspective is everything! Hear the WORD of the Lord! The word of God will always bring a commotion, a stirring, and a rattling of our "dry bones". Sometimes this stirring is not enough - we still are nothing more than revived corpses! We might have "new flesh", but just looking "new" on the outside is no assurance there is something "new" on the inside!

BREATHE that they may live! It is the breathe of God which brings them alive on the INSIDE! They rise as a multitude - an army of warriors. Alive because of the moving of the Holy Spirit over their lives. We are made alive in the same manner - through his movement. It is his "giving of breath" which revives. Sometimes we are no more than unrelated parts - dry bones scattered to the far corners of the earth. We can remain as dry bones - disconnected, unrelated, scattered. When we do, we live "disconnected" lives. As a result, we lack the strength and capacity of "corporate" unity. In this state, we are prey to the predators of our lives - sin, evil, distraction, deception, etc. The winds of adversity will take us down. The circumstances of life will drain us further. The trials will leave us defenseless. We are open to being carried off by our predators because we aren't connected and alive! We can settle for a week-to-week existence. You know the kind I mean - come to church each week, get a touch of life, then be drained by the time the week is even over! Or we can know the vitality of life - as God intends it - a living, breathing organism of grace.

I want us to see some things about the wind in order to really get as much as possible from this passage. It rattles - rousing us from our slumber. Sometimes we don't even know we have lost our alertness to the things of God. It is the breath of God's Spirit, moving over our lives, which rouses us. Maybe we need a little "wind" in our sails again! It shakes - stirring again feelings long left untouched. The wind has a way of stirring what it touches. In fact, this is how we know the wind is actually there - we see and feel its movement across our lives. There are areas of our lives that have not been "moved upon" in a long time. Maybe today is the day for God to "move us" - opening us to new possibilities in him. It moves - causing us to change our position. Watch the wind sometime and what you see is the effect of it upon that which it touches. There is much to be said about the wind bringing a change of position. Sometimes it is the movement that uncovers that which has been hidden for a long, long time! It draws - pulling us out of the "crannies" of apathy. Things get stuck from time to time. We get apathetic to the stuff we become the most familiar with, don't we? It is the wind of the Spirit which "unsticks" us. It drives - moving us forward when nothing else will. Sometimes the influence of the wind is to move what has been stationary for far too long. Things which have been rigid and unchanging. We all need a little "nudging" sometimes, don't we?

The Spirit is what gives dead bones new life. The purpose of the bones was in the formation of a vast army - not a solitary existence. The army was not sparse, weak, or ill-equipped. In fact, it was vast - numberless, large, great in number! This type of army will make its presence known - if not in the sound it makes, in the display of the power behind the resurrection of those dry bones. It is not easy to hide an army such as this! Just sayin!

Live in to live out

We might attempt to define obedience by the things we do instead of some other things. For example, we define it as obedient to drive the speed limit vs. careening down the highway as whatever break-neck speed we may feel like that day. We 'do' observe the limit, then we 'keep' our foot from pressing too firmly on the gas peddle, and we 'stay attentive' to the dial on the dashboard. All this to 'do' just one thing - drive the speed limit. Yes, obedience has to do with 'doing' and 'not doing' - it is making choices and living within those choices. It also has a whole lot to do with 'being', as well. We are 'being' renewed day by day - in the love and grace of God. That 'being' actually helps us with the 'doing'. We sometimes get that backwards, though - trying to 'do' in order to 'be', but God's plan is just the opposite!

When you obey me you are living in my love, just as I obey my Father and live in his love. (John 15:10 TLB)

Michelangelo once said he 'lived and loved in God's peculiar light'. I think this is so true for each of us. We experience God's light in various ways, in certain seasons, and it seems so very new and fresh to us. The room you are in right now looks very different at dusk, dawn, or the fullness of midday sun. The colors you see in the yard at night are not as vibrant as those you observe as the full day dawns. Light has a way of changing things - changing our surroundings, but also changing how we see things within those surroundings. Just as it has a way of changing things in our surroundings, it can change us within, making what we 'do' begin to change, as well. What is happening is that God's light is doing the work of creating newness withing until the actions that spring forth in our 'doing' is quite evident his love dwells within.

Obedience begins by 'living in' God's love and light. It isn't about us 'doing' anything - it is all about us 'being' in the right relationship so that we can be changed inwardly until it affects our outward 'doing'. Obedience is merely an evidence of living in the light! It is evidence we are 'in God's love' and his love is within us! Obedience doesn't have to be cumbersome. It might not come quickly, as with the dawn of light in the morning sky, but when it comes - wow! It brings vibrancy into our lives like nothing else does. We don't 'make light' - just like we don't 'make obedience' come forth from our lives. Obedience is a result of the light - light given, light absorbed, and light illuminated! Just sayin!

This moment in time....

Oh, how sweet the light of day, and how wonderful to live in the sunshine! Even if you live a long time, don't take a single day for granted. Take delight in each light-filled hour... (Ecclesiastes 11:7-8)

How many light-filled hours have you been given on this earth? How many will you use to the fullest? It is just about time for the sun to creep slowly over the horizon and bring the light of a new day here. For those of us that live in Arizona, we don't celebrate the sun as much as we celebrate those infrequent breaks we get from the sun! A few clouds are a welcome thing once in a while around here - a relief from the scorching of the sun is accomplished in those passing shadows above. I imagine that those facing day after day of tornadoes, cloud cover, and incessant rain that produces flooding would love nothing more than to say, "Here comes the sun!" It is all about perspective - whatever we live with for a while becomes something we often take for granted in pretty short order.

This is as true in relationships as it is about the very fact that we wake each morning and go about our days involved in what we call the routine matters of life. Most of us don't wake up each morning with a conscious awareness that we have been "granted" another day of life, much less how much we have been given in the relationships we are blessed to have! Yet, a mother riddled with breast cancer, or a father weighed down by the crippling effects of Lou Gehrig's Disease whose lives are about to be cut short by the effects of their diseases, may see each new day or relationship they have been given in a totally different manner. Their delight with one more day to enjoy their family and friends may be foremost - bringing them great and immediate cause for celebration.

We need to be reminded that each day of sunshine is a blessing! Don't take one single day for granted. How do we develop this kind of awareness that God has given one more day for our use, our enjoyment? I think it is a conscious decision each and every day until it becomes an unconscious decision each and every day! We might have to "practice" our recognition of God in our day many times before it becomes "second-nature" to us to immediately recognize his graces in the moments we have been granted and those moments yet to come.

I have my clock radio set to the local Christian radio station. I know this seems like a small thing and a little too "religious" for some of you, but hear me out. The first thing I hear when I rise in the morning is beautiful melodies of praise - turning my heart to the worship of the very one who has granted me this day to enjoy. Now, this isn't the answer for everyone, but it works for me - it centers my thoughts, if even for a few moments, onto Jesus. I often even get little tidbits of truth spoken to me in the simplicity of a line from a song. There is no end to what God will use to convey his message of hope, his assurance of peace, or his challenge of obedience in our lives - we need to be open to the tools he uses.

Things all too quickly change - if we don't take advantage of the moments we have been given, we will always be looking back bemoaning the lost opportunities - especially those within relationship with each other and with God himself! It is too late to regain what "could have been" once the moment is lost. If we learn to live for the moment, conscious of God in each moment, we will have less regrets and more cause for praise! Just sayin!

Live today, not tomorrow

Today is a day that will not come again - you have but one chance to live it, so live it well. A lot of people focus so much on living today to make a "good tomorrow" that they miss what is going on around them right here and now. One day, Ferris Bueller took a day off from school - ditched classes to just live his day to the fullest. A quote from the movie sums up why he did what he did: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." I don't condone ditching class, but the point is made - life comes at us at speeds often exceeding our own ability to keep up and before we know it, we have witnessed opportunity after opportunity to pass us by without any guarantee they will come our way again.

13 Some of you say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to some city. We will stay there a year, do business, and make money.” Listen, think about this: 14 You don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Your life is like a fog. You can see it for a short time, but then it goes away. 15 So you should say, “If the Lord wants, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15 ERV)

The saying, "Lord willing and the creek don't rise," might actually be a play on words from the Book of James. The saying goes one step further, though. It indicates we will do something provided there is no obstacle that is placed in our path. I don't know about you, but life comes at me full of obstacles - I don't get too many opportunities without some type of obstacle smack-dab in my way of the opportunity! There are always going to be "unforeseen circumstances" in life - plan as we might, not all opportunities will just fall into our lap, come about as planned, and work out to our benefit. Life is work - it must be lived with intent.

God brings opportunities our way, not so much because we always deserve them, but because he has "designs" in those opportunities. Not all opportunities will be seen as "enjoyable" or "good" - some are given because we need to come to terms with an element of stubbornness on our part, or remedy some riff in a relationship caused by some selfish action. These are the ones we have to "work at" a little more than the ones we label as "good" or "enjoyable". We cannot always plan that moment of reconciliation, but when God is in control of the plans, the moment will come and we better be ready!

I don't know what opportunities will come your way today - but life isn't going to be without obstacles. Some of those opportunities you are given might require some maneuvering around, or complete removal of those obstacles in order to realize the fulfillment of the opportunity God has planned for us. We might have to pay attention a little closer to the opportunities in our path and a little less on the ones down the path if we are to realize the full benefit of the path! Just sayin!