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?

Have no fear

What are you wearing today? Have you dressed by the time you read this, or are you luxuriating in your jammies for just a little longer? Regardless of how you have 'clothed' yourself at the moment, there is nothing like what comes from being clothed with the blessing of God! Have you ever snuggled deep into something of comfort because your day was just a little harder than you'd like it to be? You may even find you needed some form of help, but it just seemed to never be coming, so you hunkered down, sheltered in place and are just there waiting. At those moments, all you want to do is sit down and cry out for help - but there doesn't seem to be anybody within earshot! Yet, you might just cry out anyway - if not outwardly, at least on the inside! Never lose sight of this hope - "real help" and very "real comfort" comes from God.

But you, God, shield me on all sides; You ground my feet, you lift my head high; With all my might I shout up to God, His answers thunder from the holy mountain. Real help comes from God. Your blessing clothes your people! (Psalm 3:3-4, 8)

God - the name of God also referred to as Jehovah - the unchangeable one. He is the one who stands ready to intervene whenever we cry out, hunker down, and seek his comfort. He is the one who gives grounding to our feet and lifts our heads high above the mess of the circumstances surrounding us on all sides. He is the one who becomes everything we need at the very moment have need. Need reveals itself in many way, but the answer to our need is always the same! He is the one faithful in all his promises and it is he that is our "real" help. You know, that word "real" has a unique way of describing our Lord's faithful interventions in our lives. We often look for that which is the most apparent to us - but did you ever realize that the term "real" means that which is not always apparent? Sometimes our "grounding" and our being "picked up" or "born along" is not always apparent in the circumstance we find ourselves in. We don't realize the reality of what God is and has been doing in our lives that brought us to the present point we are facing. We just know we need a little comforting and a lot of his presence!

We think of "real" as genuine, not counterfeit. That is true - but the thing I think we need to see is that God is not always apparent in those life "moments" when we find ourselves crying out! Just like clothing surrounds our physical frame and provides us with protection from exposure or the elements of the weather, God surrounds his people with his protection. He is what stands between us and the forces that come against us. Not just once, but each and every time! The next time you think you have no help - you are standing alone in one of those "life moments" when things are just not all that comfortable - cry out to the one who protects without always being apparent in his protection. He gives us a form of "immunity" to the things that otherwise might take us down! He provides the protection we so desperately require from the "inside" out - maybe not apparent to us immediately, but this protection begins to reveal itself more and more as we 'settle into' his presence! There is something of his character that is within us that will often be exactly what we need to draw from when we face that moment of challenge. God may not be "apparent" in the moment you face - but stand assured - he IS there! Just sayin!

Seeding and Reseeding

All growth begins with a solid 'planting'. It is Fall in Arizona, which means those of us with Bermuda grass all summer are scalping it low, sowing loads and loads of Rye seed, and awaiting the beauty of that bright green to emerge once again. Yes, we Arizonans are silly enough to want 'year-round' grass! The 'sowing' of the seed is on top of the existing grass, making it necessary to scalp that Bermuda lawn down very, very low. This method sometimes involves people putting either steer manure over top of the Rye seed, or a topsoil for grass, but not all of us do that. Some of us just sow and hope the birds won't scavenge every last seed! When the milder days begin to produce the subtle warmth to produce the growth, the blades of Rye will emerge through, having 'taken root' where they were sown. They weren't exactly 'planted', but it is sown where it can make good contact with the soil, in hopes it will take root. All it takes is contact with enough of the right stuff and the blades will soon emerge, bright and green, tall and vibrant. All it takes for us is contact with the 'right stuff' and we will emerge in the beauty of new growth, as well!

That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength! (Ephesians 1:18 MSG)

It is the 'contact with the right stuff' that helps to produce a growth that is both 'intelligent' and 'discerning'. We actually do ourselves a disservice when we limit our contact with the things God has provided for our growth. Things like other believers, the Word, and time in service to others. We don't become 'intelligent' in the ways of God by osmosis. We learn of his ways from others - seeing how he moves in their lives often challenges us to 'change up' how we are living ours. It is the connection we keep with the Word of God, keeping it alive within us by taking in bits and pieces of it on a daily basis, that we are able to be nourished into fresh growth on a continual basis. As with all types of planting, there must first be the seed. The seed isn't worth much on its own - but once it is sown, the contact it makes is so very important. The right contact, combined with just enough nurturing to bring forth growth, and there will be an emergence of good stuff - you just wait and see!

As I put the seed out on the fresh scalped lawn, the first week was the most important, not only because it needed all the watering to occur so the soil never became dry, but also because I had to guard against all those flocks of hungry birds that stood at the ready to 'claim as their own' what I had just sown. I had to stay alert to the 'needs' of the freshly sown seed. It needed my protection and care. The same is true in our lives - as seed is sown into our lives, it needs a whole lot of attentive oversight in order to have a good chance of taking root and bearing fruit! This might just be why we are told to keep our eyes focused and clear - to be able to see clearly and take hold of that which is provided for us. The oversight of God in our lives never ceases, but the focus we must maintain is just that - maintained! It requires a revisiting of the places where growth is imminent in order to see that those places are being maintained, free of scavenging 'seed thieves'. 

Soon my lawn will be in, but until then, those emerging blades of new growth give me a hope that makes me excited about the next patch of growth and the next one. The full yard will one day be green and full, but each small patch right now encourages me to look for the next. This is how it is with our spiritual growth, as well. We don't see it all at once - it is an emerging thing. Little by little, because of careful attention, the seeds sown will produce signs of growth. As you may well imagine, some of the seed is stolen away by those scavenging birds. There might be the need to sow just a little more seed in some of those spots where they took their liberty to steal away the seed. This isn't dissimilar to what God does in us - sowing a little at first, then observing for signs of growth. If the places of our lives need a little 'reseeding' on occasion in order to produce the fullness of growth he desires, we need to trust him with that process. He sees the bigger picture and he knows where it is we are vulnerable. He knows the areas that most need his focus - and he isn't willing to allow us to have 'bald spots' without growth!

It might seem elemental to some to compare our spiritual growth to reseeding a lawn, but it isn't elemental at all. There is a process and the process takes much attention. God doesn't just 'seed' our lives and take a 'come what may' stand. He maintains his vigilance, not afraid to 'scalp us down', seed over past growth, and reseed as necessary, until there is a fullness and intensity in our lives that reveals nothing but the vibrancy of his presence within! Just sayin!

What's the point?

I often study the life of David - from boy in the field tending sheep to the ruler of a nation. David had an intimate relationship with God - something quite evident in how frankly he spoke with God and how "free" he was in the presence of God. There is much to be said about having a deep, beyond the mundane, relationship with God. Look at what David reminds us time and time again - God is the one who welcomes, we are the ones who come into that place invited. We aren't interlopers in God's presence - we are welcomed and embraced.

You've always given me breathing room, a place to get away from it all, a lifetime pass to your safe-house, an open invitation as your guest. You've always taken me seriously, God, made me welcome among those who know and love you.  (Psalm 61:3-5)

David acknowledges that God gives him something we call 'space' - that thing we like to refer to as breathing room - a place of complete sanctuary. Have you ever had a really good friend that you can just be yourself around? You can kick off your shoes, let down your guard, and be your real self - no pretense, no masks, just you. God desires that kind of relationship with us - extending to us the invitation to come into his presence and "chill" - to find rest for our souls, nourishment for our spirits, and uplifting for our emotions.

We are reminded that it is a lifetime experience - not a one-time experience, but a cultivated enjoyment of the presence of God. We have an open invitation - to come freely into his presence, drink deeply of his graces, and know that we are there as an invited member of his household. We aren't just invited 'guests' - we are members of his family. David's most consistent theme in his writings is that God knew him and he knew God. He even acknowledged that he is aware of this most because God "takes him seriously". Nothing he shares with God escapes God's attention or care. Why? Because he knew God in a personal way and he loved God with all that his heart had the capacity to love.

Jesus came to this earth, taking on the form of human nature, to connect with us. He laid aside his divinity to take on human form - connecting with the struggles we encounter, understanding the limitations of our mortal bodies, and involving himself in the tasks of ordinary everyday life. That is why scripture reminds us that we have a Savior that is not unaware of our struggles, knows what temptations await us at every turn. We are soon approaching the season we celebrate his birth. As my pastor likes to remind us, sinners (like you and me) are the POINT of the birth of our Savior in human form. They are not just PART of it, they are the POINT of it. God takes each of us quite seriously - we are the objects of his affection and the consistent POINT of his attention. Isn't it time that we recognized the tug of Lord on the strings of our heart? Isn't it time that we came into his presence, thoroughly enjoying the sanctuary of his graces? We are the POINT - sinners in need of a Savior. When you are at the place of asking, "What's the point?" - you are! You are the point of his every action! Just sayin!

Open doors, not the earth!

How much time do you spend "pondering"? Pondering is way more than just letting your mind wander here or there. Pondering carries with it the idea of considering something so carefully that we are going through the mental process of weighing all the details, with an attentiveness to the details that help us to not miss a thing. God actually commends those of us who spend time in such a manner! This is how God wants us to be considering his actions on our behalf. There is nothing more rewarding than to truly begin to consider God's love and grace in action - it has a way of refocusing our attention and directing our attitude away from "me, me, me" - something we need more help with than we might want to admit. We are very 'me' focused individuals - even if we don't see it, others can attest to this fact!

We pondered your love-in-action, God, waiting in your temple: Your name, God, evokes a train
of Hallelujahs wherever it is spoken, near and far; your arms are heaped with goodness-in-action. 
(Psalm 48:9-10)

Do you know who the sons of Korah were in scripture? There were five sons of Korah that joined King David as expert warriors, but their heritage is marked by some pretty serious rebellion in their forefather, Korah. Korah was one of the individuals who rebelled against Moses and Aaron because he was jealous of all the attention and authority they received. His rebellion led to a few hundred followers also rebelling, but also to their ultimate end as the earth opened up and swallowed them! It just goes to show that when 'me' gets in the way of what our true focus should be, the outcome may not be to get what we really wanted! We also know from the record of the lineage of Korah, that his family line was numbered among the Levites (those that kept the temple in order). They were the door-keepers of the temple and were responsible to help carry the articles contained within the temple from place to place as Israel wandered in the wilderness. When they were not on the move, they stood at the threshold of the temple in their duties of service. As the temple became a permanent structure in the city of Jerusalem, we find their names recorded as men who were charged with the responsibility of setting prophesy and praise to song, along with melody from musical instruments. Today, we'd think of them as the men that "open the service in praise and worship" - worship leaders. If we consider their "station" in the temple, they are the ones who provide the way into the holy presence of God through praise and worship - a long way from the rebellion of their forefather.

There is importance in speaking the name of God. We are told that it invokes praise and worship where it is spoken. Why is this? There is power in the name of God - creative, restorative power that just beckons one to cry out in praise. We may not always see the immediate effect of his name being spoken, but there is a power so intense in that name that all of heaven and earth sits at attention when it is spoken. It is by that name that all things are held together - even us - think on that one for just a moment. Praise is the "pondering" of God's movement in our lives. It is the frequent and consistent consideration of the keeping, strengthening, delivering power of our God. When we become less focused on ourselves, and more focused on honoring God with every word that proceeds from our mouths, we open doors. We may not have the "job" of being the door-keepers in the temple of our God, but we do have a similar opportunity in opening doors for a hungry and thirsty world. We need only begin to speak of God's graces and someone who is hurting can be drawn into the presence of the one who can minister to that specific hurt. In the exalting of the name of God, they are ushered into the arms that are filled with all goodness in action - all the grace they need awaits them.

If you want to learn how to be a "ponderer" of God's graces and his goodness, God honors that desire with his presence. If you want to learn to express the wonder of his love even better than you have in the past, he will meet you in the moment of your praise. So, praise on! There is nothing wrong with opening a few doors, when those doors lead into the presence of God. We don't want to become so 'me' focused that what we encounter is our pride and rebellion. We will do much better by allowing God's presence to wash over us, turning our eyes again toward him, and seeing just how magnificent his presence is for those who stop long enough to 'ponder' him. Just sayin!

This is a result of that...

I have been crucified with Christ: and I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the real life I now have within this body is a result of my trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 TLB)

Every now and again I try to teach someone something in Excel that will actually make their life easier if they adopt the function or shortcut into their practice. At first, they listen intently. At some point down the road, either they get it, or I see their eyes roll back in their head and you know they will never use that shortcut or function in a million years! What happens is that some are very intent on learning - on wanting to know how this software 'tool' can work FOR them. They have tried to create their own ways of doing the same function, such as selecting all the data at one time, but their method of scrolling for eternity until they find their last row and column of data is just insane when a simple holding of the Control Key and striking the "A" key at the same time will do all that in one simple move! When they see the ease at which they can adopt the new practice of the shortcut, they are delighted! Why? Life just got less complicated! The sooner we realize that the complication is US trying to do things OUR way, the sooner we can get out of the way and adopt the 'new practice' of allowing Christ to live through us - the complication we have added to our lives isn't going to interfere with our forward progress anymore.

At least that is what we think when we say "yes" to Jesus - that those things we have created as these huge 'work arounds' that 'get the job done', but bear a tremendous cost to us, will somehow just be gone in a poof. The truth of the matter is that sometimes we hold onto what we have come to think will 'work' in a particular situation, but which really isn't working FOR us all that well. It might get the job done, but at what cost? I might be able to resist a particular temptation, but at what cost? How much effort has to go into that 'will-power' moment (or moments) to resist? When I embrace the grace God gives to resist that same temptation, it still might require some effort on my part, but the effort is much less when he guides my steps! The 'real life' we live 'in Christ' isn't the result of US the results, but his presence and power creating those results within and through us. 

Almost all the functions within Excel begin with the equal sign. Why? You are telling the computer you want a certain outcome as a result of what you are doing. For example, to add two numbers together, you tell the computer to look for the sum of those two cells and return it in another cell. In real life, we are constantly creating similar scenarios in our minds. We might imagine something, then say "if this happens, then that will be the result" - the famous 'if,then' statement. There are a lot of 'if,then' moments in life. If I am hungry as an infant, I cry, then someone feeds me. The 'if, then' is rewarded. If I do something nice for that person, then they will do something nice in return. How's that one been working for you in life? Not all 'if,then' situations return the desired results, do they? You have to have the right 'if' in order to get the right 'then' and perhaps you will get the desired result. I have created way more functions I thought would work in this lifetime only to find the 'if' or 'then' didn't yield the desired result!

The 'if,then' is only assured when the beginning and ending point is Christ! You want the best results - start with the right formula. In this lifetime, we look for the shortcuts. That isn't all that wrong. But...there are very few that actually yield the results we desire. To be assured of better results, maybe we should start with the 'if Christ is at the center here' and end with the 'then I will listen to what he has to say'. Just sayin!

Conceived in love

“Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?" (Matthew 7:7-8 MSG)

Bargaining - it is kind of like "you scratch my back, and I will scratch yours". None of prayer is to be this way - for God isn't a bargaining type! Bargaining involves obtaining something, but at a price - maybe less than expected, but a price is paid. Jesus tells us to ask 'directly' - don't pussy-foot around with God in prayer. Be open, honest, and with a heart of sincerity make your request known. God knows your need already, but maybe acknowledging the need before him is the real purpose of prayer - so we come to understand how 'pure' our request is, or perhaps how 'muddied' it has become because of our selfish will or influence of the world around us.

To bargain is to make an agreement between two parties, setting out what each gives or gets, how one is to perform and what the other receives as a result of that performance. Prayer is not a time of 'defining' what God will give us - it is a time of understanding what we have already received! It is a "grace-time" in which God begins to allow us to 'settle into' the grace-filled answers he has for each of our needs. God has already given us everything we need in Christ Jesus - it is a matter of us recognizing what we have been given!

Although this passage is reminding us not to bargain with God in our prayer time, it is important to point out the key words of this passage - conceived in love. We need to remember that 'in Christ' we are made new - we take on 'new form'. As new creatures in Christ, we can begin to experience the life we have been given, but this is best experienced in the presence of the one who has conceived us in love! Prayer may actually be the way we come to experience newness - laying aside all the things that mattered to us before and realizing how truly blessed our life is in Christ Jesus.

As a result of our "conception", we can have boldness to come before the one who loves us so deeply. This is the crux of what Jesus was sharing that day so long ago - we are loved, cared for, and nothing escapes God's notice or attention. Just sayin!

Big Treasure

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth where they can erode away or may be stolen. Store them in heaven where they will never lose their value and are safe from thieves. If your profits are in heaven, your heart will be there too." (Matthew 6:19-21 TLB)

Someone once said our stumbles could be our greatest treasures. I pondered on that thought for just a while and began to really think about the times I have stumbled (and I don't have to think very far back to begin this journey!). What "treasures" came out of those moments? Sometimes it was the knowledge another stood right there with me, willing to go that extra length to see me "make right" what I was obviously making a pretty big mess of in the first place. At others, it was simply the knowledge I wasn't alone in the stumbling - others were tripping up on the exact same things! Yet, some of the greatest treasure I brought out of those times of stumbling were the ones that revealed just how much God's hand had been on me despite my choosing to take a path which would lead to my stumbling!

There are those who believe any path taken toward sin or compromise is really a path without God. The truth is that if we have said 'yes' to Jesus, it is impossible to travel that 'wrong path' without him right there alone with us. He is just not the one choosing the path at the moment - it doesn't mean he is any "less with us" as we go down it. As a young girl, I remember asking my dad about a pin he kept attached to the visor in the car. It went with us from one car to the next as the family traded in one to get another. It was the head and shoulders of a brass angel about two inches long, with her wings outstretched. In response, dad simply said she was there to protect us, that is until we exceeded the speed limit! At that point, she flew out the window! I never saw her 'fly', even when someone was clearly over the posted limit!

There are times we treat God as though he would "fly out the window" of our souls each time we speed down that pathway to compromise. In truth, he is holding onto us so tightly we don't collide with all those obstacles in our path as quickly as we might do should we be totally on our own! We don't realize he is still there, just like the 'angel pin' was still there on the visor. God isn't an 'abandoning' type - it is contrary to his perfect love to only 'be with us' when we are good and then leave us when we are not behaving so well! The greatest treasures have come in recognizing all the ways he didn't abandon me along that path - and how he helped me find my way back to the right one each and every time! Just sayin!

Don't be stingy!

I know there is nothing better for us than to be joyful and to do good throughout our lives; to eat and drink and see the good in all of our hard work is a gift from God. I know everything God does endures for all time. Nothing can be added to it; nothing can be taken away from it. We humans can only stand in awe of all God has done.  What has been and what is to be—already is. (Ecclesiastes 3:12-15 VOICE)  

Hard work - we use that term to describe the fruitful endeavors of our hands, the back-breaking labor of our energies exerted in some task needing to be finally accomplished, and the exhaustion of our minds as we settle back to rest our weary bodies after a long day at the "salt mine" we call "work".  Hard implies we had to put some effort into it - maybe it was more than just physically fatiguing because it was troublesome for us to accomplish.  I have undertaken some projects on occasion which game me more headaches and soreness in my muscles that I wondered if it was all worth it once I got done. I just had to stand back and admire the work that was accomplished to know the answer to that musing, though.  There is nothing better than the sense of accomplishing something which just seemed to be beyond your abilities!  I think God must revel in our excitement when we stand back and just get excited about what he did in our lives once we let him get "underway" with that area which has been "troublesome" to us!

All the God does endures for all times - even when the memory of it become clouded by all the events which have come since.  We have a tendency to "move on" in our lives - seeing that good brought momentary excitement and fulfillment, but eventually, we move on.  We have other things to get on with in our lives and the "good" God has done some time in the past sort of fades into the background, overshadowed by the next troublesome thing we face either emotionally, physically, or spiritually.  Remembering what God HAS done helps us to face what God is presently DOING and what he may be setting up in our lives to have DONE in the future, though.  It isn't always a good thing to put the past memory of God's grace in the shadows of today's present problems - we may just find strength, or the building block upon which he will lay the "next row of bricks" in our lives.

Solomon spends the majority of the Book of Ecclesiastes reminding us we can build, work hard with our hands, muse over scientific studies, apply ourselves to the gaining of knowledge galore, all to be found as pretty worthless in the end. It isn't that these aren't good things - for they are gifts of God - but they pale in comparison to all God does in our lives we may not even recognize he has done! To focus on the task and forget the one who gives us the ability to accomplish the task is what Solomon wants us to guard against - for nothing else matters as much as how connected we become with Jesus in the process of taking on the tasks we see laid out before us!  There is no greater expanse of beauty for our souls than to stand squarely in the presence of God and admire what he has done. We can take credit for the hard work we have done with our own hands, but we cannot ever take credit for the way God orchestrates our lives to allow us to be in the place to do those things.  

God deserves our praise, but he also deserves our time - just to take in all he has done, is doing and is about to do in our lives.  This isn't wasted time - it is time spent replenishing our souls, refreshing our minds, rebuilding our emotions, and in general, it is the time we "recharge" for the tasks which are just ahead.  Don't skimp on time with Jesus - he doesn't skimp on anything with us!  Just sayin!

My favorite day!

Sometimes we can find the most profound things in the simplest of things, can't we? Ever read Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne?  In the book, there is an illustration of Pooh's best friend Piglet walking alongside him.  Pooh asks Piglet what day it is - to which Piglet responds it is "today".  The next part is my most favorite part, for Pooh, in a matter-of-fact voice announces, "My favorite day!"  Sometimes Pooh just hits it on the head, doesn't he?  In essence, he is saying any day spent with his best buddy is a great day in his book! I'd have to agree!

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!  (Psalm 118:24 KJV)

We can all benefit from just taking a little down-time to just simply "hang with Jesus" a little longer, or sing his praises a little louder.  What is that I hear?  I think I might just hear Jesus saying, "My favorite day!"   We might spend an inordinate amount of time with ourselves, others, and even strangers, all the while forgetting about the one most important relationship.  When we stop long enough to just luxuriate in his presence, we might just hear those words from the lips of the one who yearns for time with us!

THIS is the day.  There is no other day - today is the day.  It is pretty emphatically stated in this passage - pay attention to the day at hand, not so much the one which is coming somewhere into the future, or those which have already passed us by.  THIS is the day.  There is a quote which goes something like a bird in hand is worth two in the bush.  I don't know the source of that statement, but the idea conveyed is that of keeping what you have instead of risking the loss of it for something you "might" be able to attain down the road.

When it comes to maintaining relationship with Jesus, there is nothing more important!  A day with him is worth more than a thousand more to follow!  Now, if we'd learn to actually live that way, really enjoying our day with him as our "most favorite day", we might just get more out of our day! We might find the frustrations melt away, problems seem to sort themselves out, and perspective beginning to change which helps us see things in a different light.

This is the day the LORD HAS MADE.  It isn't a day of our own making - but one he has particularly prepared just for us. Considering the vastness of the population of this earth, the idea of God making any day just for me seems overwhelming.  The fact remains - this is the day he has made. It is made by his hand, energized with his breath, and comes alive with the sound of his voice.  If we just get close enough to him to experience that day WITH him, we might just get way more out of the day than we ever thought possible.

Let us REJOICE and BE GLAD in it.  Not because of it, but in it.  Rejoicing is an attitude of finding joy in what we behold. It is this idea of reveling in it and taking extreme delight in it. When we recognize this is the day he has made, we cannot help but revel in the awe of what he has prepared for us.  I drive to work each morning with the Eastern sky in view through my windshield.  As the winter sky is unfolded before me in those early morning hours, it is not uncommon for me to behold the beauty of dawn and the majesty of a glorious sunrise.  I just revel in the beauty of those moments when God "paints the sky" with all that color, just for me!

It isn't the miraculous he calls us to revel in, but the simplicity of his presence and the enjoyment of just "hanging with him" a little longer, just a little closer, and maybe even with a little more expectation and delight in what that time means to him.  We come with all our "agenda items" - he just comes to be with us!  Today is his "favorite day" because it is the day he is with you!  Just sayin!

Welcome to my world!

It's the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—"Jesus is my Master"—embracing, body and soul, God's work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That's it. You're not "doing" anything; you're simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That's salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: "God has set everything right between him and me!

(Romans 10:9-10 The Message)

Well, if you've followed my blog for any time now, you know I really get into understanding what is in a word.  So, in true form, here I go again!  The word today is "welcome".  What does it really mean?  Guess, what?  I found out some pretty interesting stuff!

1. A word we can use as interjection when one's arrival gives one PLEASURE.  This is like saying, "Welcome, stranger!"  That is how it is with us when we first "welcome" Jesus into our lives - he is a "stranger" to us at first.  His ways are a little foreign to us, his purpose for our lives seems a little like setting out into the unknown, so we welcome him, but as a stranger, not as a familiar member of our lives.  Yet, in welcoming him in, there is the infilling of such pleasure that we are overjoyed by his presence.
2. At other times, this word is merely a greeting of kindly COURTESY.  This is like saying, "Let's give him a warm welcome".  There are times I think we treat Jesus this way - kind of formally welcoming him, but not really excited about his arrival!  We extend the "courtesy" of allowing him access into our daily lives without really much forethought or "end-thought" for that matter.  Our relationship with Jesus is quite different when we anticipate the pleasure his presence brings vs. extending him a mere courtesy of access!
3. Yet another meaning of this word is one that we seldom equate to "welcome".  It is the idea of RECEIVING something we will experience.  This is like saying, "It was a welcomed time of rest."  When we welcome Jesus into our lives, we are welcoming all we will receive at his hands.  This means that we welcome (move from mere acquaintance into practical experience) all that he brings our way.  
4. If that is not enough to get us thinking, another meaning is to someone the FULL RIGHT to something.  This is like saying, "He is welcome to give it a go."  When we welcome Jesus in this manner, we are really telling him that we don't want to give it a try alone!  We want him right there, alongside us, helping us with the issue at hand.  We "grant" him the right to be in control - to move us from "trying" into actually "experiencing" what it is he has in mind for us.
5. Last, but not least, there is the negative meaning of welcome that we cannot overlook.  This is the idea of an UNWANTED welcome.  This is like telling Jesus he has "worn out" his welcome!  Ummm...I hope we are not at that place EVER with our Lord!  Yet, I wonder if there are times when we just want to ask him to "leave" for a while - because the "heat" is too hot, the "intensity" is too intense.  We may feel that his presence is a little "unwelcomed" because we really did not count the cost before we stepped into what he asked us to do.  

Paul tells us that it is the "word of faith" that welcomes Jesus to go to work in our lives.  I think this is kind of like telling Jesus, "You are welcome to have full access to my life."  We are doing more than being "courteous" to Jesus - we are viewing that his work in our lives will ultimately produce "pleasure" beyond our imagining.  

I have times when I am guilty of welcoming Jesus in a half-hearted manner.  I think this is human nature.  Thank goodness, I have more times now of welcoming him with eager anticipation of what it is I will see moved within my life from mere acquaintance to very practical experience in my walk.  That is the process we call growth - moving from courteous welcoming of Jesus' work in our lives into a place where we are cheerfully embracing his work!  

So, how have you been welcoming Jesus this week?  

Plastic cows and rubber men

¹ What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we're called children of God! That's who we really are. But that's also why the world doesn't recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he's up to.

(I John 3:1)

A few years ago, my grandson began an ongoing game with me.  Whenever he is over, he hides either a little yellow rubber man or a plastic cow.  Sometimes it is cleverly hidden under the protection of the lampshade and not evident until the light is turned on.  At others, it is right out in the open, but is concealed by its surroundings (like the day he hit it on my bed quilt).  

This may seem like a silly game to most, but it has particularly important meaning to me.  Each time I see that little cow or find the hidden yellow man, I recognize that my grandson has been "in my presence".  He has been in my space.  Now, that may not be significant to some, but to me, that is a huge thing!  As important as it is that he has been here, it is a reminder to me throughout the week that he is in my life.  As I see that little plastic critter, I remember him, smile inwardly and think upon what a blessing he is in my life.

Sometimes, at the end of a particularly busy week, when that cow gets moved, I find refreshment in having the joy of discovering its location.  There is an expectation that it will not be in the same place it was before.  If it is, I almost am disappointed that it did not get moved this week.  

Now, you may think that is pretty lame for a woman in her 50's to be looking forward to the discovery of a plastic cow (and not a very pretty one, I may add), but it is the delight of my heart to know that my environment is a thing of comfort for my grandchildren.  I am delighted to know that they don't think it taboo to place that cow among the books, hidden in a drawer, posed in the shower, or perched on my computer desk.  They know they have freedom of access to both me, and my environment.

You know, God is pretty much like my grandsons.  He may not hide a plastic cow or a little yellow rubber guy, but he has great delight in keeping things fresh for us.  He comes into our "space" and moves things around a little, just to keep us fresh and renewed.  He also takes great delight in hiding little nougats along the way that will challenge us in the discovery of them.  One other thing, God treats us like family!  He makes himself comfortable in our lives because we have given him access to do just that.  

So, in the week you've had, have you discovered your "plastic cow" from God?  Has there been any delight in that discovery.  If not, maybe it is time you begin to look for that special blessing he has for you in the discovery of where he has been in your life this week.  He has crossed your life many times, and he usually leaves "signs" of his crossing, much like my grandson leaves signs of his by that little plastic cow!

Enter to learn

¹ Watch your step when you enter God's house.  Enter to learn. That's far better than mindlessly offering a sacrifice, doing more harm than good. 

(Ecclesiastes 5:1)

Solomon was charged with the responsibility of giving God's people a place of permanent worship - he built the Temple in Jerusalem - the first "physically permanent" structure for the presence of God.  Up until that time, God's presence had been enclosed in a tent-like structure we know as the Tabernacle.  It was "portable" and served Israel well during the time they moved throughout the wilderness, were on the move while taking the land of Canaan, etc.  David had longed to build God a "permanent" house for his glory to indwell, but it was passed to his son, Solomon. 

Solomon gives us some words of "wisdom" about coming into the "house of God".   It is a warning to those who would choose to worship at the throne of God.  He reminds us that we are not to enter God's presence flippantly - but with mindful care.  I wonder how many of us head off to churches around this world on our day of worship (whether it be Sunday, Saturday, Friday or another day of the week) without even so much as a consideration of why it is that we are going.  I imagine that there are many that can say without a doubt that there is absolutely no "fore-thought" in that "church attendance".  In fact, it is more of a social gathering than a time to seek God, learn of him, or celebrate his presence.

In Old Testament times there was a great deal of preparation that went into worship.  Hearts and minds were "cleansed" - thoughts focused - bodies prepared.  Why?  Because they were entering into the presence of a holy God. Solomon reminds us that we are to use "care" in entering God's presence - coming to God's house (his church).  The attitude of heart that he reminds us we need is one of serious attention - in other words, we have made provision to learn.  We have centered our focus so that we are open to learning what it is that God is about to share with us.

In the presence of God, revelation is available.  Careful attention to being readied to learn is what he has in mind here.  When we are "open" to receive from God, there is an expectancy that reaches out toward God in worship and in attentiveness to the sharing of the Word.  Enter to learn - come with a purpose.  Learning comes as we become "acquainted" with the object of our attention.  If we are attempting to learn the task of driving an automobile, we spend some time learning about what makes it work, how it is maneuvered, what distance it takes to stop its forward movement, and what steps we must take to ensure safety in our driving ventures.

So it is with coming into a position of being open to receiving from God - we have to become acquainted with the object of our attention.  That suggests we have to place our attention on him - eager to learn of him.  This is the beginning of our holiday weekend - many are preparing to gather for Christmas Eve services, Christmas day gatherings, and celebrations of the birth of Christ. What a tremendous thing it would be if we could enter into his presence this holiday season with a fresh determination to learn of him - careful to enter with purpose, attentiveness, and great anticipation of what it is he has to offer us this holiday season!

Don't forget to make room for Christ in this Christmas season.  Enter into his presence - he is waiting to bless you with the best gift of all - HIM!