But...it is undone!

Oswald Chambers reminded us, "The whole point of getting things done is knowing what to leave undone." Perhaps a good start to our new year would be to look at the things we have labeled as 'important' in our lives but are really not all that important after all. When we begin to look at some of the stuff that has consumed our time, talent, energies, and finances, we might just conclude these have been a bit too focused on one thing at the exclusion of perhaps a myriad of other things. The most beneficial thing we can do at times is to evaluate where our priorities have 'drifted'. I use the term 'drifted' because we usually don't even realize we have been investing so much into something that isn't really all that good for our lives in the first place.

...let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

What is it you and I need to leave behind this year? When we become honest with ourselves, we might just realize we have been engaging in things that have been timewasters, spending in ways that aren't really all that wise, or even pursuing a relationship or two that we have no real business pursuing. The whole point of making a 'new year's resolution' is so that we will look at what needs to be 'different' in our lives, isn't it? I am not encouraging us to make any such resolutions today, but I do think an 'introspective inspection' might just expose something that has robbed us of our Christ-centered focus. We might not even realize it, but when we ask for his help to identify what might have done it, he doesn't hesitate to show us!

The whole point of getting things done is to keep Christ first in our lives - everything else falls into place when this is the case. If we have been struggling, motivation lacking in some area, or just plain been too wrapped up in things that we know have distracted us from our relationship with Jesus, it is high time we get his help to get back on course. It could be time to 'leave undone' some of those things we thought were so important and take up those things we have neglected for way too long. Just sayin!

Mixed loyalties

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. (James 4:8-10)

There will be times when we don't feel all that close to God. It isn't because he has left us, or withdrawn from us, but that we have let something come between us. We get all wrapped up in stuff that takes our focus off of this relationship, or we follow some compromise that makes us feel totally yucky in the end. If we want to feel that closeness again, it may require some 'adjustments' on our part. We need to unclutter our lives, confess our compromise, or a combo of both.

Divided loyalty probably causes us more issues in our daily lives than anything else. It is that battle the Apostle Paul spoke of when he described wanting to do good but doing just the opposite. Probably the hardest question to ask ourselves is where our loyalties lie. Many times we will discover they lie heaviest on the side of doing things that please ourselves in spite of knowing they aren't the best for us. When we are off-balance like this, we likely don't take much time relating with Jesus. Less time with him means feeling like HE has withdrawn from us.

Come close...that is our part. He will come near to us...that is his part. It is wise to examine our priorities each day because we can get so wrapped up in what draws us in so easily and not even realize we are being drawn away from God. It is wise to bring our day to him, ask him for his priorities, and then let him clarify where we should be and what we should be doing. We never know when HIS priorities will be the very thing that bring the greatest blessing into our lives. Just sayin!

The other 'or'

But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house. They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!” So Lot stepped outside to talk to them, shutting the door behind him. “Please, my brothers,” he begged, “don’t do such a wicked thing. Look, I have two virgin daughters. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do with them as you wish. But please, leave these men alone, for they are my guests and are under my protection.” (Genesis 19:4-8)

The sad story of Lot's compromises continues. Having taken in the two angels God had sent to warn him to leave Sodom before judgment came down on the township, the men of the town now demand to have their way with the 'men he had taken in'. The men of the town did not recognize them as angels, did not know of their purpose in being within their township, and were intent on committing vile actions against them. Then Lot did what no one actually expected - he offered his two virgin daughters to these men in order to appease them. Imagine being one of his daughters - being offered as common whores so these men would go away and no longer bother Lot and his two angelic guests. I think I would have been more than offended to realize my own father would treat one of his offspring in that manner! 

It amazes me how 'low' Lot would stoop. It is quite possible we might think he had some pretty warped priorities - preserve his own life and that of his angelic visitors by offering his daughters to be raped. Don't forget - his visitors were angelic - they could have just done whatever it is that angels do and been out of there in a flash, so would that compromise have been necessary? Absolutely not, but this is how small compromises lead us to even bigger ones. We don't even recognize how far we have walked away from God until we see just how vile our own actions have become. It is definitely evident in Lot's actions, but are we able to see our own compromises? If we cannot see them, we might do well to ask God to point them out to us before our priorities become so warped that we go full speed down a path that leads to even greater ones!

Most of the time, we probably see our choices at the moment of compromise as an 'either / or' situation. Either we do this, or that happens. Either we go that way, or we will be stuck where we are. Either we choose to do what others are doing, or we will be rejected by them. Not always the best way to see things, is it? The 'either / or' philosophy doesn't always represent the best of two choices. It may present two pretty 'wrong' choices, just with varying degrees of impact to our lives. "If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure." (I Corinthians 10:12-13) It is never 'necessary' to make the compromise - it is likely just convenient!

Even the most desperate of circumstances can be set right with a simple cry to God for help. No temptation - present or future - need ever 'take us down' because we have a God who stands ready to show us how to avoid the compromise all together. We never 'have to sin' - we always have a choice. We may not see beyond the 'either / or' options, but when we cry out to God, he can bring the 'other or' that we did not consider! That is the 'or' that drives us right back into his protection and keeps us from stumbling into compromise headlong. Just sayin!

Pondering the list

"Are you serious?" Whenever someone poses this question, they may not really be seeking the truth about your level of trustworthiness or your desire to commit to something. In fact, they might just be saying this to exclaim some message of surprise - like they could not possibly imagine what we just did or said as even remotely possible! There is another saying: "Let's get serious now." This one is often spoken as a word or two of admonishment designed to get us focused (refocused) on what is at hand. I can see the difference in these two 'serious' questions, but there are times when all it want to answer is the "are you serious" one and definitely not the "let's get serious now" one. Why? One doesn't require more than a sharing of superfluous info while the other requires me to do something with the info I have.

Listen to me, all you who are serious about right living and committed to seeking God. Ponder the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were dug. (Isaiah 51:1)

When you get serious about something, there is a process that occurs - beginning with conscious thought - you focus your capacity for understanding and processing on the subject or task at hand. It is like you have made a mental determination that the subject or task is weighty enough to require your attention and time. In turn, you make a determination to undertake it with some level of earnestness. I can just cram new stuff into the freezer, but from time to time I need to 'rotate the stock' so the older stuff gets used up before the newer stuff I cram in there after the grocery run. I have to commit to the task mentally - then do it!

I'd like us to take a moment to think about the things we take seriously in life. Could you indulge me for a moment? If you have paper and pen, take a moment to make two columns. On the left, put a title at the top "Pretty Serious About" - on the right, put a title "Not So Serious". Now, as you go throughout your day, will you take a moment here and there to write down the things you are really serious about - those things you give your capacity of thought to, which you have determined to be weighty enough to require your focused attention, and those you have some sense of earnestness in seeing completed. If it is a workday for you, you may already have an agenda, but not everything that makes it to our agenda is really going to fit in that "pretty serious about" column, is it? Sometimes we just do 'stuff' because we have to! I usually undertake this "exercise" on a pretty regular basis. Why? Simply because I have a tendency to allow things to drift into my realm of thought and attention which really are demanding too much of my attention and time! As I refocus on what it is I am serious about - I often see my list can be a little too self-focused (taking time and giving attention to what will satisfy my needs rather than the needs of those God places in my life). Now, this may not be the case with you, but it could very well be. If so, putting this down on paper actually helps us to recognize the things which are consuming our time and even consuming "us". If you are serious about RIGHT living and committed to SEEKING God....ponder....

Hmmm....now do you see the connection between what Isaiah advises us in this passage and my little exercise? As you took time to write those things out in one or the other column, you were "pondering" what it is you are committed to - what you (or others who have influence in your life) have determined to be worthy of your thought and attention. You can think of pondering as a kind of "chewing upon" exercise. You kind of keep pouring over and over the list until you begin to see how each of the things listed is really affecting your relationships with God or each other, and even balance in your life. There is much to be gained by taking time to ponder. Isaiah was speaking to a nation of "believers" who had taken their eye off of the things which were most important. In fact, they find themselves driven into servitude to nations around them and living under the burden of being "slaves" to another. God's intention was for them to live free - unburdened. How did they get to this point? Maybe if someone had asked, "Are you serious?" a little earlier, they might not have drifted this far! I don't know about you, but as hard as it is to hear an accountability partner ask me the tough questions, I appreciate their words! It is often exactly what I need in order to refocus!

- Ponder the rock from which you were cut. Are you familiar with the passage from I Peter 2:5 which refers to us as living stones? When we actually take time to consider the rock from which we are cut, we are considering the things which make our "cornerstone" so reliable. His love, grace, and forgiveness. His truthfulness, commitment, and transparency. In turn, we begin to emulate the "stone" from which we were taken - we begin to look and act like Christ.

- Ponder the quarry from which you were dug. I live close enough to some of the copper mines in Arizona to know what a mine looks like. I also have been to the quarries from which granite is taken. Having this experience allows me to recognize some things about a quarry. First, it is a pretty dirty place. There is a whole lot of "turning over" of soil until you find the thing you desire most. God has taken us from a whole lot of "dirt". Second, once the copper is removed or the granite cut, it is a thing of beauty and function. We are not dug from the quarry of sin to just "exist" - but to be a thing of beauty and function in the kingdom of God. So, ponder on and see how much balance you get back into your life as you do! Just sayin!

Your actions say???

Ghandi said, "Action expresses priorities." That being the case, what are your actions revealing about your priorities? Who do they say is "Number One" in your life? What do your actions reveal about your purpose and intent in life - focus, determination, and commitment? Right now I am planning on another fishing trip with my BFF, so I am pretty intent on getting the tackle box and rods all ready, gearing up for what we hope will prove to be a successful week of relaxation and angling. Mind you, it is more than five weeks away yet, but I am getting focused on it anyway! I also want to make some time to take my grand boys out into the great outdoors to do some fishing and just hanging with each other - so I am being purposeful about how to plan that since I need to do it at a time when someone is available to be with mom. I need renewal - so I take occasional periods of respite from care giving. I need to pour into the lives of these young men whatever wisdom they will take from me - so I need these uninterrupted times when we can just be with each other. All of our actions reveal our intent or priorities, so maybe we'd be better off looking at what we are "doing" and less at what we are "saying" we will do!

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. (Mark 12:30 ERV)

Since our actions reveal our priorities, my hope is that our actions betray our FIRST priority is this relationship-building that occurs when we spend time with Jesus. As others look at our lives, do they see Jesus as our top priority - do they see him coming through in our actions, no matter what they may be? If not, it might just be we are in line for a few "priority adjustments" to occur for us. If we don't do this adjustment ourselves, God arranges for us to be brought face-to-face with our priorities to ensure we make those needed adjustments! While God isn't opposed to us having fun, if fun is our top priority, dedicating all our free time to just having fun, then we might find the distraction of "fun" gets a little disturbed on occasion - so we will refocus. God also isn't opposed to us having good friends, but if we spend every waking moment with them and neglect family or other responsibilities as a result of the time we spend with them, we might just find God bringing us to a place where we have to "readjust our focus" a little.

I could give us lots of other examples, but I think we get the idea. The actions of our daily lives reveal so much about where our heart is - and Jesus wants our heart to be first with him, then clearly reaching out to take notice and care of the others he places in our lives. In time, when our priorities are rightly-aligned, we begin to see all these things "sort out" so as to make time for the things that re-energize us, such as the respite time, or the time we build into our lives where we just enjoy each other and things we like to do without any cares or concerns except that time we are together. It may be we find more time to volunteer, or give of ourselves - simply because our priorities are getting "better aligned" with what God sees as the "right alignment". If we have doubts about our "alignment", we need only go so far as scripture to know he "lines things up" this way:

1. God

2. Family

3. Church

4. Career

5. Community

You might put other words there to clarify each of these, but we'd all come to pretty much the same list. God is first, family comes next, our brothers and sisters in Christ need us next, and lastly, we have a career. We often invert this, putting career far above anything else, or getting so focused on what our church "needs" of us that we neglect our relationship with God. You might think this impossible since we are doing "church" things, but we can "do" a lot that reveals our mission in doing them isn't to be closer to Jesus, but to fulfill some obligation!

From time to time, set aside a little evaluation period to just look again at what your actions have been saying about your priorities. At present, my first priority after my relationship with Jesus is that of caring for my aging mom. Others in my family and my closest friendships come next, but mom's needs are many right now, so I have to find ways to purposefully balance these other demands. I don't have much time to volunteer at church or do much there, but at present, this is my focus. It isn't that we need to dabble in all the areas at the same time, we just need to be in balance with God at the top as we do! Just sayin!

Football anyone?

We sometimes get into a pickle and then wonder how on earth we got ourselves where we stand at the moment, right?  What we do in those moments is "look back".  We are trying to figure out what brought us to this point - because we really don't know where we "slipped up".  Truth be told, we do this more often than we'd like to admit - finding ourselves "looking back" for that moment in time when we made the choice to go one way when we were being beckoned another.  Probably one of the most telling things we will discover is not some "point" where we slipped up, but in what it was we allowed "into" our lives at that point.  We allowed something to invade our lives which actually "ran interference" with the truths we knew to be true, or the choices we knew to be right.  When a football team assigns someone to "run interference" they are asking that individual or group of individuals to divert the attention of the other players on the field so they can sneak past them with the ball.  It is a ploy to divert attention.  That is one of the oldest tricks in the books - yet, we fall for it hook, line, and sinker over and over again!

Dear friends, I’ve dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write insisting—begging!—that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish. What has happened is that some people have infiltrated our ranks (our Scriptures warned us this would happen), who beneath their pious skin are shameless scoundrels. Their design is to replace the sheer grace of our God with sheer license—which means doing away with Jesus Christ, our one and only Master.  (Jude 3-4 MSG)

It is football season in the United States again, so pardon me for a few moments if I use a few illustrations from this great pastime.  Running interference is made possible because you get to a place where you are so distracted you NEGLECT to notice the activities going on anywhere other than the one place you have your attention directed.  This is not a bad thing when you don't take your eye off the ball in the first place, but when you allow yourself to be distracted by what you believe the play will be, neglecting to see those activities as ploys to misdirect your attention, you will likely let one by you in the process.  In a spiritual sense, neglect is not usually a lack of information - for we have studied the play book.  It is not usually a lack of revelation - for we can see the movement all around us.  It is not usually a lack of motivation - for we are IN the game.  We just neglect to notice what is right in front of us because we get so easily distracted by what appears to be "real".  

Teams have to work together - some play offense, while others play defense. Both know the work of the other and know when it is time for each to do their part in the game.  Together, they are building the best strategy to get to the goal.  The offense works to actually move the ball toward the goal.  The defense works to keep the other guys from scoring.  Together, they build a strong team.  If one doesn't work with the other, they are letting down the other parts of the team.  A team with a good defense is nothing without also having those who know how to run offense - we have to actually move the ball toward the goal post if we want to ever score!  

Another thing you might just notice is how much the team members depend on the communication which takes place on the field.  They need clear direction from the quarterback and then they have to be keenly aware of the movement of others.  Whether it is verbal or non-verbal communication, they need to be paying attention.  A failure to communicate will lead to chaos in running the play.  Some will be trying to protect the ball, but the ball is far down field already.  Some will be looking to receive a pass, but the plan was to run the ball, not throw it down field.  Paying attention to the "game plan" is important - and each player takes their lead from the quarterback.  It is kind of like us needing to listen intently to the instruction (game plan) God has for us before we just go charging down field in our lives!

Each player kind of has a "grid" of sorts they are responsible for in the game. For example, the center snaps the ball, then goes to work blocking the defensive players from the other team trying to "upset" the quarterback before the ball can make its way into play.  The offensive guards are right next to the center and work very hard to create an impenetrable line so the quarterback has time to get the ball into play - either running it or throwing it so as to move it down field.  The "grid" we play within is important - it is our position and we must operate well within that position.  We have to "guard our grid" - making sure we pay attention to block those who would want to upset the "play".

I don't think we could do this talk about football justice without spending just a little time focusing on the priorities of the players.  Each player has a priority which sort of aligns with their position and whether they are playing offense or defense.  If they have any other priority at the moment other than the priority of either defending the quarterback so the ball can get into play, or squelching the attempts of the other team to get their ball into play, there will be a runaway with the points scored by the other guys!  When we get "idle" on our thoughts, we have a tendency to allow our focus to drift.  When focus drifts, we begin to lose sight of our priorities.  Nothing will do more to make a muddle out of things than misdirected priorities other than perhaps neglected priorities.

Lots of kids will toss a football around with the gang of neighborhood kids - but their game isn't as "tailored" as the game run on professional football fields.  It is kind of like they can be more "creative" in how they call the plays and what plays they will run.  Why?  They don't adhere to the rules quite as strictly.  They can get "creative" with the plays because this isn't the "real deal".  In much of life, we try to "run plays" which are really not intended for the "real deal" thing we call life.  God doesn't so much look for our creativity as he looks for our consistency.  What sets the professional teams apart from the backyard players is the consistency of performance which comes from practicing over and over the same plays.  They become consistent through practice.  This isn't too different from what God asks of us - consistency in our walk because we put into practice over and over again the things he sets in motion in order to grow us, protect us, and get us closer to the goal.  Just sayin!

Junk drawers beware!

I remember hearing my pastor teach about what we model vs. what we say. It goes without saying, we often model something different from what we say. The "modeling" we "do" is sometimes louder than the "modeling" we give in the form of advice, shared knowledge, etc.  Wisdom is the application of knowledge - wisdom is "modeled" knowledge.  If you have ever begun a project like spring cleaning your junk cabinet or drawer, you will appreciate this illustration. When you clean the first cabinet, rearranging all the stuff which haphazardly finds its way into the shelves over the course of the year, changing the shelf paper to freshen up the look, and close the first cabinet door, you soon remember there are twenty or so other cabinets which need to receive all the stuff you took out of the first which did not belong!  You go onto the second one, not just content to put the stuff in there in no particular order, but you undertake the same venture with this one.  Before long, your cupboard cleaning becomes an all-day affair!  What you didn't plan becomes an all-consuming cleaning marathon!  The issue - you didn't plan this - it just crept up on you and overtook you!

A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.  Thieves are jealous of each other’s loot, but the godly are well rooted and bear their own fruit.  (Proverbs 12:11-12 NLT)

Fools chase this whim and that fancy.  Wise people have a plan to their attack.  What I described above was probably kind of silly, but you get the idea of just setting out aimlessly only to find yourself consumed by whatever has your focus at the moment.  I have done this type of "spring cleaning" marathon.  It started with one drawer - but after a short period of time, I got distracted from the drawer by the more urgent need to straighten the cabinet. The cabinet lead me into a completely different room for the demands of yet another drawer or cabinet.  Before long, the first project stood incomplete and I had several new ones to boot!  

Divided priorities will get you in this kind of a muddle.  It is best to have a plan - but no plan is good unless it aligns with God's priorities for your life.  I think we could carry this drawer/cabinet cleaning thing into our spiritual lives, as well.  We often think we will spend some time focusing on the "junk drawer" in one part of our lives, only to find it has stuff in it which takes us to the next place and then the next.  Before long, we become so scattered in our focus, we lose focus.  With God's help, we need to keep our priorities straight - fixed on what matters to him at this moment.

One word of caution - no "priority" is worth sacrificing a relationship over!  We sometimes get so caught up in the task at hand, the thing which promises such delight once we have attained it, but neglect the relationships we needed to cultivate all along the way.  The thing became our priority.  Having a clean house and no one to share it with is quite a drag!  

For most of us, we focus so intently on what we cannot possibly accomplish - making the pursuit of priorities kind of monumental.  For others, the focus is on what they can do - making the pursuit of priorities more realistic, but to others it seems like there will not be a positive outcome when "so little" is available to expend on the pursuit.  There needs to be a healthy balance between what we "can" and "cannot" do when establishing priorities in our lives.  God may ask us to do something which seems like it is weighted heavily on the "cannot" side of the list.  I cannot teach because I don't have formal training.  I cannot possibly reach that group of people because I have never lived like they have.  You get the idea.  

The "cannots" can actually play upon our emotions and keep us from pursuing the priorities God has for us.  All God ever asks of a man or woman is to entrust their lives to him - not to be perfect at doing everything, but to believe him to do what we cannot.  He loved.  He gave.  We believe.  We live. (John 3:16).  God's desire is for us to focus on the "cans" in our lives.  The priorities which will come out of the pursuit of what we "can" do will be taken care of by him as we step out in commitment to what he asks.  We focus on the doing - he focuses on us being.  Being in him, being with him, being all in for him!  Just sayin!

What is set in motion?

Did you ever stop to consider what worship is?  In the simplest of terms, most of us would think of worship as something we do, rather than as something we set into action or motion in our lives.  Let me explain – when we truly live a lifestyle of “worship”, we are setting things in motion in our lives - our lives take on the meaning for which they were designed.  Most would agree, the best purpose for a created object is to be used as it was designed!  For many, worship is associated with song and quiet moments.  For me, worship is a lifestyle - for every word, action, and thought has the potential of being worship!  Worship involves the heart, mind, and soul - it is all-encompassing. In fact, scripture compares worship to love.

Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got!  (Deuteronomy 6:5 MSG)

In the truest sense, worship defines who is in control - it answers the question about "ownership".  For example, when I actually own something as my own, there is a certain amount of attention I give to it.  If it is my car, I fill the tank with gas regularly, add washer fluid to the reservoir, and ensure the oil is regularly changed.  Why?  I own it and therefore, I maintain it.  Now, if God owns our hearts, who do you think should maintain our hearts?  Trust me, it is is not us!  We don't do a very good job with that whole deal!  In fact, we often neglect some of the most important "maintenance" opportunities where it comes to our heart (mind/will/emotions).

In our passage, Moses acts as the scribe for these words - God having spoken to him and now he speaks to the people of Israel.  Love God - love not just God as the creator of the universe, the all-powerful one, but YOUR God.  He is a God of relationship - we only maintain relationship through contact.  When Moses shares these instructions, he is reminding us of the importance of maintaining all elements of relationship with God.  That means we need to be consistent in it - not just on Sundays, but as a lifestyle.  If I only focused on the maintenance of my car whenever its warning lights signaled the need, I'd end up abusing my car!  If we only spend time "in worship" on a day of the week, we are abusing our relationship with God!

Worship actually helps us sort out the stuff which matters most.  When we direct our attention toward the one who created us, we are allowing him to help us "sort" the many priorities in life which we assign "value" to.  For example, I may think my day should be ordered a certain way, with a full laundry list of tasks to complete, places to go, etc.  When I begin my day "in relationship" with the one who actually helps me see the value-added in the things I prioritize, my list may actually get a little smaller!  God has a way of clarifying the stuff we should place value in - rather than the fickleness of our hearts determining that for us!

The most important truth Moses was teaching:  Worship requires sacrifice.  All that's in you requires a certain element of sacrifice.  To lay down my priorities in order to have God "re-order" them is a sacrifice - I am admitting I don't want (or need) to be in total control.  Laying my priorities on the altar is only one way I worship God - how about you?  In terms of sacrifice, we often think it has to "cost" us something - like when Israel would bring the best of their crops or herds to be offered up on the altar.  Probably the toughest part of worship is the surrendering of our priorities to God.  He asks to be first, then he sets everything else into right order.  It is not rocket science - when our relationship with him matters the most, every other relationship will benefit from this "correct prioritization".

Most of the time, we get worship confused with getting something FROM God rather than yielding something TO God.  As we yield to God, we set things in motion within our mind, will and emotions which otherwise would not be in motion.  It is this motion which moves us out of complacency, toward right action, and into places of order and rest.  Worship is a choice - it is a lifestyle.  Today's right choices determines tomorrow's direction.  Tomorrow's direction defines the character we will develop in the journey.  Just sayin!

Not another budget talk!!!!

Spend:  To use up, consume or exhaust.  The other night, I heard something in a movie I was watching which caught my attention.  The actress was being asked how she wanted to spend her life.  She made some mention of using the term "spend your life" as though life was a commodity of sorts.  In just that one fleeting moment in the movie, I began to take pause to consider the idea of "spending our life" and how we actually do this.  In fact, I began to see the idea of "using up" or "exhausting" our "resources" much quicker than we might actually imagine.  We treat life as though it has endless renewable resources, but I wonder if we ever realize the source of those resources?  

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.  (Matthew 6:33 MSG)

As I considered this idea of "spending our lives" in some pursuit or another, I began to draw some parallels to those who live by a "budget" and those who "spend willy-nilly".  Now, if we think of life as an endlessly renewable resource, we might just live like the latter.  If we count each new day as a blessing, we might just live like the former.

So, how is it a budget has anything to do with how we spend our lives?  Glad you asked!  Let me ask you this:  What does a budget do for us?  Don't we make a budget to get an idea where we are spending our resources?  In fact, probably the first reason we actually make the budget is because we have more demands for our finances than we have finances!  So, by creating the budget, we get an idea what our finances have to cover - so we don't run out of finances when there is still month left!

There are several things creating a budget does for us in the literal sense:

* It centers our attention.  In putting the numbers down on paper, we begin to see just how our monies are spent.  I think there is something amazing about beginning to keep a diary of how we spend our physical resources.  Maybe there is some value to us also keeping a diary of how we spend our "non-renewable" resources such as time!

* It helps us prioritize.  When we outline our spending plan, we usually put things at the top such as rent, utilities, groceries, gasoline, and the like.  One of the most common things people find is that once these priorities have been listed, there is often a lot less "left over" for the "fun stuff" like entertainment and clothing.  Even car insurance and medical insurance come before these, huh?  In focusing our attention on how we spend, we also must come to the place of ordering our priorities with what we spend.  I don't think this is a bad lesson to learn in our spiritual lives.  It certainly is a good lesson for us to learn in our relationships!

* It shows us the gaps.  As we outline the "needs", we clearly see if there are going to be any "gaps" in meeting those needs.  In other words, when we add up the anticipated expenditures, we might just come to a place of realization about how significant some of the perceived "needs" really are - especially when the amount of funds we have to spend does not equal what we see as our "needs".  As we focus on the budget a little, we often see things come to mind we might have forgotten to "factor in" - like car repairs, the renewal of our car's registration, etc.  These "gaps" present a challenge, don't they?  We have to figure out a way to "balance" the "needs" so the gaps are evened out.  Maybe this doesn't seem significant to you, but it is often in the "balancing" process where we make the decisions between "need" and "want".  

So, a budget in the natural sense really can be an example of how we could look at how we "spend our life" in the literal sense.  Relationships are often most impacted by how much attention we give them, the ways we prioritize those people in our lives, and just how well we do identifying the real "needs" from the simple "wants" of our hearts.  The same is true in our spiritual life.  When we begin to "inventory" and "itemize" our time spent on things which really matter, we might just find we are a little top-heavy on the "fun stuff" and a little deficient in the "most necessary" stuff.

Maybe the question posed by the actress was a good question.  Understanding life is not just an endlessly renewable commodity may be the very thing which makes us sit up and take notice of how much we have given priority to the things in life which really don't amount to much in the end.  Perhaps we see a gap between how we are spending our lives and how God would desire us to use them for his purposes.  Spending is really a means of exhausting - fulfilling the desires of another is a means of renewing!  Just sayin!

Feet planted - heart soaring!

Sometimes we come across a quote which just grabs us.  Such is the case when I came across this one today:  "Live as if you were to die tomorrow.  Learn as if you were to live forever." (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi)  I may not have originated these words, but they are something which really reflects my heart.  I live for today - because God never assures me I will have tomorrow here on this earth.  I learn for an eternity - because God has assured me I will learn at his feet for all of eternity.  There are certain things worth learning - such things make us stronger, giving us depth and breadth which would otherwise be undiscovered in our lives.

I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-19 MSG)

Have you ever looked at an individual, considered what they "appear" to be like on the outside, and then made an "estimate" of their strength?  If I see a guy who is muscular, with a great set of biceps bulging and six-pack firm, I think he must have spent a lot of time developing his strength.  If I see a busy man in a business suit stop to help a small child explore the wonder of a snail crossing the sidewalk, I see a totally different kind of strength!  There is much to be said about the difference between the outward "appearance" of strength and the inner assurance of strength.  I think this might be what Paul had in mind as he wrote to the church at Ephasus those many years ago.  It is what is on the inside which makes the man, not the display of what we see on the outside.

Brute strength is good if you need to open a stubbornly sealed jar of pickles, but inner strength is even more awesome when you see it manifest in the ability to sense the opportunities that otherwise would be wasted if passed by.  Brute strength is the result of consistent work-outs.  Now, don't get me wrong, there is nothing bad about a good physique or a "tight" body, but if it is our ultimate goal, we miss something more valuable than rippled muscles, and tight abs.  Inner strength is "learned" - not as a result of "working out" in the gym, but in "working out" at the feet of Jesus.  We have a "personal trainer" of sorts, better known as the Holy Spirit, just for the purpose of helping to develop this inner strength.

Paul tells us the strength of the inner man comes in looking first at where we plant our feet.  If you have ever been in any athletics, you might have heard your coach tell you to "plant your feet".  With this simple instruction, you are being urged to get a "stance" which will aid you in having the "base" or "foundation" upon which to build a solid hit, send a carefully calculated pass, or hit some mark down the course.  Some believe having both feet solidly placed means you are not willing to try anything new - the meaning of having your feet solidly planted on the ground.  Paul tells us to plant our feet firmly on love - not human love, but the love of God which permeates us with the vastness of his grace.  Where we "plant" our feet is as important as having them planted.  It is in planting them solidly in his love where we begin to have the inner strength of our being expanded.  

Paul tells us we begin to experience the vastness of his love by getting to know its breadth.  Maybe this is best expressed in the promise from scripture:  As far as east is from west—that’s how far God has removed our sin from us.  (Psalm 103:12 CEB)  Now that is some "breadth", isn't it?  Think on it - as far as the east is from the west - this is how far God's love expands, for his love is the basis of our sin being removed!  We need to test its length.  Part of experiencing something is to "test" it.  In other words, you see if it endures, holds up under pressure.  Paul reminds us to explore the "lasting power" of God's love - it endures when nothing else does.  If this is not enough, he reminds us to plumb the depth and rise to the heights of God's love.  His love is found in the deepest sorrows of our soul and in the soaring "wins" of the mountain-top experiences.  

You know, it will take me an eternity to understand fully God's love.  What I see and understand about his love only scratches the surface right now.  My "finite" understanding is ever expanding, but I know it is limited by what I can see today, understand with my mind, and interpret with my emotion.  In eternity, I will continue to learn at his feet.  How about you?  We need to truly learn to live for today - not letting the opportunities pass us by.  The very "snail" we stop to observe could be the thing which leads us to the next great step in our lives!  Just sayin!

What quarry are you dug from?

There is a pretty familiar question which we hear many times a week, if not everyday:  "Are you serious?"  Whenever someone poses this question, they may not really be seeking the truth about your level of trustworthiness or your desire to commit to something.  In fact, they might just be saying this to exclaim some message of surprise - like they could not possibly imagine what we just did or said as even remotely possible!  There is another saying:  "Let's get serious now."  This one is often spoken as a word or two of admonishment  designed to get us focused (refocused) on what is at hand.  


Listen to me, all you who are serious about right living and committed to seeking God.  Ponder the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were dug.  (Isaiah 51:1 The Message)


When you are serious about something, there is a process which occurs.  First, there is conscious thought - you focus your capacity for understanding and processing on the subject or task at hand.  Second, you have determined the subject or task to be weighty enough to require your attention and time.  In turn, you make a determination to undertake it with earnestness.


Isaiah is speaking to Israel in his words of prophecy, but there are always tidbits of truth for us in each message.  Today, I'd like us to take a moment to think about the things we take seriously in life.  Could you indulge me for a moment?  If you have paper and pen, take a moment to make two columns.  On the left, put a title at the top "Serious About" - on the right, put a title "Not So Much".  Now, as you go throughout your day, will you take a moment here and there to write down the things you are really serious about - those things you give your capacity of thought to, which you have determined to be weighty enough to require your focused attention, and those you have some sense of earnestness in seeing completed.


I usually undertake this "exercise" on a pretty regular basis.  Why?  Simply because I have a tendency to allow things to drift into my realm of thought and attention which really are demanding too much of my attention and time! As I refocus on what it is I am serious about - I often see my list can be a little too self-focused (taking time and giving attention to what will satisfy my needs rather than the needs of those God places in my life).  Now, this may not be the case with you, but it could very well be.  If so, putting this down on paper actually helps us to recognize the things which are consuming our time and even consuming "us".  


Look at what Isaiah said:  If you are serious about RIGHT living and committed to SEEKING God....ponder....


Hmmm....now do you see the connection between what Isaiah advises and my little exercise?  Yep, as you took time to write those things out in one or the other column, you were "pondering" what it is you are committed to - what you (or others who have influence in your life) have determined to be worthy of your thought and attention.  You can think of pondering as a kind of "chewing upon" exercise.  You kind of keep pouring over and over the list until you begin to see how each of the things listed is really affecting your relationships with God or each other, and even balance in your life.  There is much to be gained by taking time to ponder.


Isaiah was speaking to a nation of "believers" who had taken their eye off of the things which were most important.  In fact, they find themselves driven into servitude to nations around them and living under the burden of being "slaves" to another.  God's intention was for them to live free - unburdened.  How did they get to this point?  Maybe if someone had asked, "Are you serious?" a little earlier, they might not have drifted this far!  I don't know about you, but as hard as it is to hear an accountability partner ask me the tough questions, I appreciate their words!  It is often exactly what I need in order to refocus!


Some advice from our passage:


- Ponder the rock from which you were cut.  Are you familiar with the passage from I Peter 2:5 which refers to us as living stones?  When we actually take time to consider the rock from which we are cut, we are considering the things which make our "cornerstone" so reliable.  His love, grace, and forgiveness.  His truthfulness, commitment, and transparency.  In turn, we begin to emulate the "stone" from which we were taken - we begin to look and act like Christ.


- Ponder the quarry from which you were dug.  I live close enough to some of the copper mines in Arizona to know what a mine looks like.  I also have been to the quarries from which granite is taken.  Having this experience allows me to recognize some things about a quarry.  First, it is a pretty dirty place.  There is a whole lot of "turning over" of soil until you find the thing you desire most.  God has taken us from a whole lot of "dirt".  Second, once the copper is removed or the granite cut, it is a thing of beauty and function.  We are not dug from the quarry of sin to just "exist" - but to be a thing of beauty and function in the kingdom of God.


So, ponder with me today.  You might be surprised what it is you discover about yourself - and God!

Embracing Arms

^32-36 "So, my dear friends, listen carefully;
   those who embrace these my ways are most blessed.
Mark a life of discipline and live wisely;
   don't squander your precious life.
Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me,
   awake and ready for me each morning,
   alert and responsive as I start my day's work.
When you find me, you find life, real life,
   to say nothing of God's good pleasure.
But if you wrong me, you damage your very soul;
   when you reject me, you're flirting with death."

(Proverbs 8:32-36)

Wisdom, in the book of Proverbs, represents not only a characteristic we develop, but a person - the person of Jesus Christ.  The very life of Christ was a display of wisdom by which we can pattern our daily walk.  Our writer spent the first eight chapters of this book reminding us of the importance of choosing wisdom over any other action.  If something is repeated that many times in Scripture, it is pretty important that we put on our spiritual "ears" to hear what is being said.

When you find me, you find life, real life - these words point us directly to Jesus.  In him, we find all the things in life we label as "good" and "real".  There is nothing as fulfilling as coming into relationship with Jesus.  Yet, so many of us live far below what we would call a "fulfilled" life - we just don't "feel" fulfilled.  Why is that?  Well, we can turn to the passage today to find some advice with this question.  Those who embrace my ways - this is key to experiencing God's fullness every day of our lives.  

The concept of embracing is involves the idea that we take something with eagerness, excitement, and anticipation.  There is a gladness in accepting what is offered and a willingness to allow ourselves to come close to what we are embracing - almost like taking it to ourselves in such a way that we become one with it.  God's promise to us is that if we embrace him, he embraces us back - and his embrace carries with it more than just physical comfort.  God's embrace carries with it "blessing" - the sense of knowing that we are safe, secure, and sheltered.

When we understand that God values a daily "embrace" as much as we do, we find ourselves eager to run to him.  Our writer indicates that when we come to him with listening ears, awake and ready for him each morning, we find real life and his good pleasure.  There is nothing more that God desires of us than to be alert and responsive.  

Alertness involves being ready and prepared for action.  Responsiveness involves responding readily to what God shows us.  Think about an embrace.  When we reach out to another human being in embrace, aren't we hoping to find that person as responsive to our embrace - ready, prepared for the embrace?  God is no different - he is waiting each morning - arms outstretched.  His hope:  That we will respond readily to him - prepared for the action he will call us to be involved in that day.

Today, the willingness to embrace God in a responsive and alert way may not come as easily as it will two or three week's down the road - but do it anyway.  Yield some of yourself to him today and ask him to show you how to live a life of discipline and learning.  Then faithfully return each day - reaching out with an "embracing" heart - open to what God has for you each new day.  In turn, God's embrace begins to become a thing we cannot live without.  It may be a little uncomfortable at first, but a thing of blessing as we practice his embrace more and more.

We can squander away our time on all the "agenda items" we have lined up for our day - things we have labeled as "important", "urgent", or "requires attention".  God is not an agenda item - he is a relationship.  At first, you may have to "pencil him in" - but, in time, he will become your first priority even before you step out to "check off" the things of your day.  

I have a friend who reminded me this week of how much God loves her.  You see, she loves to cuddle - as a single woman, she doesn't have the privilege of another human being to share that with at this time.  So, God in his faithfulness, gave her a pet that enjoys "cuddling" each morning.  She gets to enjoy a few minutes just "cuddling" with her furry friend, enjoying the display of pleasure that her pet experiences in the tender pats, the scratch behind the ear, or the stroking of its fur.  God knows that we have a need to experience affection - even when we find it in a furry friend, it is a very good thing!

Think of how much more God wants to fill us up with the good things we can enjoy as a matter of being embraced by him!  His arms are waiting - are you ready to be embraced today?