Confucius say...

But the wisdom that comes from God is like this: First, it is pure. It is also peaceful, gentle, and easy to please. This wisdom is always ready to help people who have trouble and to do good for others. This wisdom is always fair and honest. People who work for peace in a peaceful way get the blessings that come from right living. (James 3:17-18)

Right living is not always what we see modeled around us, is it? At times, we observe others and know their actions are going to create havoc. There are even times we can feel ourselves 'winding up' and know very well that the outcome of that 'wind up' will not fare well for us! Confucius once said, "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest." We often revert to imitation because it is the easiest, but I also know from my own personal growth, experience has played a big part in how I view and react to life around me. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we always leaned toward reflection upon God's Word to give us wisdom for all of our actions?

God's wisdom comes in ways we may not even perceive until we come through on the other side of an encounter and realize we didn't respond as we might have expected. We 'handled' the situation with grace, dignity, and even a bit more gentleness than others may have thought it deserved. How did that happen? We allowed God's wisdom to lead us through, but only because we were prepared in advance to both hear and respond to that wisdom. Peaceful living isn't the result of just being passively launch out into our day. It is the result of taking time with Jesus, allowing him to take time with us, and then leaning into what he has shown us in those times of 'reflection' with him.

As Confucius said, reflection is the 'noblest', but we might just find it the hardest, too. Reflection requires us prioritizing the time we give toward discovering the truths God has for us. It requires the right frame of mind to lean in with the attitude of heart that is open to learning. I have read many a passage with the wrong frame of mind and left without even realizing what God was trying to teach me. Wisdom isn't 'accidental' - it is intentional. There is a purpose in coming to Jesus with our problems or worries, isn't there? There is a purpose in our coming to him to just learn a little more about how his grace works, how grace responds, or how grace moves beyond what one is experiencing into the place of seeing what God wants us to see in that moment. Just sayin!

Overwhelmed by God

I’m overjoyed at your word, like someone who finds great treasure. (Psalm 119:162)

We all have those things in life that just bring us joy. I love petting a sweet kitten, or fluffy puppy. I get all giddy when I reel in the catch of the day. My heart swells when I see something one of my grandboys has made. What brings you joy in life? How is it that you experience joy? There are many today who equate happiness with joy - if I am happy, then I will be joyful. Joy comes when you have experienced a "deep delight" in something which you have found pleasurable. Something exceptionally good or satisfying has been experienced and we find extreme pleasure in it - lasting, deep, and meaningful pleasure. A silly joke makes us happy, while the experience of the birth of our firstborn may make us joyful. One carries the idea of the emotional "response" to the situation, while the other describes the condition of the heart and soul as a result of what one has experienced. Happiness is a little more fleeting than joy - with joy, there is a memory formed which goes a lot deeper than that of the thing which gave us a little bit of happy emotional "release".

To be overjoyed is to be overcome with this deep sense of having experienced something of great delight. In Latin, this term comes from the root word which means to "fill with gladness". When we think of being "overjoyed", we can equate it to being a cup that is not only filled to the brim, but the stream of water filling the cup continues to run, causing the cup to be continually filled to overflowing with a newness or freshness of that water. When God gives us a blessing through is word, it isn't just to fill us - it is to bring us to the place we overflow with his goodness and grace - until we are experiencing a continual filling and renewal of that life-giving source within us. We all find some things pleasurable, while others are not so memorable or significant in the scheme of things. We might get a regular paycheck which is pleasurable, but when we get a bonus for some reason - that brings us a sense of unexpected blessing and joy. There is something about being given what we didn't expect which just delights our soul. God knows this and he is intentional in his actions of "overwhelming us" with what will bring great joy to the depths of our spirit and soul. He isn't concerned with what makes us "happy" in a fleeting sense of the word, but what makes us deeply content, settled, and assured.

Our psalmist is overjoyed AT God's Word - because it is what has become the constant resource for his daily bread. He is well accustomed to finding his renewal there - AT the table of God's grace. A lot of the time we are content to have the Word of God WITH us, but God wants us to experience what it is like to be AT the faucet of his grace and spiritual renewal continually. One of the first things someone who is trying to survive in the wilderness will do after they construct a place of shelter is to find some source of "consumable" water. The water has to be consumable - without bacteria which will invade their bodies and wreak havoc on their system. Probably the most important thing they must consider is that the source of water must be sufficient enough to sustain them for their entire time in the wilderness. They might find water, but until they find a source that is continually renewed, they are not going to settle for that place of dwelling. Maybe this is what God has in mind when he draws us deeply into his word - he knows it is what will help us dwell long in his presence and find life-giving resources for the challenges which lie ahead. Just thinkin!

Invade my space

If I had not found joy in your teachings, my suffering would have destroyed me. I will never forget your commands, because through them you gave me new life. I am yours, so save me! I have done my best to know your instructions. The wicked tried to destroy me, but your rules made me wise. Everything has its limits, except your commands. (Psalm 119:92-96)

The remedy for life's challenges is to lean hard into God's promises and commands - to find direction, solace, and strength within the instruction laid out there. Find joy in God's teachings and you will find the "remedy" which sustains you even when there seems to be no deliverance or end. It is more than memory of scripture (although there is merit to hiding God's Word within our minds). It is more than frequent time in the Word (although we cannot learn from God's Word without the sacrifice of time). It is more than a Bible-reading plan for the year (although it might focus us a little). It is the deep, intimate, act of drawing close to God's heart that gets God's Word into us in such a way it will keep us when life's challenges head our way.

As a mother, I used to enjoy those times when I would sit and read a story to my kids, them drawing up to me close and listening intently. They'd run their toes up and down my back, twist their hair around their fingers, nuzzle their teddy, and run the tiny truck back and forth across the bed. Something happened in those moments of just "connecting" with each other. We found closeness and bonds which cannot be broken because of this connection which occurred often and with regularity. Now I continue this with my grandsons - although we may not read as much anymore, we can talk about the latest welding or leather creation, the other creative ideas they have, and the observance of things they saw that day. In those moments, connection is made - connection which cannot be broken despite the pressures, pulls, and prevailing winds of time.

We don't recognize the importance of just sitting to enjoy God's presence until we haven't had it for a while. We don't miss what we have not realized is missing until we finally "miss it". The adage, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder", is indeed true. To "miss" something, one has to have drawn close and experienced it in the first place! Too many times we have a cursory appreciation of God's grace - but when we experience the depth and breadth of his grace fully - we don't want to ever be separated from the way that makes us feel. God's plan is for us to experience him - so that his words get deep into our being - affecting the depths and crags of our inner man within those places the world has tried so hard to affect with the pressures it brings. The world adds rocks, sand, and even immovable objects in our path - but even with those present, there is room for grace to invade the spaces those things cannot! Grace has no limits - there is no space his grace cannot invade! Just sayin!

Spent as he sees fit

Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed. Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people. (Amos 5:14-15)

We all face the enemy, but he doesn't always use the same attack for each of us. His attacks are all aimed at the same thing - getting us to turn our backs on righteousness. James 4:7 reminds us to "...humble ourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from us." Amos tells us to actually run from evil - either way, we are supposed to put some distance between us and our enemy! It is this 'distance' that can give us the time to regain right perspective in the midst of the battle. Without the 'distance', we could be overcome by the chaos of the attack!

How do we 'create distance' in our lives? If we are always living so close to the edge of making the right choices God desires of us and choosing to go our own way, we haven't created enough 'distance'. We need 'room' to think what our actions should be, but thinking through actions isn't going to work well if we do all our thinking 'in the moment'. This is why it is good to have time apart with Jesus each day. To give him our best and first. Then when we need time to 'think through' some decision to pursue one course over another, we have already had some groundwork prepared for that 'battle decision'. 

Hate evil and love what is good. The only way to develop the proper perspective about what is 'evil' and what is 'good' is to ask Jesus for that clarity - not just in the moment of temptation, but in those quiet times we set aside to learn from him. Does Jesus get your attention more than just during church service? If we aren't getting into the Word daily, we won't have the ammunition to fight the battle at hand during the week. Satan doesn't just attack on Sundays - he is right there with all of his 'evil intent' every day! We need to prepare for battle on a daily basis.

When I first tried to spend time each day with Jesus, there were lots of distractions that stole my attentiveness. I found myself giving into those distractions too often - the phone, the TV, the computer, the reminders on my calendar. I found that those distractions had to be 'managed' if I was to actually take even five minutes with him. My time with Jesus started as just that - five minutes in the morning. For those of you getting all 'judgy' on that one, don't! Five soon led to seven, and seven to fifteen. Now I don't even watch the clock. God manages my time - I just spend it as he sees fit. How about you? Just askin!

Ready to do life?

 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. (Ephesians 5:15-17)

How do we begin to make the most of the opportunities in front of us? It might just begin the moment we take time to think through our decisions. We all make flash decisions, but that should not be our primary way of living. We need the time to bring our day before the Lord and listen to what he says to us. In the church, this is called our quiet time, but in my life, I call it my planning time. Why? It is when I take my day to him, gaining his perspective on what should have priority and what should not. It includes time in his Word and sufficient time to actually think upon it. It involves prayer - discussion with God. Maybe the most important thing is the time I take to listen, so I don't go off my own way and do things without reason or outside of his timing.

We 'take care' in how we live when we put Christ first in our day. A fool has no time to get God's perspective, but plunges ahead without much thought. The more we learn to stop and just listen, the less we will make rash or foolish decisions. There will be less missed or bungled opportunities. Have you ever been outside of God's timing? No matter how well-intentioned you may have been, you bungled the opportunity because it wasn't the right timing. We don't overcome temptation in our lives without a plan to deal with it when it raises. Do you think God tells me HOW I will be tempted each day? No, but when I have committed the day to him and sought his will for my day, I stand a better chance of recognizing it when it comes. That point of recognition is important because it is the beginning of resisting it. 

We all get ahead of ourselves some of the time, but a pattern of living like this all of the time is not healthy for us emotionally and spiritually. We must learn to take care - allowing God to connect with us before we rush off to 'do life'. When we do, we will find our decisions are ordered and our actions yield better results. Just saying!

Tripping and Falling?

But the people who trust the Lord will become strong again. (Isaiah 40:31a)

I did not bring the full verse into our study this morning because I wanted to know if anyone else actually read these words and took them to heart. The rest of the verse is: "They will rise up as an eagle in the sky; they will run and not need rest; they will walk and not become tired." The thing I wanted all of us to realize is that God's people get weak, weary, and 'wasted' by life at times! We need to 'become strong again' - strength being sapped from us by what life sends our way.

We've talked about this before - the 'but' is very important. It means there was something that came before - a condition that was met. Here it is: "He gives strength to those who are tired and more power to those who are weak. Even children become tired and need to rest, and young people trip and fall." (vs. 29-30) The condition - we all get tired, and we lose our power to overcome life's challenges when we are weary. We need to rest - we can trip and fall if we don't!

Have you ever wondered why you keep 'tripping' over the same faults in your life? Perhaps it is because you have been sapped of your power because you don't take time to 'rest' in God's presence. There are seasons of rest - I call them vacation. There are moments of rest - I call them quiet times. There are seconds of rest - I call them breathers. Whatever you call them, we all pretty much realize we cannot renew ALL our energies to fight life's battles if all we are taking is 'breathers'.

I used to think I could do it all. I'd make grandiose lists of what I'd accomplish in a day and then relish in checking them all off. The day wasn't complete until the list was. Now I can make a list and lose it before I even start out! I have realized there is value in the list, but there is much more value in paying attention to what God 'puts on your list'. Sometimes we need to forgo the list and just embrace the time with God. Just sayin!

Go ahead, sit a while

God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. (St. Augustine)

God’s eye is on those who respect him, the ones who are looking for his love. He’s ready to come to their rescue in bad times; in lean times he keeps body and soul together. We’re depending on God; he’s everything we need. What’s more, our hearts brim with joy since we’ve taken for our own his holy name. Love us, God, with all you’ve got—that’s what we’re depending on. (Psalm 33:18-22)

If we are to ask God to love us with all he's got, wouldn't it be reasonable for him to ask us to do the same toward him? We look for his love - do you ever wonder if he looks for yours, as well? I imagine he sits there, attentive for our knock, and eager to just have us sit with him a while. We've already received the invitation - we don't need to await another. What's more - the invitation isn't 'generic' - it is ours.

How do we show God love? We revere him - trust his ways, listen attentively to his voice, keep his commands, and honestly confess our shortcomings to him quickly. I think we have more than enough ways to 'show' our love - in action and not word alone. Do we consistently reveal our love? If you are anything like me, it has to be continuously 'rekindled'. It doesn't mean I don't love God anymore - it just means I allow things to take up the time I really intended to dedicate to him alone.

When we 'respect' God, we show it by deferring to his plans when we might have different ones in mind. This may be one of the hardest things for those of us who are 'planners'. We make our lists, plot a mental plan, and set out in the direction we intend to follow. Then along comes this little urging within to just stop what we are doing and listen to his voice. If you have ever been there, you know how hard it can be to 'shut down' your plans and just wait on him, entering into his presence, and listening intently.

We want to get things done - God wants us to give things to him. We want to spend every waking moment in activity - God wants us to 'waste' a little time with him before all the busy begins to take us away. We don't always appreciate how much this action of just 'wasting time with Jesus' really isn't a waste at all. It is a time of refreshing before we get into the thick of the battle. It builds us up, clarifies our plans, and gives us light into areas previously held in darkness within those plans. Just sayin!

A million other things

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

May I ask what 'absolutely' means to you? If you ask me if I want to go fishing, my reply will be 'absolutely'! If you ask me if I want to paint a few walls, my expression of interest or intent will be way different! The first expresses the idea of being without any reservation - I am completely, wholly, and intently interested in going fishing. The thing you might hear from me when you ask me to paint a few walls may be 'okay', but my heart isn't 'absolutely' committed to the project! There is going to be some reservation because I know how insanely hard it is to paint and do a good job at it. There is all that prep time, then you have to roll the paint in this direction and that so you get even coverage, and all that cutting in...I am just getting tired thinking that one through! When it comes to trusting God, can you say you do it without reservation? Or is there some little 'niggling' of doubt there? On the outside you are answering in the affirmative, but on the inside you are thinking about the cost of obedience. You aren't alone...

Ask me to go fishing and I can reprioritize any work I need to get done, somehow making it easier to get it done so I can enjoy the day fishing with you. Ask me to spend 30-minutes a day in quiet time with Jesus and my mind goes immediately to the millions of things stacking up around me that need to be done. Why is that? The 'come hell or high water' commitment to be ready to go fishing is immediate - the 'no ifs, ands, or buts' type of commitment it takes to spend regular time in the Word and just listening to God may not come so easily because we have to resist the desires of our 'flesh' in order to make that commitment. Our minds race to the million other things we need to do, but if we'd just make the time with him a priority, we might just find out how amazingly smooth all those other things get set in order AFTER we spend that time with him.

I write the blog at the beginning of the day because it is when I am at my best. It is also the time of day I find it easier to not be distracted by lots of other things. Yes, I know a full day of work lies ahead, but I also know while that load of laundry is spinning in the washer I have a full 37 minutes with him! Coffee in hand, computer at the ready, Bible app open, I am set to begin my day. Yes, the laundry is in the washer, but that doesn't mean it got priority - it means he showed me I could set about allowing the washer to do its work of cleaning the clothes while I set apart a huge chunk of time with him. I am a nurse, so I double-task all the time, but I don't let things distract me from this time. It didn't come easily at first, but it is just second-nature to me now. Maybe I should say it is 'first-nature' to me now - because God has nurtured his nature in me!

Absolute trust in God - does it come naturally? Nope...it is something that comes through applying truth - because truth is the basis of all trust. Did you ever stop to think about scripture being referred to as 'truth'? Maybe God was trying to show us the more of his words we allow to affect our lives, the more truth we expose ourselves to, the more we will be able to trust him with absolute commitment (no reservations). If we want to have more time in our day, we give him the first part of our day. Don't believe me? Try it for a month. Give God the 'tithe' of your day - the first-fruits of your day. See what he does in those thirty days. I bet you walk away from those times, even when they may only be 5-10 minutes to begin with, a whole lot more encouraged, ready to face the million other things the day has in store for you. Just sayin!