Impossible, meet your better

“I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” (Matthew 17:20)

Have you ever tried to move a mountain? I have moved sheds, piles of gravel, stones, and the like, but never a mountain! I have moved wheelbarrows full of dirt, filling flower beds and the like, but never the entire mountain - not even a hill! There is something here Jesus wants us to understand: Faith isn't measured as we measure things. It is measured in the hands of God because only he sees the full potential in that small seed of faith.

What insurmountable thing or looming challenge do you have over your head right now? Are you trusting God with it? Have you given him the 'little faith' you have, trusting him to show you the full potential wrapped up in that 'tiny seed' of faith you bring to him? Trusting God with what we don't understand or have the ability to face alone isn't foolishness - it is the wisest and most 'sane' thing an individual can do!

Faith must be cultivated, but have we stopped to consider it could just be the insurmountable or most challenging things that cause that 'tiny seed' to produce the biggest growth? The 'size' of our faith doesn't determine the 'potential' of our faith. That can be a hard one to swallow sometimes because we imagine ourselves too weak or overwhelmed to face the challenge. The truth is, we probably are, but we don't face that challenge in with our own potential - we face it with HIS!

Remember - it isn't about the 'size' of our faith. Great or small, it is all the same to God. It is about the OBJECT of our faith. If we have faith in only what we can see, understand, or do on our own, we will surely be overwhelmed by the issue at hand. If we have faith in HIM, we are unleashing a power that cannot be contained, limited, or resisted. Just sayin!

For THINE is the kingdom

You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked. (Psalm 97:10)

With so many changes coming at rapid-fire succession around the world, we might want to crawl in a hole and just hide out until the dust settles, but that isn't God's plan. His plan is to protect the lives of his godly people - allowing them to be at peace in unsettling times. We may not realize just how much God wants his people to be 'at peace'. It begins with being at peace with him, one another, then the issues we face as humans on this earth. When that peace gets disturbed, we begin to allow all manner of doubts, untruth, and troubling thoughts to consume our minds, influence our emotions, and bring illness into our lives. Rather than fearing evil, we must learn to hate it without embracing its influence!

The power of the wicked is limited. We all need to hear that one and remember it whenever we are inundated on every side by the influences of evil around us. We cannot allow evil an inroad into our minds, for once we do that, we are certain to ride the emotional rollercoaster evil has prepared for us! While evil may seem to abound, God's goodness and protection is mightier than any influence of that evil. He protects us FROM evil. Remember the Lord's Prayer: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

When we pray this prayer, we are asking God to put a hedge of protection around our lives, a foundation of protection under our feet, and a covering of protection over our heads. We are trusting HIM to deliver us from all manner of evil. Why? For HIS is the kingdom and the power, and the glory! Nothing on this earth can overtake us when we seek God's best for our lives above all else. Make him truthfully the first, the last, and the only in your life and evil has no way into your life! Just sayin!

Even or Uneven?

Show me what you want me to do. You are my God. Let your good Spirit lead me over level ground. (Psalm 143:10)

Sometimes we want level ground pathways in life, but they just don't seem to come. We find ourselves in all manner of 'uneven' paths, trying us from every angle spiritually, emotionally, financially, and even physically. They aren't meant to stop our forward progress with Jesus, but they certainly put a 'kink' in it at times! It is never a bad prayer to ask God to show us to that level ground in life. In fact, he'd relish the opportunity to take you from the 'unevenness' of life's challenges into the 'evenness' of his peace, presence, and purpose.

You might find yourself there right now - facing challenges that you'd never thought you'd have to face. The more 'uneven' the path right now, the more you can count on God helping you navigate to 'even' ground once again. It might not seem like it, but that brutally hard path can open up into a beautifully wide 'path of purpose'. The purpose may not be evident at first, but the more we trust him to move us from one path to another, the more we will begin to see his purpose revealed. The 'passage' from one to the other may not go as fast as we'd like, but we cannot rush the things God has designed to show us things about ourselves or others that we may not have discovered any other way.

Two things we need to keep in mind when life's paths become a bit 'uneven': 1) He is still our God, and 2) His Spirit has not abandoned us to walk this path alone. God wants us to know what to do WITHIN the uneven path - how to walk safely through it, what he wants to reveal to us through it, and where it is we will step out of it onto that even path once again. I have never really walked a totally 'even' path in my life. Even the sidewalks around my home have rises and tripping hazards! The evenest path may not always stay 'even'! Sometimes we just need the guidance of the Holy Spirit to show us where to step in order to avoid the 'hazards'. 

Let your GOOD Spirit guide us, Lord. This is always a good prayer to open each day. Perhaps if we prayed this prayer a bit more often, we might just find the pathway we are traveling a bit easier to traverse. One thing is for certain - our own choices might take us over some 'uneven paths', but it may just be that God's GOOD Spirit is about to break us out of that 'unevenness' and into a the wide-open path of obedience. Just sayin!

Do we trust the engineer?

When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer. (Corrie Ten Boom)

Even if I walk through a valley as dark as the grave, I will not be afraid of any danger, because you are with me. (Psalm 23:4)

In the midst of some of your darkest moments, how hard is it to just sit still and trust? Do you find yourself trying to figure out a way to somehow change the circumstances, so you don't have to be in the darkness any longer? Do you chafe in the waiting? If you find yourself in a dark place right now, take heart because God is likely moving you from one place to another and you just don't know the destination yet!

The dark place may actually be a tunnel - the train needs the tunnel to go through 'immovable' objects in its path, doesn't it? There are lots of 'immovable' objects in our path that seem to only create challenges we don't know how to overcome. Did you stop to consider to 'overcome' you may have to 'go through'? The train cannot 'overcome' the mountain - it needs to go through it. God doesn't engineer some pathway up that 'steep grade' in our lives, but he prepares a tunnel.

What does the engineer in the train have that we don't have? A light! He sees clearly what is at the end of that tunnel and he knows the strength of his 'engine' to pull that train straight through that dark place. Why wouldn't we trust the 'engineer' of our lives - the one who possesses the greatest light - to guide us through that dark place? If we can trust the engineer to navigate the places where we can see clearly, why would we change our trust in his ability to get us through the darkest of circumstances? Just askin...

I am with you

Don’t worry—I am with you. Don’t be afraid—I am your God. I will make you strong and help you. I will support you with my right hand that brings victory. (Isaiah 41:10)

If most of us started each new day with this promise in mind, I wonder just how differently we'd face the issues of the day? I imagine we might just not be as haggard at the end of the day, exhibiting just a bit more wisdom with the actions of the day, and perhaps with a bit more accomplished than we'd see without his help. The instructions: 1) stop your worrying, 2) let your fear go, 3) trust your God, 4) lean into his strength, and 5) you will feel his support.

Stop worrying - because God isn't deserting us, but going with us, having prepared a way before us. If we'd just get this simple instruction worked into our brains, reminding our emotions that they aren't in control, God is, then maybe we'd find it a bit easier to turn away those worries when they start to creep in.

Let go of your fears. There is nothing like showing your enemy your belly and neck regions to make your enemy feel he is in control. God doesn't ask us to just lay down and take whatever comes our way. He reminds us of the importance of putting on his full armor because we don't want the enemy to gain any advantage over us.

Trust your God - not the situation, the threats, or the imagined issues. Trust YOUR God. Not the god of this world or the 'thing' that might happen if we just let go and lean into Jesus. Fear is an emotion that is not always based in fact. The fact we need to recount throughout our day is that we serve the God of the Universe - the Creator and Sustainer of all things. 

Lean into his strength and put down the desire to do things in your own strength or wisdom. Both will not sustain us long. We need his wisdom as well as his strength - we find both when we lean into him. That might mean we stop seeing the issue and look for the solution. To understand the issue, we might need his wisdom to 'break it into pieces'. An issue 'dissected' under his watchful eye is easier to resist, solve, or remove!

Feel his support. It is indeed a thing to feel his strength with us. You might not realize it if you don't start at the top of this list and work your way down. Get to the point of leaning into his strength and you are sure to realize his support. Just sayin!

Deuces or Aces?

The Lord will keep good people safe, but evil people will have many troubles. (Proverbs 12:21)

Josh Billings said, "Life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing those you hold well." We might not always be dealt the 'best hand' in life, but we can 'play the cards' we are dealt to the best of our ability, all the while trusting God with the outcome. We 'hold' certain cards in life, some good while others are not as good. I learned a long time ago it didn't do much good to complain about the hand one receives. It is best to take those 'cards' to Jesus, ask him for the wisdom to 'play them well' and then trust him with the rest.

The Lord will keep good people safe - these words ring true time and time again in our days, even when we don't realize how much 'safety' he has provided along our path. We want a 'clear path', but we don't see what goes into clearing it because God has done all that work ahead of us. We want a smooth path, but we don't realize how many times he has 'leveled it' just for us. We want a quick path, but we don't appreciate how much he has prepared for us to behold along the way. God's plans are not always evident in the 'hand we are dealt', but we can trust that his provision, power, and purpose will be revealed along the way.

When we have troubles, does that mean we are 'evil' as this passage might suggest? No, it just means we live in a crazy, mixed up, fallen world! We will face trials and struggles - that is a given. We don't always find the smooth or easy way in life, but we don't travel that way alone. We have God's presence with us, and he gives us one another to help in that walk. We might think things could be 'simpler', but we don't always 'need' simple - we might just need a little bit of a challenge to help us grow stronger, keeping us on track with Jesus as it does. 

Remember, three aces are good, but four twos are better! We might think we have nothing but 'low cards' in the deal, but with Jesus, the 'low cards' could just be the highest hand! Just sayin!

Is it okay to just stay here?

When the Israelites saw Pharaoh and his army coming toward them, they were very frightened and cried to the Lord for help. They said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did you bring us out here in the desert to die? We could have died peacefully in Egypt; there were plenty of graves in Egypt. We told you this would happen! In Egypt we said, ‘Please don’t bother us. Let us stay and serve the Egyptians.’ It would have been better for us to stay and be slaves than to come out here and die in the desert.” But Moses answered, “Don’t be afraid! Don’t run away! Stand where you are and watch the Lord save you today. You will never see these Egyptians again. You will not have to do anything but stay calm. The Lord will do the fighting for you.” (Exodus 14:10-14)

There are a lot of times God brings us to a certain point in our lives and all we do is 'stand there and watch', hoping for the Lord to do all the work. The very next verse is God's directive to MOVE. In other words, don't just stand there, but engage yourself in what he is doing. Whenever God tells us to move, all the inaction on our part must cease. We may be scared, filled with all manner of emotional upheaval, but the call is to move, not stand still. 

Don't be afraid...don't run away. These are instructional words. Put fear far from you because God is going before you. Put your action into moving forward, not standing still, but allow the stillness of God's peace to be with you as you do. We might just want to stand still, or even turn back the way we came, but God isn't working 'back there'. He is working right where we are at in the here and now. The action required is forward movement - the attitude of heart required is peaceful trust.

How do we get to the place where we actually trust God enough to take that first 'big step' into the path he has prepared for us? Some will say that it is easier said than done, and you would be right on that account! Peace doesn't always come in the 'standing still', though. If you haven't noticed, we can feel the deepest peace when we finally step into what God has prepared for us. When we are finally taking that 'first step' onto the path God has prepared, there is a settling of all our insecurities and uncertainties. Why? Obedience pleases the heart of God like nothing else and where obedience is the course one takes, the heart and mind are sure to be rewarded with his gentle peace.

While Moses' instruction may seem to tell us to just stand there and watch, the original text actually uses words that tell us to remain still, stay calm, and be silent. Moses isn't telling them to stay rooted in their past, but to allow the stillness of God settle over them while they move into what God has prepared for them just ahead of where they are. Maybe God is asking some of us to be still, stay calm, and just be silent, but he isn't telling us to never take the big step! Just sayin!

Is this change right?

All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward. (Ellen Glasgow)

No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people. (Romans 2:29)

The Apostle Paul is dealing with a whole lot of 'we are better than they are' mentality - it is 'better to be a Jew' than a Gentile kind of thing. Isn't it silly to compare ourselves to others by what we see as 'superior' in ourselves compared to what we see as 'inferior' in others? The most profound thing he pointed out to those who opposed Christ as the Messiah was that a changed heart is produced by the Spirit of God, not some 'act' or 'practice' man engages in. A changed heart is God-produced, God-ordained, and God-blessed.

The 'we are better' mentality comes with prideful attitude of seeking approval from others merely because of what you 'do', not what you really 'are'. We are ALL sinners - but they failed to appreciate that fact. We ALL need a Redeemer - but they failed to recognize that every outward action they performed really didn't change the fact that their hearts were still impure and given to sin. A person with a changed heart seeks praise from God - they don't need to call attention to themselves through religious actions. Their heart shines!

All mankind can do on its own merit is produce more flawed individuals, complete with complex hang-ups and deep hurts. What God can do when a man or woman says yes to him may not seem significant, but that is because the heart is often hidden from view. It becomes evident in the actions produced when his Spirit indwells our spirit, and the true communion begins. A changed heart is what we desire - not just changed actions. Eventually the actions will match the heart, but until they do, trust him to do what he began. All change is not growth, so make sure the change you seek is directed by his Spirit. Just sayin!

Is it really a bad hand?

Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy. (Psalm 63:3-6)

When you aren't 'dealt' the hand you expected, how do you respond? To be honest with you, I don't always immediately praise God for the 'lousy hand'. Sometimes I gripe about it, chafe against it, and get a little too 'me' focused right there in the midst of the 'hardship' I am enduring. "Me" comes first and "me" is not feeling like it is getting the 'best shake' in the moment, so "me" begins to resist and complain. Been there? Got the shirt and wore it out? Good! Sometimes our life is even turned upside down by the 'hand' we receive - what was up is now down, and the ground underneath us is quite shaky. When we 'receive' that 'hand', we might just forget who walks with us in the midst of the upheaval that seems to be closing in on us. God may have allowed the 'hand' to show us just how much he loves us - that he isn't about to abandon us to our own devices in the midst of uncertainty that surrounds us. That 'infertile' ground we stand upon is just about to become some of the most 'fertile' ground we experience, but first, there must be some work!

David experienced more than one 'lousy hand' in life, but he walked gracefully through them. Did he ever complain or gripe about the things he faced? Yes, he did! Although that gives us a little encouragement that we are not much different, there is one thing we see about David's life that shows us how he made it through when the 'cards' just didn't seem to be 'good'. Study his life long enough and you will realize he had a deep and lasting relationship with his Lord. He didn't just go to church on Sunday and live like he wanted the rest of the week. He didn't just turn to God when the times got tough - he lived with God in the leanest of times as much as he did in the times of great plenty. He did press in during the lean times, so maybe that is a good lesson for us to see. Lean times are inevitable - hardship cannot be avoided forever. Being a Christian might mean we have 'hardship insurance' - we have a place to turn when the 'hand' we are dealt doesn't provide the most 'optimum' of circumstances. We don't have this 'insurance' just because we say "yes" to Jesus - we have it because we allow him to cultivate his presence and peace within.

Where does this cultivation occur? Usually in the driest and most barren of places. It is in those places that we learn to value our relationship with Jesus - we find out how much his love and grace mean to us. How? The things we counted on in this world seem to bring little satisfaction or peace into our lives - but we find his presence restores our soul, invigorates our spirit, and soothes our confused mind. We want all the good stuff that comes from serving Jesus, like the best 'hand' in cards. When we get the 'lousy hand' in life, do we complain or embrace it, give it into his hands, and let him show us how to 'play it'? That is what David did when he lifted his voice time after time again in praise and worship. In the midst of the 'band hands' of life, he lifted his spirit and voice in praise. Why? It showed how much he valued God taking the 'hand' and 'playing it' as only he could! Praise and worship may not come naturally when we 'get the band hand', but if we have cultivated that love relationship with Jesus in the 'good hand' times, we are likely to carry that into the 'bad hand' times, as well. Just sayin!

Do you need more trust?

 Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his wisdom and knowledge and riches! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods! For who among us can know the mind of the Lord? Who knows enough to be his counselor and guide? And who could ever offer to the Lord enough to induce him to act? For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory. To him be glory evermore. (Romans 11:33-36)

When was the last time you stopped to consider the awesomeness of God's protection and intensely focused care over your lives? If it has been a while, today could be a great day to just 'stop' and 'ponder'. There is nothing we do that 'induces' him to act - there is nothing we do to 'keep things in motion' within our lives. All that exists within our lives is the direct result of his overwhelming love and care for us.

We partake of his wisdom - through the study of his Word and the excellence of solid biblical teaching. We enter into the knowledge of God as we apply the Word and take each step of obedience. We are blessed to experience the riches of God -beginning with grace and continuing on with each physical, spiritual, emotional, and relational blessing we enjoy. We worship him for is goodness, celebrate him for his care over us, and exalt him for the many blessings we have received. 

Have you ever tried to 'induce' God to act on your behalf? Some might refer to this as 'bargaining' with him. We get a frightful bit of news, and we immediately tell God if he intervenes, we will do this or that. God isn't 'bargained' into blessing our lives. He asks us to bring our concerns, but he never asks for us to 'bargain' our way to the answer we desire. In fact, sometimes the answer we 'desire' isn't that answer we so desperately need to receive.

Everything draws breath from him. All exists because of him. If we truly believe this, why do we insist on this 'bargaining' relationship with him? Why do we insist there must be 'more' we need to do in order to receive his blessing? God has done it all in Christ. Perhaps what we need more of in our lives is trust. Just sayin!

Knock, Knock...what's in there?

By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. (Romans 5:1-2)

God wants to do so much for us. We are to enter into what he is doing in and through our lives. Back in the day, we didn't lock doors when we left our homes - now we secure them with multiple locks and security screen doors. There are also doors within us, too. The doors we keep securely "latched" in our lives so as to keep others out, limiting our "exposure" to others. These doors act to keep others out and to keep our "messy lives" under wraps! God's plan is to have those doors opened to him - not so he can criticize our "mess" of a life, but so he can help us clear out the space and allow it to be put in right order.

His door is open wide to those who will take the first step toward him, admit their need for his grace in their lives, and then allow him to gain access to the doors of our heart and mind. He will set in order what we have been working hard to keep under wraps! He does this by putting us into a position of "right-standing" with him - not through our own efforts, but through the efforts of Jesus Christ. All of us were created with a "space" into which God's Spirit "fits" - fill it with anything else and it will never "fit right". It is like trying to put a square peg into a round hole - it could be done, but it sure doesn't fit right and takes a whole lot of altering to get it to fit!

We have "secured doors" in our lives because we think these areas are beyond fixing. God wants to assure us that if we open up, we will discover he has already provided whatever we need that will help us to set right what is behind those sealed doors of our lives. This should be good news for those of us with a whole lot of junk behind those doors! It isn't until we open the door that we discover what Christ has available to us. We know he has "good stuff" for his kids, but we don't come to appreciate what that "good stuff" is until we see how it begins to help us with the "cleaning up" of our messiness.

Open doors not only allow access, but they allow a way of escape. Things we have bottled up so tightly in our hearts and minds are finally free to find a way of escape once we open the door to Jesus' grace. We must open up if we are to recognize the path of escape. It isn't that we escape the hurt that has been bottled up behind those closed doors, but we finally realize a means by which the hurt may be removed so it no longer causes us hurt and it cannot be used to hurt others. Sealing away life's hurts and disappointments may be a means of dealing with stuff we find too difficult to handle, but it is not God's plan for us. Opening to him is the means by which grace enters and hurt leaves. Opening the door actually creates the egress for the anger and bitterness of past hurt. Once the places of concealment are emptied, they are open to be filled again - only this time, they are filled with grace, love, compassion, forgiveness, and peace.

So, we all have doors. The only one with access to open those locks and bolts is the one who secured them in the first place - and that would be us. All Jesus asks is for us to open the door. He does the rest. In opening the door, we might feel a little vulnerable, but grace doesn't mistreat our vulnerability. Instead, it embraces it and loves us through the discomfort of being open and real with him. Just sayin!

Plucked or Refreshed?

Are you a 'radical' when it comes to change? Radical: of or going to the root or origin of something. If you haven't really thought about what "radical change" is, you might be a little surprised to find out it is change which goes after the "root" or "origin" of something in order to so totally change what has become "traditional" or "normal" in one's life. If a business wants to "re-invent" themselves because they have been losing customers to some other big-name chain with a newer look, what do they do? They go through some "radical change" to make us believe this is the store we want to be shopping at instead of the other guys. J.C. Penney did just that - they changed up the lines they carried, took out a whole bunch of their stock, remodeled the interiors of the stores to be more "hip", but they lost business! Most of us who shopped at Penney's did so for a reason - the consistency of finding the lines we liked, that fit us well, at a reasonable price range. They thought they had to "change" their "core" in order to draw business back into their store. In reality, their "core" was pretty good, they probably just needed to make some subtle changes to attract the crowd of shoppers they were aiming to draw in, but without sacrificing the loyalty of those who looked to them for their "core" purchases. Sometimes I think we do the same thing when God asks us to begin to change in a particular area. We think he wants some big "revamp" of everything, so we set about to go through a major "redo", all the while forgetting about the "core values" he has already worked out in our lives.

You didn’t think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think that because he’s such a nice God, he’d let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change. (Romans 2:3-4)

When God goes after the "root" in our lives, it isn't always to "pluck it up"! In fact, sometimes he just needs to "stimulate" it a little in order to get it on track with healthy growth. We cannot sacrifice those "core values" he has already worked into our lives - in other words, we don't throw the baby out with the bath water! Sure, God wants us to be affected deeply, changing where change is needed, and developing a keener awareness of what it is he desires of us, but he doesn't want us to neglect or forget the values he has already worked into our lives. I think this is a common issue for many of us - we see there is a a slightly newer focus God is asking of us, and we forget about the "old" in order to pay attention to the "new". What happens to the old? It gets neglected. What happens when something is neglected? It begins to no longer be the "practiced" behavior. Some roots need a little "plucking". It is like when a store might realize a particular line of clothing or household goods is no longer selling. They might want to either consider "restyling" those clothes to stay in fashion, or just drop the line totally. Sometimes a simple "restyle" is all that is needed - because the "basics" are there - they just need a little attention. At other times, the styles have moved on and it is time to retire the line - like polyester jumpsuits! The basic black dress or skirt will never go out of style, but they may "restyle" it with a different hem line, or perhaps a new cut to the neckline in order to keep it "new". One gets at the root in order to eliminate the line, while the other simply allows the root to be stimulated to produce a new line.

God wants radical life change, not just a 'restyle' of our lives. As he makes change in our lives, he doesn't go about plucking up the previous change and then growing another. He keeps the changes we have made and then "adds" changes by stimulating us at the "root" of our being (the core) in order to bring about even more growth. We have to be aware of which one of these God is doing - plucking up or stimulating the roots. When we know he is after the removal of something from the "roots up", then we let go of it. When we see he is just "digging around those roots" a little, we can be assured what he sees is good at the core, we just need a little help to bring the best growth forth. Core change (radical change) often requires an expertise we don't possess on our own. We need God taking us by the hand and "leading" us into this change, otherwise our "best" change may just be a flop. The ideas we have for change aren't "bad", they just aren't God's ideal for our lives - we need his "ideal", not just our "best". It is heartwarming to me to realize God is leading us through this change. He doesn't expect us to dig around those roots on our own - nor does he expect us to know which ones need to be totally plucked up. He takes us by the hand, suggesting a certain degree of intimacy and caring, doesn't it? He is going to get "deep into" our core and he wants us to know how much he cares about what it is he is doing.

When we take the hand of another, we are usually doing it because we want to express something in that connection, isn't it? We don't do it with everyone. If we just walked up to every stranger we saw and reached out to take their hand, we'd soon see some pretty radical behavior from them, wouldn't we? They'd pull back, even scream in surprise. Why? We don't have relationship with them, and we have no right to hold their hands! If they were drowning in the lake, they might just crave that connection, but not when they are minding their own business window shopping at the mall! God doesn't just march right up to us and take us by the hand, telling us he is taking us to the place of change. He establishes relationship with us, then he begins to connect with us frequently enough to allow us to develop a trust relationship with him. Taking the hand of one we trust is much easier, isn't it? We might just crave these times of "hand leading", because they show how much we are really loved. When God takes us by the hand, it isn't because he is angry with us, it is because he cares so much for us that he doesn't want to see us continue to embrace stuff in our lives that is doing us harm. His handholding is not just casual - it is purposeful. He leads, we follow. He squeezes tight, we know he is at work. He pulls back, we know it is time to stop. His touch is our means for radical life change. Just sayin!

Trust doesn't always come easily

But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:23-24)

I like to revisit familiar passages from time to time because God is always so faithful to bring something to mind within these familiar words. I don't know about you but it seems like people are always looking for the next 'new thing' in this world. Apple puts out the latest version of their device and people line up, sometimes even camping out for days just to get the first of the shiny device. Why? There is an enticement to have the 'new' and 'shiny' because media has hyped it for months prior to the arrival of the device. Our appetites have been whetted and there you are 'lusting' after the new. I guess God didn't great this desire to obtain 'more' as a 'bad' thing, but as a way of driving us to 'want more' of the right stuff. The problem is that we sometimes don't want what he wants us to have - we want what we want to have.

If someone came along and told you there would be something new added to your life today, what would be your first inclination? Would you have that sudden burst of excitement? Would you fear not knowing exactly what it would be or how it would affect your life? If God spoke a few words into your heart today, telling you there would be something new added, would your level of excitement and anticipation change? I honestly have to admit to being occasionally just a little bit 'afraid' what he might add would drastically change my life. Why did this create angst in my life? I didn't want something to disturb my comfort - I had become very comfortable with what I know right now - I wasn't sure I wanted anything new to disturb that comfort. God knew there might be temporary 'discomfort' from the 'new' he was about to add into my life, but he also knew the 'permanent' blessing that would come with the 'new'.

We only see the discomfort - he sees where that discomfort will lead us. He knows how much deeper it will make us dig in, what will change within our hearts, and how much more secure our foundation will be as a result. God knows 'where' we are headed - we only know we are about to get moving. God knows 'what' will come - we only know what will be left behind. God knows 'when' we are going to be challenged - we just know a challenge might require something from us. God knows 'why' we need to get movement in a certain direction - we only know that movement may cause us some discomfort. I guess one of the hardest things we are called upon to do sometimes is just trust God with the where, when, why, and what. The 'new' is indeed something we want and need - we just don't 'know' like he knows, so we dread it.

God doesn't set out to create chaos, but sometimes our present has to be disturbed a little in order to bring order in an even greater way than it existed before. God has gone before us, so nothing can stand against his power in our lives. The moment we realize he is 'setting things right', the less we stop worrying so much about how he will do what needs to be done in us. Just sayin!

But...I have a list...

God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. (Romans 15:4)

Ever stop to consider what it is that God may do next in your life? I imagine things, but sometimes my imagination gets a little carried away, while at others God outdoes anything I could ever possibly imagine! We don't want to miss what God is doing, or is about to do in and through us. God calls for us to be alert. Alertness is the ability to be keenly aware of your circumstances - so in tune with what is going on around us nothing misses our focus. Rarely, if ever, do we enter into this realm of true "alertness" - we almost always miss something despite our efforts to do otherwise! In fact, we most often think of alertness as being awake! God expects more, though. He expects us to be aware!

There is a condition of heart and mind that is fully aware and totally attentive to the move of God. In the stillness of the moments preceding his movement around or within us, there is in awareness of his voice. In the hubbub of a busy day, there is the attentiveness to his little nudges that moves us closer and closer to where he wants us to be. Two things are utilized to give us this ability to be both aware and attentive - the steadiness of God's calling and the totally personal counsel of the Word of God. The first describes the continually steadying effect of his voice in our lives - leading and guiding us. There is nothing more uplifting than the sweet sound of his whispers deep within our soul. Then we have the Word of God as our personal place of counsel. In the Word, we find encouragement for living, warnings against unwise choices, and examples of both that help us to learn to make the correct choices.

His calling within us is both constant and steady. His Word is both warming to our spirits and personal in its touch. His Word within, moving in us, is a hallmark of God's action in our lives. The 'stability' of the Word is to "characterize" our every move. The calling of God and his Word within come to represent God's activity within us, moving us to behave in ways which are not usually customary for us. Both are intended to keep us alert for what God will do next. Most of us would love to know what the future holds, not wanting to be caught by surprise when life throws a few curves our way. If we come to embrace his steady, constant calling (listening well to his voice), and embrace his warm, personal counsel in Scripture (doing more with the Word than just reading it), we will be less likely to be caught by surprise by life's challenges. We need to see the leading of a dependably steady God and a warmly personal God. Most of us lack this kind of dependability in our lives. We struggle to find footing most of the time. God gives us this kind of "footing" through the counsel of his Word and the direction of his still small voice.

God's desire is to get "personal" with us. We often resist this kind of "closeness" in relationship with him because we might be afraid of what he will find out about us! It is time we realize he already knows it all! There is nothing hidden from him - even what we do in secret is an open book to him. Now I have gone to meddling, I know, but it is true! When someone whispers we have to be close enough to them to hear the stillness of their voice. If we never let ourselves get close enough to God to actually hear the steadying effect of his call in our lives, how will we ever develop the alertness and attentiveness he desires? We can have bookshelves filled with all kinds of books written to help us through life's darkest challenges. If we never open the cover of the most important one (The Bible), how will we ever discern the wisdom contained in the many other books on the shelves? Isn't it time to get personal with God? Don't fear his closeness - embrace it! It is a closeness like no other you've experienced. You can trust him with anything - even your long list of short-comings! Just sayin!