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!

Let's not forget

At times we all wonder why we are traveling a particular road. We cannot put our finger on why it is we are facing the challenging, and sometimes a little treacherous road we must cross. In those moments, we wonder if we made a wrong turn somewhere, or if this is the way life is supposed to be - potholes, narrow and sometimes hair-raising switchbacks, and climbs so hard you almost peter out on the way up. I guess I face those roads a little differently than some. Instead of wondering why I am on the road, I just ask! In fact, in time I come to discover something unique about every road I have traveled - I am not traveling it alone! I may have made a wrong turn - but I still don't travel alone. I have Jesus right alongside me no matter what road I am on and this one thing I know - I cannot "bail" - the road will be traveled!

Keep and live out the entire commandment that I’m commanding you today so that you’ll live and prosper and enter and own the land that God promised to your ancestors. Remember every road that God led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not. He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry. Then he fed you with manna, something neither you nor your parents knew anything about, so you would learn that men and women don’t live by bread only; we live by every word that comes from God’s mouth. Your clothes didn’t wear out and your feet didn’t blister those forty years. You learned deep in your heart that God disciplines you in the same ways a father disciplines his child. (Deuteronomy 8:1-5)

The toughest part of "traveling" so many roads over the course of a lifetime is the "remembering" part. I don't particularly remember the names of all the places I have travelled, but they are "imprinted" images of some of the most beautiful spots. I see things through the eyes of a photographer sometimes - capturing permanent images of a few blades of grass holding on for dear life from the side of a rocky outcropping, or maybe the mossy covering of a log settle on the shoreline of a lazily flowing creek bed. These are images I recount when I want to remember some of the beauty of my physical travels - not just in photographs, but in "photo quality memories". There are equally memorable "images" of those spiritual places I have traveled, both by taking the right turns and the wrong ones.

There are also a few traveled roads I'd like to put out of my memory - how about you? Those were the toughest roads to travel and took the biggest toll. Those roads seemed to be some of the longest journeys I have taken - and the loneliest! Maybe we all have a tendency to want to block those difficult memories - those times of traversing over those roads of regret we have traveled. I believe even the toughest roads - those riddled with potholes of regret - were never traveled alone and were not without purpose, opportunity, and learning. Israel traveled 40 years in a desert place, sometimes too caught up in themselves to recognize how long they had been traveling the same piece of ground over and over again. We can get so "inward" focused we don't realize we are traveling the same piece of ground repeatedly. It is kind of like not being able to see the tree right in front of us because there is a forest so vast and dense all around us. When we immerse ourselves in the misery of the moment, we cannot see the exit which may be our ultimate deliverance.

Keep in mind what God says - don't forget even one step of the journey! None of those steps were without purpose. In those times of our toughest challenges, God was showing himself strong on our behalf, allowing us to see a little bit of where our focus was too much "me", "me", "me", and maybe even giving us a little taste of what heaven was like in the end. We will remember the "heaven" part, but we have a tendency to forget the parts in-between! Those times when we were pushed to our limits - seemingly tested to the point of breaking - those are the times we want to put behind us, walk away from, and never turn back. I believe there is value in remembering the lessons of the journey - capturing even "snip-its" of the moments where we came face-to-face with either ourselves or God (hopefully both).

Those journeys were the very opportunities God used to show us exactly what we are made of and what he wants to do and be. In recognizing what our "make-up" is, we can take heart in knowing God "makes-up" for what we lack. In learning how he comes to our rescue each and every time we call, we come to appreciate his ever-present guidance in our lives. In discovering the depth of our need, we also discover the depth of his love and mercy. These are indeed "worthy" memories of the journeys we might want to "put behind". Just sayin!

What could go wrong?

Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you’ve got, be resolute, and love without stopping. (I Corinthians 16:13-14)

Keep your eyes open. The eyes are the window to the soul - they give insight into the condition of the man in what they reveal. Having our eyes opened is the beginning of seeing. Try to see with your eyes closed! You probably do a poor job of actually avoiding the hazards in your path when you do! Eyes have the purpose of allowing input - taking in what they behold, interpreting that input as either pleasant or not, beneficial or not, or even beautiful or not. The eyes are the gateway into a man's heart - the input we receive moves us in some respect. It is almost impossible to take input without some form of output! We are asked to remain in a position of taking in what God puts in our path. Be vigilant and aware, for in being alert, we can respond to what we receive as input. We can plan our escape, our response we will have in the moment. Maintain, cause to continue, so as to set the course. Our eyes have a lot to do with the course we keep. Whatever we choose to focus on will go a long way in affecting how we take all the other steps God asks us to take!

Hold tight to your convictions. A conviction is more than just some clever theory or persuasive fact. A conviction is a fixed or firm belief - it has some basis - roots which give it soundness. When the right stuff is entering through our vision, we begin to form sound convictions - we have all the right evidence to present. The action associated with convictions is that of "holding tight" to these convictions. We need to know what gives our "case" foundational truth. Some evidence is weak at best. Other evidence is so strong, it cannot be denied. Hold onto the truth we have been given so as to have an undeniable foundation upon which we base our lives. Give it all you've got. The idea of being something of worth, value, and importance is in view here. Come to the place of realizing your fullest potential. All we've got - not part - is what God says is called for in this life of serving Jesus. Ever serve someone half-heartedly? How'd that make you feel? Do you think the one being served knew you were only half-interested in serving them at that moment? Probably! The action required is that of "giving" - present willingly and without expectation of compensation. I wonder what this world would be like if we began to equate being all we could be with what it is we could willingly give without the expectation of some form of compensation as a result of our service?

Be resolute. To be set in purpose - not easily swayed - this is the idea presented next. Taken in order, if we have our focus correct, allowing the right stuff to be taken in, we will form the right basis of evidence in our lives which will cause us to begin to act differently toward others (and even ourselves). To this, God adds we are to be set in our purpose - fixed, determined, unwavering, undaunted by what life throws at us. When the preponderance of evidence is significant, the ability to "stand behind" the evidence is easier than when there is very little evidence, right? What gets us to the position of being able to be resolute? I think it is in the building up of the evidence in our lives of being new creations in Christ - realizing the actions of grace within our lives. Each action of grace gives us some additional evidence upon which we ground our convictions - we stand stronger by the revelation of grace. Some will say grace is that which was undeserved. You would be correct, but even the best of attorneys will tell you evidence discovered in the most unlikely places or by the most unlikely means is still evidence! We can stand undaunted by life - by grace.

Love without stopping. Can anyone actually do anything without stopping? I tire easily, how about you? Yet, there are some involuntary things which occur within my body which continue to occur without thought or action on my part - like my heartbeat or my breathing. I can hold my breath, but there is some overriding impulse center in my brain which tells my body to begin to take a breath before it is too late. Why? Simply because life is sustained by these actions. I am not presenting the love being an "unthinking" action. It is quite the opposite - it requires we are "invested" in its actions. When something becomes a way of life for us, the "thought" we put into those actions is almost automatic. We just do it because it is what we do. God might just be telling us to make love such a way of life that we love without really having to work ourselves up in order to love. It becomes "natural", free-flowing from a heart which has been convinced by the love and grace of God. If we actually take all these five principles together and begin to focus our lives on each action, we might just learn to walk a little differently. Just sayin!

Three 'resolutions' of sorts

I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. (Ephesians 4:1-3)

A new year dawns and you likely are either skeptical anything great will come out of this two-year battle against this pandemic, or you are counting on something great to come from all the new research and break-throughs in medicine that may help. Some will celebrate the hopefulness of 'building back' our country again, while others will bemoan the fact they don't like the present political policies. There will be families enthused about their commitment to eat right, while others will find exercise to be the ticket on their 'resolution playlist' this year. Regardless of where you are right now, what resolutions you have made, or how chaotic you think things are, one thing we are all called to do: WALK, maybe even RUN. We are all entering into a 'new day' together. Whatever comes, we WALK and RUN together. Don't be a lone wolf. Partner with someone today to help you not only WALK, but learn how to RUN on the road God has called you to travel.

Fits and starts - pretty much describes every New Year's resolution everywhere. What we lack is the 'steadiness' part. We aren't going to overcome this pandemic with fits and starts - we all need to be rowing in the same direction. We aren't going to get anywhere toward climate change alone - it takes a village. We won't impact our country's infrastructure with some magic bill passed by Congress - we all need to do whatever part we can to make our country great again. These things are all the 'news-worthy' stuff we hear about every day right now, aren't they? Yet, there is one thing we won't hear about on the news stations today and that is the message we all actually need to hear and embrace: God is not about to stop reaching out for those he has so much love for in this big world. The time seems grim, but his truth never shines brighter than when we begin to be embraced by his Spirit.

Acts of love - what could you do to show someone God's love today - not by accident, but with purposeful intent? Noticing differences - not to point them out to each other in some kind of hurtful manner, but to see them as what makes us each unique and able to fulfill a specific purpose as God designed for us to fulfill while we walk this earth. Whose 'differences' will God use to make this world a better place today? What fences do you need to take personal responsibility to mend this week? These aren't the typical resolutions for a new year, but trust me on this one - if we were to embrace these three, our world would be a whole lot less stressful and a bit more focused on each other than ourselves. Just sayin!

Participate in this

 Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God.  (I John 4:16)

The truth most of us would 'cop to' is that we have an issue with this "continuous" part of our Christian walk. We ALL waver from time to time, slip up with words and actions that don't actually reflect this closeness of relationship. God knows we will and he loves us anyway - in fact, he already has whatever grace is needed to get us right back into that 'intimate relationship'. 

If you are like me, the idea of 'continuously' doing anything is kind of a daunting task. I don't have to think about my heart beating, taking a breath, or even sweating when I get hot in the Arizona sun. My body has an internal organ known as the brain that helps to keep all that going without my thinking about it. I wonder if we realize how 'uncomplicated' our lives could be if we were to leave things in the care of the one who cares that everything 'runs as it should'?

Just as God made our brains to help be the 'control center' for all that 'automatic' activity in our bodies, he gives us his Holy Spirit to reside within us to help us with this 'continuous' walk with him. Did you ever stop to ask why Jesus told his disciples if they didn't know what to pray to allow the Holy Spirit to pray, or to not be concerned with where they'd sleep or what they'd eat or wear on their journey with him? If was because he knew we couldn't possibly process all this 'continuous' stuff on our own!

We need the help of the Holy Spirit, even when we don't realize we do! We can count on him helping us to develop a continuously intimate walk with Jesus as much as we are counting on our brains to ensure the next heartbeat! We do our part - take in the Word of God regularly, talk to Jesus about things, and even raise our voices in praise from time to time. God does his part - helping to maintain the closeness to us we could not obtain by our own efforts. Look again at our passage - it doesn't say we maintain that closeness on our own. It says we participate in it! We join with Jesus, doing what we know to do, then allow the Holy Spirit to do what he does. Just sayin!

Oh, talk less, walk more?

Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don't impose it on others. You're fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you're not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you're out of line. If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong. (Romans 14:22-23 MSG)

Most days I am just happy to end the day feeling like my behavior came reasonably close to my beliefs! I set out with lofty goals, but over the course of the day, I veer a little (and sometimes a lot) from how I hoped to act, wished to respond, or chose to think about a matter. In the end, I find myself evaluating my actions, seeing those which just did not match my beliefs, and then find myself in dialogue with God (once again) seeking his grace and forgiveness. Now, carry that a step further and you will understand why I am not going to try to 'impose' my beliefs on anyone - they need to see a better example some days of what I believe! To 'impose' the beliefs I have on anyone without congruence between what I say and what I do is kind of hypocritical, isn't it?

I kind of doubt if I am in this situation alone. We are admonished to spend some time focusing on our own relationship with God, not the 'other guy's relationship'. Why? As we take our eyes off of what we think OTHERS have done wrong and let them rest squarely on how well we are doing living out our own beliefs each day, we often find we are falling short of our beliefs - the focus is on the right person in this case. Instead of focusing on those issues of "congruence" in others, we are asked to look at our own. Not the most popular message, huh? Not the most comfortable one either. The benefits of keeping "right focus" in our lives are really what God had in mind as he admonishes us here.

Keep the focus on God and no one else (or nothing else). There is much to be said about "cultivating" relationship with God, but here are only a few benefits of "cultivation" which come from the perspective of farming land. It keeps down the growth of weeds! I used to pick the weeds for some elderly ladies in a neighborhood where I used to live. I would arrive in the morning, looking up at hillsides of long natural grasses and dandelions springing up through the ice-plant and rocks that acted as the erosion barrier on the hillside behind their homes. By midday, when I'd take in lunch, I'd sit and admire the half-day's accomplishment of half a hillside plucked free of weeds. What a pretty sight it was. 

Jesus taught a parable about the wheat and the tares (weeds). Over the course of time, when the weeds were not plucked up, they overtook the wheat and stunted the growth of the good stuff. The same thing happens in us. Keeping the right focus actually loosens the soil so things can actually soak in within us - so they stick, so to speak. God knows we need a little "loosening up" of the soil of our hearts. Things just don't soak in very well when we are so hard-hearted. The soil that is cultivated allows the entry of the seed. The work of breaking up the soil is important to its receptivity of the seed. As I plucked up the weeds, the soil was being loosened around the ice-plant vines. They were now free to spread and fill in. They were what provided protection from the erosion of the late summer rains which could otherwise bring a devastating mudslide to these hillsides. The same holds true with our hearts.

We need to keep the focus on being consistent in your own behavior, not on the inconsistencies in another's. It is the concept Jesus taught about trying to focus on the splinter in the other guy's eye when we have a log in our own. We try so hard to take the focus off us, but it is hard to "look around" the log, isn't it? When there is a consistency between behavior and belief, we find the splinter becomes less significant in the other guy's eye - maybe because it is taking all our attention to just allow God to deal with the log we are carrying around in our own! Nothing speaks more clearly about God's grace than another seeing God's action in our lives to change the things in us which are inconsistent with our proclaimed beliefs. Actions do indeed speak louder than any words!

Model what we believe - a nice 'concept', but is it achievable? Much more is impacted by what we model than in what we say. This is the toughest lesson to learn, though. When we have mastered this one, we talk less and walk more - our beliefs are shared in our actions, not in our words alone! Just some ideas for developing "congruence" today. The starting point is in the cultivating of the "right stuff". Once the cultivating is underway, the other stuff begins to fall into place. Just sayin!

Just walk

In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. (Ephesians 4:2)

Walk, better yet, run! How many of us have barely figured out how to walk with Christ, let alone actually run well? This walking with Christ thing isn't as easy-peasy as 'snap your fingers and make it so', is it? We actually have to take some steps in the 'training' of our lives to be able to 'work up to' running with him. We all have a road to travel - at first by just taking some consistent steps forward - eventually learning how to 'pick up the pace' a little and learn to 'run' with endurance. If you are a 'fits and starts' kind of person, you are not alone - me, too! I get going well, then get a little distracted by life, and there goes the consistency! In the natural sense, we get a little 'flabby' and 'deconditioned' whenever this happens. In the spiritual sense, it isn't much different - we get 'weak' in our walk.

Sitting around on our hands is just not an option. If that is where we find ourselves today, then it is time to get up, take a few steps in the right direction (actually one is better than none). We may not 'feel like it', but even one step in the right direction is going to bear rewards. Every January, it seems like I look at the extra pounds I put on over the holidays and think it is time to 'rein in' those eating habits that got way out of control. Every January, I commit afresh to following a healthier eating plan. Somewhere in the next eleven months I get off-course. I don't really know where it happens, but it does as sure as the sky is blue and the grass is green. I could just sit back and tell you it is inevitable that I will get off-course, so why should I ever try to 'stay the course'? But...I have heart disease in my family and I know the extreme risk of just 'setting on my hands'. 

Yes, I need to shed the holiday and COVID pounds, but most importantly, I need to walk a couple miles a day without feeling like my legs will fall off or that my heart will explode in my chest! I am back up to 2-3 miles a day, remaining consistent with at least 30 minutes of sustained exercise every day. Since I am convinced God still has a great deal for me to do on this earth, and a great deal to learn as I live out each day, I am committed to doing what it takes. I know there will be slips and stalls, but it doesn't stop me from making every effort to move in the right direction. In a spiritual sense, there will be slips and stalls by all of us, but God is looking for the commitment from us that we will get up, take the next step forward, and know that he backs us up every time we 'start again'.

Fits and stalls - we all experience them in one way or another. If this is where you are today, don't give in to the lie that you will always fail. Failure is not permanent - it is a stepping stone to doing again the things that will help us move in the right direction. One foot in front of the other, breathing deep of his grace, we can develop the consistency together, my friends. Whether it is the commitment to live a little healthier, or to dig into his Word daily, develop a better prayer life, or just invest time in the relationships you have been given, do it! Take the first step in the right direction and stick with it. You are not walking to run right away - you are learning to take one step and then another - eventually you may run, but for now, just walk! 

Crawl if you have to

By perseverance the snail reached the ark. (Charles Spurgeon)

Stop for just a moment to consider how much effort it must have taken for snails of all sorts to finally reach the door of the ark and you might find yourself taking hope that you will also one day reach that destination you so desire! Never give up - never given in. To give up means we just quit. To give in means we take an easier road. Neither will meet our need. Both will leave us with feelings of regret or guilt. Things will get in our way - that is a given. Others will have opinions that mess with our minds and challenge us to reconsider our determination. Stop short and you will always miss the boat!

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady. Then, when that happens, we are able to hold our heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know how dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. (Romans 5:3-5)

We don't just wake up one day with a fully loaded arsenal of patience. Contrary to popular opinion, it is learned, not just acquired. There is no pill for patience. Maybe there are pills that lower our threshold of some emotional response to what we are going through, but those aren't really 'infusions of patience'. They merely help us deal with life. The snail's pace continues! Strength of character comes as we begin to use the treasure of God's presence and strength over and over again. Eventually it becomes something quite solid within us - something we can count on when the pressures build.

We might not like that we are crawling at a snail's pace toward a huge goal. We may want to complain about every obstacle that looms before us on the way to that goal. We could even desire to ride on someone's back, utilizing their energies to get us to that goal. None of these will ever allow the strength of God to develop within us in quite the same way as he intends for it to grow. Yes, we occasionally need the efforts of another to help us take the next step - there is no harm in that unless it means we never take another step on our own. When we find ourselves 'riding' we realize we aren't developing the same strength as we would if we were walking ourselves. Sometimes we just need to keep crawling. Just sayin!

Keep him as your closest friend

Have you ever awakened from sleep only to feel a little MORE tired than when you went to bed? Just because you 'slept' doesn't always mean you 'rested', does it? Sometimes our sleep is restless, because of the burdens we bear or the interruptions in life that seem to interfere with that 'rest'. For some of us, it is the company we have been keeping that keeps us from resting more than anything else. Maybe that company is us! It doesn't have to always be anyone else - we can be our own worst company at times! No one knows the Father unless they know the Son - keep company with him and you will get to know God. That is the basis of Jesus' teaching - know me, the Son of God, and you will know the one who sent me, my Father God. Why is this important? Jesus tells us that no one really knows the Father like the Son does. Our kids know us so well - it stands to reason Jesus would know his Father very well, too! Since he knows what impedes our rest, isn't it wise to learn to keep company with the one who knows who stands in the way of us really being 'at peace' and at 'rest' in our lives?

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Matthew 11:28-30)

Three questions are posed for us to consider - questions that help us to realize what close union with him produces. 1) Are you tired? Tiredness comes from exertion - sometimes it even comes from over-exertion. He is asking if we are exhausted by all the self-effort we have been putting into "being righteous". If we are truly tired, we will desire rest. 2) Are you worn out? When we run for so long, we become depleted of energy. As our energy wanes, we soon lack enthusiasm in what it is that we are doing. He is asking if we are tired of just doing things by the books, doing them from memory with no real heart behind it. The energy behind our work is often directly linked to where our heart finds rest. If there is no rest in our heart, there will be very little energy in our work. 3) Are you burned out on religion? That which is burned out is usually totally consumed - there is no effectiveness in what it is we are doing any longer. He is asking if we are tired of living ineffective lives. Tough questions, but if we answer them honestly, we are likely on the verge of finding the solution we need!

We can probably associate will all three of these questions at one point or another! Exhausted by our efforts to be righteous, lacking enthusiasm because all we do is sucking us dry, and totally ineffective in our testimony, as a result. The answer to these three questions: 1) Come to me. Plain and simple - go to the source of energy, to the supply of sufficiency. Stop wallowing around in your own efforts to be righteous and take up new company - company with Jesus. 2) Get away with me and you will recover your life. He is offering us the ability to bring balance back to our lives once again. Balance is not found in the "doing", but in the "being". When we are content to just "be" with Jesus, we find our greatest balance. 3) Walk with me and work with me. Jesus does not present the life of laying around in a field of wildflowers, just consuming the air and taking in the beauty. These are action words - walk with him and work with him. Walk suggests "keeping current" with Jesus - keeping pace with him. When we "walk with" someone through life, we are involved with them daily, moment-by-moment. Work suggests that "keeping current" involves us being right there with him in the day-to-day activities he engages in (reaching out to the rejected of the world).

Jesus concludes that we "learn the unforced rhythms of grace". The UNFORCED rhythms of GRACE. Grace is not earned - it is given freely - nor is it forced. Grace is not crammed down your throat - it is extended willingly for the taking and enjoyment. The idea is that we come to a place where the 'grace-filled' company we keep brings us to a place where we come out of the FORCED rhythms of religious pursuits and into the UNFORCED rhythms of his unmerited grace and favor. The final invitation he extends - keep company with me. He invites us to make him our "usual" companion in life. We all favor certain individuals in our daily life - walking closer to some than others. He asks that we keep him as the closest! Just sayin!

Love, Walk, Keep

Hardly a week goes by without mom's gentle plea to just 'be young again' - so she'd have energy for the task at hand, or feel like she can regain some skill long since laid aside due to memory or fatigue. With each new day comes the renewal of energy stores, but what reserve we have left at the end of the day is not always the same, is it? Some of us go through life so quickly we rarely even notice that we have had two choices placed in front of us - Life and Death, Good and Evil. How have we handled these today? For those of us placing our head on the pillow at the end of the day, we'd say we embraced Life, but how about Good or Evil? What did our choices reflect today? This is a tough question - one that demands unlimited honesty if we are to truly understand our choices.

Look at what I've done for you today: I've placed in front of you Life and Good - Death and Evil. And I command you today: Love God, your God. Walk in his ways. Keep his commandments, regulations, and rules so that you will live, really live, live exuberantly, blessed by God, your God, in the land you are about to enter and possess. (Deuteronomy 30:15-16)

Every new day brings the dawn of new choices - no two days are exactly alike in what will come across our paths. We may believe our lives are "boring" and without any real sense of "difference" from day-to-day, but indeed, there are new choices each day. We are faced with choices of life and good or death and evil. Pretty heavy stuff, if you ask me. The evidence is all around us - in what we choose to listen to, allow our eyes to take in, or attend our minds to consider. Each entertained thought, internalized perception of sight, or message heard is an opportunity to bring forth from within those things that will produce life and goodness. Conversely, they also can produce death to our spirit, dryness to our soul, and confusion in our mind - each influencing us to actions that are neither good nor life-giving - we call this evil. So, understanding how we make choices that produce the outcomes that are life-giving and the evidence of goodness within us is essential to learning how to walk a steady path that will keep us from death and evil.

Love God, your God - to really love something or someone, it helps if the object of our love is OURS. When the object of our affection is someone else's, we call the attitude of "loving" that object LUST. God never asks us to "lust" after him. Instead, he places a distinct difference between desiring something we cannot have and enjoying something we are invited to participate in personally. To love God, we first make him our God - we must have personal relationship with him. Then we learn to enjoy the graces of that relationship by frequent and intimate contact with him. Intimacy with God involves transparency of heart, mind and soul - allowing him to touch the very fibers of our being with his refreshing, renewing, and regenerating touch.

Walk in his ways - when we are really in a "love relationship" with another, we don't demand our own way, but are content, and often quite fulfilled, in enjoying the things they enjoy. So it is in our walk with God - we make a committed choice to learn to enjoy what it is he enjoys - those things that will produce life and goodness. Notice that this requirement is for us to take action - "walk" is an action word. We cannot be passive and be "walking". Therefore, to be involved in this love relationship with God, we need to be active in our pursuit of him. 

 
Keep his regulations, rules, and commands - this is really where the rubber meets the road. It is one thing to "fall in love" - it is quite another to "live together in love". When some hear the word "submit", there is an immediate cringing away and self-preserving fear that emerges. Yet, in a love relationship, we often find that one leads, and the other follows in heartfelt devotion and trust. It is not a hard thing when one trusts the other - there is no fear that the other will lead them astray or leave them abandoned. God's plan is that we will neither cringe under his leadership, nor pull away in self-preserving mistrust. His desire is that we learn to live "together" in love.

In turn, we will be blessed. Nothing is more blessed than a true love relationship, complete with its intimate exchange of things hidden from the view of others. We often "say" that we want to live exuberant lives, but do we really? Are we seeking God as our own? Are we still demanding our own way? Are we learning what it takes to live together in relationship with God? If not, then I daresay we are looking for our "exuberance" in ways and places where we will be disappointed with the outcomes. In fact, we might just find that the end result of our searching in those places will lead us into decisions that produce death to our spirit, confusion to minds, and senseless waste of energy in our soul. Love is a learning experience - we don't just "fall in love". There is nothing passive about loving another - it requires our investment. There is nothing more fulfilling than being loved, though. There is nothing more rewarding than returning that love! Love God - YOUR God. Just sayin!

No afternoon athletic contest

God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. (Ephesians 6:10-12 MSG)

No "afternoon athletic contest" for us! We are in a life or death battle - to the finish! That means there must be consistent training and the right "arming" of one's self with all the tools we need to withstand the constant barrage of attacks coming our way. We cannot find those tools simply by being "stationary" and "inactive" in our spiritual lives. The tools we are given to resist attack are "put on" - they become part of our lives by osmosis!

Sunday church goers, you are probably going to get a little offended with me right about now, but don't hate me. There are thousands upon thousands of individuals who proclaim to be Christian. Of these multiple thousands, many will line the pews of their respective neighborhood churches on Sunday mornings, nodding when the pastor makes a "solid point", and even making an occasional "amen" heard. Yet, when they cross the threshold of the church doors back "out into the world" they will remember nothing of the message they heard, nor will it "outfit" their lives with any resources they actually will use. 

Why is this the case for so many who "attend church"? I think it is because we have become a society of "passive followers" of Christ rather than "actively engaged disciples" of Christ. There is a distinct difference between the two, my friends. One might think church attendance is very important, but if it doesn't do more than provide a social outlet for you to reconnect with a couple of friends you love to hang around with, it hasn't really done much of what it was intended to be when we gather together. 

Church isn't the place we go - it is the lives we lead in between the times we warm those pews! It is the way we respond to the driver who is going at snail speed in front of us down a one lane road, or the degree of patience we exhibit toward that child who just doesn't want to pick up his or her room. It more than pointing out a need - it is the way we zero in on a need and find a way to meet it. It is teaching in action - hearing that good message should promote some action within us - not just give us warm fuzzies. 

As we start a new year together, we can determine to become more consistent in not only hearing, but in doing what we are being taught to do. Obedience is action oriented - it isn't optional! Just sayin!

Prep matters

There are two paths before you; you may take only one path. One doorway is narrow. And one door is wide. Go through the narrow door. For the wide door leads to a wide path, and the wide path is broad; the wide, broad path is easy, and the wide, broad, easy path has many, many people on it; but the wide, broad, easy, crowded path leads to death. Now then that narrow door leads to a narrow road that in turn leads to life. It is hard to find that road. Not many people manage it.  (Matthew 7:13-14 VOICE)

Do you know anyone who walks so close to the line that they are actually trying to straddle the line?  I used to jump up on any surface like a curb, short block fence, or even a log across a river just to see if I could make it across without falling off.  It was like being on a balance beam - really requiring focus and attention to where or how you planted your next footstep. I even used to jump up on the beam in gym class because of my fascination with it.  When the "beam" was the curb, I didn't worry about stumbling back down on the side where there was a level surface, but when it bordered a flower bed full of thorny roses, it wasn't so pleasant to lose my balance and fall to that side.  While up on the balance beam, I didn't want to fall because the mats may have blocked a little of the impact, but not all of it.  It usually left a mark!  In life, there are a whole lot of things which are actually like that balance beam - one misstep and you could find yourself totally on the opposite side of the line than you wanted to be on, nursing your wounds, and wondering why you ever chose to follow such a precarious "line" in the first place.

I believe it was one of the boxers or fighters of our time who said something about watching someone trying to walk in a straight line.  He said he would walk in a zig-zag pattern every time just because the other guy was trying to walk a straight line!  At least he was being honest about how he planned on rebelling!  Some of us are just as stubborn - we see the straight line and then we choose to walk everywhere else but according to that line!  Why? We want our own way, or the "challenge" of seeing how close we can stay to the line without actually having to "follow it".  In school, they made us line up before recess or movement between one place to another.  We usually had an order to which this line up was to occur, as well.  It was like having a "system" we followed to ensure "order" while on our way to wherever it was we were going.  One of us would surely get "out of line" on occasion - requiring the teacher to remind us of the importance of keeping our hands to ourselves, not touching something we weren't supposed to be touching, etc.  To me, it was probably more of a challenge to the teacher than to us!

In life, I wonder if God looks at us trying to stay on a straight course and if he ever thinks about how much of a challenge it is to keep us in line?  If I were God (and I am not), I think I would look at some of us and declare it too much effort!  That is probably why I will never be God!  It isn't about straddling the line, being so close we can actually see the perils on the other side, or about what we can or cannot touch while trying to stay in line.  It is about trusting God to get us to our destination along a course he has already designed for us, without us wanting the easiest way possible all the time.  When the teacher would let us just "go", we managed to bowl over each other, knock over a few chairs in the process, and generally leave a mess in our wake.  That is exactly why she made us line up!  She knew the mess which would ensue!  God is ever-mindful of the mess we will make of living life by our own set of rules, so he gives us a few to help us avoid some of those messier moments.

A few months back, my BFF and I were able to escape to the north country of Arizona for a little time away from our daily routine.  We like to hike, but we don't like those crazy hiking paths that are too challenging.  We seek out the easy to moderate paths and follow those. We have taken some more challenging ones in our ventures together, but we don't do it on a routine basis (nor is it usually "on purpose").  One thing we have learned is to do a little study before we go.  We look at the hiking trail maps and posted signs.  We learn "up front" whether it is going to require us to be a little more "fit" than what we actually are!  Not every path, even the well-marked, well-worn ones, is meant to be followed by just anyone who comes along with some sort of whim to follow it.  Some of those paths will require a lot of effort, stamina, and preparation to actually navigate!  When we realize that before we go down that path, it is much better than finding ourselves in need of a rescue somewhere down it!  Just sayin!

An opportunity in our midst

I once heard it said, "Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal".  I think Henry Ford may have been the originator of this quote.  There is some wisdom in this statement as we all seem to lose focus on the mission, if even for a temporary span of time, when we get wrapped up in the obstacles in our midst.  Booker T. Washington said, "Success is to be measured not so much by the position one has reached in life as by the obstacles he has overcome."  An obstacle is anything or anyone that "obstructs" our vision, progress, or stand.  It almost blocks our passage from one point to the other.  If you are like me, these are annoyances which you "deal with" and then move on.  I sometimes "paint myself into a corner", then am left trying to figure a way out.  How about you?  The truth is, there has never been an obstacle (or a corner) which God has not been there with the wisdom to help me through it (or around it).

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.  (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 MSG)

Paul is so awesomely correct in his perception of how we feel and what it is we are perceiving in life when obstacles riddle our pathway - it LOOKS like everything is falling apart on us.  Yet, it is on the inside where we need to keep our focus - not on the external evidences of obstacles!  The inside is where God is at work - where his grace and wisdom give us the ability to overcome the obstacles in our midst (or find a way out of the corner we are in).  Even the ability to see an obstacle is a measure of God's grace.  If you don't believe me, consider just how many times you DIDN'T stub your toe on the dresser instead of the one time you did!

The evidence of obstacles in our lives is not evidence of God's displeasure with us - they are a means of discovering greater depths in his love, protection and grace.  Those very things which seem to be our greatest challenges are really the things which will produce the greatest growth in our lives.  We SEE the obstacle - God sees the opportunity.  I would like to challenge us to begin to equate "obstacle" with the word "opportunity".  When we pair these two together, we might just come to the place of developing a different perspective of the thing which causes us so great a degree of distress.

God's intention is never to allow an obstacle so great HE cannot overcome it in our lives.  I think we get it all wrong when we thing WE have to overcome the obstacles ourselves.  Every obstacle is God's opportunity - it is his chance to connect a little more of his grace with our need.  God sees the obstacle as a temporary "stoppage" - not a full "blockage".  When we get "stopped" in the our path by the obstacle, we are just at a place of inactivity - we cannot move forward as we'd have liked to.  When we are "blocked" from making progress, it is with intent.  When a stop light creates a "stoppage" of traffic, it is to facilitate the safety of those who must turn at a certain intersection, or traverse in the opposite direction of the other traffic.  When a police officer puts up a road-block, it is to keep traffic out because a certain pathway has been declared unsafe for passage.  By the blockage, we are diverted away from hazards unknown.  What appeared as an obstacle actually becomes a means of ensuring our safety down the road.

When we begin to see obstacles, we usually engage in some "self-talk".  We think things like, "Now why did I get myself into this mess?" or "What on earth was I thinking?"  We ask the "why" and "how come" questions a lot.  It is almost like we immediately assume the place of being a "victim" when we are faced with the obstacle.  Why is it in my path right now?  How come I couldn't have avoided this hurdle?  Why is it I always run into this kind of stuff when I try to make any forward progress with God?  And the list goes on.  We need to learn how to "talk to" the obstacles in our midst instead of talking "about" them!  

The truth be told, some obstacles are there by our own doing - others because another places them there.  Those which our own doing often come with other types of "compounding obstacles" such as guilt or shame.  Those which are the doing of another may also have their "compounding obstacles" such as anger or resentment.  It is amazing to me how many times one small obstacle becomes a bigger one just by the "compounding obstacles" we introduce into the mix.  The "shift" in seeing an obstacle as an opportunity may just help us not "add to" the obstacle in our midst by keeping us away from the negative self-talk and the introduction of those compounding obstacles!  Just sayin!

A little "plowing" goes a long way

Most days I am just happy to end the day feeling like my behavior came reasonably close to my beliefs!  I set out with lofty goals, but over the course of the day, I veer a little (and sometimes a lot) from how I hoped to act, wished to respond, or chose to think about a matter.  In the end, I find myself evaluating my actions, seeing those which just did not match my beliefs, and then find myself in dialogue with God (once again) seeking his grace and forgiveness.

Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don't impose it on others. You're fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you're not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you're out of line. If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong.  (Romans 14:22-23 The Message)

I kind of doubt if I am in this situation alone.  Paul admonishes us to spend some time focusing on our own relationship with God.  Why?  As we take our eyes off of what we think OTHERS have done wrong and let them rest rightly on how well we are doing living out our beliefs, we often find we are falling short of our beliefs.  There is a problem with the congruence between the two.  Instead of focusing on those issues of "congruence" in others, we are asked to look at our own. 


Not the most popular message, huh?  Not the most comfortable one either.  The benefits of keeping "right focus" in our lives are really what Paul hand in mind as he admonishes us here.


1.  Keep the focus on God.  There is much to be said about "cultivating" relationship with God, but here are only a few benefits of "cultivation" which come from the perspective of farming land.  First, it keeps down the growth of weeds!  I used to pick the weeds for some elderly ladies in a neighborhood where I lived.  I would arrive in the morning, looking up at hillsides of long natural grasses and dandelions springing up through the ice-plant which acted as the erosion barrier on the hillside behind their homes.  By midday, when I'd take in lunch, I'd sit and admire the half-day's accomplishment of half a hillside plucked free of weeds.  What a pretty sight it was.  Jesus taught a parable about the wheat and the tares (weeds).  Over the course of time, when the weeds were not plucked up, they overtook the wheat and stunted the growth of the good stuff.  The same thing happens in us.  Second, it loosens the soil so things can actually soak in.  God knows we need a little "loosening up" of the soil of our hearts.  Things just don't soak in very well when we are so hard-hearted, huh?  Last, the soil which is cultivated allows the entry of the seed.  The work of breaking up the soil is important to its receptivity of the seed.  As I plucked up the weeds, the soil was being loosened around the ice-plant vines.  They were now free to spread and fill in.  They were what provided protection from the erosion of the late summer rains which could otherwise bring a devastating mudslide to these hillsides.  The same holds true with our hearts.


2.  Keep the focus on being consistent in our own behavior, not on the inconsistencies in another's.  It is the concept Jesus taught about trying to focus on the splinter in the other guy's eye when we have a log in our own.  We try so hard to take the focus off us, but it is hard to "look around" the log, isn't it?  When there is a consistency between behavior and belief, we find the splinter becomes less significant - maybe because it is taking all our attention to just allow God to deal with the log we are carrying around!  Nothing speaks more clearly about God's grace than another seeing God's action in our lives to change the things in us which are inconsistent with our proclaimed beliefs.  Actions do indeed speak louder than any words!


3.  Model what we believe.  Much more is impacted by what we model than in what we say.  This is the toughest lesson to learn, though.  When we have mastered this one, we talk less and walk more!


Just some ideas for developing "congruence" today.  The starting point is in the cultivating of the "right stuff".  Once the cultivating is underway, the other stuff begins to fall into place.  Have a great day allowing the Holy Spirit to "plow" the fields of your heart, mind and spirit!  

Hey, you limping?

If you have ever engaged in the pastime of people-watching, you soon realize there are many "styles" of walking.   Some take slow, meandering steps, not appearing to have a care in the world.  Others walk at an "all-out" pace you'd imagine a marathon runner to require.  Still others seem to "strut there stuff" as they swagger along.  As any physical therapist will tell you, your "gait" tells a whole lot about what is going on in a person's entire body.  For example, if you shuffle a lot when you walk, it could be an indication of a lack of muscle strength, or perhaps a neurological deficit which is keeping the person from performing the normal "heel-strike" type gait.  The therapist observes for limps - knowing a limp on one side of the body affects so much on the other - called an antalgic gait (you are protecting one side with the work of the other).  A waddling or duck-like gait might cue the therapist to consider the effects of muscular dystrophy.  Amazing isn't it - one simple action telling so much detail!

Fools on the road have no sense of direction.  The way they walk tells the story:  "There goes the fool again!"  (Ecclesiastes 10:3 The Message)

Did you ever consider the "fool" as having a particular "walk"?  Even their "steps" manage to display so much about them!  Their "gait" is one without direction - they may start out well, but soon veer off course and across rough terrain in no time.  Guess what?  We all have a "gait" in a spiritual sense - a walk of sorts which reveals much about us.

A sense of direction is something many just seem to be "gifted" to have, huh?  It is like they possess some kind of "radar" which gets them anywhere, in the shortest distance possible, without having to stop to ask directions. When it comes to "spiritual radar", these kind of people seem to walk without any real sense of trouble, lack of faith, or seeming effort in obedience.  They make most of us quite "jealous" in a kind of "spiritual" sense of jealousy (if there was one).

What is it about some folks - they just KNOW where to go, what to do, who will be their support, etc.?  It is like they have an "insiders" track on life.  No wonder we have a tendency to envy their seeming "ease" at walking out this Christian experience.  If you know me well enough, you realize I suffer from serious osteo-arthritis in my right knee.  On a good day, I can "clean up" my gait, walking with only a slight limp - almost able to fool anyone into thinking I've got this pain mastered.  On most days, my limp is obvious to even the blind!  My gait betrays the pain I experience with each step!

Believe it or not, our walk betrays much about what is really on the inside of each of us - the condition of our heart, our minds, and our emotions.  On a good day, we can seemingly walk without much effort - "Limp Free".  On most days, our "limp" is pretty evident, isn't it?  The truth is, I can do a whole lot to "try" to convince myself, and others, that I am not in pain.  As much as I try, the truth betrays itself in my "walk".  The same is true in our spiritual lives, my friends.  Our walk betrays the condition of our heart, mind, and emotions!

I have learned to be an observer of the "walk" of others - simply because it tells me so much about the other person.  Some say the eyes are the window to the soul.  I'd have to say your walk is the true "betrayer" of what is really going on inside!  It is hard to mask an "imperfect" gait in the physical sense - it is even harder to do it in a spiritual one!

So, I wonder if you've ever considered what your "spiritual gait" says about the condition of your spiritual life.  It may be filled with all kinds of "halting" steps - spurts and starts, but just kind of spastic in nature.  That's okay!  God can work with it!  It could be like the shuffling feet of one suffering from a neuroligical deficit such as Parkinson's.  Why do we shuffle?  It may be because we are just not "sure" of our step any longer and need to stay as close to "grounded" as we can in our uncertainty.  We haven't learned to trust God enough to take the bigger, wider steps which resemble a steady and sure walk.

Regardless of our "spiritual gait" - God can work with it!  The fact is - we are walking!  It is the fool who never realizes the inefficiencies of his gait!  It is truly a wise one who realizes the "faltering" of their steps and turns to the one who can help!

One, two, three...poof!

Let the fast-talking tricksters be exposed as frauds; they tried to sell me a bill of goods, but I kept my mind fixed on your counsel. 
   Let those who fear you turn to me for evidence of your wise guidance. 
   And let me live whole and holy, soul and body, so I can always walk with my head held high.

(Psalm 119:78-80 The Message)

David is setting out a prayer to God in our passage this morning.  It is composed of three parts:  1) How he wants God to deal with those who stand against him; 2) How he hopes God will use him in the lives of others; and 3) How he expects to live with God's help.  


First, let's look at David's prayer about his enemies - - fast-talking tricksters who tried to sell him a bill of goods.  When we are encountered by someone "selling a bill of goods" we usually see that we have two choices: accept what they say at face-value, or reject it at face-value.  We really have a third choice: investigate it for truth rather than trusting the face-value.  When someone is trying to sell you a bill of goods, they are attempting to have you accept something that is untrue or is of little value to you.  David says his life has been exposed to this kind of "trickery" and he now wants God to expose the lack of truth in the bill of goods these enemies have been trying to pass of as true.


We often are exposed to these kinds of "schemes".  Just think back to the last set of TV commercials or printed advertisements you encountered.  The wallet that you can drive over with a car and it opens gracefully without a scratch or dent in its frame.  The immediate release of stains with a generous application of this magic cleaner.  A promise of teeth bright enough to signal men in outer space with the simple application of a tiny strip.  The list could go on and on.  You get my point.  I have tried to open the wallet straight out of its packaging and found it more than difficult even BEFORE you run over it with a truck!  The stains just don't come out in one easy swish of the shirt in the magic cleaner!  The white teeth don't even seem to turn the head of the puppy in the window, let alone the men in my life!

The fast-talking tricksters WILL be exposed - - their trickery is God's business to expose, not ours.  We "deal" with their trickery by having an accurate "test" whereby to "filter" their claims - - the counsel of God.

Second, David has a deep hope that God will use his life to touch the lives of others.  He has a desire to be a living "testimony" of what God does when he has complete access to a life.  David starts with a prayer for God to deal with those who have no evidence of truth in their lives, then he turns to himself.  He knows that God has been working to create evidence of truth deep within his frame.  In turn, he asks God to use that evidence to give both assurance and hope to those who will turn to him in search of the reality they cannot find elsewhere.  He is asking God to make his life an open declaration of all that God has been doing within.  

This is a pretty brave request on his part - - expose the work you are doing in me.  I don't know about you, but anytime I get to the part where I think God might just expose what has been going on in my life, I get a little nervous!  Why is that?  I think it might be the fact we are not always comfortable with others knowing our struggles.  If others see that we struggle, they see us as human - - this is the basis of David's prayer.  He wants others to see the reality of what God can do when a heart is yielded to his care.  There is nothing shameful in exposure - - when God does the work of exposing!

Last, David prays for himself.  This is not a selfish prayer in any respect.  He is asking God to "cement" the work he has been doing so that he need not be ashamed of his behavior.  When David asks God to let him live whole and holy, soul and body, so he can always walk with his head held high, he is beginning the process of yielding.  He is willing to submit mind, will, emotions, and spirit to the care of God - - giving up the need to be in control of self.  This is a prayer God delights in answering.  In fact, when we see this prayer coupled with the other two, we understand the importance.  In asking God to make his testimony strong and his ability to stand as evidence of truth in the midst of much untruth.

I don't know if you are dealing with fast-talking tricksters today, but if you find that your path is riddled with their schemes, take them to God.  He has both the "filter" by which you can evaluate their claims and the ability to silence them with evidence beyond argument!  If you have been struggling with something you just don't think God will ever use, don't be surprised when God urges you to allow him to make it a testimony of his power and grace.  When he urges, he also empowers.  Walking with head held high is God's greatest honor - - when he sees us yielded, engaged in this walk we call Christianity, he is honored greatly.

Aching Muscles

Listen, friends, to some fatherly advice; sit up & take notice so you'll know how to live.  I'm giving you good counsel; don't let it go in one ear and out the other. 

(Proverbs 4:1-2)

Mom used to use this phrase quite often when she'd remind me of the importance of "paying attention".  She'd remind me that what I was hearing should not "go in one ear and out the other" because she hoped I'd embrace what she advised.  Wisdom comes through a process of learning and good judgment is something that must be developed.  We'd like both to be "instant", but they only come in the process of time.  They are a result of exposure to learning opportunities and time investment.

Ever see someone limping around after they have done some type of activity that they are not "used to doing"?  It is like when I spend a day out in the garden, then feel it in every bone and muscle the next day.  I try to bound out of bed, but instead of "bounding" I find myself creeping slowly to an erect position, regretting each movement because of the pain.  Why do I feel the pain?  Simply because I don't use those muscles often enough!

The same is true in the development of wisdom and good judgment - they are spiritual, emotional, and intellectual muscles that must be used over and over again to not get "flabby" and out of shape.  We can lose what we don't use.  This chapter reminds us to guard our heart above all else - because it affects every choice we make.  Our emotions affect our choices - so we must be on top of our emotions.  Our intellect gives us the basis for choice - we choose what we believe will make the most sense.  Our spirit guides our choice - acting as a governor over choice when neither intellectual insight not emotional pull can be trusted.  If not maintained, these "muscles" of wisdom and good judgment will cause us to live a pretty "halting" walk.

Later in this chapter, Solomon shares two truths that we need to consider:  1) There is no sense in living in the past; and 2) There are more than ample opportunities that present themselves as distracting forces in our lives.  First, the past is just that - it is not the present.  Too many times, we attempt to revisit the past, finding nothing more than disappointment in the process.  The past is simply not what we are to be focusing on - it is the present that has the power to affect our wisdom and good judgment the most.  The past served a purpose - learn from it and then move on.  Don't dwell on it; it will hold you back if you do.  Second, it is easy to get side-tracked.  There are more than ample warnings in scripture about focus - that which is repeated is something that we had better take notice of.

We can be assured of this one fact:  God knows our heart very well.  When he speaks words of wisdom and works on developing good judgment within us, he is doing so with the knowledge of how our heart works (what it responds to, what moves it the most).  His call to us is this:  "Don't let it go in one ear, and  out the other!"  

On Tiny Touch

Unless a person submits to this original creation—the 'wind-hovering-over-the-water' creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it's not possible to enter God's kingdom. When you look at a baby, it's just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can't see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit.

(John 3:4-6)

A touch is the means by which we perceive through the tactile sense God has created within us.  Through a touch, we feel with the intention of understanding or appreciating that which we are in contact with.  Much is conveyed in a touch - Jesus reminds us that unless we submit to the touch of God on our lives, we are not able to enter into the Kingdom of God.  The invisible spirit of man - that which only God can touch within us - must be touched by the hand of the Almighty God.

God's touch is not a one time event in our lives - his hand passes over us time and time again - in order that we might get a sensation of that which is touching us.  It is the desire of God to impart the holiness, joy, peace, power, etc., of all that he is - through his touch.  As a blind man might lightly touch the face of another - tracing the outline of the features in order to determine their identity - God touches us.  He looks for the identity of Christ to be replicated in us.  Where he discovers that identity in us, he takes delight.

It is that touch that gives us both the awareness of who we are in contact with and the ability to sense his character.  Yet, much more is conveyed in the touch of God on our spirit.  God brings assurance through is touch - a sense of safety, a sense of being sure or certain.  His touch becomes the strength we need for the tasks at hand.  At times, it is the very consolation we need when trouble or worry is at hand.  

His touch also serves to help us identify what is ahead for us.  Just as blind man might grope around in the darkness of his condition, we grope around, reaching out to identify where we are in life.  God is right there, revealing the obstacles that lay in our path, so that we might steer clear of them.  In turn, his touch aids us each and every time to find our way through some pretty challenging stuff.

Nothing affects our spirit more than the touch of a holy God.  His touch gets our attention - focusing us anew like nothing else can.  Through his touch, we are brought to a place of alertness - heightened in our interest.  That very touch brings us to a place of readiness - much like the tap on a shoulder might alert one nearby that their attention is needed.  We often miss what is right in front of us - simply because our attention has drifted.  His touch helps us to take notice and to turn the powers of perception toward that which we need so desperately to comprehend.

Nothing pleases God more than to see a stirring in response to his touch.  His awakening touch is meant to arouse us - to make us active again where we have allowed inactivity to lull us into complacency.  His touch, just like that of a friend who gently shakes you from slumber, is able to disturb the quiet of the moment just enough to bring us to a change in our position.  When God stirs us with his touch, it is to bring about a change in position - to arouse us to activity.

We must never grow weary with being touched by God - his touch moves us and directs us so that we will make progress toward the goal he has for our lives.  It is his touch that helps us keep a steady pace - making forward progress spiritually.  It is through a touch that we budge from our fixed, stubborn position of "safety" and "security" - we call that complacency.  The next time God moves across your life, stirring your emotions, bringing your feelings to attention - respond to him with the passion of your heart.  

His touch - sensing the temperature of our lives - determines if we are hot or cold, alive or dead, in a state of rigor or pliable in his hands.  There is the promise of much joy and satisfaction conveyed in his touch.  Have you been touched by God today?

Impress, Tie, Bind, Write

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ⁵ Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

(Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

We hear the phrase, "Be a doer of the Word."  Do we really understand what this means?  Putting the Word of God into action in our lives is really more demanding than we often imagine.  Learning the Word of God is one thing, actually doing what it says is quite another.  

Our passage today begins with a reminder about the the God we serve.  He is Jehovah (LORD) - the one who is unchangeable in his promises, righteous inside and out, the God of divine compassion who places man under a moral obligation to be righteous, too.  So, how do we get to the place that God looks at us as righteous?  It begins with our belief in the finished work of the Cross of Christ - the blood shed as a substitutionary sacrifice for us, making atonement for our sins.  Over the course of the rest of our lives, we move from the place of being "saved" into a continual walk of having that righteousness that was imputed to us at the point of salvation worked out in our daily choices.

Imputed really means to be counted as bringing our account into full payment - in other words, no debt is owing for our sins any longer as that debt was completely paid in full by Christ.  God tells the nation of Israel (and us) some interesting things about how this daily walk progresses.  First, he tells us to love the Lord our God with all our hearts.  This type of love is a devotion that is based on a kinship experience - there are strong personal ties to the one we are loving.  God brings us from a place of alienation into a place of closeness - in turn, we are adopted into his family, experiencing all the privileges of "kin". We are to cherish God - experiencing a repeatedly expanding desire for our God.

We are to love him with our whole heart - our whole personality, including our intellect and emotions.  We need to stop here and remember that love is more than a state of mind - there is a ton of emotional investment behind it.  It may begin with emotion, get stalled a while until the mind catches up, then get reignited again with emotion.  The important thing is that it is growing and that it involves our whole being - every part of our character, feelings, inclinations involved in the pursuit of God.

To the heart, he adds that we are to love him with our entire soul.  The soul is that which animates us - it makes us different from every other creature roaming this earth.  It is our moral and emotional nature - that which gives us that sense of conscience.  Love that is animated is indeed evident to all who look upon it.  There is an evidence of that love manifest.

If that is not enough, God asks us to love him with all our strength - with our total capacity.  Nothing held back!  There is to be an intensity, a potency, and a power in our daily walk with God.  When we go through "dry seasons" when this is missing from our walk, we wonder if we are really still "connected" with our God.  We feel "dry" - vitality is missing in our spiritual walk.  The reason God ask for us to give our total capacity is that he wants us to be filled to capacity - with his love, grace, peace, truth, etc.  When we hold nothing back, he is free to hold nothing back in filling us with these good things.

The instruction goes on to say that we are to impress them upon, tie them, bind them, and write them.  God wants his Word to be in constant contact with our innermost character, affecting every inclination we have.  His words gives support to every choice we make.  The Word is designed to influence us, but it is also meant to transfer or transmit to us that which will mark us as Christ's.  When we tie the Word to our hands, we are using the Word as a restraining power, or an influence, that affects everything we set our hands to do.  The Word is a symbol (a visible sign) that is manifest through the hands.  

Binding the Word to our foreheads can be likened to causing our thoughts to be confined to, restrained or restricted to that which is honoring, worthy, and holy.  This will make our minds firm and settled - experiencing peace in our thought life.  The Word of God is to be written ALL OVER our lives - in our speech, our actions, every impulse we respond to.  It affects our entire being, directing our entire course of action.  In turn, we become a channel for the life flow of God.