Got Time?

"I don't know if I'll have time to accomplish my goals."  "I'm too old to get involved in ministry."  "I just don't know how God will accomplish anything with me."  These are statements I have heard over my time in ministry.  These are also statements I have made during my time in ministry as well.

The counsel I would give others was "God is the one with the plan for you. He has promised that He WILL complete His plans for you."  While that sounds good, I struggled with stressing about God's plans for my own life.  What if I died before He completed His plans for me?  What if I missed the opportunity for God to make His plans for me to come to fruition?  What if....?

The lesson has been extremely difficult for me to learn because I have the tendency to think, rethink, overthink, and stress from overthinking.  Mainly it's a trust issue that I have struggled with.  But truth be told, God is the one with the plans for me.  God is the one who PROMISED that He WILL complete His plans for me.  God has NEVER broken a single promise yet, and won't start with me.  The enemy, however, likes to whisper doubts in order to get us to distrust God.  When doubts come to mind, I am learning to stop right then and there, and pray asking God to renew my trust in Him and His plans for me. It's an ongoing challenge, but God's the one with the plan and my time on this Earth to accomplish it.

Going Against The Grain

Have you ever considered that Jesus' teachings seem to be the exact opposite of our "natural reactions"?  

Think about this:
When someone hurts us, we get angry!  Jesus tells us that our anger is just like murder (Matthew 5:21-26).

We see someone whom we find desirable and our thoughts are not pure, but we justify it by believing "they're just thoughts."  Jesus tells us that our thoughts are the beginning of sin (Matthew 5:27-30).

We have become a litigious society, ready to sue at the blink of an eye.  Jesus tells us we should make peace (Matthew 5:38-42).

We believe we should hate our enemies.  Jesus tells us to LOVE our enemies, not only that but we are to pray FOR them (Matthew 5:43-48)

Jesus has a habit of reminding us that our thoughts, words and actions are our deliberate decision, and, therefore, we must DECIDE to do good to others...just like we want others to do good for us.

Abba,
Thank You for Your Son and for the teachings He shared with us as a reminder of how we are to act toward each other.  Fill us with Your love to the point we cannot help but love each other!

The Courage to Pray for Dragons

But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 

Luke 6:27-28 

 

One of my favorite books is "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien.  Perhaps you've read it.  One of the most interesting characters in this tale, for me, is Smaug the Dragon.  Greedy, evil, laughed about hurting others, very self-serving.  Believe it or not, each of us have Smaugs in our lives, those who want your demise (personally, professionally, relationally).  These people want to promote themselves by tearing you down.  

 

Know a Smaug in your life?  What is our reaction when our dragon(s) cause us pain and suffering?  Anger, frustration, thoughts of revenge are our natural responses to the pain caused by our Smaugs.  Sometimes we even try to involve God in our desire for retaliation and revenge, praying that God would do to them what they did to us (only worse).

 

Yet Jesus teaches a different approach.  Not only did Jesus tell us to treat others in the same way we would like to be treated by them, He also teaches that we should pray FOR them, do good FOR them, LOVE them.  All of which go against our natural responses.  We have to DECIDE to follow Jesus' teachings!  

 

And here's the kicker, praying for them, doing good for them, loving them...it's not FOR them!  It's for US!  When we change our perspective, God will change our hearts.  Jesus never said it would be easy...He said it's the right thing to do.

Unbeatable!

The light shines in the darkness,
    and the darkness can never extinguish it.

John 1:5 

 

 

How would you feel if your darkest thoughts, motives, actions, and intentions were suddenly brought out for all to see?  I can only speak for myself, but I would most definitely be ashamed.  Why? Because I don't want to admit that I have anything to do with darkness.  Yet, truth be told, I do...as do we all.  We like the dark because we think we can hide, but God sees everything because darkness cannot hide anything from His Light!

 

Now, think about this, Jesus is the Light of the World. In Him, there is NO darkness.  As a matter of fact, Jesus saw our darkest thoughts and died for us so that we could be forgiven for all our darkness.  God knows every thought and intention we have and loves us anyway.

 

I ask that you would pray with me:

 

Abba,

 

Thank You for loving me in spite of myself.  Thank You for knowing me better than I could ever know myself.  When I am tempted to try to hide in the darkness, remind me that You see through all my intentions, thoughts, actions, motives, and acts.  In reminding me, also remind me that You have told us that we are to bring all our burdens to You that You can handle them.  Forgive my darkness and fill me with Your love and light.  

Be Someone's Bright Spot

So let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault.

Romans 14:19 

 

Have you read the news lately?  It's so negative!  Every once in a while there's a positive story.  With all the focus on the negativity around us, is it any wonder why there are so many medications for stress, anxiety and depression?  And these medications are a multi-billion dollar a year business!

 

Ever been around someone who could only see the negative?  No matter how many positive and good things you did, they could only seem to focus on the negative.  How about the person who could only see the negative no matter how much you complimented and thanked them for their positive contribution?  Are we truly so geared toward negativity that we cannot appreciate positivity? Negativity is how we are taught to engage the world around us, but didn't Jesus say He had come to overcome the world?

 

Guess what?  WE can be the Bright Spot in the lives of others.  How? By doing exactly what Jesus taught us to do....love each other in the same way we want to be loved; encourage others in the same way we want to be encouraged; appreciate others in the same way we want to be appreciated.  Tell you what, I'm issuing a challenge to you this very day, BE someone's Bright Spot three times today....and again tomorrow (3 different people)....and the day after!

 

Be polite to the cashier, thank them.  Be courteous to the server, perhaps include a note of thanks on your receipt and be generous with gratuity.  Share a note of appreciation with a coworker.  Hug your friend and thank them for being part of your life.  Be creative!  Let's face it, what positive change can happen if it doesn't begin with us?

Acceptance

"Accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory."

Romans 15:7 

 

We have difficulty with acceptance...or is it just me?  We hear a LOT about acceptance, but do we truly understand acceptance?  You see, when Christ accepted us, He didn't necessarily agree with our motives, thoughts, acts, or decisions.  In fact, the reason Christ died for us is so we will be forgiven of all those.  

 

When we accept someone, that doesn't mean we will agree with them.  It means, like Christ, we are to welcome them AS THEY ARE.  We are to live in such a way that they will see Christ through us.  

 

Think about this...did Jesus wander about the countryside beating people over the head and telling them how WRONG they were and how they had to change NOW or else?  Not from what I've read.  I've said it before and I'm saying it again: Jesus met people where they were, accepted them AS they were, talked with them in ways THEY could understand, and loved them so much they were changed!  That's true ACCEPTANCE!

Always Know Where Your Towel Is

"So be strong and courageous,
    all you who put your hope in the Lord!"

Psalm 31:24 

 

Okay.....you're about to find out what a nerdy guy I am.  One of my favorite books and movies is "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."  One of the more interesting aspects is the concept of ALWAYS know where your towel is.  You see, the towel happens to be quite the multi-functional item....with it you can wipe the sweat from your face, it can be used as a weapon, it can be used as a signaling device, it can be used as a protection device, it can be used to distract the cat...the uses are seemingly endless.

 

Now let me ask you a question: Have you ever wanted to throw in the towel?  Have you ever experienced situations that seemed SO overwhelming that you really wanted to just hand your towel back to God and tell Him: "Thanks for the experiences, but I'm done!" Have you ever experienced your dreams being crushed that you felt your heart break within you?  I have.  And I've wanted to just sit down on the curb, throw in the towel, and be done with it all.

 

Guess what?  We're not alone in feeling like this!  David, the beloved of God, felt like this when, after he had sinned by seducing Bathsheba, then having her husband killed so David could marry her (because she was pregnant).  Nathan cam to David and confronted him about the matter, David was ready to give up figuring there was no way he could ever bounce back from that.  THEN God told David that his son Solomon would be building the Temple instead of David.  Throw in the towel?

 

What about Peter?  Who swore that he would stand with Jesus no matter what, then denied Him three times.  He wept bitterly and was ready to throw in the towel as well.

 

But here's where it's important to know where your towel is: God told David that, even though he would not be building the Temple, he could help Solomon.  Jesus told Peter that "upon THIS rock, I will build MY church!"  Never throw in your towel!  Use it to dry your tears, wipe the sweat from your brow, and Carry On!!!

Glow!

"Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." 

- Matthew 5:14-16

In case you have ever wondered why we have toes, here's the answer: to locate furniture in a dark room. This discovery is usually followed by lots of loud words directed at the piece of furniture that we are convinced has become a living thing and intentionally moved in front of us in the dark.

We have switches in rooms for a reason...to light up the room so the pathways are seen and the furniture cannot attack us in the dark. Let's face is, you just can't hide a light with darkness. Light reveals, darkness covers.

Jesus tells us that WE, as believers, are the light of the world. WE reflect the light of God in this world. And guess what, light attracts. We have examples of this reflection in our lives. People who glow with God's light, there's just something about them that draws us to them because they radiate God's love and compassion.

How about you? How's your glow?

Fingerprint

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:8-10

 Think About That!

Explore!

Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

Galatians 6:4-5 

 

It's no secret that God loves everyone....yes EVERYONE.  "But what about Charles Manson?  What about Adolf Hitler?  What about people who murder?  But what about....?"  God loves EVERYONE!  Why?  Because God IS Love!  It's who He is.  The simple fact that people choose not to accept His love does not change who He is.

 

Because God loves us so much, He has given us gifts that we need to discover and use for His glory.  When did you discover that you could empathize with those who were hurting?  When did you realize that you actually could relate to the lonely?  What about caring for the heartbroken?  When did you understand those who were broken?  God brings people into our lives that need His love and He uses us to provide that love.

 

Sometimes we have to take time and search deep within ourselves to realize who God has given us a compassion for.  Most of the time, we don't consciously realize that God has called us to minister to a specific group until we look back and find our hearts are full of God's love for them.

 

Think about that. 

Gear Up!

Finally, all of you should be of one mind.
Sympathize with each other.
Love each other as brothers and sisters.
Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.
~ 1 Peter 3:8

Think about how machines work. Gears turn which turn other gears and the machines perform their tasks. But what would happen if one of the gears decided to turn the opposite direction? Chaos would ensue and lots of very costly repairs.

Now thing about how we, as professing Christians, are instructed to act. We are to be of one mind thereby fulfilling the singular purpose of caring for others. Hmmm....sounds wonderfully easy. But what happens when one of us decides that we're tired of caring for others and we want others to care for us? Can you hear the gears grinding?

When we are fulfilling the singular purpose, our goal is achievable. Each of us are specialized gears, uniquely developed and created to help fulfill God's purpose. Let us be about the Father's purpose!

Good Morning

Today is one of those days. No, not one of "those" days. It is one of THOSE days. One of those days where I am excited to be alive. One of those days that I got up with the alarm instead of 4 hours ahead of the alarm.

 Believe it or not, this is a brand new day...never been lived in before and will never be lived in again. Yesterday is history, today is being written. Today I am as young as I will ever be again. Today, is NEW!

Are you ready for it? Are you ready to see what God has in store for you?


"Look at the new thing I am going to do.
It is already happening. Don’t you see it?
I will make a road in the desert
and rivers in the dry land." - Isaiah 43:19

Weight Lifting

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

 

One piece of counsel I give to Sheriff's Department New Hires is simple yet very visual and practical: "Every time you feel stressed, anxious, upset, or angry take a piece of gravel and put it in your cargo pocket."  Why does this work?  Because when we add just a few ounces of extra burden to our lives, we don't really notice any difference at first. We figure we can handle the extra burden, so we ignore it and keep moving.  However, over time the burden becomes heavy enough that we notice and we become irritated by the extra burden.  The final step comes when the extra burden becomes heavy enough to make functioning a real effort.  This is when I usually get a "I hate you" phone call.  Then the counsel becomes, "When your burden becomes heavy enough for you to notice, it's past time to deal with it."  Which opens the door for a conversation about letting go of the burdens we cannot change.

 

Not everything we encounter is under our control!  These are the situations where we must realize that HOW we respond to these situations that determines whether or not we will carry that burden or not.

 

Jesus tells us that we need to come to Him.  When we come to Him, we give Him ALL of our burdens, concerns, disappointments, frustrations, anxieties, stresses and LEAVE them all with Him to deal with.  When we are able to do that, our lives will become MUCH brighter and lighter!

Unworthy to Pray?

The tax collector, however, stood far off and would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful to me, sinner that I am!’

Luke 18:13 

 

I have a confession to make....there are times (most of them) when I feel completely unworthy to pray.  That might sound odd, because conversations with God should flow freely.  Yet when I think about all the things I have thought, said, the way I've acted when I was irritated, the things I have wished on others because they hurt me, I feel so ashamed!  After all, as horrible as I can be, and am, who am I to consider myself worthy to talk with God?

 

In today's verse, the word translated as "sinner" quite literally means "the worst of the worst."  This tax collector begged God for mercy because of all the evil in his life.  He felt unworthy!

 

Just when I was beginning to feel hopeless, God pointed me to a quote by Martin Luther: "Prayer must not be based on, or depend on, your personal worthiness or the quality of the prayer itself; rather, it MUST BE based on the unchanging truth of God's promise.  We pray BECAUSE we are unworthy to pray. Our prayers are heard precisely because we believe that we are unworthy.  We BECOME worthy to pray when we RISK EVERYTHING on God's faithfulness alone."

 

When I read this, prayer made so much more sense!  If I waited until I "felt" worthy, there would never be a prayer I could utter.  But because of God's love, mercy, grace, and truth, He not only hears, He listens and He answers! 

Choose Well!!

Then Joshua said to the people, “Now respect the Lord and serve him fully and sincerely. Throw away the gods that your ancestors worshiped on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord. But if you don’t want to serve the Lord, you must choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. You may serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River, or you may serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land. As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:14-15 

 

Every morning when we wake up, we have choices to make.  What shall we have for breakfast or should we have breakfast at all?  Should we workout in the morning or evening?  Should we eat those dozen donuts or go for something healthier?  Is today going to be a good day or will it be one where I am grouchy and unapproachable?

 

We make choices!  We must learn to actually make CONSCIOUS choices rather than revert to our automatic responses!  God gave us the gift of a mind, and He expects us to use it wisely.  So....who will you choose today? 

Brief

Teach us how short our lives really are
    so that we may be wise.

Psalm 90:12 

 

Think about this: You have never lived longer than you have right this moment.  It's true.  Now, consider this: What have we done with our previous moments that will leave a lasting mark on this world?  True, there will be few who will warrant a statue or plaque on a building. But I'm not talking about grand gestures for the masses to see.  If you want to make an indelible mark on the generations coming after us, it's best to make it a positive one.

 

We already know that our time on this Earth is brief, so why not make the most of our time here by doing something worthwhile?  You know the people I remember most? The ones who took the time to encourage me, reminding me that I have value, and have something worthwhile to offer this world.  

 

We will only die once, but we get to choose every moment of every day whether we will merely exist and take up space, or live and leave a positive mark. 

Where Are You Looking?

Come, my children, and listen to me,
    and I will teach you to revere the Lord.

Psalm 34:11 

 

We have this habit of turning our eyes toward ourselves, don't we?  When we are struggling, what do we do? We start wondering why God would let us struggle.  When we have doubts, we wonder if God is punishing us or does He even care.  When we are discouraged and discontented, we wonder why God doesn't just fix everything for us.  When we focus on ourselves, it's as if we have crawled into a dark, dismal, damp, disillusioning cave.

Listen, ANYONE who has told you that being a Christian is about going from one silver lined cloud to another, and that the Christian life is one of ease and struggle free....has LIED to you!  "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all" Psalm 34:19.  When we try to live the Christian life, our enemy will throw all kinds of stumbling blocks in our way. 

 

In Psalm 34, David reminds us where we should be focusing.   

 

To the discouraged, David writes: "Glorify the Lord with me, let us praise His name together" Psalm 34:3.

 

To the distraught, David writes: "I asked the Lord for help and He answered me, and saved me from all my fears" Psalm 34:4.

 

To the distressed, David writes: "O taste and SEE that the Lord is good; how blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him" Psalm 34:8

 

To the overwhelmed, David writes: "You who belong to the Lord, revere Him; for those who revere Him there is no want" Psalm 34:9

 

To those who doubt, David writes: "Even young lions get weak and hungry; but the ones who rely on the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing" Psalm 34:10

 

When we find ourselves in the dark and dismal emotional cave, look up and see that Jesus is right there with His hands ready to life you up.

 

In The Silence...

Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

Luke 1:19-20

 

Why are we so uncomfortable with silence?  We even refer to it as "an awkward silence."  We even go so far as to ask others, "Why are you so quiet?"  I read today's passage during Christmas, and it struck me that it is in the silence that God speaks to us.  Zechariah had been told by Gabriel that he and his bride, Elizabeth, were going to have a son.  Zechariah began with the arguments: "We're old, how can this be?" (Remember Abraham and Sarah?),

"Elizabeth is barren" (Remember Abraham and Sarah had the same 'issue'?).  In response, Gabriel reminds Zechariah that God is the one who will make this happen.  Then Zechariah is told that he will be silent AND unable to speak until his child is born.

 

To be honest, I spend a lot of time being quiet.  Honestly, I have no idea how it would feel to be unable to speak and unable to hear.  But I do know that, in order to really hear what God is telling us, we must be quiet!  How can we listen if we talk over others?  How can we hear if everyone's talking all the time?

 

When Jesus prayed, He would go off alone to a quiet place.  You see, it is in the quiet of our minds and our hearts that God speaks.  Yet it seems as though we have forgotten how to be quiet enough to listen.  And that is when God will sometimes put us in a situation where we MUST be quiet...as He did with Zechariah.