"Run AWAY!"

My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help.
    This I know: God is on my side!

Psalm 56:9 

 

When I saw this verse, it quite literally sent shivers down my spine because of the truth of the matter.  "Let me preach on it": think about this, who can possibly stand against God with any hope of victory?  That's right...NO ONE!  Our enemy will hit us with sneak attacks, but when the Light of God shines on his attacks, suddenly the enemy is gone!

 

You see, it is important for us to pray often and pray intentionally (and specifically).  Because when we have such a genuine and honest conversation with God, amazing things happen.  If I might be honest, I had a broken relationship with someone I had thought of as one of my best friends.  We had a series of disagreements, some rather heated, and that relationship seemed to have died.  Finally, I began to talk with God about the situation.  The first thing God reminded me was that I needed to humble myself and apologize (yes, even if I didn't believe it was my fault).  That took some internal battling against my own pride, but finally the apology was made.  Next God reminded me that I needed to be supportive of them, even if they weren't supportive of me (again with the "humble yourself" theme).

 

All told, every time the enemy sparked my pride by telling me that THEY should be humbling themselves to ME, God would remind me that that's like me drinking poison and expecting them to die.  If I wanted the relationship to work, then it was up to me to humble myself.  Was this an easy process?  NOT BY A LONG SHOT!!    Did I learn from the process? ABSOLUTELY! Let me say this, climbing up on my high horse and expecting others to come groveling to me has NEVER been successful!   But when I call on God to help me, the enemy runs away and God reminds me that He is for me!

Shine On!

¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16

 

  When I read this passage as a young(er) person, my first thought was, and I kid you not, "What kind of idiot would WANT to put a lamp under a basket?".  Later on, when I had more sense and learning stuffed into my brain, I realized that Jesus is not teaching us about fire safety, but about how we should live.

 In verse 14, Jesus calls us "the light of the world" because, as believers, we should be as different as light and dark. And just as you cannot hide a city on a hill, our "differentness" also cannot be hidden.  Let's face it, if we hide our "light" how will anyone know that we are different.

I really must bring out a couple of thoughts to be pondered:

FIRST, the lamp never has to make a sound to draw attention to itself.  It doesn't have to announce itself.

SECOND, the lamp simply serves others by being different than the darkness.

THIRD, others notice the lamp because of the quiet service it provides.

Consider that. 

Have I Lost That Loving Feeling?

Something has been happening that, I have finally realized, now disturbs me greatly.  I was reading a news article about a tragic shooting and I didn't flinch, I didn't feel any compassion, I didn't have any empathy or pity.......I found myself feeling absolutely nothing.  It was at that point that I realized that I have become so jaded and calloused by the constant flow of sights, scenes, tragic events, that my heart no longer registered shock or pain or anything really.  

I am grateful that God has chosen to work with me on changing this, but it's frightening to go through each day without feeling.  

God promised: "And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart." - Ezekiel 36:26. 

My prayer, not just for me but for all of us, is that we will not become so jaded, calloused, and hard hearted that we no longer are bothered by the pain and struggles around us.

"Create in me a pure heart, God, and make my spirit right again." - Psalm 51:10

What Do You Mean "Love Each Other"?

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

John 13:34 

 

Yesterday, we talked about respect and that showing respect is, in its truest form, is an act of love.  Today, we need to talk about love....TRUE love!

 

We tend to love those who love us, don't we?  We tend NOT to love those who we don't know or who don't show us love, don't we?  Jesus told the young lawyer that the greatest commandment is "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength" and because of that, we are able to "Love your neighbor as yourself."  And we're pretty okay with that. Here, Jesus is telling us that we are to love each other in the same way that He loved us.  Now THAT is a challenge! 

 

Does Jesus REALLY expect us to love those who disagree with us?  Does Jesus REALLY expect us to love those who don't like us?  Does Jesus REALLY expect us to love those who hurt us?  

 

Well.....let me ask you this: Who did Jesus die for? 

We've Got A Problem

So God created human beings in his own image.
    In the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27 

We have a problem!  That problem stems from our decision to withhold respect from those we believe are not deserving.  Yet we expect to be respected.  How does that work?  Why are we so stingy in showing respect, yet require others to show us respect?  For some, "respect is earned."  Really?  And how do WE earn the respect of others?

If you want to see how respect is NOT being shown, just look around.  Children mouthing off to their parents, teachers being attacked in school by students, "adults" having temper tantrums and lashing out because they didn't get their way, and the list seems endless.  So what do we do?  We start with ourselves!

My Grampa told me, "If you want respect then be respectful and respectable."  Now that sounds good on the surface, and I seldom disagreed with my Grampa on his wisdom, but the reality is...someone has to be the first to show respect.  Too many people seem to believe that showing respect for others is a sign of weakness, and they believe a lie!  

Think about it this way, look at today's verse.  We are the image of God!  He did that on purpose!  Therefore, when we fail or refuse to show respect to others, we are doing the same thing to God with our disrespect to one made in the image of God!  Now, showing respect does not mean you have to agree with the other person, but we are to show respect to those who have been made in the image of God!  Thus, if you love God, show respect to everyone made in His image!

"Do Not Be Like Them"

⁷When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. ⁸ Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
Matthew 6:7-8 

Jesus was a nonconformist, did you realize that?  His talk on the mount is an eye-opener to those who have chained themselves to the rules and regulation of religion and call it "Faith."  Let me ask you something, and think hard about it, what denomination was Jesus?  Was He Pentecostal?  Was He Methodist?  Was He Baptist?  Was He Episcopalian?

Remember when Elijah confronted Jezebel's priests of Baal?  They kept "praying" louder and louder and even began cutting themselves trying to get a response out of Baal.  Is that what we have to do for God to hear us?  Jesus' own words in verse 7 remind us that repetition does not constitute prayer!  In fact, Jesus outright tells us NOT to be like those who believe repetition and prattling on and on is the way to get God's attention.  He said, "Don't be like them!"

To Jesus, the simple fact of the matter is God wants us to have a relationship with Him, not a "religion."  Jesus reminds us several times that God already knows what we need before we even ask, because He loves us that much.  And since God loves us so much, doesn't it make sense that God wants a relationship with us?  Ponder that for a bit whilst I go get more coffee. 

Are You Ready To Go?

"God doesn't require us to succeed; He only requires that we try."

Mother Teresa

If you knew God told you to GO and do something, would you be ready?  Let's say you had a coworker who was having a tough day, and you sensed God telling you to GO and try to encourage them, would you be ready?

I've talked with more people that I can count who said they "just couldn't" tell God they would go where He told them to go.  Why?  Because they were afraid God would send them to some disease ridden swamp where there would be no "civilized comforts."  How sad!  Will God tell you to GO where you might have to do without some creature comforts?  Perhaps.

Remember Moses?  God told him to GO and tell Pharoah to let His people go.  Did Moses say "Got it!  Let's GO!"?  Nope!  Moses started making excuses.  And here's where God showed His patience because every excuse Moses raised, God provided a solution.

Now let's take a look at Acts 8:26-40 where we find Philip.  God sent an angel to Philip to tell him to GO to a road in the South.  Philip went without question.  While he was there, a carriage came by with a minister of the Ethiopian Queen riding in it. The minister was reading from Isaiah.  God's Spirit told Philip to go to the carriage.  Without question, Philip went and offered to explain to the minister what Isaiah was saying.  As a result of their discussion, the minister asked Philip to baptize him.

Now here's another example....my own.  I've stated before that I knew God had called me to ministry of some sort when I was seven years old.  I also have stated that I ran from that calling for DECADES.  God was patient and used every single experience of my running to guide me back to where He needed me.  God brought me to the Sheriff's Department to minister.  This is the best place in the world for me to be, because God has shown me that this is where He told me to GO all along.  In the words of JRR Tolkein: "Not all who wander are lost."  I spend a long time wandering, thinking I had lost God's desire to use me, and God was guiding every step I made.

When God says "GO" He already has a plan in place with all the details worked out.  And He has been preparing you for this mission since before you were born. 

If It Seems To Be Too Good...

And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

2 Corinthians 11:14 

 

 Several years ago, Robin Williams did a wonderful movie called "Mrs. Doubtfire" in which he disguised himself as a woman in order to keep close to his kids...at first.  Then his purpose became to sabotage his ex-wife's relationship.  This entire scheme seemed like a good idea...at first.

 

Isn't that how temptation begins with us?  As a good idea?  Yet once we step on that road we quickly discover it seemed too good to be true and, it turns out, takes us on a downward spiral.  Now, I will say this...if the tempter appeared in his true form, we would probably not have too difficult time avoiding temptation.  Yet we seldom see the true nature of the tempter until he's already got his claws into us.

 

It seemed like a good plan at the time.  I had my quarter and my 10 pieces of bubble gum when a thought popped into my head, "This store has a gazillion pieces of bubble gum!  They won't care if I take a few and put them in my pocket."  So I stole 5 pieces of bubble gum.    I wish I could say I got away with it.  But truth be told, two steps out of the store and I felt a hand firmly on my shoulder.  When my parents arrived to collect me, that "good plan at the time" became my nightmare.  I was severely punished!  And my all my reasoning would not alter the fact that I had done wrong.

 

Yes, this story is true.  To some, it might seem silly.  The truth of the matter is that sin almost always seems like a good idea at the time.  So we must keep our guard up.  Scripture tells us that Satan prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.  The roaring lion is the one who gets the prey to run into a trap because it seems a better idea than standing one's ground and resisting.  But we are told to "resist the devil and he WILL flee from you."

 

Take that for what it's worth.

I'll Rest When I'm Dead!

He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside waters of rest.
    He restores my soul.

Psalm 23:2-3

 

Let me very up front about this, I LOVE my job!  I really do.  In fact, I can only think of one job I'd enjoy more....having the opportunity to teach others to do this job!  I truly believe God put me here, to do this thing I get to do, because He knew how much I would love it.

 

That's not to say there are times when my schedule doesn't get a bit hectic. That's not to say there aren't times when some situations are emotionally, physically and spiritually draining to the point of exhaustion.  That's not to say every single day is like sitting in a hot tub eating chocolate ice cream.  There are times when I simply crave having time to get away and be quiet. 

 

Most of my job is listening.  I listen when no one thinks I am paying the least bit of attention.  I listen when people think I can't hear them.  Why?  Because it is in those times that people let their guard down and they speak freely without feeling the need to say, "Sorry Padre."  I listen in order to learn.  I learn in order to be able to help.  I help because that's what God has put me here to do.  Believe it or not, one of the things I hear quite often...how many vacation days a person has built up because they "never take time off."  

 

I have started using my vacation days.  Because I want take time to rest and be restored.  Plus I have personal projects I want to accomplish. But mainly because I need to follow my own counsel: "You have to take care of YOU. If you don't take care of you then you cannot take care of anyone else."  So my goal this year is to start taking care of me so God can use me to take care of others.   

When Is The Right Time?

Have mercy on me, O God,
    because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
    blot out the stain of my sins.

Psalm 51:1 

 

Let me ask you to think about something...suppose you were standing in your yard and you happened to see a rather large rattlesnake slithering toward you...when would be the time to take action?  Would you stand still and study this critter with a "Oh Look! It's a snake"? Would you attempt to pick it up?  Or would you move quickly to get out of its way, get your firearm, and change the beast into multiple tiny, very messy bits?

 

Now....we aren't finished thinking yet, so please bear with me.  When you realize that you're are being tempted...when is the time to take action?  Would you entertain the temptation believing you can resist it on your own?  Say someone made a derogatory comment about you and you are tempted to get angry AND seek revenge...would you hang on to that and make a plan?  The best course of action, according to Martin Luther, is to IMMEDIATELY pray: "At precisely the moment when you feel the strongest temptation and are least prepared to pray, go to a place where you can be along and pray for defense against the temptations of the enemy."

 

Let's face it, sin is something we can do without even thinking about it.  Sometimes we don't think our prayers are heard because we are unworthy of God's love, but that's a lie the enemy wants us to believe.  The enemy will throw up every single sin you have ever committed in order to render us prayerfully catatonic!  But the whole purpose of Jesus' death and resurrection was so we could go to God through Him.  

 

"The time when you feel your sins the most is EXACTLY the time when you most need to pray." - Martin Luther. 

Where Am I Going?

The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
    He delights in every detail of their lives.

Psalm 37:23 

 

 I don't know about you, but I'm one of those people who likes to know where I am going, how long it will take me to get there, what I am supposed to do when I do arrive, and how long will I be there.  This trait applies to pretty much every journey I take.  Now, having said that, God has been, and continues to, teach me that His plans for me include journeys I could never have imagined and I need to not be so OCD about them, because He is the one in charge...not me.

 

For most of my life, my spiritual journey has been more like a stubborn mule carrying a blind man to market.  "I'm going to go where I want to go and that is that!" And I'll be honest, God is extremely patient.  He let me wander where I was determined to go for most of my life, and let me screw up, mess up, bungle, muss, fuss, cuss until I reached the point where I was willing to listen.  I won't say my journey now has become a smooth glide along the puffy clouds.  I still have lots of moments where I question God's wisdom for some of the places He takes me, but I'm learning that God's plan is a lot better than anything I could have planned.

 

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." - Douglas Adams.  Think about that.  Where I intended to go wasn't where I needed to be, but God brought me where I was needed.  And I can't imagine being anywhere else.

Grousing or Grateful

Do everything without complaining or arguing. Then you will be innocent and without any wrong. You will be God’s children without fault. But you are living with crooked and mean people all around you, among whom you shine like stars in the dark world.

Philippians 2:14-15 

I'm not sure about you, but are we, as God's children capable of doing everything without complaining or arguing? Does God REALLY expect us to, I don' t know, get along with each other?  I mean REALLY get along without being shallow or fake?  Is that possible?

The answer is a resounding "YES!"  Think about it for a minute.  If we live the same way the world lives, how will anyone be able to tell we are God's children?  If we grumble, grouse, gripe, complain, argue, backstab just like the world, who would believe that we are filled with God's love?

When we accepted Christ as our Savior, we accepted the sacrifice He made and God's loving forgiveness because of Christ.  As the Apostle put it, we became NEW CREATIONS!  God remade us and adopted us as His children.  

Yet...we still struggle with who we were....I do. 

I need to be reminded, pretty much on a regular basis, that I am God's representative and therefore to be the "light on the hill" for others to see.  I am tempted to switch on autopilot when I feel things going my way, then when turbulence hits my life, guess where I revert?  We must be diligent!  We must keep driving forward!  We must not let down our guard.

We CAN get along without complaining and arguing by putting things into perspective.  If we are battling over something that we won't be taking with us to Heaven, then we need to learn to "Come and REASON together."  Because if it's not going to Heaven with us, it shouldn't be worth dimming God's light in us for.

 

It's a Matter of Respect!

Love one another like family. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Romans 12:10 

 

I don't know about you, but I find it disturbing by people who seem to believe the loudest voice is the most important.  Where did that idea come from?  That's not what God teaches us.  Remember Elijah?  He was in the cave hiding from Jezebel and God brought all kind of racket and ruckus and the Bible says, "But God was not in the calamity."  How did God show up?  In a soft whisper.

 

And while we're at it, when did respect disappear?  We seem to have become a society of "No one matters except me."  That's not what God teaches us.  If it were all about me, then God would have started AND stopped with just me, but that's not the case.  So why do we think we're too good to show respect for others?

 

Look at what God is teaching us through the Apostle's words: "LOVE ONE ANOTHER LIKE FAMILY!"  Families don't always get along, I know, but they are still part of each other and family is a unit to which we always will belong.  Then the Apostle tells us "OUTDO ONE ANOTHER IN SHOWING HONOR."   Think about it this way, every sporting event is about someone or some team outdoing the other.  That's exactly what God is saying here, we are to outdo each other in showing honor and deference.

 

So what does this have to do with the art of communication?  Simple.  YOU be the one who shows love!  YOU be the one to show respect!  Does God tell us to show love and respect ONLY to those we judge to be deserving? NO!  God is telling us through the Apostle to DO IT!  Let others go first.  Lift others up. Treat others better than they treat you!  Put others first!  Say "Please" and "Thank You."  Set the EXAMPLE for the generations that come after us!

Learn To Let Go!!

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

Hebrews 12:1 

 

I'm weird.  I know it and I get it.  Guess what?  I don't care because I like being weird.  As I am writing this, I am listening to "Four Seasons" by Antonio Vivaldi.  It's very relaxing for me and I often read and write with classical music playing.  

 

Having said that, there are days when I get so uptight and irritable (yes, I can get cranky as a hungry two year old sometimes, ask my Bride), that I catch myself so tense that I have to get up walk around and possibly punch something.  I don't punch someone, because they tend to punch back and that hurts.  

 

But I have been re-reading Chuck Swindoll's book, "Laugh Again" and have not only learned a LOT but one particular portion, dealing with happiness and contentment, I sensed God prompting me to share.  It's called LET GO: 

 

"LET GO of the habit of always looking at the negative!

LET GO of your need to fix everybody else's unhappiness!

LET GO of your drive to compete or compare!

LET GO of your adult children, especially your attempts to straighten out their lives!

LET GO of all your excuses! 

LET GO of so many needless inhibitions that keep you from Celebrating Life!"

 

I have seen too many people with their faces always serious, pinched up as if they smelled something horrible, or angry because of things they cannot control.  When we learn to let go of the things that are God's responsibility and not ours, we will be MUCH more relaxed and happier!  We MUST learn to let go of the past!  We MUST learn to let go of things that we cannot control!  

 

Let God do His job! 

Where is Your Focus?

For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.

Philippians 1:21 

 

This verse has always confused me because it sounded a bit odd.  Then, I began studying this verse word by word and learned quite a lot.  You see, in this verse, Paul is describing his contentment.  

 

Contentment means I am okay in whatever situation I find myself because I know that it is part of Christ's plan for me and it is HIS job to fulfill His plans for me (plans to prosper, not to destroy, according to Jeremiah 29:11).  Paul has already been beaten several times, been in jail numerous times, had been shipwrecked several times, and yet the entire focus of his life was getting the message of Christ out to people who had never heard it before.  

 

Think about today's verse in a more "earthly" way:

 

"For to me, living means getting promoted, and dying means a wall full of certificates and awards that will be boxed up and stuck away somewhere, and someone else will take the promotion I worked so hard for."

 

"For to me, living means getting money, and dying means leaving it behind for someone else."

 

"For to me, living means getting lots of stuff, and dying means it will all be sold at a garage sale."

 

What Paul is saying is for him, living means sharing Christ wherever he found himself because he knew God had put him there just for that purpose, and to die meant God's mission for him was complete and he would spend the rest of eternity with God.

 

So let me ask you, where's your focus?  On things that will be left behind or on where you'll spend the rest of eternity. 

Whatcha Thinkin'?

And now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.

Philippians 4:8 

 

We are ALL prone to mistakes, or is it just me?  We ALL have those people who focus purely on the negative in us and seem to thrive on making sure they point it out to us.  I once had a teacher like that.  Oh she would hit you with the "under handed compliment" by smiling and saying, "You did quite well.  However, I would be remiss if I didn't point out some ways you need to improve your performance." I felt so depressed in her class to the point that I dreaded having to go.

 

Let me ask you a question, are you an encourager or a discourager?  Do you focus on the good in others or on the negative?  The Apostle Paul tells us to "dwell on the fine, good things in others."  Do we?

 

Think about it this way, would you prefer to work for a boss who constantly criticizes or one that encourages? 

What's The Point?

Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,
    vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
What does man gain by all the toil
    at which he toils under the sun?

Ecclesiastes 1:2-3

 

It was one of those days when my contemplations took a dark turn, when I began to ponder "What's the point of it all?".  Let's face it, we work hard all of our lives, often sacrificing our dreams, and for what? So we can live our lives stuck in a rut and leave everything we have struggled for to the next generation?

 

I remembered the scene from "Forrest Gump" where Forrest ran back into the jungle multiple times, rescuing his comrades, so he could find his best friend.  The cynical part of me asked, "What's the point? He's going to die anyway."  We make friends, cultivate relationships, and for what reason?

 

Then, I other questions started circulating in my mind.  What if Adam had never shared the secrets of farming with anyone?  How would the next generation have food? What if we chose to look out ONLY for ourselves?  What if we chose not to cultivate relationships with each other?  How would the human race continue? 

 

Here's my point:  We were not put on this Earth to be alone or to be hopeless or to be solitary.  God could easily not created us at all or just stopped at one, but He chose to create us for relationships and interactions!  In those interactions and relationships we find hope!  Place your hope in God, and your relationships will become MORE meaningful!

 

What's the point? To Love God with all our heart, mind, body and strength, and to love others as we love ourselves! 

 

 

 

Who Licked The Red Off Your Candy?

⁹ This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love; ¹⁰ that you will see the difference between good and bad and will choose the good; that you will be pure and without wrong for the coming of Christ; ¹¹ that you will be filled with the good things produced in your life by Christ to bring glory and praise to God.
Philippians 1:9-11

I've mentioned before that I like people watching, especially if there's coffee involved.  I've also mentioned before that somewhere along our journey on this big blue marble, we seem to have lost the love of laughter.  Our sense of humor seems to have dried up or become so dark that it's unrecognizable. Why is that?

I love it when my pastors have "Children's Church" moment during the service when all the children come to the front to hear a lesson.  They aren't afraid to laugh!  They aren't afraid to be happy!  They are most certainly not afraid to be expressive.  So when did we learn to be so afraid? Or when did we CHOOSE to become unhappy, tense, frustrated, stressed, anxious, or just stuck in a place of sorrow?

I've been re-reading Chuck Swindoll's Book "Laugh Again" in which he teaches that laughter is an expression of JOY!  

In fact, he points out that "We begin to laugh again when we rest out full confidence in God: That full confidence brings joy when we fix our attention on the things for which we are thankful; when we let God be God."

"It doesn't matter, really, how great the pressure is; it only matters where the pressure lies. See that it never comes BETWEEN you and God because then the greater the pressure the more it will press you into the loving arms of your Father" - Hudson Taylor

You see, happiness and joy are choices!  The single most important choice we can make, as Christians, is our attitude!  Only YOU can decide YOUR attitude!

"Firm confidence in God means that it is in His hands. He who started something will bear the pressure of it and will bring the results exactly as He planned for His greater glory." - Chuck Swindoll.

You see, when we truly stop and think about it, God has a plan for each of us (yes, I've said this over and over) and it is NOT OUR JOB to get us there!  Our job is to focus on God and accept that it is HIS job to get us to the fulfillment of His plan for us!  WE tend to get in the way when we lose our joy and stop being thankful and grateful for all He has done, is doing, and will be doing in our lives!

"Are You Listening God?"

I love the Lord because he hears my voice
    and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen,
    I will pray as long as I have breath!

Psalm 116:1-2 

 

When tough times come and we pray, we have the tendency to expect (and even demand) immediate relief and answers.  When relief and answers are not immediate, we have the tendency to get mad at God and believe He's not listening, doesn't understand our situation, or just doesn't care.  Or maybe that's just me (but I doubt that).

 

Scripture tells us that God has plans for us that are for our good, not our destruction (Jeremiah 29:11).  We are also told that, even when we don't know what to say or how to pray, God still hears our hearts and since He knows ALL hearts, He gets it (Romans 8:26-27).  God has a plan for us and until that plan is completed His job in us is incomplete (Philippians 1:6).  God understands everything about us and has so orchestrated the universe that He will get you where you need to be right at the perfect time (Psalm 139:16).

My point is simple: Regardless what we go through (good, bad, horrible, fantastic, peaceful, unsettling) God loves you enough to get you through it and onto His mission for you.  The enemy WILL try to derail God's plan by trying to discourage us and demoralize us, but turn the enemy over to God and let Him deal with the enemy AND us!

 

 

Time For A Tune Up

May the patience and encouragement that come from God allow you to live in harmony with each other the way Christ Jesus wants.

Romans 15:5 

 

I remember it like it was yesterday, the first day of band.  Up to that point, few of us had ANY musical training and it showed.  We had learning the mechanics of playing the right notes, but when we actually tried to play them it took only one note for us to realize we really sounded more like a crashing crate of pots and pans than anything, even remotely, resembling music.  Because we had not practiced and were not familiar with the nuances of playing in harmony.  We sounded horrible...slowly we just sounded painful.....by the night of our first concert we had achieved the "not too bad" level where, at least, the song could be recognized. And it took practice!  LOTS of practice!!

 

 What does that story have to do with anything?  Because God gives us patience and encouragement so that we can live in harmony with each other.  Trust me, that takes a LOT more practice than learning to be part of a band.  What happens when we don't practice the patience and encouragement God gives us?  Well, look at the news and you will see.....we end up arguing about anything and everything instead of working together to make this world better.

 

The same applies to every aspect of our lives, we end up tearing each other down instead of building each other up.  We spend our time scheming against each other instead of encouraging each other.  We become extremely impatient with each other.

 

Perhaps it's time for a tune up!  Perhaps if we start practicing patience and encouragement, we CAN learn to live in harmony with each other. 

Living Between

By the sweat of your brow
    will you have food to eat
until you return to the ground
    from which you were made.
For you were made from dust,
    and to dust you will return.

Genesis 3:19 

 

I once took a counseling course called "Living Between." I admit the title intrigued me and also confused me.  Let's face it, Live Between what?   So on the first day of class, we were given a blank piece of paper with our names at the top. The Professor had lots of alphabets after his name, which meant he was highly intelligent and knew what he was going to teach us.  We all sat in reverent silence awaiting this man to share with us some sage wisdom or brilliant insight.  When he got to the podium he took a deep breath, which brought us all to the edge of our seats, and said, "Above your name on your sheet, inscribe the word 'DUST.'  On the bottom of your sheet, inscribe the word 'DUST.'"

 

I remember looking at the student sitting next to me and we both had the expression on our faces that this guy was some sort of loon!  What kind of ludicrously insane class had we signed up to experience.  The Professor was said to be quite renowned in the field of counseling and THIS is what he's come up with to teach us?

 

Then the Professor took another deep breath and said, "Now that you have begun to consider what sort of nincompoop I am, let me instruct you on what you are to do for the rest of this class period.  You have heard it said, 'You Only Live Once.' Well, dear pupils, THAT is a LIE!  You only truly DIE once! And as we know from Genesis 3:19 that we came FROM the dust only once and we will return TO the dust only once, we must decide how to live between the two points."

 

He then went on to tell us that we were to take the rest of the class time to write a list of things we want to accomplish between the two Dusts.  We spend the rest of the semester discussing and pondering how we would live between the two dusts.  One student stated that she planned to travel the world, to which the Professor began asking her questions such as:

• How, pray tell, will you eat?
• How will you purchase passage to other continents?
• How will you purchase your toiletries and replace worn out clothing?
• How will you charge your phone in the wilds?
• How will you protect yourself?

And the list of questions soon made her so befuddled, she simply quit trying to answer.  The Professor declared that such heady goals are worthy to achieve in you plan them out well in advance.  

 

He did the same with each goal we had written, then he said, "Here's what I know will happen to most of you: You'll graduate, get a job, most likely wed, start a family, and get stuck in a routine of 'get up, go to work, come home, work some more, go to bed, and repeat every day until you return to the dust.'"  

 

On the last day of class, the Professor told us that we only have the time between the two dusts, and it is up to us on how we spend that time.  He reminded us that we CHOOSE every single day whether to be kind or arrogant; caring or apathetic; encouraging or destructive.  

 

We CHOOSE each day how we will live between the dusts!  How do you choose to live between?