I Am A W.I.P.

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.

Philippians 2:13 

 

 

Confession time!  I have never been perfect.  Okay, I heard you gasp.  Take a deep breath and let that sink in for a minute.  

Have you regained your composure?  Good!  Because I am not perfect now, nor will I be tomorrow.  Guess what?  That's okay!  If I was perfect, then that would mean God was finished with me and my time here was over.  Oh, I wasted many years of life trying to pretend that I was not still under construction.  How'd that work out, you ask?  Not too good.

You see, on this side of Heaven, we will always be a work in progress (W.I.P).  God will not stop renovating us until we have fulfilled His plan for us.  It's truly a blessing to know and understand that God loves us SO much that He will continue to grow us, mend us, shape us, and love us until we are the reflection of Him.     

I Am Responsible

No one else can know your sadness,
    and strangers cannot share your joy.

Proverbs 14:10 

 

Look carefully at today's verse.  Read it again.  There's not a single person in this world who can know exactly how we feel.  There's not a single person in this world who can MAKE us feel anything.  WE are the only person on Earth who decides how we feel.  Others can create circumstances, but no one can make us feel anything.

 

I never really thought about this before until I read a book about how our mind handles situations.  The author made the point that, while our minds will absorb pretty much everything it encounters, we are the only ones who can interpret the input.  In short, I am the only person on Earth who can decide how I feel!  I become angry by someone else's actions or words be cause I CHOOSE to feel angry.  I become happy by a hug because I CHOOSE to feel happy.  God gave us a mind and we are expected to use it!

 

Today, decide how you are going to feel...and choose carefully.

The Hardest Thing To Do

One of my absolute favorite verses in all of Scripture is Exodus 14:14: "The Lord will fight for you, and you be still."  But perhaps the hardest thing for us to do is to Be Still.  We like to figure out how to make things happen in our lives, we want to feel as if we are in control, we don't like letting go.  Yet over and over in Scripture, we are told to "Be Still."

I found a song by The Fray that speaks to this concept of "Be Still." Give it a listen while you remember that God has told us to Be Still.

When We Need A Superhero!

The Lord is my strength and my song;
    he has given me victory.

Psalm 118:14 

 

I know many of you are fans of Superheroes...don't hide...let your nerdiness shine!  

God is our true superhero though.

  

Think about this:

- God has told us to be still and let Him fight for us.

- Whenever we don't think we can take it anymore, God provides us strength to endure.

- When we feel overwhelmed, God is our strength.

- When we don't know what to pray, God hears our hearts.

- When we feel tossed around by the storms we encounter in life, God preserves us.

- When we are afraid, God comforts us.

- When we are brokenhearted, God consoles us.

- When we have screwed up beyond belief, God forgives us.

 

 

God is our Superhero! 

The Gift

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.

Ephesians 2:8-9 

I found a quote, by Max Lucado, that resonated with me: "To accept grace is the vow to GIVE it.  You don't endorse the deeds of your offender when you forgive them. Jesus didn't endorse your sins by forgiving you. The grace-defined person, still sends thieves to jail and expects the ex to pay child support. Grace see the hurt full well. BUT grace refuses to let hurts poison the heart."

Now, according to my research, the word "Grace" is the Greek word "charis" which means "good will, loving kindness, favor - of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues"

If we are willing to accept God's grace and forgiveness, we must be gracious to those who would cause us hurt and refuse to allow the hurt to poison our hearts.  One of the most freeing things you can do is to be gracious enough to forgive!

Trying To Impress?

Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—
    a stranger, not your own lips.

Proverbs 27:2 

 

We all know someone who simply cannot carry on any sort of conversation without bragging about themselves.  No matter how the conversation begins, it always seems to come back to their accomplishments or their talents or their vacations or them.  Why do we seem to have a need to brag?  Could it be that we believe that if we don't share all about us no one else will?  

 

I knew a pastor, a while back, who just had to tell about all the mission trips he had led, how many articles he had published, the size of his farm....as a matter of fact, there wasn't a single thing he wouldn't brag about.  He wouldn't even allow his wife to call him by name, she had to refer to him as "Pastor."  In my mind, I could hear that old country song, "O Lord it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way..."

 

When we brag about ourselves, are we really impressing anyone? We all have talents and gifts and accomplishments worth noticing and sharing, don't we?  However, the fastest way to turn people into glazed over zombies is to brag on ourselves.  Here's an option well worth investigating...try bragging about someone else!  

What If It Were YOU?

"If hurts were hairs, we'd all look like grizzlies!"

 

Let's face it, we all get hurt.  Sometimes it's a promotion we were expecting that never materializes.  Getting reprimanded.  A girlfriend or boyfriend suddenly decides we're no longer compatible.  Life is full of hurts!  And deep down, we want to retaliate.  We seethe and rage in our minds wanting to hurt those who hurt us so they will know how it feels!  

Think about this for a moment, what about the times WE have been the one who hurt someone else?  Do you think they wanted to hurt us in return?  I expect so.  Why is it that we want to harbor ill will toward those who hurt us, but don't expect those we hurt to harbor ill will toward us?

Retaliation has its appeal, but Jesus had a better idea! It's called GRACE.  Grace sees our hurt full well.  Yet Grace chooses to see God's forgiveness even clearer!  When Grace is absent, bitterness flourishes.  Where Grace grows, so does forgiveness.  True, forgiveness may not happen all at once, but it can happen to us.

"See to it that no one misses the GRACE of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many" - Hebrews 12:15

 

Remember that Jesus taught us to forgive as we want to be forgiven!

 

How Moldy Are YOU?

The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.

John 10:10 

 

God has molded each one of us.  The trouble we have is that some of us are moldier than we should be.  Why?  Because we have replaced living and learning with the routine of existing and expiring!  We go through our day making sure each of box on our "Routine Sheet" gets checked. Watch a child encounter life.  They don't follow a routine!  They are naturally curious and always learning.  Somehow, once we reach our mid-thirties we begin to exchange curiosity and learning for comfortable routine.   

 

Jesus reminds us that HIS purpose was to give us a FULL Life!  Think about this, Moses was already at past retirement age when God told him to go get the Israelites our of Egypt.  Abraham and Sarah were WELL into retirement when God gave them Isaac.  I have yet to find anywhere in Scripture where God tells us to stop learning, to stop growing, to stop living and, instead, just sit down and get moldy.

 

God never tells us to park ourselves on our laurels and just exist!  God gives us the gift of life and breath every single morning!  What are we doing with His gifts to us?

How Many Merit Badges Does It Take?

Your hearts should be strengthened by God's grace, not by obeying rules.

Hebrews 11:28

 

When I first became a believer, I was stunned by all the "rules, regulations, and rituals" I was expected to adhere to.  For a long time, I tried so hard to earn God's love by keeping all the rules, regulations and rituals because I did not want to disappoint God.  After all, my young mind believed, my eternal salvation was at stake...or so I was led to think.

 

After years of trying and failing, I was so depressed with it all that I simply quit trying.  I told God that, apparently, I was never going to be 'good enough' for Him to love me.  And it was at THAT time, when I was struggling the most, that God sent someone into my life that explained it in a way I could actually understand.  

 

We cannot EARN God's grace!  We cannot EARN God's love!  We cannot EARN God's mercy! If we could earn it, then they wouldn't be gifts from God...they would be merit badges of spirituality.  And how many merit badges would we have to earn to deserve God's gifts?  Not a single one!  Christ did it ALL for us.  We only have to accept that and believe that.  

Have A Plan?

Remember the things I have done in the past.
    For I alone am God!
    I am God, and there is none like me.
Only I can tell you the future
    before it even happens.
Everything I plan will come to pass,
    for I do whatever I wish.

Isaiah 46:9-10 

 

We LOVE having plans, don't we?  If we're going to take a trip, we like to have a plan where we want to stop for food, fuel, and rest.  When we get ready to build something, we love having a plan that tells us what part goes where and how many of each piece we will need.  Plans are wonderful things!

 

Think about this, each of us has a plan for our lives that God has specifically designed for us.  WE can make all the plans we want, but the only plan that will happen is the one God has designed.  Remember, "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns" (Philippians 1:6).

 

God is the one who has the plan.  And God is the one who will make sure that His plan for us will be completed.  So, relax...no need to worry...God is in control!  

Compare? Why?

Oh, don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare say that I am as wonderful as these other men who tell you how good they are! Their trouble is that they are only comparing themselves with each other and measuring themselves against their own little ideas. What stupidity!  But we will not boast of authority we do not have. Our goal is to measure up to God’s plan for us, and this plan includes our working there with you. 

2 Corinthians 10:12-13

 

It has taken many, many, many years, but I have realized that I like me.  Such was not always the case.  For most of my growing up years, I compared myself to others and then beat myself up because I didn't measure up.  I was not the athletic one.  I was not the brightest.  I was never good at math. I was not the award winner.  I was just me, and that bothered me.

 

However, the longer I live the more I have come to understand that comparing myself to others is ALWAYS a bad idea!  You see, I have come to realize that God has created me in such a way that I can fulfill HIS plan for me.  He has gifted me, molded me, pushed me, worked on me, drug me through situations I hated, taught me, showed me, but mostly God loved me enough to have a plan for me.  Here's the kicker, God has a plan just for you too!

 

Let's stop comparing ourselves to others!  Rather let us encourage each other to fulfill God's plan for us.  

Not Guilty? Honestly?

Yes, what joy for those
    whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,
    whose lives are lived in complete honesty!

Psalm 32:2 

 

You've heard the oath witnesses take when they are called to the stand in court. "I solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God."  Yesterday, we talked about our accuser who loves to accuse us before God.  And guess what another one his lies would be?  Telling us that we can HIDE our sin from God and not have to declare it.  You see, God's grace is available for us, but we have to be completely honest with Him!  Anything less is a lie!

 

Let me share something with you, there are times when my sins are so bad that I am embarrassed to admit to God, who already knows the truth, that I committed those sins.  However, God's love for me is such that He reminds me that "the TRUTH shall set you free" and there is NOTHING I can ever do that will change how much He loves me.  And, when I finally admit it, God's love fills me to overflowing and the stress of trying to hide it is washed away by the Blood of Christ.

 

We have a choice: Listen to the lie, or rely on the TRUTH!

Are You Listening To The Whisperings?

You've heard them, whether you choose to admit it or not, the whispers that come to mind saying things like: "Remember that time you REALLY messed up? What if someone finds out?", "Just look at this! You have failed...AGAIN!", "Why do you even bother? You'll NEVER be good enough!".  

These whisperings bombard our minds relentlessly.  And they are from our enemy and out accuser!  He is tireless in pointing out how we have stumbled and failed, trying to make us ineffective and give up.  He is good at this because he's been doing it for so long!

But what he wants us to forget is that because of Jesus, our accuser has already been defeated!  That doesn't stop him from trying to make us feel ineffective so we have to stand up and remind him whose child we are!  And claim Romans 8:34: "Jesus is in the very presence of God at this very moment standing up for US."  God's great grace has defeated our accuser!  Stand up and REMIND him that he is DONE!

Lost Our Way? Run Faster!

You've seen the programs and movies where someone loses their way, so in order to find it, they run faster and faster only to find they are hopelessly lost.  Yes, I can hear almost every Bride now rolling their eyes because their husbands refuse to ask for directions, they will turn the radio down so they can search for where they are supposed to go.  Thank goodness for GPS, right?  Not so much!  Last time I used my GPS to find a location, it kept taking me in circles.  I finally did the most unmanly thing possible, I stopped to ask directions.  In two turns, I was where I needed to be.  Had I not taken the time to stop, I would be feeding into Henry Thoreau's quote: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."

If we look at the world philosophies, we will see something that will appeal to each one of us...for a time.  Yet, world philosophies offer no lasting peace and satisfaction.  Jesus said, "I AM the way, the truth and the life."  We don't need to ask directions.  We don't need to rely on GPS.  We follow Him!

Why the Rush?

"I'm late! I'm late for a very important date! No time to say "Hello", "Goodbye." I'm late! I'm late! I'm LATE!!"

 

Remember the White Rabbit from 'Alice in Wonderland'?  Always in a rush! Always frantically in a hurry!  Never able to slow down!  Never had time to talk.  Rush, rush, RUSH!

Look at your schedule...how rushed and busy are you?  When you finally get home, do you find yourself exhausted?

 

If you are of a mind, and have the time, take a look at John 11.  It's the story of Lazarus.  Now Jesus was on a journey (walking), when he received a message that Lazarus was sick (verse 3).  Now, one would think that since Lazarus was one of Jesus' dear friends, that Jesus would have called a cab to rush Him to be with His friend.   But in verses 5 and 6 we find "So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, He stayed where He was for the next two days."  

Now PLEASE don't get me wrong.  I am in no way saying you should not deal with the IMPORTANT.  However, we must learn to understand what is important.  Jesus knew that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, so rush back to him during his illness was not as important to Jesus as what He was already doing.  You see, Jesus teaches us, not only through His words, but with His actions.

Think about it, what happens when we feel rushed?  We get tense, irritable, snarky, we lash out, we tend to make mistakes...  One of the best lessons I have learned recently is instead of being rushed, I can simply make a call to say I'm running a but behind but I'm on the way.  I've also learned to pare down my schedule so that it's not SO full that I feel as though I am always running behind.  Remember...Jesus OFTEN took time to get away to pray...not rush, not filled His calendar with more stuff, but to spent time praying, because it was HIS priority.

Wish I Hadn't

Have you ever said or done something you wished you hadn't?  Have you ever reacted in a way you really wish you could take back?  Well, what about the other option: Has someone ever said or done something to you that they wished they hadn't?  Has someone ever reacted in a way they really wish they could take back? Here's the real question, did you offer that person a second chance?

 

God offers us second chances every single day!  Here are just a few: Moses murdered a man (Exodus 2:11-15), Jonah ran away from God's command to go to Nineveh (Jonah 1), David committed adultery and had Bathsheba's husband murdered (2 Samuel 11:14-17), Zacchaeus was a hated tax collector who stole from the people (Luke 19:1–10), the thief crucified with Christ (Luke 23:32–43).  The Bible is filled with second chances, and God WILLINGLY grants second chances!  But do we?

Jesus reminds us that we need to LOVE each other.  He reminds us that we are to treat each other with compassion.  He reminds us that we are to treat others the way we want to be treated.  Jesus reminded us that we are to forgive each other as many times as we want to be forgiven.  Yet why are we so eager to GET another chance when we aren't eager to GIVE a second chance?  There are no excuses we can offer that would answer that question.  Remember, Jesus didn't say "if it please your highness", Jesus said "Do it AS YOU WOULD HAVE DONE TO YOU!"

Worth Fighting For?

"The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” - Exodus 14:14 

 

There are days when I fight with everything I have and still get beaten down. Did you know that God thinks you are worth fighting for?  When I learn the let go and let God do His thing, WOW! I can't help but praise Him.

Have You Ever Had An "OOPS" Moment?

For we all stumble in many ways.

James 3:2

 

Have you ever had an "oops" moment?  I have.  On many occasions, I manage to find that invisible speed bump when I'm walking, especially if I am in a hurry.  The last time this happened, I almost wept openly because I dropped my entire cup of coffee.  

 

What is James trying to tell us? Perhaps he's telling us that no one is perfect.  Maybe he's reminding us that stumbling is normal, a fact of life, proof of our humanness.  Here's an interesting factoid:  It's not just humans that stumble.  I watched a cat stalk a bird onto the roof of a house.  The bird knew exactly what it was doing.  The bird was luring the cat away from the nest.  The bird pulled the "broken wing" routine along the crest of the house with the cat creeping ever closer.  Finally, the bird reached the end of the roof, jumped off and flew away.  Undeterred, the cat simply stopped where it was and decided to roll over and scratch its back.  Being that the roof was an incline, the cat rolled over.....and over and over and over until it fell off the roof into the bushes below.  Then the cat jumped up and looked around to see if anyone saw its "oops" moment.

 

Let's face it, we ALL stumble at times. And, speaking from experience, when we stumble we may feel guilty or REALLY wish we could disappear or simply feel like a complete failure.  But guess what?  When we stumble (yes, I said WHEN) we have to get up, dust off, and keep pressing on.  Why?  Because of God's grace we have His forgiveness!  When we see someone stumble, help them up.  In the same way we would want someone to help us up. 

FREEDOM!

 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Live as servants of God. 

2 Peter 2:16 

 

My brothers and sisters, God called you to be free, but do not use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful self. Serve each other with love.  

Galatians 5:13

Yesterday we celebrated our Freedom.  Freedom is a precious gift that we often take for granted.  Grateful am I for all who have fought to get and keep our freedom.

Don't Be Fooled

These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 

 

I recently read a story about a woman who had just graduated from a prestigious culinary academy in France.  She decided she had to put her new skills to the test at a elegant reception at the home of a prominent physician, so she prepared a pate, put it on some imported crackers, topped the pate with an imported cheese wedge, bacon chips, and a sliver of pimento.  She put her hors d'oeuvres on shiny silver platters and placed them on the reception table.  The guests at the reception raved over the treats and tray after tray disappeared quickly.  What she didn't tell anyone was her pate came from a can of Alpo dog food.

 

Remember how many times Lucy could convince Charlie Brown to kick the football only to to fool him time after time as she yanked the ball away at the last moment?  We are rather like Charlie Brown and the reception guests if we are not careful.

 

I used to attend a church where the pastor delivered amazing sermons complete with incredible power point presentations.  Eventually it was revealed that the pastor did not study for his sermons, nor did he even write them.  He downloaded them from a subscription service and merely read them verbatim.  I had been fooled into believing the pastor I admired was spending a LOT of time in prayer and study each week.

 

Listen, just because something looks good doesn't make it good.  Just because someone has words that seem plausible, does not make them true.  It is OUR responsibility to study for ourselves the Bible so we won't be fooled by pretty sounding messages.  I am extremely leery of any "pastor" who does not reference the Bible, rather delivers a "feel good" talk.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of pastors who preach gloom and doom all the time either.  What I want to hear is the TRUTH!  And I will study to see if what I am being told is true.  How about you? 

Do You Know?

We live in a world where we are bombarded with the messages of self-reliance and the idea that we need no one.  We are encouraged to believe that we can do it all, have it all, and whoever doesn't like how we choose to live...hope the door knocks you out on your way out.  And then we wonder why we are so stressed, anxious, and struggling.

Yep, I'm talking to the mirror as well.  I gave in to that mindset for years.  I determined that I needed NO ONE to make me happy because I was the Captain of my fate!  I was the one who determined that I was the in charge of me.  And then God decided that I should really experience what my choices and arrogance meant. For several years, I felt that I could empathize with Job, because everything came crashing down around me.  

God got my attention.  And I found myself in a place where I never want to be ever again.  God and I had a real heart-to-heart and I asked Him to help me and constantly remind me of my need for Him so my arrogance would not get in the way again.  I will tell you, God didn't fix everything all at once because that would have fed right into my own self-determined arrogance that I could to it on my own.  Rather, putting my life back in order was a struggle, but God faithfully gave me the strength to climb every obstacle and brought people into my life to encourage me and pray with me.

And now, here I am relying on God for every breath and am grateful for every moment.  I need God!  So do you.

How Contagious Are You?

Walk with the wise and become wise;
    associate with fools and get in trouble.

Proverbs 13:20 

 

I like to observe interactions we have with each other.  Through my studies, I have learned that we tend to take on some of the mannerisms, speech patterns, and traits of those we allow as friends.  I'm not talking about the casual "friends" rather those who truly know us.  You see, we are contagious!  We influence each other, like it or not.

 

I can still hear my Mom telling me that one of my friends was a "bad influence" and, like most kids my age, I thought she was mistaken.  It didn't take long before we got into some pretty serious trouble. I had to find out the hard way that she was right.  

 

That was the point where I tried to be a bit more selective about who I allowed to get that close to me again.  One of my elementary teachers shared a quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin: "If you would have a good friend, BE a good friend!"

 

Be careful who you allow to influence you.  Be a positive influence on others, while you're at it.