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523

“Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” -Traditional Liturgical Benediction

This blog is nearly 10 years old and this is post #523.

The purpose of these posts has been to share some thoughts with you as I walk along the road to knowing God. The writing has helped me to know him better in that it has caused me to think through what I read and learn as I process it to share with you.

Today I sense that I am being directed to take a break – not from learning, or obeying, or growing – but from writing this blog. Maybe not forever. I might, at some time in the future, be able to return to it with a freshness of spirit and approach.

Some of you have been with me on this journey from the very beginning. Thank you for your faithfulness. Others are fairly new followers, so I am sorry to leave you so soon. All of you, though, feel free to browse through the archives if you are interested in revisiting previous posts.

There are many good sources for devotional thoughts these days. Please find them, enjoy them, grow in your knowledge of God through them.

And, if by his grace, we meet again through this forum, that will bring me joy.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Thessalonians 5:23

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Blessed Already

“Let God’s promises shine on your problems. When you know Jesus, you are truly blessed.” – Corrie ten Boom

Somebody sneezes and the person next to him says, “Bless you.” What does he mean? I’m not sure, but it seems to mean something like, “I wish you well.” That’s probably just a tiny bit of what Jesus had in mind when he gave a long list (Matthew 5) of the kinds of people on whom God would show his favor, aka bless.

These are the people Jesus says are blessed: those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who want to be good, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for being righteous. Do you identify with any of those categories? If so, look for God’s blessing all around you. And remember that, while some of the blessings he promises will not be fully seen until eternity, there are some that we can experience in this present moment and they include such things as mercy, comfort, and satisfaction of our deepest spiritual desires.

I take away two very encouraging things from this list:

First, the promise that, no matter what you are going through now, it will be better when God’s Kingdom has fully come.

Second, we can experience God’s blessing and favor right now in the middle of the poverty, hunger, mourning, or persecution.

In short, Jesus promises that, if we are committed to God, at some point all our needs will be met and our desires fulfilled. If we think about that for a while, we will be blessed already!

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” – Numbers 6:24-26

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Without Words

” . . . we find that the soul’s silence brings us to God and God to us. Silence takes us beyond the limits of consciousness and into the heart and mind and will of God.” – J. Brent Bill, Quaker Pastor/Author

I have a prayer list in my head – things and people I pray for and about every day. Occasionally I wonder if God gets tired of hearing the same requests over and over again. But, he says we should ask. And Jesus even encouraged persistence in prayer. So I don’t think it’s wrong to repeat our prayers.

Even so, there may be times when we should pray without words, sitting silently in God’s presence in an attitude of worship and waiting while we think about him or focus on a verse of Scripture. After a while, we may find a thought enter our head about someone or something we have been praying about – often it will be an insight about what the real need is and how we can better understand that person or situation. Then, when we pray with words, we can pray the prayer God wants us to pray – one that reflects his will.

“There are times when solitude is better than society, and silence is wiser than speech. We should be better Christians if we were more alone, waiting upon God, and gathering through meditation on His Word spiritual strength for labour in his service.” (Charles Spurgeon)

Paul tells us we should pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Does he mean we should be talking all day long? No. Sometimes prayer can be a quiet connection with God.

Or, to paraphrase Francis of Assissi: Pray without ceasing. When necessary use words.

“Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 (The Message)

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Less of Me

“We are settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves.” – David Platt

We sing a song in our church with these lyrics: “If more of You means less of me, take everything. Yes, all of You is all I need. Take everything.” Wow. That’s a lot to pray. Take everything. Why would we pray that kind of prayer? Maybe because we’ve figured out that our way of doing things really doesn’t work!

We present an aura of confidence, good will, and purity when inside we are none of those things. It’s easy to fall into a life of covering, posturing, and pretending. And it’s exhausting!

Instead of an ego-centered life, God wants us to admit our weakness, so he can be our strength.

He wants us to give up our earthly desires, and let him provide what will really satisfy.

He challenges us to stop trying to be better, stronger, wiser, and, instead, to focus completely on him.

He invites us to relinquish pride, appearances, being right, honor, self-satisfaction, superiority, authority, perfection. He doesn’t want those things to be important anymore.

Why all this giving up? Because God knows that when we always have to be in control, we’re not able to accept the greater gifts he offers us.

When John the Baptist was preaching, he had many followers. When Jesus came on the scene, John pointed to him as the one he had been talking about all along, and he says, “He must increase and I must decrease.” He deliberately steered people’s attention away from himself and onto Jesus.

I think that’s what this is all about. Less of me. More of him.

“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” – Colossians 3:3

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That’s what love does.

“Charity is a virtue which, when our affections are perfectly ordered, unites us to God. For by it we love him.” – St. Augustine

What do you do when you’re confronted with someone in need? Do you automatically stop what you are doing and reach out to help? Sometimes it’s just that easy. We don’t ignore the elderly woman struggling with packages or hesitate to open the door for someone in a wheelchair, or offer a ride to the one who needs to get to a job interview.

But there are other needs that confront us that really cost us something. What do we do then? If our focus is on what it will cost us in money, time, or pain, we become hesitant to commit, we hold back on helping. Is that how Jesus would be thinking? Our focus is so easily turned from the person in need to what their need may demand of us. His never was.

The only way never to be in such a situation is not to have a family, not to have friends. If we live in isolation, no one will ever need our help. But what kind of life is that? Relationships cost us something. We are called to live in community – to love our neighbors, to support our brothers and sister in Christ, and to give generously.“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” (Amy Carmichael).

We don’t need to solve everyone’s problems, but we do need to love them as Jesus would if he were in our place. That’s what love does.

“…give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” – Luke 6:38

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The Front Row

“Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life’s problems fall into place of their own accord.” – J.I. Packer

The high priced seats at any concert are those that are closest to the front. Why? True fans want to be up close so they can see and hear everything. And they’ll pay a lot to be able to do that!

When it comes to worshiping God, he has already paid for the high-priced ticket. He invites us to come closer and to experience the awe of his presence.

A. W. Tozer uses the tabernacle in the Old Testament as a picture of doing that*:

The tabernacle courtyard was for everyone. It was wide open space for all who chose to come. It’s where we begin in our relationship with God.

If we want to grow closer, we move to the Holy Place. There the focus was on Torah. In other words, this is the space where we learn about God, and for most of us, that is through the church. If we want to get closer to God, we need to be willing to learn.

The inner room was the Holy of Holies. The encounter there was one-on-one with God. Since Jesus came to make us clean, this inner place is open to us. We can go in alone to meet with God through prayer, meditation on his word, and worship.

I don’t know about you, but I want to spend more time in the Holy of Holies soaking in his presence and bowing in adoration. Why hang around the courtyard when the door is open for us to come inside and be all alone with God?

“. . . in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” – Psalm 16:11b

*From Pursuit of Christian Maturity, A. W. Tozer

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It takes practice.

“Peace is the will of God for you in every situation.” – Fenelon

Do you ever get caught in a downward spiral as you deal with day-to-day problems that are part of our lives? If we pray during a time like this, our prayers tend to be cries for help, requests for God to change our circumstances. Sometimes he answers those prayers just as we want him to do.

At other times, though, he doesn’t intervene. Instead he walks with us as we trudge through the mud and mire. I’ve lived long enough to have experienced many of those kinds of times. I did pray. I did try to be obedient. I surrendered my will to his. But he didn’t fix things every time.

Here’s what I am still learning: In every situation there’s something to be thankful for. We search until we find that one thing and then we thank God. Another will come to our minds and another. If we keep doing that every day and every hour, we get better at it, we begin to feel calm, and our minds turn gradually away from ourselves and toward God.

But it doesn’t come easy. We have to make a choice to be thankful. There are musicians in our family and, when we hear them play, they sound great. But they have to practice to develop their skill. The more they practice, the better they get.

The same thing is true of praise. We have to practice it is if it is a skill be be developed. It’s hard to give thanks when things are not going well, but we do it in obedience to God, in reliance in his love, and, ultimately, as we keep on practicing praise, peace creeps in.

“I will praise the name of God with a song;
    I will magnify him with thanksgiving.” – Psalm 69:30

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God has bigger plans.

“Whenever God calls a man, he bids him come and die.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

God has bigger plans for us than anything we can accomplish ourselves. So he tells us we have to die to ourselves and yield every desire of our hearts to him. We can be sure doing that will be a struggle!

The things we hang on to usually relate to our comfort, security, appearance, or reputation. We long for praise, recognition, and control. But we’re unaware that holding tight to managing our lives around those values creates a barrier between us and God and all kinds of anxiety within.

For our own good, he invites us to let him take control. Then he waits until our desire to let him lead is greater than our desire for living our self-centered, and often desperate, lives.

As, over time, we keep returning to an attitude of surrender, we will begin to see changes: We will care about what others are feeling more than about what they’re thinking of us. We will no longer be so focused on physical comfort: sleep, preferred foods, the way we dress, personal safety or health. We will accept circumstances and see beyond them.

Finally, we come to a point where we no longer look to God for what he can give us, but for who he is. When that happens, he comes close, and we find we’ve given up nothing, and we’ve gained everything.

Dying to self is not easy, but it is the only way to true joy and peace. It starts with a simple prayer: “I surrender.” He’ll show us where to go from there.

“I have been crucified with Christ . . . the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” – from Galatians 2:20

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Are you sure you’re right?

The worst thing is not being wrong, but being sure one is not wrong.” – Paul Tournier

When Jesus asked Peter “. . . who do you say that I am?”, Peter answered correctly. A short time later he made a big mistake in telling Jesus he should not be talking about crucifixion and dying. Jesus gave a strong reprimand saying, “. . . you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Peter was thinking from a human perspective, and this encounter becomes a caution to us that, when we are setting our mind on earthly things, as Peter was, we get the answers to life’s most important questions wrong.

Paul was passionate about arresting and killing Christians because, in his world view as a Pharisee, it seemed like the right thing to do. Then Jesus met him along the road, and everything changed. Paul saw the truth and, we know from his later writings, he was horrified at how wrong he’d been. When he was thinking from a strictly human point of view, he was following wrong answers to life’s most important questions.

Paul was wiser by the time he wrote to the Christians in Rome telling them not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by renewing their minds and, when they do that, they will know God’s will. They will correctly understand the answers to life’s most important questions.

We get to direct where our mind goes: To things above or things on earth? To the things of God or the things of man? If status quo is OK, we keep doing what we’re doing. If we want transformation, we have to be intentional about directing our minds into spiritual thinking.

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” – Colossians 3:2

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Just One Question

“To know him in your world now is to live interactively with him right where you are in your daily activities. This is the spiritual life in Christ.” – Dallas Willard

I love the account in the Bible about the Jesus followers who walked with him on the road to Emmaus and didn’t realize who he was – at least not at first. But, what an opportunity they had to talk to him, to ask him questions, and to be in awe of his resurrected presence. If only they had known who they were walking with!

Then I wondered: If I had a chance to walk with Jesus along a path, what would I want to ask him? Then, what if we had limited time, and I could ask only one question. What would it be?

I was surprised at what my question was when I imagined myself in that situation. It was not all the “why’s” I have demanded of him throughout my life. It was not asking for a miracle or a rescue. I realized that the real question I had for him wasn’t about any of my personal issues, it was about him and who he was.

Then I thought back on my prayers – for direction or special provision, or “why is this happening?” I couldn’t help thinking that if I had a better picture of Jesus in his glory, not just as a good teacher or a friend, my prayers would undoubtedly be different.

How about you? If Jesus gave you a chance to ask him only one question, what would it be? What would your heart want to ask? We don’t see him physically now, but he is present. Go ahead and ask your question!

“Jesus asked them a question, saying, ‘What do you think about the Christ?'” – from Matthew 22:42 

Image from Flickr

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Images or Altars?

“If God were small enough to be understood, He would not be big enough to be worshiped.” – Evelyn Underhill

We were designed to worship God, but we all know that sometimes that worship gets diverted into other things. The people of Israel were prone to worshiping idols made of stone, wood, or metal, so God made it clear in the very first of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) that they were not to make images. Period.

But there was something he did want them to make: Later in the same chapter we find God saying, “. . . an altar of earth you shall make for me”

Don’t make images, but do make altars. And what are altars for? He explains that, too. They are for offering sacrifices in worship of the one true God.

The God we worship is beyond limit. Anything we do to give him shape makes him something less than who he really is.

On the other hand, an altar acknowledges his existence, his presence, his authority, and his worthiness to be worshipped and adored. It sees him to be limitless, all-present, beyond understanding. And it provides a place for us to meet him in all his glory.

Sometimes we all need to examine what goes on in the deepest parts of our minds and hearts. Are we tending more toward seeing God according to our personal definition of him, a being we might be able to bargain with, manipulate, or control? Or do we see him as the transcendent, all encompassing God to be held in awe and reverential fear? To be worshiped and adored. Let’s make altars, not idols.

“The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.” – Isaiah 40:28b

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Encounters with Jesus

True encounter with Christ liberates something in us, a power we did not know we had, a hope, a capacity for life, a resilience, an ability to bounce back when we thought we were completely defeated, a capacity to grow and change, a power of creative transformation.  
—Thomas Merton 

How can we live in such a way that encounters with Jesus, as Merton describes above, are possible for us?

We start by wanting to know everything we can know about him. As Christians, one of our missions should be to read and reread the Gospels to keep gaining insights into Jesus – not only his teaching, but also his actions, attitudes, and habits.

Then we will want to know him, not just intellectually, but experientially through a one-on-one relationship with him. We will want personal encounters with Jesus – times when we can sense his presence or hear his voice as a thought in our mind or feel his love reaching out for us.

These moments with Jesus are possible, but they cannot be commanded. They can only be received. We can prepare space for them by walking in obedience to Jesus, desiring to please him in every possible way. Such a moment might happen when we pause in our prayer to listen, or when we’re driving to an appointment, or as we sleep at night. Every encounter with Jesus will cut to our heart, it will change us, we will never forget it, and we will want more.

Jesus, in the person of the Holy Spirit, lives within everyone who has put their trust in him. If we tune in to his presence and his power, he will respond in his own way and time.

“. . . “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” – John 14:2

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Made Whole

This is a bonus post from my friend, Jane. I hope it blesses you as it did me.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

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World of Wonders

“If we would venture more upon the naked promise of God, we would enter a world of wonders to which we are yet strangers.” – Charles Spurgeon

It’s a great quote by Spurgeon. Then we look at life and at the world around us and we ask where those wonders are. What are we missing?

Maybe it is the barely-avoided accident on the highway.

Maybe it’s a new-born baby.

Maybe it’s the sickness we didn’t catch.

Maybe it is the peace we feel even when the task in front of us seems too big.

Maybe it’s our friend’s insight into a problem we are trying to solve on our own.

The Bible tells us we humans are just dust. Some call us “mud people”. Yes, mud people in whose life is the breath of God making us into someone he loves, adores, cares for, and nurtures. He takes us by the hand, leading us step by step. That, in itself, is a wonder! There is nothing too hard for God. He is the God of wonders, working them every day in our world.

Some of them are small. We have to be paying close attention to see them. Others are big -like when we get an unexpected gift that is just exactly what we needed, or someone we’ve been praying for is healed in a way that can only be be supernatural, or someone we love suddenly sees the truth of who Jesus is. These wonders do happen. Let’s look for them and then stand in awe at what we see. G. K. Chesterton said it best: “We are perishing for lack of wonder, not for lack of wonders”.

“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,” – Psalm 105:4-5

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Their god is . . . .

“Each day provides a multitude of ways to improve the way we shelter the Holy Spirit of God.” – Gary Thomas

There are times when we seem to have a love-hate relationship with our bodies. As Christians, we know that our bodies belong to God, that the Holy Spirit lives within us, and that we have a responsibility to take care of the body we have, whatever its present condition may be. Much about our bodies is outside of our control. But we do have something to say about how we eat, exercise, and rest.

Paul actually refers (not favorably!) to people whose “god is their belly” (from Philippians 3:19). I think we could safely interpret it to mean that it’s possible to let our bodies have too much to say about how we live. Sometimes it is our baser instincts that rule our decisions.

But we don’t have to follow the demands our body makes for satisfaction, pleasure, or foods. We have to give it what it needs, but not everything it wants! When we make God our first priority, our one and only God, we are less likely to make our appetites, our comfort, or our happiness into “gods”.

If we’re serious about having God rule our bodies, what do we do? We learn to feed them well, to get exercise to keep our muscles strong, and to find the right balance between work and rest and between feasting and fasting. We can use our bodies to turn us toward God, not away from him, as we learn to care for these temples in ways that please him.

 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship“- Romans 12:1

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Calming the Soul

“I can change my mind, but only the Holy Spirit can change my heart.” ~ Jack Deere

Years ago, coal miners would die from toxic gases in their unventilated mines. Someone realized canaries were sensitive to these gasses and would succumb to their effects sooner than humans. So miners would take canaries with them into the mines. If a canary began to show signs of toxicity, the workers knew it was time to evacuate.

As followers of Jesus, we have a similar warning system inside us: the Holy Spirit. When we are in situations that are dangerous or where we might be tempted to sin, the Spirit sends urgent signals for us to get out of harm’s way. If we trust him, we’ll pay attention and run.

Not only did the canary in the mine warn of danger, he also was an indicator when all was well. If the canary was singing, the men could work without worries about the air they were breathing. Productivity increased when there was a sense of security.

As we learn to know the Holy Spirit better, we learn to turn our attention toward him when we get anxious. If we sense he isn’t worried, we shouldn’t be either. Instead of letting anxiety prevail, we can learn to connect to him as our stability, our source of peace.

We need to get to know this Spirit better so we’ll sense danger when it’s there and have peace when it’s not. It’s beyond imagination, but the Holy Spirit is actually is our protector, and we are better off when we get in the habit of giving him our attention and trusting him to guide.

“. . . do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” – 1 Corinthians 6:19a

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When God Pauses

“He already cares for the things we pray about… He has simply been waiting for us to care about them with him.” – Philip Yancey

When we read the account of Sodom in the Bible, we find God is about to destroy the city because of its wickedness, but he pauses. Why? Because he remembered Abraham. And when he remembered Abraham, he sent two angels to escort Lot, his wife, and daughters out of the city just minutes before he destroyed it.

What did God remember about Abraham that caused him to pause? He remembered Abraham’s intercession for his nephew Lot. Abraham had bargained to the point where God agreed he would not destroy the city if there were ten righteous people in it. But there weren’t, so God was going ahead with his plan. That’s when he paused.

At that point, it seems God wasn’t focused on Lot and his predicament. He was remembering Abraham and his prayer (see Genesis 19:29). He wouldn’t have had to rescue Lot. The bargain Abraham made required ten righteous people. But God heard Abraham’s heart, and he sent rescue angels for Abraham’s sake.

Isn’t it amazing that God is influenced by the prayers of one person? That he sometimes adjusts his plans because we ask? If what we ask for can be given to us and not interfere with God’s bigger plan, it seems that God is willing to answer our prayer.

Are you praying for someone – for their rescue or recovery or repentance? Don’t give up. God may be sovereignly working his plan in the world and suddenly pause, remembering you and your prayer, and decide to act – because you asked.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

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Live strong!

There are some of us who live tired. We want more energy. We want to feel more alive, but we trudge along doing the next thing and the next until we fall into bed at night.

Dear friends, that is NOT how God wants us to live. This very issue is addressed throughout the Bible. Let’s analyze a bit.

Why do we get tired?

  1. We have too much to do. A wise person once said to me, “You have enough time today to do everything God wants you to do.” I understood at once: If I feel too much time pressure, it may be because I have something on my “to do” list that God didn’t put there. I’ve learned to ask him every day to help me adjust my priorities to his. (Matthew 6:25-34)
  2. We’re anxious, stressed. Stress is a huge drain on our energy, and it can become a habit. As followers of Christ, we have to realize that living in anxiety is an affront to Jesus who said he would give us peace that passes understanding and that he would provide for us as he does the lilies of the field. At times maybe we have to be content just to wait on God, his timing, his will. (Isaiah 40:31)
  3. We’re trying too hard. I’m learning that if I’m working hard so others will approve of what I do, I’m working from the center of ego – and that is exhausting. If, on the other hand, I work from the center of pleasing God, I am strengthened. Why? Because of Christ, God is pleased already. I don’t have to try so hard to earn his smile. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Let’s learn to live our best, strong, energized lives by leaning on God at every turn.

” I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” Jeremiah 31:25

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How well do you know him?

“We are all desperate, and that is in fact the only state appropriate to a human being who wants to know God. Having fallen from the absolute ideal, we have nowhere to land but in the safety net of absolute grace.” Philip Yancey

Jesus, when you were on earth, you were busy, but never hurried. You stayed calm even when your closest disciples didn’t understand what you were trying to teach. How did you do it?

Even as a human, I knew the Father better than you do. I went to him all the time when I was tired or stressed or afraid. Yes, I was afraid. Remember Gethsemane?

And there were times I was so frustrated, like when I saw God’s people as sheep without a shepherd. Their shepherds were their religious leaders and they were leading people away from the Father, not toward him. I was angry!

And many times, I just needed help making decisions, trying to understand what the Father wanted. So I went to him a lot. Praying, asking, listening for direction. It always came and, when it did, I acted. I wanted nothing more than to do what he wanted, not what I, as a human being, wanted.

So, little one, if you are frustrated by what you see in the world around you, or angry at injustices, or afraid of what is to come, turn to the Father. Turning to him will help you know him better and the better you know him, the more you will rely on him and the more you will want to please him.

Let him love, lead, encourage, and correct you. That’s what loving fathers do. And our Father in heaven does all those things perfectly!

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” – Psalm 68:19

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Is the Bible really inspired by God?

“The Bible re-educates us; it makes sages out of fools” – Dane Ortland

The Bible was written by 40+ human authors over hundreds of years, so what convinces us it’s from God and not from human imagination or literary skill?

First, how could writers of Scripture, who were separated by miles and by generations (with few exceptions), present content in varying contexts, styles, and genres and always be consistent in their portrayal of God and his story? The message holds together beginning to end.

Second, the writers believed they were giving a message from God. More than 3,000 times biblical authors made claims like “This is the word of the Lord,” indicating that those who wrote the texts believed they were writing God’s message.

Third, we look at how the early recipients viewed the texts. Many of the biblical books were immediately recognized as inspired. In fact, there was consensus among Jewish scholars concerning their authoritative scriptures as early as 440 BC. These same books comprise our Old Testament today.

For the New Testament, Christians recognized writings as inspired based on meeting all of specific criteria including message, accuracy, author’s first-or second-person relationship to Jesus, and recognition by the early church as being inspired.

Maybe most convincing of all are the testimonies across the ages and from every region of the world of people whose lives have been radically and permanently changed by what they have read in the Bible and believed in their hearts. There is something special about this book!

If the Bible is the inspired and trustworthy message from our Creator to us, let’s commit in this new year to read it, think about it, believe its promises, and obey its commands. This book was written for our benefit. We don’t want to miss it!

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” – Psalm 119:130

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Note: Parts of this post were previously published in INSPIRED Devotional: A 40 Day Journey. If you have more questions on the authority of the Bible, you might like that book or another I wrote titled The Bible for Skeptics (both of these books are available on Amazon)

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Halo slipping?

“The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.” – C. S. Lewis

For a few years, my family was just three of us: my two adolescent daughters and me. So, one of those years I bought a box of Hallmark cards with a graphic of these three angels, representing our trio. One of them, you see, has her eyes open, her feet askew, and her halo slipping. We sent the cards out to our friends and family.

A few years later, one of my daughters bought the ceramic depiction of that card as you see above. We all laughed and remembered those days of just the three of us. As we talked, we confessed that, when we sent out those cards, we each felt we were the angel with the slipped halo. Surprised? Then let me ask: Which of the three angels do you identify with?

Most of us know we don’t measure up to God’s standard. We aren’t conforming to his perfect plan. We have a bit of rebellion in us. Or we just can’t get it together. It’s good that we see that! It’s that acknowledgement that will compel us to reach out to Jesus, the baby of Christmas, the Savior of the world, to ask him to forgive our sins and make us righteous and pure in his sight.

He will do that, if we ask. It’s why he came.

Corrie ten Boom said it this way: “Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that he gave his only Son. The only requirement is to believe in him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.”

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” – Luke 2:14

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Feeling the joy?

“Jesus was God and man in one person, that God and man might be happy together again.” -George Whitefield

I was feeling down. I won’t go into details, but a weary sadness had settled in.

On my way back home from an errand, it occurred to me that joy was a fruit of the Holy Spirit in my life. Maybe he could help. So, I began talking to him, telling him that I was sad. Immediately it occurred to me that I should sing Joy to the World. So I sang it all the way home. And I thought about the words: Let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare him room. My heart felt a little lighter.

Then I saw the accumulated snow/ice at the end of my driveway and realized I’d better get that out of there before it froze again. So I grabbed a shovel and started to work. Ten minutes later, I saw our neighbor coming across the yard saying, “Let me do that.” He took the shovel and finished the job. But, the best part was that he was dressed in a red sweatshirt with brightly colored ornaments – the kind of shirt that made me smile.

I went in the house to wrap Christmas gifts, thinking of the people I love and the gifts I want them to have. Happy thoughts moved in. Joy had returned.

There is joy in Christmas, but I had lost it. A little conversation with the Holy Spirit brought it back. All I had to do was ask, listen, and do what he said. I love how he works – through music, neighbors, or silly sweatshirts. He will do it for you, too. He doesn’t make all our troubles go away, but he does bring joy in the middle of them – if we ask, if we let him.

“Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” – John 16:24b

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The View from Above

“God wants us to choose to love him freely, even when that choice involves pain.” – Philip Yancey

Why is life so hard? What have I done to deserve this? Why doesn’t God do something?

Job asked those questions, too. At the beginning of his story he had it all. Then everything began to fall apart. He lost his wealth, his children, and, finally, his health. His friends insisted God wouldn’t be doing this to him if he hadn’t sinned. If he would just admit his sin, everything would be OK.

So Job began to pray asking what he had done wrong and what he could do to appease God and get the pain to stop. No answer. What he doesn’t know is that God didn’t do any of this to him. Satan did – with God’s permission. It was not punishment, it was a test to see if he would trust and serve God even when things didn’t go his way.

There are some standard take-aways from Job’s story including that God doesn’t always protect us from the evil in this world and that trouble isn’t always (maybe seldom actually) a punishment for sin.

Those are good points, but, in my mind, the greatest lesson from Job’s story is this: Though others criticized, condemned, and shamed him, it is what God said about him that mattered. And God said he was blameless and upright.

When we choose to trust Jesus with our lives, God sees us as one of his beloved children. When we focus too much on what others think of us, or what Satan says about us, maybe the story of Job will remind us to ask God what he thinks*. That’s all that matters really.

” . . . you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you (Isaiah 43:4a)

*Hint: He tells us in his word.

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This Present Moment

“Leave the broken, irreversible past in God’s hands, and step out into the invincible future with him.” – Oswald Chambers

I heard someone say, “A truly happy person is someone who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.” Can we live fully in the present moment even it’s not what we planned? Do we spend too much time in the past or the future and miss engaging with the now? What can we do to change that?

The Past

We can all look at our past and find things we don’t like. Things we said. Things we did. Things that happened to us that changed the trajectory of our lives: Hurts, rejection, unresolved relationships.

Wise counselors tell us to acknowledge that these things are painful, but unchangeable. We can’t redo life. We can, though, forgive those who have hurt us. And we can confess our own mistakes and sins and receive God’s forgiveness. When we do that, we will feel that a weight has been taken away and this present life is refreshed.

The Future

When we look ahead, we can fall into worry far too easily, anticipating what could possibly happen that will be hard. And there will be those things. But that’s what the life of faith is all about: Trusting God even when we don’t understand. Trusting him because we know his character is good, kind, loving, powerful, just. The future is full of his promises, his presence, and his protection. Let’s choose to believe that!

The Present

When we let go of the past and trust God for the future, we will be fully alive to today. We can count on it!

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13

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So thankful . . .

As we prepare for Thanksgiving Day tomorrow, I am sharing a prayer written by a dear friend of mine. I hope it blesses you as it has me!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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Promises, Blessings, and Smiles

“The promises are of no use or comfort to us, until they are meditated upon.” – Thomas Watson

Are you smiling today? If you are more stressed than joyful or more worried than peaceful, there’s something you can do that might help. Turn to God’s word, not just to read it, but to think about it, to ask him to help you see what he wants you to see. Here’s an example:

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul (Psalm 23:1-3a).

Some of you know this so well, you can go on to quote the rest of the psalm. But do we really know what it means when God said that with him as our caretaker, we won’t lack anything? He controls everything – money, health, wisdom, weather, etc. And he promises not to withhold anything we need.

If we really believed that, how would it change our level of contentment? How would it calm our anxiety?

What does it tell us about God’s provision when we read that he takes his sheep to green pastures and still waters? What does it mean to have God restore our souls? Think about these things for a while. What do these verses say to you?

God intends for his word to be read, but he wants so much more than that. He wants it to soak into our hearts as we ponder what he says, and as we accept it as truth. When we do that, we are blessed, no matter what circumstances surround us. And that kind of blessing will bring smiles to our faces!

“My eyes are awake before the watches of the night,
    that I may meditate on your promise.” – Psalm 119:148

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His Personality

“Glorifying God does not mean obeying him only because you have to. It means obeying him because you want to — because you are attracted to him, because you delight in him.” – Tim Keller

At one point in my spiritual life I realized that God is a person. He has a personality, and he likes to be treated as other persons do. There is much revealed about him and his various attributes in the Bible – things like being all-powerful, holy, all-knowing, and everywhere present. But we almost have to read between the lines to find his personality. We see a range of actions – such as creation and judgment – and we see a range of emotions – anger, love, patience, resilience, for example.

But, as we get to know his Spirit who lives within us as a constant companion, we learn more. In fact, I think we learn a lot about the personality of God by looking at the characteristics the Spirit is developing within us to make us more like Jesus (Ephesians 5:22-23).

Through the Spirit, God is giving us a glimpse of his own personality. That means God is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled. Thinking of him on those terms, don’t you find him attractive? Doesn’t it make us want to spend more time with him? Doesn’t it mean we can trust him?

The great and holy God of the universe has invited us into friendship with him. Let’s get to know him as the friend who never leaves, who understands, who helps us find our way even when it’s dark.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13

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Healing

God alone is qualified to answer prayer, and at some point we have to let go and trust God, who can transmute our self-focused requests into an unimaginably larger plan.  – Philip Yancey

Do you have anyone on your prayer list right now for whom you are praying for healing? Most of us do. We read about Jesus healing people everywhere he went, and we believe he can still do that today. And he does – sometimes. Often, though, we wait in vain for the physical healing to happen.

These are the times when, as Spurgeon says, “we must meekly bow to his will by whom life and death are determined.” Wait! Bow to his will when the life of someone we love is at stake? That sounds hard. And, it is.

But what do we learn when we humbly bow to his will? We learn he is loving, kind, and good, even when we don’t understand. We learn that his power is not limited to physical healing. Sometimes he’s working on something of far greater value – something we will most likely not understand this side of heaven. In the process, though, we realize there are some things more important than physical healing and, if we could see the bigger picture, we would not trade the spiritual blessing for anything – not even healing.

I have heard people testify to this very thing. That the sense of God’s presence, the knowledge that he’s walking beside them in the pain, and the confidence that his will is best for them and for those around them is worth the suffering they are undergoing. I want that kind of peace and the comfort it gives. Maybe the only way to get it is by having some of my most earnest prayers go unanswered.

“Though he slay me, I will hope in him.” – Job 13:15a

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A Dove on Your Shoulder

“We are 100 percent responsible for the pursuit of holiness, but at the same time we are 100 percent dependent upon the Holy Spirit to enable us in that pursuit.” ~ Jerry Bridges

If you’re like me, we have our devotional time in the morning, reading our Bibles and praying. Then the day begins and it’s hard to turn our attention to God.

So, what can we do to draw ourselves again and again into the realm of the spirit where Jesus lives, where God can speak, and where we can find power and direction for our daily lives?

Sometimes we engage our holy imaginations. In her book Soaking in the Spirit, Carol Arnott reminds us that the Holy Spirit is referenced in Scripture as a dove. So she suggests that we imagine Him as a dove sitting on our shoulder. Maybe that’s not so odd considering the Bible tells us the Holy Spirit is the paraclete, meaning “one who comes alongside”. Sometimes it’s translated as helper, counselor, or advocate. Imagining that Holy Spirit Dove alongside me has been a reminder to me to talk to him all day long – to look for his approval and listen to his guidance about what I do, say, and even think.

Maybe that idea is too “way out there” for many of you, but it has helped me. What do you do to remind yourself to talk to our God all day long? To look to him for direction and empowerment? Feel free to post a method that works for you. Your “tip” may help someone else walk in step with God’s Spirit.

“The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord.” – Isaiah 11:2

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Hearts on Fire

“All change comes from deepening your understanding of the salvation of Christ and living out the changes that understanding creates in your heart.” – Timothy Keller

If you live in the United States, as I do, you are buried under political discourse and, almost always, it laments the condition of our world and claims one political party or the other can make it better.

As Christians, though, we realize only God can make lasting changes, and he has designated Jesus as the ruler of this world. The problems around us are beyond the ability of mere humans to fix – though we shouldn’t give up trying!

But let’s envision something much bigger than government or politics: A people of God so committed to him that they stand out as being different from the rest of the world. Those who understand both the promises of eternity and the joys and sorrows of living in the here and now, and, somehow, they live fully into that tension.

Don’t you sometimes hunger to have a passion for God that changes everything? A burning deep inside you that has to praise him and overflows with love for others? If everyone who claimed Christ as Savior had that kind of passion for him, our world would be changed – not through politics or revolution, but through Jesus’s people showing him and his love to the everyone around us.

When the hearts of Jesus’s followers are right, the real needs of this world will be met, and God will be glorified. I’m praying for revival within the hearts of the followers of Jesus – starting with me. Are you in?

I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. – Isaiah 57:15b

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Letting Him Speak

“When God speaks to you, he is not writing a new book of Scripture; rather, he is applying to your life what he has already said in his Word.” – Henry Blackaby

Ready for a spiritual experiment? Try this:

Worship Jesus. Adore him for who he is, what he’s done, and what he promises.

Remember. Ask him to bring to help you remember a story about him from one of the Gospels. See which event comes to mind (don’t sort through several – just take the first one).

Meditate for a few minutes on that story.

For me recently it was the account of Jesus raising Jairus’s daughter. The detail I zeroed in on was that, though there were many people there, Jesus allowed only three to go in with him. My heart went immediately to “I want to be one of the three!” I want to be close to Jesus, one of his most trusted companions, one who can see everything he does and hear everything he says.

Draw a conclusion.

Jesus reminded me that, if I wanted to be like Peter, James, and John, I need to stay close to him and not lag behind. I need to ask questions and listen for answers. I need to suggest things I’d like him to do and then learn from his response – just as they did throughout the Gospels.

When we give Jesus our attention, he responds. His response encourages us and deepens our desire for more of him. If you’re ready for that connection, you might want to try a spiritual experiment like this one.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” – John 16:13

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Make it a bird.

“Resilience is really about the life of God flowing into us and remaking us, renewing us, transforming us, and transfiguring all of the broken pieces of our lives into something that is whole, something that reflects God.” – Adam Bucko

I learned something important recently when I went to a painting class with my daughters and granddaughter: If you accidentally get a black spot of paint in your blue sky, it’s no problem according to our instructor. Don’t give up. Don’t try to erase it. Don’t despair. Just make it into a bird!

So, I have to ask: Is there a smudge in your life? Something you never saw coming and now have to adjust to? Or something you regret in the recent or far distant past? Or something someone else did to you that you’re having a hard time forgiving? And all you can see is that black spot.

Don’t give up. Don’t try to erase it. Don’t despair. Let the Master Painter incorporate it into his perfect plan. Hand him the brush. He can make it into something that fits into the picture he has been painting all along.

I call that resilience. We don’t give up, but we allow God to remake us, as the quote above says, into something that reflects him. We see the smudge. He sees the bird and the beauty and life it will add to the picture. I imagined what he might be painting for me now, and saw an awesome flock of birds!

The picture improves when we take our smudges, mistakes, accidents, or pain to him and then stand back and watch in amazement at what he will do.

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18a

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Being There

“God never works needless miracles. If his purposes can be accomplished by ordinary means, he will not use miraculous agency.” – Charles Spurgeon

When we’re sick, James tell us we should pray and God will respond. But, we know he doesn’t always respond with healing. Sometimes he sends help in more human ways. Why? Because he wants us to learn to help each other whatever the needs: sickness, relationship struggles, finances, depression, or loneliness. When we reach out to help, we have an opportunity to form bonds that wouldn’t happen in any other way. And isn’t that what we all want? Authentic, God-honoring relationships.

So, if we are paying attention to people around us, we are going to find someone in need. How can we help?

Listen/respond: Sometimes just letting a person express their frustration, pain, or sadness helps. Then, if we can respond with a positive word, it might be enough to get them through another day. We should never underestimate the power of wise or comforting words to help and to heal.

Help: There are times when there’s something specific we can do – make a meal, perform a household repair, provide transportation, take care of kids, pay for an expense, and, always, pray.

Be cheerful: Those who are carrying great burdens need to see a smile now and then. Cheerfulness is catching, so we can help and encourage with joy.

Acknowledge the truth: We need to agree with people in need that we see their struggle, we know it’s hard, and we care about them. God loves them, and he will never leave them. We can share whatever truths they need to hear.

Maybe we can be someone’s answer to prayer today.

 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds . . . encouraging one another . . .” – Hebrews 10:24-25

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Is it time for a change?

“How would my life change if I truly believed the Bible’s astounding words about God’s love for me . . ?” – Philip Yancey

Every now and then in our lives, we long for change – wanting something new, different, challenging, inspiring. It’s natural at those times to try to find the satisfaction we need by adjusting externals: rearranging the furniture, taking a trip, or changing jobs. Those things, though, are superficial compared to an internal change that will truly make a difference.

It might be wise at times of dissatisfaction to pause and ask God if there is something in our lives he wants to change. His ideas of what we really need are surely better than our own temporary fixes. I had a friend who daily prayed, “Lord, meet me at the point of my deepest necessity.” That’s the kind of change that will fulfill the longings we have. Only he knows our “deepest necessity.”

I can’t possibly say it better than Paul:

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (Romans 12:1-2 The Message)

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:19

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Maybe there’s more to the story.

“Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating.  By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace to which others are just as entitled as we are.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Have you ever judged someone just by the way they look? Or how they worship? Or how they vote? Have you ever assumed motives behind what someone said and later found they meant it in an entirely different way? It’s so easy to label people or to misinterpret a comment, text, or post.

We too often assume we know more than we do about another person’s beliefs, motives, or actions. Maybe that’s why the Bible has many cautions about being quick to judge. Think of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1. She desperately wanted children, but she and her husband had been unable to conceive. She was despondent and out of options. So, she went to the tabernacle to talk to God. She wept and prayed quietly – her lips were moving, but no sound came out.

Eli, the priest, saw this and was immediately filled with disgust. He assumed she had been at the festival and was drunk – in this holy place. So he confronted her, and she responded, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.” Eli quickly saw she was telling the truth and reversed his judgment, offering her a blessing instead of a rebuke.

Judging is so easy to do! Let’s be wary of it by committing to these attitudes instead:

  • Assume the best motives unless or until proven otherwise.
  • Don’t be too easily offended.
  • Sometimes just let it go.
  • Love and be loved.

Life will be better. God will be pleased.

“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”- John 7:24

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The Monks’ Two-Minute Rule

“Thinking Christianly is thinking by Christians about anything and everything in a consistently Christian way – in a manner that is shaped, directed, and restrained by the truth of God’s Word and God’s Spirit.”
– Os Guinness

High up in the mountains of central Greece sits Meteora, a monastery representing retreat from the world and all its temptations. However, the monks realized, as isolated as they were from worldly allurements, they still had problems with evil thoughts – things like vengeance, lust, envy, anxiety, and pride. The thoughts just seemed to come out of nowhere and, once planted in their minds, they began to savor them, engage them, and treat them as welcomed guests.

St. Paisos the Athonite, one of the great teachers at Meteora, heard their confessions and gave this advice: Essentially he said that an evil thought is like a hand grenade tossed into your mind. When it comes you have about two minutes to toss it back. If it stays longer, it will explode and cause great damage. It comes from the evil one. Throw it back to him!

We know from Jesus’s teaching that evil thoughts are where sin begins in our lives. If we are serious about our spirituality, we simply can’t accept them. We have to cultivate good thoughts instead: Those that are honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable and excellent (Philippians 4:8) and those that are from above (Colossians 3:2).

It’s not sin to have evil thoughts come into our minds, but it is a sin to let them stay. And, if we do, they will lead to pain and destruction. The trajectory of our lives begins in our minds. Let’s protect ourselves by protecting our minds. Remember the monks’ two-minute rule!

“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” – Romans 8:6

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He had it all – and it wasn’t easy.

“By inviting God into our difficulties, we ground life—even its sad moments—in joy and hope.” – Henri Nouwen

David was a man God loved, protected, and used. He was handsome and strong and he defended his nation. He had a friendship which has become the epitome of all friendships. He had a wife who loved him. He was acclaimed by crowds every time he returned from battle. It seemed God gave him success in whatever he did.

But that didn’t mean everything was easy. King Saul grew to hate David so much he spent years trying to kill him. And, because of that, David fled for his life with his group of outcast followers. Later, David’s wife turned against him, his dear friend Jonathan died in battle, and his rebellious son tried to usurp the throne.

David was called of God to be king of Israel. He was empowered by God to do great things. But his life was filled with pain and suffering. It doesn’t make sense to us. It didn’t make sense to David, either, and we see that in his brutally honest psalms.

Many of us can relate. We’re trying to serve God, but there are struggles with relationships, finances, sickness, and loss. How do we deal with these things and continue trusting God? David asked similar questions in his prayers. We have the same outlet as we cry out to God for help, as we look for his will in every decision, and as we always find something for which we can thank him.

He has promised never to leave us, and he seems to accomplish something in our suffering that we will never understand completely. We just have to stay faithful, trusting his love. Somehow.

“Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!” – Psalm 30:10

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Learning to Learn

“I am still learning.” — Michelangelo (at age 87)

Someone once told me, “Some people live and learn. Others just live.” I’m hoping we all want to be the first kind!

So, what do we need to learn? Sometimes it’s professional, like a new skill we need to develop in order to do our jobs better. Sometimes it’s personal like how to adapt to health challenges, financial pressures, growing-up children, aging parents, or relationship struggles. And, always, it’s spiritual. Every challenge we face and every mistake we make has a spiritual component – something we can learn.

How can we learn at whatever stage of life we are in? The first recourse, for those who are Christians, is the Bible. We need to keep reading it, following its wisdom and its Author.

Next, we need good counselors or mentors. There are always those who have already traveled the road we are on and can offer sage advice from their own experience. And sometimes books can be those mentors to us if we find quality authors sharing their wisdom.

Finally, we just need to pay attention. Friends and family communicate in words, deeds, and sometimes just body language. Our own bodies tell us what they need. Watch, listen, learn. We can never stop learning. We need guidance in every step of this journey through life.

As we learn, we live better: Serving where we are placed. Taking care of our bodies. Loving those nearest to us. Getting to know those who are farther away. Mourning meaningfully. Enjoying celebrations. Sleeping well.

Let’s learn something every day of our lives!

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all the day long. – Psalm 25:4-5

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It’ll be OK.

“God did not say: You will not be assailed, you will not be belabored, you will not be disquieted, but he said: You will not be overcome. God loves us and delights in us, and so he wishes us to love him and delight in him and trust greatly in him, and all will be well.”  
—Julian of Norwich 

Sometimes we feel like we pray and nothing happens. We’re not sure God is listening and we wish we could somehow get his attention. Maybe the key to connecting with God’s attention is giving him ours. How do we do that:

Focus: Set a time to give full attention to God. During this time, there is no multi-tasking. There is only one goal: To think about God, what he’s like, who he is, and what a privilege it is to worship him, to be allowed to talk to him.

Listen: Being very conscious of his presence, we turn to his word to read. We focus on taking it in, thinking about how it may apply to us, sensing something he really wants us to see this day. Then write it down. We may remember it, but we’re more likely to remember accurately if we write it down

Do: If he tells us something to do, we do it as soon as reasonably possible. A delay shows lack of priority. The urgency will get lost the longer we wait.

When we shut out everything but God, give him our full attention, and obey what he says, he will listen when we call, and we will know, without doubt, that whatever happens in our circumstance, he is working in the middle of it – no matter the outcome. All will be well.

“But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him”. – Psalm 4:3

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Going Global

“Your piety is worthless unless it leads you to wish that the same mercy which has been extended to you may bless the whole world.” – Charles Spurgeon

About 15 years ago, I felt God was asking me to pray for the whole world. I tried that for a day or two and realized my prayers needed more focus than “the whole world”. I went online and found an organization that would send me a daily email with background and detail about a country to pray for. I learned a little about one country and prayed for it that day, then another country, and another.

After a few months of this, I took a position at Our Daily Bread Ministries and found myself in the middle of an organization with a passion for reaching the whole world with the Gospel. And, through my work there, my husband and I became involved in a ministry in Pakistan that has captured our hearts and our focus to this day. If anyone had told me a year earlier I would be deeply involved in Pakistan, I wouldn’t have believed them.

Do you see what happened? God began to convict me of the need to broaden my horizon. Then he led me to the next step and the next until it completely changed my focus. Maybe God is asking all of us to think more globally. Once we realize that he is at work in amazing ways all over the world, he may open doors for us to join him in his work.

Your story will be different from mine, but it will be an adventure. Following God is never less than that!

“Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations,his marvelous works among all the peoples!” – 1 Chronicles 16:23-24

NOTE: A shout out to my Pakistani friends who read this blog!

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The Unkept Commandment

“You will never have enough till you get Christ; but when you have him, you will be full to the brim. Contentment is the peculiar jewel of the beloved of the Lord Jesus.” – Charles Spurgeon

When God gave the Ten Commandments, we notice that the last one is different from all the rest. It’s about an attitude, not an action that is noticed by others: It says we are not to covet. Ignoring this commandment may have something to do with the breaking of many of the others. People can want something so much they are willing to steal, lie, or even kill to get it.

When a ruler of Israel came to Jesus asking how he could have eternal life, he boasted that he had kept all the commandments. Jesus didn’t argue with him. He simply told him to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor. Hearing this, the man was disheartened and sorrowful (Mark 10:22). His reaction showed the commandment he was not willing to keep was the one against coveting – wanting more, not less. We’ve all been there at some point.

Coveting is not always about things. Sometimes it’s about reputation, status, or relationships. And it’s dangerous: Coveting steals our contentment and replaces it with bitterness, resentment, and even hatred. Above all, coveting separates us from God and creates stress.

Luther says the cure for coveting is trading our worldly desires for holy desires. In other words, we have to look at what really matters: We have God’s love. He will never leave us. We have work to do in his kingdom. We have a glorious eternity. We already have what matters most. And contentment is the result of recognizing that.

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4

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Saying More by Saying Less

“The most precious things in speech are the pauses.” – Sir Ralph Richardson

When we look at Jesus, we find that sometimes he preached long sermons. But, it seems that, quite often, he spoke only a few words at a time, but words that changed everything for the one or ones that took them in. Things like, “Follow me,” “Peace, be still,” (Mark 4:39), or “Child, arise” (Luke 8:54).

Bible studies or business meetings are a great place to observe people’s communications habits. There are those who dominate the discussion, eagerly sharing their understanding or ideas. That’s not bad. But the ones I like to see are those who sit through most of a meeting attentive, but quiet. Then, we hear them say something that ties everything together for everyone. They seem to process all through the session, and, in a few words near the end, bring everything to a point. Their words are few, but valuable.

At the empty tomb, Jesus said one word and, for Mary Magdalene, it changed everything. She thought he was dead. Someone must have stolen the body. Then she sees a man and thinks it is the gardner. That is until he spoke. He simply said, “Mary.” She couldn’t believe her ears. It was Jesus.! She fell at his feet and, then, she, too, said one word, “Master.” When he spoke her name, she responded with simple submission.

There is a time for listening, processing, meditating, pondering. After that, what we say will be helpful and, by God’s grace, maybe even powerful. I, for one, would like to practice saying more, but with fewer words.


“Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” – Ecclesiastes 5:2

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Would it be enough?

“We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Jacob was returning home after running for his life years earlier because Esau had threatened to kill him. As he got close to home, Jacob heard Esau was approaching with 400 men. He prayed desperate prayers for himself and his family.

Later that night, though, he went off by himself and experienced God’s presence in the form of an angel. They wrestled all night until, at last, we are told Jacob wouldn’t give up fighting until the angel blessed him. He was done asking for specifics and wanted only God’s blessing. His prayer was answered in a most unexpected way: The blessing was a new name and a limp, both of which he accepted as coming from the hand of a loving God.

That makes me wonder if we trust God enough to stop praying for specific requests, at least for awhile, and, instead, spend more of our prayer time worshiping him? Maybe for awhile we could offer prayers of submission to his will instead of offering our list of requests. What if we dared to pray “Bless me, Lord. All I need is you and whatever blessing you decide to give.”

If we really believe he knows better than we do what would meet our deepest needs, it would be enough if we just ask him to bless us and then accept whatever he gives as coming from his hand. His answer to us might be as unexpected as Jacob’s was. But it was exactly what he needed. Do we dare to pray as he did? All I need is your blessing, Lord.

“The Lord bless you
    and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;.” – Numbers 6:24-25

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Stay for dinner.

“Hospitality means primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend.” – Henri Nouwen

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock”.  Jesus announces his presence at the door of our heart. If we let him in, what will he do? Criticize the dirt that’s there? Tell us our closets need to be cleaned or there’s stuff we need to get rid of? Or maybe he’ll turn around and leave when he sees what’s behind the door.

No. None of those things. Here’s what he says next: “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20).” If we let him in, this verse tells us he wants to have dinner with us. He wants to sit at our table and have us tell him about our day. He wants to enjoy the vegetables we bought from the farmers’ market. He wants to share our everyday life.

Eating together is an important value to God. Psalm 23 tells about him preparing a table for us. Some of the sacrificial offerings in the Old Testament times were fellowship offerings. The sacrificial lamb was eaten as a sign of communion with God. And don’t forget Jesus fed 5,000+ people at one time and 4,000+ another. God seems to love the relationships that come from sharing food.

If Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart today, or mine, let’s let him in. Then invite him to stay for dinner. Let him become a friend. He will surely change some things in our lives over time, but, for now, he just wants us to invite him in.

“And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts . . .” – Acts 2:46

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Things God Never Says #5

“All my knowledge of him depends on his sustained initiative in knowing me.” – J. I. Packer

We humans tend to think of God as human-like – just bigger, stronger, wiser, and holier. But that’s not good thinking. He is so, so different from us.

I hope this short series of “things God never says” helps us realize that God doesn’t say the things humans say or think the way humans think. Our Creator is different, and he’s outside of anything he’s created – including us.

So, when God, a being we cannot even imagine let alone understand, wants to communicate with us, is it any wonder we don’t always “get it”? Even when God took on a human body and came to earth to help us understand him and his plan for us, his disciples often misunderstood. They didn’t really grasp Jesus’s mission until after his resurrection.

God doesn’t give up. He continues to teach and reveal and guide. Jesus is the bridge between the knowable and unknowable God, the Holy Spirit enlightens us, and the Bible is God’s revelation of himself, and still he says, “. . . my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways . . .” (Isaiah 55:8).

But, what he never says to us as we struggle to know him is, “Why can’t you understand?” He knows all our limitations and views us with compassionate patience.

Paul says it’s like we’re looking into a mirror now, seeing images and reflections, but someday we’ll see face-to-face. Then things will become clear. Until then, we’re grateful that God still communicates, and that he’s patient with our dusty efforts to understand.

“As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame;
    he remembers that we are dust.” – Psalm 103:13-14

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Things God Never Says #4

“In many instances I have felt the power of God transforming the fatigue of despair into the buoyancy of hope.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sometimes life is tiring! Especially if we’ve been working overtime or have made too many commitments or are worried about something beyond our control. That’s when we want to say (whether we can actually do it or not): “I think I’ll take a nap and let the world go on without me for a while!”

Aren’t you glad God never says “I think I’ll take a nap”? We are told that the God of the Bible “will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4b). He’s always awake, always “on duty”, never tired. How is his constant vigilance helpful to us? Lots of ways:

He is always there to protect us and watch over our steps. In fact in the same Psalm cited above, the writer says, “He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.” It comforts us to know the almighty God is caring for us and watching out for us 24/7.

He is always there, too, to hear our prayers. He doesn’t keep office hours. Whenever we want to talk to him, to praise him, to ask for his help, he is there and he is listening. He’s wide awake and ready to answer our call.

And, finally, his alertness reminds us of his amazing strength and that he’s willing to use it for our benefit. He never feels fatigued or weak. He is all power, all the time. And our link to that celestial energy is prayer. Connecting to the power of God will give us strength, too, to do what we must do. With joy. With hope.

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” – 1 Chronicles 16:11

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Things God Never Says #3

“With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack? Surely we are the most favored of all creatures.” – A. W. Tozer

We can’t be good at everything, and sometimes we are put in a situation that demands a skill we don’t have. I remember someone trying to teach me how to sing. He kept giving instructions to get me to have more volume, more voice, more everything. Frustrated, I finally said, “I’m doing the best I can!” And I was, but it was far from acceptable!

There are times when we ask God to do something for us and he doesn’t respond as we’d like him to. He’s too slow or doesn’t do the job as we want it done. And we might go to him with our complaints. When we do, we know he will never say, “I’m doing the best I can.”

What God wants to do, he does. He does it better than we can ask or even dream. It’s impossible for him to do a less-than-perfect job.

So, if we are frustrated with how he is responding, we might be asking him to do something he doesn’t want done – at least not in the way we are demanding. So what do we do? We trust that God is doing something by far better than we are asking, and we change our will to match his. We yield to him. We give up trying to have things our way, and we say “yes” to his way. He never does anything less than the best!

“This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.” – Psalm 18:30

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Things God Never Says #2

“We should be astonished at the goodness of God, stunned that He should bother to call us by name, our mouths wide open at His love, bewildered that at this very moment we are standing on holy ground.” – Brennan Manning

We have all experienced rejection in our lives. The close friend who moves away and you lose touch. You feel that the friendship wasn’t all you thought it was if it could fade so easily. Or an adult child turns away and doesn’t look back. The worst, though, and we’ve all seen it and some have experienced it firsthand, is when a spouse quietly announces, “I just don’t love you anymore.”

At Jesus’s last meal with his disciples before he was crucified, John tells us that Jesus, “. . . having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1b). These are friends who would that very night walk away from him in his trial and crucifixion. There was one who would betray him to authorities and another who would deny even knowing him. Jesus knew about their cowardice and disloyalty, and yet he loved them. To the end. Never wavering.

He loves us to the end, too! When we walk away, he loves us anyway. He waits for us to turn around and come back. When we are tired or discouraged, his love is always there holding us up. No matter what we do, we cannot make him stop loving us! And, the funny thing is that when we begin to believe that, it changes us. We want to please him, to talk to him about everything, to get forgiveness when we sin, to always be close. Just accept it. He’s never going to say, “I just don’t love you anymore.”

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.” – Lamentations 3:22-23

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Things God Never Says #1

“Almost certainly God is not in time. His life does not consist of moments one following another…Ten-thirty– and every other moment from the beginning of the world–is always Present for Him. If you like to put it this way, He has all eternity in which to listen to the split second of prayer put up by a pilot as his plane crashes in flames.” – C. S. Lewis

Do you ever wonder how God does it? How he can listen to thousands of prayers at the same time and be personally involved in every one of them? How he can care, truly care, about every human being ever created? He is never like the frazzled parent who says to a demanding child, “Sorry, I’m busy right now.”

Why does God never say that? He’s eternal. He’s not hampered by 24-hour days or frustrated at having only 60-minutes in an hour. He doesn’t have a calendar with appointments on it. God created time when he created the earth with a sun to mark the days and years. He can enter time whenever he chooses, but it does not restrict him. He actually can answer our prayers before we pray them because being outside of time means he already knows what we will ask for.

Do you find that hard to wrap your mind around? I hope so! If we can fully understand God, he’s not God. But we do know he always has time for us. We never have to stand in line to talk to him. The instant we begin to think of him or talk to him, he responds – always willing to listen. Always caring. Never impatient. Never in a hurry.

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” – 1 Timothy 1:17

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Letting Go

“This is how our holiness grows, by small surrenders, without which we cannot finally become free.” – Emilie Griffin

We want to be in control of where we go, what we eat, how we dress, how we spend, where we work, where we worship, and everything else. Yet God calls us to surrender. Surrendering means letting God control all of those decisions. Surrendering is hard. Maybe impossible.

So how does anyone do the impossible? One small step at a time. One small surrender at a time: Letting someone else choose the movie. Going to church when we’d rather be working in the garden. Not taking charge of every conversation. Even going to sleep at night can be a surrender.

J Todd Billings in his book, The End of the Christian Life, says that when we fall asleep at night. “We don’t think ourselves to sleep. We surrender our bodies to being overtaken (by sleep). . .” To Billings, going to sleep at night is a way of learning to surrender control of our bodies, our minds. Maybe that’s why some of us have a hard time sleeping. Our minds are still engaged in trying to control the world around us.

And, whether we are healthy or sick, young or old, we are eventually facing death. How can we live full and productive lives knowing that an end is coming over which we have no control? How will we be able to surrender our bodies and souls to him in life or in death? Only by small surrenders now, bigger ones as we get grow in our faith. The better we get at surrendering day-by-day, the easier our final surrender will be.

“. . . this is the one to whom I will look:
    he who is humble and contrite in spirit
    and trembles at my word.” – Isaiah 66:2b