following God

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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Direction, not Perfection

“Hope in God, who is not the God of the perfect only, but of the becoming.” — George MacDonald

Don’t we all sometimes think that we want to be further along in our spiritual life than we are already? That God must sometimes shake his head in disapproval of our spiritual status? That maybe he’s getting impatient with us? If so, read on for some encouragement.

The people of Israel had wandered away from God for many years. King Hezekiah cleaned up the temple and wanted to call the people back to worship. So he scheduled a Passover celebration, an annual commemorative feast commanded by God, but that had not been kept in years.

People began to come to Jerusalem for the celebration. But when Hezekiah realized that some of the people had not done the proper spiritual preparation which was required to participate, he was worried. He didn’t want them to be excluded, but he didn’t want God to reject them either. So he decided to pray.

Hezekiah said, “’May the Lord, who is good, pardon those  who decide to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors, even though they are not properly cleansed for the ceremony.’ And the Lord listened to Hezekiah’s prayer and healed the people” (2 Chronicles 30:19-20).

Do you see God’s response to Hezekiah’s bold request? He accepted and blessed those whose hearts were turned toward him. They didn’t have to have followed the rules perfectly, they just had to have the desire to please him. He would forgive what needed to be forgiven.

What an encouragement! We don’t have to be perfect to be blessed by God, we just have to be pointed in the right direction and moving toward him. That’s what he wants.

“Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.” – Psalm 25:4

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Living Your Best Life

“God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing” –C. S. Lewis

Wouldn’t it be amazing if life could have purpose, be interesting, and be filled with joy? The kind of life that makes it exciting to get out of bed every morning? In an earlier post, I told you about my recent study of the book of Proverbs. This week, I want to pass along what I think that book teaches about living life to the fullest.

God first.

There is no wisdom, security, or forgiveness without a relationship with God. That relationship doesn’t just happen; it must be developed. Worship, praise, study, and prayer all help to build a stronger, deeper two-way connection with God.

“The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.” – Proverbs 19:23

Get personal.

Proverbs says much about friendships, family, and neighbors. These are important relationships that take time to grow. We must be intentional about cultivating relationships that matter.

“To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” – Proverbs 21:3

Seek advisors.

Proverbs encourages us to be teachable. We all would do well to begin a relationship with a mentor and to listen with openness to the counsel they give. We can learn from each other.

“Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.” – Proverbs 19:20

The good life is possible – if we see it from God’s point of view and live it in light of his instruction. The book of Proverbs is a great place to start!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.“

– Proverbs 3:5-6

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Advice to Self

“God will meet you where you are in order to take you where He wants you to go.” – Tony Evans

I was challenged recently to think about my life in light of teachings in the book of Proverbs. As I pondered, some important considerations surfaced. I want to share them with you.

Recognize the seasons of life.

As I look back on my decades of life, I realize more than ever that there have been seasons – times to focus on various things including education, marriage, children, career, and service. Not that any of these ever fade into oblivion, but various roles come to ascendancy at particular times. I must recognize the season that I’m in today: One of service, engaging both inside and outside of family, and passing some roles to others.

Never stop learning.

Learning and humility are closely related in my mind. I must be willing to learn from friends and advisors and from teachers and authors. I want to retain a curious mind, eager to explore new things and ready to revisit old things with a fresh look. My goal at this stage of life is to go deeper, not wider.

Speak out for justice.

I’ve become more aware in recent months of God’s emphasis on biblically defined justice. I should not ignore injustice when I observe it around me. I must learn to promote justice for those who may not be able to speak up for themselves. Not a movement, but a response to individual needs.

How about you? What season of life are you in? What are you learning? Where is God taking you? It’s worth the time to think about these things. If we listen, he will speak.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1


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He’s not leaving.

Nothing in or of this world measures up to the simple pleasure of experiencing the presence of God. — A. W. Tozer

None of us is a stranger to loneliness. Even when we’re with people, we sometimes feel unattached, alone. But, if you and I are children of God, we are never alone. In fact, when Jesus came to earth, Joseph was reminded by the angel of Isaiah’s prophecy that this child would be called Immanuel, which means “God with us”. Then, after his living his life among us, Jesus said this to his disciples, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b). He was leaving – and still promising to be with them.

The Bible is full of promises about God’s presence with us. Here are a few:

“Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you” (Joshua 1:5b).

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4).

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Do we believe what we are reading? That God is really with us? That he will never leave us? That where we go, he goes? He hears our prayers, knows our thoughts, understands our needs, and directs our steps.

The first step toward experiencing God in our lives is to believe these promises are true. The second step is to cultivate an ongoing, prayerful conversation with our ever-present God. Over time, we begin to realize we are never alone. We’re never, never alone. He is with us, and he’s not going away.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9b).

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Patient and Kind

“There is no termination date on my commitment to you. You can’t get rid of my grace to you. You can’t outrun my mercy. You can’t evade my goodness.” – Dane Ortland

A friend once told me about her adult son who was always getting into trouble, mostly related to his penchant for alcohol. One time he came to her with yet another problem and said, “I bet you wish I’d never been born.” She told me that story with tears in her eyes, not because of the problems he caused, but because he could even think she would ever stop loving him.

God’s like that. No matter how much trouble we are, we are his, and he wants us to be close.

A friend once likened God’s relationship to us as that of a human trying to housetrain a puppy. When the puppy doesn’t make it to the papers, does a good master kick him for missing the mark? No, he picks him up and moves him to the papers. After awhile, the pup, wanting to please his master, begins to understand and do the right thing.

Once we’re adopted into God’s family, we are his – forever. If we keep falling into the same sin, he still loves us. If we fail to keep our promises to him, he still keeps his promises to us. He helps us get back up when we fall. Even if we run from him, he chases us to bring us back – just like a master would do with a runaway puppy!

And that kind of love makes us want to return to him. The thing we must never think is that he no longer wants us back. Our Master will never turn away one who wants to please him.

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,” – Exodus 34:6b

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Say “yes”.

“There is no one who is insignificant in the purpose of God.”– Alistair Begg

We are so bombarded with sales-pitches today, that we have conditioned ourselves to say “no”. There are times, though, when our conditioning might block us from doing what is really best for us. Our predetermined “no” may keep us from doing something God himself is putting in front of us. Let’s not always be skeptical!

God met Moses at the burning bush and told him he had been chosen to lead God’s people out of slavery in Egypt and into the land God had promised to their ancestors.

Moses’s response: Not me, Lord. I’m not the right guy for this job. I have no influence. The people won’t accept me as their leader. And, I’m not even a good speech maker. You need to find someone else.

As we know, God gave Moses some supportive tools, including miracles he could perform to show God had sent him and including his own brother Aaron to give the speeches. Somehow I think God might have been happier if Moses had just said “yes”.

God says,

“Love me with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.”

“Be holy as I am holy.”

“Love each other as I have loved you.”

“Go into all the world and tell them about me.”

He wants us to say “yes” to all those things.

Here are some other things to add to our “yes” list:

Discomfort

Uncertainty

Humble service

Change

Living by faith

Caring – a lot

Teaching others

Giving back to him everything he’s given to us

Showing compassion

If we say “yes” to these things, we also are saying “yes” to supernatural and unexplainable peace, hope, purpose, and joy. Let’s practice saying “yes” to God!

“For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.” – 2 Corinthians 1:20 .

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Save your heart for me.

“Where your pleasure is, there is your treasure; where your treasure is, there is your heart; where your heart is, there is your happiness.” – Augustine of Hippo

These old song lyrics come to mind occasionally: “. . . just remember I’m in love with you and save your heart for me.”* I think God sings that song to us sometimes. The spiritual life is all about who has our heart, and he wants yours and mine to belong only to him.

God wants us to have human relationships, to engage in business, to be educated, to own things, to develop personal interests. But he doesn’t want any of these things to compromise our overriding commitment to him. That doesn’t mean we have to be perfect. David, who made notable mistakes and sinned scandalously, was described by God as “a man after my own heart.”

What did that mean? I think it meant that David wanted to please God more than anything. So, when he realized he had failed at doing that, he turned back to God for forgiveness and restoration. His heart belonged to God, so it was never at rest when something interfered with that deep inward commitment.

We can be like David: Desiring more than anything else to have our hearts devoted to God, knowing we will never reach that goal perfectly in this life. But knowing, as well, that when we are intentionally committed to God, we’ll turn to him even in our failure, and he will forgive our unfaithfulness and restore our joy.

So, let’s go out and live passionately, generously, gracefully as long as we save our hearts for him!

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” – Psalm 51:12

*Gary Lewis and the Playboys

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From this day on . . .

 “The only way to get rid of your past is to make a future out of it. God will waste nothing.” – Philips Brooks

Here we are on the brink of a new year – a time of introspection, resolutions, and commitment to change. There are always things we want to improve about ourselves or things we regret in the year gone by, but maybe a new page on the calendar can also give us new hope.

Haggai, an Old Testament prophet, gave this message: “From this day on I will bless you” (Haggai 2:19b). God was pointing to an exact moment when he would stop his punishment on the wayward Israelites, and everything would get better. What caused God’s change of heart? It was when the people began to rebuild the temple that had been destroyed by Babylon’s armies. Maybe they didn’t realize what a huge turning point their obedience was in God’s eyes.

In so many ways, every day holds the possibility of being a turning point – not just January 1 or days of momentous decisions. Each day we can pursue God, develop friendships, reach out to those in need, and give our very best to our work and our families. We never know which encounter in the routine of our days will, in fact, be a turning point for us or for someone else.

Who knows what the new year will bring? Only God. I’m excited about facing each new day with anticipation of God’s fresh mercies and continued direction. I hope you join me in choosing to live in God’s light, receiving and cherishing his blessings “from this day on.”

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.” – Lamentations 3:22b-23

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I did it my way.

“There will be no peace in any soul until it is willing to obey the voice of God.” D.L. Moody

If you’re one who prides yourself in doing things your way, beware. There are examples in the Bible where the “my way” approach didn’t work out so well. Here’s one:

In Israel’s early history, the Ark of the Covenant was captured by an enemy. When David became king, he was determined to get the Ark back. So he sent people to bring it home. God had given specific instructions about this Ark – how to carry it and who could get near it. I imagine David saw this as a one-of-a-kind situation – an exception – and chose efficiency over obedience. By doing it his way instead of God’s, a good man died while trying to steady the Ark so it didn’t fall off the cart. The problem was that it never should have been on a cart in the first place, and God was not pleased with the “my way” approach.

Obedience to God can be hard because what he asks may not always make sense to us, but we realize he sees things we cannot see, and he has standards of right and wrong that only he has a right to define. If we are wise, we humbly accept his way as the way we will follow – even if it means we have to give up something we really want to have or do.

We have ideas for living our lives that seem reasonable to us, but if our way includes things that are not part of God’s way, we’re asking for trouble. His way is always right – no compromises, no “just this once”. Our way is never better than God’s way.

“Be careful to observe my commandments. I am the Lord.” – Leviticus 22:31