Resolutions Not Wishes

"Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty.

Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air"

(I Corinthians 9:26)

I go to the gym to give my body a workout...not to seek wisdom. Yet to my surprise the other day, I got some sound wisdom from a poster meant to get people to sign up for a personal trainer. The poster read:

A goal without a plan is just a wish.  The Lord used that poster to bring conviction and remind me about some goals He had put on my heart. Because of the poster, my time of mindless sweating turned into a time of prayer, soul searching and resolve.

I wonder how many thousands of well-intentioned resolutions will be made by people this next week. I also wonder how many people will actually follow through on the resolutions they make. I heard that most resolutions last less than two weeks. If we were to apply the logic of the poster from the gym to these annual resolutions, they shouldn't be called "New Years Resolutions", but "New Years Wishes"....a goal without a plan is just a wish!

I hope you have made some spiritual goals for this next year, and if you did, make sure you also set up a plan as to how you might achieve that goal.

The apostle Paul knew that following after the Lord in this world is not an easy task. He uses the analogy of being in a race or in a fight. Paul wasn't just running around with no direction, he had a clear course and purpose, and he wasn't shadow boxing wasting energy striking at the air, he had Godly aim that he might land blows on the enemy's chin.

I pray we can all seek the Lord for some realistic goals for this new year. As you seek the Lord for His goals in your life, He will give you wisdom to set a plan, and the strength and discipline needed to follow through. Happy New Year!

Make Haste!

 

And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in the manger."

(Luke 2:16)

When our children were young, I don't recall a single Christmas where I had to wake them up. I never had to set an alarm clock in their rooms to awaken them, they got up fine all on their own, and usually too early. Because they weren't allowed to open presents without mom and dad, they made haste and were very zealous to awaken us too.

When the angel announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, the angel never commanded the shepherds to go and find the Baby, it was pretty much assumed that they would just go. The angel told them "you will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." They were given no command, no directions, no explanation as to what to do when they found the Babe, just "you will find."

I love these wonderful shepherds because of how they responded to the angel's good news. As soon as the heavenly choir had finished their chorus of praise, like children who don't need to be awakened on Christmas morning, they made haste and found Jesus. They didn't hesitate or discuss or debate, they just went. Think of how busy their minds had to have been with fear, awe, wonder, and questions, yet they made haste. The word "found" gives the idea of giving diligent search, so they weren't casual in their pursuit of Jesus, they knew they were on an important mission.

We ought not have to be commanded to find Jesus this Christmas. No alarm clock is needed nor angel to announce. He is the gift, He is the joy, He is the song we sing, make haste you will find Him, and you will have a very Merry Christmas indeed!

Peter Moments

 

Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke him saying,

"far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to you!"

Matthew 16:22

Peter is one of the men of the Bible that so many of us can relate to.  There are times when he shows great wisdom and courage, and other times where he fumbles and falls on his face.  He gets things so right and then turns around and gets it so wrong.  We look at ourselves and say 'that's so me'!

The above verse is one of the times that Peter stumbled and bumbled and fell on his face.  I cringe as I read that Peter actually rebuked Jesus and then in the midst of the rebuke calls him Lord. The wonder of our Lord is that as many times as Peter failed, Jesus restored and continued to use him.

We live under such amazing grace.  The Lord knows our frailty and faults and bears with us. He never wrote Peter off or fired him, but kept drawing him back and giving him more chances and more grace. 

We all have our 'Peter' moments that require the Lord's rebuke and correction.  You will no doubt get discouraged, but don't remain there.  Jesus extends to you the same grace he did Peter.  Let His grace humble and mature us into men and women of great use for His kingdom.

Let's See

 

Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, 'Come let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few'"

I Samuel 14:6.

I just love Jonathan's "let's see" attitude. He knows that God is on the side of Israel, he has faith that God will be mighty on behalf of Israel no matter how few in number they may be. And though it was only Jonathan and his armor bearer, he was bold enough in trusting the Lord that his heart said, "let's see" what God might do!

I have a friend who has the same heart as Jonathan. He just steps out to see what God might accomplish. While doing missionary work in Nairobi, Kenya, he would listen to the Christian radio station. He felt the Bible teaching on the station needed some help so in faith he brought his collection of teachings from Pastor Chuck Smith to the station. The station manager put the teachings on the air and there was a great response. Because of the great response, the station called my friend and asked him if might go live on air after Pastor Chuck's teaching to answer Bible questions. Little did he know that taking one small step of faith would lead to him being the Bible answer man of Nairobi! He had not planned on getting his own radio show, he just had a heart that said "let's see" what God might do.

This same friend is now in Samoa trusting the Lord in the same way. His latest step of faith is trying to reach students by opening a shave ice shop across the street from a local college. His simple attitude of faith is always an encouragement and challenge to me.

We serve a big God who desires to accomplish much through His people. I believe God would desire to stir in all of us the heart of Jonathan. May we all lift up our eyes and see people and circumstances around us and say "lets see" what God might do!

A Gentle Prod.....Be Thankful

 

"And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord: 

For He is good, for His mercy endures forever toward Israel. 

Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid"

(Ezra 3:11).

The Lord gave me an important reminder through one of the children at church. I had just handed him a snack and he turned to run off, he got a few steps when his mom stopped him and explained that he needed to say thank you. The little guy acknowledged his mom, started running again, and gave a quick and less than heartfelt thank you.

I wasn't bothered at all by his response, his mom did the right thing and he was just being a child, but the incident was like a mirror of how we too often thank the Lord.  I think when it comes to thanking the Lord we regularly act like this little guy. We have to be reminded to give thanks, and when we do, too often it's a quick and less than heartfelt thanks while running through our busy lives.

The above verse describes a day somewhat like our Thanksgiving, it was a day that all the people were called together to celebrate and give corporate thanks to God. The foundation of the second temple had been laid and the people knew it was accomplished only by God's power and grace.

The whole passage tells us that the people put a good deal of effort into giving thanks to the Lord. We are told that the Levites brought out trumpets and cymbals and the people were singing and shouting, giving thanks to the Lord. They were in the midst of an important work that was being accomplished by God's hand and they were thankful, so they let God and everyone else hear it! 

God has blessed us all so very abundantly, let's stop and reflect and be specific in our blessing the Lord. Let's put more effort into thanks than cooking and eating! It's not turkey day, it's Thanksgiving day, so let's give our hearts in thanking our wonderful gracious God loudly and boldly that all may hear.     

Fearing God

"....I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land" (Jonah 1:9).

These are the words of Jonah. In my Bible I added a few question marks by this verse because what he says strikes me as odd. You see, Jonah was fleeing from God, he did not obey the Lord, he was resisting God, and was actually going the complete opposite direction from where God had commanded him to go. What strikes me as odd is that in the midst of running from God he says, "and I fear the LORD". My question marks are my way of saying, are you kidding me! How can Jonah be saying that he fears the Lord when he is absolutely running from Him?

To fear the Lord is to reverence, respect, and obey Him. To fear the Lord is to seek to obey Him in all things at all times. We are not to pick and choose to obey when we agree with Him, or when it's convenient.

One Sunday a young couple that was visiting our church came up to talk to me. They said they loved our church, the worship and teaching were a blessing, and the people were warm and welcoming. I was pleased to hear that, and of course thanked them. The couple then began to ask me a variety of questions including salvation by Jesus alone, and the issues of abortion and gay marriage. I opened the Bible and answered them. I was curious as to why so many questions, and asked them. They told me they were Christians who love Jesus and they were looking for a church that taught the Bible in a way that agreed with their personal and progressive beliefs. I then understood what the personal beliefs were, so I again tried to gently show them what the Bible had to say. They were not rude or argumentative, but they haven't come back.

The couple was basically saying, we want God and we want Jesus, but on our terms, in a way that is comfortable with us, and what we want. That couple is not alone, in fact their attitude is very prevalent in these days. There are many who pull a Jonah who said....I know I'm a Hebrew, I believe in God, in fact I'm a prophet, I just don't like what He wants me to do, I'll be going another direction.

God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and always right. It is best for us to learn humble maturity and realize that our will many times may not line up with God's will. If we love and fear Him, we admit He is right and we set our feelings aside and obey.

No Camouflaged Christians

 "But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing form whom you have learned them" 

(2 Timothy 3:14).

I was walking on a trail in the hills and came across a rattle snake. I heard the snake before I saw it, and I was very grateful that the rattler started rattling or else I would have stepped way too close to my poisonous friend. The snake who was sharing the trail with me was about two feet in front of me.  The colors of this reptile blended perfectly with the dirt of the trail, and as I mentioned, I wouldn't even have seen it except for the rattle warning. The snake's camouflage worked ideally as he blended in with his surroundings.

The context of the above verse is Paul describing the world in the last days, and the prophetic picture he paints is not pretty at all. As Paul details the kind of things that will be going on, he three times says to Timothy, "but you". By the "but you", Paul is laying forth a contrast that should exist between Christians and the world. Followers of Jesus should look very different than the world especially in the days we are in.

Our tendency is to want to blend in, to fit in, and to not stick out. We like to be part of the crowd and not stand out too much. Like so many creatures of the animal kingdom we find security in camouflage, so we might mix in with our surroundings.

I like to fit in, I know this about myself, yet I also know Paul's "but you" applies to me. To walk in loving obedience to Christ provides a huge contrast to this world, and that can be a little scary and uncomfortable. We must realize there is no such thing as camouflaged Christians, by nature we stick out like sore thumbs, even as Jesus did. So let's give up on trying to fit in, and follow His calling to shine His light in this dark world! 

Stir The Fire

 

"Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands" (2 Timothy 1:6).

The apostle Paul seems to have some concern for Timothy his son in faith, as he reminds him to 'stir up the gift of God".  To "stir up" literally speaks of a fire that is losing its flame that needs to be stirred to get the flames going again.

There are many theories as to why Timothy's fire may have been waning.  Perhaps the pressures of being a young pastor of an important church weighted him down.  No doubt he was worried for his spiritual dad, Paul, who was in jail.  It may have been both of those things and more, but it is clear Paul wanted to encourage his son to be sure to stir up the Lord's fire afresh in his heart.

Picture with me a campfire.  The fire is blazing in the middle, flames rise up and the wood is crackling.  On the outer part of the fire there is some wood that is blackened by the fire but isn't really burning, the flames have had some affect but there is no fire.  Beyond the outer wood are the rocks that surround the fire, they may get some warmth but will never catch fire.

If you were to apply our campfire picture to your walk with the Lord, where would you find yourself?  Are you in the midst of the fire, ablaze for God, crackling with joy as His Holy Spirit burns within?  Are you on the outskirts of God's moving, touched by the Spirit occasionally, the fire may blacken a bit but doesn't remain?  Are you a rock, you enjoy the warmth of God, but are outside the fire of God?  Be honest with yourself, perhaps you need to stir up the fire, or allow God to start the fire for the very first time.

  The Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit as being like fire.  The best way to stir the fire of God in your heart is to surrender more of your life to the control of the Holy Spirit, and to set your heart and mind on spiritual priorities, through prayer, reading God's word, and being in fellowship. You know more than anyone how it goes with the Holy Spirit fire in your heart. It might be a good time to apply Paul's encouragement to yourself, stir up the coals and get the fire going.

Lord, breathe afresh upon us all, stir our hearts by the fire of Your Holy Spirit!

GLORIOUS

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace"

Numbers 6:24-26

 

As a young 20 year-old brand new baby believer, I was told of a great church filled with young people on fire that were Jesus Freaks. This church was called Calvary Chapel. A couple of friends and I figured we should go check it out. We arrived to a packed-out building and sat up front on the floor. When Pastor Chuck stood at the pulpit to teach, I confess I was a little surprised, I wondered how this guy who didn't really look all that hip, could reach all these hippies.

 

When he began to teach the Word of God, my surprise disappeared, it was very clear...this man was anointed by God.

 

So many of us have our Pastor Chuck stories, memories that stir up snapshots in our minds. I can still see him sitting on his office floor with my then three-year old daughter. He had pulled out a box of rocks he collected from Israel and was telling Melissa about David and Goliath....amazing!

 

My most lasting memories and thoughts of gratitude, go clear back to that first Bible study. At that study and countless studies to follow, he taught the Word, as the Word of God, with assurance and confidence, and it stirred in me a lifelong love for God's Word. I feel so blessed to have sat under such Spirit anointed teaching.

 

I am not alone in saying that as a pastor, I have looked to Chuck as my pastor. He was always rock steady, never tossed to and fro. I have taken his solid lead through the winds of Charizmania, and Y2K, through 9-11 and economic woes. His confidence in Jesus' love for the church was contagious.

Anyone who ever saw Pastor Chuck teach, had to know that he was crazy about Jesus. His love for the Lord was reflected in that great smile and those eyes. We are sad, yet we rejoice, for Pastor Chuck is now smiling bigger than ever, for he is beholding his First Love. We love you Pastor Chuck, well done.

Unmixed

 

"For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, 

and simple concerning evil" (Romans 16:19).

In the above verse we are being exhorted to be "simple concerning evil". That word "simple" literally means unmixed, or without mixture of evil. The verse admonishes us to be holy and not allow evil to be mixed into our lives.  

A few years back one of our teachers in children's ministry did something to illustrate this principle very clearly. She brought a batch of her favorite chocolate chip cookies into class and set them right in front of the children. She told them they could have some, but first, because they were her favorite, she wanted to tell them how she made them. The cookies looked great and the students were ready to pounce on the tasty treats.

She began to reveal one at a time all the ingredients that were mixed together to make these yummy snacks, until she came to one last ingredient that set these cookies above all others, which is too disgusting to mention.   The cookies were then offered to the shocked little ones and of course there were no takers. If I remember the story right, the teacher's husband then jumped up and grabbed a cookie and gulped it down. What a rise that got out of the kids! None of us would have eaten those cookies if we thought that recipe was real, no matter how tasty they looked.

Because we are so bombarded with things of the world, it is easy to let evil get mixed in and defile our lives with hardly a notice. Things that ought to repulse us get mixed into our lives and we consume them without a care.

These days press us to live under a constant reminder that God has called us to be holy, to be set apart from the world, and to cling unto Him. We are in need of perceptive, discerning eyes, that we might be guarded against mixing with evil. Let's all take Paul's exhortation to heart and be simple concerning evil.

Slow To Anger

"So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, 

slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not 

produce the righteousness of God."

James 1:19-20

I was walking in a parking lot the other day and witnessed a woman doing a seemingly terrible thing. She started to back out of her parking place and didn't realize a car was approaching. The oncoming car was still a good distance away but stopped abruptly and laid on their horn for dear life. The poor lady backing out stopped, pulled back in her space and waved with a smile, to which she received an angry glare as if she had committed some sort of crime. This is not the first time I have seen such silliness, and most of you have seen similar displays, sadly it's too common.

Does it seem like people are more contentious these days? There was the guy at the gym yelling at the clerk because there were no paper towels, or the lady at McDonalds cursing some poor kid because there was ketchup on her burger. A young man at our church told me the story of a man harassing a flustered young cashier, she got so upset the whole check-out took way too long. The irate man turned to the young guy from our church and apologized for the girl taking so long, I was so proud of his response, he simply said, 'I'm not the one you should apologize to'.

My feeling is that these short-fuses are due to the days we live in. I know of so many people who live on the go, hardly ever slowing down. There are pressures from finances, work, family, car problems, dating problems, not being able to get a date so you can have dating problems, the list of the trials and troubles we can have in life is endless. On top of the usual hassles of life, you add in the twenty-four seven news cycle beamed nightly into our homes, so we witness worldwide troubles and tragedies. It's no wonder there are so many short-fuses waiting to be lit by the least little spark.

As Christians, we are not protected from the headaches of this world, but we are commanded to be slow to anger. Our best safeguard from a short-fuse is to be disciplined in stepping away from the pressure-cooker life and enjoy a daily Sabbath with the Lord. Jesus said that which flows out of our mouths is from the abundance of the heart. If our hearts are filled with His precious promises and praise towards the Lord, and if our hearts are at ease having spent time in His presence, than you can be sure your fuse will not be short. I won't add a new pressure to your life by insisting on an hour long daily Sabbath, that may not be realistic. I do know what is realistic; can you give the Lord ten minutes in His word, can you play some worship music in your car or home? Even those small steps will begin to bring the fruit of His peace. It is a powerful witness to the world when we Christians are able to walk in peace in the midst of this frazzled world.

Do You Also Want To Go Away?

 

"From that time many of His disciples went back

and walked with Him no more."

John 6:66

Jesus had given a difficult teaching on being the Bread of Life. Many of His disciples had heard the teaching and didn't fully understand it, in fact they were shocked by His claims. These who were said to be followers of Jesus walked away from Him when they didn't like what He said. As His disciples departed, Jesus didn't call them to return or water down His statements, instead He solidified His teaching by turning to the twelve and asking if they too wanted to leave. To their credit they didn't leave as Peter responded "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." As an aside, it has always fascinated me that this verse describing Jesus' disciples walking away from Him is John.... 6:66!

I love Peter's confident stance with Jesus, and my hunch is most of you, if you could picture yourself there on that day, would place yourselves alongside the bold fisherman saying amen. We are now living in days in which you don't have to delve into your imagination to take such a stance. More and more the teachings of the Bible are being attacked and mocked as being out of date, ignorant, irrelevant, even bigoted and hateful. Jesus' word clearly leads us against the main stream of our culture. His word may even come against our own feelings or desires. I've even witnessed too many Christians treating God's word like their iPods, downloading the verses they like and deleted those they don't. The issue for us is the same as it was for Peter and the twelve, it's not about us fully grasping it or even liking the word, it's about who spoke the word.

For a long time I have seen our culture in a slow steady move from Biblical morality. That movement is still steady but it is no longer slow, it is nearing a full sprint. To stand for Christ and for His word is not in vogue, and the pressure to walk from Him is bound to increase. God has placed upon us the high call to stand with Jesus and believe on His word. Will you walk from Him? I pray that we will all stand with Him, for where else can we go, He alone has the words of eternal life!

Cover Your Mouth

 

"The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, but the heart of the fool does not do so."  Proverbs 15:7 

When I was fairly young, I saw a movie on healthy living that had a huge impact on me. They were trying to get the point across that you should cover your mouth when you sneeze. To teach this lesson, they filmed a guy sneezing in slow motion. The lighting they used in filming the sneeze highlighted all the moisture  (I won't say spit), that dispersed out of the 'sneezer's' mouth.

The image has stuck with me, and whenever I'm around anyone who is sneezing, my mind automatically flashes to that picture of a slow-moving cloud of moisture moving toward me. Since that movie, I have also begun doing what I am told is a bad habit...I hold my own sneezes in. I've been told that this could cause a heart attack, or a herniated disc, and one teacher even told me I could pop my eyes out! I hold my sneeze with the good intention of not dispersing anything bad to any bystanders.

I would like you to keep the image of the slow motion sneezer in your mind as we reflect on the words we speak from our mouth.  When we speak, we can speak as the wise or as the fool. The wise will disperse knowledge, encouragement, wisdom, and edification. The fool will sneeze forth discouragement, division, disputes, and worse.   

Let's all wise to cover our mouths, or perhaps hold our words in so as to disperse only words that bring health.

Staying Faithful

"So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority."

Genesis 39:4

One of the greatest examples of faithfulness is found in the life of Joseph. In the book of Genesis we see young Joseph sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. He is a slave in Egypt, his life seemingly shattered, in a predicament he did not cause nor ever imagine he would end up in. Joseph didn't quit on life, he didn't sulk or fall into self-pity. He remained faithful to the Lord and became the best servant at his master Potiphar's estate. He trusted and determined to be the best he could be no matter the circumstances and it became clear to all that God's hand was upon him, and he was given great responsibility.

Later in Joseph's life, we see his character and faithfulness revealed again after he was wrongly imprisoned. While in jail, he prospered not by complaining or grumbling, but by trusting in and waiting upon God. Of course we know the end of the story as Joseph is eventually raised up to be second in command under Pharaoh, and his family is spared from famine and reunited. Because Joseph remained faithful even under harsh and unfair treatment, God was able to use him in mighty ways, and take even what was meant for harm to bring about good.

God has called you to be faithful in whatever place He would have you, even if it's difficult and you don't like it. You need to be faithful and allow God to take care of the results.

Glory in Tribulations

"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations,
knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;" (Romans 5:3).

As I write this, I realize you might think I'm a tad silly, but August mornings have had a unique affect on me for quite a while. The warm humid feel and unique scent of the new day give it away. Even without a calendar, my body tells me it's August, and my adrenaline starts to flow a bit.

When August hits, my ingrained memory kicks in and reminds me that this was the time of year I needed to work harder, be more disciplined, to push myself a little more, to lift, run, sweat, and hurt, because football was just around the corner!

You see, for me, August had become the time to really train seriously for the upcoming football season. I would purposely begin to introduce tribulation into my life by adding resistance to my weight training, distance to my long runs, and upping the tempo of my short runs. The extra work was difficult, but I knew the labor was worth it, as it built my endurance and made me stronger for the season ahead. This tribulation was, actually, good for me.

God allows, and sometimes introduces tribulation into our lives and this is not a dreadful thing, for we are assured that in Christ tribulation produces good things. This is one of the great wonders of walking in Jesus, even difficult circumstances, hurtful trials, and tribulations are used to bring forth good fruit. We are promised that all things are used to strengthen and mature us, to conform us more into the image of Christ.

How odd it sounds, but we are to glory even in tribulation, for God is faithfully at work, and even that trial will produce great fruit in you. Trust the Lord and...have a fruitful August!
 

Remember No More

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."  Hebrews 8:12

I have been blessed to help with VBS for a good number of years, I've determined teaching first and second graders is good medicine for my faith. This year was like previous years, the week went by very fast, I got very tired, and as usual it seemed I learned more from the children, than they learned from me. 

One of the evenings during the Bible study time, Pastor John was sharing the gospel with the children by using colored helium balloons. Each colored balloon represented a part of the message, and one of the balloons, the black one, not surprisingly stood for sin. As John held the black balloon and explained how sin keeps us from heaven and blocks us from seeing God, a young boy leaned over to his teacher and quietly said, I think he should just let that black balloon go. I was so blessed that this little guy was in a simple way grasping the heart of the gospel. This boy had a healthy dislike for the darkness and ruin of sin and would have liked to see it just float away. Of course it may not be easy to let go of sin, but by Jesus' blood (red balloon), the curse of sin is done away with, and our sins are remembered no more. 

What a sweet reminder for us all, there is no need to be bound by sin any longer, as we let go of sin to cling to Christ, the crippling affect of sin floats off like a helium balloon.

Steadfast Immovable

1 Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore be my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."

A pastor friend told me a story about a time in his life where he was a little too obsessed with the Lakers basketball club.  He said it was so bad that one season when they had been eliminated from the playoffs, he let his emotions get the best of him and he took his Lakers jersey, hung it over his balcony, and set it ablaze.  I was amazed at what a basketball game could do to the emotions of a very mild mannered guy.....you will never guess who, and I will never tell you!
I enjoy watching sports and I have my favorite teams, and there were times in my life when I let how my teams were fairing affect my emotions.  Now, I never got to the point of burning a jersey, but the Dodger victories or defeats did affect my mood.  With the baseball season being 162 games, you can imagine the daily mood swings!  If I hadn't grown out of it, then I would be very upset this year with the way the Dodgers are playing.
I hope you don't let sports dictate your moods, but I wonder if there is something else that might push your buttons?  We can say that our season has 365 games, with some days that are winners, and some days that are real losers.  We ought not allow the circumstances of each day to have too much control of our attitudes.
The strength of our walk with the Lord is what brings stability to our lives.  With the Lord we have foundational constants, and in them we find stability.  Jesus' love for us will never change, His grace, mercy and care are unfailing.  In Christ you have salvation, whether it's a good day or a miserable day.  You are assured of going to heaven on sunny days and on rainy days.  The best way to remain steadfast and immovable in these shaky days is being grounded in the unwavering truth of who we are in Christ!

Growing Up

Ephesians 4:14  "that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting"

I remember the first and only time I ran away from home.  I don't recall what I was unhappy about, but there was some injustice that had occurred that led my eight year-old mind to decide to run away.  I was kind enough to go into the kitchen and announce to my mother my intention to leave home.  Her reaction took me by surprise and helped me grow up some.  I think I expected an apology, or perhaps her coercing me to stay.  Instead my mother looked at me and said she would miss me, and was sorry I felt I couldn't stay under such harsh parenting.  She then gave me a brown bag with some cookies and a kiss goodbye.
I felt determined never to return; spent the afternoon in a local field, ate my cookies, got cold, and went back home to find it was dinner time and there was a place at the table set for me.  My mom welcomed me with a hug and never said anything about my rebellion in my attempt to run off.  My mother didn't need to say anything, in her wisdom she knew there had been a lesson taught and her lecture would not have added to what was learned.
As an eight year-old I grew up some that day and learned I'm not always right, and I can't always get my way.  I learned that I ought not manipulate or threaten to get my way.  The wisdom of my loving mom broke a bit of pride, and that is always a good thing.
God does not want spoiled children.  He wants us to grow up and mature and to toughen up, so we might stand for Him in a tough world.  God loves us so much that He disciplines us, and He cares for us so much that He won't let us call the shots and get our own way all the time.  If you are under God's loving discipline, rejoice and submit, He's growing you up for His good purposes and glory!

Ready To Forgive

Psalm 86:5 "For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

I can still see the nun standing in front of the chalk board, the board was green and the chalk she used was yellow.  She was giving our fourth grade class a brief theology lesson on God's forgiveness.  She drew a large circle on the board, then turned the yellow chalk stick flat on the board and quickly colored in the circle.  The lesson had begun.

She described the filled in circle as our souls when we were born, dark and black (or yellow), from original sin.  After we were baptized as babies original sin was washed away, and she took an eraser and wiped away the chalk from the circle.  She picked up the chalk and began to name sins that would be typical of fourth graders, and with each sin named, she would put a large yellow dot in the circle soul.  I remember a sort of collective cringe of conviction from the class with the naming of each sin, and very soon the soul was dark once again.

We were taught that we needed God's forgiveness, and that His forgiveness was conditional and depended upon works of penance.  We were given a large number of things to do to earn forgiveness.  The list included going to confession, saying the rosary, special prayers to saints, wearing medals, novenas, mass on first Fridays, and much more.  If enough of these works of penance were accomplished, perhaps God might be ready to forgive.  The nun's theology was off, and sadly it set us poor fourth graders on a treadmill of doing works that we could never ever do enough of, to earn forgiveness.

When I came to salvation in Christ, the liberty of living under God's grace was made so very clear to me in His word.  What wonderful freedom once I began to understand that God is ready and willing to forgive me.  Jesus has already completed the work needed for the forgiveness of sins, I just need to receive His gracious gift of salvation.  What weight is lifted knowing that God's willingness to forgive is apart from any works that I do, because I know I could never do enough.

Please don't be separated from the Lord.  I don't care how dark and yellow your soul might be, in Jesus you can be forgiven.  There is no need for you to have to prove your worthiness or win His favor.  Through Jesus God is ready to forgive.

Death Abolished

"but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel" (II Timothy 1:10).

Through sin came death.  By the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, death has been abolished.  To abolish means to deprive of force, influence, or power, to render inactive or inoperative.  Hallelujah!  Jesus is alive and death is abolished!

I love it!  Death, man's great enemy rendered inoperative by the Gospel of Jesus, what Easter joy!  Without Christ, death ought to be feared.  The world pictures death as a threatening figure in a black robe with skeleton hands holding a sickle, looking to harvest souls away from life.  With Christ, everything changes, especially death.  Matthew Henry described death as 'a kindly messenger coming to bid us to the Father'.

Have you received salvation in Jesus?  Could there be a better day to receive eternal life than Resurrection Sunday?  Why not bend your knee to His Lordship today?  Happy Easter...Jesus is risen...death is abolished!

Honoring Our King

"And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified."

Jesus was mocked the day of His crucifixion, he was laughed at spat upon and scorned.  The mocking of Jesus didn't stop on Good Friday, sadly it has continued even to this current generation.  

The very sins that Jesus died for are today encouraged and openly paraded about.  To speak out against these sins is considered legalistic or even hateful.  Christians today are pressured into the false notion that to love the sinner is to accept their sin.  It is unfortunate that much of the church has bought into this notion, believing it reflects love and grace, when in fact true love warns of sin, and acceptance of sin mocks the cross of Christ.

The cross was ugly, brutal, and fatal, because sin is ugly, brutal, and fatal.  Our message of love to the world is to turn from the death of sin, to life in Christ.  May our lives honor Jesus in the midst of a mocking world, as we stand for His truth.

Thinking Of You

"....and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered."  Psalm 40:5

The thought of someone thinking about you all the time could be good or bad, it could be really sweet or kind of creepy.  If your spouse or boyfriend or girlfriend told you that they thought of you all the time, I'm sure you'd smile and feel warm and fuzzy.  If someone you didn't know, or hardly knew, told you they thought about you all the time, I doubt you'd smile and most likely you'd be scared.
Of course the difference in how you might feel about someone thinking about you, would depend on who they are, and how well you know them.
In Psalm 40, David says that he can't even number the thoughts that God has about him, and it doesn't creep him out, in fact it brings him encouragement and comfort.  There might be some who would panic in knowing that God was thinking about them all the time, but David rejoices in such knowledge.  It speaks of the type of relationship he had with the Lord and how well he knew his God.
I'm with David, I love the fact that the Lord thinks about me all the time.  I know Him, and in the cross He has proven His love for me, so I'm totally blessed that He thinks about me all the time.
In this rough and tumble world where we get bruised and battered, it's easy to feel forgotten.  That is why it's important to stop and remember how much the Lord loves you.  I doubt there are refrigerators in heaven, but if there were refrigerators in heaven, God would have one, and picture of you would be on it!  He really does think about you all the time, and oh how much He loves you.

True Love

Romans 5:8  "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

So I got up early this morning to run out and get my sweetheart her favorite coffee and a bagel.  I was hoping to give her breakfast in bed, but she was up before I got back!  Anyway, on the way home from the bagel place I was listening to a radio station and the morning radio personalities were giving all kinds of Valentines Day statistics.
They were pretty much making fun of the day, and I wasn't paying real close attention as they were conversing about the most popular gifts, and how much chocolate is eaten.  I'm not a big social media guy, but I found it interesting that apparently there is a 49% increase in relationship status changes on Valentines Day.  One stat they gave as sort of a warning, and it did get me thinking.  They didn't give any sources but they said, 10% of relationships that break up, do so on Valentines Day.  Ouch, that seems cold!!
I guess Valentines Day might stir up some important questions, and make one wonder about key issues.  Is he or she really my Valentine?  Do I really love her, or does she really love me?  If the stats I heard on the radio are correct, this day of romance causes a good number of folks to wonder about the reality of true love in their relationships.
This day may have you wondering too.  You may be thinking about that one you love, or longing for a special someone to love, or according to statistics you might be breaking up with that not so special someone.  If this day has stirred up some wondering about love, know that there is one love you need never wonder about, and that is the love that God has for you.
God has demonstrated His love for you in the cross, and that tremendous love for you has not wavered one bit, ever.  On this day that love is celebrated, we of all people ought to be the most joyous, for in Jesus we have the assurance of the greatest love ever known.
Happy Valentines Day!

Be Faithful

"My soul is greatly troubled; but You, O Lord, how long?  Psalm 6:3

There is a constant in life that we are all aware of, life will have its share of hurts and pains and sorrows.  Whenever the hurt or pain or sorrow come we accept it as part of life, but we also want to know something very important....how long?
I have always thought it was funny that we classify our miserable flu bugs by hours, but it does help us bear the agony to know how long.  Of course when it comes to how long, we will always choose the shorter rather than the longer.  I don't think anyone if given a choice would select the 24 hour flu over the 12 hour flu.
Through my years of walking with the Lord I have grown in trusting Him, even in the seasons of suffering.  There is one area I have struggled a bit in trusting the Lord, and that is in the area of timing.  It seems His timing and my timing never seem to line up, and of course He always seems to choose the longer time, while I pray for the shorter.
I believe the key in endurance for us, is not to focus on the how long, but to focus on remaining faithful in the moment.  If I focus on the clock or the calendar, counting hours and days, I am sure to lose heart.  If my focus is on pleasing the Lord through the hurts, pains, and sorrows, He will give the daily grace and strength to see me through.
In reality our how long in not that long.  The Lord requires of us that we are faithful to Him today, and not to worry about tomorrow.  So if you are in a season that has you asking how long, the answer is today....you be faithful to the Lord today, and let Him take care of the results.