Don't be afraid...

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.

    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you.

    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

A friend posted this verse on another site this morning.  It's always encouraging to be reminded of truth that touches your life in a moment, truth that resonates with your very soul.  This is one of those verses.  

"Don't be afraid..."  Why not?  And here is God's reason not to fear, "for I am with you."  You are not alone. God himself walks with you to comfort you, protect you, to be with you.  That is the most important thing you will read all day- if you are God's child "he is with you", you are not alone, it's not all on you to win the day, beat away the dragons, defeat the enemy.  God is with you.  

Dwell on those four words for a moment.  How would your day change if you lived like that were true?  It is true by the way.

"Don’t be discouraged..."  Why not? Once more, here is God's reason for this admonition,  "for I am your God."  I don't know about you, but discouragement is one of my plagues.  I fight it off frequently.  I don't think I've ever spent a moment to let this truth sink into me that the reason I shouldn't let discouragement win the day is because God is MY God.  The only God who exists is MY God and the result? I don't have to be discouraged.  

Two admonitions for the day.  Two reasons for the admonitions.  Both are connected to the nature, character and person of God.  In the moments that tempt you to fear or discouragement pause and read this passage.  It's the words of a loving father calming a distraught child.  It's the love of a parent holding the broken one sobbing from pain.  It's the loving hand of the father reaching out to hold my hand and calm me.  It's Father telling me, "It's ok, I'll take care of you."  

God's love and our reality

Fears abound in days like these.

All around me I see trouble, crisis, violence, cultures collapsing, fearful change on a daily basis.  Fear and change is the diet of our day and it only gives us indigestion.  How do we deal with these days?  How do we live with all that is happening around us?  Do we let fear rule us or do we find an oasis in the midst of the storms of world events to find peace?  Where do we find a place of peace in the midst of these hurricanes of fear?

Here it is,

"Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?  As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."  -Romans 8

The hiding place we seek, the relief from the storms of fear we desire is the love of Christ.  It's this passage that gives peace to so many in the midst of the storms of fear, violence and world events.  In the middle of the storms of your days you can (and should) find a place of calm in the love of Christ.  It provides the peace, the calm, the confidence to deal with any reality we might face.  

God's love doesn't promise we will escape the storm, but it gives us  a place of peace and rest, calm and confidence while all around us fear prevails.  Listen to and meditate on these words, they will change your life if you let them- "No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

Today, in the midst of your reality, as chaotic and fearful as it might seem, take a moment and step into the love of God, the assurance that he loves you and will care for you no matter what happens around you or even to you.  It will calm your fears, quiet your heart and give you peace in the midst of a world of storms.

Nothing will ever separate me (or you) from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus my Lord.  It's the calm in the storms of my day that I run to when fears and chaos overwhelm me.  

How strange that the solution to all our problems is not world peace, but the love of Christ.  How would your day change if you took a moment away from the storm to rest in his love for you?

Trunk or Treat

Last night we had a great time in our church parking lot with something called "Trunk or Treat".  I had never heard of it before, but it was a great success and a lot of fun.  We had hundreds of beautiful and sugar loaded kids going from car to car to get candy and have fun in a safe environment.  I hope we do it again.  

Happy Birthday!

Today is my sweet wife's birthday!  It's so great to spend these years with such an amazing lady.  Happy Birthday sweetie!

Option B

The dissipation of days

Gradually, day by day, I'm dissipating myself into the days behind me.  Each twenty-four hours I leave a bit of myself in those moment and in the lives of the people I touch.  There is a dissipation of days that gradually, day by day, leaves bits of me behind in the day and in the lives of others.

Here is a really strange question for you to ponder- How are you dissipating your days?

Strange question to ask, isn't it?  

We are each, moment by moment, dissipating our lives into the days we live, into the lives we encounter, into the events we are part of.  

What are you leaving behind you?  How has your presence affected the life of that waitress?  The man in the next car on the freeway?  The cashier at 7-11?

There are times, as we struggle in our own lives, that our passing feels like sand in the eyes of the one we just encountered.  There are times when those behind us regret they ever met us.  And then there are others times when our passing changed a life for the good...for the glory of God.

Each day, each moment, we dissipate our lives into time and into the lives of others.  

What are you leaving behind?  

What will others remember?  

How have you changed other lives by your passing?

How is eternity changed as you dissipate your days?

Celebrating

Today good friends of ours celebrate 20 years of marriage.  They have been tough years, difficult at times and we wondered if they would make it....if their marriage would survive.  It has!  We are most excited to see their faith in God, love for each other and obedience to their promises come to this day of celebration.  On Facebook this morning Rose wrote, 

"Our 20th anniversary is today. Our marriage is a testimony to the grace and wisdom of God. 5 years ago we had given up. Now we are best friends. Mike is the best husband. I couldn't ask for any better. I am so grateful and extremely blessed."

Today we celebrate with them their love and the rewards of trusting God with their lives together.  Happy Anniversary!

The purpose of practice

What is the purpose of practice?   Practice means you haven't mastered something yet, but are working on it.  Here's a simple definition from the dictionary,

Practice-  repeated performance or systematic exercise for the purpose of acquiring skill or proficiency. 

It's the work we do so it doesn't look like it took any effort at all to do it.  It's mastery of a skill.  Archers shoot hundreds of arrows at a target until they are able to hit the center with precision.  Gymnasts practice hours each day to make impossible feats of gymnastics seem effortless.  

Practice makes a hack at the piano a master musician who draws thousands to hear him play.  When we say, "I wish I could do that."  He would reply, "You can if you practice eight hours a day for about 20 years."  Practice.  It's the disciple we use to master something and become proficient at it.

My wife recently had surgery.  She didn't look for a doctor who was new to this type of surgery. She looked for someone who had done thousands of them.  Why?  His practice had made him a master at this difficult procedure.

You get the idea, don't you, but I'm sure you're wondering where I'm going with all this.  I'm setting the stage for these amazing and often overlooked words from Jesus,

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven."  -Jesus, Matthew 6

What he didn't say is "don't practice..."  He said be careful how and where you practice.  Then, for the rest of the chapter he deals with the things he wants any disciple to master by practice- prayer, giving, fasting, etc. What we often miss in the words of Jesus is this- you will be practicing these things to master them, just be careful where and how you do it.

Today some are revisiting the very idea of practice and it has many confused.  What this whole discussion is about is simply this- sanctification.  All of these things Jesus talks about in Matthew 6 are simply the disciplines of sanctification.  They are things we do to grow into Christlikeness.  And, clearly Jesus knew we needed practice so he gives us guidance to perfect our practice.

What's the goal?  Hebrews 10:14-  "He has made perfect forever those who are becoming holy."  The goal of practice is to become like the one who has saved us.  It's the practice of perfecting godliness (2 Cor. 7:1)  and doing it intentionally that produces Christlikeness.*  Then, one day, after all your practice, you will hear these words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."


*A comment that will arise is this- "But what about the Holy Spirit's work in us. You left that out."  Yes, I left it out for brevity. I am very aware that godliness and Christlikeness must happen as the Holy Spirit works in us and with us, but for brevity and focus on the topic I left this portion of sanctification for another day.

The power of words

Thank you, Cheri

The politics of the Universe

"All authority has been given to Me 

in heaven and on earth." -Jesus

As I watch the politics of the day in my own country I read a lot of fear in the comments made by many people of faith.  The words go something like this, "We can't let that candidate win.  Our country will never be the same if he gets in office!"  Driving it all is a fear that reveals a poor understanding of who is really in charge.

I've been thinking and meditating on this passage spoken by Jesus as he neared the end of his time on earth.  The words are a claim that addresses all our fears in only 12 words.

If Jesus' words are true then there are some things we must make part of our thinking and our lives.  If he is right then here is what we must believe and live out,

Jesus is sovereign.  He's in charge of everything everywhere!  Nothing happens apart from his doing it or his allowing it to happen. This is true in the seen AND unseen worlds.

Jesus is king.  King over every king on this planet and any other planet.  All kings report to him and are accountable to him.

Jesus is Lord.  Lord over all the lives and affairs of men and angels.  Things we can see and things we can't.  He is Lord of all.

Jesus is in control. He's in control of who rules every country, every nation, every kingdom.  He controls the events and directions of nations. He's in control of everything.

Jesus is judge.  Jesus is the judge of all men and their choices.  Good or bad all men will report to Jesus Christ and be judged by him.  There will be a day when all the evils around us will be dealt with and Jesus is the one we will all face.

Jesus is the one who presides over the affairs of men.  He is the Lord of Lords and king of kings.  When we fearfully squabble about who will rule our countries, thinking they will save us from ourselves, we find that no man will make things right but Jesus alone.  He is the only one who will right the wrongs done, fix the problems we face, quiet the fears we experience.  Only he can be the ruler we long for....and he is!  He is the ruler of all and will soon establish his rule here.

And here's the best part....he's good, kind, loving, forgiving, merciful, gracious, caring, empathetic, honest, understanding and he is one of us!  He understands.

Although we long for a "king" who will make all things right that longing will only be fulfilled when we make Jesus king of our lives and ultimately see him be king of all.  Until then we need to remember that ALL authority has been given to him and we are in good hands.

Have a nice day.

A spiritual walkabout

You may have noticed I haven't posted much lately.  There are times when I overflow with thoughts and the work of God in my life.  Then there are times when there is nothing in the well.  Empty, searching, wandering.  I'm in a time like that right now.  It's a time of walkabout.  Once more working on my walk with God and in those times there simply isn't much to say.  I will return with arms full of insights as I discover more of God and more of me, but for now....for the moment.....I'm on a spiritual walkabout.  Wandering a bit, but never lost.  I'll be back soon.......

Photo walk

This morning I had the opportunity to go on a photo walk in downtown Dallas with a couple guys from our church.  It was a great morning for a walk and a chance to take a few photos.  Here are a few shots of the art work in the area we walked.

The problem of thorns

"The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced." -Mark 4

One of the things I see a lot is the distraction of the world.  It's not always the lure of good things.  Sometimes it's simply a lack we think should be part of a life pleasing God.  Often we find we are discouraged by how difficult things really are and we become unfruitful, ineffective, discouraged, disappointed.

The passage above is just one portion of the story Jesus told about the problems the world around us can cause.  For this particular illustration Jesus used thorns to describe what can keep us from being fruitful.  Thorns are painful.  They are meant to be.  They were designed to protect the host plant from animals and humans.  The pain of the prick causes us to step back, avoid the course ahead and find another way. 

The thorns Jesus mentions are these three- the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things.  Normally we don't consider these "thorns" but Jesus did because they keep us from our path, from following him.  The pain of these thorns cause us to look for another route, an easier one.  "This is just too hard" and so we look for another way.   A path where there is no pain, no thorns.

We look for a way where worry isn't a problem.

We look for wealth. (We have been told that will solve everything!)

We look for "other things" (how general is that?) 

But at the heart of each is a thorn that causes pain and forces us to find a different way.  We look for a path without pain, without thorns, where we can find happiness instead of worries, wealth instead of needs, pleasure instead of pain. 

As a result we never see fruit in our lives.  The pain of the thorns made us abandon the quest to follow Christ.  "The message is crowded out" and we forget our original quest.  The gps screams at us "recalculating..." but we lose our way because of the distractions that caused our pain.  Thorns, intended to protect the plant, can, by the pain of the encounter cause us to change our path and lose our way and ultimately never become what God had designed us to be. 

Thorns are never a sign you are on the wrong path.  In fact they may actually indicate you are right on course!  Pain is never a reason to change direction, but like the thorns in my bushes at home, they force us to find a way to deal with their pain and persevere anyway.  

Our goal?  Fruitfulness.  Don't let the pain of the thorns distract you from your quest to know God. Besides, what do they say in advertising?  No pain, no gain....awww, now we are there....with the gain of the quest there will always be the pain of the journey.  Don't let the thorns along the way ever discourage you from the quest to know Christ!  They are simply part of the trip.

The love of God

This afternoon I had coffee with a friend.  It was great to visit with her again.  We haven't had a time for coffee in several years so today was special.

She wanted to hear about my time away from the church and what I learned.  What was to be just an hour went into nearly two.  We talked about what my wife and I discovered in our time away.  We talked about what I read.  But most of all we talked about the love of God.

I think most Christians believe that God loves them, but have never really known that love.  That was something she had prayed I would find and indeed I did.  I found it in a gift I had held for someone else for more than 40 years.  

The bible describes in wonderful detail how much God loves us.  It is the reason for the gospel story and the high cost God was willing to pay to purchase his lost love back, but many do not really understand it.  We often have so much baggage from our past, from our childhood, that it's hard to see how grand and glorious that love is.

All this to say that the most important discovery and treasure of any life is the discovery of God's love.  It's much better than you could possibly imagine and more glorious than you even know.  If you aren't sure about this "Christian thing" it's simply described in this way- God loves us and has paid a very high price to purchase us from slavery, to take us "home with him" and all he asks is that we say yes to this wonderful gift and give him our lives.  

Happy Birthday Alice!

Our wonderful granddaughter, Alice, is 10 today.  She is a most amazing young lady and one of the funniest people I know.  

We are so blessed to have such sweet and beautiful grandkids.  Happy Birthday sweetie!