Simple words of wisdom

L.J.- "The Lord is faithful. Trust in Him. 

That’s all there is.”

Me- “That’s all there is?”

L.J.- “Yeah….that’s all there is.”

Simple words of wisdom from an old and wise friend.  I 

asked L.J. what words of wisdom he would share with 

anyone. The words above were all he offered.  L.J. is a man 

of few words, but there are times when few words are 

needed.  L.J. said them all.

There is a captain at the helm

A few years ago we took a cruise for our anniversary.  It was a great experience.  A cruise ship is like a little city on the water.  They have pools, restaurants, movies and any other entertainment you can imagine.  It was great to travel on this floating city without a care and with all the food we could eat!

But one thing we never worried about was this-  is there a captain at the helm? Is anyone steering this boat? Does he know where we are going?  

We never thought about that once!  In fact, we never met the captain.  We were told he was on board, that he was steering our course and all would be well, but we never met him and never wondered if he was there. We never had a sleepless night worrying about the existence or ability of the captain.  It was never a question in our minds.

Imagine a boat load of people enjoying the ride with no thought of the captain.  In fact, I don't think anyone thought "because I haven't seen the captain he must not exist."  We would have laughed at such a comment. 

Of course he exists!  Can't you see we are moving, the boat is on course, we are on our way.  How could this all happen without a captain?

But how do I know where we are going?  How can I trust a captain I've never seen?  And yet we do, without a thought.  It seems silly to ask these questions. Of course there's a captain and so we relax, laugh, enjoy the ride and even sleep without a thought of the captain....but he's there...even if you have never met him.

On this grand ride of life on our tiny blue marble some will tell you there is no captain, no one in charge, no one at the helm.  What a silly thing to say.  Of course there's a captain at the helm, even if you've never seen him....so relax, trust him to steer us to the final port, enjoy the food he provides, laugh, sleep, love well. There is a captain at the helm.  He has provided all we need to richly enjoy.

Life is.....

Life is....

How you fill in the rest of that statement speaks volumes about you, your heart and your view of God and others.

If you reply, "Life is about me being happy" then I know you will be most unhappy.

If you reply, "Life is about finding meaning, purpose and significance" then I know you will be disappointed with the outcome.

If you reply, "Life is a story told about me..."  then I know you don't see me or anyone else.  It's clear you're looking for a stage, an audience to watch you but your audience will be small and the applause disappointing.

When I ask you to fill in the rest of this sentence, "Life is...." you are telling me about what you value, what you believe life is about, your view of meaning and purpose.  

When your answer is self focused I know you will be frustrated, depressed and disappointed.  When the world is your stage and everyone your audience you will discover few will pay the price of admission.

But if you see more, see life beyond you, beyond others...if you see God's grand purpose, you will find that even sorrows, failures and disappointments are opportunities to watch God work.  

So how do we finish this sentence to see a bigger world, a bigger plan, a big God?

It begins in this way, "Life is the story of a great God madly in love with me, with you, with us!"  And with that clarity we begin to see a plan, a purpose, a hope in everything that happens in our lives.  

"Life is a love story and we are the focus of that love."

How's that for meaning, purpose, fulfillment? 

Offended

Have you noticed that being offended is the new sport of our day, the politically "in" thing to do?  "I'm offended!" can thwart the rights of another, start a protest, insult an innocent person and make the evening news. It doesn't have to be rational, logical or right...you just have to be offended.

But what about the rights of the one who "offended" you?  Are their rights suddenly gone because you claim offense?  It seems that offense is the new moral plumb line of our culture.  It has redefined a whole culture for us and subtly taken away our right of choice, belief and action.

Imagine responding to the offended party, "GET OVER IT!"  That would add a new layer to the offense, wouldn't it?  

So how do we deal with this new dimension of our culture? How do we function when being offended can suppress our rights, when being offended has risen to an art form of control and silencing another view?

It seems, if we are to deal with this rightly, we have to get past the words and deal with the person.  Why are they offended?  What did I do?  Can we talk about it?

I'm afraid that a passage I love dearly may be the application.  It seems that a Christian response would look something like this,  

Luke 6:27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you. 32 “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. 35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.  37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” 

Don't those words bother you a bit?  

Aren't you thinking, "Yeah, but....."  And even as we squirm at these words of Jesus we have to realize what we are really doing is turning it all over to God to deal with.  It's a difficult way to respond to the verbal attacks of our day, but it reflects the very heart of God and it allows room for God to work in the heart of the offended party.

"I'm offended!" is the new world we live in.  In response live out the words of Jesus and let's see what happens.

Run and hide!

There are times when we each want to run and hide.  You have felt it too, haven't you?  That feeling of panic, fear and the wish you could just run away, escape the storm coming and hide from it all.  

This is such a universal feeling I don't really need to explain it.  The moment I mention it we all nod and acknowledge our understanding of that fear, that desire to run and hide.  The bible is filled with honest men and women who go through the same things we do and have to make decisions...will I run and hide or will I trust God? And if I trust God, what does that look like?

My thoughts go to the book of Esther and her fear of confronting the king.  And there is Elijah who, out of fear of a woman, ran for his life.  I think of Gideon who asked God with quivering lips, "Are you sure?"  as he accepted his assignment.  And I remember Joshua who had to be told over and over, "Be strong, be of good courage, don't be afraid."

But the one who shares his fears more vividly and honestly than any other is David.  King David, the man who ran for his life for several years constantly fearing King Saul.  It's in David's words that we have a response to our desire to run and hide.

My adversaries pursue me all day long;
    in their pride many are attacking me.

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
    In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?

Psalm 56:2-4

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." Fear is the emotion that makes us run and hide or look up in trust. 

This morning I got a letter from a pastor's wife in another state.  They are going through fearful times in their church and in their lives.  Her husband, the pastor, wants to run away and hide, but as I read about David and Jesus, I see men who looked up in the midst of the storm and said, "Lord, when I am afraid I will put my trust in you."  

When you are tempted to run and hide take a moment and look up....your redemption is near, God is on the throne....in the storm you will see the amazing work of God, but if you run and hide you will miss it all.

Isn't He amazing?

Good morning sweet Lord. 

Thanks for your goodness, provision and providence. 

It was great seeing your planning,

provision and great kindness last night.

I look forward to what you will do with it all.

You are amazing!

Last night I got to see a miracle.  Some might disagree, but I know what to look for when I see the invisible hand of God and I saw it last night.  In a wonderful way he provided, met a need and cared for his children in a surprising way.  He is so good.  He is so kind.  He is amazing.

I can't wait to see what he does with all of this.  Thanks Lord, you are amazing!

Morning prayer

This morning, as I began the day, I took some time to pray and talk to God. Outside I heard a bird chirping. This is what I heard.....

chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, thank you, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, thank you, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, thank you, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, thank you,

I paused to listen and this became my prayer this morning, without the chirps of course....although maybe I should have kept them.

Thank you. 

Thank you. 

Thank you......

Quote of the day

  "I can't, You never said I could.  But You can and always said You would."  -Maj. Ian Thomas 

Morning prayer

Good morning lover, glorious lover.  I'm so glad you describe yourself as a God of love.  I need that!  To know that you loved me before I was worthy, before I "deserved it" is beyond my comprehension.  To know you love me just because you love me calms all my feelings of not being enough.  Thank you today, wonderful Lord, for loving me.

Morning prayer

Good morning grand maestro, glorious creator of music!  I wake each morning to your orchestra as birds praise you with songs for anyone who will listen.  Each day, as I listen to the radio, I hear music, something you created for our enjoyment, for your praise.  Music was part of your realm before you made the Universe with angels praising you constantly.  And as you created the Universe the angel choirs sang.  What amazing background music!  So, this morning, grand maestro, thank you for music.  Thank you for creating notes, just as you made colors, for your glory and for our enjoyment.  I can't wait for the day when I can sing to you of how glorious you are and do it in perfect pitch. Thank you for music!

The heart of an artist

A few years ago I had lunch with a man in our church.  He was trying to find his way, figure out the "third-third" of life and decide what was next.  I asked him, "what are your passions? what do you love?" and from that visit he began to paint.  He's a gifted painter, brilliant in fact.  This weekend he brought me a wonderful gift, one of his paintings.  

He told me that painting lets him put his heart on canvas, express who he is, and he does.  I'm so thankful that I can see God work through lives like his as he lives out the gifts God has given him.

Morning prayer

Good morning, wonderful artist! When I look around I see the most amazing works of art...colors, shapes, white clouds in a blue sky, green trees with red apples hanging from them...all around is the glorious work of a brilliant artist. We try to copy your work, but at best our attempts are feeble. Thank you for being so wonderfully creative and making it all for us to enjoy.

Morning prayer

Good morning Father, thank you for thinking about me even before I woke up. Thank you for caring for me in more ways than I know. Thank you for another day to be your son and tell others what a sweet Father you are.

Bowing to the right King

Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty-- he is the King of glory. -Psalm 24:10

I live in a world of fearful Christians.  To be honest, they have their eyes on the wrong king.  The kings and kingdoms of this world are all enthroned by fallen men.  Men who sin, make bad choices, act unjustly, have an agenda.  

If the king you bow to is a man fear will always be the result.  Over and over in the Bible God tells us not to fear men.  Fallen men leading broken countries will always produce fear in the people.

But there is a King who rules everything.  The one who made everything, who is sovereign over everything, the one everyone will one day bow to....the King of Glory....God.  He is the only King you need to worship and if you get that right no earthy king will ever cause fear in your life.

Our fearful eyes these days are on the wrong capitial.  We look to Washington for justice, right, honesty, fairness and will rarely see it.  We need to change our focus and focus our eyes on the only King who will always be kind, good, fair, just, loving.  The King who sits on heavens throne. The King of glory.

When I read the fearful comments from Christians in the news, on Facebook, and in the many blogs that address the changes around us I'm tempted to ask, "But who's your King?  Is he still in charge or not???  If he is, then why are you so fearful?"  

Let's get this straight.  There is only one King we can worship who will give us peace, joy, calm, who will take away our fears, wipe every tear....and so much more.

But be sure of this, all of us will bow before a king of some kind.  All of us will worship something.  Our mouths and words reveal which throne we bow before.  But one day every knee will bow before this awesome King of glory and worship him alone.  He is the King of glory!

One day we will all bow to this King,

Then I heard every creature in heaven 

and on earth and under the earth 

and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise and honor and glory and power,

for ever and ever!”  

Rev. 5:13

My life depends on You

Lord, my life depends on you.  

All that I have, all I am, all that will happen for good in my life comes from you.  

You gave me life.  

You are my creator.

You gave me breath.

Then, wonderfully, you sought me, you wooed me.

You drew me by your Spirit and when I responded you saved me. 

You gave me your Spirit to be with me forever.  

You gave me your word. 

And then, on top of that you helped me to understand it.

You invited me to talk to you, to ask you for anything I need.  

You told me you wanted to be my Father, that you wanted a relationship with me.  Me. Imagine that.  The God who made everything wants to have a relationship with me!

You watch over me. You meet my needs. You care for me. You protect me. 

And, beyond anything I could imagine, you tell me you think of me often.  I can't even fathom the truth that you, the God of creation, really think about me and like me.

And if that weren't enough you tell me you are building a home for me without a mortgage. A place where I can live with you forever.  

All I am, all I have, all I will ever be is dependent on you.  You are the source, the sustainer and the reason for life.  

You hold me together.

My life depends on You.  How could I not worship you and bow before you oh lover of my soul?  How could I ever say "no" to such a wonderful God?

My life depends on You.

And I rejoice in You oh wonderful Father and God.