Scary Thought +

My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
Proverbs 4:20-23 NLT 

I stopped into the store to pick up a few items I needed at the house. While there, I noticed a bin of discounted CDs that contained re-releases of music I listened to years ago. I picked two - one Christian artist and one American blues singer.

Music is amazing! It ties us to moments in our lives. You hear an old favorite and it takes you back to a particular time or place. That's exactly what happened as soon as I got back in the car and slipped in the CD of the blues. The music strummed down the inroads of memory lane and the vocals massaged and manipulated me back to that time in my life... I cranked it up and hit the repeat button many times.

This morning when I woke up, the melody playing in my heart was from that CD. It's not "bad" music, but it is not conducive to worship. It hasn't put me in a mindset of prayer. It has not lent itself to assisting me to focus on the Lord and seek His direction for today. It's not what I normally wake up hearing in my heart. Verse 23 of our text for today - Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Determines the course of my life... Scary thought. What else am I allowing into my heart?

Prayer:

Father,
           Awaken our hearts to only You, Lord. Always shine the Light of Your Truth into our lives so that everything we do is pleasing to You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen 

* New and Improved

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas.
Hebrews 13:8-9a NLT

Every advertisement for every item that can be purchased or consumed touts 'new and improved' or the latest, greatest, most innovative, high tech, best of the best, or guaranteed to make you look/feel younger, etc. Even food products! Better tasting, less fat, now more flavor, fat-free. All of it designed and needing improvement and constant changing of formula to make it "do" what it was designed to do in the first prototype. And when that doesn't work, they go 'back to the basics' or become 'all natural' and 'organic' and charge us more for it...

Do you ever wonder how we survived using all the lesser, not improved products while consuming less flavorful food? No wonder we were aging and looking old... Is there anything in the consumers market (besides Vaseline petroleum jelly and Lifesavers peppermint candy) that got it right the first time it went to market?

There is much to be loved about a God who knows we need - and like - change in our lives and then provides exactly what we need to make it happen. And the change is always for our good.

However, it is most important to know that His love has never changed. His ways have never changed. The way to Him has never changed. There has never been a need for improvement. Jesus Christ - the same yesterday, today and forever. You can't improve on perfect.

My prayer this morning is from the same chapter as our text, verses 20-21 from The Message:

May God, who puts all things together,
      makes all things whole,
   Who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus,
      the sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant,
   Who led Jesus, our Great Shepherd,
      up and alive from the dead,
   Now put you together, provide you
      with everything you need to please him,
   Make us into what gives him most pleasure,
      by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.
   All glory to Jesus forever and always!
In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Fear of Failure

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
   but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12 NIV

I've mentioned before how I like to read quotes and one of my favorites is from American inventor, Thomas Alva Edison. In response to someone's statement that he (Thomas) had failed so many times in trying to invent the light bulb, Edison replied, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." 

It's one of the reasons I could never be a scientist or inventor. They have to keep record of how many unsuccessful attempts they've made so that they don't make the same mistake twice. I'll just tell you - if it had been left up to me to invent the lightbulb, we'd all still be using candles. I wouldn't want to know that I'd been unsuccessful 10,000 times about anything, let alone keep a record for the world to know...

How many times have you tried to do something and not been successful? For me, it's too many times to count. That can be very discouraging. Often we interpret 'unsuccessful' as a nicer way of phrasing 'failure;' however, being unsuccessful is not the same as having failed. Have you ever been so tired of trying that you just quit? The truth is we only fail when we actually give up or quit trying.

Worse than that is not even attempting or trying to do something because you don't know if you will succeed. That's fear of failure. It can be crippling. You know what I'm talking about...

How many times have you heard someone say, "I can't be a Christian. I've tried. It's too hard." How many times have you heard the words, "I've tried. I can't. There's no hope for that..."  Whatever 'that' is, you can be sure it is a stumbling block put there by the enemy of your soul to discourage you. To make you quit.

Let me give you some hope today. It does NOT matter what the facts are. The TRUTH is found in the Word of God. And God's Truth overwrites the facts.

...for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again...
Proverbs 24:16a NIV

Prayer:

Father,
           Open our hearts to see and know the Truth - and Triumph - of Your Word over every situation in our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Psalm 40 NLT *

Psalm 40

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

¹ I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
    and he turned to me and heard my cry.
² He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
    out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
    and steadied me as I walked along.
³ He has given me a new song to sing,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
    They will put their trust in the Lord.

⁴ Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
    who have no confidence in the proud
    or in those who worship idols.
⁵ O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
    Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
    You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
    I would never come to the end of them.

⁶ You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
    Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—
    you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
⁷ Then I said, “Look, I have come.
    As is written about me in the Scriptures:
⁸ I take joy in doing your will, my God,
    for your instructions are written on my heart.”

⁹ I have told all your people about your justice.
    I have not been afraid to speak out,
    as you, O Lord, well know.
¹⁰ I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;
    I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness.

¹¹ Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.
    Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
¹² For troubles surround me—
    too many to count!
My sins pile up so high
    I can’t see my way out.
They outnumber the hairs on my head.
    I have lost all courage.

¹³ Please, Lord, rescue me!
    Come quickly, Lord, and help me.
¹⁴ May those who try to destroy me
    be humiliated and put to shame.
May those who take delight in my trouble
    be turned back in disgrace.
¹⁵ Let them be horrified by their shame,
    for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!”

¹⁶ But may all who search for you
    be filled with joy and gladness in you.
May those who love your salvation
    repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!”
¹⁷ As for me, since I am poor and needy,
    let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.
You are my helper and my savior.
    O my God, do not delay.

On My Own - Part 3 finale +

In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.
Ephesians 2:12 NLT

Growing up, I used to love solving logic problems, acronyms and acrostic puzzles in the magazines. Logic problems because they caused you to look for more than what was obvious; acronyms and acrostics for basically the same reason. Acronyms have hidden meanings, such as the ichthys from the first-century church. With acrostic puzzles, there are two parts. The first part provides clues for words that have numbered blanks representing the letters of the answer. The second part is a long series of numbered blanks which, when solved, will spell out a famous quotation or text.

Relatively simple acrostics may merely spell out the letters of the alphabet in order; such an acrostic may be called an 'alphabetical acrostic' or abecedarius. Abecedarius is also a generic term for an alphabet book, which dates back to Biblical writings such as found in several of the Psalms. They used successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet as the first letter of each stanza. (My favorite Biblical acrostic is Psalm 37.)

During my recent stay in the hospital, family and friends brought enough puzzle books for me to open a small newsstand! I was reminded of how studying the Word of God is similar to all of these puzzles rolled into one. There's the obvious - the plain and simple meaning of the text. Then another where an implied sense alludes to a deeper meaning if we'll take the time to look for it. And then there are Scriptures like Matthew 26:28 and John 6:52-58, which if ingested literally (no pun intended) would defy God's law altogether. These are the 'sud' (pronounced sood like wood) which means 'hidden' meaning.

There is much to discover about Scripture and about the Lord. It takes Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One thing I know - I cannot do it on my own. As a Christian, if I remove Christ from the explanation, I'm left with I-A-N... a perfect acronym for 'I am nothing.' And without Him, that's exactly what I am.

Prayer:

Father,
          Apart from Christ, we don't have You and we don't have hope. In You, we live and move and have our very existence. Keep us close to Your heart, O God, where we can find life and hope eternal. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

On My Own - Part 1 +

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.
Psalm 37:7 NLT

I am not a person who likes to be still, nor am I known for waiting patiently when I think I can do it on my own. (And I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that those of you who know me are laughing hysterically and shouting 'Amen'). God forgive me for that prideful attitude. Time for confession.

The truth is GOD alone gives me the energy and determination to do what should be done and the brain power to think, to see what can be done. However, at no time has He ever told me to run off on my own and do it. And all glory to God, He loves me so much that when I try to do it all on my own - especially when I'm so determined to do exactly that - He stops me.

Seven-and-a-half days in the hospital and over 5 hours to make a 30-minute trip home. Why? Because I was determined to do it on my own.

Drove myself to the hospital at 4 in the morning when symptom indications would be to call 911. Admitted for overnight observation and a cardiac work-up with a check-out time of 11am. My car was in the parking lot and I had the keys, and I could leave whenever I made up my mind to do so. At 10:03 the next morning, I told my brother, Joe, "They have 57 minutes to tell me something or I'm out of here." ...the same brother who Mom always sent to talk sense into me when, as a child, I was being obstinate about something. Determined to do it on my own... but Joe talked me into waiting.

The doctor showed up (after the 11am check-out time) to tell me that I had pneumonia and pleurisy of the left lung and that I would be staying at least "several days" and not going back to work until at least mid-week the following week. Not what I wanted to hear. However, If I had left at 11:01, instead of waiting, I would have gone back to work and worked myself into an early grave. 

I was there for seven-and-a-half days...definitely a few more days than 'several' by my definition. My prayer partners advised me to take advantage of the time and hear what God had to say. Here's the confession. I did not. I was upset about being there. I was angry about not being in control of my life.

In a hospital, it doesn't matter if the door is closed. It doesn't matter if there is a sign on the door that reads, "Do not disturb until 5am." It doesn't matter if you don't usually eat until 10am. Breakfast is served between 7a and 8a, lunch is served between 11 and 12:30, and supper is served between 4:30 and 5:30. We've all heard horror stories about hospital food, but God, in His infinite mercy, allowed me to be in a hospital where Ms. Gloria and Ms. Carmen know their way around in a kitchen and can make a heart-healthy version of Carne Guisada that rivals Gringo's restaurant and have loving hearts to boot. Oh, the mercies of God...

The great news in all of it is that my heart is "strong as a horse" - I just also happen to be built like one. (I thought the analogy was very funny because at this time, I work for Mustang Engineering and our company logo is a blue horse. My boss and I both agreed that I might be carrying that "company girl" image just a little too far.) God has such a great sense of humor.

I've realized that I can't write in one sitting all that God is teaching me through this; it is much! So I have added 'Part 1' to the title and will continue tomorrow.

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for loving us enough to correct us for our greater good in You. Thank You for tears which are also good for the washing of our souls. Keep our hearts and minds focused on You and Your will. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen 

* Holding Hands

Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.
Psalm 73:23 NLT

As a mom, I raised my kids to hold my hand and walk next to me in potentially dangerous situations, especially in parking lots. As the one responsible for the safety of my precious children, if I held their hand, I could govern how quickly they stopped or started. If they stumbled or slipped, I could provide balance. As the one who held their hand, mine was the stronger grip. I did not let go.

Have you ever noticed that? Some people assume that when holding hands, the grip is equal, but it's not so. One is holding, one is being held. The one being held is subject to the one holding.

I remember one time being in a really tough spot, crying that I could not hold on to God's hand, no matter how hard I tried. Doc Jameson wrapped his arm around my shoulder and told me the story of a young farm boy walking with his dad across a furrowed field. The boy being younger tried to help his dad across the field but kept falling away. His dad said, "Son, I've walked this way before, let ME hold YOUR hand." And together, they walked safely across the field even though the furrows were deep and wide.

It was there I learned the phenomenon of hand-holding not being equal holds. When Doc finished his analogy, he said, "Honey, God is the Father. Let Him hold your hand. He won't let go."

Prayer:

Father,
          ♪♫ Hold my hand, Lord. Hold my hand...all along life's pilgrim journey... ♪♫ In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Out of the Ashes +

…To give them beauty for ashes…

Isaiah 61:3b NKJV

Science will tell you that millions of years ago, large pockets of carbon dioxide were deep beneath the Earth’s crust. "Extreme heat and pressure caused the carbon atoms to crystallize forming diamonds," according to the website www.library.thinkquest.org. Extreme heat… fire from the depths of the Earth.

Did you know that the depth of a diamond is actually the height of a diamond? It is measured from the very bottom of the culet to the table facet at the top. However, there is another term related to diamonds that most people don't know. It is Depth %. 

According to the aforementioned website, depth % is the height of a diamond (measured from the culet to the table) divided by the width of the diamond. The depth % is critical to creating brilliance and fire in a diamond. A depth % that is too low or too high will cause light to leak out of the stone, causing the diamond to lose sparkle.

Have you ever experienced extreme heat from pressure in your life - the kind that felt as though it came from the pit of hell? Although the depth % may be critical to creating brilliance and fire, the good news is that the height and width of the Cross were in perfect proportion, so keep reaching for Jesus. There is no light, no love and no life lost in Him. Even when it feels like all that’s left is ashes, Christ came to give us beauty for those ashes.

Prayer:

Father,

           In all things, for every circumstance and event of our lives, we cannot always know or understand Your ways, but this I know. You are God and You are holy and You are righteous and nothing can separate us from Your love. You are our eternal hope. Give us beauty for ashes, Father. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

* Holey Wholly Holy

For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. 

Colossians 1:19-23a NLT

Have you ever paused to reflect on holy? On what it is and how it applies to your life? When I think of holy, I think of pure, undefiled, perfect... none of which are naturally included in the list of top ten adjectives I would use to describe me. (I know I can get an 'Amen' on that - I don't even have to ask for one.)

I am so humbled when I stop to think that the God of the Universe sent His perfect and perfectly holy Son to die in my stead, to pay the price for MY sin, so that I could stand - stand, mind you! - in the presence of the Almighty God, holy and blameless, without a single fault. It is almost unbelievable, but for Grace.

When I was thinking about Holy! Holy! Holy! this morning and about how it applied to my life, I thought of it more like Holey! Wholly! Holy! Most of us start our walk of faith holey... Holes in our hearts where hurts blew through. Gaping holes in our love toward each other because of lack of trust. Then we ask Jesus into our hearts and He fills us - makes us whole again. So because of Him our holey can serve Him wholly...and stand holy and blameless before Him. What a mighty God we serve!

Prayer:

Father,
           Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God Almighty, You are perfect in power, in love and purity. And we humbly bow before You, Lord, to worship and adore You. In Jesus' Name we pray, the One who made it possible. Amen

Excel +

Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.
1st Corinthians 14:12 NKJV

Unless we are born independently wealthy, most of us have to work at something to make a living. God laid out all sorts of guidelines for working. It was never His intention that any of us should be slackers. He gave each of us gifts and/or talents with which to make that living. However...

Often in our climb up the ladder, we forget some very important things, and the most important is this - If it wasn't for what God gave us, we would have nothing and no hope. He gave us ALL of our abilities, no matter what they are. A keen mind, a gift of hospitality or generosity, a gift of organization, service, singing, speaking, writing. The ability to be a friend. God will develop all that He has given us if we give it back to Him as a sacrifice of our lives. God wants us to be successful MORE than we want to be successful, but not for the same reason.

Deuteronomy 8:17-18 tells us If you start thinking to yourselves, "I did all this. And all by myself. I'm rich. It's all mine!"—well, think again. Remember that God, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this wealth so as to confirm the covenant that he promised to your ancestors—as it is today." It's to establish and confirm the covenant. It's to edify the Body of Christ - the Church. He equipped us for His glory, to fulfill HIS purpose in us, through us, FOR us...for each other. It's our Promise for Today and every day - Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.

Prayer:

Father,
          For the gifts we recognize at work in us, and for the latent that lie waiting for You to make room for them in our lives, we pray Your blessing and increase so that we may excel in the edification of Your Church. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

The Great Equalizer +

…These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.
Matthew 20:12 NKJV

Mathematics is considered by many to be the perfect science. I'm sure you've heard in one context or another - numbers don't lie. According to thinkquest.com, an equation is defined as "representing the equality of two expressions involving constants and/or variables, and thus usually includes an equals sign."

I've been thinking about the equations of life. There are some amazing constants and variables. Constant in that those of us on the upside of the dirt are alive and breathing. Variables are too numerous to even begin to list. Constant in that according to Scripture (Hebrews 9), all people are appointed to die once and then the judgment. But the variables - why, when, where, how, how long before that happens - again, are too numerous to list.

In doing the study for equals, I was amazed at how many online requests there were asking for the "Scripture reference" for the following:

     "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are
     created equal..."

which of course is NOT chapter and verse in Scripture but part of the Declaration of Independence for the United States of America. However, the praying forefathers of our nation were steeped in Scripture. It was the foundation on which they built. So, let me tell you what I've been thinking about.

Are all men created equal? Well, the constant is that we are all created by God - Proverbs 22: - The rich and poor have this in common: The Lord made them both - but the variables (rich and poor) are there, too. We know that we started with one man and then one woman, and after the flood, then we started all over again from one family.

We are all equal when it comes to sinning. Romans 3:23 tells us, For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Not very encouraging, is it? But we all have an equal chance at salvation and freedom from our sinning ways. Galatians 3:27-28, And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

And we will all be judged impartially by the same criteria, based on what we've done (Revelation 22:12).  It will be by the Gospel (Romans 2:16), the record of our lives ( Revelation 20:12), us in comparison to the Truth (also in Romans 2), and it will be fair and just because God has no favorites (Colossians 3:25).

Colossians 3:11 reads, In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

The plan of salvation is offered equally to whosoever believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who laid down His life to pay for our sins (John 3:16) and whosoever has equal opportunity to accept or reject His offer. No matter if you've always known Him, or just found Him, or if you'd like me to introduce you, Jesus is the great Equalizer. He balances the equation(s) of life.

Prayer:

Father,
          We cannot even begin to understand how You put it all in balance when the situations in life seem so unequal. I only know that You do. Your amazing love and grace and mercy are beyond our full comprehension, but You knew we would need them and You've made them readily available to us. Help us to walk and work within Your equation. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen