Say Amen *

I will bring the blind by a way they did not know;  I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them.

Isaiah 42:16 NKJV

The game of golf has an O-Factor. It refers to giving the ball extra oomph by the way you follow through with a certain body part. You have to raise it high - according to the pros, the higher the better. Focus and put your mind to it. And if you incorporate the O-Factor in your golf game, the pros guarantee not only a stronger drive down the fairway, but a straight one, and a winning one. No weeds, no water. And all the golfers said, Amen... which simply means let it be established or confirmed.

Well, if you know anything about God, you know that He is the original O-Factor. Omnipotent. Omnipresent. Omniscient...which my dictionary defines as all-knowing, having all knowledge and then adds, an attribute peculiar to God. If we want to put some oomph in our lives, we need to give our hearts to Him. We have to focus and bring every thought into captivity, to obedience to Christ. In following through with that, we will finish strong where God has made the darkness light and the crooked places straight - because that's the path God has prepared for us. Amen?

Prayer:

Father,

         We present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to You. We choose to give You our everything, flaws and all, so that our path will be clear. We want a straight shot to You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Let it be established and confirmed. Amen

Doing It All +

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
1st Corinthians 15:58 NLT

Nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. The Message bible reads that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort. Nothing. Being faithful...to God. To your wife/husband. To your children. To your employer. Changing diapers, dusting, or counting the offering. Whether you're parking cars, cleaning the potty, or preaching. Doing it all, we may wonder - What am I doing here? Why am I doing this? Why is this my lot in life?

Sometimes it's about poor life choices, but sometimes it's just about learning the life of Christ; developing His character in us. But ALWAYS, it's about finding Him in the moment. And doing it all for Him.

In Ephesians 2:7-10, the Message bible reads, Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. Maybe it's not about the work. Maybe it's about the people or person we will meet and influence WHILE we're doing it all.

So, how DO we do it? Philippians 2:14-16, the Apostle Paul writing from prison to the church at Philippi, Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I'll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You'll be living proof that I didn't go to all this work for nothing. Doing it all through Christ who gives me strength,  Philippians 4:13. 

Colossians 3:15-17 instructs us to, Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

Or as I learned it from the King James, whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus...

Prayer:

Father,

         We can't do everything. Help us to recognize and understand that You did not call us to do everything. But You did call us and You did line out work that we are to do. And we're to do all that You've given us to do with the strength You provide us, with the wisdom You've given us and without murmuring and complaining. Help us to do it all in the Name of our Lord Jesus. Amen

Remember, Resist and Rejoice *

Then Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters in the presence of the Lord our God.
1st Kings 8:65 NLT

In a random read from the New Living Translation, I came across a verse in 1st Kings 6:7, that reads, The stones used in the construction of the Temple were finished at the quarry, so there was no sound of hammer, ax, or any other iron tool at the building site.  While thinking about the significance of that, I also read our text for today, in chapter 8, verse 65. I don’t remember ever hearing about the Festival of Shelters. But they celebrated it at the end of the dedication of the Temple.

The Festival of Shelters is an ancient Hebrew festival that calls us to remember, resist and rejoice. We remember that we are all homeless wanderers in a land that is not our own. We resist the powers of pride and greed that create wealth for a few and poverty for many. And we rejoice that God has given us a harvest which provides more than enough for abundant life. 

The Festival commemorates God’s instructions to Moses and the Hebrews: “You shall live in shelters seven days: all citizens of the land shall live in shelters…” (Leviticus 23:42). The Festival calls all of God’s people, especially those who live in good houses and celebrate plentiful harvest, to not forget the God who rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt and who fully provided for His people in the wilderness, despite their rebellion. 

As we remember where we’ve come from, let us resist the temptation to be self-seeking and self-serving, and rejoice that God – in His infinite mercy – has made a way for us where there was no way. 

Prayer:

Father,
           Just as we applied ourselves to learn The Three R’s at school, let us more so abide by these: Remembering Your goodness toward us, resisting pride and self-sufficiency, and rejoicing that You go before us and make the crooked way straight, loving us and teaching us to be true followers of You. Help us to finish the race You have called us to. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

A Change of Scenery *

Then the word of the LORD came to him, [Elijah] saying, “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
1st Kings 17:2-7 NKJV

Elijah was many things, but one thing he was not was politically correct. At the Lord's command, Elijah delivered the message to Ahab that there would be a drought and that there would be neither dew nor rain until he said so. And then immediately, God said, "Get outta town, son." (Texas vernacular).

If you walk with the Lord, you know that God has changed your path. First and foremost, He changed the direction of where you are heading for eternity. That's a biggie... and have you noticed, He doesn't stop there?  He's either changed your employment or super-charged your passion in life - probably both - and that usually brings a change of scenery. I'll bet you've moved a time or two. Yes?

Has He ever taken you someplace - so totally NOT in your plans or scheme of life - and made provision beyond what you expected? And when you get there, you wind up so completely amazed at His working in your life and the blessings that overtake you! You just KNOW the only way you're going to leave that place is if you die or Jesus comes back... but then the brook dries up (see the last sentence of our text.) And there you have a choice. What do you do?

I'd like to share an excerpt from a book titled Lead Vertically, written by Craig Johnson. The message of it is profound. The following excerpt is "Who is in Charge of Your Change?"

Change can mask itself to look like a problem, when in reality it is the answer in disguise. We can't always see that the thing that might be holding us back is the very thing we have been holding on to the tightest. Change will force you to step onto the playing field when you have been comfortable in the stands. You always have a choice: you either run from change or you respond to it. You can either be afraid or affirming; passive or powerful. It all depends on whether you are handling the change or God is handling the change. Have you ever experienced more change than you could bear? It's overwhelming...but it's not over!
I encourage you to allow God to be in charge of your change. The change of scenery will do you good.

Prayer:

Father,
          Give us the courage to step out as Elijah did and do what You tell us to do, say what You tell us to say, and go where You direct our path. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
 

* A Secret Life

They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.
Romans 2:15-16 NLT

Are you ever concerned with what other people think? Does opinion govern your course of action? To what extent do you do things differently if and when someone is watching? Do you live by a "what they don't know won't hurt them" philosophy? Unfortunately, there are very public stories about Christians who fall into sin. No one wants to have their sin exposed publicly. No one. Would you?

We can "put our best foot forward" and make people believe just about anything, but just like God told the prophet, Samuel, when He sent him to anoint Jesse's son, The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1st Samuel 16:7b).

You may be struggling with something right now. I encourage you to put it on the altar before God. He sees it anyway. If you bring it to Him, expose it to the Light of the world, He will wash it away and make you whole and pure before Him.  And then there will be nothing left for you to be afraid of in the dark. Psalm 91 tells us he that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty... make THAT secret place your secret life.

Prayer:

Father,
        We lay our lives before You, open to Your inspection and correction. Give us clean hands and pure hearts, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Double Standard +

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. 
Galatians 5:16-17b NLT

Living with a double standard has always been a source of contention for those who have to deal with it. We are quick to fly in with blazing sword (or tongue) when we see an injustice based on a double standard – which is commendable, but can also be laughable… 

What? You don’t think so? Well, let me ask you this. Have many times have you been on the road behind someone who is driving less than desirably (by your standards) and when you finally get the opportunity to get around them, you discover they’re talking on a cell phone or even worse - texting? And from the so-called safety of your moving vehicle with the windows rolled up, you react with something like, “Quit texting before you kill somebody!” or “Hang up and drive!” and then YOUR cell phone rings with a call or buzzes with a text… and you answer it because after all, you know how to drive and talk on the phone, right? Double standard.

Or, as Christians, we’re quick to spout off about those who follow the desires of their sinful nature according to Galatians 5…sexual immorality, lustful pleasures, drunkenness, wild parties, idolatry, sorcery… Why, Henry, that’s devil worship! Scripture is clear that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God!!   That’s what it states alright - a clear standard – however, that passage in its entirety reads,  19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 

Imagine that! Hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, and envy right smack dab in the middle between sorcery and drunkenness… oh, my!

There is only one standard. One God. One Way. God said through Jeremiah in chapter 32, verse 39,  And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me forever, for the good of them, and of their children after them…  One heart – no division, no dissension…

Is there no hope? Yes, there is always hope in God through Christ our Lord! Our text (Galatians 5) in the New King James version tells us if we walk in the Spirit, we shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Go on down a little in the chapter and we find, 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Continuing on, the good news is that 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.

One God. One Way – Jesus. There is only one standard. His. Pure and simple and undefiled by our double standards.

Prayer:

Father,
         Help us to walk in the Spirit, so that we won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. Let the Holy Spirit have His way in our lives so we may walk according to Your divine plan – in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

* Friendship with God

He [Jesus] told them a story. "Look at a fig tree. Any tree for that matter. When the leaves begin to show, one look tells you that summer is right around the corner. The same here—when you see these things happen, you know God's kingdom is about here. Don't brush this off: I'm not just saying this for some future generation, but for this one, too—these things will happen. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won't wear out. But be on your guard. Don't let the sharp edge of your expectation get dulled by parties and drinking and shopping. Otherwise, that Day is going to take you by complete surprise, spring on you suddenly like a trap, for it's going to come on everyone, everywhere, at once. So, whatever you do, don't go to sleep at the switch. Pray constantly that you will have the strength and wits to make it through everything that's coming and end up on your feet before the Son of Man."
Luke 21:29-36 The Message

I want to ask you something. Let's say you meet someone for the first time while you are with some dear friends - people you've known. You have a history with them. Then you all get into a weighty conversation. The new acquaintance has a differing viewpoint than several of the people with whom you have a relationship. With whose viewpoint are you more likely to agree? Nine times out of ten, you are going to give more weight to the words of your friends - those you know. The ones you've spent time with. You don't really know the full weight or value behind the words of the acquaintance because you don't know his or her life. You have no idea whether or not he or she is trustworthy. There is no relationship.

Let's take it one step further. We all have what I call Fringe Friends. They're the ones you share a few laughs with, maybe grab a coffee together or perhaps take in a show. You like them okay. Push come to shove, you'd probably stand up for them, but the friendship is decidedly one-sided. The only time you hear from them is when they want or need your time or something. Then there are those who not only know your middle name, but they also know your kids and/or your siblings, your work history, and all your annoying personality traits. They're the ones defined by the statement "He or she knows everything about me but likes me anyway." They know your good times and bad. They don't use you or abuse you. If you got a phone call from a friend in both of these categories - both with the same need, which one would you more likely respond to?

A friend sent me the following anecdote:

The pastor asked the little boy if he said his prayers every night. 'Yes, sir,' the boy replied.'And, do you always say them in the morning, too?' the pastor asked.
'No sir,' the boy replied. 'I ain't scared in the daytime.'

As humorous as this story is, the spirit of it is too often true in real life. And that's not a laughing matter. Our text today tells us we need to pray constantly because tough times are coming and prayer is the key.

How is our relationship with God? How often do we spend time with Him? Do you think there is Truth in what He has to say? Do we only talk to Him when we need something?  Do His words carry any weight in our lives? Do we know Him well enough to trust His Words?

Prayer:

Father,
         Thank You for loving us enough to want to have a relationship with us and for doing everything necessary to make that possible. Thank You for taking the extra time to make sure we can find our way to You whenever we are in need. We pray that we will have the strength and wits to make it through everything that's coming and end up on our feet before You. Speak to us, Father, Your Word carries all the weight in any conversation. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Firsts

At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
Genesis 3:7-9

It's getting close to deer season. All the hunters I know are making more frequent trips to the deer lease to get ready for the big day. Their days are already booked on the vacation calendar and bragging about how good their jerky recipe is and their deer sausage. They're waiting for the first week of November, the first cold snap, and dreaming about that first deer. They're even buying new camouflage.

Camouflage is big business. Ask Academy or Pro Bass Shops. Do a Google search for 'camouflage clothing' and in less than half-a-second, you get a return of over 1.2 MILLION hits... funny thing about it is that the camouflage may make us harder to see when we're out hunting, but critters have a keen sense of smell. Let them get a whiff of that human flesh and eyeball you or not, they know you're there.

There are a lot of firsts in the Book of Genesis; after all, it's the book of beginnings. Among them - the first ever, completely organic, hand-stitched, his-and-her camouflage outfits. Want one? Back then, it came at the highest price. Perhaps more so than any other. They paid dearly for it...as has every generation since then - always paying the same high cost. The price never goes down, even though the market is glutted with the sin of disobedience and loss of innocence. And no matter how much we try to cover up and camouflage our sin to try to blend in, sin has its own distinct odor.

There's another first in that same chapter and verse of our text for today. The first recorded game of Hide-N-Seek, and God was IT first. Oh, don't kid yourself. He knew exactly where they were. He knew they'd broken the rules. He knew they cheated and He came looking for them anyway... why? Because He loved us first. And although their first ever, completely organic, hand-stitched, his-and-her camouflage outfits were more than either of them could afford, He paid the price with a first of His own. A great price. He paid dearly...

Prayer:

Father,
         Let us always remember that You came looking for us, and not to kill us, not to condemn us, but to love us, and ultimately to redeem us. Help us to never try to camouflage who or what we are, so that we can walk with clean hands and pure hearts before You, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Directionally-Challenged

And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.
Titus 2:12-14 NLT

Let's say I am heading west when I finally realize that the destination I desire is actually east. However, the road I'm on, heading west, is a wide road and has no tolls and I can travel at 75 miles an hour. No hindrances. No roadwork. No detours. No problem...smooth sailing, except I'm going in the wrong direction. Oh, it has lots of exits - opportunities to turn around - but if all I do is exit and fill up and get right back on the same road, I'm not going to make my desired destination. I can say where I want to go and actually make up my mind to go there, but unless I turn around and head in the right direction, I'm not ever going to arrive.

The same is true on our Christian journey. We all want to make it to Heaven, but we don't all want to take the road that gets us there. We're told to repent, but we don't want to make the U-turn. In order to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures, we cannot keep going in the same direction.

What keeps us from turning around? Is it that the road heading east is a narrow road? Is it because there's a price to pay? Is it because at times we're going to have to be still instead of being able to keep moving? Or is it because there are only rest areas instead of exits with all the goodies that go with the exits?

To turn from godless living and sinful pleasures, we cannot keep going in the same direction. Have you read the map?

Prayer:

Father,
           Your Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Go before us and make the crooked way straight, Father, as You have promised. Make the path plain so we can find our way to You.  Keep us between the lines, O God. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen