* Hearken

And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your  land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.

Deuteronomy 11:13-14 KJV

I woke up with the word Hearken on my mind and how it pertains to relationship. Hearken is an old English word defined as "to attend to what is uttered; to give heed; to hear, in order to obey or comply." It's not just about hearing. It's not just about listening. It's doing - "to hear, in order to obey or comply." It's action response required.

One of the number one complaints in family relationships is some phrasing of, You never listen to me. Think about that for minute. I'm sure you've said it yourself... probably more than once.

Hearken is life and death. Marriage relationships die from the lack of it. Families are broken. People quit jobs when they feel they're not being heard. People's lives hang in the balance. Hear me. Eternity is determined by whether or not we hearken...

Hearken DILIGENTLY...

The Message Bible reads this way:

   From now on if you listen obediently to the commandments that I am commanding you today, love God, your God, and serve him with everything you have within you, he'll take charge of sending the rain at the right time, both autumn and spring rains, so that you'll be able to harvest your grain, your grapes, your olives. He'll make sure there's plenty of grass for your animals. You'll have plenty to eat.

   But be vigilant, lest you be seduced away and end up serving and worshiping other gods and God erupts in anger and shuts down Heaven so there's no rain and nothing grows in the fields, and in no time at all you're starved out—not a trace of you left on the good land that God is giving you.

   Place these words on your hearts. Get them deep inside you. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder. Teach them to your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning until you fall into bed at night. Inscribe them on the doorposts and gates of your cities so that you'll live a long time, and your children with you, on the soil that God promised to give your  ancestors for as long as there is a sky over the Earth. 
Deuteronomy 11:13-21 The Message

Throughout the Bible, we read the same thing from God. His greatest source of frustration is that we don't hearken to His voice. We know He speaks. We may even hear Him when He does. But do we hear in order to obey or comply? Or do we just offer actionless answers of faithless words? It's the infamous, I hear ya, but... Well, let me put this in the Texas vernacular for you... get the but outta there, and get your butt moving. You know - Hearken...

Prayer:

Father,

        We throw ourselves on Your mercy and grace and beg forgiveness for our hearts of rebellion in not giving heed to Your voice and Your Word. Change our hearts, Father. Forgive us, O God. Be Lord of our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Fish or Cut Bait +

When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.” For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.

Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”

Luke 5:8-10 NLT

I was sitting at dinner with a friend I hadn't seen in awhile, when the conversation turned to the type of people who are within her sphere of influence. And the question was raised about why there seemed to be only a certain kind of people... and to her chagrin, "normal" was not a common thread among them. But then,  neither is she your "normal" Suzy Homemaker / Soccer Mom. And just like certain baits attract certain fish, certain types of people are attracted by certain types of things. 

And for some, it's just a matter of perspective. For instance, squid. Where I come from, it's bait, but I do know those who think of it as a delicacy. The same goes for fish eggs. To some it's caviar - to others, it's fish bait. What attracts you to it?

What I personally know about fishing is only worth a few chuckles, but I know some very talented fishermen - PW, Walter, Martin.  Then there are my grandkids - especially my oldest grandson, Alec, who managed to catch a record-breaking-sized flounder one summer while casting for bait! (No brag. Just fact - we have the picture.) Which brings me to this point - even though Alec was "fishing" FOR bait, but was not fishing WITH bait, he caught a giant. 

There are hundreds of different types of fishing bait you can use. It all depends on what time of year you're fishing, what environment you're in (streams, rivers, ponds, or deep ocean) and numerous other factors. There are websites all over the Internet that offer guidelines for which specific bait to use to catch what specific fish - pick your preference. Even I know I wouldn't use the same bait to catch catfish and swordfish! I may not know how, but I know the One who does!

God is the original Fisherman and He knows EXACTLY what bait attracts which  fish and He knows how to use it/us to do His will and purpose - and He will show us, if we will let Him.

So... are you gonna fish or cut bait?

Prayer:

Father,

          Help us to continually be aware of who we are in You and who You would have us to fish for. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

All That He Has Promised +

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT

I met with some friends for lunch - all women - but with very diverse lives and backgrounds. I knew enough about each of those women to know that they were all facing huge challenges of one kind or another... but we had a great time. After all, how can you go wrong with Jesus as your common denominator (and the added enjoyment of Gringo's green sauce & chips on the side)?

What I witnessed at the lunch were Christians at their best. Some of them were really struggling with life-changing issues and yet, I watched as they applauded and affirmed a baby Christian, and strengthened one whose way has been steep, and encouraged another who was battle-weary. Warriors of the faith - 20 and 30 and 40-plus years of walking with the Lord - as excited to hear the discoveries of a new convert as they were to hear of the steadfast faithfulness of the Lord. And each one came away more focused on who HE IS than on what we aren't - more determined to light our world than to lay back to let someone else do it. All because we made the small, small effort to meet together, to encourage one another...

A little further in the chapter of our text for today, we find these words - Hebrews 10:34b-36, You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever. So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. (Emphasis mine)

Prayer:

Father,

           Thank You for friends and family who will cheer us on and help us to finish the race and not let us give up this close to the finish. Thank You for the good reports in the midst of the battles. We give You praise for those. Help us to strive for even more opportunities to encourage one another, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Too Hard

Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?

Jeremiah 32:27 NKJV

What has God been talking to you about YOU doing? I know it's more than you think you can possibly accomplish...  In fact, it's overwhelming! News flash! God is not going to ask you to do something that you can do without Him.  And the Truth is, nothing is impossible with God.  As my pastor is so fond of saying - God is all about relationship.

Good relationships take time. Great relationships take time and a lot of hard work. Only we can decide if a great relationship is worth the effort...But I'll tell you, I don't know of anyone in a great relationship who will say, Oh, I'm tired of having a great relationship with so-and-so. I'll just cut our time down to once or twice a week. I'll just settle for less. We don't need to talk every day, do we?  That would be crazy, and we know it. A great relationship takes everything we've got to bring to it and then some... and it's worth every bit of it.

God's been talking to you about doing something that will take you working with Him to accomplish - the key word there is working.  As David passionately proclaimed - we'll pay full price and not offer Him any sacrifice which cost us nothing.  God has already given the best of everything He has for a relationship with us thus far - what have we given back? Are we engaged in this relationship or just sitting back saying, Gimme gimme... because we think what He asks is too hard?

Is there anything too hard for God?

Prayer:

Father,

         Forgive us for being focused on our finite fences in life, when in Truth, we are to be focused on You - and You are infinite. Open our eyes to see. Open our hearts to embrace Your will and purpose for us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Truth In the Making

For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.

Romans 3:3-4a NKJV

I just want to reiterate that I believe the Word of God is Truth. It is Truth no matter what the circumstances. It is Truth no matter who believes it and who doesn't. Our faith or lack thereof does not change the Truth of God's Word. It is immoveable, unshakeable, immutable,  incontrovertible.

I know that God is our Healer despite the number of illnesses I know of. I know Christ is Our Savior, no matter how many lost and dying people I see around me. I know He is Jehovah Jireh - my Provider - you've come too late to try to convince me otherwise.

The Blessing of Abraham that I want is found in Romans 4:20, He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; We hear God's instruction and we think No Way! I'm not good enough! I'm not this and I'm not that.  God told Abraham he was going to be a father and Abraham believed Him from that point on. He didn't take ANYTHING else into consideration. You wanna know why? Because Abraham knew it had nothing to do with his own ability, so he did not doubt God's ability or His Word. That's Truth in the making...

Prayer:

Father,

          I don't want to stagger at Your promises in my life through unbelief. I want to be -and remain- strong in faith, giving all glory to You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Giving the Lead

He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way. The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.

Psalm 25:9-10 NLT

I know the saying we're most familiar with is "Taking the Lead." However, God does not do things the same way the world does. 

According to our Promise for Today, He leads us in doing right, teaching us His way, when we give up our rights and put ourselves into submission to Him and to His ways. How can we do that? We must have wisdom from above.

James 3:13-18 NLT tells us that True wisdom comes from God. Read with me, If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. 

I don't know about you, but I sure could use a harvest of righteousness. We harvest the fruit of what we plant. I have to plant the right seeds. I can't plant anger and/or seeds of bitterness and then expect a harvest of righteousness. I want the right crop. In order to do that, I need the right seed, the right field and the right path to follow. The key is to realize that I can only follow when I give up the lead. Psalm 25, verse 8 reads, The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. Have we given Him the lead?

Prayer:

Father,

          According to Your Word in Psalm 25, we pray, Show us the right path, O Lord; point out the road for us to follow. Lead us by Your truth and teach us, for You are the God who saves us. All day long we put our hope in You. Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and unfailing love, which You have shown from long ages past. Do not remember the rebellious sins of our youth. Remember us in the light of Your unfailing love, for You are merciful, O Lord. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Give and Take

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” 

Luke 9:23 NKJV 

When we talk about Christianity, invariably we talk about giving. Acts 20: 35 
And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” 
John 15:13 
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 
Romans 12:9-11 
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” 
King James phrases it, preferring one another in love. Putting the other person’s needs before our own. It’s pricey. It costs us – time, effort, comfort. And sometimes, it seems like a whole lot more give than take.

Many of us are familiar with the passage in Matthew 25:31-46, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

     “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

    “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 

   “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” 

I don’t know about you, but for me, that’s too high a price to pay for personal comfort in the here and now.

There is much to be said about giving and very little to be said about taking. But what IS said about taking is equal to all that is said about giving. It was/is Jesus who said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”  Take and give. Give and take. It’s full circle. In taking up His Cross, He gave His all. In taking up our cross, we are to do the same.

Prayer:

Father,

         You have set the ultimate example of give and take. You gave Your Son to take away the sins of the whole world. Be our Strength in our weakness and inability, as we strive to daily take up our cross and follow in Your footsteps. In Jesus’ Name we pray.

Encouraged to Obey +

If you love me, obey my commandments.
John 14:15 NLT

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.

Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”

Jesus replied, All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn't love me will not obey me.

And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe. John 14:16-29 NLT

Prayer:

Father,
           We choose to accept and obey what You say. We love You, Father. Help us to love You more... In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Fatal Bruises

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luke 4:18-10 KJV

We've all had bruises. You whack your knee on the desk, your toe on the furniture, the back of your hand on whatever you're flying by at the moment, and you're the proud owner of a bruise. After a particularly nasty bruise-inducing event, some people will even ask, "Wanna see my bruise?"

I did a little research on bruises and unless you're in the medical field, would you ever guess that the following is the explanation/definition of a bruise? It sounds absolutely dreadful! Life-threatening... Here's what I found:

"a type of relatively minor hematoma of tissue in which capillaries and sometimes venules are damaged by trauma, allowing blood to seep into the surrounding interstitial tissues. The damaged capillary endothelium releases endothelin, a hormone that causes narrowing of the blood vessel to minimize bleeding. As the endothelium is destroyed, the underlying von Willebrand factor is exposed and initiates coagulation, which creates a temporary clot to plug the wound and eventually leads to restoration of normal tissue. During this time, larger tissue hematomas may change color due to the breakdown of hemoglobin from within escaped red blood cells in the extracellular space. The striking colors are caused by the phagocytosis and sequential degradation of hemoglobin to billverdin to billrubin to hemosiderin..."

Even if I added this - with hemoglobin itself producing a red-blue color, biliverdin producing a green color, bilirubin producing a yellow color, and hemosiderin producing a brown color - it would be difficult to determine, wouldn't it?

We may chuckle at the thought of "Wanna see my bruise?" and yet, we all know people who do that. In reality, bruises can be dangerous - depending on how they happened, how deep they are, how badly the tissue was damaged, and the resulting pressure in the surrounding tissue because of the trauma. In my research, I learned bruises are rated 0-5 - rather like a hurricane or tornado. One rated a 4 or 5 can be fatal, especially if left untreated. The combined treatment for a bruise is Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.

How many people do we know who have bruised hearts? Some never say a word about it; others ask something akin to "Wanna see my bruise?" (See the evidence of the "battle" I've been in?) These are potentially fatal if they never get relief from their pain. They usually will ice it, thinking that is enough, but left untreated, all they get is cold-hearted. They don't rest in the Lord. They don't go to Christ so He can bind up their broken heart (compression). They never take it to the Cross (elevate the injury). The last thing we want is for them to throw a clot and die because they are hiding their pain.

If you can't see it, how can you tell if someone has a life-threatening bruise? The evidence is there. Just like a bruise - the colors are telltale. Look for them. Do you see the red-blue of the bleeding heart? How about the green of jealousy? The yellow of fear? Or the brown indicating the last vestiges of hope? Let's get them to the Master Physician, Jehovah Rapha, our Healer. A bruised reed He will not break. He specializes in mending the broken-hearted.

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for all that You are. Give us wisdom to understand it. Create in us Your heart of compassion. Help us to see with Your eyes. Let Your love shine through us like a beacon of hope for those searching for the Truth of who You are. In Jesus' Name we pray.

* The Perfect Intersection

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.

Colossians 1:19-20 NLT

I cannot always wrap my mind around the depth of God’s love for mankind or the lengths to which He goes to prove His unconditional love for the vilest of mankind, but I believe with every fiber of my being that God is everything Scripture proclaims Him to be. I thought I might need to preface today’s promise with that declaration of faith because I may throw something out here that maybe you’ve never thought about. On the other hand, maybe I’m the last to realize it. I finally realized today that God understands - on a very personal level - the stress in life when dealing with people...

In today’s society, there’s much to be said about stress. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Frederick Saunders, author and poet, provided this famous quote ~ Brain cells create ideas. Stress kills brain cells. Stress is not a good idea. 

American theologian, Danzae Pace, said this about stress - Stress is the trash of modern life - we all generate it but if you don't dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life.  

I agree with both of those, but the quote that actually comes closer to my personal definition of it is this - Stress: The confusion created when one's mind overrides the body's basic desire to choke the living daylights out of whoever is not following one’s preferred plan… 

God knows what it feels like to be angry. He knows first-hand the frustration and stress caused by people not following the preferred plan. It started in the Garden of Eden, remember? And how about those Israelites in the wilderness? And then in the Promised Land? And then...?

I don’t know about you, but when I get stressed in or about a situation and it becomes prolonged, I want to rid myself of it. Cut it off, kill it – whatever it takes for it to be gone. I want to be done with it. If I get to that place and I can see no change in sight or no hope of change, then I find myself at a crossroad – an intersection where I can choose what suits my flesh (which is to cut and run) or I can choose to follow God. If I choose to follow God’s example, I have to properly weigh all the components to determine the best outcome of love in action for all involved. First and foremost, I must recognize and understand what hangs in the balance. 

That's what God did. He weighed it all - all the sin and evil and wickedness of all mankind for all time - and chose His love over killing all of us and wiping out the human race. 

When we hit that intersection, we must recognize and understand what hung in the balance. It was His Son.

In the book And the Angels Were Silent, Max Lucado defines it best - Calvary is a hybrid of God’s lofty status and His deep devotion. The thunderclap which echoed when God’s sovereignty collided with His love. The marriage of heaven’s kingship and heaven’s compassion. The very instrument of the cross is symbolic, the vertical beam of holiness intersecting the horizontal bar of love.

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. 

The Cross. The intersection of holiness and love - the perfect drop-off location for our load of stress.

Prayer:

Father,

           Thank You for creating the ultimate intersection and loving us in spite of our selfishness. Set us free from our own road hazards. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Keeping Score

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.

1st John 3:16a NIV

I've lived long enough to know and understand the rules of good sportsmanship, but I'll just tell you... I don't like to lose. When I play, I play to win. I don't go into a game to lose. (I won't cheat to win, even though I'm tempted... but don't worry, I AM an overcomer. LOL)

Worse than that, as much I dislike losing, I absolutely HATE it if someone lets me win. Where's the challenge in that? In my opinion, a win I didn't earn is a bigger loss than actually losing. [And all the conservative (albeit competitive) crowd just became pentecostals and shouted, Amen!] But the challenge in all of that is Christ. I can't earn my salvation and yet, that's the biggest win of all.

Have you ever found yourself keeping score on your life? I have. If you know me personally, you've heard me say something like, "I should get points for not smacking that person (when I really want to...)" "I should get points for not saying ___________(something smart alecky, I'm sure)." "I want points for not ripping their wagging tongue right outta their mouth and hanging them with it."   

In all reality, it's keeping score on the sin in my life. The more I keep score, the more I realize, it's a heart issue. And then I think, if Jesus laid down His life for us and that's how we know what love is (according to our text for today), then, in return, I should lay down my life for Him, right? After all, He died to save me. I can stop doing this or stop doing that. I can read my Bible, go to church, etc. Yeah, I can lay my life down for Him.  Sounds good...okay...but it's not Scriptural. We're instructed to lay it down for others... 

The entire verse of 1st John 3:16 reads, This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. Mark 12:28-31 reads, One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."  John 15:13 tells us, Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 

You wanna keep score? yeah...me, neither...

Prayer:

Father,

         Thank You for sending Your Son to die on the Cross for the remission of our sins. Help us to grow in love and when we are faced with those opportunities to love the unloveable, please help us to see them for what they are. An opportunity to show Your love through us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen