The Proper Context

For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does.
Psalm 33:4 NLT

When my youngest granddaughter was a toddler, she always wanted dessert first and we would tell her, "Not yet." Her rendition of the phrase in toddler-ese was "no yet", and she learned to use it in the proper context.

"Baby, are you finished with that?"
"No yet."
"Baby, it's time to get ready for bed."
"No yet."

I was reminded of her phrasing over the weekend when someone told me that God had never failed him yet. That's like saying He might fail you or that you're expecting He might fail you in the future - as though His faithfulness is not trustworthy. What a subtlety of satan to plant a seed of doubt. Let's not be ignorant of the enemy's devices.

We are to pray, believing (Mark 11:24) not pray and maybe, wait and see. Some might argue that they didn't get their prayer answered. That's not true. God just didn't give you the answer you wanted. He has said, "No" to me on numerous occasions. That's loving, not failing.

Use it in the proper context. He's never failed me. There's no yet...

Prayer:

Father,
           You are gracious and righteous and full of compassion. Forgive us for indicting Your character when You don't answer our prayers the way we want You to. Open our eyes to see the Your Truth. We choose this day forward to actively trust You and Your Word. Help us, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Who's Talking?

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
James 1:19 NLT

When we're angry, are we able to listen to the other person? When we're angry, we're usually too busy firing off a reaction to hear. Even if we are not actively voicing our protest, our thoughts are fully engaged to fervidly or passionately react. This is not the best way to communicate.

If we're angry all the time, we are not listening to any voice response save our own. The next verse of our text tells us that human anger does NOT produce God's righteousness in our lives. So what do we do? We know our own righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64). The Message Bible instructs us to lead with our ears. To make it a priority to hear, to LISTEN. 

Who's talking - you or God? Your pride and anger or His Truths? Who do you want to hear? Then be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

Prayer:

Father,

           Help us, O God. Without You, we are never able to do this. Give us clean hands and pure hearts so that we are able to walk righteously before You, quietly and at peace. We want to be able to hear You when You speak. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

To Glean

When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 23:22 NLT

In a day and age when the world seems to be more and more about ME-ology, what's in it for me, selfies and selfishness, what's mine is mine, I love reading this passage of Scripture.

Provision certainly was made; however, I think it's important to note that the poor and the foreigners still had to come to the field and glean the grain that was there for them. It was available to them, but they had to work for it.

In some ways, this puts me in mind of harvesting God's Word for our lives. The main haul is the message or sermon we hear, but we have to dig into the Word to get what is left there for us. Not handed to us, not dropped in our laps, but rather, there for us if we will bend to the task and begin gleaning.

God has promised us that when we seek Him, He will be found. Let us glean all that we can from Him.

Prayer:

Father,
Thank You for the provision You have made for us. Help us to gather all that You have provided so that we fulfill Your perfect plan for us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Short and Sweet

I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
Psalm 18:1-3 ESV

Three verses. Short and sweet. Three powerfully defining verses of who David believed God to be.

1. Lord
2. Strength
3. Rock
4. Fortress
5. Deliverer
6. God
7. Refuge
8. Shield
9. Horn of my salvation
10. Stronghold

Do we believe God is all these things? Yes, of course, we do, but do we believe God is all these things in our own lives?

Prayer:

Father,
           Help us to see past and to get past the hurts and history of our lives to rejoice in the redemption of our lives which You have provided. Let our lives be living testimonies of You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

More or Less

He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else.

John 3:30-31 NLT

One of the buzz phrases of the 21st century is "Less is More." However, it's not a new idea. According to The Phrase Finder,¹  the first time the phrase was found in print was 1855, in a poem by Robert Browning titled, Andrea del Sarto. The phrase was later personified by the works and style of Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, an architect and designer born in the late 19th century, whose main focus was simplistic style.

Isn't it strange how people will embrace the idea of 'Less is More' as it relates to things but heartily reject it when it comes to self? And yet Christ did exactly that. 

Referring to Jesus, Philippians 2:6-8 NLT reads, Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 

And yet there is no other name by which man can be saved. It is at the Name of Jesus that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord to the glory of God, the Father. He died a criminal's death. It was a priceLESS gift He gave, the sinLESS, spotLESS Lamb of God.

He became less so that we could be more than we could ever imagine. 

Prayer: 

Father,

         Help us to embrace Your Truth and direction to not be caught up in the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things that enter in and choke Your Word, so that it becomes unfruitful.² Lord, we truly want to live out that You become greater and greater, and we become less and less. Help us, O God. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

¹http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/226400

² Mark 4:18-20 NKJV

Great Relationships

 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 it.

God's been talking to you about doing something that will take you working with Him to accomplish - the keyword 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

The Eyes Have It

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
2nd Corinthians 4:4 NLT

All of us - at one time or another - have been blinded by the sun or a camera flash or have gotten something in our eyes that temporarily caused us to not be able to see. Soap or conditioner or suntan oil - something that made it so our eyes were not able to focus or clearly see what was in front of our face. Something that should NOT be there.

We know it. There are warnings all over the containers - "Do not use near eyes" - and then they print what to do if we DO get it in our eyes. Why? For the reason that they know many of us will not use the necessary precaution, or we will become complacent and forget to use caution because we've done it hundreds of times before. The remedy is nearly always the same: "wash thoroughly with water; see a physician" or "cover eyes and seek proper attention."

Satan's tricks are just like that. Either he'll appear as an angel of light (2nd Corinthians 11:14) trying to dazzle us with things that appeal to our worldly desires or the oil from his snake oil sales routine as he tries to sell us a false bill of goods will splash onto us and get in our eyes. Either way, we can be temporarily blinded. Why? Because we have ignored the warnings, or we have become complacent about using the proper precaution. 

However, the remedy is nearly always the same - wash thoroughly with water - the water of the Word - (Psalm 51:2) and see the Great Physician. Or cover our eyes - stop looking at the world and what it has to offer - and seek proper attention (Isaiah 17:7-8). And when we do, God causes us to see clearly allowing us to recognize the wiles of the enemy for exactly what they are... We must look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2a).

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for washing our eyes so we can see...even if You have to use tears to do it. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

A Change of Mind

 So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It's because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn't long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it's all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.

Colossians 3:1-7 The Message Bible

You are probably aware of the saying, "It is a woman's prerogative to change her mind." What you may not know is that there are dozens of discussion groups about it - most of them asking for the definition of prerogative. Loosely defined, it's a right or privilege reserved for a specific individual or group of individuals with a certain rank or position. The dictionary lists several types of groups or individuals of rank, but the common denominator is that they are considered to have a higher status than the average Jane or Joe. They decide how things will be done. It's their prerogative. They tend to look at life from their vantage point and exercise their prerogatives accordingly. They think of themselves as "Large and in Charge!"

Now, before you're too hasty to agree that that sort of privilege is cool, let's re-read our text for today. So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't [...be] absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, .... See things from his perspective. 

Do you want to live life according to your prerogative? ...doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy? That is the way of death for your soul (verse 5). Or - will you do as James suggests in James 1:5? If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. You can't be wiser than God, so let's do life according to His Word. Let's do it from Christ's perspective. You know - Change our minds.

Prayer:

Father,
           We want to pursue those things over which Your Son presides. Give us focus, with eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart that hastens after You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Simply Yourself

[Jesus] told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: "Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: 'Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.' "Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, 'God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.'" Jesus commented, "This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face, but if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself."
Luke 18:9-14 The Message

...if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself. Only God can take nothing and make the nothing into something and even more... 

In one book I read, one of the women figured she was "ahead of the game" because she didn't drink, smoke or participate in whatever other sin du jour, and she tried to stay away from people who did. And lots of times, we get just like that. Comparing sins on a better than, worse than scale. "Well, at least I don't drink."  No, but in that case, we're guilty of judging.

Scripture is very clear about telling us to not think more highly of ourselves than we should. In fact, we're to always prefer the other guy more than ourselves.

...if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.

Prayer:

Father,
           I want so much to be more than just me, but not by my own actions or words. Father, let my light so shine that people will see YOUR good works in and through me and will glorify You. For You are SO Worthy! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Tell Them

 Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.

1st Chronicles 16:23-35 NLT

Publish His glorious deeds among the nations.
    Tell everyone about the amazing things He does.
Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
    He is to be feared above all gods.
The gods of other nations are mere idols,
    but the Lord made the heavens!
Honor and majesty surround Him;
    strength and joy fill His dwelling.

O nations of the world, recognize the Lord,
    recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.
Give to the Lord the glory He deserves!
    Bring your offering and come into His presence.
Worship the Lord in all His holy splendor.
Let all the earth tremble before Him.
    The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.

Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice!
    Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!”

Let the sea and everything in it shout His praise!
    Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!
Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise,
    for the Lord is coming to judge the earth.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
    His faithful love endures forever.

Prayer:

Father,

           We cry out, Save us, O God of our salvation! Gather and rescue us from among the nations, so we can thank Your holy Name and rejoice and praise You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Keeping the Vision

 Then the Lord said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed."

Habakkuk 2:2-3 NLT

She was born in San Diego on May 19, 1918. Florence May Chadwick had her first swimming competition win at the age of ten, and at the age of eleven competed in her first "challenging" competition,  a rough water swim.  She placed fourth in the event.

Chadwick's biggest contribution to swimming history occurred on August 8, 1950, when she crossed the English Channel in 13 hours and 20 minutes, breaking the then-current world record held by American swimmer Gertrude Ederle. Ms. Ederle was the first woman to successfully swim across the English Channel. 

One year later, Chadwick crossed the English Channel yet again, from England to France; this time, in 16 hours and 22 minutes, thus making her the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions, and setting a record for the England-France journey.

In 1952, Florence attempted to swim the 26 miles between Catalina Island and the California coastline. As she began, she was flanked by small boats that watched for sharks and were prepared to help her if she got hurt or grew tired. After about 15 hours, a thick fog set in. Florence began to doubt her ability, and she told her mother, who was in one of the boats, that she didn’t think she could make it. Unable to see the coastline due to the fog, she swam for another hour before asking to be pulled out. As she sat in the boat, she found out she had stopped just one mile short of her destination.

Two months later, Chadwick tried again. That time was different. The same thick fog set in, but she made it because she said she kept a mental image of the shoreline in her mind while she swam.

Sometimes, our lives can be just like that. We get in a fog, and can't see any way to get where we're supposed to be going. We lose sight of our destination. But let me remind you - our destination is Heaven. Can you see the gates of pearl? Fog or no fog, fix it firmly in your heart and mind. That's the goal. Jesus made the way.  Keep heading in the right direction. You're almost there. Don't give up! Don't stop now - we are SO close!

Prayer:

Father,
         Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, we press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Fix it in our hearts and minds, so that we are not taken off course. Help us to keep our eyes on our goal - eternity with You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Friend's Favorite - Work at It

Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.
Hebrews 12:12-15 NLT

On occasion, I have thought I should have become a nun in a convent where they take vows of silence, and then I might have stood half a chance of living in peace with everyone. I'm reminded of the comedian who said, "I had the right to remain silent, but I didn't have the ability."

I used to think living a holy life was the hardest thing in the world to do. Don't take that wrong - in NO way, do I mean to imply that I don't think it still is difficult - I just think that living in peace with everyone is equally as difficult. I don't mean "pretend peace" - where no one is fighting or having words because no one cares enough to say anything. I'm talking about peace that passes understanding. The kind where - in your flesh - you'd really like to smack 'em, but the peace of God overshadows you and you realize there's a reason behind that person being a horse's patoot and compassion floods your spirit and you are compelled to pray for them with a love that you know was born of God... You know what I'm talking about. Yes, I have had days where I experienced that kind of peace... unfortunately, today wasn't one of them.

It started with the dog not appreciating the snooze alarm. I guess he didn't think he should have to wait another 9 minutes to go outside. Later, when I went to open the door on my car, I forgot to unlock it first, and actually pulled the outside handle out of the door. I suppose I should have been thankful that going to the gym is paying off, but I have to admit that it's taken me every bit of the 16 hours since it happened for the thought to even cross my mind about giving thanks. When I got to the gym, the pool heater wasn't working right. It should have cooled me off... literally, it really should have...

Colossians 3:12-15 reads, Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

But God... No buts. He sent His Son to shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins. If there was never going to be a need for forgiveness, Christ wouldn't have come. He knew it would not be easy. He encouraged us through His Word. He said, Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life...

Work at it... and always be thankful.

Prayer:

Father,
            Thank You for today and for Your awesome presence of mercy and grace. Thank You for loving me enough to correct me. Please continue to do so, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

No Further

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior…
Isaiah 43:1b-3a NKJV

My friend had her house leveled. The house was built on top of piers and those piers have sunk as far as they can, down to the solid rock foundation. They will sink no further. It turns out that my friend has hoped and prayed that her house was built on piers, so it was incredibly good news for her!!

And her good news is a direct result of THE Good News. When she told me this story, it hit me as such a picture of the goodness and mercy of the Lord. For the last few years, my friend has been building her life on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ. Matthew 7:24-25 reads, Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.

The storms of life come. That’s just the way it is. In our text for today, God doesn’t say IF you pass through the waters, or IF you walk through the fire. The Scripture states WHEN you do. And WHEN we do, He WILL be with us… Christ our Rock, our sure foundation, so we’ll sink no further.

Prayer:

Father,
            Your Word is as solid as it gets. Help us to hear and comprehend and then to stand on it. 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 having dinner with a friend I hadn't seen in a while 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 squid 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 a little about bait. 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 to fish, 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