* It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. 

2nd Corinthians 5:17-18a NLT

One of the guys at work - when you ask him how he's doing - always replies, "Man, it doesn't get any better than this..." Usually what he means is, "This is it, so you might as well learn to live with it." On days that have been particularly trying, that is not what I want to hear. Although this evening, I was reminded that I used to believe exactly that because I had no hope. I was a hopeless case.

I've walked down Memory Lane a few times in the last week or so. You see, I have no problem remembering what I was and where I was when God finally got my attention. I remember thinking back then that I deserved everything that happened in my life because of the choices I'd made along the way. I distinctly remember thinking that it would never get better because I didn't deserve better... and truly, I didn't... 

But thank God, it wasn't about me and what I did. It was - and is - all about Christ and what He did to pay for my life - and yours - on the Cross at Calvary. And that has removed the pain from those memories and left only the glow of God's goodness, His love, His mercy, and redemption to cover the multitude of my sins. Praise God, by His grace, I am able to look down that road through the filter of His forgiveness and love. 

Tonight, I was blessed to sit down to supper with 30 women - strong women of God - women that Titus speaks of in chapter 2. Laughing, talking, sharing, eating Tex-Mex...sitting with them, loving them, one with them. And I marvel at what God has done in each of the lives represented there. New creations, The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. 

It doesn't get any better than this. Only Heaven will be better...

Prayer:

Father,

          I pray the words of Leeland's song - It feels like there's not enough praise inside of me. With all these words, all my heart can sing is 'Holy! You are holy!' I want to walk worthy of the life You have given me. I want to reflect You, Father, and only You, because it doesn't get any better that that. In Jesus' Name I 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

* Common Sense vs Uncommon Faith

So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said.

Acts 27:25 NLT

Paul was on a ship at sea, as a prisoner, in the middle of a storm with typhoon-strength winds. He had already warned the officers and crew once not to put out to sea, but they didn't listen. After all, both the owner and the captain saw it differently than Paul the prisoner. They were learned in the way of ships and seas. They were sailing men, (but not followers of Christ). Everything they knew - common sense dictated their course of action. What would you have done? Who would you have listened to?

Sometimes life, as we know it, is the same scenario. Common sense deciding our course of action, but uncommon faith diametrically opposed to that which is understood. Not only is it not common sense, it makes absolutely no sense! Why didn't Paul just speak to the wind to be still the way Christ did? Why didn't God just stop the storm? I don't know the answer to those questions, any more than I know why sometimes bad things happen to good people. 

What I DO know is God DOES have a plan. And while it may not make any sense at all to us, it does to God. And if we trust Him in it - if we take courage and believe God that it will be just as He said - we will have peace of mind and heart. Can we believe Him in the middle of our storm when the wind is raging and the seas are crashing and we're shipwrecked on the rocks? Common sense would tell us there's no way. We're gonna die. Uncommon faith declares, "...take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said."

Prayer:

Father,

         We may not always understand the whys and the wherefores, but we can know that Your Word is true. Your love is true and real. Your provision uncommon. Help us to always see - and believe - You.  Father, we want uncommon faith. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Worse Than Not Knowing

Baffled by what I hear, undone by what I see. Absolutely stunned, horror-stricken, I had hoped for a relaxed evening, but it has turned into a nightmare.

Isaiah 21:3b-4 The Message

Isaiah asked God to let him see what was going to happen. Isaiah thought that in knowing, he could prophesy to the people and give hope. But when God granted Isaiah's request, the prophet was overwhelmed. I have lived as a Christian long enough that when I read this Scripture, I found myself praising God that sometimes the answer is 'No."

Looking back over my life, I can truly give thanks and worship a Holy God who lovingly refused to show me some things ahead of time. I wouldn't have been able to stand it had I known some of it ahead of time. It would have caused me to run in the opposite direction, but when thrust in the midst of it, I turned to the only One I could trust. And having lived through it, bearing the fruit of what satan meant for evil, God turned for my good, I am able to see and praise God for His guiding hand on me during those times. Would I have chosen it? No. Absolutely not, but on this side of it, I am eternally grateful for the lessons learned, the wisdom gained, and for the capacity to love to be enlarged.

Now, when I think back on all the times I begged God to show me what He was doing; what was going to happen, and He would not,  I'm so thankful He's God and I'm not, and He chose not to. What a loving Father, a protective, caring, loving Father. You see, there are things worse than not knowing. I don't have to know it all as long as I know the One does.

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for revealing those things that need to be revealed. Thank You, Father, for every heads-up You provide.  And we pray, Father, as the psalmist prayed, Hear my cry, O God: Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You. When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me. A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Lord, keep us on a need-to-know basis as defined by You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Hard-core *

Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.

2nd Corinthians 4:1-2 NLT 

Have you ever met anyone who was hard-core about something? For the most part, it has a negative connotation. It is usually used when referring to someone who seems to be too far gone and will never change. However, the first dictionary definition is; The most dedicated, unfailingly loyal faction of a group.  Roget's Thesaurus lists dedicated, faithful, intense as interchangeable options for hard-core.

Oh, that we would be hard-core for Christ!

Excerpts from further in the chapter where our text for today begins:

 ⁵ You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

 ⁷ We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

 ⁸ We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.

 ⁹ We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

¹⁰ Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

¹³ But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.”

¹⁴ We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. 

¹⁶ That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. ¹⁷ For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

¹⁸ So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Oh, that we would be the most dedicated, unfailingly loyal faction for Christ - that He would return and find us hard-core for Him.

Prayer:

Father,

          Let us not confuse hardened hearts with being hard-core. In no way are they the same. Instead help us to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in You our labor is not in vain. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

How Much? +

And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ.

1st Corinthians 7:22 NLT

Susannah is a very poor African woman about my age. I saw a video clip about her. An evangelist held a week-long revival in her village and every evening at the end of the service, the people would bring their offering to the front of the meeting place and lay it on a table. They brought fruit and vegetables, some of it equal to their day's wage. They brought small animals, chickens, etc, but no one had money. They were giving what they had in order to keep the ministry of evangelism going strong. 

Susannah had nothing to give. She was destitute. Her husband and children had died and she was alone...until she heard the Word of God preached  - the Gospel of Jesus. It literally transformed her and did an immediate work in her heart. She came to service every night and desperately wanted to give something, but she had nothing. The last night of the revival, she came in with the biggest smile and clutching something in her hand. When it came time to bring the offering, Susannah walked quietly but confidently to the front of the church and laid a silver coin on the table. The evangelist knew she had received salvation at the beginning of the week, but also knew she had nothing. He was concerned that she had stolen the coin in her desperation to give.

After service, the evangelist pulled her aside and asked her point blank where she had gotten the coin. She began to explain. God had made such an incredible change in her heart and her mind - freed her from the awful depression and loneliness - made her alive again. She wanted everyone to hear the message of Christ and knew she HAD to do her part in making sure that more would hear. She asked him, how could she receive such newness of life and not do everything within her power to make sure that others heard (keeping in mind that she is not a young woman). That day, Susannah had gone to see the plantation owner and sold the only thing she had left - the rest of her life - to work the fields of the plantation, so she could bring an offering to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 1st John 3:16 NLT, We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. The video ended with her working the plantation field, and as the camera zoomed out, there seemed to be no end to those fields.

How much have we received from Christ? How much will we give so that others may live?

Prayer:

Father,

          Change our hearts, Father. Change our attitudes. Let Your desires become ours. May we see, hear and hasten to do Your will. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Uncomfortably Complacent

I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.  Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
Revelation 2:2-4 NKJV

According to Scripture, God has loved us since before the foundations of the Earth. I have not loved Him that long. I loved Him when I was a child, but when I got old enough to think I could make my own decisions, I chose (at that time) to walk after the ways of the world. For over a decade, I was on a one-way street with no speed limits, heading straight for hell. "Do not pass Go. Do not collect two-hundred dollars."

It was when I was at my personal worst that God stepped into my path and offered me a way out...my Prince had come to save me and I couldn't get enough of Him! I was at church every time the doors were open and sometimes, even when they weren't. I just wanted to be there. I took notes every service and studied them and studied them and studied them some more because I wanted to know all I could about this God of the universe, Creator of Heaven and Earth, who loved ME enough to die for me - to pay the price for MY sins - to spare me the punishment for the evil choices I made.

That was a long time ago. Lately, it's almost been like some of the old married couples you've seen. They're comfortable in their relationship, but they're not "crazy in love" like they were when they were kids. She no longer hangs on his every word. He's not her "first love" anymore. Nowadays, he gets put on the back burner if one of the grandchildren or one of the ladies in her group needs something. She takes for granted that he's always going to be there.

There is a huge difference between comfortable and complacent. I've grown comfortable in my relationship with the Lord. I actually believe beyond the shadow of a doubt that He loves me - and that's good - but the truth is in the last few months, I had grown complacent in my relationship with Him. Oh, I wasn't out running around or getting drunk or doing stuff like that - but neither was I running to be with Him or drinking from the water of Life or listening for His voice. And I could feel the nudges... You don't spend time with Me. Come talk to Me. Don't push Me away. Don't ignore Me. I tried to make myself believe it was all okay because I wasn't running around or doing all those other things and I was at church and paid my tithes, and gave offerings, etc... but I forgot one VERY important thing.

This relationship has NEVER been about what I'VE done for Him.

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for loving me more than enough to confront me and make me uncomfortable in my complacency. Forgive me, Lover of my soul, for putting anything alive or electronic ahead of You in my life. It is ONLY in You that I live and move and have my being. Let my only comfort be in You. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen

* For Those Days

I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Colossians 2:2-3 NLT

There are those days when there aren't words to fully express the depth and magnitude of what we are feeling inside. And on some of those days, it's probably a good thing that we can't, amen?  But those aren't the days I'm talking about. It's those days when we learn of the grave illness or death of a loved one or our children going off to war or some other great, overwhelming tragedy...

And on those days that don't happen to us, but happen to someone we love, what words can we possibly use? What is it that we - in our finite-ness - could possibly say that would make a difference?

We want to express what we feel. We need to express what we feel, but all we have are tears. The good news is that God in His great love and mercy gave us those tears and they are a language that He alone completely understands, so it's to Him we should give them. With tears, you don't have to worry about which words to use to adequately or properly convey all that's in your heart.

On those days, encourage yourself in God's Word. Take comfort from the One who promises us - and delivers - the peace that passes understanding. Usually, I use the New Living or New King James Bible when writing the Promise; but oftentimes, when we need comfort, we go to what is the most familiar. For me, that's the old King James. Today, that's what I want to give you.

Psalm 121

 ¹I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
 ²My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
 ³He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
 ⁴Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
 ⁵The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
 ⁶The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
 ⁷The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
 ⁸The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

For those days. From this time forth, and even for evermore.

Prayer:

Father,
         We love Your Word. We love the song You gave the songwriter, I will lift my eyes to the Maker of the mountains I can't climb. I will lift my eyes to the Calmer of the oceans raging wild. I will lift my eyes to the Healer of the hurt I hold inside. God, my God, I cry out, Your beloved needs You now. Help us to release everything into Your care, knowing You care for us. Thank You, Father, for Your peace in the midst of the storm. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Lookin' Good!

Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; God probes for what is good.

Proverbs 16:2 The Message

We've heard 'em all...maybe even said 'em... Man! That looks good!  Or this - Girl - you are lookin' good!  Or how about this one - Yeah, but who cares? It looks good, doesn't it? 

What's the best way to sell an old car? Wash it - wax it - clean the interior - spray it with 'new car odor' fragrance - make it LOOK good. People will believe it was cared for and pay more for it. It's a proven statistic...and sad, so sad. If the money spent on the paint job had been spent on the mechanics of the car instead, it would have run better and longer. However, it's largely a superficial society we live in, so if we had invested in the mechanics instead of the aesthetics, we wouldn't have the same resale value.

Christians can be the same way when our priorities for life get out of balance. There can be so much emphasis put on 'being a blessing' or 'being blessed,' that people will put on a mask rather than seek help for an issue because someone might see the dirt in their life. It's not that we don't want everyone to know - it's that we don't want ANYONE to know because we have to keep up our pretend image. We 'gotta look good.'

The truth of the matter is this: If we would look to the mechanics of our soul and spirit, it would reflect in our faces and the true beauty of the Lord would shine through. Do we want to look good in the eyes of the world? Or would we rather hear God say, 'Lookin' gooooooooooood!'

Prayer:

Father,

We humble ourselves before You, Lord, asking You to shine Your light of Truth on all that is not holy and in right standing with You. Help us to see through Your eyes of love that which IS good, not just looking good. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

For Those +

He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end...So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

¹² After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

John 13:1b,4-5, 12-17 NLT

There are people in this world that I love more than life itself. People I would give my life for without a second thought. I'm sure you have people you love like that, right?

And then there are those. You know the ones... The ones who skip over however many thousands of nerves I have and go directly to my last one... and pluck on it. Some of them work at it... some of them only have to walk in the room. The ones that if I never saw them again, it would be too soon. Aw, you probably don't know what I mean, right? 

Scripture tells us to confess our sins so that we may be healed. Okay. I have to admit that there are days I take great delight in playing Moosh-a-head. Do you know that one? It's when you bring your thumb and forefinger up to your eye like you're going to get an eyelash out of your eye. In reality, you're looking through the thumb and forefinger at the head of the person who is plucking your last nerve and then you moosh your thumb and forefinger together...in essence, pinching off their head... all the while thinking moosh-a-head, moosh-a-head...

And so every time I read our text for today, I am convicted down to my toes... the very toes Jesus would kneel in front of me to wash. You see, He washed the feet of ALL His disciples that day. All of them - including Judas Iscariot - who within a half-hour of eating this last supper with Jesus would go and betray Him for 30 pieces of silver...AND including Peter, who within 12 hours, would lie and deny ever knowing Him. Not once. Not twice, but three times.

How great is the love of Jesus! Understand this, Jesus knew about the betrayal of Judas and Peter's impending denial when He knelt in front of them and washed their feet. He said, I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

For those...

Prayer:

Father,

         Forgive me for every time I react in my flesh, instead of responding in Your love. I want to be like Jesus. I want to be a vessel You can use. More of You, Lord, and less of me, I pray, in Jesus' Name. Amen

Pay Attention or Pay the Price +

Jesus asked, “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?”
John 4:48

Near the end of the 4th chapter of John, Jesus is traveling through Galilee to Cana (where He had performed the first public miracle - turned the water into wine). A government official in Capernaum finds out Jesus is there and travels to Cana (about 15 miles between Cana and Capernaum) to beg Him to come heal his son who is about to die. That's when Jesus asked the question in our text, "Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?" And it's almost as if the official wasn't paying attention because his response to the Lord's question was to plead for Jesus to please come right then before the boy died.

Jesus did not bow His head in obeisance because it was a government official. Jesus did not stop what He was doing and turn around and clutch the distressed father to His chest and assure him that they would make haste to go heal his son before he died. Jesus' reply was more like a retort in nature, "Go home. Your son will live." Then the VERY next words of the verse are, And the man believed what Jesus said and started home.

The government official did not take a poll of his friends to see if they thought he'd heard the Lord's voice. He did not demand that Jesus go with him to be sure his son was healed. He did not even ask Jesus if He was sure. In an amazing display of faith in action, the government official BELIEVED and started home. (Remember, Jesus had asked, "Will you never believe unless you see...") The official had paid attention to every word that came out of the Lord's mouth.

There is a huge price to pay for unbelief. Not just that we lose out on our miracle or God's perfect will - we are in danger of not entering into His rest. Read Hebrews 3, beginning with verse 12, Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.”
And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn’t it the people Moses led out of Egypt? And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness? And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn’t it the people who disobeyed him? So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.

Pay attention or pay the price.

Prayer:

Father,
           Forgive us for not being first-time hearers and doers of the words You speak. Give us hearing ears and seeing eyes and a heart tuned in to only You and Your desires. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* When the Wind Stops

Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” 

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”

Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

“Yes, come,” Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.  But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped.

Matthew 14:24-32 NLT

This is one of my favorites. Every time I read it, I am encouraged. Strengthened. I have heard it preached from different viewpoints and they're all good. Can we recognize Jesus? Do we know Him when we are in trouble? Can we recognize God in the midst of the storms in our lives? Do we let the circumstances of our lives overwhelm us? Do we make snap decisions based on fear of our circumstances? Are we keeping our eyes on Jesus?

Some will give us that Peter DID walk on water, but they are quick to make the point that because he took His eyes off Jesus, he began to sink. And that's a great point. It is valid. It is true. However, it's not the whole story.

Let's review a little here. These were disciples in the boat, not your run-of-the-mill followers. It was the twelve. Hand-picked by Jesus. They weren't the ones who ran out to every event just to see what was going on. They weren't the fringe. They were all disciples. Disciples that had just witnessed the feeding of the 5,000 with a few loaves and fish, and gathered up left-overs... It was THOSE disciples who, at 3 in the morning, fighting heavy waves and a strong wind, who were - what was the word? Terrified. Am I judging them? Absolutely not, I'm just reviewing the facts.

You see, it was ONE of those twelve disciples - Simon/Peter. Did you know that the definition of the name Simon is hearing? Simon who Jesus called Peter. Peter which means rock. (I have to ask you - have you ever seen a rock float?) It was THIS Peter - Peter the fisherman who knew firsthand the danger of heavy waves and strong winds on the water. Peter the one we know for his blunders - that's who went over the side of the boat into the heavy waves and the strong wind.  We know he didn't sink the minute he went over the side because Scripture tells us he walked on the water toward Jesus. The point is Peter listened and he did the impossible because all things are possible through Christ. All things are possible to those who believe (Mark 9:23), but that's another topic for another day.

Truth - Peter walked on the water toward Jesus. Truth - When he took his eyes off Christ and looked at the circumstances, he began to sink. Truth - Peter cried out to Jesus and Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him and asked why Peter doubted Him. We don't know how far Peter walked. I think that's irrelevant or else God would have included it in His Word, but we know he got close enough that when he did begin to sink, Jesus reached out and grabbed him. It doesn't say Jesus ran to him to snatch him out of the water. It just says He reached out - and that's another topic for another day. Now, here's the part of the miracle that we miss. It doesn't say immediately they were back in the boat. It doesn't say Jesus tossed Peter into the boat or that Jesus carried him back to the boat. Here it is - don't miss it! Whatever distance Peter covered, they walked back because they CLIMBED back into the boat. AND according to Scripture, it was When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped.

After the walking. After the climbing. Was that easy? No, I don't believe so. Was it sure? Yes, absolutely! Jesus was there. And because He was, there was no question about whether or not they could walk back, or whether or not, they would climb back into the boat even though they were still in the heavy waves and strong wind.

We pray and we plead and we cry out and nothing seems to change and we wonder where God is. Too often, we believe the lie of satan that Jesus isn't there for us because our circumstances haven't changed. Can we see Him in the midst of our storm? Do we have the faith to step out in response to His bidding? Do we believe He will walk with us? Are we waiting for the wind to stop before we believe?

Prayer:

Father,

          Increase our faith, O God. Forgive us for not looking past our circumstances to see the Truth of Your Word - that You are ever with us, that You never leave us nor forsake us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Purpose of Faith *

So do not lose the courage you had in the past, which has a great reward. You must hold on, so you can do what God wants and receive what he has promised. For in a very short time, "The One who is coming will come and will not be delayed. Those who are right with me will live by faith. But if they turn back with fear, I will not be pleased with them." (references Habakkuk 2:3–4) 

But we are not those who turn back and are lost. We are people who have faith and are saved.

Hebrews 32:35-39 New Century Version

The purpose of our faith is to please God.

Hebrews 11:5-6 tells us, By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

I want God to be pleased with me. I mean, I do not want the Creator of the Universe ticked off at me. Do you? How unintelligent is that? Life can be difficult and very complex, but faith in God is simple. It is. Really. The Word tells us that God gives to everyone a measure of faith. So He gives us what we need - we just need to hold on to it, and use it. If God gave you money, you'd use it, wouldn't you? I'd say that's pretty simple.

Jim Mackey preached a great message a while back. For those of you who didn't hear it, let me give you the gist of it in this little paragraph. Faith can change a situation. Faith can change lives. Will we let faith change us? It definitely should change us, but it should also do much more than that. Faith should define our lives.

Yes, our lives should be lived to please God - that is the defining purpose of faith. Going back to our text, So do not lose the courage you had in the past, which has a great reward. You must hold on, so you can do what God wants and receive what he has promised. For in a very short time, "The One who is coming will come and will not be delayed. Those who are right with me will live by faith. But if they turn back with fear, I will not be pleased with them." (references Habakkuk 2:3–4)  But we are not those who turn back and are lost. We are people who have faith and are saved. Amen?

Prayer:

Father,

         Thank You for the measure of faith that You have given to each of us. Help us to use it wisely, Lord. We want to please You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Alt Ctrl Del

It's your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. 

Matthew 12:34c-36 The Message

While there are many things about modern technology that I find to be detrimental, there are features of the technology world that I find to be absolutely wonderful. When I’m writing, I can copy and paste, cut, align however I want, change fonts, reword, reword, and reword until I’m happy… and if I decide I don’t like any of it, I have several options at my fingertips to wipe it all out and start over. Alt Ctrl Del is probably my favorite feature…

If the computer doesn’t want to start the day off acting right - Alt Ctrl Del. In the afternoon, if the computer doesn’t want to operate like it should - Alt Ctrl Del. If it gets hung up on something - Alt Ctrl Del. If it starts making noises I don’t like - Alt Ctrl Del. If I want or need a do-over - Alt Ctrl Del.  With the newer technology, I also get the option of starting in Safe Mode or picking up where I left off. Also good options.

Our text for today is my worst nightmare… Sometimes I wonder if I could - or should - just communicate in the written word. I shudder to think of every idle word I’ve ever spoken. KJV tells us it’s out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks… I tremble at the number of times – and how quickly! – I’ve uttered the word idiot in just one day. Oh, how I would like to Alt Ctrl Del the spoken word! If I wake up “on the wrong side of the bed” - Alt Ctrl Del. If I’m not operating the way I know I should - Alt Ctrl Del.  If I get hung up on something - Alt Ctrl Del.  If I start making noise about something I don’t like - Alt Ctrl Del.  When I want and NEED a do-over - Alt Ctrl Del.  I don’t want Safe Mode to be an option, I want it to be a way of life, so that people know Jesus is a safe place…

Prayer:

Father,

          Create in me a clean heart, O God. Give me clean hands and a pure heart so that the words of my mouth AND the meditation of my heart are pleasing to you, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.  Set a guard over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of my mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen

* Measure

…with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

Matthew 7:2b NKJV

I know people who cook by throwing a little of this and a pinch of that and a shake or two of the other and voila! Perfection… I’m not one of those people. In my whole life, I can count on one hand (with fingers left over) the number of times I’ve actually produced something edible using that method. However, give me a recipe with measurements and I’m good to go. Sometimes I even increase the measure of a certain ingredient or two to enrich the flavor. I feel confident doing that because I know the base measurement.  

I understand how important measurements are and not just in cooking. I used to be a carpenter. You’d better know how to read a tape measure AND have one suited for the job. A 36-inch door will not fit in a 35½-inch frame. Oh, it may hang, but it won’t close. Nor will a six-foot, flimsy tape measure be the best help when building an eight- or ten-foot anything.

I've been thinking about the immeasurable amounts of God’s astoundingly generous grace and munificent mercy in my life. It overwhelms me. I am humbled beyond measure when I take the time to consider what God has done for me. And then I considered the times I’ve had less-than-loving thoughts for or about others – the grudgingly-offered grace or the miserly measure of mercy I bestowed. Throwing a little of this and a pinch of that…

God set the base measurement for mercy and grace. He gave His all for all. Should we do less? We need to be able to read His measure so that we have what we need to do the tasks that have been assigned to us. Measure for measure.

Prayer:

Father,

          You are measureless. Your footsteps too large, Your love too much, except by Your grace. Help us to live and give our lives by Your measure. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.

* The Promise of Rest

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV

We look forward to the weekend so we can sleep in a little. We work hard all week long and we just wanna rest a little. Rest for our bodies is easier to arrange than rest for our souls. Some of the longest nights we have are those nights when our minds won't shut down. If we could just learn to give it all to Jesus... Isaiah 26:3-4 tells us, You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone today - just today - say, I'm tired, I would have enough money to take you to dinner at a great place and leave a generous tip for the tired waiter or waitress. As a child, one of my favorite songs we sang in church was the old hymn, "Come Unto Me," written by Charles Jones, based on our Scripture text for today. It was on page 20 of the old green hymnal. I loved it because it was fast and I could play the tambourine, but when I got older, I loved it because of its message. There's something about the promise of rest.

Our text in The Message Bible reads, Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. Doesn't that sound wonderful? It is! It is our Promise of Rest from Jesus... written in red.

Prayer:

Father,
           Creator of heaven and earth, teach us how to rest in You. Teach us the unforced rhythms of Your grace. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Deliberately

How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:12-14 NLT

There I was, minding my own business, or so I thought... I have to tell you that I discovered I was definitely NOT being deliberate about 'minding my business.' I was headed home, singing along with the CD, and thought I was engaged in the music until a guy cut me off. I went right from perfect four-part harmony to a very discordant "JERK!!" And immediately, conviction flooded the car... James 3:9-10 - about the tongue - seemed to bounce off every interior surface - Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!

There were so many Scriptures that came flooding in right behind it, I didn't know whether to beg for mercy or to praise God for His faithfulness in correcting me! But here's what I know according to His Word. Proverbs 3 (and Hebrews repeats it), My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

God has ALWAYS been very deliberate about His love for us. John 3:16 tells us He sent His Son to die for us so that we might live forever with Him. You can't get more deliberate than that!

So should I live haphazardly? Or should I live so deliberately for Him that I wouldn't even think about calling someone who is made in the image of God a JERK?!?

Prayer:

Father,
          How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen

* The Price is Right

[Jesus speaking] 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.
John 14:27-28a NLT

I hate shopping. Recently, I had occasion to go to a mall for a specific shopping trip with some ladies from church. I haven't been to a mall in years, and if Jesus tarries, I may never go back. I came out of there feeling as though I had lived a sheltered life... and if you know me at all, you know I have not... and yet, I was appalled at some of the things I saw there.

But I digress, what I really wanted to tell you about was this one HUGE gumball machine I saw. It was one of those new ones - an action gumball machine. No more do you have the put-the-coin-in-twist-the-knob-gumball-drops-out kind of machine. Now it goes through loops and hoops and entertains you before it ever gets to the dispenser. And by the way, it's not a penny or a nickel, it's a quarter - for one gumball! -but even that wasn't what caught my eye.

The machine was selling "Peace of Mind" for a quarter. Yes, you read that correctly. Peace of mind... Just drop your quarter in, twist the knob, and watch the gumball / jawbreaker / whatever it was, come jumping through the hoops and loops and deliver peace of mind straight into your waiting fingers. In my mind, I just kept hearing Rod Roddy boom out, "This, too, can be yours if the Price is Right!"

I was struck to the very core of my being by the deception of all satan's lies being boiled down into a gumball machine. To think that peace can be obtained by purchasing anything that feeds your senses is a lie. That's counterfeit like every other lie satan sells and marketing has built an entire economy on it. We want it cheaper and faster and we'll swap it all if we can have it now. We don't want to make the commitment for excellence, or to wait for those things worth waiting for. And the world wants to sell it to you...for a quarter from a gumball machine at the mall. This, too, can be yours if the Price is Right!

Jesus said, I am leaving you with A GIFT - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give... Jesus paid the price - the highest price - and then He gave it to us as a gift. satan wants you to sell your soul. What price will you pay?

Prayer:

Father,
           Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, and do not be still! We want Your peace, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Real Change

Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them.Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.

Isaiah 55:6-7 NLT

Everywhere we turn, someone is talking about change. However, change for the sake of change? I can't say that is always for the better. Sometimes, it's much worse.

The Truth is, in order to have change, you have to want to be changed, and then you have to choose to act on it. I wish I had a clean house without getting up to do anything about it, is not going to get your house clean. I wish I spoke another language is not going to make you bilingual. I wish I was a better Christian...  What? Like poof! Here, Child, I'll make you a better person, you just sit back and eat bon-bons and watch TV? Yeah, right.

What can you do to bring about change in your life and in the lives of those around you? Timothy tells us in his second letter, Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.
2nd Timothy 2:25 NLT

That will be REAL change!

Prayer:

Father,

           Bring Your Word to our remembrance. Help us to be instant in season to speak Your Truth, so it can set the captive free, and so we can effect change for Your glory. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen