Read the Map

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

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

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

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

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

Prayer:

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

How'd We Get Here?

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8 NLT

The last recorded words of Jesus while on this Earth - and you will be My witnesses... And they did exactly that - in the order He declared. They started their witness in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Pretty amazing when you think about it and all the limits to their methods of communication and modes of travel. And much of their travel was unplanned. It was because of the persecution of the early church that they traveled to other areas and to the ends of the earth. I'm not sure we can even wrap our minds around the many trials they faced in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

However, do you realize that we know about Jesus because the Holy Spirit empowered them to be witnesses? They were hiding in a room until the Holy Spirit lit on them like tongues of fire. Where do we hide? Are we quiet out of fear of what someone might think? Do we run from persecution? satan will always try to stop our witness. How did we get where we are today? I believe with all my heart that God has used the circumstances in our lives to bring us to the place we are today to be a witness for Him. 

We might not stand in a public square like Peter and witness to thousands of people who become believers in one day... but we might. It could happen. Do you know that according to Scripture the combined missionary trips of Paul by land and sea equal more than 13,000 air miles - before there was any such thing as air miles? We might not ever travel more than a few hundred miles in our lifetime, but we might witness to someone who will be a world traveler.

In today's world, I can sit here in my home, share my thoughts and what I've learned of Christ according to His written Word in my life, and with the click of a button I can publish it. Then by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, people a half a world away will find it and read it. People I will never meet until Jesus calls us Home. How'd we get here? ...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Prayer:

Father,

           Give us Your wisdom, O God. We need Your precious Holy Spirit so that we can accomplish the work You have for us to do. Pour out Your power to give us courage and ability to walk out Your purpose in our lives. Open our eyes, Father, to see You. Open our hearts to love as You love. Open our mouths to witness to others. Let Your light so shine through us that others will see our good works and glorify You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

You are Here

If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
Psalm 139:8-10 NKJV

A new girl started working in our building this week. At the beginning of the week, she had a hard time trying to find the different places she needed to be because our building is very similar to a rat maze. Poor thing... she couldn't find the restrooms let alone anything else.

In my part of the building, we created 'You are here' maps for my people and posted them at every corner. So even though all the halls look the same, once you know 'You are here' you can find your way to where you need to go. And if you discover you don't like where you are, you can find your way out. 

It's the same in our Christian walk. Yes, we need to know where we want to go and we need direction to know how to get there, but we can't get to Point B unless we know where we are to begin with. The great news is that no matter if you're in a good place or the worst place of your life - God is there with you. He knows 'You are here.' And He not only knows the way out - He gave us the Way, the Truth and the Life - Jesus Christ. And we can find our way to the Father through Christ our Lord.

You are here. Where do you want to be?

Prayer:

Father,
            How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. Father, I know we'll make it by Your Grace, but for now, it is more than enough that You are here. Guide us, O God. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Where Are You?

When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Isaiah 43:2-3a NLT

Have you ever been lost? Somehow, you got turned around and couldn't remember how you got there? Or you remember exactly how you got there, and you know where you're going, but you forgot just one of the directions - zigged when you should have zagged - so you think, "I have to go back to where I started..."  And you head back. Oh yeah, there's the library. Okay, there's the park. Un hunh, that's the post office. Now, you remember you need to go turn there. And we take note of the landmarks that identify the direction we need to go.

Sometimes, in our Christian walk, we zig when we should have zagged. We get turned around. We wind up in some deep water and are not sure how to get out. I encourage you to look for your landmarks to get your bearings.

See that? That's where God saw my desperation and revealed Himself as my Counselor, my Comforter. Oh yeah - over there is when I was falsely accused and He showed up as my Advocate. And there's the place where I stumbled and fell because I wasn't walking in His footsteps, and I was face down in the muck, head down...ashamed, then He showed up according to Psalm 3:3 and lifted my head. Oh, yeah, I remember now.

Look! There in the distance. There's the Cross. That's my starting place. I know exactly where I am now. I just have to follow the path He set before me to get where I'm supposed to go. No, don't worry about it - there are rest areas strategically placed along the way. Great places to eat and get re-fueled. Wait till you see where we're going!

Prayer:

Father,
Thank You for the landmarks in our lives that help to guide us to You and back to You when we can't seem to find our way. You are a truly awesome God and we worship You! Please give us the oil of the Holy Spirit to keep our lights burning so we can find home. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Good News Great News

Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.
Isaiah 30:20-21 NLT

I don't always understand life, do you? If you'd asked me 20 years ago where I would be in 20 years, this is not where I saw myself. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not in a bad place - I'm in a good place! But it is quite different than where I saw myself being at this time.

That's okay. I have to say that I've never met one person in my lifetime who said that everything in their life had been exactly what they thought it would be at every age, stage and juncture. The good news is that no matter where we are, the Father is with us. Christ said He would never leave us, nor forsake us. He promised that He would always be with us, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

The great news is that no matter what path our life winds up on, if we will listen for the Father's voice, He will direct us. 

Stop, don't go there.
Turn here. Go forward.
Keep going. You're almost there.
Slow down a little... Stop.
Wait.
No, don't go until I tell you it's okay.
Not yet. I can see something coming in your blind spot. 

On our life's journey, the good news is God directs us where to turn. The great news is He also lets us know when to turn. Wait for His direction.

Prayer:

Father,
           You truly are an amazing God. May we always trust You to provide the right way, even when we see no way. Help us to always hear and listen to Your direction. Forgive us when we try to give You direction. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Trip Advisory Thanksgiving

Do this and you will never ever be lost. In this way you will receive a rich welcome into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

2nd Peter 1:10b-11 CEB

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. - a national holiday. Lots of people travelling this week and returning home later in the weekend. Regardless of your mode of travel, I hope you have great directions for your final destination. 

When I travel on the road, I always like to have the AAA Triptik. They're great - maps laid out in a spiral flip binder in doable miles per page without being overwhelmed by the overall trip. The route to travel is clearly highlighted along with bits of vital information: the terrain is described (mountainous, flat lands, rolling hills), rest stops and road construction are marked, AAA-recommended hotels are noted with information to make reservations, etc. It will even warn you of speed traps! It's nigh on impossible to get lost while using a AAA Triptik.

As one who can get lost so frequently that all roads look familiar, I am thrilled to find today's promise - Do this and you will never ever be lost. Since our destination is the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, it would behoove us to follow the trip advisory that God has laid out for us. If we go back a few verses in our text for today, we find this vital information:

     By his divine power the Lord has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of the one who called us by his own honor and glory. Through his honor and glory he has given us his precious and wonderful promises, that you may share the divine nature and escape from the world’s immorality that sinful craving produces.

     This is why you must make every effort to add moral excellence to your faith; and to moral excellence, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, endurance; and to endurance, godliness; and to godliness, affection for others; and to affection for others, love. If all these are yours and they are growing in you, they’ll keep you from becoming inactive and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

These are the things we must do, so that we will never be lost. 

Peter goes on to tell us, Whoever lacks these things is shortsighted and blind, forgetting that they were cleansed from their past sins.

Let's not get lost. God has given us the directions for our journey - His Word. It has all the vital information we need. The route is clearly highlighted. Use it! Don't take one step without it.

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for the ultimate Triptik. We are so grateful that You have paid the way for us to get to You. We want to be around Your banqueting table on the day You call us home. Keep us ever mindful of the trip advisories in Your Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Regardless of your mode of travel, please be aware of your surroundings and stay safe.