How big is your God?

Do you know how a toddler gets when he is desperately in need of a nap; irritable, on the edge of irrational? That was me! I had a sharp disagreement (read that, fight) with my wife over a silly statement that was really of no consequence. I complained inwardly about things that are no big deal. Yes, I was one big baby. Here's how I got to that place; I tried to be my own god! Instead of taking time to share my trials, temptations, concerns and needs with the Lord, I chose to try to carry them alone, worrying about things I cannot control, fretting over an unknown future. I felt the tug of the Spirit several times through the day inviting me to spend some time in retreat, prayerfully drawing on His strength. But, I was 'too busy' (that self-god thing) and decided to substitute a few flash prayers. Those are the quick short "Lord, help __________" that we pray in emergencies. It's fine to pray that way, but they are no substitute for contemplative deep reflection when we "wait on the Lord!"

Believer, if we are engaged with the world as we ought to be, we will find ourselves desperate and weary for the battle is often fierce. The work of the Kingdom of Heaven is no Sunday School picnic. The Word is not being sensational when He warns us that "This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. " (Ephesians 6:12, The Message) We are called to care, to love, to give! Those are not without cost. Evil is active, not passive. The Devil organizes forces against God and His people and he does not fight fair. His only goal is the destruction of the works of God. And, if he can accomplish that end by convincing us that we must be 'god,' exhausting ourselves to the point of despair, he will do that. The goals of the evil one are accomplished as readily when we work hard and ineffectively to the point of becoming ungodly, as they are when we do nothing!

But, we are not his victims. We are not helpless, hopeless, or hapless. We are richly resourced, equipped for the mission. "Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power." (Ephesians 6:10, NLT) There is an old saying worthy of repeating: "A Christian is never stronger than when he is on his knees!" "The Lord doesn’t care about the strength of horses or powerful armies. The Lord is pleased only with those who worship him and trust His love." (Psalm 147:10-11, CEV) So we don't run from the battle. We don't ask to be reassigned to an easier place of service. We don't seek to be relieved of duty. We ask to be resourced from the rich supply that our God has available. This is the promise: "Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31, NKJV)

Here's a Word on which to meditate today. As you read them, make they help you to give God His rightful place in your mind and heart. May they help you to see Him in His majesty, for He is a BIG God.

"I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:14-21, NKJV)

An exclusive relationship

A very small percentage of Americans claim to live in an arrangement that baffles me called 'open marriage.' Supposedly these couples feel a need to have intimate partners other than their spouse so that they are able to move through stages of emotional development. It is sometimes called 'love without jealousy.' God calls it immorality. Marriage is an exclusive relationship and those who do not remain with the one to whom they are pledged, with or without their spouse's consent to their infidelity, are committing adultery. In most situations, jealousy is a destructive reaction, but in defense of our vows, we do well to jealously defend our claim to the affections of our spouse. We are right to insist that as we faithful in love, that we are loved in the same way.

Bev and I pledged an exclusive love relationship 33 years ago! I love many people, but no one in the same way that I love my wife. I know that she loves me exclusively, too. That bond is a treasure which we guard with diligence. Neither of us would overlook any relationship that we felt potentially threatened our marriage. We jealously protect our marriage because we own each other, not in a sense of slavery, but with voluntary commitment to one another as we are mutually submitted to Christ, our Lord. Our fidelity creates trust, stability, and security - not just for each other, but also for our adult children who can draw on our shared strength. I pray that our love for each other glorifies God, too, by demonstrating in some small way what it means to be 'married to Christ.'

Do you realize that God asks for an exclusive relationship with you? He says, "No other gods, only me. " (Exodus 20:3, The Message) "Don’t bow down to them and don’t serve them because I am God, your God, and I’m a most jealous God." (Exodus 20:5, The Message) Do you flirt with other gods? No, I am not talking about going after one of the Hindu deities or taking up devotion to some tribal religion. That's too obvious and not likely much of a temptation for any of us. What about the god of reputation, or pleasure, or money? Worship is not expressed only in formal setting like church. We 'worship' when we assign value and worth. God, our Father, requires that He be given exclusive position as the Lord of our life. Jesus repeated this commandment from a positive side quoting Deuteronomy: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." (Matthew 22:37, NIV)

Believer, protect your love for the Lord. Serve Him faithfully. When temptation attempt to seduce you, bidding for your affections, name it what He calls it, "spiritual adultery!" That sounds so ugly because it is! He wants to own us, to give us His love, to share life with us without inference from any other lovers. Who can forget the heartbreak of the story of Hosea, the prophet to Judah, whose wife repeatedly left him for other lovers? He went to find her and found her broken and desolate. He brought her home and restored her. This tragedy became an illustration for the people of God who left their Husband to chase other gods. But, He did not abandon them. Instead, He pursued them and won their hearts again.

He loves you and me, Believer. If our hearts should wander, we can return to His love for He says, "I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD." (Hosea 2:19-20, NIV)

Lord, How Long?

Even though the saga comes 'round to a great conclusion, I do not like the story of Joseph all that much. It makes me understand that God may choose to use people and situations that are not necessarily pleasant or of my choosing to implement His sovereign plan for this world. Joseph's long journey through slavery and suffering runs headlong into my sense of self-importance! It teaches me that my personal happiness is not God's paramount purpose.
In my American mind, which values personal fulfillment, the thought that God might allow us to suffer as He works out His plan is very, very hard to accept!

Here's a thumbnail sketch of Joseph's story, which is recorded in the book of Genesis. His father loved him, perhaps too much, and set him apart from his brothers with expensive gifts. God, in His own purposes, chose him and gave him dreams about a time when he would rule over his family, enjoying unheard of prominence despite being far down the line in the family order. His brothers hated him because he was favored by their father and God. When they had the chance, those jealous siblings got rid of him by selling him to slave-traders. They took him hundreds of miles from his home to Egypt. So much for dreams of destiny, or so it seemed; but, he didn't surrender to despair. Sold to Potiphar, a nobleman, he worked hard and was soon appointed to manage the household. Then, Potiphar's wife took an unhealthy interest in him. When he wouldn't cooperate with her, she made up a charge of rape and he was jailed. Faithful again, Joseph soon was made a trustee and was running the jail! Years passed and two men from the king's court were jailed with him. They had dreams and he interpreted them for them. He asked the man who was going back to serve Pharaoh to please remember him. He didn't -at least for a few years - until Pharaoh had a nightmare that defied understanding. Then, the man remembered Joseph and Pharaoh sent for him. After decades of disappointment, Joseph finally came to the place that God promised to him when he was a teenage boy. He became the Prime Minister of Egypt.

Whew! That's a long route from promise to blessing, isn't it? Joseph must have been tempted to wonder, "What's going on?" Has God forgotten me? Why is all this happening to me?" But, he had faith and his God-given dream of destiny to which he held tightly... waiting, trusting,hopeful!

How do I know that? Because of his own words. When Joseph was at the pinnacle of power and his poor brothers came into his court seeking food and favors, not knowing they were standing in the presence of the person they sold to slave-traders years before, he told them this: "But don't be angry with yourselves that you did this to me, for God did it. He sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. These two years of famine will grow to seven, during which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God has sent me here to keep you and your families alive so that you will become a great nation. Yes, it was God who sent me here, not you! And he has made me a counselor to Pharaoh-manager of his entire household and ruler over all Egypt." (Genesis 45:5-8, NLT) God used the circuitous route that led through slavery and prison to produce a man that would save a nation and his own family.If God loves me (and He does, very much!) how could he ask me to suffer?

Because He is perfecting us for His purposes, purposes which reach much more widely than we can see, given our finiteness. God is amazingly at work to bring all circumstances- good and bad- to a place where His will is done. "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son,that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:28-31, NIV)

Living in that truth requires a great faith-
which God will provide to us, if we ask!

If you're in a place where you're asking, "What's going on?" read the Psalm of Patience (Psalm 37). The lead verbs in that Psalm pointthe way to endurance, the way to let God's will emerge from the pyre on which self is offered up to His purposes.
"Trust in the LORD.
Delight inthe LORD.
Commit your way to the LORD.
Be still before the LORD.
Wait onthe LORD!"

Take this word from the Word to heart and let God love you today:
"I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods." (Psalm 40:1-4, NIV)
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The Lord's our Rock,
In Him we hide,
A shelter in the time of storm,
Secure whatever ill betide,
A shelter in the time of storm.

Oh, Jesus, is the Rock
in a weary land, a weary land, a weary land,
Oh, Jesus is the Rock in a weary land,
A shelter in the time of storm.

- public domain

Ambition- Keep it and Curb it!

In a mistaken idea about contentment, some Christians aspire to wanting nothing; to living mediocre, undistinguished lives. They do nothing well, never break a sweat, and resent anyone who presses them to own a bigger vision! In truth, those who are filled with God's Spirit are equipped with gifts to change the world and since we will all stand before the King of Glory to give an accounting of how we lived, we should be full of earnest desire to achieve great things with the gifts He's given us. My dictionary defines ambition as 'the earnest desire for achievement or distinction.' Is that compatible with humility in the service of Christ? I believe it is. We need ambition and we must keep it on a short leash.

Jesus had a calling to save the world! Nothing, not even a cross could stop Him. He was amazingly ambitious, yet always submitted to God and loving. "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28, NLT

Paul was called by Jesus to take the Good News of the Kingdom to the world. He was a man of great ambition, whose vision pulled him through all kinds of deprivations and difficulties.


Paul repeatedly commends those who are willing to stick with hard work. In the book of the Revelation, Jesus praises those who keep the faith saying, "I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance.. . . You have patiently suffered for me without quitting." (Revelation 2:2-3, NLT) The Word adds a qualifying word to ambition that makes all the difference. That word? 'Selfish.' "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4, NIV)

A person who lacks ambition will drift through life taking what falls his way, looking for minimal ways to keep his job, settling for the easiest rather than seeking the best! Solomon's proverbs say that those who are lazy want everything but get nothing. (13:4) He also says that a lazy man is like vinegar on our teeth and smoke in our eyes. What a turn of phrase. The lazy man talks a great game but proves to be a great irritant to those who work with him because he never gets the job done. An overly ambitious person is equally difficult to work around because he will not cooperate, has little sense of team-work, and is always seeking center stage. Consequently, what he does, no matter how well it is done, is tainted with self-interest.

Ambition can be dangerous because it can lead to a misplaced love of work over love for people! An ambitious person warms to the process that 'gets things done,' and may become blinded to what his drive for the goal is costing those around him.

Who are you living for - self or Christ? Does an ambition for the work of the Kingdom own you, calling you to excel in the service of the King?

Check your vision! If you lack a reason for living, pray 'til you hear His calling! If your vision is clear, but you are motivated by approval of others, or are building something bigger on which to hang your name, take it back to the feet of Jesus. Lay it there and ask Him to refocus you, not away from the desire to make a difference or distinction, but around a genuine desire to make His name glorious.
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"Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:14-16, NIV)

Remembering the Good Stuff!

In my memory, it often the bad days that claim greater prominence! Like it was yesterday, I can recall the puzzlement that turned to fear on September 11, 2001. I can remember the phone calls from my kids, the meeting that I was attending that was cut short as we Pastors scattered to return to our churches and families. I remember, with crystal clarity, the awful morning, March 23, 1985, when I found the lifeless body of our foster son, then a toddler, who had wandered into the farm's pond and drowned, or so we thought. In between frantic efforts at resuscitation and desperate prayers to Heaven, God restored that child to us, but I'll never forget the horrible 24 hours between finding him in the water and when he regained consciousness in a pediatric intensive care unit. Though we so easily recall the hard days, the fearful moments, the tragedies, we need to make the choice to recall the good stuff!

Recently I sat with my Dad for an afternoon. Despite his critical illness, together we remembered... good things, fun things, happy days, and the blessings of God. We dug back through our memories, one story leading to another. We recalled changed lives, celebrations, milestone achievements, God's wonderful works. In remembering my faith was strengthened. It is important to mark the moments; both ordinary and stupendous, that God answers prayers, gives assurance, touches us with His joy. Many times in the Scripture, we read of memorials being built, records being written - just for the purpose of reminding future generations of the goodness of God. Take a look at what the Bible says about one of those times. "Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’ ... We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever." (Joshua 4:2-7, NLT)

As you face a new week perhaps you're also feeling overwhelmed by a challenge. Maybe it seems today that God is far away, that some difficulty is too big to overcome. Perhaps you've been in the fight so long you're weary even today on a Monday morning. Take a few moments for a memory review. Bring to mind a victory or two from your past and thank God! If you can't remember one from your own 'faith story,' then borrow one from some Christian's biography and thank God for His faithfulness to them. Or review a story from the Bible - Daniel in the lion's den when God showed up and closed the lion's mouth; young David on the field of battle confronting Goliath in the name of the LORD of Israel; or Paul and Silas in the jail in Philippi singing worship songs at midnight until God rocked the house!

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name." (Hebrews 13:15, NIV) Let's not misunderstand this directive of the Word. It is not just an encouragement to optimism as powerful as positive thinking is! We are reminded to praise God for His greatness, to remember our inheritance as children of God, an inheritance given to through Jesus Christ, irrevocably and freely. We bring our worshipful praise to Him as a sacrifice, which He finds deeply pleasing.

Go ahead, offer a sacrifice of praise right now. Make it sincere, even if it's simple. Then, add another and another. Soon, you will have discovered the amazing power of praise, for praise ushers us into the Presence of God, where "we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." (Hebrews 4:16, NLT)
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