Allow room for God to work

“I’ve got to do this,” he insisted. “If I don’t, everything will fall apart.”  He knew the choice he was about to make was not aligned with the Christian principles he had been taught.  But, he was certain it was the only way to solve the  problem.  So, he shut the door on the Lord.  A few weeks later, he was crying on the phone, asking me to pray.  “I wish I could go back and do things differently!”   Choosing expedience over obedience is nothing new. 

The first book in the Bible, Genesis, tells the story about an ‘expedient’ choice that left no room for God.  Abraham concluded that since Sarah was too old to have the son God has promised to him, he needed to follow the ancient custom of fathering an heir with her servant, Hagar. His intellect provided him an answer to his dilemma but it wasn't the plan of God. Terrible chaos resulted from his choice to figure out his own way to fulfill God's promise!  Ishmael was a beloved son, but his birth created awful conflict between Sarah and Hagar.  Several years later when God gave Sarah the miraculous ability to conceive and bear Isaac, the rivalry within the family only deepened, tearing them apart for generations.

There are probably decisions you would like to go back and re-visit.  What seemed to be “the only way,” the obvious choice, created unforeseen consequences. I am thankful for the wonderful faculties of reason that allow me to plan and strategize, but even the wisest of the wise, is limited to using the information available to him. Only God knows the rippling effects of our choices.  He cautions us about becoming 'wise in our own eyes.' We must not exclusively trust in our intellect if we hope to live in a way that pleases Him. In a time of great challenge, the Lord spoke to the prophet Isaiah reminding him - "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9, NLT) 


In your plans, do you submit to His principles and allow room for the Lord to work? When we are facing multiple options and lack clear direction this simple advice is a clear guide:  "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV)

There are three pre-conditions to being led by the Spirit taught to us in that passage.

First, trust God completely. Make Him the center of your life.


Second, "Don't try to figure everything out on your own!"

Third, God's direction can only emerge when we consistently make the choice to honor Him with obedience.

If we are refusing to follow the Lord's lead in those areas where He has already made His will plain, we should not think we will be able to clearly discern His way for our lives.

Simple obedience is the most basic evidence of deep faith! Need guidance today? Me, too!  Don’t turn God into a personal genie, waiting for the crisis to call on Him. Don’t go your own way and then beg Him to get you out of the mess you’ve made of things.  Trust, wait, listen, obey – and He will make your way clear.

Take this word to heart today. May the Lord use His Word to inspire you.


"So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!  This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What’s next, Papa?"  God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance!  We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!" (Romans 8:12-17, The Message)
_______________________________


Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah,
pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty,
hold me with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven,
feed me 'til I want no more,
feed me 'til I want no more.

Open now the crystal fountain,
whence the healing stream doth flow.
Let the fire and cloudy pillar,
guide me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer, Strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my strength and shield,
Be Thou still my strength and shield.


- public domain


Amen.

Like the Lemmings

Small rodents called a lemmings occasionally engage in migrations. Sometimes these movements lead them to a body of water. They plunge in, thinking they can swim, but often, exhausted by the effort, they drown in what looks like a mass suicide!  People act like lemmings sometimes, too.  Unthinking, caught up in the flow of events, they march straight into self-destruction, victims of their failure to discern. History is replete with tragic stories of people who fall under the spell of cultish leaders, some political, some spiritual.  The Nazis rose and fell on the charisma of Adolf Hitler. We look at him today and wonder, “How did he lead so many to such a terrible end?” His speeches look like ranting and ravings in retrospect.  The Rev. Jim Jones deceived thousands and eventually led nearly 1,000 people in a mass suicide in the ‘utopian’ town he created in Guyana.  

Are you discerning about what and who you accept to guide your life, to shape your spirituality?  Peter warns us that “there will be lying religious teachers among you. They’ll smuggle in destructive divisions, pitting you against each other—biting the hand of the One who gave them a chance to have their lives back! They’ve put themselves on a fast downhill slide to destruction, but not before they recruit a crowd of mixed-up followers who can’t tell right from wrong.  They give the way of truth a bad name. They’re only out for themselves. They’ll say anything, anything, that sounds good to exploit you!”  (The Message  2 Peter 2:1-3)  These teachers don’t look like the Devil when they show up. Often they shine brightest with a polished presentation that uses all the right words in wrong ways.  Peter says, "They mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning." (2 Peter 2:17-21, NIV)

Recently while reading the blog of a ‘Christian’ teacher, the Holy Spirit stirred in me.  I had been reading the man’s writing for some time and found myself nodding along with his ideas. Then, I began to see a trend that was unbiblical, an expression of bitterness that was a common thread.   As I went back and took a long look at the writings I had found so compelling, I prayed that the Spirit would give me discernment.  And He did! What had looked like novel, engaging ideas were actually the reactions of a rebel bent on stirring up division in God’s church.  I asked myself, “how did you not see this before?”  Such is the nature of deception. It starts so small, just a few degrees off of the Truth, but left uncorrected leads us far, far from God and good.

Now, with so much teaching is available on the Internet or on our television screen, the spiritual gift of discernment is more critically important than ever! It is almost impossible to know if our favorite media teacher is just “mouthing empty, boastful words” because we have no access to his/her daily life. Paul pointed out the false teachers that had come to spread their lies in the Church and then offered this about his own ministry: "But you know what I teach, Timothy, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith and how long I have suffered. You know my love and my patient endurance." (2 Timothy 3:10, NLT)  The proof of his teaching was in the daily discipleship that could be observed. Know how your teachers live!

Here’s a word from the Word.  "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 3:14-15, NIV)  Don’t be a lemming!

Memento Mori

Ed (he’s 11) asked me a tough question yesterday – “What if time stopped?”  I tried to explain to him that his query is unanswerable, that time flows irresistibly.  But, then I considered eternity which is timeless!  In the Presence of God, time does not merely stop, it does not exist.  Everything I know is conditioned by time. Days begin and end, life is passing by.  Yesterday’s gone, tomorrow is inaccessible! At age 56, I am much more aware of time now.  When I was 36 the future stretched out without apparent limit.  But, with the death of friends, then parents, the boundaries of time moved closer, giving a greater sense of urgency to today. There are many things to do and less time (which God only knows for sure) in which do them. For me, pondering the limit of my earthly life is without dread. There is anticipation of the wonder of timelessness;  of just being with no hurry, no moving to the next stage, no leaving.  

Many tombs in churches in Europe during the late Middle Ages and early modern age included memento mori  (Latin for “Remember death”).  These paintings or sculptures included a skull, or at least bones, vivid reminders for the surviving family members that they should prepare for their own inevitable demise. What a contrast to our way of life in which we do everything possible to avoid the idea of mortality.  We sanitize death and worship youth. The dying are removed (in most cases) from our homes, placed in the care of medical professionals.  We move quickly through rituals of death and grieving  to resume ‘life.’  But without memento mori, we tend to superficiality, spending inordinate amounts of time and resources on things that are quickly gone!

Those who are in Christ need not be gloomy or dark. Memento mori can be cause for living a richer, nobler life of service and worship. It can move us beyond the worship of our bodies and give us the motivation to master the appetites that might otherwise destroy us. The Word says "All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. Who knows the power of your anger? For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you. Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:9-12, NIV)

Here’s a word of hope from the Word.  "For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:53-58, NIV)

_______________

When The Battle's Over

Am I a soldier of the cross,

A follower of the Lamb?

And shall I fear to own His cause,

Or blush to speak His name?

And when the battle's over

We shall wear a crown!

Yes, we shall wear a crown.

Yes, we shall wear a crown.

And when the battle's over

We shall wear a crown

In the new Jerusalem.

Wear a crown, wear a crown,

Wear a bright and shining crown.

And when the battle's over

We shall wear a crown

In the new Jerusalem.

Isaac Watts

Public Domain

One Tough Command!

As parts of Europe slide over the brink into economic oblivion, I wonder what the trans-Atlantic effect will be.  Will the bankrupt countries there pull our country into a deeper hole?  Much closer to home, I look at the earning years left to me and wonder if I’ll have enough to keep my life intact. Another visit to my physician’s office yesterday reminds me of the unavoidable process of aging. Plenty of concerns plot to take over my mind, to keep me on edge. From time to time, I allow them to do that very thing!  When I do, the character of Christ is hidden.  I find the following command that Jesus gave to us one of the toughest to keep: "Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’" (Matthew 6:31, NIV)  Do you let yourself grow anxious?

Anxiety is very much a part of being an American. About one in five of us is affected.  We spend $billions on medications and therapies designed to help us cope.  Anxiety shows up in many ways:  panic attacks, refusal to leave home, insomnia, increased irritability, over-consumption of food, obsessive compulsive behaviors, and even depression. So, what can be done about this?

If we are prone to fear, we must  admit it.  Admit it? But, won’t anxiety overwhelm me if I acknowledge it?  No.  Facing our fears and dragging them out of the shadows is a primary way to defeat them. "When I am afraid, I will trust in you." (Psalm 56:3, NIV)  We can and should tell the Lord and someone we trust about our fears with honesty.

We choose to live wisely this day.  If we squander the opportunities to prepare for the future, our neglect will come collecting, with interest. My boys are facing their final exams at school this week.  If assignments are complete, studies done with diligence, the fear of failure is largely eliminated. If they played away the days, their fears are not baseless.  Want to experience peace in the future? Do what you know  is right today.  

Stay in the care of your Father! No matter how much we think we have made provisions, prepared, and done the right things; circumstances manage to go awry.  Appliances break. Illness comes. Kids rebel. Spouses walk. Heartbreak arrives.  It just doesn’t seem fair.  At that moment, we have a choice to bend or break, to grow bitter, or to pray for faith.  A father whose son was terribly tormented brought him to Jesus.  His desperation was tempered with some small hope that Jesus could do something to restore wholeness. “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” ”‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”" (Mark 9:22-24, NIV)  I love that last phrase.  It finds its way into my prayers often. “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!”

Faith is both a choice we make and gift that God gives. We express faith when we choose obedience, though to do so makes our situation even more impossible.  Fearful today? Here’s the word from the Word:

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1, NIV)  "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Hebrews 11:3, NIV) "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6, NIV)  "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2, NIV)

If we will do these things that tough command to cease worry will not be so tough after all, for we will be secure in faith in our Father.

______________________

Power Of Your Love- Bullock, Geoff

Lord, I come to You,
Let my heart be changed, renewed;
Flowing from the grace
That I've found in You;
And Lord, I've come to know,
The weaknesses I see in me,
Will be stripped away
By the pow'r of Your love.
Lord, unveil my eyes,
Let me see You face to face,
The knowledge of Your love
As You live in me.

Lord, renew my mind,
As Your will unfolds in my life,
In living ev'ry day
In the pow'r of Your love.

Hold me close,
Let Your love surround me;
Bring me near,
Draw me to Your side;
And as I wait,
I'll rise up like the eagle,
And I will soar with You,
Your Spirit leads me on
In the pow'r of Your love.

© 1992 Word Music, Inc.
(Admin. by Word Music Group, Inc.) / Maranatha! Music (Admin. by Word Music Group, Inc.) CCLI License No. 810055

168

168 hours from now a week will have passed.  For most of us the single largest chunk of that time, about 56 hours, will be spent in our bed, sleeping.  Another  50 will be given to our work and commute- more for some, less for others.  What about the rest? Where does it go? Do you know?

We ‘spend’ our time very much like we spend our money. Some of us are careful budgeters, thoughtfully allotting hours to exercise, worship, community service, and personal enrichment. Others are profligate – throwing hour after hour away, having no real idea where their time goes, even though it is an irrecoverable asset; our most valuable resource. Some invest the hours of each day looking for maximum return, others let days, weeks, months, even years slip by with no gain.

On Friday, Bev pulled a red leather folder from a box in our attic. It is stamped with the name of an elementary school and inside is a neatly printed diploma and a folded typewritten sheet.  That diploma marked my 8^th grade graduation in June, 1969; the paper holds the text of a little address I made that night at Spruce Run  School.  In a matter of seconds I can run through the intervening years; schools, friends, marriage, babies, churches, deaths. If I pause, I can remember moments of achievement and failure, joy and sorrow.  At age 56, there is a lot more ‘past’ in my life than future.  However, I am not spending a whole lot of time with celebration or regret! Instead, I am focused on the next 168 hours, this week, that are now at hand. “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)

God asks us to ‘make the most of every opportunity!’ (Col. 4:5)  Killing time is a sin, really! A day of recreation and rest is not the same as a day wasted.  Nor is a day packed with activities that look like ‘work’ necessarily one well spent.  The difference is in the investment, the why and how, of spending each hour.  There are 168 shiny new ones coming our way. What are we going to do with them?

Here’s a word from the Word.  Ponder it and then go live fully. " There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away." (Ecclesiastes 3:1-6, NIV)  "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11, NIV)