Messed up plans, God’s opportunities?

I like planning, order, and predictability. Those who know me best smile at routines that I have created that move me through one day and into the next.  Spontaneity can make a person fun to be around but if that ‘fun’ person cannot be relied on to keep commitments- the fun evaporates in the heat of frustration.  For me, given multiple obligations, a certain kind of structure is necessary. If I slack off for a few days unfinished tasks pile up quickly.  It is possible, and I fall into this trap, to be so committed to my plan that God gets squeezed into a little box of my own design.  Frequently I must remind myself that He owns me, that those things that I see as ‘interruptions’ can be opportunities He creates.

Last week when I slipped and fell, I realized that plans had to change, that limits were being forced on me.  More than once since then I have grown tense, frustrated by the forced slow-down. Then I tell myself that even though God did not trip me up last Wednesday, He knew my path and He can use all things for His purposes if I am willing to let go of my plan and trust Him for His!  A painful knee, a traffic delay, a missed appointment, a phone call out of the blue --- these can be opportunities to find new grace.

Yes, friend, in ways that cannot simply be coincidence, our God can use the days we see only as part of life’s chaos to lead us to greater grace and for His glory.

Writing in Philippians, Paul tells that he is in prison for preaching the Gospel. He had not blocked out a year in his calendar for that!  Was he raging at life, cursing the misfortune?  Not at all. Look at the grace he shows. "I want to report to you, friends, that my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered. All the soldiers here, and everyone else, too, found out that I’m in jail because of this Messiah. That piqued their curiosity, and now they’ve learned all about him. Not only that, but most of the followers of Jesus here have become far more sure of themselves in the faith than ever, speaking out fearlessly about God, about the Messiah." (Philippians 1:12-14, The Message) He is not simply being positive. He sees the fruit of faith!

This Friday, it is quite likely that more than a few of you are dealing with people and circumstances that are not working out like you planned.  Your agenda has been tossed aside, your best plans destroyed.  Will you trust Him to lead?  Paul, who praised God from a prison cell, believed this whole-hearted: "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." (Romans 8:28-29, NIV)

Oh, let’s not become fatalists. Let’s not foolishly say “it’s all good.”  The sins of others and my own willfulness introduce situations into our lives that do not line up with the perfect will of God. The faith-builder of that passage is the promise that God operates outside of time and human limitations; great enough to accomplish His ultimate purpose in us. What is that purpose? To shape us into the likeness of our Savior. The Psalmist sang, "Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure." (Psalm 23:4, The Message)

Frustration will come today – big and small.  Make yours a response of a beloved child of God, trusting Him. Don’t curse it, pray.  Don’t stew in anger, give it to Him and ask Him to sort it out. Thank Him for the promise that He is working in it for your good to accomplish His purpose.  Let go of the need to be in control of your life.  Look up and pray: “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10, NIV) You will not only know greater peace, you will also allow the beauty of His holiness to shine through.

The word from the Word is a familiar Psalm. Spend some time meditating here, won’t you?  Repeat this simple phrase- Don’t fret. Trust. Delight. Commit it to the Lord!

"Do not fret because of evildoers,

Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,

And wither as the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.

He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday."
(Psalm 37:1-6, NKJV)

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God Will Make A Way

(a simple song of trust, listen and worship)

God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way,
He works in ways we cannot see,
He will make a way for me.
He will be my guide,
Hold me closely to His side,
With love and strength
For each new day,
He will make a way,
He will make a way.

By a roadway in the wilderness
He'll lead me,
And rivers in the desert will I see.
Heaven and earth will fade
But His Word will still remain,
He will do something new today.

God Will Make A Way
Moen, Don
© 1990 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (c/o Integrity Music, Inc.)

CCLI License No. 810055

Slashing or Soothing?

At age 16, I knew that the Lord was inviting me to serve Him in pastoral ministry. My calling was clear but I was full of reasons why I shouldn’t, couldn’t take up that way of life. A veteran pastor who was visiting took time to listen to my heart, assuring me that nobody was good enough, smart enough to be “God’s man.”  He told me that God would guide, keep, and strengthen. I wonder if I would be a pastor today without that conversation?  16 years later, after a terrible year of failure that left me broken, another respected leader took time to sit with me and to remind me that God was not finished with me yet. What a blessed use of words to encourage and build up. 

Yes, I have also experienced those conversations where words were used like a knife, cutting deep. Cruel and calculated to inflict maximum harm, those words bloodied my heart.  I stumbled onto an email a few days ago that was beyond honest, with words that slashed at my motives and character and even though it was an old one, it was hard to ‘hear’ those words.

To be authentic, I must acknowledge that my words are not always positive, loving, or encouraging – Help me, Lord!

James challenges us to remember the power of our words. He writes: "A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! My friends, this can’t go on." (James 3:5-10, The Message).

Our tongues are wild, untamed things. Changing what we say on our own is impossible. Why? Because our words flow out of the wells of our heart. Our deepest values and most private thoughts will eventually bubble to the surface if we babble on long enough. No one can make his heart new by his own efforts. If we are self-absorbed, insecure, mean, profane, or filthy-minded; it will always show up in our conversations.

That is why we need Jesus!

He is a heart specialist. When His grace and love full into us and when we cultivate a day to day intimacy with the Holy Spirit, we are changed- from the inside out! I love the down-home illustration that our Lord used to make this point. “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is idea identified by the kind of fruit it produces. Figs never grow on thornbushes or grapes on bramble bushes. A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” (Luke 6:43-45, NLT) What fruit will others pick from your conversations today?

Listen to your words.
Do they deal death or bring life?
Do they encourage or take away hope?
If you need to be honest about another's sin or failings, (and we must be truthful) are you careful to be gentle, correcting with the desire to restore; or does your harshness crush the soul?

Need to tame that tongue?  James says that YOU CAN’T but the Spirit can.  Any filter we try to put in place will fail. The source must be changed. So, get with Jesus and pray for a changed heart. Ask Him to wash out bitterness, envy, cynicism, unforgiveness, even hatred - replacing those evil fruits with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and good. Use that gift of speech to bless others and to cause those around you to thank God for His grace, expressed through YOU!

The word from the Word is a prayer … mine and I hope yours, too.  "How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. … 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)

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Ancient Words

Holy words long preserved

For our walk in this world

They resound with God's own heart

O let the ancient words impart

Words of life words of hope

Give us strength help us cope

In this world where'er we roam

Ancient words will guide us home

Ancient words ever true

Changing me changing you

We have come with open hearts

O let the ancient words impart

Holy words of our faith

Handed down to this age

Came to us through sacrifice

O heed the faithful words of Christ

Martyr's blood stains each page

They have died for this faith

Hear them cry through the years

Heed these words and hold them dear

We have come with open hearts

O let the ancient words impart

O let the ancient words impart

Lynn DeShazo

© 2001 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music [DC Cook]))

CCLI License # 810055

A Tested and Tried Faith

“How are you?”  That is a common question for which we seldom expect any but a polite answer; “Fine. And you?”  When we are conversing with a close friend or someone we know is going through tough times and we ask, “How are you?” we wait for a real response, expecting to listen and help to carry the weight.  That kind of conversation gives that other person an opportunity to unpack their emotions, to sort through their thoughts. What many of us fail to realize is the importance of asking ourselves the question – “How am I doing?” 

Self-reflection can be a difficult thing to do, especially in our fast-paced world and with all of the diversions that technology offers us. We need to take time to consciously think about the state of our mind and heart, to ask if our actions are consistent with the values we profess, to remember where we need to do some maintenance on our vital relationships.  We can easily become adrift in life, pushed here and there by the expectations of others, becoming slaves of our appetites, failing to make choices that bring about the best ends.

Then, too, in the middle of it all, clear understanding may elude us. Phone calls, deadlines, crying kids, emails, and such things can make us deaf to the cry of our soul for purpose. So, we must make time to ask – “how am I doing?” and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the why behind the what in life. Kierkegaard  offers this - “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”  Simply said,  without times of reflection and correction, we can drift far from our intended course, losing sight of the important as we are pressed by the urgent things in life.

Paul reminds us that our Christianity needs times of self- reflection. "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?" (2 Corinthians 13:5, NIV)

How do we examine ourselves?

We look for choices made that align with our professed faith in Christ.

If we are His disciple, if He lives in us, we will see evidence of Him; love for others, joyful purpose in life, peace in the middle of crisis, trust in times of storms. Christians live with an active hope of eternal life, and their lives are guided by their expectation of a heavenly home.

We look for progress over time in maturity in godly living.

If we are still getting drunk every Friday, if we are still hating our neighbors, if we are still trying to find happiness in pleasure and things in the same way we were before we came to Christ, we should conclude that we need a course correction, real changes made in our pursuit of the Lord.  Those who are maturing in Christ love the things of God, men and women who are deep pools of refreshment for the world in which they live.

We look for healthy emotions in ourselves.  

Those who live in Christ are steady, able to trust Him equally in sorrow and joy. If we are in constant conflict, if we cannot settle to follow Him, if we are fervent in ‘faith’ today and apathetic the next – the evidence is that our faith needs to grow.

We look for strong and authentic relationships with other Christians.

If we are avoiding being around people of true faith there is a red flag of caution. Those who are ‘in Christ’ will find encouragement within the family of faith.

Yes, times of examination are critically important.  We need moments that allow us to reset, correction, and refocus.  We need ‘interruptions’ that break the incessant demands of daily life. Built into the Christian faith is a Holy Meal, a moment when we go back to the basics – His blood that restores us to our Father’s love; His body that was broken so that we could be made whole. One of the essential parts of that time of Communion is confession.  Paul says "Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe. " (1 Corinthians 11:28, The Message)  

How am I doing?  It’s not a question to be avoided. It can be a moment of growth!

Today’s word from the Word challenges us to give ourselves to the examination of the Truth. "Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:11-13, NIV)
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Abba, keep me on course, my heart and mind aligned to Your will.

Help me to pursue You with my whole heart.

Protect me from slipping into empty prayers and meaningless words,

Thinking somehow that those things can replace true devotion.

Test me. Reveal the secret things of my heart to me so that I will follow You.

In Jesus’ Name.

Amen