For the birds

About 6 feet from where I am sitting, a cardinal is enjoying breakfast at the feeder that hangs outside of my kitchen window. Does he know that I provided that seed? Not at all. Will he thank me? No. He’s just a bird that found some food on this cold, snowy morning.  As I watched him there, I was thankful for that little touch of beauty today. I also wondered if I am sometimes as unaware of God’s provision for me as that bird is of mine? Do I take from His hand without even a nod of gratitude, or do I pause to praise, offering true worship to the One who is my Provider?

Jesus teaches us to trust and receive the care of our Father. "Look at the birds. They don’t need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not." (Matthew 6:26-27, NLT) What is weighing on your mind this morning? Are you anxious, full of care, rushing into the new day to try too hard to control all those variables in your life?

I am no stranger to problems and challenges. I could burden you for the next few moments if I explained just a couple of the things for which I am responsible at this time. But, today, the Spirit used the birds at my feeder to remind me to wait on Him, to let Him lead, to provide for me in the way that He will which is, in those most memorable words of Paul, "exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." (Ephesians 3:20, NKJV)  

 Jesus does not teach us indifference, nor does He ask us resign to fate. He offers His Presence and the promise of all the resources we need if we will make a choice to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” and in that choice, we are assured that “all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:33, NKJV) What things? All that we need for this day!

The Spirit offers us a solid place of restfulness, through Christ.  Referring to the Israelites who would not enter the Promised Land because of their fear and forgetfulness of God’s provisions, He tells us to lean on Him. "For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God’s goal for us, we need to be careful that we’re not disqualified. We received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn’t do them a bit of good because they didn’t receive the promises with faith. If we believe, though, we’ll experience that state of resting.” (Hebrews 4:1-3, The Message)

Create some space in your life today, preferably right now, to pause, to pray, to meditate on God’s provision for YOU. "Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly." (Psalm 5:3, NLT)

Here is a word from the Word. May it fill you with peace today. "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness." (2 Corinthians 9:8-10, NIV)

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Reckless Love

(worship with this song about His love)

Before I spoke a word
You were singing over me

You have been so so good to me

Before I took a breath
You breathed Your life in me

You have been so so kind to me

O the overwhelming never-ending reckless

Love of God

O it chases me down fights 'til I'm found

Leaves the ninety-nine

I couldn't earn it I don't deserve

Still You give Yourself away

O the overwhelming never-ending reckless

Love of God

When I was Your foe still Your love fought for me

You have been so so good to me

When I felt no worth You paid it all for me

You have been so so kind to me

There's no shadow You won't light up

Mountain You won't climb up

Coming after me

There's no wall You won't kick down

Lie You won't tear down

Coming after me

Caleb Culver | Cory Asbury | Ran Jackson

© Watershed Publishing Group (Admin. by Watershed Music Group)

Bethel Music Publishing

Richmond Park Publishing

CCLI License # 810055

Lord, I Need A Miracle

How many times have we prayed, “Lord, I need a miracle!”?  Today, are you wishing He would change something with a word, magically, to make your life happier? Truth is – there are miracles all around and most escape our attention.

Mark Batterson, in The Grave Robber,  tells of an accomplished violinistnwho was asked to go and play at a Washington, DC metro station as an experiment.  As Joshua Bell played in that place, 1097 commuters rushed by; only 7 stopping to listen to the beautiful music.  Before you shake your head at all those people who ignored the music wondering how they could be so oblivious; before you excuse them for rushing off to their desks and homes, just think about it.  What might you be missing as you rush through life, doing all those urgent things?

I realize we live in a broken world where many things go wrong. Sickness shows up. People let us down. The earth quakes; things break. Tears blind us. If we are people of faith we may cry, “Lord, I need a miracle.” Perhaps we do, however there are miracles happening all around us. The sun shines, the spring comes, the grass grows, bodies heal, people love, children laugh. Those are miracles we must not let ourselves forget. The Spirit whispers to us, inviting us to remember that God is with us, the Savior loves us, and our lives are secure in His grasp.  Instead of begging God to do a miracle to change our situation, we will a real peace when we pursue the Presence of Jesus, allowing Him to be Lord in our life.

Jesus made a promise to provide. “Seek my Kingdom first,” He says, “and the rest will come.”  The Message is compelling in this passage. "Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." (Matthew 6:33-34, The Message)

Let’s trust God with our joy, our sorrow, our present, our tomorrow. Make time to listen for heaven’s song today.

The word from the Word -

"Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!
Sing about the glory of his name!
Tell the world how glorious he is.

Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
Your enemies cringe before your mighty power.
Everything on earth will worship you;
they will sing your praises, shouting your name in glorious songs.

Come and see what our God has done,
what awesome miracles he does for his people!" (Psalm 66:1-5, NLT)

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Here As In Heaven

(Elevation Worship leads us to worship.)

The atmosphere is changing now

For the Spirit of the Lord is here

The evidence is all around

That the Spirit of the Lord is here

Overflow in this place

Fill our hearts with your love

Your love surrounds us

You're the reason we came to encounter your love

Your love surrounds us

Spirit of God fall fresh on us

We need your presence

Your kingdom come your will be done

Here as in heaven

A miracle can happen now

For the Spirit of the Lord is here

The evidence is all around

That the Spirit of the Lord is here

Chris Brown | Mack Brock | Matthew Ntlele | Steven Furtick | Wade Joye

© 2015 Music by Elevation Worship Publishing (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)

CCLI License # 810055

Turning your heart to heart to God, anew

My life, and yours, fills up with the important and trivial. Today I must finish preparation to teach a session tonight, answer some email inquiries, get an emergency lighting system working, pray for the congregation, schedule a plumber for some clogged drains among other things. If I forget ‘why’ I exist the ‘what’ of life will dim the glory of God for which I was made. He desires that we will know and love Him – even as we cope with disappointments and celebrate victories. That is why we need reset points and reminders.  

One of those seasons is called Lent by the church. Lent comes from an old word “lencten” which meant "spring."  It is a 40 day season, (not counting Sundays) that prepares Christians for the celebration of the Resurrection.

Historically, the season is marked by repentance and includes fasting, self-examination, and reflection.  Traditionally the opening of Lent is called "Ash Wednesday" because ashes made from palm fronds from the previous year's celebration of Palm Sunday traditionally are used by some churches to mark the forehead- a sign of our humility and a stark reminder of our inevitable encounter with death; that ‘ashes to ashes, dust to dust’ thing we say at gravesides. 

The discipline of fasting is most encouraged during this time of year. Fasting, in the most narrow meaning, is about abstaining from food.  Actually, there are many ways to practice the renewal of fasting. We can enter the joy of fasting by setting aside some pleasurable pursuit, time on social media, or some special food. We can fast by generously giving away our time in service, setting aside Self. Whatever our choice, it is done as a reminder that we are subject to the Spirit. Fasting is an act of obedience, offered in faith to God, that opens us to a new experience of the Holy Spirit’s Presence!

God made us with a spirit-body connection! What we do in our physical body has an effect on our spiritual state- both positively and negatively. Paul starkly says "So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified." (1 Corinthians 9:26-27, NLT)  A literal translation of the NT Greek would read “I pound my body into submission!”  God does not ask us to abuse ourselves. We need not actually beat ourselves bloody, but there is maturity in reminding ourselves that life is more than food, clothes, or comfort.

Remember this -  religious ritual, done for the purpose of impressing God and/or other people, is worse than useless!  It is a expression of sinful pride. That is why Jesus urged us to practice spiritual disciplines like fasting, giving, and prayer without telling anyone. Such choices, because they are acts of faith, must be very personal. Jesus told us to keep our fasting a private matter! Jesus said, "when you fast, don't make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, who try to look pale and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I assure you, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will suspect you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in secret. And your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you." (Matthew 6:16-18 NLT) If we 'show off' or if we judge those who do not practice a discipline as we do, we rob the disciplines of any value. They become nothing more than the display of religion and empty traditions or worse, a means of making ourselves feel better than someone who does not share our conviction.

Will you give up ice cream for Lent?  If you do, do it for the purpose of seeking the Lord. (I think we might be better served by giving up some TV time for prayer, meditation or reading Scripture.) Don’t do it just because I said to. Rather, pray about it. Ask the Lord if you need to discipline your body to provide freedom for the Spirit, to allow for a reset.

Here’s a word from the Word about living in the Spirit. Think deeply and prayerfully on the promise of this passage.  "My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence? …  What happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way." (Galatians 5:16-18, 22-23, The Message)

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Build My Life

(a beautiful prayer of worship and hope)

Worthy of ev’ry song we could ever sing

Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring

Worthy of ev’ry breath we could ever breathe

We live for You

Jesus the name above ev’ry other name

Jesus the only one who could ever save

Worthy of ev’ry breath we could ever breathe

We live for You

We live for You

Holy there is no one like You

There is none besides You

Open up my eyes in wonder and show me who You are

And fill me with Your heart

And lead me in Your love to those around me

I will build my life upon Your love

It is a firm foundation

I will put my trust in You alone

And I will not be shaken

Brett Younker | Karl Martin | Kirby Elizabeth Kaple | Matt Redman | Pat Barrett

© 2016 Martin, Karl Andrew (Admin. by Arkyard Music Services Limited)

Kaple Music (Admin. by Bethel Music Publishing)

Bethel Music Publishing

CCLI License # 810055