Buffing Out The Imperfections

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. Ezekiel 36:26

Lately I've been thinking a lot about my behavior. I keep hearing in my head that I am not good enough, that I shouldn't have said this thing or that thing. It's pretty much a constant barrage of negativity that only I can hear. I know Satan is trying to discourage me and make me feel bad. Right now, the battle is fierce.

The good news is that God is countering. In my time with him he is providing Bible texts and thoughts and devotions that talk about how he keeps working. He doesn't give up on us. We are his masterpiece after all. As the Master Artist, he has a plan for our lives.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

There are a couple of things I've realized on this particular journey.

1. I am not alone in this. I know there are a lot of people out there that Satan tries to bring down with his negative commentary. Ignore him. He's just trying to hurt you and God's plan for your life.

2. We can't totally ignore what we know we need to change. I know there are character traits I need to grow (or eliminate). I know there are areas where I need to face my sin and ask God for help. I need to have a new heart and a new spirit that want to be more like Jesus. There are days when my heart is stony and stubborn. Those days I especially need to rely on God to change me.

3. I also know that no matter what, God wants what's best for me. He wants me to be more like him. He wants me to grow. More importantly, he is not giving up on this masterpiece until it is finished. He's not giving up on your masterpiece either. He is going to keep chiseling, sanding, and buffing until his work of art, you, is complete.

In summary, ignore the mean voice, pay attention to where you need God's artistic touch and be willing. God will do the rest. It's his specialty as the Master.

A Minute In It

A little time in the Word every day changes you. After you read it, take a few minutes and ask yourself the questions below.

I waited and waited and waited for God.
    At last he looked; finally he listened.
He lifted me out of the ditch,
    pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock
    to make sure I wouldn’t slip.
He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,
    a praise-song to our God.
More and more people are seeing this:
    they enter the mystery,
    abandoning themselves to God.

Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,
    turn your backs on the world’s “sure thing,”
    ignore what the world worships;
The world’s a huge stockpile
    of God-wonders and God-thoughts.
Nothing and no one
    comes close to you!
I start talking about you, telling what I know,
    and quickly run out of words.
Neither numbers nor words
    account for you.

Doing something for you, bringing something to you—
    that’s not what you’re after.
Being religious, acting pious—
    that’s not what you’re asking for.
You’ve opened my ears
    so I can listen.

So I answered, “I’m coming.
    I read in your letter what you wrote about me,
And I’m coming to the party
    you’re throwing for me.”
That’s when God’s Word entered my life,
    became part of my very being.

I’ve preached you to the whole congregation,
    I’ve kept back nothing, God—you know that.
I didn’t keep the news of your ways
    a secret, didn’t keep it to myself.
I told it all, how dependable you are, how thorough.
    I didn’t hold back pieces of love and truth
For myself alone. I told it all,
    let the congregation know the whole story.

Now God, don’t hold out on me,
    don’t hold back your passion.
Your love and truth
    are all that keeps me together.
When troubles ganged up on me,
    a mob of sins past counting,
I was so swamped by guilt
    I couldn’t see my way clear.
More guilt in my heart than hair on my head,
    so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out.

Soften up, God, and intervene;
    hurry and get me some help,
So those who are trying to kidnap my soul
    will be embarrassed and lose face,
So anyone who gets a kick out of making me miserable
    will be heckled and disgraced,
So those who pray for my ruin
    will be booed and jeered without mercy.

But all who are hunting for you—
    oh, let them sing and be happy.
Let those who know what you’re all about
    tell the world you’re great and not quitting.
And me? I’m a mess. I’m nothing and have nothing:
    make something of me.
You can do it; you’ve got what it takes—
    but God, don’t put it off
Psalms 40 (MSG)

Is there something you are waiting on God for? Where are you, in the mud on or on the rock?
When you are swamped with guilt and troubles, where do you turn?
Do you believe God loves you? Do you believe he will intervene in your life and make something of it or you?
Do you go looking for him? When you find him, have your words been able to describe him adequately?

Look for him this weekend. Look for him in ways you have not done before. You'll be blown away at the different places he shows up!

A Better Way

“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” John 8:4-5 (NLT)

When they threw the woman caught in the act of adultery onto the ground in front of Jesus, they wanted her dead. Jesus got quiet and started writing in the dust. I wonder what was going through his head. I wonder if it was that the law they mentioned required testimony from two people who saw the couple in a sexual act: lying in the same bed, no mistaking what they were doing and able to positively identify each person. The two witnesses had to see these things at the same time and place so there story was identical.  It would be virtually impossible to do this if you hadn’t set up a trap.

I wonder if he was also thinking that the law required a person to step in and help someone who was about to sin by encouraging them to walk away. This required compassion. Where was the compassion here? And where was the man involved? He was obviously committing the same act but he was excused. Then, there is the public display of the case. Why wasn't this done privately? Were they really concerned with her welfare or Jesus' response?

I wonder if his Divinity flashed as he saw their careless regard for this woman's life. And I can't help but wonder if he thought to himself "This is why humans aren't in charge of the judgement." Obviously, we as humans can see when someone is doing something they shouldn't be doing. But too often we see it with blinders on. We neglect to look at our own sin and contemplate our own situations. We are so quick to look at others and snap to judgement. We are slow to see them with Jesus' heart.

Jesus said to her "Go and leave your life of sin." (v. 11, NIV) He wasn’t ignorant to what she was actually doing. And he didn't want her to continue her sinful behavior. But how he set her on a different path was immensely different. Jesus was interested in her future, in her eternity. His heart went out to her knowing she was hurting and in need of a better way. The accusers were only interested in proving their point even if it meant destroying her life.

So who do you most take after in this story? Next time we are tempted to pass judgement on someone, we should ask ourselves "What would Jesus do?"

Sing Your New Song

He has given me a new song to sing,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
    They will put their trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:1-3 (NLT)

As she lay there at his feet weeping and trembling, thoughts raced through her mind. She was terrified. She had been caught in the act of adultery. The law said she would be stoned. Everyone knew this. There was no getting out of it. She was so overcome with fear she was frozen in place. The men were talking over her asking Jesus to validate what they were saying. She was holding her breath and waiting for the first rock to hit.

Jesus stooped down. He was writing something in the sand she could not see. What was it? After a long hesitation, he stood up and said something to the men. Then he stooped down again.

There was silence and one by one through her tears and hair she could see their feet leaving the circle that held her captive. Jesus stood up and said "Where are all the folks that accused you? Are they accusing you now?" "No." she said. Jesus said, "I'm not accusing you either. But going forward, stop sinning."

Jesus gave this woman a new song. Her life was exposed and healed because of her encounter with him. How about you? Maybe you don't have an overt sin in your life. Maybe life has just gotten really hard to deal with. Sometimes life just takes wickedly unexpected turns. The principle is still the same. As the old is flushed out it creates a space for the new and if you allow that new to be Jesus, your feet are replanted and redirected. You will end up with a new song to sing.

Yes, Jesus gave this woman a new song as he did Moses, Abraham, David, Rahab, the Disciples, you and me. Each time our lives take an unexpected turn whether it is because of something we did or circumstances we can't control, there is a different path we can take. Jesus will turn our story into a new song. And all of it will be for his glory.

Can You See What I See?

You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
Psalm 139:2-3 (NLT)

I pulled up outside of her house and didn't have to wait long as she came racing out of the house. She got in the car and said "You know, you were only a minute away when you accepted the ride but then you didn't take the shortest route to get here." I explained to her that when I accept the ride on the app, I could be in the wrong lane or driving too quickly to make the proper turn and then I have to take a different route to get back on track.

I've had a few conversations like that with people. They think they can look at their phone and know how I should be driving. But they can't see the big picture. They can only see what is on the app - which in reality is nothing. They can't see traffic, speed of the cars, where exactly the driver's car is, an accident or emergency vehicles. But, just because they see something, they think they know the entire story. I just smile and nod knowing what I know. Sometimes I try to explain it but I get the impression they aren't really interested.

Made me wonder how often we do this with God. We see what we see in our lives yet we think we understand the big picture. We wonder why he isn't doing anything when in fact, he is. We wonder what is taking him so long but we can't see the entire path, the bumps ahead that may cause God to slow us down or the detours we need to take to get where he wants us to go safely. We don't trust him to drive. Probably because we forget that he sees the road more completely. He knows the end from the beginning and every pot hole in between.

Have you never heard?
    Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
    No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
Isaiah 40:28 (NLT)

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. Deuteronomy 7:9 (NIV)

Yes You Can!

The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 (NLT)

"We have to get them off the streets. They are exciting the people and talking about ridiculous things like the resurrection of the dead. Look at the crowds following them. Who do they think they are?"

The religious sect had had enough so they dispatched temple guards to arrest Peter and John and they were thrown in jail.

Annas and Caiaphas held council and they all discussed their predicament. 5,000 men (not including women and children) now believed in Jesus. It was a movement in its own right that they couldn't ignore. These folks obviously didn't understand what they were doing. They were being misled. They didn't know the doctrines or the scriptures. Peter and John had to be stopped. They were a nuisance .

So, they brought them from jail and questioned them. "Who do you think you are? Who said you could preach these things? What authority do you have?" Peter (who was filled with the Holy Spirit) said, "Let me get this straight. You arrested us because we did a good deed for someone? We didn't do this miraculous thing. Jesus did. He is our authority. The one you hung on the cross. He is alive and well. It is in his name and in his power that we do these things."

The members of the council took notice. Peter and John were uneducated, common men. They were fishermen! They lived paycheck to paycheck. They don't have special training. They were nobodies. How were they doing this? But somewhere in the back of their minds they knew. They knew but wouldn't dare let the thought express itself out loud. What was the thought they had buried? These men, these common, uneducated men were like this because they had been with Jesus.

It's the same with us today. We think we can't do things because we don't have the man-decreed qualifications. But God knows when we spend time with Jesus there is no stopping what we can do in his name. Why? Because it is not about us or our qualifications. It's about what God can do with a surrendered heart.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

Priceless In His Eyes

The Lord said to me, 2 “Go down to the potter's house, where I will give you my message.” 3 So I went there and saw the potter working at his wheel. 4 Whenever a piece of pottery turned out imperfect, he would take the clay and make it into something else. Jeremiah 18:1-4 (GNT)

Picture it. God is bending over the table and on it is you and me, going about our lives. As he scrupulously peers into our hearts and minds, he sees flaws. There is a lot of brokenness. We work to much for things that don't last. We yell at each other at home and smile at strangers. We buy things we can't afford so we look better on the outside. We spend a lot of time "taking care of me" and not others. We focus more on ourselves and less on God. Gosh, this list could go on and on. As God looks deep, he can see what we are doing and he even knows why. He knows what lies cause us to believe we will find wholeness in these things.

You might be tempted to think he looks and says "WOW! That is so messed up. There isn't anything I can do with that!" That thought doesn't even cross his mind. Much like the potter, he takes hold and he molds and he changes us so that we can become what he created us to be. He smooths the rough edges with his love. He fills in the cracks with his grace. He keeps strengthening us with his Word and he produces a shine that emanates from the inside out by walking with us through trials.

When he is finished with us, when we are complete, we will be more valuable than gold. We will be a masterpiece. He's always seen us that way, you know. We have always been priceless in his eyes.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

What I Have I'll Give You

Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. 6 But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up.  Acts 3:3-7 (NLT)

Which one are you? The lame man or the apostle? It's sort of a trick question. You see on the surface we see the lame man begging and the apostle delivering. But, there is another contrast that I want to look at more closely. The lame man was asking for money. He had done the same thing day in and day out. If he had a really good day, maybe he wouldn't have to come tomorrow because he would have collected enough for two days but probably most days he was getting just enough to get by. Those were his expectations. He was settling.

Along came Peter and John. Peter wants to give him more than just enough. He wants to give him more than he can even imagine. Peter wants to give him Jesus. So Peter says "Get up and walk!" Peter knows there is so much more out there than what this man is asking for. He knows that Jesus has more power to transform his life than this lame man even understands. And he has the faith to make it happen. Peter was prompted by the Holy Spirit to utter those words. And he did! He believed with all of his heart that Jesus would deliver.

As I was thinking about this story I wondered about the different place they were spiritually and why they were there. Peter and John had spent a lot of time with Jesus. They'd seen miraculous things and experienced his love toward people. Their walk with him the last few years had changed them. It had grown their faith. The lame man had not had those experiences. He was never exposed to that saving power.

Then, I wondered, "Where am I?" Maybe I am somewhere in the middle? I know God wants so much more for me than the bare minimum. But I am not Peter, yet. I can only pray that as I continue to walk with Jesus that he will grow my faith and one day I too will be prompted by the Spirit to boldly issue a God command and I'll do it. In the meantime, I can say “What I have I’ll give you." And I will share Jesus.

How about you? Who are you in this story?