A Minute In It - Finding Your Strength

A little time in the Word every day changes you. Take a few minutes, read these verses and ponder the questions at the bottom of the post.

To whom can the holy God be compared?
    Is there anyone else like him?
Look up at the sky!
Who created the stars you see?
    The one who leads them out like an army,
    he knows how many there are
    and calls each one by name!
His power is so great—
    not one of them is ever missing!
Israel, why then do you complain
    that the Lord doesn't know your troubles
    or care if you suffer injustice?
Don't you know? Haven't you heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God;
    he created all the world.
He never grows tired or weary.
    No one understands his thoughts.
He strengthens those who are weak and tired.
Even those who are young grow weak;
    young people can fall exhausted.
But those who trust in the Lord for help
    will find their strength renewed.
They will rise on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not get weary;
    they will walk and not grow weak.
Isaiah 40:25-31 (GNT)

Who do you compare God to? When you look at the stars or the ocean, do you see them as God's handiwork? When was the last time you went out into nature to ponder God's greatness? What characteristics of God do you see in this text? What does it say will happen when you put your trust in God?

Being Sure When You Are Unsure

Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.  And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. Romans 4:18-22

Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping. I ask God sometimes to remind me why I am doing what I am doing that seems totally contrary to logic. Sometimes, the path God has put me on doesn't seem to make sense. And I wonder if God is in it. To be honest, this happens more than I would like it to. But I am learning. When it does, I go to God and ask to hear from him.

On one such occasion God gave me Romans 4:18-22. I started thinking about it. I struggle because God said "Walk this path and wait." So, I am walking the path I was given. Each day, one foot in front of the other; waiting. And when many days go by with no change, I become restless with the waiting part. I don't know exactly what I am waiting for. But Abraham knew. He knew God promised him a son. At age 100 the Bible tells us he thought his body was as dead as Sarah's womb. Made me think that maybe it would be harder to believe in something you knew to be scientifically impossible. But the Bible says Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise and He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.

I had to ask myself, am I fully convinced that God is able and will do whatever he promises? What am I using as a benchmark to question him? For Abraham, he would have used his age and the fact that his wife was barren. Am I using what I see with my eyes only? Am I holding up my own yard stick of measurements and saying "God, you must not be working because it doesn't look like this."

I've always said we can't put God in a box. We can't put him in a box that looks logically correct because the Bible says that our wisdom is God's foolishness. We can't put him in the scientifically correct box because over and over again he defies science (like making a 90 year old barren woman pregnant or by controlling the wind and the waves). We can't expect what we see with our eyes to be a gauge of what God is doing. God is God and he will do what he wants, how he wants, and most importantly when he wants.

So what can we do? Believe in what we know about him. Believe that he is able to do what he says he is going to do even if it doesn't make any sense at all. And then, wait.

To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 (GNT)

The Hard Road

You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell[a] is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. Matthew 7:13-14 (NLT)

If I were to describe the narrow gate, I would say it's not well marked. There are no flashing lights, no huge signs, it looks rather uninteresting and it's probably not easily found. I think you'd have to really look for the entrance. You have to want to find it. And in my mind, when you enter in there are these tall walls that make it hard to get through. Sometimes, it feels like they are lined with sandpaper. Entering in is difficult because you have to squeeze in, sideways.

Why? Why does the bible say many will try to enter but fail (Luke 13:24) Matthew says the road it difficult.  Why?

Maybe this is because you cannot enter this gate with anything but your desire to please God. All the 'stuff' we carry with us has to be left outside. Your backpack of belongings like your house, your car, your bank account are not important on this journey. You have to let them go. Letting those go is harder than you think.

And why the super narrow entrance that I describe as sandpaper when you squeeze in? Because not only do we have to leave all our 'stuff', we also have to leave our pride and our of success and what is right according to the world. We must be made over again with a heart like Jesus.

Following God is not a one-time statement saying "I believe in Jesus." That will not get you through the narrow gate. It is a life change, and more importantly it is a cutting away of the parts of your heart that that keep God from being first.

Sounds hard doesn't it? It is. Matthew says it is and folks who live with God first know it is. Want to know how to do it? Grab hold of Jesus' hand and hold on. Don't let go no matter what. He will never let go of you. You may come through that gate battered and bleeding but you will not do it by yourself.

Of course, you can always go through the wide gate.  You will not be alone there either.

Walking The Walk

So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (NLT)

In one day I had a success and a failure. Except true to human form, I noticed the success but not the failure. That's because I am talking about in my behavior. It's easy to recognize when we've done something good but totally miss when we didn't. Let me explain.

On this day, I was emailing with my accountant. She was asking me questions about taxes and asked a question about something. I sent her the answer.  Later, as she questioned again I started thinking about the fact that really I could still be technically correct but word the answer in such a way that I would get more money back on my refund. I started to type and then the Voice asked me if I was being honest. Completely honest. I backspaced over my response and was completely honest. Success! I listened to the Voice.

Later in the day I was talking to someone and they made an unfavorable comment about someone I knew. It wasn't a bad comment but it wasn't a totally positive comment either. The conversation went on and I contributed with a comment here and a there. We finished talking without any super negativity and I went on with my day.

The next morning as I was reflecting with God on the day before, he brought this to my mind. He revealed to me (as only God can) that my heart was in the wrong place. That in my heart I was holding a grudge against the person mentioned and that my heart was glad something unfavorable was said about them. He pointed out that while I didn't say anything wrong, my intentions were not his. Failure.

You know the really cool thing? During this same quiet time with God, the text he brought to me wasn't a text about where your heart is or how you should love one another. The text he brought was Galatians 2:20. This text reminded me that no matter how many times I fail, while I walk this earth, my trust should never be in my own behavior but in Jesus. It reminded me that while I live in this earthly body, I will have days--no, fleeting moments--when I am more Christ-like and I will have moments when I am not but as long as I stay focused on Jesus I am good.

During that conversation with God, I talked to him about why I reacted the way I did and we worked through it. I talked to him about my perceptions and he revealed how my perceptions might not be reality. There was healing in my soul. My heart overflows with love for a God who loves me enough to work with me in my failures. And because he takes the time to do it, I trust that I should listen when I hear his Voice.

Forgiving Is Hard

As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died. Acts 7:59-60 (NLT)

Stephen was one of the people proclaiming the gospel and the awesomeness of Jesus after Jesus death. During one of those times, the people who did not believe Jesus was the Messiah became so angry and agitated they reacted with violence. They began to throw stones at Stephen and killed him.

Interestingly, Stephen was talking to God in his last moments. He asked him to receive his spirit and then he said, "Lord, forgive them." After that he died. The last thing he did was ask for their forgiveness. Jesus did the same thing. As he was being crucified, he asked God to forgive the people who were murdering him.

Sometimes forgiveness is hard. And sometimes the things we need to forgive others for are because of horrific acts. But God still asks us to do it. I am reading a book called Grace is Greater by Kyle Idleman. In the book he says two things that struck me:

Second, I wonder if Jesus and Stephen both prayed that God would forgive their murderers, instead of just offering forgiveness themselves, because ultimately what matters most, what people need most, is God's forgiveness, not ours.

Third, I wonder if maybe Jesus, and especially Stephen, prayed God would forgive them because in that moment they didn't have forgiveness to give. I said forgiveness isn't simple; it's difficult and maybe even impossible on our own. Perhaps Stephen couldn't muster up the grace to say, "I forgive you" to the men who were killing him, so instead he prayed that God would, which is what they really needed anyway.

We all know forgiving someone who has truly hurt you is hard. And sometimes we don't have it in us to do it on our own but, if we pray and ask God to forgive them and to heal our hearts, he will get us around to the place where we can forgive. Forgiveness doesn't mean that you discount what was done and throw the consequences to the wind, it means that you give it up. You give it up to God. You give it to him for your own peace and your own healing. And you stop the damage that is being done to you by becoming whole again.

It is still hard but oh so worth it.

A Minute In It - Time to Rest

A little time in the Word every day changes you. Sometimes, it is wonderful to read God's promises and just rest knowing that he's got this.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
    bringing honor to his name.
Even when I walk
    through the darkest valley,[a]
I will not be afraid,
    for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
    protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
    My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Did You Faith Today?

Look at the proud!
    They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked.
    But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God. Habakkuk 2:4 (NLT)

What does that mean "The righteous will live by the faith"? I've heard this said many time. I now wonder if people who say that have been through anything really trying to their soul. It's easy to spout it off. Much harder to live it.

So, not being sure what I thought of this, I went to the source. This is how this conversation went in my head when I was asking God about it.

God, there are so many things upside down right now. All of a sudden we have all these things to deal with that are keeping us from normal. Not that we were ever normal but, I'd really like to get back to the not-so-normal life that we live without these added stressors. Will you please talk and lead so we can follow?

What if you talk and I don't hear? What if I miss what you said? The problem is sometimes I doubt that I am even hearing you. Did I miss something? Did I inadvertently write off what you said and not obey?

Ahhhh.....but that then makes this all about me. That thought totally negates your power. It does away with your ability to show up in dreams or burning bushes, in flames in a furnace or through ravensor talking donkeys or any way you please.

Father God, you are bigger than my perception. You are bigger than my hearing. You are bigger than my problems.

After that little conversation with God, I realized that maybe living by faith was remembering that it's not about me. Maybe living by faith means remembering that God is who he says he is and that he holds the world (and all my little problems) in his hands. I like the way the Message puts it.

Look at that man, bloated by self-importance—
    full of himself but soul-empty.
But the person in right standing before God
    through loyal and steady believing
    is fully alive, really alive. (MSG)

.....through loyal and steady believing is really alive. Today, I choose to let go of my problem focus and focus on God. I am going to faith (the act of believing). And tomorrow, when my faith seems small, I am going to talk to him again and faith again. And by letting go and believing, I can be truly free.

Soul Food

Oh boy, that's a problem.
OK, I won't think about that right now, I'll think about this.....wait.
That is stressful. I can't think about that.
I'll think about this. Uh oh. Thinking about that drives me crazy.

Ever have those times where it feels like every aspect of your life is a mess?
Ever look from home to work to health to finances and wonder how every little piece of it seems to be falling apart at the same time?

Well, you and I are not alone. I don't know anyone who isn't struggling with something.

I have a girlfriend who is dealing with health problems and her dad just had a serious accident.
And I know a mom who is worried because her daughter just enlisted.
And another lady whose daughter is thinking maybe life isn't worth living.
And the dad who is raising a daughter on his own because his wife died of cancer.
And the young couple who miscarried.

What do you do when it seems like every where you turn seems to be turned upside down?
Let God speak to your heart.

For the days when it seems like tomorrow is too overwhelming to handle.
"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:34 (NLT)

For the days when you can't possibly share your burdens with anyone.
Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 (NLT)

For the times when you feel that you are alone.
What's more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. Genesis 28:15 (NLT)

When you feel like what has to happen to make this work is impossible.
Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God." Mark 10:27

And always, always remember you are loved.
The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17