Where Was It I Was Going?

Careful! I’ve put a huge stone on the road to Mount Zion,
    a stone you can’t get around.
But the stone is me! If you’re looking for me,
    you’ll find me on the way, not in the way.
Romans 9:33 (MSG)

One of the really hard things about following God is when you know you are on a journey but you have no idea where you are going. God rarely reveals the destination. As a matter of fact, you don't always know at day break where you will end up by sundown.

For most of us, if we are willing to admit it, this is super frustrating. We have been told our whole life that you should make a plan and do the plan. You should know what you want and what you need to do to get there. We have ideas about what our life is supposed to look like and we know what it will take to accomplish our goals.

Enter in a relationship with God. Slowly, as you allow God to lead, he blocks first this path and then diverts you onto another. You are being directed, one step at a time, toward his purpose and his goal.

At first, this is really frustrating....who am I kidding....it continues at times to be frustrating but as you stick to his path, you begin to realize it is less about the destination and more about the journey. What you knew you wanted, becomes less important. Instead of feeling like God is in the way, you begin to realize that along the way you have found what you were looking for all along.

It is no longer about arriving or knowing where you will end up. It becomes about what happens along the way and even more importantly, who you've come to know.

In The Meantime

I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness,
    and you will harvest a crop of love.
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts,
    for now is the time to seek the Lord,
that he may come
    and shower righteousness upon you.’
Hosea 10:12 (NLT)

Can I just put a text on here because I love it? I came across this text this weekend and it spoke to my heart. You know, we spend a lot of time trying to figure things out. There are the little things like trying to figure out what to wear or my least favorite, trying to figure out what to have for dinner that's really fast, healthy and that hopefully I don't have to cook. Sigh.

But then we try to figure out the big stuff too. Should I change jobs? Should we move? What am I supposed to be doing with my life? Which of course leads to "God, what are you doing? What do you want?" At least it leads there for me.

Maybe, just maybe while we are pondering all this stuff there are also things God is telling us to do in the meantime. The Good Lord knows that he's told me to wait (a  (did I mention that I don't wait well - probably have). In the Bible sometimes the word wait is translated as 'to keep doing what you were last told to do until you are told something else'. That is not a technically correct definition by the way. So, I spend a lot of time, doing what I was last told to do and waiting.

One of the things God has told us all to do is to look for people that cross our paths that we are supposed to talk to, help and love on and if God says, we can tell them how much Jesus loves them. But only if. That's a whole 'nother post.

Isn't that kind of what this text is saying? We spend a lot of time working, living life and waiting but what are we supposed to be doing in the midst of all that? I think the text says it perfectly.

Plant the good seeds of righteousness (justice, honesty, something morally right).
And you will harvest a crop of love (acts of kindness, favor)
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, (make it ready so God can expose the deep things)
for now is the time to seek (to earnestly pursue) the Lord,
that he may come and shower righteousness (what is good and just, what ought to be) upon you.’

Basically, while you live life, do good things for others, receive the good gifts intended for you, spend time pursuing God digging up the things that hinder your journey and accept what he showers upon you.

I still don’t like to wait but if I wait like God is telling me to, it’s not like waiting at all. It’s more like taking a journey – I just don’t know the destination. Again, a whole 'nother post.

It's Really Not About You

God is love. 1 John 4:8

Notice what this text does not say?

It does not say "God is loving because you didn't get angry yesterday."

It does not say "God is loving because you didn't lie cheat or steal this week." or "You made all the right decisions so God loves you." or "You went to church this weekend so you are loved." How about "You totally flubbed that one up so you are not loved."

It doesn't say any of those things. As a matter of fact, it doesn't talk about us at all! It talks about God and who God is. It simply says "God is love." That's who he is and his love is not dependent on us.

Does he like it when we make bad choices? No. Does he wish we'd lean on him more and make better choices? Yes. Will he love us more if we make better choices? No. When we make bad choices, does he still love us? Yes.

I'm not sure where the idea came from that to be loved by God you had to perform.....oh wait that started in the Garden of Eden.....OK. So we know where it came from. But we also know it's a lie. When Adam and Eve didn't perform God came looking for them. He sought them out and he talked to them. Did they have to face the consequences of their decision? Yes. But he also provided for them in the midst of it. Why? Because God is love.

God's unconditional love is a gift. We don't deserve it. It's totally free. How about we stop believing the lie that we have to earn it? How about we stop making this about us and instead make it about God. What he wants from us is a relationship, not a completed list of accomplishments. Besides, our meager accomplishments are miniscule compared to what he's already done.

A Minute In It - Thinking It Through

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.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

Think through your life. Think about the negative things and then apply this text to that circumstance.

In your trials, or if you are blessed enough to not have any right now, in your life:

What do you know that is true (genuine, authentic)?

What do you know that is noble (high morale qualities)?

What is right?

What is pure?

What is lovely?

What is admirable?

What is excellent or praiseworthy?

As you ponder your life today, remember these things. They are your blessings.

Where Are My God-Focals?

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Psalm 34:8 (NLT)

My husband loves pumpkin pie so I decided to make one as a surprise. I got out the can of pumpkin and carefully followed the recipe on the back adding the ingredients as described. First, I mixed the sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger in one bowl. Then, the eggs, pumpkin, spice mixture and evaporated milk mixed all together.  Poured it into the crust and baked it.

When my husband tasted it he said, "Honey, did you cut back on the sugar in the recipe." Now, this is a legitimate question because I tend to want to try to make things 'healthier' so I'll experiment with less sugar or more fiber. But in this case I didn't. I said "Nope, I made it just the way you like it." His face told me maybe something was off.

So, I pulled out a can, looked at the recipe and found the problem. I was looking at the can without my glasses. You know, those pesky things you have to read with as you get older. Hate those things. Anyway, when I read the can without my glasses it called for 1/4 cup sugar. When I read it with my glasses it called for 3/4 cup sugar. So, yes. I did make it with less sugar (and by the way it didn't taste too bad!).

I often think of the fact that we see God as lesser than he really is. We are looking at him with skewed eyesight. Sometimes it is because well, we aren't really looking at him. We are looking at everything else going on and we lose focus. Sometimes it's because we are seeing him through someone else's eyes. We've heard about him from lots of people but we haven't taken the time to see him up close and personal. There is also the fact that often we don't trust him so we tell ourselves we have to look before we leap. Our vision for ourselves and the future becomes myopic.

At the end of the book of Job when God reveals himself, Job says "I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. (42:5)" We have to do the same. We have to stop looking at God with sight that is way too small. We have to broaden our vision and open our minds to just how big he is. Nothing is too great for him. There is nothing he cannot do. It's time we put on our "God-focals" and stop limiting his greatness.

Whose Turn Is It To Set The Table

 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:5 (NLT)

I am married to a wonderful man. Truly blessed to have him in my life but some days.....I am sure we all feel that way about our spouses or significant others. Some days I don't appreciate him so much.

A few weeks back things were pretty hectic at our house. Honestly, things are often pretty hectic at our house so on this night, we were a notch above "normal hectic." Hubby said he'd cook dinner while I watched our grandson. We also had family visiting and my son was sick. Did I mention my 89 year-old father-in-law lives with us? I think all that appropriately sets the stage for the evening.

As my husband was finishing up dinner, he tells me (in what I perceived to be a gruff way) to clear and set the table. Well, I was watching our grandson, who you can't leave alone because he's young and doesn't sit still. I didn't like the way he said it. And I thought "Well, when I cook dinner I cook the dinner and I set the table. You can't do both?" I had some other choice thoughts directed at him that I won't share.

What other thought did I have? Don't say anything. Be a servant. Are you kidding me? And again. Be a servant. "OK Lord." And I got up, asked my niece to keep an eye on the wee one and I went and cleared and set the table. And my heart was glad.

I wish I could say all of my encounters with the Holy Spirit went this well. I wish I could say that I always listened and did what I was told. I am sorry to say, I don't always. But this time I did. And it made me really happy to be able to do it. What made me even happier is to find this text in Romans 5:5.

I know on my own I would have had a not-so-family-oriented retort for my husband if God was not in the picture. As a matter of fact, I know that if God wasn't in the picture I probably wouldn't be the person I am today. I would be way more selfish and way more outspoken about other people and their faults. God has taken my natural bend and over the years bent it toward who he knows I can be. God truly puts love in my heart when I need it (and especially when I think I don't). He keeps reaching for the closed up places and opens them so I can trust and give back to others. Why? Because he loves me and he wants me to be all that I can be.

It’s not just like this for me. He’s doing the same for you. Why? Because he loves you and he wants you to be all you can be. God doesn’t really care who sets the table. What he cares about is where your heart is and how you are using it as you do this thing called life.

Thankful for Manna

Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain. “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed. “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!” Numbers 11:4-6 (NLT)

The Israelites were in the wilderness. Their journey was long and I imagine hard. One thing they didn't have to worry about was food. God was providing manna. The description in the Bible of manna says it looked like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. The Israelites ate it for 40 years while they wandered around which means that it had to be nutritional as well. It sustained them for a long time.

Interestingly, after eating it for a bit, the Israelites began to complain. They wanted meat. The thing that makes you wonder here is that as they complained, they started comparing their life in freedom to their life in Egypt. In Egypt they were slaves. That little thought seems to have escaped them as they wished for fish, cucumbers, melons and other foods. They said in verse 5 that they used to eat fish for free in Egypt. It wasn't free. They paid for it with the sweat of their brow and the lives of their families. But they still reminisced thinking back on slavery as the good 'ol life.

If I were being honest, I can't judge them. How often do I do this? How often am I staring at ablessing while wishing for something else? How often do I thank God for something and then turn around and complain about another aspect of my life? What are we saying about God and his gifts when we are not thankful?

One day I was complaining to a friend of mine about my life. After I was done, she looked at me and said "Your life doesn't sound that bad to me. I think you are complaining about "first-world problems." She was right. My life it not that bad. It's actually really amazing. There are folks who would sacrifice much to have what I complain about.

How did God respond to the Israelites complaining about his provision in their life? He said,  “And say to the people, ‘Purify yourselves, for tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were whining, and the Lord heard you when you cried, “Oh, for some meat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will have to eat it. And it won’t be for just a day or two, or for five or ten or even twenty. You will eat it for a whole month until you gag and are sick of it. For you have rejected the Lord, who is here among you, and you have whined to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’” (vs 18-20)

God saw their complaining as a rejection of his gifts. He saw it as a rejection of himself. Maybe that's why in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 he says "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." Maybe he knows that when we complain there is something broken deep down in our hearts. We think we know what is best for us and what we should have when really, we don't have a clue. We forget that God has our best interest at heart and that he knows what we need.  We forget that he is always working to bring us into a better place with him.

What is broken deep down in our hearts? It is in how we see and trust God. Do I look at my circumstances and trust God knowing that he is doing what I need? Can I count all that is happening in my life as blessings, no matter what? Am I staring at manna and wishing for meat?

All I can do is praise him because in spite of my complaints, it doesn’t stop him from his work. It doesn’t stop him from loving me. Be thankful in all circumstances. Because the One who knows the end from the beginning is in charge of your life.

Talking Back To Satan

One day he asked the woman, “Did God actually say.....? Genesis 3:1 (ESV)

Did God actually say ________________ (fill in the blank)? What he said would happen won't happen. These are the things we hear in our heads. Satan's goal is to get us to doubt God. He was small minded and jealous when he set out to deceive Eve. He was expelled from Heaven; he lost the war he waged against God. His attack on Eve was not against Eve. He wanted her to fail as he had so he could point to God and his character and say his love wasn't good.

Nothing has changed in thousands of years. Every time he says to us "Did God actually say that?" or "Maybe you are imaging it." or "God doesn't talk to people." and "He certainly doesn't talk to you."  he is not attacking you. He is attacking God. He wants us to fail so he can point to that and say that God failed. He wants people to think that God's plan of mercy and justice couldn't possibly work. 

But it is working. Satan can't point at Jesus and say he was a failure. Jesus won. Jesus overcame. And he did it so we could overcome. So now, when Satan says to you "You failed." you can say "No, Satan. You failed. I am covered by Jesus and with his help, I am living proof that love can prevail. I will keep walking and I will become more like Jesus every day. And that, Satan, is something you will never do."

God's strange mixture of justice and mercy does work. Just remember who Satan is trying to destroy when he comes at you. It's not you, it's God. And remember, every time you reject that negative voice in your head saying you can't do it, you have overcome.

Keep walking. Keep resisting. God's already got this one in the bag.