As Sure As The Sunrise

Oh, that we might know the Lord!
    Let us press on to know him.
He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn
    or the coming of rains in early spring.  Hosea 6:3 (NLT)

Once in a while we get to go on a Family Beach Week.  This is when a whole lot of our family gets together and rents a house at the beach for a week.  It is one of my favorite things.

Always during the week we get up pre-dawn, go down to the beach and wait for the sunrise. We take blankets and make ourselves comfortable on the sand. Then, we wait. We usually get there too early so we spend time talking and laughing. Never, ever, do we ask "Do you think the sun is going to come up today?"  Why not? We don't ask it because we know it will.

I think it's amazing that God used this analogy when talking about how surely he will respond to us. God will respond to us as surely as the sun will rise. That's a pretty sure thing.

Next time you are wondering if God hears you and is going to respond, remember the sunrise. God is that faithful.

Lessons From A Rain Forest And A Flat-Footed Guide

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLT)

Many years ago we went on a mission trip to Fiji.  We were on a remote island with no electricity. We spent two weeks there working on the building we were standing up.  At the end of the first week, our leaders decided we needed a break so we went on a hike up a mountain through a rain forest to a beautiful waterfall at the top.

I have some funny stories that my son would tell of my reaction to the size of the tarantula's but we'll save that for another day. After we spent some time at the top, we began to ascend back down.  Going down was harder than going up because the rocks embedded in the soil were damp and slippery from the mist and the mud on the path.

One of the young girls with the group had worn flip flops. She was in so much pain from her feet slipping off the damp rocks and landing hard into another rock I offered to trade and give her my sneakers (not sure what I was thinking) and she accepted.

The way down was super painful because it's hard to control flip flops on damp, slippery rocks. Our guide was trying to give me instructions. Then, I noticed he was bare foot!  I asked if it would be better if I took off the flip flops and went bare foot too. He said no. He explained that his feet were made for this and he'd traversed this path many times toughening the bottoms so it didn't hurt.

Well, being who I am, I decided to try it anyway.  He was right.  That was worse.  As I looked at his feet, I realized they were wide and completely flat. Not narrow with a high arch like mine. And he knew from doing this so many times where to put his feet to receive the least impact and what to avoid. He was equipped differently than I was.

We are all different. Whether it be physically, through training or the gifts God has given us, we all bring something to the table that is unique. God designed it that way.  Interesting thing though, we were all designed for one purpose and that is to glorify God.

God's Got This

God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  1 Corinthians 1:9 (NLT)

Most mornings, I wake up, say "Good Morning" to God and ask him what he wants to read. I figure I may as well go straight to the source. Not every morning do I get a clear, concise answer but I did this morning.  The text that popped into my mind was 1 Corinthians 1:9.  Super random so I figured it was probably God. I got up and read it. Then, I read it in different versions. Here it is in the MSG.

God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.

After praying over this and pondering it for a while, I think I have a paraphrase that I can take with me today.

God's got this. Don't worry. He doesn't ever drop the ball. If he's invited you to join him and Jesus in a partnership, you are good to go.

Pretty much, he's invited us all to join him and Jesus in a partnership.  I guess we have no excuse to not join in.

Happy Friday Everyone!

A Minute In It - You Are Important

A minute in God's word will change your life. Sometimes, we need to remember that we are special. Take a minute to read the passages below and remember.....to God you are very special. You are one of a kind, unique; he created you and he knows you. You are important.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.
Psalm 139:13-16

Long ago the Lord said to Israel:
“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
    With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. Jeremiah 31:3

For the Lord your God is living among you.
    He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
    With his love, he will calm all your fears.
    He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”  Zephaniah 3:17

And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. Luke 12:7

Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. Genesis 2:7

Others were given in exchange for you.
    I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
    You are honored, and I love you. Isaiah 43:4

See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.
    Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.  Isaiah 49:16

It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. Ephesians 1:11-12 (MSG)

Work, Work, Work And Then Rest

It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late,
    and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don’t you know he enjoys
    giving rest to those he loves?
Psalm 127:2 (NLT)

On first glance it looks like the Bible is saying we should all stay up late and sleep in, right? But that is not what the Bible says. The Bible actually talks about an honest man earning his keep and working diligently.

This text is talking about a problem I have. The problem is thinking that if I work hard enough I can make everything look like I want it to or better yet, look like what God wants it to be. In my willingness to work hard, I forget that I am not in charge. I forget that even though I can and will put in long hours, God is the one with all the answers, not me.

I forget that I need to rest and let God be God. God wants us to rest. That's why he gave us the Sabbath. A day to rest, a day to spend with him, a day to remember that He is in control.

The really awesome thing about resting is it often includes time with family and friends, laughter and fun. And then, when I get back to it, my mind is fresh and ready to tackle the work before me understanding completely who is in control.

It Really Isn't About The Talking Donkey

But God told Balaam, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed!” Numbers 22:12 (NLT)

As I've read the story of Balaam in the past, I always focused on the talking donkey. The morale of the story was how God could get a message across to us any way he chooses.  Recently, in reading this again, new questions popped up. 

One is that God told Balaam, "No, you cannot go curse them." Balaam sent the committee home only to have them return with more money and more prestige. Balaam, seeing all this, said "Let me check again." Did he think God was going to change his mind because there was more money at stake?  Did he think because there were more important people in the group God would say "Well, OK."? On the outside Balaam was saying the right things (sort of) but his heart wasn't where it should be.

How often do we do this? We go to God with something we want, he says no but we keep asking? And then, we try to justify what we want by making up reasons that God said it was OK.

In the end God allowed Balaam to go and along the way he had a fight with a donkey, encountered an angel who was going to kill him, spent days and days on a hot dusty road and his reputation was damaged because Balek was really angry that so much time was wasted for nothing. And guess what?  It ended up the way God wanted it anyway.

Maybe we should save ourselves and just listen when God says "I have something better for you."

Planning Ahead

At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen. Isaiah 60:22b (NLT)

I was talking to someone the other day who didn’t want to plan to far into the future because they “didn’t know where things would be then.” Made me think. I am a planner. Now, I know not everyone is like me and some people aren’t planners.  But this person is a planner so it was unusual.

So why do I think I should plan either for tomorrow or next year? My friend was right in that we don’t know what things will look like then. And then I giggle because I don’t have to know! I can plan to my heart's content and rest easy. Why?

First, God is a planner so he’s busy planning his own stuff. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”  ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11‬

And when God plans his stuff, nothing I plan will get in the way.

You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.  Proverbs‬ ‭19:21‬ ‭
and ‬‬
Nothing I plan for your life can be stopped. Job 42:2 (paraphrased)

He will take whatever I plan and make it the very best for what he wants for my life.  I can dream and plan to my heart’s content knowing that God will work it all out for the best.

Should I stop planning because God might change my course? Definitely not! The Bible is very clear that we should plan and asses a course of action. Is it frustrating to make plans and have them not work out? Sometimes. I guess that is where the rubber meets the road and we have to ask ourselves the hard questions.

Do I believe that God has my best interest at heart and do I trust his plans more than mine? Something to think about.....

How To Share The Gospel

We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too. 1 Thessalonians 2:8 (NLT)

What do you think the difference was between how Jesus shared the Gospel and how we sometimes do it?  1 Thessalonians 2:8 is an eye opener.  Here it is in different versions.

Because we loved you, we were happy to share not only God’s Good News with you, but even our own lives. You had become so dear to us!  NCV

Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. NIV

We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did. MSG

What stands out to you in those verses?  Of course, the love that was felt for people. But, then the text goes on to talk about sharing life, giving of yourself. So often we Christians look at sharing the Gospel as something we have to do to check the box instead of an act of love. And no offense but I think it's really hard to walk up to a stranger on the street and say let me tell you about the Gospel and share love. You might be talking about God's love but you are not actually loving someone.

If God is calling you to a drive-by, then do it but Jesus' example was living life with the people he was trying to reach. He got into the messiness and the politics and the pain of it all and stayed there. He lived the love he knew and by doing that showed us how to do the same. Get into the messiness with people. Stay. Support. Reflect the love you know.