Did You Hear That?

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8 (NLT)

On a pretty regular basis I hear people say they don’t know what God’s will is for their life. Or they say that they aren’t sure what God wants them to do. Sometimes, this conversation comes with a little (maybe a lot) of angst. I get it.

Sometimes, I go down that path too. I get all spun up in questions like “Am I doing the right thing?” or “What if I’m hearing you wrong?” That last one is my favorite. As I feel God telling me to do something, I start down the path. “What if this isn’t you? Could this be me inventing things?” And I don’t make any movement at all because I am afraid of making the wrong movement. And we all know not doing something is a decision in itself.

As I ponder this, I begin to look at who God is. This is the God that got people’s attention through the most amazing circumstances. He talked to them in dreams, through angels, through animals, through storms, in burning bushes, through Scripture, through manna falling on the ground to name a few….

And then I remember texts like today’s verse. God takes the responsibility of talking. He initiates the conversation and tells us over and over again in the Bible that it is his job to get us where we need to be. He will tell us the way to go, he will direct our paths, he will say go this way or that.

Why is it I think I am going to miss the message? If God can talk to people in all these ways, he can certainly get my attention. And as I reflect on how I’ve heard God and known it was him in the past, I am sure he can do that again.

So what are we to do? The Bible says our job is to believe. To believe in Jesus, to believe that God will do what he says he will do (and there are a ton of promises about how he will work out his plan.) So listen for the voice. Don’t be afraid to follow it. Don’t dismiss it. God is talking to his kids…..every single day.

The Proper Way to Fight A Battle

And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us! 1 Samuel 17:47 (NLT)

There are so many ways to unpack the story of David and Goliath but one thing really stands out. David’s understanding of whose battle it was.

When Saul told David he was too young and inexperienced, David points back to God. In verse 37 he says “The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Did David have to take risk going to meet a giant? Yes. Did David have to step into an uncomfortable situation where the outcome was not determined? Yes. Did David have to prepare for the battle and collect his weapon (five smooth stones)? Absolutely.

But there was one thing David did that we find hard to do. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt who was in charge of this battle. He knew this was not about him. He knew it was about God. And he knew God was going to fight the battle for him.

One time during a prayer meeting, the leader asked us to take a piece of paper and write down all the things we were worried about. Then, they asked us to put the items into two columns. In the first column put the things that we can do something about. In the second column put the things we have no control over. It was an eye-opening exercise. Most of the things I was worried about I could do nothing to solve. They were beyond my control.

Those were God’s. Those are the things I should be in prayer about and the things I should leave in more capable hands. Just like David, we too can prepare for battle and use our weapons. Our weapons are prayer, the Word of God and our relationship with Jesus. We also need to remember whose battle this is. It’s not ours. It’s God’s.

Timing

For everything there is a season,
    a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
    A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
    A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
    A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
    A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
    A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
    A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
    A time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Lately I’ve been spending time with my daughter who just had a baby. Anyone remember the chaos a newborn brings to a household? Add to that the antics of a three year old who is trying to adjust to this new version of family, things can get pretty hectic. On top of this, a project at work needed attention so I was seriously juggling.

You know how it goes. Trying to make sure the new baby is doing well, making sure my daughter is doing things like eating enough and drinking enough water. Paying attention to my grandson so he settles into the new “normal.” Keeping the house picked up, cooking meals and running errands …. and oh, i have a telephone meeting in 10 minutes.

One day as we “handled” everything; we were walking out the door for a toddler Family Valentine’s Day Party (I forgot how hard it is to get two kids ready on time), I was feeling pretty good about the morning’s accomplishments. I looked down as we walked out of the room and saw the evidence in the potty chair that the three year old’s potty training was working. Geesh! How did I miss that?

This made me laugh. It seems like no matter how you think you have it together, you probably don’t. Especially if you are a caregiver. It doesn’t matter if you are taking care of a newborn, a toddler, a sick relative, an elderly parent or _____________ (you fill in the blank.) Things go wrong or you just can’t get it all done.

That’s when I decided to take some Biblical advice. There is a time for every activity under the heaven. A time to work, a time to rest, a time to love. In these very hectic last two weeks, I decided to cherish the moments. Moments of sitting and talking with my daughter. Moments of laying on the floor and pretending I was a runway as my grandson piled airplanes, cars and boats on my stomach. Moments of staring into the face of a newborn baby sleeping peacefully in my arms.

The other chaotic stuff comes and goes. But the memories we share with people will last forever.

A Minute In It - Living Love

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then ponder the questions at the bottom of the post.

13 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.

11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians

Sometimes it is a good reminder to see what God says love should look like. As you read through the passage, ask yourself, do I love this way? Sometimes we are tempted to read this and judge others love toward us but the real test is if we are offering this to others.

Jesus loved like this.

Making Room

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Psalm 37:4 (NLT)

What are the desires of your heart? Take a moment to think about it. Maybe write it down….

God knows what they are and he also knows what they should be for you to be really happy. If you examine your heart, you might unpack it and find these things in there.

A spouse or a mate
A happy family or marriage
Great job
New house
Health
For this problem or that problem to go away

Down at the very bottom is a tiny flame that is your desire for God. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit gives this to us. In the beginning, that flame is super small. To grow it, you have to focus on it just like you would a mate or job to make them what you want them to be. You have to fan the flame.

How do you fan this flame? Spend time praying. Not your cursory prayer to check the box but a conversation. That’s what prayer is after all. Listen a bit and wait for that “Ah God!” moment. That’s God impressing something on your heart.

Spend time reading the Bible. It doesn’t matter if you read one verse or 10 chapters. Read and think about what you’ve read. Often here you will have another “Ah God!” moment. This can also happen with devotionals or other spiritual books.

Finally, help someone. Love on someone. God will often put these people in your path. If he does, follow his lead and your flame will shoot into the air.

Pretty soon, as you fan your flame, it grows bigger and bigger. Eventually, some of the stuff you had packed in your heart falls away. When God is at the center of your life, it changes what you care about. The other things? Well, they get even better because you get better at loving, prioritizing and sharing.

God knew all along what would really make us happy. We just get confused sometimes about what that is. Luckily, there is always the chance to rearrange and uncover that little flame that we sometimes have tucked into a back corner.

One more thing, as you are unpacking and repacking, you get to go on these great God adventures! He knows that we love excitement and he’s ready!

Good Morning Church!

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. Acts 2:42-44 (NLT)

Good Morning Church! You know, I’ve sat in churches for years and heard those words spoken from the front. I never really stopped to think about it but lately, I’ve been thinking about this more.

When someone says “Look, a church”, we think about a building. We turn our gaze expecting to see brick and mortar of some sort. But when God talked about a church, he talked about people. All different, each one bringing different things to the table to share, each one knowing God in his own way and growing the Kingdom according to what God has given him.

How would our world change if when we heard “Look, a church” we looked for people. What would it be like if we understood the church to be us. We spend so much money and time building buildings to honor God, what would happen if we spent time building each other up instead? Would God be glorified and honored more if we treated each other as sacredly as we treated our buildings?

When I sit in church and someone from the front says “Good Morning, Church!”, I want to jump up and down and say “That’s us! That’s me! We are the church! I am the church! I want in my core to remember that it is God’s people who will make a difference for his Kingdom, not the lifeless building on the corner. What about you? Are you willing to be the church?

Written Just For You

For the word of God is alive and powerful. Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)

A few years back we went through a very difficult time. It was a time of life falling apart. Nothing was sure except that I was unsure. I was unsure about everything. In a blink of an eye we could lose it all. During this time, I felt God tell me to wait on him and trust that he was going to provide.

Man, is that hard. Each day I would wake up totally insecure feeling that the bottom was going to fall out. I was so overwhelmed that I would get up and go talk to God and look for what he had to say…mostly because I didn’t know what else to do. It was what made me feel better. During those times, God would speak. Each day in my worship I would read my Bible, read devotionals or other books and each day there was a Word from the Lord.

Some days it was in the form of encouragement. Some days it was about my relationship with Jesus. Some days it told me to trust and hold steady. The messages were always there and they always calmed my soul.

I started pondering the powerful Word of God. It was so alive and on point. And personal. That’s when I realized I had had a bias about reading my Bible. When I was growing up, I always heard "You should read your Bible.” I felt I had to do it to check the box. Of course, my thoughts were wrong.

After this experience with the Word, I realized that God uses the Bible to speak to us. It is a personal conversation with each of us individually every single time we open it up. That specific phase in my life is over but I still turn toward my Bible every day to hear what God is trying to tell me. I want to know him more and hear how he loves me. I want to hear what he wants.

Friend, if you see the Bible as part of a Christian checklist or if you are sure it will be boring and offer nothing, I encourage you to pick it up. Pick it up with the idea that you are going to find God in it. Pick it up so you can be part of a love story that jumps off the pages into your life and heart.

I promise you, there is power and healing in those Words.

What Happened To The Giants?

So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT)

I am in a season right now where I am privileged to spend some extra time with my oldest grandson. The conversations we are having are amazing. They make me think about God a lot. The other day, we had this one.

Him: Yiayia, there are giants in my bedroom.
Me: There are? Where did they come from?
Him: Come see, Yiayia.
As we approached his room he turns to me and says “Hold me.” So I picked him up as we walked into the room.
Me: Where are they? He scoots down and stands in front of me.
Him: There are no giants in my bedroom. Let’s go play.

Made me think about our giants. We think we see them. We are sure they are there and sometimes they really are. Just like the Israelites when they ventured into the land of Canaan. They really did see giants. Unfortunately, that is all they saw. They didn’t see God standing there with them. They didn’t see the power and the strength that is so readily available to God’s children.

All we have to do is ask God to “Hold us” and he will walk with us. We never venture into the land of giants without him. As a matter of fact, we never venture anywhere without him.

Next time you are sure you see giants, grab hold of God and keep walking. He’s right there holding and fighting for you. Our God is bigger than any Giant.