No Matter What

We love each other because he loved us first. 1 John 4:19 (NLT)

Sometimes it is good to go back to our childhood to remember.  Recently, I was watching a Veggie Tales show with my grandson. Honestly, I'd watch it if I was alone. The old Silly Songs With Larry are awesome! And, there is always that one line that makes me pause.

During this particular show it was "I am loved no matter what so no matter what I will love." In our world we see people fighting, backbiting, being mean to each other and in general only caring about themselves.  What happened to us? Where did we lose ourselves? When did we forget to love and care for each other? When did we forget that we don't all have to agree on everything but we can still be kind and we can still love.

We should love each other because we are loved. No matter what. This is a gift given to us by Jesus and we should focus on it more. Remember the song from your childhood?

Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to him belong
They are weak but he is strong
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so

Maybe we should add a verse:

Jesus loves you this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Everyone to him belongs
Alone we are weak, together we are strong.

We need to remember that we are loved and so is every other person on the planet. God loves all of us.  We should do the same.

I Didn't Think Of That!

For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell. Deuteronomy 8:4 (NLT)

We were faced with a huge challenge. Things weren't going so well in my business and we were at the point where I would no longer get paid. To be honest, I was in full panic mode. I had a knot in my stomach; I was barely able to hold it together in front of other people.  Every prayer consisted of "We need your help." I wasn't sure what to do. I felt like my only option was to close the business and get another job.

One morning I woke up about three days in with the Bible text in my head "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5)  Now, I don't normally wake up with a Bible texts in my head so I kept repeating that text over and over and I kept praying.

To tell you the entire journey would take a long time because it lasted for a year and a half. All that time he said "Wait. Don't do anything, just wait." And do you know what? All that time God provided. All that time we had the money we needed to help pay the bills even though I wasn't getting paid.  And the money came in from so many different avenues you just knew it was God. 

When I read this text about the Israelites clothes not wearing out for forty years, I paused.  In the past I would not even have noticed it but now I read it and think, "Yeah, that's God." When he provides he finds ways to meet your needs that you wouldn't even have thought of. Who would have thought he would keep clothes from wearing out for forty years? Who would have thought he kept their feet healthy as they walked through the dry desert? 

God is providing all the time. Whether it be funds when there are none, gifts to ease the financial strain, a comforting word from a friend, keeping our bodies functioning so we can do what he wants us to do or a text from the Bible at just the right time to keep us going....those (and so many other blessings) are all God.

Thank God he doesn't work based on our limitations. We see a problem and believe that there is no way around it. God sees a problem and sees a million ways to solve it.  That is the God we serve! 

There Is Only One But That Matters!

You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. Genesis 50:20 (NLT)

Tell me. When things look impossible, how do you start your sentences? Do you start them with reasons why it won't work? Do you start them with negative comments or doubtful innuendos? Or do you start them with But God?

All throughout the Bible God was showing up in unexpected ways.  He showed up in Joseph's life when all seemed lost. Through those circumstances, he saved generations of people. He showed up in Noah's life and saved his family and all the animals.

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede. Genesis 8:1

Most amazingly, he shows up in our life.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8

Today, when things look impossible, when you just know in your heart you can't make it work, start the conversation with But God......and go from there. 

Remember, "But with God everything is possible.” Matthew 19:26

A Minute In It - Focusing Your Focus

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read through the Bible text and fill in the blanks below.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

In my life this is true: ___________________

In my life this is honorable: _________________

In my life this is right: ___________________

In my life this is pure: ____________________

In my life this is lovely:___________________

In my life this is admirable:________________

Today, I am going to be think about and be thankful for these things.

What's Your Fig Leaf?

At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. Genesis 3:7 (NLT)

Adam and Eve ate of the fruit and just as God said their eyes were open to evil. And with that, they were ashamed. Isn't that the case with us as well? We do something we should not do because we thought it would make us happy but instead, it made us feel bad about ourselves. 

Adam and Eve sowed fig leaves together to cover themselves - to hide what they had done. Wonder what they would have done if they lived today? We hide from ourselves and from God in a variety of ways. We work too much. We eat too much. We buy lots of things that we think will take away the pain of what sits inside. We stay so busy we have no time to think or to rest. We indulge in things that we shouldn't seeking to cover what is eating at us. And then, just so everyone knows that all is well, we post pictures of ourselves on social media looking "Fine."

What is your fig leaf? What are you using to cover what you are running from? Let go of the fig leaf. Talk to God about it and come out from hiding. He's near and just like he did with Adam and Eve, he wants to talk to you.

Don't Take My Word For It

But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” Genesis 2:16-17 (NLT)

God gave this command to Adam early on.  Then he created Eve. There is no record in the Bible that says that God gave this command to Eve so one has to wonder if Eve heard it from Adam.  And then you have to wonder if she didn't get the full message because in Genesis 3 she replied to the serpent and said that they couldn't even touch it....which is not what God said. 

It was clear that Eve was deceived by Satan and I am not advocating that it was OK that she ate the fruit...we all know the pain that started. So what's my point?

My point is this.  I can tell you over and over again that God loves you. I can tell you about his promises and I can assure you that he is real. I can even share stories about when he showed up and became real for me. While you might be moved by those, it won't be enough. Hearing about God from someone else will not make him real to you. You have to experience him for yourself. 

That gigantic God-hole in your heart cannot be filled by me, my words and my stories. There is only One that can fill that for you.  God.

Are you tired of hearing about God and not experiencing him yourself? Do you feel that something is missing? Do you know there are more important things in life than this rat-race that we live?  There is and there are. And you should go find Him.

Spend a little time each day being with God. Read/Listen a devotional, the Bible or something that shares God's character for 5 minutes each day. And then, talk to him. There are no rules. Say whatever you want. You can't do it wrong. Just talk and then listen as you go through your day. When you take that first step to know him, he will show up and that big, huge hole in your heart will begin to be filled. There is nothing like it....but don't take my word for it. Find out for yourself.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)

Wilderness Walking

Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt! Numbers 14:4 (NLT)

As the Israelites wandered the wilderness, they had this nasty habit of complaining. As I read through the Old Testament, I am amazed that over and over again they say "We would have been better off in Egypt." Didn't they remember they were slaves there? Didn't they remember the abuse, the toil, the total lack of freedom? 

And then, during one of their temper tantrums, they actually made plans to choose a new leader and go back to Egypt. And God said, "OK! If you don't want to go to into the Promised Land, you don't have to."

God doesn't ever force us to do anything against our will. He wants the relationship with us. He wants the conversation and the sharing and he wants us to see that what he has planned is way better than what we have planned. He will try to show us that. But, if we choose not to see it or if we choose not to go along, he is not going to force us. After all, that is not love and God is love.

I find it incredibly sad that the Israelites were stuck in this mindset. I guess when things look bleak or you don't see movement in the direction you want it's easy to be convinced that God has stepped out of the picture. I know I've gone there.  

This is where our faith comes in.  Faith is what you lean on when it doesn't look like you think it should and you can't see anything happening. Faith is staying put, trusting that God is working on your behalf. Faith is praising instead of complaining.  

We all walk in the wilderness sometimes. We all are tempted to believe that God isn't in it. But his promises are clear.  He is always in it,. He is always on the journey with you. He always loves you.

Tell Him All About It

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read through the Bible text and read the questions at the bottom of the post.

1-3 I’m determined to watch steps and tongue
    so they won’t land me in trouble.
I decided to hold my tongue
    as long as Wicked is in the room.
“Mum’s the word,” I said, and kept quiet.
    But the longer I kept silence
The worse it got—
    my insides got hotter and hotter.
My thoughts boiled over;
    I spilled my guts.

4-6 “Tell me, what’s going on, God?
    How long do I have to live?
    Give me the bad news!
You’ve kept me on pretty short rations;
    my life is string too short to be saved.
Oh! we’re all puffs of air.
    Oh! we’re all shadows in a campfire.
Oh! we’re just spit in the wind.
    We make our pile, and then we leave it.

7-11 “What am I doing in the meantime, Lord?
    Hoping, that’s what I’m doing—hoping
You’ll save me from a rebel life,
    save me from the contempt of dunces.
I’ll say no more, I’ll shut my mouth,
    since you, Lord, are behind all this.
    But I can’t take it much longer.
When you put us through the fire
    to purge us from our sin,
    our dearest idols go up in smoke.
Are we also nothing but smoke?

12-13 “Ah, God, listen to my prayer, my
    cry—open your ears.
Don’t be callous;
    just look at these tears of mine.
I’m a stranger here. I don’t know my way—
    a migrant like my whole family.
Give me a break, cut me some slack
    before it’s too late and I’m out of here.” Psalm 39 (MSG)

Do you think it's OK to feel uncertain about how things are going? Is it OK to wonder what God is up to and how he's working it out? Do you think it's OK to have days where you question? David did. He had them a lot and Praise God, some of them are listed in the Bible. You are in good company. So go for it, tell God how you feel. He wants you to.