It's For Your Own Good

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NLT)

Last week I had the occasion to sit in a criminal court room. I watched the accused come forward one by one.  Mostly, the cases were continued. Then a woman stepped up. Her lawyer asked for a continuance.  The judge noted that she had not fulfilled the requirements that were set forth in the last hearing. Apparently, she did not pass a drug test that she should have passed. 

He said he was reluctant to grant a continuance but instead wanted to revoke her bond. The lawyer argued. The judge asked if she would be willing to submit to a drug test (urinalysis) today. She said no.

The judge revoked her bond. She looked very distraught as the Sheriffs came in to place the hand-cuffs on her. My heart was racing as I watched this unfold. Then, the judge said something that made me pause. He said "Miss, I am doing this so you don't die."

It dawned on me in that moment that this is what God does with us. He allows us to face our consequences and even sometimes increases them so we will pay attention. He wants us to have eternal life.  

And I imagine, as Jesus was hanging on the cross and God's heart broke that he said "We are doing this so they won't die."

Dream BIG!

I have some big dreams.  Dreams that are way bigger than me. I know these are God-sized dreams and as it has been said "If your dream doesn't scare you, then it's not from God." So what do you do when those dreams scare you?  Give up?  NO WAY!  

Usually we stop in our tracks when we start looking at what we can do and not what God can do. That's when we turn to God's Word for a "shot in the arm" of courage.

If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Romans 8:31 (NLT)

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Matthew 19:26

I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. Job 42:2

O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you! Jeremiah 32:17

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20

And finally, when we don't understand why it doesn't look like we think it should.....

My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. Isaiah 55:8

Have a very courageous day!

Won't You Ever Learn?

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot about the Lord their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles. But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord raised up a rescuer to save them.  So there was peace in the land for forty years. Judges 3:7, 9, 11

I decided back in May to start listening to my Bible. Listening instead of reading gives a different perspective. I use the YouVersion app and picked a bible plan that parses it up into a daily structure that is easy to follow. Some days I listen to it a lot, some days not so much depending on the level of chaos each day. I highly recommend this. It's amazing to be in God's Word. 

Anyway, I am in Judges right now.  WOW!  That is a gory book. I am only up to Chapter 5 and I've had a couple of moments where I wince, groan and say ewwww. It was a very violent time for Israel. But here's is a pattern I've noticed so far. 

1. Israel does evil in the Lord's sight forgetting him and worshipping idols.
2. They are captured and forced into what amounts to slavery by another nation. After they do this for a few years they cry out to the Lord to save them.
3. The Lord rescues them and they live in peace.....until the cycle starts all over again.

I could spend some time talking about how amazed I am that they are so clueless but since I know I am sometimes clueless, I'd like to focus on the other aha moment I had.

God, even though they turned from him to fulfill their selfish desires, keeps showing up. You'd think after a couple hundred or so years of this childish, selfish behavior he would just walk away. Isn't that what we'd do?  

If we were in a relationship with someone and they kept doing stuff to hurt us and themselves and then they got themselves into a real pickle and asked us to bail them out, how many times would we bail them out? How many times before we said "That's it. You are not learning from this. I'm done."?

I'm thinking we wouldn't tolerate it for too long. But, not God. He keeps responding to their call, he keeps showing up and helping them time and time again. And this is why I worship him. Because he also does that for me.

When I Am Afraid.....

Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true. Joshua 21:45 (NLT)

I woke up in the middle of the night terrified. Terrified that my business was going to fall flat, that I wasn't making good decisions, that the payment that was due that would help make payroll wouldn't come in, pick a reason. Sometimes, I wake up terrified for a family member. Or I imagine all sorts of really scary things. Does this happen to you? I find that my imagination in the middle of the night is extremely active. The problem is all the things I imagine are usually frightening.

Last night though, I decided to approach it differently. Normally, if I wake up like this I start praying about the situation and give it to God.  That takes a minute depending on what it is. When I wake up afraid for my kid's safety...well that takes a long minute.  

But last night was different. I started praying and thanking God for his faithfulness. I reminded myself of his character and what the Bible says about his goodness. I thanked him for never leaving me or forsaking me (Deuteronomy 31:8). I thanked him for his faithfulness (Psalm 33:4). I thanked him for his protection (2 Thessalonians 3:3).

It wasn't long before I fell asleep knowing that God was in this with me and would not abandon me. No matter what actually happens in my life, I have that to hold on to.

God is trustworthy (Psalm 9:10). As it says in Joshua 21:45, not one of his good promises will fail to come to fruition. He keeps his word. You can depend on it!

A Minute In It - Get Your Feet Wet

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

Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.
Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”
Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
“Yes, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” Matthew 14:22-31 (NLT)

As you examine your life, is it possible Jesus is asking you to "get out of the boat"?
Is he asking you to do something that is a little scary?
Is it possible that the reason you are "stuck in the boat" is because you don't trust that he is going to be in it with you?
What would happen if you took that first step?

For When I Am Afraid

Be strong and courageous.....Joshua 1:6, 1:7, 1:9, 1:18

As I was listening through the book of Joshua, I noticed that he is told many times to Be strong and courageous.

Courageous is defined as "not being deferred by danger or pain. Doesn't you won't face danger or pain but you shouldn't be deterred by it.

Let's face it. Joshua was about to face both danger and pain.  The Israelites entire agenda was fraught with danger. And pain? There was pain because not only was he leading a group of people who were sometimes super difficult but potential pain because a lot can happen in the middle of a war.

Sometimes we look at the people in the Bible and we think they had it all together. We believe that we can't do great things for God because we aren't that good. Do you think Joshua was told multiple times to be strong and courageous for a reason? Do you think God knew he was going to face tremendous fear and worry? 

Maybe he was saying to him "Sometimes it is going to get downright scary and you are going to be afraid. Be strong. Trust me and then dig deep into your courage and move forward." He says the same thing to us.

We are not heading into literal battles. The battle is often in our minds. We look at a situation and imagine the very worst that could happen. The fear sets in and we are stuck. It's at these times that God says "Be strong and courageous. You are not fighting this alone. I am with you. Always."

A Minute In It - Do You Miss What You Gave?

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

Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor widow came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents. Jesus called his disciples over and said, “The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all.” Mark 12:41-44 (MSG)

If Jesus were watching you throughout your day, would he say you gave your all?
Do you give extravagantly to him with your money?
Your time?
Your care of others?
Your devotion to him?
Or, are you like the truly blessed folks in the story who give but don't even miss what they contribute?
Are you all in?

Footprints All Around

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber; Psalm 121:1-3 (NIV)

When I was on vacation, I went for a walk on the beach with my grandson. As he ran ahead of me, I noticed his little, tiny footprints in the sand. There was a long line of them that zig zagged across the beach. 

When looking at them in the sand, for a moment you'd think he was all alone. Just a bunch of tiny footsteps looking vulnerable and open. But as you widened your gaze to take in the entire area around the little footsteps, you saw the adult footsteps following close behind and to his side. He was never for one moment unattended.

Neither are we. The God of heaven is forever near. No matter where we go or what we do, he is close by. Sometimes we feel like we are traversing the terrain solo. We feel that way because we are only looking down at the path before us. We just need to broaden our view to see it. We are never alone.