A Minute In It - Relax!

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

22-24 He continued this subject with his disciples. “Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.

25-28 “Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?

29-32 “What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.

33-34 “Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can’t go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. Luke 12:22-34 (MSG)

What are you preoccupied with?
What do you want to get?
Do you spend as much time thinking about giving?
What draws you away from God’s plan into the weeds of your own?
What would happen if we trusted that God had the perfect plan?

When Will I Know?

God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.” Exodus 3:12 (NLT)

God was telling Moses that he wanted him to go and help free the people of Israel from Egypt. Moses was questioning these instructions (not sure I blame him). And God said to him “You’ll know it was me who sent you when you are finished with the task.”

I don’t know about you but that doesn’t sound comforting to me. Can I get a sign in advance? How do I know this is you and not something I ate last night? But this wasn’t the first or the last time God did this.

So many times in the Bible God told people to do things and they didn’t have a sign. They often didn’t know how it was going to turn out until after the fact. Heck, sometimes they never got to witness the outcome of their willingness to follow God’s directions.

Abraham didn’t know what would happen when he went to sacrifice Isaac.
Elijah didn’t know what would happen after 3 years of drought.
The disciples didn’t know the church they started would grow like it did.
Paul didn’t know that his life of service would result in letters to the church that would encourage it for eternity.

We don’t know. We don’t know why God tells us to do things that sometimes just don’t make sense. We don’t know the ramifications of obedience.

This week, when you hear that still small voice and your first reaction is to think “No way! That’s nuts!” maybe you should pause and ask “Lord, is that you?” Then, when you figure out that it is, obey him. You never know how God is going to show up and oh, the amazing things you will experience when he does!

The Twisting Path

And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. Genesis 45:5 (NIV)

Joe was, well Joe. He had lots of brothers and sisters. They argued just like any normal family. But overall things were good. His mom had died when he was young but he was very close to his father. One day, through circumstances beyond his control, Joe found himself in a foreign city working as a slave for someone else. I can’t imagine the emotions you would go through if you were in that situation.

But Joe, knowing God, did his best to serve the man who owned him. As life would have it, not everyone had the same morals as Joe. The man’s wife was more about her own pleasure and kept trying to get Joe to sleep with her. Joe refused because….well, he knew God and he didn’t want to offend the man of the house. That could result in a bad situation.

Even though Joe did everything right, he ended up in prison because the wife lied. I wonder where his mind went with that? I mean, you do everything right and everything keeps going wrong. But God has his eye on Joe. And Joe, true to his character, continued to do the best he could where he was.

While he was in prison, he helped out some guys who worked for a very important politician. When one of them was released, Joe asked him to remember him. Did he do that? Nope. I wonder if that made Joe bitter? Here he helped this guy and the guy forgot him.

Finally, one day the guy did remember Joe. The very important politician got him out of prison to utilize his unique skills. And Joe did such a great job! He became very, very important. He had lots of money; he controlled everything. The only person who had more power than he did was the politician.

A few years had passed and Joe was working his new job. By now, he had a wife and some children. He still missed his father but God had really blessed him. Suddenly, the men who had caused him to end up in the foreign land showed up. They needed help. Now Joe knew who they were right away. If I were him, I may have thrown them in the same prison I ended up in. What goes around comes around! But not Joe.

You see, Joe knew God. And he realized that all that he went through was for a reason. Because of him, many people’s lives were changed. Many people were better off because of the different path he was forced to walk. Joe knew this was a God thing, not a Joe thing.

As we walk our broken road, our twisted path today, maybe we could be more like Joe. We may not necessarily understand why everything is happening but we can know the God that is in charge and trust in his plan.

A Minute In It - Light Me Up!

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the texts below (there are three versions) and then ponder the questions at the bottom of the post.

34 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is unhealthy, your body is filled with darkness. 35 Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. 36 If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.” Luke 11:34-36 (NLT)

34-36 “No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It’s put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they’re going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don’t get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room.” (MSG)

34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.” (ESV)

As you read each of the versions, what was the Holy Spirit saying to you?
What stood out in your mind?
How did these texts apply to your life?
What would you take away from these and possibly change in your walk with God?
Is there something you feel you need to do going forward?

Things I Know

And this is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent—Jesus the Messiah. John 17:3 (ISV)

There are some things I know that I wish I didn’t know. The other day I was at a lawyer’s office with a friend and I knew where the bathroom key was. I realized I wish I didn’t know that. I also which I didn’t know

• What it feels like to stand next to an open grave.

• The desperation that comes from standing next to a hospital bed after receiving bad news.

• The shock of being laid off.

• The sadness at having to lay someone off.

• The anxiety when you are not getting paid and there are bills to pay.

• The crush of divorce.

There are lots of other things I wish I didn’t know. I bet there are things you wish you didn’t know too.

But there are things I am glad that I know. I know that

• God has a plan for my life. (Jeremiah 29:11)

• God will never stop working on that plan. (Philippians 1:6)

• That when Jesus died and was resurrected, I was given the greatest gift ever! (John 3:16)

• That I am never alone. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

• With God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)

• And there is a future where there is no tears, no sorrow, no death and no bathroom keys in a lawyer’s office. (Revelation 21:4)

There is one more thing I know that keeps me going. I know Jesus. And I know he loves me. He loves you too. Do you know that?

My Faith Stands On.....

And Abram believed the Lord . Genesis 15:6 (NLT)

Abram and Sarai were old. Really old. They were way past the age of child-bearing. Yet when God told Abram that he would have a son, Abram believed him. And as years went by and nothing happened, Abram still believed God.

Why? As we look at our circumstances and they look impossible, it is so easy for us to give up and think (pick one) God forgot or we heard him wrong or we did something to change his mind or God doesn’t love us or fill in the blank because we each have our own nuance of this.

Abram believed God and he kept walking. Romans 4:18-21 says:

Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.  He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.

Do you see that? Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping…..and He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.

What was he putting his hope in if there was no reason? What do you put your hope in when it seems hopeless? Is it possible that we should not be hoping in our circumstances or the things we see but in what we don’t see? Shouldn’t our hope be in the God we know and love? How about this? Shouldn’t our hope be in the intentions we know God has for our lives?

Ahhhh, that’s a different twist huh? If we know that God loves us and his intention for our life is to save us, wouldn’t that be where our faith should rest? You see, often we look at how things are going and determine that God isn’t working. We are basing that thought on a fleeting circumstance - a moment in time. God is looking at the big picture and he’s working to fill in the puzzle pieces so the picture is complete for his purpose in your life. I bet if we really think about it, deep down we understand that his complete picture is very different (and should be) from our temporary one.

Some days it is really hard to keep walking when you look around and it just doesn’t make sense. It’s on those days especially when we have to return our gaze to the Good we know. That Good is God. His intentions for you are perfect. Hold on to that and let that be where your faith stands.

Hand Me A Rock

From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, Psalm 61:2 (NLT)

Have you ever seen the commercial for Snickers where the main character is hangry (hungry and angry)? They act out, not being themselves until eventually someone hands them a Snickers to eat and it returns them to normal.

That’s how I felt recently in a church meeting. We were talking about a God Project and all the implications. When you read “God Project” feel free to insert the words unknown, bigger than we are, full of surprises, etc. Because let’s face it, when God puts you on mission anything can happen and it will always be bigger than you.

I remember sitting in the meeting feeling scared. I wasn’t scared because I was terrified; I was scared because it was overwhelming. Overwhelming because I sensed things were about to change; overwhelming because this was going to get bigger than we were. When I feel overwhelmed, I tend to get very detail oriented and logistical. I focus on details that may or may not be important but usually are not important at that particular moment. And that is exactly where I went.

Later, as I was driving God revealed this to me. The funny thing is I’m pretty sure I’ve done this all my adult life but I never knew what triggered it. Suddenly, I do. There was a little relief in that aha moment but the real question became “God, how do I overcome this?” You see, being detail oriented and thinking logistical can be a good thing as long as it is contributing toward the mission. But when I am doing it to make myself feel safe and secure, that’s going to be counter-productive.

Here are my take aways from this experience.

1. God is active in our lives to grow us to be the kids he wants us to be.

2. My security can never be the main goal. It has to be about God’s plan.

3. When God reveals something to me, I need to ask him for help to change the behavior (because let’s face it….if I’ve been doing it all this time I’m not likely to change it by myself.)

4. Instead of reaching for a Snickers, I need to reach for The Rock. And there I will find my safety.

Not So Patiently Waiting

Wait patiently for the Lord.
    Be brave and courageous.
    Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 (NLT)

Ever notice that when you follow God there is a lot of waiting. We wait for an answer to prayer. We wait for guidance. We wait while we try to figure out what God wants.

Waiting is not my strongest trait. As a matter of fact, I think I am pretty terrible at it. On a pretty regular basis I complain to God (and my friends) about the waiting. I feel that I have been waiting on God for a couple years now.

What am I waiting for? I am waiting on some idea I have in my mind about how things are supposed to look. And they don’t look like that. Where did I get that idea? Good question. Somewhere in my head I formed this idea about what life is supposed to look like. It doesn’t so I am expecting God to change it.

Maybe that’s where the next line in today’s text comes in. Be brave and courageous. Sometimes we feel that waiting is a bad thing. But in all honesty, it takes courage. When you wait, you acknowledge that you are not going to “fix” it by yourself. In this case, I am waiting on God to step in. I am surrendering the outcome to him not knowing his next move.

Surrendering is hard. It requires courage to trust God and let him run the show.

There is one word in this text that I am still working on; patiently. I am learning to wait. God’s been telling me to wait for a while now. While I wait, I am learning to trust. But the patiently part still eludes me on a pretty regular basis.

Good thing God has the “patiently” part down! He is very patiently waiting for me to learn this lesson.