Month: October 2022

Hope

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“Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; For your work shall be rewarded, says the Lord…There is hope in your future!” Jeremiah 31:16

How do you react when your life veers off course? When you are faced with a set back in your health, in your finances, in your family life, how do you react? I’m no stranger when it comes to crying out to God. There have been many times that I felt like the sky was indeed falling. Yet every time, not sometimes, not occasionally, but every single time I’ve faced a set back my weeping turns to praise. This is not just something that happens by accident, I make a choice to do so because

God Is Infinite Love And Grace.

God is worthy of praise no matter what you are going through. He is worthy of praise no matter what your circumstances are. He is worthy, period! Try it for yourself. When faced with a setback, or a fear, or a worry, start praising God. Praise till your fears subside. It may take minutes, it may take hours, and for some it make take days, but all too soon you will feel His tender touch upon you. You will hear God say to you, “dear child, refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears for your work shall be rewarded. There is hope in your future for I am your God!“

Uncle Vern

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“Just as you want men do to you, you also do to them likewise.” Luke 6:31

There was once a little boy who thought his life looked like everyone else around him. A mom, a dad, a sister, a home, not too large and not too small. He had a room and a bed that looked like a barn. The bed made up the roof with play space underneath with the sides clad in old barn siding. One day his world was turned upside down when the dad was suddenly no longer around. The nights felt a bit longer and colder, wondering what the future might hold. For the first time he slept in a sleeping bag in that space underneath the mattress for fear of what tragedy might come next in the night. He lived in fear, this little boy, and held his friends at school at a distance. 

Then, A New Day Began

The day started just like any other day until his uncle arrived on his doorstep out of the blue. He wasn’t coming to see the boys mother, he was coming to see him. “Do you know how to swim?”, the uncle asked, and the little boy simply said no and lowered his head. The uncle just smiled a perfect smile and said “Good, today’s a good day to learn so let’s be on our way.” As the day ended, night seemed less frightening for there were new memories to smile about, and a new day would hold even more. Swimming lessons soon led to tennis lessons, and although the racket was almost bigger than the boy, he swung with might anyway and smiled with each errant ball. The uncle lived in another state and the times they would meet would stretch months apart, but what the little boy learned was that when life seemed to be falling part, someone, somewhere cared. I was eight years old when Uncle Vern became my hero of the faith. For true hero’s do selfless actions that comfort hurting and lost hearts. You can be Uncle Vern for someone tomorrow. For as Jesus said, “just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise”.  

The Power Of Praise

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“I will praise the Lord with my whole heart…” Psalm 111:1

I recently read an article by the Gallup organization, the famed polling group that tracks a wide array of public sentiment from elections to religious life. The article stated that 2021 ushered in the first time that American religious membership dropped below 50%. I was not surprised for there are far too many distractions in life grabbing for attention, and we certainly possess a very short attention span in our instant gratification world. Yet when you ask the average American if they believe in God, 81% will say yes. To this I was also not surprised for God created us with an innate desire to want to know our Creator. After all, God created us in His image. That means, however small it may seem to be at times, there is a divine nature somewhere dwelling in each of us. Our part is to simply acknowledge that God is God and invite Him into our lives, for that’s when faith moves from a concept that you may think is real, to a tangible and powerful force in your life.

Once You Have Tasted the Power of Faith In Your Life, Praise Will Become Second Nature To you.

Praise is the antidote for complacency and distraction. Today, why not pause and think for a moment of how different your life would be if you followed the prescription for a blessed life found in Psalm 111. Yes, praising God every day, every minute of every day will truly bring your faith alive. Imagine the wonder of having a relationship so close with the Creator of the universe that every waking minute you are in communion with Him! Your life will become a wonder of wonders, and the cares of this world will soon begin to pale in the glow of His wonderful Grace!  

Move Mountains

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“If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed you can say to your mountain move, and it will move and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

All of us face mountains, some large, some small, some daunting and some scary. Some mountains look so insurmountable that we try to ignore them and trek the long journey around them rather than even trying to scale them. Scripture is filled with examples of impossible mountains: the Israelites backed up against the Red Sea with the Egyptian Army bearing down, David facing Goliath, Shadrach Meshach and Abednego being thrown into a burning hot furnace, Lazarus family seeing him die, the disciples as they watched Christ nailed to a cross. There is no shortage of incredible mountain stories in scripture. Yet the lesson to learn is that

Each Mountain Was Moved

Perhaps not as we would expect, but in each case perfectly according to God’s will. So how do you and I learn mountain moving faith? Christ tells us that if we have faith no larger than a grain of mustard seed that we can say to our mountain move and it will move. But where am I taught how to achieve this level of faith? All you have to do is move forward one more verse in Matthew, there you will find THE instruction manual Christ gave to us on how to achieve mountain moving faith. Matthew 17:21 “This kind (of faith) does not go out except by prayer and fasting”. Matthew 17:20 says mountain moving faith is possible, and 17:21 tells us that a life lived in prayer is the key! Prayer so powerful that it consumes your life. If you want mountain moving faith, build a prayer life and faith will come alive.  

Java

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“Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Psalm 34:8

Starbucks has become ubiquitous across the United States and in many parts of the world. Thirty four thousand stores across the planet tell us one thing, we love the taste of coffee, and even more the various ways it can be served up. David, the author of the Psalms, creates for us a tantalizing word play in understanding God’s amazing goodness. He uses our very physical senses, in this case the sense of taste, which is arguably the most powerful of our five senses. There is something about taste that is completely satisfying. Our very emotions are affected through a sip of coffee or bite of warm bread. Yet, however amazing we imagine a breakfast, or dinner, or dessert, they

Pale In Comparison To God’s Blessings.

David’s challenge to us is to taste for ourselves, for once you’ve experienced the goodness and overwhelming love of God in your life, you will never forget it. In fact, you will come back day after day after day wanting more.

Timeless

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“Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever” Hebrews 13:8

I ran across the film “Hairspray” again a few nights ago on a streaming network and had to watch long enough to see my favorite scene between John Travolta and Christopher Walken. In the film Travolta portrays a struggling and somewhat depressed housewife, and Walken her rather delightful husband. To cheer his wife up Walken begins to sing my favorite film song about love even through the struggles of growing old, called, “Timeless”. Walken sings; “You’re like a stinky old cheese, babe, just getting riper with age, You’re like the fatal disease, babe, but there’s no cure so let this fever rage. Some folks can’t stand it, say time is a bandit, But I take the opposite view. ‘Cause when I need a lift, time brings a gift, another day with you. A twist or a waltz, it’s all the same schmaltz with just a change in the scenery. You’ll never be old hat, and that’s that,

You’re Timeless To Me

Thankfully, Jesus is timeless to us. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever.” That means through all of our ups and downs struggles, and yes even aging in life, Jesus is our constant, which should give you immeasurable amounts of hope.

Peace

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“And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever” Isaiah 32:17

Righteousness is a word we do not come across often, and when we do we may not understand it’s meaning. In a nutshell it means, ‘seeking to do God’s will’. So, try this on for size. “The result of ‘seeking to do God’s will’ shall be peace, and the effect of ‘seeking to do God’s will’, shall be quietness and assurance.” So you mean to tell me that the byproduct of seeking to do God’s will is

Peace, And Assurance?

Yes indeed, that’s exactly what Isaiah is saying, and exactly what I have experienced in my own life. There is no other way to explain the winding yet peaceful road that I have traveled. Oh there may be chaos around me, but inside I feel a quiet peace and assurance that can only come from God. Putting God first in life bring clarity and calmness to your spirit. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you”, not the least of which will be a life filled with peace.

Rise Above Loss

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“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:22

In the first chapter of the book of Job a messenger comes to Job with distressing news that his herd of five hundred oxen had just been stolen and the servants tending them had been killed in the raid. Then another messenger hurries in and tells him fire from the heavens just burned up his herd of seven thousand sheep. Still another messenger ran in and told him that thieves had stolen his herd of three thousand camels. Then the horrific news soon arrived that his seven sons and three daughters had been killed. A distraught Job tore his robe, shaved his head and then fell to his knees in worship to God, saying, “Naked I came from my mothers womb, and naked I shall return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.

Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord! 

I cannot imagine the incredible loss that Job experienced. Yet every time we experience loss in our lives the devastation feels overwhelming to us in that moment. In such times let us learn from Job. Try falling to your knees and saying, “the Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away, Blessed be the name of the Lord.” The sun will rise tomorrow, and with it a new hope. For indeed God has promised us a future filled with hope (Jeremiah 29:11). God never leaves us where we are, He always has a plan.     

Sufficient Grace

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“But by the grace of God I am what I am” 1 Corinthians 15:10

To read these words from Paul in 1 Corinthians is an ever present reminder of who I could be outside of Christ. In Paul’s case, he was a torturer and murderer of Christians. Someone who had made a vow to stamp out this new religion called Christianity, to tear at its very fibers until all who said they believed recanted their faith. But God had other plans. He met Paul on a dusty road to Damascus with a light so bright it literally blinded Paul as he heard the voice of Christ say, “…why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4). Paul was never the same,

Transformed In An Instant.

Each one of us has a story, some more dramatic than others, but all very real to each of us. All of us know life without faith, and the very real change that faith ushers in once the seeds are planted. And like Paul, it doesn’t matter where we start, it matters where we finish. God’s grace is sufficient.

   

The Long And Winding Road

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Jesus said, “For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me.” John 16:27

The love story movie formula is pretty simple; boy meets girl, they fall in love, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back, the end. The setting, situation, drama, or humor, may be served up a thousand different ways but the simple “winding road’ formula usually stays fairly consistent. They say art imitates life, and so many times that is true. Why else would Paul McCartney famously sing, “The long and winding road, leads me back to your door.” Wouldn’t we all love to take an eraser to the winding road messy bits in our lives and just enjoy the good times.

God Loves To Erase The Messy Bits.

Think of it this way. God knows tomorrow as well as you know yesterday. He knew every mistake you would and will make. He knows every time you have or will take His name in vain. He knows every time you will or have sinned against Him. Every time you will scream at the top of your lungs, “WHY”, when something bad happens to you. And yet with all of that knowledge, God still sent His Son as a sacrifice on a cross for all you’ve done, or will ever do. God’s amazing eraser for your long winding road demonstrates just how much He loves you. Look up, you are loved!