Month: January 2023

Rear View Mirror

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“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:19

There is something about a new day. Sure it’s simply one day removed from the old, and just a number on a calendar, but then, somehow, it’s not. A new day means new is upon us if we have the courage to do one little thing:

Let Go Of The Past

Yet, we have a great propensity to live our life with one eye on the rear view mirror rather than focusing on what’s ahead. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, famed author of the early 1950’s book “The Power of Positive Thinking” once told me a story of a trip he had taken to Hong Kong. As he walked along the streets looking at the storefronts, one particular storefront stopped him dead in his tracks. It was a tattoo parlor and in the window one of the tattoos emblazoned with the words “Born To Lose”. Being curious he walked inside and found a man hunched over and in the process of styling a tattoo on a young woman’s arm. Norman asked the man, “that tattoo in the window, ‘Born To Lose’. Do people really ask for that to be put on their body?” The tattoo artists did not even take the time to look up as he responded, saying, “Before tattoo on body, tattoo on mind”. Rear view mirrors can provide a power tool for change in our lives, or become an addictive window we can’t take our eyes off of. Perhaps the time has come to soak in the promise from God in Isaiah 43. When God says, “See, I am doing a new thing”, trust the new He has planned. Simply respond and say “Okay God, you got this. I trust You.”

Four Leaf Clover

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“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

I’ve had friends accuse me of “wearing rose colored glasses” or always seeing “the glass half full” rather than “half empty”. They are correct. That’s exactly how I see the world, and my life. Within each new day the possibilities are endless. This does not mean I’ve not experienced incredible loss or overwhelming grief. I have simply made a choice:

A New Day = A New Reason To Hope

There is a reason I think this way. My trust is in the Lord. Trust on our part comes with a promise from God, and God does not make promises lightly. A great example of what I’ll call the ‘Trust Promise’ is found in Jeremiah 17, but there are many more throughout scripture. In short, trust equals blessings. You have no need to carry a four leaf clover when you put your trust in the Lord.

Lighten Up

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“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

Are you feeling fear in your life today? Fear over a relationship? Fear over your finances? Your job? Your health? Your purpose in life? Your future? Losing your home? Your past mistakes catching up with you? Feelings of inadequacy? It’s time to take a deep breath. Calm your spirit. Now, repeat these words:

Fear Not

The Lord is your light and your salvation; whom shall you fear? The Lord is the strength of your life, of whom shall you be afraid? These are not just words to say, they are the very essence of faith in God’s very real presence in your life. God is with you wherever you go and whatever you are going through. Repeat the line, “the Lord is my light and my salvation” until your fear subsides and is replaced by a lightness of God’s joy in your life! Lighten up your burdens today. Call upon the Lord in faith and joy will all too soon replace your fear.

Your Mosaic Life

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“For if anyone be in Christ, you are a new creation; old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

In a village in the Loire Valley of France stands a five hundred year old church. The stone one one side is smooth as if it has known nothing but peace and tranquility. The other side tells a different story as it is filled with pockmarks from the ravages of war. Yet there is a beauty to the old cathedral. Scars nor age has diminished its effectiveness to keep the wind and the rain from the parishioners, or its grandeur as a love testament by its builders to God. So how’s your life? Scarred? Bruised? Have a few cracks here and there in testament to having been alive?

God Has A Miraculous Way Of Making Us Into A Beautiful Mosaic.

Perhaps it’s time to realize that your life scars are really a tapestry of amazing colors and experiences that you can use to help others. A famous minister once said, “turn your scars into stars”. For no matter what you are going through today, someone else needs the encouragement that only you and your scars can provide.        

The River

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“There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God…” Psalm 46:4

High in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado there is a majestic canyon that will take your breath. I mean that literally as the hike into the canyon at that altitude is not for the faint of heart. Two miles in, the canyon opens up into a valley where a river flows from snow pack run off from the many peaks around it. Just about the time you reach the river, and catch your breath, it’s quickly taken again when you take the time to look up. Waves of overwhelming wonder flood your senses. The majesty of the peaks, the soft whisper of wind in the pine trees, the rippling water beneath your feet. Psalms 46 talks about such a river which can elicit within us the very same reaction, every minute, of every hour, of every day. “There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High” The river the Psalmist speaks of is

To Dwell In God’s Presence.

To soak in all that He is and to feel His love pour over you will take your breath every single time. Such an experience is not elusive, it’s not hard to find. All you need to do is ask; “God, speak to me today, let me feel your presence in my life.” His gracious and loving response will take your breath away.

Spectacular Design

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“Then God said, “Let us make man in Our image.” Genesis 1:26

The Butchart Gardens on Victoria Island in Canada were created to repair the scarred landscape of mining for limestone. The landowner’s wife, Jennie Butchart, looked over the barren gray land one day and was saddened by what she beheld. Thus began a decades long quest for a garden. The Book of Genesis tells us that God looked at the dust of the earth and said from this I will create the most amazing and intricate beings on earth. Indeed, God created you because

God is in the “spectacular” business.

Then, after creating you, God said He was pleased. We were the completion He was after all along. We were the spectacular design He had in mind. Look around you today, but do it through Gods eyes. Every person is a perfect and spectacular garden just waiting to blossom. Yes, I’m talking to you.

Trash Removal

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“forgetting those things which are behind, I press forward…” Philippians 3:13

We carry hurt feelings, grudges, and past mistakes that fester within us and pretty soon start to look very similar to the image above. Today, the apostle Paul reminds us that in forgetting those things which are behind, we can press forward. Yet we have to remember that

Forgetting Means Forgiving.

Forgiving yourself for your various screw ups. Forgiving others for theirs. And turning to Jesus and saying, “Father forgive me”. Don’t let that pile of refuse continue to grow. Why not take out the trash in your mind and leave it at a curb called the cross. Jesus already paid the price to take on and carry out our garbage. Consider today trash collection day.

Moving Mountains

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“If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there’, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.” Matthew 17:20

Of the many promises of God, the ones that seem to give us pause are the bold proclamations of our being able to perform miracles. We stumble over them, trying to figure out how to interpret them, or apply them to our lives. Can a mountain move? Can I move mountains? The short answer is,

“Yes, You Can”

Mountains move every day. I’ve seen cancers cured with no medical explanation, finances turned on a dime, and decades long hopeless relationships reunited. Jesus is the master of obstacle removal. The main obstacle between us, and what God wants for our lives, is our Faith and Trust in Him. Mountains move because God moves them. Matthew 19:26 says, “With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Look to Him for mountain moving faith, then trust Him with the results.

Love Never Fails

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“Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:8

1 Corinthians 13 says, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” The question is, are we kind to those who who treat us poorly, or harbor our jealousy for what others have, or cheerlead when others are doing well, or resist releasing a cutting remark when someone screws up, or sympathize when others fall, or believe the best of others and not the worst? I fail to live up to this list just about every single day, and that makes me thankful for the cross of Christ every minute of every hour of every day.

Love Never Fails Because Christ Is Love

Power Walk

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“Do not grow weary in doing good, for our light affliction is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” 2 Corinthians 4:16 – 18

In the baseball film “A League Of Their Own” about the 1943 first year of the All American Professional Woman’s Baseball League, Gina Davis wants to quit the team and says to Tom Hanks, “It just got too hard.” Tom Hanks responds, “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard everyone would do it. ‘The hard’ is what makes it great.” There is a great life truth in those words as throughout scripture God never said life would be easy, but

God Promised We Can Have A Fulfilling Journey.

He promised that we would find peace in Him, that He would lift us up, that He would never leave us nor forsake us. No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, do not grow weary in doing good. Put your power walking shoes on and put one foot in front of the other. There is fulfillment in the journey.