Month: June 2023

Weather Forecast

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“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1

Unfortunately, the financial, relational, and health storms of life are inevitable. A dear friend and pastor Ken Ulmer once said, “You’ve got a storm, I’ve got a storm, all God’s children have a storm.” He also went on to say, “Thankfully, I have the weather report…

…There Has Never Been A Storm That Did Not End!”

There is no way for me to accurately describe the sense of peace and rest that God provides until you experience it for yourself. David in Psalm 91 says that as we dwell in the shelter of the Almighty we will find rest simply by being in God’s shadow. In other words, the closer you get to God, it’s very much like finding the eye of the storm. The winds may be swirling, and tossing things in every direction, but in that eye there is calm. Let the winds blow in life, for blow they will. But for those who seek shelter with God there is peace that passes understanding. Trust God that your storm will end! Peace is only a prayer away.

Dreamers Move Mountains

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God said, “you have stayed long enough at this mountain.” Deuteronomy 1:6

Why do we give up on our dreams? Does the road become too difficult? In 1879 Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb and it changed the world. Yet, along the way he failed, over, and over, and over again in trying to make that light bulb glow. He actually failed so many times that he famously quipped, “I did not fail, I just discovered 1,000 ways not to make a lightbulb.” However, once he succeeded, his next quote should inspire all of us to keep moving forward. “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

Indecision Is A Mountain That Will Keep You From Your Destiny.

In Deuteronomy 1:6, when God says, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain,” He was imploring the children of Israel to get up and start moving forward. “I have given you this land”, God says, “go and take possession”. Today, you have been camped out at the base of your mountain for far too long. God is saying to you, get up, your destiny awaits.

Fearless

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“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘do not be afraid’…” Luke 2:8-10

“Do not be afraid,” is a common theme you will find throughout scripture. Jesus said it 10 times alone in 10 verses in the book of John, saying,

“Do Not Worry And Do Not Fear.”

If we are honest with ourselves, we tend to play and endless loop of stress and worry and fear within our minds. Perhaps we might do better by actually following the “do not fear” advice so freely given in scripture. You can make the decision to change today by “trusting in the Lord with all your heart and leaning not on your own understanding,” as it says in Proverbs 3:5. These promises are real. They work! Why not give it a try for yourself. Send your worry and fear on vacation and set your sights on Jesus. All you have to lose is the worry and fear.  

Mind Games

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“…consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.” James 3:5

James is making an analogy here about how little our tongue is and yet what great damage it can cause. The reality is, whatever takes root in our minds is bound to come out of our mouth in the form of what we say, what we declare, and what we believe. Said another way, Proverbs 23:7 declares,

“As A Person Thinks, So They Are.”

Therefore, if you think worry, fear, trouble, destruction, peril, then don’t be surprised when those very things manifest in your life and come out of your mouth. Conversely, if you think love, health, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self control, likewise don’t be surprised when they manifest in your life. Look to Jesus and set your mind directly onto His promises. You’ll be amazed at the results.

Holding On

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“I cling to You (God); Your right hand upholds me.” Psalm 63:8

Walking through the store a few days ago I passed by a young father holding a toddler in his arms. The little girl had her head resting on dad’s shoulder but her eyes were alert. As I reached for a jar of pasta sauce she immediately locked on to me, trying to figure out what might be in the colorful jar. Mind you, her head never left dad’s shoulder while her eyes danced between the jar and my smiling face. Then a smile crossed her lips before closing her eyes,

Safe In Her Father’s Arms.

We can learn something from toddlers. When David writes in Psalm 63 that he clings to God, he means that literally. Over and over again in scripture God tells us that He is our Protector, our Healer, our Provider, our Heavenly Father. All we need to do is rest in His warm embrace.

Miracles

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“Now to Him (Jesus) who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,” Ephesians 3:20

God is in the miracle business, but to Him they are not miracles, they are simply His provision and His grace passed along to us. Novelist Frederick Buechner famously said, “A miracle is when

One + One = One Thousand”.

Ephesians 3 talks all about just such a miracle formula. Jesus does immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine when He is at work within us. So, what’s our part in this equation? We simply have to be willing to say yes to Jesus, yes to His love, and yes to His leading. Then be prepared. You are about to see a parade of miracles.

The Power Of Love

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“Love…endures…” 1 Corinthians 13:4

“We’re getting married” a friend said to me, and instantly I knew the incredible love those words entailed. The man Jen was about to marry had recently suffered a severe stroke. John was unable to speak yet understood everything you’d say, and after three months was gaining the use of his right hand and his right leg again. I remember the frustration in his eyes at not being able to make his body move or form the words he wants to say, yet mention the name of Jesus and the cares seem to vanish. John trusted his Savior beyond the confines of his body.

Each Day Brought New Hope. 

Jen never thought twice about putting her life on hold to care for John. John needed her and that was all that mattered. 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.” John and Jen already knew this definition. They lived it every day. 

Dawn

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“This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

David, the author of the Psalms, sums up the Lordship of God in this verse. He recognizes that God is the author of all creation, and yes the author of our lives. But even deeper, he recognizes that each day is a day that God has laid before us. Indeed, this new day may be filled with laughter or with tears, with heartache or with possibilities, but whatever comes does not really matter for it all pales in comparison to the glory of God. That is why David can say in the second part of the verse,

“We WILL Rejoice And Be Glad In It!”

Each day you rise from bed can and should be a day of rejoicing. Jesus himself said, “I have come that you would have life and have it abundantly.” With that kind of support from our Heavenly Father there is good reason to rejoice.  

Inseparable

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“Who shall separate us from the Love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness or peril or sword…Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:35 and 37

It was a cool morning just after New Years and my father arrived early at the house, as was his custom. My wife and I were preparing to move into our first home together and needless to say our budget was beyond tight. Dad had generously offered to help put in some new flooring. As I walked in the house I heard a familiar song coming from his lips, “How Great Thou Art”. Yet today, his voice was broken and the words barely audible as his moist eyes seemed fixed on one corner of the room. Still, the song kept coming…how great Thou art. When he heard my footfall as I entered he simply said, “Brian’s gone.” “Brian?” I asked. “My son” he said, then went silent again. The night before my older step-brother Brian had died of a massive heart attack as he stood to cheer a touchdown as he watched the New Years Orange Bowl game. Even still, there was Dad, singing,

“How Great Thou Art”.

What tries to separate us from God? The answer is summed up in a single word: LIFE. For as Paul says in Romans we will all face tribulation, distress, peril, persecution, famine, nakedness and sword. But as Paul also says, in all these things we are more than Conquerors through Him (Jesus) who loved us. For nothing can separate us from God’s love.

Changed

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” 1 Corinthians 5:17

A few decades ago in college I was running as hard as I could away from God. But there was one conversation that I could not shake. Sitting across the table from me was a fellow student I’ll call Mike. I remember saying to him, “I don’t get it, the hypocrisy of it all. These people claim to be Christians yet they treat each other worse than most atheists I know”. Mike just sat there and sipped his coffee as I continued my rant, for I felt that there was so many things wrong with the church and those who walked through its doors.

“Tell Me I’m Wrong”, I said.  

Mike just smiled, saying, “No, you’re not wrong. Christians can be no better or worse than anybody else. They’ve just been forgiven. Whether someone chooses to let Christ change their life is a different question. Some don’t. They tuck their fire insurance policy in their back pocket and go on with life however they please. But then there are the one’s who truly take up their cross and follow Jesus. They are the lights of the world that Jesus talked about. They stand out. You see the evidence of that change all over their lives. The fruits of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control are self evident. It doesn’t mean they’re perfect, they just get up each morning striving to do what Jesus would have them do, and love the way that Jesus would love.” Then, he looked me right in the eye and said, “The question is, what kind of Christian do you want to be? Forgiven – Or – forgiven AND changed?”