Mercy and Truth

These are two of my favorite words in the scriptures. They seem to appear together frequently, especially in the Psalms. I think God has placed these together often for a reason. I think they are so connected it would be difficult to have one without the other. I can think of several very good examples of what I am saying.

When I sin, I can have mercy from God through the forgiveness of the sin IF I will tell Him the truth and confess my sin, calling it sin. If I choose not to tell this truth and repent, then in God’s mercy He will let me taste the fruit of that sin, which is death. I am not referring to merely a physical death, but that gnawing feeling we get when we know we have blown it and life is not as bright and shiny as it once was. Another example is that God has provided a way out for everyone, the Truth that the Messiah was His Son, Jesus. If we accept that Truth and confess our sins seeking to turn and seeking forgiveness, in His mercy God forgives. For me, I need regular doses of both of these, Mercy and Truth, every day.

Prayer
Father, thank You so much for Your mercy and Your truth. Thank You that You are quick to forgive our sins, if we will just tell the truth, confess them to You as sin, and turn from them. Thank You for the mercy You show every time we do. Please be with Your people today, and give them the Mercy and the Truth they need for today. In Jesus name. Amen

Openly Thankful

There have been times in my life when getting from yesterday, to today, to tomorrow was really quite challenging. Sometimes it was the stress of keeping up with everything in life. Often the issue was just making a living. At other times in life, there have been these great times when my life just seemed really good. Maybe even great! Interestingly enough, some of these times also were filled with many things to do every day. Many of these times were also during times when making a living was not going so well. It made me wonder what was the difference.

All of this lead me to look up many scriptures around words like thankfulness, thankful, thanks, thanksgiving, etc. What I came to realize is that these words were different, but connected. Thanks or thanksgiving is something we give. It is done with the hands extended repeatedly (thanks) or for a duration (thanksgiving). Thankfulness is a state of being that is active. These are alike in that way. It also seemed that they were often accompanied by people speaking or singing positive things to and about God.

So back to the beginning of this writing, why were the things in my life not connected to how my life seemed to me? Well, what I do remember about those times that stood out as good is that I felt the best about the most important thing in life – me and God. Even in the times of stress and lack when things seemed good, those were times when I found myself focusing on God, and the end result would be thanking Him for who He is. I would get to that place of joy and thanksgiving by taking action.

I guess what I am saying is we can have the sense of life being good no matter what is happening in life, if we just take the time to show actively and to say and sing our thanks. And when we do, it is contagious and others soon join us. Gotta run, time to lift my hands from the keys and my voice to the heavens.

Prayer
Father, Thank You for all You are doing every day in our lives, no matter what we see. We choose to be thankful and raise our hands and voices to You. We choose to be a thankful people. We choose to love You and trust You that You are delivering and healing us, and bringing us into rest and peace. We love You. In Jesus name. Amen.

What To Do Daily To Win

Does it ever seem like life keeps moving forward with new challenges, day after day? And sometimes, some of the old challenges come back around just to say hello? I guess I do expect new challenges, although it would be nice for them to be somewhat limited. But somehow I thought that old challenges would disappear never to be seen again. In reality, most of them do, and they probably all do eventually. So what is the point? Well, if this daily challenge is around us, then there must be a reason. I think that is the point. We are here learning to battle and learning to be the servants of our Lord. The good news is, He is our Lord and gives us the ability to win every day.

In 1 Thessalonians 5 Paul encourages us not to be partakers of the darkness, to slip away from the light. I do not think he refers to some major transgression, although that would certainly be true as well. I think he is giving us a daily list of what to do to overcome the enemy in spiritual battle. In verses 13b-22 we get a good idea of what we are to be doing. Be at peace, warn the unruly, comfort those that struggle, take care of the weak, be patient with everyone and do good to all, rejoice always, and pray without ceasing. If we do these things we will not quench the Spirit by despising prophecies, we will test all things and hold to only what is good by abstaining from evil. that last point is worth repeating.

Perhaps the best warfare, the best way to do only what is good, is to resist and abstain from evil.

Prayer
Father, You alone are the King of the universe. We rejoice today and every day in the works You are doing in and through us in the earth. Please help us to refrain and abstain from evil. Please give us the power through Your Spirit to cast down every evil thing that rises up against You and Your will for us and this earth. And come quickly, Lord Jesus. In Jesus name. Amen.

Building With The Master

Some times when I have had a day of reflection, like our holiday here yesterday, the following day starts a little different. That day was today. I thought this morning about how Jesus taught on the mountain that we are to hear His words and do them. What came to mind first was “wood, hay, stubble” from 1 Corinthians 3. It seems God will give us the freedom to be and to do what we see fit. The question is, is it good stuff or not? Maybe even more importantly, since we are all human and imperfect, how do we get yesterday’s wood, hay, and stubble out of the walls of the house we are building on the Rock, Jesus? It caused me to wonder exactly what was Jesus saying when He finished the sermon on the mount, talking about building on a rock or sand.

It would seem the most important point is to start on the Rock. For believers, this would be having Jesus as our Messiah. If we build on what men say, whether they are the long lists of the Pharisees of old or the long lists of the church leaders today, those are NOT the Rock. From the Rock (Jesus as our own Messiah) we lay up the walls, one piece of understanding at a time. And, being human, we will get parts of it wrong, and get some wood, hay, and stubble in there. We can leave it to be burned out in the end (1 Corinthians 3), or we can turn from building that way (repent), ask for God’s forgiveness, and build with good stuff again. And what shall we use to do it? Well, the sermon on the mount holds many nuggets worthy of being our wall. I like Matthew 5:13-20; 7:7-12. What works for me is not so important. What is important is that each of us spend time each day with the Master Builder, and let Him guide us, let what He says rule our lives, and not what men say.

Prayer
Father, thank You for Your guidance and direction in life. Thank You for allowing us to repent from the evil and the stupid things we do. Thank You for helping us each day to find the lighted path, the lamp unto our feet. We praise and thank You. In Jesus name. Amen.

Building A Better Future

Today in the United States we have a day in remembrance of all of the people that served in our military called Memorial Day. It sounds like memory, or remembering. While we do want to appreciate anyone that has given a part of their life, or even given their life, to help or save others, it is also a time of sad reflection, I suggest. Those that faced battle know more than any of us the memory of war and struggle of man against man. We do want to be thankful, but at the same time there is also a certain sadness. Perhaps what I am trying to say was best siad by Israel’s Golda Meir at a press conference in 1969, “When peace comes, we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons.” It is sad when anyone dies, especially when killed by another human. When I was a young man I thought that it should not happen. As an older person I now see that it will continue to happen until the Messiah returns. A sad truth, but it encourages me to pray for His speedy return. In that light, I still say a thank you to all the brave men and women that have served in our military.

Prayer
Father, please reach out to Your people today. Help those that have seen battle be able to remember only the comradery and forget the sadness. Help us to not rejoice in the death of our enemies, but to rather rejoice in Your deliverance for those that seek You. Please help all men and women everywhere find You and devote their t]life to You. Please give us all peace. In Jesus name. Amen.

Where Do We Focus Life

The last few days I have been thinking about where God may want me and my family to spend the next few years of our lives. As I was walking around our property this morning I recall thinking about the point in life and asking myself what it was. As I began to pray, I asked God to show me what the point was, and what, if anything, He would want me to do with our property. What happened next is a little difficult to explain. If you ever have had a moment in your life when a phrase or an idea suddenly takes on new meaning and somehow is more real, you know what I am talking about. That is what happened to me.

Suddenly it seemed to me that the purpose in life was to find out what God was up to and be about that. Somehow the searching out of what to do and asking God about it had revealed a deeper truth to me in words I had heard many times. Make God the focus of your life. I need to ask myself every day, at the beginning of the day, what is it that God wants from me that day. What exactly is God doing that day. As my wife and I discussed this I came to realize that I had made God a part of my life. Wrong focus. I needed to make myself a part of His. Don’t worry about the stuff. Don’t be concerned about what someone said. Instead, look to God and ask, “Hey, what’s up today, Big Guy?” Then wait for the answer.

Prayer
Father, thank You for revealing Yourself to us, every day closing the gap just a little more. Thank You for being the Author and the Finisher of our faith. Thank you for the comfort You give us in knowing that if we focus on You, if we seek You first, then everything else will work out. In Jesus name. Amen.

The Gift Of Rest

Last night as I was thinking about the sabbath, I thought about God being all knowing. For example, He knew before He started creation that He would be creating six days and resting with His creation on the seventh day. He knew that He would give a great place to Adam and Eve. He knew that they would mess up, and there would be a fall of man. He knew the fall would take away the more permanent rest state He had in store for them. And He knew He would have to send His own Son to die a gruesome, horrible death, and rise from the dead, that all His children might one day again have a path to the more permanent rest. God must have a really big heart. If I knew all that ahead of time, I just don’t think I could have done that.

For me, it makes that first sabbath with God hanging around with Adam and Eve in the garden, and every sabbath, pretty special to me.

Prayer
Father, thank You so much for being willing to create the universe, knowing what we would do with it. Thank You for sending Jesus to die and rise again that we might have a path back to fellowship with You. Thank You for Your heart and Your love for us. We thank You and praise You as the most High, One True God over all. In Jesus name. Amen.

Why Wait

Many of us have likely experienced a burst of enthusiasm about something in our lives, whether it is the moment we will graduate, that next promotion at work, or perhaps something we think God has in store for us in the way of ministry. If you are like me, I can get very anxious about moving things along. My wife calls this being impatient. I think the scriptures agree with her, but don’t tell her I said so. Oh wait, this is the web… Anyway, what do we see in the scriptures about this enthusiasm?

Hebrews 11:1 says faith is the substance of things hoped for, where hoped is the Greek word elpis and means eager anticipation. So the eagerness is good. James 1:3-4 says that the testing of faith works patience, and patience will bring us to perfection (maturity) where we lack nothing. Hmmm. So it sounds like we are to remain eager, over a period of time where we learn patience, and the end result is maturity and we lack nothing. That sounds like a pretty good deal. But being me, I want to know how long I have to wait.

In Exodus 2:11 we see Moses eager to free his brethren. What does he do? He kills one of the Egyptians that were abusing them and hides the body. That did not work well, and he had to flee into the desert. But that’s not the end of the story. God had made a promise to the people. You know, like the promises we all have in the scriptures and like to pray and hold on to, right? And Moses likely felt called to do something to bring this to pass. But he did it on his own timing. What was God’s timing? 40 years. Moses was 40 years in the desert before the Angel in the burning bush (Acts 7:30). Now that worked some serious patience. It seems it is good to feel that eagerness, but we just have to hold on to that eagerness while God works patience in us so that we lack nothing.

Prayer
Father, thank You for helping us to learn. Thank You for helping us to remain eager and trusting that You will bring to pass what You have promised. Thank You for never giving up or walking away. Thank You for keeping every promise You ever made. We love You. In Jesus name. Amen.

Thankful For The Big Things

We are told from the time we are small that we should be thankful for the little things. I agree. But what about the big things? For example, when I woke up this morning, I thought about some things that I have been praying for in the lives of my family. Some have come to pass, and some look like they will come to pass soon, and others are still just “hanging out there.” That is when I noticed something in me, a choice.

When I pray and ask God for the things my family and I need, or even just want, I have a choice to make. I can be thankful to God that He has heard me, with child like adoration for my Father. Or, I can choose to be afraid and think that I am alone fighting off the lack in life. When I thought of it like this, I decided I would choose to be thankful. I also decided to start singing songs of praise and worship to God so that I would hear them myself and could avoid focusing on the negative. By the time I got out of the shower (it is the only place I dare sing) I was feeling very thankful knowing my God was on my side, hearing my prayers, and watching out for me in every way.

Prayer
Father, we thank You for hearing us. We thank You for giving us what we need today for us to get through today. We thank You for being a Dad that cares for us. In Jesus name. Amen.

The Winner Knows

As I was making an early morning commute this morning I thought about recent experiences I have had with trying to move with God. When I say move with God, I mean go where He is going when He is going there without being completely terrified. That kind of moving with God has not always been easy for me, and in fact, is not easy now. It is somewhat easier, however, and I was trying to think about why. As I pondered this idea, I began to see that it really is true that we have to build our trust in God for victory in current battles on the ones we have won previously. We have to say the truth out loud about who God is to us. We have to say the truth out loud about what God has said and done. All of these things help us to KNOW that God is taking care of us right now. When we know this inside, we win the battle. Let me give an example.

I am finishing up my lunch. The beginning was not so good. I tripped up the stairs here at the deli and spilled scalding hot coffee on my wrist. The proprietors were very worried. I was ministering to someone on the phone so I grabbed some ice to put on it and just kept talking. As I was writing this, I prayed out loud the truth about who God is over my wrist. I laid hands on it, telling it to be whole. I prayed in the Spirit. This was all out loud. I could sense the power og God being released. And my wrist? Well, my wrist is healed! Praise God!

Prayer
Father, I thank You for being the Healer King, my Healer King! Praise to You for watching over us when we stumble. Thank You for lifting us up, dusting us off, healing our wounds, and setting us on Your path. Praise and glory and honor to the King of kings! In Jesus name. Amen.