From time to time I do not have the time to write a blog. Today is one of those days, so I will share a link to some music that might help you get into the Christmas spirit.
I hope you Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
See you with a new post tomorrow…
Now that I’m 61, I’m starting to learn the value of some practices that I shunned when I was six. At the top of this list is nap time. I’m beginning to learn the restorative power of a little siesta.
When I was in kindergarten, my classmates and I would roll our little rugs out on the floor and at a specified time each day for a little nap. My kindergarten teacher would tell you that I flunked nap time. I wish she could see me now—she’d give me an A+.
Sometimes I think of that little rug when I lay down on the floor for a little catnap. Just a few minutes of shut-eye is rejuvenating, and what the nap does for you physically, God will do for you spiritually.
In Psalm 23, David says the Good Shepherd will restore your soul. The storehouse of God is plentiful, and when you:
• Run low on gas He will refuel you (Isaiah 40:30-31).
• Feel abandoned, He will receive you (John 1:12).
• Think your fire is about to go out, He will revive you (Psalm 85:6-7).
• Are sad and want to quit, you can rejoice in Him (Philippians 4:4).
• Are confused, you can reflect on His Word (Joshua 1:8).
• Feel weak and think you lack strength, He will replenish you (Philippians 4:13)
In Ephesians (1:19), Paul speaks of the immeasurable greatness of God’s power and the vastness of His strength. Think of how this applies to your relationship with Him in the context of the following words: rekindle, revitalize, refocus, rebuild, recover, rediscover, relax, and reshape.
When you think of each of the words above, you can confidently rely on God to recharge you.
In some of the more difficult times of my life, I have found comfort in the words of Psalm 121: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
Whenever you fear failure or feel forsaken, review the key points of this Psalm:
• Your help is dependent upon the abundant resources of the Maker of heaven and earth
• Your Guardian God will keep His watchful eye on you, and He won’t fall asleep on the job.
• He’s present and aware of your circumstances and His strength is sufficient.
Because there is evil, sin, sickness, and death in the world, it’s only normal to struggle from time to time; but you don’t have to go it alone. You can be encouraged by the promise of Isaiah 41:9-10: “God has chosen you and not rejected you. Do not fear, for God is with you; do not be afraid, for He is your God. He will strengthen you; He will help you; He will hold on to you with His righteous right hand.”
The right hand of God speaks of His preeminence and power, and Jesus spoke of this in John 10: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”
There will be times when someone will try to kick you and keep you down and there will be moments when your own mind shouts that you’re a failure. When this happens, listen for the Shepherd’s voice and follow Him.
Remember He keeps you in the palm of His hand, and He is greater than all. He is your precious Lord.
Yesterday’s edition of the Wichita Eagle ran a story on solar powered cars, and reported that, “Engineering students built the cars to reduce aerodynamic drag but also to absorb the most sunlight.”
After reading the design of the engineers, I thought of Romans 14:13-14: “Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to arouse its desires.”
In these verses Paul warns you about the “drag” of sin on your spiritual walk. He also gives a clue to the source of your power: “put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as the solar powered car is designed “to absorb the most sunlight,” you are to walk in the light as He is in the light, so you can fellowship with Him (I John 1:7).
Absorbing the Son’s light is the secret to an aerodynamic life.
When everything in your life is going great, you might speak about the goodness of God with a joyful heart. How easy is it to do this when everything is going wrong?
In the good times, it is easy to agree with the words of Psalm 115:3: “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.” This Scripture and many others proclaims God to be the ruler of the Universe, and as such, He has the right to do whatever he desires.
An example of this is found in Daniel 4:35: “He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”
The sovereign power of God is seen in three principles:
• God is omnipresent (present everywhere)—Psalm 139:7-12
• God is omnipotent (all powerful)__Genesis 18:14
• God is omniscient (all knowing)—Psalm 139:2-6
When things go wrong people often find some comfort in Romans 8:28: “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
When you get punched in the gut by the heartaches and trials of life, God will breathe life back into you, and He will use these unwanted experiences for your benefit. He is present when you or a loved one is forced to face depression, divorce, or death.
When you think you are alone, He is present, and He will never leave you nor forsake you. When you feel like you do not have the strength to go on, His strength will never fail. When you do not know what to do, He always knows the way through the darkness.
In his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul wrote to them about the benefit of suffering: “All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too (The Message).”
In the tough times, remember this: God is always “alongside” of you. Take His hand, and let Him guide you.
In a recent blog, I mentioned the rhythmic cadence of the Christian life. This is easily heard in the metronome of Ecclesiastes where Solomon counts the time for us: “There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven: a time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot; a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing; a time to search and a time to count as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away; a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).”
In John 12:23-26, we find the secret to this rhythm is dying to live. Jesus said, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop. The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me. Where I am, there My servant also will be. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.”
You may not realize it, but there is a good chance that your morning routine is already reflecting this principle. Each morning, you take off your nighttime clothes and put on your daytime clothes. This is the rhythm Paul has in mind when he says, you are to, “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24).”
There is also a rhythm to life when it comes to your goals: Greatness is achieved through service. In Mark 10:42-45: Jesus said to the disciples, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and their men of high positions exercise power over them. But it must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many.”
As you consider the rhythm of life, I encourage you to notice the cause and effect relationship of the word “come” in Psalm 95: “Come, let us shout joyfully to the Lord, and shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation! Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout triumphantly to Him in song. For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. The depths of the earth are in His hand, and the mountain peaks are His. The sea is His; He made it. His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care.”
Here’s a thought to keep you thinking: When you come to Him and confess, you’ll receive the power you need to go and profess.
A couple of days ago, I was reading a verse of Scripture, and it reminded me of my time in Palestine, Texas. At the close of the service one Sunday, a wonderful lady with a broken heart asked me to pray for her.
This elderly woman lived just around the corner from the church, and she had a reputation for being serious about her faith. Her request left me perplexed. I couldn’t imagine that she would ever commitment such a grievous sin that it would leave her so troubled.
I asked her, “Mrs. B, just what is that you want me to pray about and what have you done?” She replied, “Pastor, I need to repent because I’ve said a “by word.”
Due to my time in the military and working in the oil field, I knew a lot about cuss words, but I was a little mystified about a “by word.” To clarify the issue, I asked Mrs. B: “What is it that you said?” Her eyes filled with tears and she ducked her head and said: “Darn.”
I know it is a play on the words of Jesus, but when I read Matthew 12:37, I’m reminded of Mrs. B—“by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Mrs. B wanted to testify that her “by word” had left her squirming because her words didn’t edify and weren’t affirming. She knew her Bible, and she knew what Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers (4:29).”
If you’ve ever read the book of James, it’s easy to see that he agrees with Paul concerning the power of the spoken word. James even says the tongue is the index of the heart, and it reveals your true nature and character:
• James 1:26: If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religion is useless and he deceives himself.
• James 3:6: The tongue pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.
• James 3:8: No man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
I’ve been in rooms where the air was blue because of salty language rolling off the tongues of angry and boisterous people. Sadly, swearing and cussing have become far too fashionable, and most people no longer worry about a “by word.”
Think about it: Can get you really get by with these kind of words, or did Jesus say they carry a high price tag? He said: “by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
What is it that gets your attention? Is it a shiny new sports car or a rugged new four wheel drive pickup? Is it a new piece of furniture to replace a well-worn family heirloom?
What is it that turns your attention from stylized consumerism and an inward focus to one that is beyond rank me-ism and centered on the needs of others? When was the last time you gave a needy person a spare dime or found some time you could give to a worthy cause?
By worthy cause, I don’t mean something that will help you achieve a higher position on the social rung of some ladder. Jesus wasn’t nearly as worried about climbing ladders and pampering the high and mighty as He was helping the down and lowly.
The power brokers of the day were the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and they caught the attention of Jesus more than once, and He chided them for their abuse of privilege.
The under-privileged also caught the attention of Jesus. He loved the outcasts of society—even the untouchable lepers felt His compassionate touch. The blind and lame who had been falsely accused of suffering due to sin, were helped and healed by the touch of the Master’s hand.
Jesus never turned a deaf ear to those who pleaded for help or a blind eye to the less fortunate who were within the scope of His vision. Regardless of who they were; what they needed; or, where they were, Jesus recognized their individual needs and they gave them His full attention.
Here’s a question or two to keep you thinking: Are you aware of what you deem worthy of your care? When was the last time your fingernails got dirty as you ministered to the needs of others?
The last couple of days have been too hot too soon, and I’ve found myself sipping more water and tea than I normally do this time of year; and, I’ve even drank a couple of lemonades.
Most of us have heard the old adage that if you’re handed lemons, make lemonade. This is a statement that speaks of managing your attitude.
Attitude is important because it determines your altitude. While there are many things in your life that are beyond your control, your attitude is not one of them.
• You cannot change your past, but you can change the way you think about your past.
• You may not be able to change the way people treat you, but you can change the way you think about people.
• You may not be able to change your circumstance in life, but you can change the way you think about your situation.
It was Dale Carnegie who said: “It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.”
Attitudes usually have at least three things in common:
• An Emotional Response or how you feel about the person, place, or event
• An Intellectual Component or what you believe about the situation
• An Expression of Behavior or how your attitude is manifested
I believe there is some truth to the statement: “Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I respond to it.”
The importance of attitude is discussed several places in the Bible. Ephesians 4, is one of these: “Stop being mean, bad-tempered, and angry. Quarreling, harsh words, and dislike of others should have no place in your lives. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you because you belong to Christ.” ~The Message
As you move through the day today, notice a couple of things:
• Listen to your self-talk—how are your mental messages influencing you?
• Notice your emotional response when someone enters the room where you are.
• Pay attention to your muscles—when are you relaxed or uptight?
• Be aware of your perception
Finally, think about the words of Abraham Lincoln: “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
His name was Gibson. I’m convinced the G-man knew the difference between right and wrong; however, his right always seemed to be wrong.
When you’re marching in Boot Camp and your right is wrong that means you left is in error and you’re about to experience terror. Drill Sergeants do not like men who cannot distinguish their lefty from their righty!
Something else about Drill Sergeants, they lack comprehension when it comes to the concepts of grace and mercy. While they have little knowledge of these, you’ll quickly discover they are well-schooled in justice and judgment if you step out with the wrong foot.
As you walk through the remaining days of this week, here are some principles to consider. They will help you stay in step with the Lord:
• Psalm 37:23-24: The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
• Psalm 119:35: Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it.
• Proverbs 13:20: He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.
• Proverbs 20:24: A man’s steps are of the Lord; how then can a man understand his own way?
• John 8:12: Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
• Romans 8:4: do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
• Ephesians 2:10: We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
• Ephesians 4:1: walk worthy of the calling with which you were called
• 3 John 1:4: I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
And, the prophet Isaiah tells us why it is important to be in step with God: “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint (40:31).”
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