Whisper

This morning in my quiet time I found myself once again seeking God’s will for my life. Asking for direction and clarity. In need of a BIG neon sign; clearly stating the answers I seek. However, I got nothing. No neon sign. No loud booming voice. Nothing. Nadda. Nilch.

So I began to wonder if perhaps my prayers are focused in the wrong direction or on the wrong thing. And I remembered parts of a verse from 1 Kings 19:11-12ish:

“… and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.”

This verse challenged me to stop and wait for a gentle whisper. So I put my agenda aside and sat in the quiet and asked God to bring to my mind any verses that He desired me to meditate on. I sat in the quiet. I sat. I waited. I emptied myself of me. Eventually, the following words worked their way up from the recesses of my mind:

“MY burden is light”

“Come to ME all who are weak and heavy laden”

“You shall have no other gods before ME”

“I will always be with you”

I thought about how heavy a burden I’ve been carrying and I realized that was because the burden I'm carrying is mine and not the Lord’s. My focus was…correction…is wrong. I am weak; tired really. In my exhaustion I seek sleep for relief and find myself still tired when I wake up. I wonder have I not been taking things to the Lord as I should? Sometimes that darn “can do” attitude of mine can be more of a pain than a blessing. I hear myself say “I’m strong”, “I can handle it”, “I like to have a lot to do”, I…I…I…

If I am so good at everything then do I even need God? If I’m that good, or as good I want to think I am, then why am I tired, overwhelmed, and exhausted? If God really is my God then shouldn’t my focus stay on Him more than it is me? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

My God is always with me! Am I always with Him?

WHATEVER!

Finally, brethren,

whatever is true,

whatever is honorable,

whatever is right,

whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely,

whatever is of good repute,

…dwell on these things.

Philippians 4:8 <NASB>

All I can add is "AMEN"!

Heart

Quotes from a letter to a friend:

"I always thank my God when I pray for you"
"Your love has given me much joy and comfort"
"Your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of...people"
"I appeal to you to show kindness to my child" (child by choice not by DNA)
"I am sending him back to you and with him comes my own heart"

These words and others were written by Paul to Philemon. Paul is in prison and has become very close to Onesimus. As you read you come to understand the Onesimus must not have the best reputation with Philemon because Paul is requesting a huge favor by sending Onesimus back and goes out of his way to indicate that Onesimus is a changed man.

I also get the impression that Paul loves Onesimus a great deal and has found him to be a source of great comfort in prison. Sending him back had at least two stresses with it. One was sending someone he loves dearly into a potentially hostile situation where others may not trust him or love him as Paul does. The other was sending him away not knowing for sure if they would see each other again but hoping they would. I also get the sense that Paul needed him, yet let him go.

A lot of Paul's writings have such an authoritative tone to them but this short letter reveals his heart .

I thought a great deal about this letter and the emotion it reveals. I reflected back on the many friends I've had over the years. Some casual friends and a few that are closer than a sister. God has blessed me with great friendships. I miss those that I no longer see on a regular basis. I never had to "send" a friend away. I've seen some go but I don't think that compares to what Paul was experiencing here. He calls Onesimus his "child". This runs deeper than friendship. Paul protected him, guarded him, taught him, all the things you do with a child. And now he was sending him away. The time had come to let Onesimus stand on his own and perhaps correct past wrongs. Things that Paul could not do for him.

I am thankful for the "Paul's" in my life. I've had a few. They are special and dear to me. Precious jewels. 

Thank you Lord!

The book of Philemon

Unfaithful

This word – unfaithful – has been haunting me lately. My devotions are once again hurried and being done so I can tell myself “did that”. Just another thing to check off the daily to do list. I had hoped starting this blog would force me to be more disciplined in my study.

To take time to read His word for all its worth. Letting it marinate in my heart and in my mind so God can grow me in wisdom and use me to help others in ways that last.

But my last serious study was on August 18. Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t unrealistic with my goals. I never expected that I would have the time to write a daily devotion. I did hope it would be more often than every 8 days. Oh woe is me. Can you hear the self pity? What a faithless wretch I am.

Yet in this moment of honesty with myself I see something beautiful. I found two Bible verses as a direct result of this crazy self-defeating mood.

2 Timothy 2:13 <NASB>

If we are faithless (or as I see it – unfaithful), He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

Even in my unfaithfulness God is faithful. Always there. Always waiting for me. I can see that in my weakness, He shows me His strength. WOW!

Romans 3:3 <NIV>

What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness (or mine) nullify God’s faithfulness?

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for always being faithful. Thank you that I am not measured by my unfaithfulness but only by your great love. I do not deserve such favor. I am honored to be called a child of God. Watch over me, guard me, encourage me and equip me. AMEN

Stagnation

Have you ever heard someone say “if God wants that to happen it will just happen” or “if you only had more faith then it would just happen” or my personal favorite “if you do it then you aren’t trusting that God is in control and you are limiting God” (like we have any power to limit God). I think these types of comments can often be lacking in wise advice. Situations vary and so the wisdom here needs to be applied appropriately. Proverbs 15:22 starts by saying “without consultation”.

For those two words to mean anything it would imply that someone has to do something. Like seek consultation from others, duh. This verse implies that someone has “plans”. There is something they would like to do. The instruction is not sit around with plans and just wait and see if God moves in some miraculous way. The assumption being made here is that we are doing something to see our plans succeed and it is giving advice about what the best thing to do is. Seek advice from someone wiser or more experienced than yourself. In fact don’t stop at one someone – seek out the advice of “many counselors”.

The expectation here seems to be that we will live active lives, doing things. Not passive lives waiting to see God do things. In fact, in my experience it is when I’m active doing something for God that I see Him working in my life and the lives of others more than ever. And I also wonder how many times God was doing something and planned to use me (or you) but we didn’t act because we were waiting for Him to do it. All the time He is screaming “I am doing something. And I’m wanting you to be part of it!”         Hmmmm…

May all your plans succeed.

May God go before, with and after you.

May your life be full and may you always be busy with things that have eternal value.

Proverbs 15:22 <NASB>

Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.

Drunk

Proverbs 23:29-35 <The Message>

Who are the people who are always crying the blues? Who do you know who reeks of self-pity? Who keeps getting beat up for no reason at all? Whose eyes are bleary and bloodshot? It's those who spend the night with a bottle, for whom drinking is serious business. Don't judge wine by its label, or its bouquet, or its full-bodied flavor. Judge it rather by the hangover it leaves you with— the splitting headache, the queasy stomach. Do you really prefer seeing double, with your speech all slurred, reeling and seasick, drunk as a sailor? "They hit me," you'll say, "but it didn't hurt; they beat on me, but I didn't feel a thing. When I'm sober enough to manage it, bring me another drink!"

I stumbled (pun intended) across these verses this morning while looking for something else. I rarely read from The Message as I often prefer more literal translations of the Bible when studying. However, occasionally, The Message translates things in a way that gives really good word pictures. These verses are a prime example of that.

I grew up in Wisconsin where there is a bar on every corner and great pride is taken in their beer (and their cheese J). Drinking was and still is a big part of life in that state (and many others). For some it is not “serious business” but for many it is. Back in my drinking days I had many friends who knew the cure for a hangover and almost every cure involved some type of alcoholic drink. I guess that is why these verses caused me to stop and reflect.

Back then I didn’t know that the Bible had so much information and advice in regards to drinking. I knew it wasn’t polite to get drunk and thought the Bible probably said something like “thou shalt not allow wine to pass through your lips” – which by the way I can’t find in the Bible. But I also knew that in the church where I grew up we had communion which consisted of a small sip of wine. So naturally I was confused.

Sometime in my early thirties I came to realize that drinking played too much of an important role in my life and was defining me. So I made the choice to eliminate alcohol from my life. It was hard because so much of what I did socially involved being with others who drank. My heart broke as I found out that some of my closest friends were really only drinking buddies. At first I felt sorry for myself and then I felt left out. Yes, it was hard for many reasons. But that was twenty years ago. My life now is fun, full and even exciting! I would never want to go back and am so thankful that God helped me find a better path for my life.

The verses above reminded me how blessed I am. I still remember some pretty ugly hangovers (“splitting headache, queasy stomach”) and am very thankful that is no longer part of my life. There was a time when the word “sober” translated in my mind as “somber”. Now it translates in my mind as “HALLELUIAH!”

Monday

Good morning Lord,

Thank You for allowing me another day to serve You. I lay here not quite ready to get out of bed wondering what this day has in store. I’ve checked my calendar and it is full. Monday. Does that matter to You? Is the day of the week important? Or is it the quality of the day. May I be able to lay my head back on this pillow tonight and know that this day was spent honoring You. Looking for ways to love others and seeking out opportunities to show others who You are.

Father God I ask for patience, wisdom and flexibility to get through this day. Not necessarily in that order. May my abilities be limitless. AMEN

Psalm 5:3 <NIV>

In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

Walk

I just got back from a walk. It is good to get back in the habit of walking every day. I really missed it. Today the weather was wonderful. Since it had been in the 100s recently 88 or 90 actually feels nice.

One thing I've noticed now that the temperature is more tolerable is that there are a LOT more people out. When the heat index was 105 and 110 I didn't have to share the sidewalk with anyone. I miss that. So why are there more people now? Is it because it is more comfortable? It is easier? People don't want to walk outside if they think they will be miserable. I walk in the heat, the rain, the wind; even in the cold and snow. I enjoy it all. I think it helps me appreciate the nicer weather days more as a result.

I did a Bible search on the words "walk in". I got more than I bargained for. Here are some things we are told to walk in:
God's instruction.
God's laws.
Obedience.
His ways.
The fear of the Lord.
Integrity.
God's truth.
Love!
The brightness of His presence.
The way of good men.
A manner worthy of your calling.
Walk in newness of life.
WALK IN FREEDOM!


Things to avoid:
Walking in the stubborness of my own heart.
Walking in a way that results in dishonest gain, taking bribes and perverting justice.
Walking in the counsel of the wicked.
Walking in my own devices.
Walking in the flesh.


When I follow God's plan with my walk He promises:
"rest for my soul" Jeremiah 6:16
"it will be well with me" Jeremiah 7:23


So I will keep walking. No matter the season or the weather. Not just because of the excercise it provides but because of the reminder it is that I am on this journey with God that requires me to consider my walk. Where am I going? How am I getting there? Who am I serving in the process? Who am I loving?

"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love."
2 John 1:6

Every time I obey God I am showing Him how much I love Him.  

Hmmmm....I think I'll ponder more on that.

God

What is your perception of God? There was a time in my life when I thought of Him as this big angry God. I pictured Him looking down from heaven in disgust and just waiting for the opportunity to punish someone, anyone. Typically me.

Where did that come from? Was it how my brain translated the Old Testament stories when I was a young child? Was it exposure to cartoons or movies that represented God in that fashion? I really don’t know. I don’t know if I was taught that or incorrectly learned it. But that was my perception of God for many years.

In my teenage years I grew away from God. No longer going to church I was only learning about God through the music I listened to. That was in the 70s and I wasn't listening to Christian radio. Here are a few of the songs that mentioned God or religious things:

“God knows I’m good” – David Bowie

“Stairway to Heaven” – Led Zeppelin

“Imagine” – John Lennon

“American Pie” – Don McLean

“Free Bird” – Lynyrd Skynyrd

And many more I can’t remember. I was sure there was an Alice Cooper one but my brain started to hurt trying to think of it.

As you might imagine many of the messages in these songs were not exactly Biblically accurate. So my understanding of God and what or who He was just got more jumbled up.

Then I moved into adulthood. A husband, children, a home. All these things led me back to church. It was in this process that I began reading the Bible for myself. To my surprise I found that God is not who I thought He was. He wasn’t waiting for me to screw up so He could punish me. He wasn’t distant and aloof. He wasn’t trying to take my fun away or stop me from doing the things I thought I loved.

I found God to be caring, loving, compassionate, forgiving, and merciful. God became “real” to me. He expresses joy and sadness. Things I could relate to. When I came across this particular verse in the beginning of the Book it really touched my heart.

Genesis 6:6 <NASB>

“The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”

The Lord was sorry. Man can I relate to that feeling. Not for the same reasons as God had but just reading that made God someone I thought I might be able to understand. At least a little.

“He was grieved in His heart.” Just reading that chokes me up. How great a grieve does the God who created all we see carry?

Heavenly Father, forgive me for all the times I made You sorry You ever allowed me to exist. Forgive me for any and all the grief I cause You. Father God please help me when I am weak so that I might resist temptations and that I may love others as You first loved me. AMEN

Lost

There was a popular TV show titled “LOST”. This post is not about that. But let me digress for just a moment.

When that show first came on the scene it was hugely popular. So many watched it and more importantly talked about it. Then...the infamous ending. That ending left some baffled, some disappointed, some were quite furious feeling they had wasted a lot of time watching the show. I didn’t hear anyone jumping up and down excited about the ending. You probably should know that I come from the MASH era. That series finale still has people talking. But LOST has been forgotten except by a faithful few.

I recently lost something very precious to me. It is irreplaceable. I am still in denial that it is lost. I don’t know what I’ll do if I can’t find it. It has been with me since 1992. Today when someone looked for it, where I was sure it would be found, I still had hope. But then I got the email that basically said “no luck”. My eyes immediately teared up. I got that lump in my throat that only comes when I am completely heart broken. What will I do now? 19 years of wisdom written on the pages lost. It would be impossible to reconstruct it all or even in part. I feel broken and defeated. Why was this “thing” so important to me? It isn’t the book itself; it is all memories that are contained on each page. I need it and it is gone.

I’ve lost other things in my life that didn’t affect this deeply. I lost the diamond out of my wedding ring, my homework, my virginity (yes it’s true - ask my kids). All had different emotions but this one cuts to my soul. Yet, I am not hopeless. I continue to pray that I will find it. I pray that I will remember the last time I saw it. Where was I? I don’t remember borrowing it to anyone; I can’t even imagine I would have. So I turned to God’s word for comfort and wisdom.

My first search brought back 151 verses. I narrowed my search to just the NASB and had 41 verses return. So many lost things are mentioned. Here is a short list:

·         Riches

·         Courage

·         Lives

·         Power

·         A coin

·         Hope

·         “Their” heart

·         “Their” senses

·         “Their” faith

God however is only concerned about one thing when it is lost…you and me. That’s it; nothing else.

Ecclesiastes 3:6 tells us that there is a time to search and a time to give up as lost. I’m not giving up yet on what I lost, I will keep searching. But, at some point, if it is not found I will give up the search. If you are lost to God, He will keep seeking you. He will not force Himself on you but He also will not tire of waiting for you. I once was lost and the funny thing is I didn’t even know it. I only discovered how lost I was after God found me.

Luke 19:10   <NASB>

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Love

What does God love?

God loves the people of this country (Israel) 2 Chronicles 9:8

the LORD loves justice Psalm 37:28

The LORD loves righteousness and justice Psalm 33:5

The Lord loves the godly Psalm 146:8

The Lord … loves those who pursue godliness Proverbs 15:9

the LORD loves the Israelites Hosea 3:1

the sanctuary the LORD loves Malachi 2:11

God loves a cheerful giver 2 Corinthians 9:7

God was very kind to us because of the Son he dearly loves Ephesians 1:6

love comes from God 1 John 4:7

God is love  1 John 4:16

God loves you Deuteronomy 7:8   Deuteronomy 23:5   John 16:27   Romans 1:7   Colossians 3:12   1 Thessalonians 1:4 2 Thessalonians 2:13   Jude 1:1

God loves us Romans 5:5   2 Thessalonians 2:16   1 John 3:1 1   John 4:16

“Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.” Deuteronomy 33:12

Suffer

Philippians 3:10-11 <NLT>

“I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead.” What a GREAT start to the Bible’s verses that I was pondering this morning. How exciting is this sentence? I mean really…to know and experience Christ’s mighty power? Who wouldn’t want that? Especially a power that was able to raise Him from the dead. Imagine it. How great would that be? I say “Yes Lord! I’m in! 100%. All the way. You can count on me. Where do I sign up?”

And I keep feeling that way for a very brief moment. It would have lasted longer if I had stopped at that sentence and not finished reading this verse. However, it goes on to say “I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death”. WHAT? Ummmm, wait a minute (imagine hearing brakes squealing here). Suffer? Share in His death? I read the Book and I’m not sure I like the sound of this. Christ suffered more than any human could possibly endure. Betrayal, beating, crucifixion. I remember reading how He prayed so hard one night that His sweat was like drops of blood. I don’t think I’ve ever broken a sweat while praying. I’ve prayed long and hard. I’ve prayed with intensity and tears. I’ve fallen to my knees in despair but nothing I’ve experienced could be described with the word picture given of Christ praying.

Perhaps I jumped on the band wagon of this verse too quickly. AND…verse 10 ends with a comma. I’m just a little scared to read the next verse but if I don’t then I won’t know how this thought ends. What to do, what to do. Read on or stop here. I pause, take a deep breath and read on:

“so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!”

Life after death! To share in His death, to suffer with Him leads to eternal life with Him. I don’t know exactly what that eternal life will be like. All the details of eternity have not been given. But I do know Christ and I know what He did on the cross for me. For me! Someone completely unworthy and undeserving. To follow Christ into eternity means to follow Him while I’m still here on earth. To live a life that sets me apart from the things that are common among men. To be misunderstood, ridiculed, perhaps abandoned. To experience His mighty power and to suffer with Him. I do not have the liberty to pick and choose what I like about my Christian walk. It is not a “mix and match” kind of faith. It is all or nothing.

I choose all.

“I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!”    Philippians 3:10-11

Contentment

Ecclesiastes 5:19 (NLT)

And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God.

As I meditate on the first part of this verse two things strike me. One is “receive wealth from God”. I’m intrigued by this. What is this wealth? Based on looking at various biblical translations (I’m not trained in the original Greek) my best guess is that this verse is indeed referring to material wealth; things, money, possessions. There are so many movements out there claiming you can “get rich” if you just have enough faith. But I don’t see this as a “get rich” statement. Wealth is subjective. I live in a modest home and have a modest income (by American standards). Yet I consider myself wealthy because I believe all I have and all I own are gifts from God. Whether it is little or it is much. I know so many who never have enough, they are always seeking to have more, and they never seem to be satisfied. I am thankful that, for the most part, I am satisfied with what I have.

The second part of the first sentence is that God gives us good health to enjoy our wealth. Again, I am intrigued. “Good health”, the NIV states it this way “and the ability to enjoy them”. I find that interesting and perhaps it speaks to my observation that some who have much wealth never seem to be satisfied by it. The “want for more” becomes their religion and since that can be an unending cycle they never find what they are seeking.

Perhaps true joy comes from knowing all we have is a gift from God. And if we seek to enjoy our work, whatever that is, our reward is contentment. Ahhhh...contentment; if I had that all the time I would consider myself the wealthiest person on this planet.