The Word

The Word of God is the mirror that daily reveals to us what adjustments need to be made in our lives so that we can reflect more and more of His likeness in our relationships with others.
The Word of God is the sword with which the Spirit cuts aside the pretense that we try to hide behind; and thus, reveals to us how God really sees us so that we will lean on His mercy and grace and not on our own fictitious strength.
The Word of God is the lamp by which God leads us on our journey Home. It alone can keep us from stumbling in the darkness.
The Word of God is the food--bread and milk and meat--that are essential for spiritual growth, maturity, contentment, and strength. No one grows who doesn't eat.
The Word of God is the truth by which we are sanctified--cleansed. It is the tool God uses to set us apart as holy, to purify our lives of sin, and to free us from the chains of the world's enslaving temptations.
The Word of God is the source of the power that enables the Spirit to fill us and control us each and every moment of each and every day.
The Word of God is the precipitation that enriches the soil of our hearts and brings forth the fruit that demonstrates to the world whose branch we are.
The Word of God is the buckle that holds together all the armor of God so necessary for our daily warfare against supernatural forces of evil.
The Word of God is the sword with which we attack the enemy's lies.
The Word of God, though perceived by men to be foolishness, is instead the Spirit's way of revealing to us the very thoughts of God.

The Christian life cannot be lived victoriously without a personal relationship with the Word. First-hand. Daily. Immersed. The Word of God lived is the foundation--the rock--that allows us to stand in the fiercest storms of life.

Understanding Grace

The depth of my love is directly related to the depth of my understanding of His grace. The depth of my understanding of His grace is directly related to the depth of my understanding of my total unworthiness to receive it.
"No one ever cared for me like Jesus. There's no other friend so kind as He; no one else could take the sin and darkness from me, O how much He cared for me."
How can I not be true to such amazing grace?

"Amazing love how can it be, that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?"

Others

Some of the people that we interact with every day have moments when they desperately need a sense of His presence. That's why you're there.

Most of the people that we . . . Hm.

All of the people that we . . .
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When God brings someone to your mind during the day , , , remember the command: "Pray without ceasing." Oh, the opportunities we miss because of our self-absorption.
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One of my fears as a teacher is that a student will come into my room with the need to be encouraged, the need to be told that they are loved, and I'll think that my English lesson for the day is more important than that student's spiritual need at that moment. If I happen to come to your mind during the day, pray that God will give me a sensitivity to my students' real needs and the understanding that my classroom is His Kingdom not mine. Pride has a way of messing up one's priorities as God's servant. He didn't call me to teach in order to meet my needs, to feed my ego. He needs a servant's heart in my room.
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The more magnificent your "title," the greater your calling and responsibility to serve.

Perspective

Every day of winter brings you one day closer to spring. There's no other way to get there. Rejoice and do good.

Ready?

I think that sometimes we spend so much time trying to figure out when He's coming back--and we can't know--that we forget to live as we ought to live in the present tense: holy conduct--a lifestyle that sets us apart, distinguishable from the lifestyle of the world, godliness--a fear of God; cognizant that every choice I make impacts my relationship with Him, my Bridegroom; spotless and blameless; patiently witnessing knowing that He is waiting to return because He desires for all to come to repentance; on guard against those who will teach false doctrine--Scripture twisters; and at peace--completely confident that He is in control and that when the fullness of time comes, He'll be back.

Eschatology is not about figuring out when He will return but living as if you actually believe He is going to return. And that you want to be found ready--holy, godly, spotless, blameless, biblically sound, compassionate toward the lost, unafraid.

Ready?

Proverbs 32

Thoughts to ponder for the new year: Nothing new. Just things for your soul to meditate on.

Proverbs 32 (Warning!!!! Not in the original. Just the product of an old man meditating on a rainy day. Feel free to disregard any of these.)

1. God's greatest treasures are broken things. "Can he have followed far, who has no wound, no scar"?
2. Not too many things undermine spiritual growth more than trying to live up (or down) to other people's expectations.
3. I cause Christians to stumble when I fail to accept them right where they are spiritually. No matter how hard I try, I'm not good at playing god.
4. No ministry that God calls you to will be perfect. After all, you'll be there.
5. Being precedes doing.
6. Self-defense is a futile exercise. Let your life defend you.
7. Becoming like Christ takes a lifetime. There are no shortcuts. Growing and learning are an essential part of the daily, continual process of discipleship. Daily. Continual.
8. The primary goal of all Christian education--home, school, church--must be discipleship. Last time I checked that was still The Great Commission.
9. The Christian life defined: You are either in a storm or one's coming. And the crucial time is between the storms. You know, those times when we think nothing is going on in our lives spiritually. Teaching is what's going on. First, the lessons. Then, the test.
10. The only way to live the Christian life is to be filled with the Spirit. The only way to be filled with the Spirit is to be saturated with the Word. Saturated, not sprinkled.
11. No matter how many times they fail or take advantage of me, no one that God has called me to minister to will ever be able to become trustworthy if I don't trust them. And the response to their failure and to being taken advantage of must always be grief not anger. Grief is the love word.
12. Genuine Christianity is spontaneous. When I am surprised--shocked even--when I find myself acting and speaking as Christ would--I'm on my way.
13. A daily, steady walk of obedience is God's definition of spectacular.
14. The evil that others do to you is a vital part of God's good and perfect will for your life.
15. Whatever your occupation, it is God's ministry, His calling for you in the kingdom. Do it with excellence in your heart and mind. Not just for success. It has nothing to do with how much money you make.
16. To have the mind of Christ--to think like He thinks--I must give up all my rights, I must be a servant to everyone I interact with regardless of my title, and I must keep doing so even if it kills me. Until it "kills" me.
17. There are consequences. How do I know? Because they don't happen right away.
18. Worship is a lifestyle. Praying without ceasing is a lifestyle. Yes, Christianity is a relationship. But not just any relationship. It's a bride-bridegroom relationship. An intimate, holy, set apart, preeminent love relationship.
19. Hypocrisy is doing all the right things for the wrong reason--to make people think I'm spiritual.
20. The most important synonym for love is obedience. Maybe the only one.
21. Impatience is self-love.
22. I don't love God any more deeply than I love my neighbor. Even those listed under the category "enemy." And I don't love them any more deeply than I intercede for them in prayer.
23. Be sure the person you marry loves the Lord more than they love you. He's always loveable. You . . . not so much. But if He loves you unconditionally, so will he or she.
24. The severity of God always acts in tandem with the goodness of God.
25. Beware of the man (or woman) who thinks it's his (or her) ministry.
26. The only way to become rich: godliness + contentment. Godliness--A life that says, "I know He is always in control of my life and can be trusted." Contentment: "I know He always gives me everything I need--and usually more than I need." Rich!
27. Kept within the guidelines of His love-filled truth--all things are His gift to me to enjoy.
28. One day I will see Him face to face--the Lamb that was slain for me--because of me. What will He say? May the "fear and trembling" contemplation of that moment guide my every thought, censure my every word, energize my every action. May it be the moment He intends for it to be--pure joy.

Dreams for a New Year

A Reminder as we begin a new year:

We all have our dreams--no matter our age. Oh, sometimes we have different names for them: we call them hopes, aspirations, objectives, and when we really want to take them seriously--goals. But they're all just our dreams--for us and for those we love.
And dreams are not necessarily bad things; in fact, they are usually good things. They keep us positive in our view of the future. They can motivate us to do our best, to make sacrifices for the good of others. They can build within us an endurance, a determination to keep going through difficult times. Even "castles built in the air" can cause us to keep our feet on the ground, pursuing better things through hard work and perseverance. Dreams can be a very positive influence in our lives.
Yet, dreams can be a hindrance as well. One of the greatest tragedies of life can be the power we give to the dreams we have of what a perfect future for us should look like. We have decided that in our future we will only be happy if we have that perfect husband or wife, adoring, beautiful children, a job that provides for us all the financial security we deserve, a house, a nice car, a perfect church, etc. All those things we are sure we deserve. And yet, those dreams if outside the will of God for our lives can be deadly, spiritually devastating. Such dreams if unfulfilled can cause us to make decisions trying to fulfill them that break the hearts of those we are called by God to love unconditionally. They can cause us to turn in anger from following God, from trusting His love and wisdom. We claim that He's blown it--that He doesn't care for us, that He doesn't really know what we need. We live the miserable "if only" life of a hopeless world. Or worse: we create a hopeless, joyless world for others.
Yet, God does know exactly what I need. He knows exactly what it will take to transform me into His likeness. He knows exactly what I need so that my life has eternal significance, not a mere earthly one. The family He has given me consists of the very people I need in my life to teach me to love unconditionally. The calling He has given me is the very one I need in order to invest the gifts He has given me fully and for His glory alone. The income He has allowed me to have is the exact amount I need to meet my needs, to meet the needs of those I love, and to "invest" in those ministries He lays upon my heart. When I moan and mope over an imaginary future that never existed, I lose every chance of learning contentment, of gaining true riches for it is "godliness with contentment that is great gain." And sadly, I lose every chance of trusting delightfully in my Savior so that He can make my paths straight. Any dream that does not have as its unshakeable foundation: "If the will of God be so" will end up being a dreadful nightmare. And, too often, I drag those I claim to love into the abyss and misery with me.
And sometimes something even more dangerous and devastating happens when I set my heart on my dream whether God is in it or not. Sometimes He gives me my dream--apart from His presence and blessing. Nothing we can accomplish on earth can ever bring us full satisfaction or full contentment. No matter how completely we fulfill our dreams apart from Him we will find ourselves feeling empty and terribly incomplete. If, for example, my perfect vision for The Acres and the cave were to be accomplished, it would not be completely fulfilling--if for no other reason than that my life on earth is brief and temporary. After I die, then what will The Acres provide for my heart and soul?
No, the only way to find fulfillment in life is to make God the center of our life and to make obedience to Him the love that drives our every choice--good times or bad. For when we trust in the Lord will all our hearts, our dreams become secondary and pleasing Him--His "well done"--becomes the only thing that really matters. What He has "dreamed up for us" becomes the resting place for our souls because we know that that "dream" has eternal worth and eternal consequence. We learn true contentment. We are richer than we could ever dream.
God has given us so much to be thankful for, so much that is worthy of praise and gratitude; and yet, we, ruing our dream world--fulfilled or unfulfilled--never see His grace, never sense His love, and lose our hope--lose all touch with the good He's bringing into our lives right now and with the sure future we have of spending our eternity with Him. That will be fulfillment. We must live in the present tense. Our future is in the hands of the God of everlasting lovingkindness--the God whose mercies are new every morning. And that is our assured hope--not a dream.