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Hope

Psalm 43:5 

Why, my soul, are you downcast?

    Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

    for I will yet praise him,

    my Savior and my God.

Put our suitcase in the car.

Put a card in the mail.

Put the pizzas in the freezer.

Put some money in the bank.

Put your hope in God.

I don't know about you, but when I put something in a specific spot, it's usually for a purpose. I trust that the place I've put it is where it belongs; where it will be useful or helpful or safe. We usually put things in certain places in order to move or use them another time. Not so when it comes to putting our hope in God. Quite the opposite really. He becomes the final resting place for our hope. We can put our hope in God, leave it there, and rest assured we will not be disappointed because of Joshua 1:5, Isaiah 9:6, Jeremiah 29:11, Matthew 28:6, John 3:16, Romans 8:28, Revelation 22:5 and the entirety of God's word.

We can try to put our hope in other/flawed humans, the stock market, a certain amount of power or prestige, the latest safety features of a vehicle or home alarm system, but the truth is, all these things will fail, disappoint, or commence eventually. Eternal peace, joy and love come from putting our hope where it belongs. The Psalmist has made it clear. He has spoken, not only to his own soul, but to ours as well. In this moment, let's take a deep breath... and allow our hope in God to bridge the gap between our current struggles and his eternal peace. 

5/10/23

Images

Have you ever taken a good hard look at the images we see day in and day out. I've shared just one example with this post, but our eyes don't always perceive everything there is to see. Consider the Garden of Eden. What happened there? Even if you've never read the Bible, what's the one thing you know about Adam and Eve? 

Right! They bit the forbidden apple. In fact, THAT ONE ACT is the symbol of sin entering the world.

Now, what kind of fruit is typically seen as beautiful and desirable? One with a bite out of it OR a bright, whole, untouched piece of fruit?

Does it seem odd that any company would want "used" fruit as a symbol for their products?

In my humble opinion, this was NOT intentional on the part of the creators. That said, how much sin has come into the world through these products and others like them?

You tell me.

Now, for the GOOD NEWS! 

God created everything. He intended everything he created for good, and even though we have a real enemy who the Bible says *comes only to steal and kill and destroy; still,  **we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose; even the things his adversary attempts to steal, counterfeit, twist and manipulate.

I fasted from my cell phone on and off for a few days as I pondered its impact on my life. The fact is, my device is in my hands every day. I use it to communicate, to learn, to laugh, to capture precious moments, to play encouraging music, to keep track of appointments, to hear the verse of the day, to find my way, and so much more. I will let that symbol remind me each day of the power I hold in my hands. Dear Lord, please guide me always to use any power you have given me for good and not for destruction. Help me to build others up, and always to speak the truth in love.

*John 10:10 **Romans 8:28

4/26/23

Account

1 Timothy 4:16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (NIV)

Imagine someone invented a uniquely assiduous recording/detection device and used it on you. They hit record when you woke this morning. They recorded your every thought, every intention, your internal dialogue, every move, every word and every deed, even passing thoughts you can barely recall thinking.  Now, what to do with this intimate recoding? Well, they've decide to go public with it. Who can blame them, they want to market this incredible device, and their best bet for boosting sales is a demonstration...

• What would someone learn about you from hearing and seeing this recording?

• Would those closest to you be surprised by any of it? All of it?

• Would you be surprised? Do you pay attention to your thoughts and intentions?

• What would you regret or want to delete?

• Is there anything you'd be proud of? Many things?

2 Corinthians 10:5 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (NIV)

Matthew 12:35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (NIV)

I don't know about you, but I am not satisfied with my current recording.

Lord, each day, draw us close to you by the power of your Holy Spirit, teach us to take every thought captive, to store up good in our hearts, to speak life and truth into this broken world, and to shine your light in the dark places; even if those places are sometimes closer than we care to admit.

4/19/2023

Imagine

Somewhere in your morning routine, you check your phone. There's a thoughtful text or message from someone very special to you, maybe even someone you haven't heard from for a while. Stop for a moment. Imagine the face of that person. Imagine them smiling at you, thinking of you, maybe even praying for you. Imagine the way you feel when you open and read that text knowing that person has cared enough to reach out. I don't know you, but for me, that's a big deal. It feels really good. It means the world to me. It blesses my heart. It makes my fondness for that person grow. It inspires me. I want to bless others that way.

I once knew a young lady who would read a message like that and get a pit in her stomach. She assumed anyone being kind to her wanted something in return. She had rarely, if ever, been shown kindness for the sake of love or simple Christian fellowship. A quick text or kind message is a great start, but following it up with loving action, presence, and a true generosity of heart with no expectation or benefit to self - that's walking closer to Jesus. That kind of love can change the world one text at a time. Imagine; something so simple...

3/29/23

Opportunity

You might notice, as you read scripture more and more, that one will remind you of another. I was reading the four verses in my reading plan today, and though they were from all over the Bible, and none of them from Colossians, when I reviewed my compiled notes, they reminded me to make the most of every opportunity. 

Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. 

I needed to stop in at a local clinic this morning, and I thought, how can I make the most of this opportunity? How can I bless the people who bless me in their work and their service to the community? The Lord is showing me the answer to that important question. I trust him. What opportunity can you take today to bless the people God puts in your path?

3/22/23

Struggle

This week was a struggle. If we just look at the facts, it was not a bigger struggle than past weeks, but I missed a day in the word. I could feel it. The next day, I turned back to God in a serious struggle with one of my children, he reminded me that he is my provider as he provided a very specific answer to prayer. His word encouraged me to keep writing when I felt defeated. The Psalms inspired me to sing his praises as I cleaned the house yesterday. He guided me in one endeavor to be still and wait, yet in another, he showed me a beautiful plan of action. Walking with God, at his pace, trusting him, and leaning in, does not remove the struggle. It may even make us more aware of some of the battles we're facing, but it does mean we never have to walk alone. He is with us always. As the struggle weighs us down, the world has many false gods we can turn to for comfort, distraction or numbing the pain of life, but those things only add a layer of trouble to our trouble. God is the answer. He is our trust.

Psalm 40:4 Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

3/17/2023

Follow

Psalm 39:12 - Last night, with a loved one in the hospital, I knelt down at the altar in tears. At first, I felt lost. The longer I prayed, the more I felt myself following David's lead, crying out to God and deeply trusting.

Matthew 10:19 - Recently, my mind was arrested by fear in a situation where my love and acceptance of someONE who does someTHING I don't believe in, was questioned. Jesus' words came to mind. Though I paraphrased, I was able to speak them aloud. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” It all comes down to love.

John 6:4 - The Jewish Passover Feast was near. I thank God for all the ways he has interwoven pillars of remembrance into our lives. Celebrating and remembering the ways God has provided for other believers and for us in the past bolsters our faith and our convictions as we walk the narrow path that leads to life.

1 Timothy 3:1 – Lord, thank you for those you’ve called to lead. Teach us to pray fervently for them always remembering their human limitations. Help us to lift them up in prayer when they stumble rather than tearing them down. Help us to follow leaders here who are truly seeking to follow you. 

We may not always follow, but God always leads.

3/8/2023

Delight

This morning I find myself delighting in the Lord. I have begun to memorize Chapter 12 of the book of Romans. I stand in the office, welcoming the brilliance of the sun on my face through the window. I breathe deeply of God’s loving kindness. I slowly fold forward to stretch –  feeling the muscles in my neck, shoulders, back, thighs, and calves wake up to a new day. While I am bowed low in humility, I recite the first five verses as smoothly as if they were my address and birthdate, but with an intimate realization. These words have begun to take hold. They are cultivating a powerful change in my day to day, moment by moment, inhale and exhale – life. I’m learning to honor others no matter where they are on their journey. I’m honoring the me God created me to be. I’m honoring God. I’m slowing down. I’m looking up. I’m trusting. This is delight. 

2/15/2023

Failure

I have failed in many ways, but failure is not an ending if we let God use it. Failure is often the beginning of a new chapter. Humility rarely comes without failure. Sometimes it comes gently, by choice when we choose to humble ourselves. Other times it comes by an unwelcome force bringing us to our knees in times of deep grief, sorrow, or pain.

Discipline – Humility – Delight

To delight in the discipline of humility: Practicing consistent habits (discipline) and accepting God’s training (discipline) for cultivating a submissive (humble) heart toward God and a servant (humble) lifestyle toward others inevitably results in not only great joy (delight), but also deep desire for (delight in) embracing God’s perfect plan; the gospel – Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Today, Lord, grant us delight in the discipline of humility as we do the good works you prepared in advance for us to do within our circles of influence. We praise you always, in Jesus’ name by the power of your Holy Spirit.

2/8/2023

Confession

In my prayer time this morning I am convicted of, and frustrated by, two half-truths I've told. The Holy Spirit is reminding me that a half-truth is also a half-lie. I find it telling that I want to call lies half-truths when I'VE been deceitful or dishonest, but when others do it, they've LIED to me. Just since Saturday, I've lied to two people who are very important in my life. The actual content was so meaningless it's laughable, but the subject of honesty is no joke. I took time to confess and (in one of the two instances, to apologize as well) for many reasons.

1. Lying is a sin: Exodus 20:16 "No lies about your neighbor." (MSG)

2. We're called to confess: James 5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (NIV)

3. I selfishly want a clear conscience. 1 Timothy 1:5 "The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."

4. I secretly hope it might be a good example for a dear friend or a dear reader.

As I look back on things I've written and conversations I've had over the years, I realize that only when I've truly let God lead, has anything I've shared been truly, powerfully helpful. I reviewed Matthew 9:27 this morning and it struck me funny that the two blind men were hanging out together. I don't know if this was a typical situation in Jesus' day, but I do know he often referred to the pharisees as blind guides. He said in Matthew 15:14 "Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 

When I try to lead without Jesus, I resemble the blind leading the blind. The two men in Matthew 9:27-29 went together to ask Jesus for his mercy and believed he could heal them. He did! We're all blinded by our sin, the desires of the flesh, the pride of life, and countless other tools the enemy loves to use against us. Let's journey together recognizing, like the blind men, that Jesus is the way the truth and the life. He will be our guide, and we will experience the healing and restoration he gives so freely to all who seek him with a humble heart.

2/1/2023

Psalm 54:6

I will sacrifice a voluntary offering to you; I will praise your name, O Lord, for it is good. www.biblegateway.com

When I think of sacrifice, I don't often think of praise. Have you ever been in a situation that feels hopeless? Have you lost your will to fight? When praising God is the last thing we can imagine, it's the one thing we most need to do. Not long ago I found myself in a church service wanting to sneak out the back door. I was struggling with so many things on a deep level and to make it worse, I didn't care for the particular songs they had chosen that week, everything sounded off in my heart and I just wanted to escape. I can only thank the Holy Spirit, but I chose to lift my hands at that moment. I chose to sing along. I chose to offer a sacrifice of praise. For the first time in my life, I got a glimpse of what Psalm 54:6 looks like in action. I didn't think I could do it. I didn't want to do it. I don't fully even understand why I did it, but I did. 

There was no flash of lightening, no instant or overwhelming sense of peace, no flood of emotion, just a little sip of the living water. It was like, yep, this is the next right thing. It's not everything, but it's a step in the right direction. My circumstances are not always good, but I will praise his name for it is good. 11/15/22

The Power of Words

It doesn't take long to find some powerful words in the Bible. God spoke and there was light only three verses from the front cover. I know God's word is powerful and you probably do too, but what about ours?

Do our words really matter? And what about the ones we don't even speak out loud; the conversations we have in our own heads...do those words have any power?

Power is defined as the capacity or ability to direct or influence.

My self-talk has the ability to direct and influence my courage, my attitude, my faith, my compassion, my motivation, my relationships, my parenting, my work, my friendships and at least one thousand other things.

For me, words are powerful.

My capacity to become and remain aware of the inner dialogue along with my desire to keep that dialogue honest, encouraging, and hopeful are key tools for wielding the power of words carefully.

What are you telling yourself today?

Try on a few of these and see how they fit...

I am loved. I am enough. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I make mistakes. I am capable. I am strong. I am faithful. I'm awake. I'm alive. I have God-given purpose. I am His. I am growing. God's word, Jesus' words, The Word - as we refer to the Bible... changed the world.

Let's pray.

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalms‬ ‭19:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What is IT?

There are primarily two types of pride, but one sometimes poses as humility. Check out this illustration...

It = Something truly awesome, completely free, and IT is just for you.

Here IT is!

Take IT!

Pride #1 Says:

Yes, I deserve IT.

Pride #2 Says:

No, I can’t. I don’t deserve IT.

Humility Says:

Thank you. How can I use IT to bless others?

Can you see how Pride #2 is kind of sneaky? It imitates humility, but it is still self-focused.

True humility is others-focused.

Something else to consider: What if IT = salvation?

Can we humbly accept the forgiveness of God through his son Jesus Christ for the truly awesome, completely free gift of salvation? Can we experience profound gratitude for our salvation that inspires us to bless others? Can we live-loved in a world full of hate? Can we let this little light shine in such a dark place? I believe with all my heart that we can.

Dear Lord, let us practice Jesus’ words found in Matthew Chapter 25...

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25:34-40‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Prayer: Father, help me to be humble and grateful, to think less about me and more about others as I seek to use the gifts and challenges you have given me to serve others in this life and to grow your kingdom for eternity. Amen.

This post is inspired by one of my favorite quotes: “Humility does not think less of self but thinks of self less.” - Rick Warren

Guilty?

I think I was about 16 years old. I had made so many mistakes, fallen so far from God's plan for my life and tucked my head under the covers of discouragement and despair.

I have no idea how I got to that church pew that day, I cannot remember what spark allowed my heart to finally open or why God used that moment for repentance, but the feelings of peace, forgiveness, mercy, grace, acceptance and a truly fresh start; those I will never forget.

If you've ever experienced repentance, you know exactly what I'm taking about. If you haven't, I'll make a feeble attempt to explain...

We all fall short of the glory of God. We all sin. We all make mistakes. We all hurt others and ourselves. There comes a time when our soul is just fed up with it. Our spirit sees a glimpse of what life could be if we were to fully surrender our filth to God, accept his forgiveness and start again. If that glimpse is enough to pull us in, God can use those feelings of guilt or even shame to show us how deep and how wide his love really is. He can remove a heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh beating for him.

I am and will be forever grateful for the many moments of repentance in my life. In his perfect timing, I hope and pray God will spark them in your life as well.

Scripture References

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans‬ ‭3:23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,” Ephesians‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel‬ ‭11:19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations‬ ‭3:22-23‬ ‭NIV‬‬