Monthly Archives: September 2014

Who has your back?

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When you are in a dark and dangerous place, fear and anxiety set in. You need to know that you will be protected. You start remembering God’s truths:

 

He is always with me. Matthew 28:20

 

He goes before me. Deuteronomy 31:8

 

The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. Psalm 118:6

 

But does He really have my back? I mean, when life gets tough, I need to know! In fact, God does have your back:

 

Isaiah 52:12 “The Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”

 

Psalm 139:5  “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.”

 

Sometimes God protects our body, even though it is just a temporary shelter for us.  He ALWAYS stands guard to protect our mind and our heart, to keep us from evil. He provides protection from all directions.

 

“So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  Isaiah 41:10

 

 

Live what you believe

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Are you living the life you say you believe in?

One of the challenges God drove home during my journey with cancer is that I ought to really live what I believe: God IS a promise keeper, His Word really IS true and applicable in real life situations,  He really DOES have a purpose for us in all situations. You see, sometimes we say we believe (and I think we really do) but we don’t live with the power of that belief. It is like living with belief and unbelief at the same time.

 

If that has been your experience, be encouraged. The one does not deny the other. In Mark 9:23-25. Jesus says to the father of the possessed child, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” We too believe, but also experience aspects of unbelief: “Is this really God’s will that I be fully healed or is there a grander purpose in suffering?” It is not a doubt of what God CAN do, but how He will choose to work His will in this temporary time on earth.

 

What fears do you have that seem to counter your beliefs? That the road will be too hard, that it will seem unfair, that it will be a waste of time and effort, that His ways might not be as good as your ways? What choices do you have? Reject the truth because it doesn’t FEEL true? Or accept and believe to be true what ‘thus says the Lord’. We can still only accept this by faith, because there are so many questions that remain, and so many failings on our part to put into practice all that we believe; so many contrary feelings and physical responses. Where I am not ‘successful’ in applying belief to all areas of my life,  I have to remain fully persuaded that God will sustain me until the end at whatever level fits his perfect plan. . . and that in the end, I will find it worthwhile. . . that this present suffering will be measured and weighed and found incomparable to the glory He reveals.

 

What fears and pain do you face? You can turn them all over to God. He is bigger than any fear you can imagine. I believe coming to Him pleases Him greatly and will restore great joy to your soul, regardless of other circumstances. Practicing the discipline of entering and remaining in God’s presence is the antidote to fear. Seek His presence, His love, His grace, His peace.

Faith will sustain until hope is realized. God, my God, will remain faithful to His promises, whether I sense it in tangible ways or not. I believe this also for you.

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”  Numbers 6:25-26

 

 

The light switch

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I remember when I wired my first house. I may have turned the first light switch on and off ten times, just marveling at the ‘miracle’ of harnessed electricity. I wonder how many times each day we turn things on and off. (Unless you are a kid. In which case you simply turn everything on and leave it running! :-).

 

We turn on a smile and then off again. Turn on attention to those we value and off to those we find bothersome. We find it difficult to turn off things like our phone and FB or the TV even in the presence of those we love so sometimes the switch gets stuck half on and half off. And there’s little chance we’ll turn them off at all for a stranger who may need a light shined on their path!

 

I wonder how many times we turn on a switch to connect us to God for a few moments in the morning and then off again as we go on to our other tasks. Then on again for a few moments at night before we switch everything off at bedtime. (Even then sometimes our minds keep running in the ON position.)

 

Have you ever seen one of those light switch covers that can be locked into position so the light (or power to an outlet) is always on or always off? What if you simply turned on the switch when you connect to God first thing in the morning and then, like a child, just left it on all day, never turning it off. Just leave it in the locked ON position. You would have constant access to His joy, His power, His discernment and love; always aware of His light shining on and in you. Always seeing how His presence illuminates your daily tasks. Never disconnecting from your true source of power, you’d see the world and your problems as they really are, not as they appear when encumbered by shadows. Likely, you’ll need to figure out which switches you’d have to turn OFF to keep the right switches ON.

 

Remember Tom Bodett’s old Motel 6 commercial, “We’ll leave the light on for you?” Make it your goal to keep the connection to God’s presence locked in the ON position. You will find numerous times when you fail to attain this, but when you do, just flip the switch back to ON. Imagine the light that will shine in and through you. “Leave your light ON” and see how your connection to others likewise becomes attuned to His power.

 

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

 

 

The longest distance in the world

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If you travel from the USA to Australia you discover it is very far away. You fly for hours and hours without stopping.  In fact, if your airplane kept on flying past Australia you would soon be heading back home again from the other direction. But the flight to Australia is not the longest distance in the world. Do you know what is?

 

It is the distance from your head to your heart.

 

In the first 18 years of our lives we are encouraged and conditioned to fill our heads with more and more knowledge. But knowledge, even biblical knowledge, is not the same thing as wisdom, is it? Wisdom is the ability to take what we know and successfully apply it to bring about desired change – in our lives and in the world around us. Our head knows we shouldn’t eat too many fatty foods and should exercise more. Our mind knows that keeping a positive outlook is beneficial. But to invoke a change action, the head and the heart must be engaged together.

 

It is as true in our spiritual life as it is in our eating habits. You can repeat over and over how much you want to be better, live better, or love better. But as long as your heart is persuaded by other motives, you have only gained knowledge, not the wisdom that changes life. You can say, “I should spend more time with God,” but as long as it remains some extra thing you try to work into your mind’s busy schedule, transformational change won’t happen.

 

And so how do we connect the head and the heart? Here are some practical suggestions:

 

1. Reflect on God’s character (His power, love, compassion, patience, etc) as it is revealed in your life.

2. Ask Him to show you ways to intentionally reflect His character in your every day interactions.

3. Commit to memory bible verses that address His character.

4. Picture yourself living out each verse at home, at work, where you shop, etc.

5. Repeat your memory verses throughout the day, every day until it speaks deeply to your heart. Ask others to hold you accountable.

6. Think of the verse as an essential part of who you are and who you are becoming.

7. Personalize the verse. “For it is by grace (I) have been saved, through faith—and this is not from (myself), it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can.

You can shorten the longest distance in the world. Connect your head and your heart in everything you do.

 

“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”  Proverbs 28:26

 

 

The monkey trap

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There is an old fable about how to catch a monkey where cherries in a jar, with a rope tied around it, are used to trap the animal. A wise old monkey will not fall for the trap, however a young immature monkey, tempted by the thought of possessing sweet cherries, would put his hand in the jar and grab as many cherries as possible.  But once he grabbed all the delights he could not pull his hand out of the jar because the opening was too narrow for the monkey’s fist AND the handful of cherries. Of course, the monkey COULD free himself by dropping the cherries and pull his hand out. But he won’t let go of his prized possession! So he remains captive, his hand in a jar, connected by a rope to the hunter. Hence the term “monkey trap” came to be used for any clever invention that would trap an unsuspecting and gullible victim.

 

We might look on the fable and think to ourselves, “What a foolish monkey! If only he had let go of the fruit, he could have been free.” But then, can’t you think of a time in your life when this story applied to you? The things we possess sometimes end up possessing us.

 

Now, this is not always the case. Possessions are not inherently evil. There is plenty of fruit to be had and enjoyed in life while remaining free. But the wise among us will recognize a ‘monkey trap’ and let go of the things that entrap us.

 

I remember a man who told me he would like to give a tithe to the church but he had this new boat he was making payments on  and that kept him from his commitment. Another said he would invest his money and give a big gift when he was old, instead of giving more humble gifts now to help alleviate present needs. Someone told me they wanted to go on a mission trip with us but they couldn’t afford it, yet they ate out regularly at restaurants and had an abundance of new fashionable clothes and crafty nick knacks.

 

I don’t use these examples to judge anyone; only to illustrate that when we pick up one thing, it often prevents us from picking up something far more valuable. After all, one can only hold on to so many things at once.

 

What are you holding onto? Look not just your possessions but also your attitudes toward others, your ‘right to be right’, your clinging to relationships that just won’t be yours. Be careful not to fall into the monkey trap. Let go of everything that enslaves you.

 

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

 

 

Ice Bucket Challenge

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You’ve no doubt seen numerous photos and videos of people taking the “ice bucket challenge,” a social media-spun phenomenon intended to support victims of ALS. The videos have been so common place, and with so much attention on “look at what I am doing” it would be easy to dismiss them. And we might see fewer of these videos if it actually shocked their pocketbook to give a sacrificial donation to a worthy nonprofit as much as it shocked their physical body.

 

Even though I twinge a bit at the “look at me” approach of social media, I really like the idea of people taking a stand for something good and challenging others to do the same. Maybe it is an example of Jesus saying, “Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

 

If you take the ice bucket challenge and donate to ALS, I hope you will write a note to encourage them to stop harvesting embryonic stem cells from unborn fetuses as part of their research. Better yet, I hope you will send your generous donation to an organization that values ALL life and use your social media to increase the awareness of and sensitivity to the needs of those who endure great suffering of all kinds – like “the other bucket challenge” to provide clean water to those who have none.

 

As a media phenomenon the IBC will run its course. What will happen then? What about all the other people around you who also suffer. Will you take the challenge to support them?

 

Whether you have been excited by the ice bucket challenge or not, let’s take an even more important challenge every single day. Take the challenge to let your light shine, purposefully and intentionally, even in the social media. But more especially in your daily life and every day actions.

 

Preach the gospel to all the world  – and use words if you have to.