June 28, 2023

 

God is Faithful

 

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. – Hebrews 11:1

 

I struggle to see. Some days are worse than others but every day is frustrating. It was not what I expected in this season of life.

 

Isn’t that how it often is in our faith journey? Just as we enter a season of strong faith, we find ourselves rocked by yet another challenge. We do believe; Lord help our unbelief! (Mark 9:24)

 

Gratitude fills my heart. It could be so much worse. I know that. I am blessed that I can see some. I can still read, which is huge for me. And I am so, so grateful for a doctor willing to send me to a specialist who diagnosed my eye disease. I could easily have gone blind without that diagnosis.

 

Still, sometimes as I list my blessings, my heart wants to delve into self-pity. Isn’t it enough that I already deal with the side-effects of chemo? Must I add yet another issue? Then I look around and remind myself once again that I am truly blessed.

 

I know that God is in this place. I count blessing after blessing, the most important one being that He never, ever left me. When my world fell apart, He was there. When I was being blamed for sins that weren’t mine, He was there. When I was afraid of the future, He was right there.

 

We lose sight of that sometimes. We forget that God holds us tightly throughout our journey. He knows exactly what we need, and who we need, before we even realize it. God takes care of His own.

 

Several years ago we had some sweet friends going through a terrible trial. He was a pastor who’d lost his church. It got ugly as the pastor stood firm in his faith. During that season of renewal, God provided jobs and strength. Now this same pastor serves a church that adores he and his family. God has blessed them more than they could ever imagine.

 

What I remember most about his season of grief, is his attitude. He told me that God held him in the palm of His hand and there was no better, no safer, place to be. (Isaiah 49:46) He was so right.

 

I don’t know what you’re going through right now but know that God is there with you. Have faith that He sees you and has good things planned for you. (Jeremiah 29:11) Hold tight to your hope because He is faithful. Always. Forever. Faithful.

February 19, 2022

 

Start With You

 

You made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the LORD your God and said, ‘Pray to the LORD our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’ I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the LORD your God in all he sent me to tell you. – Jeremiah 42:20-21

 

We are a divided land. The division isn’t between Democrats and Republicans, Liberals and Conservatives, Americans and the rest of the world. The division is between those who truly hear God’s words and those who merely pretend to do so.

 

We are so intent on getting our own way that we miss the truth. And what might that truth be? That we’re all wrong in how we choose to follow our God.

 

It’s not about us. How often do we throw those words out? And, yet, it is. It’s about our opinions and our comfort. It’s about what we think is best for us. We pick and choose what to believe, using God’s words for destruction rather than direction and healing.

 

Anne Lamott said this: You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.

 

Ouch.

 

God is love and compassion and healing. God calls us to help those who are hurting and have needs. He never tells us to pick and choose who is worthy. But we do.  We’ve decided that we’re superior to those who have less or live in a different country and that opinion has hardened our hearts toward those made in God’s image.

 

We ask God what we should do. We plead with Him to heal our land and turn people back to Him. Yet we’re the very ones who refuse to do as He says.

 

Do you truly want to turn others toward God? Do you really want everyone to follow Him? Then start with yourself. Let someone cut in front of you in traffic. Smile at a stranger. Donate, and volunteer, at a food pantry. Refuse to look down on people, choosing instead to show them the light of Jesus in all that you say and do. People are drawn to those who actually live their faith. Kindness and compassion reflect Jesus.

 

It's so easy to demand change from others. We’re really good at pointing fingers and judging circumstances we don’t fully understand. Instead, take a step back and asked God to put in you a clean heart.

February 3, 2022

 

Look in the Mirror

 

‘“Why has the LORD dealt thus with this great city?”

And they will answer, “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and worshipped other gods and served them.”’

-- Jeremiah 22:8-9

 

They cry out for God to intervene. They loudly ask people to pray for God to return, to turn our nation around and back to Him. They point fingers and spew hard words at anyone who disagrees. They pray even as they harden their hearts toward others. They fail to see themselves as they really are.

 

Our nation is so very polarized. We have those who proclaim their faith even as they hold up individuals as saviors. They demand laws to protect themselves from those who aren’t like them. And they use the Bible to justify their actions. Can’t they see who they really are?

 

You can’t truly love God while you hate others who were made in His image. You can’t love like Jesus while demanding that others stay out of “your” country. You can’t minister to the poor while your words and hardened hearts blame them for their poverty.

 

We have become a nation that worships ourselves and our own agendas. We are a people who proclaim our rights even as we demand that others get out of our way so we can do as we please. We are more interested in our possessions – money, cars, homes – than people. We have filled our churches with modern-day Pharisees who claim to know God intimately but who have missed Him amongst all our rhetoric.

 

Why is our country torn apart? Because we have made gods of ourselves rather than worshipping the one, true God. Look in the mirror. Examine your own heart. Stop justifying yourself with lies.

January 21, 2022

                               Surrender

 

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. – Jeremiah 17:7

 

Worries abound. Health issues. Financial issues. Relationship issues. It’s like there is always something that threatens to steal our peace and drive us to the brink of anxiety.

 

We live in an uncertain world. Just when we think Covid is about to end, another variant emerges and here we go again. Have you lost someone you cared about to Covid? I have. Many times over. Age doesn’t seem to matter. Covid doesn’t just hit the old and ill. It takes the young and healthy.

 

Prices on everything are skyrocketing. Food and gasoline and everything else are much higher now. But paychecks haven’t increased to cover those extra costs. Jobs are everywhere. Despite ugly comments about people too lazy to work and government handouts, unemployment is low. There simply aren’t enough people to fill vacancies, especially when those vacancies are for low pay.

 

Relationships are stressed by all the demands of this new life we didn’t want. Kids are in school one day and virtual the next. Parents are juggling jobs and schoolwork and childcare. Older folks are isolated from their peers and, in some cases, their families. We are all struggling in what appears to be an unending path to destruction.

 

How do we survive? God. We’re trying to manage things we were never meant to manage. We’re trying to control things we can’t control. We are allowing life to bring us to the breaking point without realizing God is the only One who is steadfast and true. He is the only anchor in this thing we call life.

 

What would happen if you simply surrendered it all to God? What would it feel like to hand it all over to the One who loves you most, the One who knows the answers, the One who can protect you from all harm?

 

We don’t have to do life on our own. We really don’t have to know all the answers. We can simply trust God and KNOW that He is in control and that we can find rest in the shelter of His arms

October 28, 2018

God Is Love

Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.

-- Jeremiah 5:21

The hatred and distrust of those who do not know Jesus, well, that’s almost expected. It’s about priorities and love. God is love. That’s what the Bible tells us. It also tells us we can’t hate others who are also made in the image of God and claim to love Him.

And, yet, we somehow believe that message doesn’t really apply to us. We “pray” for people to come to see things the way we do. We focus on small bits of the Bible, things we agree with and things that God condemned that also make us uncomfortable, while ignoring the passages that condemn what we hold dear.

We turn people away from Jesus. We polarize others because we are polarized. We have no mercy, kindness or compassion for anyone who looks, acts or, indeed, is different from us. And when we are called out for it, we blame the other political party or another religion, claiming that we are only defending God.

That’s what makes me angriest. This isn’t about God. It’s about self-interest. Let’s get real here folks. God doesn’t need us to defend Him. What God requires of us is that we love others, at times sacrificially, so that they can come to know Jesus through us.

“There are none so blind as those who will not see. The most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know.” Our pastor shared this quote today. It’s believed to have originated in 1546 with John Heywood. We’ve seen parts of it in other places as well, including in a popular song by Ray Stevens. Maybe the prophet Jeremiah was the first author because it’s strikingly similar to what he said.

We still don’t get it. We refuse to see what the Bible clearly says? Why do we claim a faith we don’t want to live?

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

– Mark 10:51-52

We don’t want to be healed. We don’t want to see. We don’t want to change. We’re comfortable where we are, living what we know, conforming to what feels good.

Our pastor said today that we are most blind in our hearts. And we are.

Last week someone sent pipe bombs to people who disagree with President Trump. That’s horrific. What’s worse? Those who took to social media and other outlets to try and turn it around and blame the other political party. Really? This isn’t about politics. It’s about hate. Why hasn’t everyone condemned this?

Yesterday 11 people died in a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Another hate attack on people who were only worshipping God. When is it going to stop? When are we going to change?

We Christians are part of the problem. How many times a day do you condemn or criticize someone who thinks or behaves differently than you do? How many times a day do you rant over what others might be taking from you? How many times a day do you blame the other party (whichever party that might be) for your problems?

God is love. Look in the mirror. If you are spreading hate and discord, you don’t have Jesus inside of you. Do you want to fix what’s wrong with our country? Start loving others with words and actions. In kindness and humility, serve others. Reach out to those who are different. Live like Jesus.

September 7, 2018

Check Your Motives

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, ‘“My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” – Matthew 21:12-13

“’Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe” – safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! Declares the LORD. – Jeremiah 7:9-11

It was just good business. Someone needed to change the Roman and Greek money for Jewish and Tyrian money. Someone needed to provide the offerings, for purchase of course, for those who traveled a distance to make sacrifices at God’s Temple.

What was the harm? Everyone needs to make money. They were just part of the outdoor market. Except it was God’s Temple. It wasn’t a place of business. They somehow missed that part.

So do we sometimes. Think about this: A woman steps up to lead a class at church. And she uses class time to promote her own business. Another woman sees the response of a church activity and quickly offers something similar for profit at her business. Is either illegal? Of course not. One could say both women are just being smart businesswomen. But where does the ethical line get drawn? When do we stop serving God and only serve our own best interests?

It’s been done always. We do business with other church members. We support each other. We like to keep it all in the family, so to speak. That’s a good thing – until it’s not.

A local church has tried for years to grow its membership. It seems to be a wonderful church with solid teaching with a little fun on the side. The problem? Well, it’s two-fold. First, it has a group of members who are happy to add workers but not willing to share control. They make the decisions and they will sharply push anyone aside who might have a suggestion or want to join in the discussions. Second, they only take care of their own. Don’t expect outreach or a helping hand if you aren’t a member. For that matter, don’t expect it unless you’re from one of the ruling families or are somehow connected. It’s not about Jesus, something others are quick to see.

Do they truly want to grow their membership? Absolutely. They want your money and your name on their rolls. But don’t expect anything else. It’s just so sad.

Several years ago our contemporary worship committee decided to sell merchandise before and after the service and during the fellowship time. They even promoted the merchandise at the beginning of the service, Needless to say, there was a great deal of criticism and the whole idea flopped. It was just wrong to use worship to make money and promote your “business.”

I wonder if we’ve somehow forgotten what worship is all about. I wonder if we’ve lost sight of what being the church is all about. We’re so focused on benefiting ourselves that we miss the heart of God.

September 1, 2018

How Wise Are We?

Babylon was a gold cup in the LORD’s hand; she made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad.

– Jeremiah 51:7

We like to quote Jeremiah’s prophecy about God wanting good things for us. We like to remember that God has plans to prosper us and not to harm us. Yes, we like the book of Jeremiah.

Until we get to the other parts of it. We don’t see the relationship between Babylon and us. We don’t think that any of that destruction applies to us. We don’t believe that we could possibly be that evil.

God used Babylon to destroy other nations. He allowed her to prosper, to conquer, to gather luxuries and money and power. And then, when God had achieved His purpose, God destroyed Babylon. Doesn’t that cause anyone to pause for even a moment?

What was in the gold cup mentioned in this verse? It was poison. What was the poison? The splendor of Babylon. All that stuff that we hold near and dear. You know what I’m talking about. Wealth and power and prestige. New cars and big houses and luxurious vacations. One commentary referred to it as the influence of evil.

There’s nothing wrong with any of those things I listed, of course. At least, not until we desire those things more than we desire God. The wine, that poison we’re talking about? Well, it’s all about idolatries. And we’re all about idolatries.

How far are you willing to go to increase your bank account? What are you willing to do to increase your power? What will you sacrifice to get what you want? How many compromises will you make on your path to glory?

Revelation refers to Babylon and her adulteries. Revelation calls Babylon the mother of prostitutes. Do you think that applies to you? Are you sure? What are you willing to do? Where does that line hold when it comes to getting what you want out of life? What exactly do you think you deserve? And what will you do to get it?

Our great country began as a nation that allowed freedom to worship. We wanted a free press, recognizing that the freedom to speak protects us from those who would ram their own views down onto us. And now we are led by a bully who seeks to destroy anyone who disagrees with him. Some of his loudest supporters are people of faith. Can anyone else see Babylon in these days we are living now?

I hear dear people proclaim the gospel, then slam the poor as “lazy” and “stupid” and “unworthy.” They don’t know the people they condemn. They would never dirty their hands with volunteer work or interacting with someone they consider beneath them.

I hear wonderful Christians make excuses for lies and sin, insisting that another person’s sin justifies what we see today. I try to hold my tongue and I wonder if that isn’t sin too. Does my silence mean that I don’t care? Does my silence indicate that wrong behavior is okay with me? It’s not. I simply don’t want the backlash of controversy. That’s wrong.

As God’s people, we are called to take a stand. We are called to love people the world has cast aside. We are called to condemn lies and bullying and excess. We are to be kind to the point of loving our enemies. We are to be different from the world we live in. Instead, we are leading the charge away from God. That gold cup we value? It’s the poison that will destroy us if we don’t change course and turn back – truly turn back – to God.

August 24, 2018

The Choice is Yours

Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the LORD our God.”

– Jeremiah 42:6

I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the LORD your God in all he sent me to tell you. – Jeremiah 42:21

We tell ourselves and others that we’ll do whatever it is God calls us to do. We mean it. Sort of. We’ll gladly step out in faith on a journey of our choosing. But when God calls us to a place we’d rather not go, well, thanks but no thanks.

Faith isn’t for wimps, that’s for sure! God rarely calls us to go someplace nice and safe. He doesn’t usually ask us to do something that is so routine we can do it without even trying. God is all about growth and change and bringing us closer to the imagine of His Son. He can’t do that when our feet are stuck in the sameness of today.

We like our routines, don’t we? We like our days to go smoothly. If we crave excitement, it’s of our choosing. We love vacations, maybe a game or motorcycle ride. We want to be in control. We want to do what we want to do when we want to do it.

But God knows we’d never grow without change. How can unchallenged faith ever grow deep roots? How can we learn compassion if we never experience heartache? How can we learn to trust Him when we only stay where we can take care of ourselves?

It was a bad time for God’s people. They had disobeyed and God had allowed Babylon to take most of them. There was a remnant left. They sought out Jeremiah, the prophet who’d warned them about God’s anger. This was the same prophet they’d imprisoned, the same prophet they’d ignored.

This time they were determined to heed whatever God told Jeremiah. They promised. Until Jeremiah told them what God said. They had a choice. They could do as God commanded and remain where they were or they could head toward what they saw as safety in Egypt. They chose Egypt – and death.

We make choices every day as to whether we will follow God or our own wisdom. For example: You feel the Holy Spirit telling you to leave your secure job and move to another. You think about it. You pray about it. But you just can’t trust God enough to take that leap. Several months later your company downsizes and you’re laid off. If you’d followed the Holy Spirit’s promptings, you’d still have a good job. It’s a missed opportunity and heartache you needlessly suffer because of your disobedience.

Maybe it’s something totally different. You’re hanging out with people who sometimes skirt God’s laws. They gossip. Maybe they go out drinking every now and then, then leave the restaurant a little bit tipsy. Maybe they fudge on their expense reports. Maybe they flirt with strangers even though they’re married. Maybe they tell little “white” lies. Nothing big. None of it is big. You are confident you won’t become like them. You’re confident you’ll stay righteous. Until the day you don’t.

We have an uncanny ability to become like the people we hang around with. While we may want to be a positive influence on them, oftentimes it doesn’t work that way. The gossip is too juicy. The crowd is too influential. Before we know it, we’ve become one of them.

It’s not like God didn’t warn us. We just didn’t want to listen. We head down a path toward a place we never expected to go. We’ve pulled away from God. We want Him – but we also want to be part of this world. We can’t have both. Trying to walk that line of obedience when surrounded by the pull of sin, well, we’re bound to fall.

God’s people had to make a choice: follow God or follow their own wisdom. They chose what they believed was the “safe” choice and paid for it with their lives. In a very real sense, we do the same thing when we do what we know we shouldn’t do, hang out with people who are bad influences or we stay where we are when we know God is calling us to something different.

Every day you have a choice to follow God or the world. Choose wisely.

August 20, 2018

Fix Yourself First

“And when the people ask, ‘Why has the LORD our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.’” – Jeremiah 5:19

We want to put God back in our schools. We want to put prayer back in our public meetings. We want to place carved images of the Ten Commandments on public property. We are convinced that doing these things will lead to a revival in our country. We know that doing these things will decrease violence, drug abuse, gang activity, and general unlawfulness.

But will any of those things change your heart? Will any of those things put God back in your home? Will any of those things cause you to rearrange your priorities so that God is first at all times, no matter the cost or sacrifice?

We want our world to change for the better but we don’t want to be part of that change. We call for others to do things. We pray “thy will be done” when we really mean “my will be done.”

We harden our hearts toward foreigners and those who don’t look like us. We brush aside those who face financial challenges, being quick to blame them while tightly holding on to what we have. We aren’t going to share. Nope. No way. They can work hard and get their own stuff.

We like our stuff. We cling to it as though we’ll have it forever. We act as though now is all there is. We believe that no one is more important than self. Well, maybe family so long as they exalt us.

We don’t see anything wrong with our behavior. We don’t recognize the double-standard. We’re so busy condemning abortion and homosexuality that we miss love and mercy, grace and compassion. We judge what isn’t ours to judge. We cast out people that God loves. We call ourselves justified. Our sins call us condemned.

Except for the blood of Jesus. We’re quick to point that out. He saved us and we’re headed to heaven – along with everyone we like. We can’t imagine that God wants to save murderers and rapists, white-trash and foreigners. We act as though God couldn’t possibly want anyone who isn’t like us. Does anyone else see the hypocrisy? Jesus ate with tax collectors, fallen women, those who were poor and cast out. The Pharisees were furious. Jesus didn’t care.

But we care. We want all the perks of being Christ followers without all the dirtiness of associating with “sinners.” We want all our toys, our electronics, our nice cars, our big houses, without having to sacrifice anything for the Church or orphans or widows or foreigners. We are like young children yelling “mine!” even though everything really belongs to God.

Some people don’t believe the Bible, especially the Old Testament, is relevant today. I would invite them to read Jeremiah. This great prophet warns God’s people of His coming wrath but they didn’t believe him. They couldn’t understand how God could possibly let His people be captured by Babylon. They kept thinking God would change his mind, even when they refused to change their hearts and their behavior.

Do you want to fix our country? Do you want to turn it back toward Christ? Then start at home. Pray without ceasing. Live with compassion and kindness. Share freely. Give to God first, trusting Him with all your needs. Be His light in this dark world. Stop waiting for someone else to lead the way. Start where you are. Change your heart. And watch how powerfully God shows up to change your life.

August 12, 2018

Are You Right?

“My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.” – Jeremiah 4:22

The other day a usually sweet young woman tried to explain something to me. I listened. I did. Then I tried to explain to her that she was wrong and why she was wrong. She became so upset with me that she was almost yelling. It would have been comical if it wasn’t so sad.

Here’s a simple truth: We are rarely as smart as we think we are and other people are rarely as dumb as we think they are. Let that soak in for a moment.

Sometimes we are so busy being right that we miss learning something new. Sometimes we are so set in our beliefs that we miss the truth staring right at us.

Look at the Pharisees. They knew God’s Word. They were well-versed in Jewish law. But they were so busy keeping the rules and looking down on others that they missed the Messiah. What are you missing? Be careful how you answer.

God was furious with His people because they didn’t know Him. They really didn’t. They went through the motions of sacrifice, all the while doing evil. And they somehow believed it was all okay with Him. It wasn’t.

Sometimes I see and hear the actions of others and I wonder if they heard anything the pastor said on Sunday. Maybe they didn’t think it applied to them. It does. Just like it applies to me and you. It’s not about us. It’s about God. Be honest. Do good. Put Him first. It’ll all work out.

Because when we invite God into whatever we’ve got going on, it does work out. When we get out of the way and ask Him to control the situation, He works it out for our good and His glory. And when we set our own agendas and try to manipulate a situation to fit our desires and what we think is right, it always blows up in a really nasty way.

Read your Bible. You’ll see that truth playing out again and again. God won’t tolerate disobedience, especially when it’s done in His name. Church is no place for selfish motivations and backstabbing maneuverings. Of course, we could say the same about life. Can you imagine how the world would change if God’s people always behaved like God’s people should?

We are so busy pointing fingers at everyone else that we miss the plank in our own eyes. We’re supposed to work together, to respect each other, to listen and learn and grow in His Word. We can’t see that.

Oh, we claim we do. We’re happy to tell you how things are supposed to be. I’ve had people quote the Bible to me and become really upset when I ask them to show me where the quote actually is in the Bible. Do you know why? Because the “quote” wasn’t there. They were passing on things they’d heard without bothering to read and study God’s Word for themselves.

I am not perfect. I make mistakes daily. So do you. But when we seek God’s Presence in all we do, when our hearts try desperately to do His will and to bring honor to His name, it shows up in our relationships with others. We find ourselves extending grace and mercy. We come to understand that we don’t have all the answers. He does.

The next time you get upset because you “know” you’re right and someone else is wrong, take a deep breath and hold your words. Ask God for insight and wisdom. You may not be as right as you think you are and they may not be as wrong as you think they are.

August 11, 2018

Priorities

Do not run until your feet are bare and your throat is dry. But you said, “It’s no use! I love foreign gods, and I must go after them.’ – Jeremiah 2:25

We think of foreign gods as being idols cast in gold, in wood, in stone. It’s an Old Testament thing. It’s ridiculous to think we would ever bow down to a gold calf. Right?

An idol doesn’t have to be made of gold or shaped like a calf. It doesn’t have to be a statue you bow to. It can be anything you place at the top of your wish list. It can be whatever you value most.

Well, family, friends, church. We know exactly how to answer that question. But look at your heart. What do you think about the most? What occupies your time? Where does your money go? What do you talk about?

We all have different gods that we worship. It could be power or greed. You don’t think that applies to you? How often do you think about controlling your work environment and playing “politics” in order to advance your own career? How much effort do you make to acquire more and more money, well beyond what you actually need?

Some people use their phones or other devices as their gods. You don’t think it applies to you? How often do you ignore your spouse, your children, your friends, as you focus on your phone? I know. You think you’re good at multi-tasking. You aren’t. When you share a meal with someone and you spend most of the time on the phone, you have elevated that phone to a god that matters more than the people you are with.

The question becomes does it matter more than God? Have you ever made excuses for missing church, Sunday School or Bible study? What are those excuses? Maybe time is a factor. Why? I’ll admit it really irritates me when someone says they can’t participate because they’re too busy but they always talk about watching television or playing computer games. It’s all about priorities and their priority isn’t God.

The truth is we love God. We do. But we love other things too. We don’t want to have to choose which we love more. We’d rather keep trying to balance it all out so we get it all. But you can’t have it all. God is a jealous God and He demands that He be our One and Only.

It’s so easy to get caught up on the outside, isn’t it? It’s easy to focus on the trappings of life and forget about the living water we need to survive. It’s easy to shift our priorities and make it all about us and our desires. It’s easy to forget that we are here to serve and glorify God – not give in to our own selfish desires.

Take a good, hard look at how you spend your days. How much time do you spend scrolling on Facebook? How hard is it for you to put your phone away (like in another room) and actually talk to the people you claim to love so much? Can you let go of office politics, shove it out of your mind, and maybe instead pray for your adversaries? Can you be a little more generous with those who don’t have as many things as you do? Can you be a little less judgmental of people who aren’t like you?

At the end of the day, it won’t matter how many promotions you got at work. It won’t matter how often you went on social media to blast the other political party or other issues of the day. It won’t matter what your address was or how many clothes your closet held. It won’t even matter how many gadgets you owned or how fast you could text.

What matters is how well you loved. What matters is how well you served God’s people. What matters is that your life elevate God so that through your words and actions others see Him in you.

August 8, 2018

Cast Pride Aside

"How you plot and scheme to win your lovers. Even an experienced prostitute could learn from you!" – Jeremiah 2:33

I call it growing pains. Our ministry group has expanded to include more events and, thus, more people involved in the various projects and classes. The hiccups are driving me nuts.

I recognize it as Satan trying to derail our plans to draw more people toward Jesus. I understand that. Unfortunately, not everyone else does. The egos and claws have emerged and they’ve got nothing to do with bringing glory to God.

Have you experienced this? Anyone active in church probably has. I doubt there’s any place more focused on politics, power and squabbles than a church. Pride has destroyed so many churches, so many wonderful endeavors. It doesn’t need to be that way.

I love this passage from Jeremiah. God is telling His people how they have betrayed Him. His people are telling God they aren’t guilty. Of course, they were. So are we.

When we set out to organize an event at church, it’s not about the individuals organizing it. It’s not about bringing glory and accolades to the church. It’s about God. It’s about bringing Him glory. It’s about shining a light that draws others toward Him. When we lose sight of that, it becomes about us and our egos. Things quickly deteriorate from there.

I’m not into micro-managing people who are volunteering for a specific project. I’m not into trying to control everything and everyone. I also detest drama. We’ve built an incredible team of capable individuals. We work together, each doing her own job, communicating and sharing ideas with an easy comradery.

Others coming in aren’t doing so well with that. And I’m not doing so well with the backbiting power plays. It’s just not okay. It’s out of place in service to God. Actually, it’s out of place anywhere.

We are not a group where cliques will exist. I am not alone in that view. Everyone is welcome. Everyone is equally important. Everyone’s ideas are considered. Like I said earlier, we’re a team.

Maybe I’m just really sensitive on this issue. I’ve watched churches torn apart because a few individuals needed to control everything. It became about their pride. It was never about God. Jesus wasn’t invited to the table. And nobody listened to the Holy Spirit.

I spend a great many hours each week in service to God. I am not in service to the church, to any individuals or to a particular committee. Everything I do is to bring glory to Him. Do I fail Him sometimes? Absolutely. And I count on other team members to work with me to keep us all focused on the only One who matters.

I don’t know your situation. I hope you are volunteering and serving God wherever you are. And I hope you stand strong and refuse to allow yourself to be pulled in to unnecessary political drama. When Satan tries to tear people apart, refuse to be a part of it. Pray without ceasing and stand firm in His strength. Pride has no place in the kingdom of God.

August 4, 2018

Surrender Plans to God

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

– Jeremiah 29:11-13

Sometimes it seems that the harder I try to get control of my life, the more my life is out of control. Anybody know what I’m talking about?

It’s all those little things that pop up, taking my plans and causing them to zig and zag until there’s no time left for what was on my to-do list. I try to laugh it off. Some days I even succeed. But there are those days when frustration gains a root hold that won’t seem to let go.

It helps to know that while I’m not in control, God surely is in control. Nothing surprises Him. God knew the cows would destroy the gate and take a section of fence down. He knew the dog would get sprayed by a skunk – again. God understood that I would need to prepare food, attend a funeral, visit a friend who just had surgery. He even knew I would have furniture orders to get done in this high-humidity week.

I gave up trying to predict the future several years ago. What was the point? I could never have predicted some of the things that have happened. It’s a good thing. I think God sometimes keeps us in the dark because He knows we’d never keep going if we knew what awaited us.

And, yet, when we surrender whatever it is to His will, God always uses it for our good and His glory. That’s the kind of loving Father God happens to be.

That’s the thing about trials. When there’s no place else to turn, we turn to God. When we’ve done all we can, we turn to God. When everything we once believed is crashing down around us, we turn to God. It’s in the valleys that we truly learn who He is.

Oh, but we want the mountaintop, don’t we? Sure, we do. But that’s not where we live. That’s not the real world. And while we enjoy those experiences immensely, life is messy and prone to disruptions. We think we’re headed in one direction and, almost without notice, we’ve changed course.

What happened? Life. Our plans are thrown out and we’re struggling to stay afloat and there is God. When everyone else seeks higher ground, there is God. When nothing seems to work, there is God.

A sweet friend said today that she’d finally found true happiness. But – and this is a big but – it didn’t happen until she’d surrendered it all to God. I’m not talking about salvation. She’s been a Christian for a long, long time. It’s about trying to live life, make choices, find happiness, without handing all your plans over to God first and trusting Him with all of it. Once she did that, everything fell into place.

The truth is we can’t predict how our days are going to turn out. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. We can plan, and make lists, and stubbornly hang onto our goals, but it’s God that determines our steps. And they are good steps. Don’t miss that. God wants good things for us.

I’m learning how to roll with things life throws my way. I’m getting better at trusting that God knows how it’s all going to play out and that He’ll work it out however is best for me and for Him. He’s got good plans for me and you. So seek His will and walk each step by faith, trusting that He’s got you no matter what the day might bring.

June 18, 2018

Surrender Your Stubbornness

But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.

 – Jeremiah 7:24

It was the story of Molly the Mule. Molly wouldn’t obey anyone until the day she tore her lead loose and ended up tangled in barbed wire. She had to lay there patiently as the wire was cut away from her, the blood was rinsed from her body and all her wounds received ointment. Molly changed when she realized her people were only trying to help her. She gave up her stubbornness and became obedient.

God’s people would eventually learn the same lesson. Again. We’re no different. God asks us to obey and we do until we get overconfident in our own abilities. Then we slowly drift toward doing things our way instead of His. When our lives are in shambles, we turn to God again and repeat the process.

Why are we so stubborn? Why won’t we listen to the One who knows what is best for us, the One who loves us unconditionally? Why must we continually make bad choices that go against His best for our lives?

My youngest dog had a really bad day. He got into trouble again and again. It’s like he couldn’t help himself. Destroying something was awful. Trying to do it again was infuriating. But when he didn’t come when he was called? That’s scary. He doesn’t see the danger. His coming when I call, whether he wants to or not, can determine whether he remains safe or not.

That’s how it is with us. God wants to keep us safe and happy. But we continually make bad choices and refuse to honor Him with our lives. We let things slide. We make excuses. We all do. And we pay consequences we never expected for what seemed like simple choices that wouldn’t make a difference.

Life has a way of snowballing, doesn’t it? One small choice leads to another larger choice. My little fellow wasn’t thinking about getting hurt. He wasn’t thinking about danger. He simply wanted to run and play where he wanted to run and play. I knew that one encounter with a new calf could result in serious injury. Mama cows, especially those with newborns, are extremely protective. He would only want to play with the new calf but mama cow wouldn’t see it that way.

That’s how we are. We only want to play. And have fun. What’s one night out in a bar with our co-workers? What does it matter if I fudge a little on my taxes or text while I’m driving? Surely no one cares if I miss church to go to the beach or a ballgame. Let someone else volunteer, and tithe, and visit the elderly or sick.

Except we aren’t here to serve ourselves. We are here to do God’s will and to serve others so that He might be glorified through us. In turn, we end up happier and more satisfied when we’re focused on God and others instead of ourselves.

It’s hard to relinquish our stubborn need to control. It’s not so easy to step aside and put others before ourselves. And it surely doesn’t feel great when God asks us to do something we really don’t want to do. Do it anyway.

As Molly the Mule learned, true freedom comes when we surrender control and let God lead us.

May 3, 2018

What Does Faith Like?

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. – 1 John 2:15-17

It’s possible to talk about loving God without actually loving God. That was the message from the guest pastor at our church. Who can argue with that truth? Surely, we all know someone who says all the right things and then lives his life in all the wrong ways?

And that person is never us. Ever. We love God. We love Jesus. We love the Holy Spirit. Just ask us. We’re good people doing the best we can. Just ask us.

Here’s a basic truth: God has not called us to the American dream. He has called us to do greater works than Jesus did on this earth. Jesus called us to go about the Father’s business. The Father’s business is not the great American dream.

Someone right now is throwing out the words of Jeremiah. Yes, God has good plans for us. Yes, God wants to give us hope and see us prosper. But what, exactly, does that look like?

For many Christians that looks like a big house and new cars. It looks like a nice vacation every year and dinners out at least once a week. It looks like dance lessons and Little League and all the things our children enjoy. It’s that new phone, that boat, that remodeled kitchen.

But does any of that look like our Father’s business? If we’re honest the answer is no. It’s not that God doesn’t want us to have all those things and many, many more. It’s just that those things should never be our priority. And those things, those activities, should never keep us from doing the things and investing in the things God has called us to do.

Ouch.

Satan tells us we deserve everything our hearts desire. He entices us to want more and more, better and better. When is enough really enough? We’re never satisfied because we are seeking to fill ourselves up with stuff rather than the purposes of God.

We think we know what service means. We count the seats that are filled in our sanctuaries rather than by the lives changed through discipleship. We measure our worth by our budgets rather that the lives touched through outreach. Are we fruitful people? Do we really know what that means?

Lives that are devoted to loving God and serving people as Jesus did look different than lives cruising through with barely a glance at His truth. We can say all the right things but do our lives really reflect the faith we claim? Are people changed for having known us, for watching how we live? Or are we just one more example of excess in a world full of hypocrites?

God knows your heart. He knows mine too. What does He see inside? Think about it.

March 28, 2018

How Deep Is Your Faith?

But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. – Jeremiah 17:7-8

For every nonbeliever who gets cancer, God allows a believer to get cancer too so that the world can see the difference. I read that recently and it really made me pause and think for a moment. Does our faith truly make us different or does calamity sink us in its stormy seas?

There’s one thing certain about this life: There are peaks and valleys, good times and bad. That’s the ebb and flow of it. We aren’t created to live always on the mountain top. Indeed, it is in the valley where we learn the most about God and about ourselves.

A dear friend is battling cancer right now. She’s completed chemo and surgery and has just started radiation. She did everything right. She always got checkups when she was supposed to. She was vigilant. Cancer didn’t care.

Her faith is strong, probably stronger now than ever before. She’s been a believer for longer than she can remember. But she’d lost that fire inside. Do you know what I mean? She wasn’t hungry anymore for God’s word. It was just too easy to sleep late, to fill her moments with life and laughter. Until one day it all came crashing down in a diagnosis no one was expecting.

God holds us up in times like that. He’s the first One we cry out to when we realize the storm could be the end. And He’s always there. He never has something better to do, never leaves us to face the crisis alone, never demands that we right our lives before He’ll help us. There’s a lesson there for all of us.

This sweet woman has mostly been a pillar of strength. In those moments when life has seemed so fragile and the fight so long, God has sent friends to strengthen her for the journey. Fear is a horrendous companion. Scars remind us of the battle that has changed us forever. The pain seems never-ending. His love remains.

God never said we wouldn’t have trials. In fact, Jesus told us to expect them. So why are we so surprised when the storm hits?

I have reached the age when Bible verse memorization is labored and hard. Yet, I know it is necessary. Because when the pain threatens to overwhelm a shattered heart, it’s the words of God that sooth. The time to grow our roots, to water our souls with prayer and study, is while we are on the mountain top. It’s when our souls are flourishing and our days are filled with light that our roots grow deep into the soil.

Darkness has a way of coming when we least expect it. It’s imperative to have deep roots before it hits. How we weather the season of dismay is directly tied to how we have prepared for the storm. Don’t wait until the storm hits to plant roots deep enough to stand firm.

April 21, 2016

Let It Go

“Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress.” -- Jeremiah 11:14

Do you believe God sends people into your path to give you a message you need to hear? I do.

Most of the time I hear God speak through the Bible, through devotionals and books that I read. I’ll hear Him as I pray or I’ll just “know” that He has told me to go a certain way or take a specific action.

The other day I ran in to someone I haven’t seen in several years. It wasn’t in a town I frequent. It wasn’t in a place I’d ever been before.

The conversation wasn’t what I expected. He brought up something he was going through and how he’d finally let it go. It’s in Jeremiah, he said. God told me not to pray for them anymore. Just let it go, he said.

I was shocked. Surprised. The words are right there. (And also in Jeremiah 14:11) God didn’t want Jeremiah to pray for them because they continued to sin. God is patient and loving and merciful but eventually He will dispense justice. We prefer to forget that sometimes.

I thought a lot about what he said. And I prayed about it. Again and again I prayed. He was right. There is a time to move on, to let it go, to stop praying about it.

I never thought I’d say that. Not ever. My faith is so deep. There is always hope. Always. But we cannot change the hearts of those who don’t see the evil in their actions. It is a matter between them and God. Their choice.

My heart bleeds because I know that eternity looms and they are lost. Do you know someone like that? Do you hurt for someone who is lost? Do you carry the pain of their actions in your heart?

I forgive anew each day. It is an ongoing process. Mostly these days I am just sad. It didn’t have to be this way but hatred born in childhood and not dealt with will inevitably lead to a path of destruction.

I think hope will always be deep inside of me that something will change in their hearts. I also know from experience it is a change that can only come from God. I have finally let it go.

What about you? Is there something or something you need to let go of?

April 6, 2016

Enjoy This Season

4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” -- Jeremiah 29:4-9

Where did the day go? I had plans and, once again, what I planned didn’t come to pass because of the many things I didn’t plan that came up along the way. Do you ever travel that road? It can be so frustrating!

But God always gives us what we need and I needed these verses from Jeremiah. I’ve read them before, of course, but this time the writer pointed out that this is what God told His people BEFORE He told them about the good plans He had for them.

Why is that so significant? Because God was telling His people to plant gardens where they were going to be in exile for 70 years. THEN came the good plans.

I am not good at waiting. I’ve said that many times before. Yet sometimes we don’t have a choice. God puts us where He wants us and tells us to stay until it’s time to move on.

At that point, we can choose how we handle where He’s placed us. Do we let our hearts fill with bitterness and impatience or do we open ourselves up to serve and be His hands and feet where we are? The choice belongs to us.

Waiting isn’t passive. It’s active and full of things to do. I think that’s where we sometimes get off track. We think that waiting means we allow our lives to become stagnant and that’s not what it means at all.

We all have seasons in our lives. There are seasons for being children, for advanced learning, for marriage and children and working day after day. I am in the season of caregiving. I cherish this time, yet it is stressful and emotional.

What season are you in? Did you plan it or did life intervene? And are you okay with it? That’s a big one. Learning to be okay where you are, planting a garden and watching it grow and bloom, makes the seasons seem worthwhile.

God has good plans for us. It just may take a while to see them come to fruition. Enjoy the journey.

November 16, 2014

Pray For Your City

 

Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city for which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. -- Jeremiah 29:7

 

The election is past but the fighting continues. Democrats. Republicans. With a little Tea Party thrown in the mix. We're so busy pointing fingers and "knowing" what is right, that we miss the point.

And the point in, you ask. What is God's will for this country? What will bring Him glory? Sometimes it seems that we are so busy telling everyone how it should be that we don't really consider God.

We say we do. We probably believe we do. But we condemn the poor, without knowing the facts. We call the unemployed lazy without knowing how many resumes they've sent out. We criticize health care without offering a solution that provides medical care to the working poor. It goes on and on. Did God really expect us to be so hard-hearted?

My Sunday school class has been studying the book of Daniel. In Chapter 9, Daniel prays to God, pleading for mercy and forgiveness. The 70 years of exile are coming to an end. Jeremiah spoke of this in Chapter 29. Yet Daniel knows that we all have sinned. But, here's the thing: Daniel didn't point fingers. He didn't make excuses. He didn't compare the Jews to the Babylonians. He simply admitted how God's people had failed Him and he asked for God's forgiveness and mercy.

There's a lesson in that for us. We point fingers at everyone but ourselves. We compare ourselves to others, always making sure that we look better than the other guy. We have so many excuses and none of them matter. We fail God. We have our own agendas. We seek our own will over His.

So today, take a moment to pray for your city, your country, your people. Ask God for His will to be done. Admit your own sin, and apologize for it. The apologize for the sins of those around you. No finger pointing. Just simple and true and front the heart. Then ask God for mercy and blessings so that He might be glorified.

Because that's what it is all about anyway. God. Not you. Not me. God. It changes the focus and puts it where it belongs. Thank you Jesus! Thank you! Your will be done.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Impress God First

I know, O LORD, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. -- Jeremiah 10:23

Who did you try to impress today? Oh, come on. Surely there was somebody you wanted to admire you, to think highly of you, to want to be like you. Maybe a boss or co-worker, a spouse or friend, a neighbor or fellow church member.

And that’s not all bad. In some cases, we strive harder and higher than we might otherwise. Or we clean our house with a little more diligence. Or we give a little more of ourselves to a worthy cause.

Other times it’s not good at all. We end up trying to be someone we aren’t trying to impress people we really shouldn’t want to impress. It’s that whole social class thing. We learned it in grade school. Everyone wanted to be friends with the popular kids, to be chosen first on sports teams, to fit in with the “in” crowd.

We carry that with us throughout our lives. We must be careful so that we don’t lose focus on the only One we need to impress: God.

The other day I watched someone working really hard in the blazing July heat. He knew it was way too hot to be doing what he was doing. He’d remarked on it himself for weeks. But company was coming and he wanted to impress them with all that he had done.

I’m just as guilty. A small group is using our Sunday school room for class one night a week. We’d been talking about for months that we needed to refresh and update the classroom. Suddenly, it’s become more urgent. We want to make a good impression. I want to make a good impression.

We want other people to like us and take notice of us. I wish we tried just as hard to impress God. What would God have you do today? What do you need to clean up so that it’s up to God’s standards? What do you need to try harder at so that God will admire your efforts?

God deserves our very best but sometimes it seems as though we’re so busy trying to impress other people that we neglect the One who created us and loves us most of all. We relegate God to the backburner, determined to get to whatever it is that He’s called us to do when we finish with everything else.

Our balance is more than a little out of whack. We don’t belong to ourselves. And we certainly don’t belong to all those people we’re trying to impress. We belong to God and our goal should always be to put Him first and do whatever He has called us to do to the best of our ability.

So who do you try to impress today? I hope you answered “God.”