April 11, 2018

Step Out In Faith

Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!” The LORD is good to those who depend on Him, to those who search for Him. – Lamentations 3:21-25

I sometimes wish life was a straight path with clear instructions along the way. It would just be so much easier. Life isn’t that way at all. It is filled with peaks and valleys, twists and turns, joy and sorrow. And sometimes it all seems to happen at once.

Life comes with many options. Choices. It’s not just about right and wrong. Some things are black and white that way. But many choices aren’t so clear. Is one way really better than another? What is God’s plan? Does He even care which road we take?

A few years ago a sweet friend was offered a teaching job at the high school. She already had a wonderful job with great benefits and regular hours. Working at the high school, well, there’s no such thing as regular hours.

Administrators had noticed her because she moonlighted at the school as a sports trainer. The kids loved her and she loved them. Her face would light up when she talked about those teens. They were her heart.

But then there was that job. The secure job. The steady paycheck with good benefits. She said no to the school’s offer. And life continued on – until the next time the offer came. She finally gave in to the nudge of the Holy Spirit and accepted the job at the high school.

She loves it! The kids love her. Her students are among the top-ranked in the state. It’s a win-win for everyone. It’s a choice she resisted. It’s a road she almost didn’t take.

Was there anything wrong with her other job? Absolutely not. She could have stayed on that path and, likely, occasionally touched lives with her faith and her abilities. But, oh, the lives she is changing now! Teens respond to those who genuinely care for them. We all do, really. And it has made all the difference. She has made all the difference.

I don’t know where God is leading you. I don’t know if the Holy Spirit is nudging you out of your comfort zone, to a place you never thought to go. Pay attention. There’s nothing wrong with steady and true – except when God is calling you to so much more. The LORD is good to those who seek Him and depend on Him. His love never ends. If He’s calling you to something more, listen. He could have so much more planned for you if you will only trust Him enough to take a chance.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Everyone Has A Sinful Past

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. -- Lamentations 3:23

A dear friend has a past she would like to forget. This wonderful person had an affair during her first marriage, something she still regrets. Not surprisingly, a divorce was the result. She has since remarried and rebuilt her life.

She has moved on as best she can. It has been many, many years. Her ex-husband has done the same. The people in the small town where she lives, well, they haven’t been so quick to forgive and forget. They still whisper about her great sin, reminding her with smirks of the person she used to be.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be so difficult to bear if these were perfect people looking down on her. They aren’t. Some have cheated others in business. A few drink too much. Others have lied and done things they wouldn’t want anyone else to know. Yet they feel qualified to judge her.

I’m not trying to excuse what she did. But she admitted her mistake and has paid dearly for it. Most importantly, she confessed her sin to God and He forgave her. That has allowed her to move forward.

It’s not that she wouldn’t change it if she could. She can’t. None of us can change our pasts. And we’ve ALL got things we wish we hadn’t said or done.

So often other Christians are the worst judges of all. They remind me of the Pharisees, so caught up in their rules that they can’t get past them to see their own sin. It’s easy to see the sins of others. It’s not so easy to see our own.

Another women tells of her brokenness after the business she and her husband started, failed. Bankruptcy and financial destruction followed. She could handle the loss of possessions and even their home. But the humiliation and talk just about did her in.

Fortunately, she’s surrounded now by a church family in a different town who loves them both and could care less about their past. Maybe it’s because so many of us glance back and see our own skeletons.

Some people who judge and criticize are trying to tear others down in order to build themselves up. Perhaps they think their own pasts -- or presents -- won’t stink so much if they focus on the sins of someone else.

It’s easy to point your finger and gossip about someone else. It’s not so easy to look back and remember where you’ve been. I thank God that every day His mercies begin anew. My sins are forgiven. What about yours?

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Trust God To Take Care Of You

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; -- Lamentations 3:25

What are you trusting God for today? What seems impossible to you without His hand guiding the way? What hope are you holding on to as you face the ups and downs of life?

So often we only view our problems, our issues, our challengers through our own eyes. We don’t stop to consider how they seem to God. We waste countless hours worrying about things we can’t control. We are filled with despair because we see no way out, no hope for a better tomorrow.

We seek God’s advice. We want Him to tell us what to do. We plead with Him, asking again and again for our Father to point us in the right direction. Silence. We become more frantic and still nothing happens. We gain no insights.

Sometimes, we forge ahead without waiting for God’s direction. We’ve determined that we must act and since God doesn’t seem to be responding, we’ll just do what we think is best. That’s what is known as a recipe for disaster. The Bible is filled with admonitions to wait for the LORD. And we need to do just that, no matter how difficult it is at times.

What would happen if we changed the wording of our prayer? Instead of asking God what He wants us to do, simply ask God what He’s planning to do. Trust God to take care of whatever is going on, in His own time and in His own way. Stop trying to control what you cannot control and hand it all over to Him.

Several years ago some dear friends were desperate for a child of their own. They’d gone through fertility treatments and moved on to adoption. They were set to adopt a beautiful baby boy. Or so they thought. They had a photo and a name. They’d met the birth mother. It was all a go -- except it wasn’t. The horrible truth is they were never going to have the opportunity to even hold that baby. He was adopted by somebody else.

The emotional trauma devastated them. The result? They gave up. And they gave it to God, telling Him that if He wanted them to have children He would have to provide them. And He did. First came the two boys. And then a third boy came on the same day they got a baby girl. Blessings multiplied when they gave it to God.

We could learn something wonderful from that story. God takes care of His own. He knows our heart’ desires. He wants what is best for us in all circumstances. And He’ll make sure we get it -- when He’s ready and when we’re ready.

So turn whatever troubles you have over to His capable hands. Stop trying to work it out for yourself. Trust that God loves you. That you’re going to be okay. And that He’ll make sure you have everything you need, exactly when you need it.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Give It All To God

"I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail."

-- Lamentations 3:19-22

Sometimes it seems that the easiest part of messing up is asking for and receiving God's forgiveness. It's humbling to get down on my knees, admit my sins and ask for forgiveness. But I know that my Heavenly Father is kind and loving and He'll always forgive me and take me back.

I just wish I could forgive myself. Have you ever walked that path? It's like a broken recording in my mind, repeating my words or actions over and over again. But no amount of repetition will change the recording. My memories of my sins remain and I seem powerless to let them go.

I realize that Satan is the one pushing the buttons. He is great at finding our weaknesses and shoving them at us again and again. He wants us to remember all the times we've failed. He wants to remind us of our guilt because as long as we are focused on our sins, we can't move forward toward what God has called us to be.

The only way to get beyond my sin is to turn it over to God. Just give it Him and let it go. That's far more difficult than it sounds. See giving everything to God means giving all control over to Him. Yeah. He has it anyway but He has given us free will. We have to let go before He will pick up what we have left. Then, and only then, will He mold us into who we are in Him.

This passage of scripture reminds us that no matter where we've been or what we've done, we have hope in God. He loves us. He sent His Son to die for us. And not just us. Jesus came to this earth in human form, lived a perfect life and died a cruel death on the cross as He took my sins on Him. My sins. He died for me. Somehow that fact has made all the difference.

Thank you, Lord Jesus. Thank you.