"Carried"

 

“and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.” – Deuteronomy 1:31

The Book of Deuteronomy begins with Moses recording the events from the Israelites' exodus from Egypt to where they found themselves at the time of its writing. on the very threshold of the promised land!

The wilderness was quite the trek for God's people. What's sad is the experience was completely avoidable. If they had only trusted God at His word when they first approached Canaan, the land would have been occupied not only forty years earlier, but without such suffering and loss of life.

You may presently find yourself in a wilderness, a valley, or a desert. We find ourselves in these places for a myriad of reasons,  but let's not focus on the why right now, but rather on God's character - even if He is disciplining, as was the case with Israel. This verse reveals God's steadfast, never-wavering, love for us. All of His children, even in the wilderness. 

Moses writes that God carried them "like a man carries his son, in all the way that you went..." a father carries his child for lots of reasons. Children get weary. Children get injured, or sick. Sometimes, we pick up our children simply to be close to them. Or maybe, God carries us because He knows that home is still a bit further away and it is impossible for us to safely arrive there without Him.   

Also, be encouraged. Keep in mind God created the wilderness, the desert, the miry swamp, and the dark jungle with borders. They have both a beginning and an end. He'll get us there safely.     

“He Gets Us”

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You may have seen the ads during the Super Bowl from the folks at “He Gets Us”. “He” being Jesus. I have not performed a comprehensive study into the ads myself, so, I will refrain from offering either my approval or disapproval. In fact, even though it is the heading of this article, I won’t be including it very much at all. 

What did come to mind was instead, “Do we get Him?” I believe we run the risk of making expressions of worship and our spiritual engagements more self-focused that God-focused. Even though “He Get Us” refers to Jesus, isn’t the focus actually on us? 

I get it. We are a sinful and fallible people in need of a God who understands us. We hurt. We fear. We doubt. But before we concern ourselves with whether He gets us, we should make “getting” Him the priority. 

God transcends, well, everything and everyone. The Creator of all is the Greater of all. So, “getting” Him doesn’t equate to fully understanding Him or His ways (Isaiah 55:8-9, Ecclesiastes 8:17). 

What can we “get” about Him? We can get a deeper understanding of His grace, a better grasp of His forgiveness, a deeper knowledge of His will, and a greater awareness of His love! Where? In His Word. We can find all of this in His Word and through prayer. 

Before being too wrapped up in whether He gets us, let’s first focus on us getting Him. 

Much Love!  

 

Bad News - Good God

​Many years ago, there was a health scare involving my beautiful bride, Kim. Praise God that what could have been… wasn’t. But during the days while we were waiting, I needed peace. I clung to hope. 

As He has done so many times before and since, God provided both through His Word. His timely, perfect, infallible, and eternal Word. In my reading plan one morning I read the following. 

“Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”

‭ - Psalms‬ ‭112‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬

Over the last several months, it seems I have shared these verses several times, praying for and with people who find themselves in a season of waiting. 

The Lord doesn’t call you His own only to forget you. He didn’t save you to one day forsake you. You will be remembered (thought of, considered, “seen”) forever. Be it physical, relational, or vocational may your heart be steadfast, trusting in the Lord. 

Much Love in Christ. 

When the Night Closes In

This past Sunday we sang a new song, "Praise Your Name" which includes the lyric, "In the tension of the night, speak Your word, my guiding light; I will trust, I will trust You, Jesus." It can feel like the pressure of our responsibilities and our fears can come rushing up on us. The tension of the night is real. 

What should be our most physically and mentally restful time can become the loudest and most restless. During the day, as we are working and running at a break-neck pace, we can be more of a "moving target" than we are in the stillness of night. When the lights go out and when our heads hit the pillows and silence invades the room, there is still noise that can ring in our minds and our spirits. 

"In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for Thou alone, O Lord, dost make me to dwell in safety." 

                                                                                                                                         - Psalm 4:8

Take a moment to read all 8 verses of Psalm 4. Written by David, he closes with the verse above and by this we can confidently assume he was experiencing one of these "tense" nights. In verses 1-7 we see his anxious thoughts and fears that were keeping him awake. Keep in mind that, for him, even going to sleep was risky, especially while on the run from Saul. 

The first, and most important, response to the tossing and turning is discerning if it is from God. Is He trying to speak to us in the stillness as well? But if we know the thoughts are from our own struggles with accepting forgiveness or from the enemy, may we  stand on the Word of God and find the peace that David did. 


Much Love in Christ!

The Last Days and The Last Day

In Matthew 24 Jesus reveals the signs of the end of times, or "the last days". Many Christians believe we are living in these last days, myself among them. In fact, not as a formal title, but rather as cause for serious contemplation, I have recently asked our choir to think of the possibly of being part of the global "choir of the last days". That's a pretty heavy thought. The point is that we should be diligent. We should be sober-minded. We should be ready.  Read the similarities Jesus revealed between life just before the flood in Genesis and life now, before His soon-coming return. 

"But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." - Matthew 24:37-39

For those of us at Grace Baptist Church, we are currently listening to Pastor Bobby's messages on this very subject (I recommend going back and listening to "A Storm is Brewing" parts 1&2, "Be Prepared", and "The World is Underwater" parts 1&2". You can find them here). 

But what about the last day? My last day? Your last day? What does my current, normal "post-rapture" day look like? If I am living life as "usual" when it is demanded of me, what will it look like?

"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?'" - Luke 12:20

There is immediate proof of God's grace in action this very second. For me, that I am writing this. For you, that you are reading this. If we have breath, we have hope. If you are in a place of knowing you have drifted from the Lord, His grace is your anchor. Return to Him. If you are in a place of knowing you are abiding in Him, praise Him for it. He is your ark. Remain in Him. His mercy, love, and justice call for our response. 

Will you pray this with me? "O Lord, whether it be the splitting of the eastern sky or the stopping of my mortal heart, may you find me living a life of worship that honors and pleases You."

Silence isn't Always Golden

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation” - Psalm 95:1”

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”‭‭ - Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ 

This (Sunday) morning, I experienced a brief, yet powerful, reminder of that privilege. I did some work around the house yesterday which included knocking out some drywall. Apparently, I inhaled a good amount of dust which really affected my ability to sing during rehearsal. In order to be able to sing for the services, I “saved it” and vocally laid out of the choruses of the songs that were a bit high. 

To be standing amidst others who were freely lifting their voices of praise while not doing so myself was strange, uncomfortable, and revelatory. I realized, just in those few moments, what I would be missing deep within my soul if I were to ever be unable to sing my praise, adoration, and love for God and to God. Take a moment and ask yourselves how you may feel. I encourage you to remember it next time you lift your voice in praise. What a privilege! What an honor!

Conversations with God

 

There are moments when God speaks so clearly it calls for me to stop everything and share it as a testimony of what is true. How do we hold a conversation with God? Of course, Jesus and the prophets clearly showed us. We converse with God through prayer. But how else does He speak to us today? First, we must understand that He doesn't speak to us now exactly as He did in the past.

"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son..." - Hebrews 1:1-2a

Keeping in mind that his Son, Jesus, is Himself the Word (John 1:1), we know that now, God communicates through the Word. Understand that this does not negate the fact that God also speaks to us through the Holy Spirit:

"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come". - John 16:13

So, here is part of my conversation with God this morning. As I was reading in Exodus 30:22-38, I came across God's "ingredients" for the holy anointing oil to be used by Aaron and his sons in the tabernacle. This included myrrh, cinnamon, sweet-smelling cane, cassia, and olive oil. As I read, I began to think to myself, "Wow! I wonder if these spices and elements are still available today? To be able to experience that holy aroma of the tabernacle!"

Only a few verses later I read:

"...nor shall you make any other like it, according to its composition. It is holy; and it shall be holy to you." - Exodus 30:32b

Even more specifically, in reference to the incense:

"Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people." - Exodus 30:38

First, God takes holiness very, very seriously. These aromas and scents were not created for our pleasure, to simply "smell" in order to experience it. Like all worship, they were for His pleasure. These were for God and God alone. But the fact that He told me this through His written word specifically, directly and immediately - perceiving my thoughts - was a reminder of His presence, power, and intimacy.

He desires conversation with us. Much like the door to the heart upon which He knocks, our bibles, too, must be opened.

Before Marvel and DC - The Super Power of the Holy Spirit

I love The Avenger films. Probably because I love to see courage, loyalty and self-sacrifice on behalf of those who are in need of a hero. But unlike scientific experimentation, extraordinary engineering or even a vat of radioactive material, the greatest (and non-fictional) source of super-strength is the Holy Spirit of God. I submit to you one of the greatest transformations in history (not as in The Transformers - that's another post for another day), but I ask you to look with me at the supernatural transformation of the apostle Peter.

I don't know about you, but I am often in need of reminding that the original disciples were mere men  just like me. In the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) we can clearly see this. There were arguments over their individual positions of importance, freaking out in fear over a storm on the water, judging others and, of course, the betrayal of Judas Iscariot. But Peter's denial of Jesus is one of the most memorable evidences of the fallibility and humanity of the disciples. If you have never read this (John chapter 18), basically, when Jesus was arrested, Peter followed from a distance in fear of the people who were screaming for the death of Jesus. Not only that, but when someone did recognize him, he denied that he knew Jesus or was in any way associated with him, not once, not twice but three times! He even threw in some very coarse and vulgar language to "prove" he was not a disciple.

For brevity, let's skip to Acts chapter 2. The promise Jesus had given regarding the arrival of the Holy Spirit had taken place, empowering believers to start proclaiming the wonders of God in foreign languages. One of my favorite verses:

"Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd..". - Acts 2:14

After the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Peter had taken place, he experienced one of the most powerful, miraculous, and mind-blowing changes ever! This same man who was a coward in the courtyard had now, amongst scoffers (even before the religious leaders) "STOOD UP" and "RAISED HIS VOICE"! Seriously ponder that for a moment. In the flesh he was fearful, now through faith, he is fearless! The difference? The presence of the Holy Spirit!

My prayer is that I will recognize and realize that the same Holy Spirit, with His power, wisdom, and influence, dwells in me as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ! I pray that we all will become heroes for the faith - not by our own power or strength - but by His!

More or Less - "To Have More - Be Self-less"

"I want a feast! I want a bean feast!" I suppose I gave away the fact that I recently watched "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory". I always thought, "this greedy kid is singing about her greatest material desires and she wants beans?! She needs help - she needs it now. It's imperative to define "having much". I am not referring to material gain. God is not going to teach on the unimportance, even the distraction, of material wealth and then make requiring "things" a goal of a believer. There is a drastic difference between what we want and what we need, isn't there? If you are a parent, you may have actually found yourself saying this. "No, you don't need an Xbox, you want the Xbox."

 God said he would meet our needs (Phil. 4:19; Matt. 6:25-34) while warning us about prioritizing material gain (Matt. 6:19-21). I am well aware of the prosperity gospel and I support it - if it refers to prospering in the things of God over the world. I am simply saying that if following God meant every believer would be blessed with material riches, then I know several vagabond disciples who might disagree as well as support the statement that they were some of the richest men in the Bible, in the true, Biblical sense of wealth.

Seeking more of God should be every believer's desire. What a treasure it is to grow closer to Him and deeper in Him! Even the deepest and most rewarding vein of gold will eventually be mined out and left bare - but the love and the knowledge of God is endless!  Jesus told the Samaritan woman that if we drink from this well (the relationship with God in Christ) we will never thirst again.


Much Love!

"Matter Over Mind"

I just finished our "Quiet Time". I say "our" instead of "my" because that is part of my problem, and maybe yours, too. When we speak of time set aside to be with God, we can still be self-focused. This isn't "my" quiet time if my purpose is to ease into God's presence and linger there awhile. To quote the famous theologian Jeff Spicolli, "If you're here and I'm here, doesn't that make it our time?" (FYI - No. He is not a real theologian, but a character in a movie. There. Disclaimer completed.)

Lately I have been trying to spend more time just being silent and truly entering God's presence as opposed to taking a deep breath, closing my eyes and launching into a monologue (monologue verses dialogue is another issue). Don't misunderstand. I sincerely focus on talking to God and not in vain repetition. My heart of thankfulness will not allow me to ask a thing without first offering a sincere prayer of thankfulness for His goodness. But I still find that I can sometimes come to him more like a son coming home for a visit from college. You know, barging in with my baggage (yes, full of "dirty laundry"), shouting, "Here I am!" and flopping on the couch to start rattling off the events of my life. Even if I offer a heart-felt peck on the cheek to mom and a quick fist-bump to dad, I didn't enter into the moment with the adoration and respect they deserve.

We can do the same when we enter into a time with our Heavenly Father, can't we? Wouldn't parents experience a sense of a child's love and adoration if they entered the room and just held one another for a few moments first? When we enter God's presence, we should take our time. We need to take in the awe of His presence and the wonder of being in the midst of His holiness and power. That is what my attention was drawn to this morning. 

When I make a deliberate effort to swipe away every thought, other than being in God's presence, I am just so aware of how difficult it can be to keep my mind from detaching from the moment. I don't mean sleepily nodding in and out, but being wide awake and still having to "pull" my thoughts back towards God. Our minds are like spastic, little Chihuahuas darting to and fro while the owner is tugging on the leash yelling, "Heel!"

This is more of an observation than anything else. These random, cameo appearances of thought are not always negative or even sinful, but they are not on God. When this happens, we need to tug on the leash and say, "Heel!" and re-focus our mind on God. 

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart 

  be pleasing in your sight, 

       O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. - Ps. 19:14

Though we cannot always control what thoughts enter our mind, God has given us the ability to choose which ones we allow to linger and which thoughts we decide to nurture. To meditate on God, putting what matters over the mind,  takes some effort and discipline, but the conversation that follows is much sweeter when we enter the room and make the effort to stay in his arms awhile. 

Cross-Eyed

        "Quit crossing your eyes or they'll stay that way!" I remember being around 7 or so and my cousin, Bonnie, taught me how to cross my eyes. Sorry, Bonnie - cat's outta the bag. I know I am not the only one who was reminded time and again that if I continued to cross my eyes, they could remain that way.
         This week, I was searching for more songs to use for our Easter services and came across one called, "When I Face the Cross". It describes the wonderful things God supplies when we turn our thoughts from the worries and distractions of the world and focus on the price and power of the cross.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. - 1 Corinthians 1:18

We must not just remember the cross of Christ and its power and purpose, we must abide in that revelation. For us to live the abundant life Christ spoke of in John 10:10,  we need to transform our relationship with God the Father from a sporadic, one-sided conversation to a supernatural, life-changing conversion. For each step we take closer to God, He takes one giant step towards us -

Come near to God and he will come near to you - James 4:8

 I know you have more than likely seen the image above. If you stare at it long enough without blinking (consistently) when you look somewhere else, you will still see the face of Christ. I am learning (many times the hard way) the more purposefully and consistently I walk with Christ, the greater my desire to so grows and the stronger my faith grows.

Lord, continue to teach me to be "cross-eyed" because I know the more I do it, the greater the chance that "they will stay that way."