Find Your Refuge

Lord, be our Refuge and spread your protection over us today as we battle the world in faith with love and hope. 

A Key to All Relationships...

If you've walked with the Lord for any length of time I am sure you know this. Just as the Lord forgave us, forgives us and will forgive us, we pass on that forgiveness. That my friends is a simple but deeply powerful truth. 

Control

"that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable" 1 Thessalonians 4:4

I haven't been posting as much lately because I have been heavily invested in teaching a Sunday School class at the church I am a member. It's been a lot of fun and taken much of my time. We've finally reached the point where we can put it all together and really enjoy applying the word of God to our lives. 

One of the tools we use on the first day is connecting to ideas we read in Scripture. Using the term, "that reminds me of" helps us connect to things we read. So, when I read this verse I was reminded of growing up and being taught that I had a choice in how I acted. That choice was usually framed in these words, "How would Jesus...?" 

In verse one of chapter four Paul reminds the Thessalonians that he had instructed them how to live in order to please God. Asking ourselves the question, "Does it please God?" can clarify a lot of issues. I don't want to throw out some guilt bombs to sound spiritual but not actually be meaningful. For example, I don't want to ask, "Does it please God for me to be here?" because I think that is a "gimme" question. We know there are obvious places that would not please God, but, what about going to the mall or to the movies? Too often things turn legalistic at this point. 

Sometimes it's not where you are but how you act once you're there. Buying something is not wrong, if it is within your budget, but, if you use credit are you trusting God (as in being content with what God has given you) or are you worshipping what I call the god-of-I-have-to-have-it-now? It's about trusting God no matter what anyone else is doing around you. Self control is obedience and faith working together to glorify God. The result is peace and power. 

Be at Peace

If it pleases God, it's all good.

"As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more."

1 Thessalonians 4:1

About a year ago my teenage daughter was participating in an event and was asked a question and she gave an excellent answer, off the cuff, from her heart. It was a great answer. I was so proud of her, so pleased that she was thinking about others and how she might help someone who was hurting. 

When I read this verse I am struck by the idea that what I do can please God. I know that today I am going to deal with hundreds of different personalities, adults and teenagers. There will be positive and not so positive encounters. My approach and response will either please God or not. My aim: to please God.

Pleasing God is different than making everyone else feel better, even though, pleasing God often means putting other first. Sometimes, when pleasing God means doing the right thing, it means some people will not be happy with that choice. Doing the right thing may mean I admit I was wrong, or I failed. Pleasing God is about doing what we know God would have us do and with the attitude of a servant of the Lord. 

The message of Paul to the Thessalonians rings true for us today, keep living to please God. 

He is on the Throne

When we see our problems we can get overwhelmed. God is not. He is not worried, he is not hurried. He is neither ambivalent nor passive. He is Enthroned. He is Sovereign. He reigns. Christ is always interceding for us (Hebrews 7:25). He is Enthroned. 

Get Ready

The Power of Praise

Praise is more than just a warm fuzzy feeling. Praise is acknowledging the truth of who God is and always will be. Sometimes, in the midst of living our daily lives we can forget that we are not the center of the universe and there is more to life than just what we see and feel in the here and now. Thanksgiving is linked to praise and frees to remember the goodness and greatness of the Lord God Almighty our Maker, Savior, intercessor, friend and Father. 

So, remember all the good things he has done for you and praise him for being your Maker.

A Little Fear and a Lot of Love

Fear, is good. I have a fear of walking across a busy street into traffic. That's not bad, that's smart. The fear of God is not the fear of a capricious emotional tyrant. The fear of God is that we will put ourselves outside the grace of God by choosing to sin and reaping what we have sown. 

A few months ago I was driving to the funeral of one of my best friends who was also the best man at my wedding. I got a ticket for speeding. My mind was not really on the speed limit, but I knew I was going a little fast. I broke the law and suffered the consequences. Fear of getting a ticket doesn't always stop us from speeding. But, you know when I see kids playing, I don't need a sign that tells me to slow down, I just slow down because I don't want to hurt anyone. 

In the same way the fear of God is more than just the fear of going to hell or being caught or punished. The fear of God is about not wanting to hurt others or God. It's also about knowing he has unfailing love for you. 

Here's the kicker: our hope is not in our goodness or our righteousness, although we seek to live and love righteously. Our hope is in his unfailing love. He died on the cross for our sins and ever lives to intercede for us at the right hand of the Father. He has gone to prepare a place for us. He will come again... that is our hope. He is faithful and he will do it. 

Hook Up With His Mighty Power

My power is weak and my understanding is finite. 

But my God, he is great and mighty in power with understanding that has no limit! 

Where I can not, he can. 

What I can not see, conceive or perceive he views from eternity and governs my life. 

Can I get an amen, me too or I'll take some?

Broken-hearted? Wounded?

Having a broken heart, being wounded (physically or emotionally) is not uncommon. It's just part of life. But, what you do with your broken heart and your wounds is often what determines the direction of you life. 

You can have a broken heart from not getting what you want. That's sort of a harsh way of saying that things didn't go as you had hoped. If you trust someone and they break that trust, it can be painful, emotionally, And you know what? We are all human. We all fall short. 

But, what do you do with your broken, wounded heart? Looking to anger or looking to forgiveness are two very opposite pathways with two very different outcomes. Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness are self-destructive. You have to go to the Lord and ask him to heal you. He will heal you, he will bind up your wounds...

“I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chatted all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow;
And ne’er a word said she;
But, oh! The things I learned from her,
When Sorrow walked with me.”

― Robert Browning Hamilton

Reign Everywhere

You know when you watch the weather person on the news and they show a map and point out where there is supposed to be rain? Well, think about your life. There are different areas and relationships. You have your inner life and your outward life, your friends, family, and acquaintances. The question to ask is wether or not the Lord reigns in every part of your life?

This is just a little check. Because if Christ is not reigning who is? The flesh is a tyrant and legalism is chains disguised as jewelry. But Christ's reign is a gentle and protective reign. He is the good shepherd who gave himself up for the sheep, us. His reign means freedom for us, not bondage. 

Today, look at the map of your life and ask, where does He need to reign in your life?

Friday's Strength

Lord, for those of us who feel a bit beat up by the world, strengthen our hearts. For those us who feel good and things are going well, protect our hearts from letting up and forgetting that the battle still rages on. Grant us the strength to stand in Christ Jesus our Lord and to love as he has loved us. Open our eyes to see the battle around us and that greater is he that is within us than he that is in the world. Praise be to you in us today!