He Goes Before You

I don't know where you are at in your life. I don't profess to be some sort of prophet and call out people who are suffering from some disease or are in financial trouble or something. Wherever you are going and whatever you are going through, God knows. By faith, know he is going before you and will make a way. Trust him, not your feelings. He is faithful. 

Marvelous!

Out of the Pit, Into the Pot

The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 

Genesis 39:2 NIV

Joseph was thrown into a cistern, sold into slavery and ended up as a slave to the captain of Pharaoh's guard. And the Bible says, "The Lord was with Joseph." I have to tell you, it would be very difficult for me to be thrown into a cistern and sold into slavery, by my brothers, and think that God was with me. 

I think that it is interesting that we are not told what Joseph thought and felt during that whole experience. What we are shown is that the Lord was with him, sovereignly moving, directing Joseph's path, even though it just seemed he was moving from bad to worse. He went from the pit into slavery in Potiphar's house. Yet, the Lord was with Joseph. The Lord is with you.

Maybe you haven't been thrown into a cistern, literally, but, you have been taken out of a good situation and placed into a bad one. So often, in every kind of working environment office politics wreak havoc on peoples lives. It can be very confusing and disheartening. But, we as Christians belong to God and he is Sovereign over all things, even little people trying to build and defend their little kingdoms. God is with you. He will work what he wants in and through your life. He is faithful and will do it. 

God Created You

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,

   to receive glory and honor and power, 

for  you created all things,

   and by your will they were created 

   and have their being.”

Revelation 4:11 NIV

Remember you are part of all things that God created. 

God created you.

By his will you were created.

And by his will you continue to have your being.

You are not an after thought. You are not an insignificant part of the kingdom of God. If you are still here, God still wants to work in and through your life. Be looking. Be aware. Be ready. Be willing. Be thankful.

You Are Not Forgotten

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. 

Genesis 8:1 NIV

I think everyone has felt a bit forgotten at some time in their life. When David wrote Psalm 22 it was because he was feeling forsaken. Sure it is a prophetic Psalm, but, when David wrote it, he was feeling forgotten, forsaken. Do you think any of the Israelites felt forgotten during the captivity? Of course they did. But, God remembers.

I have not idea what you are going through you today. You may being going through some very tough times, a valley or desert experience. You might be waiting on God and everything is OK, but God just seems silent. Noah was in the ark over six months. But God remembered. 

Psalm 136:23 says, "He remembered us in our low estate. His love endures forever." I used to try to figure out why God does things the way he does. I can't. Some things are just above me. (A lot of things, actually.) What I can know is that God has unfailing love for me and is totally Sovereign over all things. Some trials seem to go on and on, but God remembers...

Word of the Day: Faithfulness

Psalm 89

with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
   through all generations. (:1c )

you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself. (:2c)

The heavens praise your wonders, Lord,
   your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. (:5)

You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. (:8c)

love and faithfulness go before you. (:14c)

nor will I ever betray my faithfulness. (:33c)

Lord, where is your former great love,
   which in your faithfulness you swore to David? (:49)

He Is Able to Do More

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV

More than we ask or imagine...I heard a NBA coach once say, in response to a question by a court side reporter about the obvious number of free throw calls in his teams favor, "Well, I think we should of got more calls." The reporter was kind of stunned and didn't know what to say. That is how I am when I read these verses. God is able to do more than I ask or imagine. 

Well, OK, Lord strengthen us in such a way that we can't even imagine. Provide for us in ways that we don't even know how to ask. Be glorified in our actions in ways we can't begin to measure.

His Grace is Always Enough

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 NIV

They used to say that if you called Rolls Royce and asked them the horsepower of their engines they would simply say, "Sufficient." No matter who you were, the answer was always same, "Sufficient." No matter what you were going to do with the car, it power and horsepower was sufficient. 

For Paul, it was not just that God would forgive him but that God would empower him to fight the good fight and withstand the constant thorn in the flesh that he battled. In a way, we don't fully see God's power until we understand our weakness and insufficiency. 

Like Paul, we can boast that in our weaknesses Christ's power rests on us. We may wonder if we can make it, if we can stand strong in him. The Lord's answer is always the same, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Boast in God's Faithfulness

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 

2 Corinthians 11:30 NIV

Why? Because for Paul it was all about glorifying God, not himself. He wanted to show God's greatness and  God's faithfulness, not his own. 

Almost seven years ago I got bumped back from an administrative position. I did well but cutbacks pushed some of us out. Getting back in has proved to be difficult. But, several times I have had opportunities to share Christ that I probably would not have had as an administrator. Also, I recently discovered some practices that have been going on that I would not have been able, ethically, to do. I think God knew that. But, it's not about me being highly ethical, it's about God keeping me from a situation where I would be forced to be unethical or step down. 

The lesson to be learned is that in all things we seek God's glory, not our own. Our weaknesses are not problems to God. He will be great. He will be faithful.

Word of the Day: Help, God is my Help

I cried out to God for help;
   I cried out to God to hear me.

When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; 
   at night I stretched out untiring hands,
   and I would not be comforted.

Psalms 77:1-2 NIV

We cry out to you for help. Thank you that in Christ, you hear us. You see and know our distress, struggles and trials. Use each one to make us more like Jesus. Comfort us with your Presence today. Praise be to you in us today!

He Will Keep You

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:7-9 NIV

The amazing truth that God himself will keep us firm to the end encourages us to keep pressing on in Christ. 

In one way it's like the Spirit is our personal spiritual trainer. He uses others to exhort us to know Christ more. He uses our consciences to direct us from harm and to the truth. In his Word we are reminded of the hope we have that motivates us to love, forgive and serve even in the darkest hours. 

In another way, God keeping us firm so that we will be blameless on the day of out Lord Jesus Christ, is the bedrock of our Christian lives. His blood, shed for us, keeps our consciences clear as we remember his death and resurrection. We are his workmanship. Get it? He decided before the foundation of the world to die for us, to save us, to make us his children. He will keep us strong to the end. 

The Battle Was Won on the Cross

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Romans 7:24-25 NIV

Tomorrow we will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every day a battle is waged within us. But every battle has been won on the cross. Today we remember that Christ paid the price so that we might live by faith in him. 

I think we all feel the battle that Paul shares with us in Romans chapter 7. We wish that we could claim the victory and never have to fight the battle again, but, that is just not the way it is. We are called to fight the good fight and remember, every day, that Jesus rescues us from this body of death. Everyday we are reminded of his grace and his mercy, his forgiveness and faithfulness. 

Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Word of the Day: Strength

My flesh and my heart may fail,
   but God is the strength of my heart
   and my portion forever.

Psalms 73:26 NIV

Let's be real. Sometimes we fail. That's not an excuse or an alibi, that just a reality. We may be surprised by it, but God is not. Like David, we can look to God to be the strength of our heart. You may be failing physically and you may be getting down. Remember, God is the strength of your heart. 

"if we are faithless,

   he will remain faithful,

   for he cannot disown himself." II Timothy 2:13

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God is with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

He Chose You

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

John 15:16-17 NIV

It never ceases to amaze me that God chose me. My whole life sees to be an enigma. The student that teachers said, "Oh no, not him" who became a teacher. (A middle school teacher of mine literally fell out of his chair spinning around when he heard I became a teacher.) If there is such a thing as Attention Deficit Disorder I still have it. When I was in school a ruler was what teachers used to "help" you pay attention and stay focused. I question just about everything, stumble easily, I'm wrong more often the right, have to do things more than once, learn the hard way, discern mostly with hindsight, remember that I should of prayed first, and I know most of my motives are completely self-centered. 

Yet, Christ chose me. And he chose you...

Tested, Being Tested, Will Be TestedI

Praise our God, all peoples,

   let the sound of his praise be heard;

he has preserved our lives 

   and kept our feet from slipping.

For you, God, tested us;

   you refined us like silver.

You brought us into prison 

   and laid burdens on our backs.

You let people ride over our heads;

   we went through fire and water,

   but you brought us to a place of abundance.

Psalms 66:8-12 NIV

In a sense we go through three stages of our lives as followers of Christ. We are either being tested, have been tested or will be tested. No matter where we are in the testing process, God is faithful to be with us and bring us to a place of abundance. Remember, his testing is to refine us like silver so that we may be lights in the darkness of this world. So, whether you were just tested, you are being tested or you will be tested, God is with you and "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ"(Philippians 1:6b).

Cling to God, He Will Uphold You

On my bed I remember you;
   I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help,
   I sing in the shadow of your wings.
My soul clings to you;
   your right hand upholds me.

Psalms 63:6-8  NIV

When you finally put your head down on the pillow what's really on your mind show's up. You might of been avoiding it all day long, but there it is. 

God is our help and whatever might be a worry we lay down at his feet. God wants to hide you in the shadow of his wings. He made us to cling to him. His desire is to uphold us with his right hand. 

May You Flourish in God's Unfailing Love

 

Take a moment, as you do what you must, and remember what God has done in your life this last year. 

Thank you, Lord, for your unfailing love!

How Has God Been Your Fortress?

God is my fortress. 

I had a pretty tough day on Friday. But, the truth is that God is my fortress. He has shown himself to be my fortress in the past in similar situations. I thought the opportunity for a position I applied for was gone but a week later I was offered one within five minutes of my home. God has been and he will be my fortress.

No Matter Where You Go, There He Reigns.

God reigns over the nations;

   God is seated on his holy throne.

Psalm 47:7

This truly a remarkable statement, an amazing truth. God reigns. Not only does God reign, he reigns over the nations. Think of Israel, a country whose people often found themselves in the midst of turmoil. Little Israel vs. Egypt. Israel verses Babylon. Israel under the Medes and the Persians. For the most part, a bunch of tyrants. These are the times that the Sons of Korah would have written this Psalm. 

Today we live in a world of great unrest. I'm pretty confident that a least a few of you may work for a tyrant. But, God reigns. He is seated on his throne. I don't know what the unrest is in your life. I have no clue about the exact measure of your trials, but I do know that the Bible says that God reigns, and is seated on the throne. I also know that Jesus is there, interceding on our behalf (Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25).

Whatever you are going through, God reigns and he is seated on his throne and Christ is interceding on your behalf!

Are You a Jacob? God is Your Fortress.

The LORD Almighty is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our fortress.    Selah
Psalm 46:7,11

God is with us...whatever else is going on around us, God, the Lord Almighty is with us. Every now and then when we are out doing something my son will just sort of come up next to me for a moment and then go off and do his thing. It's like he just has to see if I am there, and then he's good to go. 

We're the same way, aren't we? Throughout the day we just need to take a moment to remember that the Lord Almighty is with us. 

I am encouraged that the psalmist says, "the God of Jacob". The God of Jacob, to me, signifies that God works with those of us who seem to find trouble all by ourselves. Jacob's name means "he grasps the heel" or figuratively, "to deceive". A pastor of mine once paraphrased the meaning as "lying, sneaking, thief". Jacob seemed to struggle through everything. But, God was with him. God used him and God fulfilled his promises to Jacob and through him. 

Maybe you are like me and you identify with Jacob. Jacob's God is our God too. He is our fortress. That is good to know.

Thank you, Lord Almighty!