Awaken!

For Those Whose Walk is Blameless

2009-05-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

the Lord bestows favor and honor;

no good thing does he withhold

from those whose walk is blameless.

Oh Lord Almighty,

Blessed is the man who trusts in you.

Psalm 84:11-12

For those whose walk is blameless ... no good thing is held back.

For those whose walk is blameless ... You bring honor.

For those whose walk is blameless ... You bestow favor.

For those whose walk is blameless ... You protect.

For those whose walk is blameless ... You provide life.

For those who trust You ... You bless.

Lord, I know I am far from blameless. Come and purify my heart, my motives, my mind. I know that I am forgiven, but set my core solely in You. Why would I attempt life without You? Your promises are clearly pronounced. Your purposes are proven. I would be nothing but a fool to not seek You first in all things.

I will trust and know that You will protect me. I will trust and know that You will provide. I will seek Your favor and know that it is You that will provide honor and favor. No good thing that You see fit, that You ordain and purpose will be kept from me.

I will trust.

2009-04-22T06:09:00.000-07:00

Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.

Deuteronomy 5:33

Change can be refreshing. A new job. A new home. New friends. New opportunity.

There is a small town northeast of Los Angeles call Adelanto. It's a particularly forgetful town except for one billboard that sits positioned along highway 395. Amidst the vast openness of the high-desert, the handful of joshua trees and tumbleweeds, and the occasional dilapidated shack, this sign stands tall, welcoming all to the wonderful city of Adelanto, "The City with Unlimited Possibilities."

On more than one occasion I have driven by this sign only to spend the next ten minutes pondering its nature. A vast desert, an empty slate. A cleared lot by which a city could indeed take on any possibility.

What a metaphor for life. Like the Israelites who wandered in the desert, stripped of all but the essentials, we will go through seasons of refinement meant to rid ourselves of all that is not necessary. Often this process is very, very difficult. Sometimes this process takes significant time. Through it all we can be assured that there is a purpose and a plan, for on the other side we can emerge purified and prepared, an empty canvas for The Master to craft His masterpiece.

Through it all, always remember to stay on the path that the Lord has commanded us to follow.

2009-04-21T06:33:00.000-07:00

But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.

Deuteronomy 4:29

Have you turned from God? Are you not where you once where? Are you feeling a bit like Jonas, running from where you know you aught to be? Or is it that you are simply not seeking the Lord like you should. Other things occupy that thought and that time.

Let this be a source of encouragement to you, knowing that the choice is yours. If you decide to seek again, fervently, desperately, you CAN find Him again. You WILL find Him again.

God doesn't play games with our heart. He doesn't manipulate our minds by hiding Himself from us. But knowing us completely He is real with us. He knows the true nature of our motives. Turning to God when all else has failed is a good thing, but we must be sure of our motives else we risk turning that good thing in to an insult. If we are friended by one who has been left behind by others, how would it feel to be left abandoned when those "others" return.

Yet this is how we are with God. We turn to Him in our times of desperation only to turn away when desperation disappears.

... and if you search for Him with ALL YOUR HEART AND SOUL, YOU WILL FIND HIM.

2009-04-20T06:29:00.000-07:00

Every word of God proves true.
He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.
Proverbs 30:5

God's word is always proven to be right and true, correct and just, hopeful and enduring. Why is it that I fail to feast on God's promise and guidance each and every day. I have never once been led astray by it. It has never once failed to yield significance when read with a correct heart. Lord, help me to turn to your word in all decisions each and every day.

First, help me never to tell a lie.
Second, give me neither poverty nor riches!
Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.
Proverbs 30:8

Not too much that we loose sight of the fact that no matter how much we have we will always need you. Not too little that causes me to seek dishonest gain, damaging your testimony in my life.

... A Time to Awaken!

2008-12-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

There is a time for everything,

a season for every activity under heaven.

A time to be born and a time to die.

A time to plant and a time to harvest.

A time to kill and a time to heal.

A time to tear down and a time to rebuild.

A time to cry and a time to laugh.

A time to grieve and a time to dance.

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.

A time to embrace and a time to turn away.

A time to search and a time to lose.

A time to keep and a time to throw away.

A time to tear and a time to mend.

A time to be quiet and a time to speak up.

A time to love and a time to hate.

A time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

I think it is time to stop resting in this comfort He has allowed. I think it is time to allow God to awaken my soul.

Voice of Truth

2005-07-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

Prov. 14:9 Fools make fun of guilt, but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation.

Has that internal voice that corrects us towards right from wrong grown quiet? Do you still experience discomfort when you know you have acted in the wrong? It is good to feel this and to act on it to correct our mistakes. The more we ignore it the more we are hardening our hearts to the correcting voice of the Holy Spirit.

Lord, sharpen our understanding of right and wrong and deepen our sorrow over the things that bring sorrow to You. Help us not to grow deaf to Your word and Your hand of discipline because we know that You discipline those You love.

As For Me and My House

2005-04-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

Josh. 24:14 So honor the LORD and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD alone. 15 But if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.

What are you living for? Who are you serving? What is your moral guide? What is the level by which you evaluate your life? Just as Joshua called the Isrealites to make a decision, we are called to that same decision each and every day. Will we follow God or will we follow something else?

Today, make that decision once again, "As for me and my house we will serve the LORD."

Search For Wisdom

2005-04-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

Prov. 13:16 Wise people think before they act; fools don’t and even brag about it!

More then ever we should desire God's wisdom. He promises that he will answer our request for His wisdom and His understanding:

James 1:5 If you need wisdom — if you want to know what God wants you to do — ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.

In every action, in every word, in every thought, in every breath we should seek for God's wisdom. Our natural reaction sometimes is to simply react to the situations around us, but this does very little to further God's plan. When we take the time we move from simply reacting to life to embracing and living out God's will for our life our life will have an impact.

God help us to rely fully on You.

Faith Like a Child

2005-04-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

Luke 18:16 Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, Let the children come to me. Dont stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 I assure you, anyone who doesn'tt have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God.

Trusting, without question. Children are an amazing example of how we are to be with God. The confidence they have in us as parents leads them to believe all that we tell them. We are free then to shape the essence of their being. We can sharpen their moral thought and beliefs. We can enable them with confidence to enter into this great big and sometimes scary world. We provide and they just about never wonder if or how they will be provided for. They assume all kinds of great things like going to the park and having a sleep over and playing cars and reading books, that we would desire to spend as much time playing with them as possible.

We are to be like them in our relationship with God. Know that God desires a deep and heart-felt relationship with us. He indeed longs to spend time with us. He provides for our every need. He shapes our minds and fills our hearts with courage to go into this world and face all that there is so that we might in some small way accomplish His will.

There should be no doubt that God loves us and desires the very best for us, that He will provide for us and guide us.

Don't Settle For Less

2005-04-21T16:09:00.000-07:00

Psa. 84:10 A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. 11 For the LORD God is our light and protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will the LORD withhold from those who do what is right. 12 O LORD Almighty, happy are those who trust in you.

To long for God like nothing else is to truly understand the truth to these verses. Nothing compares to Him. No earthly experience, no earthly possession can come close to the fulfillment of being in the presence of God. We are so easily distracted by that which will not last. Things that when compared to the magnitude of God are so miniscule and insignificant.

It is as if we would rather enjoy the beauty of a post card, picturing a coastal resort in some tropical paradise, over being there in person actually enjoying the warm breeze and relaxing atmosphere. We accept mirage over reality, counterfeit over real, what we see and know now over what we know is yet to come. How disappointed we will be when we have failed to keep an eternal perspective.

Seek Gos's Will In Everything

2005-04-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

Josh. 9:14 So the Israelite leaders examined their bread, but they did not consult the LORD. 15 Then Joshua went ahead and signed a peace treaty with them, and the leaders of Israel ratified their agreement with a binding oath.

It is interesting to me that while God did not turn His back on Joshua for making this treaty, they make mention of the fact that they did not consult God, and so they made this treaty without seeking God's leading.

In the everyday situations it is so easy to forget God. In small decisions or in decisions that seem to already have only one natural answer it is easy to make the choice on our own. The danger lies in the fact that we do not know the whole picture, the whole truth. Just as Joshua was easily deceived, we are easily mislead, not knowing what how the simple decision today will affect they choices we have tomorrow.

Seek the Lord daily, continually, in the big and small decisions. Seek His will and guidance knowing that it is a lifestyle of following Him.

It is good to know that despite our short-comings God is still faithful and able to continue His work in us and through us just as He did for Joshua.

2005-04-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

Luke 16:14 The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, naturally scoffed at all this. 15 Then he said to them, You like to look good in public, but God knows your evil hearts. What this world honors is an abomination in the sight of God.

Keep success in a healthy perspective. By what standard are we successful? What are we striving after? What this world honors is still an abomination in the sight of God.

It is so easy to focus only on what we see, what we can touch, what others will comment about. We need to remember to keep our eyes focused on God. What does it take to keep our eyes set on the eternal?

Certainly spending time with God daily, reading, praying, meditating. Continually pray. Let your life be a continual conversation with God. Learn to listen for His response. Enjoy regular fellowship with other believers.

Remember

2005-04-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

Luke 14:33 So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me.

Jesus has drawn a rather large crowd. He was now laying it out for them that it was one thing to come out now to see what He was doing, the teaching, the healing. But to be His follower would be more than this. There was going to be a cost. Are we willing to lay everything down before Him to follow Him, or do we hold on to the things in our lives so tightly that we could never let go?

To not let go would be like getting tossed out of a ship at sea holding on to a bag of coins. Our desire to hold on to our wealth would be the very thing that would bring our life to an end. To surve we must be willing to let go.

This is no easy task, but is the weight by which we must measure our hearts. How much do we truly love God? In the midst of sickness, hurt and shame, do we not turn to God for healing. With need do we not ask for His provision? But in times of great success, good health and financial prosperity, should we not be willing to turn to Him and offer it all back?

We should be careful about the hypocritical ways we treat God.

The Gift and the Giver

2005-04-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

Luke 12:21 Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.

How is your relationship with God?

Relationships take time, time spent learning someone, their thoughts, their likes, their dislikes. How much time do we spend each day getting to know God? What consumes your thoughts most? Are you worried about what the future holds? How you will make ends meet? Are you consumed with thoughts of plans on how to attain the next prize for your hard work? The perfect car, house, toy.

It's not that these are bad things. These are so often great gifts that enhance our lives. We should want to enjoy all that God has blessed us with, but the danger lurks when our enjoyment in these gifts are greater than our enjoyment in the giver of these gifts, God Himself. A healthy perspective places the enjoyment of God first, causing us to seek His will first, His fellowship first, His glory first. Always.

Luke 12:34 Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.

The test of our heart is found in our willingness to freely give up these gifts if called to:

Mark 10:21 Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him. You lack only one thing, he told him. Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. 22 At this, the mans face fell, and he went sadly away because he had many possessions.

What would your response be?

More Valuable Than The Sparrow

2005-04-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

Luke 12:6 What is the price of five sparrows? A couple of pennies? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. 7 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So dont be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.

You are valuable. You are known. You will always be remembered by the one true God. How amazing it is to know that we are treasured. It was never possible for me to know how deep a love can go for your child until I had children of my own. How vulnerable. How precious. How far you would go to ensure their safety and future.

We are called children of God. We are his creation. His thought. His invention. His treasure. His belonging. His gift. His delight.

Will He be ours?

Lord, help us to desire You above all things. These toys that we strive after are but nothing compared to You and the true love that You offer. You are so patient in love. You are so willing to do whatever it takes to protect Your children. It has nothing to do with what we have done or what we are like. It is because we are Yours. We belong to You. May we never loose sight of that.

Amaing Love

2005-04-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

Psa. 78:17 Yet they kept on with their sin, rebelling against the Most High in the desert. 18 They willfully tested God in their hearts, demanding the foods they craved. 19 They even spoke against God himself, saying, God cant give us food in the desert. 20 Yes, he can strike a rock so water gushes out, but he cant give his people bread and meat. 21 When the LORD heard them, he was angry. The fire of his wrath burned against Jacob. Yes, his anger rose against Israel, 22 for they did not believe God or trust him to care for them. 23 But he commanded the skies to open he opened the doors of heaven 24 and rained down manna for them to eat. He gave them bread from heaven. 25 They ate the food of angels! God gave them all they could hold.

God's anger is something so amazing. There is so much truth in these verses about the nature of God. How patient He is, willing to prove himself time and time again. Already Israel had seen so much of His miraculous touch to free them from Egypt, yet they still demanded more.

His anger was aroused and yet what did he do? He poured out still another gift to prove Himself once again. How long will he remain patient? He has already given so many chances.

We worship a loving God who desires us more than we deserve. We so often neglect this love instead of embrace it. Some flat reject it, but most simply neglect it. Most will say I believe and I am religious, but they don't understand the depth of desire that God has for a relationship. Something each and every day. They are willing to settle on in their life saying, "It's been a long time," or "I just haven't found anything I like," or "I am so busy."

God has made himself vulnerable for us. It is up to us to respond.

Ask and Keep on Asking...

2005-04-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

Luke 11:9 And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.

I love the way the New Living Translation words these verses. More accurate than simply ask, look and knock. Our prayer life should not be summed up with a single prayer. It should be so much more than that. What a blessing if you have had to learn a lesson about persevering in prayer.

Keep on asking. Our asking is continual for many reasons, but I can imagine that God desires our earnest, heartfelt cries more than anything. A relationship is built around more than a short one-sided conversation every once in a while. We persevere in prayer knowing that when we ask and keep on asking, we will receive. When we seek, and keep on seeking, we will find. When we knock, and keep on knocking, the door will be opened.

To Question But Not Turn

2005-04-01T08:42:00.000-08:00

Psa. 73:27 But those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. 28 But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign LORD my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do. (NLT)

Prior to this the psalmist has expressed how close he had come to falling away from God in envy of the wicked people around him and their prosperity.

12 Look at these arrogant people enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply. (NLT)

Then He asks a poinant question:

Psa. 73:13 Was it for nothing that I kept my heart pure and kept myself from doing wrong? 14 All I get is trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain. (NLT)

It is one thing to be honest with God about the true nature of what you are feeling, but be careful not to allow this kind of thinking to become the stumbling point that drives you into a lifestyle of wickedness. While the feelings where expressed they were not allowed to become accepted:

Psa. 73:15 If I had really spoken this way, I would have been a traitor to your people. 16 So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is! (NLT)

And in his desire to understand the reality of life in this word sets in:

17 Then one day I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I thought about the destiny of the wicked. 18 Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. 19 In an instant they are destroyed, swept away by terrors. 20 Their present life is only a dream that is gone when they awake. When you arise, O Lord, you will make them vanish from this life. (NLT)

He realizes the eternal perspective. How quickly fame and fortune will perish. If not squandered away in this life, death will most certainly take it away. A clear picture of what is important and what lasts is what allows us to stand in the face of hardship and trials.

When you begin to question if it is really worth it remember that to question is not the problem. Just don't allow it to drive you away from God. Allow it to drive you to seek the truth so that you too will return to the reality of this world. It is only a temporary place for us. Do not abandon Him. Taste instead the beauty of drawing near to Him instead.

Weighing The Cost

2005-03-31T12:11:00.000-08:00

Luke 9:25 And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process?

What do you do when you discover that everything you strived for in life, all your successes, all your accomplishments, all that you have acquired where totally worthless? The actual cost weighed against the perceived gain is doesn't balance out. When you set goals and priorities, set them with the right perspective. What is of true value? What is eternal? Concentrate on Jesus' words:

Luke 9:23 Then he said to the crowd, If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.

Jesus chose these words at a time when he had huge groups of people following him. They enjoyed the miracles and enjoyed the teaching, but the reality of what it would be like to follow Him every day had not yet set in. So many people enjoy this amazing experience with God, be it a retreat, a conference, a simple encounter, but once the reality of life sets in, so many simply dwindle away.

Are you willing to shoulder your cross daily, to endure the cost of self sacrifice, denying your ambitions to accept His ambitions as your purpose in life? If you are willing to follow Him--all the way, all the time--then the first question asked has already been answered.

Trusting

2005-03-30T12:26:00.000-08:00

Luke 8:49 While he was still speaking to her, a messenger arrived from Jairuss home with the message, Your little girl is dead. Theres no use troubling the Teacher now.

Luke 8:50 But when Jesus heard what had happened, he said to Jairus, Dont be afraid. Just trust me, and she will be all right.

What do you do when you receive devastating news? Here we have Jairus walking with Jesus. He has stepped out in hope and faith and is now walking with Jesus. He must feel that there is now a glimmer of hope. But even as he walks with Jesus word comes that his only child has died. There is now no hope.

Trusting God in difficult situations is not the same as trust God in impossible situations. You may be walking closely to the Lord, resting in His presence when disaster strikes. We must be careful to remain close to Jesus just as Jairus did. If we see this as a reason to get mad at God instead as a time to draw closer to God, you will miss the miracle He wants to perform in your life.

In the impossible situation Jairus trusted Jesus and was rewarded with his daughter's life. But even more He was blessed with a witness to God's unimaginable healing power.

The Fruit of Your Life

2005-03-29T12:29:00.000-08:00

Prov. 11:30 The godly are like trees that bear life-giving fruit, and those who save lives are wise.

Luke 8:4 One day Jesus told this story to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: 5 A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds came and ate it. 6 Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. This seed began to grow, but soon it withered and died for lack of moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns that shot up and choked out the tender blades. 8 Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop one hundred times as much as had been planted. When he had said this, he called out, Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!

What fruit is your life producing? What seed are you planting? It is so easy to stray from bearing good fruit, giving in to standing up for what you know to be right. It is so easy to plant seeds of deceit or doubt or negativism. We all plant seeds. Again, what seed are you planting? What kind of fruit are you producing?

The world needs us. They need us to be salt and light. Without light, those who live in darkness will always continue in their actions, never knowing that the path they have chosen only leads to death and destruction. We are that life boat in stormy waters, plucking as many people as are willing from the cold and life demanding water.

It is not that it is our job that they accept what we say, only that we say it--and live it. The role of the Holy Spirit is to prepare the soil. We must simply plant the seed that He has given us.

Lord, give me the wisdom to see the opportunities that You provide to intervene. To plant that seed of life that only You provide, that often only we can offer someone who is in need. May the fruit of my life be of You and not of me.

Empty Yourself of Yourself to Find Yourself in Christ

2005-03-24T08:50:00.000-08:00

Luke 6:35 Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And dont be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

Luke 6:37 Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. Stop criticizing others, or it will all come back on you. If you forgive others, you will be forgiven. 38 If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving large or small it will be used to measure what is given back to you.

Empty yourself of yourself to find yourself in Christ. The teaching that Jesus gave was radical to say the least. We might easily get used to hearing these teachings, so much so that we miss the reality of what He was saying. We are to love our enemies and do good to them. Not just tolerate them, or avoid them in hopes to avoid sinning in our anger, but to LOVE them and the love will lead to the action to do good to them. But he seems to drive the point home with the next statement that we are to lend to them and not worry about repayment.

Humanly there is now way we can live this way. It goes against common sense. It goes against everything we would want to do. But isn't that the way it always is with Jesus. He teaches us that not only isn't it about us and our pride, it's not even about our strength to live it out. It has to come from God, and the only way that will ever happen is when we are totally relying on Him as our Bread of Life. Our relationship with Him needs to be what first sustains us. Only when we have totally surrendered our desires in search of His will every minute of every day will we be able to live these verses out.

We also must strive to rid ourselves of the critical spirit and judgmental heart that we so easily have. I think that the key here is that it is so easy to get consumed with these kinds of thoughts, and they only make it that much more difficult to reach out to those around us. If we stand before others thinking that they are in the wrong or that they are not doing all that they should be doing, we are failing to own up to our own short comings. We are totally incapacitated to do the Lord's work. We cannot reach out to those we stand in judgment of.

Generosity will bring generosity. In the measure that we give it will be given back. The more tightly we hold on to the gifts that we have been blessed with--be it money, talents, toys, opportunities--the quicker it seems to disappear.

Lord, start with my heart. Allow me to love when love is not what I want to do. Change my heart to match Yours. Take any critical spirit away from my mind. Allow me to give freely of the great gifts You have given to me. I know that if I desire Your gifts more than You, I am placing an idol in my life before You. When giving away all that I have is not possible, then it is a sign that I have fallen into this trap. Help me to desire You more than any of the toys or possessions that You have given.

Good Enough?

2005-03-23T08:59:00.000-08:00

Luke 5:31 Jesus answered them, Healthy people dont need a doctor sick people do. 32 I have come to call sinners to turn from their sins, not to spend my time with those who think they are already good enough.

Good enough. It seems that phrase describes so many people. We feel we are good enough. Good enough to be accepted by God. "They are such good people," we say, but that is such a humanistic way of seeing things. Yes! If compared to other people, I am good enough, but that misses the reality of how we are viewed by God. All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. We are all in need of a savior. We will never be able to see the Savior if we fail to realize we need a savior.

The first step to accepting Jesus is to confess that I am not good enough. The highly religious people in Jesus day must of had a very difficult time with this idea that they were not good enough. The pride they had in their actions and words and positions was too much to overcome. The better off we think we are the greater the difficulty to humble ourselves before the One who is truly good enough.

The better we think we are the more difficult it becomes for us to accept God's healing work in the life of someone who is so much further away from a godly life, the drug addicted, the adulterer, the homosexual. The ones that seem to be so entrenched in their lifestyle of sin, they are considered beyond hope. But these are the ones that Jesus reached out to, and still is. He didn't accept their lifestyle, but he wasn't repulsed by it either.

Lord, help us to realize that without you we are nothing. We are the most in need of a healing touch from You, the Great Physician. Then we will not be so afraid of what it will look like when the ugly, wretched souls of those we think we are better than, those who's lives are so far from our righteous lives, show up to see what the Jesus is all about. Your healing work goes way beyond what our feeble minds can comprehend. May we never get in the way of your healing work.

At the Crossroad

2005-03-21T11:46:00.000-08:00

Luke 4:1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit to go out into the wilderness, 2 where the Devil tempted him for forty days. He ate nothing all that time and was very hungry.

Psa. 63:2 I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. 3 Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself; how I praise you! 4 I will honor you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. 5 You satisfy me more than the richest of foods. I will praise you with songs of joy.

What do you do when you feel you are being prompted by the Holy Spirit to fast--for how long I do not know--and then in your daily reading you have both these scriptures? What do you do when you realize that God has confirmed your questions and removed all doubt? What do you do when you are at the crossroad of life, at first thinking but know knowing that the more difficult choice is the one that God wants of you?

I am really not sure why He is prompting me to fast today, yet the confirmation is even more than these two verses. There is little doubt that God is close to revealing something new for my life and the life of my family, but I don't know what that might be. I trust that as he works in my heart he will work in the hearts of my family. He will make straight the path that I am on. It has been a long and lonely road since leaving Tehachapi, wanting for more of Him but struggling in the quiet season. For now I desire to desire God so much more than the richest of foods, knowing that it is the word of God that sustains me:

John 1:14 So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.

You may not really know why, but if you know that you should then you should, knowing that at some point the reason will be revealed. A simple act of faith might make all the difference in the world. At what point do you find yourself? Is God asking you to make a choice? Has he confirmed His will yet you have shied away with some excuse?

To Separate the Chaff

2005-03-18T22:25:00.000-08:00

Luke 3:16 John answered their questions by saying, I baptize with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 He is ready to separate the chaff from the grain with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, storing the grain in his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.

The people who came out to see and listen to John were hopeful. We are told that they were expecting the Messiah to come soon and they thought that perhaps John was he. John was bold in his preaching and in that boldness people were willing to listen. People are like that, wanting, hoping, waiting, needing someone to boldly proclaim the truth to them. In a world that is so filled with facade that promises so much but ultimately delivers so little, people need someone to show them the real truth. The same truth that John proclaimed.

John was quick to turn their thoughts away from himself and towards Jesus. Someone, greater than himself was coming soon. Someone so much greater. He will baptize with something so much more than what John had to offer. The Holy Spirit to reveal truth and provide strength and fire to burn away all that hinders. He will separate people and the things within people that are of no use, things that poison our hearts, minds and souls.

In that time of separation where will you stand? The choices we make are shaping that answer every day.

Focus on Christ in Times of Trouble

2005-03-17T08:25:00.000-08:00

Psalm 60:4 But you have raised a banner for those who honor you — a rallying point in the face of attack.

Though the banner has changed to message has not. For David that banner was a figurative ideal that strengthend him when all was lost and hopeless. How many times did God deliver him when the odds were statcked against him?

For us the banner is the literal cross of Christ. At that we have ultimate, literal victory over all that might threaten us from salvation and eternal life with God in heaven.

In battle the banner was a sign, used to rally the troops, a place to gather and rebuild and find strength. Imagine that you are in the midst of battle and discover that all around you are surrounded by the enimy. Those that were with you have fallen. In your frightened state you spot the banner and begin to make your way--along with others--to the rally point, knowing that there you will find the safty in numbers as those wwho fight on your side will too make their way to what is surly your only hope.

The banner is hope. The banner is strength. The banner is the only chance at victory. The banner is not home. It is not a building. It is a rallying point for those who fight for the same purpose.

So we must continually have our eyes set on the cross of Christ. We must continually come backt to it as our banner in the midst of the battle. We are not at home. In this life we will never truly be home. While the church is a safe splace, it is not the banner. Jesus is. We come to Him to find strength and to receive our next orders. When all seems lost we retreat to Him and find hope and strength.

A Willing Heart

2005-03-14T21:55:00.000-08:00

Luke 1:38 Mary responded, I am the Lords servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true. And then the angel left.

Why Mary? This verse says it all. Mary was willing to trust God no matter what others were certain to think, say, and do. Despite the fear of loosing her fiance or family, she was will to trust. How simple yet how wonderful, "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants."

Lord help me to have that kind of faith, that whatever You want I would be willing. Shape my heart and my hope toward You. Shape the heart of my family for the same. Where You guide, You will confirm.

Remaining Close to God

2005-03-12T21:45:00.000-08:00

Mark 15:39 When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, Truly, this was the Son of God!

The one who stood close to the feet of Jesus during his crucifixion had a life changing experience. The closer we stand to Jesus--especially through the most difficult times--the closer we stand to true. The clearer truth becomes. Truth tested is the only way to see if it is true indeed.

Have you allowed God to reveal the truth of His love to you through the most difficult times, or have you shied away from the difficult situations? Faith tested and found faithful is faith strengthened. Just as endurance is strengthened only by working it out--continually, committedly, with absolute abandon. Following close to Jesus wouldn't require faith if it where always easy, but the reward is great. There truly will be an impact on your life, but don't rest in that tiny victory. Instead look forward to the next growth experience.

And what kind of guts did it take for Joseph of Armethea to come before Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus? I can only imagine that he was a bit nervous to do this.

Rejected-But Accepted by God

2005-03-12T21:34:00.000-08:00

Mark 12:10 The stone rejected by the builders has now become the cornerstone. 11 This is the Lords doing, and it is marvelous to see.

God is the god of the underdog. His glory and strength shines within the inadiquacies of those He chooses to use. Jesus was rejected, but in that rejection He became the very cornerstone of God's forgiveness and salvation. I suppose it is to prevent this from being a pride thing. It is easy to follow something that has won the approval of the majority. Something big. Something strong. Something appealing to the world. But that is not a witness to the true nature of our hearts. Are we willing to trust when it seems that to trust is total foolishness? Are we willing to risk eventhough to risk means certain failure? Do we believe that God might choose someone as pitiful as me to perform His awesome work--whatever that might be?

In 2 Cor. 12:9 Paul writes, "So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me." If you want to be first, put yourself last. If you want to be great, serve. Want to brag about something? Brag about your weakness so that God's glory might shine in your life.

Is it really such a hard thing to put your life in the very hands of the one who knows all things, sees all things and has ultimate power over all things? To do God's work--whatever that may be--can never possibly end in failure. What a marvelous thought!

Steward of God's Blessings

2005-03-12T12:49:00.000-08:00

Prov. 10:16 The earnings of the godly enhance their lives, but evil people squander their money on sin.

I love the perspective of this verse as it relates to a godly perspective of how we should view our income--however large or small.

Lord, may I treat the things you have blessed me with wisely. They are truly Yours. May I not hold so tight to the things that are meant only to enhance my life that they become my life. It is a blessing to be thought by You to be worthy of a blessing. Give me wisdom in dealing with the material wealth You have provided. May I be a good steward of all that You have given to me. Help me to realize where I may be squandering my wealth on things that are only separating me from You.

Patient Reconstruction

2005-02-23T10:50:00.000-08:00

1 I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. 3 He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be astounded. They will put their trust in the LORD.

4 Oh, the joys of those who trust the LORD, who have no confidence in the proud, or in those who worship idols.

Psalm 40:1-4 NLT

How quickly I can fall from the heights of a close relationship with God. But no matter how far in to the pit of despair I have fallen, I am never out of reach from my Heavenly Father. He is always in reach. Always hears. Always pays notice to where I am.

Through prayer and the reading of His word He has slowly begun a new work in me. Prayer allows Him to soften my heart and reveal the very things that have separated me from His love. Reading His word strengthens up the foundation that was once so strong. Just as when I neglect my house or my car, the neglect in my relationship with God doesn't show itself right away. But eventually when I take a closer look, I see that my heart has grown hard. My will is no longer surrendered to His. I am in need of an overhaul.

So I trust my life in the hands of the Master, allowing Him to perfect His work. This process can take time, so I wait patiently knowing that He has set my feet back onto His solid ground. I know that He will always be faithful to complete His work within me--if I am willing.

No longer will I place my trust in the proud things of this world. Instead, I will place my trust in Him.

To Desire Him

2005-01-11T22:19:00.000-08:00

Psa. 9:9 The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, have never abandoned anyone who searches for you.

NLT

You have never abandoned anyone who searches for You. Throughout history we have seen how You have revealed Yourself to those who are searching for You.

What a marvelous thing to know that if we desire to know Him, He is faithful to reaveal Himself. We may not know exactly what to do or say. We may only know simply that there is a God and nothing else. If we desire to know Him, to see Him, if we seek out His will and His wisdom, He is faithful to meet us there and to bring us along His journey.

That is how the Lord becomes our shelter and our refuge. Those who know Him trust Him.

Is your life a living example of that trust?

He Knows

2005-01-08T16:38:00.000-08:00

Matt 6:8b "your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!"
NLT

My needs are known by God more clearly to Him, deeper to him than to me. I know the needs of my children much more than they. How much more is that true for God and us? I know little about what the future holds, yet I can see more clearly than my children the things they need. All of time spans before the eyes of God. Nothing is hid from Him. He is the master of all that exists. He is the orchestrator of all things. How foolish of me to think that I know what is good and what is right, neglecting His guidance and provision. I dream. I plan. I work, but for what? I know not what lies ahead tomorrow or even two seconds from now. I pray my arrogance isn't my downfall, that my confidence in who I am and what I can do would not cause me to not rely first on Him.

Lord, continue to build my trust in You--what a crazy prayer to ask considering what He might do to build me in that. You know more than I what is good and right. I entrust all that I am and all that I have to You.

Too Content?

2005-01-06T22:50:00.000-08:00

Prov 1:32 For they are simpletons who turn away from me — to death. They are fools, and their own complacency will destroy them.

I guess that it is easy to just go through life day to day, without a care beyond being happy and comfortable. It is so easy to be lulled to sleep by the comforts and luxuries of living where we live--perhaps it is the same elsewhere too but I cannot speak from experience. Perhaps the biggest frustration I had working with young people was due to complacency. Kids would show up and even participate, but not beyond what was not comfortable for them. They were content with so little in their relationship with God.

I think of when my children where babies and how they would open a gift given to them by someone who loved them so much. Often they would be so content with the wrapping paper that they would miss the joy of the gift inside. Don't get me wrong, it is important to be content with what the Lord has blessed us with, but have we really explored the gift of love that He was freely given us? Or are with content with a piece of that gift that is so small and meant for so little that we miss the true blessings of a life surrendered to His love and His will and His glory. God desires a deep love relationship with us, His creation. He has proven that in so many ways. I believe that He wants to show us so much more of Himself. Are we willing to surrender our complacent hearts and enter in, despite the cost?

To Need Him More

2005-01-05T23:13:00.000-08:00

Matt. 5:3 God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.

NLT

More each day I realize how much I need You, Lord. To purify my heart. To be my motivation. Not for me but for You. I am totally incompetent to change the deepest things about me. My deepest desires are for You to change me. Take my pride. Take my selfishness. Take the negative things about me. Take my judgmental mind. Strip away all that has entrenched my heart so that you can mold it to what You would have it be. Make me a humble servant. Increase my desire for You. May I never forget that I am nothing with out You.

Check out Jeremy Camp's song "Revive Me" on his Carried Me cd.

To Rest in Him

2005-01-04T11:31:00.000-08:00

Psa. 3:3 But you, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts my head high. 4 I cried out to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy mountain.

Interlude

Psa. 3:5 I lay down and slept. I woke up in safety, for the LORD was watching over me. 6 I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side.

NLT

My thoughts are strong towards those who have suffered so much. So many lost. So many gone. How quickly everything can change. In a single moment we can move from the everyday mundane to nothing ever the same...again. I desire more than ever to know Him, to serve Him, to follow Him, and to rest in Him.

Lord, indeed You are the one true shield. You watch over the path of the righteous but the path of the wicked leads to destruction. I desire more of You and less of me. Change my heart's desire from the things that will perish to the things everlasting.

You have shown us how very small we are. And yes, in a moment, a twinkling of the eye, you can call each one of us home. May we be ready, each and every day prepared for You. Our focus on You. So many need Your protection, to finally find true rest.

Commercialized Praise

2004-11-19T08:32:00.000-08:00

The past several years has brought on a comercialization of worship bands and worship songs like never seen before. It's and exciting but dangerous time.

Exciting in that the abundance of readily available, quality worship songs has literally exploded. Access to fresh new material for worship leaders has never been better. Sites and services such as Worship Together, Song Share, worship Leader and yes...even iTunes do an amazing job at spreading valuable recourses. I have gained so much from all that is out there and value the ministry that so many are sharing.

But...

The danger lurks in where we place our value. Too often I hear, "That's not how 'fill in the band' sings it," or "I like 'fill in the band's' version of it better. Are we in the business of playing cover tunes, or are we trying to lead our congregation into the presence of a holy, loving and worthy God? I like having a song to reference an arrangement after, but that should never be my end goal--only a tool.