Look Who Is Watching!

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”” Hebrews 12.1

I’m sure you have heard others say, “People are watching.” What they mean by that is that you and I need to be aware that others are watching the way we live. For us as Christians, that is vitally important. We want the world to see that Christ makes a difference in our everyday lives.

I think the majority of us believe that this “great cloud of witnesses” are those who have gone on before us into heaven. Since THEY are watching, the writer of Hebrews has a challenge for us: (1) lay aside every weight, (2) lay aside the sin that besets us, and (3) run with patience the race that is set before us. Sound easy? I don’t think so. Sometimes we have difficulty recognizing the “weight” that slows us down. Even when we recognize it, we may have a difficult time laying it down. Then there is “the sin” thing. Sometimes we don’t want to call sin what God calls it, so we make room for it to stay in our lives.

Finally we face the challenge of “run(ning) with patience the race that is set before us.” Somehow running and patience don’t seem to go together. We want to hurry up and get it over with. But God knows the length of the race, the obstacles in the race, the struggles we will face in the race, and how long it will take for us to finish the race. In that case, I want to learn to run with patience. Just my thoughts …

He IS Our Strength!

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’ Psalm 46.1

Refuge, strength, and help – I see those as very significant words. And so did the psalmist. There are times when each one of us cries out for a refuge, for strength, and for help. The real comfort comes in knowing that our God wants to be all of these things for us. In fact, the psalmist says, “God IS our refuge and strength … ” When was the last time you needed a refuge? Was it today? To what or whom did you turn? I hope your answer is God. A refuge is a place of protection. The dictionary tells us it is “a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.” Mark it down, your enemy, Satan, is in constant pursuit of you and will do everything he can to create a sense of fear that will paralyze you in your desire to serve God. Strength is that ability to go ahead and do something you would not ordinarily be able to do. God whispers in your ear, “I’ve got this! You go ahead. I’m here to give you the strength you need!” We’ve all seen that dad in the stands at a little league game and he is jumping up and down and screaming, “I’m here son. You can do this. Don’t be afraid. I’m right here with you!” God says to us, “I’m here!”

“ … a very present help in trouble.” Who doesn’t need help from time to time? The secret is knowing WHEN you NEED help and knowing WHERE to turn to get the help you need. When God says to us, “I’m here”, He is also saying, “I am everything you need!” He really IS “a very present help in trouble.” Let Him be WHO He says He is! Just my thoughts …

The Wait Is Worth It!

“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Psalm 27.14

In a culture where most people are always in a hurry, words like these may not be what we WANT to hear, but I assure you they are what we NEED to hear. This simple phrase, “Wait on the LORD” speaks volumes to us. Most of us, in our prayer time, want God to hurry up and finish everything we have asked for by “five o’clock on Friday.” When I remember that David is the one who penned these words, I can’t imagine what he went through between the time he was anointed as king and the time he actually became king. Talk about waiting on the Lord! But he did!

“ … be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart … ” We have all read Paul’s words in Galatians 6.9: “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” The instructions for us are (1) wait on the Lord, (2) be of good courage, and let Him (3) strengthen our heart. The thing or things we are waiting for may not come in the time frame that we imagine, or even hope for. But “ … in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” What does it look like when God strengthens our heart? It means that we are willing to lay aide our fears. It means that we are willing to trust God even when we don’t understand WHAT He is doing, WHY He is doing it, and/or WHEN He is going to do what we have asked.

As an added emphasis, David closes the verse with: “wait, I say, on the LORD.” Remember those times when one of your parents said to you, “Let me remind you …” and they stated something they had already said? I believe that is what David is doing here. “wait, I say, on the LORD.” I remind myself often that “no one ever waited on the Lord in vain!” Just my thoughts …

Can I Do This?

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. (5) Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;” 1 Corinthians 13.4-5

The kind of love (charity) that is being talked about here is not what the world refers to when it talks about the “warm fuzzies.” This is not some emotional fantasy that is easily shattered. This is love that is a choice and the choice is a “forever” choice. Let’s take a closer look at it today and see what God wants to teach us.

Here is a translation that may help us: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant (5) or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;” Ask yourself, as I am asking myself, “Is the love that I manifest each day patient or am I constantly demanding things be done on my schedule?” One of my real weaknesses is this area of patience. Love and impatience do not fit together in the same sentence. Not only is love patient, but also it is kind. Wow! Let that sink in for a minute. How many times do we demand things in the name of love that are anything BUT kind?

“ … love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant (5) or rude.” I don’t believe love is demonstrated as much by what we say as it is by what we do and how we behave. When I say one thing and behave in the opposite manner, people believe what they see, not what they hear. I want my life to be genuine and my love to appear genuine to those who may be watching – and they are watching. Finally, love “does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;” Can I give you a simple, understandable definition of this kind of love? Here it is: “No matter what you do to me, I will seek nothing but your highest good.” Let’s ask God to help us manifest THAT kind of love today and everyday. Just my thoughts …

Stedfast – Hang In There!

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15.58

Have you ever wondered, “Will it really make any difference whether I do this or not? Is any body going to notice?” Such a mindset will lead us to a life of serving out of some sense of necessity rather than serving because we know that our “labour is not in vain in the Lord.” The Apostle Paul’s call to us here is to a life of faithfulness. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord … ” What does it mean to be “stedfast”? The dictionary defines steadfastness as “resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering.” We have all witnessed a two year old wanting something from his mom. He is “resolute, firm, and unwavering.” He is determined to get what he wants. That is what Paul calls us to do in our service for God.

“ … unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord … ” Satan’s goal is to dissuade us in our service for God. But this resolute spirit of being unmovable means that NOTHING will dissuade us from the path God chooses for us. “always abounding … ” sounds rather daunting. How do we maintain that abounding spirit? We must remember that what we are doing was chosen for us by the One Who is empowering us to do it and He will give us the spirit we need to abound in the task, no matter what.

“ … your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” The Lord is the only one who can determine whether or not our labour is in vain. His call to us is a life of faithfulness, not a life of success. We often become enamored with success and falter in the area of faithfulness. Just my thoughts …

WOW – Look What God Did!

“For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. (14) I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” Psalm 139.13-14

Life is precious to God. Every conception is a miracle. I wish our world knew that simple truth. I wish the culture that allows and even promotes the termination of life through abortion would choose to acknowledge this truth. Every child is known by God while in the mother’s womb: “thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.”

These simple statements of truth made here in v. 14 carry such profound meaning for every one of us. Praising God should be the easiest thing we do each day: “I will praise thee … ” I work in a local hospital as a chaplain. I see patients in every stage of healing or even end of life issues. I am reminded over and over of this statement: “ … I am fearfully and wonderfully made … ” I wonder if we have any idea of the power this body has to heal itself. I wonder if we can fully appreciate the degree to which doctors must go to cut out disease and still see the patient find healing. When God formed Adam and Eve there was no one else in the Garden of Eden. There were no doctors. Our first parents were on their own with regard to sickness and injury: but we are “ … fearfully and wonderfully made … ”

“ … marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” Do you look at your life everyday and say, “marvellous are thy works … ”? Is it easy for you to acknowledge that all you are or every hope to be you owe to your wonderful Heavenly Father? I certainly hope so. Just my thoughts …

Chew On It!

“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16.7

When you and I look at anyone, all we can see is the outward appearance. It really is “what you see is what you get.” That may work just fine if we are judging a “dress for success” competition, but when you are wanting to know someone’s character, the outward appearance is simply not enough.

Samuel here was looking for a king. All of Jesse’s sons probably appeared to be men of character, but God was not going to let Samuel get away with making his own choice: “for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” God was saying to Samuel, “I know the heart of the man that I want to be king of Israel.” In fact, David is the only man of whom it is said that he was a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13.14).

So what about us today? We dress up in our finest to go to God’s house (at least most of us do) and everyone looks at us and thinks, “Wow! Aren’t they spiritual?” Not necessarily! While we certainly should LOOK our best, we also should BE our best, and by that I mean we should have pure hearts, because God sees the heart. Scripture says that we should guard our hearts for out of it comes the issues of life. Scripture also says, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” So, the way to guard your tongue is to guard your heart. That is something to chew on! Just my thoughts …

The Counsel of the Lord!

“There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.” Proverbs 19.21

When many devices –many thoughts at work all at the same time – are allowed to run free in the mind of man, we have what only the “mind of man” can create. Another translation reads: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” Our plans, devoid of the input of the Holy Spirit, can never bring glory to God. And since our goal for life each day is to glorify God, we need to do whatever is necessary to see that we are walking in “the counsel (purpose) of the Lord … ” each day. How does that happen?

In order for my heart to respond appropriately to the Holy Spirit’s control, I need to give the Holy Spirit total control of my heart. What does that look like? It looks like total surrender of my will to His will. I cannot do that unless I focus my attention each day on glorifying God. If I make glorifying God my solitary goal, then I bring EVERYTHING in my life in submission to God’s Holy Spirit. That is not an easy task. But it is a necessary task. “ … it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” That which God wants to accomplish in and through me will stand when every other plan that I may have concocted fails. Let’s begin each day with a surrender of that day to the Lord. And then as the day unfolds before us, whenever something new comes us, surrender that to the Lord as well. This is why the focus of my life for each day must be God and His glory. Just my thoughts …

WOW – Such Love!

“The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” Zephaniah 3.17

How many times have we come to the book of Zephaniah and read through the three chapters without giving serious thought to anything we read? These words quoted above bring a message of hope to God’s children. I like this translation: “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

Not only is “the Lord your God … ” in our midst, His very presence gives us confidence that He will do what He has promised. (1) A mighty one who will save. This salvation came to us through the sacrifice of God’s son on the cross. He kept His word to the world. (2) He will rejoice over you with gladness. Not only is God in our midst, He is rejoicing over us and He is glad to do it. (3) He will quiet you by his love. When a parent comes into a child’s room and whispers in his/her ear, “I love you,” that usually quiets any fear the child may be experiencing. So, when Zephaniah writes, “ … he will quiet you by his love … ”, that should alleviate any fears we may be experiencing. (4) He will exult over you with loud singing. Can you envision God singing a song over you? That is how much God loves you. He chooses to sing over you with loud singing. Let’s live this day rejoicing in that truth. Just my thoughts …

Refuge – Fortress! Yes!

“I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” Psalm 91.2

Every time I read this verse, I am overwhelmed with the magnitude of truth in it. As God’s children, every one of us needs a refuge from time to tome, and the psalmist reminds us that “He (the LORD) is my refuge … ” We don’t need a refuge when everything is going well, but when trouble strikes, or Satan attacks, or we find ourselves lost in an emotional morass, we surely need a refuge. Well, we have one … praise His holy name. But the LORD is more than that. He is “ … my fortress … ” A refuge is a place to hide, but a fortress is a place of protection from that attacks of an enemy. Satan’s goal for us as God’s children is to make our lives as miserable as possible. It is up to us to determine whether or not he succeeds. Since God is (our) fortress, why would we not run there for protection? There is NO safer place to find protection!

Then the psalmist states: “ … the LORD, He is … my God … ” Since there are myriads of gods in this world, the psalmist said the Lord is my God. His readers would know instantly the God of whom he spoke. When you and I speak of our God, does the world immediately know who that God is? Finally, we read: “in him will I trust.” Think about this … you either trust God or you don’t. There is none of this, “I trust Him a little.” Think about this phrase: If He is not Lord OF all, He is not Lord AT all! Just my thoughts …