Choose Obedience

If ye love me, keep my
commandments.

John 14:15

In viewing the Christian life, I feel one of the hardest parts of it all is that of obedience. I guess it shouldn't be, considering all Jesus has done for us past, present and into the future. After all, we have the wonderful privilege of basking in the love of God every minute we live and breathe, so what's the problem?

Someone asked me a few years ago what I considered the main theme of the Bible to be. I told her that I felt at the time and still do that every word of the Bible is penned with the ink of God's love. However, I feel the next resounding theme of God's Word is that of obedience. We can see it all through the Old and New Testaments that affected not just Bible characters, but real live human beings with similar feelings we have come to know in our own lives.

Follow my thinking for a few moments with my own paraphrases:
It all started from the very beginning of God's Word when God spoke to that first couple in Eden about that one tree in the middle of the garden...”Don't touch it.”
Noah...”Build an ark.” (He didn't know what an ark [boat] or even rain was.)
Abraham...”Sacrifice your son.”
Moses...”Lead my people back home from Egypt.”
Joshua...”March around Jericho with my people and the walls will fall.”
Ezra...”Lead My people back to Jerusalem.”
Nehemiah...”Rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.”
Esther...”Speak to the King on behalf of our people.”
Isaiah, Jeremiah and the rest of the OT prophets...”Prophesy!”
Joseph...”Take Mary and the child to Egypt.” (Of course, more could be said here.)
Disciples...”Follow Me.”
John from a desolate island...”Write...”

This list could be filled in with so many other people from Scripture. I think of the times when Jesus healed people of various maladies. That healing was often accompanied by a command where the sick or impaired person was asked to respond in some way...”Take up thy bed and walk.” “Maid, arise.” “Weep not.” “Young man, I say unto thee, arise.” I am wondering what would have happened if those folks had refused to obey Jesus in those moments. It was a way of their claiming their healing. Would they have been healed? It's interesting to contemplate.

I'm wondering in the course of my own spiritual walk what all I may have missed because of disobedience. I know there were times when the Holy Spirit encouraged me to arise out of my circumstances and walk strong and tall, but I was happy attending my own pity party. One of my daughter's spoke of a friend of hers who had young children. When one of those children would become a little on the misbehaving side and hadn't responded to the mother's look, she would go to that child and would quietly say in his ear, “Choose obedience.” She was admonishing that children not only to behave correctly, but those two words also served as a warning of consequences that could result.

How often have we read our Bibles and found wise counsel for living, but we quickly move on to the next verse or page, not realizing that we please God most when we choose to obey Him. What a shame when God has to get our attention and perhaps teach us hard lessons that could be avoided if we would only make the good choice of obedience.

In the Gospels, there were people who were amazed at the power in Jesus to perform the miracles He did. After calming the raging sea, those present marveled that even the wind and waves obeyed Him. There was a healing where even unclean spirits obeyed Jesus. In Acts chapter five, we read how we ought to obey God rather than man. This is where many of us fail. We tend to be “people pleasers”

I've always felt bad that my children were born in the 1970's. I so wish they could have come into an America where there was respect for authority, no riots (racial or otherwise), unconditional respect for teachers and policemen, proper attire, music that made sense and when parents were obeyed without sass. Those are things they were born into and I knew they would never know anything like the “happy days” of the 1950's. Those folks born after 1960 have had to learn, often the hard way, what obedience was. I'm so grateful that my children weathered those days and are God-serving and loving adults. So what is obedience?

Obedience: complying with an order, request to another's authority.

That may be hard at times, but with God, because of His great love, obedience should really be our first response to Him. The thing is, who or whatever we follow is where our allegiance will be. Paul says:

Know ye not, that in whom ye yield yourselves
servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey;
whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto
righteousness?
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants
of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart
that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Being then made free from sin, ye became
the servants of righteousness.
Romans 6:16-18

Here's the problem...we have to know what God wants us to obey which means being in His Word consistently. We will be held accountable for every word of it whether we have read it or not. Here at the beginning of a new year is a great time to set some Bible reading goals.

Impossible to believe but it's true, that as we obey God and His commands, we will walk in spiritual freedom. So....

God+Me+Obedience=Spiritual Freedom

You see, it begins with God and me being in right relationship to which I can add obedience. The result will be a spiritual freedom beyond all explanation. Too often in our day, there are distractions that can keep us from walking in the freedom God intends for us. May it become as normal as breathing for us to be God's obedient children. His desire is that we CHOOSE OBEDIENCE.

Dear Jesus, thank you for the clarity of Your words to us. Empower us to want to walk in obedience to You not for ulterior motives but simply out of our love for You. We really do love You. In Your precious name....Amen

Crutches of Life

My soul followeth hard after thee:
thy right hand upholdeth me.
Psalm 63:8

It was amazing as we were cleaning out our attic in preparation for our move to Tennessee, to find so many things we had stashed away in a span of a few years. I think the only time we clean out the attics of our houses is either when we are planning to move to another house or when someone dies. With our present move, we came across two or three sets of crutches. You would have to know the Lanoue men and their problem with knees to understand how we could have accumulated them. Those crutches, both wooden and metal, had been used when there were knee cap problems, sprains, etc. thus it was a benefit to keep those crutches handy.

What are crutches for? They are meant to help one who has sustained some kind of injury to the lower extremities of the body to aid in getting from one place to another. There are some people with balance problems who often need crutches just to steady themselves, even in just standing. Crutches are vital for those with a physical need of them. However, crutches are awkward, bundlesome and next to impossible to manipulate if one needs to also carry something while using crutches. Sounds complicated and often is. Except for some crippling diseases that require permanent use of crutches, it must be remembered that crutches under normal circumstances are meant to be temporary. Crutches in themselves can cause even more debilitating conditions for those who refuse to give them up when it is time to do so.

I have come to learn from personal experience, more than in observing others, that I have often found myself using invisible crutches. At one time or another, we all have invisible crutches. I can understand that happening with people who are not Christians. Christians, however, can also find themselves leaning on things/people to help with balance in their lives and that provides a sense of security. Some crutches folks learn to lean on may involve money, jobs, friends, spouses, exercise/diet programs, material possessions, relatives, and yes, even pets, and the list could go on. It can happen in such a slow but steady way, that we may find ourselves on invisible crutches without noticing it. Bottom line is that in this area, God is the one we are to lean on for our security and well being.

Real crutches can break or slip causing one to fall. The invisible crutches we come up with in this life of ours are not very reliable either. People will let us down, material things are passing, money can be fleeting and health issues can recur. There is nothing in this life that is permanent and totally reliable, except Jesus.

Back in 1972, Bill Withers wrote a song that is catchy, and one of those we could go around humming all day. The words of the chorus are as follows:

“Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on.
For, it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on.”

This could be a theme song for those who want to sign up to be a crutch in the lives of others. Many of us have the “crutch nature,” that of always wanting to help someone keep their balance in life. Being a help to others is wonderful, but not to the point of encouraging others to depend on us so heavily that it isn't healthy. In today's verbage, we hear the word “enabler.” That's what crutches are...enablers. They enable us to function and hopefully heal. When we allow ourselves to be crutches/enablers in the lives of others long term, we rob those people of dependence on the Lord thus draining them of sound spiritual health.

There is a chorus to another song that is even more familiar to us. It speaks of the healthiest kind of leaning. The words to the song were written in the mid 1800's by Philip P. Bliss and it says:

Leaning....leaning
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning...leaning
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

YES...this is the answer when we tend to walk with the invisible crutches of people and things...and that is leaning on Jesus and Jesus alone. No one, no thing can support us or hold us up like Jesus when we're at our weakest. Scripture admonishes us to lean totally on Him. Everything in our lives must be seen through Jesus and His Word. Leaning on Jesus is to be a continual learning and leaning experience. Only He has the wisdom and power to keep us going in every way. God's Word assures us that He is to be the only person in our lives that we can completely trust with His reliable support. We read:

For I the Lord thy God will hold thy
right hand, saying unto thee,
Fear not, I will help thee.
Isaiah 41:13

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;
and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5

I'm not saying that we shouldn't be of help to people, especially if they are going through a tough time. That's a part of our ministry as Christians. If we aren't careful, we can encourage people to become very dependent on us instead of on the Lord. This doesn't mean we walk totally away from someone we have helped. We do want to rejoice with them when we see that crutches are no longer needed. You and I must always be learning to find our balance and spiritual health holding Jesus' hand. We want to encourage the same thing in the lives of those we encourage.

What a wonderful day it is when we can give up our invisible crutches and throw them into the attic of our lives, hopefully to leave them there. We will have learned that God's hand is always extended to us, His hand of love and help for He is our true hope and stability...we are such blessed people.

My Father...thank You for Your love and care for me even though I fail so often. Having You as my spiritual stability means more than I can say. Thank you for guiding me and walking with me in my every day life. I love You...in Jesus' precious name....Amen

Courage vs Fear

Only be strong an very courageous,
that you may observe to do according
to all the law which Moses My servant
commanded you; do not turn from it
to the right hand or to the left, that
you may prosper wherever you go.

This Book of the Law shall not depart
from your mouth, but you shall
meditate in it day and night, that
you may observe to do according
to all that is written in it. For then
you will make your way prosperous,
and then you will have good success.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong
and of good courage: do not be
afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord
your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:7-9

Never will I forget on that fateful day of 9/11 watching things unfold after two planes crashed into the twin towers in New York City. Like so many American's, I have pictures of those days etched in my minds of sights too terrible to describe that will never leave me. One of the most remarkable things of that day in New York City was watching police and firemen rushing into those two buildings in the hope of rescuing as many people as they could. They didn't stop and think what the consequences of their bravery might be. We know now that many didn't come back out of those buildings and many of those heroes lost their lives. Many who did manage to get out were interviewed by the press. Those interviewed did so with tears streaking down their dirt and dust covered faces, sad that they couldn't do more to save more people. Such courage is rarely displayed like it was in those days.

When we speak of courage, I wonder if we ever pause to consider what courage is.
For several years, we had a family tradition of watching The Wizard of Oz on TV. Back then, the movie was shown on TV only once a year. If you have seen the movie, you will recall the Cowardly Lion. He wanted to go see the Wizard of Oz with Dorothy so that he could receive courage from the Wizard. That poor lion was always fearful, cowardly and so longed to be what a lion was supposed to be...brave and courageous. I guess it would be nice if courage came that easy for us.

Unfortunately, we usually think of courage as being something required for huge, difficult tasks. Such is not always true. Some of the most courageous people I have known have been those who faced difficulties no other human being knew about.

Looking up some definitions, I found courage to be:
facing one's fears (I've heard this one for several years)
strength in the face of pain, grief or danger
mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear or difficulty.

Moses had died. God took care of that whole incident, to the point that the people didn't even know the circumstances of his death nor where God chose to bury him. For years, Joshua had been groomed by Moses for leadership. Like many people in that kind of situation, Joshua probably never fully grasped that there could be a life without Moses and that he would be called upon to step into Moses' sandals. But, the day of Joshua's elevation to leadership had arrived. I can't imagine the intimidation he must have felt as he viewed on his own, for the first time, the horde of people Moses had been responsible for. He surely recalled all the headaches they gave Moses as he did his best to lead them to the homeland as God had instructed him. Despite Moses' dedication, too many times the people had risen up in rebellion against Moses.

It is so wonderful that when God places a call on one's life, He so wonderfully equips that person for the task ahead. That task that may seem insurmountable might be a new and difficult job or position. It could be a young man bending on his knee to propose to the love of his life, taking on the responsibility of a wife and future children...hardly a much higher calling than perhaps that of a wife. I have a dear friend in Texas who has found that she has a brain tumor. She, with her doctors are still working on what her treatment plan is to be. What of that young person, leaving home to go to college. He or she has perhaps never been away from home, mom and dad, friends but a new life now presents itself.

It's important to note that it was the Lord who in verse one of Joshua chapter one, spoke very clearly to Joshua and the encouraging instructions go for 9 verses. God wasted no words but along with a strong voice was also encouraging the promise of His guidance and direction. Please note that everything God promised Joshua is available to you and me as well. Also note that God never gives us a command we cannot keep as long as we rest in His strength and follow His instructions.

You may look over these verses but in this entire portion of Scripture, three times I see/hear God saying, “Be strong and of good courage” (1:6)....also...”Only be strong and very courageous”(1:7)...and then...”Be strong and of good courage.(1:9)” How does this happen? Those same verses explain the importance of following the Word of God. How are we to do that?

Verse 8 gives us the list:
The Word isn't to depart from our mouths. It is to be on the tip of our tongues. To do that we have to read it and know it well.
We are to meditate on the Word day and night...think upon it more than we think about our challenges.
There must be a determination to observe what we read in God's Word.
Rest in the fact that our God is with us wherever we go. (V 9)

All of us have challenges and difficult tasks ahead of us in this new year. The best preparation we can make for any expectation that comes our way is to be daily in the Word of God. It will instruct, guide, strengthen and comfort. It can instill a courage and resolve in our lives that very often the best of Christians won't understand as they observe you and me dealing with some seeming impossible calls on our lives. Let me also add that it is extremely rare for Christians to recognize courage in themselves. It is a quality usually observed by others and will rarely be known within one's self. A courageous Christian may sense an empowerment inside her/himself that is of God, but would rarely recognize it or refer to it as courage.

Dear Father, Draw me closer to Yourself than I've ever been. I can't make it through this life without your presence and directions. Keep me in Your Word and help me to obey Your everything Your Word asks of me. Thank you for loving me...In Jesus' precious name...Amen

Be Prepared

Somewhere in my much younger Scouting days, I seem to remember the motto, “Be prepared.” I'm not sure anyone ever thoroughly explained to me what that meant. It may have been confusing if someone had as just the word “prepare” can take on any number of meanings depending on how the word is used. When I prepare a meal, I have both thought it out, cooked the “whatever”...thus, I prepared a meal for my household. A person who is prepared is someone who is ready for action so the word itself can have a before and after meaning.

In our Sunday school lessons of late, we are now in the book of Ezra. There are times while “preparing” a lesson that a verse just pops out at me and our up coming lesson is no exception. Chapter 3 of Ezra gives information about this godly man and leader who had the responsibility of leading some of his people out of captivity back to the home front. There was a lot to be done in Jerusalem. Some building of houses and walls had already been done. Ezra, however, was very concerned about the spiritual state of his people. He and they set out to re-establish the building of an altar and then laying a foundation for a temple. In all of this, Ezra was seen by the people as a strong, spiritual leader. What contributed to such strengths in this godly man. Allow me to pick apart Ezra 3:10 to see what contributed to the spiritual fiber in this man who was an example for his people but even today is an example for us as well.

For Ezra had prepared his heart
to seek the Law of the Lord
and to do it,
and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.

If we are going to amount to anything for God, there must be action on our part to get prepared. It begins with the heart and ends with the heart. It must be our heart's desire to be all for God we can possibly be. This could have to do with education that may be required for a certain vocation. Still yet, that drive and initiative will still be a heart thing. As we prepare our hearts, God will instill in us a love for people, people we may lead or serve in some way. I have known people in full time Christian work, hoping to be spiritual leaders who will never make it. Little love for people will usually indicate something lacking in ones love relationship with the Lord. Ezra loved his people and had, it would seem, every credential for being the spiritual leader of his people. Love for God and people were instrumental in Ezra's
heart preparation.

Ezra's next step was to seek the Law of the Lord...God's Word. There is no substitute for this. We can hold every possible position in the church, pay our bills, do for our families and even refrain from kicking the family dog. Those things will never be a substitute for seeking on a daily basis what the Word of God has to say as we open it's pages, praying for the Holy Spirit to teach us as only He can. Leading and teaching people takes a great deal of energy. Most people don't believe that but any leader or teacher could attest to that fact.

Notice next, that Ezra not only got into God's Word, the Law and came to know it well but he took the next step. He simply did what it said...obedience. How many times have we read something in our Bibles that spoke to our hearts, encouraging us to do or be something for God. We perhaps closed that precious book, walked away and continued doing our own thing. If we are to count for God, our lives must be those of obedience. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” That's pretty clear and plain. Our obedience is a yardstick to measure the level of love we have for Jesus. My children will tell you that when they were young, I often made the statement, “Simple obedience is all that is required.” As I said that to them, there were times I know when I wasn't practicing what I was preaching in my walk with my Heavenly Parent. Any good leader I have ever known is one with the heart of a servant, submissive and humble in spirit. Those are qualities instilled by God in His child who chooses to walk in obedience to His will.

Lastly...and after the above...Ezra was in a position to lead through his teaching the statutes and ordinances of God's law. Many women I know are quick to say, “But I'm just not a teacher.” I don't believe that for one minute. Every one of us are teachers whether we know it or not. God broadens our influence as we walk in obedience to Him and His Word. Some may be professional teachers while most are not. The most uneducated women I've known are still teachers as they instill character and Godly principles into the lives of their children. Some ladies beautifully teach Sunday school classes. They may not be the most articulate but God blesses their study and efforts as those they teach learn and are blessed.

We are often teaching when we have no idea we are doing it. My friend Patsy would probably tell you that she isn't a teacher. She can sub in a children's class but wouldn't want to teach my ladies class. She's a hard worker with hands-on, background things at church. She has to be one of the most thoughtful women I know, tender in heart and spirit. She brought me a basket the other day that contained six wrapped gifts and a card. She knew I was going to be going through six chemo treatments for six weeks. She said I could open one gift after each chemo process. The first gift was a lovely candle and she had attached to it a Bible verse:

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD,
and whose hope the LORD is.
Jeremiah 17:7

In all my reading of Scripture, I don't know how many times I may have read that verse, but on that day, that verse lived anew for me. I saw that with everything going on, I will be blessed as I trust and that my real hope the LORD is....not doctors, nurses or anyone else. I've been saying this verse over and over and it continues to bless, encourage and teach me. Patsy would tell you that she isn't a teacher. Oh really? I've usually taught her in our ladies Bible study, but on that day and this week, she taught me some things by reminding me of God's blessings and hope in tough times.

Ezra is a part of our spiritual heritage, a spiritual relative. His example is for us to look at ...prepare, take in God's Word, obey it and pass it along however God has gifted us to do it.

Lord Jesus, what a wonderful Teacher You were while here on earth and You continue teaching us through Your Word. Thank You for every word and concept You shared for us that we might know You more fully and walk in obedience to You without hesitation. We love you...Amen

What Now?

We counted days prior to Christmas making sure everything was as prepared for that big day as possible. It came quickly and the day was over even faster. As we view these days after Christmas, we find:

• gifts given and received, mountains of torn up gift wrap stuffed in garbage bags,
• Christmas pageants finished after hours of work on music, costumes, special effects, etc.
• children occupied with everything from girl's baby dolls or boys sports equipment,
• company has come and gone,
• leftovers from Christmas dinner are stowed away in the refrigerator or freezer,
• Christmas tree is either already down or will be in a couple of days,
• holiday décor is back in boxes ready for the attic or garage,
• gifts have been returned to stores for exchange or for money back,
• holiday depression may be setting in by now.....SO...
• What now?

As I write, in just a few days we will be looking at a new year...2015. Christmas is probably the one really big holiday celebration of the year. More is done in preparation for this day than perhaps any other day. When it's over, folks may go through a time of let down little realizing that another special holiday is just around the corner...New Year's Day.

Many people I know make New Year resolutions. I don't care for the word “resolution” because to me, it says something I must determine to do with great resolve in looking at a new year. I know myself well and know many ways where I need to make changes in my life, especially in the spiritual area of “me.” I also think I know enough about me that for any spiritual change to take place, it takes God's conviction, direction and strengthening in my life for such changes to take place. So Christmas is a part of the past until next year, so “WHAT NOW” does God have in store for me in 2015?

I can read most places in God's Word and feel a conviction of a need for change or strengthening in my life. I've been spending some time in the book of Colossians and have had no problem seeing some places where God wants to work with me on some things. These don't have to apply to you but many of them do to me. Allow me to share a few of these things that I have simply written in a journal to keep me reminded that New Years day can be a day of real spiritual significance for me. I have underlined a few words in the verses listed that I view as things the Lord and I are going to have to work on. It won't work without my cooperation with Him.

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus
the Lord, so walk in Him,
2:6

Set your mind on things above, not on
things on the earth.

3:2

And let the peace of God rule in your
hearts, to which also you were
called in one body, and be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly in all wisdom...
3:15,16a

And whatever you do, do it heartily,
as to the Lord and not to men.
3:23

Continue earnestly in prayer, being
vigilant in it with thanksgiving.
4:2

Let your speech always be with grace,
seasoned with salt, that you may know
how you ought to answer each one.
4:6

I'm looking forward to 2015 even though I have no idea the things that may come my way. I do know that God will not allow anything to come into my life without His approval, Jesus continues to love me despite my flaws and the Holy Spirit is always near to teach and lead me. I want to be teachable and pliable in the hands of God and be more for Him than I've ever been in my life.

There are friends who know I select a Scripture verse for each year. This year my theme verse is Micah 6:8:

He hath showed thee, O man, what is
good: and what doth the Lord
require of thee, but to do justly, and
to love mercy, and to walk humbly
with thy God?

Dear Father, I'm not being prideful in wanting to be more for You this year than before. There is nothing of You I can be without Your power in my life. Help me to keep my focus on You and not on me and my personal desires. I love You and want to please You. In Jesus' precious name...Amen.

Praying For Others

Evening, and morning, and at noon,
will I pray, and cry aloud: and He
shall hear my voice.
Psalm 55:17

What a wonderful privilege it is to pray for others. Someone may ask for our prayers regarding something difficult they are going through and we agree to pray. Many churches have prayer lists they pass out to the congregation on a regular basis. Emergency needs may come to our attention and we feel strongly led to pray. The above verse is my emergency prayer verse. Some urgent situations call for a real dedication to praying for whatever the need may be. There are those times we feel led to pray when we don't have much information as to why we feel led to pray for someone or something but the leading is strong.

His name is Paul. I first came to know him through both of us being our church choir. I'm an alto, he a tenor so our sections sat next to each other in our choir practice room. For a long time, I didn't even know is name until I asked another alto. He appeared to be so kind, dedicated and with a great voice. From bits and pieces of conversations, I learned that he was a single young man. During one particular rehearsal, the Holy Spirit just put on my heart to pray that the Lord would bring a young lady into Paul's life that would be a good match for him. I didn't pray for anyone in particular but felt I should leave that up to the Lord. To this day, I doubt Paul and I have passed more than 50 words between us in person. I didn't have to know Paul well, but God did and I knew He would work on Paul's behalf. God did His work as only He can do. Paul is now married to a lovely young lady (who was also in the choir) and they now have two gorgeous little girls with another baby on the way in early summer 2015. I've not had the privilege of seeing their children in person but have seen pictures. Paul is a happy man and I'm so grateful that God entrusted me, and I'm sure others, to pray for Him.

I don't relate this incident to brag on me and my prayer life. (I'm bragging on God.) So often, I have mistakenly felt that in praying for others, I needed to just pray for the big stuff in their lives. However, no matter the need, small or great, people feel that all their needs are big ones. The Lord at times has led me to pray for someone's physical condition when that person didn't even know until later that they had a problem. I have awakened in the middle of the night when someone in particular came to my mind. I prayed for them not knowing what was going on in their life at the time, but God did.

Yesterday morning, in our church, a young 19-year-old man came forward during invitation time and was sweetly saved. I have noticed him sitting on a back row with his girlfriend and her family. With me being at the piano, especially at invitation time, I don't get to be out in the congregation meeting or talking with people. He has been right within my view as I look a little to my right. I could hardly contain myself as I saw those wonderful tears of joy coming down his cheeks. Right after the service, I went to the back of the room. I told him that I know he doesn't know me nor had I met him, but that the Lord had led me to pray for him in particular over a span of weeks. I gave him a big hug, rejoicing in his new relationship with Jesus.

For many Christians, prayer may mean just saying grace at the table, praying before bedtime, bowing heads when the preacher prays or lifting those personal SOS prayers to the Lord in times of personal need. Prayer can sometimes be a “have-to” process for many Christians, but it doesn't have to be like that. Even in our prayer life, we can realize joy and a sense of satisfaction as we work in tandem with the Lord and His will for those He leads us to pray for.

I'm not always faithful to pray, even when prompted by the Holy Spirit to do so. I've also committed the terrible sin of telling someone I will pray with them about something when I haven't been faithful to carry out a resolve to do so. Folks may never know if we are faithful or not to pray, but the Lord knows our faithfulness or failures when praying for someone else.

One of the hardest ways of praying is for secret things that no one will ever know anything about. There are a couple of things I'm praying about right now. I won't discuss those things and don't even have them written down on a prayer list. They are things between me and the Lord. I know He can deal with those things better than me and my mouth can and am leaving those things with Him.

There are so many facets to our prayer lives and God calls us to be in season and out of season to pray. We don't have to know the names of some on a prayer list or who sit two pews in front of us. In our troubled times, many are counting on our prayers and God can lay folks on our hearts for His own reasons. Be it night, morning or noon, we are to be alert and on duty to pray in sometimes the oddest of circumstances. What a privilege is ours....

Dear Father, thank You for the joy of prayer, be it personal or on behalf of others. Help me to be faithful to pray and never make promises to pray if I never intend to do so. Thank You for entrusting to me the privilege of praying for others. In Jesus precious name....Amen!

A Root of Bitterness

Pursue peace with all people
and holiness, without which no one
will see the Lord:
looking carefully lest anyone fall
short of the grace of God; lest any
root of bitterness spring up cause
trouble, and by this many become defiled.
Hebrews 12:14,15

I don't know if you've ever been around a person who is “eaten up” with bitterness. If you haven't, you are a very blessed person. The venom that swirls inside such a person can affect everyone they come in contact with. These are people who have been deeply hurt or offended and they carry it with no resolving of the issues. As Christians, we can easily take on the attitude that the problem of bitterness will never affect us, but it can and probably will at some point unless we take measures to deal with personal pain and anguish.

Perhaps you've been through a time of bitterness in your life...I know that I have. The writer of the book of Hebrews, through the Holy Spirit, gives three strong suggestions in the above verses.

1. Pursue peace...with ALL people.
   When we pursue something, we are chasing it down, running after it. The word speaks
   of an intensity. Any peace people pursue, however, is for nothing unless it is a peace
   that comes of God between two parties. Tear up all peace treaties for they will never
   work if both countries aren't people of God. We may want to choose who we will be at
   peace with, but God's mandate is that as His people, we are to live, first at peace on an
   individual basis with God. We are told to make every effort to be at peace with people, yes, the easiest or most difficult of people. The other person may n respond,
   but we aren't responsible for for the response or actions of the other person...only for obedience on our own part.

2. Pursue holiness
   We will never attain to the same holiness as God, but we are to lead a holy life through
   the power of the Holy Spirit. God never gives us a command we can't keep. He doesn't play jokes on us. He wants our lives to be pure and clean in every way.
   

Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God.
We should be alert spiritually speaking so that we don't slip into sin and wrong doing. We can often fall short when we lose the initiative of staying on guard regarding our spiritual beings. Many Christians fall into the things of the world because they lost their spiritual “edge.”

LEST: (the prevention of something negative happening)
...lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble.

I don't know about you, but what little I know about plants or growing things, they started with a seed of some kind. Before roots can be formed, seeds must be planted. In verse 15 we read of “any root of bitterness.” No root, formed underground, just appears on it's own. There is a major event that brings any root about and that event is the planting of some kind of seed. My personal opinion regarding that root of bitterness is that the major event that takes place is that of the planting of a seed. I also believe that seed to be the seed of anger. From my experience as a social worker and just through life observation, it seems that bitterness is the end result of anger. Bitterness appears to be the big grand finale of an on-going angry spirit.

We must guard our hearts not from bitterness but from the anger that causes it. That small seed of anger grows and produces the roots and crops of bitterness. We must be on the alert when anger arises in our lives. Left to itself, anger will multiply creating the undergrowth of bitterness that can absolutely ruin life for anyone who doesn't get control of that part of their lives. So how do we proceed? Scripture is plain on the subject.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger,
clamor, and evil speaking be put
away from you, with all malice.
And be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God in Christ
forgave you.
Ephesians 4:31-32

Verse 31 tells us what to be rid of, and we are to be rid of it with all malice. Otherwise, we should hate all of those negative things that can be our downfall. Notice the backward order of the emotions leading to bitterness....evil speaking, clamor, anger, wrath, bitterness. Paul views bitterness and it's friends in a broader way. Many times, evil speaking can cause more hurt than can be imagined and it leads to the next thing and then to the next thing, etc. But notice that Paul says to PUT AWAY all of those things, indicating that we have a choice as to what to do with these things. God will empower us to be rid of any sin that besets us.

We are then told in verse 32 what to put in the place of all of those negative qualities that leads to bitterness. We are to be kind, tenderhearted and forgiving of one another. Why are we to do those positive things...simply because Jesus the supreme example for us to follow...forgiveness.

So we look at the trail from bitterness to forgiveness. Some may carry bitterness from earlier in their lives. Maybe those who hurt us has died or can't be contacted. We don't have to speak to our offender. We can always forgive, handing our hurts to the Lord to heal our lives as He sees fit. The other person doesn't have to apologize...we always forgive no matter the time that has passed or the continuing bad attitudes of others. I am in a position right now that involves a supposedly very mature Christian who is not speaking to me. I don't like that but right now, that person is unapproachable. However, in my heart I have forgiven that person despite the person's uncalled for behavior.

May I add an essential fact: bitterness can make one very ill. The physical systems of our body can be thrown into turmoil because of bitterness and all things associated with it. It is vital to leave those things with the Lord.

Dear Father, I don't want to be a bitter person. I must leave folks with you who have hurt me as I forgive them for their unkindnesses to me. Please help me to be anger-free and to do it for Your honor and glory. In Jesus' precious name....Amen!

Hide and Seek

From about my age of 10, our family lived right behind the grade school I attended. I could just cross the street, walk up onto school property, cross a ball field, through part of the playground and into the school. Come evening, during warmer seasons, the school ground was still a busy place. Some neighborhood boys played basketball or baseball depending on the season of the year. Most of us engaged in some of the usual childhood games that were so much fun. One of the all time favorites was the game of Hide and Seek. We had to decide boundaries for hiding as the school property took up more space than would be reasonable for the game.

It was the usual one person counting to 50 or 100 and then first looking around for obvious hiders who hadn't gone very far from the seekers tree. It was a good thing if you could run in when the seeker wasn't looking, pat the tree and yell, “Safe.” We would play that until almost dark outside and always had to come running when a parent called for us to come home. That game was my first experience as a seeker. No one had to define the word. It was my job as seeker to find all the hiders I could with as few as possible coming to the tree before I could catch them.

We have spent our lives being seekers. Seekers are those folks who earnestly look for someone or something. Early in life, we seek the right husband or wife for our lives. Many seek out the college to attend or the perfect job. However, among all the seeking we have done, the most important was that of seeking the Lord. We may not have known it, but Scripture has commanded beyond our years that we seek the Lord. That is not only supposed to be just with regard to our salvation, but we are to be seekers of Him all the time. We are told:

Seek ye the Lord while He
may be found, call upon Him
while He is near.
Isaiah 55:6

God always makes Himself available to us and He is ever seeking us as well.

For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save that which was lost.
Luke 19:10

In that childhood game, I never liked being the seeker...I liked being the hider. I'm afraid there have been times in my life when I have been a hider from God...not open with Him and not in His will where I knew I should be. Still, with His consistent and His undeserved love, He has always come seeking with the leading of His Holy Spirit. Aren't we glad that in our worst spiritual state, He still seeks for us.

There are definite advantages in being seekers of our Heavenly Father. These verses fall under the category of the “Seekers Perks.”

The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
but those who seek the Lord shall not
lack any good thing.
Psalm 34:10

Seek the Lord and live.

Amos 5:6a

Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord
understand all.
Proverbs 28:5

Seek the Lord and His strength;
seek His face evermore!
Psalm 105:4

But from there you will seek the Lord
your God, and you will find Him if you
seek Him with all your heart and with
all your soul.
Deuteronomy 4:29

And most precious...

And you will seek Me and find Me,|
when you search for Me with all
your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13

The secret of this verse is not just God's promise that He can be found by us, but we should look at three words in that verse that should stand out...you, you, your. There must be two-way effort...God is always available but we must catch up to where He is. Seeking Him is always going to mean a consistent effort on our part. We have distractions, problems, activities and such that can cause us to loose track of God. We really don't have to look very far to find Him for He is ever-present. We are a very blessed people to have the Abba Father we have, but we must keep seeking.

Father, as a parent would look for a lost child, I know You seek for me when I have neglected You. Thank You for loving me that much and for caring for me when I don't deserve a minute of Your time. I love You. In Jesus' precious name....Amen!

The Spiritual Privilege of Thanksgiving

I rarely cook turkey and dressing on any day other than our holiday of Thanksgiving. There would be nothing wrong with it, but somehow, it just doesn't taste the same. We all have our holiday traditions. I know of people who don't roast a turkey...they have a beef roast. Somehow, that sounds criminal to me, but we all have our ways of doing things.

Many people make it a habit to make a thanksgiving list this time of year, to list those people and things they are most grateful for. I've done that and see nothing wrong with it. My list usually is made up of people, possessions, health, provisions, blessings of the year and I can be thankful for those things any day of any year. We are to be grateful people 365 days of the year for God's goodness in our lives.

This year, I've been scanning Scripture looking for those verses that express praise and gratitude to God, not so much for what He does for me on an ongoing basis but for who He is in my life and the life of others as well. I have listed just a few of those verses. There's no way I could write them all out, but have listed some of who He is and how He works on our behalf. These things aren't meant to be just for a day. These things are just who He is. Above each verse, I have written those things we should be grateful for every day of the when it comes to our love and appreciation for our Lord.

HIS DEEDS

Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds
among the peoples!
Psalm 105:1

GOODNESS, MERCY AND REDEMPTION

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for
He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so...
Psalm 107:1,2a

HIS WILL IN MY LIFE

In everything give thanks; for this is the
will of God in Christ concerning you.
I Thessalonians 5:18

LOVINGKINDNESS AND FAITHFULNESS

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
and Your faithfulness every night.
Psalm 92:1,2

GOD'S GIFT OF VICTORY

But thanks be to God, who gives us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Corinthians 15:57

INDESCRIBABLE GIFT OF HIS SON

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
II Corinthians 9:15

ROCK OF OUR SALVATION, GREATNESS, OUR ONLY GOD

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of
our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with
thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to
Him with psalms.
For the Lord is the great God, and
the great King above all gods.
Psalm 95:1-3

ALMIGHTY, GREAT POWER, REIGNS SUPREME

Was, Is and Is To Come
We give You thanks, O Lord God
Almighty, the One who is and who
was and who is to come, because You
have taken Your great power
and reigned.
Revelation 11:17

Let me encourage us to take time apart from the menu, ballgames, get-togethers and yes, early shopping to sincerely come before God, our one and only, to express our more than deserved gratitude for all He has been and continues to be in our lives. Our thank you list could go on and on but perhaps as we read our Bibles we can be more alert to those wonderful attributes God is in our lives.

Thank You so much, dear Father for who you are in all of our lives. We can never express enough gratitude for all You are and for all You do for us that we don't even pause to think about. We praise You and thank You for all You've given to us. Forgive our ingratitude. We love You...in Jesus precious name...Amen.

Love Those Surprises

But as it is written:
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
nor have entered into the heart
of man the things which God
has prepared for those who love Him.
I Corinthians 2:9

We live in a world where it would seem there are few surprises left. Our world has been through so much and most people are so world savvy that it's even hard to surprise someone with a birthday gift. In some years back, maybe you can remember with me, the television program “Gomer Pyle.” He was a bit of a country bumpkin and was so naïve that it was easy to pull something over on him. When he was surprised by something, the funniest thing Gomer would say with a loud, twangy voice was, “SURR-PRAHS...SURR-PRAHS!!

All of us like surprises, when it comes to good or fun things. A surprise isn't always just good things though. A surprise is anything that comes our way that is totally unexpected. That might be a surprise gift, surprise party, medical diagnosis, being tail-ended by another car, etc. As I write, a friend of mine by the name of Linda was walking to work. As she was crossing the street, a car going 30 MPH hit her and sent her flying up on the hood and windshield of the car. In this short amount of time, she has had several surgeries, each one very serious in nature. Linda is one of the sweetest ladies you could ever meet, who loves and serves the Lord faithfully. That morning as she crossed the street, she could never have imagined what was in store for her as she stepped out into the crosswalk, never dreaming that in those moments, her life would be totally changed....sur-prise, sur-prise.

I love the above verse. God has made big preparations for you and me. Just the fact that He would prepare with His own power something special for us is so amazing to me. In this passage, we don't see a list of what those things are but in this case, they must really be something. We see that our major senses are involved in this process of God's working on our behalf.

EYE has not seen: We love things that look nice, are pretty, are pleasant to behold. Whatever God has in store, it's like we've never seen before.
EAR has not heard: Whatever God has in store we've never heard anything like what He has in mind for us.
HEART: We allow a lot of hopes and desires to become a part of our heart's thinking. His goodness to us will be things we could never dream up or imagine.

God's “things” He's prepared, appear to me in this verse to be very personal, hand picked and developed by God just for us individually. I recently saw a man interviewed on television. He is a man who dotes on himself. He owns two or three expensive cars, a boat, jewelry many folks would envy. If he sees someone with an upgrade on any of his items, he goes and purchases something that outdoes that person. This man really cannot be surprised. There's not a gift, possession or party that could surprise this man. All he does for himself puts him in a constant state of the deepest of debt.

However, there are things about God that constantly surprise me when I think about who He is in my life. There is nothing new about these things but I love thinking about them.
+ I am amazed at God's power. From creation and parting the Red Sea to Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, we should stand in awe of all God can do and continues to do.

+ I'm also amazed at God's presence. There are people in Scripture who tried in any number of ways to flee God's presence but to no avail. He is everywhere and has every right to be. I am astonished beyond belief that out of the millions and millions of His followers, He can single me out for His own special plan and assignment for my life. God can single me out of all other believers to be loved, instructed and yes, corrected by Him. It's as if I'm His only child even though I know that isn't so.

The list could go on and on as we think of God's attributes but will end the list that is a personal amazement of Him in my life and that's His love. This love is beyond amazement but my personal amazement is that He would send His son Jesus to die for me. I'm not worthy of that and I don't know of anyone who is.

I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene.
And wonder how He could love me
A sinner, condemned unclean.
How marvelous
How wonderful
And my song shall ever be.
Oh how marvelous
Oh how wonderful
Is my Savior's love for me.

I love who God is in my life and everything He is in my life. Despite all of His goodness in my life on a regular basis, He is still full of surprises in my life as well. God sends things and people into my life that could only be of Him. You and I, although undeserving of God's goodness, should feel such gratitude toward Him and for Him who is faithful in our lives. I love that there's no imagining all God has in store for us BUT...it is “for those who love Him.” God is still in the process of preparing even more things for us and I can hardly wait to see what else He has in store for my life. It's got to be spectacular.

Thank you Father for Your goodness in my life. Forgive my lack of gratitude and taking Your blessings for granted. Thank you for sending Jesus into my life and for Your Holy Spirit who teaches me the Word and who guides and directs my life. In Jesus' precious name...Amen.