GOD IS IN EVERYDAY
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Happy Anniversary .... Almost

8/4/2013

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Nearly 50,000 of you have been on this particular journey with me now for mere days shy of a full year.  And, oh, what a year it has been!  As I look back over this span of time, I see that it has been filled with many changes that resulted in adventures, as well as a number of detours to our otherwise normal, day-to-day living.  
 
This last year has brought with it a birth and several deaths; a near-divorce in one quarter and an approaching wedding in another; job and residence changes;  thousands of miles of anticipated travel, and another thousand or two of  unplanned travel on top of that; both destruction and construction home projects; overall, our household has been bursting with good health, with the exception of one memorable urgent emergency room visit for a ruptured appendix –  always in the middle of the night.  Why is that? – that resulted in surgery and a longer-than-normal hospital stay; newly-formed friendships, reaffirmation and strengthening of older friendships, and, sadly, the deterioration of relationships due to challenges that have yet to find an amicable resolution.  
 
All of these occurrences were tucked in between the normal demands and obligations of everyday home- and work-life.   No doubt, if you were to review
the previous twelve months of your life, it, too, would be filled with tales of
similar trials, changes or rough patches.  
   
John 16:33 (NASB) “These things I [Jesus] have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you have tribulation [trials and distress and frustration], but take courage; I have overcome the world.” [Emphasis mine.]

Through it all – through every one of the ups and downs and sideways movements of life – God’s presence can be clearly seen as He silently wove His way in and out, around and through each and every circumstance, guiding and strengthening so we could successfully navigate these unexpected storms.  He stood firm and unchangeable as the one constancy in the midst of the chaos.  And He will always stand firm. 
 
While change is a constant and keeps our life in perpetual flux, there is a much better, consistently reliable Constant available to us.  
  
Hebrew 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

He is our strength giver …

Isaiah 40:29 “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the
weak.”

and  our wisdom imparter.

James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

He is our Rock …

Psalm 18:2 “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

and He is our peace.

Isaiah 26:3 “You [God] will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

None of us know what tomorrow will hold (let alone over the course of the next year),
but God does and He will be with us until the end.

Psalm 48:14 “For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.”

With whom will you place your trust today for the changes to come in all of your
tomorrows?  The choice is yours.  He’s waiting for you.

(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)

~~~~~~~

Dear Fellow Travelers,

A known change is ahead.  I am being led onto a new path which will result in either less time being spent here on this site, or else may indeed lead me away from it altogether.  Until that is known, I will write pieces as I am able that will continue to show that God truly is present in everyday things each day of our lives. Do please check back for the new postings, or else to re-read postings that have previously been published.  They will continue to be available for you to read over the course of the next twelve months. 
 
Thank you again for traveling this particular path with me.  I hope to meet each one of you in heaven.  Remember, the choice is yours.

Be blessed,
Robin

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Broken for Service

6/4/2013

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Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that it’s
common for me to say, “It was an accident.”  While this phrase was learned early in childhood and used frequently as a defense in order to stave off the punishment  I knew would surely come whenever something got broken, in adulthood, it came  to be a phrase that was intentionally spoken and produced smiles as its’ utterance invariably evoked memories of childhood antics and shenanigans that  had been performed with all the exuberance and recklessness of youth, which, invariably, contained many ‘accidents’.
 
This morning, “It was an accident” was out of my mouth nanoseconds before my favorite coffee mug impacted with the countertop and shattered beyond all repair.  I stood and stared at the many pieces for quite some time as I quietly mourned the loss of this ceramic companion of the last twenty years.   We had shared many cups of perfectly brewed coffee each morning and
comforting cups of hot tea or chocolate during cold, dark winter evenings when the wind howled and the snow swirled outside.  It had been the perfect size and shape for me to cup my hands around its warm exterior in order to chase the deep-seated cold from my fingers, or to ease the ache in my hands from long days of work.  
 
As I swept up the mess, I thought about how the search would have to begin – immediately! – for a new favorite mug.   Any old mug simply would not do as an appropriate replacement.    This search could quite possibly be a lengthy process as the new mug would have to be just
right with the correct dimensions, shape, balanced weight and fit for my hands.  Anything less would not be acceptable.  To some, this may sound excessive; to the rest of you, I know that you understand completely what I’m talking about as you, too, have a long-standing relationship with a favorite mug (or cup or drinking glass) of your own.

Irreparable, this mug’s usefulness was done and it could no longer function for what it had originally been designed.  The fragments of broken pottery clinked and thudded as they fell through the pieces of garbage in the trash bin before finally settling into silence at the bottom.  
 
Isaiah 64:8 “Yet you, Lord, are our Father.  We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

God fashions each person much like a potter creates vessels on his wheel.  Each is designed according to the craftsman’s intent and for a specified function.  God – the Master Potter
– created us in His image for specific purposes.  

Romans 9:21 “Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?”

Over time, as we grow and our work evolves, our functionality also needs to change so that we can successfully meet the demands of the tasks that are set before us.  Often, we will have to be reshaped – sometimes broken and remade - into a new vessel that can better accommodate the new work requirements we have been given to complete.  Our Creator is faithful and eagerly works with us - the willing vessels – to gently transform us, at precisely the right time and in exactly the perfect way, into what His ideal is for each one of us.

Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

When we feel as if we no longer have use or are cracked or broken beyond repair, God does not chuck us into the trashcan as a worthless or hopeless case. He still has a plan for us. And it’s a good plan!

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

If you are willing, He will place you onto His potter’s wheel and gently mold you into a vessel that will be just right for the work He has for you to do.  

It’s not too late.  He does have a purpose for you.  The choice is yours.  He’s waiting for you.    

(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)

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When You Can't, He Can

5/1/2013

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In the aftermath of any life-altering event, it’s challenging to think or hear clearly in the never- ending din of society; when the return to life-as-normal has to be resumed though your soul cringes at the merest thought of it and huddles in a corner while it whimpers
that it isn’t ready to face reality just yet.  Even so, you gradually unwind from your huddled position and slowly begin to press onward as you go through the motions of taking care of routine business matters: bill-paying, grocery shopping, yard work, etc.  All the while, you share a half-hearted shallow discourse with others who cross your path, using pat, non-committal phrases as you ensure yet another well-meaning soul that you are doing ‘okay.’  (Doesn’t that word speak volumes?!)  You return to work only when you have to and thankfully end up losing yourself in the many familiar details of your job.  Here
at work, people cannot see the numbing pain that is masked by your smile and your diligent – though rote - productivity, yet they could see it if they chose to look closely into your eyes.  

Resuming life-as-normal is a daunting task after any traumatic event.  Life was already challenging to deal with when it did not contain a life-altering event. Inundated with high emotions and stress, we look to have our life made easier by the electronic products that
we have grown accustomed to.  Yet the more our lives have been flooded with them and all the knowledge that comes with it, the more our vision has been clouded to the point where life feels more complicated and overwhelming than ever.  The technology we look to every day that was meant to give us more free time and greater ease of living while supplying us with the means to draw the world-wide community closer to us has instead made us a society rife with pseudo relationships, enslaved us to apps and social networks, and created a Pavlovian response in each of us so that we immediately reach for our phone whenever we hear a ding, or bell, or some other (usually annoying) sound announcing that we have been sent a text, an email, or a push notification relating to a breaking story, all the while hoping that it’s someone reaching out to us in this turbulent season of life who will lend us comfort or supply at least one answer to the many questions we have.  For all of our communication capabilities, we struggle to find even one person to turn to in time of need and wonder if anyone anywhere cares that we are struggling each day to simply survive.

When you can’t deal with life in all of its craziness, what should you do?    Return to the basics and begin by trusting in the One who will not disappoint.

When you can’t find where you fit into life, Jesus will never reject you when you come to Him.

John 6:37 (AMP) “All whom My Father gives (entrusts) to Me [Jesus] will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, no never, reject one of them who comes to Me].”

When you can’t find inner contentment or tranquility, set your mind on Christ.

Isaiah 26:3 (AMP) “You [God] will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.”

When you can’t clearly see the direction to take or the decisions to make, He will guide you.

Isaiah 42:16 [NIV] “I [God] will lead the blind by ways they have no known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth.  These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”

When you can’t see how you can pay the bills or supply clothes and food for you and your family, He will provide.

Philippians 4:19 [AMP] “And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

And when you can’t calm the anxious thoughts that race through your mind, share them with Him.

1 Peter 5:7 [AMP] “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him [Jesus], for He cares for you affectionately and cares
about you watchfully.”

When you can’t see how sense can be made of this mess, He will make it all work out, somehow and in His time.

Romans 8:28 (NIV) “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”   

Trust in the One who will never leave you to handle this life on your own.

Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

When you can’t, He can.  The choice is yours.  He’s waiting for you.


 (For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)

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Sweetly Content

4/12/2013

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Contentment is not a word that we hear much about today.  While it is a true joy to be around someone who lives out the practice of being content, it seems that the
prevailing, underlying emotional current in our culture is predominantly one of discontent.  One has only to look
at those in their environment or listen to a nearby conversation to know that people, in general, are not happy with the current state of their life.  Oh, they may put on a façade of cheeriness, but if you really listen, you will eventually be able to hear words that speak of the restlessness that’s in their heart. 
 
As a society – and specifically as Americans – we operate under the adage that ‘more is better’ or ‘bigger is better.’   We want more money, a faster/bigger vehicle, a larger home, and invariably, that all-too-elusive perfect romantic love.  Too often we spend the majority of our lives working to attain more of just about everything in the hope that once we achieve what we feel is our ideal, we will finally be truly content, completely satisfied and thoroughly pleased with life
at long last.  Sadly, once we do achieve what we thought would make us happy, we find that there’s a completely different set of problems that we inherited along with it that leaves us longing more than ever for something other than what we worked so hard to attain; something that will give us true, lasting contentment.

One of the most challenging times, it seems, is when we see the evidence of fulfilled dreams in the lives of others.  We want what he/she has and, while we can be happy for them on the surface, there is also that unspoken, deep-seated question as to why our own dreams continue to remain unfulfilled.   Before much time has passed, a greater discontentment settles within us
and, if we aren’t careful, resentment begins to grow towards the person who has had their dream fulfilled.  
 
Ecclesiastes 3:11a “He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time.”

This verse can be true for any of us who allow God control of our life.  The problem we get into is asking how long it's going to take and then moving forward on our own when we feel that the process is taking too long.  Only God can answer how long something will take as everything has its own time.  To wait on Him and the time assigned to accomplish the task ensures success. 

In the person spoken of above who had their dream made a reality, while we could see the evidence of their dream come true, what we could not see was the agonizing, tear-filled span
of time – be it days, weeks, months or years - that the person spent living in the darkest hours of their soul when they cried out in prayer to God over the unfairness of their situation, or the longing they had for the vision in their heart to be made sight, or of the struggles they had to endure while God molded them into the person they needed to be in order to receive the full measure of blessing that God had for them.   Because we didn’t see the painful bleakness and saw instead only the proof of what appeared to be a sudden downpour of blessing in their life, we feel the discontentment of our own situation even more and begin to wonder what’s wrong with us.  
 
The talents we have been given and the hunger for the dreams in our hearts that we have longed to be made realized has been placed there for a specific reason.  How many of us are willing to endure a season of emotional isolation from others in a parched, sun-scorched
desert in in order to see our dreams fulfilled?   What would you be willing to do to have everything made beautiful in time as stated by God?

Philippians 4:11-13 ”I [Paul] am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him [Christ] who gives me strength.”

First, we need to learn the secret that Paul spoke about of being content in any and every situation.   What’s the secret?  To resolve [be firmly determined] in your heart to be content regardless of what you see around you.  How can we possibly do this?  Because God will always give His children everything they need.  Period.

2 Corinthians 9:8 “God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.”  [Emphasis mine.]

What does the word contentment mean anyway?   It’s an inner sufficiency; a satisfaction found through the depth of one’s own life with God independent of our surroundings.  Simply put, it’s daring to take God at His word and then relying on Him to do what He has said He will do.

Why would we want to cultivate contentment?   Your environment is not evidence as to a limitation to God’s abilities to move you where He needs you to be.  You are the only thing that can limit what God can and cannot do in your life.   When you live in the contented assurance
of who God is, regardless of the conditions you reside in each day, you can rely fully on Him to lead you into the more beautiful life that He has in store for you. 
 
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Are you concerned that your dreams are too big for Him to fulfill?   There is no need to worry as His imagination and abilities are larger than we could ever fathom.

Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”  [Emphasis mine.]

Second, once you realize that you already have everything you need when you belong to Christ, true contentment will permeate you.   You will know that those dreams you have carried in your heart for so long are not only possible, but will, in God’s time, begin to be made a reality as He sends showers of blessings your way.  

Isaiah 43:19 (AMP)  “Behold, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it?   I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

Let Him do a new thing in your life.  The choice is yours.  He’s waiting for you.


(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)
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The Story Behind the Headline

3/5/2013

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We are surrounded by news reports.   Practically everywhere we go newspapers, televisions and electronic
devices broadcast streaming news headlines 24 hours every day to keep us updated on both local and worldwide events.   While it’s important to know what’s going on in the world, the consistent, steady exposure to the many accounts of horrific events has left us inured to it.    
  
“Mother; 3 children missing”
         
“Body found”
         
“Massive pile-up on highway”

“Budget cuts”
     
“Major storm”

Headlines  such as these have become commonplace to us; so much so that we are either no longer moved or moved very little by the words we read and hear.   Unable to have our emotions stirred, we are unable to feel any compassion for the victims or the victim’s family members, and as a result give little thought as to the extent this life-altering event has had on them.   Truth be told, it’s more common for people now to grow tired of hearing a news story that remains at the forefront of reporting agencies for too many consecutive days.  We want to hear something else – something new – as we struggle to deal with the pains and tiredness in our own existence.

Both bad news and the weariness of the constant barrage of it are not modern day inventions. 
Think about the following in comparison to our own current day society and see if you can’t notice some similarities.

In Jerusalem around the time of Christ, Jews had to pay 50% or more of their income to the government in taxes; slavery was common, with slaves either born into it, forced into it as a prisoner of war, or else they sold themselves into it to pay off debts; there were riots and uprisings against the establishment; rich people comprised roughly 5-7% of the population while around 70% of the population struggled to survive as they lived in poverty conditions.  
 
Politicians tried to side-step tough issues or uncomfortable situations and opted to take the easier path (for them, at least and usually only for the short term), or else would detour it altogether by turning the responsibility over to someone else, who would in turn either return it to the initiator by refusing to accept it, or else pass it along to another (usually lesser-in-rank) politician to deal with it.  Finally, they would grudgingly implement an act when they were forced into it by a well-timed threat of being reported (usually to a higher political authority) and would invariably accompany their decision by placing the blame and the repercussions for the act onto the heads of those who had demanded it in the first place.  (Read about Pilate in Matthew 27 to see this process played out.)  

For all of our technological advances, society surely has not changed much in the last two thousand years.    And yet in the midst of all of this poverty, oppression and hopelessness, something new did happen that changed the face of mankind forever.

Luke 2:10 “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

What was this good news?   Christ, the Messiah, was sent to free us, to heal us, to release us from subjugation, and to show us the way of salvation.

Luke 4:18-19 (AMP) “The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity], To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound].”

Talk about good news!  You would think that such incredible news would be widely and  enthusiastically embraced by this hurting and hopeless population, yet that was not the case.  While there were those who did eagerly accept it, there were many more people who did not.  Some refused to accept a Messiah who did not come as a conquering warrior with His legions of soldiers to rout the Romans who had oppressed them for so long so that a new kingdom – a Godly kingdom – could be set up in place of Roman rule.  Others who had only known a life full of hardships could not believe that they truly could be free, and instead chose to ignore this message of hope as they continued on in their life of never-ending despair and drudgery.  And still others, who were used to the religious traditions with its many hundreds of laws and rules that must be followed, could not believe that salvation could come to them as easily as believing on the Christ.  These individuals could not see the story behind the headline and missed out on the “great joy” the angel spoke of that is for all of us.

Colossians 1:19-20 “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Christ], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

Peace; hope; healing; freedom; salvation.  God, through Christ, offers us all of this and so much more than we could ever imagine.

John 10:10 (KJV) “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:  I [Jesus] am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

This Good News story will never grow old and is available to us all.  The choice is yours.   He’s waiting for you.

(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)

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Quenchable Thirst

2/28/2013

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We have all been there at one time or another.   See if this sounds familiar to you.

There you are, busily working on some project or task that requires your full concentration.   All of the elements are just right and you are ‘in the zone.’   Ideas are flowing, amazing headway is being made and time has all but stopped when, seemingly out of nowhere, that deep down dryness develops in your mouth and throat.  You try to ignore it, but the more you do the more insistent it becomes.   With more focused concentration, you return to your task, determined to push through to the end.  However, a relentless tickle develops in your throat and unable to disregard the nagging dryness for one second longer, you run to the refrigerator or the kitchen tap in search of your favorite beverage.   You voraciously – hungrily - gulp down swallow after swallow of the cold, refreshing liquid hoping to slake this terrible thirst as quickly as possible so you can resume work on your project before either the inspiration and/or the energy fully abandons you.  
 
In developed countries, we take a consistent, abundant and potable water supply for granted. 
In many areas of the world, they do not have this luxury.  Throughout the history of our world, whenever a source of good water was located, people would congregate and communities would build up around it. If the source dried up or was contaminated with salt or other fowl tasting element, people would leave it in search of a more reliable source of cleaner – sweeter - water.  
 
God, who is our infallible source for all things human, tells us in His Word that just as a salt spring cannot produce fresh water, so too we should not both praise God while cursing men.

James 3:9-12 “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.   My brothers, this should not be.  Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?  My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?   Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”

How often have we all refused to let go of some past hurt, ill treatment, unmet expectations or disappointment as we continue to rain down negative talk onto the head of the one who caused this pain and left us haunted with these painful memories?

One common feature of both water and the tongue is that they can be either life-encouraging or else life-diminishing.

Proverbs 18:21 “The tongue has the power of life and death.”

As can be seen in the above verse, there is not a distinction made between the speaker and the one to whom the words are being spoken about.  Life - or death - can come to us through the words that we speak.   
 
Matthew 12:34b “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”   

Christ came so that we could have life if we so choose.

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Thirst has another definition besides a desire to drink.  It also means to have a strong craving;
to yearn. 

In the secret recesses of ‘you,’ what is that you yearn for when you are alone and still with your thoughts?  What is that unquenchable thirst that leaves you searching for fulfillment that you have, so far, been unable to find?

John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water [from Jacob’s well] will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give
them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.””

Christ longs to give you this living water that only He can supply. It alone will quench your
thirst as you travel through your wasteland.  And once you accept it, you will have everything you need for true refreshment in every area of this life:  forgiveness for past deeds (both done
by and to you), help for the present, and unflinching, unchangeable hope for the  future.

Isaiah 43:18, 19 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I [God] am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

Revelation 22:17b  “Let the one who is thirsty come;  and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.”

The choice is yours:  salt water or sweet water; death or life.  Bring your cup.   He’s waiting for you.


(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)


 
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Wise Choice

11/30/2012

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Choices.  We, as free-thinking, free-willed individuals, make them all the time.  This choice-process for each new day usually starts the previous night when we climb into bed and decide what time the alarm clock should be set for the following morning.   When that alarm sounds, our feet hit the floor and we jump right into practical decision-making mode without much thought as these are decisions that we make daily.  Will we have breakfast before or after showering?   Do we even need to shower?  What we will wear?  In
what order do we need to accomplish items on our ‘to-do’ list to maximize our productivity?  And on and on it goes as we move throughout our day until we can return home, weary and worn out from the days’ activities, to fall once more into bed where we make the last decision of the day and set the alarm clock for the following morning so we can begin the routine all over again.  
 
While every choice we make will have either a positive or a negative consequence to it, not all of the choices we make will have life-altering implications attached to them, while some will.  
 
When we were children, the majority of our decisions were made for us.  Then as we moved into adulthood, we made more decisions on our own.  Most of the time, we did so consciously, with purpose; yet sometimes, when afraid to make a decision, we
chose to ignore committing to a firm decision thereby making a choice – often the incorrect one - by our silence.  The older we got, the more ‘grown-up’decisions we had to face, and sadly, would at times make the wrong choice, usually when we chose to ignore the hazards of risky behavior and instead believed that ‘it’ (whatever that means to you) could never happen to us.  (Italways happens to the other guy,
right?)

And the resulting negative consequences of ‘it’ can be quite painful to live with.  Too often in our decision-making process, we think that the choices we make only affect us and not anyone else.  As such, we recklessly pursue selfish wants, all the while ignoring everything and everyone else except the attainment of our desires.  It isn’t until afterward that we become aware of how others were affected by our poor choice.  As a rule, the closer in relationship these others are to us, the greater the affect our decisions have on them.  
 
Living with this painful outcome can be quite uncomfortable. While it is better to face the consequences of our actions, some people refuse to acknowledge it in the hope that if they deny its existence, the pain will disappear.  Others spend large amounts of time and energy pining over what could have been – what should have been - and wishing that the wrong choice hadn’t been made so that they would then not have to deal with the unwanted changes in their once-comfortable world.  
 

Neither of these ways are healthy ways to deal with the resulting pain.  Thankfully, God has provided a way for us to positively deal with the negative choices either we, or others, have made.  
 
Choose to acknowledge that you are in pain.  Psalm 69:29 (MSG) “I’m hurt and in
pain;”

Choose to give your pain to God.  Psalm 55:22 (NIV) “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”

Choose to forgive whoever brought about this pain, whether it’s yourself or someone else.   Mark 11:26 (NASB) “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”

Choose to live in the hope of God’s promise that good will come. Romans 8:28 (NIV) “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Perhaps life may not have turned out as you dreamed it would when you were a child.  That does not mean that it still cannot be good.  With God in charge of your life, while it will be different than you hoped for years ago, it will be far better than you could ever imagine.  The choice is yours.   He’s waiting for you.


(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)


 
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Crisis Point

11/13/2012

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Crisis.   According to one online definition, a crisis is “a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger.”  If you are human – and I highly suspect that you are – and are at least in the teenage years or older, you have had a   minimum of one, if not several, already in your life.  Over the course of your lifetime you will likely experience several more.  

Yet hope is not lost.  God, in His wisdom and great love for us, knew that this would be so as far back as the Garden of Eden when mankind had their first and greatest crisis.

At the time of creation, God made a lovely environment – a garden spot – and put the man He had formed in it.

Genesis 2:15 (Amp.) “And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and guard and keep it.”

God also created a wife for Adam and together they lived in and took care of the garden and all of the things in it that God had created for them there.   Life was going well until Genesis chapter 3 when Satan spoke through a serpent  that also lived in the garden.  He (Satan) deceived Eve by implying that God was unfair because He was withholding something from them when He forbade them to eat the fruit of two trees in the garden.  These trees were the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Eve believed Satan, ate of the fruit and then shared it with her husband. 
 
Genesis 3:8 (NIV) “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of
the garden.  But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?””

Adam and Eve heard the sound of the Lord as He was walking.  The implication is that God walked so frequently in the garden that the sound of His tread was recognizable to them.  This day though, instead of joining Him to talk over the days’ activities or simply walk with Him while He saw what work they had performed that day, they hid from Him because they were ashamed.

When they had eaten the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, several things happened at once:   They recognized that they were naked (i.e. exposed);  in their  disobedience to God, the first act of sin was committed which caused a chasm in  their relationship with Him; the ruling of the Earth was immediately transferred from Man's authority into Satan’s hands; God cursed the serpent (i.e. Satan) and He cursed the ground; there would now be greatly increased childbearing pains for the woman; and man would have to eat by the sweat of his brow.  As if that were not enough, God, in His great compassion for them, had to exhibit tough love and banish them from the garden He had created for them so
that they would not also eat the fruit of the Tree of Life, which would cause them to forever live in their now-fallen state of separation from Him. 
 
Talk about a crisis!  The knowledge Adam and Eve had gained through their acceptance of Satan’s deception cost them their home, their dominion over the earth, and eternity with their Creator.

All was not lost, however, as before God banished them, He clothed them in animal skins so they would not be exposed, and  He also gave them hope that, while this crisis would now be passed down to every member of humanity from this point forward, He had a plan.

Genesis 3:15 (Amp.) “And I [God] will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her Offspring; He will bruise and tread your head underfoot, and you will
lie in wait and bruise His heel.”

God gave them assurance that a plan was already put into motion that would not only rescue them, but also us from this crisis state.  This plan would come about through the Offspring of woman spoken of in the verse above and was in the form of Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. Because of Him [Christ], we no longer have to be separated from God through our inherited state of sin.  He is still our only Hope today to have a right relationship with our  Creator.

Romans 7:27 “Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day,
first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people.  He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”  (emphasis mine)

Do you find yourself facing a crisis today?  You do not have to face it alone.  Just as God called “Where are you?” to Adam and Eve, He’s calling also to you today.  He’s waiting for you to answer.

 
(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)

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Constant Vigil

10/25/2012

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The longest awaited dawn is one that is preceded by a night of watchfulness over a sick family
member.

I sat alone – a solitary sentinel – in the darkened hospital room that was lit solely by the glow of the LED lights of the many buttons on several pieces of medical equipment.  The whoosh whoosh sound from the various machines acted both as a comfort and as a constant reminder as to why I was here.
 
It’s challenging to see a loved one’s fever-wracked body in a tug-of-war hour after hour as it works hard to fight off infection. Throughout this particular battle, mine were the loving hands that, time and again, placed a cool compress onto the heated brow; mine were the many prayers - filled with both petitions and thanksgiving - that were whispered into the dim surroundings; and it was my hand that held the hand of the one in discomfort as an assurance of a steady presence so they knew that they knew they were not in this fight alone.

Many, including our Lord, have endured these ‘bitter watches of the night.’  Yet none were so bitter, or so vital, as was this particular night for Him.

Matthew 26:36-38 “Then Jesus went with his disciples to a placed called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”  He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.  Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of
death.  Stay here and keep watch with me.””

Jesus, ‘sorrowful to the point of death,’ desired the comforting presence of His friends while He entreated His Father in prayer for another possible way for mankind to be reconciled to God other than for Him to have to walk the painful path to crucifixion.

Yet His friends could not stay awake to keep watch with Him while He agonized in prayer.  Twice He returned from praying only to find them asleep.  You can almost hear the deep disappointment He felt when He asked them in verse 40 of Matthew 26, “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?”

Jesus, full of compassion, knew how heavy the eyes of His friends were and He also knew the emotional challenges the next three days held in store for them.  While the humanness in Him longed for someone to watch with Him, the Godliness in Him knew that no one could walk this path with Him.  So He went quietly a little way away from them – for the third time – to once again converse alone with His Father.  
 
In full submission to the Father’s will, Jesus prepared Himself to face the only way the sin-debt of mankind could be paid so that we could truly be in right relationship with Him.  He then willfully, with purpose, accepted the path that led to His death. 

And as dawn broke three days later, He arose from the grave the Victor over sin and death.  We could now be free from the bondage of sin and would never again be alone or without hope.

Unlike Jesus’ human friends, we are assured that God never sleeps ….

Psalm 121:4 ”Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”

... and that He is a constant presence.

Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

What is it that you are facing alone today?  Jesus longs for you to know the assurance of His constant presence and wants to accompany you along life’s journey, through all that it may hold.  The choice is yours.  He’s waiting for you.

(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How
You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)


 

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PREPARATIONS

9/4/2012

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As we traveled to our vacation home for the last long weekend of the summer, there was both anticipation for the much-deserved, much-needed rest, and also the weighted feeling of the ‘have to’ list of things that would need doing before that rest could occur.  
 
I thought back to the historical tales of early 20th century England when
a household containing servants was normal in certain societies.  For those families who had more than one house, it was common practice for servants to be sent ahead to open up and prepare the house for occupancy by the master, mistress, and family upon their arrival.  How lovely it would be to have someone go before us to prepare our weekend retreat so that we only had to concentrate on relaxing and resting.

While we do not have servants, we, as children of God, do have someone with a servant’s heart to go before us in preparation for both our near future…..

Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Exodus 23:20 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.”

 …and our distant future.

John 14:2-3 “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

He also promises to give us true rest.

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Do you feel as if you have nothing to look forward to?  Are you in need of rest?   He’s waiting to give you both.


(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him  located at the top of this
page.)

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