Time is Valuable

I have been challenged lately to take inventory of those things that are distracting and hindering me in going after God.  An initiative that shows I understand that "the days are evil" and that time is not retreivable.

I ask myself these questions:

How do you use your time? 

How much do you go after God in your "down time"? 

Does entertainment rob you of going hard after all that God has for you as an investment in the future that he has said He will give you? 

Will you have a good investment stored up one, three, five, ten years from now?  How about Tomorrow? 

What are you doing today to invest in tomorrow?

Do I seize the opporutnities right in front of me, right here, right now?  Or do I  put them off, thinking they will come around again?

It has been said that self-control is instant obedience to the initial promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Peace in Adversity

As I have engaged the celebration of adversity theme, my mind was drawn to this Daily Path to Peace of Heart and Mind (Philippians 4:4-7):

Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice! 

Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near. 

Do not be anxious about anything...but in everything...with consistent prayer...giving thanks...make your requests to God. 

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Celebrating Adversity

Sat in on a devotional this morning.  Theme: Celebrating Adversity.

If you get a chance to read the passages below, you can soak a bit in the connections for yourself.  In a nutshell, the challenge from Scripture is to celebrate adversity and the oportunities God gives in the midst of them, desptie them, and through them rather than taking the path of unbelief, complaining, and cynicism.

Perspective of heart is critical.  Faith is enhanced as we daily give thanks to God for His provision and for the adversity.  

We also need to share our struggles with each other for encouragement and prayer for wisdom and faith in midst of the difficulty.

I was also reading the first chapter of a book this morning on leadership (by Robert Clinton).  The theme there: Isolation...as a tool in God's hands for shaping leaders.  This isolation can come through crises, illness, persecution, discipline, self-choice or providential circusmtances to shape our inner person.

In all of this I was reflecting on the season at hand for our family (and share all of this as each of you are in a similar place).  I am reminded that, instead of falling for the temptation to criticize, complain (against God, institutions, organizations, or governments), grumble--instead of letting  my heart drift away from a place of faith, to rather realize that God is in control.  This adversity is not beyond His reach.  In fact, it has been allowed by Him and therefore is to be used by Him in shaping me more into His likeness. 

Personally, this is a sort of stirring-of-the-nest.  What has become familiar and safe, is now uncomfortable.  I am being prodded to step out, to trust Him more deeply, and thus realize my potential in Him more fully.  A season in which, if not all these things coming to an end as I have known them, I may never dare to step out in the things that are now stirring.  God knows I hesistate to leave the place of provision and familiarity.  More directly, to step into risky ventures that require qualification beyond both my perceived and actual capabilities or strengths, not to mention my confidence in Christ-in-Me.

Today's challenge: to gather with whomever you can, whenever you can, for three simple purposes.  

1. Simply begin by each giving thanks to God for His provision
2. Pray out an acknowledgment of your current adversity and thank God for it
3. Then have the others pray for wisdom and faith for you to walk in and through the difficulty.

Passages for reflection:

• Numbers 11 (consider how the people of God responded to adversity)
• Hebrews 3:7-4:2 (consider the  writer's challenge in how we respond to adversity)
• Ephesians 1:3-14 (Hear Paul's love for the Gospel message, and then in the next passage, his embrace of adversity because of that love)
• Ephesians 3:1-13 (listen for Paul's use of the tones and words "prisoner" and "sufferings" and "servant")

Simple

God's ways are simple.  His "yoke is not burdensome.  His load for us is light." (paraphrased) 

Resting in Him is also simple. 

The burdens of this life, the cares of this world.  The unsubmitted will.  The attitude, "I don't want to."  These are the things that deceive us into believing that His ways are heavy; that following HIm is complicated.

Surrender frees me from all that.  Yielding my will to His--just doing what I know is right despite (without calculating) my feelings--frees me to trust.

I know this war within me: what my redeemed spirit wants to do I end up not doing; what my redeemed spirit does not want to do that I do.

Who will save me from this complicated wretch that I am?! 

Thanks be to Christ Jesus our Lord!

Smashing Walls

Humbling Ourselves to Serve.  This is the assignment: to present this topic to Middle School youth on Wednesday night.

Jesus.  The Samaritan woman at the well.  Cultural and religous barriers stand unified like a wall, daring to prohibit Jesus from meeitng this woman's needs.

She's a woman.  You're a rabbi.  She's a Samaritan, your people's hated race.  You have a calling to fulfill as the promised Messiah, deliverer of your people.  It's lunch time!  She's unfaithful.  How could you associate with her?  Think of your reputation!

He smashes through the wall and meets the woman.  He sees her.  He knows her.  He speaks into her heart.  He gives her hope and a future.  She's set free.  She spreads the Good news of this hero who has dared to take on the walls of pride to meet her where she is.

What are the thoughts and notions that would dare keep you and I from reaching out to those in need?

Gender?  Politics?  Sexual orientation?  Personal safety?  Denomination alliances?  Team or school affiliations?  Personal preferences?  Socio-economic status?  Skin color?  Thoughts of inadequacy?  "I just don't want to!"

"...do not think more highly of yourself than you ought."

"...have the same attitude as Christ..."

"...in humility, consider others better than yourself."

"I must become greater.  He must become less."

Jesus--"I have food that you know nothing of.  My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work."

Why Not Now?

I have a problem.  My pride insists that if I cannot do something right the first time, I don't bother trying.  Another and reciprocating problem is a good one: I cannot shake the notion that the initial opportunity missed is still worth pursuing.  Enter the words to the song, "City on Our Knees"...

If you gotta start somewhere why not here
If you gotta start sometime why not now

For years I have dreamed of writing.  More recently, to be used by God to encourage other dads and other believers in general through blogging or even an interactive web site (which I know nothing about at the moment).  Many inspiritations have come and gone.  The Temptation--dwell on opprtunities missed while forgetting the dream.  But if the stirring keeps coming, something is going on in my spirit worth paying attention to, right?  (Thank you God for your patience and continued inspiration.)  "If...sometime...why not now?" 

So here I am.  Blogging again after many failed attempts and inconsistancies.  May this medium become the net that catches real life relfections and organic inspiriation from the Spirit of God in and through me, despite me, and for His glory alone.  If this is of God, may He use it to share His love through me.  And may others be encouraged in their faith as I am by sharing mine through writing.

To God be the glory...great things He has done!

Let the Good Times Roll

Just returned from a week-long family vacation to the beach.  Seems all the unpacking, washing and putting away of stuff is mostly behind us, though we are sure to keep finding sand right up until Christmas and beyond.  As I finally catch my breath a bit, I am remembering how one really tough day early that week was eventually swallowed up by the the good times we had together.  I'm not sure what we learned in that not-so-heavnely day, but I know that somehow, by God's grace, our faith was strengthened just a bit.  It was hard!  But we would all say that our trip was a lot of fun.  We all had a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day".  But we woke up the next morning to the best day of the whole trip.  How is that even possible? 

As I think back on that experience, I see again that God has a way of taking even the most difficult of times and transforming them into something valuable.  I am also reminded that as long as I have others in my life whom I love and care for, the most rewarding and necessary work is done in the trenches of relational hardships.  For some reason, this is where faith is worked out.  Relationships are where I see afresh my own frailty and need of God's grace. Thank God for His grace! 

So, enjoy the good times.  Let 'em roll!  ...Embrace the difficulties too, remembering Jesus.  And may we learn to trust God more deeply as we walk with those whom we love the most.