Ever Felt Like A Donkey?

Donkeys and men both have a reputation for stubbornness. God may not have intended the comparison in the following verse but I noticed how men can be compared to donkeys.

But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck ; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. (Exodus 13)

By nature, every man (or woman)aims to get his own way and does his best to live in willfulness and stubbornness until he experiences the transforming power of the Holy Spirit through the redemption of the Lamb of God.

Growing Ears

My wisdom level keeps shrinking. I thought I would be at least an adequate college student until I failed the first test I took. I thought I could figure out how to be a good husband -- until I had a wife who wanted some "changes" in me. I thought I could learn to be a good father. Plus, I could see other parents doing things that I would definitely not do. But, then my children found creative ways to disobey and I found myself trying some of the same things that I had thought were bad ideas when used by other parents.

Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding. (Proverbs 2:2)

Young people are notorious for having the attitude that they already have all wisdom. Mark Twain said, "When a boy turns 13, put him in a barrel and feed him through a knot hole. When he turns 16, plug up the hole." Probably from his own experience as a young man, Mark Twain knew that young men often come to believe that they are the holders of all wisdom and one must plug the hole to stop the flow of that wisdom. In reality, this is a temptation we all face until, through experience in the School of Hard Knocks, we begin to discover the true limitations of our wisdom.

Sadly, most of our usual sources of knowledge have divorced themselves from the One who is the source of wisdom. We can not tune our ears to true wisdom by looking for it in the Evening News, in our music, in our high school, at most doctor's offices or in a history book. And even if we happen to hear it at one of those places would we recognize or reject it? Before we can digest true wisdom, we must prepare our inner ears to hear it.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear. -- Jesus

Frequent listening to and thinking on God's thoughts, ways, and words will help us develop receptors in our souls where we can begin to plug in true wisdom. As a result, our thinking will begin to change. It is important to ask ourselves whether our ears are tuned to Godly wisdom or worldly wisdom because, as our thinking changes, our life will tend to change in the same direction. We all want good fruit, but the ultimate effect and even the relatively short term results of our life are going to be determined by whether we desire, recognize, and apply wisdom from above. The more we try to tune our inner radio to wisdom, the more we will grow ears capable of hearing the voice of God's Spirit.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." (Isaiah 30)

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. (James 3)

The Things I Love

The scenes of beauty, the associations of friends and family, the food, the decorations, the excitement of high powered cars, the vicarious enjoyment of sports, and the pleasure of giving things to the ones I love are all things I enjoy. But, I enjoy them too much because I sometimes make one or more of these pleasures the condition for my satisfaction and contentment in life. And, at least temporarily, they can even make me feel satisfied separate from the quality of my relationship with the Lover of my soul.

Lord Jesus, increase our hunger for You.
May you cause us and our children and our children's children and their children to never be satisfied with the riches, food and pleasures of this world.
May you, Father, be our riches, our food and our delight.
May you, Jesus, truly be our Desire and the Lord of our life this year.
May you, Holy Spirit, fill us more and more each day and cause us to overflow with love for our neighbor.
May you be the Love of my life that is greater than all the other things I love.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.

How excellent is your mercy, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of your wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of your house; and you shall make them drink of the river of your pleasures. For with you is the fountain of life: in your light shall we see light.

Ps 65:4 27:4 Mt 5:6 Lu 1:53 Ps 107:9 Lu 14:26 Joh 6:35 Ps 36:7-9

Can we find a man like this?

And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?"

Wouldn't it be great to be a man like Joseph who was guided and empowered by the Spirit of God? Throughout the Old Testament, we read of how God gave particular men His Spirit in order for them to accomplish specific tasks or purposes. These spirit empowered men, such as: Noah, Moses, Joseph, Gideon, Samson, and Jeremiah, accomplished incredible tasks and revealed God's message with power. The amazing thing is that God intends each follower of Jesus to be just such a person -- a man like Joseph in whom is the Spirit of God.

"Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Romans 8)

The Gates of Hell

So, whatever you do, don't go to sleep at the switch. Pray constantly that you will have the strength and wits to make it through everything that's coming and end up on your feet before the Son of Man." (Luke 21:36)

It's more important than my IRA or 401-K. It's more important than my job, my house, my comfort or my peace. If the loss of my child, my 401-k or anything in this world would cause me to give up on Jesus or to have diminished trust in Him then it is best for me to face that truth sooner than later. The most important part of life is our faith which is dependent on the quality of our relationship with Jesus, the Christ.

Ideally, God wants each of us to have peace, joy and prosperity. Loss, however, may be what we actually need. The loss of money, relationship or health may be the best thing that could happen because it might be a wake-up call that would rouse us from a false, drowsy security. It could reveal a false or shallow faith and give a chance to find a genuine or deeper faith.

It is not reasonable to think one can trust Jesus for the unknown beyond death when that same person is unable to trust and follow Jesus in this life. God is kind in all His doings and will never crush a weak faith. If we have even a feeble faith, God will work in such a way that it will stand and grow. But, if our faith is false and depends on our comfort, it should and will crumble. And, the sooner -- the better. If the quality of my faith is contingent on the condition of my spouse, stock portfolio, or stomach, that faith is either too frail and needs to grow or it is a facade with which I fool myself.

Lord, please reveal anything or anyone, other than you, which has become a false foundation of life. Let each of us know where we are depending on sand rather than You -- the Rock. Lord, life is scary. Please, help each of us to more and more focus on you even as the high waves and fierce winds of this life sometimes threaten to overwhelm us. Take me, our family, our church family, and our nation beyond a weak or false faith that is contingent on comfort and having things "our way". Grow our faith into a strong, vibrant and active force that tears down the gates of hell and lets Your light shine into the dark places of this world.

The Lord is just in all His ways and kind in all His doings. (Ps 145:17)

Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.

Jacob did it. (Gen 31:16)

God was calling Jacob to move. Earlier (over 20 years earlier), God had called Jacob into relationship and during that time God had blessed Jacob with flocks, family and character training. When God called, Jacob acted. In the same way, when God called, Abraham acted. When God called, Noah acted. When God spoke, Cornelius didn't wait -- he acted.

At the wedding feast in Cana, Mary advised the servants to do whatever Jesus told them. When they heard Jesus speak, they did it and they saw a miracle.

In contrast, we read of Cain. He heard God's voice and chose to ignore it. Lot's sons-in-law heard and laughed. Lot's wife heard the warning, but still turned to look back.

Our temptation is to water down, turn away or get distracted from God's high calling.

Who can climb Mount God? Who can scale the holy north-face?
Only the clean-handed, only the pure-hearted; Men who won't cheat, women who won't seduce. (Ps 24)

We may wonder what God is calling us to or we may have forgotten. Perhaps, like Jacob, we felt God calling us to work hard, to marry, to move, to have a pure heart or to have a deeper relationship with Him. But, our heart may have become polluted with pornography, lazy from entertainment or drawn away to worship a false god of stuff.

He is calling you to something: a new job, to marry, to be a real husband, to be a loving mother, to study, to strive with evil or to move. It might be scary or sound hard. Sooner or later the situation will get desperate. An addiction to pornography might call for dynamic action such as smashing our computer. God gets excited by wholehearted response. When we get wholehearted about following Him, He will cause surprising things to happen.

I have heard
and failed to act.
I started to act
but then got discouraged and turned back.
I have not heard
because I stopped listening,
It is not too late.
God is patiently waiting for me
to see His love in Jesus,
to trust His love,
to hear His gentle voice,
and He is eagerly waiting for me
to ACT.

My lover spoke and said to me,
"Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, and come with me."
(Song of Songs 2:10)

Pigs, Hands and Sons

I don't deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand. (Luke 15:19)

Dry husks, sour milk and garbage -- these are the ingredients of hog slop and are also the result of the pleasures and riches of this world. This is enjoyment for swine but not for someone made in the image of God. When I went off to college, I had a good foundation in the beliefs, example and love of my parents. But, I soon found it easier to sleep on Sundays rather than going to the trouble of getting up and going to church. In fact, the only time I went to church was when I went because of going with my parents. As time went by, I continued to move in the direction of the pig pen. A pig is not too particular about his slop -- just keep it coming. But, looking at it as a human being -- slop is pretty nasty stuff.

When we forget who we are, we get soul-hungry and soon even a pig's slop starts to look good. In this world, there is plenty of slop for pigs and for those who are becoming pigs. But we, as Men and Women, are called to be sons and daughters of the Most High God. What a terrible tragedy to go from being a prince to begging or even fighting for swine slop. Yet, it's so easy for sons to forget who they are and to wander off from the Father while looking for easy pleasures. Who has not been a prodigal son blind to the meaning of being made in the image of God?

When, however, we wake up to our condition and realize that we are actually Men lusting for the slop of pigs, our first thought is to earn our way. We want God to let us work our way -- "Take me on as a hired hand." It seems like a step in the right direction. Yet, it completely misses the goal that God has in mind. God wants us as His sons and daughters who love to be in His presence, who rejoice in His mercy, who wear His robes, and who wear His seal. His sons do not earn pay for their personal accounts. Their number one goal is to increase their Father's account. It's His influence and holdings that are important -- not ours. Our Father has everything except the voluntary love of those He made in His image. He can not command or demand it. His joy is in embracing prodigal sons who have finally realized that they are not meant to be pigs at the slop trough nor hired hands, but His beloved sons.

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are Sons of God. (Rom 8:14)

A Tremendous Return on His Investment

I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. (Psalms 16)

The shaking of the world's financial structures is causing waves of fear. We should not be surprised at the shaking and quaking of the earth. But, I felt one of those waves of fear splash by me last night as I heard questions springing up in my mind -- questions about an uncertain future. Yet, in the past, my bride and I have seen God always provide for the needs of our family of 14. And, God has promised to shake the earth and even the heavens.

Fear comes when my security or peace depends on something that can be shaken or taken. Money, health, property and relationships are all things that can be taken or destroyed. Anyone who is depending on their 401k, IRAs or job is feeling the tremors shaking the earth's financial system. Governments are desperately struggling to prop up the system. Yet, any security that appears through their efforts will only be an illusion.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal." Real security depends on the vitality of our relationship with God through Christ Jesus. Jesus promised, and he demonstrated the truth, that God will provide for those who have as their priority God's kingdom and way. "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt 6)"

Everything we have and work for in this world came directly or indirectly from God. God owns the world and the heavens. Yet, most of the world is doing its "own thing" and does not particularly care about God's priorities. "For those who are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. - (Rom 14)" We can't do our "own thing" and also be genuinely led by the Spirit of God.

Maybe God is taking some of His IRA's and saving accounts and re-investing that money according to His priorities. Our natural tendency is to clutch our stuff in our arms and say, "Mine!" But, it's not really ours. If, in our spirits, we truly give God our savings accounts, health, houses, relationships and our whole life then we will have peace and security. Even if God takes those things and uses them in unexpected ways, we will praise Him. We will be led by His Spirit, see His marvelous works, and experience His provision. And, God will see a tremendous return on His investment.

"Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy;
For all the nations will come and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed." (Revelation 15)

In or Of

The LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed ?

Abraham and his family has had and continues to have tremendous impact on history. It's amazing how much any family can potentially affect the future. But, when a man loses sight of God and His ways, the result is sad and ugly. Such a man will set his mind on the things of the flesh and his children will often follow his example in even worst ways. Abraham's nephew, Lot, set his mind on the things of the earth. He dwelt in Sodom among those who were focused on the flesh. His focus and the influence of that environment pulled his family away from the one true God. Lot's family suffered great loss and eventually became enemies of God.

"For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him."

Abraham lived in the land but did not fully embrace its culture or institutions. He and his family maintained a God focused identity that was separate from the beliefs, training and customs of the surrounding tribes. Abraham taught his children to follow the way of the Lord.

Wherever we live, the nations in which we and our families dwell are only too happy to teach our children to follow the way of the flesh. Sometimes the flesh gets all dressed up, becomes apparently intellectual, and looks very "civilized". The truth is that the death and destruction seen in Sodom and Gomorrah are always at the end of the road of the flesh. If one's family is not somewhat isolated from the worldly culture in which they live, it will be fully taught by that culture's message, teachers and relationships. Parents have the awesome choice. Lot's choice was the riches and friendships of Sodom and integration with culture. Abraham's choice was to follow God's call out of the world's culture and to find God's culture -- God's "way". We're "In" the world but what culture have we chosen to be "of".

"The mind set on the flesh is death but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace." -- Romans 8

A Couple of Links about the culture in the US.

• Textbooks Distorting History and Religion

• Abortion

• Today porn use is an epidemic in the church

Paradise on Earth?

So God expelled them from the Garden of Eden... (Gen 3:23)

My bride and I recently built and moved into a new house in the country. Ideally, we will see it become a place of ministry. But, the temptation is to view it as some sort of sanctuary. This is the desire of many men -- a place of peace, joy and comfort where they have no needs. At the same time, we frequently isolate ourselves from or ignore the needs of our neighbor. The natural tendency is to make ourselves the focus of our own love. But this is counterfeit love because real love is designed to exist and be meaningful only in a relationship with someone else. Genuine love always requires sacrifice. Ever since being expelled from Garden of Eden, Man has been struggling to recreate Paradise while at the same time obeying and loving only Self. This is the Garden of Eden Syndrome that makes it almost impossible for rich men to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Having our dream cottage in some ideal location is guaranteed to NOT be an actual paradise because God's purpose is not another Garden of Eden. His objective is men and women who are genuine lovers in the same way that He is a lover because they are filled with His love. New life and fruitfulness comes only outside the Garden and only through death to self. For example, a woman must embrace pain and risk her life to have a baby. In a similar fashion, men are called to die to their self-interest so they can protect and provide for their family. They must die to self if they are to provide not only on a physical level but also on a spiritual level.

The temptation to get away from needs, pain, and suffering can entice us to break relationships, to hide behind walls and to kill the potential fruit of our lives. In contrast, God calls us to be filled with His Spirit of Love. His Spirit will make us great lovers trusting in Him to provide. He will provide and bring new life as we take the risk of depending on Him instead of seeking or even lazily sinking into the false security of a paradise on earth.

Father, please empower us to give up seeking paradise on earth and, instead, embrace being lovers of God and man -- even if it means being inconvenienced, uncomfortable or sharing our stuff.

The lazy man does not have a harvest because it is too inconvenient, uncomfortable, or scary to sow the seed. (Prov 20, Eccl 11, Prov 22)

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. (Jn 12)

Happy Birthday, My Bride

Happy Birthday to my bride!

I don't know why. But, I've been incredibly blessed to be married to a woman who is truly one in a million. Ouida's heart is set on seeking, hearing, and following the Lover of her soul. She has confronted many fears and found faith to keep walking. When we got married, Ouida had in mind that we would have a small family of only three children. I was thinking of maybe two or three. But, it seemed like Father kept calling us to have "one more". Ouida struggled with fears about childbirth, pregnancy, and taking care of each of them. We had more than 12 children but only 12 were born. Ouida is a true mother who has laid down her life for her children.

As the years went by, we began to feel that our heavenly father was guiding us toward something different in education. After various public, Christian and cooperative schooling attempts, we ended up home educating. This was a huge challenge for Ouida and was a great motivation for prayer. She has always wanted and sought the very best for her children. This has often taken her out of her comfort zone and beyond the boundaries of self-imposed limitations. Ouida is a diamond among grains of sand.

We have prayed together many times about many different things. Many times, she has prayed for me when I've been stuck for hours on some problem at work and, strangely, things seemed to clear up after a bit. We've prayed together seeking God's direction on many decisions such as whether to move into Christian community in the country, how to educate our children, whether to get rid of the TV, how to handle relationship problems, where to seek Christian fellowship and how to handle the challenges that children bring with them. My bride is a wonderful prayer partner.

I don't like to travel alone because I've experienced how much fun I have traveling with Ouida. A trip to China to visit our daughter would seem like a waste if I couldn't share all the experience with my bride. She gets excited about things I might not notice otherwise. I remember with joy the experiences of riding in taxis to unknown destinations, walking the streets of Shanghai, and trying out our hotel's foot massage business. She has also learned to travel into the unknown challenges of camping. They were unknown to her because she had not grown up with camping experiences. Tents, rain, cold, no showers, and babies to feed and take care of. Who wants to sign up? Ouida did. We've gone camping almost every summer for close to 30 years. We couldn't have done it if she hadn't embraced the experience and done all the planning and organized all the preparation required. Many say they couldn't or wouldn't do it. But, her work, camping supplies list, DayTimer, and camping preparation crew gave us camping experiences that profoundly blessed our family. Ouida is a rare and wonderful camper.

It's on her birthday this year that we begin to move into the new house we've been building. Ouida has been intimately involved in and prayed over everything about this house. We want it to be a place of ministry rather than just a place. When building a house, one wants every detail to be "just right". But, many details will have problems. Compromises are also necessary to meet the sometimes conflicting requirements and desires. Several neighbors have complimented various things about the house. Much of the appearance, layout and materials have been the target of Ouida's prayer, searching and discernment. Her sense of what looks good is much better than mine. Ouida is a builder.

I love you, Ouida. May the Father bless you with much fulfillment in ministry, rich family interactions and deep personal relationship with Him this new year of your life.

Happy Birthday!!

Psalm 24:3-4

Good Things Happen

The word of the LORD came to me, saying, (Jeremiah 1:4)

Like many of you, I frequently check my e-mail. Others of us like to check the mail box. We hope to get some interesting news or word from family, friends or business. God is trying to send each of us a message. If we have His Holy Spirit living in us, He is wanting to give us one or more messages every day. In fact, God is more ready to speak than we are to hear.

Thousands of years ago, Jeremiah was able to tune in. In contrast to e-mail, if we really hear God's word for each of us, we will be changed. His Word has power and does not return void. So, let's grab a Bible or pull up a devotional online and ask God to give grace to hear His voice in our soul. When He speaks and we hear, good things happen.

Who?

In my younger days, I felt completely independent and thought I knew what was best in my life. And, so what if I was wrong about some decision? After all it was my life to make or mess up. But, then I got married and soon we had a new son. Because of these loved ones in my life, I began to realize that my personal decisions extended to the help or hurt of others who were important to me. Of course, I was only just beginning to recognize a truth that had always been true. My decisions always impacted others, I just lacked enough love to perceive how much I could hurt my siblings, parents, and friends.

I reached out day after day
to a people who turned their backs on me,
People who make wrong turns,
who insist on doing things their own way.
(Isaiah 65:2)

There are some who are embarrassed about some of their past actions. So now, pride tends to hold them back from fellowship. Some have chosen to become "too busy" to be involved in spiritual growth activities. A person like this may be sacrificing his family on the altar of his pride. Except for the grace of God, pride will have its own way. May God have mercy on him and help him to have the love to see the truth that we are all sinners and have all done things that we are now ashamed of.

Other men are constantly tempted to make the "things that are seen" into important goals, projects and priorities. We want bigger buildings, nicer cars, prettier women, higher pay and better seats in the arena. And, please don't bother us with words about knowing God or spreading God's Kingdom. We're too busy and too proud. Solomon carried these kind of goals to the extreme and found only -- "smoke".

King Solomon had incredible wisdom and was able to organize huge projects, judge difficult cases and compose proverbs to guide others. He is even the writer of a few books in the Bible. Yet, his incredible personal wisdom was not sufficient to sustain him for his whole life. He failed to continue to seek to know God's ways, God's priorities and God's love. As a result, Solomon experienced the frustration expressed in Ecclesiastes. Which of us is wiser than Solomon and, therefore, no longer need to seek God? The "wisdom" of man doing things his own way has destroyed so many families, nations, and churches.

Look at that man, bloated by self-importance— full of himself but soul-empty.
But the person in right standing before God through loyal and steady believing is fully alive, really alive. (Habakkuk 2:4)

Let's move closer to God and start giving a little more time, maybe 5 or 10 minutes, every day reading His Word, seeking His priorities and knowing His love. Incredibly, the Creator, the King of Kings is reaching out to us. The great I AM is inviting each of us into a deeper relationship with Him while Pride calls us to trust ourselves. Who are we listening to?

King Sennacherib's Threat

Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this word to Hezekiah:
"God's Message, the God of Israel:
Because you brought King Sennacherib of Assyria to me in prayer,
here is my answer,...
(Isaiah 37:21+)

"Here is my answer." We long to see and know God's answer. Yet, too often, I keep trying to muddle along with some major struggle in my life without explicitly turning to God with it. God had heard Sennacherib belittle the god of Israel. But, that did not motivate God's response. It was Hezekiah's prayer that led to God's intervention. It's interesting that a powerful prophet, Isaiah, was on the scene but it was not his prayers but the prayer of the leader of the nation that brought about the defeat of Sennacherib. My wife is a real prayer warrior but there are some issues over which I have responsibility that depend on my prayers.

At one time or another, I've struggled with "Sennacherib" issues such as health, feelings, temptations, relationships with children, my relationship with my wife, relationships with neighbors, fears about my job, anxiety about my wife's pregnancy, concerns for income versus expenses and so on. In many or most of these situations, I eventually got around to fervent prayer. But, I frequently struggled too long trying to find a way to solve the problem with my own pitiable resources.

I suspect that most of us have a "Sennacherib" threat hanging over our heads. Have you brought your King Sennacherib to God in fervent prayer?

A Joyful Harvest

For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, (Romans 8:6)

What does it mean to have one’s mind “set on the Spirit”? It easy for anyone to understand a mind set on the flesh with its appetites for recognition, wealth, power, toys, trinkets and getting “my way”. As one grows older, this focus on the desires of self will lead to a sense of meaninglessness (Eccl 1:14). Being guided by the desires of flesh or selfishness is guaranteed to lead to regret and death. It will destroy dreams, relationships and lives. But, what is focus on the “Spirit”?

God does not delight in the power of a car;
He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man,
The Lord favors those who fear Him,
Those who wait for his love, kindness and mercy.
(paraphrase Ps 147:10)

The Holy Spirit is Love alive. When we have the Spirit of Christ living in us, we will have self-sacrificing love for others and for God. A focus on the Spirit means a growing love of, knowledge of and relationship with God. It means a love for neighbors that leads to activity for their sake. When the self-sacrificing love of Christ’s Spirit guides our thinking, our relationships will be touched with his healing power, our goals will have eternal purpose, and we will experience a dynamic, meaningful life. Self-love can sometimes look like real love but it will eventually yield a bitter harvest. The activity of God's Spirit will always bring a joyful harvest.

Galatians 5:18+

Here are some more questions to consider.

Are my goals for today primarily focused on me or on loving God and others?

How do we get Christ’s Spirit in our life?

• Is it related to Jesus' statement that he who is forgiven much loves much?

Can we get more of His Spirit?

A teenage 'rebelution'

Do Some Damage!

But as for Israel He says, "All the day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people."

It is not only Israel that is disobedient and obstinate. I have, too often, found myself in that same category. One does not set out to be disobedient. No, it comes quite naturally to humanity because all that's necessary is to say, "I'm going to do what I want." This is quite a contrast to being able to sincerely say, "Jesus is Lord."

Many Christians are currently barely distinguishable from anyone else in their neighborhood. One reason may be that we have basically the same values, goals and "wisdom" as everyone else. But, if we look at the early Christians, we see that they were "continually devoted to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread (communion) and to prayer." They were not only different from their neighbors, they would also be different from most of us.

By God's grace, let's stop for a few minutes and ask ourselves, "When was the last time I spent even 30 minutes to personally read Scripture and pray over my values, goals and family?" Many of us are missing something vitally important! No wonder our hearts are growing cold, our marriages lack love, our children leave the Church and the world embraces us. Too many of us are walking into a minefield with ears that don't hear and eyes that don't see. But, if we will actively seek God's Kingdom in our own lives, He will begin to guide us in unexpected directions. God is eagerly looking for men and women who want to be devoted to Him and who are willing to change their priorities and the activities of their families in order to seek Him. The devotion of the early Christians was a result of their yielding to the impulses of the Holy Spirit. And, that devotion resulted in an explosion of spiritual power into their marriages, families, neighborhoods and into all the world. Instead of being casualties, let's do something to cause the enemy some damage!

Lord, forgive my prayerlessness!

Lord, give me more of your Love and more of your Spirit.

Lord, help me to seek, hear and obey.

Lord, send laborers into the harvest!

Lord, send me!

Turning To The Right

Romans 6:17 - Thanks be to God,

Even though I grew up in a Christian home, if I had had my way, I would have slowly drifted further and further from Jesus. I had already found "reasons" for my laziness and neglect in regard to going to Sunday School and Church. In addition, my mind and eye were becoming more and more interested in the "pleasures" of sin. But, "thanks be to God", He had mercy on me and intervened in this death spiral.

Romans 6:17 - even though you were once slaves of sin

We've all experienced the harsh force of being a slave to SIN. This verse reminds us that God knows where we have struggled and failed to be free from the power of sin.

Romans 6:17 - you have become obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,

We are no longer obedient to ourselves, to our wrong desires and to SIN as lord. He has done everything possible to open the door of Mercy for us. All we need to do is to cry out to Him for help. God knows our heart and how we have given it to Him as the savior, love, master and power of our life.

Romans 6:18 - and having been freed from sin, you become slaves of righteousness.

By our death in Jesus and resurrection into His life and spirit we have freedom from the slave master SIN. Praise the Lord that we no longer have to succumb to temptation. We are FREED to be able to do what is Right.

The Right thing to do is not always the cultural thing.
It is not necessarily comfortable.
It may not be easy.
It may be humbling.
It will be powered by God.
The Right thing will help love to grow.
It will reveal Jesus.
We can turn to the right and do right only by His Spirit in our heart.

Power in the Dungeon

we also exult in our tribulations.. (Romans 5:3)

A few weeks ago, my bride had to have some dental work done. When she returned, she revealed that there were complications in her mouth and dental surgery would be required. After telling me this news, she asked me what I was thinking. Strangely, a scripture I had been memorizing had popped into my thoughts as she was speaking. So, she was surprised when I said, "We Exult in our tribulations." As a result, we took a few minutes to pray and to praise God for how He could use the tribulation of dental surgery.

It does not come natural to exult in tribulation or to "rejoice in EVERYTHING." My natural responses are to complain, to get angry, or to worry. Exulting in tribulation definitely requires grace and strength from God and an act of the will. Our emotional response to disappointment, failure, persecution, betrayal, loss or pain can take over our thinking and our response. But, we are called to a living and active faith that says God can use any and all of the "bad stuff" and turn it to good in our lives. By God's grace and because of the hope we have that His Word is true, we can sing songs at midnight while sitting in a dungeon after a severe beating.

Our faith is "the victory" and our faith will lead to manifestations of God power to those around us. Anyone can complain and be depressed. But, God's power is required to praise Him even when everything is falling apart. Faith changes things. Jesus' power to heal and to do miracles was affected by the faith of those who heard him. Maybe we don't see God's power "in the dungeon" because we've been forgetting to exult.

Slay the Blood Sucking Monster

And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.

The things we bring into our lives should be extensions of our dedication to God. If we are tools in His hands, then our "things" should also be His tools. If we use any of the stuff in our life primarily for self-indulgence instead of as a tool then that thing may have a negative effect on our life, goals and relationships. Things like houses, cars, TV's, music players, computers, media-phones, beds, clothes, and so on can obviously be of great value. But, if any of them begin to drain valuable time from our lives because we are pleasing our "self", then that thing may need to have a different focus.

I spend many hours in front of a computer screen because it is a tool I use for work, communication and learning. But, I can sometimes get drawn into spending too much time reading or watching the news. If I don't watch it, I can waste an hour or more at the screen and end up with basically nothing in exchange for that valuable time.

The same thing can happen to any of us with hobbies, cars and especially TV. If our wife, parents or friends object to how much time we are spending on one of these things, it may be an indication that we've let a tool become a toy for self. That toy may be stealing our life or future. It may have become like some kind of monster sucking vitality out of our goals, marriage or education. It may get an hour or two or more every day of our time. But, we may not recognize that that time had a leverage effect because time or other resources invested in growing ourselves has been found to give a return of at least five to one. Take a one or two hours away from that toy every day and invest it in learning, exercise, or relationships. That time will have a fantastic return in skills, love, achievement or in building God's Kingdom.

Toy time may have great pleasure but at what expense? Let's pray and ask God to show us our toy time and ask Him to give us grace to change.

May the Lord help me and each of you to slay the blood sucking monster of self indulgence. Let's give ourselves and our toys to the King of Kings. It will be a sweet-smelling sacrifice that will bring God's Kingdom into our personal life and into our family.