Our Chief Purpose in the New Year

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

Who do you want to BE in 2017?

Scripture of the Day:

Ecclesiastes 12:13

“Having heard everything, I have reached this conclusion: Fear God and keep his commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.”

On the cusp of a new year, what are your hopes and dreams? What do you hope to accomplish? More importantly, who do you want to BE in 2017?

If we were made to enjoy His presence and to love and worship Him, do we have plans for that occupation in the new year?

Simply put, our whole purpose is to know God, make Him known, to fear Him and keep His commandments. That word fear is not a popular word these days  – or ever, for that matter.

But this fear is not like the the feat that evil brings. It is a Holy reverence at Who God is and an awareness that He sees and knows us completely. How then, ought we to live?

Like David, my prayer is that God would, “Examine me, and probe my thoughts! Test me, and know my concerns! See if there is any idolatrous tendency in me, and lead me in the reliable ancient path!” (Psalm 139:23-24).

This is my prayer for 2017, that we would not be deceived, but would see our great need of our Holy, awesome God – and live FULLY for Him.

Happy New Year, friends. Live well and completely for His glory. There is no other path that can bring us the joy of the LORD.

Oh God, thank You for revealing our need of You. Help us to draw nearer to You in this coming year and to make You famous! May we faithfully share Your love and not be distracted by civilian affairs or attacks of the enemy. Protect Your people and help us to stay focused on what matters – knowing and loving You and one another!

 

Parting Words

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

Christ knew of His imminent crucifixion and yet He was thinking of us.

Scriptures of the Day:

John 13:1

“Just before the Passover feast, Jesus knew that his time had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now loved them to the very end.”

John 15

:4 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. 9 Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete. 17 This I command you – to love one another.

A person’s final words are often the most important. So it is with our LORD. Christ knew of His imminent crucifixion and yet He was thinking of us. John 13-15 is full of critical advice from One Who saw clearly what our priorities ought to be.

Serve. First and foremost, Jesus displayed serving one another by washing the feet of those He created. Though He was LORD, He humbled Himself and thought of others above Himself. He commands us to do the same and promises a blessing for doing so.

Believe. This world and our flesh will cause us to doubt. We need to tenaciously cling to our faith in God.

Obey. Obeying His commandments is a blessing to us. Sin ravages our souls. Obeying God brings blessings.

Peace. Christ tells us to not “let” our hearts be troubled. We have a choice and His grace is sufficient.

Remain.  He pled with us to remain in Him – the word remain appears eleven times in John 15. He knew our tendency is to drift and beckoned us to draw near to Him so we could bear fruit and live worthy lives.

Persecution. If the world hated Christ, it will hate us, too.

Love. We are called to love one another. The love that Christ showed us is selfless and sacrificial.

As we leave one year and embark on the next may we consider these encouragements from our God, our LORD and Savior. What insight can we gain from this past year that we can carry with us into the next? May we live the way Christ commanded us to, by His grace and enablement.

Oh, God, we are humbled by Your example. Please help us to follow You wholeheartedly and apply Your word in our everyday lives.

Is Your Plan from God?

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

When God inspires, He guides and provides a purpose beyond ourselves.

Scripture of the Day:

Acts 5: 38-39

“‘So in this case I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone, because if this plan or this undertaking originates with people, it will come to nothing, 39 but if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them, or you may even be found fighting against God.’ He convinced them.”

We all want to succeed, all want to accomplish something that lives beyond ourselves. This cry for eternity is deep within our souls, so, we, like our Creator, set about creating and striving toward plans formed in our mind and soul.

We hope that our plans that will make a difference for someone, perhaps change someone’s life – even our own, for the better. And sometimes those plans fail. Sometimes we are successful and perhaps wish we never concocted the plan. Sometimes we pause and wonder what it is within us that urges us on to complete the work we are motivated to do in the first place.

I’ve had some pretty crazy ideas in my time, can’t say I regret any of them because God has used them all to change me for His glory. I live outside my comfort zone constantly, and it probably drives my family nuts – because they are often a part of my plans. (Insert sinister laugh here and envision me rubbing my hands together, hubby rolling his eyes).

But a plan is insignificant and temporary if it originates in the flesh. When God inspires, He guides and provides a purpose beyond ourselves. This might sound grandiose, but truly everything we do originates in the flesh or the spirit and has a purpose that will accomplish temporary gain or impact souls for eternity.

Reading in the book of Acts, we see a passion that the disciples had in their plan to reach people with the Gospel that intimidated the religious rulers of their day. When we seek to honor God and make a difference, we will face people who are against us and wrongly judge our motives. We will likely not get support from those “closest” to us, doubt ourselves and wonder if it is worth continuing to try at all. So why plan at all, in the face of persecution and perhaps even hardship?

As hard as it is to stick ourselves out there to try to achieve something grand, this is what it means to live and not just exist. Seeking to grow and be used by God sometimes leaves us weary and worn, but inwardly there is a delight when we are fueled by God’s strength and vision.

As we plan for the new year, may our plans be formed in the Word of God, covered in prayer and done for His glory alone. May our plans have Kingdom purposes, stand firm and may we resist the enemy in the pursuit of our goals.

Every deed and thought is laid bare before the One we are accountable to. He completely knows our hearts, though we cannot even fully know our own hearts. We often do not recognize fleshly motivations and are easily deceived, but the Bible, Holy Spirit and prayer are our compass that lead us to eternal motivations.

Lord, You know us completely. Give us a heart and a passion singularly focused on glorifying You and may we be sensitive to the leading of Your Holy Spirit. Give us Your plans for 2017 and grant success that impacts souls for You – be glorified in us.

Control’s Control

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

The One Who had all control laid it down to save our souls.

Scriptures of the Day:

John 11:48

“If we allow him to go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away our sanctuary and our nation.”

John 12:10-11

“So the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus too, 11 for on account of him many of the Jewish people from Jerusalem were going away and believing in Jesus.”

John 12:27

“Now my soul is greatly distressed. And what should I say? ‘Father, deliver me from this hour’? No, but for this very reason I have come to this hour.”

A sinister character plots an innocent man’s demise while the dissonant tones from the background music come to a climax, piercing the palpable tension felt while we eagerly watch to see whether the righteous or the wicked will overcome . . .

This typical dramatic scenery has drawn many with the lure of the villian/hero storyline. Me, too.

Many years ago I am ashamed to admit that I was addicted to watching soap operas. True story. When I think back on it now, it is embarrassing. But there I was, watching the clock to make sure I did not miss an episode and clinging to every word to make sure that my favorite character was not duped by the newest control monger in town.

This addiction with soap operas ended when the LORD confronted me on it. “I will set no vile thing before my eyes . . . I will walk in my house with blameless heart . . . (Psalm 101). When I doubted whether or not God was really speaking I asked Him to shut off the television if He did not want me to watch it. And. The. Television. Shut. Off. Thinking it was just a coincidence, I turned the television back on and asked the LORD to confirm. And. The. Television. Shut. Off. Again.

So, that ended my fascination with soap operas and television, in general. But what was it that was so addicting about them in the first place?

Deep within we all want to know that the good guy wins. The thought of manipulative people wrecking people’s lives and plans by controlling their outcomes is unjust.

But even in the vilest plots of the enemy, the sovereignty of our God trumps it all. His will WILL be accomplished. No matter what. No one can control that outcome. It is done.

Even with this truth, man still strives to control in his folly. So how does control end up controlling us? The motivations for control are many. Here are just a few:

Fear. The Pharisees were motivated to kill Jesus because of fear – fear that they would lose control. What was it they were trying to control and why would they want to keep the living Truth from all people?

Power. They wanted to maintain the power they had and were blinded by their selfish pursuits and . . .

Jealousy. They did not want another leader to come and take away their audience. They were even willing to kill the man Jesus had just raised from the dead (Lazarus) to try and stop the fame of Christ from spreading. Wow. How did they become so blind?

We, too, can lose perspective and become crazed in our quest for control, if we are not careful. It might be a little matter, but it could become a big problem, causing dissension even in the body of Christ. In the end, we ultimately control nothing.

While God is always in control, the One Who had all control laid it down to save our souls. Jesus did not seek to control or to have deliverance from His suffering, but solely chose to glorify God, yielding His will to the Father. God was sovereignly in control at all times, even over the death over His own Son – and the Son trusted the Father in it all.

The fruit of our thoughts and actions reveals their source – is our behavior of God or Satan? Is the glory we seek our own or God’s? When we rid ourselves of fear and bitter envy and recognize that God is in control, we are free from control’s control.

 

The Gift that Never Stops Giving

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

Joy from a gift given is temporary, but the joy from the gift of God lasts forever.

Scripture of the Day

1 Peter 1:8-9

“8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 

So, what did you get for Christmas? Did the longing for the gift equal the satisfaction you hoped it would bring? The joy from every gift is temporal, but not the joy of the LORD.

Throughout the day I have been thinking of you, friends who have chosen to stop in here for a moment each day to hopefully be refreshed as you press on to know God more. Writing this blog has been one of the greatest joys in my walk with God, and I thank you so much for joining me on this quest to go deeper with God.

As I thought about what I would say to you on Christmas day, “Merry Christmas” could not adequately express the greeting I wished to give. It feels a little “surfacey” for a blog that seeks to go deep.

Frankly, we don’t use the word “merry” all year long except for when Christmas rolls around, and it is a somewhat antiquated term. So, what is meant by this term?

A search on Google yielded these results: “cheerful, cheery, in high spirits, high-spirited, bright, sunny, smiling, lighthearted, buoyant, lively, carefree, without a care in the world, joyful, joyous, jolly, convivial, festive, mirthful, gleeful, happy, glad, laughing.”

Thing is, if we have lived long enough in the world we know about tragic events as have unfolded in this fallen world as well as in the life of my church in the past two weeks – two young lives tragically lost, a week apart, due to merely curving off the road and hitting a tree. Young children diagnosed with cancer. Spouses being unfaithful and breaking one another’s hearts.

How can simply saying, “Merry Christmas” bring the joy we hope it will? It can’t. A day can also not extinguish the hardships this life brings.But the message behind the term “Merry Christmas” is life-changing and brings a joy that nothing in this world can ever take away.

The gifts God gives us are temporary, as is this life, but the gift of His salvation never ever fades away. A secret joy is stirred in our souls that covers all the disappointments a fallen world brings. This life with all of its blessings and burdens was never supposed to be our joy. He is. His word, His Spirit are an ever-present joy to those who have learned to abide.

So, I wish you a Joy-filled Christmas and life, friends. When the floor beneath your feet is unstable and your heart longs for the pain just to stop, there is a joyful refuge we can run to, and it was revealed on what we now celebrate as Christmas. This joy, this gift, is not just on Christmas day. Jesus is ours forever.

Lord, thank You for the gift of Your Son. May we walk in the joy of the LORD every day of our lives, cognizant of Your sacrifice and love for us.

A Sovereign Gift

 

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

God completely knew our need for His redemption before we even sinned.

Scriptures of the Day:

1 Peter 1:19-20

“He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose Him for this purpose long before the world began, but now in these final days, He was sent to the earth for all to see. And He did this for you.”

1 Timothy 6:14b-16

“…Until the appearing of our LORD Jesus Christ 15 whose appearing the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and LORD of lords, will reveal at the right time. 16 He alone possesses immortality and lives in unapproachable light, whom no human has ever seen or is able to see.  To him be honor and eternal power!  Amen.

It is difficult to fathom – a father choosing His own son to die for people who hated him. But wrapping our minds around the sovereignty of God is also not possible for us to completely comprehend.  Christ’s birth was preordained before the earth ever was.  God completely knew our need for His redemption before we even sinned.  Mind blowing.

Completely God, completely man.  Completely in control over all of the world, and yet placed himself at the world’s whim. Unheard of.  What a radical love.  He is LORD and every knee will bow before Him – whether of their own will or not.  Yet He in His sovereignty knew we could never have fellowship and know our God if the LORD of Lords did not first come in a way that we could understand.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me!  We, the sinful, wretched enemies of God, now united with the LORD of the universe through a baby.  Not just any baby – the sovereign LORD – God Himself, Who knows everything and yet does not give us what our sins deserve.  This Christmas, when we picture this babe in a manger and remember what God did for us, may we also recall that He is LORD and worship Him as our Sovereign God.

Thank You, all-wise, all-knowing, Almighty God, our LORD, for coming in frailty and drawing us near to You.

Compassion is born!

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

Because God gave us freedom to choose righteousness does not mean He does not care.

Scriptures of the Day:

Psalm 103:13-14

“Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.”

Luke 7:12-16

“As He approached the town gate, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother (who was a widow), and a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the LORD saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’  14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and those who carried it stood still.  He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, get up!’ 15 So the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.  16 Fear seized them all, and they began to glorify God, saying, “A great prophet has appeared among us!” and “God has come to help his people!’”

Jesus came to demonstrate the compassion God has on all He has made.  Often people can associate God as being far off and uncompassionate.  Why is sin in the world?  We chose it.  Why does God allow man to hurt other men?  Free will.  Because God gave us freedom to choose righteousness does not mean He does not care.  He demonstrated this lavishly by coming all the way from Heaven.

He counts every tear and knows every hair on our head.  He weeps when we weep.  Surely no one has the kind of compassion our LORD has, Who seeing us choosing willfully to disregard His ways and bearing the consequences, He chose to suffer for our iniquity and have compassion on us, even while we were still cloaked in our sin.

Just as our Savior embodied compassion, He has placed that same seed of kindness in us.  It overwhelms us when we see someone in need.  We must not shut that impulse down.  Maybe it is prayer for another soul, provision or care that another human being made in the image of God needs.  It might not be comfortable, which Christ certainly understands, but we were made to demonstrate compassion just like our Creator.  This Christmas season, who can we demonstrate compassion toward, just as Christ did for us?

Jesus, thank You for having compassion on us and for Your faithful longsuffering toward us.

A Gift of Joy

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

It is in our worship of Him that we find our joy is complete.

Scripture of the Day:

John 15:11

“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

Christmas is almost here and parents all over are wondering if what they have done, what they have given, is enough. While it is easy to get caught up in the busyness of preparations, in the stillness of the night we can still hear a baby’s cry if we listen.

The cry of our Savior pierced the night as He entered this world to give all that He had. A cry that spoke volumes to the reality of our dire need and His extravagant gift. God in the flesh, the only answer for our bankrupt souls, came to bring us the gift of salvation for all of eternity – a gift that never fades – and He came to give us JOY.

Our culture can distract us from this original message of Christmas, but deep within if we will pause and consider the point of all our purchases and planning, it is ultimately to remember our God’s sacrificial gift with great joy.

This contemplation is medicine for my soul today. I confess to a meltdown yesterday. The combination of the busyness of the season, demands of my schedule, shepherding my precious ones through their college finals and school sometimes is more than I can bear.

As a parent, you want to give everything to your children, but you realize that is not what they need. They need us – and sometimes what they need is not what we want to give – instruction that is not well received.

It is in these moments that I think on what my Savior gave. His people did not understand their need, nor realize the gravity of such a gift. Still God came and He gave. He did not look to see if we were appreciative of the gift, but it is in our worship of Him that we find our joy is complete.

Come and worship our Savior with me. No matter what is stressing you out, grieving or burdening your soul, He is enough and we find our joy when we do what we were made to do – worship and know our Savior.

Oh God! Forgive me when I get caught up in all that is around me and forget to look to You in all things. You are enough and You are my joy, no matter what – at all times!

A Holy Gift

Healer of our Broken Hearts

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

Jesus came to free us from the burden of sin and to heal us from the effect of it, as well.

Scriptures of the Day:

Isaiah 53:4-5

“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Psalm 147:3

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Psalm 41:2-3

“The LORD will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. 3 The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.”

Psalm 30:2

“O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.”

Life hurts sometimes. In our most painful moments we can hurt emotionally and physically and wonder if God sees. Broken, we come before our God and King Who is a Master at fixing broken people. He made us and knows more than anyone what we need to be whole again – Himself.

Healing is needed for many reasons. Some need God to touch them spiritually, some need help emotionally and others need a physical healing. In all of these, God sovereignly uses our infirmity for good, even though it might seem pointless at the time.

I know well what it means to be sick, diagnosed with multiple autoimmune diseases.  I also know what it is to be healed and what it is to not be.  In all these occasions, I praise His Name.  He is my Jehovah Rapha, (The Lord our Healer).  He heals our hearts from emotional pain, our bodies from physical pain, whether it be on this earth or ultimately in Heaven, and our souls from the pain of sin.

Healing is sometimes a difficult subject to discuss.  Some Christians believe that God always heals, some believe He does not.  Either way, all who are in Christ are healed spiritually for eternity, which is the most significant healing there could ever be.

We are all destined to perish on this earth, and sickness is often one of the vessels which might bring us to eternal bliss with our Creator.  Our bodies were not designed to live forever and our limit is 120 years.  This is not Heaven.  We cannot avoid the fact that we all have an end, but the sting has been removed!  Praise His Holy Name!

Sometimes the most difficult thing to heal is our broken hearts.  The effects of sin are profound and can leave one limping through life, but Jesus came to not only take away the burden of sin, but the effects of it, as well.  The scar of sin may long be remembered, but its crippling effect can be changed into a divine tool of healing instead.  That’s our gift this Christmas and for all of life – Christ our Healer.

Lord, thank You for healing us and for the hope of a complete healing in Heaven with You.  Help us to be content and worship You in whatever thorn you have permitted into our lives, knowing full well that our future hope with You is to be completely restored!