An Abundance of Experience

You should know better than to say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to the city. We will do business there for a year and make a lot of money!" What do you know about tomorrow? How can you be so sure about your life? It is nothing more than mist that appears for only a little while before it disappears. You should say, "If the Lord lets us live, we will do these things." Yet you are stupid enough to brag, and it is wrong to be so proud. (James 4:13-16 CEV)

 Things we take for granted in this life are shown very clearly in these verses. We pretend we are in control of our lives. The people in these verses just assumed that they could go do whatever they wanted and make money and get rich. There are people in this world who can do that. They get a plan and put it into action and reap the rewards of it. It allows them to think that they are golden and that nothing touches them. As in these verses, it leads to pride. They do not acknowledge the goodness of God, nor give Him thanks for making their path so easy.

My life has not been like this. Throughout my life, good times, as most people think of them, have been scarce. Whether it has been in the area of relationships, finances, health, friends, or family, things seem to fall apart in my life. Because of this, it has made me very grateful when opportunities to succeed in these areas come my way.

When I meet people who have had success in life, it seems very difficult to explain to them what it means to be stripped of good things in life. They suggest that I try various things for entertainment that are free,  but then I have to explain that I cannot even do what they suggest. For example, when I used to speak of not being to do things because of lack of money they suggest things such as go to a park. I then explain to them that going to a park that is any distance away takes gas and I can't afford to use gas for that reason. Those things are not even taken into consideration for them, it is just an assumption that gas magically appears in their tank. What I see as reciting the facts of my life is seen as self-pity or being negative.

So, what is the point of this post? Am I saying that those who have good things in life are proud and arrogant and do not deserve them? Absolutely not. I am trying to express the difficulty I have in describing truly difficult times to many; especially in America. We have become so used to having an abundance that basic necessities such as gas for the car to go to work are never a concern. It is an assumption and taken for granted. I am blessed to live in a country where, in my darkest times, I have had it much better than the vast majority of those in other countries. Many times I do not feel this way, but when my emotions are stripped away and I can see my life in the reality of the cross, I can say I am grateful for my many difficult times because it has allowed me to see God's hand at work in rescuing me from difficulties. I may not have an abundance of things, but I have an abundance of experience with God's hand at work in my life to fall back on.

Guard Your Heart... Or Not?

Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23)

As you can read, scripture tells us to guard our heart because it is very precious and vital to all of the "issues of life." But what does this mean? I think one of the obvious answers is to protect it from evil influences. The things we see and hear affect what we do, think, and feel. We need to be diligent to protect our heart from external things which may harm us spiritually. Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45). So, obviously, we need to protect what goes into our heart.


But I see nowhere in scripture that it tells us NOT to give it away. You may argue that you are protecting it by not letting your feelings get hurt by being rejected or mocked by being open about what is in your heart. But I believe that our greatest opportunities and successes come when we open our heart to people. When we say sincere words that are kind and encouraging, we may get rejected, but what an impact they can have. Proverbs 25:11 says, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." A kind deed that meets another persons need without being asked (or even after being asked) to help is bearing one another's burdens (Gal 6:2).

I could go on, but the truth is that we need to give our hearts away. If Christ, who is in our heart, is given away to others in words and deeds, how many people would come to know Christ?

I urge you to guard your heart from evil influences, but don't guard it from the pain that comes from giving it away, Christ didn't.

In a Short Moment

I am thankful for God's grace. He has watched over me today in such a great way. He has brought healing to my heart and mind. He has also brought hope to a beleaguered soul. After a long weekend of searching for His guidance, in a moment, He speaks and changes everything. In just a few simple words, He can bring clarity, relief, hope, joy, wisdom, and guidance and change everything. He is Wonderful, unsearchable, and His ways are beyond knowing.

"I hear a voice, and He calls me Redeemed, when others say I'll never be enough!" What great words from MercyMe's song Greater.

Praise

Nothing earth shaking to write about other than praising God for His faithfulness. I have been through many "bad" things over these last 10 years, but one thing I know for sure is that Christ has been with me through it all. He has walked through these fires with me and continuously hammered on me to remove so many things that have plagued my life. He has made into a different man than I was 10 years ago. I have more patience, kindness, love, and wisdom than I had what seems like a lifetime ago. His grace and mercy has been tangibly real in several situations in my life. While hammering me into this new man, He has protected me from those things that would completely break me. I do not know what things my future holds, but let me say with Job, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." Let me agree with David that "my times are in His hands." Let me say with Paul, "Thanks be to God, for His unspeakable gift."

Risking It All

In our Wednesday night men's group at church, we have been going through the Wild at Heart series. In this week's study, the topic of taking risk came up. It made me think of men in the Bible who took great risks to follow God. In the video, he mentioned Abraham, but I also thought of Moses, David, and Peter.

In Genesis, God calls Abraham to leave his hometown and family and go.... nowhere in particular just yet, just go. Leave all that you know or have ever known and go. So Abraham sat down and made a list of the pros and cons of his decision. He looked for employment near and wide with his high speed internet connection. He posted his resume on LinkedIn and put out feelers on Facebook. Any responsible adult with a family would never move without making sure they had a secure job and a place to stay before moving. Obviously, this isn't what Abraham did since he only had dial-up internet. All joking aside, Abraham left as God instructed and today we count him a father of the faith because Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness (Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6, and James 2:23).

Moses had been on the other side of the desert from Egypt, his home, for 40 years. God appeared to him in a burning bush that was not consumed and told Moses to go back to Egypt and confront the world's most powerful man, the Pharaoh. Even though Moses objected, he followed God. He confronted Pharaoh and God used him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and slavery to freedom.

David, being just a boy, confronted a man more than twice his size with just a sling and 5 stones. He had rejected the king's armor which was the best armor available. Rather then lean on man's best available options, David said, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied" (1Sa 17:45). He stood before Goliath, who was armed to the teeth, with just a sling and a stone and the hand of God.

When the disciples left the shore, the weather was calm. During their trip across the sea, it became rough and, being in fear, they saw Jesus walking on the water. Peter, the Bible's resident redneck (voted most likely to die saying, "Hey y'all watch this"), cried out and said, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water" (Matthew 14:28). Little did Peter know it was hard water, and could be walked on easily.

Each of these men took a chance. Doing great things, making memorable moments, and changing the course of history isn't done by doing the doable. God doesn't call us to do great things either. He calls us to follow Him. Henry Blackaby called these times a crisis of belief. Those times when God reveals what He is about to do through you that requires faith AND action. Following God requires both. In each of these cases, these men took great risks of personal harm or family and financial disaster. Following God will require risk in what we call a normal life, yet the Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God. I am unsure how to end this post. It seems the logical conclusion is to say that following God is the greatest risk, but is it? All these men took what we would say was a great risk, but all of these men also received what God promised. Maybe the real lesson is that what we see as risking it all, is no risk at all if we follow the leadership of God.

Change and Hope

In 2008, Barack Obama promised he would fundamentally change America and used the campaign slogan of Hope and Change. I will leave the political commentary for another time, but I wanted to use his slogan as a jumping off point to talk about what scripture says about hope and change.

Romans 12:2 begins by telling us that we should not conform to this world, but "be transformed by the renewing of our mind." One telltale sign of being a Christian is that of a changed life. Christ didn't die so that we can continue to live empty lives, He came to give us life, and life more abundantly (John 10:10). So, that means we will change. He will change our minds, our attitudes, our behaviors, and most importantly our purposes in life. His ultimate goal is to change us into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). The word Christian was first used as a slur to mean "little Christ." It denoted someone who acted like Jesus, today in America it could just be labeled an "alternative lifestyle." In other words, if Christ is in your life there should be some sort of outward visible change in how you live.

Often, change brings conflict within and without. As a Christian, we often struggle with old sinful desires until God replaces them. Our new life may mean severing ties with old friends. All of this may lead us to difficult times and decisions in life, but God has a purpose for these trials and tribulations. Romans 5:1-5 begins with us having peace with God through Christ, but in there are also some difficulties:

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we glory in afflictions also, knowing that afflictions work out patience, and patience works out experience, and experience works out hope. And hope does not make us ashamed, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit given to us. (Rom 5:1-5)

The purpose of these difficulties is so that God can bring us through them, and in doing so, we learn to trust in Him. This gives us hope that when new difficulties arise, God is at work changing us into the image of Christ and that He will lead and guide us through.

I say all of that as a lead in to the point of this post. Over the last few months, I can see and am consciously aware of God changing me inside and out. For the first time in a long while, I am an independent adult male (sounds wrong doesn't it?). Through this independence, I am able for the first time in my life to really find out who I am and see the man God is making me into. All of this change is giving me hope that God isn't done with me in this life. That He plans to bless me "with a future filled with hope--a future of success, not of suffering" (Jer 29:11, CEV). So, I wish to thank President Obama for the intro to this post. Now about the economy.....

My Prayer

My friend Mack loves the prayer of Jabez. But in reading one of my favorite sections of scripture, I found a prayer that is the cry of my heart that I had never noticed before. It is found in Exodus 33:12-13, "Moses said to the Lord, 'See, you have said to me, ‘Bring up this people’; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.'" 

Nestled among these words I found the very simple yet profound cry of my heart, "Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight." In these words we see the true beauty of knowing God. When we find favor in His sight, we find a desire to continue in His favor. We find a desire to know Him and to please Him. We do not find the desire to be blessed with any other blessing other than His presence. It is a consuming fire within us and proves Hebrews 12:29, "for our God is a consuming fire." It is the same fire Jeremiah felt in 20:9, "f I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name, then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot." This same fire burns within me, and my prayer is that of Moses, "Show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight." It is the one consuming thing in my life that burns away all the dross of other fears or desires that might consume me. Praise be to God for His unspeakable gift.