Tag: Joy

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Feeling Thankful

thankful

Does Thanksgiving leave you feeling thankful for all that has transpired in your life or just blessed for the good that has happened? Do you thank God for what didn’t happen as much as what has happened?  Much of our blessings come from the things that God has spared us from.

I think back to when I was considering changing jobs because I got a great offer from a company offering more money and benefits, along with a great job title. My ego wanted to take the offer. But a voice inside my head told me to stay where I was for the time being. It was an irrational decision to turn the offer down, but I trusted the voice in my head. Six months later, the company that made me the offer went bankrupt.

Agur

Proverbs 30:7-9,  “Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal and so dishonor the name of my God.”

Agur reminds us that sometimes we are better off with little. Not getting too much can be the help we need to avoid temptation. Prosperity has its pitfalls. But do we think about that when it comes time to give thanks? Do we take the time to thank our creator for the things He did not give us?

Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

This Thanksgiving, thank God for the great blessings you have experienced in your life. Let Him know how much you appreciate all the good times. But also take the time to consider the times when you didn’t get what you wanted. Think through those disappointing moments. Where did it take you? What good ultimately came out of not getting what you expected? Maybe it was a lost love that turned out to be toxic. Maybe a job you didn’t get led you to a different company and a chance to meet your new best friend.  God can use even something as traumatic as a divorce to create a new chapter in your life.

Rick Warren

“In happy moments, praise God, in difficult moments, seek God, in quiet moments, worship God. In painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God.” – Rick Warren

In every moment, thank God. Rick Warren does a great job of summarizing Thanksgiving, feeling thankful for everything that comes our way because all things work for the good of those who love God.

Romans 8:28, “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.”

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Love’s Reaction to Anger

Anger

What is love’s reaction to anger? There is another side of love that we all experience; it is those moments when we can’t seem to avoid being angry. One of my close friends said it this way; “There are moments when we are angry because our children have sinned, but it is not an anger at them, but an anger that sin has crept into their lives.”

Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry, yet do not sin.”

Interestingly, Paul did not tell the Ephesians not to be angry; he said yet do not sin. My bible group quickly went down the path of righteous indignation as an explanation. There is some validity in that concept, but it is a slippery slope. Someone else had to bring up that in John Jesus did mention “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” How do we demonstrate love in our anger?

Some may preach that we should rid our lives of anger; I’m not sure that was God’s plan.

PHYSIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF ANGER

We have to recognize that God built into us a defense mechanism for times when we are in danger; this is the fight or flight response. How does that work? Emotions more or less begin inside two almond-shaped structures in our brains, which are called the amygdala. The amygdala is so efficient at warning us about threats that it gets us reacting before the cortex (the part of the brain responsible for thought and judgment) can check on the reasonableness of our reaction. Inside your brain, neurotransmitter chemicals known as catecholamines are released. These cause you to experience a burst of energy lasting up to several minutes. You experience this burst of energy through increased heart rate and breathing. This burst is behind the common angry desire to seek immediate protection.

James 1:14-15, “but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

Although your emotions can rage out of control, the prefrontal cortex of your brain, which is located just behind your forehead, can keep your emotions in proportion. If the amygdala handles emotion, the prefrontal cortex handles judgment. God gave us balance.

BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE OF ANGER

James 1: 19-20, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”

Notice that James did not say “does not become angry,” he says “slow to become angry.” The implication is that there are situations in which we may become angry. But he tells us that anger does not produce righteousness.

Psalm 37:8, “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.”

Psalm’s tell us why; anger can lead us to evil. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:27, “do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” Uncontrolled anger is a breeding ground for sin. Nowhere that I am aware of does the bible condone anger. It accepts that it does exist and cautions us to control it.

Colossians 3:8, “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.”

We are to put them all aside, that is to say: don’t give them a voice. We need to step back and let our frontal cortex control our emotions and react in love.

ANGER ITSELF

If we look at the reasons we become angry, they fall into a few broad buckets. The first bucket is an easy one; it is genuine righteous indignation. This bucket is the easiest to recognize because it is the blatant disregard for scripture. It grows out of the evil acts of non-believers or hypocritical acts from firm believers. These do not fall into grey areas; they are black as coal.

Leviticus 19:17, “‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him.”

The second bucket is perceived righteous indignation. Perceived righteous anger is the devil’s playground. Perceived righteous indignation is where we feel we have the religious high ground when our motives are purely personal. The most common is that you treated me poorly, that is ungodly, and I have the right to retribution.

Romans 12:19, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord..”

The third bucket is my most dangerous bucket. This bucket is full of pride and insecurity. Pride and insecurity are where I feel little because I am misunderstood or unheard. It is where my perceived value is diminished, and I feel inferior. These moments are where I forget that God made me great and prosperous. I forget I don’t need the validation of others to achieve God’s potential in me. 

Ecclesiastes 7:9, “Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, for anger resides in the bosom of fools.”

ANGER AS A PART OF LIFE

For us fallen humans, anger is a part of our lives. Many times, it raises its ugly head before we even recognize it. The best we can do is refuse to give it a voice and seek repentance and comfort in Christ when it happens. When anger does lead to sin, go back to the aggrieved person and ask for forgiveness. The act is more about repentance than actually forgiveness.

Ephesians 4:29, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

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What Are You Doing?

Haggi 1:5-7, “Here is what the Lord who rules over all says:” Think carefully about what you are doing. You have planted much but have harvested little. You eat but are never filled. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes, but they are not warm. Those who earn wages end up with holes in their money bags.”

We live busy lives. There is always something that needs our attention. In this technological age, it is almost impossible to slip your electronic leash. People can get to you anywhere, anytime, if you let them. Few of us have the self-control to limit the demands on our time. We are constantly afraid that we will miss something. Something will happen, and we will be the last to know.

Modern life isn’t about a few deep, meaningful relationships; it’s about exposure and personal branding.  Being liked or friended by many strangers is more satisfying than intimacy with a few. It’s all about activity. It’s about perception. It’s about image. You have to find a way to break out of that mold.

Romans 6:16, “Do you not know that if you present yourselves as obedient servants, you are a servant to the one you obey, either of sin resulting to death, or service resulting in righteousness.”

Who or what are you a servant of? Who or what rules your life? Is it the demands of your job? Is it the demands of your family or friends? Do you have a political or social cause that occupies your attention? When your attention is required, do you speed up or slow down? Do you give it the attention it needs or quickly move on to the next? Are most of the things that take your time inconveniences or opportunities?

This is the challenge of the modern world. We are overwhelmed with information and distractions. It is easy to lose our purpose. We forget that we were created for God’s pleasure. We were not created to build a faster doohickey or bigger thingmabob. We were not gifted to serve worldly endeavors but to use worldly endeavors to serve God.

Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

If you struggle with peace in your life, it is most likely the byproduct of your focus. If you fragment your effort between too many conflicting interests, the result is dissatisfaction with all of them. You achieve much but are not satisfied. You are serving the wrong master.

Luke 9:25, “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”

Remember that your purpose is to please God when life seems to come at you in waves. Try to frame your current situation within the confines of how it will affect your relationship with Him. Remember that He wants nothing but good for you. The good He wants for you is not material in nature but spiritual.

Matthew 6:25, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”

The good life is not the image presented by Wall Street. It’s not titles, cars, big houses, and the trappings of success. Knowing you have found your place in the universe brings peace, tranquility, and a sense of purpose. It is the comfort of knowing God loves you unconditionally and will not allow anything to happen to you that He has not already prepared you for.

Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”

Work hard. Do well. Chase your passion. But remember whom you serve and why. Only there will you find the contentment you are looking for.

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Experiencing Answered Prayer

Mark 11:24, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

I love it when God validates prayer. First, let me say that this week has been a real downer for me. You don’t want to read the posts I created. They are all dark and gloomy. Bad things were happening all around me. They are not the type of things I want the world to read. So, I was stuck without something I thought God would want me to put out there. The answer is always prayer. I prayed for His word to flow through me. I got a twofer; Two-for-one. God answered my immediate prayer by reminding me of another prayer a year ago, almost to this very day.

John 5:14, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”

On August 24, 2021, I published a post entitled My Last Day in Toknok. It was a lament concerning three fabulous women I had met in Toknok, Kyrgyzstan. We had met for dinner in a small restaurant next to what I could only call the most Chucky-like amusement park I had ever seen. This place was scary during the daylight; at night, it took on a new level of spookiness. The conversations were about the challenges of being a single, young, college-educated Christian woman in a predominantly Muslim country. Finding a husband and a career seemed almost insurmountable; it was a fundamental math problem.

Psalm 66:19, “But certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.”

Here is the last paragraph of that post:

“The sadness is that when I come back, and I will, there can only be one sad ending or another. These young women will have chased God’s vision for their lives, and I may never see them again. Or they will not, and I will see a shell of the person they could have been. My selfish prayer is that God’s plan for them will be revealed in a way that brings us both joy.”

“My selfish prayer is that God’s plan for them will be revealed in a way that brings us both joy.” That was my prayer, selfish and self-centered. I wanted them to experience all the joy God had in store for them and simultaneously make me happy. At the time, it seemed improbable at best, impossible at its worst.

Luke 11:10, “For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.”

Well, let’s see what God has to say about that. First, on June 3, 2022, I wrote a post entitled An Incredible Answer to Prayer. Maftuna, the first of the three young ladies, married a great Christian man named Ravil. Their wedding video is a joy to watch. But God is not done. Today I received word that Nadya, the second of the three, is now engaged to Timothy, a pastor’s son. The three of us met a few months ago in the same restaurant where Nadya announced her dating Timothy but also voiced her concern. A concern that all of us at the table immediately dismissed as over-thinking.

Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to me and I will answer you, and tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

That brings us to Nelly, the third and youngest of the three women. Best I know at this moment, Nelly is not engaged. But she has moved from Toknok to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. In Bishkek, she is involved in a Christian outreach organization and is pursuing an opportunity to open/operate a Christian coffee house. God is not done with her yet, but He is establishing a path.

John 16:24, “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.”

The last answered prayer? You are reading it. God warmed my heart by letting me know that He is still at work when all seems bleak and dismal. We may not see what He is doing, but we can be assured He is doing it.

Psalm 5:3, “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.”

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Sic Parvis Magna

1 Peter 3:3-4, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornments, such as elaborate hairstyles and wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

Sic Parvis Magna is the motto of Sir Francis Drake. Sir Francis Drake was knighted by the Queen and given a ring inscribed with this motto. It translates to Greatness from Small Beginnings. It means that anyone can become great no matter where they started. It gives a sense of hope to those who dare to believe it.

Why should you dare to believe such an outrageous statement? What is there about you that greatness would rest its head on your lap? Maybe it is the belief that greatness is relative. The truly great, the big, do the world-renowned acts of courage and bravery. The common great, those who are small, are appreciated for their small contribution to the welfare of humanity. They are the invisible great, the meat and potatoes of greatness.

Isaiah 54:4, “Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. “

God implanted in each one of us at creation the seeds of greatness. Not the invisible great, but the greatness that reverberates through time. It is immortal greatness that bridges generations and millenniums. There will be people from times you will never see that will give thanks for your act of courage. 

1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”

How many times have we told ourselves, or someone else, if we hadn’t been in a particular place at a specific time, doing whatever, we never would have had that chance encounter? Ester spent her whole life wondering why the things that happened to her kept happening. Then one day, she knew. Joseph spent time in prison, wrongly accused, before he saved all of Israel.  Greatness lurks in the shadows until its time.

I know a man named Robert, a good man, a Godly man. He has had a dramatic impact on my life without him ever noticing it. We were in each other’s company many times but seldom talked. I watched him. I watched his grace, compassion, and almost innate ability to bring peace to every situation. He was unselfish to a fault. Greatness was so part of who he was that he never noticed. Today, as I write this, his family is by his side as he says his last goodbyes. It is way too early in his life. I don’t always understand the fairness of it. God is God, and I am not. But I see the waves starting to crescendo. The ripples of his life growing to be tsunamis for generations. That, folks, is the greatness of God exemplified through man.

Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Why do we close our eyes when we pray, when we cry, when we kiss, when we dream? Because the most beautiful things in life are not seen but felt by our hearts.  – anonymous

Never discount who you are in Christ. Never minimize your potential or your value. Never question your relevance. Pursue Him, pursue His plan for you, and you will prosper according to His will. Your greatness will ripple through eternity. Lives you may never see or know will be changed. Greatness is no more than compassion, love, kindness, and obedience to the will of God. Greatness is not a trumpet’s sound but a child’s whisper. It is the moment when you give of yourself in a way you thought impossible. It is when sacrifice is seen as gain.

2 Timothy 1:7, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.”

Greatness from Small Beginnings. Eternity with Christ for someone else that was started in your life. And that new life spread to another, who passed it on to another, and it kept growing.

2 Corinthians 10:12, “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.”

When you think that you don’t matter or that your life is an endless challenge of meaningless tasks, remember, there is someone special that God has put in your path. You are eternity to them. Seeing our greatness is not looking inward but looking outward. Someone took a chance to be great for us. Now it is our turn.

Hebrews 10:35–36, “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.”

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The Fixer

Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

I’m in my home town visiting my family. I spent my “formative” years here. Although I have been away for the better part of half a century, I still call this home. The kids I went to high school with are still kids to me. The images of them hanging out is still fresh in my mind.

THE PAST

One of my schoolmates just passed away. When she was in high school with me, she was a sweet, fun-loving girl with her whole life in front of her. Over time, disappointment and drugs took that away from her. I’m a guy, and being a guy; I want to fix things. I’m also an engineer, so double that. One of the hardest lessons I had to learn in life is that there are certain things that I can’t fix. No amount of trying and praying and working was going to improve it. Some things are the exclusive purview of God.

Psalm 73:26, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

I love the striving. I love overcoming. I love the against-all-odds victories. I relish the emotional high of seeing someone rise above their circumstances to achieve the improbable. But it doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes we make choices that are hard to undo. We go in directions that are hard to reverse. We pick a life that doesn’t end well. I hate that. I hate that terrible endings are even possible.  

The truth is that God gave us free will. That free will allowed us to demonstrate our love for Him by freely choosing Him. It also means that we are free not to choose Him. We can not make that decision for anyone but ourselves. The guy side of me has a problem with that concept. Even though I make bad decisions for myself, I still want to help others make good decisions. It is most apparent when it’s too late. It is with regret and remorse that I look back.

John 6:40, “For this is the will of my Father that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

THE PRESENT

We all have people in our lives that we want to see for eternity. We want them to share the beauty and majesty of eternity with our Maker. But we believe there is time. There is time to share the gospel. There is time to have that difficult conversation. There is time to save a life for eternity. One day we find out there isn’t any more time.

Psalms 27:4, “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”

Don’t get me wrong; you can’t fix it any more than I can. We each have to choose. But do we choose with full knowledge? It is easy to feel responsible somehow. You knew them. You knew a little about what they were going through, but you’re a thousand miles away. Your orbits crossed sometimes but never synched up. What could you have done? Nothing in some cases. But there are a lot of cases you could do something. Would you? You know people who need to hear full disclosure concerning their decisions.

Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Their soul gets pushed down into the mire of their lives and suffocates. They live the only life that they know. Unconditional love and redemption are not topics they believe in. Mostly these are not bad people; they do good for others and are positive examples to those around them. Their focus is worldly. Their actions are self-supporting. They believe when life is over, it is over; there is nothing else. I am sometimes surprised at how many activists don’t have an eternal view. These are people who fight against evil but don’t believe in it.

1 Peter 2:15, “For this is the will of God that by doing good, you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.”

THE FUTURE

Where most great intentions fail is in the implementation. It is in the execution that we trip and fall. No, we can’t fix certain things, but we can create an environment that attracts curiosity. We can build relationships that expose full knowledge. We can take a minute to step into the lives of those around us to draw them in. In the end, it is they that must accept or reject Christ. It is up to us to lay the groundwork for that decision. That groundwork is not just words but actions; the way we live our lives. Then we let God take over.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

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“That Guy”

James 2:14-17, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

THE PRICE OF PRAYER

I have prayed for someone for over 40 years and still don’t know where God is taking her. I know her story, and it’s a bad one. She has endured almost every type of dysfunction imaginable, yet she still stands.  When I met her, I wanted to be that guy; you know the type, part star quarterback and part cheerleader. He knows when to step in to help and when to stand back to cheer. I never got there for her.

I get into these dilemmas where I want to be the Savior of humankind. I want to be “that guy.” The combination of Superman and Mother Teressa.  I want to be strong when strength is required and quiet and understanding when strength isn’t needed. I want to be the rock, the light on the hill, and the warm embrace. My therapist says I have a white knight syndrome, what does she know? As for me, I don’t know if “that guy” is a stereotype or a figment.

Romans 15:1, “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.”

This got me thinking about a lady I met in the park a few years ago. It was early spring, and the Dogwoods trees were starting to bloom. Every spring, Atlanta has the Dogwood festival. It is an event that brings some of the most incredible artisans in the country to Piedmont Park. I go down early Friday to talk with them as they build their booths. This year was no different, or I thought it wouldn’t be.

Romans 12:13, “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

THE PRICE OF ART

As I sat on a picnic bench deciding what to eat for lunch, a lady sat across for me. She casually said that the price of just one piece of art would feed her for a year. I laughed and said I agreed. Then she mentioned that she had just gotten out of prison. God has done this to me enough that I have started to pick up on the tale tail signs of His hand in action. I had to ask the dreaded question, “Tell me about it.” God had a plan, and I was in the midst of it.

Galatians 6:2, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

She told a story about a girl who somehow grew up to be a tired middle-aged woman. This girl always picked the wrong man. Her heart leads her brain to the same place every time; women’s prison. You see, these guys are always into something, something the law doesn’t appreciate. She loves them anyway. Eventually, both of them part ways in shackles and jumpsuits. She gets out and starts the process all over again. One day she looks in the mirror, and the girl has turned into a middle-aged woman going nowhere.

That woman is now sitting next to me. She knows she can’t repeat what she has done in the past, but she doesn’t see an alternative future. You know that guy I told you about a few paragraphs ago? Well, he’s an idiot. He can’t let a thing go; compassion for baby kittens and stray dogs overwhelms him. So, that guy buys her lunch, and we start to talk.

Proverbs 19:17, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done.”

THE PRICE OF SIN

As we talk, I want to cry for this woman. God has made her an incredible creature with almost limitless potential, but it has been highjacked. She gravitates to the wrong people. She is the right raw material, just in the hands of the wrong sculpturer. Lucky for us, this is God’s plan, not ours. Trust me; you don’t want to take advice from me. But God, that’s another story.

Matthew 25:44-45, “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’”

I asked her if she ever thought of going to church? My thought was that she might meet a better class of men. Better yet, she would find a better class of female companionship that would help her steer clear of a particular class of men. Sorry, this is all God gave me to go on. It was enough. She mentioned that group of women from the neighborhood church stop by the halfway house each week. That was her new plan to create an alternate future. She would go to church with them. God planted the seed that could grow into a better life.

THE RETURN ON THAT INVESTMENT

It was now late afternoon, and I had to return home. I didn’t get to talk to many artisans, but I watched God work. My friend from the first paragraph will always be in my heart. I always think I could have done more or been more, but that wasn’t God’s plan for us. God does remind me through these interactions that He is at work answering prayer. He has not forgotten her or me. He has planted the seed.

Hebrews 6:10 “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.”

That is enough for now. It is enough to know that God never gives up and never quits. God will use a stranger to plant a seed of hope that will grow into a beautiful garden. It might not be part of His plan for us to see that particular garden, so He lets us walk through gardens that others have prepared beforehand.

Stay faithful in prayer and obedient to His call.

Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

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Whispered Moments

John 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”

I don’t know about you, but I tend to travel fast through life. I have this insatiable desire to get to tomorrow. Today is great, and I love living it, but tomorrow is where it’s at. Everything I do builds to a crescendo. Today is not complete; I am not all I can be, but tomorrow, yes, tomorrow. That is the promise of my life.

Proverbs 27:1, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”

I believe that God has this great adventure waiting just around the corner. What corner, I’m not sure. Maybe it is the next corner or the next. I keep moving forward, convinced that my drive is obedience. Obedience becomes a destination, not a journey.

Let me tell you about a rock in my life; I may have told it before. Rocks are the little stories that sometimes go unremembered. I remember this one because it was late fall. I remember it was cold because it was dark early, and I bundled up as I walked from the train station to my destination; not the crisp northern cold, but a Georgia winter wet cold. The type that crawls under your jacket and digs into your bones. I was late meeting a friend that I hadn’t seen in a while. Walking head down against the wind, I walked across the courtyard exiting the station and just vaguely remember seeing a shadow of a man. The voice in my head said, “stop.” It seemed loud and natural enough that I came to a halt.

Romans 13:11, “And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”

I now looked at the man standing in the cold. He had on a trench coat, but it didn’t look warm. He stood looking into the air, moving left, then right. He seemed uncertain as to what he needed to do next. I’m late, I said to myself and started to move on. All I heard was “To the least of these…” nothing more.

God doesn’t yell or intimidate; He reminds us of the great privilege of knowing Him and the great joy we can receive by obeying Him. It wasn’t a command or even a request. It was just a quiet voice of truth.

John 9:4, “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. The night is coming, when no one can work.”

I looked at the man’s face. This was the first time I saw him. His eyes were sad and painful. There were a lot of years in those young eyes. He knew disappointment; they were traveling buddies. He had lost something important and was at a loss as to what to do. I knew to speak to him was to take on his burden. Once I knew, I couldn’t turn back. Reluctantly I asked, “Can I help you?”

God is an incredibly loving God. He is amazing. This man’s need was everything to him. It was insurmountable in his circumstances. But to him, it was just another hard day on earth. To me, it was simple. I gave him what I had, and it was more than enough. He stood erect and shook my hand with thanks and a nod. But his eye gave it away. Relief and surrender. I started to walk away, but I stopped. I turned and said, “You know, God loves you; that is why I am here now.” He smiled and said, “Yes, sir, I truly know that.”

Answer God’s call, folks. Be that person. I don’t have words that can accurately paint the picture of how it will change your life forever.

1 John 2:17, “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

There are big things that God will nag us over. He will plant the seed. He’ll water and fertilize it. He will come back over and over to prune it. He just won’t let it go. Those things we eventually come around to acknowledging. They’re BHAGs (Big Hairy Aggressive Goals). They take time, energy, and planning, but they are worth it.

Isaiah 59:1, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear.”

What I love and crave are the whispered moments when God has a single opportunity to share. God says, “Tomme, see what I have for you?” “Look, it’s over there.” And when I turn, it takes my breath away. I stand in awe. These are the rocks in my memorial. I pick each one up and remember a time when He loved me so much he asked me to be in His plan for someone else. The stones are the BHAGs that I could have never accomplished without Him. The rocks are his way of telling me how much He loves me for the little thing that makes life worth living.

When Elijah was on Mt. Horeb, God was not in the wind, He was not in the fire, God was not in the earthquake; God was in the whisper.

1 Kings 19: 11–12, “The Lord said, “Go out. Stand on the mountain in front of me. I am going to pass by.” As the Lord approached, a very powerful wind tore the mountains apart. It broke up the rocks. But the Lord wasn’t in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake. But the Lord wasn’t in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire came. But the Lord wasn’t in the fire. And after the fire there was only a gentle whisper.”

Be that person; listen for the whisper. Be still and make room in your life to stand in God’s presence and listen for His whispers across your heart.

Ephesians 5:15-17, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

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The Conundrum of Intentional Obedience

“I am only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do” – Edward Everett Hale, American author, historian, civil war spy, and Unitarian minister, 1822-1909

Intentionality and Obedience

I sometimes feel like I am one of the Israelites in the desert. God provides, and I grumble. Every time, absolutely every time, I am intentional in my obedience; good things happen. But still, I falter. You see, I want something I should never have. I should never have them because they are not good for me. No matter how much I covet them, I will be disappointed. I know this, and still, I want. God does His best to protect me, except for this “free will” thing. If He took that away, decisions would be easier.

1 Peter 1:14, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance.”

At night, clarity came over me about what I needed to do. Intentionality and obedience go hand-in-hand. We can’t plan to be obedient; we have to execute. Much of the value in obedience comes from our dogged desire to see it through with urgency.

1 Timothy 1:5, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

I am at that point in life where my bucket list has only one last item, obedience to God’s call. It’s somewhat revealing that this is the last thing on my bucket list; shouldn’t it have been the first? In a long life, shouldn’t I have experienced this yet? There are two challenges; first, there is the constant nature of obedience, and second, there is the intentionality of obedience. Mostly I’m obedient when I can see the why. I can follow when what I want is synchronized with what I think God wants. In hindsight, I see that this synchronicity is mostly a false rationalization. I see what I want and assume God sees the same thing.  But His view is greater than mine.

1 Corinthians 2:9, “However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived, the things God has prepared for those who love him.”

The core issue concerns my genuine desire to be obedient. Am I only obedient when it looks to be to my benefit; when I see God’s desire for my life to be in concert with mine? Am I on God’s side, or do I expect Him to be on mine? Do I expect God to agree with me?

“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” – Abraham Lincoln.

Over the last few weeks, I have started to perceive a new view of God that is somewhat different than my previous view. I have always read and heard about God’s emotional attributes; you know his mercy, love, and compassion. I’ve balanced God’s good side with His judgment, wrath, and condemnation. I have built up this image of a God not much different than myself. He is perfect, and I am not, but we share the same challenges. God is much better at taking the right path; His path is correct by definition. This leaves me in the position of trying to empathize with His decisions. I try to put His decision in perspective of what I am experiencing.

Numbers 28:19, “God is not man that He should lie, or son of man that He should change His mind. Has He said and will He not do it? Or has He spoken and will not fulfil it?”

Unchanging and Perfect

Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”

What if God was constant and our perception of Him changes? What if He is always perfect and absolute, but we perceive Him differently based on the decision’s impact on us? What if there is an innate purity to all of God’s decisions that supersede emotional attributes?  He is everything we perceive Him to be, but it is not what drives Him. It is not that God doesn’t love us unconditionally. It is not that He is not merciful, kind, compassionate, and long-suffering. It is not that God hates sin. Because of these innate attributes of His character, He does not become emotionally highjacked when making decisions. He always does what’s best.

Isaiah 14:24, “Lord of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned so shall it be, and as I have proposed, so shall it stand.”

What would that mean to our obedience? God does not decide based on human emotions like compassion or wrath but absolute truth. We judge the impact of His decision based on how we see it affecting us; did He bless or curse us? Job’s friends had a big issue with this. They tried to tie Job’s predicament to God’s emotional state. They felt Job must have angered God somehow.

Job 34:36, “Job ought to be tried to the limit because he answers like wicked men.”

Once our need to be obedient rises above the emotional attributes assigned to God, it becomes more intentional. We know God’s truth is innately super-eminent and pure so we can follow. Not because we can rationalize some benefit to our world or His kingdom, but because it is by design perfect. And because it is always perfect, we know He is working with our best interest in mind, even when we don’t see it.

I’m not sure about this idea. It resonates with me. It helps me rationalize why I stray when the path is clear, just undesirable. The concept explains why our human-size brain doesn’t always understand answered prayer. Like most people seeing answered prayer motivates us to be more intentional. Our goal should be intentionally obedient, not just reluctantly obedient. We should want to pursue His desire for our life, not just accept the inevitable outcome of His power. Being obedient is moving in the direction of perfection.

Proverbs 16:3, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”

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Be Audacious and Bodacious

Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

When John Lennon became famous, he built a house for his mother near the cliffs of Dover. Over the mantel of the fireplace, he had a brass plaque made with the inscription of something his mother had told him numerous times “Playing the guitar and singing is just fine, John, but you will never be able to make a living at it.” Do you believe that living the life God has planned for you is just fine, but you can’t make a living at it?

I just got back from Honduras. If you haven’t gone to a developing country, I suggest you should. Stay away from the tourist traps and the Michelin Guide and meet the people. They are incredible. I never leave a visit without being inspired by some of the locals. This time I met the teenage twin daughters of our sponsor. Their drive, passion, and understanding of the need to forward the gospel were amazing. Kudos to the parents for raising such courageous and inspiring children, although calling them children is a disservice to these titans of adolescence. They have a lordly vision of who they could be.

One of my childhood’s great quotes was from George Bernard Shaw, given by John F. Kennedy at his inauguration to the Presidency, “Some people see things as they are and say why? I dream things that never were and ask why not?” Think of the reverse thinking presented by Shaw; why not? Do you look at the challenges to greatness in your life and see them as impediments, roadblocks, and obstacles, or are they stepping stones to the person God made you?

Psalm 127:1, “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman wakes but in vain.”

In his book Leadership Essentials, George Ogden states, “Godly vision depicts an outcome that may seem outrageous given present reality.” The Bible contains instances when God called ordinary people to do outrageous things. There is nothing wrong with being ordinary, as the world would define it. Being ordinary is the clay used to create greatness in God’s eyes. Noah was not a renowned shipbuilder. Joseph was the youngest and most obnoxious of his siblings. He spent time in jail before he bloomed. Moses even told God he could not lead because he wasn’t good at public speaking. Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. Mary was the greatest and most ordinary of all.

1 Peter 1:3-4, “He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”

Becoming the person God has created is not just about your satisfaction but about worshiping God. It is the most profound expression of your faith. It is the crowning glory of God’s creation. Be audacious, energize not only your ambition but the Godly ambition of those around you. Create a tsunami of Godliness.

You can create any life you want for yourself. The God-given talents and resources are yours to use. Wealth, prestige, and status are yours to obtain. But living the life God had planned for you is not about the elevation of individuals and institutions but the exaltation of Christ. Divine vision is an expression of the God of the universe, not man’s attempt to better himself. You can do it your way and achieve some notoriety or worldly success, but it will be buried with you at the end of your time here on earth.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.”

One of the great testimonies of living a life dedicated to God is that you become living proof of the spoken truth that Jesus changes lives. You become a light in the darkness. People are drawn to your example.

There is a Japanese proverb that says vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. Are you living a nightmare? Does your existence lack purpose? Are you achieving some level of success without the reward of meaning? Do you feel you have no reason to be dissatisfied, but you are not satisfied; you’re existing. Clinical psychologist Fredrick Herzberg defines satisfiers and dissatisfiers. Dissatisfiers are hygiene factors like the quality of your environment. Satisfiers are the motivational elements of your life. You can have all the bobbles and trinkets but still not feel motivated. You look at your life and see the trappings of success, but you don’t feel you have made an impact.

Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

We long for eternity. It is the hidden drive within us. Only when we look at our accomplishments through the lens of eternity, do we start to understand what satisfies us. What satisfies us is to have a deep relationship with the one who created us. It is to be loved and forgiven and welcomed into His family.

Pray for God’s vision in your life. Think God-sized. Question your decisions. Redefine your future.

John 16:24, “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be complete. “

What three goals have you identified that you can accomplish within the next six months to move you closer to a Godly vision for your existence?

Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

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