Tag: motivational

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When…If…Then

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

2 Chronicles 7:13-14

2020 has been a very tough year. I hear competing ideas and philosophies about why this has happened. It covers everything from we live in a fallen world to God’s judgment for evil people.  I know I am not smart enough to answer that question. But I am smart enough to question what it means to me and what God wants me to do about it. 2 Chronicles guides me. It does not explain why, but it does explain what. Executing “the what” opens my eyes to the love God has put all around me.

WHEN

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people.”

We have had to deal with a worldwide pandemic, social unrest, economic upheaval, and an extremely vitriol election. If this isn’t modern-day locust, drought, and plague, it is as close as I have seen during my time on this earth. I don’t know the why of this, but scripture tells me what. We are in the situation we are in for reasons only God may fully understand, and God will use it. If….

IF

“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways.”

The first and most important clue is “my people, who are called by my name.” Our worldly problems are not about a political ideology, political parties, government legalism, social movement, or any other earthly pursuit; it is not a third-party issue. It falls in the lap of believers. God says the solution is not in the hands of others; it in the hands of people who call themselves Christians. The first step after the when is to recognize that the solution starts and ends with believers acting like believers. But there are conditions.

1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

HUMBLE THEMSELVES

Step back for worldly issues. Set aside temporal bias and wants. Get on your knees and let God know that you are pushing those issues behind you and only seeking His will. Acknowledge that you have let the world creep in between you and Him. Let Him know you were wrong, the only real guide is the Messiah. You allowed the worries of the world to distract you from your mission.

Titus 2:12, “Training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.”

PRAY

Now speak to Him. Acknowledge your weaknesses and your desire to be back in harmony with Him. Ask that He will do His will in your life and this country and this world. The Bible says we have not because we do not ask. It also states that He will answer all prayers that are in accordance with His will. Prayer is the beginning of all healing.

Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

SEEK MY FACE

We need to prioritize the information that enters our brain. God made an incredibly complex computer between our ears. But like all computers, it is garbage in garbage out. If you continue to fill your brain with worthless or even harmful information, you will find it increasingly difficult to communion with God.

In all things, seek first the Kingdom of Heaven. Perform every interaction as if it was being performed in front of God. Consume every conversation, every video, every book or article as if you were on God’s knee. Do not think you can hide your distractions in the closet to be brought out when God is not looking.

Deuteronomy 4:29, “But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS

Change is the indication of repentance. It is easy to say you are sorry; it is easy to be remorseful of your actions or fearful of the repercussions. It is challenging to modify your behavior to minimize the chance of falling back into old ways. You have to break the habits that created the problem. God knows we will never be perfect this side of Heaven, but He expects us to try. He will continue to forgive our earnest failures.

Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

THEN

“then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Here is the excellent part. Our God is a God of love and redemption. He is a God who wants us to bask in the radiant splendor and warmth of His compassion. God does not want us to fall or fail. If we accept that it is us, the body of His Church, that have failed this nation and this world, then He will heal the land.

1 Corinthians 2:9, “But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.”

The non-believers are lost in a world they do not understand. They are part of the problem, but only because they do not understand. How can they learn, but that we would teach them? If we commit to doing our part, He will do these three things:

HEAR FROM HEAVEN

He will hear our prayers. Without repentance and change, we build a wall between God and us that hampers our prayers. The roar of our pain becomes a whisper. Once we repent and turn, all the white noise goes away, and our voice becomes loud and clear.

John 9:31, “We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will.”

FORGIVE THEIR SIN

Forgiveness of sin is so much better than relief from worldly troubles. Sin separates us from God for eternity. Earthly pain lasts just a short time. We live in this world, and we have to deal with what it throws at us. Many of those moments can be extremely painful. But that pain is nothing compared to an eternity separated from God.

1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

HEAL THEIR LAND

Now God heals the world around us. We are right with Him, which is His priority. We will never see the end of world hunger, social injustice, or disease on this side of Heaven, but we can find peace. God will raise Godly leaders; He will dampen our sorrows and lighten our loads.

John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

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New Years – God Said “It was good”

Genesis 1:31, “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!…..”

God does not waste time making second rate things or moments without meaning. God did not create a person or moment on this earth that He did not say, “it is very good…”. Anytime you start to believe otherwise, you don’t understand the nature of the God of the universe.

CREATION

Colossians 1:16, “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”

Before God created the universe, he sketched out every molecule. He detailed every man, woman, child, plant, animal, every cell, every microcell,  every nano cell, and the billions of planets and stars that will ever exist. God knew that we needed a Savior, and God knew exactly when we would need Him. Then He created; then He started everything in motion. And He said, “that is very good.”

Colossians 1:15, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

The complexity of the world we live in is enormous. I met the brother-in-law of a friend of mine over Thanksgiving. He is a cardiovascular research scientist working with the Lymphatic system, a subsystem of the circulatory system. He works in an invisible world that is essential to human health. God created proteins that provide for the health of tiny valves within that system required for our existence. When I tried to visualize how God can scale down the laws of physics to such a microscopic level and still have everything work as it should, it’s inconceivable. 

John 17:24, “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

CHRIST IS BORN

When I think about the importance and timing of Jesus’ birth, ordained before the world was born, the lymphatic system becomes mundane. When I think of the significance of the arrival of our Savior and the birth of you and I, as being very good in God’s eye, I get a chill. Christ saved all of us from permanent separation from God. God created each of us to save someone from that same fate.

Do you not look at your birth with the same importance and reverence as you do Christmas? No, we could never match the glory and majesty of Christ’s importance here on earth. We were not born to save all of humankind through the gift of forgiveness. But we do have a mission, and that mission is just as important to someone out there. God, through Christ, created the building block of our redemption. God gave us a path, through Christ, back to Him; we, all of us, must choose that path. It is this last part that makes your creation so important.

OUR ROLE

Romans 10:14, “But how can they call on someone if they haven’t trusted in him? And how can they trust in someone if they haven’t heard about him? And how can they hear about someone if no one is proclaiming him?”

We cannot save as Christ saved, but we can lead someone to Him so that He may save them. Just as there is not a moment wasted by God, there is not a moment in our lives that is insignificant. People are always watching us to see God’s glory. When He created us, it was good; the act itself was good, not the person. That person was tainted as a byproduct of the fall. But we were created with a purpose of great importance to God; He desires that we live out that purpose.

Job 42:2, “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

As Christian, we need to recognize and accept that we were created for a purpose, and that purpose is to glorify God from generation to generation. We accomplish that purpose by spreading the gospel both in actions and words.

Have you ever thought of celebrating your birthday with the same significance as you celebrate Christmas? You cannot save the world, but you can save it for someone. Remember throughout 2021, when God created you, he said, “it was very good.”

Matthew 5:16, ”In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

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Christmas – The Story of a Promise and Patience

Psalms 9:10, “Those who know your name put their trust in you. For you, Yahweh, have not forsaken those who trust in you.”

Waiting for the Good News

Daniel prophesied the coming of the Messiah over 400 years before Jesus was born. Daniel thought it was 70 weeks after the temple’s destruction, but Gabriel used a turn on words to say it was 70 sevens. By the way, Biblical writers say that Jesus arrived a full 1,500 years after God gave Moses The Law.  Remember, I am a layman and in no way pretend to know the scriptures well; so, let’s say Christmas came later than expected and leave it at that.

For children waiting for Christmas day, excitement crescendos from Thanksgiving day until December 25th; as each day passes, the wait becomes almost unbearable. The anticipation of getting just the right gift, but not knowing if you will, is overwhelming. Christmas day comes, and the bubble burst into excitement.

Israel thought the Messiah’s coming was right around the corner, but then there was another corner. Corner after corner came and went with no Messiah.  Did their anticipation crescendo or faded away? From what we know from the scriptures, I would have to say anticipation faded away for most. When He came, not only did they not recognize Him, some actively denied it was Him.

Matthew 12:14, “But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.”

Receiving the Good News

Jesus was the answer to a great promise God made before creation, but many missed its blessing because it was not in their timeframe. One of the messages we should take from Christmas is patience. Remember Simeon, the man that God promised he would not die until he saw the Messiah. Simeon was late in years but had not lost faith that God would keep His promise. God rewarded his faith, for he recognized the Savior when he saw Him. Had he lost faith that God would keep His promise; he might have seen Jesus and not recognized Him.

As we celebrate Christmas, let us not lose sight that God’s timing is not our timing. When God makes a promise, He keeps it. God didn’t create the universe and say, “Let’s see how this plays out.” He wrote the complete story, end-to-end, before it even began. He loved us then, and He loves us now.

Lamentations 3:22-23, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new  every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Acknowledging the Good News

Patience is one of the great virtues. Patience not only serves us well when dealing with each other, but it is essential to seeing God in action. Many times we ask God for things that we think are right and good, and for the most part, they are. But we are finite, and God is infinite. God sees solutions we could never dream of seeing. He wrote our story and knows our path.

Be patient in looking for your blessings. God will keep His promises to you. You need to stay obedient to His will and be patient. We wait 364 days every year for Christmas to arrive; Israel waited over 400 years. Those that lost faith missed the blessing. Don’t miss your blessings.

Gabriel heralded the significance of Jesus to Mary; it was the start of God’s promise to redeem His people. Jesus came for all of us. His patience with us and His love for us endures forever.

Luke 1:31-33, “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

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Christmas 2020 – A Year of God’s Favor

Luke 4: 18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and the regaining of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

In one of the most dysfunctional years that I can remember I find that this year is the year that God challenges us to proclaim His favor in all things and proclaim His glory to those in which He has put us in contact.

I have a big request for this season of celebration; reach out to those who are hurting and offer them a lifeline. Don’t try to cheer them up; love them. Quiet desperation is the most suffocating emotion one will ever face. We are not the solution, only God is, but He can work through us. 

The fortunate among us, myself included, see what God has done in our lives and are thankful. We enjoy the relationships God puts in front of us, the opportunities we have been privileged to experience, and hope of a greater future. We may reminisce about good times, maybe even better times, but we are grounded in the moment. That moment, this moment is ours to make what we choose. God gave us that choice. And at this moment, we choose hope.

Psalm 100: 4-5, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good, and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

There are those around us that, for various reasons, see the holiday season differently. They have broken relationships, their opportunities are few, and the future is bleak. Their minds are clouded by what could have been, but never will be. What they have experienced in their life darkens the soul and grieves the heart. Their life is not a glass half empty; it is a glass too small. 

Psalms 34:18, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

I have compassion for these; I have been there. I have known the darkness of despair. Evil lurks for a desperate heart. No matter how bad life is, it finds a way to bring it further down. Christmas is not a time of reflection; it is a time to try to forget. The joy of others amplifies their pain. The light at the end of the tunnel is a train. Salvation is a myth. Comfort and joy a fairy tale. 

I have prayed not to wake and for tomorrow to never come. I wanted all the endless pain to go away and leave me in peace. But peace does not await the person without Christ. Their destination is not something to be desired no matter how cruel life has become.

Matthew 25:45, “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.”

This Christmas, invest in another. Don’t try to “fix” their life, instead give them hope. Let them know there is someone who will travel their journey with them. Be that person. Be the one that God weeps for joy over. 

One last thing; We all have broken connections. We have people that have hurt us, or we have hurt them. Extend a kind word. It will change the world for both of you.

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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Your Christmas Story

Ever wonder what the essence of a great story includes? There must be three or four critical components. There has to be a protagonist and an antagonist; you know, the good guy and the bad guy. Then there has to be a great adventure, an adventure that draws you in and captivates you. There has to be a dark moment; when the hero seems to be on the brink of destruction. Then there is the ending, a wonderful, thrilling, defying-all-odds moment that takes your breath away.

We were listening to a Robert Ludlum audiobook on the long drive to and from Missouri over the Thanksgiving holiday. Dr. John Smith was the protagonist, surviving death over and over again. Time and again, Ludlum had him in impossible situations, just to be saved in the nick of time. It got me thinking of my life and the most incredible story of all time; The Christmas story.

You can read the beginning here: Luke 2:1-20

The Beginning

Jesus was there in the beginning. He knew our fall, He knew our struggles, and most of all, He knew we needed a hero, not just an ordinary run-of-the-mill hero, but the Savior of all Saviors. The story of our lives is an epic battle between good and evil. We get to choose the part we play, just like when we were kids playing cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians. This time the playing is real, and the consequences of our decisions last for eternity.

John 1:1-2, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God….”

John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

In the story of my life, I am not the protagonist; I’m not the good guy or the hero; I’m the one needing rescue. The antagonist isn’t life or the decisions I’ve made; it is the dark force that hides the consequences of my choices. Unlike John Smith trying to save the world from diabolic biological weapons, my story is God trying to save me from myself.

The God of the universe looks down on weak humans being buffeted by the plans and schemes of evil. For the average person, evil does not present itself in situations that reek of sulfur. Evil presents itself in everyday decisions that seem right in the moment. Many times sin will even give us a Bible verse to comfort us in our weak moments. Evil knows the story and knows the ending but pushes on anyway.

The Rescue

The story of Christmas is the defying-all-odds over-the-top ending to our impossible predicament. You see, we cannot save ourselves from destruction; we haven’t the power. I would go as far as to say some of us still don’t know we need saving. Without God’s intervention through Christ on the cross, we fail. We cannot be good enough to overcome the impact evil has on our lives. Christ is the only one who can reach down and pull us up from the abyss.

Romans 5:8, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

This Christmas, we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Our happy ending starts in a room no one wanted and ends on the cross. It is not the ending we think of in a novel. It is not the hero living with honor and residing on an earthly throne. It’s bigger than that. Our protagonist not only saves us from ourselves, but He also conquers death itself. Through Him, evil is defeated, and we are saved for eternity.

Hebrews 12:2, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author, and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Epilogue

This Christmas spend time with friends, listen to the music of the season, exchange gifts, and eat great food, but take some time to play out your story. Take time to understand that you are not the hero of your story. I am one of the most fortunate men on this earth. I was born in a country of opportunity. God gave me everything a person could want. I have had position, power, and wealth, but I could not save myself. For all that I was, I was helpless. Christ saw me, loved me, and saved me.

Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”

Christmas is a time of great joy, do not let that pass you by, but take the time to replay your story; you get to choose your ending, make it a good one.

1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.”

Share your story of great joy and peace with all you encounter throughout the year, for we are truly blessed.

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Thanksliving

At Thanksgiving, we give thanks for all that God has done in our lives. We thank Him for our family and our friends and our everyday living. We give thanks for all the worldly things he has bestowed upon us. Then we turn our thoughts to Christmas.

1 Corinthians 1:30, “Everything that we have – right thinking and right living, a clean slate, and a fresh start – comes from God by way of Jesus Christ.”

Thanksgiving is an special day because even the secular world stops for a moment to give thanks for their blessings. If even the non-believer is thankful for their gifts, so how much more should we be grateful? Can you think of a single good thing in your life that was not provided by God?

Giving Thanks

For a moment, just a single moment, bask in pure adoration for the miracle of your life. Lift a prayer before you eat that reaches down from the pit of your soul and truly gives thanks that God created you, wrote your life story, and provided for you throughout your journey. Unfortunately, it is after that point that we then turn back to living our lives. Most of us will overeat, enjoy the companionship of family and friends, and then it’s back to the daily grind. Wouldn’t our lives be better served if we lived in that moment? How do we stretch that moment into the lifelong glorification of a life well lived?

God made us perfectly crafted for our journey ahead. Although we see deficiencies, wrong turns, and rabbit trails, God sees the essence of our perfection. Perfection that will not be achieved this side of Heaven, but is real all the same. We tend to silo our blessings as individual answered prayers rather than view them as a continuum of our story. God does not work on a checklist or a to-do list that is characterized by point-specific blessings. He is always blessing us if we ask Him.

James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

In Dire Circumstances

But what if my circumstances are dire? What if I have strife and conflict and pain that drives what feels like a life unfulfilled and purposeless?  If you are on this side of the dirt, God is not done with you. As long as you have breath in you, God has a mission for you. From personal experience, I can say that the only thing that got me to tomorrow was knowing God had something for me to do today, even in my most dark days. I didn’t always know what it was or why, but I did know it was greater than my pain. I would not go to meet Him unfinished.

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

The way to rise above your struggles is to distract yourself by immersing yourself in God’s overwhelming love. Remember that God is most gracious to those who are struggling and call on Him. Every moment of every day is a blessing for which we should give thanks.

Isaiah 66:1-2, “This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me?  Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord.

“These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.”

Living With Kingdom Purpose

We live in a broken world. It will serve up bitter fruit at times. Some people seem to get a larger portion than others. I don’t get it. I don’t get it in my own life, and I certainly can’t advise you. I do know this when I take my eyes off of the prize, the struggle intensifies. Living a purposeless life magnifies the difficulties. Knowing that there is a kingdom purpose in all things gives me the strength to move forward. Moment by moment, thanking God that I still stand and that God is not done with me yet, gives me purpose. And with that purpose, I have hope. Commit yourselves to not meet God face-to-face unfinished.

In Revelations, we read what should be our final words.

Revelations 7:12, “ Blessing and glory and wisdom and Thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to God forever and ever amen.

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An Apology

When I first started writing, I wanted it to be about the passion of living for Christ. I wanted to help people live the life that God had planned for them.  I thought, like all human plans, God intervened, He now wanted me to spend my time trying to help people cope with today. I was wrong.

I took my eye off of the ball; I got distracted by everyday issues and became nearsighted. Like a bout of vertigo, I thought the world had shifted, but it was all in my head. It wasn’t God who intervened to change my thinking.

“The best-laid schemes of Mice and Men oft go awry, And leave us nothing but grief and pain, For promised joy!” – Robert Burns

One of the things I have become acutely aware of is that everything on the front page of the news today is temporary. Our next President will not be in office 100 months from now. COVID-19 will be a history note as we deal with whatever is new. Unfortunately, new injustice, lurking in the dark recesses of society as it has been for all of written history, will replace today’s injustice. All of our contemporary concerns will dissolve. But one thing will remain constant, God’s love for all of humanity.

Back to Basics

Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

God’s plan for our lives is the point on the horizon to which we should all navigate. This promise is the guiding light in the world of darkness. Anything that distracts you from this path is not from the Lord. Anytime you start to believe evil is winning, or even making headway, you have taken your eye off the target. We aren’t the ones that handle overcoming the sins of the world. We are not capable. Our job is to be the person God planned for us to be. If each of us achieves that goal, we will change the world.

Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

 Seek first – God did not give us suggestions or guidelines. He gave us commands. If our thoughts and conversations do not follow His command, then we are on the wrong track. If we put contemporary issues in front of seeking God first, we have fallen into a trap. We have allowed ourselves to be shanghaied into serving another. Dark forces use worldly issues, crafted in Biblical principles, to distract us. They divert our passion away from chasing God.

Matthew 7:15, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”

It is all too easy to give in to worldly fear. We live here and must cope with what it throws at us. I know, my life is no different than yours. I yearn for security here on earth until the day that God takes me home. I forget that I have that. God commands me not to fear for my life and worldly comfort.

Matthew 10:28, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Our Reality

The foundation of our thinking is also a command. God does not give us the latitude to pick and choose. He makes it perfectly clear.

John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commands.”

How can God command that? Does He not understand the world in which I live? Yes, He does, He created it. He understands it’s weaknesses, it’s flaws, and it’s darkness. But he also created the light. He promised us that if we discard all of our worldly concerns, he will cover us and protect us.

Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

I got distracted, and I apologize for that. I don’t want you to be distracted. If the issues don’t directly affect God’s plan for your life, let it go. Maybe this is the time that will open doors that have previously been closed. God can, and will, use this time. But He will use it for His Kingdom, not anyone else’s. He will use it to forwards His message of peace and reconciliation to Him, not the latest talking head. He will use it to encourage and build, not break down and divide.

Chase God, not man.

John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

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Where is God in your Neighborhood?

My question to you is this: Where does God live in your neighborhood? Have you met Him in passing at a gathering? Have you engaged in small talk to pass the time? Are you so busy creating yourself that you haven’t taken the time to know and love your creator?

This post is a little different for me; it’s more of an allegory than my typical posts. It is a journey through a broken and lonely world that ends in warmth, redemption, and love. We all travel this same road. Some of us are fortunate enough to arrive at the destination faster than others. Unfortunately, some of us never arrive.

I see in my head this timeline of my life stretching from left to right across the horizon. At the far left is the knowledge that God wrote my story before I came into existence. This story is God’s pre-story of my life. His account of my life was to prosper, filled with hope and a future. But as I move along the timeline toward the right, my life story plays out as I lived it. It goes something like this:

I knew God lived in my neighborhood, but I didn’t know which house was His.

As a child, I went to church and knew there was a God, but He was probably busy with some of the other 4 billion people on earth or maybe building the rest of the universe. I wasn’t sure what He looked like or where He lived, or what He did for a living. I didn’t care; I was busy creating my life.

I knew God lived in my neighborhood as I saw Him around once in a while

Later in life, I would see something that reminded me God was there. It was in the clear azure blue skies, the crisp fall mornings, and in the full moon perched precariously above a mountain range. It was a kind voice or a gentle gesture.  I saw God in the complexity of the world He created that seemed to flow so seamlessly. It was like marveling over the beauty and craftsmanship of a Lamborghini Sián Roadster without ever having met Ferruccio Lamborghini.

I knew God lived in my neighborhood because  He talked to some of the neighbors.

Still, later I met neighbors who had met Him and talked with Him. He even did things for them. I didn’t understand why or how, but they were convinced. I thought you had to be His friend to get His time. He seemed like a nice enough guy but had to be busy most of the time. I envied that they knew Him but felt out of His league.

 I knew God lived in my neighborhood because we talked from time to time.

Finally, a friend introduced me to Him. He seemed open and receptive; our conversations were superficial, mostly me complaining about something I wanted. Maybe I asked Him why He didn’t fix something, but I never allowed myself to get close enough to Him to see him work. I wanted Him to help me but didn’t expect it to amount to much as I hadn’t done much for Him. Generally, you don’t get something without giving something.

I know God lives in my neighborhood because He took me in.

Then one stormy, rainy night, my house burned down. I stood by the curb in the cold, dark rain and watch the smoke rise. The life I had so carefully crafted came to an end. The things I have stored up for myself vanished. It was God who was there to invite me to live in His home. I lost a house, a shell of myself created to satisfy my worldly lust. What God gave me was a home filled with love and compassion. I have lived there since.

1 Corinthians 3:12-15 “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”

Great stories always start with great tragedies. We all like the overcoming-all-odds ending, but we skip past the overcoming part. The overcoming takes away from the thrill of victory. If we have to look at the cost, the prize seems a little tainted. We don’t like asking ourselves if the prize was worth the cost. We want to rejoice.

When we come out the other end after a traumatic encounter with our broken world, getting to the end seems less daunting than when we were in the middle of it all.

Where does God live in your neighborhood?

Many of us live ordinary lives that don’t strike us as tragedies. We pay our bills and are kind to animals. We try not to be overly angry, but there are many stupid people in the world. We help when we can, but we have a responsibility for our future too. Life is a compromise.

Job 4:19 “How much more those who live in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed like a moth.”

That is the tragedy. When we surrender our will to the author of our lives, we no longer live with compromise. We live in the fullness of the life He created. Don’t wait for a storm. Decide to trust your life and all of its decisions to Christ.

Move out of your house into His home.

Ephesians 2:19-22, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord.”

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Casting Out Fear

Fear causes us to live small lives and miss out on opportunities that God puts in front of us. Fear scrunches us into a little ball of mediocracy. Fear stops us from “being all we can be.”

Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

There will always be moments when fear is the natural response to worldly things that happen around us. But I am not thinking of the life-threatening events when fear overwhelms; I’m talking about the day to day encounters. I’m talking about things like fear of failure and fear of rejection, and fear of humiliation. What I am talking about is living a life worth living. I am talking about having the courage to stretch your boundaries, experience God’s power, and live the story He wrote for you.

1 John 2:15, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.”

Formula for Change

How do we get from who we are to who God made us to be? A formula called “The Beckhard-Harris Change Equation” states that the value of the new state has to be greater than the value of the old state plus the cost of change before change can effectively occur.

Beckhard-Harris would say, Your dissatisfaction with the life you are currently living, plus a vision of what the new life would look like, plus knowledge of how to get to that new life, has to be greater than what you feel you are giving up.

Let’s put this in Christian terms; The value of an eternity with Christ has to be of greater value to you than that of your current life on earth, plus the cost you put on changing. Until we realize that the experience God has written for us is so much better than the life we have planned for ourselves, we will never reach our true potential and will always live desperate lives. If you are a slave to fear, this equation is out of balance. If your vision of a Christ-centered life is blurred, you won’t move forward.

1 John 2:16, “For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but the world.”

Our Current State

We have to accept that we live broken lives. Much of the stress and dysfunction we experience daily is not life; it is life without Christ. We have become so accustom to comparing the quality of our life with the lives around us that we have missed how broken those lives are. It is not about being less dysfunctional than the Jones. The bar is a lot higher than that. Troubles and challenges will come, we know that, it is how we respond to those events that defines our experience on earth and it’s eternal significance.

The Desired State

Now we have to come to believe that life with Christ is a life worth fighting for. Spending eternity  with the author of the universe is exceptional in and of itself, but as a cowboy once said “I’m not afraid of being dead, it’s the dying that worries me.” We still live on a blue spinning orb. We still have to get up every morning and live. Our desired state has to include God’s plan for us while we are here. God made us; he understands what we are experiencing. God created us not just to survive but to thrive. He did not put us here to see what we could endure. God created us to blossom and grow. He created us to be light in the darkness.

Taking the First Step

Once we see the vision of what life could look like, we need to create a plan to achieve it. We have to know our first step. Once we know it, we have to commit to taking it. Each of us is dealing with our own set of fears. Each of us will attack this a little differently. All of us should have the same objective; get in synch with God’s plan. Some may join a bible study. Some aren’t there yet, what they need is a close Christian friend that can help guide them. All of us need prayer and support through the scriptures. For change to take place you have to take the first step.

Matthew 11:30, “For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Change is more about believing in the results than putting in the effort. Change is more about having the faith to let God lead than making an effort to take the lead.

What did Jesus say?

John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Isaiah 43:1, “But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

The Psalmist said, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”

Our greatest fear should not be what the world around us fears, but we should fear the lost opportunity to be truly happy living the life God has planned for us.

Don’t be afraid of what God asks you to do; embrace it. More than just embracing it, thirst for it. Make it your mission to stretch your experiences, learn more, be more; grow into a genuine person of God.

Psalm 37:4-14, “ Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will do this:  He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.”

Life Worth Living

God wants your heart to burst with Joy. He wants to fill you with His spirit to where you can scarcely breathe. He wants you to hate sleep at night in anticipation of what the morning will bring. He wants you to live a life of purpose and meaning. He does not want you to fear the world. He has already overcome the world.

1 John 5:5, “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

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Waterproof Your Boat

Ships don’t sink because of the water around them; they sink because of the water in them. Don’t let what is going on around you get inside you.

Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

As we approach election day, the volume of absurdity crescendos until it envelopes the important. I thought about this statement made by a Taoist Priest. “Chaos only exists for those who do not understand.” Chaos exists in the minds of those whose view is earthly and finite. The world can become a maddening, ever-changing, and endless pursuit of meaning. When you let the noise around you become the noise within you, you sink to fear, uncertainty, and despair.

Jeremiah 25:32, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil is going forth from nation to nation, and a great storm is being stirred up from the remotest parts of the earth.”

We have a God that loves us unconditionally. We have a God that wrote the story of our existence. We have a God that is both omnificent and omnipresent. When we start thinking that our future is in others’ hands, we have lost sight of what matters. Christians are not, and never will be, the victim of random chance or evil forces. Our environment maybe, but we will not.

When we allow worldly thinking to seep into our inner thoughts, we start to sink. When we allow the words of others to dictate our response, we begin to sink. When we rationalize our reaction based on the actions of others, we start to sink. When we let an earthly event poke a hole in the bulkhead of our existence, we sink.

Proverbs 1:27-29, “when disaster comes over you like a storm, when trouble strikes you like a whirlwind, when pain and trouble overwhelm you. Then you will call to me, but I will not answer. You will look for me, but you will not find me. It is because you rejected knowledge and did not choose to respect the Lord.”

I am starting to see the world differently. God, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, made me His ark. The choice animals that I allowed in are; Christian friends, a welcoming church community, daily and weekly scripture readings, Bible study, and prayer. The Gospel is my bulkhead; bible verses are the caulk between the planks. The water will rise around me, but I will be safe.

Psalm 107:29, “He caused the storm to be still so that the waves of the sea were hushed.

In the middle of the tempest of life, I must fight the urge to open a window to take in a worldly view. In doing so, I may let water in. Do it enough times, and I start to sink. Life will rage on. There will always be another storm, but I must stay safe.

Matthew 8:26, “He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.”

Being safe is not becoming ambivalent to the world around us; it is about not letting that world become us. We serve the world with love and compassion as Christ serves us. We help individuals find the shipwright that builds boats that can never sink. Remember, it is not about changing the world; it is about changing the people in the world, one person at a time; when that happens, the world changes.

2 Corinthians 1:4, “who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Christ has built an invincible armada that no power on earth can destroy. We are indestructible as long as we do not let the water in.

Joshua 23:9, “For the Lord has driven out great and strong nations from before you; and as for you, no man has stood before you to this day.”

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