Hiking Part 1

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:62

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went out to Sedona, Arizona for an early anniversary trip. We had the hiking itch, and Sedona was recommended as a new place to try.

It was a lovely time. We had a great time hiking. And while being outside in the nice warm weather just quietly being able to walk around in God’s beautiful creation, I had some time to reflect on a few things. Over the next couple of weeks, I wanted to share some of the things that I thought about out on our hikes.

First, let me set up the landscape. Sedona is a lovely area just north of Phoenix. It is a little desert and a little mountainous. We saw cactus and scrub bushes and desert roses. We also saw some amazing red rock formations that were designed by God to scale.

One hike that we took was up on Cathedral Rock. Great hike! But not for the faint of heart and not for those not wanting to work a bit. This hike was hard but worth it. It was well marked with cairns to guide you up the side of the formation.

One portion of the path led you up about 30 feet in a crevice. It was a little smooth for my taste but some wonderful soul had carved in some places to stick your toes and pull yourself up. This was the kind of path that only one person could scale at a time and on all fours. When it came my turn, I took a deep breath and just went for it! I was like a spider monkey crawling up this space without stopping, without looking up and without looking back. I just went for it! And let me tell you this, when I got to the top, I had my arms above my head like Rocky who had just scaled those steps in Philadelphia! I had conquered that crevice and nothing was going to keep me from celebrating! I didn’t care who saw me! I was successful!

All this made me think of this verse. Sometimes as we go through life, we just have to see the path and go for it. We can’t stop and think about it. We just have to keep our head down, watch where we are going and just keep moving forward. If I had stopped and looked back or stopped to see how far I had left to go, I would have been sent into freak out mode and probably started to cry. God doesn’t want us to stop in our journey with Him. Watch where you are going and don’t stop.

Just keep moving

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 15:58

For those of you who may not know, I work with the aging population. These people have seen life. They have experienced joy unspeakable, and they have experienced the deepest and darkest of sorrows. They have lines of laughter on their face and lines of sorrow and concern. They have the graying head of one, who if given the opportunity, has great wisdom to impart. Unfortunately, some of my mature adults don’t have the recall to impart that wisdom to others.

But today, I want to tell you about one sweet lady who has made a mark on my life in the short 2 weeks that I have known her.

I started seeing her because she wants to have the energy to dance at her grandson’s wedding. Can you possibly imagine a greater reason for strength and endurance? As we are working, we often begin talking. Now this darling lady is well on the other side of 75 and still dresses to the nines each and every day. She is none too happy that her balance issues have made her choice in shoes “ugly”. Yet, this lady greets me every single time with a smile. Despite her medical problems and issues, she finds joy in her daily life.

And better yet, she is passionate for Christ. She is known in her building as the lady always blasting her religious radio station. You can’t say that those around her haven’t heard the Gospel!

But the other day, she was telling me about her burden to witness to one of the “young fellows” in the building. There is one man who is significantly younger than the rest of the building…his hair is still naturally dark, I’m just saying… My dear patient has had a burden to witness to this man. It started with the simple act of giving him a postcard with Bible verses on it. This has led to him attending a Bible study. This man, who has professed to not believe in God, is hearing the Word, voluntarily, just because this sweet little lady followed the leading of the Holy Spirit.

In this verse today, we are challenged in 3 ways.

1) be steadfast – immovable – firmly fixed or constant – This means, don’t be wishy, washy. Stand for something and stand in it all the time. Stand for the principles of Christ and don’t waver. Don’t let “no” keep you from listening to God. 2) unmovable – that cannot be moved or shaken – Remember, when God really wants to make a point, He says things over and over in different ways – hint, hint, that’s what is going on here. 3) always abounding in the work of the Lord – I want to focus on one word in particular here – ALWAYS – perpetually, throughout all time. That means, in my book, that you don’t get to stop working for the Lord. Oh, you may retire and/or quit working to earn a living, but that doesn’t mean that God is finished with you. He EXPECTS you to continue working for Him until He calls you home.

Too often, I fear, we just stop working. We need a vacation. We need a holiday away from our normal. We need some time off. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for taking time off and relaxing or going on a vacation away from my everyday normal. But does that mean we should stop spending time with Him, stop reaching out to others, stop going to Him in prayer? The answer is a resounding “no!”. I know that I am guilty of this. I take the weekend as my time away from work and may not be a faithful to my Bible study and prayer time as I should. I find too many other things to do. No excuse. Sin is sin. Put my name on the list.

But you know what? I can change that. I can chose to do things differently. I can chose to keep going.

As my little lady and I were standing and batting a balloon while she had wrist weights on the other day, we listened and sang to some old hymns I had playing on my phone. It was a beautiful moment being able to combine my passion for the aging population with my love for God. Those moments are precious to me. I’m grateful that God brings people into my life that remind me to love Him and never stop.

The Deep End of the Pool

“…while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18

In the lovely community where I live, there is a giant pool. I mean HUGE!! It has been there since the 1930s and appears to be a quarry type location that has been transformed into a pool. This winter, as I was walking my dog along the sidewalk by the pool, the city emptied it for cleaning. Good gracious was this pool deep! I think it registers at 15 feet deep at its deepest point! As I go by it these days in the summer heat, I don’t see too many people playing around in the deep end of the pool. The shallow end of the pool seems to be way more fun. There is a lovely, partially shaded sandy beach, several water spouts shooting water into the air – a great place for little people to splash around. At the next junction where it gets a bit deeper, that’s where you see the older kids playing. There was an intense version of Marco Polo going on the other day when I went past. Then, the water gets ever so slightly deeper. This is where the slide is located. This is where the cool kids go. Not too many takers on the slide. But out in the deep end, now, that’s fun. There are floating platforms for the ultra cool to sit on and gaze at everyone else splashing around in the water. This portion of the pool has, probably, 6 lifeguards. Each one has their eyes trained on the entire pool, but particularly the deep end.

So, what does this idyllic scene have to do with spiritual truths?

In our “Christian” world today, I feel like there aren’t too many people venturing out into the deep end of the pool. Most of the “believers” are splashing around in the safety of the shallow end – to one grade or another. Oh, they might dip their toe in the end where the slide is at, but they aren’t quite brave enough to go down the slide. Not many people are willing to jump into deep waters and swim to the platforms. No, it’s much safer, much more comfortable to stay where your feet can reach. Going out into the darker water puts people at risk. They may need to depend upon someone to get them to safety and that’s just a place they don’t want to go.

When you do Bible reading at home, when you take time out of your schedule to make the choice to dive into some place uncomfortable, like a minor prophet or something, you run the risk of needing a lifeguard. You may/will need guidance to understand and apply what you are reading. But man oh man, the blessings from sitting on the floating platform! Things look different from the deep end. It’s open. It’s bright. You have choices there. Oh, you still have great responsibility to how you got there. But God would never lead you to somewhere He never intended for you to go.

What I want to say here is this – don’t be afraid of the deep end. Don’t let your fear of the unknown keep you from exploring God’s Word. Don’t let your insecurities keep you from learning. Be brave. Jump in with both feet. I promise, sitting on the platform at the deep end of the pool is totally worth it!

Making the time

“But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”  1 Corinthians 2:10-13 (KJV)

“these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.” 1 Corinthians 2:10-13 (NIV)

Yep, you get two versions of the same verse. I always default to KJV – it’s the first version I always read. But when Old English gets in the way of me completely understanding what is said, I often look to another version and compare. It’s just the way I have always done things. It works for me. Sometimes, I even look up the literal version in my Interlinear Greek-English New Testament. Just thought you needed to know that.

I’m onto another study. I’m looking up the seven Spirits referred to in Revelation 1:4 with reference to Isaiah 11:2 for clarification. (Yep, if you want to know more about that – look it up, dear!)

I am looking at the spirit of wisdom currently. I came across this verse today and it struck a cord.

First of all, let me give you a brief synopsis of the definition of wisdom from the Webster’s 1828 dictionary – the right use or exercise of knowledge. It goes on a bit further to describe it as: 1) If wisdom is to be considered as a faculty of the mind, it is the faculty of discerning or judging what is most just, proper, and useful. 2) If wisdom is considered as an acquirement, it is the knowledge and use of what is best, most just, most proper, most conducive to prosperity or happiness. 3) The exercise of sound judgement either in avoiding evils or attempting good.

To me, that’s pretty interesting. I love looking up definitions to get a better understanding of what is being written or said. I think that it is vital to know what even basic words mean. It truly broadens the scope of what is being said.

Okay, enough geeking out.

In these verses, Paul is writing to the church at Corinth. They had been dealing with some issues regarding unity. Paul was trying to assist them in uniting under Christ – and no one else. When we think about the teachings that we receive when we gather at our local New Testament church, we often put a lot of stock into what the preacher is proclaiming. And rightly so. We need to learn. Sermons and classes should be a catalyst into our deep dive of the Scripture. However, I fear that too often, we hear the sermon or class and we take it as the end. Yup, I’m filled up for the week. No need to check this out any further. I got it.

But in truth, you get home and forget it. Maybe you forget it when you cross the threshold of the building you are leaving. It can be like going through a curtain of water – all that information is washed off of you.

That is why home study is so very important. You see, the wisdom of man has its place and time. However, the wisdom of the Spirit of God that we all received upon salvation is always needed. When I stop and read these verses, I am reminded that the Spirit of God only knows what God tells Him. It is directly from God. Think about that. When you take time to be alone with God and His Scripture, you have the Spirit of God directing your thoughts to learn from Him exactly what He is trying to teach you. You are being taught by the Creator of the universe! Seriously! And we think that just sitting in a service or class is enough. How many blessings are we missing? How many heartaches could be avoided? How many questions could be answered? – all if we just spend some time alone with the Spirit of wisdom. In order to understand spiritual truths, we have to be taught by the Spirit. Man can help us get there by attending sermons and classes, but it is our alone time with the Spirit that really stirs things up.

So, I want to encourage you – Make time. Make time as often as you can to spend some time in His Word and allow His Spirit to teach you things that a preacher or teacher never could. I promise, it will be time well spent.

3 ways to lose

Luke 15:1-32

Buckle up! These blog takes the entire chapter. However, this is something that the Holy Spirit brought across my radar and I feel that it is important.

Today, we are going to look at losing things. Yep. Losing things.

I strongly detest losing things. In fact, at my house, it isn’t really lost until Mom can’t find it. That is true for my husband as well. I like to know where every thing is at any given moment. When we moved, the moving company thought I was weird by wanting to know where my household goods were going to be stored. I’m a bit neurotic in that way.

When I was going through one of my Bible studies, the author looked at this chapter in Luke 15 and discussed the 3 different ways things were lost here and how they were found and what it meant to each person involved.

Losing a sheep (vs. 1-7)

So this shepherd had 100 sheep and lost one. He left the 99 to go and find the one sheep that had munched his way away from the fold. Yep, that poor little sheep got so caught up with the yummy grass that he kept munching and chewing and following that green, green grass until he was all alone. The shepherd left everything and everyone to find this sweet little lamb. And when it was found, party time! Invite everyone you know! Time to celebrate! You see, the loss here was because the sheep turned aside to distractions. It let the yumminess of the tender grass carry him away from what was best for him. How many times are we like that today? We let things in the world carry us away from the One person who truly has our best in mind. But, here is the great part – He (Jesus) comes looking for us. He knows we have a tendency to get lost in our own selfish desires. He knows that all it takes is one tender and green clump of grass to lead us away from the safety of the group. And when we let Him find us, all of Heaven rejoices because we have come back home – home to His loving arms.

Losing a coin (vs. 8-10)

And then there is the lady that loses a coin. Now, how many pennies or coins have you lost or your couch eats? How many of you rejoice when you finish a tube of lip balm just because that means you didn’t lose it? You know who you are! Well, this lady had carelessly lost something important to her. However, she didn’t stop until she found it. Then, she called everyone she knew to let them know that what was lost has been found. Once again, rejoice! Who reading this has not called your closest friend to let them know when you found something that was bugging the snot out of you because you could not find it? Yes, I said snot. You know it happens! We all sometimes get careless. We all can be careless when it comes to our time with the Lord. We keep putting it off and putting it off until it feels like a distant memory that we may sometimes remember. Oh friend, this ought not be. We need to find that closeness that we all know that we need and want deep, deep down inside and rejoice with other believers when we make the choice to find it!

Losing a son (vs. 11-32)

We all know the story of the prodigal son. We know how he wanted something that he thought he deserved and when he got it, he squandered it away. When things got tough, he decided to go home and beg for his father’s forgiveness. He didn’t even make it to the door when his father ran to him and embraced him as his son. The father knew that one day his son would return. He watched for him every day. He anticipated his actions. He wanted to forgive his son. He just needed the opportunity. And then when the day finally arrived, he forgave and through a party. (Are you seeing a theme yet?) However, not everyone was ready and willing to celebrate. The older brother was more than a little upset. My, oh my – there are so many applications here! Let’s look at the younger son, the one who left. He was the one that lost and was lost. He was the one that intentionally walked away. He was the one who let his foolish pride get in the way, and he was the one that made the decision to walk down that road. He was the one that lost every thing he had been given. He was the one that had to end up, literally, in the mud before he realized how deep he really was. Yet, he was also the one that was humbled and recognized HIS mistake. He was the one that had to repent. His father was the gracious and merciful one. Do I need to parallel this to a life you may know or live in? Sometimes, we are the ones that have to wake up in the mud of life and repent and run back to the Savior. Being lost in the world is terrible especially when there is Someone waiting for you to come home.

You know, you can lose your relationship with Jesus in any of these 3 ways. You can turn aside to distractions that lead you away from Him. You can be careless with your relationship and misplace it for a terrible time. Or, you can intentionally walk away from Him. But what I do want you to know and understand, He keeps looking for you no matter what. No matter what caused you to walk away or be lost or distracted, He keeps looking. And when you let Him find you, He rejoices! He is so elated that you are back! You! You, the one that thinks that you mean nothing. You, the one that believes that you are not good enough. You, the one that just can’t do this right now. You are the one that He is looking for.

Go home. Go back to Him. Don’t wait for the mud and muck to get you in up to your nose before you make a change. Even little things can drag you away quicker than you think. Keep it close. Keep it open. Keep it.

Lazarus Story

‭‭John‬ ‭12:9-11‬ ‭KJV‬‬ – “Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.”

It is always good to be in the house of the Lord. Yesterday was no exception. 

Lazarus. He was the dead man that Jesus brought back to life. He was the brother of Mary and Martha, the infamous sisters with two different viewpoints. Yet, he was one that loved Jesus and Jesus loved him. In fact, when he was dead, “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35). 

Lazarus had a story. He had a story of friendship. He had a story of love. He had a story of learning from Jesus. He had a story that made other people perk up and take notice. They wanted to come and see this man that had once been dead and in the grave, yet now here he was, sitting at a table eating with Jesus. How could this be?

As followers of Christ, we all have a Lazarus story. We all have a story of walking in darkness and then walking in the Light. The people we are around might know that we are followers of Christ, but do they know how we got there? Do they know why we stay there?

This was the question posed to me during the message last night at church. It really struck a chord with me. People know that I go to church and read my Bible and try to live like the Lord wants me to live. I don’t curse. I don’t drink. I try to treat people with respect even when I disagree with them. But do I make an effort to tell them my Lazarus story?

Just so it is out there, here it is –

I was just a girl, maybe 9 or 10, when I heard Jesus whispering to my heart. I had been to church my whole life. I knew the stories. I had heard the sermons. I knew Jesus. But I had never invited Him to be the Lord of my life and Savior of my soul. My uncle was a pastor. One night, my mom, brother, grandma and I were visiting him and the family. It was a Wednesday night. I don’t remember the message at all. I just remember that I couldn’t sit still and something wasn’t right. I remember going back to my aunt and uncle’s house and going into the bathroom with my mom and telling her, “Momma, I think Jesus is speaking to my heart.” She said, “Let’s go find your uncle.” And we did. And he took me down the road to salvation. I prayed and asked Jesus into my heart that night. I remember that feeling in my heart so very well. I felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders. I remember how excited I was and how excited everyone around me was. It was a good night. And every since that day, I try my hardest to treasure that feeling of being completely and totally loved no matter what circumstance I find myself in that day. Looking back on my life, I can truly and honestly say that making that decision that night was the best thing I have ever done. I have never been alone since. I have had struggles and challenges and trials, joy and laughter and friendships, tears and questions and ponderings – but never have I doubted God’s love for me and His acceptance of my repentance. 

I didn’t live a life of deep, dark sin before I was saved. My Lazarus story happened pretty early in life. But my Lazarus story is one of life long love and faithfulness. Mine is a story of walking. Jesus and I have been walking together for well over 30 years. He has been working on me for that long. He has a lot to do. Have you ever heard that song “He’s still working on me”? Well, that pretty much sums up my life. 

You see, each Lazarus story is different. Each one has a different starting point and a unique set of circumstances that led that person to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. And every person who has made that decision has a different path that has brought him/her this far. Yet, despite the differences, we are all headed to the same place – a eternity with Jesus. 

The purpose and goal of telling our Lazarus story should be to bring along as many people as we can. Ours is a story of redemption and love and relationship that provides others with the opportunity to experience the same thing, no matter their backstory. 

So I want to encourage you this week to share your Lazarus story. People may know that you are a follower of Christ and that you are not like everyone else around them. But do they know how you got there and why you stay there? Tell them! Listen, this is just as much for me as it is for you. 

Lessons from Sunday morning

Psalms‬ ‭46:1-11‬ ‭KJV‬‬ – “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”‭‭

This was our passage for the Sunday morning message. The preacher titled the message “Think About It”. Let me give you what I took away from the message.

The first thing I saw was the three “Selah”. Now then, what does that word mean? It means “to rest, ponder”. However, you can make an acronym out of it: S – Stop, E – Everyone, L – Listen, A – And, H – Hear. “Stop Everyone. Listen And Hear.” 

How often do we hear but not listen? I know I do it from time to time. I will hear someone speaking to me, but I am doing something else at the time and I don’t listen to them. How often do we read the Word of God and not listen to it? Ohhhh….that one hurt. I am the first in line to admit to reading dutifully but not listening dutifully. It is sad, really. I miss so much in the Word of God by simply not paying attention. I need to stop, listen and hear. 

Another thing I found in these verses is the reoccurant theme of “refuge”. 

Have you ever needed refuge? There was one time that we were at a theme park and it began to rain. No, the heavens opened up and we were caught in the midst of a deluge. We were seeking refuge from the storm. We found it under a bridge. It was kinda fun but also very humbling. We got to the point that we knew that we couldn’t handle the situation and we needed some protection.

We are bombarded out in the world with all kinds of yuck. We see it in the news, hear it on the radio, see it on the streets – yuck is everywhere. We need some place to get away, to escape. We need somewhere where the problems and issues of the world are taken away and dealt with. 

We need Jesus. He is our refuge. He is our strength. He is our strong tower. And when we decide to go to Him, He tells us to “be still”. Not my strong point. I’m always busy. Always doing something. Rarely do I give myself the opportunity to be still. But this is exactly where God wants us to be. We need to allow ourself to be still sometimes. 

Being still means that we make the choice to let Someone else handle things. We give over our perceived control to the One who is truly in control. And when we do this, we can find peace – that elusive peace we all desire. But it really isn’t elusive. It just requires us to return whatever control we thought we had to it’s original owner. It is attainable. 

Stop. Listen and hear. Seek refuge in Christ. 

Psalm 46 is one of encouragement. It is one that reminds us that stopping the chaos around us to listen to the Word of God provides more than just information. It provides peace. And if there is anything this world needs more of, it is the peace of God. 

Back Handsprings

1 Samuel 16:1-4 – “And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee. And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem.”

My daughter is trying to learn to do a standing back handspring. She almost has it, but she just needs to have the confidence in herself to get the task done. Yesterday, I took her to a private lesson to help her overcome. The coach was great. He encouraged her. He instructed her. He led her through a series of exercises to warm up. Yet at the end of the session, she still didn’t have the confidence to do the back handspring. It is hard seeing your child face these challenges. But I know, this is more than just learning to do a back handspring. This is about life. This is about believing in yourself. This is about trusting what you know. 

Samuel was faced with a difficult task. God had told him to go and anoint another king while one was still on the throne. Now then, put yourself in Samuel’s sandals for just a moment. Samuel was watching the one that God had chosen to be the first king in Israel fail. Saul was walking away from God and His statutes at an alarming rate. Samuel was sad. He was hurt. God said to Samuel, “Enough with the mourning. Get yourself up and go anoint the new king.” And Samuel responded just like I would, “But God, Saul could kill me for this!” Yet, does God coddle Samuel and act like the warm, squishy God that society today makes him out to be? Nope. God offers no words of encouragement, no sentiments of comfort – God says, “Take your heifer and go do what I told you to do.” Now, to us, that may seem harsh and unkind. But you know what, sometimes we have to face reality and get out of our pity party and do what God has called us to do. 

God didn’t need to tell Samuel that He would protect him. God didn’t need to tell Samuel that everything would be okay. No, Samuel already knew that. Samuel had experiences in his life to remind him that God was already at the end of the situation. Samuel had the knowledge that God had already seen this thing through and knew how it would turn out. All Samuel had to do was follow it through, do what he knew to do. 

My daughter knows how to do a back handspring. She has been spotted while completing a beautiful back handspring so many times that I have lost count. She has the knowledge. She has the experience. Now all she has to do is follow through and do what she knows to do. 

I know that very soon she will stand up and flip right over safely and beautifully. But until then, I just have to support and encourage her. That is my job. That is my part. It is my turn to be the cheerleader for my cheerleader. 

This week, you may or may not face something of extreme difficulty in your life, but you might know someone who is. Either way, remember, use your experiences to apply what you know. Trust that God knows what He is doing. Don’t be afraid to face the new and difficult challenges. Sometimes you just have to pull up your pants and get the job done. 

Contentment

Philippians 4:11 -“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”

Last night while driving to soccer practice, I witnessed a man driving a minivan like a sports car on a raceway. Thankfully, I don’t think there was anyone else in the car but him. However, it reminded me of this – be content.

Contentment is something unfamiliar to us in our society of want. Ask anyone, I’m sure they have a want list. I know I do. We look around us and see things that we want or think that we need. And we typically won’t be (temporarily) satisfied until we get it. 

Contentment is being satisfied with what is around you and being satisfied in the circumstances you find yourself in. Contentment is NOT laziness. Contentment is not always wanting more. Contentment is the absence of restlessness. 

So, if you are content, does that mean that you shouldn’t want to improve your life or make things better around you? I don’t believe so. But there is a difference in making your situation better and wanting things that other people have – that is coveting. For example, we have decided to do some work around the house to get rid of the weeds growing too close to our home. The neighbors all have bushes around their house to keep the weeds away. We thought about getting bushes but decided that with the sprinklers running so close to the house that installing bushes would be too much of a hassle. So we are going another direction. For me, this is an example of being content with changing the improvements. Coveting would be desiring those bushes around my house just so we can be like everyone else. Like I have said before, it is all about your attitude.

Contentment is hugely impacted by your attitude. That is why it is so important for Christ to have control of your attitude. Jesus keeps your thoughts and actions regulated so that you don’t feel the need to drive that minivan like a sports car. Jesus reminds you that it is okay that this person in front of you is driving just a bit slower than you want. That person will get out of the way in just a bit. Hold your horses. Jesus reminds you that you don’t really need those bushes around the house. You are allowed to be different. You don’t always have to fit into the mold the world has made. 

Contentment is being okay with being different. It is being okay with having a different viewpoint. It is allowing God to mellow you out to the point that people say, “Hmm, this person is different. What is it about them?” Contentment is an oddity in our world, and that is a good thing. 

So on this long weekend, be content. Don’t be lazy, be content. Be satisfied where God has placed you and what He has placed you with. Be different. Be weird, according to the world’s standard – but be God’s. Happy Friday.

Revisit :Make some noise, cheerleader

Tonight is the first football game of the year. A new school year has started. For those of us with children, it is an opportunity to begin again – a fresh slate toward the end of the calendar year. This is an opportunity to do things different and to live life louder. I hope you enjoy this revisit. Happy Friday.

Acts 18:9-10 – “Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.”

I find comfort in knowing that Bible “greats”, such as Paul, got a little scared sometimes about spreading the Gospel. I don’t think that we truly appreciate the danger these guys would sometimes find themselves in. There are missionaries around the world that put their life on the line each and every day to tell someone about Jesus Christ. And I get nervous talking to someone at the gas pump. Not my best moment.

Yet, here we find Jesus speaking to Paul in a vision saying, “Be not afraid”. Paul was afraid. He was afraid of rejection. But this rejection from the ones he was telling could very well lead to the end of his life. My fear of rejection is just that – rejection. Chances are that no one is going to kill me because I tell them about Jesus at the grocery store. I don’t like to think that people are mad at me, even if I don’t know them. I like to be liked. But I don’t like to be afraid.

Moses wanted us to learn to number our days (Psalm 90:12). In that learning, we understand that we really don’t have that much time. And for someone like me who is a stickler for time management, I do a pretty crummy job when it comes to managing my spiritual time for the Lord and telling others about Him. I am the BIGGEST procrastinator EVER in regards to that! And I hate that. And it’s due mostly to fear. I need to “Be not afraid”.

I’m not a shy person. I can talk to pretty much anyone about anything when it comes to my work. For lands sake, I go in on a first meeting and ask that person about their ability to go to the bathroom by themself. And yet I can’t talk to someone about Jesus.

I have this Light inside of me that needs to be let out. I need to plug in and let it go!

My daughter is a cheerleader. It is her job at football games to encourage the crowd to encourage the team. She is the one down by the field shouting and waving and jumping around trying to get the crowd’s attention and the football players motivated to score a touchdown. She can’t do it for them, but she can encourage everyone else, and them, to make some noise and get the job done.

That’s what we need to do. That’s what God was telling Paul to do here. We need to make some noise. We can’t save the people. But we can encourage them to seek out the One who can. And we need to encourage the crowd. We need to reach out to those around us and encourage them to share with others. We need to make some noise. We have to get over being afraid.

Being a cheerleader requires a lack of fear. You can’t be afraid of what others think about your cheering. You can’t be afraid to complete some of the stunts they do to get everyone’s attention. You can’t be afraid to do the cheer wrong. You can’t be afraid to make some noise.

Now, I’m not saying we should all grab some pompoms and go down the nearest corner and cheer for Jesus. No, that might  be a bit weird, but we can apply the same principles to our life.

Don’t be afraid of what others may think. Chances are your life isn’t in danger. Don’t be afraid to do what God asks you to do. He will give you what you need. Don’t be afraid about doing it wrong. God’s word never returns void. Don’t be afraid to make some noise. God is ready to stir things up – He just needs us to be the spoon.