Take a minute to read Matthew 1:18-25 on BibleGateway. As I read this passage the other day for probably the 100th time I noticed something that had previously alluded me. As I began to process this new truth I became uncomfortable because I realized that it had the potential to upset my life and my plans. Are you ready? You're probably not going to like it either. "Sometimes God interrupts our good plans". Notice what the passage said, “Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph, but before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.” That sounds an awful lot like some really good plans. Mary was engaged to be married, she was trying to honor God and her family. She was working through the process of transitioning from a teenage girl into a God honoring woman. Now an angel of God steps onto the scene and throws a wrench into the works. Sometimes we get really focused on the idea that God needs to intervene in the lives of people who are messed up right? We think of our friends who are a mess. We think of family members who are making poor decisions. If we're not careful we start to assume that God’s only interested in bringing about His purposes in the lives of “those who really need it". Think about Mary for a minute. She was doing it right. She was engaged to be married, she wasn’t out fooling around or getting into trouble, from the outside looking in, and the inside looking out, she was honoring God with her life. Yet, even in the midst of her honoring God, God chose to intervene and interrupt her plans. I challenge you to think about that idea for a minute because we can sometimes start to believe that we’ve already got everything figured out. We’re honoring God, we’re following what we believe to be God’s call on our lives and if we’re not careful we miss what God really wants to do. In other words, God may want to interrupt your God honoring plans. In Jeremiah 29:11 God says (NLT), “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Sometimes we allow our plans for our future and our hope to push out God’s plans for our future and our hope. What we’re talking about here isn’t about good and bad, it’s about better and best. And God’s plans, even when they interrupt our plans, are always best. Be encouraged and keep moving forward. Here's something I'd love to start, or should I say, restart...again, for the 100th time. TRUST. This is a tough one for me personally. If you're anything like me, you like to be in control and have strong opinions on just about everything. When things don't go the way I think they should go, I can pretty quickly lose heart, throw in the towel and cash in my chips. Sometimes, I want to walk away, not because I really feel led to walk, but because I'm pouting. I pout because I've convinced myself that I know better, I don't like what's happening or sometimes because it wasn't my idea. I was feeling particularly UNTRUSTING today when the thought occurred to me, "I wonder what God's Word has to say about this?" Admittedly, I spent far too much time pouting before this thought occurred to me (still a work in progress - see earlier post). What's interesting about me having this thought is that this is exactly what I spend my time encouraging other people to do. I literally share this exact advice and yet it took me hours to come to the same conclusion for my own life. As I spent some time reading various verses on this topic I came across an oft quoted memory verse from my childhood. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." As my eyes scanned the screen on BibleGateway I tried to ignore the simplicity of this verse, searching for something more "adult" or "mature". As I scrolled back to the top of the screen it clicked with me. TRUST is supposed to be simple. It's easy but not simple. God says, "Trust me with everything you have inside, submit everything you have to me and I will take care of you." Most of this day, I have found myself on the verge of tears. Never crying but always close. I think I'm dealing with a mix of frustration, grief, and confusion. I long to have my path made straight. I long to lean back into the arms of God and know that I am provided for. As I pray for myself, I pray for you too. If you need to TRUST, I pray that you find it in the person of Jesus Christ. As we begin the Advent season, let's shoot for the advent of TRUST in our lives. Trust that God is in control and that all you need to worry about is being faithful to do your part. Be encouraged and keep moving forward. #advent² "Advent" means the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. If you celebrate Christmas at a deeper level than just exchanging gifts you may also know that the advent season runs from December 3rd until Christmas Eve and signifies the time leading up to the birth of Christ, a notable person indeed. I wonder what the Advent season might look like if we took the opportunity to introduce some new things into our lives? What if the advent season served as the advent of something greater than Christmas parties, gift exchanges, time off school and a break from the routine of work, eat and sleep. What if this Christmas season signified the arrival of something truly notable in our lives. Maybe it's a renewed relationship with Jesus, a spouse or one of your kids. Maybe it's a renewed commitment to dig into God's Word or a greater focus on prayer in your life. Allow me to encourage you to do something with this advent season. Be different by December 24th. Drive a stake in the ground as you read this and make a commitment to not allow your life or your relationships to drift any further from God's design for them. What will you do? How will you be different? What will change in your life? Joshua 1:9 says,"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Remember: God is with you. As you make a commitment to change, God goes before you. As you make a commitment to dig into God's Word, He encourages you. As you make a commitment to renew a relationship, He guides you. Allow this Advent season to be the advent of something amazing in your life. Be encouraged and keep moving forward. #advent² Psalm 119 in the Bible has a 176 different verses. It's actually the longest chapter in the Bible. The common thread through all of these is that God's Word can serve as a map for you and I to navigate our lives. Let me give you just a few examples. Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word.” Psalm 119:19 says, “I am only a foreigner in the land. Don’t hide your commands from me!” Psalm 119:24 says, “Your laws please me; they give me wise advice.” Psalm 119:25 says, “I lie in the dust; revive me by your word.” Psalm 119:28 says, “I weep with sorrow, encourage me by your word.” Psalm 119:32 says, “I will pursue your commands, for you expand my understanding.” Here's what I see in just these six verses: a clear road map for a couple of different scenarios that you and I probably face on a regular basis. No one likes to go to bed feeling horrible right? No one wants to pillow their head at night regretting the choices they've made. According to verse 9, you and I can live a life free of regret if we look to God's Word. What about trying to make the best decisions in life? According to verse 19, verse 24 and verse 32 you and I can have success if we look to God's Word. "Okay, here we go, now's he's getting preachy." That's not my goal, but let's just think for a minute about why you clicked on this link to begin with. You obviously were curious about how to better navigate life. Perhaps it's time to consider that what we've been doing up until this point hasn't been working as well as we'd hoped. Ever been down in the dumps? Of course, we all have. We lose a loved one, our marriage isn't what we'd thought it would be, friends have turned away for one reason or another, work's tough. There are lots or reasons we struggle but here's the best news. God's Word helps us to navigate those tough parts as well. According to verses 25 and 28 we can be revived and encouraged by the truth of God's Word. God's Word can allow our problems to have a point. Here's my encouragement to you. Give God's Word a try. There are bunches of easy reading plans out there. Bible Gateway has a bunch that are super easy to start with. It's Thanksgiving Day, start by being thankful for what God has given you in His Word. Be encouraged and keep moving forward. This is a candle that we use in the bathroom at my house. It looks unassuming right? After all it's just a candle and when used it can give off a pretty sweet vibe to an otherwise pretty "crappy" room. While it smells really good it has a dark side. A few weeks ago we hosted a gathering at our house and had this candle lit for several hours while we entertained. A few days later as I stood in the bathroom, I noticed a dark film over all of the tile throughout the bathroom. I reached up and wiped my hand down the wall to discover a brilliantly white section of tile concealed under this mysterious dark film. My candle, designed to burn brightly and provide a pleasing aroma had instead coated my bathroom walls with a thick soot that was anything but pleasing. As I wiped the walls down I was reminded of the things in our lives that can often do the same thing. These are the things that are burning brightly and that are designed to provide something good but in the background they are leaving a subtle dark film on your life. Let's consider social media. It was of course designed for connection, re-connection to old friends, the celebration of our kid's accomplishments, updates on our own life, etc. But what about the subtle potentially dark film that it leaves on our lives? We scroll social media for hours and can sometimes log off feeling "less than" all of the other "perfection" that you've just witnessed via updates and photos. What's designed to be good can potentially leave an unwanted dark film in your life. Psalm 139:13-14 says, "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it." In other words, God isn't comparing you to anyone else and neither should you. What about those of you with a strong work ethic? "Hey, wait a minute, what's wrong with a strong work ethic?" Well nothing is wrong with a strong work ethic if it doesn't leave a dark film over your life. If we're not careful our desire to work, be at work, earn money, etc. can slowly but surely pull us away from what's most important. Our relationship with God, with our family or with friends can take a backseat as the dark film of money takes over. Hebrews 13:5 says, "Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you." Perhaps we are sometimes guilty of masking over our discontentment with life by having a strong work ethic? We work extra because it's the only thing that makes us happy. We work every weekend, not because we have to but because we don't feel provided for by God. Of course we want to provide for our family, of course we want to succeed but let us not forget the dark film that can creep in if we're not aware. Be encouraged and keep moving forward. I'm thankful for lots of things. I'm thankful for my forgiveness in Christ. I'm thankful for my wife, my kids, my larger family. I'm thankful for opportunities that I have to share the "Good News" with people who don't know. I'm thankful to play even a small part in helping someone take a step closer to who Jesus Christ is calling them to become. All good stuff. Those are things that of course each of us are thankful for. But I began to think the other day about what my answers would be if I were pressed a little harder and challenged to really sit down and process what it was that I was thankful for, I wonder if I might begin to come up with anything besides good stuff. What about all of the rough stuff that happens in life? Am I not thankful for that? Am I only thankful for blessings? Am I still as thankful and pious when things stink?
James 1:2-4 says…(NLT) “Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.” I love the honesty of the Scripture. It's basically saying, when tough times and difficulties arrive, and they will, be ready. Jesus steps onto the scene and only confirms this idea. John 16:33 says…(NLT) “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. Jesus says, expect tough times. That doesn't sound very comforting. Here’s what I'm pitching: We should be thankful when we face trials and difficulties. Why? Because when we do, the Scripture tells us that our endurance has a chance to grow and it’s our endurance that allows us to finish this race with excellence. The race that we are running is following Jesus Christ wherever He leads. It’s difficult, it’s hard, it’s full of hardships and tests and trials. And when those things come our way we are faced with a choice, will I quit and walk away or will I plow through and learn how to grow from it? It's about taking all of the stuff that Satan has thrown at us in order to trip us up, and turning it in to something that will lift God up. I'm asking you to commit to the idea that what Satan meant to be a set back is really just a set up for God to work. I Peter 4:1 says...(NLT) “So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you are willing to suffer for Christ, you have decided to stop sinning." Peter tells us to arm ourselves with the same attitude Christ had. Some Bible translations use the word “purpose” instead of “attitude”. It reminds us that there is a reason for our suffering. In other words, our problems can have a point. Your hard times are not just random events that occur in your life. They can serve a purpose―if you allow them to.
What if we stopped viewing trials as something to get out of but instead viewed them as something to get into. What if our mindset was…
So how about you? How are you at thanking God for the tough stuff of life? Be encouraged and keep moving forward. I've heard it said that everyone dreams every night, we just seldom remember what we dream. I can recall countless bits and pieces of dreams throughout my life. I generally recall these bits and pieces several minutes after I wake up and generally can't really piece everything together into anything coherent. This morning was an exception. I awoke this morning with a memory of a vivid dream that I had last night of my father. Since his passing in January of 2014 I can only count a handful of dreams that I've had about him. Last night's was as real as a dream gets I suppose. I felt him. I touched him. I saw his face. I heard his voice. I hugged him. I wept on him. When I woke up I felt sadness. I began to pray. I prayed, "God, I'm not sure how this works, I don't think my dad can hear me but I know that he is with you. God, if it's possible can you let him know that I love him, love him, love him and that I miss him, miss him, miss him. Let him know that I look forward to the day when I will join him. Let him know that I look forward to the day when perhaps we will embrace again and I can tell him all of those things myself." Even in the midst of my sadness over my dream I felt a spark of greater hope. My greater hope is sourced in the reality that I have an eternal reward waiting for me, the same eternal reward that my earthly father inherited on January 6, 2014. As we continue our thanksgiving focus, I challenge you to remain thankful for the eternal reward that's waiting for you. If you're not sure about your eternal reward DO NOT MISS THIS. You can have an eternal reward too. God has provided that to you in the form of His son Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross. Jesus died for your sins so that you can be made right in God's sight and spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Romans 10:9-10 and 1 John 5:13 map it out pretty clearly. You don't have to live with sadness over the inevitable end of your life wondering what will happen and what it will be like. You can have hope. Be encouraged and keep moving forward. That's me circa 1993. Even though this photo was taken close to 25 years ago I can tell you that it was taken at the Ohio State Youth Convention that I grew up attending as a middle school and high school student. Great memories of van rides, catching up with camp friends and being challenged to go deeper in my relationship with Jesus. I found this photo a while back and pinned it on my fridge for my kids to enjoy for a while. As I reached for my egg omelet ingredients this morning, it clicked with me that I'll be headed back to this very convention today with a group of my own students. As I reflect on the close to 25 year time span since this picture was taken I am thankful for the journey that God has brought me on. I was able to finish high school, experience God's calling on my life to a career that I know he mapped out just for me. I was able to attend college, get married to my best friend, buy a house, have two amazing kids and do life with an amazing set of family and friends. But here's the best part, God's still not finished with me. This is perhaps what I am most thankful for, because to be honest, sometimes I'm not happy with how I'm turning out. I mean, I'm an okay person, I try to honor God with how I live my life, I try to take care of my family, I try to be a great husband, a great father and a great pastor. But the reality is that I'm not where I need to be and thankfully God knows this and is still working on me. It reminds me of the song from my children's church days called, "He's still working on me". He's still working on me To make me what I need to be It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars The sun and the Earth and Jupiter and Mars How loving and patient He must be 'Cause He's still working on me There really ought to be a sign upon my hear Don't judge him yet, there's an unfinished part But I'll be better just according to His plan Fashioned by the Master's loving hands. In the mirror of His Word Reflections that I see Makes me wonder why H never gave up on me But He loves man as I am and helps me when I pray Remember He's the potter, I'm the clay I always loved this song and even then I understood, as best I could, the God was still working on me. What I don't think I understood then though, was that the process would be a life long journey. Paul talks about this idea in Philippians 1:6. God is not finished with you. We should of course all be thankful for the journey that God has brought us on thus far but often we forget to be thankful for what's still to come. Allow God to continue shaping you and molding you into who He wants you to be. Take a look back through your photos from years ago and be reminded that greater things are yet to come. Be encouraged and keep moving forward. I want you to make a list of all of the things that you have to be thankful for. List out all of the things that you have to be thankful for. I'll help you get the ball rolling: family, friends, job, clothes, life, etc. Go ahead and make your list. Now that you've created your list, let me ask a question. Why do we so quickly forget about these things? How do we so quickly slip into the mindset that our lives are awful, everything is falling apart, life's not fair, my life stinks, etc. You've been there right? Even after acknowledging all of the blessings that you know you have, we still gripe about life. There's a great example of this in Luke 17:11-19 where Jesus heals 10 guys with leprosy. This account in Scripture maps out some important truths for you and I as we evaluate our own thankfulness. Jesus was walking along the border between Samaria and Galilee. Those from Galilee and those from Samaria did not associate with one another. In the words of T. Swift there was some, "bad blood". But what we learn from the end of this passage is that there was at least one Samaritan in the crowd of ten lepers because the one who came back to thank Jesus for healing him, the Scripture says, was a Samaritan. Here’s why this is significant for you and I when we’re talking about being thankful. Suddenly, these two groups (the Jews and the Samaritans) that up until that point didn’t want anything to do with one another, found themselves roaming around the countryside together, bound together, not by their common ancestry, not because they liked each other, but by their common struggle. They were bound together by their common disease, they all had leprosy. Lepers were desperate people. If you contracted leprosy you were booted from the community. You were considered an outcast. You were left to fend for yourself. So desperate were these 10 lepers that the Scripture says they stood at a distance crying out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us". Jesus takes pity on these lepers and heals them but according to the account in Luke, only one of the temple returns to thank Jesus for the healing. What's their problem right? Why in the world would someone who had just been healed of such a devastating disease not give thanks to the One who had healed him? I'll save the answering of that questions for others. Here's the question I'd like us to answer instead, "Why did the one return?" What caused this one to return when the other nine did not? Let me suggest that the one who returned truly understood his own desperation.
He understood his own desperation so intensely that when he experienced healing, he couldn't help but give thanks for what Jesus had done in his life. How understanding are you of what Jesus has really done for you personally? How thankful are you for all of the ways that He has blessed you, yes all the stuff that you listed earlier, but more importantly, how thankful are you for the fact that He has given you life and purpose and renewed hope? Be encouraged and keep moving forward. I was perusing my computer today and came across this writing that I shared with a group of young adults back in 2013. My father passed away on January 6, 2014 but this still rings true. Be encouraged and keep moving forward. "God is all about refreshment. Psalm 23:2 says in the New Living Bible, “He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams.” The job of the shepherd is to move the sheep from the pin to the grazing field and back again at nightfall, seemingly a mindless and monotonous role. But it’s hot outside in the fields with no shade and the sun is bearing down with such intensity that one can hardly stand it. The shepherd himself is weary and the sheep, well the sheep have slowed their progress down to a crawl. It seems as though the journey will never end. Something is needed, something to make this journey a little easier. What’s needed is water. The cool, refreshing, thirst quenching, energy boosting water. And look, just ahead is a stream, a rushing stream, bursting with that cool, lovely source of refreshment. But unfortunately the shepherd cannot lead the sheep in that direction. He tries, but they refuse to go that way. They refuse because there is something about sheep that make them terrified of swiftly moving water. Their heavy coats act as sponges and become so saturated that the little animals are dragged to the bottom. This makes it difficult, if not impossible to lead a sheep to swiftly moving water. It is, however the business of the shepherd to see that his flock is supplied with the refreshment that they need to survive. So the shepherd often finds himself stilling the waters or making them peaceful. If there are no pools or still waters, the shepherd must make some, sometimes by using rocks and pieces of sod from the bank to prepare a little dam across the swiftly moving stream. And slowly but surely a small, quiet pool forms and the sheep move forward without fear and are refreshed. Isn’t that what God does for us as well? Our little stream of life is on a rampage. It rushes by with frightening speed and noise and the spray of it all is hitting us right in the face. We can’t see, we can’t hear, we’re confused and afraid. And just then, the greatest Shepherd moves into the situation and makes the waters peaceful and still. Suddenly we find ourselves being refreshed by the very thing that would have otherwise ruined us. Last Thursday my dad was diagnosed with a rare and very progressive form of lymphoma. Without treatment, the doctors spoke of a life expectancy of 7-10 days. Needless to say, the little, slowly moving stream of our family life has suddenly transformed into a raging river. In the midst of that raging river I can attest that the Good Shepherd has stepped into my life on a couple of occasions and blessed me with at least a few minutes of quiet, still water. At the end of the hospital hallway where my dad has spent the last several days there is a little chapel. Yesterday as my parents sat in that chapel visiting with friends who had stopped by, I found myself alone with my Bible in my father's hospital room. As I spent the next 45 minutes reading through the Scriptures, I was suddenly overwhelmed with what I can only describe as a hopeful peace. As I was driving to the hospital yesterday I heard a song on the radio by Kutless called, “Even If”. Read these lyrics. "Even If" Sometimes all we have to hold on to Is what we know is true of who You are So when the heartache hits like a hurricane That could never change who You are And we trust in who You are Even if the healing doesn’t come And life falls apart And dreams are still undone You are God You are good Forever faithful One Even if the healing Even if the healing doesn’t come Lord we know Your ways are not our ways So we set our faith in who You are Even though You reign high above us You tenderly love us We know Your heart And we rest in who You are Even if the healing doesn’t come And life falls apart And dreams are still undone You are God You are good Forever faithful One Even if the healing Even if the healing doesn’t come You’re still the Great and Mighty One We trust You always You’re working all things for our good We’ll sing your praise Even if the healing doesn’t come And life falls apart And dreams are still undone You are God You are good Forever faithful One Even if the healing Even if the healing doesn’t come You are God and we will bless You As the Good and Faithful One You are God and we will bless You Even if the healing doesn’t come Even if the healing doesn’t come The whole question of whether life’s experiences are going to be times of refreshing or times of ruin is determined by whether or not we constantly recognize the presence of the shepherd. Do you recognize the presence of the shepherd in your life? " |
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