Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad. Proverbs 12:25
We face so many things every day that can get us down. People carry around innumerable burdens, silently suffering beneath the crushing weight of problems no one else knows about. Our spirits are stooped under loads too heavy for us to bear sometimes. And we simply never know what the people around us are going through. The truth of the matter is, we can't always share each other's burdens. Many times we are unaware of them; and some things just have to be carried alone. But we can make a difference. It's so easy to make someone's day brighter, their burden seem just a little lighter. It only takes a word of encouragement or a kind gesture. Just to let someone know you're thinking of or praying for them or letting them know how they've blessed and inspired you can make a world of difference. No, you may not be able to fix problems for those around you; but you can certainly help give them the strength and will to bear it more easily.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Nothing New
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 2 Peter 3:5
People think the theory of evolution is somehow new. Far from it. This verse, written almost 2,000 years ago, refers to the refusal to accept God as Creator as current. People have been seeking alternative theories for millenia! The same goes for just about any crazy idea emanating from scholastic, political and religious think tanks. Solomon guaranteed us that there's nothing new under the sun. Yet so many Christians--including the ones in our pulpits--have this defeated attitude. They look around at the same things that have been going on for generations and get overwhelmed. This, too, is not new. Over and over throughout history the church has been convinced they were going to be the last generation. And one day they'll be right. But there's no reason for us to give up, throw in the towel and wait for Christ's return. Too many are turning the rapture into an escape plan. Defeatism and escapism have no place in Christianity! Man up! Yes, it's ugly in the world. But it always has been. We're not here to be overwhelmed by the dark--we're here to provide light.
People think the theory of evolution is somehow new. Far from it. This verse, written almost 2,000 years ago, refers to the refusal to accept God as Creator as current. People have been seeking alternative theories for millenia! The same goes for just about any crazy idea emanating from scholastic, political and religious think tanks. Solomon guaranteed us that there's nothing new under the sun. Yet so many Christians--including the ones in our pulpits--have this defeated attitude. They look around at the same things that have been going on for generations and get overwhelmed. This, too, is not new. Over and over throughout history the church has been convinced they were going to be the last generation. And one day they'll be right. But there's no reason for us to give up, throw in the towel and wait for Christ's return. Too many are turning the rapture into an escape plan. Defeatism and escapism have no place in Christianity! Man up! Yes, it's ugly in the world. But it always has been. We're not here to be overwhelmed by the dark--we're here to provide light.
Valued
But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:7
How wonderful to know that God not only knows who I am, but He CARES. I am important and valuable to God Himself, and so are you! He knows where you are. He keeps up with you every moment of every day. He knows when you've had a bad day, when something wonderful has happened, when you're angry, sad or glad. And what's even better is, those events and emotions mean something to Him because YOU mean something to Him. How awe-inspiring is that? The Master and Creator of the Universe knows who you are...and considers you valuable and important!
How wonderful to know that God not only knows who I am, but He CARES. I am important and valuable to God Himself, and so are you! He knows where you are. He keeps up with you every moment of every day. He knows when you've had a bad day, when something wonderful has happened, when you're angry, sad or glad. And what's even better is, those events and emotions mean something to Him because YOU mean something to Him. How awe-inspiring is that? The Master and Creator of the Universe knows who you are...and considers you valuable and important!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Content, Not Satisfied
But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6
This verse is telling us we should be satisfied with our lives, right? No. Absolutely not. There's a difference between being content and being satisfied. Satisfaction is being completely happy with your situation--wanting nothing else, even if you could have it. Contentment is being at peace with your situation--willing to be happy where you are, but not necessarily wanting nothing more. Think of it this way: you've just eaten a great meal at a friend's house, and they offer you a second helping of dessert. Now, if you are fully satisfied, you will graciously decline--you couldn't hold anymore, thanks. If, however, you're content, you might accept--you'd be perfectly happy without it...but there's room for more, so why not? We ought to be content. But we ought be very careful not to be satisfied too soon in our lives. Strive to be a better person, to be a more influential witness, to be a more mature Christian. Take care of yourself and strive for a healthier body. And, with the right focus, it's okay to try to further yourself financially as well. But if your situation is destined to remain the same, be okay with that, too--be God-centered and content anyway.
This verse is telling us we should be satisfied with our lives, right? No. Absolutely not. There's a difference between being content and being satisfied. Satisfaction is being completely happy with your situation--wanting nothing else, even if you could have it. Contentment is being at peace with your situation--willing to be happy where you are, but not necessarily wanting nothing more. Think of it this way: you've just eaten a great meal at a friend's house, and they offer you a second helping of dessert. Now, if you are fully satisfied, you will graciously decline--you couldn't hold anymore, thanks. If, however, you're content, you might accept--you'd be perfectly happy without it...but there's room for more, so why not? We ought to be content. But we ought be very careful not to be satisfied too soon in our lives. Strive to be a better person, to be a more influential witness, to be a more mature Christian. Take care of yourself and strive for a healthier body. And, with the right focus, it's okay to try to further yourself financially as well. But if your situation is destined to remain the same, be okay with that, too--be God-centered and content anyway.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Not Away
He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. Exodus 13:22
God's presence was with Israel throughout their wanderings in this pillar of fire and cloud, and He stayed right there with them for the entire journey. Do you realize what that means? That means He was with them when they complained about hunger, when they complained about thirst, when they spurned the manna and the quail. He was right there with them when they built the Golden Calf to worship in His stead. He was hurt and angered...but He never left them. God is faithful. He will never, ever leave us. You can turn your back on Him, reject Him, curse Him; but God will never turn His back on you.
God's presence was with Israel throughout their wanderings in this pillar of fire and cloud, and He stayed right there with them for the entire journey. Do you realize what that means? That means He was with them when they complained about hunger, when they complained about thirst, when they spurned the manna and the quail. He was right there with them when they built the Golden Calf to worship in His stead. He was hurt and angered...but He never left them. God is faithful. He will never, ever leave us. You can turn your back on Him, reject Him, curse Him; but God will never turn His back on you.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Questioning
How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? Psalm 13:1
The Psalms are rife with passages like this. So are our lives. If you've never felt abandoned or forsaken by God, just wait--it's coming. That's not to say He will ever leave you alone; but it'll sure feel like it sometimes. And when it does you'll want to question Him. You'll want to scream out to the heavens for answers. When that impulse hits you, here's what you should do: go for it! Question God. Demand answers. See, questioning, by it's nature, assumes two things. First, that you are not God and don't have all the answers. Second, that there is a God Who does have all the answers and cares enough to be involved, to listen, and to answer. That's humility and faith.
History is full of great men of faith who questioned and even argued with God--Abraham, Moses, David, and Peter, just to name a few. God wants to interact with you. He wants to hear about your fears, your doubts, your hurts. He wants to assuage, calm, and soothe them. But first you have to take them to Him.
The Psalms are rife with passages like this. So are our lives. If you've never felt abandoned or forsaken by God, just wait--it's coming. That's not to say He will ever leave you alone; but it'll sure feel like it sometimes. And when it does you'll want to question Him. You'll want to scream out to the heavens for answers. When that impulse hits you, here's what you should do: go for it! Question God. Demand answers. See, questioning, by it's nature, assumes two things. First, that you are not God and don't have all the answers. Second, that there is a God Who does have all the answers and cares enough to be involved, to listen, and to answer. That's humility and faith.
History is full of great men of faith who questioned and even argued with God--Abraham, Moses, David, and Peter, just to name a few. God wants to interact with you. He wants to hear about your fears, your doubts, your hurts. He wants to assuage, calm, and soothe them. But first you have to take them to Him.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Deserve vs. Right
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we my be also glorified together. Romans 8:17
There's an important distinction I want you to grasp here. If you're not totally insane you've felt unworthy to be saved, to claim God's promises, to even speak His name. The primary reason we feel this way is that we ARE unworthy. We don't deserve to be called the children of God, to claim His promises, or to call on Him. But don't confuse not deserving something with not having a right to it. Just because we don't DESERVE to talk to the most high, holy, almighty God of the universe does not mean we don't have a RIGHT to...because we do! You have every right to speak to Him, to walk boldly up to Him and ask Him for whatever you need, beg His forgiveness, tell Him how great He is, or just tell Him about your day. You have every right to claim the promises found in His Word. You have every right to claim His name and kinship with Him. You have this right because Christ brought you into the family, processed your adoption, and made you an heir to His own inheritance. The day you accepted Christ as your Savior, you irrevocably became a full heir to God Himself with every right of a child. No, you don't deserve any of it; but, thanks to Christ, you now have a RIGHT to it anyway!
There's an important distinction I want you to grasp here. If you're not totally insane you've felt unworthy to be saved, to claim God's promises, to even speak His name. The primary reason we feel this way is that we ARE unworthy. We don't deserve to be called the children of God, to claim His promises, or to call on Him. But don't confuse not deserving something with not having a right to it. Just because we don't DESERVE to talk to the most high, holy, almighty God of the universe does not mean we don't have a RIGHT to...because we do! You have every right to speak to Him, to walk boldly up to Him and ask Him for whatever you need, beg His forgiveness, tell Him how great He is, or just tell Him about your day. You have every right to claim the promises found in His Word. You have every right to claim His name and kinship with Him. You have this right because Christ brought you into the family, processed your adoption, and made you an heir to His own inheritance. The day you accepted Christ as your Savior, you irrevocably became a full heir to God Himself with every right of a child. No, you don't deserve any of it; but, thanks to Christ, you now have a RIGHT to it anyway!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Lessons From Loss
Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: James 1:9-10a
The first part of this is pretty easy to grasp: when things go well, and you are being blessed and prospering, rejoice. But the second half--the half telling us that we should rejoice when we're taken down a notch, and things are all going against us--well, that's a little harder to swallow. I can't claim to have this figured out, much less have mastered the art of rejoicing in defeat, but I think maybe we can take a lesson from our losses. And I don't merely mean in the sense of learning from your failures, coming back stronger, "try, try again" and all that mess. I mean maybe we have to be knocked down from time to time so that we can see how little much of the things we value so highly actually mean. After all, our lives are, (big picture here) in and of themselves, small specks on the timeline of forever, fleeting images in the visual cacophony of human history. How much less, then, are the temporary things, the little glimpses of fame and fortune, that we can grasp momentarily and lose in an instant? I guess what I'm saying is, maybe we can take joy in our losses because then we can see what really matters--only in loss can we understand value.
The first part of this is pretty easy to grasp: when things go well, and you are being blessed and prospering, rejoice. But the second half--the half telling us that we should rejoice when we're taken down a notch, and things are all going against us--well, that's a little harder to swallow. I can't claim to have this figured out, much less have mastered the art of rejoicing in defeat, but I think maybe we can take a lesson from our losses. And I don't merely mean in the sense of learning from your failures, coming back stronger, "try, try again" and all that mess. I mean maybe we have to be knocked down from time to time so that we can see how little much of the things we value so highly actually mean. After all, our lives are, (big picture here) in and of themselves, small specks on the timeline of forever, fleeting images in the visual cacophony of human history. How much less, then, are the temporary things, the little glimpses of fame and fortune, that we can grasp momentarily and lose in an instant? I guess what I'm saying is, maybe we can take joy in our losses because then we can see what really matters--only in loss can we understand value.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Hope In Thine End
And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border. Jeremiah 31:17
Your story is not over. No matter how desperate or hopeless your situation may seem, no matter the cause of your circumstances, there is still hope. God doesn't want us living without hope. Remember, faith is the substance of things hoped for. We cannot be living by faith without hope! Oh, I'm not telling you you'll never struggle with hopelessness and wanting to give up. On the contrary, I guarantee you will. That's why we got this reminder...and one from the mouth of God Himself. There is hope, Christian. Forget whether or not you can see it; your vision isn't very good anyway. The One who sees your future like it's the present says our end holds hope. Cling to that.
Your story is not over. No matter how desperate or hopeless your situation may seem, no matter the cause of your circumstances, there is still hope. God doesn't want us living without hope. Remember, faith is the substance of things hoped for. We cannot be living by faith without hope! Oh, I'm not telling you you'll never struggle with hopelessness and wanting to give up. On the contrary, I guarantee you will. That's why we got this reminder...and one from the mouth of God Himself. There is hope, Christian. Forget whether or not you can see it; your vision isn't very good anyway. The One who sees your future like it's the present says our end holds hope. Cling to that.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
He's Looking For You
And the LORD God called unto Adam and said unto him, Where art thou? Genesis 3:9
Adam had sinned. He had introduced sin to the world, to the entire human race, by disobeying the one command God had given him. Do you think God didn't know that? Of course He did. God knew what Adam had done, the gravity of it, what it would cost Him...yet here He is in the garden seeking Adam out. Adam had just necessitated the death of Christ, yet He still wanted to meet with him, talk with him. Friend, God wants fellowship with you. He know exactly what you are, what you've done, what you're capable of...and He loves you and longs for you anyway. And He will search for you and call out to you until He has that fellowship. How can we hide from such love?
Adam had sinned. He had introduced sin to the world, to the entire human race, by disobeying the one command God had given him. Do you think God didn't know that? Of course He did. God knew what Adam had done, the gravity of it, what it would cost Him...yet here He is in the garden seeking Adam out. Adam had just necessitated the death of Christ, yet He still wanted to meet with him, talk with him. Friend, God wants fellowship with you. He know exactly what you are, what you've done, what you're capable of...and He loves you and longs for you anyway. And He will search for you and call out to you until He has that fellowship. How can we hide from such love?
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Not To Condemn
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:17
Have you ever met someone who was totally turned off to church, God, religion, spiritual things because all or most of the Christians they'd met were so condemning? If you haven't...well, you haven't met many people. We, as Christians, need to remember what the entire purpose of our namesake is: salvation. There are so many so-called Christians adopting a ministry of condemnation that it's amazing anyone wants anything to do with our churches. Consider this: in His earthly ministry, Jesus reserved His condemnation for the religious crowd...and their condemning, condescending ways. Folks, the world doesn't need us to condemn--that they already have. What the world needs--what Jesus came and died to bring--is hope. That is our message. Christ's message is the Gospel--the GOOD news. Maybe we could become a force for good in this world if we remembered that.
Have you ever met someone who was totally turned off to church, God, religion, spiritual things because all or most of the Christians they'd met were so condemning? If you haven't...well, you haven't met many people. We, as Christians, need to remember what the entire purpose of our namesake is: salvation. There are so many so-called Christians adopting a ministry of condemnation that it's amazing anyone wants anything to do with our churches. Consider this: in His earthly ministry, Jesus reserved His condemnation for the religious crowd...and their condemning, condescending ways. Folks, the world doesn't need us to condemn--that they already have. What the world needs--what Jesus came and died to bring--is hope. That is our message. Christ's message is the Gospel--the GOOD news. Maybe we could become a force for good in this world if we remembered that.
Monday, May 3, 2010
The Least Of These
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. Matthew 25:45
There are no unimportant people. People matter; and how we treat them matters. How can we claim to love God or to be one of His when we so often are so horrible to other people? Our families, friends, loved ones. Our coworkers, classmates, neighbors. Our waitress, cashier, mechanic. These people matter. They are not inisignificant. We have experienced the love of God, or so we say. So tell me, then...how can we not then show it to every person we come in contact with? Every individual you ever meet was created by, loved by and died for by God. They are very special to Him. Think about that the next time you open your mouth to be spiteful, cruel, or condescending.
There are no unimportant people. People matter; and how we treat them matters. How can we claim to love God or to be one of His when we so often are so horrible to other people? Our families, friends, loved ones. Our coworkers, classmates, neighbors. Our waitress, cashier, mechanic. These people matter. They are not inisignificant. We have experienced the love of God, or so we say. So tell me, then...how can we not then show it to every person we come in contact with? Every individual you ever meet was created by, loved by and died for by God. They are very special to Him. Think about that the next time you open your mouth to be spiteful, cruel, or condescending.
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