Category Archives: God’s Plan

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March 12, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, God's Plan, Obedience, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

DETOURS

This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. [Isaiah 48:17 (NIV)]

detoursDSC01393WEBIn yesterday’s message, I compared God’s guidance to our car’s GPS. They both know where we are and can guide us in our journeys. Personally, I love the soothing voice of our navigation system. When we ignore its advice, it never yells or calls us names. A gentle voice just calmly corrects us by saying, “Make a legal U-turn.” Moreover, the GPS will eventually adjust to accommodate our plans if we decide to take a different route. On our way to Florida, for example, because of warnings posted about a back-up due to an accident, we exited the interstate to avoid an hours-long delay. A quick look at the map indicated that we could take a detour and get back on the interstate south of the pile-up. At first the GPS kept gently telling us to turn around so we simply muted the voice; we knew what we were doing even if it didn’t. Eventually, the navigation system agreed with our plan and directed us back to the interstate our way.

God, however, isn’t so obliging when we choose to go our way instead of His. One, we can’t mute His voice. We can try to ignore him, but we can’t mute Him. Two, He’s the one who decides whether or not we take detours. He’s not going to adapt His plans to accommodate us. Moreover, God’s correction is rarely as gentle as a soothing voice suggesting a legal U-turn. When they ignored God’s directions, Jonah ended up in the belly of a great fish, Balaam’s donkey gave him grief when an angel blocked their way, and Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt. Finally, unlike the GPS, which we can turn on and off at will, God is always there and He expects obedience. He wants us to hear, trust, and submit to His plan, not ours.

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. [Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)]

 

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February 27, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Plan, Prayer, Trusting God, Worry

ONE BITE AT A TIME

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Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. [Matthew 6:34 (NLT)]

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! When that elephant is on our dinner plate, however, that advice can be difficult to remember!

It was snowing and we were skiing in knee-deep power on an unfamiliar mountain. Totally lost, we ended up on a double-black diamond. With no alternative trail, we stared down a narrow steep run covered with ferocious looking moguls. Powder, steep, narrow and moguls: any two of the four pose no problem and three out of four are a possibility. Doing all four in one run? No way! All I could do was look down at the end of the trail and concede defeat. Defeat, however, wasn’t an option unless I planned on staying frozen in place until the spring thaw. I had to continue forward. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit intervened and reminded me of words spoken years earlier by a ski instructor: “You can get down anything if you take it one turn at a time.”

Too often we see the big picture when, in fact, we should look at the little one instead. We can become overwhelmed by both goals and challenges if we look too far ahead. We end up conceding defeat without even trying. “How will I ever get through the terrible twos?” cries the frustrated mother. “One temper tantrum at a time,” is the answer. “How will I ever get this huge Bible read?” asks the new Christian. One page at a time. How will I get through several months of chemo-therapy? One session at a time. How will I put together a 1,000-piece puzzle? One part at a time. How will I become a published author? One word at a time. How can I ever climb to the top of that mountain? One step at a time. How will we get to the Promised Land? One mile at a time. How will I get through a lifetime of sobriety? One day at a time. How will I endure this incredible pain? One hour at a time. As insurmountable as any challenge or goal may seem, it is merely a succession of small manageable bits and pieces. How do we do it? We do it one prayer at a time.

God will give us what we need for the moment and that’s all we really need. We don’t have to become anxious about getting to the bottom of the ski run or to the top of the mountain. We just have to manage to make the next turn or take the next step. We won’t be alone; He’ll be right there with us. When we tire, we can rest in His presence until God strengthens and restores us enough to make the next move. Our progress may not be fast or graceful and there may be a few stumbles or setbacks along the way. If we’re following God’s plan, however, He will get us where He wants us to be, one turn (or one bite) at a time.

God is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t worry. [Deuteronomy 31:8 (MSG)]

People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don’t quit. Depend on God and keep at it because in the Lord God you have a sure thing. [Isaiah 26:3-4 (MSG)]

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January 24, 2015

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Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Plan, Thanks & Praise, Today: Make it Count, Trusting God

GUIDING LIGHT


DSC05658aawebSNo longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. [Isaiah 60:19 (NLT)]

Lord, thank you for your light that guides me through the dark times of life. Help me remember that it is light you offer and not a crystal ball that will tell me what the future holds. I’m going to have to trust you for tomorrow. Help me stay in the here and now, following your light, trusting that, when tomorrow comes, your guiding light will continue to be there!

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. [Corrie Ten Boom]

Lead, kindly light, amidst th’encircling gloom, lead Thou on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home, lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet, I do not ask to see the distant scene; one step enough for me.
[“Lead Kindly Light”  by John Henry Newman, 1833]

The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. [John 1:4 (NLT)]

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January 12, 2015

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Fruit of the Spirit, God's Plan, Nature, Sharing Our Faith, Today: Make it Count, Wisdom & Guidance

WE CONTINUE TO FLOURISH IN HIS GARDEN

But good people will grow like palm trees; they will be tall like the cedars of Lebanon. Like trees planted in the Temple of the Lord, they will grow strong in the courtyards of our God. When they are old, they will still produce fruit; they will be healthy and fresh. They will say that the Lord is good. He is my Rock, and there is no wrong in him. [Psalm 92:12-15 (NCV)]

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Bald Cypress – Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Some of the old-growth cypress trees in Corkscrew Swamp are nearly 600 years old. They’re just youngsters compared to a bristlecone pine tree in California that’s still alive and growing at over 5,000 years of age. That’s nothing compared to a Norway spruce in Sweden with a root system that has been growing for over 9,500 years. Granted, these old trees aren’t that beautiful anymore; time and weather have taken their toll, but they still stand strong. If these trees can continue to flourish in their old age, I guess we can, too.

In God’s world, we are never too old to grow, blossom and even bear fruit. There is much we can share with those younger than us. More important, there is much we can still be taught by those both older and younger than ourselves. We’re never too old to learn something new!

Lord, help us all to continue to thrive in your garden and to bear fruit among your people.

Teach older men to be self-controlled, serious, wise, strong in faith, in love, and in patience. In the same way, teach older women to be holy in their behavior, not speaking against others or enslaved to too much wine, but teaching what is good. … In every way be an example of doing good deeds. When you teach, do it with honesty and seriousness. [Titus 2:2-3,7 (NCV)]

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December 25, 2014

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Bible Stories, God's Grace & Love, God's Plan, Holidays & Holy Days, Salvation: A New You

HE CAME FOR US ALL – Christmas Day 2014

ccbc-11-30j-0439redWEBPut on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. [Colossians 3:10-11 (NLT)]

Most of us probably just skim through those long genealogies found in the Old Testament. Matthew’s gospel, the beginning of the New Testament, also starts with genealogy, and for a very good reason. Since the promised Messiah had to be a descendant of Abraham and from the House of David, Matthew had to go through Jesus’ family tree to firmly establish His lineage. By doing so, he proved that Jesus’ genealogy fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah’s line. What Matthew didn’t have to do was mention women in his list of ancestors. In fact, women were rarely mentioned in genealogy, yet Matthew mentions five of them by name. Moreover, the women mentioned were hardly the type about which a good Jew would boast!

We start with Tamar. The widowed Tamar was done wrong by her father-in-law Judah, so she took matters into her hands and duped him into having sex with her, resulting in the births of Perez and Zerah. That’s a blemish on the family tree, to say the least, but nothing when compared to the next woman mentioned: Rahab. She may have been the heroine who saved Joshua’s spies in Jericho, but she was also a Canaanite prostitute. Now there’s a blot on the pedigree of the Prince of Peace. Ruth is the next woman mentioned. We know her as the widowed woman who accompanied her mother-in-law back to Judah. She was, however, a Moabite. Because they’d opposed the Israelites, her people had been cursed and they were never to be helped. She’s not really the ancestor you’d expect of the man who came to save the Jews. We then come to Bathsheba, the beautiful adulteress, whose husband was murdered by King David. We’ve got the plot line of a soap opera now. We finish with Mary, the mother of Jesus: a poor young girl who became pregnant before marriage!

Matthew mentions only these five women: a woman who used sex to trick a man, a prostitute from Canaan, a cursed Moabite, an adulteress, and an unwed mother! Why them and no one else? There must have been a few upstanding women along the line whose reputations were without blemish. Perhaps Matthew chose to mention them to make clear to us that Jesus came for all people: men and women, rich and poor, strong and weak, honored and disgraced, respectable and notorious, Jews and Gentiles. Sinners all, He came to save each and every one of us and to make us members of the same family! Thank you, God, for the Christmas gift of salvation for all who believe.

 In Christ there is no East or West, In Him no South or North;
But one great fellowship of love Throughout the whole wide earth.
In Him shall true hearts everywhere Their high communion find;
His service is the golden cord, Close binding humankind.
Join hands, then, members of the faith, Whatever your race may be!
Who serves my Father as His child Is surely kin to me.
In Christ now meet both East and West, In Him meet North and South;
All Christly souls are one in Him Throughout the whole wide earth.
[“In Christ There is no East or West” by Will­iam Dunk­er­ley, 1908]

For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. [Galatians 3:26-29 (NLT)]

Wishing you and yours a joy filled holiday.  May the blessings of our Lord shower down upon you.

 

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December 2, 2014

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God's Plan, Joy, Miracles, Today: Make it Count

A FATAL REMINDER

I sank beneath the waves, and death was very near. The waters closed above me; the seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains that rise from the ocean floor. I was locked out of life and imprisoned in the land of death. But, O Lord my God, you have snatched me from the yawning jaws of death! When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the Lord. And my earnest prayer went to you in your holy Temple. [Jonah 2:5-7 (TLB)]

Several days ago, a fatal accident occurred at the entrance to my subdivision. A car ran a red light and was hit by a dump truck. The car’s driver, a resident of our community, had made that left turn hundreds of time, but this time she made a fatal mistake and died because of it. Two people crossed paths and one is dead.

That same day, a few hundred miles north of here, a very different story unfolded. A young man, Jason Derfuss, narrowly escaped death. When he was leaving the university library, he passed another young man, one intent on death and destruction. Hearing gunshots, Jason immediately sped away. He didn’t realize how fortunate he was until hours later when he started to dig out the library books from his backpack. Jason saw a small rip in the pack’s fabric and then the mangled books in it. In the middle of a 304-page book was the slug that could have taken his life. Three other people, however, were shot before the gunman, a mentally disturbed man, was killed. Two people crossed paths and one is dead.

God has blessed us all with the gift of life and a divine purpose. If we’ve woken up today, our purpose has not been fulfilled and our job is not yet complete. Will his narrow brush with death change this twenty-one year old man? From his words, I think it will. As for me: I see the skid marks and ruts in the grass from that fatal crash every time I enter or exit my subdivision. Those marks are a sober reminder of how precarious and priceless life is and how much more needs to be done. Let’s not waste a single moment of this precious, irreplaceable, commodity: life.

You can literally die at any moment and never see it coming.… I’m twenty-one – I thought I was invincible.… The truth is I was almost killed tonight and God intervened. I know conceptually He can do all things, but to physically witness the impossible and to be surrounded by such grace is indescribable. To God be the glory, forever and ever, Amen. [Jason Derfuss, survivor of FSU shooting]

How do you know what is going to happen tomorrow? For the length of your lives is as uncertain as the morning fog—now you see it; soon it is gone. [James 4:14 (TLB)]