Category Archives: Wisdom & Guidance

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

April 10, 2015

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, Church & Worship, Joy, Knowing Him, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

DIG INTO GOD

IMG_2114-crop-horz-cropweb
People brought babies to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. When the disciples saw it, they shooed them off. Jesus called them back. “Let these children alone. Don’t get between them and me. These children are the kingdom’s pride and joy. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” [Luke 18:15-17 (MSG)]

Earlier this year, our son’s family visited us with their 20-month old son and his three-year old sister. I recently looked through photos from their visit and recalled how entertaining it was to watch the children play. They enjoyed every new thing encountered and were determined to learn new skills. Whether it was climbing the monkey bars, dressing the dolls, riding the trike, pushing the doll stroller, frosting cupcakes, setting the table, making sand castles, being chased by waves, or playing in the pool, they attacked each activity earnestly. Of course, there were moments of frustration and a few tears, but the little guys never abandoned their exploration of the world around them. The youngest even figured out how the locks on the lanai doors worked; fortunately, the doors were too heavy to open, but he tried anyway. Nothing deterred the children’s quest for knowledge. Interested in everything around them, there was never a moment of boredom; they eagerly approached each day as an adventure waiting to happen.

I wondered why we adults are so easily bored, prone to discouragement and world-weary. How many times have we said “Been there, done that,” “Tried it, didn’t like it,” “Same old, same old” or something similar? Unfortunately, sometimes that attitude carries over into our faith and church life. We often blame our pastors, worship team, choice of music, organist, band or choir when our relationship with God wanes. If we’re missing out on having glory moments with the Lord, it’s not their fault. We’re the ones responsible for keeping our faith alive and interesting, not them. If my faith is lifeless, if my worship experience lackluster, if my prayer life dull, or my Bible study boring, I have no one to blame but myself and my attitude. A relationship with God is never unexciting or monotonous. We, however, have to do our part to keep it going; we need to approach God with the eagerness of a child.

I didn’t have to prod my grandchildren to discover the world around them; they were keen to learn. Hungry for everything that life has to offer, they eagerly met each day with enthusiasm. If we crave those glory moments with our Lord, if we’re hungry for a deeper faith, if we have an appetite for the Holy Spirit, we need to bring that same childlike enthusiasm to God’s table. It’s not our fellow Christians’ job to spoon feed us and it certainly isn’t God’s. Everything we need is right in front of us: worship and serving opportunities, Bibles and Bible study, prayer, praise music, and our church family. We, however, need to pick up our spoons and dig in zealously the way a child does a bowl of ice cream! Better yet, get out a shovel and whole-heartedly dig in the way a child does when digging sand castles at the beach! Every day with God is truly an adventure waiting to happen; we just need to dig in!

You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. [Matthew 5:6 (MSG)]

God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love. [Ephesians 4:15-16 (MSG)]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

March 31, 2015

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, Fear & Doubt, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

DEFEATED BEFORE EVEN TRYING

But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!” But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” [Numbers 13:30-31 (NLT)]

Twelves scouts went to explore the land of Canaan; ten saw only the giants and two, while seeing the giants, also saw a land flowing with milk and honey. Ten men saw only the challenges while two saw the rewards. Ten men saw the glass half empty; two saw it half full. Ten saw the clouds, and two saw the silver lining.

I had a writing project due but all I could see was what I perceived to be an insurmountable obstacle in writing it. The obstacle: other people were involved in the event about which I thought I needed to write, people who probably wouldn’t be pleased to see the story in print. I saw only the giants in my way and, as a result, didn’t start on the project. Writer’s block had me defeated before even trying to write. In a chance conversation with a friend, I confided my dilemma. “Have you asked?” was her simple reply. “They’ll say no!” was mine. But would they? Taking her words to heart, I asked God for guidance and then shot off an email with my request to write about this specific subject.

Once I’d taken this small step of asking instead of assuming and, more important, trusting my dilemma to God, my giant didn’t seem so big. Confident that, if God wanted this story told, He would give me the words, I stepped out in faith and started writing to see where God would lead me. Instead of conceding defeat because of the obstacle in my path, God showed me a way to step around it. By the time my first draft was complete, I’d written it in such a way that everyone’s privacy was respected and no would be embarrassed, hurt or offended.

Like the Israelites, we often see predicaments instead of prospects: the chance of failure rather than success. I saw defeat before I’d started and I nearly gave up without even trying. The Israelites wanted their problems solved and the giants defeated before stepping out in faith and trusting that God would find a way. Because of their lack of faith, only Caleb and Joshua, the two scouts who believed, lived to set foot in Canaan over forty years later. Fortunately, I finally heeded God’s command to be neither afraid nor discouraged and my project was completed (and in way less than forty years!)

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. [Joshua 1:9 (NLT)]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

March 23, 2015

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, God's Plan, God's Word: The Bible, Sharing Our Faith, Today: Make it Count, Wisdom & Guidance

READY OR NOT

Be ready for action, and have your lamps burning. Be like servants waiting to open the door at their master’s knock when he returns from a wedding. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I can guarantee this truth: He will change his clothes, make them sit down at the table, and serve them. They will be blessed if he comes in the middle of the night or toward morning and finds them awake. [Luke 12:35-38 (GW)]

3-23-15_1567WEB“Ready or not, here I come!” Do you remember that call when playing hide and seek as a child? Ready or not, time marches on. While walking today, I saw the first robin of the season and blurted out, “I’m not ready.” A harbinger of spring, the robin was a reminder that we will soon depart from our Colorado mountain home. There are still things I want to do and I’m simply not ready to say leave. I want at least one more powder day; more runs on “Rainbow” and “Cyclone;” another hike through the snowy woods, to the falls and along the river; additional hours gliding over my favorite cross-country trails; and more time with my mountain friends. Whether I’m ready or not, however, my time in the mountains is ending. The snow is melting, the bluebirds have returned, the snowbells and crocuses are up, and responsibilities in Florida beckon.

IMG_1471webI’m not sure any of us are ever truly ready for certain things: grey hair, arthritis, wrinkles, and having children who’ve all celebrated their fortieth birthdays being just a few. We’re never really ready for car accidents, cancer or heart attacks, either. Jesus, however, cautioned us about a lack of readiness with several parables. He counselled expectant watchfulness on our part because, as unpredictable as life is, there are several things for which we must be prepared. We must be ready to serve, to speak the truth, and to face temptation. Moreover, we must always be ready to face death, judgment, and the second coming of Christ. Ready or not, He will come. Are you ready?

Therefore, be alert, because you don’t know on what day your Lord will return. You realize that if a homeowner had known at what time of the night a thief was coming, he would have stayed awake. He would not have let the thief break into his house. Therefore, you, too, must be ready because the Son of Man will return when you least expect him. [Matthew 24:42-44 (GW)]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

March 12, 2015

Posted under

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)]

 

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

March 11, 2015

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, God's Promises, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

OUR NAVIGATION SYSTEM

directionsWEB
The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people. [Exodus 13:21-22 (NLT)]

We were in the middle of a heavy rainstorm on an unfamiliar interstate, nearing the interchange where we were to exit. When the GPS told us to take the next right, we did and westward we went only to realize we were on a two-lane road, not the divided highway we were expecting. The soft voice of the GPS told us to keep going west while I franticly tried to figure out where we were. Within minutes, having made enough turns that we weren’t sure how to return to the interstate, we decided to continue trusting the reassuring voice of our GPS; after all, it hadn’t steered us wrong yet. It seemed to know where we were going even if we didn’t. When told to turn north, we obeyed, believing that the satellite in the sky knew more than we did. Lo and behold, what should we find but the road we’d been trying to find! In spite of feeling like we’d wandered way off course, once I figured out where we’d been, it was clear we’d actually taken the most direct (if slightly unconventional) route.

Sometimes we feel hopelessly lost in life. We can’t return to where we were and we’re not sure where we are. Moreover, we don’t know where we should be headed and, even if we did, we don’t know how to get there. When the Israelites escaped Pharaoh, God led them with a pillar of clouds during the day and a pillar of fire at night. Sometimes, however, His guidance isn’t quite that obvious; nonetheless, He is there leading us. We just need to stop and study our map (the Bible), pray and listen for his voice. While, it’s not easy to cede control to an impersonal voice in the car, it’s even harder to cede control to an unseen God. We have to be like the Israelites: trust and follow, and He will lead us to the Promised Land!

God shall be my hope, my stay, my guide and lantern to my feet. [William Shakespeare]

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” [Psalm 32:8 (NLT)]

With your unfailing love you lead the people you have redeemed. In your might, you guide them to your sacred home. [Exodus 15:13 (NLT)]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

January 26, 2015

Posted under

Faith & Hope, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Prayer, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance, Worry

DON’T WORRY; PRAY

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. [Philippians 4:6-7 (MSG)]
Sabrina 029-cropWEB

God does answer prayers but often not according to our time-table. Several years ago, my daughter was searching for a school that would be the right fit for her daughter, a bright and charming five-year old with some developmental delays. Application had been made to several charter schools that appeared to be good possibilities. Charter schools in her town select students by lottery and we were disappointed that her name had not been drawn by any of the schools to which she’d applied. My daughter and I had prayed up a storm that that the “right” school would accept her daughter, but none had.

That same spring, we were stunned to learn that our granddaughter has three congenital heart defects and major medical problems loomed ahead for her. Topping it off, in spite of much therapy, her developmental tests indicated that her motor skills weren’t what they should be for kindergarten. During prayers, I realized that God had answered our prayers. We’d asked for the “right” school for this sweet little girl; God was telling us that school wasn’t “right” for her at that time. Oddly, my daughter came to the identical conclusion at the same time. There would be another year of pre-school; kindergarten could wait one more year.

Early that fall, because of her medical problems, our grand had to miss what would have been the crucial early weeks of kindergarten. By the end of autumn, however, her most pressing medical issue had been resolved. She returned to pre-school, continued with a variety of therapies, and her skills continued to improve during the school year. The following spring, her mother learned of a private Christian school that seemed like the perfect fit for her daughter. Application was made, her name was put on the waiting list, and we again prayed that God would find the “right” school for our little girl. This time He did! Although she had been eighth on the waiting list, a spot was found for her. God does answer our prayers, just in his own time and in his own way.

My grand is now a happy successful fourth grader. As she approaches junior high, however, school decisions will need to be made again. For a second time, her mother and I will pray up a storm asking God to find the right school for her. We are, however, confident that He will hear our prayers and provide the right solution at exactly the right time.

I don’t know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
And I don’t borrow from the sunshine,
‘Cause the skies might turn to gray.
And I don’t worry about the future
‘Cause I know what Jesus said.
And today I’m gonna walk beside Him
‘Cause He’s the one who knows what is ahead.
There are things about tomorrow
That I don’t seem to understand,
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.
[“I Know Who Holds Tomorrow” by Ira F. Stanphill]