journey onWord with us

Talk about an incredible journey! He was sold into slavery by his brothers, accused of immorality by his boss’s wife, thrown into prison for the false accusation, forgotten by a man he helped in prison, and then rose to become second in charge of Egypt. It just doesn’t seem like the 21^st century model of how to get to the top. Most of you have heard about this character, Joseph. He was seventeen when his brothers sold him to a caravan headed for Egypt. And thirty when he was delivered from prison. His season of struggle was long, but his life was a picture of honoring God. Emotionally, it is hard for us to rationalize that honoring God will often lead us through “long winters”. Viewing Joseph’s life gives us a model for enduring those times.

Joseph’s road to Egypt was tragic, but his time there was blessed by God. I am convinced that even as a young man, his life revealed genuine faith. Look at what Scripture conveys about his beginnings in Egypt.

Genesis 39:2(a)
The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered…
Genesis 39:3(b)
The Lord gave him success in everything he did…
Genesis 39:5
From the time he put him in charge of his household and all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph.

After being abused by his brothers, his life brought the blessing of God to the house of Potiphar (the Egyptian). But then Potiphar’s wife makes false accusations against him. That sure doesn’t seem fair, does it? But who said life was fair? The event lands him in prison, but we again see evidence of a man walking with God.

Genesis 39:20(b)-21
But while Joseph was there in prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.
Genesis 39:23
The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

Joseph’s “long winter” was extended when a man he helped in prison forgot about him. But in the sovereignty of God, the Pharaoh of Egypt needed his dream interpreted. The forgetful cupbearer remembers Joseph, who had interpreted his dream in prison. Joseph is brought to Pharaoh, interprets his dream and rises to second in command of the whole of Egypt.

As hard as his journey was, it prepared Joseph for the amazing path God had planned for him. By viewing his story through the lens of history, we find evidence throughout his journey that Joseph confronted his obstacles with God-pleasing focus. It’s now a few thousand years later, but “long winters” persist. Our lives experience seasons of difficultly, and we wonder about God’s purpose in the midst of them. We don’t have the forward revelation that brings our history into view. But we can be sure that God has a unique and specific plan for our lives. One that often finds today’s difficulty preparing us for tomorrow’s test. Will we be faithful as Joseph was?  Will we be courageous and consistent, obediently facing each obstacle? And will it be said of us that we confronted our “ long winters” with God-pleasing focus?

Without a doubt, the last two weeks have been eventful.  I went on a business trip, came home and then headed out again.  In the process, I enjoyed wonderful people and hopefully fulfilled my purpose for traveling.  Inevitably however, when I spend extra time on the road, adventures arise. Trying to make it back to the Atlanta airport before I re-filled the gas tank led me to one bar on the gas gauge and into the roughest section of Atlanta.  I also battled my tired self in forgetting to replace toothpaste and hair gel for my second leg of the journey.  Imagine realizing that dilemma at 6 am!  And to top it off, I have endured an infected cyst on my back during both trips.  Now, before you begin feeling sorry for me, I must tell you that my wife suggested an antibiotic between the trips.  But I am a man … and I paid dearly for it during the last week.   My trips were made complete, however, by a marvelous treasure (book) given to me just a few weeks before traveling.  It challenged my thinking on the why of our lives.

When I think about the why of our lives and the underlying purpose that causes each of us to respond to life in certain ways, Abraham comes to mind.  He was a man who trusted when he literally didn’t know where God would lead him. He trusted when God let him know that he would be having a child, even though he was past age.  And at the pinnacle of testing, Abraham trusted when God demanded his son Isaac for a sacrifice.  Without faith, any of these circumstances would have been mind-numbing. Abraham lived with a purpose … by faith to follow the leading of God.  Without question his life was filled with failure (just like ours), but the over-riding view I glean from Abraham is that he was a friend of God and lived on purpose for God.  There was a why to his life as well.  Why did he do what he did? Why did he trust when things looked bleak?  Why would he trust when he was asked to sacrifice the son of promise?  Because I think the why of his life was tied to the purpose of his existence.

Could I be so bold as to ask you why do you do what you do?  Are you living on purpose with a firm resolve to accomplish God’s design for who you are?  You know — He does have a purpose for you, and there should be a why to your daily existence.  Far too often life is about filling space, doing a job, making a living and moving on to the next week … then repeat the routine.  You and I were built for a purpose, and not to fill space or just do a job.  And we should never use our jobs as an excuse, because they can be a place where our purpose thrives.  Whether in your home, your church, or at your job, is the why of what you do tied to the purpose of your life?  Abraham trusted God’s purpose for him, and that is why he could respond in faith against all odds.  Living on purpose can settle our why questions.

Your purpose in life is rooted in two key truths: You were made for a relationship with God and a relationship with others.  Knowing Him starts everything.  When your foundation is on Him, your purpose for living is to fulfill your God-given DNA in relationships.  Sure we have to make money, go to work and live life, but it should be in the context of our purpose.  People at your workplace, your club and in your home should be observers of a faith that is the foundation of all you do.  The why’s of your life should extend from your foundation.  Could it be that your routine (chaotic or calm) of living has become your real purpose?  If so, when you ask “why do I do what I do?”, there are no good answers.

My take is that Abraham lived on purpose.  You and I can too.  He stood tall and faithful because of a special relationship with His Friend.  Has your purpose dimmed?  Is the why of life linked to your purpose, your relationship to God and finally to others?  Our adventuresome weeks wear us out mentally and physically, but they should never thwart our purpose.  Let your purpose dictate the why of your life!

I experienced the gift of having my nine year-old son join me in my sacred space one morning early this week.  I was reading ahead, preparing to write the mid-week post, and God was about ready to remind me of something.  Something He has shown me time and time again over the past couple of years in fathering, and teaching, and writing, and spending time with Him.  It’s a simple truth that I have come to believe in strongly.  It’s the truth that He loves the questions and the time in relationship considering them, more than He loves the answer.  It’s the truth that He loves the conversation I had with my nine year-old and the subsequent conversations that we both had with Him, more than what I was preparing to write for you.

See, I could (with His help) write something interesting, compelling, challenging, inspiring, and/or thought-provoking on the life of Abraham.  Abraham as a man and in his exercise of faith, is all of those things I just mentioned.  He is a “hall of fame” sort of character as it relates to faith and in the grand narrative of us and God.  He is a man who, from the text, appears to have complete and unquestioning faith in God, in walking his only son right to the point of a knife.  This seems good and right to share and would no doubt compel, challenge or inspire you in your walk with God.  But it also became really small in the context of an innocent but genuine question from my son.

“What are you reading, Dad?” was the question my son asked as he wiped sleep from his eyes and crawled up on the couch next to me.  “Oh, the story of Abraham and his son Isaac.  Do you remember it from Sunday school?”, I answered.  “Yeah, I think so.  Can I read with you?”  He scampered off to get his Bible and soon rejoined me and asked for the book and chapter where I was reading.  “Genesis 22, bud … the first 19 verses.”  He read most of the story out loud to me and asked me to finish the last couple of verses.  When I was finished we sat quietly for a minute or so.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.  He appeared to be staring out just over the edge of his Bible.
“Why did he say ‘the boy’?”
“Huh?” I asked.  “Where do you see that?”
“Verse 5.  Abraham calls him ‘the boy’.  He says ‘I and THE BOY’. (CAPS and bold added to properly denote the strong emphasis in my son’s voice when he said it)  Isn’t that his son?  Isn’t that his ONLY son?  Wouldn’t he be precious to him?  Why wouldn’t he use his name?  Why wouldn’t he say ‘my son’?  Why would he call him ‘THE BOY’?  That doesn’t make sense.”

I immediately “felt” his question.  He was putting himself in the story.  This was a boy and his dad reading a story about a boy and his dad.  This was Connor asking about Isaac.  In my mind’s eye, this was Connor asking Mark why Abraham didn’t say ‘Isaac’.  This was Connor asking Mark if he is precious.

I responded only with “That’s a great question, bud …  Hmmm …  What a great question.”  Now, if you knew my son, you would be skeptical that the conversation actually ended that way.  He rarely ever stops asking until he gets an answer.  And even then, the answer often spawns a new line of questioning.  But I honestly think Connor is getting more used to me leaving things at a question.  My Sunday school teaching partner has inspired that in me.  “Don’t be too quick to give an answer”, he would say.  “Encourage them to keep asking the question.”  This is a practice that has become very central to who I am as a person, as a parent, as a teacher and as a writer.

In my developing thoughts in the quiet few moments before my son joined me on the couch, I had begun to form the outline and key point of the mid-week post.

• Abraham’s unquestioning faith
  • His verse 3 response to God’s verse 2 test
  • His verse 8 response to Isaac’s verse 7 question

In the quiet few moments after my son jumped down from the couch and walked off to get breakfast, God sharpened my focus by re-orienting my eyes to the periphery of verses 7 and 8.  In the ESV translation I was reading from, the single sentence that precedes verse 7 and that ends verse 8, contain the exact same words … So they went both of them together.  I believe in my life that morning, bigger and more important than Abraham’s unquestioning faith, was my son’s question and the time we spent together considering it.  In yours and my life today, I believe that bigger than the answers we desire are the questions we are asking and the time we are spending with God considering them.  I believe that more than anything we might do or say for God, He desires for the story to read …

So they went both of them together…

It is bigger than Abraham’s “hall of fame”, unquestioning faith.  It is bigger than what God wants from us.  It is what God wants with us.

When is the last time that someone threw you under the bus? You may not remember the exact moment, but you have no doubt felt emotional pain from beneath that bus.  And you have wondered like I have, “how could you do that to me?” During the last week I have meditated on a real-life story of someone being thrown under the bus. It absolutely one-ups any of our stories of being mistreated or emotionally abused. What is interesting to me is that the culprit is one of my heroes. When I look at his life, there is so much good, so much faith and so much to emulate. So why would Abram (Abraham) throw his wife under the bus?  (and I wonder what “buses” were called in his day? J) 

When I look at Abram, I see a man whose life was dominated by faith; he was called the friend of God, but was flawed just like you and I.  A quick review of Genesis 12 gives us a glimpse of his great faith while letting us view a mammoth failure.  It is there we find Abram’s call and the Abrahamic Covenant .  History has been shaped by this man’s faith.  Abram’s faith led him to the Promised Land (Canaan).  But as much as his faith casts a large shadow, his struggles were no different from ours.  He found a test in the will of God when a famine came to the land of Canaan.  Have you ever obeyed the will of God, and found yourself in a difficult place?  I don’t see where Abram consulted God about what to do….he just went down to Egypt.  I would love to tell you that when famine hits the Nichols household, I always seek God about the matter, but the truth is, I don’t!  I am sure you can relate to Abram’s bad decision, and my often flawed thinking.  The story gets worse…

Once in Egypt, his fear takes over and Sarai (his wife) lands squarely under the bus.  You may already know the story, and can you believe what he did? Beginning with verse eleven of Genesis twelve, we find these words…  As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.” To save his own skin, Abram pushed his wife into the Pharaoh’s harem!  Talk about throwing your wife under the bus!  God was graceful to intervene, but this was a monumental lapse in judgment. Books could be written on this chapter and its various scenarios, but I would like to challenge you with just one thought.

Abram’s lying plot could have had disastrous consequences.  Some may say that since Sarai was his half-sister as well as his wife, it was not wrong to tell a half truth.  I don’t buy that for one second.  Neither do I accept the logic that half-truths or little white lies are okay in our generation.  We have all done it, but sin is sin is sin!  Abram’s misrepresentation was born out of selfishness (fear for his own life).  I can accept the fact that he was in a predicament, but in the will of God, trust is always a better option than fear.  His lapse could have had grave familial and historical consequences.  Our misrepresentations, half-truths and little white lies will also have consequences, and they are also born out of our selfishness.  As the world listens to Christ-followers, they should hear words of truth and trust.

I have learned much about living by faith from the friend of God.  But I have also been challenged by God choosing to let me see the flaws of His friend.  Throwing someone under the bus (especially your wife) wasn’t right then, and it’s certainly not right now.  We will all be confronted this week with the opportunity to convey half-truths and little white lies.  Our choice may be selfishness (look out for the bus), or benefiting others.  What would God choose?                                                                                                       

Keep falsehood and lies far from me. Proverbs 30:8(a)

We end our 3rd quarter focus on the parables this week, with the story of The Lost Sheep.  I can’t think of better punctuation than a reminder of how relentlessly Jesus pursues a single lost soul.  If you have been found already, may your heart be filled with gratitude.  If you are still wandering, I have good news! … He’s left the 99 to go out searching just for you! 

I shared a true story this past May in a Journey onWord post, and I am going to ask your forgiveness in revisiting it.  My prayer is that it draws your heart closer to the Good Shepherd who never fails in seeking even a single one that is lost…

It was a lazy Saturday morning, and I decided to interrupt it briefly with a bit of yard work.  As I pushed the spreader filled with fertilizer out to the front yard,  I saw a young girl standing on the sidewalk several houses down from us.  She appeared panicked, turning at once towards me and then back to her house and then repeated the process several more times.  A couple of seconds later, I began to fill in the blanks of the story behind her demeanor.  A medium-sized Alaskan husky came bounding toward our house, jumping in and out of the front beds of the four neighbors that separated us.  Stopping for a minute to sniff around, and then darting in and out, away from the young girl as she began to chase after it.  She called out in a nervous voice, but her dog never even once looked back.

For the purposes of full disclosure, I suffer from a mild fear of dogs.  I think it sources from childhood and the “killer” dog that lived down the street from us.  I could never corroborate the stories, but this dog was rumored to have gotten loose several times and eaten children whole!  Neighborhood urban legend? … I think not!  To be more specific, my fear is really of loose dogs running up to me, and this girl’s dog was heading my way at a full sprint.  I froze, and tried at the same time to maintain some sense of “I am an adult” in front of the approaching young girl.

She continued to call out her dog’s name (which I honestly cannot remember because of the crippling fear), and kept a safe distance.  This ratcheted my fear, since I had quickly concluded that there must be some reason this girl was not in a full sprint after her dog.  The dog passed me, circled a bit, and then darted away, never getting very close.  The young girl stopped near me and nearly began to cry.  In the amount of time it took me to ask her name, her dog had taken off again on a full sprint, reached the end of our block three houses down, turned the corner and disappeared.  It happened that fast.

I tried to reassure the young girl that her dog knew where she lived, and would surely be back soon.  The young girl was not convinced, and explained that her dog was a runaway dog, and that her dog really didn’t know her home because they had not lived there long.  At this point, I looked back toward her house and realized that it is the home that constantly turns over with new renters.  The one with the white covered trailer parked in the drive … I see her reason to be panicked.

In addition to the genuine heart that I had for the young girl and her sadness, I found another motivation in my attempt to reassure her.  It was not so obvious at the time, but it’s as plain as day now.  In reassuring the young girl, I was trying to convince myself that it was OK not to go chasing after her dog.  It was alright, she would come home on her own.

The young girl’s response was a curve ball in an otherwise perfect scenario.  That scenario?  I comfort the young girl when she needs a kind and reassuring word, her dog returns home unharmed and jumps into her arms, cut to commercial.  But instead, the young girl continued to look at me.  Maybe wondering if I had anything else better to say, or wondering when exactly I was going to offer to go looking for her dog.  I asked if her parents knew the dog had gotten loose, and she said they did.  She gave me one last sad look, and then turned and walked back home.  In that last look, I saw a young girl convinced that her dog was never coming back.

I turned initially to walk back and start fertilizing, and then stopped.  I decided in that moment that I needed to work past my fears and respond to this little girl’s need.  Having no plan as to what I would do if I found her, I began walking.  I stopped at the corner and looked … no sight of her.  I kept walking, not knowing how far I would go in search of this dog.  About halfway to the next block, I saw the dog dart from behind a tree.  I began to walk towards her, called for her, and she stopped dead in her tracks and looked up at me.  I called out again, “C’mon girl, let’s go home.”  She began to sprint towards me, and then stopped cold.  I repeated, and she continued in my direction again.  She sprinted past me to the corner.  It looked for a minute that she was going to continue straight, and not make a left and return home.  But just out into the cross walk she took a hard left and continued sprinting.  She ran straight home, bounded into the mom’s arms, and then directly over to the girl.  I guess we can go to that commercial now.

I don’t share this story for the purpose of creating a Hallmark Hall of Fame moment.  And certainly not to solicit an “Awww, Mark is so kind.  Look how he helped reunite that girl and her dog!”  I share this story because it’s a perfect illustration of how poorly I imitate Jesus.

God blessed me with an amazing reminder this morning, of just how poor and inadequate a shepherd I am, and how perfect a shepherd his Son is.  I am so thankful that Jesus never hesitated on his way to the cross.   Never stopped at a reassuring word in place of a sacrificial act.  Never allows fear to deter him for even a single breath in pursuing me, and other lost sheep like me.

I am eternally thankful … to the young girl, her dog, and the Good Shepherd.

Do you ever wake up with what seems like a million “to-do” list items running through your mind? Without desiring to be distracted, you are distracted!  There are so many things that need our attention, and sometimes we just don’t know where to start.  And on some days … we just want to go back to bed.  I believe that there will always be a tension (at least for me) between being successful and being distracted by all that surrounds us.  All that surrounds us will always clamor to pull our attention from a quiet center and a well-ordered heart. Words that I read just this morning in Proverbs remind me of making sure my heart is in sync, so my life will be in sync. See if the same words give perspective to your journey.  Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. (Prov. 4:23)

I can think of no better way to attack heart issues than by seeking wisdom daily from the one place that will never ever give us wrong counsel.   At Journey onWord, we want to help you end this year cultivating a well-ordered heart.  By doing so, all that surrounds us won’t dominate us.  This year began with resolutions, and I am challenging you today to let it end with resolve.  Over the next three months, we are going to provide you with real-life accounts of how to live well, trust the Father and finish well. The stories will instruct us through failure, faith and grace. You will gain a fresh understanding of men and women who walked before us, but whose lives have been chronicled to inspire and change us.

Abraham was called the friend of God, but wasn’t perfect by any means.  David lived well and failed incredibly, and yet he is known as a man after God’s own heart.  Moses’ life is a story of immense highs and lows.  What can we learn from them?  Joseph endured great suffering at the hands of his family and others, yet finished well.  Ruth and Esther were women whose lives of faith and courage can inspire us all.  Paul and Peter will challenge us with their boldness, let alone their lives of dedication to our Lord….no matter the consequences.  Can anyone imagine what it must have been like for Mary?  She gave birth to Christ, and raised him in her home. Without a doubt, her life can influence ours!  Could it be that you and I are in need of some life lessons that these great, though flawed, heroes of the past can teach us?

Our reading theme at Journey this year has been slower and deeper.  Reading less, understanding and experiencing more! In the distracted world that we all live in, even fitting in time to read the priceless words of God can be a struggle.  To confront the challenge we all face, we are going to give you reading (if you choose to read with us) focused on key chapters in Scripture that relate to the men and women mentioned above.  One chapter a day (read twice), to help all of us glean principles from the lives of Abraham, David, Esther etc…..that can change our lives, and help us develop a well-ordered heart.  You’ll get to know these men and women better, and gain deeper insight into God’s love and grace in the process.  We’ll even provide study sheets to help you.  If you are finding tension between your faith and all that surrounds you, let these real life stories help your regain balance.

With my temperament, I really fight the million “to-do” lists running through my mind.  And quite frankly, time with my Father in His Word is what gives me courage, strength and perspective.  If you are in need of a re-sync for your heart from all the distractions you face, take our challenge this quarter. Get to know some real people in a better way, and just maybe their stories will encourage yours!

We’ll start the real life stories next Sunday.

If you are a collector, know someone who is a collector, or know of the world of collecting, you will be familiar with the term “authenticity”.  Collectors insist on it, since an item’s intrinsic and monetary value rests heavily on it.  The collecting world is full of priceless originals, but also of clever, detailed, nearly indistinguishable fakes.  It can be so easy with some items to be fooled as a casual observer or collector.  Which is why a true collector wants documentation, and searches for stamps or special markings, all in the effort to confirm an item’s authenticity.

Proof is the only way the collector can truly know whether they have the genuine item.  Words in the form of anecdotal evidence or stories will not suffice in determining authenticity.  They require another source to corroborate the story.  Words, in and of themselves, rarely speak definitively.

The same can certainly be said of us, if we look at ourselves as the collected item.  We can profess to be the genuine item, but if there is no other corroborating evidence, our words are meaningless.

The Bible is not vague in its definition of authenticity, and it is the definitive documentation source.

I John 2:5
But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:

John 13:34
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Matthew 7:16a
By their fruit you will recognize them.

All three references leave no doubt as to the stamp and special markings that prove whether we are authentic.  And as an extra point of emphasis, I would also encourage you to read the verses that surround Matthew 7:16.  In them, Christ provides a strong warning about clever, detailed, nearly indistinguishable fakes.

All analogies fall apart at some point, and I have stopped short of describing God as a collector of souls.  But if I had, would you pass the authenticity test?  Would you hold up under close examination?   Would  the Love God, Love Others “special markings” be obvious to both the casual observer and the trained eye?  Is His love so evident in who you are in the secret, anonymous places and opportunities, that you can easily be distinguished as the genuine item?  Can the story that your life tells be corroborated in the lives of others?

I find great personal challenge and conviction in those questions, and in my intentional pursuit of being authentic.  Let the questions simmer for a bit, stir them around and let them settle again, don’t be too quick to give an answer.  Our value to God is incalculable, known only to Him, and not determined by what we do.  Our value to His kingdom rests heavily on our authenticity.

A few days ago in chatting with a friend who climbs mountains (can you imagine?!), I asked him the ultimate question. “Are you going to climb Mt. Everest?” He climbs mountains to raise money for disadvantaged children, but Everest carried no allure. I understood why when he told me that it costs $150,000 to make the climb, and 25% of the climbers die. Now, I have no idea how accurate the statistics are, but those numbers were staggering to me. Why would anyone risk death and spending a fortune to climb a mountain? There are just a select few with the courage to test the mountain.

Correspondingly, I have been meditating on some verses over the past week that I might also characterize as a place rarely visited/tested. It is not a land with grass and snow, and mountain peaks. It doesn’t cost real money, and doesn’t carry with it a risk of physical death. I believe it to be a place available to all who know God, through Christ as their Savior, and all who venture there find it to be filled with comfort and security, even in the most trying of times.  Where/what is this place, and why would a place like this be so rarely visited?

When you hear the verses quoted or mentioned, I would venture you find it easy to say, “Yes, I believe them.” However, is it a place that you visit often?

Psalm 62:1-2
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

David was at a rough patch in his life. Some even feel it could have been after his son Absalom tried to take his throne from him (imagine that pain).  Humanly speaking, he was in a desperate place. However, when you read the verses above, there is a sense of safety, a voice of confidence and firm resolve. He had no doubts that God was the solid rock under his feet, and a fortress to protect him. He found his rest in God alone.  It was not God plus his own strength, or God plus his army … it was God alone. David certainly had his failures, but at this specific moment he realized something that every Christ follower should internalize; that peace comes when we learn to stop depending on ourselves, and trusting Him for every (I mean, every) area of our lives. Now you see why I view these verses as a place rarely visited. We all want more of God plus <fill in the blank>, rather than God alone.

For you and for me, David’s words can ring true. In meditating on these verses, I have found that they slow me down, cause me to release issues to Him and generally gain a sense of spiritual balance. Charles Swindoll, in his book entitled Jesus: The Greatest Life of All, caught the essence of what I am trying to convey. “To enter our Sabbath rest, we must put an end to self-reliance-trusting our own abilities to overcome difficulties, rise above challenges, escape tragedies, or achieve personal greatness. We must cease striving and trust God to provide what He thinks is best and in whatever time He chooses to make it available.”  Well said!

My soul finds rest in God alone.  It’s a place of safety, comfort and protection. Would you consider visiting that place for even just a day? It takes incredible courage to climb Everest to gain what is essentially a temporal thrill. Finding rest in God alone is more than a momentary thrill; it’s a place of great and lasting peace.  Make sure it’s on your bucket list!

I have been thinking recently of how we believe Scripture….but do we really live like believers?  It is easy to mouth the words, “believe what Scripture says, apply it and trust God for the results.” There is little doubt in my mind that you believe Scripture. I am sure that you are probably willing to stand on the authority of God’s Word for life and eternal life.  But application of His truth and “trusting in the moment” are often sources of great conflict. Taking a simple, yet profound passage may give clarity to my premise. Wisdom from God is available for all Christ followers, but He gives conditions for “wisdom’s direction.” Easy to believe words, capacity in Christ to apply them, so why don’t we trust? The Words: 

James 1:5-8
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all he does.

Life was so simple when our daughter was small. Trust was easy and she didn’t have a reason to not trust her dad. But her trust for dad came into great conflict when I started teaching her to swim and ride a bike. She still believed me, but emotions fought against her trust in dad’s words. The good news is, her trust finally overcame emotions, and our quest for wisdom should be no different.

Set in the context of trials, James tells us that when wisdom is lacking, we should simply ask God for direction. Stop for just a moment and think of some specific trials that are confronting you right now. James is telling you to ask God for wisdom. It may be difficult to wrap your arms around how God will choose to work in your particular circumstance, but that is not for you to worry about, just ask for wisdom. Then believe that He will provide it! God desires to give you His wisdom without finding fault, so why hesitate to ask? It may be that your circumstances and emotional distrust are over-riding believing faith, and thwarting your wisdom connection.

The above-mentioned passage gives clear direction. If you are asking, believe that He will give you wisdom. No Doubting! Trials are a given for believers, and wisdom is offered. But we must believe! For most of us, the truth is that we have mastered the discipline of doubting. Satan will continue to attack your thoughts with doubt, but by a choice of the will, determine to believe that wisdom is available for every circumstance. Our Father understands the attacks and will honor your simple trust.  

Without saying it, you may be thinking, “you don’t know what I am up against!” God does, and He wants to give you wisdom. He has outlined a model for us to receive His wisdom, but it requires believing and not doubting. There will always be a new circumstance to confront, and wisdom will always be available to Christ followers. I am sure you believe this great truth, but are you living like a believer?

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God,
who gives generously to all without finding fault….

“In every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange.”
Brennan Manning from Abba’s Child

How does that statement resonate with you?  Does your heart exhale an experience-laden “yes!”; does your head reject the dramatic and definitive nature of it; or is there some ground in between where you land?  Six months ago, I believe my answer would have been the latter.  I would likely have considered the statement to be essentially truthful, but struggled with the categorical words “every” and “no.”  I am, however, just emerging from a deep and extended trial, where I have seen and experienced its truth.

In discovering Brennan’s quote this week, I found words that named the conscious decision I made at the outset of the trial.  I decided almost immediately, upon being immersed in its circumstances, that I would only seek and speak truth.  Over the duration, there have been too many opportunities to count to falter or betray that decision, but without exception and only through the power of Christ, I have remained true to my prayerful promise.  I have no doubt that my circumstances are not unique, and if we were to sit and share, you would have your own stories to tell.  Stories of test and trial where there was great temptation to return hurt under the cover of righteous rebuke.  When we are wounded, how strong is the urge within us to pick up a stone?  But how true is it also that our Savior rightly turns to us in those moments and asks, “are you without sin?”

I have found great solace in remaining in this place of truth.  And I have seen the dramatic effect that only speaking truth in love (Eph. 4:15) can have in both the one you are talking to or confronting, and within yourself.  When we choose to speak the truth in love we always give life.  When the words we say are sourced from the One who loved and forgave us first, we speak life.

I encourage you today to make that commitment, not only in test or trial, but in the minutes and seconds and encounters of your everyday.  Speak life to someone and be watchful for what results, not only in them but also in you.  Love and life that are spoken or gifted in action never return void.

Seek and speak truth.  Seek and speak life.

SPECIAL NOTE:  We remember today, and say a prayer for continued comfort and healing for the family and friends of those who lost their lives on 9/11/2001.