journey onWord with us

Do you ever feel like life is one confusing event after another? There is so much that happens and we all wonder “why”.  On this side of eternity there are so many un-answered questions. Often there is a sense of feeling disobedient or “unspiritual” if we think or voice honest questions about the tough issues we face. But believe me, God can handle our honesty. Look with me at a few examples that will resonate with all of us.

– I prayed so hard about it, but things still didn’t turn out well.
– Why did such a godly person pass away so young?
– Why do some of the people I care for have so much pain?  It seems unfair.
– Parents walk with God in front of their children, and then their children aren’t that interested in God.
– Does all of this praying we do really matter?

In your silent moments, some of those very thoughts may have passed through your mind. A godly relative of mine said to me once, “faith is great, after the fact”. Even though I gave him a good spiritual lecture, I am not naïve to the fact that most of us may have encountered similar feelings. So how do we balance our confidence in the sovereignty and sufficiency of our Lord with the constant messages of life that attack our faith? We must choose to live by trusting in the absolute truth of God’s Word, and the power of its Author. Agreeing with the Word intellectually may be a given in your life, but battles still rage in the practice of truth.

In his great work, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers gives insight into the confusion(s) of life. He said, “ You cannot think through spiritual confusion to make things clear; to make things clear, you must obey”. Isn’t it true that in our quest to make sense of this life, we far too often use our own reasoning to make it all fit. Unfortunately for us, even our best reasoning falls short in the simplest of life quandaries.  And has no chance to ever begin making sense of the bigger questions like why some get cancer, and why the wicked strike it rich. Our best choice is to follow the logic of Oswald Chambers. Obeying the truth of Scripture and the prompting of His Spirit will help make things clear. Clarity will come in gaining His perspective, and not by having all of our questions answered.

You have your tough issues, and I have mine. Pull no punches with God; cry out to Him! There is no one more acquainted with your grief. And then accept that He will choose what He wants to reveal to us. He is God! … and we are not.

It is not His design to answer all of our questions on this side of eternity.  But He has given us His Word, and His promise of peace. If you are a Christ follower, don’t worry about what you can’t figure out or fix. Just obey what you know to be true, and your confusion will become clear.

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

“Joy on the journey” are words that will resonate with anyone who is serious about their faith. The Father’s design is for those who have accepted His gift of salvation and eternal life in Christ, to live with joy. But somehow our journey gets in the way. We all have unique stories about the struggles we face along our particular path. It may be our job, health issues, church problems, marital strife, or rebellious children, just to name a few. And during the expected twists and turns of our journey, joy is often squeezed out. Although we may not see many great examples of joy, it is absolutely available, or the Father would not have said, “Be joyful always” (I Thessalonians 5:16).

As I contemplate these words, it’s easy for me to become discouraged because I certainly have not mastered the art of joy on the journey. The real issue before us, though, is not mastery or perfection, but the progress we are making. Too much of my journey has been about me trying to serve God with misplaced values. Noble as they were, praying to get things, studying the Word without getting to know God, and serving Him in my own strength didn’t produce what I believe is the depth of joy the Father has made available. Your journey may be similar, and the good news is that God is the designer of joy, so let’s seek His blueprint.

Psalm 62:1
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.

Psalm 73:25-26
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 119:72
The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

Is it possible to find rest in God alone? …Yes!  Is it possible to cherish His Word more than silver and gold? … Yes!  Is it possible to live with a deep conviction of His strength even when my heart grows weak? … Yes!  The result:  JOY.

In my journey, I am learning to seek Him before I seek what He can provide.  It is so easy for worship and growth to become just a religious duty. But knowing our Father deeply, and resting in Him comes from a passion of the heart. When our emphasis is religious duty, we waste so much energy and miss so much of His power.  Decide with me that you will discipline yourself to seek Him.  As you dedicate your life to knowing Him through the pages of His book, rest assured that He will create joy on your journey.

Today is a new day, and the Father wants to help you navigate a joyful journey.

“You have made us for yourself, Oh Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” – Augustine

As you start this new day, prepare for His joyful rest … Seek Him!

If we were to speak with complete honesty and full disclosure, there is no doubt that all of us would admit there are some individuals who are a thorn in our side, or a pain in the neck. It’s that person that always seems to get your goat. You find yourself going out of your way to avoid them. The issue even gets thornier when that special person is a member of your family. You repeatedly tell yourself, “I am not going to let him/her get to me”, but they always seem to push the right buttons. But as much as we struggle with people who are thorns in our side, I believe the bigger battle is with the thorn in our flesh.

It is easy to name those who irritate us, and it is very easy for us to identify the thorns in our flesh. We may not speak often of our thorns, but I believe we all have issues that are an irritant to us. There is almost universal identification among Christ followers with Paul and his admission of his thorn. Although his problem is not spelled out (many believe it to be an eye ailment), we understand why Paul would pray for it to be removed. There are times when we would do anything for our particular thorn to be taken away. But we must conclude that God knows best, and then glory in our own weakness as Paul did.

II Corinthians 12:7-9
To keep from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

God chose to let Paul live with his thorn when he could have removed it. Satan used it to torment him. In the Father’s design for Paul, He knew a thorn was needed. I can’t speak for you, but He knows what I need, and evidently a thorn(s) are part of His oversight. Satan wants to torment us, but God’s grace is as sufficient today for us, as it was so long ago in the life of Paul. No matter what thorn you seem to continually battle, there is grace for the moment, and the power of Christ is available.

Although I am not sure who will be reading this, sound logic tells me you struggle with a thorn in your flesh. You may even be a bit weary on the journey. Do not lose heart, my friend, grace is available. Paul embraced his weaknesses, and has been used for centuries to encourage those with thorns. In conclusion to my challenge, please meditate on the passage above in the words of The Message …

Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into it’s own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness …

Enough said!

Words mean something. And the way a word is used in a sentence will typically give insight into its meaning. Take, for instance, the word fix. Think of the different ways in

which it has been used. I had lunch today with someone who is a Mr. Fix-it. You immediately know that my friend is the kind of person you need when something breaks. From bad brakes on your car, to a roof leak, my friend can size up the problem and fix it. You have also heard this word used in a negative context. Sometimes people think they have to get their fix through alcohol or drugs. A temporary “relief” of the pressure and power of a compulsion or an addiction.  And lastly, when I say that you should fix your eyes on a target, you know instantly that I am talking about focus.

Since the context of a sentence will often give you the meaning of a word, let’s look at how fix is used in a few places in the Book of all books. Gaining perspective from the sentences and accepting what they mean can be life changing.

2 Corinthians 4:18
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Hebrews 3:1
Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.

Hebrews 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of  our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

From these verses, can you determine what God’s design is for Christ followers? If we are to fix our eyes on the unseen, and our thoughts and eyes on Jesus, there must be something to a life of faith and focused attention on the Son of God. My struggle (and yours) is that my eyes are easily attracted to what I can see. And to make things worse, my life is often distracted from thinking clearly about Jesus and having a 20/20 view of Him. But these words breathed by God leave no room for debate.

If we only fix our eyes on what we can see, life will be all about the temporal … the now. For true believers in Christ, life is not, nor will it ever be, about now. Our lives should be built around the realities of faith and eternity, although unseen. Fixing our thoughts on the one Perfect example of living is a sure way of developing a proper thought life. Since it is so easy to be distracted in our life focus, we should also keep our eyes singularly focused on Christ. Admittedly, it is a daily battle to fix our attention on what the Father has directed. You alone have to determine if His values are worth your commitment.

In life, there are times when we all need things fixed. In our emotional lives, there are crutches that we all use as a fix. On our spiritual journey, we need to fix our attention beyond ourselves. One word, with three meanings, and all are easily understood.

“What were you thinking?” is a common refrain after watching someone who you care about make a huge blunder. We have all been on the giving or receiving end of that critique after an ill-advised decision. Sometimes even when we know all the right facts and potential consequences, poor decisions are made. There are times when all of us want to step back in time to re-write a moment of personal history. But since re-do’s are rare in life, keeping “What was I thinking?” moments to a minimum is essential.

I have a little known friend from Scripture who showed me great wisdom and the way to live, before he made me want to say, “What were you thinking?”. In the life of Asa, we are given a great picture of beginning well, but not ending so well. Let his life teach you as it has taught me.

From the book of II Chronicles view the king of Judah, blessed by God. Note some details from chapters 14-15.

Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of God…

There were years when not one was at war with him, because God chose to give him rest…

He led the people in seeking God…

In a battle, we see his focus with these words, “Lord there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army”. They won…

Large numbers came to him from Israel because they saw the Lord was with him…

He disposed of his own grandmother from her position as queen mother and destroyed her idols…

He was very committed to the Lord…

But “what was he thinking” in Chapter Sixteen? A man who had trusted God so well, made a huge blunder and took money from the Lord’s temple to get protection from a heathen king. A man who knew better, drifted from a life of blessings. Look at the depth of his fall in the words of verse twelve. “In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from physicians”.

I can’t explain exactly what happened, but the results speak for themselves. He was confronted throughout life with “trust” moments. Just like we are! He made good choices along the journey, but also some “what was he thinking?” choices. It would be easy to just condemn my friend Asa. But we have all known failure at an opportunity to trust our Father. I wonder at the very end of his life if Asa wondered, “what was I thinking?”

You and I will be confronted with choices to trust the Father today, tomorrow, next week, and for the rest of our lives. How we navigate those choices will determine our spiritual legacy. Trusting Him above our emotions and human logic will sometimes be tough, but in the end, we will be glad we did. Asa’s life speaks volumes to us about the two sides of the trust coin. When we trust Him to call it in the air, it’s “heads” up every time. When we use our “heads”, we bruise our “tails” every time.

Do you ever wonder what people think of you? Of course you do! We want people to respect us, value our opinions, and hopefully see that our faith is working. Then there are the times when we would prefer that no one takes notice of our life. Those are the days when nothing goes right, our fuse is a little short, and we are less that joyful. We would like to always live above our circumstances, but too often that intention does not match reality. Embracing that others view our lives (whether we like it or not) can, and should be a great motivator for Christ followers to practice our faith.

Consider the small world that surrounds you on a daily basis. The people in your world, whether it is at work, around your family, in social settings or just with neighbors, all get an opportunity to see your faith in action. Acknowledging that all these people view our personal journey is daunting, but it is absolutely true. On a daily basis others will determine if we mean what we say, practice what we preach, and generally live according to our faith principles. What a great opportunity! What a solemn responsibility!

Many would say to me, “I’m just a silent witness”, or “I don’t want to push my religion on someone else”. Truth of the matter is, everyone around you probably knows what you believe, and how you view the core issues that make life worth living. My purpose is not to instruct anyone to start parading their faith, but rather to start embracing who you are. If you have accepted Christ as your personal Savior, God’s design is for you to represent Him well. And never forget that those in your small world may just be seeking what you have…. a relationship with God, through Christ.

Great counsel was given in the book of I Corinthians by the apostle Paul. It frames our responsibility well. Since it’s a given that our lives will be on display, let’s use His directions as our pattern.

I Corinthians 16:13-14 (NIV)
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.

I Corinthians 16:13-14 (MSG)
Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you’ve got, be resolute and love without stopping.

In our small world, being spiritually alert is imperative. Living with indifference will hinder the cause that we are called to represent. It is interesting that the above verse talks about standing firm in the faith. Our world wants, and often demands that anything anybody wants to believe is OK. Truth is relative and dependent. That worldview is diametrically opposed to the Bible, and therefore false. In our small world of relationships, never shy away from standing firm in your faith. It may be daunting, but the truth is the truth. Embrace the opportunity to be salt and light.

To stand firm and really make a difference, we must do everything in love. Strong faith, administered with a loving heart is a powerful witness. So, since others have sized us up anyway, why not embrace the challenge of practicing our faith. After all, isn’t that the Father’s design anyway? Your small world needs you!

Designed to fail was my mis-adventure of three and half years ago. Over the years I have tried to stay in shape by running, and on a few occasions even entered local 5K races. But on this particular Saturday, peer pressure got the best of me. I was in Florida and my wife’s aunt was going to run a local race. She was about seventy years old at the time. With no practice and about 20lbs of too much baggage, I was all in for the race. By the first mile marker, I was moving at a snail’s pace, and then it happened. Someone with loud footsteps was overtaking me. Looking back, I was shocked to see a young runner who may have been about five years old passing me. With too much pride to quit, and too much weight to succeed, I plodded slowly to the finish line. But wait a minute, could 20lbs less have changed the outcome?

Could it be in the life race you are running, weight is causing you to plod toward the finish line? I am not talking about being overweight physically, but about life weights that are slowing you down. Just as most individuals will battle with too many pounds at some point, everyone will struggle with life weights that impede our spiritual progress. As you read this article, are there life weights that are hindering your joy and slowing your steps?

From God’s perspective, the answer for excess life weight is clear.

Hebrews 12:1(NKJV)
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

Set in the context of a race, this verse gives great counsel on how to run. For anyone serious about the claims of Christ, running lean is a priority. Too much clothing, or too much weight will always slow a runner. Weight that slows our spiritual effectiveness is just as damaging in the life race God designed for us. Interestingly enough, weights that hinder Christ followers are not necessarily bad. It could be your job, your hobbies, too much emphasis on family that causes you to short-change God, or even all the great technology that we love. Anything that hinders our walk of faith is a weight that needs to be put aside. Easier said than done, right?

I believe that there will be some readers of this post that can very easily identify the excess baggage that is weighing them down. But maybe you are aware of your extra weight, but are struggling to understand or name it . Ask yourself:

What diverts your attention from a focused race?
What is dampening your enthusiasm for His cause?
Are you loving God, but living distracted?

If God has brought some baggage to your mind (remember weights aren’t always bad in, and of themselves), simply give it back to Him and commit to laying it aside. Losing weight is not easy, nor is laying aside those things that hinder our life journey. But our physical and spiritual health is worth it. By the way, my wife’s 70-something aunt was a runner of marathons. She prepared well, and so can we! Run lean for Christ.

Just yesterday, my wife showed great patience when I made a driving blunder (just a wrong turn). She would probably say that attentive driving is not one of my greatest attributes. Although it is never my intention to get distracted while driving, it sometimes happens. I can find a variety of excuses for losing focus, but none of them are good. From speeding tickets, to missed exits and having to drive countless extra miles, I should have learned by now the art of focused driving. You may never get distracted while driving, but in the travels of life, have you found it easy to lose your spiritual focus?

Any serious Christ follower is aware that the focus of our life should be Him. But you would be in good company if you sometimes feel about your spiritual life like I feel about my driving, “great intentions, but too easily distracted.” I start nearly all my trips laser focused out the front windshield, completely aware of my surroundings. But how soon do I succumb to those surroundings, looking back and forth out the driver’s side window, passenger side mirror and even my rear view. In all matters related to faith, others need to see us driving focused and well. But it takes work, and concentration.

Psalm 86:11
Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name.

There is no doubt that David had a sincere heart to follow God with relentless passion. His life gives proof of someone who honored the Lord, and at other times stumbled with distracted focus. Accepting that we can live with passion and then make a wrong turn should cause the words of Psalm 86:11 to be our heart’s cry. David knew his life, like we know our strengths and weaknesses. His desire was to be taught God’s ways, and his commitment was to walk in truth. It can be done. But what did he mean by an undivided heart? It is obvious that David wanted to be focused on the Lord and not live distracted.

Driving with two hands on the steering wheel, and not going over the speed limit is textbook driving. Being a student of God’s Word, and practicing its truth is textbook living. Neither superior driving, nor faith living will be accomplished well without undivided focus. Could it be in the spiritual travels of life that wrong turns and speeding tickets hinder the cause of our Savior, and what He is doing in us and through us? That is reason enough to keep our hearts and minds focused on Him.

I believe that driving well is God’s design for me. If you are a Christ follower, I know the Father wants you to live with an undivided heart. It will take work for both of us. I’ve made my commitment! Will you?

“Oh, If I could just_______________?”  What skill do you see in others that you would love to possess? It may be to sing with perfect pitch, speak with great eloquence, hit a golf ball perfectly straight, or with a slight draw, fly an airplane, play the piano … the list is endless. Everyone admires, and would love to imitate some skill outside of their natural talents. It’s just human nature.

To be honest, from our earliest memories, thoughts flow of how we would imitate our parents. Can you remember following dad around the garage or making cookies with mom in the kitchen? We all started young with a desire to be like someone. In all areas of life, whether it is talents, skills, or even character qualities, others have attributes that we want to possess.

What about you? What are the special qualities in your life worthy of imitation? You may feel that there is nothing special about you, so why would anyone care to mimic you. But without question, the quality of your life can be worthy of imitation, especially the spiritual attributes. Just think about the opportunity for others to see life working for you, even in midst of complete chaos. It’s no doubt they would want to imitate the great patience, or humility, or steadfastness that you showed.

But who in the world would ever willingly volunteer the words, “Imitate my life.” We are all too afraid of failing, or hindering someone. And even before that, how profoundly arrogant does that sound?! But there was a prominent man in ancient times that made a couple of “imitate me” kind of statements. Was he arrogant, or just confident enough in his relationship with Christ to speak his true feelings? Listen to the words of the apostle Paul.

I Corinthians 4:15-16
Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me.

I Corinthians 10:32-11:1
Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God–even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I have followed the example of Christ.

What courage! What confidence! But let’s also be quick to clarify. What Paul wanted was for others to imitate him as he followed the example of Christ, and in his role as a spiritual father. We may never say those words, but our hearts should beat so strong for Christ that our lives are worthy of imitation. Could others say that your love for Christ makes them want to mimic that love? I may be preaching now, but our kids (even adult children), friends, and work associates need to see a life worthy of imitation. Paul may have had the courage to speak strong words, but let us join him also in the courage to live strong lives. The results will matter eternally.

When all is said and done, could it be said of you and me, “That was a life worth imitating”?

If prayer was a place, I wonder if most people would note their own address as the land of wishful thinking. Stop for a minute and consider this for yourself. Would you need a GPS to find that person, or would you be their neighbor? Everyone knows that we should pray, that the Bible admonishes us to pray, and that even the non-Christian will sometimes call out to God in moments of distress. But how many people pray with a strong view of God’s power, and real confidence that He will answer? Or is it more typical that prayers will be more like words spoken in a heavenly direction out of obligation and wishful thinking (although we certainly wouldn’t admit it), without much confidence in the outcome?

If you are feeling a bit weak in your personal prayer life, confidence can return today. On a plane at about thirty thousand feet recently, I was reminded that God is not limited. In reading the verse of a song that I have known since childhood, I was challenged about impossibilities and our Lord.

Got any rivers you think are uncrossable;
Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through?
God specializes in things tho’t impossible;
He does things others cannot do.

excerpt from Got Any Rivers, Oscar C. Eliason, copyright 1945

You, no doubt, have some uncrossable rivers before you right now, and so do I. There may even be some mountains of difficulty staring you right in the face. When we are not firm and steadfast in our view of God’s power, impossibilities look …well, impossible. The old song says that God specializes in things that are “impossible”. Can we believe it, or are those words just wishful thinking? Experience has taught me that those who pray earnestly with confident faith, see God do “things others cannot do”. Are you ready to experience Him doing that in your life?

Jeremiah the prophet affirmed our assertion in Jeremiah 32:17 with the words, “Ah Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” Are those words wishful thinking, or blocks of granite to build our prayer life upon? The answer is certain, but our times of prayer often don’t reflect their certainty. Later in chapter 32, the word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 32:27
I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?

Jeremiah prayed it, God affirmed it, and let’s just be simple enough to believe it. Nothing is too hard for God!

Is your prayer life firmly rooted in the truth that nothing is too hard for Him? If you are anything like me, there are times that we get it. Those times are special, and quite profound. They are times of river crossings and mountain passes. There is no wishful thinking in the truth of God’s Word, and there should be no wishful thinking in our prayer lives. Nothing is too Hard for Him. Believe it and pray like it!