I want it now!

Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.


Bible Verse of the Day: Matthew 7:13-14 " Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."


To simply say we live in a culture that lives for instant gratification would be a huge understatement. You deserve it and  if it makes you feel good , then go for it is the mantra of the day. Of course, there is never any mention of the consequences or of the destruction that can follow when we make short sighted decisions to gratify our sinful desires without considering the long term implications.


Lust, anger and greed are the primary drivers of our sinful impulses that need to be satiated and they are very strong  influencers indeed. We see a beautiful woman walking down the street and we want to have her for our own. The great King David can certainly relate to that as he fell hook, line and sinker for his friend Uriah's wife Bathsheba while seeing her bath on the roof one day. Even though God had blessed David mightily, he still felt lacking on the inside, to the point where his lustful temptations prompted him to indulge his sexual desires without even stopping to consider the consequences, which as it turns out were quite severe. His impetuous decision would lead to a deeper trail of sins, including lying, deception and even murder of his friend Uriah in order to have the desires of his flesh fulfilled. One of the greatest consequences was the devastation he caused to his own family through his sinful behavior, which led to the death of the child he had conceived with Bathsheba. God cannot sit idly by while we bath in our sin and iniquity. He cannot be mocked, for whatever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. David was deeply repentant when the prophet Nathan revealed the depths of his sins against God to him and it caused him great physical, spiritual and emotional trauma. David had realized a great truth: that for every action there is a reaction and his sin had led directly to his suffering and angst which plagued him for quite a long time.


David fell into the same lustful trap that plagues us all still today, a short term gratification that leads to long term consequences and great suffering. We are all vulnerable to the same fleshly forces that swept David away and caused him to lose sight of the "narrow" road in favor of the easy or pleasurable road. The evil one knows the strength of our fleshly desires as described in Galatians 5 as a battle that is always raging against our spiritual being to do the right thing and to follow God's directions. Sometimes we give into our fleshly temptations and we lose the battle, and the consequences leave us dazed. Unless we have repentant heart's like David, and turn to God alone for our forgiveness, we will continue to bring about great suffering into our lives as a result of our need to have it now.


Our society has bought into the temptation to take the easy road, rather than to persevere down the narrow road that is referred to in todays bible verse. It is the fear based tenant that advertisers use to pray on consumers, that the media uses to destroy lives with the message of do whatever you feel like, when you feel like it and to hell with the consequences. Lust is one strong example. Have sex with whomever you want, whenever you want, and don't worry about the risk of STD's or a baby conceived out of wedlock. But what about greed? We hear the messages about what money can buy you and say yes, we want it and we want it now! A $100,000 car or a $5,000,000 house we can't nearly afford, oh well, we deserve it and besides we will look really great in it and it will attract beautiful ladies to us. No mention or thought of the financial consequences that will lead us into bankruptcy. Live for the now and consequences be damned. Of course, you can but a house but not a home. Or you can buy sex, but not love. Or you can buy a title but not respect. Yet we never stop to ponder these truisms because we want to look good in the world's eyes and don't care as much of how we look in God's eyes.  John 12;43 warns us of the faultiness in thinking this way. God should come first, always!


What about anger in our lives that things aren't going the way we thought they would or the way we think we deserve? We hear the messages that someone else is to blame and someone is going to have to pay for my unhappiness. Then we think, I will use deceit or distortion to get things back in order the way they should be, and if that doesn't work I will take it out on those around me with a bitter attitude and a hateful heart. No mention or thought of some internal soul searching or prayer time alone with the Creator of the Universe to ask for His direction, guidance and wisdom.


 In a me first world, there is no time for introspection, only for consumption of pleasurable experiences. Instant Gratification rules. However, is it really any different today than it has always been? Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup in one of the most egregious acts of the bible in pointing out our weakness to fulfill short term desires at the expense of priceless, long term inheritances. Esau placed a higher value on a physical, short term satisfaction of having a bowl of soup to quench his appetite than on a life of peace and relationship with God as head of household that could have led to his eternal greatness.


This story of Esau and Jacob is just one of many in the bible that illustrates that throughout human history, we are all prone to give up greater future rewards for immediate gratifications. The adversary is well aware of this and is always tempting us to succumb to our desires of immediate gratification so he can deny us the better plan that God has in store for us. This is why it is so important to constantly be in prayer, as 1st Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing, to help us understand our weaknesses and to be prepared to ask Jesus to help us in our daily battles against our flesh. God reminds of us of this struggle and of our need for dependence upon him in order to have a chance in his fight in 1st Corinthians 10: 13 " No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."  But here is the rub: We don't want to listen to God! We don't want to pray and ask for His strength and protection. We want to do what makes us feel good now! When the consequences come, we want to try and fix it on our own, which only leads to more sin and helplessness, but we don't want to feel like we need Him to fix our mess. Oh the futility of our thinking!


In many ways, when we do finally repent and come around to prayer and to seeking God's  forgiveness, , discernment and wisdom for the messes we have created in our lives, like King David finally did, we then begin a new struggle of what and how to pray. We treat God like He is some kind of cosmic vending machine where we submit our requests into the machine and wait for his solutions to instantly pop back out. Even here, our impatience and desire for instant gratification can be astounding. CS Lewis says that someday we'll be far more grateful for our prayers that didn't get answered then for the ones that did. This is because our prayers are often misguided and lack alignment with God's eternal plan for our lives. We pray for comfort in the midst of our trials instead of character to be built up in us during them. We pray for an easy way out instead of the strength to make it through. We ask for God to quickly extricate us out of difficult circumstances instead of asking God what he wants to get out of those difficult circumstances. Sometimes though God not giving us what we think we need or want is actually Him protecting us from unintended consequences.


As Psalm 46:10 says, sometimes He just wants us to be still and acknowledge that He is God and He will be exulted on earth as He is in heaven. In this place, our best efforts are meaningless and our best recourse is total surrender. For His thoughts are so much greater than our thoughts and His ways are so much higher than our ways, Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us, that we should rather just seek him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. It is in this posture alone that real healing and learning can take place. It takes a lot of wreckage to sometimes bring us staggering to our knees. But once there, the healing salve of God's love and forgiveness can begin to change us from the inside out, and help us to make better decisions in the future. We can begin to see the error of our ways and the righteousness of His.

Know one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care

February 3, 2014

Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.

Bible Verse of the Day:John 15:5 " I am the vine and you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

One of the things that is universal in this world is people want to feel loved and appreciated. It takes time spent with someone to let them know that you truly care about them. It is one of those things in life that you can't fake. Caring means you must show up, no excuses. It is important for a father to show he cares by showing up for his kid's sporting events. It is important for employees to show up for work and for kids to show up for school. Showing up means that you are committed to a certain person, situation or task.

Likewise, if we want to get to know Jesus better in our lives, then we have to "show up" and spend time with him. How do we do that? We must read scripture on a daily basis; we must meditate on His word and we must spend time in prayer, inviting a dialogue of both speaking and listening. As we do this, we will begin to enjoy the fruits of our relationship with the One who gave it all for our benefit. We will be filled with His wisdom. Jesus will teach us more about who He is, so we will know more about who we are. As we continue to show up, He will teach us to act more and more like Him. So what did Jesus act like?

First and foremost, Jesus was love. He always showed people how much He cared, before He let them know how much He knew. He would always show pure love to those that the elite in society tended to look down upon and discard. Hs message was simple: All of you matter in my Kingdom! I don't discriminate against anyone. Jesus lived out that love in ways that no one could ever question His sincerity. Most importantly, the ones he chose to love on knew how much He cared. He touched Lepers, defended Adulterers, befriended Prostitutes, washed his Disciples feet, talked with Samaritans and partied with Tax Collectors.

 Jesus didn't care about His reputation, he cared about love. Loving those who society said were unlovable. He could have just told everyone about all He knew, how He was present at the beginning of time and how He holds the entire world in the palm of His hand. Or, how He was sent by the Father to redeem the world from its sin as the one and only atoning sacrifice. He did indeed give insights into His perfect wisdom, but mostly it was to confound the wise of the day. He could have spent all his time telling parables to teach the Pharisees and Sadducees just how lost they truly were. Instead, He mostly modeled how much He cared by living it out in a unmistakeably genuine love.He used a road map of love and compassion to teach his followers about what truly mattered. Jesus came to earth and showed up for us, in a real and intimate way. Is it asking too much for us to show up for Him?

Lasting Contentment

January 14, 2014

Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.

Bible Verse of the Day: Philippians 4:4 " Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice."

At the end of the day, I believe what we are all striving for is contentment. Contentment can come in many different forms but at its core it is a deep and unrelenting satisfaction with the way you are living your life. It can be shaken, but not stolen. Money cannot buy contentment.  A bigger house, a new luxury car or a trip to Paris will eventually lose its luster. I know many people who are extremely wealthy and completely devoid of any contentment. On the other hand, I know people who are poor in the eyes of the world, but who have a deep and abiding contentment. I am pretty sure Mother Teresa of Calcutta had an overflowing contentment inside of her, even though she lived her life in conditions that most of us would find appalling. She was the epitome of what the world considers poor, yet she had a richness and contentment to her that most people would pay anything to achieve. Contentment is one of those elusive traits that when people have it, you can’t miss it. When someone is content you can see it in their eyes and almost feel it in their souls. They are living above the fray and their contentment is not circumstantial in the least. You could put anything into their lives or take anything out, and they would likely be exactly the same person, allowing of course for the natural aspects of human emotions to come into consideration. In other words, greater joy and greater suffering are still a part of dealing with events that happen to us during this lifetime on earth. However, their contentment will allow them to always keep a perspective about the things that happen to them. They control their reactions to the things that happen to them, rather being held hostage or controlled by them.

Where does contentment come from? How do we get it? That is the question that most people would love to know the formula to. It seems that people that live their lives as “givers” rather than “takers” have a good start to finding real contentment. The Bible says it is better to give than to receive and I think the notion of unselfishness is a very important aspect of contentment. Certainly when we are focused on helping others who are less fortunate than ourselves, in whatever endeavor we may find ourselves engaged with, we are aligning with the power of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ himself, who said he didn’t come to be served, but rather to serve. The Apostle Paul was pretty much the poster child for contentment, able to find a lasting peace even in the midst of his often dire circumstances. In the letter he wrote to the Philippians, he mentions in chapter 4 that “I have learned to be content in whatever the circumstances.” Where did he get that deep contentment from? He goes on to say “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry. Whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through him who gives me strength.” Who is the one that Paul is referring to that gives him strength? It is the Lord, Jesus Christ. Paul’s ability to stay focused on the promises of his eternal destiny, Heaven, allowed him to deal with anything that this world had to throw at him with a deep sense of contentment. Not many people have suffered as many apparent hardships as Paul did. He mentions some of them in 2^nd Corinthians 11 “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes, minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once pelted with stones, three times Shipwrecked.” The list goes on and on. Paul’s life seems like a never ending horror show that could best be named “What could possibly happen next?” Yet he was able to find a deep and unimaginable contentment.

Can we learn from Paul’s trials to help us find contentment in our own lives? I believe we most certainly can. Paul was not focused entirely on the here and now, but on the then and there called Heaven. He knew his destiny, he stayed incredibly focused on his calling and he let no one or no thing steal his inner joy. I imagine he had moments of serious depression and doubt, just like we all do. I imagine he was beyond lonely and tired in his daily struggles, just as we get. He was in physical pain and hungry often. That cannot feel good. He was in constant danger from a multitude of foes who wanted him out of the picture, which probably made it hard for him to ever rest or relax. Sometimes we are dealing with stressful things in our lives that rob us of our sleep and lead to a heavy fatigue. But here’s the thing that Paul did that is also available to all of us; He refused to focus for very long on his problems and instead focused on the solution of the salvation promised to him in Christ Jesus. When you serve a mighty God, your problems seem quite small. When you have no God, or nothing to bring lasting faith, hope and joy into your life, your problems will always be enormous and contentment will be elusive.

I am convinced that lasting happiness or contentment is impossible apart from God. When God is removed from your life, or from a society, the weightlessness and chaos that ensues is impossible for us to strive in. Look at the history of the Jewish people. When they were living faithfully to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, their land and their existence flourished and prospered. When they turned away from their God, in their own pride thinking that they new a better path, the pain they endured was astronomical. If everything that happens to us in our life is leading to the same dead end, than we are to be pitied more than any creatures that have ever lived on this earth. But I don’t believe that is the case for one second. God’s word tells us that is not the case and my own experiences have reinforced to me that there is indeed a point to all of the experiences we endure on this side of eternity. That is for each of us to learn in our own unique way and on our own unique path. By focusing on the Master and the Creator of our existence, contentment is possible and here’s why: Because God is love. He loves us. We are His children. He loved us before the earth was ever formed and He will continue to love us for all of eternity. It is this simple fact that can lead us to a place of deep and abiding contentment. Bad things happen to good people in this world. I don’t fully understand why. I know that we live in a fallen, sinful world that was corrupted in the Garden of Eden. You don’t believe that, just watch the nightly news any day of the week and ask yourself after almost any story, how could a person do that to another person? I also know that God had a redemption plan that is the greatest love story of all time to save His people from the death that our sin deserved in His righteous eyes. That plan was to send His one and only Son, Jesus, to die on a cross for redemption of our sin debt, which we alone could never pay, so we could be reconciled back to Him for all of eternity. Talk about a great romance novel! The whole Bible is God’s love story for humanity playing out right before our very eyes to save us from our sinfulness and shame. Because He loved us so much that He would stop at nothing to save us and redeem us with an everlasting hope and joy, then yes, contentment is possible on this earth. You just have to know where to look. Keep looking up!

Ordinary People. Extraordinary Feats.

Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.

Bible Verse of the Day: Joshua; 1:9 " Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

I was watching a movie with my young kids the other night called Ratatouille and even though I had seen the movie several times before, a certain line caught my attention.The little rat who was leading an aspiring chef's every move in the kitchen as he led him to a legendary status in the French culinary establishment was helping the young chef to overcome his fears and doubts that he had what it took to become a great chef. He told him " not everyone who wants will become a great chef, but a great chef can come from anyone." In other words, he shouldn't think that he couldn't become something he dreamed of being just because of his own fears and doubts. He should leave it up to others to decide if he was great or not and his job was to just try to do his best, and let the chips fall where they may. Although it wasn't stated this way, he was telling the young man to have faith and to trust in something greater than himself.

I started thinking of all of the times in my life where I have let self doubt or fear cripple my dreams before I even gave them a chance to come to fruition. The little voice that tells me that I don't have the pedigree or the background or the following to achieve something I desire has shipwrecked dreams before they have even taken root. That lack of confidence is capable of paralyzing even the most thoughtful of plans.

But the Bible is full of stories that should inspire me and you to try our best at whatever we endeavor to achieve and to leave the rest up to God. When we look at obstacles in our own strength and knowledge, it is easy to become fearful or discouraged. But when we look at things that stand in our way as obstacles that God can help us overcome, we are instantly aligned with a force in the universe that is so much greater than what we can imagine or understand. In our verse of the day, God is reminding Joshua to trust not in himself, and his capabilities or lack there of, but in God. God also has a still, small voice that says you can do it if you rely on me, through prayer, for strength and guidance. Philippians 4:13 reminds is that " we can do all things though Him who gives us strength." We see hurdles; God sees opportunities to glorify himself in our weakness. Isaiah 55: 8-9 reminds us that God ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts so much greater than our thoughts.

Can you imagine the complete shock and awe of Moses, David and Goliath, to name a few Bible heroes, when God let them know through various means and ways that they were to be vessels through which God would display his incredible strength and glory?  Moses said to God, you must have the wrong man, I am a murderer and suffer from a speech impediment. How can you use me to lead your people out of slavery? David was the least likely of Jesse's sons to be chosen by Samuel as the one who was to be anointed King of Israel. So much so that he wasn't even included in the original bake-off.  His brothers openly scoffed at him when he ran to the battle line to take on the giant Goliath. They told him to get them some food and to go back to the farm. They had known him only as their little shepherd brother, not as the man that God was going to use to crush Goliath and the Philistine's mighty army. Gideon was so shocked that the Angel of the Lord told him he was going to be the one who lead the destruction of the powerful Midianites that he needed a sign from the Lord himself. He then stood in disbelief as God whittled his army from 32,000 down to 300 and said to him now you are in a position to win. How? Gideon must have been stunned.

They, like you and I would, were thinking there must have been a mistake or they would be second guessing whether or not they were losing their minds. Certainly all of those around them could not grasp what was happening. They could do nothing else but doubt, mock and ridicule what God was doing in and through them. But all of these heroes of the Bible had a few common traits that they leaned on when being called by God, after they had gotten over their own disbelief. They surrendered to the will of God even though they didn't fully understand it. They were willing and available. They were humble and they ultimately saw the obstacles and battles not as their own, but as God's.

These stories should give us great hope. There is a Biblical road map and a process that we can follow to help us to overcome our own fears and doubts when tackling our own personal giants. We must surrender to His will, through prayer and time spent in His word. We must be willing to be used by God. We must be humble. We must not lean on our strength or understanding, but trust fully in His. We will not all be used in mighty ways to accomplish God's big purposes, but we can all be confident that God will be with us in and through our own personal struggles. God uses ordinary people like us to do extraordinary things so He can get all the glory. Ask Gideon. People will not understand it. We will not understand it. But He will accomplish His goals and do it in a way that makes the most people scratch their heads. Why did He do it that way? Why did He use that person? Someone whom I admire greatly told me the other day that the two words we will use the most in Heaven are " of course." Once we are able to have a greater vision of how God operates and how "He works everything out for good for those who love Him," as stated in Romans 8:28, we will then say of course that is why He did it that way. Of course that is why He used that person.

There are so many things that can enslave us in this world, be it addiction, abuse, abandonment, financial calamities or loneliness. There is only one thing that can set us free and that is to know and trust the love of the Lord and the plans He has for our lives. Jeremiah 29:11 says " For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you; plans to give you hope and a future." Our job is to trust Him even when all we can see are the valleys or the obstacles. It is then we learn to rely on Him alone and it is then we are in position to be used mightily by God to glorify Him. One day it will all make sense!

Too Blessed to Complain or a Life of Sour Hours

11-11-13

Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.

Bible Verse of the Day: Psalm 42:1 " As the Deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, Oh God."

How we look at the things that happen to us is of much greater importance than what actually happens to us. We can have the best attitude even when going through trying times and it will help us greatly in dealing with our difficulties. Likewise, We can be blessed beyond words yet still mope around all of our days feeling like the world still owes us something. In either case, the choice is up to us. We get to control very little in this world, but the things we can control can make all the difference in how we live our lives. The single most important thing we can control is our attitude. Our attitudes definbe our destiny's.

The Bible is full of stories that exemplify the truth of how our attitudes can shape our ultimate destiny. If anyone ever had a reason to be bitter or angry, it was Joseph; Sold into slavery by his own brothers, falsely accused of hitting on Potiphar's wife, imprisoned in the horrible Egyptian jails. Man, did Joseph have a reason to be mad at God. But rather than spend his time grousing about his lot, he continued to praise God and keep his focus on the loving nature of the God he knew would rescue him someday. He refused to let himself spend his hours feeling sour, but instead focused on the character of God to sustain him and give him hope. What a role model Joseph is for us when we are doubting ourselves or are bitter with the circumstance we find ourselves in. Like Joseph, we can also choose to focus on our blessings in God rather than on all the things that we feel betrayed about.

Imagine Jesus, on the night that He was going to be betrayed, still stopped and found time to give thanks and even break bread with his guys, some of which He knew were about to let him down beyond belief. Impetuous Peter and sly Judas were still given the same loving treatment as all the other Disciples even though Jesus was fully aware that in a short time, Peter would deny him and Judas would betray him. Jesus was so aware of His Father's plans and purposes that nothing could come between him and his mission on this earth. He wasn't about to let some human frailties come between Him and his last few hours on this earth. He overcame his fears by casting his eyes on the Lord and giving thanks for what He had done and was about to do to reconcile the world back to the Father through His death on the cross.

 I don't think I can ever fully comprehend or approach that type of humility and faithfulness in my lifetime, but maybe I can stop and pause in my difficult times to focus on the things that I am aware of that I have been blessed with. The list is quite long, if only I would focus more on it; Freedom, health, a good job, a loving and beautiful family, a relationship that is ever growing with a loving God. Even the little things like a sunrise or sunset, the playfulness and loyalty of a dog, taking a risk and enjoying it, some good music and a nice glass of wine. I can choose to focus on these things or I can focus on all the things I which I had, but don't. That will only lead to a woe is me, this life is no good type of attitude. Who wants to be around that?

We attract people to us and likewise repel people from us based on out attitudes. We can witness for Christ most effectively when we are appreciative for what we have, or when we handle difficult seasons of our life with grace and dignity. People are always watching our behaviors and will want to know how we are able to deal with abundance or lack in the same manner and with the same consistency and joy. We will be able to then talk about how God is our compass, our rock and our redeemer and we are just focusing our eyes on Him.

 Life isn't about having what you want, it is about wanting what you have. I can always choose how I respond to any situation in my life. Sometimes I get depressed and I make mistakes with how I respond to certain disappointments in my life. But through Christ, I am learning to enjoy the day's blessings for what they are, and trying to overlook the betrayals and my own shortcomings. I can look at anything that happens in my life and say I am too blessed to complain. I can carry the joy of my Lord and Savior deep in my heart for all to see, letting his light and love shine through me like an hour glass. Or I can spend my time bemoaning the sour hours of my perception of what the world owes me. In those instances, the list of things to complain about can also seem endless. The great thing about living this life is I alone get to choose how I view my life and the world, and so do you. Too BLESSED to complain or sour hours? The choice is mine. And yours.

Deeper. Always deeper.

10-6-13

Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.

Bible verse of the day: Psalm 42:7  " Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

I have been going through one of the most intensive processes in my life of self examination and repentance in my walk with the Lord over the last few weeks and it has produced a myriad of emotions. I have asked the Lord, as King David did in Psalm 139:23-24, to "search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." God is always faithful and He has been revealing quite a lot to me during this period from some of the areas of my life that I haven't even been aware were in such desperate need of my repentance and His forgiveness. Some of the things He has revealed have been surprising, humbling, sad, joyful, liberating, energizing and hopeless.

The one truth that has constantly been present in my time with the Lord is the idea that there is always a deeper and more intimate relationship that the Lord our God seeks with us, His children. God is not jealous of us, but He is jealous for us and He desires that we spend more time in his presence so that we can begin to assume the character and traits of His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. He gives us a glimpse of this desire in 2nd Corinthians 3:18 which says, "and we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

 In order to be transformed by something or someone, we must first spend time with the thing or person that we wish to be transformed by. God wants us to spend time with Him alone so that He can reveal hidden truths to us. We are in bondage and He wants to set us free, but to be free from something we first must realize that there is a problem and truthfully admit that it exists. Alone time in the presence of the Lord is where God can do His surgical work on our hearts and souls. He can reveal deeper truths about His intentions, our understanding, or lack thereof, His level of forgiveness, our level of sinfulness. He can show us many things about how deep His love is, how He never stops pursuing us, how deep we need to forgive others as He has forgiven us. Spending time alone in His presence is like a getting a PHD in wisdom from the Creator of the Universe. He can quickly break into our kingdoms of selfishness and pride and reveal to us how far apart "His ways are from our ways and His thoughts are from our thoughts," as Isaiah 55:5:8-9 says.

I have been amazed at the subtle areas of my sinful pride that have been revealed during these alone times with Him. It is easy to spot anger, greed and lust, but my delusions of being in control of situations, which has led me to feel anxious as I am trying to accomplish things on my own strength or for others to validate me, rather than to bask in the Lord's glory and strength, has been revealing. Always deeper are His revelations, and always more humbling is the repentance required by me. But the deeper the humbling, the more freedom I find on the other side of that experience. We as Christians are required to repent on a regular basis. Not so God can humiliate us, but rather so the power of His grace can be seen and felt in our lives. James 4:6 says " God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 

Our sin can destroy our lives and our testimony, but His grace, mercy and forgiveness can restore us. I feel like the deeper I get with the Lord, and the more vulnerable I am willing to be, the more His grace can wash over me and bring new energy into my being. He alone can take an area of my life that is dead, and create new fruit and beauty out of the barrenness, once it has been healed by His amazing grace. That makes me crave my time alone with the great Physician. The deep revelations give way to greater wisdom and healing. He always wants what is best for me. I just need to show up to the appointments, so the healing and restoration can take place. Being honest with myself and admitting how great my sin is and how desperate I am for Him is the great struggle. He responds with Deeper love, mercy and grace than I could ever imagine.I find myself stunned by the depth of His love, which is endless. He implores me to trust Him more and surrender more, so He can take me deeper into our relationship. His goal is simple, yet profound. Always deeper!

The Great Paradox: Forever Hungry, yet Forever Satisfied

September 2, 2013

Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.

Bible verse of the day: Matthew 7:7 " Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

All of Christianity at it's core is paradoxical and that is part of the great mystery that God has prepared for us. The teachings of Jesus Christ from 2,000 years ago are still as relevant today as they were then and just as hard to comprehend, let alone to live out in the fallen world that we live in. We want to be satisfied, pleasured, catered to and taken care of on our terms and in our time. That is the truth. But the real Truth cries out for a different realty. Serve others first. The first shall be last and the last shall be first. The meek shall inherit the earth. We gain territory by yielding it. Love your neighbor as yourself. We can't do it by ourselves. Our power is made perfect in weakness. His grace is sufficient for us. Be still. Rest. Wait a second. What is the Bible telling us to do? Pretty much everything that is the polar opposite of what the world is telling us to do.
Anything so different leaves you hungry for more. There are times I simply crave more of what Jesus says, does and teaches us. There are also times where breakthroughs happen and it all makes sense, totally relevant to what my current struggles may look like and or just the right word at the right time. In those moments, the satisfaction meter is 100%. I can't feel any more content. Nothing in the world would add to the wisdom of eternity falling down upon my shoulders.

But those moments don't ever seem to last for as long as I wish they would, no does my humanity allow me to humbly live them out the way I wish I could; the way that Jesus mirrored for us. And that leaves me hungry for me. More answers, more finding. more wisdom, more growth. It never really ends does it? The more Jesus teaches us, the more wisdom we gain, the more we see how it brings peace into our lives and satisfaction that we are loved by the Creator of the world and His Son, the more we crave more! SATISFIED, YET HUNGRY FOR MORE! Sometimes we can even learn to rest and "let the peace that surpasses all understanding, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." ( Philippians 4:7) Oh if only the "next thing" would stay away for just a little longer, so the peace of resting in Jesus could last a little longer. You know, the next sales call, the next lost deal, the next piece of news of the world falling into utter chaos, the next anxious boss, or spouse, or unhappy child. The next beer or numbing agent of choice to cover our pain. The next thought from the past that still finds space in our attic to haunt us. The next regret.

The Bible verse of the day speaks to our need for interaction with Christ on a regular basis as necessary. Why? For our own sanity and peace! When we ask, He does answer. When we seek, we do find. When we knock, the door is opened. Not always in the way we expect. Not always in our timing. Not always as a cosmic vending machine, given us all we say or think we want. But always does He give us what we need! Sometimes we need patience. Sometimes we need pruning. Sometimes we need discipline or to trust Him more. Sometimes we need to be still. But always do we need prayer time with Him. He desires us to pray without ceasing ( Thessalonians 5:17 ) Why? Because He loves us and desires us to spend time alone with Him in His presence so He can teach us, guide us, love us. Why is that so hard for me sometimes. Do I crave alone time with myself? Yes, even though there are many times when I can't even stand being around myself. My spouse, my kids, my friends? Yes. Then why not even more so with the God of the Universe, My Creator and Redeemer? My Lord and Savior. My Eternal Father who knows what I need from Him before I even think it?

When I seek Him with all my heart, I will find Him. I always do. He never moves. I know His address. He is like 7-11, always open. In those moments when I  get it and put all my distractions aside and seek the best this life has to offer, His wisdom, peace and love, I can find true satisfaction. Satisfaction so great it leaves me hungry for more. Forever Hungry, Forever Satisfied. The great paradox of Christianity. A puzzle, inside a riddle, wrapped in an enigma. I wouldn't want it any other way. Oh wait a minute. Yes I would. I would want it my way. Frank Sinatra sang about it. Pride is a tough beast to slay. God, help me to truly want it your way. That is where true freedom and peace lay. Surrender begins when we admit we don't have all the answers, or even know all the questions. But you do Jesus. Help us to surrender to your marvelous mystery. Today!