Love

How do you define love? Recall when it was defined as “puppy love”? We were experiencing a new feeling, a wonderful emotion. As we grew, so did our definition of love. I am still growing in my understanding of love. Think about how you might explain God’s love for us? It was first given when we did not deserve it. His love is constant for us even when we are unlovely. His love is greater than we can understand. What is our response?

John 3:16 (NIV)

16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

She Brings Good!

I was talking to a good friend this past week, who was on the search committee that hired me at the last church where I served. As we were talking, my wife’s name came up in the conversation. He remarked that the only reason they hired me and kept me for as long as they did, was due to my wife. If one of us were called a “keeper”, it defiantly would be her. I am very blessed. Do you bring good to your spouse, to others, and to God?

Proverbs 31:10-12 (NIV)

10 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.

12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

The Unexpected

As much as we can predict and plan for life, we never know how things are going to play out.

That is why it’s so important to trust the only One who does know what lies ahead and who has planned for it accordingly. Our great and mighty God has ordained each of our days—past, present, and future—and has equipped us to handle every challenge that comes our way. Before the beginning of time, He saw your and my journeys. And when we understand that, we become free to walk in confidence and security knowing that nothing will come our way that, with our Father, we cannot handle.

"All my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began." –Psalm 139:16b

The Proof is in the Pudding

We have some great cooks in our church. When a particular cook brings their dish to a dinner, I strive to make sure I get a good portion on my plate. There is a difference between home-made and instance or microwave. One can taste the effort that is put into their dish. God challenges us to test Him and his actions. He will not disappoint us when His dish for us is finished.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the person who takes refuge in Him!” Psalm 34:8

Marco Polo

Marco Polo was a swimming pool game that I enjoyed playing as a kid. My friends and I played the game at the community pool that always was crowded with many loud and excited people. In order to determine where my friends were when I was it, I had to be very still to hear their voices over the noise in the pool. I find that life is a lot like that game. There is so much noise in our world today that it is hard at times to hear from the Lord.

Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

What Time Are You On?

We don’t always know the reasons for God’s timing, but we can always be at peace that when God does something is often just as import as what He does.

If you’re waiting for God to do something, don’t despair – trust God and His timing.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Trust the Trim

When I was in high school, I took flying lessons. My instructor taught me the value of trusting the trim. To maintain a constant altitude was a lot easier once you adjusted the trim on the plane. It is similar to an automatic pilot. Once set, the plane will fly at a set altitude unless the wind changes of the pilot over rides the trim.

Carrie Underwood sings a song titled, “Jesus Take the Wheel”. When we accept Jesus as our savior, we need to make Him the Lord of our lives. We need to trust Him as the Trim and take our hands off the wheel.

Matthew 10:37-39 (NIV)

37 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;

38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Hide and Seek

My guess is that you have played a game of “hide and seek”. My 4-year-old grandson loves to play that game with me. Now his hiding is like that Geico Insurance commercial, where people have no place to hide in a desert. Unless he is hiding in one of his older brother’s spots, the only thing keeping me from finding him right away is my lack of looking. My passion for the hunt does not rival his passion for the game. It is very easy for me to get distracted in looking for him.

Satan is the great deceiver. His desire is to distract us from seeking God and His will. What might be keeping you from looking for God today?

Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Spring House Cleaning

Spring is here. Outside the sun is shinning and the freezing weather is, if not gone, soon to be gone. This is the time that most of us plan to clean up around the house. How about taking time to see what needs to be cleaned up in our lives? It is important to evaluate our spiritual walk. Where is improvement needed? Check your live against the fruits of the spirit.

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

Satisfaction is in the Mind

So often in our lives, we allow our performances to control our attitudes and let a poor performance steal our joy. We think if only we get the accolades, we will be happy. When we finally reach our goals, we are happy for a day or two, then set higher goals, always wanting more, never satisfied.

" Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8

Work up a Sweat

I am amazed how many people will spend the time and energy to work up a sweat in the gym. Yet, when more important issues arise, people seem not to invest the same work ethic. We are to work unto the Lord. I believe that this means to put forth the effort it takes to do a job worthy of our Lord. So, don’t let sweat stop you from giving honor to our Savior.

See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job's endurance and have seen the outcome that the Lord brought about-the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

James 5:11

Living up to your name

Joy is a wonderful friend who works at the convenient store where we meet for prayer. Her grandfather gave her the name she to live up to. From my perspective she is very successful in exhibiting joy. At 6:00 in the morning, she will welcome you with a warm and cheerful smile. During the early church days, believers were given the name Christian because of their lifestyle. How will you live up to that name at 6:00 am or pm with everyone who walks into your path?

1 John 2:5-6 CSB

[5] But whoever keeps his word, truly in him the love of God is made complete. This is how we know we are in him: [6] The one who says he remains in him should walk just as he walked. …

Perfect House

From the time I was a teenager I have been dreaming up the perfect house. Over the years I have redesigned the floor plans. I have seen many houses, that others have built, that have impacted my dream house. I have concluded that there is no perfect house on this side of Heaven. God’s plans are greater and higher than any plan we collectively come up with. Jesus is preparing the best for us, the perfect house.

John 14:1-3 CSB

[1] … “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe a in God; believe also in me. [2] In my Father's house are many rooms; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. [3] If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. …

Faith, Hope and Love

Most of us can find where these three words, faith, hope and love, are found in the scriptures. We probably talk more about faith and love than we do about hope. I am thankful for each of these gifts from God, but I want to focus this morning on hope. When I seem to be at the end of the rope, hope is what gets me through. When I can’t seem to overcome it is again hope that gets me through. I love that old hymn, “What a friend we have in Jesus.” To me the best line in that song is “take it to the Lord in prayer.” God doesn’t give up on us. He wants us to overcome the things of this world. He gives us the power to have the victory in our weakness.

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Take It To The Lord In Prayer

When is that last time you reacted to someone else’s actions? There have been times that my reaction to a situation was not the best action. Not only did I embarrass myself, but also let down the Lord whom I am to honor and serve. Yes, at times people do stupid things. Their actions should not move us to also do things that we will cause embarrassment to our Lord. That wonderful old hymn, Take it to the Lord in Prayer, is a great way to handle any situation.

Proverbs 3:5-7 (NIV) 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.

Names

When I receive a letter with Dear Occupant on the front, I tend to ignore the letter. When someone calls my name, they usually get my attention. When my mom would call me by my first and middle name, she defiantly got my attention. God has a message, a purpose for each of us. He doesn’t address us as occupant. He not only knows our name, but He calls us by name. Did you hear Him calling you this morning with the plans He has for you? If not, I want to encourage you to spend time with Him now.

Isaiah 43:1 (NIV)

1 But now, this is what the LORD says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

Following Blindly

This morning I found myself sitting at a traffic light facing east. The sun was in my eyes so that I could not see the traffic light. I was behind another vehicle, which I chose to blindly follow. Ever wonder who might be following you blindly? There are times that others might not be able to see the right path or the right timing to make a move, so they follow you. I trusted the driver in front of me to go at the right time. Are you leading rightly?

Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)

14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

When we mess up

We will make mistakes, but those mistakes don’t disqualify us from experiencing God’s promises. Unlike our human affections, God’s love never fails and never ends. No matter how many times we’ve failed or disappointed God, He never stops loving us. However, don’t mistake God’s discipline for Him giving up on you.

Romans 8:38-39

“neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Attitude

As a former school teacher, my wife would ask her students, “How is your PMA?” Positive mental attitude has a lot to do with how our day will go. Last night, my PMA was very bad. If I did not change it, I would be in big trouble. I am a minister after all! Knowing that I needed to change it wasn’t the answer as I did not want to change it. Have you been there? It is only when I realized that I need help that I found my answer to my attitude issue.

Psalm 146:5 (NIV)

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,

This verse spoke very loudly to me. My help would come from God if I placed my hope in Him. This God of Jacob who did great and mighty things in Jacob’s life is the same God that I have. I needed to allow Him to help me with my attitude. I am blessed because of who my Lord is.

Time

A good friend of mine told me that their timing seem to be off. I think they should’ve said, I’ve been focusing on me and my time, not God’s time.

There are many times that I do not understand God’s timing. It’s at that time, walking by faith seems to be the hardest.

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to End