Living It Out

   This morning, out walking in the still cold weather, I ran into a friend out to check his heat pump and to get his morning paper. In the course of the conversation, we talked about the travel situations in Atlanta during the Tuesday snow in the South.

   He mentioned that Birmingham was as fouled up as Atlanta, but just was not in the news as much as Atlanta, probably because the Weather Channel was not headquartered there. In talking about that Alabama city, my friend also mentioned the story of the Chic Fil A store that went above and beyond the call of duty in helping stranded motorists. The story is here is you have not already heard:

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/01/29/chick-fil-gives-free-food-to-motorists-stranded-in-southern-snowstorm/

   At the end of the article, the owner gave this testimony of the "whys" of their actions:

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,” Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew. “I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.”

It was a Sunday school lesson illustrated on a snowy winter day along Highway 280 in Alabama with a chicken sandwich and a side of waffle fries.

   How many of us, those who call ourselves Christian, would have even thought to do that? How many of us even think that way?

   I'm sure the emotions on that snowy day among the people caught on that freeway ran the gamut, from despair, to rage, to frustration to most anything else, and that could have included the owner and staff of that one eatery. But they chose to serve, and that made all the difference.

   Difference in the lives of those who were served, those who heard about those acts of kindness, and those who were privileged to be on that serving team.

   I'm grateful for the fact that I ran into that friend this morning, and I am grateful for people who live out what they believe. Their example is a beacon in an otherwise snowy and frustrated world.

   The power of a chicken sandwich

 ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

Giving Thanks

   I woke up this morning with thanks on my mind, and it all relates to what we found out about our weather yesterday.

   We struggle with the things that go on with our plans. It is OK to make plans, but our problems stem from being disappointed when what we plan does not work.

   There is no way to tell what might have been our day yesterday. We did not travel, but we can see what happened in those areas that we had to travel through in order to get to our destination. We can see the pictures of the gridlock on the highways, and we can be thankful that we were not there in the middle of it.

   But I look at that traffic, and I feel the stress that those motorists must have been going through. Why am I out here? What is the use? How can I use any of this time productively? What about my family? What about any passengers that are traveling with me? Stress and wondering, along with possibly beating myself up over the whys of how I got here.

   Sure, we did not get to where we planned to be, but there is a noticeable lack of stress when you are sitting at home, warm and snug, watching and thinking what might have been.

   So I give thanks for a decision to stay home, a decision that I prayed much about, and one that I felt was the right one to make in our particular circumstance.

   And, even though the decisions of this new day are not as pressing, will I still take the same attitude of one step at a time, following the arrow of God's leadership, or just slide through the day with no thought of what God might want me to do with these hours that I have?

   The hours that will pass through today will not come again. My prayer is not only of thanks about yesterday, but one of looking for how to use the ones of today, for Him.

   Is it wasting time to work that partially completed puzzle that is sitting on the counter? It seems to be calling my name.

   If that is the arrow for right now, I also need to keep my senses open for another arrow if it appears. One bad thing about going where it points is camping there and not caring about the next one.

   Even being obedient to that first sign is not enough. It is a start, but, as long as we are alive, there will be more, and true obedience is following all of them, as they show up.

   One puzzle piece (or arrow) at a time......

 

It All Seemed So Simple, But...

   When I sat down yesterday, with some decisions hanging over me, and as I thought about that "Arrow" picture that I had taken, the whole trust and follow idea seemed to just flow out of my mind and onto the screen of my blog. It seemed so simple, to just see that arrow and take it one step at a time, and follow where it led.

   And I felt comfortable living that way, yesterday.

   But then comes this morning, and my thoughts are all jumbled up. I followed yesterday, and I stand on the threshold of yet another day. A day that will hold more decisions, some mundane, some more profound perhaps, but I can't wrap my head around them.

   I read in the Moravian Daily Text words like "pilgrimage" and read stories like that of Jacob fleeing Esau, going to his mother's people in a far away land on a journey. It relates to me in a way that says that, even a journey like that in my plans, is in fact a small part of the "big journey" of life that I am trying to navigate.

   And I felt comfortable living that way, yesterday.

   If I felt so good about the direction yesterday, and yet feel so "up in the air" this morning, what is God trying to show me? Does a day of trust automatically mean that I've got it from now on?

   Maybe God gave me a clue, but I did not really embrace the lesson.

   There is that arrow again. It still speaks of a journey, and it speaks of a direction, and there is still only one of them. I took its meaning yesterday and thought I had learned. But that was yesterday, and I did feel good about it, and comfortable.

   Just maybe I should have made this arrow larger, and then I would have followed its meaning better and with more confidence.

   But that was yesterday, and today I need the lesson again.

   Oh, God, please be patient....

 

Only One Arrow

   I come to this time, this morning, with decisions to make. What to do, where to go, when to go, and I look for answers in what I read, in what comes to my mind. Everyday decisions, not earth shattering, one chance decisions, but ones that I want to get right.

   In the course of my reading several passages and in the things that they led me to on the internet, there was this song by Avalon, entitled "I Don't Want to Go", the refrain from this contains the lines:

   I don't want to go somewhere 
If I know that You're not there,
'Cause I know that me without You is a lie.
And I don't want to walk that road,
Be a million miles from home,
Cause my heart needs to be where You are.
So I don't want to go.

   In my mind, and in my comfortable surroundings, I don't want to go, but?

   And then I think about my real question: Do I just not want to leave my comfort zone because I just don't know how the days will pan out if I do take that road?

   I thought about a picture that I took one day in downtown Brunswick, why I don't know, I just did, but it says something to me right now.

   It is only one arrow, pointing up that street. Only one, not a series of signs pointing the way to wherever, only one.

   I want to look up and see more arrows, and most of all see the place they lead to, but in my shot, I see only one.

   But I want to know more, the lay of the land, the weather, the people that inhabit that space, the situations that will arise, all the reasons that will emerge, but there is only one arrow.

   Is that enough?

   If He is there, it is.

   Go and live out the arrow, one day at a time, looking for the next arrow, living it out and trusting the One who put it there.

What Do I Look Like?

   I thought about a lot of things as I went through my reading this morning, but the most prevalent thought was about love. Specifically about how I show love for others.

   One verse in particular comes to my mind: John 13:35 (The Message)

“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”

   So this is how the world outside the church can see who Christians are: Loving One Another

   Does that mean that I am to look around and love those that are like me? How am I to know who are believers and who are not? Do they all have a fish symbol on the back of their car? Do they always smile and say thank you?

   Jesus also says in Matthew 22:

 ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’

   So we are to love the brethren and also love others. That seems to say that love of people is the thing that I should do, most of all.

   I realize this, and then I look at the way I am sitting on this sofa and see a picture of my self.

   Sitting on my hands

   Love is an action verb. I can write about it all day. I can see what the Bible says about it. I can even thank God for His love, but is that it?

   God, help me to live it out in the world today

What Do You Do When You Just Don't Know?

   Sometimes as I read Scripture, I read a familiar passage, one that I have read countless times, then I read it again, and maybe again, then still just don't understand the whys of what I just read. Take this passage from Matthew 9 this morning: (from The Message)

"He touched their eyes and said, “Become what you believe.” It happened. They saw. Then Jesus became very stern. “Don’t let a soul know how this happened.” But they were hardly out the door before they started blabbing it to everyone they met."

   I wanted to make something of the phrase  “Become what you believe.” , but instead Jesus words farther down drew me in:

 “Don’t let a soul know how this happened.” 

   An event like this happened several times in the Gospels, Jesus saying to the healed person, "Don't tell anybody....", and then they did. He even spoke sternly, as in a command, but they did anyway. They did not seem to be able to help themselves. Something happened to them and they wanted people to know of their good fortune.

   I could not put an answer to the question of why Jesus would say that. The Bible just did not give the answer.

   There were opinions on the question out there as I found from a Google search. Blogs and articles abounded that gave someone's opinion on the question. Since they covered a whole spectrum of ideas, the odds were that some could have been correct, but which ones?

   Maybe it is a question that I don't need an answer to. Does it matter if I don't know? Why do I want to know anyway? Curiosity or something more?

   It starts out as more curiosity than anything else, but then I think "maybe this is something that I should know in order to live in the right way".

   I still don't know, but I enjoyed the search and the thinking about it all, and maybe it was all about the search and the reasons behind it.

  So I end my search for today the same way I began it, with a prayer that if it is important for me to know, He will make it plain.

   Questions and Life, a journey that we all live in.

Power In Pebbles

   In Matthew 9, the narrative is about Jesus on his way to see about the daughter of an official of the area. It reads:

"Just then a woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years slipped in from behind and lightly touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, “If I can just put a finger on his robe, I’ll get well.” Jesus turned—caught her at it. Then he reassured her: “Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you’re well.” The woman was well from then on."

   She touched his robe. The Message translates this as "she lightly touched his robe". Just a fleeting touch, just enough to say that she actually did it. Jesus did not tell her what to do, he was still purposefully on his way with the town official. And she was healed.

   In my mind's eye, I think I can see what happens next, but I'm not sure I understand Jesus' words. In the midst of the crowd moving on the road, He turns and speaks quietly to the woman:

“Have courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well.” (NET)

   Not a loud pronouncement of what had just happened, but almost like an aside to her. Then He seems to just walk on His way. She is left there, healed.

   Did she ponder what He had told her? Why had He told her to have courage? What was her life going to be after this miracle?

   He told her to have courage, courage for what?

   She was going back into a life, filled with people who had not been there. They had not seen what she did or heard Jesus' voice. Would they believe what had happened? Was there a reason that she had that might cause her to clam up and just be quiet about the whole thing?

   The Bible is filled with bit players, who enter the Story for a brief moment, and then disappear, never to be heard from again. I would have liked for her to leave a diary of the rest of her life, and what impact this healing had on her, and what her courage, both the touching of His robe and the aftermath, had on her and the people who knew her.

   One small act, a touching, and one quiet word, courage.

   Two small pebbles cast into a lake. How far did the ripples go?

   Don't underestimate the power inherent in a touch or a word.

   We all have pebbles in our hands.

Circumstances and Moods

   Yesterday I had a chance to play golf with some good friends on a good course, and I shot a pretty good score. It was easy to come home and feel good about myself and my day, but I also can remember days when my game was not so good, and I came home with a completely different attitude.

   What is it about my circumstances that causes such a mood change?

   Should it really be that way?

   I did not change who I was, only what I was able to do in a particular situation. If people were around and saw me perform, and said it was good, that would make my day worthwhile.

   This was in the Jesus Calling devotional for today. Remember the way the words are written here, It is Jesus talking to the reader.

"I want you to be all Mine. I am weaning you from other dependencies. Your security rests in Me alone; not in other people, not in circumstances."

   It is not dependency on other people or on circumstances that should be my source of happiness or joy. It is the knowledge that Jesus is guiding, and I have listened.

   In the Psalm reading this morning, there were these words:

"Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!"

   The insinuation in all the verses of Psalms 148, 149 and 150 is that this praise is constant in all seasons. It is an attitude that does not depend on what others say or what circumstance surround my life at a given time. It is a way of life.

   Praise for Him, not for my up and down par on No. 17.

   I need to remember which score counts, His or mine?

Remember this verse, Again

   Just as I was finishing up my walking this morning, a car stopped me as I was turning into the condo complex. A lady asked if I had seen her two dogs. They had escaped her back yard, in spite of all her preparations to keep them in, and she could not find them. I presume that she had gotten up and let them into the yard to do their "business", and had looked out later to find them missing.

   I don't know what her plans were for this morning, but I bet that getting in her car in the cold of this early part of the day and looking for two dogs, who evidently wanted to see the world, was not part of her plan for the day.

   We all make plans. Our calendars are full of stuff that we plan to do, but how do I react when I can't follow the plan and get those things done? Do I get upset, or just say "Oh, Well"? Is either one of those reactions the right one?

   Just last night, Mayre and I sat on the couch and put down some things on our calendar that we wanted to do in the days immediately ahead. We had been thwarted in our plans earlier in December to visit our daughter in Arkansas because of bad weather that had come in front of us as we were halfway there, so we wanted to try it again.

   I even have plans for this day. How will they pan out?

   Are they "my" plans? Do they belong to a larger dimension, one that I can't see all of from my vantage point? Perhaps the more important question is "Are they God's plans"?

   I get back to that verse in Jeremiah 29 that I have used many times before, where God says:

"For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."

   That lady in the car. She told me as she pulled away that now she had a new plan. One that included taking two dogs back to the pound where they had come from. A plan born out of frustration.

   Frustration or Acceptance...two ways to look at a change of plans and maybe even dreams.

   God, first of all, let me ask for Your Plans, and second, the acceptance of any change in mine, knowing full well that I cannot see what is best.

   And don't send me back to the pound, please.
 

Take Heart

   Consider this conversation:

   Person 1: "There are so many things in my life now,  I just don't know what will happen. I'm frightened."

   Person 2: "Never fear, there is light at the end of the tunnel".

   Person 1: "That may be true, but, not only do I not see any light, I can't even find the tunnel".

   In the small Old Testament book of Habakkuk, the prophet writes these words:

"Though the cherry trees don’t blossom
    and the strawberries don’t ripen,
Though the apples are worm-eaten
    and the wheat fields stunted,
Though the sheep pens are sheepless
    and the cattle barns empty,
I’m singing joyful praise to God.
    I’m turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God.
Counting on God’s Rule to prevail,
    I take heart and gain strength.
I run like a deer.
    I feel like I’m king of the mountain!"

   There was not much going right in his life either. Everything seemed to be moving south in a hurry, but he knew who to trust.

"Counting on God’s Rule to prevail,
    I take heart and gain strength."

   Sometimes as I write, a picture comes to mind, one that I have taken. This one seems to illustrate the situation that some I know are going through right now.

   I like this shot mainly because of how it was seen at the time. I was not looking up at the sky as the sun broke out from behind the dark clouds, I took it looking into the water of the lake as it happened.

   But isn't that how it is sometimes? We are looking in the wrong place to see the light. We may only see our reflection in the water, see the uncertainties of our situations, but then, even as we are still looking down, we see the sun coming out from behind those dark clouds.

   God is in control.

   Know Him,

   Know That,

   Take Heart and Gain Strength

From Out Of the Past

   Sometimes social media gets a bad rap, but it does bring up some interesting situations.

   The other day on Facebook (Fb) there appeared in one of my notifications, a suggestion that I might like this other person to be my friend. I recognized the name as a boy who was in my class in grammar school, so I sent him a request to become my Fb friend. When he responded in the affirmative, I sent a note asking about his life since way back when.

   I still have a picture from a 5th grade class, taught by Mrs. Krepps, that has us both in it.

   It is funny how you can go through years in grammar school, and then lose complete track of those that you were so involved with. I count 26 boys and girls in that photo, some I cannot even place, and others that I know I know them, but that is all.

   On the back of the old photograph, all 26 have signed it along with our teacher. Most are names that I recognize. Some I don't, and there are others that I know, but can't put names with faces.

   I believe that we started first grade when we had turned 6 in that year, so that would have made us 11 or so when we entered Mrs. Krepps class in what was most likely 1947. WWII would have just ended, and things were slowly returning to normal after that great conflict.

   I have to wonder about those 66 years or so since we sat down in those 5th grade desks. What turns have those 26 lives taken? Where have they been? How many are still around today?

   Perhaps it is inconsequential, but it would be interesting to me to find out the different paths those kids have taken to get where they are today. Maybe this contact is a start in that direction.

   Fb and social media may not be so bad after all.

 

Who Are You, Really?

   There was a question in John 1 that I wanted to think about this morning:

"And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 

   At first I looked at it as if the question was being asked of me, and I immediately began rehearsing the  roles that I play, but then I thought of another way to take that question:

   When people into my life at a given time, even people that I know well, what if I asked the question, "Who are you?" "What do I need to know about you that would help me relate to you in the right way?"

   I have a few pictures in my files that I entitle faceless portraits, like this:

   That is often the way I relate to people. Who they are and what they might need don't register. They are more like the shadows on the fence, not important at all.

   I am convicted that I just don't care about them at all. When they move or the sun changes its position, they will be gone, and, perhaps an opportunity was lost as well.

   I have been reading a book about Justin. It is his story, and in one section he relates the following incident (edited for brevity).

   "It was nice to have a leader of the ......take an interest in me. This was the first time a Christian leader had taken an interest in me for me, and not for a pretense of setting me straight. It felt good."

   The story proceeds from that point with more conversation and interaction, but the ending tells it all:

   "So much for ..... wanting to know about me and my opinions. None of this was about me, it was about him telling me what he knew I should do. By the end of the time together, I knew exactly where he stood, and he still did not know the first thing about me."

   Oh God, when people come into my life, for a short or long period, let me ask the question, "Who are you?" and then really listen, and care.

   Those shadows on the fence have faces.

 

Fathers, Sons and Grandsons

   Our Virginia family came to visit us recently, and one of the things that we all enjoy is playing together. In the case of the photo below, it was a game of golf that brought three generations of Bowmans together. Grand Dad, Grand Son and Son.

   As I looked as this picture that Dawn, our daughter-in-law sent back to us, I could not believe how much I had turned into my Dad. If I went back and compared my image to his, the similarity would be striking. I guess I should not be surprised, but, until you actually look, you don't notice.

   There was this verse in Psalms 2 this morning:

"The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;"

   There was no doubt that I was related to my dad. The image told it all. But how much would my son and his son look like their Papa years from now? Scary to think of, I know.

   I like the affirmation that God gives in this verse, to all who believe on Him, and I gladly accept all the benefits of this relationship.

   There is a certain amount of pride in my voice when I tell people about my kids and their families. They have done well and accomplished much. When I speak of them, a smile comes readily to my lips, and I know my wife and I are blessed people.

   Then I have to wonder, how much do I look like my heavenly Father, and is there a smile there, too?

   Perhaps sometimes, but His words still are there:

   “You are my Son"

There Can Be Rewards In Following Rabbit Trails

   Recently, a friend of mine challenged me to look into the other side of the Christian-homosexual debate, to look at it from, not the heterosexual side, as my bent would be, but to actually see what the other side thought.

   Without going into the various facets of this debate, I want to share one place that has taken me.

   Looking for an illustration for this journey, I found this photo that I had taken on the golf course one morning. A picture of a trail of mushrooms. The emergence of these fungi from their source below the surface, show a random placement, but a definite direction. Of course you have might have a hard time following unless you know where to start.

   So I begin, first by praying that God would lead me in the way He wanted, and then heading out into the maze of the internet, with all its attendant articles and information.

   This is not about reaching a final answer, but only about the journey, a journey that was not completed in a few hours on a Sunday, but one that continues.

   The internet is a series of prospective rabbit trails. They can go anywhere with just the click of the mouse, and they do. So, I clicked my way along a trail, beginning with a vague reference to Christianity and Homosexuality. After several stops along the way, I found myself at a blog post by a pastor in a small church in California. As I scrolled down, I came to an interview by the editor of World Magazine, conducted with a lady who had been a lesbian and what her conversion to Christianity meant to her.

   Rosaria Butterfield was not bashing the gay side, just relating how her life changed after an encounter with Jesus. She cited several examples of strengths she had gained from her lifestyle, and simply led her audience along the path she had taken. The interview was well done, and she was an articulate speaker. It was a worthwhile listening experience, and I took in the whole thing. It is here if you have the time to listen.

http://shepherdsnotes.com/?p=3517

   After watching this video, I followed the trail to some of her writings this morning, not just about her former lifestyle, but her take on living the Christian Life. Attitudes and Openness on where Jesus can lead any of us, me especially, to live fully for Him and not be sidetracked by any "bullet point of the day".

   There is a lot of junk on the internet, but also the rabbits (and mushrooms) have left some very productive trails, if I am willing to look.

   Click on!

Spanish Moss Strikes Again

   A foggy morning, and so many things that my eyes do not see.

   As I walked past a clump of saw palmetto I could hear the sound of water dripping on the fronds. It was not raining, but the moisture from the humid air was collecting on the fronds and dripping down to the ones on the bottom stems.

   Even as I looked up the path, my vision was limited by the fog, until the distinctive features of distant objects were just faint on the horizon.

   I also noticed the spanish moss, lying on the path, clumps of which had fallen from tree branches. This plant collects water from the air and stores it so that sometimes it gets so heavy that I separates from its branch support and falls. I know I had probably noticed this before, but some of the moss was green, whereas most of the time, as I see it on tree limbs, it is a gray color.

   So, when I got back home, I looked Spanish Moss up on the Internet, to see why some was green and others gray. This is a living plant, getting its nutrients from sources other than the host tree.  Catching the water in the air aids in photosynthesis, and so the green color often shows when there is so much moisture in the air.

   Just because I had not noticed it before did not mean it was not right there, operating on its own schedule of growth.

   I did not see the moisture on the palmetto either, but heard it and realized that it was there.

   I did not see the far objects in the fog, but as I got closer, there they were.

   My vision is limited, and sometimes not even turned on. There are things that I do not see or maybe even choose not to see, but there they are, real and ready to be noticed.

   How much do I miss of God's leading? How much is already there that I just fail to notice?

   I read this morning of how God is already answering prayers even as I pray them. How He has put in motion the solutions to questions and problems or opportunities, that I won't even notice till they are played out.

   Thank You, God, for all You have done, and how all Your plans for me will work out. Help me to see all the results of Your love, even as I see what You have provided in nature.

What's In A Name?

   Why does the mention of Jesus' name invoke such reactions?

   In Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 12, the writer quotes a passage from Isaiah that ends with these words (from The Message):

" the mere sound of his name will signal hope, even
    among far-off unbelievers."

   The mere mention of His Name is a signal, as in reality it still is today, but the reactions are as diverse as they were back in the time of the early church. Remember the religious leaders forbade the early disciples to speak in His Name:

"They called them back and warned them that they were on no account ever again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus."

   How we use the Name of Jesus Christ says a lot about our reactions to its use. These three ways come to my mind right now.

   1. Speaking His name without emotion as in just another historical figure, one who lived and died and did things while serving His time on earth. Perhaps not even acknowledged in that way, but only accepted as a man in some sort of mythology that we can learn lessons from.

   2. Speaking His Name only in derision, as a part of a cursing phrase. I confess that this usage brings a cringe to my soul, and I hate to hear it, even when it is shortened to "Jeez" or some other like word. This flippant usage is an affront to God as well, but the cursing in His Name goes farther than that.

   3. Then there is the reverent, the use of Jesus' Name, spoken in hope, in awe, in ways that affirm what the Bible teaches. He tells us to pray to God in His Name, not as just a mantra to be used to assure God's hearing and acting, but as a reverent acknowledgement of His relationship.

   What is bound up in a name? A lot!

   What is bound up in how we speak that Name or even how we refrain from speaking it? A lot!

   There is a credit card commercial that asks "What is in your wallet?"

   Maybe the proper question might be "What is in my mouth (or your's)".

The Question: Which Hand to Use?

   At the end of the Psalm reading for this morning was this verse. From Psalm 110:5:

"The Lord is at your right hand"

   I can't but think of the image that I used on Monday, the little boy being led by the father, the boy's right hand in the left hand of the other.

   And I realize that the title of the post on Monday will continue on with this one.

   As I raise my right hand to be led by My Heavenly Father, and put it in His left one, I am taking the hand that I use for almost everything, and take it out of play in my life. I am not sure how all of this applies to one who is left-handed, but it says to me, "give up willingly your source of strength and ability to do things and use Jesus'".

   I have tried on occasion to try to use my left hand to do some ordinary things. Things like eating and writing are time consuming and take much effort, so much so that I do not even want to attempt them.

   If I place my right hand in His left, it still leaves two hands free. My left which is my weaker one and His right which symbolizes His strength.

   How often do I want to take my right hand and work my way through the situations of life, when by giving them all to Him, I can use His strength and guidance to do it right the first time.

   An easy lesson to see as I sit here and read right now, but how hard to remember to do it out there where decisions lie. I need help even to raise my hand and ask for help.

   Right or Left?

   Hold on with my left and use my right, or give up and hold on with my right and let His strength be shown in my weakness?

   As Paul writes in II Corinthians 12:9:

"And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me."

   It is not easy to boast about weakness, when it is my own, but it is right.

Guidance

   At the very end of Psalm 48, there is this short phrase:

"He will guide us"

   I guess the reason this struck me this morning is that I had just prayed for this very thing. God gives us many things to enjoy, places, people, foods, and even some abilities. How do I use what he has given to me, even in this latter stage of life? Is there a reason for why I enjoy doing these things, a deeper reason than just enjoyment for myself?

   I believe there is a purpose behind everything that goes on, so I look for this in the things that I spend my time on these days. People might say "hey, you are good at that" or some other affirmation, and that leads to doing more, not just for folks to praise me, but maybe for a higher purpose.

   That is what I want, but I want to be guided in that way of purpose. If I am to spend some hours, maybe a lot of hours, of my time on something, it must include more than just a way to kill time, or even spend it on myself.

   So I pray for guidance, be it sudden and dramatic, or just a steady progression in the right direction, leading to a purposeful end,

   I want to be the boy in the picture, being led, safely and happily in the direction that his dad wants him to go.

   God wants the best for me and for those that I touch, so it stands to reason that He will guide me in that direction if I but ask.

   So I ask, and then I wait for some confirmation of His Will. Then I can take His hand and walk alongside, to where I should head.

   That is the destination where I want to arrive...

   

Not Can I, But Will I?

   While attending a meeting at our church last evening, a meeting regarding the practice of discipleship, first of all in my own life, and then in the life of the church, I saw in my own mind, a picture of open hands.

   What did this mean in the context of what I was hearing from the platform? Why this thought and picture right then?

   And why this thought returning to me this morning?

   Well, I am due to go back for the concluding sessions this morning, and I catch a glimpse of the intended meaning of the open hands. I see a sack, it looks like a bag of money, but it has writing on it that says "My Life". I sense that that bag is to be placed in those hands, not only put there, but left there for good.

   The thoughts from last evening are backed up this morning in the reading of a devotional entitled, The So-Reign Challenge, where the question is asked, "Is God Sovereign or Not?", and it applies to that scene.

   Trusting that God has worked in my life up to this point, do I leave the bag of my life in His hands, or do I try to take it back and work things out in my own way, doing what I want to do with His words and the picture He has presented?

   I know that God is Sovereign, and that He wants the best for my life. That would include my situations and all the people who occupy space in those. Do I trust Him enough to leave that bag in his hands? Even though I know nothing that will happen as even this day goes on, can I trust enough to just let it happen and look for His hand in it?

   I'll do my best, with His help.

 

True, Effective Leadership

   Waking up this morning, somewhat later than what I wanted to, probably because I stayed up too late last night, my first thoughts were on the activities of this day. I reviewed the schedule in my mind, even before I sat down in this, my supposed "quiet time". As I took up the routine of prayer before beginning anything, I realized that I had already begun to plan my day, even before asking God's guidance for my thoughts and actions.

   It is hard to shoehorn all that goes on in an active mind back into a life that wants to be led by God, but has a hard time getting into a following mold.

   So, I sit down to pray, and as I write out my petitions to God, I find myself hearing the words of a hymn that I have sung many times in the past. Maybe it is not so prevalent in our church's music repertoire, but there it was in my mind:

   Lead On, O King Eternal, words by Ernest Shurtleff, written back in 1887.

   As I read the words and thought about their appropriateness in my life right now, I realized that, although I had been put in various places of leadership, those places were not as important as the leader I was following. I might take them to be, but this was pride coming out.

   Marching out, leading the band to do great things, even in a good cause, has a certain aura to it, but following a real leader is the most important area of leadership. Whom I follow is more the determinate of true success than what I do.

   What words of the hymn spoke to me?

2. Lead on, O King Eternal,
Till sin's fierce war shall cease,
And holiness shall whisper
The sweet amen of peace;
For not with swords' loud clashing,
Or roll of stirring drums;
With deeds of love and mercy
The heav'nly kingdom comes.

   Not the fanfare, not the great accomplishments, if there be any, but how are they done?\

With deeds of love and mercy
The heav'nly kingdom comes.

   In love and in mercy, quietly and maybe in secret, but done.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done

A Prayer for a New Day and a New Year

   From Psalm 103 this morning:

" Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

   And from the pen of Matt Redman, a portion of the lyrics from a song:

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

   And the chorus from this song, 10,000 Reasons:

Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

   And a question from my mind: How can I bless God? It is He that is doing the blessing, not me or anyone else.

   From another source, I read that the Hebrew word for blessed, and the word for knee seem to come from the same source, thus implying that as I humble myself on my knees before God, and show gratitude for His blessings, I do bless Him for all He has done.

   So the song that I sing early in the morning is sung in humility for all that He has done for me, all that I could have never done for myself, and my prayer is that this will be my attitude all through the day, so that the same song will still be on my lips when the day is done.

   Now that would be a Blessed Day, and a great way to begin this New Year.

   Let it be so....