Growing or Going

On January 12, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   2 Comments

Joshua 22: 24      GW

“We were worried because of the situation we’re in. We thought sometime in the future your children might say to our children, ‘What relationship do you have with the Lord God of Israel?’”

How good a Christian are you? Many of us would answer that question with a litany of our behaviors. It is also how we determine how good others are. The reality is, it is measured in how close you are to God and Jesus rather than in your good acts.

In the old days, this was a question of importance for the tribes. It affected the nations’ security and alliances. Today, we ask the question of ourselves as individuals. This question, though, contrasted with the old times, is not an opportunity for judgment. In other words, we don’t need to judge each other’s Christianity or even our own. Instead, we gauge where we are in our relationship with God. Are we growing the way we want to? Is our relationship with the trinity growing? Are the stressors of the last two years causing us to slip away a little?

We can go to church every week and still our hearts may not be as close to God as they once were. Church behaviors don’t make us good Christians, but they put us in a place where we can interact with others who love God and that helps us draw near to Him.

We live in a time when each person can have their own relationship with the God of Israel. We both individually and collectively develop that relationship so that we come to know God and hear Him speaking with us.

How good a Christian are you? The real question is, are you where you want to be? Are you headed in the direction you desire? If not, what can you do to cause your relationship with Yahweh to grow and flourish? If we draw near to Him, He has promised to draw near to us. I pray for you all, today, that your relationship with God is growing and giving you increasing comfort and satisfaction. I also pray that your children are reaping the benefits of a closer walk with Christ and that their relationship with the God of Israel, grows stronger each day.

Back to Top

Meditative Journaling

On January 11, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 77:6

I will remember my song in the night; I will meditate with my heart, and my spirit ponders.

There are many good verses which encourage meditation, but this one is interesting because it combines singing and a revelation about one’s spirit pondering God’s miracles.

I wrote to you yesterday about using prayer and meditation to overcome weariness. Part of weariness is stress. I was reading a newsletter from my health care system when I ran across this advice for dealing with the anxiety and depression of the season. The author wrote, “Controlled breathing and journaling about your stressors are other good options.”

I didn’t write to you about journaling yesterday because I was saving it for today. Journaling, singing, prayer, and meditation are all methods you can use, daily, to alleviate stress so that it never collects to the level that you become weary and worn out as yesterday’s author was. Today’s verse isn’t specifically about journaling, but I chose it because it reveals a process of meditative communion that is fundamental in journaling with Jesus.

Journaling with Jesus is different than the type of journaling most of us learned initially. This type of journaling is actually a meditative process. You begin by slowing down your mind and body and then turning inward to hear the voice of God within you. As I intimated yesterday, beginning with your Bible is a fabulous way to start. As you immerse yourself in the Word, the world automatically begins to drift away. Your heart rate might even slow as you calmly breathe.

I often begin with the Bible. The next thing I know, I am speaking aloud to the Father. Soon I find myself led to another verse and before you know it, I am immersed in Bible, pens and my journal. I also make notes in my Bible. If something big went off in me, something personal for my edification, I might write the date in my Bible next to the verse.

In the 4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice, Dr. Mark Virkler teaches two-way journaling. It is a method for helping a person to hear the voice of God. I recommend this book and the class as well.

The point is, I want you to invest time in meditating before God. This is time of communion between your spirit and His, a time to share thoughts and for Him to speak mysteries to you. The beginning is to slow yourself down and turn your attention to your own spirit and your Father. Then, perhaps, you engage with the Word. Inevitably, if you spend time in the Word you find something to talk with God about. And when you have spent time hearing God speak, then you are gonna want to write it down. Don’t forget singing, praising and prayer as ways to connect your heart to God’s.

I hope this helps you and that 2022 will be a year of greater intertwining of your heart and God’s. I pray that when you look back on 2022 you will remember it as a year when you drew closer to Yahweh. Be blessed!

Back to Top

Tired and Weary

On January 10, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 30: 1 – 3

God, I’m so weary and worn out, I feel more like a beast than a man. I was made in your image, but I lack understanding. I’ve yet to learn the wisdom that comes from the full and intimate knowledge of you, the Holy One.

Some of you can relate to this passage. It reminds me of the song Peace in the Valley. Sometimes the weariness feels like it goes right down to your bones. This is a picture of someone who is over-stressed and tired. Any small thing becomes too much. What would you advise for someone in this situation?

Believe it or not, sleep may not be the answer. Yes, sometimes our bodies need rest and it is important to get that rest and allow your body to renew. What I hear in this passage, though, is emotional and mental fatigue. The author has come to the end of himself and needs more of what God offers his life. Too much sleep, in fact, could lead to depression so, in this case, the author needs proactive remedies.

The scriptures offer rejuvenation. Reading the Psalms can be particularly revitalizing and comforting. Any book or passage which stimulates your relationship with God is good though. Jesus is found in every book of the Bible which I hope I proved in my book,  Journey Through the Bible. I also recommend Isaiah when you feel worn out and beaten up.

Read slowly and absorb. Stop and consider what might have motivated the author. What was he feeling when he wrote the passage? What synonyms could you use in the passage and what do those synonyms offer? If a passage has struck you, stop and read it in several versions. Let those other versions add color and fulness. As you read and absorb it is natural to meditate on what you are reading. As you ponder the scriptures, it is also the most natural thing in the world to begin to pray.

Prayer is a remedy all to itself. We think of prayer as a request for God to do something for us and that is not wrong, but it is only one type of prayer. Prayer, at its base, is conversation with God. When you are worn out and frazzled, prayer is a soothing balm. Nothing, in fact, is more soothing that God’s reassurances and gentle touch.

Take time for restoration. It is the new year and that means that you probably need some recovery time. It is also a good time for us to adopt some healthy habits, like meditation and prayer for example. Be restored and blessed.

Back to Top

Deposits

On January 7, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ephesians 3: 16        NLT

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.

As you can tell, I am still hanging out in Ephesians. It is such a rich book that I sometimes hardly get past one verse before I have to stop and contemplate. When Paul stopped and considered all the great works of God’s hands, he fell to his knees and prayed. Undoubtedly, he praised God for all the glorious things He has done. That isn’t all though. Paul’s pastor’s heart shows here. All that awe and wonder turned into a prayer for the people Paul served. Paul prayed an intense prayer. This is my prayer for you today.

We cannot fathom the quantity of glory and resources God has. It boggles the imagination even trying. Take that imagination, that image, however you see it and try to picture God filling you with it. Imagine His might filling you, making you strong in your inner self. Paul asked for God’s Holy Spirit to flow into people and leave, within them, deposits of God’s glory and His ability. I cannot even imagine what resources Paul might have been thinking about but God’s wisdom, patience, insightfulness, and resilience might be some of the resources the Holy Spirit has for us.

The question is, what do we need? God has a resource for every need. I pray Paul’s prayer, that the Holy Spirit will fill you with every glorified resource you need for your life. I also pray that He gives you a new and bigger dream so that you need to pull on those resources more and more. May the God of Glory, the Son of Righteousness and the Spirit of Life shine on you today and leave deposits of their essence in your spirit. Amen.

Back to Top

Smell the Roses, Enjoy the View

On January 6, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ephesians 3: 14 – 15            NLT

When I think of the wisdom and scope of god’s plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.

In some respects, perhaps, this verse seems unremarkable. The words which captivated me and inspired me to write were, “When I think.” It seems as though Paul stopped to consider what God was doing. Were I to pause, maybe I, too, would be overwhelmed and fall to my knees in humble adoration. Maybe, I just don’t think, enough, about God’s greatness.

I hope you heeded my advice yesterday to write some goals. I think I have happened upon a new one for myself today. Stop and smell the roses, we might say. In other words, it would behoove me to stop and consider the wonder of God’s presence in my life, daily. It is easy to get so busy that we don’t appreciate the scope of God’s touch on our lives. Maybe we even begin to take it for granted. I don’t want to do that. I want to appreciate all the things He is doing for me daily.

When I do pause, I find there are many, many small things being orchestrated for me in addition to the big things. This year is going to be momentous for us and I want to be mentally and emotionally alert enough to see it unfolding. Also, if you believe what I am writing to you today, you can ask Dad to open your eyes. Ask Him to reveal what He is doing. He likes to share with us.

God’s plans and creativity are at work right now. Things are unfolding. Many people will drive past a beautiful view; only some will actually see it. Take time today, and each day, to consider the glory of God’s handiwork in the world and in your life. Observe the magnificent things He is doing, and be blessed.

Back to Top

Good Year

On January 5, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Habakkuk 2:2

Then the Lord answered me and said, “Write down the vision and inscribe it clearly on tablets, so that one who reads it may run.”

I cannot resist writing just one more New Year’s message. This passage always resonates with me at this time of the year. Now, I know something about you guys. Quite a few of you have already made your goals and plans for this new year. A few of you have written them down. Those who have written down their goals are the most likely to achieve them. Why is that? God told us above, write it down so you can run with it. You can’t run towards a goal you cannot see.

There are many of us who don’t have goals yet for the year. We often have the best intentions, but don’t get them written. Let’s make that the first thing we do this year, our first accomplishment, if you will. Let’s set out some goals and write them down. Okay, so here is the deal, just write it down. The goal you are thinking of right now might seem too big. Write it down anyway. Another goal you inscribe may change over the year. Actually, writing it down helps you to revise your goals. When we don’t have a written record of our desires, everything gets muddled. Write down what you are thinking now and if in a week, if it needs revision, so be it. Revise it.

The passage says to write it clearly or plainly. Besides legibility I think this means to give the goal specificity. Let’s take this example. Let’s say my goal is to read more this year. Okay, what does “more” mean? Is that more than last year? Well, how many books did I read last year. Maybe my goal would be better stated as, “Read 5 books this year.” Good. Now, let’s say it’s May and I have already read five books. No worries, I get out my little journal and revise it to 8. It is also okay to revise a goal down. Maybe some opportunity arises that makes reading 5 books hard. Review your goal and make a reasoned decision about what adds the most value to your life. Is the opportunity stealing from you or adding value? Is the book reading goal more important to you than what the opportunity brings? If it’s really a great opportunity, then revise your reading goal down. That’s okay, but also record in your journal what you are hoping to gain from the opportunity.

Second, what am I going to have to do in order to reach my goal. If I work until 5:00 each day; cook dinner, eat and clean-up until 6:30 and plan to go to bed at 10:00 that leaves me 3 ½ hours to get some reading in. So, what needs to happen so that I can read for 30 minutes? Well, perhaps I decide to go to bed at 9:30 and read before I go to sleep. Or, maybe after the kitchen is clean, I need to take my 30 minutes right then before they get lost in a whirlwind of other activities. You get the point. Goals are not achieved without intentionality and a plan. Writing down a clear concise recitation of the goal is key but then develop a plan around that and write it down.

When I say that I want you to have a fabulous 2022, I mean it. I do not write these things lightly. All of the words I send to you come from within me. So, saying, Happy New Year means something. As wonderful as the sentiment is, I also feel a responsibility to help you have that good year. That’s why we do a Word of the Day. When I read today’s verse, I know that Yahweh is teaching us something important. Every word which proceeds from His lips has life in it. Therefore, I hope you will take this seriously and begin, today, to write down what you would like to achieve or see come to fruition in this year. Attach some dates too.

Write it down and review it regularly, at least weekly if not daily. If daily is too much, sit down Sunday night and remind yourself what you are believing for. Then start your week with determined purpose. You will find God leading you in amazing ways if you do this.

I pray you have a great year, full of new beginnings, accomplishments, and blessings!

Back to Top

Shining light

On January 4, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 5:16

Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

I am not a behaviorist by which I mean, I do not teach and preach behaviors. I try to lead people to a full, rich relationship with Jesus believing that the relationship takes care of any behavioral issues. It seems best to let Jesus lead us in the way to go rather than to push people through guilt and judgment.

Having said that, Jesus describes what life looks like when we do surrender to his lordship. Our lives and behaviors glorify our Father. Christianity does not require that we behave in a certain way so that God will love us. In fact, it is just the opposite. We behave in a way that honors Him precisely because He loves us. His love motivates us.

Now, at the beginning of a new year, is a great time to begin to sensitize ourselves to Yahweh’s presence and presents. Christmas is still fresh in our minds, a time when we celebrate the new life He gave us in Christ Jesus. It is that love, the love which sent Jesus to earth that gives us rebirth and the new year is a very real symbol of renewal.

Take time to turn your sensitivity to your life in Christ. Pay attention to the voice of your heart. Pause to listen to what the Lord is saying to you daily. When you do, behavioral modification is not such an issue. Your light will shine so that everyone sees the love of God living in you.

Back to Top