Peaceful Ease

On June 5, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 3: 23 – 24

Then you will walk in your way securely and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

This is a picture of what Christian life should be. It is a life of peace, tranquility and security. The fully realized Christian is able to lie down and sleep in peace because there is no fear or worry. They enjoy sweet sleep. Good sleep alone is a reason this verse is attractive, but I really like the picture it paints of a whole life lived in peace.

One cannot help but think of the Hebrew word Shalom. It is perfect peace. Shalom is not the same as tranquility. We use peace to mean calmness, quiet and serenity. In the Hebrew mindset those are the result of Shalom. When you have God’s kind of peace, serenity and those other things are the byproducts.

The image this verse conjures for me is one of quiet confidence. The person in this verse walks with the Lord from the moment she awakens and continues through the day. Of course she can place her foot securely as she walks her daily path. She is walking hand in hand with God, led by Him.

This verse is about embracing wisdom and understanding. Peace, ultimate, unfathomable peace is the result. Embracing wisdom and understanding means we don’t walk in the light of our own brilliance but in the glory of God’s insights and wisdom. This does have its challenge because it means we must pause to check in with Him. We must begin first thing in the morning getting our hearts and minds aligned in and with Him and then continue in that flow all day. It is the absolute best and most enjoyable way to live but it does not come automatically. We have to dedicate the time and invest the discipline to check in with our Father at the start of the day. This can be a challenge but that is the challenge I hope to encourage you to accept.

Walking in perfect peace, knowing that where you are about to place your foot is good solid ground is a joy. It comes with the Father’s perfect peace, Shalom. All things are as they should be, everything in its proper place. Your steps are divinely ordered, and your heart resides in ease. When you lie down, your sleep is sweet and your dreams, divine. This is the inheritance of the saints.

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The Crimson Lens

On June 4, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 5:9

Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

In 2015 I wrote a devotion titled “The Crimson Veil.” The substance of that article is about the effect the blood has on our relationship with the Father. When He looks at us, He looks through a crimson veil, that veil being the blood of Christ. God sees Jesus’ righteousness and worth when He looks at us because He looks through the veil of sacrificial blood. Speaking for myself, that is a powerful image and certainly helps me understand who I am in Christ. And, it is a relief because which of us wishes to stand in our own right?

I had another thought about the crimson veil, though. You have heard that we all perceive the world according to our own filters or through the lens of our world, hence the rose-colored lens. It dawned on me that if I saw the world through a crimson colored lens it would most certainly color my perspective. What if I was able to see other people through God’s crimson-colored lens? I think that would change my world, and that would be a good thing.

Imagine if we all looked at the world through crimson-colored glasses. Think of some of the challenges of 2020 and then put on Dad’s glasses and look at them anew. Does it change our thoughts, our prayers? What does the world look like when it is covered in Jesus’ blood? Oh my!

This one observation shows why God cannot be the judgmental, vengeful God some people make Him out to be. He sees Jesus’ blood everywhere He looks. Imagine if Christians saw every other person through the crimson lens. What if, when we looked at someone who might not even have a redeeming character, we, none the less, saw them splattered with that precious blood? How would that change things? Well, it is something to pray for. I think I would be much more gracious and accepting. Wouldn’t anger recede? What about a sense of betrayal? Think about someone who really gets under your skin and imagine Jesus’ blood covering them. Isn’t it harder to feel the anger and frustration that you might normally experience? Maybe we should all take a deep yoga breath, slowly and fully exhale, and picture our adversaries covered in the sacred blood. I believe this could change the world and in a hurry.

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Promises, Promises

On June 3, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Kings 8:56

Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant.

According to all God has promised us, may He be blessed, because He does not fail. This is rich language but more importantly, it is the assurance of God’s promises fulfilled in our lives. What value has the Bible if not to see God, to learn of His ways and promises and to, subsequently, see them fulfilled in our lives? God did not give us His Word so that we can study history. That is cool enough, but He wants us to see more than the history. He wants us to receive His promises which go all the way back to the beginning. All His promises are for us today. That is what the Bible is meant to communicate to us.

There is more to this. The author would have us know that not one word of God’s promises has failed. What do you think of that? All of God’s promises are yea and amen (2 Corinthians 1: 20). In other words, God’s answer to your prayer is, “Yes.” Why do we think God made promises? It is not as though we could ever extract from Him anything that He didn’t want to give. These “promises” are not the result of a bargained agreement. We do not have anything with which to bargain. The point is, He made all the promises in the Bible of His own volition. They were all His ideas. God is trying to get blessing to us. That is the reason He has made promises to us. He forged a covenant with us, and these are the benefits of that covenant relationship. So, every promise you find in the Bible is part of God’s covenant with you. Each one represents God’s will.

Do you see a promise of health or healing? Do you see the assurance of prosperity? What of favor and His continual presence? All those are God’s intent for your life. Therefore, we are to hold those up to Him, almost like an offering and receive of His glory and bounty. What kind of Father would He be if His children did not partake of His bounty? Can you imagine parents who live in affluence but do not share their sustenance with their children? That would just be wrong. We understand that from a human perspective, but we do not always translate that over to our Heavenly Father who, by the way, chose to be called Father. He self-identified Himself as our Father and that is a tremendously important concept. We did not name Him; He did. And with that choice to be our Father, He accepted a host of responsibilities towards us. He forever calls us His children which means He accepts the responsibility for our welfare. And, that is the source from which the promises originate.

Not only has He given us His word on a wide range of topics, He has not failed in any of those promises. Do you believe that? Are you living in every promise of God? If not, why are we not enjoying the fullness of His fruit? Is the Bible absolute truth? It says not one word of His good promises has failed so either that is a lie, or it is truth. If it is truth and we are not living in the fullness thereof, then where is the disconnect? Has He fulfilled the promise and we were not in the right checkout line? Is there something we must do or is it a simple matter of belief and trust? God is not a man that He can lie so we can rely on Him as truth. Therefore, the analysis must proceed from there. He is truth and love and life. In Him all prayers are yes!

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Practical Compassion

On June 2, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Roman 12: 15        NIV

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

It would be interesting to hear from you as to what this sentiment says to you. It probably says more than seen at first glance. It is also probably appropriate for these times, specifically, because of the wide-spread and varied emotions people are experiencing around the globe.  People are facing a wide range of circumstances.  The situations and accompanying emotions can even vary by geographic region. What is our response to these changing situations and the real-life consequences? This is the application of compassion but what is that practical aspect?

When people mourn many times our response is to try to cheer them. This verse suggests that trying to cheer people up isn’t the only, or perhaps, even the best approach. Maybe compassion means meeting people where they are and being with them in their state. It is uncomfortable, for sure. We like to be around people who are happy and smile a lot. This verse suggests a level of empathy that many of us may potentially find discomforting. It is quite easy to rejoice when others rejoice but mourning with those who mourn is challenging.

Empathy means that we can share the feelings of others. We don’t have to coach them, teach them or try to change their emotions. We only need to be in their space with them. It validates their emotions. We are quick to try to change people but Jesus is asking us to just be with them where they are and show them his compassion. We just let our hearts be tender and give comfort.

Send me your thoughts. What does this look like in real world practice?

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Enthroned

On June 1, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 102: 12 – 22

But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations. You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come. For her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them to pity. The nations will fear the name of the Lord, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory. He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea. Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord: “The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.” So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord.

This is a large selection of text today, but hopefully it reveals a central truth and comfort. You might be interested to know that the title of today’s psalm is, “A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.” What a title! However, this segment of the psalm does not sound like it is written by a person in despair and that is the key lesson. From despair, we lift our heads and see God’s glory.

The author may have wondered, like many other saints, “Where is God?” In times of trouble, it may seem God has abandoned us. However, as the psalmist indicates, our God is still on the throne and He reigns. He will save Zion, and your town, and rain down upon it His compassion and favor. Though the author was afflicted and had grown weak, yet he says of God, “He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.” Then he tells us that this is recorded for a future generation, i.e. for us, that we might have courage and confidence in our time of need.

We are not abandoned, and God is not ignoring our plight. He attends to the prayer of the destitute, the needy. We will not ignore our cry for help. God will save us. He is with us and we will yet praise His name as we assemble to worship His name. His love surrounds and keeps us. He is Lord Protector and Father. Let us leave a testimony for a future generation too, that our Father lifted us and showed us His favor in our time of need.

Glory to God! Let the earth sing. Praises be to Yahweh; Father, Lord and Savior. Come Lord Jesus, show us your grace; shower us in your mercy and favor. Lift our heads that we might praise you with a joyful voice. Let the world see the beauty of your countenance as you touch and bless through your presence, your glorious, shining presence with your people. Amen.

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Godly Performance

On May 29, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Jeremiah 1:12

You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.

I’ve been thinking about prayer a lot lately. I bet I am not alone in that. I stumbled over this scripture today and it got me to thinking again. The best kind of prayer is when we pray God’s words and this verse makes it evident why that is true. Can you even picture that for a moment? Imagine God watching the earth for someone to speak His Word so He can rush in to perform it. Amazing. However, it brings up for me as many questions as it answers. Now I find myself asking what words I should be praying over each situation I am facing. In fact, I have not been standing on a particular scripture for the Covid situation, but I have found one I think will be my touchstone. It is Exodus 23: 25, “But you shall serve the Lord your God and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst.” That is a promise from God. He told the Israelites if they would serve Him, they would be blessed and that He would remove sickness. Well, that is exactly what I want. Since He promised the Israelites to bless them and heal their land, then He promised me too because He is not one to show partiality (Deuteronomy 10: 17).

Whatever situation we are facing, instead of begging God to do something, we need to pick up our Bibles and find out what He has already promised. We, then, hold up that Word to Him and He performs it. He is watching for people to show up with His Word. This is not exactly the model of prayer most of us have been taught but it is what God’s Word says and that should carry some weight.

Find out what the Word says and then speak those Divine Words. That is how to pray.

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Freed to Serve

On May 28, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Galatians 5:13

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

A friend of mine posted something on Facebook about selflessly caring for others. I was reminded of this verse and found myself wondering if that is a key to self preservation. It set me to thinking. The people I know who are trying to find ways to bless and support others seem to be faring well though this challenging time. Is there something God wanted to do for us that comes through our putting others first? Wouldn’t that be just like Him?

Paul wouldn’t have us spending our hard won freedom on feeding our fleshly desires. He wouldn’t want us to spend our fortunes on ourselves but in all things, to turn our thoughts, and hearts, to how we may serve others. You know, that is a challenge and typically not the way society works but it is how the Kingdom works.

Here is one thing you can do today. Do you know someone who lives alone? Send them an email, or make a phone call just to ask how they are doing. Whom have you not had contact with in a while? Maybe we can all reach out to one person but through us a lot of folks get some real social contact.

You tell me – what does this verse mean to you? What can we do individually or collectively to “serve one another.” I would really like to hear your ideas. There is no reason for any of us to be going stir crazy. We can find something meaningful to do. I know you have good ideas.

The Kingdom of God has fuel it runs on. It has principles which, when employed, produce reactions. We know from other verses that God multiplies seed, the Kingdom principle being operates through sowing of seed. We may be seeing in today’s verse another tangent of that rule. We are served in our service of others. The more we meet the needs of others, the more the Kindgom multiplies in our own lives. We meet God in the service of His children, but that is no surprise. Throughout Biblical history God’s presence abided with those who were serving His heirs. His glory is awaiting us too and it is within reach. This great calamity is providing us the opportunity to get out of our own skin and into a greater calling with the Father. We may have felt insignificant in January but now we have more power to affect more people for good than any time in our lifetimes. What can we do to leave a legacy of God’s love? What is God presenting to any of us today that will allow us to help someone else? I would love to hear?

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