Let’s Go!

On January 23, 2023   /   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.”

Do you have a vision? Do you have pictures in your mind of things you would like to see come to pass? If so, great! Let’s bring them to maturity. Perhaps you began this month with some goals, dreams or objectives. It may be time to renew plans. Either way, step one is to write those things down.

January is almost done, but it is not too late to put some energy into those thoughts you had on January 1st. One of the best things we can do is to put those ambitions before our eyes. Have you ever made a dream board? Maybe now is the time. What is it that you truly want? What do you want badly enough that you are willing to get out of bed a half hour earlier? What are you truly passionate about? If you don’t have a passion, think about it a little. What do you love? What would you do if you knew it was possible? Life is a great gift. Let’s live it to the fullest.

Find some pictures of that thing you want or objective you would like to reach. What does it look like to have accomplished your goal. What will you look like. Will the attainment of some big goal look different on you? Will you gain a new level of confidence?

We saw last week that Jesus is willing to give us that for which we ask. He said, we don’t ask but that we should. It is early in the year. If you aren’t where you wanted to be by this point in January, no worries. Let’s pick ourselves up and begin again. Who says January first is the only time we can set ambitious goals. I say, today is the day. Let’s get excited about our lives and live fully.

Write down what it is that you really want. Put it in front of your eyes so that you are constantly reminded. Don’t let that dream slip away from you. Jesus is ready and willing. Father is waiting to partner with you and the Holy Spirit is standing on GO. Write the vision, make it plain and then run with it! This year can be our best ever without regard to anything that has gone before. You deserve it, God wants it so let’s go!

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Leadership Altars

On October 28, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Kings 3: 3 – 5, 15

Now Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David. . . And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there . . . Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask what you wish Me to give you.”

Then Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and made peace offerings, and held a feast for all his servants.

The point of this story is the bookends. The story begins with Solomon’s sacrifices to God. Then, God appeared to him in a dream offering to grant any wish of Solomon’s desire. Then, at the end of the story, Solomon appeared before the Ark of the Covenant and made more offerings and threw a feast. It is a story of honor and sacrifice, of devotion and blessing. It is also a story of leadership. The two points I wish us to take away from this story is first, the relationship between offerings and sacrifice and God’s outpouring and two, Kingdom Leadership.

I have to believe that God showing up and speaking to Solomon in the dream was directly related to Solomon’s sacrifices and offerings. The offerings reveal Solomon’s earnest seeking of God’s wisdom. He was overwhelmed by his responsibility as the leader of the nation. Knowing it was a monumental responsibility, he sought God, making offering upon offering, humbling himself before his God. And God responded to Solomon. What would you ask for if God told you He would grant your desire? Solomon asked for the wisdom to rule God’s people justly. Wow! Not what I would have thought of.

Solomon’s leadership position drove him to prayer and to seeking God. There is no leadership teaching more impactful than this truth. Leadership should mean seeking God’s face on behalf of one’s flock. Second, in Solomon’s seeking, he made offerings to God. He laid thousands of gifts upon the altar believing that the God of Israel would honor his sacrifice. He was right. Third, Solomon’s response to God’s grant was to give more offerings and to throw a party for his servants. He blessed his servants with the blessing God gave him. He both honored God and blessed his people.

God gave Solomon what he asked for and much more besides but on both ends of this enormous blessing we find Solomon filling the altar with gifts to his King. Is it coincidence?

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It Ain’t Over Yet!

On April 21, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Genesis 37: 5

Then Joseph had a dream.

When God gives you a dream, you have to hold on to it with both fists. In truth, when God speaks to us, or shows us a dream or a vision, we expect to see it begin to unfold immediately. Why does he give us a vision of our future or a promise of prosperity and a good life without immediately putting the plan into action? I think the answer goes back to Jeremiah 29: 11, “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

The emphasis should be placed on the word, “hope.” Joseph had several dreams in which God communicated Joseph’s purpose. He saw himself being elevated above his brothers and even above his father. The dreams were clear and they encouraged and excited Joseph. You have had one of those dreams too, or a word from God. The very next thing that seems to happen is that you are flung down into a pit.

You know the story of Joseph. From the pit he went into slavery. However, the blessing was on him and he prospered his master. Although he found favor with his master, the next thing Joseph knows, he is in prison. From the pit, to slavery, to prison Joseph must have been wondering about the great promises from God. “Did God lie to me? Was He wrong? Have I done something wrong and frustrated the purpose of God in my life?” These are all the same questions we have asked when the vision from God looks nothing like our life.

The story of Joseph is good reading, but it is not in the Bible just to make a good Bible story. It is there to encourage us when our lives are in the pits. I am sure Joseph had his moments of doubt, but he hung onto the promise of God and believed despite his circumstances.

The facts don’t count. When we are in bondage, bowed down with the weight of life, we need to hold fast to the dream God has given us. There may be days of doubt, but we need to remind ourselves that God is not a man that He can lie. He will deliver us to the promised land. When you are feeling like life is the pits, and you wonder where God has gotten off to, remember Joseph. God fulfilled every dream and saved the nation of Israel through Joseph. He became the second most powerful man in Egypt behind Pharaoh. Not bad for a slave boy.

Don’t give up! The story isn’t over yet!

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Sweet Dreams

On March 11, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 139: 17 – 18

How precious also are Your thoughts for me, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

Check this out! David was having a grand encounter with God, in a dream. Then he awoke and God was still there with him. The dream and the reality were simpatico. They were contiguous. I had a dream like that once. When I awoke, I was still in the dream and it lasted quite a while.

David was aware of the tender thoughts God had about him. He was also surprised at the sheer volume of kind thoughts Yahweh thought about him. That is precious. God is thinking lovely thoughts about you too and He thinks masses of them daily. Think about that just a moment. All day long, your heavenly Father is thinking lovely thoughts about you. It is a constant flood of love thoughts. Were you to get in His head, you would find He is thinking how beautiful you are and how much He loves you and He thinks those things all day long.

That should give you something fun to ponder today. Moreover, when you go to sleep tonight, ask Father to share them with you as you sleep. I bet you will awaken tomorrow in a good mood. Be blessed.

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Rewarded

On August 21, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Jeremiah 31: 16

“Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears; for your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord.

Have you ever labored in vain, or at least what seemed in vain? Are you spending time and energy right now that doesn’t seem to be bearing fruit for you? Well, God has a good word for you today. Your labor is not in vain. Your work will be rewarded.

I have to believe that God’s word is true and that as you sow, you shall reap. If you are sowing seeds with your effort, then God will produce a harvest. Right now, it may look like all hope is lost, that none appreciate the hard work you have been putting in. Maybe you have been working for a while now without the fruit of you labor showing. God is not a man that He should lie. Your seed must bear fruit. It is the way the universe was created. Maybe you don’t think your boss appreciates you or that anyone even notices how hard you have been working. Maybe not even your spouse knows about the sleepless nights you have had because of thinking about a project and how you can improve it. There is one, however, who sees all you have done, all you are doing. God is a witness to your hard work and dreams.

When God gives us a dream and a vision, we are propelled into a state which almost feels like a parallel dimension. We see so clearly what could be and throw the full force of our dreams and our energy into following God’s plan. We must pray and stay on His track. We must partner with Him, letting Him guide us. Then, no matter what happens, keep your faith in your vision and your God. Don’t be sidetracked by what mere men do. This is between you and Yahweh. Leave the results to him. Just focus your eyes on him and do all that is in your heart to do. Let the Lord, your God be your rewarder. He promises, “Your work will be rewarded.”

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Banner of Love

On April 19, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Song of Solomon 2: 4

He has brought me to his banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.

Have you ever read the Song of Solomon? Would you believe that in the 2500 Word of the Day devotionals I have written, this is the first time I have chosen a passage from this book? Do you wonder why this is the first time? Me too! Well, frankly, it is a little bit of an awkward book. If you have read it you might have felt the same way. The book is a very intimate dialogue between two lovers. As you read it you may feel that you are violating the lovers’ privacy. I think there may be an additional and deeper reason this book disquiets some of us. As I said, it is very intimate and many of us are uncomfortable with intimacy. Ultimately, this underlies a hindrance we have in developing our relationship with the Father.

Let’s go one step further. Why do you suppose this book is in the Bible? Why did Father choose to include it? This book is a love letter from the Father to you, from Jesus to his bride. It is an expression of God’s deep, deep affection for you. Knowing that may make the book harder to read instead of easier. All of the expressions of adoration, affection and longing are the Father’s feelings towards you. He sees you as beautiful and flawless. Sometimes I wonder why He loves us so but reading this book moves you beyond denial.

As I said, many of us are uncomfortable with such outspoken endearments. We are challenged by such intimacy. It embarrasses us. Because intimate thoughts, feelings and expressions are awkward for us, we find it very arduous to allow our heavenly Father to express the intensity of his devotion to us. Subsequently, we never really develop a true love relationship with Him. Most of us just walk in some sort of religious construct with Him. We are lost somewhere between God and Father. We know He is more than a far removed deity and thus we move our thoughts towards relating to Him in a more personal manner. However, most of us cannot reach into our hearts and receive the relationship He has designed for us. We labor to believe we are worthy of His love and so we stretch our minds to a picture of us in a close, personal relationship with Him. We reach longingly but reluctantly for the love our hearts crave. Here is where we enter into limbo. We are caught between service to our God and loving our intimate friend. Should we dare engage with this book of Solomon then we are forced to see ourselves so beloved that we shy away like a spooked horse.

In July of 2005 Yahweh interrupted my life with what I call a prophetic dream. This dream was clearly the Father speaking to me. I now find it interesting to note the topic of this dream. If God is going to completely arrest your life for a day what would you expect Him to want to show you or talk with you about. I would think perhaps His plan for our lives or a new calling on your life. Interestingly, He used that whole dream, which was pages long when I wrote it out, to show me how I resist intimacy with Him. All I wanted to do was serve Him but He wanted to bless and honor me. In the dream, I couldn’t and wouldn’t let Him. He commandeered my sleep to communicate with me because I could not hear Him in my waking life. This message was so important to Him that He insinuated Himself into my dream so we could connect on a level which I was consistently foreclosing to Him. Now He wants to speak to you.

He has brought you to His banquet hall so He can honor you. The sign hanging above the head table has your name on it and the message is love. You have been designated as the one He loves. What will you do with His outpouring of affection? What will you say in return? Will you receive the adoration from His heart? I hope so.

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