Honest Reflections

“Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.”  (Romans 1:28 NIV)

Sometimes, God’s judgement is letting us have what we want.  Paul, in his letter to the Roman’s describes how God let people do what they wanted to do:

“Therefore God gave them over to the sinful desires of their hearts…” (Romans 1:24 NIV)

One of God’s gifts to us is free will.  This topic is highly debatable.  Perspectives on free will vary greatly.  But we all have the right to choose how we live our lives.  God gave us that as a gift.  We can choose to spend our lives pursuing a relationship with God, or not. 

People choose not to follow God every day.  And even those of us who are following God have moments in our day when we choose not too.  Our problem: we think we know best, but we really don’t.  We make bad choices because we don’t have all the information.  Only God knows all the details.  Only God knows what’s truly best for you.  What we want isn’t always what’s best.

What we want isn’t always what’s best.

When I was younger, I didn’t want anyone telling me what to do.  I thought I knew what was best for my life.  I refused to listen to anyone, including God.  As a result, men took advantage of my gullibility. I lived beyond my means and incurred thousands of dollars in debt.  I alienated my friends and family.  I struggled with alcohol.  My life was a wreck.  As I’ve said many times, “I spent my 20’s screwing my life up.  I spent my thirties healing from my 20’s.”  My life didn’t turn around until I admitted, I wasn’t making good choices.

Admitting the choices we are making are not good ones is tough.  We all make bad choices.  Accepting our own imperfections is harder than accepting others.  We can justify why someone did something because of whatever is going on in their life at the moment.  Yet we don’t give ourselves the same grace.  We don’t let ourselves off the hook. 

God wants us to let ourselves off the hook.  He wants us to give Him our bad choices.  He’ll help us overcome them.  He’ll guide us into a new way of living where we make better choices.  As we grow in our relationship with Him, our steps will become surer.  Our trust in Him deeper, as He navigates us through the days of our lives.

Giving us what we want isn’t always what is best.  Trusting God’s will is always the best choice, even if we don’t understand it.

Question of the Day:

What choice do you need to give to God today?

Further Reading: 1 Chronicles 15:1-16:36 NIV, Romans 1:18-32 NIV,  Psalm 10:1-15 NIV,  Proverbs 19:6-7 NIV

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.” (Romans 1:8 NIV)

Other people’s faith helps build our faith.  When we hear the stories of what people do because of their faith, it strengthens us.  What seems trivial to us is a mountain to someone else.  Jesus set an example for us with His actions.  He did things we can do.  When we do the things Jesus did, it affects others like Jesus’ actions affect us.

My pastor has a faith like few I know.  I have followed his faith journey for years.  I’ve watched as he’s overcome adversity.  I’ve seen his persistent faith in the midst of tragedy.  Each week when we have our prayer meeting, his words amaze me.  He’s followed Jesus for over 60 years.  In the midst of tragedies, he relies on God’s grace.  Because of him, my faith has deepened.  His belief strengthens my belief.

Other people’s faith helps build our faith.

Faith heroes are something we all need.  People who have gone before us, trusting Jesus.  People whose faith has carried them through the most difficult of times.  Even people who have gone to heaven are still with us, still inspiring us.  

My father lost his first wife to cancer.  He lost two children, one still born, the other at just 14 months old.  He had twin daughters, Linda woke up fine in the morning, developed a fever and was gone by the next morning, pneumonia.  He froze his feet working the winter after I was born.  This event led to gangrene, which led to the amputation of his leg.  Yet through all of that his faith persevered.  He never gave up.  His faith didn’t waver.  He never stopped trusting Jesus.

His faith grew because of his father’s.  My older brothers, who knew my grandfather better than I, told me of his faith.  My grandfather read the Bible every night.  He always read cover to cover.  When he finished, he would start again from the beginning.  I’ve developed the same habit.  I think of my grandfather often as I read through the Bible each year.

We were made for fellowship with other believers.  We need each other to encourage and grow our faith.  God designed us to work together as one body:

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12 ESV)

When we live our lives by faith, we encourage others.  Lives lived by faith will impact others  far greater than imagined.  Their faith filled lives will resonate long after they’ve left this earth, affecting generations to come.  Other people’s faith helps build our faith.

Question of the Day:

How can your faith filled life impact someone else’s today?

Further Reading: 1 Chronicles 12:19-14:17 NIV, Romans 1:1-17 NIV,  Psalm 9:13-20 NIV, Proverbs 19:4-5 NIV

“But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.” (Acts 28:5 NIV)

If you’re in God’s will, snake bites don’t harm you.  Paul was a man all in with God.  From the time of his conversion until the time of his death, he never stopped sharing the gospel.  

If Paul could take a picture of his current situation, you would question his loyalty to God.  He’s just survived a shipwreck.  He’s starving.  He’s washed ashore on an island with a bunch of hungry sailors.  And when he builds a fire, a snake jumps out and bites him.  The snake doesn’t harm him.  His life is in chaos from a worldly perspective, but he’s exactly where God wants him.  In God’s will, Paul is safe.  In His will, the devil’s attacks have no power.

In God’s will, the devil’s attacks have no power.

When we are in God’s will, we are safe.  We understand God’s truth:

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.  (John 14:16-17 NIV)

The Spirit of Truth fills Paul.  He accepted life’s hard truths.

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)

The current circumstances didn’t concern Paul.  He knew Jesus overcame the world.  He knew the truth.

We talked the other day about the beginning of Paul’s journey.  God told Him, “Do not be afraid” (Acts 27:24 NIV).  Now you know why God sent an Angel Text to Paul.  God knew the road ahead.  He knew the trials Paul would face.  God wanted Paul to keep his focus on Him.  An angel appearing with a message is hard to forget.  

Paul didn’t have the availability of the Bible like we do.   He didn’t schedule daily devotions.  His life was a daily devotion. He didn’t have a pocket version of the New Testament, because it didn’t exist.  In fact, Paul wrote the majority of the New Testament.  His love letters to the churches are what we read today.  

Paul knew, if the snake was going to kill him, it would kill him.  If God wanted him in heaven, great.  If He didn’t great:

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:21 NIV)

Place your heart in God’s hands like Paul did.  Stay focused by spending time with God daily.  Let a life well lived be your devotion back to God.  In His will you are safe.

Question of the Day:

What prompting from God are you not following?

Further Reading: 1 Chronicles 11:1-12:18 NIV, Acts 28 NIV, Psalm 9:1-12 NIV, Proverbs 19:1-3 NIV

“Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul.’” (Acts 27:23-24a NIV)

Every day God says, “Do not be afraid.”

Paul is on his fourth mission trip.  This trip leads him to Rome.  Paul’s journey is not a planned one.  His journey includes a shipwreck, 2 year imprisonment and house arrest.  He shares the good news of Jesus everywhere he goes to whoever he is with at the time.  God tells him at the beginning of his trip, “Do not be afraid” (vs. 24).  

God’s most repeated command: “Do not be afraid.”

The most repeated command in the Bible is “Do Not Be Afraid.”   The words appear over 70 times in the NIV.  Typically, the next thing God does is act:

• “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.” (Exodus 14:13)
• “Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.” (Deuteronomy 3:22)
• “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.” (Joshua 10:8)
• “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)

Any of the above verses will help you overcome your fears.  Fear is what stops us from doing God’s will.  Right now, the world is facing COVID.  Fear is ruling people’s lives.  But that is not how God wants us to live.  He didn’t give us spirits of timidity.  He doesn’t want us to live fearfully.  He wants us to live boldly.

Paul lived his life boldly.   In today’s scripture he’s addressing a crew of hungry sailors. He’s telling them of the impending shipwreck.  He is not afraid, neither for himself nor them.  He trusts God completely.

If we don’t overcome our fears, we won’t fulfill God’s purpose for our lives.  

Elizabeth Elliot’s husband Jim was a missionary in Ecuador who was killed by the natives when he attempted to make contact with them.  After her husband’s death, she went to Ecuador with their 3 year old daughter, Valerie.   They lived with the tribe who murdered her husband for 2 years, bringing Christ to them.  Elizabeth Elliot believed God’s command.  She did not fear.  She fulfilled God’s purpose for her life.

Fear is a daily battle for all of us.  But God’s word is clear, we’re not to be afraid.  Don’t let fear stop you from taking the next step of your journey.  Trust God.  Trust His word.  Go boldly wherever He takes you.  Share His love with everyone you meet.

Question of the Day:

What fear is stopping you from taking the next step in your journey?

Further Reading: 1 Chronicles 9:1-10:14 NIV, Acts 27:21-44 NIV, Psalm 8 NIV, Proverbs 18:23-24 NIV

“Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me,” (Psalm 7:1 NIV)

We all need someone we can count on in life.  God is the One who never lets us down.  Friends don’t always answer the phone when you call, but God does.  He gives us rest from our enemies.  He gives us refuge from the storm.  He always has an answer.  He always has a way forward.  But what does refuge in God look like in our lives?

For me, refuge in God is turning to His word.  When I was younger, I didn’t have a daily Bible reading plan like I do now.  But whenever life was going crazy, I would find a Bible and open it.  I would read whatever page I found and see if God had a word for me.  He always did.  I always found something in my random selections that applied to my situation.  I don’t know how many times this happened, but I know each time drew me back to God’s word again.  Now I take refuge in His word daily.  God’s word fortifies me for the day ahead.

God’s word fortifies me for the day ahead.

No one knows what lies ahead.  We know the battles of yesterday, but not the battles of today.  Fighting the good fight seems exhausting at times.  The lies of this world are overwhelming.  Heartache is everywhere.  Someone is always doing something awful to someone.  I get prayer requests for heart wrenching events which make me feel helpless.  I need God’s word to keep me going.  I need His place of refuge to maintain my sanity. 

God’s refuge also keeps me grounded.  When the world makes me feel crazy, God’s word makes me feel sane.  His promises hold true time and time again. Memorizing scripture helps me have a ready reply.  When I’m dealing with a particularly stressful situation, I find a scripture that applies to it.  I write the words down, and place them somewhere I will see them often.  Above my desk, I have scriptures and notes taped to the walls, reminding me of God’s goodness.  His word is my refuge.

“When I am afraid I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4 NIV)

People hurt us.  We hurt people.  The vicious circle only stops when we take refuge in God.  When we give our hurts to Him instead of taking them out on an unsuspecting victim, we find refuge.  God’s promises are true.  In Him we can trust.

God’s in charge of your problems today.   Take refuge in Him.  Let Him run the world, while You enjoy His peace.

Question of the Day:

What’s stopping you from taking refuge in God?

Further Reading:1 Chronicles 7:1-8:40 NIV, Acts 27:1-20 NIV, Psalm 7 NIV, Proverbs 18:22 NIV

“My soul is in deep anguish.  How long, Lord, how long” (Psalm 6:3 NIV)

God only knows how long the anguish will continue.  One thing is true, whatever is going on in your life, there is always good with the bad.  Deep anguish is something we will all experience.  I still hear myself scream when I found out my nephew had died.  I remember the gut wrenching tears as I wept for my loss.  When I think back on that time, I felt like my tears would never stop.  But mixed in with the anguish, I experienced good.

In the midst of my anguish, God was with me.  I felt His presence more acutely in my moments of grief than I do in my moments of joy.  He wrapped His arms around me with the people He surrounded me with at that time.  My husband has held me for countless hours as tears have flowed from my eyes.  Friends travelled from long distances to put their arms around my family.  People surrounded us in our grief, lifting us up, giving us strength, helping us move forward.  The more the news spread, the more people who came.  In our anguish, God’s presence is near.

In our anguish, God’s presence is near.

A couple of years ago, I completed a study of Job, written by Lisa Harper.  One of my favorite lessons was about the veil.  She talks of a thin veil which separates the physical world from the spiritual world.  When we are in deep anguish, the veil gets thinner.  We can see God more clearly because of our pain.  We hear God better in our anguish:

“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”  C.S. Lewis

When we are in pain, we turn to God for answers.  Often, we don’t receive the answers we want.  Instead, we receive what we need.  God sends His angels to surround us in our time of distress.  People who will carry us through the darkest night.  When we are alone in the darkness, we have this blessed assurance:

“In my distress I cried to the Lord, and he heard me.” (Psalm 120:1 NIV)

God is with you in your anguish.  He hears your cries.  He is sending in the troops to help you through whatever difficulty you are experiencing.  His presence is closer in the midst of your pain.  The veil is thinner.  Your heartache is His heartache.  He is the One who can heal our brokenness.

Anguish is a part of life.  How long it lasts, God only knows.  Our pain draws us closer to Him.  In Him, we’ll find the light we need to survive.

Question of the Day:

How has anguish brought you closer to God?

Further Reading: 1 Chronicles 5:18-6:81 NIV, Acts 26:1-32 NIV, Psalm 6 NIV, Proverbs 18:20-21 NIV

“Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament.” (Psalm 5:1 NIV)

Definition is key to interpretation.  When you are having a conversation with someone, you have to make sure you’re talking about the same thing.  For instance, I had a conversation with a friend once about a light.   I was talking about a table lamp, my friend was talking about a car headlight.  We didn’t realize until well into the conversation, we were talking about two different things.  Miscommunications happen easily.  Wrong definition equals wrong interpretation.

Wrong definition equals wrong interpretation.

When we’re talking to God, he never misunderstands.  He knows exactly what we mean when we pour our heart out to Him.  God understands our hearts so well, we don’t even need words to communicate with Him:

“All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.” (Psalm 38:9 NIV)

I learned the reality of this verse when one of my best friend’s moved.  Her and her husband were planting a church 7 hours away.  We had grown very close in the few years we had known each other.  Living so far apart was hard to accept as reality for both of us.  The dynamic of our friendship was going to change drastically.  We both knew a chapter was ending.  We didn’t have words to voice our feelings, instead we sighed.  God knew the definition of every sigh.  No further words needed.

When we’re talking to each other, we need to work at understanding.  We have to look for points of agreement from which healthy conversation can flow.  When we talk to God, we don’t have to work as hard.  We just need to show up, making ourselves present to Him. We can let our sighs flow heavenwardly, knowing He understands the meaning.

My mom sighed.  One of the most vivid memories I have of her is sighing.  Usually right after one of her imperfect children dropped some type of bombshell on her.  Like the time I came home at Thanksgiving and showed her my new tattoo.  She sighed then.  Or when I confessed I’d flunked out of school, another sigh. Dad’s diagnosis of cancer resulted in lots of sighs.  Now I know why she sighed.  She didn’t have words to define her feelings.

When you don’t have words to define your feelings, just sigh.  Know that the language between you and God is one that He wrote.  He created a special love language only the two of you understand.  Take a deep long breath, breath He gave you.  Then let the soft swish of air release your cares to God.  He has an answer to your unspoken question.  An answer that starts with grace and ends with love.

If you don’t have words, just sigh.

Question of the Day:

When’s the last time you sighed?

Further Reading: 1 Chronicles 4:5-5:17 NIV,  Acts 25:1-27 NIV, Psalm 5 NIV, Proverbs 18:19 NIV

“A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.” (Proverbs 18:16 NIV)

Gifts open doors.  The right gift, at the right time will get you in front of the right people.  A gift isn’t necessarily physical.  Sometimes, the best gift is presence.  Presence in the moment is the greatest gift you can give someone.  The person you give your presence to is the greatest person in your life at that moment.

I remember when I was in college.  One of my friends wanted an internship with his favorite news personality.  She had her own production company, at the time, very popular.  He looked her number up in the phone book (before the internet) and called her.  She was so impressed, he landed the interview and the job.  She told him she had a multitude of people who wanted to work with her.  But rarely did anyone just call her and ask.  Sometimes, we miss the most obvious gift because we think it’s not enough. His phone call was a gift to her, it affected her personally for some reason.  He was present in the moment with her.  Presence is better than presents.

Presence is better than presents.

I finished listening to “Maybe You Should Talk to Someone” by Lori Gottlieb this week.  One of the cases she talked about in the book was a couple who had lost a child.  The child’s death had isolated the couple from each other.  At one point, the wife says she misses her husband.  But her husband doesn’t understand why? He’s home every night, answering emails and calls from home.  She knows exactly where he is and what he is doing.  The problem is, when he is physically with her, he’s not emotionally present.

The gift of presence takes work.  We have to put our agendas aside and focus on the other person.  God has shown us the way:

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” (Psalm 139:7 NIV)

God loves our stories. He gives us His full attention.  He doesn’t start flipping through Facebook when we tell him the same thing, yet again.  God is present in our lives.  He focuses his eyes on us.  We’re the ones who look away, not God.  God gave us Jesus, in physical form to set the example.  Jesus was present when He healed the sick, loved the unlovable and shared the truth with His followers.  His presence is the gift we need most.  Our presence is the gift others need.

God’s gift to us, Jesus, is one no one else can give. Jesus expects us to be present with others.  Our presence in other lives is a gift no one else can give.

Question of the Day:

Who needs your presence today?

Further Reading:  1 Chronicles 2:18-4:4 NIV, Acts 24:1-27 NIV, Psalm 4:1-8 NIV, Proverbs 18:16-18 NIV

“Lord, how many are my foes!  How many rise up against me!” (Psalm 3:1 NIV)

Everyone has felt outnumbered by their foes.  Our enemies aren’t necessarily people.  Sometimes life seems like the enemy.  I felt like life was getting the best of me the other day.  I walked dogs, not realizing I was out of doggie bags.  One of my medium sized clients who never poops on our walks, chose this day to poop.  The only thing I had to carry the poop with was an old pair of sunglasses.  I carefully scraped the droppings onto the sunglasses and gingerly carried my prize to a trash can.  The trash can was a ½ mile away.  

A couple of days later, I realized the sunglasses weren’t my old ones.  They were my good sunglasses.  I had to buy a pair of sunglasses.  The crappy moment kept on giving more crap.   Life’s foes outnumbered me. 

Everyone has felt outnumbered by their foes.

Crap happens to everyone, literally and figuratively.  One bad thing seems to happen after another.  A black cloud hangs over your head.  No matter what you do, nothing seems to go right.  But beautiful things come from crappy moments. 

If I hadn’t had the poop incident happen, I wouldn’t have had a belly laugh with a dear friend.  She had her own “poop” moment happen in life.  Our crappy moments turned into a chuckle, which bonded us closer together.  Beauty from ashes, laughter from tears.  Life’s moments are just that, moments.  Good or bad, they both pass.  The key in facing our foes is realizing, we’re not alone in the battle.

God is with us in our battles.  He knows the poop of life, and He knows what He’s going to do with it in our lives.  All things work to the good for those who believe and trust in Him (Romans 8:28 NIV).   He used my friend and I’s poop moment to deepen our friendship with each other.  God doesn’t waste anything,  He uses everything for His purposes.  He knows the battles we face, He’s already provided a way:

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:3-5 NIV)

When life’s foes are outnumbering you, seek God.   Use His weapons to fight the battle.  Turn to His people to help you gain a new perspective.  You’re not fighting alone.  God’s placed warriors in your life to fight with you.  God’s warriors outnumber our foes.

Question of the Day:

How can your poop moment turn into a victory for you?

Further Reading:  1 Chronicles 1:1-2:17 NIV, Acts 23:11-35 NIV, Psalm 3 NIV, Proverbs 18:14-15 NIV

“Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Psalm 2:12b NIV)

The first motion was for prayer.   God is who our forefathers looked to for guidance when they wrote the Declaration of Independence, signed on this day in 1776.  When the First Continental Congress met in September of 1774, the first motion and debate was about prayer.  John Adams, in a letter to his wife described the event:

“When the Congress met, Mr. Cushing made a motion that it should be opened with prayer. It was opposed by Mr. Jay of New York and Mr. Rutledge of South Carolina because we were so divided in religious sentiments — some Episcopalians, some Quakers, some Anabaptists, some Presbyterians, and some Congregationalists — that we could not join in the same act of worship.”

No matter what denomination we are, we all serve the same God.  Our forefathers knew this.  Samuel Adams knew this:

“… [He] could hear a prayer from any gentleman of piety and virtue who was at the same time a friend to his country.”

Prayer is our path to refuge.

Whatever you need rest from today, God is the answer.  He will give you rest.  He will restore your soul.  But you have to turn to Him to receive it.  Prayer is the first step.  Our forefathers believed this so much, their first thing they talked about was prayer.  They decided we needed prayer:

“Accordingly, next morning the Rev. Duche appeared with his Episcopal vestments and read the 35th Psalm. I never saw a greater effect produced upon an audience. It seemed as if heaven had ordained that psalm to be read on that morning.” Samuel Adams

Prayer founded our nation.  Prayer is how our forefathers took refuge in God.  Prayer does the same for us.  Take time to read the 35th Psalm today.  Think about our forefathers, gathered together, listening to Rev. Duche read the words.  God’s word formed our country.  Our nation’s trajectory was set by the Psalmist words:

God’s words started our nation.  God’s words can save our nation.  When we pray and seek refuge in Him, God will answer.  Our forefathers humbled themselves in prayer.  They sought God’s refuge before they did anything else.  We can learn from them. 

We all serve the same God.  No matter what denomination or church we attend, God is the same.  As Samuel Adams said,  what matters is the person’s heart.  When people who love God pray, we should join them.

Question of the Day:

How can you pray for our country today?

Further Reading:  2 Kings 23:31-25:30 NIV, Acts 22:17-23:10 NIV, Psalm 2 NIV, Proverbs 18:13 NIV