Don’t Take it to the Grave

…when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep;

Acts 13:36

Sixty-three years old, and eligible for early-stage Social Security, Terry had been ready for retirement…ready to enjoy the fruits of his labor. He’d been a model employee in his thirty-eight years at the plant. Terry was a loving and devoted family man. His children had grown up in a secure home, never knowing want or need. Terry’s job had provided for vacations and college. In the world’s eyes, Terry had lived the American Dream.   

Yet, he’d never found that deep sense of fulfillment he’d strived to achieve in his work. He left work each day with a wistful sense of, When I retire I’ll be able to do what I really want to do! Secretly, Terry had always wanted to make people laugh. A masterful storyteller, Terry had always intended to write anecdotal stories that made for light hearts, but he’d never gotten around to it.

Now, standing beside his casket, his wife, Jean, not only felt the great sense of loss that comes with the death of a spouse…she felt regret. Terry’s dream would never be realized. He would never write a single line, or see his finished work published. Life seemed so cruel.  

†

Today’s text says David did what he was created to do…and then he died.

With no inkling of when that moment will come for us, wouldn’t it be great to know that, as we are kneeling before the King, we, like David, had fulfilled God’s purpose for our life?   

It’s been said that if you want to find the most potential on earth, look in a graveyard. The truth is most people aimlessly trudge through life following a path they didn’t choose, working at a dead-end job they found no fulfillment in, and then die unfulfilled.    

There is no sin or shame in working at a job not of our choosing; we must provide the necessities of life. Yet, there is a divine purpose, born in each heart, which yearns for fulfillment. It will not happen automatically or by chance. That is why it’s called our purpose and not our accident.  We must seek God’s divine purpose for our life...and then follow His leading…until we die.   

Prayer

“Lord, reveal to me my life-purpose…that area of service You created me for. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

As Good As His Word

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

2Corinthians 1:20

 “God told me I’d meet my wife when I transferred to Lee University,” Josh told the group attending the training seminar. “But when I finished my junior year and still hadn’t met someone I began to wonder… ‘Was I mistaken? Hadn’t God promised me a wife?”

He shook his head, “By the end of my senior year I hadn’t had a single date! I’d been so sure Mrs. Holland would have appeared by now. But she was a no-show. I returned home puzzled.”

“Reflecting on my time at Lee I realized I had met a girl in my first year at Lee…we had become friends… But she was with someone else. So she couldn’t have been the one… could she? We kept in touch after graduation, and I found out she broke it off with the other guy. We talked on the phone every so often, then a couple times a week, and eventually every day. Ultimately, we got married. So…God hadn’t reneged on His promise; He just said I’d meet my wife at Lee. He didn’t say we’d get married there. It’s funny how we hear God say something and immediately form our own version of how that is supposed to look.” 

†

Josh never questioned God’s promise, yet at the end of his tenure at Lee he was puzzled. Had God actually spoken the promise? Or, had he imagined the whole thing?

It’s a natural response that when God’s promise doesn’t come to fruition immediately we begin to doubt that we ever heard His voice.

Only faith or prior experience with having waited on the fulfillment of one of God’s promises can silence our suspicious heart.

Scripture tells us that our promises come through Christ, and our faith says ‘let it be so’. When we hear from God we can be sure that what He has spoken will come to pass. He is as good as His word; His word just might look a little different than what we were expecting. So keep an open mind…and hold fast to what God told you.

Prayer

“Give me the faith to hold onto your promise, Lord, no matter how long it takes. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

This is a preview from the new book I'm currently writing; More Snapshots: Continuing The Spiritual Journey

It’s All About A Choice

Listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.

Deuteronomy 30:20

Aaron didn’t have the tool he needed to fix his wife’s rocker, so he headed to the local hardware store.

“Hey Keith! How you doin’?” he greeted the owner.

“I’m good.” Keith responded, then asked, “How about you?”

“I’m great!” Aaron said enthusiastically.

Keith looked up from his task at the counter and quipped, “Don’t worry. It won’t last.”

“Maybe, maybe not. But as long as it does, I’m gonna ride it out! Besides,” he countered, “I believe this just might last forever!”

“I’m telling you, it won’t!” Keith bantered, chuckling, “but you go ahead and try to hang on to it for as long as you can, Bubba!”

Aaron got the tool he needed and bid Keith farewell. On the drive home, he smiled about his good-natured exchange with his long-time friend. Yet, even as he smiled he could hear God whisper: “Life, and what happens to you during it, is about how you choose to view your circumstances. And although keeping a positive perspective isn’t always easy, it is preferable. Today you chose well. Continue to choose wisely.”

Aaron just smiled.

†

The lyrics of the song ‘Jesus Calling’ by Christian Music Recording Artists, 33 Miles, speak of how God wants us to approach life…no matter our circumstances. The last line of the first and second verses says, “And how you see your circumstance is all about a choice.” This is more than an implication. While embroiled in the trials of life, we do have a choice of perspective. As you read the chorus, ask God to help you listen while you’re interacting with life.

“When you see the rushing wind, feel the pouring rain, hear the thunder now, as the clouds roll in, and your blinded by the lightning, do you also hear that still small voice saying, It’s okay, you’re not alone, you may be scared to death, but I won’t let you go. You may think the sky above is falling, but can you hear Jesus calling?”

Prayer

“Lord of peace, may I always choose to listen for your still, small voice in the storms of life. May my perspective be one that finds it’s origins in Your encouraging love. Amen.”

Inspired by the song, It’s All About A Choice by Christian recording artists, 33 mile

Childlike

When Jesus saw this, he became angry and said, "Let the children come to me! Don't try to stop them. People who are like these little children belong to the kingdom of God. Mark 10:14

“Mom?” little Jackie asked. “Did Mrs. Burson eat somethin’ sour?” Jackie’s mother, Janet, smiled as he added, “’Cause she looks like she ate one o my sour apple candies!”

While formulating the proper response for a six-year-old, Janet watched in horror as little Jack skipped right over to Mrs. Burson, reached up and took her hand, and said, “Did you eat some of your kid’s sour candy, Mrs. Burson?”

Janet hurried to head off Mrs. Burson’s response. To her surprise, Mrs. Burson smiled at young Jack. She looked him straight in the eye, and asked, “Do I look that bad, Jackie?!”

Before he could respond, Janet interrupted, “What Jackie meant to say was…”

With an upheld hand, Mrs. Burson cut her off, “Oh, Janet. I’m quite sure he said what he meant. But thank you for attempting to ease the sting.”

Unconscious of his faux pas, Jackie innocently added, “Sometimes them sour apple candies give me a bellyache. Do you have a bellyache, Mrs. Burson?”

Totally at a loss for words, Janet waited for Mrs. Burson’s response.

“You know something, Jackie. I believe I do,” she said with a laugh. “Thank you for helping me ascertain the source of my displeasure!”

Jackie quizzically asked, “What’s an ascertain of displeasure?”

Mrs. Burson and Janet both broke into laughter!

†

Only a child can get away with such boldness. Their innocence disarms the normal offensive response we would certainly give to any adult who dared question the noticeable displeasure of our stern countenance. Why is that?   

Mainly, it’s because we know children are not malicious. They are unsullied by cynicism and cruel intent, we wouldn’t think of demeaning them for reaching out to us.

Jesus points out that those who possess such childlike innocence display an important characteristic of Kingdom citizenship….a very important characteristic, that if lost, we should hope to re-discover (ascertain).

Prayer

“Lord, my grown-up countenance is lacking in innocence. Please restore the childlike wonder and faith of my youth so I look like a citizen of Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Bullied

Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men of violence … they make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s.
Psalm 140:1, 2

Carl wet his pants in the third grade. The teacher wouldn't let him out of class. Her rule was, “You go before or after, not during classes.” Seated right behind Carl that day was the class bully. Bully’s harassment of Carl began that day. He never let up, always calling him derogatory names.
After years of Bully’s abuse, Carl became aware of two things: he was afraid to stand up for himself, and nobody else was going to do it for him. He lived in constant fear of his next encounter with Bully.
Carl never forgot those years and became an angry man because of those unresolved wounds, venting his anger in ways that caused additional pain for himself and those he loved. He developed a quick temper and frequently spoke in clipped sentences to let people know they were an annoyance.
God tried to help Carl, but Carl was angry at God for allowing Bully to do the things he had done. For all intents and purposes, Carl appeared to be an upstanding, confident man. In silence, Carl’s private wound continued to ache; he refused to talk about it.

†

Carl isn't alone. Many of us walk around with deep, secret wounds inflicted by the bullies of the world, hoping no one will ever find out. Satan wants us, like Carl, to remain silent, for in the silence there is no healing.
God wants those who have known bullies to come to Him for healing. He alone can take away the pain. He alone can speak His truth into the wounds of our heart. God is heartbroken over the bullies of the world because they abuse free will.
Free will means that God could not stop Bully from doing what he did anymore than He would stop us from committing the sin in our lives. To do so would mean we had no free will. But God is there in our pain, asking us to let Him heal our wounds. Free will is ours in this matter also.

Prayer

“Come and set me free from this pain, Lord. Speak Your truth to my heart. Bring healing to my soul. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Not Crushed, Not Abandoned

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned.
2 Corinthians 4:8, 9

Unable to find the restaurant they were seeking, they settled on this steakhouse. Their waitress was very personable and pleasant. She was a Hurricane Katrina transplant, now living thirty miles inland. She hoped to get home to the coast in the next couple months.
They asked her about how life had changed. She was quick to share how her former employer had provided a fifteen-thousand-dollar debit card to help with temporary relocation.
She spoke about how normal things had seemed the day the storm hit and how much her life had changed since. She and her sister had gone to Florida to ride it out. They had taken nothing with them, expecting to return home in the morning. They returned to the neighborhood ten days later to find the house gone. There was nothing left but the cement slab with the ceramic tile still in place. Yet she quickly downplayed their loss, citing how others had lost their lives.
When she finished, the group asked if they could pray with her. As they held hands and prayed, tears fell. The waitress felt God’s embrace that night; she felt loved.

†

Eighteen months after the storm, it was the first time anyone had offered to pray for her. One act of love can bring the beginning of healing. They had reached out to the waitress in sensitivity and obedience. God uses us when we are available and obedient. If we are willing to step out for the cause of Christ, He will teach us great and wonderful things. This small act of compassion produced several testimonies for the future. When we follow the Holy Spirit’s leading, we discover the outcome is God’s goal, not our comfort. Mostly, we find that others are hungry for spiritual nourishment. Taking time to ask your waiter or waitress if he or she has a prayer need may be the first step to healing. God whispers in our ear, “Tell them I care.”

Prayer

“Show me the opportunities where a prayer can make a difference in someone’s life, Lord. Then give me the courage and strength to pray with them. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

On Eagle’s Wings

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.
Isaiah 40:31

It was clear and cold as she stepped out the back door, heading for town. The sun had risen into a brilliantly blue winter sky. The snow on the ground made it almost blinding. She spotted two cardinals sitting in the walnut tree at the back of the property. There were few birds around this time of year.
Just as she reached the car, she heard the high-pitched 'screeeech' of a bird of prey. Looking in the direction it had come from, she spotted the eagle! He was just hanging there, circling as if weightless. These were her birds! Well, God’s birds really. But she felt He had given them to her. They had been His witnesses to her in rough times. God had always brought them on just the right day at just the right time, letting her know He was watching.
These majestic birds had migrated to this river bottom some twenty years ago. They had made tremendous advancement; there were now some ten nesting pairs in a twenty-square-mile area. Each time she witnessed the awesome grace and beauty of the huge birds, she gave God thanks.

†

We are witness to God’s creative power and imagination. Eagles are but one example of His love of beauty in majesty. They are also the model He chose in Scripture to convey power, strength, and safety.
Isaiah pronounces God’s promise of renewed strength and the ability to overcome, rising above the cares of the world if we trust and hope in the Lord. God wants us to understand that our daily strength should come from Him alone.
By putting our trust in Him, we will never grow weary. He doesn’t promise life will be easy. But if we allow Him to draw us apart from our labor, He will replace our weakness with His strength. The text suggests that we do this expectantly, trusting Him to produce in us a work we are incapable of.

Prayer

“Lord, we thank You that You send us signs of Your strength to encourage us. Help us come to an understanding that we can exchange our limited strength for Your unlimited power. Teach us as we come in faith. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”