The Curb

And this is love: that we walk in obedience …
2 John 1:6

Winnie stared at the curb, wondering why Daddy had warned her that it was out of bounds. In her four-year-old mind, she couldn’t understand how a curb could be a boundary; it looked to be quite safe. She didn’t understand boundaries. But Daddy had spanked her once when he’d caught her sitting on the curb, so it must be more dangerous than it appeared.
She didn’t remember feeling scared while sitting on it. But Daddy had been so upset that he had actually shouted at her, and Daddy never shouted.
Winnie walked closer to the curb, staring at it as if it were about to tell her the secret danger it presented. But nothing happened. “Oh well. Maybe Daddy is wrong.”
As Winnie started to turn away, she looked across the street. Mattie, Winnie’s cat, came out from behind the neighbor’s house. She’d been rummaging through the neighborhood. Seeing Winnie, Mattie began bounding in her direction. As Winnie watched, Mattie ran into the road at the same time the next-door neighbor arrived home from work. Amid the squeal of tires, accompanied by an accelerated heart rate for the driver and Winnie, Mattie managed to leap out of harm’s way! In that moment, Winnie received new understanding in regard to the curb. She scooped Mattie into her arms and scolded her, “I warned you to stay away from the curb! It’s dangerous! Do you hear me?”

T

Crossing the curb represented disobedience and a total disregard for authority. Like Winnie, we may not see any immediate danger and think, “Maybe God didn’t say … ” In disobedience, we push on; the lines become blurred, and God’s commands and authority become mute.
We know we shouldn’t be there; yet each time we cross the line, we lose a little more sense of the impending danger, and we lose a little more respect for the One in authority. If we persist in disobedience, we eventually find ourselves standing on the wrong side of a chasm we cannot cross on our own. It’s in that moment we recall the Holy Spirit’s warning, “Please, stay away from the curb.”

                                                                   Prayer
“Forgive me for my disobedience, Father. Help me to accept without question the limits You place in my life. Amen.”

I Am the Greatest

Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Romans 5:3–4

“C’mon, James!” Lester pleaded. “Just throw me a few pitches, pleeeeease? I won’t ever ask again—I promise!”
“I can’t, buddy. I gotta get to work. Just toss it up and hit it like I showed you.”
Disappointed, Lester headed out behind the barn to do as James suggested. “Maaaaan.” The word dragged out. “How am I ever gonna be the greatest?”
But Lester, being who he was, made the best of things.
Imagining the hayfield was Yankee Stadium, he tossed the ball into the air; it hit the top of its arc and began its descent. Lester hauled his bat back and swung, missing the ball completely. “Strike one!” he declared. Undeterred, he picked up the ball and repeated the process, this time tossing the ball a little higher, giving himself more time to prepare. The ball came down; Lester swung and missed again. “Strike two!” his mother heard him cry.
Taking a break from hanging out laundry, she peeked around the corner of the barn in time to see her youngest son retrieve the ball and launch it skyward once more. The toss was perfect! She watched the ball drop as Lester timed his swing. He swung for the fence and missed a third time. “Strike three!” he hollered. “You’re out!” What she heard next made her giggle. “I am the greatest; that is a fact. But even I didn’t know I could pitch like that!”

T

Lester’s hope-filled character is a lesson for us all; Lester’s spirit prevailed. In his mind, he succeeded in spite of his apparent failure. He chose to view things from a lofty perspective. He saw himself as a victor no matter what it looked like in the natural.
In each of our disappointments, God includes a lesson for our benefit. These are character-building moments. If we lose hope and allow disappointing results to influence us negatively, we miss an opportunity to learn and grow. If we seek to learn the lesson God provides, we gain understanding.
Are you the greatest? The choice is up to you.

Prayer

“Sometimes it seems as if I fail, Lord. Teach me to see with eyes of hope instead of a heart of discouragement. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

R-I-S-K

As you go …
Matthew 10:7

To Jonathan, it wasn’t a risk. He’d learned to trust God for the results and not worry about how he looked. He had such a hunger to learn more about the nature of his Creator. He was convinced that miracles had not passed away. His reasoning? Christ is still building His church! The miracles seen in Jesus’ era served a specific purpose; they pointed to a greater truth: God.
Jonathan believed that if God is still building the church, he was supposed to continue to ask the Holy Spirit to show up in power.
Sadly, many in his church felt that Jonathan was stepping over reasonable boundaries. Their lack of understanding didn’t stop him. “Lord, only You are capable of strengthening Martha’s weak muscles. Only You have the power to rid her body of this torment. Satan, loose your grip on this woman in Jesus’ name. Jehovah Repheka*, cause power to come into her limbs and strength to her body. Raise her from this bed of infirmity, Holy Spirit. May it bring God glory and honor to work among us today. Amen.”
God had been stretching Jonathan; the results of Jonathan’s obedience had been awesome! Of the sixty-some people God had led Jonathan to pray for over the last few months, ten had been completely healed of terminal illness.

T

Many of Jonathan’s critics were quick to point out that fifty-some people did not receive healing. Had Jonathan allowed their powerless approach to the gospel to influence his actions, ten people would have died. He chose to believe the inerrant Word of God—that God is doing today what He did in the New Testament church: “Healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing those who have leprosy, driving out demons.” This is still the church age. God has not yet sent Christ to get His bride.
Your belief does not change the truth: God is the God of the supernatural. We are His children, heirs to His power and authority. His desire is that we claim and use our inheritance now, when it will have the greatest affect on the kingdom.
What would you risk for the King?

Prayer

“Father, move on Your people to quicken them to believe. Send Your power through us today. Amen.”

* Jehova Repheka means the ‘Lord who heals you’ as in Exodus 15:26

Septic or Sanctified

But you were washed, you were sanctified.
1 Corinthians 6:11

Warren listened as the group discussed sanctification. There were varying perspectives; but, the main assumption was they were saved and that was enough. He smiled as he recalled the vision God had given him a few years before at a time when he had felt the same.
“Think of it this way, Warren,” God began. “You’re struggling through life, doing the best you can. But then you realize you’re standing up to your chin in a septic tank. In your revelation, you determine that you cannot get out of the tank on your own, yet you come to believe that Someone else has the power to lift you out of the stench and onto solid ground, i.e., salvation.
“Let’s say you accept His offer to be removed from your helpless situation, and He lifts you out of the mire and stench. In that moment, you are saved—but you still stink! You are still covered in contaminants that must be removed so you can be free of the vile things in your life. That is the process of sanctification. Unless you allow Me to wash away the dirt a little at a time, you will continue to smell like the world.” Warren smiled as he shared with them God’s desire that we be washed in the water of sanctification.

T

For many Christians, there is a sense of complete relief when they receive salvation, and that’s as far as they care to venture. Their lives are filled with things they would need to give up if they intended to come into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. They don’t care that they still stink like the world; saved is good enough.
Others don’t know there is more. So they continue on in blissful ignorance, smelling, not knowing something can be done to ‘purify them.’
Some come to the knowledge that God wants more for us, and they set out to be washed in the waters of sanctification only to become uncomfortable, stopping part way through the process. God’s desire is that we make a life-long commitment to sanctification, and in doing so, find unknown depths of cleansing!

Prayer

“I still have an offensive aroma, Lord. Continue to wash me until I am completely clean. Amen.”

What I Need

Your Father knows what you need.
Matthew 6:8

“I don’t enjoy the new house church as much as our old group,” Ray said. “It’s not that I don’t benefit from this one—I just really miss our old friends. I wish we were still together.”
It was the third time in as many months that Ray had made this comment. He, Brett, and their wives had been part of the old group made up of six couples. They’d been together for over five years. They had shared struggles, and in doing so, had become very close.
The old crowd had split up, each couple leading their own group. Ray was missing the closeness tonight.
Brett smiled. “God knows how much we miss the old fellowship, Ray. He just loves us too much to leave us together too long. He wants us to develop new relationships. As God stretches us, we discover things about ourselves we would never have known otherwise. Trust Him a little longer, Ray. God knows what we need. He may even choose to bring us back together.”

T

Ray’s desire to go back to the more comfortable and seemingly more nourishing group is not uncommon. Unfamiliar things can be awkward in the beginning. Ray wasn’t remembering that it had taken him two years to loosen up in the old group. He just remembered the benefits he’d reaped.
We tend to resist change. But we can’t grow if we remain anchored in the familiar. We can unknowingly get to where we worship the atmosphere created in close-knit groups and not the Creator of the atmosphere. It can and does happen without our recognizing it. Trusting God in the uncomfortable is where we grow the most. We gain invaluable experience when we let Him move us into the center of His will instead of demanding that He submit to ours. It’s not always easy or comfortable at first, but the dividends we receive from being stretched spiritually are priceless.
The next time you encounter change, embrace it in expectation. God knows what you need.

Prayer

“I don’t do change too well, Lord, and I need Your help seeing the benefit of new things. Give me a heart to trust You when I step out believing You know what’s best for me. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Deliberate Investments

Be Shepherds of God’s flock …
1Peter 5:2

Hardy moved quietly, trying not to awaken anyone but his eight year-old son, Griff, “Hey Buddy,” he whispered while softly shaking Griff’s shoulder, wanting to awaken, but not startle his son.
Griff was groggy at first. Then, in that first moment of awareness where we lay hold of understanding, Griff sat upright, they were going fishing! “Is it time?!” he asked excitedly.
“Yep!” Hardy could barely restrain his laughter at his son’s immediate transition from a dead sleep to wide awake, Funny how the mind works its way through the fog of unconsciousness into stark clarity so quickly when it’s something fun! he thought.
Twenty minutes later, with breakfast consumed, fishing gear loaded, and the boat hitched to the truck, they set out for the lake and a day of adventure.
Griff was a live-wire, shooting rapid-fire questions, hardly allowing Hardy time to answer before the next one burst from his lips, “Where we goin’ first?! Can I drive the boat?! Do we have ‘nough worms?! Didja get the bigfatjuicyones?!”
“Whoa, Buddy! Don’t wear yourself out before we get there!” Hardy smiled, remembering mornings like this when his Dad had looked at him in amusement, while shaking his head and patiently answering each question.
This was going to be a great day, full of possibilities; a day of memories waiting to be made and experienced!

T

Hardy loved to fish because his father had taken the time to introduce him to the sport. The man had deliberately invested in his son; depositing knowledge, wisdom, and time, so that Hardy had the best chance at becoming a man of character, and one who looked out for others. Hardy, likewise, wanted Griff to be a man of character; someone willing to invest in others. In short, he understood a father’s charge: shepherd your flock.
Our sons and daughters will exhibit only the characteristics we take the time to model for them. If we deliberately invest in them they will not disappoint us, or society.
The truth about time is that it is fleeting. We should endeavor to not miss a chance to plant good seeds into each moment provided.

Prayer

“Help me plant good seeds, Lord. Show me when and what to deposit into my flock’s lives, Father. In Jesus’ Name, Amen."

Created to Be Dangerous

The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.
Exodus 15:3

During his personal morning worship, Jacob began praising Jesus for the work of the cross, thanking Him for the suffering he endured on his behalf and for subjecting Himself to the scorn of those who would kill Him.
At one point, Jacob’s thoughts turned to what felt like blasphemy; he actually had a vision of himself trading places with Jesus on the cross, not dying for the sin of the world, but wanting to relieve Christ of His burden. He felt a momentary sense of shame for even entertaining the possibility that he could take Jesus’ place.
Yet, in that moment, the Spirit of God whispered, “Do not be ashamed of such thoughts. I created you to do great and mighty things. I placed in you the desire to rise to the occasion, to save the day, to be someone’s hero; I created you to be dangerous. You have been made in My image. Am I not a warrior? Do we not have a foe that comes to steal, kill, and destroy? You also are a warrior created for battle! I expect you to have such thoughts. The work of the cross is not for the weak and frightened. You must be dangerous; a formidable opponent.”

T

Ladies, your husbands, sons, fathers, and brothers were created to be dangerous. And for good reason; this world we live in is not safe.
C.S. Lewis said of Aslan (a character representing Christ) in the Chronicles of Narnia, “He is not a Safe Lion, but he is good.”
Men, we were created to be dangerous, to stand against the injustice in this world and the one just outside our vision. If we are to care for those who cannot care for themselves, those who were not created to stand against the enemy in the heat of battle, then we must be dangerous! We must take our place on the watchman’s wall (Ezekiel 33:7–9), not as bullies, but as protectors, warriors who would stand between those we hold dear and the enemies of heaven.

Prayer

“Lord Almighty, teach me to stand against an enemy who wants me dead and powerless. Help me stand as Your image bearer. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”