Gentleness... the wisdom of it all...

"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy."

James 3:17

Gentleness is a wise attitude to carry, is it not?  This passage tells us that the wisdom from above (from God) is a gentle wisdom.  To be gentle enough to avoid drama and see the best in any situation is an awesome gift, indeed.

But do you show that wisdom?  Do I?  Often we are all given the opportunity in various situations to ignore gentle wisdom and engage in gossip.  I know I fall to this far too often.  But what if we all decided for one day that we would not give in?  What if we decided to let our gentleness shine as wisdom in speech, and we spoke kindly with peace and mercy to everyone in all situations?  That day would be amazing!

Take a moment today to reflect on the possibility of mirroring God's wisdom by being as gentle as He can be.  Find a moment today that normally would allow you to be fleshly, and choose gentleness instead, and honor the Lord in doing so!

God bless you all!!!

Gentleness... an unction...

"I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love..."

Ephesians 4:1-2

Walk with gentleness, and accept each other with love.  Gentleness precedes love here, because one cannot love if the attitude is harsh.  One must be gentle to show that love which covers and bears all things.  We must be gentle.

I'll speak from a personal battle today, and ask humbly that you indulge me as I open my heart on this particular point.  Gentleness is probably the most difficult of these concepts for me.  I have trouble approaching situations with a gentle spirit, because I am naturally a "black and white" kind of Type A personality.  I see things for what they are and what they're not, and I have little use for gray area.  I am extremely opinionated, as my friends and family would testify.  So this particular point is one that I must focus on.

As a husband, any man's first and highest calling, I fail to be gentle 100% of the time with my wife when I speak to her.  I fall into the trap of familiarity that comes from being married over a long period of time (almost 10 years now... YAY!!!), and I pick on her about things that aren't always funny to her.  I forget that I should be so gentle as to see this possibility of her NOT being amused BEFORE I make any specific remarks in this regard.  And, further, I shouldn't be picking on her at all, really... she's my wife, the one and only person on the planet who CHOSE to put up with me forever.  I owe her a better husband than I am in this regard.  To make a profound point, she is the one person whom I never have to act differently for... but more importantly, she is the one person for whom I wish I could be the very best version of me possible!

As a father, the second greatest calling in any man's life, I am not as kind in instruction with my three children as I should be.  My "simple" view of things in the "it either is or it is not" mentality that I have is sometimes not enough to TEACH them.  I answer too quickly, and then I cut them off in doing so and repeating that answer, and then I ask why they didn't understand me.  I give no allowance for time and grasping the deeper concepts... by the way, they are 7, 4 and 3, respectively, and I manage to speak with them as though they were all at least 25.  I owe them a better daddy than I give, and it can all be brought forth through gentleness.

As a son, a blessing all men have, I am not always gentle to my parents.  I assume that because they are older than me that gentleness is unnecessary, as they will totally understand that I am the way I am.  After all, they made me, right?  Wrong.  They are my parents, but they are also people with feelings, and I ignore those for the same reasons of familiarity. 

As a colleauge, I place little emphasis on gentleness, due to the fact that I am in the work environment.  I say, all too often, "I didn't come here to make friends."  This is true, and it is true for everyone.  But why not allow it to happen?  I have no need to answer too quickly and not let people just say what they think, but I do it anyway.  Oddly, I cannot seem to figure out why I do this, but I guess it comes from the same place of familiarity... only this time, it's a place that we, as colleagues with a common pursuit for income, share.  Flawed reasoning.

It's amazing how God can show one person through one word in the Bible a ray of light that shows many things to be different from what that person perceived.  I am almost to the point of tears as I read over these thoughts, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to be so open with you.  But I would ask, is any of this a concern for you, too?  Do you have difficulty in these areas?  If not, then I am proud of you!  But if you do, then join me as I pray for a greater understanding of what it means to be a gentle spirit to all I encounter, and honor the Lord in doing so!

God bless you all!!!

Gentleness...

"Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you won't be tempted also."

Galatians 6:1

As we move into gentleness, I thought it necessary to skip the defining portion and get right to a crucial issue that exists in all of us.  That issue is how we handle correction and rebuke when we are delivering it to another person.  All too often our flesh has the tendency to take over and allow us to place ourselves above where we actually belong, which then brings forth an attitude of arrogance, rather than one of blessed encouragement.  Blessed encouragement only comes from walking beside, and carrying when necessary: downward gazes are of no use here.

Paul teaches that we should approach those whom we correct or rebuke with a gentle spirit, meaning that we need to show them the love that Christ shows us when we approach the Throne.  We need to view things from a factual point, but not coldly.  We need to see the issue for what it is, but we also need to see the person for who they are... and, more importantly, Whose they are.  Our approach and course in the process of correction is what will have the largest impact (earthly impact, that is) on the final outcome.

Have you ever tried to just go face-to-face, toe-to-toe with someone over a powerful issue in their life?  Please notice, it may be a solved issue in your life, but it is not yet in theirs... that perception variance makes an ENORMOUS difference in how words are heard and understood.  It's just not the best approach to come screaming and yelling and quoting this and that to say, "You can fix this, just do it like I did!"  I am guilty of this approach, more than I care to openly admit.

To be certain, God could (and often does) send His Spirit directly down to produce immediate willingness to change, based upon the folly of one's ways.  There is almost a visible, physical change that comes forth, and people stand around asking what happened and exclaiming that they just can't believe what they've seen happen in this person.  But the subtle fact they miss is that if it were a chage by brute force, the body would have rebelled.  The mind would not have accepted a hostile takeover.  It has to be gentle, and God can be so, so very gentle with us that we fail to realize and give glory to the fact that it is Him working in us.

The opposite, however, is true for us all, as well.  The enemy is smart enough to know that he, too, must be gentle with his prodding and poking and propaganda of a "better" way to do things.  It must be almost sub-conscious in order for us not to notice that a truly hostile takeover is occurring within our very minds.  And before we go off attempting to be too gentle to others, we must first examine ourselves and see what gentleness we need from the Lord to clear our own follies.  We must first begin with God, looking upon Him; then move to ourselves, specifically, to purge and expunge the evil that lies within us as best we can; then we can share with others, through a gentle word of encouraging experience, that it can be done (whatever the immediate need is).

Many people ask to be a blessing to others, for they wish to honor God by doing good things for His Kingdom.  These people have great attitudes and great hearts and great focus.  They want the best for us all, whether seen or unseen.  Let me offer one small piece of direction for all of us, so that we may join these people and further bless those we encounter: approach them gently, as God approaches us.  Be kind, showing the joy and peace you have been given from the Father and the salvation that you KNOW is yours forever.  Have the patience to show the kind of love that needs to be shown to whomever it is you witness to, and watch as God works through you and your gentle spirit to change the hearts of those you encounter.  To borrow a piece of an old western movie phrase, I will close by asking that you do the following: walk softly, and be carried by a BIG God, and honor the Lord in doing so!

God bless you all!!! 

Faith... in closing...

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

2 Timothy 4:7

Given my profession, I am blessed to see many countless occasions where this verse is recited appropriately over a loved one.  I see the family they left behind, and I recognize that the picture of it all from this view is humbling beyond anything imaginable.  Let me explain...

All of the people that I am blessed to serve have lost someone.  Regardless of the reason or individual circumstance, someone has taken their place in Heaven, and is no longer present here with us.  And this particular verse comes up frequently in these thousands of services.  This person fought the good fight, finished their personal course, and never lost faith.  They embodied a faith-filled approach to all things, and showed an example for all who came to follow.

And I am forced to ask myself, in true accountable form, whether I have continued fighting my fight with such fervor?  Do I run my course, even though panting?  Do I keep my faith, even in the face of terrifying opposition and dread?  I am ashamed to say that this is not always the case, and sometimes I do fall backwards, as we all do.  But people who have this verse read over them have a characteristic that we all must place into our lives and never let go of: stick-to-it-ive-ness!!!  That is what wins the battle after you slide back... you get up and keep moving!  You never let it stop you completely! 

However, it should be noted that you cannot finish a race that never begins, so it is important to know whether or not you have begun yours.  Mine began a long time ago, and I hope there are many, many more laps to go.  Sometime in the middle of the race, I decided to just watch from the bleachers for a while, but I'm back on my feet now and loving the exhaustion that comes from it all!  If you haven't started yet, or aren't certain if you have, please reach out to me in whatever capacity you are able, and I will endeavor to help you to either begin, or begin to see, your course.  It would be my greatest honor to do so.

And for those that are certain of your course and its beginning, please know that even though you see slight discomforts and you falter from time to time, the ending is already set.  Salvation is salvation, and it is complete and total and nothing can ever, ever, E-V-E-R undo it.  It is a gift granted by the One who created all things, and if He gives it, it is done.  Done.  Done.  Done!

Recognize your course today, and know that it is your faith that drives you to continue.  It is your faith that pushes you to want to take that next step forward, even though you may be weary and drained of all physical energy.  It is that faith that allows for your spirit to keep you excited about the goal, the prize upon which our eyes are forever fixed: Jesus!  Look up and thank Him for your faith today, and honor the Lord in how you show it to others.

God bless you all!!!

Faith... proclaimed and explained...

"My speech and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and power, so that your faith might not be based on men's wisdom but on God's power."

1 Corinthians 2:4-5

Paul speaks to the church in Corinth about where their faith should be based, and he speaks to us today about the same thing.  So many people are falling away to the many differing "truths" that are coming from all kinds of people who claim that there are many ways to achieve salvation and eternal peace.

Let me be exceedingly clear on this point: there is only ONE way, and it is through Christ. 

But Paul speaks about the truth of our need to be not in men, but in God and His power.  And if our faith is in this place, as it should be, then it should only grow and grow as God is always ready for our growth.  He is infinitely bigger than we can imagine or understand!  In Him and in Him alone is where our faith should be placed.

Take a moment today to think about where your faith is placed, and whether you fall into the trappings of the "wisdom" of men.  It happens to all of us... it has happened to me on occasion.  It is not something to be ashamed of, but rather somethign to learn from.  Expand your understanding of God, friends, and then see what wisdom truly is, and honor the Lord in doing so!

God bless you all!!!

Faith... a mantra...

My faith is stronger than my flesh...

My faith is stronger than my flesh...

My faith is stronger than my flesh...

Through our faith, we can accomplish our goals.  With our faith, we are more than what we once were.  In our faith, we are unstoppable and a force to be reckoned with.  Because of our faith, we are able to shout of salvation from the moutaintops.

My faith is stronger than my flesh...

My faith is stronger than my flesh...

My faith is stronger than my flesh...



Faith... in action...

"Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave and strong."

1 Corinthians 16:13

Stand firm.  That doesn't read to me like an idea... and it doesn't sound too much like a possible suggestion... and it's not quite the "hey maybe we should look into this," is it?  No.  It is a command.  And what allows us to stand firm in this command?  Faith.

To stand firm in our faith, we must know that it is something we can call upon in times of need.  We can, for lack of a better term, "conjure" our faith when necessary to strengthen and aid us.  Make no mistake, the faith we have is always present.  It does not appear and disappear like magic.  It is not a spell (even though I use the word "conjure").  It is there all the time.  But sometimes when we are scared or nervous or frightened, and we allow our flesh to take over (please notice that I speak truth in that it is something we ALLOW to happen) and worry to persist in the mind and the heart, we must remind ourselves of what we have to be strong in... what we have to stand firm in.  And it is in that sense only that I say we can bring up our faith to face our own flesh, as well as the sins that so powerfully assail us in this world.

A friend and I were chatting on facebook one night, and the topic of sin and whether or not we are easily able to turn away from it came up.  We both agreed that it is certainly not the easiest thing, and that we actually fail more times than succeed.  And I am embarrassed that I did not immediately respond with this verse from Paul.  Thankfully, my friend is far more well-versed than I, and probably was thinking it before me.

But for us, today, we must take time to focus on how we can better stand firm in our own faith.  Another friend of mine just asked this morning how to explain through apologetics certain aspects of our Christian faith.  My answer is, first, to stand firm in the faith.  Then we get to the rest.  But if those who would question us openly see us falter in our own faith, any answers that follow will be suspect.  We have to stand firm, and it is our faith that allows and emboldens us to do so. 

Take a moment when you have time today to think about how firmly you stand.  Are you ready to face the assaults that will come?  Are you aware and waiting for those assaults on you, your character, your faith, your church, etc.?  Prepare yourself, build up your readiness to answer, and honor the Lord in doing so!

God bless you all!!!

Faith... in song again...

"How high?  How wide?  No matter where I am, healing is in Your hands.  How deep?  How strong?  Now by Your grace I stand; healing is in your hands."

From the song, "Healing Is In Your Hands" by Christy Nockels

I know we're in faith, and this is discussing healing, but faith provides for amazing healing!  It is faith that propels us forward into the place where our spirit can heal.  And if our spirit heals through the faith we have, then we can move forward to share and spread that faith to others!

This song touches me every time I hear it, because of the elongated passages in the chorus, painting a choral picture that God is bigger than anything.  He is higher and wider and deeper and stronger in the universe than we can possibly imagine... because He is bigger than all of it, and He created all of it!  There is no depth or length or height to which He does not go and exceed, and if our faith is in Him (which it is) then it should parallel that distance as best it can.

Think for a moment, right now, about how powerfully large God is, and about how powerfully large our faith should be.  If something is needed to grow it and maybe evel heal it, then start with this truth and this song today.  If it is simply something you're not looking at, then look upon it for a moment.  I promise, to view your faith as monumentous and see it for how powerful it is, you will be beyond encouraged, and you will honor the Lord in sharing this experience!

God bless you all!!!

Faith... for each other...

"Show family affection to one another with brotherly love.  Outdo one another in showing honor."

Romans 12:10

I would never presume to ask that any one person put their faith into another person, as we are to have faith in God and His plan.  But in light of that faith that we have in God, we can certainly have faith FOR one another, which would allow us to seek only the best in each other.

This thought comes directly from an experience I had with a friend of mine last night, a man whom I've known since high school.  He and I sang together in high school, and I always envied his strong grounding in faith at such a young age.  But as I spoke with him last night about the changes in me since that era, he showed me this brotherly love, and displayed the best of what it means to have faith for another believer.  

Like him, there are many people within the churches I have been blessed to attend that have accepted me with open arms, having faith in God for me to grow as a Christian.  In fact, there are so many of them, it would be difficult for me to list them all... we'd literally be here all day if I tried.  But suffice it to say that these people pushed me, led me, encouraged me, rebuked me: they loved me, and they still do!  I count them all among my greatest blessings, along with my high school friend.

Take a moment today to think about who in your life has shown this kind of faith for you, and think about ways in which you can better display faith for someone else.  To start simply, focus on seeking the positive things on purpose.  Catch people doing things right, rather than assuming the worst from anyone you may or may not know.  And for those that have grown out of their childish ways, have faith that God has performed a work in them.  The encouragement this faith provides is more powerful than you can possibly know.  Show them and everyone you encounter that you have faith for them, and honor the Lord in this!

God bless you all!!!  

Faith... protecting us...

"In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one."

Ephesians 6:16

Our faith, as we are learning, serves so many wonderful purposes.  And one of those that we have not yet touched on is how it protects us.  A dear friend of mine pointed this out to me the other day, and so I feel it appropriate to cover this topic today.

I can only speak to this from one place, and that is from personal experience.  I will make no claims as to having seen it all or knowing the journey of another in this sense, so please bear with me.  However, I think you'll be able to look back over your growth as a Christian, after hearing the way I see it, and be able to more clearly discern where your shield of faith has been of the most use.

Picture for me the old Roman guard, with their full-body shields that were made of iron and steel.  The thing was heavy, and it protected them from head to toe on one side, the side they used to push through the battle lines and to their objective.  This shield was, for all intents and purposes, impenetrable at the time.  It was the greatest piece of equipment that any foot soldier carried in battle on the front lines.  Now imagine if that shield were fully encompassing on both sides, as welll as the top and bottom, and just as impenetrable... but weighed nothing!

Our shield of faith is just that, friends.  It is an impregnable bubble that encompasses us, body and soul, and does not slow us down, but rather aides us in moving more quickly and safely through life.  We have no reason to fear with this shield around us, as it is the very power of God that engulfed us when we accepted Christ as Savior!  And it does stop those arrows from attacking us full force... if it didn't, we would have all given up by now.  

The arrows tell us we're not good enough and that we don't deserve to be blessed and that we have no expectation of joy, and they are all aflame with the hatred of the enemy.  But they are extinguished as they approach, and their lies become easily seen and read for what they are... LIES!  Some portion of it sticks on occasion, at least for me, but I believe this happens because I allow an opening for it.  I think my own humanity and arrogance trick me into opening my shield every now and again, and the arrow (at least it's not a flaming one) comes through and burdens me briefly.  I overcome, as we all do, but I have to remain vigilant to keep my focus sharp and my shield up at all times for this purpose.  (Hopefully I'm not the only one this happens to...)

Take a moment today to focus on the placement and strength of your shield of faith, and reflect on how it has helped to steer you and guide you... and protect you!  I would bet that if you look retrospectively at all the accomplishments you have made in life, you will find that there have been assaults against you, but you overcame each time!  And sometimes the shield is so strong that you don't even notice the assault, because it doesn't compare to the power surrounding you from God Himself.  Recognize this, give glory to Whom it belongs, and honor the Lord in doing so!

God bless you all!!!  

Faith... how big...

"For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you."

Matthew 17:20b

Have you ever seen a mustard seed?  Have you ever held one in your hand?  They're not much bigger than a large grain of sand, but when they take root, the growth of that one tiny seed is unbelievable.  The mustard plant is HUGE!  It's quite the reversal, I tell ya...

The smallest things really do matter, as I'm certain you already know.  To illustrate, let me tell you what happened to me one day as a kid.  I had a skateboard (like all my friends did), and I decided that I wanted to go riding in the street one day.  It was an average act on an average day.  Literally, nothing special was going on.  However, I was suddenly stopped by something so powerful that my board literally just froze underneath me... I, however, did not stop moving.  I flew.  And, in my opinion, I did a pretty decent Superman impression.  I landed and scraped my forehead, hands and knees, and was bleeding from everywhere.  It was not fun.  And my childhood friends back on East Street would agree that the picture of that moment was not a pleasant one.

But the thing that stuck out to me is what I ran into that caused the major change.  I thought for certain I had hit a boulder or a pothole that I failed to see.  But it was a pebble.  Actually, a piece of broken gravel.  It was so small, and it literally made me laugh to think about how something so very tiny and insignificant could stop a 13 year-old child on a board with four wheels, moving pretty quickly on a slight downward slope (and I was no small child, mind you).  I laughed all the way home, limping with my board in hand.  Then my amazing mom took care of me, and all was better... one of many times throughout my life, to be sure.  If you've ever ridden a skateboard, the same has happened to you at least once, and it was probably just as shocking.

Let's put that into this context now, and think about how the world openly attempts to run over us all.  The world challenges everything that Christians believe, telling us that there are multiple ways to Heaven and that we should not put all our faith in one basket, as it were.  It is a big, monstrous machine that never stops rolling... until my mustard seed gets under its wheel.  And I am one of many people who will proudly stand for Christ and proclaim with all my might that I shall NOT be moved. 

Christ tells the disciples (and us, too) that we can move mountains with our faith.  I would love to think that He means we can literally have Everest dance, but I imagine the abstract and parable-esque meaning is that we can surmount obstacles of any size when we use the faith we have inside us.  For some people, like me, it is simply a matter of seeing what is there in order to make it grow.

Take a moment today to ask Jesus to show you your mustard seed.  For some folks, just seeing the small amount of faith that is there can spark growth and inspiration.  From that growth comes the mustard plant, and then the faith that we all seek becomes a real and awesome feeling that we can no longer ignore.  It literally takes over for us, guiding us and directing us... and correcting us when we know we're wrong.  Look at your mustard seed today, and honor the Lord by letting it flourish to the fullest!

God bless you all!!!

Faith... in song...

"It doesn't matter what you've heard, "impossible" is not a word... it's just a reason for someone not to try."

~ From the song "What Faith Can Do" by Kutless

A friend posted this portion of this song a few days back on facebook, and I was posting one of my thoughts on faith at the exact same time.  I was moved instantly, and had to immediately sketch out something from it... because she and the writers/performers of this wisdom are absolutely correct.

Faith, as we've discussed, is what gives us the ability to see things that we wish to become.  When we look ahead on the road in life, we see what we wish ourselves to be through eyes of faith.  That same faith then propels us to grow and chase the dream.

And it should not be lost on anyone that the words from this line are true: the use of the word "impossible" in any given circumstance, whether in relational disagreements or personal achievements or growth or understanding or reconciliation or whatever, really is a form of cowardice that says to the audience, "I don't want to or don't care to try (whatever it is)."  Nothing is impossible when God is present... NOTHING!  All relationships can be restored, all problems can be solved, all disagreements can be put to rest, all mountains can be climbed and all valleys can be passed through.  There is nothing in the universe that God cannot accomplish, if we will allow Him to work in us.  And the only one I can work on is me... no one else.  I, for one, am willing to have Him work in me as much as is necessary so that I will, as we sang this morning, "love as He loves" no matter who it is that needs it.

Nothing at all is impossible with God in the picture.  Take time today to focus for a moment, quietly, and move back to the place where God is in your picture.  (Please acknowledge that if He is not currently in focus there, it was not Him that changed the lens settings, but you... He is, always was and always will be there and ready to do what He does best.)  Bring your focus back to where it should be, on an accountability to Him and to His Word, and honor the Lord as you eliminate the word "impossible" from your vocabulary, thanks to your blessed faith in God!

God bless you all!!! 

Faith... continued...

"We live by faith, not by sight."

2 Corinthinans 5:7

I will attempt to be brief today, but I can make no promises to that effect.  Consider yourself warned.  (Kidding, of course.)

We're getting into deep thoughts about faith, and about how faith exists and governs and flows through everything we do, say and everything we are.  And these words from Paul are but further proof that our faith is not just a decision we make.  It is, in fact, a way of life.

Faith is a part of me.  It is who I am.  And, as a fellow Christian, it is a part of who you are, as well.  This thing within us, our faith, is the guide-rope along our balance beam of life.  This faith that is in and around us is what forces our turns and twists along the road that we all travel. 

And even as my wife's choice of TV program says, we must "have a little faith" as we move forward.  They are discussing grief, and dealing with loss, but the statement is still a sound and relevant one.

And think about how bad things can be when you only look through your physical eyes.  The things we see are always skewed by our failures and our missteps and our short-comings.  But we have a better set of eyes to look through... and they come from within us!  

Take time today to focus on how your life has been turned by your faith; how you have "somehow" known when you needed to readjust your course.  And please, please, please realize that this is your faith, your Christianity, your very soul speaking to you and guiding you and aiding you in making decisions.  Relax a little, and let your faith help you to make decisions, and honor the Lord in this!

God bless you all!!! 

Friday's Proverb...

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding"

Proverbs 3:5

QBQ - How strong is my trust in God for His plans for my life?  Do I have enough faith to just follow Him?

Trust and faith are synonymous for how we should respond to the Lord, friends.  Take time today to focus on your reasonable and right response to Him, and honor the Lord by extending the very best of your faith!

May He bless you!!!

Faith... defined...

"Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen."

Hebrews 11:1

Yesterday we discussed how faith is a central component of our beliefs, and how it is faith that allows us to perform our works with the right spirit and heart attitude.  It is faith that brings us to the understanding of how to perform the works we eventually all come to perform, whether overt or covert.  But today, I want to take some time to discuss what faith is.

A friend of mine once read this entire chapter of Hebrews to our Sunday School class, highlighting the word "faith" each time he said it.  It was quite a powerful example of how important faith is, and I am thankful to this day for his recitation in that manner.  Better, though, is how God used my friend to show us the power and capability of faith in the life of a believer, both in that lesson and through his life to this day.

Think on this chapter today in your quiet time.  I know I usually only highlight a single verse, but this seems important today to read this whole passage and see what God can do through a person of faith.  Then take a look in the mirror and ask yourself if your faith is ready to be used by God for amazing things.  He doesn't do "average," you know?  So read it and reflect.

Also, we need to look into the fact that seeing is not believing... believing is seeing!  I, like you, have faith in the God who has everything in His hands, knows it all, has power to control it all, created it all.  I cannot see Him, per se, but I know He's there.  I don't need to look upon Him (no matter how much I may want to), because I KNOW He is present.  And the only assurance I have is from my faith, which grows ever stronger as I pursue my walk with Him. 

Focus today, and do what you can to strengthen your faith and enhance your ability to show it.  Don't think so much about becoming a Noah or a Moses, performing miracles and great feats by your faith, but rather pray to show honor and glory to the One who deserves our all... including and especially our faith!

God bless you all!!!

Faith...

"In the same way faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead by itself."

James 2:17

We're moving into what will probably be one of the larger topics in this study, and I'm taking no issue with starting with this particular Scripture.  So many people confuse this and miss the point of it, and it needs to be covered up front.  With this as a backdrop for all the rest of the similar passages to follow, we should be able to have a very heightened understanding.

We are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8) and it is nothing we can ever earn.  It is grace that has done it, and our works, no matter how good or great or amazing or awesome will never get us to the place of "deserving" salvation.  No one on earth is good enough.  No group of people combined are good enough.  The whole of humanity, even if all doing one right thing at the same time, still could not possibly hope to attain this status.  We are simply not capable.  Yes, that includes you... just as it does me.

This verse does NOT advocate a works-based system for salvation.  Rather, it states that the works we do BECAUSE of our salvation will PROVE our intense faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Having faith is great... it is a central component to Christianity.  But you must DO something WITH your faith.  This could range from praying to preaching to writing to teaching to singing to leading to simply studying and staying true to yourself... but you cannot simply say "I have faith" and not prove it to the One in Whom you have it.  Please understand, I am NOT inciting that you bear proof for any person on earth... but God must know that you believe for real, and that means you must believe and then prove it for Him, and Him alone.

Take time today to think about how you are doing works that prove your faith.  How do you show your faithfulness through your actions and deeds?  Please know that it won't save you to do the works... but it will certainly feel better than you can imagine to do the works for the right reasons, knowing that your fruit will show through them!

God bless you all!!!

Goodness... forever...

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Psalm 23:6

For those of you close to me, you know that I wrote an extensive work on this particular Psalm.  And it culminates with this verse, just as this portion of our study does.  There is no better way to complete this set of thoughts on goodness than with this verse.

His goodness is all we can talk about, because we have none apart from Him.  And it will be His goodness that follows us and chases us all the days of our lives.  And because it chases us so fervently, we must be forced to ask ourselves another introspective question.  Why are we running from it?

Frankly, I don't think we can help it.  We see something and think it is too good to be true or it must have a catch or there must be something wrong with our sight if it looks that good, and so we run away from it... but it chases  after us.  And it does so because He loves us.  Oh, how He loves us.  He loves us so very powerfully and so very deeply, all from the place of His goodness. 

Stop running, friend... let it catch you today and every day, and realize that God has nothing but the best in store for all of us.  Be enveloped by His goodness, share that truth with all you encounter, and honor the Lord in this!

God bless you all!!!

Sunday's thought...

Father's Day has come upon us all, once again, and the memories of those we have lost are fresh in the minds of all who no longer have a man to call "dad."  Those men, throughout time, have helped to shape us into the people we are, even from across great distances of time and space, and their memories are worth preserving and honoring.  It is for those fathers who have passed away that I ask that we all take a moment today to thank God for placing these men in our lives, regardless of the capacity they fulfilled or how long they were around.  Something was learned, and we need to ensure it is not forgotten.

And for the fathers still here, like myself, I would ask that we remember that this day is intended to honor us... but already have the greatest honor we could ever have asked for, in that we have the ability to be called "dad."  There is no sound sweeter than to hear my children speak to me and call me whatever form of the name they choose in that moment, be it dad or daddy or dada.  I know that every father who reads this will agree with me on that point, and we need to never lose sight of just how awesome a responsibility it is to have these children that God has blessed us with.  I admonish the fathers today, myself included, to pray for a better walk and ability to be an amazing dad to our children.

And for us all, I ask that we all take a moment to realize that without The Father, none of us would be here.  So amid the celebration of your own dad today, please take time to give thanks for the Father of all creation, God the Father.  He began everything, including all of our families... and He deserves our respect, admiration, love, reverential awe and worship.

God bless you all!!!

Goodness... the finer point of it...

"But you, Sovereign LORD, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me."

Psalm 109:21

When was the last time you were delivered from a trial of any kind?  Can you recall how it felt to be within that trial, regardless of whether or not you believe you deserved to go through it?  (By the way, if you went through it, you did deserve it.)  Better still, can you recall the feeling of elation that existed when you were delivered from it?  I'm about to deflate that a little for you, so please prepare yourself.

God didn't save you from that or deliver you through it because of anything you did.  It has nothing to do with you at all.  It has to do with how good He is, and nothing else.  He saves and delivers and vindicates and exalts ONLY to further the goodness of His name, and we need to grasp that as truth and accept it completely.  Because, in reality, we are not worth saving, by His standards... it is only through Christ that we are worthy to call upon Him and commune with Him.

The people in the Book of Ezekiel were told many times by their watchman that God would spare a remnant, but it was not for their sake.  It was for the sake of the good name of God, and that it not be besmirched in any way that He would forever keep His covenant to Abraham.  The people did NOT deserve it, but a few were spared each and every time disaster struck.  The chosen people remained on Earth because God said they would, not because they had any right or claim to be there.

Take a moment today to reflect introspectively about the trials you have faced and are facing now.  Look closely to see if you can pin-point the Hand of God lifting you from it or pushing you through it, and realize that you will be delivered in some form from it... but it will only be because you are covered by the Blood, and it has nothing to do with you.  It is literally all about God and His goodness. 

God bless you all!!!

Goodness...

"What shall I return to the LORD for all his goodness to me?"

Psalm 116:12

Moving forward, we come to the next portion of the study in goodness.  And my goodness, there is a lot on goodness in the Bible!  You wanna guess why?  I'll give you a hint: it's because God is full of GOODNESS!!!

Many people make the common mistake of believing that we are "good people who occasionally do bad things."  However, as my Senior Pastor pointed out so accurately, we are actually and factually "bad people who occasionally do good things."  Only God is good.  Only God can be good.  We are not capable of sustaining that, and we need to come to grips with that truth.

So what shall we return to the Lord, as the verse above asks?  We know that we are not good, but can sometimes muster a good thing, and we know that our works did not, will not and can not save us.  But just because we cannot be saved by good works does not mean we should ignore the opportunity to do them.  Let me be crystal clear: we are saved through GRACE, and GRACE ALONE, and nothing we can ever do will put us to the status of "deserving" His favor or patience or grace or love... salvation is a gift.  But we should not squander it.  Therefore, we should aim to do MORE good things, and do them to prove our faith.  James says that "faith without works is dead," and this is so true.  We have to show people through our works what our faith speaks into our hearts.  Our works PROVE our faith and salvation, not the other way around.

Decide today to give more goodness back to the Lord, and do so in whatever capacity you are able.  Some will give money, some will give time, some will ramble endlessly hoping that someone will hear (or read) their thoughts... but give something good to those around you, even if only a kind smile.  Share the goodness that has been imparted to you, and do so for the Lord and for Him alone.

God bless you all!!!