Habakkuk 3:17,18 – Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in God my Savior.

No matter what!

I wonder how many times you’ve given up. We all have our – That’s it! – moments. We’re pushed too far, too much, too long, and we’re done. We may have come to the breaking point of our temper, last nerve, frustration, aggravation, humiliation – and we throw in the towel, but we should never come to that point spiritually.

I have quit so many things in my life I can’t keep track. I tell a story of when I started a job as a telemarketer. First of all, there is nothing remotely in me that looks or sounds like a salesman. I am the worst. So, to say the least, telemarketing is not my thing. But I didn’t realize that about myself until later in life. I started the job as a telemarketer. I sat down at the desk, called the first number and began to read the script – hang up. I called the second number, two lines into the script – hang up. I turned to find the administrator in the room full of phone salesmen. I asked where the bathroom was – I left the room and never came back. Not the most glaring – light of the world – moment for me.

The pressure was too much. I was way out of my comfort zone. The logical thing was to bolt. We’ve all experienced those moments, but our spiritual resolve has got to be stronger.

We live by faith, not by sight, comfort, or anything else. So what we experience in life, we have to respond with faith.

No matter what happens in our walk with God, no matter what we experience, no matter how we hurt or sorrow, no matter the pain or frustration, no matter the abundance or lack, no matter what – we must resolve to trust God.

Lord, I trust You no matter what. I know that life will bring a lot of things I don’t like or want, but I still trust You. I live by faith in You, not by what I see or experience. Nothing will ever change the fact that You have saved me by grace and I am forever changed. 

Proverbs 19:21 – Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 27:1 – Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Tomorrow is another day to begin again.

We comfort ourselves with thoughts of tomorrow. We hear musicals in our head of little Annie singing. We know that there is a possibility, a maybe, a what if on the horizon of tomorrow. But it’s a comfort that may not come.

I’ve never been much of a 5 year plan sort of guy – maybe to my detriment. I’ve never been much of a fly by the seat of my pants guy either – maybe to my detriment. I guess however you live – by your day planner calendar or by whims and winds – you have to recognize the Sovereignty of Almighty God.

Some may argue making plans show wisdom and foresight. Some may insist they are prisons that bind and confine. But either way, God in His Providence and Omnipotence makes the final call.

His purpose cannot be ignored. His will cannot be shoved to the side. He who created all we see by the breath of His power, who set the elements in motion and boundaries for the sea, who set the stars in place and lit the sun on fire – His plans and purpose will prevail.

Tomorrow is a day of uncertainty, but that shouldn’t bring fear. Hope is the day God has given us today. Make the most of the opportunities before you now. Make your plans if you must, but the Lord has the final say of your day planner.

Today is a new day to begin. Today is a day that He has made. Trust in His Sovereignty for tomorrow.

Lord, whatever tomorrow holds, I know that You are in control. Today is the day that You have given me, help me to live it to the full. I don’t take for granted the blessing of today. I give it to You for Your glory.

2 Peter 1:3 – His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

We search and search.

From the time we rise out of bed, to the time we lay back down, our day is filled with routine and ritual. Our minds and bodies may go through the motions of our daily habits, but our spirits are searching. We look for truth. We long for substance that we can hold that brings purpose. We seek out that intangible something.

What makes all the difference is where we search.

I think I hit the Publix near my house 7 times a week. Kristian and I put things on the grocery list but something is always forgotten or let off. I’ve been known to have the list in my hand and come home with a trunk full of plastic bagged groceries, nothing of which is from the list. The pharmacist even knows my name (Don’t know if that’s good or bad). I know Publix well. I know where everything is, I know every aisle – so I know where to search.

The juice and produce – aisle 1. The cereal and coffee – aisle 2. The crackers – aisle 4. The canned vegetables – aisle 5. And of course I know where the chips and sodas are – aisle 9. Other Publix stores are not the same. Walmart is not the same. I know where things are in the store I shop.

When we seek to satisfy the desire and longing our spirits have with anything else other than Christ, His Word, His Spirit, and His power, we end up lost and unsatisfied. The fulfillment our heart cries for is filled only by God and His divinity.

We search and search… and find with Christ.

Lord, I seek You daily. I need You daily. My heart cries, my spirit searches – may I find contentment and fulfillment in You. Guide me as I search You out. If my heart strays, get me back on track.

Proverbs 10:19 – When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.

It’s good to be quiet.

There are two ways this verse hits me with applicable principles: 1) If you talk too much, you will eventually reveal wrong and sin in your heart 2) When you talk too much you sin

I guess both can be applied, but let’s take it from number 2.

I have experienced situations that just by keeping my mouth closed and not saying a word, only well timed head nods, I seem wise and intelligent. In conversations, most people are oblivious because they are more focused on what they’re saying than what you’re saying. So, if you’re in a conversation with someone about a topic that you know nothing about, try not saying a lot, just well timed head nods, and see what happens.

In college English class one day, we were instructed to write a stream of consciousness to help with writing essays and research papers. It was really weird, but helpful. All you do is write down whatever you think. We read them aloud to the class. Each one would ramble on to 5 different subjects, mumble about feelings, give insane details, and a whole lot of opinions – kinda like sermons.

Sometimes our words are like streams of consciousness, oblivious to others and all over the place. And they lead us to places that not only reveal what’s in our hearts, but places we shouldn’t even go.

Words that we say shouldn’t reveal the fool inside: Proverbs 17:28 – Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.

Words should be a gift to help others: Ephesians 4:29 – Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Today, hold your tongue, be quiet. Each word is a gift to help others.

Lord, help me hold my tongue today. Help me to be silent and listen to You. I don’t want to sin by my words leading me places I shouldn’t go. Help me to be wise.

2 Timothy 1:6 -  For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Fires burn out.

This hasn’t been a very cold winter but we still love to make fires in the fireplace. There’s something about a fire in the living room that’s inviting and comforting. The crackle of the wood and the smoky smell creates an atmosphere unlike any other. But – the fire eventually goes out – unless I keep throwing on new logs. I’m not the biggest boy scout on the block, but I do have starting fires down to an art – and it’s called Duraflame Starter Logs. Just light a match and done. No kindling, no blowing the sparks – just light a match and enjoy.

The other day on Valentine’s Day, I cooked a nice little dinner at home for my wife. I set the table, bought some roses, and lit some candles. It was a little difficult to light the candles because the wick had burned almost all the way down on a couple of the small votive glasses. I couldn’t reach it with a lighter, so I thought I’d roll up a paper towel piece real tight, light it, and reach the wick that way. It didn’t work either – so, being the genius I am, I threw the smoking burning paper towel piece in the garbage. I quickly realized that it might set the other pieces of garbage on fire, so I blew on it to try to extinguish the flame. And then it hit me that by blowing on it, I could actually set it to blaze even more – thus, burning the entire garbage can. I am not smart. I caught it in time.

Fires burn out, unless we keep it going.

As Christ followers, He has given all of us a flame of a call and purpose. It’s a gift that He’s placed within you to fulfill His purpose and will. Unless we fan that flame, unless we put fuel to the fire, it will burn out. Not that His purpose or His call will go away or extinguish, but that the heat and passion of it in our hearts will go out.

Our attention gets distracted. Our focus is marginalized. Our call is drowned out. Our flame starts to flicker down.

Put some more logs on the fire! Fan that flame! Do what God calls you to do. Go where He calls you to go. Be what He calls you to be.

Lord, thank You for the flame of Your call and gift You’ve put inside me. My focus is to be used by You and do Your will. Help me to burn bright and strong. Help me to flame so that the world will see You.

James 3:16 – For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

This doesn’t fit well in a “me” world.

Years ago, MadTV aired a skit about Stuart, a young disobedient boy who pushed everyone away. He didn’t want anyone to bother him or tell him what to do, but craved the attention of others when it came to performing. He would say, “Look what I can do!” and do a little dance or jump kick.

We all have a little Stuart in us.

The world around us, the culture, is egocentric. It is drenched with “me”. And even more so with Facebook and Twitter. For all the good these social networks bring, the self is expanded and glorified all the more. I’m guilty of this. Updates and Tweets become more about – “Look what I can do!” – selfish ambition.

It’s kind of hard not to get caught up into this type of thinking. It seems ingrained in our nature to self promote and push our cause. After all, we’re told, if we don’t promote ourselves no one else will. But as believers, our lives must point to Christ not us. We must resist the temptation to make things about us – including our careers, aspirations, and dreams.

The guarantee that follows selfish ambition and “me”-ness is sobering – disorder and every evil practice. In Galatians 5, it even puts selfish ambition in the lineup of other very undesirables – witchcraft, hatred, dissensions, drunkenness, orgies.

Maybe we need to let go of our ego. Maybe we need to step back from self promotion and the ambition that drives us to have the spotlight.

Maybe we need to let Stuart go.

Lord, I don’t want to promote myself, but only You. Help me realize when I’m pushing my own agenda and help me to step back. I don’t want my life to be in chaos, but I know that is all I will have if I don’t stop living my life for me. I live for You.

 

God sees the beginning, the middle, and the end.

One of my college professors, teaching on the Sovereignty of God, said that God is not bound by the same time line that we are. We see life day by day, we witness the past days of our lives because we live them, but we cannot revisit them again. We cannot see the future, all we can see is what is unfolding in front of us now. God, however, can see the beginning, middle and end of the timeline of our lives as well as the timeline of history. He is above the boundaries of hours and days and can see the future just as clear as He sees today.

So with this in mind, we need to understand there is nothing that we can hide. If we can’t hide anything, then we should share everything. We are laid bare and open before God. We are exposed. So, be real.

I don’t know a lot of people who are completely real and honest. I mean, most people are truthful and nice, but everyone puts on the pleasantries of etiquette for the sake of civility even when they don’t want. But what if, what if we were completely and totally honest with our relationship with God?  What would that look like? Really!?! And would that put in motion a cause and effect with our relationships with people?

No more fake public prayers. No more pretending to be more than we are spiritually, because God would call us out. Actually admitting, “I don’t know”, when asked biblical questions we don’t know – or any question for that matter. Truthfully seeking out answers in prayer. No more church games – for those who’ve been in church a while, you know what games church people play. No more hiding things we know we do wrong because people just wouldn’t understand. Being vulnerable before people – admitting weaknesses and flaws. No more gossiping about others. Understanding that church work – or gospel work – is not a competition.

There’s so much more…

What if we were real with God? What if we were real with others? We’re really not hiding anything.

Lord, it’s hard to grasp sometimes, that you really know and understand me. My life is laid open and bare before You. I can’t pretend with You. Help me to be honest and real in everything – vulnerable and humble. When I am truthful with myself and You, I know that will cause me to be truthful and real with others. It’s all for Your glory.

 

I’m not an actor, but I can recognize bad acting.

I enjoy movies, especially if it has loud explosions, guns, fast cars, jumping off buildings, and Keanu Reeves saying, “Whoa!” But I don’t like movies without believable actors. Yes, I think Keanu Reeves is a believable actor. Whoa! The movie can have terrible plot lines and improbable reality, but without good acting I won’t see it to the end.

As believers, we have got to show believable love to this world – not just acting, but actions. We can’t simply say things like, “I love you” or “I’m here for you” or “I’ll help you” without the actions to back it up. Words are good, but actions really do speak louder.

And this verse teaches that something will happen when Christ followers love with actions: our heart and belief will be validated.

It seems somehow that we were taught our feelings is the most important thing. If we don’t feel something, we don’t validate. So, if we don’t feel like loving someone, we don’t. If we don’t feel like God loves us, then He must not. If we don’t feel like a Christian, then we must not be. This isn’t right.

We believe by faith, not feelings. We follow by faith, we love by faith. We can be deceived by our emotions and feelings. But this scripture teaches that when we do the things God calls us to do – actions – we validate and prove that we belong to Him and are doing the right things.

So today, be believable in your love.

Whoa!

Lord, help me to love with actions, not just with words. Let this world believe You through me and what I do. Forgive me for being selfish. Stretch me to show this world love.

1 John 3:13 - Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.

Such a contrast – love and hate.

God gives us so much love. He loves us with an unconditional everlasting love. He loves us so much that He gave His Son. He loves us so much that He gave His Son even though we didn’t deserve. He loves us so much that He protects, provides, nurtures, disciplines, and comforts.

The world gives us so much hate. The world is selfish, uncaring, cold and manipulative. The world will discard you and disown you. The world hates so much that it necessitates reason for being.

The contrast is because of Christ.

Because we follow Christ, the world will hate. Because we proclaim love, the world will hate. So don’t think it surprising when the world does not accept the love you give.

Give it anyway.

On this Love Day (Valentine’s) – give it not only to your special someone, but also to people who don’t deserve it – people that may even hate you. Show the world what love really means. Show the world Christ.

1 Cor 13 - Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 

Lord, help me to love like You – to be an example of Your unconditional everlasting love. When the world around me hates, help me to respond with love. No matter what I feel, help me choose to love.

Philippians 3:7 -  But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

I’m sure you’ve done before – made a list of pros and cons. Maybe you’re trying to decide something, you want to make an informed and reasonable decision – after all, it’s about intellect and logic. If the pros outweigh the cons, then the decision is for – if the other way around, it’s against.

Sometimes we just can’t make decisions like that in our walk with God.

Paul had a huge list of “profit” – on the pro side. There was no doubt about his stature as a religious leader. He had the resume and the pedigree to back up any kind of church work. But he chose to put that aside for concern of it being a detriment – the con side – rather than a catalyst. His faith in Christ and relying solely on His strength was the focal point of Paul’s ministry. Everything else was loss.

If we examine our lives and make a pro list of our accomplishments and strengths, they still pale in comparison to the incomparable power and grace of the work of Christ and our relationship with Him. We have to be willing to put everything else aside, let it be as nothing – loss, garbage.

God gives us talents, abilities, opportunities, resumes, and strengths not to build our name, but His. If you’re relying too much on what YOU can do rather than on what HE can do, it may be time to re-evaluate.

Lord, thank You for the strengths and abilities You’ve given me. I give them back to You for Your glory. My relationship with You is the most important thing. Help me to let go of whatever profit I have, to focus on You.