Unconditional Love

I can hardly believe it… Today is our oldest son’s 31^st birthday.  It just seems kind of impossible.  I can still remember taking pictures of his birth, his crying in the middle of the night (along with our brand new puppy.  It was actually pretty funny!) when we brought him home, his playing cops and robbers with the little boy across the street, singing a solo in the church play at the YMCA, Boy Scouts, bass guitar, trumpet, acoustic and electric guitar playing and then there was the two week period where he had to practice the drums daily as he was filling in for a group that needed a drummer, traveling around as the lead singer for the Christian Ska band "Gone Fishing", getting married to Trinity and then becoming a dad with the births of our 2 granddaughters.  Ah… time sure does go by quickly.

Are there things that I would have liked to have done differently in the raising of my kids?  You bet there are.  But I can’t go back, I can only go forward and take the wisdom and understanding that I have learned and apply it in the here and now.  The one thing that I am most proud of is that all of our children love the Lord and are serving Him in various ways.

They, like me, may not always be perfect in the way they live their lives, but they, like you and me, serve a God that abundantly loves us.  His love for us is not based on our merit, but on what Jesus has done for us.  He loves us unconditionally, the same way that He loves His son. 

What a difference to the world system.  Most businesses, organizations, and governments base their pay programs, guidelines, or laws on a merit system.  It is actually a system that is built on fear, the fear of failure, the fear of getting in trouble, or the fear of being ostracized.   Those of us who live within the Kingdom of God, live in a system that is based on love.  God’s ways are driven by love.  His nature is love, and that nature becomes our nature when we become born again.  That foundation of love makes it difficult for one of His family to sin against Him, but if they do, He is there waiting with open arms to receive them back into the fold.  I don’t know of too many organizations in the world who adhere to that same philosophy when mistakes are made.

Take heart today!  You serve a God that is behind you 100% - 100% of the time!  He is always there for you.  He is always ready to forgive, and He is always available to share His day (or night) with you.  Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What are you expecting today?”

PS:  Happy Birthday Josh!

Look Up!

Good morning everyone!  I hope that all of you had a great weekend and an enjoyable celebration of Mothers Day.  We got to talk to the kids and spend time with the grandchildren, so life is good!   …And speaking of good, I began my study time earlier today with a review of Hebrews 9:11 where it talks about Jesus’ coming as a chief priest “of the good things that are now here.”  The verse ends with the statement that He “went through a more perfect tent that was not made with human hands, and that is not part of this created world.”  (Gods Word ©)  As I was writing that verse down in my notebook, I drifted off with the thought that God’s answers are not a part of the world’s answers or from the world system.  His answers are supernatural in their makeup and originate from His kingdom.

Matthew 6:33 says that as we “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness”, all of the natural things that we need “will be added unto you.” (King James Version)  Hebrews 11:3 says that God created everything by His word so that “what can be seen was made by something that could not be seen.”  (Gods Word ©)  In other words, we need to focus our attention more on His unseen kingdom when looking for answers, than on the things that are visible all around us.

Think about it for a moment.  Are you more informed as to what the world says about your need or problem than what God’s Word says about it?  The scriptures we just looked at say that the answer will come from a heavenly source.  Now, they will manifest themselves in a very physical way, through an idea, an inspiration, or through other people, or changed circumstances, but He is the One who caused it to happen the way it did!

My suggestion then?  In your research and analysis of the situations that present themselves to you, remember to give God and His Word the major time and effort.  While it is always good to know what (or who) you’re facing, it is even better to know Who’s backing you up and what His plan for your victory is!  In Jesus’ own words: “look up… for your redemption draweth near.”  (Luke 21:28 King James Version)

You know… it kind of takes the pressure off.  No longer do you have to try and figure out how everything is going to come together for you.  That process can get very nerve racking.  Look up to Him and let Him figure it out for you.  The answer might just possibly come from a direction you never would have imagined!  Have a super day and stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”

The Weekend

This has been an incredibly busy week for me.  How about you?  Are you looking forward to the weekend?  I know that I am.  Even though I’ll spend most of tomorrow working on our Children’s Church lesson and then teach on Sunday, I still look forward to the weekends.  There is just something different about them.  They seem to offer a change of pace from the regular work day activities.  There is a noticeable quietness throughout the weekend mornings in our community of cluster homes.  Absent is the 6:00 am to 9:00 am buzz of cars starting up, people walking down the lanes between the houses, or the drone of the various pieces of equipment used by the lawn care company that services our park like setting.  And best of all, things just tend to slow down the deeper we get into the weekend.

My wife always said that she like to think of these two days as a time of “strong beginning” instead of a “weak-end.”  I guess it all depends how you look at it!  I’d like to think that most of us would rather complete the various goals and faith projects that we are working on with a “strong finish” rather than barely making it with a “weak ending.”

The writer of the book of Hebrews seemed to concur with this thought when he (or she) wrote “We want each of you to prove that you’re working hard so that you will remain confident until the end.”  (Hebrews 6:11 Gods Word ©)  Vincent’s Word Studies defines the word “end” as “the end of the present season of trial with its happy consummation.”  In other words, be assured that whatever you are working toward will finish strongly, with the expected good report.

So, enjoy this weekend!  Relax, rejuvenate and remember to include Jesus in all your plans.  For He is the One who initiates and completes your faith projects (Hebrews 12:2), and the One to give you the strength (Ephesians 6:10) for the final sprint, in order to assure you a strong and successful finish. Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”

PS:  A Special "THANKS" to all the Supermom's this Sunday!

Flying Turkeys!

Today has been a warm (spell that H.O.T) sunny day here in northern California.  I spent the majority of it on a hillside mowing tall weeds, and now, after a long cold shower and two bottles of Gatorade, I am beginning to feel normal again!  I’ve always considered myself an outside person.  I can’t stand being couped up inside for long periods of time, so even though I happened to be on that hill in the hottest part of the day, I still enjoyed being a part of the great outdoors!

This particular hill that I was mowing is part of an old stand of large Oak Trees.  So old, in fact, that my client lost numerous beautiful trees this year due to the overabundant rain this winter.  On any given day you can expect to see wild turkeys, deer, foxes, hawks and lizards by every tree and rock!  Today was no different.  As I was mowing between two oaks, I suddenly hit a well hidden log, and stalled the engine just as a large mama turkey went flying in a mad escape from the claws of my bush mower.  After I got over the initial shock, I immediately began to search through the tall weeds to see if I had hit a nest.  I quickly found the culprit and was very relieved that I did not smash any of the eleven eggs.  Once I extricated the log from the blade, I gave the nest a wide berth in an attempt to keep it hidden and protected from other wild life that might try and disturb it.  An hour or so later, I scared off a doe from her afternoon resting grounds while I was mowing behind the house that is located about halfway up the hill.

These two events got me to thinking about the fragility of nature.  How quickly things can change and upset the lives of the various birds and animals that make their habitations around us.  As I was lost in my thoughts, I found myself mouthing the words to Psalm 23 verse 2: “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.”  (King James Version)  This verse describes one of the basic differences between the animal kingdom, people without Christ and the Christian.

As part of the family of God, we can rest assured in the knowledge of our place under His care.  Even though we may also encounter times where our lives are quickly upset, as Christians, we can still be at peace because of His provision for us.  Under His watch, we have the ability to cast our care on Him and live without worry, as if we were lying down in a beautiful mountain meadow or beside a quiet, crystal clear alpine lake.  …And believe me, I’ve been there (both spiritually and physically) and there is nothing in this world that can top it!

Ah… all this talk about meadows and lakes makes me want to go to the Sierras! Where is your favorite relaxing place to be?  God’s peace can give you that same R&R anytime you put your trust in Him, no matter what is happening around you.  Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”

CSI

I just can’t seem to get rid of the thought concerning the importance of our daily quiet time, alone with Jesus.  As I continued on with the study after writing yesterday’s post, I was drawn back to the text book definition of faith as found in Hebrews 11:1.  Gods Word translation says: “Faith assures us of the things we expect…”  This, of course, is the foundational scripture for this blog.  When it comes to our daily conversations with God, we must consider what we are expecting to receive from each session.

With that in mind, I was wondering if another reason for not scheduling regular quiet time could be that we just don’t expect that it will do us any good…  Hebrews 11:6 says that “whoever goes to go to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”  (Gods Word ©)

Do we really believe that He will reward us for spending time with him?  The word “seek” in that verse means to search out, to investigate, or to crave for.  It is better translated in the King James Version by the use of the phrase “those who diligently seek him” Are we that hungry for God that we crave to be with him?  Are we eager enough in finding out His will that we form a personal CSI team to investigate his word 24/7, with all the resources we can get our hands on?

Think about it?  Ask yourself those questions and be honest with your answers.  Like I told one of my sons last week, “seek Jesus like you never have, and He will take you places you never even dreamed of going!”  Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”

"Wow!"

When I turned on my computer Bible study program this morning it came right back up to where we left off yesterday in the Old Testament book of First Kings.  If you remember, we were talking about finding a quiet place to converse with God each day.  Our scripture told of a time when Elijah was looking for God in all the wrong places.  The prophet was looking to find God in the easy and obvious locations.  What he discovered was that he had to go off to a quiet place so that he could hear the “still small voice” of God.  (1 Kings 19:12-13 King James Version)

What caught my immediate attention this morning was what the Prophet did upon hearing God speaking to him.  The scripture says that he covered his head in reverence to God.  When I saw that, I fell back in my chair and uttered a bewildered “Wow!”  Sometimes I think that modern Christians get too relaxed in their approach to our Heavenly Father.  One thing that I really respect from my Catholic upbringing was the reverence for God, the church and the clergy, that was taught and observed in Parochial School way back then.

Now while I fully understand that in the New Testament dispensation (because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross) Christians have the right to go boldly to the throne of God to receive mercy and grace in their time of need (see Hebrews 4:16), I still believe that we need to enter His presence with a sense of honor and respect.  As the most vocal prophet of God in his time in Israel, Elijah had an open door to God, but nevertheless, he still knew of the importance of reverence before the Holy God of heaven and earth!

Once again, this is a lesson to be learned by many of us!  Are we showing Him the respect He is due, by simply giving Him a few scattered minutes of our attention each day?  If we really knew Him to be our God - Jesus as our Lord and Savior Who sacrificed His very self, shed His blood for our freedom, wouldn’t we be doing whatever it takes to be alone with Him in His presence as much as we could?

All this flashed through my mind in the moment it took me to flop back in my chair and utter “Wow!”  I suddenly have a whole new perspective on my time with my Father God!  I’m looking at my attitude, my motivation, and at my attention span when I am with Him… How about you?  Give it some thought, and see what adjustments you might need to make to your personal reception dial!  Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”

Wind, Earthquakes and Fire!

I was awakened at 5:31 this morning by the sound of a single bird joyously singing while everything else around him was asleep.  As I laid there enraptured by the stillness that surrounded me, I was amazed at how clear and distinct each tone of that minstrels song was to decipher.  The total absence of any distractions worked only to amplify the sounds that roused me from my deep slumber.

After I got up and closed the bedroom window, with the hope of returning to my previous dream, I began to see the similarities between the quiet, the bird and our daily conversations with God.  His Spirit is talking to us all the time, but most of us never hear Him.  We are so busy filling our heads with the “noise” of the day that we miss His communications entirely. 

There is a story in I Kings chapter 19 that tells of a time when the Prophet Elijah was looking for God.  The Lord told him to go stand on a mountain and wait for Him.  Once Elijah was there, a fierce wind tore through, shattering rocks as it passed, but the story related that the Lord was not in the wind.  Next there came an earthquake and then a fire, but the Lord was not to be found in these either.  Finally Elijah heard a “small still voice” and realized that it was the Lord speaking to him.  When he moved to a quiet location and gave his full attention to the Lord, the Lord began to converse with him.  (see I Kings 19:11-13)

I think that this is a good example for all of us to follow.  We live busy lives in a busy world, and all the distractions and noises drown out the small still voice of the Lord speaking to us.  It is important to schedule some “quiet time” each day with the Lord, in order to commit our full attention to Him, and to receive whatever information and encouraging words He wants us to hear.  This is also a good time for us to share our hearts with Him.  I’ve often heard it said that prayer (& Bible study) is a two way communication between you and our Heavenly Father.

In the still darkness of the morning today, that bird easily captured my full attention.  The event simply reaffirmed my purpose in rising up each day, before anyone else in the house is stirring, to spend some precious time with the Savior of my life.  How about you?  Start tonight or tomorrow morning.  Choose a quiet time, in a quiet, private place and invite Jesus to share His plans, His thoughts, and His love with you.  After you’ve done this for a few days, please send me a note and let me know how it is going!  Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”