Know Why You're Here

 Luke 4:42-43

At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”

There are things that can only be done by you. There are words which, when spoken by you, can bring healing to someone. There are people who will only understand when you explain things to them.

Did you know your uniqueness is of great importance to God?

Jesus wasn’t the only one with a purpose. We all have significant contributions to make in this world. Just like Jesus knew why God had sent him to a geographical location, we should know what we’re doing here.

How do you find out your unique purpose?

Jesus knew his goals, his itinerary, and his focus for the day because he knew His Father. Because of that relationship, He was able to avoid time-wasting relationships. Not everyone who spoke to Him was interested in what He had to say. Some just wanted to kill Him.

If your relationship with God is close because you've been seeking God's face, then you can avoid wasting time with activities you weren’t supposed to do. Sometimes people will ask you to do something with them, but because of your good relationship with God, you know He is leading you somewhere else. If you know your goals, your itinerary, and your focus because you’ve been listening to God's guidance, then you can leave those people with love in your voice.

Once you find out you’re a child of God, get to know Him. If you know God, then you know He is love. Call to Him and develop that relationship. From that close relationship, you’ll learn how He leads by His love and why you were put on this earth. Then you won’t just be busy all day, you will feel the satisfaction of worthy accomplishment.

If you need help learning to pray, check out my new short nonfiction book Prayer That Works. You can find the eBook at Amazon or in other bookstores.

Summer Reading, part twenty-two

Did you read all 176 verses of Psalm 119 yet? Let me share some of the highlights.

Psalm 119:1 begins with a blessing for those whose ways are blameless. But who among us is blameless? We’ve all messed up. That’s why I love Psalm 119 so much. It doesn’t dwell on our past sins. It picks us up where we are, and we are at the feet of Jesus, having received forgiveness of all our sins. If we choose to follow in the way of righteousness instead of chasing after sin, we will have faithfulness to God as our goal. In your mind, see yourself as already having achieved your goal. Then read verse one again.

Yes, we all mess up from time to time. Verse five agrees that we still have faithful obedience as our common goal. If you fall down between verses four and five, you can stand back up in verse seven and start over by the grace of God. Verse seven is encouraging and reminds us that we are teachable. “I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.”  

I need to put verse sixteen on my coffee cup to bolster my determination to get direction from God first thing each day. “I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” If we start our mornings with a diligence to be open to God, our hearts will look like the eyes of children, wide with wonder and amazement at God’s goodness.

Going to God with child-like trust will affect our prayers. We’ll be more transparent and intimate with him. We’ll hear him better. Verses eighteen through twenty will be the song of our hearts. “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.”

I love Psalm 119 because of all the “sound bites” and memory verse opportunities. You can take one spiritual goal and find several verses that would serve as encouragement for that goal. For instance, just in this one psalm there are at least eighteen verses about getting guidance and understanding from learning God’s word. Teachability is an important character trait. If you only study eighteen of the 176 verses in this psalm (7, 12, 18, 26, 27, 29, 33, 34, 64, 66, 68, 102, 124, 125, 135, 144, 169, 171), you will still get a lot out of your effort.

Read Psalms 120-126 for next time. Enjoy!

Correction Is Not For Fools

Proverbs 1:1-7

The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young— let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance— for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Correction is not for fools. Correction brings understanding and wisdom, but fools despise wisdom, so correction is wasted on them.

I’m so happy that you and I are not fools. We want to receive understanding and wisdom. If that were not true, you would not be reading this. And I would not be writing it.

God gives us the ability to study and decide what is right and what is wrong. We have a conscience and a brain, which are awesome gifts from God. So we should use our gifts and abilities to grow into the people God designed us to be.

What do you do?

That’s always been a hard question for me to answer. I’m busy at several things, but no one wants to hear everything I’m doing. Should I answer that question with something that sounds a little vague? “I’m growing into perfection because of God’s persistent love and guidance.” Or maybe this: “I’m continually receiving correction from God.” Is that a little too honest?

But isn’t that what we should be doing with our lives? Receiving correction from God?

The fact that we’re trying to walk the path of faith assumes we’re moving. As we move forward, we must correct our aim if we go too far left or right. Remember that the path is narrow and straight. We spend half our walk on the left foot and half on our right. The meanderings of our walk has nothing to do with our feet, but with our eyes.

Where is your aim? Are you seeking God with me?

The Trouble With David and Goliath

1 Samuel 17:32

David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him."

David left his job as a shepherd to do an errand for his dad. He took food to his brothers in the army and checked on the battle with the Philistines. When he heard Goliath spouting challenges to the Israelites, he wanted to know what would be the reward for standing up to the giant everyone was afraid of.

King Saul, who had heard about David, sent for him and tried to talk some sense into him. David was told he was too young and inexperienced to fight the giant. However, David set the king straight by telling him details of his own battles. He’d killed both a lion and a bear, so a mere giant should be no problem.

Saul couldn’t send out a boy against a giant without at least some protection, so he put his own armor on him. But David refused to wear the king’s armor because he wasn’t used to wearing man-made protection. He was used to having God as his protection. The only reason David succeeded in battle with the lion and bear was because God was with him.

When David went out to kill Goliath, the giant cursed him. So David let him know by whose power he’d be killed. Verse 46 details what David said. “This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.”

I think Goliath was shocked because the Israelites had been cowering at his defiance. Every eye must have been on David as he ran to the battle line with his sling in his hand. David’s courage became an epidemic among the Israelites. They joined in as soon as they saw that God had given them the battle.

The trouble with giants is that they don’t believe you when you tell them God determines the outcome. Giants tell us that we should run, but they mean run away. When God tells us we should run, He means toward the victory.

Goliath caused trouble, but because David was used to calling to God and listening for God’s guidance, David won the battle.

When you and I hear God’s instruction and we obey despite the obvious challenges, our courage and obedience affects others. When you obey God, you just might start something good that will spread to many others.

Seeking Him In Our Brokenness

Psalm 10:4

In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

Where is God when you need him?

He’s right where he was when you thought you didn’t need him.

He’s always been there for us, but we haven’t always been there for him. We sometimes find that there is no room for God in our schedule. But God always has room for us in his.

Why is God so patient with us?

When we arrogantly think that we can handle all the events in our lives without help from God, we ignore his guiding touch. We push away the hand he holds out to us. Then when we find ourselves in need, we know he is the only one to whom we can run. But we often hold back our call for help. We think he won’t help us. We think we’ve offended God too much for him to hear our plea.

It’s not the cry for help that he ignores; it’s the unrepentant heart. As long as we take him seriously and believe he will respond to us, we can run to him in our brokenness. We can flood his shoulder with our tears. We can ask him to help us stay turned back to him.

It starts with a heart that is willing. You must be willing to be held and directed by God.

The wicked doesn’t seek him. They don’t want his love. But you aren’t wicked and your heart is willing to be held in the hand of God. So seek God with me today.

Nine Verses

Ephesians 4:14

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.

In Ephesians 4:8-16, I have found words of hope and clear direction that have often been overlooked. We know that there are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers in our enormous Christian family. But do we read past that verse to find the people the others were put here for?

Let’s look at the verses. Verse 8 tells us that God has given gifts to men. Verses 9 and 10 tell us about the one who gave the gifts. Verse 11 tells us what the gifts are. Verse 12 and 13 tell us why he gave the gifts. Verse 14 tells us what happens when we reach the goal achieved by using the gifts. Verse 15 tells us we will grow up by speaking the truth in love. Verse 16 tells us we’re supposed to work together.

Those nine verses tell us that each one of us has been given the gift of a job that is so special and so necessary that there are people being directed by God to help each of us prepare for that job. If we each do our job to the best of our ability, we will mature in the process. Then we will no longer be deceived by the “good ideas” that get thrown at us all the time. If we each do our jobs and mature until we reach unity in the faith, we will be stable so we’re not blown about by every wind of teaching.

Can you imagine what would happen if everyone actually did this?

I believe we will do this. But each of us has to do those works of service that we were created to do.

If you are doing your God-given works of service, good for you. I’m proud of you. Keep it up. If we all keep it up, we will reach a unity in the faith that we have only dreamed of so far.

God has a plan. Let’s stick with it.

Follow Him

Psalm 23:1

The Lord is my shepherd

When you accept the fact that Jesus is Lord, and you ask Him to take that position in your life, many crooked places become straight and many straight places become crooked. It is so worth it to back down from trying to be the Lord of your own life. With the right people in the right positions, things get done the right way. Life is better with everyone doing their job.

If I tried to do my husband’s job for him, his boss would be quite unhappy with the quality of work. I’m not trained to do my husband’s job, but he is. Jesus is quite experienced at being Lord. I think we should let Him do His job.

He is a shepherd. A shepherd knows more than the sheep, sees more than the sheep, and can do more than the sheep. So why do sheep stray?

Distractions. We are the sheep who run about in green pastures, trying to get to the other fields. We stretch our necks across fences and hurt ourselves on the barbed wire because we think there’s something better somewhere else.

Jesus is patient and guides us back to the flock. He heals us. He carries us when we can’t walk. He provides everything for us, but still we get distracted.

All we have to do is accept him as our Lord and our shepherd – and follow Him.

Getting Answers From God

Psalm 3:4

To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill.

Do you cry out to the Lord? Many people are crying out right now, but some have forgotten how to get an answer.

It is important to direct our cries to the one who has the answers. Just the act of crying out our pleas for mercy and for help to no one in particular isn’t going to get us what we need. When we cry out to the wrong person, we won’t get what we need. Our peace comes from knowing that we’re speaking to someone who can provide the correct answers, someone who wants to help us.

It is important to know what to expect from the one we’re crying out to. When we cry aloud to the Lord, we can know that he is interested in shielding us, answering us, and sustaining us. He wants to bless us.

It is important to listen for the answer with the expectation that we’ll obey his instruction. What good is it to call to the Lord if we don’t concern ourselves with his answer? Why would he want to answer us when we have no intention of accepting his instruction? When we call to the Lord, we can be sure that the guidance we’re waiting for will bring us to a better place in our lives. He will help us achieve those little victories that keep us walking forward with no intention of looking back.

I love knowing that God is love. His answers are full of love because that is how he guides his children.

Seeking God's Face For Guidance

Psalm 33:11

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.

America will choose a new President this year. Hurricanes make people drop their plans and prepare for the possibility of evacuation. Gas prices go up, and then they go down, and they go up again.

When all around us changes, isn’t it good to know there is one thing that will always remain the same? God doesn’t change his mind on a whim. In Hebrews 13:8 we read that the Lord is the same “yesterday, today, and forever”.

He makes plans. His plans have remained steady through all the generations. When we lose our faith in the world systems, when we lose sight of our goals, we can trust that the Lord’s ways are steady and sure. His feet do not falter. His steps are firm.

Are you tired of finding dead ends in your life? If you’re tired of your plans failing to get your where you want to go, find out what God’s plans for you are. Get in on his goals for you. Check out God’s face. See where his focus is. It’s never a waste of time to study the Bible with the intent of becoming more in tune with his mind.

Don’t worry. He’ll guide you. He likes it when we seek his face.

Some changes are inevitable. Kids lose their chubby-cheeked baby faces. Soon, trees will show off their brilliant colors in the autumn air.

God likes changes that conform to his unfailing plans.

Six Ways To Attack A Problem

Psalm 38:12

Those who seek my life set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they plot deception.

Sometimes when we have a problem with a person who seems to enjoy showing hatred for us in one way or another, we feel like they’re probably spending many hours plotting to destroy our pleasant days.

How does one attack that problem?

1. Above all, do not attack the person.

2. Go to God who knows them better than you do. Ask for His thoughts on the matter. His guidance will help you look at the situation differently.

3. Read Bible verses to fortify your will to show love to them instead of giving back to them what they’ve been giving you.

4. Set aside time to pray for them. They probably don’t have a prayer team on stand-by. God could’ve chosen you to be the beginning of their change of heart. And don’t forget to listen to His guidance.

5. Be forgiving and kind. Even if that doesn’t freak them out enough to repent of their sins, it’s still good medicine for your wounds. Your unforgiveness will hurt you more than them.

6. Take a good look at yourself to see if there is something you’re doing that you could change for the better. After all, a problem isn’t always caused by just one person. For example, if you annoy a bitter person with your happy humming down the grocery store aisle, you can stop humming. Even if it’s not as simple as that, there’s always something you can do to help the situation.

That person who seems to be looking for ways to ruin your day might not be plotting to destroy your life, they might actually be asking for help.

In Foolish Abandon

Proverbs 1:5

“Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.”

One of the reasons people read the book of Proverbs in the Bible is so they can receive guidance from God. While fools go their own way in their own “wisdom”, the wise seek out wisdom from God. They keep an ear to God while they use the wisdom they already have.

Getting wisdom from God is like drinking water. You needed the water you drank yesterday, but you need more for today. You can drink more one day than you drink on a different day, but you still need more water tomorrow. No matter how much you store up inside, you’ll always need to get more.

If you don’t drink the water your body needs, your body shuts down. People have died from lack of water. Lack of wisdom is similar in that you can make foolish mistakes and not realize you’re killing yourself. A fool disregards all wisdom and finds death a surprise.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s been a fool. There are others – many others – who have lost all restraint and turned their backs on wisdom.

God lets us see that we’ve been fools, but he doesn’t leave us in that place of foolish abandon. When God opens our eyes to our foolishness and we agree to accept his guidance, we can begin to walk in his wisdom.

He’s given us a lot of wisdom in the book of Proverbs. If you study and put into practice an average of just ten verses each week, by the end of the summer, you’ll see how far you’ve come.

Using the wisdom you have to gain more and walk in it will not only affect your life, but the lives of those around you.

Compassion and Guidance

Hosea 11:8-11

My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man – the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath. They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. They will come trembling like birds from Egypt, like doves from Assyria, I will settle them in their homes, declares the Lord.

As a mother, I understand compassion for rebellious children. They’re going to mess up. They’re kids, and kids need a parent’s guidance.

Hosea chapter eleven begins, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me.”

It takes time for kids to mature and make good decisions. God has given me a way to see my children through His eyes. When my kids mess up, God reminds me of His patience for me. Has there been a year when I haven’t needed to repent of something? Probably not.

God holds out His compassion for me while I struggle to mature in spiritual things. He’s the cheerleader in my life, making sure I don’t ever give up. I like noticing the areas where I’ve grown and achieved victory. When I look back over those areas, I can see that those victories would never have come without God’s compassion and guidance.

I want to grow up in God’s ways, seek Him with maturity, live like He wants me to. I want to please God, but I can’t if I’m focused on getting my way.

What is my plan? My plan is to seek God’s plan.

When I recognize that going my own way is rebellion, it’s easier to settle into God’s comforting hand of guidance. He is where I belong.

Reasons To Seek God, part one

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

I should’ve changed the title of this series to “Reasons For God To Put His Arm Around You.”

God wants to be close to us. If God were to put his arm around each of us individually, one of the things he’d do is guide us.

I’m reminded of the time my husband and my brother went Christmas shopping with me. We entered a jam-packed mall whose stores beckoned me. I tried to look in the front windows to see the very cool gift ideas and big red sale signs, but I had to be quick about it. My brother was on one side of me and my husband on the other side of me as they walked me down the center of the mall’s main hallway. Both had a hand on me because I wasn’t looking ahead, but kept my head glancing side to side as stores passed more speedily than I’d wished.

As a Christian, I think God guides us like that. His determination to get us where he wants us means he has to pull us along with his arm around us. Although we’re willing to go where he leads, we aren’t always aware of what’s ahead. We just know what we’re passing at the moment.

If we keep walking with God, he can speed us past the temptations that aren’t worth our browsing. If we stop at a sale that God isn’t interested in, we may miss the really important stuff he wants us to see.

Take the time this season to walk with God. And let him guide you.