POD People

Psalm 78:19, 21-24

They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the desert?”

When the Lord heard them, he was very angry; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel, for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance. Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens; he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven.

Hurricane Ike came to visit the Houston area and ended up doing damage to many more homes than a lot of people expected. I didn’t think our neighborhood would suffer because we’re not that close to Galveston. But seeing how big the storm was in the Gulf, we prepared for the possibility of being out of electricity for two weeks. We could’ve made it through two weeks just fine, but – thank you, God – we didn’t have to.

Since our power came back on, I’ve been watching the news stations broadcast the updates about the Houston recovery process. Many FEMA trucks have come to POD (point of distribution) locations all over the Houston area to deliver ice, water, and Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MREs).

At these POD locations, many people have stood in line waiting for their food, water, and ice while reporters look for someone to interview. It seems that there are reporters who find people to interview who have a positive mindset and are grateful for how much they still have. Then there are those reporters who somehow find grumpies to interview.

I realize that being in a difficult situation may bring out the grumpiness in anyone, but I also really appreciate those who went through the same disaster as the grumpies and still keep a grateful tone.

The warnings went out to everyone well in advance of the storm. Everyone had an opportunity to buy canned food and a hand-powered can opener before the storm. Everyone had an opportunity to wash empty 2-liter bottles to store clean water in before the storm. So why are there so many unprepared people?

It bothers me that there are so many who rely on the government to feed them, when they had resources available in advance. The grumpies generally are not the ones whose homes are now a pile of rubble. I’m talking about the ones who didn’t prepare and now complain that the government is making the process of getting food so inconvenient for them.

God’s eyes search for the ones who look to Him as their protector and provider. He protects many more than those who depend on Him. He feeds many more than those who call on His name.

Don’t you think He’d like a little gratitude for the protection He obviously gave millions of people? Don’t you think He’s listening for a Thank You from the mouths filled with food they didn’t buy?

How can we not acknowledge God’s protection when the number of lives that were saved on Galveston Island during the storm was unexpectedly high? How can we not acknowledge God’s protection this time when Ike only destroyed about ten oil production platforms in the Gulf, but Katrina and Rita destroyed over 100.

I think it’s time for a category 5 surge of gratefulness to God for His protection, provision, mercy, and kindness.

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.

Conviction

Psalm 36:1-4

An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin. The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong.

I asked my kids what they were doing in their Sunday school classroom when I picked them up after church was over. I knew they had been praying because the lights were dimmed when I got to the room. Were they praying for missionaries in other countries? No. Were they praying for orphans and widows? No. Were they praying for God to strengthen His grip on America? No.

They were repenting.

Apparently, it had been discussed that if you’re constantly getting into trouble at home, you can talk to God about it and let Him help you make some good changes.

Now, I don’t know all of the kids in the classroom, but I’m guessing most of them are pretty good kids. Not the wicked people mentioned in the psalm. But if those “good kids” were allowed to continue on in their arrogance, possibly blaming someone else for something they did, those kids would eventually become bolder sinners to the point of losing their fear of God.

I’ve done an eight-part series on the fear of God. (You can read those posts by clicking “fear” in the sidebar labels list.) So if you’ve read that series, you know I’m not saying we should be afraid of God. We should respect God enough to respond to the conviction we feel when we sin.

If we lie to make ourselves feel better, we risk making a habit of ignoring the conviction. When you don’t feel the conviction anymore, you’ve entered the danger zone.

God still forgives and loves every sinner. But that conviction that makes you want to repent is a big neon sign announcing that you’re headed the wrong way. If you close your eyes to the signs, that doesn’t mean your way is suddenly right. You’re still going the wrong way.

So if you feel bad when you do something wrong, that’s good. Respond to that feeling by repenting. A simple prayer will do. That prayer will help you keep your feet headed toward God. It will help you reject what is wrong.

Then you will feel good.

The Patience of God

Psalm 86:5

You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.

My Heavenly Father has taught me about my relationship with Him through my experience as a parent. He shows me how He feels about me after I have "a moment" with my kids. When I get frustrated with them because they’ve been disobedient, God lets me know that I should be more obedient to Him.

Yes, I’m still growing. (And I was the “good child” among my siblings.) But my mistakes and bull-headed ways cause that inner feeling of conviction to rise up in me. God’s always with me, always watching. I sometimes think He never lets me get away with anything, but then I wonder how often He’s just being super-patient.

When God corrects me with a loving word, I remember how it made me feel and try to follow that example with my kids. I don’t always sound as loving as God, but that’s to be expected. He’s God.

As the psalmist said, God is abounding in love. I know this from experience because I constantly call to Him. He doesn’t correct my every mistake. I make too many. But I do swallow some of the correction that comes to mind when I’m with my kids. I want to be an encouraging and patient parent. I challenge them to grow in their obedience, and they provide occasional opportunities for me to improve my patience.

My kids appreciate the fact that I try to be a good and loving mom. …Well, maybe not yet. But they will.

Trying to be as good or as patient as God isn’t a reachable goal, but it does help us treat each other better along our journey.

Giving to God

Mt. 25:37-40 (NIV)

Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”
The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

Amazing questions come to mind when we apply this story to our own lives. We remember seeing someone we could’ve helped, but didn’t. We remember people we did help. Were they all humans or were some of them angels sent by God to test our devotion to Him?

Generosity is a gift God gives us so we can joyfully comfort, aid, or bless someone in need.

It's a gift that shouldn’t be hidden away for one annual donation, but used all year to glorify God. It isn’t just giving money to the poor, but a gift that can be developed if it is used and practiced. Generosity is one of the ways we act like God, or at least with God. He wants to satisfy the hungry and heal the sick, but He wants to participate in that activity with us.

Whatever we've done to comfort, aid, or bless His children, it has comforted, aided, and blessed Him. And God gets all the glory.

Waiting Expectantly

Lamentations 3:25-26

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

When God sees us in trouble, He is not surprised.

He gave us power to get into as much trouble as we want. He gave us free will, the ability to make our own decisions. We can choose to do things our own way or choose to do things His way.

When we choose to do things the way God wants us to, we’re surprised by how well things turn out.

Why are we surprised?

We have plenty of opportunities to see God’s goodness in our lives and in the lives of those around us. But we rarely seek Him.

Our prayers sometimes start off with an emotional rant about our troubles. Don’t you think it would be better to wait quietly for Him to speak?

I know He can help us in our troubles, but He can also share in our joys. He can help us with minor questions and major problems.

Sometimes He just wants to be with us.

If we’ll work on our relationship with God in good times and bad, we’ll place our hope in Him. We’ll seek Him out not just for help, but for companionship and joy-sharing.

When we develop a relationship with God, we develop our ability to trust Him. And when we trust Him, it’s so much easier to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Where's Your Summer Storehouse?

Proverbs 6:6-8

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

I live along the Texas Gulf Coast, so when summer hits, I know it’s hurricane season. Long-time residents have been told year after year how to prepare if a hurricane is on its way. We put lawn furniture in the garage and clean the back yard of any loose items that might turn into missiles during high winds. We board up our windows if we’re in the hurricane’s path, and we leave the area.

Many times, my family has prepared for a hurricane to hit, and we come back home to find that, aside from a few limbs on the ground, nothing major happened.

Whether the trouble actually comes to us or not, we should take our preparations seriously. God wants us to prepare for a long, healthy life by feeding our physical bodies well and exercising often. But how do we prepare for healthy spiritual lives?

When we think about preparing ourselves spiritually, it’s almost like hurricane preparation. There are certain things we do to make sure we’re safe, and then we wait for the possibility of damage. When we feel that the trouble has passed, we take a look around and wonder why we were so tense.

You may have heard stories about people in serious trouble who recited The Lord’s Prayer or other Bible verses. Some people simply beg God for forgiveness of past sins and plead with God to take the trouble away.

Wouldn’t it be better to learn what God wants us to do to avoid the trouble? Sometimes we get into trouble that we could’ve missed if we’d followed God’s will and walked in His ways. But even in those times of trouble, our merciful God sticks with us and helps us get to a safe place.

We can store up knowledge of God’s laws and learn of His ways while in times of peace. Then when trouble comes, we’re fully stocked with Bible verses that God can pull from to show us how He plans to protect us. He might send us on a journey. He might protect us in the midst of trouble so we can pull someone else out of trouble.

God’s ways are higher than ours. I can’t predict how God will handle any situation. There are always so many factors involved that I’m not aware of. All I can do is prepare for the situation by getting close to Him in prayer and study the Bible so He can show me things that apply to the situation.

While you’re enjoying your summer, don’t forget to fill your storehouse with God and His words.

Opportunities to Seek God

Mt. 25:41-45 (NIV)

Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave m nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.”
They also will answer, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?”
He will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

How does God feel about His children? He cares about them. How does He show that He cares about them? He uses our human arms to hold and hug. He uses generous people to supply food for the hungry. He uses compassionate people to bring conversation to the lonely. He uses you and me.

When we see those who need food, clothes or a visit, we are seeing God and an opportunity to bless God. But when the wounded, hungry and lonely see us coming to help them, they see God and God’s help on the way. The giver and receiver both can see God in the other.

Seek God where He is. He's with the fatherless, the widow, and the needy. He's with those who need Him. And He's waiting on you.

Hearing God's Whisper

1 Kings 19:11-12 (verses from The Message)

Then he was told, "Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by." A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn't to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn't in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn't in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.

I like to read in the Bible about how different people have heard from God. The many times God has spoken to people in the Bible show me that He’ll often tell someone to do something, and then after their obedience, God gives them some very valuable instruction or insight.

Elijah had run away to Horeb because he thought he was the only one of his kind left. God told him to stand on the mountain. Elijah obeyed. When God passed by Elijah on that mountain, there was a lot of noise. But God waited until it was quiet before He spoke in a quiet whisper.

I sometimes see God as a teacher in a classroom. He stands ready to instruct and guide us, but there is too much noise to hear what He wants to say. He waits in front of the class and when all is quiet, He speaks.

When we stop focusing on our own distractions, we’ll notice that God isn’t in the noise around us. If I’ve done all that I can to obey God, I must then make sure I’m still and quiet enough to hear God’s whisper.

Sin Revisited

1 Kings 12:28-30 (verses from: The Message)

So the king came up with a plan: He made two golden calves. Then he announced, "It's too much trouble for you to go to Jerusalem to worship. Look at these—the gods who brought you out of Egypt!" He put one calf in Bethel; the other he placed in Dan. This was blatant sin. Think of it—people traveling all the way to Dan to worship a calf!

Most people know that when Moses led God’s people out of Egypt, he went up to a mountain and carried down the Ten Commandments. When he came down to the people, he saw that they had constructed a golden calf to worship. You might think their descendants would tell that story enough times that no one would dare construct another golden calf to worship.

However, many years later, the people had forgotten much of the story about Moses and what happened when the people worshipped the golden calf. At least, they had forgotten the part about it being sin.

When I read chapter twelve of 1 Kings, I was reminded of the 1979 Bob Dylan song, “Gotta Serve Somebody.” A king can reject God’s wisdom, but he’s still going to serve someone. A king can rule over multitudes, but he’s still going to serve someone. A king who doesn’t serve Almighty God will find out sooner or later that he should have.

Obedience and Respect

Psalm 28:3, 5

Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts.

Since they show no regard for the works of the Lord and what his hands have done, he will tear them down and never build them up again.

When people disobey God, He sees their laziness and wonders at their fearless disrespect for Him.

Why would anyone who knows God disrespect Him on purpose? Have we forgotten who He is?

Like any good father, God has been patient with us and has tried to train us to be respectful. He’s given us rules, like the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 20:3 The first commandment is to put God in first place in your life – or “You shall have no other gods before me.” It’s about respecting God.

Exodus 20:4 The second commandment is to refrain from making an idol for you to worship. It’s about respecting God.

Exodus 20:7 The third commandment is to not misuse the name of the Lord. It’s about respecting God.

Exodus 20:8 The fourth commandment is to keep the Sabbath day holy. It’s about respecting God.

Exodus 20: 12 The fifth commandment is to honor your father and your mother. This commandment is about respecting God. That’s right. Honoring your mother and father is something you do out of respect for God.

When God asks us to do something, we have options. Free will. We can choose to obey or disobey. When we obey, we show respect for the one who gave the command.

Why would God – who created the universe and set in motion the laws of nature – tell us to do something that wasn’t important. Everything God tells us to do is important. It might seem like a small thing to you, but you must stop and consider where the command came from.

We obey the people we respect, and we ignore the commands of those we don’t respect. So why are we so determined to do what we want instead of obeying God?

Thank You, God, for Your patience while we turn our hearts back to you and back to obedience while we seek You together.