A Better Way In 2022

The media looked back on the top stories of 2021. While the top story of my life or yours’ in 2021 didn’t make the national or local news we know what it was. Perhaps it was an event, an encouraging word, a memory, a celebration, a disappointing loss, or a lesson learned?  Maybe you learned more about your limitations and in the midst of it, you became more aware of God’s gracious provision.

The New Year provides an opportunity for pause
This time of year many look back by getting out their mental calculators keeping scores of their victories and losses. Most of us hope this year will be better than last. Others approach the New Year with mixed emotions hesitant to let go of the past. Others make overly optimistic and unrealistic plans of how their New Year will look.

Some believe that a good intention means a new beginning, that on their own they can make a new start whenever they want. That would be nice if it was that easy.

What treadmill are you on?
Change is inevitable, but what kind of change? Maybe we need to look at the treadmills we’ve been on? Do we need to change our perspective from ‘this is the way things ought to be according to me?’ Or, look at how we measure success, or maybe it’s living for the approval of others.

These treadmills don’t just distract us from a satisfying life they can consume us
These perspectives can unknowingly trap and rule us. They can suck the energy right out of us and leave us utterly empty. It’s not easy to let go of all the mental stuff we insist we need for our tomorrow along with all the stuff we continue to haul with us from our yesterdays.

One thing that we can all count on this New Year is change
Some changes we gladly choose and others we don’t. Yet, more often than not, despite our high hopes and best efforts we fail to change in the ways God desires. We can’t just grit our teeth and force ourselves to act with compassion. It’s not about trying harder on our own.

Yet, many of us have become far too passive in our pursuit of change and wholeness, and peace. Could in our therapeutic age we have fallen into the passive mindset of “talking through our problems” or “dealing with our issues” or “discovering the roots of our brokenness in our family of origin?”

But I see a more non-passive approach to change in the New Testament. Namely, set your mind.
“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:2

Jesus isn’t interested in us being changed into people who only become nicer and more agreeable. God does not ask us to accommodate Him but to live for Him. He has something far more different in mind for us this New Year. God can change your life story this New Year. There is a better way.

Live for what matters to God
All of us who have attempted change and failed to know if this year is going to be any different, we need a new approach. Becoming what God desires of us is not a quick-fix formula. It’s a heart change.

There are certain things and people we cannot change, but there are changes we can make that can leave a lasting impact on other people’s lives if we choose to live for what matters to God. God has been changing the hearts and minds of people and nations for thousands of years and He desires to change yours’ and mine too.

Here’s the deal: God significantly changes our lives when we live out a heart's cry of, “Not my will, but thy will be done. What do you want me to do for You Lord?”  And that will be enough.

The God that changes not, changes everything!
Be grateful that His love for you will never change! That’s one thing you can count on today and forever!

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you. I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness. Psalm 26:3; 33:22

Give Gifts That People Really Need

 

Too many of us have unrealistic expectations of what Christmas should be or what it was once and maybe even a sentimental view of the manger. Let’s look at the Christmas story from a different perspective.

I heard once, “If Jesus was at my family’s Christmas he wouldn’t be so optimistic about loving people.” During this season we encounter all kinds of different people. In the Christmas story, there were…

Disappointed people
Zechariah and Elizabeth faithfully served God the best they knew how. Elizabeth was old and barren in an age when being without children was considered a curse or perhaps worse yet, it was because of something you did to displease God.

Perhaps a strained relationship as well. When the priest Zechariah was told by the angel that his wife would have a child Zechariah’s natural response was, “How can I be sure of this, my wife and I are too old and worn out.” As a result of Zechariah’s unbelief, he did not speak until his son John was born.

Stressed out people
All is calm, all is bright. Really? Mary was probably around thirteen when she was pregnant and told Joseph that the father was the Holy Spirit. Joseph: Would you repeat that, please… Needless to say, he didn’t believe her. Are you really going to stay with that story, Mary? Joseph wanted to spare Mary public disgrace and humiliation and planned to quietly divorce her. There was a scandal in Galilee.

Then Joseph was visited by an angel and changed his mind about divorcing Mary and told her that we should just go ahead and get married anyway. They came from a very strict religious place, not unlike where some of us lived. 

They were a poor couple who were financially strapped during tax season and now they're on a difficult long journey with no place to stay. Joseph didn’t even think to call ahead and book the cheapest B&B or Motel 6.

Unsavory people
How many people have ‘The Great’ tacked on after their name like Herod? Paranoid about losing his power to a prophesied Jewish King, Herod ordered the murder of all the boys in Bethlehem who were two years and under. 

Warned by an angel Joseph and Mary took Jesus and fled to Egypt to live in a foreign place with a radically different culture and language and where the locals didn’t really want them around. If they took the Stress Test today they would be off the charts.

Strange and despised people
The Magi were Persians who looked very different than those living in Palestine. They believed in astrology which was strictly forbidden for the Jews. Then there were the dishonest and despised shepherds. If you were a good Jew you didn’t want your daughter hanging out with these guys.

Jesus lived in a world with plenty of people like the ones mentioned, but he gave them love anyway. This Christmas you can give better gifts that people really need.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

The first gift you can give to the difficult people in your life is…
The gift of grace
Jesus asked the woman caught in adultery, “Where are your accusers? There are none Lord, “Neither do I condemn you...” For the son of man came not to condemn the world, but to save it.” John 3:17

There is no one in your life who doesn’t need grace. Everybody needs grace. You might think someone doesn’t deserve grace and you know what, they don’t, but God gives it anyway. Only God knows what they deserve. A lot of times we don’t know their backgrounds and wounds. 

We all have certain leanings, some of us have a high capacity for gratitude, and others of us are constantly whining, but Jesus is full of grace to all of us. Are you? The second gift is...

The gift of truth
Jesus was full of grace, but not just grace. He was also full of truth. Grace without truth isn’t enough to grow in. Jesus was full of grace but also full of truth. It’s really hard to speak the truth sometimes. We might think we’re really good at telling someone the truth.

We can simply share the truth and a person will change. Wow, I really needed that I’m going to change right now. Yet, when we're face to face with someone we struggle with the right words to say.

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4:15 The third gift is…

The gift of time
Time is a precious commodity. Some think one conversation will be enough to persuade a person to change. We’re impatient, we want to microwave people. I had one conversation with ______and he didn’t change, what’s the deal?

Jesus tells this great story. There’s this guy who sees a fig tree that looked dead and said, “Let’s cut it down?” The gardener says, “No not yet, give it another year, fertilize and prune it, I’m still working on this tree.” Of course, the gardener (Jesus) is still at work in those whom we might write off.

There have been people in your life for which you’ve tried to help several times and you finally came to a point of actually giving up on them. But you’re not in charge of them. God is working on that tree. He’s working on your tree. 

All you can bring to the table is you. The only heart you can bring to the table is yours. The question is will you bring grace, truth, and time to them? It’s a lot easier to think about it than do it.

Maybe you’re not a grace, truth, and time person, but you can be a conduit for it if you start with this Christmas letting God love you.

Israel was living in a very stressful time in their history and they weren’t sure if they were loved. I can’t really love if I don’t I know I have more than enough love coming my way. God says to them, ‘Even if a mom would forget her child I could never forget you. I love you too much…Your name is engraved in the palm of my hand.’ Isaiah 49:14-15

That was what Jesus did in his life, He showed love to the disappointed people, stressed-out people, unsafe people, embarrassed people, all the difficult people in his life and he gave them grace, truth, and time. Then he went to a cross and stretched out his hands and allowed the cruel spikes to pierce his hands and your name got engraved in his palm.

You see, there are a lot of people who don’t know they’re loved. This could be a Christmas unlike any other. Maybe your pain is so deep; your emotions are so raw you have no idea where to start to love others the way Jesus did. God knows this.

You don’t have to figure out what to do or say. All you have to do is bring your heart to God right now and ask Him to help you let go of your bitterness, resentment, fear, the anxiety that’s been keeping you in your own prison. Help us God to acknowledge that our peace does not come from within ourselves, but from you, for you are our peace.

Merry Christmas

There Will Be A Better Day Coming

We try to hold on to people, places, and things with everything we have. We do our best to heal divisions within our families, resolve conflict with friends and do what we can to be a peacemaker.  We do our part to encourage others and hope others will do the same.

We pray and hope for family and friends’ physical, emotional and spiritual healing.  We hope for peace, reconciliation, and restoration in our communities and relationships.  We see the tears of disappointed people we know or just met and feel their pain. 

We hear the stories of people at the end of their rope.  They are rich and poor, young and old who are weary and undone.  Speechless. Words can’t even express their sorrow. Take this pain away God or take me home…

Hoping for a better day and a better tomorrow.

In this age of social influencers and celebrities selling immediate gratification for their benefit at our expense, it just adds to the mix of frustration, apathy, and indifference.  As Bob Dylan sang, “I used to care, but things have changed.” All this gets downright discouraging and many have become disengaged and completely isolated. COVID hasn’t helped…

In this crazy mixed-up world where wrong has become right and right has become wrong we all have one thing in common, the need for hope. What we believe about our hope directly impacts how we are experiencing our present. We are irreducibly hope-based creatures. As Christ-followers God’s Word declares that one day we will enter into a glorious rest with indescribable wonders.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” I Corinthian 2:9

On the one hand, we can't possibly comprehend or imagine what heaven will be like. Yet, the Bible gives us so much information about heaven that it is right for us to think about what the future holds. Revelation 21 provides some of the best and most beautiful insight into our future resting place.

We can hold on to our hope and promise that there will come a day when “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4   Songwriter Jeremy Camp put it this way:
 
“We’ll see Jesus face to face, but until that day we’ll hold on to you always. I know the journey seems so long you feel you’re walking on your own, but there’s never been a step where you walked out all alone. Troubled soul don’t lose your heart cause joy and peace He brings and the beauty that’s in store outweighs the hurt of life’s sting.”

Are you looking forward to that day when the One you’ve lived for will wipe away all the sorrows you’ve faced or are facing now? Please know that there will be a better day ahead and until that day comes hold on to the One who is your hope now in this life and into the next.

There is a better day coming!

Instead, they (Hebrews 11) were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:16

 

After We've Blown It

In Redefining Failure, “Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.”Acts 7:25 Moses’ impulsive self will lead to the death of an Egyptian. When it became know he feared for his life he frantically fled into the Midian wilderness.

Running and exhausted, when Moses arrived in the Midian desert he ‘sat down by a well.’ There at the well, he had the time to reflect on his epic failure and perhaps asked himself, “What did I just do? I can’t believe it. Now, what am I going to do?”

Unlike Moses, many of us do not sit down long enough to process our failings? As Lincoln said, “My great concern is not whether you’ve failed, but are you content with it?” Have we thought it through and accepted it? Do we learn from our failings or are we destined to repeat them?

For the next several decades Moses had another kind of education, one of obscurity in the dry and barren Midian desert. He settled in as a foreigner and learned what it was to be a shepherd and had two sons. During those seemingly forgotten years, God remembered Moses! God still had a plan for him.  Another observation that we can learn from Moses’ life is that…

God Is with You During and After Your Failings
After forty long years, God gave Moses another visit. God had heard the cries of His oppressed people in Egypt (Exodus 2:23) and now He was going to deliver them from their bondage by the hand of Moses. God spoke to Moses and told him that he would, “Tell the Pharaoh to let my people go.”

Moses’ response was, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” After failing so miserably last time it was understandable that Moses was so insistent that he wouldn’t have anything to do with delivering Israel.

Then God said to Moses, “I will be with you.” You see now Moses, last time you did it your way and I wasn’t in it, but this time I AM! You got that Moses? Don’t miss this, “I will be with you!”

Moses continued his adamant reluctance with excuses (Ex.4:1, 10-13). “Not me Lord, I’m not qualified, I’m not a good speaker. Remember Lord, I’m a loser?” O Lord, please send someone else to do it.”Over the years Moses had become preoccupied with his past failure. He couldn’t forget it. His failure became his ball and chain. The second observation is that…Cross references:

Failure Can Lead to a Lack of Trust in God and Yourself
But it doesn’t have to! Unfortunately, some people can’t accept their failure and move on. They’re stuck in their own self-imposed prison cell. It doesn’t have to be that way! Everyone experiences failure, but the biggest failure is not trying again. You can start over!

No matter what we’ve done, know that no one has failed too greatly or too much for God! God doesn’t waste your failures. He uses them to remind you how desperately you really need His presence and guidance. Thankfully, when you do fail God’s acceptance is always available.

God can work your failure into His plans! He knows exactly what to do. He has a long history of redeeming failure. As he was with Moses, God will be with YOU!

As Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Join us for the next blog as we learn how the radical turnaround in Moses’ life can help you too!

Moving Towards Hope

 

If you were 40-45 years old years in 1945 you would have lived through the worldwide Spanish flu pandemic during World War I that took 50M lives, the Great Depression, and then World War II. 

 

In 1945 many wondered what next bad thing could happen? Maybe today, that’s you, or maybe not? After WW II those times of intense anxiety and insecurity were over for millions at least for a while! Down the road came Korea, Viet Nam, the 60s, and 911.

 

COVID 19 was something very few people ever thought could happen, the reality is that things can change very quickly. Ironically, today we are living longer and healthier lives, but people feel more culturally and emotionally disconnected than ever. Today the level of depression and anxiety among millennials is higher than those that came before. 

 

Inevitably, life can take a turn we didn’t plan on or expect. When Jesus told his disciples that he was going away they were deeply heartbroken and confused. Maybe you’ve experienced that with someone close to you too? Like the sad reality of saying goodbye for the last time.

 

The disciples experienced a roller coaster of emotions: sadness, grief, a loss of hope, and skepticism. What are we going to do now? The disciples’ hopes and dreams were completely shattered. We’ve all been there before or can be. In times like this, we need hope. 

 

The disciples’ sorrow and tears clouded their vision and they had lost their hope and forgotten about what Jesus had told them about them seeing Him again. As Mother Teresa said, “Never let your sorrow so fill you as to make you forget the joy of the risen Christ.” Have you forgotten?

 

For many, their hope is just a pleasant wish. I hope that… We can hang our hopes on people, places, and things. We tend to cling to the things that are going to be eventually taken away from us. 

 

Unless we're getting our hope from God, we're going to try to get it from someone or something else. What or who is your hope in? Our hope might be in someone or something good and possibly attainable, but hope in the resurrection is infallible! Hey, it’s Friday, but Sundays a coming!

 

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord.    Psalm118:9                                                                                                                            

But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Psalm 39:7

My soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Psalm 62:5

Love Your Enemy

Legend has it that just before painting the faces of the disciples in the Lord’s Supper Leonardo DaVinci had a terrible argument with a fellow artist. He determined to paint his adversary’s face into the portrait is that of Judas Iscariot and thus take revenge by handing down the man in infamy and scorn for generations.

The face of Judas was one of the first he finished and everyone could easily recognize the face of a painter with whom he quarreled. However, when it came time to paint the face of Christ Da Vinci couldn’t make any progress at all. Something seemed to be frustrating even his best efforts.

He realized that the cause of this difficulty was in his bitterness and lack of forgiveness towards his fellow painter. He concluded that you cannot at the same time be painting the features of Christ in your own life and painting another with the colors of hatred and enmity.

King Saul relentlessly and unjustly chased David all over Israel to take his life. In his pursuit of David Saul stopped into a cave to relieve himself unaware that David and his men were hiding in the back of the cave. David had the perfect opportunity to take out Saul. His men said, ‘Saul has tried to kill you several times, so take care of your enemy now and take the throne that is rightfully yours.’ David persuaded his men not to retaliate.

Instead, David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe while he was taking care of business. David didn’t gloat, but his conscience was bothering him about what he did. In response to his conscience, David did an amazingly gracious thing. I Samuel 24:8-13

There is a better way than getting even

David told Saul, ‘You’re listening to inaccurate counsel and wrong information about me.’ David told the person who needed to hear it the most, not to Saul’s men, not to Israel, but Saul himself. He spoke to the person with whom his battle was with.

When we have been wronged it's important to graciously convey the truth to the person involved no matter who they are, even if it's the king. Some tend to think to leave it alone, it will work out. David did not.

The desire for revenge is one of the most subtle temptations in life

Saul thought was, ‘If you don’t hate David as much as I do, then you’re my enemy.’ When we label someone as bad we can feel justified in getting back. 

Resentment and retaliation reduce us to the one who did that awful thing to me.

Saul didn’t want a civil conversation he wanted revenge. Today, vengeance can be disguised as ‘My rights.’ It wasn’t fair, so I’ll get you back! I’m not talking about national defense here, but personal harm is done to us. How often should we seek revenge? God doesn’t say sometimes, but “Vengeance is mine.”

David was unjustly and severely mistreated by Saul. At that very vulnerable time in the cave, David could have exacted revenge. His friends would have applauded, but he would have had to live with his decision for the rest of his life. 

The blame game is lame

What about you? If you’re holding a grudge toward someone and treating them accordingly it will not turn out well for you and those around you. For your own sake and others ask God to free you from the ball and chain you’re dragging around.

If there’s any blame leave it with God, don’t live with it. Maybe God can’t finish his masterpiece in your life until the enmity you have with someone is gone when giving it to Him. As the grateful forgiven Apostle Paul said…

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. Romans 12:19

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. Martin Luther King

When life’s subtle temptation of retaliation draws you in, refuse to give into it. You’ll never regret forgiving someone who doesn’t deserve it.

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this, you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:8-9

 

What to Do With An Unwanted Gift?

 

Today even before we open a gift often the giver will say, “Don’t worry I have a gift receipt. If you don’t like you can return it.” For many Christmas can have a way of intensifying our highs and our lows. We can celebrate our highs yet our lows can seem lower.

Part of the Christmas story is one of an unwanted gift|
There is not much mentioned about Joseph. There are no recorded words of Joseph, but he was not a passive bystander. He was faced with one of the most unwanted gifts anyone could ever imagine. His response changed his life and has the power to change yours’.

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was ‘pledged’ to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.  Matthew 1:18-25

Joseph was ‘pledged’ to Mary, in other words, they didn’t meet on Match.com or dated to see if their relationship would develop into something more serious. Their marriage was arranged by their families. It’s possible they didn’t know each other all that well. Their betrothal period lasted six months before the consummation of their marriage.

We read that Joseph was a ‘righteous’ man. He was consecrated in his Hebrew faith. He faithfully attended the synagogue, he knew, memorized, and kept the Torah and observed the Jewish feasts. Being called a righteous man meant he was well respected in his community.

Joseph could have heard rumors about Mary’s pregnancy before Mary told him the father was the Holy Spirit. It would be understandable that Joseph was deeply disappointed in Mary and hearing the news from the village gossip. His parent’s dreams for him and his own were absolutely shattered at the news of Mary’s pregnancy. Joseph was heartbroken and dismayed.

The consequences for an adulterer would be a public stoning. After hearing the news no wonder Joseph was considering divorcing Mary, but to save her from public humiliation and disgrace he kept his vow to marry her. He was a good man. There was no requirement for Joseph to bring Mary on the long difficult journey to Bethlehem. Could it be that he took her to protect her?

Before the angel confirmed Mary’s explanation Joseph was afraid of what would happen next. Why was he afraid? His mind was racing knowing his decision would be extremely costly in taking on a wife that was thought to be an adulterer. He knew that his son was not his and would be constantly called nasty names growing up.

Perhaps Mary’s family and friends would shun her and or worse yet disown her? Maybe their families would not attend their eventual wedding day? Would his good reputation be mired forever in scandal?  There was a lot on the line for Joseph. He was in a place of, ‘I don’t understand God, I’m afraid, what are you doing here? I really need to hear from you.’ Have you ever been there? Most of us have.

Three Ways We Can Respond to this story 
Don’t be afraid
“and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”)
God did address Joseph’s fears through the angel that God was with Him in his overwhelming situation even though it would continue to be very hard for him. God promises that He is with us in whatever situation we’re facing no matter how long and despite how difficult.

Take a risk
Joseph took an unbelievable risk in taking Mary as his wife. To choose to love Mary knowing that the future would be hard for both of them, but somehow God would make a way. Joseph’s love, faith, and perseverance deeply mattered to God. So does yours’ and mine.

Commit yourself to God

Do you think Joseph regretted his decision in taking Mary as his wife? He didn’t have a gift receipt to return the gift he didn’t want or ask for. Despite all the tribulations Joseph would endure because of his decision do you think he regretted seeing his son grow up and teaching him his carpentry trade?

Do you think he regretted the long walks and conversations with his son? Do you think he regretted seeing his son’s gracious wise counsel to those he met? It was hard to hear the slurs about his son, but do you think he regretted seeing his son redeem people’s lives? God rewarded Joseph’s commitment to Him.

What about you? Like Joseph will you trust God that He will be ‘with you’ in your difficult circumstances? Trust that whatever is on your plate God is more capable than you expect. 

Although you might not see it now if you take a risk to commit to love someone God will reward you in ways you never imagined. Perhaps like Joseph, you’ll see your commitment bear fruit that will change people’s lives forever.

The Shepherd Is In Your Valley

There is a swinging pendulum of opinions about safety, opening back up or shutting back down, COVID testing, PPE, equality, social justice and, a lot more. It’s no surprise that worry and fear is a reasonable response to what’s happening in our world. 

Recently, I’ve talked with several pastors and they say that the common thread among their churches is anxiety and fear. They’re not worried about their health and safety, so much as they are about job security and this month’s bills, rent or mortgage? Will their kids go to school in the fall? Are my savings at risk? Should we cancel vacations and business trips and not visit older loves ones.

The non-stop angry divisiveness and violence in our country fosters even more anxiety. The list of anxieties is long, but they’re not new. All of us have experienced anxiety, disappointment, and grief. If we're honest we’ve also felt lost before for a variety of reasons, in not knowing what to do or where to go or who to talk to.

Being lost is not just a GPS malfunction
Too many know what it means to be disconnected, discounted, diminished, or demeaned. Life has many dark valleys through which we must walk. When we do feel lost, we need someone to show us the way back home. A good shepherd will leave the ninety-nine sheep to find the lost one.  

In the winter shepherds in mountainous areas usually keep their sheep at home. There's usually a fenced area where they can graze and where they are fed grain. But when the snows subside in the mountains, it is then that the shepherds take their flocks and move with the snowmelt up the mountain, there finding fresh pasture land, eventually moving up to the timberline. Above the timberline, there are all types of pastures that are green and fresh. The air is clean. The water is clear.

In the summer shepherds usually won't even go home. They'll just sleep out with their sheep at night. It’s shepherd's responsibility to care for them, to know the canyons and the valleys, to scout them out, to know where the dangers are, and to pick the path that, while still dangerous is the safest path of all.

The shepherd protects the sheep from predators and provides their nourishment
If a lamb deliberately walks away, the shepherd searches near and far to get that lamb back. He’ll use his staff to redirect the sheep who get off course. A shepherd notches the ear of a lamb born to his flock because he has rightful ownership of it. They are His.

To the shepherd, the sheep are not just a number, but a face, a name and, a story. The Good Shepherd knows your name, your life and He knows what’s best for you. He’s proven Himself and is worthy of your trust.

We all have deep, dark valleys of our own experiences and we don't all call them by the same name. Make your own list. What are those things that you fear? It doesn't take any of us long to come up with a list of what could happen.

Here’s the deal: What I need to do is what we all need to do: trust the shepherd.
The Lord is God, he is in charge, and he is in control. He knows things that we would never be able to know. He's close. He understands. He has it all figured out. He is greater than the greatest difficulty. He is more powerful than the deepest and the darkest of your valleys.

He's there with you even when it’s so dark you can’t see. The Lord will do the job that a shepherd is supposed to do. He will do what he is capable of doing and he promises that he will be with you and never leave you. He will find you and take you home with Him. If you’ve been wounded or sick, He’ll pick you up and carry you all the way home.

In Psalms 23, notice the personal pronouns of "I" walk through the valley…"My" shepherd. "You" are there. It is one-on-one with God. The Good Shepherd is always there with you. He sticks closer than the best of friends.

When you walk through that dark deep valley, be sure to be the Lord's sheep, to claim him as your shepherd, to trust him alone to get you through. When he is so trusted, he who is always there will be with you even until the ends of the earth.

Look Up With Patience and Prayer

In the last blog LookDown, Look Around or Look Up we saw that one of the choices we can make is to allow God’s love to be your life preserver. Secondly…

Let patience be your priority

We want our problems solved now or at least really soon. Here’s the problem and here is the quick solution, but God sees things differently. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts Isaiah 55:10

God uses our pain and disappointment to bring hope
We trust in things that aren’t going to last. God may test us to grow us, but not to grade us. Growth and hope are not guaranteed results of problems. It takes patience. Romans 5:3-5

And after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised… We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hebrews 6:15, 19

Yes, being patient with our problems is easy to talk about, but hard to do. No matter how big or small our problems are they will not usually be solved overnight. We live with them every day and some of them can wear us down whether we think they should or not.

God helps us to face our problems with patience by not facing them alone
Let wise trustworthy friends help you. By helping each other with your troubles, you truly obey the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2   Call, text or email those you care about or to those that care about you. Thirdly…

Let your prayer be your pressure release

We all need to talk to others, but we also need to talk to God.  O LORD, hear my plea for justice. Listen to my cry for help. Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes from an honest heart. Psalm 17:11

The psalmist is not phony and pietistic but honest with himself and God. Be honest and you’ll get an honest answer, but you might not get what you’re asking for. Thank God He doesn’t give us what we deserve, but what we really need and that is abundant grace.

God is never too busy to hear your complaint and is always available
Hurry with your answer, God I’m nearly at the end of my rope. Don’t turn away; don’t ignore me! Psalm 143:7

Every day you and I can make time wherever we are to talk to God.

Simeon's Song of Waiting

A journalist assigned to the Jerusalem bureau takes an apartment overlooking the Wailing Wall. Every day when she looks out, she sees an old Jewish man praying vigorously. So, the journalist goes down and introduces herself to the old man.

She asks, "You come every day to the wall. How long have you done that, and what are you praying for?" The old man replies, "I have come here to pray every day for 25 years. In the morning I pray for world peace and then for the brotherhood of man. I go home, have a cup of tea, and I come back and pray for the eradication of illness and disease from the earth."

The journalist is amazed. "How does it make you feel to come here every day for 25 years and pray for these things?" she asks. The old man looks at her sadly. "Like I'm talking to a wall."

Simeon was another devout Jewish man who had been waiting for years to see Israel’s Messiah. Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation (comfort) of Israel. Luke 2:2 He was part of a community of faithful people in Israel who were patiently waiting and keeping the hope alive that their Messiah would come.

We all have waited for somethingSimeon waited for decades, but if he had given up on waiting he would have missed the moment God had ordained. I don’t know how long you will have to wait for something, but what does matters is who you are becoming while you are waiting. Like Simeon, we hope for a new day or a new beginning. Over six hundred years before Simeon the prophet Isaiah encouraged Israel with these words.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.    Isaiah 43:19

Since we all need hope and comfort in our lives then we’ll want to learn from Simeon’s song of redemption. God entered human history to bring light to a very dark and broken world through the birth of His son. God invaded our world to occupy the human heart. He does not need our money, looks, talent, connections, clout or fame. Those things just kind of get in the way.

In ‘Mary’s Magnificant she sang, “He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” Luke 1:53 You see humility is honesty. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 1 Peter 5:8 We don’t have anything to give Him that He needs, but he does want to occupy our heart and once he does He desires to take up more territory.

God kept His promise that he would send the Messiah.When you place your hope in God’s faithfulness to keep His promises you’ll discover that what’s important is who you are becoming while you wait. 

Billy Graham was interviewed about his new book ‘Nearing Home’ and was asked, “What has been the biggest surprise of your life?”Billy’s response, ”Growing old has been the greatest surprise of my life. I’ve been told how to die as a Christian, but no one told me how to grow old.”

When Billy’s wife died she what she chose to put on her gravestone had nothing to do with all her remarkable achievements, it had to do with the fact that as long as we live God will be working on us while we wait.

In this life we all wait, we're all under construction.
Don’t lose heart, don’t give up! The glorious invasion of earth by the Lord Jesus that began two thousand years ago is not done, it continues. He’ll occupy more hearts and homes and we get to be part of it!

Will you sing a song of redemption along with Simeon while you wait, one that is filled with hope in the promises of God? As we learned from our four songs of winter sung over the centuries, God’s greatness and His undeserved grace are big enough to meet our needs!


We have much reason to sing even in the winters of our discontent.God sent His Son as prophesied and because he has proven Himself faithful to keep His promises He will come again as he said! While we wait may we proclaim His grace and peace to those around us this season and every day. If you haven’t made room for Him ask Him to occupy your heart and you’ll finally really come home.

Is The American Dream the Promised Land?

We all have dreams and over time our unrealized dreams can seem distant and unattainable, maybe even impossible?
 
The long wait can bring us to a place of desperation and we may wonder does anyone care about my situation or about me? Although our dreams might be altruistic to us, but where do our dreams come from or for whom are our dreams for?

For a variety of reasons many have been confused between the biblical ‘Promised Land’ and the ‘American Dream.’ Over the centuries many have thought that America was the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey, a place of fulfilled promise, a place of opportunity. For many it has been and can be.

The biblical Promised Land narrative is often related to the immigrant story in the founding of the United States.  Our forefathers rightly envisioned America as a land of religious freedom, opportunity, hope, and the pursuit of happiness from which we benefit today.

The idea that America is a kind of Promised Land is understandable, yet many people inside or outside the church have mistaken America for the biblical Promised Land. For many the view that America is the Promised Land of ultimate opportunity has become a pretext for the American entitlement of happiness.

If we think that we are entitled to happiness then we should get what we want when we want it and maybe for free. 
Could it be that this perception of the entitlement of the American Dream has shaped American's identity, lifestyle and vocation more than anything else? Our consuming habits can be just another step toward the Promised Land.

As Mark Labberton said, “The intertwining of Promised Land assumptions and consumer opportunities easily becomes a powerful economic, social and spiritual engine. Promised Land hopes fires American consumerism, and puts the “buyer” in the controller’s seat with expectations and demands, largely for personal ends.”

This approach makes pragmatic sense if you believe you’re in the Promised Land and assume it exists merely for your benefit, so you simply take what’s available, which is what you see everybody else doing. This can be seen in the cheapened view of relationships today in discarding a relationship for a new and improved one. It's my right to have... 

The concept of the Promised Land is a strong narrative in the Hebrew Scriptures.
The premise of the Promised Land defined Israel’s identity, but it was not meant to be a place to simply pluck God’s benefits. It was rather where God’s people were to thrive in the grace of ‘living out the call’ to be God’s people. Israel’s blessing from ‘the land flowing with milk and honey’ was the encouragement along the path of living according to God’s ways, not because they were entitled to it.

Our lives are not lived out in the midst of idealism, but in the midst of the real world as it is.A secular Promised Land spirituality expects it all and expects it now. Another Promised Land mythical assumption is to avoid hardships and separate ourselves from experiences of pain and leave suffering behind and move into our rightful blissful place. Escaping pain is neither reality nor God’s way.

Jesus says to all His disciples, “Take up your cross and follow me.” If we want to truly follow Him we need to start where we are, not where we wished we were whether it’s at work, home or in our neighborhood. As Christ followers we are to follow Him and live according to God’s ways regardless of what that may include.

Rest assured in knowing that there will ultimately be a Promised Land for Christ followers when, "There will be no more pain and no more sorrow and He will wipe away every tear."
Revelation 21:4

Hope For A Better Tomorrow

In the midst of shutdown, immigration and security concerns and our own stuff we all hope for a better tomorrow. All of us have hopes and dreams that we would see the best of life for others and for ourselves, but things get in the way.

Time passes and our hearts continue to long to see those hopes and dreams come to pass. Life takes a turn we didn’t expect or planned from either our own choices or just from the hard stuff of life.

What about your dreams and hopes? Do they seem so distant and unattainable, maybe even impossible?
For some their disappointment has brought them to such a place of desperation that they feel like giving up. Does anyone care about this or about me? Will anyone stand up for justice? Yet, in the midst of all the brokenness there is always hope! It’s not over for you or me?

We can all learn much for our own hopes and dreams from Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. King grew up in middle class surroundings and his father was the highly respected pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. At the beginning of his social justice calling King was afraid for his family and his own life. In a sermon, he prayed

“Lord, I must confess that I’m weak now and I’m losing my courage and it seemed I heard a voice saying, Martin Luther stand for righteousness. Stand up for justice. And lo I will be with you always, even until the end of the world. He promised never to leave me, never leave me alone. No never leave me alone.”

Three nights later a bomb exploded on his front porch. Though not injuring anyone, King a man of fierce determination took it in stride. 

In the book ‘Bearing the Cross’, King said, “I am tired of the threat of death. I want to live, I don’t want to be a martyr. There are times I doubt if I’ll make it through. I’m tired of getting hit, beaten, tired of going to jail. But the important thing is not how tired I am, the important thing is to get rid of the condition that lead us to march.”

Here is an excerpt from King’s famous ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ to fellow church leaders in Alabama.
“But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.”

To read the whole letter in context click here:
When the march in Selma was over King addressed the weary marchers from the steps of the capital.
“How long will it take? However difficult, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long. Not long, because no lie can live forever. How long? Not long, because you reap what you sow. How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. How long? Not long, because my eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord…” 

King was a man of focus who inspired many to re-consider the cultural norms of injustice. Though exhausted from years of steady plodding he remained resolute. Over the years I’d heard others refer to less admirable aspects to his life in order to minimize what good he had done. 

What strikes me the most was not his personal sacrifices or his incessant non-violent marches, nor even his eloquent speeches.  It was his firm grounding in the Christian gospel that motivated him to inspire others! 

These are King’s words the night before his assassination in Memphis. “Like anybody, I would like to live long. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will… I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land. So I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. My eyes have seen the coming of the Lord.”

King was committed to the cause despite its cost. He carried his hopes and dreams everywhere he went. So, here’s the deal. His hopes and dreams were for others and not just for himself.  He tenaciously persevered through all his trials and like you and I had times of doubt and felt like giving up, but he didn’t!

He knew he wasn’t alone and my friend, neither are you! So, if you feel discouraged or even feel like giving up then reflect on King’s extraordinary life, but may we never forget the real King of the universe who gives us a living hope that will last forever! If you’re Christ follower please know that He WILL be with YOU and WILL hold you in HIS hands while your life story unfolds.

Things might be out of your control, but not out of HIS! He has a plan for you and all is not over, so hold on! He will be with YOU! It’s not over – there’s still time. He will see you through and ultimately to the Promised Land!