Friday, March 30, 2007

Stay on the Path

Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy. Deuteronomy 5:33 (NLT)

God gave these instructions to Moses as the children of Israel were preparing to enter the Promised Land. Their parents had died in the desert because of their stubbornness and now God was giving this new generation a challenge and a promise. Stay on the path. We had a rugged path this week. Mark had another ride with the 911 guys to the ER. His blood pressure was 50 over 20 when they arrived at the house. But God was not ready for him to join Him just yet. Some complications from a routine medical procedure last week resulted in a large blood loss. Great medical care by the staff in both ER and ICU along with many bags of plasma and red blood cells helped bring up the pressure. The doctor took care of a couple of bleeders and now Mark is feeling much better and the crisis is over. I am so thankful that God gives us His map for our journey. My granddaughter, Kate, always asks me if I have a map in my head when we are driving. She does NOT like to be lost. God could have chosen to just give us the easiest and most direct routes in our life map. But He knew that we would more likely identify with those stories of people who messed up, took the wrong road, and found it necessary to ask for directions and forgiveness – just like we do. Mark is alive today because five guys had life-giving support for him and knew the best way to the hospital. Take a moment and choose God’s path and the promise of life …for all of eternity!

Friday, March 23, 2007

Quit Whining

But you have seen the Lord perform all these mighty deeds with your own eyes! Therefore, be careful to obey every command I am giving you today, so you may have strength to go in and take over the land you are about to enter. If you obey, you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors and to you, their descendants—a land flowing with milk and honey! Deuteronomy 11:7-9 (NLT)


The children of Israel really blew it. It should have taken only eleven days to travel from Egypt to the Promised Land. But it took them 40 years! Why? Because they did not believe God. He promised to protect them and give them the victory over the current inhabitants of Canaan. But they were scared and complained that the giants in the land would kill them. The miracle of watching the Red Sea pour over and demolish their attackers from Egypt did nothing to help them be bold and courageous. He even gave them proof that the land was rich when the scouts brought back huge bunches of grapes. Yet, they still did not believe God. Instead, they complained and whined and wished they were back in Egypt. God finally had enough. He was done with their lack of faith and disobedience and as a result they never set foot in this land flowing with milk and honey. He let them wander for 40 years in that desert until the older generation died and were replaced with their young and innocent children. This new generation obeyed God and He gave them victory. I have been reading the story of these families since January and I have learned much about the thoroughness of God. He is very specific. The one thing I know is that I would much rather make the trip in eleven days rather than 40 years. I want to trust Him when the “giants” in my life are scary and overwhelming. When he leads me to a new task, I want to be enthusiastic rather than timid. Please help me to learn from the story of these frightened people so that I will walk out in strength and courage – one step at a time – to the land that You have called me to conquer.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Love Garment

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. Colossians 3:16(The Message) Have you ever had the experience where someone is dancing on your last nerve? What did you do about it? Someone got to me this week and I have struggled to know how to respond. In my flesh woman state, I would barge in and let her know what I thought of the situation, probably not with the most loving and gracious tone to my voice. Another option would be to ignore her and hope that she decides to move out of my life. Neither of these are the kind of responses that Christ would expect of me. He wants me to keep the peace and show love to her. Earlier in the third chapter of Colossians He writes, So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. Oops! I am thankful that when I pray for wisdom in a difficult situation, God is faithful to give me practical advice. Only with a loving attitude will I be able to listen to her heart to find out what is really going on and get beyond my irritation. I better get that love garment out and give it a good shake!

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

What?? Forgive!!

“I have thought about killing him, but forgiving him? That was not even on my radar screen,” retorted a friend whose daughter is the recipient of regular physical abuse by her husband. Forgiveness can be complicated. It does not mean we excuse bad behavior or try to justify it. Denial is the easy way out but nothing is gained by our refusal to admit the reality of a bad situation. And, our wound is deepened if we try to pretend that we are not hurt by it. Our Father says that forgiveness is the first step to cleaning out that oozing wound. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31-32 (NLT) I have had my share of body blows of hurt, disappointment, and pain that required me to both ask for and offer forgiveness. Yet, I have found that the hardest person to forgive is myself. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Colossians 3:13 (NLT) I know that I can’t change anyone else – that is God’s job. But I can do something about me! Several months may be necessary while I seek His face and the Spirit softens my hard heart and shows me areas of sin. Then I have a choice – accept the gift of forgiveness offered to me or reject it because of my pride. Don’t be undone if you have to go through this process of introspection more than once. Some offenses take years to build up and an equally long time to set free. But God is faithful in His love and forgiveness and sustains us each step of the way. He promises to bring joy, relief, contentment, and freedom. Trust Him!

Give me happiness, O Lord,
for I give myself to you.
O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive,
so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.
Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord;
hear my urgent cry.
Psalm 86:4-6 (NLT)

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Retreat

Retreat, verb (intrans.) withdraw to a quiet or secluded place. I attended the Women’s Retreat sponsored by our church this week. It was truly a place of quiet, beauty, and blessing. The key verse for the week was, And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ Mark 12:30 (NLT) We sang an upbeat song using the verse as lyrics but the real question is how do we do that? Life’s circumstances may cause walls to be built up in our hearts so that we can neither feel God’s love nor return it back to Him. Some hurts strangle our hearts so that it becomes hard and resistance to change. Spadework is then required before the water of Jesus’ love can filter down into the core of the problem and begin to soften that cold heart. That spadework may come in the form of friend, neighbor, or relative who may give some unwanted advice or counsel. Or it might come in a sermon or book. Our initial response is usually anger or fear because who wants to look at or feel the pain resulting from a difficult situation? This is one reason why God’s command includes that not only do we love Him with our heart, but also our soul, mind and strength. It takes all of our being to reconcile the love He holds out to us with the inner battle of self-reliance and complacency. We think we can handle most things. But even the rich young ruler walked away when confronted with the challenge of giving up the security of his wealth to follow Jesus. God is faithful to love us each day whether we return that love or not. He patiently waits for us to come to the end of ourselves and accept that love and forgiveness that He freely offers. So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help. Isaiah 30:18 (NLT) It may not be easy but I encourage you to take the risk to open yourself to Him and accept that gift of love. He promises that His love will soften and soothe a hurting heart and give you life.

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.”
Isaiah 43: 1-2

Friday, March 2, 2007

Our Security

I regularly read via email Bread for the Journey by Henry Nouwen. He writes daily pithy devotions that get right to the heart of the matter. One recently stabbed mine. “What is the basis of our security? When we start thinking about that question, we may give many answers: success, money, friends, property, popularity, family, connections, insurance, and so on. We may not always think that any of these forms the basis of our security, but our actions or feelings may tell us otherwise. When we start losing our money, our friends, or our popularity, our anxiety often reveals how deeply our sense of security is rooted in these things.” What is your anxiety trigger? Sleepless nights? Popping Rolaids? Raiding the refrigerator? Shopping? It took me about five seconds to know my weakness. I wish I could say it was something new causing my distress but, unfortunately, it was the same old problem. I realized that I had gone through the motions but not really dropped that burden at the feet of Jesus. I had picked it up again and was struggling under its weight—letting it take away my peace and joy. I am so thankful that God is a God of second chances and gently encourages me to let Him be my security. Again, I dropped off the load and with a lightened heart, thanked Him for His peace and security, knowing that He would take care of me. Not an hour later, my inbox had an email that only He could have arranged to show me He had my back. (Thank you, Lord!) The end of the Meditation encouraged me in my journey to continue to take it step by step: " A spiritual life is a life in which our security is based not in any created things, good as they may be, but in God, who is everlasting love. We probably will never be completely free from our attachment to the temporal world, but if we want to live in that world in a truly free way, we'd better not belong to it. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money" (Luke 16:13)."