Tag: Christian

Spring Forward!

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,”
Philippians 3:13 NKJV

Some things are intended to move with us.

Memories. Love. Lessons learned.

Others are meant to be forgotten and buried such as regret, disappointment, and fear.

Spring as a verb means to move in a forward direction; it also suggests momentum and height.

Some of us have lost our momentum. Others are not reaching high enough to attain the promises and abundance God generously gives.

In the above verse, emphasis is placed on the “I do.”  This indicates that it is an active and continual process to forget those things which are behind and reach forward.

It takes an effort to let go of pain and hurt. Remaining somber and disgusted won’t make the memories and emotions fade. It takes a concerted effort to forgive and forget. It takes a determination to reach, think, and look forward.

But it is God’s will for us to look forward and to look up to Him!

In spite of the many miracles experienced by the Israelites on their journey toward the Promised Land, their faith did not overcome the temporary discomforts of moving to a better place. They complained.

A lot.

In fact, their lack of faith, complaining, and the poor report from the spies sent to survey the land promised to them angered God so much that these naysayers never lived to see the promise fulfilled (Ref Numbers Chapters 13 and 14).

We would do well to learn from their mistake!

 Spring, new blooms and the Easter Season will soon be upon us. This is the perfect time to renew our minds and spring forward in whatever manner “forward” means for you.

Forget what lies behind.

Embrace the new!

“Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert,” Isaiah 43:18-19 NKJV

Get Up!

“For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity,” Proverbs 24:16 NKJV

If life is a race, there will come a time for all of us when we fail to make the time we strive for, fall short of the distance, or even fall by the wayside victim to injury.

Yet, as children of God, we are victorious and need to simply get up!

The disappointment of not meeting some goal or deadline we set for ourselves is no reason to live a defeated existence. There are often achievements that don’t come as fast as we’d like.  The path to reaching a milestone is often harder than we imagine. We may have false starts or stumble over hurdles even as we see others continue toward their finish line.

It is vital to get up and finish our race even if we feel  like we’ve been left behind. We may run slower than others, have to run uphill or even run in the rain when necessary. If we sat around waiting for “ideal conditions” we would never finish!

Proverbs 24:16 indicates a righteous man may fall and fall more than once. We often shortchange ourselves when we fall/fail. We may not rise promptly because we become fixated on the fall. Still, the difference between God’s children and those who are “wicked” is that when (not if) we fall, we can rise.

coneflower-3-8-6-2016-devotional Too often, many are deceived into not getting back up. Doubts about being too late or too old, too weak or too slow keep people from completing their course. Instead of getting up and continuing to run, many go off to the sidelines instead. If we aren’t careful, we can allow the fear of failure to keep us out of the running.

When we embrace the fact that we may fall instead of living in fear of failure, getting up is that much easier. When babies learn to walk they fall.  Yet, children often instinctively and quickly get back up because they haven’t learned what “failure” is. Or, if they fall and hurt themselves they look to a parent (as we should look to our Father) to help them.

Failure doesn’t keep children from trying. Furthermore, once they learn to walk, they start running all over the place!

Don’t second guess the race God has called you to run. If God has called you to run it, He will equip you to finish.

Should you stumble don’t stop. When you fall, get up!

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith,”
2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV   

 

Storm Watch!

“And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” Mark 4:37 KJV  

Trials and tribulations come with life, that’s just part of living.  Various circumstances, disappointments and downright disasters can move in on us when we least expect it. Like a weather front that quickly blows in, life’s surprises can knock us off-balance.

We find the strength to get up and get through when we have faith in Who lies beyond our grey skies.

Our Son can dry up the rains. Our Son can displace the fog. He breaks through our clouds and illuminates the dark.

When it looks like our trials are never-ending, our Son is ever-present!

And just as our God is always there, our storms won’t always remain. Storm systems move. They can not last for very long. Even those that loom on the horizon aren’t always what they seem.

Predicted rain may fail to fall. Potential storms become false alarms. Inclement weather may fizzle without warning.

When we trust in Him, dark clouds don’t steal our peace and joy. 

With God, we can not only weather our storms but grow because of them.

 

 

Weed Control!

Weeds come in endless varieties and thrive in the most extreme conditions. How is it that weeds grow with little effort when what I actually plant takes forever to grow?

Jesus illustrated a great parable in chapter thirteen in the book of Matthew. This story is about a farmer whose enemy sowed tares (weeds) among his wheat. The servants came to him and asked if they should pull up the weeds. Instead of the master saying “yes” to the servant’s request, the master says, “No, let them stay where they are.”

The servants were instructed not to gather up the weeds lest the wheat seed be uprooted with the tares. The master allowed wheat and weeds to grow together until the time of the harvest, at which time the good wheat would be separated from the weeds.

We often derail our ability to produce a good harvest because we give far too much attention to our weeds.

How many times do we uproot or abandon potential harvests because we give “weeds” our attention leaving what we “planted” to fend for itself?   DSC_9420 (2)

Our personal weeds are often distractions. We should follow Christ’s example and put our emphasis on what we are trying to grow instead of what we are trying to kill.

Often when you strive to reach a goal that will bear good fruit, you come up against obstacles that appear out of nowhere. Have you ever had to defer your own betterment because of sudden demands of family members? Have you allowed the desire for new employment or education to die because “situations” come up?

The closer you are to reaping a harvest, the more tares you will find in your “garden.” As the potential harvest grows, so do the weeds. We must be wise and recognize when we should leave certain distractions alone! Sometimes, we just have to learn to work around them.   DSC_9461 (2)

This may be a different approach to tending your “garden” but this may also give you a different result!

Your weeds may be irritating, but they don’t have to be deadly. Don’t allow a few weeds to kill your dreams!

 

A is for Anger Management

“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm,” Psalms 37:8 NKJV

Anger management is an important tool for living. The Bible is very clear about anger’s destructive potential.

Anger spreads quickly like a spark igniting dry brush in the wild. Like fire, it spreads far quicker that it can be extinguished. It is the emotion that leads people to make hasty decisions, regrettable mistakes, and to speak words that can never be taken back.

Anger is easily fueled, grows exponentially, and wreaks havoc in people’s lives. Instead of giving in to feelings of wrath, don’t speak or act in haste. Be silent and be still. Allow God’s Word to dictate your behavior.

Anger management isn’t always easy. In fact, it is rarely so. You may have every right to be angry. Disappointment, betrayal, and a host of injustices can evoke this primal reaction in almost everyone. However, feelings are often deceptive but the Word of God is true.

If you are serious in pursuit of the best life possible, get a grip on your anger by giving it to God. Allow Him to extinguish your wrath and propel you above your emotions. If you have anger management “issues”, pray on it. Don’t stay on it.

Learn to manage your anger before it manages you.

“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city,” Proverbs 16:32 NKJV

”The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, And his glory is to overlook a transgression,” Proverbs 19:11 NKJV

“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32 NKJV

Getting Through to Get To…

Moses led the Israelites through the Red Sea before they were free from Egypt. Joshua led the same people through the wilderness before they saw the Promised Land. Jesus endured the crucifixion before He would then take His seat at the right hand of God the Father. Life requires that we go through to get to!

Everyone has trials and tribulations, each of us our own cross to bear. Sometimes we feel so overwhelmed that our issues loom larger in our minds than they should. This skewed perspective often diminishes our hope for the future. To maintain faith, patience and perseverance we must realize the journey is just as important as the destination.

Enduring the miles builds strength and stamina for the runner. It is the burn of the muscles and the strain on the lungs that makes the body stronger than before.

We so often focus on obtaining our goals that we dismiss the necessity of the journey required to meet them.  We are increasingly persuaded by today’s media to expect what we want when we want it.

God’s best just doesn’t happen that way.

The bigger the blessing, the more it is going to take to realize it. You must gain more training, experience and knowledge in preparation for God’s best for you. Surely God can give us our blessings immediately without all our effort, but very few of us are mature enough to properly receive and appreciate them without first going through what is necessary to bring them to pass.

Patience perfects us. Trials mature us. We get stronger when we go through the fire. Only by enduring the fires of life can God burn out the impurities that lie within us.

Sometimes the heat is overwhelming, and we feel we can’t go on but God’s faithfulness lifts our fatigue. His hand heals when life beats us down. Our hope for tomorrow comes when we seek His face. True success comes when we dare to keep going not in our own ability but through faith in His.

Trials will surely come and we may stumble, fall, and even find ourselves crawling on hands and knees. Just keep moving.

Whatever you are facing is only temporary. God’s love for you is forever.

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls,” Hebrews 12: 2-3 NKJV

Faded Flowers

“Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.” Psalms 71:9 KJV

As I was looking at the remnants of my hydrangeas, one in particular caught my eye. The flower was no longer the fresh sweet pink it had been upon blooming many weeks ago. Instead, it was faded and speckled but still it had a beauty all its own.

It made me reflect on how many times we casually toss things aside or fail to appreciate people after the “newness” has worn off. The joy and excitement of new love at its onset often fades as years wear on and relationships weather everyday routines and obligations.

We often don’t appreciate things and people in their “less than new state,” failing to recognize a different beauty that has changed from what was to what it is now. How is it that the blessings we ask God for and receive, we so can easily make the last of our priorities or quickly dismiss in search for the next new “thrill?”

The excitement of parenting quickly gives way to the responsibility and time required to do the job properly.  Friendships are often neglected when the fun times are few and far between. When the butterflies of new-found love are long gone, can you appreciate the great qualities, faithfulness and reliability of your significant other?

Relationships are never perfect as they are composed of imperfect people, but often our flawed (not destructive!) relationships are more satisfying than having none at all. Too many times we stare at the flaws instead of being in awe of the perfect people for us that God has allowed in our lives.  DSC_0022

I challenge you today to look at the people and relationships in your life with a fresh perspective. Even though things and people may not be what they once were, they may still be beautiful in new and different ways.

Appreciate the home you have as if you’d once been homeless. Appreciate the people in your life as if you almost lost them. Make a deliberate choice to appreciate the blessings you have now instead of looking back on what once was or even what can be…

View that same old job with a gratitude that it’s still there! Look at the house in need of repair not with disdain but as a place you really can call home. Your kids may not be perfect (and who is) but at least you’ve gotten them this far!

Like a car when the new shine wears off, dependability should be celebrated instead of longing for that new car smell. Love the people and things in your life for getting you where you need to go, coming along for the ride, or for simply being available and being there.  Why wait until a time of loss to appreciate what you have right now?

New isn’t always better. There is more to be said for faithfulness, dependability, and long-lasting love than for the glitz and glamour of the latest and greatest whoever and whatever!

Contentment doesn’t necessarily breed complacency; it can instead allow you peace and joy for where you are now, your personal journey and the people and things you’ve been blessed with along the way.

Family, friends, good books, and wine. Some things are better with the passage of time.

“To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV

Peace and Joy

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid,” John 14:27 NKJV

Jesus came so that we may have peace while here on this earth. It is amazing how quickly we are willing to give it up!

Circumstances, people and our day-to-day lives will rob us of both peace and joy if we allow it. Peace and joy are two of the most valuable things we can posses, yet so carelessly we often allow people, obligations and our own shortcomings to overshadow what Christ has already done for us.

The key to keeping peace and joy (longer than the fifteen minutes after church service) lies in the ability to tune out distractions. Our society is so plugged in that there is little quiet time allocated to be still and reflect. You have to fight for the time to spend with yourself and with God that allows you to truly have “a peace that passes understanding.” (ref. Philippians 4:7)

We spend so much time working to obtain things that don’t really matter in the long haul that if only we put those efforts into keeping what has already been freely given to us, we could truly enjoy the fullness of God’s love for us.

Happiness is based on circumstances and our reaction to the environment or other people. We often work, configure and cajole others into doing those things that make us happy and feel good. Happiness requires that whatever is going on around us is pleasing. Happiness is transient and dependent on other people who have the same failings and weaknesses as ourselves.

Joy comes from God and flows out from within. Joy allows for true contentment no matter what is going on around us. Joy is not dictated by other people. As such, other people can’t rob us of joy. We may sadly give it away, but they can’t take it!

Happiness is fleeting. True joy is not as easily shaken!

Allow your spirit to rejoice in the Lord, overriding what you see and feel because you are, instead, moved by what you know…. God is good and He loves you, everything else is secondary!

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning,“ Psalm 30:5. No matter what you may be facing, it is possible to receive God’s joy. Christ was able to endure the crucifixion for the joy that lay beyond the experience. God does no less for us!

Peace and joy are available if we receive them.

As with any gift, they must be accepted to be enjoyed. The price has already been paid. There is nothing you could ever purchase or acquire that can bring such contentment. All you have to do is believe and receive the enduring love, peace, and joy God makes available to you!

We readily believe in the power of our God to save us, yet often don’t place ourselves in the correct state mentally, spiritually and even physically to receive the fullness of His love daily.

God’s love and the peace and joy that flows from Him fuels us and allows us to share our true selves with others. In doing this, we not only multiply the love we receive, we also magnify our Father and offer ourselves as vessels through which He can work. Now, how cool is that?

“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore,” Psalm 16:11 NKJV

“If  you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.  These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:10-11 NKJV

Goal Oriented!

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.” Philippians 3 13-15 NKJV