resolutions – B Is for Blessed!

Into the Deep!

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” Luke 5:4-5 NKJV

The very things we long for, pray for, and make resolutions toward will never happen unless we move out of shallow religious routine and into deeper fellowship with God.

Miraculous things happen in the deep. You will not find an Orca where you can easily pick up sea shells. We often wait on God for a breakthrough even as He waits patiently on us to venture into the unknown. Deep means different things for different people. Your “deep” may be a new career, hobby, or even in a break in stale religious habits that no longer yield spiritual fruit.

Scripture depicts how Peter fished for hours and came up empty. As a skilled fisherman, he should have caught something. Defeated, Peter gave up. Yet, at the prompting of Jesus, he moved away from the shore and caught a haul too large for his boat to contain. That’s the kind of miracle most of us are praying for!

Still, when the realities of life interfere with our plans, we can become scarred and bitter. Consequently, we may play it safe and refuse to trust once more. Yet, the safety of the shore is only an illusion. Shark attacks readily occur in shallow waters. Our personal sharks often lurk about: doubt, fear, and naysayers who can never envision what God would do for us!

To receive God’s best we must brave the deep with Him.

Make God a priority; ~~talk~~ complain less and listen more.
Dig deeply into the Word. Don’t merely read the Bible, study it.
Seek God not for what He can do but for His presence and direction.
Dare to attempt the impossible when God says “yes” while everyone else says “no.”

We must allow God to stir us up and out of complacency!

I want to experience the kind of wonder Peter did out in the deep with Jesus. I would rather a dynamic relationship with God into the unknown than to sit idly along the shore without Him.

What about you?

So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. Matthew 14:29 NKJV

Set Your Sights…

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Psalm 34:8 NKJV

Not so long ago, I caught sight of two large birds in the sky. I am pretty sure they were vultures but I watched them anyway. I was trying to decide just where they were going or what possible carcass had drawn them near.

All the while I was watching them I saw waaaayy up in the sky a hawk flying far higher than those two. I almost missed it. The hawk had a white underbelly that nearly blended into the overcast sky.

At that point I felt a gentle “nudge” from God.

My message was “don’t lose sight.”

I am very aware that I am easily distracted and pulled away from goals and priorities that are important to me. As we have now entered the second half of this year, I’ve given thought to my goals that need more attention.

I’m doing well on a few. But others have fallen by the wayside.

My “distractions” aren’t trivial. They are the same life issues that most people deal with.

Job.

Family.

Even self-doubt.

I’ve noticed that when I set my mind to do something productive or walk the path God sets before me there is always some “lion” waiting in the bush seeking to “steal, kill and destroy.”

Sometimes we can become so fixated on our personal “vultures and lions” that we forget to look up to God instead of absorbing the chaos around us.

We can sometimes become so distracted we forget exactly what we are trying to accomplish in the first place!

And that is exactly what the enemy wants.

Some distractions are so loud that we fail to hear God.

Others are blinding and we fail to see God.

I challenge you (and myself) to reexamine your goals and “resolutions” for 2016 and with a renewed spirit, go after them!

Instead of worrying about what the vultures are after I will look higher and seek God’s guidance for my next steps. I don’t believe God’s best for me is a preoccupation with things that reek or are dead.

We do best when we set our minds on higher things, that we may fulfill our purpose and enjoy the blessings God has for us.

God can renew us just as He brings forth beauty despite the summer heat.

Delay is not failure. We only fail when we give up.

I choose to begin again.

What about you?

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 43:18-20 NKJV

Don’t Lose Sight!

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. Philippians 4:8 NKJV

Today I caught sight of two very large birds in the sky. I am pretty sure they were vultures but I watched them anyway. I was trying to decide just where they were going or what possible carcass had drawn them near.

All the while I was watching them I saw waaaayy up in the sky a hawk flying far higher than those two. I almost missed it. The hawk had a white underbelly that nearly blended into the overcast sky.

At that point I felt a gentle “nudge” from God. My message for today was “don’t lose sight.”

I am very aware that I am easily distracted and pulled away from goals and priorities that are important to me. As we are soon to close out this first quarter of the year I was reflecting on what goals I’d met and those I need to give more attention.

I’m doing well on a few. But others have managed to slide by the wayside.

My “distractions” aren’t trivial. They are the same life issues that most people deal with.

Job. Family. Even self-doubt.

I’ve noticed that when we set our mind to carry out something productive or walk the path God sets before us there is always that “lion” waiting in the bush seeking to “steal, kill and destroy.”

Sometimes we can become so fixated on our personal “vultures and lions” that we forget to look up to God instead of concentrating on the chaos around us.

We can often become so distracted we forget what we are trying to accomplish in the first place!

And that is exactly what the enemy wants.

Some distractions are so loud that we fail to hear God.

Others are blinding and we fail to see God.

I challenge you (and myself) to reexamine your goals and “resolutions” for 2015 and with a renewed spirit, go after them!

Instead of worrying about what the vultures are doing I will look higher and seek God’s guidance for my next steps. I don’t believe God’s best for us is preoccupation with things that reek or are dead.

We do best when we set our minds on higher things, that we may fulfill our purpose and enjoy the blessings God would give us.

God can renew us just as He brings the trees through winter into a fruitful spring.

Delay is not failure. We only fail when we give up.

I trust God’s grace is sufficient for me to meet and even exceed my goals.

What about you?

Isaiah 43:18-20 NKJV

One Last Look…

We tend to begin the New Year with resolutions, proclamations, and prayers. My usual pray more, eat less, blah, blah, blah, makes me mindful of what is possible in 2015.

I’m all for looking forward to new and better, yet I do think it’s wise to reflect on the things in last year I am grateful for. I believe you can’t know where to go if you don’t know where you’ve been. Here are a few of mine…

I am grateful to see the end of 2014. I don’t mean this negatively at all. Working in health care makes me very aware of people who did not live to see it. It certainly puts whatever issues I may have had with 2014 into proper perspective!

I’m grateful both kids did really well in school. If you have ever read my other blog God, autism and me, you know this has not always been the case. My youngest has always struggled in school.

However, both boys pushed themselves beyond their usual “boundaries” and obtained extraordinary results. My prodding was not in vain. I wonder if I will break a few of my limitations, but that’s a topic for another post!

I did not die from stress. Stressful jobs cause their fair share of heart attacks. My co-workers make my job a lot easier. I should tell them more often. I am very grateful for all they do.

Good health! Last year I ended and began 2014 quite ill. I am grateful to be healthy today.

My mother. I lost my dad at Christmas over ten years ago. Each year I get to spend Christmas with her makes me appreciative of my parents and all they did for me.

My family. Needs no further explanation.

Watching other people find success. Nothing moves me like a good testimony. You don’t have to “preach” to have one. Watching how God intervened for others fills me with peace and hope for the things I’m waiting for.

Friends on the net! Now I know there are cynics who think you can never really have online relationships but I beg to differ. People I haven’t seen in decades I’ve been able to reconnect with, pray with and vent all through the internet! Who would have thought it? Certainly not me!

And last but certainly not least my fellow bloggers on WP!

You have encouraged me, challenged me, prayed for me and inspired me. Taking your valuable time to stop by and comment or “like” a post is always appreciated. When I began this blog I didn’t have a clue! But you found me.

And I am grateful.

You’ve given me good reads, good laughs and different viewpoints. Your words and photos provided answers when I didn’t know I had questions.

Thanks for dropping by in 2014. I hope to see more of you as I attempt a regular blogging schedule (yep, that’s a resolution!) as we enter 2015.

Oh, I almost forgot…

Happy New Year!!!