Archive for category: Random Thoughts

In Numbers 13:2 we see that God had brought the Israelites to the
edge of the Promised Land. He was giving it to them.
But His gift would require something of the recipients.

Sometimes we mistakenly assume that when God gives us
something, all we have to do is receive and He’ll do the rest.

For example, the gift of salvation is free for the asking.
But we have a responsibility of actually living it out.
We can’t expect God to magically fill our minds with His Word.
We have to read it, absorb it, memorize it and live it.

This is what it means to “work out” our salvation.

“. . . continue to work out your salvation
with fear and trembling”
(Philippians 2:12 NIV).

Let’s look at that same verse in a different version:

“Work hard to show the results of your salvation,
obeying God with deep reverence and fear”
(Philippians 2:12 NLT).

The Israelites got the gift of the Promised Land,
but it wasn’t without having to battle giants,
clear the land,
tear down walls
and do a lot of reconstruction.

What might God want to be giving you,
but you’ve resisted because there’s work involved?

Thoughts?

I’d sure appreciate your prayers this weekend as I speak
at the Virginia District Ladies retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

First off, let me say this devotion isn’t my own.
I read it from author Gail Burton Purath and enjoyed it so much,
I wanted to share part of it with you.

Here we go:

God’s Word is designed for dummies.
I use “dummies” in the dearest sense here,
meaning we’re incapable of fully understanding
our all-knowing, all-wise God.

We’re finite, limited beings, still “putting off” our sinful nature
(see Ephesians 4:22-24 ). 

God is infinite, unlimited, and perfect (see Romans 11:33 ).

We’ll never fully understand God.
He’s too big. We’re too small.
We’ll always have some questions.

That’s where faith comes in (see Hebrews 11:1 ):

1. Do I trust God’s character ( Psalm 145:17 )?
2. Do I trust Him with my unanswered questions ( Job 38 )?
3. Do I trust that He’s given me all the understanding I need
( 2 Peter 1:3 )?

I do.

Do you?

Thoughts?

I’d appreciate your prayers this weekend as I speak in
Annandale, VA.

What’s the Big Deal About Easter?
It doesn’t get as much splash as other holidays, but it can hold its
own!

We need to give Easter a little help. Bless its heart. It just
doesn’t measure up to Christmas. Of course, how can you compete
with lighted trees surrounded by brightly wrapped gift packages?

If we surveyed everyone in North America, they’d probably
place Easter behind Halloween. While Easter gives us a few
chocolate bunnies, Halloween gives us entire sack loads of candy.
And for those who choose not to participate in the world’s custom of
trick-or- treating, churches open their parking lots, malls extend their
hours and people can still get all the candy they want without ever
having to mutter “Trick or treat.”

And Valentine’s day captures our hearts. It’s the time for
romance, and the opportunity to share love with friends and family members.
The day is filled with the smell of roses, boxes of chocolate
hearts, candy hearts, exquisite cards—all declaring love.
But Easter?
No tree. No parties. Not many decorations.
What do we get at Easter?
A sermon.
And sometimes even that’s a little flat!

A Little Help, Please

So maybe we should spruce Easter up a bit. If we could get
some really cool celebrities to get behind it, Easter might mean more.
It seems whenever we have a devastating tornado, tsunami or
earthquake that takes out a city, the celebrities rush to get involved
and make a difference.

So maybe we could get the celebrities to promote Easter on
television ads!

That would be a great start, but we’d still need a good
marketing plan. Maybe we bring the fashion industry into this. Put a
few models in some super cool T-shirts that boast “Easter Is Cool,”
“Vote Easter Best Holiday,” “Easter Is #1,” “Easter Rocks!”

Yes. If we can get the celebs, the athletes, the models and a
creative marketing plan, Easter might have a chance!

Wrong Plan

I’m glad it’s not up to us to make Easter popular. Easter was
never created to be popular.
Why?
Because it’s the message of the Cross.
And the Cross is an ugly message.
The Cross means death. And death doesn’t sell well.
You see, even if we could get the celebs to promote Easter . . .
if the celebs haven’t experienced and embraced the Cross the way
Christ did, what good would it do?

The truth is: God doesn’t need any celebs to take on Easter. He
doesn’t need help promoting it. He doesn’t even want help promoting
it. He doesn’t want people embracing Easter for the wrong reasons.
He wants true followers.

The God of color and rhythm and the Grand Canyon and
kangaroos and gravity and Niagara Falls and sound and lightening
and donkeys who talk and hyenas that laugh could have created an
amazing marketing strategy to promote Easter. But He’s not into
marketing. He doesn’t think strategy. He thinks love.

The Truth

The message of the Cross is an invitation to die. “Wanna follow
Me?” Jesus asks. “Then pick up your cross. We’re going over there.
It’s a hill called Golgotha. We’re going to die.”
How do you market this?
How can you make this sound glamorous?
You don’t. You can’t. If you try . . . you’ll miss the meaning.
But the truth behind Easter is dying with Jesus.
Why would anyone do that? They wouldn’t.
Unless—they’ve experienced first-hand the death of Jesus for
their own sins.

You see, once a sinner realizes that Jesus willingly picked up
the Cross and died in her place, she’s overcome with joy and love for
her Father. She wants to live for Him, obey Him, serve Him, follow
Him, die with Him.

A High Price Tag

Jesus told everyone to count the cost before deciding to follow
Him. (See Luke 14:25-30.) He reminds us that a contractor doesn’t
start to build a house without first counting the cost of all the
materials. If he doesn’t do this, he may only build half a house and
run out of money.

What does it cost to follow Jesus?
It costs a lot.
It costs everything.
You see, Jesus isn’t looking for half-hearted followers. He’s not
interested in being the next big fad. He doesn’t recruit with a polished
benefits package. That’s not the way He works. He’d rather have 12
sold-out disciples than an entire world that’s only talk.
So why would anyone want to follow Jesus?
Because of love.
No one loves like He does.
And forgiveness.
No one else has offered to pay for our sins.
And eternal life.
The only way to God (and to live forever in heaven) is through
Jesus (see John 10:10).

And peace. And purpose. And meaning. And joy. And real life!

They Don’t Compare

If you stack Jesus against all the other gods, none of them even
compare with Him! Think about it: In all other religions, you have to
work really hard to reach your god. You have to pray so many times a
day, or sacrifice so much, or travel thus far, or. …

All other religions show man reaching up to their god. ONLY
Christianity shows God reaching down to man! Wow. Read that
again, because it’s mega-powerful. ONLY Christianity shows God
reaching down to man!

Christianity is the only religion that offers free salvation. You
don’t have to earn it. You can’t pay for it. You’ll never be good
enough to deserve it. So God reaches down to YOU by sending His
only Son wrapped in human flesh to die an ugly death on the Cross
for YOUR sins.
That’s love!
And He invited you to participate.

Make This YOUR Easter

Many of you reading this have already accepted Christ as your
Savior. You’ve already asked Him to forgive your sins. (If you haven’t
done this, you can do it right now. You can tell Him you’re sorry for
disobeying Him, ask Him to forgive you and place your faith in Him.)
But many of you reading this right now really want to go deeper in
your relationship with Christ. We call this sanctification.
If you desire to give Christ your all, you can pray this prayer.
No, it’s not a bunch of magic words. You really have to mean it. And
God will know if it’s genuine.
Dear Jesus:
Thank You for forgiving my sins. I’m so grateful that You
died for me. I love being a Christian. But I want to go
deeper. I want to give You everything! So right now, I’m
choosing to die. I’m dying to my will, my dreams, my way,
“me first,” my future. I want You to be LORD of every area
in my life. I’m moving to the back seat; You’re now in the
driver’s seat. You’re in complete control. Please release
the power of Your Holy Spirit within me and enable me to
live a holy life pleasing to You. I love You, Jesus. Amen.

New Plan

If you prayed that prayer and meant it, this Easter will become
something brand-new to you. More than a second-rate holiday, it will
be your love response to a God who’s crazy about you. He doesn’t
need a few celebs; He needs YOU.
You are His marketing plan.
YOU . . . simply loving one person at a time to Him.
You . . . dying to yourself and coming into new life through Him.
You . . . celebrating His resurrection from death.
You . . . living forever with Him.
This is Easter.

Moving ahead in God’s strength:

The blessings of waiting:

• “For since the world began no one has seen or heard of such a God
as ours, who works for those who wait for him!” (Isaiah 64:4 LB)

• But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They
shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be
weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31 LB).

• “I wait eagerly for the Lord’s help, and in his word I trust.
I wait for the Lord more eagerly than sentries wait for the dawn—than
sentries wait for the dawn” (Psalm 130:5-6 GNT).

The blessings of moving forward:

• “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your
God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my
righteous right hand: (Isaiah 41:10 NIV).

• “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be
frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you
wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 ESV).

• “   I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has
called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14 NIV).

 

How do we know when to wait and when to move forward?

When Christ extended His invitation to the 12 disciples, they moved
immediately (see Matthew 8:21-22).

The apostle Paul waited 14 years before his ministry to the Gentiles
(see Galatians and Acts).

There have been times in my life when I’ve prayed, “Lord, I want Your
will. I’m moving forward in this direction. Stop me or turn me around if
this is not Your will.”

And there have been other times I’ve prayed, “I really don’t know
what to do, Jesus. Please tell me. I want to do Your will, but right now
I feel paralyzed. I’m waiting to hear from You.”

The key?
“I want Your will.”

If we’re faithful to seek His will, He’ll let us know when to move
forward and when to wait.

The answer: “The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for
him, to those who seek for him” (Lamentations 3:25 LB).

Did you catch it?
This Scripture highlights those who wait and also those who seek.
The above verse encourages us to act (seeking) as well as to wait.
Both are part of God’s will.
Seeking requires action.
Waiting requires patience.
God gives both.

Ask God to help you want His will move than anything.

“Happy are all who search for God and always do his will. . . .”
(Psalm 119:2 LB).

OK, but how can I learn to want God’s will?
“Blessed Lord, teach me your rules. I have recited your laws and
rejoiced in them more than in riches. I will meditate upon them and

give them my full respect.   I will delight in them and not forget them”
(Psalm 119:12-16 LB).

Immerse yourself in God’s Word.
Read it.
Study it.
Think about it.
Live it.

And as you do this, He is faithful to make His will known to you.

Thoughts?

Please pray for me as I speak in Claremore, OK this weekend.