Do You Look Different?

This week has been a rather emotional one for me. I’ve been pretty self-reflective. We’re studying Exodus in family bible study and I’ve been reflecting on how the world looks today and our part in it – the lack of impact the church has on society. How we don’t look different from the world? Question for you – if the people you work with were asked if you are a follower of Christ, what would they say? That’s what I’ve been asking myself and I must admit, I find myself lacking in some areas. What about you? 

On Thursday, President Jimmy Carter was laid to rest after 100 years here with us. As I listened to the eulogies and his history, I was convicted. He spent his life taking care of others – our country, his family, some of the poorest people in the world – because of his love for Jesus and his faith in him. He held to his convictions and his faith in Jesus. He made decisions consistent with his faith and opposing what society would agree with. He had the courage to do God’s will and not that of public opinion to his career detriment. It was evident, he loved the LORD. He was a strong example of a follower of Christ. Much stronger than some pastors and ministers.

I was convicted and found myself lacking - I have work to do. I have been given so much and while I do give, I don’t give everything I can. I can be extremely selfish with my time and talents and for what? Laziness. My own comfort. Busyness. There are probably a dozen other excuses that I have for not giving my all. None of them important enough to disobey God’s purpose and plan for me. I am to be set apart (Col 3:12-17). I am to not be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of my mind (Rom 12:2). I should look different from the world around me (1 John 2:15-17). People should know without a shadow of doubt that I am different from the world. 

We are to be salt and light in the world (Matt 5:13-16). If we really love the LORD, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15). When we keep His commandments, we keep them all the time…. not just when it’s convenient or comfortable. Yes, we mess up and sin, but our desire should be to please God (2 Cor 5:9-11). The only way to do so is through our faith in Him (Heb 11:6). If we have true faith in Him, we will trust Him and do what He says, knowing that it will be better than anything we can come up with on our own. So, do you look different from the world around you? Or, have you compromised to fit in or enjoy personal desires? The closer you get to God, the closer He will be to you (James 4:8). Remember His love for you! Remember how doing it on your own doesn’t work well! Seek Him and obey Him. Love Him and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31). There is blessing in surrender to Him. Be different! 

His Mercies are New Every Morning

Every day is a new opportunity to reflect on the goodness of God. Today, I’ve been in my first real blizzard. I didn’t really know what that would be like. Last year, we had a large snowstorm but this has been different. It has been snowing since last night and I have snow drifts in my backyard that are 2-3 feet high. I wasn’t expecting this and I’m definitely not used to the winter weather here in Kansas City. I wanted different circumstances since I dislike the cold and can take snow or leave it.

I also began reading Lamentations at the beginning of the year. I don’t know about you, but the prophet Jeremiah, has been wearing me out. His experience during the siege of Jerusalem had to be one of the most horrific ones ever. The way he describes the consequences of Israel’s sin was beyond anything I could even imagine. I wasn’t emotionally prepared for its weightiness. Then I got to Lamentations 3.

It begins with distress over what can only be described as feelings of abandonment and punishment (Lam 3:1-20), but then something amazing happens. Jeremiah remembers there is hope (Lam 3:21-23) no matter how bad his situation is. Even though people are dying of hunger and suffering at the hands of their oppressors, He remembers God’s faithfulness never ends. His mercies are new every morning. That gives me a reassurance that I’m not sure I realized I needed.

Great is the LORD’s faithfulness! He is good to those who depend on Him and search for Him. Even when we are in awful situations that are painful and challenging, it is good to wait quietly on the salvation from the LORD. When we recognize the LORD is our portion and inheritance, we will lean more into Him for everything and not try to depending on ourselves – we can do nothing without Him (Lam 3:24-26). We can stand on the fact that even when we sin and are chastised, He will not abandon us (Lam 3:31). The LORD is faithful and our repentance brings us back into right fellowship with Him (2 Cor 7:10; Ps 32:5).

Let us never forget that the LORD’s mercies are new every morning. Let us be quick to obey and when we mess up, let us be quick to repent. Be blessed!

All Things are Possible!

It’s been a while and I’m not completely sure what has been the hold-up for me in writing this blog. I don’t want to say I’ve been rebellious, because that’s not what I’ve felt. I think I began to feel like it was me writing the blog and not me being a vessel for God to write through. Maybe I just needed a break. Either way, today I felt like the Lord had something to share through me, so here I am sitting at my computer sharing with you what he is sharing with me.

Today I went to church and was blessed by the message. The main theme was that change is hard, but we can change with Jesus. How true that is! I know I’ve attempted to make changes in my life and when it gets hard to continue, I’ve often times reverted back to old behavior in multiple areas of my life - Exercise! Eating! Sleep! Reading my bible! Writing! There are others that I just won’t name here, but you get the idea. 

The minister today said something that stuck with me – “change is a one-time decision with a daily commitment.” Wow! I sat with that and it’s still working on me. How many things have I given up on because I thought it was too hard? I realized today that it wasn’t too hard. I didn’t give it my all. I didn’t continue when I didn’t see the results I wanted. I stopped. And I wonder how much further along I’d be if I had stayed firm with the really good eating habits of years ago. Or if I’d kept writing that novel I started over a decade ago. Do you have things in your life like that? I don’t know if I’d call them regrets, but I definitely wonder if I somehow took the easy road and would be healthier, more mature, or developed had I stayed consistent. 

I feel our relationship with the LORD is similar – if we consistently flex our faith muscle, how much deeper would we be with Him? How much stronger would our relationship be? One thing is sure – the more we invest in a relationship, the stronger it will be. And the more we trust the LORD and what He calls us to, the more He will give us to do. The minister said today that God calls ordinary people to His extraordinary purpose. I’m a witness of that. In fact, my whole life reflects that. 

But I wonder about those things where I have not been consistent. Would the LORD have trusted me with more, had I done the work? I don’t expect I will know the answer to that until I stand before Him and have to give an account of my life. I know I can’t change the past, but with Jesus’s help, I can change the future. I can do what I haven’t done before and see how He takes my actions and turns them into results. Faith without works is dead (Jam 2:14).

The LORD is the God of the impossible, so I need to have confidence that if He can do the impossible, He can do that with me. Scripture says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” (Phil 4:13) even the hard things or maybe especially the hard things. That means I don’t have to try – I can do. May be hard, may take a while to learn, and may require me to get a little bit better every day, but I CAN do. As Yoda says, “Do or do not, there is no try.” 

Having a firm belief that we can do all things, takes the limits off. No more, I can’t do that because... Yes, we have some limitations to our skills and talents, but many of them not born to us naturally can be learned. Yes, it takes work, but if God calls you to something, don’t question why you. He made us – He knows us better than we know ourselves. He also knows where He wants us. He gives us the power to do what pleases Him (Phil 2:13). Take the next step as He directs even if it’s scary. He will never lead us to anything that is not for our good (Rom 8:28). We may not always like all the aspects of a thing, but God knows better than we do. Trust Him to do the impossible in and through you. 

As we end 2024 and begin 2025, let go of fear and step into all God has for you. Jesus came that we could have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). Don’t squander it - live it to the fullest. All the best for a 2025 that blows your expectations away. 

Are you a Disciple or just a Believer?

So, I’ve been dealing a lot lately with discipleship and what it really means. In the past, I was a big believer that because trees are known by their fruit, if there was no fruit that looked or was like Jesus, others couldn’t possibly be saved. I know, it’s judgy right? It is. I’m coming to understand that believing Jesus is God’s son and that God raised Him from the dead, doesn’t automatically change our behavior and produce good fruit. Our time with the Word of God and in prayer, loving God and others as ourselves, produces that fruit (Gal 5:22-25). Being a disciple of Christ produces that fruit. 

Yes, we are a new creature when we accept Jesus (2 Cor 5:17), but if we don’t spend time with God, we will never start to look like Him. Have you ever seen a mature married couple of many, many years together? People say they begin to look alike. I’m not sure that’s completely true, but it works for this analogy. The more time we spend with the Lord and the more time we spend obeying Jesus’ instructions to us, the more we look like the one who saved and sent us. 

Salvation is amazing and I am forever grateful for it. It is the free gift of God – that He sent His only begotten son to die so our sins could be forgiven (John 3:16) and we can have life and life more abundantly (John 10:10). However, we are being sanctified (i.e., becoming more like Christ) as we walk out our life with Christ (Gal 2:20). That doesn’t happen overnight. We are born in sin and that nature scars us. The only way to truly heal is to allow God to do a work in us. Thankfully, He who began a good work in us is faithful to complete it (Phil 1:6). But we can influence how long we stay in the lessons – if we get it the first time and get out of ourselves, we may not have to repeat the lesson. I’ve been there and I didn’t like it. In most of the cases where I’ve had to live through the same lesson over and over, it’s because I wanted to do it my own way in my own time. 

Following Jesus is not convenient and it’s sometimes hard. But doing hard things shouldn’t scare or discourage us if they are worth doing. Discipleship is one of those things. Discipleship costs. To be a disciple, we must deny self, pick up our cross and follow Jesus (Matt 16:24-25). We may have to sacrifice our TV or video game time. We may have to stop shopping nonstop. We may have to step away from friends who draw us away from God. We may have to run from that one thing that we’re addicted to. Seeking God first and recognizing that Jesus is Lord and that we can do nothing without Him goes against everything society teaches us to do and be. But it’s what followers of Jesus are called to. 

As you think about your walk with Christ, spend a little time reflecting over what’s most important to you as evidenced by your actions……not what you say or feel. What do your actions tell you about what’s most important to you? If Jesus doesn’t get much of your precious time, is He really Lord of your life or is it still you or someone else? So, are you a disciple or just a believer? This is one only you can answer, but it’s an important one. While it may cost to take up our cross and follow Jesus, it is more than worth it. He is worth it!

Are you Praying Enough?

So, I know this is a loaded question, but it’s one that needs to be asked. Of late, I’ve been hearing a lot about prayer and praying – in devotionals, at church, in conferences. Prayer is a topic everywhere. And the more I look around me at the world we live in, the more I realize that I’m definitely not praying enough. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thes 5:16-18). Of course, I pray when I think about it and I pray when something is going on, but I look for God to move quickly and then I move on to the next thing. 

As we have been studying Genesis since the beginning of the year, I’m reminded regularly that God does not operate on my time table (look at Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). I have to operate on His timetable. He is a good God and great is His faithfulness (Lam 3:22-23). He is faithful to fulfill His promises (Heb 10:23), but that doesn’t mean that He owes me anything or that my prayer is just to get something from Him (transactional)…..or at least it shouldn’t be. 

Our prayer life is really about relationship with God. It’s the way we communicate with Him. So, for example, I talk to my mom every day, almost without fail. Yes, if I’m traveling or sick, I may not speak to her and my dad, but generally, they are a priority for me every morning. If my physical parents are a priority to speak with every day and they are hundreds of miles away, how can I ignore or take for granted my heavenly Father who is always with me? I can sadly admit that it’s pretty easy to do. Life happens and all the things that are going on throughout the day take on an importance they should never have. In this, I must repent. 

It's easy to say that God understands my life and my heart…..and He does…..He gets that I make other things more important than Him. I can only confess that, apologize/repent and commit to doing better. I have to set aside time for just Him and I know it won’t be easy. I know I will be attacked in this area, but that doesn’t change the fact that I need to make prayer the way I do everything. If I really believe that I belong to God and not myself, the things He says are important have to the be the things that are important to me. That’s not an issue with my worldly bosses – whatever they say is a priority becomes my priority. How is it different with God? 

Spending time with Him so that I know Him better…..so I’m not distracted by circumstances or people around me…..so I know without a shadow of doubt who He is and what He can do…..are especially important to my walk with Him. I always said I wanted to have a relationship with Father God like Enoch who walked faithfully with Him and didn’t see death (Gen 5:21-24). And so far, I’ve failed at that. Don’t get me wrong, I spend time with God, but I’m not walking with Him every moment of every day. That’s hard for me to admit, but I know I’m not always seeking His counsel in decision making and I’m not always listening to Him when I want to do something. If I want the fullness of God for my life, I need to seek His will and not my own. I know that….but the practice is not there yet. I have work to do and He has work to do in me (Phil 1:6).

Please pray for me as I pray for you that your prayer life would be strengthened and that your relationship with Father God would be deeper. We all need Him, I just think we don’t realize how much. Blessings to you!

Lessons Learned from Joseph

For the past several weeks, we’ve been learning about the life of Joseph in our study of Genesis. Most people know the story – he was a favored son who was sold into slavery by his brothers and later saved the ancient world by interpreting a dream for Pharoah. Whether you have a relationship with Jesus or not, it’s a great read. Joseph's story begins in Genesis 37 as a teenage dreamer. There are many lessons to take from his life (Gen 37, Gen 39-48). We’ll only discuss five of them here and the first one we see happened when he was just 17. 

1. You can’t share your dreams with everyone, not even those closest to you (Prov 14:16 NLT). You have to pray and be discerning about who you can trust with where God is taking you. Joseph shared his dreams with his brothers and because he was already the favored child, they were jealous and wanted to kill him. Was he oblivious to their jealousy or was he rubbing their noses in his dreams? We’ll never know, but we do know that when it was convenient, their own insecurities and hatred led them to selling Joseph into slavery. Of course, God orchestrated it so Joseph ended up in Egypt, where He was taking him to be elevated in time. However, the brothers’ actions were selfish and lacked compassion. One way or another, God would have moved so that Joseph’s dreams came true, but God gives us all the right to choose the path we will take, and the one Joseph’s brothers took was a sinful one. 
2. Don’t complain – do the work. Instead of complaining about his plight and focusing on what he no longer had, Joseph focused on doing the work. He learned the language and developed his leadership skills. He learned to organize and keep things in order. While he was waiting for what God would do with his life, he was busy preparing. He didn’t try to elevate himself, He waited for God to elevate Him. 
3. There is power in forgiveness (Luke 6:27-37). Even though Joseph was separated from His family for more than twenty years (part of that time in prison), he forgave his brothers for selling Him. He was not bound by the betrayal of his brothers. He didn’t hold anger against Potiphar’s wife who lied on him. He was free, even when he was in bondage. Joseph went on to live a fruitful life in a foreign land and God prospered everything he touched. By not holding on to anger, Joseph was able to take hold of his actions and respond, not react, to the things that happened to him. 
4. A man’s gifts will make room for him and bring him before the great (Prov 18:16). Throughout Joseph’s life, his gifts of organization and his godly wisdom brought him into leadership roles. We see it with Potiphar, the jailer and finally, Pharoah. Joseph diligently and faithfully did the work for whatever position he filled using his gifts and doors were opened unto him. 
5. God is ultimately in control. Joseph knew this and that God’s hand was on His life. Whether in Potiphar’s house, the jail, or as second in command of Egypt, Joseph always remembered God was with him and had His hand on Joseph’s life. Joseph refused to sin with Potiphar’s wife because, it was a sin against God even in slavery. Joseph knew God was with Him even when he was wrongfully jailed. He understood that his abilities were God given abilities. While God doesn’t control our actions, He controls the outcomes. At every turn, Joseph was obedient and he was elevated even in captivity. 

Remember that no matter what is going on in your life or what situation you face, God is a promise keeper. Remember to wait on His timing and not to make it happen yourself as we saw with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It never works out well - there are always adverse consequences (some that will last for millennia). Our sin comes out of our choosing in our own knowledge and selfishness, and not following God’s leading. Let's learn the lessons and live a more fulfilling life. 

God is Still Good

God is good! No matter what we are facing, He IS good (Psa 103:8). That is hard sometimes to grasp because the world can be a treacherous place and bad things happen to threaten our happiness and comfort. We tend to think of anything that makes us unhappy or sad as bad. But if we think about our lives, there are always things that cause great pain at the same time as things involving great joy (thanks Pastor Craig).

I recently lost someone who has been like an aunt to me most of my life and I will miss her dearly, but at the same time I just celebrated my mom's birthday. The fact that I am suffering this loss doesn’t make God any less good. If fact, the fact that I am grieving speaks to the love that I felt. When I consider the experience, I wouldn't wish away the years I had with her to prevent the pain of losing her. 

I recently heard the story of Katherine Wolf (thanks Desperate for Jesus), who provides some interesting perspective around suffering well. And finding joy in what we do Have, not what we don't.  This speaks to learning to be content regardless of our circumstances.  Even when it's painful or we have circumstances we can to choose to be joyful. The scriptures tell us to rejoice in all things (1 Thes 5:16-17; Phil 4:4). We have to remember He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28). He cannot lie (Tit 1:2), which means he is trustworthy. He does what He says He will do.

This is a clear reminder that God IS good.....not because we deserve it, but because that is who He is. We can trust Him!