My Lion

Today's Reading: Ezekiel 14:12-14 & Revelation 5

Scripture:

"and one of the elders said to me, 'Stop weeping; behold, the Lion of Judah, the root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.'" Revelation 5:5

Observation:

If my life is aligned and I am seeking after God's will for my life with all my heart then I should know that I am protected by Jesus.

Application:

I really need a better image of Christ. In this verse the elder refers to Him as the Lion of Judah. The Lion. As I look upon those words they do not resonate with me as they should. My image of Jesus is weak. The most prevalent image I have of Christ is His earthly form; the meek son of a carpenter who stood silent while He was accused, beaten, and killed.

That is not who Jesus is today. He is a victorious warrior. He has traded in His earthly form and taken on His heavenly majesty. He is the Lion of Judah. He has over come death. He has dominion over satan. He was slain but now has received power, riches, wisdom, might, honor, glory and blessing.

That is the Christ I serve. That is my Lord, my Savior, my King, my Deliver, and my Comfort. He is a Lion. He is able. What should I ever fear? What should I ever doubt? The only thing that should cause me concern is my obedience to His will for my life.

Prayer:

I sit this morning longing to know You more. My life is but a shadow of what it could be. I have only tapped into a small portion of the purpose You have for my life. I have only experienced a sliver of the potential that exists for me.

I want all that You have for me. I sincerely mean that. At the same time I want things my way. Therein lies my problem and my sin. I want You to be fully mine but I do not want to be fully yours. I realize that things do not work that way but it is an honest assessment of what I know to be true of me. I confess this to You this morning.

Holy Spirit I pray that I be able to clearly see the plans God has for me today, find the all the courage I need to walk towards them, access the strength I need to fulfill them, and rest in the power of Christ to complete them.

Don't Quit

Today's Reading: Revelation 3

Scripture:

"I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown." Revelation 3:11

Observation:

Learning the ways of Christ, living the truth of Christ, and leading others to Christ is a universal call handed down to any who claim to be Christians. It is tough mission. Staying engaged in the battle consumes energy, time, and strength. The call from this passage today is a call to not quit.

Quitting on God sounds bad and so Satan rarely temps me to do this. More often than not, he lulls me into quitting by having me fake what I am really feeling, by forgetting what God has already done in me, or by creating opportunity for me to just go to sleep.

Application:

First, do not fake it. Verse 15 serves as a stark reminder of how God feels about me claiming Christ but not living it out. The scripture says it makes Him vomit. He would rather I openly reject the truth than to claim something that is not real to me. It is only by confessing to Him and to others the true nature of my lifestyle and choices that I open the door for God to do a true work in and through me.

Second, do not forget. Verse 3 is a call to remember what God has done in my life. There is a tendency buried deep in my nature that causes me to live with a "what have you done for me lately" mindset. This tendency causes me to move past what God has already done and get stuck lamenting over what I am asking Him for currently.

Third, do not go to sleep. Scattered throughout this chapter are constant reminders to stay alert and engaged. This is perhaps the toughest of challenges from the scripture. Pressure from the culture to conform to the ways of the world is excruciating. Pressure from peers, pressure from work, pressure from family, and pressure from insecurity all rise up at once to form a war party against me living for God. Some days it is simply easier to check out and go to bed.

Prayer:

Father fighting the good fight is exhausting. People do not listen. They judge. They reject. They refuse. Each time it happens it hurts. It also opens the door for me to doubt myself. In the midst of my doubts, frustrations, and weaknesses I allow sin to creep into my life and this further exasperates the problem. In the end, I find myself tired and in need of renewal.

Your Word says that You stand at the door and knock. You also promise that if I hear Your knocking and open the door; You will enter and dine with me. That is my heart's desire today. I just want to sit at the table with You and find healing, replenish my energy, and regain my focus.

Holy Spirit, guide me today in becoming the man God desires for me to be. Help me to firmly face the things that are chasing me and strengthen me to slay them. Create inside of me an unconquerable spirit that refuses to quit. Open my eyes and ears to walk only in the truth of God's word. Regardless of the outcome, fill me with the courage I need to stand for the right choices.

Walking in Truth

Today's Reading: Jeremiah 51:15-19 & 3 John

Scripture:

"For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is how you are walking in truth" 3 John 1:3

Observation:

Stories of people's lives spread through the words spoken by others. Very often I hear word of someone I have not seen in quite some time and I am either joyful at hearing about what is taking place in their life or I am broken by it.

The same is true of me. The testimony of my life will be shared by the words of those who observe me. They will not speak of what I tell them; they will speak of what they see and sense in me. They will observe me in action and base their opinions from that.

Application:

God did not design me to be pleasing to man but He does command me to be a good steward of my reputation. This verse takes all the complication of the scripture and grinds it down to its simplest form; walk in Biblical truth. It falls on me to actively seek the truth of God's Word and walk in it. The kindness, love, purity, faithfulness, power and purposefulness of Christ should radiate in all that I do.

Prayer:

Father I ask that I be made by Your power. There is a side of me who knows no way other than to be a self-made man. I set my sights on a goal, assess my condition and then work to make it happen. These are good traits but if I am honest with You I often do it out of my own power and will. I confess that to You this morning and ask that You teach me what it means to use the natural abilities You have given me but to be dependent upon Your power.

Father I also ask that I be established by Your wisdom. There are days that I feel like I struggle to just gain traction. I fight run all day but it seems as if nothing I do ever really takes hold. Father, pour Your wisdom out on me today and establish the things that You desire for me. I pray that every word I speak, every thought I have, and every plan I craft be firmly founded in Your wisdom.

Finally Father I ask that I be stretched out by Your understanding. I want more of You. I want every trait of Christ to be known in the truth of my walk. When I return to You I want You to be pleased with the fruit of my life. I pray that I be filled with every ounce of understanding I need to take what You started in me and stretch it to its fullest capacity. May my every step expand the desires and purposes You have for my life.

Stay Engaged

Today's Reading: Jeremiah 38:20 & 2 John 1

Scripture:

"Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward." 2 John 1:8

Observation:

Complacency is defined as a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation or condition. This morning's word is a shot across the bow warning me to not be complacent with my faith.

Application:

Much is said of the permanence of my salvation. I am forever assigned to God and nothing can ever change that. Once I surrendered to God through Christ; I became secure. As beautiful a gift as that is, it is not an invitation to become complacent. I must stay on engaged in my journey with God. There are three ways to do this.

First, I need to listen. God speaks. I believe that He constantly makes attempts to stay in contact with me. He has plans for me. His Word promises that He will guide me. I must allow the Holy Spirit to create inside of me a desperation to hear from My God.

Second, I need to be about my Father's business. The life of any believer, at any place, and at any time must be turned towards the Father's mission of making disciples. Regardless of where I find myself I must be prayerful in seeking out an opportunity to join the Holy Spirit in His redemptive work.

Finally, I need to endure. Life is a grind. This is not a pessimistic point of view; it is reality. Nothing in life is that is cheap or easily attainable is worth anything. Why should I expect my faith to be anything less than a noble challenge, a worthy pursuit, and a deep accomplishment?

Prayer:

Father I need to stay engaged. I pray that my life be clearly marked as a man who sought after Your heart, listened to Your voice, acted at Your direction, and endured to the very end.

Be my strength today when I am weak, be my voice when I struggle to find words, be my peace when my anger stirs, be my wisdom when my thoughts become cloudy, and be my all consuming desire when the cost of following You becomes overwhelming.

Bad Situations

Today's Reading: Jeremiah 33:9-11 & 1 John 5

Scripture:

"Behold I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth." Jeremiah 33:6

Observation:

In this verse God is speaking of restoring Israel. The order in which He lays out His plan is: 1) Restore the city. 2) heal the people. 3) Bring peace and understanding.

This morning as I have thought on this passage I am sensing that God wants to teach me something about His way of healing conflict and I see three things He has for me.

Application:

First, I have to allow God to heal the situation. Bad encounters with people often leave tapes of situation in my mind. I play these tapes over and over. Each time I do this it is almost like reliving the event the first time. Often, I will imagine what I should have said, what I could have said or what I wish I had said. As my mind continually dwells on the moment I begin to live in a constant state of anger regarding it. It is impossible to find healing, peace or understanding if I am still miffed. I have to surrender the situation to God and follow His leading in resolving it before I can move on to healing. It is not until I have let go of the should have's, could have's or wish I had's that I will begin the process of healing.

Second, I have to allow God to heal me. It is not my place to worry with justice. It is not my place to worry with who got what. Consequences never bring healing; God does. Releasing my hurt and anger to God while the emotions are still in a raw state is a flipping hard thing to do. I want to demand understanding before I submit to that still, small voice in my spirit telling me to let it go. My faith in God means that I trust Him to work out all things for the good. It means that I separate my healing from my desired end.

Finally, I have to receive the understanding and peace offered. Once I have allowed God to settle the issue and received His healing; understanding and peace come. Sometimes this comes all at once, sometimes it comes a piece at a time, but it always comes. God sees the end from the beginning. Nothing in my life is random. Nothing is useless. If I continue to draw near to Him I will arrive at a place of peace and understanding.

Prayer:

Father everything that comes into my life has the power to make me stronger or to tear me down. The deciding factor is how I chose to respond. I pray today that You allow me to choose wisely.

Keep me from sin today. I ask that You guard my every thought and emotion. Help me to be attentive to where I am, what I am doing, and the thoughts I am nursing. I pray that I be empowered to immediately shut down any line of thinking that has the potential to carry me to a bad place.

Father this day is Yours. All that I am belongs to You. I pray that Your tangible presence me before me. I ask that You show me great and mighty things. Help me to rise above what comes my way and remain faithful to the life You have called me to live.

Kicking Out the Bad

Today's Reading: Jeremiah 29:11-13 & 1 John 3

Scripture:

"I will visit you and fulfill my good word to you..." Jeremiah 29:10

Observation:

There are days and seasons in which life really piles up and things can get rough. During those times it is often easy to lose sight of important truths. Once important truths give way, doubt takes hold. Once doubt takes hold stability is taken away. Once stability is gone life gets miserably painful.

Application:

This morning's reading reminds me of a few truths that I need to return to when stability leaves my life. First, I need to kick condemnation out of my heart. 1 John 3:20 tells me that whatever my heart condemns me of, God is greater. I will slip and fall short. There is no way of escaping that. The worse response I can have to my mistakes is to allow them to condemn me before God. My sins are covered. Once I professed faith in Jesus and surrendered my life to Him I was forever wiped clean. Unless I am trying to run from what I know He has asked of me; nothing in my life can merit panic or feelings of abandonment.

Second, I need to kick fatigue out of my heart. There are seasons of frustration, pain or doubt that often leave me feeling fatigued. The anguish in my soul wears on me and I begin to tire. Jeremiah 29:13 reminds me that God sees the end from the beginning and no matter where I am He will ultimately see me prosper. I just have to hold firm to my faith, stay aligned with His will, and trust in what I can not see.

Finally, I have to kick hesitation out of my heart. The entire chapter of 1 John 3 speaks to the lifestyle of a believer. I can not be of Christ and not have compulsions to express Christ's love to others. My life must bear fruit. The seed of Christ in me must sprout. There is a side of me that fights this. I hesitate to act on what God places on my heart. I do this by doubting myself, becoming intimidated, or by letting confusion set in. In the moment I feel a Holy conviction I need to act in great haste.

Prayer:

Condemnation, fatigue, and hesitation are three bad dudes that have no dwelling place in my heart. They form three of the nastiest things I could every have inside of me. I know them well. The destruction they have brought upon my life is untold.

I pray this morning that You help me find the strength to kick this mess out of my heart. In the midst of condemning thoughts I pray that my salvation in Your Son be made evident to me. Underneath the weight of fatigue I pray that the promise of Your Word strengthen me to stand. When paralyzed by hesitating thoughts I pray for the surge of boldness I need to jump forward.

Making Trials Work

Today's Reading: Psalm 118; Jeremiah 25:7 & 1 John 2

Scripture:

"This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:23-24

Observation:

To live on this earth is to experience difficulties. There is no escaping it. There is no denying it. They will come and when they do, it is so easy to lose perspective. 364 consecutive days of good can be set aside on one bad day and an entire year will be judged a failure.

Application:

This chapter points out a few things that help keep my head level during rough spots. First, accept God's discipline. Hard times have a way of drawing me into God's presence and they open me up to receive instruction. It is a shame to waste a trial by not examining myself before God and allowing Him to make me stronger.

Second, I have to return my thinking to the greatness of God. Trials seem so big at the time. My emotions crank up as the temperature of the circumstances rise and it is very easy for God to be distant and vague. In the heat of the moment my job, money, man, relationships, or any other form of threat can become greater in my mind than the God I serve.

Third, I need to call out to God. Once my conscience is clear and my thoughts of God have been strengthened, I need to call out to Him. Sometimes trials force me into praying, "if you are out there would You do something" type of prayers. Those prayers are useless. In the face of adversity, I need to pray to God not wondering if He will do something; I need to pray to God knowing He will do something.

Finally, I need to align myself with God. The word does not say that God will defend anyone who prays to Him. He fights for those who walk in His ways. He defends those who abandon their lives to seek His. He upholds those who are fighting for Himj.

Prayer:

So often the very things that have the greatest potential to draw me close to You send me running from You instead. Father, I want to better learn how to make trials work for my benefit.

Teach me to walk in what You have taught me this morning. I ask that my heart always be open to your correction. I pray that my thoughts of You constantly be expanded. I beg that my life be aligned with Your greatest desires for it.

Dividing Candy

Reading Plan: Psalm 105:1-11 & John 21

Scripture:

"Jesus said to him, 'If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!'" John 21:21

Observation:

In the verses prior to this one Jesus informed Peter that he would be martyred. Peter's response was to inquire of what would happen to John. Jesus responded by helping Peter understand that fairness in this life is not a Biblical value. What God does in the life of another man is between that man and God.

Application:

One of the scariest moments in life for a parent is having to divide a candy bar among three kids. The little boogers watch carefully and compare each piece. Then comes the dreaded shout, "He got the bigger piece!"

It is easy for me to look at my kids in that moment and realize just how irrational they are. In that moment, the entire value of their life and our relationship swings on the few millimeters that separate the size of each piece of candy.

That is the sense that I get from God this morning. As I have grown up that "He got a bigger piece" mentality has stuck with me. It still resides deep inside of me and pops its head up in opportune moments. Lifestyle, money, success, happiness, possessions, relationships, favor, and many other things can create opportunities for me to compare myself to others and make a judgment on the fairness of what God has provided.

The "candy bars" of my adult life change, but the attitude is the same. Someone got it a little bit better than I did and I do not like it. That is the simple and ugly truth of the envy and jealousy that still lives in my flesh.

Prayer:

Father, I ask for Your Forgiveness. What I define in my life as being good is quite often compared to what You are doing in the lives of others. I think that I do this because my relationship with You at times is not tangible enough. I am not sure what You want from me or what You are providing me and so in my confusion I naturally look to what is taking place in another person's life to determine if what is taking place in my life is good or not.

Teach me God to celebrate the great things that You have done and not make a distinction between whether they were done in my life or in the life of another. Build inside of me a deep understanding of all the good that You have done in me and help me to constantly rest in a state of gratitude.

I seek Your face and Your strength today. Help me to see You in everything I do today. I pray that my heart will be over run with praise and gladness. I ask the You empower to fully understand what it means to glory only in Your Great Name.

Confusing Voices

Today's Reading: Jeremiah 35:15 & John 20

Scripture:

"Also I have sent to you all My servants the prophets, sending them again and again, saying, 'Turn now every man from his evil way and amend your deeds...'" Jeremiah 35:15

Observation:

God does not just sit back, let people fail and then zap them. He actively works to keep His people on the right path.

Application:

God is actively working in my life. That is worth repeating to myself. God is actively working in my life. He is speaking to me everyday.

Satan is also actively working against my life. He is speaking to me and against me. He is sending people to me and through them offering me very sound advice.

My flesh is also actively working in my life. There is a saboteur inside of me who works against my life becoming all that God has planned for it to be.

And so I get confused. It would be easier if God just spoke directly to me using a deep, Charlton Hesston voice coming from a cloud or rock or if satan spoke in a evil, Freddy Kruger voice. But that is not how it happens. The voices all sound eerily similar at times and being deceived, getting confused or justifying sin is not that hard at all.

Prayer:

Your sheep know Your voice. That is the confession I sense in my heart this morning. Regardless of what my emotions tell me I believe that You are actively seeking me. I believe that Your voice is always before me offering me the direction that I desperately need.

I also confess to You that I do not always like what Your voice is saying to me. As I look back over my life and view my mistakes, pain, or failures I almost always see a pattern of me ignoring advice that would have led me in Your direction. Just as You said in this verse from Jeremiah the prophets spoke to me time and time again; yet I did not hear.

Father I ask that You help me dial into Your voice. Hide Your truth in my heart, open my eyes to Your ways, and align my desires with Your Holy Spirit. In the moment when that happens the voice of my shepherd rings loud in my ears and the way I should go becomes evident.

Mission Basics

Today's Reading: Psalm 93; Jeremiah 18:1-10; & John 17

Scripture:

"I have glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do." John 17:4

Observation:

Jesus lived His life on purpose and on His mission. I often here of giving God the glory or glorifying God, but so often it is being defined as giving God verbal acknowledgement for something. In this verse, Jesus did not say I have done a lot of good things and given you verbal credit for them. He said He accomplished the work given to Him.

Application:

The same that applied to Jesus applies to me. I am to be about the work of my Father. Out of this morning's reading I am reminded of the three basic parts of my mission. The specifics can vary, but the basics stay the same.

The first comes out of Jeremiah 10. God's desire for me is that I allow myself to be molded into what He wants me to be. For this to happen I have to be surrendered and submitted to Him shaping my life. I have to allow Him to mold me as a potter would mold clay. This requires that I be in close relationship with Him and daily experience Him shaping my life.

The second comes out of John 17:6. I am to pay close attention to the people God puts in my path and manifest the name of God to them. This requires that I pay close attention to my surroundings, keep my focus on God's heart, and move on every impulse He gives me towards another person. Sometimes this is as simple as giving a smile to a person that looks rough and can be as hard as sharing a word with a stranger. The important thing is to be focused on acting.

The third comes out of John 17:8-26. I am to stay engaged with people, keep them in the Word, and pray on their behalf. These verses offer a beautiful picture of Jesus praying to His Father over the disciples God had given to Him. Jesus did not sell them fire insurance and then move on to the next thing. He stayed engaged with their lives and took personal ownership in their maturity, protection, and blessing.

Prayer:

As I sit this morning I am convicted of the self-centered nature of most of my prayers and desires. There have been so many nights that I have cried out to You, but so many of those nights have been completely about my place in life and my desire to have something better. I am convicted of this and confess it to You as sin on my part.

I need for You to move in my life, not for my personal gain, but so that I am have something of worth to offer those You have given to me. Father I ask this morning that You glorify Yourself in my life. I ask that You move in my life in miraculous ways. Fill my days with miracles, my heart with peace, my mind with wisdom and my words with life. I pray that my every breath reflect something strong, holy, pure, and attractive about You.

Investments for Praise

Today's Reading: Psalm 96, Jeremiah 17:7-10, & John 16

Scripture:

"Sing to the LORD a new song." Psalm 96:1

Observation:

In the context of this verse the new song the Psalmist is speaking of is the returning of Christ to establish His Kingdom. In the context of my life today, I sense God encouraging me to sing praise in a new way. My praise is often tied to what God is doing for me or how I feel about my life. Consequently the ticker chart of my praise volume jumps up and down like the stock market. I sense three stable, constant investments for my praise this morning.

Application:

First, I need to learn to praise God's glory. To praise His glory I must experience His glory. To experience His glory I must spend time with God. To spend time with God means that I surrender my heart to Him and draw near. There is so much in the Bible about God's glory. He is majestic, all powerful, all knowing, mighty, above all, before all, and in control of all. I read these words but the truth is the condition of my heart often keeps me from drawing near. In the midst of any season of life, I should keep at the forefront of my mind a desire to experience a greater encounter of God's glory.

Second, I need to learn to praise the good news. The "what have you done for me lately" mentality of the world has definitely overtaken my spiritual life. If my list of wants goes untouched for any period of time I fight against getting ticked at God. I won't say I am ticked. I use words like confused, frustrated, or sad. I say things like, "I just can't hear from God" or "God's just not speaking to me." The truth is I am miffed because my life is not tracking on the course I want. The only way to fight this is to return to the basics of my faith. God redeemed me. He bought me out of the mess that was my sin, cleaned me up, gave me a purpose, and established an internal inheritance for me.

Third, I need to praise His return. So much of life works against this. Confusion over the practical aspects of Christ coming back and my natural skepticism towards what is unknown makes this very difficult. Be that as it may, I should learn to praise the fact that this life is not the end, the brokenness of the world is not forever, and there is an eternal plan for those known by God. Some generation, some day will see Christ return. I could very well be living in that generation. I should live each day in joyful anticipation of the fact that this could be that day.

Prayer:

Father, praise is the fuel of life. When my heart is full of it, I have the energy I need to make the most of my days. When my heart is empty, I struggle to stay engaged in the grind of life. I ask this morning that You forgive me making my praise conditional based on the circumstances of my life. I pray that the three permanent realities You have placed on my heart come to life inside of me. I pray that celebrating them become my great source of renewal, energy, and life. I pray that I learn to celebrate each of these things in a manner that will allow others around me to find their own strength to turn towards You in praise.

Troubled Hearts

Today's Reading: Jeremiah 10:6-7 & John 14

Scripture:

"Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God and also in me." John 14:1

Observations:

The word used for trouble in the verse means horror, anxiety and agitation. While I rarely experience horror or anxiety; agitation comes to me very easily. Any of these emotions seem to come out of nowhere so I find it interesting that Jesus indicates I allow or permit them to invade my heart. As I have camped out on this, I feel there are two primary ways I do permit horror, anxiety and agitation access to my heart.

Application:

First, I settle for second rate encounters with God. In Jeremiah 10:6 the prophet proclaims that there is none like God. He says that in God there is great might. What would I say that he end of an ordinary day? Would these words ring true to me? Some days yes, most days not. The truth is I should spend every moment of every day praying for and expecting an encounter with God that leaves me speechless.

Second, I forget that love for Christ is inseparable from obedience to his teaching. Jesus points this out clearly in John 14:15. Love for Jesus is not an empty, hedonistic expression of emotion. It is an active movement of God in my live that compels me to chase after the work of Christ on this earth. It breaks my will, desires, and ambitions; replacing them with a consuming passion to see God glorified in the lives of others.

Prayer:

Father I am struggling this morning with how to put into words what I sense in my heart. The only way to explain it is that I hear the rhythm of a song in my heart that resonates with my soul. It is a song that makes me what to roll down the windows, turn up the volume, and step on the gas. I feel a life being birthed in me that exceeds what I have known of You and I want to experience that life in its fullness.

Holy Spirit I pray that You will allow me to be in tune with what You desire to teach me today. Broaden my expectations of God and help me to not settle for anything less than the unexplainable in my life. Deepen my expressed love of Jesus through my obedience to His commandments and help me die to my own desires. In all things I pray that the my encounters with God and my love for Christ be much greater than the trouble that tempts my heart.

Washing Feet

Today's Reading: Jeremiah 7:23-26 & John 13

Scripture:

"If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them." John 13:17

Observation:

Getting information and then putting it into practice is the essence of discipleship. There are a couple of things I see this morning that I need to put into better practice.

Application:

First, I have to let Jesus wash my feet. This comes in the form of repentance of my sins. While the day I surrendered my life to Christ I was forever washed clean and my salvation was set for eternity; I still sin. As long as I walk on this earth my feet will get dirty and I must submit to Jesus washing my feet by allowing Him to daily remove the grit of my sins.

Second, I have to wash the feet of others. This one is really tough. People do some snappy bad things. Their sin is against God but often their actions hurt me. In the midst of my hurt it is the example of Christ that I am to follow and forgive them to the same measure that God has forgiven me. In doing this, I must also remember that I myself am capable of doing some pretty awful things to people.

Prayer:

There is a beautiful picture painted in this scripture of how You approach washing my feet. In my mind I have always approached Your cleansing me of my failures much like going to the principal's office to get punishment. That is not the image I see this morning. What I see this morning is Jesus inviting me in for a banquet, asking me to recline at His table, and then humbling Himself to wash my feet before we eat. Thank You for the gift of forgiveness and the manner in which You decided to express it.

I do not forgive in the manner. I could sit for an hour wrestling with this and come up with a rationalization for how I express forgiveness, but there is no use denying the fact that I really stink at offering forgiveness. My forgiveness is often vengeful for I want to make sure that someone is really sorry. My forgiveness is conditional for I want to make sure that there have been some consequences. I confess this attitude of mine to You today as sin.

Father it is beyond my ability to walk out these two things. Holy Spirit I submit to You today and pray that You lead me to move past the simple knowledge of these things and empower me to step fully into the blessing of doing these things.

Peer Pressure

Today's Reading: Jeremiah 5:20-31 & John 12

Scripture:

"for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God." John 12:43

Observation:

Peer pressure refers to the influence exerted by a peer group in encouraging a person to change his or her attitudes, values, or behavior in order to conform to group norms.

While peer pressure is often only spoken of in terms of kids; it is a plague that attacks adults as well. The circumstances change and our reactions to peer pressure shift; but the question of how will my circle of friends, family, and co-workers react still weighs on the minds of most adults.

Application:

Whether I chose to defy the peer group out of spite or conform to it to avoid conflict; I am allowing myself to be controlled by the opinion of others. In this morning's reading I have observed a couple things that will allow me to combat my fear of man issues.

First, I need to get back to a healthy fear of God. I am not sure how it happens or when, but I feel like I constantly drift back and forth between too extreme views of God. My emotions seem to want to interpret Him as being a bully in the sky or a soft, loving grand-dad. He is neither of these things and the result of falling into either one results in me not respecting God. I need to put my emotions aside and remember the power, majesty, strength, and awe that is in my God. I need to be reminded that nothing of this earth is above Him.

Second, I need to get back the lordship of Christ over my life. The day I surrendered to Christ is the day I chose to give up control of my life. I can never lose my salvation and I can also never regain control of my life. I think sometimes I want to rest in the permanence of my salvation but rebel against my loss of control. The truth is I can't have one without the other.

Third, I need to actively seek the Light. I need to be after God's heart. The life of a Christian is not passive. It is not intellectual. It is not legalistic. It is not dead. The life of a Christian is a passionate pursuit of a mission that exceeds anything the world has to offer. It is an adventure beyond compare, a love beyond description, and a reward beyond imagination.

Prayer:

In the complicated clamoring of the world I live in it is so hard to keep first things first. I run in circles trying to achieve greatness in my work, my marriage, my family, my relationships and my own well being.

I am so very grateful of Your word to me today. It has reconnected me with the only three things my life must be about: my God, my Lord, and my mission. I ask today that You center me on how to rise above the pressures created by my peers and stay focused on You, Your Son, and Your mission.

A Good Shepherd

Today's Reading: Jeremiah 1 & John 10

Scripture:

"I am a good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." John 10:11

Observation:

In today's reading in Jeremiah and John I feel that I see a few things I have to do in order to follow Christ's example of being a good shepherd.

Application:

First, I have to deal with my fear of man issues. My weakened view of God, His Grace, and my standing with Him cause me to be subject to fear. I fear what people will think. I fear being mocked. I fear being rejected. I fear what my kids will suffer. I fear man's reaction to what God says.

Second, I have to deal with my Jason is right issues. I want to be right. That is the bottom line. Not only do I want to be right, I want others to submit to me being right. I want to speak and have other people look at me, be moved to change, and then pat me on the back and say thank you. This is just not reality. The only thing that I need to worry about is am I aligned with what God wants to say. I have to be one with what God is doing around me and then I have to realize that what God is doing is always going to be at odds with the popular opinion.

Third, I have to walk through the front door. The primary need of every person is to be in submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the front door to every man and I should stop trying to get at people through any other means. Everything in my life should come through Jesus, everything pouring out of my life should go through Jesus, and everything I do in life should point to Jesus.

Prayer:

Father I know that You have a plan for my life. It is unimaginable that You, the God of the universe, would take the time to craft something that includes me, but You did. You can do things in any way imaginable and You do not need me yet You chose me from the beginning to accomplish a portion of Your plan. That is just amazing to me.

There are days that Your plan for me is incredibly evident. I feel like I am centered in Your will and my soul comes to life in a manner that can not be matched by any other experience. There are also days in which I find myself battered, bruised and confused. In those times finding Your plan and purpose feels a lot like working on a Rubik's Cube in the dark.

Father time is infinite for You. A thousand years is like a day to You. Human definitions of time mean nothing to You. But to me, time is precious. A day is a pretty stinking big deal as I only have so many of them on this earth. I feel like I have wasted many of them and I do not want to waste them any more.

I pray that You lead me today to center myself in Your purpose for me and live my life in a manner that truly counts. Align me with Your purpose and help me to not be controlled by my pride or my fear.

Pig-Headedness

Today's Reading: Zephaniah 3 & John 9

Scripture:

"She heeded no voice, she accepted no instruction, she did not trust in the LORD, she did not draw near to her God." Zephaniah 3:2

Observation:

In this verse the prophet is speaking against the nation of Israel. In the verses following this one the prophet lists out the results of Israel's failing in these four areas. If I were to visit Israel at the time that this verse was penned, I am sure that the people would have been complaining about what God was not doing. I am sure that they would have been griping about the fact that their prayers were going unanswered. Their reality was that they were suffering not from a absent or uncaring God; they were suffering from their own pig-headed decisions.

Application:

There are only two sources for the pain in my life. The first is persecution from the world because of the work of God in my life. This is a holy form of pain and it should be seen as affirmation that my life is on the right track.

The second source of pain is my pig-headedness. I often like to pretend that this form of pain is the persecution I mentioned above, but a better word for it would be consequence. I act like a fool and God treats me like a fool. That is just the way it rolls.

Pig-headedness in my relationship with God is solved in four steps: 1) Heed His voice. 2.) Accept His instruction. 3.) Trust in Him as LORD. 4.) Draw near to Him as my God.

Prayer:

Father heeding Your voice makes the assumption that I hear Your voice. Frankly, that is tough at times. The noise in my life is deafening. I pray that I be attune to Your speaking to me and that I pay close attention to it. I pray that Your words truly become the bread for my life and that nothing would interfere with my passion for consuming them. I ask that they become an uncontrollable addiction in my life.

Accepting Your instruction is among the hardest things I face. You instruction is almost never my preference. Your plan almost never makes sense to me. Your will calls me away from everything that is comfortable and thrusts me deep into things that scare me to death. I confess to You that there is nothing in my natural nature that desires to be instructed by You. That is the battle inside of me that I face everyday. I pray that Your Spirit inside of me be released to carry me in obedience.

Trusting You as LORD assumes that I understand You as Yahweh. Understanding You as Yahweh means that I acknowledge You as the Almighty Source of everything I need in life. It requires that I lay my life before You and depend on You as the sole source of my life, joy, happiness, protection, provision, and strength.

Drawing near to You assumes that I am not playing victim. There are many times in life where I feel like You are the one withdrawn. My prayers feel empty so I blame You. Your Word does not speak to me so I blame You. I feel lonely or discontent so I blame You. I confess to You this morning my sin in this and proclaim that regardless of what my feelings are saying, I know You are there waiting on me. It falls on me to let go and step near.