Above All Else, Give Me Yourself

Read: Psalm 110, 111, 112, & 114

"Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments." Psalm 112:1

Examine:

Five blessings that come to one who fears God are:

(1) He is blessed with physical and material prosperity because He is righteous.

(2) Light is given even in darkness for the upright. This could refer to prosperity in place of disaster or to discernment.

(3) He receives goodness in return for being generous and just.

(4) He will be firmly established in his faith, unshakable, with no fear of what man might do to him.

(5) Because he gives to the poor he will be made strong and honorable by the LORD.

(from Bible Knowledge Commentary/Old Testament Copyright)

Apply:

As I stare at this list above I think about all that has been sacrificed trying to earn or gain those five things. In some form or fashion every self-help book ever written is designed to deliver one or more of those things to its reading audience in five simple steps. The world wars to own and possess those things. Men cheat, lie, steal and kill in hopes of gaining the things on that list. They are indeed a glorious treasure and the pursuit of them can become quite intoxicating.

As I read the verse I am also taken aback at the reminder that as wonderful and desirable as those five things are they are not the main thing; fellowship with God is. My desire to be holy before God should take first place over those things. He promises those things to me when I fear Him and take great delight in His statues. When my life is in alignment with His heart I can rest knowing that His blessings will come freely to me.

Prayer:

Father I desire to fear You and delight in Your commandments, but I want that desire to grow. I want You to ascend to Your proper place in my life. I want to wake up in the mornings and know beyond any doubt that You are the LORD my God. I want to speak of You as one who has entered Your presence, dined at Your table, and relaxed in Your house. I want to share Your Word with others as one who has found great treasure. I want my life to leave behind an aroma that invites others to enter and dine in Your house.

I do ask that You forgive the greedy nature of my flesh. I have a tendency to look at the blessings and attempt to use You as a get-rich-quick scheme. The blessings You provide are not designed to be my delight. They are only intended to serve as proof to the world that You are a good and powerful God. Being able to experience You presence and have fellowship with You is designed to be my delight, my reward, and my everything. Above all else today, give me Yourself.

No Self-Made Man

Read: Psalm 100, 101, 102, & 103

"Know that the LORD Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves." Psalm 100:3

Examine:

A phrase that is often used in this country is "He is a self-made man." In this verse David speaks to the sovereignty of God debunks the myth of a self-made anything. Regardless of what culture says no man has made anything on his own. It all comes from God and the original purpose of anything accomplished by man is to bring glory to God.

Apply:

Knowing the truth of this verse means four things for me. First, I need to relax. I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform at my best. I become consumed with the direction of my life and the progress I am making. I want my life to matter and I want to achieve big things. I press, I push, and I wrestle to keep driving towards a goal. These are good traits, but they are not ultimately the determining factor in my success. God is. I definitely need to work hard and get after it, but more than that I need to allow myself to loosen up and enjoy the ride.

Second, I need to listen. There is no way I can read the Bible and come to any conclusion other than God speaks continuously to His people. There are times when I play a victim and say that God is not speaking to me; but that is bull. God speaks. He is my shepherd. He is continuously there and He is always leading and directing. I need to learn His voice and make it a practice to listen for it more.

Third, I need to respond. There is no more critical aspect of being discipled by God than me responding to His voice in my life. He does not talk to hear Himself speak, nor does He speak for no purpose. He does not mumble, chatter, or issue useless words. If the God of the universe speaks and I recognize His voice; I for skippy sure better respond to what I hear.

Finally, I need to praise. I often praise God for the circumstances of my life. This means my praise is limited by what I experience as being good. The problem with this is my life is rarely all good. There are always struggles and failures; problems and issues; success and setbacks. Life is rough. This world is messed up and things do not always make sense. Be that as it may, God is good. He has planted inside of me an incessant desire to offer Him praise. The attributes of His character are always worthy of my praise.

Pray:

Relax. I stare at that word like a man starring at a piece of abstract art. I know that there is beauty and truth in it; I just can see it. Please open the eyes of my heart to know what it means to work hard and relax in Your sovereign control over results.

Listen. Over the past ten years I have come to recognize the normal ways You speak to me. I hear Your voice in my life with regularity and I am grateful for it. Please keep growing me in my ability to know that still, small voice of Yours in my life.

Respond. Your presence in my life will always lead me to a crisis of belief. In those moments I have to choose to say yes and move forward. You have never called me into something unless it was clearly beyond my comfort and ability. I always wrestle with my yes and struggle with moving forward. I pray that I continue to find the courage and strength I need to not delay in getting after what You lay on my heart.

Praise. This is the one I am prone to get wrong. There is definitely a time and a place to praise You for the things that You do in my life but more than that it is always good to just praise You for You. I ask that You open my heart to experience Your character in a way that is tangible and real enough to demand my praise. Push aside my doubts, my selfish fits, and my never ceasing uncertainty and allow me shout with joy for who You are.

Limiting My Experience of God

Read: Psalm 97, 98, &99

"For You are the LORD Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods." Psalm 97:9

Examine:

This Psalmist had a experienced a big God. His God was exalted above all of the earth. Nothing in nature could over take him. Nothing on earth could come close to Him. No other god or idol created by man could compare to the greatness of his God. These were not mere thoughts but were truths of God reveled by God and experienced by the Psalmist.

Apply:

I am wondering this morning just how big my God is. I am not thinking in terms of God Himself, but my mind is being drawn toward my image of the One True God. I fear that my image of God is not true. I am afraid that my thoughts and rational mind create a box for God and I attempt to keep Him in that box. That is what makes faith so hard sometimes. My faith is not pure. My faith in God has become polluted by my own strengths and the money, resources, and wisdom of this world. I severely limit God's ability to work when I do this and consequently limit the size of the God I experience.

I am also wondering just how much of God I want to experience. The God I see revealed in the Psalms is a God who consumes every fiber of the men writing about Him. He is a God who calls on these men writing about Him to surrender everything and pursue, not their personal gain; but His righteousness. He is a God who desires those following after Him to live their lives completely abandoned of themselves and totally centered on His purpose. I am afraid that I do not always want that experience of God. Sure, when things are a mess or life is uncomfortable I seek after experiencing God in that way. When things are smooth and my heart is full, on the other hand, I tend to pursue an experience of God that allows me to benefit from the best of both God and the world.

Pray:

Something in me feels broken this morning. I am not exactly sure what is up but I do not feel right. I search for words that match my feelings but I am coming up empty handed. It reminds me of Your word that says only You can search the heart of a man and understand it. I acknowledge to You this unnamed discomfort I feel in my heart and ask that You lead me into it. Help me to know what You are trying to accomplish and align me with it.

Three Cracks in My Faith

Read: Luke 24

"And he said to them, 'Why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts?'" Luke 24:38

Examine:

I can not fully imagine what must have been going through the hearts and minds of these men and women. They had loved Jesus. They had given up everything in their lives to follow after Him. They had been mocked and rejected by their friends, families and peers while Jesus was alive and now they all had been reduced to hermits hiding out for fear of their lives. Their hearts were troubled. Their faith was shattered. Their hope was quenched. Nothing had gone according to their plans and the Jesus they thought they knew seemed to them to be dead and buried.

Apply:

As I examine my faith I see three cracks that allow trouble and doubt to creep in. The first crack is the crack of insecurity. I am unsure of myself. I do not feel very confident in myself in many ways. I struggle with my self-image and I often wonder if I am good enough to do something. The words of people have a huge impact on me because of this. A well timed insult, a bad experience, or hurtful words can crack open my faith and cause me to become troubled and riddled with doubt in a very short period of time.

The second crack is the crack of being blind to the truth. My flesh and selfish intentions often create my own version of God's will and His word. I believe in things that are not true and am unable to receive things that are real truth. This often leads me to stand on false beliefs. When these false beliefs are shattered I am often left doubting God and struggling with my heart.

The final crack is the crack of unbelief. I don't fully believe. My faith in many ways is still being established. I am not sure of what I believe about many things of God. Denominational splits, books, TV evangelist, and well intentioned believers freely speak of the scriptures and often contradict themselves. There are many days that I feel like finding a straight answer is a near impossible feat. This confusion rises up, smacks my faith, and leaves a crack for doubt and trouble.

Pray:

My heart is troubled this morning and my faith is being battered by doubt. I have allowed the events of this week to come against the work that You have started in my heart and I now am in the process of exchanging Your peace for my emotions. My insecurity is nothing more than a negative form of pride. I have taken my eyes off of You and am focusing on myself. I pray that I find my confidence and strength in You and You alone. My blindness to the truth is due to me reading scripture and looking for answers I want to hear. I ask that You open my mind to understand Your hear and Your truth. My unbelief is something I can't even understand. I do not know where it comes from or how to get rid of it. I sit with You this morning and ask that You replace my unbelief with an absolute confidence in You.

I'm No Better

Read: Luke 23

"And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will." Luke 23:25

Examine:

The people exchanged the life of Christ to satisfy their own desires. They accepted the life of a murderer for the life of the Son of God. They accepted their anger and disappointment in exchange for the life of Word of God.

Apply:

In reading about the crucifixion of Christ it is easy to throw stones at Pilate, Herod, the disciples, and the Jews. It is easy to take myself out of the story and judge the ones who are left in it. It is easy, but it is also foolish.

I am no different. I am Pilate. I try to use logic to convince people but buckle if they resist hard. I am Herod. I want to see Jesus perform a sign or wonder so that I can experience something supernatural. I am the disciples. I fall apart when things test my beliefs and faith. I am the Jewish leaders. I lock in on tradition and my ears become deaf to the new work of Christ in my life. I am no better. In fact I am worse.

The people in this story did not know; I do. I know that Christ conquers death and the grave. I know that the veil is torn. I know about the gift of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of sin. I know; yet, I still exchange the work of the cross for the desires of my flesh. All I can say is thank you God for grace.

Pray:

I am so very thankful this morning that I am able to come to You in prayer. According to the truth found in this chapter from Luke, the veil has been torn and I am able to come into Your presence freely. No priest is required for mediation and no sacrifice is demanded in exchange for my sin. All that work was completed at the cross.

I pray that You forgive me for being a coward like Pilate. Strengthen me to stand for Your truth regardless of the voice coming from the crowd. I ask that You forgive me of being like Herod and treating You like some court jester in asking You to perform for me so that I may believe. I pray for a faith that is able to stand outside of signs and wonders. I ask that You forgive me for locking in on the way things have always been and my tendency to mistrust anything new. I pray that I never put You or Your work in a box. From where I am and as best I can I offer my life to You today. Strengthen me in my spirit to follow after the leading of Yours.

A Life Line

Read: Luke 22

"When He arrived at the place, He said to them, 'Pray that you may not fall into temptation.'" Luke 22:40

Examine:

This was Christ's last night of freedom. The hours that followed this one would prove to be torment beyond anything that any man should have to suffer and these torturous nights would only serve as a warm-up for the most tormenting day any man had ever or will ever endure. As Jesus stared into the face of facing God's wrath for the sin of the world there were many things He could have done on His last night of freedom; but He chose to go to a secluded place with trusted friends and pray alone to God. As I read the scriptures, I see pages upon pages of men and women who cried out to God in prayer. No man in the Bible modeled prayer more than Jesus.

Apply:

Prayer gets confusing to me sometimes. I often feel like I am informing God of something that He already knows and my honest feelings sometimes drift towards wondering what is the point? I know that this is not the feelings I should have but they are there and it is foolish to just ignore them. If I am going to move deeper into my relationship with God and get further involved with His mission on earth then I will have to see my prayer life become a life line for daily sustenance.

Pray:

Father, I am not a man of prayer. I do not have the prayers of a warrior. I do not stand boldly and ask big things of You without doubting. My deepest belief as to what is best for me is not that I should withdraw to be alone with You in prayer. An hour in prayer is a long, long time and normally I feel like my words ramble, my mind wonders, and I am more likely to fall asleep than experience some great movement of You. This is what is true about me but it is not what I desire and in my heart of hearts it is not what I believe.

I believe that the same Spirit that worked in Christ is at work inside of me today. I believe that a righteous man of prayer can pray with full expectations that the Spirit of God will be poured out. I believe that prayer is much more than a sentiment and its mission is far greater than the wish list it often becomes.

I pray that You align my experience of prayer with Your true intentions for prayer. Help me to move past the things that cause me to stumble and lead me deep into Your heart for me to live a life of prayer.

Re-writing My Scorecard

Read: Luke 21

"As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down." Luke 21:6

Examine:

As Jesus walked the earth much of His interaction with those around Him who were seeking truth centered around Jesus' attempts at moving their scorecards. They had pictured in their minds what success would be and had an image of a blessed life in their mind. Their pictures and images were distorted and Jesus spoke directly about the shifts in mindset that would be required to follow after Him. He encouraged them to develop new scorecards for what it would mean to be a follower of Christ. There are three strong statements made in this chapter that I can apply to my life today.

Apply:

First, I need to start with what I have and give more of it. That is the lesson from the widow's mite. She did not wait for an abundance to come to her so that she could give a large gift nor did she show up asking for a handout because of her lack. She looked at the little she had and gave all of it. God asks the same of me today.

Second, I need to prepare myself for hardship and stay on guard. The forces of satan and the Kingdom of heaven are not casually waiting for appointed times to arrive. They are at war with one another. Wars are nasty, ugly, and painful events that stir up much trouble. Following after Christ is following Him into battle. Much of this chapter in Luke is a clear warning from Christ for me to understand that choosing to follow Him is an invitation for all hell to break loose in my life. I have to be prepared for that and I have to stay on guard so that I am not taken away by it when it comes.

Finally, I have to remember that I know the end of the story. I am on the winning team. Regardless of what happens to me while I am in this earthly body I know that God will be faithful to see all His promises through to the end. The price I pay to follow after God in this life will be multiplied into the blessings I enjoy in the life to follow. The Kingdom of God is never far away from me. I must stay stirred in my spirit and focused on my mission.

Pray:

I have never felt more connected to You than I feel right now. You have never been more alive, more active, or more tangible to me than You are in this season of my life. I have also never been more afraid of what You are asking of me. The weight of Your call on my life has never been greater than it is right now; and yet I feel alive and well. It is amazing how You work. I strive to make my life secure and I live in fear. I strive to lose my life for Your sake and I live in peace.

I take the little I have to offer and lay it at Your feet this morning. I ask that my time, talents, and resources be placed into service for You where they best align with Your mission and will for the redemption of this lost world. I ask that You open doors before me and continue to lead me with Your voice, Your spirit, and unmistakable signs. I pray that You help me stay engaged in the fight and alert to the movement of Your spirit.

It is easy to lose sight of the mission as the heat of the battle escalates. Sooth my mind and stir the excitement in my heart. From where I am and to the best of my weak knowledge I have done all that has been asked of me. Open my eyes to things that I may have missed and give me patience to wait on You before I take any next steps. The adventure of chasing after You is simply incredible. Thank You for the opportunity to join You. I am grateful for the life You give. Please do not stop re-writing my scorecard for a successful life.

Read: Luke 18

"And Jesus looked at him and said, 'How hard is it for those who are wealthy to enter the Kingdom of God!' 'It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.'" Luke 18:24-25

Examine:

When God looks down on the world and judges it He does not look at America as being separate from the rest of the world. He sees the world as one and will judge it as one. When wealth is examined across the world a couple interesting facts emerge. If your household income is greater that $25,000 then that places you in the top 10% of the world's wealth. If your household income exceeds $50,000 then that places you in the top 1% of the world's wealth.

Apply:

I am in the top 1% of the world's wealth and as such qualify in Biblical terms as being a wealthy man. I can no longer look at passages such as this one and dismiss the application as being for someone else. In reading this passage from Luke I see three things that my wealth can do to weaken my faith. First, it makes it hard to persist in prayer. The first parable in this chapter illustrated the need to pray at all times and not stop. The problem is that my life does not require constant prayer. I have all my basic needs covered without God. If I am hungry I do not have to pray, I walk to the kitchen. If I am lonely I do not have to pray, I just call out to a friend or pick up one of my kids. If I want to be secure when I rest I do not have to pray, I just get up and lock my door. If I am sick I do not have to pray, I just leave my house and go see a doctor. Persistent and passionate prayers are hard for a wealthy man to achieve.

It is also easy to confuse material comfort as being spiritual blessing. In verse 8-14 of this passage Christ tells the story of a Pharisee comparing himself to others and then thanking God he was not like them. I have been guilty of looking upon the poverty in the world and saying, "We sure are blessed to live in the United States." I have never really thought of this phrase as being arrogant, but it is. It is no different than the arrogance of the Pharisee in this parable. God's satisfaction with me is not proven by the amount spiritual blessing in my life. The level of His satisfaction with my life is proven by the weight of the sacrifice He asks of me.

Finally, being wealthy and following God is difficult because the price of saying yes to God becomes really expensive. The rich young ruler failed his test because he was unwilling to sell all he had to follow after Christ. Had he been a poor man he would have gladly set what little he had aside to follow Jesus. I fall into the same trap. The comforts of my life are hard to walk away from. My kids are in a great school. I belong to a vibrant church. I have a comfortable income. Our health care system is top-notch. Everything I need is at my finger tips and is mostly available to me. If God were to ask me to sell it all and follow Him the price tag would be high and the choice would be hard.

Pray:

This chapter makes it clear that the wealth I have in my life serves as a huge stumbling block to being obedient to Your call on my life. I do not want the things I appreciate about my life to become the things that cost me my life with You. I ask that You forgive my arrogance. I have judged myself blessed above the poor and that is a sin.

What I have I offer to You this morning I give to You. From where I am as best I can I say to You I am willing to follow You anywhere. I pray for the desperation I need in my spirit to pray bigger prayers. I ask that You open my hands to freely sacrifice for the poor of the world and that Your Kingdom would be so real and tangible in my life that will be able to count the cost of saying yes to You as being cheap.

Increasing My Faith

Read: Luke 17

"The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith!'" Luke 17:5

Examine:

The Lord had just spoken to apostles and raised His expectations on them. Their reaction to the new standard was to confess to Him that their faith was not strong enough. They were humble enough to admit that their faith did not contain the strength to do what was being asked of them. In this chapter I see a few things that will lead result in increasing my faith.

Apply:

I have to start with the faith that I have. As I read the parable of the mustard seed I hear God saying to me do not wait for tree sized faith before you get started pursuing deeper things with me. Take whatever sized faith you have and plant it somewhere. It is only after You use what I am giving you that you will be given more.

I have to develop the mentality of a slave. Verse ten really drives this point home. The problem with me is that I want to work with God more in terms of an investor. I will give of mine but I expect a good reward and full recognition for my efforts. That is an attitude of arrogance and it will not increase my faith. God's call on my life is to live my life as His son, but to work for Him as a slave. If my heart and mind settle on a feeling of entitlement then I have missed the mark and will not see my faith grow.

I have to go before I feel equipped. That is the lesson I gain from the ten lepers being healed. Verse 14 says, "As they were going they were cleansed." I often want to feel ready before I do what God has asked of me. I assess myself and feel unworthy of God. I am a broken pot and there is much in my life that is not as it should be. I feel like I need to be made well before I am put into the game. That is not how God works. My healing is found in my obedience; not in my waiting. I have to vow in my heart to keep moving and trust that I too will cleansed on my way.

Finally, I have to celebrate God with gratitude. This lesson is illustrated perfectly in verse seventeen. Ten lepers were healed; only one returned to thank Jesus. It is so easy to become ungrateful or get puffed up and forget what God has done for me. My gratitude towards God for what he has done in my life is the fuel for my faith. The moment I stop giving thanks to God and acknowledging His work in my life is the very moment I chose to shut off the life to my faith.

Pray:

Father, I have viewed my relationship with you through the lens of an investor. I give and expect an adequate return before I move forward with giving You more. That is an attitude that is not fitting the calling You have on my life nor does it honor the sacrifices You made in redeeming me from death. It is an attitude of arrogance, ungratefulness, and self-centeredness. I confess that to You this morning and lay that attitude down at the foot of the cross. You are the master and I am the slave. Where You lead I will go. Whatever, wherever, whenever; You have my yes.

What little faith I have I have planted in what You have laid on my heart. I ask for wisdom as I tend to this seed of faith. Arrange the conditions necessary for it to grow and flourish. Continue to speak to me and keep me moving ahead. Guard my heart from thinking of myself as anything other than a slave. Allow me to recognize the healing that is taking place in my heart. Lead me to celebrate Your work with a gratitude that surpasses understanding.

The Darkside of Humor

Read: Luke 16:14

"Now the Pharisees , who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him." Luke 16:14

Examine:

In the verses previous to this one Jesus teaches on money. He rips through the notion that material abundance is a sign of spiritual favor and blessing from God. The Pharisees were lovers of money and so they scoffed at a poor man teaching rich men how to leverage their money for God's kingdom.

Apply:

There is inside of me a deep since of mockery that enjoys finding humor in normal things. My sense of humor is "slightly" sarcastic. I can generally find something to make light of or laugh about in just about any situation. This is a gift and I have seen God use it in many ways that are healthy and productive. At the same time, this gift can be misused.

I use my sense of humor to diffusion a situations instead of allowing the pressure to reveal truth. I use my humor to cover or soften a jabs that I throw at others. Most dangerously, my sense of humor can turn into scoffing when someone speaks on a topic that reaches a little to close to my comfort zone or a sinful part of my flesh.

In moments when I choose to scoff at something I need to learn to slow down, back away, and examine what is taking place. I would not scoff at it if there were no truth in it. I would not be using my humor as a defensive mechanism if I were not threatened by what was taking place. If I am scoffing, I really need to pay attention because God is likely trying to teach me something.

Pray:

There are days when my ability to laugh at things and make light of pain in my life are the only things that keep me going. I am grateful for the joy of laughter. Life would be gray and misery would be my only company if You did not design and instill inside of me humor. Laughter is good for the soul and I really appreciate that You enjoy a joyful heart.

Just like any gift, there is a dark side to humor. I ask that You lead me in wisdom so that I am able to avoid scoffing at things instead of learning from them. Help me to not use my humor as a mask for my own bad behavior.

Jagged Cliffs

Read: Luke 14

"and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, Come, for everything is ready now.' But they all alike began to make excuses." Luke 14:17-18

Examine:

This is a chapter of the Bible that most would prefer to rip out and not discuss. It is a chapter that does not paint a picture that matches the décor in the hearts of most who claim to pursue Christ. It is a chapter that speaks of humbling yourself. It is a chapter that implores us to count the cost before we say yes to Jesus. It is a chapter that bluntly says we can not keep our lives and follow Christ. It is a chapter that says most of those who think they will be in the Kingdom will miss the invitation because they will excuse themselves from being inconvenienced.

Apply:

There are two guardrails that will help me avoid this mentality and keep my heart open to saying yes. First, I need to inventory my life and ask the question, "What has my faith cost me?" A pursuit of Christ will come at a personal cost to me. It is a free gift to receive salvation but it is an expensive gift to maintain. Nothing about following Christ is free or easy. If I have not surrendered something lately to the cause of Christ then I can be assured I have drifted off center and need to realign myself with the heart of God.

Second, I need to look for my "no's". If I started removing things from my life at what point would I say to God, 'No, that is not a fair price to pay." I hate that question. Everything inside of me that is not of God wars hard against that assessment and refuses to think about it. That said, it is a question I have to ask. I must know where my boundaries are. I must know my weak spots and allow God to take priority over them. These things have a way of forming conditions around me saying yes to God. If left unchecked, these things will be the excuses that cause me to miss out on God's invitation.

Prayer:

"So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions." Luke 14:33.

"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:27

Those verses stand before me this morning and the image I see is a steep and jagged mountain that is impossible to climb. I look at the selfishness of my heart and my innate sense of self-protection and I realize that fear grips me and refuses to allow my pursuit of You to carry me towards the cliffs that stand before me. It is humbling to realize that there is literally nothing inside of me that will ever pursue You like this and left to myself I am unable to do anything about it.

But You have not left me alone. You have not set a standard that is unachievable and left me to fail. While there is something inside of me that looks and the cliffs and says no way; there is also inside of me the same Holy Spirit that raise Christ from the grave who says let's get going.

I submit to the voice of Your spirit this morning. There is a lot weighing on me right now and the cost of saying yes feels heavy. All I know to do is say yes one step at a time. I ask that You affirm the work You have for me in a clear voice so that I will not miss the invitation. I pray that You go before me and move upon the hearts of others so that I can find affirmation and support. I beg that You let my heart rest in knowing You have made all the arrangements, You control all the provisions, and You will not allow a word from You to come back empty.

Two Good Questions

Read Luke 13

"And He began telling this parable: "A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. "And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?' "And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'" Luke 13:6-9

Examine:

An age old question is why do bad things happen to seemingly innocent people. The pursuit of this question has caused man to jump to many conclusions. Maybe the person had hidden sin? Maybe God is not just? Maybe it was just there time? In response to this question being raised in the first three verses of this chapter, Jesus responded with this parable. In this response I see Jesus saying that why something happened to someone is not the important question to ever ask. There are quite simply only two questions that matter: 1) Am I bearing fruit that pleases God? 2) Who in my life needs me to intercede on their behalf and invest in their growth.

Apply:

Am I bearing the fruit that God desires? I am not sure that I am. There is a growing sense in me that God is desiring to do a new work in my life. My prayers, my faith, and my ability to share God's Word with authority feel very weak in me. I sense God stirring me in these areas and I feel as if I need to produce better fruit.

Who in my life needs my help? The image of the gardener asking the master to give the tree some time and then seeing him take the initiative to help the tree grow is a beautiful picture of the relationship that God desires me to have with the people He has placed in my life. I should never sit in judgment of another person but should always be ready to intercede on their behalf and do what I can to fertilize their roots and help them to grow.

Prayer:

There seems to be two extremes inside of me. One attempts to justify everything I do as being ok. The other tears into everything I do and accuses it of being worthless. The result of these two voices in me is that I often find myself wondering what is truth. Am I where I need to be or am I missing the mark completely? That question causes me to be unstable and robs my faith of the confidence it needs to be bold. I ask You today for the truth concerning my life in You. Manifest Yourself in my prayers, prove my faith with Your power, and embolden my sharing of Your Word with the movement of Your Spirit. I ask the that Your truth quiet the voices inside of me that cause confusion and that the fruit of my life become evident to me.

People in my life who are not bearing fruit in You can be quite difficult to deal with. They curse at me. They strike blows that hurt. In their desire to run from You they do many things that are painful to themselves and to others in their life. I have a tendency to judge them and pray against them. I acknowledge the coldness of my heart this morning and my failure to be a good gardener in their life. I ask that You give me some more time with them and give me the wisdom I need to invest wisely in their growth.

I am not the man that I once was; nor am I the man You desire me to be. I am grateful for this journey of life. I submit to what it is You desire to do in me and through me. I pray that my life become a strong tree that offers rest and shade to those You have allowed to be a part of my life. Open the eyes of my heart today to hear and see the work You desire to do in and through me. All that is in me belongs to You. Take it as You will.

A Weak and Frail Man

Read: Luke 4

"And they were amazed at His teaching, for His message was with authority." Luke 4:32

Examine:

A lot happened before this verse. Jesus, led by the Holy Spirit, spent 40 days in the wilderness fasting and being tempted by satan. He emerged from that period of testing in the power of the Holy Spirit and began teaching. He returned to His home town where they promptly studied Him as a novelty and then tried to throw Him from a cliff. He left their midst and continued to preach the word with authority.

Apply:

I do not like the wilderness. I am not that fond of fasting. Confrontation that is not justified sets my heart on vengeance and well timed temptation brings down my defenses like a house of cards. I think that I am often guilty of wanting the power of Jesus without the sacrifice of Jesus. I want to speak with authority, but I do not want to pay the price required to acquire it. There are simply too many limits on what I am willing to suffer for the glory of God.

Pray:

In the midst of my sleep last night You woke me up with a question I failed to answer correctly. I have sat with that question for most of the morning and I regret the response You got from me last night, but I am grateful for what it has stirred inside of me today.

I have limits. I am a fragile and frail man. It does not take very much to weaken me or throw me down from my perceived place of strength. I live an extremely pampered life for which I am completely ungrateful to have. Outside of my normal routine, my faith does not stand very tall. In the presence of genuine sacrifice and lifestyles set apart as unique for you, I hold my faith as a cheap imitation of something real.

Father, I cannot fix this. I am full of the Holy Spirit, but I am not living in the power of the Holy Spirit. I confess my awareness of this and I also confess that the cause of this weakness in me is my own selfish desires to maintain my comfort and have things my way.

I ask that You speak to me in a new way and lead me to a new place. Allow the power of Your Holy Spirit inside of me to begin to be manifest out of me. Assuage my fears and awaken the soul of the Lion You intend for me to be.

A Little Road Trip

James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” I have examined this verse closely for the past 18 months. I am highly concerned about the second half of that verse and have seen God do some really amazing things in my life regarding my purity and my relationship with Him. The first half of that verse, however, represents an expression of faith that is lacking in my own life.

As I began sitting with this verse about a year and a half ago, God began the process of stirring mine and Brandy’s hearts towards the challenges faced by orphaned children. I look at that word challenge, but it really does a poor job in explaining the travesties that exist. World-wide, it is estimated that there are 147 million orphaned children. Around 75 million of those are affected by some form of slavery, (labor, child trafficking, or sex slavery). Untold millions of them suffer and die from preventable diseases. The more that I have learned, the more tormented I have become.

Today marks another step in this journey on which God is leading us as a couple. We leave this afternoon for a little road trip to South Africa for 10 days. We will be serving alongside some friends who have already been serving at an aids orphanage in Sweet Water, South Africa (www.aidsorphanage.com). I am writing this note today to ask you to pray for us regarding the following things:

First, we are asking God to have His way with us. We want to see, hear and respond to the purpose that He has for us going on this trip. The more we learn of ourselves, the more aware we become of just how stubborn we are. We do not want to resist the work that God has planned to do in us.

Second, we ask that you pray for our kids. South Africa is a long way from home. Our mothers (God bless them) have taken on the responsibility for our kids and we are leaving them in very capable hands, but that does nothing to assuage the normal emotional drain that occurs when we are not together and under the same roof. They will start back to school while we are gone and change hands a couple times. Please pray for their protection and comfort.

Finally, we ask that you pray for God’s anointing on the work in Sweet Water, South Africa. Brandy and I deeply desire to be of benefit to the work in Sweet Water. The area where we are working has been ravaged by AIDS. The work is going to be more than we can process and I am asking God to help me be the voice for the work he desires to be done there. There are people we need to meet and plans we need to understand. I am asking God to help us make connections with local church leaders and potential ministry partners in the area.

Brandy and I have been blown away by the support of our friends and family. People have gone out of their way to support us by committing to pray for us, giving to help the financial aspect of the trip, donating items for us to take to the orphanage, and sacrificing time to care for our little ones while we are gone. It is humbling to be surrounded by such amazing people. Your prayers will be deeply coveted by us both.