Tag: peace

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Our Wise and Sanctified Souls

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"But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life." Jude 1:20-21

You began your journey on the road of the sanctified life by professing your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior.  You may not even have realized what that meant but, you took the step.  You began reading your Bible, going to church, seeking others of faith.  Your Knowledge Basket filled little by little.  Your soul became refreshed and watered at rest stops along the road by the Word.

The inevitable pothole leaps out at you suddenly.  You may even veer off the road a bit.  Your soul takes a beating with heartache and loss.  Your sins become a glaring, flashing red light.  But you look in your Trials Basket and remember God will never leave you or forsake you.  (Deut 31:68) You recall Him telling us to ask in His will and you shall receive.  (Matt 7:7-9)

The verses you so carefully plucked and memorized tell you the Holy Spirit is your strength and He has a plan for good.  We learn such jewels from Proverbs as, “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” (Prov 26:11)

You pick up and dust off your bruised soul and get back on the path, gathering experience after experience. Confirming over and over the truth of God’s Word.  The truth that He sees you and knows every hair on your head. (Luke 12:7) You remember each time a new pothole jumps at you to pray for His hand on your life.  You affirm to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding, and He will make straight your paths.” (Prov. 3:5) 

You come to a fork in the road.  To the left you see what appears to be an open, empty road.  It’s just you and the path.  It looks so easy to take.  To the right you see broken down souls trudging outside the path.  Ones who are weary and thirsty; ones who are lost.  Ones who are being deceived.  Souls who are in need.  But you also see the Holy Spirit ahead, like a busy traffic cop beckoning you forward.  

You must ask yourself, “Do I turn left, lock my doors and enjoy the blessing of salvation by myself?” Or, do I choose to submit myself to the entirety of God’s teaching?  Will you choose to fill your Stewardship Basket? To love your neighbor, to share the Gospel with your family and friends, to give your time, talents and treasure to those in need for the glory of God? (Matt 22:39)

God’s path calls for us to submit ourselves wholly to Him – not just part.  The “easy path” so often doesn’t turn out all that easy.  It’s a mirage, set up by the devil to deceive.  James tells us a partial faith is “double mindedness.” (James 1:8) And that person shouldn’t expect anything from God.  1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”  It means we take all God has gifted us and we turn it back into glorifying Him to others in need.

As our soul matures along this road, we choose.  Yes, we choose which fork to take.  We choose to submit every sin, every action, every word, every need and every gift for His Kingdom.  When we do, God continues filling our Submission Basket with new experiences and new revelations.  We trust in Him and He gifts us the best road trip snacks – peace and the security of our eternal future.

"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal." Isaiah 26:3-4

My friends, humans are the only created beings to which God has blessed this amazing opportunity of sanctification.  The animal kingdom obeys God’s plan instantly upon birth.  They do what they are made to do.  Yet, those actions are limited in scope.  We have so much more opportunity to glorify God with what He has given us!

God has placed us on this road to travel and gather.  Each mile marker brings us new insight into Him, the world, and the adversary.  Wisdom is not a far off mirage.  No, the jewels of wisdom sit firmly in our baskets which have been gathered along the way.

“Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.

I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.  

I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.  

I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.  

I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”  Psalm 119:98-106

One day I will be an “old soul.”  Right now, however, I’m working my way down the road of life.  Making mistakes and re-submitting my life to Christ each day.  Forgetting to pray and rely on God’s sovereignty then having a friend ask me, “Have you prayed about that?”

I can feel my soul growing wiser, growing more at peace.  I want my roots to run deep in His Word so I bear good fruit for others to enjoy along the path. (Matt 7:17-18) But most of all I want to be ever thankful that Jesus took it upon Himself to build this path toward the heavenlies.  

A Path Freely Given

He didn’t have to.  We need to remember that fact when others abuse what Jesus did for us.  When they complain when we re-affirm Jesus is the only Way.  God didn’t have to make a way at all.  Not only did He build it, He gave us the full recipe, He gave us a guide.  All so we can make it safely home.

As I write this my 86 year old, cancer riddled, atheist dad has come to live with us before he travels his final path.  I’ve had many friends concerned for how hard this will be.  It is hard at times. Especially at 2:00 am when bed clothes and sheets need changing. Or when I must choose to forgo activities dear to me. But I am at peace.  

I realized this the other day.  It’s a peace I’ve prayed for a lot in my life.  I never expected during a trial such as this that peace would be what God gifted me on this road.  

The other day, I took my dad for his first ever mani/pedi experience to fix his old crusty toenails.  He loved it.  When I sent my Bible study sisters a photo of him in the salon, one commented: “I love that you are loving on your dad this way!  A foot washing like Jesus would do today!” 

It struck me that I have been sanctified for a time such as this. (Esther 4:14) Blessed with the opportunity to take the fork to the right and share the love, mercy and salvation message of Jesus Christ with my father.

My friends, I pray that you too will have many opportunities to do the same.

"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Our final question: What’s the best lesson you have learned so far on your sanctification journey?

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Pruning for Fruitfulness

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In all this you greatly rejoice though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6

You may have learned at some point that wildfires actually can be positive for burning out old, dead wood and allowing for new growth.  God’s trials are our great refinery.  Every one of us experiences it.  But only Christians have the promises and therefore the hope for truly brighter days.  Only we have the guiding, comforting light of the Holy Spirit to remind us He is always with us.  

As the faithful we are led to forgive those who persecute us.  Not only forgive but to love.  Our fruit of our faith is joy, peace, patience, love, gentleness, kindness, self-control and faithfulness (Galatians 5:22).

If during a trial you don’t have this fruit you have to ask yourself if you have truly surrendered to Christ.  Or are you, as Pastor Tim Keller once said, “Sitting in God’s seat”?  Meaning, are you the arbiter of “the ways things should and must be?”  Are you so angry, sad or distraught when, after you’ve determined what is best in your life, that it all goes so differently? You’re sitting in God’s seat. 

The secular world says, “There is no future so I must have all my happiness in the ‘now.’” When that inevitable trial or suffering comes, the worldly are thrown into despair.  They think life should always be good.  But as the faithful we should and must put our ultimate happiness in the eternal.  When suffering comes to us it is to be expected because we live in a fallen world.  On the flip side, when life is good, we should be thanking God for what is actually the “unusual.”

Gopher Holes

This garden we are all in has a lot of gopher holes that have been dug out by the world who live by fleshly desires.  Greed, selfishness, hatred, unforgiveness, unkindness, sexual immorality and more are the result of Satan’s pull on mankind.  And it all slams against us at one time or another.  Trying to pluck us from His hands.

But God.  

He gives us this beautiful promise: “And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.” (Matt 28:20).  Jesus said this to the apostles as He sent them out to spread the seeds of the Gospel because He knew what they would face.  Death and persecution would follow them everywhere.

Is this all to just “get through” safely to eternity?  In one way, yes.  But remember those fruits?  We don’t have the fruit of fear and drudgery and timidity.  We have the fruits of what so many seek through self-help books and psychology.  Our trials help us learn to persevere and grow closer to God in trust.  They show us that He is truly worthy of all our praise.  He provides and protects until He calls us home.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

Beautiful Blossoms

So again, I ask, have you come out stronger in your trials?  Has your faith beautifully blossomed?  If not, it’s time to reflect.  To ask yourself if you missed God in the suffering and in the calm.  If you missed an opportunity for peace in the pain.  If you still seek to control outcomes and sit in God’s seat.  Are your roots at the surface or are they grounded deep in the love and knowledge of God?

You will face something difficult again.  He is trustworthy and has a plan for you.  Through your tears, ask Him to reveal Himself at work.  In your anxiousness ask Him to make your path straight.  In your heavy burden take up His offer to turn it all over to Him.

I promise you, because I have seen Him at work through many people, including myself, you will see your faith grow by leaps and bounds.  And the world will have a difficult time pulling your deep roots from God’s rich soil.

This week’s question: What promise of God have you relied on during difficult times?

Next week join me as we delve into the truth and the beauty of obedience and submission.

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The Christian Traveler 

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For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

I’m that Christian who had long convinced myself that I could never memorize Bible scripture.  I’m in awe of my friend Betsy who can roll out verses like a pro.  She doesn’t just know them; she uses scripture to comfort, encourage, convict and enlighten as she hikes her Christian path.  It’s what the Bible means by taking up the “sword of the Spirit.” (Eph 6:17).  

Earlier this year I finally understood this analogy.  Without scripture at my fingertips, I was like a soldier going into battle without ammunition.  Or as though I was on a road trip and forgot the most important thing to keep me going – snacks.  Realizing this, I set out to memorize Isaiah 26:3-4 which says, “You keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.  Trust in the LORD God forever for He is an everlasting rock.”  

When my mind strays to worries, fears and all the other things of this world that pull me away from God, I’m slowly using this new weapon as a reminder.  A reminder that perfect peace can only be found in the Lord. 

Last week, we looked at corporately attaining knowledge about our Christian faith to grow in sanctification. Through church participation or group Bible study we gain helpful insight into God’s Word.  Today, we will look at the individual means the Holy Spirit guides us on this holy journey.

Daily, personal Bible reading, whether through reading a book of the Bible, a teaching-style daily devotional, or individual Bible study book, is essential to gaining knowledge of the God we profess to be our King.  Without this, we close off an avenue for the Holy Spirit to work in us.  It’s our “sitting at the feet of Jesus,” learning His ways.

I’ve always recommended to fellow Christian travelers to do their Bible reading in the morning.  While we need to be careful not to become Pharisee-like in our routines, there’s a good reason I recommend this.  

The Right Path

Why do you already do the tasks in your morning routine?  You get cleaned up for the day, get energized and mentally review your daily schedule.  You might even exercise somewhere in all of that.  Keeping physically fit to “make it a great day.”  All that’s wonderful, until you hit rush hour traffic or you get a flat tire.  Or you get a giant project dumped on you that no one else wanted.  Maybe your child suddenly throws up as you’re about to take them to school.  It starts raining and you had a picnic planned.

You know, life happens and it’s only 8:30am.

I mentioned previously that my mom died suddenly last year.  I had just finished my evening prayers when I got the phone call.  Then, just four days later my 85 year old dad was given the news that his 10 year fight with bladder cancer had progressed to something much worse.  My life and my schedule were instantly thrown for a loop.  Each morning I did my studies and turned my schedule over to God. I began memorizing Isaiah 26. The Holy Spirit spoke through His Word encouraging me and teaching me.

On January 7, 2025 one of my devotionals used Genesis 6:22 to remind me of my purpose here on earth: “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.” In other words, live in obedience to His will.

So, before you start your day let’s get our heart, minds and souls fed and strengthened.  Let’s get ourselves aligned on God’s road.  We then set out, wading through burnt toast, coffee spills, traffic, rain, clothing mishaps, annoying people, and lost phones with being tethered to God’s perfect peace.  We are fully stocked with all our favorite road trip snacks.

You may wonder where to start?  That’s really not the problem.  The problem is just starting.  I can recommend, however, reading the book of Mark.  It’s fast paced and gives an overview of Jesus’ ministry.  

Roadside Service

The other daily tether on our journey is prayer.

I heard a great sermon by Tim Keller where he looks at Psalm 1 as our introduction on how to pray.  Verse 2-3 says, “but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”  He explained how “meditating” is frequently misunderstood to mean gazing at our navel or the ocean.  But what it really means is having a conversation with God.  A two-way conversation.  Talking and listening. God speaks to us through the gift of His living Word, the Bible.

Here’s Dr. Keller’s example of how to mediate on the “law of the Lord” (meaning the entire word of God):

  1. Take a piece of scripture and read it a few times
  2. For 15 minutes or so write down 10 things you observe or learn in that scripture
  3. Circle two or three things that stand out to you or have special meaning to you at that time
  4. Think on those for the remainder of your day while talking with God

I guarantee if you do that a few times a week you will grow in your knowledge of the Lord.  You will see His beautiful promises, His truths, and His expectations for your walk with Christ.  

We don’t need flowery poetry to talk with God.  And God doesn’t need you to speak in tongues (He’s well-versed in whatever language you naturally use!).  You may have heard the Bible verse, “pray without ceasing.” That isn’t something that looks like being a cloistered monk all day.  It means when something good happens, you immediately thank Him.  When you are in a tough spot, ask Him.  When you sin, seek forgiveness and help.  In the morning seek His will, not yours, for the day.  And in the evening review how you saw Him at work in your life.  A constant “roadside assistance service” to our God.  The Holy Spirit is ready and waiting to fill you up with the knowledge and wisdom of God through answered (or even unanswered) prayers.

Friend, do you want to grow closer to God — meaning you are walking the path of sanctification?  If you want what the Bible calls “the mind of Christ,” it’s like any earthly relationship.  You need to get to know Him.  You must spend time with Him.  

Through private, quiet contemplation and study and congregational teaching and worship the Holy Spirit reveals our glorious God.  He holds your hand while you travel through this Christian life.  

I’ve learned a lot about how much God loves us and how to see Him throughout my day these last six months.  I’ve learned on my long drives home from my dad’s house after a day of doctor visits to thank God for all the ways He has helped and strengthened me.  And although I haven’t yet achieved “perfect” peace, I’m at least going in the right direction.

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.  John 16:13

This week’s question: What Bible scripture have you memorized that you use often?  Or which scripture would you like to memorize?

Next week: We plunge into seeking the joy of trials. 

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Day 24 Tremble

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In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome .  John 1:4-5
For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.  Psalm 36:9

When I was little my brother used to hide under my bed at night and make scary noises.  He would reach out and grab any of my body parts that hung over the side.  Needless to say, as an adult I am still terrified of the dark.  And I never, ever allow my legs or arms to hang off the side of the bed.  You would think that after 50 or so years I would have managed to overcome those fears.

But here I am.  I never walk my dog after dusk or before dawn by myself.  I check the locks on my doors a few times before I go to bed when my husband is out of town.  I pray for the peace of God to descend on me so I can sleep.  If I get up at night, I still have twinges that something might grab me from under the bed.  Of course, some of my fears (not the one where a gremlin grabs my leg) are justified. 

Let me just take a moment for a public service announcement – women should never walk alone in the dark, ever.  We can’t change that fact no matter how much we’d like to, no matter how unfair it might seem. It’s the result of a fallen, sinful world.

But I digress — thankfully, many of our fears, which so often are about our worries for tomorrow, can be turned over to the Holy One who brings His light to our life.  When Jesus shines His light over us, He pushes back against the dark thoughts that can overwhelm us.  He overcomes all.  Evil trembles at His name.  He lavishes us with peace.

The beauty of His light?  He wants us to share it for all the world to see.  He reminds believers we are the light of the world.  It’s our testimonies to our friends, family, neighbors and strangers that passes the light of peace to those in darkness.  

Friend, we all have fears.  Some silly like ankle grabbing gremlins.  Some that may actually keep us safe.  But some are because we try and control others or the future.  Those can destroy our peace.  Lift them up to the God of Light and ask the Holy Spirit to help you not take them back.  And then shine the light of overcoming your fear out to others.

Click here to listen to today’s song: Tremble

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Day 8 Honey In The Rock

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Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:26-27
By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; Psalm 65:5

There’s been a few times in my 36 years of marriage when we experienced serious financial loss.  The first time it was devastating.  I felt lost and unsure of our future.  It was hard not blaming and feeling angry.  I wasn’t a woman of faith at the time so I turned inward to chastise myself over and over and then outward condemning anyone associated with the loss.  I dwelt over it, turning the situation around in my head during endless, sleepless nights.  Each time I drove past the business project in which we had invested the scab was re-opened and for days I would feel those same feelings all over again.

Fast forward many years when my husband’s business and another investment came under dramatic assault due to Covid restrictions and fear.  We saw all that we had built potentially crumbling beneath us.  This loss was potentially greater, effecting our retirement and even our home.  This time, however was different.  

I frequently found myself at peace.  Sure, I’d get scared.  I’d worry about the stress my husband was under.  This time I had someone to tell me there was a purpose to the plan.  To tell me He would give us the manna and the honey because He is the Lord who provides.

We have two choices to make when difficulties attack our lives.  We can turn to our emotions and fears or we can turn to Jesus.  When we allow our fears to take over, we get angry, we blame, we get depressed.  For people like me I wear myself out alternately beating myself up (you shouldn’t have taken that vacation last year!  That money could help us now!) or obsessing over how to fix an unfixable problem.  For some they withdraw from the world all together feeling hopeless.

When I finally learned, and most of all believed, that God is who we turn to satisfy and squash our fears I experienced freedom.  He is a miracle worker.  He can bring water from a stone.  Turn water into wine.  No matter what we face in the coming years we need to remember to seek God for all we need.  Pray, praise and trust then repeat.

I’m having some issues with the webpage provider correctly linking the songs from the button below. So try clicking here: Honey In The Rock.

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Enjoying A Wisdom-Filled Life

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A teenager asked his father if he could go to an unsupervised party where there would surely be drinking.  He denied his request.  “Aw Dad, why not?” he complained.  “I’m in high school now!” Dad replied: “Because some will drink and the party could get out of control.” “But, Dad, those are just very small parts of the party!  “My answer is ‘no,’ and that is my final answer. You are welcome to stay home tonight, invite some of your friends over.  But you will not go to that party.  End of discussion.”

The teenager walked dejectedly into the family room and slumped down on the couch. As he sulked, he was surprised to hear the sounds of his father preparing something in the kitchen. He soon recognized the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and he thought, “Dad must be feeling guilty, and now he’s going to try to make it up to me with some fresh brownies.  Maybe I can soften him up with lots of praise when he brings them out to me and persuade him to let me go to that party after all.”

The teen was not disappointed.  Soon his father appeared with a plate of warm brownies. He took one. Then his father said, “Before you eat, I want to tell you something: I love you very much.  That is why I’ve made these brownies from scratch with the very best ingredients. The best stone-milled flour.  The best free-range eggs.  The best organic pure cane sugar. Premium vanilla and the finest chocolate.”  The brownies looked mouth-watering.

“There is one ingredient I added that is not usually found in brownies.  I got that ingredient from our own backyard.  But you needn’t worry, because I only added the tiniest bit of that ingredient.  The amount of the portion is practically insignificant.  So go ahead, take a bite and let me know what you think.”

“Dad, what is the mystery ingredient before I eat it?” the teen asked.  Dad answered, “Why?  The portion I added was so small.  Just a teaspoonful.  You won’t even taste it.” The teen said, “Come on, Dad; just tell me what it is.”

“Well, OK, if you insist.  That secret ingredient is organic…dog poop.” The teen instantly dropped his brownie back on the plate and began inspecting his fingers with horror. “DAD!  Why did you do that?  You’ve tempted me by making me smell the brownies cooking for the last half hour, and now you tell me that you added dog poop! I can’t eat these!”

Dad asked, “Why not?  The amount of dog poop is very small compared to the rest of the ingredients.  It won’t hurt you.  It’s been cooked right along with the other ingredients and you won’t even taste it. Go ahead and eat it.”  His son replied, “No, never.”

The wise dad continued, “And that is the same reason I won’t allow you to go to that party. You won’t tolerate a little dog poop in your brownies, so why should you tolerate a little immorality in your life?  We pray that God will not lead us unto temptation. So how can you in good conscience entertain yourself with something that could easily get you into trouble?”

The teenager lowered his head, then looked up at his Dad. He smiled. He finally understood. He never did go to high school parties where there was drinking.

Ah, the wisdom of a father.  Don’t most parents wish and hope we can provide such clever and wise examples to their children?  And best of all, they listen and obey?  But alas, so much wisdom dispensed, even to us, falls on deaf ears.  We know better and usually think we can do better than the person trying to save us from heartache or hardship.  

The Old Testament can be broken into four categories of books.  The Pentateuch, the first 6 books, Israel’s history, the prophets, and then wisdom.  Two entire books, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, have as their focus the topic of wisdom.  It must be something God finds very important in the lives of us humans.  Yet, wisdom and the enjoyment of having a life filled with it, seems so elusive to many.

We all have that family member, friend, neighbor, co-worker or acquaintance who causes us to scratch our heads each time they make yet another disastrous decision.  A decision that looks a lot like the same mistake they made last time when they sloughed off good advice.  Or maybe that person is…you.

Much of the wise advice we hear throughout our lives has its roots somewhere in the book of Proverbs, authored mostly by King Solomon.  In Ecclesiastes 7 & 8, he goes on to remind us to seek wisdom but that wisdom, by itself, is not to be the end-goal.  He should know.  Having asked God to grant him the wisest mind, he eventually managed to really mess up his life pursuing all manner of fleshly desires of which his gift of wisdom afforded him by becoming a wealthy king.  He became the poster boy for “do as I say, not as I do.”  

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Proverb 9:10

Had he heeded his own wise words he might have produced offspring that didn’t want to betray him or destroy the kingdom once they were in power.  It’s a good lesson to learn when we dispense wisdom to our fellow, earthly travellers.  As Jesus once reminded us, remove the log out of your own eye before you comment on the speck of another.

All that aside, it appears that at end of Solomon’s life he recognized so many of his faults, sins or indescretions.  The result was his study of life in Ecclesiastes.  And with that we get such wonderful pearls as:

“For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.” Ecclesiastes 7:12

If there was one thing, after seeking and thirsting for Christ, that we should spend our life attaining it would be wisdom.  It’s not easily gained.  So often the attaining requires we suffer first.  Isn’t that what we so often try to impart to others?  How to avoid pain, suffering, loss by taking our hard-earned advice?  

“It is for discipline that you have to endure.  God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?  8If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.”  Hebrews 12:7-8

Like the son in the brownie story all of us need discipline sometime in our lives.  It’s the first step in wisdom seeking. The person who learns from their mistakes or experiences (or others’) gains one step closer to being wise.  One step closer to living a peaceful, joy-filled life.

None of us can come to the highest maturity without enduring the summer heat of trials.”

Charles Spurgeon
“The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.” Ecclesiastes 7:4

Solomon isn’t telling us in the above verse to not have a good and happy life.  What he is saying is our seeking joy and happiness at all costs is a shallow goal and not wise.  When our yearning for closeness to God can only be satisfied during joyful times, we miss out on the richness that tough times can bring.  Life, as we all know, isn’t all rainbows and unicorns.  As he has said throughout Ecclesiastes, life is frequently about toiling and repetitiveness.  Wisdom is rarely sought and found while we are whooping it up at a party.  

Wisdom is found before we enter the door and remember the terrible hangover we had that last time.  Or the fight you and your spouse got into because of inappropriate behavior at the neighborhood BBQ.  Or even maybe the DUI your friend got when you drove home together.  When we brush all that aside for a “good time,” we’ve entered into the land of folly.

Wisdom is gained by remembering.  Remembering the wise words shared with you.  Remembering the results of poor decisions, either by yourself or someone you know. 

 Wisdom isn’t just knowledge.  My mother-in-law was a very wise person.  She didn’t go to college, she didn’t have some big shot important job.  She was a mom, a sometimes employee at dress shops and florists.  She was a devoted Christian and a ready-hand at many volunteer events.  She was creative and quick-witted.  And she dispensed wisdom with ease.  Wisdom gained from a dirt poor childhood with an alcoholic dad.  From watching her brother make one bad decision after another ending up on drugs and in jail.  She didn’t need self-help books to know about life, she lived it and remembered it.

To know is not to be wise. To know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.”  

Charles Spurgeon

Friend, in this first look at wisdom let’s make a good evaluation of our own lives.  Are we enjoying a life of wisdom or are you continuing to make the same bad decisions?  Are you saying “talk to the hand” when someone who has wise words wants to impart them to you?  Do you brush aside past mistakes thinking things will be different this time?  Have you prayed, as King Solomon did, to the Lord asking for wisdom, in each and every aspect of your life? 

Wisdom will keep you from the extremes, as Solomon reminds us in verse 7:9.  It will preserve you, your good name (Ecc 7:1), your family and other relationships.  Seek first to be obedient to God and then ask Him for insight and wisdom.

I want to leave you today with a prayer that many may be familiar with written by theologian Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971), called the Serenity Prayer.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.
Amen.

Enjoying A Wisdom Filled Life Part Two now available! Click here.

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Enjoying the “Enough” Life Part Two

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Did you miss part one of Enjoying the Enough Life? Click here!

Enjoyment without God is merely entertainment.  

Warren Wiersbe

No one on this great blue planet is without sin.  Without sinful desires and thoughts.  Without sinful emotions.  So, if we seek contentment, or unconditional wholeness solely from within what do we find?  Our sinful selves just like I did when I embarked on my happiness journey a few years ago.  And we turn back to the unfulfilling emotion of fleeting happiness.

What guides a person to being truly joy-filled or content in every situation? How do we achieve that “unconditional wholeness” researcher Daniel Cordaro mentioned after visiting that Himalayan tribe?  It requires something outside us to guide us through the ups and downs, the trials and tribulations of life.  It’s easy to enjoy a new car.  But what about when it breaks down?  It takes no effort to enjoy the birthday party at the park you so expertly planned but what happens when it rains?  Does your happiness bucket completely empty and you turn into Attila the Hun, raging at others?  Or you weep and sulk feeling the cosmos hates you?

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13I can do all things through him who strengthens me."  Philippians 4: 11-13

That strength to endure a peasant life that Tolstoy witnessed, a life of labor and toil, a life of disappointments and tragedy, and yes, even a life full of wealth comes only from God.  (Ecc 5:19 & 6:2) Through the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell in us when we say, “Yes!” to Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  It’s the fountain from which we draw on every single moment of every day to guide us and strengthen us.  Because my friends, you cannot find wholeness without Him.

Deep-seated in the American mind, for example, is the disastrous idea that we should pursue happiness. But what is happiness? And what are the realities through which one could achieve it? And how, practically speaking, does one pursue happiness? One might pursue happiness on the carpe diem principle. But that can be understood in many ways. It could endorse a sensuality of the present moment or endorse devoting the present moment to improvement of one’s character, to serving others, or to serving God. Usually in our times, however, it is some form of sensuality. Our choice between these options will have profound implications for our efforts to become a genuinely good person and to live harmoniously with reality, with how things really are.

Dallas Willard

My Bible study ladies are currently studying Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount by Jen Wilkins.  In the first week we read and discovered the messages behind the first 12 verses, also known as the Beatitudes.  Jesus’ goal in this sermon was to re-define for the disciples what not only the Kingdom of Heaven looks like but what its citizens look like.  The first four beatitudes describe the character of its citizens:

  1. We Are Poor in Spirit: accepting we are weak and sinful in need of a strength outside ourselves
  2. We Are Mourners: we recognize our sinfulness and weep over it daily.  Asking God for forgiveness for each time we act, speak or think (even feel) in opposition to God’s will for us.
  3. We Are Meek: in modeling Jesus’ submission to the Father in going to the cross for humanity’s sins and therefore suffering a terrible death, we too seek humility and submission to God. 
  4. We Are Hungry and Thirsty: not for earthly glory, praise and wealth but for our hearts and minds to be daily cleansed.  We constantly seek His will for our life so that we can glorify Him.  We cast off our old selves and thirst for the new bodies and New Eden to come.

These citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven?  They will be abundant with fruit and content in all situations.  The fruits of love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, patience, self-control and faithfulness can be seen by all around them.  They spread that fruit and His Word throughout our families, communities and the world.  We achieve the ultimate peace in the face of persecution.  Peace with God.  Our friction between us is gone.  We are made whole because He breathes the Holy Spirit into us, making us one with Him.

"And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one… 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me." John 17: 11 & 22-23

One with the Creator of all things seen and unseen – Elohim, Jehovah.  What more could a tiny, sinful human want for all eternity?  All other pales in comparison!  No self-help book without God can help you achieve such gloriously contented status. King Solomon discovered that our sinful toil without God is usually for our own gain and our appetite is never satisfied on our own (Ecc 6:7).

"The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
    They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
    there is none who does good." Psalm 14:1-2

I once saw an interaction with a non-believer and a street preacher.  The young, unbelieving woman stated, “How can you say I won’t go to heaven (which as a non-believer why would she care?) when I’m a good person.  I’m better than most Christians.  I don’t lie, cheat or steal.”  Yet, as Jesus reminds us further in the Sermon on the Mount if you even let your heart yearn to do any of those things you are guilty.  And I would bet all that I have she has, in fact, actually lied.  She has probably stolen something – maybe someone’s dignity by gossiping about them.  And cheating?  She might have thought that little deed or breaking some municipal law wasn’t that “big of a deal” but it’s still cheating.  She is at odds with God, broken and not whole.

It is only through the gift of reconciliation for our sins, no matter their size, of which Jesus Christ paid for, that we can come upright before the God of the Universe.  Where we receive mercy and forgiveness so we don’t have to live in shame and hurt, grasping for pleasures to dull our pain.  No, instead He brushes us off and clothes us in white garments.  He brings us into His family and calls us His sons and daughters.  He pours out His love and gives a piece of Him to live in us so we can have that “unconditional wholeness.” He gifts us with “enough” each day so that we may be satisfied.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  James 1:2-4

We are made perfect and complete, meaning made whole, when we face life’s trials and rely on the God who gives us strength and hope.  We are honed and shaped into the image of the only being that walked this earth who was sinless and fully content — Jesus.

Friend, if you want to get off the roller coaster of seeking “happiness” and then being brought low by trials, look to our All Mighty God and His Son.  He is our provider, our protector, our armor, our joy, our hope.  He has never broken a promise and He never will.  He promises you a new life at the end of the rainbow – not a pot of gold.  And with that promise and hope we can live a contented, meaningful life of “enough” in a world of chaos.

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Enjoying Being Set Apart

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Part One

If you had accidentally walked in on the meeting, the unfolding scene you’d have seen featured a young woman, early 20s, sitting face-to-face with an older man, probably in late 40s.  The thick tension had a life of its own.  The woman, looking disconcerted and slightly mystified, rambled on about goals and objectives trying to keep the conversation moving forward.  While the man, with the tapping of his pen, grew ever angrier.  Tap, tap transitioned to tap-tap-tap as the man’s face tensed.  Abruptly, the young woman ended the meeting with an excuse that her time was needed elsewhere.  The man bolted from the room with a loud explosion of frustrated air, “Harrumph!”

That young woman was me some 30 years ago.  The task before me at my new job was to create a new marketing and public relations department in a mid-sized company.  At just 22 and fresh out of college, I felt overwhelmed and underprepared for the obstacles laid before me.  Not one area manager had ever created, much less implemented, a sales and marketing plan.  And here I was teaching and guiding people at least twice my age.  I was the “fresh faced,” “wet-behind-the ears” college girl.  To some I was the pushy “know it all.”  While to others I was a welcomed opportunity to make a positive impact on their business.  And then there was Tom*.  

As a long-time manager for our retail printing and copy services, Tom had enjoyed a quiet existence doing things his way without anyone bothering him.  Until I came along.  After each interaction with Tom, I found myself questioning and revising my communication tactics.  Nothing was working.  He was angry from the beginning to the end of each meeting.  

I finally went to my boss seeking help.  After laying out the situation to my female boss, she laughed and simply said, “That’s Tom.  He hates women.  So don’t worry, it’s not your ideas or what you want to accomplish.  It’s just you.”  In a strange way that brought me relief.  I couldn’t change the fact that I was a woman (and I still can’t btw) so I was able to keep moving forward with my bosses’ mandates with or without his enthusiasm.

Over the years I have experienced this same dislike or disrespect towards women.  Not often, thankfully.  And fortunately, I’m not one to let anyone stand in my way of doing a job.  But the injustice has laid in my memory for years and years.

"I saw the tears of the oppressed— and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors— and they have no comforter…And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." Ecclesiastes 4:1 & 4

I never discovered the impetus behind Tom’s hatred of women.  But I have heard many people of late justify their dislike of another sex, race, economic class, etc. out of envy or jealousy.  The real or imagined slight of “they have what I don’t have and I want and it isn’t fair” has long been the sinful root of other sins. 

I’ve heard it said by pastors and Bible teachers that the 10 Commandments can be drilled down to two commands: 1) Love the Lord with all your heart, mind, body and soul and 2) Love your neighbor as yourself. If, as Christians, we were to work tirelessly each day at these two summaries, oh how much more joy and peace and love we would have in our lives!  Instead, as King Solomon discovered 1,000s of years ago in his meaning of life research, we see people being oppressed in all manner of ways, foolish people striving for money and stuff, and others hoarding their earthly treasures.

"There was a man all alone;  he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless— a miserable business!"  Ecclesiastes 4:8

The world looks arounds and screams, “Where is the justice?!  Why do YOU have what I want and need?”  They march and protest about the 1% and demand equity.  They march and protest about certain races needing to “check themselves.”  And in some churches, where we are to be set apart, what do we hear being taught?

The evangelicals who are saying the most and talking the loudest these days about what’s referred to as “social justice” seem to have a very different perspective (than the solution being in the Gospel of Jesus Christ). Their rhetoric certainly points a different direction, demanding repentance and reparations from one ethnic group for the sins of its ancestors against another. It’s the language of law, not gospel—and worse, it mirrors the jargon of worldly politics, not the message of Christ. It is a startling irony that believers from different ethnic groups, now one in Christ, have chosen to divide over ethnicity. They have a true spiritual unity in Christ, which they disdain in favor of fleshly factions. 

John MacArthur, Pastor, Author and host of Grace to You

Social justice is not God’s justice.  Social justice is defined using the word “equity.”  And equity means to take away, even by force or law, from others.  I have seen some pastors tell their mostly white parishioners they need to not just be “not racist” but actively repent to others (not God). Why? For being white and therefore at some point in their white history an injustice was done to another race.  They tell them to be quiet and not have any opinion on community issues because it’s “time for the other side to have their say.”  If you are rich, you must feel guilty, even if you worked your way up from nothing.  If you are a man, your patriarchy is evil.  Divide, divide, divide.  That, my friends, is not God’s plan for His people.  

So according to this view of “social justice,” a person’s skin color might automatically require a public expression of repentance—not merely for the evils of his ancestors’ culture, but also for specific crimes he cannot possibly have been guilty of.   There’s nothing remotely “just” about that idea, nor does any part of it relate to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The answer to every evil in every heart is not repentance for what someone else may have done, but repentance for your own sins, including hatred, anger, bitterness, or any other sinful attitude or behavior.   

John MacArthur

The people described in Solomon’s fourth chapter of Ecclesiastes, titled in most Bibles, Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness, are not the reason why a person today is oppressed any more than a person 200 years ago or 30 years ago is the reason.  People who are hated today – no matter their skin color, creed, financial status, or even sexuality – are treated badly because of today’s sins by people actually committing them.  And no church or Christian should teach that the way to resolution is more of the same. 

" If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions  and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain." 1 Timothy 6:3-5

Envy of the rich, hatred of the poor, disdain for a person’s skin color or social status, distrust and hatred of the sexes are all tools of the devil.  All methods to divide and conquer.  It’s been that way since before Solomon’s time — even by people who know the Word of God but don’t live it.  If we take the route of retribution hatred grows and life becomes wrought with despair. Each sinful tool serves only to make life seem meaningless and hopeless.  

But God as a different plan for us. One that will set you apart. Join me this Wednesday for Part Two of Enjoying Being Set Apart! Click here for part two.

*Tom is not his real name.

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Enjoying The Cycle Part Two

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Did you miss part one? Go to Enjoy Life: From Meaningless to Meaningful

When my own, beautiful and kind mother-in-law was on her final journey to death our family was blessed to not only weep but laugh, to mourn and to dance (vs 4).  We experienced great love and healing.  Immense sorrow and pain.  On what, we discovered the next morning, was to be her final night, I was blessed to be the one to check in on her about 2:00am and give her the last dose of pain medication.  I sat by her side yearning to beg her to not leave me.  Yet, I knew that was unfair.  It would soon be her appointed time to go to the Father, to have her earthly, cancer-ridden body die.  So, I held her warm hand and laid my head against her slowly beating heart.  A final gift for both of us.  For me to remember her until my last day.

It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you may talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—  immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.”  

CS Lewis

We will all die.  For some it may seem too soon or too tragic. It’s the opposing truth to Satan’s statement, “Surely you will not die.” The question is, for whom shall you live?  There are no “ordinary” people walking around as Lewis points out.  They are either children of God or of the devil.  That is where our end lies.  That is why, as children of God, we should feel a sense of urgency to share the saving message of Jesus Christ.  To share His message of pilgrimage, not prison.  It is not a game of “what if” we are playing but of when.

Solomon asks, “For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?”  Our daily toil for things other than God is wiped away in the cycles of life.  No one will care about the wealth or things you amass or how many rungs you fought for on the corporate ladder.  Or even how good you were at keeping your house.  They will remember your faithfulness to living in the fruit of the spirit – with love, kindness, gentleness.  They will remember that you helped bring them out of darkness.  But best of all God, Himself, will remember your love and obedience to Him and count you righteous.  

According to the atheist, life comes spontaneously out of the cosmic slime. All life springs from inert or nonliving matter. Life comes from non-life through evolution. Our origin, in other words, is out of death. Since there is no life after death, our destiny is death. What then is the point or value of life? Life is merely an unnecessary chance interruption in the midst of cosmic death. For the believer, on the other hand, God is our creator. We are given the gift of life. Our destiny in Christ is eternal life. Death is merely a very temporary interruption in the midst of cosmic life. “

Arthur W. Lindsley

To think that “this is it” or to imagine heaven just being a cozy little village lends itself to leading the “meaningless life.” But God is a god of hope.  He is the promise keeper.  And His Word calls for us to live a life looking forward to being with Him in all eternity.  Surrounded by love and light.  We are not Gnostics.  We don’t seek death and the release of our useless bodies.  We are children of the God who gave us physical bodies to live in a physical world as a temporary station to hone us, to mold us, to prune us into the new Adams and Eves. And God wants every single one of us healed and to come home.

Death comes to us all.  Let’s enjoy this earthly life we have, for however long, preparing us and others for our eternal home.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
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A Guiding Word

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Let your eyes look directly forward,
    and your gaze be straight before you.
Ponder the path of your feet;
    then all your ways will be sure. Proverbs 4:25-26

Hello Friends and Happy New Year! This weekend my husband and I sat down and did a review of 2023. Boy did we have a lot of fun! In the midst of vacations, concerts, family visits, the birth of a new grand baby I know there were also difficulties. My husband’s business is still recovering from the COVID lockdowns, as is the restaurant we invested in back in 2018. My sinus issues and pain reared its ugly head over and over. But I made a point last year to seek the Lord in every circumstance. 

When things were good I prayed for the blessings bestowed. When times were hard I prayed to see Him at work pruning me and sharpening me. My bad days were more like bad hours or minutes. All because I made the conscious choice to trust in the Lord and release the work of the Holy Spirit in me. I cried during those hard times and the Lord comforted me. I celebrated during the good times and the Lord danced with me.

This morning as I headed out for a walk, I pondered over the varied goal lists my husband and I created yesterday. I realized I needed an umbrella plan to guide me again this year. A word to focus on as each day comes at us with force. Some of you may already partake in this annual “word selection.”  Two Christmases ago while attending a women’s brunch at my church the topic came up and our tables discussed which words they had chosen that year and how successful they were at focusing on them. Being a results oriented person myself I was surprised I had never taken this on as a challenge. While this last year didn’t include a single word, I did make it a point to seek Him everywhere.

This year, I have decided to pick a word to guide me. I’d like to issue you the same challenge. Think about it, ponder, pray, ruminate, chew on it and then write it down.  Put it on your bathroom mirror, in your car, on your Bible, on your refrigerator, or even on your wrist. It should be a word that can focus you on God’s Word in every situation.  Once you’ve found your word, find a corresponding scripture to anchor it. 

I found this great, short article by Steve Kyle, in the Mount Paran Christian School newsletter encouraging students, staff and parents on why you should select a biblical word of the year:

  1. Focus – Once you have prayed about and discerned your word for the year, you’ll begin to notice that you hear it everywhere. Not only that, but your word will flow through your thoughts at seemingly random moments, when God knows we need the reminder. These moments may occur when we see a book title and read it because it relates to our word. Other times a sermon or even a social media post will catch our attention with a correlation. In every case, we are drawn toward the Lord with a fresh perspective. 
  2. Motivation – Our word will pop up at the most uncomfortable times. It’s easy for us to lose sight of long-term goals, becoming bogged down in the daily stuff. But, small emergencies rob us of our greater purpose, the “tyranny of the urgent.” When we feel overwhelmed, it’s easy to shut down. Big or long-haul goals seem impossible to attain. But, our word of the year grabs our attention again.God never gives up on us. Neither does He fail to remind us when we’ve made a commitment. Whatever your circumstances, a single word as a theme can and will motivate you. You’ll gain a longer-range spiritual goal and a desire to implement concrete actions to solidify it.
  3. Accountability – The natural progression from focus through motivation leads straight to accountability. Our chosen word hangs like a store sign over our life. Part of the attraction of prayerfully choosing a word for the year is sharing it with friends. As soon as it’s uttered, the deal is sealed. We should not change our word or make excuses. Even if we never share our word with another living soul, God knows, and who can hold us more accountable than God?

Each day before rising ask the Holy Spirit to guide you with your word. At lunch time do a mini check-in with your word. During your evening prayers, review how you did with your word and ask the Lord to bolster you again tomorrow.

I’ll reveal my word in the coming days. I’m still pondering. It may become a blog series! Once you have your word drop me a note so I can pray for you because sharing your word will only help lead you to success this year!

Your friend in Christ, Kris

There are so many words to choose from but if you’ve never done this before, here’s a short list to jumpstart you!

  • peace
  • kindness
  • service
  • love
  • patience
  • self-control
  • gentleness
  • joy
  • courage
  • silence
  • yes
  • surrender
  • strength
  • humility
  • decisive
  • balance
  • build
  • faithfulness
  • stillness
  • rest
  • trust
  • seek
  • grateful