It's a Mercy From HIM

"It's a mercy from Him."
This would be the quote that should come to mind when disappointment sets in.
If we don't find out sooner, we will find out later that some broken promise, an act left undone or some other annoyance that leaves disappointment in it's wake is a mercy from Him.
The roofer quoted us a complete job with the deductible paid, good 30 year architectural shingles and some pocket money left over. We would use the pocket money to get some other much-needed repairs done. What really got me to hire him was his promise to hand nail all of the shingles on my perilously steep roof. After years of shingles sliding down, that really hooked me into the deal.
The workers spent all day on the roof and as we were leaving in the evening we noticed they were almost finished AND that they were using pneumatic nail guns. BUMMER, that's not what he promised! I was in dark disappointment. Then this quote came to mind, "It's a mercy from Him!"
Because of the broken promise, (disappointment), they have done the additional repairs at no charge, so we will be able to keep our pocket money for other very important things, including paying bills and helping others under His care.

Prevention

"For I also withheld you from sinning against Me" Genesis 20:6

Our true 3-person God, the I AM, is a complete, perfect, holy and, (you could say), full-service God. He doesn't leave you to fend for yourself against sin and temptation. Even while you think you are being (self) righteous, He is preventing you from sinning.

I assume others might have a past like me. I can think back on some of the circumstances I was in when I was younger and wonder how I didn't certainly fall right off the path into an evil deed.

That verse above explains it. That verse is, no doubt, the means that God used to answer my parents prayers.

Praise the Lord for all He has done, and will continue to do until His work in us is completed.

I'm In

"And in His name shall the Gentiles trust." Matthew 12:21

The God of the Universe said it. When He says it, it happens without fail.

Thank the Lord - He said it. Now I, as a Gentile, trust in Him. I'm grafted in to the Living Vine. I'm one of God's sons by faith in Christ Jesus.

Confidence (2)

Last year was a tough year financially. We found ourselves taking instead of giving. Income was not near what it should be. We pinched pennies and shut down all normal purchasing operations so we could reopen them with very close scrutiny - if even reopening them at all. Every month, it looked like we wouldn't make it into the next without having to borrow money. We sold the van to get away from further trouble and drove the old "beater". Every cent came under my view and I acquired a feel for the monthly cash flow like never before. It didn't take too long to see that each imminent monthly disaster would get averted in various unpredictable ways. I was paying such close attention that I finally got it.

Every cent is under His watch, like every hair, every molecule. It's all His stuff. He moves every cent in and out and makes it flow in a way that accomplishes His perfect way. As well as I got to know the process, I could NEVER anticipate how we would be "bailed out" before month end. But it ALWAYS happened. During that time the Lord also impressed on me that I was not to shrink back from the normal giving to Him.
This year, things are better; BUT we had to get another car when the beater died, someone needed a dental crown suddenly, we put someone on braces, (thinking everything was OK now), AND someone else HAD to go on braces or lose all the work that had previously been done.
It looks impossible again.
Panic time?
Absolutely not!
He built up my confidence last year. He got my attention so I would watch closely. Then, He perfectly orchestrated my escape month by month. How can I doubt anymore? When He builds confidence, (I'm certainly a weak link - but), He does a perfect job.

Creeped Out

We went to the graduation at WCU. They could have skipped the opening prayer and I might not have noticed. Instead they had a (meaningless) "moment of silent reflection". That put me on alert to everything that came afterward. The faculty patted themselves on the back some and then told the students they were now prepared to "make a difference". After all, that's what everyone wants isn't it?

We get home and a well-thought-of brother in the Lord is ranting on Facebook about our carbon footprint and something about how hateful it is for people, (who have a negative opinion of the way our current president is governing), to want to round up and deport illegal aliens. I must have assumed that he knew that the One who created all matter has our environment under His watchful care. Where is this rounding up illegals and deporting anger stuff coming from unless you have bought into the lies of those who make a distinction and are agitating?
I'm starting to get creeped out. We're supposed to be like frogs in the heating pan of water. It's supposed to come on slowly, and we're not supposed to realize it till it's too late. That theory went out the window! It's happening too fast and I can feel it.

While I'm doing the ranting now, I have to know that this same influence of the world is having it's way with me too. Some "checking" questions I should ask myself are:
Is my confidence in the Lord what it should be?
Do I realize that only He can make a difference, so I don't have to self-promote?
Do I have a heart that is willing? Did I ask for one this morning?
Who am I listening to? What am I feeding on?
Isn't pride surfacing in my thoughts almost continually?

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." Psalm 19:14

Big Details

We are getting the new roof. No charge.

We've needed a new roof for years. I've been trying not to be concerned about how we are supposed to be able to afford this with all of the other impossible expenses that we have to be able to afford: Hoping not-so-secretly for a "weather event".

Well, it happened. Big time hail. We get a new roof. The One that owns everything gave us a wee little piece of His endless resources before the roof totally failed, (it had been failing in small pieces for many years now due to lack of care when installed new). He is also allowing for the repair of the rotten wood at the door and holes in the siding that have been continuously weighing in the back of my mind.

I didn't realize how happy I'd be about it, but it's truly delightful. How good to feel this thankful.

Look at this verse, which is so real today that I can reach out and grab it with iron-fisted delight: Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass. Psalm 37:5

The roof is being rebuilt and my confidence in the Lord is getting reinforcement.

War of Reality

We have great respect for those who serve in the military, particularly those that are on the front lines and those who serve on special forces. These are the ones who take on the danger, the stress, the wounds and the side effects that come with that duty. They are the best warriors.

While riding the train to downtown on a beautiful spring day, I was able to see the familiar parts of town from another point of view, the view from the train instead of the view from the road. I saw that even though it was a beautiful day and everyone on the train was behaving, it was still not as beautiful as it should be. The signs of creation being ruined are all around. The beauty that we do see is darkness compared to what it should be. The prince of darkness is "having his way".

We, who have Jesus Christ as our Lord, are really those who He has given the permanent occupation of serving on the front line of His battle. What an important job! We are the ones who wield the sword and carry the shield with His strength in our arms, ("as your day, so shall your strength be"); daily battling in the darkness of the emptiness of night.

In reality, we are fighting the world, the flesh and Satan all the time. Why did God give us this vitally important job? It's such an honor for weak ones like us. You can be sure that He didn't give it to us if we couldn't execute our duties for Him. He enables us to wield the weapon and artfully outmaneuver the enemy until we are through. What an honor.

You don't have to play a war-themed video game. You don't have to watch a World War II battle movie. You are living it. You have wounded veterans around that need assistance. You have fellow soldiers that are weakened and need water or defensive rescue. You see the spiritual enemy pursuing one of your own and you have to hack the enemy to peices from behind without hurting your own brother or sister in the Lord. You have the fiery darts of doubt, temptation and discouragement. You have evil waiting just around the corner to launch a projectile that could completely ruin you. It takes godly wisdom, skill and strength from Him, and prayerful dependence on Him.

You have the best that technology has to offer in weaponry. You have an endless supply of belt-feed ammunition, body-armor, detection devices and so much more. God's Word is your unending supply and the Holy Spirit is the supernatural detection device that you need to help you to anticipate trouble.


"Ride out the storm at the gates of dawn
Sing through the tempest til' the music's gone
Legion the enemies to trample down
Warriors of legend and of great reknown

In the arena with an audience of thousands
Clad in the armor of an army yet unseen
Raging a battle in the emptiness of night
with all your might (til' it's done)"

(Excerpt from "Melicus Gladiator" by Proto Kaw)


Smell the burning powder?
There's danger in the air
A voice from deep inside is telling you, 'you must beware'
The enemy is watching
Every step you take
To find his opportunity in every choice you make
And it's no game
When someone lives without His grace
And who's to blame
When it blows up in their face

It's a mine field - you'd better follow Him through
God knows the way - you'd better stick like glue
It's a mine field - better stay on His heels
'cause the enemy kills and the enemy steals
So keep your head down and keep you eyes peeled
'cause life is... Life is a mine field

("Mine Field" excerpt, by Bob Hartman)

Anchor #1

There are anchor verses in the Bible. Over and over, important godly wisdom and God-originated concepts are shown in His Word; and then there's that one verse that the important concepts are anchored to. That verse that says it all in a nutshell.

Here is the verse that encapsulates all of the other verses that address a lack of confidence in God, a lack of courage in seemingly impossible situations/assignments and unreasonable fear:

"The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds' feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!" Habakkuk 3:19

Graciousness

"For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good--not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne." Matthew 11:30 (Amp)
Again, the Amplified Version reveals some light that is already there so I can think clearly on it.
We represent Christ to the world and to each other. There is tremendous encouragement to others when we represent His character to each other. Dads represent the Father to their children, whether they want to or not. Christ represented the Father by revealing His mind and speaking His words to the world when He was on earth.

All of that being said: Do we lay a hard, sharp or pressing burden on other believers? Maybe even our children and family members?
My children might cover for me and say I don't do that, but I know that I do. There is certainly no shortage of believers laying a hard, sharp or pressing burden on other believers. That's not Christ-like is it?
How about comfortable, gracious and pleasant?

Amplification

An older sister enthusiastically comes up to my wife and me and gives us a big hug. She is grinning from ear-to-ear, saying "thank you" and expressing much appreciation with as much sincerity as is possible. We really don't know her that well, so we are somewhat taken aback.

We forgot about giving a small "gift" of used and unused home school materials to her daughter to use with their young children. Obviously, they think more of receiving it that we thought of giving it; not realizing that we had become a big encouragement to her and the family.

God amplifies the small "good" deeds, even the small "dead" deeds that we do. He brings to life what is dead and amplifies the weak things we do. It is for His glory.

Human Shield

"...And help her in whatever matter she may require assistance from you, for she has been a helper of many including myself [shielding us from suffering]."

That's Phoebe in the above verse in Romans 16. What a noble thing to say about someone.

Shielding others from suffering. Particularly others like a high profile, high risk someone like the apostle Paul. I might also consider the helpless, or overlooked ones in my immediate family.

I need to learn more about the practical application of that. Sounds a bit self-sacrificial doesn't it? It's probably one of those "beware of what you ask for" things. That would please God. It's something He is looking for in those who are His sons by faith in Christ Jesus.

It's an Asset

"It's an asset."

This little quote will need to be added my list of favorite quotes.

We were at an important business meeting. Sitting in the meeting was a gentleman from a state regulatory bureau concerned with oversight and the financial health of the institution. He would have like to have heard that the business is doing well and finances are quite sound. But, because of the economy and other variables, that is not the case.

One person at the meeting said it would be nice to escape from the constant pressure of imminent financial trouble and finally have a little smooth sailing.

Then came the above quote from a brother nearby, "It's an asset."

Anytime you are suffering from difficult circumstances beyond your control, (self-inflicted or otherwise); anytime you are going through doubt, depression, sickness or pain - this is your quote: "It's an asset."

As Charles Spurgeon wrote, "O blessed hurricane that drives the soul to God and God alone!

Packing Heat?

"For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you!" Isaiah 41:13
Walking through life as it comes our way

In the habit of self-dependence...

We usually have a weapon for given situations:

A "pocket knife" for the little things...

A "large caliber pistol" for the big things

Tucked away somewhere...

Somewhere that can be readily reached by our "strong" hand

The right hand...
BUT - the Lord our God says He is holding our right hand.
How can we grab for our weaponry?

His right hand is free to defend.

"For by strength shall no man prevail."

Out of Darkness

There are those who are saved by His grace when they are very young. There are those who are saved later in life. It seems that those who are saved very young, (so young that you don't exactly remember when), have a less-than-dramatic testimony.

It seems that ones that have wallowed in darkness longer have a more compelling story of the change from darkness to light to present to others when they were found by Him. It also appears that many of them make up for the lost time while some of us who were saved very young move along in our Christian walk rather slowly.

Pondering this for years has gotten me nowhere. However, I finally put two and two together the other day: My mom had always commented that I cried a lot when I was an infant and toddler. Add that to a very early memory of lying in my crib with the plastic, (60's style), butterfly mobile hanging above with a sense of great despair. I didn't know it was a sense of despair at the time, but I remember how it felt because that deep memory is still in my mind after all these years. Now, I can now properly label it.

Of course I was in despair. I was in darkness - just as much as someone who is in darkness at 25 or 72 years old and unaware of or unwilling to follow the way to eternal life. After seeing my own kids born again at an early age, I have concluded that the so-called "age of accountability" can start as early as 3 1/2 years old. Before that, we are certainly in deep darkness, even despair. Thank God that He just as dramatically saved me from that horrible pit of darkness at about age 4 as He did anyone who has been much older! Sure enough, (strangely enough), I can remember that darkness. He must have given me that memory on purpose and only now, I realize why.

Well Sung

I found the old CD with "Another Time and Another Place" on it and remembered that the song stirred my heart. It has been many years since I heard the song. Now I remember what was so good about it:

"... I'm waiting for another time and another place

Where ALL MY HOPES AND DREAMS WILL BE CAPTURED WITH ONE LOOK AT JESUS' FACE"

There sure is a lot of talk about hope along with pursuing and living your dream(s) these days. It's not something to pursue if you know the Lord as your Savior. It's a sure thing to wait for.

Overcoming the Small Things

One day, one of those "impressions" came along. One of those thoughts that come to mind that are really God talking to you about something. I had noticed that I am always concerned about the the big things that I am anticipating, but quite relaxed about the small things that I think I have under control. I pray about those big things, but not the little things. They are easy.

Nothing is under control. The small things are not automatically under control, even if you've done it easily thousands of times.

Then, we were studying the book of Joshua and there it was. That little settlement called Ai. They didn't bother to check with the Lord about it. They even decided not to send a very large force to overcome and conquer it. This would be a walk in the park - nobody had any fear or doubt that this wouldn't be easy.

Oops.

“I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.” Psalm 3:5

I'm Sorry

My little sister, (in the Lord), knocks on my door. She was involved in something that I didn't ever blame her for, but it put me in an uncomfortable position. I go to the door and she is crying. She apologizes and my heart is overwhelmed with love for her.

It's such a heart-touching event that I can't help but think about it for a long while.

I have to conclude that the Lord Jesus' heart must overflow with love; He must be deeply touched by our admission of guilt and loving - even tearful - apology. If it's that good, and it must be that or better, we should be mindful to do it more often. I'm sure there is no shortage of offenses to confess to Him in sorrow.

3 Parts

"And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)." 1 Thess. 4:23

God is One, yet three parts. Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
An egg is one, yet three parts. Shell, albumen, yolk.
The human being is one, yet three parts. Spirit, soul, body.

The physical condition of the body CERTAINLY has an effect on the whole being. Imbalance in the physical body contributes to thoughts or behavior that manifest the natural darkness of the flesh rather than the goodness of the indwelling Spirit. Disease and infection in the physical body suffering the abuse of the world affects the human spirit and soul because the human being is one.

All of this to say that the food that the world offers contributes HEAVILY to the suffering of the physical body. God made food whole and un-processed. In our pride, we like to think we can make things better, including food. "Better" means processing, refining, genetic engineering and more.

We have:
Fats that are better than butter
Sweeteners that are better than natural raw sugar, honey or maple syrup
Refined enriched flour that is better than whole grain and is "the standard"
Pasteurized milk that is better than raw
Water that is enhanced with fluoride for better health
White rice that cooks faster and chews faster without the chewy germ
Oatmeal with bran rolled out that cooks faster
Salt that is kiln-dried so it is no longer hygroscopic and comes out of the shaker easily

As a result:
Hydrogenated fats cause more damage than butter.
Refined sugar contributes heavily to disease and artificial sweeteners damage the mind.
Refined flour is worse than refined sugar and harms the digestive tract.
Pasteurized milk is too acidic and needs to be enriched, (if you can't drink it raw it's actually better not to drink it)
Fluoride is highly toxic, (you should go to the water plant and see the precautions that have to be taken in fluoridation chemical room)
White rice - see refined flour
Instant Oatmeal - heading toward refined flour
How come sun dried sea salt doesn't exhibit the antagonistic attack on cells that kiln dried table salt has?

The world, it's food and it's ways have nothing to offer except self-destruction.

The Impossible Weight

Things change when you find out someone you love has slipped into a sin. Especially someone in the family, someone you consider part of the family or someone you feel responsible for. An oppressive weight settles on you, presumably because of your care for and connection to that individual.

An oppressive weight it is. The dark feelings haunt as you understand that you are no better. Maybe you've been down that road yourself and know the end result(s). If you dwell on it, it becomes too oppressive to handle any more.

It certainly helps to remember that the Lord Jesus Christ handled not just one sin like that, but the entire crushing lot of them from absolutely everyone over billions of lifetimes and more to come.

"Hero" is too small of a word. Strongman of the Universe would be better as long as it acknowledges His deity. Understanding what He did for everyone in bearing the oppressive weight of all sin is absolutely beyond comprehension. Only an inifinitely powerful God could do it.

"They shall come and shall declare His righteousness to a people yet to be born--that He has done it [that it is finished]!" Psalm 22:31

Either Delight or Grief

What did you think about this-or-that?
What kind of day are you having?
What do you think about such-and-such?
What do you think about what so-and-so did?

Many questions can be answered with a non-commital answer: "I don't know", "OK, I suppose", "I hadn't thought much about it", "it doesn't matter to me."

It occured to me that God's thoughts and answers don't work that way. He is either delighted with us or we are greiving Him. There IS NO IN-BETWEEN. We're so mired in an attitude of luke-warmness and a world that so readily accomodates it, that we don't relate very well to God's views. We "create" our own perception of God based on our flawed thinking. The only cure is for us to read His Word and to desire the work of His Spirit in us.

Death. Scary?

"Unbelief shudders at the Jordan which still rolls between us and the goodly land, but let us rest assured that we have already experienced more ills than death at its worst can cause us."

This quote from Charles Spurgeon's daily reading is an undeniable truth that really hits home. How often have our circumstances, or even more appropriately, our perception of our circumstances tortured us physically and emotionally? We have done more harm to ourselves with anxiety. People and circumstances have done more to torment us than the opening of the doorway to the presence of Christ.

This isn't some agreement with the new love of self-destruction that is now the popular "culture of death": (Truly scary because it is a sure gateway to the second death). This is the rock-solid way to life that the believer-in-Christ can stand firmly on.

The Evil and the Good

"That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

My Buddhist friend was describing his experience to me. He was very late for the airport and was riding with one of the salesmen with our company. Our salesman, Roy, told him not to worry, he'd be fine. Obviously, that would not be the case. Roy drove like a maniac and got him there just in time and the Buddhist friend made it on the plane, breathing a sigh of relief that he had survived the ride and gotten there on time after all.

My first thought was that God took care of his immediate, pressing need whether he believed in Him or not.

This world has plenty of terror, horror and darkness, but God still gives good gifts and grace to everyone. You can scare people about hell with it's unquenchable fire and torment, but the real torment will be a total absence of love, happiness, life-giving light, (living) water, and gifts of grace from the One who provided them every second of every day on earth - even though you never thought of Him, acknowledged Him or even cared.

The Perfect Father

I enjoy the comfort and restful peace brought by the fact that my children are also truly children of the Father. Though I am certainly defective as a father to my children, they have a perfect Father that MORE than makes up for my shortcomings, defects, sins, poor example and lack of godly wisdom in parenting.

So, have I failed as a parent, (how often do you hear that said?): YES.

Will He ever fail? NO.

Comforting...

Until Now the Lord has Helped Us

I walk past the TV. The kids are watching a movie. The story is at a point where almost all are in despair because of the profoundly dark circumstances. As I walk past, one character says to the other, (the other being the rightful king who is walking in the world as rejected, but is leading a faithful few in their mission), "You have led us through this far, it was wrong of me to lose hope, forgive me".

Well, that caught me unprepared. I wasn't expecting to hear such a valid quote line from walking past while a movie was playing. I have to remind myself daily: Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. Since He doesn't change, He's not going to stop either. Almost daily, something dark and unconquerable presents itself. It's certainly wrong of me to lose hope. It's a sin.

Enclosing God

"You can't put God in a box."

I've heard that ever since going to a Christian college in the early 80's. Yet, we do that quite often. How often do we think, or hear someone say, "God can't use that, it's the wrong kind of _____ or it's associated with ______, so it won't further His glory or His Gospel."

But - He does. You find out later that someone came to the Lord for salvation because of it. Yes, it's ugly, weak even to us and certainly worse than "filthy rags" to Him; but He makes all things new. He gives beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Some of us, (maybe it's a "guy" thing), love to repair and restore things. It's tremendously satisfying. Just think what a master repairman and restorer God is, when you see what He has to work with. This is one of those mind-boggling things that we will better understand when we are re-made like Christ.