The Key Is There

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealers showroom, and knowing that his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study.   His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather bound Bible, with the young man’s name embossed in gold.  Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a BIble?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible. 

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. But before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things. When he arrived at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father’s important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. 

His father has carefully underlined a verse, Matthew 7:11, "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?" 

As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealers name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words....PAID IN FULL.  

Sometimes we miss God’s blessings because they are not packaged like we expect them to be.  

You may have been praying for awhile...We want a promotion... and get fired.  We pray for a clean bill of health... the doctor “finds something.”  We become convinced he’s the “one”.... and he walks out. We ask God for peace... our week gets more stressful.  So many times we feel short-changed by God because what we face sure doesn’t look like a blessing.  We didn’t ask for it.  We don’t want it.  We think we deserve better.

But you know… sometimes God IS blessing us and we don’t even realize it.  

We want a promotion... and get fired... to get a much more fulfilling job!

We pray for a clean bill of health... the doctor “finds something”... but it is still early enough to treat for a full recovery!

We become convinced he’s the “one”.... and he walks out... to make room for the Godly man that values us for who we are in Christ.

We ask God for peace... our week gets more stressful... so that Christ can strengthen our faith by allowing us to depend on Him to get through.

We want success... we fail... but in that failure, we learn and grow in ways that immediate success would prevent from happening.  

Today, I dare you to think differently.  I don’t know what you are asking God to do in your life... but I wonder if He hasn’t already answered the request.  Look closer.  Have you rejected what you see in front of you... dismissing it as God not understanding ... 

God understands.  We’re the ones that don’t get it. 

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”  Isaiah 55:8

Maybe the key is there... tucked behind what appears to be a “no” to what we’re asking for. 

Count on God to bless us in the best way possible... His way... even if at first we don’t realize He’s doing it.  

Good Hands

I heard a story about a train traveling through the night in a very violent rainstorm. The lightning flashes were almost blinding, the rain hitting the windows was deafening and the strong gust winds rocked the train from side to side. When the lightening flashed and lighted up the darkness, the passengers could see the rising water along the tracks. This created terror in the minds of the passengers. Several passengers noted that through all the noise, lightening and wind, one of the passengers, a little girl, seemed to be at perfect peace...

Nobody understood the reaction of that little girl.  

When the storms hit your life... if you don’t panic, they won’t understand you either.  After all... aren’t we supposed to shake our fists at God...wondering where He is or why He hasn’t done something to improve our situation?  Aren’t we supposed to be scared of the lightning... cover our ears when it thunders... or run from the rising waters?  Aren’t we supposed to be terrified of what may happen?

Supposed to?  No.  Do we do it anyway?  Sometimes.

If you’re a Christian, when your life gets rocked... does your reaction look any different than those that don’t know Christ?  Fear. Panic. Worry. Doubt. Darkness. Hopeless. Helpless. Maybe God isn’t enough.  Maybe I can’t do it.  Maybe I’ve put my faith in God when it should have been faith in myself.  The devil will convince you that this is normal.  He’ll tell you that everybody falls apart when things come unglued.  After all, if God were even paying attention, He would have prevented the storm... 

...right?  

Let’s keep reading the story...

 The adult passengers couldn’t figure out why the little girl was so calm during all this excitement. Finally, one passenger asked her, “How is that you can be so calm when all the rest of us are so worried about what might or could happen?” The little passenger smiled and said, “My father is the engineer.”

Her Father is the Engineer...and she wasn’t talking about the guy in the front car.   It wasn’t the guy shoveling coal into the engine... or the one pulling the whistle at the intersections.  Her Father created those guys.  And He died so that they could live eternally.  Your Heavenly Father runs things too. 

He knows the track ahead and He knows what you’ve already passed.  He knows how fast to go and the perfect time to get where you are going.  He knows when it’s time to put on the brakes and when it’s time to stop entirely. 

He has been down the tracks before...and He reminds us of it in His Word (emphasis mine):  

“But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,

    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

 He made heaven and earth,

    the sea, and everything in them.

    He keeps every promise forever.”  Psalm 146:5-6

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."  John 16:33

God has been there.  Felt it.  Seen it.  Been hurt by it.  Understands it.  Is not surprised by it.  Cares about it.  And has overcome it.  

If you are a Christian, the One who drives the train of your life cannot be derailed, defeated, or destroyed.   He’ll never be surprised by circumstances or overwhelmed by the odds.  Jesus Christ willingly sacrificed the flesh He was bridled with so that you could live boldly... unafraid of the temporary and rejoicing in the eternal.  You were meant to see the world’s typical reaction to the unknown and refuse to blend in with those that have no faith.   No, you don’t have to quake and worry.... and just like that little girl, you know one VERY important fact that some others don’t:

Storms will come, but your Dad is the engineer.  

You are in good hands.  

Strong, loving, pierced hands.

Too Much To Remember

“You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.”  Exodus 20:16

“Lying is man’s universal weakness.”  - Mark Twain

Each week for 10 weeks, 110 individuals, ages 18-71, took a lie detector test and completed health and relationship measures assessing the number of major and minor lies they told that week, says lead author Anita Kelly, a psychology professor at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. She presented findings at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, which ended Sunday.

"When they went up in their lies, their health went down," says Kelly. "When their lies went down, their health improved."

Evidence from past research suggests that Americans average about 11 lies a week. Kelly says the no-lie group participants were down to one lie, on average, per week. For both groups, when participants lied less in a given week, they reported their physical health and mental health to be significantly better that week. 

(from USAToday - August 4, 2012)

For some of us, participation in that experiment would have been easy.  Not tell lies?  Cake.  For others... let’s just say they would have had to go into an isolation chamber.  Lying is their default setting.  But if telling the truth improves our spiritual, mental, and physical health, why do we still lie?  We only do it when we feel cornered... when we want to have an advantage... when we are trying to manipulate... when we get bored... etc.  There are literally hundreds of reasons to justify a lie and we know them all.   

The Bible talks directly about the affects that lying has on our lives...

“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”  Proverbs 6:16-19

“A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.”  Proverbs 19:9

“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”  Colossians 3:9-10

So let’s go down the Bible verse list and recap...

Lying:

is something God hates

will cause us to perish

takes us back to our old selves

hurts the body of Christ

Big consequences for temporary “fixes” right?  Are we lying to ourselves?

We think it buys us time... but it just delays the pain.  

We think we are sparing feelings.. but we are just hurting the integrity of the friendship.

We think we are protecting... we are slowly destroying.  

Every day, liars have to think about...

What if the truth is revealed? 

What if the secret comes out?

What if the trust is shattered?

Should we feel sorry for those who lie?  Not necessarily.  Lying is a choice.  We know it’s not what God wants us to do yet we choose to do it.  We aren’t forced, coerced, or held against our will to tell half-truths.  We cause irreparable damage and miss the mark by sinning.  Lying becomes an addiction.. an automatic “go to” move that quickly becomes the norm rather than the exception.  It’s a slippery slope that some don’t even bother trying to overcome. 

So how do we beat this?  

 Decide that just because others are lying their way through life... you’re not going to. Honesty may bring consequences but God is glorified through your authenticity.  Remember that the truth is easier.  Mark Twain once wrote “Always tell the truth.  That way you don’t have to remember what you said.”  Very wise.   Know what lying is.  

1)   It’s not telling the truth.  Period.  You can easily convince yourself that you aren’t lying...but you know when you are.  

2)  Understand that remaining silent when your word could make a difference is a form of lying. 

3)  Know that your reputation is at stake.  Once you become known as the “liar”... repairing the damage will be extremely difficult.

4)  Tell the truth even when it hurts.  Start with little things you would normally lie about and work your way up to more consequential situations.

5)  Understand why you lie.  Is it because you’re insecure?  Afraid?  When you know the meaning behind the misleading you can make progress in living a life of honesty.  

No matter the reason for your lying... it’s never too late to change.  God has a plan for your life... and integrity, honesty, and a sincere heart are an integral part of it.  He will be there to walk with you through the consequences and give you the strength to be a truth-teller when it’s difficult to do so.  

Rewind

I love watching TV I’ve recorded on my DVR.  I can enjoy the parts of the shows I like...and fast forward through the other stuff (like commercials). If I miss something, I can just rewind the program and catch it again... Unfortunately, life doesn’t work like a DVR.  Time doesn’t stop at my command and I don’t get to go back and experience just the parts I like.  Life moves unflinchingly forward with what seems to be increasing speed.  

It’s the same for all of us.  Our lives push on... We go through our days climbing to new peaks and enjoying the anticipation of what the view will be like when we reach the top.  But as with anything else, we remember that someday we could be headed downward again. 

Good times and bad times.  Not going backward or stopping... just pushing through.  Often we see our lives in decline and wonder how we got there... bad decisions, lack of connection with God,  challenging circumstances...the list goes on.  But remember... our lives will eventually head back upward.  God loves us too much to leave us at our lowest.

And when we get to the top...we need to enjoy the view and give God the glory for how we got there.  I know many who miss the victories.  They win a battle in their lives, overcome a temptation, conquer an addiction... and don’t celebrate.  Why?  Because instead of enjoying what God HAS done...they are too focused on what they think He hasn’t.  They anticipate a decline... expect a relapse... prepare for the next valley...   They are so busy waiting for the bottom to come again that they miss what they’ve worked so hard to achieve to get to the top.  

Remember, whether you find yourself with a great view from a peak... or an obstructed view from the valley... things WILL change!  What you are going through is only for a season... life will continue to move forward and change will come.  I will be praying for you this week that as life leads you onward and upward... and circumstances take you up and down... you would cling to this verse:

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”  Phil. 4:13

Enjoy the view from the top... Count on God at the bottom... and know that His strength is all you need to keep moving forward in the seasons of life.   

Rooted

“If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.”  Job 36:11

A little girl walking in a garden noticed a particularly beautiful flower. She admired its beauty and enjoyed its fragrance. “It’s so pretty!” she exclaimed. As she gazed on it, her eyes followed the stem down to the soil in which it grew. “This flower is too pretty to be planted in such dirt!” she cried. So she pulled it up by its roots and ran to the water faucet to wash away the soil. It wasn’t long until the flower wilted and died.

When the gardener saw what the little girl had done, he exclaimed, “You have destroyed my finest plant!”

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t like it in that dirt,” she said. The gardener replied, “I chose that spot and mixed the soil because I knew that only there could it grow to be a beautiful flower.”

That flower battled insects, wind, and the occasional flood.  It resisted the worst that the world could throw at it... it persevered... and grew to be beautiful. Then it was picked.  It became separated from it’s source of strength and provision.  It stopped growing and eventually withered away.  Under God’s plan, that flower would have thrived and grown to live a very long life.

Separated from His plan... it shriveled.  

God could have had that flower come to the earth in a bouquet... never touching the soil... never having to overcome any obstacles.  

But He didn’t.

He knew that the flower would grow stronger and even more beautiful by braving it out in the ground.  It’s roots would grow deep... it’s very sustenance dependent on God’s rains and beautiful sunlight.   The flower needed to overcome the challenges to be what it was created to be.  

We are no different.

Whatever you face today... difficulties, distractions, disunity, or dishonor... decide now that you are going to face it with the right attitude.  Remember, our happiness is based 10% on our circumstances and 90% on how we deal with them.  

Ask yourself:  Am I content with what God’s allowed me to have?

Am I happy that I have a fresh day?  Or am I disappointed all the time that it’s not where the grass seems greener?

Am I looking at the world through God glasses?  Seeing each person, circumstance, and transition as opportunities and not obstacles?

Am I allowing the enemy to convince me that my happiness is based on my feelings and not the eternal love of my Savior?

Fact is, our attitude through adversity determines our ability to achieve happiness.  

Can we be happy when life tries to uproot us?  Yes. 

Why... because what we are going through is a season.  A brief time in a prayerfully long life filled with great successes and challenging knockdowns.  Each one of us experiencing peaks, valleys... and many periods of in-between.  The pain we feel has a purpose... the disappointment we find is for a reason... Why?  Because God wants to punish us?  

Far from it.   Sometimes it takes a flood to help us appreciate the sun (Son) more.  

You are beautiful... just like that flower... rooted in God with a purpose for your life.  Allow Him to help you stand strong against the darkness and rain of hardship, distress, and trial.  And when the sun comes back out... and the warmth of it’s glow hits you... you will shine against the azure sky like the masterpiece that you are.   

Take a few moments out today and thank God for what’s going on in your life... if it’s storming... thank Him for the roots He’s got under you holding you firmly.  Be content in the purpose of your circumstance and watch God reveal a better life than you could ever imagine.  

First

“They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.”  Romans 1:25

     Back when I was in elementary school, one of the most coveted positions in the classroom was line leader.  Everybody wanted it.  Few got the chance.  It was the coolest job there was.  As you walked, the class walked.  If you stopped at the water fountain, all 24 of your friends did too.  Being first had power.  Head of the line meant something.

Being first was important.  

It still is.  Only now, it isn’t walking in the front of the line... it’s putting the most important thing first in your mind and heart.  We don’t have to wait for a teacher to assign it... we get to pick it ourselves!  We get to decide what leads out in our lives everyday...

Number one matters.

True commitment requires sacrifice.   When it comes to what leads our lives, this couldn’t be more true.  In order for us to commit to making God first... to lead us... to guide us... to light the way...  something/someone that isn’t God needs to be moved from the number one spot and either made to be number 2 or 3... or lower. 

Maybe money’s been your idol for awhile... directing your thoughts and actions.  Perhaps it’s ego... or family... or power... or success... or maybe for you it’s that guilt you’ve started to focus all of your attention on.  Something has been in God’s place in your life and it needs to be given it’s proper position.  I believe that if we are going to change this world for Christ... to reach our God-Potential... to fully commit to God’s plan... we need to make and keep Him first. 

God’s opinion matters... Not the opinion of those who didn’t sacrifice themselves so that I could live eternally.

God’s words are true... Not the words of those who have ulterior motives or are trying to manipulate me

God’s values are perfect... Not the values of a world who couldn’t care less about my morality or thought life.

God’s place is first... Not behind something that fades, rusts, leaves, betrays, confuses, or abandons me.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn once said, ““We always pay dearly for chasing after what is cheap.”  I agree with that... time to move the cheap stuff out of the way and replace it with some One priceless. 

Signing Yearbooks

YOU MATTER

Matthew 25:40 “"And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'”

I recently read a story about a very unlikely hero…

“Steve Weidner, a custodian at Alan Shepard Elementary School in Bourbonnais, Illinois, said it made him feel great to see that each and every second grade student lined up near the playground in hopes to have him autograph their yearbooks. …

Last week, Weidner said he signed all 104 of the second graders' yearbooks after lunch -- in addition to 200 more from other classes. …”

Why did the custodian sign hundreds of yearbooks?  Why was Steve Weidner’s signature so high in demand around the school?  Was he a former TV star?  An athlete?  Friends with the ice cream man?   No.  Steve’s claim to fame didn’t come in the form you’d expect…

Steve was famous to the children because he cared.  When they hurt, he’d help them.  When they needed an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on, he was available.   He assisted with homework, cleaned up their messes, talked with parents, played games, and anything else you could think of that would help an elementary school-aged child get through their day-to-day. 

Steve was not a Pastor… or a principal… or a parent to any of those children.

He didn’t have to be.

He was just someone with a heart to help.

Steve loved people.  God’s people.  Young or old, He saw the value in God’s precious creations… and dedicated himself to serving them. 

Wherever you are today… be that person.  Rise above the disinterested and show God’s love, mercy, and heart to those around you that need it.  Help those that can offer you nothing in return.  Stop and pray with those that look like they need it.  Like today’s verse tells us, God calls us to serve others and when we do so, we are really serving Him.

Today you can change the world.  And it starts with changing your home.  Or your office.  Or your classroom.  Be kind.  Choose love.  Be compassionate.  Extend an open hand instead of a closed fist.  Turn the other cheek.  Again.  Forgive those that haven’t asked for it or deserve it.  Be patient. 

Your reward?  You may not be signing a bunch of elementary school yearbooks… but you’ll be leaving indelible marks on the hearts of those that don’t think there are any Godly people left in this world… and honoring God in the process.

(quote above originally posted in Yahoo! News via Good Morning America, June 8, 2015)

Silver

The story is told of a group of women that met for Bible study.  While studying in the book of Malachi, chapter three, they came across verse three which says:

“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;”  Malachi 3:3a

This verse puzzled the women and they wondered how this statement applied to the character and nature of God.  One of the women offered to find out more about the process of refining silver, and to get back to the group at their next Bible

study.  The following week, the woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him while at work.  She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest, beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. 

As she watched the silversmith work, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire, where the flames were the hottest as to burn away all the impurities. 

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot, then she thought again about the verse, that "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the entire time the silver was being refined.  The man answered yes, that not only did he have to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on it the entire time it was in the fire. 

If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. 

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the

silversmith, "But how do you know when the silver is fully refined?" 

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that’s easy - when I see my image in it."

Trials bring pain.  No news there...   When things are challenging...when they take us to the breaking point... we hurt.   Many of us wonder if the pain will ever stop.  And when it does, some just sit and wait for it to start again.  

Trial by fire.  Refining fire.  

Why me Lord? It’s easy to ask that when troubles come. We turn our eyes to Heaven and wonder what we’ve done to deserve what we’re going through.  Did we make God angry?  Is our Heavenly Father getting even with us?  Are we so bad that we’re being punished?  No.  Whether we are dealing with consequences from our own poor decisions... or life’s circumstances... or the choices made by someone else... we hurt.     We might not have created the pain... but it’s there and we have to deal with it.

Life gets heated.  Sometimes unbearably so.  

But it’s in that time of intense fire that things are burned away that never belonged.  New discoveries are made.  Our way of thinking changes...

We realize how deep our faith goes.

We see how big our God is.

We conclude that life is meant to be lived with others.

We understand that those other people care...and they’ll walk with us.

We learn what to do next time.

We reset our priorities.

We learn that God’s timing is always perfect.

We discover who runs the universe (and it isn’t us).

We develop patience.

We get stronger.

We have the chance to grow closer to Christ.

We appreciate times of peace in our lives more.

We get mad and shake our fists at the universe.  

But God... our loving God waits patiently with His arms outstretched.  

He understand heartache firsthand.  Intense heartache.  But God allows us to experience pain so that we can accomplish our purpose.  

Those fires in your life...those trials... are making you stronger.  And make no mistake...just like the silversmith...when the heat comes your way, God doesn’t move.   He is there with you while you endure under it.  

Because He knows...

when it seems like you can’t take another minute under the intense flames...

when you feel like throwing in the towel...

It WILL come to an end.  You won’t be under that pain forever.  You will be victorious.  Stronger.   You will have new skills, a deeper faith, and a compelling testimony to help others through the same thing.  I wish there was some other way to grab these skills... but it seems that pain provides the deepest and most lasting lessons.

And when the fire dies out,  Christ will look down on you... with those impurities driven away... and see a pure reflection of Himself in your life.  

Help Is On The Way!

“For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord, because they have called you an outcast: ‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’”  Jeremiah 30:17

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”  Psalm 51:12

“And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.”  Job 42:10

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.”  Psalm 23:1

“Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.”  Mark 8:25

“obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you”  Deuteronomy 30:8-10

God makes things right.  

He heals the hurts.

He fixes what we think is irreparable.

He loves those the world calls unloveable.

He turns tragedy into triumph.

He mends relational fences.

He sees the tears you cry...and quietly whispers to your soul...

It’s going to be ok.  

I’ve got it.  

God watches over us.

God cares about us.

God restores us.  He heals our wounds... both physical and emotional (Jer. 30:17)

God restores us.  To spend eternity with Him... our eternity is secure (Psalm 51:12)

God restores us.  He’s generous. He provides more than was taken from us (Job 42:10)

God restores us.  He rejuvenates a dry soul.  (Psalm 23:1)

God restores us.  We can see things clearly after He touches us (Mark 8:25)

God restores us.  When we are obedient to Him...He blesses us (Deut. 30:8-10)

Feeling broken?  Hurt?  In pieces?  

God restores.

He will put you back together... never give up.... 

He loves you and He’s not done in your life. 

You matter.  Stay strong.  

You are loved.

God restores.