An “Extra” Day to Worship

“…they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks…”
John 4:23

Today is “Leap Day”, February 29th, which only exists on our calendars every fourth year. I believe it was instituted as a sort of synchronizing tool to bring some sense of coordination to our “time measure” versus the planets orbiting “time measure” (can you tell I am not a scientist?) Anyway, I can’t recall any wars being fought over the instituting of Leap Year.
Historians out there can feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
It would seem that most everyone agrees we should be on the same page when it comes to our clocks. Yet when it comes to the subject of one of the most important questions we will ever ask – How and Who do we worship? – there have been untold numbers of disagreements, fights and wars.
I have no lofty held belief that today’s blog will end any of that.
Instead it will probably rile a few more people.
Jesus said it best in the Gospel of John Chapter four, verses 23 and 24:
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
Religion can bring form and rigidity to our “worship”.
The Spirit of God can bring freedom and truth to our worship.
Here’s the question of the day – from whom do we receive instruction on worship?
If we rely only on the traditions of man handed down through the generations is that correct?
Does practice make perfect, as the old adage says, or does it simply make us skilled?
When it comes to worship, I can be very skilled at practicing what has been handed down to me but if that same tradition is void of the Spirit of God what good is it?
Or perhaps the more appropriate question is:
Is it worship that pleases the one to whom it is directed?
Yesterday I said to you that: “The expressions of our love and devotion to God reach His heart when they originate from our hearts.” Please understand that I am speaking of a heart made new through the new creation birth spoken of by Jesus. Apart from the Spirit of God – that same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead – we have no understanding or desire to worship God in Spirit and in truth.
There are so many wonderful things that happen when we are born again (far too many for one blog) but perhaps nothing more relevant to our current topic than a radical change in whom and how you worship. I hope you take a little of the “extra” time given to you on Leap Day to worship the one who breathes life into every one of your “24/7’s”.

A Freewill Offering of Worship

“These people honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain;

their teachings are merely human rules.”
Matthew 15:8,9

Jesus defines ‘vain’ worship as worship offered only with the lips
while the hearts’ affections are elsewhere. He was speaking specifically of the Scribes and Pharisees; the religious leaders of his day. He then goes on to indict their actions further by saying: “their teachings are merely human rules.”
True worship originates in an obedient heart, but obedience to whom?
‘Mere human rules’ may be effective in corralling or coercing a congregation or a people into uniform obedience but that is far from true worship.
If you are married perhaps you can think of it this way:
Which expression of love would be more genuine to you;
the one offered or the one demanded?
The expressions of our love and devotion to God reach His heart

when they originate from our hearts.
God knows what genuine worship is.
He also knows the flattering lip and the disingenuous heart.
Jesus called it “vain” worship.
Certainly there is a place for corporate worship as well as the direction
and teaching concerning that worship, from leadership .
That is not what I am speaking of today.
Rather, I am talking about that worship which is expressed out of our routines, traditions or convenience rather than a relationship through the Holy Spirit.
“I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;

I will praise your name, LORD, for it is good.”
Psalm 54:6

Worship is not for Wimps

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what
God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:1-2

Maybe you’ve heard this, or a similar, sentiment stated:
Christianity is for wimps or for people who need a crutch.
Rest assured those words are only spoken by those who have never surrendered their life to Jesus Christ. If you are a disciple then you already know it is not a life for the faint of heart (or, as the Bible phrases it: the lukewarm)!
Authentic worship is living a lifestyle that pleases God.
The last thing my flesh wants to do is please God.
Dying to my flesh, living a sacrificial life, taking up my cross daily – however you want to express it – demands a life that is not looking to take the easy way out.
Understanding this does not, in any way, diminish the enabling work of the Holy Spirit in supplying the grace and the strength needed to live that lifestyle.
But let’s not kid ourselves.
Living a life which, more often than not, is contrary to popular culture and alien to many of our family members and co-workers is never an easy thing to do. Under those circumstances, our flesh (what should be on the altar) speaks up and craves attention and affirmation. We do not like rejection and persecution but we were reminded today that “in fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
II Timothy 3:12
So we are presented with a choice; we can offer authentic worship (true and proper as expressed above in Romans 12) that pleases God but is not an “easy road” or we can offer ritual, routine and religious “worship” that is less offensive to man but not at all pleasing to God.
Oh, by the way, don’t ever believe the lie that authentic worship is for wimps.
Authentic worship demands our all!

Tomorrow Belongs To God

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”
Proverbs 17:1

Do you truly value the time God has given you?
If you answered “Yes” then I must assume that if a doctor told you today you had six months to live you would change nothing in your life after receiving that news.
Not true, you say?
Your priorities would shift dramatically if you received that news.
Really?
The man or woman who truly values the time God has given him is busy doing the Father’s work and following His ‘schedule’. His or her amount of time left would not change that work because he knows that the best
use of his time still is when he places it in God’s hands.
That is true whether you have decades left or just moments.
The fact is most of us do not know when are lives here on earth will end.
We often assume that the average life span of a man or woman will dictate roughly how long we have left.
Maybe that approach is o.k. for insurance actuaries but not for the child of God.
We are not to live in fear that at any moment our life will be snuffed out. But we are to live by faith dedicating our seconds, minutes, hours, and all our days to God.
All too often we forget that.
Sadly, we have all known family, friends, co-workers or acquaintances whose lives ended far sooner than what we, or they, had expected.
Make the most of your time for the Kingdom of God.
Give Him all of your ‘today moments’ for His use because tomorrow belongs to God!

Don’t Panic, Just Pray!

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.”
Proverbs 16:9


Did you spend your day today as you had planned?
Did everything you had in place on your schedule happen?
At the end of the day as you looked back on your accomplishments
were they all that you had hoped to have done before your head was on your pillow?
Were some of them done?
Were any of them done?
Today I had my day “interrupted” by an immediate need
more pressing than anything else on my list!
I am sure that has happened to you as well.
We set daily goals and we create our task lists but sometimes we are surprised by unexpected emergencies and all of our well planned ideas are sliced and diced like a sheet of paper in a hungry shredder.
Priorities have to shift and we are forced to face that word we
all sometimes struggle with: flexibility!
You know what?
Believers should be limber, able to be stretched, and flexible.
Are You?
We can plan and set daily targets but never forget that God is omniscient and we are not.
He was not caught off guard by the way my day unfolded.
If you are headed in one direction and the events of your day force you to do an about face and shift your plans then don’t panic just pray!
God knows the end from the beginning and He will direct your path. Even when it seems like the path has changed direction, just remember: don’t panic, trust Him and pray!

Killing Time!

Are you a cold-blooded killer?
Most of us would of course, answer that inquiry with an emphatic NO!
You might even be a bit offended that I would even ask you such a question.
You issue a protest that it is too severe a topic for a daily word of encouragement.
But allow me to rephrase the question this way:
How often do you ‘kill time’?
If that seems a bit unfair a question to ask then it probably
means we don’t value the time God has given us as we should.
Don’t we need ‘down time’?
Certainly we do.
Remember it is God who created the Sabbath rest for His people.
I am not talking about times of recreation, rest or refreshing.
Each of those pursuits are necessary parts of our lives.
Instead, I am talking about the wasted time when we can be doing productive and purposeful things. Yesterday we talked about the 86,400 seconds each of us is given every day.
Here is a simple challenge for you.
Ask God to help you ‘redeem’ some of those wasted seconds from your life each day. Rather than ‘killing’ that time dedicate it to God.
You and God know when those times are and He can help you to redeem it.
Maybe its’ sacrificing the television show and lifting your
nation or your pastors in prayer.
Perhaps instead of a night at the movies it’s a night with you and your family serving at a local homeless shelter or food pantry. Don’t do it just to do it but instead seek Gods’ direction and ask Him how to effectively use your time for His glory!

Time: The Great Equalizer?

“Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are;
help us to spend them as we should.”
Psalm 90:12 (Living Bible)


60 x 24 x 60 = 86,400
Do you know what the equation and the answer above represents?
Let me give you a hint: It is a great equalizer for every human being on earth.
If you guessed that it was the number of seconds in one
24-hour period you are correct.
We all have the same number – 86,400 – seconds in our day.
Doesn’t matter if you’re pretty or pretty ugly – you still only get 86,400 seconds in a day.
Wealthy people receive the same 86,400 as the dirt poor.
The well-educated have not figured out how to increase that number and so share it in common with the ignorant man.
But guess what the wise man does?
(Note that wise and well-educated are not necessarily the same!)
We are told in Proverbs 10:27
“Reverence for the LORD adds hours to each day;
so how can the wicked expect a long good life.”
The wise man reverences the LORD and discovers that he can accomplish so much more than the fool.
Suppose a skeptic says: “I don’t believe that! So, I will follow you around for the next 24 hours with a stop watch and let’s see if your day is any longer than mine!”
What will happen?
The skeptic will spend the next day following the wise man; who will,
in fact, spend his day accomplishing much, much more.
How? By reverencing the LORD!
It sounds too good to be true and too simple at the same time but it is simple and it is true.
God, the LORD is not limited by time as you and I often are.
Make Him your priority and watch how much
more can be accomplished in and through your life!

Affections: Set on God or Set on Self?

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:1-3


Midway through our service on Sunday the LORD
challenged us with a couple of questions.
The questions were:
What are you filled with this week?
What is trying to occupy your heart that isn’t God?
There is so much in life that is vying for our attention.
There is so much that would distract us from the important things.
Our affections can be set on things below; that is on things here on earth or they can be set on things above.
We are encouraged in the epistle to the Colossians to set our affections on things above.
Let your heart, your affections; be filled with God this week.
Not possible you say?
Hmmm, I guess God gave us a command we couldn’t keep!
Not really.
But He did give us a command we couldn’t keep - apart from Him.
You see, my flesh is at war with the things of the Spirit of God. If allowed to have its’ way my flesh just wouldn’t be interested in giving God the time of day this week.
That’s why we are told to walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
In a manner of speaking; my flesh is very affectionate
with those things that are contrary to God.
My old nature is ‘cozy’ with sin.
So is yours.
That is why God challenged us on Sunday to look at what is filling our lives up.
What is occupying your thoughts and your actions this week that is not of God?
Ask God to show you.
Then ask God to help you set your affections on Him and to empty
yourself of self that He might fill you with His Spirit.

The ‘Wealth’ of Proverbs

This week we have taken a look at the fact that an authentic worshipper is also one who gives of their material blessings.
We have recognized that God is a giver and if we are too truly
reflect His image we, too, will be givers.
The Book of Proverbs is filled with wisdom.
There is much in that book concerning both poverty and wealth, giving and accumulating. We were encouraged this past Sunday to make it a regular part of our Bible reading and to apply it’s principles in our daily lives.
Below I have given you just a taste of what the book reminds us of.
I encourage you to read and meditate on these verses.
As you do you I hope that it also helps you to better appreciate the
relevance of Gods’ word to how you live your life today.

“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.”
Proverbs 10:4
(Your mother put it this way: ‘Hard work pays off!’)

“One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.”
Proverbs 11:24
(Jesus said: “Give and it shall be given unto you…)

“Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.”
Proverbs 13:11
(They have learned the value of what the world calls “chump change”)

“The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale.”
Proverbs 18:10-11
(The world will always have a scheme to ‘protect’ your wealth)

“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.”
Proverbs 28:19
(The world will tell you: “All you need is a dollar and a dream!”)

Yackety-Yack – A Wallet That Talks Back?

“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14


Here’s a thought for you that may seem a bit far –fetched but stay with me for a moment. Suppose your wallet or purse had the ability to speak.
Would the words it speaks contradict what is coming out
of your mouth or would they confirm it?
Perhaps a paraphrase of our verse for today could be written like this:

May these words of my mouth and this declaration of my wallet
be comparable in your ears, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

I know the paraphrase may sound a bit silly.
The truth is we believers are often more boastful than our giving would confirm.
One statistic shared this past Sunday at ‘His Place’ was this: If every one in America who claims to be a follower of Christ would tithe it would generate another $94,000,000,000.00 for the Kingdom of god.
That is ninety-four BILLION dollars that is not currently being given that would flow into the work of God.
Back to the talking wallet for a moment.
Does your ‘wallet speech’ match your ‘mouth speech’?
Put in more familiar terms: Do you put your money where your mouth is?
Put in more biblical terms: Do you put your money where your heart is?
Well, yes you do!
How you spend your money is a pretty
accurate indication of what your hearts intentions are!
Today, if you have found your wallet contradicting your words, reconsider what it means to make Him LORD of all (including LORD of your giving) and commit to walk in obedience by worshipping Him with your giving.

Giving That Reveals You as a Child of God

“For the creation waits in eager expectation
for the children of God to be revealed.”
Romans 8:19


If you were to see a need and, with what you had,
were able to meet that need; would you?
Suppose you were able to meet every need that presented itself?
I know what you’re thinking – that would be impossible.
One person alone cannot meet all the needs in the world.
The problem with that thinking is that too often it keeps us from doing anything at all.
Let me make it a little bit easier for you.
Suppose you only met the needs that God spoke directly to you about?
Would you do that?
Would you agree that would be a worthwhile thing to do?
Imagine the impact for the Cause of Christ if we all obediently responded to God in helping others.
What if we laid aside all of our excuses and got down to ‘business’ in our giving?
The world is watching.
The world is waiting.
Perhaps you think I am taking a bit of liberty with the context of our verse for today. Maybe I am.
But stop and think for just a moment how different it could be if we all obeyed God and blessed others with our resources. We already agreed yesterday that we cannot out-give God, so as we begin to sow into other peoples lives the blessings pour back into ours only to be sown again, in multiplied ways, by us, and so it continues.
Do you think the disciples of Jesus Christ might bring some glory to His name simply through obedient giving?
Something to think about, wouldn’t you say?

God Deserves Our Best!

“You must present as the LORD’s portion the best
and holiest part of everything given to you.”
Numbers 18:29


“The Cream of the Crop”
“The Best and the Brightest”
“Top Drawer”
“The Best of the Best”
“A+”
“Top of the Class”
“Head and Shoulders Above the Rest”
These are all expressions we use when we want to describe something that is the very best.
Did you ever stop to think that this should also describe the churches pattern of giving? “Wait just a minute!” you say; you’re referencing an Old Testament scripture about sacrifices and connecting it with worship that is authenticated by our giving? Yes I am!
On the eve of Valentines Day let me ask you this: If you want to win your sweetheart’s affections would you give her a dozen beautiful, long stemmed roses or would you give her a few dandelions? I’m thinking that the roses might be a better expression of your affections than dandelions (and safer for the future of your relationship too)!
Why is it that we ‘go all out’ for the ones we love and then become stingy and cheap when it comes to God who we declare love for and who has given us His very best!
According to our scripture today what we give to the Lord is not to be our second hand stuff or our hand-me-downs or left-overs.
He is to get our very best!
The marketers of Madison Avenue understand that concept and one corporation actually has as its slogan:
“When you care enough to send your very best!”
How about you?
Do you care enough for God to give Him your best?

We All Have ‘Substance’ to Give!

“Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”
Proverbs 3:9-10 KJV


We often hear the phrase: “He is a man of substance”; implying that the individual being spoken of is “well off”. The verse above translates the word ‘substance’ as ‘wealth’ in the NIV perhaps making it a bit clearer to some what the intent is. The writer is telling us to honor the LORD with what we have. We all have some ‘substance’ and we all can honor him with our substance whether that ‘substance’ is a healthy bank account of seven or more figures – or – if that ‘substance’ is a
meager paycheck carrying us from week to week.
We may have much.
We may have little.
Whatever we have, we honor God when we give our offerings to Him and to His work.
Essentially, our giving is one way that we worship Him.
We have been hearing much of late about the ‘have’s’ and the ‘have not’s’ in our world. The problem is, it tends to cause us to compare ourselves with one another.
The good news is, I am not called to gauge my giving by what others are (or are not) doing.
Neither are you.
We are to give, not as an exercise in one-upmanship, but out of a grateful and thankful heart to God. If I am obedient to Him in my giving I realize two things:
First; He is a loving Father who gives back to me in abundance.
Second; I will never, never, never out give God.
Not that it was ever possible to begin with.
As a matter of fact, it’s already too late for that.
Who can give more than what He gave us through His Son?

What is Your Bottom Line with God?

“So then it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.”
Psalm 27:14


Joseph had four significant address changes between the time he received a word from the LORD (through two dreams) and the fulfillment of that word several years later. Joseph moved from the pit, to Potiphar’s house to the prison and finally to the palace. When he spoke, in the verse noted above, to his brothers it was
with the understanding of how he got where he did.
Let me ask you something.
What significant changes have you experienced since
God spoke to you about His plans for your life?
Has your address changed?
How about your career?
Has ‘life in general’ thrown some curve balls at you?
Are you today where you expected to be when God first spoke to you?
I wonder how many times Joseph asked God if he was where he was supposed to be?
I wonder how often he questioned his circumstances.
Was the pit to become his grave; or maybe the prison?
Even Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, asked His Father if there was a different course that could be followed. We read in Mark 14:36 “Abba, Father, he said, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
In today’s vernacular, Jesus made a “bottom line” statement.
Ultimately, he said “…not what I will, but what you will.”
Wherever you are today, whatever has taken place in your life from the time God has spoken to you to this day, make this your bottom line statement to Him:
“Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Learning to Wait and Waiting to Learn

“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”
Psalm 27:14

“Hurry up and wait!”
When we hear that phrase we may chuckle a bit because we have all found ourselves in that predicament. Just mention the initials “DMV” and there is instant recognition for most New Yorkers of the Department of Motor Vehicles. There is also a universal “wince” as we all remember our personal “horror stories” of having to wait in line at the local DMV office. The last thing you want to hear when you walk out of that office (maybe having celebrated a birthday and the turning over of a page on the calendar – just kidding) is that you are just being taught patience!
Believers often are in a “waiting’ mode after receiving a word from God. It may, in fact, be a time when God is developing patience in you but to limit it to that is to minimize what God is doing.
Far too often God speaks to us and we take off running.
We fail to wait at His feet and get His counsel.
We fail to get counsel through others, wiser and (perhaps – could it be?) more mature than us. Some of the words spoken by God were fulfilled before the sun went down on the day they were spoken but far more often there was a long span of time. Some words spoken thousands of years ago are unfolding today or are yet to be fulfilled.
Do not read what I did not write: we are to wait but it is not to be an apathetic or inactive wait. We wait in hopeful and faith-filled expectation of that word. We actively (and not passively) wait. It is a ‘drawing near’ and not a ‘drawing back’ wait.
It is an advancing wait and not a retreat.
We wait because it is not simply the “working out” of that word in our lives but more importantly it is the “working in” of His word to our lives.
We may not fully understand the word when we receive it
but let that word be formed in you….

“Really, LORD?”

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.”
Ezekiel 37:9-10

The Bible is filled with the records of individuals who received a word from the Lord concerning their lives. In some cases, like Sarah and Abraham, the word was received well past the ‘normal’ expectation of fulfillment.
What do I mean?
Sarah and Abraham had a child in their old age.
Not what might constitute ‘old age’ for giving birth today – say 50 or 55 years old – but well past that.
Sarah was ninety and Abraham was a hundred years old.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, received a word form the Lord through an angelic visitation. The word she received was not received after the ‘normal’ expectation of fulfillment, as was the case with Abraham and Sarah, but before it.
That is to say, she became pregnant while a virgin and not after being married; which would have been ‘normal’.
The word that was given and fulfilled for Mary, some might say, put her in a very untenable position. So often in scripture, and in our lives, Gods’ word is fulfilled at the ‘least opportune’ time or in the most unconventional ways.
Why is that?
Sarah showed us the answer to that question when she had her husband sleep with her handmaiden. His name was Ishmael. If there is any way for us to fulfill the word absent the power of God we will, more often than not, try it.
Let me ask you then, if we do ‘fulfill’ the word, who gets the credit and the glory?
God gives us the impossible to do and then it is His enabling power by the Holy Spirit that brings it to pass. Could Ezekiel prophesy to that valley of dry bones and see them come to life without the command of the LORD to do so? How many things have you spoken or attempted to do in vain because it was just a ‘grand’ idea and not the Word of the LORD to you?
Wait for His word and allow it to come to pass in His way, in His timing and by His power working in you!

Let God Uniquely Equip You

“Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.”
Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.
“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.”
I Samuel 17:36b-40


We all know the story well.
David hears the taunts of the giant Goliath and is prepared to come against “…this uncircumcised Philistine…”
King Saul says: “Go, and the LORD be with you.”
Then, following the kings blessing, David is dressed in another mans’ ‘armor’.
What does David do next?
He refuses the armor and picks up the tools he is ‘used to’.
What about your life?
Are you trying to accomplish the word of the LORD for you with another mans’ equipping? To David’s credit he recognized that he could not do what he needed to do wearing armor and using tools made for another man.
Neither can you.
God is well able to equip you for the tasks He has called you to do.
Think of it as a custom fitted suit.
It is made just for you.
Some of David’s ‘tools’ used over the course of his life included a harp, a sling with five smooth stones and, as an author of much of the Book of Psalms, a pen.
What tools has God placed in your hand to do what He has called you to do?
Make no mistake, a harp, a sling and a pen are nothing more than a harp a sling and a pen unless God places them in our hands and anoints them for His purposes.
So today put down another mans’ ‘equipping’ and pick up what God has given you.
Only as you do that, will you find ‘success’. The sword David strapped on may have been quite impressive but, at least in David’s case, it was not
“…mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.”
Today, take up what God has for you.

Draw Near and Trust God

“We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”
Genesis 37:7
“Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people.
So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him
with their faces to the ground.”
Genesis 42:6


The two verses above paint a picture for us of Joseph receiving a word from the LORD through a dream and then the fulfillment of that word. Despite the two verses being separated by roughly only five chapters in the book of Genesis, the time from the word being received until its’ fulfillment was actually separated by several years.
Most of us are familiar with the story so isn’t it interesting that the word to Joseph said nothing about the journey to get to the place of fulfillment? God left out the details about the angry and jealous brothers, He failed to mention the pit, Potiphar’s house, the prison and the palace. He was silent concerning betrayal, slavery, false accusations, and the details of promotion. He made no mention of Egypt and Pharaoh. Joseph was left with a word and a choice.
In our lives, as God speaks to us, we too are left with a word and a choice.
We can choose to trust God or not!
God had a greater work to do in the heart and character of Joseph than anything external He wanted to accomplish through Him.
I would have to say that what God wanted to do in Joseph was far greater than what He wanted to do through Joseph.
The same is true of us.
God is transforming us. Maybe He has spoken to you and you have doubted that word because you find yourself in a pit, in a prison or in a place far removed from that word being fulfilled. Draw near to God and trust Him to complete His work in you despite any betrayals you may face; trust Him through the long seasons of testing, through the changes all around you. Remember He watches over His word to perform it.
In the in-between time, just as Joseph did, draw near and trust God.

No Other gods

“You shall have no other gods before me.”
Exodus 20:3

We have been looking at our need to respond, in obedience, to the Word of God.
Let me ask you something.
What other things (granted some of them may be good) do we respond to that may compete with Gods’ purposes for our life?
Some of the huge ones that often draw us away from the plans of God are:
Career
When we choose career over Christ we have selected something we only think can satisfy us. There is no eternal satisfaction in a successful career. Jesus asked in Mark 8:36
“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”
So are successful careers evil? Not at all, only when they impede my relationship with God and obeying His plans for my life.
Money
We are cautioned concerning money: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and
pierced themselves with many griefs.” I Timothy 6:10
So we note that money itself is not evil. It is when we love money more than God.
We cannot serve two masters.
Family
This can be a difficult one for so many because we are certainly to love our family and to provide for them. However, when our affections and attention are given to family exclusively and God is left out of all that we do there is a problem.
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
We often bristle at this statement of Jesus’ and yet He clearly says the
words: “…more than me…” helping us to understand that it is normal and right to love family but it too can reach a point where that love keeps us from obediently following Him.
Again, I want to reiterate that careers, money and family are not, necessarily evil. When we magnify and exalt those, or any other things or people, do we have a problem Examine your values today and put first things first!

Confidently Answering Yes

“And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord;
be it unto me according to thy word.
And the angel departed from her.”
Luke 1:38 KJV

Mary’s response to the angel was: “…according to thy word.”
Her response is as remarkable for what she didn’t say as for what she did say.
She didn’t say: “Can I get back to you?”
She didn’t say: “I’ll have to think about it!”
She didn’t say: “All good except that ‘…be with child…’ part.”
Her response (an indication of her faith) was immediate, obedient and unequivocal.
How do you respond to the word spoken to you?
Is your response also immediate, obedient and unequivocal?
I must confess that I don’t always respond as I should.
I don’t always respond as Mary did.
To be sure, what Mary heard would tend to raise more questions than it did provide answers. As the pregnancy advanced I am sure the stares, the questions from busy-bodies and the innuendo’s increased. Despite this we find nowhere in the record of scripture where Mary expresses regret for her decision to say yes to God. She said to the angel: “…be it done unto me according to thy word.” And then she stayed the course and saw that word fulfilled in her life. As God speaks to you and you respond; do you list caveats? Do you try to ‘bargain’ with God as to the timing or the nature of what He has spoken?
But you protest and say: “Aren’t we supposed to count the cost of something before we agree to it? Isn’t it wrong to make hasty decisions?
Yes and Yes.
But here is the difference.
I respond to God (unlike how I would respond to the propositions of man) out of the knowledge and understanding that His plans and His purposes for me are always good and never evil.
I cannot ever look back and point an accusing finger at God and say: “You did this to my ruin and to see me destroyed.” That is contrary to His nature and His character. I, and you, can confidently say yes to God knowing that His way is always best.
I did not say it is always the easiest but it is always best!

Can I get ‘There’ from ‘Here’?

“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”
Proverbs 16:25

Maybe I put the cart before the horse yesterday.
I should have asked you to be sure that, first of all,
you are on the right road to your calling in God.
You see, there are many different opportunities in life for all of us and they may be found on different ‘roads’ we may choose to travel.
Despite ‘conventional wisdom’ and the ‘politically correct’ view, not all roads lead to heaven, let alone God’s plans for my life or yours.
Jesus didn’t hesitate to offer this absolute:
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
Jesus did not offer alternate routes or other ways.
His statement was exclusive and adamant: “…no one…except through me…”
In holding fast to that belief, you may be considered ‘polarizing’ and certainly not ‘inclusive’.
Taking the only road that leads to heaven and answering to the call of God for your life will sometimes offer some surprises. Sooner or later, you will likely come to an exit ramp that offers an easier route and one that does not demand a cost.
Don’t take that off-ramp.
Yesterday I likened the road you find yourself on to a
toll road and pictured a toll booth from a clip art file.
Listen carefully.
Jesus is the gate through which you gain entry to that road that leads to heaven and to your destiny in fulfilling His purposes for your life.
When you reach the gate (the toll booth?), you will find that the cost of your entrance has been paid on the cross – the blood of Jesus Christ made it possible. I don’t want to presume concerning anyone reading this blog.
There are not many ways to God.
There is only one.
His name is Jesus.
Once you enter through that gateway of Jesus Christ, your journey may not match the next persons but rest assured they are also, only on this road
after entering through the same gate you did.
Stay on that road!