Wherever You Go

Wherever we go today...
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deut 31:6)
Anywhere...
But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. (Gen 39:20-21)
God is with us...
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deut 31:8)
So we should press on...
Therefore go and make disciples... And surely I am with you always, to the very end. (Matt 28:19)
And not be afraid...
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. (Josh 1:9)

The Vine, The Branches

Inspired by my online devo I am setting a couple goals:
1. Stay connected to the vine. (John 15)
- God is the gardener. Gotta let him prune when necessary; and nourish daily. If I remain in him, he will remain in me, and my life will bear fruit. If I cut myself off, I won't see any good fruit come out of my life or ministry. I'll dry up and be good for nothing.
2. Stay mingled with the branches.
- I need to remember to stay in fellowship with others - for encouragement, for challenge, for support. 'Love each other' (v.17 ) implies that we stay connected. I need to make calls, make an effort to check up on people, make an effort to be vulnerable about my struggles.
Funny that it seems #1 may be easier than #2. But both are imperative. 'No branch can bear fruit by itself' (v.4) isn't just about having some time alone with God. 'Remain in me' means worshiping with my life, but also serving with others; praying alone and together; meditating solo and also carrying each others burdens.
It's about camaraderie, both vertical and horizontal. And either one, without the other, misses the point.

I remember, I remember...

Reading a little from the book dedicated to mourning and sorrow. (Lamentations 3)
The author writes about his grief: "I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall ...and my soul is downcast within me."
Basically, he reflects on his trials, but also how he has wandered away from God. And how all of this has caused him bitterness and frustration.
How often has affliction caused us to wander? Why do struggles often lead us away from God? You think we would have learned by now. In trials, Job was tempted to 'curse God and die'. In truth, that is our main temptation: to lose faith in the face of hardship.
It's the same old story: things are going well, we praise God. Things turn for the worse, and we have a decision to make - do we thank God for the struggle, or do we lose faith?
In a cloud of frustration, it's hard to remember that trials are meant to develop perseverance and maturity in us. God allows us to struggle because it has the potential to make us whole. It's his desire to make us whole. (see James 1)
If anything, let's take a cue from the Lamenter and remember our past wandering, and how that brings nothing but grief. Let us remember our former trials and how God worked in them to bring us strength, when we allowed it. May we allow it today.

And Gentlenesss for All

Couched in between two of my favorite verses is this kind reminder, "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." (Philippians 4:5)
Usually, that's not a tough one for me. But when facing a trial or struggle, it becomes a challenge to be gentle to everyone. Especially when some people really push your buttons... I am supposed to be gentle in my response?
Some definitions: "The quality or state of being gentle, especially in mildness of manners or disposition. Benignly gracious or kind in manner. Not harsh or stern. Mild, considerate and tender. Honorable, noble, distinguished."
Wow, that's a tall order. Not harsh or stern? Considerate and tender? Honorable, distinguished? All of that is supposed to be evident in my life to everyone? Everyone?!?
OK, I'm going to need some help here with that. I need to start thinking about how gracious God is toward me; how kind he is to always hear my needs; how he gently restores me daily.
I guess I need to grow some of that fruit - patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control to name a few. Interesting that they all seem to share a common theme. All blessing me to bless others. In gentleness.
So today I'll be taking a few deep breaths, keeping my eyes on things above, and making an effort today to be gentle to you and everyone else. (But it would really help if you would all be gentle toward me, too! Thanks!)

Panic vs Inspiration

It is much easier to do something than to trust in God; we mistake panic for inspiration. That is why there are so few fellow workers with God and so many workers for Him. We would far rather work for God than believe in Him. [Oswald Chambers, June 1]

Hmmm.... I would rather do than believe, I think. There must be a balance somewhere. Surely, God wants us to do something: Faith without works is still dead I'm told (James 2:17) -- action must accompany our belief. But what happens when faith does not accompany action? It's like shooting aimlessly in the dark; working for God but not with him. I wonder what kind of day we would have if we started with faith, and then added action? Perhaps if we seek him first, we'd find some inspiration for our daily grind...

The Art of Perfect Casting

Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you. -1Peter 5:7

Young Life president Denny Rydberg recently commented about this verse: "Unfortunately, I've seen in my own life and the lives of those around me, that we don't readily cast our anxieties and cares on Him. Maybe we feel it's a sign of weakness to even think we have anxieties... Or maybe we simply forget in the heat and pressure of living life.

"Or maybe, and this is even more dangerous, we don't believe God is big enough or strong enough or loving enough to handle what we're facing. Sometimes, our thinking is skewed. We see our problems, cares and anxieties as BIG and God as small. We might never say that in those words but we act like that.

"Instead we need to think of our problems as small compared to the all-encompassing strength and love of the Lord. And we need to cast our cares on Him because he does care for us."

Well said, Denny. Like a fisher who casts his nets each morning, so should we make a list every day of each care we have; make a regular habit of admitting our concerns and then give them to God, trusting that he is big enough, strong enough, and really does love us enough to handle them. And trust even more that in casting those on him, he will then prepare us as for the cares of each day, even the ones yet unseen.

A Prayer for Grads

Attended my first graduation party for May grads. Always fun. Always nice to reminisce. Reminds me every time of the same anticipation I felt way back when... the hope and excitement... looking forward to the end of finals... the end of a very long chapter in life.
Started Philippians this morning, and found a nice prayer for grads. Thought I would share it with you... it's my prayer for all of you:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Grace and peace because I know it can be an anxious time right now; praying with joy because I know that God has great plans for each of you; confident that God will continue his good work in you.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:2-11)

As you face the 'real world' may your love grow deeper and wider; may you know God's wisdom to guide you in the big decisions ahead; and may your soul continue to grow fruit that brings glory and praise to God.
Here's to you, graduates! Congratulations!!!