Tracing My Roots

You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of knowing from whom you have learned them. 2 Timothy 3:14

Paul knew that the roots of Timothy’s faith could be traced back to his mother and grandmother. What a godly heritage this young man had! Have you ever taken the time to review your own history of faith? If you did, from where would your roots extend?

I was not brought up in a Christian home. My early religious training of any kind came from my mother who was a Jehovah’s Witness for the first ten years of my life…..not counting my infant baptism in a Methodist church. It was from her I learned that God created the world and Adam and Eve were the first two people He created. That was the extent of my Bible knowledge but I am thankful today for those tiny seeds.

At the age of fourteen, I came to know Christ as my personal savior and God began to bring into my life a long line of individuals who had a tremendous influence on me and helped me to develop a walk with God that continues into my late 40’s. I can never review this precious list of individuals without seeing the faces of Bob and Martha Robinson…my first pastor and wife as well as youth directors. God allowed me to sit under their ministry for 9 months until He called them to the mission field of Guatemala. They not only taught me the beginning building blocks of my faith, they lived out the Christian life in front of me and served as an example I desired to follow. They were the first of many to take me under their wings and nurture my young faith.

Over the course of the next 30 some years the list grew to include Sharon, Barb, Mary Lou, Nancy, Velda, and Christine. God’s intent was that I not only learn from them but that I would one day enjoy a rich life with Him as my Mentor and Guide. Having made that transition, He is now calling and equipping me to invest myself in the lives of others. What I have been taught and what I am learning is meant to be passed on to others. What a joy and delight! Whether it is through email devotionals or one on one ministry, I take my role seriously and always under the watchful eye of my Father.

Father, You had this planned all along. Although I do not know the full extent of Your call I revel in what You are doing so far. Amen.

Finding the Least Among You

Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me. Matthew 25:40

In a Sunday School class I attend, the question was asked, “Have you ever been an enemy of God?” Instantly, people’s minds went to individuals who opposed the Bible, hated God, and persecuted Christians. With that image in their mind the answer to the question was, “No.” I too was thinking along the same line until God nudged me and brought this verse to mind. God wanted me to realize that my treatment toward others IS my treatment toward Him. If I have ever treated someone as my enemy then I have treated God as my enemy. In light of that, I would have to say there have been times when I was an enemy of God. Ouch!!!! I shared the thought with the class and you could see the light bulbs coming on for them.

Jesus is wanting each of us to realize the way we interact with Him and the way we interact with the people in our life cannot be separated. They are so closely tied together that He says when you do one you do the other…automatically. This point is driven home even deeper in I John 4:20 when it says, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” There is no mistake. What I do for others and how I treat them is noticed by God, important to God, and directed toward God.

As I begin to digest this truth a phrase from the verse stands out as well…..”even the least of these.” I find it easy to treat well the ones I love, admire, and respect. But today’s passage (Matthew 25:35-40) gives me a list of people to consider that I might otherwise not see. The hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned. In other words, the ones who have very little in the way of this life’s goods. They stand among us but are not seen by us. Am I willing to ask God to open my eyes to the ones in the most need of my attention and help? Jesus invites me to love Him by showing love to them.

Father, help me to see ‘the least among us’ today. What I say to them I will be saying to You. What I give to them I will be giving to You. What I think of them I will be thinking of You. May I never again separate those You created in Your image from You as their Creator. Amen.

My Power Source

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 2:1

It often amazes me that while I entered the Christian life fully aware that I could do nothing to save myself, I so quickly began living the Christian life out of a mindset that said I need to muster up my own strength to live in victory and bring pleasure to God. The Christian life for me became a chore of changing my outward behavior hoping it would somehow work its way into a changed heart. Although I knew Christ as my savior, I spent the first three decades embracing the religion of Christianity rather than developing a close, personal relationship with Christ. I was more comfortable conforming to the expectations of others than being conformed to the image of God.

The result? I was living my Christian life out of duty instead of delight. I was daily weighed down with self condemnation, worthlessness, negative thinking, and failure. I had resigned myself to the belief that it probably would not get any better. I was in a hopeless cycle of trying to do something I was not capable of doing. I struggled to admit any of this to myself let alone other individuals.

This morning I look at Paul’s words to Timothy in a different light. To be strong in the grace of God means I live dependent on God and cooperate with God. I realize that there is no strength in myself to do anything God calls me to do. He is not expecting me to perform for Him apart from His presence, His power, and His provision. He enables me to do what He causes me to desire to do. It is no longer on my shoulders to do it all!

So what is it He empowers me to do? Get into His Word each morning and apply the truths He shows me. Look to Him as my Source for EVERYTHING. Cultivate a deep, intimate walk with Him. Live my life out of the benefits that come from being in relationship with Him. Know that lasting change will only come as I link my mind with His and move forward arm in arm with the Creator of the universe.

Father, You never meant for me to live independent of You. I did not know that. How much better it is to find my strength in You. Amen.

Seeing a Soul Set Free

Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper; the snare is broken and we have escaped. Psalm 124:7

Have you ever known someone who is in bondage of one form or another? Maybe it is a habit, a mindset, a stronghold, an addiction, or a generational bent. Internally, they are held captive to forces that seem to work against them. They rise each day under a cloud of oppression, suspicion, and hopelessness. They long for freedom from the thoughts, feelings, and emotions. What a beautiful picture the psalmist gives us as to what is possible in Christ.

I have recently watched a special person in my life experience the freedom from such entrapment by the enemy. His world had become dark in the midst of trying circumstances. Feeling like his life was under the control of anyone but himself, the enemy took advantage of his situation and entrapped him with bitterness, negativity, hopelessness, and fear. His mindset was such that it darkened his world to the point that he was unable to see God’s hand in his life, any good things that were happening, and any reason to joy in life. It affected every area of his life and there did not seem to be an end in sight for even the slightest deliverance. His circular reasoning always seemed to send him spiraling down into a pit of despair.

What a joy it has been in the last couple of days to see his soul set free! His freedom from entrapment came as he saw that his problems did not lie in his circumstances but rather in his thought patterns. He had become so use to believing the lies of the enemy that he was missing the key to freedom. What is the key? Truth! Truth about God, truth about himself, and truth about his life. It has been in grabbing hold of Scripture and biblical principles that he has been able to wield a sword against the lies. He discovered he has a choice as to what he will fix his mind on.

He is learning the power of simply saying, “I am not going there” when wrong thinking comes his way. He is testing his thoughts through the grid of truth. And the result is astounding. Although his circumstances have not changed, his eyes now dance with life, his voice reflects truth and peace, and his entire demeanor has been transformed. I delight in the privilege of seeing this miracle unfold right in front of my eyes!

Father, the Truth really does set us free! May others discover life outside the entrapments and snares of the enemy. Amen.

Rethinking What It Means to Serve

Serve the LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing. Psalm 100:2

Many will look at Psalm 100:2 and instantly think of their role in the local church. I often have! But when I stop to realize my time spent in church constitutes a mere six hours in a week (at most) I must conclude that most of my service to the Lord will be done outside the walls of my church. How will I view and occupy the other 163 hours in my week? Some will be spent in my home, at my place of employment, at stores, traveling in my vehicle, etc… How am I doing at the tasks God gives me each day?

It changes my perspective greatly when I realize that everything I do can be done for God. It helps when I am doing something to envision Jesus Himself standing by me and saying, “Will you do this for Me?” Often times, my whole attitude and enthusiasm is changed depending on who is making the request. If it is someone I love, admire, and enjoy I am thrilled to be at their every beck and call. If it is someone I have little regard for I may respond less enthusiastically. I might even perform the task half heartedly, hesitantly, or with a bothered spirit.

Recently God has been showing me the value of doing something with the same attitude and willingness that I would have if He were the one requesting it or a dear friend were requesting it. That becomes the standard by which He interprets my service. Anything less is not pleasing to Him…..it is not serving Him with gladness.

So I head into today asking myself how I will do throughout my day. How will I view the jobs I am asked to do that don’t appeal to me or that no one else wants to do? How will I serve the person I hesitate to fully love? How will I respond at times when doing something interferes or interrupts my task at hand? May I desire to serve the Lord with gladness! When done for Him, no job can be called mundane, menial, or meaningless.

May the people I come into contact with today be the recipients of service done out of love and empowered by the Spirit of God. Former students of mine use to enthusiastically raise their hands when asked if someone would like to do ___________. May I be THAT willing, THAT excited, and THAT desirous to accept God’s assignments.

Father, empower me to not only serve You today but to serve You with gladness. Amen.

Unable To Do It Ourselves

And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” Matthew 19:16

Ask any number of people how to get to Heaven and the answers will be varied. Some would say to live a good life….keep the ten commandments. Here are some thoughts I have heard from people. Join a church, be baptized, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, live in such a way that your good outweighs your sin, pray, give your money to a church, read your Bible, sacrifice things in your life. We are a society of self sufficiency. We see life as pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps and working toward success. It is in our nature to live independent of God and His ways.

But what is wrong with thinking we can do something good enough to earn a place in Heaven? The premise is wrong! For one, a person’s view of God is such that they think He is saying, “Heaven is a wonderful place and you must do something to impress me enough to let you come here.” They think they must EARN a place there. By hard work and good deeds they hope they have given God enough reason to let them in.

Another problem is they have a wrong view of themselves. They think they are capable of doing enough to get them into Heaven. That maybe if they haven’t lived a horribly sinful life or committed a heinous crime they stand a good chance of getting in on their own merit. They may see the good life of an individual and assume those actions are what make Heaven a possibility for them. They feel they have tried their best and surely that will be good enough for God.
Allow me to address the first thought pattern. God offers Heaven as a free gift! He knows we could not produce enough good in our life to obtain it for ourselves. The Bible says we are saved by grace, not by works, because if it were by works we would spend eternity bragging on ourselves. It also says that all our righteousness (good deeds) are like filthy rags. No one will be in Heaven because of their own goodness. Jesus’ death and resurrection paid the price for our way to Heaven. If it could be earned, He would not have come in the first place.

Secondly, the idea that my good cancels out my sin is like saying, “All the times I drove at the speed limit should impress the judge enough to do away with my speeding ticket.” Or “All the times I have paid for items should cause the policeman to simply ignore the one time I shoplift.” How absurd! If this world does not operate on such a premise, what makes us think God does?
Yes, there is a Heaven and yes there is a way to get there. It is through Jesus.

Father, if it were up to any one of us to get ourselves to Heaven we would fail. It is not a matter of our good versus our bad. It is a matter of accepting Your offer of salvation as a free gift. Once that is done, may we live out the rest of our days here for Your honor and glory. Amen.

My Ultimate Helper

My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:2

I love Scripture that reminds me of who God is and what God is in relationship to my life. Psalm 121 gives me four aspects of God that are encouraging and refreshing to read. He is my Helper, my Keeper, my Protector, and my Guard. Talk about feeling surrounded and safe!!!! As His child, some of my most basic needs are to be loved, cared for, nurtured, and wanted. If I am seeking to get those needs met independent of God I am in for disappointment, heartache, and sorrow.

To think that the One who comes to my aid is the One who created heaven and earth. Anything I bring to Him shrinks in comparison to the magnitude of His creation. I often jokingly will tell someone, “Yes, God divided the Red Sea, brought water out of the rock, raised the dead, defeated vast armies, and much more…..but what I am bringing to Him is a BIG problem.” Laughter erupts because of the absurdity of such a statement!

Isn’t it interesting how certain individuals can come to our aid and just their presence relieves us? For instance, seeing a fireman when there is a fire, seeing a policeman when a crime is about to be committed against us, seeing a soldier (from YOUR nation) when the enemy has moved in? Those are just a few examples but none of them can compare with the presence of God in ones life. His attributes of being all-present, all-power, and all-knowing put Him far above any human source of help.

I am coming to realize that His help (while always available) does not mean life will automatically go my way, that dangers will disappear, or that heartache will cease. But when I go through a storm or a valley He is able to preserve my soul and spirit. Though my outward life may be filled with difficulties, He is able to bring peace and safety to my internal world. It does not mean there will be no tears. It means I will be able to shed those tears on His shoulders and in His arms.

I long to live in a perfect world with perfect people and perfect situations….but that is Heaven. While I am living my days out here, I am learning to take refuge under the shadow of His wings.

Father, Your many invitations to come to You show me where to turn throughout my day. As my helper, keeper, protector, and guard, You quiet my heart amidst any difficulty. May I always rest in You. Amen.