He Must Increase

He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30 (New American Standard Bible)

John the Baptist not only spoke these words to his disciples but he believed them. He lived them. He knew preeminence and prominence were Christ’s alone. What had to decrease was his image, his ministry, his position, his standing, his focus, his message, his influence, his following, his time, his will. None of that was a threat to him but rather a foundation for rejoicing. He knew better than to have it any other way. Others had to be taught the truth that epitomized his life…that of following, loving, and worshiping Christ with abandon.

I have found that allowing Christ to increase leads to the decrease of other things. But it is so easy to mistakenly try to reverse that order. I can often times draw the false conclusion that if I make things less important than I will more easily make Christ more important. He reminds me that is earthly thinking. Kingdom thinking knows that drawing closer to Him will lead to drawing away from that which is in competition for my heart.

I am asking myself this morning as Christ increases, what or who must decrease in my life? The answer lies in who or what has the majority of my attention and affections. That which my mind is consumed with on a continual basis. It is always me as a whole that must decrease. But along with that it is other people, problems, situations, aspirations, interests, failures, areas of bondage, schedule, or idols of my heart. It is not a matter of behavior modification but rather internal transformation. It comes not by squelching or suppressing what is in me but rather in pursuing God with all my heart, soul, and mind. The more He increases the more the others will decrease. It is the natural result of seeing Him for all He is and Who He is.

I know what it is like to have a person or thing become so important to me that it becomes the center of my life. Christ reminds me that is His place alone. I know what it is like to engage my heart in the throws of an unhealthy, unbalanced relationship. Christ reminds me balance will only come as I stay in intimate relationship with Him. I know what it is like to place all my hopes and dreams on something or someone outside of Christ. He reminds me He alone must be the One I direct my heart and worship toward. I know what it is like to attempt to derive my identity, worth, and significance from relationships or accomplishments. Christ reminds He is the true Source for each of those areas. What I know and what He continually reminds me of is a huge aspect of this journey.

Father, increase! Amen.

Left Alone

Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled. Matthew 26:56 (King James Version)

While here on earth, Jesus experienced pain, hurt, and sorrow of great proportion. He knew betrayal at the hand of one He chose and loved. He knew the loneliness of being let down at a time of great need. And He knew the reality of being abandoned in the presence of His enemies. The fact that He knew this would happen made it no less painful. Oh the comfort and strength that comes when just one person will stick with you through the difficulties of life. Oh the agony when that does not happen.

Some who are reading this know what I am talking about. The unfaithfulness of a spouse, the betrayal of a business partner, the deliberate departure of a close friend, rejection, desertion, and abandonment. Few people know it in its entirety but even one time is enough to leave you emotionally crippled for years. The more significant the person is in your life the more devastating the effects. Some know the sting of rejection through no fault of their own. Others know it as a result of their personal actions. Whether it is the consequence of your own choices or the decision of the other person the effect is felt.

When I review my own life I realize I have never known deliberate, intentional rejection. But I have known the emotional withdrawal of significant people, the unavailability of friends, and the feeling of being forgotten. This was a big factor in my home growing up. When drinking and bars had the full attention of my parents the seeds of neglect, loneliness, and abandonment took root. Those seeds grew over the years and left me with harsh messages toward myself and others when I experienced even the normal let downs of life. God and I are still going through the process of seeing where the lies, misinterpretations, and feelings stem from. He is showing me the way to emotional freedom!

Whether it is actual forsaking or simply an emotional response because of personal baggage, healing begins when I take in Jesus’ words of I will never leave you or forsake you. I am with you always. The One who knows the pain of ultimate rejection and abandonment will never withdraw from His own. When no other human source is available He receives my tears, hears my cries, and keeps giving me His assuring words of, “I am here. I am not going anywhere. You are not alone.”

Father, thank you for your tender and constant presence. Amen.

Why Am I Still Thirsty?

Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” John 4:13,14 (New American Standard Bible)

This verse has often thrown me. It use to make me wonder what was wrong with me. I had trusted Christ as my Savior and yet I still thirsted…for many things. I was thirsty for friendships, thirsty for love, thirsty for affirmation, thirsty for a meaningful life, thirsty for acknowledgement….the list is endless. I thought this verse meant eternally satisfied and I knew I wasn’t! I thought it meant I would know the answers to all my questions and dilemmas but I didn’t. Over the years it became a verse that taunted me more than comforted me. It became illusive rather than embraceable. I often wondered how it applied to me. How could Jesus’ words to the woman of Samaria be whispered to my heart as well?

God began to slowly open my eyes. He made a single phrase stand out to me. WHOEVER DRINKS!!!! Yes, when I trusted Christ as my Savior some 30+ years ago He made available to me internally an artesian well for my refreshment. But just like my water supply at home, if I don’t drink from it I will get thirsty! Whereas if I drink water throughout the day thirst will not be an issue. I will walk satisfied. Once He showed me the necessity for continually drinking from His internal supply, my next question was “how?” How do I drink from this living water within me?

I am learning that my drinks come every time I open Scripture and take in truth, every time I trust Him, every time I cry out to Him in prayer, every time I ask for a filling of His Spirit, every time I look to Him to meet my needs instead of looking to people, every time I sense His presence, every time I let music minister to me, every time I digest truths from Christian books. It boils down to my interaction with my Heavenly Father.

Now, thirst is an issue when too much time lapses between my moments of drinking at the well. May I not allow that to happen!

Father, I have been to the other wells. I thought I was quenching my thirst but I was only getting more thirsty. Today I drink my fill of You. Saturate me! Amen.

A Day For Review

And Eli said to Samuel, "Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for Your servant is listening." 1 Samuel 3:9,10 (New American Standard Bible)

God is still in the business of speaking to us when we poise ourselves to listen to him. I find though that every day is not necessarily a hearing of new things from Him. He knows my tendency to learn a lesson and then quickly want to move on to the next lesson to be learned. This morning He is letting me know this will be a day for review. I sense His insistence that I meditate upon the things He showed me yesterday. He wants the truths to go deeper within me. I can too easily settle for the cognitive aspect of taking in truth. I allow it to get into my mind but He is desirous that I also let it into my spirit. Transformation comes as I allowed the truth to become a part of my daily practice.

Yesterday was a day of “getting” the truth. Today begins the adventure of living out of that truth. What truth? That God is the One in control of my life and is bringing about all necessary changes. He knows that if I don’t fully embrace this aspect of Him, I will succumb to the skewed thinking and dangerous mindsets that can so easily trip me up. So He insists that I continue to rehearse the phrases He gave me as a way of reshaping my outlook on the circumstances of my own life.

Not only did He give me phrases but He also presented me with pictures that still hang on the walls of my mind. I can see them as clearly as the actual pictures that hang on the walls of my home. They are meant to reinforce the very truths He is instilling in me. How precious that He ministers to the visual person He created me to be. He knows exactly what words and images to use in order to help me understand, embrace, and live out of the life changing truth He is teaching me.

I rest in the fact that He is tailoring His instructions for me on an individual and daily basis. Line upon line and precept upon precept continue to be His method of teaching in the school of life. My part is to remain tender and teachable to His voice.

Father, I am touched by Your personal involvement in my life. You know how to get truth across to me. Help me to continue to listen, learn, and grow in the grace and knowledge of Yourself. Amen.

Waste Places

Indeed, the LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places and her wilderness He will make like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and sound of a melody. Isaiah 51:3 (New American Standard Bible)

There are times when life feels like a waste place, wilderness, and desert. Emotions are flat, a sense of hopelessness envelopes the soul, and one is filled with more questions than answers. It is a place I don’t like to be because it leaves me feeling like the bottom has fallen out and I begin to wonder if I am being thrown back to square one with God. Joy, gladness, thanksgiving, and music simply become the things I long for but seem far removed. Prayers are reduced to short phrases such as “Help me, God” and “Hold me, Father.” Reading the Bible seems lifeless. Attending church leaves you feeling more like an observer than a participant. You feel as though life is passing you by and you have suddenly been put in slow motion mode. Tears fall but you don’t always know why.

In the midst of the bleakness and darkness I have learned to do one thing….invite Jesus to be there with me. With Him I can freely share the confusing thoughts and insecurities. With Him I can be myself without the walls, masks, and false “okay” responses when asked how I am. He gives me permission to be silent when words elude me. He brings verses to mind when the light seems to have gone out on the path I walk. He gives me a song that will play over and over again in my mind as well as on my CD player. He gently reminds me that this too will pass.

When my mom was alive, she battled depression for most of her adult life. I well remember the empty stares and lifeless conversations. There are times I timidly ask God if that is what I am experiencing during the wilderness moments. For now, His answer is “No.” It is not depression but rather reminders that I live in a fallen world and possess a fallen nature. Expectations run high and disappointment runs deep but in the midst of it all He has promised to never leave me or forsake me. He encourages me to continue in the things I have learned and to keep looking to Him for my identity, security, and hiding place. It is a slow process at times but the promises of joy and gladness keep me hopeful.

Some will read these thoughts and see them as dark and foreboding. Others will relate and see themselves profoundly. With the latter ones I extend my hand in fellowship and understanding.

Father, be the Healer and Helper of our souls today. Help us sense Your presence and Your peace at this very moment. Amen.

Who Are We Listening To?

Thus says the king, "Do not let Hezekiah deceive you ....nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD...do not listen to Hezekiah." Isaiah 36:14-16 (New American Standard Bible)

We have to be so careful who we listen to. Everything that is said to us must be filtered through truth. The Assyrian messengers were seeking to chip away at those things which would hinder Israel from giving in to their requests. So much was being questioned and the accusations were arrows which were meant to wound and defeat. They were bringing in to question the worthiness of God's man, God's message, and God's character. Planting seeds of doubt was the same tactic Satan used with Eve. We must know the truth and hold it up against all attacks.

When a person's words line up with Scripture there is a foundation established that allows for truth to be given and received. No one wants to be deceived. It is a heart wrenching experience to wake up one day and realize you trusted the wrong source or stood on the wrong foundation.

It is one thing to be the victim of a financial scam or to purchase something that did not live up to its claim. But the worst case scenario is when the deception wreaks havoc on our view of God and the Christian life. Each of us wants to believe we are being told the truth about God when we hear a sermon, listen to a speaker, or read a book. Beth Moore says, "If the teaching you are sitting under is causing your view of God to get smaller, you are being deceived." So true!!!!

I want to surround myself with people who have a huge view of God. I want their excitement, passion, and love for God and the Scriptures to infect and affect me. For years I knew God could do anything but believed He was unwilling to do most things. I had such an extremely small view of His heart. But now I do two things that grow my view. I ask God to show me the truth about His heart and character in Scripture and I soak up as much teaching as I can that helps to enlarge my view of Him.

The Assyrian messengers had it all wrong. Their words could not survive when placed under the microscope of truth.

Father, let me ever live in the truth about You. Amen.

The One Who Holds Our Hand

The steps of a man are established by the LORD, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the LORD is the One who holds his hand. Psalm 37:23-25 (New American Standard Bible)

I love the thought within this verse. It shows human tendencies and Divine intervention! Within the Christian life there are strides of victory as well as times of faltering and falling. Ask any mountain climber to show you his bumps and bruises as he tells of his uphill adventures. I assure you, he has them to show! He will also let you know it is par for the course. There is no way to avoid them all. The same is true for any of us who have a walk of faith in this world. We will have our share of “falling” but the LORD is definitely the One who holds our hand!

When my children were small and learning to walk, they never went completely down if I had a hold of their hand. God wants me to see that picture of Him each day. Holding my hand, standing guard, watching over me. He is attentive to every need that arises and every situation that presents itself. This personal aspect of Him touches me deeply this morning. I drink in the reminder and it quenches the thirst of my spirit!

I sensed His hand holding me yesterday as I waded through thoughts and issues with Him. I took comfort in the fact that He already knew the fears and misgivings that had welled up within me. It became a time of taking Him up on His invitation to talk to Him about the very things that were bothering me. I didn’t have to hold back or hide any details. All the while I talked, I sensed no surprise or condemnation on His part. Honest dialogue with God has got to be part of every day’s experiences. It is part of the climb.

I don’t know about anyone else, but when I have been through a time of candid conversation with God, I come away amazed at the result. It is a time once again whereby He assures me He has a hold of my hand and is not going to let me go completely down. His grip is secure through it all.

So for any who would harbor secret thoughts about God, themselves, or others, find some time today to confide in Him. He will hold your hand and listen with interest. How gracious that the One who knows us so intimately still desires to hear the sound of our voice. May we each walk through this day feeling His hand on us.

Father, keep showing me the aspects of Yourself that I have often missed. Your tenderness and attentiveness astound me. Amen.