A Fresh Word for Today

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”   Psalm 143:8

My husband could not stand the taste of coffee for the first 18 years of our marriage, while I would go the proverbial extra mile to get the perfect cup of coffee, the thought of heating up yesterday's left over coffee in the microwave nearly made me gag. Some of that has changed as Paul now drinks coffee every morning. We are spoiled with a fresh ground cup of brewed coffee every morning and we think it is the perfect way to start the day, sipping in the mellow mood of mornings, kick-starting the thoughts that will take us through the day. I’ll ask any non-coffee drinkers to use their imagination.

The other day I was having my perfect cup when a still small voice reminded me, that as much as I like my coffee fresh, am I content with yesterday's Word? I would never be content with yesterday's coffee, yet I can let my feet hit the floor and point myself into the day with yesterday's Word of God vaguely resting on my memory. Why is that habit of starting fresh with Him every morning so easy to let slide? I never forget to have my coffee. Let's sit at His feet together and listen to His fresh spoken Words for today.

Psalm 143:8 is rich with guidance for your day. “Let the morning bring me word…” Let, bring, these are accepting words, a receiving attitude, like accepting something handed to us. My favorite cups of coffee are handed to me by my husband. Our Loving Heavenly Father has prepared this day and He will prepare us for whatever this day brings. What is He bringing you this morning? Words of His unfailing love. This is not love like we may have known it. His Word and His love is true and faithful, unconditional and trustworthy. Perhaps your earthly experience with love and relationships doesn’t look like that. This morning He asks you to put aside those thoughts of disappointment and broken trust, and let Him bring you His love. Our experiences are not perfect and often not beautiful, but just like the sunrise is perfect every morning so God’s love remains perfect and beautiful every day. If we let each morning bring us His Word instead of our disappointed words we may find our perspective on the day is changed.

What kind of perspective is He offering us? A perspective of trust based on who He is, unfailing and loving, no worry, no doubt. Like Peter, when He got out of the boat to walk to Jesus on the water, we can keep our eyes on Jesus and not on the disturbing waves around us. That focus will change how we walk through the day, in trust and faith. “Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.” The walk of trust has more confidence than questions, promise than doubts. Perhaps you think this sounds too much like motivational talk without real substance. If you think your situation is more challenging that the writer of this verse take a look at the rest of the Psalm, the verses before verse 8. “Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry…come to my relief…The enemy pursues me…my spirit grows faint…my heart within me is dismayed…Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails.” (Read the whole chapter here. Psalm 143 NIV.) Verse 8 comes on the heals of discouraging thoughts. Then the Psalmist turns his focus to the One who gives him hope. 

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”  

Resurrection Morning! That was ten days ago. We all celebrated that monumental, history changing moment last week. He is risen! He is risen indeed! We relive that morning in our minds and online (because Covid-19 has closed the building), hoping to recreate the joy and hope in our hearts that Mary Magdalene had after she Jesus alive! Here we are just over week later, is life different because Jesus is alive? We have all felt the incredible ache of separation when we loose someone we love. “If only we could speak one more time, I wish I could say.... if I could ask one more question.... I would express my love more....” When Jesus died those who loved him grieved; but then He rose from the dead and they talked with Him, they hung on every word He said and they loved Him.

In this week since we celebrated His resurrection we have had ten mornings to get up early to talk with him one more time. Ten evenings to walk and talk with Him. To hang on every word. To love Him with all our heart and mind and every fiber of our being? We might think we have all the time in the world to do that and the urgency of the phone notifications is constant. Don't mistake the urgent for important. Keep the most important thing (or person) the most important thing. 

It may be helpful to see things from His perspective. In Exodus 32:1-8 the Israelites were waiting at the bottom of Mt. Sinai for Moses to come back from his face to face meeting with Almighty God. In verse one the people complain because Moses has been gone 's-o  l-o-n-g'. Moses is talking with God on a glory covered mountain and they think he has been gone too long so they build a golden calf to worship and call it their god. Eight verses later God’s description of the exact same time period is 'how quick’ they are to turn away. How long would we want to stay in the tangible presence of God? Obviously God has a whole different perspective on time. 

We just celebrated Jesus' resurrection. What about that earthshaking, veil ripping, grave opening, soldier slinging, eternity changing moment has changed your week? Ten days, would you describe your time with Him as, 'so long' or 'how quick'? 

In this convenient life we live in, we are easily inconvenienced. Anything from traffic, slow electronics, or spilled coffee is inconvenient. This morning as I was reading about Passover; a day when God saved His chosen people because they obeyed His strange directive, and painted the frames of their doors with lamb’s blood. Then they stayed inside until morning. In this narrative of the disciples' preparation for Passover there are two verses set off all by themselves (Mark 14:10-11). As I read them I stopped short, and reread them again. These are not verses you would memorize or cross-stitch or place as your screensaver. 

“Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him (Mark 14:10-11 NKJV). Judas looked for a way to conveniently betray his friend and master. There is nothing convenient about betrayal. What did he tell himself? “OK I’m going to betray my friend today but I don’t want to let it get in the way of my day, or make me look bad, and I definitely don’t want to be inconvenienced."

I am so glad that the inconvenience of the cross didn't make Jesus pause. No, when it was inconvenient He turned His face toward Jerusalem, knowing what was waiting for Him there. Then when He knew they disciples would all desert Him, and one would betray Him, He inconveniently planned a meal, He sat down with them and ate a tender meal with them. He didn't let what He knew about their imminent betrayal detract him from serving them. It's reminds me of the good Shepherd, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies..." I know you are my friends at this table but in a few hours you will join my enemies. Why? Because following Jesus is hard, it's inconvenient, it's an honor -  it's worthy everything.   

Evil did NOT win!

Tomorrow marks two years since the evil stormed through our community and a church building became a memorial for the 26 lives that were taken. Shortly after the shock numbed and the mayhem left town, First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs embraced a slogan that would give them strength and focus through the dreaded months to come; "EVIL DID NOT WIN". 

The words were posted high above the church on the sign by the road, it was the title of many newspaper articles, and the slogan on their t shirts last week at the Sutherland Springs Old Town Days. In the aftermath of the facts; all the loss, all the pain, all the challenges, all the family members who don't show up for church each Sunday, how is it that evil did not win? News reports are filled with the graphic evil that occurred on Nov 5th, 2017. Some Facebook posts are transparently raw about the pain of loss after that day, others are sadly silent in their grief and anger about things that can never be undone. How did evil not win?

There is a phrase in The Lord's Prayer that millions have prayed for thousands of years, "deliver us from evil," or, "deliver us from the evil one," either one is true. Deliver us, rescue us; this is not a suggestion or a request, it is an imperative command. "HELP!" No please or thank you, just the plea, deliver us! "Deliver" assumes that the danger, the evil, the need is already present. There is no need to deliver from a hypothetical or future situation. Deliver us from evil, a very real evil, and the evil one.

That dread-filled day has passed, and the evident danger is also in the past, but what of the evil, has it gone? Or is it continually knocking at the door of the survivors, the responders, the community, the world that reads and reels from the perpetual bad news? The apparent evil has passed but the temptation to let it remain is still here, still daily apparent. 

Looking back at Jesus' prayer the phrase that precedes "deliver us from evil," is, "lead us not into temptation." Lead us not! Don't let us go there! The evil that is in front of us every day is the one from which we need deliverance. Evil may have burst through the church door and delivered destruction but that evil is gone. The evil that remains is the temptation, by the evil one, to destroy everyday with evil. The temptation to let our peace be destroyed by anxiety, the temptation to let our love disappear into fear, to let doubt eat away at our faith. "Lord, lead us away from temptation." 

When the news tried to distort the grief of the remaining church members, they said "NO," evil did not win. When the conspiracy theorists stood at the edge of the church property taunting the pastor to engage, he said "NO," evil did not win, when depression threatened to drown survivors, they said "NO," and they supported each other, got counseling, and prayed for each other. "Lord, keep us from that temptation, and deliver us from that evil." That is why EVIL DID NOT WIN!

• the evil of hate did not win.
• the evil of unforgiveness did not win.
• the evil of self-pity did not win.
• the evil of hopelessness did not win.
• the evil of fear did not win.
• the evil of defeat did not win.
• the evil of offense did not win. 

Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever. 
"Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory; 
because of your love and faithfulness." (Psalms 115:1, NIV) 

For God's sake, forgive!

Fall, I love fall for so many reasons. It's beautiful, it's cooler, it's sweater weather, and of course there's some pumkin stuff. Really fall is about letting go. Letting go of the old leaves to make room for the new growth. Forgiveness is like that. 

Forgiveness frees us from so much when we let go. I'm talking about those wrongs, injustices, cruelties, that were done to us and we hang onto them thinking that justice will come and we will feel better. Not! As long as we don't forgive we are tied to that memory, that pain, that time in the past. 

By forgiving we release all that stuff and making room for new growth. There is freedom in that.  Forgiving may not even affect the other person but it changes me, it frees me. Listen to what God says, "He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins." Isaiah 43:25 NKJV

Did you get that? FOR MY OWN SAKE. God forgives us for His sake. He doesn't hold onto our sins but removes them as far as the East is from the West. For God's sake, forgive! For your own sake, forgive. Stop holding onto the cancer of unforgivness that polutes our everyday.  If you need words to help letting go try this. 

"Jesus forgive me for holding on to the past, it's sin. Teach me forget the things that are behind and reach for what is ahead. Because you have forgiven me, I chose to forgive____. I release them from my judgement and the emotional dept I feel they own me. I forgive them and release them. And God, I ask you to bless them. Yes, bless them. Please remove the pain and the past from my life and bring new life where the old has left. All because of Jesus. Amen."

Now enjoy the fall for new life is on the way.

The Flow of Words

This morning I talked with my friend from Georgia. The language that flowed from the phone was an immediate give away of who the caller was. The tongue gives away who you are. Even if you are not from England or Texas if you spend enough time there your accent will change to sound like the land in which you live.
     In the same way the language that flows from our mouths sounds like the land in which we live spiritually. If we dwell in the place of criticism out hearts get critical and the sound of the words we speak is critical. If we dwell in the land of sarcasm or complaining then out of our mouths flows the language of sarcasm and complaining. We always speak our mother tongue with ease. The heart of the matter is what makes the difference. What flows out can only flow out if that is what is inside.
     If you spill a glass of water, water comes out. If you spill a cup of coffee, coffee comes out.  What would happen if our heart were so full of thankfulness that thankfulness spilled out everywhere we went? What if we learned to make thankfulness our mother tongue.  Can a mother tongue be changed?
    In Genesis 1 God gives mankind dominion to rule over everything on the earth. “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion…. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion ....” Man is given dominion (rule, power to control) over every creature, bird, animal, and over the earth, yet according to James 3:7-8 “Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind, but no one can tame the tongue. (CSB)
James 1:26 "If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives himself."
     So are we doomed? Must we live with a tongue we can't change? Look at the flowers of the field that God clothes in color, they can't change their color unless something supernatural takes place. If someone takes that flower and places it in colored water the color of the flower changes also.  The only way the petals of a flower can change color is if the food coloring travels up the stem and goes to the petals.
    In the same way the only way our mother tongue can change is if the Holy Spirit flows up from our heart to our tongue. Don't hold your tongue, you can't change that, but do hold your heart. Let your heart be filled with the Holy Spirit and the fruit of holiness will flow up into your mouth. Then love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control will come from the Holy Spirit filling your heart, moving up the stem and changing the color of your words.

My passion for 2018

My passion for 2018? It hasn't really changed since I read and memorized this when I was 14. I have grown,  my desire has grown and become more intense, but the goal is the same. 

THAT I MAY KNOW CHRIST AND THE POWER OF HIS RESURECTION, BECOMING LIKE HIM IN HIS SUFFERING AND DEATH SO THAT SOMEHOW I MAY EXPERIENCE HIS RESURECTION FROM THE DEAD! Philippians 3:10.

Everything else is worthless compared with knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For that goal I shake off every other goal. For that prize I run the race lightly, letting go of everything that weighs me down. I make it my single focus to pursue and really know Him. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! Our friends in First  Baptist Church  Sutherland Springs shared, and are sharing, in that experience as are many in the community.

What does really getting to know and pursuing Christ look like? Does it look like reevaluating my priorities? Reorganizing my time and energy to reach that goal of knowing Him intimately?  Or does it mean I will have to know Him in my suffering through grief and loss? Jesus loved us SO MUCH that He chose the suffering and death so we could be with Him. Jesus says it in John 14, "I'm going to prepare a room/ mansion for you.  So that when it's ready,  and you are ready,  I'll come get you so that we can be together!" God really loves us that much. That being with us makes Him happy.  In other words.  Jesus will do anything and everything to be with us. 

My prayer for you today is from Ephisians 1. That you may know the hope of His calling for you, the richness of His glory in the saints who have His inheritance in them, and the incredible greatness of His power toward those who believe in Him, that the same power that rose Jesus from the dead lives in us, today!!! WOW!  WOW! WOW! So as I contemplate the sorrow and trouble and death around me, I place over that the picture of Jesus dying and rising from the dead so that we could be like Him, so that we could know Him in our earthly experience,  so that He could come get us when our room is ready and we could be together! Now that's a great thought for my heart to start this day.  ♡