Choice Words

“Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing in Your eyes, O Lord, my Rock and the One Who saves me.”—Psalm 19:14

God, this is clearly one of the best things I can pray each day.
What could possibly be more uplifting to You, to my soul, and to others
Than to ask You to help me to choose spoken and written words carefully...
And suppress the urge to speak and write those that are careless?
And then the root of it all:
To know that if my heart stays tender by sticking close to You and Your Words,
Seeking to please You in thought, deed, and attitude...
...Then the words that overflow out of my mouth and brain
Should be mostly devoid of sarcasm, poison, and barbs.
And instead be
Mostly powerful ones of grace, encouragement, and humility.
What the world needs now.
(By the way, I’m really glad You’re OK with words like “should” and “mostly.”)
This may be a prayer-in-progress, but not mission impossible.
Because You inspired that verse in the first place. 

For a good reason. 

So, since You have said nothing is impossible with You, 

I’ll put all my chips on that promise and go for it. 

Because You also inspired this:

“Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about. “—Philippians 4:8

And there are no better words to live by than those.

The Ride of Your Life

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”—Philippians 1:6.

Some mornings on the way to work, there’s someone with a 5-speed on your bumper, itching for a chance to blow by you once there’s an open stretch of highway.  And then there's you and the three hybrid car drivers in front of you, who for some reason have no itch at all and are barely reaching the speed limit.  You desperately wish you were that other guy with the zippy 5-speed Focus sport edition, enjoying the ride.

Because you love those mornings. The words in the Word seem to zoom off the page straight into your heart, and you are jolted with wonder, amazement, and insight. But other days, you feel like you're hugging the breakdown lane: the words move by slowly without a sound—or worse, stare right back at you.

“God, what have I done I wrong? And where are You, anyway?”

Probably nothing. And still here.

There are a million reasons why our passion for God on some days is not as zippy, white-hot as we’d like. Go no further than everyday distractions, discouragements, and a mental to-do list that often seems overwhelming.

You just…can’t…Focus.

It’s good to know that God is not puzzled or freaked out by any of it. In fact, He has a great response for all our days, whether 5-speed or stuck in traffic:

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)

Unswervingly may not qualify for most dictionaries, but to break it down, to swerve means “to turn aside suddenly from a straight course.” So, to un-swerve would simply mean:

Stay steady.

Look straight ahead.

Hold on tight to what you know is True.

Beware of "I've got this" cruise control.

Relax, trust the Road Map, and keep going.

To live unswervingly is learning to rest in the simple fact that the ups and downs of life are God’s way of building and refining the character of Christ in us—that in all things, He's doing a "good work within" to make us better reflectors when we get out onto the road of a new day.

“Gospel-centered discipleship is not about how we perform, but who we are—imperfect people, clinging to a perfect Christ, being perfected by the Spirit.”—Jonathan Dodson, “Christ-Centered Discipleship”

'Even When I Cannot See...'

“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you.’”—Genesis 12:1

Someone has described blind faith as something that “can be practiced by anyone, including atheists. Blind faith occurs when someone puts their faith in something without any evidence.” (As a side note, this same definition listed a word related to blind faith: “stupidity.”)

It's good to remember that no matter how nice, pleasant, and almost antiseptic our culture has reinvented the definition of faith, the one handed down to us by Abraham is hardly blind and definitely not stupid. In fact, the example of Kingdom faith set by our spiritual fathers and mothers is, in more ways than one, “out there” bold. It’s life-on-the-edge, extreme power walking with the Creator of the universe, and has a seed so volatile, it can move mountains with just one word.

Faith in God’s leading in our lives may not mean actually leaving one place to go to another, but it will continually challenge us to let go of what is familiar, safe, comfortable and practical—even to “boldly go where no man has gone before.” Each day presents "trust Me" moments that are a mind-bending adventure, challenging every comfortable thought pattern, mindset, or habit that makes sense...

...and that wants to keep our finger on the control button.

Contrary to blind faith, the kind of faith we get to grab hold of is, as the Amplified puts it, “the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality—faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses.”  And what is that conviction? Simply that there has never, ever been an exception to this: “God said…and it was so.”

Lord, help us yet again today to remember that amazingly wonderful conviction, and to step out as You lead.

Would I believe you when you would say

Your hand will guide my every way

Will I receive the words You say

Every moment of every day

Well I will walk by faith

Even when I cannot see ....

(from "Walk by Faith" by Jeremy Camp)

Follow the Oak

"In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory." — Isaiah 61:3

For most of the spring and summer, oak trees tend to go unnoticed, blending in with the rest of the landscape. But they sure stand out in the fall when you're trying to rake the lawn and are waiting, waiting, waiting for the oak to drop the last of its leaves. Never happens. And in the dead cold of winter, you look up, and there they are, still hanging on. "What's with that?"

Well, consider:

• Where other trees tend to root in shallow soil, the oak's tap root goes deep and straight down for nourishment and water, so that it is able to adapt to and withstand prolonged seasons of drought;
• Its root system when added up is measured in miles, not feet; it is not satisfied with surface or easiest to grab soil, but can dig, twist, turn, and stretch around hard or rocky ground in search of sustenance and strength;
• That nourishment and persistence results in a wood whose density is known as one of the strongest and most hardened of all God's trees;
• And, accordingly, resistant to attack by bugs, fungus, and "ites" of every kind;
• And those leaves that won't fall off? Something within an oak's fruit system is always alive, no matter how cold or difficult the season. 

Not surprisingly, the same God who calls the stars by name also really knows His trees, and more than that, knows which one in particular best symbolizes the child of God who believes, increasingly trusts, and persistently walks with Him. The great oak is what we are positionally, and what God desires us to be practically.

Little wonder, then, that there seems to be this strangely persistent longing to put down deeper and stronger roots in our walk. Maybe because that's what we were re-born for: to stand faithful in a world of ever-increasing confusion, to love more with the kind of Love that endures forever...

...to be one whose life is so marked by persevering faith, hope, and joy in its Maker that it might prompt someone, someday, to ask "What's with that?" 

The Best Answer

“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked Him, ‘Of all the commandments which is the most important?” 'The most important one,' answered Jesus, 'is....'"—Mark 12:28

Sometimes, God can let a familiar passage from the Gospels in one setting come through the back door and grab us at our point of need in another setting. Who knew, for example, that the teacher of the law is a much-needed voice from the Nativity scene, along with the angels, shepherds, and cow moos? Because amidst all the growing noise from the to-do-to-buy-to-go lists running around in our heads every single holiday season, this guy’s voice needs to cut through the fog so loudly, that all the to-dos freeze in their tracks:

“OK, so what really matters?”

The teacher of the law had about 613 add-ons (of his own making) to 10 simple truths for living that God Himself had already laid out perfectly.  All these extras may have seemed really important, but reading between the lines, you wonder if maybe, just maybe, the teacher was desperately looking to get his bearings straight once more.

And to all of our 613 or so add-ons (many not of our own making) to the simplicity of the Nativity that seem unavoidable every holiday season, comes the Lord’s timely take on the same reply He gave to the teacher of the law. Lovingly, patiently, piercingly clear:

“I am in the midst of all your to-do lists...or, at least I want to be.

Because remember, I, not the add-ons, am the Main Thing.

You know this, but I know, life can get nuts.

So listen up once more, it’s pretty simple:

First, remember that even when things seem crazy and out of control

I AM Lord. Always was Lord, always will be Lord.

The in-control-of-it-all One.

In church, and out of church.

Especially out.

And in the midst of it all,

Come unto Me, all who are weary,

And I will get your bearings straight once more.

This is the way, walk in it:

Love Me with all you’ve got

Even if it doesn’t feel like much at the moment;

With all that makes you, well, you:

The way you think, respond, work, play, and talk

Because that’s how I built you

And remember, like Me,

Not just in church, but out of church.

Even at ________.

Take Me with you in all of that.

All of it.

Enjoy it. Yes. I said, have a blast.

Sure, life can be hard, but life in Me is always good and abundant.

And the best gift you can give Me

Is the gift of love you give to someone in need

Even if it is just a small gift of listening

Or moving some furniture.

Because you never know what might open the door

For Me to walk into their lives.

During the holidays, for sure.

But in the other 364 days, too.

And that, My friend, is not just a good answer,

It's the best answer of all."

(Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a 2015 of 'best answers')

Rethinking Life on Overload

Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.—1 Thessalonians 4:1

And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.

—1 Thessalonians 4:10

Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”—1 Thessalonians 5:11

In the upside down Kingdom, it's good to know that “just one more thing” is not intended to add to anyone’s stack of daily responsibilities but to lighten it by getting our energies refocused. Instead, when life goes on overload, it’s good to fight through the mental "to-do" list traffic patterns to pause at the intersection of Chaos and Crazy, and remember that what really matters is pursuing simplicity even in the midst of it all:

• A daily life of God-honoring speech, thought, and deed

• Loving one another

• Encouraging one another

More than any earthly achievement, no matter how noble, these are the "to-do"s that can change lives (ours and others around us) and bring light to dark places.

Oh yeah, just one more thing: Don't forget to hand over the keys…

“May the God of peace himself make you entirely pure and devoted to God; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept strong and blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes back again. God, who called you to become his child, will do all this for you, just as he promised." —1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Hope in a Hard Place

“Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you…because I have many people in this city.”—Acts 18:9-10

From one hard place to another—Athens, and then Corinth—no one would blame the Apostle Paul for wanting an easier, more receptive assignment. And though he doesn’t say so in so many words, we can only guess that “get me out of here!” was on his mind by this “do not quit” exhortation from the Lord Himself.

Sometimes, like Paul, we may think, “why on earth did God put me here in this corner of the world?” When it’s a hard place, and everything you believe and live for seems to stand no chance against the wave of prevailing opinion, the temptation is strong to escape to someplace sunny and warm—or worse, to just keep quiet.

But this little passage is encouragement to stay graciously faithful in both word and deed wherever we are, because as Paul found out in two of the most difficult places any of us will ever encounter, “hopeless” and “what’s the point?” are never part of God’s equation. To wit, "Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized."

Even in the hardest soil, hope grows. It's good to know that He hasn't given up on anyplace, that He always, always has "many people in this city" who will be curious about what makes us tick, and receptive to our reason for living...and perhaps more importantly, there will be those in every hard place in the world who have been desperately waiting and literally dying for someone, anyone to bring them some Good News.

The words of Mordecai to Esther still ring true:

“And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”