Happy New Year! I hope that this post finds you each doing well and enjoying your day. It’s about time for me to head back into the office for a new semester, and I will admit that I will miss my extended morning quiet times. I have been enjoying coffee with the Father and studying in his word. This morning’s Bible reading was in the first six books of Jeremiah, and something that struck me was how often the phrase, “declares the Lord” was stated.  Well of course, you might say, this is a book of prophecy.  But the thought that ignited in my mind was why didn’t the people to whom Jeremiah was speaking respond?  I highlighted 36 times where the scripture expressed this statement or a “Thus says the Lord” phrase.  To me, it sounds as if the message Jeremiah was bringing was of utmost importance!  However, the people did not respond to it as we read in scripture. They were deeply rooted in the evils and sins of the world around them.  Taking a step back to consider this, the Lord was not seen as an authority in their lives as expressed in chapter five, verse 12:

“They have spoken falsely of the Lord and have said, ‘He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine.’”

Jeremiah 5:12 (ESV)

The next thought that came to mind was to ask myself – does this apply to me?  We are blessed to live on this side of the cross under the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:9).  However, do we fully see him as the authority in our lives?  We are not called to be a perfect people.  We are called to have hearts that long for heaven (Romans 8:18) Our path to glory can only be guided by the one who created it – God.  We are so blessed to have the full inspired revelation of scripture at our fingertips to guide us (2 Timothy 3:16).  We have the birds eye view from Creation to the Cross and on into the early church.  The entirety of these accounts should be guided by the statement, “Declares the Lord” accompanied by a conviction of his authority to act on his promises.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”

Hebrews 10:23 (ESV)

O little town of Bethlehem… This time of year, we often hear this refrain as words to a Christmas song.  It is a revered place that holds significance in Bible history, but have you ever stopped to consider the actual birthplace of our Savior?  We first read of it in Genesis as the place that Jacob was traveling to when Rachel gave birth to Benjamin (Genesis 35:16-19).  It was where Ruth returned to with Naomi after the death of her husband and father-in-law (Ruth 1:1-7).  Samuel finds his way there to anoint David as the next king of Israel (I Samuel 16:1-4).  Micah prophesies of it as a small place which will bring great things (Micah 5:2).  All in all, it was a backwoods location of some of the most beloved people in our spiritual lineage. 

Along with selecting an unlikely place for our Savior’s beginning, God also chose unlikely people to bring about his plan.  Ruth was undoubtedly experiencing a great deal of grief as she traveled the road to Bethlehem with Naomi.  David, the young shepherd, was hardly the vision of a king when Samuel anointed him. Mary was an unwed teenager at the time she was chosen to be the mother of Jesus.  God often uses our vulnerabilities to bring us close.  Like a parent directing the chin of their child to look them in the face and say, “listen to me, I love you.”  Life happens, but God is.  He is the light (John 8:12), the giver of living water (John 4:7-14), the bread of life (John 6:35), and “the Alpha and Omega, the first and last” (Rev 22:13).  His plan has purposefully been carried out in the lives of misfits and marginalized individuals throughout history who shared an unwavering faith in God.  The older I get and the more of life that happens to me and around me, I appreciate more and more the fact that God sees us for who we are and not what we have.  As He told Samuel long ago in the small town of Bethlehem,

“Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 

  I Samuel 16:7 (ESV)

God is not searching for perfect people; He is searching for faithful hearts with eyes focused on Him.  David was certainly not perfect as we read of his many faults, yet he was the only person to be called a man after God’s own heart (I Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22).  O little town of Bethlehem, a place from which great things came.  The Bible is a message of hope for all of us, no matter our station in this life, misfit, marginalized, or misdirected.  We each have the potential to do great things for God if we follow the example of those who came before us and keep our eyes on Him and His plan. 

¹¹“For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
    from those who walk uprightly.
 ¹²O Lord of hosts,
    blessed is the one who trusts in you!”

Psalm 84: 11-12

Lately I have found myself getting bogged down in the day-to-day things of life.  While there are so many blessings to be thankful for, I have felt my joy waning.  As Christians, I think that we equate joy with a perpetual happiness.  In reality though, God does not promise us a continual spiritual “high”.  It is one that we must purposefully seek. I tried to remember when the last time was that I had sat down to spend quality time with God’s word.  The fact that I had to “try and remember” meant that it had been too long.  Reading snippets of scripture and short prayers is a good way to get through the day, but not a substitute for sustaining the peace that God has promised us (John 14:27).  So, I stopped my musings and headed for the kitchen table with Bible in hand.   

I found myself in the book of Isaiah, chapters 51 through 55 – just the thing I needed.  In these scriptures a beautiful picture is foretold of God’s plan of redemption.  The verses that really resonated with me though were in chapter 55, verses 8 and 9:

⁸For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

What a reassurance and visualization God gave us with this passage.  He sees all, He knows all, and He is working for our good (Romans 8:28).  It is so hard sometimes to remember that He’s got our back.  It’s not up to me to fix the world and all that I find wrong with it.  It’s up to me to turn to Him and seek His guidance because He’s already overcome the world.

 ^“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33 (ESV)

¹⁶ He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Oh, how I wish I could see like Elisha!  Flash forward to the New Testament though, and Paul reassures us that we are still on the winning team in Romans 8:31 (ESV)

^“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Opening our eyes to see God in our daily lives involves reading His word to remind us of His promises.  Romans Chapter 8 is one of the most uplifting chapters in the New Testament.  Paul reminds us that God indeed is here for us day in and day out.  However, if we only have a one-sided relationship through prayer without studying His Word, we might as well be playing Marco, Polo with our eyes closed.  God has so much to tell us if we will be still and listen.  My all-time favorite go-to verse is Romans 8:28 (ESV)

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,for those who are called according to his purpose.”

That small word all in this verse is a reminder that God is indeed interested in my day-to-day life in order to culminate in an eternal life that is worth living with my eyes wide open to God.

A faith so small for a God so big. So many times I fail like Job to remember that we serve a God who “laid the foundation of the earth.” The God we pray to knows us by name while I can scarcely remember what I ate for breakfast much less the names of all the people I’ve met in my lifetime. But God does! He is intimately concerned with and about us. From the number of hairs on our heads (Matthew 10:30) to the burdens in our hearts (Psalm 55:22). I often have trouble fathoming a love so deep and so wide. However, our job is not to understand it, but to abide in it. (John 15:4) To give glory, praise and adoration to the God who remains constant and true to His promises. (I Corinthians 10:31, Hebrews 10:23, Hebrews 13:8) Our infallible human minds naturally try to box God in – surely He can’t or He won’t help me. That is the voice of Satan. God’s voice says – try me, give it to me because I AM. (Exodus 3:14) Period. That’s it. God is the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end. (Revelation 1:8) He is the one who laid the foundations of the earth and yet is concerned about the grass and the birds. (Matthew 6:25-34) So go ahead, lay it on Him – all your doubts, your fears, your worries.  He’s got this!

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

During this time of year as we look to the Thanksgiving holiday, we continually hear phrases “gratitude” and “give thanks”.  We pause for a day, sit down at our tables full of food, and reflect on our blessings.  While it is wonderful to be able to do this, how long does this feeling last?  A week?  A month?  Or is it until the credit card statement comes reminding us that it’s time to pay the piper?  Maybe you’re a better person than me, but I’ll bet a few of you can identify.  Have you ever had a moment in life that just solidified gratitude for you? 

I can remember twice in my life when this hit home for me.  The first was during a medical mission trip to El Salvador.  The people in the villages that we served lived in tiny houses with dirt floors and no electricity.  They would walk miles to line up before dawn to see us.  Their needs were many, but despite all of that, the smiles and gratitude they displayed far succeeded anything that I had experienced.  I was amazed at their continued ability to smile in the face of a life harsher than I could imagine.  Gratitude in its purest form – thankfulness for having their basic needs of nutrition, clothing and medical care met.  I walked away from that experience with a renewed sense of gratitude for my home and my family.

The second time that I considered the context of physical blessings was when I walked into my parents’ house for the first time after the death of my mother.  I was surrounded by all the things that she loved and cherished, and immediately the thought that – you can’t take it with you – hit me full force.  It was then that I finally understood that the true blessings are not of this world.

Jesus tells us to “lay up our treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-21).  How many times do we read through that verse and just keep going?  Only those who have lost so much or live with so little really understand that this life is “a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14).  That is not to say that we should shun the physical blessings that we have, but rather put them into context with the reality that we have a hope that is bigger than this life.

Jesus ministered to those who were “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3), and he beckoned the little children to him (Luke 18:16).  He was the King of Heaven, but he came down to be “poured out” for us (Matthew 26:28).  As we look to the holiday season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, we are surrounded by the commerce of it all, but help us to realize that if we lost it all tomorrow, would we still be thankful and be able to see the hope that is before us?

^17 “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, ¹⁸ so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. ¹⁹ We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, ²⁰ where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 6:17-20 (ESV)

Hello friends.  It has been a minute or ten since my last blog post, but with the beginning of the school year rapidly approaching I find myself beginning to think about the upcoming school year as we are getting ready to launch our last child into the wilds of the college world.  The thought that is recurrently coming to mind lately is the idea of grace.

“Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Romans 5:2 (ESV)

This then begs the question – where am I standing?  When I think of the concept of grace I tend to see it as this grand sweeping gesture that was bestowed upon humanity at the cross, which of course it was.  The problem with this however is that I miss the forest for the trees with that line of thought.  The magnitude of His grace is sometimes hard to comprehend in human terms.  Because I know me and all the things that fall short of deserving His love. I doubt the ability of His grace to cover all of those ugly sins I tend to define myself by – and this is where Satan rejoices – in our doubts.  How do we conquer this doubt and overcome our shortcoming of being stuck staring at the forest and not seeing the trees?… By drawing near to God through His word.  Over and over God’s word points us to His grace.  Points us to His love for us.

“… I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

John 10:10 (ESV)

“for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”

I John 3:20 (ESV)

Our faith is the key that opens the door of grace, and His grace is like a closet full of gifts waiting to tumble out upon us.  Our faith leads us to the cross and places us at the feet of Jesus where we hear one of the greatest statements of grace –

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Luke 23:24 (ESV)

His grace in living color as we see His blood, His hands, His feet nailed upon a Roman cross for my sin. For your sin.  It’s imperative that we see the cross as the greatest act of love and grace given to each of us.  Not as a collective gift to humanity, but a gift for [insert your name].  The cross is a gift that was given for [insert your name], not just for the “us”.  When we begin to see everyday grace given for [insert your name], the power of grace begins to take hold in our everyday lives and sets us free from the world and its never-ending, overwhelming doubt-driven, soul-sucking rhythm.   Seeing God’s grace in the mirror should leave us with a desire to “go and do likewise”. Luke 10:37 (ESV)

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

I John 5:4 (ESV)

So as we face the beginning of another school year, whether you are the student or the teacher.  I pray that you will carry the blessing of God’s grace with you in your everyday life.