No Better Place than Here
[It’s one of those days that I feel it best to share a post from the past. So here is one from September 2015. I had only been writing for a few months at that point, but this is where I was. – Dec 7th, 2021, Tues, 7:42 pm ]
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Father, after all these weeks I am still amazed and overwhelmingly blessed that You so gently wake me for our time together. Thank You, for You love. Thank You for the great privilege of spending one-on-one time with the Creator of all that is! It’s hard to wrap my brain around the concept that You really want to spend time with me! Praise Your Holy Name!!
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Lord, Jesus, this morning I feel compelled to save the next portion of scripture for the next time we come together. I feel the need to just write this morning. As I look back over my life, Lord, You have been there every step of the way. Through every heartache and trial, through every victory and all the joy, You have been by my side. I have been obedient, and I have rebelled, but You have never given up on me. The word “grateful” doesn’t even begin to express how I feel.
As I wondrously proclaim, “Even before You made the world, You loved me and chose me in You to be holy and without fault in Your eyes.” (Ephesians 1:4 NLT) That’s like forever but I honestly cannot recall a time in my life when I didn’t know You or at least when I didn’t know of You. I was blessed to be born into a family the loved and wholeheartedly strove to serve You. And it went beyond Mom and Dad, four of my grandparents and every one of my aunts and uncles were of the same heart and mind. What a heritage! What a foundation on which to build my life! All the building blocks under me were solidly, securely placed on You! (Ephesians 2:11-22)
Now clearly, I did not pop out of the womb perfect and without fault (Lord, You know that is true!) but Your hand has guided me. You have aligned my heart with Yours. Over the course of my life, I have wandered, I have blatantly sinned, I have hurt You and dirtied Your name in the process, but I could never go beyond Your reach. The pull of Your love has always brought me back.
After 50+ years of living, some may look at who I am and what I’ve accomplished, and they may shake their heads and think that I really haven’t done a whole lot with my life. I don’t have a huge bank account, I live in a nice but modest home, I have not ascended the ladder of success (by human standards) in the business world or in any denomination I have served. But Lord… I am where You have placed me. I faithfully serve as Your child in my home, at my job, and in the two churches with which You have blessed me.
No, I am definitely not perfect. I stumble. I fall. But I am not defeated. Lord, You patiently work with me each and every day. You encourage me. You direct me. You help me. You encourage me. I am blessed beyond measure!
I am full of joy! I am content – but not to the point of complacency. I would follow You anywhere You would lead me, but for now, I am where You want me to be – in the center of Your will. Help me to listen. Help me to continue to expand my horizons in You – to draw closer to You, to more and more be able to hear Your direction, and to have the courage and wisdom to do and be all that you desire for me to do and be. There is no better place than here!
Sept 20th, 2015, Sun, 6:41 am
EMPOWERED!
A long but good day, Father. Thank You for your blessing upon the service this afternoon. I would pray that the words shared will stick in the hearts and minds of those there. Amen.
Acts 1:4-5 (<<click here to read the passage)
On our way home tonight Karen and I noticed numerous homes decked out with lights for Christmas. Some were simple, some obviously took a lot of time and effort. Each to his own. As a collective, they are all beautiful in their own right. Just seeing lit Christmas trees through windows of homes was a beautiful sight all its own!
Each home we passed has the capability of shining lights as they choose. Some go to great lengths. Some are satisfied with modest displays. And many others have no interest whatsoever in doing anything at all!
In verse 5 Jesus foretells the coming of the Holy Spirit stating that we will be empowered with Him. Each life has the capability of spiritually shining forth. We all are created in the image of our Creator. We were made with the ability to shine but just like the many homes around us, they have to have a solid power source. They can set out as many lights as they want, but without access to power, all of their efforts will be in vain.
The Holy Spirit is our power source when it comes to our spiritually shining forth! He gives us everything we need to do so. But the problem lies in the fact that still, we can choose to not do a thing to show the world around us that we are empowered. Some may feel that they don’t have much to offer but will still put out a modest display of a life lived humbly under the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Others put a great amount of time and effort into living their lives to the fullest under the Holy Spirit’s tutelage. They eagerly pursue His every leading!
But others are just satisfied with the fact that their sins are forgiven, and they are headed to a heavenly reward. They have no desire to put forth any effort for the Kingdom and basically just enjoy the work of others, soaking it all in.
Many people that warm their seats every week in a local place of worship feel that way. Feed me. Entertain me. Make me feel good, just because I showed up. They have a “glad you got to see me” mentality. But, oh, they could all be so much more. Yes, it’s tough to switch out some of our priorities but which is better to invest in something that will pass with time, something that will blow away or burn to a cinder or wash downstream when the floodwaters of life come? Wouldn’t it be so much better to put forth the effort with the empowerment we have to strive for eternal impact and not just the temporal, short-lived stuff we put so much energy and resources into?
Lord Jesus, may we embrace the fact that we are empowered with the might and unlimited possibilities of the Holy Spirit! Light a fire under us so that we will be compelled to do all we can to further Your Kingdom to impact those around us with Your best interests in mind!
Dec 6th, 2021, Mon, 8:36 pm
Join the Club!
Thank You, Father, first of all for good times of worship today. May Your word bring forth much fruit. Also, I am grateful for Your enabling me to accomplish a few things this afternoon and for Your inspiration in preparing for a special service tomorrow.
Acts 1:4-5 (<<click here to read the passage)
I know of a young man that when he was a child to say that he was very detail-oriented, would be a great understatement. For example, at one point he put together an Excel spreadsheet that included all of the t-shirts he wore. It was to make sure that he wore them all and didn’t repeat any before he had done so.
One thing he really wanted to do was to start a boys-only club, but his parents never let him move forward with it because they knew from initial conversations that it was going to be a very detailed organization. “At 7:00 we will be. At 7:03 we will do this. At 7:05 we will do that”. Yes, it would have been a very organized organization!
Orderly associations for the most part function quite efficiently. There are rules to be adhered to and often many things from which to abstain. That’s the way they work.
When we choose to follow Jesus, we join a well-organized body of believers, as the Bible says. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we receive the Holy Spirit. That’s what being a part of this “body” means and moving forward we are under His guidance and direction.
Before Jesus returned to the Father
“…he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Of which,” He said, “you have heard Me speak. For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized and empowered and united with the Holy Spirit, not long from now.”
There are a few things that we need to make sure we understand as Jesus’ followers.
We cannot be Christians without his Spirit…
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) Romans 8:9 NLT
…we cannot be joined to Christ without his Spirit…
But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. 1 Corinthians 6:17 NLT
…we cannot be adopted as his children without his Spirit…
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Romans 8:14-17 NLT
…we cannot be in the body of Christ except by baptism in the Spirit.
Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:13 NLT
The Holy Spirit is our companion and friend. We can overcome the obstacles in our spiritual journey through life because He is with us to guide and direct us. May we pray that we will be attentive and once we hear that we will not hesitate to obey.
*Life Application Study Bible
Dec 5th, 2021, Sun, 6:41 pm
O Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say
Father, as I look over this day, there really wasn’t anything too much out of the norm. Yet even on these kinds of days, I pray that I am open to your direction. I pray that I am a good reflection of You, whatever the case may be. Amen.
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I started to continue in Acts but decided to go another route for this week’s last post. As I thought about that, a few recent incidents on my bus came to mind.
First, let me share a verse that came to mind while pondering these things. (And just for the record, I am not Super Bible Man. The first phrase of this passage came to mind, but I had to look it up. That gave me the specific reference and filled in the rest of the passage.)
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight,
O Lord, my [firm, immovable] rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 AMP
One of the things that bother me most on my bus is when kids are nasty to each other. For the most part, I don’t hear what they say but never fear, tattlers are always near! I regularly have students come up to me and tell me so-and-so said such-and-such – many times they are breaking the rules by walking up to me while I am picking kids up or dropping kids off. (They’re supposed to stay safely in their seats!)
I don’t appreciate tattling but pretty regularly it helps me address issues, even if it’s in a more general way.
There was quite a lot going on on my bus this afternoon on my elementary route. Some things have been brewing and today and a few of them boiled over! I don’t appreciate kids saying hurtful things to other kids. Oft times, they are being mean, just to be mean. I had one girl get off in tears yesterday. (I tried to address it this afternoon while we were waiting to leave. It’s not easy talking to kids to any great extent while they are getting on or off the bus – I have to maintain a pretty tight schedule.)
Anyway, the whole bus is probably going to get a lecture tomorrow. It will basically be a Golden Rule sermon minus the religious terminology. God’s truths can be communicated without it being all gussied up in church-speak.
So, as my mind is going down this trail of thought and what I need they need to hear, the Lord looks me square in the eye and says, “What about you?” Uh…me? “Yes…you.”
Well…it didn’t take long to figure out what He was referring to. I have shared before that one of my ongoing struggles is dealing with my attitude when I drive. Sometimes I don’t say things out loud but far too often I do. And when it comes right down to it, words like “idiot”, “buffoon”, “idjit”, and “dufus” aren’t any better than any curse words out there. They’re just different. It still expresses a disdain for others…other individuals that were created and loved by our Heavenly Father. There’s no place for that mindset and I needed a Golden Rule sermon…and the Holy Spirit was happy to oblige.
Lord Jesus, once again I would ask that You help me to see people with Your eyes. May there be love and not contempt for others. May Your love fill me and overflow! Amen.
Dec 2nd, 2021, Thurs, 7:12 pm
Turn the World Upside Down – Part 2
I realize that time moves forth at its steady pace, but it just seems like this year can’t be almost done. Father, I pray that in these last few days You will be able to use me to bring glory, not to myself, but to You. Amen.
Acts 1:1-5 (<<click here to read the passage)
So, was turning the world upside down just a thing that the early followers of Christ were able to do, or are we able to accomplish great world-changing things for God’s Kingdom, too?
Well, I think we are equal to them in the areas of being ordinary, wouldn’t you? Just as they were, we are frail. And when it comes to limitations, I for one excel in that area! How about you?
But there is one key ingredient that we cannot do without. If we do not have the Holy Spirit infilling and directing us, if we’re not submissive to those things, we cannot help but fail. It’s not a cakewalk for sure, but if fishermen, tax collectors, and tent makers succeeded in allowing the Holy Spirit’s influence upon their lives, so can we!
If we are followers of Christ, His Spirit fills us. We are walking examples of the Gospel – the Good News. Jesus took upon Himself our sin, and when we in faith accepted His gracious gift of forgiveness, salvation was ours…and that is the Good News!
In my initial research, I came across an excellent article entitled, 3 Ways to Turn the World Upside Down (click the title to read the article), but I want to just hit the highlights.
I wrote that Paul and Silas were said to be “men who have turned the world upside down…” Acts 17:6 AMP So, with the Holy Spirit guiding them, what did they do? There are very practical and tangible things that played a major role in them impacting the world for the Kingdom.
1) They saw.
If we want to be used by God to turn the world upside down, it starts with seeing. It starts with simply opening our eyes and being observant of the culture around us. It starts with asking God to show us what He’s seeing.
We can’t see if all we do is stay locked in our homes with a computer screen or TV in front of us. May God open our eyes…at work, at school, out shopping, even in church. May we see with His eyes and may it motivate us to act.
2) They spoke.
They turned the world upside down because they simply dialogued with people. They had conversations.
We struggle here. Our goal should be to have intentional dialogue with whomever God places in our path. If He leads us there, He can use us there. No theological degree is required, just speak of what God has done for us, in simple, easy-to-understand terms. Pray, and God will honor our efforts.
So, I would suggest that we focus on seeing what God sees – pray for that! – and pray also for boldness and grace. That’s what’s holding us back, isn’t it? We’re scared to talk. What if we’re rejected? What if we’re laughed at? What if we fail…again?
“What ifs” just hold us back. Pray and then step out on faith knowing that the Holy Spirit will never leave our side! He’ll be with us every step of the way. But He can’t use us if we don’t put ourselves out there.
And that’s how the world is turned upside down. God does it by using us for we are far more than useless!
Dec 1st, 2021, Wed, 7:16 pm