The Plan
My dear loving, Father, thank You for so many opportunities these last few days to live out who I am in You with others. I am not just a bus driver. I am not even just a pastor. I am Your child. What a privilege. What a blessing. May I always be used of You. Amen.
Luke 1:7-17 (<<click to read the passage)
Growing up one of the things I had to work through in my relationship with Christ was the concept that God had a plan for my life. At this point, I do not remember if it was communicated to me in this fashion or if my mind misconstrued it to be so, but I struggled with the idea that God had a certain course I should take and that if I deviated from that course, I would mess everything up.
I believed that there was a certain job for me, a certain mate for me. I believed that if I was truly to follow the Lord that I would have to discern each aspect of my life if I was not going to settle for second or third or whatever best. It was not until some years later that I came to understand that it is not so much making perfect choices in our lives if we are to please God, but when we accept Jesus’ gift of salvation and strive to be obedient in following Him and seeking his guidance for our lives, that is when we succeed. God’s plan for me is fulfilled when I am true to Him and seek His direction in all aspects of my life. And the Holy Spirit is there to help me all along the way.
Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son John – who we know today as John the Baptist – had very clear direction for his life, even before he was born. Luke tells us that he would “be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.” v15
John went on to live out God’s plan for his life. He did “turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.” He was “a man with the spirit and power of Elijah.” He did “prepare the people for the coming of the Lord” and “turn the hearts of the fathers to their children” and caused those who were “are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.” vs.16-17
John fulfilled God’s plan for his life and was great in the Kingdom of God because he first and foremost sought out God’s direction in all aspects of his life. He loved God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5, Luke 10:27)
Lord Jesus, help me to clearly see the way You would have me go. Holy Spirit, may I take to heart Your still small voice within me. May I love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength and may I fulfill Your plan for my life and broadcast what it means to be a part of Your Kingdom. Amen.
“For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP)
Oct 6th, 2019, Sun, 7:02 pm
Chosen by Lot
Father, the next few days are going to be very full. May my time today be fruitful. And before it all starts rolling, I thought it best to come before you. Your servant is listening…
Luke 1:7-25 (<<click to read the passage)
Many years ago, when I was still in college, a friend of mine visited a newly opened Christian bookstore in our college community. I remember it being on the second floor and after he had perused what the owner had on display, he called out to her, “Good luck!” as he exited with the very best of intentions. Her reaction was to give him a fairly stern lecture in regards to there being no such thing as luck for those who follow the Lord.
But we have to admit that we hear that phrase and probably say it regularly. Is it wrong? How often do we attribute things to coincidence? By no means are these concepts new phenomenon for they have been around since mankind has existed.
As we read this story of Zechariah, we see even here than he was “chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense.”
Was it by luck that he was in the sanctuary that day? Was it just a coincidence? Proverbs 16:33 (NLT) reads,
We may throw the dice, [ We may cast lots]
but the Lord determines how they fall.
The bookstore owner made it very clear that God and God alone would determine the fate of her newly established business. (By the way, she retired long ago but her business, though relocated into another downtown building still exists to this day some 35 years later!)
As I stress regularly to my congregations, God is an active part of our lives. We may not always realize it but we most assuredly do not walk this journey of life alone. He is with us all the way.
I am certain also that nothing, absolutely nothing, happens by chance! When we give ourselves over to Him all kinds of things cross our path and many of them – not necessarily all of them – are put there for a reason. Many of them are God-given opportunities to impact others for Him. Some things are tests for strengthening our faith.
On that day, over 2 millennia ago, Zachariah was “chosen by lot”. It was all a part of God’s master plan to bring about the salvation of all mankind. It was not chance. It was not a coincidence. It was the hand of God Almighty at work in the lives of those who willingly, deliberately gave themselves over to serve Him in every way possible.
Lord Jesus, use me! May I be alert to those supposed happenstance occurrences, that I may be used of You to impact the world for eternity and Your Kingdom! Amen!
Oct 3rd, 2019, Thurs, 9:43 am
May I Be a Worthy Moon!
Heavenly Father, I am so grateful for Your consistent stability in my life. Today wasn’t a bad day but it sure had its challenges, and You were the constant that I needed. You were the ballast to my ship of life to keep me even-keeled. Thank you for all that You are to me.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
All right…this “event” has been on my mind since the middle of last week. I think it took place early Thursday morning. As I headed to the bus compound, I saw the moon. (With a little bit of research) it is called a waning crescent moon. Today’s picture gives you the general idea but it is not even close to the beauty that I beheld that morning!
I have one stretch where the land is somewhat raised and everything to the east is open fields with a line of trees a fair piece off in the distance. It gives me spectacular views! The moon looked like the above picture but the sky does not. The sky that morning was a deep red at the horizon and lightened to softer hues as the light lit future up into the sky. Of course, I can’t take pictures from the bus and I truly am at a loss for words to really communicate what I saw. But believe you me, it was gloriously spectacular!
Regardless, as I was driving this morning, we are in a “new” moon phase so there was no moon to be seen, as such, especially with a fairly overcast sky. But it got me to thinking.
The moon generates no light of its own. It only has the ability to reflect the sun’s light off its surface. The thing that changes the moon’s appearance – the amount of lit surface we see – is the earth. So in the case of my waning crescent moon, the earth was blocking almost all of the light.
I generate no light of my own. I only have the ability to reflect the Son’s light off of my life. The thing that changes my appearance – the amount of light others see – is the world. Ponder that for a moment!
The moon has no choice but to follow the path assigned it by our Creator. I on the other hand, do have a choice. I choose every day how close I will stay to my Savior. In the choice, I will reflect His light off of my life. Sometimes we do pretty well. We stay close to His side and His light illumines those around us. But other times, we allow the world to overwhelm us and the light – again due to our choice – the light we reflect is limited. And duly our impact is lessened.
Lord Jesus, may I be pulled close to Your side, not just occasionally but literally every day. Use me to reflect Your light into this dismally dark world – a light that can penetrate into even the darkest of spaces. Oh glorious Son, may I be a worthy moon!
The people who walk in darkness
will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
a light will shine. Isaiah 9:2 (NLT)
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:5 (NLT)
Oct 2nd, 2019, Wed, 7:36 pm
Who We Really Are
It is unseasonably warm but Father, regardless, it is beautiful outside! It is encouraging to know that You are still in charge and that what You have set into motion no man can control! Praise the name of our Sovereign, Almighty God!
Luke 1:5-6 (<<click to read the passage)
It is interesting to me that both Zechariah and Elizabeth were able to trace their family line all the way back to the origins of the nation of Israel. Zechariah would have been a Levite – a descendant of Levi, one of the 12 sons of Jacob (whom God called Israel), and Elizabeth was a direct descendant of Aaron -the brother of Moses and the very first high priest of Israel. What a heritage! And they were able to connect themselves despite factions and wars and captivity over the centuries that had transpired!
Now that is pretty cool but even greater was the fact that both “Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations.” v6
Now that is definitely a tall order to fill! At least in my interaction with others – speaking nothing of my own issues – that was quite the accomplishment!
Let me make it very clear…I have mentioned before that I am a third-generation minister of the Gospel on both sides of my family. Did that mean that I was “grandfathered” in, as such? No. Way. Not a single one of us gets to ride on the shirttails of our predecessors. We must each, individually, get ourselves straight with God. I, alone, am accountable for what I do with God in my life. When I stand before God on that final judgment day, I will not be able to say, “Well, my father and his father before him, were devout followers of You, God, so I didn’t worry about it because it was just passed along to me.”
If I did that, He would say to me, “I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.” (Matthew 7:23 NLT)
There is a great cancer in our society and it is the problem of taking responsibility for our own actions. It is never our fault, someone else’s and we gladly take the benefits of our connections whether we have done anything to earn them or not. That, my friends, is the world’s way…not God’s way.
I am responsible for my actions. I am responsible for my decisions. I, alone, will be held accountable for those things at the end of time.
Lord Jesus, help us to see ourselves for who we really are. And when we see that truth, may we then place our trust in You and You alone. Amen.
Oct 1st, 2019, Tues, 12:25 pm
Getting Ready for Christmas!
Father, sometimes an uneventful start to the day is a good thing! Thank You for a routine day and for keeping our drivers, kids, and teachers safe.
Luke 1:5-25 (<<click to read the passage)
Many will grimace at this next statement but…only 86 days until Christmas! Personally, Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. I strive very hard to keep my focus on the right spot – and that would be the Person who is at the core of our celebration…though many barely acknowledge the part He plays and others omit Him altogether.
And why would I even bring it up, since we are officially just one week into autumn? We finished up the Gospel of Mark last week and barely grazed the beginning of Luke’s Gospel. By far, Luke has the most extensive narrative of Christ’s birth.
It may seem early and retailers who haven’t already got their “seasonal” shops up will soon, but those in ministry? Many of them have been at work for some time preparing for this season where we ready our hearts for the arrival of Emmanuel…God with us. Choir directors with their cantatas, preachers with their sermons, worship leaders with Advent preparation, like it or not it is – and has been! – in the works for some time.
It is hard to grasp but God, in His good time, was readying for the birth of Jesus before the world even existed. Ephesians 1:4 (NLT) tells us,
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
And in today’s passage, God is setting the stage, with all the details that only He could garner, for the arrival of his one and only Son to step into time. For truly the Godhead – Father, Son and the Holy Spirit – exist outside of time. God has always been and always will be. Psalm 90:1-2 (AMP) states,
Lord, You have been our dwelling place [our refuge, our sanctuary, our stability] in all generations.
Before the mountains were born
Or before You had given birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are [the eternal] God.
So, buckle up! An adventure like no other lies before us! And God is at the helm, guiding us on our way!
Sept 30th, 2019, Mon, 12:47 pm