GREAT EXPECTATIONS

  September is the month that foreshadows the promise of waiting in expectant faith.  Unlike January that urges us to make unreasonable resolutions, the autumn season carries in the air the excitement of a life full of hope.

In September we begin to look forward to the arrival of chilly nights, the aroma of burning leaves, hot cocoa and our favorite hoodie, knowing in a matter of weeks, the days will get shorter and nights longer as autumn begins her yearly harvest.

Since nature declares the glory of God, maybe September can teach us something about faith.  The Apostle Paul explains it this way..."What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen.  It is believing that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead." Hebrews 11:1 (Living Bible)   

Instead of stressing about how and when God is going to answer your requests, start believing.  Get excited! Faith is your direct connect to our heavenly father.  Let's take our Que from this spectacular season and remember before any evidence of falling leaves, or apple trees loaded with fruit, and fields dotted with pumpkins we can anticipate (with total assurance) the miraculous changing landscape. When we operate in faith the thing we hope for, even though we cannot see it, is waiting up ahead.

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 11: 1-6

IDENTITY THEFT

For the past decade, Japanese farmers have been  growing square watermelons.

They say the process to alter the shape of fruit is simple. When the melons are small on the vine, a square acrylic box is placed around it.  It simply adjusts to its environment and takes on the unnatural shape of the box.

If you think about it, many of us put ourselves inside a box. Disappointment, failure, and past mistakes tend to make us wilt and take cover in the security of a false identity.  We often build our self esteem around our defects forcing our lives to be manipulated from its intended purpose.

This is not how God wants you to live.  He created us wired to grow, blossom, thrive, and change.  Scripture tells us that God shaped us before we were born so our lives would broadcast His praises. Each one of us has special gifts and abilities placed within us for a God ordained purpose. While the Master Architect created you He decided what role you would play on the earth and equipped you for the task.  The thing is-in his great love for us- he never forces His design on anyone.

No matter how many times we say no to His purpose or miss the mark, His plan for our success never changes. God's blueprints for us are HUGE and He gives us plenty of room to grow into the masterpiece He intended us to become.  Don't give anyone or anything from your past the power to steal your identity . Your perfect shape for the future is walking with Jesus, one step at a time.

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 43; 21
                                Ephesians 2: 8-10

     

KEEP HOLDING ON

In my opinion, there are two types of people in the world.  The first group learns life's lessons the first time around -no problem-  then there are those who go through the same door over and over again.  I'm part of the second group.

Don't be smug. We all have our share of strengths and weaknesses. First on  my Top 10 Nerve Busters Chart is writers insecurity.  I've had to hold onto the the promise in Habakkuk 2:2 that tells me to, "Write His answer on a billboard, large and clear, so that anyone can read it at a glance and rush to tell the others." (TLB)  Sometimes it's easy to believe I'm called to write but then there are times I feel stale and boring.  Usually these feeling come when I'm "forced" out of my comfort zone and have to send out Query Letters to editors along with a 15 page synopsis of my novel... double spaced. 

 Jesus keeps encouraging me to move forward but its at this time holding on  gets really tricky.  My enemies, fear and intimidation, try to sneak into the Battlefield of my mind and make me doubt the Word. If I fall into unbelief, it will take me away from God's best and farther from my destiny.  I've been through this door before and know the drill.  The Bible tells me to "Walk by faith, not by sight or appearance." Feelings can steal our faith more than any other single influence.  We need to search our hearts, where faith abides, and live from there.

Don't worry about your weakness; its the Word that does the work, not the one holding onto it.  It will bring victory to anyone who will believe.  Are you waiting for healing? Let the Word do its work.  A job offer...a broken relationship....a wayward child to come home?  Fill your mind with one of God's many promises and wait and hope in the Lord.

Scripture Reading:  Psalm 25

FILL YOUR BUCKET LIST WITH TREASURE

If your like 99% of the population you believe life is all about being happy. The magic formula to living that euphoric existence is to work hard at realizing your dreams. With so many options we spend countless hours getting a better education, so we can land the perfect job, then  make tons of money to buy lots of stuff, and eventually have a bigger and better bank account as the years fly past.   Finally, when we reach retirement we can kick back and enjoy everything we worked so hard to achieve to make us" happy."

Don't get me wrong...I'm right there with you, with my personal "Bucket List" overflowing.  But I found an old Arabian Tale that might shed some perspective on our priorities.

Three merchants were traveling across the desert on camels to a great city.  Suddenly they heard a heavenly voice say, "Stop riding!" The men stopped.  The voice continued, "Get off your camels and gather up some sand in your hands."  The men obeyed.  The voice continued, "Hold the sand in your hands for the rest of the journey."  The men did as the supernatural voice commanded.  As you can imagine it was not an easy ride, but they made it to their destination.  When they opened their hands they saw that the sand they were holding had turned into jewels!  They were ecstatic, but at the same time lamented, "If only I had known; we would have gathered up so much more sand while we had the chance."

Life is full of opportunities, yet sometimes we don't realize how valuable those opportunities were until it's too late.  Jesus tells us,"Don't hoard treasure on earth where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or -worse!- stolen by thieves.  Stockpile treasure in heaven where it's safe..."

Fortunately, it's never to late to start filling our "Bucket Lists" with eternal treasure.  The bible tells us no deed will go unrewarded - even a cup of cold water to a stranger, a kind word to a hurting soul, or a prayer for your enemy in the middle of the night.

How big is your Bucket?

Scripture Reading:  Revelation 22: 12,  Mark 9:41 

CHAMPIONS

My dad was one of the greatest story tellers of all time.  My two sisters and I would curl up on his bed Saturday nights to listen to "The Champions," his ongoing saga of three tough, athletic cowgirls.  Because he was a macho kind of guy the location of these beloved tales was the Wild West where life demanded self- discipline, endurance, and stamina to survive in the hostile frontier.  According to these tall tales we were skilled in everything from bronc riding, trick roping, bulldogging, sharpshooting and card-playing.  When all this got boring our mission was to bring law and order to a land over run with bandits, rescue the unfortunate traveler from the death grip of quicksand, save the towns payroll money from train robbers, and sing "Home on the Range" as we brought the villains to justice. There were no co- starring roles in these stories. Somehow in his wisdom, wit, and skill he was able to spotlight each one of us giving individual "Star" status by the end of each episode.

Unlike my dad's stories where we were given the expertise needed to win each challenge, life demands we work hard to develop the necessary skills to live well and finish strong.  There are no free rides on the way to life's finish line.    

The bible uses an interesting analogy to demonstrate the life of a real champion. The Apostle Paul tells us to view our time on earth like we are athletes preparing for a contest.  This championship is so important we need to spend our days in a Boxing Ring or Gymnasium, doing whatever it takes to stay in shape.  Each one of us is a competitor and there is an eternal prize waiting for each contestant that crosses the finish line.  "Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize?  So run your race that you may win the prize."

Paul is not talking about winning salvation, which is a free gift and secure for each believer, he is encouraging us to stay focused and alert.  The enemy of our soul will try to distract us from our divine purpose, knocking us out by making us comfortable and lazy. Training must become a daily event where we push ourselves to reach the next level of spiritual growth.  Flabby Christianity just wont cut it if we intend to make it to the end. Each of us must develop self-control, perseverance, and staying power because the road to victory is long and hard. In this race we are not competing with each other, we are told to focus on our own faults and failures. We are God's champions, his elite athletes, called out from among the masses to live strong lives, free from sin.

We are champions. Run to win.
Scripture reading 1 Corinthians 9:24-27  

VISION QUEST

An insightful Peter Marshal once said, "give us clear vision so we know what to stand for. Unless we stand for something, we will fall for anything."

The new year is in full swing and the entire world is facing serious issues from social unrest and injustice, to nuclear war.  Historians tell us that history has a way of repeating itself. What we watch daily on the news and read in the paper is nothing new.  Centuries ago, during days much like we face in 2014, the prophets encouraged the people to listen to the voice of God.

Unfortunately, many of us tend to think God is rigid and unyielding and will tell us to follow a strict set of rules and regulations that are impossible to keep.  In reality, his requirements have a lot to do with how we view our world and treat our fellow man.  According to Micah 6:8, in times of great hardship and unrest, God has a word for all men who decide to listen.

"Hear, O man, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you....

"*live justly."    Because God is just, he asks us to stand up for the rights of others, and when it's needed go the extra mile and attend to their physical needs.

"*love kindness and mercy,"    We need more kindness in the world; people do not need to be pressured to perform perfectly to receive God's love and acceptance.  On the contrary, it is His goodness that He wants us to demonstrate to our fellow man.

"*humble yourself and walk humbly with your God."    We do not have all the answers to life's many problems but we serve a God who is mighty to save.

Like handwriting on the wall, a day is coming when God will avenge the world of injustice and violence. As we wait for that day, let us hear His voice and give him what he requires.  Not a set of blind acts of conformity to man made rules.  Let us strive to give God what he truly desires of us; to do what is just, to love mercy and kindness, and walk humbly with him.  

   

VESSELS OF HONOR

"But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself of the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, ready for every good work."  2 Timothy 2:20-21

 Statistics say there are 7 billion people in the world.  Each one of us has our own set of fingerprints and no two are alike. The Bible teaches us that the creator of the universe knows each of us by name and has numbered the hairs on our heads. You are special to God and he created you for a set purpose. It does not matter if you are an atheist or a believer; we are all clay in the Master's hand and there is a reason we are on planet earth right now. It is not a question of whether or not God will use you for his glorious plan but as he calls upon you throughout the years of your life what will he use you for.  Will you submit to a noble or ignoble purpose?

Silver, gold, and clay are all useless when they are first brought in from the field.  The original compounds are full of impurities that make the product unfit for use. The potter must refine it before it can be shaped.  Impurities must be removed and tempering agents added so it can be softened and kneaded.  The same process applies to us as we are refined and made ready in the furnace of life. Once we are formed into His desired design we are tried and purified to be ready for the function God wishes us to perform.  Some of us will crack and blister under the pressure of the furnace while the pliable ore, once fired, is virtually indestructible.

The world we live in is God's great house.  We are his vessels of silver, gold, wood, and clay that are displayed across the globe for a  noble or ignoble cause.  If we approach life with the attitude that how we act and what we say is insignificant we are not living up to our greatest potential.  To fulfill our God ordained role in life we must realize we are ambassadors, made in the image of God, destined to carry the light of the gospel everywhere we go. Let our zeal for the purpose of God prepare us for every good work. May each one of us live up to a higher standard and shine with the message of love, forgiveness, and hope that our savior, Jesus Christ, came into the world to proclaim.