Been a crazy week, not bad, but filled, busy, stressful to say the least.  You see my wife and I are trying to get ready for vacation, a blessed and much anticipated respite from work.  If you have ever taken some time off, you understand what I mean by stressful.   Meetings, completion of paperwork due while I’m away, tying up loose ends and then one last, unexpected pandemic issue.  Talk about a chaotic time, but then I read these words offered by Jesus in the Gospel of John,

” And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world, you will experience trouble and sorrow, but you must take heart for I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

Take heart, that is be encouraged I, [Jesus], have overcome the world.  Reading these words, I realized that Jesus was about to be arrested, to be crucified, to die and be resurrected.  Jesus was telling the disciples then and each of us as followers today, trouble is around, difficult times will find us.  We may be confused or even overwhelmed.  That knowing this it may be easier to pull back or turn away but rather we must be encouraged, that we are in relationship with One that is greater.  That through our relationship with Jesus, in our acceptance of the Holy Spirit as our companion, God is present in our lives.  Jesus says, take heart.

When this world feels as though it will wash over you, overwhelm you I encourage you to take heart, remembering your relationship with Jesus, remembering these things, that our pain is not wasted, that God can use the difficult season each of us experience and that we find peace knowing that Jesus has overcome, has conquered the world.  Take heart in that.

Prayer: “Lord, I know that you are present in my life and when that vision waivers open my eyes wider, help me to reach a bit higher, make my ears more sensitive to your word, that I might be encouraged, that I take heart in the peace you offer.  Hold me firmly and guide me gently in your will and in your ways.  Amen”

“Bless the Lord! The God of our salvation supports us day after day!” Psalms 68:19

This selection is written from the experiences of David himself. Each of us know burdens, anxieties, and struggles, am I right? David, someone we say is chasing after God was no exception. He knew the worries and burdens and struggles of life. David was seen by his father and siblings as unimportant and neglected. Saul, the king persecuted him, and his own son betrayed him, so he knew what each of us experience in our lives, in sharing this lesson.

The first thing he does is divert our attention, reminding us of who is in our lives. He says, “Blessed be the Lord! God of our salvation…”  Even when we are faced with questions about our future, worry about our family and/or our relationship, even when we may face anxieties about the world that surround us, we are to praise God, the Lord is our salvation, the one who will protect us, look out for us save us! The one, who as the scripture tells us will “…support us day after day!”

God is there next to us in every battle that we face, every struggle we encounter, with each fear that we have, but we must give them over to God. The Apostle Peter tells us, “Cast, throw all your cares, your worries, your burdens your anxieties onto the Lord because He cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:7 CEB)

You see for this to work, we must learn to trust that God is there, that God cares about us, that God is much more capable of dealing with our struggles and worries than any of us. When we begin to trust God turning over our burdens, with our worries, with our anxieties, we finally begin to realize the peace that comes from trusting and resting in the arms of God.

I encourage you to take a moment to lift up that which is laying heavily upon you. Give praise to the Lord. The God of our salvation is here to care for us, to support us and to carry the struggles, the burdens, and the worries in our life.

Prayer: “Lord, I trust that you are here. I give to you the things that I am struggling with and trust in you to carry that weight. Let me know the peace of your presence. Hold me firmly and guide me gently in your will and in your ways. Amen”

Have you ever thought “why am I the way I am” or, “why do I do or say things that way”? I suspect it is a question many of us have asked, I know I have, until I look back at my parents, my friends, the people who surround me and my experiences then it starts to make sense. You see, we are or maybe better said, we tend to reflect the people who surround us and the examples we see.

Think about the meals you prepare. Some are filled with nostalgic reflections of a moment in your childhood or in your life,  aren’t they?  Or, the funny sayings or the way you pronounce something, I suspect, if you go back into your youth, you will find someone offering the same phrase or twisting their tongue around a word in the same funny way that you do. Children follow their parents in service in the military, college selections and professions.  We often do things because we have witnessed someone else do it before us, do it first.

We see witness to this in. John 4:19 which reads, “We ourselves love now because He, God, loved us first.”

We know love because we have witnessed God’s love all around us from our very first breath. In the creation that surrounds us from the streams of living water to the mountain’s majesty, the birds and flowers, the air that breath, the trees that offer shade. God’s love can be witnessed throughout creation.

(Enter midnight infomercial) But wait there’s more! We know God’s love through Jesus Christ, through the words that he taught, offering that the love of God and the love of neighbor are the two most vital commands we are to follow. Loving us to his death and beyond, overcoming death and sharing that victory with us, that those things that hold us to this world no longer hold their grip on us.

Finally, we witness love in the companion that God sent to be by our side in all things, in the Holy Spirit. That Spirit is God’s presence, next to us and within us that we may never be alone. In the darkest of valleys and in the highest of mountain peaks we know Emanuel, God with us, holding us and loving us where we are.

Consider this, we spend a lifetime seeking unconditional love, that we will never have to change, yet God loves us unconditionally and because of that we want to change. It is that very love that we have seen in all that surrounds us. It may have been parents or grandparents, teachers or coaches, friends or partners. So, now that you have been a witness to that unconditional, meet you where you are love I challenge you to find situations, to find opportunities, to find people around you to begin to share and teach that love to another, showing them not just who you are but whose you are.

Prayer: “Thank you Lord for the love you have shared with me in my life. As I have witnessed that love allow me now to share it to those I encounter. I pray that you hold me tightly and guide me gently in your will and in your ways.  Amen”

“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the self with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:24

My family moved back to my father’s childhood community after he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. While he never shared this with me, I am sure he wanted us to be in the one place where he felt the comfort and love of community.

One Saturday, several years after he passed, I walked into the bank, I was picking up change for the business for whom I was working. The teller looked at me, looked away for a moment and then looked back and asked if I was Raymond’s boy. With a confused look I replied that I was. She smiled and said, “I thought so, you look just like the boy I knew.”

It’s kind of fun to hear that, to have someone tell you that you look like or talk like someone you love in your life. Imagine the power and the peace if we allowed ourselves to look like Jesus.  The good news is, when we give up, when we destroy, when we crucify our old self.  That self who gets angry, the one who experiences moments of hatred toward others, the one who thinks of self before neighbor, that one who is of this world.  When we get rid of all of that, we can then begin to know that new life and that new image.

And it is possible through the power of the Holy Spirit, but we must be willing to submit to that transformative power. Offering words of kindness rather than anger, forgiving instead of holding a grudge. Removing all signs of hate and loving our neighbor.

When we begin to turn loose of these things, these attitudes, these emotions, we begin to take off the old life and start to put on new life, new opportunity and a new image, the image of Jesus Christ and who knows, you might have someone ask, “Aren’t you one of His children.”

Prayer: “God you are my Shepherd, offer me courage today to turn loose of the one that I am in this world and become the one that I am supposed to be in you. Hold me firmly and guide me gently in your will and in your ways. Amen”

Make sure no one repays a wrong with a wrong, but always pursue the good for each other and everyone else.  1 Thessalonians 5:16

What a profound but difficult concept by which to live, am I right?  I mean, when someone does something we don’t like or that hurts us, our primal response is to lash out, to respond in a way that allows us to “be even”.  Yet that’s not the message that the apostle Paul shares in this message.

Rather what Paul does is offer witness to the manner in which God responds to you and me, his children. He is offering the life of Jesus Christ.  In life we are going to experience times where someone will hurt us, take from us, threaten us with their words and with their actions and as a follower of Christ we are called to love, to forgive, to simply remove ourselves from the situation by walking away.

I think about the story of Jesus’ crucifixion, where he was beaten, ridiculed, and mercilessly nailed to the cross, yet what are some of the last words attributed to Jesus, “Father, forgive them…” (Luke 23:34). 

We each will face situations where people try to hurt us, to use us, abuse us, to make fun of us or undermine the hard work we have been doing.  And, the truth is, it is going to be tempting to seek revenge or repay them with evil, “wrong for wrong”, but the God we serve does not operate like that.  We are shown through Jesus that God is a God of mercy, of grace, of forgiveness and of love.  As claimed followers of Jesus Christ we need to try and respond in the ways that we have been shown.

It’s not easy and most likely we are not going to be able to do this in every situation, but we should, no, we must try.  Try to do good for each other.  Try to forgive those who have hurt us.  Try to pray for them. Try to love them.  In this way not only will you be a reflection of whose you are, but you will begin to know the peace that only God can offer.

Prayer: “Lord, be with me always and in those times when someone does something to hurt me, help me to remove myself and to respond as you would, with mercy, with forgiveness and with love.  Hold me firmly and guide me gently in your will and in your ways.  Amen”

“For whoever wants to save his own life will destroy it, but whoever destroys his life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will save it.”  Mark 8:35

I believe that the message in this selection offers us both challenge and encouragement and hope.  It challenges our very nature.  Few of us want to rely on another in our lives, we will do most anything so that we do not give up control.  Am I right?

I know for me, I find it difficult to ask for help, to not be in control of what is going on around me, to have a plan to deal with what ever might be going on in my life, and my son can be the same way.  I remember when he was very young, he had a Thomas the Tank Engine and the wooden track it would go around on.  One of the very first times we got the track out and he was trying to put something together, he didn’t want any help.  When I offered, he got very frustrated and told me, “No daddy, I want to do it myself.”  After continuing to struggle for some time trying to get the track to come together in a continuous “loop”, he came to me with a piece of track in each hand, lifted them up and asked for help. 

That is the challenge, in our lives and in this world, we face constant struggles.  We face circumstances we cannot handle on our own but yet because we are Stubborn McStubbornson we refuse to ask for help even though, and here is the encouragement and hope, God is waiting to step in, to intercede on our behalf, we simply must admit that we cannot do it, we cannot face it, we cannot handle it on our own.  That we just cannot get our track to come together on our own.  When we submit our lives to God, we begin to know the comfort of that presence, that even when we face difficult times, when our track just won’t quite line up, God is present there with us.

I would encourage you to take a look at what’s going on in your life in this moment and rather than shutting God out, ask that you know that presence.  Bring those two pieces of track, holding them up, asking for help, and simply submit to the presence and power of God

Prayer: “Lord, I know you are there, you are present always, simply waiting to hear my call to you.  Grant me the courage to submit my problems and my whole life to you.  Hold me firmly and guide me gently in your will and in your ways.  Amen”

As I sit in front of the screen and keyboard this morning, rain is falling along with some lightening and thunder, and I cannot help but think about my mom and her fear of thunderstorms.

Let me explain, Mom grew up in war time England, beginning in 1940 through the end of World War II, she would hear planes overhead, the weapons falling and the explosions, as she explained, all around her and her family.  So, the crashing of a midwest thunderstorm would always put her on edge creating both anxiety and fear.

If we are honest with ourselves, worry, fear, anxiety or what ever the name you put on it is a part of each of our lives.  It could be a fear of storms as mom experienced.  We could be worried about the new school year, a new job or new experience.  We could be anxious about the future of our relationships, the results of medical testing or our future.  The thing is concerns are a part of our lives and that is ok.

David tells us as much in Psalm 56:3 which reads, “whenever I’m afraid, I put my trust in you”

Did you read that, David, the one whom God called and who was anointed to lead a nation?  The David who faced and defeated a giant, said, “whenever I’m afraid”.  He not only understood but experienced fear in his life, but he knew the faithfulness of God.  David knew that even when he walked through difficult times, when he traveled through dark valleys he could trust God, because God was always present.

We can experience the same level of comfort and trust that David shares in this statement through the promise Jesus offered before ascending into heaven.  Jesus promised to send a comforter, the Holy Spirit of God, to be with us through all experiences and situations.  

Our trust can be built up by acknowledging that presence whenever we are afraid, with what a friend calls sentence prayers.  Thinks like, “Thank you Lord for being with me right now.”, or “Thank you God that your Holy Spirit is right here next to me.” or one of my favorites “Thank you Father, for the way the Holy Spirit is fighting for me right now.”

As we begin to acknowledge the presence of God in our lives, in the difficulties, in the dark valleys our trust grows and in that we can find comfort.  So today, as you feel your anxiety level inching up, fears beginning to get to you or your mind cannot stop worrying about the future, acknowledge God’s presence.  Whenever you are afraid place your trust in God.

Prayer, “Almighty God, thank you for Your presence here with me.  Thank you for the Holy Spirit and the ways You are moving in my life.  Help me find comfort in knowing you are always near me.  Hold me firmly and guide me gently in your will and in your ways.  Amen

“Therefore, imitate God like dearly loved children. ² Live your life with love, following the example of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. He was a sacrificial offering that smelled sweet to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2

Wow did July go fast!  In a way I am reminded of the song, Cat’s in the Cradle, by Harry Chapin.  For those of you who have heard the song, I’d bet by now you’re singing the chorus, “and the cats in the cradle, and the silver spoon…”.  I’ll let you continue to sing while I explain the song to those who may not have ever heard it.

The song is an exchange between a father and his son.  At first the father tells the son that he’s really to busy at the moment to spend time with him, work has him here or there and well you know, sadly he’s busy.  A little later on, the song comes around and now the father desires to spend time with his son but sadly, the son now grown is very busy.  It is a sad reminder of how quickly time goes by, especially when we get busy in our lives.

The song also reminds us of how as children we do a lot of the same things that our parents did.  In the song the son witnessed the hectic schedule kept by the father and now, well he is imitating him. 

Do you remember, getting into your mom or dad’s closet, putting on their shoes and then walking around?  For me I did something different my father for most of his professional career was in some kind of military or federal investigation and/or law enforcement.  On this particular day, dad was out of town, traveling for work, and I wanted to be like him.  I found a pair of handcuffs he kept in his office and put them on.  Seems I was a natural because I got them on tight enough, I couldn’t pull my hands through.  I can’t tell you how many times he had told this curious 4-year-old, not to mess with them.  Boy, was I going to be in trouble!  Fear of the situation and of mom’s reaction allowed me to muster a few tears as I called out her name. 

When she walked in the frustration was evident and immediately, she went to where dad kept the keys.  They weren’t there.  She checked a couple of more spots, but it seems dad had taken them with him.  What’s a mom to do when her son, has locked himself in a set of handcuffs?  Call the police!  Within 5 minutes, two huge members of Chicago’s finest were at the door, ready to see why this woman’s son was sitting in the living room wearing handcuffs.  They were surprised when they saw me, just trying to imitate my father.

For most of us, hearing what we should do isn’t as easy as imitating what we see being done.  In our heavenly Father, we witness many things.  We witness, creation, take a moment to step outside and look around at the work of God’s hands.  We witness love in the people who are in our lives, possibly our parents, our children, our siblings, our partners, and spouses and in our friends.  In the documented life of Jesus, we find not only sacrificial love but grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

In a way, it almost seems as though the Apostle Paul (author of Ephesians) had heard that song by Harry Chapin, knowing that as children, we are more likely to do what we see rather than what we have heard.  Strive each day to be imitators of the abundance each of us knows through the presence of God in our lives.

Let’s pray; “God, you show us the way, the way to love, the way to forgive, the way to serve, help us to be more like you, that we might be imitators of you.  Hold us firmly and guide us gently in your will and in your ways. Amen”

Earlier this week one of the passages I read was Psalms 139:23-24 which offers this prayer “Search me thoroughly, O God, and know my heart’ Test me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me and lead me in the everlasting way.

I can recall the first time I ever heard this Psalm; I was intimidated, and I was fearful.  I mean think about that, inviting God in to examine your heart and your thoughts, that is huge, right?   But as I thought about, and prayed about it and frankly matured some, it this means much more than that.  It is admitting how much we need God; that we need the Father’s presence so desperately.  What we are doing is calling on God to come into our heart and our mind and our life to examine us and then to lead us.  When we offer this prayer, we are asking God to reconcile with us, to bring us close to Him and His ways, to God’s eternal ways.  To a life that is ruled by God’s faithful love and a life that fills us with hope and offer us peace.

Know that Gods love, the hope and peace that God brings into our lives does not start at the tip of our extended finger.  Peace begins with each of us and with this prayer.  O God come search me, examine me, and lead me out of the ways of this word and into your eternal ways, your ways of love, of grace and of peace.  When we begin to truly experience this life it is like filling a cup to overflowing slowly the water isn’t just contain within the cup, it moves beyond, it covers all that surrounds it.

Similarly, when we know God’s love, through the Son, Jesus Christ, the walls of our heart are broken down and that love, that grace and that peace fills us to overflowing, we begin to cover those who are near to us, those who surround us, but it all starts with you.

I encourage you to read the 139^th Psalm and pray over it, pray this prayer; Search me O God and know my heart, test me, and know my thoughts, and lead me in Your everlasting way, and asP you know that He is our peace.

“If I speak in tongues of human beings and of angels but I do not have love, I am a clanging gong or a clashing cymbal.”  1 Corinthians 13:1

As I read this scripture, I can’t help but have a smile come to my face envisioning a 3- or 4-year-old who has drug out pots, pans and pie tins to clang and bang them together.  There is no rhyme or rhythm to it.  Rather, it is the child expressing themselves, focusing on what will make them feel good, what will make them happy.

Sometimes as adults, we do the exact same thing but with what we say and what we type out.  Don’t believe me, go back over your conversations, the things that you have said or typed out and ask yourself if it was done in love.  Was I encouraging, was accepting, were the words I used helpful and did those words offer an example of God’s presence in my life, or did I drag out some pots and pans and make myself happy?

It can be difficult; it is a regular struggle for me.  I cannot tell you how many times I drag out the pots and pans, look around and realize what I am about to do or sadly what I have already done.  I think back to three simply rules offered by John Wesley, found of the Methodist movement.  Those rules, do no harm, do good and remain in love with God, I am slowly learning to take a breath and reflect on Wesley’s rules.  In doing so, I find that I am a clanging gong or a crashing cymbal a little less often.

I would encourage you, to go back over your communication, if for no other reason but to see what has you dragging out your pots and pans.  Knowing the reasons helps you to identify those moments when you may need to take a breath, reflect on the rules, or ask yourself am I about to be a noisy cymbal.  In doing so, you will find not only peace in your heart but also peace in your life.

Prayer: “Lord God I am thankful for today!  Help me to be less like a ganging gong and more like a reflection of Jesus in my life.  Hold me firmly and guide me gently in your will and in your ways.  Amen”

“Everybody who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise builder who built a house on bedrock.”  Matthew 7:24

There I was on the banks of the river, it was late afternoon on a warm spring day, and the trout were biting.  I found a spot that most would not try to get to because the pebble and rock covered bank was steep.  Suddenly, the pebbles and rocks began to shift, throwing me off balance and shoulder first into the 50-degree water.  It’s fine, go ahead, laugh.  I did and so did my best friend as he told me I would have to ride back to the hotel in the BACK of his truck.

Looking back, “I ask myself where this wisdom was?”  But Jesus isn’t talking about fishing, where or how to stand on a riverbank, but how we can live life.  Through out God’s holy word, we can find life lessons, knowledge that when applied to our lives become wisdom and soon, we find our lives built on a sure foundation. 

There is an old hymn that tells us

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name

On Christ, the solid rock, I stand

All other ground is sinking sand

When we build our lives on God’s word, lean on Jesus’ name we do not stand on loose pebbles finding ourselves thrown into a river cold and wet, rather we find a life footing solid and secure. Prayer: “Loving God, thank you for today and thank you for the security which your word brings to our lives.  Hold us firmly

The author of this psalm, David, had some struggles in his life.   One could say he made some awfully bad choices in his life.  At minimum, he was human.  Human mind, human heart, human choices, and desires but, as he grew older and wiser David understood the importance of God’s presence in his life.  This is evident in these words

I keep your word close, in my heart, so that I won’t sin against you.  Psalm 119:11

What is interesting about the verse is that heart is more than just the thing that pumps your blood. In Hebrew, the word that translates into heart means more, it is the place that you feel feelings, the place where you think thoughts.  It really refers to the core of who you are, your will, your desires, your intentions.

You see when David writes this, that he has hidden God’s word in his heart, he is saying he is making God’s desire central in his life, that God’s word will be a part of all aspects of his life.  His motives, his desires, his decisions, his feelings.  David is placing God’s word into every part of who he is.  Making God’s desires the priority in his life

By doing this, by filling every nook and cranny of who he is with God’s word, his heart is changed, his life transformed.  I would encourage us all to find a way to do just that, to fill not just our feelings with God’s word but our will, our desires, our choices, our very being with God’s word, that we too might experience a change in our lives. 

Take time to memorize scripture verses each day or every week.  Consider meditating on a scripture verse each day, breathe it into your deepest parts that it may dwell with in you. And there are some who will pray over scripture each day.  Ask God to have it settle into your heart just where it needs to be.  In doing so, we can begin to see a change in our life and in the lives around us.

Prayer: “You are a true and faithful God, even when we might make a horrible choice, you are there, to love us and to guide us.  Let the wisdom and love of your Holy Word fill our very being that we might live as you have asked us to live.  Hold us firmly and guide us gently in your will and in your ways.  Amen”

“Finally let’s draw near to the throne of favor with confidence so that we can receive mercy and find grace when we need it.”  Hebrews 4:16

I wonder as a child; did you ever do anything you were not supposed to do.  I mean, was there a time that your mom, or your dad, or someone who cared about you told you, “Don’t do…” because they wanted to keep you from being hurt?

I would have been about 12, we’d just moved back into our house, t had been destroyed by a tornado.  Soon after we got back in, lumber and nails were delivered so that the garage out back could also be rebuilt.  Dad told me, “Rob, I don’t want you messing with the lumber or those nails.”  My response, “Yes Dad” but in my mind it was wait, boards, nails.  His words had no more faded off and I had grabbed a hammer and went out back.  I got that nail lined up and the hammer raised above my head.  I swung as hard as I could, trying to drive that 16-penny nail all the way into the board with one blow.

Breaking news alert, it didn’t work that way, rather the head of the hammer came crashing down onto my thumb nail.  At that very moment, I let out a wail like I was a firetruck head to rescue a baby.  The hammer went flying and I went running, right to dad. 

His words were calming, merciful, loving and kind.  He double checked everything and then went and got an ice bag and helped me hold it there for a couple of minutes while pulling me closely to comfort me.  In that moment, he didn’t lecture me, punish me rather I knew, love, mercy, and grace.

Just as my father pulled me closely and cared for me in that moment, even though I’d done what he had told me not too, our heavenly Father, calls us in closely to where he is seated, holding us closely, offering us mercy and grace and love, even when we have turned away from Him or done what he has told us not to do.

So, no matter what may be troubling you today, what might be causing you pain, even it it’s because you picked hammer and…bring it to Jesus today.  Move closer and rest in God’s loving mercy and grace.

Prayer: “Lord, thank you that that I can come to you, no matter what.   I come now to let your mercy and your grace flow over me in this moment.  Hold me firmly and guide me gently in your will and in your ways.

The LORD will fight for you, you need only be still.  Exodus 14:14

I want you to stop, sit back and imagine for a moment.  Have you ever been in a situation where you’ve had worries about your job or finances on one side and concerns about your health or the well being of your parents, children or a loved one (not saying your parents and children are people you love)?  Have you, have you ever been in a life situation where it felt like you were surrounded?

In this scripture, that is where we find the Israelites who are fleeing pharaoh, who has kept them in captivity and in slavery.  pharaoh’s army are on the hills above them.  The chariots pulled by mighty horses; battle tested warriors covered in gleaming armor. To the other side is a great body of water, the Red sea.

And the message from God Moses shares is, be still.  The LORD will fight for you, just be still.  I know when life has come at me from all directions the last thing, I want to do is be still.  I suspect we experience that fight or flight mode where our hearts are pounding and our minds race, seeking out solutions, ways that we might be able to fight off or escape the things that are seemingly attacking us.

Yet what we hear from God is, “be still”, let your hearts not be troubled, let your minds be calm.  In the verses that follow God tells Moses that He will eliminate those who are chasing them and give them a way out.   The sea was parted, and the Israelites were able to escape and as pharaoh’s army followed, the sea came in upon the Egyptian army.

We may feel as trapped as the Israelites in our current situation, but God tells us to be still, I am the Lord, I will fight for you.  God is responding to your situation, we must seek His responses in our life, that God might be glorified in his presence and unfailing love of God’s children.  I mean, who would have thought that huge body of water would have been dived or that the greatest army defeated.  God is responding just “be still and see His presence.

Prayer “Father God, you are present always and everywhere, help us to be still, to find You, to trust that You are battling for us in unimaginable ways.  Let us find the peace of your presence.  Hold us firmly and guide us gently in your will and in your ways.  Amen”

No discipline is fun while it lasts but it seems painful at the time.  Later, however it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who have been trained by it.  Hebrews 12:11

As children, we can’t wait to be adults its going to be so cool.  We can do what we want, go to bed when we want, eat what we want to spend what we want and no one, I mean no one can tell us otherwise.  But soon, after we move out on our own, we begin to realize that’s not the truth.

The moments we couldn’t wait to see the postman bring us apprehension, fear and worry because what gets dropped off into our mailbox are, bills.  Bills for power, water, internet and not that slow stuff mom and dad had, but high-speed cable.  And while we’re at it, our cable bill (if we still have cable) isn’t just for a few channels its for everything, including HBO, Showtime, NFL, and the NBA.  And the fine, fine clothes, well the credit card bills will be here next week.  It hurts as we open the envelopes and come to the realization.

Then there is the idea of going to bed at 2 or 3 every day with the painful realization that nap time stopped a few years ago.  Or how you need to put your head down for a moment and find a little peace.

This selection of scripture really hit struck a chord.  I have struggle with diet and exercise all of my life and my lack of discipline shows, in the energy that I have and the way that I look.  While, exercise does cause some soreness and some fatigue, in the long run I know that I am better off.  If I can make the sacrifice now, I will be healthier and I will most likely live a longer, joy filled life.

Jesus tells us that the two most important rules we are to live by are to, love God with all that we are, heart mind body and soul and to love heart mind body and soul and loving others as much as we love ourselves.   To live into these two rules is difficult, it may cause us some pain or force us to make difficult decisions but when we choose to do so, when we discipline ourselves by spending time with God each day, deepening our relationship.  When we consciously choose to love, sacrificially giving of ourselves to those who surround us we find a life that is purposeful.

I would encourage you, get yourself on a budget or a regular sleeping plan or a diet and exercise plan and stick with it.  We didn’t get where we are overnight and as you, find ways to deepen your relationship with God.  Begin a reading plan, or find three times a day to offer a short prayer to God, as simple as, “thank you God for being with me here and now”.  And/or find a way to make a difference in a life each day, volunteer, talk to your neighbor, check on a friend. 

Prayer “God, thank you for today and your presence in my life.  I trust in you Lord, hold me firmly and guide me gently in your will and in your ways, Amen”

If you have spent some time reading the bible, especially the Old Testament, you will read that the Israelites were focused on building a dwelling place for God.  Even today if you were to go to Jerusalem you would find Jews praying at the western wall of the temple, the holiest place in Jerusalem, but what we read here and what we understand is that God does not dwell in a place, rather God is within each of us.  Our Scripture reads: 

“Rather, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth” Acts 1:8

Rather than living in a structure, the Spirit of God lives in each of us and because of that we have access to the unimaginable power of God.  We have the ability to witnesses to the power of God to those around us, to the ends of the earth because the Holy Spirit has given us the power of joy, patience peace, kindness, faithfulness, and love.

Each and every one of us can be witnesses to the world, not because of who we are or our own power but because of the power of God’s Holy Spirit that lives us.  We are a city on a hillside, a candle in the darkness shinning not just in our own backyard but across the world.  Consider this, the light that shines brightly in the distance shines brightest at home.

I encourage you to take steps the make that light shine for all to see.  Commit to learning more about God’s Word.  If you don’t currently have a church home, check with friends, and find a place where you can learn.   If you do, set a goal to make God a bigger priority, making your faith journey the center of your life.  Seek out a mentor, ask someone to help guide you in your journey.  You will find that as you become closer to God, the life that you know will become the life that you knew.

Prayer: “Almighty God, thank you for today, that you for the presence of your Holy Spirit and the abilities and qualities that are possible because of the Spirit, help me to tap into that power that my light might shine throughout this dark world.  Hold me firmly and guide me gently in your will and in your ways.  Amen”

“When I look up at you skies, at what your gingers made-the moon and the stars that you set firmly in place-what are human beings; that you think about them, what are human beings that you pay attention to them?” – Psalms 8:3-4

Have you ever sat next to a campfire and looked up at the stars?  How about sat next to a lake as the sun came up?  I guess what I’m asking is have you ever considered just how big God is?  In this scripture what David is reminding us of just how big God truly is.

In this Psalm, David goes on to say, who am I that God, the creator of the universe.  The One who’s fingers created the skies, set the moon and the stars in place, would think about us.  He, David, is reminding us that even considering how big God is, God loves us right where we are.    

So be encouraged, no matter the situation or the circumstances you might be going through, the Creator of the Universe, sees you AND loves you, right where you are. Prayer: “Creator God, thank you for today.  Every time I look up or look around let me be encouraged knowing that you are present in my life, that you see me and that you love me, right where I am.  Hold me firmly and guide me gently in your will and in your

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:14

It is hard to wait, isn’t it?  I mean we have become a society where we want everything now but idea, the concept of waiting in the bible is really the idea of being twisted together, like braiding your hair or tying a boat to a cleat at a dock. 

If you pull a boat up to the side of a dock, the current and the wind will push it all over the place but if we tightly wrap and intertwine the line around the cleat, it will remain securely where it is supposed to be. 

To wait on the Lord is to wrap or intertwine our lives with and within the Lord, that we will find security, courage, and shelter.  To wrap ourselves in the Lord means we do not look outside the Lord in our problems.  It doesn’t mean that we do nothing, it means that we go to God and seek his help to find stability and security in our lives.

When we wrap, intertwine ourselves in God’s presence we will find that we are no longer blown around by the situations and circumstances of life but that we will find stability, courage, and peace in all our situations in life.

I would encourage you to pray about the big tings that we are struggling to resolve, talk to a friend about who is also a believe in Jesus about what’s going on and keep a journal, write down what you are trusting God with, then refer back often.

Prayer: “Lord God, thank you for today, help me to seek you in all aspects of my life, let me intertwine my very being with you that in all things I may find stability and security.  Hold me firmly and guide me gently in you will and in your ways.  Amen”

“All the Law has been fulfilled in a simple statement, “’Love your neighbor as yoursel’f”. 

Galatians 5:14

Go back up and read that again, I’ll wait, go on really, read it again

In that one scripture, the Apostle Paul sums up the whole law, the law of Mosses, that is 613 commandments.  Things you should do, things you shouldn’t do.  Can you imagine, living your life trying to remember 613 different things to do or not do in every aspect of your life?  We’d never get anything done trying to figure out if you are complying with the laws.

But, with this, through the grace of God, Paul tells us that we can satisfy, that we can comply with all the laws by simply to “love your neighbor as yourself”.  Is that it?  Could it be that simple? Is that really all we have to do?

What the Apostle Paul has done is take the overwhelming and the complicated and clear, concise, and simple.  The Church, followers of Jesus Christ will no longer live by a list of rules, regulations, and laws but rather we should love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  Love the folks next door, at the store, online, really anywhere you meet them.  Whether its folks we like, don’t like, and even folks who don’t like you, we should treat them with loving respect.   Imagine how different the world would be if we began living in this way.

I encourage you to begin the change in the world that surrounds you.  With a smile introduce yourself, it may be the only smile they see all day.  Take time to ask someone around you “how things are going right now” and then, listen to them.  Offer to help with something they are doing or working on, how many times have you been in a situation, where an extra set hands would have made all the difference.  Find a way to respond positively to a post or a person you may not agree with (BTW that doesn’t mean you write, “I’m positive you are an idiot”)

I believe that as we bless those around us with this love, God will bless us in the same way, pouring our love in your day and in your life. 

Prayer: “God, thank you for today and thank you for your presence in my life.  Thank you for the witness of love through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Help us to find ways to love our neighbor that we might change the world.  Hold us firmly and guide us gently in your will and in your ways.  Amen

Share the ways you have shared love with your neighbors today.

Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear.  Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes?

 Matthew 6:25

At one point in my life, I worked for an insurance company that had me collecting premiums, selling, and servicing insurance policies in the homes of my clients.  There were many draw backs to the job but one of the benefits is that I got to know many people and in building relationships with them, I was the benefactor of a great deal of life applicable lessons.  One of the best things that was shared with me was this, “There are two days that you should never a lot of time thinking or worrying about, yesterday and tomorrow.

If we think about it, God doesn’t want us to focus on yesterday, we are called to turn away from our past, our mistakes and turn toward God in Jesus and the loving grace offered to us freely.  And our focus should not be on tomorrow, we are told in Matthew 6:34 that “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Consider the person whose family had a history of heart disease.  For more than 30 years ago, every day the worried that they would suffer sudden cardiac death or a heart attack.  Then one morning, while out for a run they were struck by a truck dying is at the scene.

This isn’t a true story, I’m not trying to make light nor am I trying to dissuade anyone from running, rather I am trying to encourage each of us to not waste the moments that we have been given.  Worrying wastes our time and causes us to lose focus on those things that are important, God and the experiences that truly make up our life.

Thankfully, Jesus offered us a way to do away with the worry life brings by simply changing our priorities and focus.  Jesus tells us, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33)

We are all inclined to worry at one time or another and I encourage you to take those concerns to God, sharing your worry and letting go of it.  If you tend to be a professional worrier or going through a particular difficult time create a worry box out of an old shoe box.  Tape it shut, cut a hole in the top and every time you are struggling, every time worry overtakes your focus and throughs, write it out on a slip of paper, talk to God about it, fold it up and place it in the box.  By doing so, you are telling yourself that you can no longer handle it and that it is in God’s hands.

Prayer: “Lord, thank you for the day, thank you for your presence.  To you I give all me worries, trusting that you are working on and in them even before the thoughts formed in my mind.  Hold me firmly and guide me gently in your will and in your ways.  Amen”

“This law scroll must not leave your lips.  You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it.  Then you will prosper and be successful.”  Joshua 1:8

In this selection from the book of Joshua, God is encouraging Joshua, the successor to Mosses as the leader of the Israelites, to spend time in the Torah, that is the first five books of the bible which God had given to Mosses.  God instructs Joshua, to not just spend time in the word but to memorize it by day and by night, that he might ensure that those he was charged to lead would not stray from it.  The prosperity and success of the Israelites was dependent on keeping those laws.  That is the promise God made with them, that they would succeed, that they would prosper if they kept the laws.

What we find is that throughout those first five chapters God is working with his people, sharing with them, promising them, that if they kept God’s promise, they will live long lives and prosper in the lands that God would give them.  But, if they did not keep the promise, they would be, in essence kicked out.  So, by remaining in God’s word, in God’s law, Joshua would be capable of leading his people in accordance with and be able to obey the laws and in turn God’s people would prosper.

And that makes sense, that the more we read and study, the more time we spend in God’s word the deeper it settles into our existence guiding what we see, what we do and what we say.  Or another way of saying it is that the more of God’s word we observe the more of God’s word we will obey. 

Understand though that the bible does not promise to us, that the more we obey the better our lives will be.  It does not promise good health, abundance of wealth or peace, in fact Jesus tells us that as his followers we will be persecuted, that we will lose things 

So then, why do it, why follow Christ, why read scripture why, why, why…because we have a promise of a companion, that is the blessing of God’s Holy Spirit in relationship with us.  We look to the blessing of eternity with God’s presence to come is a treasure beyond anything any of us deserve.  We don’t receive the promised land of heaven because we obeyed God well enough, that is the old promise.

It is only through Jesus that we will know our final dwelling place in the Holy presence of God, trusting in Jesus, the Word of God made flesh who died for all the times we failed to keep God’s word.  Jesus is the promise that we will prosper, the cross our guarantee of success.   Find the promise of that peace in the words of scripture, never let that encouragement leave your lips by day or by night.

Prayer: “God of creation, of salvation, the one who sustains us, thank you for today, thank you for Jesus.  Please help me that your Word never leave me, that your promise dwell within me, that your encouragement is always fresh upon my lips.  Hold me firmly and guide me gently in you will and in your ways.  Amen

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”  Psalm 91:1-2

I wonder, what is hanging over your head?  What is weighing you down?  Is there something you are worried about, need protection or shelter?  This scripture offers all of those things, places everything in perspective and invites us to worship.  Let me explain a bit

When we read that those who “dwell” in the shelter, we find an invitation to relationship with God.  You see to dwell or live is an invitation to sit down, to dwell with God in all seasons of our life, good times and in difficult times.  God desires us to be a part and a partner in all aspects of our life, consistently and constantly making that desire clear, if we are open to it.

As we move on, we read that those who live in the “shelter” of the Lord, this shelter describes a place of protection, of comfort, where we as individuals can spend time alone with God.  That we can be present with the most high, or Almighty God.

This reference to Most High or Almighty gives us the perspective we need to live; I mean LIVE and be assured each of our days.  As God is the Most High, we are reminded that God is above everything else.  It gives us order and perspective to everything around us.  It allows us to live before God worshiping God, the Most High with the assurance God desires that we live with and rest in a place of peace, comfort, and protection.

I’ll end with this, it can be difficult sometimes to not worry, to trust God with the things that are most important.  We are good at trusting God with the easy stuff, struggling to trust God with those things that are closest to us, trust ourselves rather than the Most High.

From what do you need refuge?  Take a moment to release the worry, the fear, and the anxiety.  Lift your hands upward and open them imagining as you do, that those things that are weighing you down are moving away from you, see yourself in a comfortable, safe place where you can rest and find peace.

Prayer: “Almighty and Most High, thank you for this day.  I lift my hand to you and release all the burdens of this world.  I trust in you and seek rest in you.  Hold me firmly and guide me gently in your will and in your ways.  Amen”

“I will strengthen the weary and renew those who are weak.”  Jeremiah 31:25

Here we are nearly a year and a half into a pandemic, and aren’t we weary in some ways?  For some of us, we remain removed from friends and family, others just want to move on in our lives, then there some who are somewhere in between and dare I say all of us are weary in one way or another.

Folks have had or are transitioning into new jobs and new careers; others have seen the work roles increase or at least change.  I suspect things have changed in your life, haven’t they?  I know that they have in mine.  Additional phone calls, not being able to visit with members of our church family who cannot or have not returned to various activities.

Those changes and our grip to what we know and understand as normal, causes us to grow tired wondering how we hold on, how we keep our grip.  The good news is that God is faithful and remains present in our lives, giving strength to those who are weak.  God will renew us that we are no longer weary but have to ability to continue in the moment and in our lives.

If you are feeling weary, weak I would encourage you to find some time to reconnect with God, through scripture reading and prayer.  We should also find time to connect or reconnect in the Body of Christ through time in worship, recharging in the relationships we cherish.

Please pray: “Thank you Lord that you faithfully remain with me in everything and everywhere.  Let me find renewal in you through the Holy Spirit.  Amen”

“Enter his gates with thanks, enter His courtyards with praise!  Thank Him!  Bless His name!  Because the LORD is good, his loyal love lasts forever, his faithfulness lasts generation after generation” – Psalm 100:4-5

How often do you find yourself coming to God, entering His courtyard with an express purpose?  You come in ready to take care of business; “Lord, I need you too do…”, “Almighty God will you help me with…”, “Father, be with me during…”, help me do well on the test, sell my house, find a car, get a job, heal me.  Are you starting to get the picture?

The psalmist tells us that we are to enter God’s holy courtyard with praise, giving God glory and thanks because God is always present, always responsive, never turning away from us.  Never changing, always faithful, responding to our needs and our desires even before the words form upon our tongue.

You see throughout scripture we are offered wisdom, ways to live into the presence of the heart of God. The passion translation offers that praise and thanksgiving are the passwords to entering and being present with God.  

When begin to look at just how faithful God is, how good He is, how God provides for our every need before we even realize it, how can we not enter lift up our hands and our voices singing songs of joy, praise, and thanksgiving. 

What is even more amazing, and I can attest to this, when my heart began to change, when I started to enter my times with God giving praise and thanksgiving, the world around me began to change.  Colors really became move vivid, smells became sweeter and the people around me even more precious.

I encourage you to celebrate all that God has, is and will be in your life, take a moment to give praise and just as I did, I believe you will notice a change in your heart and in your life.

Prayer: “God you are the giver of all good gifts and graces, I am grateful that you never turn away from me.  Help me to always sing your praises as I enter your presence.  Amen”