Make You count

  You are the only one who can... and you can! Don't know what to do? What's at your hand? It doesn't make any difference if someone else can do 'it' better, faster, more effectively. If no one is 'stepping into the breech', this may be an opportunity for you to Do your 'I Can'. I appreciate that that was a lot of ' ' but each of those words/phrases truly is individually defined. And they all need defining.

  I remember, as a young person, that the prevailing teaching was that if (fill in the blank) was something that you enjoyed do-ing then it wouldn't be from God. What a load of claptrap. Why would the One who made you in the first place not want you to do those things? Again, the prevailing teaching was that if you could do 'it' on your own, then you wouldn't rely on God to be with you in the situation. Rubbish. This is your opportunity to partner with the Father in accomplishing whatever you were involved in do-ing. I always try to remember Jesus' words in John 15:5

     "Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit,

      for apart from me you can do nothing."    

Abiding allows me, us to bear much fruit so partnering is a given. 

  However, I also believe that the Father wants us to grow and mature which often means needing to move out of our comfort zone and become stretched by people and events with which we interact.  Complacent and self-satisfied are not examples of how He wants us to Be. Again the point - we are in (fill in the blank) together. He already has told us He would never leave us. And, if we are in a place of harm, He will always help us through it (1 Corinthians 10:13). In this verse He is talking about temptation. So... if He helps us in those tempting situations, how much more in places in which we are struggling?

  You are important! I've said this multiple times in multiple ways - but only you can choose to believe this and act on it! If you don't value you, how can you possibly accept that you are valued by others? They really don't need to prove it to you - you either accept your own value or reject it. But if you do reject, then how can you possibly attain all that You Can Do?

  Even if you don't believe you are valued by others... there is One who does and continues to help you become all that you are destined to Be and Do. In the final analysis, what I've been saying is quite simple. It is that You CAN fill in 
your blank. What is it you really want? Who is it you want to Be and Do? It is in your hands. The 'control's IS in your hands to decide. YOU can make You count!

Failing to try...

  How sad. I can't think of anything worse than to wake up and discover that you have failed to try. Not failed in your goal, but failed to even try, the realization that you never tried to accomplish (fill in the blank). I really believe that failing to try is our response when we aren't confident, when we aren't sure if what we think we believe is 'true' and 'good' and 'right'. But we aren't willing to put to the test (fill in the blank) to discover the truth of whether or not we are 'right'.

  Once you discover you have been unwilling to put your belief to the test, what do you do? Belatedly try? Decide you were 'wrong' in the first place and eliminate your goal? If you do take this last stance, do you replace your 'wrong goal' with a different one? Too often people seem to take this type of defeat and let it define who they are... permanently. In my world, this is a tragic loss - both for the individual as well as their world. We need to become intentional again. I think we need to invest in ourselves and believe we can... if we try. And if it proves 'wrong' then to find our 'right'. 

  Not Believing in yourself, who you are becoming, is the greatest impediment to becoming all that you are intended to Be and Do. When we don't believe then we sabotage our lives - wittingly or not. It's not that you are perfect or don't make mistakes, but to let this stop you from even beginning is to grant unknown incredible power over you. Grant... to? Fear? What is so great that even Whose you are has no power over...? Ever look at your thinking from the perspective that you are telling the Lord that He can do nothing?

  Failing to try is the give up/give in mindset. You have predetermined that taking a stand or acting on a decision, etc. will result in dire consequences for you. Simultaneously you have not replaced whatever was predetermined with another stand/decision. Basically, you've just sat down - the adult equivalent to a child's temper tantrum. Simply because you don't make a lot of noise doesn't mean that you aren't having your version of a tantrum. Fading away is equal to being boisterous - just the opposite expression.

  Be honest with yourself. Know why you are failing to try because there are a host of possibilities. But... are they relevant? Do they speak to the issue? Do they speak to who you are? If those questions are answered, 'yes'. Then... is this what you want? What are you willing to pay to change... and what are going to pay to keep the status quo?

  

HOW do you Ask, Seek

    Early in my Christian walk I was taught that this scripture in Matthew 7:7 was directed to the Christian not the unbeliever. Someone who hasn't made Jesus Lord won't ask, seek or knock. Jesus continues this teaching when He says;

     "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him
      who knocks it will be opened." (v 8)

It is confirmed for us that receives, finds, opens is the response. However, HOW do you ask? Expectantly, waiting for the reply? Or do you go off and whatever the response is, is - not your responsibility. But, do you even see, hear the reply with the 'fatalistic' attitude?

  When you ask someone to pray for you, what is it you want? Are you seeking agreement with your prayer? Or do you want them to do the work of praying? What? If you are the one seeking prayer, I can't think of a stronger basis than having the other person agree with you in your prayer. 

     "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning 
      anything that they ask, It will be done for them by My Father in
      heaven." (Matthew 18:19)

Personally, since these are Jesus' words, I can't think of a more powerful statement. I also believe that the power is seen in verse 20 when Jesus tells us; 
     "...that where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am 
      there in the midst of them." 

He IS there! With us.

  This is the prayer of agreement in action. When we are together in one accord, Jesus is also with us - helping us to ask and seek. However, we do not dictate the results, we bring our requests (Philippians 4:6). And how do we bring them?

     "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication
      with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God;"

What do we get when we aren't anxious, thankful, requests made known? (v 7)

     "and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will
      guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

  So again the question... HOW do you Ask, Seek, Knock? It really is important. Peace surpassing all understanding WILL GUARD. This is an incredible promise. 

Stones and Boulders

  Blocking you? Do you think/know that you have/are facing stones in your life? Are they only irritating pebbles? Or blocking boulders? Or both? You do realize that pebbles can increase in size and become boulders if you don't deal with them, yes? What do you do about them? Try to go around them because rarely can they be ignored? Do you turn around (avoid) and not tackle what seems too great? Your response to stones and boulders says a great deal about you. It is a character issue.

  Recently I listened to a message by a pastor who was talking about the stones and boulders all of us face/have in our lives. Examples of the types of stones are: guilt, finances, relationships, unbelief, health, rationalization, discouragement, etc.  Are You facing any of these? Do your stones consume you and your thinking? Merely 'thinking' about them doesn't dissolve or reduce their size... you, as in YOU, have to respond to them. This is the time, that I've discovered, pebbles can grow into boulders when I don't resolve the effect they produce, because they also impact and influence other stones and pebbles.

  What to do... constructively? Is there ever a situation or time that You are not in control, perhaps that you aren't the decision-maker or resolution-developer? Obviously, yes. However, even in those situations in which you are not the 'one in charge' you always have control over yourself - your reactions, your thoughts, your attitudes. You may not agree with the answer the person in charge has made, but if you've attempted to provide the alternative you believe would be the answer, you've done all you can. (Do remember that how you present your option is critical - especially if you want it to be seriously considered.)

  I tend to think that stones/pebbles and boulders are a fact of life. They will always be present. HOW we respond to them needs to be our focus. The 'give up, give in' response will never resolve anything. This is especially true of our personal character issues. Assuming we don't want to continually face the same issues over and over avoiding and ignoring will never resolve what we need to do. Trust me... there are other stones and boulders lurking out there in our future, but we can deal with them when we deal with the pebbles in our lives now. We can grow our stone and boulder responses when we act and use that learning for the future. 

  We really can overcome. I believe that there is nothing we can't do when we act according to the standards we have learned in our Christian walk. The results may not always produce what we hope, but that doesn't diminish our attitude and behavior. As we rely on our Lord and listen to Him we grow in the knowledge of who we are and what we can do. Never assume the boulder is too big but don't take it on alone. Sometimes you have to bring a chisel to the action, sometimes a sledge hammer, and sometimes you have to say unto the mountain - be gone.
  

Convince... Convict... and Change

  Dare to believe! Will you? Do you? Believing is ALWAYS your choice, your decision. What and Who you believe in is also your choice. You do have free will... and all of the responsibility and ramifications from that status. My belief is that if (not really a question) we want free will then we HAVE to accept the responsibility from our choices. So, Who do you believe? Are you a visual-ist, relying only on what you see in front of you? Do you believe what's in your heart? Sometimes you can't do both. I would argue that our faith (spoken in love) needs to lead and direct when there is a conflict... actually it should always be foundational to our decision making and behavior. 

  Let's face it... our world is hurt, angry, and violent. I would also suggest - confused. Confused about a great number of issues, not the least of which is - self. Far too often we respond in like fashion to either how we are experiencing what is occurring or whatever we think we should... typical but not always effective. Certainly we need to resist the violence from others and protect the weak; but is there a response we can provide that doesn't only meet violence with violence? Is our goal - resolution? If so, then if we are unsure, if we aren't convinced we face a very uncertain reaction.

  I believe we always have options but it begins at the lowest rung in the (fill in the blank) ladder - you and me. Our response and what we 'know' is the basis of that response and depends on who we are and are becoming and Who we believe and Whose we are. Do we operate as those who are convicted and convinced that Jesus IS our personal Lord and that we are changing as a result of this truth? Until you are convinced you will never be convicted and without this you will never be changed. Nor will anyone who listens to your words.

  How we express our confidence displays our level of conviction. The more convinced we are will become our foundation. As long as we realize that it isn't our responsibility to convict others, that our responsibility is to present the message and allow truth to be the convict-er then we don't get caught up in other issues that have no relevance and typically lead to defeat and refusal. The Holy Spirit is the one who can use how we provide the truth to convict others and all this leads to change. Is Change our goal? If so then we will follow a different path to lead others to the truth - that Jesus is the answer because He is the only way.

  We all need to look at our actions and our words and listen to the message we are presenting to others. And as we grow in understanding, to use this in our message to demonstrate who we were and who we are continuing to become. I tend to say that if the Lord did all He's done for me... He will do it for you as well. We all were lost and sinners but that's history... it's who we are becoming that we should focus on. God's not done with us yet.

Starting

  Some people don't seem to know how to begin. It's like they're waiting for a sign or a signal to thrust them onto the 'stage'. If you don't know how or where to begin, then look at what's at your hand. Then... do that. If you don't feel that (fill in the blank) is the call on your life, your passion then 2 scriptures you may want to remember are: 1- don't despise small beginnings and 2- as you are faithful in the little things God will raise you up.

  One scripture that seemed to be repeated to me as I was a new Christian was that my gift will make a way for me (Proverbs 18:16). Do you have any idea just how frustrating that is? This was the last thing I wanted to hear. I was a new Christian, who had been brought up in church just not relationship, and I knew I knew some things so ... what's the delay? Delay, for me, was that I had no conception of what I was to do and no one else had a clue either. Which is why the scripture was repeated. 

  Through no great intelligence on my part, I did look around me to see how I could become involved. I'm a fixer, a 'do something' type... at least I once was, so what was happening around me that I could do until...? For me, thanks to the Lord's grace, I tend to become 'totally' involved in... whatever I'm doing. I rarely give only 50% waiting till I can be thrust into (fill in the blank). I still am a 'doer' type but now I have a better foundation for understanding who I am and what is my responsibility in my world.

  I believe that what we in the church need to do is to assist, help, encourage new believers in expressing what has occurred for them and what is their best - them. Too often the new believer is left on their own or the extreme opposite, thrust into a leadership ministry. Both can cause burn out, neither is especially helpful. Finding out how to start or actually starting will still require an understanding that growing never ends and that this also need to be in evidence. 

  Starting may still cause skinned knees but this is part of the process. The church's responsibility, in my estimation, is to encourage, support, and aid every member to become the effective ambassador in their world that they can become, fulfilling what Paul said in 1Corinthians 12:12-25. We all have a gift, a calling, a ministry for the benefit of all. None is more important than the other, together we all comprise the body.

A full Heart

   What's your heart full of? Both Matthew (15) and Luke (6) talk about whatever is in the heart - the mouth speaks. It's like a pitcher that is filled with water and as more is added, it overflows. So what's your heart overflowing with? Love? Pain? Joy? Frustration? What is in abundance? Never forget that whatever is in your heart directs your actions primarily because it first directs your thoughts... leading to action.

  Is your heart full of love? Do you love the Lord and Who He is in your life? How does this love express itself?

     "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who
      loves Me..." (John 14:21)

In my world of words, one of the definitions for 'keep' means to act on, to do. Webster defines keep as: "...to not return, lose, sell, give away or throw away..." Somehow this also defines 'keep' as valuable so whatever is not returned, lost, sold, given away is important.

  This requires us to look at His commandments. 

     *Matthew 22:36-40; Mark 12:30-31 - "Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. 'And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

     *John 15:12 - "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." (15:9-17)

     *1John 4:21 - "And this commandment we have from Him, that he who loves God must love his brother also." 


His commandments - Love. All the commandments given refer to the act of Love. Does love 'control' us, direct us? Do we act in love? I would contend that those who follow those words have hearts that are full of love.

  When you realize that loving is always your choice - it is never anything that can be commanded, then you begin to realize the power of the word. One of the most oft quoted scriptures is 1 Corinthians 13:13 - the entire chapter (13) talks about love and what it is, what it does. Love is a powerful force in lives. And when scripture states that it is even greater than faith and hope, we begin to appreciate exactly how it can motivate our behavior.

  While it is our choice to love others, we can't 'make' them accept the love. Receiving love is also a free choice. It doesn't mean that we are free from the responsibility to love... unconditionally. It's the 'unconditionally' part that tends to be the problem. How do we extend love unconditionally? I believe that there are a couple of ways we can discover if this is our motivation. 1. Do we expect reciprocation, a quid pro quo? Or do we freely give love - eyes wide open? 2. when we 'give' love, do we do it without partiality? Do we not 'judge' the value of the person receiving our extended gift? There are other standards we can look at to 'judge' our expression, but those two begin the process.

  It is always what's in our heart that motivates. It is how we express, how we act, what we do. It's how we keep the great love commandment that defines how we love the Lord. "...Freely you have received, freely give." (Matthew 10:8b)

     "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of
      these is love." (1Corinthians 13:13)

Do you speak love? Do you want to because it is a walk that isn't always easy because love isn't a mat you let others wipe their feet on and it takes strength to react in love, especially to those who either refuse your love or rebuff it in some way. Then again... if you consider the actions of Jesus you see Him act in love toward others even when they don't return it or refuse it. He never acted in love to 'get something' in return. He did it our of a full heart. Will we? What is our heart full of?

Love

  God... but let Him love you too. Actually, He loved us first. If you think you're not as good as you want to be with the first half of the sentence, you are undoubtedly right. But I also consider this as a 'good'... especially when we allow ourselves to motivate us in a more intentional way. Being 'intentional' is a great mindset to cultivate. And when it is anything related to The Father then our attempt, our opportunity to demonstrate our love for Him as we relate to those around us, is only a plus. 

  However, I would also say that you/we are terrible with the second half of the sentence. What do I mean by 'letting Him love you'? Let me start with another question - are you love-able? Are you 'worth' being on the receiving end of love from The God of the Universe? The answer to the first half of the question is - of course you are love-able. You may not always do, say, act love-able, but the decision on whether you should be the object of love, that the choice to love you is not yours to make. Did you really see, read that - not your decision. Before the beginning of time, God chose to make man, and particularly and specifically you - in His image. He breathed the breath of life into you. He chose. And He didn't just dust His hands off saying, 'well that's done'. Since the very beginning He had continued to be with us, caring for us. It is we who walk away. But He still loves.

  The second half of the question - are we worthy - is NO. And we can't purchase or attain 'worth' through our own actions. But we can receive it through the gift of God. I find this totally amazing that we can attain worth by accepting a gift! And... it's the only way, because accepting Jesus as Lord is the only way. (Acts 4:12, Ephesians 2:1-10, 2Corinthians 5:17-21) I hope I've learned that there is nothing that I can DO to earn favor or mercy or grace or any of the gifts that come with accepting Jesus as my personal Lord. But these are some of the gifts that become ours with this acceptance. 

  There's a hymn that says it all, " Love so divine, Love so amazing." This is the description of the Love that the Father bestows upon us. Remember that 'Love' is a verb, an action word. Our Triune God has chosen to be involved in our lives to the extent that WE allow Him. The Lord is like the perpetual suitor, constantly wooing us because of His great Love. And as incredible as it sounds - it is always our choice to allow ourselves to be loved. 

The 'little things'

  You do realize that there really is no such thing as the 'little things'?  In the flush of (fill in the blank) whatever is part of what is happening is important. Too often we don't appreciate that it is important or we downplay the subsequent ramifications. The point, bottom line is that Life and how you choose to live it is important and no little thing. Simultaneously is the realization and acceptance that this is always individually defined. A 'little thing' to someone else may be gigantic in your life. It is also time sensitive in that something that is a little thing now may become a huge thing (or absolutely nothing) in the future.

  For most of us, Life isn't made up of one significant or dramatic 'thing' after another. We would quickly burn out if we were always on an emotional high... at least that's my opinion. We do live lives of hills and valleys, of highs and lows, of mountaintop experiences as well as the 'mundane'. One of our 'tasks' is to be able to appropriate respond to whatever 'point' we are currently in at that moment. If we always attempt to live in yesterday or tomorrow, then it's difficult to learn the lessons of now and to value what's happening in our now.

  I know I talk (incessantly?) about living in the now - not forgetting the lessons of yesterday or planning for tomorrow - but focusing the majority of our attention on what's right at our hand, in front of us. I do this because of my contention that we need this reminder or we wander off our path, purposelessly. Wandering off our path can contribute to our learning when we take the time to purpose to 'color outside the lines'. However, it is also important to walk our life.

  I really enjoy the now mindset - not that I always enjoy the content, that's not the point. When I blend yesterday and tomorrow into the context of what's happening in the day, I discover that many of the lessons or discoveries have a place in expanding and/or refining who I am and how I respond in the world in which I live... now. Often it can be those 'little things' that are too quickly dismissed or not valued sufficiently. All of this is especially important when we apply this frame of reference to spiritual learnings and discoveries. I believe the Father often takes the 'little things' because we can understand them and how they 'fit'. I believe that's why scripture uses parables about farming and fishing - this was something people could quickly grasp.

  You should always live life as if you mean it - that it is valuable... as are you. The 'sub point' is that only You can define what this means for you, regardless of circumstances. Never forget that you always have control and definition over your attitude and your response.

  

The 2 faces of... Doubt

  I would argue that one of the most insidious feeling/thinking anyone ever experiences is doubt. It can stop us from progressing and can arrest our attention without resolving anything. Doubt is rarely a positive force to understanding and can be totally misleading or misdirecting. When scripture warns us that our enemy (1 Peter 5:8) is like a roaring lion seeking whom he can destroy, I believe that doubt is one of his main weapons.

  Have you ever asked yourself what doubt leads you to? Has it ever had a positive effect in your feeling or thinking? Do you ever act against your doubt? Webster defines doubt as: "...to be uncertain about (something), to believe that (something) may not be true or is unlikely, to have no confidence in (someone or something); uncertainty of belief or opinion that often interferes with decision-making; a deliberate suspension of judgment." Synonyms are skepticism, suspicion, or mistrust. Minimally, this is a very uncomfortable position in which to be. Is doubt using you? Stopping you? Is doubt leaving you defenseless and impotent?

  Is there a flip side to this potentially paralyzing position? Is there any time that doubt can be a constructive force? Obviously, I must be arguing that there is a positive 'condition' to doubt. If or when it leads you to asking questions, if it shakes you out of a complacent status quo approach to your life, then this is good. When YOU control the questions from doubt then you can use doubt(s) as a positive force. We need to be alert and engaged and not merely rubber stamp what has always been. And, also without rushing, we need to decide our next, best steps.

  Perhaps this is another one of those attitude/character questions? If or when doubt induces fear then we're not in control of how to respond effectively. When doubt 'forces' us to rethink what we're doing and why, then this may become a positive response to allow us to develop/discover other options to (fill in the blank). While we may not always realize or accept it, we have the control over doubt. We can become overcome by doubt or we can use doubt to ask those hard questions and then move on to resolution. Ignoring or denying questions is never a positive response to doubt - at that time doubt has won. If you want to be the decision-maker in and for your life, then let whatever doubt is 'saying' to help you reconsider what you were planning and then to choose how you want to proceed. 

  Doubt does have 2 faces in my world of definitions. I try to never let doubt control, but use what doubt is 'telling me' and overcome.