I will

Have you ever thought about how many times in scripture we read the words, 'I will' from the Lord. Another example, there are 365 verses that say - 'do not fear'. Incredible - one for each day. If we would only read one verse a day, how would we look on our days and lives? Would this strengthen our faith? I think the answer is a rousing - yes. IF. You can read facts but until they are real for you and you apply them... that's all they are in your life - a fact, but of little or no significance. Another question might be... will you apply your understandings from scripture?

As Christians we often will quote scriptures... but are they real in our lives? Are they, will they become our 'I will'? An example, Romans 8:28: 

   "And we know that for those who love God, all things work together 
    for good, for those who are called according to His purpose."

Believe this? Act on it? How does this verse impact on how you react to the situation you are in? Calm? Harried? Assured? Confident? Fearful? Will you rest convinced? Don't forget that there are 'qualifiers'. 'Know' is one. Do you know? Even if the result is not what you want or intended, do you know that the ultimate result will be 'good'? Do you really think you know all the answers or that 'your way' is the only way?

Another qualifiers is - 'called according to His purpose'. Is what you are about - His purpose... or only yours? '...for those who love God' is another factor. You may say you love God, but are you willing to trust in His will? I know I can be a great one to say this and then try and take (fill in the blank) back and 'manipulate' it to what I think is best. Rarely is this effective. It isn't that the Lord won't allow me to do this, He never imposes, it's just that when it isn't '...according to His purpose' that the potential for less than desired results occurs.

Our will is incredibly important. And it isn't that we are subjecting our will, it is submitting to His though. I've learned, and still am learning, that the plans the Lord has are so much more fulfilling and fruitful than mine, that I truly do want to walk according to His will. That is my will - and I will.

Taking stock

I'm a firm believer that this is necessary for us to do on a regular basis, not just the New Year's Resolutions time. Taking stock gives us the advantage of looking back for a reason - to see where we've come from, what we've accomplished, what we still need to do. It is incredibly important to look at the 'successes' as well as the 'failures'. Both give us information about who we are as well as how we handle both conditions.

In reviewing both successes and failures, we need to look at all the forces that influenced the results - what occurred that aided or hindered. I have heard that we learn more from our failures than our successes. Yes and no. It depends on HOW we look at both. How do we view the failures, how do we analyze, how do we learn from the experience. Also, we need to apply this same thinking to successes, basically in order to repeat them. What did we do that facilitated success? 

But 'taking stock' is really more than only reviewing successes and failures, it's also looking at how we have grown, what areas are we more 'proficient' in, who are we now as a result of (fill in the blank). Where are we in goal achievement? Did we put intervening check marks to help us assess if this was our best approach? And other personal growth questions. Simply getting through the day is not a goal achievement, though I admit that is a value statement.

Most important, in my world, is have we grown in our relationship with the Lord. Quite honestly, everything else is merely an extension from this foundation. We are not here just to take up space and idly move from day to day with little thought about who we are becoming and how we can effectively be useful to the Lord. We have been bought by a great price. Read again 1 Corinthians 6:20 - 7:23. The Lord gave His life for us so that we would no longer be slaves of unrighteousness, so that we could live the abundant life, and so that we could be witnesses of His great love and bring many into an understanding of who He is and what He does.

Taking stock is a very critical act on our part that should never be lightly considered. It is our opportunity to assess not only where we are but our direction and what, if any, adjustments need to be made. It is our time to assess, reassess, refine, and develop our next steps on our life's journey.

What IS Christmas to/for You!?

Certainly it is the sights and aromas that define and describe this particular time of year. For some this is snow and Christmas trees (fake and real) and for others it is warm sun and decorating indigenous shrubs. All important but all not really the point. A delight, without question, but still extraneous to the point of the day. 

We hear greetings of Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays resounding from most. Yes, there are the humbug people, a kind of 'pride' of Grinchdom. Why anyone would purposely feel and spread sadness or grumpiness is hard to fathom. They seem to focus only on the extremes of 'commercialism', the lines of rude people and/or slow cashiers, or other such negatives. Why? What is gained by this attitude or behavior? Right. Nothing except complaining. I've always wondered why, knowing that people are out and shopping, would they chance going out and having to 'endure' this situation?

All that aside, it is still focusing on the wrong, incorrect. At the same time that we have the Scrooges and Grinches we also have those who know that the reason for the season is the Lord and celebrating His arrival for mankind. And these people are joyous about sharing this wonderful gift in all sorts of ways - not just gifts. 

   "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government
    will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful,
    Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6) 

   "Now there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields,
    keeping watch over their sheep by night. And behold, an angel of the
    Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about
    them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel of the Lord said to
    them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good tiding of great joy
    which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city
    of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2;8-11)

This is the Good News. We are saved. This is what Christmas should be for all of us. Remembering that this was the start of a new covenant, a new relationship for those who choose to follow Jesus as Lord. And we should be so overjoyed that we cannot help ourselves from sharing with everyone this wondrous gift of new life.

The Lord's hand?

I recently read a Christian poll-taker report that Christians AREN'T witnessing!!! These are self-reported, not external  and it isn't the general population, it's people who call themselves - Christian. How tragic! What has happened to The Great Commission that started at the birth of our Savior? If we aren't witnessing by our words and by our actions, what message are we embodying?

Let's get personal and specific. When was the last time YOU witnessed about who the Lord is in your life (presupposing that the YOU is a Christian)? Do you remember? Do you recall what you were doing or saying and how this perception honored the Lord? Did others around you ask you questions? What was their reaction? Do you remember how you reacted when someone witnessed of their faith to you? 

Before you think I am only criticizing and pointing fingers - not. I ask myself these same questions - often. ... especially at work. Being a Christian may not be the easiest life to lead because we do have do's and don't's, requirements, conditions, etc. to fulfill. For me, the point is that I don't have to do it all alone. Scripture clearly states we have One who is with us to guide, teach, direct, help us fulfill who we are destined to be. Scripture also teaches us that when we fail, we do have a way back to relationship.

We are told that the fields are white unto harvest (John 34:5) and the times are harsh so we need to be about being light in the world we live in. Remember - it is your world you are called to. As we reach out to others we are fulfilling our role of leading people to the light. It always is their decision, but they need to know there is a decision to be made. As they look to who you are (not what you have) they have a model of what a Christian is and does. Help them to meet the Lord.

Faltering Faith

We all find ourselves in this predicament occasionally - but why? Why have we misplaced or lost our shield, knowing that it quenches ALL the fires darts (Ephesians 6:16). What causes our faith to falter? These questions only scratch the surface of what and why our faith seems to dwindle at times. An equally important question is - how do we move on? How do we bolster our faith?

I'm not going into a discussion of what faith is, how we attain it, how we use it, etc. I'd like to focus on how we resolve the times of weakening faith. I realize that an argument can be made on the depth of our faith but again, the issue is why do we get into those times of faltering and how do we resolve them. We are all susceptible to having our faith questioned and attacked - it goes with the territory, but how strong is our faith? 

Lessening, absolutely but is faltering a total loss? Not. At least not in my world of definitions. When I experience this I try and go back, in my mind, to a time when my faith was strong and slowly move forward to attempt to discover what happened and why. Many times it seems to be an issue of emotions - feelings. For me, this means that my faith wasn't really being tested by the Lord but I fell prey to the devil's enticements. Stupid, I know. Now to discover where my weakness lay and why I accepted the negative. 

To do nothing I believe is a sin, because we all, always, have One who sticks closer than a brother and who will help us out of our predicament. We can regain what we've mislaid and then strengthen our faith to withstand the next blow... because the devil will try again. He hates it when we make Jesus our Lord but he pulls out all the stops to make our witness nonexistent. That really is the goal - to stop us from being effective. Even with 'quivering lips' we can share the Lord with those around us who need to find hope in this life. We have the answer and when we listen to the Word we share, we do find strength and that our faith is increased.

You can only....

I'm fond of saying, 'you can only do... what you can do'. Have no idea where this phrase originated, but it IS true. Yes? There's also the, 'it is what it is' comment or response. If I use these 2 phrases then why do I have such problems applying this philosophy? Because it really is more than a throwaway comment. It IS a mindset that governs what you do. And face it, the latter phrase is somewhat defeatist. Can one ever overcome an 'is'?

I think I'm going to have to change my words because I really don't want to be limited by this confining thought. True it may be, or is it? Is there another way to view 'is's' or what the prevailing 'do' is? Obviously I must think so or I wouldn't be asking the questions. Another way of thinking about this 'philosophy' is... what do you do when you are confronted by a very large obstacle to your goal? Do you give up/in? Do you quit? Or do you step back and take a look at the obstacle to discover what you can do, not only what you can't?

I would quickly argue that far too often we limit ourselves by what we say and then we begin to believe what we say without ever testing it. Perhaps it can be argued that we really can't do anything. Do you believe this? Is there a caveat in this thought? There's a Carol King song that says:

   "You got to get up every morning with a smile on your face and 
    show the world all the love in your heart..."

If you feel this doesn't make any difference, then will you still try? Maybe halfheartedly, but not with all the love in your heart. Sometimes we have to go against the tide, regardless of our experience and/or our feelings. We can. But I would suggest that we should never do so on our own. Why fight all the battles we face and all the stress alone? The Word says to 'cast our cares on Him' (1Peter 5:7). Too often I think we cast them and then just as quickly try and take them back. 

Jesus tells us that apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). It doesn't tell us NOT to try, but don't try alone. Personally, I find that the weight of all that is at hand somewhat overwhelming. And I really don't like to do overwhelming. When we don't need to... why, why, why do we try? If we are invited to cast our anxiety and cares on the One who can help us - it is really incredibly sad that we still try and 'soldier it alone'.

The phrase IS true - we can only do what we can do... but it is immensely easier when we share this with the One who has all the answers. The phrase never suggests to do it alone, but to do what we can do and then pray to the Lord for His involvement to carry (fill in the blank) to a successful conclusion. It really is amazing what we can do when we do it in partnership. 

Contemplation...

I'm a phrase and/or line collector - both written and spoken words. They are always ones that capture my thinking and stop me in my tracks. Quite honestly, I do love these occurrences. And yes, there are certain writers that do arrest me more than others. Let me share one that I recently heard. "When our certainties are shaken then our true mettle is revealed." This is a line spoken by the main character in the Father Brown TV series. What a terrific thought!

These kinds of phrases or statements... and questions are always thought provoking... at least to me. Does the above line 'speak to you'? What thoughts tumble from this? Or do the words paint pictures? Depending on a variety of conditions, when we chance upon these times... what do you do with it? Using Fr. Brown's words - do they convey any thoughts to you? Do they reveal your mettle?

For me, my mind immediately heads to the spiritual context of this line. What (spiritual) certainties do I have? Have any been shaken? Or have I refused to look at those questions that might cause me to reassess? What possibly can be said that would shake my spiritual certainties. Example: one aspect to consider is healing. I know there are countless numbers of Christians that believe that God puts sickness on us to teach us (fill in the blank). Personally, I've never believed this. I've typically thought it was an excuse for our own behavior that caused the sickness. Accurate? And I've heard people talk about 'losing their healing' which has never made sense.

However, I am aware that people can and do learn lessons when they are sick. And there are some people, especially children, that didn't 'do' something to cause them to be sick. And no, I don't understand the why. Does this refute my stand? Is my certainty shaken? I think it probably was at some point. But, as I studied this and considered the character of God - my certainty was confirmed and strengthened. I cannot equate a God who is described as Jehovah Rapha (sp?), my healer and one who puts sickness on His creation. Who do we turn to when we're sick then? Exactly! But why would God who puts sickness on us to teach us be the one we turn to rid us of the sickness - wouldn't that be illogical for God? And let's face it - God is never illogical.

Perhaps a simple example. But my point is - phrases uttered by word or 'spoken' in literature can provide us with many hours of contemplation. And... by extension, strengthen our certainties. From this... our mettle is revealed.

Listening and Location

In my opinion, there are two critical decisions we all have to face at some time and then decide what we are going to do with them. The two issues: First - Listening to your still, small voice (which is listening to the Holy Spirit). Second - You need to believe that God has you right where you need to be. It also wouldn't go amiss to be grateful that both are active in your life.

Listening. We all have that still voice alive in our lives whether or not we choose to listen and follow what's being said. Audible voice? For some, yes; but for the majority of us, it's not audible but just as strong and effective. Instinctively we know if what we are saying or doing is what would be pleasing to the Lord or not. We also can act confidently when we follow the path, direction that voice is telling us to go. How do we know WHO is talking. Simple. If it uplifts God, then it is His voice leading. If you sense a check, it's His voice directing, so stop and take stock. 

   "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether
    they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out
    into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit
    that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
    and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come
    in the flesh is not of God." (1John 4:1-3)

Follow this simple procedure and do not vary the conditions and you will never be in a quandary. When you accepted Jesus as your Lord, He told us He would come and live in us and the Holy Spirit is the voice we hear.

Location. Am I in the right place? Trust in the Lord that even if you aren't - He will find a way to help you find your way. It's critical to believe we are where we are suppose to be and open to the Lord's leading - because He really can help us to maximize our situation. I would suggest that the devil would like nothing better than if he could side track us, telling us we need to do/be elsewhere. You may not be where you are forever, but right now you are here and you can act now as His representative in your place.

Certainly we all have questions. That's fine. Ask the question, seek the answer... but act on who you are, where you are, right here and now - knowing that the Lord will be lifted up by this.

Motive

Look to your motive! WHY do you do or say what you do? Is there an ulterior reason or a hidden agenda? Realized or not there is always a reason for why we do what we do when we do it... even if we don't immediately recognize it. That was not a value judgment, nor an accusation - it's just an 'is'. 

Motive is another one of those words that have multiple definitions and we all expect the other person to understand what we mean. Webster: "...something (such as a need or desire) that causes a person to act, implies an emotion or desire operating on the will and causing it to act, suggests a driving power arising from personal temperament or constitution." Not particularly a positive definition of the word... 'Something, operating on the will, a driving power' all sound like that we are powerless to control or stop the 'motive'. Do you believe this?

Personally, I think this definition is more excuse than explanation. It is still our decision to act on our own motives - are we so insensitive to what we are thinking and feeling that the motive takes over control causing us to do what could become self-defeating actions? Are we so spineless that we allow ourselves to be controlled? Can't we just as purposely follow Galatians 5:23 and exercise our self-control?

For me, I try and look at my motives to judge if they are in accordance with my goals and if they infringe on the rights of others... and if they do, how to resolve the disparity. Do I always act so consciously? Sadly no. Self-desire sometimes fight with what should be. The point is not so much the 'what' of the motive as it is to be aware how it's leading and that the other person may also be facing the same dilemma. Motive is neither a negative nor a positive, but it is an 'is'. I believe it's our responsibility to act integrous and judge our own motives.