Devotions

Faith Is a Journey

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Even when we feel like asking like a child “Are we there yet?” …we need to continue on the journey of faith.  Just like going on a trip you will have highs and lows, sweet surprises and unfortunate disappointments.  You will encounter unexpected events as well as amazing grace.  The title of this blog explains my perspective of the journey.  Remember to “Take Your Faith With You” wherever you go.

Think about when you are going to take a trip…do you plan and gather resources?  Typically you pack a bag, at least one.  Sometimes people make a checklist to be sure they have everything and sometimes people just grab a few things and head out.  Do you bring a map or I guess now it would be a GPS capable device as a guide?  When you are on the trip do you spend time regretting not taking a turn or trying to change something that didn’t go well on the trip?  Or do you continue to press on…knowing that things will be ok, looking for ways to improve yourself and your decision making in order to have a better experience for yourself as well as others with you on the trip.  Do you find that when you are lost or not sure where to go that the map/GPS is helpful in guiding you to a better situation?

For me every day is another day on the journey to discover more about and engage in faith with life.  I start by consulting the guide book or spiritual GPS called the Bible.  For any thoughts of worry or concern I offer them up to God in prayer, this helps me remember to keep a positive perspective on the events in my day…it reduces stress, frustration, etc…I also pray to help me see his work in the world and to bless every interaction with others in my day.  Just stating such a prayer each morning helps me remember God throughout the day.  When others share good news or bad news I praise God either for the blessings of the good news or for wisdom to see what he wants us to learn from the bad news.

Through it all, as a human, I stumble and sometimes I fall down completely…I still get mad, I still feel frustrated and I still feel sadness at times…I am not a robot.  We all still have all of our emotions…the difference is how we choose to respond to those feelings and emotions and whether or not we share those feelings and emotions with God.  After all, he created us…he knows us better than we could ever imagine.  The hard part is learning to trust him more and more and including him in your daily walk for every situation good or bad.

The more I have engaged in this behavior the more I am amazed how he guides me to do more for others and how wonderful you feel when you really stop focusing on how everything affects me or makes me feel.  The focus on self alone is the work of evil and will keep you from God…he created each of us for far more than we could know and the only path to discovering that is to walk with him to ask him questions, to speak with him.  To take direction from the spiritual GPS…here is a good instruction to start with…

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be people of courage; be strong.  Do everything in love.”

                                                                                                                            1 Corinthians 16:13-14

After that start reading everyday…the book of Proverbs is a great place to start in the Old Testament.  I pray that each day we all can work on inviting and trusting God to guide us and be with us every step on our journey to the life everlasting.  Amen

A Place Where You See God

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If you stop and think about it, where is that place in your life?  Is it a physical location or something different?  Is it in an act of kindness you have experienced or seen happening to another person or in a story you have heard about other people?

Sometimes it can be hard to find him…when I think about it and realize I haven’t seen him or been aware of him…I have learned not to ask God to show himself in some way but rather give me eyes and ears to see your work in the world.  For me, the key is where are we focusing our attention…if we are self-focused we will miss just about every opportunity to see God’s work in the world.  As we learn to focus on a relationship with God and others first we begin to acquire a new perspective.  This type of change in focus requires a commitment to change your routines and habits in life.  If we just try to work it all in to our current schedule and life we will fail…I speak from experience.

For many years I was consumed with my work and the company I worked for and my “position” in the social stratosphere.  I would work in “my time” with God on the weekend before getting down to business.  This life created several false idols for me, because deep in my heart I had not surrendered and committed myself to Jesus.  When I finally stopped pursuing my plans, my ideas for how things should be and truly dedicated daily time in devotion and worship…I finally started to see opportunities to connect with the world through God.  Some would argue that I have given up on living my life…my response is…you are correct in that I have given up trying to live my life my way and instead I am trying to live my life the way God has intended for me.  Of course, I am human and still make plenty of mistakes and have trouble with temptations but my life has never had more joy, more peace and contentment.

So where is it?  Where is the one place in your life right now that you see God?  Where is it that God has cracked a door or a window in your life and you just need to open it and step through trusting that no matter what happens God will be at your side and if you commit to meeting with him daily you will begin to experience life in a whole new way?

May God’s peace be with you

Reflect, Restore, Renew

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The following is taken from my Devotional bible and was written by a man named Bob Benson.  I share it because it is an excellent summary regarding the presence of God in our lives.  Also, because Bob Benson who was one of the Christian world’s leading publishing executives and the author of six books, he succumbed to cancer in March of…..1986.  Yet here I am in August of 2013 and his words still provide a blessing to me this day…maybe they will to you to.  Well done Bob Benson…Well done.

When life caves in, you do not need reasons, you need comfort.  You do not need some answers; you need someone.  And Jesus does not come to us with an explanation; he comes to us with his presence.

We are always seeking the reason.  We want to know why.  Like Job, we finally want God to tell us just what is going on….

But God does not reveal his plan, he reveals himself.  He comes to us as warmth when we are cold, fellowship when we are alone, strength when we are weak, peace when we are troubled, courage when we are afraid, songs when we are sad, and bread when we are hungry.

He is with us on our journeys.  He is there when we are home.  He sits with us at our table.  He knows about funerals and weddings and commencements and hospitals and jails and unemployment and labor and laughter and rest and tears.  He knows because he is with us.  He comes to us again and again.

                                                                                                –          Bob Benson

Peace to you today.

Living In The Present

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Living in the Present.  What does that mean?  I think it begins with making sure you are “present” in whatever you are doing.

To me, being “present” means focused attention.  The world is filled with distractions and when we choose to allow those distractions to take our attention away from everything else by trying to change the past or worrying too much about the future we end up missing what is right in front of us…..the beauty of creation, a child smiling and laughing or a child who needs help, a friend who encourages us or a stranger who we should pray for.  We should stop replaying what happened yesterday or what might occur tomorrow in our minds and live today to the fullest.

So how do we get there?

Answer….The Word of God.

I have struggled for many years concerned about what I should have said in a previous conversation or worrying about how I would handle things in a future interaction.  I would beat myself up for not doing something or worry constantly about what was to come…..as if I really was the one in control of such things. 

Then during a difficult time in our life financially, about 3-4 years ago, I was really down about the way things were going and when I thought they were just about to drop off a cliff completely…we were saved by the Grace of God.  My wife and I had completed all the paperwork to file for bankruptcy and left it with a lawyer…..we thought this was our only option…we thought we might lose our home we really didn’t know how things would turn out…meanwhile I had been looking for work.  One promising position was progressing well and they needed to complete the background check……if that report showed a bankruptcy I would not get the job….a few days had passed since we left the attorney’s office.  I figured I would call the lawyer to see if by chance he had not yet filed the papers, I figured there was no chance….and then God stepped in…..I called and asked “have you filed our papers with the court?”, he responded… “No not yet”……..oh my goodness, I couldn’t believe it.  I immediately put a stop to the process and I got the job and we have been working our way to the best financial position we have ever been in.  After that phone call and seeing the grace of God in our life, I decided I needed to start dedicating some time every morning to devotions and the Bible…..my reasoning, if I have time to read the newspaper I better have time to spend with God every day.

This was something I needed to commit to priority wise so I bought a Billy Graham devotional book and put it with my devotional bible I received from my parents 16 years prior and I began reading and praying for a few minutes every day I could.  This time has become something I look forward to each day…it sets my mind and thoughts up with an encouraging perspective, mindful of how God wants us to think and act and the more I stay focused on that the more peace and contentment I find in life.

For me, the hardest part and the biggest obstacle in becoming a man of faith has been ME!  Once I confess to God that I am only human, I am a sinner and I trust him because as it says in the gospel of John 3:16….For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  After reading so many different parts of the Bible about God’s grace, God’s love and God’s mercy I am so thankful for all that he has done for me that I have to do my best to live for Him.

Peace.