Where You Lead

Into The Fire

How much longer will you forget me, LORD? Forever?
How much longer will you hide yourself from me?
How long must I endure trouble?
How long will sorrow fill my heart day and night?
How long will my enemies triumph over me?

Look at me, O LORD my God, and answer me.
Restore my strength; don’t let me die.
Don’t let my enemies say, “We have defeated him.”
Don’t let them gloat over my downfall.

I rely on your constant love;
I will be glad, because you will rescue me.
I will sing to you, O LORD,
because you have been good to me.

Psalm 13

Wow. I sure can relate to the way David is feeling in that psalm. I’ve spent the better part of the past two weeks or so crying out to the Lord, asking Him why he forgot me, wondering how long my heart must ache. Like David, it was when I turned my crying and grief to prayer that I was finally able to see God’s hand working in my life.

I’m beginning to realize that God’s answer to me isn’t exactly what I was expecting. I thought His answer would comfort me but it seems God wants me to rely so completely on Him that there will be no doubt of His love for me. The best way I can describe God’s answer to my prayer is that He picked us up out of the frying pan and tossed us directly into the fire. At this point, we must rely on Him, no questions asked. He is demanding total trust.

As David says, “I rely on your constant love; I will be glad, because you will rescue me.” It will not be a man, a parent, a friend who comes to my aid; it will the Lord. He wants me to put my complete trust in Him.

I do trust Him. I am at peace.

(If you read this to the end, please keep my family in your prayers. And feel free to let me know you were here in my comments so I can pray for you, too.)

Signs

Have you ever wondered if some odd moment or event might be a sign from God? Do you look for signs in your life? Have you ever asked God for a sign?

This topic arose this evening while talking with my 17 year old son. He suggested I do something specific to rectify a situation that has my whole family in turmoil. Truly, taking action to bring comfort to our family is a good thing. The problem is, the action could hurt someone else.

To complicate matter more, the person who could get hurt is someone who has caused pain to those I love. So the dilemma I face is whether any action I take is to make right a wrong or is it really my hidden desire for revenge? Thus, I have asked for a sign that will point me in the right direction.

Deep inside, I really believe that the sign will be no sign at all. I think God will deal with this situation without any input from me. But I will still be watching. I’ll be alert so that if there is a sign, I will not miss it. I have a feeling that just being alert will open my eyes to all kinds of other signs and messages that God is sending.

Who’s Number One?

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

Galatians 5:13

Do you remember how Jesus washed the feet of his disciples after the Last Supper? Jesus, who they called Lord and Master, knelt down to wash their feet, to serve them.

That is exactly what God expects from us as well. We are to serve one another in love. If I believe that I am better than someone else, by virtue of my money or intelligence or whatever, how will I serve this other person?

I know there are teachings of other faiths or modern day “religions” that proclaim the person to be the ultimate. That kind of thinking feeds into today’s “Me first” and “It’s all about me” mentality. God’s word, though, tells us that we are not number one, that we are here to serve one another.

I think it’s time for me to step outside of my comfort zone and begin to really help others. I’ve put off for too long the work I need to do to reach out and serve those in need of God’s love. Today, I will recommit myself to service for God.

Real Treasure

“Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”

Matthew 6:19-20

Everything in this life will pass. We will walk this earth for less than a century; it is the next life that will be eternal. It is the next life that will matter because it is forever.

I’ve been “middle age” for several years now and I can’t deny that I’ve thought about the last part of my life when I’ll need to find a means of financial support beyond a regular job. Will my husband and I have enough “set aside” to carry us through to the end? Interesting, we’ll need enough for 10 or 20 years, maybe a little longer. Yet we seldom give any consideration to to the treasures we’ve stored for the next life that will go far beyond 20 or more years.

You would think that preparing for eternity would count for more than a measly decade or two. You would think that we’d be storing up treasures for eternity from the time we learned about it. Why is it we take for granted our place in heaven, and concentrate on this life? Why do we not trust the Lord to provide for us during our visit here on earth, and spend our time earning our treasure in heaven?

Today, let’s all remember that nothing we have here on earth will go with us into eternity. Let’s never forget that everything we’ve accumulated here on earth will rot away while the good we do and the love we share will go with us into forever. Let’s keep in mind that we need only trust in God to care for us here and that our real treasure awaits us in Heaven.

Love

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:34-35

Every one of us is capable of loving. We know that and we do love. We love our children, our parents, our spouses. We love our neighbor. But do we love as Jesus has loved us?

Jesus laid down his life for us, no doubt the ultimate act of love. He did that even though we are sinners; He loved us regardless of our faults and flaws. Jesus loves us when we are not so lovable.

I know that I do not love others as Jesus loves me. When I am angry or bitter, Jesus keeps loving me. Yet, when I am faced with a bitter or angry person, I respond with anger or bitterness. Sometimes I just walk away. I do not love that person. I do not show kindness or compassion. I do not love as Jesus loves me.

Lovable people are easy; it’s the bitter, angry person that really tests our love. Those are the people that Jesus wants us to love because they need the love of Christ in their lives. As with every command that Jesus has given us, we can’t pick and choose when to follow and when to ignore. We must follow Christ’s commands always. And that means loving everyone, especially those who are so very unlovable.

We are here to serve the Lord and we serve by loving His children. Today, let’s try to love as Jesus loves us: totally, completely, unconditionally.

Who’s Number Two?

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:3-4

When I was in grade school, maybe 6th or 7th grade, I read the book “I Am Third” by Gayle Sayers autobiography focusing on his friendship with Brian Piccolo, both professional football players. Not only did the story of these two wonderful men stay with me, but the thought that God is first, my brother is second and I am third left a huge impact on me.

I work very hard every day to make God first in my life. I pray when I wake up and I pray at night before I fall asleep. I pray throughout the day. I make a point of remember God in just about everything I do. And yet I am selfish. Yes, I am.

I have every intention of putting others first and often I do. I’m a mother, after all, and our nature is to tend to our families. The thing is, I hear a lot about “take care of yourself” or no one else will. Or that there’s nothing wrong with a little “me time.” And I buy into that. Why not? It feels good to take care of myself. It’s wonderful when I spend the time and money on special pampering.

I guess the question is, Does it feel as wonderful as when God takes care of me? Is a pedicure as relaxing as God’s love and comfort? No matter what I do for myself, is any of it better than when God does for me? The answer, of course, is no.

I don’t need to put myself or my needs ahead of my family’s or anyone else’s. God tells me to put Him first, to put others second. God tells me that I am third. I know from experience that when I put myself last, He will take care of me better than I can take care of myself.

I must recommit myself to my family, friends and community. I must remember that the only pampering I need is the loving comfort of God.

Hidden Life

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Colossians 3:2-3

Take a breath. Relax. Oh, if only I could. Life is swirling around me and my head is spinning trying to keep up with all the schedules and appointments and things-to-do. I can’t just walk away; my family depends on me.

I need to focus, though, on my spiritual life. I must keep my eyes and my mind on God. My true purpose in life is God’s plan, not my own. My true mission is the one that God has set out for me. While life comes at me in all directions, I need only keep my thoughts focused on Jesus Christ and my path will become evident. God will reveal my true purpose, my hidden life, in His time.

Looking Forward

One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14

There is much to be learned from the past, no doubt. Once we learn that lesson, though, we need to walk away from the experience and not dwell on it. We need to move on.

In my own life I have been guilty of getting stuck on a mistake or sin, being unable to move on. I beat myself up over it and regret my wrong choice. I forget that God has forgiven me and that I need to forgive myself. By forgiving myself, I can look ahead and continue on the path toward my goal of a life in God’s kingdom.

I’m going to make an extra effort to forgive myself and to start each day anew, working toward my goal.

Ultimate Choice

For to Me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Plilippians 1:21

To live is Christ. I keep thinking about this. I’ve pondered it all day and figured I should just write what’s in my head regarding it. Not sure if it will make sense, though.

Do you remember the WWJD? bracelets and shirts and things from several years ago? It was all about trying to make choices based upon what we know or what we suppose Christ would do. As we muddle through our day, we must choose and choose and choose. With prayer and conviction, we will choose Christ. When we stray, when we forget the prize, we often regret our choices.

And then, “to die is gain.” Every choice we make with Christ in mind is another step closer to our reward. By dying, we gain eternal life with our King. Remembering the real prize makes choosing Christ in our lives so much easier.

Today, I made an effort to choose to live for Christ. I must remember to do that each day.

Life Plans

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jerimiah 29:11

I’m not alone. God tells me that I’m not alone and that He is right here, waiting for me to ask Him about the wonderful plan He has for my life. That’s comforting and exciting and frightening all at once.

I look back and I see that I have had plans, too, but most of my plans have been lost by the wayside. I plan and then life happens. And I realize all too often that if my own plans had not been overridden by God’s plans, I’d be in one huge mess right now.

I know that God isn’t keeping His plans hidden from me. I know that it’s up to me to take the time and make the effort to listen to Him. God is waiting to share His plan for me if only I’d be open to His voice.

Today – and every day – I hope to sit quietly with his Word and listen for God’s plan to be revealed to me. One day at a time, I will walk the path that God has set out and I will be open to all that He is waiting to open up to me.