Monthly Archives: April 2018

I woke early this morning and stepped out on my front porch to enjoy my favorite part of the day – the minutes just before dawn. The moon, though partially hidden by clouds, still filled the valley with soft light. As I stood there, drinking in the peace and quiet, the clouds drifted away. Suddenly the world around me got incredibly bright, as the full moon, no longer obscured by the clouds, filled the valley with light.

This is how it is when we experience Jesus for the first time. Before then the Bible seems obscure, God a vague notion tickling at the back of our minds. Our own preconceived notions, our prejudices, our doubts, cast a veil over our understanding, so we cannot fully grasp the wonder of God or truly understand His Word. 2 Corinthians 3:14 says, “…this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ.”

What a difference, however, when we chose to believe. Paul says, in verse 16, “…whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” Suddenly, God’s Word takes on new meaning and our minds are opened to understand for the first time. When this happens, “Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” Ephesians 3:17

As you continue to bask in the light of the Word, for the first time you will “…have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.” Ephesians 3:18.

The wonderful thing is, it just gets better, for “The way of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until the perfect day.” Proverbs 4:18.

Just as the light of the moon gives way to the sun with breaking of the day, so your experience in Christ will continue to grow until, “…all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” 2 Corinthians 3:18.

I pray today you will experience the love of God in your life like never before. As the dawn breaks on this beautiful new day “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully” and may you “…be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that come from God.” Ephesians 3:19.

This morning “…come boldly and confidently into God’s presence” (Ephesians 3:12). Ask HIm to remove the veil, so you “can see and reflect the glory of the Lord.” Then go out into this dark world and, in everything you do today, let your life reflect the Son!

God bless and have a beautiful day!

I’m a creature of habit. Most of us are to some extent and when we get out of our normal routines it can really mess us up. This was made especially clear to me this last week.

For the last year I’ve been writing an almost daily post on EncouragingWordsforToday.com and on Facebook. These have been just little devotional thoughts to hopefully give people a positive start to their day. Well, last week my routine got messed up.

It started out innocently enough. I got a late start to work on Friday, so didn’t have time to write. Sabbath, we went to Walla Walla to visit our boys and their wives. We had a great time, but my writing got shoved to the side. I intended to post on Monday, but had an appointment Something else came up on Tuesday and Wednesday and, before I knew it, over a week had gone by since I’d last written anything.

In looking back at this experience I’ve been amazed at how just this little change in my routine has affected me. I’ve been staying up later and, consequently, getting up late and getting less done. The more days which went by without writing, the less I wanted to write. Last Wednesday, on one of the most beautiful days of the year, I found myself depressed and out-of-sorts, for no apparent reason.

I realize now I need this routine of daily Bible study and writing, even more than the people who read my posts. Digging deep into God’s Word for little gems of truth, strengthens my faith and gives me a foundation on which to build the rest of my life. Most importantly, it keeps me connected to my Heavenly Father, which is something I literally can’t live without.

Jesus knew the importance of routines. Mark 10:1 says, “Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.” In Luke 4:16 it says, “He went to Nazareth…and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read…”. Prayer was an important part of His routine. Luke 5:16 records, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

Time with His Heavenly Father, at church and in private prayer, was a priority for Jesus. So was service to others, so He made these things part of His daily routine. If Jesus, the Son of God, felt the need for routine daily communion with God, how much more important should it be for us today?

What are your routines? Is daily Bible study and time spent talking with your Heavenly Father one of them? If not, then why not start today putting time with Him back at the top of your list? It’s a choice you’ll never regret – I promise!

So, until tomorrow, God bless and have a great day – routinely speaking!

I always look forward to Spring. It’s my favorite time of the year. Our valley has turned a verdant green, the birds are singing and the tulips and daffodils have burst into bloom. It’s a beautiful time of year!

Unfortunately, we didn’t get all the leaves raked up last fall and, now that the snow is gone, there are dark, wet mats of dead leaves scattered over our lawn. In these areas the grass is struggling to break through. If I don’t get out there soon and rake the grass will die.

My life feels like that sometimes. The weight of my past mistakes lays heavy on my soul, like the dead leaves on our lawn, keeping me from fully enjoying the new life Christ wants for me.

Sometimes I despair I will ever be able to grow beyond my past, but God is not finished with me yet. Just as He sends the Spring breezes to dry up and sweep away the rotted refuse of Fall, so I feel the Holy Spirit, like a gentle breeze, sweep across my soul, blowing away the guilt and shame of my past. The burden lifted, I feel the light of the Son warm my cold heart. I am “a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17.

No matter what you’ve done or how heavy your guilt, your past need not define your future. Guilt and shame does not need to hold you back. Give it all to Jesus. He promises “if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” 1 John 1:9. If you will let Him, God will sweep away the refuse of your past, that you may grow into new life in Him.

It’s springtime, my friend! It’s time for new beginnings. Give Jesus your heart today and let Him bring new life to your soul. Let the Holy Spirit sweep away the past, so you may step joyfully into the light of Son. You are “a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” Now get out there and enjoy it!

When we used to live in Upstate New York, our church would sometimes get together for a cider-making social. One of the members had a cider press and everyone would bring apples and throw them into the press. The children would take turns turning the crank, pushing the press down into the apples. Within moments, some of the sweetest cider I’d ever tasted would come pouring out of the spout at the bottom.

Sometimes I feel like I’m in a cider press, “pressed on every side by troubles.” I think we all feel this way sometimes. Financial pressures, relationship problems, career difficulties, health setbacks – for each of us the challenges are different. Whatever it is we face, we can feel that crank turning, the pressure building, till we are sure we will be crushed under the weight of our problems.

It is at that moment we must remember “…that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” 2 Corinthians 4:7. On our own we cannot stand, but if we trust in God and lean on Him, when we “…are pressed on every side by troubles, we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.” 2 Corinthians 4:8, 9.

I love this quote from the book, The Faith I Live By, p. 64:

“God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could    see the end from the beginning and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him.

We may not always understand why God lets troubles come our way, but we can rest assured He only has our best interest in mind.

The Apostle James understood this. He wrote, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:2-4.

We may not enjoy the pressures life brings our way, but remember, “…our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” 2 Corinthians 4:17.

Today, let’s not “look at the troubles we can see now…” Instead, let us “fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:18.

Apples cannot produce sweet cider until they are pressed. Likewise, the pressures we face each day help us grow in faith, so that someday soon “…we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9.

So, bring the pressure on! I may not enjoy it now, but in the end I know it will be worth it all!

God bless and have an awesome day!

Yesterday, my brother-in-law, Danny Alvarado, and I worked on my wife’s car, replacing the wheel bearings. We gathered our tools and set to work.

Everything went well until it was time to remove the bearings. It turns out the tool we’d bought for the task would not do the job. We had to stop what we we’re doing, and leave the car up on the blocks until we could buy the right tool.

Too often we do this with our spiritual lives. As we strive to grow as Christians, we go to church, watch videos, read devotional books and talk about theology. These are all good things, but, by themselves, they won’t get the job done.

If we really want to grow in our walk with Christ, we need to make use of the most important tool of all, “…the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 3:15.

2 Timothy 3:16, 17 tells us, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

In the pages of the Bible we will find everything we need to become the people God made us to be and to make a real difference in our world.

Today, you may be trying to repair the damage from past mistakes, heal a broken marriage, or build a closer relationship with your Heavenly Father. If you want to succeed, make sure you choose the right tool.

You wouldn’t try to fix a car with a hammer when you need a wrench, would you? Well, then, don’t try to fix your life with good works when what you need is the Good Word.

No matter what the task, you’ll find all the tools you need in the pages of God’s Word. Why not open it’s pages right now and see for yourself?

God bless and have a great day!

This morning, as I set out for my daily 2-mile walk it was cold and rainy. Spray blew in my face and my jogging pants were getting soaked. It was a generally miserable day for a walk. At the ½ mile mark I’d had enough. I said to myself, “Forget this”, and turned back. A mile was plenty of exercise for a day like today.

However, after about 15 steps back towards home. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t quit. I’ve been quitting things all my life and I’m done with that. I’d given myself a goal of 2 miles and I was going to do it, no matter what the weather. Turning around I headed back up the hill, the rain coming down heavier than before.

The weird thing is, when I reached my turn-around point, I didn’t want to quit. I kept going, my feet pounding the wet pavement, the wind in my face, and loving every minute of it. By the time I got back home I’d done 3.1 miles, running a good portion of it, and I felt great! I’d not only reached my goal, I’d surpassed it.

On a day when 30,000 people are running 26.2 miles in the pouring rain in the 2018 Boston Marathon, my little victory may seem pretty insignificant (and it is), but for each of us the race is different, the challenges unique. For some, a walk around the block may be all they can do. For others, like the Boston Marathoners, a 5K is just a warm up.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 says, “The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle.” What is important is not to quit, to keep pushing, to keep our eyes on the goal. As Rich Roll says, in his book Finding Ultra, we have to “Just keep moving forward.” (p. 197).

The key to success, not just in athletics, but in all areas of life is persistence. As Paul says in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Right now it may seem like your goals are unreachable, your dreams unattainable. The storms of life have left you battered and worn. Tears stream down your face and you’re ready to turn back. You’re ready to quit!

Don’t do it my friend! Lift your head and set your eyes on the goal. Cry out to God for help and then just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Keep moving forward and before you know it you will cross the finish line and be able to say with Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7.

Today, don’t let the rain slow you down or the wind turn you back. Jesus runs beside you every step of the way, so don’t be discouraged. Don’t give up! Don’t wait for the storm to pass! Run in the rain!

It was a rough day Thursday at the Walk-in Clinic. The patients just kept coming in droves. We’d get the board whittled down to 4 or 5 people waiting to be seen and 6 more would walk in the door. Colds, flu, chest pain, anxiety, lacerations…by the end of the day they all began to blur together. I got my last patient out the door at 10:20, finished my charts by 11:10 and got home after 11:30. To say I was weary would be an understatement

We all have days like that, days so intense we barely have enough gas left in our tanks to stumble into bed at night. It would be easy to be discouraged, to want to throw in the towel, to just pull up the covers and block out the sun. The race of life can be long and arduous at times and it can seem like the finish line is nowhere in sight.

If that’s how you’re feeling right now, don’t give up, because, “Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth…He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” (Isaiah 40:28, 29).

God promises in Isaiah 40:31 that “…those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Today, no matter how tired you are, no matter what challenges you face, don’t despair. Have faith in God. Declare with confidence, “I am weary, God, but I can prevail.” (Proverbs 30:1). With God by your side you can do anything!

God bless, Happy Sabbath, and get some rest!

Many times in the Bible God tells His people to “Go up!” “Go up to Bethel and settle there…” Genesis 35:1. “Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey.” Exodus 33:3. “Go up and take possession of the land I have given you.” Deuteronomy 9:23.

We like to hear these stories where God says, “go up”, “take a chance”, “move forward”, “be bold”. But what about when God says, “Stay put”? That’s not usually what we want to hear, especially if we’re in a marriage that is less than ideal, a job we can’t stand, or place we feel we don’t belong.

God told Israel to “stay put” while they were captives in Babylon. Through the prophet Jeremiah He said, “Build houses and settle down…seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:5, 7

Israel didn’t want to hear this. They wanted to go home. They were tired of being servants in a foreign land. They wanted to be able to do their own thing, make their own plans, be in charge of their own lives.

Israel wanted to “go up”, but God told them to “stay put.” Why? Because it wasn’t time yet. He said, in verse 10, “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.”

Right now you may feel trapped in a situation you can’t stand. You’re natural inclination may be to call it quits, to move on. That might be the right thing to do, but it might not. God sees the end from the beginning and He may see it is best for you to stay where you are for right now.

Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23 NIV. Sometimes this may mean staying in a job or a situation which is less than ideal. If so, remember He always “works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28.

Today, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6. If He’s telling you to “Go up”, then get moving! But if He says, “Stay put”, then be thankful. You’re right where you belong!

In his autobiography, Finding Ultra, Rich Roll, named “one the world’s fittest men” by Men’s Fitness magazine, tells the story of his second Ultraman race on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Ultraman World Championship is a 3 day double-ironman distance, 320-mile triathlon. On Day One competitors complete a 6.2 mile ocean swim, immediately followed by a 90-mile bike race. On Day Two they race 170 miles on their bikes and then, on Day Three, run a double marathon.

After ending the first day in the lead , Rich had gotten off to a slow start in the bike race. As he labored alone down the pothole-strewn Red Road, in the pouring rain, he hit a bump and crashed, his body skidding across the wet, red cinder, pavement.

Painfully getting back to his feet, Rich discovered his helmet was cracked, and he had severe abrasions of his shoulder and his knees, making movement very painful. However, far worse than his physical injuries was the damage to his bike. The left pedal had shattered. As Rich looked at the carbon fiber pieces strewn over the road, he realized his race was over. All his training, all his sacrifice was for naught.

Get it done!

A short time later, however, as he limped to the end of the Red Road, Rich was met by, not only his support team, but the support teams of several other racers. He tried to tell them that it was over, that he was done, but they just ignored him and got to work.

Within a few minutes Rich was back on the bike, his wounds bandaged and his left foot resting on a new pedal provided by another team. Peter McIntosh, the crew captain for another competitor, looked him in the eye and said “This is not over. Now get back on your bike and get it done.”* And Rich did just that.

The Race of Life

As I read this story I realized we are all in a race, a race called life. Athletes run to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.“ 1 Corinthians 9:25. This is a race we cannot avoid. We are in it every day of our lives, whether we like it or not.

Sometimes the race seems long. Sometimes we crash and burn and find ourselves laying on the wet, cold pavement, the broken pieces of our dreams scattered around us. Bruised and battered, we wonder if we can go on.

It is in these moments we realize we cannot win this race on our own. We need Jesus. We need His healing hand, His loving touch. And we need to “Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, [we] will be proud that [we] did not run the race in vain and that [our] work was not useless.” Philippians 2:16.

We also need the support of our friends and fellow believers so we can “press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:14. We need to “encourage each other and build each other up…” 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

No One Runs Alone

It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve crashed and burned. It doesn’t matter how broken you are, how many painful scrapes you have on your soul. Jesus Christ ran this race before you. His blood has paid the price for your sin and “By his wounds you are healed.” 1 Peter 2:24. You also have the rest of us, your fellow competitors and we’ve got your back.

Today, as you run your race, remember – you do not run alone. Jesus is with you and so are we. We’re here to encourage you and build you up. So, “since [you] are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith…run with endurance the race God has set before [you].’ Hebrews 12:1.

Your race is not finished. You’ve only begun. “This is not over. Now, get back up and get it done!”

God bless and have a great day!

*Rich Roll, Finding Ultra, (New York: Crown Archetype, 2012), p. xvi

I’ve read dozens of self-help books through the years, in a continual quest to “find myself”, to find my “true purpose”, my “why”. The books have been helpful, to varying degrees, but I’ve noticed most have one thing in common – it’s all about me.

These books offer advice like, “Look within yourself”, “Think back to your childhood and write down what made you happy”, or “If you could do anything you wanted, what would it be?” I’m sure there’s merit in some of this advice, but I’ve come to believe the focus is wrong. You see I’m the problem, so why would I look inside myself for the solution?

Look Up

The more I’ve come to know Christ the more I’ve come to realize I’ve been looking in the wrong place for answers. The answers are not to be found by looking in, but in looking up, in “…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2.

You see, if I have given my life to Jesus and accepted His blood as payment for my sins, the Bible says, “…it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20.

So, if the old me is no longer alive, then it doesn’t do much good to look to inside to find my “why”, my “purpose.” If it is Christ living in me, then I need to look at Him to find my purpose, my reason for living. His purpose must become my purpose, His ways my ways.

What was Jesus purpose? Luke 4:18-19 tells us. It says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me,to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Find Your Why

Are you looking for your “purpose”, your “why”? Then look no further. If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, then this is why you were reborn, this is your reason for living: “To preach the gospel…to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty…”, in short, to do the work of Christ, to be His hands and feet.

In spite of what the books may tell you, the best way to help yourself is to help others. Fulfillment comes not from being served, but in serving others, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45.

Don’t waste your time any longer looking inside to find yourself. Instead, look to Jesus “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:3. You have to die to find your “why”. His name is Jesus!

God bless and have a wonderful day!