Monthly Archives: September 2024

Have you ever had one of those moments when you knew you were right where you belonged, doing the thing you were made to do? Everything just seems to flow and you’re loving every minute.

I had one of those moments tonight. I was leading out in presenting the Full Plate Living Program at our church. Full Plate Living teaches how we can eat healthy and lose weight and still enjoy our food. It’s an excellent program provided by the Ardmore Institute of Health and I highly recommend it. Best of all, it’s free! You can learn more about it at FullPlateLiving.org.

Anyway, as I was leading out tonight, I got the feeling I was right where I belonged at that moment, doing just what God wanted me to do. I love preaching and doing public speaking and I often get that feeling when I’m up front, the bigger the audience the better. It’s kind of weird, because I’m not all that good one-on-one, but when I’m up front I feel like I’m in my element. I feel the same thing when I write sometimes.

The Bible says we each have a place where we belong, something God planned especially for us to do. It says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV).

There is no one else like you. God has a special place prepared where you are to work for Him. If you will give Him your life today, give Him first place in your heart, then He “will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go…”. (Psalm 32:8). He will lead you to that place He’s prepared just for you – the place where you belong.

Psalm 37:4 has always been one of my favorite Bible verses. It promises, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Don’t you love that? It’s almost like magic! If I just find delight in God, He will give me everything my heart could desire.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to work that way in real life. Many a time I’ve wanted something with all my heart, but God didn’t come through. So, what’s going on?

As I’ve grown in my relationship to God, I’ve come to realize I’ve been reading that verse wrong. God isn’t saying He’ll give me everything my selfish heart desires. What God is really promising is that, if I delight in Him, He will give me new desires, desires that are pure, untainted by selfish interests.

But in order for this to happen. I first need a heart transplant. God promises, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you…” (Ezekiel 36:26). No longer do I live for self, for “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20).

With a new heart and new spirit comes new desires. Christ’s desires now hold sway and my entire priorities are changed. I no longer live for myself, but to glorify God and to serve others. When this happens God will happily give me the desires of my heart, because now my heart beats only for Him.

Who does your heart beat for today?

Do any of you have days when you feel totally inadequate, way in over your head? Do you have times when life is asking too much of you and you just feel like throwing in the towel, giving up? Do you ever find yourself pleading with God to take you out of the situation you’re in, to rescue you from a burden that is more than you can bear? No? Well, count yourself blessed, because I sure do and I think everyone does at one time or another.

Paul felt that way. He says, “I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” (2 Corinthians 12:7 NIV). He doesn’t say what this thorn was, but it left him feeling helpless, stressed out, and desperate for relief. Three times he pleaded to God to take it away, to pull out the thorn, but the only answer he got was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (v. 9).

I’m sure that’s not the answer Paul wanted, but it was the one he needed to hear. It is only when we come to the point of desperation, when we realize how inadequate we are, that we realize how desperately we need God’s strength and it is only in total dependence on Him that we can attain total victory.

Today, when you’re feeling totally inadequate, when you feel like you can’t go on, can’t take another step, lean on Jesus. In your weakness hold on to His strength. Trust in Him and He will carry you through to a brighter tomorrow. No matter what challenges you face, His grace will be sufficient for you, because in Him even the weak become strong..

This morning, while walking past the Walla Walla University campus, I came upon a squirrel busily gathering acorns. It was so involved with the task, it didn’t notice me approaching until I was about 2 feet away. When it finally did see me, it frantically ran for the nearest tree, a precious acorn clenched in its teeth.

It’s easy to be like that squirrel, so caught up in our busy lives, scrambling to gather as much stuff as we can, we’re unaware of what’s happening around us. We can be so focused on the little things we lose sight of the big picture.

Jesus warned us about this. After telling His disciples about some of the things which would take place just before He came again, Jesus told them, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.” (Luke 21:34 NIV).

Now, most of us don’t have much of a problem with “carousing” and “drunkness”, but we all sometimes are “weighed down with…the anxieties of life”, and they can be just as distracting.

This week, don’t make that squirrel’s mistake. Don’t yourself be so distracted by “the anxieties of life” you lose sight of what’s really important – preparing for Christ’s soon return. Instead, “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (v. 36).

Jesus is coming soon, my friend. Don’t be like that squirrel. Keep watch!

There’s an old saying that goes, “Don’t put off till tomorrow what can be done today.” Many of us, including me, turn this saying around. We say instead, “Why do today, what can be put off till tomorrow?” This tendency can lead to unwelcome consequences.

I took this philosophy a little too far this year. Because I was so busy in the spring and couldn’t find certain papers I needed, I deferred filing my taxes. I fully intended to complete the task later in April, but things came up and April turned into May and May into June and…well, you get the picture. Now, suddenly it’s almost October and I’m scrambling to get them filed before the October 10 deadline.

The apostle James addressed this human tendency to procrastinate when he wrote, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:13, 14 NIV).

None of us knows what tomorrow may hold or if we will even have a tomorrow. So, whether it’s saying, “I’m sorry” to someone you’ve wronged, giving another a helping hand, telling a friend about Jesus, or just something as benign as filing your taxes on time, don’t put it off till tomorrow, for who knows if tomorrow will ever come. “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” (James 4:17).

Procrastination only makes things harder in the long run, so today, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might…” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Lift someone’s burden. Hold another’s hand. Say “I love you.” Don’t wait! Don’t put it off till tomorrow. Do it today!

On my morning walk this time of year, for the first couple blocks, I‘m walking directly into the rising sun. You would think it would be uncomfortable, but I actually enjoy the feeling. I can feel the warmth of the sun’s rays chasing away the morning chill, while the light chases away the last remnants of morning grogginess from my brain. It’s a wonderful way to start the day.

Psalm 89:15 says, “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.” And John promises, “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7 NIV).

The world we live in can be a dark and dreary place sometimes, but Jesus promised, “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12). If I walk in the light shining forth from His Word, daily letting it light my way, He will “make known to me the path of life…fill me with joy in [His] presence, with eternal pleasures at [His] right hand.” (Psalm 16:11). And He will do the same for you, my friend.

Today, why walk in the darkness anymore? Why stumble in the dark, like those who have lost their way? “Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” (John 12:36).

It’s a new day, my friends! “Come…let us walk in the light of the Lord.” (Isaiah 2:5).

The other day Ana and I went to Walmart with our granddaughter. The store has a big parking lot, with lots of cars moving around. Concerned for her safety, I reached down to take my granddaughter’s hand as we headed toward the store.

She thinks she’s a big girl, though, and refused to hold my hand. She wanted to walk by herself, without my protection. Obviously I was not going to let that happen. I bent down and made it clear we weren’t going anywhere if she didn’t hold my hand. Reluctantly she gave me her hand and soon we were safely in the store.

This world we live in can be a dangerous place, full of temptations and wrong turns, but God promises to be with us, if we let him. He says, “I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:13 NIV).

Don’t make the same mistake as my granddaughter, thinking you can make it on your own. That will only lead to disaster and regret. Instead, hold tightly to the hand of the Father and let Him lead you safely home.

I’m a creature of habit. I love routines. I get up about the same time each day, take my walk, write my blog post, shower, dress, eat my breakfast and head off to work. Routines give me a sense of security, help me keep my priorities straight, and make me more efficient.

The problem with routines is they can become, well, routine. Doing the same thing day-after-day, just because that’s the way I’ve always done it, leaves me out of touch and, frankly, bored.

The same thing can happen in our devotional life. We read the same passages over-and-over, mouth the same prayers. We show up in church each week out of habit and chant the same songs. We listen to the sermon, but the words are just droning background noise lulling us to sleep. Worship has just become another routine routine.

Even God gets tired of this. He says “when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.” (Matthew 6:7 NKJV). He says of our worship routines, “Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.” (Isaiah 1:14 NIV).

God wants to break us out of our routines, to bring us back to life, to give meaning to our days, to restore joy to our worship. He’s not interested in our meaningless routines. He wants us to put our words into action, to worship Him not just with the things we say, but with the things we do.

He says, “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isaiah 58:6, 7).

Are you stuck in a routine in your daily life or in your worship? Then it’s time to do something different, to take your focus off yourself and do something for another. If you do, “Then your light will break forth like the dawn and your healing will quickly appear.” (v. 8).

Routines are great until they become just that, routine. Break the cycle, open your heart to someone else, and learn today what it really means to “worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth…” (John 4:23).

Happy Sabbath!

Everybody loves Fridays!

After a long hard week Friday is the last day of work before the weekend. “Thank God it’s Friday!” is an expression, not just of relief, but also of anticipation, as we look forward to a couple days off.

For me, growing up, we called Friday “Preparation Day”, because it was the day we got ready for the Sabbath, cleaning the house, ironing our clothes for church, preparing our hearts for that special time with Jesus each week. I still look forward to Friday, because Sabbath, my favorite day of the week, comes next.

For those of us in the medical field, our schedules tend to be messed up. Our Fridays may fall on Monday or Wednesday or any day of the week. My Friday this week was Thursday. But, no matter what day of the week it is, everyone looks forward to Friday.

Just like Friday can fall on any day of the week for people in some professions, so Jesus could come at any time. The signs are all there that His coming is just around the corner, “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen…Only the Father knows.” (Matthew 24:36 NLT). The one thing we know is we want to be prepared when He returns.

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” (v. 42). For those of us waiting for Jesus’ appearing, every day is Friday, our Preparation Day. Now “is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Not tomorrow. Not the next day. Today!

So how about you? Are you ready? Are you prepared for Jesus to come? Don’t wait another moment to make things right between you and God. Don’t put off till tomorrow giving Him first place in your life. It’s Friday! Give Jesus your heart today!

My wife is an avid gardener, with a proverbial green thumb. I swear she could grow vegetables in the Sahara Desert. Plants just flourish under her care, producing more food than we could ever use ourselves, something our kids and our neighbors are very grateful for.

A garden, however, will not flourish without proper care. If Ana fails to fertilize her plants, trim and groom them, or provide them with plenty of water, they will shrivel up and die.

Relationships are a lot like that. Marriages die due to neglect or just lack of interest. Passion fades, careers distract, roses stop coming, and kisses become few and far between. Soon they’re just two people sitting on the couch watching TV, – in the same room, but miles apart.

The same thing happens with our relationship with Jesus. You were on fire when you first believed. You told everyone you knew about what you found. You loved spending time in His Word and talked with Him deep into the night. You were in church every week and sometimes in the middle of the week. You just couldn’t get enough of Him.

But it’s so easy to let that love fade, to neglect that morning prayer time, to sleep in on Sabbath morning, to leave Him knocking at the door of your heart, because you don’t have the time to answer. As Jesus lamented in Revelation 2:4,“You have forsaken the love you had at first.” (NIV).

It doesn’t have to be this way, however! Marriages don’t have to shrivel up and die! And your relationship with Jesus can come alive again. But for this to happen you must first “Consider how far you have fallen!” Then, “Repent and do the things you did at first.” (v. 5).

In your marriage, start doing the little things again. Open the door, buy some flowers, whisper “I love you” in the middle of the night. Make each other a priority and put the past in the past. “I’m sorry” goes a long way to heal old wounds. Just love each other and show it every day by what you do.

And when it comes to being with Jesus, give Him first place in your life once more. Make Him the first thing you think of in the morning, His Word the first thing you read. Make Him the center of everything you do. Don’t give up on Jesus, because He will never give up on you.

Remember a garden just needs a little loving care to bear fruit. The same goes for marriages and your relationship with Jesus. So, take care of what you care about! Get out that hose and start watering the relationships in your life today. Then watch how they grow!