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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!

Today is Trash Day, that wonderful day every week where we go around the house, gathering up the garbage we’ve been collecting for the last several days, and chucking it into the trash container by the curb, never to be seen again.

I always feel a little guilty and amazed by the amount of trash our little family can generate in a week. With that in mind, I’m always looking for more ways we can recycle what we can, so, instead of ending up in a landfill, the things we discard can be remade into useful items again.

There are some things, however, we can’t and shouldn’t recycle. The recycling center has a whole list of them. With those things the only place they should go is in the trash where they belong.

Our sins and mistakes should never be recycled either, yet how often we do just that. We remember some past mistake and that old guilt comes rising to the surface again. We bemoan our error and chastise ourselves once more for being such fools. Our past comes back to haunt us, stealing away our hope for a brighter future, bearing it under the refuse of our past sins. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

The Bible tells us “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love…he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:8, 10-12 NIV).

God doesn’t recycle our sins, throwing them back in our faces, whenever we mess up again. No, He says, “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:12). In fact, He promises He will “hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:19).

If God’s not going to recycle our sins, why should we? Let’s leave them, along with all our guilt and shame, where they belong – in the depths of the sea. Let’s trust God that He meant it when He said, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). Today is Trash Day. Let’s give Jesus all our sins and let Him take them away – never to be seen again.

I recently bought my wife a small greenhouse. It came in two boxes, with multiple parts, each with its own number. Looking at it, I didn’t have a clue where to start. But there, laying on top of the jumble of wooden posts and panels, windows doors, screws, nuts and bolts, was the answer to my problem – the Owner’s Manual.

Piece-by-piece, carefully following the manual’s instructions, I began to put the parts together. As I worked, walls started to take form. Out of chaos came order. My confusion cleared and a building began to take form.

Life can be pretty confusing too. Sometimes it’s hard to see how all the parts fit together, what the next step should be. Thankfully, God has given us an Owner’s Manual with instructions to follow. It’s called the Bible.

Psalm 19:7, 8 says, “The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.”

In the Scripture we find all we need to build a successful life. In fact, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Life is complicated enough without ignoring the instructions God has given us in His Word. Check out the Owner’s Manual for yourself today. Follow its instructions every day and build a life that matters – one piece at a time.

I was reading this morning about what Jesus went through just before His crucifixion. Mark 15 describes that after he was flogged by the Roman soldiers they, “put a purple robe on him…twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. Then mocked Him shouting, “Hail, King of the Jews!” (Mark 15:18 NIV).

Not satisfied with verbal abuse the soldiers, “Again and again struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.” (vs. 19-20)

As I read these words the thought came to me, “Man, I’d hate to be those soldiers when Jesus comes again.” I remembered the words of the Apostle John when he said, “everyone will see him—even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him.” (Revelation 1:7 NLT). Imagine the terror those soldiers will feel on that day

I’m just glad I wasn’t the one who pressed that crown of thorns into his brow, or struck his head, or spat on his face. I’m so glad I didn’t put that cross on His back or drive the nails through His hands and feet.

But wait a minute. Maybe I’m not getting off the hook so easily. After all Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” (Matthew 25:40 NLT)

When I strike out with angry words against another, I strike Christ. If I call another “stupid” or “idiot”, I mock the Son of God. And when I fail to feed the hungry, help the stranger, give water to thirsty, clothe the naked, or visit the sick and in prison, I neglect the King of kings and Lord of lords.

How would you treat Jesus if He was here today? Well, I’ve got news for you – He is! He’s there in everyone you meet. As you interact with others today, ask God to open your eyes to see Jesus in “the least of these”. Ask Him to help you treat them like you would like to be treated, with love, compassion and kindness.

If we do this, then we need not fear the day of His coming or, like those soldiers, tremble at His appearing. Instead, we will rejoice as we hear Him say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.” (Matthew 25:34 NLT).

Have you ever noticed plans don’t always go as planned?

Ana and I were planning to build a house on some property we own, but now we’re selling it instead. I’d planned on writing this post much earlier, but things came up, so plans had to change. We were planning on living in Cashmere the rest of our lives, but now we call College Place home. It seems no matter how carefully we plan our lives, our plans change.

I think our Heavenly Father must chuckle sometimes when He hears the plans of His earthly children. We are so naive, so short-sighted. We think we know what’s best, but God says, “Hold on a second. I’ve got a better way.”

Proverbs 19:21 (NIV) says, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails”, to which I say, “Thank God!”. I’ve made enough of a mess of things over years, following my own plans. I’d much rather have the One who sees the end from the beginning plan out my days.

Today, if your life isn’t going quite as you had planned, turn it over to Jesus. “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” (Proverbs 16:3). Trust Him with your life, let Him work out His plans for you day-by-day, knowing that as long as you’re following Him you’re headed in the right direction.