Today’s Proverb for November 25, 2009

Proverbs 25:18

¹⁸ Telling lies about others
is as harmful as hitting them with an ax,
wounding them with a sword,
or shooting them with a sharp arrow.

I have a friend who walks the streets of NW Tucson.  I don’t know too much about her, but we have visited a couple of times.  I have even given her rides and bought her some groceries.  You may have seen her too.  She carries a parasol and is often walking on Oracle Road.

I always wondered what her story was.  When I met her I discovered she is a Christian.  As she walks, she looks for work cleaning or other work to help pay her rent.  As we talked I discovered that people make fun of her and it’s hurtful to her.  Although she doesn’t lead a “normal” life as most people understand it, she is a real person with real feelings.  I imagine 99% of the folks who talk bad about her have never met her and have no idea what her life is like.

Today’s Proverb is a great reminder to me not to run people down.  If I can’t say it to their face in love then it’s just not worth saying.

God’s Wrath?

(I have posted this here and at www.LoveForTheTruth.com)

A very respected pastor has made a dire prediction.  That many of the nations, and the worlds, cities will soon be infernos.  Pastor David Wilkerson is quoted in a World Net Daily exclusive:

David Wilkerson, author of “The Cross and the Switchblade,” a book about his ministry to troubled New York street kids that was later made into a movie starring Pat Boone, tells readers of his blog this weekend that he is “compelled by the Holy Spirit to send out an urgent message” about his prediction.

“An earth-shattering calamity is about to happen,” he writes. “It is going to be so frightening, we are all going to tremble – even the godliest among us.”

He goes on to say that it will be God pouring out His wrath in judgment on sinful nations.  This is where I feel compelled to interject.  While I don’t disagree that some horrible disaster might be on the horizon, I do NOT believe it will be God’s wrath!

We live in a fallen world and we have an enemy.  Satan and a third of the angels have been cast out of Heaven.  Revelation 12:12 says:

¹²“For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”

Yes, the devil is not happy.  He hates you.  You are made in God’s image and he wants to destroy God.  Since he can’t, he’s after you and your testimony.

Now don’t get me wrong.  God hates sin and He has, is, and will, deal with it.  Just not the way some people think.  First, God dealt with sin on the cross.  He poured out His wrath on Jesus so He wouldn’t have to pour it out on you!  If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and savior than the Bible says that you are redeemed from the curse of the law.  That’s good news!  That’s THE good news!

Abraham knew God and He knew God’s character.  The LORD and a couple of His angels were on their way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.  Abraham made a plea on Sodom’s behalf.  You can read the whole thing in Genesis 18, but here’s a revealing snippet:

²⁵“Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”

²⁶So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place on their account.”

Abraham knew that God wouldn’t deal with the righteous unrighteously!  God only found one righteous man in Sodom and he got Lot and his family out first before He destroyed the place.  God’s character hasn’t changed.

After 911 many pastors said God was judging America for our sins.  Same after Hurricane Katrina.  Do you think there were 10 righteous believers in those planes that hit the twin towers?  In the Pentagon?  In New Orleans?

Prepare for hard times?  Sure.  It’s good to recognize the season and the times we are in.  Blame God for it?  No.  I’m gonna blame our enemy and use uncertain times to tell people about a loving God who died for them so they don’t have to. A God who wants to make their future solid in Him!

Work Pays Off

Funny.  I can’t seem to get motivated.  Will I have to jog 3 – 5 miles a day for the rest of my life so I can be fit and trim and avoid dying of a heart attack?  I think I’m starting to think I am more of a hiker bike rider than the runner I used to be.  It’s harder than I remember!

Then there is this.  My junior year in high school I returned from my Summer vacation in San Diego.  I had spent the Summer goofing off at the beach and sneaking joints when I could.  (I was pretty lost back then.  No focus.  No vision.)  I reported for two a days in bad shape.  I struggled through the first game and then quit so I could party.  It’s one of the biggest regrets of my life!  If I had to do it over again, I would have stayed home for the Summer, worked out with the team, and been the stud on the football field I should have been.

How does that relate to now?  True, I don’t have anything to prove on the field.  That’s for men younger than I.  However, there is a life lesson for me.  Press through.  Set a goal and trust God to help me achieve it.  I can’t let my laziness of the past few years keep me from good health now.  It will be hard.  I will want to quit.  But if I will persevere, there will be a reward.  The Bible says that work pays off:

1. Proverbs 10:4
   Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.
2. Proverbs 12:24
   The hand of the diligent will rule, But the slack hand will be put to forced labor.
3. Proverbs 13:4
   The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, But the soul of the diligent is made fat.
4. Proverbs 21:5
   The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.

You get the idea :-)

So, this morning, I am going to jog.  I signed up for www.everyoneruns.net, a 5.5 mile run on April 14th.  Ambitious considering I am having trouble running 2 miles right now!  But, with persistence I can do this.

I wanted to climb to the top of Pusch Peak today, but I don’t have the 6 hours it will take.  Even better, I want to climb to Finger Rock.  The vertical climb is the same, but since the trail starts higher, it ends higher!  Awesome views from up there, I’m sure.  Plus I’ve yet to climb to Finger Rock.  Maybe on Monday…

Sacrifice of Praise

Hebrews 13:12-16
¹²Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.

¹³So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.

¹⁴For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.

¹⁵Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.¹⁶And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

I was hiking the other day.  Actually, I’ve been hiking a lot lately.  I signed up for a 5.5 mile run on April 11th and I am going to be ready!  However, actually getting ready is WORK!  As I was huffing and puffing my way up the steep slopes this concept of “Sacrifice of Praise” came to mind.  I believe the Lord showed me something.  I’ll share it with you and you can decide if God is speaking to you too.

I know I don’t look like it so much these days, but in high school I was a pretty good athlete.  A sprinter, football player, one year of soccer even.  Games and meets and matches were fun.  Practice, not always.  It took work to get in shape, to train the God given abilities to be able to perform at a high level (hopefully) on game day.  Some of those practices were grueling.  Another set of intervals when you were ready to throw up.  More wind sprints after a hard practice with the coach blowing his whistle and barking at us to move it.  Needless to say, there were days I would have rather been doing other things.  The payoff was;  being in great shape, and running a good time in the 100, or making a big play to help win the game, etc.

As I was huffing and puffing up Pusch Peak and I was noticed that I really wasn’t in the mood for a hard hike.  I was tired.  It had been a long day.  I almost turned back, but I decided to press on.  To make a sacrifice!  With a payoff in mind;  get into great shape (someday, with consistent training), and be ready to run 5.5 miles on April 11th.  I was offering a sacrifice of hiking!  I ended up making really good time compared to just the week before.  My workouts were paying off!  But I don’t always feel like working out.

God started showing me the parallel.  Sacrifice of working out when I don’t feel like it builds discipline in my life and rewards here on Earth.  Spiritual sacrifice builds discipline in my life and rewards here, and in Heaven!  A win win!  That is so like God.

How many times in tough circumstances do we run to the TV, or comfort food, or our favorite sin, instead of thanking God in (not for, but in) the circumstance.  This is where the sacrifice of praise comes into play.  Instead of running from God, or ignoring Him, when the tough gets going, this is the time to run to God!  Consistently.  Especially when you don’t feel like it!  He is always there.  He loves us soooooo much!  He is close to the brokenhearted!!!  He desires for us to rely on Him and to trust Him all the time, not just when life is going well.

When we run to Him we receive all of His benefits.  We cry Abba Father to the caring Dad who has already met our needs forever through His Son Jesus and longs to meet them now!  Why do I cry in my beer when I can cry on His shoulder?  Especially when alcohol is a depressant!  No.  It’s the sacrifice of praise that will build spiritual discipline.  Not so much because our hard work brings us closer to God, but rather, the closer we stay to God the more His presence can change us!  Discipline is a fruit of the Spirit.  We can only bear fruit when we are connected to the vine.  Still, staying close to God can be a fight!

If working out brings a benefit, how much more spiritual discipline.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25
²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

²⁵Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Next time you are feeling down.  Like God has forgotten your name.  Run to His loving arms.  Praise His name for giving you life!  For giving you His Son as a sacrifice!  He hasn’t forgotten your name.  He has promised to never leave you nor forsake you.  Take Him at His Word, even though sometimes the going is very hard.

Psalm 126:5 & 6
⁵Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.
⁶He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed,
Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

Keep sowing good even when it feels bad.  It will pay great dividends!

Craziness Around the Globe

and in the Boston Globe. Seems that anxiety is on the rise as some in the worldwide media hype so called “Global Warming.”

Last year, an anxious, depressed 17-year-old boy was admitted to the psychiatric unit at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. He was refusing to drink water. Worried about drought related to climate change, the young man was convinced that if he drank, millions of people would die. The Australian doctors wrote the case up as the first known instance of “climate change delusion.”

Yes, this an extreme case, but the article goes on to say that nervousness over

“extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods, cyclones, and hurricanes, can lead to emotional distress”

is on the rise.

OK. I have documented again and again that “Global Warming” was really Solar Warming and now the Sun is getting quieter, the Earth is now cooling. Still, the Boston Globe says,

“Climate change is expected to create about 200 million environmental refugees by 2050, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the international body established within the United Nations to evaluate causes and consequences of global warming.”

Even if this were true (which it’s not!) Jesus said, DON’T WORRY!

Matthew 6:33-34
³³ “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴ “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Does the Bible have anything to say about “Global Warming?” A couple of things indirectly. In Revelation it’s clear that it’s will heat up dramatically for a short time:

Revelation 16:8-9

⁸ The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire.

⁹ Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.

Look closely. Even when God will pour out His wrath on the planet, it will be solar warming! No mention of CO2 or methane gas here.

Still concerned about “Global Warming?” Consider what God says in Genesis 8:22:

²²“While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
And cold and heat,
And summer and winter,
And day and night
Shall not cease.”

I guess Dick Cheney was right when he said he believed in global warming. It’s called Spring and Summer!

Obedience

That’s a tough word.  Especially in this, “instant gratification isn’t fast enough” culture of today.  Marketers are taught, if you want to sell your product you have to convey to the customer, “what’s in it for me if I buy your product.”

That’s what I love, and hate, about Christ.  Jesus is always there to challenge the worldly culture and our selfish desires.  I hate it because I want what I want when I want it.  The world tells me, “Yeah.  You should have what you want when you want it.”  The problem with my selfish desires is they are selfish!  Someone else usually gets hurt.  In the long run, I usually get hurt too.

I love it because God knows best.  Duh!  He’s God!  He knows that to the degree that I’m able to obey Jesus, there is great benefit in it!  Not just for me, but for the people around me that I end up serving rather than hurting.

Jesus is our example and even He obeyed His Father all the way to the cross.

Hebrews 5:8 & 9
⁸  Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

⁹  And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,

Jesus is leading us into obedience, not because He is on a power trip, but rather, He knows there is great blessing for us when we obey.

In the Garden of Gethsemane before Jesus was taken captive to be crucified He was talking to His disciples.  Those last moments with His disciples are so key.  The things that Jesus had to say about His ministry on Earth, His Father, The Holy Spirit that was coming, and His prayer for believers are so important for followers of Christ today.  It’s all there in your Bible starting in John 14 through His capture in John 18.

In John 14, Jesus talked about the benefits of obedience.

John 14:21-23
²¹  Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

22  Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

²³  Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  ²⁴  He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Obedience is hard.  I guess if it wasn’t, everyone would do it.  It’s tough because it takes faith in God.  We have to trust Him and not ourselves.  To be able to trust Him that if we do what is right it will turn out right.  Ever have pressure from a friend or a boss to do what you aren’t supposed to do?  It takes courage to say, “You know, I might be risking my job, or our friendship, but I have to do what s right.”  Jesus says if I love Him I will obey Him.  He won’t leave me or forsake me when I don’t, but depending on what I choose to do there may be consequences.  The Bible says that God disciplines those He loves.  But when I do obey, because I love God and I want to do what’s right, through that obedience He will reveal more of Himself to me.

Ever hear the Holy Spirit urge you to read the Bible when you get up in the morning?  There have been so many times that I have not obeyed that voice and logged on to Facebook instead.  Does God still love me?  Absolutely!  Is He still with me?  Sure.  But what would He have said to me through His Word if I had obeyed?  I would have been encouraged and better equipped to face the rest of the day!  Instead, in my disobedience, I don’t get encouraged.  That could lead to giving in to temptation, or not seeking His direction in an important decision, etc.  Disobedience quenches the Holy Spirit.  Instead of listening and obeying, I end up doing what I think is right, or sometimes, what I know is wrong.  When I listen and obey, I end up doing what God thinks is right!

As I obey, I become more like Jesus.  That’s an eternal benefit worth investing in.

The Soundtrack of My Life

I’m singing along with the iPod this evening.  Amazing how almost every song is one of my favorites!  :-)  It’s also amazing how certain songs can instantly transport me to time and place gone by.  To people I’ve known.  People I’ve loved.  Experiences I experienced.  “The Soundtrack of My life!”

“Anything For You,” by Gloria Estefan is in my ear and I’m singing along much to the chagrin of my neighbors, for sure!  (apartment living)  A time in Roswell when I was hurting over love lost.  I wish I could find the English/Spanish version, but so far no “luck.”

Here’s Godly and Cream with “Cry.”  Great break-up, drown in your sorrows song!

There are hundreds of songs on this iPod.  Each with it’s own story, feeling, person, place, experience.  Some stories I may tell here someday.  Most, probably not.  But they are ALL mine to cherish.

Funny.  Since I love weather, many of them also have a season, or even a specific type of weather, associated with them.  That is a really funny thing about memories.  Experiences are all lived through our own set of “bents.”  Those things that God has put in us that make us us.  You may not associate weather with most of your memories!  You aren’t wired that way.

The other thing about looking back.  While a song may bring back strong feelings of a person, or a place, or a time, it’s now filtered through my life in Christ!  What did I learn from that?  How has God changed me since then?

Life is an adventure!  Much more so when you know the God who created you!  Plug into Him and watch Him not only change who you are, but watch Him change how you look at who you were!!!

Reminders for Life in ‘09

A friend of mine e-mailed this to me this morning.  I am reprinting it here and sharing it where I can, with her permission.  These are great reminders to have in the forefront of your thinking.  Get them in your heart so they will show up in your life!  May God richly bless you in the coming year and always!!!

I Can Change My Changing World Today!

My World…
Christians are supposed not merely to endure change, nor even to profit by it, but to cause it.  ~Harry Emerson Fosdick

My Priorities…
Resolution One:  I will live for God; Resolution Two:  If no one else does, I still will.  ~Jonathan Edwards

My Attitude…
The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes.  That’s the day we truly grow up. ~John Maxwell

My Mind…
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.  ~Philippians 4:8

My Plans…
People who are crucified with Christ have three distinct marks:  They are facing only one direction, they can never turn back, and they no longer have plans of their own.  ~A.W. Tozer

My Impact…
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.  ~Colossians 3:23

My Heart…
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  ~Psalm 51:10

My Relationships…
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

My Circumstances…
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present our requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  ~Philippians 4:6-7

My Commitment…
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me.”  ~Erma Bombeck

My Focus…
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  ~Hebrews 12:2

My Pace…
The best things are nearest:  breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of God just before you.  ~Robert Louis Stevenson

My Determination…
The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting.  It has been found difficult; and left untried.  ~G.K. Chesterton

My Faith…
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  ~Hebrews 11:1

My Perspective…
God never promises to remove us from our struggles.  He does promise, however, to change the way we look at them.  ~Max Lucado

Let God be the sign for 2009.  Be Blessed ~Heidi

Reason for the Season

It’s the time of the year when the world celebrates the miracle of the birth of Christ, who came to save the world!

John 3:16 & 17
¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

¹⁷ “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

My favorite account of that wonderful event 2000 years ago is found in Luke 2.  My favorite recital of that account is found in “A Charlie Brown Christmas”

Jesus came for a wonderful purpose. To live a sinless life and die for you and for me! Since we can’t attain perfection ourselves, God provided a way. We don’t earn our way into Heaven. We believe in the one who earned it for us! THAT is good news and worth celebrating!

Merry Christmas!

Going Vertical!

Going Vertical

There’s this mountain trail
I like to climb
to escape the world
with God to spend time

I pray before each hike
for protection from harm
not to slip and fall
and tweak my knee
or break my arm

My thoughts they wander
and my thoughts they race
my life I ponder
and my steps retrace

I think of where I’ve been
and promises yet to be
and my place in Christ’s body
and the way He set me free

There are places on the trail
that I like to stop and rest
and let my heart slow down
’cause it’s pounding in my chest!

and as I sit ponder
among the rocky crags
away from life’s problems
away from scalawags

I wonder “where do I fit in?”
“Should I seek a wife?”
“Why is life such a fight?”
“What’s up with all this strife?”

Then God reminds me
gently and warmly.
“Son, leave all of that to Me.”
“Seek ye first the Kingdom,
in due time you will see.”

“All of My promises are yes and amen
through my Son who paid the price.
I’ll never let you down,
but you’ll have to sacrifice.”

“I will do it,” says the LORD
of all that He made.
“Trust in Me and you will see
it’s not for naught,
or all in vain.”

The truth is plain
as I finish this simple rhyme.
God’s will WILL be done
in the unfolding of time.

Back down the trail I happily go
carefully watching every step.
Trusting God the best I can
He’s never let me down yet!

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