Star-fish

      I had to laugh at the meme, "Hang on. Let me overthink this," as I spend entirely too much time, energy, and emotions overthinking things. I have reminders around my home to "keep it simple," yet I dive head first into over-planning and overthinking what could, could not, or might happen and what I should do about it.      One thing I often overthink is whether or not I am doing the work of God. Am I in His will? Is this what He has planned for my life? Or have I gone off on my own agenda? John 6:28-29 (NIV) is a wonderful reminder of how simple Jesus wanted his followers to live, "Then they asked him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?' Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent'." Just believe in Jesus Christ and you've accomplished the works of God! Seems too simple, right?     So it would seem that poet, Henry David Thoreau, had it correct when he said, "Our life is frittered a...

      I opened the window to let in some cool air, as I read my Bible this morning, and heard a train whistle blow in the distance. The Lord brought to mind this thought, "The train must stay the course to complete its mission. If it chooses its own path, it will derail and not be able to carry the goods that people need along the line. If it derails, it becomes a burden, not a blessing. Once off its path, it must then be carried away by people and its cargo will likely be ruined and thrown away."      In my own life, when I have gone my own way, not heeding the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I often became derailed and thus a pile of rubble with little to offer others and often a burden to myself and those around me. It is difficult to use my gifts and talents for the Lord if I am trying to also use them to impress others and gain personal success. Trust me, I've tried it, it doesn't work! You end up with spoiled cargo that must be thrown away as i...

      We have great intentions of eating healthy. Yet, after buying fish and fresh vegetables, we sometimes start smelling something fishy. All things once alive, when cut off from the Source of Life, begin to smell which is a sign of rotting and necrosis.      In Exodus 16, God has once again provided for the grumbling Israelites,  but tested again to see if they will follow His directions, things begin to "smell fishy." The people are directed by Moses to collect the manna (a honey flavored wafer that falls like dew in the morning) as God specified, "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on other days [for the Sabbath]'" (Exodus 16:4-5).     So how do you suppo...

    Have you ever gone from singing God's praises one day to complaining about something you have, don't have, or have and don't like the next day? If so, you are in good company. The  Israelites have experienced the miracle of walking across the Red Sea, on dry land, while great walls of water are on both sides of them. Now, safely on the other side, after watching God wipe out Pharaoh's massive army, they are singing a song of praise to God, "Who among the gods is like you, LORD? Who is like you--majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?" (Exodus 15:11).      The song is several stanzas and full of awe at God's power and might. Skip to three days later and this scenario unfolds, "Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of  Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Ma...

      In the Bible, the Book of Exodus lays out the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of 430 years of bondage in Egypt. The road to deliverance was fraught with plagues and death for the Egyptians and fear and doubt for the Israelites. Moses, himself, was not confident in the LORD's appointment and made a number of excuses as to why he was not the right guy for the job.      Finally, in Exodus 14, the Pharaoh has let the Israelites go and they are encamped by the Red Sea. Then the twist, Pharaoh again changes his mind about letting the people go. So he sends an enormous army of horses and chariots after the Israelites and pursues them to the shore of the Red Sea. The Israelites, as would most of us, freak out! They question Moses (which means they question God) and basically prepare to die at the hands of Pharaoh's troops.      Moses tells the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the  deliverance the LORD w...

      Today is the Presidential Inauguration of Joe Biden, our 46th President of the United States. On January 6 of this year, people carrying Trump flags and wearing Trump hats and shirts broke into the United States Capital. Lives were lost and chaos reigned that day.      Let's pray together today, January 20, 2021 that people will keep calm, remain calm, and avoid any further loss of lives touting political beliefs. Let's pray that we will remember that life is sacred. All life... regardless...nevertheless...is sacred.      Anger, revenge, jealously, and envy are emotions sure to flame the fires of people's hearts. But the Bible reminds us, "A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel" (Proverbs 15:18.) And, "Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end" (Proverbs 29:11). Let's pray for wisdom to rule the day, not foolishness which leads to chaos. Let's all keep calm. Amen....

       I have a coaster that reads, "Do What You Love. Love What You Do." The Bible's version of this sentiment goes like this, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" (Colossians 3:23-24 NIV).     What is the not so subtle difference between these ideals? The first "coaster" quote is about You. You doing you and loving it. The second quote from the scriptures is about Christ and you doing whatever you do in service to Him. So then what's in it for you, if you do it unto the Lord Christ? Verse 24 notes that "you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward."      How many of us have tried to please "human masters" in our daily work and possibly received a paycheck, but certainly didn't love what we were doing? From my experience, it's a ch...

      Jesus said to His disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" (Mark 4:40 NIV). His question to them struck me, because with all that is going on in the world, I struggle with fear as well. But why? Is it my lack of faith?      As the book of Mark continues, we find Jesus and the disciples in Gethsemane. Jesus tells his disciples, "Stay here and keep watch" (Mark 14:34) as He went to pray about His upcoming betrayal and death. When He returns, He finds His disciples sleeping, but He calls out Peter, "Simon...are you sleeping? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak" (Mark 14:37-38).      When Jesus returns from praying a third time, His worn-out disciples are again sleeping "because their eyes were heavy" (Mark 14:40). Jesus chides them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come" (Mark 14...

         I've heard people say, "What if there is hidden sin in my life that I don't know about? How can I pray about it?" At one of my jobs, they offered classes periodically that the employees could take to improve their communication skills. Due to slow days at the office during the summer months, I signed up for a class on becoming a better listener. My thought was to improve on the skills I already employed. Boy, was that class an eye-opener! Not only was I not a good listener, but some of my habits were actually considered off-putting by others.       Without that training, I would have continued to utilize "skills" that I thought were effective, but in reality were "hidden faults" that I didn't even realize were problematic. I grew up with people that "listened" to me and others in that same manner and assumed those were good tactics since my family had use them. Proverbs 1:7 (NIV) reminds us about the need for ongoing instruct...

      I bought another package of wet wipes to go in my car recently. This last year, I have wiped down more surfaces, hands, and doorknobs then I have in all my years on this earth! I'm sure you can relate. Due to COVID-19, we must be particularly diligent about our hygiene habits.      Germs, as in viruses and bacteria, are our constant nemesis here on earth. But there is a spiritual battle going on as well that no amount of wet wipes will clean up. We are covered in the sins of the world and the only One who can wash away our sins is the Son, who God sent to save us from our sins, Jesus Christ.      As the hymn recounts, "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus."  https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/1008  (See the link for the song in its  entirety.) Only Jesus can "wet wipe" our sins away. If we could do it ourselves, He wouldn't have to have ...

      When someone says to me, "Trust me," I automatically become  skeptical. Why? Probably due to the old axiom, "Actions speak louder than words." You know the person who keeps offering promises, but never seems to take the next step and follow through on them.      I have a little card on my desk that states, "Hello. This is God. I will be handling all of your problems and concerns today. That's my job. Your job is to give them to me, and then to trust me." The card ends with Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious about  anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." So, when God asks you to trust Him, do you?     If you break down that scripture, God does ask us to act on His promise, let's see what our steps should be: Do not be anxious about anything ; In everything pray to and petition God with thanksgiving; and Present [all] your requests to God. We are to go all in, right? We...

    At Christmas there were little plaques and decorations that noted, "Believe." I always thought of it as a reminder to believe that Jesus Christ was born as a baby, the Son of God in human flesh, to come and save the people of the world from the consequences of their sins. But this year, I looked around and realized, apparently for the first time, that this was about believing in Santa, believing in the Spirit of Christmas, believing in people, and whatever else people wanted to believe in to bring them hope at Christmas.      Interestingly enough, Jesus tells a synagogue ruler, in Mark 5:36, who just got the report that his daughter is dead, "Don't be afraid; just believe." Can you imagine? He barely knows this man named Jesus, yet he must trust that He can bring his daughter back to life. Mark 5: 41 reports that Jesus, "took her by the hand and said to her, ' Talitha  koum!' (which means, 'Little girl, I say to you, get up!')." Wat...

      In my reading this morning, this scripture jumped out to me, "Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin" (Psalm 17:3 NIV, Copyright 1985). I included the copyright date, since a search for this scripture with the word, "resolve," didn't come up. That word is key to me. How often do I want to do something, but I don't have the "resolve" to follow through on it?      Dictionary.com defines the word, "resolve," like this: to come to a definite or earnest decision about; determine (to do something) . How often have I wanted to, would like to, know I need to...do something, but don't do it. So did I really want to do it? Or did I simply think it was a good idea, but didn't have the fortitude to follow through on it? For me, "resolve" must include the Holy Spirit's intervention, so I will choose what is best, not default t...

      With the current affairs of the world, including the global pandemic and the recent breach of the US Capital, it appears that evil is winning the day. The book of Amos, notes the following, "Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph." (Amos 5:14-15).     When I watch the news, and even some advertising, I wonder if we have lost sight of the difference between good and evil. Some things that the Bible specifically calls a sin, thus evil, is now being called good by some of society. In Isaiah 5:20, this issue is addressed, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter."      I don't want to appear as if I am standing in judgement of the deeds of others,...