Can You Understand Your Way?

Well, the power is out at work so I thought I'd write a little...

A man’s steps are from the Lord; how then can man understand his way?

Lately this Scripture has brought me comfort. Though, implied is the fact that you will be feeling discomfort in order for this verse to bring you comfort.

Ha.

Funny ;)

The reference is from Proverbs 20:24. On the surface it makes sense - that we won't necessarily understand life's ups and downs, changes, sames, and so on... If God is directing our steps, how then can we as finite beings understand or grasp His infinite wisdom in how He directs?

However, the discomforting reality is that we WON'T understand.

That's hard.

At least for me.

Maybe those with greater faith never have a problem with not understanding, but not understanding is difficult for me. So many questions...

What about...?

How long...?

How does this fit...?

Am I missing You Lord...?

Are you really directing my steps...?

I guess this is where trust comes in. I don't have to understand, but I do need to trust....

Trust in Him and lean not on my own understanding.

Trust that all things work or good for those who love Him.

Trust that HE IS directing my steps.

And if I'm off track? If I've made a mistake or missed Him? Trust that He will guide me back on track. His track.

Lord, I don't understand my steps, but you have said that I won't necessarily understand when You are the One in control. Teach me to trust You more. Teach me to walk one day at a time and trust the "why's" of life to Your infinite wisdom. And help me to trust that if I'm off track, if I seek you and trust you and don't depend on my understanding, you will direct my steps. I want to stay close to You no matter what. You are enough. Amen.

Seemingly Right

The Scripture we used in our family devotions tonight...

Made for good conversations :)

There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. http://bible.us/Prov14.12.NLT

A Quick Look in the Mirror

How are you doing with this one today?

Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always); Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]. http://bible.us/1Thess5.16.AMP

Any questions??

For Such A Time As This

For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" http://bible.us/Esth4.14.ESV

You are not on this planet by accident. Psalm 139

As believers, God has a plan for us to accomplish. A good plan for our life. Jeremiah 29

He has made you on purpose for a purpose.

He has given us all talents, dreams, gifts, and spheres of influence. We are meant to use those gifts to make a difference in the lives of others, for His glory.

You were made for such a time as this.

Messy Manger

I wanted to share a verse tonight - one that is mysterious at first glance, yet profound when understood. The Lord has used it mightily in my life over the years, so it is a pleasure to share it with you.

May it speak to your heart as well...

Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. http://bible.us/Prov14.4.ESV

Here's to messy mangers!

Leadership

A great reminder of heavenly leadership that we are to model here on earth...

But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." http://bible.us/Matt20.25.ESV

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

Maybe this passage of Scripture will encourage someone going through the battle, like it encouraged me...

And he said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you." http://bible.us/2Chr20.15.ESV

Amen.

My Favs

One of my favorite portions of Scripture, from Romans 3:

as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

There are none who are righteous, not one. Let's receive and walk in His grace today.

Knowledge

In America, we seem to prize knowledge. Knowledge seems to be the end in many ways, instead of part of the journey. Because I know or can at least conceptualize something or some subject matter, it makes me more valuable or some how important.

From what I see in the Scriptures, however, there is a difference between knowing something and doing something. Knowledge isn't everything. Even though a person is exhorted to gain knowledge in Proverbs, we also know that a believer must not be just a hearer of the Word, but a doer as well.

With the men I get together with on Wednesday nights, I talked about this very issue. We recently started a new book to discuss, The Jesus Letters, by David Ravenhill. Mr. Ravenhill is a man we all respect, and we look forward to his teaching on the letters to the churches in Revelation.

In the book, Mr. Ravenhill talks about the plethora of books that we have on christianity today. The problem is that if we are not careful, this book will become just another one of those books, just another book on the shelf. Nice book, sure. But how did it affect my life?

It's too easy to read another book, get done, say "that was nice," and move on with it having no lasting impact on my life.

More knowledge, more hearing; no change, no doing.

The worse thought though is not that we do that with good books like Mr. Ravenhill's, but that we do it with God's book to humanity, the Holy Scriptures.

The Bible talks about how hearing (or reading) and not doing is like looking in a mirror, seeing ourselves for who we are, and then walking away immediately forgetting what we looked like. Too many times I believe that describes me.

May we not be readers only, but doers.

Lamp Words

The Bible says in Psalm 119,

Your word is a lamp to my feet
   and a light to my path.

The Word of God is a light in this life, guiding our feet down the correct paths. This has me thinking about Jesus, the Light of the World. Jesus was the Word of God made flesh that dwelt among us. He was and is the very Word of God. Jesus also was the perfect declaration of the Father. He perfectly revealed the Father to us, saying, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father," and the fact that He only did what He saw the Father doing.

That means the Word of God perfectly reveals the Father. It is the perfect revelation of God.

This leads me to a few conclusions:

1. No wonder so many people have died to preserve the very Words of Scripture. They are the perfect revelation of the Almighty. They are all we have to help us understand the unseen, the heavenly, the Perfect One.

2. The importance of our Words. The Word(s) of God became flesh and provided the atoning sacrifice for all of humanity. The Word of God became flesh in Jesus Christ and provided light and salvation to the world. The Word of God perfectly reveals God. Our words reveal us. His Word impacted and impacts the nations. Our words can do the same when we join with God to speak His truths, and not just our temporal opinions.

3. The completeness of Scripture. Shame on us if we are ever ashamed of any part of the Word of God. It is the perfect declaration of Him. We cannot be afraid to teach and embrace the whole of Scripture. We shouldn't shy away from parts of His Word because we can't understand them or it breaks our theological box. We need to roll up our sleeves, join with the Holy Spirit and fully embrace the whole counsel of God and apply it to our lives.

Faith Booster

Psalm 119:27 says, Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works.

What a great way to build faith. When we meditate on the great things God is done, we are encouraged in our faith. We are encouraged to believe God for more of the same and greater! The problem comes when I fill my mind with what I feel He HASN'T done. My faith crashes at that point and its hard to step out in faith and believe God for more.

Jesus perfectly revealed the Father. In doing that, He healed all who came to Him. I have never seen a place in Scripture where He turned someone down for healing. We too are to pray in faith for healing with Jesus as our example. We have power through the Holy Spirit to do great works! However, if I meditated on all the times I have prayed for healing and it didn't happen, my faith isn't encouraged. At all. In fact I'm probably more discouraged. On the other hand, when I meditate and remind myself of the times healing has occured, I am encouraged and empowered to believe God for more!