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Posts Tagged ‘god’

What’s in Your Diet

Posted in exercise, Priorities, Vision, worldview, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 1, 2026| Leave a Comment »

It’s New Years Day and like many people my mind has been on things I would like to do differently in 2026. Turning the page on a new year always seems like the right time to turn the page to a new and better me. As I woke this morning my mind flitted back and forth between what do I want to exclude and what to include in my diet in 2026. Too many sweets, too large portions, too many snacks were all a challenge in 2025 that I aim to rectify. But as I pondered and prayed (and it is not a bad thing for these to blend together) I sensed the Holy Spirit broadening me to consider ALL that I take in and / or exclude from my life in 2026. His gentle guidance is to continually orient ALL of me toward the Lord and His “kingdom purposes” for me. By definition that must include reorienting myself away from the lesser things that draw me away from Him and from walking in kingdom living.

A friend of mine just sent me this text which fits for flipping the page. It also happens to be the founding verse for our church – NewSpring Church. ‘“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.’ Isaiah 43:18-19

So, I begin with setting the foundation for what we are created for. That is to know God and to make Him known.  To enjoy Him and to share that enjoyment with others naturally flows as we grow closer to Him. His love gradually saturates us and becomes the engine that drives our witness to who He is and what He has done in our life. It really is not about a formula or methodology. It is about living life the way He designed it to be lived and allowing the fruit of that life to grow and be shared with others.

I love growing and working with plants. Retirement, when it finally comes, will include plenty of time spent with dirty hands amongst green growing things. I have learned that healthy, nutrient rich soil is vital to strong, vibrant, beautiful plants. The plants take these nutrients up through their roots and this feeds the whole of the plant. There are only a few plants that can grow in poor soil and the vast majority of these are weeds, plants that do not add beauty, delight, or in the case of fruit and vegetables, anything worth eating. This truth carries over to our lives. What is the “soil” we are planted in? Where are your roots? Are you getting the nutrients you need to produce good fruit, godly fruit?

Because we are created as more complex beings than the flowers and tomato plants in our yard, lets zero in on the areas of our diet we will consider in 2026. Our complexity can be grouped into our physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. I’m sure there are sub-divisions to these and for sure some overlap such as emotional and social, but my feeble brain can work with these divisions, so please bear with me.

The huge number of gym memberships and diet plans started in January of each year testify to the awareness we have of our physical needs. We are overweight and / or out of shape and we want to do something about it. By the end of January something around 2/3 of the diets and workout routines have been abandoned. One of the causes is that a wholistic approach is not considered. Our physical being must align with the other facets of who we are. Improvement in one area alone will not be sustainable.

So, when I consider my diet, I will look at the food and much more. It will include the exercise I will intentionally undertake. It will guide what I do to expand my knowledge of the world I live in. I will be aware of and practice activities that meet my true emotional needs while discerning and addressing the lies that would lead me to bad decisions and emotional harm. I will look for healthy social interactions and ways to make a positive impact in the areas where the Lord leads me. And the true foundation for a believer is how do we nurture our relationship with the Lord of life in such a way that we grow closer to Him and better able to follow His leading in all things.

Here are a few things I am going to do or do differently in 2026. Most are extensions of things I have either done in the past or I am doing now, but need reinforcement. This is my list and should not necessarily be your list. However, these may stir something in you that you want to take to the LORD for consideration. That is truly my hope that the LORD would encourage you in some way that helps you to grow closer to Him in 2026.

I will read the Word every day and capture at least one key thought to share with others. I will share this through a GroupMe group.

I will read through the entire Bible chronologically this year.

I will reestablish a prayer discipline that has waned some in the recent past.

I will read at least 10 pages of non-fiction (other than the Bible) every day.

With the Holy Spirit’s help, I will engage in at least one new ministry this year.

I will revisit the Spiritual Disciplines I am currently using and, with the Holy Spirit’s help, refresh and start anew.

I will drastically reduce the amount of sugar and sweeteners I consume.

I will limit portion size on my meals. It is okay not to clean my plate. At the first sign of fullness, I will stop eating.

I will engage in intentional exercise of 45 minutes duration at least 3 times per week.

I will engage in some form of exercise for at least 20 minutes per day resulting in at least 7000 steps per day.

I will limit my social media viewing to 30 minutes max per day.

I will have a date night at least once per week. Lisa deserves my undivided attention and I am blessed by hers.

I will make at least one new acquaintance each week. This can be while traveling for work, on the golf course with our son, Sam, during one of our “adventure trips”, or through church.

I will complete the story I began writing in 2025 (Titus’s Travels) and share it with at least 10 friends.

I will post at least four longer blogs to areliablefaith.com each month. This is the first one and it is going out on January 1 so I am making a good start.

I will actively support the ministries we have partnered with… NewSpring, More 320 Haven, YWAM-Matthew, CRU-Emily & Forrest, SOW- Coleman, SOW- Lifespring School, Kenya, Hounds of Heaven – South Anderson

Visit, call, or text Mom at least once per day.

Visit, call, or text each of my children at least three times per week.

Visit at least one new National Park.

Visit at least one new Country and learn three things about their culture I did not know.

Write at least two papers / articles / blog posts for work this year.

Speak at a work conference this year.

Have at least one touch base with every Consultant each week.

Participate in Wednesday Men’s Bible Study every Wednesday that I am in town.

Follow up on the possibility of buying property for our retirement home.

I am going to pause for now. I surprised myself with the amount of pent up things to do, things to change, that I had. I can see how these would provide some helpful guardrails that have either not existed or have become ignored over time. Because I am an engineer at heart, there just might be a spreadsheet to track my progress. Again, I don’t know that this is for everyone, but I find it helpful to hold myself accountable.

I encourage anyone who reads this to let me know at least one thing you have taken away from this post.

I wish you all a blessed start to your new year of 2026.

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Desire to be a Doorkeeper

Posted in Church, God, Jesus Christ, Prayer, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 31, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Psalms 82-82 Romans 2. I like the image that comes to mind when I read Psalm 84:10. ‘Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.’ The picture is one of joyful exuberance as I swing the door wide to welcome people – young and old, excited and exhausted, some that look like me and many who look nothing like me, multi-colored, varieties of dress, just lots of people who are drawn to be near the Lord God Almighty.

I can clearly see the smile on my face and the joy in my eyes as I know Who awaits them inside. Many streaming in already know Him and have an abiding relationship with the Lover of their soul. Some do not, but they have hope and so they come. God, who is Love, has brought them to the doors of faith and He is ready to meet them where they are and draw them to Himself.

There is historical context to this Psalm that is helpful to know. The Jewish people had three high feast days when it was expected that they would travel to Jerusalem to worship as God’s gathered people. For a time, God placed a unique manifestation of His presence in the Temple. While God is omnipresent, i.e. present in all places at all times, He can and does chose to manifest His presence in a more tangible way in discrete places for periods of time. He can do this in human form like He did in Babylon in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abenego, He can do it like He did with the Ark of the Covenant, or He can do it like He did in the Temple in Jerusalem as a cloud. The point is God is both always present and, at times, manifestly present. To come to the Temple is to say, I want to be as close to the Lord as I possibly can. And that is a good thing.

One final thought. Standing at the door we get to experience God’s presence while at the same time extending His invitation to others who have not experienced Him. Being in His presence and soaking up His lovingkindness does wonders for us, but it is also meant to motivate us to share it with others. God’s love in contagious in the most wonderful way. We work in concert with the Holy Spirit as we do life with others, taking the opportunities presented to point to Him, to speak of Him, to live in a manner that represents Him well. As we do, we are swinging the door wide and offering the invitation, “Come inside, the LORD invites you to join Him. He is so glad you came!”

LORD, you are Holy. That you invite us to join you is wonderful, amazing, and a bit surprising. But through your Son, Jesus, you made a way that we can enter in. You offered cleansing from sin by His precious blood spilled on our behalf. So, with gratitude and in great humility we bend the knee and say, “thank you”. While we rightfully should remain in this posture, you reach down and lift us up, saying, “Arise my child, your sins are forgiven. Come join the celebration!” And we do. Glory, honor, and praise be ever to our King, our Lord, the one true God. Amen and AMEN!

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Dichotomy

Posted in Bible Study, God, Jesus Christ, Romans, Salvation, Spiritual Growth, The Father, worldview, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 30, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Psalm 79-81, Romans 1. Paul’s letter to the Romans is a beautiful treatise on the difference between life without God versus the transformed life in union with God. This first chapter provides a 30,000-foot view of this dichotomy where Paul is setting the table for what is to come.

Life can be parsed into three phases – transgression, transaction, and transformation. Transgression is the first phase and sadly, many people never leave this phase. Romans 1:18-32 describe life in the transgression phase – broken, sinful, and separated from God.

The transaction phase is when we hear and receive the Gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ. Romans 1:1-5 touches on the heart of this transaction which Paul will elaborate on over the coming pages. In this phase God exchanges our sins for Jesus’ righteousness in an act of ultimate mercy and grace. He changes our heart, our direction, and our ultimate destination.

Then there is the transformation phase where our lives become aligned with God’s will over time. I can’t help but jump ahead to Romans 12:1-2 as I think about this. It follows the transaction where we lay down our old lives and say yes to Jesus as Savior and Lord. This transformation is our lives becoming increasingly aligned with Jesus. In one place it is called putting on the “mind of Christ”. It is where our habits are changed from being dictated by self and the world’s ways to becoming directed by the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is a time of partnership with the deep working of the Holy Spirit in us to bring about a total transformation of how we think, speak, and act.

The Gospels give us a clear picture of Jesus – who He is, what He did while in the flesh, and what the life He calls us to looks like. Acts describes this glorious giving of the Holy Spirit who indwells us as redeemed children of God. We see how the Holy Spirit works within the gathered body of Christ as a group as well as in individuals who are in the transformation process.  In this letter to the Romans Paul connects the dots between these three phases, reaching back to the beginning of the story in Genesis through the Gospels, into the time of the book of Acts, and, under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, all the way to us as we read his words today.

I love the book of Romans because it articulates the path I have been walking on for 40+ years. When I read it it’s like looking at the map to check my location, my destination, and to correct where I may be a little off. It is a gift from the Lord to lead us home and to help us finish strong!

Lord, thank you for all the saints who have gone before us. Today as we launch into the letter you inspired Paul to write, we thank you for the wise words that help us on our journey in faith. Your plan for us is good and we desire to walk it out with constancy and purpose. Take what we read, the circumstances of our lives, and the needs within us and bring about your perfect will. We want to become more like Jesus today. We want to shed whatever vestige of our old self that might rise up so that the new creation in You might be revealed. We want to please you in word, in deed, and even in our thoughts. Lord God, you are our God, you are our hope, you are our All in All. Blessed be your Holy Name!

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Psalm 76-78, Acts 28:17-31. God’s Past Provision Contains the Promise of His Future Faithfulness.

Posted in God, Prayer, Spiritual Growth, tagged , , , , , , , on July 29, 2025| Leave a Comment »

We are inheritors of God’s promises given repeatedly since the beginning of time. From Genesis 3:15 on, God has promised He would send a rescuer, a deliverer from the enemy who accuses us and the sin that binds us. In Abraham, God chose a family line to bring forth this redeemer. Throughout the Jewish Law and Prophets, God’s provision and these promises are repeated. Sadly, despite this the people repeatedly failed to live according to God’s direction and they forfeited their place in these promises.

I was the oldest of four children. Lisa and I raised four ourselves. One thing I have noticed is that the youngest children have a great advantage should they choose it. They can learn from the oldest children’s mistakes. My younger siblings benefited greatly from the discipline that I rightly earned. I won’t necessarily say they were perfect, but they at least knew where the lines were that they should not cross. But even better, they knew the things that created peace, happiness, and harmony in the home.

Psalm 72 gives this look back over Israel’s past, highlighting God’s faithful provision even in times of trial and difficulty. It was a call to the Jews in that day, but it is also appropriate for us today to see where God has been and what He has done on our behalf. We are not orphans abandoned to ourselves. We are His children.

There will be times when He draws us close and holds us tight. There will also be times when He calls us to stand firm in the face of adversity, knowing that He is with us. He is raising us up and training us to be people who faithfully follow even when we don’t feel it, when the view of His hand is obscured. We are learning to be people who trust His heart even when we can’t see His hand.

Having passed through more than one hard place and dark time, His presence on the other side seems a little more real. The delight in His eyes and the smile on His face seems a little richer. And for sure, the joy in my heart lifts me a little higher. And when the next challenge comes, I have His past provision to hold onto because I know it contains the promise of His forever faithfulness.

Lord, thank you that you are always there, even in those times when we don’t feel you. Help us to look at your past provision and faithfulness to the people of God in the Bible as well as in the lives of our believing friends to buoy our faith. When the going gets tough, bring to mind the times you have provided for us, the times you have nurtured us in sweetness. Lord, we surrender our need to have a specific solution, and we accept your presence and your provision as we put our whole trust in you. For you are our provider, our healer, our redeemer, and our Lord. To you be all glory, honor, and praise, now and forever!

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Psalm 73-75, Acts 28:1-16. Tunnel Vision.

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on July 28, 2025| Leave a Comment »

It is easy to lose sight of the big picture. Sometimes we never even consider the big picture. A common feature in the lament psalms is this seeming fixation on the wicked and those who oppose the psalmist – whether it is David, Asaph, or an anonymous writer. A “woe is me” and “why aren’t you doing something God” attitude is actually captured throughout these psalms. It used to bother me, but now I’m glad they did. They were real and they show the starting point for realization and return. When they realize they are focused on the wrong thing, the temporary thing, and they return their focus on God, the entire picture shifts.

Hidden in our hearts is this echo of Eden. God created a place for us to dwell with Him in perfection. Everything was good. Anything that was needed was provided. Intimacy with Love Himself was the center point of this idyllic existence. There was only one thing that was forbidden – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yet, with a little prompting from the serpent, Eve and Adam became enamored of the forbidden. Love for God and intimacy with Him fell to second place as desire for this forbidden thing became their primary desire.

The Psalmist, probably correctly, observes those who flaunt God and His commands, and He is incensed. But with this observation comes a desire not unlike Adam and Eve in the garden. The current prosperity of the wicked and the seeming lack of response from God stirs up envy that is every bit as damning as the arrogance of the wicked. Allowed to continue, this tunnel vision would have brought about the downfall of one called to be faithful in all circumstances.

Thanks be to God, He is near at hand. He allows the wicked to prosper for a little while that they might realize their need for Him and turn. He allows us to see this, not to tempt us, but to encourage us to turn our eyes, our hearts to Him in trust, to look at the bigger picture. God’s past faithfulness is just one piece of the big picture we can look to as reminders that God is good and He will make all things right. The Temple itself was a magnificent reminder of God’s promises fulfilled and His presence among His people.

Today I look at the big picture and I see God’s hand at work in every direction. For the child struggling mightily right now – Father draw her near and let her see the big picture. For the long career nearing an end – let the finish be strong and honoring to you. For the brother’s and sister’s I worship and pray and do life with – Lord continue to mold us and shape us. You are so good, so faithful, so present – help us to see with eyes of faith so that we grow deeper and stronger in You. Accomplish your good and perfect will in us and through us this day. Jesus, it is in your wonderful Name that we pray.

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Waiting with a Purpose

Posted in God, God Stories, Holy Spirit, love, Marriage, Prayer, Priorities, Spiritual Growth, The Father, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 5, 2023| Leave a Comment »

I don’t know of anyone that likes waiting.  I have met people, typically persons I would characterize as mature or wise, who dutifully accept waiting, but to say I know people who get excited about waiting, that would be a NO.  But for the past several weeks as we have been on a journey from a cancer diagnosis now through a surgery and next, a deeper diagnosis, waiting has been one of the constant undercurrents.  Surprisingly it has not been the dread that, at an earlier time in my life, I am sure it would have been.

Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV) comes to mind as I sit in this time of not-yet-knowing.

But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.

I have a relationship with God, my Heavenly Father, because of what Jesus did for me.  In a small chapel in the piney woods of central Louisiana, Jesus made me an offer that I accepted.  He offered me a new life, one walking with Him from that moment forward.  It required my letting Him have dominion over everything, but He promised He would never leave me or forsake me.  For 40+ years He has been true to His promise.  He has been tangibly present for over forty years.  I have grown to know His leading through His Word, through the community of faith He has placed me in, and the witness of the Holy Spirit living in me. 

This is an offer that is available to every single human being.  It is His desire that we all become His children walking in a life-giving, love-saturated, joy-filled relationship with Him.  I share this as context to this strange phenomenon I am in.  I am at peace in this waiting.  I sense changes occurring in my soul as I wait in a place of trust.

As an engineer I do my research.  I’ve read some of the stats.  If the cancer has spread, the potential five-year survival rate goes down significantly.  In a detached way I acknowledge this potential knowing that Jesus has not left or forsaken me, therefore I wait in hope.  Those same percentages that are not in my favor do not compare to the One who is in my favor.  The odds of this working out for God’s glory and my good are 100% as I wait upon Him, as I put my trust in Him. 

I started to say “put my WHOLE trust in Him”, but I know that I bring all that I can and let Him supply what lacks.  I have learned that is often what the waiting is about.  Learning to release control.  Or more accurately, learning to release the illusion of control to the One who is able to meet all our needs.  Waiting on the Lord is the place where faith and patience are nurtured and grown. 

Waiting on the Lord fulfills His purpose in several ways.  As I look back, I can see the younger me and realize many changes wrought through the Lord’s work in times of waiting.

  1. The need to control situations to meet my perception of “good”.  While I would have said, I wanted the Lord’s will, there was often a flavoring of what I thought was best.  I often didn’t see God’s big picture point of view. 
  2. A bias towards action and doing something rather than beginning with prayer and waiting for direction.  Boy are there a lot of toes I’ve stepped on trying to “make things happen”.  (My apologies to you if you are one of those whose toes I’ve stepped on.)
  3. My understanding of Ephesians chapter 5 and what marriage looks like.  This one took years of waiting and being reminded by the Holy Spirit to “love Lisa like Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her.”  (There will be more on this in the future!)
  4. Being male and an engineer, when presented with a problem, I naturally go into “figure it out and fix it” mode.  Not all problems require that formula.  In fact, that is the wrong approach at times.  The Lord’s work is often best achieved by pausing and allowing Him lead.  This is Spirit-led action after waiting on the Lord.
  5. Related to the one above, sometimes being present and inviting the Lord into the midst of the problem is all we are to do.  The Lord’s work is sometimes accomplished by my being there but stepping out of the way.  This is Spirit-led stillness after waiting on the Lord.

I find it no coincidence that this fresh season of waiting for us corresponds with our Bible reading plan in the letters of Paul.  Trials, afflictions, and times of waiting fill the chapters we have been reading.  Yet we read about joy and patience and hope not instead of, but in the midst of the challenges Paul and the early believers faced.  Things have not changed in this respect.  While we have many creature comforts unavailable to our ancestors, we still deal with sickness, hardship, loss, and death. 

Thanks be to God, the same Holy Spirit who gave comfort and guidance to the early Church is present with us in all our affliction.  He is not in any way constrained today from giving us what we need.   In fact, it is often through our affliction that we become keenly aware of our need for His help, guidance and comfort.  A key though is to realize the timing is the Lord’s.  Instant gratification is NOT God’s typical way.  No, He gives us this precious gift of time to allow the better work, the deeper work, the soul work to take place. 

Earlier in my walk with Christ, I remember asking the LORD to hurry up and give me patience… His response was a No and Yes.  He did not hurry up.  But in the waiting, I have seen much fruit grow including a patience that the younger me wanted, but struggled to attain. 

Friend, while I don’t know what your situation is, I have a pretty good sense that if not now, at some time in the near future you will be tasked with waiting.  It is my prayer as I finish today’s post that you will experience the Lord’s purpose in your waiting.  Let go of having to have answers right now and reach for having intimacy with Him.  The LORD loves you and He has the best in mind for you.  Sit with Him and rest knowing that the Lover of your soul is all in for you.  He will supply exactly what you need when you wait upon the Lord.

Be blessed my friends as you wait upon the LORD!

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Fruit of Obedience

Posted in God, God Stories, The Father, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 1, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Intimacy with God grows as we are obedient. When we discern His voice, confirm it with the Word, recognize the affirmation in our spirit, and do what He says, we take a step in maturity.  Much of what He asks of us will either align with loving Him with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength or loving our neighbors as ourselves.

I once thought this meant a lot of hard work – hours scouring the Word, knees raw from prolonged prayer, exhaustion from tackling every opportunity of service to others. In my exuberance I was the energizer bunny Christian rushing here and there doing everything that I imagined a good follower of Jesus might do.  There were many spiritual high points and I am confident that along the way the Father has taken my offering and used it in furthering His purpose.  But I also see I have sometimes bowled over people, stepped on toes and generally left a wake of damage that I did not intend.

So if hard work was not sufficient to ensure godly growth, what are we to do?  The answer is that we begin by focusing less on doing, at least at first, and we seek to be who God created us and saved us to be – His beloved child.  Like an infant, our growth is a process that is best measured in gradual milestones.  The first step in a child’s development is the recognition and bonding of the child to the parent.  Developing the connection and deepening the familial bond is our first priority.  While this will last our entire life, it is our most important task when we first begin to follow Jesus.  In the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Galatians we learn that Paul, one of the most learned of men, headed into the wilderness of Arabia for an extended period immediately after his conversion before launching into full time ministry.  We do well to emulate his progression of seeking God’s face and guidance before jumping into “doing” for the Lord.

In time the child begins to communicate.  Again their primary source of communication is with their parents. Long before the child can begin to verbalize their own thoughts into words, their parents are talking to them, singing to them, reading to them. Our Father God is doing the same with us.  He loves us and He communicates that love in myriad ways.  This past weekend as I finally decided to rise from a particularly restless night, the Lord whispered in my spirit, “Come let me kiss you.” As I slipped into the front room of our house and the warm rays of the early dawn struck my face, I knew my Father was kissing me, His presence overwhelmed me, and it was good beyond description.  As I sit on this plane between two passengers absorbed in their own world, I can still feel the Father’s touch.  I know He is with me.  I know He loves me.  Oh, I am a fortunate and blessed man!

As I basked in the Father’s touch He spoke to me many things. Some were very personal and I don’t need to share those now except to say, He knows us intimately and He will speak to us intimately as we choose to make Him our Lord and the center of our being.  The one thing that He spoke that I recognized as for this blog was His call to obedience.

Continuing the metaphor of a child to parent, as we continue to grow in the Lord, we will be given increasing responsibility.  God will continue to pour into us His life, His light, His wisdom, and His heart.  As these become established in us, His vision and His call arise. There is a universal aspect of His call – reach the lost, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, encourage the down-hearted.  But in our growing intimacy He will be specific with us: the co-worker that the Lord brings to mind repeatedly, the message that powerfully reminds us of a particular need that we can meet, the phone call that comes when you are praying, “Lord use me.”

Response to the universal call is a good thing.  Response to our specific call is the best thing.  As I write this a picture comes to mind.  The Grinch provides an excellent illustration.  He had stolen every single bit the outward manifestation of Christmas from the Who’s.  Yet when he heard the Who’s still singing their joyful Christmas songs, he recognized the reason we celebrate is so much bigger than the gifts and food.   It is the reason for the season – Jesus.  His undersized heart grew 3X at that moment and he responded in abundant measure.  This same thing happens to us.  When, in our intimacy with the Father, He speaks and we enthusiastically receive and respond, our heart grows.  We are blessed as much or perhaps even more than those God has prompted us to love.

Today I encourage you to go deep with God.  Let His love embrace you.  Listen to His whispered words of love and let them wrap around you and fill you.  As you snuggle into His embrace, listen for your next step.  His call is a life in Him and with Him.  As you grow He will give you ”kingdom tasks” to accomplish IN HIM.  He is the King as well as our Father.  As such we are princes and princesses of the kingdom, living and working under our Father’s authority.  That is our blessed privilege.  Our growth and our Father’s favor are the fruit of our obedience.

Have a blessed day my friend as you live in intimacy with the Lord and walk in faithful obedience.

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Lavish Love

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on January 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Have you ever met someone who couldn’t receive love?  Distant… reserved… guarded… sad – these are characteristics of the people I have met who struggled with giving and receiving love.  As I write this my heart breaks because I know what they are missing and I feel just a bit of their pain.  For love is the substance of the life God has created for us and us for.  Love is the Father’s most amazing characteristic even to the point that the Apostle John firmly declares, “God is Love!”

There are many ways we can miss this love.

We can accept a substitute and call it “love”.  Unfortunately we have many voices telling us what love is, what the ultimate experience is we should be seeking: the perfect romantic interlude, fame that results in fans who “adore” us, songs extolling varying shades of fidelity.  All of these fall far short of the Love that we are created to enjoy and share.

We can be hurt in an attempt to experience love and we allow the pain of that experience to keep us from opening up and trying to love again.

We can allow cynicism or hate to put blinders on our hearts so that we can’t see the love that exists around us.  There are times and places where love has been so maligned and attacked that it is much harder to see.  My mind goes to the brutal wars that have at times swept regions and countries or the horrific acts one person can perpetuate upon others.  However these are not proof that love doesn’t exist, rather they are adamant declarations of the need for the Love that heals and makes whole.

I read the book “Proof of Heaven” over the Christmas holidays.  An agnostic neurosurgeon, Eben Alexander, contracted a severe illness which put him into a death-like coma for 7 days.  During this time with his brain essentially dead he went to a place that he recognized as being a foretaste of heaven if not heaven itself.  One of the points that struck him and resounds in me is that he was totally and unconditionally loved.  It was so complete and tangible that his description made me think of being immersed in the most refreshing and satisfying light and warmth one can imagine.

I am convinced this Love exists and that it is available right now, right here.  In Eben’s near death experience all the distractions of this life were eliminated and he could experience this love more fully than he had ever come close to before.  However the same Lover who wrapped Eben in love in heaven has opened His arms in love for us here.  He was a carpenter and itinerant preacher who opened His arms wide on the cross in the greatest display of love ever.  He has been resurrected and today His arms are extended toward us with the desire to wrap us in His embrace of lavish love.

I was young and I am now not so young.  In my years I have never met anyone who truly sought the source of Love who didn’t find Him.  And in finding launch into the process of being transformed into an agent of His love.

Lord, I ask that you wrap your love around each person who reads this blog today.  Give them a taste of Your love.  For those who don’t yet have a relationship with you I ask that you give them that nudge, that hope, that tingle, that piece that they need to have the faith to reach out for you.  I ask that you give them a practical next step to take to begin living in a love relationship with You.  For those who already know you, I ask that you give them a double-shot of Your love today that they may share it with many others today.  Father, You are so wonderful, so glorious, so amazing.  I stand in awe of You this day.  And I thank You for Your love.

Have a blessed day my friend!

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