You are accepted!

“Therefore, accept each other in the same way that Christ accepted you. He did this to bring glory to God” (Romans 15:7).

Most of us spend our entire lives trying to earn acceptance. We want to earn it from our parents, peers, partners in life, from people we respect, maybe even from people we envy. The drive to be accepted is a deep drive that can influence the kind of clothes you wear, the kind of car you drive, the kind of house you buy, even the career you choose.

Remember as a kid you wanted so badly to be in the in-crowd that someone would say to you, “I dare you to do this,” and they’d suggest something that was either stupid, or that put your personal safety at risk? But, you did it anyway because your desire to be accepted overruled the desire for safety.

We do it because we love the feeling of “I’m OK, I’m accepted; somebody accepts me.” When you’re accepted, it does tremendous things for your self esteem. The truth is Jesus accepts you and that acceptance is not based on your performance. In fact, you may have received Christ and accepted Jesus into your life, but do you realize that you’re able to do that because Jesus accepted you? You don’t have to earn his acceptance; you don’t have to prove yourself to him.

We need to stop thinking, “I’ve got an unpleaseable God up there and I’ve got to be a good boy, or good girl, to be accepted.” God, through Jesus Christ, has already accepted you. That’s good news!

Let the power of being loved and accepted by God remove your guilt and empower you to rest in what God says about you and how He sees you. God says youʼre accepted right now. So start living in that freedom and let the revelation of His love transform your life.

inspired by Rick Warren

The bigger purpose

What if work wasn’t just work? What if work was a vehicle to live and share a bigger purpose? I believe there’s flawed perception in our society that in order to live a life of purpose we have to leave our jobs and go solve world hunger, feed the homeless, move to Africa or start a charity.

 While these are all noble causes and many are called to do these very things, for many of us our bigger purpose can be found in the here and now, in the jobs we have, right under our noses. And when we find and live this purpose it will provide the ultimate fuel for a  meaningful life.

You may not build libraries around the world but you can find the bigger purpose in reading to your children. You may not feed the homeless every day but you can nourish your employees and customers with a smile, kind word and care. And while you may not start your own non-profit organization, you can begin a charity initiative at work. After all, "charity" means "love in action." You can make a difference every day and touch the lives of everyone you meet. 

While these people may not be starving because of a lack of food, you can provide them with a different kind of nourishment that will feed their souls and feed your own in the process. 

I heard of a janitor who worked at NASA and even though he was sweeping floors, he felt his bigger purpose was contributing to put a man on the moon. 

I met a school bus driver who knows his purpose is to help kids stay off drugs. 

There is a kind man in the mortgage business who sees his job as a way to help couples save their marriages by keeping their homes. 

I know a Popeye's Chicken employee named Edith, working at a large airport location, who makes thousands of people smile each day. The list goes on... 

Ordinary people with an extra-ordinary purpose. 

In any job our purpose waits for us to find it and live it. I can't tell you what your purpose should be but I can tell you that every one of us can find a bigger purpose in the job we have. I can tell you that every job, no matter how glorious or boring it may seem, will get mundane if we let it. Purpose keeps it fresh and when we are filled with purpose, we tap into an endless supply of energy. 

Don't wait until you go to Africa to start living with a mission. Don't wait until the weekend to feed people who are hungry. Bring your mission to work and your personal life, start working for a bigger purpose and nourish others in the process. 

... inspired by Brandon Cox

God's promise to meet your needs

Philippians 4: 14-20 In Philippians, we learn probably the greatest promise of all:  that God promises to meet our needs. But God’s promise has one condition attached to it.  God says that we MUST be generous with others.  Paul is saying that unless we obey the matter of giving, God makes no guarantee to meet our needs.

Proverbs 11:25 “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”

Luke 6:38 “Give to others and God will give to you.”

Why should we be generous? One reason is that our generous giving encourages others. The Philippians’ church was not a wealthy church.  It was a poverty stricken church; yet the Philippians were big hearted and generous in their giving. Paul said their gifts encouraged him. Both the giver and the givee received a blessing.

Giving is an investment in your future. Jesus said 100 fold will be returned to him who gives up for the gospel. One hundred fold is 10,000%. God is recording anything and everything that you do.  A cup of cold water given in Jesus’ name is written down in your account. Every time you’re generous with your family, church, friends – anytime you give it is recorded and rewarded.

I Timothy 6:18-19 "...Give happily to those in need, and always be ready to share whatever God has given you.”  By doing this, you will be storing up real treasure for yourselves in heaven – it is the only safe investment for eternity.

The Bible says God wants us to work.  He will not reward the lazy or those who are unwilling to work.  He does not promise to meet your needs if you sit around all day and do nothing.

God promises to meet your needs, not your greeds.  He knows what you need and He promises to provide it, as long as you meet His requirements.  God says "I assume responsibility for My children's needs to be met." If you're a child of God and you're meeting the premise, you can count on God’s promise.

What has God promised?  All legitimate needs. That covers a lot of material. Do you have a financial need? If you're a faithful giver, you have every right to ask God to meet your financial needs. If you're not a faithful giver you have no right, because you're not meeting the premise. How about physical needs, health needs, relational needs, emotional needs, any kind of needs? God promises to meet all your needs.

Thought for the day:  "… whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

 Have a wonderful week.

Conquering Complainers

Complaining is a kill-joy.  It makes you unhappy and everybody else around you unhappy.  The problem is that it is a hard habit to break.  We are naturally negative.  We tend to look at the bad things in life. We are conditioned by society.  Bad news makes the headlines.  We are bombarded continuously with what's wrong with everything.  By our own nature and by our conditioning we tend to develop the habit of complaining.

The Bible says God wants Christians to be different.  Philippians 2:14-15  "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe."

What does God's word have to say about dealing with this habit of complaining?

FOUR COMMON TYPES OF COMPLAINERS:

1.  THE "WHINER"

These people wake up negative.  They rise and whine.  David whines all through the Psalms. Psalm 73:13 "Have I been wasting my time?  Why take all the trouble to be pure? All I get out of it is trouble and woe."

The tell-tale sign of the whiner is:  "It's not fair.  I don't deserve this.  Everybody else gets all the breaks."

Life is not fair.  God never said it is going to be fair.  It will be fair in Heaven.  He will settle the score in Heaven.  As long as you complain about the fact that life is not fair, it only makes you more miserable.  But it will never change the fact that life is not always fair. Complaining does not work.

2.  THE "MARTYR" 

Favorite phrase:  "No one appreciates me."

Numbers 11:11-15 "Moses said to the Lord, `Why pick on me, to give the burden of a people like this?  I can't carry this nation by myself! If you're going to treat me like this, please kill me right now -- it will be a kindness!  Let me out of this impossible situation!"

These people are pros at having pity parties.  When they are sick or under pressure, they want everybody to know about it.  How do you react when you don't get your way?  Do you mount a complaining campaign?

3.  THE "CYNIC" 

Favorite phrase:  "Nothing will ever change."

Eccl. 1:2-4,9 "Life is useless.  You spend your life working and what do you have to show for it? The world stays just the same ... what has been done before will be done again." Actually, this last phrase probably refers to picking up after children. What's the use?

4.  THE "PERFECTIONIST"

Nothing is ever right for this person.  It is never good enough. Favorite phrase:  "Is that the best you can do?"

Proverbs 27:15 "A nagging wife is like water going drip, drip, drip on a rainy day." Proverbs 21:19  "Better to live out in the desert than with a nagging, complaining wife."

This refers to husbands, too!  Nagging perfectionists.  Nothing is ever right.  Always arguing. Nothing destroys the warmth of a home faster than complaining.  Nothing destroys the harmony of a marriage faster than complaining.  Nagging doesn't work.  It just makes everybody upset.

If your kids are complaining continuously, ask yourself if you are setting the example.

HOW DO YOU CONQUER COMPLAINING?

The Bible says "Do everything without complaining and arguing." How do you do that?

 ADMIT IT IS A PROBLEM

Admit it is a problem for you, not for other people, but for you. Proverbs 28:13 "A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful.  But if he confesses and  forsakes them, he gets another chance."

Complaining isn't just a bad habit; it's a sin.  We need to confess it.  It's a sin; it's serious. Complaining was the sin that kept the Israelites out of the promised land.  God destroyed them in the desert because they grumbled.  Seven times, Scripture says, "they murmured."  The reason the children of Israel never got into the promised land was because they were complainers.  That's how serious God says what we're talking about is.  

ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN LIFE

Many times complaining is just an attempt to blame other people for the problems we've created. 

Proverbs 19:3 "Some people ruin themselves by their own stupid mistakes and then blame the Lord."

Do not complain how the ball bounces if you drop it!  

I hear so many people complaining about being in debt.  Is it possible you were irresponsible about spending and saving?  That you made a purchase you really shouldn't have made?  I hear people saying, "I'm just not appreciated at home."  Maybe you don't appreciate the others at home.  We reap what we sow. Whatever you want in life, you've got to give it out.  That is inviolable rule of God.  If you want friends you've got to be friendly.  If you want appreciation at home you've got to give appreciation.  If you want to be put first in your marriage, you need to put your partner first in your marriage.  We reap what we sow.

Which type of person are you?  accuser, excuser, or chooser.

Accusers are always going around saying "It's your fault." When Adam sinned he took it like a man and blamed his wife, "Eve did it," and then he blamed God, "You gave me that woman."

Excusers say "I'm a product of my environment.  It's not really my fault."

The people that are really successful in life are neither accusers nor excusers.  They are choosers.  They accept responsibility for their own decisions.  When they reap what they sow, they take it and move ahead.

DEVELOP THE ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

I Thes. 5:18 "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." God says "I want you to be thankful in all circumstances."  It does not say "for all circumstances".  You cannot always be thankful for the circumstances, but you can be thankful in the situation.  I know that God is working all things for good.  He has a pattern and He fits even the bad things in our lives into that pattern for good. God's purpose for my life is greater than my problems, so in everything I can give thanks.  Not for but in.

I develop the attitude of gratitude and I learn to be grateful for what I have.  It's a tremendous antidote for complaining.  Why is it that we often don't value what we have in life until it's gone?

Phil. 4:11 "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." When Paul wrote this he was in prison at Rome.  The situations do not determine happiness.

When you learn to be happy and joyful in spite of the circumstance, that is maturity.  

LOOK FOR GOD'S HAND IN CIRCUMSTANCES

If you want to get victory over complaining, look for God's hand in your circumstances.

II Cor. 4:17-18  "This small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble.  So we fix our attention, not on the things that are seen, but on the things that are unseen.  What is seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever."

Paul is saying there are problems that come into our lives, no doubt.  But the way you look at them determines your attitude. Because God is working these things for good in your life and the good that you're going to get out of them will be much more long lasting that the problem. 

The reason why over and over in the Bible we are told not to complain is this: complaining is, in essence, rebellion against God.  When I complain about my circumstances that are beyond my control I'm really saying "If I were God things would be different.  If I were in charge, the whole human race would be much better."  That's rebellion and that's why it's so serious. God says don't do it.

PRACTICE SPEAKING POSITIVELY

Complaining is a habit.  Habits are only broken by replacement with something else.  Take out the negative complaining and replace it with positive speaking.  Ephesians 4:29 "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

I hope you have a wonderful new week.

How to be joyful ~ (no matter what)

Many people don't enjoy life; they just endure it. They don't enjoy happiness. We think that life must be perfect for us to be happy. If I could just change my situation life would be great. If I could just get rid of all my problems. But there's no such thing as a problem-free life. If you're going to learn to be happy and joyful, you must learn to be joyful in the situation, in the problems, in the very experiences of life.

We learn that Paul has been in miserable circumstances for four years. He was in prison for two years. Then he is put on a ship to go to Rome to appear before Nero. On the way he's shipwrecked, stranded on an island, bitten by a poisonous snake, waits the winter there, continues on to Rome, spends another two years in prison awaiting trial to be executed. During this two year period in Rome he is chained to a guard for 24 hours a day. He has absolutely no privacy. Every four hours he gets a new guard.

Yet in spite of all of these situations, Paul says in Phil. 1:18 "I rejoice and I will continue to rejoice." What's Paul's secret? How does he stay positive in prison, triumph over troubles, delight in difficulties, stay so happy, positive, joyful in spite of the fact that everything has not turned out the way he planned it? Paul gives us four secrets.

You need a perspective to live from. The perspective you need to live from if you're going to have joy in your life is Romans 8:28 "And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him..."

You need a priority to live from. Learn to live by priority, rather than by problems. Either you'll decide what's important in your life or you'll let other people decide what's important. If you don't choose your priorities, you'll go around putting out one fire after another, living your life simply from problem to problem to problem and not choosing what's important.

What should I live by? Proverbs 3:6 "In everything you do, put God first and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success." This is what counts:  putting God first.

You need a power to live on.  Life can wear you out. Life can drain you completely. One crisis after another can drain you. You lose your energy and your power. Some of you are ready to throw in the towel. You say, "I've done the best I could, but it's not good enough and I'm tired and sick." You need a fresh power supply.

You can't live without hope. You've got to have hope to cope. Cornell University did a study of 25,000 POWs from WWII. They found that man can handle tremendous stress and pressure as long as he has hope. The moment hope is gone you're doomed.

Where do you get your hope to keep on keeping on? God's answer to personal energy crisis: Phil. 4:13 "I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me."

You need a purpose to live for.  Paul had a long term goal. He looked at things in the light of eternity. Phil. 3:13-14 "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." The best use of your life is to invest it in something that will outlast it.

Here is your thought for the week:  It's great to be a Christian, but I'm not a Christian because I'm afraid I'm going to die tonight but because I've got to live tomorrow.

How to enjoy the people in your life

Philippians is a personal and positive book that tells us most about Paul and teaches us how to be joyful in spite of circumstances or problems that we all face.

In Philippians 1:3-11 Paul begins immediately talking about people. If relationships are bad or strained, life is difficult at best. These problems seem to destroy the joy in your life.

The four keys to enjoying people in your life are:

1. Be grateful for the good in people.  V. 3. "I thank my God every time I remember you."  Paul said I like to remember the good things about people, focus on the good times we've had, remember the positive experiences.  What do you remember about people?  The good experiences or the bad experiences?  Maybe you have, in your past, been hurt by a parent or a partner and you're still holding on to that hurt.  As a result you can't enjoy them today.  You're still focusing on the bad and the negative.  Be grateful for the good in people.  Pleasant memories are a choice.  I can choose what I'm going to remember about the past. 

Remember the best. Forget the rest.

2. The quickest way to change a relationship from bad to good is to start thanking God in prayer for people.  This will do two things:  change your attitude and change them. Positive praying is much more powerful than positive thinking. People may resist our advice and spurn our appeals and reject our suggestions and not listen to our help, but they are powerless against our prayers.

Four things Paul prays for other people.  You can pray these for people in your life and you can know that they'll be answered because they are God's will.  They are in the Bible.

1.  Pray that they will grow in love.

2.  Pray that they make wise choices.  

3.  Pray that they will do the right thing.  

4.  Pray that they will live for God's glory.

3. Be patient with their progress. Paul looked at people's future and not just at their past.  He looked at their potential and was patient with their progress.   V. 6:  Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  Paul says what God starts, God finishes.  What God started in your life at salvation, He will bring it eventually to completion.

4.  Love people from the heart.  I've discovered that if people are not in my heart, they're on my nerves.  If you don't have your kids in your heart, they get on your nerves.  If you don't have your husband in your heart, he gets on your nerves.

"Heart Love" begins with understanding but how do we get that understanding?  By asking questions and then listening to the answers.

How do you love those people that even when you do understand them, they are unlovable?  V. 8:  "God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus." Paul would say, "I've got a gut feeling of love for you."  It is intensive love that makes me love even the unlovely.  That is not a natural kind of love.  It is a supernatural kind of love and that's why Paul said it's not from himself, but it's the affection of Christ Jesus.  Human love wears out and dries up and dies on the vine.  This happens to everybody.  The only kind of love that lasts and lasts in spite of heartache and difficulty in tough circumstances is God's love -- the affection of Jesus Christ.  That's the only kind of love that lasts.

Life is too short not to enjoy the people in your life.  If you don't learn to enjoy the people that God has placed around you in your life, you will be miserable.  As Paul begins this great book about joy (and he's going to deal with all the common kill-joys we experience in life) he starts off talking about people. People will rob your joy unless you learn how to respond to them the way Jesus did.

Have a wonderful new week.

Facing the future without fears

A lot of people spend so much time worrying about tomorrow that they never enjoy today.

As David concludes Psalm 23, he is not afraid:

Psalm 23:6 "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the
Lord forever."

You too can be free of anxiety, fear and worry about the future. Here's why:

1. God is watching over you.  When we have a personal relationship with God, then we have a God who is concerned about us. He loves us.  Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

2. God's Grace is working in you. Not only goodness will follow you.... "mercy will follow me all the days of my life." What is Grace?  Grace is God's riches at Christ's expense. Grace is the fact that God gives you what you need, not what you deserve. Mercy is Grace in action.  Why do we need Mercy?  Because we make mistakes, we falter, we sin. We're not perfect.

So in the future, you not only need God's Grace, you will also need His Mercy.

3. Heaven is waiting for you. "... and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."  God says "I have this life planned for you and surely Goodness and Mercy will follow you through it..... but that's not the end!"  God builds it to a crescendo!  And David ends this Psalm with "We are going to Heaven!"

Who is Heaven made for?  Not everyone.  It is made for those who say "God, I want to be a child of God. I want to follow You."

It isn't up to you to make sure you get to Heaven safely.  Once you commit your life to Christ, He will make sure you get there safely because you are truly trusting Him.

How do you know you're going to Heaven? Jesus says "my sheep listen to me and follow me."  Are you listening to what God says to do with your life? Are you following Jesus Christ? Is He your Shepherd and your Savior?

If you say, Yes, I'm listening to God and I'm trying to let Him lead my life, letting Jesus Christ be my Savior; I know I'd never get to Heaven on my own and I'm trusting Him.  Then you can say with absolute confidence, Surely I know I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This concludes my writings on Psalm 23.  If I were to sum up what we've learned, I would say this:  The good Shepherd provides protection, provision, peace, providence, companionship (His presence), and paradise. Jesus is all you need.

God's Antidote to your Hurt

Psalm 23 verse 5 says:

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup overflows.

How do you handle your hurts? Many times we handle hurts in the wrong manner. Today I want to talk about some WRONG ways to handle hurt and then I’ll talk about the RIGHT ways to handle hurt.

Four wrong ways to handle hurt:

 1. Ignore it. – We say, “That didn’t hurt me;” I’ll deal with it later;” “It’s no big deal.” Ignoring your hurt never heals it.

Look at what Psalm 39 says about trying to ignore hurt:  “But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased. My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned…” (v.2, 3)

2. Run from it.  We find activities to take our mind off the hurt. But when we return, the problem is still there.

3. Hide it. We might wear a mask and say “everything is fine.” Revealing your feelings, however, is the beginning of healing. Sometimes it helps to talk to a Christian you trust.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other, so that you may be healed. - James 5:16

4. Worry over it. If Christ is really in charge – why should I worry? Worry never solves problems. It never heals hurts. The more you worry about it, the bigger it seems.

Three right ways to deal with hurt:

1. Let Jesus PROTECT YOU. Sheep have many enemies – wolves, coyotes, bears, snakes. Sheep are defenseless animals. They don’t run fast. They don’t have sharp teeth. They don’t have claws. They need protection and only the Shepherd can provide that. The job of the Shepherd is to lead, feed, and protect.  Romans 12 says:  Repay no one evil for evil…If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Romans 12:17-19  Part of having faith in God, is trusting that He will protect you – even from your enemies. The longer you try to get revenge, the longer you are not trusting God.

2. Let Jesus HEAL YOU.   Shepherds used an oil mixture on their sheep to protect their flock from enemies (flies, mosquitoes, etc). Sometimes He heals by sending people to help us – that is called fellowship. Sometimes He heals by making His presence known in our lives.  Sometimes the healing takes place right away and sometimes it takes time. But God always heals if we trust Him. He heals the brokenhearted – it is a promise you can count on.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. - Psalm 23:5

3. Let Jesus BLESS YOU. In the Bible an overflowing cup is a symbol for total satisfaction. It represents that all our needs are cared for. We are totally taken care of… totally blessed. If you have Jesus as your Savior, you can say “My cup overflows. My life is spilling over with His blessings.”

God never stops filling your cup. You are always welcome at His house. He even says, “I’ll prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies; I’ll anoint your head with oil; your cup will always be overflowing.”

God has caused my cup to run over with hope, love and joy. What does your cup overflow with?

Have a wonderful week.

Dark Valleys

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."

There is an old Arab parable that says: "All sunshine and no rain makes a desert." If you never have any down times, dark times, gloomy times in your life, you'll be dried up. You'll have no depth to yourself, no maturity. It takes good times and bad times to make a mature person. Life is a mixture of pain and pleasure, of victory and defeat, of success and failure, of mountain tops and valleys.

Even in our darkest valleys, our darkest days, God is there. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4.

In Israel there is a real Valley of the Shadow of Death. It's a steep, deep and narrow canyon. The sun only hits the bottom of it when it's directly overhead at high noon. The rest of the time the bottom of the canyon is dark. David probably led his sheep through the valley of the shadow of death as he was growing up.

There are five facts about valleys that you need to remember whenever you go through a tough time:

1. VALLEYS ARE INEVITABLE
2. VALLEYS ARE UNPREDICTABLE
3. VALLEYS ARE IMPARTIAL
4. VALLEYS ARE TEMPORARY
5. VALLEYS ARE PURPOSEFUL

Remember that the passage says "through the valley of death."  It doesn't say "to the valley" or "detour around the valley" or "into and stop in the valley."  The darkness or rough times or trials are temporary. You go through it.

God has a reason for taking you through the valleys. Whether it's doubt, depression, despair, discouragement, defeat -- He's got a reason behind it.

What do you do when you go through dark valleys?

1. Refuse to be discouraged. Focus on God's power rather than your problem. Col. 1:11 "God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will be patient."

2. Remember that God is with you. God not only promises us His power in the valley, He promises His presence. You will never go through a valley in life by yourself. You will never go through a dark day alone. God has said, "I will be with you."

3. Rely on God's protection and guidance.

The rod and staff were the two basic tools that a shepherd used to protect and guide the sheep. A rod was basically about two feet long; at the end of it was a heavy knot. Shepherds were very skilled at hurling the rod, like a missile, at anything that would attack the sheep. A staff was a long stick with a crock at the end of it. The shepherd uses a staff to guide and comfort. He will use the staff to draw the sheep in close to him. He will use the staff to lift them up when they're down.

God uses his rod and staff to protect, guide and comfort you. Remember: the valleys are temporary but necessary. But you will never have to face the rough times alone. Trust in God to help you through the valleys.

I hope you have a wonderful week.

He guides me in the path of righteousness

He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Life is a series of choices, of decisions. Because every decision has a consequence, because we're human beings, (which means we will make mistakes) decision-making can be very stressful because you don't know what's going to happen. Have you ever been afraid of making the wrong decision? We all have.

Worrying about decision-making can be extremely stressful. But it doesn't have to be. God wants to help. He wants to guide us. To receive His help you must do these things:

1. admit you need guidance
2. ask in faith for direction
3. listen for God's response
4. trust God when you don't understand

A sheep cannot see very far ahead. That's why, on a path, they don't know if that path is going to go off a cliff or lead them into a fire. They need a shepherd, someone to guide them. Likewise, you're like a sheep. Human beings can't see the future. They don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, much less next year or ten years from now. You don't even know what's going to happen this afternoon. God made you so that you don't see into the future no matter how much you try. Why did God do this? So that you would depend on Him. So He could be your guide.

To ask for guidance in faith means that you expect an answer from God, that you believe you will receive His help.

Some people say that God doesn't talk to them, that they don't receive His answers to their prayers. God speaks all the time, we're just not tuned in. Job 33:14 "God does speak -- sometimes one way and sometimes another -- even though people may not understand it."

You say God never speaks to you. Are you reading the Bible everyday? If you've never memorized any verses in the book, God can't bring them to your mind. If you've never put anything into your mind, how can He bring it out at the right time? You need to read this book and fill your mind with it so you can know God's will. God's will is found in God's word.

Never judge the path God leads you on until you get to the end. Don't criticize an unfinished plan. Have patience. One day you'll realize why it was all happening. You'll see that God knows what He's doing. God does not make mistakes. He knows what's best for you. You cannot see what He sees: He sees the future. He can see the end result. You can't. All those problems, heartaches, difficulties and delays, thorns in the flesh, physical ailments, all the things you ask "why" about, one day it's going to be clear. In the light of God's love. But in the meantime, lean not on your own understanding. Trust God.

So why should you follow God's path?

"In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality." Pr. 12:28 God says, you go My way, you get the good life on earth and eternal life in heaven. You go your way, the way that seems right unto man, but it ends in death. It's your choice.

I wish you a wonderful week.

He restores my soul

We are studying Psalm 23 and how God relieves stress in our lives.

He restores my soul.

This is good news; we all need to have our soul restored periodically.  We get hurt -- life's tough.  We get beat up by discouragement, depression, despair.  We have fatigue, failure, frustrations, and fears.  We all have hidden hurts from our past.  We carry wounds, battle scars, and emotional garbage.  God wants to take away this stress.  He wants to restore your soul.

How does He do that?  He does that when you allow Him to relieve you of three things that cause emotional instability:

1.  Let God remove your guilt.
2.  Let God relieve your grief.
3.  Let God replace your grudges.

You cannot get rid of guilt by yourself. You cannot pretend that guilt doesn't exist. You cannot "rationalize" it by saying "everybody feels that way." You cannot blame other people.

You must give it to God to take care of. He is the only one who can remove your guilty feelings.

You must understand this: God relieves you of this guilt the first time you ask. And He does it immediately. God forgives and then He forgets. And this you must do as well.

Sometimes we suffer grief. Sometimes our heart is broken. What do you do when your heart is breaking? What do you do when the grief overwhelms you in life? Throw a giant pity party? Play the "if only" game? Withdraw into a shell, hide in a cave, isolate yourself from humanity and say "I'll never let another man hurt me!" Do you just pull back and resign from life and be miserable the rest of your life? There are other options. You can let Jesus restore your soul.

Please remember this. To get rid of the guilt, you must:

1. Accept what cannot be changed.
2. Focus on what's left ... not what's lost.
3. Pray it up!

Don't exaggerate it, dedicate it. Give it to God. You're going to be hurt in life. Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional. The Bible says, "Blessed are those that mourn," but too long we take our mourning and hold onto it and turn it into moaning. The Bible says, play it down and give it up. Give it to God. Psalm 37, "Commit your way unto the Lord." Instead of saying, "This is devastating to me!" say, "God, help me make it through this situation!"

When you hold a grudge, who does it hurt? It doesn't hurt the other person. They probably don't even know you're thinking about them. It only hurts you.

How do you rid yourself of grudges? Give it to God. It's as simple as that.

Romans 12:19 "Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for He has said He will repay those who deserve it."

You will never be healed from your hurt until you accept God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ and then you offer that same forgiveness to other people. Jesus Christ can remove that guilt and nobody else can. He specializes in new beginnings. It's called being born again. He can wipe the slate clean. There is no reason in the world for you to go on with a guilty conscious when He offers forgiveness. Just accept it. Stop punishing yourself for the past.

Jesus Christ wants to heal your damaged emotions. He will restore your soul if you'll let Him.

I hope you have a wonderful week and I hope you feel better already!

Take time to rest

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

Today we are continuing our series on Psalm 23. We are looking at seven ways we can relieve stress in our lives. Last week we looked at the problem of worry and found God’s Antidote for Worry. Today we are looking at God’s Antidote for “Busy-ness”.

People are busier than ever. Busy-ness has become an epidemic in our lives. Let me give you an example. Dinner time. The picture of the family sitting down at six o’clock and eating a home cooked meal together has almost disappeared. More Americans than ever before are eating their meals in restaurants. The words, “Let’s just grab something to eat.” – carries with it the sense of busy-ness in our lives. Did you know that many fast food establishments don’t call themselves restaurants but call themselves "stores"? By calling themselves stores, it gives the impression these places are not a place to go and enjoy a meal – but they are a place were we go to shop for meal. Many of the fast food places keep records of the amount of time it takes the customer to place the order until the food is delivered in their hands. The goal is to get as many customers through the "store" as they can in the least amount of time. This is how busy we are in our lives.

Did you know that God really does want you to relax?  Yes!  It is his antidote for busy-ness.

Realize God wants you to relax.  The only way that we can really enjoy life is by getting enough rest. The only way that you have enough energy to make it through another day is take the time to rest. It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know God enjoys giving rest to those he loves? Psalms 127:2

God never intended for us to work ourselves to death. Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed. Exodus 23:12

The Sabbath was made to serve us; we weren’t made to serve the Sabbath. Mark 2:27  What this means is that the Sabbath is there for your benefit not the other way around. God knows that you need rest to recharge and revitalized. His will is to keep to healthy mentally, spiritually and physically. Rest so you can be refreshed.

Is your life a busy place where things sometimes feel like they are moving at breakneck speed? In the midst of my extreme busy-ness, I sometimes feel the need to escape, to decompress. My response? To create a quiet place. On those days when I don’t have specific chores or plans, I retreat to a quiet place. I grab some lunch and sit where I can read, listen to music, think, pray—and be refreshed. I think this is the essence of what the shepherd-psalmist points to in Psalm 23:2. He sees the Good Shepherd bringing him to “still waters”—that is, waters to rest by. It pictures a quiet place, a retreat from the pressures of life, where you can rest in the presence of the Shepherd of your heart and be strengthened for what lies ahead. Even Jesus withdrew to a solitary place to pray and commune with His Father. Mark 1:35.

We all need retreats in our lives, not only because of the overwhelming nature of life, but because of our dependence on the resources of the Master. In our fast-paced days, it is essential to find a place of solitude, “a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God.”

All of us can make time to meet with God, but do we? In Robert Foster’s booklet “7 Minutes With God,” he suggests a way to begin:

Start with a brief prayer for guidance, then read the Bible for a few minutes, and close with a short time of prayer that includes adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication for others. It’s vital to take time today to connect with the Lord, who is our life.

We need to set aside the time
To read God’s Word and pray,
And listen for the Spirit’s voice
To guide us in His way.

I hope you find time to rest and reflect this week.

Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my Shepherd

Psalm 23:1  “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”  In other words: "The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need."  

We begin a new series I'm calling Stressbusters. We're going to look at the seven greatest sources of stress.  They are all found in Psalm 23.  And the antidotes are also found in Psalm 23.  Psalm 23 is the most beloved psalm of the Bible.  And it tells us what God is really like.  It's a picture of God.

The first cause of stress is Worry.  We all have pet worries:  finances, jobs, relationships, marriage, kids, health...  There are three problems with worry.  Worry is unhelpful, it's unreasonable and it's unhealthy.

It's unhelpful because it never accomplishes anything, it never solves anything.  It is stewing without doing. It's like racing your car engine -- you create a lot of smoke and noise but you don't go anywhere.  Worry has never solved a problem. It's unhelpful; it doesn't work.

It is unreasonable.  It exaggerates your problems and makes mountains out of molehills. It just makes problems seem bigger and bigger.  The more you review something when you're worried about it, the bigger it gets.  To worry about something you can't change is unreasonable.

It is unhealthy.  The body was not made to worry; it's unnatural.  When you worry you get ulcers, backaches, headaches, insomnia.  Our bodies were not made to worry.  Worry makes us unhappy.  Worry strangles the life out of you.  It's unhealthy.

You weren't born worrying.  You have to learn to worry.  You have to practice to be good at it.  The good news is that if worry is learned, it can also be unlearned.

What is the antidote for worry?

Psalm 23:1  "The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need."  If I believe that God is going to take care of me, I'm not going to worry.  How does making God my shepherd show the antidote to stress in my life?  If I let the Lord be my Shepherd, how is that an antidote to worry?  You have to know what shepherds do. 

§  A shepherd provides.  He provides food, shelter, the basic necessities for his sheep.

§  A shepherd protects.  He defends against enemies, harm.

§  A shepherd guides.  He leads sheep when they're confused and don't know which way to go.

§  A shepherd corrects.  Any problem that comes along, he corrects it.

The amazing thing is this:  God has promised to do these four things in your life if you'll trust Him, if you'll let Him be your shepherd.

Isaiah 40:11 "God takes care of his people like a shepherd."  God says, I'll take care of you, I'll guide, protect, correct.  I will help you, if you'll let me be your shepherd. 

He even gets more specific in Phil. 4:19 "My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."  This doesn't say, God will meet all of your wants. There's a difference between needs and wants.  If God met all of your wants, you'd be the biggest spoiled brat in the universe.  He's not going to give you everything you want.  It would be like the Midas touch.  Soon you'd be miserable.  But He has said, "I will meet all of your needs."

How Do I Make God My Shepherd?

God is not the Shepherd of everybody.  He's only the Shepherd of those who let Him be the Shepherd.

Accept Jesus as My Lord

"The Lord is my Shepherd."  -- The Lord can't be your Shepherd until the Shepherd is your Lord.  The two go together.  You can't ask Him to be the Shepherd without allowing Him to be your Lord.

Jesus Christ is Lord in your life if He's calling the shots in your life.  If He's not calling the shots, He's not Lord. And if He's not Lord, He's not Shepherd.  Because the Lord is my Shepherd.

To accept Jesus as Lord means three things.  John 10:14, 27 "Jesus said, `I am the good shepherd... my sheep know me ... they listen to my voice, and they follow me.'"  These three words are what it means to have Jesus as Lord:  You know Jesus, you listen to Jesus, you follow Jesus.  You put Him in control.

Who's in control of your life?  God gives you the option.  He doesn't force Himself on anybody's life.  You have two options -- either you can be in control of your life or you can let God be in control of your life.  God doesn't co-pilot.  God is not going to force it on you, but either you can be in control of your life or you can let Him be in control of your life.  He made you.  He knows what will make you happy more than you do.  He has the power to bring those things to pass.  But He's still going to give you the option.

If God is running your life and He's your Lord and your Shepherd, you know He can control anything so you don't sweat it.  Make Jesus the Lord of your life.

Begin Praying About Everything

Pray about all the stuff you usually worry about.  Just talk to God.  He wants your friendship, your relationship.  Prayer gets in touch with God who can change it.  Whenever I'm worried I have two options -- I can panic or I can pray.

Phil. 4:6 "Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything... if you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand."

Pray about everything.  Don't just pray about religious things.  Most people, when they pray, pray prayers they think God wants to hear.  Pray about everything.  If it's big enough to worry about, it's big enough to pray about.  God's ability is greater than your anxiety.

"Cast all of your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."  I Peter 5:7

What's got you worried?  What is it that causes you to fuss and fume, toss and turn, wondering "Is it ever going to work out?"  What is it that when you think about it you get that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach?  God knows exactly what you're going through.

"Your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well what you need, and He will give them to you if you give Him first place in your life and live as He wants you to."

I invite you to take the first step by opening your life to Jesus Christ if you've never done so.  Ask Jesus Christ to become your Lord -- your boss, manager -- and Shepherd, as He's promised to do. 

Have a wonderful new week. Ask the Lord to be your Shepherd.