Monthly Archives: September 2010

Higher

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I have my plans.  I know what I want to do.  I know when I want to do it.

I have a schedule.

I’ve got it all figured out.  I know how I want it to all play out.

And, sometimes it does.

Most of the time my schedule works, my plans work, everything goes as I think it should go.

But not all the time. Sometimes things don’t work the way I want them to work.

Sometimes my schedule isn’t working. Sometimes things don’t come in the way or on the schedule that I’d like for them to.

And in those times, that’s went it’s good for me to remember what God said in Isaiah:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, *
nor your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, *
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God’s ways are higher than mine.  God’s plans are higher than mine. God’s ideas, God’s schedule, God’s purpose is higher than mine.

And, a lot of the time, it’s not the way or time or the anything that’d I’d like it to be.

That’s ok.  It’s not about me. It’s not about my plan or my schemes.

It’s about God’s.

Even when it doesn’t work according my schedule.

There’s a higher schedule.  It’s God’s schedule.

God’s plan.  God’s vision. God’s dream.

It’s a higher plan.

And instead of trying to get God to work according to my plans and schedules, I need to work according to His plan and schedule.

For it’s the higher one.

Today, even if it’s not working according to your plan, that’s ok.

There’s higher plan than even ours  – God’s!

Out to Get Me?

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I’ve told my folks before that when I was a kid, my image of God was that He was a really angry old man up in heaven ready to get me when I messed up.

He had a long white beard, He had long white hair. And He was mad.

I tell folks in my mind, God looked like a really angry Col. Sanders. And He was angry at me.

He knew how many mistakes I’d made, how much I’d done wrong, all way’s I’d messed up and He was going to get me.

He had His lightening bolt in His hand, ready to strike me.

That’s one of the reasons I’ve always liked this passage today in John:

As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ 3Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.

In Jesus day, if something was wrong in your life, people through that it was because God was punishing you for something.  If you were blind, then it simply must because you had done something wrong or your family had done something wrong.

The could be no other answer.

That’s what the people thought.  So, they asked Jesus, who sinned?

And Jesus said – no one. No one sinned to make this happen.  It just happened, but God is going to use it for His glory.  God was not out to get this man born blind.  But, God was going to use his blindness for God’s glory.

Today, God is not out to get you.  He’s not out to trick you. He’s not out to destroy you.  He’s not waiting for you to mess up so He can punish you.

He’s not an angry Col. Sanders.

He loves you.  He’s pulling for you.  He’s on your side.  He wants to know you.   He loves you.

He is not out to get you.  He’s not.

He will used whatever is going on in your life for His glory.

He loves you.

Never forget.

I Used to be a Sore Loser

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I’ve always liked sports.

Growing up in Bogue Chitto, MS, there’s not much to do, other than play sports.  So, as a kid, I played a lot of football. A lot of baseball. A LOT of basketball.

Some of the moments I remember the most as a kids were going up to Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church and playing basketball. See, this church had an outdoor full court WITH lights. Which meant we could play at night. And boy did we ever. particularly during the summer. We’d be there all night.

And I loved to play.

And I wanted to win.  I’ve always felt if you are keeping score, you are playing to win. That’s just the way that it is.  If there is a score board, I want my team to have more points than your team.

Nothing personal, that’s just the way that I’m wired.

And I just to get mean and hateful when I lost.  I would act in ways that I shouldn’t have acted.  I was a bad loser.

Then, on of my friends pulled me aside and read to me this passage from Colossians:

17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

And that stuck with me. Even through it was just kids playing basketball, how did I represent Christ?

Even though it was just a game, how was I representing my Savior? Was I bringing Him honor, or shame?

How were my words, my actions, and even my thoughts, how were they honoring Him?

And it changed the way I handled myself.  Now, I didn’t like to lose (still don’t) but I know that there is something bigger than a game.

Or work

Or hobbies

Or anything.

It’s Jesus. And each day we represent Him.

How will you represent Him today?