Tag Archives: Growth

Routine

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I’m a man of routine. I have a certain routine that I like to follow most morning before I head out the office – reading, prayer, jogging, and some time with family.  It seems to make my day go better when I do these things. I really enjoy my routines, and I really need my routines.

The last few weeks have been a little (or a lot) crazy.  We’ve had several long trips to various places.  I’ve had meetings in Jackson. I had a little thing I like to call gall bladder surgery.  It’s been something else.

And more change is coming in the coming weeks, with a new church, a new house (along with a new house payment!) and all the changes that go with it!

And so this morning, as I began again my routine, it was so great to read the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 100

1 Be joyful in the LORD, all you lands; *
serve the LORD with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.
2 Know this: The LORD himself is God; *
he himself has made us, and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
3 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise; *
give thanks to him and call upon his Name.
4 For the LORD is good;
his mercy is everlasting; *
and his faithfulness endures from age to age.

I’ve read this Psalm most everyday the past few years. It’s become part of my routine. And it felt so good to read this morning.

The Lord has made us. We are His. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

What a comfort, knowing that no matter what happens in life, we are His. We are the sheep of His pasture.

And, in life, we need the routines of knowing these things. We need the routines of hearing these things again, and again, and again.

We need to be reminded that in a world of constant change, somethings remain the same. No matter what happens, we are the sheep of His pasture.  No mater what changes happen, we are sheep of His pasture.  No matter what unknown the future holds, we are the sheep of His pasture.

I’m so glad I had my routine of scripture and prayer this morning to remind me of that.

What routines do you have to allow you to hear His voice? What routines are there in your life that cause you to know that you are His?

We need these things. I became convicted today that no matter what happens I can’t lose my routines.

What about you?  What are the routines in your life? What do you hold to?

May we have those things in life that remind us that we are His. We are the sheep of His pasture.

Strength

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Today as I was reading the New Testament Reading for the day in Colossians, something really jumped out to me.  Here are verses 11-14

11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

We are encouraged to be strong – but not with our own strength, but with the strength that comes from God. Why? Why are we to be strong in that strength in particular? Aren’t we strong enough as it is?

The text tells us we need to be ready to endure everything with patience.  In other words, trouble is coming. Trouble is coming down the road at some point. It could be today, it could be tomorrow. It could be a year from now, a decade from now. Who knows. But, trouble. is coming.

And, Paul tell us not just to suffer through this trouble, but to endure it with patience, and even joy. Now, I can’t do that. I don’t even like waiting at a red light, much less endure troubles with patience and joy. If I’m going through something I don’t like, I want it to be over as quickly as possible.

That’s what I want.  That may not be what God wants.  God may be wanting to teach me something through a time of trial. He may be wanting to teach me dependance upon Him.  Trust of Him. Faith in Him.  To teach me that this world is not my home.  That my life is not not found in the stuff of the world.  He may be wanting to teach me many, many lessons.

But, without the patience that He longs to give me, I will miss them.  And, without His strength, I do not have that patience. Without His strength, I do not have His wisdom. Without His strength, I will not learn, I will just muddle through, whatever I’m doing.  Even the good stuff.

So, that means for us today, if things are great, then we need to be faithful. We need to be worshiping, reading scripture, and praying. We need to be connected to God and to His people. We need to be living His life. Because, trouble will be coming some day. And for us, this may be the day of preparation for that trouble that is to come.

And, if we are going through troubles, remember. Your strength is not found within you.  It is found in God. Don’t rely upon yourself, your strength, you wisdom. Trust in God.  Lean on Him.  Turn to Him. Rest in Him.

And, then you will find more strength than you ever through possible.

Today, and always, for strength, turn to the source of our strength. Turn to God.

Not Me!

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As I was reading through the scriptures for today, something from Exodus 32 really stood out to me.  It was the conversation Moses had with Arron after the golden calf.   They were talking, and this is that conversation:

21Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?” 22And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn hot; you know the people, that they are bent on evil. 23They said to me, ‘Make us gods, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 24So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off’; so they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” 25When Moses saw that the people were running wild (for Aaron had let them run wild, to the derision of their enemies),26then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.

One of the things we see a lot in the Old Testament stories is this notion of – not me!  I didn’t do it.

Adam – did you eat the fruit?   Nope, the woman you gave me gave it to me.

Eve – did you eat the fruit?  Nope, it was the snake that made it happen.

Arron – did you let the people lose their minds?  Nope, they came to me and made me do it.

It’s a refrain I hear a lot from my two kids.  No me!  I didn’t do it!  Not me!  Not my fault!

It’s always someone else’s fault.  We see that in the Bible. We see it in our kids.  We see it in ourselves.

I know me, it’s easier for me blame others than to look within.  I don’t want to look within.  I’d rather blame you than work on me.  It’s less painful for me to lay my problems and my mistakes upon someone else than for me to look within myself and see what I need to fix.

Or rather, allow God to fix in me.

Sure, none of us are perfect. All of us fall. All of us make mistakes. That’s ok.  Instead of pretending like we are perfect, it’s better to admit our mistakes, take responsibility and work on what we can fix.

And know that even in our mistakes and failures, God’s love never, ever ends.

He doesn’t love us because of what we’ve done (or not done).  He loves us because it’s who He is.

He is love.

In spite of our mistakes.  He loves us.

Not our fault? I don’t know about that.

Being loved by God?  I do know about that. We are. Today, and each day.

Worthy Fruit

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This morning as I was reading today’s readings, the words of John the Baptist, in Matthew’s readings stood out.  He is confronting the Pharisees and Sadducees as they come to him.  He says:

8 Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 9 Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

This got me to thinking about fruit worthy of repentance. What is that?  What does that mean?  

I imagine the fruit being talked about here is the Fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, etc. But, that was not what really got me to thinking this morning.

How do you bare that fruit?  How is the fruit produced?

To get more personal, how will I make sure that I bare that fruit?  What must I do today, and each day, to make sure that I am barely fruit worth of repentance?

So, I thought, how do produce fruit?  I’ve found that for me, the way my life is fruitful for God is when I am walking closely with God. When I am praying, reading, listening, seeking God, I find that I produce the fruit of joy and peace and love and mercy.

But, when I am not. When I’m too busy. When I don’t seek. When I get bogged down in my schedule. When I turn my attention to what I have to do; what is next, it is in those times I am not patient and kind and loving.

The fruit in my life is worthy when I am walking with the Lord as I ought. When I turn away, towards myself and my stuff, my fruit is not as it ought to be.

So, for me, I have to make myself slow down.  Pray.  Breathe.  Listen.

Today, no matter how busy you are.  No matter what your schedule is, you can take a few moments every so often to stop.  Breathe.  Pray.  Listen.  You don’t have to pray for 30 minutes.  But, you can stop.

And, if for nothing else, become aware to the reality that God is there with you, even then.

In short, I think the key to producing worthy fruit is to live with that awareness that God is there with us. Every moment.

Even now.

Cravings

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As I was praying the Daily Office this morning, the New Testament reading for today really caught my attention.  Today, 1 Peter 1: 1-5 says:

1 Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and 5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Two things stuck out to me today, and made me really look within myself today.

First, we are told to crave (or long) pure spiritual milk.  We are supposed to crave that time with God. We are supposed to crave being with God.  Do you?  Do I?  Do we crave time with God like we would crave our favorite treat?

And, if you can’t get what you crave, you will go to any length to get it.  If we can’t get that chocolate, or whatever, we’ll sneak off, we’ll hoard, we’ll do whatever we can to get it.

Do we do whatever we can to spend time with God?  Do we crave it?

Do we crave spending time with God? Do we desire it?

Or, do we see it as a hassle at worst, or something we have to do at best?

Just a baby craves it’s bottle, so we should crave being with God. Do we?

But notice why we are to crave.  To grow.  Just a milk causes a child to grow, this spiritual milk we receive from God will cause our faith to grow. Just like we are made living stones, like the true living stone, we are made such to be build into something greater.

You are not made to stay as you are.  You are called to be more. You are called to be something more than you are right now.  God has something great for you. God has something awesome for you.  God has amazing plans for you.

He wants to transform  you into something awesome.

But, His work with us is often driven by our craving for Him. The more time with spend with Him, the more He can transform us.  The less time, the less He can transform.

Do you crave Him this morning? Do you desire Him?  Today, may we realize that life is found in Him, and no where else.  May we crave Him, and the life that He gives.