Has your faith bloomed lately?

Recently I purchased a bouquet of colorful fresh flowers: daisies, carnations and one lily that hadn’t opened yet.  As the week progressed, the lily pod kept darkening in color and I was disheartened to think that it was not going to bloom. Surprise!  This morning I discovered that the pod had opened with a lovely pink coloration, giving my bouquet a glorious addition.

The oft quoted “Oh ye of little faith” came to mind as I viewed this new development.  I had been discouraged because the lily was so slow to change and then, I suspected that the changes I was seeing weren’t positive. I didn’t have faith in God’s design and plan for that particular flower—and how wrong I was.

This scenario could be applied to many things.  How often have I questioned the rate of change in my life and others?  How often have I been discouraged in not seeing proof of improvement?  How often have I doubted God’s design that hasn’t come to fruition on my timetable and in my understanding? Oh ME of little faith! The Bible is clear: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not [yet] seen”. Hebrews 11:1 It goes on to remind us that God is pleased when we have faith in Him and trust His ultimate purpose and plan for us.

Even blooming bouquets can teach us something about faith. Thank you God for the beautiful lesson!

Thankful for ...WIND?

Can’t recall a time when I was thankful for wind until today. 

Why now?  Well, it’s winter in Texas and we are used to sunshine, even when it’s cold. In the past few weeks, the sun was hidden behind clouds for days on end. All the rain (six inches in three days) and cloudy cold makes those of us in the Lone Star State grumpy and miserable.

Then the wind arrived. It blew out all the yuk and ushered in dazzling sunshine. My heart was overflowed with gratitude as the gust whipped across my face this morning.  In that moment, grumpy was gone; happy was back!

The Bible frequently speaks of wind, especially in reference to God’s Holy Spirit.  He blows across our lives, bringing power and love and a sound mind to our souls (2 Timothy 1:7), removing the dark clouds of sin and bringing the bright joy of a Savior’s love. How thankful we ought to be—for God’s wind, both the physical and the spiritual kinds!

A broken scale - what's not to love?

I accidentally broke my scale (stepping on one corner) but it had a wonderful, unintended consequence:  I lost about 30 pounds when I weighed the next day!  Unfortunately, my clothes refuse to recognize the “new me”. But, it sure is fun to get on that broken scale and see my perfect weight.

When it comes to our spiritual life, we can feel pretty smug standing on a broken scale. I’m doing more for God at church than Lois.  I’m writing more checks for charities than Howard. Comparing ourselves to other Christians is the equivalent of measuring our Christian walk by someone else’s  (broken) scale. It may make us happy but it’s inaccurate.  Jesus, on the other hand, tells us to be perfect or mature like Him [Matthew 5:48]. He is the true scale by which to measure our spiritual life. By that standard, I have little to smile about. I fall far short of His glory and perfection. Still a sinner. Always a sinner.  I am so grateful that if I confess my sins, He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse. Like the Apostle Paul, I can then press on to becoming more like my Savior and leave my broken spiritual scale behind.

ARE YOU FALLOW GROUND?

I’m not much of a gardener. Actually, that is a ridiculous understatement. I have the brownest thumb possible and not from dirt. So the concept of fallow ground, when it popped into my head recently, required some definition: ground that isn’t producing anything useful; ground that needs breaking up and working.

What a perfect description of my spiritual life! I realized that I’ve been just getting by with minimal effort —morning Bible reading, short prayers, saying grace at meals, church attendance, even attending a Christian gathering or two. But producing something useful? Not so much. And, what does God consider useful? A life that is dedicated to winning others to Christ. Proverbs 11:30 says,  “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves souls”.

My heart hasn’t been fully engaged with Christ. The spirit of Christ is in my life but not being allowed to direct it, to break it up, to work it. My heart is fallow ground and God is not only a Good Shepherd, He is a Master Gardener. He has shown me today that what was once a vibrant and lush field, blooming with spiritual fruit, has fallen into disrepair. This fallow ground heart of mine needs some tending so something productive can begin to develop…so the focus of my heart can be reaching out others with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

HOLIDAY DISAPPOINTMENT

Have you ever been disappointed with the way your Christmas holiday turned out? You got sick, or your special food dishes flopped or an expected gift wasn’t under the tree.  Or maybe it was something more serious:  you were hospitalized, the house was burglarized or you’re facing a major car repair. Major disappointment steals your joy.

What is the real problem?  Unrealistic expectations.  Is there any reason why the Christmas season shouldn’t be like any other season of the year, full of good days and bad days, fun and folly?  Why do we think that Christmas time is somehow exempt from the stuff of everyday living?  Such disappointment stems from a worldly mindset. The Bible calls it “defilement of the world” in 2 Peter 2.  Freedom from such defilement is “the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”.  Such knowledge promises us that if we have it, we will NEVER be disappointed (Ps. 22:5 and 1 Peter 2:6).  If we are focused on Christ, rather than the events and trappings of what the world tells us produces the “perfect Christmas celebration”, we can escape holiday disappointments. A moment-by-moment awareness of Christ (having the mind of Christ 1 Cor. 2:16) is the key to avoiding disappointment—if we are tuned in to Him and always in the center of His will, gifts & holiday events will not control our emotions.

Prompt:  Jesus never told us to remember his birth…His instruction was to remember His death, which gave us life.

Prayer:  Thank you, Lord, for giving me the only gift that will never disappoint—eternal life.

Do you need TASSELS?

Numbers 15:38-40 Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: Throughout the generations to come, you must make tassels for the hems of your clothing and attach them with a blue cord.  When you see the tassels you will remember and obey all the commands of the Lord instead of following you own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do. The tassels will help you remember that you must obey all my commands and be holy to your God.

Even though the 10 commandments were written in stone (and probably prominently displayed in the camp), the wandering Israelites seemed to have trouble remembering what God had instructed them to do. Something was needed to keep their thoughts focused heavenward. Consequently, God instructed Moses to have them tie small tassels on the corners of their tunics as a visual reminder of His law. Since they wore their tunics everywhere, there was never a time when they weren’t aware of God’s presence and direction.

Christians today have no such visual clothing enhancement to direct our thoughts to God’s desires. In our complex world, thoughts often drift to worldly matters. How can the modern man or woman “keep in perfect peace, with our minds stayed on Him” (Isaiah 26:3)? Sewing tassels on each garment is just not 21^st century-practical but there are ways to keep our thoughts focused on God. If you are visually oriented, small devotional calendars in several places around your home or office could aid you. If you find auditory prompts are your style, Christian music and teaching tapes or radio can keep your thoughts centered. If tactile, a small cross in a pocket and wallet serve well.

 Discover what is your best mental prompt and employ it to remember God daily.

PRAY: Heavenly Father, help me to bring every thought captive so that I can have the mind of Christ.

JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT Proverbs 30:7-9

A slice of this, 6 oz. of that--just what is the right amount of food to serve someone? The trend toward "supersize" portions is starting to reverse and people are seeing the value of just eating what the body needs and no more. 

In the Lord's model prayer, Jesus told the disciples to ask God for their "daily bread", just the right size portion to sustain their health for that day. When God sent manna to the Israelites in the wilderness, it was just the right size portion for each day (except for Friday, when it was a "supersize" amount to cover the Sabbath Day's need as well).

There is danger in excess and there is danger in want--in food as well as in our prayer lives.  Agur, the author of Proverbs 30, saw that danger when it came to material needs.  He understood that we are to ask God for our "needs", both physically and spiritually, but to be careful when it comes to our "wants".  The Bible also tells us that often we have not, because we don't ask. So what is the right amount of anything to ask for? He is our portion. Ps. 119:57 We just need more of Jesus--supersize please!

PLAN: Write your prayers down on paper--are they needs or wants?

PRAY:  Fill me up, Lord, with You--your mind, your heart, your desires.