Saturday, May 1: Do the evil really prosper?

Friday is not the day of the week I look forward to. By that time, my body has endured its share of running around a tennis court. Additionally, early on Friday morning I walk up a 2-mile hill with a 1,000-foot elevation gain for a little extra cardio work. By the end of the day, I am ready for a quick meal and lots of sleep. This evening, when my last lesson finished, I remained to watch a student compete in the local tennis tournament.


He is on the varsity tennis team as a ninth grader and in the tournament, was playing a 10th-grade teammate. The conditions were not ideal for tennis with gusting 50 MPH winds wreaking havoc on both players and especially, the ball. The 10-grader didn’t handle the conditions well, though he was a superior player. He threw his racquet a few times in anger before getting a warning from the tournament director, and continued to scream obscenities throughout the match. Later in the match, though winning, he missed a shot he thought he should have made and rather than smash a racquet and be penalized, turned and drilled a ball to the other side of the court. It made a beeline at the head of his teammate and opponent, my student, who blocked the missile with his hand and didn’t say a word.


Wow! A 14-year-old kid, who is not a Christian, handled it better than I did (as I was angry) and certainly better than I would have had I been the opponent. I had no idea how I would have handled the same event, even as a Christian, as my blood was boiling simply watching the kid through his temper tantrums. The tournament director told me that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree as his exceedingly wealthy father was disregarding the rules by coaching his son during the match the previous weekend and told his son, “If you win the next point, I’ll give you $5,000.” As much as I wanted to have the kid defaulted for bad conduct, I kept my mouth and opinion out of the situation. Sadly, the misbehaving brat went on to win.


We all have many situations in our lives where the wicked seem to prosper. It often seems like doing the right thing goes hand-in-hand with finishing last, as humility, meekness and godliness are not regarded by the world as winning attributes. King David waxed poetic in many psalms, feeling that same way, as he seemed to be watching his enemies gaining advantages. Then he wrote,
1 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the LORD,
They shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
 Psalm 37:1-11


Someday, we will live in a time when evil, and evil people, are gone! Until that time, we are to trust in the Lord, knowing that He continues to be in charge of our lives. Don’t forget that those not serving the Lord are captives of the evil one, just as each of us used to be before Jesus opened our eyes. Pray for them and don’t fall into the trap the enemy sets for us to sink to their level of anger and hatred. How did Jesus handle it? “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, yet He opened not His mouth,” according to Isaiah 53!

Friday, April 30: What dreams may come

One of the strangest parts of life occurs not in our waking moments, but while asleep. Dreams are such a varied experience. They can be happy, sad, scary, stressful or beautiful. Though they are seemingly different for all of us, what is likely is that they are often triggered by an event that happens in life. Some people spend their lives studying dreams and others spend their lives interpreting dreams. Many people still put much credibility into some of the dream interpretations given by Sigmund Freud, but to me, the only dream interpreter worth his weight was Daniel (though Joseph showed talent, too).


When Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, was losing sleep due to a repeating dream, he asked his court of advisors to not only interpret the dream, but before he told them anything about it, they were also to tell him what he was dreaming. With God’s help, Daniel gave the king both the dream and its interpretation. Even the description of the dream tells us that Nebuchadnezzar had the ability to see. Why would I say that?


Interestingly, I found myself wondering the other day what occurs in the dreams of a blind man. When I researched that question, what I found was that a person blind from birth had only auditory dreams. Someone who had lost their sight could dream of the people or places they remembered, but when someone appeared in the dream who they had only known after they had become blind, it would be nothing more than a hazy blur.


In His miraculous walk on this earth, Jesus made the blind to see.


31 So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
Matthew 15:31


In John 9, Jesus healed a man who had been blind since birth. That affected the man’s waking hours and his sleeping ones miraculously, as even his dreams became a Technicolor change! Can you imagine dreaming in only sounds, with everything completely black? I don’t know what I expected, but I guess I thought that blind people would see something beyond description.


Even though we know that God can speak in dreams, we also know that Satan can find his way into our most susceptible state, when we are asleep. But what I want to highlight is that every one of us was blind before we met Jesus as our Savior. He gave us legs to walk, ears to hear, a heart to feel and eyes to see. Without Him, we were dead, but just like Lazarus, He has raised us from the dead in the same manner that He gave us sight!  Certainly, our spiritual condition far outweighs our physical condition. 

Through the sight Jesus has given us, He has given us hope of what dreams may come. I dream to see His face and be by His side for all of eternity. What do you dream of?

Thursday, April 29: You’re still here!

Watching a talented gymnast doing flips along a balance beam, teetering high enough above the ground that a missed step could cause severe injury, is a less than peaceful picture. Sometimes, the balance between our heavenly home and our earthly visit feels exactly like that. Those of us who have found salvation in Jesus Christ have been told that we, even at this moment, are “seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” according to Ephesians 2:6. God, being outside of time, sees His completed work in us! So though we struggle in our earthly tent, the temporary home that God has given us for a time, this is not the culmination of His work in us.


Even as Christians, we have the tendencies to focus more on this earth than we do on heaven, as earth is tangible. We can see it, feel it, smell it, touch it and even taste it if we choose. A mud pie doesn’t get my taste buds salivating, like my thoughts of the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, though. A desire to have children or grandchildren drives many Christians. Others seem to focus on seeing those near and dear coming to know the Lord. Others desire a bigger house, a better job or look forward to the freedom of retirement. Is the world supposed to be a friendly place for us?


4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:4-8


The double-mindedness discussed by James has to do with our worldly desires that often get in the way of our heavenly desires. Once again, when our hearts become reflections of God’s heart, then God gives us the desires of our hearts. Yet when our earthly desires get in the way, to grant us what we wish would cause us to stumble. God might do that just to demonstrate to us that He desires more for us than what we ever could imagine. Janis Joplin certainly missed the boat, and the car, with “Oh, Lord, won’t You buy me a Mercedez-Benz!”


Don’t lose sight of the fact that eternal life with the Lord began for you the moment you asked Jesus into your heart. There might be a blink of the eye when you leave your body at the time of your physical death, but it is at that moment when you will be absent from the body and present with the Lord. Don’t forget that we are called to be in the world, but not of the world (John 15:19 and John 17:13-17). Maneuver through this planet as if you are strangers in a strange land. Don’t become a resident!

Wednesday, April 28: What are the keys for, to open or close?

God has been stretching me lately, letting me know how much, or how little, I trust Him and rely on Him. Sadly, I wasn’t trusting Him the way I need to. I wish I could say that this was the only time I learned this lesson, but there have been many of those wake-up calls in my walk with the Lord! Look at the Jews in the wilderness, who somehow forgot the miracles of God after Moses went up the mountain to meet with God, and created a golden calf to worship in His place. God continuously reminds us of who He is and how much He loves us. Though I have been asking for a specific answer to prayer, today I finally gave in to God and accepted that whatever He gives is better than anything I can ask for. It was yet another example from our Lord on the gift of prayer, as we know that prayer changes our hearts, rather than changing God! Why would perfection need to change? The only thing perfection could become if it changed would be imperfection and that is impossible for God!


We know who holds the key to each of our lives:


22 The key of the house of David
I will lay on his shoulder;
So he shall open, and no one shall shut;
And he shall shut, and no one shall open.
23 I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place,
And he will become a glorious throne to his father’s house.
Isaiah 22:22-23


This is the benefit of a walk with the Lord. A walk is a slow progression forward. There’s time to talk and reflect. Reflection is a look back on the past, and each time I do that, I remember all the gifts God has given and all the miracles He has performed in my life. He is incapable of giving bad gifts to those He loves.


6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
 1 Peter 5:6-7


Jesus has the keys to every door. He can open the doors or lock them, and keep them closed. I am so thankful that He opened the door of my heart and came into my life. Lord, thank you for answering my prayer and changing my heart!

Tuesday, April 27: Trouble comes in little packages!

Walking as a Christian certainly isn’t an easy path. At the moment we make the decision to follow Jesus, God gives us new hearts. Yet that is not the moment that He perfects us or completes His work in us. Instead, the daily lessons and changes begin! If you walk away from one addiction, another stares you in the face. To me, the most difficult aspect to change deals with the smallest part…the tongue.


See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.
James 3:5-12


As we grow in Christ, our mouth should shrink! Instead of being quick to speak, we should be quick to listen. A wise man pointed out that because God gave us two ears and only one mouth, at the least, we should listen twice as much as we talk! Yet instead, we speak of our rights, our wants, how other people are failing, how they let us down, etc. Having studied journalism through college, I learned that truth is a defense in libel suits, yet God doesn’t draw the line at speaking truth. If that truth proceeds to destroy a Christian brother’s character, is it worth speaking? Here’s an example. Let’s say that a brother in the Lord shares with you in confidence that on a business trip, he strongly considered sleeping with a woman other than his wife. He told you so that you would pray for him and check in with him often, reminding him of God’s love and Word. If you tell one person, the chances are strong that person will tell two others. Those two will tell four others. Those four share the story with eight others. Somewhere along the way, instead of your friend considering sleeping with another woman, the act actually occurred in the retelling of the story. Soon, our little spark has become a forest fire and has destroyed a man’s character, and possibly, his marriage.


One way of ascertaining the words that proceed from your mouth is motive. Are the words being spoken to edify another and to glorify God? More likely, are the words being spoken to edify you? If we build ourselves up with our own words, God certainly will break us down, for he hates pride and exalts the humble.


5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:5-7


If this is a problem area, know that it is for everyone. Even if we spend the rest of our lives emphasizing this issue, James reminds us that no man can tame the tongue! But what we need to remember is that we can improve, even though we never can conquer our tiniest member. Let the Holy Spirit guide you, and remind you, when you speak in self-edification or destruction rather than the edification of others. For the rest of the day, make a point of thinking of the words that emanate from you and how they can or will affect others. Glorify God!

Monday, April 26: His eye is on the sparrow!

 Click on the following link to hear a beautiful version of a wonderful hymn: His Eye is on the Sparrow by Selah

Almost everyone I know has endured a difficult period of discouragement lately. Though we realize that life is a series of peaks and valleys, it seems like there are a lot more valleys for a majority of the people alive today. Valleys are where the battles occur, as there is enough room for the opposing forces to mount up and face each other. In the earth’s future, we know of a world-ending battle that will occur on the plains of Megiddo, northwest of Jerusalem. While standing in that valley that will see the Battle of Armageddon, Napoleon prophetically stated, "All the armies of the world could maneuver their forces on this vast plain."



Just as the final battle is no surprise to the Lord, either in occurrence or outcome, the many battles that each of us fight on a daily basis are in His perfect plan, as well. Yet, when we are discouraged, we lose sight of the miracles that God is accomplishing even in the midst of trial. Job, the most righteous man on the earth, certainly served as a great example for all of us in his self-pity. We all find ourselves in that position, and we know that our struggles don’t hold a candle to what Job was called to endure. Yet God’s plan was to draw Job even closer. Of course, His plan came to fruition, as Job came to know God in a much deeper way through the pain.


Personally, I know that I waste far too much time worrying about so much that is beyond my control. Yet what does God say about that?


6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.                
 Philippians 4:6


God gives us a simple command, yet acting on that command becomes more complicated as we often walk by sight, not by faith. If we trust Him, then when we feel unsettled, we will hand that burden over to God, and then walk in peace, knowing that His will certainly will be done.


25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
 Matthew 6:25-27


God made the birds and the flowers, yet He loves us so much more. The Bible tells us that He mercifully waters the plants in areas man never sees! Why do we worry about our basic needs? Maybe part of that problem is that we desire more than He intends to give! He will give us enough! Trust Him and know that His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me!

Sunday, April 25: Pick it up!

Do you ever get tired of sinning, like I do? Before we had relationships with God, that was understandable, as we were slaves to sin, according to the Bible. Rather than having a battle raging within us between the Spirit and the flesh, we were simply, flesh driven. Yet after we become believers, there is a war that rages on day after day whether or not to sin. The Bible reminds us that after we are believers, sinning becomes a choice for us, and the saddest part is that sometimes we choose to sin. Even knowing how it breaks God’s heart doesn’t factor into the equation. But we know what God’s plan is for each one of us:


…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;  Philippians 1:6


If God is going to perfect us, why didn’t He make us perfect the first time? He did with Adam, but Adam changed it all for us!  Why did He allow us to live in these sinful bodies on this sinful earth? I think the passage in Romans 7 strikes home so deeply:


14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.  
Romans 7:14-15


Though we hate sin, we continue to sin. Sin still is a big part of our lives. But you know what? I think the key to it all is the desires of our hearts. As Christians, though we continue to sin, we desire to do it God’s way. When self dies to the point where we desire His will in our lives, He will work out the rest of the details. Think of David, who the Bible describes as a man after God’s own heart. If we delight in the Lord, the Word tells us that God will give us the desires of our hearts. If the desire of our heart is to do it His way, then I can certainly see how He will give us that desire. By perfecting us! By putting us in glorified bodies that never will have to worry or sorrow about sin ever again. Praise God!


Otherwise, there would have been disappearances all over the planet every time someone accepted the Lord. So they wouldn’t struggle with sin again, He could have chosen to take each new believer to heaven that very moment. But instead, God chose to have us continue in the struggle with sin, to pick up our crosses and follow Him. On that path, through our many struggles and sins, we realize how weak we are without Him and how strong He is! Additionally, with us still here, we are able to speak through our words, thoughts and actions to the people of a broken world, who desperately need Jesus as their Lord and Savior.


If you are tired of the struggle, don’t lose sight of the fact that God still has you here for His purposes. Quit whining and look for the opportunities that He is placing into your paths on a daily basis. Lord, forgive me for the number of times I have said, “I’m tired,” even today. My rest is in You and when You no longer want me here, You will do something about that. In the meantime, use me for Your purposes!

Saturday, April 24: Talking like a sailor

This morning while on the tennis court, the gardener from Alta Laguna Park was trimming the bushes beside the courts with a chainsaw. It was so loud, and made it really hard to concentrate. I was waiting for my next lesson to arrive, and fortunately, was not teaching a lesson at the time. Yet I was thinking of how irritating the sound was, and how much I was looking forward to the cacophony ceasing. Then I heard it. Two courts over, a man missed a forehand and screamed his curse, using the Lord’s name in vain. I then noticed how much more that offended my ears than the loudness of the chainsaw!


That reminded me of some interesting billboards that lined Interstate 10 near Palm Springs a few years ago. An advertising agency in Ft. Lauderdale came up with 17 non-denominational messages from God.


One of them said, “Keep using My name in vain and I’ll make rush hour longer.” – God


What always amazed me is that the Federal Communications Commission would not allow seven words on television, but the Lord’s name in vain was not on that list! As much as the other words bother me, that is the one that sends me into a tailspin. The fact that it is accepted boggles the mind. That gives us a reminder of who is in charge of this world. Satan, in his pride, hates God. Can you imagine a created being, who things he is equal with his Creator? As much intelligence as Satan has, he knows that he has no chance at beating God in any contest, yet his pride will not let Satan accept that fact. Don’t forget his fall from grace:


12 “How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
Isaiah 14:12-14


Desiring to be worshipped like the Most High, Satan has it in his plan to draw as many away from the Lord as he can. One of his many strategies includes running God’s name through the mud. As Christians, it hurts when we hear people using the name in a curse that is the name above all names. At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! If they don’t worship Him now, they certainly will in the future. We know that, for God has promised us. In the meantime, don’t subject yourself to hearing His name in that manner. We don’t have to attend those movies. And in my case, I usually have children on the tennis court. I have no problem letting those angry players know that how they speak at home is their business, but how they scream on the tennis court is everybody’s business. Sadly, many just don’t get it, like Tiger Woods, but we realize that they are captives of the one in control of the world.

Friday, April 23: Submission

French philosopher Simone Weil said, “Obvious and inexorable oppression that cannot be overcome does not give rise to revolt but to submission.”

Canadian historian Goldwin Smith said, “The Roman legions were formed in the first instance of citizen soldiers, who yet had been made to submit to a rigid discipline, and to feel that in that submission lay their strength.”

Submission is a difficult subject in the world today. Sometimes, we feel as if we are being forced to submit to the ideas of others. For example, the modern-day acceptance of homosexuality as a lifestyle choice, or pre-marital sex for all couples, though both break God’s laws, are rampant on almost every television show. But are you truly being forced to watch those shows? No, we can choose to turn off the television and read the Bible instead.

Submission carries a negative connotation in the world today. Webster defines it as the condition of being submissive, humble or compliant or in another context, the act of submitting to the authority or control of another. Leave it to Webster, who as a Christian, understood the word better than most today, using the most godly attribute, humbleness. Common thought has us to believe that submission is weakness.


Ephesians 5 and 6 give us much insight into the meaning of submission:


17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
Ephesians 5:17-21


Additionally, Paul writes that wives are to submit to husbands. Does this mean that women are less important to God? To answer that question, let’s look at the life of Jesus! Does Jesus have less power or knowledge than God the Father or God the Holy Spirit? No! All of them are omnipotent and omniscient, equal. Yet they all have a place. Jesus does the will of the Father and the Holy Spirit always points to Jesus. Yet Jesus came to earth in submission to the Father and the Father's will.  Marriages are an instructional tool designed by God to teach us to submit one to another and additionally, to understand the intimacy that God desires in His relationship with us!


To me, this verse sums it all up:


5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-12


Jesus submitted Himself more than any of us will ever submit ourselves! If He can consider Himself of no reputation, being God, how hard could it be for us to do the same, when all we are worthy of is death? Submit one to another as it is commanded by God!

Thursday, April 22: Happy Anniversary! Yom Ha'atzmaut, the Day of Independence!

On this 90th blog entry of daily devotionals, we have reached one fourth of the year on the Hebrew calendar. And speaking of the Hebrew calendar, Israel is celebrating an amazing anniversary. Sixty-two years ago, Israel became a nation, (based on the Hebrew calendar on the fifth of Ayar)! Throughout the Bible, prophets told us of events that would occur to the Jews in Israel in the latter days. Yet when Israel disappeared from existence in A.D. 70 at the hands of the Romans, and the Jews were spread to the four corners of the earth, even Bible scholars lost sight of God’s plan. Many of those “scholars” began to apply God’s promises made to Israel to His church, instead. What they thought was, because Israel did not exist anymore, those prophecies couldn’t really mean “Israel.”


Fifty years before Israel became a nation, Theodore Herzl wrote a book entitled, “Der Judenstaat,” which means the Jewish state. In that book, Herzl laid out the plan to bring the Jews back into the land they once had occupied. Fifty years later, Herzl’s book and idea became a reality. With 6 million Jews murdered in the death camps of Nazi Germany, the Jews wanted to ensure that they would never be subject to an Adolf Hitler, or similar despot, again. On May 14, 1948, the United Nations announced that the resolution had passed and Israel was a nation! The photo above shows Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, beneath a photo of Herzl, making the announcement that the U.N. resolution had passed.


Can you imagine the excitement in each of the Jews in Israel at the time? Additionally, there was enormous excitement in many Jews around the world, who immediately began to make plans to relocate to a nation where they would be the majority, instead of the hated minority. Within days, the Arabs attacked. Though the Jews had inhabited the land almost 2,000 years before Islam even began as a religion, the Muslims felt the land was theirs. Wars have continued to this day, and sadly, this nation the size of New Jersey has continued to receive the animosity of the world, though with God’s hand, Israel has flourished. This tiny nation has more medical doctors per capita than anywhere in the world; Israel has more people with Ph.D’s per capita than anywhere else; the technology of Israel rivals the Silicon Valley! Fruits and vegetables flourish there, too; Israel has truly become a land flowing with milk and honey!


Where does this leave us? As Christians, Israel is the greatest reminder that God says what He means and means what He says, exactly! Additionally, though we know that the Jews are God’s chosen people, we should keep in mind that Israel and the Jews are a great example of God’s grace. That grace enabled God to forgive each of us for our many sins. He doesn’t love the Jews any more, or less, than He loves each of us! Yet we are reminded by His Word that Israel is the apple of His eye, and that we should pray for the peace of Jerusalem. The world is coming against Israel in regards to the Palestinians. Yet we know from God’s Word, what will occur:


14 I will bring back the captives of My people Israel;
They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them;
They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.
15 I will plant them in their land,
And no longer shall they be pulled up
From the land I have given them,”
Says the LORD your God.
 Amos 9:14-15

A day is coming when God will open the eyes of the Jews to see Jesus. Remember, Jesus was a descendant of David from both Mary’s side of the family (blood) and Joseph’s side of the family (legal), and David is the son or root of Jesse!


10 “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,
Who shall stand as a banner to the people;
For the Gentiles shall seek Him,
And His resting place shall be glorious.”
11 It shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time
To recover the remnant of His people who are left,
From Assyria and Egypt,
From Pathros and Cush,
From Elam and Shinar,
From Hamath and the islands of the sea.
 Isaiah 11:10-11


Many wrongly believe the above verses refer to the return from the Babylonian captivity, but notice that it says “a second time.” Additionally, Shinar refers to Babylon, but the other places refer to many other locations. “Islands of the sea” is a Hebrew colloquialism for distant places. This refers to the four corners of the earth.


So today, let’s honor the Jews, pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and praise God for being a God of grace! How can He continue to love us when we are dirty sinners? Be thankful for His forgiveness in your life. Be thankful for His Word! It is perfect and He will never break a promise! That gives us so much to be excited about for if He loved the Jews enough to bring back Israel, He will fulfill His promises to us, too! Have you read all those promises? They are amazing! If you haven’t done it yet, read the whole Bible! Praise You, Lord!

Wednesday, April 21: Filled with the Spirit!

With the world seemingly spinning out of control, we don’t have a chance getting through without the Spirit of God controlling us. While Satan has dominion over the earth, don’t forget that God gave him that dominion and it is only for a time. In the Book of Job, the earliest book written in the Bible, we see that God removed the hedge of protection from Job. That demonstrates to us that the only way Satan can attack us is if God allows that attack to occur. Additionally, God is not cruel or uncaring, so we know that if He allows an attack, He has a purpose. Typically, that purpose is for us to draw closer to Him. Being filled with the Spirit helps us to live in the moment and to remember that each moment is in God’s plan.


When the Bible refers to a man “filled with the Spirit,” does it mean for that moment, that the man was walking strongly with the Lord? If you are a Spirit-filled Christian, does it mean that you are able to speak in tongues, as the 120 in the upper room did on that first Day of Pentecost? Can you be partially filled with the Spirit?


The word “filled” in Greek is πίμπλημι, and means “to fill completely.” Yet the interesting part is that it is in the aorist tense, which describes an event that took place at one time in the past. So, being filled with the Spirit occurs at one moment. Think of a gas tank. If it is filled, it is not approaching fullness. Nor is it approaching emptiness, but it is filled to the brim. The Holy Spirit is fully in each Christian when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Jesus came to this earth as a teacher. He was with His apostles for three years on a daily basis, but they were not together every moment. When Jesus returned to heaven, and gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit, He left us in good hands. The Holy Spirit is with us every moment of our Christian lives, awake and asleep, living inside of us. He continues to teach us and according to the Bible, He accomplishes other feats in us, as well:


8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8


He gives us power, the power to say no to sin! Through that power, we can be a witness for Him to others. The greatest task that each of us can do for our Lord is to spread the Gospel to others, comfort the broken, give rest to the weary, give food to the hungry and arms of love to the lonely. Let Him use you for His purposes!

Tuesday, April 20: Renewal

One of the most important pieces of software that we can purchase for our computer concerns virus protection. Whether that software is McAfee, Norton or Kaspersky, without it, you could be in for a world of hurt! Computers are expensive and a simple virus can wreak havoc in that system. For a pittance of the price of the computer, a user can insure that no virus makes its ways into the system. The only time I got a virus on my computer was when my subscription had lapsed, and somehow, I overlooked my need for renewal.


In a similar manner, God protects His children from viruses, especially those that can destroy the operating system. Those viruses in a believer’s life are the sins that can wreak havoc in their own ways. Just as a computer’s virus software removes the virus, God removes the viruses from our lives. Those viruses are sins.


9 Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.
Psalm 51:9-13


After falling into sin, when we renew our relationship with God, and along with that, our virus protection software, He cleans our hearts by blotting out our iniquities. It is only then that we can restore the joy of salvation. What I remember most about salvation is the moment I truly felt the burden removed from my shoulders. Though in David’s Psalm, he worried about the Lord removing the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is another Helper, promised to us by both the Father and Jesus. We need to understand the difference in Greek between two different words for “another:” allos (ἄλλος) and heteros (ἄλλος) have major differences in meaning. Allos expresses a numerical difference and denotes “another of the same sort”; heteros expresses a qualitative difference and denotes “another of a different sort.” When Jesus promises to send another Helper, He is saying that it is another one just like Himself. The Holy Spirit will abide with you forever, as a promise and a guarantee of His purchase of us with His blood. With the best virus protection available, He blots out our sins (viruses), never to be seen again!

Monday, April 19: Walk circumspectly!

When Paul wrote his books that would become a large portion of the New Testament, the days were evil. Yet looking around in our society, the days have become more evil. An old adage tells us that history repeats itself, though with the addition of technology, many sins that used to be done in shame and secret have become easier. It used to be when a man purchased a pornographic magazine, he ducked into a shop, purchased the magazine in shame and exited before friends or family would catch him. Now, in the privacy of their own homes, men anonymously look at the same pornographic images plastered all over the internet. As Christians, we continue to battle our sin natures, yet God reminds us in His Word how we are supposed to live our lives:


15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 
Ephesians 5: 15-18


What does it mean to walk circumspectly? Paul tells us in the phrase immediately following. It means to walk wisely, rather than as a fool. There is an entire book in the Bible teaching us wisdom, called Proverbs. That is a great place to start if we need to know how to walk with wisdom. Here are some gems from Proverbs: Whoever spreads slander is a fool (Proverbs 10:18). To do evil is like sport to a fool (Proverbs 10:23). The way of a fool is right in his own eyes (Proverbs 12:15). The companion of fools will be destroyed (Proverbs 13:20). Fools mock at sin (Proverbs 14:9). The father of a fool has no joy (Proverbs 17:21). There are more great verses dealing with fools in Proverbs, but let me sum it all up with one from Psalms: A fool says in his heart that there is no God (Psalm 53:1).


All of us make mistakes. All of us continue to sin. That will continue until the day that the Lord completes His work in us, when He sees us face to face. The good news for us is that if the Holy Spirit dwells inside of you, then there will be a battle. If you are not convinced that your sin is wrong before you commit the sin, during the sin or after the sin, there is no battle. You have given yourself over to sin. That would be a great sign that the Holy Spirit is not living inside of you. In that case, consequently, you are not a Christian.


Though we are going to make bad decisions, the Bible gives us instructions for how to live our lives in a godly manner. Just as Joseph ran when tempted by Potiphar’s wife, we are to run away from sin. Instead, how often do we run toward sin? Each day, we need to be more aware of the choices we make. In addition, we need to have that awareness heightened of what choices exist all around us. Let the Lord increase in your life today! Be filled with the Spirit and walk wisely.

Sunday, April 18: The whole is the sum of the parts; the hole is from some of the parts!

I heard a comment the other day that really had my mind swimming. We know that as believers, the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us, but there are other verses that also say that the Father and Son are in there, as well. That shouldn’t surprise us as there is one God, though He is in three persons. The comment that boggled my mind was that all of God lives inside of each of us, not a small part of Him taking up residence in each believer. That makes complete sense, but to grasp that the God who created all, the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God, is completely inside of me! It reminded me of one of my favorite worship songs by Chris Tomlin called “Enough:”


“All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough


“You are my supply
My breath of life
Still more awesome than I know
You are my reward
worth living for
Still more awesome than I know


All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough


You’re my sacrifice
Of greatest price
Still more awesome than I know
You’re the coming King
My everything
Still more awesome than I know


More than all I want
More than all I need
You are more than enough for me
More than all I know
More than all I can say
You are more than enough for me.”

In the same sense that the Lord doesn’t desire to give us only a part of Himself, neither does He desire for us to give Him only a part of ourselves! He wants all of us! If we have given Him the alcohol, or drugs, or sexual immorality, He also desires the lying and the pride.


22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.
 Matthew 6:22-24


We can’t partially serve God and partially serve Satan. He wants our allegiance and loyalty. God wants to make us clean vessels. In Psalm 22, an Old Testament depiction of Jesus on the cross, it says, “My strength is dried up like a potsherd.” A potsherd is a shard of broken pottery, cast aside into the dirt. Job scraped his boils with a potsherd. When we were walking in the world without the Lord, we were potsherds. I certainly felt less than whole, unwanted and cast aside by the world. Yet the Master Potter put us back together and filled us with His Living Water! There are no more holes, once you are His. You are whole. Wholeness is holiness. Is there something you have been holding back, a secret part of your life you have not been willing to give the Lord? He desires for you to hand it to Him, and when you do, the blessing will be yours!

Saturday, April 17: Inlet and outlets

...The Sea of Galilee at dusk

Four years ago, when visiting Israel, we traveled from the southernmost point to the northernmost point. In the south, the city of Eilat borders the Red Sea. From that point, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are all visible. In the north, from the old city of Dan, Lebanon and Syria are both visible. It’s amazing to see the stark contrast between the desert landscape north of Eilat and only hours away, see the mountain topography of Dan. The focus of the entire world remains on this little country, relatively the size of New Jersey. The bodies of water in Israel also are starkly different. The greatest contrast exists between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, and both have spiritual significance.

...My baptism in the Jordan River by Pastors Gerry Brown (left) and Rick Skelton (right)

The Sea of Galilee is filled with fresh water. It has an outlet and an inlet. The inlet brings melted snow from 9,200-foot tall Mt. Hermon, thought by many to be the site of our Lord’s transfiguration. The outlet is the Jordan River, where Jesus and many others have been baptized. The Jordan River is the inlet for the Dead Sea, yet there is no outlet for the Dead Sea. Consequently, there is a buildup of minerals (it is 33% salt) and it cannot sustain any life.


Spiritually, we are filled with rivers of Living Water. We need an inlet and an outlet to grow. Our inlets are the Holy Spirit, prayer and Bible study. Our outlet is telling others of the amazing love that Jesus has given us. Without that outlet, we are like the Dead Sea, unable to support life. Don’t float through your walk with the Lord! Use your inlet and your outlet!

...Floating in the Dead Sea, where due to the high salt content it is impossible to sink

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.


Matthew 12:34 (NKJV)

Friday, April 16: Changing Times

Bob Dylan wrote a song in 1964 called, “The Times They Are a-Changin,” and when I look at the world today, I feel like holding tighter to the Word of God, as the times definitely have changed. Jesus warned us in Matthew 24 of famines and earthquakes that will occur in various places before the tribulation. Are we in that time? It sure does seem that way, but only time will tell. Worldwide recession is obvious. Earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, China and Mexico have caused much death and destruction. Seismologists who are not well-versed in Biblical prophecy are saying that we have had an average amount of earthquakes in the 7.0+ range this year, but they also say that if the earthquakes continue, it will be worth further study into what is going on.


If that was the only aspect of unfulfilled Bible prophecy splashing across the daily newspapers, my interest wouldn’t be as much on full alert. Yet the issues happening with the nation of Israel further convince me that we are entering interesting times. According to the latest reports, Iran officially will become a nuclear power in August of 2010, when their first reactor opens. Along with that, experts have estimated that Iran already has enriched enough uranium to construct two nuclear weapons. Up to this time, the nations with nuclear capabilities have used those weapons as a deterrent in warfare, rather than an aggressive threat. Yet Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that he will wipe Israel from the map. Nuclear weapons would certainly facilitate that act. Yet we also know that Israel has nuclear weapons. Is it possible that Ahmadinejad will accomplish his goal? Not according to God:


14 I will bring back the captives of My people Israel;
They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them;
They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.
15 I will plant them in their land,
And no longer shall they be pulled up
From the land I have given them,”
Says the LORD your God.
 Amos 9:14-15


What concerns me more is the stance of the United States toward the nation of Israel. Since the formation of Israel as a nation on May 14, 1948, the United States has been Israel’s biggest supporter. For the first time in that history, we have a president who does not support Israel. Though the polls demonstrated that most Israelis would have voted for Barack Obama had they been given the opportunity, now that feeling is quite different. The American president supports the Palestinians above the Israelis, and tensions between the United States and Israel never have been stronger. Why is this a concern?


Now the LORD had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country, From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
 Genesis 12:1-3


If we as a nation curse Israel, God will curse us as a nation! Individually, that is quite different. I will continue to bless Israel! Having been there, my love of Israel will continue to be strong in my heart. As difficult as these times may seem to be, don’t forget the blessing that goes hand in hand. What a great witnessing tool! God has told us years in advance what is going to happen. Doesn’t that testify strongly of who He is? Don’t be afraid! God is in charge!

Thursday, April 15: Faith and overcoming obstacles

Happy Tax Day to all of you who have to pay Uncle Sam, and render unto Sam what is Sam’s. I filed my taxes, but still have more to pay! I wish the economy would turn around and more people would sign up for tennis lessons, but it would be better if the Lord’s will is done, rather than mine. I have a tendency of looking at the lives of others and what seems to be relative ease with yearning, while losing sight of the gifts God has given me. As Christians, we are not to look at others and covet what they have. God has given to each one what He has chosen to give them. These gifts are not earned, nor are they luck. They are part of God’s destiny in our lives. The Bible tells us that God has given each of us a measure of faith.


3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Romans 12:3-8


What would you rather have as a gift from God, the faith that leads to eternal salvation or the finances to make your walk through this life easier? Though I am enduring a difficult time financially, I know that God only will put me in situations that He has given me the faith to conquer. If those situations are difficult, I can choose to approach those situations from two different perspectives:


• Either I can look with a “poor me” attitude, crying, complaining and knowing that the road is going to be hard.


OR


• I can praise the Lord for giving me a large amount of faith, enough to endure the very difficult tasks in front of me.


33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33


What is more important, having the financial ability to do whatever you want or having the exact amount that God wants you to have? In my experience, God wants to stretch me to trust in Him rather than in myself! Some may trust in horses (wealth); some may trust in chariots (power), but we will trust in the name of our Lord!

Wednesday, April 14: On Fire!

Do you remember what it was like soon after becoming a Christian? The world changed overnight. The greatest gift was in knowing that Jesus received the punishment for our sinful lives in the same way that we would be receiving the honor for His perfect life. Walking in that new freedom, it certainly felt to me like the weight of the world had been removed from my shoulders. After that day, I took my Bible everywhere. Being that inside that book, God was speaking to me, I was hungry to hear Him, thirsty for His words that were all that could satisfy. I wanted everyone to know His love and forgiveness in the same sense. The honeymoon began.


A good friend told me that the honeymoon would end, just as it does in any marriage, but while the everyday walk with the Lord never would be boring or monotonous, the newness would wear away. That saddened me, so I tried to keep the honeymoon alive in the same way that some married couples do, by putting a priority on the freshness of my walk with the Lord. I did that by spending my free time learning God’s Word. It is so special to be on fire for Christ in a society where we are most concerned with burning out.


Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
Exodus 3:1-3


In our Christian walks, we should be on fire for the Lord and He will not allow us to be consumed. Look at the life of the apostle Paul, who endured imprisonment, shipwreck, stoning, beating and ridicule, but kept His fire for the Lord burning brightly. Paul understood that his rest would come after the end of the race, but not before the race was run, and won, for the Lord! Are you tired? God will sustain you! Just like a runner who feels oxygen deprivation near race’s end, we need to keep running through the pain! When we get to the end, God has the best retirement plan available!

Tuesday, April 13: The Ego Tree

Before a baby is born, the seed is planted. Let’s call that seed, “sin nature.” That baby wants food, a blanket or a diaper change, and he isn’t thinking that you need a little sleep first, before you take care of his needs. He wants it now! The ego tree begins to grow, and continues with one of an infant’s first words, “Mine.” That one word demonstrates selfishness, and the tree continues to grow. As that child grows, his needs take precedence over the needs of others in every way. Just wait to see all the gifts he wants for Christmas! Most of the time, thankfulness will be non-existent. Once a little sapling, our ego tree is going to become a California sequoia before too long. It’s not a fatal flaw in some people; it is the fatal flaw of all people. Pride! It caused Lucifer to fall from heaven; it caused Adam and Eve to sin in the Garden of Eden; it causes each of us to be separated from God.


16 These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
 Proverbs 6:16-19


We spend hours studying God’s love, yet we also know that God is capable of hatred. In the simple verse above, we see seven actions that will cause hatred in the Lord. Is it surprising that each of those can be tied closely to pride? The first one is a no-brainer, as someone strutting with a proud look is merely demonstrating on the outside what is occurring on the inside. Lying is the second offense mentioned, and most lies are to make us look better. The third offense goes hand-in-hand with the seventh commandment to not kill. Murder is certainly putting one’s own life ahead of the lives of others. To satisfy anger, a life is extinguished. Once again, it points to pride. Next, even one who plans evil causes hatred in God, and the one planning is certainly trying to elevate his own status in an unethical way. Next, are feet that run toward evil. Joseph ran away from evil, yet when we decide to sin, we don’t just walk slowly to accomplish that feat. We sprint. All sin points to pride, of us putting our own desires ahead of God’s desires in our lives. Next, is not just any lie, but the lie which condemns an innocent man. Two false witnesses lied about Jesus in His trial with Caiaphas. Lastly, the man who sows discord among brethren is mentioned. This can be done through lies or even spreading the truth. It brings up the old adage, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Gossip spreads like a forest fire in a dry climate. Once again, the typical reason that we have negative comments about someone else is those comments make us feel bigger or more important.


Pride! We all have an ego tree growing in our backyard. What does the Lord do with trees? He prunes them.


“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
John 15:2-4


What do we have to be proud of? Without the Lord, we are lost, blind, deaf and dead! He purchased our lives with His blood. We can boast in the Lord, but we have nothing to boast about in ourselves. Every talent is what He gave, not what we earned!

Monday, April 12: Disappointments

My nephew went into rehab for substance abuse and it was a special day for my family, which had been praying hard for him to hear the voice of the Lord. I still treasure the day of my sister Julee’s wedding when we met as a family to pray for him. That shows the hand of the Father in all of our lives, for in a matter of a few years, God called almost everyone in my family from different lives and sins to serve Him. The Lord restored the years the swarming locust has eaten, as it says in the Book of Joel. During the time, we all were grieving for one lost soul, who had once known the Lord, but had fallen into Satan’s web of deceit.


Sadly, only 11 days later, he left rehab, disgruntled with all the problems he felt were associated with the ministry. Rather than look at the sin in his own life and the relationship work that the Lord had in store for him, he was looking for the sins in the lives of others.  When I was speaking to him on the phone, a verse came to my mind that I never had applied in this way:


5 “When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war or be charged with any business; he shall be free at home one year, and bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken.
Deuteronomy 24:5


We as Christians are brides of Christ. When we come to the Lord, that first year is a special one. Jesus desires for us to strongly emphasize our relationship with Him. As I reminded my nephew, do you think the Lord would ask us to go into a heavy battle in that first year? Less than two weeks after giving his life to the Lord, my nephew was calling attention to all the things wrong in the ministry, where the Lord had placed him. Though he told me that in those few weeks, a few men had given their lives to the Lord. This is the old adage of not being able to see the forest through the trees, as he wanted to shut down a ministry where men were being saved because it didn't do everything his way.  We all struggle with pride.


So, now he’s back in the city where all of his drug connections exist. Am I disappointed? The answer would be a resounding YES, but I also know that the God I serve is bigger than I ever can grasp or imagine. This didn’t surprise God! The Lord can take our worst decisions and turn them around. Sometimes, the hardest step for us to take is to walk by faith and trust God. Ironically, the man who began the ministry that my nephew had so many difficulties with was the leader of the trip I took to Israel. Pastor Gerry Brown was a great example to me in my Christian walk. One night, we bumped into each other in front of our large hotel in Jerusalem. He was heading to Ben Yehuda Street and said that because the Lord had placed us both there at the same time, He must want us to go together. Gerry was good at taking whatever the Lord placed in front of him and working with that.


My nephew has changed the plan. It wasn’t my plan, but one that seemed to be in effect. Instead of feeling that huge pang of disappointment deep in my belly, I should be excited for what the Lord is going to do next. Though it might not be what I expect, it will certainly be better than anything I could imagine. Do you think that anyone ever imagined that the Lord would take Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the world, from having it all to eating grass like a bovine for seven years? God has unlimited resources, all the time in the world and the heart to bring us to the end of ourselves. I know that He can handle my nephew’s pride, his problems and his bad decisions just fine.


Isn’t it amazing that our God is never disappointed? The only way to be disappointed is if something you expect doesn’t happen. God knows the end of every situation!  So, in the meantime, I will do what the Lord has called me to do, pray for my nephew and trust that the Lord can handle it without any of my creative ideas.

Sunday, April 11: Patience!

Driving back from Yosemite National Park on a winding, two-lane road for the first couple hours, there was no way to pass. Occasionally, there would be a turn-out designed by the road’s engineers to ease the pain of the trailing drivers. Yet that would involve the slow drivers in the front using the turn-outs! I was muttering to myself about the selfishness of the drivers in front, seemingly for hours, before finally arriving in a town. Needing to use the restroom, I continued on in the slow march home, knowing that if I pulled off, the few I had managed to creep past would again be ahead of me. Funeral procession or not, I finally realized that it truly didn’t matter what time I arrived home. Once I arrived, would a few hours truly change my life? It was a great reminder of the importance of walking in the Spirit, as one of the fruits of the Spirit is patience.


I always thought that was what a successful doctor had a lot of! Yet patience is abiding under difficult circumstances. It could be following inconsiderate drivers down a curvy, mountain road. It could be struggling to love and support a friend rolling in sin like a pig in mud. It could be waiting on the Lord to renew your strength. Regardless of the situation that the Lord puts us in, we know that He is inordinately patient with us!


Through my frustration in traffic, I prayed for patience, then immediately thought that to be a mistake. Solomon asked God for wisdom, and God gave it to him because it revealed Solomon’s heart to have compassion for the people. Yet when praying for patience, in order to teach that patience, the Lord can place us into some extremely difficult circumstances! It isn’t much different than praying to be placed in prison! God will certainly teach us peace through the midst of the fire. Truly, I do want more patience, and I know that God will help me through the learning process. When we continue to have peace like a river flowing through us in the midst of dire circumstances, we know the meaning of patience.


Jesus told His disciples:


By your patience possess your souls.
 Luke 21: 19


Paul highlighted patience as a necessary virtue in any ministry God places us into:


3 We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. 4 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, 5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; 6 by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love…
2 Corinthians 6:3-6