Saturday, January 28, 2017

"Turn aside" today

        I read it in yesterday's reading from the "Daily Bible."  Such a simple little phrase...and yet oh so powerful.  A phrase with the potential to transform TODAY not only your attitude, your perspective, your agenda, and even your energy level, but also to give you radical joy and hope no matter how pressure packed or challenging your circumstances.
        What that's kryptonite phrase, you ask?  First let me set the scene.  Moses has been living in the wilds of Midian for 40 years after fleeing the Pharaoh's wrath for killing an Egyptian.  Moses, the former hotshot adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter now resides in the middle of nowhere, tending sheep for a living.  And one day, Moses the nobody sees a mighty strange sight--a bush that's on fire, yet is not being consumed.  Go figure, right?
         But Moses has got sheep to tend, a family to support, and endless things on his shepherding to-do list that must be accomplished before this day is over.  So he shrugs and says, "Huh.  Interesting," before hurrying off after his sheep.
        Ah no.  That is not what happened.  Instead we're told (and drum roll, please, because here's the phrase), "And Moses said, 'I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned up." (Ex.3:3)            
        Hey Moses, what ya doing?  You've got no time to waste on frivolous "turning asides."  Those sheep are disappearing around the bend.  You need to hurry, hurry, hurry to catch up!  You've surely got far more pressing concerns than to waste your time "turning aside" just to stare at some burning bush in the middle of nowhere.  Moses, what on earth would the Midian time management gurus say? Stay on task.  Keep busy.  Keep moving.  Check your cell phone.  Peruse the internet.  But for goodness sakes, don't pause to ponder...or to wonder...or worst of all, to worship.
        Praise God Moses didn't heed our culture's siren call to stay relentlessly occupied and entertained.  Nope, he hit the pause button and took the time, in the midst of the wilderness, to "turn aside to see this great sight."
        And then here's the really cool part, for we're told, "When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush." (Ex.3:4)  The omnipotent Maker of heaven and earth, the eternal Lord, the Almighty God spoke directly to Moses when Moses did one simple thing: paused to turn aside and see.
        Such a simple but profound lesson--if we want to be increasingly transformed into the image of our Redeemer and if we want to be men and women of indomitable hope, joy, wisdom and love, well then we've got to choose, choose, choose daily to set aside the urgent in favor--first and foremost--of the supremely important.
       We've got to  shelve--just for a little bit of time--the cell phones and to-do lists and urgent tasks that need doing...and take a deep breath, pause and turn aside to see the Savior in His Word.  As Gordon Macdonald puts its in his powerful book The Resilient Life, "Character is developed--for believers anyway--when we let the Scripture inform us.  We are what we permit to enter the deepest parts of our soul.  A steady diet of television, cheap publications and shallow literature will make us dreadfully inadequate people.  A daily exposure to the Scripture and to literature that focuses on Scripture is a necessary part of the diet."
          But it's not just turn aside to the Word--though that's our top priority.  We also need to turn aside to really see and savor God's glorious creation.  Don't just let that sunrise pass you by unnoticed and unappreciated.  Cultivate the wonder of a child to see it with astonishment and gratitude.  God has given you another morning...and this new morning begins with an astounding show of beauty as the sun rises yet again in all it's splendor.  Don't miss it.  Then look from the beauty of that creation to trace it straight back to the Creator and Giver of all good gifts. (James 1:17)  As C.S. Lewis says, "One's mind runs back up the sunbeam to the sun."  That sunrise is an opportunity to rejoice and declare "Great is Thy faithfulness, Father!"  
        And, of course, turn aside to love--really love--appreciate, and enjoy the people the Lord has so graciously placed in your life.  Oh my, maybe I'm all alone on this, but me and my busy, self-focused, distracted self needs to be reminded of this day after day.  That to-do list will always be there...these irreplaceable loved ones will not.  Turn aside to love and serve and savor them like Jesus loves you.
       Like I said, a simple phrase, but oh my, how much hangs in the balance if we will simply, daily choose to turn aside.  Turn aside to our Savior, to His creation, to His children.  Turn aside to ponder, to wonder, to worship, to savor, and to love.  Turn aside today.
       To God be the glory.

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Time to start singing

        It's  a fresh new morning.  Thank You for another day, Lord.  Thank You for eyes to see the dawn, a mouth to taste hot tea, and a mind to understand Your Word.  Thank You for another opportunity to choose to praise You and thank You.  Thank You for the reminder just this morning ('cause I'm a mighty quick forgetter!) that thanksgiving and praise are always a choice...but they are a choice that always renews our hearts and minds and brings us joy.  In thanking and praising You, we are transformed and encouraged.  That's what I call a win-win!
        "Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord all the earth!  Sing to the Lord, bless His name; tell of His salvation from day to day.  Declare His glory among the nations, HIs marvelous works among all peoples!  For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heaven.  Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary."  (Ps.96:1-6)
         "Joy takes practice," says Edward Welch.  "If you are willing to look for joy, the psalmists can lead you to it.  The goodness of God is shot through creation and the church, so joy is always possible.  When you can't see it, return to the cross and appreciate the beauty of what Jesus did."
         Yes, thank You, Lord Jesus, thank You.  When I look, really look, at the cross--that hideous, beautiful cross--and glimpse Your infinite love poured out for us on that cross, all my petty fears and complaints suddenly vanish.
         "God's splendor ascends over the sorrow of life.  Joy is possible.  Choose to become an expert int it."
         Thank You also, Lord, for Your myriad gifts to us.  The priceless gift of Your Word, of course but also the happy pleasure of a mug of tea--  
 The astounding, quiet beauty of sunrise on the greenway--
 A nice long nap in the warm rays of sunshine--

 Sweet memories of time spent in the mountains with those I love--

Chocolate...enough said.

         Today, this day--the only January 26, 2017 we'll ever have--let's choose first to praise our marvelous Maker for the greatest Gift of all gifts--the Lord Jesus.  And then let's choose to thank Him for His many, many little gifts that He extravagantly pours out upon us this day and everyday.  Sing Him a new song today--a song of praise and thanksgiving on this day.
         No matter how your day (or your week...or your month) has been going so far, everything can change for the better if you'll make the choice of praise and thanksgiving.  It's time to start singing that new song.  Make the choice.  Today.  Right now.
         To God be the glory.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Heaven is a world of love

        Just yesterday we received a very painful update from Caring Bridge.  One of my husband's good friends from college is now likely days away from leaving behind her cancer-ridden body and heading to glory.  I didn't know Ruth, but everything I've heard about her is remarkable.  I won't go into all the endless accolades that could be showered upon her except to include the most important one--she loves the Lord Jesus with all her heart.  So one day very soon, she will be seeing the Lord she loves so much face to face and enjoying wonders and joy beyond anything our finite little minds can ever begin to comprehend.
        But in thinking about Ruth, I was reminded of something I heard the other day from Tim Keller that has struck me powerfully.  In speaking of heaven, Keller said:
        "'Heaven is a world of love.'  That's Jonathan Edwards' famous sermon.  When your teenagers would say, 'I'm going out with my friends,' and I would say, 'Where to?'  And they would say, 'Well, we don't know.  Out.'  [By the way, every parents of teenagers in the world can relate to that]
        Do you know why they said that?  They said it because they didn't care where they were going, as long as they were with these friends.  And if you know how important love is, it is so much more important than what you do.  Who you do it with is much more important than what you're doing.
        So if heaven is a world of love, perfect love--absolute--and there's nothing more delightful than to feel love and to be giving love and to having it be answered...If you think about the two or three moments in your life in which you felt the most loved and the most delighted and the most blissful--the most over-the-top--and then you multiply that by three billion...than I'm starting to figure out 'Okay, this must be what heaven is like!'"
      Almost too profound for words.  I think right now of those moments of unparalleled bliss--and they all, all, all center around the loved ones I was with rather than the place or the activity or the whatever.
       Being in Dominican Republic with our children--
Yes, simply wonderful. Magnificently beautiful place...but it wouldn't have meant squat had we not been there all together.  In fact, our children laugh at how ridiculously often I say to them--whether sitting around the kitchen table or driving in the car or doing whatever--"Oh, it's so good to be here with you together."  It's my mantra now that our children are grown and mostly away from home.  And oh my, it is always so good to be with them.   
        Or Cane River.  Yes, yes, yes, we adore the astounding beauty of God's creation.  What a masterpiece God created when He made mountains!  But it's being there all together with our children and with my wonderful sisters and brothers--and telling the same old family stories around the battered old dining room table--that makes it supremely fabulous.
         Or Thanksgiving at Cousin Vicky's--
       
So. Much. Fun.  But still...it's the people, people!  The folks are what make it sublime!
         Or our trip to Chicago.  Janie loved it; we all loved it.  But that's the point--we loved it because we were together.
         Ha.  Take even an exercise class this morning.  Sure, we can exercise and cross if off the to-do list.  Or, we can experience just the slightest tiny foretaste of heaven in a sweaty exercise class because we're doing it with our buddies...complaining together.  Laughing together.
        There's nothing, nothing, nothing like the priceless, wondrous gift of love in our lives.  And love is not from from God or of God--though both of those are absolutely true.  Love IS God.  Love is who God is, and every moment of love we enjoy is both a gift and a teensy hint, a little foretaste of the perfect, infinite, wondrous love that permeates, fills, and overflows heaven.
         Today, this day the Lord has given you, is another opportunity to love--love Almighty God, the Author, Source, Enabler, Giver of love, and love the priceless, irreplaceable, eternal souls He has so generously placed in your life.  You or I may not have tomorrow to love them...so love today.  Rejoice in them today.  Pray for them today.  Remind them again today of how much you love them and what treasures they are in your life.
        And rejoice today that every single scintilla of love you've ever given, shared, experienced, and enjoyed is all just the most minuscule foretaste of what God has in store for us in heaven...because "Heaven is a world of love."  Oh praise God for such a future!
        Thank You, Father, for dear Ruth and for the priceless gift of her life and for all those whom she has loved and all those that love her.  Thank You for the glorious hope and promise that they will see her again.  Thank You most of all for our Savior, the Lord Jesus, who gave His life that we might one day experience such wondrous Life and Love in heaven forever and ever.  Help us this day and everyday to live lives of love, love, love.  All by Your grace and all for Your glory.
         To God be the glory.  

Monday, January 9, 2017

Marching orders for a new day

        "My first business every morning is for my soul to be happy in Jesus."  George Mueller
        Thank You Lord for this time early in the predawn darkness to meet with You.  Thank You for the stillness of our house.  Thank You for the quietness outside...one of the blessings of cold and ice--not much going on outside in the world around us!  Thank You for family and friends.  Thank You for health and home.  Thank You for food to eat and a warm fire to savor.

        Lord, Your Word says "For to the snow He says, 'Fall on the earth,' likewise to the downpour, His mighty downpour."(Job 37:6)  What a Creator!  What a creation!  So thank You for the wondrous way water can remarkably transform from clear rain to white snow.  Whiteness that transforms the landscape...and slows us all down.
        Now, I confess my attitude about this snow/sleet has not been constantly thankful.  In fact, I was one of the curmudgeons who hoped this winter storm would be "much ado about nothing."  Sigh.  But I'm reminded of a phrase I just reread from John Piper that we are to be "Pervasively thankful."  And God's Word says it over and over again: "I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds." (Ps.9:1) "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." (I Chron.16:34)  "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Col.3:17)  And "give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."(I Thess.5:18)
        So Lord thank You for the snow, for the sleet, for the gift of life slowing down a bit, for the cold (though I'm NOT a fan--but it sure does wake you up and make you appreciate the gift of a warm house and a hot fire), for all, all, all You have given us and for all, all, all You will give us in this new day.  Thank You for the many big and the myriad "small"--as in all the cardinals at our bird feeder!--blessings You shower upon us each day.

        Annie Dillard once wrote: "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.  What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing."  In other words, this day, this hour matters.  How we spend each one of them matters and we are responsible for living our life rather than simply allowing our life to live us.
        We need to be responsible for establishing the daily habit of thankfulness in ALL things.  Being "pervasively thankful" won't just happen.  We must determine to relentlessly and pervasively make it happen by constantly looking to the Lord and choosing to give Him thanks in all circumstances, in all places, and in all times.  And that begins by choosing daily to put my nose in His Book every morning, so that Almighty God can transform my mind and my thinking.  "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Rom.12:2)
         Marching orders for today: Spend time in the Word.  Soul happy in Jesus.  Pervasively thankful.   Share that love and thankfulness with others...till my head hits the pillow.  All, all, all only by the grace of Jesus and for the glory of God.  Yep, got it Lord.
         To God be the glory.    
     

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Technology and the Word

        Can I just say technology drives me crazy?  Yes, yes, some days I love it and am mighty thankful for how much easier it allows us to stay in touch with those we love, or to research about any issue under the sun, or to take photographs at a moment's notice (without dragging around a big old camera).
        But mercy, there are also plenty of times when my ineptitude with technology makes me want to scream.  For instance, why, why, why did my cell phone suddenly start betraying me and not allow me to put recent photos on my computer?  What did I do...or not do?  Sigh.
        It started--totally out of the blue--on our trip.  I'd take the pictures, but when I tried to download them, my cell phone gave me a curt message that I couldn't "share" these photos in any way.  What?  They are my photos, right?  Why on earth can't I share them with my computer? Geez.
        For some mysterious reason, the phone decided to permit me to download two pictures (the very pictures I tried, to no avail, to put in my last blog).  So here they are.  The first was my peacock buddy who loved greeting me every morning when I came out to the little porch to read the Bible--
 And this second one is the very nice man knocking down coconuts in the morning...which he so generously brought straight to our porch after he'd whacked off the top.  Nothing like fresh coconut milk first thing in the morning!

        So here's the thing I've learned--yep, technology can be grand, but in the end, you can't depend upon it.  It's mighty mercurial.
        But guess what isn't?  Almighty God and His Word.  That's why my word for this year is "Word."  Word as in the written Word--God's infallible, indestructible, eternal, perfect Word.   Word as in the Living Word--the Lord Jesus, our Savior, Redeemer and Friend.  And Word as in daily, no-matter-what, get into the Word and allow the Word to get into me.  Read it.  Meditate upon it.  Memorize it.  Share it.  Trust it.  Depend upon it.
       Worship as the Word continually reveals the glory of God.  Heed its warnings.  Obey its commands.  Learn by its examples.  Trust in its promises.  Oh my, yes, claim and trust its promises for every promise, every jot and tittle are made by the never-failing, always trust-worthy, ever-glorious Lord.
        Here's what Charles Haddon Spurgeon says: "A promise from God may very instructively be compared to a check payable to order.  It is given to the believer with the view of bestowing upon him some good thing.  It is not meant that he should read it over comfortably, and then have done with it.  No, he is to treat the promise as a reality, as a man treats a check.  He is to take the promise, and endorse it with his own name by personally receiving it as true.  He is by faith to accept it as his own.  He sets to his seal that God is true and true to this particular word of promise...he must believingly present the promise to the Lord, as a man presents a check at the counter of the bank.  He must plead it by prayer, expecting to have it fulfilled. If he has come to heaven's bank at the right date, he will receive the promised amount at once.  If the date should happen to be further on, he must patiently wait till its arrival; but meanwhile, he may count the promise as money, for the bank is sure to pay, when the due time arrives."
            Oh Father, thank You for Your Word!  Thank You for every promise, every warning, every glimpse of You and Your glory contained in Your Word.  Help us not just to read Your Word, but also to digest it, to trust it, to pray it, and to take it to Your heavenly bank where we know You are always sure to pay...not on our timetable but Yours.  And when we have to wait, keep us trusting, thankful, and faithful.  After all, You've promised...and You. Will. Do. It.  Always and forever.  
            To God be the glory.    

Monday, January 2, 2017

And He made the stars

        Thank You, Lord, for this new day and for this new year.  Thank You for the gift of repentance, for forgiveness, and for fresh starts.  Thank You for Jesus who is ever and always with us, wherever we are, whatever we are doing, whatever the day and the year.  And thank You for Your Word that is ever fresh, ever new, ever invigorating, ever convicting, ever encouraging, ever guiding, ever strengthening, ever empowering.
        It's early morning, and I'm sitting here on our little porch in this beautiful land of blowing palms and sea breezes and equally beautiful and kind people.  Even as I type these words, a man came by to knock down coconuts from the trees all around us.  On the beach, they use machetes to cut off the tops and then stick straws in them for folks to drink the coconut water.  Every little thing in God's creation amazes me--imagine just whacking off a bit of that hard shell and being able to drink that nutritious and delicious milk right then and there!
        But as he saw me out here with my Bible and computer, he smiled broadly and said a hearty "Hola!"  He then motioned that he wanted to give me a coconut.  He brought it over, whacked off the top, and viola, an infinitely better-than-coffee breakfast pick-me-up!  But it was his quick kindness and friendliness that really struck me.  Oh Lord, make me more and more that way--quick to love, quick to share, quick to encourage with my words and actions.
         About five years ago, I began the habit of daily reading The One Year Bible (where you read through the whole Bible in a year--a portion of the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalm and Proverbs each day).  So with the start of the new year, we're back to the creation story in Genesis, and  boy, God's glorious creation is on full display here in the Dominican Republic.
        Just last night, we looked up at the stars--glory happening!  The dark night sky shimmered with countless dots of light. Yes, "The heavens declare the glory of God!"  And in Genesis, we're told that "Then God made two great light: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.  He made the stars also." (Gen.1:16)  What?!  It's as if the Word is telling us, "Oh by the way, you know all those billions and trillions of magnificent stars shining out there in galaxy?  Yeah, He made those too.  Nothing to it."  Because He's GOD ALMIGHTY, Maker of heaven and earth!  Such power!  Such creativity!  Such stunning glory!  How can you not praise and worship such a Creator who made everything you see and touch, made you and every person on the planet, made every remarkable creature, every roaring sea, every towering mountain...and oh yeah, He made the stars also!  Look around you people--glory is happening everywhere, all the time!     
        So I'm back where I started--thank You, Father, for Your creation.  Thank You for eyes to glimpse it.  Thank You for ears to hear the wind in the trees and the birds squawking.  Thank You for the wonderful gift of being here with those that I love to enjoy this life You've given us.  Thank You for Jesus, for Your Word, and for the infinitely wondrous gift of salvation.  In this new year, Father, open our eyes and ears and hearts to Your relentless goodness and grace.  In the hard times, keep us focused and faithful, always looking to You.  Keep us constantly grateful and thanking You in the good times.  Keep us contented and peaceful in Your ways and plans for us.  Daily feed us from Your Word and help us to delight in You and Your Word.
         As John Piper says, "We weren't meant to be somebody--we were meant to know Somebody."  Oh Father, help us to know, love, and rejoice in You ever deeper and greater in this new year.  To God be the glory.