"Today you will spend solitary moments of conversation with yourself, either listing your complaints or counting your blessings." Paul David Tripp
No one speaks to you more than you. What are you speaking to yourself? Words of grumbling or of gratitude? Words that rehearse all your difficulties and sorry complaints or that recall all of God's extraordinary goodness in your life? Are you rehashing all you lack that you think you deserve or recalling all you possess that you know you could never deserve?
Are you speaking words of death and discouragement or of life and hope?
Because here's the thing: we are always, always, always talking to ourselves. What kind of inner monologue is your heart speaking? Is it based on your ever-vacillating feelings or on the never-changing Truth of God's Word?
Yes, I've repeated this mighty often...but if you're anything like me, you're a mighty good forgetter! We're all of us spiritual amnesiacs...like those Israelites wandering in the dessert. They witnessed God's miraculous deliverance time and time again--delivering them out of slavery in Egypt, parting the Red Sea, destroying the Egyptians, providing water out of a rock, giving them daily mana for food, even sending quail for meat.
But it was never quite enough, because the moment a problem arose, there they go again...doubting, complaining, grumbling, longing to return to Egypt. Egypt? Really? Egypt, where you were enslaved, starved, worked to the bone? Where your boy babies were killed and your freedom destroyed? That's what happens when we forget God's goodness--we grow delusional and bitter and despairing.
The Israelites forgot God's past goodness...they doubted His present love and power... and so they lost their hope, complained, and wallowed in misery. Yep, sounds a bit like yours truly...first I forget, then I doubt, and then I start grumbling and growing more and more discouraged.
What do we do? PREACH TO YOURSELF!! Start speaking words of truth and life to yourself. Start remembering God's faithfulness and goodness. Start rehearsing His gifts to you.
Paul puts it this way: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say , Rejoice!...Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Phil.4:4,8)
Choose to consciously remember and recount the gifts, and then choose to rejoice in them.
Choose to marinate in His supernatural Word and be encouraged and strengthened.
Choose to think about the true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent. Preach those words of TRUTH to yourself rather than your words of doom and discouragement.
Because we can all choose what we will think about. We can all choose the meditation of our hearts. And that which we think about will increasingly dominate the mediation of our hearts. That which we think about and meditate upon will be what we're relentlessly speaking to ourselves. And that which we speak to ourselves will ultimately determine our attitudes and actions.
Let's stop listing our complaints and start counting our blessings. Let's stop rehashing our troubles and start rehearsing the Truth.
Help us, Father, to preach the Truth--Your Truth--to our hearts on a daily basis so that we increasingly count our blessings and are filled with Your hope, peace, and joy. Help us this day to choose to preach Life to ourselves and to others. In Jesus' name, Amen.
To God be the glory.
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Saturday, April 21, 2018
God's Word
"A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't." Charles Spurgeon
There's nothing like God's Word.
But sometimes we forget...or allow ourselves to become too distracted or too busy or too prideful or too plain old foolish, so that we rush pell mell into our day without reading and savoring the treasure of God's very words, His very thoughts--all warm, fresh, and ready for us that day. And oh, what we forfeit when we do that! We miss out on all the wisdom, peace, love, understanding, joy, hope, strength, discernment that the Lord longed to shower upon us.
I was reminded of this afresh a few days ago on a trip to Washington, D.C. with several dear friends. The entire city, of course, is magnificent...but the new Museum of the Bible is a must see. I won't go into all that is there, but if at all possible, plan a trip to our inspiring capital and run, don't walk, to the Museum of the Bible!
But whether or not you ever see this museum, here's one thing all of us can do beginning today--open our Bibles and read!
Duh, you say, but seriously, have you read it today? Have you needed its wisdom today for some perplexing problem? How about its encouragement for a hard, dark place you're confronting right now? Or have you lost your vision of who God is and what He can do? Are you feeling like a failure or struggling with that destructive habit that you can't seem to overcome? Do you simply need to be reminded of One who loves you unconditionally and extravagantly?
Then open the Word and dive into His love letter for you. His revelation of Himself to you. His energy infusion for you. His manual for living for you. His flood of encouragement for you. His supernatural wisdom and peace for you.
Yeah, I'm sure we've all got a million excuses why we're too this or that to take time to read and meditate upon the very words, the very thoughts of Almighty God. Or maybe we've just let it all slide, and the world didn't stop spinning...and one day became two, then four, then ten...
So here's the thing--you can start again. Today.
The Rule of Saint Benedict had it spot on: "Always we begin again."
How I love that, for it applies to every area of our lives in which we're feeling defeated and discouraged and tempted to quit. NO! "Always we begin again." And that applies right here, right now, to God's Word.
Did you know that the average American household has at least four Bibles. Stop procrastinating and making excuses. Jettison the guilt and self-condemnation--they're useless and destructive--and go find a Bible and start reading. Ask God to speak to you and then listen. He will, for He's promised His Word will never return void. (Isa.55:11)
Here's what John Wesley once wrote: "O Begin! Fix some part of every day for the private exercises. You may acquire the taste which you have not: what is tedious at first will afterward be pleasant. Whether you like it or not, read and pray daily. It is for your life; there is no other way: else you will be a trifler all your days."
Always we begin again...and today that means reading God's Word. He has hidden, beautiful treasures in store for us...but we've got to close our computers, silence our phones, cut off our TV, push aside our to-do list...and dive into the life-giving, strength-infusing, hope-restoring, wisdom-overflowing ocean of His Word.
He's ready and waiting for you. Begin again now.
To God be the glory.
There's nothing like God's Word.
But sometimes we forget...or allow ourselves to become too distracted or too busy or too prideful or too plain old foolish, so that we rush pell mell into our day without reading and savoring the treasure of God's very words, His very thoughts--all warm, fresh, and ready for us that day. And oh, what we forfeit when we do that! We miss out on all the wisdom, peace, love, understanding, joy, hope, strength, discernment that the Lord longed to shower upon us.
I was reminded of this afresh a few days ago on a trip to Washington, D.C. with several dear friends. The entire city, of course, is magnificent...but the new Museum of the Bible is a must see. I won't go into all that is there, but if at all possible, plan a trip to our inspiring capital and run, don't walk, to the Museum of the Bible!
But whether or not you ever see this museum, here's one thing all of us can do beginning today--open our Bibles and read!
Duh, you say, but seriously, have you read it today? Have you needed its wisdom today for some perplexing problem? How about its encouragement for a hard, dark place you're confronting right now? Or have you lost your vision of who God is and what He can do? Are you feeling like a failure or struggling with that destructive habit that you can't seem to overcome? Do you simply need to be reminded of One who loves you unconditionally and extravagantly?
Then open the Word and dive into His love letter for you. His revelation of Himself to you. His energy infusion for you. His manual for living for you. His flood of encouragement for you. His supernatural wisdom and peace for you.
Yeah, I'm sure we've all got a million excuses why we're too this or that to take time to read and meditate upon the very words, the very thoughts of Almighty God. Or maybe we've just let it all slide, and the world didn't stop spinning...and one day became two, then four, then ten...
So here's the thing--you can start again. Today.
The Rule of Saint Benedict had it spot on: "Always we begin again."
How I love that, for it applies to every area of our lives in which we're feeling defeated and discouraged and tempted to quit. NO! "Always we begin again." And that applies right here, right now, to God's Word.
Did you know that the average American household has at least four Bibles. Stop procrastinating and making excuses. Jettison the guilt and self-condemnation--they're useless and destructive--and go find a Bible and start reading. Ask God to speak to you and then listen. He will, for He's promised His Word will never return void. (Isa.55:11)
Here's what John Wesley once wrote: "O Begin! Fix some part of every day for the private exercises. You may acquire the taste which you have not: what is tedious at first will afterward be pleasant. Whether you like it or not, read and pray daily. It is for your life; there is no other way: else you will be a trifler all your days."
Always we begin again...and today that means reading God's Word. He has hidden, beautiful treasures in store for us...but we've got to close our computers, silence our phones, cut off our TV, push aside our to-do list...and dive into the life-giving, strength-infusing, hope-restoring, wisdom-overflowing ocean of His Word.
He's ready and waiting for you. Begin again now.
To God be the glory.
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Beautiful scars
A little food for weekend thought--
Two simple but profound lines from the powerful song, "Don't you want to thank Someone," by singer and songwriter, Andrew Peterson"--
"Maybe it's a better thing to be more than merely innocent, but to be broken then redeemed by love."
Think about that. Which would engender more love, more gratitude, more joy: to be merely innocent...or to be broken and then the redeemed and restored by God's sovereign love and grace?
Why does God allow evil in this world? It's the ultimate question, but yet...perhaps in God's mysterious providence that very evil, that very brokenness in our lives and in our world ultimately makes God's redemption even more beautiful, even more stunningly glorious.
When we're stuck in the midst of our stories of heartbreak or disease or discouragement, we cannot imagine how good could ever possibly come out of our desert of disappointment or despair. At those hard or desperate times, Romans 8:28--"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose"--can feel like a pious, empty platitude. But...
...but what if "it's a better thing to be more than merely innocent, but to be broken then redeemed by love?" What if our scars ultimately become agents of beauty, because they joyfully remind us of God's amazing grace and astounding love?
Can I give just one little example? When our daughter suffered a traumatic brain injury that left her in a coma for two weeks, she also suffered some physical scars on her legs. The glass from the shattered car windows apparently cut her legs in several places, but there was one particularly terrible scar. A big, long, deep jagged one on the thigh of one of her legs that she still has to this day. With the passing of years, that scar has faded a bit, but it's still there...
...and still beautifully noticeable. For every time I see that scar, my heart rejoices and has a mini worship session with the Lord! I've shed more than a few tears of joy just glancing at that scar and remembering all our Lord did. Recalling His miraculous healing and deliverance of our girl. Remembering how He redeemed and revived and restored her. And recollecting how He took a seemingly terrible, terrifying circumstance and truly brought "beauty from ashes" and "the oil of joy for mourning." (Isa.61:3)
Might not our Lord be doing that in all of our hard, dark, confusing stories? Taking our scars and crafting them into masterpieces of His astounding goodness, grace, and glory?
Maybe we'll begin to see and understand when we shift our focus from the temporary to the eternal...when we stop fixating on the short term here and now and instead fix our gaze on the long term forever and ever.
As Andrew Peterson commented, "God is not merely making a new world. He's making the world new." And that means He's doing something far more glorious than wiping the slate clean and starting over. No, no, He's taking something that seems completely unsalvageable and making it stunningly, infinitely beautiful.
Remember celebrating Easter last weekend? Jesus was resurrected from the dead--praise God! Yet in His perfect, glorious, powerful, resurrection body, there was one seeming imperfection: scars. Jesus still had scars in His hands and feet and side. Yet those scars only enhance His beauty and perfection, because they are a continual reminder of what He did for us and how much He loves us. For all of eternity when we glimpse those hideous, beautiful scars, we will rejoice and worship afresh for His gift of salvation, eternal life, and our heavenly home.
Because, "Maybe it's a better thing to be more than merely innocent, but to be broken then redeemed by love."
And it is. Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You for Your scars...and for ours. Help us to remember and to trust. For You are infinitely, beautifully worthy.
To God be the glory.
Two simple but profound lines from the powerful song, "Don't you want to thank Someone," by singer and songwriter, Andrew Peterson"--
"Maybe it's a better thing to be more than merely innocent, but to be broken then redeemed by love."
Think about that. Which would engender more love, more gratitude, more joy: to be merely innocent...or to be broken and then the redeemed and restored by God's sovereign love and grace?
Why does God allow evil in this world? It's the ultimate question, but yet...perhaps in God's mysterious providence that very evil, that very brokenness in our lives and in our world ultimately makes God's redemption even more beautiful, even more stunningly glorious.
When we're stuck in the midst of our stories of heartbreak or disease or discouragement, we cannot imagine how good could ever possibly come out of our desert of disappointment or despair. At those hard or desperate times, Romans 8:28--"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose"--can feel like a pious, empty platitude. But...
...but what if "it's a better thing to be more than merely innocent, but to be broken then redeemed by love?" What if our scars ultimately become agents of beauty, because they joyfully remind us of God's amazing grace and astounding love?
Can I give just one little example? When our daughter suffered a traumatic brain injury that left her in a coma for two weeks, she also suffered some physical scars on her legs. The glass from the shattered car windows apparently cut her legs in several places, but there was one particularly terrible scar. A big, long, deep jagged one on the thigh of one of her legs that she still has to this day. With the passing of years, that scar has faded a bit, but it's still there...
...and still beautifully noticeable. For every time I see that scar, my heart rejoices and has a mini worship session with the Lord! I've shed more than a few tears of joy just glancing at that scar and remembering all our Lord did. Recalling His miraculous healing and deliverance of our girl. Remembering how He redeemed and revived and restored her. And recollecting how He took a seemingly terrible, terrifying circumstance and truly brought "beauty from ashes" and "the oil of joy for mourning." (Isa.61:3)
Might not our Lord be doing that in all of our hard, dark, confusing stories? Taking our scars and crafting them into masterpieces of His astounding goodness, grace, and glory?
Maybe we'll begin to see and understand when we shift our focus from the temporary to the eternal...when we stop fixating on the short term here and now and instead fix our gaze on the long term forever and ever.
As Andrew Peterson commented, "God is not merely making a new world. He's making the world new." And that means He's doing something far more glorious than wiping the slate clean and starting over. No, no, He's taking something that seems completely unsalvageable and making it stunningly, infinitely beautiful.
Remember celebrating Easter last weekend? Jesus was resurrected from the dead--praise God! Yet in His perfect, glorious, powerful, resurrection body, there was one seeming imperfection: scars. Jesus still had scars in His hands and feet and side. Yet those scars only enhance His beauty and perfection, because they are a continual reminder of what He did for us and how much He loves us. For all of eternity when we glimpse those hideous, beautiful scars, we will rejoice and worship afresh for His gift of salvation, eternal life, and our heavenly home.
Because, "Maybe it's a better thing to be more than merely innocent, but to be broken then redeemed by love."
And it is. Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You for Your scars...and for ours. Help us to remember and to trust. For You are infinitely, beautifully worthy.
To God be the glory.
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