See you in the morning

        "He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.  And He who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold I am making all things new.'  Also He said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'" (Rev.21:4-5)
         "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26)
         "Because I live, you also will live." (John 14:9)
         Oh what sweet words to hear from the lips of the Savior--words of Life.  Real, eternal, glorious, abundant, resurrection Life.
        How thankful I am for Jesus today--for all He is, for all He did for us, for all He's promised us, for all He's given to us.  His death for our sins.  His grace and forgiveness.  His mercy.  His love.  His righteousness.  His joy.  His hope.  His Word.  His promises.  His complete and utter defeat of sin and death.  His resurrection to new life.
          Yes, Lord, we answer with Mary that "We believe this."  We believe...even through tears.  Even through confusion.  Even through sorrow over the death of those we love...but that You love far, far more.  Because You live, we know, know, know that our dearest, sweet Lynda will live.  Because You live, we know that wise, gentle Dickson will live.
         Because You live, we know that our every loved one in Christ who has gone on to heaven,  they live right at this moment.  They are more alive today than any of us who still reside in these "shadowlands" can even imagine.  Even as we weep over missing them here, they rejoice there.  They see as we are all meant to see.  They are experiencing wonders that we cannot begin to comprehend.  They see You face to face and hear You saying to them "Well done, my good and faithful servant."  They "laugh on glory's side"--all the pain of cancer vanished.  All the harshness and hardship of this often cold, dark world, long forgotten.
       "Death is swallowed up in victory," says Paul in I Cor.15:54.  Oh how I love that promise.  Like when we wake up from a really horrible nightmare.  Have you ever done that?  Perhaps dreamed that something terrible has happened--perhaps all your family has been killed--when suddenly you wake up and realize, stunned beyond words, that it was all a terrible dream.  You want to weep for joy and astonishment.  Such an extraordinarily joyful moment, and now your regular old life seems infused with far, far greater preciousness and wonder and joy.  Those people you had taken for granted just the night before, they've suddenly become ever more dear to you.  They are still here, you think, amazed and with sudden and overflowing gratitude.  Death has become swallowed up in victory.  
        Yet that is simply a tiny hint, a whiff of the victory over death that King Jesus has given us.  And that is merely the teeniest glimpse into the wondrous and beautiful reality that our dear Lynda and Dickson and so many, many more loved ones are experiencing right this moment.  Their death has been swallowed up in victory and they dance and laugh and sing on glory's side.  Praise You, Jesus praise You!
        I've said it so many times before, but when our loved ones go to heaven it's so true--we feel deep pain in our hearts and yet at the very same time have a song--a glorious, joyful song--in our souls.  Thank You for the song of redemption You've put in our souls, Lord Jesus.  And thank You that those we love who are no longer on this earth are alive, fully alive, with You, singing that song at the top of their lungs.
         One of my favorite stories comes from Joni Eareckson Tada who said she's often thought about what she'd like on her tombstone.  Here are her words: "When I was little, just growing up, when it was time for the family to go to bed and the lights would be turned out, we would hear--called from around the house--'See you in the morning!  See you in the morning!'  I would say that to my sisters as I went off to sleep.  'See you in the morning.'  I think I might like that on my tombstone: 'I'll see you in the morning.'"
          Precious Lynda and dear Dickson, we will see you in the morning.  Thank You for your faithfulness here on this earth.  Thank You for your extraordinary love and wisdom and kindness.  Lynda, we have one less prayer warrior on this earth, so we will try all the harder to pray and love and encourage and give as relentlessly as you did.  Thank You for showing us all how it's possible to finish well and to run all the way to the finish line with your eyes glued on Jesus and your arms pumping hard to greet the Savior you loved so well, so incredibly well.
          We will see you in the morning.  And until then, we will keep running our race all the way to the end, all by His grace, all for His glory.
         To God--our Savior, Redeemer, and Resurrection Lord--be all the glory.

A game-changer question for decisions

        I've always been one of those folks who struggle with decisions...or more specifically with making hard decisions.  No wonder I despised taking the SAT.  I would agonize, "Well it could be answer a...but then there's always a chance that this other factor comes into play, so it could be c...and d's a non-starter, unless you consider..."  Oh mercy, multiple-choice tests threw me into a tailspin--please, oh please, let me write an essay about this instead!  I'd happily compose pages explaining all sides of the dilemma...and then maybe you can decide.  Sigh. 
        The same can hold true in life.  Hard decisions are so, well, so hard.  For one thing, this old stick-in-the-mud detests change.  But any kind of decision--no matter which way you decide to go--always involves and results in change of some sort.  But I want my children, my friends, my family to stay right here with me all the time; no change, no growing old, no moving away allowed.  Is that really too much to ask?  Apparently yes.
        No wonder I have such a hard time clearing out clutter--everything has some meaning. For instance, this was daddy's seersucker jacket and even though nobody in our family can fit into it, I have to keep it.  Or this was Aunt Janie's frying pan and even though it's a bit rusted and worn out, I have to keep it.  Or these were the gazillion pictures our children painted in preschool, I have to keep every. single. one. of. them. And books, oh mercy, just go ahead and sign me up for one of those hoarder shows when it comes to books.
       But clutter, I'm discovering, is essentially the inability--or the refusal--to make a decision about giving away or throwing away some item.  And for a girl who struggles with decisions and change, this is, to put it mildly, a challenge.
       Life, however, consists of nonstop decisions and constant change.
      And here's the great news for those of us who wrestle with decisions and change: Almighty God is the Source of perfect wisdom, knowledge, and power.  "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!...For of Him and through him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen." (Rom.11,33,36)
        He is eternal, constant, and changeless.  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Heb.13:8)
       And He has promised that He will never, ever leave us nor forsake us. "Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deut.31:6)
       Yep, we may sometimes feel as if we live on some cosmic helter-skelter roller coaster, but the truth, the true Truth, is that our Lord's in complete control, He's with us every moment, and He's got everything we need for life and godliness.  (2 Peter 1:3)
       Translation: God's got this, so trust and follow Him.  We don't need to be able to see the way ahead...God sees it.  God's already  in the future, and He's got that future--and us--securely in His nail-scarred hands, so we can go to Him first, then make those decisions, stop the hand-wringing, and enjoy the ride.
        And can I add one question that I recently heard on a podcast that was a game-changer for me? When you're struggling with which way to go on a challenging decision ask yourself this question: "Am I being led by love or pushed by fear?"  
        Am I choosing based upon my fears or based upon God's love?  Am I allowing fear to push me into the "safe" choice or am I allowing God's love to  lead me into His often more adventurous ways?  Another way to put that is am I living, deciding, and moving ahead in this area based upon my fears or my faith?
        Today if you're facing some difficult decision or some unwanted change, maybe you can join me in first asking yourself that question: Am I being led by love or pushed by fear?  If it's fear, we all know the antidote--faith in our forever faithful, infinitely powerful, perfectly wise, and extravagantly loving Lord.  Faith over fear.  Love over fear.  Our Heavenly Father over fear.
        Lord, in all our decisions of life--big and small, easy and challenging--teach us and enable us to choose based upon faith in You rather than fear of the unknown or the imagined.  Help us to be led by Your love this day and every day.  To God be the glory.  
       

Start today

                         
        The events of the past week have been beyond disheartening and disturbing.  Frankly, there have been many moments when many of us have felt down right despair.  How is it possible that such hatred, horrific racism, vitriol could exist right here, right now, in our nation?   The horrible underbelly of sin has been on full display, and what an unimaginably ugly, terrible, destructive picture it is.
        It's been hard to even know how to respond, but one thing I do know: our only hope is the redemptive love and forgiveness of Christ.  How I pray the Lord would move mightily in our nation to bring conviction and redemption...forgiveness and healing...restoration and revival.
        And you know what?  It has to begin with every one of us.  In our every human heart.  We each need to ask the Lord where any pockets of hatred or prejudice might be hiding in our hearts.  And then we confess those areas as sin and ask God to enable us to love as He loves. To see as He sees.  To forgive as He forgives.  To understand, serve, encourage, strengthen as He does.
        Seems like a nearly insurmountable task, doesn't it?  And it is...in our own strength and ability.  But it's not us, but Him.  It's not us loving, but Him.  Not us forgiving, but Him.  Not us bringing reconciliation, hope, and healing, but Him doing it for us and through us.
        We simply have to start.  Stop letting the fact that we can't do everything prevent us from doing the something that we can do.  Start small...but start.  Love, encourage, forgive, help in small quiet ways...but start.  Don't allow the size of the mountain ahead prevent you from lacing up your hiking boots and then simply starting, putting one foot in front of the other.  Golly, that's been my problem with writing lately--allowed myself to be too overwhelmed to even begin.  So instead of writing something, instead of writing anything, even writing it really poorly, I failed to even start.  I kept pushing away the challenging  in favor of the comfortable.  I kept choosing diversion rather than confronting difficulty and doing what I know deep down God wanted me to do.  
         And here's how I overcame that discouraging, self-defeating inertia: I simply pulled out my computer, refused to be sidetracked by reading endless emails, and began typing.  One letter at a time.  One word at a time.  I took that first step of typing and trusted that God would do all the rest--give me the words, put those words together, and maybe use those words to encourage someone else who might be struggling.  And before I knew it, that teeny tiny beginning had become a something.
        Yeah sure, it's not even close to everything...in fact, it might be next to nothing...but it's something.  And guess what?  That's good enough for me, because God hasn't called us to do everything...or most things...or even many things...but to do the something that He's given us to do.  To love, to forgive, to encourage, to serve, to strengthen those He's placed in our path and in our lives.
         God's Word says, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19)  With our Almighty God, it's never too late to start, and it's always too soon to quit.  
         So start today.
         To God be the glory.

This day, this marble

        Maybe it's the looming start of the new school year--another year beginning already?  Our children another year older already?  The summer nearly over again already?  Or maybe it's our 30th wedding anniversary tomorrow--how on earth could it possibly be that long?  (But I sure am thankful for every one of those years!)
        Whatever the reason, this time of year always seems to remind me that time's passing and that I need to treasure each day as the priceless, irreplaceable gift that it is and use it--not wasting a moment--to God's glory.  
        This is the only August 7, 2017 any of us will ever have.  Duh, you say?  Yet how many of us squander this precious resource--blithely tossing away it's seemingly endless seconds and minutes in mindless or meaningless pursuits?  How many minutes scrolling through facebook or twitter or instagram?  How many minutes flipping through channels and watching some dumb show we weren't remotely interested in?  How many minutes mindlessly munching on snacks when we're not the least bit hungry?  How many minutes shopping or perusing catalogues when we don't need a thing?  Ouch...at least for me.  All I can say is, I can squander some serious time.    
        Now for the record, there's nothing necessarily wrong with any of that stuff, BUT before we know it, those minutes and seconds turn into hours and hours of wasted time.  Time we can never get back.  And in the midst of that time wasting, I have to ask myself--is what I'm doing feeding my mind with that which is true, honorable, pure, lovely, commendable (Phil.4:8)?   Hmm.  Not so much.  Or is what I'm doing demonstrating my love for God or my love for other people?  Or is what I'm doing helping and serving others?  Or is what I'm doing in some way bringing glory to God?
        All good questions to ask before we find ourselves inadvertently slipping and sliding down a rabbit hole of wasted moments...minutes...hours...days...years.  And goodness, what about all that time we squander gossiping or grumbling or worrying or scheming?  Boy, those minutes are far worse than wasted--they're destructive, devastating, and sinful.  Forgive us Father!
        One of my favorite verses that I need to revisit time and again--because let's face it, we FORGET!--is Psalm 90:12: "Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."  So simple, but so profound.  God is the One who can and will teach us to value and use our days profitably, eternally, contentedly, and, yes, gloriously.  Even the most mundane moments--if yielded to Him and seeking to honor Him--can be suffused with glory and eternal weight.  
        But we've got to consciously pause at the start of each new day and ask the Lord to enable us to live this day for Him and by Him.  And we've got to keep "checking in" with Him throughout the day--getting a mid-morning or mid-afternoon or early evening course correction or wisdom infusion or joy renewal.  Constantly touching base with our Heavenly Daddy is like a heavenly GPS for our hearts--making sure we're still headed on the right path and staying true to our ultimate destination.
        I recently heard a powerful example from Ray Vander Laan that I don't think I'll soon forget.  He shared how an old rabbi had a giant jar of beautifully colored marbles on his desk.  When asked why, the rabbi responded that when he was younger, he decided to count the number of days he would have left in his life if he lived to be 90.  Then he put that number of marbles in the jar.
       Each morning, he would take one marble out of the jar, put it on his desk, and ask the Lord to enable him to live that day's marble in a way that would be pleasing and honoring to God.  Then at the end of the day, he'd pick that marble back up, and ask the Lord how he did with that day's marble?  Did he glorify God?  Did he love others?  For what did he need to ask forgiveness for that day? For what did he need to give thanks?  Then the rabbi would throw away the marble because that day was finished and gone forever.
         Wow.  What a graphic and convicting reminder that this day--this August 7, 2017--is a beautiful, irreplaceable gift from God.  Oh how I want this day to be one in which I love God, love others, serve unselfishly, grow wiser, encourage others, express gratitude, ask forgiveness, live joyfully, and use my gifts and time to glorify God.
          Help us, teach us, Father "To number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."  Teach us, help us to use this lovely, one-of-a-kind marble in ways that please and glorify You.
         To God be the glory.

Savoring the sunrise

         What a sunrise.  What a Creator.
         I've taken so many pictures from these magnificent mountains, yet I must say, they never get old.  Oh how I hope and pray that the "awesome wonder" over what God has made and the gift of this world's stunning beauty will never, ever grow weak and dull for any of us.
         How dare we see a sunrise or sunset with a ho hum attitude!
         Or the delicate, fleeting splendor of a butterfly--

        Or the joy of moments with those we love (not to mention the happy sweetness of a four legged buddy!)--

          It's all too easy to become so preoccupied with other "stuff" (hello cell phones) or worries or to-do lists or what we're doing next week or the mess of our world that we miss it!  We miss the glory happening all around us all the time.  We miss the wonder of laughter with a loved one or the scent of a gardenia or the shrill cry of a hawk or the looping acrobatics of a swallow or the scrumptious taste of chocolate melting on our tongue.  How much joy we forfeit, how much peace we squander, how much happy wonder we throw away, because we're lost in some alternate universe of busyness or anxiety or technology-fueled amnesia.
          In other words, what we're thinking about, what we're turning over and over in our minds can cause us to miss the "precious present."  The only present moment we'll ever have with those we love.  The only present moment we'll ever have to give God glory for the great things He has done.  The only present moment we'll ever have to savor the beauty.  The only present moment we'll ever have to choose gratitude and wonder.  The only present moment we'll ever have to forgive, to thank, to encourage, to serve, to appreciate, and to love the people the Lord has put in our lives.
           I sure don't want to miss it...not any of it.  Lord, help us to think rightly so that we might see, feel, and act rightly.
         "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 a, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Phil.4:8)
           "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.  For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." (Rom.8:5-6)
           What are we thinking about?  What are we setting our minds upon?
           All I know is that when we're fretting or grumbling or comparing or scheming or worrying then we're not setting our minds on the Spirit.  When we're distractedly surfing our phones with any moment of boredom, then we're not focusing on the things that are true, lovely, and commendable.     And in the process, we're missing all the priceless gifts of the precious present.
            Father, help us to set our minds on You and on all You've given us in each and every never-to-be-repeated moment.  Help us to put down our phones and lay aside our worries and instead savor the sunrise, laugh with the loved one, and stare with wonder at the swallow...and in it all, to give You glory.  
            To God be the glory.

What's your boat? (Lessons from Dunkirk)

         Yesterday we went to see the new movie "Dunkirk."  Whew!  It was great...and so incredibly griping that my stomach was clenched in a knot the entire movie.  I've known the story of "the miracle at Dunkirk" for a number of years, so I'm thrilled it's finally been made into a movie.  But it's remarkable how many folks (and especially those from the younger generation) have never heard about this amazing, inspiring, and crucially important event that may well have prevented Germany from steamrolling over Great Britain and potentially altering the outcome of World War II.
         In light of this new movie, I thought's I'd include an excerpt from a talk I gave a while back about this event.  Dunkirk has countless lessons for all of us, but here's one or two of them that really convicted me--
         God has ALL power, ALL wisdom, and ALL ability, yet He has sovereignly chosen to use us as His instruments on this earth.  The Lord wants us to be His hands and feet in a hurting world.  And that's both an unspeakable responsibility and privilege.  We don’t just work for anybody.  No, we serve the King of Kings!   That should put a spring in our step and give us energizing purpose every morning when we wake up.  And who knows how God can  use even some of our smallest acts of service to have a far-reaching impact for good and for His glory.  Because the Lord’s in the business of using the seemingly hidden, hard, ordinary, and insignificant things in our lives in remarkable and even eternal ways.
For instance, how on earth do you suppose the Lord could use the service of a dilapidated, old fourteen foot fishing boat during a cataclysmic world war?  Well, the humble owner of that little fishing boat would tell you, “An awful lot!”
You see it was in the beginning stages of World War II in May of 1940.  The overwhelming might of the German fighting machine had inflicted heavy casualties on the Allied Forces of Britain and France who were opposing the Nazis in a desperate struggle for survival.  As the powerful Nazi troops swept across Europe, the over 450,000 soldiers of the Allied Army were forced to retreat, and the British commanders soon realized that unless they were somehow able to evacuate their forces, they’d be trapped and completely annihilated in France.  That would’ve been catastrophic, for it would’ve meant the destruction of the great bulk of Britain’s forces, leaving England largely defenseless.
The troops eventually ran out of space to retreat and were trapped on a beach at a place called Dunkirk.  The Allied’s position looked hopeless with their backs to the sea and the German juggernaut relentlessly attacking them from the front as well as bombing and strafing them from the air.  The German Air Force even dropped leaflets urging the British and French to surrender for there was no chance of escape.
All of England knew of the desperate plight of their soldiers and were awaiting the dreaded news of the annihilation of their brave forces.  Late on the night of May 25, a simple three word message was transmitted across the airwaves of England from the commander of the British Army at Dunkirk. The cryptic message simply said: “But-If-Not.”  
        Remarkably, these words were a direct quote from the Old Testament book of Daniel.  It’s from the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednago in which three young Hebrew exiles are about to thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to a golden statue of the mighty Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.  These young men defiantly tell the King, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king!  BUT IF NOT, let it be known to you, O king, that we will NOT serve your gods or worship the golden image you’ve set up.” (Dan.3:17-18).
“But if not,” the British forces were telegraphing their people, “We will not quit; we will not give up; and we will not surrender.”  
In a matter of hours, thousands of regular old English citizens began getting into their boats and heading across the perilous waters of the English Channel towards their trapped soldiers. The boats they owned were of every conceivable shape and size—from small fishing boats, to trawlers, to lifeboats, to motor boats, to even an Olympic racing yacht.
Guided by the smoke and flames filling the sky above Dunkirk and at great personal peril, these civilians and their ragtag rescue fleet made their way through German attack and treacherous waters to the stranded troops.  Under withering enemy fire, these ordinary British citizens began evacuating the exhausted soldiers.
The operation—code-named Dynamo—continued for several days.  At the beginning, the British figured they’d be lucky to save even a tiny fraction of the troops.  Yet, miraculously, this motley crew of all kinds of average citizens and their boats ended up rescuing the vast majority of the trapped forces—nearly 400,000 men!  No wonder historians now refer to it as “The Miracle at Dunkirk!”
But think about it—what if all those ordinary British civilians had responded to this desperate call with: “I’m too busy,” or “My boat’s not much good,” or “I’m too tired,” or “Somebody else is far better equipped to handle this than me,” or “The situation’s hopeless so what’s the point of risking my life?”
I can tell you what would’ve happened—innumerable fighting men would have lost their lives, and in all likelihood, Great Britain wouldn’t have recovered after losing the bulk of her fighting force.  And had England fallen to the Nazis, there’s no telling what might have been the outcome of WW II.   Yet because a bunch of ordinary people—folks much like you and me—answered the call and decided to offer up themselves and their boats to serve their nation and save her soldiers, Great Britain survived to fight another day.
So let me ask you: What’s your boat and how are you using it?  We all have boats, you know.  Not literal ones of course, but our boats consist of our time, our talents, our treasure.  We all have different abilities, different circumstances, different interests, different giftedness, different resources, but we have one thing in common.  We are ALL called to serve.  We’re all called to use what God’s given us to serve where God’s placed us.
You could say that we’re saved to serve, and we’re blessed to be a blessing.  God doesn’t bless us, teach us, redeem us, love us so that we can just hoard His goodness and grace in our lives and then huddle by ourselves in the dark.  I couldn’t help but think of Gollum.  Remember Gollum from J.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings  series.  He’s warped and twisted beyond recognition, because he selfishly clutches, hides, and refuses to share the golden ring, which he names his “Precious.”  No!  Over and over again God’s Word makes it clear that we’re healed to help; we’re blessed to be a blessing; and we’re saved to serve.
        If you’re still breathing today…then God still has great plans for you, and He still has work for you to do that you—and only you—can do.  Let’s stop worrying about what other people are doing…or not doing!  Let’s stop comparing our path of service with someone else’s.  Let’s stop looking at the world and culture around us and throwing up our hands in despair, thinking “what difference can I possibly make?”
No, I’m certain that if we could go back to May of 1940 and ask that question of every British owner of every boat who chose to get off their duffs, overcome their fear, and refuse to give in to their despair over the plight of their trapped soldiers, they would all respond: “One person can make all the difference in the world!”  Look at how each person who was willing to use whatever boat God had given them and to serve where God had placed them, helped save countless lives and even ultimately affected the outcome of a World War.  Don’t you bet each of those boat owners—as well as each of those rescued soldiers—never ever ceased being overwhelmed with thankfulness and joy at the way God used the service of some boats and their willing owners to save lives?
God used David’s sling to bring down Goliath.  He used Moses’ walking stick to confront Pharaoh and rescue his people from slavery.  He used Rahab’s red chord to save her entire family from destruction.  He used Mary’s perfume to pour out extravagant love upon Jesus right before He would give His life for the sins of the world.
We’ve who’ve been saved, rescued, and blessed by the Savior have the priceless opportunity to express and pour out our thankfulness and love by being a blessing to others.  We’ve been saved to serve and healed to help.  And we’ve been given our boat by Almighty God—whatever our boat might be—so that we might be a blessing.
The time is NOW to stop making excuses, stop giving in to fear, stop wallowing in discouragement, and start using our little boat to serve God and others.  There are all kinds and ways of serving: serving in your home, in your church, in your community.  Serving through prayer. Serving with financial generosity.  Serving by encouraging others.  Serving thru hospitality.  Serving by sharing our faith.  Serving in whatever way and in whatever place God has chosen to put you.
And if you’re perhaps questioning whether it’s worth it…or maybe wondering if you have the desire or the energy or the ability or the time to serve, can I encourage you to recall another rescue mission?  Only this was a divine rescue mission that occurred a little over two thousand years ago.
For you see, every single one of us was even more hopelessly trapped than those doomed soldiers at Dunkirk.  We were entrapped by our sin and selfishness, and there was no possible escape for any of us, because the wages of sin is always death and despair.
But at the most desperate, most eternally dangerous of moments, Almighty God didn’t just send a boat—of even an enormous fleet of boats—to rescue us.  He didn’t send a supremely powerful military.  Nor did He send advice or a self-help guru or even a brilliant strategist to help us try to figure out how to deal with our hopeless condition.  
No, He came Himself.  The Lord Jesus willingly relinquished the perfection, comfort, security, and beauty of heaven in order to come Himself and rescue us.  Jesus left the infinite joys and wonders of heaven to come and rescue us, even though He completely knew and understood the pain, humiliation, betrayal, and rejection that would confront Him on earth’s war-ravaged shores.
And at the cross of Calvary, Jesus conquered sin and death and rose to new resurrection life so that any and every person on this planet could be rescued and saved.  The only requirement?  Like those soldiers at Dunkirk who had to choose to step off the burning shores of France and onto those rescue boats, we, too, have the choice.  If we want to be rescued, we must choose to accept Jesus’ offer of deliverance by making Him our Lord and Savior.
If you're reading this and have never made that decision, I pray that this would be the day that you would say “yes” to Jesus and accept His rescue so that you might enjoy abundant, glorious, eternal Life—with a capital “L!”  
And if you have been rescued by Jesus, I sure hope I’m not alone in admitting that there are plenty of times when I don’t feel like serving others.  Sometimes weariness or discouragement or just plain old selfishness gets the better of me…and I don’t really want to serve my family…or my friends…or those I come into contact with…or those in need.
But here’s what I’ve learned—in those moments of exhaustion or frustration or discouragement or selfishness, if I’ll simply shift my gaze off of myself and instead, as Hebrews 12 says, “Fix my eyes on Jesus,” it changes everything!  Because when we see the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of the universe washing His disciples' dirty feet…or lovingly embracing a leper…or offering the gift of forgiveness and salvation to the outcasts of their society—like the adulterous woman, the prostitute, and the tax collector--or stretching out His hands wide on a cross and saying “Father forgive them” as they hammered the nails into His flesh…or dying on that cross for the likes of you and me out of His immeasurable love and grace, how can it not compel us to cry out, “Thank You, thank You, thank You, my King, for rescuing and saving me!  I’ll happily serve anywhere, anytime, in anyway that You direct so that I might pour out my grateful love and worship to You!”
Oh my, how this dark world needs the hands and feet of Jesus right now to serve as He served and love as He loved.  Out of overflowing thankfulness for His extravagant goodness and grace, might we be ready and willing to offer ourselves to love and serve wherever and however our Savior leads us. We’ve been blessed to be a blessing, healed to help, and—praise God!—saved to serve.  By the power of His Holy Spirit and to the praise of His glorious grace, let’s get out there and do it.
        To God be the glory.  

Grumbling over the weather or grateful?

        "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." (Col.3:1-2)
         "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit." (Rom.8:5)
         You know it's funny.  Lately, it seems like everywhere I go, folks are complaining about the hot weather.  Okay, duh, it's late July in North Carolina...so it's steamy and stifling most of the time.  And yes, it's not tons of fun to get in your furnace-like car to run an errand and burn your "sit-upon" the moment you get in.  And yes, this is some serious sweatin' weather, no doubt about it.
           But here's the thing: along about January, everywhere you go, people will be moaning and groaning about the cold, the ice, and the grey.  (And in the interest of full disclosure, yours truly--who is NOT a winter gal--will be Numero Uno in the complaint department.)  So people, are we never satisfied?  Will we always simply default to grumbling over the weather...or the traffic...or the busyness of life...or the political climate...or the whatever??
          Seriously, where does all that complaining get us?  Does it help?  Does the temperature somehow mysteriously drop a few degrees if we whine about it?  Are we better able to cope with life's minor or major difficulties in a pervasive atmosphere of fussing and fretting?
          I think we all know the answer to those questions.  Because as the Bible tells us over and over again, our mindset is key.  Will we set our minds on things above or on things below?  Will we set our minds on the things of the flesh (with it's continual tendency to complain) or on the things of the Spirit?  Will we allow our minds to simply drift along with the sewage-like stream of our grumbling, ever-discontented culture or will we consistently go to God's Word so that our minds will be renewed and we will be transformed?  Transformed into people of joy, hope, peace, love, grace, forgiveness...in other words, transformed more and more into the image of Jesus.
            Enough of the grumbling over the weather.  Enough of the complaining about everything under the sun.  (I'm preaching to myself, by the way).  Let's choose to fix our eyes on Jesus (Heb.12:1-2).  Let's choose to renew our minds in His Word.  Let's choose to set our minds on things above.  Let's choose to think about--and discuss--whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable (Phil.4:8).  Let's choose to use our mouths to build up, encourage, and thank rather than tear down, discourage, and complain.
           And it all starts with one tiny choice at a time.  One decision to read the Word rather than scroll the internet.  One decision--on a moment by moment basis--to set our minds on Christ and on things above rather than things below.  One decision to count our blessings rather than list our complaints.  One decision to speak words of gratitude rather than words of dissatisfaction.
           No matter how hard or challenging or painful our circumstances, the one thing we always have is the choice as to how we will respond.  We choose how we will set our minds.  We choose the words we will speak--whether words of gratitude or grumbling.
           So how about we start today?  Right now, in fact.  Thank You, Lord, for the bright, hot sun that gives life and light to this lovely earth You've given us.  Thank You for the beach, the mountains, the pool, the ice cream place, the air conditioning that provide us wonderful respites from the heat.  Thank You for the more relaxed pace of summer.  Thank You for children that are home during these months. Thank You for the change of seasons.  Thank You for Your Word that renews our minds and transforms our attitudes.  Thank You most of all for Your Son, the Lord Jesus, who is with us through all of life's ups and downs, in season and out of season, in all the highs and lows.
          Father, keep us fixed on You.  Keep us in Your Word.  Keep us thankful.  Keep us focused on things above.  And keep us speaking words of grace and gratitude to everyone we meet.
         To God be the glory.