Today is the Day. For what? I don't know yet. I know what is on my schedule. My haircut at 11:30. My class at 7:00. What I need to accomplish in between. But regardless of what is on my calendar, God has appointments lined up for me that I don't even know about yet.
I can look back on days past and see chance encounters where I had the opportunity to pour into someone else's life. I also see days where other people ministered to me when they had no idea they that they were impacting me. Those were appointments God had planned from the time I was conceived. Mind boggling, I know. But Psalm 139:16 says: all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Today is the Day. God has something lined up. He has appointments for me today, too. Maybe they will relate to my haircut and 7:00 class, maybe not. Maybe they will be totally unexpected. But he has given me the hours in this day to unwrap, like a package. Today was part of the birthday present He gave me years ago on the day I was born. Every day is like a package, waiting to be opened. I get to open today, October 19, 2012, today. Tomorrow I get a new package to open. But today, this one is full of surprises, waiting for me to embrace, enjoy, live.
Today is the Day!
This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)
Friday, October 19, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Welcome to Moe's
"Welcome to Moe's!"
I wanted a little something to eat yesterday afternoon. Not sweet. But I needed something before I went to the grocery store so I wouldn't spend so much money. Moe's was close by, and we settled for some nachos and cheese. It was a gorgeous day, sunny, a little breezy, and I just had to sit outside. It seems a shame to waste days like that sitting indoors if you don't have to. As we enjoyed the fresh air, the breeze was a little more than I expected, and one of the nacho chips blew off the tray. Several small sparrows were waiting to claim the prize. (I suspect they had enjoyed a few chips before.)
The chip was rather large for a small bird, so none of the birds could manage the entire thing. I stood up and stepped on the nacho, breaking it into smaller pieces so the birds could enjoy a snack as well.
Several birds flew toward the broken chip. Some birds would hop toward it, but were frightened of us, and would fly away without getting any of the chip. One bird came and got a piece of chip, and as he hopped away with it, another bird came and stole it from him and flew away. Yet another bird came, and bit the chip, with some little crumbs falling off a little further from us than the original chip was. A bird that had been afraid to get close to us came and ate the crumbs that fell. One bird, however, came right next to us and boldly claimed a rather large piece of chip.
As I watched the birds respond differently, I thought, this was the kind of situation that might have prompted Jesus to tell a parable. An everyday occurrence. Insignificant, but as you watched, you could see the parallel to life. Don't we often respond like those sparrows?
God wants to nourish us -- with His word and His presence. But sometimes we start to draw near, and we are afraid. We are afraid of getting too close. So before we do, we withdraw without receiving what God wants to give to us. Sometimes, we receive it. But very quickly the distractions and heartaches of life come and rob us of the blessing we received from Him. Sometimes, He wants to give us more; but we settle for the crumbs. We let someone else draw close, hear from God, and we just settle for what they share second hand.
But some people are bold. They go right into the presence of their Heavenly Father. They get as close as they can and can't wait for more.
Hebrews 4:16 says: Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].
When we approach God boldly, we are rewarded with so much more than we could ever imagine. Mercy, Grace. Help.
Welcome to God.
I wanted a little something to eat yesterday afternoon. Not sweet. But I needed something before I went to the grocery store so I wouldn't spend so much money. Moe's was close by, and we settled for some nachos and cheese. It was a gorgeous day, sunny, a little breezy, and I just had to sit outside. It seems a shame to waste days like that sitting indoors if you don't have to. As we enjoyed the fresh air, the breeze was a little more than I expected, and one of the nacho chips blew off the tray. Several small sparrows were waiting to claim the prize. (I suspect they had enjoyed a few chips before.)
The chip was rather large for a small bird, so none of the birds could manage the entire thing. I stood up and stepped on the nacho, breaking it into smaller pieces so the birds could enjoy a snack as well.
Several birds flew toward the broken chip. Some birds would hop toward it, but were frightened of us, and would fly away without getting any of the chip. One bird came and got a piece of chip, and as he hopped away with it, another bird came and stole it from him and flew away. Yet another bird came, and bit the chip, with some little crumbs falling off a little further from us than the original chip was. A bird that had been afraid to get close to us came and ate the crumbs that fell. One bird, however, came right next to us and boldly claimed a rather large piece of chip.
As I watched the birds respond differently, I thought, this was the kind of situation that might have prompted Jesus to tell a parable. An everyday occurrence. Insignificant, but as you watched, you could see the parallel to life. Don't we often respond like those sparrows?
God wants to nourish us -- with His word and His presence. But sometimes we start to draw near, and we are afraid. We are afraid of getting too close. So before we do, we withdraw without receiving what God wants to give to us. Sometimes, we receive it. But very quickly the distractions and heartaches of life come and rob us of the blessing we received from Him. Sometimes, He wants to give us more; but we settle for the crumbs. We let someone else draw close, hear from God, and we just settle for what they share second hand.
But some people are bold. They go right into the presence of their Heavenly Father. They get as close as they can and can't wait for more.
Hebrews 4:16 says: Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].
When we approach God boldly, we are rewarded with so much more than we could ever imagine. Mercy, Grace. Help.
Welcome to God.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Chaos
Chaos. That's what it was in the beginning. Remember, back when. Genesis 1:2. "The earth was without form and void. Darkness was upon the face of the deep." God had created. Evil had corrupted. What had been beauty and order and become darkness and confusion.
That's how it seems now. Like there isn't anything in this world that is containing the confusion and madness. Everywhere you look it seems like the world, people's lives, are clouded with darkness. Sadness. Hurt. Despair. We live in a world tainted by the chaos of evil.
Don't think this will be all negative. It won't be. But at this moment, I am overwhelmed by those stories I hear of tragedies happening in the world around me. Stories of people struggling with issues that are beyond comprehension. A 12 year old girl who has battled cancer for the last six months and is facing a life changing surgery today. A young student I met in Atlanta over the weekend who is working three jobs and battling cancer. A 50 year old pastor friend with three children who has lung cancer. I could go on with the cancer theme, but there are other tragedies, too. The wife of the news anchor in Arkansas who is now dealing with the death of her 32 year old husband in a tragic car accident this past week. After reading her blog, I feel like I've met her too.
Then there are the world events -- I won't go into the details, but you feel them too. The unstable political environment, the economic uncertainties, constant news of unrest abroad, changing moral trends.
Chaos. That's what it was in the beginning. Father, it's chaotic now too!! But wait, remember what God does? GOD MAKES ORDER OUT OF CHAOS! God said, "Let there be light . . . ." Father, we need your light in the middle of all this to eliminate the chaos and darkness!
I asked someone this week about what gave them hope. The person couldn't figure out an answer. That may have been one of the worst tragedies I encountered this week. That, and the fact they didn't want to hear about my Hope.
The common link in all of the sad stories I shared, what they all have in common despite the circumstances, is each person is a strong Believer in Jesus Christ and knows that they have an eternal Hope in Him! They know that whatever they are dealing with, it will not win. From the 12 year old to the 50 year old, each person knows that they have a Hope that is secure, that the current darkness will be dispelled by His Light! That He will bring order to the chaos of life!
God promises our chaos is temporary, but our Hope is eternal. The Message Bible, in Philippians 3, shares Paul's message of hope and promise: There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. . . But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.
One of these days, God is going to transform this world back to the perfect place it was "in the beginning." He is going to bring everything under submission to him! The chaos will end. He will put everything back as it should be, under and around him.
That's how it seems now. Like there isn't anything in this world that is containing the confusion and madness. Everywhere you look it seems like the world, people's lives, are clouded with darkness. Sadness. Hurt. Despair. We live in a world tainted by the chaos of evil.
Don't think this will be all negative. It won't be. But at this moment, I am overwhelmed by those stories I hear of tragedies happening in the world around me. Stories of people struggling with issues that are beyond comprehension. A 12 year old girl who has battled cancer for the last six months and is facing a life changing surgery today. A young student I met in Atlanta over the weekend who is working three jobs and battling cancer. A 50 year old pastor friend with three children who has lung cancer. I could go on with the cancer theme, but there are other tragedies, too. The wife of the news anchor in Arkansas who is now dealing with the death of her 32 year old husband in a tragic car accident this past week. After reading her blog, I feel like I've met her too.
Then there are the world events -- I won't go into the details, but you feel them too. The unstable political environment, the economic uncertainties, constant news of unrest abroad, changing moral trends.
Chaos. That's what it was in the beginning. Father, it's chaotic now too!! But wait, remember what God does? GOD MAKES ORDER OUT OF CHAOS! God said, "Let there be light . . . ." Father, we need your light in the middle of all this to eliminate the chaos and darkness!
I asked someone this week about what gave them hope. The person couldn't figure out an answer. That may have been one of the worst tragedies I encountered this week. That, and the fact they didn't want to hear about my Hope.
The common link in all of the sad stories I shared, what they all have in common despite the circumstances, is each person is a strong Believer in Jesus Christ and knows that they have an eternal Hope in Him! They know that whatever they are dealing with, it will not win. From the 12 year old to the 50 year old, each person knows that they have a Hope that is secure, that the current darkness will be dispelled by His Light! That He will bring order to the chaos of life!
God promises our chaos is temporary, but our Hope is eternal. The Message Bible, in Philippians 3, shares Paul's message of hope and promise: There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. . . But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.
One of these days, God is going to transform this world back to the perfect place it was "in the beginning." He is going to bring everything under submission to him! The chaos will end. He will put everything back as it should be, under and around him.
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