Tuesday, Feb 28

No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepeared
for those who love him.
1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT)

Last week I had the opportunity to share a conversation with someone about God. I was driving him somewhere and found out he was visiting from another country. I got to spend a few minutes with him chatting and the conversation turned to God and prayer (I love it when that happens). I want to share part of it.

Me; Yes, I have been praying about that (what we were talking about)
Him: When we ask God for something he either says "Yes, Wait, or I have something better for you."
Me: Hmmmm, I always say that God says "Yes, Wait or No."
Him: Isn't it the same thing? God says "No" because he has something better in mind for us.

He got out of the care and i sat there taking it in. I've always been OK with God's no because I trust him but this added a complexity that I hadn't processed fully. God loves us. He wants what's best for us. He doesn't just arbitrarily say 'No' in a dictator sort of fashion. He says 'No' because he knows there is a better plan, a better path, and a better way. Oh that we would see the closed doors as they are intended - acts of love, not acts of denial.

Father God, Thank you for sending this man from a far-away place to reveal more of you to me. Amen.

Monday, Feb 27

He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5 (NLT)

You know why I like this verse? I like it because it says Jesus saved us not because of anything good we’ve done but because of his mercy. Mercy here is defined as “kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them.” I love that definition because some days we feel like we are miserable and afflicted. Some days (or weeks or months or years) it takes a lot of courage and energy to pick yourself up and keep moving. And some days we need a lot of help. It’s on those days that this promise is one to hold on to. You see, no matter what’s happening here, we always have ‘when we get there’ to look forward to. The promise of “it’s already done” gives us hope for tomorrow.   

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hebrews 6:19 (NIV)

Friday, Feb 24

Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see.
For the glory of the LORD rises to shine on you.
Isaiah 60:1 (NLT)

The Bible says we are supposed to be a light in our world. What does that mean exactly? It means that in everything we do, in all situations we are to flash the love of Jesus from our inner selves – from our hearts. As I was imagining this, I pictured everyone who loved Jesus walking around in their neighborhood, work, homes, streets of their cities with flashes of light beaming from them as they loved each other. Imagine it. You are gazing down a crowded city street and you see these bright, intense flashes of light popping up everywhere. And then you see them coming out of windows of homes and high rises. Beams of light penetrating through car windows and from smoke stacks and fireplaces. Arms of light reaching around the globe as we interact and care for each other. Can you see it?

Today, whether you are a corporate executive in an office building, a teacher in a school, a janitor in a condominium, a stay at home mom or a taxi driver, be a Flasher. Flash Jesus where ever you go. How are you going to Flash someone today? Be a Flasher!

Thursday, Feb 23

When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
Isaiah 43:2 (NLT)

Imagine you are standing on a riverbed of rocks. Suddenly, out of nowhere a rush of water plows into your ankles and is quickly rising putting incredible force on your body. You can’t move because the rocks have become treacherous and the path out is uncertain. Fear begins to consume you and you let out a cry to God for help. As you look down again, you see a wall surrounding you so the water is diverted around your body. This is what God is trying to share with us in this verse. No matter how impossible our situation looks, God is standing there like a wall around us. He is protecting us even as we stand in the middle of the storm. We WILL walk through deep waters, rivers of difficulty and fires of oppression. But we WILL NOT do it alone.

Tuesday, Feb 21

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)

Did you ever play hide and seek when you were little?  If you were ‘it’ you would search for all the players who were hiding. You had to look everywhere. You opened doors, looked under things, behind things, moved aside any obstacles (like clothing in a closet) to find your playmates.  A lot of times you had to be very creative to find folks with really good hiding places. And sometimes, you had to go places you really didn’t want to look (I am reminded of my Aunt’s basement where my cousins and I played). Seeking God is a little like this. Not that he’s hiding from us but in the seeking part. It does require participation on our part. We should be looking for him everywhere. We should open doors, look under things, behind things and move any obstacles that will keep us from this relationship. And sometimes, we have to find him in place we don’t really want to go. Those are the places that he shows up the most. So go ahead. Put your heart into it. Seek him.  I guarantee you will find him.

Monday, February 20

Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” Luke 7:41-43 (NLT)

If you were equating your sins to this story, would you be the person who was forgiven the debt of 500 pieces of silver or 50? I bet the answers would be all over the place with a lot of us picking the middle ground. According to the Bible, even our smallest sins max out above 500. We are all chief sinners. No one can point out the sins of another because we are all equal in this department. The good news is because of Jesus’ death, our debt has been reduced to 0. We are all forgiven. We are all debt free. Personally, I tag my debt at way above 500. And when I look at that, I know I too should fall at Jesus’ feet and worship. Jesus said to the woman in this story “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (v 50) He’s saying that to each and every one of us. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.

Friday, Feb 17

You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him. Deuteronomy 10:20 (TLB)

A few years ago I had a health scare. I was so freaked out by it that I didn’t share it with even my prayer chain. It shook me to the core. I spent a lot of time wondering if it was going to happen again and if my life would suddenly end. In the midst of all this I started praying. And eventually found again the text that says “You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many ...months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer.” (Job 14:5 NLT) Then I remembered; God is in control. You see, we can’t control everything that is going to happen. We don’t even know what today is going to bring. But we do know who holds today and that is who we should cling to. Clinging to Jesus will not change our circumstances but getting through them will be sweeter and we will be at peace.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. Romans 8:38 (NLT)

Thursday, Feb 16

For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. 1 John 3:20 (MSG)

It’s been a very busy week. Everything is chaotic. There doesn’t seem to be enough time to do what I want to do and more importantly, I feel like my time with God is hurried – like I can’t linger as I want to. I was talking to God about that this morning and asking him for guidance. The worst thing we can do is be so busy we block out the whispers we need to hear. Then I... came across this text. My worried heart relaxed. God knows where I am. He knows my heart and his ability to get my attention speaks volumes above my busy schedule.

Father God, thank you for talking. Thank you for loving us enough that you respond to our prayers. And Father God thank you for lingering with us whether we feel too busy or not. Your love is too marvelous for words! Amen