There Is Only One But That Matters!

You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. Genesis 50:20 (NLT)

Tell me. When things look impossible, how do you start your sentences? Do you start them with reasons why it won't work? Do you start them with negative comments or doubtful innuendos? Or do you start them with But God?

All throughout the Bible God was showing up in unexpected ways.  He showed up in Joseph's life when all seemed lost. Through those circumstances, he saved generations of people. He showed up in Noah's life and saved his family and all the animals.

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede. Genesis 8:1

Most amazingly, he shows up in our life.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8

Today, when things look impossible, when you just know in your heart you can't make it work, start the conversation with But God......and go from there. 

Remember, "But with God everything is possible.” Matthew 19:26

A Minute In It - Focusing Your Focus

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read through the Bible text and fill in the blanks below.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

In my life this is true: ___________________

In my life this is honorable: _________________

In my life this is right: ___________________

In my life this is pure: ____________________

In my life this is lovely:___________________

In my life this is admirable:________________

Today, I am going to be think about and be thankful for these things.

What's Your Fig Leaf?

At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. Genesis 3:7 (NLT)

Adam and Eve ate of the fruit and just as God said their eyes were open to evil. And with that, they were ashamed. Isn't that the case with us as well? We do something we should not do because we thought it would make us happy but instead, it made us feel bad about ourselves. 

Adam and Eve sowed fig leaves together to cover themselves - to hide what they had done. Wonder what they would have done if they lived today? We hide from ourselves and from God in a variety of ways. We work too much. We eat too much. We buy lots of things that we think will take away the pain of what sits inside. We stay so busy we have no time to think or to rest. We indulge in things that we shouldn't seeking to cover what is eating at us. And then, just so everyone knows that all is well, we post pictures of ourselves on social media looking "Fine."

What is your fig leaf? What are you using to cover what you are running from? Let go of the fig leaf. Talk to God about it and come out from hiding. He's near and just like he did with Adam and Eve, he wants to talk to you.

Don't Take My Word For It

But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” Genesis 2:16-17 (NLT)

God gave this command to Adam early on.  Then he created Eve. There is no record in the Bible that says that God gave this command to Eve so one has to wonder if Eve heard it from Adam.  And then you have to wonder if she didn't get the full message because in Genesis 3 she replied to the serpent and said that they couldn't even touch it....which is not what God said. 

It was clear that Eve was deceived by Satan and I am not advocating that it was OK that she ate the fruit...we all know the pain that started. So what's my point?

My point is this.  I can tell you over and over again that God loves you. I can tell you about his promises and I can assure you that he is real. I can even share stories about when he showed up and became real for me. While you might be moved by those, it won't be enough. Hearing about God from someone else will not make him real to you. You have to experience him for yourself. 

That gigantic God-hole in your heart cannot be filled by me, my words and my stories. There is only One that can fill that for you.  God.

Are you tired of hearing about God and not experiencing him yourself? Do you feel that something is missing? Do you know there are more important things in life than this rat-race that we live?  There is and there are. And you should go find Him.

Spend a little time each day being with God. Read/Listen a devotional, the Bible or something that shares God's character for 5 minutes each day. And then, talk to him. There are no rules. Say whatever you want. You can't do it wrong. Just talk and then listen as you go through your day. When you take that first step to know him, he will show up and that big, huge hole in your heart will begin to be filled. There is nothing like it....but don't take my word for it. Find out for yourself.

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

Wilderness Walking

Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt! Numbers 14:4 (NLT)

As the Israelites wandered the wilderness, they had this nasty habit of complaining. As I read through the Old Testament, I am amazed that over and over again they say "We would have been better off in Egypt." Didn't they remember they were slaves there? Didn't they remember the abuse, the toil, the total lack of freedom? 

And then, during one of their temper tantrums, they actually made plans to choose a new leader and go back to Egypt. And God said, "OK! If you don't want to go to into the Promised Land, you don't have to."

God doesn't ever force us to do anything against our will. He wants the relationship with us. He wants the conversation and the sharing and he wants us to see that what he has planned is way better than what we have planned. He will try to show us that. But, if we choose not to see it or if we choose not to go along, he is not going to force us. After all, that is not love and God is love.

I find it incredibly sad that the Israelites were stuck in this mindset. I guess when things look bleak or you don't see movement in the direction you want it's easy to be convinced that God has stepped out of the picture. I know I've gone there.  

This is where our faith comes in.  Faith is what you lean on when it doesn't look like you think it should and you can't see anything happening. Faith is staying put, trusting that God is working on your behalf. Faith is praising instead of complaining.  

We all walk in the wilderness sometimes. We all are tempted to believe that God isn't in it. But his promises are clear.  He is always in it,. He is always on the journey with you. He always loves you.

Tell Him All About It

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read through the Bible text and read the questions at the bottom of the post.

1-3 I’m determined to watch steps and tongue
    so they won’t land me in trouble.
I decided to hold my tongue
    as long as Wicked is in the room.
“Mum’s the word,” I said, and kept quiet.
    But the longer I kept silence
The worse it got—
    my insides got hotter and hotter.
My thoughts boiled over;
    I spilled my guts.

4-6 “Tell me, what’s going on, God?
    How long do I have to live?
    Give me the bad news!
You’ve kept me on pretty short rations;
    my life is string too short to be saved.
Oh! we’re all puffs of air.
    Oh! we’re all shadows in a campfire.
Oh! we’re just spit in the wind.
    We make our pile, and then we leave it.

7-11 “What am I doing in the meantime, Lord?
    Hoping, that’s what I’m doing—hoping
You’ll save me from a rebel life,
    save me from the contempt of dunces.
I’ll say no more, I’ll shut my mouth,
    since you, Lord, are behind all this.
    But I can’t take it much longer.
When you put us through the fire
    to purge us from our sin,
    our dearest idols go up in smoke.
Are we also nothing but smoke?

12-13 “Ah, God, listen to my prayer, my
    cry—open your ears.
Don’t be callous;
    just look at these tears of mine.
I’m a stranger here. I don’t know my way—
    a migrant like my whole family.
Give me a break, cut me some slack
    before it’s too late and I’m out of here.” Psalm 39 (MSG)

Do you think it's OK to feel uncertain about how things are going? Is it OK to wonder what God is up to and how he's working it out? Do you think it's OK to have days where you question? David did. He had them a lot and Praise God, some of them are listed in the Bible. You are in good company. So go for it, tell God how you feel. He wants you to.

I Am Kinda, Sorta Like That

When Moses reported the Lord’s words to all the Israelites, the people were filled with grief. 40 Then they got up early the next morning and went to the top of the range of hills. “Let’s go,” they said. “We realize that we have sinned, but now we are ready to enter the land the Lord has promised us.” Numbers 14:39-40 (NLT)

Again the people grumbled against Moses and Aaron and let's be honest, against God. God's answer was that they would not enter the Promised Land. And, he told Moses this.  Moses shared it with the people and they decided to go anyway.

EXCUSE ME? God tells you not to do something and you are going to do it anyway? Don't you know who you are dealing with?  God is well, GOD! He controls everything. He knows the end from the beginning. He is present in everything. He is all-powerful. He has a plan and the plan always works out the way he wants. And you, Israelites, decide to go it on your own?  What is wrong with you?

Wait. What? Do I ever do this same thing? Do I ever read my Bible and ignore the parts I don't want to deal with? Do I ever feel convicted about something and tell God I'll do that later? Do I ever do something that I know God doesn't want me to do because.....well.....because I want to?

Well, if you put it that way....yes, yes I do. I may have been one of the Israelites standing on top of the hill about to go into the Promised Land without God. What about you? 

He's Got This

The Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. Romans 8:27 (NIV)

The other day at Bible Study we started discussing the Holy Spirit. Of course, you can't do that in one sitting...or probably a hundred because there is too much to Him. But that's another Thought!

The next day, I came across this text and it brought me back to our discussion. We often feel like we are alone in our stuff.  We are alone in our decisions. We are alone in our problems. We are facing the emotional upheavals by ourselves. We forget.

We forget that when we chose Jesus, when we were baptized that we were filled with the Holy Spirit. We forget that he is a part of our lives and is very, very involved. The Holy Spirit is always working on our behalf doing the will of God. 

When I ponder this, well, it kind of blows my mind. As I am processing through some tough decisions at work, he is there guiding me. When I am praying about a tiff I had with someone, he is convicting my heart. When I am facing a problem that is way bigger than I can handle on my own, he is working on my behalf in the background. And when I am dreaming about the big dreams God has placed on my heart, he is showing me step by step how to get there. Like I said, blows my mind.

If we know that the Holy Spirit is involved, is intervening on our behalf working the plan out according to what God wants (even if we can't see it right this second), shouldn't we be confident in what's happening in our lives? I guess my next question is Do we believe it?