Month: November 2017

Read, Pray Meditate

Read, Pray Meditate

i often hear how hard it is to stay strong when being tempted. How difficult it is to make the “right” choice when facing temptation. Since we had talked some about it here already a few weeks ago, i thought i would follow up with another thought that recently came to me as i read Psalm 119.  When being tempted, we often forget who it is that holds us. You know the One with all the answers and is able to do far more than we could ever think or imagine? Instead, we hold on for dear life as if we have to “go it alone” saying, “i have to remain strong” when Jesus tells us to rely on Him.

The comparison was made to a rollercoaster. You are entirely buckled in yet for many we hold on tight as if by not doing so we would fall out. We “white knuckle it” through life even though the creator of all things say, “I got you!” Then i read Psalm 119.

Psalm 119:9,10 “How can young people keep their paths pure? By guarding them according to what You’ve said. I have sought You with all my heart. Don’t let me stray from any of Your commandments!”

The Psalmist gives the answer to life’s question of how by “guard yourselves according to what God has said by seeking Him with your whole heart.” For many they trust God in some things but not all things, God says, to trust Him for all things! Yet, you want to fight temptation head on. Instead, soak yourself in God’s Word; read, pray, meditate. Knowledge really is power!

You are Loved,

cj

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, a time in which we gather to be thankful. For most of us, we can raddle off a half dozen things in no time at all; God, family, friends, pets, work, home, health. See, not so hard at all, i didn’t even mention my wife and kids by name; which i very well could, for each one is such an amazing blessing that i am incredibly thankful. For many, however, it isn’t so easy to make such a list; Broken homes, broken hearts, brokenness.

Is there a holiday for lamenting? In the TV series Seinfeld, there is an episode where they celebrate “Festivus” and “the airing of grievances.” As ridiculous as “Festivus” is, that holiday is actually not that bad an idea. In the book, we call the Bible there is a section called, “Lamentations.” It is a book of lamenting. Here is how it begins:

“Oh no! She sits alone, the city that was once full of people. Once great among nations, she has become like a widow. Once a queen over provinces, she has become a slave. She weeps bitterly in the night, her tears on her cheek. None of her lovers comfort her. All her friends lied to her; they have become her enemies.                                                               (Lamentations 1:1-2 CEB)

There is something to be said for lamenting, letting things out, there is a season for it. A time and a purpose. It is actually good for the soul to let things out and not to hold things in. Can one lament too much, too often? Yes! The book of Lamentations is only five chapters long. What does that mean? There comes appoint when we stop lamenting. Here is how Lamentations ends:

“Return us, LORD, to Yourself. Please let us return! Give us new days, like those long ago– unless You have completely rejected us, or have become too angry with us.”    (Lamentations 5:21-22 CEB)

In the book of Ecclesiastes, we read one of my favorite passages of Scripture and the influence of the hit song by “The Byrds” “Turn, Turn, Turn” from 1965 although the song was adapted by Pete Seeger a few years earlier the “Byrds” really took off with it…(laughy crying face emoji). Anyway, this passage is such wisdom:

A season for everything

3 There’s a season for everything
    and a time for every matter under the heavens:
2     a time for giving birth and a time for dying,
    a time for planting and a time for uprooting what was planted,
3     a time for killing and a time for healing,
    a time for tearing down and a time for building up,
4     a time for crying and a time for laughing,
    a time for mourning and a time for dancing,
5     a time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones,
    a time for embracing and a time for avoiding embraces,
6     a time for searching and a time for losing,
    a time for keeping and a time for throwing away,
7     a time for tearing and a time for repairing,
    a time for keeping silent and a time for speaking,
8     a time for loving and a time for hating,
    a time for war and a time for peace.                                                                         (Ecclesiastes 3:1-3)

May it be, as it is my prayer for all of us if you find yourself in a season of lament, to pause for a moment and laugh or dance, to love and make peace, to heal or to build up, to gather and embrace. Happy Thanksgiving!

You are loved,

cj

Distractions

Distractions

Distractions are all around us, always. They come in many forms, phones, games, apps, twitter, facebook, people, etc these distractions can be both good and bad. Either way, they must be taken care of in the moment or they will continue to distract you.  Why? Because what distracts you may be exactly what you need to be doing or paying attention to. Let me explain. i often sit to write or pray or study and find my mind wandering. That’s my cue to stop and figure out why or what is distracting me. If it is thoughts i begin writing them down, if its a game or an app i shut them off. If i am on Twitter or Facebook i check my notifications and then exit the app. i set things aside, move, turn off music, turn on music…i do what i can to remove the distraction and sometimes that means engaging it for a moment to be able to set it aside.

What happens if the distraction is a person? Just the other day i was sitting and trying to write when a student sat in the window. i was completely distracted. i desperately wanted to get some work done until it came to me, maybe, just maybe, this student was the “work” the Lord really wanted me to focus on in that moment. No one was going to die if i didn’t get my other work done in that moment, but the impact i could end up having on that “distraction” might change the world or at least a life.

Let me encourage you the next time you get frustrated because of a distraction that you stop and ask yourself, “is this a distraction or an opportunity?” If its a distraction, do what you need to set it aside if it’s an opportunity then set your work aside and make a difference.

1 Corinthians 7:35 “I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.”

Hebrews 12:2  “fixing our attention on Jesus, the pioneer, and perfecter of the faith, who, in view of the joy set before him, endured the cross, disregarding its shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Proverbs 4:25 “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.”

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things and the God of peace will be with you”

Temptation

Temptation

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

Have you ever faced temptation? i know stupid question right?! Of course, we all face temptations on a daily bases. This verse in 1 Corinthians gives us a hope that whatever the temptation is, there is a way out. That the temptations that you face are not new to the world but there are others who face the same temptations as you. Not that we all face the same temptations but that certainly there are no new ones roaming about.

So what does the passage mean when it says, “He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.”? We need to look at the whole passage to truly get the meaning here. We often stop right there and rely on that then blame God when we stumble or fall, “God, You gave me more than i could handle on my own!” Here is the rest of that verse, “When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

There is the key. Not that we won’t be given more than we can handle because that absolutely happens, but that God will give us a way out when we rely on Him. When we are tempted we need to look to Him, find the way out that He provides. It may come in forms that you aren’t expecting. When you are being tempted, the way out may come as an unexpected text message, phone call, knock on the door, etc. It may be something that comes to mind to distract you and you have a choice, take the way out or press on into the temptation.

Other ways out of temptation that God has already provided, are songs of praise and worship, His Word, prayer. Sing, Read, Pray your way through. Call a friend, text a friend, change the activity that you are doing…walk away. There are plenty of outs when it comes to temptation. It will take training, it will take support, it will take some effort to get out of a tempting spot. Its worth it, there is a way, He has provided and will continue to provide ways out when we rely on His strength and not our own.

Here is one big key to avoiding temptation in the future. When God tells you to get rid of something in your life, change a habit, change…do it. The temptation will be to hesitate but then whose strength are you relying on? Trust in God and rely on Him, look at these words of wisdom from Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

You are Loved,

cj