God Where Are You?

Psalm 27:13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

Ever felt like God where are you? Why don't I feel your presence? Why don't I feel like your listening? Why? Why? Why? I know for the last several month's I was heading down a road that was leading to despair. A place where I could not see anything good in my life. It wasn't that there wasn't anything good, it was that I was unable to see it. I had turned away from my first love and was no longer feeling the connectedness I needed to feel to my Father God. Why? Was it that He moved or was it that I moved? God does not move, I do and that is exactly what I realized as I came to the end of myself once again and realized this is ridiculous, I am believing and living a lie instead of holding onto the truth and living out the truth of God's Word in my life. I have to return to believing that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Again it isn't that it wasn't there, it was and always has been I just had something blocking my view, sin. Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay. So recently God kicked my butt and I finally confessed (agreed with God) the issues that were going on and I also confessed them to my wife and man it was as if the blinders came off and now I can see again. God is restoring my passion for Him and serving Him and giving me the ability to see once again His goodness. Oh may I never return to that dark road of despair.

Father thank you for your love that is everlasting and your faithfulness toward me. Thank you for removing the blinders and giving me eyes to see the goodness of you in the land of the living. Ever keep my eyes fixed on you and may I run from those things that would zap my sight.

Trust and Obey

1 Samuel 17:45,48-49
45 David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. David's example of both trusting in God and being obedient to God's call could not be any clearer than in this passage. David was up against a giant and in what seemed as an impossible task, David obeyed God and trusted God to take care of the rest. This must be true of my life as well. Charles Price said, "Whatever God has given you to do and will give you yet to do, He is totally adequate for. This will be made real in your Valley of Elah, with a giant against whom you have no reasonable hope of victory were you to meet him on your own. But with the promise of God behind you, and the life of God within you, step out and enjoy a display of the glory and goodness of God." The question is do I really trust Him, do I really believe that God can and will do what He says He will do? Do I even trust Him that if I obey and I seemingly fail that He knows best and is in control?

Father give me the faith of David to trust you and to obey no matter what giant I may face.

When God Speaks

Psalm 29:3-5
3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. 4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. 5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

"God's voice is unmistakable. When He speaks He speaks with clarity. God's voice is powerful because it is backed by His character. He's not making bogus claims. He's not saying stuff that He can't back up. He's not just bragging, boasting or speculating. No He's the God of the universe and He speaks with moral, holy integrity and demands to be listened to and not to be ignored." Crawford Loritts

David wrote the voice of the Lord is powerful, the voice of the Lord is majestic. Today that voice rings out through His Word, the Bible. If we want to experience real power through God's voice we must spend time in His Word. For it is there that I hear the voice of God and can through His spirit experience the power of that voice in my life. What blows me away is that God chooses to use me in order proclaim that message and in a way transfer His power to others.

Father give me a hunger for your Word and may I be able to hear your voice through it and experience your power. May your voice speaks volumes into my life and may it be heard by others as they see my actions.

God Is In Control

Romans 8:28-29
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Do I really believe this? Do I really trust God that He will work all things to the good? My heart cries out "yes" but often my life says the opposite. If God is in control than nothing that happens in my life takes Him by surprise. Not one thing catches Him off guard, nothing sneaks up on Him and freaks Him out. I am certain that God allows things to happen in our lives in order that He might work it out for our good. Now it may not seem so good to us, but I am certain that once you look at whatever it is, you will see the good if you are looking from God's point of view and not my own fleshly point of view. God is in control and either I can choose to except that or I can choose to ignore it but it does not change that He is still in control.

Father help me to trust you and look at things through your vantage point rather than my own and help me to see the good that you are working out in my life.

First Things First

Colossians 3:1-3
1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

It's so easy to read this verse and say ok no problem. However living it out is quite another. Having an eternal focus is crucial to living for Christ on a daily basis. The choices I make are they eternal in scope or just the necessary to get by for that moment. Living the life of a follower of Christ is all about choosing and looking to our eternal home and not satisfying the moment. Today may I fix my eyes on Christ and my heart on things above so that I might live for Him.

Father give me the strength to live for you and the desire to set my heart on things that would honor you.

God's Good

Romans 8:26-28
26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. 28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

"In all tings God works for the good." To often and I know I have been guilty of this, we use this verse as a crutch to tell others don't worry God will work all things out to the good. The problem is that telling someone that and then something that to us is "bad" happens and all of a sudden you find yourself questioning and doubting God. For example, my brother for over nine years battled cancer and then on Christmas Eve passed away from complications due to the cancer. Most people would look at this situation and others and say man that is horrible where was God. The problem is that God's "good" and our "good" are not the same. We think good is a feeling or if the right thing happens in a circumstance or makes us feel good or you will in the blank. But God's good could and often is completely different. I absolutely believe this verse but I must trust God that He knows what is best for my life and that the good He works out is for my best. You see in the case of my brother I believe He did work all things to the good because through it God called me into the ministry, several people gave their hearts to Christ at his funeral and the instant he died, he awoke in the presence of God completely healed from the cancer. I also know that one day I will see Him again and he is in a far better place than I am currently.

Father help me to trust you in every circumstance of life that you know what is best for my life and that you are working out the details to see that best made reality in my life.

Live Out The Truth

Titus 3:9-11
9But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. 10Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. 11You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

I remember in college many guys that would sit around in the evenings and "debate" theological topics. It always cracked me up because they were not really debating at all they were each just simply talking and trying to outwit the others with their self-generated intellect. The sad part about these guys was that they would spend more time in this pointless exercise than they ever did in ministry or putting into practice the very topics they were "debating". I know that there is nothing wrong with discussing things and working through theological topics but when all those very truths of God's Word are not practiced then we have become nothing more than a pharisee. My prayer in my life is that I would be ready to give an answer but that my answer would not simply come from my lips but more importantly from my lifestyle.

Father give me the strength to live out the Word of God and not simply be able to argue my point.

Every Step I Take I Take In You

Acts 17:24-28
24"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

God is in control. He is the author and perfecter of our faith. He is the creator of life. He is all powerful, holy, just, righteous, everywhere all the time, He is God. Yet as it says in verse 27 he is not far from each one of us. Man that is awesome and comforting and convicting all at the same time. To know that God is not far from us that He is with us and longs for us to draw closer to Him is an amazing promise. God will take care of us and the Bible says He will meet all of our needs. Not only is He not far but verse 28 says that in Him we live and move and have our being. God gives us each breath we take and each step me make. Without Him life would cease to exist and become meaningless. God is so amazing and yet so I often I question Him or doubt Him or just plain take Him for granted. Why? Why when I see that He is in control, why when I believe that He meets all of my needs, why when I know that He can see the beginning from the end? I must like Proverbs 3:5-6 says trust in Him with all my heart and I must not lean on my own understanding and in all my ways acknowledge Him and then allow Him to direct my every path of life.

Father today help me to trust you and to allow you to show me the steps you want me to take. Help me be quick to praise you and give you thanks for everything.

Do I have to?

Galatians 2:6
6As for those who seemed to be important—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance—those men added nothing to my message.

These men that this verse refers to were those who were focusing on being religious instead of being in a relationship with Jesus. They were acting out of obligation and not out of love for the Savior. How easy it is to get stuck in a rut and lose site of what is really important. It's so easy to do things to make myself look good but have no heart in it or passion for it which ultimately leads to failure. Why? because if my heart is not in xy or z then it will not be long and I will stop doing it because it has made little difference in my life. Being religious may be all well and good for a time but it will not last, only what is done for eternity will last and that is to pursue a relationship with Jesus Christ. A relationship implies love, meaning, passion, intimacy and work. I do not want it to be said of me that I had little or no impact on another persons life, but the only way that I will have an impact on others is by drawing closer to Christ and falling more in love with Him everyday.

Father help me to pursue you out of love and not obligation. May my life be marked by our relationship and not religious duty. May I impact others because of your son working through me as a result of our relationship.

Turn the World Upside Down

Acts 17:5-7 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus."

Wow what an awesome thing to have said about you, "these men have turned the world upside down." Through their fearless proclamation of the Gospel, their expectant prayers, and their full-hearted willingness to obey they lived out radical Christianity and turned the world upside down. This is what I want to be said of me. This is what I want to be said of my family. This is what I want to be said of my church and youth ministry. Could it happen? Is it possible that God could use us to turn the world upside down again? I believe that yes He can and it starts with me living out my faith in a radical and yet normal way that others see Christ in me and as I live it out my kids, my wife, my peers, my students will see it and I pray God would put in them something that says I want to live like that, I want to live for Christ.

Father give me the passion and hunger to live out a radical devotion to you and use me to turn this world upside down.

The Gospel

The other day I heard on the radio something that I have been meditating on since. "The Gospel is not the A,B,C's of the our faith it is the A to Z of our faith." Many times our church has been accused of being shallow when it comes to preaching and that we should preach the deep things of God. Sadly I believe these people have believed the myth that The Gospel is just the elementary things of God when in fact The Gospel permeates everything we need to know and should know. Think about it Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again for my sin. Without this everything would be a farce, with Christ everything the Bible teaches would lose it's meaning and significance. Without Christ our faith is meaningless and hopeless because everything we believe stems from Him. The reason I follow the Word of God is because of Christ, the reason I live out my faith is because of Christ, the reason I do anything of eternal value is because of Christ. Without Christ I would be just existing, but with Him I am living life to the fullest.

Father help me never to take for granted the good news of Jesus Christ and what He has done for me. May I never fall prey to the empty belief that The Gospel is good for me at the point of salvation but rather help me to find the significance of it in every area of my life.

Make My Better Great!!

Matthew 10:38-42 38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed.Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

It's so easy to get wrapped up in doing good things only to miss the best thing. Martha in verse 40 was distracted by all the preparations. How often do I allow ministry and those proverbial tings that come up to distract me from experiencing the best thing? It is so easy to be great at doing things for God instead of being a man of God. Mary got it and in verse 42 Jesus tells Martha that Mary had chosen the better course of action. What was that action? Verse 39 tells us Mary sat at the feet of Jesus listening to what He had to say. Mary was experiencing the presence of God and listening to His voice. So often I try to do ministry without experiencing the presence of God or listening to His voice. This morning I am reminded that I need to stop, sit and listen and allow God to speak to me so that I might experience His presence. You see it's not that what Martha was doing was bad, simply seeing Jesus response tells us that because Mary chose the better indicating that what Mary was doing was good but not best. I want to choose what is best so that my better might become great. Without God or His presence guiding my better it will never become great. Only God can take my better and make it great.

Father help me today to sit at your feet to hear your voice and to experience your presence as I strive to serve you faithfully today. I know that I cannot possibly serve you apart from you. Fill my life so that as I serve you, you impact the world around me.