The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. John 3:8 NLT
A much needed vacation took me to the mountains of Tennessee.
Along with my wife and another couple, I found myself nestled in a cabin high in the Great Smokey Mountains. Each morning witnessed me sitting on the porch, admiring the handiwork of my Creator, listening to the birds and turkeys, feeling the gentle breezes, and watching the sun rise above the distant peaks.
One morning was different. The sounds were the same, but the sun didn’t immediately appear. Rather, dark storm clouds marched through the valleys and hopped over the mountain tops. After dropping their cargo in the form of light rain showers, they gave way to wisps of white dainty clouds that flittered west to east and south to north. As I watched, I thought of God’s Spirit.
In the Greek, the same word is used for spirit and wind. Though I can see the effects of the wind, I cannot see the wind itself. Nor can I view God’s Spirit—only His workings in the lives of people, myself, and in the world.
Like the clouds, God’s Spirit is often silent.
I hear no audible voice—just a small but effective nudge within my Spirit guiding me in the right direction or to the correct decision.
At other times, God’s Spirit is loud.
I don’t have to wonder if it is Him speaking to my spirit. His voice comes through loudly and clearly—as clouds that bring vociferous claps of thunder and downpours of rain.
The work of God’s Spirit can be obvious.
Such as when He brings a change in my life that is evident to others. Or His work can be not so obvious. As when He slowly changes me from the inside out. Changes that take months—or even years, to ripen to maturity.
As witnessing the spirit clouds comforted me on that early morning, so my spirit is calmed by knowing that God is always present with me in the form of His Spirit—giving me wisdom and guidance for every decision in life. The clouds went where God sent them, and He never sends them in the wrong
direction.
Learn to listen for God’s still small Spirit voice. Then act on what He guides you to do.
Prayer: Father, thank You for guiding our steps through the still small voice of Your Spirit.
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I enjoy leftovers, but left over for too long they become dangerous . . . even deadly.
Leftover defines itself. Generally speaking, the word refers to food. In my opinion, some foods are tastier as leftovers than when originally cooked. But food left over for too long can spoil and in turn spoil one’s stomach. Read more...
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I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 1 Corinthians 9:22 NKJV
What is understandable to one person isn’t necessarily understandable to someone else.
Our good friends had moved from Colorado. The wife was a native Coloradoan; the husband a native South Carolinian. When Jan’s mother-in-law sent her to the store to get loaf bread, she assumed it would be an easy mission. After all, who doesn’t know what bread is.
A few minutes later, Jan called. “I don’t see any loaf bread.”
“You mean, the store is completely out of bread,” her mother-in-law replied.
“No, I see plenty of bread. There is just no loaf brand.”
I’m with Jan. In the neck of the woods where I grew up—the lower regions of South Carolina, bread was just called bread. At the most, I might say I was going to get a loaf of bread, but never did I refer to it as loaf bread. Since bread is cooked in loaves, calling it loaf bread seemed redundant.
Then again, I didn’t grow up in Upstate South Carolina where that’s a familiar term. Just like hose pipe. I always knew it as hose or garden hose. After all, they are hoses, not pipes. Of course, I have sayings my wife—an Upstate girl, isn’t familiar with either.
As an early missionary, Paul too faced customs—and probably terms, he wasn’t familiar with. His goal was to find common ground with people—at least as much as was possible without compromising the gospel message he preached.
Having grown up in church, I’m familiar with a host of “churchy” words others who haven’t grown up in church might find foreign. Words like justification, sanctification, glorification, millennialism, vestibule, pulpit, sanctuary. And the list goes on.
Like Paul, my mission as a believer is to share God’s love and offer of forgiveness with all people—regardless of nationality, race, language, culture, or social standing.
Doing so means learning their “language” so I can modify—but not compromise, my “churchy” language. Then they can understand what God has done for them in Jesus Christ and accept His forgiveness. Otherwise, they will go on their merry way in an unforgiven state.
Learn to find common ground with those who don’t know Christ so you can point them to His gracious love.
Prayer: Father, let us love others even as You have loved us.
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The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. Proverbs 18:21 NLT
I never know what will come out of my oldest grandson’s mouth.
Near the beginning of summer, he developed a case of strep throat. My wife and I noticed a rash on his face. Then later he opened his mouth wide for some unknown reason, and my wife noticed white spots covering his throat. At the pediatrician’s office, they swabbed his throat, diagnosed him with strep, and gave him an antibiotic. One week later, his little brother was diagnosed with the same, so the pediatrician suggested we bring Levi back to make sure his had cleared up.
While on the way, he asked his mom, “Are they gonna check my toes mama?"
“Your toes?”
“Yeah, I need them to check my toes because these Crocs hurt."
Curious as to what he was talking about, our daughter asked, “Baby, are your shoes too small?"
"Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about," he said.
Kids may say the darndest things, but I’ve been known to say some things as an adult that I regretted. Wise King Solomon got it right when he pronounced the tongue as an instrument of life and death. While I can’t literally bring someone to life or end their life with the instrument in my mouth, I can cause them to live or die in other ways.
Our oldest grandson is known for saying strange things. But since he can’t invent things he’s never heard, we are reminded he has heard them either on the television, IPad, radio, a DVD, or—perish the thought, from us.
Speech reveals what I’ve been influenced by—which means I need to tend to my environment.
Spending too much time with seedy individuals—whether directly or indirectly, increases the risk that I’ll copy their behavior. And my behavior most often comes out in my words.
Speech also reveals my priorities.
It’s quite natural to talk the most about what’s important to me. Since I love my family, writing, reading, and grammar, I tend to center my words on them. But since I love God more—actually the most, I should speak of Him more often than I do anything else. Not to the point that I’m obnoxious, but regularly.
Remember when you speak that others see your soul.
Prayer: Father, may the words we speak reflect love for You and others.
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As the final rays of daylight gave way to darkness’ canopy, my wife and I listened to the fading voices of the chirping choir. Eventually, all silenced except one…a mockingbird.
Mockingbirds are easily recognizable by their wide variety of sounds as they imitate other birds and even insects and amphibians. As we listened to this bird’s solo chorus, we heard cardinals, blue jays, as well as many other sounds we didn’t recognize. Read more...
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God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. Matthew 5:6 NLT
Appetite doesn’t always diminish with age.
At 95 years of age, you’d think she’d eat like a bird. But not this nursing home resident. She’s one of our church’s shut-ins who recently found herself in the hospital.
As I walked in, her daughter-in-law was busy feeding her a liquid diet composed of apple juice, chicken broth, and Jell-O. None of that sounded appetizing to me, but I hadn’t been five days without food as she had.
“Apple juice,” she called, and her daughter-in-law put it to her mouth. “Chicken broth.” And the same response. Then, “Jell-O.” She continued to demand food until she had eaten—or drunk, every last bite.
I’ve watched many elderly people’s appetites change. Some who were healthy eaters now eat just enough to get by—or don’t and dehydrate. Others experience a change of taste buds. Whereas they once ate healthy food, now they want sweets.
But this elderly lady wanted the good stuff. She ate everything—and anything, they served her at the nursing facility.
As I watched her demand food to satisfy her hunger, I thought of this verse. Jesus addressed hunger, but He wasn’t talking about physical hunger. Spiritual hunger was on His mind. Physical hunger—in the extreme, leads to death, but spiritual hunger can lead to death or a healthier life.
From the time a person is old enough to know the difference between right and wrong, God begins to create a spiritual hunger in their souls.
This explains why all people groups in history have worshiped something. It might have been the elements of nature or wooden or stone objects that represented their gods. Yet they worshiped.
What I do to satisfy this hunger is crucial.
Turning to nature or man-made idols won’t satisfy my appetite. My idols have never been constructed of stone or wood, but I have formed them in the shapes of sports, hobbies, work, and relationships. That was before I reached the point when I had a hunger for God…to know Him better…to serve Him fully. I discovered no thing, person, or relationship could properly take His place. The ache in my belly can only be satisfied by loving God with all my heart, soul, spirit, and mind.
Let God, and God alone, satisfy your spiritual cravings.
Prayer: Father, create in us a hunger that only You can satisfy.
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Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Deuteronomy 11:19 NLT
Some called it, “Founder’s Day;” others simply referred to it as “Feast Day.”
A church member extended an invitation for my wife and me to join them on their family property for “Feast Day.” Neither my wife nor I understood what she was talking about, but we were looking forward to a Sunday meal. This couple—along with a number of family members, lived on a piece of property purchased 70 years before by their traveling preacher ancestor.
The family patriarch had loaded up his wife and children in a 25-foot trailer turned into a box and left Kentucky, unsure of where they would settle. At each church where he stopped to preach, he asked if there was any land available. Finally, in what is now Greenwood, South Carolina, he was directed to a tract of land that was for sale.
Looking over the beauty of the land—and believing this was where God wanted him to settle, he drew up a contract between himself and God. If God would make the way for him to purchase the land, he and his family would gather once a year to celebrate God’s goodness. God did, and his family has gathered annually for 70 years to honor their ancestor’s contract . . . and feast.
The nation of Israel observed several feasts during the year to celebrate various historical events. These celebrations helped the people—along with their children and grandchildren, to remember God’s involvement in their lives. But there was one thing they were to do every day: teach their posterity the laws of God.
Leaving behind a spiritual heritage won’t just happen. It requires effort.
I must be vigilant in living for the Lord and teaching my children and grandchildren to do the same. While my descendants have the free will to choose or reject God, they are more likely to choose Him if they see my love for Him and observe how I incorporate that love into my daily affairs. Even if they choose to walk away from their heritage, the foundation has been laid through my example and by my teaching God’s commands to them.
Lead the way in helping your family feast on God’s Word.
Prayer: Father, may we live in such a way that we leave a spiritual heritage to our posterity.
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As the early morning light was chasing away the darkness, they arrived at their destination. But they didn’t find what they pursued. They were in the wrong place.
Women were among Jesus’ staunchest supporters. A group of them had watched as Jesus was taken from the cross and carried to a tomb. When the Sabbath ended, they made their early morning trek to the tomb to properly prepare his body. Read more...
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The crowds asked, “What should we do?” John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” Luke 3:10-11 NLT
God brought the saying to my mind; I never imagined anything would come of it.
Bimonthly, I change the saying on the sign in front of the church I pastor. Since I tire of trying to find unique sayings—and since we didn’t have anything special happening to advertise, I try to listen to God’s still small voice. “Hurting people find healing here” came to mind. Appropriate, I thought. After all, churches should be places where anyone can come for emotional, spiritual, and even physical healing.
A couple in our church who own a construction company had been remodeling our Sunday school area and feverishly trying to finish it before our annual Vacation Bible School. As they worked late one night, a stranger banged on the door. Wary at first to let him in since the stench of alcohol surrounded him, they eventually decided to open the door. He wanted nothing but to talk. "You may have saved my life," he said later when he left.
Hundreds of years had passed since anyone had heard from a prophet of God. Then John the Baptist emerged from the wilderness. Not the kind of person you’d think God would send with an important message, but, then again, God often operates outside of the box. After destroying their trust in their family heritage for salvation, John hears them ask what they should do. Share with others was his answer. This would show love. Jesus parroted John’s message.
As God’s representative, I must share His love with others.
The only way I can do this is through tangible acts that touch their lives. Even those incapacitated by health ailments can carry on an active intercessory prayer ministry. Others acts might include supporting an orphaned child, encouraging missionaries serving overseas in dangerous areas, carrying meals to shut-ins, or teaching in a local church.
Opportunities abound, but healing the hurting is a mandate we can’t ignore.
Through acts of love, I validate my relationship with Christ to myself and others. When they see love in action, they will be more likely to trust the Savior I serve.
Think of one way you can help heal those who are hurting.
Prayer: Father, motivate us to reach out in love to those who are hurting.
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Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 1 Peter 4:12 NLT
Ominous clouds threatened as my wife and I eased into the parking space.
Hot, humid weather was the pattern for the past week, so pop-up showers had been increasing. On this particular evening, I had a wedding to officiate. A few rain showers had already passed by earlier in the afternoon, and I was hoping for fair weather since the reception was outside.
Shortly after we pulled into our parking space, large pellets of rain began to fall. As the winds increased, I anxiously watched the reception tent. Though a few odds and ends blew away, most things stayed in place. They had expected the unexpected. The tent was securely staked. Long heavy tablecloths clung to the tables. Wrapped utensils kept the napkins from blowing away. Apart from a little trash and dirt blown in by the wind, the reception went on as usual despite the earlier storm.
Peter speaks of another type of storm: persecution. And early believers were facing their share of it. Though they might have been surprised, they shouldn’t have been. After all, Jesus had been persecuted and told them they would be as well.
When I remember the impact of sin on people and the world in general, I’m no longer surprised by the trials I face.
People infected by sin will behave in harmful ways. Sinful natures are responsible for physical and verbal abuse, crimes of all sorts, divorce, financial mismanagement, and elder abuse. The list is endless. The infection of sin can also make nature behave badly. Tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, etc.
But not all trials are caused by sin or sinful people.
As long as they don’t violate His nature, God, too, can send trials. The Bible is decorated with stories showing how He did just that. The difference is that God’s trials are beneficial. When I respond to them with a positive attitude and draw closer to Him for wisdom and guidance, I grow spiritually and my faith is enhanced. Remaining in a close relationship with Christ helps me survive and even thrive when the unexpected comes along.
Don’t let the unexpected blow you away. Remain grounded in Christ.
Prayer: Father, when the trials of life come, may we find our anchor in You.
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They had witnessed a miracle they didn’t understand; now they were about to observe another they wouldn’t comprehend.
What do you do with thousands of hungry people who come to hear your boss speak? Especially when you forgot to have a meal catered? And when you know some of them have ulterior motives for being there? You ask his advice, do what he says, and leave the rest to him. Which is what the disciples did. Read more...
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