Taking It In the Chin

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"When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did." (2 Timothy 2:3, The Message).

Jesus told us plain enough that in this world we would have trouble. In the same breath He said, "But be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world." There is something otherworldly about a person's ability to face significant trouble head on without flinching. To say the least it is inspiring; but more than that it is reassuring. For it bears witness to a world that is greater than this one -- and THAT World is our Home.

Jesus has gone before us and even now is preparing That Place for us. The writer of Hebrews says, "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed -- that exhilarating finish in and with God -- he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!" (Heb 12:2-3).

James, the Lord's brother, wrote, "Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life." (James 1:12).

You can make it, no matter what comes against you. And the reward for doing so is Life here and now -- and an ever greater Life There and Then.

And that is why we are able to to take it on the chin.
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Guarding the Precious Treasure

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"You have been trusted with a wonderful treasure. Guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit, who lives within you." (2Ti 1:14, Contemporary English)

In the first letter Paul wrote to Timothy, he urged him to "guard the treasure you were given! Guard it with your life." (1Ti 6:20, Message). He reiterates it again in this second letter. We often repeat those things that are most important.

Timothy had been entrusted with a wonderful treasure -- the ability, the opportunity, and the power to effectively communicate the truth about Jesus in a world filled with pagan beliefs. Paul was urging him to not take it for granted, nor to leave it unattended. For the treasure is of inestimable worth; so much so that an adversary is always at work, devising schemes whereby he may deprive us of it.

It is the same for us today. Our world is over-run with paganism and hedonism, along with huge doses of socialism, communism, and atheism. In a day of increasing encroachment by the powers of darkness, perhaps the opportunity to let our light shine was never more significant than now.

Thus, for those of us who love the Lord and His Word, we -- like Timothy of old -- must guard the precious treasure with the help of the Holy Spirit, lest it fall idly unattended and we miss out of one of History's epic moments.

In other words, conduct your affairs with a strong sense of security -- insuring that the ability, the opportunity, and the power which the Lord Jesus has entrusted to you to communicate truth to others does not become ripped off by the schemes of the devil in the day of global crisis.
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Finishing the Picture

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"Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus." (2Ti 1:13, NKJV)

There is a story told of Leonardo Da Vinci and one of his students. The Master had prepared a canvas, mixed the palette, sketched in the picture of what he was going to paint, and began applying his brush to the work -- laying in colors and tones, shadings and hues that brought the sketch to life with every stroke.

Then, without any warning, Da Vinci turned to his student and handed him the palette and brush, saying, "You finish it."

The student was taken back. "Your greatness," he said in true humility, "I cannot even presume to finish your work."

And Da Vinci replied, "Will not what I have done inspire you to do your very best?"

This is essentially what the apostle Paul was saying to young Timothy. "Hold fast the pattern of sound words" is a phrase which means to keep within the outline that I have sketched out for you, and finish the picture. Let your life be a living example of truth, once again, becoming flesh and walking among us.

In this day when our world is filled with sketchy people -- who are still undefined and colorless, without perspective or tone -- may God bless us with the faith and love it takes to become those who finish the picture.
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Ashamed of Jesus?

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Jesus said, “Whoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38).

Sometimes following Jesus is not the popular thing to do. Thus, these words strike at the coward that lingers within our hearts during those times when social trends are decidely anti-christian.

God knows we must be motivated outside ourselves in order to rise above that within us which holds us down -- namely, the fear of failure, embarrassment, and rejection. This fear can be defeated by openly embracing Jesus Christ.

Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16).

He wrote his young disciple, Timothy, and encouraged him to take a stand for Jesus. He said, “God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.”(2 Tim 1:7,8).

Our response to Christ’s presence and purpose makes Him proud to stand up for us as our God! The writer of Hebrews tells us, “He is not ashamed to call them brethren” (Heb.2:11), and, “God is not ashamed to be called their God” (Heb.11:16).

Turning the pages in an old book, I came upon this wonderful poem by Joseph Grigg entitled Ashamed of Jesus?

Jesus, and shall it ever be, a mortal man ashamed of Thee?
Ashamed of Thee, whom angels praise, Whose glories shine through endless days?
Ashamed of Jesus! Sooner far let evening blush to own a star!
He sheds the beams of light divine O’er this benighted soul of mine.

Ashamed of Jesus! That dear Friend On whom my hopes of heaven depend!
No! When I blush, be this my shame, that I no more revere His name.
Ashamed of Jesus! Yes, I may, when I’ve no guilt to wash away;
no tear to wipe, no good to crave, no fears to quell, no soul to save.

Till then, nor is my boasting vain, Till then I boast a Savior slain.
And, O, may this my glory be, That Christ is not ashamed of me!

My friends -- when darkness increases our lights shines brightest. Do not be ashamed of Jesus under any circumstance. And He will not be ashamed of you!
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A Life With No Regrets

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"But I have no regrets." (2 Timothy 1:12, The Message).

While we may not have all the answers to Life's many unsolved mysteries, we nevertheless have no regrets about where we have placed our Faith -- in Jesus Christ -- nor about the life which that Faith has emboldened us to live in this disturbed world.

What a wonderful thing to be able to say at the end of your days -- "I have no regrets."

Paul is standing in chains before Caesar, about to be condemned to death for preaching the Gospel. His confession was unwavering: "Jesus Christ is Lord." This singular sentence spoken in boldness, love, and sensibility so enraged the High Court of Rome that Paul was summarily dismissed and sent to await his execution.

While in his cell, Paul writes one last letter -- to his young champion, Timothy. And he says, "It is for the cause of the Gospel I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." (2 Timothy 1:12,KJV).

Inspired by this scripture, an old Gospel hymn says, "I know not why God's wondrous grace to me He hath made known; nor why, unworthy, Christ in love redeemed me for His own. I know not how this saving faith to me He did impart; nor how believing in His word wrought peace within my heart. I know not how the Spirit moves, convincing men of sin; revealing Jesus through the Word, creating faith in Him. I know not when my Lord may come, at night or noonday fair; nor if I'll walk the vale with Him, or meet Him in the air.....

"But I know whom I have believed in, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day!"

That's a life with no regrets!
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The Triumph of a Gifted Life

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"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7)

Nothing would be more incongruous than for a follower of Jesus to be found groveling at the footstool of Caesar. And Paul wanted to make sure that Timothy knew exactly where and how he himself stood as he prepared to enter the High Roman courts -- to be sentenced to death.

Was Paul filled with fear? Was he on the threshold of buckling before the threats of the Roman Emperor? Was he second-guessing his actions, and having regrets about the decisions he had made in following Jesus? NOT IN THE LEAST!

In the face of intimidation he was standing with power, love, and a sound mind. The Message puts the verse this way: "God doesn't want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible." (2 Timothy 1:7, The Message). His encouragement to Timothy, and to us, is that we can do the same.

Power assures us that we have all that is necessary to triumph, and thereby makes us bold in the face of intimidating circumstances. Love insures that we will use our power in ways that are constructive and redemptive. And a sound mind secures us with clarity in the face of confusion, and marks us with sensibility in times of insanity -- keeping us focused upon the opportune moment for action, and making us decisive when that moment comes.

If you are facing difficulty at work or home, with friends or neighbors who intimidate you, or circumstances that seem to back you down from being who God has gifted and called you to be; and you feel yourself inwardly cowering into silence and passivity -- then this verse is for you. It is packed with power to change you from the inside out.

Stir up your gifts.....you can be what you are meant to be; you can shine like the sun in its race across the sky if you stay within the gifting the Lord has placed in your life. Be who you were created to be -- bold and loving and sensible -- and that will silence the critics and nay-sayers every time!

That is the triumph of a gifted life!
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Every Time I Say Your Name in Prayer

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"Every time I say your name in prayer -- which is practically all the time -- I thank God for you." (2 Timothy 1:3, The Message).

Who do you pray for -- practically all the time? Notice the question is not "WHAT do you pray for, but WHO?"

Many people pray for a thousand different things practically all the time -- a new job, a new car, a new house; a breakthrough in finances (even if it means winning the Lottery). And the list grows infinitely larger with each passing day.

But WHO do you pray for? Your answer reveals who it is you truly love. Prayer is a very revealing thing in this regard. We love WHO we pray unto, and we love WHO it is we are praying for. We pray for our family, our friends, our neighbors, our pastors, our leaders -- and so on.

Try an experiment today. Rather than praying for THINGS, pray instead for PEOPLE. Just for today. Open your heart to someone you know, someone you love -- and pray for them. Then watch and wait to see how God responds. You just might be so amazed that it becomes a regular exercise from today forward. So much so that indeed you may be able to say along with the apostle Paul, "Every time I say your name in prayer -- which is practically all the time -- I thank God for you."

One last bit of advice -- when you pray, for Heaven's sake do not come off sounding religious! Keep it real, for those are the only prayers that God listens to anyway.
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There's a Miracle in Your Hand

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So the Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" (Exodus 4:2)

One thing that stands out about the early followers of Jesus is that they were ordinary men, doing ordinary things – but seeing extraordinary results. One of the most compelling examples of this was when a young boy gave his small lunch to Jesus. What happened next is a miracle still talked about to this day -- a multitude was fed with two small fish, and five loaves of bread.

There are five great lessons we learn from this one amazing miracle.

First, never underestimate the Lord’s ability to meet a need. The place was a desert, and the time was late; the people were many, and the need was great. But Jesus not only met the need; He did it with abundance! And He can meet whatever need you are faced with today.

Second, never count yourself out when the Lord starts to work. A man seeing the news about disease, hunger, poverty, and sorrow in the world, turned to his wife and said, “Sometimes I just want to ask God why doesn’t He do something about all of this!” “What’s stopping you from asking Him?” his wife replied. “Because,” the man said, “I’m afraid He will ask me the same question!”

Jesus gave the loaves to the disciples, and they gave it to the people. In other words – the miracle happened in their hands, while they were passing the food out to the people. There is a miracle in your hands, too!

Third, never assume that what you have is too insignificant to matter. A boy with a sack lunch containing five loaves and two small fish – that’s all it took. One disciple asked, “But what is this among so many?” It is tragic how many count themselves out simply because they feel they do not measure up to the moment.

Fourth, never think that He will fail to meet your needs while using you to bless others. The Bible says that they did all eat, and were full. As for the disciples, they collected the fragments and filled twelve baskets – one for each of them. Your service to Him will never go unnoticed, nor unanswered.

Finally, never hold on to what the Lord is asking from you. What if the boy had kept his lunch for himself? Well, he would’ve had lunch – and that’s all. But, giving it to the Lord Jesus took that young man into history. And now, Jesus is asking you, “What do you have? Bring it to Me.”

History awaits your response.
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The True Wealth of a Devout Life

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"The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it." (Proverbs 10:22, NIV).

Wealth must be measure by more than one's bank account, for the value of a man's life is not in what he possess -- it is seen in the difference he made for the better in the lives of those he touched during his years on the earth.

Many a wealthy man has gone to his grave cursed. In the words of Sir Walter Scott -- "High though his titles, proud his name, boundless his wealth as wish can claim; despite those titles, power, and pelf -- the wretch, concentered all in self, living, shall forfeit fair renown, and, doubly dying, shall go down to the vile dust, from whence he sprung, unwept, unhonored, and unsung."

It is possible to become so captured by greed that one's life becomes ravaged by sorrow.

Listen to what the Bible tells us -- "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:9,10).

This is the world's way to wealth. On the other hand -- we have God's way.

"The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it." Should the Lord pour out His blessings upon your life and your riches increase -- then respond by deepening your devotion to His name and expanding your passion for His purposes in the earth. See to it that your life exhibits humility in exaltation, that your generosity is applied with wisdom, your charity exercised in love, and your kindness to those who struggle from day to day becomes legendary.

That's the true wealth of a devout life.
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A Word from God to Wealthy People

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"For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." (Psalm 84:11, KJV).

It pays well to listen to the counsel of those who are seasoned in life with rich experience, and filled with the wisdom that comes from having been there and done that. The apostle Paul was one such man. In the twilight of his years, as he stood on the threshold of eternity preparing for his own death at the hands of Caesar, he took time to write a letter to a trusted protégé named Timothy.

Timothy had been placed in leadership of a large and successful church in the booming city of Ephesus. Paul saw the need to pass along to his young friend words of lasting value on a variety of important topics. One of those topics concerned wealthy people. Paul wrote to Timothy and told him what God wanted wealthy people to know, and to do.

Here are his timeless words --

"Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life" (1Ti 6:17-19, New Living Translation).

Now that's something you can take to the bank, and never worrying about losing your investments!
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Delivered into Delight!

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"He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me." (Psalm 18:19, KJV).

The Psalmist is overwhelmed with wonder at not only how the Lord acted on his behalf -- but why.

When we read about how the Lord dramatically delivered him from his enemies we are stirred more deeply than any action movie could ever do. For he portrays the Lord as a Mighty Warrior unleashing His dreadful wrath against His enemies --

"Then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the mountains shook; they quaked because of His anger. Smoke poured from His nostrils; fierce flames leaped from His mouth. Glowing coals blazed forth from Him. He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath His feet. Mounted on a mighty angelic being, He flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. He shrouded Himself in darkness, veiling His approach with dark rain clouds. Thick clouds shielded the brightness around Him and rained down hail and burning coals. The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded amid the hail and burning coals. He shot His arrows and scattered His enemies; His lightning flashed, and they were greatly confused." (Psalm 18:7-14, The Living Translation).

This is HOW the Lord delivered the Psalmist -- but here is WHY. "He delivered me because He delighted in me."

Did you know that God loves you so much that when the enemy messes with you to the point that in your distress you cry out to God -- He goes on the warpath just for you! He brings you out of the distress into the delight of His presence and shows you the his pleasure He has over your life.

Wow. How great is that?
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Enlarged in Distress

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"Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress." (Psalm 4:1, KJV).

The poetry of this verse is too beautiful to overlook. David is deliberately placing two extremes side by side to demonstrate the profound difference that God's power makes in our lives when we call out to Him for mercy.

Distress means "a tight spot." Enlarged means "a spacious place."

From the very moment of our birth we have known that in order to get to a spacious place, we must first pass through a tight spot. Our mother's labor pains pushed us through the distress of delivery and ushered us into the largeness of Life itself.

Is it not the same when we are born again? Wasn't it some pressing weight of sorrow, some overbearing load of guilt and shame, some driving fear, or suffocating loneliness that distressed your soul sufficient enough for you to call upon the Name of the Lord? And didn't He answer in the day of your trouble and deliver you into a large place?

It is a law in the Kingdom of Heaven -- God always enlarges us when we are in distress.

Therefore, when God wants to make us larger than we have settled for being, what do you suppose He does? He introduces distress into our comfortable lives, and thereby invites us to ascend to a larger place.

Charles Spurgeon wrote, "I must confess that all the grace I have got out of my comfortable and easy times and happy hours might almost lie on a penny. But the good that I have received from my sorrows and pains and griefs is altogether incalculable. What do I not owe to the hammer and the anvil, the fire and the file!"

If you are in a tight spot -- God is enlarging you my friend, and the best you can do right now is to thank Him for it.
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The Sheer Gift

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"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides." (James 1:2, The Message).

By now you've discovered that God doesn't do things our way. "My ways are not your ways," He tells us, "and My thoughts are not your thoughts."

Often you will find that things in the Kingdom are the opposite to things in this world. For example, he that puts himself first will be last; he that would be great, must becomes the servant. And so on and so on.

In this world of ours, trouble is TROUBLE. But not so in the Kingdom. There, trouble is a GIFT. A sheer gift. Pure and unmixed, complete and all inclusive -- like sheer joy. So the Bible tells us to count it all joy when we are hammered by trouble! Why? Because God is up to something so extraordinarily wonderful that once we see what it is we will be beside ourselves with unspeakable delight!

Here's what James goes on to tell us --

"You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way" (James 1:3-4, The Message).

So while everybody around you may be wringing their hands in dismay, and moaning over losing this or that -- lift your vision higher and see the Lord's hand at work in your affairs; making you everything you ever dreamed of becoming -- and more!

Now that's a sheer gift!
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Trying to Figure a Way Out?

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"While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream." (Matthew 1:20, The Message).

The Bible tells us that Joseph, the Nazarene carpenter engaged to Mary, was a noble man. Chagrined by the shocking discovery that Mary was pregnant, he sought to handle the matter with discretion, so as not to bring shame to Mary, or her family. And while he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream.

And that dream changed the world.

While the challenges you may be facing in these tumultuous days may not register on the same historic scale with Joseph's dilemma, nevertheless it is still true that God often speaks to troubled men in their dreams -- showing them what to do.

The Book of Job tells us, "For God does speak—now one way, now another— though man may not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds, he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, to turn man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride, to preserve his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword" (Job 33:14-18, NIV).

Ask God to speak to you in a dream. Sometimes it's the only way He can get through all of our whirling thoughts and emotions, bypassing our natural disposition to debate what He is saying or doing in our waking lives.

Before you close your eyes in sleep tonight, pray the words of Solomon, "I sleep, but my heart is awake, listening for the voice of my Beloved!" (Song 5:2). You just might awake to a new day in the middle of the night!
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"I Don't Look Like What I've Been Through!"

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"Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn't even smell of smoke!" (Daniel 3:27, New Living Translation).

The story of the three Hebrew children -- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego -- being thrown into the burning fiery furnace is legendary. They refused to bow down and worship the golden statue erected by King Nebuchadnezzar and as a result were bound in ropes and tossed into the fire.

But something happened that shocked the pagan world. The king jumped to his feet in astonishment and asked his soldiers -- "Did we not throw three men bound into the fire?"

"Yes, O King," they answered, in fear of their lives.

"Then how is it that I see FOUR men -- free, and walking about in the flames; feeling no harm! And the fourth man looks like the Son of God!!"

When the world binds you up and throws you into the furnace for refusing to worship its image of gold, the only thing the fire will burn away are the stocks and bonds which the world has placed upon you. And Jesus Himself will walk through the fire with you!

Nebuchadnezzar ordered the men to be brought forth from the fire. Upon examination it was found that "not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn't even smell of smoke!"

God will bring you through all kinds of fiery trials with no harm whatsoever done to you. You will come forth without even the smell of smoke! Thus, you can say to the dumbfounded kings of this world, "I don't look like what I've been through!"
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Shift Happens

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“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

A car cannot stay in first gear – unless it really isn’t going anywhere anyway. And neither can we. You’ve got to make a shift in order to move upward and onward into the high calling of your life’s noble purpose. God has placed eternity in your heart, and earthbound dreams simply cannot satisfy you any longer. It’s time you learn how to handle life's surprising turns without stripping your gears.

Sometimes to shift us, God has to sift us. His purpose is to remove the chaff, and to reveal the gold. Webster’s defines shift as “changing the place, position, or direction of something.” Have you experienced any shift lately? A shift in place, in position, or in direction? If so, how are you handling it? Are you blowing a gasket, or going with the flow?

The wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, wrote, “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” In other words, shift happens. The issue is how we respond when it comes. The un-shifted life is untested, and therefore unproven. As such it is unreliable. And for that reason it is often unnoticed and unused.

Life is change, and to refuse to change is to refuse to grow. Sometimes the change is welcomed, other times it is not – but either way, it comes at us without discrimination and requires that we respond in positive, proactive, and purposeful ways. Those who do so grow stronger, better, wiser, and richer. Those who refuse to embrace change not only fail in life, ultimately they perish.

If we will not shift when God is moving us to do so, if we will not change our ways, then our only alternative is to become shiftless – people who are lacking in resourcefulness, ambition, or incentive. "Moab has always taken it easy,” the Lord said to Jeremiah, “lazy as a dog in the sun; never had to work for a living, never faced any trouble, never had to grow up, never once worked up a sweat. But those days are a thing of the past, I'll put him to work at hard labor. That will wake him up to the world of hard knocks. That will smash his illusions” (Jeremiah 48:11-12, The Message).

This seems to describe so many in our society today, especially those who have grown up pampered in the freedom that was purchased and provided by the hardship and heartbreak of others. We must take heed that we do not take for granted the liberty and abundance of life we as a nation have so richly enjoyed, lest we unexpectedly lose what we so carelessly hold. There have been numerous nations throughout history who regarded themselves as invincible until they fell from grace.

We would be great fools to think it could not happen to us.
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"O Nobody Knows the Trouble I Seen"

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"Keep you guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith." (1 Peter 5:9, The Message).

There are few things the devil likes more than to get you believing that you're the only one going through a tough time. He wants you to feel alone, forsaken, and forgotten. If he can pull it off -- you will drop your guard, lower your shied of faith and be wide open for his more assiduous assaults. Don't let him win -- keep a firm grip on your faith.

Peter goes on to say, "The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ -- eternal and glorious plans they are! -- will have you put together and on your feet for good." (1 Peter 5:10).

So the next time you're feeling all alone, and deep down inside you hear the rumblings of that old song -- "O nobody knows the trouble I seen" -- stop right there. EVERYBODY knows! We are all going through it with you. Stop your whining; it's embarrassing.

Paul and Silas were in a dungeon chained to the wall and surrounded by rats. They started singing praise to God and the devil started shaking in his boots. He shook so hard that an earthquake happened, which broke the chains and opened up the prison doors -- setting Paul and Silas free.

Instead of moaning about your troubles, start singing praise to God -- you just might be the one that causes a prison break for the rest of us!
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The Secret of the Unanxious Life

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"Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7).

Anxiety can tear you apart, because it pulls you in many different directions at the same time. Once anxiety seizes your mind, you're not good for anything else until you break free from its grip. Here's how you do it.

Cast your cares upon the Lord.

The word cares means anxiety. The word cast mean 'to hurl." In other words, the moment anxiety starts putting it squeeze on your mind, grab a hold of it and HURL it onto the Lord. Don't pitch it; don't toss it; don't lob it -- HURL IT. Remove it as far as possible away from you.

In other words, you have to let go of it. By holding onto anxiety you form a partnership that trumps your friendship with God. And you empower anxiety to be even stronger than it actually is. Let it go -- hurl it upon the Lord.

And here's the secret of why you can do this -- HE CARES FOR YOU!

How odd that we would think our care for ourselves exceeds the care which the Lord has for us. And how absurd when we conclude that our ability to take care of things is greater than God's power to do so. Yet that is exactly what anxiety cause us to do, over and over again.

So cast your anxieties upon the Lord BY CHANGING YOUR FOCUS from caring about yourself to realizing HE CARES FOR YOU. And He can do a much better job of it than you can.

Say it out loud to yourself and watch the cords begin to break away from your mind -- "He cares for me!" Say it over and over, in any anxious moment, and God will bless you with a care free mind and a liberated life.
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Glory Just Around the Corner

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"Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner." (1 Peter 4:12-13. The Message).

Sometimes things can get so difficult that even the most ardent believers look heavenward with serious questions about whether or not God is involved in our affairs anymore. Even Jesus Himself cried out on the cross, "My God, why have you forsaken me?"

Sometimes God pulls just far enough away to awaken and alarm us by His absence. Perhaps we may have grown so accustomed to His blessings and benefits, that we inadvertently began taking them for granted; failing to humbly acknowledge His presence and His provisions in our daily lives. Living presumptously, without showing our gratitude to God for who He is and what He does.

Nothing snaps us out of that indifferent daze more quickly that a good dose of real difficulty, with a side order of God's perceived absence. When all hell breaks loose, and heaven is no where to be found -- that will get your attention!

But, God is not absent, nor is He distant. He's just silent; watching and waiting for how we handle the situation. Will be bellow in unbelief like those who know not God at all? Or will we, like Job of old, trust Him though He slay us.

The truth is that the difficulty you are facing is a spiritual refining process; God is separating the gold from the dross in your life. And if you will quietly trust Him through the ordeal you will soon discover it was worth it all -- for glory is just around the corner.
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Beautiful Before God

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"The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as "my dear husband." You'll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated. The same goes for you husbands..." (1 Peter 3:5-7, The Message).

While men and women alike in our pampered culture of flesh, fame, and fancy may do a thousand different things to enlarge this and shrink that, lengthen that and shorten this, flatten this and pump up that -- all will still turn to dust in but a little while. What a tragic mistake it would be to focus all your efforts on the outside, while you let the insides rot away.

Peter points back to a time when people were "beautiful before God." And he highlights two specific characteristics that were true of them -- men and women alike. They were unanxious, and unintimidated.

Anxiety will contort anybody's face, and disturb everybody's peace of mind. Timidity can back even the strongest into a corner, and silence even the most vocal among us. But the inner life was designed by God for something far beyond the limitations of these two thieves.

God wants to bring you to the place where your life is notably marked by two unmistakable traits, obvious to all who know you. He wants you to live a life that is unanxious and unintimidated.

Look about your personal world right now and ask yourself this question: "What difference would it make in my life from this point onward if I lived every day and faced each situation unanxious and unintimidated?"

The answer you come up with will be inspiring, and your life will become beautiful before God!
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The Genius of Good Grief

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"Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way." (1 Peter 4:1, The Message).

Remember the old country western classic -- "I beg your pardon; I never promised you a rose garden. Along with the sunshine, there's got to come a little rain some time." I can't help but wonder if there are times when Jesus pick up a trusted six string and belts this one out from the clouds of glory to His "naming-claiming-gabbing-grabbing kids."

"Oh hallelujah!" we say, when things are going great and good. The stock market is up and increasing everyday; blessings abound in every part of life; no problems, no worries, not setbacks, no struggles, no grief. "Glory to God in the highest returns on my investments!"

But wait a minute. Didn't Jesus say that in this world we would have trouble. Yes, and that He would be with us through it all. Sometimes the Lord opens the back door on our happy estate and all sorts of things start going wrong. It's at that moment we discover where our faith and affections really stand.

Sometimes grief is a good thing. And the genius of good grief is that, once it trims away the fat and fluff of pretentious and superficial living, we become more able to live out our days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what we thought we wanted.

Good grief!
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The Last Word on Everything and Everyone

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"Jesus has the last word on everything and everyone, from angels to armies. He's standing right alongside God, and what he says goes." (1 Peter 3:22, The Message).

Sooner or later the last word will be spoken. All debate will cease, and arguments will come to an end. Somebody somehow in someway will be able to sum it all up and put everything and everyone in their place. That somebody is Jesus.

Until then we are surrounded by a hurricane of opinions, ideas, suggestions, postulations, pontifications, exaggerations, exclamations, theories, concepts, notions, imaginations, vanities, snippets, and a host of other verbal squalls that wreck lives and strew debris across the landscape.

The wind blows faster and faster, the swirl moves more and more quickly -- gathering speed and force. The vortex of the man-made Blow Cloud sucks virtually everything and everyone into it spin. Soon it will reach such velocity that one will hardly be able to put a clear thought on the table for discussion.

BOOM! That's when a trumpet blast will call the whole thing to a screeching halt and we will find ourselves dizzy with nonsense as we stand before the Lord. He will look us over, and His gaze will humble us one and all.

And then He will speak -- and what He says goes. He will have the final word on everything and everyone. It would be a good idea to become friends with Him now, don't you think?
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The Pot of Boiling Acid

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"For God does speak—now one way, now another— though man may not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds, he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, to turn man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride, to preserve his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword." (Job 33:14-18, NIV).

In a dream I saw an angel standing with a large vat in his hands. The vat was filled with what appeared to be acid. A man came and stood before the angel, who then began to pour the acid upon the man's head! "What are you doing?!" I exclaimed. The angel continued pouring as he looked at me and solemnly said, "These are the curses with which he has cursed others, now being poured out upon his own head!"

The sight was so riveting that I woke up and lay still in my bed. I wondered first if I was the man, and quickly started blessing everybody I could think of! Next, I questioned if what I had seen in the dream could even be true, for it seemed so sinister. And yet it also had a sobering sense of Divine justice about it. I found the sight to be deeply disturbing. I got up and began searching through the Scripture for an answer. My search was not fruitless.

"He loved to pronounce a curse - may it come on him; he found no pleasure in blessing - may it be far from him. He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil" (Psalm 109:17-18).

I clearly saw the lesson that Lord was illustrating through this dream: The man who curses others will himself be cursed. Jesus said, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (Matthew 7:1-2).

As it applies to cursing, so also does it apply to blessing. The man who blesses others will himself be blessed. Whatever measure you mete out will be measured back to you. In yet another text Jesus said "bless those who curse you!" (Matthew 5:44).

Could it be that the blessing we speak to those who are cursing us is for the purpose of keeping us from coming into the place of cursing ourselves? I think so. How solemn to think that cursing another postures you to receive that very curse upon yourself!

But then, how wonderful to believe that by blessing another you inevitably inherit the blessing yourself! Despite the bewildering images of this night vision, one thing is certain: Since having this dream I have been very careful with my words.

As for me and my house -- we are going to BLESS others; that we might inherit a blessing.
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Your New Job Description -- BLESS!

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"This goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless--that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing." (1 Peter 3:9, The Message).

We have been called to live exemplary lives -- the kind that inspire others to do the same. This is our assignment from Jesus. The challenge is that we have been placed in a world filled with un-exemplary conduct.

From Main Street to the Back Streets; from Broadway to the Belt-Way; from Wall Street to the Waysides -- name calling, finger pointing, blame-fixing, sass and sarcasm are the standard fare. We are living in a grown up school yard -- but no one seems to have grown up.

So the Lord has given us a job.

"BLESS," He says to each one of us, "That's your job -- to bless." And then He adds this wonderful promise: "You will BE and blessing, and will also GET a blessing."

This reminds me of a very graphic dream I had a few years ago. Be sure to read tomorrow's post, for I'll pass the dream along to you. Then you can decide for yourself what kind of job performance you will commit to in this assignment the Lord has given us.

See you tomorrow.
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Every Name in the Book?

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"They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right." (1 Peter 2:23, The Message).

Like most anyone, I have been called a few names over the course of my journey -- but I'm sure I've never been called "every name in the book." I didn't even know there was a book. And, are the names listed alphabetically? If so -- Jesus has been called everyone of those names.

A lesser man would have gone to war by now. All it took to set Marty McFly off was for Biff Tannen to call him, "Chicken." (You'll find that listed in the Book under C). It means someone who is so afraid of facing up to a challenge that they stand there quivering until.....they lay an egg.

Think of any name you can come up with -- it's in the Book. And then consider how Jesus responded when they called Him that.

The Bible tells us that He did not answer back. Rather, He was content to let God set things right. One translation puts it this way: "He kept on delivering all into the keeping of the One who judges righteously."

That's what we are to do also. Rather than handle it on our own, going tit for tat; blow for blow; escalating the conflict to war, or worse -- let give Jesus the opportunity to handle the situation IN US the way He handled it for Himself.

Let's do what He did -- "keep on delivering into the hands of Him who judges all things rightly" -- knowing that once His verdict is in, that will be the final word.
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The Exemplary Life

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"Live an exemplary life." (1 Peter 2:12, The Message).

Exemplary means "serving as a commendable pattern to be imitated." No pressure here, but may I ask what about your life as a follower of Jesus would others say is exemplary? If the question leaves you a bit unsettled that's a good thing. Because it shows that you at least care.

Some of us squirm out of false humility. "Aw shucks," we reply, "why, golly, there's nothing in me that even comes close to being like Jesus." Oh, grow up!

Others of us squirm for more substantial reasons. We know two things. One, we are called to something better. And two, we are settling for less.

Peter said, "Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul." (1 Peter 2:11).

Jesus wants to fill us each with His spirit, thereby making our lives exemplary. He wants us to be good friends, good parents, good neighbors, good employees, good employers, good people. So good, in fact, that even those who otherwise oppose us cannot help but commend our lives.

This is do-able. So. let's do it!
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The Night-and-Day Difference

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"Tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you-- from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted." (1 Peter 2:9,10, The Message).

Jesus doesn't merely clean us up, dust us off, and patch up a few dings here and there -- He performs a total overhaul. His grace transformation of our lives is not cosmetic -- it's cosmic!

"I once was blind but now I see." That's the kind of testimony people have after Jesus gets hold of them. He takes us from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. He calls us to a position way above our pay-grade and introduces us to the high calling of telling others of the night-and-day difference Jesus makes in our lives -- and in theirs.

So, if you are ready for a change -- call upon the name of Jesus. Perhaps the words of this old hymn may sum up the deepest longings of your heart today...

Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night, into Thy freedom, gladness, and light, Jesus, I come to Thee; Out of my sickness into Thy health, Out of my want and into Thy wealth, Out of my sin and into Thyself, Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of my shameful failure and loss, Into the glorious gain of Thy cross, Jesus, I come to Thee; Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm, Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm, Out of distress to jubilant psalm, Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of unrest and arrogant pride, into Thy blessed will to abide, Jesus, I come to Thee; Out of myself to dwell in Thy love, Out of despair into raptures above, Upward for aye on wings like a dove, Jesus, I come to Thee.

Make that call -- and He will make a night-and-day difference in your life!
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The Lovers of Truth

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"Now that you've cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it." (1 Peter 1:22, The Message).

Truth Works. It always has and always will. It possess many unique powers -- one of them is the power to cleanse.

Truth can cleanse our minds from the garbage that has built up over the years, like graffiti in a subway system. Truth can cleanse our speech, by filling our vocabulary with noble and life-giving themes. Truth can cleanse our labors, removing vain imagination and selfish agendas from the efforts we put forth. Truth can cleanse our lives is so many wonderful and positive ways.

And, as a bonus, we discover that we are not alone. There is a vast and growing company of those who are Lovers of Truth in this world. Our love for the Truth knits us to them with a kindred bond stronger than blood.

And as we engage in meaningful dialogue and friendship with these Lovers of Truth, our souls become so strengthened and sustained that at length we realize that our very lives depend upon this sacred society.

Purpose in your heart that from this day forward you will be a Lover of Truth; that you will do nothing, nor speak nothing against the Truth -- or against those who love it.
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The God Who Helps

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"You call out to God for help and He helps -- He's a good Father that way. But don't forget, He's also a responsible Father, and won't let you get by with sloppy living. Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God." (1 Peter 1:17, The Message).

Some knuckle head somewhere back in time coined the phrase, "God helps those who help themselves." I suppose the guy was a dad, and he was trying to motivate a sluggish child to get with the program. Or more likely a parish priest trying to get his congregation up off their butts. But whoever it was, and whatever their motivation -- the statement is false.

The truth of the matter is this -- God does NOT help those who help themselves. He helps the helpless. He helps those who call out to Him.

God is not interested in helping us do our own thing with His assistance -- for it will still be "our own thing." And apart from the perfunctory acknowledgement to The Man Upstairs -- He receives little or no glory for our achievements. We keep it all for ourselves.

God helps those who want His help, need His help, and ask for His help. But, being responsible, He expects us to take the help He provides and become the best we can be in whatever it is we are doing. Knowing at all times, and in all things, that all the glory belongs to Him.

Need some help today? Ask God....and just watch what happens!
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Slip Slidin' Away?

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"Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires." (1 Peter 1:14, The Message).

Have you ever noticed that things never drift upstream? The flow of the current always takes things down. That's also true of how the world works. If you go along with the flow, and never purposefully live a counter-culture life -- you will slip slide away.

In all the history of the world there has ever only been one exception to this law of nature. It happened during the recent Hurricane that hammered Galveston.

A young reporter eager to be the first with some new angle on the breaking news story, got caught in the middle of the torrential downpour. The rain fell so hard and the waters rose so fast, that people only had time to scurry to their rooftops.

The young reporter was on a roof with a neighbor lady, watching the powerful waters sweep things past them. There were cows, and cars, and clumps of assorted shrubs whisking by, when the reporter spotted a crisp, clean white Stetson cowboy hat moving along in the current.

He watched in amazement as the hat suddenly stopped, turn 180 degrees and started moving back against the tide. Then, it stopped again, turned around and flowed with the water back downstream. And, yet once more it stopped, turned back around and started going against the flow of water.The young reporter grabbed his pen a notepad and said, "That's a miracle! I'm going to write a story about the miracle of the floating Stetson!"

"That's no miracle," the woman sitting next to him on the roof replied, "that's my husband Cecil. He said he was gonna mow that lawn come hell or high water!"

Maybe we need a whole company of men and women named Cecil and Cecilia -- who will do what needs to be done come hell or high water. Men and women who will live out their faith in the face of an ever-increasing flood of faithlessness.

Can we count on you?
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By Orders From Heaven

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"All they were told was that they were serving you, you who by orders from heaven have now heard for yourselves--through the Holy Spirit--the Message of those prophecies fulfilled. Do you realize how fortunate you are? Angels would have given anything to be in on this!" (1 Peter 1:12, The Message).

The prophets of old saw what they did not understand. And no matter how earnestly they tried to sort it all out, they were simply unable to do so.

And to their everlasting honor -- they did not concoct some half-baked notion of what they thought it all meant. They simply reported what they saw. And they did so knowing that they were serving US today. For we now live in the midst of their prophecies being fulfilled.

How extraordinary that God would favor us with this remarkable privilege -- to be alive in these days, seeing, hearing, knowing and experiencing all the blessings that the Gospel brings into our world and into our lives. And mark these words well -- all this is done "by orders from heaven."

We did not merit this on our own, nor could we lay claim to these things as though they were ours by right. No. They are given by the gracious God, who is motivated only by His love for us.

John the Baptist said, "A man can receive nothing except it be given to him from above." In another place Paul wrote, "What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?" (1 Co.4:7).

We each should live with a profound sense of gratitude for ourselves, and solicitude for others. Surely God would smile upon such an attitude and, who knows -- even show us more than we have already seen!
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