Is God Really Listening?

So…you’ve  been praying for years that your family reconciles, yet there is still discord between some of you; your child is on the wrong path and prayers have not put him or her on the right course; you’re dealing with a medical issue that doesn’t change, regardless of how much healing is declared; can’t seem to find the right person to marry after years of prayer and failed relationships; that person that did you wrong continues to prosper, and you feel you’ve wasted your time asking God for vindication as your prayers seem to go unheard…

Is God listening? Why is He not answering?

The Bible says that when we pray, we have to believe we receive what we ask for and we will have it. [1]  In the face of what we perceive as unanswered prayers, I sometimes ask myself, “Was that verse meant to be taken figuratively; or does it literally explain what should  happen when we pray this way?”

I think the answer is found in our spiritual posture. When we pray, are we faithfully asking God; or are we giving Him orders? Is it a true conversation with the one who knows what is best for us, He who knows to sovereignly distinguish between needs and wants in ways beyond natural understanding? The Bible says that even when we pray, we don’t get what we ask because “our motives are all wrong—we want only what will give us pleasure. …”  [2] We ask for things that will make us feel good, safe, or accomplished. What are the true motives of our petitions? Whether they are for healing, or about conceiving a child, to save a marriage, to deliver a loved one from the wrong path, or whatever they are; are they meant to align with God’s will? I think it's important to remember that it is God’s Will to heal that individual, reconcile that family, deliver that person from the wrong course, etc. Are we going to praise God wholeheartedly, even if it seems as if our prayer went unheard?

What we think is an unanswered prayer, is the best thing for us in God’s eyes. I think Jesus gave the best example of this. For instance, the night before His crucifixion, He prayed to God for deliverance. Knowing the terrible sequence of events that were ready to unfold He asked, “My Father, if it can be done, take away what is before me…” Since Jesus was ultimately crucified, one may be inclined to say His prayer was not answered. Some may even think God wasn’t listening or at least chose not to. What’s interesting is that after those words, Jesus also said, “Even so, not what I want, but what you want…”[3]  He understood that when praying; even in the face of pain and suffering, His desire had to align to the Father’s will; not his. Had God answered Jesus’ prayer the way He wanted on that night, Jesus would have not become who He did; name above all names.  It was difficult for Him to fathom what He was about to go through so He prayed for it to be taken away from Him. In His mind, the best was to be delivered from such pain and suffering, yet God knew better and answered the prayer the way that pleased His will. The answer was, “no.” What at that time seemed like the darkest hour and the most difficult scenario to Jesus, became the best thing not just for Him, but for us. Without that you and I would not enjoy the salvation we get from that sacrifice.

Many times we go through the same ordeal. We feel our prayers are both warranted and valid based on what we want, or think we need. But we underestimate the sovereignty of God. The true motive of what we ask for should always be what brings Him the most glory, whether we understand it or not.

Is God really listening?

I once heard a message that stressed the importance of praying correctly. That is, trusting that you are having a conversation with the creator of the universe. Your creator! He listens. He always answers. The message stressed that we must align our wills with His at all times and understand that the answer to our prayers can sometimes be yes, sometimes no, and other times, not yet. Are you spiritually ready to accept any of those answers, knowing that He knows our lives and our futures better than we do? Are you prepared to pray with all your heart and accept whatever answer with praises of glory to His name? Romans 8:28 (NKJV) tells how, “all things work together for good to those that love God…” So whatever the answer is, we must accept it. If it's “yes”, then “thank you Lord.” If “no'', “praise God.” But if it's “not yet,” then keep on pressing.

He is listening.

—R. Bermúdez

[1] Mark 11:24 (NKJV)

[2] James 4:3 (NLT)

[3] Matthew 26:39 (NLV)

¿Está Dios realmente escuchando?

Entonces… has estado orando durante años para que tu familia se reconcilie, pero todavía hay discordia entre algunos de ustedes; Tu hijo(a) está en el camino equivocado y tus oraciones no lo han puesto en el camino correcto; Estás lidiando con un problema médico que no cambia, independientemente de cuánto declares sanidad; Parece que no puedes encontrar a la persona adecuada con quien casarte después de años de oración y relaciones fallidas; Esa persona que te hizo mal sigue prosperando, y sientes que has perdido el tiempo pidiéndole a Dios vindicación, ya que tus oraciones parecen no ser escuchadas…

¿Está Dios escuchando? ¿Por qué no responde?

La Biblia dice que cuando oramos, tenemos que creer que recibimos lo que pedimos y lo tendremos.[1]  Frente a lo que percibimos como oraciones sin respuesta, a veces me pregunto: “¿Se suponía que ese versículo se tomara en sentido figurado; o explica literalmente lo que debería suceder cuando oramos de esa manera?

Creo que la respuesta se encuentra en nuestra postura espiritual. Cuando oramos; ¿Estamos pidiéndole fielmente a Dios; o le estamos dando órdenes? ¿Estamos teniendo una verdadera conversación con el que sabe lo que es mejor para nosotros; aquel que sabe distinguir soberanamente entre necesidades y deseos en formas más allá de la comprensión natural? La Biblia dice que incluso cuando oramos, no lo recibimos porque “lo pedimos con malas intenciones, solo queremos lo que nos da placer. …”[2] Pedimos cosas que nos hagan sentir bien, seguros o realizados. ¿Cuáles son los verdaderos motivos de nuestras peticiones? Ya sean por sanidad, para concebir un hijo, salvar un matrimonio, librar a un ser querido del mal camino, o lo que sea; ¿Están nuestras oraciones alineadas con la voluntad de Dios? Creo que es importante recordar que es la voluntad de Dios sanar a ese individuo; reconciliar esa familia; librar a esa persona del mal camino, etc... ¿Vamos a alabar a Dios de todo corazón, aunque parezca que nuestra oración no fue escuchada?

Lo que pensamos que es una oración sin respuesta, es lo mejor para nosotros ante sus ojos. Creo que Jesús dio el mejor ejemplo de esto. Por ejemplo, la noche antes de su crucifixión, oró a Dios. Conociendo la terrible secuencia de eventos que estaban listos para desarrollarse, preguntó: “Padre mío, si es posible, que pase de mí esta copa de sufrimiento…” Uno puede estar inclinado a decir que su oración no fue contestada. Algunos incluso pueden pensar que Dios no estaba escuchando, o qué decidió no responder. Lo interesante es que después de esas palabras, Jesus también dijo: “sin embargo, quiero que se haga tu voluntad, no la mía…”.[3]  Él entendía que al orar; incluso enfrentando dolor y sufrimiento, su deseo tenía que ser la voluntad de Dios; no la suya. Si Dios hubiera respondido la oración de Jesús, Jesús no se habría convertido en quien se convirtió; nombre sobre todo nombre. Era difícil para él comprender lo que estaba a punto de pasar, por lo que oró para que se le fuera quitado. En la mente de Jesús, lo mejor era ser librado de tal dolor y sufrimiento. Sin embargo, Dios respondió su oración, pero de la manera que Él sabía mejor. La respuesta fue, “no”. Lo que en ese momento parecía la hora más oscura y el escenario más difícil para Jesús, se convirtió en lo mejor no solo para él, sino también para nosotros. Sin eso, tú y yo no disfrutaríamos de la salvación que recibimos por ese sacrificio.

Muchas veces pasamos por lo mismo. Sentimos que nuestras oraciones están justificadas y son válidas según lo que queremos. Pero subestimamos la soberanía de Dios. El motivo principal de lo que pedimos debe ser siempre lo que le traiga la mayor gloria a él.

¿Está Dios realmente escuchando?

Una vez escuché un mensaje que enfatizaba la importancia de orar correctamente. Es decir, confiar en que efectivamente estás sosteniendo una conversación con el creador del universo. ¡Tu creador! Él escucha. Él siempre responde. El mensaje enfatizó que debemos alinear nuestras súplicas con su voluntad en todo momento y comprender que la respuesta a nuestras oraciones a veces puede ser Sí, a veces No, y otras veces,aún no. ¿Estás espiritualmente listo para aceptar cualquiera de esas respuestas, sabiendo que él conoce nuestras vidas y nuestro futuro mejor que nosotros? ¿Estás preparado para orar con todo tu corazón y aceptar cualquier respuesta con alabanzas de gloria a su nombre? Romanos 8:28 (NVI) dice, “Dios dispone todas las cosas para el bien de quienes lo aman…” Así que cualquiera que sea la respuesta, debemos aceptarla. Si es "sí", entonces "gracias Señor". Si “no”, “alabado sea Dios”. Pero si es "aún no", entonces sigue presionando.

Él está escuchando.

—R. Bermúdez

[1] Marcos 11:24 (NVI)

[2] Santiago 4:3 (NTV)

[3] Mateo 26:39 (NVI)

Too…WHAT?

Do you read The Daily Bread? It’s the free quarterly devotional publication in the racks out in the foyer and café at Living Faith. I’ve enjoyed reading it each day since I was young.

A week or so ago, one title caught my eye and I found myself musing over the paragraphs beneath it: String Too Short to Use. Did you read it? Apparently a frugal, elderly aunt of the writer’s had recently passed away. Her grieving extended family was tasked with disposing of all her earthly treasures. In the process, her amused nieces discovered a little bag filled with a variety of tiny pieces of string. They laughed in delight as they read its carefully scrawled label, “String too short to use.”

What?? Why would anyone save something even they deemed unusable? Why not just toss those bits of cord right in the rubbish can? It’s STRING, for heaven’s sake!!

So I started thinking about that.

 A lot.

I realized that sometimes I feel just like a tiny, useless snip of Auntie’s string. I just don’t feel very valuable or important or needed. But I really don’t want to be trashed or bagged up and set aside either. Have you ever felt that way too?

I am so very thankful it is my Father who assesses what to do with me, not dear, departed Auntie.  

Because, unlike Auntie, my merciful Father doesn’t look at me and, seeing all my many shortcomings, toss me aside in distain to be forgotten. While the Aunt saves old string pieces, the Father saves me—regardless of my size, background, weaknesses, failures, and flaws. And He does it with a glorious purpose in mind, one He has planned just for me.

Then He labels me usable!

You too.

You see, He made each of us exactly how He wanted us to be. Short. Tall. Slight. Husky. Male. Female. Freckled. Dark. Light. Asian. Indian. Graceful. Outgoing. Quiet. The Psalmist beautifully expresses this in Psalm 139:13-18. This is the way The Message reads.

Oh, yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God - you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration - what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day. Your thoughts - how rare, how beautiful! God, I'll never comprehend them! I couldn't even begin to count them - any more than I could count the sand of the sea. Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!

God designed and created us. But He knew we would mess up. From the beginning, He set in motion the plan to save us from our sin and condemnation—for a purpose. I love how Paul describes it in Ephesians 2:8-10. Again, I am referencing The Message in its simplicity.

Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

Saved. Useable.

Not worthless scraps of string in a drawer. Not rejected pieces of unloved humanity.

Is that hard for you to believe? That you were formed by God Himself, made in His very image, and then, by His grace through the selfless sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, rescued from your mess, guilt, shame, and hopeless condition? That He longs to use you for His grand Kingdom purposes, that it was His plan all along?

It really is amazing.

Especially when you, like me, can think of dozens of others who are so much smarter, so much more attractive, so much better educated, so much stronger, so much more confident, so better qualified, so much more experienced, so beautifully gifted, so better connected, so much taller…and so better fit to be useful to God.

But God doesn’t measure usefulness the way we do. Good thing for us. It seems He specializes in revealing His power and character, in making Himself known and His message heard through people who are fragile, weak, and frail. The Bible is full of examples of this. Just think about it for a minute. So many flawed heroes in the pages of Scripture.

Moses didn’t speak well. Abraham was old. Sarah was impatient. Jacob was a deceiver. Jonah ran from God. David had an affair. Gideon was insecure. Thomas was a doubter. Peter had a temper. Martha was jealous. Timothy was timid, possibly sickly. Paul was a murderer. Lazarus was dead…

And Zaccheus was short! But not too short for God to use.

All our favorite Bible characters were just ordinary people that had one thing in common. They were all imperfect, fallen, weak humans. Yet God used every single one of them in His story. He purposely chooses to use pathetic people like us for His glorious plans, His plans for us to know Him and make Him known, for us to make much of Him. Check out 1 Corinthians 1:26-30.

Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ.

If your resume is sketchy, your skills unimpressive, and your wisdom below average, don’t fret. God can use even you. And me. God wants to use any of us who look away from our own prideful self-sufficiency or our crippling, perceived inadequacies and fix our eyes on His ALL-sufficiency in every aspect of life. God uses all those who humble themselves before the cross, boasting only in Him—His strength, His wisdom, His righteousness, His accomplishment.

Let’s embrace our weaknesses, then, so that the power of Christ may rest upon us, revealing God’s surpassing greatness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

That’s our purpose.

And none of us is too short—or too tall—to do that.

In fact, we are not too ANYTHING!

Our dear Father has labeled us USEABLE.

—Eileen Hill

Manna. Can You See Him?

Aware of the great multitude drawing near, Jesus askes Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 

Philip immediately assesses the need.  He scans the crowd and does some quick math. He estimates that there must be nearly 5,000 people. To feed them all, He needs at least 2,400 loaves of bread at a cost of over $4,000.

Philip shares his number with Jesus. He says, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”.

Like Philip, we can get overwhelmed by the needs. His need was too big, the resources too few. Just like in Salem City today…and in our schools…and in my home. There is not enough time. There is not enough money. There is not enough support. There is not enough in the world. 

Why did Jesus ask Philip to seek an answer to a hopeless problem? Thankfully, the scriptures tell us. 

He said this to him to test him, for Jesus already knew what He would do. 

On this day, He would provide the bread. Two kinds of manna would be laid before them: One temporary, one eternal. Which one would they partake of?

In the words of John Piper, “Where Christ isn’t being treasured, He’s being used.” After Jesus feeds the 5,000, many follow Him expecting to use Him for more bread, just as their forefathers did in the desert. They seek the provision not the provider. Because of this, their stomachs were filled daily for 40 years, however they were left unsatisfied. This is because men do not live by bread alone.

Jesus is the answer to His question to Philip. Is there a way for the needs to be met? Yes. Jesus is the way.  Jesus is the answer to our needs. He tells us today; I am the bread of life. He is the manna. May our eyes be opened to our daily bread and may our response be faith in Him, the true bread from heaven.

In Christ,

—Roger Garrison

Why all the Mystery, God?

I confess when I am in a hurry, mysteries are a bother. But, on the other hand, when I have my truest priorities aligned, I love to figure things out and pull the obscure together into a compelling whole. It is the Father's perfect will to help us find the breadcrumbs that lead us to better understand Him and ourselves with greater insight and spiritual authority.

God seems to like making things precise or obscure. Sometimes He does both in the exact moment, sermon, divine interaction, service, or story. Proverbs tells us that "it is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings" (25.2). I imagine that Jesus' statement about His teaching has caused students of ministry to scratch their heads and wonder why. He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others, I speak in parables, so that, "'Though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.' (Luke 8.10)

Is it possible then that the seeking, more than the easy gathering of information, is to be part of finding the narrow way He mentioned? Is it possible that we must go slowly to go fast when it comes to God's mysteries because His truths are not "sale rack" truths, easily bought, at the moment, and then discarded like yesterday's junk mail? Instead, His truth and gifts of wisdom are of eternal worth.

There is so much that our Father gives us that costs us nothing, but one must invest themself, with great struggle, at times, to understand what we are to know. Proverbs calls it "buying truth." But, we are also told not to sell it once we get it. There is still an unfolding mystery behind everything my Father has done and is doing. I love that I get to talk with Him about everything and sense His joy at discovering freshly understood truth.

So, if someone wants to understand the mysteries of God, to go deeper into His heart, there is a time-price to pay. There is a thinking time to invest in and a deeper relationship to be gained through prayer. There are things God will keep hidden from those who only want someone to spoon-feed the Word to them. Living in God in a crazy world can become a parabolic mystery. Therefore, we must search out all that we don't understand in God in submission to the Holy Spirit and the Words of God, both written and spoken to our hearts.

I remember asking, why all the mysteries, God? I now see that it's because He raises us to be Kings and Queens under His authority. Searching out things is what we are all made in Christ to do. It's part of our new nature, and it is our inheritance to gain knowledge of Him, learn continually, enjoy delving into more than just the surface truths, and one day rule with our beloved.

Slow down, my soul, enjoy the mystery, let the Holy Spirit lead you into all truth, and continue to become what you should become—a child who lives with the glory of Kings.

—George Davis

Look What the Lord Has Done!

The lyrics of a song I grew up hearing in church have been on repeat in my mind.

He has done marvelous, 

He has done marvelous things. 

Praise the Lord!

I remember the choir repeating these two sentences over and over again in ascending octaves, and the congregation becoming more and more excited clapping, swaying, singing along in response. With this image in mind, how beautiful would it be if more of our conversations with one another were like this? Children of God testifying of God’s goodness and declaring His greatness to one another, telling of His good deeds and mighty acts, reflecting on God’s awesomeness, His unfailing and steadfast love toward us, His rescue, and healing. ‭‭The effect? As one testifies and exalts the Lord, the hearts of others are gladdened, and they join in to tell of God’s goodness and greatness too. 

Psalms‬ ‭34‬:1-‭4 ( ‭AMP‬‬) says, 

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; The humble and downtrodden will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, And let us lift up His name together. I sought the Lord [on the authority of His word], and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.” 

It inspires glee in me to think that David is essentially saying, “Hey! I’m praising God all the time; I can’t help myself (Vs 1). Something cool happens when I do (Vs 2). Y’all come do it with me (Vs 3)! I’m going first: Look what the Lord has done (Vs4)!” Have you ever felt that way? Has God been good or mighty in your circumstance and you could not contain yourself?

David often expresses his commitment and irresistible urge to praise and testify in the Psalms. Psalms‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬ (‭AMP) “I will give thanks and praise the Lord, with all my heart; I will tell aloud all Your wonders and marvelous deeds,” ‭‭‬‬ and Psalms‬ ‭107‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭(AMP) “O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His compassion and lovingkindness endure forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary,” ‭are just a couple more examples. I am encouraged and my heart is stirred up with joy every time I read these Psalms. I guess that is to be expected. “The humble and downtrodden will hear it and rejoice.” Christ also told some people He delivered to tell what He had done for them, like the demonized man of Gerasenes in Mark 5 and Luke 8. 

“Return home and tell [about] all the great things God has done for you.” So the man went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.” ‭‭(Luke‬ ‭8‬:‭39‬ ‭AMP)‬‬

The funny thing is that other times Jesus explicitly told people not to tell anyone what He did for them, but they could not help themselves! Even Paul, while admonishing the Ephesians to be imitators of God, instructed them to “speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, [offering praise by] singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks to God the Father for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” (Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭AMP‬‬). 

I am so excited to share more time with others telling of God’s awesomeness and goodness. Aren’t you? I’m praying for it. “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.” (Deuteronomy 10:17-18) Our God has done and continues to do marvelous things. Praise the Lord! He is worthy!

— Anyah E. R. White

Transitional Times

Transitional periods in life are often uncomfortable because of the degree of uncertainty that is associated with them. A transitional period involves changes to the way we have been used to doing things. Merriam Webster’s thesaurus lists the top three words most similar to transition as, “transformation, adjustment, and changeover.”[1] This is a time period when the only thing that appears to be certain is change itself. It involves a transformation from what is familiar to the unfamiliar while being forced to adjust to the new outcomes and accept that change, at least to some degree, will be inevitable. When transitional times are unanticipated, they create an even more challenging degree of manageability as the clock keeps ticking and business must continue as usual, regardless of how one is adjusting to the transformation and change that takes place with each decision made. It allowed no time to plan a strategy, let alone get ready for the rollercoaster ride.

God is still God…

The Bible says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”[2] So no matter what the level of readjustment we are facing, we must remain focused on the fact that God never changes. He will never leave us. His presence was with us before this time period and will be with us during and after the transition. God promised to be faithful until the very end. Maybe the uncertainties of unanticipated changes bring a dim picture of where we are but that is only if we are looking with the natural eyes. As servants of a supernatural God, we must remember what the prophet Isaiah said, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”[3] Regardless of how things may look on the outside, God’s word will stand forever and He will never forsake us. If we are praying like it depends on God and receive it as we are instructed to when we pray, then we know clearer days are coming. God told the Israelites, “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”[4] Basically, God was letting them know that He can make the miracle happen out of what may seem impossible. If He can make a river in the desert, He can surely manage our fears, anxieties, and even  uncertainty to make wonders happen that we never even dreamed of. Sometimes our problem is being unable to discern that God wants to work in us and through us, so we become anxious. Anxiety sometimes drives us to try to manufacture miracles ourselves, trusting primarily on what we know. If we (over)step in, we rob God of all the glory, and more than likely he will step back and allow us to experience the fruit of our weak trust in him. He tells us in the book of Proverbs, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths…”[5] It's difficult to sometimes just “trust.” Especially when situations are unexpected and there are changes happening with decisions to be made, sometimes under crucial time frames. The scripture reads, “in all your ways acknowledge him…” It doesn’t read, “in some ways - acknowledge him.” It reads, “in all your ways acknowledge him.” So whether we are acting out of certainty or not, we must acknowledge him and his power. He has promised to “direct our paths.”

God is still God, even through periods in our lives we don’t understand. Whether it is starting a new career you didn’t prepare for, a change in family structure like marriage, the loss physical or spiritual of someone whom you depended on, the birth of a new baby, or whatever it may be; God is still God. And if we delight in the Lord, we know that He has called us for a purpose. The scripture reminds us that when this is the case, everything will ultimately be alright. Romans 8:28 (NKJV) says that, “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Regardless of what the situation may be, we believe that it has to fall into rhythm. It has to work. Not only work, but work for good. For us who were called according to His purpose. In the natural, it seems as if it could never work out. It appears that it is taking or it has taken too long. It looks dark. Uncertain. But we serve a supernatural God.

I once heard a message that talked about how if you go outside of your home and step into your backyard at 9 o’clock in the evening or at 3 o’clock in the morning it is impossible to tell the difference in time by just looking at the surroundings. It is just as dark. The beauty is that at 12 midnight, it became a new day. When you go out at 2, or 3 in the morning, it may seem just as dark as 11 p.m. the night before, but it is certainly a new day. Focusing on the surroundings clouds the fact that the sun will rise and there is nothing humanly possible  that can stop that new day from happening. The same principle can be applied to the challenges we encounter during difficult transitional times. It may look dark. It may look overly challenging to deal with the changes. We feel doomed. If we believe our heavenly Father and trust His promises, we will realize that the sun will unstoppably come up again. A new day will begin, and we will reap the rewards of believing in His word which as we are aware of, “does not return to him void.”[6] So let’s receive his promises and trust that no transition can shake the very foundation that He has already established with and for our lives. In the name which is above all names, Jesus. Amen.

—R. Bermúdez

[1] Retrieved 4/3/2023 from https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/transition

[2] Hebrews 13:8, NKJV

[3] Isaiah 40:8, NKJV

[4] Isaiah 43:18-19, (NKJV)

[5] Proverbs 3: 5-6 (NKJV)

[6] Isaiah 55:11, NKJV

Tiempos de Transición

Los períodos de transición en la vida a menudo son incómodos debido al grado de incertidumbre que se asocia con ellos. Un período de transición implica cambios en la forma en que estamos acostumbrados a hacer las cosas. El diccionario de sinónimos de Merriam Webster enumera las tres palabras principales más similares a la transición como "transformación, ajuste y cambio".[1] Este es un período de tiempo en el que lo único que parece seguro es el cambio mismo. Implica una transformación de lo que es familiar a lo desconocido mientras uno es obligado a adaptarse a los nuevos resultados y aceptar que este cambio, al menos hasta cierto punto, será inevitable. Cuando los tiempos de transición no se anticipan, crean un grado de manejabilidad aún más desafiante a medida que el reloj sigue corriendo y la vida debe continuar como de costumbre, independientemente de cómo uno se ajuste a la transformación y el cambio que tiene lugar con cada decisión que se toma. No dio tiempo para planificar una estrategia, y mucho menos prepararse para la incertidumbre.

Dios sigue siendo Dios…

La Biblia dice: “Jesucristo es el mismo ayer, hoy y por los siglos”.[2] Entonces, sin importar el nivel de reajuste al que nos enfrentemos, debemos permanecer enfocados en el hecho de que nuestro Dios nunca cambia. Él nunca nos dejará. Su presencia estuvo con nosotros antes de este período de tiempo y estará con nosotros durante y después de la transición. Dios prometió ser fiel hasta el final. Tal vez las incertidumbres de los cambios imprevistos traen una imagen tenue de dónde estamos, pero eso es solo si estamos mirando con los ojos naturales. Como siervos de un Dios sobrenatural, debemos recordar lo que dijo el profeta Isaías: “La hierba se seca y la flor se marchita, pero la palabra de nuestro Dios permanece para siempre”.[3] Independientemente de cómo se vean las cosas por fuera, la palabra de Dios permanecerá para siempre y Él nunca nos abandonará. Si estamos orando como si dependiera de Dios y lo recibimos como se nos indica cuando oramos, entonces sabemos que vendrán días más claros. Dios les dijo a los israelitas: “Olviden las cosas de antaño; ya no vivan en el pasado. ¡Voy a hacer algo nuevo! Ya está sucediendo, ¿no se dan cuenta? Estoy abriendo un camino en el desierto, y ríos en lugares desolados”.[4] Básicamente, Dios les estaba haciendo saber que Él puede hacer que suceda el milagro de lo que parece imposible. Si Él puede hacer ríos en lugares desolados, seguramente puede manejar nuestros miedos, ansiedades e incluso nuestra incertidumbre para hacer que sucedan maravillas que ni siquiera soñamos. A veces, nuestro problema es no poder discernir que Dios quiere obrar en nosotros y a través de nosotros, por lo que nos angustiamos. La ansiedad a veces nos impulsa a intentar fabricar milagros nosotros mismos, confiando principalmente en nuestro entendimiento. Si intervenimos, le robamos a Dios toda la gloria, y lo más probable es que retroceda y nos permita experimentar el fruto de nuestra débil confianza en él. Él nos dice en el libro de Proverbios: “Confía en el Señor de todo corazón,  y no en tu propia inteligencia. Reconócelo en todos tus caminos,  y él allanará tus sendas.”[5] A veces es difícil simplemente "confiar". Especialmente cuando las situaciones son inesperadas y hay cambios que suceden con las decisiones que se deben tomar, a veces en marcos de tiempo cruciales. La escritura dice, “reconócelo en todos tus caminos…” No dice, “en algunos caminos, reconócelo”. Dice: “Reconócelo en todos tus caminos”. Entonces, ya sea que estemos actuando con certeza o no, debemos reconocerlo a Él y su poder. Él ha prometido “dirigir nuestros caminos”.

Dios sigue siendo Dios, incluso a través de períodos en nuestras vidas que no entendemos. Ya sea comenzar una nueva carrera para la que no se estamos preparados, un cambio en la estructura familiar como el matrimonio, la pérdida física o espiritual de alguien de quien uno dependía, el nacimiento de un nuevo bebé, o lo que sea; Dios sigue siendo Dios. Y si nos deleitamos en el Señor, sabemos que Él nos ha llamado con un propósito. La escritura nos recuerda que cuando este es el caso, finalmente todo estará bien. Romanos 8:28 (NVI) dice que, “Ahora bien, sabemos que Dios dispone todas las cosas para el bien de quienes lo aman, los que han sido llamados de acuerdo con su propósito.”. Independientemente de cuál sea la situación, confiamos que tiene que caer en ritmo. Tiene que funcionar. No sólo funcionar, sino funcionar para el bien. Para nosotros que fuimos llamados conforme a Su propósito. En lo natural, parece como si nunca pudiera funcionar. Parece que está tardando o ha tardado demasiado. Parece muy incierto. Pero servimos a un Dios sobrenatural.

Una vez escuché un mensaje acerca de que si uno sale de su casa y entra en el patio trasero a las 9 de la noche o a las 3 de la mañana es imposible notar la diferencia horaria con solo mirar en los alrededores. Es igual de oscuro. La belleza es que a las 12 de la media noche, se convirtió en un nuevo día. Cuando sales a las 2 o 3 de la mañana, puede parecer tan oscuro como a las 11 de la noche, pero definitivamente es un nuevo día. Centrarse en los alrededores nubla el hecho de que saldrá el sol y no hay nada humanamente posible que pueda impedir que suceda ese nuevo día. El mismo principio se puede aplicar a los desafíos que enfrentamos durante tiempos de transición difíciles. Puede parecer oscuro. Puede parecer que el cambio parezca demasiado desafiante. Nos sentimos condenados. Si creemos en nuestro Padre celestial y confiamos en sus promesas, nos daremos cuenta de que el sol volverá a salir imparablemente. Comenzará un nuevo día y cosecharemos las recompensas de creer en su palabra que, como sabemos, “no vuelve a él vacía”.[6] Así que recibamos sus promesas y confiemos en que ninguna transición puede hacer temblar los mismos cimientos que Él ya ha establecido con y para nuestras vidas. En el nombre que es sobre todo nombre, Jesús. Amén

R. Bermúdez

[1] Recuperado el 3/4/2023 de https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/transition

[2] Hebreos 13:8, NVI

[3] Isaías 40:8, NVI

[4] Isaías 43:18-19, (NVI)

[5] Proverbios 3: 5-6 (NVI)

[6] Isaías 55:11, NVI

Home for Easter

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.  (1 Peter 3:18 NIV)

In Grace for the Moment, Volume 2, 110, Max Lucado writes this.

One of the reference points of London is the Charing Cross. It is near the geographical center of the city and serves as a navigational tool for those confused by the streets.

A little girl was lost in the great city. A policeman found her. Between sobs and tears, she explained she didn’t know her way home. He asked her if she knew her address. She didn’t. He asked her phone number; she didn’t know that either. But when he asked her what she knew, suddenly her face lit up.

“I know the Cross,” she said. “Show me the Cross and I can find my way home from there.”

So can you. Keep a clear vision of the cross on your horizon and you can find your way home.

Home where your Father lives. Home where you are loved, protected, and safe. Home where you belong.

Jesus died an excruciating, torturous death on the Roman cross for you on that Good Friday more than two thousand years ago—so you can be reunited with your loving Father. So that you can go home. Doesn’t that thrill you? Humble you? Mystify you?

Home. This side of the fall, everyone on this spinning planet yearns for, longs for home. We imagine it to be a place of rest and stability, the familiar residence where we fit in. But how often is home an empty illusion void of the peace we so desperately seek?

Yanked from God, not one of us truly belongs here. Our frustrated desires to be with Him leave us wandering through life, lost and confused like the little British child in the story.

We want to be home. We long to be home.

Kathryn Butler, “Wanderers on the Earth,” from Desiring God’s website, explains it so well.

Our heritage as nomads began when Adam and Eve, trembling, skulked away from the garden with their eyes averted from God (Genesis 3:21-24). Our displacement has continued since then, driving us into shackles (Deuteronomy 6:21), into the wilderness (Numbers 32:13), into a constant restlessness as we strive to become whole again. To be gathered and led, finally, completely, by the patient, loving arms of the good shepherd (Zechariah 10:2; John 10:11).

In the meantime, our souls stir in discontent. Restlessness grips our bones. “How lovely is your dwelling place O Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God” (Psalm 84:1-2). While we seek, strive, and pine for belonging, we know the rust-colored roads and white clapboard are only shadows of the home for which we all yearn.

Yet even in our most desperate longing, we have hope. As C.S. Lewis writes, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world” (Mere Christianity, 138). While photographs grow yellow and roots from trees push through the decaying sidewalk, we remain God’s beloved. We bear his image (Genesis 1:27). He knows every wind-torn hair upon our heads (Matthew 10:30). Christ offers us, at long last, the promise of home, and peace, and belonging for which we all thirst (Psalm 42:1 Matthew 11:28). While we struggle through cultures and memory to discern our place, we cling to the hope that this sojourn on earth is transient. As Paul writes, “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling” (2 Corinthians 5:1-2).

We serve a God who hears our cries, who knows the fracturing of our hearts as we wander the earth. Through Christ’s sacrifice, he welcomes us into respite (Psalm 107:4-7). As the Father embraces his prodigal son, so God rushes to us with open arms, welcoming us to his table, inviting us to enjoy the communion possible only through the healing power of redemption (Luke 15:20)—through the forgiveness of our sins, which at long last restores us to God and makes all things new (Revelation 21:5).

In Christ, we find belonging. Through him we revel in a joy without boundaries, a joy that never fades, a joy whose walls will never crumble to dust. As the road unwinds, Christ’s resurrection draws us into the perfect communion for which our souls ache. He restores us. He renews us. He finally, gently pulls us weary and dust-covered from our wanderings, and at last calls us home.

So let’s keep a clear vision of the cross.

This Holy Week let’s be filled with awe and wonder and gratitude for our Savior whose body was broken and bruised there on that cross, whose blood was so willingly poured out to cover our sins, the innocent for the guilty. His selfless sacrifice amazingly provides the forgiveness we need and reestablishes our precious relationship with God.

We are no longer lost!

Yes, now we can find our way home. We can be with our loving and merciful Father forever. Believe that with all your heart, dear friends.  

We can finally be where we truly belong.

—Eileen Hill

Jesus Christ - The Eternal Foundation

People are going crazy. We are losing our minds. We are destroying ourselves and each other. How can we make sense of the madness?

God gives the answer. We have committed two sins:  We have forsaken Him, the spring of living water, and have dug our own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. The Apostle Paul puts it like this: We have exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator.  Why does this have such dire consequences?

In Romans 8, Paul exposes a problem with trusting in what has been created,

For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Here Paul reminds us of all of creation’s “bondage to decay” because of our sin. Creation is decaying. It is fleeting. Dependance on the temporary ends in despair. Have you ever trusted in something that gave way? The immediate feeling of terror leaves one grasping for anything nearby to hold on to. While climbing a tree, I once trusted in a branch that broke under my weight.  In desperation I reached for anything to help stop my fall.  I was terrified as the lower branches that once held my weight could no longer handle my increasing downward momentum. Likewise, when the things we trust in give way, we immediately reach out to that old relationship, next vacation, or nearest drug to stop the fall. We struggle to survive at all costs, bringing others down in the process. Can anything stop our great descent?

Hallelujah, there is One who can bear the weight of the fall. There is a Savior from the corruption.

“The sovereign LORD says, “Behold, I laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.” – Isaiah 28:16

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” – 1 Cor 3:11

May the chaos within and without cause us to lift our eyes and see the man upon the cross. He bore our curse and did not see decay. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father. He is the eternal foundation we must build our lives upon. In Christ alone, our hope is steadfast and out of this world.

In Christ,

—Roger Garrison

In Search of Mentors

In the culture in which I work, one hears about mentoring quite a bit. It is assumed that everyone could benefit from having a mentor, and I certainly agree. It is also assumed that every leader could or should be a mentor, and I’m just not sure about that.

In the Christian context, mentoring requires large doses of patience and humility, the ability to see the potential in someone and build them up, a willingness to live transparently and authentically. Helpful mentoring takes massive doses of intercession. If one truly wants to be a mentor to someone, they must like being with the person they wish to mentor and be willing to give their best lessons and understanding away for the joy of helping someone else along their journey. Mentoring takes heart, prayer, and time. Not every person in a leadership position is healthy enough to do it well.

Likewise, not every person is ready to be mentored.

To be mentored takes large doses of patience and humility, the ability to see something worth learning in another person’s life, and a willingness to live transparently and authentically with them. A mentee should enjoy being around their mentor. My best mentor, Denise, says that a person who wants a mentor should look for someone going in the same direction, at a similar pace, and should seek to be a friend, first. I think that is great advice.

Look for a spiritual mentor who won’t try to “fix” you but who is able take your hands and put them in the hands of the Holy Spirit. As author, Brian Simons states, “good mentors teach us how to hear the Holy Spirit for ourselves because the Holy Spirit will take us further than any man can”. When you look for a mentor, remind yourself of this simple verse found in in Philippians 3.17 “Keep track of those you see running the same course, headed for the same goal” (the message translation).

If you want a good mentor, pay attention to those around you and gravitate toward those who are walking in the same direction as you know you need to go, maybe only a step or two ahead. Look for the ones who see your potential and will help you go a little farther by their gift of themselves. Look for those who encourage you by their walk in God. Talk to God about your desire for a mentor, ask Him to help you find people who will invest in you and trust that He will bring them your way. He will. He did and still does for me.

Your Father knows what you need before you even ask Him, so start your search for great mentors with Him.  He loves to give you what you need to grow up in Him.

—George Davis (one who has the privilege of good mentors)

A Cheat Code to Worship and Honorable Living

Shout it aloud, do not hold back.

    Raise your voice like a trumpet.

Declare to my people their rebellion

    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. 

For day after day they seek me out;

    they seem eager to know my ways,

as if they were a nation that does what is right

    and has not forsaken the commands of its God…

Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please 

and exploit all your workers.

Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,

    and in striking each other with wicked fists.

You cannot fast as you do today

    and expect your voice to be heard on high. (Isaiah 58:1-2, 3b-4)

I enjoy seeking the Lord. Don’t you? We all do. Time in praise, thanksgiving and prayer; time studying the Scriptures, allowing the truth of God’s Word to wash over you, basking in the fullness of joy only found in the presence of Almighty God; when someone calls to you from the other room. This kept happening to me.  Sometimes the momentary disruption is no big deal. Other times, I experienced it like nails sliding across a chalkboard. A wave of irritation comes upon me, and I think, “How dare you disrupt my ‘me time’ with Jesus?”. My response is dishonorable, snippy, and bubbling with sarcasm. I have noticed this is my reaction more times than I care to admit. I’m sure this is just me. 

For so long I thought the desire to seek and to eagerly pursue God’s presence and blessing was all that I needed. Do the right things, check the spiritual boxes then good results follow – right standing with God. It seems that is what Israel thought too. The Almighty tells them that they were mistaken. God commands Isaiah to not be shy; yell the people’s sin out, tell them their piety does not make them right with God! Wow. Can you imagine generations religiously engaging in rituals outlined in the Law – feasts, fasts, sacrifices – doing all of these good things only for God to say, “Hey, you are still in rebellion. Listen to all the sins you have committed against Me. Coming to me with all this religious stuff does not absolve you,”? I was initially stunned and discouraged reading this. 

Is it wrong to enjoy and receive the benefits of praising God, being in God’s presence, reading and gleaning from the Word of God, giving, serving, volunteering, praying? No, of course not. All of these things are good behaviors that we as followers of Christ should want to do. The problem seems to lie in the reason behind the actions. We need to ask Holy Spirit about ourselves. Am I doing this to honor God or to please myself? From a sincere heart in pursuit of His heart or to be impressive and prove my worthiness? According to verse 4, we can tell by the fruit. Israel’s fasting resulted in continued fighting and exploitation of others! My devotional time ended with my bad attitude toward the person who disturbed me. Thankfully, God continues to be gracious and gives Israel the cheat code of what it looks like to honorably approach Him (and each other) and favorable outcomes when they do it His way (v. 6-12). 

The truth is, if we are truly honoring God with our lives of worship and service, there should not be strife between us. If we are seeking The Kingdom of God first as Christ instructs His disciples in Matthew 6:33 then the good, right, wholesome, and fulfilling outcomes follow. Our relationships reflect the oneness of the Godhead; we live peaceably with one another; our thoughts toward each other are lovely and virtuous. May we repent and lay aside our way, our preferences, and presumptions of what is right and good to take up the way of our Lord.

—Anyah E. Reed

Loving & Waiting Go Hand In Hand

I know I am making myself vulnerable here by telling you that when it comes to eating waffles for breakfast, in my book, peanut butter and syrup go hand in hand. Some of you may reject this idea completely, and that is acceptable—even though I believe you are missing out on something so, so good!

Love and waiting go hand in hand, too. I learned about this relationship recently as I compared what the prophet Isaiah and the Apostle Paul both say about the same topic. Consider the following two passages:

From of old no one has heard

    or perceived by the ear,

no eye has seen a God besides you,

    who acts for those who wait for him. (Isaiah 64:4)

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,

    nor the heart of man imagined,

what God has prepared for those who love him” (Paul quoting Isaiah in 1 Corinthians 2:9)

Both Isaiah and Paul are encouraging us to open our hearts to hope, big time hope! They assure us that God is not a reactionary God who is waiting for life to happen to us to then react with a plan for our lives. They encourage us with the hope that God has prepared and acts based on plans He has for our lives. Furthermore, those plans go beyond what our eyes have seen, or what ears have heard, or our minds have imagined! Pretty cool stuff, don’t you think? 

So where is the catch? Is there a catch or condition? Glad you asked! If we can speak of conditions, we would find two: those who love God and those who wait for Him get to experienced the benefits of God’s plans.

Love informs our waiting, and our waiting positions us to love God well!

What is life like for you these days? Whether you are experiencing blessing or hardship, know that your love for God will invite you to wait for Him. As you wait for Him and His ways, your love will be refined.

I hope you hear between the lines that there are solid reasons for you to hope in God. There is no God besides Him. You are in His mind and His plans! Our part is to respond in love and patience.

—Diego Cuartas

Consider Your Ways

Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord God almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, and the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands.”

These words were shared through the prophet Haggai to a people who thought it was time to build their own paneled houses while the house of the Lord was in ruin.

After considering the empty results of building their own houses, they returned to the Lord and put first the building of the house of the Lord. When they turn and serve the Lord, He gives them this message:

“I am with you.”

He then pours our His Spirit on the whole remnant of the people.

Jesus reminds us, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in to steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” – Matthew 6:19-21

If you find yourself clothed but not warm, there is hope. Stop building your house and begin to build the Lord’s. Start the building with Christ as the foundation.

In Christ,

—Roger  Garrison

Fight the Foxes!

The other Wednesday evening at Open Door, Angelo read some verses from the Song of Songs. This was one of them.

Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom. (Song of Songs 2:15 ESV)

Immediately, a long-forgotten memory from my childhood popped into my mind. It was a brisk and blustery fall afternoon. Daddy loaded us in the old Ford for a pleasant ride through the countryside to enjoy the changing, colorful leaves of autumn. That day, he made a point of traveling a backroad that wound its way to a farm near Palatine, the home of a friend. There on the corner, hanging by their bushy tails, was a string of dead red foxes swaying in the breeze, proud trophies from the first day of hunting season. I don’t know if this part of my recollection has been exaggerated in my quite lively imagination or if this is the truth, but I recall it being a horribly bloody and unsettling scene. I hated to look at the lifeless, dripping bodies, yet I simply couldn’t turn away.

It was a striking picture of death.

This picture of gory foxes in a row is often what I think about, see in my mind’s eye, when I hear the word foxes. And in the context of the verse Angelo read, I have an inkling of why that’s okay. It seems these pesky, little foxes, the size of a small dog, can wreak havoc in our beautiful, thriving gardens or vineyards if we are not watchful and proactive in getting rid of them. Yes, they do chew and eat the new shoots on the vine and even the tasty fruit it produces, grapes included. Yes, they burrow and dig, destroying roots in their search for grubs and other food, causing the vines to wither and become unproductive. Though they are not usually regarded as dangerous, little foxes are capable of terribly big damage.

So what does it all mean to me today? To us?

In the context, two lovers are speaking intimate words of passionate desire for one another, when, out of nowhere it seems to me, this verse pops up. Could it be they understood that even a beautiful, fresh, and growing relationship, a relationship that is healthy and delightfully blooming, can suffer attack and potentially be ruined by “little foxes,” the kinds of problems or sins which can disturb or destroy good relationships? They were wise if that’s what they were thinking. Way ahead of most of us, I’m afraid.

Because we should think this way too.

It isn’t always BIG things that cause us the most trouble in our relationships. Often we are able to see those huge, obvious trouble-makers coming at us and have time to put up our defenses, cry for help, polish our armor and wage war. But It’s the little things that creep, unnoticed, into our unprotected relationships that can cause much grief and pain. Even ruin. And unlike the sweet lovers in the Songs, we aren’t even worried about them. We are oblivious. Lazy. Unconcerned. Busy elsewhere. Unprepared. Something…

Like me, if you think about it, I’m guessing you can identify many “little foxes” that have quite successfully intruded upon our relationships and, at the very least, left behind a mess.  Unchecked, they even can grow into huge and hungry foxes that want to ultimately destroy our gardens. These include foxes like anger, fear, passivity, stubbornness, control, selfishness, busyness, pride, bad habits, unrealistic expectations, poor communication, discourtesy, complacency, jealousy, lust, greed, bitterness, dishonesty, conflicting agendas, and on and on their number goes.

Scripture specifically identifies a little tongue (James 3:5), a little folly (Ecclesiastes 10:1), and a little sleep (Proverbs 24:33,34) as a few more examples of small things that cause extensive damage in relational gardens. None of these should be invading our homes; they shouldn’t be digging their way into our marriages, devouring what once was blooming and beautiful, leaving behind ruined vines. Ruined fruit. Ruined relationships. Ruined marriages. Ruined lives.

Hudson Taylor said it this way.

“The enemies may be small, but the mischief done great…And how numerous the little foxes are! Little compromises with the world; disobedience to the still small voice in little things; little indulgences of the flesh to the neglect of duty; little strokes of policy; doing evil in the little things that good may come and the beauty, and the fruitfulness of the vine are sacrificed!” 

We must constantly be on the lookout for the invaders. Be vigilant! Once we identify them and take them seriously as a threat, recognize them as sin and repent, we must navigate forgiveness between us. After that, the key is teamwork. The couple must work together to battle the problem. One person can’t carry the entire responsibility for protecting against the sinfulness that corrupts a marriage. Each must do his or her part. The garden of marriage has tender grapes; the relationship with our spouse is precious and vulnerable. We must work together to guard and defend it no matter what the cost. Our love for each other, our attitude toward each other, the care, devotion, grace, respect, forgiveness, and patience we extend to our mates, all demonstrate our commitment to fight and win against the enemy who is out to get us. A peaceful and blossoming marriage is a wonderful and mysterious testimony to a world who is always watching. It points to the faithful, unconditional love Christ Himself has for His bride, the church.

The weekend after the Wednesday night I began to think about these destructive little foxes happened to be our Marriage Retreat. While these little critters are out to obliterate any relationship, whether Songs is a picture of lovers or Christ and His church, I became laser-focused particularly on marriage relationships. I earnestly began to pray God wouldn’t allow foxes or anything else to deter our couples from coming to hear what He had to say to each of them at the retreat. I prayed that they would learn how to recognize and battle the insidious, relentless “foxes” in their gardens. I believe He graciously answered my requests.

At the end of the retreat, I once again prayed fervently over the couples, imploring them to identify and destroy the “little foxes” that have, uninvited and unawares, stolen into their marriages with evil intent. I prayed that there would be an imaginary pile of messy and bloody carcasses left behind in our meeting room when the session ended.

It was beautiful to see the couples around the room, some in tears, heads together, hands interlocked, crying out to God for their relationships.

Putting foxes to death.

And do you know how God graciously affirmed His precious couples on the ride home that lovely Sunday afternoon?

There was a very dead red fox sprawled out on the side of the highway as a poignant, symbolic reminder of what they had done!!

Do you, too, want to pile up some fox bodies? Do you want to protect your relationships at home, at work, at church?

Catch those little guys while you can.

Fight…and win!

—Eileen Hill

God's Ministry to the Disappointing

Take a look at this article from CCEF about disappointing others. It goes right along with some of the things we learned about humility from Pastor George’s sermon on Sunday. If you missed that, you can check it out here.

Check out the blog here!

Growing Pains

I thought slowing down, living at a slower pace, was the key to intentional living and loving. It certainly helps to hold space for those many common and precious moments of solitude and frequent meaningful interactions with loved ones. Seasons of slowness are important, valuable. I did not find what I was looking for in slowness alone though. Another integral component? Vigilance. I was certain I had that because I was observant and noticed nuances in interactions that no one else would call out. I was openly curious, in real time. But in all of the relational skills I had developed there was still stuff I could not understand. I was frustrated in relationships. I knew I was missing something. I remember thinking, “I need new, different perspective and/or more information. That will solve the problem and give me more understanding.” That did not solve the problem. The problem was the lens I was seeing my life, my interactions and relationships through. The lens was my own, confined to my finiteness as a creature of this world. 

I was not truly aware of what God was doing, how God was leading. This was the missing piece. Even with all of my observing, I was blind to what actually mattered – the major key. So my conversations with my Creator and Father changed to, “Show me what You see when You see me, this other person(s), our relationship. Bring me into a better understanding of those You have given me to love”. My Abba started gently revealing what I could not see, what I did not know about people I love and about me (the me part was a little annoying, stung a little). Thankfully the growth is ongoing. I have not always been grateful for the process. A significant part of me would much prefer it to be a one-and-done situation, but learning to be in relationship with one another the way God created us to be in relationship is lifelong. It has to be.

My most recent growing pain was indeed painful. I sustained a serious injury in a seemingly random and bizarre way. God met me in the pain. He is still here with me, gently granting insight into the events that led to the injury. It has been a not-so-instant replay – a breakdown of the thoughts and motivation behind my actions. In this process, God has brought two truths to the surface for me: 

1) It is not about me (the human). It is about the Divine and what our Creator wants for me, for us.   

I was operating from what I thought was good, honorable, loving and noble and believed that my choices aligned with God’s intent.

2) Do not doubt that The Almighty has given me power and authority over the enemy. When I addressed Satan’s devices, they were no longer in play. The patterns of my flesh, however, that were being leveraged by the enemy are still in play.

I was floored. The first thought that crossed my mind when I was finally settled in the ER was, “Satan, you suck”. It wasn’t even him. It was me. This actually made me more angry. Un-crucified parts of my flesh are keeping me from loving/living well, and I was hurt as a result.

All this was on my mind and heart as our family entered Sunday’s worship service, and God met me again. There was a gentle weightiness my soul recognized as a safe place to humble my whole self, be still, listen, receive, clumsily obey (because that’s what I do), and wait for the not-so-instant replay. I pray this is all of our experience – that God is meeting us, granting His sufficient grace as we submit to growing in love. 

—Anyah E. Reed

Should I Prioritize Family or Work? Neither!

As many of our sermons lately and much of our discussion has been regarding following the Holy Spirit, this recent article from The Gospel Coalition seemed to fit in well. May we learn to prioritize what is most important first!

Sally's Treasure

Our recent focus here at LFA on the importance of the Presence of the Holy Spirit reminded me, of course, of a powerful story that long ago helped me in my understanding of Who He is and what He does. And how I need Him. It is from The Secret by Bill Bright and begins with a quote by Thomas Arnold.

“He who does not know God the Holy Spirit does not know God at all.”

Please read on.

Sally was almost penniless.  When her husband Jeb died years before, his life insurance had paid off the mortgage, but that was about it.

Now the house was deteriorating around her. The car had been junked long ago when she couldn’t keep up with the repair and insurance bills. She got by on just a few dollars each week for groceries, and when the electric bill got too high, she decided to live by Coleman stove and candlelight.

So Sally rarely left home. How could she when everything cost money? Coffee at the café was eighty-five cents. Even with her senior citizen’s discount, movies cost $3 (The book was published in 1989—miss those prices!). A walk to the park required shoes, and Sally’s only remaining pair were clinging together by a few bits of thread.

So day after day, Sally stayed at home and creaked back and forth in her rocking chair. Life was supposed to be better than this, she thought. It started out so great. So full of promise. But now it’s passed me by. 

And so she lived—just barely lived—for years. Destitute. Lonely. Defeated. Until one day, when an old acquaintance from across the country remembered her childhood friend and decided to look her up.

Miriam was heartbroken when she saw Sally’s living conditions. She decided to stay a few days to try to encourage her friend and help straighten up the house.

And in the course of helping her old friend, Miriam made a startling discovery.

Tucked away in the file drawer of Jeb’s old roll-top desk was a folder labeled “FOR SALLY.” Inside, Miriam found an old bank savings book. The last entry had been made twenty-two years earlier, just before Jeb had died. The bank book indicated a balance of $87,000.

But that wasn’t all. The folder also contained a yellowed envelope, sealed and inscribed with Jeb’s handwriting:

To Sally, With Love Forever

“Do you know what this is?” Miriam asked.

Sally searched her memory. She remembered the last days of her beloved husband, the tender words that had passed between them as they realized that the end was near.

Then the memory hit her. In the grief and heartache of the days and months following Jeb’s death, she had forgotten one of the things he had said: “When I’m gone…a file for you…in my desk. Important.”

Now, as Miriam watched, Sally opened the envelope carefully. Inside was a single folded page and a key. Sally began to read:

My Dearest Love—

My time with you draws short, but I want you to know that I have provided everything you will need once I am gone. Check the bank book in this file. Then take this key to the bank with you. In loving remembrance of me please enjoy life to the full!

With love forever, 

Jeb

Sally and Miriam discovered that the key was to a safety deposit box at the bank. As they lifted the metal lid, their eyes widened as they discovered several bundles of cash totaling $32,000, a pile of stock certificates, and three folders of rare coins.

That afternoon a stockbroker informed them that the stock certificates were worth $550,000 on the current market. A rare coin dealer appraised the coin collection at $447,000. The bank calculated twenty-two years’ interest on the savings account, which brought its total from $87,000 to more than $254,000. All told, Sally was worth more than $883,000! She had been living in misery and despair when more money than she would ever need had been available to her all along.

Doesn’t this story make you sad for Sally? She is a vivid illustration of the bittersweet way in which many Christians also live. Although God has promised us all the strength and help we will ever need, many of us try to “go it alone” because we are unaware of the boundless resources God has provided in the person of the Holy Spirit. As a result, we live like Sally—unfulfilled, fruitless, and spiritually malnourished—while the key to joy and abundance is within our grasp.

Destitute. Lonely. Defeated. Have you been there too?

Maybe it’s time to really discover the treasure inside you. Study and understand the Bible’s basic teaching about the Holy Spirit and then invite Him to release His power in your life each day. He is a person. He speaks (Acts 13:2 NAS). He teaches (John 14:26 NAS). He guides (John 16:13). He convicts (John 16:7-8 NAS). He commands. (Acts 8:29 NAS). He helps (Romans 8:26 NAS). He comforts: (John 14:16 KJV). He has been called alongside the Christian as a companion, comforter, helper and one who energizes, strengthens and empowers. Amazing! We as believers get to experience unprecedented joy and personal fulfillment. More than that, our verbal and nonverbal witness for Jesus Christ would sweep the world!

Selfish me would settle for it to at least sweep Pittsgrove!

The Holy Spirit’s purpose is to glorify Christ, and He does so by empowering and enabling you and me to glorify God by the way we live. His resources are at our disposal. If we do not appropriate them, we can only live like poor Sally, struggling through a meager existence when vast riches are at our command.

But when we give the Holy Spirit control of our lives, the spiritual bank vault opens wide. The Lord God Almighty gives us everything we need to honor Him and experience life to the full, for “out of his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you the mighty inner strengthening of his Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 3:16).

Look out, world…

— Eileen Hill

The Spirit of the Law

In Revelation 2 we read Jesus’s warning to the church at Ephesus.

‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

As we read His words, may we be reminded of what is also written:

“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” – Proverbs 21:2

The church at Ephesus has abandoned their first love and Jesus knew it. May we take heed. Whether we are exposing false apostles, preaching a sermon, rebuking false doctrine, feeding the poor, studying our Bible, speaking in tongues, or prophesying in His name, Jesus weighs the heart. He knows the motives and spirit behind our acts. 

Since we, as the seed of Adam, seek self-exaltation, without His Spirit, we focus on compliance with the letter of the law as a means to justify ourselves.  We will attempt to use the law to ascend His holy mountain. This is a violation of the intent of the law, which has been and will always be, to glorify God through the exaltation of the Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, the propitiation for our sin. 

Jesus came to reclaim the hearts of men. Above all, He wants our love. He reminds us that we should “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” Without this, obedience to the rest of His word is but a resounding gong in his ear.

Do we wield the words of God out of a love for self or a love for Him? Do we search the scriptures looking for promises and power that will lift us up or lift Him up? Are we using God’s strength for our glory or His? 

May all lampstands burning strange fire be removed until only Jesus, the true Light of the Word, remains. May He give us one heart, and a new spirit, one that loves God. The Spirit of God loves God. May His law, starting with the first commandment, be written on our hearts. When this happens, we will be a letter from Christ to the world, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

To God be the glory,

— Roger Garrison

Paying Attention to What Father is Doing

Recently we had a missionary couple join us for a couple of services. If you weren’t intentionally looking to connect with visitors, you might have missed them. Thanks to a growing number of people who are watching out and caring for our new guests, I ended up meeting Scott for breakfast, which led to a long talk about our Father.

God used Scott to reawaken something in me, something that once burned bright a few years ago but was now smoldering in my heart. It is a passion to be where my Beloved is, not where I hope or would like Him to be. It is the passion to intentionally invest my life, not just “drift” my life. It is the call to come and follow Him without regard to the cost.

 Curiously, in our discussion, we found out that we had a common spiritual ancestry. The same people who tried to influence me to Christ also touched Scott’s life. We heard the Gospel lived and preached from many of the same people in our little Seabrook community. We both wasted years in doing our own thing. We both were drawn to the savior by grace alone. We’ve both seen things on the mission field that left us wondering, “Why not here, Lord?”. We both are not so impressed with the churches we build from human effort, not just in the US but all over the world. We both know there is more. We both want more. The deep in Scott called to the deep in me.

What’s the point? Pay attention to those whom God brings across your path. Look for the gift they bring to you. Don’t be foolish enough to think that every new acquaintance brings a Holy Spirit gift to warm your heart. Just maybe you carry the gift they need. Simply join the dance of loving our Father and let that love splash where it may and on whom it may.

The truth is, we can slowly drift in our hearts. The wear and tear of life can distract from really living in Christ. True life is only found in the one who is the way, the truth, and the life. Pay attention, stir up your gifts, look for the many ways our Beloved appears to us. Get in touch with your slumbering godly passions and live again.

Join me in engaging the visitors who come through our doors. They may have a gift to give or a gift to receive from you. Let the life of Christ bloom among us. Let’s live Him loud.

—George Davis

Thoughts on Getting Old

“Do not go gentle into that good night.
Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

You know you're old, my parents used to say, when the movie stars you followed start to pass away. For us, I guess, that would be the rock stars, at least those that made it through the sixties.
In Psalm 90:10 we read: “The years of our life are three score and ten, or even by reason of strength fourscore.”

Looks like I’m on borrowed time, better keep taking the vitamins. I like it when I find verses in the bible that speak to old age.
We are relevant and not going away....just yet.
Here are some of those verses:

The time has passed,
“I have been young, and now am old;....” Psalm 37:25

But we have much to share, and to remember,
“I remember the days of old, I meditate on all that thou hast done; I muse on what thy hands have wrought.” Psalm 143:5

Though there is a fear,
“Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
forsake me not when my strength is spent.” Psalm 71:9

But we know there’s always a promise,
“...even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you.” Isaiah 46:4

And the hope is,
“To live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer ruled by human passions but by the will of God.” 1 Peter 4:2

The opening lines to this blog are from a poem by Dylan Thomas. Believed to be written to his dying father. “The sentiment is that life is precious and should be fought at every turn, and should burn and rage at the approach of death.”
Whilst I can agree life is precious, I know I don’t need to rage at the dying of the light.

How blessed we are that Jesus has conquered death for us and we can face it without fear, knowing that He has overcome the darkness, and the light will get ever brighter in His presence.

—Mick Sanderson