Lam 3:21-23 NKJV This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 [Through] the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 [They are] new every morning; Great [is] Your faithfulness.

Here we are in a new year and a new decade. It is still hard for me to believe that we are now 20 years into the 2000s! As the old saying goes, time just keeps marching on.

I love January for several reasons. First, it is my birthday month, the birthday month of my best friend, and also that of my father. Second, I love the fresh start that seems to come with the beginning of a new year. The reality is that little has changed from December 31^st to January 1^st, but it feels different for some reason.

A new year marks a new beginning, a time for us to reground ourselves in the love and hope we have in Jesus Christ. I believe that God loves to use new seasons to remind us that He loves to continually make us new, and there’s no time better to start than with a new year.

You and I have hope that is founded in the compassion and mercy of our God. 2020 brings with it a time of perspective on what needs to be rebirthed in us. Whatever sin has entangled us in the past year does not need to gain victory over us in the new. No matter the disappointment, hurt, struggle, or trial, we have a new year and a renewed hope in the God of our salvation.

It is God’s desire to meet you where you are today. He longs to meet you at your point of weakness and pain and wrap you in His love – just knowing He is with you, desiring to walk with you in the newness of life. His mercies are new every morning! So, run to Him and not away. Run to Jesus with your struggles and heartache. Run to Him with your pain and disappointments. Open your heart to Him and receive the newness of life in this New Year.

Exodus 33:18 ESVMoses said, “Please show me your glory.”

In this chapter, Moses had been interceding for the nation of Israel because of their selfishness and sinful nature. They deserved to be punished, but God spared Israel because Moses prayed. It is after this we read about Moses having a greater longing to see the glory of God. At what he sensed was the perfect opportunity, he asked God, “Please, show me Your glory.”

For me this seems to be an interesting request, because the Bible tells us clearly that Moses had already seen some of the glory of God. Exodus 16:10 says, “the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud,” and Moses was there to see it.  Exodus 24:16-17 says, “The glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.” We see here that Moses went up to Mount Sinai in the very midst of that cloud of glory.

Maybe Moses wasn’t satisfied with what he already saw and realized he had a hunger for God that could not be filled with a single experience. The more of God Moses experienced, the more of God he longed for.

When we really love something, we approach it the same way. A professional football player is never satisfied with one touchdown. A salesman is never satisfied with just one big sale, and most women are never satisfied with one pair of shoes. When we really love something, we are not satisfied with just a little. We want more.

Does that describe how you feel towards God? Are you easily satisfied in your search for God? Some people only think about God in times of need in their lives. Others think of Him at Christmas and Easter. This behavior shows that they really don’t value and love God all that much, because their “hunger” is so easily satisfied. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).

When we have this kind of desire for God and His righteousness, He never sees it as being selfish. He sees it as a proper desire that should be fulfilled. When was the last time you just asked God to show you His Glory? If it has been a while, I encourage you to ask Him today.

 

Isaiah 40:31 (KJV) But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.

More than likely we have all prayed the prayer “Lord make give me more patience… and do it now!” When it comes to spiritual virtues, patience seems to be the one that eludes me the most. If I am to be honest, it can just be plane hard to wait sometimes.

Think with me for a moment, how do you feel when you are running late for an important meeting and you get caught in traffic. Or when you are in a rush and the person in front of you at the check out line decides to tell their entire life story to the clerk. Oh and not to mention they have 17 items in the 15 items or less line. I know they had 17 items because I counted then when they placed them on the counter.

When life or individuals do not measure up to our expectations, patience can be quite a challenge. But, it is hard to read the Bible and not see that patience is a trait God desires for us to develop. I believe that patience is a reflection of His very presence in our lives, because He is a patient God.

You see, there is a good probability that we struggle with patience because we have been trying to focus on our own agendas and not trusting that God may very well have a different schedule for us. I believe that God sometimes puts us in a waiting room on purpose. I feel like He is doing something behind the scenes while I am waiting.

He could be protecting me from something that could be harmful or even fatal to my life. He could be instructing our lives to open an opportunity for us to be a witness to someone He has placed in our lives at that very moment. What you and I see as an inconvenience could very well be a divine appointment in our lives to let our light shine.

One thing I know for sure, God’s time is always the right time! As we enter this Christmas time and all that it brings with it, lets not allows ourselves to become so stressed that we miss an opportunity that God may have orchestrated for us.  Patience is not learning to wait for others, its learning to wait on God. Next time you find yourself starting to stress, stop and ask God what He is trying to show you. Take a deep breath and trust that He is at work in your life everyday.

 

John 6:48 KJV I am that bread of life.

Who doesn’t love fresh baked bread? Especially when it is still warm from the oven and smelling oh so divine! I dare say there are very few individuals that do not agree with me about this. At the same time, no one I know likes stale bread. Hard, tough, and just unpleasant is the experience one has when biting into a stale piece of bread! I would gladly go without bread if eating it stale is the only option.

God has been and always will be very specific with His instructions and guidance. When giving Moses the particulars on the tabernacle, God left no detail out including the furniture. As one entered the tabernacle of God in the Old Testament, standing on the right side opposite the golden lampstand was the table of showbread. On that table was twelve loaves of fresh bread. This was the showbread that had been made of fine flour.

It probably seems strange that God set up a bakery rack in His tabernacle, but like everything God does, this also had an important role to play. In the culture of that day, eating together made a lasting and sacred bond of friendship. So, eating the showbread in God’s house was a powerful way to say to God, “I love you and I desire to seek your will and purpose for my life. Just like II need food for my natural body, God I need you to sustain me.”

The showbread had to always be fresh, and God desires our time with Him to be fresh as well. Give us this day our daily bread was the way we have been instructed to pray. Your time with God should be fresh and not stale. No one likes stale bread. Keep your relationship active and fresh with purposefully, persistent, daily prayer. Enjoy the fresh bread that comes only from God.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 KJV And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

It does not take long reading through the New Testament to see that God wants His people to be serious about His Word. We see in Deuteronomy 6 that God’s desire was for them to write His commands on their doorposts and teach His Word to their children. They would wear small pouches that held God’s commands strapped to their left hand and forehead. In today’s world, it would be like placing Post-it Notes on our hands and foreheads. God wanted them to be mindful of His Word every day.

The psalmist caught hold of this principle, and we see a clear picture of the value of God’s Word in Psalm 1:1-2 KJV Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

I feel as though we have lost the value of meditation in our modern world, especially among Christians. It appears that we have allowed the influence of Eastern culture to rob this word from our vocabulary. Throughout Scripture we are called to meditate on God’s Word. We should pause long enough to see, hear, and feel what God is wanting to tell us every day. We should allow His Word to run through our minds over and over again.

We should take God’s Word and visualize it by taking a principle from the Scriptures and seeing what it would look like to live it out in our lives. We also should internalize the Word through meditation and memorization. This can be accomplished by placing His Word inside us and thus enabling the Spirit to bring it back to our minds in desperate times. Lastly, we need to personalize God’s Word. We can use personal pronouns to pray the Word back to God using “I” and “me” to direct His Word into our hearts. This brings ownership to His promises and His direction for your life.

Let us all become what the psalmist says in Psalm 1:3 KJV And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. By respecting the Word of God, we too can be like that tree planted by the rivers of water.

Philippians 3:1 KJV Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.

It was the last full week of school at Sam Houston Elementary school, and we were excited that it was almost summer break. We had one last big day to celebrate before the end of school, and today was that day. It was the annual Awards Day celebration. We all gathered in the gymnasium and took our seats on the bleachers. Ribbons were handed out for Principal’s List, Honor Roll, and my personal favorite – perfect attendance! You were awarded a shiny blue ribbon with the words “Perfect Attendance” written across it in gold letters. What a feeling is was to proudly have your name called out for all to hear and to be given that wonderful blue ribbon. Proudly, I received it, and even more proudly, I strutted back to by seat with ribbon in hand. I was part of the celebrated crowd. I had earned an award, and this accomplishment gave me special status. It made me special, and I took great pride in showing it off.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul spoke compellingly against the Judaizers in the church who were parading the fact that they kept the religious customs of the law, including circumcision. They were thoroughly convinced that they were the blue-ribbon Christians. However, their holier-than-thou attitude was a source of division in the church. Paul’s advice to these “blue-ribbon” Christians was to stop rejoicing in their own accomplishments, and start rejoicing in the Lord.

When Paul gave this command to them, he was calling for something deeper to take place in them. It is a call to forsake our preoccupation with things that elevate us and to instead live in a way that makes Jesus the focus of our pride. To show the importance of this, Paul gave a personal testimony in verses 4-6. After listing his own achievements, he said that he had learned: Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, Philippians 3:8 KJV.

The reality is this – there are no “blue-ribbon” Christians. We all have one blue ribbon, Jesus Christ. Whatever it is in your life that you want to brag about… don’t do it! As Jeremiah said, But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the LORD, have spoken! Jeremiah 9:24 NLT

When we can accomplish this, we go from “Let me tell you what I did” to “Let me tell you who Jesus is”.

Ephesians 4:26 KJV Be ye angry, and sin not:

Summertime is upon us, and I always have mixed emotions about this. I am never happy about the hot and humid weather that always comes with a Tennessee summer, but there are other things I do enjoy because it is warmer outside.

One of those things is grilling steaks out on the patio, but, if I am being honest, I have not always been the best at this. In fact, early on in our marriage, I was terrible at the grill. I produced charcoaled outside, raw inside, culinary disasters! I paid no attention to temperature, thickness of meat, distance from the heat source, and especially the importance of using the lid! I am happy to say that I have become pretty good at grilling steaks these days. What I have come to realize is that using the grill lid helps control the amount of oxygen flow and allows me to regulate the temperature while grilling. This gives me the power to transform raw meat into gilled perfection!

I have also learned the ability, through the Holy Ghost that lives in me, to put the lid on my anger so that it can become a productive force in my life. If I leave my anger unchecked, it has the ability to spill out of control and have a negative impact on every area of my life. It occurred to me one day many years ago when reading Ephesians chapter 4 that it was okay to be angry. Anger itself is a God given emotion, but like all emotions, it must be kept in check. Paul gives us instructions to be angry and sin not, because the temptation will be to allow the anger to go unchecked, and that will lead us down the path to sin.

So, how does one keep the lid on anger? I have learned that one of the keys to this is to be slow to anger. The Bible says in Psalm 103:8 (KJV) “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy”. If I follow His example of being slow to anger, I will have time to pray and evaluate the situation. I can ask Him if my emotion is really justified or if I am simply allowing myself to get worked up over something that is not a big deal. Is it even worth the energy I am putting into it?

I have found by combining prayer along with the ability to put a lid on my anger, I have the capability to redirect myself, and it opens the door to positive outcomes.

Hebrews 12:1 KJV Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

I have been privileged in my life to have traveled quite a bit. Just about every year I end up on a plane flying to a conference, mission trip, or my favorite… family vacation! With all the new regulations and fees involved in air travel, I have learned the art of packing my carry-on with precision and purpose. If possible, I try not to check my bags for the flight. I prefer to take them with me and store them in the overhead. I like having my stuff with me, and I love not having to wait for my bag at the carousel.

There are times, no matter how prepared and ready I am, when the gate attendant will inform me that the flight is full, and there will not be enough room in the overhead bins for everyone’s luggage. This is frustrating as I am handed the dreaded pink tag to check my bag at the gate. Now, I know that this is not a big deal, but to me, I like hanging onto my stuff! I feel like I was prepared; I arrived on time. Why do I have to surrender my bag?

This same type of thing happens when we let certain situations and circumstances, that in most cases are beyond our control, take over our lives. Sometimes things happen to us for which we do not plan. Hurts, offenses, betrayals, and abandonments can and will happen in life. At some point, mistakes, bad decision, selfishness, and sins will cause every one of us to steer off course. Often, when we have drifted from where we need to be, the trouble is in how we handle the baggage we have now acquired. Bad decisions have consequences; offenses bring hurts and pain. Hanging on to excessive baggage will prevent you from getting where you need to be.

I believe this is what the writer of Hebrews was talking about when he told us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us”. There are times when we must let go of the baggage to move forward. Hanging on to it will continue to keep you off course and prevent you from reaching your destination. Overcoming the temptation to hang on is, in fact, overcoming human nature. Every one of us has the potential to be our own worst enemy!

Although I do not like checking my luggage at the gate, my desire to reach my final destination is more important that hanging onto it. It is time to let some things go. Some hurts, hiccups, and hang-ups are not worth forfeiting your final destination. Lay them aside, and let’s run this race together with Jesus!

Luke 7:37-39 KJV And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

In my lifetime, I’ve seen a lot of things change. Some of the changes I have enjoyed and embraced, and others I have not been nearly so happy about. But one thing I have noticed about life is change is inevitable. Many of us would agree that we don’t like change, especially if it involves altering our habits and attitudes.

That’s one reason Jesus was so unpopular among the Pharisees. He challenged their long-established system of good works and self-righteous living. Think with me for just a minute about the incident when the known “sinner” enters the house of the town “saint”. Simon the Pharisee wasn’t impressed with the woman’s lavish display of affection for Jesus, nor was he happy that she had shown up and disrupted his party.

Jesus sensing Simon’s self-righteous thoughts immediately challenged his perception of being too good for such a sinful person to be in his presence. Jesus began to tell the story of the two debtors, one who owed much and one who owed less. Jesus asked Simon to answer which one would love the master more, the one who was forgiven much or the one who was forgiven less? The obvious answer was the one who owed much. Jesus then tells Simon “but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.”

To me the challenge is straight forward, we should not get caught up into thinking we are better than we really are. If this happens, and I believe we are all guilty of this, our love for Jesus fades because we have forgotten that we are to be counted among the ones who have been “forgiven much”! The moment we sense this, it is time for us to change our attitude and our thoughts to be in line with the One who forgave so much in us. Sometimes change is necessary.

John 3:8 KJV The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16-17 KJV This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

I was running the other day, and when I first headed out, I did not notice the wind. I did not notice the wind because it was at my back. It was only after I turned around that I felt the wind. It was pushing against me, and it made the return trip much harder for me. The wind drag created a resistance that caused my running to slow.

In the Bible, one of the words for wind is “ruach”, but it has another meaning; it also means the Spirit. In Hebrew, the Holy Spirit moved on the face of the waters and the face of the earth, and things changed. It was the Spirit of God that brought life.

Just like when I was running into the wind, life is harder when we run against the Spirit of God. Everything we do becomes harder. It takes more energy to do less. So, when you go against His Spirit, it is like fighting the wind. Running against the wind tires you and causes you to grow weary. Yet, when you turn and have the wind at your back, it is amazing how much easier running is. The same is true in the spiritual. When we run in the direction in which God’s Spirit is directing us, life is just better. We run with more energy because the wind helps us – it gives us power. His Spirit gives us power, overcoming power to accomplish His will in our lives.

I made it back to where I started my run, but it sure took a lot more effort and energy on the return trip. The same can be said of my life in the times I drifted away from God. What seemed like a good idea, ended up being a struggle. The moments I walked contrary to His Spirit, the road was weary and difficult to pass. But every time I turned around and walked in His will, allowing His Spirit to guide me, life was better. I could accomplish more with less effort, conquer with greater ease, and live an overcoming life because His Spirit was behind me.

Be mindful of God’s Spirit in your life. If you find things are becoming increasingly difficult, ask yourself: am I running against His Spirit? You may find that all you need is a change of direction to make things much easier in your life.