24/7 Connection

“Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.”    -Jude 1:21

Let’s admit it.  These days it’s hard not to partake in the growing world of technology.  Everybody has a device, some folks have multiple.  I am somewhat of a “tech geek” myself and have more than one device.  My job requires me to keep up with a pretty high volume of information and I have become so reliant upon these devices to help me, I would probably have a slight breakdown if they were suddenly taken from me.  One of the more important issues with these devices is the ability to stay connected.  You know what I mean;  stay connected to the network.  What network?  Heck, we don’t really care as long as it provides us with the information we need at a very high speed!  So, we get devices with faster processors so we don’t have to wait for the information to open.  We upgrade and pay more for “wireless” signals that will load our stuff with lightning speed!  We can now walk in or around just about any place in the public and have free access to “high-speed data”.  We have made it so easy and convenient to stay connected.  But how connected are we staying with our heavenly Father?  It’s funny that we have instant access to Him 24/7, yet we often don’t take the opportunity to connect.  He has provided us the instructions and lessons we need to get through each and every day, yet how often do we connect?  There are no restrictions on what information we can ask for or receive from Him, but we often choose not to connect with Him and ask.  We usually ask Google instead!  Technology is great, and I believe that it can be used for a variety of great things.  But today, I challenge you to take a few minutes and examine your connection status with the Father.  If it’s been a while, spend some time in prayer.  Open up His word (even on a device!).  You will never get a message from Him that says, “Unable to Connect”.  God will provide all of the high-speed results you need!

Blue Skies Ahead

“Forever, O Lord, Your Word will never change in heaven.  You are faithful to all people for all time.  You have made the earth, and it stands.”  Psalm 119:89-90

Cell phones.  Music.  Video game systems.  Hair styles.  Clothing.  Automobiles.  Movies.  Health food.  Cancer causes.  Education.  Computers.  Exercise programs. Middle Tennessee weather……. What do all of these things, and many others, have in common?  Anyone?  They are constantly changing.  Just when you get the hang of that phone it becomes obsolete!  Just when you think you finally have that diet down they tell you that new research shows it’s not healthy for you!  You wore shorts and flip flops yesterday, but today you need a parka!  It’s hard to keep up with all of the changes.  But, isn’t it great to know that God NEVER changes?!  Our stuff can change, we can change, the wind can change.  God stands firm.  We can run from Him.  He stands tall and waits for us to return.  We can fuss at Him.  He doesn’t blink.  We can call on Him.  He still opens His arms.  His Word never changes.  His love never changes.  His promises never change.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever!!!  It’s also important to remember that His expectations for us never change.  He expects for us to live for Him.  He expects for us to forgive.  He expects for us to ask for forgiveness.  He expects for us to CHANGE!  Yes, change.  As much as everything else in the world changes, we have to be willing to change too.  We have to examine ourselves and be willing to change for the better.  We have to be able to look in the mirror and know that we don’t always get it right, but also know that “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).  So, what’s YOUR forecast for today?  With God, blue skies are ahead!!

Spring Fever

“but those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  -Isaiah 40:31

As we begin to inch closer to February, I start getting spring fever.  I know, I know we have a long way to go.  But when we get these little teasers of sunny and high 50’s, I can’t help but get the itch!  As I was driving in to work this morning I started thinking about the trees and the tall grasses that I drive by on the way.  Right now they are pretty dull looking.  The trees are without leaves, the grasses are brown, even the evergreens are a faded green.  Yet even on this cold, ugly day they continue to stand tall.  They continue to reach towards the sky.  They know that spring is just around the corner.  They know that very soon they will display all new clothing; bright green leaves, shiny blades of grass, aroma filled blooms.  They are waiting…patiently.  They know that if they keep standing and reaching towards the sky, soon this season will pass and they will be beautiful again.  What do you do when the season of cold and ugliness comes?  I usually look for a place to hide.  I usually grumble.  I usually cast blame.  What we should be doing is standing tall.  What we should be doing is reaching for the sky.  What we should be doing is waiting….patiently…..on our Lord.   For “those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength”.   God is faithful!  I challenge you, today, to step out of your hiding place and stand tall!  Reach for the sky! Then wait.  Things may not move at the speed you would wish.  But wait.  God will respond.  And soon your trees will be full of leaves again!

It’s Not Easy Being Green

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad,  for great is your reward in heaven….”    -Matthew 5:10-12

I’m gonna tell you something that is gonna blow your mind.  You ready?……..We are not living in the 1950’s anymore!  I know, right?  We are not living in the days of purity, dignity, honor, respect.  We don’t have family time around the 1 household television watching weekly episodes of Roy Rogers and Ed Sullivan.  Our family structure doesn’t exactly resemble that of the Cleavers.  Don’t be offended, I’m talking about me too!  But, there are many who still strive to live their lives in such a way as to honor God.  There are many that still insist on that family time.  But make no mistake, it’s getting harder and harder!  Today our children face more obstacles than ever before.  The family values that our nation once took pride in, now is mostly seen in reruns.  These days, being a Christ follower means being in the minority.  Being a Christian means standing out.  Standing up for Jesus means being mocked and persecuted.  I thank God that I live in this great nation of the United States of America, where we still have the freedom to proclaim the name of Christ!  But that too, ladies and gentlemen, is also increasingly in jeopardy.  BUT I HAVE WONDERFUL NEWS!  Christ said there is a “Great Reward In Heaven” for those who are persecuted for following Him!  I don’t know about you, but I want in THAT line!  I know it is difficult for our children.  Heck, it’s difficult for us grown ups!  But when we make a choice to stand for Him, He notices.  He has got our backs.  I challenge you today to pray for those in the Church around the world who fear for their lives for proclaiming the name of Jesus.  We don’t even have a smidgen of an idea of what it is like for them!  And I challenge you today to be different, stand out, get mocked, made fun of, laughed at, talked about.  All in the name of Jesus Christ!  In the words of Kermit the Frog, “It’s not easy being green”.  But great is the reward!

-Happy Weekend!

My Heavy Cross

“Do not worry.  Learn to pray about everything.  Give thanks to God as you ask Him for what you need.  The peace of God is much greater than the human mind can understand.  This peace will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”    -Philippians 4:6-7

I am one of those people who has become somewhat obsessed with my fitness.  Not just workouts.  I mean I pay attention to my daily steps, my active minutes, calories burned etc.  And, quite honestly, that is not a bad thing.  It helps me to not sit around when I need to be up moving.  Another important element of my health is how I sleep (yes, I analyze that with the help of my wearable fitness tracker).  I examine my sleep patterns every day and it’s interesting to see if the technology matches reality.  These devices are pretty accurate.  What they DON’T tell me is Why I was restless.  Why I was awake several times. What was on my mind???  The truth is, the main obstacle for a great night of sleep for me is worry.  And, why shouldn’t I have worry?  I have a stressful job, a family to feed, bills to pay……BLAH BLAH BLAH!  Same story everybody else that is reading this has.  God has made it pretty clear for us….”DO NOT WORRY”.  Yet, we do.  We toss and turn thinking, “What about…….How am I gonna…….Why can’t I…….”  Well, I don’t know about you, but I have YET to solve many, if any, of those issues while lying in my bed at 3:00 a.m.  Then I get angry because, well, it’s 3:00 a.m. and I’M STILL AWAKE!!!  Somewhere around that time, God reminds me of this verse above.  I have to humble myself, acknowledge that I can’t figure it all out, and yield those worries to Him.  Then it’s time to sleep.  It’s the flesh that makes us worry.  We all do it.  But, God is clear about worry.  He doesn’t say, “Only worry sometimes”, “Worry about it later”, “You better figure this out!”.  No, he says, “Don’t Do It”.  So, as hard as it may be to do, let it go.  He has already carried your cross.  It wasn’t that heavy after all.

Time to Wake!

“If He comes suddenly, do not let Him find you sleeping.”   -Mark 13:36

You ever have that morning?  You know, the one when it’s time to get up, the alarm goes off, and you just can’t seem to make yourself move?  Then you remember; the SNOOZE button!!  “I can sleep 5 more minutes.”  I had one today.  Problem was, in my slumber state, I hit the wrong button.  I hit the one that says “off”.  The next thought (20 minutes later) is,”OH SHOOT!!!”.  What about the “Life Snooze” button?  Do you ever hit it?  “I need to call that person.” (snooze) “I need to pay that bill.” (snooze) “I need to mend that relationship.” (snooze) “I need to pray.” (snooze) “I need to read my Bible.” (snooze)  You get the point.  We all do it.  What if God snoozed on us?  We always want Him to act immediately but we are so quick to hit that button when He calls.  I have always been a procrastinator.  One of my goals for 2015 is to quit hitting that button so often and just get things done.  And friends, we can’t afford to keep snoozing when it comes to our spiritual life.  His Word tells us that there is no promise for tomorrow.  He tells us, in a variety of ways, to take care of business!  Not tomorrow but today.  So, forget the snooze button.  Make good on that promise.  Forgive that wrong doing.  Mend that relationship.  Read that daily scripture.  Spend time in prayer.  And, if you have never done so, ask Him for forgiveness.  Make Him Lord of your life.  For we do not know the hour that He will come!  “Do not let Him find you sleeping.”   TIME TO WAKE!

Defense Wins Championships

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”    -Ephesians 6:11

I’m a huge college football fan.  I’m an even bigger University of Tennessee football fan.  Vol fans haven’t had a lot to cheer about over the past several years, but these days things are looking brighter.  Especially on the defensive side of the ball.  Tennessee is set to sign one of the best defensive classes in its history and soon could have one of the strongest defenses in college football.  In my opinion, having a strong defense is the key to success.  I really think that is the case in just about any sport.  1 point can win you a game.  But if you can’t stop the enemy from scoring, you will surely lose.  We need to play strong defense in our spiritual lives as well.  We have an enemy.  Satan lurks around with his legion of evil and each and every moment of the day he is looking for an opportunity to take control of the game.  It is imperative that we have a defense that is mature and has adequate depth.  And, we have all of the tools and training we need to fight off the enemy.  We need to make sure that we spend time in prayer with our Lord, each and every day.  Even if it is just a few minutes, Satan will flee the other direction.  The word of God gives us daily game plans to fight off the enemy and thrive offensively.  This is the armor He has given us.  So, before you hit the field today, put on that armor.  Spend time with the Lord.  Spend time reading the game plan.  Defense wins championships!

The Way of the Dog

“and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”   -Luke 17:13

Are you a animal person?  Boy we sure are in our house.  We love animals.  We have a dog and two cats.  My middle son is such a animal lover that he has been known to cry if a frog got run over in the driveway!  But have you ever really thought about how animals act toward us?  If you have had dogs and cats then you know exactly what I am talking about.  A dog will treat you with the utmost respect.  He will follow you everywhere you go, whether you want him to or not.  He will greet you at the door and welcome you home, sometimes obnoxiously.  He will come when you call him (unless he has not been trained very well).  He will lay at your feet when you recline and he will roll over on his back when scolded, as a sign of submission.  He is loyal to you and will follow you to the ends of the earth.  You are MASTER!!  Then there are the cats.  The cat will come around, but only when he wants to.  The cat may greet you when you come home, but likely only if he needs food or water.  The cat will lay where he wants; ANYWHERE he wants.  He does as he pleases most of the time.  He will not come when you call, unless it is while rattling a bag of food, and he will NEVER be submissive.  The cat knows you are the provider.  He loves you, but really doesn’t feel the need to express it until he needs something from you.  Any of that sound familiar?  I think we sometimes tend to be more “catlike” when it comes to how we treat the Lord.  We love Him but we often don’t acknowledge Him until we need something.  We lay around and do what we want.  We often ignore Him when he calls, unless there is something in it for us.  How pleasing would it be to Him if we acted like dogs (yes that can be a good thing)?  What if we woke up each day and ran to Him?  What if every time we walked in the door, we went looking for Him?  What if we followed Him in every step of our lives?  What if He called and we came running and submitted to Him, trusting that He knows best.  After all, He is MASTER!  Be a DOG today!

Unbroken

“Because he has loved Me, I will bring him out of trouble.  I will set him in a safe place on high, because he has known My name.”   -Psalm 91:14

Do you know the story of Louis Zamperini?  Well, if you don’t know at least a little about him you have obviously been hiding under a rock.   The story, “Unbroken” was written by Laura Hillenbrand and most recently yielded a movie directed by Angelina Jolie.  I have to admit, I’m not a very good reader.  My wife, however, is and she read the book, giving me play by play throughout.  I felt like I read it (does that count?) and couldn’t wait to see the movie with her.  Louis was an Olympic runner who later fought in World War II and was captured by the Japanese after a crash.  He (Spoiler Alert if you don’t know) spent more than a month in a life boat living off of rain water and an occasional fish.  During a violent storm over the Pacific Ocean Louis said a brief prayer.  He didn’t say much, but he told God if He would get him through this, if God would answer his prayers, he would dedicate his whole life to Him.  Little did Louie know that this South Pacific storm was minor compared to what he would go through over the next couple of years in the POW camps.
The movie, of course, focuses mainly on the drama and suffering that Louie endured.  What you didn’t get to see is what happened with his life after the war.  After a brief struggle with post war anger and alcoholism, Louie rededicated his life to Christ after attending a Billy Graham crusade.  He then spent the rest of his days inspiring others to forgive and live for Christ.  He made good on that promise he made to God in the stormy South Pacific ocean.  So, if you have already read the book or seen the movie then you are thinking, “Yeah, yeah, what is your point? We already know all of this”.  Well, have you ever prayed one of those prayers?  You know, “Hey God, if you will help me out here, I promise I will….”.  Well I have.  Can’t say that I have always made good on those promises.  Louis was and is an inspiration.  Not just for his physical ability or his mental toughness, but for his discipline and humility to give the glory to God.  There is no question that God DID answer his prayers during that storm.  And God stayed with him through all the other storms he faced.  God tells us that if we seek Him, if we love Him, He will bring us out of trouble.  That doesn’t mean we won’t face any trouble.  It  DOES mean that we can take comfort in knowing that it’s just a storm and God will see us through it.  And when it passes, we need to humble ourselves, give the glory to Him and make good on those promises we make during those storms.  Because God is and will always be “Unbroken”!

Time To Go

“For sure, I tell you, if anyone keeps My Word, that one will never die.”  -John 8:51

Yesterday I learned of a lady who left this world to be with the Lord.  She was a young age of 90 years.  It was said to me that she commented that she wasn’t feeling good, went to lay down then looked at her sister and said, “Time for me to go”.  She then, without pain or struggle, left for eternity.  I don’t know anything about this lady’s history.  She may have had one of the roughest lives of anyone on the planet.  But, I can’t help but think she must have been a Christ follower.  She knew that her time here on earth was done.  She didn’t panic.  She didn’t cry.  She didn’t express concern.  She just calmly announced that it was her time to go.  I wonder how she knew?  I wonder if she saw an angel motioning her to come on.  Or, what if she saw Jesus, holding out his hand for her to take.  Or maybe she saw nothing and she just recognized that she was dying.  I don’t know.  What I do know is that whatever the case, she seemed to be prepared for what was next.  How wonderful a feeling it must have been for her to know she was going to see the King!  I want to live my life in such a way that I am that prepared when it is my time to go.  I want to leave this world with a peace in my heart that things are only about to get better.  What we are doing here on earth is merely a preparation for eternity.  So, when it’s time to go, how prepared are you?