SEPTEMBER 30, 2023

“A quiet conscience makes one strong!” 

― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

ISAIAH 19-21

 4My heart falters,

fear makes me tremble;

the twilight I longed for

has become a horror to me. (21:4)

EPHESIANS 2

1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh^a and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

JOURNAL 

It is always humbling and amazing to read the words of Anne Frank. Knowing the fear and desperation of her life when she wrote her journal really puts my problems and life into perspective. Quieting the mind and being filled with God's spirit is the foundation of all goodness and light. 

To truly quiet the mind...especially in moments of stress is an amazing gift of God. Quieting the mind and hearing from God is not just for times of high stress and anxiety but also during the good moments as well. For it is in these that I can fully embrace the wondrous gifts of life. It is crazy to me how my mind often fights against these moments of solitude and quiet. I can see how I am addicted to being entertained and having my thoughts occupied. Yet it is clear from scripture that to truly hear from God...to truly tune myself with his spirit, requires that I shut down the the external and allow his spirit to take over my thoughts.  It is in doing this that I become in tune with all that he has for me today, this week, this month and this life.

In thinking on it further...God is oxygen and when we don't breathe in oxygen we start dying and becoming desperate, fear takes over and we will take in anything that can somewhat ease our anxiety, ease our search for the oxygen of God. But nothing can replace his presence, his spirit. Anything we try to use in place of God will only deepen our fear and our desperation. 

7Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

PSALM 37:7

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023

 If you've got pain

He's a pain taker
If you feel lost
He's a way maker
If you need freedom or saving
He's a prison-shaking Savior
If you've got chains
He's a chain breaker

Zach Williams - Chain Breaker Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

ISAIAH 16-18

10You have forgotten God your Savior;

you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress.

Therefore, though you set out the finest plants

and plant imported vines,

11though on the day you set them out, you make them grow,

and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud,

yet the harvest will be as nothing

in the day of disease and incurable pain. (18:10-11)

EPHESIANS 1

 18I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

JOURNAL 

The power that we possess in Christ is the equivalent of what raised Jesus from the dead...what? How can that be? This is what Ephesians says...this is scripture and it is not taken out of context. This is the word Paul sent to the Ephesians. This is the power that opened his eyes to all that Jesus is...this is the power that performed miracles and saved lives. This is the power that lives within us. What then am I to fear? What am I to shrink back from? Why would I ever doubt the path he leads me down...he can take all the pain, plow the way, open the prison and break all the chains. Do I believe it? That is the question....

 6You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

NEHEMIAH 9:6

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

 “‎What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and work flow.” 

― Martin Luther

ISAIAH 13-15

13You said in your heart,

“I will ascend to the heavens;

I will raise my throne

above the stars of God;

I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,

on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.^b

14I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High.”

15But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,

to the depths of the pit.(14:13-15)

GALATIANS 6

1Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 4Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5for each one should carry their own load. 6Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

JOURNAL 

Thinking through this whole concept of carrying each other's burdens. I think of how one of the greatest joys in life is knowing that you are not alone...that someone understands...that someone connects with how you feel and is willing to sit with you in those times and places when you feel lost and alone.

In those times and moments it is like a cold drink of water on a hot day, or sitting next to a warm fire after being outside in the cold. The power God gives us in compassion, love and understanding is an amazing power and one that should never be dismissed.  Likewise there is great joy in being that for someone else. I know there are times when I have felt God moving in me as I listened and created space for someone. It is powerful and and it's a feeling that is definitely beyond just me. 

I think in a large part that is what we are here to do...to create space...sacred space...space for us and God...and space for others. The sacred space is that holy place between what happens to us and how we respond. It is in this space that we find ourselves, it is in this space that we find God. The more we are able to seek God in the midst of circumstances and seek this space for guidance and wisdom, we then are able to find God's heart and also ours. To be part of this for another human being is Godly because it fulfills our deepest longing (connection) and connects us in God's mission for our lives.

 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

MATTHEW 28:18-20

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

  “Spirituality is not to be learned by flight from the world, or by running away from things, or by turning solitary and going apart from the world. Rather, we must learn an inner solitude wherever or with whomsoever we may be. We must learn to penetrate things and find God there.” 

― Meister Eckhart

ISAIAH 10-12

 “I will praise you, Lord.

Although you were angry with me,

your anger has turned away

and you have comforted me.

2Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust and not be afraid.

The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense^a ;

he has become my salvation.”

3With joy you will draw water

from the wells of salvation.(12:1-3)

GALATIANS 5

 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love...22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

JOURNAL 

My mind, my emotions and my habits are such a product of my past and my environment. They are a product of what I continually feed them. The amazing thing about the spirit is that it actually allows me to separate myself from my thoughts, emotions and habits. It allows me to pause and consider God. It allows me to see that many times my initial thoughts and emotions do not reflect truth or reality. To be able to pause...seek God and actually choose a different way is essentially what makes me human. That necessity is also what allows me to be filled with God's spirit. 

These are the truths that fill the whole of scripture. God's spirit gives us the power to step outside of all of the power of habits, hurts, fears and emotions. It allows me to realize that beyond the storm, clouds, wind and rain is a blue peaceful sky. It is this constant that is most symbolic of God and his spirit. The storms are never constant but the blue sky peace of God is...so regardless of the circumstances I can have peace, I can have joy, I can act in love and I can live out the fruits of God's spirit.

 7For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

2 TIMOTHY 1:7

SEPTEMBER 26, 2023

    “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven..” 

― John Milton, Paradise Lost

ISAIAH 7-9

 6For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7Of the greatness of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty

will accomplish this. (9:6-7)

GALATIANS 4

6Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,^c Father.” 7So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

JOURNAL 

The first time I read those words from Milton I was in college. It made a definite impact on me as I realized the truth and how I could see this play out in my own life. I have one life to live. I have today, how do I live it? What do I want to make most important? Do I live as a slave or as a free child of God? 

In this day and this time the slavery I fall under is one of my own making. It is not to a government or person or people it is to a mindset that is bound in anxiety and fear. It comes from a community and a nation that offers counterfeit gods as the answer to peace and joy. Those counterfeit Gods are material possessions, positions of honor and approval of the masses and anything that threatens to replace my need of God. This is not to say that material possessions, awards and the applause of others is wrong. It only becomes so when it takes the place of God. When it promises to be more than what it is.

There is a fine line...it is easy to go too far in rejecting the counterfeit as gods, which can lead to judgement, bitterness, isolation and hatred... just as it is easy to buy in and hope in their false promises. I think back to the old Budweiser commercials that say "this is as good as it gets". It is good to connect with friends around a fire and enjoy a good beer. That is an awesome blessing. But it isn't the beer or the fire or the friends. It ultimately is God and his spirit of love that unites us that makes the beer and the fire and the friends into something that is more than the those things individually.

12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

COLOSSIANS 3:12-14

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

“Because here’s something that’s weird but true: we don’t actually know what a positive or negative experience is. Some of the most difficult and stressful moments of our lives also end up being the most formative and motivating. Some of the best and most gratifying experiences of our lives are also the most distracting and demotivating. Don’t trust your conception of positive/negative experiences. All that we know for certain is what hurts in the moment and what doesn’t. And that’s not worth much.” 

― Mark Manson

ISAIAH 4-6

11Woe to those who rise early in the morning

to run after their drinks,

who stay up late at night

till they are inflamed with wine.

12They have harps and lyres at their banquets,

pipes and timbrels and wine,

but they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord,

no respect for the work of his hands. (5:11-12)

GALATIANS 3

26So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

JOURNAL 

There is a humility that is often overlooked. I see it every day in sports and stories are filled with the tale of the underdog who overcomes the favorite. I love these stories and yet I often forget the wisdom they impart. Anyone of us at any time are subject to being humbled by another human being. It is for our own good that this possibility exists. For it keeps us living in surrender to God and in a mindset that honors all God's creations. Yes, even our enemies.

All stories become good stories because they impart eternal truths. Life is a gift, it is fragile and is not a dragon to be slayed or a mountain to be summited. It is a journey to be experienced, filled with triumphs and heartaches, good times and bad, sickness and health, life and death. If we live long enough we get to experience it all and in doing so, we get the beauty of the gift itself. Yes, there are things to conquer and there are times when we are conquered and if we really live life well then we embrace it all.

17“Blessed is the one whom God corrects;

so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.^a

18For he wounds, but he also binds up;

he injures, but his hands also heal.

JOB 5:17-18

SEPTEMBER 24, 2023

 “Decision-making based on emotional intuition, without the aid of reason to keep it in line, pretty much always sucks. You know who bases their entire lives on their emotions? Three-year-old kids. And dogs. You know what else three-year-olds and dogs do? Shit on the carpet.” 

― Mark Manson

ISAIAH 1-3

17Learn to do right; seek justice.

Defend the oppressed.^a

Take up the cause of the fatherless;

plead the case of the widow. (1:17)

GALATIANS 2

 20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”^e

JOURNAL 

Leadership is an exercise in consistency. The leaders in the time of Isaiah were shallow and therefore weak. As a result the people decayed morally and sought anything that filled them emotionally.  As a leader...character deficits don't stay hidden, eventually they surface. The result is usually failure, and organizations that become divided and directionless. That's why the verses in Galatian are so crucial. To remember that "I am crucified with Christ..." and that "Christ live in me." It's no longer my emotions or my wants or my desires. For mine are flawed but God's are perfect. 

What do I care most about? What are the true allegiances of my heart? Do I daily surrender to seeking God and glorifying him in all that I do?

Far too often the answer to that question are things other than God and his word. Too often my heart is tilted to the things that give me immediate benefit. When I come before God through scripture I can discern my waywardness. I can see how I have followed roads that are not of God's design. For that reason there is a part of me that wants to run from this confrontation. However, this is the reason that coming to God each morning and throughout the day are absolutely necessary. It activates my God given ability to reason and see my emotions and fears for what they are. For to not leaves me solely to my emotions, fears and habits.

Thank you Father for your word, your spirit and another day to live and glorify you in building your Kingdom.

13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

MATTHEW 7:13-

SEPTEMBER 23, 2023

“A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.” 

― Dalai Lama XIV, The Art of Happiness

SONG OF SOLOMON 6-8

7Many waters cannot quench love;

rivers cannot sweep it away.

If one were to give

all the wealth of one’s house for love,

it^c would be utterly scorned. (8:7) 

GALATIANS 1

10Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

JOURNAL 

Teaching 7th graders comes with many challenges, yet in those challenges, I am able to identify many of the things that have tripped me up in my own life. One of those is the way that their behavior is often tied to their immediate emotions. It's easy to sit back and complain that they have no self-control.

I am really no different and often give in to compulsions and emotions. Even now as I sit I have a compulsion and an energy to get up and walk around. However I am learning to let that compulsion go and to sit here and remain focused on typing and doing my devotion. Doing this level of discipline is what has been sorely missing in my life. I have tended to fight my emotions...at times going wherever my emotions took me and or trying to create and or squash or run from them. The reality of knowing that I can stand apart from them and then decide whether to indulge them or to simply let them pass is freeing. It gives me confidence and it keeps me focused in the heart of God.

1The wicked flee though no one pursues,

but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

2When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers,

but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order.

PROVERBS 28:1-2

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023

  “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” 

― Mother Teresa

SONG OF SOLOMON 4-5

Eat, friends, and drink;

drink your fill of love. (5:1) 

2 CORINTHIANS 13

11Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

JOURNAL 

Years ago, I was in a really, really dark place. During those days it felt as if I was totally and completely alone in my struggles and hurt. During those dark days God showed up in ways that were not predictable, many times in ways that were contrary to my pleas. But he did show up. Life continues to be hard, though not as daunting today as it was...but again that's just life! No matter your circumstance, everyone struggles, everyone doubts, everyone feels lonely, everyone worries, waits, cries, hurts. Once we really embrace that, once we really see through the haze of our own hurt, we realize we are all God's children, we are all far from home and we all ache to be back in his arms.

Yet it is only in the realization of our own ineptness that we can actually connect to our true Father and therefore connect to all his children. It is in these moments when loneliness becomes a passion to comfort. It is in these moments when hurt becomes a passion to heal, anger becomes a passion to reconcile, hatred becomes a passion to love. God can transform it all in a blink of an eye, sometimes all it takes is a smile, a word, a hug, a note. To be part of that...to be used by God in his love for each other is an amazing gift, it always catches me off guard.

It is in these moments that I am overwhelmed by joy...regardless of circumstances.

34“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

JOHN 13:34-35