Inside

I was lying in bed saying my prayers the other night and I
said something that surprised me. I was praying for many of my family, friends
and acquaintances, many of who are struggling in their faith. These are the
words that formed in my strange brain, "Lord, inside of them is a
spiritual person struggling to get out." 

Isn't that true of so many of us? There is a struggle
within us to be more than we are, to have a better and stronger relationship
with our God. It is so easy for us to observe the outer person we see and
forget the ongoing struggle and the potential that is there. It's like looking
at the caterpillar before it turns into a butterfly. That caterpillar is not
the most attractive thing I ever saw, but hidden inside is that which can be
one of God's most beautiful creations.

You may be the one struggling to overcome the
"caterpillar syndrome". You may be wondering if you will ever be able
to be the spiritual person you desire so strongly to be. It is so easy to look
at others and think, "I wish I were like them," but we don't know how
they struggle or have struggled in their lives to become who they are today.
The change (metamorphosis) from spiritual caterpillar to butterfly doesn't come
easily for anyone, yet it is possible.

The apostle Paul used this Greek word
"metamorphosis", talking about our spiritual change in 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 where he said:
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there
is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory,
are being transformed (metamorphosis) into his image with ever increasing
glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

When you think
about the change you want for your life, don't limit yourself in the area of
time. Don't expect to be "transformed into his image" over night and
don't expect that of anyone else either. Just remember that inside of them (and
us) is a spiritual person struggling to get out. Jesus understood that also,
which is part of the power behind his words when he said in Matthew 19:26 "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible".
It may seem like a silly prayer to some, but I truly believe that inside
many of us is a spiritual person struggling to get out.

Dear God, I'm ready to listen

I had gotten a new tea mug about a year ago; you know the
kind with a neat saying on it. I was more interested in the fact that it was
huge and I like a "big" cup of tea, not one of those tiny ones where you
can't even get your fingers through the handle.

Anyway, I was sitting and sipping my tea the other morning
and took notice of the message printed on the cup. Now I know I have read it
before, but if you had asked me what it said, I wouldn't have been able to tell
you. It may just be that I am more in need of the message now than before.
Anyway, the message touched my heart this time. A simple message that said,
"Dear God… I'm ready to listen now". The other side of the mug said
in part, "God never puts a call on hold…. I can ask Him about anything and
he is ready to listen."

We seem to understand the part about God always being
ready to listen, but what about the other part, the part where we listen?

Part of the problem may be that we often expect an
immediate, clearly stated answer from God and He doesn't always answer that
way. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews deals with how God answers; take time to
read it sometime... Simply, God sometimes doesn't answer in anyway which is
perceivable to us. We continue to serve him and do what he asks of us anyway,
which is called, "walking by faith". "By faith," we read
that all of the great people of the Old Testament served God, never personally
seeing the end result of the promise of God.

They married, had children, dealt with the daily stresses
and problems, and went to work everyday having faith that God was in control,
and knew what he was doing even if they didn't. How do we do that today? By
believing that God is in control, one day at a time, or one hour at a time or
even a few minutes at a time, because he is either in control of this world or
he is not. That's the decision we have to make and live by.

Here
is how they did it: Hebrews 11:13-16, "All these people were still living by faith
when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them
and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and
strangers on earth… they were longing for a better country; a heavenly one.."(NIV)

Someone else put it this way, "Each
one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but
still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved
their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live
this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home."

Living in
this world, looking for our true home! That’s the secret of living by faith and
listening for God. As the old hymn says, "This world is not my home, I'm
just a passing through…"

"X" marks the spot

As I view our
society, it seems like there are so many people who really have no direction in
there lives. They may have a general idea that they are traveling through life,
but with out a goal or a finial destination in mind. Many people (especially
young people) seem to have a sense of "lostness" about them. You
asked them what they are doing with their lives and they will tell you,
"I'm going to school", or "I on a sports team". If you asked
them, "Well, what are you going to do after that," some may tell you
they are going for a higher education, but it seems most really don't know.

It's not much
different for those who are older. If you ask many people about their3 plans,
the answer is "to retire". If you ask, "Then what", they
really have no answer, other that to say they want to visit some place.

The story is told
about Albert Einstein, the brilliant physicist of Princeton University in the
early 20th century. Einstein was traveling from Princeton on a train, and when
the conductor came down the aisle to punch the passengers’ tickets, Einstein
couldn’t find his. He looked in his vest pocket, he looked in his pants pocket,
he looked in his briefcase, but there was no ticket. The conductor was
gracious; "Not to worry, Dr. Einstein, I know who you are, we all know who
you are, and I’m sure you bought a ticket."

As the conductor
moved down the aisle, he looked back and noticed Einstein on his hands and
knees, searching under the seat for his ticket. The conductor returned to
Einstein; "Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don’t worry. I know who you are.
You don’t need a ticket, I’m sure you bought one." Einstein arose and said
"Young man, I too know who I am; what I don’t know is where I am going."

So where are you going? Einstein was looking for his ticket
to tell him. Me, I prefer to look at the map for my life given by God. When you
spend time with God's word, it is much like reading a treasure map. We try and
get to the place where "X" marks the spot to find the treasure. That's
where I'm trying to go! I like treasure (if it's the right kind).

I
don’t know about you, but I treasure peace, happiness, kindness, love,
fellowship; a relationship with God and family and friends. As I thought about
this list I realized that "things" are not on my list of treasures. I
guess there is a reason for that… Jesus understood this and that why he said
what he did in Matthew 6:21, "Wherever your treasure is, there the desires
of your heart will also be."

So,
where are you going? Where is your treasure? I hope it is the right place and
you are following the right map.

New Challenges

Many of you know that I have recently made some major
changes in my life. I have retired from full time ministry and moved across
country from California to Ohio. Our motor home, (in which we intended to live),
sustained damage which made it unlivable for the present. We are living with
family until that is corrected. If that weren’t enough I have now begun a new
job in a new field in which I have no experience. I have lots of management
experience, but not in this type of work. I am having to learn a whole lot
quickly to succeed in this endeavor.

When I thought about the new challenge before me I thought I
would check out the definition and here is what I found out about this
particular challenge. The definition of the word is: "to arouse or stimulate especially
by presenting with difficulties". Well, to say that I have been
stimulated by being presenting with difficulties would definitely be the truth
about my situation. At times I feel totally unprepared for the challenge.

I'm reminded of some bible characters, who faced similar
challenges. Men such as a shepherd boy named David, who became a giant slayer,
an army commander and king of the nation of Israel. I doubt that while he was
in the field with the sheep that he would have imagined that he would be a
king, much less kill a giant with a sling shot. He did however trust that God
was in control of all things and he believed that God can do whatever he wants
with whoever he wants.

Another man who changed careers was the man who became the
Apostle Paul. He was someone who fought with all of his heart and soul against
Christians. He never in his wildest dreams would have thought he would become
one himself. Yet he became one of the most influential Christians to have ever
lived. He realized why he was so changed and why he was so successful. That is
what he wrote the words of  Philippians
4:13, "I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

What is your challenge? Are you up to it? You may not be,
but God always is! And you can do all things through him who gives you
strength.

What about this "rejoicing" stuff?

I know that many Christians have trouble with Paul's instructions
to "rejoice in the Lord always" (Philippians 4:4). Honestly, how can we be expected to "rejoice"
when there are so many bad things happening in our lives and in our world? Paul
can't have been serious could he? Think about this, the word
"rejoice" could be translated just as easily as "to be full of
cheer," or simply, "be happy," and in our world, it seems this
is a much desired, but little accomplished state of life.

Recently I asked in a sermon, "When is the last time
you have been happy as a Christian?" "When is the last time you
trusted God that much, to enjoy just being one of his children?"

The problem as I perceive it for many of us, is that we are
more in interested in solving problems (real or perceived) than in trusting God
to handle them for us. We worry that there are or will be things that we cannot
handle or straighten out on our own. We worry about our families, our jobs, our
health, and our churches. I don't imagine you are much different that me and in
my mind I ask questions like these: "What if we don't get it right?"
"What if we make the wrong decisions?" "What if I'm not able to
defend "the truth" of God's Word?" "What if I don't know the
right words to say?" "What if I am not in the right place in this
world?" "Could there be another job I could be or should be in?"
"Am I the right example of a husband, father, brother, friend?"

You see, most of those questions are about "me",
with little reliance upon God. And, when we worry about all of those things,
try to answer all of the questions ourselves, we really won't feel very happy
or being "rejoicing" Christians.

It comes down to the question of how much we really trust
God or how much we really believe he cares for us. I believe that God is able
to put us where we need to be, when we need to be there and will guide us to
deal with the questions of life, if we trust him enough. Until we learn to do
that we can't truly be happy or "rejoice in the Lord".

If
you can, open your bible and read the whole passage of Matthew 6:25-34. In this passage Jesus talks to his followers about
worry and the care of God for each of us. In verses 33-34 he sums up what he is
trying to say with these words, "But seek first his kingdom and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Someone paraphrased these verses like this, "Learn
to trust in God. Don't worry about things you can do
anything about. When you do that, you'll find all your everyday human concerns
will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and
don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help
you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes".

There was a silly little song which was popular a few years
ago that simply repeated the words, "Don't worry, be happy" to a
catchy little tune. Again I ask the questions, "When is the last time you
have been happy as a Christian?" "When is the last time you trusted
God that much, to enjoy just being one of his children?"

The only way you can do that is to REALLY believe that God
is in control of your life and this world. To believe (whether you like it or
not) that you are where you need to be to serve God's purpose, not your own.
You don't have to understand it, just belief it and live your life trusting
that God knows what he is doing whether you do or not. In other words,
"Don't worry… Be happy" (rejoice in the Lord). 

Location, Location, Location...

Recently I wrote an article about our travels and not
knowing where we were and really not caring that I didn’t know. On the other
side of this thought I would suggest that it does matter to me where we are.

On this journey of ours we had a goal; it was to arrive back
to the place of our birth and where our family is at; Ohio. We had carefully
mapped out the route we had to take to get where we wanted to go and followed
that route faithfully. Granted, we had a few unscheduled stops along the way,
but the goal never changed.

Now we are located where we wanted to be, near our family
and grandkids. It’s all about desires of the heart and the choices we make. Is
location important? Yes it is! The problem is that the desires we have don’t
always work out in real life as our final destination. In our travel through
life, we want family, friends and special jobs. Sometimes we continue this
journey (or adventure) through life, because want to reclaim memories and make
new memories, see new sights, experience new things.

The
question for each of  us, is what is your
ultimate goal? Where are you going on your journey? You just can’t say it any
better than the apostle Paul did in Philippians
3:11-14, “I want to know Christ; yes, to know the power of his resurrection and
participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so,
somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already
obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take
hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do
not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward
the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ
Jesus.”

Paul’s
goal was to some day be raised to live with God in Heaven. What could be a
better goal than that? Nothing that I can think of! Does that mean I will enjoy
my present location any less? Not at all, I will enjoy it all the more knowing
that my ultimate goal is even so much better! How about you?

I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE I WAS AND I DIDN'T CARE!

We have been traveling across this great nation of ours for
8 days now. We are not making a mad dash across the county this time as we have
always done before. Just a few more days and we will be to our goal, home with
our family.

Yesterday was an especially long day of driving and driving
an almost 40 foot long motor home and towing a car behind it, making it closer
to 60 foot takes lots of concentration. Yesterday we drove through several
areas of "road construction" (very narrow lanes to negotiate) and I
was very tired. 

We were in Missouri (stretching our driving day to try and
stay ahead of some storm fronts) and had planned on stopping at a RV park at a
particular exit, but when we got there the RV park was not, apparently it had
closed. I kept driving for another 30 miles or so down the highway and I was
getting tired. We finally spotted a small RV park off the side of the road,
made a quick exit and stopped.

Once we got set up and settled the stress of the day started
to set in and I was really tired. We made a couple of calls to family and we
were asked the inevitable question, "Where are you guys?" My reply
was, "I don’t know and don't really care, I'm just glad to be off of the
road for the night". I still don't know because I haven't cared enough to
check it out. I do know we are somewhere East of Springfield, MO, but that's
it. I'll get out the road maps and check it out later this morning to find out
more accurately because I do have a destination in mind, a goal of where to be
tomorrow night. I want to be on the right highway going in the right direction.

Of course as I thought about my response, I thought about
how this is like the response of so many people regarding their relationship to
God. Someone might ask, "Are you a Christian?" or "Are you right
with God?" to which the response often is, "I hope so," or
"I think so". So basically like me they are saying, "I don't
really know and I don't care enough to check it out and see where I am".  

God
has given us a "road map for life," His book, the bible. You may not
know where you are in your relationship to Him and may not really care, but I
can guarantee that someday you will care. Jesus had these words to share on the
subject in Matthew 7:13-14.  "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the
narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many
who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is
difficult, and only a few ever find it." (NLT)

I
don't know about you, but I check the road map for life often daily. Why,
because I want to be on God's road going his way. How about you?