Changes

Change creates a lot of different emotions.  Fear.  Anxiety.  Excitement.  Even sorrow.  Change is not always easy.  My son recently went off to college.  The experience reminded me anew how hard change can be.  New opportunities.  New directions.  New challenges.

In the Bible, a man named Joshua experienced all of these things.  He had served for over forty years as the right hand man to Moses.  For a generation, Moses had led the people of Israel.  He had brought them out of captivity in Egypt, wandered with the through the wilderness, and brought them to the cusp of the Promised Land.  Now, Moses was dead.  Joshua was in charge.  He was going to have to take the people into the land.

I can imagine the emotions he must have felt.  Excited on one hand.  Overwhelmed on the other.  Yet, God had assured Joshua that He was with him.  He commissions Joshua to lead the people, and then He says, “I promise you what I promised Moses” (Joshua 1:3, NLT).  In other words, God tells Joshua that He would be with Him just like He was with Moses.  Joshua would not be alone.  God was with him.  In case Joshua missed it the first time, God reiterates the point.  He says, “For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you” (Joshua 1:5, NLT).

Change can be overwhelming.  Every day, God opens up new opportunities in our lives.  Sometimes those different doors can paralyze us.  We need to understand the He will never fail us.  He will never allow us to face those new challenges alone.  When God comes into our lives, He stays with us through all the changes that come our way.  When we go where He leads, He goes with us.  We never go alone.  He will always be faithful.  Things may change, but God does not (James 1:17).  He is always the same.

God’s Will

We live in an information age.  At the touch of a button, we have access to more information than we can possibly process.  As I type this, I have screens up on my computer showing me who’s leading the U.S. Open, who is preaching at the SBC Pastor’s Conference, Bible texts, my emails, and my calendar.  Information, information, and more information.  With all that info we can access via the web, there is some information we just cannot find on-line.

The Apostle Paul offers up a heartfelt prayer for the Christians in Colossae.   One of the things Paul prays is that the Colossians might know God’s will and wisdom for their lives.  Paul writes, “We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Colossians 1:9, HCSB).

It is vital that we know God’s will for our lives.  Thus, Paul prays that the Colossians gain that knowledge in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.  Our discerning of God’s will is a spiritual exercise.  That’s why it’s so important for us to be committed to the spiritual disciplines of prayer and Bible study.  God speaks to us through these endeavors.  And, while He also speaks through other things, these two form the foundation that give us the wisdom and understanding we need to discern truth from error, fact from feeling, and clarity from confusion. 

We need to strive to keep our lives connected to God so that we may grow in our understanding of who He is and what He desires for us.  Furthermore, we need to pray for those around us that they too may grow in their knoweldge and understanding of God’s will.  His will is the tracks on which our lives need to run.  May we discover His will for our lives.  More importantly, may we do it.

Fixing our Eyes

The older I get, the more I walk into a room and forget what I was going to do there.  While it might be a little humorous do walk into the kitchen and forget why, it’s tragic to experience the same loss of direction in life.  We find that when trials and difficulties come our way, it’s easy for us to get distracted and forget where we are going.  Sometimes, it’s even easy for us to forget how we are going to get there.

Where are we going in life?  How do we get there?  In Bible-speak, we might ask the question this way:  how do we effectively “run the race?”  The author of Hebrews tells us, “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:2, NLT).  In other words, we progress by keeping our attention fixed on who Jesus is and what He did.  We embrace who He is.  We emulate His example.  We gain His empowerment.

Jesus suffered trials and hardships too.  Yet, He endured.  We too need to keep going forward.  Jesus not only models perseverance, but He empowers us to persevere.  Paul writes, “It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:21, NLT).  He also says, “So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call.  May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do” (2 Thessalonians 1:11, NLT – you can read more about this verse here).  Many of us have read the story of Peter walking on the water towards Jesus (Matthew 14:22-33).  When the waves came, he focussed on the storm and began to sink (Matthew 14:30).  His faith faltered as the realities of life pulled his attention away from Jesus.  If we want to keep moving forward, we have to have an objective in mind.  By fixing our eyes on Jesus, we can not only learn how to handle the potential setbacks in our lives, but we can also gain the power we need to overcome them.

Believing the Message

I hate going to the doctor.  I appreciate what doctors do, but I don’t like going to see one.  There is always a point in the visit that turns challenging.  The doctor comes in, looks over your chart, asks a few questions, and then dispenses judgment.  You need to do this.  You need to cut out that.  More vegetables.  Less salt.  More exercise.  Less stress.  On and on and on.  The key for us is when we walk out of the doctor’s office.  Will we listen?  Will we follow his advice?

When Jonah finally obeyed God and went to Ninevah, he pronounced a simple message.  The Bible says, “On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!”  The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow” (Jonah 3:4-5, NLT, emphasis added).  A brief message by a disinterested messenger brought big changes in the lives of the people of Ninevah.  Why?  Because they listened. 

The Ninevites believed God when He spoke through His messenger.  They acted on their belief.  They made some changes in how they lived.  When we hear God’s message, how do we respond?  Do we yawn?  Do we sit in complacency?  Do we nod approvingly only to refuse to allow it to take root in our hearts?  We need to make the effort to apply His message to our lives.  The issue isn’t whether God is speaking.  He is.  The issue is whether we are listening.

Which Way Do We Go?

Ever been confused about directions?  Me too.  Ever been confused about life?  Me too.  How about which way to go in life?  Yep.  Likewise.  It’s easy to wonder which way to go.  It’s easy to get confused.  So many options.  So little time to process all the choices.  Confusion.  Chaos.  Indecision. 

Back in the day, we used to get directions from a map or a gas station attendant.  Now, we flip a switch, press some buttons, and get them from Mapquest or a GPS.  But, the big question remains.  Where can we get some good directions in life?  Who can get us where we need to go?  A wise sage?  A good friend?  An infinite source of wisdom and guidance?  How about all of the above.  God says,  “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you”(Psalm 32:8, NLT). 

God knows the best course for our lives.  He knows where we need to be, and He knows the best way to get us there.  We may not always understand the directions, but they are solid.  The road may get a little bumpy, but it’s the best way for us to go.  We may get frustrated at the delays and the detours, but God always gets us in the right place at the right time.

The key is for us to put our trust in Him.  We are so prone to thinking we know the right way to go.  We can be hard-headed and stubborn at times.  We need to surrender to God and let Him lead us.  We need to submit to His authority and admit His directions are best.  Quit wrestling with God.  Realize that the path you’re on leads to heartache and destruction.  Trust Him and His directions.  You see, we need to turn on our GPS.  No, not our Tom-Tom or Garman, but our “God Positioning System.”  Let God lead you in the best pathways today.

A Great New Year

It is easy to see why people become overwhelmed with fear and anxiety.  Every time we turn on the news or go on-line and read a news story, all we ever hear is how bad everything is.  The economy is horrible.  Oil prices are going back up.  They are fighting in the Middle East.  The Christmas retail season was the worst in history since before the Magi visited Jesus (ponder that a moment and you’ll get the humor of it).

Should we just avoid the news and bury our heads in the sand?  No, ignorance doesn’t necessarily solve the problems swirling around us.  What we really need to do is to stop and remember a few bits of encouraging news from God.  For one, God loves us.  The Bible says, “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.  God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”(1 John 4:16, NLT).

Second, we need to remember that God has our best interest at heart.  About 2600 years ago, God reminded the prophet Jeremiah that despite some challenges in the life and times of the people of Israel, He still had great plans for them.  Jeremiah records those words for us - “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11, NLT)  In other words, God had their future in His hands.  He has our backs too.  In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul writes, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28, NLT)  Even in difficult times, God is working those things for our benefit.

Finally, we need to remember that God will always be with us.  The Scripture reminds us, “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you.  I will never abandon you.”  So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear.  What can mere people do to me?”(Hebrews 13:5-6, NLT)  God doesn’t abandon us.  Even when things are tough, He is still there.  Lean on Him.  Dedicate yourself anew to walk with Him more closely this next year.  The Bible is filled with the hope and promises of God.  We have just looked at a few – He loves us, He works in us, and He is with us.  Now that’s some good news for a change.