Tag Archives: God’s plan

The Devil Is In The Details

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The devil is in the details. I know I might be taking some liberties here, but isn’t that kind of what Jesus told Martha? (Luke 10) She was busy preparing dinner – not a bad thing because she had guests in her home. But she was so intent on serving the perfect meal, she neglected her guest: Jesus Himself!

I don’t think this Scripture is teaching us to not plan, not pay attention to details. I know I certainly get frustrated if I’m in a class where the teacher has not spent time preparing, or at a meeting that hasn’t been organized, and wouldn’t it be silly for a football team to run onto the field without someone planning strategies and teaching the plays before they meet their opponent?

I think this passage teaches us about priorities. Jesus HAS to come first. Sure there are demands of the day, obligations we must meet, things to do that require careful planning. But none of that should have precedence over our time with Jesus.

Someone once said, “if you’re too busy to read the Bible, you’re too busy”. Choices, my friend. Choices.

Bill Hybels wrote a book entitled, “Too Busy Not To Pray”. Google Grace L. Naessens, and read her poem: “I Didn’t Have Time.” I think that’s the attitude Scripture would have us have.

So get busy doing work for the kingdom. But not before you spend time with the King.

Nothing is more important.

What Frustrates Jesus

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I have to say Jesus’ reaction to his disciples when they couldn’t cast out a demon in a little boy bothers me. It seems like he was so mad at them. “You faithless and corrupt people! How long do I have to put up with you?” (Mark 9, Matthew 17, Luke 9) Was he really that frustrated with them?

Lately, God has impressed on my heart the urgency God feels concerning the salvation of souls. He is not playing around. He’s not hiding and hoping someone finds him. He’s in our face every day, trying to get our attention. And for those of us who know him as our Savior, he is passionately trying to get us to be that vessel through which he can reach unsaved souls.

I don’t like Jesus’ reaction to his disciples because I don’t like to think he is frustrated with me, too. I don’t want to think he says, “For crying out loud, Connie, can’t you do one simple thing like talking to your neighbor about me? Can’t you get out of that recliner for two seconds to call that friend I’ve laid on your heart?”

Jesus was frustrated with his disciples, not because he didn’t love them. But because Jesus had tunnel vision. He had a job to do.

He still does. People still need to hear about him, and he is intent on making that happen. May God find his people as intent as he is, as eager to reach the unsaved, with the same tunnel vision as Jesus has.

The Healing Stream

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As I read Ezekiel 47 this morning about the Healing Stream, I was reminded of Jesus, the Living Water. The angel in Ezekiel’s vision described water that would freshen the Dead Sea, cause fruit trees to thrive so that they wouldn’t go dormant, and produce fish of every kind for fishermen to catch.

Fruit trees, fish, a useless body of water restored, blessed, “life will flourish wherever this water flows”. (verse 9)

Shouldn’t that describe the life of a believer in Jesus? Sometimes we don’t really know how dead we are in our sin until we are faced with the Truth of Scripture. Accepting Christ’s gift of forgiveness causes our worthless lives to have meaning. We, too, become fishers of men, we bear fruit that reveal Jesus to those around us. And none of this comes from our effort, our frame of mind, or even our faith.

Just like in Ezekiel’s vision, our transformation comes when the Healing Stream, the Living Water, Jesus Himself, flows through us. Which makes me wonder.

“Life will flourish wherever this water flows.”

I wonder if I haven’t built a dam that prevents the water from flowing freely. Would a sin I hold onto, harboring hatred or jealousy, neglecting my time with God in his Word and prayer, cause the Holy Spirit, that Healing Stream, to hit a snag?

I want my life to be like that which the angel showed Ezekiel in his vision. I want the Healing Stream to flow freely through me. I want to bear fruit, feed hungry souls, and be an example of the power of God to a world that needs him. 

Dear Father, Forgive me when I begin to build a dam that would prevent you from flowing through me. You are the Healing Stream, the Living Water. What a privilege it is to know you. I pray that I will be that vessel through which you can flow freely to draw others to you, too. Give me the ability to recognize the beginnings of dam-building, may I quickly repent, and may you use me today. Refresh me. Flow through me. And may Jesus receive the glory.

November 9

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Mark 15:42-47, 16:1-8; Matthew 27:57-66, 28:1-10; Luke 23:50-56, 24:1-12; John 19:38-42, 20:1-18

I have often tried to put myself in the shoes of those who were at the empty tomb. I’ve wondered what it was like for Jesus to look Satan in the eye after spending time in hell on Satan’s terms and say, “I win”, then disappear. I imagine Jesus opening his eyes in the darkness of that tomb and sighing a big sigh of relief. Did he high-five the angel who was there? Did he look to the heavens and say, “We did it, Dad!”?

Years ago Sandi Patti sang a song that captures the excitement that must have surrounded the moment when Jesus rose from the dead.

“Did the grass sing? Did the earth rejoice to feel you again?
Over and over in a never-ending round, did the earth seem to pound, “He is risen!”?
Over and over like a trumpet underground: He is risen! Halleluiah!!

What was is like for Mary when the risen Jesus spoke her name? For Peter to rush into that tomb and see the linens neatly folded and Jesus gone? For the guards when they witnessed first hand the earthquake, the angel. Did they watch Jesus walk out of the tomb?

Jesus is alive. Look at your own hands and feet. See your reflection in the mirror. Jesus is as alive as you are. Not a ghost. A man with fingers and toes, hands with nail prints and a wound in his side.

He is alive. There were no mirrors or sleeping drugs. He didn’t play the most elaborate vanishing act ever performed. Jesus died. There were hundreds of witnesses to his tortuous death. He was buried. Guards stood watch at his grave.

Jesus went to hell so I wouldn’t have to. And when my debt was paid he lived again and lives still today.

Years ago I did an activity with my students to help them with their listening and speaking skills. They would ask a partner a list of questions and talk to them about their answers. One of the questions was, “What is your favorite holiday?” Whenever I had the opportunity to be paired with a student I would always answer that question with, “Easter”. And if a child would ask me why I would say something like, “Jesus is alive. No other religion has a God who died for them, who went to hell because he loved us, and who rose from the dead. Jesus is the only one EVER and it’s so precious to celebrate what he did for me.”

What about you? Do you know the risen Savior? Have you accepted what he did for you? Does Jesus live within you today because you have asked him to and have repented of your sin? I trust so.

Jesus is alive. You ask me how I know he lives? He lives within my heart!!!

October 13

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Mark 6:14-29, 30-44; Matthew 14:1-12, 6:12-13, 14:13-21; Luke 9:7-9, 6, 10-17; John 6:1-15

I wonder what it was like to be one of the twelve the day 5,000 men plus women and children were fed with five loaves of bread and two fish. Could they see the broken pieces morph into more broken pieces? Imagine the rush of excitement they must have felt as they fed one person, then another, and another. If they wondered before if Jesus was God, I have to believe they got it after that day. Or at least they knew they were a part of something truly amazing.

But after Jesus fed the multitude he left. He got off by himself and hid for a while, knowing that had he stayed, the people would have made him king of their flesh and blood nation. That’s not why God was here in human form.

He knew that if he stayed, people would be following him for what he did and what they would receive from him in terms of health and wealth and freedom from bondage. They wouldn’t be following him because of WHO is was. They weren’t ready to accept a spiritual king of their hearts quite yet.

I am reminded that the same is true yet today. Some people still consider Jesus a heavenly Santa Claus who gives them the things on their wish list if they can conjure up the right kind of faith, if they say the magic words in a prayer. That’s not why Jesus came and that’s not why he wants us to come to him.

As we read on in the New Testament this year, I pray that we will see Jesus for Who he truly is, that we will love him because he first loved us, that we will serve him out of grateful hearts for his work on Calvary. And that we will make him Lord of our lives, King of our hearts.

September 14

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Esther 5:1-9:19

Haman was pretty sure of himself. The King asked for his advice. The Queen invited him to lunch. His wife and his friends told him how great he was. And Haman made plans. He would destroy his enemy and life would be perfect.

Those were Haman’s plans. They weren’t God’s. Haman set in motion the very thing that would destroy him. The gallows he built to hang Mordecai were the gallows that ended his own life.

The lesson here today just might be a warning. The plans we have for ourselves, the future we envision just might result in the destruction of our souls if carried out.

Have you had doors close in your face only to try to crawl through a window to get what you want? Does it seem like for every step you take to get closer to your goal you wind up taking two steps back? Maybe you should rethink your goal.

I have shared that my dad died last year. One year ago today, to be exact. My sisters and I have the job of selling our childhood home. It looked like it had sold last spring but after three months of one roadblock after another, we decided to put it back on the market. Our prayer has always been that God would bring a Christian family to that home, to love it and make memories like the ones we have of living there. God did bring that family and we are scheduled to close next week. Parents with two daughters (we love the idea of another family of girls living there after we five) will live and grow inside those precious walls. We weren’t necessarily thankful for the roadblocks last spring but we can see God’s hand at work for this young family today.

How do we respond to roadblocks? We need to ask ourselves if the roadblocks are put there by Satan to try and stop God’s work, or are they put there by the loving hand of God to prevent us from disaster.

Pray. Stay in the Word because it is God’s roadmap. In these precious pages are all you need to know about finding God’s plan for your life. Let him guide you so that people can recognize him and want him in their lives, too.  That’s God’s ultimate plan for each of us.

Remember… God certainly does not want you to be hanging from gallows built by your choices.

August 10

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Ezekiel 1:1-4:17

Ezekiel saw the wheel – Way up in the middle of the air.

What do you make of Ezekiel’s vision? Some claim he was visited by aliens from outer space. What do you think?

God allowed Ezekiel to get a glimpse of Himself in all his glory. Was it a glimpse into heaven? John’s vision in Revelation was very similar. Are we to figure out a flesh and blood interpretation of wheels and wings and faces?

Personally, I am more interested in what God SAID to Ezekiel in this vision. Here’s what I believe God wants us to hear through Ezekiel:

1. God is who he says he is.
2. We are called to tell others about him.
3. They may not like what they hear but if we obey they will hear the Truth.
4. If we tell people about Jesus and they reject him – that’s on them.
5. If we don’t tell them, we will be held accountable for their eternal souls.

That’s the real purpose of Ezekiel’s vision and prophecy. Let’s not waste time trying to figure out what chrysolite represents or why there were faces of a lion, ox, and eagle.

Let’s get out there and share Jesus with lost souls. That’s the most important thing to take from Ezekiel’s vision.

Father, you created curious people so it’s natural that we would read an account like Ezekiel’s vision and want to know as much as we can. But I pray that your people will spend less time trying to figure out some hidden meaning and more time doing what you clearly told Ezekiel to do, that is to share you with our world. May we take your commission seriously and get out there and share the Gospel.

July 31

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Jeremiah 8:4-9:15, 9:22-10:16, 26:1-24

Be warned, Jeremiah says, disobedience will be punished. And it will be devastating.

What God said through Jeremiah to the flesh and blood kingdom of Israel he continues to say to us in 2013. Throughout the Bible we are introduced to a God who repeatedly says…

I love you. I want to bless you. I want you to obey me so that you can enjoy this world I’ve created. If you don’t obey, realize that there are serious consequences. I will not be ignored.

When the Old Testament Jews heard this message from Jeremiah they wanted to kill him. How dare he tell them they weren’t right. When the New Testament Jews heard Jesus singing the same song they nailed him to a cross.

I get it. No one enjoys having their faults pointed out, privately or publicly. So many of us don’t want to see our short comings. We’d rather go through life blindly, thinking we’re ok just the way we are.

But we have a choice here. Our choice doesn’t change the Truth. But it will determine what life looks like for us from here on out.

The bottom line is this… You and I have faults. The Bible calls them sin. And each of us are accountable for every last one we’ve ever committed. Are we going to get angry at the One who holds us accountable? Or are we going to allow that One to take those sins on Himself?

We don’t have to like God’s plan. But that won’t change his plan, either. Hear what God would say to us today. And let’s allow him to do his work in each of us.

Remember he loves us. He wants to bless us. Let’s obey him so he can.

 

July 18

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Isaiah 43-46

“I am The Lord and there is no other.”

These words are repeated over and over in the passage we read today. In fact, in 45:19 God tells us he has not spoken in secret or told his people to try and find him. Here I am, God says. Mystery solved.

Here are some things he says of himself in these chapters:

He created the heavens.
He is God.
He fashioned and made the earth.
He will save his people with an everlasting salvation.
Before him every knee will bow.

When people say they are searching for God I wonder if they think God is playing a game of Hide and Seek with them. Do they think God dangles clues to his existence and only the wisest of us can figure it out?

If you are searching for God, for Truth, stop. Hear what God says to you today.

I am The Lord and there is no other.

The God we read about in the Bible is the only true God. He’s explained himself, drawn pictures, demonstrated his power in such a way that there can be no question.

If you don’t believe, that’s on you. God has laid it all out. It’s up to you to realize the Truth you seek is found right here. It’s up to you to accept it.

I pray for seekers today. May you realize that what you are looking for is right in front of you. It’s written in the pages of God’s Word, in God’s creation, and in the lives of those of us who know him.

He is God and there is no other. Period.

July 12

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Isaiah 10:5-12:6, 28:1-29

Remember that the people to whom Isaiah was writing these word pictures were not looking forward to Christ’s second coming. They were looking forward to the physical birth of Jesus, the babe in Bethlehem. It’s true that the material birth and the spiritual second coming have parallels. But we are wrong if we think Isaiah skipped over Jesus’ coming in the flesh and jumped right into 2013 America.

From the beginning of time God has used hardship and trials to draw people to himself. When the nation of Israel was blessed for their obedience, the surrounding nations noticed. The surrounding nations also noticed when Israel was punished for disobedience.

God wants us to know he has a reason for everything that happens. And his reason is the salvation of souls. Whether it’s war in ancient Israel, or the battle in our own souls, God wants to reach the lost and he will do whatever it takes.

Isaiah 28:23ff uses the word picture of a farmer. He needs to work the soil, break up the clumps, level the surface. But there wouldn’t be a crop if he just continued to plow. The farmer stops plowing and sows seed. But he doesn’t just keep throwing seeds on the ground. Eventually he stops sowing and allows the plants to grow.

Then comes the reaping. When the reaping is complete, comes the threshing, the grinding, the beating to prepare the crop to be used to it’s fullest. It’s only after all of this that the crop can be kneaded into loaves and baked for bread or boiled to make tasty stew.

God is telling us that he will plow, he’ll sow seed, he’ll reap and thresh, he’ll put us over a fire until we are that finished work. It’s not always comfortable to be a crop. But our Farmer will do what it takes to produce people he can use to feed people who hunger for him.

Are you experiencing some reaping? Some threshing? Are you in hot water? Remember that God is shaping you into something beautiful. Trust him with the process.