Back on Track

“Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.” (Psalms 119:35)

I recently took an unplanned detour. Stopping to get gas in unfamiliar territory, I found myself on a one way street heading in the opposite direction from where I needed to go. It was rush hour. The intersections were busy with preoccupied drivers, and everyone knew where they were going, except for me. Lane changes were out of the question. A series of wrong turns deepened my plight, and I soon realized there was no getting back to the exact point where I first made the wrong move.

But then I remembered my GPS. Unused and unplugged, it hid beneath the passenger’s seat, just waiting to be asked the question, “How do I get back on the right path?”

Our spiritual lives are similar to this. A few ill advised steps to the right or the left quickly turn into massive detours; unplanned and full of obstacles. But we keep moving, never recognizing how lost we are until we finally stop to look back. We no longer recognize our surroundings.

Unintentionally perhaps, but because of our own choices, we left the people who once traveled with us far behind.

But just like the GPS underneath the passenger’s seat, there lies the Bible, just waiting to be asked the question, “How do I get back on the right path?”

My GPS and my Bible only point me in the right direction when I choose to use them. Many might say my Bible is filled with nothing but rules. But I know better. If I follow what it recommends, I will make fewer mistakes. I will hurt less. My family and loved ones will hurt less. My Bible tells me to embrace life; to “go, and sin no more.”

My GPS tells me to make a U-turn. Stop following this path that leads in the opposite direction from where I want to end up. “Turn around when possible,” it cautions repeatedly.
They both recognize the dangers of being lost and alone. Thank goodness.

Dear God,
Sometime I make the wrong turn. I am slow to realize what happened and why. But I thank you for never giving up on me. I thank you for creating a path just for me that will lead to eternity. I pray that you give me the strength to follow. I thank you for the Bible, our GPS systems, and for each other. All are needed for this journey.

In Jesus name, Amen

Question: Where do you turn to get your life “back on track”? What passages of God’s Word bring you comfort?

Traveling Light

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28 NLT).

Rest from the burden of a small god. Why? Because I have found the Lord.

Rest from doing things my way. Why? Because the Lord is my Shepherd.

Rest from endless wants. Why? Because I shall not want.

Rest from weariness. Why? Because he makes me to lie down.

Rest from worry. Why? Because he leads me.

Rest from hopelessness. Why? Because he restores my soul.

Rest from guilt. Why? Because he leads me in the paths of righteousness.

Rest from arrogance. Why? Because of his name’s sake.

Rest from the valley of death. Why? Because he walks me through it.

Rest from the shadow of grief. Why? Because he guides me.

Rest from fear. Why? Because his presence comforts me.

Rest from loneliness. Why? Because he is with me.

Rest from shame. Why? Because he has prepared a place for me in the presence of my enemies.

Rest from my disappointments. Why? Because he anoints me.

Rest from envy. Why? Because my cup overflows.

Rest from doubt. Why? Because he follows me.

Rest from homesickness. Why? Because I will dwell in the house of my Lord forever.

Question: Which of the items on Max’s list weighs heaviest on you today? Can you spend some time in prayer about it now?

From Traveling LightCopyright 2001, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Max LucadoUsed by permission.

Is Jesus in the Driver’s Seat?

“He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.” (John 10:4)

Often we treat Jesus as a tag-along as we rush about our day’s activities. “Run with me, Jesus,” we say. “Empower me. Give me ideas on how to do this better. Bless me. Bless my family.” We want Him to be good company, sitting beside us, not saying much. But is this what the Christian life is all about?

Jesus said, “Come, follow me.” Notice, who is taking the lead. Who is driving the car? Sometimes following Jesus involves leaving the familiar and taking risks.

I’m reminded of Levi, the tax collector. As Jesus walked by his booth, He said, “Follow me.” Levi could have said, “What do you mean? This is my livelihood.” But no, he got up–left his comfort zone– and followed Jesus into the unknown (Mark 2:14). Levi became a disciple of Jesus and later wrote the book of Matthew.

“Come, follow me” is Jesus’ way of calling us to new life. He wants to take us out of our cramped selfish lifestyle into his glorious freedom. He wants to take us to heights and depths we’ve never known. When we follow Jesus our focus will be upward and outward–away from ourselves.

How do we make this practical?

1. Read God’s word so you’ll get to know His voice.
2. Prayerfully write out what you feel is God’s specific plan for you–your life goals.
3. Listen carefully to how He wants to use you today.
4. Be totally dependent upon God to empower you and use you. It is the Spirit of God in us that empowers us to be and do all that Christ has called us to be and do.

Lord Jesus, I want You to control my life. Show me what You want to accomplish through my life today. I want to be about my Father’s business. (Luke 2:49) Amen.

Question: Which of the practical steps listed above struck you as being the most difficult when you read it, and why?

The God Who Is Enough

“When Moses asked God, “What is your name so I can tell the people who sent me?” God replied, “This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14)

What is God saying? “I am ever present. Wherever your journey takes you: I am.”

Jesus also used the I AM phrase to identify Himself. One time the Pharisees challenged Him, “Who do you think you are?”

Jesus answered, “Long before Abraham was born, I AM.” The Jews understood what Jesus was saying: He was identifying himself with the I AM who spoke with Moses. And that was blasphemy in their eyes. They picked up stones to stone him. But Jesus slipped away unharmed. (John 8:58, 59)

Jesus used the I AM phrase often. Can you remember some? I am the bread of life. I am the living water. I am the good shepherd. What is Jesus saying? “Whatever you need: I am! I am the God who is enough. In every situation you might find yourself in, I have what you need to get through it.”

When I was going through a very rough time in my life, someone gave me the following poem which gave me courage and strength:

I was regretting the past and fearing the future.Suddenly God was speaking: “My name is “I Am.”I waited. God continued:“When you live in the past with its mistakes and regrets, it is hard.I am not there. My Name is not ‘I was.”When you live in the future, with its problems and fears, it is hard.I am not there. My Name is not “I will be.”When you live in the moment, it is not hard. I am here.My name is “I Am.”

Dear God, thank you that you are the beginning of all things, the end of all things and in the midst of all things. You were present at my birth; you will be there at the end of my years and through all the days in between. Thank you that all that I need I find in you. You are my source of strength and my victory. Amen

Question: Why does it often seem like God isn’t “enough” for our problems?

The Common Life

“Is not this the carpenter?” (Mark 6:3).

Jesus’ neighbors spoke those words. Amazed at his latter-life popularity, they asked, “Is this the same guy who fixed my roof?”

Note what his neighbors did not say:“Is not this the carpenter who owes me money?”“Is not this the carpenter who swindled my father?”“Is not this the carpenter who never finished my table?”

No, these words were never said. The lazy have a hard time hiding in a small town. Hucksters move from city to city to survive. Jesus didn’t need to. Need a plow repaired? Christ could do it. In need of a new yoke? “My neighbor is a carpenter, and he will give you a fair price.” The job may have been common, but his diligence was not. Jesus took his work seriously.

And the town may have been common, but his attention to it was not. Mountain flowers in the spring. Cool sunsets. Pelicans winging their way along the streams of Kishon to the Sea of Galilee. Thyme-besprinkled turf at his feet. Fields and fig trees in the distance. Do you suppose moments here inspired these words later? “Observe how the lilies of the field grow” (Matt. 6:28) or “Look at the birds of the air” (Matt. 6:26). The words of Jesus the rabbi were born in the thoughts of Jesus the boy.

The maker of yokes later explained, “My yoke is easy” (Matt. 11:30). The one who brushed his share of sawdust from his eyes would say, “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matt. 7:3).

He saw how a seed on the path took no root (Luke 8:5) and how a mustard seed produced a great tree (Matt. 13:31–32). He remembered the red sky at morning (Matt. 16:2) and the lightning in the eastern sky (Matt. 24:27). Jesus listened to his common life.

Are you listening to yours? Rain pattering against the window. Silent snow in April. The giggle of a baby on a crowded plane. Seeing a sunrise while the world sleeps. Are these not personal epistles? Can’t God speak through a Monday commute or a midnight diaper change? Take notes on your life.

Next time your life feels ordinary, take your cue from Christ. Pay attention to your work and your world. Jesus’ obedience began in a small town carpentry shop. His uncommon approach to his common life groomed him for his uncommon call.

Question: What does it mean to live a “common life”? Is there anything wrong with that?

From Next Door Savior
Copyright 2003, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Max Lucado
Used by permission.

Lessons from Odd Places: Words that Saved my Life

“A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.” (Proverbs 25:11-12)

When I was about ten years old, my older brother and I were riding our bikes on a trail. It was the back way to a small store that let us avoid the main route that went along a busy highway. One section of the trail was a narrow path that ran along the edge of the bank of a river.

My bike had the old-fashioned saddle bag wire baskets on either side of the back wheel. I had a six pack of pop in one basket that gave me a slight sensation of being off balance. The path that ran so close along the river it made me nervous without this added challenge of weighty cargo in my basket.

Well, as you may have guessed, the bike, pop and I ended up sliding off the path and falling over the bank into the river. The drop down to the water was about a meter and a half. My bike got caught on a root so did not get washed away.

I landed in the water and was thrashing around yelling, “Help, I’m drowning!” My brother yelled back at me, “Stand up.”

While I had fallen into deep water that was over my head, through my thrashing I had moved to a place that was not. To this day I wonder if I could have drowned in the shallower water if my brother had not told me to stand up?

Words are powerful for good or for destruction. Words can bless or wound deeply.

“A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear. “(Proverbs 25:11-12)

There may be someone around you who is thrashing in the currents of life and is in need of some life giving words today. They might need a word of encouragement to help them see how to extricate themselves from an overwhelming situation. Or you, yourself may need a life giving word from someone close to you who can see a bigger picture than you do.

For all who wrestle with seemingly life threatening challenges, God’s word, the Bible is his love letter to us. Open it often and listen to God’s instructions, drinking deep because it is the source of true and life giving words.

Questions: Have there been times where your words have gotten you into trouble? Can you then have mercy on others when they are careless with their words?

Author: Mike Woodard

Seeking God’s Face

“If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land”(2 Chronicles 7:14, KJV)

“Humility is perfect quietness of heart,” Andrew Murray once wrote. “It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the door, and kneel to my Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and above is trouble.”

For years, I have claimed God’s promise recorded in 2 Chronicles 7:14. My emphasis has been on the humbling of ourselves and turning from sin. But recently a minister friend made a passing reference to the phrase, “seeking God’s face,” and it triggered in my mind some new thoughts about this great promise from God.

In a sense, the humbling of ourselves and turning from sin are the by – products, or end results, of coming to know God as He is, by meditating upon His character and attributes. To “seek God’s face” is to meditate upon His sovereignty, His holiness, His power, His wisdom, His love – getting to know Him as He is.

The disciples of the first – century church were mightily used of God because of their exalted view of Him. There was nothing too great for Him. God could do anything. The church today can once again experience that same dynamic that characterized those first believers if we, too, become totally absorbed in the character and attributes of our great God.

It is then that we will truly begin to believe God for supernatural, impossible things and make a great impact for good on the world.

Question: What part of the promise recorded in 2 Chronicles 7:14 speaks most to you and your situation today?

Author: Bill Bright