Truth and Lies

In this world, we have so many lies being thrown at us that we start rearranging our lives to be in one accord with them. Like darts, lies such as the following prick our brains:

We are too fat, too skinny, too short, too tall, too dark, too light, too forward, too shy, too open, too reserved, too much, too little . . .

No wonder we lose balance and crash.

Gratefully, we are invited to find real truth in God's Word and live by it despite what may come our way.

Jesus says,

"Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, 

so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done 

has been done in the sight of God."

Father, teach us to live by Your holy truth in every circumstance. In Christ alone we pray. Amen!

The Rod of Correction

I am the servant of the God of heaven and earth. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. As such, I need to be continually open to being rebuilt, purified, dedicated, and consecrated only for holy and fruitful purposes. May this earthly tent, this temple, be a token of my love for the Lover of my soul!

Naturally bent to go astray, I need to heed the voice of the Lord which seeks to rein me in as stated in Hosea 2:6,

"Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes;

I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way."

Wall me in, Lord! The path that leads to death is too wide and alluring for me. Before I stray too far, have Your thornbushes ready to block my path so that I may follow the narrow way of life. May I feel the sting of Your discipline, the rod of Your correction! May I continue to build and prosper under good biblical training and may my ears be attentive, my heart submissive, so I can walk in Your Way, Your Truth, and Your Life! In Christ alone, I pray. Amen!

Relational Matters

Human beings are people who need people.

As our creator, God knows this basic truth and capitalizes on it by working through relationships to accomplish His mission on earth.

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;

and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,

and to the ends of the earth."

Acts 1:8, NIV

In other words, 

We are ambassadors. 

As such, we represent Christ and that which matters to Him. What we say and do in our interactions will have a direct impact on the beliefs and opinions others hold regarding Christ and His kingdom. We are an open Bible, a living love letter displayed for all to see. 

We are disciple makers.

The mission of Christ begins with one person who decides to reach another who then reaches out to yet another. It is a small step that turns into a beautiful cycle of multiplication.

We are story-tellers.

We are to tell the world about the love story between the Heavenly Bridegroom and His bride-elect. We are to tell our relatives, friends, co-workers, etc, about the work of Christ in our daily lives. We are to tell people, through our actions, that we are indeed followers of Christ.

We are Christ's image-bearers.

The way we teach directly informs students about Christ.

The way we conduct business testifies about Christ.

The way we drive tells other drivers about Christ.

The way we speak tells listeners about Christ.

The way we tip tells waiters about Christ.

Once we realize that any and every relationship matters greatly to the cause of Christ, we will grow in our willingness and commitment to become genuine and effective witnesses of Christ from our own backyard to the ends of the earth.

Total Freedom

Freedom begins in the spirit and slowly makes its way to the rest of the person until behavior becomes enslaved to the freedom of the spirit. To be truly free means that one has learned and accepted the pleasant boundaries of liberty -- namely, the law of love.

The heart which is governed by total freedom has learned to kill selfish ambitions in order to look to the best interests of others. It has embraced the joy of forgiveness, adopted a lifestyle of sacrificial generosity, rejected jealousy and covetousness, and learned to promote peace in all interactions.

Freedom, an exemplary fellow, walked on earth over 2000 years ago in the form of a carpenter who came from heaven to cease all oppression among men. Instead of political propaganda, He is still choosing personal emissaries to engage people in one-on-one conversations that can lead them to a life of true emancipation and release.

Wisdom

Who is wise?
Who is discerning?
Who exercises good judgment?

The person who recognizes that there can never be a significant enough reason to hate -- bad-mouth, backbite, belittle -- or berate another human being.

The one who realizes that love and respect lead people to carefully build their emotional houses -- namely, relation and reputation. They learn to treat people as they want to be treated instead of tearing others down.

The individual who understands that true character is revealed through a person's way of handling praise or criticism.

The one who acknowledges that it is futile for human beings to attempt to become their own gods.

Those who grasp that love is not about wishing someone would notice them but, instead, it is about choosing to notice another's needs of what they can give -- time, joy, and sacrifice.

Probing

The success of biblical meditation relies heavily on God's revelation to mankind and the believer's willingness to undergo the Holy Spirit's probing.

The psalmist says in Psalm 18:28,

"You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light."

What does the Word reveal about the Lord?

The Lord is my strength, rock, fortress, deliverer, refuge, shield, stronghold -- the horn of my salvation. Just like the horn is the means of defense of an animal, Christ is my defense, protection, and security. He is the One who keeps my lamp burning -- the light of the world. He turns my darkness into light, my mourning into dancing, my tears into laughter.

His Word is flawless.
His Way is perfect.
His Water is ever fresh.

What is the Spirit asking the believer?

• Is your soul longing for Christ? 
• Is your heart stirring within your breast at the sheer mention of His  name? 
• Are you completely won over by His grace and love? 
• If not, what may be hindering you from truly desiring Him alone?

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing in Your sight,

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer!"

Psalm 19:14, NIV

Gratitude

Lord, thank You!

Each time I open my eyes in the morning, I can either whine about my lot in life or worship God as I see the blessings that surround me.

Father, thank You!

Each time I breathe, I can choose to either complain about dust, dander, pollen, and smog, or I can seize the opportunity to thank the Giver of air for His generosity towards me.

Holy Spirit, thank You!

Each time I face an obstacle, I can either bang my head against it or thank my Lord for strengthening my faith through it and directing my feet away from where they should never have gone.

Jesus, thank You!

Each time I am pressed with a need, I can either wallow in self-pity or well up with joy at the prospect of depending on the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Lord of lords, thank You!

Each time I am tempted to grumble, I can choose to embrace gratitude and live my life to the fullest!

Master and Redeemer and Friend, 1000 thanks to Your glorious name!

Quotient of Love

I may say I love people. The reality, however, is this: What is my love quotient?

Friends come and go.
Relatives help and disappoint.
Lovers entice, stick around for a while, and abandon.

I find that it is easy to lose someone when interactions consist of hitting them repeatedly with the axe of demands and demeaning comments. After all, people are like trees.

My love quotient depends on how protective and caring I am toward those God has placed on my path and within my sphere of influence. That's the love language people understand; that's the light that directs people to the Savior.

If

If I say that I love Christ,
that I am one with Him,
that I bear His name,
that I am a recipient of His grace,
that His forgiveness reaches my sin-sick soul,
that His kindnesses and mercies are renewed to me daily,
then I must acknowledge that I bear the fragrance of His love to all I encounter.

If all that be true, and it is, then I must spare no expense to exude and extend love
to the neighbor whose legitimate needs surpass my preferences,
to the wayward father in need of understanding and counsel,
to the homeless traveler in need of a shower,
to the neglectful friend in need of grace,
to orphaned kids in need of food,
to Christ Himself.

Best Trio

Forgiveness isn't optional, patience isn't just a good idea, and gratitude isn't merely good etiquette. Together, they form the love trio.

Forgiveness opens our eyes to see that holding grudges hurts us more. Patience affords us the wisdom to learn that impatience is a lethal weapon. Gratitude tells us that grumbling costs too much.

If we're awake,
If we're alive,
If we're breathing,
We have all it takes to extend forgiveness, exercise patience, and embrace gratitude.
We have all it takes to love God and His people.

What a wonderful trio!

Make Life Count

Each life is a beautiful love story authored by the Man of glory -- Jesus, the Rock of Ages, the Alpha and the Omega, the Bright Morning Star. Living for Him is loving Him!