Worry

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

Matt 6:27 (NLT)

So often we wear ourselves out by worrying.  We put so much energy into trying to fix ourselves or others, strategizing about the future, or dwelling on the regrets of the past that we have no time to enjoy the present. These thought patterns rob us of peace and serenity. What a relief when we finally realize that we have no power over these things. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow does not yet exist.  We can only take one day at a time. 

The original word for "to worry" or "to be anxious" is "to take thought."  Basically worry is over-thinking our lives.  Thinking has its limitations.  We usually don't have enough information or our thinking is defective because we have assimilated so many misconceptions.  We don't have the power or insight to figure things out, so over-thinking accomplishes nothing.  As Jesus said, "Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life?"

Things begin to change when we turn our lives and our will over to the care of God.  We are powerless, but God has perfect knowledge, perfect wisdom and all power. When we turn our lives over to his care, let go of our worries and rest in him, he begins to do his work.  

 You will keep in perfect peaceall who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.Isaiah 26:3 

Born to Love

Dear friends, let us love one another,

 for love comes from God. 

Everyone who loves has been born of God

 and knows God because

 God is love.

1 John 4:7 (NIV)

Love is a gift from God.  We cannot create it, will it, or manufacture it but only receive it with grateful hearts.  Whenever we experience love and affection for others we are experiencing God because God is love.  The greatest gift God has given is the ability as his children, born of his spirit, to experience and express his love. 

Things may try to come in to destroy love, but as we allow God to clear our hearts of resentments, love will spring up again. Nothing can destroy love because nothing can destroy God. 

Thank you Father for the gift of love that is born in us by your spirit.  Help us to uncover all the things that hinder your love from springing up in us. Help us to experience and express your love to everyone this holiday season.

No one has ever seen God; 

but if we love one another, 

God lives in us

 and his love is made complete in us.

1 John 4:12 (NIV)

In Times of Struggle

I will not fail you or abandon you.

Josh 1:5 (NLT)

Sometimes our emotions get the best of us and we feel like we are in the bottom of a deep, dark well.  Here is were we need the encouragement that God is with us where ever we are and will never leave or abandon us.  This is the encouragement he gives over and over again.  He does not change and is not affected by our moods.  He is forever constant, there abiding with us through all of our struggles.

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Josh. 1:9)

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you. (Isaiah 41:13)

Read Because We All Have These Days:  When We're Just Hanging on by a String, 9/26/12.

 www.aholyexperience.com 

Hope

Why am I discouraged?Why is my heart so sad?I will put my hope in God!I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!         Psalms 42:11 (NLT)

In a time of discouragement, David penned Psalm 42 & 43.  These Psalms become for us a lesson to help in our times of discouragement or depression.  He doesn't hold back in expressing his negative thoughts and feelings, but in the midst of these expressions he inserts words of hope.  He calls to mind God's kindness (Ps. 42:6).  He acknowledges that each day the Lord is pouring his unfailing love upon him even if he can't feel it.  He sings songs in the night and he prays to the Lord, the source of his life (Ps. 42:8).  He makes a choice to put his hope in God (Ps. 42:5,11 & 43:5).

When we are feeling low, we can do some of the same things that David did.  We can remember and acknowledge that God loves us.  We can pray, even if it is only "Help me" or "Thank you."  We can sing a song or listen to some music. We can reach out to someone.  We can make the choice to put our hope in God no matter how we feel or how discouraging the circumstances around us seem to be.

....never give up hope in God.  He is all good and all powerful, and He will give whatever you need according to your faith.

Simply trust everything into the hands of God, be humble, and open up to His grace.  Through meditation and prayer, you will receive peace, and everything will gradually be worked out for you.  And the things which, in your hour of temptation, seemed so difficult will disappear almost imperceptibly.*

Speak a word of prayer, sing a song, put your hope in God.   What small step can you take today to reach up and to reach out of your depression? 

*Fenelon. Let Go. Whitaker House, 1973: 82,83. 

Fenelon (1651-1715) Archbishop of Cambrai, France, was spiritual adviser to many high ranking people in the court of Louis the Fourteenth.

He is There

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

Deut 31:8 (NLT)

I came across these encouraging words today.

Know that He is there with you and will go with you all the way.  A fresh awareness of His presence with you will give you peace in the midst of turmoil, power for your weakness, courage for your difficulties, strength for your inadequacies, rest from your fears.  He is there with you. By faith take hold of His almightiness for your present need.  

He is able and ready to deliver you, to give you strength and courage to face that difficult or impossible situation, to give you patience, to put His words in your mouth, to fully enable you for whatever He calls you to do or to be.*

 Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Josh 1:9 (NLT)

*Birkey, Verna.  You Are Very Special: A Biblical Guide to Self-Worth, Fleming H. Revell Co. New Jersey, pg. 133-134

Harmony

How wonderful and pleasant it is

 when we live together in harmony!

 Psalms 133:1-3 (NLT)

There is something so beautiful, so wonderful when we create an atmosphere of harmony in our interactions with others.  This isn't an easy thing to do with all the stresses and offenses that can assault our relationships.  Learning to live together in harmony is a precious gift which brings blessing and refreshing to our lives. 

Think of an orchestra.  Harmony is created, not by every instrument being alike or playing the same note, but by the instruments being tuned together and playing the sounds they were created to make.  When they all blend together a beautiful symphony is formed.

Each person has a different gift and a different style.  As we accept and honor each other as we are and build each other up with words of kindness, gentleness and respect we help to create an atmosphere of harmony.

Lord, we desire to live together in harmony.  Help us to work through the difficulties and deal with the offenses that make for discord.  Grant us the gift and blessing of harmony in all our relationships.

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement,

 help you live in complete harmony with each other.

Romans 15:5 (NLT)

• ---

Relief

Crystal Cove

 

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary 

and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 

  Take my yoke upon you. 

Let me teach you, 

because I am humble and gentle at heart,

 and you will find rest for your souls.

 For my yoke is easy to bear,

and the burden I give you is light.” 

Matt 11:28-30 (NLT)

Here we are on vacation, resting on the beach at beautiful Crystal Cove,  thinking about the rest and freedom God has for us.

Jesus came to set us free.  What do we need to be set free from?  The Bible tells us that we are slaves of sin.  The tendencies of our human nature bring us down, tie us up, making things unpleasant and unhappy.  

These are the heavy burdens that we bear, the things that we struggle with all of our lives.   All of our problems stem from our tendencies toward pride, arrogance, self-centeredness which give rise to fears, resentments, quarrels and fights.

Jesus offers us rest from the effects of all of these things.  He calls us to come to him, to unite our lives with him.  When we yoke ourselves with him his strength carries us along.  When we join ourselves to him, taking our eyes off ourselves and focusing on him we have a new perspective and a new outlook.  What a relief to rest ourselves in him.

Release Your Cares

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

God affectionately cares for us in the midst of all our concerns.  He is concerned about everything we are concerned about.  He asks us to cast all of the worry, care and anxiety we feel on him.  He is big enough to carry it.  As we release our concerns to him, we are freed to receive creative ideas and strength to solve our problems and find the guidance and direction we need.  If we are tied up in knots worrying about something, we will not be free to receive the answer or the strength we need to deal with the issue.

Melody Beattie from her book, Codependent No More says:

We release our burdens and cares, and give ourselves the freedom to enjoy life in spite of our unsolved problems.  We trust that all is well in spite of the conflicts.  We trust that Someone greater than ourselves knows, has ordained, and cares about what is happening.  We understand that this Someone can do much more to solve the problem than we can.  So we try to stay out of His way and let Him do it.  In time, we know that all is well because we see how the strangest (and sometimes most painful) things work out for the best and for the benefit of everyone.*

Dear Lord, we release all of our care and worry to you.  We leave everything in your capable hands.  Inspire us moment by moment with wisdom to deal with every problem we face.  Guide and direct our lives according to your perfect will.

 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you

Psalms 55:22 (NIV)

*Beattie, Melody.  Codependent No More, How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring For Yourself. Hazelden, 1987, 1992. pg. 63.

Inflated or Deflated

So encourage each other and build each other up just as you are already doing.1 Thess 5:11 (NLT)

One of our important jobs is to build each other up.  Have you ever had the experience of being around a person for a while and you begin to feel deflated like someone is letting air out of your balloon.  Then you can be around others who make you feel loved and encouraged like someone is pumping you up.

I find that those who are the life givers exhibit the fruits of the Holy Spirit:  love, kindness, patience, faithfulness, gentleness.  When we are around this kind of person we can relax and receive the grace they exhibit

We are designed to be encouragers, but often, because we ourselves are so deflated we tend to suck the life out of others around us.  We need to take the time and effort to take care of ourselves, to connect with God and other encouragers, so that we, too, will be life-givers.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: 

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

 goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Gal 5:22-23 (NLT)

Fire

 We are pressed on every side by troubles, 

but we are not crushed. 

We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.

We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. 

We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

2 Cor 4:8-9 (NLT)

The devastating Waldo Canyon fire is raging in Colorado.  15,000 acres have been consumed by the fire which has destroyed 300 homes and caused 32,000 people to be evacuated.  It reminds me of the Oakland fire of 1989.  Watching the fire in the hills and wondering if was going to reach your house was a frightening experience.

At a moments notice things can change in our lives.  The apostle Paul was no stranger to difficulty.  He faced beatings, prison, shipwrecks, floods, all kinds of dangers.  He came to the conclusion that even though we may be pressed on every side by troubles, perplexed, hunted down or knocked down we will never be destroyed or given over to despair because we know God will never abandon us.

As we face difficulties in our lives of whatever kind, let us not give up, but put our hope in God who will see us through as we trust in him.

Lord, we pray for those in danger of fire today that you would take care of them.  Help the fire fighters as they work under extreme conditions, to extinguish the fires quickly.

Loved

See how very much our Father loves us,

 for he calls us his children,

 and that is what we are!

1 John 3:1 (NLT)

The very foundation of all of our service and all of our life is our knowledge of the love of God.  Everything we do springs from this place.  As we gain a deeper understanding and experience of His love, the more effective we will be in every area of our lives.

In the following illustration from Self-Esteem: By God’s Design, Dr. Larry Day asks us to imagine a parent’s love toward their sleeping infant as a fresh reminder of God’s love for us. 

Imagine with me for a moment one of those times in the evening when you tiptoe into your young child’s room to see if they are okay and asleep.  As you stand over your son’s or daughter’s crib and watch them quietly sleeping, you notice how their face looks so calm, peaceful, and angelic.  They look so sweet, innocent, and lovable.  As you gaze down upon that little bundle of humanity, no doubt you begin to experience an amazing assortment of feelings:  love, warmth, pride, awe, tenderness, caring, and concern.

In those few moments of quietness, you don’t see them as the “monster” that did all those things that drive you crazy.  The yelling, crying, fighting, and misbehaving that took place throughout the day fade into the background.  All hassles are set aside as you look at this sleeping form and see a little person.  You feel a deep warm love for them simply because they are there.

Before leaving the room, you feel the strongest urge to pick them up, hold them in your arms, and kiss them softly on the cheek.  But you don’t.  Why not?  Because you don’t want to wake them up and spoil the moment.  You know that as soon as they open their eyes and mouth you will have to deal with their behavior (Doing) and you will lose the enjoyment of their Being.  So you lean over, gently kiss them on the cheek, and quietly leave the room.

I know it is hard for some of you to feel that God really loves you when you have failed and made such a mess of things.  We all think our mistakes, failures, sins, and shortcomings stand as witnesses against us that we don’t deserve to be loved.  We believe God must be fed-up with our bad attitudes and stupid choices, and that that He wants nothing to do with us until we straighten out.

During times like these we need to look at the face of a sleeping child.  Watching them in their simplest and purest human form, can remind us that this is how God sees us.  He came into our bedroom last night, looked down upon us while we were sleeping, and saw us as His child, created in His image, and He deeply loved us. He saw us in our truest humanity – formed from dust, finite and fallen, but bearing His image in our very being – and He loved us for WHO WE ARE and not for what we have or have not done.*

As I meditate upon this illustration I have a sense of God's presence and an confirmation of the truth of his love for me. The message is clear.  I am deeply loved no matter what I do.  Even in the face of all my failings and shortcomings, I am loved and valued just as I am. I don’t have to do anything to be loved.  You and I are valuable not because of what we do, but just because we are the objects of his love.

When we truly assimilate the fact that we are deeply loved by God, that we are completely accepted and forgiven and are recipients of all of his grace and mercy we will be better able to give that same sense of love and acceptance to others.  We will be better able to love others when we have received the depth of God's love into our hearts.

We love because he first loved us.

1 John 4:19 (NIV)

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

  may have power, together with all the saints,

to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--

that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Eph 3:17-19 (NIV)

*Day, Larry G., Ph.D, Self-Esteem: By God's Design. Pg. 35,36

Tests

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, 

even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. 

 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. 

It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—

though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. 

So when your faith remains strong through many trials,

 it will bring you much praise and glory and honor

 on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NLT)

The most precious thing we have is our faith.  God tests us not to see how we will live or what we will do, but to prove our faith.

Those of us living today in relatively secure affluence don’t face the same kinds of severe life-threatening trials that Christians have faced in many times and places throughout history.  We face tests of a different kind.  

Our modern struggles involve our own self-centeredness, perhaps being overtaken with resentments or fears or falling into complacency to name just a few.  My severest tests come from my own sense of weakness and failure to be the kind of person I think God would want me to be.  In the face of these tests, the temptation comes to focus on myself, to think that if I just try harder things will change.  This strategy always ends in discouragement and despair.

In the face of trials, instead of responding with self-effort or self condemnation, God is looking for our simple faith.  He is not impressed when I agonize over my failures or promise him that I will do better next time. What he is looking for is childlike trust. Can I trust him that he understands the struggles I go through and that he has the power to transform me?  Can I wait on him and trust him even when I feel so out of it? Can I trust him to make my life significant, and to fulfill the plans he has for me?  

When all the people saw the things Jesus did, they wanted to do the same thing.  Jesus said it clearly, "The only thing God wants from you is that you would believe in me." (John 6:29).  We have no idea the power released as we believe in him moment by moment.  Even when we feel our faith is weak, it is still powerful because it connects us to the Powerful One.  Let us remember, when we think we need to try harder or are ready to give up in despair, to activate our faith. 

Lord, I believe that you have all the resources necessary to change me.  Help me not to dwell on myself, but to activate my faith muscle and put all of my trust in you.  I know I will be able to accomplish so much more and with such a better attitude when my eyes are on you.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.

 Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.

 But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33 (NLT)

Wisdom from Above

 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. 

It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, 

and willing to yield to others.

It is full of mercy and good deeds. 

It shows no favoritism and is always sincere

 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace

 and reap a harvest of righteousness.

James 3:17-18 (NLT)

What is causing the quarrels and fights among you?

  Isn't it the whole army of evil desires at war within you? 

James 4:1 (NLT)

Our human nature always gets us into trouble.  There is an army of evil desires at war within us, ready to fight and argue, ready to start war. The response of that old nature is usually negative, critical and judgmental.  It is hard and unforgiving, causing heartache and pain.  Our old self is an expert at rationalizing and excusing all kinds of sin like pride and selfishness.  When we give it a voice, what enormous damage it can do.

The wisdom from above, on the other hand, gives rise to good deeds that spring from pure motives.  It creates peace and handles every situation with a gentle spirit that is willing to yield.  It doles out large quantities of mercy and forgiveness.  Instead of causing war and destruction, under the influence of this wisdom, we become peacemakers, planting good seeds wherever we go. What a contrast!

We all make many mistakes and we are sometimes blind to them.  When we ask for God's light to shine on us, we may discover areas where our motives are not pure, where we have been hard and unyielding, where we have justified ourselves, or used words that have hurt another.  When we come to that realization and confess it to God, he promises to forgive us, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and lead us along a better path.

Lord, thank you that our old nature was crucified on the cross when you died.  Help us not to give voice to it, but to yield to your wisdom from above.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

 and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalms 189:23-24 (NIV)

Vine & Branch

Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. 

John 15.5 (NLT)

You are the vine.

  I am only a branch.  

 I can do nothing of myself

 so, I must abide.

 Help me abide

  as a branch in the vine 

 your life giving flow

 nourishing my soul.

 

From my abiding 

may I bear fruit

  fragrant and sweet

    nourishing the world. 

Knowing God

And this is eternal life:

 it means to know

 (to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with, and understand)

 You, the only true and real God,

 and to know Him, Jesus Christ, 

whom You have sent.

John 17:3 (AMP)

Everywhere I have turned recently I am encountering writings about knowing God.  I came across a little booklet stuck away inside a book on my shelf that talks about friendship with God.  It states that God's purpose for our lives is to have a close personal and intimate relationship with him.  Out of that relationship everything else is derived - our needs our met and we become channels of blessing for those around us in whatever place we find ourselves.

Then this morning on www.aholyexperience.com comes this quote:

For millions of Christians…God is no more real than He is to the non-Christian. They go through life trying to love an ideal and be loyal to a mere principle. Over against all this cloudy vagueness stands the clear scriptural doctrine that God can be known in personal experience. 

A loving Personality dominates the Bible, walking among the trees of the garden and breathing fragrance over every scene. Always a living Person is present, speaking, pleading, loving, working, and manifesting Himself whenever and wherever His people have the receptivity necessary to receive the manifestation. 

The Bible assumes as a self-evident fact that men can know God with at least the same degree of immediacy as they know any other person or thing that comes within the field of their experience. The same terms are used to express the knowledge of God as are used to express knowledge of physical things.  ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good.’…the whole import of the Scripture is toward this belief. 

What can all this mean except that we have in our hearts organs by means of which we can know God as certainly as we know material things through our five senses?~A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

There is nothing more important in life than to experience this relationship with God.  We have been made in his image.  I am a person because He is a person and He is a person that I can relate to intimately. Let us ask, seek and knock until the door is opened, putting aside all fear and reaching out to a God who is there to meet us. May I be drawn closer to him each day.

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

Psalms 34:8 (NLT)

Repentance & Confession

Cactus Garden, Carefree, Arizona

Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 

  Put on your new nature, created to be like God—

truly righteous and holy.

 Eph 4:23-24 (NLT)

Our lives are never free from conflict with our old nature.  Whenever we become stressed, annoyed, tired, etc. we are faced with the temptation to become short or sarcastic and may say unloving things.  We become self-centered, more concerned with our own feelings than the other person.  In those times, it's hard to yield and allow the Holy Spirit to control our attitudes, thoughts, words and actions. 

Our goal is to be like Christ – even-tempered, understanding and gentle. But, because of our human weaknesses we fall short.  Whenever we are not acting in accord with the love of Christ, the spirit within us makes us feel uncomfortable.  When this happens, the only remedy is to turn our hearts toward him (repentance), acknowledge our failure (confession), and ask for his assistance.  He is the only one who can keep us from falling.  

Oh Lord, when I am out of sorts, come through with your sweet spirit to help me control my tongue.  Help me to allow your spirit to live in and through me. When I fall short, may I quickly acknowledge my failure and turn to you.  Help me to learn the art of self-care so that I do not become too hungry, too angry, too tired or too stressed out which leaves me vulnerable to temptation. 

If we claim we have no sin, 

we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 

But if we confess our sins to him, 

he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 

and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

1 John 1:8-9 (NLT)

Christian Hedonism

Some wildlife at Dove Valley Ranch.

What a pleasure it has been walking early each morning on the golf course, the sun low in the east, the grass fresh, the birds singing and the bunnies scurrying around.  I feel such joy and pleasure in all God has made.  The walk from tee to green has become for me a place of worship and prayer.

The experience of such joy and pleasure in all that God has given is sometimes attended by a small amount of guilt.  Shouldn’t the Christian life be more about struggle, more about suffering for our faults?  I am reminded of that old Christian classic, The Practice of the Presence of God, a conversation with Brother Lawrence a 17^th century lay brother in a Carmelite monastery.  He entered the monastery thinking that there he would suffer pain for his faults and sacrifice his life with all its pleasures to God. But, he said that God had disappointed him.  He found nothing but joy and satisfaction in his life there.  To him “whether he lead us by suffering or by consolation”, it was all equal to a soul truly resigned to God.

I was startled, recently, when I heard a new phrase – Christian hedonism.  It made me chuckle.  How could the word “Christian” be combined with a word like hedonism which is a reference to self-indulgence and living for worldly pleasure?  It sounds like such a contradiction.  The term, coined on the website Desiring God (www.desiringgod.org), is a reference to the idea that the more we enjoy God and find pleasure in him, the more we will want to please him and the more our lives will be a reflection of his life.  What an awesome idea.  Makes sense to me.  What a contrast to the try harder mentality, which usually puts us in a state of guilt, eventually hindering our progress. We do not live the Christian life by gritting our teeth but by enjoying God’s spirit flowing through us.  

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalms 16:11 (NIV)

Read more about Christian hedonism:
http://www.desiringgod.org/about/our-distinctives/our-beliefs/what-is-christian-hedonism