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Don’t rip your clothes to show your sorrow. Instead, turn back to me with broken hearts. I am merciful, kind, and caring. I don’t easily lose my temper, and I don’t like to punish. Joel 2:13 (CEV)
When I was in about sixth grade a couple of friends of mine decided to have an overnight campout in one of the guys backyard. The tent was only big enough for two guys but they said I could hang out with them if I wanted to sleep under the stars. I went home and asked permission from my mom. Problem was, she said no. I could go back to play, but had to be home by dark.
I never went home that night. I lied to my friends about the pseudo permission I received and had an absolutely miserable time. They didn’t know it of course. I kept it well hidden as we played cards, sat around the campfire and told stories.
I slept under the stars that night with nothing but my light jacket. I assured my friends it was by my choice to sleep that way. I was cold. I was scared. Every little sound awakened me from a fitful slumber.
The odd part was, I was within eyesight of home. Just a short walk to a warm bed. In spite of that I was determined to do things my way. Even when I saw my dad drive by at about dusk I ignored the guilt and pain associated with knowing I was wrong! I took the long way home late the next morning. I was hungry, cold, tired and guilty. When I got home the next morning I was grounded for my actions. Both of my parents reminded me of the rules and assured me of their love, but that didn’t change the consequences.
You may be living the same way today. You are determined to live life your way. You know what God requires. You know the path you should take. You know that what you are doing is displeasing to God. You may even do as I did that night and try to convince yourself that everything is fine and life is good.
When you do things your way and leave God out there is an emptiness that nothing can fill. Relationships won’t fill it. Religion won’t fill it. Money, toys and social status won’t fill it. The only thing that will fill that emptiness is living for Jesus.
The prophet Joel wrote to a stubborn, rebellious people. People who’d seen God work many times but refused to follow him. Through the prophet God sends the people ofIsraelthe same lesson he sends us. ‘Come home. Get serious about life and living. I don’t want your rituals. I want your heart. I don’t want words. I want a passionate relationship with you. I’m patient. I understand your plight. I won’t lose my temper with you.’
PRAYER: Father God I have tried so many things to fill this void in my life. I confess that I am afraid to come home to you. I’m so used to people responding to my failures with anger and hostility I expect the same from you. Thank you for your patience, love, mercy and grace. Forgive me for being stubborn. Empower me to live for you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” Matthew 22:37 (NLT)
It’s the driving force behind the athlete who spends hours perfecting his/her skills; or the parent who spends every waking moment working to give their children every physical thing they can possible give them; or the professional who thinks nothing of working 70-80 hours a week making sure the business succeeds; or the lover who compromises their values in order to stay in a relationship; some even devote their entire lives to religion and spirituality in hopes of gaining it.
That driving force is passion and its intended goal is to give us the one thing we cherish more than anything else, the feeling we belong and are loved. Many a family has been destroyed or lives lost in pursuit of the goal passion drives us towards.
The problem with passion is it often misguides our thinking about what is important and how to get there. Medals and trophies only give you satisfaction for so long and then they become empty. How many athletes’ lives have been destroyed because even though they were at the top of their game, it wasn’t enough to satisfy the longing in their heart?
It’s not just athletics or business or family relationships that bring us emptiness though. Religion and spirituality have the same effect.
Passion misguides us into thinking that in order to become more spiritual and closer to God we need to do more things, gain more experiences, give up the things we enjoy and speak out against the evil of the world. There’s a misconception that the louder our voices of protest, the stronger our passion for ‘what’s right’, the more spiritual we become and the more God will be pleased with our actions.
One day Jesus is confronted by experts in spirituality. The Pharisees knew better than anyone how to load up the guilt and increase the conditions for ‘spirituality’. But all their rules and regulations couldn’t bring happiness, peace or closeness to God. It’s the same way today. Religion never has and never will bring satisfaction to the driving force of passion in our souls.
Jesus Christ offers us a better way. God doesn’t want your protection, he wants your passion. He’s not impressed with your voices of protest or songs of praise or your pious lifestyle. He wants your heart. Religion measures your worth by your actions. God measures your worth by your heart, your inner being, and your strongest desires.
But he also understands the battle going in inside for your soul. Do you really want to satisfy the hungry beast within that we call passion? Jesus says it’s all about loving God.
PRAYER: Father God, I’ve been duped into believing that my actions will gain happiness, even my actions for you. I’m finding that actions only bring temporary relief at best from the emptiness of my soul. Forgive me for the futile attempts to draw close to you. Empower me to rest in the fact that my life is fulfilled by simply loving you. In Jesus name, Amen.
The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 2 Peter 3:9 (NLT)
“I can’t wait!”
“Are we there yet?”
“Can we open our presents now?”
“When can I have it? I want it right now!”
How many times have we heard someone say the phrases stated above or similar ones? Young children tend to be the worst at this. They can’t see 60 seconds beyond where they are at any given moment. An hour can seem like eternity, a year? Well, it’s best not to go there. As we get older we tend to be be a little more aware of time frames, but there is that little kid in all of us that ‘can’t wait’ for some exciting, anticipated event.
The patient parent understands the excitement children have, but wisdom has taught them that sometimes waiting and time serve a higher purpose. “We could get to grandma’s house a little faster, but going at high rates of speed may cause great bodily injury…or death” For the eight-year-old who ‘can’t wait to drive a car’ we realize the wisdom of waiting a few years for the legs to reach the foot controls and somewhat better judgment to refine itself.
Patience benefits the person in need of grace, not the person being patient. That’s why our heavenly Father is patient with us as his beloved children. He knows that it will take awhile to break old habits and learn new ones. He knows the pull of worldly things will sometimes be overpowering to us. He knows that on those occasions when he asks us “What’d you do that for?”, we are telling the truth. We really don’t know why we made that stupid decision to have an affair, to visit the porn site, to get drunk again, or whatever else you are struggling with.
Our Father also knows the wisdom in letting us make a few mistakes along the way in order to build character and learn how to be stronger against sin. Could he have instantly changed you when you accepted Christ as Lord and Savior so that you could be perfect? Perhaps, but then you’d not understand the struggles others have. Could he have airlifted you to heaven the moment you said “I do” when he asked you if you’ll accept his forgiveness? You bet, but then others wouldn’t be able to hear your story.
A proud parent looks at the little infant in their arms and can’t wait to watch them grow up. Your Father in heaven is the same way. He is so excited to see how you will turn out. He is passionately looking forward to the day he can spend every moment with you. But for now, he’s patient. He looks at you and says “I can’t wait!” But he will because he wants to make sure you are the best you can be and that takes time.
PRAYER: Father God, I’m so tired of struggling with life. I’m tired of being sick. I’m tired of being poor. I’m tired of making the same mistakes over and over again. Thank you for being patient with me. Thank you for your grace that grants me the forgiveness I need as I grow older with you. In Jesus name, Amen.
Continue to have faith and do what you know is right. Some people have rejected this, and their faith has been shipwrecked. 1 Timothy 1:19 (NCV)
“Well, I know we shouldn’t have sex until we are married, but…”
“Sure, I push the speed limit a little, but I’m a careful driver. Never had an accident, so I…”
“I probably should forgive her, but how many times do I have to do it? I mean, she never even asks forgiveness. She deserves everything she gets.”
“Sure, I pad the expense account a bit. But the wages they pay me and the amount of extra time I end up giving this place isn’t exactly fair either.”
“At least I don’t have any big sins. Little sins here and there won’t matter, will they?”
I live near one of the most beautiful river valleys in the entire world…well, at least in my world. I like nothing more than to take my family or a few friends up the river in our boat. We take the trip slowly and enjoy the scenery. If we’re lucky we see dear, bald eagles, bear and a variety of other wild life. Nothing beats a quiet cruise on the river.
For all of its beauty, however, there is something ominous about the trip. Something that every boater must be aware of or else trouble can come quickly. That danger is dead-heads. Dead-heads are the tips of logs from trees that have fallen into the river over the years, or from logs from logging days long ago.
Dead heads are dangerous because they seem to appear out of nowhere and can render a boat helpless in seconds if one is not careful. They seem worse in spring so your first couple trips call for extra caution. Carelessness and lack of attention to details in the water are disasters in the waiting.
Our lives are much like a river trip. They require attention to detail. That’s why the Apostle Paul warns his young pastor/friend Timothy to continue to do what is right. Letting yourself grow careless in your spiritual walk is like driving the boat at full throttle without concern for what might be lurking just below the surface. The result? Spiritual shipwreck. Suddenly you find yourself floating aimlessly with no control over your life.
So maybe that’s where you are finding yourself on the voyage. Quiet calm waters are a thing of the past. Safe harbor is nothing more than a dream. You feel like you are taking on water at a rapid rate and sinking is inevitable. So, now what?
That’s the good news. A life that’s shipwrecked doesn’t have to stay that way forever. God is pretty good at building boats. Look what he had Noah construct. It doesn’t matter how many poor choices you’ve made. Each of the holes in that hull can be patched through the forgiveness Jesus has to offer. Grace says that no matter how badly shipwrecked you find yourself, there is always hope for a new voyage because of Jesus.
PRAYER: Jesus, you say you see me wherever I am. You say you will be my strength. You say all my sins can be forgiven through you. I’ve tried to navigate these waters on my own for far too long. It’s time for a change. I’ve run aground. I’m powerless to continue. I claim the forgiveness I can have in you and from this day forward will allow you to help me navigate the dangers of life. In your name, Amen.
But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” Matthew 14:27 (NLT)
It was dark. The storm was so deep that even the ambient light of the night was swallowed by the roaring wind. Only the occasional flash of lightning gave the men any indication of their situation and allowed them to see the fear in each other’s faces. While some rowed hopelessly, the others prayed. Where was Jesus? Why had he sent them out to die in this way?
Then, almost as if on cue from a distant director, they saw it. A faint glow on the horizon wafting over the waves and coming towards them. As if the fear of the wind wasn’t enough, now a ghost was coming near. Panic consumed even the hardiest of men who had weathered many a storm on this sea.
A voice in the dark. Loud enough to rise about the howling of the wind, but at the same time mysteriously gentle and quiet. “Take Courage. I am here!” The actual Greek rendition states, “Don’t worry, the I AM is here.”
How often do we miss that? Especially during the storms of life. We hear the treacherous howling of the wind. Our minds replay every mistake we’ve made. The voices tell us this is all God’s way of getting even. The doubts rise mysteriously and whisper in our ears, “He’s not real you know. If he was he’d never let you go through this.” We live in the false conviction that we deserve this for our sins or we blame others or question God.
Jesus seldom calms the storm until we look to him. He saw the disciples struggling but waited until they looked to him. Even then he didn’t calm the storm until Peter took a dip in the cold lake water.
How often, during the storms of life do we miss the glow, the faint shadow of God’s working? How many times have we forgotten to attribute to Jesus the calming of our fears? Sometimes the things we endure are consequences of our own selfish decisions. Sometimes our pain is the result of malicious and evil acts of those hell-bent on our destruction. Sometimes we are devastated by the seemingly strange quirks of nature. But always, we are under the watchful eye of a loving God and passionate savior who is willing to come to us in the darkest night of our suffering and in the midst of the storm remind us to be brave because he is there.
PRAYER: Jesus, right now I’m going through a storm of sorts in my life. It seems like everything is falling apart around me. I sense the fear and hopelessness of the disciples as I try to battle the waves that want to overtake me. Help me to see you in all this. Calm the storm, but if you don’t choose to do that, calm my spirit so that I can trust you. In your name I pray, Amen.
