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Unwavering Faith

Posted in Christian on February 19, 2014| 1 Comment »

This is an amazing story of people finding God in the middle of their suffering. Would you have found Him there?

Shelly's avatarDeeply Rooted in Him

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We never know how strong our faith is until it is tested. When we find ourselves tested will our faith be deeply rooted and unwavering or will it be easily swayed? We find out where our faith stands when we face sufferings.

Romans 5:3-5

3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

My dear friends, Robert and Christie, know what it means to suffer. Robert’s ankle was shot in a hunting accident and yesterday he had a below the knee amputation. I was blessed to visit them in the hospital the day before the surgery. Robert and his wife, Christie, are living examples of the above verse in Romans. Their suffering has produced endurance. In the…

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Five Minutes to Spare

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on February 4, 2014| Leave a Comment »

After a two-hour drive, minus one pit-stop, my friend and I pulled up to the church in a strange town where in another month’s time we would be conducting a workshop for the women of my denomination. It had not been a good morning so far. The gas pump ran out of gas. so I grumbled as I had to pay $2.24 and then get in the car, back around, go to another gas station and fill the car the rest of the way. Then, It seemed that every slow driver in a 100 mile radius had descended on the highway in front of me. Grrr. And of course, every traffic light turned red just as I pulled up. And, when my bladder told me I probably should stop at a convenience store before arriving at the church, I grumbled again. “Sorry, I told my friend. I hate to be late, but…”

I decided to get a cup of coffee, because it seemed rude to use the facilities and not buy something. Besides, there was no one else at the counter, so what was another thirty seconds, right? But, of course, I had to wait for the cashier to get more change, As he tapped the bankers roll of quarters, my lips curled into a smile. But my mind screamed, Hurry, hurry.

But, at last we arrived at the church grounds. I looked at my dashboard clock. Five minutes to spare. I asked my friend who rode shotgun, “How could that be when I’ve been running late all morning?”

As we got out of the car, I noticed a woman sitting on a bench under a tree.  At first I thought she might be one of the ladies we were supposed to meet to go over the logistics of the workshop. Maybe she was early, too and didn’t have a key. I said, “Hi”.

The woman’s shoulders almost folded into her torso. She gave me a quick glance, then her eyes darted back to her hands.  “It’s so peaceful here. Is it okay if I just sit?”

It was then I noticed her red nose and eyes. She was crying. I looked at my friend. I think we both sensed that if the two of us approached this distraught person, it might overwhelm her. My friend discovered the door was unlocked, nodded, and slipped inside.

I walked over to the crying young woman and asked if I could pray with her. She shrugged. “I guess.”

She appeared uncomfortable. So, I told her I was visiting from out-of-town and gave her my first name. Her face relaxed a bit, as if she was relieved I might not know someone who knew her, the way small towns often work. She gave me her first name. I sat beside her, put my arm around her and held her. SIlently, I asked the Holy Spirit to give me the words to say out loud that would comfort her. I heard the message, “Tell her I love her.I always have and I always will.”  

As I prayed that, I felt her body ease. After I said, “Amen.”,  she whispered, “Thanks. How did you know what to pray for?”

I blinked back my own tears.  “God did that. He told me what to pray. Trust me, He loves you more than you can ever imagine. He will never, ever stop, no matter what. So, hang in there, okay?”

As I walked into the church meeting hall,  a sudden surge of humility flooded me. I was on God’s schedule, not my own.  By His grace, I arrived just in time to meet this young woman, and pray with her. I thanked God for orchestrating my journey just right so as to put me there when He did– especially after the frustrations of the morning. 

I will continue to pray for that young woman until God tells me I no longer need to do so.  I don’t know why she was crying. I didn’t think it was up to me to ask. But God knew, and He used me to reach into her heart and offer her a ray of hope by giving me the words she needed to hear.

Despite everything else that went wrong that day, He turned it to good by giving  me five minutes to spare.

What will He give you today to let you know He is there, and He cares?

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Funny Footsteps

Posted in Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , on February 1, 2014| 5 Comments »

IMG_20140128_090244_264They have been there for several weeks, even after a few misty, rainy days and even more sunny ones. Five footprints – left, right, left, right, left – follow from the portico to the double red doors that lead into the church grounds where I work. When the doors are opened, the concrete pathway continues through an enclosed meditation garden, known as the Garth, and then up a few steps into the church building. Except the footprints do not continue along that path. They stop at the threshold of the front double doors.

Now, logic tells me they were made on a very rainy day in early January when there was heavy traffic coming in for a funeral. But here is the weird part. There were many rainy, muddy footprints made that day, and all except these have washed or worn away. Another funny thing? These impressions on the concrete look as if someone was not wearing shoesIMG_20140129_132132_544. I promise you, no one came to that funeral in January barefoot. Or did He?

In the Book of Revelation 3:20, Jesus claims that He stands at the door and knocks. He is a gentleman. We have to let Him in…even into our places of worship.  Was Jesus allowed in that day? I am sure He was. So why have the footprints remained? And why do they stop at the door? You tell me.

The message I received is this: Each day as I walk to those red, double doors, the footsteps remind me that I have a choice. Do I let my Lord come in through those doors and into my office with me? Or do I leave Him at the threshold and try to get through the day alone? Despite the fact that I work in a place of worship,. I still must allow Jesus into my everyday life…every day.  I can choose to have a bad day, or a God-filled, blessed one. It all depends on my perspective.

 The same is true for anyone who enters, be it for work or worship.

I found God in five footprints that will not wash away. Where have you found Him today?

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Is Your Thorn a Pain or an Aid?

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , on January 23, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I read this in a blog I follow by Lori Benka –

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 says:

“Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

ID-100169178Let me give you a little background about Paul leading up to this verse. Scripture tells us that Paul was a great man of God. His ministry was growing and he performed many miracles through the power of Christ. But we see that Paul had something that was bothering him.  It bothered Paul so much that he prayed three times for it to be removed. We are told about this “thorn in the flesh” that was very grievous to Paul.  It is uncertain what the “thorn in the flesh” was, but many scholars believe it could have been acute bodily pain or sickness.  Some even believe it could have been spiritual in nature – such as a temptation or persecution from an individual that constantly harassed Paul.  In any case, He was growing very distressed.

After Paul prayed three times for this thorn to be removed, we see that God didn’t remove it.  It is at this point that I ask myself why didn’t God answer Paul’s prayer? He was a faithful servant full of faith and yet, God didn’t remove the very thing that was distressing him the most.  God’s answer to Paul is that His grace and strength would be sufficient for him to bear through the pain. Paul was drawing closer to God with his “thorn in the flesh.” Could it be that sometimes our prayers are not answered quickly because God is wanting to use our circumstance to draw us closer to Himself?  

I think about a medical diagnosis that I have been praying about for thirteen years to be taken away. I don’t like the pain and uncertainty that comes along with the disease. But as I look back, I realized that every time I would have a flare up, I would begin to press into God more by praying and reading the Bible. The “thorn” was actually bringing me closer to God.  I realized when I was weak and feeling like I couldn’t go on anymore, was when God would demonstrate His power to me the most. God’s grace flooded over me to allow me to push through my circumstances.  Although unpleasant, I begin to see that my “thorns” act as an aid rather than a handicap….

What amazing insight! Please read the rest of her blog at http://lorilbenka.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/why-wont-you-remove-this-thorn-lord/#like-320. It will bless you! And if you know someone in pain right now, share this with them. It just may be the comforting thing they need to hear.

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In the eyes of women

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on January 12, 2014| 1 Comment »

ID-10032011Where did I see God today? It was in the eyes of several women.

I saw Him dancing in the eyes of an elderly woman who still loves life, even though she limps with a cane. She puts others ahead of herself in conversations, in deeds, and in her prayers.

I saw God in another woman who is in her second year of widowhood.Her shoulders aligned a bit straighter. Her mannerisms appeared more settled and relaxed, and laughter glistened in her eyes. Being a widow myself, it is always good to see another who has scaled the steep walls of the grave’s grief and is now basking above in the sunshine of God’s care.

And I saw God in the eyes of a dear friend and her husband who went through a horrendous car accident and spent weeks in recovery. My heart warmed as they exchanged the glances of a deeply committed love while playing with their grandchild.

Finally I saw My Lord in the smiles of a single mom who has finally learned if you place Christ first in your life, then all else will fall into place- kids, finances, even loneliness in the middle of the night.

All very different women. Yet all have one thing in common- a blossomed faith that has enabled them to overcome the circumstances life has dealt them. All, like me, had been weak but are now strong in Christ because they chose to yoke to Him and have let Him carry their burdens.

Knowing of their pasts, as I witness each stroll the path God had given them with joy in their faces and peace in their countenance, it has strengthened my walk with Him as well.

Where do I see God? At work in these women whom I cherish. I thank Him for letting our paths intersect.

When faced with a ID-10031659challenge in your life, which path will you choose? The one in which you try to handle it on your own, or the ones these wise women took?

Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me for You are God My Savior and my hope is in You all day long.   Psalm 24:4-5

 

 

 

 

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But, I’m Not Worthy

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 9, 2014| Leave a Comment »

John stands knee-deep in the river, day after day. He feels this inner fervency to draw people to repent. So much so that he lives off the land and sleeps under the stars. Relentlessly, he cries out, taking no notice of how he is received.  Maybe, just maybe a few will respond.

Then, one day, the Son of BaptismOfJesusByJohn-787653God,  for whom he has been preparing others to receive, arrives and wants to be baptized as well. John says, “Uh, no. You are the one who should be doing this to me. I am not worthy to untie your sandals.”

But Jesus tells him this is what must be done, and there is purpose in it.   I can picture him as he looked into John’s eyes. I almost hear him say, “Trust me on this. You have to do this. You’ll see why in a minute.”

As he is baptized,  the Holy Spirit comes to bolster Jesus through the next three years of grueling ministry.  God anoints Him for the task. He confirms that Jesus is His Son.

Jesus’ baptism has another purpose as well. It’s is also a foreshadowing of Jesus passing that same Holy Spirit on to each believer who is baptized in His name and receives Him into their lives.  While John baptized for repentance of sins, Jesus takes that and turns it into so much more. John’s baptisms was temporary and temporal.  Jesus’s obedience turned it into a divine and eternal action of our loving and willing-to-forgive Father in Heaven.

Have you ever felt inadequate for a ministry God has called you to do?  Then you can relate to John. But just as Jesus told John that what he was asking him to do was purposeful and necessary, so He tells you. Just do it, trust and then watch what happens. Christ can take your simple acts of obedient talent and manifest Himself into them so they become  significantly more than you ever imagined.. He did it with water jugs at a wedding, with a boy’s meal of fish and bread, and with two pieces of wood tied to make a cross bar in which to punish thieves and murderers.

So, do what Christ is calling you to do, no matter how insignificant it makes you feel. Obey His command. Perhaps the skies won’t open up and an illuminated dove descend. But God will nod and say, “This is my child, with whom I am well pleased.”

 

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Seek or Squint?

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , on January 7, 2014| Leave a Comment »

 

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Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.    Isaiah 60:1-3

How do you react when a bright light hits your eyes?  If it hits you too soon all at once, you  see nothing but the aura of the light. You may feel blinded and disorientated. Do you cover your eyes to block it out? Or, do you blink and squint as you wait for your pupils to adjust before you can take it all in?  I guess it depends on if you want to(pardon the 1970’s era pun, man) see the light or not.

For  many out there, Christ, the way some reveal Him, can just too bright for them. They are used to the darkness. So they won’t look. They turn their heads away. To try to gaze on Him can ache. His brightness makes them adjust how they see things. Why bother? 

But, two millennia ago, three kings, a.k.a. wise men, did look – and follow.  But you see, they had been searching a while. They had heard of the prophecies. They wanted to see the King of kings. They had trained their eyes to scan the heavens. Then they found a star which was brighter than the others, enough to be noticeable,  to lead them down that path. It took a while. Even then, when they found Jesus, he was not what they expected. 

I think too often we Christians blast our non-believing acquaintances with too much light too soon. They feel as if they are in a police interrogation room. They become defensive, nervous. Afraid their wrongdoings will be exposed, they squirm, look away, or refuse to react at all. True, it worked for Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, but that is not the norm. He was a radical man embarked on a radical ministry. He needed a radical experience to jolt him into changing directions. Most people are not that way.

God didn’t blind the earth with light to announce His coming. He spoke through prophets and told the people to watch for the signs. In His perfect timing, He sent a light in the sky pointing to Himself in the form of a human. Gradually over time, that Light shone in Him brighter and brighter as He grew into manhood, walked, talked, ate, healed, forgave and died.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 

That should be our example. Speak it, yes, but most of all  live it out.  Show what you know– walk like you talk– live what you believe. Give the non-believers’ eyes time to adjust. Those who have seen the signs and are searching will follow. The others may turn away for now, but most likely they will be drawn to look again at another time. 

Epiphany means to reveal. I think evangelism should be an everyday event–the natural outgrowth of our life in Christ. If we are living out the Gospel, then people adjust to that and it won’t seem so harsh and glaring. They will see Him softly shining through our attitudes towards our everyday ups and downs. They will see His love glisten through our actions as we put them, and others, before our own needs. They will see that we are different somehow. We have an unwavering strength and unconditional peace. Slowly, they will begin to watch, and then be drawn to Christ living in us, and finally follow.

Let’s not be a spotlight on their sins, but a warm-glowing  beacon that peaks their curiosity, and then, like the Epiphany star 2,000 years ago,  leads them to Him who can wash them white as snow. 

Shine, Jesus shine.???????????????????????????????????????

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And now for the rest…

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , on December 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I saw this on Facebook –

1487304_10202985527502930_829738040_nWant peace? Well, does God’s favor rest upon you?

It does, if you stay still and let it pour down upon you. I see God’s favor raining down from Heaven like a soft, spring shower onto a dry, winter-beaten, parched land. It is freely given, but do we take advantage of it?

When rain comes,  how many of us dash for cover as the first plop hits the pavement?  Or do we grab an umbrella to keep from getting drenched and trudge through it, grumbling? Or hold something over our head to ward off the rain drops from spotting our good clothes and messing up our hair?

Or, do we dance in the puddles and laugh? Twirl carefree in the spray as others shake their heads and click their teeth at us. It probably depends on what’s on our minds at the time, right? Does the rain interrupt our agenda?ID-1004856

Now, how often do we miss God’s favor because we try to cover ourselves with the umbrella of pride, or with the covering of prejudice, or with a raincoat of self-reliance?  How often are we determined to do it our way,depend on our own defenses? How often do we anticipate the worse when we see the clouds rolling in and assume it will mess up our day?

ID-100169595Have you seen flowers in the rain? Their petals get wet. They may bend to the ground as the drops splatter them. But, the rains soaks deep into their roots, and the water seeps into their leaves. After the shower passes, they stretch towards the out-coming sun and, now washed clean, their petals are more colorful. With the dust and dirt rinsed away, their leaves can soak in the benefits of the sun. They did nothing to receive the rain and the sun. But they soak both in when it is given and thrive.

Before the rainbow, the rain must come. Both are from God. Both are freely given for our benefits, and like the flowers, we must receive them in order to be filled with peace. It is only when we give God the glory in all circumstances that we open our souls to receive his favor.God is not just a fair-weathered friend.

This new year- choose to welcome God in your life- rain or shine. ID-100141400No matter the weather brewing in your souls, open yourselves to Christ. Drench yourself in His favor. He loves you- glorify Him for that. Soak in the Son and receive His benefits. Even if you can’t see their purpose, they will be revealed. Trust that He is with you – Emmanuel.

Now, that’s peace. Rest assured.

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Psalm 62:1

 

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Where I found Christmas

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on December 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

This year, my body didn’t want Christmas. In fact, it rejected everything, either up or down for three days except IVs and ice chips. No eggnog. No Tamales (a true Texas tradition.) No candy or plum ID-10087293pudding.No warm smiles during the children’s pageant as kids tugged on over-sized bathrobes and stumbled over their lines. No Christ’s Mass by candlelight singing Silent Night.  Family and friends avoided me – as well they should have. 

I faded in and out of restless sleep. The carpet between my bed and the bathroom is now well matted with footprints.

But, God still reigns. Strip away the glistening ornament-laden tree, the candy canes, the traditions and even the church services, and somehow Christmas was still there. I saw Christmas in the gentle hands of the nurse in the ER clinic as she patiently needled my arm to receive fluids, even though my veins had collapsed from dehydration. I saw Christmas in the smile of a kind doctor who treated me as his only patient when he had a packed waiting room, many with the same stomach flu as I.  I saw Christmas in my son who was at my beck and call while juggling work, and in his boss who told him to be with me on Christmas Eve in the ER instead of waiting on customers during the busiest time of the year in their store. I saw Christmas in the love oozing from the concerned  texts and emails, and the understanding that I was not up to even talking on the phone, thank you.

No, this is not how I planned to spend Christmas. But, in a way it was a very meaningful one for me. Despite the ravaging virus inside my body, Christ was there as well. Emmanuel. God with us.

I hope this Christmas you found God in your day, too…no matter how it turned out. May each day be an Emmanuel day.

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Wise Words – Timeless Truth

Posted in Christian, tagged , , , , , on December 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

A_Previtali_Nativity

Christmas is not about what we can do – or should do – or even want to do! Christmas is about what God  has done and continues to do, in His saving love for us  It is not something we deserve, nor is it anything we can make happen. It is pure gift – pure grace – pure love!

We can only receive it with a thankful heart. It is deliverance from bondage and darkness and death, for all eternity.

The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Third Bishop of Fort Worth
Christmas 2013

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