Luke 15:11-32

This is one of the most well known of Jesus’ parables. What always amazes me about this story is the patience and love the father shows. He willing hands over the inheritance probably knowing that the young foolish man would squander it. He knew that the boy would never fully appreciate his own home and the love he had there until he experienced life without it. So he let him go. What love! What support! What forgiveness! Then after all this, he welcomes him back with open arms. That is what God does with us. Whenever we stray and seek other lands and other entertainments, He waits patiently for us to learn our lessons and come running back, tears running down our face, arms reaching out for security. Many ask why He allows us to do it in the first place if He really loved us. Those same would ask why He doesn’t let us make our own decisions. We always want to eat our cake and have it, too. It doesn’t work that way. He loves us so much that He lets us make decisions, even bad ones, and then welcomes us back to heal us and to help us grow. God’s arms are open to you no matter what you’ve done and no matter where you’ve been. Who else would do that for you?

Beginning to See the Promised Land

Many of you know that lately I have been in the desert. Depression, trials, and stress have abounded. Every now and then I think that I'm out, but I discover that it was an oasis. Those moments of rest and restoration are dear to me, but I cannot stay there. I have to go on toward the Promised Land.

I got a glimpse into the Promised Land tonight. It might be closer than I thought though I still have some terrain to travel.

Why do we spend time in the desert? We need to be prepared. We need to be trained and ready to work hard. Though we will be in the land of milk and honey, it is not a green light to lay around and be waited on. We will be working but it will be in total sync with the Spirit. The trials will be less and anything that comes our way will seem like nothing because we have been through the desert.

My desert is stress at a job that makes you want to be put away. My desert is my three children bickering non stop. My desert is my husband in full ADHD mode. My desert is my phone ringing every three minutes by the same person. My desert is other people demanding time of me. My desert is conflict. My desert is disappointment. My desert is betrayal of friends. My desert is missing a loved one. My desert is yearning for my dreams to come true and wondering if they won't.

But the Promise Land is full of hope, peace, and excitement. Promise Land, here I come!!!!

Hebrews 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

How can you approach God if you deny His existence? You can’t. You have to acknowledge His existence and earnestly seek Him. What does it mean to be earnest in seeking Him? It means to be serious in looking for Him and to be intently doing it. You don’t do it on whims. You don’t do it for the moment. You seek Him because you desire Him with all your being. When you do that, He hears your prayers and answers your calls for help. He doesn’t want a sometimes believer. He doesn’t want a maybe I’ll believe if He answers me believer. He wants someone who sincerely believes and desires Him.

Taking It All For Granted

We are spoiled. Believe it or not it is true. We take so much for granted. How do I know that? Because I learned the hard truth is a very unique way.

Almost a decade ago, I met a woman and her daughter who were from Iran. They were seeking religious asylum here in America. The mother had begun to question her native religion, Islam, when her brother returned in a coffin from the Iran/Iraq war. How could Muslims justify killing Muslims? She couldn't accept that. Over the years she balked at many of the traditions imposed on her that seemed oppressive. She refused to carry through in an arranged marriage. Instead, she married for love. She questioned authority and began searching deeper into the Koran. As the answers were not coming forward she looked into other religions. That alone is reason enough to be executed. She found Christianity and felt that this was the right way to go. Despite what the country's leaders were saying, it gave hope. But conversion was a death sentence to her and her whole family.

She had to sell her entire life and run away with her teenage daughter while leaving her husband and son behind to come later.

It took 2 years before she would see them again.

How can I complain about my life? How can I say that I am oppressed or that rules are not fair? I cannot get arrested for just having my head uncovered or my sleeves above my wrist. I can walk into any church of any religion. I can question (preferably with respect) my government. I can protest. I have true freedom.

Puts my "problems" into perspective.

Matthew 5:4

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Have you lost someone close to you? It could have been a parent, child, husband, wife, brother, sister, or close friend. It hurts. It hurts more than any words can describe. Do you know that even in those darkest and most painful of moments, you are blessed beyond measure? You are blessed because when you are in your deepest despair, you cling to God more and more. You pull yourself closer and closer to Him as you cry harder. When you mourn, you seek out comfort. The same comfort you might reject otherwise, you accept today. Only then can you throw yourself into His arms and accept the full amount of the comfort that He can give you. What wonderful comfort to know that in my darkness, He brings the light.

Romans 8:38-39

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Have you ever felt the love and bond that a mother/father has for their child? That love can be so strong. In fact, parents have sacrificed their lives for their children and thought nothing of it. Christ did that for us. OK, so you’ve heard that before. What of it? Death could not separate Christ from you. Death took Him and He kicked it right in the face. Death might take your physical body, but you have handed over your heart and soul to Christ, death runs in terror and fear. It will not touch those. Life cannot separate Christ from you. He is everywhere. He speaks through nature, through others, through books, through His Word, through your heart. Supernatural powers cannot separate Christ from you. Though they are powerful, they have nothing compared to the love He has for you. They tremble at the sound of His name much less His presence. What is happening today in your life cannot separate Christ from you. He knows all about it. If He can conquer death and demons, why couldn’t He conquer your problems for today. The future cannot separate Him from you. He knows the future already. How could it possibly prevent the All Powerful from loving you? Can anything come between Christ and you? No. He loves you so much that He has already moved heaven and earth for YOU. I’ve never had a physical person in my life give up their life for me, but I know of some who had. During wars it was not uncommon for comrades to sacrifice their own lives for those of a fellow soldier. The ones that survived carried those memories with them forever and never ever forgot the sacrifice. Christ did that for you. Because He placed Himself in a position of pain, torture, and agonizing death you don’t have to spend eternity screaming in anguish. He loved you that much – more than your parents ever could, more than your spouse ever could, more than anything on this earth could.

Luke 17:33

Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

When you try to keep control of your life and dictate the terms and conditions, you can only lose it. You cannot control all the aspects of your life. When you get right down to it, you cannot control any part of it. When you think that you can beat habits on your own time, you are wrong. When you think that you have the power to conquer addictions, change others, create your own tomorrows, you lose out in the end. You cannot do that. But when you give you life (lose your life) to God, you gain so much. Giving Him control of your path, your decision making, your future ensures you a victory in the end. It doesn’t make sense? Why would I want to lose to gain? Because you are not God. You cannot see what is around the bend. You cannot control the winds and the waves. You cannot create the miracles. You cannot determine the days. Why would you want to continue being in control when your power is so limited that you are fooling yourself that there is such a thing as control when you could be giving the driver’s seat over to the One who knows no bounds and can take you to places you could only dream about?

Oasis in the Desert

tiFor the last few weeks I've been struggling through the spiritual desert. Days of not wanting to pray. Times of fighting with God. Wondering where He is and where I am. Fighting depression. Every now and then a small oasis appears.

This past Monday I felt like I was at the lowest. Where are You, God? If you were really watching out for your children, You would give some chance of a rest right? Where are the still waters and pastures to lay my head? You say that I can come to You as I am weary and find rest. I am more than weary and I'm finding NO rest.

He showed me the pastures today. I visited with a dear person who changed my life eight years ago. I was reminded of how He provides and in the most unusual ways. Through this woman from a foreign country I was shown humility, love, respect for my country, and gratefulness for all I have. After visiting with her, I felt humility before my Provider again. I had been wallowing in self-pity and frustration. And here was a person who had been through so much more. Here was someone who had more "right" to yell at God and fight with Him. Who was I?

Going through the desert is required for all of us. It is only through those miles of sand that we begin to toss off the yoke of pride that led us there in the first place and begin to rely more heavily on Him. He leads you to the oasis to rest and replenish. He keeps you in the desert to be refined and prepared for the job that awaits you in the land of milk and honey.

I'm being prepared for a special job. I'm going to another level in my spiritual growth. It is painful here in the desert, but it will be so worth it as I commune with my Lord.

Feeling the Breeze

We are always on the run! I don't know anyone who isn't. It spills over into every aspect of our lives. When we do that we get all hot and focus on the discomfort of the heat.

Tonight I could not sleep for the heat. After a few minutes I felt a caress of coolness over me. I realized that the temperature was dropping outside and was trying to meander its way in. I forced myself to just lie there and focus on the cool and not the heat. It was amazing! I began to feel so much more comfortable. The temperature inside had not changed much, but my focus had. I was feeling the coolness and therefore was cooling down.

Sometimes our perspectives need to be changed and we have to force them to go through the change. We get too fixated. If we would only slow down and look around us!

Stop! Breathe! Relax! There are wonders just waiting for you.

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Christ did not come to take anything that you need from you. He was wanting to make sure that you have life, that you knew what it meant to truly live, that you learned to live life to the fullest. Many think that becoming a Christian and walking right with God means that you have to give up all fun things and go through life moping around. Only someone like a thief who is only out for themselves comes in to take against your will what is yours. Only someone devious would come in set on killing and destroying your life. Christ did not sneak in with ulterior motives. He never concealed His intent. From the beginning He came for you personally. He came so that you could know firsthand what true living is. When you follow Christ, you learn what is in your life that is killing you and stealing your joy. You get a chance to kick it out and find true pleasures that give life and joy. When you begin to take an inventory of your life, you begin to see all the things that you once thought were fun were in reality destroying your heart, your soul, your body, your relationships, your life. Those are the thieves. Turning to Christ and letting Him toss those items far away might be the freeing thing you’ll ever do.

Ephesians 4:26-27

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

But when I’m angry I want to scream.

Alright, go press your face in a pillow and scream as loud as you can.

But I want to hit something.

Alright, go get a pillow and start punching.

But I want to hurt something.

Not alright.

Anger is a very strong emotion. It is not a sin to be angry. It is an emotion God gave us. He even expresses anger at times. But what we do when we are angry makes all the difference in the world. There can be huge effects that go way beyond your personal feelings. Go ahead and feel the anger. Let it out, but make sure that you don’t sin in the process. Hit the pillow. Scream into the pillow. But don’t cuss your children out. Don’t use them as the punching bag. Don’t spread false rumors about someone out of anger. Don’t betray a confidence. The Apostle Paul wrote the words we are reading today and he reminds us that though we can feel that anger it should be short lived. Don’t go to sleep still angry so that it can fester. When you do that, the devil is gleefully rubbing his hands together. Oh, once you are asleep the whispers start. He’ll help that anger fester. Before you know it the next day has arrived and you are angrier and more vengeful than you were before. Stop it now before it gets out of hand and you make a fool of yourself. If at all possible, try to reconcile with the person before sleep claims you. If you cannot do it, reconcile your anger with God. Release it to Him and let the devil moan and wail. Let him be angry instead and you have a peaceful night’s sleep.

Children are Sometimes Wiser

We are adults. We've got it all figured out. Right? Sure. Until a child opens his mouth.

My son does say the darnest things. Out of the blue he'll make a joke that sends you rolling or a profound statements that shuts you up. You just never know with him.

One day my husband was driving along and living to public radio. A man was on there talking about his latest book in which he states that in 20 years gas will be over $20 a gallon. The results will be no more mega supermarkets and chains, no more cars, no more long distance traveling because we will revert back to the way our great-great grandparents lived and it will be better for all. If you want a gallon of milk, you will ride your horse or walk to a neighborhood grocery story and buy it.

A farmer called in and stated that what the guy missed is that if gas is that high, a gallon of milk will be $20 a gallon to reflect the high cost of the gas that was needed to process and transport it.

All of these were very good points and something to talk about. But my son was pondering something so obvious that no one else got it. You have to keep in mind that he is only 10 years old. He looked at his dad and said, "But couldn't $20 be nothing in 20 years? After all a $100 is worth less today than it was in our grandparents day."

My children teach me a lot. On that day my son made me realize that I don't know the future. I have no idea what it really holds. Therefore, as the good Book says, why am I worrying about tomorrow when today has enough to worry about?

Ephesians 5:13-14

But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Why do you want anything exposed? Because when it stays in the dark the problems grow and fester. They get uglier and uglier. The big problem is that you don’t see all this because it is in the dark. While things are hidden we think all is well. We think that there is nothing wrong. But just a little light shone on it exposes a lot. With Christ in your life, you can see all that ugliness. All the festered parts of your life. Why would you want that? Because only then, when you can actually see it, can it be cleaned up. Only then can you get rid of all the hurt, guilt, all the burdens, all the anxiety. Let Christ clean up the festering wound. Let the light shine in and before long all will be spotless and clean.