Day by Day

[Soldier4Christ]

Moving On

    Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram [was] seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran
    (Genesis 12:1-4).

   One of the most challenging and perhaps difficult times in our lives, is a time when we are moving on. Whether it is a new location, a new job or a new school, it is never easy to make the monumental transitions. We have to put behind us so much of what we have grown accustomed to and somehow find a way to embrace that which we are uncertain of. Sometimes the moves are welcomed, and sometimes not. Yet, all the times of change contain a certain level of difficulty as we let go of what is behind us to grab on to what is ahead.
   Abraham and his family did not know what awaited them in the land that God would show them. They were merely instructed to go. But the land where God took them was more than just a place, and the journey more than just another trip. They left all of what was familiar behind, including family and friends. They did so because God told them to, and though it was difficult, being obedient to God was the only reason Abraham needed. The acknowledgment of God's command and the movement toward God's will was a step that would change Abraham's life and the lives of all of his family for the rest of their lives. It was by faith that Abraham left his home to follow God, and it was because of his faith that God was able to use Abraham to bring about an ultimate purpose, through which God would bless all the nations of the earth.
   Is it possible that God would ask someone these days to uproot, leave their family and friends, and go off to a land they would not know until they got there? It is more than possible, it is probable. God still has much to do today through His children and He still asks us to do some things that are often difficult. But if one of us were directed to go in a manner like that of Abraham, many would be sure to think we were crazy. For the line between faith and fanaticism seems to have become somewhat hard for so many to see. Whereas once something was a simple act of faith, many would probably now cry out, "Fanatic!"  But simple faith in the heart of a one who trusts God completely is just that--simple faith. And those who cry "Fanatic," have probably just forgotten what simple faith is and what it does--or perhaps they have simply never seen it at all.
   We often have such strong desires to lay down roots, to build a life for ourselves and settle down. We have dreams for ourselves and for our families that may be hard to see to the end if we do not stay put. The effects on each member of the family may be tough to bear, as each watches the others deal with making new friends, finding a new church, starting a new school or new job. And the tougher the change the more we may determine to stay put from here on out--to lay down roots and such--at least "until the kids are grown."
   The move is hard, to be sure, but the greater blessing will always come through following the path God lays out before us. If He desires us to stay put, then we can be as the flowers that flourish where they are planted. But if we stay against His will, we will find that we become like waters in a stagnate pool--finding ourselves in a lifeless existence. But if He desires for us to move on or make some kind of change and we hear Him and obey, then we will be like the waters in the clear and rushing stream, full of life and direction.
   What God asks us to do may often be difficult. It may cause us to grow anxious and question whether we truly know His will, and it will challenge our faith. Following God's will for us may bring us under persecution as others think we are just being fanatics by our mere exercise of simple faith. But just remember that what God has for you may no longer be where you are today, but may only be found where He would take you tomorrow. And remember as well, He has promised that He will never leave you or forsake you.

[Soldier4Christ]

Why Look Any Further?

    Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matthew 7:7).

The story is told of a man who falls over a huge cliff yet manages to grab hold of a branch sticking out from the side. Looking down he realizes that it must be two to three hundred feet down. Looking up he notices that it must be at least a hundred feet straight up. As he examines his situation, he realizes that the only way he is going to be able to get out of his tight spot is to call for help. And so he loudly and frequently begins to shout for help. After a little while, he hears someone reply, and once more he cries out, "Hey up there, please help me! I'm down here!" The voice then replies, "I will save you. Let go of the branch." Puzzled by what he heard, he asks, "Who's there?" The voice replies, "It is the Lord. I have heard your cries and have come to save you. Let go of the branch." The man thought for a moment then responded, "Is anyone else up there?"

Of all our asking, seeking and knocking that we do, it would be interesting to know how much we do needlessly. For though our intentions may be well-founded, perhaps there are times that we ask when we already have the answer. Perhaps we seek when what we seek has already been found, or maybe we knock when the door is wide open and we have already been told to go on in. But why should we do such a thing? If our intent is to find God's answer for us, why would we even consider looking any further?
The answer to that question may be very hard to find. For why would we continue to seek that which is already found? Perhaps we have overlooked the answer. That would certainly keep us searching. Or maybe we have just been asking but haven't began to listen for the answer, or seeking to know God's will. For there are many times that we put questions to God that we really don't want to know the truth about.
To continue to seek when we have already been given the answer is really no better than never seeking at all. It may be that, just like the man hanging from the branch, what we are doing is demonstrating a lack of faith. Perhaps we don't even like our current situation at all, yet we find it more comfortable to keep a tight grip on what we already are familiar with rather than letting go and trusting God--even if our current status is life threatening.
But faithlessness is not the only reason we may continue to seek when God has already answered, for stubborn pride and selfish desire are also a threat to our discovering God's direction. Pride and desire may be the motivators that lead us to ask questions of God that we should not be asking in the first place. Would we go to God and ask Him if it is OK to lie? Probably not. Most of us can agree that lying is wrong and clearly spelled out as such within the Bible. Yet, because of our pride and desire, we might find ourselves seeking answers from God that are not found within His truth. We instead may want to find the answers that line up best with what we want and we are not going to quit asking until we get the answer we desire.
There are many questions we have to ask of God. We might say that the only dumb question is the one that remains unasked. But with that we might want to add the questions that are asked for which we do not want an honest answer--those are stupid questions too. But in asking in sincerity, let us seek the answers that we need. And let us consider through the wisdom of our Lord what we have already been shown. Then without hesitation let us follow the answer He has given us in the proper application to our current situation. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Rom.8:28). So as we follow God in His purpose, let us ask that He give us wisdom to know when we should ask--and when we should look no further.

[Soldier4Christ]

Giving Appropriately

    For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets (Matthew 7:8-12).

The words of Jesus draw us to consider the absurd as we read the passage shown above. We cannot imagine anyone giving a stone or a serpent to a son who asks for something to eat. To consider doing so would mean that you would be crazy. Instead, as Jesus points out, we would give a child the things that are good for that child. We would use wisdom and sound judgment, and to the best of our abilities we would seek to give that which is best, and that which is appropriate.
In fact, consider reasons why we should give anything to anyone for reasons other than those that are thought out and wisely concluded. For what purpose would there be in trying to serve someone who need not be served, or in trying to help someone who need not be helped? What purpose would there be in stopping to help someone change a flat tire when they are almost half finished with the job and appear to be doing the job quite well on their own? And what purpose is there in giving money to someone who has no need for any more? What is there to gain and who is it who will gain when help is offered where none is required?
Although the best intentions are present, being too helpful could sometimes be as bad as not helping when one needs help. Imagine if you will that Jesus comes upon a man sitting on a bench. The man appears to be resting, but suddenly he hears Jesus say, "Rise up and walk." The implication of course is that Jesus is trying to heal the man--a man who can already walk. Of course that is ludicrous to consider that Jesus would ever do such a thing. For though we see in our Lord His willingness to serve and to give, we also see the wisdom in which He administers what He has to give.
It may be that we have a deep down desire to be better givers. We read in the Bible that "God loveth a cheerful giver" and we are motivated toward generosity. But the way we give is certainly as important as the giving. 2 Corinthians 9:7, wherein we find the words, "God loveth a cheerful giver," we also find some guidelines for the way to give. We are told, "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity." The quality of giving is weighed through wise and appropriate administration. We are not to give so as not to feel guilt, yet we are also not to give for the sake of giving alone. The gift should be appropriate for the receiver.
If we look for somewhere to serve or some way to give, we can probably come up with something. But giving and serving should be a response to a need that God has made you aware of. To do otherwise can easily snare us in a trap of ritualistic or religious giving that is done more often than not for the sake of the giver, rather than the receiver.
May God grant us wisdom to give appropriately, "not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."

[Soldier4Christ]

(G)ASPirations

    "For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content (Philippians 4:11).

Throughout our lives we have or will experience a moment of mental lapse in a time we are anxious over a matter. It may be that we want something "so bad we can taste it," so bad we can lose ourselves completely in thought of it. Some express their obsession with words like, "I must have it or I'll die!" But that's one extreme. The not so extreme would be what most of us are possibly more familiar with. That being that we are not laden with obsession, but distracted by want. But not so much that we make some verbal proclamations regarding our death if we can not possess what we want. Instead, we conceal our aspirations and secretly dwell on them. They become a distraction and a source of worry and anxiety. And though we may not be obsessed by what we want, we are certainly not content without it.
What kinds of things could distract us so? It could be anything, or sometimes many things. We can easily grow anxious over whether or not we will get a desired job, be accepted into a desired college, or be accepted into some organization. It could be something material: a new house, a car, a boat, or any other material possession. It could be an aspiration for a certain person that distracts us, hoping that certain someone will go out with you, have dinner with you, or marry you.
But why the anxiety? It is not because we have aspirations. Aspirations are quite normal and they are healthy as long as they do not become lust or obsession. No, it is not the healthy aspiration that causes the trouble but fear. It is the fear that what seems to be something we might be able to have might be taken away, or kept just out of reach. All the right doors may have opened and everything may be suggesting that you will be getting something you have hoped for, for so long; and yet, we fear that something or someone will snatch it away from us, or that it is simply too good to be true. And so we worry, and we fret, and we imagine things that have no place in reality--and as it has been said, "We get all worked up over nothing."
But we can hope to have, yet remain content. We can aspire for this or that and set our goals without embracing lust or obsession. And we can escape anxiety and fear by giving it all over to God. Easier said than done--right? Maybe so. Yet, God knows our desires already and He also knows what is best for us. So how we free ourselves from anxiety is by doing just a couple of things: First we talk to God about what we want. We tell Him how we feel and why we desire what we want and why we would like to have it. Then we turn it over to Him by giving it up. In other words, we acknowledge that our desire may not be what is best, and we recognize that what God desires is what is best for us. And so we tell Him, "This is what I want, nevertheless, do for me what you want because I know what you want is what is best."
After we have brought it to Him the second step is to leave it with Him. In this we find contentment and peace, and we demonstrate our trust in His decision. We entrust it to His capable and loving hand, and we tell ourselves, "Now it is in His hands, I do not have to worry about it anymore. If He wants it for me I will have it. And if He does not want it for me, I am better off without it." In this we can find contentment with what we already have or where we already are, yet we can also hold onto aspirations knowing that God will lead us toward those that are beneficial, and away from those that are not.

[Soldier4Christ]

Exploring Purposes

    But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work (2 Tim.2:20-21).

Maybe you've heard the story of the father who raised his son to play football. From the time the boy could hold a ball, it seemed he had one in his hand. For countless years the father would spend day after day teaching his son the game--preparing him for the day he would shine, get his lucky break, and be drafted by a professional level team. But something goes wrong with the father's plan--the boy develops a natural artistic talent that draws him away from football and toward a career as a graphic artist. The boy had tried to please his father and played football for a while, but a day came when he could not deny himself any longer. He could not deny his abilities, talents and purposes for which God had made him.
We consider all that we are and have to be by the grace of God. For we know "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17). As we look at who we are, we must consider natural talents and abilities; we must consider personality traits and we must consider our limitations. We would not expect a young man to become a mechanic if he had no mechanical aptitude; and we would not expect someone to lead music in church if the person could not carry a tune. So also we should discern our calling wisely, knowing that God has equipped us with far more than knowledge alone. For He has been equipping us for our purpose early on, developing all aspects of our person for a given task.
In determining our place where God would have us, we might do well to consider that we are more than spirit, and that God has called us to minister to humans who are also more than spirit. We are not defined by our spiritual person alone and therefore should not let that be the only part of us from which we serve God. The Lord desires that we serve Him with our entire person, not just the spiritual part. Our talents, aptitudes, personality and gifts are to all be used to glorify God--acknowledging therein that He is the giver of all good things--not ignoring any one aspect because it does not seem spiritual enough.
There are many of us who become Christians and then desire to serve God whole-hearted. Some of us are called to preach, sing, or minister in the church in a full-time Church vocation. But most of us are not. However, we are all called to be what God has made us to be. So while some of us have been fashioned for full-time church work, others of us have been fashioned for something else. Some of us have simply not been equipped to be a Church Minister--though all of us have been called to minister. Most of us have not been called to be Evangelists--yet all of us have been called to evangelize.
It is so important for the entire body of Christ, and for you yourself, that we all get this. For there have been so many that want to serve God with there whole heart and have felt that the only way they could do that is by surrendering to full-time Christian Work. Yet, there are so many who become miserable because, although there intentions are good, they are not functioning as God had intended. We all have a purpose, and it is not our job to discard our position in favor of what appears to our eyes and the eyes of mankind to be a more nobler purpose--we are simply to be what we have been made to be--that's all God expects. To do otherwise is to let down ourselves, our church and our Lord.
Be all you can be--but be what He has fashioned you for.

[Soldier4Christ]

Providing

    If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever
    (1 Timothy 5:.

How do we label a man who is slack concerning his responsibilities to care for his family? Do we see him as lazy and irresponsible? Do we see him as immature and uncaring--seeking only to satisfy his personal wants while letting the needs of his wife and children to go unattended? Do we see him to be "worse than an unbeliever," or do we see him worse yet?
I was raised, as many men have been, to see it as my responsibility to take care of my family. As a husband and father, it is my God given place to look after my wife and children, to see to it that their basic needs are met--and if necessary--to sacrifice what I might want for me, for the greater good of the family. 1 Timothy 5:8 firmly supports this. However, though the scripture tells us to provide for our family, that provision does not end with a regular paycheck and food on the table. In fact, that is only the beginning.
For we know that the members of our family are much more than flesh and bone, they are also spirit. While flesh and bone require food, clothing and shelter to sustain life, the spirit also has needs--needs that often go unnoticed and unmet. A person's spirit has need to be fed spiritual food so that the child of God might grow up strong in the Lord. The spirit has need of spiritual clothing--the armor of God--that protects the child of God from a cruel and godless environment. And the spirit has need of spiritual shelter that can be found beneath the protective love of God as a child of God is shown the way to draw nearer to God each day.
Though we know these things to be true, we have fallen short of our fatherly and parental duties to our families. For we will spend 40 hours per week making money so everyone can fill their bellies and so the family can afford some entertainment as well. Yet, the amount of time we spend teaching our children about God is almost negligible.
It is no father's desire to give his children a stone if they ask him for bread. A good father wants to give his family what is best for them, to meet their real needs and to make them strong and healthy in body, mind and spirit. We must realize that good godly instruction will go further to helping our children than all the hours we spend carving out a living. And we must also keep in mind that providing for our families goes far beyond their physical needs, we must nurture our families' spirit as well. Keep in mind the words of Paul, "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (1 Timothy 5:.

[Soldier4Christ]

Walls

    So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart (Nehemiah 4:6).

We have often heard of the "walls of sin"--the walls we construct as a result of our wrong doings that place a barrier between us and God. Most of us would agree that "walls of sin" is an accurate picture of what takes place as a result of our sin. There is a sense of a greater separation from God and of the broken fellowship with Him. There is an awkwardness in trying to pray or talk to God, like that of trying to talk through a wall. And there is frustration because we feel as though we are talking but no one is listening, or because we are having a hard time hearing what is being said on the other side of the wall. And though this "wall of sin" is a wall that must be torn down so that we can experience the unhindered fellowship with God, we must consider the wall that must be established as a result of a right fellowship with God.
Its kind of like going into a building that has two sets of doors at the entrance. A good example might be an aviary at a zoo. The first door takes you into a short corridor that leads to the second door, and the second door takes you into the actual aviary where the birds are freely flying about. The purpose of the two sets of doors is to give people a way to get in without letting any of the birds out.
So then, we work continuously to tare down one wall which is the door that stands between us and God so that we can freely enter His presence. But that's not all there is to it. There is another door that must be shut behind us. But its not so anything won't get out, it is to keep something from getting in to us--that being sin. Our desire then is not only to freely come to God, but also to take measures to keep sin from getting in and thereby making it difficult to get into God. Like in the corridor of the aviary, only one door is opened at a time, and we who are in the corridor determine which door will be opened. If sin is in our corridor, we cannot freely open the door to God. We first must deal with the sin and then we can once again freely come to God.
To consider the walls we will learn that the wall of sin is built one brick at a time, and each brick representing a wrong doing against God. That of course is the wall that must come down. But the second wall is the wall of testimony. It is the wall that is built one brick at a time, but each brick in this wall is an encounter or experience that is a result of our fellowship with God. One brick might be a time when money was tight and you were not sure if you could pay the rent, yet God demonstrated His provision for you as the money came through some unexpected means. Another brick might be an event that took place, wherein a number of apparent loose ends came together so neatly and so timely that you knew without a doubt that God was in it. Perhaps another brick is in His strength provided to you in a time of weakness, and another is His comfort in a time when you thought you had lost all hope.
As we walk with God and fellowship with Him, we will acquire the bricks of testimony. The more we are with Him and the more we experience Him, the greater the number of bricks. As we place brick upon brick, we build a strong and enduring wall. The higher the wall becomes, the more difficult it is for sin, or fear, or worry to penetrate the wall. It is the wall of our testimony. It is a wall that we have built with Him together through the course of our fellowship with Him. And each one of us have our section of the wall to build. Each one of us working within the power and love of God to do it. Yet our individual walls of testimony do not stand alone, they are linked together with the walls of testimony of others who share in this wall building process. Indeed our walls are all part of a greater wall--and that wall is called the Faithfulness of our Lord.

[Soldier4Christ]

Many Milestones, Chosen Paths

    So Abram left, as the Lord had told him. . .and they set out for the land of Cannan, and they arrived there (Genesis 12:4-5).

The road ahead of us is long as best as we can tell. We do not know where it will take us or will it will end. Our destiny is held in the hands of our Creator, and our path is under His watchful care. Yet He does not hold us too tightly as to force His way and leave us without a choice. But He holds us gently and lovingly, allowing us to remain in His hands to be carried to the place He would take us, or allowing us to remove ourselves from His hands and go our own way. Outside of His hand, we wander aimlessly, but in His hand we find our perfect place and discover where He is taking us one day at a time.
Our arrival is distant and sometimes near. For though we would say that we have not arrived and that we do not expect to arrive so long as we live this life on this earth, we do have moments of arrival. Those moments of arrival are characterized by the drawing to a conclusion a particular piece of God's will within our lives. Our moment of arrival can be described as our reaching a milestone. We have milestones behind us, and many ahead, but our hope and glory is knowing that as long as we remain with God, we know that we will arrive at each necessary milestone along our path.
Each milestone represents a point of completion, a symbol of growth and an affirmation that we are following the right path that God has laid out for us. It is a time of celebration as we are able to look upon the milestone as a finished work. We see within it purpose and accomplishment, and we see within it How God has worked to strengthen us, equip us and continue His efforts to fashion us for holiness. We see in the milestone a period of growth, and within it, joyous occasions mixed with episodes of difficulty and pain. Then we see peace as we look upon the milestone. For it becomes a thing of sentimental beauty as we recognize that it is another way God says to us, "You're on the right track. Press on."
The distance between milestones is sometimes a vast and barren desert. It may seem that you have moved so far from the last milestone that you have even begun to wonder if you are still on the right path. You might even start feeling certain you missed something or kept going straight where you should have turned. Those are times you might feel that you have gotten yourself lost and you are so very confused, unsure if you should even continue down the path you are currently on. A very normal response is one where you may think the best thing to do is to turn around and go back to a place of familiarity--retrace your steps and try it again. But be careful that in your confusion that you do not lose sight of what you know to be true, in the midst of what has become so overwhelming.
So what do you do when you are uncertain where you are or where you should be? First ask God, and then ask Him again. Do that which you know you should and press on. Remain in Christ, spending time with Him--praying and reading your Bible. It may take all you have just to be able to do that. You may not have strength to do much at all, so do what you can and simply ask God to do whatever is necessary to help you get your bearing. Putting yourself in His hands may not mean knowing where you are or where you are going, but it will mean being confident that you will get there.
Your past milestones are what you know. They are the work of God's Hand in your life. Cling to them as symbols of His faithfulness but move forward as a testimony of His Grace. Your walk with Him is sure to be one filled with many arrivals, and your being with Him is evidence to you that you will one day arrive at the place to which He is taking you.

[Soldier4Christ]

I Come To The Garden Alone

    Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Psalms 16:11).

Pausing to consider God, I have felt the world slip away. The concerns of this life and the worries of the day quickly fade into the background in comparison to Him. He towers above the circumstances and does not give way to the pressures of my day. He is the same today, tomorrow and forever.
I come to Him and I am reborn. I am filled with the newness of my first words heard from Him. My spirit is rejuvenated and my passions rekindled, and all within a few quiet and passing moments.
It is not looking to Him that is difficult, but looking away from my concerns of my life that is so hard to do. They are like so many leaves of a bush that grow thicker and thicker about me. They become a giant hedge that cloud my eyes and hide the Light from my view, and they hide the light in me so that no one else can see the Light that resides in me. And giving those concerns my attentions, I effectively hide my light beneath a bushel when it should be on a lampstand so as to give light to all who are in the house.
The writer of an old and familiar hymn relates an experience of personal fellowship with God within the scene of a morning stroll through a garden. The writer has come to the garden alone, "and the dew is still on roses." The voice of God softly speaks, and it is so sweet that the "birds hush their singing." And within the verses of this song we find the testimony of one touched by a precious moment with the Lord.
Coming to God requires certain things of us. In particular, if we are desiring to be with Him we have to be able to focus on Him. I am reminded of times I have been talking with someone only to notice a blank stare in his or her eyes. The person is there physically but not in spirit. To be with God it is necessary that we be able to give Him our undivided attention--to shut out that which distracts and draws us away from Him when we so desperately desire to draw near.
Therefore, we must come to Him alone. It is not enough that we come to Him at times in a solitary fashion, as in a prayer closet away from other people, we must come also without anything. We must leave our baggage at the door. Sure, there is a need to address the baggage in our time with God, but there is also need to come to God without any thought of any external thing we happen to be dealing with in our lives at a given time. Coming to God alone should occasionally be in such a way that we come to be with Him--just to be with Him--leaving our concerns, needs and worries at the door.
The idea is this: focusing on our problems will often cause us to remain focused on our problems and make it hard to find solutions. But as we come to God and clear our minds of anything but Him, we will be able to hear what He says in regard to our problems, we will be able to worship Him and we will be able to come away from our time renewed. When our purpose for coming to Him is simply to be with Him, we will come away with so much more. Sometimes we just need to leave it all at the door, and seek nothing more than pleasant fellowship and come to the garden--alone.

[Soldier4Christ]

There Is A Season

    To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

As I looked at my son and considered that he would soon be turning thirteen, I began to wonder what advice I could pass on to him. And there in the front seat of my car as I was taking him to school, I began to tell him about something I believed to be probably the most important thing he should ever learn. I began talking to him about need for balance.
I had learned early in my Christian walk about this very important need, and have since been struggling to perfect it in all aspects of my life. But this is not an easy task for someone who can be bit of an extremist from time to time, or for anyone else for that matter. As it is with many who are filled with passion regarding something, it seems to be an "all or nothing" attitude that is possessed, so it also was with me. I gave my heart to Christ at the age of twenty-six and was affected dramatically by God's gracious touch. I became enthralled with Him and anything about Him. There are theologians who call this the "honeymoon stage" of our walk with Christ. That seems to be a fitting description. I spent a great deal of time in prayer and in the Bible, and I learned so very much so quickly. Yet, as it is said, too much of anything is not good. One might wonder, how can too much time in the Bible be "not good." Well, I wouldn't have thought there could ever be too much time in the Word, yet my time with my wife and children was lacking, and some of my responsibilities were going unattended. Considering that I was spending so much time in the Bible, I could easily justify it to myself as being right. Yet, with all the learning I was doing I wasn't getting it--it was not about knowledge alone, it was about application. The Word of God was to be the tool to help me find balance in my life, it was not something to unbalance me. His Word was to be filtered into all areas of my life, not take the place of those areas.
All things must be balanced. There is a season for everything under heaven. We embrace, and we let go. We cling to that which is new, yet not so tight as to neglect the familiar. Our hearts, minds, spirits and bodies must be attentive to all things, giving time to each thing as needed. We must work, but we must rest and play. We must serve God, church and others, and we must be willing to be served. We must minister and we must be ministered to. We must be willing to see the pains and sufferings of this present age, yet we must also be willing to embrace laughter and joy. We must love, be loved, fellowship, be still, be active, exercise, eat right, and selectively monitor all that goes on our plate in a given day--yet not become anxious about any of it.
Consider the entertainer who has made a lively hood out of balancing things. Perhaps he started by simply balancing a stick on his fingertip as a little boy. In time he could balance his stick without dropping it. Then he balances a pie pan on top of the stick, and soon is able to balance the pie pan on the stick with very little difficulty. The more he does it, the easier it gets, until one day he has mastered it.
Learning to balance is not something that comes very easy to so many of us. Yet, if we practice balance in our lives each day, it will be something that will become easier and easier over time. The alternative is anxiety and regret. For as we focus too much on one thing and not enough on another, we will worry about that thing which we have put off so long that we have little hope in ever getting it where it should be. And we even worry about that thing that has so much of our attention because we convince ourselves that if we pull any amount of attention away from it--we will lose control of it. But we are given hope in this: that if we do our best with all that we have, not neglecting anything but not becoming obsessed with any, that God will do the rest. His assurance to us is that He is with us, and that He will help us. He will help us keep the balance when we are weak, and even when something else is thrown on top of our pie pan at the top of our stick. For it has never been about how much we have to hold, but about the extent to which we allow God to hold on to us in the process.

[Soldier4Christ]

Fruit Juice

    But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit (Gal.5:22-25).

Leroy Eims in "The Lost Art of Disciple Making" writes:

    One spring our family was driving from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa, Florida. As far as the eye could see, orange trees were loaded with fruit. When we stopped for breakfast, I ordered orange juice with my eggs. "I'm sorry," the waitress said. "I can't bring you orange juice. Our machine is broken." At first I was dumbfounded. We were surrounded by millions of oranges, and I knew they had oranges in the kitchen--orange slices garnished our plates. What was the problem? No juice? Hardly. We were surrounded by thousands of gallons of juice. The problem was they had become dependent on a machine to get it. Christians are sometimes like that. They may be surrounded by Bibles in their homes, but if something should happen to the Sunday morning preaching service, they would have no nourishment for their souls. The problem is not a lack of spiritual food--but that many Christians haven't grown enough to know how to get it for themselves.

One might wonder why it is that it would be difficult to get the "juice" from the fruit of God's Word. We may say that we do not naturally know how to sit down to the Bible and extract its good and much needed nutrients, and we may be right. It may be that we need to be taught how, given clear direction and then set on the course that will enable us to draw from God's Word what we need for our daily living. Yet, we must keep in mind that it takes more than a good teacher to develop the skills in us that will bring us back to God's Word time and again--it also takes a willing student.
It seems to me that if I have an orange sitting on my kitchen counter-top, and if there is a juicing device sitting there as well, that I can somehow determine how to get the juice out of the orange so that I can get a good glass of orange juice, even if I have never used a juicer. The results may not be the best at first. I may not get much juice out of the orange without getting most of it on the counter-top. I may make a mess, and it may take a long time and a lot of effort just to get a small amount. But if I want the juice badly enough, I will keep at it. And one day I will discover that I am able to get the most out of every orange quickly, effectively and efficiently and then feel like I am getting a lot out of a little effort. Whether someone teaches us or not and whether we have the tools laid out for us or not, it will always come down to one thing--how bad we want the orange juice.
Getting the most out of our time in the Word of God is very much up to us. Do we realize that the Bible has much for us to get us through our day, then we must be willing to go to it. We may handle it very poorly at first and have a hard time learning how to use it. In that case, we should do even as we would with many things of importance, we should ask someone the questions we need answered, or ask for someone to demonstrate the basics, and then we should keep at it.
We know that it is a responsibility of Christians to help other Christians to learn about the Bible. Yet, that never foregoes our responsibility to ourselves to keep opening up the Word of God so that it becomes a more familiar and less difficult task--realizing the necessity of it in our lives.
The choice will always be ours; we can either plunge in and risk the mess, or we can continue to stare at the oranges and the juicer and wonder why we can't make orange juice.

[Soldier4Christ]

Faith, Freedom & Responsibility

    "When Queen Victoria was a child, she didn't know she was in line for the throne of England. Her instructors, trying to prepare her for the future, were frustrated because they couldn't motivate her. She just didn't take her studies seriously. Finally, her teachers decided to tell her that one day she would become the queen of England. Upon hearing this, Victoria quietly said, 'Then I will be good.' The realization that she had inherited this high calling gave her a sense of responsibility that profoundly affected her conduct from then on" (Anonymous).

The greatest freedom we will find, is when we realize that we are responsible to more than just ourselves. Our faith in God is not, nor has ever been, a license to neglect our responsibilities to the office we hold as Christian. We are responsible first of all to our Lord. This demands discipline and obedience in our daily lives. This demands that we take seriously the office of Christian that we hold. For even as a politician is ideally to reflect the desires of those whom he represents, so also we are to adequately reflect the desires of the Lord whose name we claim.
In being responsible to our God, we are equally responsible to others. We are to uphold integrity and maintain a Christ-like character in all of our dealings. Being honest, paying our debts, keeping appointments, and giving our best efforts in our work place are necessary parts of who we are to be as a representative of Christ--anything less is dishonoring to our Lord.
Our faith is very important, but it fails us if it is not coupled with obedience, integrity and honor. Our faith will never lead us to neglect our responsibilities, but will open the doors to meet them. Our faith will never excuse actions that forget our debts, but will enable us to discover God's methods for restitution. We cannot justify breaking a promise because God has "led us elsewhere." We cannot rationalize laziness because we are simply "trusting" in the Lord. Our trust must be placed in God, but with that trust we have also been entrusted with the task of representing Christ to the best of our ability--placing His name ahead of our desires--upholding integrity so that the name of our Lord is not brought down by our actions.
Our obedience is of great importance, but if fails us if it is not coupled with faith. Doing what we have been told by God is truly disobedience if it is not done the way He directs. He has told us that we must do all things as unto Him, and that we must rely on Him to provide what we need to accomplish every work in our lives. Our Christian work, our jobs, our relationships; all can only be accomplished best if they are accomplished God's way. He tells us that we must abide in Him like a branch on a vine, and that apart from Him, we can do nothing. It is through a balancing of faith and obedience that we will allow God to effectively carry out His purpose in every aspect of our lives--and therein, we shall find true and lasting freedom.

    Lord Jesus, thou who art the way, the truth, and the life; hear us as we pray for the truth that shall make all free. Teach us that liberty is not only to be loved but also to be lived. Liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books. It costs too much to be hoarded. Help us see that our liberty is not the right to do as we please, but the opportunity to please to do what is right. (Peter Marshall, Before the U.S. Senate ).

[Soldier4Christ]

All Things Familiar

    Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

   Moving out from the confines of our most comfortable familiar things can often be difficult at best. The familiar is many times readily accepted regardless of what may be the better within the unknown. On the other hand, newness is more likely to be that which is embraced when the current circumstances are not to ones liking--and what is desired often transpires from a prison of boredom, drudgery and discontent.
   But where do we stand on this line or continuum of all things familiar? Do we fall to the one extreme wherein we are motivated to change direction for our lives due to painful circumstances or difficult pursuits? Or do we fall to the other end wherein we desire change simply because the familiar presents a certain lack of intrigue or excitement? Perhaps we are blessed to have found the balance and so we stand somewhere in the middle--not desiring change as a method of escape, but not shunning change due to fear of the unknown.
   Our hearts draw a line between flexibility and rigidity. We cannot dwell too long within either without risking a rigidness that will not except the changes that must come. For even if we are purposely flexible most of the time, we are in danger of becoming rigid in our flexibility. Being rigidly flexible is a state of mind in which someone cannot be content with things as they are. They are those who change to move away from that which is familiar. They find comfort in escape, and seldom choose to ride out the difficulties, or even the extreme calmness of a given situation. They change for change sake and may count themselves lucky if they hit upon God's will as they go.
   For some, there must be constant change or they will experience discontent. But there are others who desire as little change as possible, and their satisfaction is most easily appeased when things remain as they are. They are rigidly rigid, and find a sense of comfort within the well known familiar. They do not fear it, but embrace it. So much so that they fight hard against change of any kind.
   But of these two types, neither offer a place of true contentment. Both aspire for contentment through means of change or no change, yet both fail to find their truest peace within such pursuits. For peace is not to be found through change or lack thereof, but in finding a way to remain content regardless. It is best for us if we do not require change, but also that we do not refuse it--and that we embrace it only as it is according to the will of God. This is a true flexibility that allows us to follow God's direction for us more easily.
   If we change course when we should not, we are like a car that is driven off of a straight stretch of highway. And if we refuse change that must come, we are like the car that drives straight off of a road that curves off toward a different direction. Our direction in our life is uncertain, but the changes in the road that lies ahead can be much more easily followed if we do not cling to the familiar with clinched fists, and if we do not refuse the familiar because we crave change.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Greater

    He must become greater; I must become less.
    The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comesf from heavin is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard. . .(John 3:30-32).

As John the Baptist was approached by his disciples regarding Jesus, he was told by them, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan--the one you testified about--well, he is baptizing, and everyone goes to him." John responded to them by pointing out to them how he himself could only do that which he was appointed to do, and he reminded them how he had told them that he was not the Christ, but had been sent ahead of Him. Through this, John identified that his purpose in this life was not to reveal himself, or bring glory to himself. But his purpose was to allow Christ to be revealed through him. And he knew that this could only be accomplished by allowing Christ to become the greater in his own life, direction and purpose.
We often struggle with our life, purpose and direction. We are often confused, discontent and frustrated. Trying to find God's will seems to remain a huge mysterious puzzle that we feel we may never be able to unravel. To be asked, "How do you know God's will?" we may often shrink back on the inside--retreat to a personal and safe zone regarding God's will--and spit out a good Sunday school answer like, "By reading our Bible and praying." Yet there is often an internal struggle with the very answer we come up with. For though we believe we should seek God's will through prayer and the Bible, we somehow remain unsure as to how His Will will be revealed to us.
Perhaps we would like to be as certain as John was in knowing his own life purpose. For what we are to do and God's purpose for our lives is something we want to know, but as we said, it is so very difficult and confusing. Perhaps we could look to John the Baptist's and Jesus' example to help us, for they both seemed confident of their calling.
Jesus was the "one who comes from above." He was the one who "testifies to what he has seen and heard." He saw His purpose clearly--He was to reveal God to us. Through this revelation there are many things that take place. As God is revealed to us, we discover Him for who He really is, and we learn how our viewpoint of His person has been distorted by opinion, bias, religion, fear, life experience and Satan's lies. We know that at the time Christ came, He came to God's chosen people, and He came with a purpose of revealing to them who God really is. One would ask, "Why would God need to be revealed to those who were His people?" Because there was so much that had caused the true representation of God to be distorted, even to a people who were closest to Him. That distortion has caused people to fear God, distrust Him, disbelieve Him and hide from Him--just like Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. But Christ came to allow God to reveal Himself through His Son. Jesus did so by becoming less, so God could be exalted.
In John the Baptist's humble walk there was the same implication; that by becoming less, Christ would be able to reveal God through him. By making sure that people didn't come to John for the purpose of seeing John, or John's works, or John's accomplishments, or John's wants, goals, ambitions, etc., John was able to make it possible for others to see God in Him.
There are certainties for us as we try to find God's will: 1) As long as we seek God's will as to how it applies to us alone, we will miss the boat. God's will for us is not about us alone, but how our individual lives effect and are effected by others. 2) In order for us to discover His will, we must become less and allow Him to become greater. Otherwise, we will have great difficulty seeing anything but ourselves, our desires, and our goals as we consider where we should be in this life. 3) God still wants to reveal Himself to us--that includes His will--and He can only do it through humble and selfless hearts.
There is a world who still needs to see God in Christ revealed to them. Our greatest work of evangelism will be accomplished when we live a life that does not exalt self, but that allows God to reveal Himself through us. "He must become greater; [we] must become less."

[Soldier4Christ]

Simple Forgiveness, Great Impact

    Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift (Mt.5:23-24).

They are close, yet they are far away. There are walls that separate us that are difficult to tear down, and harder to ignore. For where we would simply walk away, we also want to run toward. For what we have with one so close, is balanced somewhere between fulfillment and risk. And we hang our heads in certain frustration for what a person is to us.
Our hopes would be that we have no conflict with the people in our lives. We desire the smooth and settled waters of a stable and mature relationship. But we also fear the times of turmoil, when things aren't quite so pleasant.
It is in those times that we often find our truest friends. They will not run away from us when we are not our best. We all fall down from time to time, but there is one who will not simply pass by on the other side of the road--there is one who will stay with you until you are able once again to stand. It is the friend that sticks closer than a brother.
And should we remain beside the one who falls and fails to stand, we learn what it means to endure hard times and pray for patience in the meantime. For though we remain with one who is not his or her self, we sometimes feel that we have little strength to remain there for them. It is a wearying experience, and one we should not endure alone. For just as we would be there for another, there are those who are ready to be there for us--to help us, as we help someone else.
But consider now the struggle. You have a friend who is near and dear to you, or perhaps it is an acquaintance. Conflict arises and so does the first impulse to run to your prospective corners. The tension grows thicker and so do the walls. It becomes difficult to even say hello as you pass each other on your way. And though there is a part of you that desires to run away, there is a strong compelling to draw near. Part of you wants to remain angry, while another part desires to reconcile your differences. Many times the anger wins out--at least for a time. We hold grudges and harbor ill feelings, all the while we desire to have things back to the way they once were.
The song says, "Precious and few are the moments we two can share." Our time here is short, and our quality, alone time with certain others is even shorter. And though we recognize and realize that our time together is something we should try to make the best possible, we continue being angry and remain withdrawn, and for what? More often than not, its to prove some kind of a point that we know one day we will look back on and think, "How petty."
Jesus came to reconcile. He came to reconcile us to God and to each other. He has given us what is called a ministry of reconciliation, and what we may not realize is that we cannot effectively minister, teach or lead others to be reconciled with God, if we refuse to be reconciled with each other. If we would stop to take a moment to look through our issues that stand as walls, we will discover that they are not worth allowing them to prevent us from effectively sharing the love of God with others. It's time to tear down the walls--if not for ourselves--certainly for a lost and dying world who needs to see what it means to be forgiven.

    Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven (Mt. 18:21-22).