Tag: desert springs

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Above the Rules

“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
They will run…and not grow weary,
They will walk…and not faint.”
Psalm 62:5

I live very near to a large pond that is full of fish. Now…before you fishermen get too excited, I need to tell you that there is a prominent posting that reads “Catch and Release” only. However, there is a large eagle which perches on the very top of a tall evergreen tree.
That guy is not following the rules.

His high, treetop perch appears to be quite unsteady, to my eyes. It’s a scrawny,
crooked little branch, but strong enough to hold Mr. Eagle’s weight as he looks down on
the pond. He sits motionless . . . and watches. He waits.

And then, he swoops down to the glassy water’s surface, and with a little splash picks
up a fish. Then away he soars. I could not see what he was seeing. From my view, I
could only see the reflections of sky and trees on the water’s surface. I’m down on the
level of the pond. He was looking down from his high skinny tree top.

Mr. Eagle has broken the rule. He “caught.” But he did not release. He brought
“home” what he needed in order to be strong . . . what he needs to be able to soar.
And he was also likely going to share his “catch” with some little “peeps” in a nest.

God created that eagle to be able to soar. He created us to soar with Him. . . like
eagles. He wants us to walk with Him. He wants us to run with Him. The key is that we
focus on and move with Him. The distractions, the fears, the worries and
disappointments must not take our focus off of Him. We can sit on the tree top and see
what He has for us, but if we never leave the safe branch we’re on, we’ll miss out on
what He has in mind for our lives. We’ll miss out on all that He has provided for our own
good, and the good of others whose lives we touch.

So don’t sit on that tree top admiring all the potential right in your own backyard. Go for
it. Take the leap. . . Fly!!!

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Bruised and Smoldering

“A bruised reed He will not break, and A smoldering wick He will not snuff out.”
Isaiah 42:3

I was about 14 years old, and not doing well. In those days, (yes…long ago), people did not talk much about depression. . . certainly not for Christians to experience. And certainly not
concerning a young teenager.

But I was very, very sad. I spent lots of time in my bedroom, with the door shut and alone. I
was a “PK” . . . a Pastor’s Kid. I had known Jesus’ presence in my life since I was about 3 years old. I knew that He was in my heart, and that He loved me. But I was not doing well at all, not understanding the sadness that was filling my heart and mind.

I remember sitting down on my bed, and picking up my Bible. It was a very familiar Book for
me, and I knew that God was always near, and that He would always listen to me when I talked to Him.

But I was going through a very dark time in my young life. . . for the first time. I did not doubt His love for me. I did not doubt that He was as near to me in my sadness and in my very room. I had never experienced such an overwhelming emotion of sadness and hopelessness before. There were things going on in my personal world that were making me feel things I had not felt before.

I remember silently saying to God something like, “God, I don’t know what to do with the deep sadness I am feeling. But I know that I very much need to hear something from You to stop this dark feeling in my heart. I need Your Help!”
I let my Bible fall open on my lap as I sat on the edge of my bed. The page that was before me was not from a familiar place in my Bible. My eyes fell on a verse I did not remember ever hearing before.

“A bruised reed He will not break,
And a smoldering wick
He will not snuff out.”
Isaiah 42:3

As I read the verse through my tears, I knew that I was that “bruised reed”, and I was that
“smoldering wick.” And I knew that there was only a tiny glimmer of light, a dying wick that held any hope for me.

But it was enough of a glimmer for God to so gently breathe into life. It was enough for Him to work with, tiny as it was. It was enough to reassure me that He was in my room with me. He saw me. He saw that tiny wick about to go out. No shame. No “tsk-tsk” about my sadness. And with the gentlest of a Whispered Breath, that little speck of flame began to glow again. I knew He was so very near. . . and He was not going to let it die. It was enough for the waning ember to return to a small flame. . .

The bruised reed began to mend. The tiny glimmer began to glow. And neither have ever
again been so near to being snuffed out since that Day, long ago, when God came so very
near.

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Talking to Myself

“For God alone, O my soul,
wait in silence,
For my Hope is in Him.”
Psalm 62:5

Do you talk to yourself?

I am in a stage of life that gives me a lot of quiet time throughout most days. I’m quite
comfortable with that. But I do find myself talking to myself quite often. Sometimes I even
answer myself. (shhh….let’s keep that just between us, if you don’t mind!)
I know that I am not alone in this sort of activity. I find comfort in reading the Psalms of David, and he talked to himself quite a lot, too. So I am in good company.

What do I talk to myself about? Stuff like, “Now, where did I put ?” “Why did I come in here?” “What should I wear today?” “Why do I have all this stuff?” “Why did I say
that?”

What do you talk to yourself about?

Sometimes we need to talk to ourselves, like David, and remind ourselves of Truth that we have learned through past mistakes, through experience, and through good advice we have gotten from wise people in our lives. We need to remind ourselves of Truth that God has whispered to us in the past. . . often repeatedly.

Some nuggets of wisdom that we can glean from David’s personal conversation with his soul are worth our own consideration, “. . . For God alone , O my soul . . . “ The deepest core issue is that my very innermost “self”, the part of me that will continue on forever, long after my earthly life is finished, must focus on God more than anything else in life. What things of this earth take up most of my thoughts?

Most of my time? Most of my worries? Most of my energy? When do you / I intentionally
Pause all the noise of our day, and simply listen to silence. When do you give your full
attention to the silence that allows the Still…Small…Voice of God to be heard by your soul.
“…Wait in silence. . .” How much “silence” is in your day? The TV is off. The radio is off. The
phone is silenced. The music is paused.

Who does most of the talking to your soul . . mind . . . heart?

Maybe you need to ask yourself what you are afraid to hear in that silence.
“… for my Hope is in Him.”

We are all very experienced in the ways we personally choose to avoid listening to His Voice. But…
Thank You, God! . . . He continues to listen for ours.

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Commandment #11

“I am giving you a new commandment:
‘ Love each other in the same way that I have loved you.’
Everyone will know that you are my disciples because of your love for each other.”
 ~ Jesus  John 13:34-35

Jesus had just watched Judas leave the table, and leave the room. He knew exactly
what Judas was about to do, and the wheels of betrayal would begin to carry Him to the
horrific abandonment, physical torture, betrayal, and death on a cross. The brutal
punishment for what? Love. Perfect, sinless love.

With Eternity in His Eyes, Love stayed His Hand. He had Called Judas to follow Him.
Jesus had brought him into His closest circle of friends, knowing what Judas would do
with the trust Jesus had given him. He had not treated Judas differently than the other
11 of His chosen friends. Jesus had given him every chance to make a spiritual impact
on the world.

But there was something of higher value in Judas’ heart. It was himself. To lay down
his life to pursue following Jesus was not what he chose. That would cost him too
much. Money and all that it offered in life meant more to him.

Jesus knew the highest priority in Judas’ life. But He Called him to be His follower
anyway. He treated him no differently than the rest of His “inner circle.” For three
years, Judas had given his life to follow Jesus and had come to know Him personally.
He had been included, despite what was true of his own heart. And in the end, Judas
chose himself above the One Who had chosen him.

Following Jesus is not an easy Path. It’s messy. It’s difficult. It’s inconvenient. It
requires pushing our Will, comfort, plans and desires out of the list of priorities.
Surrendering ourselves to Jesus makes no sense in our world. It’s not normal. It can
require more of us than we could have imagined, or ever wanted to give. But as we
walk the Path upon which we follow Him, His Presence never leaves us abandoned or
alone.

And in those Moments when He catches our eyes or wraps His Arm across our
shoulder, or unexpectedly comes so very near, we are reminded of the greatest
privilege we have been given to follow Him and know His Presence, wherever He may
lead.

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WHO Cares?

“Cast all your anxieties on Him,
because He cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7

Sometimes, the Path we are walking becomes too hard, and we don’t know if we can continue on. Maybe the Path is one that God Called you to walk in the work of building His Kingdom. Maybe it’s the Path that your family is walking, including challenges, heartache, conflicts, or struggles in relationship with each other. Maybe the Path was going well, until something unexpected suddenly forced a significant, unplanned change of course. Perhaps the Path is simply within your own heart and mind, having a sense of feeling lost, with no clarity of how to get back on that Path you had known so well.

Peter had been on a familiar path in his life as a fisherman on the beautiful Sea of Galilee. He knew how to do it well. He had learned all the “ropes” of his boat, the Sea itself, and the nets for catching and selling the fish he caught.

But then one day he encountered Jesus, and his world turned completely upside down. Instead of dealing with fish, he was given a responsibility to deal with, care for, and lead people into a knowledge of the One Who had changed his life.

It was not an easy Path. Fishermen are not usually chatterboxes….more often they’re the quieter ones. He had to learn a whole new World, involving working with humanity instead of simple, reliable fish. Messy, difficult, emotional, unmanagable humans. Fish were a lot easier. Casting nets was far easier than casting emotions, worries, thoughts, heartaches and fears onto the God he was coming to know through his relationship with Jesus.

Peter had stepped into a whole new world. All he could do was to keep his eyes and his heart focused on the One Who had changed his heart, life, and eternal Destination.
What cares are you carrying? Whatever brought those cares into your mind and heart, . . . your life…God knows.

The same One Who Peter had come to know and love. . . and for Whom he eventually gave his life, is Present. His Arm is around your shoulder, and He is walking beside you on whatever road you are walking. He wants to make the journey with you. Talk with Him. He is listening. And He has things to tell you that will bring Peace to your soul.

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In the Game

“I have fought the good fight.
I have completed the race.
I have kept the faith.”
II Timothy 4:7

I recently heard a short news interview with a soccer player from a small
European country’s national soccer team. His team had been playing in the
European national soccer leagues for 20 years, but had never won a game.
The guy was SO excited to speak to the reporter interviewing him, and his
excitement was delightful and unexpected . . . He did mention that they had
scored a point once….on the field with the very best!

The reporter asked him why he was so excited, considering the 20-year losing
streak. His positive reply was delightful! He said, “We have had the privilege to be on the same soccer field with the best teams of Europe! How many teams have that opportunity!??? We have shared the spotlight with the very best, playing our favorite sport together as a team. What could be better than that?!!! We get to play!”

I have replayed his delightful, excited response many times in my mind. It
always makes me giggle!

And I wonder if God smiles as He watches us “on the field” with Him. Our
heartfelt energies for His Kingdom’s sake. . . trying our best . . . being excited for
the opportunity to simply be “in the game” despite the fact that our very best
efforts rarely even score a point.

We needn’t be discouraged because others are more skilled or productive than
us. Getting the highest score is not what matters most.

What is most worthy of celebrating is the fact that we can be in the “Game” with
Him . . . on the Field! He lets us play on His Team!

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From Foreigner to Citizen

“That is why you are no longer foreigners and outsiders 
but citizens together with God’s people and members of God’s family.”
Ephesians 2:19

When did you become a citizen of God’s Kingdom? Are you aware of what changed in your
life? There probably would not have been any physical changes that suddenly appeared. You likely did not begin speaking a different language, or suddenly had a new history written into your life. You probably did not dramatically become a different person.

We have all met people in our local world who were not born in the US. . . foreigners. Becoming a citizen of our country did not suddenly change the way the look, act, or speak. They do not instantly know English, nor the customs and traditions and history of the people with whom they have become citizens. But they have chosen to take on a new national identity, and from that point on, they carry that identity. They learn the language, adopt the customs and traditions, and follow the laws of their new national identity, even though they are still the person they had been before that identity change. They made a choice, and they took on the identity of a legal citizen.

One of the highest honors I ever experienced was when the Saharawi government gave me
official citizenship in their nation. I had not made a formal request for citizenship, nor did I go through their normal legal system. The only reason that I was given official citizenship was purely based on the decision of their President to grant it. I did not look any different than I did when I made the choice many years ago to wear their women’s traditional melhfas, even though I continued to get entangled and trip, and unravel in the winds, as I had normally done. I did not suddenly speak their Hassanya language any differently than the mangled 2-year-old level that was somehow endearing to them. . . simply because I was trying. I did not look any different. I did not change as a person.

But by the President’s word, I now carried an official document – a legal passport – an identity I did not have before the President’s choice to grant it to me. God is the One Who intervenes in a person’s life and makes them a citizen of His Kingdom. Though there is nothing we can do to become a citizen of Heaven, the Highest Authority grants us citizenship in His Kingdom. A Heavenly passport that carries your name is granted by The
Highest Authority – God Himself – King of Heaven …granted only by His Grace, and signed by His own Son with His own blood. We are not fluent in His Language, we are not perfect in
obeying His Laws. We all came from the Kingdom of Darkness….the Kingdom of this world,
and He grants entrance into His Kingdom of Light upon the authority of the Word of His Son.

It will take time to know Him. . . to learn His Words . . . to understand His Ways and His Heart.
Your new identity will come in time, as He brings you into His Family, teaches you, shows you His Love and patiently guides you in how to live as one of His own family…His child. Though you were born into the Kingdom of this World, you will become more and more like Him as you walk with Him, talk with Him, live with Him, and come to know His Heart. Don’t be too surprised if you even begin to resemble Him in the eyes of those around you. A Family Resemblance.

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   Soaking in His Presence 

  “Be still . . . and know that I AM GOD.”  

This morning . . . just a normal morning . . . God came near.   I hadn’t even asked Him, although He is always welcome.   He simply, gently, silently  came.

In the quiet of my room,  I sat down in my well-worn little chair, and in the quiet stillness   I simply  sat and began to soak in His Presence.  No flashes of Light.  No Words. No big revelations.  

Just His Presence.  I knew it.  I recognized it.  

And the tears flowed.  

Why today?  Why here in my room?  Why when I was all alone?   I hadn’t even asked.  

It didn’t matter.  He was here.

The cares  . . . worries . . . sadness . . . He stilled.   He was here with me.

That was all I needed to know.

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What are You Worried About? Part 2 – Drink

“So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat, drink or wear. . . . Look at the
birds.”

Jesus continues His Nature Series, using the birds that were always flitting or flying
about on that mountainside overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Jesus continued on His
unscheduled, impromptu “event” which had drawn thousands by word of mouth.

It strikes me that those little birds were the living creatures Jesus chose to use as
examples of His “Don’t Worry” impromptu message. They hadn’t been “invited”…nor
prepared for the event, nor even listening to the Words being spoken to the unexpected
crowd of people covering their mountainside. They were just going about their “normal”,
and Jesus used them in His Sermon. No issues were addressed. . . they were simply
being what God had created them to be and do, and Jesus used them as easy
examples. The Lesson He taught through them is worth our own attention every day in
our own lives.

We can go for a while without food. But to go without water for more than a day would
bring more serious consequences in our bodies…consequences that can soon lead to
death. Jesus and the crowd were on a mountainside overlooking a beautiful body of
water. . . the Sea of Galilee. It is Israel’s greatest source of freshwater fish in the
country. Even now, fishing boats are plentiful and “plenty full” of fish from that beautiful
body of water. The lessons Jesus taught using the Sea of Galilee are just as true and
important for us as it was for those who gathered on that pastoral mountainside.

In our world, every person needs to drink water…every day. The consequences of
being without water are soon fatal. We all know that. All of nature knows that. It’s
scary to imagine having no water,… a basic truth for the whole world.

God has provided water sources for the whole earth. Man did not create water, and will
die without it. Jesus named it in His very short list of life-necessities in His Message
that day. In the context of the crowd overlooking the Sea of Galilee, the largest
freshwater body in the country, Jesus used it as a tangible object lesson for the people
as He taught.

The listening crowd of spiritually thirsty people heard Jesus’ Words that day as they
were looking at the backdrop of His Message. . . the Sea of Galilee. But they were tasting the greatest Source of Living Water speaking to them. . . One that would never
run dry.

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“What Are You Worried About?” – Part1: Bird Brains

“Jesus said, ‘So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t
life more than food and the body more than clothes?
LOOK at the birds…”
Matthew 6:25-26

Jesus was out in the countryside on a high grassy hillside with a great view of the Sea of
Galilee. This had not been a publicized event, with spotlights, cameras, or even chairs. He just seemed to enjoy getting out of town and taking a breather from the crowds. He clearly found Nature to be His favorite setting to connect with His Father. . . alone.

Of course, somebody told somebody that He was there, and soon a huge crowd of people
headed to see Him. As word began to travel of this “Jesus-Sighting,” they came from
everywhere. From His high place beside the sea, according to experts on sound, the acoustics would have been amazing.

God’s people had a rough life under the brutal rule of Roman occupation. Nobody was “safe.”

That kind of life changes you. You never know when you’re being watched, or being reported to the authorities. The dangers were part of everyday life, and you never knew when or what might happen at any moment. “Normal” was danger and fear. “Worry” was like breathing.

Whatever brief reprieve Jesus probably needed was not going to happen. Not on this day. And He used the situation to speak into the lives of the people sitting on that mountainside
overlooking the Sea. It was a huge crowd. And it would be quite certain that their “Occupiers”were becoming aware.

Jesus’ words were not only good, but needed. “Stop worrying” is not easy for people living in a constant situation of danger. It affects everything in your life. There is no “safe place.” There is no certainty of what danger may come to you or your family. How do you even sleep at night?

In that setting, Jesus used common things of everyday life to remind these traumatized people that their God was Present. He was with them. He is involved in even the most “insignificant” details of their lives. Everybody could see a bird everyday, anywhere, whether a Roman soldier was standing there or not. God uses small things in our lives to remind us of His Presence, His care, His knowledge of what was and what is and what is to come.
If His Eye is on the needs of a sparrow. . . He’s absolutely got His Eye on you.