Dirty hands that make God smile

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"Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." (Colossians 3:22-23, New Living Translation)

I don't think anyone reading this today is an actual "slave", property owned by a master. But, you may feel enslaved by your job. Or you may feel enslaved by your lack of a job. Or you may feel enslaved by your fixed income.

Maybe you have all the financial and material resources you could ever need, you are the boss, you only work for yourself, and yet you still feel enslaved by the systems necessary to keep all those resources in place.

Everybody answers to somebody.

So, how can we experience freedom from this sense of enslavement? I'll give you a hint: it's not by being in charge. It's by offering our work as worship, looking beyond the task of the moment, to bring glory to God in every endeavor, and to do so with joyful abandon.

That paragraph was easy to write. It's pretty easy to read. It is a lot harder to live out. It is ... Work ... Real work.

And isn't that the point?

Question: How can we offer our work as worship? What habits have you found to be helpful to keep that perspective?

Leave a comment below.  Your thoughts might be helpful to someone else.

Silence is golden; duct tape is silver.

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"Guard my mouth, O Eternal One; control what I say. Keep careful watch on every word I speak." (Psalm 141:3, The Voice)

In yesterday's post, I talked about God's shielding our heads as a helmet to help us make good decisions in times of crisis. Because I invite comments, a couple of people mentioned that the helmet should come with a mouthpiece to control our words. I had to chuckle when I moved on to Psalm 141 this morning and found the words in verse 3.

Words cannot be "un-said." Apologies can be offered. Clarifications can be attempted. Thankfully, grace and forgiveness can be granted. But, wounds heal slowly and rebuilding violated trust is really, really hard work.

If our words were more thoughtful and prayerful, they might be less hurtful.

Question: What situations present the most difficulty for you to control your words? How will you pray in those times?

Leave a comment below. I'd love to hear your perspective.

Is your helmet on straight?

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"Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle." (Psalm 140:7, New International Version)

"O Lord, Eternal One, power of my deliverance, You are my helmet in the day of battle." (140:7, The Voice)

I read that verse in several different translations this morning to get a sense of what it means for God to shield our heads in battle.

Why do participants in dangerous activities and sports wear helmets? To protect their heads. Seems pretty simple, but what is so important about the head? I would suggest that the head is important because it contains the command center for the rest of the body. If the brain is injured, the rest of the body is affected. If the brain is not processing well, choices could be made that bring about devastating consequences.

Could it be that part of God's shielding of our heads is so that we can make right decisions in times of crisis ("the day of battle")? Could it be that His shielding is what makes it possible for us to think clearly in the midst of chaotic circumstances?

Question: How do you need The Lord to be your helmet today? What are some practical ways that you can be sure your helmet is on straight?

Leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear what you think.

Help Me!

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"In the day when I called, You answered me; and You strengthened me with strength (might and inflexibility to temptation) in my inner self." (Psalm 138:3, Amplified Version) 

"Help me!"

Sometimes that is all the prayer we can muster.  Prayers tend not to sound pretty when we are knee (or maybe neck) deep in the struggles of life.

This verse is a reminder of a profound truth: Sometimes God rescues us FROM circumstances; sometimes He strengthens us IN circumstances.

We would almost always prefer the former.  The latter has a longer lasting impact.  I am grateful to have experienced the former.  My life has been shaped by the latter.

God chooses how He responds to our prayers.  He wants us to openly offer them.

Question:  Can you think of a time God has rescued you?  Can you think of a time He has strengthened you?

Leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear your story.

Selective hearing ... and seeing

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"Pay attention! Are you deaf? Open your eyes! Are you blind? You're my servant, and you're not looking! You're my messenger, and you're not listening! The very people I depended upon, servants of God, blind as a bat — willfully blind! You've seen a lot, but looked at nothing. You've heard everything, but listened to nothing. God intended, out of the goodness of his heart, to be lavish in his revelation. But this is a people battered and cowed, shut up in attics and closets, Victims licking their wounds, feeling ignored, abandoned. But is anyone out there listening?" (Isaiah 42:18-23, The Message)

God seems a little impatient in those verses, doesn't He? Those of us who are parents have been there. "Mom, where are my shoes?" "I never get to do anything!" "You just don't understand!" And all the while, we are thinking, "Have you looked around lately and seen what you have and what we've done for you?"  It seems that our kids have selective hearing AND seeing.

And all the parents said, "Amen!"

And the only reason we said, "Amen," is that our memories are short. We only looked back far enough to see ourselves as parents. We conveniently neglected the longer look back, when we would see ourselves as the same clueless kids.

How much of God's provision are we totally missing because we can't find our shoes? How much of God's love and grace are we failing to share because we are focusing on what we wish we had and noticing that others seem to have more? We won't grow out of selective hearing.  We have to deliberately choose to listen to God.

Questions: What would it be like for you to stop right now and ask God to open your eyes and ears to the reality of all He has provided for you? How might your conversations today be different after that deliberate focus?

Leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear your perspective.

Sibling rivalry and the family of God

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"How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along! It's like costly anointing oil flowing down head and beard, Flowing down Aaron's beard, flowing down the collar of his priestly robes. It's like the dew on Mount Hermon flowing down the slopes of Zion. Yes, that's where God commands the blessing, ordains eternal life." (Psalm 133, The Message)

When I was a kid, I could not figure out why my mom was so upset when my brother and I fought.

Then I grew up and had kids of my own. Then it made sense.

Fortunately, my kids have been best buddies their whole lives, so the fighting was minimal. Even now that they are both grown up and married, it gives me a special joy when I know they have spent time together, either enjoying each other's company or helping each other out with some task. 

How do you think it makes God feel when His kids fight? When they are self-centered? When they wound one another with their words? When they neglect one another's needs? When they are so convinced they are right that they are unwilling to listen to and learn from one another?

If we notice the end result of the unity God is looking for ("Yes, that's where God commands the blessing, ordains eternal life"), we may come to the conclusion that we are the dirty hairball clogging the flow of God's blessings.  Just a thought.

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Question: What can you do today to live more at peace with your siblings in the family of God?

Leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear your perspective.

New strength on wings of eagles

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"He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:29-31, New Living Translation)

From August of 1984 to November of 1988, I was Associate Pastor of Music And Youth at Eagle Mountain Baptist Church. In April of 1991, I returned there to serve as Senior Pastor until May of 2008. Though I never saw an eagle in the area (or a mountain, for that matter), it seemed natural to use an eagle for a logo and to use these verses as a theme.

Those who know me well are aware of my bird phobia (feathered assassins), so my love affair with eagle imagery is a bit ironic. But it is present nonetheless.

When I add the imagery of these verses, I am strangely energized. I can take another step. I am abundantly aware of my own limitations, but I am even more aware of the strength of The Lord that lifts me above those limitations. I find "new strength."

Question: What new strength do you need today?

Leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear your perspective.