January 6- Knowing the Will of God

The most frequent question I have been asked throughout the course of my ministry has simply been “What is God’s will for my life?”  We all want to know it, and we spend most of our life trying to embrace it.  There is an innate desire in every believer to understand his or her purpose while living on planet earth.  And while this question is often asked in our youth, I have discovered that every stage of life demands our attention to the will of God.

If we are not careful, in our pursuit to know the will of God we can try to change His plans for our lives.  Have you ever tried to “help” God out in making decisions?  Perhaps you want something so badly that you convince yourself that God is leading in a particular direction; yet you have not really received divine guidance as much as you have entertained selfish desires.  I believe we spend more time trying to “change” the will of God than we do trying to “find” the will of God.

Because we have limited vision, resources, and understanding we often make decisions on the “here and the now” giving little thought to the “then and the there.”   But God is infinite and all-knowing and sees the end before the beginning.  Therefore, He leads us today with the understanding of tomorrow.  I assure you, God can be trusted, and whatever He wills for your life, it will be the best possible course you can take.  The greatest life you can live is the life God has prepared for you.

The greatest life you can live is the life God has prepared for you.” -Kenneth Kuykendall

January 5- Singing in the Rain

Outside our bedroom window a little brown-speckled bird has made her nest. She was been there for a few weeks now, but I had forgotten she was there until recently.  While going to bed I heard her singing.  I thought to myself, “This bird has its days and nights mixed up.” In the middle of the darkness she struck up the band and tweeted out a song. I thought, “What a good way to close out the day…singing unto the Lord.”

Just a few minutes later the bottom fell out. Lightning, thunder, and buckets of rain fell over our house. The tweeting was drowned out by the howling wind and the booming thunder. I forgot about the singing of the bird and fell asleep with the sound of rain pouncing against our home.

The next morning during my devotion I heard her singing again outside the window. As I pondered her melody I said, “Wait a minute- this bird was singing just before the storm hit, and she is still singing after the storm!” She didn’t lose her song during the storm!

The storms will come and the storms will go, and for many the severity of the storm will cause their song to cease. But God wants us to keep singing. If He was worthy to worship before the storm, I assure you, He is just as worthy to worship after the storm. May God help us to keep our song during the night. And may we be resolved to keep singing in the rain!

I call to remembrance my song in the night, I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search- Asaph

January 4- That’s His Problem!

There was a man who constantly worried about everything in his life. He worried about his children, his job, his wife, his health, his church, his neighbors, and everything else.   One day a friend of this man noted that he was extremely calm and peaceful so he asked him, “You have always worried about every-thing. What happened?” The former worrier replied, “I just hired a man to do the worrying for me.” “Well, how much are you paying him?” His friend inquired. “A thousand dollars a week,” the man replied.  “A thousand a week? You can’t afford a thousand dollars a week.” The worrier responded, “That’s his problem!”

Worry, doubt, and fear bombard our life on so many levels.  As believers we are overwhelmed by so many things, but we must never forget that our problems belong to God.  You may be reading this today and you too are worried about something, or perhaps like the fellow in this story you are worried about everything.  May I remind you of the words of the apostle Peter, “Casting all your care upon Him for He careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Why worry the day away when you can take it to the Lord in prayer?  Remember, your problem is His problem!

Casting all your care upon Him for He careth for you” -Simon Peter

January 3- The First Fish of the Day

A missionary in Africa received a knock on the door.  Much to his surprise one of the little native boys was holding a fish and gave it to the missionary.  The boy said, “Pastor, since you have been here you have taught us about giving and tithing on all that we have- so here is my first tithe.”  The missionary responded cheerfully and said, “That’s great son, but where are the other nine fish?”  The native boy said, “Oh, there still in the river, I am going back now to catch them.”

Our resources, income, assets, and earnings all belong to God.  The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.  He just allows us to be stewards over His creation.  Giving is what makes life go around.  Someone has rightly stated, “The true success of a man is measured by what He keeps, not what he gives.”  Are you holding out on God?  The Bible tells us that God loves a cheerful giver; and it is certain that a cheerful giver loves God.

Giving is ultimately about faith in God.  It is trusting that God will provide as you are obedient in giving unto His work.  Give Him your first fish and He will be sure to give you the other nine.

No person was ever honored for what he received.  Honor has been the reward for what he gave.” -Calvin Coolidge

January 2- Busy But Backwards

 

English explorer William Parry and his crew set out to mark unchartered territory near the Arctic Ocean.  They calculated their location by the stars and headed north on their journey.  They walked north for several hours until exhausted.  When they paused to rest they took their bearings once again from the stars and realized they were actually now further south than when they were when they first started.

Unknowingly Parry and his crew had been walking on an iceberg that was floating south faster than they were moving north.  Even though they were busy walking in one direction, they actually were moving backwards.  Does that sound familiar?

Have you ever felt like every step forward was actually two steps back?  It is possible to be so active and so busy that you actually fail to get anything accomplished.  If we are not careful, as believers we can so busy our lives for the Lord that we fail to spend time with the Lord.

Somewhere in this day check your bearings.  The only way to move forward is to keep your life in alignment with the Bright and Morning Star.  Don’t be so busy that you fail to move forward.

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” –The Apostle Paul

January 1- Character is a Choice

Someone has aptly stated that “character is the sum total of the decisions we make.”  If we are going to keep and maintain anything in this life, our character should be at the top of the list.

You may not have great abilities, but you can have character.  You may not have many opportunities, but you can have character.  You may not have a recognizable assignment in life, or a large thriving ministry, or a platform to reach thousands of people, but you can have character.  We may not all have the same lot in life but we do all have the same starting point every single day we live- we can chose to do what is right in every circumstance we face.  You see, character is more than words, it is more than charisma, and it is more than persuasion.  You can have great skill, talent, and gifts but not have character.

     Character is a choice, plain and simple.  It is a choice to align every aspect of your life with the measuring line of God’s Word.  It is to live in and with integrity, honesty, and truthfulness.  If character is the sum total of the decisions we make, then start today and make the right choices-even in the smallest, most insignificant decisions.

As you live your life and make choices today, you are continuing to create your character.” –John Maxwell

Catching Fishermen

The year was 1999.  It was the first time in forty-seven years that large schools of tuna had migrated this close to Cape Cod, Massachusetts.  Professional and amateur fishermen had to travel only thirty miles off shore to catch the large fish.  Rumors swarmed about Japanese buyers paying substantial money for the great blue fin.

Fleets of fishermen made their way out into the deep to find their tuna treasure; however, many ignored Coast Guard warnings, and failed to travel in large enough boats.  Finding the fish was not a problem, the problem came after they caught the fish.  Many capsized while trying to bring the fish into the boat.  One particular boat named Official Business was pulled under water after battling a six-hundred pound tuna.  They were not prepared for the weight of such a catch and suffered greatly.

Many times we run off with enthusiasm and zeal without estimating the cost of our catch.  We think we will reel in a treasure but oftentimes that treasure reels us in.  Instead of the fishermen catching the fish, the fish were actually catching the fishermen.  Temptation is a powerful force.  Oscar Wilde said, “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.  Don’t be unwise about the size of the prize- it just may pull you under.

The essence of temptation is the invitation to live independently of God.” -Neil Anderson

Two Words That Guide My Life

There are two words that have been the guiding light of my life and ministry.  Years ago someone wrote two words in the back of my Bible and these two words have influenced and impacted me more than any other combination of words that I know.  They are simply…Stay Teachable.

The writer of Proverbs said, “Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.  Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning” (Proverbs 9:8-9).  I honestly believe that having a teachable spirit is the most important element of success in all areas of life.  If you have reached a place where you can no longer learn anything, you are dead.

Legendary coach John Wooden said it best, “It’s what you’ve learned after you know it all that counts.”  I concur with that statement.  Having a teachable spirit is an admission that you can learn something from somebody at anytime anywhere.  We should never think we have all the answers to life.  Ben Herbster said, “The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we can become.”  If you do not have a teachable spirit you will never fulfill your God-given capabilities.  Learn something new today from someone other than yourself…STAY TEACHABLE!

If you have reached a place where you can no longer learn anything, you are dead.” -Kenneth Kuykendall

Leaving Your Mark

In ancient times artisans of all sorts were known primarily for the mark or “character” they engraved upon their vessels.  They left their mark to identify themselves with whatever product they produced.  This secured integrity in their work.  They could not produce a substandard product without others knowing who it was that made it.  In essence their “character” represented the quality of not only their work, but their lives.

Whether we know it or not we also leave a mark on the things we do.  Our mark is only as good as the product we create.  I like what D.L. Moody said years ago, “If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of itself.”  Those who worry about their reputation without being concerned with their character have failed in their labor.

What kind of mark are you leaving?  What does your character say about your vessel?  Nathanial Hawthorne said, “No man for any considerable amount of time can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude without finally getting bewildered as to which is the true one.”  You may fool people for a little while, but at some point they will identify the quality of your life with the character upon your vessel.  As Dave Cottrell says, “Integrity is doing the right thing, even if there is no chance you would be caught doing the wrong thing.”

 

Whatever the Weather…

Legendary preacher Vance Havner was notorious for his articulated phrases and quotes.  His delivery was not necessarily grandiose or flamboyant, but unlike many preachers today he actually had something to say.

In one of his sermons on the subject of faithfulness he declared, “Whether the weather be cold or whether the weather be hot; whatever the weather, we weather the weather, whether we like it or not.”

When I consider that statement by Havner I immediately think of my mail carrier.  Regardless of the weather, she always brings the mail.  If it is raining, sunny, snowing, thundering, lightning…whatever the weather, she comes through.  Much like a mail carrier we as Christians should be consistent in our walk with the Lord.  Too often we get distracted by the external conditions of this world.  We allow the smallest, most insignificant things to detour us in our service for the King.

We need some resilient, can’t-stop-me-now faith in this hour.  As William Shedd said, “A ship is safe in the harbor, but that’s not what ships are made for.”  You may not like the conditions surrounding your day or your world, but go ahead and weather the weather.   Send the kids to school in faith.  Take on the day with a renewed spirit of hope.  Trust God in all your ways.  Lean not unto your own understanding.  Be faithful to Him and He is sure to be faithful to you!

The most important thought that ever occupied my mind is that of my personal responsibility to God.” -Daniel Webster