Go Forth With The Plan

 

"'For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'"  Jeremiah 29:11

Growing up in the '80's, one of my favorite action TV shows was The A-Team.  Ex-military operatives, wrongly framed for a crime, and on the run.  Their leader, John "Hannibal" Smith, the brains of the outfit, was frequently known to say, "I love when a plan comes together!"

Guys, don't we love when the plans we personally make come together?  Of course, we do!  That's one thing that makes us who we are!  We have a natural desire to set up a plan....ANY plan, and it works out, without a hitch.  It can be building a deck, going on a fishing trip, that perfect night out with our wives (or girlfriends, for the single fellas).  We want everything to go exactly as we planned it in our heads.  

Hmmm, what about God's plans?  Jeremiah gave hope to those in exile by the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar, that God had plans for them.  So does He also have plans for each of us.  Some of those plans will differ for each of us so, we need to keep our hearts and minds open to what direction the Lord is steering our lives.  Sounds like an incredible journey, to me!  God also gave everyone a single plan to follow.  He made this known, by way of His Son, to the apostles.  Matthew records this in the 28th chapter of his book: 

"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.  Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.' " (vs. 18-20)

We find that plan taking action, in the various events from the book of Acts.  Those disciples went out and begun to expand Christ's church.  The opportunities and events for each of us may look quite a bit different than it did back in those historic times but, God will present the opportunity for each of us to go forth and share Jesus with others.  What a wonderful plan, isn't it?  Let's strive to listen closely, as the Almighty utilizes us for His divine plans, both the individual plans and His great commission.

Just A Little Courage

"Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.  Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success."  Joshua 1:6-8


"If I only had the nerve..."  How many of you remember this phrase, sung by the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz?  Better yet, how often have you said to yourself, "If I only had a little bit of nerve, I would...…."?  I've struggled with that thought many times.  However, I've always tried to make a mountain out of a molehill, making it a much bigger deal than it has to be.

When we think of courage, we think of acts of bravery.  The image of a hero that you might here about on the news.  God really isn't asking that from us.  He's asking us to have a little courage to do the little things.  Assisting an elderly person that can't reach the item on a high shelf at the grocery store.  Say hi to a person you pass while taking a walk.  Even the smallest things can have the biggest impact. 


"Sometimes the biggest act of courage is a small one."  Lauren Raffo

God Makes Good Stuff

"The Lord merely spoke and the heavens were created. He breathed a word and the stars were born....For when He spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command." Psalm 33:6-9

I am in awe at God's creation. God makes good stuff! How do I know? The proof is in these photos and dozens more, of what I have seen with my own eyes.  

So much beauty and wonder....and I haven't even scratched the surface on the beauty of this planet.  I have traveled to several state parks while living in Texas and have been adding on since moving to Colorado.  I have gazed out on the waters of the Pacific and the Gulf, not to mention countless lakes and rivers.  There is so much more I want to explore, this time with my family!

If anything, my "bucket-list" is filled with one simple concept: explore more of God's creation. I may never be able to get my journey staff filled to the bottom (for those that don't know, I keep a record of my travels on a walking stick) but, I sure am enjoying trying to set as many notches in it as I can.

As one of my favorite devotional songs, from my youth group days, says:

"Tall mountains, green valleys, the beauty that surrounds me; all make me aware of the One who made it all!"

Below are just a few photos of what I have seen through my own eyes.  I hope you are able to enjoy them especially, at this time when we must stay in our homes to help heal our planet.

Be Born Again

"Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, 'Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'  Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?'  Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’"  John 3:1-7

Are you washed in the blood, in the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?  One of my favorite hymns that never gets old.  This passage made me start singing that song, as I was reading, this morning.  

I'm sure that we are all familiar with the fact that the Pharisees were no fans of the Messiah.  They were often found, in groups, gathering to chastise anyone who dares to "blaspheme" about a Son of God, performing wondrous miracles in the name of the Father.  One of these had his own mind and questions that sought answers.  He also sought those answers at a risk of being discovered.  Notice that the passage states that Nicodemus went to Jesus BY NIGHT?  In secret.  Nicodemus wanted his own answers and not just what he was being fed by the group that he associated with.  How often do we see individuals going with the flow, taking in only what someone (whether high official or even ministers) say, without proper grounds of proof?  

To be born again, we have to shed ourselves of the "human conformity".  Can a group of thousands be correct if Jesus states otherwise?  Of course not.  They blindly follow a "faith" without question.  Does God invite questions?  Yes!  He expects us to question, learn, and understand (Acts 17:2-3).  He also requires us to pass on that knowledge (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15-16, Luke 14:23).  Being washed in Jesus's blood, through water and Spirit is a deep bond with our Lord and Saviour, that EVERYONE has the opportunity to have.  If they let the "crowd" control their thoughts and beliefs, they are doomed; as much as those who would falsely lead them.

It is people, like Nicodemus, that tells me that there is hope inside the heart of every single person on this Earth.  A chance that a spark will ignite inside of them, that leads them to God's Word.  It is this same spark that I continue to fan in myself, the hunger that leads me to read more, and re-read; not wanting to set the good book down and wrongly say, "I'm done reading.  I have it all figured out."  Every day, I need His cleansing power.  Nicodemus felt this tug in his heart.  He may not have understood why he felt it but, God was reaching out to him.  God is reaching out to us all, to be born again; w

ashed in His cleansing blood.  To trust in Him with all of our troubles and burdens.  To continue to seek wisdom and knowledge from Him and to question what the world says, when they tell us, "This is all what you do...", you say "Prove it in God's Word."  It's easy to want to go with the flow but, that isn't where we can be born again.

	Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing pow’r? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
	Are you washed in the blood, In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
	Are you walking daily by the Savior’s side? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Do you rest each moment in the Crucified? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
	When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white! Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Will your soul be ready for His presence bright, And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?
	Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin, And be washed in the blood of the Lamb; There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean, O be washed in the blood of the Lamb.

The Sweetest Gift

"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love."  1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV

Is it just me or, does anyone else get the "day after Christmas" blues?  Several weeks of decorations, lights, holiday smells, and music; all leading up to one joyous day of love spent with family then, "That's it?"  In a blink of an eye, that bountiful meal is over.  The moments of watching the kids tear open their presents, done.  The gathered family has returned home.  Moments now turned into memories.

This Christmas was especially heart-filled for me.  My mother and step-dad flew into town to spend a few days with us and enjoy the grandkids.  Nothing pleased me more than having this Christmas spent with my wife and children, along with having Grandma and Pops here.  

My wife went above and beyond to make sure everyone was just as comfortable as possible.  She was determined to make this a wonderful Christmas visit and she succeeded!  Our days were spent with Christmas music and movies (The Santa Clause and Home Alone), games, and plenty of good food.  We spent many moments gathered around the living room, sipping on coffee and wassail, chatting or engaging with the kids.  Each moment was beautiful and could not have turned out any better.  While I did have some VERY nice presents that I opened on Christmas morning, they were mere trinkets that couldn't hold a candle to the real gift.  The only present that I needed was having all that family together.  That's a present that needs no wrapping paper or shiny bows.  I remember the lines of a poem that my Granny used to recite.  One line sums it best:  I am drinking from a saucer, for my cup has overflowed.

To all my readers:  I hope that you and your families had a blessed Christmas and I wish you all a Happy New Year!

Life Out There...

“By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible."  Hebrews 11:3 

I love science fiction! Anyone who knows me, knows that concept. I'm also a dreamer of real possibilities, of reaching beyond what is right in front of us. God created the universe, with all of it's galaxies, solar systems, and planets. Alpha Centauri, is the closest solar system, to us, making it's binary stars (suns) the closest stars to us, except for our own sun, of course. What's it like in that system, I wonder, sometimes. Is there another "earth"? Other civilizations out there? It's hard to imagine that we represent the ONLY life in the entire expanse. 

I will never be the captain of a new ship, capable of faster than light speed, to explore "strange, new worlds". I won't be aboard a massive station, in "neutral space" where diverse species will meet. I'm not a half-human, half-alien, with two hearts, traveling around, with a robotic dog, eating "jelly-babies", to other regions. Nor, am I from a system trying to find the mythical "earth" after the massive destruction of my own system. (If you caught all of these, give yourself a pat on the back!)

Regardless of who or what is out there, I remember one thing. God took the time, in ALL of this, to create a little speck like me. In all His continued watch over everything that He created, He still is able to tend to me, personally.

When you put things in that perspective, how can you not just say, "WOW!"

The Christian Walk

"So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day they were added about three thousand souls."  Acts 2:41


I was fifteen when I declared my faith in the Lord.  Upon confessing Jesus as the Son of God, my Savior, I was baptized.  Thus, I began my walk as a Christian.  It was not only a glorious moment within my life, it was when I was "added" to the church, the same way that those three thousand were added when the church was newly formed.  

What tends to confuse others that were brought up under different teaching, is they presume that this process is how a person states they were "saved".  Nope, it is how one becomes a Christian.  The bible tells me what process I should go through in order TO BE saved; not *POOF* now I can turn my proverbial tassel over from the "unsaved" to the "saved" side.  What it is saying is the day I am truly saved, is the day that I have been given the inheritance of eternal life.  Right now, I'm still living on Earth.  I don't HAVE the inheritance yet, I've just been promised it.  The actually inheritance of salvation happens on the day that I stand before God.  That is the day that we "will be saved" or, "will be condemned" (Mark 16:16)

In that context, I don't refer to the "day I was saved" (hang on, checking to make sure I still have a pulse).  That IS the day that I began my Christian walk.  I will be saved as I continue to keep Jesus in my heart until the day I pass from this world to face my day of judgement.  Only then, am I truly spared from eternal punishment.  Let's face it, until then, there are still plenty of chances for me to screw that up.  While I am far from being a perfect Christian, I don't think God will allow that to happen.  My God IS an awesome God.  I will continue to hunger for further knowledge, wisdom, and understanding that is ONLY found in God's Word.