PILGRIMAGE

Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 2:6 (NLT)

Have you read “Pilgrim’s Progress” recently? That venerable tome written by John Bunyan was first published in the 17th Century as a result of time spent in Bedford jail in England and, apart from the Bible, became the best-selling book in publishing history.
In “Pilgrim’s Progress” Christian leaves the City of Destruction in a perilous journey to the Celestial City. As long as he obeys his guides, remembers the teachings, and holds to the path, he escapes the dangers inherent along the way. When he becomes distracted, he finds himself beset by any number of disturbances that cause him great grief and, occasionally, great pain. But there is always help for him.
Even though written hundreds of years ago, the path for pilgrims is still the same. Distractions abound and temptations surround the Christian. Just as the Pilgrim made progress by keeping to the path, by obeying those things he had been taught, and by keeping his focus on the Celestial City and the King, we can successfully negotiate the narrow way. We have a Guide who can be trusted, and experience should teach us the merits of listening to him rather than formulating our own direction.
Let us take advantage of this upcoming New Year to learn and become more astute in recognizing distractions as a danger to our growth and advancement. And we can set our sights on the high calling in Christ Jesus who has promised always to be with us and to lead us home.
Take time to read (or re-read) Bunyan’s classic. It will affirm, encourage, and inspire you.  And you very well may identify with some of the characters and much of the journey.

 

Father, thank you for those who have gone before us and who share their wisdom with those who follow. May we do the same. AMEN.

FOLLOWING THE CALL

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8

John, a carpenter, was invited to go to Honduras with a mission team. He was so moved by what he saw and experienced that he gladly went again. And again. Finally, on his fourth mission, his wife Helen joined him. Both Helen and John found themselves strangely touched by the people and work they did in a place that soon didn’t seem so foreign.
When the middle-aged couple returned home, they began praying and seeking God’s direction. Two of their four children were married, and the other two were in school. And yet John and Helen felt called to leave everything and give their lives to minister in the mountains of Honduras.
I asked Helen if it was terribly hard for her as a mother to leave her children and home to serve in a country thousands of miles away. Her eyes misted, and she nodded. She said that at first, the two young ones were angry, but they were well situated in university. She and John knew they had to follow where God was leading them.
They began working in a medical clinic with logistics and administration, all the while saturating their days with prayer and trust. Through difficult times John said God continued to challenge him with, “Can you trust me?” They stayed the course, relying fully on God’s provision, grace, and guidance.
Today their children, all grown by now, visit and say, “We’re so proud of you.” They get it and now have their own walk with the Lord. The clinic has grown and has 16 staff members including doctors, medical specialists, and technologists. Thousands of mountain people are served every year, and many of those come to know Jesus.
Because two people decided to give away their lives to follow Jesus.

 

Father, open our ears so that we may hear your call, and give us courage to trust your leading. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.

 

TODAY

This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm 118:24

 

We’ve awakened today with a gift from God—this very day.  There will be so many choices and opportunities.  What will we do with the gift?

We will enter his gates with thanksgiving in our hearts (Psa. 100:4) reflecting on the benefits we derive by being his child.  Thank you Lord for your abiding peace no matter what may come this day.  Thank you for grace to address every situation.  Thank you for wisdom to deal with complex issues today.  Thank you for strength to handle all my responsibilities.  Thank you for guidance with all the different options in this day.  Thank you that you never leave me even when my senses don’t perceive you.

We enter his courts with praise, confidently abiding in the presence of the Lord.  …in him  we live and move and have our being.  (Acts 17:28)  Today if something should try to shake my rest in him, I will redirect my attention and climb back into his arms.  After all, Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:35, 37-39)

What a great day.

 

Father, keep us steadfast in your love today, rejoicing in you and not allowing circumstances to determine our attitudes or behavior.  We are your children; we rejoice in you.  AMEN.

THERE’S ALWAYS MORE

 

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.  John 10:10  (KJV)

 

 

I just read about a lady who was known for her extraordinary Christian maturity.  One day her pastor asked her to preach the Sunday sermon believing that her experience would be instructive to the congregation.  On the Sunday when the lady rose to speak, her sermon was short and sweet.  “Dear Friends,” she began, “there’s always more.”  And with that, she sat down.

Just begin to ponder that simple message:  there’s always more.  The God of the Infinite, the one who promised to meet all our needs, the Alpha (beginning) and the Omega (ending), the great Creator never operates in scarcity.  He never runs out of any resource—of love, of grace, of mercy, of patience, of whatever we need.  And there’s no end to the delights of knowing him.

Think of what this means in your present circumstance.  As a parent, spouse, friend, employer:  there’s more wisdom, there’s more understanding, there are more ideas, there’s more love…  As an intellectual:  there’s more to contemplate, there’s more to learn, there’s more to investigate, there’s more for growth…   As a leader:  there’s more direction, there’s more discernment, there are more resources, there’s more creativity…  As a disciple:  there’s more to discover, there’s more to obey, there’s more to abandon, there’s more to enjoy…  We could fill in the blanks indefinitely.  Suffice it to say, that in Christ, there is abundance.

Lest we consider God as having limited resources, just look at his provision for the Children of Israel in the wilderness; for Elijah in hiding; for Ruth in Bethlehem; for David in his wanderings; for Israel in exile; for feeding the four thousand and five thousand; for rescuing you and me; and for the times he is always there for his people.  His hand is not shortened that he cannot save nor is he deaf that he cannot hear our prayers (Isaiah 59:1).

We sometimes treat our spiritual beings as add-ons.  They’re peripheral to our real lives.  But Jesus says I’ve come to give you abundant life, more than we’re currently experiencing.  If we’re not living in abundance, there’s more.  God has more for us than we can think or imagine and waits for us to move beyond our impoverished selfishness into his endless provision of more.  Wherever we find ourselves, there’s always more.  Dare we take the challenge?

 

Father, charge our spiritual imaginations that we reach out in faith to you to receive more from your goodness.  Move us beyond our spiritual poverty into the richness we have in Christ Jesus.  Gratefully, we pray in Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

GOD’S VOICE

 

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”  Isaiah 30:21  (NIV)

 

Yesterday was Scott’s turn to teach our adult Sunday school class.  The topic from the Believe series was Peaceful.  The lesson was structured around three points:  peace with God, peace with others, and peace within ourselves.  As he addressed the foundational issue, peace with God, Scott gave us a list that contrasted God’s voice and the voice of our arch-enemy, Satan.

 

God’s Voice	Satan’s Voice
Still	Rushing
Leading	Pushing/restraining
Reassuring	Frightening
Enlightening	Confusing
Encouraging	Discouraging
Comforting	Worrying/distressing
Calming	Obsessing
Convicting	Condemning

 

We all have voices in our heads—sometimes they’re our own thoughts, and sometimes God is speaking to us.  But often Satan injects thoughts that are destructive, negative, or in some way detrimental to our spiritual life.  They rob us of our peace and produce distress in its stead.

 

My mom had an interesting method for identifying the voices in her head.  She said, “Always listen to the pronouns.  You can detect the source if the voice says, ‘He or him.’  God always say, ‘I.’” 

 

Jesus told us that we will know his voice if we’re his sheep.  I speak with my two grown children almost every day.  Never do they call and identify themselves; they just begin the conversation as soon as I say hello.  I know their voices, and they know mine.  I’m convinced that frequent conversations with our Lord will make us more and more familiar with his voice, and we’ll at some time be able to recognize him the moment he speaks.

 

We have all these and many more wonderful tools for walking in peace with Jesus:  discernment of the intent of the message, listening to the pronouns, and recognizing the voice.  There’s no need for us to ever be in confusion.

 

Father, thank you for all the wonderful teachers you’ve given us to grow us in our relationship with you.  Keep us in your peace as we listen to you and follow you.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

NO CONVENIENT TIMES

 

My times are in your hands…  Psalm 31:15 (NIV)

 

When I was newly-returned to university, I struggled to balance parenting, two jobs, and college requirements.  It took all the energy and grace I had to address each responsibility in a fairly adequate manner and still ensure my own spiritual and mental health.

 

And then one of my children had a minor crisis in school – just as I was preparing for a mid-term exam.  I worked with elementary teachers to resolve the issue, and then I spoke to my university professor.  I wanted to see if my mid-term could be delayed a while so that I could take these challenges one at a time.  That made perfect sense to me.

 

She said something I’ve never forgotten.  “Marthe, you will find that life doesn’t stop to make allowances for crises.  There are no convenient times for problems.  It all flows together.  It’s up to you to handle everything as it comes.”  She didn’t tell me how to do it, but essentially she was saying that I couldn’t postpone the exam until I was ready, and that I wouldn’t be able to slow down time for my convenience.

 

This was possibly one of the best lessons I learned in that Early Childhood Development class.  Life comes at you fast, and the only way we can stay poised and at peace with the stresses that make up every single day is to invite Christ into every situation.  We ask for his guidance, wisdom, and grace.  We ask for help in prioritizing the issues.  And it works.  We can’t manage or control the circumstances that intrude into our lives, but with Christ’s help, we can manage ourselves with regards to the circumstances. It works.

 

Thank you very much, Dr. Waldron.

 

Sweet Lord, you see the end from the beginning, and nothing ever takes you by surprise.  Help us to remember that if we’ve asked you to be Lord, we must act accordingly. Forgive us if we complain about the overload.  You know exactly what we can bear and are there to carry the load when we can’t.  Thank you.  AMEN.