Stop Sign

Stop Sign

I stopped at a stop sign today; funny how that is just the obvious choice. Not many of us would purposely run right through it. As I was coming to a complete halt, I realized just how close I would have come to wrecking had I decided to go right on through. There was this cute little SUV coming right at me that would have simply plowed me over!

Why is it that a red sign with white letters has so much impact on our lives? Every single person that sees it knows without a doubt what it means. 99% of people don't ignore it, and 100% of people fear what will happen if they do. Everyone knows that the reason the stop sign is there is to protect you. No one questions that. They all stop and look, listen and proceed with caution.

In our lives, God has put stop signs along the way too. But sadly, the percentage is almost a swap. I would not hesitate to say that there are more people that run those than actually heed the warning. The result is exactly what you would think…they get plowed over. Except there aren't any cute little SUV's, but rather the schemes of satan.

Eph 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

 

How many of us really, I mean really, actually put on the armor?

I have talked to a ton of people about what their habits are in a day, and a big percentage of them do not set aside time to spend with God. Are you in that group too?

 

Can't you just picture it now: satan scheming to take you down? It's like he has memorized your patterns, knowing everything that trips you up. He waits for you to get to a "stop sign" where God is trying to tell you that you need to be cautious. But because you didn't take the time to get in tune with Jesus that day, you don't even realize that the stop sign is there, or you think that you don't need to stop just this one time. But in reality what happens, is that while running right on through, satan slams into you without you even knowing what hit!

 

What it looks like is a confrontation with a co-worker that turns into a heated argument, you losing your patience or temper. It could be picking back up that addictive habit, after living free of it for weeks, just getting to your breaking point and feeling like there was no other option. Using the cheat sheet someone gave you rather than throwing it away. Joining the crowd while they make fun of someone instead of standing up for the weaker person (yes even you adults!). The list could go on and on. In a nutshell, it is just making bad choices over and over and not living set apart.

 

Are you feeling convicted? Even as I write this, I am picturing areas in my life where I totally get slammed. They are areas that are so common; I almost just quit trying to change them. It is just who I have become. But, to tell you the truth, I am miserable at times. I know that this is not the freedom Christ died for! He did not die so that I would live chained to some addictive habit, or some pit of worry! He did not hang on a cross so that I could just say, oh well, that is just who I am and I just can't change it! Those thoughts and feelings are not truth…and if they aren't truth, guess what you just bought into: satan's lies.

 

So now what? How can we change? First off, you have to make a deliberate choice to want to change! This can't be some half hearted 50% effort kind of change. You may think that that will work for you, but let me reassure you…it won't! You have got to be all in here or, you will fall back into where you are right now! All in means every day! There is no resting on this side of Heaven. The battle rages whether you want to engage or not! You can't just take a day off because you don't want to fight! Satan wants you to think that a nice long 2 week vacation is all you need, but when you are talking about spiritual matters, even on vacation, you better be packing your Bible!

 

Eph 6:13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

 

Do you realize that the past 2 verses both say to put on the full armor of God, and they both come from the same chapter! I think that there might be something God is trying to adamantly tell us! Let's listen! You can be different! You can change! You don't have to settle for the chains that bind you down, even if they have been there for the past 10 years! Don't buy into the lies anymore! It's time to throw off everything that blinds us to those stop signs and start slowing down before we even get to them!

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right Hand of the Throne of God.  Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

 – Hebrews 12:1-3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheap Grace

Cheap Grace

My oldest son came to me with what he explained was something from God. It was this idea about a devotion, and I couldn't have been more proud of him. The following was his idea, he just asked me to make a devotion out of it.

Have you ever noticed that in a lot of families there is a certain order to which things are done? My son is 12, so he has more chores than my 7 year old daughter, who has more chores than my 4 year old son. Year by year, they are expected to help out a little more. This doesn't always go over so well. I hear a lot that "he doesn't have to help", or "I do allllll the work". I am sure that you have observed something similar in your own families or amongst your friends' kids. Without fail, though, amongst our kids, the youngest has got it figured out.

You will often find him mysteriously quiet about the time I have handed orders out. Most of the time, there is a time limit. Or maybe they won't be able to do something until all the work is done. When my older 2 are scrambling to make the deadline, the youngest develops a strange case of "I need help picking up" syndrome. I always have two eager faces running up to tell me they are done, before the third decides to start. It is amazing how much of a mess one little boy can make, all by himself too. But when it comes to cleaning it up, he suddenly has no strength to go on. So inevitably, he gets help. You can hear a defeated sigh come from my oldest, as he patiently starts picking up hot wheel cars. When they are finally finished, Kolt hops up with a huge grin on his face, ready to play! It works every time!

Cheap Grace.

What does that mean? Ever make a mess and just take for granted that someone else will be right there to clean it up for you? You start taking for granted that all the pieces will get picked up! You even start using that person just a little bit here and there; to better fit your schedule.

Have you ever stopped and thought about the fact that that person may feel used? Ever wonder if that person will ever just say, "Enough! I won't do it anymore?"

Jesus fills those shoes, doesn't He? He offers us "grace" to make it through our day. He offers comfort and joy, laughter and tears. He stands beside us as we get bogged down with too much stuff to do, and cleans up the mess as we go onto the next project. The only difference that I have found in my life is that Jesus NEVER gives up.

It's something that I think I will never understand. How can He continually pick up my scattered pieces and put everything back together again? How many times have I done something with the thought that I know He will forgive me? What a dangerous mindset to be in. It is at this point that we just cheapened the Grace that He gives and have taken Jesus Christ for granted!

He had nails piercing His Hands and Feet. He hung on a cross with His Blood dripping off of Him. He was beaten beyond human recognition. He did that for me? He died so that I could live? And we choose to live lives full of sin and unrepentance because we know He will always take us back.

Can we for a minute fathom a life without God's Help? That's what Grace is, you know. God's Help. He offers it to us pretty much free. He already paid the price for us to have it. He got to have a front row seat to watch His ONLY Child suffer. He did the unthinkable for us! Then He gets to sit in that same front row and watch us trample all over His sacrifice! He watches us cheapen what He did for us. He pursues us and calls us back to Him, wanting so badly for us to live a life that brings Glory to His Name. Sadly, half the time (or more), He is left cleaning up after the messes we make.

What is your choice going to be? Who is ready to step up to the plate? Anyone feel like they live a life that cheapens the sacrifice that was paid? I dare you right now, to fall on your knees and repent of the attitude that so many of us fall prey to. The attitude of forgetfulness! Do whatever it takes every morning to remember the price it took to give you a ticket into Heaven. Don't fall prey to the lifestyle of cheapening it! Grace came after a pretty hefty price was paid! It's time that we repay Him with our lives! Take a good look at who you are and what you have become. Ask Him to give you a new and clean heart. Renew your Spirit! He will do it, every time! How great would He feel to find us trying hard not to make a mess in the first place! Imagine His delight to finding you cleaning up after yourself! Life is not about us and our pleasures and comforts. Life is about Him. He doesn't owe us anything; we owe Him SO very much! Let's just make sure we don't get that confused. Grace comes because He wants to give it to us. Let's accept the gift out of a humble heart, rather than an expectant one. We aren't the ones with a crown on our heads; let's not act like we deserve anything.

Grace came at such a cost, let's not get caught cheapening it!

Useless Story

Useless Story

I took a book just the other day and decided to tape it shut with that heavy duty clear tape. I then passed it around the room and asked a whole bunch of kids what they saw. Most of the answers were obvious ones. "It's a book, it has pages, it has a title, etc..." I still hadn't heard the response that I wanted so I started prodding a little. When I asked them if they thought that there was a story in there they all answered yes! I asked them how they knew, and they told me that it was a book, and every book has a story. I begin to grin as my whole analogy starts coming together. I asked one last question: What would you do with this book if you had to clean your shelf off and throw something away? They all replied that this would be the book to go because it is pretty much worthless.

The point behind this story is simple. Each and every one of us has a title, has pages, and has some sort of story. If you are a Christian that story is laced with Jesus Christ and His story through you. But I am fearful that what many of us do is tape our stories shut so that no one can read them!

How do you know anything about Jesus? He has a story, doesn't He? And that story is in a book that is wide open for all of us to see! We were all changed because He never hid who He was but freely shared everything He was about.

Now how about you? Do you think that anyone out there could possibly benefit from reading your book?

A good question to ask yourself is whether or not you even know what your story is. My guess is that step one needs to be going back and recognizing where all Christ has put His Fingerprints. Go back and actually write down your story! That is a challenge I want you to take! You will find just how amazing God has been all throughout your life. How He has taken you from here to get you there. You will find redemption and restoration written all over your pages!

This week I want you all to pray for an opportunity to open your books and let someone be wowed by how awesome God is! Your story was not written to be put on a shelf, but instead to show someone else just how powerful He can be!

Borrowed Goods

Borrowed Goods

I found myself in a frustrating situation many years ago. We had gotten a "new" truck and someone wanted to borrow it. If any of you know my husband, you know that there was no way he would have ever said no. He just has that kind of a heart. He will let anyone, anytime, borrow anything that we have. Most of the time, we usually get the object back in great, if not better condition. This time however, we got the truck back with an empty tank of gas. Instantly I was mad. How could someone ask to use something, then give it back after using all the gas that was in it up, and not even think to refill it? I couldn't comprehend how someone thought that it was o.k. and acceptable to return a vehicle in that condition.

Dumbfounded me actually.

Can you think of a time that you had to borrow something from someone else? What kind of care did you take to make sure that you didn't break it, or get it dirty? How many of you actually tried to return it in better shape than when you received it?

My parents rent cottages from people every year for vacation up at the lakes. It has been a family tradition since I don't even know when. Our whole family used to come up, but it has dwindled down to our immediate family now. But it is still a blast... until that final day. My mom is a stickler for cleaning those cottages. We would end up cleaning for hours. It used to drive us absolutely crazy! But in the end, her way won favors. The people we would rent from would take money off because they knew that they wouldn't have to come in and clean after we had left. I am sure that more than once, we were told that it was cleaner than when we first got it.

1 Cor. 6:20 "you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body"

What does this verse mean to you?

Well if you were bought, you were obviously for sale…right? And if there was one buyer, there surely was two…right? What did your buyer have to do to out bid the other buyer? Some of those sales get pretty ugly. I have seen people outbid others, and in the end, end up paying 3 times too much, just to win the prize. What price was paid for you?

Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

 

Wow! What a price huh? Christ died to "buy" us. So in essence, our bodies are just being borrowed…right? So do we do the rest of that verse? Do we honor God with our bodies? Are you living like you have something borrowed you are using? Do you view your body as something that you can use as you wish, or do you view it with a sold sign stamped across it?

Think about how you would feel if your truck came back empty. Would you be a bit upset too? Now think about how God feels to see us using our bodies for things that do not glorify His name!

 

The price He paid is matchless. There is no way we can ever repay the debt. He knows this too…so He has made a plan up. Honor Him with our bodies. He gave His Son's body and life for yours, the least you can do is dedicate your body to Him.

 

Just think, the day will come when you will have to face God. Wouldn't you love to hear to Him say, "WOW….I think it looks better than when I gave this to you. Great job!"

 

The battle is hard, and the road is long! Keep fighting to keep your "borrowed body" shined up good. You never know when you will be asked to "give it back".

Windshield Wipers

Windshield Wipers

I have the worst windshield wipers ever. Even if there is just a tiny little sprinkle happening, without fail, as soon as I turn them on, it smears the water to a point where it would have been better if I would have left them off. You can just imagine how worthless they are when it is a down pour!

One thing that I realized the other day though, was that I have had the same wipers for a few months. Why I can't remember to change them, I don't know! When there is no storm, I forget all about the need. It is only when the rains come that I know without a doubt just how foolish I was in not preparing. I truly can't see a single thing through all the water that is clouding my view. I find myself trying to find the white line, the yellow line, or the grassy edge…anything to just keep my focus on the road! Sometimes there is no other choice but to stop completely in fear of wrecking.

How about you? What happens when the storms of life start coming down? It may start as a trickle and you may think that you have time; but just how many of us rush out right away and prepare for the true battle that is ahead?

In Ephesians it states "when the day of evil comes". In every study of that phrase it claims that there WILL be a day that comes when evil will hit! There is no maybe about it! God tells us to withstand satan, to persevere under trials, to constantly seek Him and lay all our burdens at His Feet! Do you do all of those things? Or are you like so many that don't even recognize satan or his schemes, therefore you don't engage in any battle, finding that you keep all your troubles heaped on your own shoulders, causing you to stumble and fall; leaving you exhausted and confused, without a hope in the world of persevering?

Are you in a place where you just want some clarity? Do you feel like you can't hear Him clearly? Today is the day when you need to refocus on HIM! It is a battle every single day, but I assure you that it is a battle that you desperately need and should want to win!

Psalm 9:10

"Those who know Your Name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You!

Do you KNOW His Name? The word "Know" in this verse means: to learn to know, to know by experience. It is about seeking Him with your whole heart so that when the storms do hit, you will have the confidence that He will be shining bright for you to focus on. You will KNOW that He is the rock you need to cling to! It is all about changing your wiper blades way before you need them to see through the rain! It is about being prepared to face any trial and struggle you have with the confidence that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do!

I want you to walk away from reading this with a renewed reminder that the day to get to know Jesus is not tomorrow…it is right now! The day to start fighting is today! We are never promised tomorrow and too often, we live as if we are!

Prepare yourself right now for the battle that is guaranteed to come! Fight with all you are worth and never take your eyes off of Him! Live with the confidence that when those first drops start hitting your windshield, you will, without doubt be able to wash them away and see clearly the rock that will guide you home!