Isaiah 54:10
"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
Worry steals our peace. It sucks the joy out of life and destroys the basic fabric of purpose that we have. Worry tells you, "You're going to fail. You can't do this. It's all over." But, peace tells you, "You will be fine, blessings will come, the sun still rises." Worry is a result of the unknown, the seemingly overwhelming, and the uncontrollable. But, peace is knowing, yielding, and releasing control to the one who you trust to bring your purpose to completion. God's peace,
His unfailing love, will not be shaken. When the world roars around you and the foundations of your life shake, He is secure. Do not be afraid today, no matter what you are dealing with God already has it in His hands and will work His will through it. What you have the choice about is whether you will embrace His peace in it or live in fear and worry about it. It's about your perspective and your peace. Be at peace.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Monday, December 5, 2016
05Dec16
Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
This week is the second week of advent. Starting yesterday we focus on the concept of peace. Peace on earth good will toward men. Are you a peacemaker? In my life I can look back on lots of different times when I stirred dissention, exaggerated injury, or complained loudly enough to start problems. It almost seems like the default setting to whine and complain about what others are doing. But, the Bible says that when we are called sons of God it is because of our ability to bring peace into the world, not conflict. I think this is one of the ways that the world can see the peace that rests in our hearts due to our faith. What we have on the inside is given an opportunity to affect the way we interact with people outside. But, if you are not at peace; If you are not resting in the security of God; If you are too focused on yourself, then peace will escape your interactions and you will be a bringer of conflict to your own life. How would the people around you describe you? Are you a peacemaker or a conflict bringer?
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
This week is the second week of advent. Starting yesterday we focus on the concept of peace. Peace on earth good will toward men. Are you a peacemaker? In my life I can look back on lots of different times when I stirred dissention, exaggerated injury, or complained loudly enough to start problems. It almost seems like the default setting to whine and complain about what others are doing. But, the Bible says that when we are called sons of God it is because of our ability to bring peace into the world, not conflict. I think this is one of the ways that the world can see the peace that rests in our hearts due to our faith. What we have on the inside is given an opportunity to affect the way we interact with people outside. But, if you are not at peace; If you are not resting in the security of God; If you are too focused on yourself, then peace will escape your interactions and you will be a bringer of conflict to your own life. How would the people around you describe you? Are you a peacemaker or a conflict bringer?
Friday, December 2, 2016
02Dec16
Proverbs 23:18
Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
As a chaplain, one of the major issues that I deal with on a frequent basis is suicidal thoughts and attempts. Sadly, this is rampant in the Army today and does not look like it is getter better through programs and briefings but, rather, worse. Someone asked me very recently what the answer to this problem is and my response was simply this, "hope and purpose." But, the hope and purpose that Chaplains know, and can provide, is restricted to a very small realm in a pluralistic environment. It's like asking a surgeon to operate but, not allowing them to use the scalpel. People want the answer to the problem without the one who gives the answer. Real hope, the kind that gets you through the lonely moments and the fearful experiences in life, comes through faith in God. Lasting hope comes from faith. Because if it comes from any other area of life... it can be taken from you. If it comes from your abilities there can be an accident. If it comes from your relationships they can be broken. If it comes from your accomplishments they can be destroyed. No crap hope, hope that stays with you when all else seems to desert you, comes from God and your faith that He is who He promised and that He loves you like He promised. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. Lift your head because you have a purpose in this life.
Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
As a chaplain, one of the major issues that I deal with on a frequent basis is suicidal thoughts and attempts. Sadly, this is rampant in the Army today and does not look like it is getter better through programs and briefings but, rather, worse. Someone asked me very recently what the answer to this problem is and my response was simply this, "hope and purpose." But, the hope and purpose that Chaplains know, and can provide, is restricted to a very small realm in a pluralistic environment. It's like asking a surgeon to operate but, not allowing them to use the scalpel. People want the answer to the problem without the one who gives the answer. Real hope, the kind that gets you through the lonely moments and the fearful experiences in life, comes through faith in God. Lasting hope comes from faith. Because if it comes from any other area of life... it can be taken from you. If it comes from your abilities there can be an accident. If it comes from your relationships they can be broken. If it comes from your accomplishments they can be destroyed. No crap hope, hope that stays with you when all else seems to desert you, comes from God and your faith that He is who He promised and that He loves you like He promised. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. Lift your head because you have a purpose in this life.
Thursday, December 1, 2016
01Dec16
Proverbs 13:12
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Have you ever heard the phrase, "absence makes the heart grow fonder?" That may be true of some things but, I want you to think about a time that you had to wait for something you really worked hard towards. Was it easy? What happens when the reward comes a far off from the promise? When I switched over from being Enlisted to being a Chaplain I was initially told that I would directly commission as a CPT. Imagine my surprise when I got my orders and on them was the rank 1LT. I thought there was a mistake. I had never even seen a 1LT Chaplain. But, it was true. Not only that, but, I was told I would remain in that rank for a full year. I got over it and moved forward (it's just rank right?) but, every time I was pushed aside or not included in something I would blame it on the rank (turns out people just don't like me sometimes). This thing ate at me. Finally, I was promoted. Right on time. Nothing changed about me. Nothing at all. Honestly, I was the same guy I had been as a SPC. But, I celebrated! The receipt of my hard work had finally come.
You may be sitting in a place where you think you deserve something that has not come quite yet. You may be asking why your hopes are not coming true. But, God's timing is perfect. It may make your heart hurt for now but, once it is fulfilled it will be like a tree of life that satisfies your soul. So continue to hope and don't grow weary in doing so. Remember that sometimes the tree of life is right around the corner.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Have you ever heard the phrase, "absence makes the heart grow fonder?" That may be true of some things but, I want you to think about a time that you had to wait for something you really worked hard towards. Was it easy? What happens when the reward comes a far off from the promise? When I switched over from being Enlisted to being a Chaplain I was initially told that I would directly commission as a CPT. Imagine my surprise when I got my orders and on them was the rank 1LT. I thought there was a mistake. I had never even seen a 1LT Chaplain. But, it was true. Not only that, but, I was told I would remain in that rank for a full year. I got over it and moved forward (it's just rank right?) but, every time I was pushed aside or not included in something I would blame it on the rank (turns out people just don't like me sometimes). This thing ate at me. Finally, I was promoted. Right on time. Nothing changed about me. Nothing at all. Honestly, I was the same guy I had been as a SPC. But, I celebrated! The receipt of my hard work had finally come.
You may be sitting in a place where you think you deserve something that has not come quite yet. You may be asking why your hopes are not coming true. But, God's timing is perfect. It may make your heart hurt for now but, once it is fulfilled it will be like a tree of life that satisfies your soul. So continue to hope and don't grow weary in doing so. Remember that sometimes the tree of life is right around the corner.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
29Nov16
John 5:6
When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"
Continuing in the theme of advent this week which is "hope." I think of the man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. 38 years! That's longer than most of the people reading these words have even been alive. He had been unable to walk, be a member of society, or contribute to his family. There was no place for him but begging the good graces of others to provide for his needs. This is where Jesus finds him, in a pile of the sick and infirm, next to a fountain where they congregated. 38 years is a long time to be a certain way. Some would say that nothing could be done, that it would just be the way it is, that there was no hope. Shoot, we look at the personality traits of someone after knowing them less than a year and say things like, "that's just the way they are. There's no changing them." But, Jesus walks up on this man and simply asks, "Do you want to get well?" At the root of the question is one thing... hope. Do you still have hope or are you resigned to things just being as they have been the last 38 years? I think God still asks us this question. With whatever you have been told is true about you. With whatever you may have started to believe cannot be changed. With whatever struggle you are going through. "Do you want to get well?" Do you still have hope?
The man answered with excuses as to why he wasn't healed yet... notice the yet... and showed Jesus that there was still hope there after 38 years. Jesus restored the man's body with a little bit of hope. What can He do in your life today with a little bit of hope from you?
When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"
Continuing in the theme of advent this week which is "hope." I think of the man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. 38 years! That's longer than most of the people reading these words have even been alive. He had been unable to walk, be a member of society, or contribute to his family. There was no place for him but begging the good graces of others to provide for his needs. This is where Jesus finds him, in a pile of the sick and infirm, next to a fountain where they congregated. 38 years is a long time to be a certain way. Some would say that nothing could be done, that it would just be the way it is, that there was no hope. Shoot, we look at the personality traits of someone after knowing them less than a year and say things like, "that's just the way they are. There's no changing them." But, Jesus walks up on this man and simply asks, "Do you want to get well?" At the root of the question is one thing... hope. Do you still have hope or are you resigned to things just being as they have been the last 38 years? I think God still asks us this question. With whatever you have been told is true about you. With whatever you may have started to believe cannot be changed. With whatever struggle you are going through. "Do you want to get well?" Do you still have hope?
The man answered with excuses as to why he wasn't healed yet... notice the yet... and showed Jesus that there was still hope there after 38 years. Jesus restored the man's body with a little bit of hope. What can He do in your life today with a little bit of hope from you?
Monday, November 28, 2016
28Nov16
Romans 13:12
The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent. It is a season where Christians focus in on the meaning behind the celebration of Christmas. Normally there are special candles that are lit in front of the church and some verses read, maybe even a liturgy that is followed by some. But, today's passage comes from the revised common lectionary for the first week of advent. The theme is hope. Hope, not in what we can accomplish. Hope, not in what the world may offer us. Hope, not in the potential for advancement. Hope. Real hope. Hope in what has been finished by God. Hope that the end of the story on this earth is only the beginning of a much bigger story. Hope that everything we go through, all of the trials we have, will lead us to a place where we are ready for the Day. When we live our lives for this hope, not some facsimile or fake the world has to offer us, we are able to put aside our deeds of darkness and step into the light. We are able to see that the night is nearly over and the time for our awakening is at hand. Have hope because God's plan is active in you today! The day is almost here!
The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent. It is a season where Christians focus in on the meaning behind the celebration of Christmas. Normally there are special candles that are lit in front of the church and some verses read, maybe even a liturgy that is followed by some. But, today's passage comes from the revised common lectionary for the first week of advent. The theme is hope. Hope, not in what we can accomplish. Hope, not in what the world may offer us. Hope, not in the potential for advancement. Hope. Real hope. Hope in what has been finished by God. Hope that the end of the story on this earth is only the beginning of a much bigger story. Hope that everything we go through, all of the trials we have, will lead us to a place where we are ready for the Day. When we live our lives for this hope, not some facsimile or fake the world has to offer us, we are able to put aside our deeds of darkness and step into the light. We are able to see that the night is nearly over and the time for our awakening is at hand. Have hope because God's plan is active in you today! The day is almost here!
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
23Nov16
Psalm 107:1
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.
I am reminded of the Michael W. Smith song every time I hear this verse. It's kind of annoying the way a song can get stuck in your head that way. Some people even call it an "ear worm" the way it wriggles into your thoughts throughout the day. As we move into this long Thanksgiving weekend I hope that this little worm sticks with you. A little reminder of where everything we have, every good and perfect thing we experience, comes from; and are able to give thanks to God above. This enduring love that, in spite of our ability to choose wrong more than right, still accepts us and blesses us. Here's a challenge that was posed to me recently: "This year don't just thank God for what you currently have or are experiencing. Instead, think back to the moment you were the most thankful for something in your life. Share that." I don't doubt that most people will think back to a time when they had little and were given much in exchange. That's the story of salvation. Remember what real thankfulness feels like and give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Happy Thanksgiving!
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.
I am reminded of the Michael W. Smith song every time I hear this verse. It's kind of annoying the way a song can get stuck in your head that way. Some people even call it an "ear worm" the way it wriggles into your thoughts throughout the day. As we move into this long Thanksgiving weekend I hope that this little worm sticks with you. A little reminder of where everything we have, every good and perfect thing we experience, comes from; and are able to give thanks to God above. This enduring love that, in spite of our ability to choose wrong more than right, still accepts us and blesses us. Here's a challenge that was posed to me recently: "This year don't just thank God for what you currently have or are experiencing. Instead, think back to the moment you were the most thankful for something in your life. Share that." I don't doubt that most people will think back to a time when they had little and were given much in exchange. That's the story of salvation. Remember what real thankfulness feels like and give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Happy Thanksgiving!
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