May 31, 2018

"JUST A MINUTE..."


People say it all the time…

You heard it said to you when you asked someone something.

Admit it; you’ve even said it yourself to someone else in an attempt to pacify the request and continue to do whatever it is that is (seemingly) more important at the time.

“Just A Minute”

Then, one-minute turns to five which turns to ten and so forth…

And our requests (seemingly) fall on deaf ears

And we learn to be cynical and not believe each other’s words. We assume that they won’t really follow through on what they say they will do.

And, worst of, we make the assumption that this is how God answers us.

After all, the Bible says; “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

We reason that God takes HIS time (not ours) to get back to us.

But I want to assure you that just because people treat each other like that, God doesn’t. In fact, it might surprise you that He answers more quickly that we might imagine.

In Matthew 6:8, Jesus tells us that God the Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

King David said in Psalm 139:4 “You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.”

Isaiah prophesied (spoke for the LORD); “I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!”
Wow; I would say that is faster that our lame answer; ““Just A Minute”

My favorite Bible passage that shows just how quickly God answers comes from the Book of Daniel chapter ten. I like it because it also gives insight as to why (sometimes) we can’t see the answer from God.

Daniel needed some direction from the Lord and set aside some time to pray, and he saw a vision. The passage tells us that he had been in mourning for three whole weeks, during which time he had eaten no rich food, nor had he drunk wine, nor had he used any fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed.


In the vision, Daniel is told some things that we can take away and apply to our lives as we ponder whether or not the Lord answers us quickly.

First of all, God sends someone to talk to Daniel to let him know that God has heard his request.

Secondly, this angel tells Daniel that God sent him to tell Daniel God’s answer, but the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood the angel for twenty-one days. In other words, Daniel couldn’t get the answer because of the opposition that was stopping the answer from coming through.

Thirdly, the angel tells Daniel that the Lord dispatched Michael to fight the resistance and made a way for the angel to break through the enemy’s lines and get the answer to Daniel. 

Fourthly, (and this is my favorite insight) the angel tells Daniel that from the first day he set his heart to seek the Lord, God dispatched the answer.

One version says, “the moment you decided to humble yourself to receive understanding, your prayer was heard”. I like that!

God is saying; “I didn’t wait until you fasted and prayed twenty-one days to answer you. I didn’t even wait until you had spent a whole day in prayer. I sent the answer when you said to yourself, “I’ve got to seek the Lord.”

The Lord told one of His angels to go and tell Daniel that his prayer was answered the moment Daniel began to pray; but an evil angel met God’s angel and wrestled with him, blocking him from getting to Daniel.

God wasn’t saying; “Just a minute…”
 
No, there was a conflict in the heavens taking place even though Daniel couldn’t see it. Satan hindered God’s answer to Daniel for three full weeks.

The Bible tells us that "we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12).

Today, call out to God, knowing that He hears your cry even before you ask Him. He is a loving Father who longs to care for you. He won’t forsake you. He won’t tell you; “Just a minute”.

May 24, 2018

It’s Spring Cleaning Time!


My garage is a mess! This is a big problem not because I need to park a vehicle in there; I haven’t done that for years!

No, it’s a problem because it’s really my workshop and I can’t stand working in a cluttered workspace.

The late spring here in Minnesota has led to an ‘even-messier-than-normal-after-winter’ workshop. This includes shovels and snowblowers that need to be stored and the lawnmower, garden hose, etc. taken out for the summer and fall.

So, I set out to clean up, throw out, and re-establish order so that my next project will go more smoothly. Cathy spent an hour or so reorganizing the storage shed which had also become disorganized.

And, when they were both cleaned, it felt good.

Although someone once said that a clean workshop just means that you are in between projects…which means that this will need to take place several times throughout the year(s)….


The same is true for our lives. We take time to establish order or rituals such as eating meals together or taking devotions or exercising and it isn’t long before our lives are cluttered and out of order.

So, we set out to clean up, throw out, and re-establish order so that our lives will go more smoothly.

And, when we have things back in order, it feels good for a season because we so easily get it out of order again….which means that this will need to take place several times throughout the year(s)….

If you find yourself today feeling the stress of a cluttered life that is out of order, sit down, pour yourself a cup of joe, and read through the following slowly…

My Heart Christ's Home by Robert Boyd Munger
“Robert Boyd Munger (1911-2001) was a Presbyterian minister who wrote this timeless work in 1951. It was a vividly compelling then, and I have found no other essay on the ABC's of the Christian life, other than Scripture itself, so impacting as Munger's wonderful work still today.” (Quote from a Christian leader)

In Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, we find these words:

"That (God) would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith" (Ephesians 3:16). Or, as another has translated, "That Christ may settle down and be at home in your hearts by faith."

Without question one of the most remarkable Christian doctrines is that Jesus Christ Himself through the presence of the Holy Spirit will actually enter a heart, settle down and be at home there. Christ will make the human heart His abode.

Our Lord said to His disciples, "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him" (John 14:23). It was difficult for them to understand what He was saying. How was it possible for Him to make his abode with them in this sense?

It is interesting that our Lord used the same word here that He gave them in the first of the fourteenth chapter of John: "I go to prepare a place for you .. that where I am, ye may be also." Our Lord was promising his disciples that, just as He was going to heaven to prepare a place for them and would welcome them one day, now it would be possible for them to prepare a place for Him in their hearts and He would come and make His abode with them.

They could not understand this. How could it be?

Then came Pentecost. The Spirit of the living Christ was given to the church and they understood. God did not dwell in Herod's temple in Jerusalem! God did not dwell in a temple made with hands; but now, through the miracle of the outpoured Spirit, God would dwell in human hearts. The body of the believer would be the temple of the living God and the human heart would be the home of Jesus Christ. It is difficult for me to think of a higher privilege than to make Christ a home in my heart, to welcome, to serve, to please, to fellowship with him there.

One evening I invited Jesus Christ into my heart. What an entrance He made! It was not a spectacular, emotional thing, but very real. It was at the very center of my life. He came into the darkness of my heart and turned on the light. He built a fire in the cold hearth and banished the chill. He started music where there had been stillness, and He filled the emptiness with His own loving, wonderful fellowship. I have never regretted opening the door to Christ and I never will - not into eternity!

This, of course, is the first step in making the heart Christ's home. He has said, "Behold I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20). If you are interested in making your life an abode of the living God, let me encourage you to invite Christ into your heart and He will surely come

After Christ entered my heart and in the joy of this new relationship I said to Him, "Lord, I want this heart of mine to be Yours. I want to have You settle down here and be perfectly at home. Everything I have belongs to You. Let me show You around and introduce you to the various features of the home that you may be more comfortable and that we may have fuller fellowship together."

He was very glad to come, of course, and happier still to be given a place in the heart

The Library
The first room was the study - the library. Let us call it the study of the mind. Now in my home this room of the mind is a very small room with very thick walls. But it is an important room. In a sense, it is the control room of the house. He entered with me and looked around at the books in the bookcase, the magazines upon the table, the pictures on the walls. As I followed His gaze I became uncomfortable. Strangely enough, I had not felt badly about this before, but now that He was there looking at these things I was embarrassed. There were some books were there that His eyes were too pure to behold. There was a lot of trash and literature on the table that a Christian had no business reading, and as for the pictures on the walls - the imaginations and thoughts of the mind - these were shameful.

I turned to Him and said, "Master, I know that this room needs a radical alteration. Will You help me make it what it ought to be? - to bring every thought into captivity to you?"

"Surely!" He said. "Gladly will I help you. First of all, take all the things that you are reading and looking at which are not helpful, pure, good and true, and throw them out! Now put on the empty shelves the books of the Bible. Fill the library with Scriptures and meditate on then day and night. As for the pictures on the walls, you will have difficulty controlling these images, but here is an aid" He gave me a full-size portrait of Himself. "Hang this centrally," He said, "on the wall of the mind."

I did, and I have discovered through the years that when my thoughts are centered upon Christ Himself, His purity and power cause impure thoughts to back away. So He has helped me to bring my thoughts into captivity.

May I suggest to you if you have difficulty with this little room of the mind, that you bring Christ in there. Pack it full with the Word of God, meditate upon it and keep before it the immediate presence of the Lord Jesus.

The Dining Room
From the study we went into the dining room, the room of appetites and desires. Now this was a very large room. I spent a good deal of time in the dining room and much effort in satisfying my wants.

I said to Him, "This is a favorite room. I am quite sure You will be pleased with what we serve."

He seated Himself at the table with me and asked, "What is on the menu for dinner?"

"Well," I said, "my favorite dishes: money, academic degrees and stocks, with newspaper articles of fame and fortune as side dishes." These were the things I liked - worldly fare. I suppose there was nothing radically wrong in any particular item, but it was not the food that should satisfy the life of a real Christian. When the food was placed before Him, He said nothing about it. However, I observed that He did not eat it, and I said to Him, somewhat disturbed, "Master, don't You care for this food? What is the trouble?"

He answered, "I have meat to eat that you do not know of. My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me." He looked at me again and said, "If you want food that really satisfies you, seek the will of the Father, not your own pleasures, not your own desires, and not your own satisfaction. Seek to please Me and that food will satisfy you." And there at the table He gave me a taste of doing God's will. What a flavor! There is no food like it in all the world. It alone satisfies. Everything else is dissatisfying in the end.

Now if Christ is in your heart, and I trust He is, what kind of food are you serving Him and what kind of food are you eating yourself? Are you living for the lust of the flesh and the pride of life - selfishly? Or are you choosing God's will for your meat and drink?

The Living Room
We walked next into the living room. This room was rather intimate and comfortable. I liked it. It had a fireplace, overstuffed chairs, a sofa, and a quiet atmosphere.

He also seemed pleased with it. He said, "This is indeed a delightful room. Let us come here often. It is secluded and quiet, and we can fellowship together."

Well, naturally as a young Christian I was thrilled. I couldn't think of anything I would rather do than have a few minutes with Christ in intimate companionship.

He promised, "I will be here early every morning. Meet me here, and we will start the day together." So morning after morning, I would come downstairs to the living room and He would take a book of the Bible from the bookcase. He would open it and then we would read together. He would tell me of its riches and unfold to me its truths. He would make my heart warm as He revealed His love and His grace He had toward me. These were wonderful hours together. In fact, we called the living room the "withdrawing room." It was a period when we had our quiet time together.

But, little by little, under the pressure of many responsibilities, this time began to be shortened. Why, I'm don't know, but I thought I was just too busy to spend time with Christ. This was not intentional, you understand; it just happened that way. Finally, not only was the time shortened, but I began to miss a day now and then. It was examination time at the university. Then it was some other urgent emergency. I would miss it two days in a row and often more.

I remember one morning when I was in a hurry, rushing downstairs, eager to be on my way.

As I passed the living room, the door was open. Looking in, I saw a fire in the fireplace and Jesus was sitting there. Suddenly in dismay I thought to myself, "He was my guest. I invited Him into my heart! He has come as Lord of my home. And yet here I am neglecting Him."

I turned and went in. With downcast glance, I said, "Blessed Master, forgive me. Have You been here all these mornings?"

"Yes," He said, "I told you I would be here every morning to meet with you." Then I was even more ashamed. He had been faithful in spite of my faithfulness. I asked His forgiveness and He readily forgave me as He does when we are truly repentant.

"The trouble with you is this: you have been thinking of the quiet time, of the Bible study and prayer time, as a factor in your own spiritual progress, but you have forgotten that this hour means something to me also. Remember, I love you. I have redeemed you at great cost. I value your fellowship. Now," He said, "do not neglect this hour if only for my sake. Whatever else may be your desire, remember I want your fellowship!"

You know, the truth that Christ desires my companionship, that He loves me, wants me to be with Him, wants to be with me and waits for me, has done more to transform my quiet time with God than any other single fact. Don't let Christ wait alone in the living room of your heart, but every day find some time when, with your Bible and in prayer, you may be together with Him.

The Workroom
Before long, He asked, "Do you have a workroom in your home?" Down in the basement of the home of my heart I had a workbench and some equipment, but I was not doing much with it. Once in a while I would play around with a few little gadgets, but I wasn't producing anything substantial or worthwhile.

I led Him down there.

He looked over the workbench and what little talents and skills I had. He said, "This is quite well furnished. What are you producing with your life for the Kingdom of God?" He looked at one or two little toys that I had thrown together on the bench and held one up to me. "Are these little toys all that you are doing for others in your Christian life?"

"Well," I said, "Lord, that is the best I can do. I know it isn't much, and I really want to do more, but after all, I have no skill or strength to do more."

"Would you like to do better?" He asked.

"Certainly," I replied.

"All right. Let me have your hands. Now relax in me and let my Spirit work through you. I know that you are unskilled, clumsy and awkward, but the Holy Spirit is the Master-Worker, and if He controls your hands and your heart, He will work through you." And so, stepping around behind me and putting His great, strong hands over mine, controlling the tools with His skilled fingers He began to work through me.

There's much more that I must still learn and I am very far from satisfied with the product that is being turned out, but I do know that whatever has been produced for God has been through His strong hand and through the power of His Spirit in me.

Do not become discouraged because you cannot do much for God. Your ability is not the fundamental condition. It is He who is controlling your fingers and upon whom you are relying. Give your talents and gifts to God and He will do things with them that will surprise you..

The Rec Room
I remember the time He asked me about the playroom. I was hoping He would not ask about that. There were certain associations and friendships, activities and amusements that I wanted to keep for myself. I did not think Christ would enjoy them or approve of them, so I evaded the question.

But there came an evening when I was on my way out with some of my friends, and as I was about to cross the threshold, He stopped me with a glance and asked, "Are you going out?"

I replied, "Yes."

"Good," He said, "I would like to go with you."

"Oh," I answered rather awkwardly. "I don't think, Lord Jesus, that You would really want to go with us. Let's go out tomorrow night. Tomorrow night we will go to prayer meeting, but tonight I have another appointment."

He said. "That's alright. Only I thought that when I came into your home, we were going to do everything together, to be close companions. I just want you to know that I am willing to go with you."

"Well," I said, "we will go someplace together tomorrow night."

That evening I spent some miserable hours. I felt wretched. What kind of a friend was I to Jesus when I was deliberately leaving Him out of my associations, doing things and going places that I knew very well He would not enjoy? When I returned that evening, there was a light in His room, and I went up to talk it over with Him. I said, "Lord, I have learned my lesson. I can't have a good time without You. From now on we will do everything together."

Then we went down into the playroom of the house and He transformed it. He brought into life real joy, real happiness, real satisfaction, new friends, new excitement, new joys. Laughter and music have been ringing through the house ever since.

The Hall Closet
There is just one more matter that I might share with you. One day I found Him waiting for me at the door. An arresting look was in His eye. As I entered, He said to me, "There is a peculiar odor in the house. There is something dead around here. It's upstairs. I think it is in the hall closet." As soon as He said this, I knew what He was talking about. Yes, there was a small closet up there on the landing, just a few feet square, and in that closet, behind lock and key, I had one or two little personal things that I did not want anyone to know about and certainly I did not want Christ to see them. I knew they were dead and rotting things left over from the old life. And yet I loved them, and I wanted them so for myself that I was afraid to admit they were there.

Reluctantly, I went up with Him, and as we mounted the stairs the odor became stronger and stronger. He pointed at the door. "It's in there! Some dead thing!"

I was angry. That's the only way I can put it. I had given Him access to the library, the dining room, the living room, the workroom, the playroom, and now He was asking me about a little two-by-four closet. I said to myself, "This is too much. I am not going to give Him the key."

"Well," He said, reading my thoughts, "if you think I'm going to stay up here on the second floor with this odor, you are mistaken. I will take my bed out on the back porch. I'm certainly not going to put up with that." Then I saw Him start down the stairs.

When you have come to know and love Christ, the worst thing that can happen is to sense His fellowship retreating from you. I had to surrender. "I'll give You the key," I said sadly, "but You'll have to open the closet and clean it out. I haven't the strength to do it."

"I know," He said. "I know you haven't. Just give me the key. Just authorize me to take care of that closet and I will." So with trembling fingers I passed the key to Him. He took it from my hand, walked over to the door, opened it, entered it, took out all the putrefying stuff that was rotting there, and threw it away. The He cleaned the closet and painted it, fixed it up, doing it all in a moment's time. Oh, what victory and release to have that dead thing out of my life!

Transferring the Title
Then a thought came to me. I said to myself, "I have been trying to keep this heart of mine clear for Christ. I start on one room and no sooner have I cleaned that then another room is dirty. I begin on the second room and the first room becomes dusty again. I am so tired and weary trying to maintain a clean heart and an obedient life. I am just not up to it!"

So I ventured a question: "Lord, is there any chance that You would take over the responsibility of the whole house and operate it for me and with me just as You did that closet? Would You take the responsibility to keep my heart what it ought to be and my life where it ought to be?"

I could see His face light up as He replied, "Certainly, that is what I came to do. You cannot be a victorious Christian in your own strength. That is impossible. Let me do it through you and for you. That is the way. But," He added slowly, "I am not owner of this house. I am just a guest. I have no authority to proceed, since the property is not mine."

I saw it in a minute and dropping to my knees, I said, "Lord, You have been a guest and I have been the host. From now on I am going to be the servant. You are going to be the owner and Master and Lord."

Running as fast as I could to the strongbox, I took out the title deed to the house describing its assets and liabilities, location and situation and condition. I eagerly signed it over to belong to Him alone for time and eternity. "Here," I said. "Here it is, all that I am and have forever. Now You run the house. I'll just remain with You as a servant and friend."

He took my life that day and I can give you my word, there is no better way to live the Christian life. He knows how to keep it in shape and deep peace settles down on the soul. May Christ settle down and be at home in your heart as Lord of all!


May 17, 2018

Daddy! I Belong to YOU!

I love reading the Bible. I love how even though it was written by many different people over thousands of years, I still believe it to be inspired by One who is the Creator.

The Bible is a collection of stories; some that have already taken place (historical), and some that are yet to be (prophetic). It also contains songs that express emotions (Psalms) and instructions for how to do life.

It is book that has an over-arching theme of how we as man chose to not do what God told us to do and how He wants to and did redeem us.

It is historical because it is HIS story. And, yes, I believe that God still speaks through it into our lives today.

It is inspired by the Lord and therefore it takes His Holy Spirit to make it alive to our understanding so that we can know how to apply it to our lives.

In the Old Testament, when God spoke to people through His prophets, they couldn’t see past the person saying the words, and they rejected God’s message. So, they ended up with a false perception of who God is.

So, God came in the form of a human; Immanuel, God among us.

And when He came (Jesus) He not only died, was buried, and resurrected, but He also showed us what the Father is like.

Jesus said that He only said and did what the Father does. So, we can read the Bible stories about Jesus (Gospels) and get a better picture as to what Father God really does think and say and how He acts.

Jesus said; “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” (John 5:19)

And then, after reading the stories about Jesus, we can read the rest of the whole Bible and we will see that this same loving Father was showing His love and mercy all the time.

We are the ones who missed it.

And that is OK because He didn’t leave it up to us to figure it all out by ourselves. He sent His Holy Spirit to speak to EVERYONE to draw us to Himself for both forgiveness and relationship.

And it is the Holy Spirit who is put into our hearts when we receive Jesus’ gift of salvation. Through this we are able to hear and be taught by the Father Himself as His children.

“And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6)

Think about that. He could have put inside of us other words but He chose these words; ABBA, Father…which means “Daddy”.

He could put anything inside of us so that we would say it to Him...
what He put inside of us, what He wants to hear us say is DADDY!

He could have put inside of us… “You are worthy of praise, You are holy, I love You with all my heart, holy, holy, holy, holy…” to remind us that He alone is good and pure and holy.

He could have put inside of us… “I will praise You with everything that I have…” to remind us that we are created to worship Him alone.

He could have put inside of us… “I’m sorry, I am the scum of the earth, I don’t deserve to live…” to remind us that He could squash us at any moment.

He could have put inside of us… “I’m a sinner!” to remind us that we are prone to sin and walk away from Him.

The one who said; “Let there be light!” chose to put inside of us the Spirit that cries out ‘DADDY!’

In fact, the only time that Jesus EVER referred to the Father as “My God” was when He was on the cross paying for our sins (Matthew 27:46).

Even in the Garden just before His trial He called out to His Daddy: Abba, Father,” He cried out, “everything is possible for You. Please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.” (Mark 14:36)

And it occurred to me that it isn’t just because He likes us to call Him “Daddy”; all fathers love to hear those words…

He put “Daddy” into our hearts so that when we call out ‘DADDY’ during moments of worship or fear and anxiety, WE will hear the word and realize that we are connected to One who can help us and does help us.

“Daddy” communicates to US that we are His children.

“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)

“Daddy” communicates to US that He will provide for us as His children.

Jesus said; “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So, if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.” (Matthew 7:9-11)

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

That means that if we don’t know Him, we go to Jesus and ask Jesus to take us to the Father.

And He will because that is why Jesus came. When Jesus said the word; "FATHER", He changed everything!

And now, He has invited us into this reality...into this place of belonging...where we call God our DADDY...our PAPA...our ABBA!

He longs for us to call out to Him today; “DADDY!”


All Scripture taken from Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


May 10, 2018

Where Were You?

It was May 1960 something and was attending Mass with my father.

Vatican 2 had been implemented and when I walked into the church, there was a small table in the aisle that contained two bowls.

I was asked to take a communion wafer from one bowl and place it in the other to signify that I desired to receive communion that day during the Mass.

Because I was young (around seven or eight) and was in a hurry, I accidentally bumped the table on my way to my pew; spilling the communion wafers onto the floor.

Without really thinking or having any remorse, I continued to my pew assuming that someone else would clean the mess up and that my dad was right behind me.

I found my spot and sat down wondering where my dad was…not realizing that he was the person who was cleaning up my mess. My mind quickly wandered onto other distractions as I looked around the church to see if I could find a girl on whom I had a secret crush

About ten minutes later, my dad came to the pew. I’m guessing that discernment wasn’t one of my gifts back then because before he was able to ask me why I had walked away, I asked him; “Where were you?”

I was upset that he had taken off instead of following me to the pew so I turned away from him (which is probably why I didn’t see his face).

Here I was, mad at my dad and he had done nothing wrong. Instead of yelling at me for making a mess, embarrassing him, and then walking away, he stooped down and cleaned up my mess.

He chose to take a position of a servant and cleaned up my mess.

And I was ungrateful.

We do that with our Heavenly Father (dad); don’t we? We think that we are following Him and assume that He is following us to where we are going, and we don’t realize that He has gone elsewhere as we have gone our own direction.

To make things worse, we get mad at Him and raise our fists to the air as we cry out; “Where were You?”

We are totally oblivious to the fact that He was cleaning up the mess that we had just made. The mess that we ignorantly assumed somebody else would take care of.

We demand an answer… and He had done nothing wrong.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:5-7)

Instead of yelling at us for making a mess, embarrassing Him, and then walking away, He chose to take a position of a servant, stooped down, and cleaned up our mess.

My friend, just because you can’t always see God (or most of the time can’t figure out where He is), doesn’t mean that He isn’t there.

Just because you can’t always understand or get your questions answered, doesn’t mean that He doesn’t care.

The Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah and said;

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’ (
Isaiah 41:10 &13)

He is there; He does care and He wants to help you. In fact, He laid down His life in exchange for your mess.

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:8)

And like a good dad, He is willing to clean up your mess. He is asking us to agree with Him (confess) and receive the gift of salvation.

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

All Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.