Medical Blog Break

 Blog Break due to Medical Reasons
Hope to be back soon!
Stay in The Word
Miles of Smiles, Beverly  

In-Stride with God

During chemotherapy treatments, Mister Bill walked five miles almost every day. I tried to walk with him a few times, but I just couldn’t keep up! Oswald Chambers wrote this: “The test of a man’s religious life and character is not what he does in the exceptional moments of life, but what he does in the ordinary times, when there is nothing tremendous or exciting going on.” Ordinary tasks and times aren’t always our favorites; they tend to lull us into a state of apathy. I think of Mister Jim who spent most of his life in education, however, after his retirement he took a position as a custodian. He found joy in the simple and otherwise mundane -- admiring a good shine on the bathroom floor and the sparkle of brass handrails. We have trouble at times getting “in stride” with God, getting our “second wind spiritually.” One of my favorite Bible heroes is Enoch.  We know very little about him except that he was Noah’s great-grandfather and Methuselah’s father yet his spiritual fame says it all, “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” (Genesis 5:24 ESV). His walk-with-God wasn’t just a small stretch – no, it was some 300 years! Three hundred years and there’s no mention of Enoch being out-of-step with Almighty God! Enoch never tasted the bitterness of death; he and God just walked on into eternity. Can there possibly be anything sweeter than being in-step with God, anything more deeply rich than that kind of communion with The Father! Be zealous in your walk with God, and don’t ever fret about matching strides with The Father … He’ll never leave you behind!

Consider Your Resemblance

Those who know him may be surprise to learn Mister Bill was quite the letter-writer in our high school years. Four grades ahead of me and in different schools, he wrote and sent by courier a letter to me every day! God’s children have been given a particular pattern for living.  We are to adopt a way of life that imitates Christ.  Everyone knows what it is to be a son or a daughter; our birth certificates bear the names of a biological mother and father.  So our souls bear the Name of the One Most High, and it is our lifestyle that identifies us as His.  In his Gospel, Luke wrote, “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.” (6:35 ESV)   These weren’t suggestions to sinners telling them how to behave, rather a reminder to Believers of who they are in Christ Jesus.  Loving enemies isn’t the world’s way, but God’s way; doing good isn’t so common, but a trait of God; to give anticipating nothing in return isn’t sensible to the world, yet perfectly sensible to God.  When we do life God’s way, we’re rewarded far greater than we can imagine.  Also, we are identified by God and the world as genuine disciples of Christ.  Yes, those Mister Bill letters thrilled my heart and I found a sense of acceptance in his words; there was a real resemble between his words and his affection for me.  Genuine Christianity always bears the mark of the Father. Take time right now to ... consider your resemblance!

Say So!

We all make explicit statements - clear, detailed statements that leave little confusion or doubt. For example, we say, "my car mechanic is ..." or "my hair stylist is ..." or "my insurance agent is ...." Those declarations roll-off our tongues easily and most often proudly! In David's statement, "God, You are my God" (Psalm 63:1 AMP), he was explicit and clear; he left no room for confusion nor doubt. Why are declarations of God so important? They give strength to what we know to be true! We need to be reminded and what we believe encourages the heart. Hear David as he continues to declare himself - "with deep longing I will seek You ... My soul thirsts for You ... My flesh longs and sighs for You ... Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You ... I will bless You as long as I live ... I will lift up my hands in Your Name." One thing I've found particularly marvelous is to say God's words back to Him - I mean, how can we improve on that! In times of joy and despair, our hearts will always know encouragement to declare unto The LORD the glory due Him. "Let the redeemed of the LORD say so" (Psalm 107:2). Don't let today pass before you ... say so!

His Presence

Most porches have pillars or posts - some decorative and some simply plain. One common thing they share, however, is what they do: they bear weight, upholding the rafters and roof above. David, the psalmist, wrote: "LORD, my heart is not proud nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child [resting] with his mother. y soul is like a weaned child within me [composed and freed from discontent]." (Psalm 131:1-2 AMP). Rest and contentment seem to be escape artists - you know, those things that slip away unannounced then position themselves out of grasp. David speaks of a determined heart that seeking genuine humility so that it can avert its trust in itself but in The One Who gives rest and contentment - true, steadfast, perfect. We are rarely attentive to those porch posts yet they do-what-they-do. David's  song describes a disciplined trust in The LORD, like a weaned child who no longer seeks its rest and contentment from physical nourishment but rather simply from the mother's presence. Such is the heart that is at rest and contented with and in The Presence of The Father through a sustained relationship with Jesus. May our porch posts remind us of God's sure and stead Presence through the days of our lives. Let us find all we need in ... His Presence.