He's Speaking...

Let's be honest, shall we? For a lot of us, reading the Bible isn't something we do a whole lot of. We think about it, but life happens. We get too busy. We don't understand what we read, so instead of searching the Scriptures further to try and figure it out, we simply shake our heads and put it down.

Which leads to a lack of respect for God's Word and its usefulness in our lives...

...UNTIL...

...the unthinkable happens. Something totally unpredictable slams us in the face and knocks the breath right out of us.

Immediately, we search Him out. The Bible that lay on the shelf during our "busy times" finds its way into our hands. Page after page is flipped. Chapter after chapter is read. Finally, the Word of God takes priority over worldly things.

But after a couple of days, it seems our situation is not improving. God seems silent and distant, and so we blame Him for not speaking.

Yet, He's been speaking the whole time.

We just haven't been listening.

Case in point: The other morning while talking with my teenager about spending time with God, our conversation shifted to his future career. Right now, he's wavering between two or three particular fields, and that's fine. He has a long time before any decisions have to be made. However, because he wants to make the right life choice, these thoughts already have a great deal of his attention.

After a couple of minutes, I brought the conversation back around to spending time in the Word. I encouraged him that he didn't have to read a whole chapter a day. Seriously focusing on even a single Bible verse, would be of immeasurable benefit for him.

To show him an example, I pulled up the website, Verse of the Day, and we read this together: "LORD, I know that people's lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps" (Jer. 10:23).

I sat there for a moment, focusing on the verse, myself. And I realized that God was speaking.  I looked at my son with wide eyes and said, "Do your realize that God is speaking to you? Do you realize that He is talking to you through His Word right now?"

We had just finished discussing my son's struggle with what he wanted to do for the rest of his life, and here was God's answer for him.  It's not for Alex to plan his life.  He needs to let God plan his life for him!  God will direct his steps.  How cool is that?   How cool is it that God spoke to my child...immediately?

A moment later, a sobering thought popped into my mind. It was as if God said, "I speak all the time, Belinda. You just don't listen."

You know, He does. He really does speak ALL the time. "How?" you might ask. "How is God speaking all the time?" 

I'll tell you how. Do you remember that Bible that lay on the shelf during our busy times? That's how.  It's sad to think of how many times I have literally missed hearing from the Lord, because I was too consumed with my day to pick up His Word.  

So my encouragement for us today?  Let's go get His book off that shelf. Sit down, take a deep breath, and stop long enough to listen. 

Thank You, Father, for Your Word.  I thank You that You speak continuously through It.  I ask that You help me learn how to listen. I am here, Jesus.  Speak though Your Word.    

You Really Do Reap What You Sow

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. Whatsoever one sows, that he will also reap, (Gal. 6:7). Those words jumped off of the index card attached to my kitchen wall and struck me like a bolt of lightning. All of the sudden, I found myself thinking, “What did I sow this week? What did I cultivate in the heart of my kids?”

Every year, I plant a garden. And sometimes, in that garden, I plant seeds and then forget what I planted. You would think by now that I would be able to remember to purchase some of those cute little plant identifiers to line my garden rows. And yet, I always seem to forget. It's not until the first few leaves appear that I can actually tell peppers from squash - tomatoes from watermelons!

There's a tremendous spiritual truth threading its way through that last paragraph. What I plant, I sow. The seeds that are sown by my hand, will become what they were intended to become, whether I remember what I planted or not.

Hence, the illustration for Galatians 6:7 is a stark reality in the lives of every Believer. We will reap what we sow. If we “sow” anger into our relationships (into the lives of our children, for example) we will reap anger. If we “sow” unkindness into the lives of those around us, we will reap unkindness. If we “sow” impatience, course jesting, “ugly talk,” we will reap those benefits, as well.

However, on the flip side, if we “sow” love into our relationships, we will reap love. If we “sow” gentleness and patience, we will reap those things – eventually! If we “sow” justice and mercy, faithfulness and humility, those blessings will cover us in abundance.

Now, that doesn't mean that you will see immediate results. Real gardening doesn't work that way. It usually takes a long time before any ripe fruit appears. I think that's why God continues this thought of “sowing things” on into verse 9 of Galatians 6: “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Just because you don't see any fruit in the first few days or sometimes even years after planting, don't get discouraged. Trust that what God has said in His Word will come true. Believe that He does not lie and that your efforts through the Spirit to sow good things will cause you to reap a bountiful harvest of blessings.

For whatsoever you plant, that you shall also reap.

Dearest Jesus, help me today. I need Your strength to speak kindness, live patiently, love heartily and give freely. May I be about the business of “sowing” Life into those around me today. I love You, Jesus.  

Change Can Be Good...or Not!

<sup>What if tomorrow morning, you stumble into the kitchen, turn on the coffee pot, and notice that someone has changed your favorite caffeinated beverage for the decaf kind?   What if, out-of-the-blue, your boss calls and says your one-week paid vacation for the year has been changed to a three-day paid vacation?  What if your spouse walks in and says that he/she has decided to change your house color to bright pink with black polka dots...just because?  

Change can be a wonderful thing.  And then, other times, not so much!   Sometimes, as a matter of fact, it could be very detrimental to our lives, our health, even our souls. 

Take Malachi 3:6, for example.  In that one simple little verse, God says something incredible...and very comforting at the same time:  "For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed." 

In Malachi's day, the children of God (the sons of Jacob) were worshiping idols, doing promiscuous things with women of other nations, and disregarding the care of the people around them.  They were playing games with serious, holy observances - games which God called, "detestable."  It was as if they had totally decided to be unfaithful, choosing to snub their nose at God, altogether.  

To make matters worse, they were oblivious to the fact that God cared about whether or not they were acting in such an unholy fashion.  They thought He was "okay" with their behavior, because He hadn't "done" anything about it. 

Well, that's where they were wrong. For you see, the ONLY reason God had not wiped them from the face of the earth was because of His unchanging nature.  He told them, "For I, the Lord, do not change."  

Oh...they changed.  The children of God's lives had gone from being living examples of their Father, to being living examples of the unholy world that surrounded them.  Yet, because God had made a covenant promise to Abraham a LONG time - a promise that his people would bless every other nation on earth - God did not destroy the "sons of Jacob" because of their sins.  Instead, He purified them.  

God's promise stayed the same.  He did not change...and He still doesn't. 

So, what's that mean for us?  

Well, let's put a different spin on some of the questions I asked earlier.  What if you woke up this morning and God decided to change in His promises towards you - His child?  What if He decided no longer to forgive you for that sin you have difficulty overcoming?  What if He decided His grace had limits, and you had reached the edge.  What if He decided that His love for you was conditional, not unconditional?   

See the devastating effects of that type of change? I can't even imagine.  

Therefore, while I have breath on this earth, I will always - and I do mean ALWAYS - be thankful and grateful that the God I serve DOES NOT CHANGE...that He does not remove His Spirit from me...that no matter what I do, He still loves me as His child and treats me accordingly.  

I thank You, Father.  Thank You that You do not change, nor is there ever a chance that You will.  I cannot be "bad enough" or "ugly enough" or even "mean enough" to cause You to turn away from me.  May that thought spur me on to love You more...to serve You more...to be more like You.  Thank You for Your grace.  Thank You for Your mercy...truly.  Thank You.</sup>