Really, You are Not On an Island!

"Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? To be out of your
sight? If I climb to the sky, you're there! If I go underground,
you're there! If I flew on morning's wings to the far western horizon, you'd find me in a minute--you're already there waiting! Then I said to myself, 'Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I am immersed in the light!' It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you." (Psalm 139:7-12 Msg.).

The psalmist, through Gods revealed intent, makes it clear that we are never out of God's sight. Wherever we go, we cannot avoid His Spirit--whether it be "day" or "night".

Right now, at this very moment, wherever you are, whatever you are doing or thinking, God is right there with you. Is that a comforting thought? To me, it is. I know that whatever happens in my day, I am not walking the path alone. He is with me every step. In fact, Scripture makes it clear that, if I step aside, God lives through me throughout my day. As a good friend has said many times, "I am the glove--He is the hand inside."

But, how many times in your life have you felt as if you were on an island all by yourself? (Granted, in the short term, that concept my seem attractive given the stress and busyness that comes our way some days.) Sometimes, you feel that lonely feeling that you are facing life on this Earth all by your self. This feeling is a deception. The truth of the matter is that God is with you every step of the way. He promises "to never leave you or forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:8).

What great comfort that promise is! Whatever you are going through today--whether it is good or not so good--place your trust in the truth. The truth is--He is with you. And, He is completely trustworthy.

Thank you, Father, for your amazing promise that you will never
leave me alone. Whatever comes my way today, you know full well what your
plans are for me and that in all things you are drawing me closer to
you. I am content to be the glove. In your Son's
precious and glorious name, Amen!

Stay Strong.

A True Friend

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." (Proverbs 17:17 NASB).

I want to encourage you today to think about your friendships. Not just the people you know or have a casual acquaintance with, but those people that you share a deep connection and understanding with. Who are these people? And how did you get to this point in your friendship with them?

As Solomon notes in Proverbs, many times friendships grow deeper when confronted with some type of adversity or testing. Think about it--if a friendship has never been tested, how do you know it would survive that tough time? Please understand, I am not encouraging you to go out and purposely test all your friendships. After all, aren't there enough challenges in this world we live in without artificially creating more?

What I am saying is know full well that in the midst of adversity, God can use all things for good. (Romans 8:28). Maybe one of those good things is that your friendships will grow stronger and deeper. Speaking from my and my wife's experience after the ATV accident, the bonds between us and many of our friends were stretched and in that process made much, much stronger. We were extremely blessed by these friends. They knew just when to show up and what to do when we needed them the most. It was truly amazing to see God work in this regard and we are extremely grateful for and love each one.

Friendships don't just happen. They take time and effort. They start by opening yourself to others. Allow them into your life and to maybe see you when you are not at your best. That is what "sharing life" is all about--the good times and those not so good. Now is the time to pour your heart into others--not just to look ahead into the future, but to also make a difference in some one's life today.

Give thanks to God for the friends he has brought into your life. And if you don't have many friends, ask Him to bless your life with a few more.

Stay Strong.

The Lure of the Hook

"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:13-15).

I had the opportunity last week to take my 9 year old son walleye fishing. We traveled the day prior to our planned fishing outing to Lake Oahe in central South Dakota. We were both eagerly anticipating getting out on the lake to try our hand at catching our limit. As things went, our limit was a long way off--in fact, we were each 4 fish shy of catching our limit of 4 fish.

Really, it was not about the fishing so much as it was getting away--just he and I for some one-on-one time. But, it sure would have been nice if we would have caught some fish.

After reflecting a bit on the trip, I began to think about the "lure of the hook." When fishing, a fish generally nips at a baited hook several times before aggressively attacking it. They must sense the surprise under the bait. But still, the fish keep coming back for more.

If they know that danger is so close, why do they keep going for the bait? I think it is because the lure is too delectable and it distorts their ability to think long-term (assuming fish can think long-term).

Isn't this kind of how we approach sin? Sin is a trap yet so often we continue to nibble on the bait thinking we won't get caught. Fish can't enjoy all the bait and avoid the hook. We are foolish to think we can mess with temptation and disobedience without the possibility of getting caught.

Are there certain things that lure you in? You know the danger, but still you go for the bait. God knows you have this weakness. And He is waiting for you to turn to Him with a surrendered heart that says, "I can't fight this on my own, but I know you can." Give it to God who can strengthen you to rely on Him to withstand the temptation and the deception of the lure. You don't have to fight the battle alone.

Stay Strong.