I was out on my scooter today and traveled through this dirt road. It was absolutely beautiful out and a perfect day for a ride.The road that connects on the other side of this dirt road has just been paved and is a much smoother ride…so when I entered this road I thought to myself, “how come they can’t just pave this road too?” but then I got to thinking…

I like the dirt road.

I like the road less traveled.

Sure, it’s got potholes, rocks, twists and turns, and definitely is harder to travel on…But when I think about this concept spiritually, I think we are called to this.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.(NIV) But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” (NLT) Matthew 7.13-14

The road less traveled keeps me on my toes, keeping me from growing complacent. You can’t just coast along, it requires your full attention. It requires nothing to make the easy choice and take the easy way out. The road less traveled will cost you, but it will be more than worth it.

Maybe you are currently at a crossroads in your life. Maybe you have some big decisions that need to be made and you’re not sure which road to take. Let the verse in Matthew echo in your heart and help you with the choice you need to make.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost

I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle.  I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.  ~Mother Teresa

Today is rainy. As I sit in my living room with a hot cup of tea, staring out the windows and watching the rain fall, I can’t help but notice how everything looks a little more sad when it’s raining. The trees look cold. They look like they have their heads down and are huddling together for warmth. I also notice how sometimes a rainy day plays with my own emotions and puts me in an altered, more pensive mood.

As I begin to reflect on my life and equate rain with spiritual hardship, I hear a whisper in my soul saying,  ”rain is necessary; it brings growth…life.” Much like in our spiritual lives, hardships, trials, and going through the valley is a necessary part of our lives. That is how we grow as Christians.

I’m reminded of the verse in Matthew 28 “And surely I am with you always…” I find comfort in that. I know that whatever I’m going through ultimately will bring about growth and strengthen who I am and my relationship with Christ.

Maybe you are going through something in your life. Maybe you feel like it’s raining on you. Find peace and comfort and know that whatever you may be going through will cause you to grow if you allow it too.

So for today…the rain is OK.

When was the last time you just stopped to stare at the night sky? When was the last time you stopped what you were doing to enjoy a sunset? When was the last time you got up early to experience a sunrise?

God is awesome. I mean really awesome, he created the whole universe. Psalm 33:6 says, “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.” God breathed out the stars! He is awesome… worthy of awe. When was the last time you were awed by God?

I never mean to get to a place where I lose that sense of awe for God, where the extraordinary becomes the ordinary. Where his mighty becomes my mundane. Where his creation doesn’t move me. But it happens doesn’t it? We get too busy in life to appreciate what he made for us. We get so focused on our agenda that we get tunnel vision and our scope on life narrows. Our heads are down.

Stop, and look up! Show God affection by being awed by what he made. Worship him by admiring his craftsmanship.

Go to a beach, stand before an ocean and watch a sunset…its awesome! Go to the mountains and watch a sunrise…its awesome! Go to a field in the country and stare at the stars…its awesome!

God is incredible. He is big, mighty, and awesome…we just need to look up.

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”   ~Proverbs 2:1-6

The Bible…what a gift! We have the words of God right at our fingertips.

I recently read an old journal entry of mine from over 3 years ago and in it I went off on a small rant about how it’s so common to take the Word of God for granted and how easy it is to read the Word without any type of zeal or passion. Needless to say, this hit kind of hard but in a good way…I needed that reminder.

The fact that we have incredible religious freedom in this country is a huge blessing. The fact that we can carry Bibles in public and attend whatever type of church we want is a huge blessing. The very fact that God breathed into these words and now we have complete access to them without consequences is a HUGE blessing.

The Bible is the best selling book of all time!

The Bible is the best selling book of the year…every year!

91% of American households have at least 1 Bible and the average American household has 4!

Let us be reminded that we have an incredible opportunity to dive into the Word without fear, and that these words that we read have power and authority in the life. Let us be re-inspired to want to spend time reading these words and getting to know our Lord and Saviour better. Amen!

What a gift!

I am no fisherman, but I did catch that beauty the other day…good lookin Bass.

While I was out fishing though, I kept thinking about that verse in Mark where Jesus says, “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” (1:17) What a powerful statement it must have been for those guys to hear. They dropped what they were doing, left their profession, their career, their business and followed Jesus. The next verse says that they immediately left their nets and followed him. There was no hesitation.

I realize that in my life, even when the Lord calls me to do something, I sometimes hesitate. I don’t always go so willing like the disciples seemed to. Hesitation can cost a lot. In fishing it can mean the difference between catching that fish or never seeing it again. If you don’t set the hook fast enough… it’s bye-bye fishy. Not too many second chances.

Jesus calls us to be fishers of men. So now we are dealing with souls…Hesitation now costs even more because lives are at stake. I think hesitation is something to be examined in our walk with the Lord. I want a walk where I’m so sure in my God and who He is that I don’t need to hesitate. I want a relationship where I can trust him fully with not just my heart and soul, but also with my mind…my logic. (I think this is sometimes harder to do.)

I want to be in a place where if the Lord says to me, “Come”, I’ll immediately drop what I’m doing and follow Him.

How about You?

Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. (Mark 1:17-18 NKJ)

“The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” –Proverbs 11:25 NLT

I love words. I love finding out about the original meanings of words and how in the english language the same word can have so many different meanings. I was delighted when I found this the other day. So lets take this verse in Proverbs as an example:

“The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.” –Proverbs 11:25 NKJ

This is an example of the principle of reciprocity. It is found all throughout Scripture. (i.e. Give and it shall be given unto you…(Luke 6) or Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you…(James 4)) But this verse has some more depth to it then meets the eye.

The word water uses two different Hebrew words. The first time, the Hebrew word for water is ravah and has to do with satisfying a thirst. The second time, the Hebrew word for water is yara meaning “to pour out like rain, descend like a shower, fill up by a deluge, flow like waters from a cloudburst.”

Dick Mills adds this: “So with a little imagination, we could interpret this verse: ‘If your give someone a cup of cold water in the name of the Lord, He will give back to you the whole reservoir!’”

Wow, I don’t know about you, but I like the sounds of that. That is quite a promise. I encourage you to think about the principle of reciprocity this week (plus it sounds cool!) In the kingdom of God, a little can truly go a long way! Be Blessed.

I’ve recently finished an Erwin McManus book that had quite of bit of wisdom in it. The book was called, Wide Awake. It is one of those books that you feel like you could underline and highlight almost every sentence. Here is just a short tidbit of something that struck me.

“Have you ever wanted something so badly, and you finally got it–and then it owns you? The object of your desire became the beginning of your demise. You can become self-destructive in the pursuit of pleasure. This is how addictions become life dominating patterns. Up front, most of the things that destroy us are extremely enjoyable…

You were created to enjoy, but make sure you enjoy what you were created for. Your desires can lead you astray; “because it feels good” is not a good compass for life. We should make decisions that enhance our joy for a lifetime rather than sacrificing joy for momentary pleasure.”

So to say the least, this was quite a reminder for me to check myself. It forced me to look in the mirror and see what things in my life have crossed that fine line between enjoyment over into something unhealthy. We should all take a step back, regain perspective, and then refocus our efforts on what really matters and what is really important.

Anyone else need this reminder?

“In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”   –Proverbs 3:6 NIV

Most of you reading this have probably read and heard this verse a thousand times, I know I have; but I have never really thought of it from the perspective that I am about to share. Another version of this verse says: “… he will direct your paths.” The key word we need to look at is direct.

I was recently reading a devotional of mine that spoke on this particular verse…here’s some of what it had to say:

“Do you recall what automobile travel was like in the days before the development of modern highways? Most roads were narrow and winding as they followed the natural contour of the land. Traffic was slow and visibility limited. Motoring was dangerous and tiring. It seemed to take forever to get anywhere. Now, by way of contrast, picture a modern interstate highway as it is laid out across the landscape. Today, rather than allowing the terrain to dictate the shape of the road, skilled engineers using heavy-duty equipment, huge earth-moving vehicles, and blasting powder, cut a wide, straight path through every kind of natural obstacle and barrier. As a result, land travel has become so much easier, quicker, and safer. Due to carefully banked curves, graduated ascents, and increased visibility, traffic now glides safely and smoothly.

That is what this verse promises us. Bring the Lord into all your plans, and He will clear the road for you. “…he will direct your paths” Direct is used as an adjective to indicate the shortest route between two  points, as the most direct route from one city to another. The Lord’s guidance will always keep us from having to follow a round-about path. He will clear the road ahead of us and get us to our destination by the safest, straightest route possible. No back roads, no detours, no roadblocks, no lost time.”

“Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.”  – Proverbs 3:6 CEV

I love hearing a new and fresh perspective on an old verse…God Bless you all this week!

God is most powerfully present even when he seems most apparently absent.  ~Pete Wilson

This one sentence has always stuck with me. I have heard Pete say this a few times now and what a powerful reminder it is.

I have lately really found peace in this. We can’t deny that there is a lot of crazy thing happening in this world right now. There is always going to be this tension between right and wrong, good and evil, light and darkness…but the truth is, no matter what, God is present.

Through the good, the bad, and the ugly, He is there. Whether we feel him or not, He is there. God is permanently present. He will never leave us nor forsake us. I am not personally going through any type of adversity right now, but I know plenty of people who are and the point is, the Lord is with us both. Even in my mountaintop experiences, God is present. When I feel like I’m alone in the valley, God is present.

Maybe today is an awesome day for you, the sun is shining and nothing can hold you down…may you remember that He is there and present. (and you should thank him (wink)) But maybe your having a really rough day, maybe you feel alone or afraid. Maybe you’re walking through the valley now…may you remember, God is with you, He is there…permanently.

Anybody else need that reminder?

There seems to be so much bad happening in the world right now. We have war, terrorism, natural disasters, flooding, sickness, pain, suffering the list goes on. Lots of Plan B’s.   You may be plagued with so many questions…   A million why’s?

It’s ok…ask them.

Do you remember when you were a kid and so curious about everything going on around you? Maybe you’ve noticed these types of kids. They ask sooo many questions? “Why does that happen?” “How is this made?” “Where do these come from?” “How old is that?” “How far are we from here?” “Is this real?” “Can I have this?” some of these kids just never stop. But as adults I notice we don’t seem to ask as many questions anymore. We seem afraid. We seem to have lost that child-like faith where we go to God so sincerely and innocently and ask Him any question and every question.

It’s ok…ask them.

But why are we afraid to ask questions? Do we think that we will annoy God and he will get upset at us? Maybe. Do we think that now that we are adults we know everything and so there is no need to ask questions? Maybe. I think most of us are afraid to ask questions because we simply feel to embarrassed or ashamed that this certain question even entered our mind? We think, “I’m too upset to ask this question right now.” or “God doesn’t want to here my complaining, I’m not gonna bother him with this.” The questions we have may startle us, but not God.

It’s ok…ask them.

God wants us to question, to ask, to ponder, to wrestle, and for us to be honest and talk with him. It’s part of our relationship with the Lord. Look at the writers of Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and Job… they all were asking gut-wrenching, passion-filled, heavy questions. Margaret Feinberg says, “If prayer was a safe place for those men and women to get brutally honest with God, then shouldn’t it still be safe for us today?”

“Going a little ahead, he fell to the ground and prayed for a way out: “Papa, Father, you can—can’t you?—get me out of this. Take this cup away from me. But please, not what I want—what do you want?”    Mark 14:36

Even Jesus asked questions.

It’s ok…ask them… He’s listening.