Day 60 - Mutual Faith

"It was a.blessing to us to be with like-minded people from a similar church background and share our lives."

It is refreshing to share thoughts, ideals and, most of all, faith. Sometimes you just need to hear that there are people out there who believe like you do. 

We can get so bogged down with news, social media and secular society that surrounds us that at times it seems like there isn't a sane person on the planet. If we continue in that belief we may get discouraged or depressed and find ourselves in the cave of doubt, hiding, and like the prophet Elijah telling God we are the only ones left.

The truth is that there are people out there who are sane. Not everyone shares the sentiment of the news media or the buzz on social media. Not every Christian is compromised. God has people all over the world who have not bowed their knee to a foreign god. 

How do you feel when you get with like minded people? How important are friends? 

Day 59 - Pistachio or Banana?

"I got Pistachio ice cream and it tasted like banana. One of the girls in the store also had Pistachio and heard us talking about bananas and confirmed that hers tasted like it too. The clerk at the counter went to the jar of pudding mix they use for it and smelled the powder and sure enough it was banana. It was good but seemed funny to think about."

Everything about that ice cream made me want to think that it was pistachio. It was green, it had chopped pistachio nuts on top of it. The clerk pulled out the jar with the boxes of pudding mix they used to flavor the ice cream and they all said pistachio. The one thing that was most important was not there...the flavor. 

I was so happy that I wasn't crazy. The guy who mixed the ice cream had to pull the mix out and smell it to be convinced. I knew something was wrong. 

It reminds me of the time someone made me some enchiladas and instead of vegetable oil they used blood orange flavored oil. As I was eating I remarked that there was a strong citrus flavor. The cook had a good laugh and complimented my taste buds. They had ran out of regular oil and thought they could sneak by with the blood orange. 

If we know the truth then when a counterfeit comes along we will know the taste is off. We need to sharpen our spiritual senses to be so in tune with God that the devil tries to switch the flavor we will be prepared to catch him and cast him out. Deception is tricky because it is deceptive. That is why it is important to stick with truth. No matter what package a lie comes in you won't be fooled by it. 

How can we sharpen our spiritual senses? How does knowing truth help you spot the lie? 

Day 58 - Pre-Marital Mayhem

"They are experiencing the premarital attack of the enemy. If the devil can keep two believers apart then he has sapped their effectiveness. One can put a thousand to flight but two can put ten thousand to flight. Why would the devil want effective Christians? So he tries to keep them separated or together in sin. Either way he wins. If we keep ourselves pure and come together in marriage we can become exponentially more effective."

During my engagement the company I worked for shut down it's local branch and I lost my job. We were freaking out. Add to that a whole lot of family tension and personal fears of the unknown and it makes for a heavy dose of the cold feet. Thankfully I had a great friend at the time who gave me some sound advice and pep talk I still remember to this day. 

People who want to get married need to know that the devil and all hell break loose against Christians when they get engaged. The devil hates marriage because it is a picture of Christ and the church. If the devil can halt or destroy a marriage he has succeeded in removing a witness of Jesus on the earth. That is why many people have battles before they get married that make them feel like they are on the journey in the movie The Princess Bride. (You didn't think I would talk about marriage without that reference did you?) 

In Ecclesiastes it speaks of the effectiveness of unity and says that a cord of three strands are not easily broken. In marriage that is the husband, wife and the Holy Spirit wrapped all around us. Keep God in the center of marriage and it will be wonderful. He invented it and wants it to be good. For the engaged I say keep it clean! You will be glad you did. If you have messed up, repent and commit your journey to the Lord. God will give you the grace to stay holy. To the single i say wait on the Lord. Sink yourself in Him and He will either fulfill you or bring you the right person at the right time in the right way. 

Did you encounter any trials before you got married? How can we stay pure before and in marriage?

Day 57 - Agents of Change

"I love the example of being a thermostat instead of a thermometer. We don't react to our environment we change it!"

We decide the atmosphere around us. We can either react and show the climate that surrounds us or we can set our hearts on God's truth and speak in agreement with His word until our surroundings change. Some would say we are just full of hot air and my response would be in this case 'exactly'. The more hot air we push out the more the cold world heats up. We are agents of change. 

Have you ever been in the midst of a heated argument and cooled it down with a kind word or an apology? You were the thermostat. A thermometer would only let its heat levels rise until it blew it's top. 

Rather than react lets respond with faith filled words and loving actions. As we do we will see the change in the world around us. 

Have you experienced being the thermometer or the thermostat? What advice would you give to someone wanting to be an agent of change? 

Day 56 - The Song of the Heart

"'Open our eyes Lord; we want to see Jesus.' This line from an old song came to mind after reading tonight's devotional. The desire for Christ should be our highest. It should move us, prioritize our lives, keep us and eventually bless us. They that seek shall find! And what a delight to find the One who is perfect, love incarnate, and the lover of my soul. My aim has been off. My focus blurred by things in the periphery. Thank you Lord for a realignment."

How refreshing to hear the songs of the heart. Whether it comes from a devotional, a scripture, or another song, it takes you to a place of intimacy. I think of Moses and Mary and others in the Bible who had songs bursting forth from their hearts. After battles and victories and of the greatest news of the coming Messiah spring out of their mouths. The richness of doctrine, prophecy and joy overwhelm. 

As I look at that one line that I remembered last year and the wealth of what it did for me then I see how God uses music, melody and repetition to place in our hearts His song and His plans. At the right moment my spirit was in tune and was singing a song I once sang and it ministered to me. What a delight. 

What song ministers to you? Have you ever had a song just rise out of your heart? 

Day 55 - The Dead Guys

"I like how my uncle says that he likes to read from the dead guys. There is something to that. Their life and the outcome has been proven. They have finished their race and the outcome of their faith plus the legacy that they left shows the work of God and trustworthiness of the writings they left. There are a ton of books out right now (many of them in my office) with authors literally giving them away in a desire that someone reads them as the latest and greatest. But a dead guy has no need of gain. Just a heart for what he believed and knew of God to be true. Especially if they ran to the end and endured. That is a book to be digested."

I think I am a bit book overloaded and reading fatigued. I can't read for enjoyment as much as I would like because I read so much for study on a daily basis. 

That being said even in my studies I still like to read after the dead guys. I get some of my best illustrations and insight from them. They have something to say because they endured and showed by their lives that what they believed was true. They are a part of the great cloud of witnesses now. 

I have also felt the disappointment of reading after someone and later they failed in their marriage or ministry. It makes me want to throw their book in the trash. Same thing when I read from someone who goes after a pet doctrine or the latest wave of teaching. Get the Holy Spirit's wisdom that He wants to express through you and write that down. Or just tell the story of what God is doing in you. That is worth hearing about. 

What dead guys do you like to read after? Which titles impacted you the most? 

Day 54 - The Purpose of Church

"I am overjoyed that we have a place where we can connect with God, use our gifts and relate with others."

The place I am referring to here is the church. I remember walking our campus that day watching the various ministries do what they do. Children were coloring pages about Bible stories, the cafe was filled with people, some talking, some listening to the message and taking notes. Our Spanish service was packed out and the message was passionate and being received (even though I didn't understand but a few words). 

It seems that in the blogosphere it has become cool and even common to bash the church. People get down on church. We need to remember that this isn't man's idea. It is God's plan for the earth. It is the pillar and the ground of truth. 

I know that there is the potential for hurt in the church but that shouldn't stop us from loving the church. Jesus said He would build His church. I want to help Him build what He is building. There was no other plan, no para-church organization or back up. 

Church is where we can connect with God like Jacob on his journey, dreaming of a ladder. God opens Heaven over Bethel, the house of God, the church, and speaks to us. 

Church is a place where we can use our gifts. God has given each one of us unique and powerful gift for ministry linked up with and for the benefit and growth of the church. As we all do our part God causes growth. 

Church is a place where we can relate with others. Our best friends and most trusted confidants are in church. Something happens when you know there are like minded people of faith on your side. Church will love you when the world will leave you. 

I love church! 

What is your favorite part of church? What would you add to my list of what happens in church?