God's Waiting Room

Psalms 130:5-6 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning— Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.

Today we consider that one thing that many of us do not like to do, and the one thing that can truly stretch and test our faith; especially during troubling times...waiting. How often have we played musical lanes at a store, as we measured which line we thought would move fastest; all because we did not want to wait for a long time? Being impatient is one of the greatest stumbling blocks for many of us in our walk with Jesus. How often do we find ourselves in a holding pattern because God has chosen to move in our life, in His time? This is when we face the greatest temptation to take control of a situation, and make the decisions that we think will bring about the best and quickest solutions; only to end up making things worse. The psalmist gives us the best example of what we need to do when God is saying, "Be still and wait." That example is simply to pray while we wait. The psalmist tells us that he waited on the Lord, and hoped in His Word. This is the confidence we can have as we wait for God to move in our lives; for our God is faithful and His Word can be fully trusted. We have many promises to hold on to as we wait; and we know that His promises are true, not because of the promises themselves, but because of the One making the promises. Our God is true to His Word, and will never go back on any of His promises. However, He works according to His timetable. Isaiah 55:8 clearly tells us that God's ways and thoughts are not our ways and thoughts. Psalms 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8 also remind us that with God a thousand years is like a watch in the night, or as one day, and one day as a thousand years. So if today we find ourselves in God's waiting room, we can rest assured that He is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28), and has put something together that is far better than anything we can conjure up on our own. Prayerfully wait on the Lord, for He always knows, and does, what is the absolute best for all His children. Yes, that includes you and me.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 7:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

The Path to the Perfect Day

Proverbs 4:18-19 But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. But the path of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

What path are we on today? Is it the path of righteousness, or the path of wickedness? What is the focus of our life? Are we following along with the world and agreeing with its wicked ways, or are we taking a stand for righteousness; not what we consider to be righteous, but that which God calls righteous? King Solomon compares the path of the just (or the righteous) to a day that begins with the dawning of light, and grows brighter unto the perfect day. For each of us who knows Jesus as our Savior and Lord, our life, the path we walk on, should be like the dawning of a new day. When we first accepted Jesus as our Savior that was the dawning of a new life where the Light of this world began to shine His light into our life. As we focused our attention on Him and began our journey of learning who He is, what He has done for us, and what He has called us to, the light in our life should be growing brighter; just as the light of day grows brighter as the sun rises higher and higher in the sky. Interestingly, the sun is not stationary, but also moves. However, the earth follows the sun while it (the earth) revolves and spins around it. The light of the sun grows brighter as parts of the earth turn to face it. So it is with the Son of God. It is only when we turn and follow the Son, and keep our focus on Him, that we are able to turn from the darkness, and allow His light to shine brighter in our own life. This is the light that we are called to bring to those who are still in darkness. This is a light that is not our own, but is reflected from the Son; just like the moon reflects the light of the sun to give light to the night. So I ask again, "What path are we on today? The path of light or the path of darkness?" We must continue to walk the path of the just, and continue to spread His light until we reach that perfect day when we will not only see Him just as He is; but also be transformed to be just as He is.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 7:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Avoiding the Folly of the Unwise

Proverbs 1:29-31 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies.

Sometimes God will give us exactly what we want. I say this, but not in a favorable way. The Word is clear that it is wise to choose the way of wisdom. She beckons and calls but, like everything else, God gives us free will to choose. Do we seek what is right in our own eyes? Do we choose what gratifies the flesh and our own corrupt desires, or do we choose wisdom by choosing God's truth, and the path He has already chosen for us? The reality of life is that God has gone above and beyond to show and prove His love for us. He reaches out to us by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Yet, He allows us the ability to decide whether we will respond in favor of accepting His offer, and living for Him, or rejecting Him and living for self. The remarkable thing about our God is that even when we choose salvation, He allows us the choice of following Him and His plan for our lives; or following our own path. Sadly, for the ones who choose Satan and his ways, and reject God's salvation in Christ, and His perfect plan, there is eternal condemnation and no possibility of gaining eternal life, once they have closed their eyes in death. For those of us who choose God but insist on choosing our own path, and ways, there is hope because God will chasten us in order to redirect our attention toward Him, and redirect our path onto the one He has for us. However, I must warn each of us of one thing; God may be gracious enough to turn us around, but He will allow us to make ourselves our own worst enemy when He allows the painful consequences of choosing our own selfish ways. The bottom line is this...when we reach the crossroad of God's path and our path, wisdom shouts, "Choose God's way!" So today, let us choose wisdom, by choosing God and His way; thereby avoiding the folly of the unwise who always choose their own way and the path of pain and destruction.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 7:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Turn Before It's Too Late

Proverbs 29:1 A man who hardens his neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.

Why do we insist on acting as if God is the enemy? When God chastens us, when He corrects and reproves us, why do we insist on continuing to do things our way, as if we know best? Sadly, what God does for our good, and in love, most people view as oppressive. We believe the devils when they whisper in our ears and tell us that God is nothing more than a "wet blanket" who just does not want us to enjoy life. However, that is the opposite of who God is, or why He does what He does when he chastens us. God knows the harm and destruction that results from living a sinful life. He knows what dabbling in a little of this or that will lead to. As a matter of fact, when God reproves and chastens us, it is evidence that we are His children (Hebrews 12), and true evidence of His love for us. However, there will come a time, for those who insist on hardening their hearts and being stiff-necked, that God says, "Enough is enough!" That is when painful consequences emerge and can potentially destroy our life and testimony for Christ. Even worse is the tragedy of one who refuses to acknowledge, and rejects, the offer being made by God, in Christ, life eternal. Romans 1 clearly tells us what the tragic results are of hardening our hearts, to the point where God finally gives man over to their own corrupt thinking and way of life. The ultimate tragedy is that of one whose end is death, with no possibility of ever having eternal life; and instead perishing for all of eternity. My brothers and sisters, we may not be in danger of eternal punishment, because we already have Jesus, but we are not exempt from painful and regrettable consequences, when we refuse to repent and confess those sins we hold on to as "pet sins". A time will come when God will correct His children, even if it means that the consequences of such rebellion, and refusal to listen to God's chastening, lead to a lifetime of pain, while we are still here on earth. So, if God is dealing with us at this moment, and trying to get us to see that He loves us, by chastening us, we must not harden our hearts. The enemy is silently waiting for the opportunity to bring destruction into our lives; and although it is not God who is the enemy, He will allow consequences to come if we become stiff-necked. Turn before it is too late!

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 7:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Better To Be Poor

Proverbs 28:6 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is crooked though he be rich.

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" These two questions that Jesus asked in Mark 8:36-37, should make us stop and seriously consider what it is we are pursuing in life. Are we living to gain more and more of what the world has to offer? Have we bought into the devils' lies that we will be happier if we gain more of the world's riches? Are we pursuing fame and recognition because it promises to bring more material wealth? If so, what are we having to compromise in order to gain it? Who are we supposed to cheat, and lie to? What dishonest script has the world written for us that promises riches, if we follow it? What will we have to do in order to "take care of number 1", namely ourselves? The Word of God makes it very clear that it is better to have less of what the world offers, with integrity, than to be rich and dishonest. This is not to say that every poor person has integrity, or that everyone who is rich is dishonest. God is simply telling us that it is far better to live in accordance to His Word, than to compromise the truth for the sake of gaining the world's riches, which some day will perish. 1 Timothy 6:6 clearly tells us, "Now godliness with contentment is great gain." Why is that? Verse 7 tells us, "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out." The Apostle Paul goes on to tell us to be content with having food and clothing. In other words, contentment comes with simply being satisfied with what God chooses to provide for us; as He has promised to meet all our needs. In the end, when we breathe our last breath, the only things that will matter is whether we accepted and knew Jesus; and whether or not we truly lived our life here surrendered to Him. The rich man of Luke 16 lived a rich life here, but suffered for all eternity when death came to visit. Lazarus lived life as a poor beggar, but when death came to visit him, he became eternally wealthy. I would have to say that in the end, Lazarus gained the greatest reward. It is far better to have less and live for Jesus than to have all the world has to offer; but in the end wind up in the place that was created for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 7:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Only God Knows

Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

James 4:13-16 reminds us that boasting of what we will do today, tomorrow, or the next day is evil. It is evil because the basis for the boasting is arrogance. When we boast about the future, we say that we know better than God that tomorrow will come, and that the plans we made will come to pass. Do not get me wrong, this does not mean that we should not plan for the future. However, when we do plan, we must keep in mind that God tells us that life is like a vapor (James 4:14), and that we do not know what tomorrow will bring. In Luke 12 Jesus told the parable of the rich fool. In that parable the rich fool made plans to build greater barns than what he had, in order to store his crops. In response to this man's plans God said, in verse 20, "Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?" The reality of life is that we do not know what is going to happen from one moment to the next. This does not mean that we should live life being paranoid. What it does mean is that we must live this life trusting the Lord with every moment and in every circumstance. We must trust that He knows what is happening, and what is going to happen. We must trust that the future is in His hands, and whenever we make our plans, we make them in pencil and give God the eraser. For this reason James tells us in verse 15 that when we make our plans we say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." The bottom line is that when it is all said and done, only God knows.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 7:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Stop the Chase

Proverbs 23:4-5 Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

Let us stop for a moment and take inventory of what we have gained in life so far, materially speaking. How much of what we have gained, whether little or much, can we take with us when we die? As a born again believer, how much of what we have gained here on earth has heavenly value attached to it? If the economy were to collapse this very second, how much of what we have would we lose or be of much value? These questions should really make us think and reevaluate how we are living, and who we are living for. The reality of this life is that nothing that we can gain here is secure. Though we are to be diligent to work and provide for our families, we are not to make our jobs, or the wealth we gain from our jobs, our gods. In Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." He went on to say in verse 24, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." The one thing we can be sure of is that when the gain of money and material wealth becomes the focus and goal of our lives, loyalty to God, and His will, becomes secondary and eventually nonexistent in our lives. The chase for what we do not have begins, and like the eagle who takes flight, the more we grasp at it, the further away it will go; and the further from God it will take us. Sadly, the end result will be our earthly ruin, and our poverty in respect to what really counts...our heavenly rewards. Far too many of us are trading what is eternal and permanent for what is earthly, carnal, and temporary. Let us seek that which brings true wealth; that is, the things of God that bring Him glory and bring heavenly reward. I will leave us with the words found in 1 Timothy 6:6-10, "But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." If we have begun this pursuit, we need to stop the chase.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 7:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).