Courageous

Today I read the story of Daniel in the lion's den...

Daniel found himself thrown into the pit with the lions because he was praying for the people who put him in there. Talk about irony! Instead of praising God for His many blessings, the mouths of his accusers set him up to get him out of their way. Inadvertently, Daniel's faith got him in big trouble with the law of the land. Because he obeyed the voice of God, he wound up in a cave, sealed by a stone, and surrounded by hungry lions waiting to devour him. It seemed like there was no way out.

The pits are hell, ever been there? It's dark. It's cold. It's lonely.

Can you imagine what was going through his mind? Did he mentally wrestle with the critical messages of his accusers? Was he tempted to give up? Did he feel forsaken by God? Daniel was a guy just like you and me. He had bad days, struggles, doubts and fears. Sitting there in the dark, Daniel had absolutely no clue what was going to happen next, but he wasn't focused on the results.

He was focused on the Presence of God in the pit, and faith transformed fear into anticipation. Daniel had hope.

Daniel's Divine rescue unfolds, and we see King Darius running toward the lion's den after a sleepless night. "And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, 'Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?' "

Then Daniel said to the king, 'O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.' "

"So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God."

What a surprise! Darius had tried to save Daniel from his fate and failed. "Lamenting" he was expecting to find a group of burping lions. Instead, he hears God's verdict, and sees God's power and personal protection of Daniel. He was preserved in the pit by the King of kings. What an amazing discovery! What incredible joy he must of have experienced in that moment seeing what God did!

What
an
exciting
story.

Often, the very things we dread the most, turn out to be the very things that God uses to bless us and bring Himself praise. Courage is the confidence that what I have to say, or do, is true and right and just in the sight of God. It's in the dark pits that we discover the light of His Presence, and gain His strength. From faith to faith we get one blessing after another. That's good stuff!

What is your story? How can the "dark pits" of your life inspire others to hope in God?

Empty Pocket Faith

Recently I read the story about how Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. God reminded me that He is able to do over and above anything I can think or imagine. He's good like that. On that day, a disciple named Philip learned the same thing.

Here's the scene. There's 5,000 people that have been following Jesus and His crew around for days listening to Jesus and experiencing healing. The people are hungry, tired and needy and the disciples are feeling burned out.

Jesus is moved with compassion.

He tests Philip's faith factor by asking him, "Where are we going to buy bread to feed all these people?" Think about that for a minute. Isn't that kinda funny? What's even funnier is that Philip looked around at the circumstances, and the resources that were at hand, and came to a very logical conclusion, "Philip answered Jesus, 'Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not even enough for them each to have even a bite!'" Maybe after checking with Judas, who was the treasurer, Philip decided it was impossible since they didn't have enough money. "Lord, it can't be done."

Philip was being practical and pragmatic. Haven't we all been there too? He was thinking inside the box. The attitude was contagious because then Andrew caught it too. He chimed in, "Hey, there's a kid here who's got five loaves and a couple fish. But what good is that going to do since there's so many people to feed?" I can almost hear the discouragement in his voice. Philip must have asked Andrew to figure out exactly what they had to work with. Andrew agreed with Philip, it couldn't be done. "Lord, just send them all home."

They all were looking around at each other and what they didn't have while realizing their pockets were empty.

I love the honest transparency of people in the Bible. Just like me, often the disciples were like, "Duh, what?" So, Jesus says to them, "Make the people sit and rest in the green pasture." While they were doing nothing with nothing, Jesus takes what little they had, multiplies it exponentially, and feeds all of His sheep.

WOW! What a surprise! Can you imagine?

The whole thing got me to thinking. Sometimes God allows my pockets to empty out so He can grow my faith too. The tight squeeze reveals that I need His help. Jesus is compassionate. Empty pockets are a reminder that God is able the do the impossible with nothing. Jesus is able to provide everything that I need to do what He wants. My job is to simply put everything I have in His hands first. Like Philip, I have to rely on His power instead of my own strength. God reveals His surprises only after I've emptied out, not before.

Here is God's promise:
"God is able to make all grace abound to me, so that in all things at all times, having all that I need, I will abound in every good work."  2 Corinthians 9:8

Kingdom Vision - The Big Picture

As a Mom, one of the first things God taught me is that if I painted a mental picture of the future, prayed incessantly, and then kept reminding everyone where we were heading, by the grace of God, in spite of ourselves, somehow we'd get there.

Here is my vision of the future. Revelation 3:7-13; The loving family

Enjoying face to face fellowship with our redeeming King,
hearts wide open,
spirit filled,
humbly loving God our Father and doing what He says,
reflecting Christ-like character; love,
glorifying His Name in the power of the Holy Spirit; 3:7-8

Living courageously,
loving others, even our enemies,
waiting for God to judge, reward and repay,
knowing the truth always comes out in the long run; 3:9

Faithfully persevering through trials,
walking in truth,
experiencing God's protection both now and forever; 3:10

Ready for Christ's return,
Holding on tightly to the truth,
living victoriously,
trusting the promises of God; 3:11

Serving as pillars in the community,
living on earth as citizens of the Kingdom of God,
enjoying special intimacy with the King,
reigning in greatness as His servant leaders; 3:12

May we be receptive to what God is saying, 3:13
Amen

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

God be glorified in my life, my family and Your church. Amen!

Arise and Build

"See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant." Jeremiah1:10

"Building" is a great word.

From Genesis to Revelation God uses this constructive word to describe His work in building:
* A new house (Duet 20:5)
* The house of the Lord (1 Kings 6:1)
* The altar (Duet 27:6)
* A family (Ruth 4:11)
* A dynasty (Ps 89:4)
* A city that was in shambles (Neh 2:17)

In the context of the book of Jeremiah, the word "build" is used figuratively of the prophetic ministry of restoring the people of God.

Both judgment and restoration were messages of the prophet of God. He was called to both "destroy" and pull down enemy strongholds, as well as "build" and plant. Like a hammer, the truth can be used for both demolition and construction. God had officially and personally appointed Jeremiah to his authoritative position over the nations, and over the kingdoms of the world. God is in control of both. With God's words in his mouth, Jeremiah had the authority to stand before any ruler as an ambassador of God's everlasting Kingdom.

So do we. Truth has power, regardless of the response. Results are up to God.   

"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen" Matt 28:18-20