Something Don’d on Me! (trust)

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” Isaiah 55:8
 

The great Mark Twain once said, “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” Isn’t it funny how that proves to be true time and time again?

When we are younger, and Dad says, “This is the way you do that,” we usually say “SURE!” But then as we get older, it’s easy to say “O what does he know? I can find a better way!” But then when we get MUCH older…we often figure out that he was pretty smart to begin with!
 
I wonder why we do that with God? When we are younger, “Jesus Loves me, this I know-for the Bible tells me so.” We trust that WHAT He says is true…and WHY He says it, is for my good! But as we grow older and listen to our culture, it’s easy to drift off and say, “Oh that Bible is outdated! Those concepts have changed over time! We know better!” But sadly…some NEVER return to understanding how Good God really is, and how MUCH TRUTH is really in His Word!
 
I was really overwhelmed with that this last weekend when we were singing, “Greater Things” with the Praise Team! Listen to some of these lyrics:

“You never fail…You never will…I’ll trust Your Name, for Greater Things.
You will come through…You always do…I’ll trust Your Name for Greater Things!”

Do we? Do we REALLY TRUST that He will come through? I’m afraid, too often, like we do with “Dad”…we think we have a better “IDEA” of how things should work!
 
Our enemy comes in and whispers, “You know better what you need!” “God’s not working on your time-you should do something about it!” “Those Bible rules don’t apply anymore! We’ve outgrown that!” That’s what he told Eve in the Garden…and he keeps doing it even today! Don’t listen to him…and don’t listen to your SELF…listen to the God whose ways are “far beyond anything we could imagine!” (Isaiah 55:8)
 
The next verse in Isaiah (after the one at the top) says, “My ways are higher than your ways. My thoughts are higher than your thoughts!” That’s GOD talking there…and He’s TELLING us, “Look…I really DO know better! Listen to me!” Mark Twain finally figured out that his dad was smarter all along. Maybe it’s time we learned that about OUR Heavenly Dad?

He WILL come through…because He KNOWS more than we do! He HAS been there…and He KNOWS how things work out! He has seen our fight…FROM THE VICTORY! Trust His Words…and His Ways!
 
Shalom Alachiem- Peace be to you all!
Don



Let Me Be Frank… (promises)

“For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Marea and I love hiking.  It’s great exercise and beautiful pictures.  I’m not quite sure how many panorama pics my iPhone can hold, but I aim to find out.  Hiking gives you time to think (amidst the huffing and puffing) so I found myself settling on the promises of God. 

Random side note – (because this is how my brain works) – Ever wonder why we say, “in Jesus’ name we pray?”  Most likely it is this verse found in 2 Corinthians and written by Paul.  “That is why it is through Him (Jesus) that we utter our amen to God.”

All the promises of God find their “yes” in Jesus Christ.  There are many throughout the Bible, but I would be willing to bet there is one or two that you keep coming back to daily.  Mine is “He will not leave you or forsake you” (Deut 31:6 ESV).

There are two types of hikes a person can take.  One is the “maverick…” you hike through the wilderness without a path to tell you where to go.  You better have an app for that (we use AllTrails) and a bit of cell service.  But as we blazed a trail we checked our app.  It didn’t matter how far we went, the app always showed us the way home.

The second type (my typical) is the “stay on the path and don’t deviate from it” hike.  The name pretty much says it all.  You stay on the path, knowing there is a destination on the other side.  But don’t worry if you lose your way, because He will never leave you.

It’s easy in the here and now to forget the already and not yet of Jesus Christ.  We get so absorbed in the “hike of life” that we forget to rely on Him for direction.  WWJD is as relevant today as it was when it first arrived on the scene (quote arrived in 1886, we started wearing the bracelets in the 1990’s). 

What would Jesus do?  How do we know?  If He says He’ll never leave us, then He’s always close by.  May we be led by Him in thought and deed.  May our direction be determined by our Savior.  And may our “hike of life” be a beautiful journey of kindness, love, grace, and purpose.

I can’t wait to share with you this weekend!

Soli Deo Gloria



Let Me Be Frank… 6-17-20

1 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Psalm 37:1-7

 
We started working on the yard a couple of months ago and it became apparent that a pick ax was not going to be sufficient for tilling the ground before we xeriscaped.  We borrowed my mom’s cultivator and my buddy and I got it running.  It’s a small piece of equipment and we have a big yard but I had high hopes.  The cultivator roared to life and then kept roaring.  It started reving faster and faster and then all of a sudden it stopped.  It didn’t do anything after that.  I don’t know the final diagnosis, but that day was a powerful example of what happens when I overheat.
 
Psalm 37 is an acrostic poem.  Each stanza begins with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.  That, in itself, is pretty awesome, but David has more to say than just “how do I use the letter ב?”  There are four positive instructions (do this) in verses 1-7 and David gives one negative instruction in verse 1.  “Do not fret.” 
 
Negative, to me, means “I did something wrong again.”  That’s another subject for another article (or five), but negative here means “stay away from this, it won’t help you.”  A renovation of my heart means I’m going to have to listen and let God work in my life. 
 
The word translated “fret” means “to burn, to get heated up.”  And when I overheat, I stop working.  I freeze.  I miss out on the Promises of God.  I focus on my circumstances and I don’t see the forest for the trees.
 
“Do not fret.”  I know I’m not supposed to fret and worry, but how do I stop that?  How do I change my outlook, my perspective, when my default is to fret?  The next instructions provide the answer.
 
“Trust in the Lord and do good…  Take delight in the Lord…  Commit your way to the Lord… and rest in the Lord.”
 
There will be days when I start to overheat.  And when those days come, I will rest in the Lord.  There will be days when I’m not sure what the next step should be.  And in those days, I will commit my way to the Lord.  My peace and fulfillment?  It comes from the Lord when I delight in Him.  And I will trust in the Lord because I can speak of His faithfulness.  When we being to overheat from the pressures of the world, may we remember to cool ourselves in the shadow of His Wings.
 
Can’t wait to worship with you this weekend!
We are Central… and we’re in this TOGETHER! 
SOLI DEO GLORIA
-F