Genesis 1:3-4 "Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness."

Are you afraid of the dark?

My kids are getting closer to the age of losing that fear.  Last year when we went camping to star gaze my son was very uncomfortable being out after the sun went down and any time we were driving around after dark last year he would tell us it was time to go home.  Now he seems to be unbothered by it.

Since the beginning, God has been separating the light from the darkness and, within our souls, he is still doing it.  There is a boundary between darkness and light that is not muddied, I believe God defined that boundary in this passage and it has never been blurred since.  Yet, darkness and light reside next to each other until the end of time.

When I gaze at the night sky, I do so looking for light.  There would be no draw if the stars were not there.  The light defines and breaks through the darkness, in this, I find beauty.  In the light, I find warmth and power and strength.

As I begin a new day, I seek light in the midst of darkness.  Our world seems to embrace the darkness but I believe it is a twisted way of seeking light.  One day he will come in all his glory to end the battle between darkness and light, good and evil, brokenness and wholeness.  Until then, I will continue to seek light in the darkness, and strive to be a light for others to see until we are all embraced in his holy light.

Lord,

You created all things from a formless void and darkness.  Your Spirit moves and light fills the void.  You know the darkness that lurks in our world and in our hearts today.  I pray that the world would release its hold on darkness and embrace your light.  I pray that all souls would release their hold on darkness and embrace your light.  Until that day, use me to be a beacon of light for others, to your glory.  Amen.

Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

It is the season for Vacation Bible School around here.  Many churches have their banners displayed encouraging people to come.  My church is hosting VBS this week and it is in full swing.

I knew my kids and I could not attend for the full week and I was struggling to find a reason to go for only two of the five sessions.  I am glad I relented.  My kids had a great time both sessions that they attended.  My daughter loves the music and singing, my son loves the games and activities, they both had a great time.

I was “volunteered” to lead the VBS bible story yesterday and as I read this passage this morning it struck me: this is one way we provoke others to love and good deeds; this is one way we encourage others!

As the kids and I embark on another annual star-gazing trip with my Dad, I will keep this passage tucked in my heart.  I pray I will encourage others and provoke love and good deeds in whomever I meet.

Lord,

Thank you for outreach by the churches to the communities around them.  Help me reach out as well.  Let this scripture compel me to action even more through your Spirit.  As the Day approaches let me be loving and encouraging to others.  Amen.

** I will be out of contact from now through the weekend - please watch for Word for Today to appear again on Monday - until then,

Blessings!

Philippians4:4-5 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  Let your gentleness be known to everyone.  The Lord is near.”

God is good.

There are so many things in this world that can distract us or lead us away from abiding in God and this morning I was reminded how those distractions usually end up.  In the past when I have discounted the power of God, or chosen not to let him lead my steps, I have invariably suffered pain, loss, and humiliation.  Looking for love and fulfillment in man has been a dismal failure.  Human love will never fill my heart or make me complete in the way I need to be.  It has taken me way too long to discover this and the sad part is that I still search for fulfillment in man.  It is human nature to seek fulfillment.

I believe God put that desire in our hearts so that we would search for him and find that we are complete in him.  How many times will I fail to remember that only he can give me my heart’s desire?

“The Lord is near.”  He is with us waiting to be called on to fill our heart’s desire and to bring wholeness back to us.  It is in his fulfillment that I am able to go forth, showing gentleness to

others.  He is so gentle with me; I cannot help but rejoice in him.

Lord,

I praise your name and rejoice in your love!  You are near; your love and peace are here to restore and sustain me.  Fill me up Lord.  I want to share the gift of gentleness in this world today.  I do everything in glory to you.  Amen.

Mark 8:18 “Do you have eyes, and fail to see?  Do you have ears, and fail to hear?  And do you not remember?”

Do you pay attention?  I am sad to say I think I do not, at least most of the time.

I think of countless times my kids have asked me if I saw or  heard something and I am often humbled when people say do you remember when... The truth is, I did not see, hear or remember what they are asking about.

If I am going through my days on “auto-pilot”, not seeing, hearing, or remembering, it makes me wonder how often I do this spiritually as well.

When I really open my eyes I see God all around.  When I listen with intent I know I hear him clearly.  I need to pay more attention; turn off the auto-pilot and be in the moment.  Just as I need to see, hear and remember in my daily life, I also must strive to do this spiritually.

More important than what I see and hear with my body is what I see and hear with my soul.  These are the things I need to remember.  When I do, I am able to serve and glorify God as he intended, in body, mind and spirit.

Lord,

Forgive my self-inflicted blindness and deafness.  Remove the fog of forgetfulness from my mind. Remove my blinders and earplugs so I am no longer able to ignore what you want to show me and what you want to tell me.  There is much to see and hear.  There is much you want me to remember, I ask for your help in this so that I am able to be the servant you intended me to be.  Amen.

Isaiah 55:2 “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.”

Pick your poison – a phrase I have not heard in a long time...

As that phrase came to mind I thought “an interesting choice of words”. Why would something we want be poison?

Isaiah asks why we spend our money for that which is not bread and work for that which does not satisfy. It seems many I know, myself included, spend our money and time and labor searching for something that will fill us and leave us completely satisfied. We are invariably disappointed with our attempts. Bread may satisfy our bellies for a brief time but we will need to eat again. We work until we are bone tired and then have nothing left to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

When we stop working and spending for our own desires and listen to the Lord more carefully he will satisfy our needs and desires beyond our imagination. When we eat of the Lord's table we are able to delight in rich food, food that will not leave us in want.

Do we spend our money for spoils and things that leave us feeling empty? Does that new gadget or “toy” finally fulfill our desire? Maybe for the moment, but not for long. Do we work to save for that vacation we so desperately need but then have no time for vacation because we only know how to work? Stop and listen carefully to the Lord.

He will guide your labor and your investments. Allow him to feed you what is truly good and delight in his rich food.

Lord,

Help us see beyond the material desires and seek your spiritual nourishment above all else. What we can provide for ourselves leaves us empty. Please fill us with your rich food so we are truly able to delight in it and you always. Amen.

2 Peter 3:8 “But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.”

What is time anyway?

I have thought about time and our measurement of it off and on for quite some time now and when I came to this passage in 2 Peter, I paused.  One of the commentator writings in my Bible states that we, in the western civilizations, struggle with the concept of time not always marching forward like the ticking of our clocks.  How true is that?!?  I love my calendar and my watch and my clocks, I practically live by them.  I have mentioned in past writings how they threaten to take over my life sometimes.

The Lord our God did not create time as we see it, I really believe this.  So when I read these words of Peter, they make sense to me.  There is ebb and flow in nature and I suspect there is ebb and flow in the passage of eternity.

I do not know how this works but I do know this.  Love transcends time and God is Love.  We have an unknown window of time to share this love with everyone we can until that moment when he comes again.

Lord,

We get so locked into time as we know it that we struggle to understand what is taking so long.  We thought you would be here again by now.  Help us hear the words of Peter as you would speak them to us.  You are bigger than our concept of time, you will come.  Until then, let us love as we are loved by you.  Amen.

Psalm 136:1 “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

When I read this psalm this morning, it took a little bit of persistence and perspective.

The first three verses are all the same; “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” Then every odd numbered verse states that his steadfast love endures forever.  The final verse of this Psalm tells us once more to give thanks for his steadfast love.

On the surface the verses seem very disjointed and disconnected.  There is hardly a complete thought before this mantra steps in again.  It is tempting to just skip over that repeated part and just read the other parts but I would be missing the point, I think.

Intertwined with all things; all activities, all doings, all thoughts there is an underlying truth.  When I am doing dishes, shopping for groceries, mopping floors, teaching, making music, whatever it is, the underlying truth remains that God is good and his steadfast love endures forever.
No matter what today holds, let’s give thanks to the Lord.  He is good and his steadfast love endures forever!

Lord,

Thank you for this mantra.  My soul can whisper these words all day and all night.  When other thoughts begin to take over, help me undergird them with this one.  At the core of everything is this truth I hold in my heart today.  I thank you Lord, for you are good and your steadfast love endures forever.  Hallelujah and Amen!