Navigating the Unknown

Life is full of unforeseen twists and turns. A job loss, a death, a difficult diagnosis, a child in serious trouble, a decision that shakes your family – we all will face life-altering situations. We will all ask, “What do I do now?” “Where do we go from here?” “How will I cope with this?” It’s pretty unnerving to not know what’s up ahead. I understand this uncertainty very well. As I pray and seek God’s Word, these are the promises I’m clinging to.
God is my guide along the way – “[The Lord] leads me…He guides me…” (Ps 23: 2, 3). God knows where I’m going – even if I don’t. He knows the path I must take and what challenges lie ahead. He knows the best place to cross the river and where to stop and rest for the night. I can follow Him with confidence because He is a good guide.
God is always with me – “The Lord your God will be with you where you go” (Jos 1:9). God knows I need the comfort of His presence as I make my way through unknown territory. He knows I will become anxious and I will have sad days. He also knows I will wander from the path if I lose sight of Him. He is carefully attentive to me, knowing when I need encouragement, strength, help and comfort.
God will provide along the way – “These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything” (Deut 2:7). As He guided them through the wilderness, God provided the Israelites with water (Exodus 15:22-25; 17:1-6), food (Ex 16:4; Num 11:31-32) and even kept their clothes from wearing out – for forty years (Deut 29:5). Jesus reminds me that my Heavenly Father knows all my needs, and is committed to providing all things for me if I will trust in Him (Matt 6:25-33).
I don’t know what uncertain path looms large before you, but God does. He has promised to be with you, to care for you, and to lead you all the way. To where? Your heavenly home. You and I may not be able to see what tomorrow holds, but we know Who holds tomorrow. Take His hand and let Him lead you, Beloved, He not only knows the way, He is The Way.

Promises and Prophecies

Yesterday the weather prediction was for an 80% chance of rain. While my husband and I were out early running errands we got some misty sprinkles, and that was it for the day. NOAA recorded 0.08 inches of rain for the day. Somebody’s prediction was wrong. Predictions often fall short – prognostication is not an exact science. Ask Punxsutawney Phil.
That is why I am so thankful that the Bible is a book of promises and prophecies, not predictions. Whatever the Lord says will happen just as He declared. That is because He is operating from a position of sovereignty and providence. Those are words we don’t use much in our contemporary religion, but they are powerful and carry a rich and significant meaning. The word “sovereign” speaks to God’s rightful authority over every created thing – which covers everything that exists. Likewise, the word “providence” is speaking to God’s charge over everything He has made. I take great comfort in that.
We can see God’s supernatural hand in all through Scripture. The Lord promised Israel a land of their own and He gave them the Promised Land in Canaan – which is still their God-given territory no matter what men say. He prophesied exile in Babylon for Israel – and restoration after seventy years. Every word came to fulfillment. And He promised that, despite enemies, imprisonment, a shipwreck, and a snakebite, Paul would preach in Rome. Luke reported, “And so we came to Rome” (Acts 28:14). God does everything He declares.
When I come to passages that prophesy Christ’s return, I have one eye always looking to the east, anticipating His appearance (Matt 24:27). One day He will break open the sky and it will roll back like a scroll (Rev. 6:14). He will set His feet on the Mount of Olives and it will be split in two “from east to west, forming a great valley” (Zec 14:4). “The Lord will be King over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and His name the only name.” (v. 9).
Jesus said, “Behold, I am coming soon” (Rev 22:7). If you do not know Jesus as your Savior and Lord, that is a frightening prophecy, but if you are in Christ, His return is an exciting promise. Beloved, you can take Him at His Word; He is on His way. Will you join me in declaring, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20).

One Day

I have lived so much of my life for “one day.” One day I will have enough time to . . . One day I can afford . . . One day I can retire and . . . One day I will have . . . One day I will go . . . One day I won’t have to . . . But it seems that one day keeps getting pushed farther and farther away. It can be so discouraging if our hearts are focused on this life and this world that is here now and gone tomorrow. But there is another “one day” that brings me hope and peace and Joy. It is an eternal day and it makes these temporal days easier to bear.
One day I will look in the face of Jesus and I will see that everything I believed was true.
He is good.
He lived a perfect, sinless life.
He is the King of heaven and earth.
He loves me.
He calmed storms around me and in me.
He overcame darkness and evil.
He met my every need.
He made the blind see.
He made the deaf hear.
He made the mute speak.
He made the lame walk.
He made the sick well.
And He made the broken whole.
He ran to meet me on the road back to Him.
He carried me when I couldn’t take another step.
He held me when my heart was breaking.
He raised the dead to life.
He called and anointed me.
He gave me rest.
He brought peace in the middle of chaos.
He brought Joy when I was brokenhearted.
He is everything He claimed to be.
He not only gave me hope but He was my hope.
He made a way when I couldn’t see any way.
He turned this filthy sinner into a spotless saint.
He is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
He prays for me.
He died for me.
He rose from the grave.
He is with me to the end.
And when the end comes, I’ll be with Him forever. And my faith will be proven right.
“For now I see through a glass darkly: but then shall I see face to face. Now I know in part: but then shall I know even as I am known.” (1 Cor. 13:12)
Today I see by faith, and that is enough for me.

Heaven

It was so foggy one recent morning, I could only see a few feet in front of my car as I drove to work. Pea soup fog, the old folks called it. I drove with extra caution, especially at every intersection. It was very scary. I knew if I couldn’t see approaching cars, they couldn’t see me either. I made the turns as I remembered them. I couldn’t even see the campus until I was almost upon it. If I hadn’t been there before I would question whether the school existed at all because the fog was so heavy it hid the buildings. I had no visual proof that it was there.
As the sun got brighter, the fog around my campus burned away and everything was clearly visible. I saw the buildings. I saw students walking into their classrooms. I saw cars in the parking lots. I saw the lake down the hill with ducks splashing away. And I saw the chapel, that place where worship and the Word meet to encourage and challenge the BUF family. It was there all along; it had just been hidden.
God has called us to a place we cannot yet see. A place we’ve heard about, but never witnessed with our own eyes. A place that seems like a far-off dream. The fog of this world has hidden heaven from us and we wonder sometimes, as we travel through this wicked realm, if it’s really there at all.
Let me assure you – it is. Heaven is more real than this earth that will one day pass away and cease to be. Jesus promised, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me” (Jn 14:2-3).
The Son of God is coming again, and when He appears in all His majesty and glory, He will burn away the fog of sin and death and we will behold our heavenly destination. We will see that everything the Lord said is true – has always been true – it was just hidden from our eyes.
Heaven is your forever dwelling place, Beloved. Don’t doubt God’s promise just because you can’t see it now. The fog will lift, the Son will shine, and you will be home.

All About Love

Love. Paul called it “the most excellent way” (1 Cor 12:31). It is also the most demanding.
1 Corinthians 13 is all about love. When we consider this chapter, we tend to go right for the “Love is patient, love is kind . . .” (v. 4f) and it is good to know what love looks like in action But verses 1-3 hold the core truth: the greatest spiritual gift requires the greatest degree of humility. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging symbol. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
Paul shines the spotlight on the most Christ-like behavior we can convey: self-sacrifice. He declares that giving ourselves to others is the ultimate expression of love. Jesus was the flesh-and-blood example of perfect, holy, eternal love because His motivation was perfect, holy, eternal love. In contrast to Jesus’ sacrifice, Paul warns us that if we surrender all that we have, including our very lives, but are not motivated by love, our actions gain us nothing of eternal significance. But oh, how we will be remembered in history.
Love and humility are the twin sisters of Christian discipleship – you cannot have one without the other. Jesus gives us the perfect example in John 13:1-5, as he humbled Himself to wash His disciples’ nasty feet. Verse 1b says: “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them with a perfect love to the end” (NASB).
I want to love with as near to “a perfect love” as is humanly possible. But that’s the problem – it’s not “humanly possible.” So how do I do the impossible? John said, “We know and rely on the love God has for us” (1 John 4:16). I can only love like Christ if I allow God’s love to flow through me to those around me. That’s why anything done for the sake of appearance is “a resounding gong or a clanging symbol.” It’s a lot of attention-grabbing noise – but it’s not love. And if it’s not love, it’s nothing.

Wherever You Go

I write all over my Bible. Some people think that is sacrilegious, but there are notes on almost every page and prayers jotted on many tear-stained pages. If you flip through my Bible, you will see underlines and highlights and stars and exclamation marks and names, and every time you come across the word Joy, you’ll find a pink heart. But I love the verses that are marked with dates because they tell the story of my life with God.

I came across one of those verses in the book of Joshua. When Moses died and the Lord God appointed Joshua to succeed him as Israel’s leader, it clearly terrified Joshua. The first nine verses of Joshua 1 are God’s repeated words of encouragement to Joshua.

“I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (v. 5).

“Be strong and courageous . . .” (v. 6).

“Be strong and very courageous.” (v. 7).

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged . . .”

And here’s where all the dates are: “. . . for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (v. 9). I took this verse very personally.

“Medart, 2011.” Medart was a depressing place in a depressing time for our family. We were in dire straits living in a run-down shack way out in the boonies. But I grew much in my faith because God was there.

“Woodville, 2013.” Woodville was a huge step up from where we were, it was a bright, open, peaceful place where much healing happened – because God was there.

“Tuscaloosa, 2015.” Our dream come true, living in Crimson Tide country. Until the dream turned into a nightmare. Still, through it all God was there too.

“Home, 2018.” After twenty-three years away, God brought us back home, put us in a great house that allowed us space for Joy, and set me in the best job I’ve ever loved. Granted, we’ve seen some very hard times here, especially this year, but I know with all my heart that God is here. I sense His presence every day.

God is with you too, Beloved, wherever you are. In a run-down shack or a brand-new mansion. In the place you’ve always wanted to be or a place you wish you could escape. In the darkest season of your life or the most Joyful. God is there. How can you be sure? He has promised to be with you wherever you go. And He always keeps His word.

The Word and The Way

This morning God sent me to a passage in Jeremiah: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls” (Jer 6:16). I put my hands to the keyboard ready to write about ancient paths and rest for our souls and the Spirit said, “Stop. You didn’t finish that verse.” So, I went back. God had more to say: “But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” Oh.

The Spirit said, “Keep reading.” “I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen.’” (v. 17). Now the tone of my devotional has changed completely. Jeremiah is speaking to the Israelites in Jerusalem, the city of God’s holy temple – and the city of rebellion and disobedience from the top down. The “prophets prophesy lies and the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way” (5:31). Jeremiah was called to warn them of the judgment to come if they failed to repent.

Over many years the Lord had repeatedly sent messengers to tell them and show them the right way to live – the way that promised rest, security, and prosperity. But “their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it” (6:10). They refused to listen and “walk in the good way.”

As I’ve meditated on the message from Jeremiah, I keep hearing: “Jesus is the Word and the Way.” The people would not listen to God’s Word, so He sent His Son: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us . . .” He not only brought God’s message of grace and truth, He was God’s message of grace and truth (Jn 1:14). The people would not walk in the way of righteousness. They continually wandered off into apostasy. Jesus told His disciples, “You know the way . . . [because] I AM the Way . . . (Jn 14:4, 6).

Jesus is the Living Word and the Living Way. He doesn’t just show us the path – He promises to live in us and help us to listen and walk in obedience. How gracious and kind He is! Beloved, the Word and the Way is here to help you. He knows the journey and He knows the final destination. You can trust Him to get you Home.

Cleaning Day

I hope you are a better housekeeper than I am. I need more than just a “cleaning day.” If you were to come visit it would take me a week or more to get my house in order for company. I would have to sweep, mop, dust, scrub, do laundry, and spend at least three days decluttering. I should probably mow the yard and paint too, so that’s at least another week.  You know what, I’ll just meet you at the coffee shop instead – my treat.

It makes me wonder about the condition of my “spiritual house.” Peter said that believers are “being built into a spiritual house” for the Lord (1 Pet 2:5). Not with walls that need painting and floors that need sweeping, but with a heart in which He dwells through His Holy Spirit (John 14:17).

What would Jesus think if He walked unannounced into our icky, cluttered, dirt-encrusted lives? What will he say about the dust on our Bible and the stack of clothes piled on the chair from which we said we’d pray every morning? Would we even let Him near our television, computer, or cell phone? How could we ever explain to Him the filth and the muck that has crept into our hearts? I hang my head in shame just thinking about all the junk and trash – and yes, clutter – He will have to walk over to sit at the table of my heart so we can eat together.

But here’s what I know about my Jesus – wherever He is allowed to enter, He brings His transforming power with Him. When His feet step over the welcome mat of our hearts, His robes sweep away the dirt of our sins and the dust of our guilt. He leads us to confession and repentance, casts out all the filth, and “purifies us from all unrighteous” (1 John 1:9). He brings with Him the cleansing we so desperately need. By His blood we are washed, and, to our astonishment, our hearts become fit for the presence of a King – King Jesus. I believe as He nears the table, which has suddenly been laden with the richest feast you could ever imagine, He pulls out a chair – for you – and bids you come and dine with Him. Oh, Beloved, Jesus has come to make you clean, to make you whole; to transform your heart and your life into a place of order and beauty. Are you ready for “cleaning day?”

What Did God Say?

When God’s people were in bondage in Egypt, the Lord called Moses to launch a rescue effort. His first approach to the king was met with disdain and rejection from both Pharaoh and the Israelites. Moses was deeply dismayed and the Lord encouraged him with promises of His faithfulness. Then He told his reluctant servant “Because of my mighty hand, [Pharoah] will let them go” (Ex 6:1). And the Spirit said to me, “Hang on to that.”

I was reading ahead, skimming over the ten plagues that would come on the Egyptians as God worked to force Pharaoh’s hand. A plague of blood. A plague of frogs. A plague of gnats. A plague of flies. A plague on the livestock. A plague of boils. A plague of hail, thunder, and lightning. A plague of locusts. A plague of thick darkness. And finally, a plague of the death of every firstborn son.

Now, I’ve read these verses probably fifty times—I even wrote them out a few months ago, but they hit me differently tonight. After every plague the Scripture said, “Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not let the people go.” In my spirit, I heard a whisper: “6:1.” And then I understood. Nine times Pharaoh dug in his heels and said “NO!” But what had the Lord said?  “Pharaoh will let them go.” After the tenth plague, Pharaoh said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites.  Take your flocks and herds . . . and go” (12:31-32). Just like God said he would.

I don’t know who else needs to hear this right now but I sense strongly that God is asking: “What did I say?” What promise did He make? What calling did He place on your life? What vision did He cast in your heart? And what roadblocks have you hit? How many people are telling you this will never happen? Who or what is standing between you and the fulfillment of the promise? Beloved, this is when you and I must take God at His Word. If He said it – no matter how impossible it feels, no matter who is speaking discouragement to you, no matter how many obstacles get in your way – remind yourself “What did God say?” And get ready to go up into your Promised Land.

Acts: Welcome to the Family

As we continue our study in the book of Acts, a major shift is about to occur in Peter’s calling and in the early church. It would be helpful for you to read Acts 10 and 11:1-18.

Few things were as important to the Jews as their standing as God’s chosen people. He had called them out and commanded them to set themselves apart from anything considered unclean – food, animals, disease, and people. They maintained strict separation from Gentiles – any person who was not a descendant of Abraham.  Peter, while a Christ-follower, still adhered to those laws of separation. But God was doing a new thing – He was opening the way for Gentiles to receive salvation and be included in the family of faith. 

Cornelius was a Roman centurion and a devout God-fearer, meaning he followed the practices of the Jewish faith but he was not circumcised, which was the mark of inclusion as the people of God. An angel directed him to send for Peter who was about three hours away in Joppa.

Meanwhile, Peter was praying on a rooftop and saw a large sheet filled with all the critters that God had declared unclean (See Leviticus 11). He was told to “kill and eat” but he protested as a devout Jew. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice from heaven said, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This was repeated two more times and left Peter confused.

But God was about to bring the Jewish Peter and the Gentile Cornelius together. As the men from Cornelius arrived at the house, the Spirit assured Peter that he was to go with them. When Peter came into Cornelius’ house – something a good Jew would never do, all the pieces fell into place. He shared the gospel with Cornelius and he and his family were saved and baptized. Later Peter had to defend his actions before the Jewish believers and he retold the entire episode, including the giving of the Holy Spirit. They understood that “God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.” Those who had once been excluded were now included as the people of God.

I don’t think twenty-first-century non-Jewish Christians understand what a huge thing this is. Community was everything to the Jews. A person guilty of gross sin and rebellion would be “cut off from his people” and thus cut off from faith and salvation. When God opened the Way of salvation to the Gentiles he was – and continues – to make us one family of faith. Our Western independence is completely counter to God’s vision. God wanted a people, not just a bunch of individuals.

Beloved, are you part of the family of faith? If so, thank God for His extraordinary gift. If not, may today be the day that you come home.