Saturday, February 27, 2016

Waves and love

"I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.  But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life."  Psalm 42:7-8  I have a habit I'm trying to get better at.  I'm diabetic and I take this pill called Invokanna but I can't eat for 30 minutes after.  I'm working hard at reading a devotional in that time frame.  It helps me get my thoughts on God.  I have a co-worker who doesn't make the start of my shift pleasant.  Lately I've been looking out on the water and thanking God and letting him know how beautiful it is to me.  Thursday was one of the windiest days ever.  When you combined the waves and the passage of ships the sight was spectacular.  The verses above brought me to this song.  King of Heaven in humility I bow as your love, in wave after wave crashes over me, crashes over me.  For you are for us you are not against us Champion of Heaven you made a way for all to enter in."  Let his waves of unfailing love crash over you today.  Here's some reminders of that love for you.  Lamentations 3:22-23 "The faithful love of the Lord never ends!  His mercies never cease.  Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning."  "He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me."  Let that last verse sink in God delights in you!  






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Tuesday, February 23, 2016

A bottle of your tears

Third posting from 5 Minutes with Jesus by Sheila Walsh


When I opened the gift from my friend, I wasn't quite sure what it was.  The small glass bottle was a beautiful cobalt blue, about two inches tall, covered in silver filigree.  
I thought it might be a perfume bottle, albeit a very small one, but her note explained that it was actually a tear bottle she'd found in an antique store in Israel.  I did a little research and discovered that tear bottles were common in Rome and Egypt around the time of Christ.  Mourners would collect their tears as they walked toward the graveyard to bury their loved one, a tangible indication of how much that person was loved.  Sometimes women were even paid to follow the mourners and cry into such a vessel.  Apparently the more anguish and tears produced, the more important and valued the deceased person was perceived to be.  But legend has it these mourners-for-hire who cried the loudest and produced the most tears received the greatest compensation.  
I treasure this little blue bottle because it reminds me of a profound spiritual truth David wrote about in Psalm 56, when he was at one of the lowest points of his life.  David had been captured by his enemies in Gath( he actually feigned insanity to survive), but he found comfort in the fact that God saw everything he was going through and caught every single tear he shed.  I love David's confidence in the mercy and faithfulness of God even when he himself had not been faithful to the Holy One.  David knew without a doubt that Almighty God never misses a moment, a tear, or a sigh from any of His children.  Do you rest in that truth, or do you question that God loves you that much?
Do you ever feel alone?  Have you ever thought, "No one on this earth understands the depth of my suffering"?  
If you've taken a wrong turn in the road, are you expecting God to hold back His mercy until you get back on the straight and narrow? 
That's not the God David knew; that's not the God of the Bible.  We have a Father who keeps track of all our wanderings and catches every single tear we cry.  When we begin to grasp the depth of that truth, we can say with confidence just as David did, "This I know: God is on my side!" (Psalm 56:9).  

Your heavenly Father knows your every struggle and never leaves your side.

You have kept count of my tossings: put my tears in your bottle.  Are they not in your book?  Psalm 56:8

The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.  He rescues them from all their troubles.  The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.  Psalm 34:17-18

He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.  Psalm 147:3

Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!  Psalms 126:5

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."  Matthew 5:4


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Sunday, February 21, 2016

Welcomed by Royalty

This is my second post from 5 minutes with Jesus by Sheila Walsh but before I get to it I wanted to say something to all of you who read this.  I have been told by my Dad and others that the blog is shared via e-mail to people they think it will benefit.  Go for it!  You have my permission.  


On with the post.

I had practiced my curtsy for weeks, and I knew not to speak unless I was spoken to.  
I'd been preparing to host a gala evening at the Royal Albert Hall in London, which Her Royal Highness Princess Anne would be attending.  At the conclusion of the evening, those of us who had performed would be introduced to her, and I'd had the rules made very clear to me.
"Remember, the first time she addresses you, you must call her, Your Royal Highness."  my palace coach began.  "After that, you simply address her as Ma'am.  Are we clear?"  
We were clear!
The event went seamlessly until the receiving line.  I was second in line, and my heart was racing.  Princess Anne looked beautiful in a full-length green taffeta ball gown and dazzling emerald and diamond earrings.  As she got closer, my mind went blank.  Totally blank
Do I call her "Your majesty"?  No, that's for the Queen!  I was in a total panic.
Suddenly Princess Anne was standing right in front of me, extending her lily white hand.  I blurted out the only English word I apparently still knew: "Hello!"  
Over her shoulder I saw my palace instructor take a deep breath.  
That's it!  I'm going to be thrown in the Tower of London. I thought.
But Princess Anne squeezed my hand and replied, "Hello to you too!"  
Such grace.  As thrilled as I was to meet a member of the royal family, it pales in comparison to what you and I are invited to do every moment of our lives.  We have the privilege of entering the very throne room of Almighty God.  Read that sentence again, because this truth may have become too familiar: We have the privilege of entering the very throne room of Almighty God.  May our hearts beat a bit faster as we accept the invitation extended to us in Hebrews:  "Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.  There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most."  (4:16).  Jesus will graciously and lovingly accept us, tongue-tied or not!

Live everyday knowing that you are a beloved child of the King of Kings, always welcome to enter into his presence!

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours.  Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.  1 Chronicles 29:11

All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth, and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord.  Psalms 138:4-5

Be exalted, Lord, in your strength: we will sing and praise your might.  Psalm 21:13

God has highly exalted [Jesus] and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  Philippians 2:9-11   
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Saturday, February 20, 2016

Christ is with you

This is one of three devotionals I'm sharing this week from Sheila Walsh's book Five Minutes with Jesus.  They impacted me this week and I hope God uses them to speak to your hearts as well.  My wife reminded me that God will use it to be something someone needs to hear.   enough of me talking.

Do you ever doubt that God is with you?  
Do you ever look at the amount in your checking account and the pile of bills and wonder if God remembers where you live?  
Do you find yourself in a dark place and wonder if you are lost?  
When we allow circumstances to be the indicator of whether Christ is with us, we may start panicking when the sea starts getting rough.
Mark described an incident like that in chapter four of his gospel.  The disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee with Jesus and, tired from a day of teaching, He fell asleep.  As the sea became rougher and rougher, the men began to panic.  Waking Jesus, they asked Him,  "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?"  (Mark 4:38)  If you look back to verse 35, you will see that they actually missed what Jesus said, which was, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake."  He didn't say "Let's get halfway across and drown."  Jesus knew they would survive the stormy sea.
Sometimes we are just like those disciples, forgetting what we've been promised.  The Christian life is a lot like that boat ride.  Christ has told us where we're going, but sometimes in the midst of the journey we don't feel his presence and we can only see the overwhelming storms.  Paul told his fellow believers, "I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns"  (Philippians 1:6).  He didn't say that he hoped this would happen, or as long as nothing changed in the world it would be the case; he wrote, "I am certain."  This man whose road to salvation involved a blinding encounter with the risen Christ reminds us that God was the one who began working in our lives, and He will be the one to complete that work.  
If life feels a little rough right now, remember Christ's promises and that you are not alone, for He is in the boat with you.

 Don't let a storm keep you from counting on what Jesus has told you.  

As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake."  Mark 4:35

God has said, "I will never fail you.  I will never abandon you."  Hebrews 13:5

"Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.  And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Matthew 28:20

God is my strength and power, and He makes my way perfect.  2 Samuel 22:33
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Nuff said

I've been doing this life group bible study thing for a while now both in person and online.  Sometimes you just run across a passage that needs absolutely no explanation.  There's a phrase in comics from years ago "Nuff said."  

I give you Psalms 37:1-9

"Don't worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.  For like grass, they will soon fade away.  Like spring flowers they soon wither.  Trust in the Lord and do Good.  Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.  Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires.  Commit everything you do to the Lord.  Trust Him, and he will help you.  He will make you radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.  Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.  Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.  Stop being angry!  Turn from your rage!  Do not lose your temper it only leads to harm.  For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land."
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Saturday, February 13, 2016

Psalms 36:5-9

I've honestly had a week of strange things and I found myself heavily turning to God.  After my problem was resolved I found myself thankful and at the same time needing a little dose of hope.  I read this passage and it restored my soul  

Psalms 36:5-9 

"Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.  Your Righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.  How precious is your unfailing love, O God!  All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.  You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights.  For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see."

Prior to writing this i was sitting at the security booth and a little rabbit showed up and the little guy made me smile.  



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Monday, February 8, 2016

Understanding King David

The third thing i wanted to share with you all is actually an e-mail I sent to Pastor Greg on this past Saturday.  I was at work doing extra time and it was so slow I started reading a familiar passage in the bible and even though i had heard lots of sermons on it this was the first time it made sense to me.  


Greg you have on more than one occasion told me that I understand King David in a way others don't.  I was just reading 2 Samuel 13 and in verses 1-6 God has sent Nathan to confront David about his sin with Bathsheba and he tells David this story about a man with one sheep and a rich man with many.  I've read this many times but it clicked in my head tonight why God used that story and it made David as the New Living Translation put it "furious".  It's because David was a shepherd as a boy.  It suddenly made sense to me that God met David on a level he understand and he knew it would make him react.  I'm blown away by that.  So many times God uses things I relate to to get my attention.  Now after reading this I'm just going "hey David this is a wake up call."  
Zac 


 Within about an hour he sent me this response which to me was incredibly cool because I knew he was in Israel but the timing and topic of my e-mail was just unbelievable.  Check out his reply 

Thanks Zac. That is awesome. I believe this very day I will see the Tower that King David first saw Bathsheba as I am in Israel with Micah and a group. That's so cool  
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Sunday, February 7, 2016

A tale of Answered prayer.

I wanted to share with all of you another answered prayer and it's a wee bit romantic.  Wednesday night I got off work and Marion and I went to Wendy's.  I was incredibly tired and worn out.  I could barely pay attention.  I hadn't seen my wife till my shift ended.  Before I ate I started praying and I said simply.  "Lord please help me show Marion I love her because I am so tired and worn down."  We got home and we live in a small house.  Three bedrooms, living room, kitchen, 2 bathrooms.  With 2 people and an 80 lbs German Shepherd/Beagle mixed dog it's easy to run into each other.  Marion stopped in the hallway and was talking to me.  I just wrapped her in a hug till our dog Mara decided we weren't paying attention to her.  I told Marion later that moment was an answer to prayer.  Make the people in your life important.  God placed them there for a reason.   
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Mindful


At my job I spend a majority of my time with a view of the port of Corpus Christi.  There's water, boats, dirt, rocks, the horizon, trees, barges and refineries.  I was telling my friend Becky Meyers Sunday when I look around I'm brought back to Psalms 8:4 "What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them."  A few years back Christian musician Rich Mullins penned a song called Here in America and the chorus says this.  "And if you listen to my songs I hope you hear the water falling.  I hope you feel the oceans crashing on the shores of north New England I wish I could be there just to see them, two summers past I was and the Holy King of Israel loves me here in America."  Becky told me she had been at a bonfire and being there at the beach focused her thoughts on God.  Go outside this week and slow down and see "The heavens proclaim the glory of God the skies display His Craftsmanship."  
Read Psalms 8 it is awesome

I had songs picked out for this and God added 2 more to it on Friday

so the first 4 I originally picked. 




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