Simple Thoughts

“We hope you feel better soon.” “I hope I get this job.” “I hope for big money playing the lottery.” Things people hope for. For circumstances to improve. For career changes. For health.

As a Christian, our hope comes from God. Our hope is in His word, in His promises. Our hope is a person: Jesus Christ. When our health is flakey, when our career dreams are dashed, when we don’t win the big money, we still have hope. Because our hope is not temporary or fleeting. Our hope is eternal. Our hope is secure. So even though we will suffer in this lifetime and we will go through trials, we can rest in the promises of God. The following verses are but a few from scripture that encourage me as I study “hope.” I pray you, too, will find hope in the scriptures and not in circumstances.

Psalm 43:5 “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

2 Thessalonians 2:16 “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,”

Romans 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

1 Peter 3:15 “…Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. …”

John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;  and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

1 Thessalonians 5:8 “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. “

Romans 5:3-4 “  Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

Psalm 146:5 “Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.”

Titus 2:13 “while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,”

*scriptures from John MacArthur study bible on “A living hope” (1 Peter 1:3).

This is a slogan for ETSU I saw on a billboard. “From enrolled to employed.” From the periphery, it seems, they are guaranteeing you a job if you go to their school .

What if we looked at this slogan from a kingdom perspective. Your enrollment is when you are saved. Confessing of your sins and putting your faith and trust in Jesus. Once you do, you are now a kingdom citizen. You have much to learn. You will be reading, listening, worshiping, being mentored as a young Christian. And that enrollment is never ending. We continue to read, study, listen, worship til our last breath. It’s called sanctification. But even as you continue to grow in your faith, God wants you to engage others. You may not feel ready, prepared, or even worthy. Yet through the working of the Holy Spirit, you can share your testimony, spread the good news of the gospel to others. God uses the gifts He has purposed within us to further His kingdom. You are employed for God. When you say Yes! you are enrolled and employed in the kingdom of God. And this new course is transformative.

Ephesians 2:19-21 “So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.  Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.  We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.”

In one day, I’ve read multiple devotions on reorienting my soul. Reorient means to change the focus. So what does that mean in my spiritual life? What do I need to change that will bring my spirit back in alignment with God’s word? As a Christian, my desire is to walk a path that pleases God but not under my own power, not according to my own desires. It means submitting to God’s authority in my life. To challenge my thoughts, words and actions before thinking them, saying them, doing them and ask “Will this honor God?” Sounds simple enough but if we are being honest, it is hard. Thoughts come into my head that are not God honoring but need to be squashed before the thoughts take hold. Words fly out of my mouth without thinking and I immediately have to apologize and reel the tongue back in. 

To reorient my soul takes prayer, takes worship, takes diving into God’s word. Allowing God to change the direction of my soul. I am not doing this in my own power. It’s not a matter of will, of pulling up self by the bootstraps. It’s a matter of the Holy Spirit working in me for my good and His glory. 

Let us regularly ask ourselves, “Do I need to reorient my soul? Have I gotten off track and am I going in the wrong direction?” Be honest and if you don’t like the direction, stop and pray, asking God to reorient your soul to Him. 

There are some themes, as a Christian, that sit well, that cause you to wonder, ponder. When I think of Jesus as the Living Water, I faithfully believe He is Life, just as water to us humans is life. I remember a time in my life where I had physical water and my thirst was quenched, especially on a hot day or after a rigorous basketball practice. But when I accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord, He became Living Water to me. He quenched the desert of my soul and filled me with the Holy Spirit. The spiritual water I now desire is pleasing, calming, life giving, life sustaining water. I give thanks for the verse in John 4:13-14, “Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,  but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Babbling brook. Serene lake. Roaming river. Vast ocean. Many people are drawn to water. Its peaceful, calming affect. Away from busy life. I enjoy sitting beside those still waters. It frees my mind. Puts things in perspective as I look out at its vastness. But what about when life’s storms hit, the rivers rage? Are we still able to find that peace? If your faith is in the water, probably not. But if your faith is in the One who commands the water, then your faith is secure. Peace and calm in life’s storms are possible when we sit and meditate in the arms of Jesus, the One in whom even the wind and waves obey.

So, while today’s blog is about water, again, it is because when I see water, I see Jesus. I see His love in His creation. For the salvation He provided to all mankind if one would humble himself and drink of the water Jesus freely offers.

Reading the comics. Donuts for breakfast. Yard work. Who says you can’t go home again! Visiting as an adult, it is easy to slip back into some childhood routines while also helping out and doing physical labor to help out family members.

If we reflect on our Christian walk, what are some childhood routines you remember? Sunday school class and crafts, VBS week in the summer, going to church with family or part of a bus ministry, nightly prayers with a parent. What if you slipped back into some of these childhood routines but also added some new adult ones, as well. Daily Devotional time. Reading your bible. Reach out to your pastor and ask about ministry opportunities. The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

Maybe you have wandered away but you feel as though God is calling you back. Take the first step of faith back into the fold. As an adult, it may not be exactly as you remember but you’ll be glad you did. And… you will be welcomed with open arms.

I was recently backing the car out of the drive when doubts came. Did you lock the door? Blow out the candle? Unsure, I put the car in park, went back in, checked on things and got back in my car. Everything was fine but the doubts crept in, causing me to stop.

We all have doubts: Did I say the right thing? Was that a good purchase? Did I turn off the coffee pot? Did I blow out the candle? But if we are leaning into God’s word, looking to follow His ways and trust His lead, we can fight this fleshly attitude. Of course, we want to honor God in all of our attitudes and walk humbly after Him. So many faithful in the Bible had doubts: Abraham, Naomi, David, Habakkuk so you are in good company. But they didn’t stay there. They remembered the character of God. He is eternal, holy, sovereign, faithful, trustworthy, kind, love.

When doubts start creeping in, don’t allow them to have a foothold. Turn them away with the truth of God’s word. Remind yourself, like Habakkuk did, of who God is and allow His words to fill your heart, strengthen your walk and allow yourself to withstand the arrows of Satan, like the arrow of doubt.

Habakkuk 1:12 “O Lord my God, my Holy One, you who are eternal— surely you do not plan to wipe us out? O Lord, our Rock, you have sent these Babylonians to correct us, to punish us for our many sins. But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil.”

Habakkuk 3:18-19a “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength!”

In today’s world, as people take matters into their own hands, are self-sufficient, relying on their own ingenuity and know-how, is God in their purview? When troubles arise, are they able to comfort themselves?

I was challenged this morning, after reading a devotion by Anne Graham Lotz and her daughter, Rachel Ruth Lotz Wright. Do I call upon the name of the Lord? When things are going well do I give thanks to Him? When difficulties arise, am I able to still praise Him, even when I don’t understand? When I can’t see where He is leading, do I still call upon the name of the Lord and follow in faith? Can I say like David, “I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.”? (Psalm 18:1-3)

I pray as we all go through our day, every day, that we will “Call upon the name of the Lord, who is worthy to be praised!” Psalm 18:3

I’m sorry, what did you say? You want me to do what? Long, long pause before answering. Stepping out of my comfort zone is not easy. Saying “no” would have been the easy answer, but I said, “Yes.” Yes, I am available. Yes, I can be part of you women’s conference… as a presenter!

As soon as I hung up the phone, Satan went on the offensive. “You are not qualified. You only speak in front of children. What do you have to say that has any merit?” Satan knows my doubts and knows what to say to me.

But God! He is who I choose to believe. He is equipping my heart and mind with His truths. Every day now, for two weeks, in one form or another, He has given me His word, stories, devotions, family to highlight my topic that I will be presenting. He is there with me, giving me the words, the stories, the activities I want to use.

Saying “Yes!” was hard. Speaking in front of adults is scary. But as I pray and ask for Him to lead, my doubts begin to fade as God reassures me, “He’s got this!”

As a child, I grew up in the northern part of the country. As seasons changed, I looked forward to each season and the activities associated with it. Of course, it also involved work and tasks. As a Christian, as I grow in my faith, I am learning that we, too, go through seasons. Seasons of joy. Seasons of challenge. Seasons of grief. Season of waiting. How do we get through those seasons, both wonderful and challenging? Like a gardener who uses his/her tools: water, sunlight, soil, nutrients to nurture growth, we too have tools to weather these seasons: pray, read God’s word, worship.

When we are waiting on test results from the doctor. When we are anxiously awaiting news of a job offer in a season of unemployment. When we are mourning the death of a loved one. These weak and weary season are difficult. Even when words fail you, as you cry out to God, remind yourself that God is present. He loves and cares for you. He is eternal. He is holy. He is sovereign over the whole earth.

So, while you wait, while you grieve, while you seek, allow God to comfort your weak and weary soul. Breathe in. Breathe out. Steady your hands. Focus your thoughts on Him, not allowing your mind to be filled with doubts and fears. Turn on the worship music and as you sit in the quiet, allow the Holy Spirit to embrace every part of your being and pray.

Empty: containing nothing; not filled or occupied. (New Oxford American Dictionary)

Driving on a long trip, we are careful, not allowing our tank to get near empty. The delicious snack bowl enjoyed, now empty. The house, emptied of its contents, ready for the move.

Many ways to look at “empty.” But empty can be a good thing. To the Christian, it is the best news. An empty grave. Containing nothing. Not occupied. Jesus is not there. He has conquered death and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding on our behalf. We serve a risen Savior. He is alive, preparing a place for us where we will praise and worship Him forever.

“The cross represents doom for sin and hope for sinners. It condemns sin and cleanses souls. The cross is where Jesus was crucified in our place and where Christ brings resurrection life to mankind. The bloodstained cross is gruesome to some, but the empty cross is full of hope.” Billy Graham