BRIGHT SPOT

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. In the same way, people don't light a lamp just to put it under a bowl...Instead...Let your light shine before men that they may see the way you live and glory your Father in Heaven." -Mt 5:16

We live in a dark, dark world, one disparately in need of light. Our culture and our those around us are blindly searching for satisfaction and purpose in all the wrong places. Success, possessions, fame and recognition are to be had in plenty but the truth is that they never satisfy for long.

King David had women, fame, success and infinite material possessions, but yet he said in Psalm 16:2, "You are my Lord, apart from you I have no good thing." David recognized what our culture today has failed to so far, that making Christ your Lord is the only way to live an abundant and satisfied life (John 10:10).

As Christians we have experienced the abundant life that comes with following Christ and we need to live in a way that shows we are changed people. We shouldn't be boastful or proud in the way we live but we should never be "ashamed of the gospel" (Romans 1:16) or what God has done in our lives.

"Let your light shine." What a cool idea. 1 Thessalonians 2:8 says, "Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well." When opportunities come this week to let your light shine, don't be afraid to share your life with somebody. Don't talk around the fact that you went to church on Sunday or spent time with friends from Bible study last night. Offer to pray for your neighbors and invite people into your home so they can experience God's love firsthand through your family. If we never raise "faith flags" by the way we live or in conversation, how is anybody suppose to know that it's Christ who makes us different? Most people who don't know Christ will never darken the door of a church or feel compelled to crack a bible. If you and I aren't living out God's love around and among them, how else are they going to see the light of Christ?

Max Lucado says in his book "It's Not About Me" that the "human job description can be reduced down to one simply task, to be God mirrors who reflect His glory." The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that when we look upon the Lord, "our faces should reflect like mirrors the brightness of our God." You and I can have the best intentions to shine a bright light but if we are not daily gazing upon the Savior, our light will fade and grow dull until we blend in with the darkness around us. Make sure and spend some time with the Light of the World today and them go out and reflect his love and glory for all to see!

NOAH

Noah was a remarkable man with an even more remarkable trust in the Lord.  For 100 years he worked to build the ark in spite of the fact that it hadn't rained a drop in decades.  He experienced scorn and ridicule from friends and neighbors but his allegiance to obey God never wavered.  You and I can learn alot from this man and his unshakable faith. Here are a few things to think about.  

Character comes before calling - I've heard it said that God always answers our prayers in one of three ways, yes, no or not yet.  I certainly love it when God answers my prayers right away, usually come to grips with things when he says no, but the waiting that comes when he says not yet, that's the toughest for me.  Most of us don't like waiting for things and we don't like being patient but there is great truth in the saying that good things take time.  A pizza cooked for one minute instead of twenty is not very tasty and the same is true in relationships where friendships can't be built overnight but take time and energy on the part of everybody involved.  Noah put 100 years on time and energy into the ark and gave his entire life to it because he trusted that what God was doing and building inside him had to be completed before the Lord's calling for he and his family to survive the flood could be fulfilled.  What's God doing inside of you.  Are so so focused on the finish line or on checking things off the to do list each day that you don't appreciate the growth that is happening in your heart.  Maybe your impatiently waiting for things to happen in your life because right now they seem at a stand still.  Whatever the case may be for you,  trust that God is growing your character to prepare you for the callings he has ahead.  David Robinson said the best way to enjoy each day in life is to, "Enjoy the journey and not just the destination."


Calling proceeds clarity- Noah received a calling from the Lord to build an ark but initially that was all he knew. It wasn't until much later that he realized how important the ark would be to preserve mankind and all the animals of the earth from the flood. As I look back in my own life I am thankful that clarity usually comes after calling.  There are times when we follow God's leading out of faith alone and end up in some pretty surprising but wonderful places.  In these times, if god had told me beforehand what the end result of following him was going to be, I don't think I would have been brave enough to do it.  I like to think of the Christian life as crossing a giant river on stepping stones that's covered in dense fog.  The fog is so dense that we can only see the next stone ahead and must take things one step at a time.  Even though we can't see the bank on the other side we keep stepping and trust that the Lord is leading us to the final destination.  Take a second to look back at times that you have followed the Lord leading by faith in the past.  Has he been faithful?  I bet he has because he has been so faithful to me.  1 Thes 5:24 says that "He who calls you is faithful and He will do it."  Noah's God and our is faithful to bring clarity into out lives and show us how he's working when the time is right.  Until then we need to keep walking by faith.  

God closes doors - Genesis 6:16 that say "and the Lord shut Noah in the ark." There is no doubt that God is at work in all things and uses both the times when things pull through and fall though to lead us in the way we should go.  We like describe this by saying that God opens and closes doors and with that comes the general assumption that when God closes a door, he always opens another one.  Not with Noah.  God shut the door to the ark on Noah and his family and it was some time before the door when we opened again.  There are times in life like this when God closes a door, or maybe multiple doors and it appears we are at a dead end. When this happens we shouldn't panic but instead need to trust that God will open the door when the times is right.  Like in the case of Noah, he might be protecting us from a horrible storm or situation that we didn't see coming.  When you're waiting for doors to open, be patient, God's timing is perfect, and thank Him for his protection.   

Lots can be learned from great men of faith like Noah.  God wants us to trust him like Noah did and he wants our entire life to be an ark for him.  Arks have no sails and no motor but are completely dependent on the waves for movement and are at the mercy of the elements.  Will you depend completely on God to guide and direct the ark of your life or will you and I continue to insist on voyaging where you want to go? Like a loving father, we can trust that he won't let us down and will never let us drown, even in the fiercest of storms.  He's a poem I wrote to that end.

100 years we worked on that ark

Everyone thought I was mad

Then then the rains came just like He said they would

So we loaded up all that we had

For forty days the heavens poured 

We knew all on earth has been lost

My family and I had been spared somehow

For obeying Him despite the cost

There were nights when we wondered 

If we would make it through

But he had taken care of us before

We knew his love was tried and true

The rain stopped and the sun came out

We couldn't believe our eyes

The waters fell and the ark stood still

And his promise filled the sky

So the one who calls you, the faithful one

Trust in him and you'll see

Your cause and righteous will shine like the sun

So that to Him all glory may be

No matter what comes your way today

Even hardship of any form

He won't let you down, He will never let your drown

Even in the fiercest of storms.  

Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Oh My!

"David said to Saul, your servant been keep his father's sheep.  When a lion or bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it, and rescued the sheep from it's mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it... the Philistine will be like one of them." 1 Samuel 17:34-36

I have often wondered what gave David the guts to go battle Goliath.  Logically it seems completely insane and I wouldn't have done it myself but why did he?.  What gave David the courage and confidence to step out on that battle field and how can we apply that same courage to the giants we face in our own life?  Looking through the scripture in 1 Samuel, I think the answer is two fold. 

The first thing David understood is that his God is a God who prepares.  From an early age whenever I had to make a big decision, my dad always taught me to look backwards, instead of forwards, and ask the question, "How has God been preparing me."  Our past experiences, trials and upbringing can provide great hints as to what God might want us to do next.  When I decided to become a teacher, my experiences working at summer camps, coaching, and growing up with three brothers reassured me that doing something with kids was part of God's plan for my life.  To David, it was obvious that his time as a shepherd had prepared him for his battle better than any military training ever could have.  He figured that those experiences with the lion and bear were not chance events but divine appointments that God has placed in his life for a reason.  Looking back is counterintuitive but vital to being in God's will for your life.  What has God been preparing you for lately?

The second thing David understood was the nature of God as a faithful father.  1 Thessalonians 5:24 says that "He who calls you is faithful and he will do it."  Matthew 7:9-10 says, "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? How much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!".  

I will never forget the first time that I jumped off the diving board as a little kid.  I was scarred out of my mind, but jumped because I knew that my dad was in the water and had said he would catch me.  Although God does not promise for everything to go will our way and to protect us from all hardship, he does say that he will never leave or forsake us (Joshua 1:5).  God is such a good father. He is not going to tell you to cross the road so you can get blind sided by a car and he's not going to call to do something only to hang you out to dry. You might have to go through some battles with lions or bears in your lifetime but that doesn't mean God is unfaithful.  He's preparing you through those battles for great things in your future and he's with you every step of the way.  

When God calls, find confidence in knowing you are adequately prepared and that you serve a faithful God.

Choose Joy

"Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thes 5:16-17)

We usually think that some people are naturally more joyful than others, and while that is partially true, it excuses none of us from our responsibility to be continually joyful. But I'm not an outgoing person you might say. Fair enough, but as I look at Paul's instructions in 1 Thessalonians, I can't help but notice that none of the three behaviors mentioned come "naturally" to any body.

You and I don't normally pray without ceasing or naturally give thanks when something doesn't go our way. These qualities come about by choice, and joy is no different. We must choose to become more dedicated in prayer and ask the Lord to give us the strength to do so, choose to think about what's true so that we can give thanks in all seasons of life, and we must choose joy as well.

I recently realized that I had relinquished my responsibility to be joyful for the Lord when talking to the parent of one of my Chemistry students. Instead of being disappointed or angered by the behavior of his son, this Dad was one of the most joyful people I have ever talked to - and I wanted to be like him.

As a believer, it's more than okay to get upset and expected that you'll have bad days, but it's not okay to allow your circumstances to rob you of joy. God's abundant provision for us of "life, breath, and everything else" (Acts 17:25) gives us lots to be joyful about. Are you a person who allows the light and joy of Christ to radiate from your life? If not, pray that the Lord would help you to choose joy today.