Shhhhhhhhh!

Psalm 46:10
He says, "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

When I was teaching and raising two teenagers, peace and quiet were hard to come by. From the moment I awoke to the minute I went to bed, it seemed, my weekdays were a perpetual cacophony and the weekends weren't much better. From my son practicing guitar (loudly!) to the radio blaring in the car, from the mindless chatter on the television to the equally silly banter of teenaged girls, there was always a constant backdrop of noise. I developed a knack for tuning most of it out, but that, I discovered, was a far cry from the true silence I thought I longed for. I say "thought" because when the first opportunity arose to embrace them, I found stillness and silence to be unnerving. I couldn't even properly work on my novel without classical music playing softly in the background. I had to face it - I was addicted to noise!

Overcoming this addiction has been a gradual process. It started the autumn after I resigned from my teaching position; everyone was either at work or at school, and I had the entire, quiet, peaceful house to myself. Little by little, this reposeful solitude seeped into my soul, urging me to be still, to see distractions for what they were and let them go. Even though I accomplished many things each day, I felt as though my pace had slowed and the stress and tension hangover from the former clamor I'd become so used to began to melt away. I found that I was spending more time in Bible study, in prayer, and in writing. I, delightedly, felt God's presence more palpably and genuinely in my life than ever before; it was in my being still that I have come to know Him best.

Today, resolve to take time to be still, to be silent before the Lord and know that He is God.

Readings
Psalms 66, 67 or 19, 46
2 Samuel 12:1-22
Romans 15:1-13
John 3:22-36

Standing With God

Mark 9:40
For whoever is not against us is for us.

In today's verse, Jesus is defending the man who is casting out demons in His name even though he is not a member of His elite circle of followers. Essentially, He is saying that there are two types of people in this world: Those who love God and those who don't. It's as simple and straightforward as that. There is no gray area, no wiggle-room, no place for indifference, no hemming and hawing, period!

If only the other choices we have to make throughout our lives were that unambiguous. Few are black or white, either/or, cut and dried. Major decisions require earnest thought, weighing all the pros and cons, before determining what we need to do. When I'm in these situations, I am so thankful that I can go to God in prayer, trusting that He will help me to draw the right conclusions and make the choices that are pleasing in His sight. After all, if I am standing with Him, what or who can stand against me?

Are you facing some tough choices or decisions in your life today? Go to God in prayer. He's standing by and with you, ready to lead you to the right answers.

"And if our God is for us,
Then who could ever stop us?
And if our God is with us,
What can stand against?" ~ Chris Tomlin

Readings
Psalms 87, 90 or 136
2 Samuel 12:15-31
Acts 20:1-16
Mark 9:30-41

Baggage Claim

Mark 9:24
Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

That one statement embodies my life's faith journey. There were many influences during childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood that steered me clear of the path God intended for me to take. In that time, I amassed a mountain of baggage labeled "Unbelief". Like Paul before his dramatic conversion, I, too, though indirectly, persecuted Christians; I denigrated them, made fun of their foolish beliefs, and carried on as if sin were a burden for other people to bear. I was above all that, riding my high horse with my nose in the air. Oh, was Satan on a roll! He was surely counting me in his wicked numbers. What the Devil didn't count on was God's intervention.

You can find a detailed account of how the Lord reclaimed me in my January blog entitled "God of the Impossible - Part Three" (you might want to read numbers one and two just for context), so I won't beleaguer that here. Suffice it to say, I became a believer, but I was still toting an unwieldy and unwanted amount of past baggage. Especially at moments when I was on the verge of a spiritual breakthrough, a growth-spurt of faith, Satan would hurl my doubts, my fears, my unbelief smack in my face. I persevered, certain that the Lord would see me through as surely as I knew He had called me, but how I despised this lingering darkness, this bleak reminder of my formerly shallow and bitter existence. How I desired the undiluted, unfettered joy I perceived in other Christians!

It was 25 years from the moment I first believed until the day God claimed the last carry-on bag from my heart. Think about that for a moment - it took me a quarter of a century to let go and finally let God! Believing all the while that He would one day free me in spite of my unbelief, I now look back on a journey worth every struggle, every doubt, and every tear shed along the way. His steadfast love, His boundless mercy, saved this once lost and wretched soul. Alleluia and amen!

"My chains are gone, I've been set free.
My God, my Savior, has ransomed me;
And like a flood, His mercy rains
Unending love, amazing grace." ~ Chris Tomlin

Readings
Psalms 88 or 91, 92
2 Samuel 12:1-14
Acts 19:21-41
Mark 9:14-29

The Cat's Meow

Psalm 145:15-16
The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

My 17-year-old cat, Jordan, is as quirky as they come. If I described all her habits, mannerisms, and behaviors that have come and gone and come again over the years, they would fill a book. Here, for your sake and mine, I'm only going to focus on one: meowing.

From the time Jordan was a kitten until four years ago, she always shared her life with dogs. Once she had put them in their place as cats are wont to do, she got along famously with all of them, but especially with Maggie, my little Norfolk terrier and the last dog I owned. The only thing Jordan could not control was my dogs', especially Maggie's, reaction to her meowing. The sound evoked immediate and vociferous rebuke in the form of sharp barks, bad breath and all, right in her face. Needless to say, it wasn't long before she quit emitting any sound at all; her voice was as silent as her footfall.

After Maggie passed away, it took quite awhile for Jordan to realize that her meows would no longer be chastised; her mews returned, hesitantly at first, but today, she practices them with a vengeance, especially when she wants me to feed her. She has always been a petite, lithe creature and, after a recent bout with an e. coli infection, we have been, I admit it, spoiling her with every savory tidbit to try to put meat back on her bones. Jordan senses when I'm deep in thought, writing on the computer, studying my Bible, or consumed by kitchen chores and inevitably chooses those inopportune moments to begin her raucous pleas. What a fuss she makes! How her once tentative meows have burgeoned! Irritated as I might feel at the annoying interruptions, I willingly and lovingly cater to her needs. Her green, luminous eyes look to me and trust me to give her food at the proper time.

Are your eyes looking to God to meet your needs? Do you have faith that He can and will? The Bread of Life and the Living Water are freely given and guaranteed to satisfy the desires of your heart.

Readings
Psalms (83), 145 or 85, 86
2 Samuel 11:1-27
Acts 19:11-20
Mark 9:2-13

It's Not About Me

Mark 8:35
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Self-centered people are not pleasant to be around. No matter what situations arise, it's always about them - what they said, what they did, who they are, how they were affected. They are incapable of having an honest conversation because they continually revert the subject back to their needs and their opinions. While their smug arrogance may give the illusion that they are in control of their lives, nothing could be further from the truth. There is no room in their hearts or souls for anyone but themselves. Their only intent is to save their own lives.

Jesus plainly tells us that this mindset is delusional. It denies the reality that God is in all things and is the only one in control. When we give our lives to the Lord, listen for His will for us, and follow His ways in faith and trust, we find the truth, the way, and the life of saving grace.

It's not about us. It never has been. It's always been about God.

"Who you love, I'll love,
How you serve, I'll serve.
If this life I lose,
I will follow you." ~ Chris Tomlin

Readings
Psalms 119:97-120 or 81, 82
2 Samuel 9:1-13
Acts 19:1-10
Mark 8:34-9:1

What's In a Name?

Mark 8:29
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Peter answered, "You are the Messiah."

As impulsive as ever, but correct this time, Peter blurts out his answer. Can't you just visualize the joy and relief on Jesus' face upon hearing this from one of the group of disciples for whom He had had little hope just days before? They had witnessed miracle upon miracle without realizing the truth about Him; Jesus had to be pondering, "Won't the light ever break through?" Up until this point, Jesus may have been wondering, too, if He had even chosen the right company of men with whom to surround Himself. Peter's declaration lifted the veil from the eyes of the others and paved the way for Jesus to tell them what the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Savior, the Deliverer, the Christ, must endure before all can be made new.

If you were to ask someone today, "Who do you say I am?", what answer would you be given? What would you expect? Would it not depend upon whom you were asking? How many people do you know could go beyond the, "Why, you're (your name placed here), of course!" I've heard it said that the more "names" a person has, the more beloved this person is by others. Can you think of all the names you have been given with endearment that say something about who you truly are inside? I do hope you will share here, but remember, no matter how many loving nicknames and monikers you and I have been given, God beats us by a country mile!

Please visit this site and call Him by His profound and blessed names~
http://smilegodlovesyou.org/names.html

Readings
Psalms 78:1-39 or 78:40-72
2 Samuel 7:``18-29
Acts 18:12-28
Mark 8:22-33

Here's Your Sign!

Mark 8:11-12
The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it."

Jesus is exasperated! He has been healing the sick, the lame, and the blind, yet illness, infirmity, and blindness of the mind prosper around Him. A sign? Haven't plenteous signs already been given? What will it take for the Pharisees to understand who He is? Worse, will they ever? To add insult to injury, the disciples fail to understand Jesus' admonition to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod; they think it has something to do with the fact that they did not bring enough bread on board the boat. What??? Jesus chastises them in Mark 8:18: "Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears and fail to hear? And do you not remember?" as He refers to the recent feeding of the five- and four- thousand.

God's signs are everywhere! In our hectic, hustle-bustle lives, however, we don't stop often enough to see, to feel, to hear them and remember. Today, take time to marvel at the grandeur of an oak tree or the delicate pattern of a rose petal; feel the warmth of the sun on your face and the playful breeze flowing through your hair; hear God's love in a friend's greeting, a spouse's "good morning", in the laughter of children. Rejoice in all His miraculous signs and wonders, remembering that you, as His child, are part of those miracles.

Readings
Psalms 80 or 77, (79)
2 Samuel 7:1-17
Acts 18:1-11
Mark 8:11-21