WHEN LIFE GETS FOGGY

I read a story once about a young woman who was trying to set a non-stop aviation record. During the course of her trip she ran into a thick cloud of fog that kept her from seeing anything. She tried relentlessly to get someone on her radio, finally a voice came back and began to talk to her. The voice told her that while she might not be able to see clearly through the fog, he could see her on his radar and could talk her through it, if she would listen to him and trust, that while she might not be able to see him, he could see her and would see her to safe landing. Reluctantly, she had no choice, if she was going to make it she knew she would have to trust him. While her eyes did not want to trust, her heart had to. She gained a whole new perspective that night for trusting radar as well as the voice that she heard in her cockpit as she obeyed it. Had she argued with the man and doubted him, she might not have ever lived to tell anyone!

You see God can see us through the fog, the valley the ruts in life, but we must be willing to listen and allow Him to be our eyes and trust that even though we may not understand why those type things come upon us and we may not understand the things that our eyes may be seeing, He can be our pilot through them. What He is not however, is our co-pilot. I recall seeing a tag once that said God is my Co-pilot, and while that may sound sweet and helpful, it is not biblical. God must be the Captain, the Master, the Lord, the One in control, the Pilot of our everything. And no matter what the bumper stickers may say, He is not limited by them. While He may allow us to do the driving through our own life, He will also allow us to be responsible for our own actions and repercussions regarding the routes and roads that we take without His help and guidance.  

While most of us want to live and stay on life’s mountaintops, we will at some point be forced to be schooled in and recognize the beauty in the valleys and the growth that comes from living there. It will also be there in a valley that the fog will dip down to test our faith. You will seldom ever see farmers growing their crops on the sides of the mountains. That’s because it’s only in the valley that the crops can really grow to their fullest potential. While it is possible for them to grow their crops on the sides, they are harder to tend and work. But in the valley on the flat ground, that is where the best of the nutrients in the dirt lay; washed down the mountains with the wind and rain to find rest in the thick rich dirt of the valley.

Sometimes we must endure hardships and foggy times in order to appreciate those mountain top experiences. So often in those foggy times we do not trust because we walk by what we can see and when we do, we become engulfed and captive in our own fears and doubts, that will always lead us to make the wrong choices. If those foggy places makes me more like Jesus, then that’s where I want to be, because I am no stranger to the valley and many times they seem like home to me. May I encourage you today friend to embrace each valley, each pit, each foggy path as part of God’s lesson plan for you that day. Then and only then will you be able to appreciate them and see the beauty that the Lord see as He is brushing off the old man in us to make us more like Him, and as we let go and let God, the valleys become fewer and far between. Remember, don’t argue, nor debate with Him as He gets you through the fog to victory, because He has your best interest in mind and He plans on you being the winner!

Loving on you today,
Bren

THE DECADENCE OF WRONGDOING

Like poison dissolving in liquid, consuming the entire contents that it is poured in, so sin consumes the lives of those that are affected by it. Some much more serious than others. For a season in our lives sin masquerades itself to us behind the mask of fun and tolerance. It’s consequences however,  can affect the innocent as well as the guilty. It affects the person who commits it and can draw others into it as well. Sin is any act that violates the perfect will and Glory of God by transgressing or breaking His divine law offending His Holy nature. Sin originated in the heart of a created being named Lucifer. That sin entered the human world through the first woman Eve and then the first man Adam. The word of God teaches in Romans 5:13 that because of that (their) sin, death was passed to every man and woman, for that all have sinned. Romans 3:23 also tells us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and if anyone says that he has not sinned, he is a liar and the truth is not in him. Sin has strong consequences as well as a mortal penalty. Mankind today still lives with the consequences of the first sin. God’s word also warns that in the end times sin will increase and people will become lovers of themselves and deny the truth. As time has gone by slowly but surely mankind has become less and less sensitive to sin in them and around them. Many have traded truth for lies and they tolerate things that they once knew were wrong for the sake of keeping peace with those that disagree. What they once looked upon as “sin”, they now look upon as their “right of personal choice”. They have slowly renamed sin to fit their own lifestyle and preferences. They indulge in something that may be wrong but when it is embraced as something suitable, then, it is more easily accepted. When you hear the word decadent, most of us automatically think about indulging in some delicious chocolate dessert. However, the very word decadent means,  being in a state of self-indulgent, decline or decay, marked by unrestrained gratification, morally corrupt, and those are just the adjectives to describe it. When used as a noun, it means a person in a condition or process of mental or moral decay. More than ever before we are living in the day where our society is moving ever closer, into the process of sinful decadence or maybe I should say, the decadence of wrongdoing, which will slowly but surely end in moral decay.

The word sin today has become so distorted, abused and debased that it seems to have less and less impact on how and what people think about it. For some people, sin has become simply a phrase, that has no emotional or intellectual force behind it. For others, it’s almost a joke. Songs have been written about sin that insinuates and implies, that you are not part of the “IN CROWD” unless you are doing it. While the word sin may be losing its impact these days, the word crime seems to have far greater effect on people. Crime is much more visible and we hear more about it on T.V. every day. It is largely recognized, because they are acts or laws that are broken and committed against us. Not us breaking the law.  It’s one thing when we sin ourselves, but an entire different story when someone sins against us by committing a crime that affects us.  As a matter of fact, crime concerns us so much that it forces us to seek extra security all around us. We arm our cars and homes with monitored alarm systems, stronger locks on our doors that in many ways can provide us with a false security. Yet with them, we feel somewhat better about the protection and security they provide for us and our families.  If allowed the fear of crime can consume us and cause us to be under the subjection of it. Sin is the same way! Sin holds man under its authority. It is a living, active, forceful and dynamic power that has man under its sway. This means that he is under the power of it, in subjection to it, under the control of, or dependent upon sin, just like an addiction. We cannot escape its power, within our own strength. For it is stronger than we are, to overcome it as a whole. For our world to ever get better, we must once again look upon sin as though we look upon crime and do everything in our power to protect ourselves and our families from it.

Sin is universal, and perhaps this is one reason why the term is so frequently ignored. So many people are sinning so frequently, that to them, it is just a way of life. It is acceptable because everyone is doing it. Sin has titanic and often unrealized effects. Knowing this should cause us to guard ourselves against it even more strongly than we do against crime. Crime itself is simply sin. The Bible refers to sin as “all wrongdoing”. It always amazes me how people will get bent out of shape over crime, yet they will no longer tolerate the commands of God to be held true and taught to their children in this country. For those that understand the effects of sin, they keenly know that crime cannot be conquered a part from teaching truth and holding each other accountable for it.  While you may not can see sin as what it is, you can always recognize it at work; the after effects of it! We can bury our heads all day long in this country and call sin anything we want to. But I must tell you that our society will never be safer, until we raise a higher standard for ourselves, our children, our homes, our churches, our schools and our government. And may I conclude that until we decide to call all wrongdoing what it is and stop compromising for the sake of tolerance, our children will only continue to see their future through the eyes of crime and fear. Yes, there will always be wrongdoing as long as this earth continues….however, it is very possible to enjoy seasons of peace and my friend, we sure need some of that!

Loving On You Today!

Bren

LIVING IN AND LEAVING YOUR LO DEBAR

PART 1  LIVING IN LO DEBAR

If you are even somewhat familure with desert life, then I am sure that like many others, you equate it with being, a hostile environment that conspires against all human life. When you think about the desert, more than likely, the first thing that comes to mind is usually that of enormous heat, a lack of water and desolation. I would like to share with you a story out of the second book of Samuel,  about a young man that was rescued from such a place. This young man was the grandson of a great King, his name was Mephibosheth, the son of Prince Jonathan, and grandson of King Saul. He was five years old when his father and grandfather fell in the Battle of Mount Gilboa. Upon the hearing of this calamity, the child's nurse fled with the boy from Gibeah, the royal residence, and stumbled as she hurried to flee, dropping him on the ground. His falling to the ground left Mephibosheth permanently paralyzed from his waist down. From Gibeah, he was carried to the land of Gilead, where he and his nurse found refuge for many years in the house of Machir at Lo-Debar. The name, Lo Debar meant, place of no pasture, no hope, total desolation, so you can imagine the kind of place it was. Surely, Mephibosheth’s nurse thought that no one would ever look for him there and for a while, no one did. 

Years before Jonathan’s death, David had covenanted with him, that after he had become king, David would always show kindness to his household and that Jonathan's family would never be cut off. Years later, after King David had subdued all the adversaries of Israel, he began to think about the family of Jonathan, and the covenant that he had made with his dear friend. He asked some of his advisers one day if there may be anyone left of the house of Saul, for Jonathan’s sake, that He could show kindness to. The only relative left that his advisors found out about, was one of Jonathan’s son, who was crippled and hiding out in the desolate place of Lo Debar. David told them to find Mephibosheth and bring him to him immediately. When the King's men came to Mephibosheth door and told him that King David was summoning him, one can only imagine the fear that struck his heart. Was it not enough that he was exiled in one of the most remote desolate places on earth, but even there he now, was no longer safe. He was afraid and unsure of what was about to happen to his very life. However, what choice did he have, surrounded by armed men, representatives of the King himself, he had no choice but to go back with them and face whatever was waiting for him, upon the Kings spoken command. Little was he aware and did he know, that the thing that would bring him out of hiding was grace, not harm. Absolute grace from the very thing that he had feared the most, the King’s own hand. Instead of death, he had received a new life, in a way that he had not known since childhood. At last he would be able to sit at the King’s table once again and enjoy the benefits of being an heir to a King. No more would he have to live in Lo De Bar. King David even restored to Mephibosheth the land that belonged to his fathers. What a great picture of grace. David did for Mephibosheth what Mephibosheth could not do for himself. What a beautiful picture of what Christ has done for us, if we will simply  come to Him as He summons us out, of our Lo Debar. Because of a promise to his friend Jonathan, Mephibosheth was restored to what the sin of his grandfather had taken from him. He was the son of a King’s son, yet through his own making Saul brought much grief to his household.

PART 2  LEAVING YOUR LO DEBAR

The name, Lo Debar meant, place of no pasture, no hope, total desolation. You may have experienced living in a place like Lo Debar. Like Mephibosheth, in last week’s devotion, you too may be hiding out, living in a spiritual desolate place. Maybe you are there because of a failing relationship, the shame of a divorce, or abuse, maybe some type of financial problem, or maybe just some wrong choices that you have made. But, one thing for sure is, that everyone at some point and time has been or will be, forced to make a visit to a place like Lo Debar. And there, each person will be allowed to experience the great benevolence and grace of a King who cares for them and is calling them out of hiding. So many times we suffer more from what the devil would have us to believe than the actual truth in a matter. When we fail to forgive others or ourselves for something that was done to us or that we have done, we become trapped in our own minds, not by the wrong that others have done to us, but by the unwillingness to let it go and allow the grace of God to do in us what it is meant to do. Our fear over shadows what we know down deep inside us to be truth and we exchange truth for a lie. Not only does Christ offer redemption for those that are wanting to leave their Lo Debar, He also offers hope for the one who keeps returning there because they are unstable in their walk with Christ refusing to cut the cord that binds them to that desert place, even though Jesus Himself, shows up at the door to retrieve them by His own hand. Yet in order to leave that desolate place of fear and hiding, we must always be willing to let go, to leave that which we are holding on to, behind. It cannot come with us to the green pastures of peace and refuge at the King’s table. For at the King’s table, there is only room for those that are forgiven and those that have forgiven. If we dare try and bring unforgiveness with us, we will not be allowed to stay.  

Sometimes, those who claim to know Christ as Redeemer and Savior can experience a psychological Lo Debar through their own making. How long and how desolate their experience is, depends on how intimately they will choose to know God deeper and move quickly through their desert experience. A woman or man betrays a relationship and everything they had believed about that relationship all of a sudden is gone; because of one incident, one mistake. Was their whole relationship just a lie, just a big put on? Where do they go now? Every place they shared together is now an uncomfortable place. Every friend can seem almost like an enemy. Once where laughs had filled the room now are distant memories, uncomfortable, and suspect. Stuck in Lo Debar, they cry out to God, “Is this how a child of Yours is meant to live?”  and often times they play the blame game by degrading and pointing fingers. They forget that hurting people tend to hurt each other. They degrade the other to make themselves look and feel better. Yet God holds them just as accountable, for their sin of unforgiveness. Friend, may I tell you that God is so serious about our unwillingness to forgive. As a matter of fact His word tells us that unless we forgive, we ourselves will not be forgiven.  As they seek forgiveness from one another and with God, then the peace that they are searching for in their desert will come quickly. In fact, forgiving is the only way to get peace. To keep peace we must embrace it and hold it tight, always being mindful of what happens to our joy when we fail to pursue that peace. If one of them refuses to forgive or get the proper help needed to work through their pain and do whatever it takes to get out of Lo Debar… they will continue to revisit that desert place, that will only bring more pain.

May I tell you the truth sweet friend, if you are feeling like this today, you have but one choice to make in order to get help, to get out of your spiritual desert place! That choice is up to you! In order to get to the other side though I must warn you… you must be willing to let go of what you are holding on to, because “that thing” is keeping you longer than you want or need to stay. Do you think for a minute that your sin holds any less weight before God than someone else’s sin. Maybe you are beating yourself up because you were the one who made the mistake. Still, either way, you must be willing to see your situation from God’s perspective. Once you do that, and are willing to let go, you can then take hold of the promise of freedom to once again love and be restored not only to another, but to God Himself.  I know personally what it is like to feel both trapped and lost. It has happened in my life enough times that I am learning to be quick in my letting go, so that I can take hold of the grace that God has extended to me in many unusual and unexpected ways. I also suspect that I will feel the pull toward Lo Debar again and again before my journey has ended here. But until then I will run every time as I see on the horizon the outskirts of Lo Debar in my life and will do my best to turn and run the other way.  You see the thing that makes the difference for me now is that I know that He knows the way out of Lo Debar and I know the way to Him. Run to Him friend, He is calling you out now!

Hold Fast,

Bren

YOU SANK MY BATTLESHIP

When it comes to marriage, God did not hand out a bill of rights to us, but a simple role description for both man and woman that entails each part or role that they are to live out. If done properly, their acts of obedience to what God requires of them will bring much happiness into their marriage as well as peace in their home. It would be ever so wise to understand what that role description requires before one signs on to such a great responsibility. But unfortunately, most people do not really understand what it will take to make a marriage work before they say, “I Do”. They simply want to be married and reap the rewards of that sacred institution.  God’s Word outlines for us what those requirements and responsibilities are. While there are many privileges of being married, those privileges should never be the focus of our individual responsibilities. The focus should be on obeying what God has commanded that we do and in having that perception, we reap the privileges that come with His blessings… and they are great!  Even non-Christians can benefit from God’s instructions if they are applied properly.  

I’ve seen through the years that when attending a class or teaching a class on marriage, people often times will tend to focus more on what the responsibility of their spouse is, rather than what they personally are exhorted to do. Sadly, after the class, they return home only to assume the former role that they had been living and nothing changes in their life, marriage or home. The next time a class is offered on marriage, they choose not to attend because they feel like they were never helped by the last one. The simple fact of the matter is: that one of them, or both for some reason or another was unable to hear what God was saying to them on a personal level, or they simple refused the council or advise they were given. Like playing a game, most people are more interested in “playing the game”, than learning the rules to guide them in their participation.  

Last week I was playing “You Sank My Battleship” with one of my grandsons. Since he had never played the game before I was trying to explain to him what the rules were. As we began playing, we were laughing and having fun. After a very short time he no longer wanted to play by the rules but wanted to do a little cheating on the side to advance his torpedoes and blow me out of the water. Upon my rebuking his cheating, he told me that, “it was only a game” and it was okay if he wanted to have two turns in a row, as well as taking a look at my layout, to determine where I had placed my battleships. Of course by doing that, he would know exactly what numbers to call out, to have a direct hit on my ships every time. Then having two turns to my one turn, he would quickly win the game. While I explained to him that “winners never cheat and cheaters never win”, and that if he was going to play by those rules, I did not want to play; he quickly assured me that he would do it right way the next game because he said; he loved me and wanted to sink some more of my battleships! I thought to myself upon hearing that, “I think he gets it” and gave a hearty chuckle!  You see marriage is kind of like playing “You Sank My Battleship”…it can start out just fine. Both people can be having a blast and then someone wants to cheat on the rules a little. Then one of them wants to change the rules and before you know it, they have blown the other one out of the water.

You see those people want to play the game to reap the benefits by winning the wrong way. In some marriages, people will allow themselves to be guided by the rewards instead of doing it the right way. In the end the rewards will be much greater, if they were accomplished by the proper means that it takes to win. Like my grandson, many people are willing, to stop cheating and play by the rules the right way, because they love whom they are playing with and while they may say something crazy like, “I love you and want to sink some more of your battle ships”, the fact of the matter is, they love whom they are in the marriage with, and are willing to go through the process the right way; once they understand that the way they were doing it was the wrong way!. When that happens, hope abounds and change is right around the corner. No matter how long you are married, always be willing to do things God’s way. For they truly will bring the most peace and joy in any situation.

Loving on you today,

Bren

OH WHAT A TANGLED WEB OF DEBT WE WEAVE

Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive! -Sir Walter Scott

Debt is a complicated subject and there is a great deal that could be said about it. Far more than I could begin to say and I'm sure much wiser advise than what I can give. But I would like to share a few little morsels about what I have personally experienced and learned concerning it. In my home, my husband is and always has been the financial caretaker, accountant, lender and for the most part burden barer of and over our finances. While he has always confided in me in all the decision making, I can attest to the fact that he has spared me much concern and relief from the burden of our family’s finances. Whatever my husband and I have, we have only because of the sacrifices and choice that we have made together through the years and God blessing those sacrifices and choices. 

I, in no way consider myself to be a financial advisor, nor do I consider having all the answers. But through trial and error and long-term hard work, I know what has, and has not worked for my family. I have learned from a good teacher by his choices and sacrifices through the years to be consistent, longsuffering and patient to get the end results of things we would like to have or achieve. I personally view the entire financial debate in one simple word, “Stewardship”! I learned this too from my husband. God’s Word teaches that God is the owner of everything, and we are mear mangers and that includes our money. If we properly manage what God gives us, I have seen firsthand blessing. If on the other hand we mis-manage those things, I also know the sting of loss and disappointment as well. While my husband has been a good teacher, I must tell you that I had to trust the Lord first before I ever learned to trust my husband. In trusting the Lord, it gave me a net of security that otherwise, I believe that I would not have had with my husband. That net of security was simply making the decision in my heart, to do things God’s way! After that, trusting my husband became as easy as my trusting the Lord. For in the end….that is what it is all about…..doing your best, and leaving the results to the Lord.

From a biblical perspective incurring debt is never a black and white issue. As a matter of fact there are certain circumstances where debt is almost unavoidable at times. Like for instance, in the purchase of a home or land paying for educations and of course our family’s transportation. While the Bible never says that debt is a sin, unless of course the motive behind it is greed or selfish gain, the Bible does encourage us to avoid debt all together. The reason God discourages debt is because He knows that debt enslaves us in one way or another. One of the best things about God’s Word is, if applied; is that all mankind can benefit from His truths and wisdom. 

There are many popular misconceptions about the scriptures teaching, on debt. Absolutely nowhere in the Scriptures are we advised or commanded to use debt to accomplish God-given economic goals. On the contrary, the Bible contains many warnings against the use of debt to acquire something. The best way to achieve those goals would be to have a plan, work hard and save for it. However, I have seen some people through the years who get themselves heavily in debt have the impression that God has promised to get them out of their problems and will even use a verse that I have often heard cited in Philippians 4:19: "And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." The promise of course is true, God can and will meet our needs by His vast supply but note the rest of the verse… according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Those glorious riches do not mean material riches, but a wealth of wisdom and truth. Those are the riches of God in Christ Jesus, and I have learned firsthand that that does not mean, that Jesus has enough money to bail us out of something because He owns it all, especially when we have gotten ourselves into financial trouble by making wrong choices. He hasn't pledged Himself to us, to cancel the consequences of our unwise behavior. He pledges to us to deliver us and make another way of escape, as we walk in obedience with Him. When we disobey and choose to do things our way, we often times will end up needing His help to get out. However, His help always requires, His terms!

Through the years in conversation with friends as well as my personal recollections of doing things the wrong way, it was always easier to get in debt through the use of lenders, for three reasons. First, because we may have been living, “by sight”, trusting in what we can see. It is much easier to visualize a person who is sitting in front of us, and them assuring us, that we can have what we are asking for, with interest of course! Where with God, we will first need to confirm if it is His will for us to have it, and then of course…it’s that dreaded time frame of His that we would have to wait in….recall with me the scripture in James 4:3 that says, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts". Well, there ya go… in a nutshell!

The second reason I believe that we find it easier to go to a lender than to God is because we want what we want and it’s not up for debate! So, we do not commit it to the Lord, nor do we even take the time to consider what He may think, we just do it! Psalms 37:5 instructs us to, “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.” God will always show us a way, but it is up to us if we go the way He shows.

The third reason is because, of what it says in Luke 14:28 “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sits not down first, and counts the cost, whether he has enough to finish it?” More often than not, we do not first calculate the outcome or our choices and the wrong choices will always take us further than we wanted to go, keep us in debt longer than we had planned on being in, and the payoff or interest, cost us much more than we end up wanting to pay. Most often we are too quick to let our own will guide us and not God’s will for our lives. I like what Oswald Chambers says about calculating with God’s perspective…. “Haul yourself up a hundred and one times a day in order to do it, until you get into the habit of putting God first and calculating with Him in view.” The jewel in that comment is, “get into the habit”. It’s simply a matter of getting ourselves into a habit of pursuing God’s will in every area of our lives. Do nothing without getting His mind on it first…and then obey what He says to do about it.

 

While the Bible may not saying black and white that it's wrong to borrow money, it does however warn us against presuming upon the future: "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit;' whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that" James 4:13-15. By borrowing you may possibly be denying God an opportunity to build up your faith through a particular provision . The Lord has promised to supply all our needs Philippians 4:19, but He never promised us that we could have everything we want. For like children, He knows that some things are not good for us. Some things can even draw our hearts away from Him. That is why we are to seek His will over a matter and know when He does not come through for us on our terms….there must be a good reason! Sometimes borrowing can be unwise because it is just an easy way out of a situation that would otherwise force us to be stretched spiritually to trust God to come through for us. Romans 13:8 encourages us to owe no man anything….why? Because God does not want His children to be in bondage or slavery to nothing or no one. He knows the heaviness of what debt can bring and longs for us to be smart and never undertake on a debt that we can never get out of, short term. 

We do not sin because we incur debt, we sin when our debt overtakes us and causes us to worry and be fretful and fearful of our future. For you see, those are the very things that trap us and once we get trapped we become a slave to it.

Why is Debt like slavery? If you’ve ever acquired any amount of debt, whether it was a car loan, or credit card balance you couldn’t pay off at the end of the month, you may have felt the burden of slavery. This burden stems from owing money to someone else. That payment is due each month whether you can pay it or not. The heaviness of the burden alone places a ball and chain around our necks holding us captive to that which we cannot get loose. The Bible clearly tells us that we are slaves to the lender when we are in debt. That burden is the slavery of being obligated or in debt to another person. Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender Proverbs 22:7. This is probably the most powerful debt related scripture in the Bible because it puts it into perspective quite well. I would think that for the most part folk that are servants, want to be servants by choice, not because of some debt they owe and are made to be a servant of that debt.

Debt, as with all troubles, can be an opportunity for growth. They are tests of our faith. With the right attitude towards them, we can see them as growing opportunities. Debt is not good. But we can allow it to strengthen our faith and perhaps use our story to help others in the future by overcoming it. I think the important thing to keep in mind is not to be discouraged about being in debt. It would be easy to have a negative attitude. Perhaps it would also be easy to blame someone else, or just the unfortunate situation. But if looking at debt as a trial that can and will be overcome, there is a great opportunity on the other side. God’s word gives that encouragement…Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1: 1-5. When we are obliged to incur debt, there are some important biblical concepts that should govern our borrowing and one of them is, always strive with great effort to pay back any debt incurred as soon as possible. Psalm 37:21 states, "The wicked borrow and do not repay." Here the answer is obvious! One that does not repay their debts, the Bible calls "wicked." Ultimately, a believer has a moral obligation to repay their creditors to the best of their ability.

Oh friend, my heart aches for all of us that have been guilty at times as we have weaved a tangled web of debt, only to find that the desires of our flesh have deceived us into making wrong financial choices. Learning to be a good steward of our money by having a good plan and goal, setting money aside to accomplish those goals and waiting until the money is there, is the very best plan we can have, and the best part is, we live in freedom!

Loving on you today,

Bren

GETTING TO KNOW GOD

There are some spiritual phrases that I have never cared for, because they do not truly represent the truth about God and in many ways, dishonors Him by the casual way that they are used. Three of them that I strongly dislike, since my own personal conversion or coming to Christ are; “I got religion!” or “They got religion!” and “Me and the man upstairs got our own thing going!”. When a person becomes a Christian, they do not come to religion, a church, a minister, or a set of beliefs and they sure don’t come to some man upstairs. They have come to the living and Holy God that created them as well as the universe in which they live. They are able to do so according to John 1 by only one means and that is through the blood atonement of God’s personal sacrifice, His only Son, Jesus Christ! The only way that a person can understand how serious God is about any matter is to know Him personally, not, “about Him”, but to personally ”know Him” and His ways. I Corinthians 3:10 says …”I have laid the foundation….But let each one take heed how he builds on it.”  

Like any relationship, in order to know someone you must spend time with them, talking to them, getting to know what they think and how they feel about things. You must dig deep into the person of God….Who He is, what He thinks, what He is like, what His ways are, what His personality is like, and what He thinks and feels about you.  The purpose of building on that foundation which He has laid for us, is so that our pursuing Him will cause us to understand Him in the light that He gives us. Knowing God is the greatest and most privileged pursuit that human beings can attain to. In fact, we were created and placed on this earth in order to know God and have fellowship with Him. It is only when man does things his way, that chaos and disorder will run rapid in their lives and the world in which they live.  The more time we spend building our foundation correctly, the more likely the things we build on it will not crumble or fall. But will endure and produce in us the right stuff that we will need to live and reflect our faith and Whom we belong.  

Sadly, I have found, that for the most part, Christians that regularly attends church are never taught how on a personal level, to develop depth in their foundation with God, thus staying in an infant-like stage of their spiritual growth. Most foundational teachings involve lessons on how to be a good Christian, how to witness, how to observe the ordinances of the faith, how to be a faithful church member, and understanding the doctrines that their church or denomination believe to be relevant and needed. All of these are actually very important subjects to learn about and follow. However, each of these are pursuits of knowledge and must be built on top of the foundation that God has laid for them. You might look at that foundation as a personal encounter with God, where He has taught you personal things about Himself that enable you to understand why He ask of you all the things that He does. If first you can understand why God thinks and acts the way He does, then naturally, you will understand why His expectations of you are what they are.  Jesus said it best in Luke 6:46-49  But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” Notice that Jesus states, whoever comes to Him. In John 5:40 He says, “but you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”

People approach God for many different reasons with many different motives. The promise of God only applies to the ones who will come after Him. To understand God more clearly, we must first let Him lay the foundation in us; that only He can do, providing the tools in His Word, which will help us to discover Him and develop a strong relationship and bond with him as we continue to pursue Him.  While coming to God through Christ does not preclude us from experiencing pain, trouble and life storms. It does allow us a stronger foundation to dig in to when those times of trouble do come. God never intended for us to replace or think of Him as a Religion. He never intended for us to follow a preacher, teacher or person as did some Christians in Corinth were doing, only to find that it is Christ that we should follow. We are never to be caught up in the traditions of church sacraments, if those are the things that we do for the sake of religion and keeps us from having a personal relationship with God. Those things are only a shadow of Who He is. We are all given the same right and freedom to know and pursue Him as a child would get to know their parent.  It is however up to us to make the effort. 2 Timothy 2:19 says, “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," ….the only spiritual thing we should seek after or pursue, is to receive and maintain a personal relationship with God by means of the doorway that He Himself has provided. As we get to know Him on a personal level, everything else just falls into place. We then will begin to build on that foundation; and all the other things about God will be revealed to us as our spiritual appetite hungers for. Get to know Him today sweet friend, He is waiting for you to meet Him!

Loving on you today,

Bren

THE RELATIONSHIP OF LONELINESS

There are moments into every life when the world seems to pass us by and we are left to eat the bread of loneliness. The rich and the poor, the strong and the weak, the palace dweller and the shack dweller, all have at some point felt the piercing pang that comes from being unnoticed, unneeded and even unwanted. Perhaps that pain is more poignant when we realize that our friends have found us to be expendable at times. That while they march along, some of us sit behind a closed door crying out, wishing that someone would notice us and understand where we are.

There are times in our lives that no cry can find the solace and strength needed to endure a thing, without some kind of friendship or companion to help bare what we must bear, in order to get to the other side of it. Upon asking his friends in the garden one evening to stay awake and pray with him, Jesus’ disciples fell asleep. Why? Because they did not feel what Jesus was feeling at the time. They did not have an urgency in their heart to pray, because they had not been sipping from the cup of loneliness that Jesus had been sipping from. So it was easy for them to fall asleep, when their conscience had not been bothered, nor burdened. Believe me, Jesus understood the loneliness of barren relationships that are great on the surface, but when trial and storms come, many will disappear into the horizon. For Him to be sympathetic to us when we are lonely, He had to experience His own brokenness …alone!

For the child of God, there does not have to be long bouts of sadness and loneliness. For we are freed from those emotions through the power of the redeeming cross. What we must do however, is learn how to manage our sufferings in the shadow of the cross. Sheltered under the protection by the power that is ours, for not just claiming it, but by running to it. That shelter we must learn, is the Rock of Ages, and we must learn to hide in the clefts of that rock.

Perhaps few people know better what it means to stand within the shelter of a rock, than those that defended the Island of Malta against the Germans in 1941. From the safe haven of their man made rock-built cavern, the men watched day after day unharmed as confusion and chaos swirled around them. Outside the rock cover, death would surely consume them, yet inside under the rock, no danger could befall them. They put their trust in the rock that sheltered them from harm’s way.

The rock to which the Christian flees when all around them is sinking sand, is the shelter of God’s reassuring voice that says, “Fear not, for I am with thee always, be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea I will help thee and uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10) Jesus said in John 10:9, that if any man be in Him, He would go in and out and find pasture. You and I must find that pasture for ourselves. We must find out for ourselves and learn to walk in the truth of what He shows us and not be tossed around by doubt and worry. Then can we sing with the Saints of old, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee!

Loneliness comes in different forms and through many avenues. But no matter the method or reason that it comes, we have a higher ground to run to and there we can find the comfort, love and support that we need to sustain us and remind us of our worth, value and finally, motivate us to not settle for loneliness and pity. But to remind us of who we are in Christ and remember…. that alone is enough!

Loving on you today,

Bren