Stuck in a Rut - Pt 3

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:7-9 ESV).

I have taught people the Law of the Harvest for years. The Apostle Paul makes it very clear in our reading today. My paraphrase has always been simpler for me to remember: You get what you get because you go where you go; if you don’t like what you’re getting, don’t go where you’re going.” The simple truth is that you will reap what you sow. In our little series concerning getting out of our ruts we saw that trusting God for our future was the first essential. Today we see that planning is the second essential. How many times do you suppose a farmer goes out in the fall thinking to himself, "I wonder what we are going to harvest this year?" Does he go out into the field and say, "Well look at that its corn!" Or, "A whole field of watermelons! Who would have guessed it?" No, I don't think that happens, because there is a law in the universe that is as reliable as the law of gravity. What a person sows he reaps. We understand that with trees, and we understand it with crops. But it is interesting how hard that is to understand in life. I can't tell you how many people I have talked with who don't understand why things are happening to them. They say, "Why is this happening in my marriage? Why is this happening in my family? Why is this happening in my finances?" Everything is falling apart for them, and it just doesn't dawn on them that they reap what they sow. For years this is what they have been sowing. So why does it surprise them when that is what they reap? As a matter of fact, often in those times people get angry with God. They want to know, "Where is God, and why does it have to be this way?" As if it is all God's fault, when God has said what you sow is what you are going to reap. The answer is in good planning. Perhaps the most important part of this planning is being intentional. Of course your goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. We’ve all heard this acronym (SMART) through the years; however, the most important part of any planning is seeking the wisdom of God. This is done through Scripture, prayer, and the wise coaching of other mature believers. Find a mentor that you can depend on to help you find your seed to plant. Then, you have every right to expect a great harvest in its time. Remember though, to harvest, you must plant. That will take us to our third essential. Tomorrow we will see it is essential to execute.

Stuck in a Rut - Pt 2

Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:16-19 ESV).

Some years ago I was hunting in the piney woods of east Texas. I had killed a large feral hog and had no way of dragging it out without my truck. At that time I had a two wheel drive Ford Ranger. It was a good truck, but not suited for dragging a 250 pound hog out of the mud and muck of an east Texas bog; before very long, I was stuck in my own ruts, buried up to the axles. I tried everything to get out of that rut. I tied off to a solid tree and tried to use the leverage of the tree to get out; I tried tying wood to the tires to give a wider footprint; I tried pushing and pulling; all of this only served to make it worse. I finally walked out of the area to a local farmer and asked him if he could bring his tractor to pull be out. What a mess! Later in the year on another trip I loaded my truck and got behind the wheel only to find a note left by my son, David. It simple said: “Remember Dad, this is NOT a 4-wheel-drive.” Well, there are some reminders I’d like to give you as you find yourself stuck in your “rut.” There are three basic steps. The first is to trust. Change is hard, scary and most of us try to avoid it at all costs. We like to stay inside our comfort zone. That’s not surprising, it’s called a comfort zone for a reason; it’s comfortable. But if you want to grow, you need to step beyond your comfort zone and embrace the unknown with the knowledge that the Lord is more than sufficient to lead and empower us for that unknown. This is certainly the reference of the Prophet Isaiah when he writes: “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” God is not in the practice of leading us to a place where we cannot go through to his goal for us. As strange and challenging as the future may appear, God will lead us. Trusting him in our journey is the first step to successfully navigate out of our “ruts.” The risk is never in getting stuck in the mud and muck. The real risk is letting life pass you by while you’re in a comfortable state of complacency. Take the risk. It can change your life and the more you do it the easier it becomes until it too, becomes a habit. I often wonder what my life would have been like had I not trusted God with some of those decisions. I know it wouldn’t have been nearly as exciting. I am also absolutely sure it would not have nearly as fulfilling. We’ll look at the second step tomorrow. Today, trust the Lord!

Stuck in a Rut - Pt 1

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:6-11 ESV).

All of us have experienced the feeling of being stuck in a “rut.” Sometimes I find myself stuck in a mental rut of sort. Not long ago, at our 50th High School Reunion, someone gave me a picture of several of us at a party of some sort. We tried to name all the others in the picture and got all of them but one. That put me in a mental rut. I had to find out who the other person was. I asked other classmates with no positive response. Then, in frustration and some hope, I posted it on social media and asked others to join me in the metal quest. Fortunately an answer was forthcoming and the mystery was solved. Ruts can be problematic for all of us. In our reading today we see the eleven remaining disciples (since Judas Iscariot was dead at this point) in a rut. Jesus was preparing them for his ascension and encouraging them with the news of the coming of the Holy Spirit; and, they couldn’t get past their old understanding. They were in danger of missing this wonderful new work of Jesus. Ruts are always a danger like that. Jesus had to deal with the disciples on this before the Church even got started. Let me set the stage a bit. Jesus has just finished with commanding “Don’t leave but wait! The Holy Spirit is the gift worth waiting for…” and you’d expect the disciples to break into a happy dance or at least be on the lookout for this gift all the while asking, “Are we there yet?” they did just the opposite. Jesus was talking about the Kingdom OF God and these disciples are still there asking about the Kingdom TO Israel. They were about to miss the grand entrance of the Church Age. I sometimes wonder if we aren’t like that today. You may have even responded to the prompting of the Holy Spirit with a stubborn response of “But, we’ve always done it the other way.” That’s a sure sign you’re stuck. We’ll be looking at the way we can fix that in our lives over the next few days. For now, confess your tendency to get stuck and ask the Lord to open your heart and mind.

New Every Morning

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust— there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men. (Lamentations 3:25-33 ESV).

Not far from where we live in Aledo, Texas, there’s a wonderful little spot that just seems to epitomize North Central Texas. Having left the house early one morning I decided to take one of the back roads before making my way into Arlington for a day of counseling appointments. I was rewarded with an incredible sunrise. I couldn’t help but think this vista was completely unique and new in every way. I was fortunate to be there. I was “blessed.” Part of who we are is that we were created to be blessed. I wish that I was more cognizant of that truth. I honestly don’t wake up every day thinking that God is looking to bless me from the moment the sun rises until the sun rises the following day. Perhaps I’m too busy or preoccupied. However, the truth remains. Blessing has been God’s way since creation. After God created Adam and Eve, He blessed them. Not because Adam and Eve had done anything to make God decide to reward them, but because our God is generous and loves to bless. The unusual thing about the sovereignty of God is that he gets the credit for any blessings that come my way and God gets the blame for the things that happen that cause me to question.” However, in everything blessing is still present. This is the message of the wise writer of Lamentations. Look at the blessings of God in our reading again. Solomon says we receive the Lord’s great love, His compassions never fail, His great faithfulness, His goodness, His salvation, and even His hope! What are you facing today? Have you received bad news from your doctor? Have you experienced a financial setback that threatens your future? Perhaps you are struggling with some relational difficulty in your family. Maybe you are waking each day dreading one more day of your work. Whatever your challenge today, turn your attention to the new blessing of God for you. It’s there. Find it; revel in it. Know that God wants to bless you and is working your good in all things.

The Great Dust Bowl

My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word! When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes! Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works. My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word! Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law! I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me. I cling to your testimonies, O Lord; let me not be put to shame! I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart! (Psalm 119:25-32 ESV). I’ve returned to Psalm 119 today. Remember that this psalm was written as an acrostic (arranged by letters of the Hebrew alphabet). This was often done as a mnemonic device. We do the same today as a way to help remember and memorize important things. It jogs the brain to remembering if the person speaking Hebrew knew which letter of the alphabet comes next and that the first word of the passage begins with that letter. So, today we come to Daleth, and the first word in Hebrew is dabaqah which means clings to. Literally the first line of this is “My soul clings to the dust. Revive me according to your Word.”

The Dust Bowl was a "decade-long disaster" and a series of droughts that was one of the worst natural disasters in American history. Dust Storms and “Black Blizzards” began in 1932 that ripped up the topsoil sweeping thousands of tons of dirt across America. 100 million acres of farming land was destroyed. The Dust Bowl saw plagues of centipedes, spiders, crickets, and grasshoppers. Many people suffered from numerous health problems, notably dust pneumonia. While recovery was long in coming and slow, it did come. Various relief programs and agencies were initiated in what was called the “New Deal.” It may seem that you are going through your own “dust bowl” spiritually. Sometimes the more we try to rise above our circumstances, the more struggles seem to come our way. The Psalmist has a remedy for that: “Strengthen me according to your Word.” God’s desire is to call us to a place of shelter and safety. It is a place to regain your energy and find a solid footing again. It is a place of protection. It is inevitable that storms will come into our lives. They can be frightening and rob us of our joy and peace in life if we let them. Thankfully our heavenly Father is waiting to calm the storms of life, or in the midst of them, His Word and His nearness will calm us. In our struggle to fix our lives we often forget about our greatest resource. Find yourself going to the Lord first. It makes the other steps much easier.

Groaning in Life's Troubles

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:22-28 ESV).

Reading our Scripture for today, you probably couldn’t escape the word groaning. In addition to this passage we also see in Psalm 6 that people are groaning, creation is groaning, and the Holy Spirit is groaning. “Groaning” is a noise that is made when there aren’t any words. In the case of the Holy Spirit these “groaning” are the “deep words” we simply can’t fathom to bring before the Father in our difficult circumstances. It is praying when there are no words to pray with. These groanings are the power of hope when we feel hopeless. Have you ever been there? Trying to pray and yet there are no words? Have you felt as if there simply was no possible way to vocalize the pain you are enduring? Or, have you experienced a time in your life in which you really didn’t feel like praying or feel like God cared? We all experience times when we don’t know how to act, when we don’t know what to say, when we don’t know what to do, and when we don’t know how to pray. The good news is that God has already planned for times like that. The Holy Spirit is there when we don’t know how to act and we don’t know what to say, when we don’t know what to do and we don’t know how to pray. We have a helper who is listening and acting to bring His plan to a joyful conclusion; and it is not just for us but for all creation. Our helper is also a translator whose job description includes taking our groaning and communicating it to God on our behalf. And He has words and resources when we don’t. He will display His presence in our midst to minister to those suffering. He will pray for us Himself. He will summon others to pray for us when there are no words. And that is our hope doing the work of grace in our lives. You may find yourself in such a circumstance today. Even without the words, just begin to pray. God will hear just the right words and answer you.

Blind Judgment

Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word. Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me! My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times. You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments. Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies. Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes. Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors. (Psalm 119:17-24 ESV).

There are always those times when I find myself feeling a little embarrassed admitting how foolish I can be. Today we look at the third section of the acrostic psalm. It begins with the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Gimel. The principle is found in the psalmist request that God “take away scorn and contempt.” He’s asking that he not be blind in his judgment. Let me illustrate abit. Recently when waiting in a doctor’s office I was taken a bit aback when a man alked in with his dog on a leash. The dog was extremely well behaved. It never left his side; however, my first reaction was what was he thinking bringing his large dog into a waiting room full of sick people? Quickly that changed. I saw the vest on the dog clearly identifying him as a service dog. While I do not know why he needed the dog, it was obvious that he did. I should have been thankful that he had him. His life was obviously made much easier because of this well trained dog. I did remind me how easy it is to be blind in our judgment. Maybe part of that comes with the analytical territory of thinking about things, processing alternatives, and drawing conclusions. So many times we all come to conclusions about people and circumstances when we really don’t know all the facts. Sometimes we need our eyes opened to see what’s there. Our first thought ought not to be criticism or judgmentalism. Our first thought ought to be grace and understanding. Just as the man needed the help of his dog to navigate the world around him, we need the counsel of God in our lives to help us. Christians can be blind to ways in which we are strangers here on both sides of the judging equation. Whether facing others’ judgments or being judges ourselves, we can find ourselves blind to the real Judge. Therefore, like the Psalmist, we can take comfort in being a stranger, and find that Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes. Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors. We’ve looked at the “ABC’s” of faith these past few days. How are doing in these basics of faith?