Fire Is Catching

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe"- Ephesians 1:18-19a).

Being enlightened comes at a cost: your life irrevocably changes; you are new, the old is no longer...and it's noticeable (2 Corinthians 5:17). You become a light in a darkened world. Your friends may desert you; as well as your family. You may be excluded by your co-workers; you may even lose your job. Jesus told us He didn't come to bring peace, but to cause division (Luke 12:51). As His enlightened follower, you can't hide the Light that now burns inside you. That Light, whether flickering or flaming, illuminates and makes visible what was in darkness. People immediately realize they are part of that darkness and it makes them uncomfortable...and they want to put the Light out...which means you! Over 2,000 years ago Jesus said, "I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning!" (v.49). Christians around the world, God's holy people, continue to burn. Fire is catching! 

Proverbs 31 Woman

""Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised"- Proverbs: 29-30 (NIV).

We pray to be the Proverbs 31 woman, to be held in honor by our husband and community, and to have our children arise and call us blessed. Some of the most noble women I know have reached that pinnacle, but there are others, just as noble, who despite their efforts, faith and example, appear to be trying to hold the incoming tide back with a broom when it comes to their family members. The true Proverbs 31 woman is the one who stands firm regardless of what the devil is throwing her way. Maybe her husband drinks too much, refuses to believe or attend church with her; maybe he is absent all together; her children are disrespectful, self absorbed and lazy. Her household may be in disarray, but her heart is moving in harmonious step with the Holy Spirit. There may be a Proverbs 31 woman right next to you, but from the look of things she goes unidentified. It is God who knows her heart. He is the Father who will hold her in high regard and welcome her home saying, "Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your Master's happiness!" (Matthew 25:23).  

Son Baths

"In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth"- Psalms 19:4b-6 (NIV).

You can hide from the sun by staying in the shade, but the sun moves across the sky, so you have to keep shifting to stay within the shade. It's like the sun pursues you. This is a good reminder of the love of the Father. He shifts to bathe you in His warm light and love. You have to purposefully avoid His radiance by moving away from His light. But the Father, like the sun, is faithful. He will never stop pursuing you until you take that last breath, that last beat of your heart, and then you'll be face-to-face with the pure Light, the purest love. There is no excuse: nothing is deprived of His love. Lord bathe me today in the fullness of Your light.

Radical Life Shift

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord"- Romans 38-39 (NIV).

If God so loves us, and is for us, why should we be afraid of anything or anyone? If we can't understand His ways, why should we be concerned that we don't know what is really going on? I watched my grandson scrambling from one rock to the other, not realizing he was within feet of falling off the side of the porch. He was having a grand old time conquering his surroundings and being outdoors. His lack of concern radiated across his face. Oh to have the faith of a child and really believe we are loved and watched over (Matthew 10:15). How differently would we live if we really accepted that God Almighty, our Heavenly Father, loved us thus to catch us if we stumble? That would be radical life shift. It would be life lived more abundantly. That's why Jesus came (John 10:10).   

New Life

"We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life"- Romans 6:4 (NIV).

Jesus said we have to be born again in order to see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). That statement confused Nicodemus, but Jesus was speaking of a spiritual rebirth, not a fleshly rebirth (v.6). Rebirth is a new beginning; we become a new creation after Jesus gets hold of us (2 Corinthians 5:17). We still mess up our days: lose our temper, step over lines we shouldn't have, allow pride and judgment to smudge our testimony. But, the good news is that God's breathes new life into every new day. Each day is the first day of the rest of your life.  Matthew West's song, Day One, reminds us that God's mercy is brand new every morning: "Its day one of the best of my life. I'm marching on to the beat of a brand new drum. Yeah, here I come, the future has begun: Day one. Well, every single day Your grace reminds me that my best days are not behind me. Wherever my yesterday may find me; well, I don't have to stay there." Telling someone to have a nice day just took on new meaning.

Character Development

"For You created my inmost being: You knit me together in my mother's womb...My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be"- Psalm 139: 13, 15-16 (NIV).

Like a novel, each day of your life unfolds like the turning of a page; a page crafted by the most amazing Author. How exciting! Like every good novel there is a mixture of good and bad; sometimes great and sometimes worthy of trembling. When you stop to look back at the story, you begin to see how the plot has been intricately woven together to shape the character of the story: you. Your novel is of interest to others as well. Are you a good read to unbelievers? Meaning: Does your character reflect the Author's intent: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? If not, then the comprehension of your own novel has escaped you and you are missing out on becoming the person God intended you to become.

Busy Believers

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings"- 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV).

Temptation comes from the the Father of Lies, the devil. He doesn't attack Christians in the same way he attacks non-believers. We can resist killing someone, committing adultery, stealing, etc. The devil is much more stealthy with Christians because he knows our weak areas. Maybe you find it hard to say no: it's a real need from someone; the church doesn't have anyone else to fulfill this role; your children have friends who are more involved in some area. These are genuine needs, but the devil is trying to make you put off prayer and reading God's word due to lack time in your day...precisely, the devil is doing everything he can to fill your every waking moment to keep you from those two powerful encounters. It is time to take stock of your day, your hours, your minutes. Where does time with your Heavenly Father fit into your day?