Motion Sensor

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven"- Matthew 5:16 (NIV).

There is a motion sensor in my office and I've found that if I sit still for long, the light goes out, not coming back on until I move. I could sit still for hours and remain in the dark. That's useful in saving energy, but in the world of sharing the Gospel, being still, keeping the light from shining, is counter productive to the Lord's commands. You aren't "saving" anything if your light is not shining. I pass a house each day that recently had a team of people building an extension onto the front porch. They had a sign posted outside: The Jerusalem Project. These people were God's hands and feet. They were a light shining for others to see. Even now, I can't help but look at the new addition each time I pass by and think about what God has done for that family. I personally know the woman is a widow. This story begs me to ask if I've been sitting in darkness, my light not shining, because my motion sensor hasn't detected any movement in a long time. We are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), designed to bring glory to our Father. The Lord is in the "saving" business: "For this is what the Lord has commanded us: "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth'" (Acts 13:47). Oh, that we really had a motion sensor to remind us to move.  

Investment in Giving

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you"- Luke 6:38 (NIV).

The pastor preached on giving, the morning devotional was about giving, and my Bible reading was about the widow's mite; her giving all her livelihood. I think God is telling me my message should be about giving. Giving isn't just about money, both time and effort fall under this command, too. One of the devil's strategies is to keep our lives so busy we don't have time to give of ourselves. It's easy to reason and put off until a more opportune time...but years later you find you don't really have anything in common with your spouse, your children are grown, your parents are aged or no longer with you, and your friends, if you are lucky enough to have some, are in the same condition as you. The world tells us what a successful person's life should look like, both in our personal life and our home life, but the reality is we get what we put into things, including relationships. Ripples in our life journey can be ignored for a time, but sooner or later, we see the results of ignored relationships; even our relationship with God. Do you see the devil in this? He plans to blind and lead us down the wrong path. Cell phones now tell us how much screen time we've had weekly. It boggles the mind that I've been weekly on my cell phone for hours; hours! What if we had an app that told us how much time we spent on our relationships, including time with God? I bet it would be eye-opening. Let's pray our screen time is less and our time invested into relationships is increased. God's promise is to pour blessings into our laps when we give of ourselves. Giving is a good investment with great returns.

Finally

"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory"- Luke 21:25-27 (NIV). 

Hurricane Michael is certainly shaking up the heavenly bodies this morning. I've never seen a hurricane make landfall from that direction and follow the path it's taking up through Georgia and the Carolinas. Areas are still cleaning up from Hurricane Florence, which came from the opposite direction just weeks ago. With all this roaring and tossing of the sea, Christian hearts tend to beat a little faster. It makes you wonder, if Christ came today, what would He find? Would people be running to hide, like cockroaches when the light is turned on? I do believe there will be many whose hearts will melt with fear and dread, because Jesus has fulfilled Scripture and returned. Those are believers, caught up in this world, who aren't watching; who aren't ready. Some actually want Jesus to delay His return; they're enjoying this life and don't want it to end just yet. Then there will be the few, because few is what Scripture points to, who will be watching and will shout and dance when they see Jesus coming in all His glory. I want to be one of the few, who, with arms stretched wide open and head tossed back, welcome the Savior, our King, with tears of joy and adoration. While many hearts will be saying, "I'm not ready yet, Lord!" our hearts will be saying, "Finally!" 

Easy As Breathing

"The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth"- Psalm 145:18 (NIV).

Our district superintendent is a wonderful man. I know a lot about him: his age, who is wife is and children are, where he lives,and that he's a very intelligent man. I work in the same building with him, but seldom do I talk to him. On the occasion that I do, I feel awkward and later dissect our conversation, wishing I had been a little less nervous; that I was able to breathe easier in his presence. I wouldn't feel that way if I talked to him more often, but time and opportunity don't present themselves. At least that's the excuse I give. This parallels well with talking with God. Prayer is key to a powerful, emotional relationship with God. The more you pray, the stronger the relationship, and the greater your faith. The quality of your prayer relationship with God affects every other relationship you have on this earth. Prayer is a gift that is slowly unwrapped and forever cherished. And one day, we'll commune in the Lord's presence, speaking to Him directly. So, prayer, in essence, is practice for that day. A day that will be a continuation of the prayer you last prayed in this life and then picked back up face-to-face when you reach heaven's door. It'll be as easy as breathing. Let's seek to be such a frequent prayer warrior that there will be no awkwardness when we meet Jesus; because, that day is certainly coming for all of us. Death or Rapture; it's coming. So, whether you're lying in green pastures, walking beside still waters, or walking through the shadow of death, pray. Pray! God is with you; He is ever present and waiting, aching, for your prayers with each breath you take. 

Divine Arrangement

"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver"- 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV).

My daughter, all of five or six-years old, presented her grandmother, my mother-in-law, with a bouquet of yellow daffodils. Muddy footprints revealed her path into the kitchen to present her gift; accompanied by an ear-to-ear smile. My daughter epitomized the cheerful giver. I was speechless. Her grandmother gave her a long, snuggly hug, then, prepared a lovely vase for the armload of daffodils. The final arrangement adorned the middle of the table for all to see the lovely gift from her grandchild. What a beautiful, heart-warming exchange I witnessed between the two of them. As we walked out to our car, to head for home, I confirmed the big vacant patch in my mother-in-law's flower garden. Knowing eyes looked back at me when I turned to my mother-in-law. I'll never forget that day. My daughter was a cheerful giver and my mother-in-law was a cheerful receiver. Indirectly, I was gifted by being witness to the love shown to a child for a gift that ultimately cost the receiver. Our gifts to God are accepted with love, but ultimately all things belong to Him. Any gift we bring is minuscule in comparison to what God has given us: salvation at the cost of His Son. What love is this? Our Heavenly Father accepts our cheerfully-given gifts, cleans up our "muddied" pathways, calls us His child, and makes a bouquet out of our gift. That's a Divine arrangement.