Liar! Liar

She's a liar and she can't be trusted. Every time you've given her your heart, she mishandles and mistreats it. And other relationships you've had haven't been much better. Or....the truth just isn't in him. You forgave him for his lies and deceit, and he shows his appreciation with more lies and foolishness. Come to think of it, no friend...no family...nobody seems to be trustworthy and dependable like they should be. You have searched your world over and nothing is as it seems to be. Well, that's just it. Nothing is...not even that liar, cheater, deceitful friend, or that problematic family member that you have so readily sized up. Look at them a little closer. The person that is hurting you is hurt too.  There likely has been several events in his/her life that has lead them to devalue honesty and truthfulness. They likely grew up not experiencing much honesty, so for them it's not real. People like this hurt others around them whether they intend to or not because their own misery is so overflowing that it can't help but to seep over into the lives of those they are around. The real truth is, you never should have fully trusted that person to begin with. They are human and, therefore, dishonesty is inevitable. The same could be said of you. Yes, you. Just like them, you'll mess up too. Maybe not on the same level, or in the same way, but it's all the same. Every one of us does wrong and mistreats the ones we love one way or another. We especially mistreat the one who loves us best, God. We don't honor him like we should. We aren't totally open and honest with him about who we are. We think we can fool God. But God never disowns us. His love is different. He doesn't just love. Love is who God is. His love is absolute, unchanging, relentless. That is how he wants our love for one another to be. So even if you have to separate yourself from the person who is hurting you, because that is sometimes necessary. Don't disown them. Even if you feel led to never be around them or say another word to them, you can still pray to God on their behalf. Ask God to redirect their thinking and restructure their heart. The word says God has the power to turn people's hearts around. On the other hand, God may not allow you to separate yourself from some of those people. There may be something in you that they need to help them make a change. I am not saying give them your whole heart. Your whole heart only belongs to God. Just love on them and try to see beyond the smoke screen of their hardened hearts.   (Read I John 4:7,8 along with Micah 7:5-7)

Prayer: Lord, your word says that you love us and we also ought to love one another. It also says to pray for those who despitefully use/mistreat us. Help us love as you love and to see people through your eyes. Help us also to understand that only you can well handle our complete trust, so we should only completely trust in you.

Live for Love

Sometimes we are so filled up with our lives that we forget how to live them.  We spend our time and energy at our jobs trying to make an impression.  Or we put our best effort into keeping up our houses, cars, and clothes so we can make an impression.  Those things are all temporary.  If we want to make a true impression, we have to do it with love.  Take time to let others know how much you value having them in your life.  Say it out loud to them.  Show them with your actions.  Put your best foot forward in what really counts, your loved ones.  In time your place of employment won't care that you ever existed.  The house, car, and clothes you've invested so much in will eventually be reduced to rubble and rags.  Love, though, it is everlasting.  It is so amazing how the love that a person shows can still remain fresh in the hearts of the receiver, even long after the giver has gone.  Think of God's love.  Thousands of years have come and gone since He sacrificed Christ for us, showing the ultimate expression of love.  Yet it still fills us and affects our lives today.  Having received such a heritage of love from our Father, we should pass it on. Your grand children's children may not ever know you, but they can experience your legacy of love as it passes from generation to generation.  Go ahead and get the good job, nice home, good car, and such. But don't live for them.  Live for love.

Prayer: Lord your word says love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God.  Help us to know love and to help others to know love, because knowing love is knowing you.

Bust!

Sometimes you are so filled up on the inside that you feel like if you don't let out some of that blessed steam, you will just bust.  So do it.  Do it now.  Let your arms fly, hang your head back, open your mouth wide, and just...praise.  God is so awesome and wonderfully good that you just have to say it....or show it.  Yell it, sing it, dance it, write it, preach it, paint it, cook it, plumb it...whatever.  Like Nike said, "Just do it." God made you so that you can be a living praise to him.  There are innumerable ways to praise and there is a specific praise in you that only you can produce.  Your form of praise can be as unique as your fingerprint.  Everyone and everything has something in them that can serve as praise to God. 


In Psalm 148 the Bible says:

Praise him, sun and moon, Praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord! ...

Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word! Mountains, and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds! Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and maidens together, old men and children! Let them praise the name of the Lord..."

Wow. Stormy winds, mountains, fire, snow, fruit trees, livestock and water can praise God.  That tells us that praising God doesn't require lip service, just service.  Simply doing what our creator created us to do in a way that honors him is praise.  Still, God has given us the ability to speak and vocalizing praise to him just has to be music to his ears.  So bust!  Tell God and show God your appreciation for him.  He will love you for loving on him!

 

Prayer: Lord we praise you.  Help us to live our lives as praise to you. We love you!

Why Are You Riding Me?!

What do they want from you?! I mean how does someone ride your back and stay in your face at the same time? There they go pulling you. Now there they go pushing you. If you've got it to give, they want it all and then some. You go the distance for them and all they do is put you on a bigger track. I mean, really. What's the deal? It's frustrating and you just want to yell out, "Why are you riding me?!!!" The answer is simple. You can handle it.

Let me take you back to a moment in Biblical history. Simon Peter and some other fishermen are on the shore of Galilee having breakfast with Jesus after his resurrection. Jesus asks Peter a strange question.  He asked Peter if he loved him . Peter answered yes.  Jesus told Peter what he needed him to do.  Enough said, right? Wrong.  Jesus pulled at Peter a little more. He asked Peter a second time, "Peter do you love me?" Peter wondered why he would ask him again, but he answered him yes again. Jesus again told him what he needed him to do.  Mind you that there are other men sitting around with them at the time. Still, Jesus pushed at Peter a third time.  "Peter, do you love me?" Now Peter is flat out frustrated.  He had already answered and confirmed his answer.  What more did Jesus want from him? By this time Peter has got to be thinking something to the effect of, 'All these other men sitting here and he keeps coming at me. Why is Jesus riding me?'. Because Peter... You can handle it.  Jesus could have focused in on anyone else sitting there at that moment, but Jesus chose Peter.  He chose Peter because he knew that Peter had the zeal, power, and faith in him to get the job done.  Peter's frustration of being prodded by Jesus blinded him from seeing that Jesus was essentially handing him the torch.  Jesus was giving Peter a charge.  Let me paraphrase the moment: "Look Peter.  What I am asking you to do is critical.  I take this work very seriously and so should you.  I keep coming at you because I trust that you'll get it done."  Jesus knew exactly who Peter was and the magnitude of his potential.  He just had to press Peter a little bit so Peter would recognize it  too.

So, all said to say, when you are being pushed don't allow your frustration to cause you to overlook the point of the situation. Yes, you are being pressed.  Yes, you are being pulled.  Yes they are requiring everything of you.  Yes, they are riding you.  The point is that you can get it done.

Prayer: Lord when we are being groomed for growth.  Give us the wisdom to embrace the challenge and empower us to see it all the way through.  After all, we can do all things through you Lord.