Voice Activated

            Have you told your alarm clock to shut up in the morning and it didn’t obey? Or stumbled in the dark to turn on the lights? Your dilemma is over. Alarm clocks and light switches are now available that obey your voice.

            Sound modernistic? Amazing? Not really. God spoke in the beginning, “Let there be light: and there was light.” The only amazing thing is that God gave us voice-activating abilities, too.

Romans chapter 10:10 says that we start our relationship with the Lord by our voice. “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

The faith walk is a voice activated walk because whatever we believe in our heart determines what we say. We learn to look at dry bones and ask, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know if these bones can live.” (Ezekiel 37)  If he says that the bones will live we stop looking at the bones and start speaking to them. “Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!” Words from the Lord are given so we can activate dry, dead things.

The future we activate by our voice can bring life or death (Proverbs 18:21).  The Sunday school song says:

Be careful little mouth what you say.

There’s a Father up above and He’s looking down in love.

So be careful little mouth what you say.

The ten spies and doubters in Numbers 14 learned the hard way that God listened to their voice.  “…as you have spoken in my ears, so will I do to you. Your carcasses shall fall in the wilderness.”

I love the voice activation described in Mark 11:23 the best. It tells us we can tell mountains, ”Go jump in the lake.” Got any mountains that are in front of you? Sickness? Relationships? Finances? Stop staring at your mountain and describing how big it is. Join me as we say together, “GO JUMP IN THE LAKE.”

Tickets Please

           They were confused and upset. An usher came down the stairs to the row of people sitting in front of me. He asked to see their tickets. He looked at the tickets, and told them the tickets were for the last performance.

They asked, “Can we stay? There's no one here.” He nodded toward the top of the stairs where others waited. They had to leave to make room for those who came for the present performance.

I began to apply this story to my thought life as I faced a new year. The fame and  shame of the last year came back to occupy my mind. I remembered the good old days and glorify them. But I  also glorify the ”bad old days” by dwelling on them. Both occupied space. 

I decided I was the usher for my mind. It was time to firmly unseat past thoughts and make room for the New Year. These thoughts were sitting in the space reserved for today’s performance. They had to go. Tickets please.

            Question:  Is this year going to be about my now, or wasted on my yesterday? 

Scripture: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”  Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

The Perfect Gift

            Years ago a friend sent me a Christmas card with a large check in it. I wrote her a note back and said in a teasing way, "How did you know what I wanted for Christmas? This is the perfect gift." Then I enjoyed dreaming about what I would do with this gift. 

            Final Decision? I gave my grandchildren something special for Christmas, paid a bill, and spoil myself with a small gift I would never have considered. My mind connected with the Bible verse, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father…James 1:17 (KJV) It struck to me that at Christmas we all got a perfect gift from the Father.

            This gift paid the debt called sin that we couldn’t pay. This gift can be given to family, or any one we choose. And this gift spoils us personally with treasures that are just for us. We receive trinkets of peace and joy, and answers to prayers that only He knew we wanted. The perfect gift…Jesus.

Prayer: Give us wisdom on how to share your all-inclusive gift.

Question: Who can I give the Father’s gift to this week?

Scripture: “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15 (NKJV)

Terrific Thirty Three

Merry Christmas. Happy Easter. Terrific Thirty-three. We celebrate Jesus’ virgin birthday. We celebrate his victorious death. But thirty-three years on planet earth with sinful people was no small accomplishment. Jesus’ time on earth examples how we can live a victorious life every day.

I can hear you whining….  He was God so it was easy for him. I’m a human it’s hard for me. No, Jesus was called Son of God and Son of Man. He lived his life on earth as the Son of Man. If he hadn’t Satan would have called, “Foul.” The plan of redemption would not have been legal if not accomplished by a Second Adam.

Remember Hebrews chapter four reads, “But we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” We don’t have record of Jesus’ life between twelve and thirty-three. But every way means every way so it includes your temptations.

How did Jesus as a man live this sinless life? Remember Jesus not only dealt with bad Pharisees. The biggest hurts came from good brothers and disciples who didn’t understand him. Jesus kept a direct line open to his Father. He did nothing unless he saw his Father do it.

1 Peter 2 describes his victory this way. When he was insulted he didn’t insult back. When he suffered he didn’t threaten them. He didn’t argue or explain to others. Instead He talked and committed it to his Father who judged each situation righteously.

Peter has the nerve to tell us that Jesus’ life is our example as we live our lives.

We press toward the mark for a prize. The goal is perfection. Aim for the stars. If we fail we thank God for forgiveness.

But don’t wake up tomorrow and think, “Today I’m going to sin.” Wake up and shout, “Today I’m going to win.” Thank you Jesus for a Terrific Thirty-three!

THANKS GIVING

 She struggled out of bed and hobbled to the couch. Today she felt old and tired.

She was old and tired. Should she get dressed and go to church or go back to bed? Who would miss her if she stayed in bed one Sunday?

            Just then the Apple phone that her son insisted she needed rang. She didn’t recognize the number, but felt she should answer it anyway.

            “Hi, I’m calling from Colorado. Do you know who this is?”

            The male voice sounded solid and strong and vaguely familiar. “No, I’m sorry.”

            “I’ll give you a clue. I went to church with you and sat in the left front every Sunday. You used to hug me and pray over me.”

“Darwin, Is that you?” she exclaimed. “I wondered what happened to you,”

“I’m married to a wonderful Christian woman and we oversee the whole children’s department in my church. I called to thank you. I don’t think I would be alive without you and the church. Thank You.”

As they talked she recalled his struggles. But she also visualized him with his arms raised in thanks and praise every Sunday.

            He sent a picture of their first child on her new phone, and invited her to come to Colorado and visit them anytime. Finally they hung up.

            She looked at the clock and took a deep breath. Yes, she had time to make it to church. She felt an unusual strength surge through her when he said, “Thank you.”

 “…give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” Psalms 107:8-9

 Prayer: Thank you LORD for the power in thanks giving.