Crossing the Footbridge

                     

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

The footbridge spanning the creek which runs through my community was shrouded in darkness. I had walked across that bridge many times during my early morning summer walks. But the days were getting shorter. The sun had not yet risen when I reached the bridge, and the street lights were too far away to shed any light. All I saw was darkness.

I hesitated for a minute, then stepped onto the bridge. To my surprise, bright lights illuminated the next three feet. As I crossed the lighted section, the motion detectors lit up three more feet. This pattern continued until I got to the end. I looked back and could see the entire bridge covered with lights.

Scripture describes God’s word as “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”.  We serve a God who promises to guide us. He promises to light our path. Quite often, He only gives us enough light for the next few steps. When we obey, He shines light on a few more steps.  When it is all over, we can look back and see that the path was perfectly planned out.  Only then can we see the whole picture.

At the footbridge, the challenge for me was whether to take the first step. Is it safe? Will I stumble and fall? Will I be stranded in the middle of the bridge? If I had not taken the first step, I would have never known that there were motion detector lights.

Has God directed you to do something? Has He shown you a first step to take? Obey Him. Take the first step. He will continue to light your path, step by step. We can trust our ever faithful God. What step does He want you to take today?

Arms Wide Open

                                  

“But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” Luke 15:20

The little boy had been told not to throw the ball in the house, but he did it anyway. And now the vase lie broken on the floor. Tears rolled down his face. He heard the sound of his father’s footsteps. “I’m sorry,” he said through his sobs.

His father stood at the door. His arms were folded, his face full of anger. The little boy stood quivering.

Now imagine another father. He entered the room with the shattered vase and saw the boy’s tears. He heard the words “I’m sorry” and knew that the sorrow was genuine.  The father bent down and opened his arms.  The little boy ran into the father’s arms and felt his loving embrace.

The Bible tells us that our Heavenly Father is like the second father in our story.  In the parable of the prodigal son, the son took his inheritance and squandered it in a foreign land. He returned home penniless, hungry, and deeply regretting his actions.  The father would have been justified to turn the son away or to take him back merely as a hired servant.  Instead, the father ran to him with arms wide open. He welcomed the son back into his home.  The son was forgiven and loved.

How often when I sin I want to run away from God instead of towards Him. I picture God as a stern father with folded arms and an angry face. I think that I need to have a good excuse or to make myself better before I turn to Him. 

In reality, the Father is waiting with arms wide open. All I need to do is to admit that I was wrong and run into His open arms. Forgiveness and absolute acceptance is awaiting me there.  

Thank you, Lord, for your wide open arms and your unfailing love.

Crossroads

                                                                     

“Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16

As you are walking through the woods, you encounter a crossroad. Imagine standing and looking at two or three paths that are diverting from the one you are on.  Which one should you take? Which one is good?  Which one is dangerous? Which one is best?

Life is full of crossroads.  As long as we live, there will be options to continue on a path or to take a different one. These decisions may be major or minor.  How do we decide?

The Scripture in Jeremiah gives us some steps to take.  The first step is to “stand” and “see." Stop pause, look at the options.  Hastily rushing down a path without evaluating all possibilities is not wise. Stop and look. How long this step takes depends on the complexity of the decision.  The Bible often tells us to “wait”.  We must be willing to wait as long as necessary.

The next step is to “ask”.  The verse tells us to ask for the old paths, to ask where the good way is. God never changes. His ways may appear “old” or outdated, but His ways are always best. Ask God for wisdom to discern “where the good way is”. Our minds are finite. Only God is able to see the end from the beginning. Only God knows which path is best. Ask Him.

Then, when God has made it clear which path is the best one, we are to “walk in it.”  Sometimes if the path appears challenging, we are tempted to continue to “stand and look”.   But when God directs us, it is time to put one foot in front of the other and to start walking.

What will happen when we do that? “Then you will find rest for your souls.”  Our world is full of people with restless souls.  Deep soul rest only comes to those who stand, look, ask, then start walking down the path with their God. May each of us know true soul rest as we walk through life.

My Word for 2021

                                                          

The idea is to choose  a word and a particular Bible verse to focus on throughout the year. Many people have followed this practice for years. Until now, I was not one of them. However, one morning last week during my devotions I stumbled upon the perfect word and two perfect verses to meditate on throughout 2021. And so, I have chosen one word and two verses for the year.

Romans 8:28 says: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Jeremiah 29:11 says “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.”

The common word is in these 2 verses is “know”.

Romans 8:28 is a verse that I memorized years ago. The promise of God working all things together for my good has comforted me in many situations. As I read it this time, however, I took note of the first three words of the verse: “and we know”. The writer of the epistle said that we should KNOW this truth. Just as we know that the sun will rise tomorrow, we should know with certainty that God works all things together for our good. My prayer for 2021 is that I might believe this verse so deeply, that I can unhesitatingly say that I KNOW it is true.

In Jeremiah 29:11 the Lord is telling us what He knows.  The Lord already knows what lies ahead for us. He has specific plans for each of us, and they are good plans.  He will give us a future and a hope.

As I go into 2021, my goal is to  meditate frequently on these two verses.  When life seems confusing or uncertain, I want to pause and ask myself what I “know” to be true. When 2021 draws to an end, I will look back and see how my word of the year and my two verses of the year have made a difference in my life.

Have any of you ever chosen a word of the year or a verse of the year before?  If so, please share how this practice has impacted you.   If you have never done this and want to start, I would love to hear what your word is and what your verse is.  

A new year stretches before us. I am excited to see what God will do in our lives in 2021.

An Ordinary House

                                                            

It was an ordinary house.  It could use a fresh coat of paint. Not the worst house on the block but not the best either. A house that might never be noticed.

 In the early morning darkness, I walked through my gated community. As I turned a corner, the darkness was illuminated by sparkling white lights. The beauty was coming from a single strand of Christmas lights strewn on the roof of the ordinary house. This was no elaborate Christmas display like the ones featured on the local news. It was merely a simple strand of lights on a very dark street.

Philippians 2:15 describes Christians as living in a dark world “among whom you shine as lights in the world.”

Like the old house, our lives may be ordinary.  We may be battered and bruised and in need of repair. Jesus is asking us to come to Him as we are, with all our flaws and weaknesses. He invites us to sit at His feet and enjoy His Presence.

As we arise and go out into the world, Jesus goes with us. His desire is to shine through us.  Even the smallest glimmer of light shines brightly in a dark world. 

Lord, today may Your Light shine on me and may Your Light shine through me.

A Father’s Love

                                                                

“The best day of my life was when I adopted you from the orphanage.” The little girl ran over and hugged her father as they stood before the Christmas tree.  The Hallmark Christmas movie captured the look of pure love on the faces of both the father and the daughter.

As the movie progressed, the father did everything he could to make the Christmas season special to the little girl. He helped her make a gingerbread house, took her to the town’s tree lighting celebration, and showered her with the perfect gifts on Christmas morning. The little girl knew without a shadow of a doubt that her father loved her deeply. 

The love that our Heavenly Father has for His children far surpasses the love of the father in the Hallmark movie. The greatest expression of His love took place in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago when He sent His son to be born in a manger.

Galatians 4:4-5 states: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent His son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

 Jesus came to earth in order to take the punishment for our sins. When the penalty was paid, we were forgiven, and the Father adopted us as sons and daughters.

Those of us who have put our faith in Christ are both forgiven and adopted. The love that our Father has for us is exponentially greater that the love of the Hallmark father for the former orphan girl.  

I pray that God would open my eyes to see the depth of His love for me. I pray that He would make me aware of the good gifts He showers on me each day. May I know that He is gazing at me with eyes of pure love. As I catch a glimpse of this all surpassing love, may I have a grateful heart that loves Him in return.

Darkness Turns to Light

 

As I sat in my recliner, the darkness was so intense that I literally could not see my hand in front of my face. My routine was to get up at 5 a.m. and to enjoy a cup of coffee before I showered and began the day.  Suddenly, the electricity in the community went out. Not only did my living room lights go out, but also the outside street lights, and the little lights showing the time on the tv, microwave, and stove. There was not even a hint of light anywhere.  Just pure darkness.

As a good Floridian, I always have a supply of flashlights ready for hurricane season, but not one of them was within reach of my recliner.  I did not feel safe taking even one step away from my chair.  My plan was to remain in my recliner for the next hour or so until the sun rose. As it turned out, within 5 minutes the power was restored.  I got up and began my day.

My brief encounter with total darkness had two results. I promptly moved one of my many flashlights to the table next to the recliner. And from that day forward, I gleaned new meaning from Biblical references to darkness and light.

In John 8:12 Jesus says: “I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

As I write this, I am retired and no longer have to get ready for work each day. However, I continue to rise at 5 a.m. and still enjoy my morning coffee in my comfortable chair.  Now, my routine is to walk in my gated community at 6 a.m.  I get to enjoy the end of night and the beginning of morning.

Every so often during my walk I will turn a corner and see a brilliant full moon in the western sky. I am not scientific and have never looked at the lunar calendar. For that reason, the full moon always comes as a complete surprise. I am struck anew at the beauty and wonder of God’s creation.

As I walked today, the moon was full and magnificent. The sky was cloudy. At times it looked as though the moon had disappeared. That was not true.  Even though I could not see it, the moon was always there.

Sometimes our lives appear dark. Our minds believe the lie that things will never get better, and that life is hopeless. We feel that God is far away. That is a lie.  God is always with us. 

Two thousand years ago God sent His Son into the world.  The Light of the World walked among us.  He promised that those who followed Him would not walk in darkness but would have the light of life. He came to bring us hope.

Cry out to Jesus.   He does not want us to walk in darkness.  His greatest desire is that we walk in His light. All we have to do is ask Him.