God's Grace in Conflict

We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.
2 Corinthians 1:12

There are times in all of our lives when we have to deal with unpleasant situations with our brothers and sisters in Christ. No one likes to confront or try to make right a wrong. It can be heartbreaking, to say the least, when conflicts arise and someone gets hurt. But some things can't be ignored, and it becomes necessary to do what you need to do.

It is so very important to preface your handling of these situations with prayerful consideration and not rely upon our own understanding of each situation. Godly wisdom is the only kind of insight that will accomplish His will in any given conflict or confrontation. Jumping in to set someone straight without the blessing and guidance of the Holy Spirit can be a disastrous mistake. It will probably make matters worse.

Going to a brother in confidence that you have surrendured all to God in the matter will give you the best chance for reconciliation when the whole issue has been addressed. That should always be our utmost goal - restoration. Otherwise the entire work of the kingdom will take a hit.

Pray for those whom you know are in the midst of disputes, that they may know what is right and do it.

Lord, go before those today who are taking a stand and leaning on your everlasting arms for strength and wisdom.

You Can Count On It

“And then God answered: ‘Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming-it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.’”     Habakkuk 2:2  The Message Bible

Timing is everything. God’s timing that is. But if He says something is coming, you can bet your life it is coming.

When you feel God has given you something to do, a desire, a passion, then wait. Wait, write it down. Keep a journal, prepare yourself. In his time, it will come to pass. It will seem slow while you wait – we are impatient beings. But if He put it in you He will bring it about.

Remember that God starts the work – it all originates with Him. But in his graciousness He allows us to be his instrument. We are partakers of the gifts he bestows on us. The hard part is to let Him teach us all He wants us to learn. We want to venture out before it is our appointed time. But He will complete the work in His time and we must let Him.

Keep hold of your dream, nurture it, and write it down. Then wait and see what He will do.

Holy Ground

When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”  “Here I am!” Moses replied. “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.  Exodus 3:4-6


This passage almost sounds like science fiction. We have all seen the movie The Ten Commandments haven’t we? The scene with Moses at the burning bush is low on special effects, but accurate in dialogue. Moses had been curious when he saw the glow of fire on the mountain, and couldn’t stand it any longer. He had to go see what God looked like – even if it cost him his life.

Moses actually got very close to Jehovah, close enough to be afraid to look at Him. God had to tell him to take off his sandals because the ground around the burning bush was “holy ground.” He called Moses by name. The presence of God was overwhelming for Moses and he was forever changed. He was a chosen man, but still just like you and me.

I have to ask myself, have I ever gotten close enough to God that He would ask me to “remove my sandals” because I stood on holy ground? Have I ever been curious enough about the God whose fire burns on the mountain that I felt compelled to see his face – no matter what the cost?

Maybe a trip to the mountain is what you need today – what we all need. I know I will have to work at allowing God to give me courage to go deeper. I will admit, in some ways, I’m scared. But I know someday I will see him face to face, and I want him to call me by name.

How's Your Soil?

“…and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.”

Mark 4:17  The Parable of the Sower

My husband is a farmer. He will be planting his crop as soon as the ground thaws a bit more. The process of sowing and reaping is a very real concept for us. We depend on it for our living. How much more important is this process when we depend on it for our effectiveness in the Kingdom, and even our eternal status.

The shallow, superficial state of character is a dangerous place to be. Someone comes by to share, or you read the word of God and say Yes, I want that—I agree. But since we are hardened on the outside by our own foolishness or negative outlook, the seed that was sown doesn’t have a way to send down roots that will sustain it in tough times. The wind just picks it up and carries it away.

If our wheat crop doesn’t have the right conditions to send down deep roots, several things happen. First, it will not get the nourishing water and nutrients that are vital to its health. Second, it will not produce the fruit—the wheat that it was meant to. Third, it will not survive any adversity. The snow, wind, and freezing temperatures will kill it where it stands. The roots are what make it survive. The deeper the better.

How clever of Jesus to use this cycle of life as a parable to explain the importance of environment. If you do not cultivate the ground, or in this case your heart, the roots will have no chance. Those of us who take for granted the opportunities to prepare our soil will lose out on the harvest.

There is nothing more disturbing to a farmer than to see his seeds wasted. Or to see a field of wheat destroyed by disaster. How must God feel when He so graciously and lovingly plants the eternal seeds, only to see them whither and die? He has provided everything we need to send down good roots, and be strong enough to remain standing.

Dear Lord, I receive your seeds of life, and I will make sure that my soil is in good condition to provide growth and health for my spiritual life.  

Who is Our Defender?

Psalm 35:22-24 (New Living Translation)

 ²² O Lord, you know all about this.
      Do not stay silent.
      Do not abandon me now, O Lord.
 ²³ Wake up! Rise to my defense!
      Take up my case, my God and my Lord.
 ²⁴ Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice.
      Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.

It happens to all of us eventually. Someone misinterprets a situation and turns it against you. You are slandered and punished for something that wasn’t your fault. It happened to me last week. I was shocked and stunned to experience repercussions from an innocent misunderstanding. Someone felt they could only save face by passing the buck and pointing the finger at me, ending our collaboration.

I was crushed. Not because I lost out on a beneficial opportunity, but because my reputation had been tarnished for no reason. As the Psalm says, “Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.” I got over it pretty quickly by God’s grace.

So how do we find a defense for the wrong done to us? We don’t always have any recourse. In my case, I did write a letter to the powers that be to explain the truth of the matter. But who knows if it will take the blame off me. My only real defender is the Lord. He has seen the situation from the beginning. He knew it would happen, and He is the only One who can raise the sword of defense. I have made my claim and can do no more. The rest is up to God.

We cry out for God to declare us not guilty, but He may not always rush to set things right. He may want to see how we react, behave, pray and grow from the incident before He takes up our case. When we submit to his will for our lives, He will make things right—his way and in his time.

My ultimate goal is to do what Jesus would do. He knows what false accusations feel like. He knows what it is like to have to wait for the Father to rescue. Ultimately, He wants to see our character changed to be more like him. This is not our home, and someday all our accusers will bow—not for what they did to us, but in recognition of the Lord who is our defender.

Lord, please come to our rescue. But mold me in the process. Help me to know You will take care of any situation that distresses me. Thank you for defending me.

There but by the grace of God......

I am reminded today of the great mercy of God. I am thankful that he shows undeserved mercy to me when I stumble. Most of us don't have to air our sins in front of the cameras for everyone who has a TV to see. You may not be a golf fan, but celebrities have the disadvantage of living in a fish bow. We at least can hide behind closed doors.

I don't know if Tiger Woods is a believer - it's not for me to judge. But I know that he at least might be considering his spiritual life in these dark days. It could be that someone will enter his life at this time and offer him the answers to his questions. I would want that for any sinner - even me.

I do know that the compassion Jesus feels over the pain of those of us who stumble, is a miraculous thing. He cares for all of his children the same and gave his life for all the Tiger Woods in the world. It's a humbling thought to consider. Sin is sin, pain is pain, and God is the judge and healer.

I hope we will pray for Tiger today. It may sound silly, but it would be like praying for all of us who fall and rise again to face another day.

I Used to Draw

I used to draw. 

Found an old envelope full of pictures I drew back in junior high. I used to sit for hours in my room drawing everything I could see. If I liked a picture in a book, I would sit down and draw it freehand. Then I would sit down and write a story.

It was my world for many years until I found another outlet - singing. So the music began and the drawing and story telling was set aside. Now the story telling is back after all these years, but what happened to the artist in me? Is it still in there somewhere?

It's like that with the things we see and hear throughout our lives. The images and sounds and noises are still in there somewhere waiting to be extracted. When we reach in and pull them out, they can come alive again in our writing. How much more wonderful would our stories be if we could duplicate the emotion of our own life story on paper.

What have you tucked away that should be pulled out to put in your story?