The Best Laid Plans

1 Thessalonians 5:24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

Sometimes the best laid plans, and the best intentions have no bearing on how things go. In times like these there is an opportunity to stay the course, exercise faith and trust God. Monday I made my plans to drive back to Nashville from Washington DC. I would get up early…4:30 am and be on the road by 5ish to beat any beltway traffic and get out of the city early. I needed to get back to Nashville and make some business calls on appointments I had coming up this week. This would not be an issue for me because I like to get up early and drive with sunlight.

Sooooo……I did not get in bed as early as I wanted. When my phone went off, I started my process. All of a sudden I heard what sounded like thunder! No way….  But of course I had not checked the weather. Did I mention I hate driving in the rain? Needless to say it was not just thundering it was raining, windy and thundering. As I stopped to fill up the gas tank the wind picked up. It did not matter that I was under the covered area, the wind managed to blow just in the right direction to soak me. The gas tank was full and I was on my way to the interstate at 5:30…check. As I get on the beltway I was feeling good until the blinding water started blowing up unto my windshield….I guess my car is too low. So after about an hour and a half, I decide to pull off the interstate because I am sleepy, it was dreary and I was worn out fighting the torrential rain. The good news is that I had made pretty good time in spite of the highway fun. I stop at a Starbucks, parked and slept for about 45 minutes. Then I got my dirty Chai and a breakfast sandwich, and hit the road with a new attitude. I had prayed, napped and was believing God that the rain would let up soon. I even texted some prayer warriors to pray my strength….10 hours is no joke to drive alone. Needless to say about 51/2 hours in, the sun came out and it was a beautiful drive the rest of the way! Where the five hours prior to that pretty miserable, yes, but I made it through.

See sometimes life is just like that. Even though the best plans are made, even though we do everything we can to prepare, and even when we have done nothing wrong.  Even though there are things to do when we get to our destination, the storms of life still come. As I hit the 6^th hour of the drive, the sun came out. The rain stopped and it was smooth sailing the rest of the way. The same is true for life, the day and hour will come when the dark clouds will part, the rain will stop and the Son will shine on your situation. And sometimes just as you planned you will make it to your destination in time to do just what needs to be done….as long as you keep going. See it is by faith that we overcome the storms of this world. God reminded me as I saw the beautiful clouds and felt the sun shine and the wind blow, that He is faithful to get us to our destination if we just press forward trusting Him. I am so thankful not just to have made it back to Nashville, but that I serve a God who promises to ALWAYS bring me through the storms of life to victory through faith in His power! Amen.

Practice for 2016

“Practice what you preach.”   “Did you go to football practice today?” 

“How many days a week do you practice?”

“I practice Medicine….”  “My practice is to read at least one book a month.”

How many of you have heard or said any of these common phrases or statements?  What do you practice? We spend our time and sincere effort doing a lot of things.  Practice is an investment of time and effort, so that typically means that if we practice something, we put value in it. The bible says some interesting things about what you practice.  I know in 2016 I will be practicing following and obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  I will be practicing using my gifts, skills and abilities that God has given me to His glory.  I will be practicing at spending time with God in His word and in prayer.  These are the things that will bring joy.  These things will bring me peace.  These habits that I will practice will help me operate in the kingdom of God so His will will be done and His kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven. 

So what will you practice in 2016?

1 John 1⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

1 John 3⁷ Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

The bible is full of God’s people practicing other things that only brought them destruction and strained their relationship with God.  We even see in Psalm 141 David praying for God to help him not practice evil…

Psalm 141⁴ Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice wicked works With men who work iniquity…

It is my hope for you and I that we practice love, first of all loving God by worshiping and obeying Him, and second by loving one another.

1 John 3¹⁶ By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷ But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? ¹⁸ My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. ¹⁹ And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. ²⁰ For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. ²¹ Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. ²² And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. ²³ And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. ²⁴ Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

Here’s to purposeful practice in 2016!

In Position for a Miracle

We as Christians try to encourage one another when the issues of life try and bring us down.  That is what we are supposed to do.  The Lord is our comforter and His Word says that we are to comfort one another as He has comforted us.  The thought that popped into my mind this morning is that when our sisters and brothers in the Lord are in a tough situation and we say things like, “you are in the perfect position for God to show up and do a miracle”, do we really understand how difficult the position the person is really in if that is true?

If that is true, then that person is potentially in peril for their life, a Moses red sea parting moment when they would have died if God did not deliver them, or they are potentially in a situation where what they believe needs to be done is so “stupid” in the eyes of man, that they face ridicule and their faith is pushed to the limits.  Think of Joshua and the Israelites marching around the wall of Jericho and shouting, expecting the walls to fall down.  Is that sound battle strategy?

Well, I challenge you today that if you know a child of God who is really in an “only God can do it miracle moment”, that you pray for their faith to fail them not.  Pray that the Lord helps their unbelief.  Pray earnestly for them that the Word of God envelops them and girds them up so that by faith they see the salvation of the Lord.  Words of comfort and encouragement are good, but at times like these prayers of strength in faith avail much.  AMEN.