Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:15-17)

It was not their first baby, so as the parents of 3-and-a-half-year-old twin boys, they felt everything was on course for the birth of their next child.  As it became evident that full labor was upon them, they loaded up the boys, packed bags and head to the sitter’s house then on to the hospital.

The situation became urgent when her water broke on their way to the sitter’s. Speeding, they got pulled over by the police.  The male officer was caught off guard when the husband explained that his wife’s water broke, but the officer’s partner, a woman, immediately understood and sent the family on their way. Stopping at the sitter’s was no longer an option. At the hospital in the birthing suite, while the doctors and nurses dealt with the imminent arrival of their sister, the boys watched TV.  During the labor, one of her boys turned to his mom and said, “Mom, sssshhhh!  We’re trying to watch TV!”

I’m sure there are times when I, like that 3-year-old, miss the fact that God is doing the miraculous because I’m too distracted or out of touch with God.  Not only do I miss out on something really cool, but I can also be a little annoyed with God for inconveniencing me! Like Elisha’s servant in the following verses, I need to have my eyes opened to what God is really doing around me.

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:15-17)

My prayer… “God, help me not to be distracted today. Open my eyes to what you are doing, to the miraculous.”

My grandson was visiting. He was not his normal happy self. He was very sad and upset about something. He could not put it into words. We were just about to sit down for lunch. He asked, “Papa can I sit in your chair?” I always sit at the head of the table. I moved and gave him my chair and spot at the table. Something about it seemed to comfort him and reassure him. The tears passed. Funny thing, he has never asked again.

Jesus offers a place of comfort and rest. His invitation:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”   (Matthew 11: 28-30)

Being close to Christ is the place of comfort and reassurance!

The summer between my 3rd and 4th year of university I worked at Yellowstone National Park. It was a great summer, full of adventures and new experiences.

On a day off, I had signed up for a day long class in rock climbing. I was successfully making my way up the side of a mountain when the instructor surprised me with an unexpected challenge, when he said, “I want you to push yourself off and fall on the rope!” Questioning why he would ask me to do this, I hesitated, and he wisely pointed out that, “You will never be a good rock climber until you can trust that the rope will hold you. Push yourself off and fall on the rope.”

I was afraid.  Obviously, my trust was in my ability to use my hands and feet to scale the mountain.  The rope was a secondary source of security, in case I slipped (which I did not plan to do!). I eventually did let go my hand holds, and I’m here to tell you that the rope held!

There are times when God seems to say the same thing to me as my instructor did that day. “Take the step, release your hands on what you are holding and see that I’m trustworthy.” The writer of the Psalms wrote, “O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the person who takes refuge in Him!” (Psalm 34:8)

Just as I would never be a good rock climber without experiencing that the rope will hold. The same is true of my spiritual life. I will never be a responsive Christ follower if I am unwilling to let go of whatever I am grasping when God says, “Let go, trust me.”

Are you willing to let go of the things that give you security? We can only experience God’s goodness when we take those, sometimes scary steps that take faith. Do you trust God is able to hold you securely when you let go of the things that provide comfort or security? What step is God asking you to take? Could it be he is asking you to let go of a relationship, finances or a position … A thought that comforts me is God holds the universe together it is likely he can provide all I need to hold life together … Enjoy the adventure!

Question: Do you believe your rope, God, will hold you during tough times?

A friend was in northern wilderness of British Columbia hunting elk. He and his hunting buddy were positioned on a hill over looking hundreds of acres of range. Suddenly in the distance they spotted four adult grizzly bears charging down a ridge toward them. Fear gripped their hearts. There was no point in running; there was no place to hind or to find safety. The only hope was to stand their ground and do all they could hoping the bears would never reach them. They knew, even with high powered rifles the odds of dispatching four adult Grizzlies was slim. In the seconds it took to form a plan the bears disappeared into thicket just below them. They only had about a 20 meter window from the thicket to their position. The plan was to make as much noise, yelling and screaming to hopefully spook the bears. In the minutes that followed they could smell the stench of the bears. After exhausting their vocal cords and every ounce of adrenaline they stopped and waited… The bears never came. They must have entered the thicket and proceeded down the creek bed to the valley below. My friend understood in a new way the dangers of the wilderness!!!

When I heard this story it occurred to me, “What are the Grizzlies in my life?” What are the deadly beasts I hope never reach me? What are the things that would destroy my life? The list included some of the big destroyers: adultery, addictions to alcohol or pornography, love of money and possessions. There are some more subtle ones like pride, bitterness, laziness and jealousy. What are yours? The real question is what am I doing to make sure they never reach me?

There are many things to do, here is a few. First, identify the Grizzlies. They will be different or each person. Second, don’t put yourself in harms way. People that play with fire get burned. Are your activities pushing you toward danger? Third, draw on God’s wisdom by spending time in reading the Bible. Forth, realize there is a real spiritual battle. Consider the following…

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Bust resist him firm in your faith … the God of all grace … will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:6-10

Question: What are your grizzlies, and what steps can you take to make sure you’re out of harm’s way?

“All things work together for good, for those who love God and are called by Him to fulfill His purposes.” (Romans 8:28)

Our grandson came over with his parents for dinner. After dinner, his auntie turned on her computer to make a Skype call to her husband, who works on an ocean-going yacht.  Our grandson watched this whole process, and was excited when he saw his uncle on the screen, talking to him.  In jest, his uncle said that he was stuck inside the computer and couldn’t get out!

Our grandson became upset and wanted someone to get his uncle out of the computer, rescuing him from his prison! As adults, we laughed at the absurdity of someone being trapped inside a computer. We reassured our grandson that his uncle was not really in the computer.

It made me wonder, “How many times do I get all upset and worried about something that I do not understand?”  God works in ways that are confusing to me, as well. Like my grandson, I can become even angry because no one is doing anything and I feel helpless.

Trust in a loving God reassures me when seemingly impossible problems face me.  In my limited knowledge, I might also panic about things that I cannot change or fix.  But I can trust God through these times – even when it appears that God is not doing anything about the situation.  I may never understand why God allows certain crises in my life and in the lives of those I love, but I can know that He has a perfect plan.

God’s Word says that “All things work together for good, for those who love God and are called by Him to fulfill His purposes.”  (Romans 8:28) I know I can trust that!

“He tends his flock like a Shepherd; He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young.” (Isaiah 40:11)

My grandson came over last weekend. He was not having a good day! Tears were rolling down his cheeks. I acknowledged how he was feeling by saying, “It does not look like you are having a good day, so come and sit with me.”  He climbed into my lap and sat quietly.  After a few minutes, he got up and went happily on his way.  Comfort  had come in the quiet moments of sitting on my lap.

As I thought about how simply my grandson’s angst was resolved, it made me ask myself, “How and when do I feel comforted?”  Comfort could come from lots of different places, some positive and others negative. Some sources are family, friends and even from material things.  It could also come from a bottle, a pill or some form of physical satisfaction like food or sex. These can takes your mind off the source of your bad day, comfort or deaden a deeper pain. But they are all temporary.

Ultimate and lasting comfort comes only from knowing that you are loved, from a Source that is limitless, eternal and unchanging.  God is the ultimate Source of true comfort. Have you sat on His lap today?

Think of 19 Ways to encourage someone today

“Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24).

I grew up in an alcoholic home where both my parents drank and were verbally and physically abusive.  There were not a lot words that brought life or encouragement.  Maybe that is why I remember two moments so vividly.

When I was in my early teens, a lady who was like a second mother to me said, “Mike, you are a good boy!”  I remember thinking, “Am I?” No one had ever said that to me. Those six words gave me a new picture of myself.

When I was attending university, my father said, “One of the neighbors told me that you were on the dean’s list.  I’m proud of you.”  I can’t remember any other moment quite like that one, in terms of my dad’s words to me.

Solomon says that “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones”  (Proverbs 16:24).

Bring healing and sweetness to someone’s life today through your words.  Bring some as well to yourself by embracing what God says about you as His child in Ephesians 1:3-10 and Ephesians 2:10

You are:
1) God’s Best Work/Creation,
2) Chosen/Adopted as His Child,
3) Forgiven and Redeemed as His Wayward and Disobedient Son/Daughter and
4) Blessed with Everything that a Loving Father can give His Child.

Questions: Tell us about a time when someone said something so encouraging to you that changed your attitude about yourself in a positive way.

“Above all else guard your heart for it is the well spring of life.” Proverbs 4:23

We have a small garden in our yard. In the busyness of life, our garden is often neglected. When it really starts to look bad, I am motivated to do some weeding. Some weeds are easy to pull, but others resist because their roots are strong and deep into the soil. The longer the time between weeding the more difficult the task will be.

My heart is like our garden, sometimes neglected for long periods of time. Weeds of anger, disappointment, fear, frustration, critical attitudes, worry and guilt are allowed to grow to the point that the garden of my heart is in bad shape! The solution? God’s Spirit, as the Divine Gardener of my heart has to deal with my neglect.

Today, allow God to do the needed weeding in your heart.  Ask Him to reveal the weeds that are growing by confessing sin and being honest with Him about the state of your heart.  Thank Him for his forgiveness through Christ’s death on the cross. He already knows how rooted some sin has become. Ask God to direct and empower you for a fruitful life through His Spirit. Some weeds will be uprooted easily; others will require daily attention in order to make the deep roots are removed and ensure they don’t grow back.

Solomon in all his wisdom said, “Above all else guard your heart for it is the well spring of life.” Proverbs 4:23

Question: How does a person “guard [his] heart”?

Have you been neglected your heart? Take our study to get the weeds out.

“Above all else guard your heart for it is the well spring of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

We have a small garden in our yard. In the busyness of life, our garden is often neglected. When it really starts to look bad, I am motivated to do some weeding. Some weeds are easy to pull, but others resist because their roots are strong and deep into the soil. The longer the time between weeding the more difficult the task will be.

My heart is like our garden, sometimes neglected for long periods of time. Weeds of anger, disappointment, fear, frustration, critical attitudes, worry and guilt are allowed to grow to the point that the garden of my heart is in bad shape! The solution? God’s Spirit, as the Divine Gardener of my heart has to deal with my neglect.

Today, allow God to do the needed weeding in your heart.  Ask Him to reveal the weeds that are growing by confessing sin and being honest with Him about the state of your heart.  Thank Him for his forgiveness through Christ’s death on the cross. He already knows how rooted some sin has become. Ask God to direct and empower you for a fruitful life through His Spirit. Some weeds will be uprooted easily; others will require daily attention in order to make the deep roots are removed and ensure they don’t grow back.

Solomon in all his wisdom said, “Above all else guard your heart for it is the well spring of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

Questions: As we are negligent in caring for our heart, what weeds begin to grow there? How can those weeds be removed from our heart?

Looking for some solid guideposts? Take our study Golden Nuggets from Philippians to learn how to live in a construction zone and where to find lights in a dark world.

“So we fix our eyes not on what’s seen, but on what is unseen since what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18) .

I was on my way home. The airport below was covered in a dense fog.  As the pilot began his descent, all of a sudden, he pulled up and aborted his landing attempt.  In order to explain what had happened, he came on the PA system and announced that he was going to begin his landing procedure again.  At the last minute, he had not been sure whether he was lining up with runway markers or street lights!  I still wonder if he was serious in his explanation…

In the foggy patches of life, sometimes I wonder if I’m lining up my life with the right markers.  It would have been tragic if the plane had landed on a city street or highway by mistake.  In the same way, I think it would be equally disconcerting if I come to the end of my life and realize that I have aligned myself with the wrong values and goals.

I once heard someone say that there are only two eternal things that matter, God and people.  The best plan for life is to align with these, in terms of investing time and energy.  Where is your life headed, to an airport at the end of a runway, or onto a highway where there is oncoming traffic?  Are you investing in the right things, being guided by the best markers that will bring you to a desired destination? How is your life lining up? Are you fixing your eyes on what is eternal?

Questions: Where is your life headed? Are you fixing your eyes on what is eternal? What are your values and goals?