Silence is Golden

"We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon, and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls."
-Mother Teresa

In these recent weeks, I have been finding myself overwhelmed with a plethora of events and obligations that have comprised my life so far. This feeling of always being "on the go" is nothing new to me, but I am starting to feel very tired more often than not, and I am talking more in the spiritual sense. I am not complaining about being busy or having many tasks; that means there is never a boring moment. But I have to continuously examine myself from God's perspective and see if maybe He needs me to slow down and find a time to rest in His presence.

The above quote is part of what God has been speaking to me about these past few weeks in finding moments of rest and solitude where I can spend time with God without the interferences life produces. I look to Jesus to see how His life and example handled this principle and necessity. After all, it is written in Psalm 46:10 to "be still and know that I am God."

Taking a look at some of the gospel, it is hard to find a moment where Jesus is staying still or seeking solitude, especially when His ministry is taking full-form. However, Jesus made it a point to seek out His father in moments of silence and solitude. For example, when Jesus set out into the desert for forty days, He did this in solitude. It was in this solitude that Jesus was "filled with the Holy Spirit" (Luke 4:1) and was able to resist the temptations of the Devil shortly after.

Another example of Jesus taking this to heart was after He miraculously fed the five-thousand.

"After sending them home, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray." (Matthew 14:23)

He didn't just do this at the end of His day, either.

"Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray." (Mark 1:35)

Those are just a few examples of Jesus seeking after God in the midst of His busy lifestyle of preaching and healing the sick and poor, but these verses remind me that all of us, regardless of our roles and positions in ministry or life, need to take time and seek God in solitude.

I am reminded that silence not only serves as a conduit to hear God speak to me, but to also express adoration and worship to Him, as well. Think about it for a second. For me, some of the most powerful and breathtaking moments I experience with God are in the midst of silence. It is those moments that I find it impossible to not hit the floor and worship my Savior. When noise and distraction come into play in those moments, we tend to hesitate instead of letting ourselves go in His presence. As I made clear in my previous post Timing is Everything, once that opportunity is gone, it is gone and you probably will not get another opportunity as powerful, breathtaking, and divine as it again. This is why silence is beyond important in our lives; we cannot afford to miss divine opportunities and moments with our God, especially when He is ever so willing to meet us where we are.

I would encourage you reading this entry to start regularly taking moments in your day to get away from everyone in your life, find a place absent of noise, and meditate on God. Whether that means bringing a bible with you to study His ways or closing your eyes and quieting your mind and spirit for a brief moment, make the most of this moment you have one-on-one with your Creator. When we start looking to God in our silent moments as both a worshiper and a vessel for His glory, amazing transformation is not only a by-product of this willful act, it is a guarantee! Stop letting your life slip away in all these tasks and give God what He wishes to bestow upon us - a sound mind instilled with the spirit of peace and beauty.

Timing is Everything

"Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in."

-Napoleon Bonaparte

As of late, my thoughts have been drifting to some of my past achievements and what it took to accomplish them. Such achievements such as earning my college degree, gaining a new car and bass guitar, and most recently earning my full-time status at my current place of employment are all great examples of these achievements and truly make me joyful. But how did I earn these achievements and how did these occur? One word - opportunity. There is an opportunity involved before these moments and every moment, small or vast, in our lives. I had to take a step in faith with each of the previously mentioned opportunities and try and make the most of them, regardless if the payoff was immediate or not.

My recent train of thoughts are inspired by the Apostle Paul in his letter to Colossi. While Paul is imprisoned in what could be considered (in those days) one of the worst holding areas imaginable, he writes in this letter, which is found in Colossians 4:5, "Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity (NLT)." This sentiment is echoed throughout all of his letters, including his letter to Ephesus: "So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days (5:15-16; NLT)."

So my question to you reading this entry is what are you doing with the opportunities presented to you? I know there are a lot of opportunities I have failed to act upon because of my own indecisiveness, fears, or because I failed to acknowledge that an opportunity existed. Some of these missed opportunities have cost myself and some people close to me and I have learned it is less costly to make the most of these opportunities right away.

Unfortunately, many of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus suffer from this same weakness. We see an opportunity in front of us, look at it for a second, maybe even wave or examine it a bit, but before we know it, the opportunity vanishes and it is lost forever. Paul instructs all of us to "make the most of every opportunity," and yet we choose by our action of inaction to watch some of them pass by.

You may be trying to justify to yourself that some of these "opportunities" were minute and have no bearing on where you are in life. This may be true, sure, but you are forgetting that as a follower of Christ, your life is no longer your own to serve. Your actions or lack thereof may greatly affect another individual, and you making the most of these opportunities, as minute as they may appear, could lead that person closer to God. Remember that your actions, your thoughts, and what you choose or not choose to do affect more than you may realize, regardless how small or insignificant the opportunity appears. Consider this the "butterfly effect" of God's plan. One missed opportunity that seems insignificant may cause untold consequences to others later on down the road of Life.

As you examine the opportunities presented in your life, keep in mind what we are warned about in James 4:14 - "How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog ('mist' in other translations) - it is here a little while, then it's gone (NLT)." We are only given a short amount of time on this Earth to make an impact towards others and for the glory of the Almighty. This may be a message or virtue you may already be aware of or practicing, but be aware that reading this entry also presents an opportunity, as well. You may only get one shot at certain opportunities. His timing is truly everything, so make the most of these opportunities presented to you before, just like Life, "it is gone."

What Were You Expecting?

"The best things in life are unexpected because there were no expectations."

-Eli Khamarov (famous observational writer)

Have you ever found yourself in what seemed to be an absolute position of control, which included planning, development of an event in your life, and execution? If you answered yes, how does that feel for you? It feels empowering to have that kind of authority and to be able to plan every little detail out. So you are in a position of power and have these details down to the second, but what normally happens? That's right - the details are mucked and something unplanned occurs, even if the unplanned details seem minute. How does that make you, a person who has planned everything dealing with this event in your life, truly feel? Unprepared? Foolish? Like a failure? It almost seems like you wasted all this time for nothing, huh?

It would seem more often than not we all go through this type of ordeal. I recently had a friend of mine move back home (out of state) after waiting almost two months for her to get back. The thing about this is that I was so stoked for her to come back and I had all these type of plans and places I wanted to show her. I think I was more excited to see how she has changed in the past two months more than anything. However, it was that change that I neglected to plan for, and in the end, she decided to trust God in His infinite wisdom and move back home to get her life back on track and in freedom. At first, it felt as though I wasted my time with all these plans and ideas and that I may have lost a friend, but as the days went by, I realized that God has much bigger plans for her and that the only thing I can really do is pray for her and keep my eyes on God through it all. Today, she is doing really well and has seen God in a whole new way - as the Redeemer and Healer of all afflictions and I'm proud of her.

When it seems God breaks our plans and "throws a wrench" into whatever we may have been constructing, it is paramount to remind ourselves that God's plan is not necessarily our own plan and that His plan is the best one to follow step-by-step. In 2 Corinthians 9:8, Paul talks about God's grace to cover our lack of preparation in our good works at all times.

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."

Another verse in Psalm 62.5 relates to keeping our hopes and expectations in him.

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone. My hope (expectation in KJV) is in Him"

And of course He declares in Jeremiah 29:11 about His plans for our lives and how no matter what little details unfold, His promise is clear - to give us hope and a future.:

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

As your week starts to progress and you find yourself falling short of expectations, remind yourself that our expectation is in God and that His love truly never falls short of perfection. He has planned every detail down to the very second and He will never have an unprepared detail get in the way of His relationship with you. I pray that you will thank and worship God for truly taking care of all the details in your life and that, as the apostle Paul would say, you would "count it all joy" when it seems like unplanned details occur in your life. In reality, your life is His planning unfolding, so go with it and smile while it happens.

Holy vs "Holy"

"Holy is the way God is. To be holy he does not conform to a standard. He is that standard. He is absolutely holy with an infinite, incomprehensible fullness of purity that is incapable of being other than it is. Because he is holy, all his attributes are holy; that is, whatever we think of as belonging to God must be thought of as holy." - A.W. Tozer

As I saw my week come to an end, I couldn't help but think of my relationship with God and how far along I have come. The last few months have been a tremendous transformation on my life and perspective, although I know that God is continuously working with and through me. As Paul wrote in the letter to Philippi, "be confident, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion..." (v. 1:6). It is something I am rejoicing in daily because I know without a doubt that God is never going to give up on me.

With that kind of perspective, I came across the above quote by A.W. Tozer talking about God's definition of the term Holy and how it is a standard that exists in and with God. Think about this for a minute. We constantly pray to and worship the Lord that created everything from the tiny hairs on your arms and legs to the billions of stars and galaxies in the cosmos, and yet I feel that a lot of us who call ourselves "Followers of the Way" tend to place this same Lord into a small contextual word that we have termed "holy." It breaks my heart to see and hear of men and women who belong to the Kingdom of God and choose only to worship God when it is convenient or when the time is right. This is a rather corrupted view of God and church in general and I believe is unacceptable to God and His standard. My friends, the time is always right to worship Him and, convenient or not, God is fervently seeking our praise and worship of Him because of His Holiness.
Psalm 16:9-10 is a set of verses that show David's heart and perspective on God, in particular God's Holiness:

"Therefore my heart is glad and my inner self (glory in some translations) rejoices; my body too shall rest and confidently dwell in safety, for You will not abandon me to Sheol (the place of the dead), neither will You suffer Your Holy One to see corruption."

I love how David declares that he is safe because God will never "suffer to see corruption." In other words, regardless which "box" we try to place God into, He will never be corrupted or misled in any way, shape, or form. He will always be the Holy One, end of story.

So I ask you a question, and be honest with yourself: do you truly pray to and worship the unmistakable Holy God that with all due rights and respect deserves nothing less than His own standard but shows us never-ending grace and mercy otherwise? Do you get down on your knees and cry out to God that He is Holy, Holy, Holy and that you adore Him? Or do you wait until you get to church and go through the motions and pretend that He is "holy"?

I would encourage you reading this to stop whatever you are doing this very moment (that includes reading this sentence), get down on your knees, and truly worship and honor God, not for what He has done necessarily, but because He is Holy. Go ahead and do this. This entry isn't going anywhere...

I truly believe that if Christians everywhere truly perceived God as Holy instead of "holy", onlookers may be able to see a greater separation and unmistakable joy in their lives, and that's what the word Holy is about, right?

The Sacrifice of Love

"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

-John Wooden (Basketball Coach)

I sometimes examine and question my own abilities and directions in this life. It is something as human beings we tend to do periodically, sometimes a little too often. Take my gifts, for example. I know I can play the bass guitar really well and solid. I know my intellect and wit is sometimes overbearing but really strong. I know I can grasp the "big picture" usually before anyone else can arrive at the same conclusion. But in all honesty, what are these gifts if I can't use them to pay back the One who ultimately used His gift of love for me?

It says in 1 John 4:13 that "we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His spirit." (NKJ) This verse, as well as the entire fourth chapter of 1 John, reminds me of the gift that Jesus sought to instill in others, and that was the gift of love. Imagine if you will being one of the few disciples that got the opportunity to sit with Jesus and learn from Him. Now just imagine that during the first meeting, instead of hearing Jesus say, "Love only those in this room as I have loved you," He says, "I want you all to love everyone in your path, both believers and non-believers alike, as I and my Father in heaven has loved you." That is definitely an "easier said than done" statement, to say the least, but it is a statement many people who "follow Him" fail to grasp or execute, myself included.

In all honesty, when was the last time you prayed for someone who has hurt you in the past? I'm talking about the one person, albeit a former relationship (boy/girlfriend, husband/wife, best friend, etc.), who really knew how to wound you beyond all physical measure. If you did pray for that person, did you pray that God would love them and continue to love them? What about yourself? Did you ask God to forgive them for what they have committed against you and to allow you to love them like God has loved them? That is definitely something a good majority of us fail to do. Most of us in that majority feel that because of what this person or group of people have done, they don't deserve or need the love of God in their lives. That, my friends, is really far from the truth as I know it.

I believe that these people need the real love of God even more in their lives. I also believe that it sometimes takes a person like yourself to reach out to these people, regardless what your past may have consisted of. No, I'm not saying go drive a thousand miles in the direction of this person and confront them, but I am saying that you can start by praying for them and giving this hurt, this wound directly to God to heal, comfort, and restore. Once you learn to forgive them yourself, you can then truly have a better understanding of this gift of love that Jesus set out to give everyone.

Too many people, Christian and none, live not of love but of disgust, judgement, loathing, envy, greed, resentment, and hatred, to name only a few human emotions. As you go on about your day, regardless of what you believe, try and focus on what your gifts truly are and how you can love people with them, even if these gifts seem mundane or small. Trust me when I say that God uses these gifts beyond what you can imagine if you are willing to sacrifice yourself for just a second.

A New Hope

"Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

-John 11:25-26

I have found that as I peruse the news headlines of the last couple of weeks, I get an overwhelming sense of panic, disarray, and confusion. For instance, the proclaimed "King of Pop" Michael Jackson dies suddenly, and the whole world panics and figuratively "shuts down" itself to mourn his passing. Yet thousands upon thousands die of starvation, disease, and other means worldwide, and yet we shed no tear or shut ourselves down to remember and mourn for them. What is wrong with that picture?

It would seem that although death has been a hot topic in the news as late, it is a bigger topic locally. Everywhere I go, even at the office I work at, the topic of death seems to be on the tips of everyone's lips. And what is it about death that these people talk about? The uncertainty of things to come. The question of who, celebrity or local, is going to die next. All this talk... and not one conversation I hear sounds hopeful or encouraging.

God placed the role of death as a means to signify our passing into a new life. Death may be a byproduct of the first act of sin told in Genesis 3, but it doesn't mean we have to fear it like so many of our peers tend to do. We have an awesome hope to believe in - the hope that Jesus has given us a life beyond Death's reach!

I can never seem to understand the implications of the above verse at times like this, but I do understand a few truths in this. Jesus talks about physical death as though it is just another phase in life that no one needs to fear or be uncertain about, and that in itself is encouraging to me. Instead of all this talk about death and how horrible it is, we should be talking about how wonderful it will be to see Jesus's promise fulfilled and to live without ever truly dying. That will definitely turn some heads and get people talking, right?