Money isn’t anything like air. I can live a very long life and experience all the really important qualities of life without money, but I can only live a few minutes without air. In God’s economy of sovereign abundance He has made all the most important things for the abundant life the easiest to obtain and most freely available.

Air is first on the list, followed by water, food and shelter. Money never appears on God’s list of important things. Money is utilitarian at best, not essential. God is our source. He is sovereign  and He can and will provide all we need to do all He wants - with or without money. Money is never the limiting factor in doing what is most important to Him.

I know that this sounds like radical thinking but it really isn’t, in fact it is eminently logical and Biblically provable. Let’s take a couple of simple examples.

Perhaps the most obvious is God’s total and sovereign sustenance of the nation of Israel in the desert for 40 years. He didn’t use money or any other medium of barter or exchange to care for them.  He just supernaturally provided all they really needed to live. He doesn’t need money to care for us either.

When Peter asked Jesus how they they would pay the temple tax Jesus told him to go catch a fish. The money for the tax was to be in its mouth. I call that fish God’s bank.

Did you ever notice that when Jesus taught His disciples to pray He told them to prays “Give us this day our daily bread” not, “Give us the money to buy our bread?”  Money was used while Jesus was here. He knew about it. He knew all about it.

How about this; there is no mention of money in the garden of Eden. It wasn’t needed. It’s not mentioned in any description or discussion of the New Jerusalem either. Adam and Eve worked, but not for wages, they tended the garden as stewards and God provided all they needed to do all He asked.

Here’s a really radical thought about money; it is an alternative to trust in God provided by Satan as part of an alternative worldview that he has been promoting since he appeared to Eve as a snake. What he did then, and all he really does now, is offer plausible sounding but false alternatives to trust in what God has said to man. It is true that the world system that has developed and is the result of the first sin of disobedience does need money, and also that as He does with all things, God does use money, but He doesn’t need it. Neither do His children although they may use it too. God uses everything but He doesn’t need anything.

What we need is faith… Faith to trust God and to take Him at His word…First, faith that He loves us so much that He sent His Son to take the punishment that we deserve for our sins… faith to accept that gift.

Next, faith that His written Word is true, all of it. In it He promises over, and over, and over again to provide all we need to do all He asks and to take responsibility for it. Think about it friends! If God can’t or won’t do this He isn’t God at all and our faith is a joke!

If God has a unique plan for each of our lives, which He says he does in His Word. (Ephesians 2:10)

And, If He will judge our performance within that plan, which He says He will. (II Corinthians 5:10)

And if there will be consequences, both reward and loss, based on that judgement, and He says there will be. (I Corinthians 3:11-15)

Then how can He judge us unless we have the ability to do what we are being given to do? Is the God of the Universe just? Is He?

Yes! He is just! And that’s how I know – I WILL ALWAYS HAVE ALL I NEED TO DO ALL GOD WANTS. If you trust Him you will too!

Take it to the bank!

There is a hooker though, it’s the phrase that says “to do all HE wants.”

                                                                                                Galatians 6:9

 “Let us not grow weary….” Do you ever feel weary? Tired, wornout, burned out? Does the burden of being somone chosen by God to deal with the particular frustrations and difficult people that make up your life and relationships in its environment ever make you wonder if it is all worth the effort required? Do you ever feel like just chucking the whole deal and simply taking a walk? I do.

One thing is for sure, if you answered “no” to any of the above you will lie about other things too! We all grow weary at times. If life were easy we would never need God. He would be irrelevant. God is never irrelevant.

No one gets a pass from the challenges of life, everyone has a piece of the action. A perfect life without trail or pain doesn’t exist, yet. But the Bible quote that we started with tells that we shouldn’t “lose heart.” Have you ever lost heart? I have. When I take my eyes of the reality of life and look through the lens of wrong expectation it’s easy to do. Let’s ask ourselves some probing questions and reflect on our answers. Jot down your rresponses to:

• What is the “good” that we are called to do in our roles as Christ-followers? And who calls us to do it?

• Why do we get “weary” even doing what God asks us to do?

• When that happens, what or who would you suppose is the most likely cause?

• What do you think might be the most powerful cure for weariness?

• What can we do to avoid getting weary?

• Who determines what “due season” is?

• What shall we reap if we remain faithful and don’t lose heart?

Take your time and think through these questions and then ponder this statement; “The circumstances of life don’t make me what I am, they reveal who (whose?) I am.” Only by accepting and adopting the true eternal perspective on life abundant”can we have any chance of not growing weary and losing heart and, even then, to maintain perspective we need the encouragement we gain by association with other like-minded Christ-followers to sustain it.  

So, how’s life workin’ for you?

The good news is…IT DOESN’T MATTER!!!!!!

For Christians it doesn’t matter because our God, not our government or any world power or economic system, is our source! It is He who promises to supply all we need to do all He asks… period! What God asks of us is faithful, dependent, obedience to His Spirit moment by moment. If the sun shines or it rains, in good times or bad, in sickness or in health, in democracy or totalitarianistic socialism – our call is to trust Him for all we need to do all He asks AND HE WILL!!!

There is no need for weeping and wailing or gnashing of teeth! IT DOESN’T MATTER!!! Don’t waste time or energy!

This is like the endless and wasteful debate over the return of our Lord, whether He will come before, during, or after the tribulation! IT DOESN”T MATTER! It is just a distraction! What matters is moment by moment trust and obedience now, in the moment. He will come again for each of us and when He does, whether that is before, during, or after the tribulation, all that will matter will be our trust and obedience. He has a plan for each of our lives and He will always provide all we need to fulfill it! No power in heaven or on Earth can stand against Him. Jesus isn’t dependent on any form of earthly government or economic system. He is the absolute sovereign and infinite power of the Universe.

So, don’t be discouraged. Of course we have preferences concerning our government and who is best qualified to lead it, and we need to be informed and vocal in support of candidates who represent our values and views. But no matter who leads the country this is not our home and it will never be perfect or even really close, and it will never change our Source or what we need to do to receive all we need to live abundantly from Him. We are here for a short term as Ambassadors for Christ and then we’ll go home. Faithful Ambassadors don’t look to the country where they are sent to serve to supply their needs, they look to home. Press on, the Bema awaits!

These three are  supported by the fourth lie. This is one of the most damaging and crippling lies and distortions of all, and has been the foundation for so much damage to the work of Christ that it can’t be calculated. It is the lie of The chasm between the clergy and the laity. This lie is so deeply embedded in The Body of Christ that it would appear hopeless to remove it, failing a truly miraculous work of God.

This lie comes to us in so many subtle ways, but they all have the same basic message; that pastors, priests, and missionaries are the truly anointed ministers of God, and that the rest of us lay people are really second class serfs who are sent to labor in the fields of the world to grub out some mammon to bring to our holy leaders that will allow them to carry out the work of God. We are told this lie subtly and overtly, and it is so powerful because it is told to us by the very leaders to whom we look for truth. And even more devastating is that the very system that depends on the perpetuation of this lie is the system that trains and prepares the leaders we look to for the truth of our way in life. The seminaries and the hierarchies of our denominations would be drastically changed, and their prominent place in religious society altered, and their security threatened, if they taught the truth of the priesthood of all believers and the true call of God on the life of every believer. Many would cease to exist entirely. Jesus warned us that “if the light that you have within you is darkness, how great is that darkness.” When we take in a lie, which is darkness, and believe that it is truth, which is light, we are doubly deceived, and this type of deception is very hard to remove.

              The greatest lies are those which contain the most truth. This lie, number four, is a perfect example of this technique. It is true that pastors are gifts that God gives to The Church. They are specially called and equipped. (As are missionaries, evangelists, and prophets and teachers.) But not to do the work of ministry, their call and equipping is to prepare and equip the “saints”, you and I, for the work of ministry. It is not to do it themselves! The religious professionals are not an elite group of ministers to whom all the really important work of ministry has been delegated. They are the teachers and trainers who are called to enable and encourage you and I to do it!

            The list of destructive effects that are traceable to this lie is amazingly complex. But, in sum, we can say that like perhaps no other, it hinders the work of the Church in reaching the world for Jesus, and as a little realized but devastating byproduct, robs believers of uncounted eternal rewards.

            Each believer has a unique and personal destiny and ministry created in the heart of God. Finding and fulfilling that ministry and destiny is the purpose of the life on earth of a believer. The process of the seeking, learning, and doing the will of God in his/her life and unique ministry is the “reasonable service” of every believer, not only the religious professionals. How much of our true spiritual heritage, and how many eternal rewards will you and I forfeit because we feel we are “second class” Christians?

            The fifth lie feeds many of our human weaknesses and temptations. It is the lie that God wants every one of His children to be rich in worldly terms, and everyone can be rich financially.

            This lie is at the heart of the “name it and claim it” and “health and wealth” distortions of Christian doctrine. Again, this lie has its’ roots deep in the truth. God does want all His children to prosper “even as your souls prosper”, and Jesus did come to give us “life abundant.” But the prosperity and abundance He refers to have absolutely nothing to do with worldly riches! The prosperity and abundance of God are of the inner man and not dependent on anything external. A poor man has equal access to God’s prosperity and abundance with a rich man. When God grants one riches they are only tools to be used to fulfill His call and plan for the life and ministry of that one, and the one to whom they are given will be responsible to Him for their use for His purposes. Worldly riches are a responsibility to be carefully handled, not a blessing that God wishes He could give to all His children.

            God doesn’t want all His children to be rich, He wants us to be holy. He doesn’t want us to be conformed to the image of Solomon, He wants us to be conformed to the image of Jesus.

            Receiving this lie, even in part, causes many Christians, who God has called to humble service, in small businesses, churches, or ministries, to fall to the sin of comparison and envy, and to do things He hasn’t called them to do, like borrowing money, to try to grow to be as big as others. It encourages an ungrateful spirit and an unthankful heart which hurt God. It makes true contentment impossible and leads to stress and frustration. God has not made us all to be rich, but He has made us all to be wealthy in true life abundant.

            The last lie we will deal with, but by no means the last Satan uses, is the perhaps the daddy of them all, at least of those we are affected by today. This is the lie that says; The Bible ”contains truth, but isn’t wholly true. There are many permutations of this lie, but they all have in common the purpose of opening a crack in God’s written revelation to man. A crack that, once opened, will allow such an increasing dilution and distortion, that over time will render it meaningless altogether. We are seeing the results of this lie in our lives almost daily as we watch one truth or one principle after another be explained away under the guise of modern critical interpretation. In our day men who call themselves Christians tell us that oral sex isn’t sex at all, homosexuality is an “alternative lifestyle”, lies that don’t hurt anyone aren’t lies at all, and that we must respect all ideas equally. We are told that we must read the Bible in the “light of the culture in which it was written”, meaning since our culture is now so different the Bible can’t be applied. This lie has been so cleverly implanted that we now have turned from the use of the Bible to judge other works, to the use of other works to judge the Bible. This lie reduces the Bible to equality with every other religious book such as the Koran or The Book of Mormon.

            If  we accept the lie that any part of the Bible may be untrue then we open the door that any other part may not be true. The task of picking and choosing which parts of the Bible are true and which are not is a hopelessly impossible slippery slope, and no one can stand on it. Once one steps there, there is no stopping. If we Christians give up our objective and extrinsic standard of truth, the written revealed Word of God, we have lost the fight forever. Oh, we may not appear to have done so immediately, but it is over nonetheless. ONLY if the Bible is NOT totally true can Christianity be positioned as only one of many great religions, and its’ teachings treated as optional. Jesus as He is revealed in the Bible makes NO room for other faiths. Period.  The Bible never even infers that there may be even one other way to God let alone many, and only if the Bible does not tell the whole truth is that thought even an option.

            To the degree we as Christians have been influenced by these six fundamental lies we are being hindered in doing what God has called us to do. Jesus said, “IF you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” Free from lies and to be all He designed, and to do all He planned. Think about it:

            If the Bible isn’t totally true, I can’t trust it.

            If God wants me to be rich and I’m not, something must be wrong with me.

            If my faith shouldn’t be a part of my business, then it’s all about money.

            If my faith can’t be a part of my politics, then it’s all about power.

            If morality can’t be legislated, then the immoral will rule.

            If I am a second class Christian, what I do doesn’t matter much.

Jesus taught His followers to be careful not to be deceived. He used the metaphor of darkness and light to represent lies and truth and warned to be careful about what we accept as “light.” He said that if we receive darkness believing it to be light the deception would be “great.”  Let me give you and example of how this works.

Let’s take the statement “You can’t legislate morality.” Have you ever heard that? Do you believe it? Well, most people do. And yet, nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that morality is the basis for ALL legislation. Legislation establishes and codifies morality. Laws are passed to define moral behavior among those under the authority of the governing body that creates them.   

God legislates morality. It doesn’t bother Him a bit. He made laws and commandments. Can you see the effect in America today of this lie? Because so many have believed it we have become unable to define right from wrong to an almost unbelievable degree. We are being consumed by post-modern thought that denies absolute truth and allows determination of what is right in an anarchistic way, meaning everyone being able to choose what is right for themselves.   

When combined with lie number two, “You can’t mix business with religion” and lie number three, “You can’t mix religion with politics” lie number one is used to confuse us and distort reality with devastating results. These lies have been the basis for much of the marginalization of our faith today. Since we are told that we are not to mix our faith with business or politics, those Christians that God has placed in positions of strategic influence and leadership often feel that they must compromise their belief or keep it private somehow, which is in fact impossible. The attempt to do so turns them into hypocrites and compromises their testimony.

The reality and truth is that we can’t separate our religion from our business, politics, legislation or anything else! Our faith, if it is real, is the center and basis for all of life and when we attempt to separate it from any part, chaos in that part is the result.

The mixture of these clever lies which sound so good and logical is what allows the deception of our politicians and leaders to the extent that they feel they can say that, while they hold “personal” belief against something which the law of the land says is legal, they can and do support it. The most glaring example of this deception are those politicians who say they are Christians but who support a woman’s “right” to have an abortion because the law of the land decrees it to be legal. Since when does the law of the land supersede the law of God? And where does God ever give His permission to violate His laws if most of the people want to? Abortion is murder and the killing of unborn babies is at the heart of the moral rot of our nation.

We will stop here for today, with just the first three examples of darkness presenting itself as light. Have you believed any of the first three? Think about how these three have impacted our culture! There’s much more to come, stay tuned! Oh yeah, and by the way, light always overcomes darkness. Walk in the Light!

For those of us who claim to be Christ-followers, does that fact stand out in any significant way to the “watchers?” Is there and discernable difference between what they see in us and what they would see in anyone else? Should there be? All true Christ-followers know the answer to that question is a loud yes! Of course it should matter that Jesus lives in us. Of course His values should not only guide us but lead us to a lifestyle that is based on His example and teaching. If that is true, our lives today, as His did then, will contrast to the lives of others in a way that is pretty obvious. We will be light and salt. Are we?

Jesus asked some of His followers, “Why do you call me Lord Lord and don’t do the things I say?” Were He to ask us the same question, what would we answer?

What are some of the distinctives that “watchers” should see in the lives of Christ-followers?

Where do you think the typical non-Christ-follower would see a difference in the life and lifestyle  of the average  member of your church? Your pastor?

Jesus told some of His followers that He wished that they were either “hot” or “cold” and that to be “lukewarm” was disgusting to Him. What do you think a “lukewarm” Christ-follower might look like in today’s culture?

In the first century a non-Chris- follower, Artstedes, described Christ-followers to his Emperor this way: 

 They love one another, they never fail to help widows. they save orphans from those who would hurt them. If they have something they give feely to the man who has nothing, if they see a stranger, they take him home and are happy as though he were a real brother. They don’t consider themselves brothers in the usual sense, but brothers, instead through the Spirit, in God.

Wouldn’t it be cool if the “watchers” of our lives could say that, or something very close to it today about you and I and the Christ-followers that we hang with? It’s not impossible, but it won’t  happen by accident, it will need to be the intentional result of choices we make based on the values and priorities we hold most dear. It is our choice to make, we don’t have to guess what His would be. Why would we call Him Lord and not try to do whatHe says?

I have been asked to briefly give a couple of keys to what we have found to be a way to do marriage that works. There are so many things that God has used and is using that it is hard to pick just a few. For me, not to try to over-spiritualize, but it starts with understanding, and accepting God’s role for me in our relationship. The basic concept that I am to love Bonnie as Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself up for it is where it all started. I had failed in marriage twice before coming to Christ. I know how to fail at marriage, and I’ve learned, I should say I’m learning, how to succeed. There are three things that we have done that have really helped us and that I would encourage others to do in some form without question.

FIRST, from the get-go we committed on our knees together that we wanted, and would strive for, God’s best in our marriage – no matter what! We knelt before Jesus and promised that divorce would never be an option. But, more than that, we said that we wanted the marriage that God wanted us to have. Not to just stay together, but to know the joy and “oneness” that He wanted for us.  We didn’t know at the time that there would be a thousand challenges that would test our commitment, and there have been, but so very often, when it has hit the fan, we are reminded, and remind each other, of our promise to Jesus and our commitment to His goals for us as husband and wife. Somehow that always breaks the problem down and reminds us that God is able to bring resolution and healing to whatever it is that we have let slip in.

SECOND, and following from the first, after about 12 years of marriage and two children, we realized that, while we were investing a tremendous amount of time and energy into their lives, we weren’t investing much at all in building our relationship. We had forgotten why we were attracted to each other in the first place and the romantic portion of our relationship had slipped drastically into “yesterday’s mashed potatoes.” After the realization and some thought and prayer, we decided to take one weekend a month and get away for at least one over-night. We found reliable sitters for the girls and committed to get away and do something “fun” every month. There isn’t space or time here to list all the benefits that this practice brought us. The planning and discussion around it brought out all kinds of issues and helped me see how I had neglected my responsibility as Bonnie’s husband to nurture the part of her that needed to feel feminine and wanted. We explored Bed and Breakfasts and “antiqued” together. (Guess whose idea that was?) I learned to enjoy Bonnie’s enjoyment, and yes, sometimes we played golf. After the girls left for college we had no “empty nest” problems, we enjoy being together.  Since then we try to have a weekly “date” for the same reason. It takes time and some money, but it is more than worth it. I’m 71 years old today and I’m still romantically attracted to my wife and she to me. Romantic love doesn’t have to die but we can kill it by neglect. I don’t do as well as I would like to, and writing this will help me to press on, but even a little effort over time is a whole lot better than none.

FINALLY, and simply, the most important thing we do, is to have quiet time with the Lord each morning and to finish it by holding hands and praying aloud together for our family, friends, ministry, and each other. There are many other things we do, but none more powerful, meaningful or helpful. It’s really hard to have a hard heart toward someone you pray with every day. And somehow hearing my wife pray tells me more about what’s going on in our lives than tons of general conversation. We spend about an hour at it each day, the last 10 minutes or so, depending on what’s going on, in prayer. We also hold hands and close every day in a short prayer of thanksgiving before we go to sleep each night. We’re not really Bible students or prayer warriors by any means, but we do a little everyday. There is nothing that I know of that helps more, and, if all Christians would do just this one thing, the statistics concerning Christian divorce would change dramatically.

There you go – three simple things. I hope that someone who reads this might just give them a try and, if they do, that they will be as blessed as we have. God is more than good. He’s the source of all that’s good. And marriage was His idea in the first place. Committing to His best, nurturing our love in His, and talking about it all with Him all the time really helps!

And, we are here to do special things that He had in His mind before He even made the Earth. (Ephesians2:10) Ultimately how we understand and apply this truth will determine our success or failure as Christian people. So many are deceived to believe that God has us here to “enjoy” this life. This is a totally false paradigm. That there are joys and some enjoyment in this life is a reflection of God’s loving nature and His grace, but we are here to work. We are here to serve Him and to produce a return

The way it all works is this: If we live as God intends us to, He will provide all we need to sustain life in the place in the world He intends for us. This place, and by place we mean the combination of location, station, vocation, and reputation, is the place where our unique blend of gifting and calling will be maximally fruitful in His Kingdom, which means to produce the highest return. This place is our “eternal sweet-spot.” This place is where we are able to return the greatest measure on His investment in us. For each of us there is that one true place and what is exciting is that any of us can find it. God will not hide it and tease us; He wants us to be and to function in our eternal “sweet-spot” far more than we can imagine.

There are a couple of keys we need to mention: First, remember that we said that “IF we live as God wants us to live?” Well, that’s a big IF. We have to choose to do so. We can all do it but we all won’t. It will only happen as the result of a conscious choice. Not choosing to live as God wants us to live is the same as choosing not to. Choosing to live the way God wants us to live will mean that we choose not to live the way the world tells us to live. It means that we will choose to accept God’s values and priorities for our lives and reject those of the world. Only if we see life through the lens of an eternal perspective will we choose God and His way in life. A godly life will by definition be a counter-cultural life. Not all of us are or will be willing to make the choices that we are called to make in order to live as God wants us to.

Let’s go back now and talk about investment opportunity. Remember we have said that IF we live as God wants us to live that He will provide all we need to sustain us in that place which we have called our eternal sweet spot. That sweet spot can be anywhere. It can be found in the very highest places of society or the very lowest.  Our sweet spot is, for us, the place where the highest return can be found. God will keep us there if we are willing. Remaining in the sweet spot requires no effort on our part in terms of provision, God will always provide all we need to do all He wants. Living in God’s sweet spot is His responsibility if we are willing to live there. Living anywhere else becomes our responsibility and that is where we find the stress and struggle in life. If we knowingly or unknowingly stray from our eternal sweet spot God is honor bound to try to guide us back into it. He has designed us to be nowhere else and, because of His love for us, will do all He can to encourage us back to our sweet spot if we move away from it. His correction is what the Bible calls chastening and it increases in intensity in proportion with our deviation from His highest and best for us. It manifests in an inner tension and the loss of the fruit of His Spirit in our lives. (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) Chastening is always designed to correct our orientation back to our sweet spot.

 A biblical example of living in the sweet spot is found in the parables of the Minas in Luke and the Talents in Matthew.  In both the returns that the faithful servants earned was measured and the servants with the highest return were commended. The master in the parables represents Jesus and we are the servants. In Luke Jesus used the mina to represent the equal opportunity we all are given to seek and live in our sweet spot. In Matthew our Lord used the talents to represent the different packages of gifts, talents, resources, and opportunities that we individually receive that are designed for creating the maximum return as we live in our eternal sweet spot. Both parables tell us that our Lord is extremely interested in the return He receives from His investment in us. His investment in us is death on the cross in our place. When He did that He invested Himself for us. Our investment opportunity begins with giving ourselves back to Him and it continues as we live for Him in the sweet spot that He has designed for us. As we live in the sweet spot we produce much fruit (His return on His investment) and prove to be His disciples. If we live out of the sweet spot our fruitfulness diminishes to the degree we err and His return is lowered.

 If He chooses to give us excess to what we need to stay in our sweet spot we have the additional investment opportunity of releasing it to the use of His Kingdom. This is the kind of investment Jesus meant when He told us not to lay up treasures on Earth but to lay them up in heaven. In fact, the definition of  mammon might be the excess of what we need to keep us in our eternal sweet spot. What we need to keep us in our sweet spot can be properly called sustenance; it isn’t mammon it is just utilitarian to God’s purpose in our lives. Jesus told us that we couldn’t love God and mammon. And if we define mammon as what we have been given beyond what we need to do all God asks the best thing that we can do with it is invest it in God’s business by releasing it to do Kingdom work. The returns are eternal when we do. Keeping for our own use that which God gives us in excess of what is required to live in our sweet spot is actually hoarding. When we hoard something we love it in a sense and we hoard it only because we don’t believe that God will give us enough more of it to sustain us or keep us where He wants us to be. (Hoarding should not be confused with appropriate savings that are a necessary part of out sweet spot.)

 In light of all this we can see the tremendous need to know what our sweet spot is and to stay in it. Truthfully our eternal destiny depends on it. We have each been created by God to do specific and important things in very important and strategic places. When we live in those places and do those things we fulfill our eternal destiny and provide to our Father the highest return on His investment. This truly represents our investment opportunity and His.

 If you are confused concerning your sweet spot or any of the concepts of this segment, the place to get clarity is in intimate questioning of God. Intimate questioning can only be a part of an intimate relationship so begin there. Ask Him. No wise person wants to experience a poor return or miss an investment opportunity.

 Check yourself. In a quiet time ask yourself:

1. Is my investment opportunity being fully realized?
2. If your answer is yes, ask what you need to do to maintain or increase it
3. If your answer is no, begin a process of change by asking God why.

 Are you living in or heading surely toward your eternal sweet spot?

1. If your answer is “Yes,” press on!
2. If your answer is “No” or “I don’t know” begin to ask God where it is and how to get there.

 Is your relationship with God intimate enough for you to believe that you can truly answer these questions?

1. If your answer is “Yes”, press on and don’t let it slip!
2. If your answer is “No” or “I don’t know”, are you content to continue as is?
3. If your answer is “No” or “I don’t know”, what might you change that could change the answer?
4. When will you make the change? 

We are in a unique condition as we read this material, a condition that is temporary but very significant, a condition that, in all of eternity, we shall only experience once. We are as we are because God has created us to be so. He has chosen to create us to be, at this moment, spirit beings that temporarily inhabit a human body. We will not be forever as we are now. A day will come when each of us will end this human life experience and we will go on to another experience of life called eternal life. But, for the moment, we are living in the human experience of life.

During our human experience we have spiritual experiences because we are spirit beings in our essence. The part of us that really matters is our spirit.

There is now a part of us that says with God, “I AM.” We could go on, but our point today is not to do deep theological exposition on the subject, although we pray to have piqued some interest along the way that may lead to deeper study, but to lay the groundwork for establishing a different way of seeing the mundane of life. After all most of what we do appears to be mundane. Perhaps by lifting our eyes to the infinite we can learn to see the mundane differently. And if we learn to see the infinite in the mundane, then the mundane will never be truly mundane to us again.

Our great need is to see God in the mundane. Our failing is that we tend to only look for Him in the extraordinary or the obviously spiritual realms of life. Because we do, we miss so much!

God uses the ordinary circumstance of life to reveal His extraordinary glory and grace.

Where is He when we spill our coffee? He is there, telling us to laugh at ourselves, that it is no big deal. He is using the circumstance to build the character of Jesus in us, to conform us to His image. Circumstances reveal our inner selves. Our reactions to them allow God to show us our need for Him and to experience our unity with Him, if we will let Him.

Where is God in a demanding customer? Why doesn’t He just handle it when we need Him to? Why does He allow us to hire brothers-in-law who He knows won’t work out?

Can you begin to get a sense of the difference it would make if we could learn to see the glory of God in the moment?

The basis for all discontent and all unhappiness is unwillingness to be content in the present moment.

Joy, peace, contentment, love, happiness and every good thing exist only in the moment. Life in this human form is composed of a series of frustratingly variable trials and problems, interrupted by momentary respites of serendipitous glimpses of grace. No one gets a pass. The rain falls on the just and the unjust and the sun shines on wicked and good alike.  Most days are a combination of problems and trials galore with God always present, and His glory always just a choice away.

Victor Frankl was a Jewish man sent to the Nazi concentration camp at Aushwitz during WW II. He made a profound discovery during the horrible trial of deprivation and torture that he experienced there. He realized that he was helpless at the hand of his captors in all ways save one. They could take away everything material, they could torture his body, and they could kill him if they chose. But they could never take away his freedom to choose his response to what they did to him. He survived, and after the war taught others about what he learned to call the moment between action and reaction. It is in this moment, he taught, brief as it may be, that we choose our reaction. We own that moment. No one can take that moment from us.

Now, if Victor Frankl could use that moment to choose his reactions to the brutality being forced upon him and survive, could we learn to use it to see the glory of God in our moment in the midst of the tests and trials of this human life? We can, indeed we can. And as we do, life is transformed, changed in an instant from mundane to sublime.

Practice taking God into the present moment. For the next week or so, stop in the middle of something and mentally realize that, at this moment, you are One with God. You in Him and He in you. Let His glory overcome the circumstance and capture the moment. It’s all we have and He is all we need.

Many friends have agreed with the concept of journaling over the years but most have struggled to find a consistent format that helps to keep the practice coherent and on track. In the hope that some may find it helpful I will share a very simple but effective journaling practice that I have used, and that has made it work for me for years.

1- For my journal I use a simple three ring notebook with a clear cover and dividers because they are so readily available and cheap. I slip my personal Mission Statement into the clear cover where I see it every day. I use the dividers to separate my journal and prayer list which is also pretty simple. (Consistent prayer over a few things is much better than occasional prayer over many things)

2. The way I set up each page is like this:
a) The first thing I do is write the day, date, time I get up, and my weight (I have been on a diet for 40+ years!) in the upper right hand corner.
b) Next I write the chapters of scripture that I will read (minimum) on the first line – center of the page. (Always one from the gospels and another usually from the New Testament.)
c) Next I drop down to about three lines up from the bottom of the page and write Blessing #…. I started with 1 and today was #7766. I then stop and reflect on what I am thankful for that God did in my life the day before, the previous 24 hours. I list as many as I can think of. I start this list by writing “Thank You Father for…..and write them down. (You will be amazed at how quickly we forget God’s blessings and kindnesses.)
3. Then I proceed with my reading, study, and reflection, beginning always with Scripture, and always including a chapter from the Gospels as I always want to be under the direct teaching of Jesus,  but also including other works that I feel God leads me to. Some sacred, some secular that will help me develop in the calling God has placed on my life.
4. The last thing I do is write a letter to God. Mostly they are just one page and are a combination of thanksgiving and praise for His Grace and questions about what He wants me to do. Sometimes I think He answers directly and I note what I think He has said. Sometimes I ask questions, sometimes I confess sin. Nothing is off limits! I write what I think His Spirit leads me to write, period. He doesn’t seem to mind how I do it or what I ask!
5. Every Saturday I review all that I have written during the week before I write to Him. This is an awesome practice and I highly recommend it. I keep tab markers handy and when something appears that I want to remember or review I tab it and go back over the tabs at the end of each year, or earlier if I am looking for something. Each January I spend part of the time reviewing the previous year, again, an amazing exercise. We forget so much of His grace and goodness!
6. Finally friends, and again, the thing that makes it all work is that the first hour of every day belongs to Him. This is the non-negotiable commitment that I made 7766 days ago. In all the years have missed three times to the best of my knowledge. These caused by red-eye flights or other unavoidable travel intrusions.

If you are serious about growing in your faith and have struggled to have a consistent and quality quiet time with God and want one,  try this; make it the first hour and non-negotiable and try this format for journaling for 90 days. You’ll never regret it and you life will never be the same.