God's Will Is a Person

Jeremiah 18:6 “As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand. If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned. And if I announce that I will plant and build up a certain nation or kingdom, but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless it as I said I would.” Sometimes people come to me for counsel when the have a big decision coming up. After laying out the situation, they’ll often ask my opinion on where I think God is leading. I always respond with the most transformational insight I had during our “Experiencing God” discipleship class at church some years back. Many of us think about God’s will as taking this job or that job, moving to this place or that place, or doing this deal or that deal. But scripture tells us that God’s will is not a place, a job or a deal. God’s will is a person. It’s a relationship with Jesus. If we take the job that God has ordained to bless us, but then that job turns us away from Him, would he not shift circumstances to bring us back toward Him? Or conversely if we take the option that was not “his will”, but then pursue Him like crazy, is He not powerful enough to change the whole universe to make us successful in that position? Today I felt God leading me to this passage, where Jeremiah basically outlines this same principle. I have some big decision points coming up and I feel God is reminding me of the true nature of His will. Lord I submit myself to you and your will. I also take great comfort in knowing that you are in control, and that if I run after you with everything I’ve got, the options I’ve thought incessantly about will work themselves out. You are all I need. I love you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Digital Soul Ties

Nehemiah 13:30 “So I purged out everything foreign.” In my last inner healing session, we spent some time clearing out ties that I had to an old era in my life when I was far from God. I felt Him tell me very clearly that I needed to get rid of some memorabilia that harkened back to that era, and all the associations I had with that era. I felt lighter and more free after following that directive. Today I felt the same call for my digital memorabilia, and again after deleting some old files I feel lighter and more free. We see over and over again in scripture that God is a jealous God, and people aligned with his heart take great care to position themselves without distraction to Him as a priority. Lord, I never thought these trinkets a big deal, but increasingly I understand that the physical world of what we tough, and the digital world of what we see, is only a small sliver of true reality. Please open my eyes more to the spiritual realm, and align my vision to your eternal perspective. I love you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Bread of Life

Matthew 7:9 “You parents - if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” Last night I had to spank Luke for the first time in his life. He was too engrossed in his video game to respond to my “you have 5 seconds to stop the game” which in our household is the nuclear option. Of course, he cried, and of course I felt terrible, but after everything settled down, I asked him “you know, I love you right?” [Luke nods] “You’re a good boy, but sometimes good boys do bad things. I only want the best for you, and that’s why I had to spank you tonight.” “Yes I learned about this at school. Scolding can seem bad, but we shouldn’t make excuses when we get scolded. It’s a good thing because it helps make us better!” The other day I heard a sharing from my friend Isaac Ong who has an incredibly powerful testimony. He heard God’s voice and had to wait through 13 years of failure after failure, before being brought to the highest levels of the entertainment industry to be used as a light for the kingdom. One thought that particularly struck me in his sharing was the idea that God always has bread for us, but sometimes in our ignorance we think God’s giving us a stone. I was so proud of Luke to realize that while screen time seems like bread and spanking seems like stone, in this moment it was quite the opposite. God, you are always good, and even when I can’t understand why it feels things don’t go my way, I know you have great things in store for me. I’m so proud of my son, and I know you’re so proud of me too. Thank you for always being the bread of life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.