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I waited patiently for the LORD, And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. Psalm 40:1 What does it mean that God inclined to me? The God of the universe condescended to listen to me, to pay attention to my concerns, Even my petty, selfish requests. He bends His ear to me. Because of Jesus, God does that! Even if I don't like His answers -- He humbles Himself and turns His ear to my voice.   5: You can pick where you fall. If you are going to fall, you have some say in where you fall -- if you give up on staying on. But as long as your energy is focused on staying connected to the horse, you will fall whenever your strength gives out. Lesson 5: Your strength will give out. It's your choice whether to fall into God's arms or not. As Moses said: Underneath you are the everlasting arms.
Whether this Christmas is wonderful or hard or wonderfully hard, may God bless you with uncommon gifts, unexplainable peace, and unshakeable hope. Merry Christmas! 3. If the person you are riding with is falling -- you are falling. There is no way to stay aboard the horse if the person holding onto your waist is off the horse. Too often in life we think we are enough to keep everything together for everyone, we aren't. Lesson 3: Make sure the people around you are people you want to fall with. As Solomon said: The companion of fools will be destroyed. 4: Sometimes you are simply a projectile missile, unable to change course or do anything except cushion your fall. In life too, sometimes you just get bucked off. The danger is not seeing what is coming next. You got to open your eyes and look up to make sure the horse isn't coming down on top of you. Lesson 4: When you fall (or everything falls around you) open your eyes and look up toward Jesus. As Solomon said: For this is man's all.  You have to fall off a horse 10 times before you really know how to ride...or so I have been told. I haven't fallen off 10 times yet, but I have fallen off quite a few times and here are some of the lessons I've learned: 1. You can either laugh or stay on the horse -- your choice. It's not that laughing is bad. This just isn't the time for it. Riding all about focus and balance. Lesson 1: Don't feel like you have to laugh all the time (even at Christmas). As Solomon said: There is a time for everything. 2. The horse is bigger than you. If he or she decides the ride is over...the ride is over. God is much bigger than a horse, but we too often want to fight Him, clinging to stuff we need to let go. Lesson 2: It's about letting go at the right time. As Solomon said: In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand.  Everyone always wants to elevate 32 inches, hit the perfect angle, and slam that ball home at 120 mph. And that is what is celebrated. But the truth is: a kill is a kill. Regardless of the speed, angle, or placement -- if the ball hits the ground, it's a point. In life it is similar, sometimes we are looking for that stunning victory -- the one that puts on national, or state, or at least local radar. The book deal. The TV appearance. Our big break. But the truth is as long as we are following Christ -- a victory is a victory. A Sunday School class that is eager to know Jesus -- that's a win. A child asking you to explain the gospel...again -- that's a win. Memorizing a Bible passage won't get you on TV -- but that's a win. Today, I hope you see and count your spiritual victories for what they are: Wins from God. "Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." -- Hebrews 12:1  In volleyball, once the ball kisses the ground it's the end -- you've lost. A dig bounces the ball back into play. In life it is sometimes like we are spiritually constantly digging. In ministry, we are just barely staying in the game or constantly throwing out lifelines to others without seeing any growth or maturity or even stability in others or ourselves. It's tempting just to concede the point -- but the truth is a dig is the only thing that changes a lost point into a great play. We aren't all scorers, but the point can be won without a dig -- so keep digging. "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." -- Galatians 6:9  In volleyball, every point -- whether you win it or lose it -- starts with a serve. It is a hard-earned skill that takes lots of practice, self-control, and patience. But that is how you get the serve over the net, into play, and well-positioned. You serve. And if volleyball teaches us anything about life is: You can't win if you don't serve. Our call to serve is not a once-in-a-while thing -- but a daily practice. It takes self-control to put others first and not demand the recognition or the thanks we deserve. And it takes patience to smile and serve yet again. "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." -- Matthew 20:28  Bump. Set. Spike. And the spike is the fun hit to watch. But guess what, the spike only happens because of the set. And the set only happens because of the bump. So it is in life. If we spike -- it's because someone set us up. If we set someone else up, it's because someone got the ball to us first. And spiritually, if we touch the ball at all, it's because -- bump, set, or spike -- God sent the ball our way. That is what I know about volleyball -- that and it hurts my forearms.  The bronzed, falling leaves are a signal that winter is coming. The sun will not shine as brightly. The wind will turn chilly. The plants will go dormant. The animals will hunker down and wait for the inevitable return of the spring. And back in the day of widespread agriculture, autumn was a signal to pause and thank God for His provision. But it was also a yearly prompt to trust God to sustain through the coming barren months of winter. May this fall season be just that for each of you! A consistent reminder to trust our Loving Father -- all "winter" long.   "They make a mess." I'm sure you've heard someone complain about the leaves and their landscaping. And they are right, they do make a mess. But a beautiful mess.
It is tempting to think in life that if something is a mess, God is not at work; if something is hard or inefficient or uncertain that God is not there. And using this reasoning, it's easy to trick ourselves into believing we are free to try and fix it in our own power. So let us go back and realize that whether the mess is of our own doing or completely out of our control, God is always at work. For this reason, in the middle mess(es) we need to seek God out even more diligently, so we may join in on His plans for our mess. |
The AuthorCome with me as we grow in fellowship with each other and our Savior to whom belongs the Amazing Escape from sin and death and the Amazing Journey into glorious life. Archives
January 2025
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