Catching a Bus

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?

Run in such a way as to get the prize.

1 Corinthians 9:24

I was out looking for apartments on the other side of town last weekend, and I was reliant on the bus to get to where I was looking, as I do not have a car. (And the places were in walking distance – it wouldn’t have made much sense to drive anyways.) However, the bus back to my apartment only departed every half hour. As I had finished up my rounds, I headed back to the transit center to get on this bus. (This transit center is the length of a city block.) When I got in eyesight of the transit center, I saw my bus pull away from its stop in the center of the boarding area, headed for the intersection at the other end. So I started running, and thankfully it had to wait at the light.

I knew it wasn’t likely for me to catch this bus at the light though, so I ran diagonally through the front of the next block over. But, being that it was only a block away from the transit center, the bus didn’t have stop on my side of this next corner, and neither direction of the intersection had the pedestrian walk sign on. The bus approached and got in the left turn lane. “Great,” I thought, I have to cross this intersection in both directions before it turns. Crossing in front of the bus was easy, but making the other cross, not so much. Traffic didn’t stop coming. And, based on the light cycle when I had approached the intersection, I had a sneaky suspicion the bus would go before I would. Sure enough, it did – but there was a stop immediately around the corner. So, jumping the gun on the right of way, I crossed after the bus turned, figuring I’d get it at that stop. Unfortunately, the bus didn’t stop there because no one was waiting to get on. So I started running. It took another two blocks and the bus getting caught behind traffic at a red light, but I made it to the next stop in advance of the bus and got on!

And as I sat down, out of breath, I began to think – “what if I always pursued God like that?” Of note was that I couldn’t always be running. Sometimes I had to stop and wait on a light so I didn’t get hit by traffic. Other times I had to wait to see which way the bus was going so I wasn’t running in the wrong direction. But when it was time to run, I had to run hard. If I had given up after the bus left me at the transit center or the first intersection, I would have been stuck for a while. But through persistence, even when I was tired of running and ready to give up, I got the “prize”. And I know this is what God wants us to do – to be persistent and continue seeking after Him even when we grow weary.

Father in Heaven, thank you for helping me catch the bus. Thank you also that you do lead us through this journey we call life. Thank you that when we seek and pursue you, we do find you! Thank you for making life interesting for us and giving us challenges to pursue as well as difficulties to overcome. Please help us to pursue you even when we are tired and to always be vigilant to see in which direction you are guiding us. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!

Keep pursuing God even when you’re weary and always pay attention to see where He’s going.

What is an ATM?

This is my command: Love each other.

John 15:17

There are several light-up signs at the drug store next to my apartment. One particular sign flashes between two messages: “ATM” and “CASH”. At one point when I looked at it earlier, it seemed hung on “ATM” for a moment instead of changing between the two. As I thought about that, I wondered what effect it might have on someone who doesn’t know what an ATM is. The sign would be unhelpful. Until it changes to “CASH”. Woah – that’s something everybody understands!

What about the message we as Christians present to the world? If we’re stuck preaching “Jesus” but not also showing “Love”, the point isn’t likely to get across. Someone who hasn’t ever heard of Jesus won’t be able to understand Him until they understand love. That’s why Jesus gave us the command to love each other. By loving each other, we demonstrate Jesus and open the door to tell more about Him.

*Lord Jesus, thank you for giving us such a direct command. It isn’t always easy for us to follow, but we know what you commanded because you demonstrated it for us. Please help us to reveal you to others by our love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!

You can’t have Jesus without Love.

Delayed Notification

Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.”

John 5:17

Just last week I filed my income taxes on paper. I had to file with the IRS and two different states. Per my accountant’s recommendation, I sent them certified mail with return receipt. That way I know when my taxes get delivered and then I get proof that each office has received what I sent them. Being that they all went certified mail, I got a tracking number for each envelope, so naturally I wanted to track these. Particularly the one I expect a check back from, but also to know that I have record that my obligation to file was fulfilled.

So, I checked each day on the tracking. Initially, they all said “accepted at facility” and had an estimated delivery date of four days later. As the days went by, two of the envelopes arrived prior to the expected delivery date. (The one with the biggest return, of course, was the third envelope…) They were all expected to be delivered on Saturday, but as I watched throughout the weekend, the last tracking number still returned a result of “accepted at facility”. On Monday, however, this updated to show that it had been delivered on Friday, earlier than its expected date!

As I thought about this, I realized that’s how God is. He is always at work. The post office hadn’t forgotten about my envelope or left it sitting around. No, they were working to get it delivered early – I just couldn’t see that. In the same way God is always working in so many ways we cannot see. I personally struggle with this sometimes because I like to have visible, measurable results and when I don’t see progress, I begin to lose faith. But God’s Word tells us that He is always at work. It even promises in Philippians that He is at work in us always!

*God, thank you for always being at work. Thank you that you never sleep or slumber, but instead you are watching over us and working in our favor. You work to overcome evil in our lives. You work to move mountains we think are impossible to move. We praise you, Father, for always being at work. Please help us to remember this promise when we don’t see the ways you are at work. Help us to trust your timing in revealing your work. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!

Seen or unseen, God is always at work!

Painful Pain Removal

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

When I was in the 5^th grade, I had my first ingrown toenail (and removal thereof). Essentially, a part of the toenail on one of my great toes was growing into the skin around it, and that hurt! First it hurt a little, then it hurt a lot the more the toenail grew. And then it hurt to bear weight on it. Eventually, I went to the pediatrician who said it needed to be removed. Basically, he was going to numb my toe and then cut about an eighth inch width of my toenail away, all the way to the back of the toe.

He started by spraying some topical numbing medication on, which hurt. Then, he got a needle out to numb it some more. This didn’t really work; it made it hurt more than the ingrown toenail did by itself! (Or at least so it felt in my young mind.) Now at that point, if I had told the doctor to stop and I had left, I wouldn’t have gotten better and my toe would have hurt. It would have continually messed up my daily routine, as it was difficult to get around and it hurt to wear closed-toe shoes. So, I let the doctor go on. He still had to work his way up under my toenail and cut it all out – and this hurt despite the fact that it was “numb”. Afterwards, it still hurt for two days. I went home and propped it up above heart level on my couch. I crawled to the bathroom when I needed to go because it hurt to walk on. But after a few days, it was better. It didn’t hurt at all anymore. I could walk, run, jump and dance (well, at least as good as I could before…).

And so, what I’m saying with all of this is that God works the same way in our lives. He is, after all, the Great Physician. When we bring him our hurts and pains, He may have to allow more hurt before the healing commences or completes. We just need to trust that He has the best in store for us and that He won’t give us more pain without it being necessary. I know I often find myself praying “Okay, you’ve made it hurt more now and that’s enough, I’m ready to be done with this trial.” It could be that He’s just giving the numbing needle – there’s still more pain to endure, but it doesn’t make sense to stop now! Instead, it makes sense to learn what God is teaching in the midst of the trial, knowing He has a purpose.

*Father God, thank you that you desire to refine us. Lord we repent of trying to escape our trials too easily and for not trusting that you have the best in store for us. Please help us to remember this and to learn what you want us to learn as we are being refined. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!

Sometimes we must go through more pain to experience complete healing, but we shouldn’t forget to learn along the way.

Stiff Leg

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25a

I have terrible posture. I like to sit at my desk in all sorts of odd ways. Sometimes I’ll sit on one leg…or the other…or both. Sometimes I’ll bring one foot up on the chair with my knee near chin level. Sometimes I put one or both feet on my desk (isn’t this a great company to work at?). When my co-workers stop by, they often comment that they always see me sitting funny. However, I can’t stay in one “odd” position too long. When I do, my leg goes to sleep. Then, I try to get up to walk down the hall, but I can’t! Sometimes, I can barely stand. I have to stretch it out and let circulation come back first.

A spiritual journey can be a lot like this too. Just like if I don’t use my leg frequently or keep it in a healthy position, it gets stiff, so it is with our walks with God. We can’t expect to run when we’ve been idling, even if just for a little bit of time. We have to constantly be moving with God and keeping in a good position. When we get out of a good position and stay for any length of time, it’s going to feel a little odd getting back (you know, that tingling feeling!). Even with the odd feeling, the more I move my leg, the faster circulation comes back! I chose the verse above because it reminds us to stay in shape, and that doing so requires constant “strict” training. We can’t stay idle for any length of time, but must be constantly moving in the Spirit.

Thankfully, God gives us many ways to keep from getting spiritually stiff. We can read His Word, pray to him and fellowship with others. We can also serve those around us and demonstrate Jesus’ love in practical ways. What other ways can you think of?

*Lord Jesus, thank you for being our provider. Thank you for giving us everything we need to live! Please help us to keep moving with Holy Spirit and not be idle. When we do idle, help us to get up and move spiritually, pressing through any opposition. We want to serve you in all we do! In Jesus’ Name. Amen!

Idling creates spiritual stiffness.

Friend Request

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

I saw a church sign today (pictured below). It said, “You have a friend request from God”. And I got to thinking about the significance of this. For every friendship on Facebook, someone had to first initiate the request and then the other person had to accept it. This sign reminds me that God reached out to be our friend first – He did this by sending Jesus!

Personally, I know I get a little excited when I have a friend request on Facebook – it means someone noticed me, remembered me and wanted to be connected to me. And this is what God desires – and more. He notices you. He cares about you. He wants to be connected to you daily. He wants to see what’s going on in your life in His news feed and have you be in tune with what He’s doing. He wants to demonstrate His love for you, more and more. He doesn’t want to be a forgotten friend – He’ll write on your wall and let you know when He misses you and that He still cares about you.

*God, thank you for “friending” us first. Thank you for demonstrating your love through Jesus and continuing to love us day in and day out. I ask you to help us be mindful of your work, that you would be integrated in our life just as each story is integrated into our newsfeed. Thank you for always remaining faithful! In Jesus’ Name, amen!

God friended us first!

TV Antenna

The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.

John 10:2-5

When I was growing up, we had a television set but no cable service. Instead, we had a giant antenna mounted on a motorized rotating pole in the attic. The motor was wired to a little box with a dial near the TV. Around the dial were various markings for specific channels. The TV would tune into the signal for a channel no matter what direction the antenna was facing, but the reception wasn’t nearly as good until the antenna was positioned accordingly. I knew if I went to watch cartoons on Saturday morning and they came in fuzzy, it was probably because my parents were watching the news on a different station the night before. Depending on which channel I wanted exactly, I could usually make out some of what was being said or see a bit of the picture. However, if I adjusted the antenna in the right direction as was marked on the dial, I had a clear picture and clear audio. It would take up to a whole minute for the antenna to move around the dial – sometimes getting a worse signal on the way – but the end result was worth it.

This is so much like how we hear God. If I’m focused on God, it’s clear to hear what He desires in my life. But if I’m focused on my lustful desires, God could certainly still be speaking, but it’s a lot harder for me to hear what He’s saying. He didn’t change where His voice came from, I just need to adjust my spiritual antenna to pick up His signal. How many other “stations” do we try to tune into in life?

The other thing about the TV antenna was that it could only be pointed in one direction at a time. In our spiritual lives, if we think we’re listening to something non-God and also still tuned into God, we are mistaken. And if we try to listen to God without adjusting the antenna, we might be able to make out part of His message, but it will be an extremely frustrating process. Instead, if we begin to reposition our antenna – a potentially lengthy process – the end result will be a much clearer understanding of His message.

*Father God, thank you for being constant. No matter what else changes in our lives, we know that you hold steady and that you never fail us. Thank you that your Word says even if we lose faith, you remain faithful. You are always broadcasting your signal. Thank you for your Word, a sure place we know we can tune into you. Please help us recognize when our spiritual antennas aren’t pointed at you and know how to adjust them. We want to be in tune with you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!

For the clearest signal from God, keep your spiritual antenna focused on Him!