Short & Sweet: Wait a Minute

Wait on the LORD; be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the LORD!

Psalm 27:14

I must admit it.

I never thought it would happen to me, but it has. I have become one of those impatient people who, in a moment of delay, pulls out her phone to check in, check out or check up on the latest current social media events. Waiting is a lost skill — a discipline of a bygone era. As I recently heard Pete Wilson state in What Keeps You Up At Night, nothing in our society today trains us to wait. Microwaves, instant credit, overnight deliveries, one-click shopping hone our waiting muscles. I need to learn to wait a minute.

I remember the days of lay-away shopping.

My mother would take my sisters and me school clothes shopping in August (back then the first day of school was in September, not early August). We’d pick out a few new outfits and place them on lay away. Then each week my mom would make a payment. Finally in September, after weeks of waiting, we’d bring home our new clothes.

Green stamps and bubble gum wrappers.

S&H Green Stamps premiums, Bazooka Bubble Gum wrapper toys, and cereal proof of purchase box top prizes also required the discipline of waiting. For months we’d gather and save stamps, wrappers and

proofs of purchase in order to earn prizes. Most of the fun of earning one of these gizmos was the anticipation of what it would be like when IT finally arrived. Perseverance, delayed gratification, earning something by the sweat of the brow. Lessons well learned.

The benefits of waiting.

The Bible teaches about the benefits of waiting. The verse above lists one benefit — strength. Who doesn’t want or need a stronger heart?

Other benefits of waiting …

It strengthens our faith. John 11:15
It helps us gain courage. Psalm 27:14
It brings blessings. Isaiah 30:18
It helps us receive direction and guidance. Proverbs 3:5-6

I also believe waiting helps to establish an attitude of thankfulness and humility in our heart. It helps us to live in the moment instead of wishing our lives away. To live simple. To rejoice when we have. To rejoice when we have not. Learning to wait a minute.

Action Points:

What are you trying to push through that you need to wait on God for?
Are you a habitual rusher? Do your kids constantly ask are we in a hurry again? When was the last time you actually savored something? …a kiss … a piece of chocolate … a good movie … a cozy time with a toddler and a book?
Take a half hour and linger with God in silence today. You won’t believe how He will refresh your soul and strengthen your heart.

Life is sweet when you wait a minute.

Short & Sweet: Ur or Or

1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country [Ur], from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” Genesis 12:1

And God called Abram.

He was living the good life in the land of Ur — never dreaming of doing a re-lo. Ur wasn’t any little old city. It was the center of commercial trade and political power, home to the temple of the moon god, and the largest city of the province of Shinar. But, Ur wasn’t big enough for what God had planned for Abram. Life in Ur was good, but sometimes what’s good gets in the way of what’s better — the land of Canaan, the future home to the Temple of the One True God.

God called Abram and he had a choice to make: stay in Ur, or follow God to the land of Canaan.

Ur or Canaan.

Ur or Or.

God does that some times.

He breaks into our everyday lives and calls us to come deeper, dream bigger and walk closer with Him. Like Abram, we’d stay in our land of Ur if God didn’t offer us an Or. I didn’t even realize I was living in Ur until God called into my darkness. Leaving Ur can be difficult and at times you may be tempted to stay. Friends will tell you you’re crazy to leave. Your family may pitch a fit about pitching a tent in a new land. It’s easier to stay in Ur. It’s familiar. Comfortable. Safe. Nothing new under the sun.

The land of Ur is characterized by:

Living for self
Following the crowd
A false dependence on something besides God
Barrenness (think of Sarai).

The land of Or is a very different place, marked by:

Living for God
Following Jesus
Dependence on God
Fruitfulness

We have the same choice: Same old, same old or follow God. Safe or faith. Ur or Or.

Ur or Or?

What will we do?

Action Points:

You’re holding back on something right now. God wants you to live large, but you’re tempted to stay small. Name one thing you need to do right now to leave Ur and head to Or.
Read today’s verse again. Ask God to show you what you need to leave behind to follow Him.
Maybe you’re already living close to God. What do you need to improve upon to live even closer … prayer, Bible study, church attendance, or silence and solitude?
What are you depending on to give you peace, love, joy, security and purpose? If it’s anything other than God you need to shift your focus to Him.

Life is sweet.

Short & Sweet: Feast or Famine?

“1 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters: and you who have no money,

“Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

2 “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?”

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.”

Isaiah 55:1-2

Feast or Famine?

Bread and water are the basic elements of sustaining human life. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that about 805 million people of the 7.3 billion people in the world, or one in nine, suffered from chronic undernourishment in 2012-2014 (worldhunger.org). Less known is the fact that 1.1 billion people lack basic access to safe water (worldthirst.org).

There is another famine in our land more critical than the lack of bread and water. The book of Amos calls it a famine of the Word of God. Spiritual malnourishment is rampant in our land. God asks everyone who is thirsty or hungry to come and eat and drink — for free. Without money, without price. Feast or famine.

.

Read Isaiah 55:1-2 again.

What food challenge did God’s people face? It wasn’t lack of money, but poor choice. They were deceived. God’s people spent their money on something that was not bread, therefore it did not satisfy. They fed their souls with provisions that left them hungry, undernourished and poor. Famine.

God offers an alternative, manna from heaven.

Bread, water, wine and milk to nourish the soul and satisfy the heart. It costs nothing to partake because Jesus paid plenty to provide. What is this manna from heaven God calls us to feast upon? Read the second sentence of verse two carefully, “Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good . . . ”

His Word.

He invites us to feast abundantly upon His word—”all you can eat.” So many of us settle for tidbits, junk food and meal replacements. Why? Why do so many Christians bypass the feast while our emaciated souls cry out for nutrient-dense nourishment of the word? We get by on a verse here, a word there, from a devotional vending machine while God has prepared a banquet for us.

I had a similar experience recently.

A few friends came to spend the weekend. When meal time arrived, we presented the menu and asked our guests to make themselves at home. With a smile I said, “We have a wide variety of organic fruits, vegetables, and salads.”

Tension. Fear. Suspicion.

Silence reigned in the kitchen. Faces froze and smiles faded. Everyone quickly begged-off dining with us and said they would eat later. And they did—at a local fast food restaurant. I was baffled. Our guests had a choice:

Free nutritious organic food fresh from the garden, or
Expensive fake processed food straight from the factory.

And they chose Door Number 2. Quick. Convenient. Familiar. I wonder how often God feels the same way, baffled by our choice to bypass the feast for the snack.

It’s time to put an end to drive-thru Christianity. Let’s carve some time out of our busy schedules and join God in the feast He has prepared for us. Spending time with God isn’t always quick, convenient or familiar, but it will satisfy and nourish your mind body and spirit. Are you hungry? It’s time to feast.

Action Points:

Identify the junk food in your life: sketchy TV shows, controversial music, dicey movies, etc. What needs to go to make room for a good helping of God’s Word?
Examine your calendar. What can you cut to make time for God’s Word? If nothing can go, you’re probably too busy. Or maybe you honestly have your schedule pared down to absolute necessities. Ask God to multiply your time, walk by faith and spend time with God anyway. He will bless you for your sacrifice.
Find ways to put more of God’s Word into your day. Listen to His word on your iPod. Download an audio version of the Bible to your Kindle and listen while you do chores or fall to sleep at night.

Life is sweet. Come to the feast.

The Hidden Blessing of Suffering

Hard times are just hard.

We can’t avoid them. As a matter of fact, the more I learn about suffering, the more I realize there is purpose to our suffering.

Even benefits.

Even blessing.

Only God can do that — give us beauty for ashes. New life from death. Healing from hurting. Often it takes a long time to reap the goodness from the suffering. But hold on. Don’t give up. There is an end to the season of suffering. God promises that we may weep in the night, but joy comes in the morning.

Please open the Sway Bible study below for encouragement and help when suffering.

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. Psalm 91:15

Please comment below on what encouraged you the most from your study time.

Thank you.

Short & Sweet: The Word

Thy word I have hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.

Psalm 119:11

Oh, no. NO! Rats.

My iPod lost power and shut down. I was sitting amid a crowd of about 3000 women at the Revive ’15 conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, listening to Dr. Eric Mason bring home his message about our purpose in Christ. He was pounding out his message on the podium as God was pounding it out on my heart.

I was tracking with him.

I was on it.

I was deep in the Scriptures when – my device went blank.

Dead. Dark.

My connection to the Word of God shut down. It was a sick desperate feeling. I felt as blank as my screen. I clenched my device and shook it in hopes of stirring up a few life-giving sparks of energy. I frantically eyed the screen again. Still blank. Bereft. Hopeless. Unconnected.

I was as powerless and empty as my iPod.

Unplugged. From my e-version Bible, yes, but not from the Word of God. My heart was still plugged in. For years and years I have been making regular deposits of God’s Word. Verses, passages, and chapters of Scripture secreted away in the depths of my heart for an emergency, for such a time as this.

A hunger for the Word.

As I clutched my dead device in my hand, I thought of my brothers and sisters of every tribe and tongue, in towns and villages across the continents who have no iPods. Living without the Word of God at their fingertips is a daily experience. They would give their lives for a page or a scrap of Scripture. I was distraught after being deprived of my Bible for one minute. Imagine going months or years without a verse of the living Word.

What if all the Bible you had tomorrow is all the Bible you have today?

In other words, what if the only Scripture available to you is the Word you have hidden in your heart? Would it be enough to sustain you for days, weeks, and months? Would you be able to nourish your family and share with strangers?

The Ten Commandments have been removed from public forums, and fights over the Pledge of Allegiance ring throughout our land. We may face the day when the Word of God is outlawed. Are you ready?

To hide, hid, hidden.

The Hebrew word for hid is tsaphan, which means “to hide, to treasure, to store up.” When we hide something, we are protecting it from harm, from theft. When I treasure something, I like to look at it, and think about it. My treasure gives me pleasure even when I can’t see it or touch it. Just knowing God’s Word is there brings joy. When I store something, I’m making provision for a future need. I may not have a need right now for verses on healing, but I may need them next week, next month or next year. While our Bibles may be taken from our hands, the Word of God can never be taken from our hearts.

Action Points:

Post scripture around your house. Keep Bible verses by your bathroom mirror or by the kitchen sink. Run through your verses when you’re doing chores or getting ready for the day.
Think of a problem you are currently facing. Find some verses that deal with your issue. Write your verses on note cards and carry them with you where ever you go. Say your verses when you have a chance (stoplights, lines at the grocery stores, waiting for appointments, etc.).

Resources: Scripture memory apps and websites

Memverse: a Bible memory website
Remember Me: a Bible memory app
10 Tips for Memorizing Scripture: Bible memory tips website

Life is sweet! Put the Word in your heart.

Short & Sweet: On the Go

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:19-20

One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready and four to go!

My sisters and I used to say this childhood chant while preparing to launch ourselves off the swings in our back yard. Part of the fun was timing the rhythm so the word go was uttered at the exact moment the swing was at it’s highest forward motion. Of course we had to emphasize the word go with a shout! At this moment, we let go of the swing and flew through the air, plummeting towards the earth. A free-fall. A letting go. Untethered. It took courage to let go and, well … go!

Jesus tells us to go.

We are to go and take the Gospel to all nations.

The Gospel.

Go …

Go … spel.

Take the Gospel.

The word go seems to be very straight forward.

Move. Progress. In the Greek it means a little more than just moving. Go means “to lead over, to carry over, to transfer over.” What are we moving, leading and transferring? People. Priceless souls whom God loves. We help lead them from death to life. We help transfer them from curses to blessing. We help carry them over from darkness to light. All this going is made possible by the blood of Christ. The Gospel.

Go also means “to continue one’s journey.” Matthew 28:19-20 is everyone’s calling. We were born for Matthew 28:19-20. It is our mission, our calling, our purpose. Matthew 28:19-20 is yours. It’s mine. It’s ours.

Does anyone know where we are going?

Exactly where are we to go? The verse above tells us to take the Gospel to all nations

These days all nations are closer than you think. All nations may be the house next door or the apartments on the other side of town. All nations can refer to the people across the sea or the people across the street.

Go and take the gospel to work today. Those people who bug you and annoy you … Jesus died for them.
Go and take the gospel to your family today. Those people who bug you and annoy you … Jesus died for them.
Go and take the gospel to the gym. Those strong people are weak without Jesus.
Go and take the gospel while you’re running errands. Those tired people in customer service don’t need your wrath, they need God’s grace. Give it to them.

Go shopping. Go running. Go out to lunch. Go next door. Go to church. Go to the PTA. Go to the meeting. Go to the hospital. And in all your going … take the go-spel.

Action Points:

Think about where you are going today. Who will you run into that needs to hear the Gospel?
Pray and ask God to bring someone to you who you can show the love of Jesus to today.
Prepare a two minute talk about why you decided to follow Jesus. Ask God to give you opportunities to share His message.

Please leave a comment below about how you plan to go and make disciples today!

Life is sweet. Go!

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