Clay in the Hands

Is God at work in your life?  Have you asked yourself that question lately?

God leaves nothing unfinished.  Philippians 1:6 says, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

God has begun something amazing in you.  The work really started with your conception.  God knew your potential even then.  God knew your quirks.  God knew your strengths.  God knew what would bring you passion.  God knew.

Your entire life – all of it – leading right up to this sacred moment right now, God has been working in your life.  God takes everything you experience and uses it to shape you.  You are a masterpiece of His creation.  God’s fingerprints are all over you.

God is still at work.  So no matter what you encounter today, remember . . . God IS NOT finished.  And God is faithful and trustworthy to carry out what He has started.

Rest in this truth today!

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This Sunday we will wrap up our current sermon series entitled, Walking With God.  The topic for this Sunday is walking with joy.  So I have been giving a lot of thought and prayer to the subject of joy this week.

What brings us joy?  Do we even know how to describe it?  Most might describe joy as happiness.  We might think of things we obtain or positions we attain as bringing us joy.  We might think of the experience of holding a new born for the first time or meeting that special someone.

As we think of ways to define joy, different experiences begin to come to mind, but putting a clear definition into words is a bit difficult.

The classic definition of joy is “emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune.”  But when we look at how joy is used in the sacred text, we find a deeper nuance to the word.  As we study scripture, we begin to see joy as a compilation of the experience of security that comes by being known and loved by the creator coupled with the experience of confidence in God’s provision.

1 Peter 1:8-9 tells us that when we believe Jesus is who he says he is – really believe to the point of staking our lives on him – then we will receive joy that far surpasses descriptive definition.   This joy is a direct result of the realization that Jesus provides us with something we can never attain on our own – salvation.

So today, as you think about the things in life that bring you happiness, think also on the deeper experience of joy that can be yours in believing.

Be blessed today!

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This Sunday we will begin a new series here at the church entitled, Walking With God.  So I have been thinking for some time about all the ramifications of this thought of actually walking with God on a daily basis.  There are all kinds of images that come to mind when thinking about walking.  

Kristi and I often walk together along the jogging trails around our house.  But when we walk it is more for exercise than for leisure.  Walking also serves as the means of getting from one place to another – so the idea of destination becomes important.

But when I consider walking with God, I am drawn to the idea that walking with God is more encompassing than simply exercise or destination.  Walking with God is more about the time together and the direction than it is about meeting a specific goal in a specific timeframe.  Maybe it is more about the conversation and observation than about the distance.

As you set out to walk with God today, note what is happening around you.  What is God showing you?  How is God leading you as you walk through this day?

And as you walk, remember this – God’s promise to Joshua (Joshua 1:9) is extended to you as his child –

Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

God is with you on this journey so walk with confidence today!

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We hear a lot about identity and self-worth these days.  People are searching for meaning and validation.  We are wired that way.  We want to think that our lives matter.

Most often we turn to other people for that validation and it is natural to think that we can find worth in what others think about us.  The problem is, even the best people are inherently selfish.  Even with best intentions, we will eventually let one another down.  So to put our trust in what others think of us as a basis for our own identity and worth is trust misplaced.

The author of 1 John reminds us of something very important in chapter 3 verse 1.  Let his words filter down to your deepest self today:

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

We find identity not in what other people think of us but in knowing that as believers in Jesus Christ, we are God’s children!  Praise God for this truth – this life-giving truth!

Be blessed today!

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This morning I was reminded, in a unique way, of God’s blessings.  I was in my office at my desk working when I began to hear something on my windows.  The sun was up and shining through but in the midst of the bright sunlight, rain was gently blowing against the glass.  While I was looking at blue sky and sunlight, rain was falling.

This simple experience reminded me that God’s blessings are new each day.

Whatever you face this day, remember that God’s grace is sufficient and his strength is enough.

Live with peace and joy today!

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Playing it safe rarely wins the prize.  But it’s easier to play it safe.  Risk is . . . well, its risky.  We like comfort and security and once we find it, we don’t want to risk it.

But God did not create us to live lives of comfort.  We can have security in our relationship with God, but our worldly security is not really a concern for God.  Paul said, “to live is Christ and to die is gain.”  In other words, when our priority is pleasing God and living our lives to fulfill his desire for us, then there really isn’t a risk.

God wants to do immeasurably more than you can imagine in and through you today.  Will you let him?

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I have challenged our deacon body in their daily reading to read through 1 and 2 Peter over the next month. Today’s reading is 1 Peter 1:13-25. As I read this passage this morning, even though I have read it in the past, something spoke to me more clearly than ever before.

The author of this little letter reminded us of the value we hold in God’s eyes.

So often, we buy into the lie that we are not worth much. Some have heard from parents or others, “You will never amount to anything.” Hateful people have called us “losers.” At certain times in our lives, circumstances have left us feeling like no one cares.

Allow this passage from 1 Peter to speak truth into your life today :

¹⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

You are worth more than all the gold and silver in the world. You are worth the very breath and blood of the son of God. The Father paid your ransom with the life of his one and only son!

Stop buying into the lie that your life doesn’t count. You are worth everything to God – not because of anything you have done but because he loves you.

And that is all that really matters!

Live into that love today.

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My reading this morning was out of Isaiah 43.  In this poetic discourse from the prophet, he reminded Israel – and us – that we are important to God.  He spoke God’s words, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”

Isaiah reminds us that God knows us personally – he calls us by name.  And he cares about us.  He not only knows our needs, he actually cares about them.  Isaiah goes on to say, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;  when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

God promises to be with us through all that life hurls our way – why?  Isaiah records the words of God saying, “Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.”

Let these words sink in for a moment.

Whatever Monday has brought your way – remember – God has promised to see you through it.  If you are wondering why God would be with you or how God could possibly care for a person like you, remember – God offers his redemption and salvation to each of us because we are precious to him – he loves you.

Live as one loved by God today!

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