Do you see that sun right there

Do you see it? Everyday of your life on this planet, its been there.  Sometimes those cloudy days covered it up a little bit but regardless, it was there, it always has been there, and won’t stop being there until you and I are outta here!  Everyday that you wake up and go outside, its already up there doing what it was sanctioned by God to do.  Shine!  Sounds a lot like God’s faithfulness to me!

I just wanted to encourage you this morning as I have been encouraging myself today in His faithfulness to me and my family!  God IS faithful!  You look at the sun and its always, always, ALWAYS doing what God told it to!! God is infinitely more faithful than that. Since day 1, His faithfulness to us has been there and will always be there!  

I am so thankful for His faithfulness! He always causes us to triumph! He stands over His word to perform it in our lives! He delivered us from the door of death!  He healed all of our diseases!  He forgave ALL (past, present, future) our sins!  He died the death of a sinner so that we could be made His righteousness!  He set us at His right hand and gave us all power and dominion through the name of Jesus!  This list could literally go on and on!! His faithfulness is just…WOW!!!  

It’s calling out to you today…are you gonna let it ring all day and not pick it up or are you going to answer it!  I can tell you this much, I am answering it! I want as much as He wants to give out!!
1st Thessalonians 5:24 says: Faithful is He who calls you, and He will also perfect His work.


You know what?  I think that I am going to let His faithfulness perfect that which concerns me today…How about you?

Under His Wings

With all the news and bad things going on in the world isn’t it reassuring and comforting to know that we can take refuge in our God.  

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers, 
and under his wings you will find refuge.  Psalm 91:1-4

If you’ve ever studied birds you will find that when the mother or father spreads their wings over the baby birds they are doing this to protect them from all the elements that might try to cause them harm.  The baby birds trust their parents to protect them while they are under their wings.  

A mother hen, when she sees a hawk flying overhead, spreads her wings and starts to cluck.  Her little chicks scurry to safety under her wings.  Then she draws her wings in, covering her little chicks.  She is telling the hawk that to get to her little chicks, it would have to come through her first.  She is willing to lay down her life for her chicks.

Its the same with us.  Because of His love for us, Jesus did that very thing  He laid down his life for us.  He did this to protect us.   He wants us to respond to Him and come take refuge in Him.

Psalm 91:4 is our promise of love and protection from God.  We can place our complete trust in Him.  He calls us to be sheltered under His wings, and He will shield us.  No matter what storms we face in life, we will find always find complete safety there.

A Secret to Successful Living

Successful living is such a relative term, isn’t it? Success to you may not be success to me or someone else. We all have a picture of success, at least the fruit or result of success, but how much consideration are you willing to give to the process of success? 

I recently moved into a house with a wood burning fireplace. The concept of a wood burning fireplace is simple and brainless:  start a fire, burn the wood. But I’ve come to learn there are a lot of tips and hidden gems of wisdom to the success of enjoying the fireplace to it’s fullest potential. I came into contact with someone who cuts timber for a living and sells firewood on the side. After purchasing a couple of ricks of wood from him, I began to ask questions, lots of them. 

To any old Joe with a fireplace, my questions would be considered elementary and embarrassing. I felt like a little boy without an education when I asked the questions, but what I came to realize is that he had some tips I’ve never heard before on the process of burning well, and knowledge of different types of wood when burning. I felt dumb asking, but I felt empowered after he answered. 

If I didn’t ask, I’d be responsible to learn by trial and error, or by working and researching the issues myself. If I didn’t ask, it could be years or even decades before I assume the same level of wisdom and knowledge that I received in only a effortless moment as when I asked.

Isn’t it the same in our approach with God and His word? Each time we go to church or open the Bible, we can choose to approach the Word with an attitude of knowing it all, or we can come with a heart that is open (inquisitive of the Word, ready to be instructed and corrected by the Word). When you come with a heart that is open, you have the opportunity to uncover the hidden gems of wisdom that will be yours to keep and apply to the areas of your life that God knows you need answers. 

I believe this is the key to successful living: an approach to God with an open heart. We must be willing to un-learn anything we’ve heard before. We must be willing to allow our toes to be stepped on. We must be willing to look into the deepest parts of our lives, especially the ones that would be hard to allow to be changed. 

We must be willing to ask questions, even if it could reveal a lack of knowledge or understanding of the Bible. When we do, there will be an open channel of wisdom, allowing us to live successfully!
Proverbs 2:1-8
1-5 Good friend, take to heart what I’m telling you;
    collect my counsels and guard them with your life.
Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom;
    set your heart on a life of Understanding.
That’s right—if you make Insight your priority,
    and won’t take no for an answer,
Searching for it like a prospector panning for gold,
    like an adventurer on a treasure hunt,
Believe me, before you know it Fear-of-God will be yours;
    you’ll have come upon the Knowledge of God.
6-8 And here’s why: God gives out Wisdom free,
    is plainspoken in Knowledge and Understanding.
He’s a rich mine of Common Sense for those who live well,
    a personal bodyguard to the candid and sincere.
He keeps his eye on all who live honestly,
    and pays special attention to his loyally committed ones.