Daily Devotional: You Lack Nothing

Philippians 4:19

19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Even in my suffering, my own "first world problems", I reach out for the comfort of Christ.  I am, by no stretch of the imagination, perfect. I stumble.  I fall. But I also know how to get back to my feet.  If there is an experience of lack in my mind, it is only a temporary vapor, dissipating in an instant.  

There is truly nothing that we lack.  As the Bible says, even as God supplies the animals with all they need, how much more will he do for us, his most cherished and beloved on this planet?  In our problems, it is hard to see the forest for the trees therein, and we get caught up in the future of what could happen instead of being concerned about the very moment.  

The Bible instructs us to not be concerned about the issues of tomorrow, for tomorrow has enough issues of its own.  We should not be worried about what will happen, but more concerned about what is going within us and within the moment.  

Have you ever sat down to meditate on God, in complete solitude?  Did you notice how peaceful it is to feel the moment and live within it?  Reading the Word will do this if you allow it.  Everything that you need is there; all the answers you seek are at your fingertips.  He will give you all that you need, if you just come to him and ask.

Praise God for his love and mercy. 

Be blessed. 

Daily Devotional: Lacking Faith

Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.

– 1 Thessalonians 3:10 (NIV)

And in this, I functionally declare that it is sometimes hard to come to people, God's people in church, and see their faces, knowing how foolish I am and have been.  Often, I cower from within, possibly a symptom of a childhood shyness that should have fallen away long ago.  It is my hope that people do think of me, even so, praying that they see me again, with the intense hope that my faith be multiplied due to their diligence and love.

God almighty be thanked, for he brought Jesus low so that we might ascend the heights.  These "heights" are metaphorical only, as the heart of God is neither in the sky nor out in the expanse of space.  God exists in the hearts of men, so that we may expound upon his grace, and illuminate the dark spots of our world.  It is for us to share, so that we supply what is lacking in one another, that we may be made whole in our faith.

Even today, I wished failure upon myself, seeing my meager struggle as an obstacle, and not a blessing. So easy to forget, in times of distress, that God will supply all that I need.  So easy to fall prey to false pity, goaded by foolish pride, crying foul to all around you for your plight.  But the bed is made by you, and you must lie in it.  Accept your struggles as part of life and the result of what has happened in the world as it is, for we are all connected.  Yes, it is true: what you do will affect others, whether adversely or for gain.

I follow you, dear Jesus, for you saved me from myself.  I look to you in my time of trouble and need. so that I might not despair.  

God bless.

Much Illumination

Starting over has been...challenging. Seems I've come full circle.

Much illumination comes with frustrating circumstances. When the lights are turned on, they often reveal things we aren't ready to see, things that we never even knew were there in the first place.  Surprises.

I shake my head at it.  Seems insurmountable sometimes.  Still, I do not lose heart.  Even as the doors are slammed in my face, I look for the lesson in it all.  I placed myself here, believing in what God can do when you rely and believe in Him.  Therefore, I have no choice but to trust in His plan and let him guide my steps.

My last interview was at NORC, the National Opinion Research Center.  I interviewed for one of their service desk positions.  They declined to offer me a job because I didn't have enough Active Directory experience.  Fair enough.  But it was a great interview, nonetheless.

God bless the downtrodden.

Starshine

This age of cell phone ring tones, celebrity envy and capitalism is slowly collapsing. Let anyone who has eyes read and take note, for what you think is important in this life has no value in the next. You can’t take it with you when you’re gone.

I was looking at the show “Fashion Police” with Joan Rivers yesterday. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black…

Here we have an old lady who has, to a very noticeable degree, destroyed her human face and strapped on something that seems to be a cross between a gecko and a mandrill. Yet she fixes her mouth to talk about other celebrities and the clothes they wear. Thinking back on it, seems like some twisted episode of the Twilight Zone where the real people are idolizing the horrible, disfigured personas of stardom, only to realize that their heroes are nothing but liars.

We are tweeting along with the famous, sycophantic drivel in barrels, bantering away when our spiritual lives are in decay. I believe it’s far gone by now. Shame on us.
I don’t want to excuse myself from this, for I am just as much to blame. Yet, at least I realize my folly. I am human enough to admit I need God and I can’t function in life without him to guide me. But those who are walking that dreamy line toward degradation, I hope you wake up long enough to deviate from the course.

The Wizard

Looking into yourself, that true act of introspection, is the first sign of enlightenment. Now, since it is the first sign and the easiest, most folks never cross the boundary to attempt the next. How interesting that I contemplate my own sanity while others accept this life as it is? Shouldn’t I be blissfully ignorant so that I won’t have to go through the pain of spiritual liberation?
Never. Even as I stumble through this truth with appalling effort, I would still rather die standing up than to live on my knees. I refuse to be less than I am. You should, too.

I think the battle comes in the everyday challenges we face. Sometimes we are so lost in what we are doing that we forget that we are all playing a part in one big stage show. We are all connected in a performance that has been going on since time immemorial. We come from the One and will return to the One. But there is so much confusion in the world that minds are clouded and the truth is concealed behind the veil.

It is time to go behind stage and speak to the Wizard, if you know what I mean.

(I’m talking about communing with Jesus…)