Romans 1:28-32 – “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done.  ²⁹ They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ senseless, covenant-breakers, heartless, ruthless. ³² Although they fully know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.”

Time marches on!   Time leaves in its wake the good and the bad, the joy and the sorrow.  Time affords us choices, and our choices determine the growth or death of our hopes and dreams.   Love is a choice.   Sadness is a choice.   Rejoicing is a choice.   Living joyfully or morbidly is a choice.

I choose to love each of you and celebrate life, pursuing the purposes God designed for my life.   I will treasure the memories but will not be bound by time past; I will press forward to time yet spent.   I choose to live life and fulfill my destiny with a joyful heart!

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, I was challenged on several fronts.   I saw my humanity and its revolting frailty and faultiness. I also saw God’s Grace, and its incredible transformational power.   I saw the contrast between a life fully surrendered to and focused on God and one that elevates self (mind, will, emotions, hopes, desires, and disappointments) to the throne (center) of life.  I saw the contrast between dipping the toes in the wading pool of life and the swimmers who live, swim, or sink.

In Romans 1:28-32, the warning is inescapable.   We pick some sins as condemnable and judge them, justifying ourselves, but we are guilty at some point. The List of Sins in (vv 29-31) covers virtually every aspect of life and interpersonal relationships.   Are we guilty in any area?   Then, judging is not the solution; prayer is!   Romans 2:21 reminds us that we are expected to “practice what we preach.” Mercy will win people; judgmentalism will push them away because they see our flaws!

Romans 5:1-5 is a difficult pill to swallow.  When difficulties and struggles come, we resist and complain.  When loss comes, we bury ourselves in our remorse and miss God’s process and the product He is producing.

Consider the process. Sufferings (trials) produce endurance. That is interesting.   Endurance reveals to us and through us that we have survived this; therefore, we gain confidence that we can go through difficulty, pain, and loss.  We see hope!

Endurance develops character, which reveals who we are. Character trusts the Creator.  Character produces or opens the door to hope!  Not wishful thinking, but biblical hope, which is confidence and being convinced of God’s character!   It develops trust, which elevates us into a position of hopefulness, not despair.  

We become confident that Life’s disappointments are being transformed into God’s appointments, bringing us to a higher place in Him.  It opens the door to a Life yet lived. A life that impacts everything around us with the infusion of Hope!    We are brought into a place of overflowing Agape!

Life is a process! Justification (Romans 5:9-10) is instantaneous, but salvation is progressive.   We are being (sozed) made whole/complete daily. How we handle trials is a key factor in how high we soar in God!

Jesus came to give us Abundant Life, focusing on self-blocks that abundance! It is a choice! Why not choose life?

Jeremiah 12:1 – “Lord, you have always been fair whenever I have complained to you.  However, I would like to speak with you about the disposition of justice.   Why are wicked people successful?   Why do all dishonest people have such easy lives?”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, several realities of life flooded my mind.  It is easy to fall into the pit of despair when we struggle and look around at those who are making no attempt to do right, have ease, and prosper.

That involves a shift in focus from God to self.   Even Jeremiah fell prey to that trap. (Jeremiah 12:1).   My paraphrase: “Hey God, what’s up with this? People are pursuing selfishness, living wickedly, and all is rosy. I am serving you, and there is no end to my problems. WHY?”

God answered him in (v. 5): “Son, you are focused wrong. If this (foot soldiers, little foxes, minor issues) is defeating you, how will you face the big stuff?”   The answer was: “Focus on God, not man. Do not Compare and Despair!”

In Jeremiah 17:7-10, we have the same phraseology as Psalm 1.   Those who focus on God and live faithfully, obedient lives anchored in God and His truth, flourish.   No matter what is happening around them and even to them, INSIDE they are strong, confident, and provided for.   God is IN them, living THROUGH them, and His life produces the fruit of life!

Paul addressed that in 2 Thessalonians 3:10-15.    In (vv. 10 & 13), we have declarations we can make standalone, but they are inseparable in context.   Never reward laziness, and do not let the pervasiveness of entitled, lazy living around you cause you to grow weary of doing what is right.   Remember Psalm 1, Psalm 23, Psalm 91, and Jeremiah 17.

Hold the reality of Galatians 6:9 near as a reminder that the devil cannot win unless we quit.  God will not let go, especially if we do not let go.  Focus is the key! That is why Paul frequently encouraged and commanded to fill the consciousness with God!   What we fill our hearts and minds with defines who we become. Do not Compare and Despair!

Have a fantastic day and you resist the temptation to Compare and Despair!

Jeremiah 9:7 – “Therefore the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “I will now purify them in the fires of affliction and test them.  The wickedness of my dear people has left me no choice.  What else can I do?”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, the prophet Jeremiah (the Weeping Prophet) stirred me once again.   He had a broken heart because he loved his people, and he felt God’s broken heart.

Jeremiah was chosen and purposed by God before he was conceived.  Think about that.  That destroys the modern idea that the baby is not a person in early pregnancy.  God does not call and purpose non-person blobs; He calls people. (Jeremiah 1:5).

In Jeremiah 1:9, we discover the power and purpose of God’s touch.  We focus on the anointing as a feeling, but it is an enablement that empowers and emboldens us to perform God’s purposes.  The anointing, like grace, is a divine enablement.  It gives power to purpose and is the pathway to the performance of God’s purpose and the fulfillment of our call.  Jeremiah was sent in the Spirit before he even existed in the flesh.  That is our destiny!

The people of Jeremiah’s day pushed God to the limit with their selfish sinfulness (Jeremiah 9:7).    God said, “The wickedness of My dear people has left Me no choice.”   How frightening to push God to the limit of His long-suffering patience and mercy.

In Jeremiah 10:23-24, the plea is for mercy, but it is a unique plea.   It was not a plea to not be judged or disciplined, but to be disciplined with limitations so as to leave hope of restoration.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:14-21, we have an extensive list of things that will enhance our Christian walk, not only enabling us to continue but also opening the door for others to come in.

• Admonish the undisciplined.
• Comfort the discouraged.
• Help (render assistance) to the weak.
• Exhibit patience toward everyone. 
• Resist revenge but replace it with compassion for others.
• Always rejoice (overflow with joy).
• Constantly pray.
• Manifest and vocalize Gratitude (Thanksgiving).
• Follow the Holy Spirit. 
• Embrace the Prophetic. Persevere.
• Avoid evil practices. (Shun the very appearance of evil.)

Focusing on God, realizing God’s call and destiny for our lives, as well as the Promise and Hope of Eternity, transforms our grief into motivation for service.  Where is our hope?  It is God!  As we see God’s call, purpose, and eternal plan, our focus shifts from us to Him, and we are transformed and begin to live! Living is a witness to the lost.  Morbidity is an expression to the world that our God is no more capable than a human.

We were called and purposed even before we existed.  How can we not pursue His purposes with all our strength?

Lamentations 2:14 – “Your prophets saw visions for you that were worthless whitewash.  They failed to expose your sin so as to restore your fortunes.   They saw oracles for you that were worthless lies.”

Today, and for several years, I have heard (prophets) give words, dreams, and visions that are described in Lamentations 2:14 – “Worthless Whitewash.”  They had no redemptive value but seemed motivated by personal preference.  They moved no one from wickedness.  That has troubled my heart and made me cautious in voicing what I believe I hear in the Spirit.

In the early chapters of Ezekiel, he uses the word “wind” in an interesting way.   In Ezekiel 2:2 – “As He spoke to me, a wind came INTO me and stood me on my feet, and I heard the one speaking to me.”  Two things leaped out at me: the wind coming INTO  him was the Holy Spirit, and the hearing was the result of that anointing. It was a channel of communication from heaven opened by the infilling of the wind (Holy Spirit).

In Ezekiel 3:12, the wind (Holy Spirit) lifted him up and caused him to hear.    In (v 14), the wind (Holy Spirit moved him to act.  In that anointing, he heard a neglected commandment.

Ezekiel 2:16-22 is largely ignored or misapplied today.  It is still valid because it is redemptive.   We have no justification to fail to warn of sin in the lives we have an influence.   They will either receive and repent or reject and resist.  They may even become estranged from us by choice.   We are to give the word by the Spirit’s anointing in love and for redemptive purposes, not judgment.

We need the infilling and empowering of the Holy Spirit.  We have a mission. We need the Holy Spirit to enable us to live in purity and fulfill our purpose.

A final thing I saw was the power of perseverance.   Victory comes to those who persevere.   If we quit, we lose, even if we quit two steps from the finish line. Hebrews 6:15 is fascinating and challenging. “And so, by persevering, Abraham inherited the promise.”   Hebrews 5:8: “Although He (Jesus) was a son, he learned obedience through the things He suffered.” He persevered.  He is the picture and example of Ultimate Perseverance.

If we are filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit, become saturated with the Living Word of God, and persevere, we will overcome and live victoriously NOW!  We will be salt and light.   Light to draw, salt to preserve.

We have this anchor – God’s Oath (Promise) and the assurance that God not only does not but cannot lie!   Our confidence in God’s Integrity provides the ability and determination to persevere to the end!

LORD, help us to be valuable, not worthless whitewash!

Jeremiah 50:6 – “My people have become lost sheep; Their shepherds have led them astray.  They have made them turn aside on the mountains; They have gone along from mountain to hill and have forgotten their resting place.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, angels and shepherds kept drawing my focus.  The Great Shepherd is Jesus.  Studying the life of a natural shepherd is revelatory.    Jeremiah 50:6 speaks of Israel as shepherdless (lost sheep) who wander aimlessly in the mountains, going from one mountain to another.   The symbolism there is staggering.

Lost or purposeless was their condition.  No defined vision. No leader to guide, guard, warn, and train them.  The mountains can represent kingdoms, governmental or religious structures (organizations).  They go from place to place, searching but not finding.   Remember what Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, know Me, and follow Me.”   We cannot follow a vision that is not God-inspired in us and purposed for us.  Chasing the latest fad will not satisfy.

Titus 2:11-13 reveals a ministry of Grace we sometimes overlook.  Grace “trains” us.   First, it puts that inner unction in us to reject godless ways and worldly desires.   Second, it trains us to pursue control of self, our emotions, our ambitions, and our dreams.  It inspires us to pursue lives of uprightness and godliness “in the present age.”

Grace gives us access to God and enables us to resist and receive.   Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is the very essence and representation of God.    We say, “Of course He is; He is the Son of God.”   But He was also a man, one of us. Also, He lives “in” us; therefore, the Jesus in us, manifested by and through us, causes us to be reflectors of the essence and representation of God.   What God do people see when they encounter us?

The shepherd, through God’s grace, helps us to learn the principles of life that enable us to be true reflectors of God.   We have Jesus in our hearts and the Holy Spirit to empower us, but we have more. We have access to something few tap into.    Hebrews 1:14 reveals that powerful benefit of angelic ministry.  Read the declaration concerning angels: “Are they not ALL ministering spirits sent out to serve those who inherit salvation?”   Who inherits salvation?  Those who are born again. Are we born again?

We dare not develop an unhealthy or unbiblical view of angels, but we should tap into their purpose.  They are designed and assigned to help us!  Their purpose is to encourage, strengthen, protect, and guide.

That speaks to me of the immensity of God’s love and the extent of His concern for us.   How can we be discouraged or succumb to selfishness even in our emotions, knowing our shepherd is guiding and our Father is providing?  

Listen to that inner voice; you will be surprised at the level of guidance God has been providing.