Given March 2, 2006

We hear often about how God speaks to His people. He speaks through His Word, through other people, in our spirit, and some say they’ve actually heard the audible voice of God, (Moses was one of these). But have you ever heard of God speaking to anyone through a slamming door? Well, lemme tell you about it.

Last year, I was struggling with some decisions and didn’t know whether or not to pursue, what I thought, was an opportunity. I was soon to retire from public education and had two or three options for post-retirement work. I’d been promoting myself for one of those opportunities but just didn’t feel right about it. You know how it is.

The Bible says God will open and close doors, “…I am the one who is holy and true, and I have the keys that belonged to David. When I open a door, no one can close it. And when I close a door, no one can open it. Listen to what I say. Revelation 3:7 CEV”. As I was going to work this morning and walking through the door of my building, I just blurted out to God, “God, if you don’t want me to pursue that job, just shut the door!”

Well, just as the words left my mouth, I heard the heavy metal door I had just walked through, slam shut behind me! Oh man, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I said, “Ok God, I get the message.” God had just spoken to me through a slamming door!

And you know it was, of course, the right decision. I stopped pursuing that avenue and felt at peace about it. But God spoke to my spirit later that if He wanted me to have that job, I’d have it. But I wasn’t to mess things up by trying to do it myself. Great advice.

Given January 22, 2007
Living the Christian life is a rewarding thing. God is so good and He loves us so much, we can’t even begin to imagine what it could be like, ” Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, Ephesians 3:20“. Notice that I said what it could be like. Most Christians aren’t experiencing the life they could be or working for the Kingdom of God in the power that’s available. Why is that?

I think it has something to do with the “lite” form of Christianity. Most Christians have heard the plan of salvation, said “yes”, accepted the benefits, but are uninformed as to the hard parts; the parts that take daily work and sacrifice. “…having a form of godliness but denying its power. 2 Timothy 3:5“.

If we want to be the best we can be in God, we must be willing to pay the full price for it, not the bargain price! Too many churches are offering the lite version of the Gospel, the one that tickles the ears of the congregation but does not urge them to change. To be fully used by God, we must count the cost and step up and say, “Here I am God, use me. Your will not mine.” “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Luke 14:28“. It doesn’t take much just to be on the team but it takes a lot to get in the game and make a difference.

Given January 18, 2007
God likes us. We’re His creation, made in His image, and He thinks we’re cool. Granted, He doesn’t like everything we do but He likes us. During creation, at the end of the sixth day, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Genesis 1:31“. I can imagine God looking at man He’d created, nodding His head, and saying, “That’s good; that’s very good!”

Now we know Adam and Eve gave sin a place in the earth and we were all born into sin after that. But, God sent Jesus to take our punishment and gave us the chance to be, “born again”. I can now imagine when you and I got born again, God standing there nodding His head and again saying, “That’s good”.

But then, we sin and lose that close relationship with Him and it saddens Him. But He’s provided a way for us to get back in fellowship with Him; repentance and forgivenness. So, when we realize we’ve sinned, we go to Him with a repentant heart and ask forgiveness, and He loveingly takes us back. I can imagine Him embracing us, nodding His head, and saying once again, “That’s good”.

Jesus told His disciples when they asked Him how many times they had to forgive their brother when he had sinned against them, “Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times: but, until seventy times seven. Matthew 18:22“. He meant as many times as it takes. And in this revelation, God is not just saying to us, “It’s good” three times but 300 times 3; as many times as it takes. Aren’t you glad for that?

Given January 8, 2007
One day in a land far away, (maybe not so far), the King asks his servants to come to the palace to receive some blessings. He asks the people to bring a container to carry the blessings home in.

One family hears the good news and says, “We’ve got some really big needs so let’s take the biggest pot we have in the cupboard so we can take care of our family.” They go to the palace and get a pot full of blessings.

Another family hears the same news and says, “Sure we’ve got some needs but our neighbors are all worse off than we are, let’s take the truck so we can help them out.” They go to the palace and get a truck full of blessings and distribute them in their neighborhood. They kept the leftovers for themselves.

The next day, a big tractor trailer pulls up to their house stuffed full of blessings. They said, “What’s this? We got our blessings yesterday from the King at the palace.” The driver says, “Yeah, we know. But the King noticed how you gave your blessings to your neighbors and wanted to bless you some more. Where do you want us to put this?”

The only limit to our receiving blessings is the size of our pot. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Luke 6:38”.

And, the King notices what we do in secret and rewards us in public. “…and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:6”.

Let’s check the size of our giving pots.

Given January 8, 2007
I’m in the last few months before early retirement and I was lamenting, during my morning prayer, how I was confused and unsettled in my life about what I’m supposed to do. I know God has something planned for me but He’s not let me in on it or I’ve not seen what He’s trying to show me.

As I sorta whined about it, the Holy Spirit simply said, “Well, spend more time with me and you’ll see clearly.” I accepted that and realized the answers to all my questions can be found in the presence of Jesus.

When I got to the office and looked at my daily scripture calendar, the verse grabbed me! It was Isaiah 26:3, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” The devotion said, “You can have peace despite the storms. Stay close to Jesus Christ. Read God’s Word. Pray.

That’s what we know as confirmation! Now, it’s my choice to act on it.