Being kind frees the mind

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor. Ephesians 4:32, 5:1-2
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Romans 12:19

Have you ever wondered how your heart can be free from the darkness all around and the sin that brings us down? I am constantly trying to reflect on how my heart can be free and clear even though everything else wants to drag me down like gravity. For some reason, many people do not want to be happy, nor do they want you to be happy. What a battle we face each day to live the Christian life among the backdrop of a devilish and sensual culture! Are you tired of sinking in the quicksand and ready to be lifted up to receive the spiritual blessings that we already have in Christ Jesus.

On April 6th of 2003, I can remember hearing a sermon as a lost young man that has continued to echo in my heart. The Holy Spirit at that time but can recall the minister’s sermon on loving your enemies had not awakened me to new life. I had always tried to love other people, but it was often just a show because there were cursing and bitterness in my heart. How could I truly love someone the way that I was supposed to? A few hours later in the middle of the night, the Lord saved me by His grace as He whispered sweet peace to my heart. Even still, the message on April 6th rings loud and clear. Am I still supposed to love my enemies and bless them that persecute, misunderstand, and just don't care about me? Of course, this is what being a Christian is all about. We can't love our enemies in our own strength, but with God's love flowing through us, we can.

Have you been struggling with a co-worker, supposedly good friend, teacher, straying husband or wife, or rebellious children? There is hope. Don't allow yourself to be caught behind the bars of your own stubbornness and self-inflating pride. Be free from the guilt, pain and shame of your thoughts by killing them with kindness. One of my great friends, who was buried just this week, lived by this motto. I heard a story about him and his wife that has really touched my heart. It was a typical night and the room was getting a little stuffy. The wife decided to open the window and get a little breeze and smell the fresh rain outside. It was about midnight and as she tried to open the window, it fell out into the front yard. The husband only made a sigh, got out of bed, dressed, and went outside to see the damage. The window lay in the front yard. He picked it up and placed it on the porch to measure its size. He then went downstairs and cut a piece of plywood to place over the open window. The fresh air was definitely flowing in at this point along with the rain. He picked up his hammer and nails and covered the window. Without very much said, he went back to his bedroom and asked his wife to go to bed. He told her that he would order the window the next day. What could have been a disastrous brawl of words was suppressed by a simple act of kindness in the middle of the night. Sometimes, your closest friends can be your greatest enemies, but you must treat them with kindness in order to keep your heart free. As the wife went to bed and still reminisces over the incident, she only loves him more...

Another incident happened yesterday while visiting a local businessman. I went into his office and he seemed to be gleaming. This was the first time that I met him and I knew something was different about him. Isn't it great when you don't have to ask someone if they are a Christian, but it is evident by the way that they live and the countenance of their face? His office was a wreck, because the computer guy had come in and told him that he would not hook up his computer, because he just didn't like him. He tried to ask him why but got the same response, "I just don't like you!" My friend asked him if he had done anything to upset him or cause him not to like him. He said, "No, I just don't like you." Instead of getting mad as many Christian's might do, he decided to leave the computer in the room and use the old one until someone could help him. Sometimes, people are just not going to like you because you are shining the light of God all around you. People enjoy the comfort zone of their stubbornness and rebellion against God. It's like Otis on the Andy Griffith Show. He liked to be drunk and sleep behind the bars. If that's what people want, then let them have it. All you and I can do is be a light and witness of the goodness, wholeness and beauty of God. There is no way that we can do this by killing people with words that are like daggers and bullets. Bite the bullet and be kind as the above scriptures tell us!!!

Showing kindness and sowing it everywhere you go will be convicting to some and comforting to others. As Christian’s, we should not fit in with this world. Our homeland is in heaven, where our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is; and we are looking forward to his return from there (Phil 3:20 TLB). Our conduct on a daily basis should reflect the place from which our hearts dwell. Rise above every situation by looking for ways to show kindness especially to those who don’t deserve it, and your life will begin to flow with grace and truth. It will leave a sweet aroma in the air as your sacrifice is burnt on the altar with the passionate fire of God’s love!

Walking in Deliverance

13And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” 15And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. Exodus 14:13-15
18Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” Exodus 14:18

Have you found yourself in a difficult place and there seemed to be no way out? Let me remind you today that as long as you have breath- there is hope! Often life throws us curve balls, sliders, knuckle balls and fastballs that leave us swinging in the dirt, above our heads or caught looking and striking out. How can we make contact with each circumstance and advance to where God wants us to be in this journey of faith? The answer doesn’t lie within yourself but in your apprehension of God.

Who do you think that He is? This was a question that Moses faced from the Israelites not long after the great victory of leaving Egypt. The people had escaped but then trouble came following right behind them. The first thing that they began to do was complain to Moses about being led out into the wilderness to die. How many times have you thought that living for God was not worth it? Have you ever been reminded of what it was like to be the old man who was dead in trespasses and sin? It’s easy for us to remember what we thought were the good times and forget the bondage that we were really in. Freedom is never an easy road. It is strait and narrow. It follows the way of sacrifice, faithfulness and diligent pursuit of something greater than you. When life began to get a little difficult for the Israelites, they were ready to give up and turn back. However, they were so close to experiencing the power of God…

If God has brought you into a difficult time in your life, He will bring you through it. When we are at our weakest, God is at His best. You may be on the brink of a breakthrough in your spiritual life. There are many options to choose from at this moment. You can swing away in the dirt and complain like the Israelites, stand still and do nothing, swing high with pouting, strike out and wait your turn for another opportunity to learn the same lesson over or connect with the circumstance by connecting with Jesus and trusting in His deliverance. God does not want you and I to remain in the same place spiritually all of our lives. He loves to watch us grow in love, trust and blessed fellowship with Him in all situations. If you read through the Psalms, you can find men in every circumstance in life pouring out their souls before and unchanging God. He was their only constant. Everything else changes.

You may be facing real struggles today that you do not know how you are going to make it through. The Israelites faced the Red Sea in front of them and Pharaoh’s army closing in. They had fears within and fears without, yet God told them to be in awe of Me— to stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord. In seeing His greatness and Moses’ rod being lifted up, they were able to advance forward on dry ground. This trial that they faced was used to strengthen their faith, but God was also glorified by showing the Egyptians that He was God. You and I, likewise, are placed in circumstances for our good and God’s greatest glory. A. W. Tozer said, “All God’s acts are done in perfect wisdom, first for His own glory, and then for the highest good for the greatest number for the longest time.”

We must remember that the Israelites were not the only beneficiaries of God’s hand upon them. God will use you to make Himself known to those around you as they see your thoughts of God become a reality in your life. The only way other’s can see what you believe is to see life’s pressures give you a squeeze like a hand on a tube of toothpaste. Something will come out… Will it serve its purpose or will it make a bigger mess? About a year ago, I saw the beauty and reality of high thoughts of God. I visited a 95-year old missionary who had lost his wife of 72 years. He was laying flat on his back in a nursing home. If anyone could complain of heartache and grief, it could have been him, yet he told me, “I have learned in whatsoever state I am in to be content.” He realized that God was in control and Jesus was helping Him to walk in deliverance.

My Source of Power

(9-30-03 Dallas, TX 7:49AM)

As I bowed that day of Sunday morn’
No more I felt in side the thorn
With this action God did warn
Without me no words or sentences born

Unemotional and cold my heart so felt
That like snowflakes in the sun I all did melt
And from eyes tears did whelp
Praying to God, my only help

All day long did this occur
Just to teach another lesson, I am sure
Without Him nothing, with Him cured
Now walking to allure

A heart so rare he placed inside
The Light turned on, no place to hide
But Faith, Hope, and Joy to abide
With Grace He filled my mind

Words are now flowing
That I may do some sowing
Standing back sometimes mowing
He alone can do the growing

A workman in the fields of Harvest
A work so true, the truest marvelous
Sometimes I tire and fill the starvest
So He feeds me all from His hand’s best

I can’t fully explain the love within
He set me free from the depths of my sin
Now for all my days, I’d walk again
To lay upon my bed as He spoke to the wind

A cool gentle breeze was my assurance
It happened not by chance
But faith in Him and sorrowful repentance
I’ll work, love, and write acting as sentence

Though never did He want to sentence a man
Only give Him a ground to stand
Not His own but the Father’s man
To run the race, He already ran

The pen in hand is tired
Even though feet have left the mire
For now my hands must reach higher
To the God of Thunder, my source of power

Small things…

For who hath despised the day of small things? Zechariah 4:10
1 Chronicles 27:28 And over the olive trees and the sycomore trees that were in the low plains was Baalhanan the Gederite: and over the cellars of oil was Joash:

Have you ever thought about your life in comparison to the multitudes that live around the world? There are approximately 6.6 billion people living in the world today. This really sheds light on all that I do. I feel incomparably small in comparison to the whole. Have you ever felt this way? Sometimes this makes me feel like I can’t make a difference or why should I try. However, I remind myself of one of my favorite quotes from the movie Gladiator, “Whatever you do in life, echoes in eternity.” From God’s perspective, we must look rather small, in comparison to how we look down at ants working vigorously.

In comparison to the whole, how can we make a difference or what does God require of us? Is it the amount of work that we produce while we are living that matters? Does He base our worth on the amount of people that we are able to reach out to each day? Maybe, you have felt that being elevated in your job to higher levels is what pleases God the most. All of these things are good in themselves, but they are not the standard by which you and I will be judged? God doesn’t reward based on the size of the task, but faithfulness to what He has asked.

Growing up, we all learned about responsibility and what our parents required of us. When we were small babies, all we did was lay around and goo and gah hoping that we could get a lot of attention. As you and I grew older, we learned to walk by holding our parents hand. Then, we learned to talk. Eventually, we were taught our ABC’s and sent off to school. The older we became the more responsibilities that we were given. Between ages 5-10, I really learned about what it meant to clean my room when I was asked. Between ages 10-15, I was taught how to mow the yard and chop wood for the stove in the winter. It wasn’t always fun, but I knew that it had to be done and I was never left alone doing it. My father was always with me as he showed me how to work to provide for the family. He taught me to be faithful in the small things, because some day, I would have to start my own family and learn to provide and be faithful to them.

You may be asking, what does this have to do with me? Where are you currently in your life stage or spiritual growth. First and foremost, you must be born again of God’s spirit and know it. I talked with a friend today that had walked the aisle of a church at age 8, but truly had never been regenerated by the Spirit of God until one and a half years ago. Now, he has been liberated from the doubts of “am I really saved.” Secondly, we are all on a spiritual journey. Many want to play games in their life with God and remain spiritual infants all of their lives, because they do not want to take on the responsibility that God is requiring of them. And so—they spend most of their time running. You do not have to run any longer. The Prodigal Son realized worldly living had ruined his real life of fellowship with his father and he returned… Have you forgotten the small things that God has asked you to do? God wants to lead you by his hand each day into a deeper relationship with Him, but he requires that you be found faithful to the task that He has given you in this time and place.

Now, how can you find fulfillment in your small life and small job. There was a man in the Bible that was placed over the cellars of oil named Joash. I can imagine that his job was in a dark place where no one paid attention to what he was doing. The room was probably dingy and cold, but he took great delight in what he did. He was faithful in keeping the cellar clean and was ready whenever anyone asked him for some oil from the cellar. Those asking may have never been grateful or ever said a kind word for all that he had done. However, his joy was not found in everyone else’s complements or ideas of his small job, but was discovered in knowing that the oil that he prepared was being used in the temple to light the candlesticks of the holy place and to anoint the king. We, too, can find ourselves in low places of service where many never notice the significance of what we do, especially in light of eternity, yet those small cups of water that we give out in Christ’s name to refresh someone’s soul will not go unnoticed in eternity.

One life can impact one, tens, hundreds and thousands if we will heed Christ’s words in John 12:24-26 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit. He that loves his life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.” Be encouraged and remain faithful where God has planted you. “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9) He’s ready to make Himself known in your life as you humble yourself in His sight!

A Piece of Clay

(8-31-03 Pondering on my bed at home)

Jeremiah 18:3-4 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter:

Only clay
Why do we think we have the say?
For we are only spinning on the wheel
Of Life
Being molded
He uses His hands
Sometimes as sharp as a knife
Piercing
The innermost part of a vessel
The heart

Some are filled
Some empty
Some reflecting
Honor to the Potter
Others stand guilty

It’s a pity
Why do we get caught up in mind
Or the world, sin’s city?

Once again, we’re a piece of clay
Ever so weak
For many, just watching
Another day
Pass
Those moments are wasted
Cast
Into the memory of the Potter
Even though, you are not bothered
His hands are molding
Pointing
His eyes are watching
Showing
The vessel, He wants you to be

He waters the dry
Upholds the wet
But never with any regrets
When He decides to start over
He’ll drop you to the floor
A heart piercing sore
To be broken

Yet you’re His creation
Genuine in His imagination
Reaching down
Gathering up the pieces
That was shattered on the ground

Never a thought of throwing the clay away
Slapping the dirt
Back onto the wheel
He continues to spin
What’s the deal?

The Potter never gives up
There’s no such thing as wasted clay
Every handful of dust
He’s longing to display
With all sincerity
On the tables of eternity
Why stand in the way?
Just a hump of selfish clay