stevenrealife

This week I went to visit Harold. Over ten years ago I hired Harold to build a bedroom set for us in honor of our 25th wedding anniversary. Harold built it out of my favorite wood, cherry. In fact, he built it out of cherry wood that he had air dried for over 12 years from a tree that fell near a creek on his farm. Harold is now 90 years old. His body is failing but his mind is quite sharp. Before he fully recognized who I was, I asked him how he was doing. The first thing that came to his lips was praise for who Jesus Christ is. What a godly man! What a  legacy! I see the furniture he built every day. When I think of Harold I think of a man who loved his wife, Anita, well and a man who loves Jesus well! Acts 6:5b says, “. . . and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.” Harold, is such a man, a hard working man who loves Jesus Christ, a true man! He encouraged me this week. Thanks, Harold!

Are you living in a whirlwind and are almost numb from going in so many directions at the same time? I have been lately. When we feel like that, it is good to take a step back and do whatever it takes to just stop, reflect, and spend time with God. It’s time to be and not do. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth” (ESV).

I live in a city where basically half of the people claim “none!” That is, they claim “none” when it comes to affiliation with a church of any kind. I am surrounded by people for whom church is a foreign concept. While I grew up in the era of Billy Graham crusades, people in my town are not going to crusades anymore. Billy Graham has gone to be with Jesus. And if they are going to hear about Jesus, they are probably not going to first hear about Him  in a church service. People need to hear about Jesus from me and other followers of Jesus like me. They need to see Jesus lived out in me, but they also need to hear about Jesus from me. “Lord, open doors for me to talk with people about Jesus (Col. 4:2-4). Open my mouth to talk about Him with boldness (2 Thess. 3:1). Open the hearts of men and women to respond to the Good News (Ephesians 6:18-20).”

As you think back to this last Christmas, what was your best gift? My best gift came Christmas night! A young man for whom I had been praying for quite some time came up to me and said, “I did it.” He meant, “I put my trust in Jesus!” Of all the things that make me happy here on this earth, I cannot think of much that makes me more happy than birth. The birth of my three sons made me happy! The birth of my three granddaughters made me happy! The new birth of a person who has just put their trust in Jesus makes me really happy! In John 3:3 Jesus told Nicodemus, “. . . unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (ESV). Want to experience something that really makes you happy?! Start praying for someone  you know to put their trust in Jesus, and watch what God does!

Do you ever feel like you can never quite get your ducks in a row?! As much as I try, it just seems like things never quite work out the way I thought they would. Life takes unexpected turns. Disappointments lie around the corner. The more we live the more we realize we are in a scratch and dent world. Why is that? My tendency to want to control the ducks is really my tendency to want to rely on myself instead of the Lord. Those scratches and dents remind us that He and He alone is to be our source of peace and joy. The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (ESV).

The events of Exodus 33 happen just after Israel made an idol (i.e., a golden calf) to worship because they were afraid when Moses delayed returning from Mount Sinai. God told Moses to go ahead and take the people to the land of promise. He would send an angel before them to clear out the people who lived there. It appears to be a pretty clear path, right?! God’s directions seem as straightforward as this marker for the Appalachian Trail I saw in Georgia. Just follow the path, and you will be okay. But there was a problem: God said, “. . . but I will not go up among you” (Ex. 33:3; ESV). So the people took off their jewelry as a sign of repentance for their sin. And Moses plead with the LORD, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here” (Ex. 33:15; ESV). Even though the path appeared to be clear to the land of promise, Moses wasn’t willing to take a step. Unless he was assured of God’s presence in the journey, Moses said, “do not bring us up from here.” There is a principle here for us. When we are making decisions and the path appears clear, there is one more question we need to ask: Is God going with me down this path?

What am I seeking? That’s a good question for all of us to ask. I enjoy a good hunt. But at the end of the day, I can also say that a hunt,  even a great hunt, doesn’t bring satisfaction to the depths of my being. A good hunt doesn’t bring me peace, give me a lasting sense of fulfillment, or define purpose for my life. I read a verse on Saturday that was a good reminder of not “what” but “Who” every follower of Jesus should seek.       1 Chronicles 16:11 records David’s words for us, “Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually” (NASB). To seek the LORD’s face is to seek Him. He is the only One worth seeking!