Un-Invisible!

UN-INVISIBLE…Ray Anderson, a theologian and author, tells a story of a Sunday school teacher that is trying to explain the Spirit of God to 1st graders. She gives the following illustration; ‘The Spirit is like the wind. You can’t see the wind, but you can see the affects of the wind…and you can’t see the Spirit of God, but you can see the affects of His works…but God Himself is invisible’. With that final statement, a 6 year old boy wrinkled up his forehead and softly said, “but I want God to be un-invisible”. Isn’t it interesting that every one of us, even us adults, share the feelings of that young boy. When things get dicey…we would truly rather have the visible God show up and handle things for us, wouldn’t we. Yet God in His wisdom has chosen to remain un-see-able to earthly eyes. This means that we must develop our spiritual eyes so we can view Him. He is willing to appear in living color to our spiritual eyes every moment of the day…and every day of the week. It has been said that our spiritual eyes is our 6th sense…and that sense, when developed, gives us more information than the other 5 put together. I guess you’d have to conclude that God actually is…Un-invisible! Just use the right eyes.
~Verlon

Surprise...It's Time to Expand!

SURPRISE…IT’S TIME TO EXPAND! The Lords ways are soooo very contrary to human wisdom. We usually think its smart to slow up when resources are running dry, and move forward when resources are overflowing. God seems to have led His people in exactly the opposite way through time…
“Sing O barren one…enlarge the place of your tent and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left.” ~Isaiah 54:1-3
Time and time again, whether it was the children of Israel or the advances of the Apostle Paul, God called for advancement when His followers were at their weakest. And conversely, when it seemed they were holding all the trump cards, He called them into a prayerful stall. Interesting isn’t it. In the above verse, true to form, God called the remnant of His people who were wasting away in shrinking populations, to expand their tents and plan for overflow. Correlating history reveals that the overflow actually happened, too. Are you experiencing a barren-ness of sorts? Don’t immediately assume it’s one of those times to grind away on your character. It might actually be a time to take a seriously large step forward. It’s happened too many times in recorded spiritual history to ignore. It just might be that when you quiet yourself to hear ‘the different voice’…‘the Christ voice’…the answer you hear is SURPRISE…IT’S TIME TO EXPAND! ~verlon

Best Use Of Time...

BEST USE OF TIME…Wisdom is revealed in many forms. In some cases it’s revealed by restraint. In others it’s being able to understand all the options and chose the best one. In still others it’s the ability to understand the value of time and how to leverage it to the greatest advantage.
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time…” ~Eph. 5:15-16
Time is probably the most overlooked asset in peoples thoughts. We act as though there is an unending supply of it. Fact is, if we live 80 years on the earth we will have only 42 million minutes to spend from birth to death. That’s not much time at all. The wise somehow understand this and live out their lives according to their first priorities so as to not squander away their minutes and hours on lesser things. To undervalue our limited resource of time is a recipe for serious regrets. What is the best way to spend your day? Is it the things you do for yourself, or the things you do for others that adds the greatest meaning to you? And where does the daily works of Christ fit into your time-management? These are great questions to keep before us. I’m afraid many have fallen victim to the old Norwegian saying, “too soon old, too late smart”. In other words, too much time was spent on the lesser things, and now the asset of time has slipped away. May you and I seek with great diligence the wisdom to know the BEST USE OF TIME! ~verlon

Never Happened...

NEVER HAPPENED…While God can do anything, there are some things that He won’t do. One thing He won’t do is remember our sins against us, once they’ve been forgiven. He just won’t do it. And there is also something that He will never forget about…us!
“Can a woman forget her nursing child…yet I will not forget you.” ~Isaiah 49:15
It’s a common human emotion, to feel like God has gone off and forgotten us. When prayers go unanswered, when needs go unmet, when favor ceases to flow, its easy to surmise that God has forgotten about us. Actually all of the above have some very good reasons for occurring other than God turning His back on us. But the feeling comes anyway. Its interesting to me that God likens His remembrance of us to the way a young mother pays attention to her newborn child. We have all witnessed a young mother gazing into the face of her infant like there is nothing else going on in the universe. It is truly the greatest example closeness we can view on this earth. The nursing child drawing its very life from its mother…and the mother lost in every expression of her young child’s face. That picture right there is what God wants us to know about His attentiveness of us. That’s pretty attentive. In fact, the verse goes on to say that the mothers of earth could more easily forget about the nursing infants than God could ever forget about you and me. Wow! God forget about you?...That’s just NEVER HAPPENED! ~verlon

Far Reaching...

FAR REACHING…Our earthly experiences are our start point in our walk with Christ. But oh how shallow of a start point that actually is. For instance, our understanding of Christ’s love for us comes from how we’ve experienced love on this earth. But is that a comparable example?
“…what is the breadth and length and height and depth…to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.” ~Ephesians 3:17-19
Christ’s enduring love for us is on a level that is completely without precedent. Accordingly, it is a love that we must learn to accept in a whole new way. It has breadth to it that we aren’t used to. And it has length and height and depth that is simply not normal in earthly terms nor experienced in human relationships. It’s a huge journey to come to terms with even small measures of Christ's love. Until we willingly throw ourselves into discovering the deeper levels of Christ’s love, we have the great tendency to downgrade it to similitude's of earthly love. So we sojourn forward holding something that is stunning as though its were wonderful but common. But the actual love of Christ is so deep, that our knowledge can’t keep up with it or find ways to explain it. Your greatest anticipations of Christ’s love for you is only a small view of how enduring His love actually is. It’s a life long journey of to walk into the wonder and discovery of Christ’s deep and abiding love. It is beyond comprehension…it is unspeakably present even into the uncharted parts of our lives…it is FAR REACHING! ~verlon

Prepared For Something Important...

PREPARED FOR SOMETHING IMPORTANT…We tend to start each day thinking its up to us to create what happens that day. In one sense we are responsible to plan the day. Yet in another sense, quite a lot has been pre-planned by someone quite higher than you and me…
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” ~Ephesians 2:10
In our youth we error in thinking the world is small and we are the center of it. But as years and maturity press upon us, we realize there are some very large wheels turning in the universe and we are just a spoke. That is actually the beginning of wisdom. Soon we grow to understand that the voice of God has spoken some specific things into our lives, and some kind of divine alignment is needed so we’re not swimming against the tide. Paul found himself swimming against the tide when Jesus showed up on the trail and said, “it’s hard to kick against the goads”. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but I am sure its another metaphor for being contrary to God’s plans. Are you getting up each day and just doing what you want? Then there is probably some contrary dynamics occurring in your life, because Christ Himself has some specific works that He’s planned for you and me to do. These plans have been hard-wired into our very skill-sets. These blueprints have been drafted long ago. Hear it clearly today, you and I have been PREPARED FOR SOMETHING IMPORTANT! ~verlon

Huge Come-Backs...

HUGE COMEBACKS…There have been many times in history when the Christian faith has been in decline. Every major news source is reporting a major shift in America’s religious interests presently. And again, Christianity is seemingly losing its influence. Yeah…yeah…yeah…heard it before. The story of God has been pushed to the back burner many times. But it never stays there…
“And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward…the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” ~Isaiah 37:31-32
This verse reveals one of those times when the God-story had been successfully hushed. The Divine fire had seemingly been extinguished. But beneath the surface, some embers remained. A remnant of people still believed in a God who could show up and do anything. From this remnant a comeback emerged. I like how this verse captures the nature of comebacks…“roots downward”…“fruit upward”. That’s how a turnaround is forged…roots & fruit. Its painstaking I suppose, but it’s the way God has charged back into the human scene over and over again. Presently, there is a very real come-back occurring before our very eyes. No it doesn’t look like the Christianity yesterday, but its happening. Christ is pushing His redemption mission from back-burner passivity to front-burner engagement. And some people are getting it. Roots are deepening! New fruit is forming! And Christ is making it happen by implanting His zeal in hearts. Never count out Christ! It’s in our heritage to make HUGE COMEBACKS! ~verlon

Helpless At Last...

HELPLESS AT LAST…We all know we are supposed to depend upon God. But for a thousand reasons we find ourselves depending upon almost everything else. Why? There is a simple overlooked truth about human nature we need to grasp before ours will become a life of Divine reliance.
“The helpless put their trust in you.” ~Psalm 10:14
Did you see that, it’s the helpless that understand the world of Divine trust. Now I don’t want to rub our noses in the obvious, but most of us won’t fully depend upon God until we are fully helpless. As long as there are visible options…who in their right mind is going to pursue the invisible options? When we recognize our addiction to making our own way, we begin to see help-less-ness as a blessing. Only when there is no where else to turn do we ‘look up’. Only when we are helpless, do we fully position ourselves to observe a real God, with real answers, penetrating our actual situations. It’s then and only then we learn the big lessons of receiving help from God. Helplessness creates the opportunity for us to build our reliance. Are you facing a helpless situation? You can panic if you want…but I assure you that God is breathing a sigh of relief and uttering just under His breath…“finally they’re HELPLESS AT LAST”! Do you think there could ever be a day you view help-less-ness as one step away from God’s great empowerment? ~verlon

Stable Places...

STABLE PLACES…There are seasons in our life when everything is going well and feels solid. Then there are seasons when the exact opposite is the order of the day. These are times when everything is shifting and feels like we’re standing on thin ice. And no matter how carefully we step we hear that eerie sound of the ice cracking beneath our feet and threatening to plunge us into the icy deep. Sound familiar? Ohhh the human search for a more solid ground to stand on continues…
“Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” ~Psalm 61:2
The point of this verse is obvious, the solid ground we seek is out of our reach. It’s simply does not exist on our playing field. It is higher! The final truth in these few short words are however very encouraging. We can be led to these higher solid grounds. Walking with Christ may pass over a few ‘thin ice’ moments and shaky earthly circumstances, but all the while we standing on an unseen rock…His unfailing love for us. Wow, that changes everything. It may appear from an outsiders view that we are in a turbulent time, and yet to us we are walking in STABLE PLACES! ~verlon

The Tone Of Our Salvation!

TONE OF OUR SALVATION…Our salvation is based on a solid scriptural promise. However, there is an emotional side to the relationship we have with Christ. What is the emotional tenor of your spiritual walk?
“With God we shall do valiantly.” ~Psalm 60:12
It is possible to be a Christian without having an accurate inward feeing about the relationship. In fact, there are probably some assumptions you are holding right now that aren’t quite what Christ is actually doing. In I Cor. 13 Paul states that we view spiritual things through smoky glass at best. That means we don’t always see things clearly, and it affects the feeling of our relationship. I love the word, Valiantly! I like the emotion it stirs in me. I really like the idea that I could have a underlying feeling about my walk with Christ that is valiant! Don’t you? Some people walk through their days as though God just barely kept them alive. They have a survival tone in their Divine relationship. Others have an angry tone. They are ticked because of the things they can’t do because Christ won’t let them. Still others have a fearful tone, as though they’re future hangs on a thin thread, and if they make one mistake God will walk away from them faster than you can say ‘rumple-stilt-skin’. But there is a significantly better way to walk the walk with the God of Gods. Valiantly! That’s the sense that should underwrite our daily spiritual walk. Valiantly! That’s the TONE OF OUR SALVATION. ~verlon

Visible Obligation...

VISIBLE OBLIGATION…It’s interesting the things that people feel obligated to do, and not do, in the course of their Christianity. Some people have a list of don’ts as long as their arm. Others have a list of do’s as long as their arm. What if Christ intended more freedom then lengthy lists altogether?
“Only they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.” ~Galatians 2:10
Paul was called to the Gentiles, but the early church leaders were Jews. The Jews, even the ones that were following Christ, brought over much of their Judaic traditions into their Christian experience. In quick order they had a interesting list of what it meant to be a serious follower of Christ that included circumcision & ceremonial worship forms. But when Paul began taking the gospel to the Gentiles, he quickly realized that the Jewish list would become a hurdle to the gospel for the Gentiles. So he wisely ignored the Jewish list. (btw – this tension still exists today between ministering to Christians vs. reaching non-Christians). When the church leaders Paul was doing this, they were incensed and called a meeting. Thankfully, at the end of the day the Jewish list was not imposed upon the Gentiles, in the name of ‘freedom in Christ’. There was one thing though they all agreed was unmovable…remembering the poor. That visible expression was simply too Christ-like to ever be excluded. I wonder if in this day some are carrying a Christian list that excludes remembering the poor? That’s actually our most VISIBLE OBLIGATION! ~verlon

Only A Theory...

ONLY A THEORY…Most Christians would quickly say they are interested in following Christ’s leadership in their lives. And yet many haven’t stopped to consider a very real human interest that eclipses and derails that desire altogether.
“If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” ~Galatians 1:10
Whether we like it or not, each of us will become the servant of the one we are trying to please. I suppose its like the chicken or the egg question, do we start wanting to please the one that we’ve chosen to serve, or do we end up serving the one we most want to please? I am actually not sure which one comes first. But I do know this, we can all talk about being servants of Christ, and then ten seconds later rush off to please someone else without giving it a thought. It’s so easy to drift under the control of other voices than Christ’s. It’s equally easy to end up serving Christ with our intentions while serving someone else with our actual time, talent and money. How this spiritual psychosis develops is a mystery, but it does. Here’s a soul-focusing question, “Who are you wanting to please?” Let me be blunt! If you can look back over your past week and see a significant amount of desire present in you to please someone other than Christ, then your intentions of being His servant might be…ONLY A THEORY! ~verlon

Availability Of The Well...

AVAILABILITY OF THE WELL…Its impossible to come to Christ and not have His saving strength affect you in some very deep and real ways.
“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” ~Isaiah 12:3
Salvation changes everything. Once we learn to drink of Christ, it changes the way we resource ourselves for absolutely everything from strength and courage to wisdom and discernment. The thing many fail to grasp about salvation is how daily it is. In other words, however often you might need to come back to that well, its there and waiting. Drink and drink deep. Not only is salvation is a state of being, but its also a well that pours refreshment into our souls every time we drink of it. The above verse isn’t merely about the connection between salvation and joy, it’s mostly about the unceasing AVAILABILITY OF THE WELL. ~verlon

A Time To Mourn...

A TIME TO MOURN…We typically reserve mourning for the loss of a loved one. But mourning is actually the appropriate thing to do any time there is a loss. Have you ever validated your hearts need to mourn because of the loss brought on by sin???
“I may have to mourn over the many for those who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.” ~II Cor. 12: 21
Since the holiness movement in the 1800’s, we have only understood sin in terms of judgment. In truth, there is a different side of sin altogether. We see it here in Paul’s words. Sin at its core always leads to death, so mourning is an appropriate response. Every day spent on any trail of sin is a day in which something has been stolen from us. a loss is occurring. The principle of death is bleeding away our promise. Is it really that far of a reach to look at sin through the eyes of mourning? God Himself grieves when He see’s us walking down any path toward death. If we walk with the Lord, then it stands to reason that we too will learn to employ grief at these times. This insight restores the appropriate way to view sin. The next time you’re tempted to walk a downward path, take time to feel the grief of God for yourself. It will probably bring change. And the next time you feel judgment toward someone else’s sinful ways, look at them again through mourning eyes. It will probably change your judgmental thoughts and make you into a helpful & safe friend. Sin needs the right response…and its A TIME TO MOURN. ~verlon

Firm In Faith...

FIRM IN FAITH…I find the topic of faith to mean very different things. Some people use it as another word for optimism. Others use it as a sense of good will. Still others use it as a measurement of spiritual maturity. And then there are those who use it to define any belief system. It might be worded this way, “what is your faith tradition?” Perhaps all of the above misses the mark of what scriptural faith is trying to convey!
“If you are not firm in your faith, you will not be firm at all.” ~Isaiah7:9
This verse puts faith on the right foot! Faith is a bit more industrial in its usage than most people think. Scriptural faith is more ‘verb’ and less ‘noun’. It’s more of an ‘expression’ than a ‘description’. In fact, faith is a choice! In this old testament verse, we see faith is linked to a choice to stand firm. I actually use the phrase, ‘chose to trust’ interchangeably with the word ‘faith’. Its an accurate way of looking at it, and it brings clarity. If befits the choice nature of faith well. We can choose to trust Christ’s plan in this moment, or not. We can choose to trust Christ’s intervention, or not. Faith is not a belief system, it’s a choice to be resolute and convinced that Christ will not let us down. That confidence makes us FIRM IN FAITH! ~verlon

One Disguised Lie After Another!

ONE DISGUISED LIE AFTER ANOTHER…We are easily deceived. All we need to hear is a promise of something wonderful and somehow come to believe that it won’t cost much, and we’re in. But we soon learn that many things in life are made to look better than they really are.
“for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” ~II Cor. 11:14
There is a sinister element at work on the earth. This particular circle of society seems very comfortable at inflating the benefits and hiding the true costs. This is the nature of Satan himself at his core, and any of his people and his plans have the same hallmarks to them. He loves to employ cover-ups. Christ is the exact opposite. He lays out the price of following Him up front and tells us to count the cost. The only surprise in following Christ is how wonderful and powerful that path can become. The surprise of following ‘the other guy’ is how the promises never really develop, and the cost always turns out to be way higher than advertised. I remember hearing a high school speaker tell how he got into drugs. He was told they would enlighten his mind and give him an awesome experience. But when he actually took them, it was never that good. He thought he was doing it wrong or something. A few months later he found himself dealing and heard himself saying the same words to a young teen, “this stuff will enlighten your mind.” It hit him in that instant…those other dealers were lying too…it didn’t work for them either…they were doing it for the money. Come to think of it, that’s the only way Satan’s business plan ever works…ONE DISGUISED LIE AFTER ANOTHER. ~verlon

Not Earthly...

NOT EARTHLY…We all have a great tendency to measure our ability to respond to something based solely on our present assets and strength. After-all, that’s the lesson of lessons we learned early in our adult life. And if we find we are up against something significantly greater than our present strength, we panic. That too is human. But then we are introduced to Christ, and soon we are having to start making room for a different set of rules in the name of ‘faith’. In fact, a different set of assets, sources and strength supplies begin to emerge. Interesting!
“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” ~II Cor. 10:4
Here Paul demonstrates confidence in one of the great truths of Christianity. There is more power available to us than we can ever imagine. In fact, the kind of strength that faith in Christ gives us isn’t related at all to human strength. It is totally resourced by divine supplies. And it is powerful enough to literally melt down strongholds. ‘Stronghold’ is an interesting word. It means anything that is stronger than human ability. It can be something that is earthly but impossible to reverse. It can even be demonic oppressive in nature. But no matter, even strongholds melt away when this kind of power is used. As amazing as it sounds, this power is available to us, and its NOT EARTHLY! ~verlon

Bountiful Planting...

BOUNTIFUL PLANTING…The metaphor of the seed in the ground has been used in scripture many times to make spiritual things clear. Here is another example…
“whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” ~II Cor. 9:6
There is a common side to our spiritual life. In fact, as common as dirt. It’s true that we are developing a relationship with Christ, but what we put into it somehow creates what we receive from it. We can plant much seed into the soil of our relationship with Christ, or we can plant only enough for the relationship to survive. The choice is ours. He has planted richly into us with His sacrificial act of love on the cross. So the ball is in our court to respond. If that response is a deep and generous sowing, than He takes the next deep and generous step toward us. But if that response is sparingly parsed out, then He takes the cue from that gentle push back and steps back. The seed that is in our hands to sow with is the seed of prayer, the seed of time we willingly give Him to do His bidding, the seed of worship, the seed of financial gifts toward His works, the seed of caring for others in need, etc. In these ways we plant generously, or sparingly. In these ways we create a future that is generously or sparingly measured out for us. Just a personal note, I do hope I am being listed among those who understand BOUNTIFUL PLANTING. ~verlon

First Energy...

FIRST ENERGY…I have noticed a trend in scripture that we give ourselves to God’s works first. Perhaps its because He knows human nature, and the potential that we won’t get around to His stuff after we get absorbed in ours. But then again I think there is a deeper reason. There is a ‘reordering’ of many things in our life when we do His bidding first…with our waking energy…with our early strength. Look at this verse…
“Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth…!” ~Eccl. 12:1
The principle of giving ourselves to His cause when we significant strength to do so is of more than passing importance. There is something great that gets planted into our futures when we give Christ our FIRST ENERGY! Its just a Divine fact! ~verlon

The Hard Way...

THE HARD WAY…Our start point can be surprisingly wrong. There is something in our humanity that instinctively wants things that are 180 degree’s opposite of what God has lined up for us. What happens if we continue going against the flow that the entire universe has been pre-depositioned to deliver to us???
“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? it is useless for you to fight against my will”. ~Acts 26:14
Saul(Paul), was a determined guy. He’s what we would call a type A personality. He had it in his mind that this newly burgeoning movement of Christ-followers were absolutely wrong. So being the good Pharisee that he was, he started going from town to town having these Christians tortured until they renounced Christ and went back to being good synagogue Jew. One day, as he was on a secluded path travelling to one of these torture sessions, the Spirit of Christ visited him. We need to pay close attention to what Jesus said. “Paul, it’s useless for you to fight against my will”. That was conversation point #1. We need to let this resonate deeply within us. For every person that has ever decided to leave behind an old life to follow a new one with Christ, this is the first question Christ asks, “are you going to insist on your will or observe & follow mine?” No one has ever gotten to second base in their journey of faith until they’ve learned to surrender to the flow of God. For some, they attend church and read their Bibles and look like good Christians…but they aren’t. They are stubborn and insistent upon their own way of doing everything! That…is a hard life. Others are able to field this first question well and learn early to surrender to the will of God. And immediately the flow of God starts carrying them along…and they thrive. My thought is, if we’re going to take the time to be a Christian, might as well get into the lane where the flow of God carry’s us. Why travel THE HARD WAY? ~verlon

The Power Of Together...

THE POWER OF TOGETHER…We live in such an individualistic culture that we are probably blind to the immense amount of power that is actually housed in the concept of ‘together’. We chase our careers on our own, we plan our schedules on our own, we even work out our church engagements on our own. I am afraid the full potency of ‘together’ is somewhat lost on us Americans. Lets look at this verse…
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For it they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” ~Eccl. 4:9-10
I’ve heard two significant examples over the years regarding the power of ‘together’. First; Did you know a team of two horses can pull 9000 lbs. but a team of 4 horses can pull over 30,000 lbs.? Interesting isn’t it. Second; Adam Smith in his book ‘the wealth of nations’, reported a company that made pins. Each employee could produce about 20 pins per day. But when they took 10 employee’s and told them to work together, do you have an idea how many pins they started producing? Care to venture a guess?….You’re too low. The actual answer is…48,000 pins a day. Whoa! That’s stunning. When scripture tells to work together, I’m pretty sure its taking into account the exponential dynamics of ‘together’. Are you doing your spiritual and church life as a solo act? Perhaps there is a time to become open to THE POWER OF TOGETHER. ~verlon

In Its Time...

IN ITS TIME…My oh my how we struggle with imperfection. If our job isn’t going well, we’re ready to find a new one. If our friendships aren’t working well, we’re ready to get some new friends. If our dreams isn’t coming to fruition, we’re quick to cast it aside and start looking for a new vision. Some dreams need to be shifted out, but often this restlessness reveals that we haven’t grasped the role of time in the fulfillment of things.
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” ~Eccl. 3:11
Lets be honest about something, everything that is presently beautiful in your life, wasn’t always beautiful. It went through seasons when it was undeveloped and flat ugly, didn’t it. Aren’t you glad you didn’t give up on some of the things that are now greatly rewarding to you? Somehow we must learn to leave room for ‘time’ to make its contribution to the things on our path. Almost all of God’s gifts to us have the ‘in its time’ component built into them. If we give up on dreams because they appear stalled, ugly and undeveloped, we might be giving up on the very gifts God has hand-picked for us. Take a step back and look at the long picture. What is occurring in your life right now that appears undeveloped, but when you look at it you feel a stirring in your soul that won’t go away? That intuition is probably the voice of Christ instructing you to stay with it because something beautiful is going to spring up…IN ITS TIME! ~verlon

Through Us...

THROUGH US…How does God speak to us? That is an age-old question. Here’s a couple things I’ve observed. First, the more we walk with Christ, the more we hear His voice. Second, that the way He introduces Himself to new people is different than the way He speaks with those who walk in daily friendship with Him. Lets look deeper at this. Just how does Christ introduce Himself?
“We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” ~II Cor. 5:20
Strange as it might seem, He introduces Himself to lost people through our words. That’s amazing isn’t it. That’s why its important that we have a way and a time and a redemptive environment to talk that way to searchers…because Christ really wants to be introduced to them. And after the introduction, He further needs our words to make an appeal to them, that they welcome His influence into their lives. I don’t know why the Lord hasn’t decided to introduce Himself by mystically showing up and doing divine stuff…really grabbing their attention. If I were God, I think I would opt for such an introduction. But no, He has chosen to make His first introduction through the simplicity of our words. He has decided to wait until we make friends with lost people, then introduce our Divine friend to our new friends. That’s the way He likes it. His entry into their lives happens THROUGH US! ~verlon

People of Courage...

PEOPLE OF COURAGE…We are the generation that watched ‘the wizard of oz’. Dorothy needing to get home, the tin man needing a heart, and of course the lion with no courage. Can’t forget him. At the end of the movie he got his courage because he was given a medal. Oh how I wish that actually worked. We have also been raised with the quotes about war hero’s, “there is no such things as courage, only the willingness to stay in the battle for just a bit longer”. While I do appreciate the attempts to make courage easier to reach for, rather than seeing it as a lofty character trait that only a few have, I find the scriptural teaching on courage to be the most attainable.
“So we are always of good courage…for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage.” ~II Cor. 5:6-8
Courage is a natural outflow of our faith. In fact, it often seems to be the proof of faith. At the very least its commingled together so much it’s hard to tell them apart. Even in this verse, “courage…faith…courage” is used interchangeably within a single thought. And it stands to reason. When we choose to trust Christ to move inside us to be our Savior, all of Him moves in. And He wasn’t called the lion of Judah for nothing. His boldness begins to throb inside our spirits. And before long, that boldness is leaking out. Soon courage becomes the most visible part of our spiritual walk…the greatest hallmark of our faith. We can’t be different than the Spirit of Christ that live in us. We have no other possible future than to be PEOPLE OF COURAGE! ~verlon