Why do I make living for Jesus so complicated? Do this…don’t do that. Say this…don’t say that. I get tangled up in brambles and briers of my own making. Guilt from my past rears its ugly head more often than I’d like. After all, Jesus has bothered to sacrifice His life in order to forgive my sins. Hanging on to old useless junk seems ungrateful. Like kicking dust in Jesus’ face, marking ‘return to sender’ for the best gift anyone has ever given me. Not smart. Way too many flies in the ointment of my faith.

Looking for some help, I run across Mark 9. There I stop for a moment. Something in this story shouts ‘pay attention’. Is the Lord speaking to me? In a still, small voice? You think?

Here’s what grabs me. One day Jesus’ disciples are confronted by a father and son. The boy suffers from convulsions. An evil spirit tosses him to the ground. Foam appears on his lips. A demon casts him into flames of fire, and then into a pool of water trying to drown him. What father wouldn’t want to find any help from any source anywhere? Desperate he turns to Jesus’ followers. For help and healing. But the apostles prove inept and useless.

Jesus is not a happy camper, hearing about His followers’ limp dishrag efforts. He tells them to bring the boy to Him. The father shares his son’s story, asking Jesus to help if He can. If He can? If? Jesus then says that everything is possible with God. That’s when the father admits this–‘I believe; help my unbelief!’

I can have said much the same. To be honest, I need my faith to grow more. This father openly displays his honesty and humility. That his faith needs more oomph and resilience. He wants to trust Jesus but fears disappointment. ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’ He’s not alone with that confession.

Throughout this story, two elements surface that make for a Christian life. A couple of basics. To untangle twisted-up faith. First, obviously involves a relationship with Jesus. More than mouthing some words, it’s coming to Him, believing Him. Okay, like that father, we’re not perfect. Our faith needs beefing up. A mustard seed-sized faith will do. At least for starters. Baby steps lead to walking and then running with your Lord. But start where you are.

Faith in Jesus means trusting Him even when we’re not sure that we should or can. A conscious choice to be His. Position Him first and foremost, and then put Him back up there when we’ve allowed other things to give Him the old heave-ho. Be quick about this. Don’t dawdle. Your faith will mature and grow the more you put Him first. Three steps forward, one back. One forward, two back. But remember, the trend is your friend as your faith will grow. Be patient, even with yourself. Again, your faith in Jesus will grow.

Then there’s prayer. I don’t have a set formula. Or some magic incantation that opens heaven’s ears and arms. A skeleton key that unlocks all the blessings we think we can’t live without. No. Prayer is simply sitting at Jesus’ feet and telling Him all that’s on your heart and mind. All of it. With your Lord. Talking with Him. And listening to Him in your Bible. Thinking of Him and His ways more often than not. Unable to wait to be with Him. A passion, if you will. A want-to that’s much more than a have-to. You know the difference. Don’t you?

Following Jesus is not some Rube Goldberg contraption, a brand-new high-tech unfathomable gadget, or an old can of worms impossible to open. Just follow. Stop playing games. Mean it. The purpose of our lives? Here’s a thought–‘The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever’ (from the Westminster Shorter Catechism).

Hey, even I can put my head around that wisdom! Two requirements. Worship and enjoyment…of our God. Now and forever. That says it all!

Thank you, Jesus, for being the love of my life. Amen.

I’m not going to sing Elvis’ song ‘I’m All Shook Up’. You’d get exactly that if I did. Shook up, that is. What happens to me when I get into a tizzy? As wheels fall off my wagon? Can’t see the forest or the trees? What then? I get all shook up.

But not Daniel. This Old Testament character shines with great strength and devotion. He’s been faithfully serving one pagan king after another while being forcibly evicted and exiled from home, family, and country decades ago, Still, he labors on with eye and heart firmly focused on Jerusalem and his Lord God. Never wavering. Always dyed in the wool. True blue.

I want to be a Daniel. You too? I doubt he ever sang Elvis’ lyrics that go like this–‘…my hands are shaking and my knees are weak…’ May not have sung them, but he sure felt them. All through chapter 9, Daniel owns up to his people’s sins. How they’ve reneged on their promises to God. Cast the Ten Commandments to the ground, stomping all over them. Brazenly rejecting God at the drop of a hat and the first sign of trouble.

How to be like Daniel? Beyond a shadow of a doubt, rely on God’s love for you if you trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior. An angel comes to Daniel’s side when he’s all shook up–“…a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. And he said to me, ‘O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.’ And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling…” (Dan. 10:11). Even while all shook up, Daniel hears words that he hungers for–‘…man greatly loved…’ Jesus says those words to you and me as well.

Something else? To be like Daniel? At the beginning of chapter 9, we find him combing through his Bible. He’s searching the book of Jeremiah for insight and understanding of his world that’s being all shook up. Good idea. We should, too. That is to dig deeper into our Bibles. Be a Daniel. Like a treasure hunter on the search for untold riches, cherish your Bible. Valuable gems and jewels can be found from cover to cover. Find out for yourself.

Like Daniel, draw close to Jesus telling Him all that’s on your heart and mind. Daniel 9: 3-4–‘Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession…’ Open up to God, letting it all out with Him. Like He doesn’t already know? Tell Him. That’s what He wants.

There it is. Some guidance from Daniel, our role-model of long ago; when, you and I, here and now, get all shook up. Look gratefully at the wedding ring of committed love that Jesus gives you. Make your Bible your best friend forever. Be more about prayer than panic.

Then we won’t get all shook up! Not as much as usual. Not if we’re like Daniel.

For your strength, O Lord, we pray this day. In Jesus’ name.. Amen.

Our garden soil is becoming more fertile and lush as we add compost to it. Compost develops its ambrosial richness using common toss-outs like kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, and grass clippings. Yum stuff, right? Not to us but to our garden beds. Tons of wriggling worms within the compost do their duty, so to speak, adding even more oomph to our patch.

Jesus talks about being good soil. Mark 4 recounts this well-known story. You’re aware that the seed is God’s Word, which can be found in your Bible. When taken to heart and acted upon, it helps you to root, grow, and be productive for Jesus. Nothing better anywhere.

But here’s the rub. Good soil consistency often lacks just that, consistency! When it comes to Bible reading, study, and meditation, we can be rather hit-and-miss, lukewarm, and lackadaisical. Fairweather followers. When we have extra time if there is any. And if we feel like it. Then and only then. Inconsistent.

What about Jesus’ story? Here goes. Some seed gets tossed on hard ground, which becomes food for hungry birds. A faith that’s here today, gone tomorrow. No roots, no depth, nothing.

Other seed is scattered where too little topsoil exists and hardly takes root. Shallow believers who bolt the family of God at the first sign of trouble. Now you have faith, then you don’t. Fence-straddlers who also fall off Humpty-Dumpty’s wall.

Then there’s soil filled with weeds, brambles, and thornbushes which choke out the good plants. Who is Jesus referring to here? Those who focus on their problems more than God’s provision and promises. Who run to anxiety more than to the Lord.

Finally, the good soil, which is clear of weeds and protected from predatory birds, contains deep, vigorous, and nutrient-rich soil. Those who thrive in their relationship with Jesus. Who live for God and others along with themselves. Who let the seed of God’s Word work its wonders in their lives. Good soil. Productive followers.

Which soil are you in? How receptive are you to God’s Word? How much daily time does your Bible garner? Many probably fall into the overflowing with distractions category. Shallow soil. Dominated by ever-present cell phones. Too much time in front of glowing screens with fingers flying all over a keyboard. Shouldn’t surprise us that God’s Word remains razor-thin in our hearts and minds. And we know if that’s happening, don’t we? Jesus’ impact evaporates lickety-split.

I’m often in the smothered and clogged-up group. Worry-warts anonymous. My thoughts embrace fear and panic way too often. Old troubles refuse to leave the theater’s front-row seats even after they’ve been tossed out years ago. Keep them out, I say to myself, only to recall and massage some long-gone rotten word said to me by some know-it-all meany. Inconsistent me. Fouled soil. Unproductive.

Still, I want to be God’s good soil. His good earth. Where His ways find nourishment and growth in my life and heart. Not just here and there, when there’s nothing better to do, but much more often than that. Always? Not in this life, with the spirit willing but the flesh weak as can be.

What of those worm casings? Their droppings in the compost? I think that’s how we can use failure. Mixing and folding in what we’ve learned from our sins so that we become more compassionate and helpful. Let alone forgiven by God. This compost, combined with our flops and foul-ups, produces super-rich soil for Jesus. As St. Paul says, ‘all things work together for good for those who love God…’ (Rom. 8: 28). ‘All things…’ Let the Lord work those shameful things in our lives to make richer soil than we ever could produce all on our own.

How about it? Want to be God’s good soil? That’s my prayer. You too?

Lord Jesus, I need you in all my life. Amen.

Hold delicately to the certainty you feel about the specifics of God’s will. Many of His desires we know. All that’s necessary, to live as Jesus wants us to, is given. We need nothing more to shine for Him and to know His presence than what’s told to us in the Bible.

Forget hidden puzzles, mysteries, and codes, which demand more from God than He’s willing to share–‘The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law’ (Deut. 29: 29).

It’s God’s prerogative to hold His cards close to His chest if He so chooses. To maintain His veil of secrecy where and when He wants. But think what He’s already divulged. The Bible from cover to cover unveils God’s will. An open book for all who choose to dive right in and enjoy the water of life. Refreshment starts in Genesis with waves cascading to its fulfillment in the book of Revelation. Come on in. The water’s fine. Even for those of us who can’t swim.

I’m skeptical of preachers who give, usually at a price, dates and times of future events. They’ve been wrong so often that it’s not funny. To me, they seem more like fortune tellers with horoscopes and Ouiji boards, all couched in spiritual lingo, and less like Bible teachers. Every detail of Christ’s second coming is laid out on a massive chart to wonder at. I wonder, alright! But not in the way they want me to. So, I grab tightly onto my Bible while holding them at arm’s length.

1 Samuel 24 deals with knowing God’s will. For sure. With certainty. Beyond a shadow of a doubt. Except that it wasn’t what the Lord wanted. Not in the least. In 1 Samuel 24, David has a chance to rid himself of his archenemy, King Saul– ”And the men of David said to him, ‘Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you'” (vs. 4). David’s men smell enemy blood as God’s gift to them. His will for sure. But is it?

Not quite. David responds–‘The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed’ (1 Sam. 24: 6). David sets them straight about God’s will in this case. He follows what he already knows from the Lord.

So, be careful thinking that you know exactly what the Lord wants when you haven’t found it in the Bible. Be humble. Not presumptuous or a know-it-all, showing off how much you think you know.

That’s why we make God’s Word our constant companion. He’ll point the way. Travels right beside you no matter what. Just be aware of the boundaries and where to settle for not knowing. It’s okay to be tentative at times. To not have a clue or an opinion. Where we just don’t know.

So trust your God. Place whatever in His strong hands. Hold your head high and smell the roses. Have faith in Jesus. Count on Him. Bank on His reliability. Especially with the unknown. Let’s give it a good try. Shall we?

Lord Jesus, you are my constant companion and I love you. Amen.

Before I sold my financial planning business, I had over 850 clients. Quite a number to take care of. But I loved doing just that. Helping them achieve their financial goals while overcoming frustrations and concerns. Felt like a pastor, giving oversight to people who had put their trust in me. A responsibility I willingly accepted.

As with a lawyer who represents clients. Doing for others what they can’t do for themselves. When a neighbor sues us over a property issue, it’s to an attorney we reach out to for help. Felt reassuring knowing that there was someone watching out for our best interests. Speaking up for us. Our advocate.

Which is who the Holy Spirit is to believers. We’re His clients. He watches over us and speaks on our behalf. Romans 8: 26-27–‘Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.’

When we don’t know what to say or what to do, the Holy Spirit is there with God the Father, speaking on our behalf. Our advocate and champion. He knows God’s will. He knows what we need better than we do. He knows how to utter the right words. We’re all tongue-tied but not the Holy Spirit. He’s right on the money all the time so we don’t have to worry about what to say. Forget it. The Holy Spirit’s got it. Leave it to Him (I’m speaking to myself). He knows.

It should put our minds at rest knowing that God has it well taken care of. Handled with love. So, relax already. Trust the almighty trustworthy One. Let Him work the late hours and burn the midnight oil in our defense. All ‘pro bono’. I’m sure He’s heard it all before and defended tougher cases than anything we can give Him. Let go and let God, as they say.

As the Holy Spirit’s client, I can begin to enjoy life. Freed up. Off the hook. Burdens are lifted at Calvary, as the old hymn rightly says. Just what Jesus promises–‘…I came that they may have life and have it abundantly’ (John 10:10).

For life in its fullness, Lord Jesus, we thank you. Amen.

Oh, were those workmen red hot angry with little old me that day. Why? Well, innocently I’m riding my bicycle back home from Millburn Junior High School, safely traversing sidewalks, down the hill right past some shops on Main Street, without a care in the world, free as a bird in flight. And clueless.

Until I hear some rather nasty words hurled my way along with a hand gesture of a rather foul sort. What did I do to deserve this? As I stop my bike at the corner light, and look back at where I’d just come from, to where those fuming workmen stand rather threateningly, it’s there I note a continuous tire mark in the cement from the top of the hill to where I’m now standing. Head in the clouds, not over fantastic grades I can assure you, I’ve ridden through a relatively long stretch of wet cement! That cement hadn’t had time to harden. Not yet. Especially with my help.

This experience reminds me that my Christian life needs time to set, mature, and cure. Immaturity happens early on but hopefully doesn’t last a lifetime.

Our faith and trust in Jesus need time to harden. To settle down and grow up. Both feet firmly in. Stop fence-straddling and take your stand with Jesus. Be all in with the truths of God’s Word. No more fudging. Hemming and hawing flirting with modern culture just to fit in. Blossom. Settled with who is your Lord and God. Like cured cement.

It’s quite a stretch for me to seek what God wants. Why does it take me so long to stop in my tracks and ask Jesus for His guidance and help, and then wait on Him? And see what happens? As I said, it’s taken me a while, and I’m still in Jesus’ Kindergarten class. Sadly, not the head of it. I may have to be held back.

Hebrews 6: 1–‘Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity…’ Grow up. Be an adult believer. How? If you’re a follower of Jesus, then you know where you need to mature. To improve. Be honest. No one will hear you; except, well, you know who?

How about me? I need to focus less on my problems and more on God’s promises. Get the Bible into my head, so to speak. Less negative self-talk and more positive God-speak. Stop allowing Satan to man the phones. Push him aside giving my internal microphone to Jesus for a change. That’s one area where I need to grow up as a believer. There are others. But at least get off your duff. Start, already. And watch where you’re going.

Thank you, Jesus, for being patient with me. Amen.

When you’re in, you’re in. But, when you’re out, well, you’re out! You can fill in the blanks as to when the latter has happened to you. Picked last and least for a sports team at your school’s physical education class. Or a job wrenched away from you. A marriage winds up kaput. Money goes out the window or down the drain. What was in is now out.

Here are a few verses that offer help to those of us who feel more out than in. Psalm 56: 10-13–‘In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.’

Notice a keyword. It’s the word ‘in’, which points us to the best in life. Where exactly? ‘…in the Lord, whose word…’ ‘In God, whose word…’ ‘…in God I trust…’ ‘…in the light of life.’ In those phrases from the Bible, there’s more ‘in’ than ‘out’.

To be in with the Lord whose Word, the Bible, gives us an ‘in’ to the truth, leads us to a life that gets better and better. Spending time in your Bible gives you insight that helps make sense of this crazy world. Offers a ray of understanding that salves hurt and emotional wounds.

After all, the worst day you’ll ever have here on earth will be the worst 24 hours you’ll ever have when you’re in Jesus. To be in Him is to receive Him into your life. To believe that He loves you and forgives you and wants to be Lord of all your life is to be in life’s fullness. Saying ‘yes’ to Jesus’ invitation welcomes you into His life. His life in yours.

Then you’re in with no possibility of ever being out. On the best team. The heavenly Dream Team. Chosen. Picked first and foremost. Never down and out. More secure than the Rock of Gibraltar. Immovable and unflappable. Forever.

Want to be in? You know how and through whom. Don’t you? Come on in!

Lord Jesus, for allowing me into your family, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Amen.

I love collecting. Started with mystery books as a preteen. Most I never read until much later in life. Just loved gathering all those tomes. Had the complete set of Hardy Boys mysteries. Even read the first few. Whoop-de-doo for me!

Then as a teen, it was coin collecting. Numismatics to be technical. I loved attending coin shows, checking out local dealers, and making the monthly meetings of the Essex County NJ Coin Club. I had a neighbor who helped me more than I can say. His collection was first-rate. Mine was not.

In time, I owned a few gold coins, even a 1928 $20 gold piece designed by Augustus St. Gaudens. Nary a bag mark was ever found on its soft, lustrous surface. Pristine and shimmering. I also had US Large cents, Half cents, Two cents, 3-cent silver and nickel coins, 20-cent pieces, and all the Lincoln head pennies including the coveted 1909S-VDB, though in a rather beat-up condition.

Reading Psalm 56, I note that God collects precious items. Really? Read Psalm 56: 8–‘You have kept count of my tossings, put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?’

When we toss and turn in life, have a bear of a time trying to sleep, wondering how in the world we’re to dig out of the mess we find ourselves in, that’s when God wants us to know that every tear we shed He keeps tabs of, even storing them in some bottle of His own, so to speak. As if He records in a book, like a divine diary, every sigh and whimper we make. All are kept and noted.

God’s bottle and book symbolize that He’s mindful of every aspect of our lives. When I feel out-of-sorts, when no one seems to give a flying fig about me, when fears grab hold like the grip of a weightlifter, I try to remember that my tears are in His bottle; and my emotions, each and every one, are inscribed in His book. That I’m the world to Him. He cares. He’s crazy about me. And you too.

Hold onto that thought, as best you can, all this week. Noted and kept close to your heart just as we are to Jesus.

Thank you, Jesus, for loving me with all your heart. Amen.

When Israel begs for a king, wanting to be like the other nations around them, the Lord warns them that they’ll get a terribly greedy taker, who will demand more and more of the meager resources their families need to live on. Suffering from an incurable, toxic case of the gimmies and grabby-itis, a blowhard king, out only for number one, will prove insatiable.

1 Samuel 8: 11,13-17–‘These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you…He will take your daughters…He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vineyards…He will take your male and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.’ Take…take…take–of your best and brightest. What’s personally dearest will become their monarch’s fodder.

Not only ancient Israel’s leaders but many of us love to grab, grasp, and hoard. The more stuff, the merrier. A growling, bottomless pit of things, hogwash, and junk. Cars and trucks worth multiple thousands of hard, cold cash are parked in the driveway and out in the street so that boxes of worthless rubbish can crowd out the garage. Know what I mean? Stepping on some toes, am I?

In contrast to contemptible takers, our Lord God lives and loves as The Giver par excellence. The more the merrier–of forgiveness, mercy, salvation, kindness, and love. Those fruits of the Holy Spirit can be found in Galatians chapter 5.

God gives and gives. His best gift is Jesus. John 3: 16–‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son….’

This week why not spend some time thanking the Lord for all He’s given you. Past, present, and future. Less asking for more things, and more praising Him for who He is and all He graciously provides.

Praise and thanks– good medicine for what ails you. Take a heaping spoonful.

Father, I thank you and praise you for your Son Jesus, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

We’re traveling in Bethlehem, not Pennsylvania but Israel, spending time on our own checking out the little town of you know where. On one of the main streets sits a coffee shop that causes us to burst out laughing. It’s called ‘Stars and Bucks’! Not getting any of their java juice, we segway into a nearby souvenir shop. Aggressive salespeople, retired used car salesmen I imagine, swarm all over us with offers of amazing bargains. Almost free! No cover charge!

One small figurine intrigues me. It’s a human form having three arms all contorted as if dancing. My only comment to the sales bloke is this–‘ You’ve got to hand it to him!’. Not sure my humor gets caught but none of our money is also.

The word ‘hand’ often shows up in the Bible. Usually, it means strength and power. In God’s hands, we’re safe and secure. He’ll handle whatever we need. In His time. In His way. To our liking or not.

Reading 1 Samuel 5 we discover that the ark of the Lord has been captured by the enemy Philistines and placed in their temple, subordinate to their god Dagon. But not for long. The following day, idol-worshippers show up, discovering that Dagon has fallen and collapsed into a heap of broken pieces, lying prostrate before the Ark of the Lord. The false god shatters in the presence of the true and only living God.

1 Samuel 5:4–‘…Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off…’ And 1 Samuel 7:13–‘So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.’

With the Lord on our side, when we’re a member of His family by believing in His Son Jesus, His hands surround us with love and protection. His hand in ours makes for a never-ending relationship. But don’t take this for granted. Habitual sin will not be tolerated. Yours or mine or anyone else’s for that matter. So, be careful lest you presume upon your spiritual status, thinking too little of your special place in God’s heart, doing an injustice to our Lord. You can tell when you’re getting too close to the edge. You’ll know.

I can. Coldness to my Bible, speed-reading a verse or two. Loosey-goosey with little, itsy-bitsy sins as white lies take on a darker tone with little notice. Old habits show up when least expected or needed. Prayer gets notched down a peg or three on my priority list. Money hoarded for me, I and myself. You get the picture. Not a pretty one at that. But certainly a modern art.

So, get off your high horse and grab Jesus’ hands. Let Him lift you up. He’ll dust you off and clean you up. In a sense, wearing the best new clothes money can’t buy. Perked up. Forgiven. Restored. Safe and secure from all alarms. Cradled in Jesus’ arms as His precious babe. This is exactly what He loves to do for you and me. You’ve got to hand it to Him!

Lord Jesus, you are my only source of security in this life. Thank you for never leaving me out in the cold. Amen.