I am always looking for answers. It is in my nature.

“⁶⁴The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes!” – Psalm 119:64 (ESV)

Well there you go, maybe I should be looking in the right place for those answers. I struggle with relying on myself to get me through as I am impatient with the darker seasons I find myself in. With my nature of always looking for answers I need only to look to God for those answers and seek out His will, direction, and ways of going about things.

It sounds easy enough, right? For me it certainly is not easy. I have the struggle before me and I am drawn to only seeing the struggle. I have to do a better, more conscious job of seeking the Lord in all situations and dive into His Word to find the answers He wants me to find.

Once I find those answers I should be leaning on the following:

“⁵⁷The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words.” – Psalm 119:57 (ESV)

The Lord is all I need. Once I have received His guidance, I should be promising to keep His Word in all situations. God is faithful to us with His love and therefore we owe it to Him to be faithful in return.

When faced with hardship, where are you turning for answers? Are you looking to get through it alone or looking to God for the answers? Once provided by God, are you promising to keep His Word?

How often are we working to force things to happen as opposed to doing God’s Work and allowing the promises of God to be fulfilled?

“²⁰Now the Lord has fulfilled his promise that he made. For I have risen in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and I have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.” – 1 Kings 8:20 (ESV)

Solomon is speaking here of his father David, who found favor with God. Due to this favor, David wanted to honor God by building a house for God to dwell. This was not in the plans for David and instead, building a house for God was the plan for David’s son.

David was king and therefore had the means and the right to do what was in his interest. This is where we should take note. David had the means and the right, here on earth although the right to build a house for God was not of this earth and therefor was not for him to undertake. Sure, he could have just done it and marveled at his work, but that would have been to go against God and His promise.

God’s promises for us are difficult to understand as we are not able to see the whole picture. There may be things that we would like to undertake for and in honor of God, however it may not be in our plan to do so. God has a specific plan for each of us and we should be carefully looking to know and understand that plan.

We are not to force things to happen by taking them into our own hands. We are to only be doing the work assigned to us by God. When we are focused on those things, then we are fulfilling our part of God’s plan and He will fulfill his promises in due time.

How often are we forcing things for God? When we are out working for God, are focused on the work, or the result? Are we letting God fulfill His promises, or are we taking them into our own hands?

As Christians we must remain firm in the gospel of Christ and not allow ourselves to give in to others.

“⁴Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery—⁵to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.” – Galatians 2:4-5 (ESV)

Paul, writing to the Galatians, was providing direction and encouragement to stay in the faith regardless of those that were trying to undermine or discredit them. He was in constant battle of the same and when pressed, he did not submit, even for a moment, to them or their ways, sticking to the gospel.

What did this get him, he was accepted by the apostles and employed to continue spreading the gospel to the Gentiles as they continued to spread to the Jews.

We are challenged in our faith every day and it is up to us to stand firm and not give in. It is hard and when you look at the life of Paul, he was punished here on the earth for standing. But, ultimately, as children of God, we will win in the end and inherit the Kingdom of God.

Are we strong enough to stick to the gospel? Are we standing for God? Are we willing to stand firm and not give in, even for a moment?

Being a dad of athletes and playing sports myself, I have witnessed many mysteries and victories. Some are certainly expected and with others, everyone is in shock at how it happened.

“⁵¹Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵²in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” – 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (ESV)

When Christ comes again, we will all be changed in a moment. There will be mystery and victory. The mystery is for those that have not accepted salvation through Christ. The victory for us as Christians.

The mystery is found in the sudden change that was realized in those around them. Those that are not followers of Christ will be left to their own, standing by themselves and wondering what happened and how they were not a part of it. What did they not do to not be included? They will remain the same, in large degree, oblivious and dumbfounded as to how, with all they did/have here on earth, could they not be included.

For the victory, we as Christians will realize the work and struggle we experienced living for Christ. We will be given the win that eluded us on earth. Christians will swept up in glorious victory over death. All of our obedience to God will result in our “championship” realization.

In college basketball, there is an end of season grand tournament. In this tournament, all invited have a chance to demonstrate their hard work. Every team, the haves and the have nots, play to determine the victor. On occasion, the underdog, takes the win as they continue working as hard as they have all season, while the favorite relaxes and takes the game for granted. In what seems to be a moment, the underdog rallies for the win realizing the work they put in day in and day out was for that victory.

Where are we in our daily walk, the favorite relaxing and taking it for granted or the underdog working for our ultimate prize? What struggle are you working through that are preparing you for that moment of victory? Are we preparing for the mystery that will be realized with our victory in that moment?

“⁷Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son. ⁸Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought for her children.” – Isaiah 66:7-8 (ESV)

What if everything we ever wanted happened in just a moment? What if we were to solve everything without any time to learn? What if we were able to finally move on, because there was nothing else to be concerned with, at an instant?

These are all questions that really get me thinking and help me to understand a bit more verses 7 & 8 above. Those verses are referring to the creation of the new Israel. I also look at them in that the moment of our salvation everything changes.

When we accept Christ, we are born into our Heavenly Father’s family. Without delay, without having to wait, without having anything else to be concerned, in an instant. We are able to celebrate our new life and not have to look at what is to come.

It is hard to conceive that this moment is so great. I have learned that growth takes time, be a lifelong learner, and not to expect change to happen immediately. Our salvation goes against all of that and the only explanation for any of it is that God is greater than this world.

Are you able to look at your salvation as a change in an instant? Do you believe that your change is in a moment, really?

“⁵For his anger is but for a moment and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” – Psalms 30:5 (ESV)

There are better things to do than wallow in our self-pity. The verse above tells us that those low points are just that points. They only last for a moment and then are gone. It is us that keep them going and brood on them. I tend to do that myself and it is not healthy. Those are just short pieces of time and as you can see in the 2^nd half of verse 5, when the morning comes it should be over and overtaken with joy.

But how?

It is up to us to lean on our Lord and Savior. Those low points, those filled with sorrow and anger are just for a moment. The love and care provided by God last for a lifetime. We are to lean on that love and care. God only wants what is best for us. He allows the low points to refine us into something greater.

I have to learn to allow for the sorrow and anger, and then embrace the joy provided by God. Work through the valleys of low points and hold fast to the lifetime of favor from God.

What about you, are you living the low points? Have you looked to realize that those low points are just moments in time and pass quickly? What are you doing to work through those moments of sorrow and anger and hold fast to the lifetime of favor from God?

We all are searching for joy, yes, all of us whether followers of Christ or not.

“⁴Do you not know this from of old, since man was placed on earth, ⁵that the exulting of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless but for a moment?” – Job 20:4-5 (ESV)

When I find joy, am I finding it in God, or am I finding it in the world? I know this is a tough question to answer and one that gets me to really thinking.

When I find joy, I have to be looking for the sustainability of that joy. When the joy I find is in God and all that he has given, then it stays with me. When I relish in the joy from the world, it is fleeting and is only for the moment.

Take the example of winning some competition or finding success with a task or project, that joy is only for that moment and as soon as the next competition or task is upon us, the joy is gone. But, when we find joy in the working through the competition or task and our joy is rooted in the completion that stays with us forever.

I may have been looking at it all wrong. The season we are in is a struggle and I have not been running this race for the race itself, but looking for the finish line. The line will not come here on earth, it is a constant race that we have to continue running and find joy in that race as opposed to looking for the joy of the end. God provides the joy during the race and when found by us, we will be able to more fully embrace it. When our joy comes from the one task or competition completion, we are able to embrace the moment and not the journey God has us on.

Are you embracing the winning of the competition, or the completion of a task? What if you were to simply embrace the journey instead of the moment? How much more sustainable joy would you be able to find by avoiding the simple moment of earthly “victory”?

Being indecisive creates confusion and it delays action.

“¹⁵I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” – Revelation 3:15-16 (ESV)

Make a decision already! Without one, we are simply marking time and not moving forward. We are not winning or losing. God wants us moving, obeying, and loving. We are not making any progress (either good or bad) if we are simply indecisive.

Making a decision is moving forward. Either in the right direction or wrong. If we are moving, obeying, and loving, God will give us additional direction. When we are sitting waiting, God will simply sit and wait also.

Last year I chose to live the word “stand” in an effort to get moving as I was idle for too long. This year I choose to live the word “example” in an effort to calm some of the, dare I say, aggressive standing I did. Either way, I am at least moving and am able to get some direction from God. Am I getting it right, an emphatic NO! But, I am moving and God is providing me with my next moves.

Discipline to make those decisions in our lives is important in getting us moving. Discipline after the decisions will come from God as he corrects our path. But without discipline, we are standing idle and so is God, waiting for us to make a move so that he can help.

Where are you in your decision making? Are you standing idle waiting for direction? Or, are you disciplined enough to make a decision and get help from our Lord and Savior?

I am sure that like me you have heard the phrase; “No Pain, No Gain”. Well I never really thought to apply it to my walk with Christ. It is truer in our walk with Him than other places on this earth.

“⁵And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. ⁶For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastised every son whom he receives.’…¹¹For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” – Hebrews 12:5-6 & 11 – (ESV)

These verses give me encouragement with regard to the concept of pain for gain. God never indicated that being a Christian would be easy. In fact, if we look at the life of Jesus where He was rebuked and attacked and tested, He still stayed the course even to death for the gain was greater than the pain.

How can I grumble about the difficulty I am having if Jesus did not grumble with the even worse time He had of it while walking this earth? I have to place things in context and realize that here on the earth, I may be suffering, but God is preparing my reward for my perseverance.

I must have and endure discipline to stay the path laid out for my by God. My reward will be great, but I have to stick it out for the “peaceful fruit of righteousness” in store.

Are you feeling the pain of discipline? When you feel that pain, where are you looking? Are you looking at the pain, or the blessings to come?

“¹²Apply you heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.” – Proverbs 23:12 (ESV) “⁹Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.” – Proverbs 23:9 (ESV)

When I was reading this morning about discipline, these verses stood out. I know, I have written them verses in reverse order from how they appear in God’s Word. They make sense to me this way.

It all starts with instruction and discipline. When we are disciplined, we are able to apply the instruction of God in our lives. We understand and continually work to obey God’s commands to keep us on the path he has prepared for us.

With the instruction and discipline comes our ability to know what to listen to and what to avoid. When we are focused on true knowledge, we are able to avoid the doing things that are not beneficial, like speaking to someone who does not want to listen anyway.

I know it is difficult to avoid someone who is not listening. We want to be sure that they hear the truth. But, they don’t want the truth, they feel as though they are all set. We can still witness to them with our actions and be the example of Christ by providing love for them, however we are only wasting our breath when trying to explain and speak the truth.

How have you fared when trying to get through to someone that did not want to hear? We have a path provided by God, are we trying to bring others on our path or are we a part of their path as provided by God? What would happen if we were to apply discipline and avoid wasting our breath?