Remorseful / Repentant Heart Will be Revived

I am a pretty cynical person and do not always believe what I am told or see. I know that it is an area of weakness for me and one that, as a Christian, have to get past. That cynicism keeps me from proceeding with love from time to time as I am cautious with giving in where there is a lack of trust. This is really a heart thing for me that I need to get past.

I know, what does this have to do with remorse and repentance. Well, it is about that directly in that I have instill in my heart one of remorse and repentance to place my trust in the LORD.

“¹⁵For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,

who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:

‘I dwell in the high and holy place,

and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,

to revive the spirit of the lowly,

and to revive the heart of the contrite.’”

— Isaiah 57:15 (ESV)

You see, the LORD is with us, even us who are cynical. He is waiting for our remorse and repentance to kick in to which He will revive us. The LORD is waiting on me to trust and depend on Him and all the work He is doing. All I need to do is just that, trust and depend on Him and He will reveal Himself to me and revive my heart to that place of warmth to Him and away from that cynicism.

God wants the relationship with me. Where I am in my 50s as far as age, I feel as though I have a long way to go in my maturity with Christ. I have so much to learn and every day I am working to understand and trust Him more. It is about doing the work that God has for me and seeking the why, but trusting that it is the work He has for me and it is just one tooth in the gear that leads to His glory. I have to get past the doubt and cynicism and trust Him. I have to give in to the love of the LORD and know that He has a bigger plan for me that I cannot see just yet. In short, God’s got me.

As I am able to demonstrate my contrite heart, the LORD fills it with the energy and love that only He gives. That energy and love revives me to move forward with strength and courage and love for not only Him and those around me, but for me and my relationship with Him.

How are you being revived? Are you looking for external forces revive you internally? What if you were to demonstrate your remorse and repentance and allow God to fill your heart with energy and love to revive that heart to one of trust in and love for Him?

It is all with God on our Heart

Yes, all that we have and strive to be starts with God on our heart.

“³Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;

bind them around your neck;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴So you will find favor and good success

in the sight of God and man.

⁵Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

⁶In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

⁷Be not wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

⁸It will be healing to your flesh

and refreshment to your bones.”

— Proverbs 3:3-8 (ESV)

A friend of mine once advised me to read one chapter of Proverbs daily and in a month (31 days) you will have read all of Proverbs (31 verses). The thing about Proverbs is, as noted in the introduction to the book in my ESV Bible, that it is “Practical wisdom for living”. This morning I see that wisdom playing out.

All of our growth and success in this world is based on our life with God on our heart. We are to write Him and all that He gives to us on our hearts and trust Him fully in our heart and for that we are rewarded with riches as He provides them. We are able to walk a path that leads somewhere and not a path where we are wandering. We will be healed from all that ails us in this world. In short, we are given all that we could ever truly want when it comes to finding where we belong and just what we need.

I should not be, but am amazed every day at all that I have accomplished in this world. Maybe not from a secular viewpoint, but from the viewpoint of contentment. I have health, a place to live, a wife and family that I love and that loves me, a church family that I know I can count on if/when things go awry, and most importantly a LORD that will provide all that I “NEED” to keep on keeping on in this world until my time here is done. And I attribute it all to my relationship with Him and having Him on my heart at all times.

Yes, there are still struggles, but those are largely identified by the world and not by God, as there is nothing that God cannot handle or provide for. I continue daily to wonder if I am on the right path and am I going to be successful, and then something is revealed that only God could have taken care of and provided for. I am a success. I am on the right path. I am healthy in His eyes. And, I owe it all to God and having Him in/on my heart daily.

What are you leaning on? Are you trying to do it all yourself? What if you were to place the LORD in/on your heart and allow Him to lead you from the inside out?

Desires of the Heat

How many of us wish that all our desires come true, especially those that we desire deep in our hearts. I know that I do. There are a lot of things that I desire for to come true in my life. I desire for millions of dollars. I desire for the ability to travel the world with Lori, cause that is what she wants. I desire to be seen in the world as bigger than life and the envy of all I come in contact with. But are these really those things that are of my heart or are they of some other motivation.

“³Trust in the LORD, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

⁴Delight yourself in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

— Psalm 37:3-4 (ESV)

Well, as you can see in the above verse, the way to get that which we desire in our hearts is to delight in the LORD and trust in Him. I think that we are of the opinion that if we simply say those things, then He will make them come to pass. But in order to receive the desires of our heart, our heart has to be fully given to and filled with the LORD. We have to fully “trust” in Him. We have to fully “delight” in Him. We have to fully “befriend faithfulness” in Him. And then He will give us the desires of our heart which are rooted in the glory of the LORD.

“⁵Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him, and he will act.

⁶He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as the noonday.”

— Psalm 37:5-6 (ESV)

It is a commitment to the LORD, not just a statement to Him. I commit to Him and He commits to me. I give Him all of me and He gives me all of Him. Once those conditions have been met, the LORD will provide all that I desire as what I desire will be Him.

I know, in this world it is hard to get along without the physical things that society indicates we should have. But is it all about the physical things. I know many people that have joy abounding in their lives without all the “finer” things. They have their relationship with the LORD and He provides all that they need. When they have a desire for something, the LORD fills that desire with what He know will be used for His glory and the people know that all they have received is for the LORD and His glory.

The desires of the heart are provided by the LORD when we give ourselves to Him fully. When we are in need, the LORD will fill that need knowing that all glory will be given to Him.

What are your desires? Are you expecting that all desires are filled so that you can have it all? What if you were to give yourself to the LORD fully in your heart and allow Him to fill your heart and all the desires there that will be used to bring Him glory?

Abundance and Prosperity From the Heart

“¹⁰when you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” and “⁹The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers,” — Deuteronomy 30:10 & 9 (ESV)

I know that I have captured the two verses above in reverse order. I do that as it is now in the cause and effect order. The LORD will make us prosperous and will provide abundance when we are obeying Him fully, not just in action, but with our hearts.

I wrote recently of the over abundance that God will provide when everything comes from the heart. The people gave for the building of the temple from their hearts and there was so much given that Moses had to tell them to stop giving. When we are going about our lives with Christ from our heart He will not only make sure there is more than enough for His work, but He will also provide abundance for you and me.

You see, it is not just about loving the LORD with all your heart. It is also about obeying His every command. Our pastor, Jared Patrick just did a message on bad days and what to do about it. One of the points in the sermon was that we may be obeying perfectly to God’s plans and commandments, yet the outcome was not what we expected to come. God does not always reveal to us the outcome, He may only reveal the work and our role is to obey. Our obedience is from the heart and not just on the surface of things. We have to fully believe and trust that God will use us as He needs and that we will be rewarded for the work, in the way that He sees fitting. So, as Jared pointed out in his sermon, what do we do on a bad day:

1. Remember who God is

2. Recall What God Has Promised

3. Trust What God Will Do

4. Stay Faithful Even When You Feel Empty

5. (this one is from me) Obey God From The Heart

I want to be clear, we do not do the work for some sort of reward. We do the work for the LORD and to spread His message to all around. But, we will be rewarded and that reward will be abundance and prosperity that we can only imagine today.

Where does your obeying come from? Are you doing things specifically to receive some sort of reward a, quid quo pro kind of thing? What if you were to just obey the LORD with all your heart and know that you will be rewarded in some way at some time in abundance and prosperity?

Becoming a Spiritual Leader is a Process

Generally, a newborn does not just get up and start running around as a champion sprinter. First the child must learn to crawl, then walk, and then run. And even in each step, there is time devoted to each to get good at it. Becoming a spiritual leader is similar in that it is a process and one must gain in one and work to get good at it before moving on to the next.

The process starts with our relationship with God. We first accept Him as our Father and work to engage with Him to understand and follow where He would have us go. It is devotion to the LORD that opens our heart and soul to accept Him as our Father and know that whatever He has for us is for our continued development to the achieve the purpose He has for us.

Next, we are put on the path to develop the character needed to take on the role of spiritual leader. It is not an easy path, and it is long. As noted in another of my writings from my study of spiritual leadership, “Spiritual Leadership Takes Time”. There are no shortcuts, and just when you “figure it out” the only thing you figure out is that there is more to learn and the path is even more challenging that originally thought.

Once we have developed the character needed to take on the role of spiritual leader, we will then be entrusted with the role. But, even when we have been entrusted with the role, we are still learning and developing through the experiences we encounter daily. Those experiences will be “both good and bad” as Henry and Richard Blackaby indicate. It takes them both to round us into the spiritual leaders that God has for us to become. Even when mistakes happen, “Wise leaders allow God to make the most of their mistakes.” – Henry and Richard Blakaby.

The thing is, becoming the spiritual leader God has for me to become takes time and experience in the development of my character. Each of those are determined, according to the Blackabys, by my dedication to “trust in God and obedience to God”. Only God can give and grow in me the character He is looking for to take on the role of spiritual leader. I can take comfort in that once He selects me for the role, He will provide all that I will need to accomplish the work that He has set for me to accomplish for His glory.

What is your thoughts on becoming a spiritual leader? Are you of the camp that believes you can just start running with it? What if you knew and understood that becoming a spiritual leader is a process and you were to lean on the LORD to work you through that process?

Christian Leadership Principles into Secular Roles

This morning I continue my study into Spiritual Leadership and have been led to the similarities and differences of Christian Leadership and Secular Leadership. This is a fascinating comparison that has many facets, yet this morning I cover(ed) one of them. The question in my reading from MasterWork this morning that generated the most thought was this: “Do leadership principles found in secular writing and seminars apply to work done in God’s kingdom?” and pastors will go with, “Will these same principles work for me as I lead my church?”

My answer to these questions is yes. Principles to leadership are translatable from one role to another. It is the need according to the LORD or the world that has to be addressed and the direction and outcome expected in each. I do believe that when applied to the need and the direction and outcome are considered, what is used in one role, say pastor, can be used in another role, say CEO.

Here is the thing, it is leadership principles of the LORD that should be emulated in the world, not the other way around. As I read and wrote on before, the church is filled with “leaders” that were not formally “taught” to lead. They did not receive a book or a course on true leadership in seminary, or did they?

The greatest leader of all time was, JESUS. Think about it. Jesus took men and women from all walks of life and over the course of three years, led them to take over His work in this world. They would go from place to place and apply the fruit of the Spirit wherever and with whomever they came in contact with. They were filled by the Spirit and let it shine from themselves to the world.

“²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)

The principles above are from the LORD and not from the world. We see secular leaders in the world who introduce these principles as being great, and leaders, even pastors, all over gravitate to them. There is this belief that somehow these secular leaders have “cracked the code” of what real leadership is and all over, are looking to these secular leaders and “their” revealed secrets.

Thing is, a good number of these secular leaders, found these principles in their walk with the LORD and that is something that all are not aware. S. Truett Cathy, who founded Chick-fil-a is a devout Christian and even closed his businesses on Sunday’s to demonstrate that. Ken Blanchard, writer and professor, is very open with his faith. Stephen Covey, educator and writer, pulled directly from the principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Notice the above paragraph theme, some of the most espoused secular leadership principles, have their grounding in the teachings of the LORD. These principles are widely used and carried out in the secular world and yet they come from the LORD (not here to discuss the merits of different religions). So the questions in the first paragraph are proven to be answered as yes, the principles of the secular leadership world will work in the church, as that is where they originated.

“⁵Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

⁶In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”

– Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

Where are you getting your leadership principles? Are you leaning on the secular world’s writing and teaching? What if you went to the source and applied the Christian principles everywhere?

God Will Do What He Will Do

I struggle in the mornings with my writing to find just the right title, and this morning is no different. I am in the first chapter of Matthew and was led to the passage of “The Birth of Jesus Christ” as it is titled in my English Standard Version Bible. I wanted to title my writing something like, “Nothing is to Big for God to do”. But for some reason, that just did not sound right.

You see, God is the biggest and as we know and He does the biggest things for sure. But I think a bit more about all of the things in general that God does that seem not quite as big. He burned a bush, that was not consumed, to talk to one man. He provided a ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac. Jesus turned water to wine for a wedding of friends. Jesus invited children to Him to teach. These things may not seem big in the grand scheme of things, but they do demonstrate that God will do what He will do.

“’²¹She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ ²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

‘²³Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel’

(which means, God with us).” – Matthew 1:21-23 (ESV)

God does what He will do to fulfill His plan. As I was in Matthew this morning and reading on the birth of Jesus, I was reminded that Mary was a virgin mother. Of course, how could this be other than God will do what he will do. Remember also, Mary’s relative, Elizabeth, conceived at an old age, John the Baptist, and was considered barren. And Sarah, Abraham’s wife conceiving at 90 years of age, Isaac, even as she was considered barren as well.

God will do what He will do to fulfill His plan. It does not matter what obstacles are in the way nor is all that He does magnificent to behold. God has His plan and nothing stands in His way to accomplish that plan. Our role in all of it is to trust in His plan and know that He will straighten out everything for the fulfillment of that plan.

“⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

⁶In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.”

— Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

What is your belief on what God does? Is it one of he does great things always? What if you took things that God does as that is Him doing what He does to fulfill His plan, regardless of the size of the things done?

The LORD Announces His Intentions

Have you ever been called into a meeting, either in work or in personal where you were not sure of the substance of the meeting and went in with an anxiousness and your guard up? It happens all the time and where there are instances where the information was so quick, that there was no time to allow attendees to prepare, but those are the exception to the rule and not the rule itself. Good leaders announce ahead of time the substance of meetings so that those attending will have a chance to prepare and find the information useful as they move forward. The LORD the great leader that always prepares us for what is next.

“³¹Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, ³²not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.” — Jeremiah 31:31 (ESV)

Notice in the above verse that God declares a new covenant is coming. He lets it known that the people should begin to prepare for it as it will be different that what was before (new covenant, not another). The LORD was not acting out His anger, He just let it known that He would be going a new direction and the people should begin to prepare now.

Once the LORD had the attention of the people, He laid out the changes so that the preparation can begin for what is to come.

“³³For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” – Jeremiah 31:33-34 (ESV)

Now, there I much more to the changes, but the gist is above, no longer will His law be external, but it will be internalized for all to know and keep. There will no longer be a need to teach others to “Know the LORD” as all will know Him, they will now need to understand who He is and take Him into their heart themselves. Sin will be taken care of and the people will be provided the way to no longer be slaves to sin.

This declaration from the LORD is the new covenant that is enacted with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He takes on our sin and dies for them. He will be known to the world for doing so. Being like Jesus is the direction to internalizing the law of the LORD. So we can see that the LORD announces to the people of the upcoming changes and then carries those changes out for the benefit of those same people. The LORD announces His intentions and then follows-up on those intentions.

What is your understanding of the work of the LORD? Do you think things just happened and you are the beneficiary of them? What if you were to think back and see that the LORD is the great leader who announces His intentions and then follows-up on them?

Wait on and Trust in God Only

I am human and a man and therefor I believe it is my responsibility to make things better. I am in control of things and by my work I am the thing that gets me and us through things that happen to get in the way. Well, as I child of God, I have to remember that it is really He that does such and I have to wait on and trust in Him only.

“¹For God alone my soul waits in silence;

from him comes my salvation.

²He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.”

“⁸Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your heart before him;

God is a refuge for us.”

— Psalm 62:1-2&8 (ESV)

God is my refuge and my redeemer. I have to remember these things. I have to do the work that He has for me, yes. But, it is just that, the work He has for me that he prepared ahead of time. The work He has for me is for my good.

“¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

I have to wait on God to give me the direction for that work and trust that it is enough for me. Yes, there will be things that distract me, like riches and things and places. God will provide that which I need and not those things of distraction. I have to stay focused on Him and the work and things He has for me and know that is enough.

“¹⁰Put no trust in extortion;

set no vain hopes on robbery;

if riches increase, set not your heart on them.

¹¹Once God has spoken;

twice have I heard this:

that power belongs to God,

¹²and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.

For you will render to a man

according to his work.”

— Psalm 62:10-12 (ESV)

When reading verse 12 above, it would appear that it is through works that we gain from God. But we have to look at where those works come from, Him. It is not the works that lead to our gain, it is because of our gain that we complete the works of the LORD. We have the works thanks to Him and those works are tailored specifically for each of us. And that is where the waiting and trusting come in. I have to wait on God to provide me the works He has for me and then trust in Him that these works will be enough for His glory to shine brightly for the world to see.

What is your view of waiting on and trusting in God? Are you anxious and looking to do things on your own? What if you were to wait on Him and trust that He will provide that which you are in need of to bring glory to Him?

Be All About the LORD

This morning I am in Psalm 37 and am seeing the glory of the LORD manifest for those who are connected to Him. The thing that stood out to me this morning is that I have to be all about the LORD and give myself fully to Him and work to bring glory to Him always.

“³Trust in the Lord…

⁴Delight yourself in the Lord…

⁵Commit your way to the Lord…

⁷Be still before the Lord…

³⁴Wait for the Lord…”

— Psalm 37:3, 4, 5, 7, & 34 (ESV)

These are all there in God’s Word for me to meditate on. I am not just to accept salvation from the LORD, I am to be all about and all in with Him. Justification is gained once one has accepted salvation and the fact that Jesus came and paid the price for my sin in this world that I may not die of my sin. He came for that I would not have to experience the wrath of the Father as He took on the consequence of my separation from the LORD.

Being all about the LORD and all in with Him is a move to Sanctification as I work to remove the power of sin in my life. I will be judged as righteous when I trust, delight, commit, am still, and wait for the LORD. When I surround myself with the LORD and dwell in Him I will keep myself working for, in, and with Him and my focus will not wander into the temptation of sin. I am devoted to the LORD and His work and do not have the time or thought of anything else.

Every day I am tempted by the evil one to wander off from the LORD. Even as a child of God, I am drawn to sin and sinful ways. I am secure in my salvation thanks to the justification I have gained through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. My sanctification is the ongoing struggle as I work to overcome the power of sin. It is in my all in and all about the LORD where I will find relief from the power of sin as I find peace in Him.

What is your view of your relationship with the LORD? Are you content in your justification? What if you were to be all about the LORD and fully trust, delight, commit, are still, and wait for Him to avoid the power of sin that continues?