Tuesday Matters

Everyday Handling It

Have you heard this saying, “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle?” like that’s supposed to be some sort of bumper sticker of encouragement? Is that even in the Bible? It’s not. You’ve probably thought if God cared so much, He wouldn’t load so many difficult things on my plate. You’ve probably said, “I can’t handle this. When I find myself in that place it’s often because I “overthink” with “what if?” It’s scary when you think you have to carry your burdens alone.

“Help, God,” is a prayer. Call on God or another to come alongside of you to help carry the burden and pray. Also know this, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man. God is faithful; He’ll not let it get to a place you can’t bear. But He will provide a way out so that you can endure. God doesn’t give us temptation; that’s our own evil desires that drag us away and entice but God does actually give us more than we can handle SO that we seek Him, of the cross, to carry us up and through…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Walk in Strength

The devil wants each of us to concentrate on how far we have fallen rather than how far we have risen through Christ. I had someone recently help me with radio ministry and when I shared all the folders of transcripts I had written I was amazed and encouraged. I was feeling so discouraged and stuck.

Satan wants us to focus on our past instead of our futures and how far we still have to go rather than how far we have come. He wants us to think about how many times we fail rather than how many times we succeed. But God wants us to focus on our strengths through how He’s working in our lives by His grace and not our weaknesses. It’s truly focusing my mind on the truth that when I am weak, He is at His strongest Philippians 3:13-14 tells us that God wants us to press forward and respond to His upward call and forget what lies behind us. Pay attention and focus on what God gives you to do and by that obedience you will magnify the works of the Lord…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Be the Church

I love people. I love traveling and meeting new people in random places everywhere, like gas stations. You can have church anywhere, a gathering of others and sharing the grace of God. Cuz when church stops being about us, it can be about God again.

Church is meant to crush our selfishness and church without God does none of that. Often our evangelism becomes winning people to our doctrine or our denomination instead of reaching the people next door who have no direct access to freedom in Jesus. As I travel speaking, I get a reality check every “church person” would benefit from. Our job is to get people to know Jesus personally. People need God desperately and not in a Pollyanna, “it’s all for a reason” sort of way. Jesus came to save the lost by letting them know they are loved right where they are at and not where they should be. Don’t just go to church, be the church…love without conditions…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Underdog

God often chooses the underdog. Think of David in the Bible who is the youngest of his brothers, a shepherd boy and was made King. And then there’s Gideon, who was threshing wheat at night and God tapped him and said, “Gideon you mighty warrior.” He was used to conquer the fierce and large group of Midianites. Jesus chose everyday people for most of his apostles and hung out with “sinners” more than the upper class.

We most often look on the outside and judge a person’s success based on what we see on earth. Our real success is not here. It’s in eternity. Matthew 19:30 says, “But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” One of the simplest instructions from God is one of the most challenging from Mark 10; “Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you’ll have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me” …everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Gentle Answer

Sometimes I talk too much. Even if I’m talking about good things, it’s still better if I follow the advice of Proverbs 10:19; “Don’t talk too much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow!” I know that the mouth that blesses, praises and prays can also irritate, hurt and harm.

I remember a time when I was home from college and having a heated argument with my dad, who’s an unbeliever. I was so frustrated, and I wanted to lash out and say something to prove my point but from experience I knew my brilliant but angry words would not change a thing. It’s crazy but I actually said aloud Proverbs 15:1; “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” It was weird but the argument stopped immediately, as soon as I spoke the Proverb. God had the last Word. My prayer is Psalm 19:14, “May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to God in every way...everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Acknowledge God

Wouldn’t it be nice if every time we asked God a question, we could just randomly open our Bibles and there’d be our answer? But the thing is, our answers are in the Bible and when we spend time there everyday, we begin to learn the ways of God. We also begin to trust God knowing from Proverbs 3:6 that if we acknowledge God in all of our ways, He will direct our paths. Acknowledging God really means to care about what He thinks.

In the Bible in I Chronicles, the Prophet Nathan, told David that he could go ahead and build a house for God. But the next day Nathan got word that one of David’s sons would build instead. What’s cool is that because David had a heart for God, he could praise God for this answer even though he might have been a little disappointed. Acknowledging and caring what God thinks makes a huge difference in how we respond to things and what the outcome is…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday We Are Poor

When I honestly accepted who God said I was, loved, redeemed and not a mistake, I felt I could stop pretending and performing. I need Him desperately. It is not the “they” who are poor, sinful and lost. It’s being aware that we, ourselves, are the primary target.

Unless we acknowledge that we are the sinners, the sick ones and the lost sheep for whom Jesus came, we do not belong to the “blessed” who know that they are poor and inherit the Kingdom. It’s a dangerous zone when we get our assurance from wealth or our status. Realize THIS, that “they” is you and me, wretched, pitiably poor and so often blind. Isaiah 64 lays things out clearly when we begin to think, “I’m doing really well here.” “We’re all unclean and all our righteous acts are like filthy garbage. It’s what Jesus did on the cross that cleans us up and sets us free…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Flea Market Patience

As I stood in a hut, waiting in a crammed line to buy a necklace from a flea market vendor, I decided to pray for the artist rather than sigh with exasperated impatience. I thought; "Being patient isn't so much about the amount of time I wait but more about my attitude while I wait." Besides this was another opportunity for me to develop my fruits of the spirit and the fruit of patience is far from being ripe. When it was finally my turn at the counter the artist's mother who was helping said, "I've been watching you wait in line, and you weren’t impatient by all that was around you. There’s something different about you. You have peace."

It's not always what we say but how we behave that makes an impact. And it’s not always easy but from 1 John 4:16 we can rely on God’s love for help. Because when we live in God, He lives in us…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Heartsick

It's so hard when I’ve been hoping and praying for something, and it doesn’t happen at all like I expected or wanted. How true is Proverbs 13: 12, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” But even with heart sickness and prayers unanswered my way I know God has the way to work all things for the good. In the meantime, it’s good to recognize the disappointment because it’s part of the recovery process. Of course, we can always find someone that’s worse off than us or a reason why, we shouldn’t complain but I think the healthier response is to actually acknowledge the letdown, express our emotions and then move forward with God’s plan.

Proverbs 18:15; "The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear it if the spirit is crushed?" My aunt always says, “I rather have sickness in my body than sickness in the mind or spirit.” And I agree. But thankfully there’s a God who’s there to help and heal us through all our sicknesses…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Scooters

I remember when I was the substitute teacher for 2nd grade gym and oh how excited the eight-year-olds were for “Friday Free Day” which meant hula hoops, balls and scooters. Unfortunately, for Caleb, there weren’t enough little floor scooters to go around. So, after 10 minutes I asked Megan to give her blue scooter to Caleb. She was about to do when she noticed a red and orange one rolled to the side. But as I led Caleb to the scooters he stopped me, tears coming, and sniffled; “I know it doesn’t matter and all colored scooters are the same, but I just need a blue one.” Megan obliged giving up her blue for red but wondered; “Why?” “Oh, just because,” I said. God gets out “crazy” too. Psalm 55:2 says, “Attend to and answer me; I’m restless and distraught in my complaint and must moan.”

No matter how little your need is, it matters to God because you matter to Him, absolutely and completely…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Gentle Answer

Sometimes I talk too much. Even if I’m talking about good things, it’s still better if I follow the advice of Proverbs 10:19; “Don’t talk too much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow!” I know that the mouth that blesses, praises and prays can also irritate, hurt and harm.

I remember a time when I was home from college and having a heated argument with my dad, who’s an unbeliever. I was so frustrated, and I wanted to lash out and say something to prove my point but from experience I knew my brilliant but angry words would not change a thing. It’s crazy but I actually said aloud Proverbs 15:1; “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” It was weird but the argument stopped immediately, as soon as I spoke the Proverb. God had the last Word. My prayer is Psalm 19:14, “May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to God and I’ve discovered it’s in listening more than talking that healthy relationships are maintained…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Free Will

It all comes down to free will. We have a choice to choose good and evil actions. I have made bad choices whether it was lying or taking something that wasn’t mine but I’ve also had the same bad things happen to me, someone lying and stealing from me.

C.S. Lewis said, “If a thing is free to be good it is also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having. I have to really stop and think about that but it’s true. It’s the freedom of choice that makes love real. Being forced to love God is not real love at all. It goes back to the basics of what being a Christian is. Accept God’s love, His grace and HIS work on the cross. It’s not about our good works. When we understand His grace, we can really start loving others freely…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Detach

Loving someone who has an addiction problem can be very challenging. I remember hearing the story of a woman who was married to an alcoholic and every night her husband would come home drunk, collapse on the floor and fall asleep. And every night this woman would somehow get him up and put him to bed. She became worn out and frazzled from rescuing her husband. A friend suggested she attend Al Anon and there she learned about “Detachment.” The next night when her husband came home drunk and fell asleep on the floor, she simply put a blanket over him and left him there. She loved him by covering him but by not picking him up she was detaching. She did not rescue him. She created a loving boundary and let go.

Sometimes love calls us to let go completely. It can be a scary and uncertain time but God will guide you always (Isaiah 55:11). And He’ll often send others to help who’ve been through a similar trial. Reach out. You are not alone...everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Relationship

If one of my four sons were to say, “My mom is pretty religious,” I’d be bugged. I don’t practice a religion; I have a relationship with God. Jesus defined what a relationship with God is when He said in Matthew 16:24, “If you want to be a follower of Mine, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow Me.” Surrendering my strong will to do God’s will isn’t always easy but it’s always worth it. God loves me. He fully knows me, and He fully loves, and He know what’s best.

God not only sees the big picture, but He sees the whole picture. Can you see why religion is so irrelevant to God? Having a relationship requires us to be intentional, to spend time getting to know someone and with God it’s about knowing the Bible because He is the Word Himself. Going to church is an activity that is important for community and accountability but if it’s a religious activity then it’s based upon rules whereas a relationship is about knowing Jesus intimately and personally…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Dreams

When we look at things only in the natural world, we will always be defeated. How do I know? Let me tell you a story about spies. In the Bible in the book of Numbers, Chapter 13, God told twelves spies to go into a foreign land and discover who was living there, then come back and report. Ten spies reported, “Great land, but the people are too big, too powerful, we saw it all.”  Two of the twelve spies disagreed and said, “If God is pleased with us, He will give us this land.” Two different reports … one saw the reality, the other saw God. Faith is the reality of things hoped for and the evidence of the unseen.

If all we see is the reality, we will never take a risk to conquer, with courage, the land of our dreams. But it’s important that the dream I have is God’s will for my life too. God recently reminded me of Proverbs 16:3, "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established". This verse encourages trusting in God's guidance and plan, rather than solely relying on my own efforts or plans…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Deepest Longings

“Where are you looking to satisfy your deepest desires and longings?” John 4 tells of the women at the well with whom Jesus spoke. She had been married five times and was living with a man who was not her husband, yet Jesus doesn't give her a lecture on immorality. He spoke to her about her thirst. Someone shared this quote referring to John 7; "Christ enters the ‘Tuckered Towns’ of the world, stands at the intersection of ‘Worn-Out Avenue’ and ‘Done-In Street’ and compels, ‘If you are thirsty, come to Me! If you believe in Me, come and drink!’ For the scriptures declare that rivers of living waters will flow out from within."

Only Jesus can satisfy that ache in your heart. If you're eating the junk food of the self-centered life, you'll never be satisfied. God is in the filling business, and He wants to satisfy your deepest desires. He can fill your emptiness. Look to Him. He will bring you fulfillment and hope…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Backbone

I don’t sew, bake or volunteer for craft projects at school. I could feel like a lousy mom because don’t the good moms have all of those skills? But let’s try and remember that God doesn’t make mistakes and He created us uniquely and for a specific purpose. Sure, we get stuck wishing we were someone else or had their skills but how productive is that? How about we try this: If you experience a setback or failure don’t fall apart but believe God will use the experience to train you for the next step. Look at Ephesians 3:12 and we read that through faith in God, we can approach Him with freedom and confidence. He loves us. “Plenty of people have wishbone but there are too few with not enough backbone.” “Wishbone is wishing you were like somebody else, and backbone is going forward in confidence with the gifts God’s given you.

Once we’re rooted and established in His love, we move forward in freedom to be best of who He created use to be…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday God is Bigger

God is bigger. We may know this in our heart but it’s acting it out like we believe it that makes the difference. One of the hardest things to do is to forgive someone who isn’t’ sorry for what they’ve done because “it’s so not fair!” And because it’s not fair we want them to know how wrong they are. What does God want? Go to 1 Peter 3:9 and read; “Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That’s what God asks, and He’ll bless you for it.”

Do you think God tells us to be good to those who’ve hurt us just because He wants to watch us suffer? No. The enemy works through people to hurt us and if we end up hating that person because they’ve hurt us then Satan’s job has been accomplished two times over. But if we respond with love then we’ve gotten Satan back and he’ll wish he never laid a finger on our lives…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Judge Not

It’s so easy to judge others, isn’t it? We often do it when we feel crummy about something inside of us, so we find someone else’s problems to judge. When we begin to sinfully judge others it is characterized by a feeling of superiority or resentment. Sinful judging often involves deciding what others’ motives may be. It reveals the absence of genuine love. We get together with others to discuss someone’s problems when instead we should be praying for them.

A listener wrote to me about this problem with, "The sad truth is that when we judge someone’s heart, perhaps because we’re angry and hurt, there is often gossip involved. The one judged, becomes what I call, ‘boxed and labeled’ by the accuser and the gossip-hearers.” Exactly. God promises us vindication. Isaiah 54:17 reads; “No weapon turned against you will succeed.” Wait on God and He we will silence those voices who stand to accuse you unjustly. God promises redemption and vindication…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday On Fence

Here’s the deal from 2 Corinthians 5:17; "If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has gone, the new is here.” However, that doesn’t mean our flesh isn’t at times screaming for what is pleasurable from our old life. Only by the power of the Holy Spirit can we let the past be the past.

It’s not what we do, but what God does in and through us that sets us free. Our “do” is our choice to listen to His voice and His Word. James 4 tells us that if we choose to be a friend of the world, we take our stand as an enemy of God. Wow. We may say, “I’m a Christian,” but are we really “saved” when we choose to follow what the world has approved but God calls sin? We may still struggle with sin, but it’s important that we ask God to move in and change us. Confess, repent, and stop riding on the fence. I still sit on the fence, I must confess. But by receiving God’s grace I get better …everyday.