After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.

 
This ordeal reminded me of how much “noise” I have in my life-and how sometimes it’s hard to listen to what the Lord might be saying to me because of it. Music, television, and messages left on my voicemail system are among some of the usual distractions. There are people who need my attention throughout the day, from home to work-and all points in between. And even though I got up early this morning for a little devotional time and a chance to do some writing, I could hear the hum of the freeway in the distance, a lawn mower grinding in the neighbor’s yard, and my dogs barking incessantly at something (no doubt the mower wasn’t making them happy either).

So how can you and I find ways to hear what God may be trying to tell us in an often distracting world? Well, let’s take a look at the lessons we can learn from Elijah’s interactions with the Lord in this story from I Kings:

 
Because of the difficult circumstances Elijah found himself in, he got away and cried out to the Lord. In this conversation, he wasn’t afraid to tell God how he felt-alone and afraid despite all his efforts to serve the Lord. Even though he might have been sidetracked by the wind, earthquake, and fire, Elijah kept alert for the still, small voice that followed that commotion. Let’s see what happened as this story unfolded:

 
Notice how Elijah virtually repeated his answer to God. He wasn’t afraid to talk honestly with his heavenly Father, and that’s when he finally received the clear message about what to do next. And guess what? That’s exactly what Elijah did: “So Elijah went . . .” (verse 19a).

Here are a few lessons we can take away from this story about someone who loved and served God, yet felt dejected, lonely, and even frightened in the world he found himself in:

1. Get away from the “noise” each day so you can spend time with God uninterrupted.
2. Don’t be afraid to pray and tell the Lord exactly how you’re feeling.
3. Listen for how He may be speaking to you-in the quiet, or even in the rumble of a crowd.
4. When you feel He is moving you a certain direction, then move!

Our lives are always going to be busy, so it’s up to us to make time to hear from the Lord. We need Him when things get rough, as they did for Elijah-but we also need His assistance as we move through each and every day. Look for signs of His presence, and, most importantly, keep the communication lines between the two of you open so you can truly hear what He has to say.

Thought of the Month

If you’re like me, you may have caught part of this year’s Grammy Award show. I have to admit, I was shocked by the opening number! No, it wasn’t because of outrageous outfits. My horror had nothing to do with raunchy comments or bleeped words. Instead, the dismay was due to the fact that the entire audience stood and sang right along with the band, AC/DC, as they performed their famous rock song Highway to Hell!

That’s right, hundreds of the people present clapped, bobbed their heads, and chanted these words verbatim:

 
For many who’ve listened to the tune for decades, it may have simply represented youthful rebellion of rules and society’s restrictions. But if you look at the rest of the lyrics, you’ll find ideas that are far more frightening:

As I read these words, I wondered if the audience members that night had any clue what they were clapping about and nodding their approval to. Did they really want to have Satan greeting them in that kind of “promised land” one day? Were they in agreement with the rock band’s final phrase “And I’m going down, all the way down. I’m on the highway to hell?” Scary stuff!

This is yet another reason why I’m so thankful God has led me on a different path-His Highway to Heaven! And I am much more interested in following His ideas on how to live than ever before. In fact, the Lord gives us basic instructions in His Word for what this kind of pathway looks like:

God’s highway may not be very popular in modern society, but at least we know where it ends! Heaven is the final destination for His followers when this life is over, and the Lord is the One who will welcome us into an eternity spent peacefully in His presence simply because we accepted His gift of salvation.
I love the imagery given in the Old Testament of the result of faithfully following God:

 
Friends, we’re living in times when many around us are totally oblivious to the two pathways that are before them: following God, or not. Let’s pray for those yet-to-be-saved on a daily basis, and may we look for opportunities to share about the life He has given us-and the even better life that awaits us one day soon!

Thought of the Month

The verses above are from a passage that’s a favorite for many. Like me, you may have memorized this psalm as a child, or perhaps you’ve simply read it so many times you know it by heart. Yet despite all the review I’ve done of this famous psalm of David, I often find myself getting stuck right after the acknowledgement, “The Lord is my shepherd.” Yes, I believe that sincerely: Jesus is my Lord, my Savior-He is everything to me. But, I still find myself “wanting.”

Now I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with wanting things. Actually, I believe one of the most wonderful aspects of being human is our God-given desire to strive and achieve. These drives cause us to wake up each morning to try to make a difference in our world. They encourage us to be creative, take chances, and make changes in our lives. Yet these endeavors are truly most enjoyable when we are also able to take time to appreciate what we have accomplished. In other words, there must be a balance between wanting to do more and constantly being stuck in a state of wanting.

This is when the “quiet water” moments of our lives become essential. David talked about taking time to rest and relax-realizing that “rest” is a chance to literally be restored by the Lord. These restful times allow us to reflect on our blessings, appreciate where we’ve been, and even dream about where we may be going. And then when it’s time for the journey of life to resume again, that too becomes an opportunity to be led by God in ways that will not only be productive but will also please Him.

For me, this process has boiled down to one word: contentment. Can I be comfortable with my life just as it is? Can I be okay with what I’m doing, what I have, and where the Lord is leading me? This kind of satisfaction allows me to rest in each moment of every day, even during times like these:

Now that’s putting contentment to the ultimate test! Can you and I be content when things get tough? When we’re in a down season, a dark place, or even dealing with evil-can we be satisfied with the situation God has placed us in? I don’t know about you, but I want to be like King David who exclaimed with confidence, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all that I need” (New Living Translation).

Discovering this state of contentment should be part of our spiritual journey. It’s not easy to find, but once we reach that place, our perspective will change. Sure, we’ll still want to achieve great things for the Lord, but we’ll be satisfied in the process of getting there too. We will have lots of hopes and dreams, but our daily duties will be just as gratifying because we’re pleased with where God has us right now. And this is when all we really “want” will be whatever He has to offer.

Thought of the Month

As we move into this month that’s marked by a day dedicated to love, I felt there couldn’t be a better time to share a snippet of our upcoming Sonkist book entitledI Choose LOVE! As you may recall, I Choose JOY! is my most personal book yet-but this next volume in the I Choose series is the one I’m most passionate about. Why? Because it’s all about God’s love. The Lord loves me, and He loves you too. Here’s a little about that wonderful love for you to read right now:

I’ve often wondered if some people struggle with Jesus so much because they just can’t grasp how someone, even the Son of God, could possibly love them. For countless people around the globe, their tangible experiences with being loved have been shaky, at best. For others, the realities have been painful-being used and abused under the auspices of what another calls “love.” And many wonder how something that sounds so unfathomable, like the unwavering love of God, could ever become a reality in their lives.

But if these individuals could dig just a bit deeper into Jesus’ story, they’d find a man who experienced the same types of pain, losses, rejections, and suffering that they have had-yet His love overcame it all. Jesus left the wonders of Heaven to live an ordinary life, mistrusted and mistreated by those who should have welcomed His presence. He suffered and died because His desire is for everyone to be saved (II Peter 3:8-9).

The Greek word for Jesus’ compassion for mankind is “agape”-which is an unconditional love. I like to call it “just because” kind of love. The Lord has no strings attached to His love. There’s no tricky fine print. In other words, the Lord loves us “just because.”

This aspect of God’s gift of love seems too simple for certain individuals. There are men and women who would feel much better if they did something to earn salvation. As Scripture points out time and time again, we can’t do anything to win or gain eternal life. It’s a gift given in love that should be lovingly accepted.

We have been urged by the Lord to respond to His love in a unique way. In His discussion with the religious leader, Jesus explained God’s expectations for all of us: to love Him with our heart, soul, strength, and mind-and to love our neighbors as ourselves. In I John 3:23 we find this concept reframed this way: “And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.”

Again, we are faced with what our response should be to His loving gift. Why did Jesus place such importance on this? Because His love, while unconditional in every way, should change us! “Just because” kind of love should inspire us to love our Creator as well as everyone He has made. (from Chapter 3, “Love Thy Neighbor”)

We’ll keep you posted on when I Choose LOVE! will be available, but in the meantime, why not use this month as a great opportunity to reboot your thinking when it comes to love? It all starts by fully embracing the Lord’s gift of love and then multiplies as you reach out in love to those around you. Remember, you get to choose-that’s another one of God’s amazing gifts to all of us!

Thought of the Month

As we transition into this New Year, I thought we could consider tips for dressing successfully-but as you can tell from the verse above, this isn’t the way we typically think about how we should clothe ourselves. In the world we live in, success is often identified by a designer dress, a finely cut suit, or expensive accessories. And we’ve been “told” by society that if we hope to get ahead in life, we’d better dress the part.

Now I’m not saying that looking nice isn’t important, and I would be the first to admit that I have a weakness for cute clothes, snazzy shoes, and pretty purses. But the Lord reminds us in Colossians that there’s so much more we should be wrapping ourselves up in each and every day of our lives. Let’s take a closer look at each of these:

1. Compassion: this isn’t an ordinary “Oh, I feel for you” type of emotion. This word actually comes the Latin compati, which translates “to bear or suffer with.” In other words, it’s a deep empathy that urges us to want to bear the other person’s burden-and to help in some way.
2. Kindness: According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, this word defines a state of being where “wanting and liking to do good things” and bringing happiness to others are the norm rather than the exception. Imagine how much better life would be if we all worked on this one attribute alone!
3. Humility: this descriptor about being humble makes even more sense when we look back at its Latin origin, humus, which is the word for earth. After all, nothing gets more basic, or lowlier, than the ground that we walk upon! This is the state Christ was born into when He left the wonders of Heaven for Planet Earth, and also how He chose to live while He was here.
4. Gentleness: I love the synonyms for this word- “delicate, light, mellow, mild, nonabrasive, soft, soothing, and tender.” The archaic meaning of this attribute included “chivalrous.”
5. Patience: the dictionary helps us understand why this term is also a noun that relates to someone receiving medical care. In other words, someone who is patient is also “able to remain calm and not become annoyed when waiting for a long time or when dealing with problems or difficult people.”

Which attribute of God’s version of “dressing for success” do you feel is your greatest strength? Which one would you like to improve upon during this new year of life? Why not add compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience to your resolutions for 2015? After all, you are holy in God’s eyes, and He’d like to wrap you up in His love-the kind of love that changes you from the inside out!