COFFEE ON THE DOCK

“With a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever,” Psalm 136:12 (NIV). One of the constant blessings of my life is giving and receiving so many hugs in fellowship with others. Both sharing and receiving the love of God with His children gives me great joy and activates even more of the love of God within me. Little arms, huge arms, soft touches, warm embraces, shoulder squeezes, handshakes and pats on the arm nourish my soul. Holy hugs are just one of the many ways God “supplies all our needs according to His riches in glory” while simultaneously engaging us in partnership and ministry as His arms extended. Lord, I am Yours, make me an instrument of Your love today as I embrace others in Your Name. And thank You Father for all who are willing to be Your arms extended to me. 

“Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox,” Proverbs 14:4 (ESV). Simply said, oxen make a mess while providing abundant work. A visit to a construction site provides the same lesson. Dust and debris, piles of materials, noisy machinery and scurrying workers may seem confusing to the unseasoned observer, but productivity requires a certain level of disorder and mayhem. A home without children is easily kept neat and clean, but a growing family’s domicile can look like a small twister just passed through. Much of life is spent cleaning up the messes progress requires. The same is true of our spiritual life. The unwelcome tasks of shoveling the mess out of stalls, pitchforking the hay and hauling feed must be done. Holy Father, thank you for the opportunities to extend Your Kingdom, I do not resent cleaning the barn. The Joy of the Lord is my strength! 

In the last verse of the parable of the sower we read, “As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” Matthew 13:23 (ESV). My mother had such a green thumb, but I am not much of a gardener. I do however know a little about roots and soil. Deep, extensive roots provide water, nutrition and stability; bad soil produces weak plants. Rocky, dry soil or dirt with little nutrition is no place for abundant growth. There are many lessons here, not the least of which is the importance of being planted in the right place. For Abraham, that meant a huge act of faith and obedience. He was commanded to abandon the soil with which he was familiar and to obediently travel to a distant land yet unknown to him. Father deliver me from wasted efforts in fallow ground and continually guide me to fertile soil, no matter the distance or how difficult the journey

“For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ,” 1 Corinthians 3:11 (ESV). But we foolishly try nonetheless. We’re not actually attempting to replace the Cornerstone of our faith, but simply trying to “shore up” our lives with other things (money, fame, intellectualism, etc.) But these “additions” can weaken our understructure. It’s never known how strong someone is until they are seriously tested under heavy pressure. I’ve often been amazed at the fortitude of some when the really difficult tests come, and equally amazed at the weakness of others who seemed so powerful until they were tested. Like buildings, the visible structure of someone’s life can seem outwardly beautiful, but it is the foundation that will determine its survival in upheavals and storms. Lord of All You are my Rock and Sure Foundation. All that has been built on sinking sand within me must go. On the bedrock of Your Word I dwell safe and secure.

“Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head…when each part is working properly, [it] makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” These two phrases found in Ephesians 4:15-16 answer the question so often asked: “What’s wrong with my church?” God will move us around in the Body of Christ for legitimate reasons, but more often than not, people become dissatisfied that their “needs are not getting met”. But here in theses verses it points the needle in a different direction, the root problem is we need to “grow up in every way”. “Working properly” includes three elements: truth, love and work. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap,” Galatians 6:7 (ESV).  God will do for you what you make happen for others. S o, I must lovingly get to work and grow up. No excuses. Father make me an effective instrument of Your love and a blessing to all. 

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus,” Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV). I was robbed recently. I was strolling along being thankful for so many things and it happened; a situation I have little control over and that I had already turned over to God came back to mind. I started worrying about it again and my peace was stolen. Actually, every time I am stressing over anything I am being robbed and something highly valuable is stolen away. "Be anxious for nothing" is not a suggestion, it is a Scriptural command that comes loaded with the backup of God's promises. And there I was being robbed of peace, robbed of promises, robbed of sonship and robbed of victory. Father forgive my wanderings through the dark places of worry. You are The LORD My Light and The LORD My Victor! 

“I will meditate on Your precepts and fix my eyes on Your ways. I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your Word,” Psalm 119:15-16 (ESV). I am hard-wired for incessant enterprise and creativity, my mind requiring almost constant occupation. But while in prayer I heard two simple words deep in my heart: “make space.” Like a muddied spring or a polluted well, a cluttered mind is functional, but not beneficial. Many whisperings of the Almighty are lost in the din of mental noise. Inactivity is not the answer; I must instead tune my heart to constant communion with God, guided by principles that result from infusion of His Word. Father help me to align my thoughts to Yours. Deliver me from relentless mental activity that impedes Your Voice. Teach me to be still and listen as I pursue the purposes for which You designed me. 

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,” 1 Peter 5:6 (ESV). I am well acquainted with God’s Holy Grip. When I press in it is gentle but powerful. In moments when I’m being pulled away or straining against it, I feel His heavenly grasp tighten, His divine clench stiffening. There is no escape from the Good Shepherd’s Hand. There are those startling moments of His Hand pushing me forward or of my feet dangling over a precipice, yet still, I am held firmly as He promises  Psalm 139:10 (ESV), “Even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.”Father, I thank You for Your Mighty Handhold upon me. With Your loving touch You uphold me, guide me, prod me, restrain me, discipline and comfort me. I am eternally thankful, You never let go of me! 

“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” Isaiah 48:10 (NKJV). Some things can only be refined, purified and shaped with extreme heat and pressure. It has practically become a cultural virtue to fantasize about self-importance. What a waste of precious time it is to idolize oneself. In the end, all that will matter is what we have done for God by doing good to others. Only in the furnace of a sold-out life will all that must be completely incinerated. Only there will God-given potential burn bright to the end, nothing wasted, all of its potential fully spent.    Isaiah 60:17 proclaims, “Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver, instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron," (ESV). This is transformation! Lord, Yours is the power to make me the man that pleases You. Blow upon the embers You have placed within me and cause my whole life to burn white hot for Your will in the earth.

A good start is critical to winning when running a sprint, but in a marathon, every decision along the way must be focused on a strong finish. It is vital to respect the distance in a long race; a marathoner must run with the end in mind. The apostle Paul posited in 1 Corinthians 9:24 (ESV): “ Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize?   Run in such a way that you may  obtain   it,” comparing our journey of faith to a race. It is not a competition against others; it is a race to finish well. While literally on his deathbed, Costa Deir, one of my precious spiritual fathers, looked like a traffic cop at the center of a jammed intersection. “Please, write this down”, “Send this to Africa”, “Get me the phone”, “Hand me my Bible please”…as he intended from the start, he ran to the ribbon. He died as he had lived. My LORD My God, grant me the strength, wisdom and endurance to finish fast and strong. Help me run to the ribbon. 

In Exodus 23:1 (ESV) we read, ““You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.” Potiphar's wife falsely accused Joseph. Potiphar believed her false report and Joseph was imprisoned. Once anger is aroused truth becomes irrelevant to those with malice in their hearts. Two years later, Joseph is miraculously put into the second most powerful role in Egypt. Sadly, Potiphar, who had been so blessed with Joseph’s presence in his household, is never mentioned again; lies cut both ways. The lesson here is sobering, lying and believing unsubstantiated lies strip away our blessings and set us aside from usefulness in the Kingdom, whereas, steady faithfulness delivers us from traps of the enemy and qualifies us for greater things. LORD of Truth, in Your mercy, put Your coals of fire to my ears and mouth. 

At the end of verse 1 Corinthians 15:31 (NKJV) the apostle Paul make this simple statement, “I die daily”. While he often faced physical death and was eventually martyred for his faith, this passage reveals something we all must do; die to self. Paul could live with the constant death threats he faced because he was already dead: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the  life  which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me,” Galatians 2:20 (ESV). Fear of physical death holds no power over those who are already dead, granting courage to live our faith openly and without reserve. It begs the question, “what would you do today if there was no tomorrow?”. LORD, help me embrace the reality of eternal life. Help me make the biggest splash in this life so I may happily take hold of that which is to come. 

Romans 12:2 ( ESV) warns, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Ideas come from somewhere. Some are harmless while others are inspired, still others can be very toxic. The mind is surely our most constant battlefield, but we are not powerless. “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” 2 Corinthians10:3-5 (ESV). And again, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” My LORD, Captain of My Soul,

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 God commands: “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Thankfulness is a power move against all attacks of the enemy. Bona fide gratitude magnifies the Alpha & Omega instead of our passing circumstances. Thankfulness comes to mind fairly easily for me, but all too often, it is my second response instead of my first. A battle I regularly face when it comes to gratitude is that even when I feel it, it can easily morph into another version of my incessant need to be happy. But today I awake with authentic thankfulness; for my amazing wife and family, friends both old-and-new, powerful victories, redeemed defeats, needed lessons, still waters, tall mountains, blue skies and stormy passages alike. Father You are good beyond earthly comprehension and Your mercies endure forever! My heart overflows with thankfulness for Your Goodness and Grace.

“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it,” Psalm 118:24 (ESV). A new day is dawning. Unfinished business, past, present and future is already invading my awakening from every side. Will I turn the page or will I try to rehash the disappointments of yesterday or its predecessors? The challenges and opportunities of today now await me; there is little value in dreaming about what could have been. This new day is another undeserved gift from the Ancient of Days and I must seize it with renewed gusto. I do not want to disregard its value by dwelling on the past nor waste time in anxiety about the future. I give praise to You My Creator and Redeemer for today. You made it, You rule it, now I will rejoice and be glad in it. My heart is attuned to Your Voice. Today. 

“One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor,” Proverbs 29:23 (ESV). Even after so many years of mistakes, failures and God’s patient dealings with me far too much human pride still remains within. While increasingly pushed out of the spotlight, pride still stubbornly skulks around in the shadows, giving way only in forced increments. Though sometimes diagnosed and stopped before popping out in my words or actions, far too often, my hubris leaps back on center-stage in full-blossom. Frankly, it is both surprising and embarrassing that it still remains in such quantity. I am grateful that God’s Goodness will not leave me in this unreliable state. Thank You Father, Son and Holy Spirit for Your holy work of deliverance from swaggering pretentiousness. Blessed riddance. I must decrease, You must increase. 

“There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,  for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience,” Hebrews 4:9-11 (ESV). Rest and comfort seem similar but are actually quite different. Rest prepares me for what is next; comfort settles me into what has been. Everyone needs comfort, but too much of it feeds selfishness and feelings of entitlement, leaving us maladjusted for sacrifice. Rest stops are for those going somewhere but comfort zones easily become dead zones. The flesh defines rest as relaxation; Biblical rest is rooted in peace that only God can grant and ceasing from doing things our way instead of God’s way. Father teach me to enter Your rest and to esteem your Spirit’s comfort above all other comforts. 

The practice of lowering conversations to personal insults has now replaced serious dialogue in our culture. The need to put someone down by making outrageously ridiculous declarations about their motives or character is meant to dehumanize them. Where does this urge to insult originate? Lucifer arrogantly declared: “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God,” Isaiah 14:13 (NIV). And in the same manner, to claim God’s authority to ascend above someone else is another manifestation of Satan’s sin. To dehumanize a person “created in God’s image” is to delegitimize God’s work and power. In the end, God said to Lucifer: “You shall be brought down.” Pride destroys, love exalts. The childish game of returning insult for insult doesn’t belong in the character of God’s children. “But THEY said it first” doesn’t work with our Father. LORD of Heaven and Earth forgive our insolence. Deliver Your people from Satan’s error and rescue us from evil ways.

King David’s prayer reveals one of the golden keys to a happy life, “ Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.” Psalm 119:116. Hope and sustainable joy are in God’s promises. Modern day marketing has transformed buying things we need or want into a necessary part of developing “healthy self-esteem”. It simply doesn’t work. Filling our lives with more stuff makes us feel better for a while, but then we are forced to clean out drawers, closets, attics, garages and storage units just to make additional room for new things, which, in turn, fail to  sustain happiness. King Solomon could acquire anything he wanted, and in fact, he did. He later stated: “ He who gets wisdom loves his own soul”. Lord God help me keep my head by giving You my whole heart. Make the wisdom of Your Word my daily bread and deliver me from the seductions of self-importance.

“Understand that the last days will be dangerous times. People will be selfish and love money. They will be the kind of people who brag and who are proud. They will slander others, and they will be disobedient to their parents. They will be ungrateful, unholy, unloving, contrary, and critical. They will be without self-control and brutal, and they won’t love what is good. They will be people who are disloyal, reckless, and conceited. They will love pleasure instead of loving God. They will look like they are religious but deny God’s power. Avoid people like this.”1 Timothy 3:1-5 (CEB) This passage is not talking about sinners, it’s talking about people who pretend to be believers. Avoid them! We need a fellowship filter. 1 Corinthians 15:3 (NIV) says “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” This doesn’t require much commentary. Just let the Word and Spirit do its work. Father help me walk in love toward sinners and fakers alike and keep me safe from their polluting attitud

“He must increase, but I must decrease,” John 3:30 (ESV). Jesus’ simple words stand in stark contrast to the spirit of this world, especially in the self-aggrandizing nature of today’s modern culture. But self-generated humility simply will not work since it is nothing more than another form of seething pride. Notice the biblical order set by this passage, it does not begin by decreasing self, it begins by INCREASING HIM! The more God is genuinely exalted in and through our lives the less of an issue my pride gets in the way. Don’t get me wrong, we can even fall into the trap of pride that comes from the spiritual pride of taking credit for how much God is exalted through us. I have many times. Practically every day in fact. LORD, cleanse my soul of human pride. Show me how I may lift you higher with genuine humility. Glorious One, You must increase, I must decrease. 

A well-done tapestry is beautiful, but the backside looks like a big mess. The weaver works from the backside and uses mirrors to see his work in progress. Yet, he knows what the final product will look like from the start being the creator . As a child of God here on earth I’m like the helper seated next to the Divine Weaver; I just see a mess. And even when I peek into the mirror of God’s Word I can’t see the finished product, so I must trust The Creator. “For now, we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known,” 2 Corinthians 13:12 (ESV). But in 1 John 3:2 we discover, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (ESV). LORD, help me keep my eyes on the mirror while doing my part. I put my trust in You and Your finished work. 

“When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also,” 2 Timothy 1:5 (NKJV). “Genuine faith”, what a compliment! Tropical islands, with their sandy beaches, beautiful views and laid-back feel combine to warm the heart and free the mind. Yet often, right outside of a tourist resort, there is devastating poverty. During World War II, the Pacific Islands were as beautiful as ever, but it was a false paradise, carnage and destruction were everywhere. My point? Things are not always as they seem. I’ve seen thousands of people passing by with seemingly good lives, but just like those islands, carnage and destruction is often hidden behind those faces. Even in church, spiritual brokenness is often masked behind smiles. Yet for the surrendered heart God offers genuine faith through life’s most difficult battles. LORD of Glory and Might, in Your presence there is true paradise divine. 

As I was awakening earlier this morning God unexpectantly opened my understanding on a couple of things. They were quiet but powerfully insightful enlightenments. Perhaps it was simply because my mind was still, or because these insights would be a source from which I will draw upon today or in the future. King David had these moments and wrote about them in songs: “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the  night  watches,” (Psalm 63:9 NKJV). And in Psalm 16:7,   “I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons.” Again, he wrote, “You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night” (Psalm 17:3). What a wonderful gift, Almighty God whispers His divine secrets to His children.   It was a reminder how important cultivating a listening ear actually is. Father, thank You for speaking to my heart. Help me be faithful as both a hearer and a doer of Your Word and Will. 

Our whereabouts are not our choice alone. God said to Abram, “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you,” (ESV). The Patriarch Abraham recognized the importance of hearing and obeying God’s directive voice. He was being called to a faraway place where his future awaited his arrival. While it was entirely unknown to Abraham, the “Alpha and Omega’s” footprints were already there. The LORD Almighty chose where and when Abraham would fulfill his destiny and therefore had made the ground holy before he was sent. Prompt obedience without hesitation meant Abraham ended up WHERE he was supposed to be WHEN he was supposed to be there. Lord, may I never miss Your Voice calling me to a new place of trust and obedience. And may I never delay arrival to Your chosen moments. 

John 19:30 contains one of the most enlightening and powerful combination of words in the Bible, “It is finished”. I always like to take a written list of needed items to the grocery store; otherwise I will usually miss a thing or two I needed to pick up. When I go to the foot of the Cross no such list is necessary. Why do we feel the need to add something to the Cross as if its work is insufficient? Did God really forget something that needed to be placed upon Himself? “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3 ESV). Our redemption is complete; nothing is left untouched. I can trust the Him to apply His work to every need, sin, every sickness, and every sorrow. My part is to surrender everything at the feet of the Savior. Holy God and Father help the sincerity of my repentance and the fulness of my understanding match the greatness of Your Salvation.    

It is impossible to think myself out of offenses; believe me, I have tried. Actually, the opposite is true. The more I mull over offenses and discuss them with others, the more indignant I become. Our fuming deliberations deepen the pain, entrenching us in sullen exasperation and excessive defensiveness. Forgiveness is the key to turning our sorrows into joy since it places the situation into God’s hands instead of our own; letting go of the wheel is the only sure path to the right destination. Matthew 18:21-22 is the starting line, “Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Really? Yes, really! O Lord My Keeper, into Your hands I commit my heartbreaks disappointments, and consternations. You restore my soul. Keep me out of the way of Your divine work so Your Wisdom and Mercy may prevail and my heart and hands may be clea

1 John 4:7-8 tells us, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” When we allow the love of God to flow to us and through us, we become more like Him. Though created BY Him, we only become LIKE Him by walking in His love toward others. There is a lot of talk these days about “building a personal brand”. But nothing will elevate your profile more than becoming a conduit of God’s love, especially with God. I still retain far too much useless pride in my soul, but loving others from the heart actually makes me a man after God’s own heart and more like Him in word and deed. Tomorrow, it is my honor to do the eulogy at the homegoing of one of the most loving persons I’ve ever known. I dare not speak of her without genuine love for those present. Father make me a man after Your own heart and a man with Your heart for others. And thank you for the life of my s