COFFEE ON THE DOCK

“The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly,” Proverbs 15:2 (ESV). Sometimes I feel like an observer as I listen to myself speak. At times, words overloaded with emotion and selfishness tumble out, yet at other times, I hear God clearly speaking to me or others. Our Creator placed a powerful instrument on the front of our faces. The mouth can be a huge fountain of blessing and encouragement or a giant, spirit-crushing hammer. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits,” Proverbs 18:21 (ESV). Considering it wields such enormous power I must be circumspect how I use my mouth! Blessed Father, help me speak only life, never death. Purify my heart and mind so only truth-empowered love exits my lips. Holy Spirit, govern me, guide me, and use me. 

"The steadfast love of the   Lord   never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;  they are new   every morning;  great is your faithfulness."  Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV). It is a perfectly normal human tendency to construct habits or seek circumstances with which we feel the most comfortable. But these “comforts zones” are a trap, constricting, compressing and confining us in ways we don’t realize; stealing away our God-given potential. But our Creator reveals His ardent love by propelling us forward whether we like it or not !   Would I ever step out in faith without His divine meddling? Would I cast anchor without approaching storms? I will never know, for His “love never ceases”, therefore He lovingly pushes me toward my created purpose. King of Glory, thank You for Your holy impulse, Your compelling love and Your relentless pursuit. 

“You would shame the plans of the poor,   but [  the   Lord   is his   refuge,” Psalm 14:6 (ESV). This simple verse is a two-sided coin and reveals much about God’s ways. First, it is addressed to those who use their power to take advantage of others. It makes it clear that God doesn’t like oppressors and He calls them out on it. Secondly, God makes it clear He is compassionate and will give special protection and provision to the underdog. This passage is both a warning and a guide for each of us as God’s children. In simple terms, God dislikes bullies but comes to the rescue of those who are in need. We should each take care in all our practices to stay on the right side of this equation. LORD, grant me a compassionate heart for the weak and oppressed, and cleanse my heart of pride and manipulation. 

THE FINAL OUTCOME “No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the   Lord and their vindication from me, declares the   Lord ,” Isaiah 54:17.  These words do not promise we’ll never being wounded in battle, they point to a victorious FINAL OUTCOME. We must be pass through the trials of war while tightly holding to the promised triumph of faith. The daily slog through passing circumstances can seem overwhelming but even when disoriented in the fog of war, we must never forget, “The battle is the LORD’S”. However large and dangerous the attacking hordes of our enemy may seem, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” 2 Kings 6:16.  O LORD My God and Victor, keep me strong within the fray. Help me keep my eyes on You, fully trusting Your promises. 5/28/18

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in him,” Nahum 1:7 (ESV). Even atheists turn to God when disaster approaches. Frankly, life’s tragedies are the source of many genuine salvations, but there is even more in this passage for the discerning child of God. The second part states: “He knows those who take refuge in him.” In those moments of refuge there is a turning of the “diamond of understanding” of His character, love, goodness and constant supervision. While we may be discovering Him for the first time, in fact, He formed us in our mother’s womb, knows our inmost being and has watched over us and guided us all along! In other words, He is there waiting for our arrival to reality. He still is. LORD, thank You for Your mercy. Help me know You better. 

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail, and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. GOD, the Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer’s; He makes me tread on my high places,” Habakkuk 3:17-19 (ESV). People have bad days and good days, but the faithful have only blessed days. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me,” Psalm 23:1 (KJV). My emotions have deep-valley plunges, but my spirit always tiptoes on the peaks where the LORD is my Redeemer, Provider, Champion and Keeper. Father, You made this day and I will rejoice in You no matter where it leads. 

“And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness,” Acts 4:31 (ESV). Why do we expect that our lives will never be shaken? And why do we think things being shaken is a bad thing? A “comfort zone” may feel okay for the moment, but in reality, a comfort zone is a dead zone. As this Scripture reveals, shaking is a sign of God moving. I can think of many times throughout my life when what looked like a destructive earthquake was the starting line for greater things. The James Bond character likes his martinis “shaken not stirred”, but I want my life both shaken and stirred by God! LORD, I asked for the grace to pass through whatever is necessary for Your power to flow freely in my life. Father, in Your mercy make it so. 

It is impossible to think my way out of being offended; believe me, I have tried. In fact, 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 turns 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. Keep me reigned in do love may prevail, and my heart and hands may be clean. 

“Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me,” Psalm 42:7 (NKJV). The Psalmist here speaks of one splendor of Creation communicating with another. Like pure, refreshing water hidden underground in a desert cavern, our created purpose lies deep within us. This is where the psalmist’s words come into focus: “deep calls unto deep”. Whenever I stray too far from His plan the Goodness of God calls to me and pulls me back to my only enduring source of life and purpose; His Spirit crying out to my human spirit deep within me. He formed me to do His will and no other aspiration can be substituted for it. Every earthly desire must align with His divinely engineered plan. Father You created me with divine purpose and an innate capacity to fulfill it. I so need Your daily grace. Help me to drink deeply from Your still waters. 

“Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life,” Psalm 42:8 (ESV). I am NOT “the God of my life”. In this passage we see that God faithfully does His part and we must faithfully do ours. Worship and prayer are a dynamic duo for daily renewal of the relationship and partnership between God and His children. To bend the knees and open our hearts and minds to the LORD each new day is essential to walking in faithful obedience. The “God of My Life” must have first priority and the final say. In fact, apart from my Divine Maker, there IS no life, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men,” John 1:4 (NKJV). Father, clearly I struggle with priorities, grant me fresh grace this new day to step away from all else and place You first in all things. Again, I bow the knee to Your will.

There is nothing fancy about a roadside fruit and vegetable stand; its treasures poised for the taking by the discerning shopper. But its bounties will never belong to those whose rush by without stopping, and so it is with wisdom. Proverbs 8:1 (ESV) states: “Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice?” And again: “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom, and in all your getting, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7 (KJV). Daily wisdom is not a luxury; it is an absolute essential. Each morning my mind is still half-filled with yesterday’s leftovers with more pouring in upon awakening. It is then I must brake hard and seek God’s voice. Lord You know my ways. Far too often I steam ahead without sufficient regard to Your promptings. Forgive me and teach me to listen carefully every moment. 

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all,” 1 Chronicles 29:11 (ESV). Catastrophes have a way of being all-consuming; the worse the situation, the more absorbing it is. The beginning-point for moving forward in a crisis is to enthrone God in our praise. The LORD Almighty is sovereign at all times whether we realize it or not, but praise validates the sovereignty of God in our own soul, arresting our fears and releasing faith. Praise provokes us to proclaim His greatness to others. Praising God lifts our hearts to the heights of heaven and as we magnify Him our circumstances come into proper perspective. Lord, You are High and Lifted Up and greatly to be praised! From Your heavenly viewpoint, even the largest mountain is tiny. I glorify and adore You O Lord my Shepherd and Keeper, my Glory and the Lifter of my ...

A woman poured expensive ointment on Jesus’s head as he reclined at a table. All of the disciples were upset at what they saw as waste, but for one it triggered something far more sinister. “Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?’ And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him,” Matthew 26:14-16 (ESV).  We attempt to put distance between Judas’ betrayal and our own distrust of God’s choices, but betrayal always lurks in the heart of the person who does not have THE MONEY ISSUE dealt with; at the core, it is A TRUST ISSUE. Either God is Good and Trustworthy or not; it is not left up to us to pick and choose which of His ways we will accept. An absence of thankfulness always precedes accusing God of not caring for our needs. Great Shepherd though I do not always understand Your choices I am at rest in your tender care.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” Ephesians 1:3 (ESV). “Has blessed us”; that is spoken in past tense, I must allow that to sink in. Right now, while I am still on this earth, I am already blessed with every spiritual blessing of heaven. And again, in Ephesians 2:4-6 we read: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” Already blessed, already seated, already given eternal life and already raised! LORD, help me live with a heavenly perspective today. Keep my heart in heaven while I still have boots on the ground. 

The biblical descriptions of The Heavenly City paint a picture of an amazing place. Every aspect of it is beyond comprehension, but nothing more so than a single chair at its core. There resides a throne where only One may be seated yet it is equally the place where millions upon millions abide. It is a mind-bending riddle for sure, but the answer lies in a powerful passage: “ But   God, being   rich in mercy,   because of the great love with which he loved us,   even   when we were dead in our trespasses,   made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and   seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ” Ephesians 2:4-6 (ESV). There, the Eternal One is enthroned. There, every knee shall bow. There, the Redeemed dwell with the Redeemer! LORD God Almighty Your wonders never cease! Open my mind and heart to these heavenly realities that I may faithfully and effectively reflect Your Glory here on...

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name,” Psalm 91:14 (ESV). In the bible there are many names for God, but why are there so many different monikers? The Lord Our God’s greatness is simply beyond the capacity of one name to characterize His Majesty and Awesomeness. Like individual facets on a diamond, each name reflects the light of His Glory a little differently, each one reckoning upon different aspects of His power. His Name is not merely a moniker, when we speak His name in any biblical form, we are reckoning upon His very nature and power to transform. Not to be used like a magical incantation, one’s heart must seek the Lord Himself as we call on His Name. El Shaddai, Elohim, to declare Your Name releases unquenchable joy and unmatchable power! In Your Name, it is well, it is well with my soul! 

“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful,” 2 Timothy 2:24 (ESV). I love to “turn-the-diamonds” of Scripture in conversational reflection and shining new light on the beautiful facets of truth. A good discussion where two or more people consider what a verse means to each of them or how it has impacted their lives always freshens-up my understanding. But in this verse in 2 Timothy there is a warning against quarrelsomeness. Kindness, ability to teach and an absence of resentfulness are critical components of good conversations. While I love to hear a great sermon preached, there is nothing better for learning than good fellowship bathed in bible study together. LORD, thank You for those wonderful moments You provide for us through Your Word.

More than once I’ve had friends exclaim: “Daniel, you’re a real piece of work!” They are so right! In Ephesians 2:10 it reads: “ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” So many things in life seem random, even bizarre, but as time unfolds, we begin to understand how all the disjointed pieces come together to craft us into the man or woman God wants us to be. There is a Divine Hand at work in each of us that we must learn to acknowledge and trust. I can learn from others but never attempt to be a copy of someone else. We are “HIS WORKMANSHIP”. LORD, forgive my attempts to do or be someone of my own making. You are the “Perfect One” and I trust Your wisdom and love. Make me the man of Your own choosing and use me for Your divine purpose. 

“And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” Luke 23:34 (ESV). None of them understood what was really happening in that dark moment…not the Romans, not the Pharisees, not His disciples, not His mother…no one. But then, the Light broke through to just one, the thief at his side. While one of the thieves cursed him, the other said: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And He said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise,” (ESV). I want to be that guy. I desire to see my Savior as He truly is. I wish to understand what is really happening in my darkest moments and trust my life to Him no matter the circumstances. This story reveals that it’s never too late to trust the Redeemer. I’m encouraged to know that God can change everything in the twinkling of an eye. LORD, make it so.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight”, 1 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV). The walk of faith is not a singular climb up a solitary mountain, it is more akin to a trek across a mountain range. The faith journey comes with many highs and lows. There are glorious moments of breathtaking vistas never seen by the faint of heart and those exhausted arrivals to exhilarating heights, only to be followed by steep plunges through dark valleys. Our ascents to the mountaintops always include dizzying descents. Such is the life of faith. The walk of faith tests everything within us and makes us stronger than we ever imagined.  “ For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith,” 1 John 5:4 (ESV). LORD, You do not abandon your beloved in the swamplands, You walk before us, behind us, beside us and within us throughout the ups and downs of this life. Glory to You Lord God! 

My mind is upon past memories today. Most are good, but we each have our regrets and losses. The human experience in this world is replete with personal and public pain. Deaths, wars, floods, crop failures, there is no shortage of grief. For those who know their Shepherd, there is victorious relief from the ravenous thieves of life and peace. We can not only SURVIVE the passing storms; we can THRIVE as the winds and waters rage! “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.   For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord,” Romans 8:37-39 (ESV). Father, You turn our grief into joy and our losses into victories! I rest assured in Your hands. 

Unfortunately, it is pretty easy to let worry turn a small problem into a huge problem in our minds; making “mountains out of molehills” is as common as summer rain. But Jesus spoke of something much different: “Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him,” Mark 11:23 (ESV) . In other words, He challenged us to make mountains into molehills! When the LORD Almighty is the center of our attention, even the biggest problems shrink to nothing. To believe His Promises and to proclaim them as our own is to push fear out of the spotlight and to send it scampering into the shadows. Father, of myself I can do nothing. In obedience to You, I can do all things in Your strength. 

“For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard,” Isiah 52:8 (ESV). Each and every day is front-loaded. God has already stocked your day with valuable lessons, new opportunities, unique challenges, unexpected blessings, experiences, and spiritual insights. Today is another needed chance to leave lawlessness behind and to firmly embrace redeeming grace. Today will provide a unique and powerful pathway to higher life that is divinely orchestrated from beginning to end. He’s even got your back as your “rear guard.” Dearest Alpha and Omega, thank You for today. It is holy, for You made it, placed me in it and have already brushed Your fingers across it. I am ready. Lead me to what is right and good.

“Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away,” Exodus 12:21 (ESV). God’s provision in the wilderness for the Israelites was miraculous, but there were conditions. They had to rise early to seek their daily bread. Daybreak has a sweet quietness that feeds the soul; God’s whispers seem more easily heard in the gentle rollout of a new day. Soon the world around me fully awakens and the still of dawn will be swallowed by the cacophony of another busy day. An indispensable characteristic of the God-directed life is hearing and obeying the voice of God. So before charging ahead into battle I must lean-in-close to confer with my Commander-In-Chief and prepare for what is ahead. Dearest Lord of Life, early will I seek You. Thank You for the blessedness of morning’s soft embrace. Teach me to hear accurately and obey swiftly. Clear my heart from earthly entanglements and help me maintain a listening ear as the day rages on. 

Our perceived needs are too easily overestimated. By the same token, the blessings of life are too easily underestimated. Family, laughter, opportunities, vision, mission, challenges, friends, servanthood, children, sunsets, music; considering the multitude of blessings I enjoy, I realize how truly prosperous I am. Keeping count of trials and needs brings no reward, but faithfulness in spite of perceived lack brings the Crown of Life for the steadfast believer; “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him,” James 1:12 (ESV). Lord, forgive me in those moments when I ignore Your loving care; abandoning the splendor of thankfulness to roam in the squalor of cravings. Strengthen my resolve to ignore the temporary and to lay hold of the eternal. 

It is heartbreaking to see families torn apart, so much anger and hatred on public display and evil ways on the rise. With increasing darkness all around, heaven looks more attractive than ever. But we do not have to wait for heaven to be delivered from evil, we have already been transferred to into the kingdom of God: “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,” Colossians 1:13 (ESV). So, my prayer this day is that of King David: “Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me,” Psalm 119:133 (ESV). As darkness deepens even the smallest candle burns brightly. We are light in this dark world, and I desire to shine as far and wide as The LORD wills.  “Let   your   light   shine  before others,  so  that they may see  your  good works and give glory to  your  Father who is in heaven,” Matthew 5:16 (ESV). ...

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose,” Romans 8:28 (ESV). There are times when it feels like I’m teetering over the edge of a steep cliff. Though I am never actually comfortable in these circumstances I have learned that instances such as these are qualifying moments. A plunge over the brink will often look like ruin outwardly, only to ultimately be turned into an inward revival of faith, trust, obedience and the joy that only these defining moments can provide. It seems that God has chosen for me to live on the edge, but honestly, I really wouldn’t have it any other way. Precious Father, in Your care I am safe no matter the circumstances. Wherever Your Will leads I will follow. Keep me attuned to every nudge of Your guiding Hand. Bring ruin to my earthly ways and revival to my soul through obedience to Yours! So be it LORD! 

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his,” Hebrews 4:9-10 (NIV). The value and benefits of working hard are obvious to the industrious person, but the value and benefits of a day of rest from our own works is like downshifting at high speed in a heavy truck down a steep mountain. No simple tap on the breaks will do. However, steep cliffs are great motivators for slowing down and life has plenty of them. “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience,” Hebrews 4:11 (ESV). Pray, shift, turn, shift, pray again, read the Word, shift again, call a friend, shift, help a stranger, be a blessing, shift gather with family and friends, Shabbat Shalom everyone.

“The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you,’” 1 Corinthians 12:21 (ESV). I am by temperament an independent person, but a lifetime of experience has instructed me that I need all the help I can get. There is no shame in interdependence, we were actually designed for it. God specifically created each of us with strengths that others need, and conversely, weaknesses that invite and activate the strengths of others. In this divine construct interdependence is as essential as breathing. Frankly, it may seem preferable to go it alone, especially after a big disappointment or two but God has chosen otherwise. Father, thank You for blueprinting a life that leads to giving and receiving. Keep me on the lookout for needs that I can meet and grant me the humility to receive the comfort, corrective advice, aid and sustenance I need. 

“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your Word.” (ESV). King David was not a man given to fear. His need to escape from his enemies was only occasional, but his need to escape his own human frailties was constant, as is mine. His run to the Rock of His Salvation was not one of fear, but of faith! I too, must pull aside and shield my soul from useless thoughts. I too, must quite the raging stream of human deliberations, speculations and rationalizations, and sit quietly by the River of Life, prayerfully drinking-in deeply the Words of God. David’s prayer from Psalm 63:1 will suffice as my own this quiet daybreak: “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” Amen.