COFFEE ON THE DOCK

“‘Thus says the Lord: ‘Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.’ But they said, ‘We will not walk in it,’” Jeremiah 6:16 ESV. I’m always on the hunt for new, fresh information. But what seems new is not always the best way. In fact, Ecclesiastes 1:9 NIV states: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Gadgets that help us gain quicker access to information are newly invented all the time but easier access does not guarantee we will have a better understanding of the information we have at hand. In other words, knowledge without wisdom is useless; it can even be dangerous. So, I must turn to the Bible, to the elders who have walked this path before me, and to the guidance of the Spirit of God. LORD, help my heart hear good counsel. 

“For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.   Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalms 30:5 (ESV). I am thankful that God does not hold grudges against His children, otherwise, I would have no chance at all. In fact, each and every day begins and ends with my most consistent prayer, “LORD, forgive me.” While I have rightfully felt His displeasure at my failures, one genuine tear of repentance opens the floodgate of His forgiveness. Since my Redeemer so freely washes away my constant failings, who am I to hold hatred toward those who have harmed me? How can I justify denying to others the grace and forgiveness upon which I so fully depend? Father, though my sins are as scarlet, in Your mercy You wash me white as snow and Your favor remains. Cleanse my soul of all acrimony toward others and teach me Your ways of grudge-free love. 

“At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne,” Revelation 4:2-32 ESV. In popular styles of art such as abstract expressionism or cubism, the imperfect, incomplete and vaguely suggested are central to their mystery and beauty. In real life, we generally like things to be more definitive, more concrete. Yet, there too we find subtle beauty; the quiet touch on the arm of a loved one, the evoking questions of a friend who knows us well, the smile of a stranger. In like manner, God is manifest in so many different expressions. The beauty of His Majesty is revealed in ways both obvious to all and hidden to the less discerning. God of Wonders, I stand in awe of You. Open my eyes and heart to know you better. 

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock,” Matthew 7:24 ESV.   While living in Costa Rica many years ago we experienced a significant earthquake. After the first violent jolts, the aftershocks lasted for weeks. It is deeply unsettling when the earth shifts, and that which has always been stable heaves beneath. Every person experiences a few earthquakes in life; broken promises, economic tremblers, marriage upheavals, and shock waves of death and destruction. These are the moments of authentication of our faith. When everything in life is shaken, in whom shall we trust? The Lord God, the Rock of Ages! Father Almighty, You are the only Firm Foundation; no weapon formed against us can prosper. Your Hands of Mercy and Provision will never loosen their grip. You are Our Solid Rock. 

“ For   as in one body we have many members,   and the members do not all have the same function,   so we,   though many,   are one body in Christ, and individually   members one of another,” Romans 12;4-5 ESV.   God designs and imprints each person’s uniqueness however autonomy is not a part of the divine architecture . Our necessary dependence upon God and subsequent interdependence with others is wired-in at the deepest level of our being. I can build towering walls around my heart, pull in the drawbridge and consider all others as intruders, but to do so is to condemn myself to a self-imposed prison where I would remain in solitary confinement. More importantly, in that condition I would cease to fulfill my eternal purpose and the voice of God to me and through me to others would be silenced. Lord of Love, forgive my useless efforts to go it alone and provoke my heart to openness and love. 

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap,” Galatians 6:7 ESV. This is not that complicated; if I plant an orange seed, I get an orange tree, if I sow love, I get a harvest of love. I have never been a big fan of connect-the-dots puzzles, but refusal to connect the dots in life can be very costly. What I do today has both benefits and consequences in the future whether I realize the connection or not. After a lifetime of counseling people through difficulties I conclude, the human capacity to disassociate one thing from another is stunning and dangerous. Otherwise bright people will foolishly refuse to connect the obvious. When our desire is inflamed, the truth can easily be ignored. Gracious Father help me see through the confusion selfishness activates. Awaken good discernment within me and lead me in the way of life. 

“Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend,” Proverbs 27:5-6 ESV. Friendships bring pleasantness to one’s life in many ways, but the greatest treasure is the earnest counsel that comes from a true comrade. The honest advice of a trusted friend lifts and blesses the soul. Earthly love always comes laden with human imperfections, yet when authentically offered, it has flashes of God’s amazing and perfect love. I’ve not always welcomed loving advice at the moment, but I can honestly say I am deeply indebted to those who love me enough to confront my blunders and wrongdoings. Heavenly Father, thank You for my friends. Each one reveals a facet of Your Glory. I especially thank You for those treasured friends who love so deeply that they will risk offering wise and unvarnished counsel. Help me be that kind of friend to others. 

“Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,” 1 Peter 4:6 NKJV. If we do not humble ourselves, our pride will be our downfall, resulting in humiliation. Humiliation is a painful substitute for humility. However, through the endless grace of God, even humiliation can help us if we respond to it correctly. In those moments, we must turn our faces to the wall and cry out to the Righteous Judge or face the consequences of stubborn arrogance. Pointing to the pride of others to justify our own pridefulness increases the length and intensity of our trials. The paradox of faith is that I must diminish so God can work more mightily through me. I can accelerate the process of being more like Him by giving Him proper glory and honor in all things. Glorious God and Father, I bow to Your Greatness. Make me an instrument of Your blessing. 

"For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing,” Deuteronomy 2:7 ESV. The Hebrew people’s journey from Egypt to the Promised Land offers many lessons. It was in the desert where the idolatrous influence of Egypt and the deep Scars of enslavement were confronted; they were slowly being delivered from the past so they could embrace their future. While wandering forty years God’s people learned to chase after the cloud and trust God’s daily provision. Climatic moments brought the Ten Commandments, deliverance from enemies and cleansing from cultivators of sedition. They were learning to do God’s will God’s way. Lord, thank You for streams of life that only the desert can reveal. Out of barren rock flows living water to those who seek Your face. 

“Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble,” Matthew 6:34 ESV. Both dreaded doom and needed blessings always seem to be just ahead and coming my way. At times, one looks more imminent than the other, but doom or blessing always appears to be circling the landing strip and on "final approach". As it turns out, neither has ever actually arrived the way I had previously imagined nor had the impact I had envisioned. In fact, what appears as doom often comes laden with hidden blessings upon arrival, and “blessings” often contain unexpected complications. The lesson here? “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you,” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV. Father come what may, I am more than a conqueror because You love me and are working everything for my good.   

“Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will,” Mark 14:36 NIV. Even the Son of God wanted a less difficult way. There are no limits to our human desires for an easier path. One of the consequences of a culture that so highly esteems personal comfort is an aversion to sacrifice. People of faith are uniquely harmed by this obsession with constant, immediate gratification because the desire for convenience is the enemy of sacrificial obedience. The nature of faith requires acting upon the seemingly impossible regardless of the difficulties. And we must remain faithful while patiently working within God’s timing and methods. Acts of faith are inherently inconvenient. Lord of Promise cut me loose from my impatient impulses and careless disregard of Your chosen ways. Teach me to toss convenience aside and passionately live out the faith walk in steady obedience.

“I must decrease, He must increase,” John 3:30 ESV. These words from John the Baptist combined with the words of King David: “I will run the course of Your commandments, For You shall enlarge my heart,” Psalm 119:32, lead to an understanding of a powerful spiritual principle: Every new day requires both constraint and release, contraction and expansion. As a jellyfish moves through the water by expanding and contracting, so we move through life. This process is disconcerting to the uninformed, but to the spiritually awakened this routine becomes a welcomed process since it is a sign of forward progress. Unwillingness to accept necessary shrinkage or fear of expansion leaves us to simply drift along with the surrounding current, eventually casting us onto the dry shore. Lord, I love Your ways and praise You that You do not leave me trapped in stagnation. Open, close, I’m good with that. To what must I close today and to what must I open? LORD, You say.

“ Now thanks  be  to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place,” 2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV. In this verse, we learn that our lives spread the fragrance of Christ! It is a delightful mystery how an aroma can transport me to a different place. A passing scent can return me to my great grandmother’s kitchen when I was but a child, or awaken a lost memory long forgotten, or activate an emotion that I did not know I held in secret. In both the Old and New Testaments our prayers are likened to “incense”. What sometimes seems like feeble earthly prayers are received as a heavenly fragrance before the throne of the King of the Universe. O Lord my Creator and Sustainer, I marvel at Your ways. May my daily prayer offerings combine with those of all Your saints, filling heaven with a sweet fragrance. Lord, hear my prayer. 

“You ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s wills, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” James 4:15-16 ESV. Growing up in Florida did little to prepare me for treading on ice-covered ground. On my first winter trip to the mountains of North Carolina, I was filled with the self-assured hubris of a thirteen-year-old boy. As I was again being warned of its danger, I brashly walked onto the ice. At the exact moment, I confidently said, “it’s no problem, I can handle it”, both of my feet lost footing and I fell flat on my back. In fact, I fell hard several times. Lesson learned; ignorance, arrogance, and stubbornness are a very dangerous brew indeed. Lord God, You are my Faithful Instructor. I confess to You that presumptuousness still plagues my soul. Purge from me all indifference to Your voice and keep me safely within the boundaries of Your wise counsel. 

“So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel,” Jeremiah 18:3 ESV. In verse 4 he states, “and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.” We are each spun round and round by the everyday swirl of life; family, job, news, weather, health and on and on it goes. It often feels as if I am a lump of clay spinning on a potter’s wheel. As a matter of fact, I am. As I spin through each day The Master’s touch gently presses in, reshaping me for His envisioned purpose. So why do I still resist this needed process at times? My failed attempts at shaping myself should be evidence enough to stay on the wheel and yield to the Potter’s hands. Father, I thank You for Your blessed work. Have Your way, I am yielded clay in Your hands. Mold me and make me into the vessel You desire. 

Psalm 118:5-6 “I called on the Lord in distress; The LORD answered me  and   set me  in a broad place.   The LORD is on my side ; I will not fear.” Mankind's fallen nature inherited from Adam’s sin made us enemies of God,  but the redemptive work of our Savior opened the way for us to become His sons and daughters. I would have remained in darkness and utterly lost forever had not the LORD been on my side. My attempts to follow His will or pursue His call would be entirely impossible and my hopes would have been vanquished forever had not the LORD been on my side. While at times I struggle to muster the strength and valor to fight this earthly battle, I know I will finish strong for the  LORD is on my side . Glorious Adonai, Captain of Our Salvation, Eternal Father, all glory to You now and forever! I march ahead in victory and abiding peace along with all who are Yours, for You O LORD are on my side. 

“ He is like   a tree   planted by   streams of water   that yields its fruit in its season,   and its   leaf does not wither.   In all that he does, he prospers ,” Psalm 1:3 ESV.  A trip to East Texas a few years ago was both shocking and sad. As I looked out the window of the commuter plane, in place of the hilly, summer green vistas I normally saw, drought and an unrelenting heatwave was killing tens of thousands of trees. As we flew over, I noticed that around a large lake the trees stood tall and green, even those growing a relatively long distance from the shoreline; their roots provided salvation. The biblical promise to all who delight in God’s Word came to mind: “He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water.” Often our human condition in this world seems barren and hellish around us, but we can flourish if rooted in Him. Father, You lead me beside still waters, Your Word nourishes my soul, Your Spirit continually pours forth...

“Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” Psalm 27:14  ESV. An indoor herb garden is re-teaching me this critical life lesson, but frankly, I don’t like the wait. Anytime we start a process of growth, there is always the anticipation of a future harvest. Roots slowly emerge and begin their descent, digging their way through the soil. This process takes time, and it all occurs underground for quite a while remaining unseen. Above ground, there can be disappointment at the lengthy process, especially for the novice. Much of what we do as people of faith requires sowing, weeding, fertilizing, and waiting. Disappointment with the pace often discourages further sowing. Lord of the Harvest, keep me calm and steady in the delays. Harvestime is safely in Your Trusted Hands. Teach me to wait with delight in Your timing and to take joy in Your wonderful ways.

“T he   Lord   appeared to him   from far away.   I have loved you with an everlasting love,   therefore   I have continued   my faithfulness to you,”  Jeremiah 31:3 ESV . Anytime you are around others you can be sure someone needs affirmation or encouragement. No matter how things look on the outside, there is always more going on than meets the eye. So, I try to stay on the hunt for those who may need a good word. What I have learned is that speaking encouraging words is a skill that grows in effectiveness with practice. I myself am lifted as I seek to lift others, but genuine, intentional encouragement must be done without a selfish motive to be effective. Sometimes, I actually feel the breath of God in those privileged moments when His love is reaching out to someone’s secret pain through me. What a joy! Lover of Souls, use me today to speak a good word to someone’s heart. 

“The   Lord   looks down from heaven on the children of man,   to see if there are any who understand, who   seek after God,” Psalm 14:2 ESV. Having been born and raised in Florida, I’ve spent a great deal of time walking along on the beach. When I was very young, I marveled at some people’s ability to spot sharks teeth along the shore, and later learned the necessary techniques, becoming pretty good at it myself. Three principle things made the difference. I learned you have to  know what to look for , secondly, you must  spend sufficient time seeking , and thirdly, you must  seek them in the right places . The same is true with seeking God. He is not hiding; He may be seen in every life moment if you apply these same principles of seeking. Holy Father, early will I seek you, constantly will I seek You. Lead me in the way of everlasting. Use me to lead others to You. 

Each time I start to believe I’ve made significant spiritual progress I find that someone or something is standing squarely on my last nerve. Frankly, a flash of frustration within my heart can still pop up like burnt toast at times. And usually, my anger is entirely out of proportion to the situation! The Apostle Paul revealed the key to victory over self-centered behaviors when he stated in I Corinthians 15:31 KJV: “I die daily”. I cannot afford to miss the lesson here. As the old maxim goes: “dead men feel no pain”. Dying to selfishness should and MUST happen each and every day. Patience with others is a sign of the depth of our spiritual progress. Father, I am rightly shaken with the reality of my lingering weaknesses, yet I know  my sins are  not incurable. Thank You for confronting what is not pleasing to You.  Help me to love others with Your amazing, perfect love. 

“ Open your mouth for the mute,   for the rights of all who are destitute.   Open your mouth,   judge righteously,   defend the rights of   the poor and needy ,” Proverbs 31:8-9 ESV. One of the most spiritual and holy things we can do as God’s children is to speak up for those who have little power and no voice. The charge to do so is not just a command, it is an invitation from our Heavenly Father to be more like Him and to do as He does. It is not enough to hope a government entity, or some other institution will act righteously, we must each lead the way by doing our personal part. This is not about winning God’s favor, it is about living out our faith in sincere thankfulness for His blessings. Open hands, open heart, as the blessings go through there is plenty for you! It is about living to give, living to bless, and living to lift. LORD, grant me the courage to speak up and to do my part. 

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” Matthew 6:27 ESV. I have often fallen into a trap of feeling something was urgent or desperate, when in fact, it never was. I have wasted innumerable hours trying to think my way past problems only to later discover they had never even existed the way I had perceived them. It is wise to be on our guard, but anxiety drains away the joys of life and is in direct contradiction to God’s command. For instance, we are told in Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing”. Instead, we are to let prayer, promises, and praise reshape our worries into the expectation of God’s intervention. Heavenly Father, today, I will again cast my cares upon You. You are the answer to every question, the provision for every need and though I may deserve judgment and condemnation You never turn away in disgust. I can truly say, it is well; it is well with my soul. 

“Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd,” Exodus 23:2NIV. Geese fly in formation so they can draft off each other to make flying easier. People do the same. We have a natural tendency to simply follow the herd; it is easier to go with the flow of whatever is popular, faddish or commonly admired. The steep price of a drift-along-lifestyle is the failure to find your divinely created purpose. We are carefully knitted together by the Creator for His specific calling for each of us. We can never rise to God’s best by going along with the crowd. I must continually find that sweet spot of being WITH the crowd but not OF the crowd. Lord, protect me from wandering aimlessly and help me keep my pace in cadence with Yours. Teach me to be comfortable in the gaggle but to be willing to fly at the front of the formation. 

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits,” Proverbs 18:21 ESV. The words we speak become life or death to both the speaker and hearer, therefore what exits my mouth requires God’s constant guidance.  The average number of words spoken in a day is somewhere between fifteen and twenty thousand. Is it any wonder we often say the wrong things? So many problems are rooted in  reckless thoughts that tumble from our lips as reckless words; only fools believe we should say whatever we think. Every thought must first be brought under obedience to the Word and Spirit of the Everlasting One. Unfiltered speculations must not be allowed to roam freely in our minds and should never exit our mouths. Lord of Love and Truth, may all my thoughts be surrendered to You. Help me guard my tongue and let love rule my heart.