COFFEE ON THE DOCK

“He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him,” Psalm 126:6 ESV. Doing what is necessary is often painful, yet the things we do despite hardships are often the most rewarding. Galatians 6:7 ESV states: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, THAT will he also reap.” But there is more to sowing successfully than overcoming inconvenience or difficulties. HOW we sow, WHEN we sow, WHERE we sow, and WHY we sow are all factors that affect the final harvest. It is also critical to understand that we only reap AFTER we’ve sown! LORD God, help me stay conscious of what seeds I so. Grant me daily wisdom so my thoughts, words, and deeds would please You and indeed be a blessing to others.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain,” Psalm 118:14 ESV. King David acknowledged that even though he was both a king and a warrior, he was powerless without God’s favor and help. When Nehemiah heard of Jerusalem’s terrible condition with its walls destroyed and its enemies plundering it without restraint, he wanted to defend it by rebuilding the walls around the city. However, he did not start with gathering resources or recruiting help, he began with repentance: “I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you,” Nehemiah 1:6 NIV. We cannot effectively stand against the enemies around us until we address our own standing with God. Father forgive my sins and grant me Your strength that I do Your bidding. 

“For God alone, my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken,” Psalm 62:1-2 ESV. Every heart knows its fears, its own self-doubts, and its own solitary path; though others wish to accompany us, no one else can enter this private space. Likewise, no one else can fully share our soul’s deepest joys, its inexplicable peace, or its moments of irrepressible victory. In both bad times and good times, there are very private moments where we yearn to invite others, but they cannot join us. These are times of single space passageway where no others may tread. These are the precious times when there is only God; He alone can walk with you there. Almighty Father, I am never alone or without recourse; You, O LORD, are the ever-present Shepherd of My Soul. 

“When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’ The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him and let him go,’” John 11:43-44 ESV. The pursuit of the Perfect One while still wrapped in the imperfection of this life is our daily conundrum. Like Lazarus, we are made alive inwardly by the mighty Word of our Savior! Yet like Lazarus, we too must be unwrapped from the lingering linens of death. Jesus commanded the disciples to “Unbind him and let him go!” Our freedom is accomplished by the same process. Jesus gives us life, then God uses other believers to help us walk unbound. Lord of Liberty, calm my resistance to being unwrapped. Thank you for those who have helped me walk freely and use me to help others to be fully released. 

“When I remember you on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches,” Psalms 63:9 NKJV. I arrived very late in my room last night after a significantly delayed flight. I was exhausted, frustrated, and not in a great mood. Yet within just moments of prayer, reading Scripture, and praise, I not only felt better, but I also received some clarity on a couple of issues on   which I needed direction. God is so GOOD! Psalm 16:7 states:   “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.   How marvelous it is that   Almighty God whispers His divine secrets to His children.   It was a reminder of how vital 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. 

“Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”, 1 Kings 3:9 ESV. A wise prayer from a young man.  Making well-informed and thoughtful decisions is wise, but there is no dependable substitute for spirit-guided discernment. We need good judgment to distinguish between inspired thoughts and selfish fantasies since they often appear the same at first glance. The immature mind, driven by personal desires, can easily be misguided. Imagination is a wonderful gift from God, but like everything else in this life, it must be deliberately brought under surrendered obedience to God. Lord of Creation teach me to truly submit my thoughts to You today. Help me calibrate my dreams, desires, and meditations to Your perfect path. Grant my heart divine discernment. 

“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well,”  Psalm 139:14 ESV. According to this verse, everything about each of us is wonderfully designed by God. We are not a copy of anyone. From the moment we are born into this world, our life circumstances start loading "things of this world" onto the framework God initially designed. Without the constant help of godly people around us and the daily infusion of God’s Word and Spirit, we may run completely off the divine course God intended for us. But repentance and proclamation of God’s Word can reverse the effects of worldliness. I must remember to faithfully declare: “I am who the Bible says that I am, I can do what the Bible says I can do, I will fulfill my divine purpose!” LORD, You made me according to Your plan, grant me grace this day to walk faithful to Your call.” 

“The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,   but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die,’” Genesis 3:2-3 ESV. Having raised a houseful of children, we learned a few things about the challenges and blessings of childhood curiosity. We often kept important things just out of their reach.  I must keep in mind that whatever is “just beyond reach” in my own life was put there by God. In some situations, He places things out of reach to urge me forward, at other times, the extra distance is for my protection. Often, the issue is that I just need to GROW UP before touching it. Ultimately, the One who places things beyond my grasp can just as quickly drop them in my lap when He wills it. Blessed Father, I trust Your ways, knowing that what is inaccessible for me is firmly in Your grip.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope,” Romans 15:13 ESV. What a beautiful portrait of the life of faith Paul paints for us in this verse. He describes a life of “joy and peace in believing” instead of the frustration and worry that so often characterizes the experience of many sincere Christians. The key is in the phrase “by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Spiritual growth must be a work of the Spirit, not pride-filled, religious works of the flesh. Turning our spiritual progress over the Holy Spirit allows us to “abound in hope” rather than setting ourselves up for failure. Rather than blaming others for our lack of progress or comparing ourselves with the successes and failures of others, we learn to trust the guidance of the Spirit and Word to form us. LORD of Hope, help me to trust Your timing and ways.    

“Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!” James 5:6 NKJV. Having led groups of people and having counseled a few thousand times, I’ve heard plenty of grumbling. This passage is a clear warning that grumblers are stumblers. Our faith walk is tripped-up, and our potential for good hindered, by allowing grumbling and complaining to pour freely from our lips. While wrongs and poor behaviors must be confronted, we are commanded to in Ephesians 4:15 to “speak the truth in love.” Love corrects, not complains. Godly rebukes, preceded by prayer, and delivered in love are far more effective than grumbling. Gracious Father, purify my heart, cleanse my motives, and help me bathe my actions toward others in the purity of Your love. 

“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,” Philippians 4:8 ESV. Thoughts and ideas come from somewhere. Some are harmless while others are inspired, then there are those that are toxic and dangerous. The mind is undoubtedly our most constant battlefield. Our minds should not be like a trash container in a mall, where anyone can toss something in without restriction. Lord, teach me to recognize the difference between good thoughts and ideas that emanate from You and wrong thoughts or ideas that come from other sources. Help me to put good thoughts into meaningful action to serve Your will in the earth. Grant me the patience and wisdom to work in Your timing and in Your ways. 

“ 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 designed us to live as individuals “made in His image”, however, autonomy is not a part of the divine architecture . Our necessary dependence upon God and subsequent interdependence upon others is wired-in at the deepest level of our being. It is an organic connection without which we cannot fully function. I may 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. LORD of ALL, forgive my useless efforts to go it alone and provoke my heart to openness and love.

“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters a nd  hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water,” Jeremiah 2:13 (NKJV). Not every source of water is equal. On the surface, there is little difference between a spring-fed lake and a retention pond. The sky reflects beautifully over both, but in one abides healthy, life-giving water. The other contains the runoff of surrounding streets and lawns; even its aquatic life is dangerous to consume, and no one with good sense would drink from its contaminated waters. I do not want my soul to be filled with the tainted runoff of the world around me. I need the daily flow of “living waters” to flood my soul. LORD, In Your Mercy, pour Your cleansing truth into my soul and make my heart like a pristine mountain lake, teeming with life and welcoming all to safely enjoy its bounty. 

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,” Psalm 103:1-2 ESV. The Psalms reveal King David as a man of profound faith yet he found it necessary to remind himself of God’s blessings and to command his own soul to praise the LORD. Every season of life brings its own joys, pains, and disappointments. I have noticed that letdowns seem to accrue more easily in my soul than gladness. But even a quick inventory of things for which I can be thankful ignites my heart, releasing joy and praise in every circumstance. I must lift my eyes from the temporal pains and look to the Giver of Life. Bless the LORD O my soul! Father in Heaven, my spirit is jubilant as I contemplate Your goodness and mercy. You are great and greatly to be praised. Faithfully pouring out inextinguishable gladness into praising hearts. 

Today there will be a lot of cards, hugs, candy, signs, symbols, and discussions about love. It will sound sweet, feel nice and produce a lot of smiles. All the while, our culture slips farther away from understanding and practicing what love truly is, so let’s remind ourselves what love actually is and who it comes from: “ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God,” 1 John 4:7 ESV.  “ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV. THIS is love.  LORD of Love, use me to be a conduit of Your Perfect Love today. 

“The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him,” Proverbs 11:1 ESV. This passage is not about God hating inaccuracy; it reveals His abhorrence of dishonesty. The Perfect One judges no one for imperfection, for, without Him, nothing is perfect, nor can be. Instead, it is the prideful attempt to set up false scales that elicits His wrath. Ignorance is not an excuse, yet He is merciful to the innocently uninformed. But when we pridefully attempt to establish a new scale of truth to fit our own desires or needs, His anger is roused. Was that not the Deceiver’s intention in the Garden when he tried to reset the scale by saying, “eat the forbidden fruit, it will make you like God”? He was suggesting we can be “like God,” but without the need for God. Wrong. LORD, forgive my attempts to redefine truth. You Alone are Almighty God. Demolish every false scale within me.

“Discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you,” Proverbs 2:11 ESV. Discretion is a precious gift from God. If I ignore its protection, I will surely suffer the consequences. Just because I have the desire to say or do something doesn’t mean I should. The lack of discretion in modern culture harms us all and is responsible for so much unnecessary pain and suffering. Time spent with thoughtful, discreet people increases my tendency to make responsible decisions and guards me against inappropriate recklessness. Exercising good judgment does not lock us away from the world around us. Instead, it empowers us to walk boldly and safely in every life circumstance. Giver of All Wisdom, grant me foresight and good sense today. Guard my mouth and actions by Your Spirit and Word and help me to be a faithful witness to others.

“For now, we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now, I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known,” 1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV. This passage reminds us that our spiritual transformation is not yet complete, at least not from an earthly perspective. I sometimes surprise myself, and not in good ways. I can be extremely patient, then all of a sudden, I am not. I can be deeply spiritual, then in other moments, surprisingly unspiritual. It is encouraging to remember: “What we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears,   we shall be like Him, because we shall see him as he is,” 1 John 3:2 ESV. “Like Him”. That sounds wonderful! Until THAT day, I can stand daily before the mirror of God’s Word and get a glimpse of who I am In Christ and do my best to imitate Him. Holy Father, grant me grace today to lay hold of things yet unseen. Holy Spirit, fall fresh upon me, make me, mold me, use me, fill me...

“For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths,” Proverbs 5:21 NIV. Everywhere we are in the modern world we are being surveilled by cameras, electronic devices, computer algorithms and the like. But more importantly, our ways are in full view of the LORD; this is both comforting and discomforting at once. I am blessed to know that God cares and monitors every step, yet I feel the constant struggle of complete surrender to His ways. Yet knowing my Heavenly Father’s motives are absolutely pure and mine are not, the choice is uncomplicated: not my ways, but His ways alone must prevail. So there it is. I cannot coast along on yesterday’s victories, nor will I dwell on yesterday’s losses. Father, I depend upon Your mercy and welcome Your Divine Surveillance. I will attend to Your promptings today afresh. I desire to fully yield control to Your will and ways. Lord, in Your mercy, make it so. 

The Master saw Nathanael approaching and said of him,  “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit,” John 1:47 ESV. “No deceit”!  W hat an amazing endorsement from the Son of God! I wish to be that kind of person, but ridding oneself of all falsehood is more difficult than I thought it would be. Progress has been made for sure but still I struggle. Learning to live with a wide-open heart requires a deep love for truth and a steadfast willingness to always seek it, understand it and defend it, even when it is inconvenient or hurtful. Just as importantly, truth must always be bathed in love:  “S peaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,” Ephesians 4:15 ESV. Lord of Truth and Love, take me to the next level. Whatever is false, whatever is impure, whatever is disingenuous, exterminate from me now. Shine Your purifying light into every shadowed space in my soul make me more like You. 

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth,” I Corinthians 3:6 ESV. I’ve only briefly lived on a farm but as a teacher I’ve tilled a lot of soil and sown a lot of seeds. In this verse the apostle Paul pointed out that while a farmer often works alone, in the end, many hands are involved in producing a good harvest. We don’t need a big stage to do our greatest work; it is in the trenches of daily sowing, caring, loving and serving where our lives shine brightest and where others are impacted the most. Each of us tills the soil, plants seed, waters the crop, weeds the rows, runs off critters and gathers in the harvest. Less care should be given to determining who gets the credit and more to working together to bring in the healthiest and largest harvest. Glorious Caretaker of My Soul, make me a faithful worker and forgive my silly attempts to take unnecessary credit for my part. 

“The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters,” Genesis 1:2 ESV.   The human instinct for harmony, symmetry, balance and rhythm is continually assaulted by the unpredictable anarchy that each new day brings. Striving to enter rest is the daily conundrum of the soul. It seems that most of my energy is exhausted in attempting to achieve what I must, only to find rest in abandoning my struggles to God. The work of the Holy Spirit is precisely to bring order and truth out of chaos by leading me “beside still waters” and “restoring my soul”, (Psalm 23:2). FATHER, what sweet whisperings await the relinquished heart! LORD, capture my heart and lock away my strivings. Teach me to succumb to Your promptings BEFORE running headlong into walls. Constrain me to “Come Unto” before I “Go Therefore.” At Your feet where I belong. 

The Psalmist writes: “You spurn all who go astray from your statutes, for their cunning is in vain,” Psalm 119:118 (ESV). God has given us His Word and Spirit as a reliable guidance system for life. Attempts to outsmart God are futile since they are not only foolish, they are dangerous. Trusting in our own judgements rather the those of The Almighty is a sure path to failure. God created us “in His image” (Genesis 1:27) , not as His equal. We are designed to “reign in life” (Romans 5:17), not to reign over the Giver of Life! LORD in Your Mercy grant me forgiveness for my repeated attempts to go my own way.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart,” Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV. Like sand slipping through the hourglass, each moment quickly slips into the past. I feel the sting of lost opportunities, mistakes, and unchangeable past events. On the other hand, I have so many joys, wonderful moments, amazing encounters that can never be stripped away. They safely rest in eternity. An eternal perspective rotates the impulse of our lives; instead of dwelling on the past, we are pulled toward an unlimited future filled with hope. What is behind becomes a footnote as eternal purpose unfolds. Eternal Father, I joyfully move forward. 

“For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not being merely human?” 1 Corinthians 3:4 ESV.     The call to us from heaven is for us to die to selfish pride.     The apostle Paul rebukes the Corinthians for prideful self-identification with different apostles! Christians still foolishly do this this with thinly veiled arrogant attitudes: “I attend FIRST Church”,     “I listen to the BEST radio pastor”, “we have our OWN church at home”.     These kinds of self-identifiers are VERY OFTEN rooted in pride.     There is one Church, one faith, one Body of Christ. LORD, purge my heart of pride. May the humility of Christ be my daily standard.

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water,” Psalm 63:1 NIV. Sound advice from a shepherd boy turned warrior, turned king over a nation. “Early will I seek you”. Why delay? Like a road trip, starting late means additional traffic. Meditations of the Master do not belong bumper to bumper on a slow moving freeway filled with the cares of this world cutting into holy space. LORD, You first, every day!