COFFEE ON THE DOCK

The apostle Peter was so overwhelmed by what was happening on the Mountain of Transfiguration he was willing to forget everything else and just stay there. Almost perfect moments come along in life from time to time.     And while pursuing perfection is a laudable quest, it is never a full reality in this world. Absolute perfection will come only at the final manifestation of the Perfect One. We search for it, admire it and occasionally get a glimpse of perfection, only to eventually realize the truth; God is perfect in all His ways, but nothing else or no one else is on this side of Glory. Dear Father, “Author and Perfector of My Faith”, though I am but a wandering exile from true perfection, you confront my shortcomings with mercy. I longingly await the day of perfection when I see You “face to face” and am forever transformed into Your likeness. 

The Bible ranks patience and kindness right at the top of the “love List”: “Love is patient, love is kind.” How often must I be kind? Though past disappointments may still sting within there is no loss in offering authentic kindness to others, even to those who have hurt us. When practiced without ulterior motives we touch for a moment the glory and nature of God. As we know, “God is love.” And since kindness is one of the principle characteristics of love, offering it to others is one of the highest examples of genuine godliness. Even if it is abused or rejected by those to whom it is offered kindness benefits the giver and invites the promised blessing of the Almighty. Father, You are love and You are kind beyond description. Let Your kindness flow through me that I may be closer to You. Make me Your instrument of love to others. 

When confronted by God from within a burning bush , Moses the meek shepherd was  commanded to throw down his staff. Once cast to the ground, God commanded him to pick it up again. The purpose and trajectory of Moses’ life was about to radically change. He was instantly transformed on that mountainside from a shepherd to the deliverer of the Hebrew people and that simple staff became an instrument of miracles. When Jesus stepped into Peter’s boat, the fisherman’s life and career were revolutionized as he was then sent by the Savior to be a “fisher of men”. What must I throw down today to do His Holy Work? Where in my life must I invite Him to step to invoke His greater calling? Loving Father, You take the ordinary, and turn it into the miraculous. Step where You desire, LORD and take what You must. I am Yours. 

“Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul”; poignant words penned by Horatio Spafford as his ship passed the spot in the Atlantic where his four daughters had died in a tragic shipwreck just days before. “It is well” are the words spoken to the prophet by the Shunamite woman, erstwhile her child laid dead at her home. Her son would later be raised from the dead because of the faith driving those words. No one can declare such things while mired in earthly obsessions. These are divinely inspired words, spiritually informed words; faith infused words spoken from consecrated hearts. To proclaim, “It is well” is not a refusal to accept earthly facts, it is to simply to call upon higher realities. Circumstances come and go but God’s goodness and promises never change. My Lord Almighty, Healer of the Broken Hearted, may my lips bear witness to Your Glory and Power. 

High-level strategic planning and oversight by military commanders are critical elements to victory, but wars are not won at Central Command, wars are won on the battlefield. While a strong and competent chain of command from headquarters to the frontline is essential, in the final analysis, the battle is won by the foot soldier. Battlefield victory is achieved when each soldier is WHERE they are assigned, WHEN they are scheduled to be there and WITH the preparation, needed resources and commitment to finish the fight. Our orders are clear: “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of civilian life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” LORD You have assigned each of us to our station in this world and armed us for what is ahead. May I be found faithfully holding position and advancing on the enemy as You command.

I mostly avoid processed meats, but I still occasionally have an appetite for cold cuts. But I truly loathe the type of “cold cuts” that come from a mean tongue.    It seems that many people feel a right, in fact, a fiendish need to verbally shrink the value of someone else to feel better about themselves. How sad. It is a temptation every human struggles with from time to time but for some people tearing down others is their normal way of dealing with issues of self-worth and value. The cure for this state of mind is found in the words of the apostle Paul: “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” This is painfully simple. LORD, grant me the humility and kindness of my Savior. Place Your coal of fire in my heart and upon my lips and make my mind and my mouth a fountain of blessings not curses. 9/20/17, 10/25/18

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.