COFFEE ON THE DOCK

“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, and present, is already popping up in my mind. Today's challenges and opportunities now await me, This brand-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 this new day. You made it, You rule it, and now I will rejoice and be glad in it. My heart is attuned to Your Voice. Today. 

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name,” Psalm 100:4 ESV. You can’t keep a worshipper’s heart down. Praise of our Heavenly Father lifts our hearts beyond our circumstances and takes us into the presence of The LORD of LORDS: The more I worship Him, the more I love Him. The more I love Him, the smaller life’s difficult circumstances become. The smaller our fears become, the greater our faith grows! I can praise God in silence, I can shout to Him out loud, I can bow my face to the ground in His Presence, and I can praise Him by quietly, steadily obeying His commands. The moment praise begins, transformation ignites! It happens from the inside out!  O LORD My Father, I lift up my heart in praise. Forgive my wanderings into the valley of self-obsession and help me to dance upon the mountaintop of praise. 

“And God said, ‘Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.’ And it was so,” Genesis 1:11 ESV. As a child traveling with my family through Florida, I marveled at the seemingly endless amount of fruit-laden orange trees. The branches were so full of citrus that the lower ones touched the ground. In a similar fashion, each and every moment is laden with God’s Presence. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control,” Galatians 5:22-23 ESV. I want every one of these! What will God provide me today that could help change someone’s life? Lord, thank You for Your bountiful blessings. Help me awaken to and take hold of Your provision. I ask that You never allow me to consume Your Goodness for myself without sharing it with others. 

“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. Over a lifetime, I’ve earned a few titles and received a few awards. Most of them are now stacked in drawers and closets or only have purpose or meaning as a part of some story that comes up from time to time. In the final analysis, they have little enduring value. One of my spiritual fathers, Costa Deir, would say: “Son, a great life can be summed up in one word: ‘others’”. This leads to the question of life that matters above all else, “have I been a blessing to others?” Father, the only prize I now seek is to remain steadfast by helping, strengthening, and lifting others. May my hands not be found empty when I join the gathering before Your throne in heaven and we joyfully cast our crowns at your feet. 

“I know,   Lord , that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course,” Jeremiah 10:23 NLT. Having the steady hand of a teacher draped over my own as I learned to write never seemed overly confining. Actually, the opposite was true; the gentle, firm guidance of my teacher’s hand liberated me to boldly attempt what had been very difficult on my own. And now, as a grown man, I do not resent God’s constant supervision and guidance. While I am still prone to strike out on my own, it is far better to fall into the grasp of Almighty God than into the hands of any other, including my own. “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God,” Romans 8:14 ESV. O Lord my Teacher and Guide, into Your Holy Grip I gladly yield. Guide my choices according to what is best and move me as You will.

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,” 2 Peter 1:3 ESV. Jerusalem is one of the world’s most ancient cities. Thousands of years of building and rebuilding have left its oldest sections buried deep underground. Constant excavations guarantee that new treasures are found daily by those who seek them. Each unearthed artifact leads to a greater understanding of the city’s true character. The work of God’s Word and Spirit has the same effect within us. He exposes and removes the rubble and refuse of the past and surfaces hidden treasures that He previously implanted. These divine attributes are designed for God’s purpose for each of His children. Lord God expose every part of my heart to Your Light and use me for Your Glory.

“He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?’ Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm,” Matthew 8:26 ESV. A powerful storm on the lake prompted the disciples to awaken Jesus from his well-deserved nap. The disciples were in mortal fear, their panic made them feel he didn’t care, and their words were infused with foolishness: “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Jesus’ response to the disciples? “Why are you so afraid? Do you STILL have no faith?” Mark 4:40 NIV. The size of our crisis causes no panic in Heaven. Instead, God attacks the source of our panic within us and reveals to us the source of our deliverance. Faith in the perfect Love of God delivers us from all other terrors. Heavenly Father, Your timing, Your way, Your will, that’s it! My storms are in Your hands, so I rest assured in Your Presence. You are my solid rock!