Wilderness Walks

“For the people of Israel belong to the Lord; Jacob is his special possession.He found them in a desert land, in an empty, howling wasteland. He surrounded them and watched over them; he guarded them as he would guard his own eyes.” – Deuteronomy 32:9-10

In the TV series Alone,10 people try to survive a harsh, unforgiving wilderness with only their wits, their skills, and the ten items they each chose to carry in their packs. They must hunt, build shelters, and fend off predators. It is the ultimate test of human will.

As a Christian, you will end up in a spiritual wilderness more than once in your life. In the spiritual wilderness, God seems distant because you can’t hear Him or sense His presence or guidance. But the wilderness, like the valley, is where God sustains you no matter how long you are lost and no matter how long you are in the wilderness. The wilderness is a place where you can be restored and offers you a chance to be restored by God, if you will stay there long enough.

In Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (MSG , the children of Israel are reminded what happened to them during those forty long years of wandering in the wilderness: “Remember every road that God led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not. He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry. Then he fed you with manna, something neither you nor your parents knew anything about, so you would learn that men and women don’t live by bread only; we live by every word that comes from God’s mouth.”

This passage basically tells us that a test from God is not to reveal how defective you are; it’s to reveal what’s already inside of you, and even what’s lacking, so God can provide it for you. The children of Israel got hungry, so they cried out to God to feed them. And God gave them manna. 

When we’re in a wilderness season, it’s easy to lose sight of God’s protection, provision, and preparation. It may feel random, but each moment is God’s design. It may seem like the end of your story, but it’s really the only way the story goes forward. If God has called you into a wilderness season, don’t give up. In that dry, choking place, in that season of barely hanging on, remember God is watching over you. Have faith and know he’s using this difficult season to prepare for you things ahead—things sometimes far greater than you could ever achieve without the pain and struggles that you may be encountering today.    

Discussion Questions:

  1. What can we do when we are in the wilderness?
  2. Read James 1:2-4; Romans 5:3-5: What is the purpose and benefits of being in the wilderness?
  3. What can we apply to our lives from the message this week?

A Question Of Fairness

“He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness.” – Psalm 9:8.

“It’s not fair.” We have all said those words at one time or another. At the core, those words reveal our expectations. We want something to go a certain way and believe it should. We have expectations of God as well, and when those expectations are not met, we say, “it’s not fair.”

Is God unfair? Where is the God of balance and equity that we expect?  Hurricane Michael has raised this topic anew. We struggle daily with the “…for he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike” thing found in Matthew 5:45. We are not alone. The prophet, Habakkuk, questioned God’s “fairness” in using the wicked Chaldeans to punish the more righteous (Habakkuk 1:12-13). A faithful Job suffered the loss of his property, family, and health, with God’s approval. The book, A Martyr’s Grace, tells the story of 21 Moody Bible Institute alumni who gave their lives on the mission field for Christ. None of that seems warranted or fair.

It is natural to hate unfairness. But it is also natural to have our sense of fairness easily skewed or warped. We find it much easier to see injustice and sin in other people’s lives than we are with our own. So it seems unfair that people who sin more are doing so much better than those of us who are trying to follow Jesus Christ. Seeing the cross rightly means that we see ourselves rightly. Because if we could see everything clearly from God’s perspective, would we really want God to be fair? Would we still be seeking God’s perfect justice? Or would we be okay with the rain falling on the just and the unjust alike?

When we understand that our sins have earned us the death penalty, we realize we don’t warrant preferential treatment. Isaiah 64:6 says, “We are all infected and impure with sin.When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags…”  The key words “we are all.” We need God’s grace as much as anyone else to overcome our sin. Nobody warrants eternal life. Jesus Christ was willing to die in our place—to pay the death penalty for you and for me. He did nothing worthy of death. He never sinned. As the Son of God, His life is worth far more than all human lives put together.

When you consider these facts, isn’t Jesus’ death the most unfair punishment ever? Yet He willingly gave Himself to make it possible for us to repent and be forgiven. His sacrifice made His mercy possible and available for everyone. You can’t be more fair than that.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think God is fair? Why or why not?
  2. Do events like Hurricane Michael change how you view God’s fairness? If so how?
  3. How would your life be different if you believed God was completely fair? 

Peaks and Valleys

“We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life; longevity has it’s place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain.”  Martin Luther King Jr

Why do people climb mountains? When asked that question, people who have risked their life scaling the world’s highest peaks suggest that it is more than just reaching a summit.  It is the total experience. Once they reach the peak, they want to savor the experience, the determination it took to get there, and soak in the sense of accomplishment and peace they have from getting there. But in many cases, they cannot stay too long because they need to head back before the sun goes down. 

It is the same with a mountaintop experience with God.  A mountaintop experience is a temporary, uncommon encounter with God that is meant to give us a fresh awareness of His reality and nearness. We naturally want to savor it and the peace and joy it brings. The mountaintop is a nice place to visit, but you can’t stay there. There’s no Chick-fil-A, Starbucks and in most cases, no cell phone or Wifi signal. All kidding aside, the mountaintop is a place that God allows you to be in for a a few days, few hours or a few moments and is part of our total life experience. But here is the thing: you can’t expect God to show up in your life in dramatic mountaintop ways if you don’t show up before Him in faithful, consistent ways in the valleys. Richard Nixon said, “Only if you have been in the deepest valley, can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.”

I have learned over the years that the inspiration, faith, grace, and hope we experience at those God-given mountaintop moments is what will sustain us in the valley.  But sometimes it is the other way around. It is not easy, but it is possible to have mountain top views while walking though the valleys. It is through these valleys that we depend on God’s strength. It is through these valleys that we rely on God and His lead because we may not see the end. It is in the valleys, as well as the mountaintop experiences, that we can grow closer to God.   

Savor the total experience of those times when we have a mountaintop experience with God. But remember that we can have mountaintop views as we walk through the valleys of life.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you experienced “mountaintop” experiences with God? How would you describe them?
  2. What would we need to change to look at our “valley” experiences as an opportunity to draw closer to God?   

This Mess Is Too Messy

“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power” – Ephesians 1:18-19

Things are good; your relationship with God is great, you have economic freedom, a loving relationship with your wife and picture perfect kids. Life is good right now. Really good. If so, praise God. Keep doing what you are doing. Ride the wave and enjoy it.

On the other hand, maybe things are not going so swimmingly for you. Things went sideways. You know what it is like to be sick and tired of being sick and tired. Your life has been a series of highs and low, but lately you seem to be spending a lot more time in the valley than on the mountaintop.    

The Bible tells us that our lives are messy, busy, and sometimes chaotic. The reason our lives are messy is that we are messy and sometimes hurting or broken. It is at these times when we most need God. Here is the most amazing thing about God’s love and grace: God didn’t come to judge our mess; He came to clean up our mess if we trust in Him. And there is no mess too messy for God to cleanup if we give Him the opportunity.

Jesus is not afraid of our mess. Over and over in the Bible, we see Jesus moving and involving Himself in people’s messes and miraculously coming through for them. Whether it was a blind man beside the road (Luke 18: 35-43), a woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11), or a lame man lying beside a pool (John 5:1-15), Jesus stepped into their situation and showed them that His love was more powerful than their problems. And He is bigger than the valley we find ourselves in today. God didn’t love us from a distance. God stepped into our messy world to save us and set us free. He wants to be in it with us and help us in the midst of whatever we are facing. He didn’t encourage us to clean ourselves up or command us to try harder and live a better life. By sending Jesus, God ran into the mess for us. Jesus did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. God didn’t just step into the world 2,000 years ago. He is ready and able to step into what we are dealing with right now…if we let Him.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is there a time when you fell short of your own standards? How did you feel? What did you do to try to clean up the mess you’d made?
  2. What can we do this week to reduce any mess in our lives?

Mountain High, Valley Low

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” – Psalm 23:4

Every one of us go through valley experiences in our lives, in fact, these valley experiences are a part of life. But that doesn’t mean we enjoy our stays in the valley. We prefer the mountaintop experiences. We all love being on the mountaintop, a place where we can feel God’s presence. A place where we can clearly hear God’s voice and we are able to follow His leading because it is clear to us. The valley is the complete opposite experience, or is it?   

The valley seems very different than the mountaintop. The valley is where life becomes challenging, where battles are fought, relationships strained and economic hardships reside. The valley is the place in life where we struggle everyday with fears, unrealized hopes and painful circumstances. The mountaintop is where we come to meet God; but the valley is where God comes to meet us. We may enjoy God on the mountaintops, but we get to know Him intimately in the valleys.

As we struggle during our time in the valley, David reassures us in Psalm 23 that we can make it through. The reality is, both literally and metaphorically, that after every mountaintop experience there is a valley. In every phase of life you are either going into one, coming out of one, or in the middle of one. Jesus made this very clear to us, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) ” You will have many trials and sorrows, there will be relationships that are sour, bills that can’t be paid, circumstances that don’t seem fair in the valley. You can’t plan them, you can’t time them, you can’t schedule them and often you can’t manage them. But there is good news. We don’t have to because God is with us. He does not watch over us from outside of the valley, He does not call us from the other side of the valley because He is with us through the valley. And that is the good news.

That’s why David said in the first verse of Psalm 23, “The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” I have everything I need. “He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams” That suggests a picture of soft, green grass, shaded by a tree and free of all life’s noises. “He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name”  

Yes, the valley is where we do our struggling, it is where we have to cry sometimes, and yes the valley is inevitable throughout our journey in life. But it is temporary and God is with us in every valley.    

Discussion Questions:

  1. Was there ever a time in your life when a “valley was followed by a valley” (when troubles kept coming one after another)? What did you do? 
  2. How would knowing God is with us help you find strength in that situation?

Immanuel…God Is With Us

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” – Matthew 1:23.

In the first chapter of his gospel, Matthew introduces his readers to Jesus’s earthly parents. His mother Mary and more specifically his adoptive father Joseph. In discovering the pregnancy of his soon to be wife, Joseph made plans to discreetly divorce Mary.  His plan is quickly changed when an angel visits him. The angel of the Lord comes to Joseph and says, “…do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew1:20-21) announcing that the child growing in Mary’s womb was conceived by the Holy Spirit and that she will bear a son. The angel then gives Joseph specific instructions to name the child Jesus. In naming the child Jesus, and speaking of the forgiveness of sin, the angel is making known to Joseph that the child in Mary’s womb is the long awaited Messiah, through whom God will bring reconciliation and redemption to his people. 

At the end of Matthew’s account of the angel’s visit to Joseph, he refers to an Old Testament promise given to the people through the prophet Isaiah. “All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” (Isaiah 7:14).

The essence of this passage and event in history is not merely that a baby was born. The essence is that God became a baby. God was in the crib. This child will be called Immanuel, which means “God is with us.” The indescribable and sovereign God of the universe is among us. 

Jesus came to do the Father’s will, but He came to represent God, the Father, so that we would know what it is like to have God with us, as the name Immanuel defines. Colossians 1:15 says, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God…” And in John, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. …. So the Word became human and made his home among us. …. No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us..” (John 1:1, 14, 18)

Our amazing God has decided to live with us and within us. Where would we be if not for the vibrant, life-giving and abundant life of Jesus Christ within? 

Discussion Questions:

  1. What was the significance of the messianic title “Immanuel”? How should the truth that “God is with us” encourage you?

Attention Getter

“One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro,the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.” Exodus 3:1-3.

Today people use social media to grab people’s attention. God used a more dramatic approach with Moses. God got Moses’ attention when he was living in Midian as a shepherd, far removed from the splendor and glory he had known in Egypt. For 40 years, he had lived this humble existence of tending the flocks, looking forward to the ease and comfort of retirement. No one had bothered him, not even God. Then one day, Moses got a wake-up call. He saw a bush burning, but it wasn’t so much that the bush was burning, it was that the bush did not burn up. God had his attention.

What can we learn from Moses’ experience? The obvious answer is when God appears, we need to give Him our undivided attention. But is that it?  Verse 4 continues the story: “When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied.

Did you catch that? Only when Moses took the time to investigate the improbable scene in front of him, and only when God saw that Moses was paying attention, did God call him over. Curiosity got the better of him and he was now paying attention; that attention changed Moses’s life and the fate of the nation of Israel.

It begs the question: what burning bushes in your life should you be paying more attention to?  Is God doing something near you that is strange, exciting, dangerous, or unknown? Is God trying to get your attention? It may be the moment God uses to start something amazing in your life. Craig Groeschel said that “God doesn’t have to shout to grab your attention. He whispers to draw you close. He is right there with you.” 

God wants your attention for a reason. In the case of Moses, God had seen the misery of His people in Egypt. He wanted someone to request their release from Pharaoh. He wanted someone who knew Egyptian culture, language, policy, law and mindset. Who was better to handle that task than Moses? God got Moses’ attention to call him into service to lead the children of Israel out of slavery and into the Promised Land.

God gets our attention because He has something He wants us to do. He always calls us to action. What would God have you to do? 

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is it possible to know when God is trying to get our attention? If so, how?
  2. How can we be more receptive this week to God speaking to you? 

Spirituality Recipe

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”  Luke 8:5-8.

Spirituality has become a buzzword in the church. I want to worship with that group across town–they are so spiritual. The devotionals on that website are so spiritual–the small groups are so spiritual–our youth group is so spiritual. But what is it that makes those people and those groups spiritual? What is the criteria? The common answer is that spirituality is the process of becoming more mature in our relationship with Jesus Christ; someone who is growing spiritually will become more and more like Christ. Our spiritual connection with God is the guiding force in our life. It is always there. It is when we are growing spiritually that faith thrives.

But what happens when our minds are occupied? There is the spouse to think about, and the kids, and the job, the bills, the repairs from Hurricane Michael. And it is not just casual thinking: there is planning, strategizing, communication, paperwork about today, next week and next year. How can we ensure that spirituality stays in the forefront without getting lost in all the other things we are dwelling on? 

Computers have a helpful tracking mechanism that enables us to better interact with websites. They are called cookies. Many of us are familiar with “cookies.” For those who are not: when you visit a site that uses cookies for the first time, a cookie is downloaded onto your computer. The next time you visit that site, your computer “knows” that you have been there before, and in some cases, tailors what pops up on the screen to take account of that fact.

What kind of spiritual cookies do I have in my mind? We know what our priorities are, but what would I learn if I could look at a report of these files in my mind?  If so, what do they look like. Would they show that I read my Bible every day? Would they show a desire to grow spiritually? Would the cookies indicate a love for others? Would they show that I long for and strive for holiness? Would I be a frequent seeker after righteousness? 

But God does want us to walk with Him every moment of the day and the recipe for spiritual cookies is to develop the way and means to remain fixed on Him. Begin the day with Him setting aside a few minutes to be alone with God. Pray about things you know you’ll be facing that day, and read a portion of God’s Word, the Bible. Then let that portion of the Bible take root in your soul all day long, remembering it and calling it to mind.

But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously—take God seriously.” Micah 6:8 (MSG)

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are some “spiritual cookies” that can help us in our walk with God?
  2. What can we do this week to put those “cookies” into action? 

Hope In The Face Of Fear

“My enemies, whom I have never harmed, hunted me down like a bird. They threw me into a pit and dropped stones on me. The water rose over my head, and I cried out, “This is the end!” But I called on your name, Lord, from deep within the pit. You heard me when I cried,“Listen to my pleading! Hear my cry for help!”Yes, you came when I called; you told me, “Do not fear.” Lord, you have come to my defense; you have redeemed my life. You have seen the wrong they have done to me, Lord. Be my judge, and prove me right.” – Lamentations 3:52-59.

People who have never experienced a hurricane have a hard time understanding why anyone would want to. Why would anyone stay in the path of one? The prudent thing would be to point the car in the opposite direction of the storm and drive as fast as traffic will allow. Some people chose to stay during Hurricane Michael because they had to, others stayed trusting the storm would miss them or diminish in intensity before it arrived and others when they tried to leave were told it was too late. Those who stayed experienced the full force of nature. They saw the wind wrap steel around a tree, boats being flung on dry land, roofs ripped off and houses simply crushed inward. They saw how trees can snap like matchsticks. Many of the people who stayed would not stay if another hurricane came. Because they have learned that a category 4 hurricane is something to fear.

Many things can arouse fear within us. It can stem from our own weaknesses or life experiences. It can rise from a lack of control. Regardless of the form it takes fear is universal. We all suffer from fear at one time or another. The question is are we stuck in neutral, or are we moving forward as a result of our fears? While the natural tendency is to stop or turn back when things are going poorly, that is not the answer. We were never meant to fall victim to fear, but to overcome it. God is greater than your fears. Fear robs us of God’s best. And reaching your full potential in Jesus is on the other side of your fears.

David wrote in Psalm 27:1: “The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?

In the book of Lamentations, Jeremiah had been singing the blues. In fact, if you look at the first verse in chapter 3, he says, “I am the one who has seen the afflictions…” Here was Jeremiah’s reaction: “I called on your name, Lord, from deep within the pityou came when I called; you told me, ‘Do not fear.'” Then he adds, “Lord, you have come to my defense; you have redeemed my life. (Lamentations 3:55, 57-58)

When you face fear remember Lamentations. There is hope to be found even in the middle of despair. We can wait with confidence if we put all our hope in our great God.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you fear and how does it affect the way you live? Does it lead to anger, worry, or anxiety?
  2. Is there something God has commanded from His Word that you are fearful to do? Why are you fearful? What truth about God gives you courage in the midst of fear?

A Fixed Focus

“I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.” – Philippians 3:13-16 (MSG).

“So let’s keep focused on that goal” – simple but compelling words. Every one of us has a story; things that have happened in our past, a few weeks ago, or even earlier today, that could throw us off course. The truth is we can be distracted and focus on people or opinions or circumstances and fail to maintain a fixed focus on God. When we lose our focus on God is when we find ourselves adrift in the our circumstances.

Paul was talking about that focus when he wrote to the Colossian believers: “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:2-3).

The writer of Hebrews says “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith…” (Hebrews 12:2) Elsewhere, Paul again advises us to focus steadfastly on God: “…fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Joshua was a good example of this kind of focus. The nation of Israel had known only one leader, Moses. Moses had led them out of Egypt and formed them into a nation during the 40 years they were in the wilderness. Now Moses was dead and a new leader had been appointed by God. Moses told the people who would be their next leader in Deuteronomy 31:3: “…Joshua will lead you across the river, just as the Lord promised.”  

Joshua 1:7 says, “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.” Joshua’s message? Stay focused. Don’t deviate. Always obey God. These instructions were so important Joshua repeated them in his directions to the Israelites at the end of his life: ”So be very careful to follow everything Moses wrote in the Book of Instruction. Do not deviate from it, turning either to the right or to the left.” (Joshua 23:6)

God is the only thing that does not change with our feelings, circumstances or challenges. Whatever our circumstances, we need to stay focused on God. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. In the midst of trials and struggles how can we stay focused on God?
  2. What can we do this week to strengthen our focus on God?