Psalm 143:1-2 English Standard Version (ESV)

My Soul Thirsts for You

A Psalm of David.

143 

Hear my prayer, O Lord;

    give ear to my pleas for mercy!

    In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!

Do you hear that? It’s the desperate plea from a man who is on the verge of death. His enemies have all but crushed his soul, feeling hopeless, he calls out to God for mercy. I’m not a theologian, but perhaps these enemies are from the consequences of his adultery and his sins. Maybe that’s why he calls out to God for mercy. I like how he cries out for God to answer Him and come to His aid in God’s faithfulness and in God’s righteousness. Not in his. How many of us our taught that if we just clean up our act and do the right things, we can call out to God and He’ll save us? But I love how David doesn’t ask God to deliver him because of David’s righteousness but he calls out to God and asks Him for deliverance simply because of God’s faithfulness and righteousness. David knew he was undeserving but yet He still believed that God would deliver Him because that is who God is, He is faithful and He is righteous. You may not be surrounded by physical enemies but sometimes circumstances can seem so overwhelming it’s like an army is pursuing you. Sometimes we find ourselves being spiritually attacked and it can seem like the devil finally has the upper hand. Perhaps we have fallen into sinful habits again and our souls feel crushed and defeated. Could God really deliver me? Would He really want to, me a sinner? But I urge you to look at the life of David. This is the man who struggled with sexual addiction and bondage by sleeping with concubines on almost a daily basis which eventually led to him murdering a man just to sleep with his wife, Bathsheba. The consequences of his sins brought about a divided kingdom and a divided family. Even his worst enemies were his own sons, out to dethrone and kill him. Yet despite the consequences of his actions, he still cries out to God for salvation because He knows God is merciful. Remember,  if God can deliver David, a murderer and an adulterer, don’t you think He can deliver us too? God did not see David anymore as a sinner but He saw Him as a man after His own heart.  David repented and God was faithful to forgive Him. When we ask God to forgive us, He remembers our sins no more.  God delivered David from his enemies not because David was righteous or faithful, no, God delivered Him because that is who God is.  If David realized this aspect of God’s mercy, then we too are never too far removed from God to ask Him to rescue us no matter what we might have done in our past. We too can boldly call out to Him to deliver us from our trials because it’s in God’s nature to do so. David may have felt defeated that day but in the midst of his trial, and his consequences, in the midst of his desert, he begins to remember and meditate on how God has been faithful. For he says, in verse five,”I remember the days of old;

    I meditate on all that you have done;

    I ponder the work of your hands.” Maybe for us that’s what we need to do too. When we find ourselves in the midst of despair, meditate on how God has been faithful many times before. We can see His faithfulness displayed all throughout scripture. Meditate and dwell on His promises. They are true and dependable and we can find hope for our troubled souls.  David also recognized the importance of the Holy Spirit. He called out for the Spirit’s presence, for guidance and for direction. In verse 10

“Teach me to do your will,

    for you are my God!

Let your good Spirit lead me

    on level ground!”

The same Spirit found in David is the same Spirit who dwells in you. When we give up our way for His will, it is not us getting our act together, it is us just simply acknowledging we need a higher power to lead us to level ground. Begin again to ask the Holy Spirit to take control once again. The great counselor will teach you. It’s never too late, He will show you a way out.

I don’t know where you’re at right now? Maybe you too feel like you’re in the midst of battle surrounded by death all around and maybe it was caused by your sins, maybe from the sins of others. Wherever you find yourself, remember it’s not over. Cry out to Him, cry out to Him, He won’t abandon you, He will rescue you not because of anything you have done or didn’t do but simply because God is faithful and God is righteous. Let His Spirit show you the way, your deliverance is here. For towards the end of the Psalm, I love how David goes from desperation to confidence again. He says, “you will cut off my enemies” and again he says, “you will destroy the adversaries of my soul”.  It wasn’t maybe God will, it was God will do it. When we realize that our deliverance has nothing to do with our righteousness, when we meditate on God’s faithfulness to us and we surrender our will to the Spirit’s leading, we will find a renewed faith that nothing is impossible with God. So, when life knocks you down, don’t get up, but stay down, on your knees that is and cry out to the One who will hear you because He is faithful and righteous and remember these words of David.

11 

“For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life!

    In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!

12 

And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies,

    and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,

    for I am your servant.”

So I was reading the story in the Bible where Jesus is teaching in the synagogue and some religious leaders bring to him a woman who was caught in the very act of adultery. The men question Jesus about what should be done. They remind Jesus that the law of Moses says her punishment is stoning till death. So wanting to trap Jesus, they kept demanding Him for an answer. Finally, Jesus wrote something in the dirt and then He said to them, “to let him who is without sin throw the first stone”. Of course, all the accusers are silenced at this point and all walk away. Jesus writes something again in the dirt and then tells the woman that He does not condemn her and that she should go and sin no more. So I got to meditating on this passage a lot. I  discovered that Jesus was trying to convey a simple truth for all of us to see. A truth if we can get to the bottom of this, will transform everything for us and free us from those sins that keep us hostage. A lot of us live in cycles. We want to live Holy lives but then we end up falling into these habitual sin patterns and then we live in shame and guilt, then try harder and then fail again. I believe that the answer to truly breaking this cycle is found in this passage. Jesus was telling this adulteress woman that she was free now not just from the condemnation of sin but also from the power of sin. Jesus knew that what was holding her hostage to her sin, was that she still viewed herself as being condemned. I believe the reason Christians struggle with sin, is because there is a correlation between condemnation and sin, and how we perceive ourselves. Jesus knew this and like a good doctor, He wrote on the ground her prescription to finally break free. Although no one knows for sure, this is speculation but I think perhaps Jesus wrote in the dirt her new name. He gave her a new identity. This was her true identity now, no longer was she to Him an adulteress nor a slave or a sinner. I believe Jesus wrote on the ground who she was now in His eyes. That’s why He told her to sin no more because He knew that now that she knows her true identity, all things are possible. Could it be that the reason we struggle with sin is that we don’t really know or believe in our new identity in Christ? When we struggle with sin, most of the time we tend to live in this cycle of shame and guilt. We know we disobeyed God’s commands, so what do we do? We beat ourselves up. We allow the Enemy to accuse us, we allow others opinions to define us and we even allow our own thoughts to hold us captive. We are basically believing in a false identity and not whom Christ says we are. Jesus wrote the woman’s new identity in the dirt. Today, God has written for us our new identity in His promises found in the Bible. His word to us is that we are not under the law but under grace. The Bible says, Romans 8:1, “Therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. The scriptures also say, 2 Corinthians 3:17, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom” and John 8:36, “He whom the Son has set free, is free indeed.”  Too many of us Christians hold the law over our heads reminding ourselves that we are a sinner and a slave to it and so we strive to do better. But when we live like this we fall under the law which is a form of captivity. Not that the law and God’s commands are bad but if we think we can live out our freedom from an identity that says we are still sinners, then we will always fall short. Then the false accusers come out and tell us what they think we are and we choose to listen and the cycle of shame and guilt continues. Jesus instead tells us that He has set us free from all of this. There will never be any condemnation ever. Just think about it for a moment. What if the woman did sin again? Chances are she did. No one I know has ever been perfect. So say she sinned again, does Jesus take back what He said to her? Does He now condemn her? No, Jesus gave her His word and His word is true and forever. She was never to face condemnation again and you and I who have placed our faith in Jesus will never be condemned either. Wow, this is liberating! When we start thinking about this truth, we should start to break this cycle of living under the control of those sins that easily entangle. Sin thrives and finds nourishment from guilt and shame. Then it continues to grow out of a  false identity. When we dwell on the promises of whom we are in Christ and just believe them as being done, then we will live in real freedom. When we start to see ourselves as being loved, and being forgiven, no matter what we do or how many times we fail, the accusers will soon be silenced and the only true voice we will listen to will be His. We may not be perfect but we can live more and more in His perfection as we continue to remember that it is only through Him we are truly free! So when the stones of your accusers start to come your way, just remind yourself of who you really are in Christ. Jesus will remove those stones one by one. Remember, He removed the one stone that held Him captive in the tomb for three days. What makes you think He can’t overcome the ones that are holding you back from living out your God given destiny? So, stop listening to the lies, stop living under the law, it’s only going to falsely accuse you and hold you down. In the midst of the dirt and messiness of our lives, isn’t it great to know that Jesus gets His finger dirty as well and writes His new identity for us on our hearts? All we have to do is take Him at His word. Receive it, Embrace it and trust the one who says you are a new creation. For scripture says, in 2 Corinthians 5:17,  “The old is gone and the new has come.” Rise up, child of God. Leave the grave clothes of your past behind you and put on the new clothes of your real identity only found in Christ. Remember, You are free! You are free indeed. How do I know this? It is written.

John 1:1

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Today, I got the awesome opportunity to have an all you can eat breakfast with my Savior and friend Jesus Christ. Yes, what an amazing experience.  Did you know Jesus likes to eat blueberry pancakes and likes his hash browns with cheese?  He also enjoys a good conversation, and has a heart for young people in their teenage years to give them help in forming them into responsible and successful adults in these crucial formative years. These are kids who don’t have the healthy two parent structure at home, teens that need an adult to believe in them. Did you know that Jesus also has a crazy sense of humor and wears an umbrella hat on hot summer days when he goes for walks? He also likes to Zumba in his neon green socks and wears bright colored gym shorts. Who knew? Yes, that’s right today I got to hang with Jesus at the breakfast buffet at the Golden Corral.  Now I know by now you’re waiting for the punch line. You’re waiting for the just kidding or you’re thinking it’s time for me to check myself into the funny farm. I get it. It does sound like I’ve been smoking a little too much of the reefer. But actually I’m not joking. I’m about as serious as I can be. You see today I got a chance to meet up with my good friend and brother in Christ. We were talking about a number of things just sharing life when the conversation got Biblical. At one point he said something so profound. He said “Tom do you know you are the Word? Do you know that to some people you will be the only Bible they are ever going to ever see?” And I got to thinking of that verse that says Jesus was called the Word and that the Word became flesh. How cool is that? Jesus was the living breathing Word of God and today if we put our faith in Christ, Jesus becomes flesh again but this time in us. So spending time with God is not just in the Bible and having a thirty minute devotional, it’s spending time also with my brothers and sisters who are the walking and talking Word in the flesh. You see when we spend time with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are in essence spending time with Jesus. When we live to serve others did you know you are spending time with Jesus too? We are not obedient to God so that we can do good things for God. That is not why we obey and that can lead to legalism and a false religion. No, the number one reason we are obedient is because that’s where Jesus is. We obey Him to fellowship with Him. Jesus says we are His friends if we obey His commands. Close friendship with God comes when we participate with Him as we follow Him. Read 1 John it is all about how to have fellowship with Jesus and believers. When we spend time with our kids, when we go on that mission trip, when we do the dishes for our spouse, when we go to work to provide for our families, when we take the time to visit the elderly, when we do anything for someone in love you are actually spending time with Jesus. In fact there’s a scripture that actually says when we feed the hungry or give water to the thirsty, we are actually feeding and serving Jesus. So, today maybe you thought reading your Bible was the only way to be with Jesus. Maybe you forgot to have that devotional time or maybe you think that just because you spent thirty minutes with God it stops there. I’m here to tell you it doesn’t. Spending time with Jesus is more than just being in the book. Yes prayer and scripture and having that alone time is part of it but it’s also having relationships with other Christians, it’s serving the body of Christ, and it’s living on mission to love and serve those outside of the faith. So to any of my Christian readers, the next time you’re hungry and you’re looking to break some bread with Jesus and you just happen to be in my neighborhood, look me up and let’s get together. I’m very interested in learning more about my Jesus through the eyes of His people, filtered by the word of God of course. Remember, the Bible just doesn’t stay on your coffee table. If you’re following His way, it goes where you go because the living Word dwells in you. The Living and breathing Bible, Jesus Christ the Word made flesh!

Have you ever seen a pen write by itself? If you ever do, please show me. I’d love to see that. But what makes a pen write? Is it the pen? No, of course not. The only way a pen can write is if someone picks it up and attempts to write with it. Can you imagine trying to write with a pen that has a mind of its own? What if every time you tried to write, the pen would refuse to be still and would fight you, trying to write what it wants to write? That would be insane! Of course you wouldn’t be able to get anything accomplished. In the same way, as believers in Christ, we kind of do the same thing. Instead of just being still and letting God do the work, we think it’s up to us to live for Him and we end up getting in the way from letting God do His best work in our lives.  We think we’re helping God but instead we’re just interfering with what God wants to do in us. The only way we are ever going to produce good works in our lives is not in us doing it ourselves.  You see, just like the pen can’t write on it’s own, neither can we. The pen needs to rely on someone using it. We too need to rely on Jesus to use us and produce the fruit of good works in our lives. Yet too many times we try to muster up our own strength to live for God and we ask God to help us. We then start off strong and for awhile we start doing things for God, living our lives correctly but then eventually the circumstances, trials and temptations of life catch up to us and we end up falling back into habitual sin or we simply burn out in our holy endeavors. I personally have experienced this in my life. What I’ve come to learn the hard way is that God’s not so much interested in our doing things for Him.  In fact, God wants us to stop trying to write on our own because like the pen, we can’t. It’s foolishness. Just be still and trust Him to do the work. Remember, when you first believed to receive eternal life? Did you do anything? No, you just believed and you received.  The Bible tells us in Colossians 2:6, “Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.”  How did you receive Jesus? Did you clench your fists and try really hard asking God to help you? No, you just believed. So walk in Him just like that. Just believe you are already complete in Him. Believe that His holy character is and already is being manifested in your life and receive it as being done.  In John 15, Jesus makes a wonderful illustration about this. He describes Him as being the vine and we, his disciples as being the branches. Think about it, branches don’t do any work, all they do is receive what the vine is doing. It’s the vine that produces the sap that produces the fruit and so it should be with us. Quit trying to live for God. Instead live in Him and allow Him to live through you. Get out of the way and instead of DOING, practice the discipline of just BEING in Him, by abiding in a relationship with Him. By faith receive His power in your life by simply accepting His promises to fulfill His work in your life. Then watch and be amazed at the fruit that is manifested in you.  In the same chapter in John 15:16, Jesus says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.”  You see, Jesus is basically telling us, it is not our doing ever. He chose us, it is not the other way around and it is Him that bears this fruit, not us. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  Even here we see that these works are not our doing but His and He’s preparing them for us to do through Him in advance.  So the next time you blow it or you feel tired and frustrated by your constant efforts to please God and you’re just not seeing any results, then perhaps it’s time to go back to the vine.  It’s time to just connect with Him in relationship again. Just do nothing but be a branch and receive. Thank Him in advance for the work He is going to accomplish.  Stop trying to be a pen that wants to write on your own, because you can’t. Just be a pen that will be still and just let Him pick you up in His loving hands instead. Trust Him and soon you’ll see the empty pages of your life being filled with life changing and powerful words that only God could write. Words that will change your life and those around you. Words that soon will unfold into a beautiful story. A story He is still creating in and through you and just like a pen in the hands of it’s author, we too will get the honors of simply participating with Him in this marvelous creative process. A process that will one day manifest into another one of God’s masterpieces, YOU. 

Do you ever feel like you’re  a failure? You see all these people on television living their dreams, telling you the meaning of success and you look at your life and just feel stuck, not going anywhere, a loser?  I struggle with that.  I heard one television celebrity say that success is like jumping out of an airplane and soaring. But as he was talking and quoting Bible verses, I could hear the underlying message. Success to him was money. Unfortunately, for a lot of us, we feel so inadequate and like failures because we don’t have the big paycheck coming in at the end of the week. What if we jump out of our planes and take the risk to pursue that dream and it doesn’t work out? They will tell you, to never quit because if you do give up, then you’ll never know what will happen. But even if you follow this advice and don’t give up, there is still no guarantee and you still won’t be satisfied. No, I think that is just simply bad advice, because success is not to be sought after. If success is something we do or something tangible or anything in this world, then we will constantly be jumping out of airplanes and crashing into rocks not ever truly soaring.  I think we have to change what the definition of success and soaring is. Is it making six figures working a job you love? That’s still not a guarantee that this would happen. Is it having meaningful relationships and lots of kids? That’s wonderful but what if you can’t have kids or your spouse suddenly dies or you just can’t find anyone to marry, are you now labeled a failure?  No, my Bible says that all the disciples that walked with Jesus died for Jesus as martyrs. Some were stoned, imprisoned, and even crucified upside down. So, did they not live successful lives? YES! Of course they did. They did soar, simply because they knew who they were. They were able to face death with joy and certainty knowing they were going to be with Jesus because they knew they were loved by God. They were children of God!  Perhaps we need to rethink what success means. We always link it to what we do. In my career I’ve done a lot. I’ve been an actor on stage performing for thousands, I’ve been in commercials with celebrities,  I’ve acted in movies, I’ve been a magician both on stage, and on the street, I’ve also written, produced and starred in my own independent film which was nominated at a local film festival in Florida. I’ve written screenplays for the big screen and I’m currently writing a book and have written close to eighty blogs giving spiritual hope and encouragement to people like myself who need it.  But with all that said, I also work a security job that is boring and monotonous. I have been with TSA for almost eighteen years conducting thousands of pat downs, going through thousands of bags, getting thousands of people complaining about what I am doing to them, a thankless and underpaid job.  So, I ask myself am I a failure? I’m sure when you read the first part you were impressed with my resume, weren’t you? Maybe you thought “how impressive he did commercials with celebrities” but then when you get to the last part of me doing a security job, perhaps you felt sorry for me. Isn’t that funny? We still think of success by what one does. And unfortunately, I still do it too.  Sometimes I ask myself did I do something wrong along the way that God is punishing me?  But again I have to remember that success always comes back to not what I do but who I already am. Who am I? I’m a child of God.  If we put success outside of that, then when circumstances don’t pan out the way we want them to, we will never be truly satisfied. We will always keep jumping out of airplanes hoping the chute will catch us but it never will. Remember, from the moment you put your faith in Christ as your Savior, you immediately became a success. Why? Simply, because of not what you did but by faith you became a child of God and this brings God glory!  The scripture tells us that everything we do, we should do it all for the glory of God.   This is made possible not by our own doing but because of us believing who God says we are. By just being a child of God by faith, you glorify God thus achieving success. Then whatever you do from here on out and accomplish in life, big or small,  is just a cherry on top of an amazing sundae.   In other words, whether I write the greatest novel of this century, live in financial freedoms and travel the world or whether I work a mundane job counting beans in a corner living paycheck to paycheck, it doesn’t matter, because I am a child of God. Whenever we live by faith and operate out of faith, we are living our lives to shine forth His glory not ours and this my friends is the meaning of success!  So, are things in my career where I want them to be? No, but I’m working my mundane job in excellence and I’m still pursuing a writing career. I still believe in something better and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, no matter what happens, whether I achieve my dreams or not whether I’m rich or poor, I’m still a success!  I’m not hoping to be, I always was and always will be and it’s all because I am His child and this brings Him glory!  And that my friends, is truly soaring!!!!!!

1 Corinthians 10:31

³¹ So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

John 1:12

12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

Ah yes, it was beach weekend. The start of my vacation and I was looking forward to spending it with my kids and doing a little family bonding. Some other family members and friends of mine were also with me for the day. It was going to be a great beach day!  After an exhausting two hour drive just getting there, my body was ready to just unwind and finally have some fun.  I got into the water to just toss the frisbee around. I remember soaking it all in. It felt like a glimpse of paradise, nothing but blue skies, not a cloud in sight, I couldn’t ask for a better day.  I was definitely enjoying the moment but my moment of paradise did not last for long. In fact, if this was a movie, you’d start to hear the ominous music begin to play in the background. There would be a shot of me tossing the frisbee ever so gleefully, then there would be the close up of the water and the camera would suddenly take on the point of view of something lurking in the ocean. The camera would pan back to me again, smiling and laughing like an innocent school boy during recess playing with my friends.  Then the ominous music would resume again and finally the camera would pan underneath the surface of the water to my foot. Closer and closer the camera would appear to approach the harmless and innocent foot just jumping for joy and then another quick shot of me but this time a look of panic on my face. Suddenly everything slows down, we would see the frisbee coming towards me in slow motion, smacking me right in the head and then a real dramatic moment of me screaming like a madman full of excruciating pain. Nothing but sheer fright, and pandemonium on the faces of everyone around me as they all scurry about the water trying to make a mad dash towards the beach. Meanwhile, you’d see me crawling on my belly, just grasping the sand in desperation as I try to slither my way up the sandy slope to the beach tent.  Then the camera reveals my battle wounds as we the audience gets a glimpse of the blood oozing out of my left foot as it barely dangles from my leg.  Oh the horror the horror! Wouldn’t that make for a great movie scene? I know, I know, it’s Jaws 1,2,3 and 4.  Well, it may not have been as dramatic as that but it did really happen to me, well, kind of sorta. It definitely felt like I was in a scene from a Jaws movie that’s for sure. The shark bite or whatever it was got me right on my left ankle.  It felt like teeth clamping down on my left foot and then it quickly released itself. I thought it would probably come back for a second helping but  thankfully whatever it was, Moby Dick didn’t find me too appetizing.  The next thing you know, I’m hobbling my way to the beach tent and all I could see was blood all over my foot. Quickly, my family got chairs for me, propped my foot up and rinsed off the wound giving me a paper towel to stop the bleeding.  What started out like a promising day of beach relaxing fun, ended up becoming one of the most painful beach days I ever experienced in my life. I pretty much sat around for the rest of the day, feeling like Jimmy Stewart in “Rear Window”, confined to a wheel chair living vicariously through the lives of others,  with my foot elevated, eating pretzels, watching everyone else having fun without me.  Well, the pain did finally subside but unfortunately it  wasn’t until it was time to go home that it started to feel better. I know, it could have been worse though.  I like to joke and say it was a shark bite but later I learned there were crab traps nearby and so it was determined the wound was probably caused by a crab. I still like to think it was a shark bite though.  It’s much more heroic to say you’ve lived to tell the tale after being attacked by a great white, than it is getting bit by a teeny weeny Red Lobster appetizer.  However, I  realize that if it was a shark bite,  I probably wouldn’t have had a foot at all. I’d be walking around with a wooden leg looking more like Long John Silver, “aargh”!  I laugh about it now but at the time it happened, it really messed me up. In my mind I just kept thinking to myself, why is this happening to me God? Am I jinxed? I just want to enjoy my family, why is this happening to me? But as I reflect now on it, I realize now the lesson to be learned. Sometimes life just isn’t fair and sometimes life can be cruel and we are going to go through times that are going to be painful. But instead of questioning God and asking Him why, we should be asking God what can I learn from this? And what I learned from this, was even in the painful times, we should still be thanking God regardless. The Scripture tells us to be thankful continually, to give thanks in all circumstances.  It also says to rejoice always. I’m sorry but that’s not always easy to do. No one wants to rejoice or be thankful in the bad times but all circumstances means all circumstances. So, why in the world should we be thanking God in trying circumstances? After giving this much thought, I believe that when we complain and are bitter about our problems, we start to tell ourselves that we lack and are not good enough. We begin to attract negativity into our lives like stress which is never healthy for the body at all. But when we start thanking God, we are in essence saying to ourselves that we truly are blessed and we have everything we need. We begin to alleviate stress and in return this causes us to live healthier lives. God is our Creator, He knows how we best operate. If He says to be thankful continually than we should listen. This does take faith but the opposite of faith is fear.  I’d rather live in faith being hopeful for a better tomorrow than wallowing in my sorrows dwelling on the pain of yesterday and fearing for tomorrow.  Fear stunts our growth but faith pushes us to move forward causing us to grow from our painful circumstances. Now that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy getting bit in the foot by some sea monster but when I find the things to be thankful for, like a foot that is still intact then that will help me to keep things in perspective and I will find that I will be able to move forward and grow from this experience in my life.  There is no gain if we don’t experience the pain. It’s true in working out in the gym and it’s true in life. We don’t need to pray to God for painful experiences or suffering but if we go through it, we know we have a God that can relate with us, help us to endure it and we will ultimately grow from it, becoming better people in the process.  So the next time you find the trials of this life biting you in the foot, just remember don’t complain about it but choose to be thankful instead. You may not see it at the time but there is purpose in the pain and God will always carry you through it all.  Soon, you’ll discover that your paradise on the beach is not really hard to find, it’s closer than you think. It’s right there with you wherever you go, always in your perspective. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

I don’t know about you but I love myself a good breakfast on the beach. Eating pancakes, sausage and eggs with a cold glass of orange juice, or a hot cup of coffee. It’s also even better when you are with a special person or friend to share it with. There’s nothing like watching the sunrise, worshipping God and saying good morning to the sunshine and the blue skies or as my eight year old daughter would say, “Good morning sunny and bluey.” Ah, the summertime is finally here, and if you live in Orlando, Florida like I do, there’s really nothing to do outside but fry eggs on the sidewalk, or melt in the hot sun waiting for five hours to ride your favorite Disney ride.  So, I’d rather go to the beach.  For me, there’s nothing like getting the chance to escape reality, to refresh the soul by listening to the soothing music of the ocean waves, the sights, the sounds, the smell of the air, it just makes me feel closer to God. I feel like a child again enjoying God’s playground in the sand. Not so long ago as I’m writing this, Memorial Day Holiday kicked off the summer. I saw many of my friends on Facebook, post pictures of themselves at the beach.  There was one Facebook post that really caught my eye. It said, “while I’m enjoying my weekend at the beach, I will never forget those who sacrificed their lives on a beach for my freedoms”.  The post was in regards to the D-DAY invasion where our American troops first set foot on European sand to combat Hitler and his evil regime.  If you ever want to get a realistic look at what these men went through for us, watch the opening scene to the movie “Saving Private Ryan”.  It is a very painful but powerful re-enactment of what actually happened. This moment on the beach was such a pivotal point in the war, that it helped turn the tide in the Allie’s favor and eventually led us to winning the war.  It’s so vital we always remember their sacrifice or else we will forget and take our freedoms for granted. As I was thinking about this, I also thought about another pivotal moment in history that also happened on a beach. This major event also has huge implications for us as believers in Christ. It was actually a breakfast on the beach. Not just any breakfast though.  That’s right, in fact it’s found in the New Testament, of the Gospel of John. The famous breakfast on the beach between Jesus in His resurrected body and the now disgraced disciple Peter.  Why is this so important?  To give you a quick background, Peter had just done the unthinkable sin.  On the night that Jesus was crucified, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. Just as Jesus predicted, the rooster crowed and Peter after remembering what Jesus told him, ran away to hide and wept bitterly.  This same Peter who would do anything for Jesus, even cut off the ear of the guard trying arrest Jesus, was now a coward, hiding away in his shame.  I’m sure Peter thought to himself, there is no way that Jesus would sit down to share a meal with him, especially after he betrayed Christ and claimed he never knew him.  However, Jesus invited Peter to share a meal regardless. There’s a wonderful exchange between Jesus and Peter. If you only read it in the English language, you’ll miss out on the truth of what is really going on. Jesus asks Peter do you love me and Peter tells him he loves him. Jesus then tells Peter to feed his lambs.  But what’s interesting here is that the Greek translation for love that Jesus speaks about is the word “agape” and that means unconditional love.  The greatest love someone could ever have for another. Yet the word that Peter uses to express his love for Jesus is the word “Phileo”. It’s where we get Philadelphia from and it is a lesser love than “agape” but still a deep love, more of a brotherly or friendship love.  Again this important exchange is repeated with Jesus using “agape” for love and Peter using “phileo.”  Finally,  Jesus says to Peter “do you phileo me?” And again Peter says “ I phileo you Lord”.  I believe that the reason Jesus asked Peter these questions is that He was testing his heart. Remember,  Peter was always the one who was the first to say that he’d die for Christ, or the first to jump out of the boat and walk on water. Jesus even had to rebuke him for saying he would never let Christ die. Jesus had to literally say, “get thee back Satan”.  It’s not that Peter didn’t love Jesus but his intentions sometimes were not that pure. It was more about Peter sometimes than it was about Jesus.  It was more about Peter wanting to prove that he’s the greatest disciple who really loved Jesus the most. So, Jesus wanted to test him and see if it was still that same Peter He was dealing with. But I believe that after all that Peter went through, he was eventually humbled and all he could say was “I phileo you”.  We see that his heart truly had changed. In essence, Peter was saying to Jesus, you know I can’t unconditionally love you Lord. I can’t and I never will be able to. That’s huge for Peter to get to that point of humility and to admit this. Peter had finally understood his need for a Savior. Peter had to get out of the way for Jesus to finally be able to really use him.  Sometimes too many of us think we can live for God but the truth is we can’t. We will only end up making it about ourselves instead of Christ. It’s when we finally get to the point of humility, where we realize we need His unconditional love more than He needs us, that we will discover, we will do much more for the kingdom of God than we could ever do in our own strength.  Peter’s relationship and his ministry was reinstated that day and it was not because of anything Peter did, but simply because of Jesus and His “agape” love for him. So, if you find yourself on the beach this summer, take a moment or two, to remember that interaction between Jesus and Peter. If it wasn’t for that breakfast, there wouldn’t have been more than three thousand people in the book of Acts giving their lives to Christ in one day, all because of the boldness of Peter. That same man who denied Christ was now front and center declaring not his love for God but God’s unconditional love for him and for all of mankind.  This man’s heart, his humility and fervor for God, sparked the movement of Christianity and it’s been going strong ever since.  So, the next time you find yourself at the beach, think of this.   As you play in the sand and listen to the ocean waves, listen also to the voice of Jesus declaring His unconditional love for you and remember the sacrifices of the men and women like Peter, who came before us and gave their lives for the gospel, so that you and I can enjoy our freedoms in Christ today.   Who knew that all of this would be made possible for us, all because Jesus took the time to serve Peter a little breakfast on the beach.  And still to this day, Jesus calls out to us sinners to partake in this breakfast. A breakfast served up with unconditional love and grace, a breakfast of champions and all we have to do is sit with Him and eat.

John 21:12 New Living Translation (NLT)

12 “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said.

YESTERDAY, I watched the movie, “La La land”.  It’s a musical about two people pursuing their dreams in Los Angeles. The female lead is pursuing a career as an actress and the male protagonist is pursuing a music career as a jazz musician. Both meet and fall in love but in the end they have to part ways because their love for their dreams takes them on separate paths.  Fast forward five years later and both have succeeded in achieving their dreams. The female protagonist gets the acting career she always wanted and gets married and has a child, meanwhile the male protagonist achieves his ultimate goal of starting his own jazz club. By a fluke chance meeting, the female character just happens to come upon her former lover’s jazz club. She sits at a table with her husband and sure enough she is taken back when she sees her ex lover come out onstage and play his piano. He also sees her in the audience and so when he plays, he plays with everything he has. As he plays, she begins to dream about what might have been. As he plays, we the audience sees what their lives could’ve been, him giving up his dream for hers, them getting married, having a child, sharing life together. However, as the song ends so does the dream and we are back to reality. She gets up to leave along with her husband but as she is about to walk out, she turns back around and her and the guy at the piano share a moment. Their expressions on their faces speak volumes as if to say, “You will always be in my heart.”  I liked the movie just for the fact that sometimes relationships you want to be in don’t always work out. As I look back in my life, I have had a few relationships where I have dated but we were just on separate paths. At some point, we had to move on. My marriage got to that point too. We almost reconciled but as things became clear, it was best to go our separate ways.  It’s easy to want to stay though in that place of nostalgia. That place of what could’ve been. We then find ourselves trapped in the past while the present moves on without us.  It does no good to hold onto that person, thinking maybe today it’s going to happen and they’ll change their mind. Life is complicated and relationships come and go and it hurts. Sometimes the person you want to be with doesn’t want the same thing. The only wise thing we can do is keep moving forward. God has a plan and a purpose  in all this. The broken relationship may not be restored but your life can. Let Him restore the joy that only a relationship with Him can give. For the two main characters in the movie, their dreams were the motivation for them moving forward. As Christians our focus should be on our relationship with God and the plan of hope He has for us. We are commanded to follow Jesus. God is not stagnant stuck in the past, He is always moving forward. The Bible says, “keep in step with the Spirit”, Galatians 5:25.  Remember you have a friend in Jesus, who will never leave you nor forsake you. His love for you is eternal. There will never be any regrets, or breakups with Him.  Stuck in La La Land, over the hurts of a past relationship? Don’t look back, look forward and take His hand. He will guide you from that place of what might have been to that place where all  things are possible. TODAY, is a new day! 

Isaiah 43:18-20

Do you ever feel like you’re stuck? Perhaps it’s a career rut you just can’t seem to get out of or maybe it’s a past situation that is out of your control and you find it has held you back from moving forward. Maybe it’s an addiction, maybe it’s a disappointment in life that has now taken away all hope that you figure there is nothing else to do but just accept your reality and settle in the place where you’re at. I was recently reading and meditating in Acts chapter three. It’s about a lame man who was crippled from birth and for many years this man was carried to the temple steps where he would ask for money. Then one day, something extraordinary happened to him. God sent Peter and John along his path and when he asked for alms, they healed him instead. The Bible says that immediately he was able to rise and walk. I was thinking about how amazing this really was. You see, this man was dealt a bad hand. He was given a disability by birth. He did nothing to deserve that. But what’s interesting is that this man was carried everyday to the temple to beg. He had allowed himself and those he surrounded himself with to believe that this was his lot in life and therefore this was all he could ever do, beg. The scripture says he was carried. These people were enablers. Have you ever had people in your life that know your situation yet they tell you what you want to hear? They don’t ever give you a different perspective, they don’t push you to better yourself, no they just carry you around and by doing this they encourage you to stay stuck in your rut. The crippled man had gotten to the point where he accepted his situation as being his reality. His being born a crippled had become now what defined him. So to beg was his only option. However, God wanted to show him there was a better way to live. Instead of enablers, God sent Peter and John and they didn’t see a crippled man, no they saw his potential. He asked for money, they questioned why ask for that, when God wanted to bless him with something better. Sometimes our prayers are so limited, we ask for small things, when God wants us to remember who we’re talking to. There is nothing that is too great for our great God to handle. He wants to do much more than we can ever ask or imagine. Think about it, this crippled man for all those years, just asked for money, he never thought to ask for a healing? Maybe it never crossed his mind.  He believed in his past circumstances and that was his reality. Peter and John saw past the physical limitations and saw this man’s true reality.  I love how they tell him that by the name of Jesus of Nazareth he would be healed.  Why did they say that? Remember, in the New Testament where Nathaniel asks,”Nazareth, what good can come from Nazareth “?  It’s not that Nazareth had a bad rep but it was such a small blimp on the map. A rural town that had a population of maybe 600 people. No one would ever expect greatness to come from a small town such as that one. Yet, here was Jesus fulfilling the prophecy that the Messiah would come from there. Jesus could have let his humble origins to impact his destiny but he didn’t. Yes, Nazareth was his past but it wasn’t going to define Him. No, He knew who He really was. He was Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. Peter and John by making this statement were in essence saying to this man, your past circumstances are not your identity anymore, it’s now what you are in Christ Jesus.  For the first time this man finally saw the light and scripture says he was healed immediately. Not in two to five years or in some twelve week step program, no he was healed immediately. Sometimes when we are stuck in the same place for years it’s not that God has forgotten us, He’s waiting for the right moment, that when He delivers us, He is going to show off His glory and it’s impact on our lives and others will be tremendous. God loves to show off and it will always be for our benefit and for His glory. This man after his healing rose and was leaping with great joy , praising God telling others about what Jesus had done. When God delivers you, you will have a testimony and this man now had a powerful one.  In chapter four it goes on to tell us that five thousand people came to put their trust in Christ because of this one man’s testimony. Just think what God can do with you. Where do you find yourself today? Are you stuck in a rut? Perhaps it’s been years and you’re wondering how much longer? Have you begun to accept your circumstances as your reality? Does your past define your identity? It doesn’t have to be. Avoid those friends that just want to carry you through life, look for the Peter and John’s in your life that will see your God given potential and push you to believe that God has something bigger and better. You may not see it yet but stay encouraged, your miracle is coming. Pick up your mat, rise and walk, your Jesus of Nazareth has spoken!

Acts 3:6-10

⁶ Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” ⁷ And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. ⁸ So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. ⁹ And all the people saw him walking and praising God. ¹⁰ Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

John 1:46

Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

Psalm 139:16

  “…..all the days ordained for me were written in your book”. 

In my life, I have ventured many times into the realm of creative writing.  I have written a few scripts, most of which are really bad and should never see the light of day but I’ve written a couple scripts recently, that are so much better.  I still have a few more drafts to go but I’m way more proud of these than the junk I used to write.  What I’ve learned over the years between my first screenplay to my most recent, is that like building a house, if you don’t lay the foundation first, you’re story will be a complete disaster. You have to learn to appreciate the process of writing. Just because you finish a first draft does not mean you’re done. Most successful scripts take up to five to ten drafts. With my first script, I just wrote it down without taking the time to do the research and character development first. I was lazy and the end result was a lousy unstructured plot with stale dialogue, and flat characters.  But I find when I do the groundwork first, take the time to work on character development, my screenplay just flows so much better and the characters are so much deeper and more authentic. It’s so apparent when you watch a great movie.  You just know it. The structure is strong, the dialogue is rich, and the characters are well thought out and have many layers.  It creates an awarding experience for the audience. However, when a screenplay was just quickly put together, these movies usually find themselves straight to Netflix and forgotten pretty quickly. What I’ve learned is that a screenwriter that really cares about the success of the story, will take the time to care about the details. To a really great writer, the smallest character in the movie is as important as the main character. Every line, and every scene is equally important. You know sometimes I think about how awesome it is that the Bible calls our God an author. God,  the author of our lives cares so much about us, that He took the time to think us up.   God is the God of detail. Just look at all creation. Everything has a purpose in this life, from the largest mountain to the tiniest ant.  He took His time creating the world. Just read about how detailed He gets on instructing the Israelites in building the temple. And of course, He took great thought into creating us.  Scripture tells us,  He even knows the number of hairs on our head.  “He knitted us together in the secret place”.  “We are fearfully and wonderfully made”.  God doesn’t create junk. He doesn’t rush, He processes things and in the end, His work is found to be of excellence. If you ever feel you are insignificant, think again. You’re a character in His book. The Author of the book of life, took the time to create you. You may not think you have a big part to play but you do. Remember, if God cares about a little sparrow, why would He not care about little us? God is in the details, there are no insignificant characters and without you, there can be no story. 

Psalm 139:13-16

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book

Luke 12:7

⁷ Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.