Take Heart

"But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." Isaiah 43:1,2

Before I started my quiet time this morning, I had no idea what I was going to write about. I had thought about a couple things, responding to something I saw online perhaps, but then I read the above passage and I realized what a great promise that is. It reminds me of the poem titled "Footprints" which I was discussing with a good friend the other day. God promises us first that He will be with us. We had been previously promised this in Deuteronomy 31:6.

Look at what that passage also promises us..."When you pass through the waters...and when you pass through the rivers...when you walk through the fire." We'll have troubles, we'll go through rough times, life isn't going to always be rosy, but it's ok, in light of the last set of promises..."I will be with you...they will not sweep over you...you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

I've had a few times where I've sat down and been able to convince myself that life is perfect. There have been many more times when I can sit down and see that life is far from perfect. What I've gone through this summer is probably the hardest thing I've had to go through, but it's been in this ordeal that I've been able to trust God the most, and when I've grown the closest to Him. One of the verses I've clung to is John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

This wasn't the way I thought my ankle issues would end, I thought and prayed for some kind of healing, not knowing I was putting God in a box. I thought I knew how the healing would look like, I thought it would be with two of my own ankles, I was wrong. Will I be healed? Yup, I'll be able to walk again and I'll be free of the pain I've been dealing with the last several years, that seems like healing to me. It's kind of like when you're looking at getting supper ready, and instead of having to go to the grocery store to get the ingredients, a friend drops by with a pizza. You're still fed, it's just different than how you expected.

Take heart!

Today's hymn...I'd Rather Have Jesus



1. I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand
* Refrain:
Than to be the king of a vast domain,
Or be held in sin’s dread sway;
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.
2. I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame;
I’d rather be true to His holy name
3. He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
He’s sweeter than honey from out the comb;
He’s all that my hungering spirit needs;
I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead

Sweetness

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

Ever since I first read the book of Philippians, I've absolutely loved it, and it has been my favorite book of the Bible ever since. I know there's not one book of the Bible more important than another, but Philippians has really resonated with me for quite a while now. I think it's because the idea of contentment is so hard to grasp. Contentment is not something that's popular today. I think it's because too many people mistake contentment with complacency.

I used to, I'd think that it was ok whether I had ambition or not. God doesn't want us to give up and decide this must be our lot in life, God wants us to want more. And I'm not saying I have a magic formula to make you rich if you send me twenty dollars God will answer all your requests, though I'd be ok with that...:) God wants us to want to work for more. I'm learning about this as I start my physical therapy, I will only get more mobile if I want to get more mobile. The first thing I was asked when I got to rehab was what my goals are, if my goals are to do everything from my wheelchair, then that's ok, we'll just work on getting me in and out of my wheelchair and around while I'm in it.

But, that's not alright with me. I am planning to be back to where I used to be, maybe not running any marathons, but that wasn't really in the plans anyway. I will be back to ministry, and it won't take forever, I truly believe that's what God wants for me. What I have to do until then is stay faithful, wait to see what He has in store for me, but be faithful with what I believe He has asked me.

I'm back to hymns today, this one is "Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus"

1. ’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”
* Refrain:
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er;
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
Oh, for grace to trust Him more!
2. Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to trust His cleansing blood;
And in simple faith to plunge me
’Neath the healing, cleansing flood!
3. Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just from sin and self to cease;
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest, and joy and peace.
4. I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.

Let that be your prayer today.

Making A Trade

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body." 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

I know, kind of a long passage today, but as I was reading my Bible this morning, this is what stuck out to me. I think it sums up pretty well what's going on with me. First of all, I was told yesterday that I was handling what's going on with me "like a champ", I couldn't take the credit for it,I said that there was no way I could have handled it on my own, I had to let God take care of it for me, I still do. I know that hard times are coming, I'm starting rehab tomorrow and I'm sure that's not going to be a piece of cake.

But I think that leads well into the next part of the verse, hard pressed, but not crushed, persecuted, not abandoned, struck down, not destroyed. Struck down, but not destroyed, that brings on a whole new meaning for me now. I would never claim to compare what I've gone through with what a soldier has gone through, but the end result is similar, a limb lost. I have the utmost respect for those in the armed forces and they have my eternal gratitude, but s doctor told me that, thanks to the way, there have been great advances in prosthetic devices.

I am struck down, I am not destroyed. I am hobbled, but I'm not down for the count. One of the lessons I taught a few weeks ago at the school I was able to to to, was titled "TKO or Te Deum?" And it essentially boiled down to this question...when something bad happens, are you going to let it get you down and let it stop you in your tracks, or are you going to give it ti God? Te Deum is an ancient Latin song of praise to God, literally translated it means "you of God's" That's what I'm choosing to do, I'm giving this to God, don't ever let me forget that.

I'm going to break from sharing hymn lyrics to sharing a worship song, and I think it's obvious what one I'm going for..."Trading My Sorrows"

I'm trading my sorrows
I'm trading my shame
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord

I'm trading my sickness
I'm trading my pain
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord

Chorus:
And we say yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Amen

I'm pressed but not crushed persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I'm blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure
And his joy's gonna be my strength

Though the sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning

This song has new meaning for me now, I've sung it a ton of times, but I think now I will sing it with a whole new perspective.

Let me end with the last few verses of that chapter in 2 Corinthians...
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

This Is My Story

"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done." Psalm 105:1

Sounds like kind of a funny verse for me to write, huh? For someone who just lost a foot. Sorry, but I can't help it, I know that this will ultimately glorify God, and the great thing about that is I don't yet know how, but I am convinced that it will. On Sunday, my pastor preached about joy and he gave a great definition; Joy = Contentment + Confidence + Celebration. That doesn't mean we're always supposed to walk around with a mile on our face and always be happy even when things are rough. But it means we can always look to the promise in Romans 8:28..."And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Things haven't just been made easier for me, but I know this is God's plan for me and therefore it's for my good.

I also can't ignore the command given in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

All this to say the surgery went well, praise God! I came through it fine, God steered the doctor's hands and I've been in my hospital room since yesterday, sorry I didn't get an entry in yesterday, but I was pretty tired and groggy. Today, I stood using a walker and I was able to get out of bed and into a wheelchair fairly smoothly. I should be headed to inpatient rehab tomorrow or the next day.

My hymn for today is "Blessed Assurance"
vs.1
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.

vs.2
Perfect submission, perfect delight!
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

vs.3
Perfect submission, all is at rest!
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with his goodness, lost in His love

Let's all praise our savior, all the day long.

Is It Well With My Soul?

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" Psalm 8:3,4

Years ago, I changed the way I prayed for, really, I changed what I prayed for. I was in a prayer group with several other single guys and I realized that we often prayed the same thing week after week. I'm not going to share what it was, but after a while I realized that I wasn't praying how I think God would want me to pray. I was treating God like Santa Claus, my prayers would go something like this "God, If it's your will, please allow me to have..." And I'm pretty sure I was throwing in the "if it's your will" part just to sound better, but really I was saying "I want this, and I want that. I want, I want, I want!" That is, until the following passage really sunk in..."I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4:11, 12)

After that, my prayer changed, it turned into "Lord, there are things I have, and things I don't have and each presents challenges, please help be to be content with what I have." I think that God has been working on me in this ever since, and that was almost a decade ago. I'm not there yet, there are days that I still long for what I don't have, things that others take for granted.

Tomorrow I will have my foot amputated. I'm sure there will be many, many times in the next few months and years where I will wish that I had that foot back. Things will be harder for the next few months, I'll be less mobile than I already am and maybe even in some pain. It'll be harder to do things like take a shower and get into the car. I don't say these things to make people feel sorry for me, I say them as a matter of fact. My prayer is still that I would be content whatever the situation I'm in. In Bible study the other day, I defined joy as the peace one has even when things are going bad, and the exuberance when things are going well. Joy is not happiness, it comes out of our relationship with Christ.

Yesterday I was reading about a girl who, at the age of 15, was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, and she would lose her sight. When she got home from that doctor's appointment, she sat down at the piano and played, by ear, "It Is Well With My Soul." She had taken lessons and memorized some songs, but this wasn't one of them. some people thought it was a miracle that she could go home and play that song from memory, but as she said "The miracle was not that I played 'It Is Well With My Soul,' but the miracle is that it actually was well with my soul."

That's where I am today. It is well with my soul, I am content with the decision I've made to have my foot amputated. and that's why the hymn I'm going to share today is..."It Is Well With My Soul"

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

I don't know if I'll get an entry in tomorrow, I have to leave for the hospital pretty early, but I'll try to get an entry done later in the day.

God Bless

Fixable People

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

I'm a broken person. You might think I'm talking about my feet and ankle issues, but I can tell you it goes much deeper than that. We are broken people. There isn't a person alive who is a whole person, and I can only think of one person in history who was a whole person. We are broken because we are a sinful people, that sin separates us from God. The wonderful news is that we aren't broken forever, we're not beyond fixing. We need to look to God and His redemptive work on the cross for our repair. We need to do that daily, hourly, every minute. That's why we have hymns like the one I shared a couple days ago "I Need Thee Every Hour." It's not written, "I needed you once, but that was it..." Yes, we only needed to ask for Christ to come into our hearts once, but we constantly need to be looking to Christ for the strength and guidance to make it through the day.

The key is to realize that we are broken, because then we can realize that we can be fixed. Let me say that again, WE CAN BE FIXED. Paul makes it pretty clear that once we've truly accepted Christ into our heart we are citizens of Heaven. (see Philippians 3:16 and 3:20) It's not something we're waiting for. I am eagerly waiting for the time when I am in Heaven and get to just constantly praise God without the cares of this world, but I have to wait a little while longer. That doesn't mean I can't continually praise Him while I'm here too.

I'm reminded of the bumper sticker that reads, "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven." I usually am not a bumper sticker person, at least for my car, but there is some truth to that sticker, we are forgiven. Asking for forgiveness is the first step in fixing a broken life.

It's also the first step in fixing a broken relationship. Part of the problem with being a broken people, is we're also pretty good at breaking relationships. But those again, are often something that can be restored. If you're the person who broke something, take the first step toward fixing it, ask forgiveness. I wish I had been better at this, it's never something that's easy, and I used to just not do it. I'd let my pride get in the way and just force people to accept me for what I've done or go away. That's a poor excuse for not acting in a Christlike manner, because most often, they just went away.

My hymn for today is Abide With Me...

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word;
But as Thou dwell’st with Thy disciples, Lord,
Familiar, condescending, patient, free.
Come not to sojourn, but abide with me.

Come not in terrors, as the King of kings,
But kind and good, with healing in Thy wings,
Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea—
Come, Friend of sinners, and thus bide with me.

Thou on my head in early youth didst smile;
And, though rebellious and perverse meanwhile,
Thou hast not left me, oft as I left Thee,
On to the close, O Lord, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Fix Your Focus

"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." 1 John 4:4

Yesterday, I was reading a book that was given to me. In this book is a story about a Japanese soldier who, in 1945, didn't get the word that Japan had surrendered and World War 2 was over. When allied forced had arrived on the island where he was stationed he, along with a few other soldiers, took to the hills and cut contact with everyone. Over the next 29 years this soldier stayed in the hills of an island in the Philippines, the other soldiers either gave up or were killed when these soldiers fought with the people coming to tell them the war was over. When pamphlets or other types of information were dropped, he thought it was propaganda and didn't believe it. Finally, it took a college dropout and the soldier's former commanding officer to convince him the war was over.

I read this story and couldn't help but compare this soldier to Satan. Even though God is more powerful, and had already won, Satan still fights. The fight is over, it's not like the Earth is a great battlefield and we are waiting to find out who wins, Satan is defeated. I just love that. If you have any doubts, take a look at Philippians 2:5-11.

I must admit, I didn't sleep very well last night. Today is Friday, my surgery in Monday and today I find out the time for the surgery. I'm having a little trouble writing today, I think I'm mostly having trouble focusing. I need to take my focus off me and my troubles. Yes, I need to consider my life and I need to make sure to do what I can so everything turns out ok, but that shouldn't be my focus today or any other day.

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2) I'm going to fix my eyes on something else, I'm going to take my focus off me, and set it firmly on Christ.

My hymn for today...Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There's light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

CHORUS
TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS,
LOOK FULL IN HIS WONDERFUL FACE,
AND THE THINGS OF EARTH
WILL GROW STRANGELY DIM
IN THE LIGHT OF HIS GLORY AND GRACE.

Thro' death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion
For more than conqu'rors we are!

His word shall not fail you He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well;
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Let's all do that, today turn your eyes upon Jesus, take a day to take your focus off your problems, and look to Jesus.