Life’s pathways are not always clearly marked. Trails wind into the wilderness and disappear, leaving no end in sight. And often you may wonder which way to go.
As you journey through life, there is One you can trust to be your guide—the One who has already walked the path for you and who walks beside you even now.
In these quiet moments, be still and listen for the One who is calling you home.
SUNDAY, May 18 Mountain Guide
Psalm 31:3-5 MSG
You’re my cave to hide in,
my cliff to climb.
Be my safe leader,
be my true mountain guide.
Free me from hidden traps;
I want to hide in you.
I’ve put my life in your hands.
You won’t drop me,
you’ll never let me down.
my cliff to climb.
Be my safe leader,
be my true mountain guide.
Free me from hidden traps;
I want to hide in you.
I’ve put my life in your hands.
You won’t drop me,
you’ll never let me down.
God is my cave for shelter from life's wrongs. But God is also the perilous cliff of the challenges and difficulties before us that we must climb. The path is not a yellow-brick road of rosy moments spent in the cave. To navigate The Way we can't stay hidden, we must move forward. But we have a guide! I 'half-watched' a reality show last night about bear hunting guides on the island of Kodiak Island, Alaska. The guides were with their hunters all the way, preparing and challenging them, trying to make the way as safe as possible. Yet, ultimately, when it was time for the shot, they were on their own: "Make sure you can take it on your first attempt, because if you miss, the 1300 enraged pounds will come to kill you."
God is with us all the way, but ultimately we must make the decision on our own to listen and to follow. We must 'take the shot' and walk with our guide. Our God-guide will never let us down.
SATURDAY, May 17 Chosen Instrument
1 Peter 2:9-10 MSG
But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.
Chosen. Selected. Hand-picked and appointed. Called by name! God must think I am pretty special! You too! What an awesome realization! What an awesome responsibility! Two words really jumped out at me, especially in light of our Missional meeting discussion last Wednesday: 'God's instrument'. In the Matthew 10:9-16 parallel of our missional text Luke 10:1-12, verse 10 of The Message writes "You don't need alot of equipment. YOU are the equipment..." Wow. We are God's instruments - all the equipment necessary to do God-work, to share God-grace, to spread God-words. We fdon't need fancy technology or lots of gear. We need God-hearts ready to serve.
That's just a little scary. WE are all God needs to make heaven on earth. We! You and me! God has chosen us. I'm not sure I'm up to the task, but God must think so. So I'd better 'fine-tune- this God-instrument and get to work!
FRIDAY, May 16 Spiritual Milk
1 Peter 2:2-3 MSG
You’ve had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God.
We all start this life as an infant. We all have the same beginning. From this 'child-like' start, adulthood is achieved through the process of growth, slowly and incremental. It is a process, not a sudden arrival at the final destination of spiritual maturity.
This process of growth can be perceived as our Path. We need direction, nourishment, and instruction along the way. We need what God provides. We need to give ourselves time to 'drink deep' of God, to listen, to be encouraged, and to grow.
THURSDAY, May 15 Proof Along The Way
John 14:12-14 GNT
I am telling you the truth: those who believe in me will do what I do—yes, they will do even greater things, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Father's glory will be shown through the Son. If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.
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| Another 'recycled' scribble this morning! |
God-acts reveal God. It's really that simple. When we act with pure heart and hands in the name and heart of God, we allow others to see God. We provide the 'Proof' that God exists and is present in every aspect of daily life. We are given the power and ability and opportunity to act on God's behalf when we truly believe that power exists.
To walk The Way of Christ means to live with Christ within us, to grasp the Spirit within and use it to speak and do like our parent-God. With the help of the Spirit, we have been given the opportunity to become God-like on God's behalf. The proof is in our actions.....in what we DO. May we take action within our families, our churches and communities, and our world BECAUSE of what we believe, BECAUSE of the Spirit alive within us. Starting today....
WEDNESDAY, May 14 Divine
John 14:8-11 MSG
Philip said, “Master, show us the Father; then we’ll be content.”
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| A previous Scribble on this text with a different slant. |
“Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me. If you can’t believe that, believe what you see—these works.
The disciples really don't 'get it'. God has been living with them for two years or more and they haven't figured it out. And double proof! The body of Jesus AND his actions all substantiate the presence of God.
Do I 'get it'? Do I recognize the presence of God around me?? In the actions of others? In Creation? How often am I saying, "Show me the Father, and I'll be content"? How often do I want 'proof'?? How often do I get lost because of my doubts and fears?
God walked among us two thousand years ago. God is still walking among us. Believe in the divine. Seek the divine presence which is constantly pointing the way to God.
TUESDAY, May 13 The Path
John 14: 5-7 VOICE
Thomas: 5 Lord, we don’t know where You are going, so how can we know the path?
Jesus: 6 I am the path, the truth, and the energy of life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 If you know Me, you know the Father. Rest assured now; you know Him and have seen Him.
Ah, Thomas, doubting again! Questioning and seeking answers. No different really from the rest of us today. But Jesus makes it clear: You DO know the path to God. I've shown it to you, I've walked it once already, and I'll walk it with you. When we see Jesus, we see God. When we consciously recognize the many times we see mini-miracles of Jesus acts in our daily life, we see God.
I have always struggled a little with this scripture, especially when interpreted by ultra conservatives who use it to denounce people of other faiths. 'We are right; you are wrong - Jesus said so' kind of attitudes. Yes, I believe Jesus is the path by which we have witnessed God on earth. But for those religions who believe in the same God, yet by a different path, I can't say they are 'wrong'. Different yes, but IT'S THE SAME GOD! And ultimately, isn't that our goal? To know God? Maybe I too have Thomas doubts and questions......
MONDAY, May 12 Lost?
John 14:1, 4 VOICE
Don’t get lost in despair; believe in God, and keep on believing in Me. ...... 4 You know where I am going and how to get there.
"You know where I am going..." Jesus says. We KNOW in our heads, but we don't always fully grasp in our heart and soul just how to get there. It is so easy to get lost along the way. There are so many junctions of decisions, moments when trials seem to block the path. But God doesn't just point the way, God walks with us the entire journey, continually redirecting, gently nudging, even allowing us to stray if necessary. But ALWAYS with us.
There is an overwhelming comfort in knowing the way to a final destination. But perhaps, even more comfort in the assurance that when we stray, we will be shown again and again.
("Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" by Elisha A. Hoffman, 1887
Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
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