Discipleship

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2016: Page 15

Earthdate: 20160115 —  These are the ramblings of one traveler’s journey on earth as he makes his way toward a heavenly home.

Finally a snow-free morning but the floors once again needed extra attention due to the previous day’s snow.  Some days the character quality of perseverance is necessary to keep doing what needs done no matter what.  While this is true in many life situations, it is even more important in our daily walk with God!  Jesus made it clear that we would have trouble in this world.  In those times of trouble we are often tempted to look for a shortcut or easy way out of the difficulty.  We must decide daily that the relationship we have with God through Jesus Christ is important enough to keep at it no matter what.

 While the day was filled with mostly routine tasks, God reminded me that routine doesn’t necessarily mean unimportant.  As Christians, it is so easy to get caught up in the routine of doing what we’re supposed to be doing that we miss the importance of the faithful life we are living.  My goal, and I pray the goal of every believer in Christ, is to hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”  I pray that I will continue to learn to heed Paul’s advice that in whatever I do, do it to the glory and honor of Jesus.

Part of my routine has found me at work every day since Christmas, and I need to be back tomorrow, so I headed home early in the afternoon to just rest and relax.  It is good to be able to take time to unwind and allow the body and spirit to be refreshed.  God’s design for a day of rest was intentional and sometimes I need to be creative in finding the times of rest I need.  When I begin to become weary, I look back at all of the times of refreshing God has brought into my life and I trust  Him to continue to provide those opportunities.

River Reflection

Kayaking on the St. Joe River.

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2016: Page 13

It was a rather brisk morning to clear the overnight dusting of snow off the walks before heading inside to clean.  With the temperature falling below zero, I bundled up well and found myself singing, “Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.  Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow.”  The words of the old hymn echoing through my soul made the task not only tolerable, but enjoyable.  Jesus said that it is out of the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks.  People and circumstances may plant various things in my life, but what I cultivate and allow to grow in my heart is my choice.

With the arrival of the snow and its ugly companion, salt, the floors needed more attention than usual.  Winter seems to compound my need for an early start to work as I get up earlier to clear snow before cleaning, yet the cleaning itself takes longer so I get up even earlier to try to be done by the students arrival.  As I clean, I realize the building seems to be cooling down so a quick check on the boiler shows that it decided to shut itself off.  After a few times of resetting it only to have it shut back off after another 15 to 20 minutes, it was time to call the repairman.  As I waited on him, I spent some time researching our heating system in an attempt to have a better understanding of how to provide a more balanced heat throughout the building.  The arrival of the repairman got us going and gave me more information about how our heating system works.

Some days it is very tempting to let the circumstances win.  On those days, as on all days, it is critical to look for God’s “way of escape” from the temptation.  Look even more carefully at the reminders God puts around you of His love and care.  During the hard and unpleasant tasks, allow Him to fill you with His presence through a heart filled with scripture and praise.  As with my boiler, realize there are times that you need even more help than usual.  Don’t be afraid to ask God, and the people He has put around you, to help you through the difficult times of life.

As the work day approached its end, more snow began falling.  Even knowing that it meant more work to come, the beauty outside my window was another reminder of God’s wonderful creativity.

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2016: Page 12

After missing it completely just a few days ago, the weather forecasts were pretty confident the snow was coming this time so I was up at 5 in the morning and sure enough, the snow had begun.  That seems to be the key word for the day, begun, as the snow kept coming throughout the day.  The sidewalks were cleared, school was delayed, the sidewalks were cleared again, and then cleared a couple more times before the day was done.  It didn’t seem to amount to a whole lot, maybe 4 to 6 inches total, but it came at a steady enough rate to keep things messy — but also enough to cover everything with a clean, glistening coat of white!  Perspective makes a lot of difference.  The snow that was causing a lot of work and difficulty in travel was also creating great beauty and peaceful scenes.  The one I focused on had much more to do with me than with it.

Many of the situations we face in life are like that, aren’t they?  The process may seem messy and troublesome but when we step back and take a clearer look, particularly through the perspective of God’s Word, we begin to see a growing scene that is filled with beauty.  Paul looks at the troubles he faces in life and writes to the Corinthians that such things are but “light and momentary troubles” compared to the overwhelming glory that belongs to the children of God.

After dealing with the mess part of the snow all day, I made a quick trip to Potato Creek State Park to enjoy the beauty of the snow.  While only 15 minutes away from work, it really is a world away.  As the lake effect snow bands had shifted to the north and east, the sky cleared over the park and I made it there in time to catch the setting sun.  As I gazed across the frozen lake, an eagle soared above the trees in the distance — this time too far away for even my best zoom to capture his photo.  A quick one mile hike on a snow-covered trail allowed me a good view of the sun setting over one of the wetland areas.  As I stood to take it all in, both visually and photographically, a great sense of peace filled me as I witnessed and took notice of a small piece of God’s creative handiwork.  As I take photos and share them with people, I try to constantly remind them that God has given us the opportunity to glimpse the beauty of His glory all around us if we were to simply be still and open our hearts and minds to His presence.  So, I’ll leave you with one of the scenes that God left me with as page 12 of this calendar year came to a close.

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2016: Page 10

I was up early to check on the weather and see how much work the forecasted winter storm had brought with it.  Instead of the 6 to 9 potential inches, there was just a dusting of snow with a haze of ice underneath.  So I bundled up and headed to the church building to sweep off walks where the snow had accumulated and put down some ice melt to clear off the ice before people began arriving for Sunday School and our morning worship gathering.  As I warmed up in my office following the outside work, a few cardinals came by to play in the brush outside my window.  Their beauty always catches my attention and I made the mistake of not bringing my camera with me because I thought I was just making a quick trip to do the walks.

Always be prepared.  I understand that is a motto of the scouting organization, but it’s also a good idea for the rest of us.  Many of the wildlife and scenic nature photos that I take are possible because I plan ahead to have a camera with me.  Being prepared is more than just a good idea for weather and photo opportunities.  It is what we are called to be when opportunities arise for us to share about the hope we have in Jesus.  When I prepare for work, and even for photo opportunities, I spend time learning what is most useful in a variety of situations.  When those situations arise I don’t have to guess about what to do, I simply do what I’ve learned will be most effective.  I do have situations arise that I’ve not seen before and have no experience with so while not prepared the first time, I use the opportunity to learn so that I am ready for the next time.  As you share about the  hope you have in Jesus, there will time you encounter people that present a unique situation that you are unprepared for.  That is okay.  Take the time to listen and learn so that even in your learning you are making the most of the opportunity that exists.

Speaking of opportunities, I took advantage of a quiet Sunday afternoon to continue work on my next 31-day devotional journal.  It was good to spend time with God and make progress on this project.  I managed to do the initial writing of the devotional questions and thoughts for half of the days and trust that God will give me the words for the remaining days according to His timing and purposes.

The day drew to a close early as the outside temperatures plummeted and I needed to get some sleep in order to be prepared for whatever the morning weather brings.  While not of this morning’s visit, here is one of the cardinals who paid me a visit a couple days ago.

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365 Pages

I have seen several social media postings lately that refer to the new year being a new opportunity to write your story.  As the calendar moves from 2015 to 2016, people are writing about a “clean slate”, a “fresh start”, and an “unwritten chapter”, among other phrases describing a new beginning.  As an author, probably the wording I like best is some variation of the idea that each day of the year to come is a blank page in the story of your life.  At the end of each year you have a 365 page book — what will your book say about you in the coming year?

As I contemplated that idea, my mind began to work overtime.  What if I did write a page every day?  Would my book at the end of the year be a work worth sharing?  Would it be a story of encouragement and help?  Would it be filled with excitement and passion?  Would there be elements of adventure and risk?  Would the story-line woven throughout the book reveal to the reader a person of complete faith and absolute trust in God?  My prayer is that all of these elements would be contained in such a book but I realize that these things are only present in the story of my life if I choose to live them and share them.

So, today I write the introduction and live the first page!  Far too often I think there is always tomorrow to make a difference and I find myself in procrastination mode.  Perhaps if I spend time each day actually writing the page from the day before, I would be more deliberate in making the choices that lead to the type of page I would want others to read.  I know today has already had its ups and downs in my mind and I have to choose my reaction both in my thoughts and in my actions.  Far too often I have let the circumstances of life write my story each day rather than let God’s story in my life define my circumstances.  My mind is wired in a way that makes it easy to dwell on the negative events and discouraging moments while completely missing the way God is continually using such things to mold and shape me into the image of His Son, Jesus.

I pray that at the end of the year, “Tom’s Book of 2016” will be a captivating read that reveals the power of God to work miraculously in ordinary people who trust Him completely.  I pray that your book of 2016 would reveal the same power of God at work in  your life.

In prayer,
Tom Lemler

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A Voice in the Crowd

“The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.  The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.  But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”  
John 10:2-5 (NIV)

How often have you witnessed or experienced someone saying, “I would recognize that voice anywhere!”  Most of us have people in our lives that could be talking in the midst of a crowd and not even knowing they were there, we would immediately recognize their voice and know who is talking.  That type of recognition doesn’t happen overnight.  It requires much time spent conversing and listening so that we not only know the sound of the voice, we also know the character of the content of what will be spoken.

It is fairly easy to find people who want to hear from God.  Hold a class or teaching series on knowing God’s will and people are quick to sign up.  Change one word in the title and focus the class or teaching series on doing God’s will and all of a sudden participants are nowhere to be found.  Is it possible that many within our modern Christian culture have such a difficult time hearing God’s voice because we have consistently failed to listen to the things we know He has said?

Rarely a day goes by but what I hear or read the statement, “My God would never ____________” with the blank being filled in by something that even a casual reading of scripture would show God has in fact done or said.  I find it interesting that these statements are always “My God would never” and not simply “God would never”.  We have indeed created God in our own image and often define Him in ways that make us feel comfortable and safe.  In the midst of such a culture, it is no wonder we struggle with hearing and knowing the voice of our Shepherd.

It is in our quiet times with God and His Word that we become familiar with His voice and begin to recognize the things that He would say by understanding the things that He has already said.  The quiet times are necessary so that we are prepared to hear our Shepherd’s voice even in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  Scripture teaches us that Jesus would often withdraw to “lonely places” to spend time with His Father, but as you read about the life of Jesus it should be clear that He recognized and obeyed the voice of His Father even in the midst of the crowds.  God expects and wants us to listen, to recognize His voice and to follow it, each moment that we live — whether in quiet times or in times surrounded by the crowds of this world.

Jesus says that His sheep will know His voice and they will follow Him.  When you and I struggle with questions about hearing God, perhaps we need to seriously examine if the problem is really in the hearing or in the following.  I pray that you and I are not only hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word as well.

In prayer,
Tom

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Prayer and Intercession

I am currently in the middle of a mid-week teaching series at my home church on Prayer and the Spiritual Disciplines.  This week we will be looking at the topic of Prayer and Intercession.

Intercession is defined as “the act of pleading on someone’s behalf” or “the action of attempting to settle a dispute”.  When I think of intercession, I think of Moses pleading with God for the rebellious people who had just come out of Egypt.  Am I that serious in my prayer life when it comes to the relationship of someone else to God?  Am I willing to actually plead on their behalf — to make a serious attempt to settle the dispute that exists between those who live as His enemies and God?  When I pray for the needs of others, am I casual in my words and thoughts or am I serious about wanting God to meet the needs of others regardless of what it costs me?  

As I grow in interceding for others, I am so thankful that God has given His Spirit to intercede on my behalf when my prayers are at a loss for words.

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Talk FIRST to God

One of my spiritual discipline goals that I have had posted on my office wall since 2006 is to talk to God first about all of my needs, desires, complaints, etc before I even think about talking to anyone else about them.  I don’t always do that, but I continue to grow in that aspect of prayer.  I preached a sermon at a recent seminar with the title, “Talk FIRST to God”, that was assigned to me as it fit a series the church was doing.  It fit well with this goal I’ve worked on for eight years and I addressed that topic using the model prayer that Jesus gave as an example on how we ought to pray.

The outline went like this:

Talk . . .

Faithfully to God.
Intentionally to God.
Respectfully to God.
Submissively to God.
Truthfully to God.

In this context, talking faithfully to God has to do with frequency — keeping at it on a regular basis.  “Give us today our daily bread” makes no sense unless I am praying it daily — unless I don’t mind going hungry on days I don’t ask. 🙂  I need consistency — faithfulness — in my prayer life in order to build and maintain a vibrant relationship with the living God.  

When I ask God to “lead me not into temptation”, I need to talk intentionally about the things that I know are a temptation in my life and look to God for instruction and strength to not give in.  For me, temptation gets the best of me when I am not admitting that a particular issue or situation is a temptation.  My intentional conversations with God helps me to know more clearly when I need to stand and when I need to flee.

When I address God as my “Father in heaven” or pray “hallowed be your name”, I am going to God respectfully.  Sometimes I think we have settled for “formal” ways of prayer instead of focusing on respectful ways of prayer.  For me, my word choice and formality isn’t nearly as important as my attitude and internal tone.  As a parent, I know when a child is using the right formal words but there is absolutely no respect being given.  God deserves our utmost respect even, and perhaps especially, when we don’t understand or agree.

When I talk submissively to God, I’m giving up control of things being done my way.  When I pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”, I have to assume God’s will is done perfectly in heaven so I have to submit to that being the case in my life.  This way my prayers for others don’t focus so much on what I want or even what they want, rather they focus on what I know God’s will to be.  I know from scripture that God’s will is that no one should perish but all would come to repentance.  Because it is commanded, I know it is God’s will that believers would be His witnesses to the uttermost parts of the world.  When I spend time in scripture, I understand more of God’s will and it helps me to pray more submissively.

Probably the hardest part of prayer is to talk truthfully to God.  When I ask God to “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”, I need to be truthful about the sin that is in my life and truthful about the lack of forgiveness that I harbor.  It is a lot easier to be generic when I pray about sin rather than be truthful when I pray about sin.  I can easily pray, “forgive my sin”, but it is much more difficult to pray, “forgive my greed, my lust, my apathy, my selfishness, etc”.  Talking truthfully with God makes us feel more vulnerable but it also greatly deepens our relationship with Him when we realize that this truthfulness does not cause us to be rejected.

I pray that you have a desire to talk first to God about everything.  I pray that God’s instruction in my life is a help to you as I share about His work in me.