What do you do when life is uncertain?

Trust – God has a plan even when you can’t discern it. Faith is being certain when life is uncertain; believing when you cannot see. It’s much harder to worry when you are trusting. Psalm 56:3, Proverbs 3:5, Jeremiah 17:7

Pray – Ask God for discernment and clarity, but also for patience. Keep talking and listening. Jeremiah 29:12, Mark 14:38, 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Wait – God will reveal Himself in due time. Our job is to be still. Psalm 27:14, Psalm 46:10

Act – Waiting doesn’t mean doing nothing. It means acting on only what you’ve been given instructions to do. That’s usually plenty to keep us busy. 1 Kings 2:6a, Isaiah 52:13, 1 Corinthians 16:13, Colossians 3:23

Are you in a time of uncertainty?

Which of these is proving most difficult for you right now?

Which do you most need to do?

As a part of the Exponential Conference in April, I was recently asked to share a time I’ve been “sifted” in ministry. You can read that story HERE. It was part of a larger body of work, getting to hear from other pastors also.

Here is an explanation of this project:

Join us for 20 days as we hear from 20 Bible Leaders we’ve come to know and love. They’ll tell a sifted story from their ‘own’ perspective, like you’ve never heard it before! You can receive daily posts via RSS Exponential feed, at http://feeds.feedburner.com/exponential OR via the Sifted feed, http://feeds.feedburner.com/sifting.

20 Leaders in 20 Days includes a daily devotional featuring the story of sifting from a Bible leader. Devotionals challenge you as a church leader to a single question each day helping you pursue and embrace the stories of sifting that God is writing in your life.

Click here to learn more about these unique daily devotions.

I have a hard time saying something is my “favorite” of anything, but perhaps especially a Bible verse. There are so many.

What about you?

Do you have a favorite Bible verse?

What if we shared some of our favorites with each other? It could be an encouragement.

I’ll go first. As I said, not sure I can land on just one, but here is certainly one of my favorites:

There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1

Now your turn.

The trees of the Lord flourish…

I was reading the sixteenth verse in Psalm 104 recently and this phrase appeared to jump off the page at me.

The trees of the Lord flourish…

I was reminded:

Whatever the Lord touches…

Whatever God decides to do…

Wherever God places His stamp of approval…

Whatever God chooses to bless…

Whatever God builds…

Wherever God dwells…

Whatever God plants…

F L O U R I S H E S

God is God and there is no other.

Are you looking for success in life? Are you chasing a dream?

The trees of the Lord flourish…

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3

Here’s is the final verse in a year of Scripture memorization.

This is a verse appropriate for this time of year…and worthy of placing in your memory.

Week 52 verse:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Luke 2:14

The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. Romans 8:19

Many of us have a nativity set sitting around for Christmas. If your nativity set is like most I’ve seen, you no doubt have a few animals sitting around it. There may be a cow or two, a sheep, even a camel if it is a fancy set! Of course, Joseph and Mary placed Jesus in a manger, which is a feeding troth for animals, so there certainly would have been animals close to His birthplace.

I’m not trying to be sacrilegious, but I have often wondered if the nativity scene were to take place in modern day America if there may be a cat or a puppy dog nearby. I’m certain my Yorkie dog, who knows well how to give unconditional love, would have been excited to welcome the baby Jesus!

It shouldn’t surprise us that animals may have witnessed the birth of the Christ child. Jesus was the Creator. He was with God from the very beginning, planning each intricate part of Creation. All creation, with the exception of man, naturally glorifies the Creator by unconditional obedience. A cow does as a cow is supposed to do. A camel is a camel is a camel. You don’t have to train a bird to tweet, it does as it was created to do.

The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. Psalm 104:21

The creation waits in eager expectation for God’s Son to be revealed! (Romans 8:19) This was the Creator! This was their Master, the Inventor of life!

I once read a story about a mother who found her nativity scene continually disrupted. She would enter the room to find all the pieces in one big pile. She would straighten it, put every piece back in place again, only to find it messed up a few hours later. One day she witnessed her daughter piling the pieces together. When questioned, the little girl replied, “Mommy, it’s Christmas! Everyone wants to be real close to Jesus!”

It’s Christmas! Don’t be surprised that the animals were present at Jesus birth! And keep them close in your nativity! Creation is praising its Creator! And don’t be surprised if you see a smile on a animal or two on Christmas day!

Just curious, what is your favorite animal of God’s creation?
Which animal fascinates you the most?

The next to the last week…

Here is this week’s Scripture memory verse:

For my eyes have seen Your salvation.

Luke 2:30

Have you seen salvation? Have you seen Jesus?

Christmas is a beautiful time to come to know…or renew…your love for Jesus!

Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. 1 Samuel 19:1 NIV

One day David was minding his own business, tending sheep, when God called him to be a king. He didn’t ask to be king, but God said he was the one. He turned out to be a really good king. Imagine that? God made a good pick! David had a heart modeled after God’s, according to the Bible.

So, since God had chosen to bless David in such a way, why, throughout David’s story, do we continually find Saul trying to kill David? For some time, David was chased by Saul. David hid out, sometimes all alone, which is the setting we find him in during the writings of many of the Psalms. David was God’s choice for king and yet he was often placed in incredible adversity.

What does this tell us about the way God guides His children? It says to me is that sometimes God’s will for us places us in the middle of trials. More importantly, I am learning that I cannot determine whether I am in God’s will based on whether or not my life is peaceful. Just because I have struggles in life, doesn’t mean I am not in God’s will for my life.

Think about Abraham who faced the trial of leaving his homeland; Moses wandered in the wilderness forty years; Joseph was sold into slavery; Nehemiah had to fight off naysayers; Daniel was thrown into a lion’s den. All of these great servants of God faced persecution, heartache, and trials beyond most of our imaginations. Yet, all them, during the adversity, were right where God wanted them to be; in the center of His will.

We all like for life to be peaceful, and we can have inner peace in the middle of the storms of life, but God has not promised us a life free of problems. In fact, we can perfectly within His will and still be facing adversity. He has promised us we we can trust Him and that His grace is sufficient. Through it all, God uses the difficult seasons of life to make us more like Jesus.

How has God used adversity to shape you? 

It’s the Christmas season…so this verse seems appropriate.

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:21

That’s the reason for the celebration we are experiencing this month! I’d say that’s a verse worth remembering.

Merry Christmas!