Be Still God, And Know That I Am

We've got it all mixed up.

That title isn't a typo. That's our all-to-often attitude towards God. We don't want to be still--we don't even know how to be still. What does that mean, anyway? Life stops for no man, right? He who waits, wants. Isn't that the motto of life?

We can't be still; if we don't do it, who will? Who's going to fix the mess that's my life? Who's going to fight my demons? Who's going to . . .

Be still all you want, God. I'm going to do something about this.

Oh boy, do we have a problem.

Psalm 46

Read it. There are 24 short lines and it'll only take a minute or two.

Now, go back to the top.

God is our refuge and strength, our ever present help in trouble. God isn't just standing around in heaven doing nothing. He is here, with us! Ever present. Our help. Our refuge. Our strength. Get out of His way--He's got this!

Though the earth give way and the mountains fall to the sea, we will not fear. Why would we? No matter what, God's in control. He is our refuge, our strength, our ever-present help in times of trouble.

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. He's on our side! Almighty God fights for us with one arm, and shelters us with His other. He's that good.

Come and see the works of the Lord. He ends wars then destroys the weapons so men can fight no more. Talk about your peace negotiations! That's power. Can you do that? Can you solve every conflict in your life and destroy every weapon this world uses against you? I didn't think so. Yet you want God to stand on the sidelines while you take the wheel? Really?

Be still, and know that I am God.

Understand who God is. Refuge, strength, help, Almighty, fortress, God. Understand who you are not.

Now, be still and know that He is God!

Guard Your Heart

Your heart is important.

Healthy lifestyles that take care of your heart are all the rage. Limiting sodium, caffeine and fat intake as well as getting enough exercise and giving up dangerous practices such as smoking and excessive drinking are proven to reduce your risk of heart disease. These are important, no doubt; but something is missing.

Your heart is the circulatory center for your body, and taking care of that function is critical for your physical life. Your heart, according to the Bible, is also your emotional and spiritual center. What are you doing to care for that?

What you put in will come out.

In Luke 6:45, Jesus says this: The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks.

A friend of mine sums it up this way: Garbage in, garbage out.

Your heart is the wellspring of life

 By definition, a wellspring is the source or origin of a stream or a spring. It is the pool or reservoir from which the waters flow.


In Proverbs 4:23, Solomon tells us to guard our heart, for it is the wellspring of life. What that means is whatever is in your heart is going to pour out into the rest of your life. Combine that with the words of Jesus above, and we see that if you put good things in your heart, good things come out. Conversely, if you put evil in, evil will surely flow. Pretty simple, really.

How do you guard your heart?

Just as we watch what we eat, take care to get enough exercise, and avoid habits detrimental to our health, so should we take care to not pollute the wellspring of our lives. What we see, hear, and experience affects us. Some things we cannot help but to be exposed to (been to WalMart lately?), but others we can. What do you read? What television shows or movies do you watch? How about the internet?

You have many choices as to what you store up in your heart. As you make those choices today, remember this: What goes in will come out.

You Can't Take It With You

It's not yours.

That's why you can't take it with you. It--this world and the things of this world--do not belong to you. Psalm 24:1 says that the earth, and everything in it, belongs to the Lord. Everything in it. Everything. None of it belongs to us. God owns it all.

We say we know this, and that we live by those words. But do we? How many of us clutch the riches of this world to our side as if they really belong to us? Look at it this way--is God's name on your bank account? Not literally, I'm sure; but even figuratively? It should be. It's His.

What are we supposed to do with God's money?

I'm going to give you some verses to read from a few of Paul's letters. Get your Bible, and look these up. If you want to know what God expects you to do, His instructions are right there in His Word.

I Corinthians 16:1, 2

II Corinthians 8:1-15

Philippians 4:10-20

I Timothy 6:6-10; 17-19

Titus 3:13, 14

What are we supposed to do with God's money?

Use it for His kingdom, His work. We are supposed to give it away. How much? As much as He says. How much is that? You have to ask Him. Ask God what you are supposed to give--He'll tell you. The only question is whether or not you will listen.

What do we get in return?

Not that we deserve anything; after all, we are giving away what doesn't belong to us. But God does promise us much if we are faithful with what we are given. The Bible does say if you give, it will be given back to you, pressed down and running over (Luke 6:38). That's a good reward, for sure.

What Paul says in I Timothy 6, however, speaks to me even more. In verses 6-8 he says we will be given contentment. Then in verses 17-19 he says that those who give generously and willingly will be given life that is truly life.

I like that. I like that a lot. Contentment, and life.

You can't take it with you.

Give up trying.

I know I would much rather be poor, alive and content than rich, dead, and unhappy.


Wouldn't you?
 

People Suck--And Here's Why!

And that goes for me too!

Everything I am about to say has applied to me as much as anyone else at one time or another. We are all people, myself included, and I have reached this conclusion:

People suck!

People are arrogant, impatient, and selfish. We are ignorant (not all are stupid, but some are), ignorant of our ignorance, and have no wish to be informed. People are spiteful, hateful, and prideful; or, if you prefer, heartless, loveless, and couldn't care less. In short, we, the people, suck.

Don't believe me? Have you ever looked down on someone and wished they would just go away? That's arrogance, impatience and selfishness all wrapped up in one. Or did you say, "No, I have never!" Really, you're too good for that? You can't believe I would even ask you, of all people, such a question? Unless you are as sinless as Jesus Himself, read the second line of this paragraph again. We all do it.

Ever get in an argument and find out you didn't know as much as you thought you did? That's ignorance. And when you kept arguing, you ignored your ignorance. When you were proven wrong, threw up your hands and walked away, you had no wish to be informed.

Ever wished a bad outcome on someone? Spite. Ever held a grudge against someone? Hate. Ever thought of yourself higher than you should (oh no, I am perfect!)? Pride.

Heartless, loveless, and couldn't care less. All of us. Guilty. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Life would be great, if not for all the people.

Whether it be work, school, family, or church--people are the bane, the thorn-in-the-side of life. We will not, in this life, all just get along. We will rub each other wrong, get in each others' way, and, most certainly, someone--probably me--will step on your last nerve. I can't help it. I suck.

And so do you. Admit it. If you are a Christian, that should come naturally. Why? Because as a Christian you have to admit you are a sinner. If sin doesn't suck, what does?

Oh, but we don't like to look at it that way, do we? No, we certainly do not. We are forgiven, redeemed, sanctified (or in the process thereof). Yep, and sinners still. Did you make it through today without a single sin? Me neither. You know what that means . . .

And yet, life is people.

Therein lies the rub. For all our failings, we are life. Two things last forever: God (His presence and His Word);  and the souls of people. We, separate from all visible creation, were made to live eternally. If that's not life, what is?

The point is, people are our life. We are not perfect--not even one. But we're all we have. Someway, somehow, we have to figure out how to get along, work together, and look past the imperfections of ourselves and others. We have to practice kindness, patience, humility. We need to care. We need to love and, as hard as it is, like each other. I am no better than you, nor you any better than I. Those are hard to do. Why?

People suck.

Indeed we do. But when we admit it, and apply ourselves to change, maybe--just maybe--we can all suck a little bit less.

Life is Like Riding a Bike

Little Susie really, really wanted a new bike. Not just a new bike, but a big bike, a grownup bike, like her brother's.

"Daddy," said little Susie, "I really, really want a new bike. A big bike. A bike like Johnny's."

"But Sweetheart," Father replied, "You're not ready for such a big bike as that. You haven't even taken the training wheels off your bike." 

"I know Daddy, but I'm ready. I really, really want a new bike!"

Susie's Father peered down at her. He knew she was not ready. If He gave her the bike she wanted, she'd soon realize it wasn't what she really wanted after all. She wasn't ready for a big bike.

"Not today, Honey," He told her as he patted her blonde curls, "let's wait until you're ready."

But little Susie was nothing if not persistent. The very next day she sat on the porch watching Johnny ride his bike. It looked so easy; she just knew she could do it if she had a bike like that of her own. Putting on her most innocent, adorable face, she went to Father as He came home from work.

"Daddy, I'm bigger today. See--I'm almost as big as you," she said as she stretched her little frame to its utmost height.

"Oh yes," replied Father, "I can see that you've grown even since I've been gone. You are getting sooo big!"

"I know Daddy," Susie exclaimed, "and now I'm ready for my big bike!"

Father chuckled.  "Oh, I don't know about that. You're not quite that big yet."

Susie's face fell. She knew she was ready. Father just didn't want to get her a new bike. He didn't love her enough. All He thought about was what He wanted. He didn't care what she wanted.

Tears of frustration burst from her eyes, and the most horrible words gushed from her mouth.

"You just don't love me, Daddy. You don't care what I want. I don't love you any more either!"

Stomping her little shoes as loudly as she could, Susie stormed up to her room and slammed the door, leaving Father behind.

"Susie," Father called after her, "Susie . . . you know that's not true. I just want what's best for you. I DO love you . . . you know that. Susie? Susie . . ."

But it was no use. Susie refused to reply.

Father was hurt by her words. He knew what was right. He did love Susie. He loved her with all His heart. She just didn't understand. Maybe it was time to show her just how much He did love her.

The next morning, when Susie came to the breakfast table, she spoke not a word to Father. She refused to even look at Him. She was sooo mad! Finishing her toast, she placed her plate in the sink and without a word strode past Father and out the door to go play.

Father waited expectantly.

"Daddy!" Susie's shrill voice cut through the still morning. "Daddy! Daddy! Come see. Come see Daddy!"

Father smiled as He rose and folded His napkin neatly beside His plate before stepping out the door.

"Daddy," Susie wrapped her little arms around His waist. "You did it! You got me a new bike!"

Father knelt down and embraced the quivering little body in front of Him.

"Yes Honey, I sure did. But are you sure you're ready for it? It's pretty big. Much bigger than your old one."

"Oh yes, Daddy! I'm sure. I'm so sure! I'm going to ride it right now!"

"OK Honey. But before you do, just remember that I wanted you to wait."

Susie said nothing in reply. She was too excited. This was going to be so awesome! Her own big bike. Now everyone would see just how big she really was!

Climbing up on the bike, she struggled to get it turned around. For a moment, doubt crept into her mind. This sure was a big bike . . . was she really ready for this? She smiled broadly. Of course she was! This was exactly what she wanted, right?

Putting her right foot on the pedal, she gave a hard shove and hurled herself up towards the seat. She couldn't reach it! Fear clouded her face as she fought for control. Oh no! She was going to fall!

"Daddy!" she screamed.

It was too late. Little Susie, and her big bike, tumbled to the ground.

"Susie. Susie, are you OK?" Father asked as he knelt in the grass beside her.

"Yes," Susie sniffled. "I fell down."

"I know Honey. I saw. Did you get hurt?"

"Just a little," she sniffled again.

"I'm sorry that you got hurt," Father said softly, "that's why I wanted you to wait."

* * * 

Sometimes in life we want what someone else has, even if we're not ready for it. But life really is like riding a bike. You have to master the little ones before you can move on to something bigger. Remember that the next time you ask God for something bigger, better, newer. Are you really ready if He says yes?