Author: Frank

Have you ever noticed how God seems to work? Most days are just another day. Yet somehow some days seem to be more special than others. Breakfast may be the normal. The morning routine may be ordinary. Lunch is typical. Yet somehow, out of nowhere…there is this voice. The kind that speaks to your heart. That whisper that gets your undivided attention. It may even direct your steps differently that day. Somehow, someway, God speaks to you. No one else hears His voice. The people around you have no idea what is taking place in your heart. But it’s a life-changing event.

That’s what happened to David in the Bible. David was keeping the sheep just like he did every other day. This day was different. It was the day that Samuel, the Prophet, anointed him King of Israel (I Samuel 16:13).

A young Jewish girl named Esther (Esther 2:17) won a beauty contest and was chosen by King Ahasuerus to be the new Queen of Persia.

Some of the disciples were busy about their fathers’ business, fishing. The Lord just happened by and called them to be His disciples. There are no accidents in the way the Lord chooses people for His service. Somehow, He picks ordinary people in ordinary places doing everyday things, and he speaks to them in such a way there is no mistake. It is the Lord who is doing the speaking.

Nehemiah was going about his daily duties when his brother Hanani arrived from Jerusalem to tell him the condition of the city. The report broke his heart. The news made Nehemiah weep. It was sad that the city, the capital of Israel, laid in ruins, and there were no plans to correct it. But what could Nehemiah do? He was over 500 miles away. There was only one thing he could do. Pray. So, Nehemiah prayed and fasted. He prayed for months.

It was an ordinary day. Nehemiah was at work doing the cupbearer’s job, a  responsibility that required him to taste the King’s wine. It was Nehemiah’s responsibility to taste the wine to make sure that it didn’t have poison in it. If someone wanted to kill the King, it was the cupbearer’s responsibility to die before the King drank the poisoned wine. But when the King saw that Nehemiah was sad, he was in big trouble. It was against the law for anyone to be unhappy around the King. Yet the King allowed Nehemiah to explain. Explain he did. Nehemiah had the nerve to ask the King for permission to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls. He even had the boldness to ask for the resources from the King to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. It was just an ordinary day, the King said,  go to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall.

God somehow answers prayer. It may take months to get an answer. Sometimes in an extraordinary way on an ordinary day, our God will answer. It’s just a reminder to pray on ordinary days. You never know when God will answer your prayer or redirect your life. But it will be on an ordinary day.

The Lord does not have voice mail or a message service. They were not invented in eternity past. Even if they were, there is no electricity in heaven. God is the source of light there, and there is no night in heaven. God is all-powerful. He is all the power we will ever need.

Whenever there is any need for anything, God is always available. His prayer line is always open. We never get a busy signal or a recording. He listens to every request. It is His decision on how to proceed. He always knows what to do. 

Many times, He answers immediately like Peter walking on water and then sinking. It was the Lord’s outstretched hand that kept Peter from sinking. Think about this —how did Peter get back into the boat? He walked on water with the Lord. Probably holding the Lord’s hand.

There are other times when God doesn’t answer our prayers that fast. This is when God is working out the circumstances to keep us safe. While He is arranging things to answer our prayers. 

Paul was a prisoner in the midst of a storm. It was there that Paul warned all those aboard that God was going to keep the entire list of occupants safe. Yes, the ship came apart and sank but everyone arrived onshore alive (Acts 27).

The tough times in our lives are when God doesn’t answer our prayers in the way that we want. When this happens, we may even get upset with God because He doesn’t answer our prayer as we wish. When we analyze our prayers, we should ask ourselves, are our prayers selfish? Are we asking for the right reason? Our problem is we cannot see into the future, to know what is best. When we decide to trust God, we realize all things do work together for good even though we do not understand. We humans must remind ourselves God is God. We are not and we do not tell God what to do. We are to ask Him for His will.

When you were a child, could you order your parents around? Did they jump when you, as a seven-year-old, told them to do what you wished? Of course not. They knew what was best. As God’s children, we must rely on God to do what is best for us and trust Him to do what is right. Even if we do not understand or like His decision. He is still God, and we still are not.  

I’m so glad that God knows best. I’m thankful He hears every prayer because He doesn’t keep office hours. He’s accessible anytime, all the time. Our heavenly Father is wonderful, even if we do not get our way. We serve a great God. 

Home runs are few and far between. The best major league players do not hit a home run every time that they are at bat. Actually, many of them strike out more often than they hit home runs. But the fans pay big bucks to see home runs.

So how does this translate into the Christian world?

Christians do not live on spiritual mountaintops. Most of our days are in the valleys with everyone else, doing our daily routines and responsibilities. The daily grind if you will. That’s our life. Many people live for the weekends to enjoy a break from everyday commitments — time with family and friends. The Christian will make time to worship God for a short time, generally Sunday morning. Then it’s back to our regular life. We finish up the time off by getting ready for the week ahead, another week of the daily routine. This description depicts the life of most people, including most Christians.

But for some, the spiritual message must include a home run on the part of the pastor. He is expected to stand and deliver a home run sermon to every person attending the house of God. Sermon home runs do not come every Sunday for several reasons. The spiritual meal served at church is good for some and excellent for others. Most spiritual meals are everyday food for nourishment. Not every meal is steak and potatoes; sometimes, it’s meatloaf or hot dogs. Some people enjoy hot dogs, and they are thankful that they have a meal. Hamburgers may be on the menu some nights. Whatever the church meal is, it is for nourishment for some and just humdrum for others.

The underlying problem for some believers is that it is the only spiritual food received for the week.

Everybody eats more than one meal per week. It should be the same for the churchgoer. What does this mean? It means get your Bible out and read it! If you are serious about God, you will take the time to have a spiritual meal every day. Read the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs first. Get a grasp of the hundreds of spiritual meals in the Bible contents and apply them to your everyday life.

You will find that daily spiritual meals are the fuel to keep you energized for the Lord during the week.

Occasionally there is a home run in the game of life. But the game of life is won by the singles of everyday life. Those singles mount up to a winning life for God.

God is able to make him stand Romans 14:4 NKJV

Have you ever heard a Christian tell another Christian how to live their life? Preachers do it all the time, but hopefully, they do it with scripture. Just in regular conversations, one may tell someone how or what to do, say, or act. Many times, an energized Christian will try to dictate Christian behavior. Let’s look at several areas where this can happen.

One area where this may take place is when a “mature” saint is unchangeable in their ways. They take it upon themselves to make others live to their standards. To fit a specific mold, as if a new Christian can be poured into a ridged shape and come out to be just like the one giving the instructions. Spiritual maturity comes in all shapes and sizes, and it takes years to become that size and shape. It takes a lot of trials and circumstances to develop a mature believer. A new believer doesn’t mature by taking a maturity pill. The pharmacy doesn’t have them. Spiritual maturity requires time to grow, and then there is still room for further development.

Far too many self-appointed believers try to control another’s spiritual development. We all must remember that spiritual growth takes time. God chooses the right time and opportunity to reshape his children when they are ready to handle the reshaping. Being forceful with a young Christian will temporarily make them conform. The conformity is not permanent without spiritual growth. No one can make another love Jesus or His work, that duty belongs to the individual. Forceful behavior only makes spiritual dropouts. They end up resenting Christianity and anything that has to do with the church. We Christians have caused this regrettable retreat. Believers need to think long and hard about being pushy about their spiritual maturity.

A mature saint of God will let people develop spiritual maturity and integrity in God’s timeframe. Let the Holy Spirit do what He does best, show the saint of God areas that need improvement. Let Him do the changing on His schedule. The Spirit knows when a person is ready to take another step of maturity. If God is guiding us and we should let Him, then we will know when to speak. In our zeal, we need to be sure it is God leading us and not our flesh. Prayer reveals the secret of knowing when to speak up and when not to speak. If you are unsure about God’s leading, don’t say anything. If it is of God, He will reassure you. Wait on God, pray, and everything will work out for His glory, not yours.   

Looking good in public begins with looking good in private. That sounds vain, but it can be spiritual. Very spiritual. 

How’s your private life, the one that is obvious only to God? Bible reading and Bible study will enhance it. That’s a Christian’s foundation. It is what you’re standing on and walking on spiritually. It is the footing that holds you upright. It’s the stability under your feet. 

If your feet are spiritual, then your walk may be spiritual. You can only walk where your feet will take you. Your spiritual feet and journey are connected. You can’t go anywhere spiritually without your spiritual feet. The Bible encourages us to walk worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1). As Saints of God, we should no longer walk like others. The believer is unique from others because of his relationship with God. 

Would you stop what you’re doing for a moment? Look at your feet. Examine the direction that you’re going. Are you going in the direction that God has intended for you? If so, great. If not, you need to make a concession. Take off in the God-given direction of His choice. Don’t get sidetracked or lost on your way. We do that sometimes. 

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The easiest way, the least cumbersome way to stay on track, is to bathe yourself in prayer. Prayer is a neglected tool for Christians. If it was a physical tool in one’s toolbox, look for the instrument with rust all over it. That would be the prayer tool.

Prayer unlocks the doors of privilege, responsibility, and opportunity for all of God’s people. Real prayer is not something we do when we get in trouble, although that’s when most Christians get serious about it.

Sweet prayers should be an everyday occurrence: good days and bad days. But to neglect prayer makes a miserable day. Make prayer a wonderful time in the presence of God, with the world locked out. It’s just God and you in communion with each other. 

If you add to this prayer time, praise and thankfulness, the day can become heavenly. The reason  is because you are in the presence of God.

God longs for that abiding presence with each one of His children. He does, really. We miss out if we neglect that time with him. 

Have you ever thought about prayer in that way? If you haven’t, you have missed something very precious.  God desires that all His children come and sit in His lap and snuggle up to Him. You can do that in prayer; it’s a place of warmth, comfort, and love. There’s no other place like it. Would you take the time to get close to God? It’s a joy that words cannot describe. It can only be experienced. 

My parents taught me, as a kid, to share. It was one of those simple little lessons that God has allowed me to learn. As life goes on, the principle of sharing has taken on a more profound meaning. 

Sharing time with others, and building meaningful relationships, has been a blessing while at other times, a heartache. Some have drifted away as the paths of life have gone in different directions. 

Learning the lesson of sharing with others has brought profound experiences. Appreciation of people as well as the arrogance of others; which has caused me to investigate my motivation for sharing. It is through those  that I have learned more about my heart. Why did I give? Was it to help others? Was it to feel good about myself? Just what was the real motive behind the act of generosity? Was it to feel superior? Hopefully, it was none of these.

Listening to God’s whispers to extend a helping hand requires of me a deeper growing relationship with the Almighty. It means for me to have a quiet time. A time beyond reading God’s Word. Even a time beyond my average prayer time. It’s time to set aside all the cares of my life and reflect on the goodness of God. This time of reflection brings a fresh appreciation of the things that He has allowed me to experience, and especially the times He has brought me out of some self-imposed catastrophe.

It is that time of meditation that He brings that thought of sharing. It could be words of encouragement to give to someone. Maybe a short visit to say I was thinking of you. The personal touch means more. Much more. Whatever God impresses you with is indispensable. Important to the recipient. Later, when you reflect on the day, it is genuinely a pure warm feeling, “God used me today.” That peace when I realize that the God of the universe spoke to my heart. That is gratifying.

Whenever God whispers, listen with your heart. Then go and do whatever He instructs. Sharing will make a difference in someone’s life both now and in eternity.

The unseen element of humanity. Perhaps as a parent, grandparent, or teacher, you have seen the potential in a child and said to yourself, “That child has potential.” You see something that is unique, but attention-getting. Perhaps the suspect is quiet, unsure, even introverted. Then perchance, you have seen quite the opposite. Extroverted, outgoing, an attention-getter, even obnoxiously self-confident. There can be a third group. These blend into the group. Nothing seems to stand out. But inside their minds, there is imagination. Inwardly wheels are turning, but the outward appearance seems dormant. 

Years pass, sometimes decades then the bud blossoms. Self-confidence has sprouted. Their wings begin to soar.

Christians can be like that.

Jesus spent three years nurturing 12 men. We have the writings of Matthew, John, and Peter. The others seemed to disappear in scripture, yet each one has a part in turning the world upside down for Christ. Just because they did not write books in the Bible doesn’t mean that they were nonproducers in God’s army. 

It’s the unknowns that may have crowns with the most jewels to give to Jesus. These nobodies were faithful and used by God to make a difference in others for the Lord. They were parents, grandparents, friends, coworkers, neighbors, old military buddies, and classmates. There was something about them that stood out and inspired you. Something that gave you confidence. That reassurance that you could do something great for God. Yes, for God.

The Lord of the universe is still looking for people to work in His vineyard. He sees your potential. He wants to give you that nudge to get you started.

If we are willing to take that one step of faith, God will help you on your journey. He’s been waiting patiently for you to say yes. When you do say yes to God, that is when He will strengthen you. Enable you. Teach you. Bless you. Empower you. He will cause you to accomplish more than you’ve ever dreamed. 

So, get ready to walk where He directs with you trusting Him each step of the way and depending upon Him for your daily guidance, strength, and courage.

God wants to use you. Will you let Him?

We human beings are from dirt. That’s what the book of Genesis says. Some of us are sandy and gritty. Others are like dry clay hard as a rock. Hopefully, many are fertile soil that can grow good things. And then a few may need some tender loving care and fertilizer. 

Soil conditions can describe people. That type of soil determines the potential spiritual fruit that can grow in that particular environment. All fruit must start with a tiny seed. Plants begin with a genesis of some sort. The seed can be large like avocado or small seed like a mustard seed. Regardless of the size, the seed will produce after its type.

Parents are like these plants. Parents may vary in size and height, yet their seeds (children) will be like their parents. Maybe in height, bone structure, hair color, or certain mannerisms. They may have different interests from their parents. Somewhere in their journey through childhood to young adulthood, they chose a different path from their parents; for example, some parents are the hands-on type who can fix or make almost anything. They have individual creativity. Then they may have children who  turned out to be problem solvers. Other children may be inventors. They’re all problem solvers like their parents just finding new solutions for different kinds of problems. 

Then there’s another type of a child, the one who asked themselves, “what does God want me to do and be?” The “be” part of developing is a work-in-progress. It’s the doing that gets that person to the “be” part of their lives. The continual asking of themselves, directs that passage to their distinction, what does God want me to do? It’s one thing to know God’s vocation for your life, but it’s another to fine-tune it along the way. That’s where faith comes into our lives.

Our goal is to have faith to trust Him every day and then follow His instructions. Faith in God is the main ingredient that’s makes life so exciting. How do you see God in your situations? Do you go as He leads? It may be one full of challenges, but it is a day of opportunities.

When you reflect and remember, all this came about because God started with a handful of dirt. He made man and woman, and they reproduced … and made you.

In a sense, we’re all dirt in motion, designed to please and serve our Lord.

Dictionary publishers add new words to every new edition. I don’t know if they remove words that are no longer in use. If they do, soon, the word integrity will disappear. It is a word that is not used that much anymore. And with certain people, it is not practiced. Google defines the word “as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, moral uprightness.”

It seems fewer and fewer people are honest and moral in their manner of living. Lying is normal. Immorality is practiced. Loyalty with integrity, what’s that?

Maybe it’s the fault of the older generation saying they didn’t instill integrity in their children. Some blame Hollywood. Others place the blame on job advancement. Wherever the responsibility belongs, honesty is undoubtedly disappearing. That’s a shame. Integrity is the moral foundation of any society. Morality and truthfulness, the ingredients of integrity are the basis of rewards in heaven.

So, what does your Bible say about the subject of integrity? Here are a few thoughts on the subject.

Moses selected judges for the nation of Israel that were, “able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness.” (Exodus 18::21 NKJV)

In Samuel’s farewell address (I Samuel 12:2-4 ESV) to Israel, he said, I am old and gray … who’s ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? … They (Israel) said, “you have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man’s hand.”

And the New Testament, the book of Romans states, do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. (12:17 CSB)

The Apostle Paul admonished us,” but as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.” (I Thessalonians 3:13 NASB)

The above verses relate that our faith is a faith of truth. That is integrity.

Integrity rests on our trust in the Lord Jesus, whose words remind believers that unbelievers are watching us. They will come to us in a time of their trouble. When worldly things fail, unbelievers may come to you because they know that you belong to Him, who is the Truth. Can you practice the truth?

Truth is the foundation of true integrity.