Pandemic Sized Problems

Hello friends.  Long time no see.  I don't know about you, but man doesn't life seem to get a little out of control real easy?  I know it has for me.  This has a lot to do with the fact that it has been a few years since I have used this platform for communication and devotionals.  But, pandemic times call for pandemic measures!!

This pandemic is definately new to me, and probably you as well.  With the exception of a few members of my church that may remember living through the plagues of Egypt, Black Death, and the Spanish Flu of the early 1900s.  😂  Many times we tend to always focus on the bad, the fears, the stress, and I could probably go on and on and on.  Not to mention the stress on our families as we try to help our students learn at home.  I know many teachers who have had their eyes opened to the challenges on trying to teach online, and parents pulling their hair out trying to help their own kids.  I'm actually living on both sides of this equation right now.  With my wife and I both being educators, it adds an interesting twist to our daily routines.  And we sometimes beg for a little more "social distancing."

There are also things we have to do without.  Sitting down in a restaurant, nope.  Going to the movies, nope.  Finding toilet paper, good luck.  But the thing I miss the most, going to church.  Now, I do follow a couple of pastor friends of mine and watch video clips of there sermons.  I also keep up with my pastor via text, email, and the occasional phone call.  Not to mention keeping up with church members on Facebook.  But it is not the same.  I miss the personal interaction with my church family on a regular basis.  I find myself craving the opportunity to get back to fellowship with my church family.  It almost feels as though I am being malnourished in a way.  I miss the fellowship, the teaching, the prayer time, and singing in the choir.  I feel that too much more of this could cause me to become weak from my 'malnourishment.'

But this 'pandemic problem' is no different than many of the trials that we face, and will continue to face in our lifetimes.  There are two important things to remember when facing trials:

1.  They have a purpose
2.  They don't last forever

James 1:2-3
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,  knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Have we taken time to ask God what it is that He wants us to learn from this?  Have we looked for ways to actively grow our faith in this time?  Are we making the most of our opportunities to share our faith with others as it grows?

There is an end in site with this pandemic.  I challenge you to look for blessings that may be hidden in disguise.  Look for ways to grow your faith in the midst of these trials.  Be comforted by the grace that God has given you in your current situation.  Take joy in the process, because you know what the end reward will be.  Most importantly, don't forget to share with others.  Check in with those you miss.  Call and encourage your pastor.  Keep studying and praying as an individual, and with your families.  I may not be able to go to church, but i can still be a part of it until I can.

Thanks for reading, and God bless you all!

Praise You in This Storm

This has been a devastating week for my home, and community.  On Friday, October 7th we started seeing the early rain bands of Hurricane Matthew.  This rain and wind continued until Saturday night.  All in all, we received around 15 inches of rain at my house, and some areas around us received more.  Dams have give way, and many of the communities in my county are underwater.  Many have been without power for almost a week now.  Many of our roads are closed due to flooding, and some have even been washed away.  And even more sadly, there have been some in my community to lose their lives as a result of this storm.

With all of this loss, I know many people would ask the question of why these things happen?  Why does God allow things of this nature to occur?  Let me give you my humble opinion to these questions.

#1 - My God is always in control.
It is not my place to question why things happen in this world.  I serve a wonderful loving God who has a perfect will, and a perfect purpose for all things.  And, it is not my place to understand until he is ready for me to understand.  He knows everything in my future, and has a reason for the here and now.  Maybe, just maybe, what I go through now is preparing me for what may come in the future.  And because of this moment, I will be prepare for what He needs me to do when that time comes.

Isaiah 55:8-9
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts."

#2 - We seek the Lord through humility.

Do we really live our lives with the true understanding of who our Lord truly is?  God is not a buddy, nor a relative we only speak of during certain occasions.  He is our Lord, and our Creator.  Regardless of how we may see Him, He is the Almighty.  It is only by His grace that we have the right to His forgiveness, the right to pray to Him, and the right to be His children.  When we come to Him, it should be done humbly, without pride.  I believe that sometimes God allows things to happen to get our attention.  Maybe He is trying to show us how much we really need the peace and comfort that only He can give.  We when become proud and comfortable, we lose sight on our need for our Savior.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

"And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong."

#3 - A chance to witness
One thing I have been amazed of in this time of struggles, is the number of Christians I see reaching out to those in need.  I have seen where many are volunteering to help with damage to homes, offering hot showers and meals to those without power, and others taking their own boats into flooded areas to rescue those that were stranded.  As Christians, we have to understand that our actions are our greatest witness.  Many people can quote scriptures at the drop of a hat, but the real question is, can you show them in your life?  As we said when I was growing up, you can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?  Times like these give us a real chance to show the love of God that lives inside of us.  Are we taking the chance to share that with those around us?

James 1:22

"But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves"

I choose to praise God for this storm that we are living through.  Because I know, that even in the midst of struggle and loss, my God is right there beside me.  He never left my side.  And I know that He has a perfect purpose.  I choose to look for the opportunities He has provided me, instead of looking at all the bad that is around.  I choose to trust in the one who knows what my future holds, and who has ordained all of my steps.  What do you choose?

Thanks for reading, and I pray that God will bless you all!

Stay Close

I am forever amazed at some of the things that a child can play with, and it keep their attention for long periods of time. Now there are a lot of things at my house that we have to keep on lock-down because we do not want them to play with them and lose them. Such as the flashlight. I have yet to meet a kid that did not love to play with a flashlight, day or night. But, they seem to have trouble putting them back where they need to go. And when the lights go out, it is an interesting task to find them. One of the things that I have noticed that my kids love to play with is an umbrella. There is some fascination with watching it open up, and hiding underneath. Whether it is raining or not. Or whether they are in the house or outside, they do not care. The funny thing is, when it rains, they do not want to use it then. They want to run out in the rain and feel it falling on them. Now, don't get me wrong. I enjoy it sometimes too. But, my kids do not like to use the umbrella for its real purpose. Many times my wife and I will tell them to stand real close so they will not get wet. For when the umbrella is used correctly, it protects us all. This reminds me of a verse in the book of James.

James 4:8
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

We will face many storms in this life. Whether they come as a tragedy, financial hardship, or relationship problems, we all will have struggles. The question is, are we prepared for them when they happen? Or the proverbial question, "Do we keep and umbrella around all the time just in case?" The best thing we can do is to draw close to God. By striving in our lives to form a good relationship with our Heavenly Father, He will get closer to us. Just like we tell our kids to stand close under the umbrella to keep them dry, we should draw close to God when we are faced with our troubles. And He is faithful to us to see us through.

Jeremiah 30:17a
"For I will restore you to health, And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the LORD."

Now some people think that their problems are too big for them to handle. And they are right. There are many things that we cannot handle on our own. But my God is bigger than any problem imaginable. My God is greater than anything. And as long as I draw near to Him, I know that everything will be alright. This reminds me of a song that I like to hear on K-love. The name of it is "Our God" by Chris Tomlin. The link to the song on You Tube is below if you would like to listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oksdb06SsTM&feature=fvsr (If this does not work, you can go to youtube.com and search "Our God" by Chris Tomlin)


Thanks for reading, and God Bless You all this week!