…they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. (Isaiah 40.31 ESV, KJV, RSV)
…those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. (Isaiah 40.31 NIV)

Perhaps you have memorized Isaiah 40.30-31, but in which translation?  Did you learn to HOPE in the Lord or WAIT for the Lord?  What’s the difference?  Is there a difference?  At first glance, to “wait” seems rather passive.  “Hope” can also seem passive, but it has a greater sense of anticipation to it.  The New Living Translation uses the phrase “trust in the Lord”.  That seems to be a bit more active than just waiting and hoping.

Whichever translation you use, or whichever word you learned, it is not passive, but a statement of action.  We are actively waiting on the Lord.  We are actively hoping and trusting in the Lord.  It literally means, as Christians, we are to continue to, or keep on waiting and hoping and trusting in God, even in times when we may be weary or tired or distraught, for as the rest of the verse says:

“they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.”

We all have times when we seem to be flying above the clouds. We all have times when life makes us weary.  We all have times when we can’t seem to put one foot in front of the other.  No matter where you find yourself today, the words of Isaiah 40.31 are words of encouragement to keep on keeping on, knowing that God is with you as you walk through the desert or go through the valley, as much as He is with you when you are on the top of the mountain or soaring through the skies.  He continues to give you what you need.

The amazing promise of God is that when we are exhausted, when we don’t know if we can continue, our strength will be renewed, day by day, step by day, moment by moment – we will “not be weary”, we will “not faint”.  After you have given all you have, and don’t have the fortitude to keep going, God will hold you in His hands, carrying you as you strive to go the extra mile.  As you fall asleep at night, weary from the day, trust in the Lord, wait for Him to give you exactly what you need, don’t lose hope.

A friend recently reminded me of Zephaniah 3.17:

The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

Everybody wants to be heard.  Everybody wants to have a voice.  Unfortunately, in today’s culture, Christians find it hard to have a voice.  And, with so many voices out there, the voice of God is even sometimes hard to hear, let alone recognize the voice of God.

What voice, or voices are you listening to?  How do you discern who has a voice of truth or wisdom?  Are the voices you listen to keeping you from hearing God?  Are voices from your past still receiving your full attention, filling you with confusion and doubt and fear?  Are the voices preventing you from hearing and obeying the voice of God?

Sometimes we need to turn off and shut out all the competing and distracting voices in order to hear God’s voice and receive His words telling us which way to go.  “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” Isaiah 30.21

As children of God, we can hear and recognize the voice of our Father breaking throughout all the other voices - if we take the time to listen.  Jesus said, “If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”  In other words, “All who take the time to hear my voice and really pays attention to what I’m saying, tuning into my words, you will then be able to understand what I am saying and heed my instructions.”

It’s also not enough to simply recognize the voice of God or listen to Him.   We then must trust what He says and follow Him.  “My sheep hear my voice...and they follow Me.”  We can trust the voice of God.  He is the Good Shepherd.  Too often God’s people do not fully trust Him, and therefore do not follow His instructions, and that itself breaks the heart of God.  “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.  “Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!  (Psalm 81.13)

Sometimes the voice of God comes to us through Scripture.  Spend time reading God’s Word and ask Him to speak to you.  At other times it requires that we just sit in silence and invite God to speak into our soul, heart and mind.  That’s not easy to do.  We often spend too much of our time with God doing all of the talking.  Begin by saying, “Lord, here I am, your servant, speak to me.”  If you get distracted, or begin speaking instead of listening, simply repeat those words.  You may want to even write down afterwards what you heard.  Keep in mind that God can also speak to us through other Godly people, wise counselors, those who are themselves listening to the voice of God.  And there are times God speaks to us in the middle of a storm - we just have to tune into Him as things are swirling around us.  God is always speaking – we just aren’t always listening.  Are you listening?

From Palm Sunday to Good Friday Jesus’ mission on earth was drawing near.  He was the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.  On the cross Jesus proclaimed: “It is finished”.  Jesus, the unblemished lamb of God, paid the price for our sins.  “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” I Peter 2.24

Jesus invites us to follow Him by taking up our cross as we share in His suffering.  We are invited to lay down our sins at the cross, so that we might not only be forgiven, but that we might also share in His Resurrection.  By the death and Resurrection of Christ, we have access to the Holy Spirit who not only removes our filthy rags, cleansing us and setting us free from sin and death, but who also places upon us a Robe of Righteousness.  Jesus, “who knew no sin”, took our sins upon Himself and has now laid upon us, clothed us with His righteousness.  Our invitation to deny ourselves and to pick up our cross and follow Jesus is to allow the Holy Spirit to transform us, that we might become like Christ.

We are to live humbly before God and others.  We are to live as servants of God.  We are to empty ourselves in order that we might become a servant to all.

We share in the suffering of Christ, knowing that we also share in His Resurrection.  

Where is God asking you to lay down your life?  How are you being called to live humbly before God and others?  What do you need to leave at the foot of the cross in order to be a servant of Christ?  (Jealousy, greed, bitterness, pride…)

It’s not a rhetorical question.  Who are you?  Take some time right now to answer that question.  In fact, take a piece of paper and make a list of all that comes to mind.  Don’t read any further until you answer this question:  Who are you?

I SAID, DON’T READ ANY FURTHER!!!!

Ok, now, with your list, I have something else for you to do.  Count anything that relates to a role, title, or position.  In Sheri Riley’s book, “Exponential Living: Stop Spending 100% of Your Time on 10% of Who You Are”, she states that most of us spend the majority of our time developing and focusing on our roles, titles, or positions.  It’s as if that is what defines who we are, when it’s only 10% of who we are.  Unfortunately, we then neglect the other 90%.  We spend most of our time improving what is on the outside, while neglecting who we are on the inside.  We spend time on skill development, rather than on personal development.  Let’s admit it.  Working on who we are, developing and maturing in the other 90% of our life does not seem profitable.  It doesn’t seem like it will help us achieve what we want in our professional life.

At the beginning of the Covid19 pandemic, many of us realized the need to slow down.  We began to realize that there was more to life than being professional successful.  However, that didn’t seem to last long.  We thought the pandemic would be only a few weeks, maybe a month.  It would allow us to regroup, rearrange, reprioritize, in hopes that when the pandemic was over we would do life differently.  Yet, if I have learned anything during this pandemic, it’s that nothing changed.  Not really.  We kept spending 100% of our time on 10% of who we are – we just had to adapt and get innovative.  If I’m honest, there were more expectations for us to excel, to show our productivity, to keep our nose to the grind.  We didn’t take our foot off the pedal – we just shifted gears.

So, rather than using the time to focus on the other 90% of our self, many expended 100% of their time scrambling to reconfigure the 10%, all the while neglecting personal health (some noticed they put on the Covid19).  We worked from home.  We literally lived at our office.  It was hard to shut off as we had to shut down.  Perhaps many poured themselves into their 10%, knowing that the pandemic won’t last forever, and soon things will get “back to normal”.

Don’t wait for things to get “back to normal” without spending time focusing on the 90% of who you are.  Maybe spend time discovering who you are apart from the 10%.  I have a challenge for you.  I want you to answer some more questions:

If so, I don’t often do this, but let’s talk.  Let’s begin a conversation.
In the meantime, consider making another list.  Answer the same question, “Who are you?”, but answer this time by making a list of who you are as a child of God.  Start to understand the difference between the role(s) you play and who you are in Christ.  My sense is that we can’t be our best parent, student, teacher, pastor, friend…unless we understand who we are in the eyes of God.

Jesus was in a boat with the disciples when a great storm arose.  The storm began to rage, and the boat was being flooded by the waves.  The disciples were in a panic.  They were afraid the boat would capsize.  Where was Jesus? He was taking a nap. How was it possible that Jesus could be sleeping in the midst of a violent storm?  I believe Jesus, the Prince of Peace, was at peace because of His intimate union with His Father. God was with Him.

God was with the disciples also.  Unfortunately, they were in panic mode because they were operating out of the flesh and not according to their union with the Father.  Even though they accused Jesus of not caring for them, Jesus woke up, and spoke to the storm and the winds, and all was calm.

Where do you need Jesus to speak into your storms?  In the midst of whatever is causing you to panic, be afraid, to operate according to the flesh, are you doubting God’s love for you?  Are you focused on the storms, rather than the One who controls the storms?  Are you wrongly assuming that God isn’t doing anything?  Have you lost your bearing?  Take a moment to sit with Jesus, in the middle of the storms, the chaos, the darkness, and listen to the voice of God speaking into the raging waters: “Peace!  Be still!”  

Whatever you are going through – whatever you are experiencing – now is the time to draw near to God.  Don’t allow your fears to cause you to stop living according to the peace that is yours by being in union with Christ.

The glory of Jesus is revealed in storms – in the dark – in the chaos.  As children of God, who are called to live in union with Jesus and led by the Spirit, we have the opportunity in the darkness, and in the storms of our current world circumstances, to be the one that is at peace.  To be the one that is not moved by storms.  But, rather, is going around doing the Father’s business, doing the same works as Jesus, and fulfilling the great commission and expanding the Kingdom of God across the earth.  (Schylce Jiminez)

People you know are perhaps living in fear, operating out of panic mode, being overwhelmed by the crashing waves.  You, with the presence of Christ dwelling within, can show up into their lives, into their storms, and just by your mere presence can offer peace.  You also have the ability and the authority to speak into the storms and proclaim: Peace! Be Still!

Continue to intercede for families, marriages, church, cities, and our country!  Peace! Be Still! Speak into the storms of violence and evil: Peace! Be Still!  Speak into the doubt and confusing, the anger and division that seems to be wreaking havoc.  Peace Be Still!

Because of your union with Christ, the intimacy of the Father, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, let us speak and proclaim peace into the places where the enemy is trying to bring destruction and division.

Did you know that you don’t have to be an ordained pastor to be in ministry?  Did you know that you don’t have to go to seminary in order for God to use you to transform lives?

When you accepted Christ into your heart, it was a response to God’s invitation to join Him in ministry by joining Him in His mission.

From a devotional I read called The Vision:
“Though (God) never forces us, He does compel us to walk alongside Him in ministry. We are the vessels He desires to move through.  The Lord stirs the hearts of those around us but we are the ones who lead them to Him.”

There’s a saying: “God doesn’t call the equipped (the trained and educated).  God equips the called.”  The only requirement for you to be involved in ministry is to respond to God, the Great I AM, by saying” Here am I.”  In the ESV it says, “Here I am.”

Oh, but then Isaiah says:
“Send me.”
That might be frightening to you.  To tell the Lord to “send” you.  Where?  For how long?  “Does that mean I have to go to Africa?  Maybe.  The truth is that you are already on a mission, doing ministry at work, in your neighborhood, in your family, or wherever it is you find yourself on any given day.

There’s a phrase for this in today’s Christian culture.  It’s called MISSIONAL LIVING.  It’s basically living your life on purpose for the Kingdom of God.  It’s paying attention to your surroundings, watching for where God is at work, sensing the nudge of the Holy Spirit, and saying, “HERE AM I – USE ME!”

You don’t need a title, or a platform, or anyone’s permission, only a tender and 
obedient heart.  Partnering with Him is different for everyone.  Sometimes it looks like praying for the sick person in front of you at the store.  Sometimes it means comforting a sad coworker.  If you pay attention to the people around you and avail yourself to Him, you will see Him touch the world through you.” (The Vision)

You know the old proverb: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. 
Let me ask you another question: How do you walk with God? Answer: Step by step. It’s about living one day at a time – one hour at a time – one moment at a time. As you begin to walk with God, or continue your journey with Him, pay attention to what He shows you, along the way, and start to claim everything God gives us, turning it back to praise. Receive all that belongs to you as co-heirs with Christ.

We are all on a journey – but we are not alone. We are on this journey together. We each have our own path to walk, we each will experience the journey differently, but walk together, unified by the Holy Spirit. Even in times when we feel alone, isolated from others, particularly during this ongoing pandemic, we are not alone. Immanuel is still with us – GOD IS WITH US!

God walks beside us, behind us, carrying us at times, and He goes before us, beckoning us to trust in Him to be our Guide. In the beginning we may have taken baby steps - once in a while we may have fallen – but God helps to Rise up and get back on the path He has placed before us.  His mercies are new every morning – Great is His faithfulness! God never leaves us or abandons us. He is always with us.

If you get off course, if you start wandering down another path, God will not abandon you – He will direct you back to the path. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet” (Psalm 119.105) So, watch where you are walking. Pay attention to any markers along the way that God is revealing to you, where He is working and moving, as He whispers into your soul, confirming that that you are going in the right direction. Trust and obey, being confident that God holds you in the palm of His hand.

At the same time, pay attention to times when darkness begins to surround you – when you feel alone and adrift – it may be that you have gotten off course. Pay attention to what is oppressing you and weighing you down, creating a sense of anxiety or fear, distracting you from what God is calling you to do, even robbing you of the joy and peace of Christ. If you find yourself in that place, remember, even in those times, God is with you. You just need to “arise and walk” – fix your eyes on Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to shake the dust off and get you back on the road.

Keep in mind, that just because you may feel alone, lost, abandoned, perhaps having lost your sense of direction, or are even facing overwhelming obstacles, it may not necessarily be due to any horrendous sin on your part. Jesus told us that in this world we would confront difficulties and go through tribulations. It could be that you are going through a season of restlessness, affliction, discomfort, agony that is actually the Refiner’s Fire that you are going through. God can and will use these times to not only help you persevere, but He will bring you into a land of milk and honey, where you will see the fruit that comes come about because of a barren season. If that is where you find yourself today, and you are wondering “how long, O Lord?”, then take some time to be still, to sit beside the living waters of Christ – go to the Lord in prayer, but spend time walking through the pages of His Book. You will discover that you are not the only one to go through times of suffering only to experience that God’s grace is sufficient. Let the testimony of the saints found in Scripture become your testimony for generations to come.

God created the sun and the moon, all the stars and planets, and as a result, even at night there is a light that shines.  That’s because the sun is always shining, and at night, in the darkness of the sky, the moon, planets and stars all reflect the sun.  It was a star that led the Wisemen to baby Jesus.

As we draw closer to Christmas, I am reminded that throughout December the days have gotten shorter – the shorter the day, the longer the darkness of night.  We celebrate Christmas December 25th, even though that is not the actual day Christ was born.  Nonetheless, it’s as if Christmas Day reminds us that the Light of Christ came to us in the darkest of times.

Winter Solstice begins on December 21st.  The days begin to get longer, catapulting us into Spring and eventually to the Resurrection of Christ, when the Light of Christ fills the universe.  Not even the darkness of the tomb could overcome the Light of Christ.  The Light of Christ continues to shine in our darkness and “the darkness (cannot) overcome it.”  Even if there is a total eclipse, the sun does not stop shining.  Even in the shadow of valley of death, the Light of Christ guides us and leads us and it shatters the darkness that can so often envelop us.

As you prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, light a candle, say a prayer - our momentary times of darkness are temporary, but the light and life of Christ is eternal.

Isaiah was referring to the hope of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Light of the World.  There are still people today who are walking in darkness: without hope, without joy without peace, and without love.  May the Light of Christ be revealed to them as it is reflected through each of us.

I was recently in our church sanctuary on a Monday– it was empty – normal during most days of the week.  As I looked out across the empty pews, I remembered times when those pews were packed with people ready to join the “procession”, to give thanks with shouts of praise to the God of the Universe – Yahweh – the Great I Am – the one who brought all things into existence.  How I miss those times of worshipful celebration.  Yes, I know, it’s not about the sanctuary, or the building.  It’s not even about the number of people who gather on Sunday mornings.  However, like the Psalmist, my soul longs for the time when all God’s family will gather together in His house, and the sanctuary will once again be filled with God’s people offering praise and thanksgiving to the One True God.

These days I will take whatever I can get.  In spite of having everyone wear masks and stay socially distanced, and the sanctuary being far from full, I look forward to Sunday mornings.  I love seeing the eyes of those who have gathered together for worship.  Yes, the eyes.  Eyes can say so much and tell so many stories.  I may not see their smiles, but their eyes say it all.  You can see the joy beaming from just their eyes – revealing a heart of gratitude as they gather together in the “House of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.”

Then, as though to add insult to injury – it’s not enough that we are given limits on how we may gather for worship, and how many may attend, we have recently been told that we are no longer allow congregational singing.  I guess those who have given us these instructions do not understand the nature of God’s people and the ways that God’s Church has prevailed all these years.  We may not be able to sing with our mouths, but nothing can keep us from singing with our hearts – or even tapping with our toes.  We sing from the deeps of our being because God has given to us a new heart and a new song.

Even during this ongoing pandemic, nothing and nobody can rob us of the song that God puts in our soul.  (Not even the Grinch could keep the Whos’ down in Whoville from rejoicing and celebrating on Christmas morning.)  Our joy, our songs of praise, our worship is not prohibited by our circumstances.  The reason for our thanksgiving this week and throughout the year is because of Jesus Christ, the One “who for the JOY set before Him endured the cross.”  That is the reason we can give thanks with shouts of

If someone asked you that question, what would you say?  Are you aware of your soul? How do you define the soul? 

Dallas Willard wrote: “Our soul is like an inner stream of water, which gives strength, direction and harmony to every other element of our lives.  When that stream is as it should be, we are constantly refreshed and exuberated in all we do, because our soul itself is then profusely rooted in the vastness of God and his kingdom, including nature…. To refer to someone’s soul is to say something about the ultimate depths of his/her being.”

In the Psalms we see David speaking to his soul.  There are three references where David says, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” (Psalm 42.5, 11; 43.5) The soul is a living part of who we are, created by God.  Our soul can be “downcast”.  Our soul can be at peace.  Our soul can be full, or empty.  Some have referred to what is known as “the dark night of the soul”.  Our soul is at times trying to get our attention.  How often do we actually pay attention to what is going on within us?  How often do we tend to our soul?

Scripture tells us that we are to love God with all our heart, SOUL, mind and strength (body).  We fill our mind with knowledge, even putting Scripture to memory.  We take care of our body by having a healthy lifestyle.  We tend to our heart, embracing love and giving it away, staying connected to God, so that we might have compassion and empathy for others.  Our heart breaks and we seek what we need to repair it.  But, what do we do to tend to our soul?

If Dallas Willard is correct, and the “soul is like an inner stream of water”, do we take time to soak in the living waters that are available to us by the Holy Spirit?  To we nurture our soul?  Do we spend time listening to our soul?  In order for our heart, mind and strength to be fully alive, it seems that we need to make sure that our soul is receiving the ingredients to produce the necessary fruit that comes from such a well-tended to garden.

I believe it is the soul that aligns the fleshly desires of our heart, mind and body with the righteousness of God.  If our soul is neglected, everything else runs amuck.  The soul communicates to us when things are well, or when things are not right.  Our soul can be filled with peace, or it can be wrought with anxiety.  Our soul can have comfort, or it can be filled with fear.  As David shows us, our soul can be downcast, telling us that something needs to be paid attention to.

Get to know your soul.  Have some soul time.  Relish on some soul food.  Whatever that might be for you: reading the Scriptures, listening to music, singing, walking in God’s creation, or even just sitting in the stillness of a new day.    

What does God mean?  First and foremost, it means that there is no other God.  He is the one true God.  “I AM WHO I AM.”  We are the clay, and He is the Potter.  Who are we to question Him?  Even beyond that, how are we to KNOW Him?  What does “I AM” mean to us?

Knowing God as the Great I Am is to know His Presence and His Provision.

Prior to His ascension, Jesus told those with Him: “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  God, the Great I Am, is always with us.  He is Omnipresent.  He was with Moses and the Israelites.  That’s all they needed to know.  God is telling the Israelites: “I Am WITH YOU”.

God was with us in Jesus Christ.  When the disciples were out on the lake in the middle of a storm Jesus came to them walking on the water.  The disciples thought He was a ghost.  Can you imagine how frightening that must’ve been?  In the middle of the night, in a boat on a lake as a storm starts to toss them about, a “ghost” comes walking towards them.  I couldn’t have started paddling fast enough or hard enough to get out of there.  But, as it says in Matthew 14, “Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I.  Don’t be afraid.’”  Did you see what Jesus said?  “IT IS I.”  He is literally saying: “I AM” - Jesus – Immanuel – The Great I AM – God With Us.

The presence of God continues to abide with us and within us through the Holy Spirit.  Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever”.  John 16.14 Whatever life throws at us, whatever we are going through God wants us to take courage, not to be afraid, for HE IS WITH US.

The “I AM” reference also is God’s way for us to trust in His PROVISION.  “I Am Who I Am” – in other words, “You do not need anything or anyone other than ME.”

Consider the various I Am statements of Jesus and what He provides:

I Am the Way, The Truth and the Life
I Am the Bread of Life
I Am the Light of the World
I Am the Door
I Am the True Vine
I Am the Resurrection and the Life

Spend time bathing in the Presence of God and thank Him for His Provision.

Or, as you spend time in the Presence of God, tell Him what you need for Him to Provide:  Do you need to know His presence?  Do you need His peace?  Do you need Truth?  Do you need joy? Do you need healing?  Do you need forgiveness?....

TAKE COURAGE - HE IS WITH YOU - DO NOT BE AFRAID.

While on earth, Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is in your midst.” (NIV)  The NKJV says: “The Kingdom of God is within you.”  Both versions are correct.  In Jesus, the Kingdom of God was literally here on earth, “in the midst of you”. (ESV)  However, for those who follow Christ, who have put their faith and trust in Him as their Lord, the Kingdom of God now resides within the individual.  So, in essence, the Kingdom of God is always in our midst.

If the Kingdom of God is already with us, and within us, why do we pray “Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”?  It’s because we want the Kingdom for God, the presence of Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, to become fully formed within us. In other words, we want the fulness of Christ to dwell more richly within us.  Furthermore, we want others to sense the Kingdom of God, the presence of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit evident in our daily living.

To ask for the Kingdom of God to be here on earth, in our midst, within our being, is because we want others to have what we have, to see what we see, to know what we know, to experience what we experience.  We want others to encounter the fulness of Jesus as Heaven invades their lives and their souls.

A group of people from our church have been doing prayer walks around a certain part of our city.  I believe that as we walk, and as we pray, we do not need to do or say anything in order for the Kingdom of God to flow through the streets of the neighborhood – streams of living water are being released as we walk and pray, because we do indeed have the Kingdom of God, the presence of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit within us and flowing from us.

Then, as the prayer also says, “Your Kingdom come, Your WILL be DONE.”  We do the will of God as we bring heaven into the lives of people we encounter.  Heaven is released on earth as we live our lives for “Heaven’s Sake”.  People do not need to seek heaven, for heaven comes to them through God’s people, His Church, and by the Holy Spirit.

Consider this:  
Jesus did not die in order that we could then go to heaven.  Going to heaven is the icing on the cake.  Jesus died so that we might know our Heavenly Father.  Jesus died so that we might receive the riches of Heaven here on earth through the Holy Spirit.  Jesus died, so that we might taste and see the goodness of God here on earth.

We now get to live as Ambassadors for Christ – we get to bring heaven into the lives of other people.  All that we do, all that we say, reveals to others that we belong to the Kingdom of God.  The Kingdom of God is revealed to others by our actions and our words, our behavior and our interaction with others.

Like the Psalmist, we have no idea when this pandemic will be over.  We get some signs of improvement – little by little our country, our world, is opening up – and then there’s an increase of new Covid19 cases and things seem to shut down again – “none of us knows how long this will be.”  Fortunately, God knows.

Yet, like so many of the Psalms, I find myself asking God, “How long?  When will this all be over?”  If I’m honest, it’s not a humble or innocent question.  I’m basically whining and complaining out of frustration.  It’s like children in the back seat of the car on a long trip: “When will we get there?”  Or, “How much longer?”  My typical response was usually, “We’re closer now than we were before”.  Out of spite, I might say, “Five more minutes”.  I learned while in foreign countries that “five minutes” can really mean three hours.  

Recently, while I was whining and complaining to God, the conversation went like this:

He was basically saying, “Trust me.  I got this.”  Not the answer I was looking for.  God was kinda saying, “You’re closer now than before”.  Or, actually, He’s saying this will all be over in “five minutes”.  Remember, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." (2 Peter 3.8)  

The words of Jeremiah 29.11 were given to the Israelites while they were in exile, living away from Jerusalem, captives in Babylon.  The Lord told them that they would be there for 70 years.  (That was a literal 70 years – not like “five minutes.”)  During those 70 years God told them, “Plant gardens, build homes, have children – multiply and increase.”  It wasn’t about getting comfortable.  It was about accepting their lot in life.  It was about carrying on their lives – not trying to figure out their predicament, not dwelling on their pain.  Instead, they were to seek God with all their heart, and they were to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.” (v. 7)  In other words, while in exile, while waiting for it to all be over, they were to trust God’s plans for the future as they then Loved God and Loved Others.  

While we may be “LIVING ON PAUSE”, I am reminded that we still need to be “LIVING ON PURPOSE”.  Let’s not get comfortable, accept life as it is, but seek God’s greater purpose.  Seek the welfare of our city and our neighborhoods.  Be a light – pray for God to heal our land.  

The good news is this: we already possess what we need to produce good fruit.  We already have within us what we need to be “healthy”.  We don’t need to read some self-help book, or  join the latest healthy eating plan or find the best fitness programs to be healthy in the way Jesus means.  He is basically stating the facts.  A tree that is in bad shape, not being well taken care of, has a disease, will produce bad fruit.  It cannot, and will not produce good fruit.  In fact, Jesus says elsewhere, that tree needs to be cut down and thrown into the fire.

The bad news is that many of believe it’s up to them to not only have good fruit, but to produce a strong and healthy tree.  The burden is upon them to do all the work.  Well, guess what?  Nobody is capable of producing good fruit.  Human beings, left to their own devices, are only capable of producing bad fruit.  Without Christ, we all cannot produce good fruit or even a healthy tree – we should all be cut down and used for kindling.  Try as we may, work as hard as we might, convince ourselves that we can produce good fruit, IT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.  IN our own effort, through our own external labors, WE CANNOT PRODUCE GOOD FRUIT.  And, if we simply believe that being good, doing the right things, obeying all the laws will produce good, strong, healthy fruit, we will become frustrated, angry, guilty, exhausted and we will continue to produce even more bad fruit.

The way that any of us is ever going to produce the good fruit, the fruit that lasts, is by having Christ formed in us.   It’s what is on the inside that will produce what grows on the outside – not the other way around.  Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15.5

Producing good fruit is not something that can be achieved externally.  Good fruit is the result of what is going on internally.  If we are abiding in Christ, if we are tending to our soul, if we are allowing the Holy Spirit to feed us, nourish us, and giving us the living waters, we won’t have to strive and work so hard to produce good fruit.  Good fruit becomes a natural outcome of what is going on internally.

The external nature of our fruit is not attributed to our good work, but is a good indicator of what is going on within our soul, spirit, heart and mind.  If we are short tempered – jealous – impatient – judgmental – critical – vengeful - it means something is not right within us.  That is the time we need to tend to the soil of our soul.  We need to stop, pause, be still, and allow the streams of living water to flow within us in order to produce the good fruit, fruit that is of the Holy Spirit, fruit that ultimately a gift from God.

You are probably very familiar with Esther 4.14 – There may be times when it is clear that God created you “for such a time as this” – that you, and you alone are the right person, in the right place, at the right time to do what God’s wants to done.  Could this pandemic be such a time?

During this time of uncertainty, maybe it’s time to ask God, “What would you have me do at this time?”  Could God be preparing you to do something you have imagined doing, dreamed about doing, but have never seriously considered taking the steps to make it happen?

Mark Twain said: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

 “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37.4

You probably know Jeremiah 29.11
“’For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

Do you believe God has plans for you?  
Do you believe that He will put within you a desire, a passion, to follow those plans?  Do you trust Him to give you what you need to accomplish His plans?

Maybe it’s time to simply ask God: “What do you want me to do?”  Ask God to reveal to you His desires, His plans, His dreams and begin to let the Holy Spirit breathe life into your sails.

Maybe it’s about you sharing with God what you believe His desires are for, being honest about what’s in your heart, and see if He then begins to open doors.  And, as you sense the nudging of the Holy Spirit – as you hear God’s voice behind saying, “This is the way to go – walk in it’ – take the next step – “throw off the bowlines” – start to allow God to lead you out into uncharted waters.  As the saying goes, “You can’t steer a parked car.”  Perhaps God cannot take you into His preferred future until you take a step – risk – trust – ask, seek, knock, and then go through whatever door seems to open up.

“What if it’s the wrong door?”  “What if God slams the door before I can get through it?”

Nothing is wasted by God.  He will use every moment, every opportunity, every disappointment, even every failure to prepare you for what He alone knows is coming.  The time you seeking Him will not be time that is wasted.  Remember, as God begins to guide you into deep waters – He will not let you drown.

I have been enjoying our youngest daughter living with us these days.  She has become the “home chef” - introducing us to some fine cuisine (most of it is vegan, but it is really delicious).  It got me thinking about Psalm 34.8: “Taste and See that the Lord is good!”  To “taste” something means we have to eat something.  What is it God wants us to eat and taste?  I looked up the word “eat” in the Bible, and was surprised at how many verses talk about this very common, ordinary act.  But, I sense something more profoundly Spiritual than just eating a meal.  After all, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on ever word that comes from the mouth of God.”   To taste the goodness of God is about digesting the presence of God by savoring the Word of God.

How often do you find yourself rushing through a meal, or eating while doing work or some other activity?  Do you eat on the run - grab and go - drive thru - take out?  That is not healthy.  Neither is rushing through the Word of God.  The Bible, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is given to us in order that we might taste and see the goodness of God.  As we read, we need to savor every word.  We need to allow it to digest properly, to be absorbed into our inner being, to allow it to transform us, to breathe life into us, in order that we might be sustained throughout the day and week.  Since we eat earthly food every day – let us eat God’s Word every day.   We cannot be sustained by God’s Word if we ingest it only on Sunday.  We need God’s daily bread.

As I looked at the word “eat” in the Bible, I was reminded that we also need to spend time literally eating together – break bread – share a meal – even celebrate Communion.  It is by breaking bread with believers that we are also sustained throughout life.  We are to come together regularly – encouraging one another one – spurring one another on to love and good deeds.  That is why Christ built His Church.  That is what the early Christians practiced – they went to the Temple, but they also broke bread together in each other’s homes on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot of breaking bread together during this pandemic.  You may need to share a meal over Zoom or FaceTime.  Or, gather at a park, or in a backyard.  Social distance – bring your own food perhaps  - and if appropriate, wear a mask.

However, consider the fact that Jesus was criticized for eating “with sinners and tax collectors”. Maybe during these days it’s a great opportunity to share a meal and engage in conversation with those who do not know the goodness of God and His salvation - YET.  The dinner table is a good place to have some of those spiritual conversations.  Most people consider themselves “spiritual” or “religious”, and believe it nor not, are open to those kinds of conversations when it is done in love – what a great way to Love God and Love Others with Drops of Grace.

I am a fan of the Winnie the Pooh stories.  
You have Eeyore - Ever the pessimist.  Then, there’s Tigger - Always bouncing around on his tail, perhaps having his head in the clouds a little too much.  There are other characters, but those two seem to be the extremes.  I see Winnie the Pooh right in the middle of Eeyore and Tigger.

Pooh seems to be a realist.  
He seems to just go with the flow,  And, no matter what happens, he is always able to find his “happy place”.  Yes, there are times when things don’t go too well for him, and you can see his shoulders droop, letting out a sigh and calmly saying,  “Oh bother”.  Yet, even when he is stuck in the hole of a tree, he is in his “happy place”, because he has nothing to do but enjoy the abundant honey that he was initially looking for when he got stuck.

Here are some of Winnie the Pooh sayings:  “I wasn't going to eat it, I was just going to taste it.”  “I am short, fat, and proud of that.”  “You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”  “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”  

Do you feel as though you’ve been “evicted” from your happy place? 

Do you tend to be like Eeyore?  Always focused on the negative, pondering the worst case scenario?  Or, are you like Tigger, perhaps denying there’s anything wrong, always putting on a happy face.  Or, are you like Pooh, able to take it a day at a time and staying focused on the good that comes with the bad?

I have found myself often being a bit like Eeyore – I can easily allow my thoughts to drag me down, convincing me things are not going to get any better, making a mountain out of a mole hill.  However, lately, a journal I use has me writing down three things that I am grateful for – guess what?  There’s always three things I can be grateful about.  It’s been a great discipline.  It helps me focus on the things above, more than the things of earth.  It’s helped me develop a spirit of gratitude in the midst of some rather difficult situations.  

Give it a try.  
Then, as you come up with three things you are grateful for, pause to give thanks to God.

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” I John 4.10

As the saying goes: You are not loved because you are valuable;
you are valuable because you are loved.

• It is not because of who you are, or what you have done, that causes God to love you.
• It is because of who God IS, and what He did, that you are loved.
• It is because God first loved you, that you are more valuable than any diamond.

God loved you before you even knew He existed.  His love is everlasting.  His love for you began before you were conceived.  God has loved you from before creation.

Because of sin, our hearts were hardened and incapable of knowing God or His love for us.  Unfortunately, many people believe that they have to prove to God that they love Him, before they believe He will love them.  They believe that it’s up to them to get rid of their sin, to change their hardened heart, to live a good life, in order to prove their worthiness of God’s love - to convince God that they love Him - and even then, they live hoping they have done enough to earn God’s love.  It took the offering of God’s Son for any of us to be made aware of God’s love.

It is by believing, trusting, and accepting God’s unconditional love for you that you then are able to not only love God, but to love others in the same way that God has loved you.  It begins by knowing the love of God.  Believe that we are more valuable to Him than anything else.  Then, from that revelation of God’s love, and by the Holy Spirit who removes our heart of stone, we are given a new heart, one that flows with the living giving presence of Christ, that we then can love others as Jesus loved us. How is that possible?  Because we have the fullness of God dwelling in us, and...

When my girls were little, we would go to fairs, amusements parks, Disneyland and the like.  Without a doubt they would see something (a balloon, glow bracelets, cotton candy), and they would ask us to buy it.  Most of the times, knowing how soft I am, I would buy it for them.  Sometimes I would not purchase what they wanted.  Cotton candy for breakfast is not a good idea.  However, I am SO glad they asked.  It would break my heart if they felt they could not ask me for anything.

You see where I’m going with this? God wants us to ask for anything.  It would break His heart if he thought, for whatever reason (we don’t want to bother Him, our need is too petty, too selfish, et al), we did not believe we could ask Him for something.

Is there something you want?  
Something you need?  Something you’re lacking?  Just ask your Heavenly Father.  True.  He knows what we want – more importantly, He knows what we need.  Yet, as His children, you and I have the freedom, the joy, the privilege to ask Him for whatever is on our heart.  If we believe it’s perhaps what God has put on our heart – if we ask according to His will - doing the best we can with what we discern - God will answer our prayer.  ALWAYS.  Do you believe that?  We have to trust that God will answer, according to His will, wanting not what is good for us, but what is best for us.  God can and will give us more than what we ask for.  He may give us something completely different than we asked for, because He knows what will ultimately satisfy our longing more than we do.  Could it be that we sometimes ask for the bare minimum?  Could it be we don’t ask at all?  What are we afraid of?  No earthly father wants their child to be afraid to come to him for anything.

Jesus made it clear:
“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?   If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11.11-13) In Matthew’s version there is this:  Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?

Here’s the point: my girls may ask for a fish, and they can be assured that I won’t give them something that is going to cause them pain.  Unfortunately, do to my limited resources, it may be tuna that comes out of a can.  And they will love it.  They may ask for cotton candy at 8:00 in the morning, and I may tell them to wait, or offer an alternative, but I will give them an answer that I believe to be best for them.

James says, “You do not have, because you do not ask.”  
This morning, JUST ASK!
What do you want today?  What do you need?  What are you lacking?  JUST ASK!!!!
Particularly during these times – ask God for wisdom, peace, unity, joy, hope…..

As I write this blog I have been made aware that it has been 100 days since our state was given the instructions to “stay home”.  100 DAYS!!!  I’m sure the question on all of our minds is “How Long?”  How long Lord?  How long will this pandemic last?  How long until a vaccine is found?  How long until the country, city, and church reopens? 

I looked up those two words in the Bible: How Long?  It’s amazing how many times that question is asked.  God asks it of Moses.  Moses and Joshua ask the Israelites.  The Lord asked Samuel, “How long” will you grieve over Saul?”  Elijah asked the people, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions?”  Job asks God, his family, and his friends, “How long?”  Many Psalms find David and others asking God the same question.  In Proverbs, “Wisdom” cries out, “How long…?”  The Prophets cry out to God and the people: “How Long?” 

Jesus, perplexed by the lack of faith of the disciples asked them: “How long do I need to be with you?”  “How long am I to bear with you?”  Some of those who were with Jesus asked, “How long will you keep us in suspense?  If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”  Even the souls, found under the altar in Revelation 6, those who had been martyred, cried out to God, “How long before you judge and avenge our blood…?”

It’s normal to want to know how long something is going to last, or how long before God answers our prayer.  It’s childlike faith: “How long until we get there?”  (We always simply tell them, “We’re closer now than we were the last time you asked.”)

You may have other questions: How long until I get a job?  How long until I’m married, or have a child? How long until I feel better?  How long does the grieving period last?  How long until our marriage is healthy?  So, go ahead.  Ask God, “How long…..?”  Do it right now.  It doesn’t mean you are impatient, or a whiner or complainer.  It just means you know God is in charge, and He has all the answers, and He will meet you right where you are, and give you what you need as you continue to wonder, “How long?”

God loves it when we ask questions.  Jesus used questions to teach in the moment.  But, as you ask your questions, continue doing whatever God told you to do last, while you wait for His answer.  Remember, 100 days to God is nothing compared to eternity.

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you…”  2 Peter 3.8-9

Don’t get caught up simply waiting for an answer – pay attention to what God is revealing to you right now.  The answer may be right in front of you, and you didn’t know it.  Don’t put your life in neutral – engage with what God is doing right now.  Keep stepping out of the boat, moving ahead in faith, one step at a time, one moment at a time.  Don’t look for God in the miraculous – find Him in the simple, normal, everyday things of life.  Listen for His low whisper – still small voice.

James says that if we can LOVE our neighbor, we are doing WELL.  But, what does that look like?  It may not be what you think.  Who is our “neighbor”?   It may not be who you think.

During this pandemic, even though we are not able to gather together for worship at our churches, it doesn’t mean that we can’t still Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and body.  However, it may be more difficult to Love Others during this time of social distancing, wearing masks, and staying home more than we’d like to do.  Yet, this has been a time for people to discover creative ways to LOVE WELL with Drops of Grace: a plate of cookies, a note in the mail, a phone call, Facetime visits, checking in neighbors who are alone or vulnerable, picking up groceries for people, and the list goes on.  Some have actually shared that this has been a time to actually get to know their neighbors.

Drops of Grace are those things we do in order to show and share and reflect the love of Christ that will have ripple effects in a person’s life, their family, in a neighborhood, even a city and to the ends of the earth.  It may not seem as though you are doing much – you probably wish you could be doing more.  However, it’s the little things that count.  It’s the little things that can make a big difference.  It could be that the little things are exactly what this world needs.

The late Dallas Willard said:
“There is a lack of kindness, fairness, and compassion, all of which are more precious because they seem so rare.”
We are told in Micah 6.8: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice,
and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

In and of our own strength, we cannot LOVE WELL.  We have a long way to go in fully be transformed into followers of Christ who truly love others in the way that Christ loved us.  Fortunately, Scripture tells us that “we love because God first loved us”. (I John 4.19)  If you want to grow in how you love God and love others, begin by spending time allowing the Father to love you first – GOD IS LOVE – Oh, how He loves you.  Do you know that?  Do you believe that?  Only as you come to a greater understanding and acceptance of God’s love for you, will you then develop a greater love for God and Others.

God loves you so much, that over 2000 years ago He sent His Son to the world, and by His birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the ripples effects of God’s love are still reaching the shores of our lives and our world.

We were taught as children: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.  So not true.  Words have hurt me.  Even more so, I learned how I could hurt somebody else with my words.  Later in life I also learned spoken words cannot be taken back - it’s like trying to put toothpaste back into the tube.  However, damaging words are not merely spoken or written down these days.  They can be put out on the internet for everyone in the world to see.

Imagine all your words, written and spoken, or even though, just floating in space and anyone can see them, or read them, or download them, and then use them against you.
 
For the early church and beyond, for those who have read or heard the words of James, and perhaps more importantly for us today, the words of James 1.19 are to be heeded.

Sometimes – ok, most times – we operate in the opposite direction.  We are quick to be angry, quick to speak, and slow to hear, or to really listen.  Sometimes we are not even really listening.  While the words are coming out of the someone’s mouth, I can literally sense myself coming up with an answer, a defense, an excuse – I have stopped listening.

I am discovering that my default is often to defend myself – protect myself – it seems like second nature.  Sometimes that is a good default button.  It’s why I duck and cover when a bee flies around my head.  However, in order to have healthy conversations, even uncomfortable conversations, and critical conversations, my default needs to be leaning fully into what the other person is saying, listening to their perspective, hear their story, and trust that God will protect and guard my heart, soul and mind.  I also need to ask God to be reflected in my physical position, the look on my face, my posture, for my physical presentation can often speak louder than words.

What we need today in the church, in the family, in relationships in the community is a greater ability and discipline to listen before we react or respond.  And, when I say listen, I mean to be sure we understand what the other person is saying, why they are saying it, where it comes from, and even validate what they are expressing, whether or not we can fully agree with them.  We may not agree with them, but it doesn’t mean that what they are sharing, what they are feeling, what they are expressing is not valid: it is their perspective, their story, their experience, and yes, their opinion.  PEOPLE WANT TO BE HEARD.

We may have to agree to disagree – but we also make room for grace and peace and mercy and love in the middle of it all – otherwise the damage can be irreversible.

I dare you.  I double-dog care you.  Go ahead.  Try spending five minutes in silence.  Right now.  Go ahead.  Stop reading, and just sit in silence for 5 MINUTES. Sounds easy?  

Give it a try.

Did you make it?  
Did it seem like an eternity?  What did you find yourself thinking about?  What were you made aware of?  Emotions? Things to do? Worries?  Now take time, RIGHT NOW, and write down what you experienced in those five minutes.

Did you do it?  
Did you write it down?  Good.  Now, spend another five minutes in silence, trusting God with all that was written.  But, this time, ask God to tell you what He has for you, and listen in silence.  Ask Him to show you an image – a vision – a word – a Scripture.  Don’t say anything, just LISTEN.  Sounds easy?  Give it a try.  5 MINUTES.

(Thanks for doing that – I’d love to know what you heard or saw – feel free to comment below or write me an email or send me a text.  Silence really is golden – a treasure.)

• Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.  (Proverbs 17.28)
• “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” (Matthew 6.7)
• Be still, and know that I am God. (Ps 46.10)
• For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. (Ps 62.1)
• For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. (Ps 62.5)
• When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. (Revelation 8.1)

Sometimes there are no words to say – nothing to do – just silence and stillness before the Lord - waiting for Him to speak - to breathe into our lungs and fill us with new life.  
Listening, waiting, watching for when God will then begin moving, calling us and inviting us to join Him at what He is doing.

As humans we tend to focus on the negative.

I was reminded recently of how important it is to have a heart of thanksgiving.  As humans we tend to focus on the negative.  Many people may receive 10 positive compliments, and one negative comment.  More than likely they will be consumed with the negative comment.  Thus begins a downward spiral.  They begin to pile on to that one negative comment with all of their own negative thoughts about themselves: past shortcomings, weaknesses, imperfections, plus all of their personal negative aspects they believe everyone else knows as well.

On the other hand:

Philippians 4.6 says: “Do not be anxious about ANYTHING.”  We cannot manufacture an anxious free life.  We cannot just tell ourselves to stop being anxious.  The Holy Spirit is the One who can remove our anxieties and fill us with thanksgiving.  

So, how can we better participate with the Holy Spirit?

Do it right now.  

Take the time to be present with God.  As you continue to “stay at home”, living in isolation, practicing safe distancing; as you watch the news, as you consider the future, what are you anxious about?  What are you fears?  What are your needs?  What can you be thankful for in the midst of it all?

Jesus said, “The thief (the enemy) comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that
they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10.10)  Don’t let the enemy win.  As you offer your petitions with thanksgiving, God will take away your anxieties in order to give you a peace that cannot be explained as you experience the abundant life of Christ.

As we enter the third month of this global pandemic, you may wonder what day it is.  Are the days bleeding together?  As I wrote this blog, I knew it was Monday because the Waste Management trucks were on the streets in our neighborhood.  Otherwise, it’s just another day

Part of the problem for me is that my daily, weekly, and even monthly routines has been thrown out the window.  I was hoping to develop a “new routine”.  That’s not happening.  Each day is different.  Each week is different.

We were created for routine – or, perhaps more accurately, rhythms.  Even better, as Ruth Haley Barton calls them:  Sacred Rhythms.  We were created to live in a world where the sun rises every morning, and sets again at night; only to rise again the next day.  We were created to live in a world that experiences the ongoing seasons of  Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer.  (At least in parts of the world.)  We also have times of routine throughout the year: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and even church.

Routines or rhythms give us a sense of being centered.  Many routines can be life-giving.  Routines bring us back to what is important.  They help puts things in perspective.  Routines give us expectations of something that is coming: In the deep of winter there is always Christmas.  Some routines may not be life giving, but they are necessary: Going to the dentist.  Other routines are developed that may not be beneficial in the long run: Eating ice cream every night; having your favorite alcoholic beverage.

During this time of sheltering at home you may have developed some routines that never existed before (for good or bad).  Some routines you may be neglecting during this time (Getting enough sleep, spending time in prayer.)  Some routines you’ve had to forsake (going to the gym, visiting your favorite restaurant on Friday night).

There is one routine that God has given His people that will always stay the same: Honoring the Sabbath and keeping it Holy.  The Sabbath was originally Saturday.  To “keep it holy” meant to set it apart from the rest of the week, particularly to set apart a day for worship and rest from work.  Most people consider Sunday to be the Sabbath, a time to go to church.  But, it’s more than a day to go to church.  That in itself can become a mere routine, or habit, and provide nothing beneficial.  To “honor the Sabbath” can become legalistic.  That’s why Jesus said what He did: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”  It was not intended to be another law to follow.  I believe the Sabbath is to be a way to help us develop a routine, or a sacred rhythm in which we continually make room and time to be in the presence of God.

I do believe that going to church is to be “honored”.  Not as a duty, but as a gift that God has given to us as a gift.  God doesn’t need us to go to church every week.  But, He knows that we need to be in His Holy Temple regularly in order to develop a routine, or sacred rhythm of embracing what Jesus said were the greatest of the commands:  Love God and Love Others.  The Sabbath, going to church, helps develop a sacred rhythm of loving God and others that is carried over into the rest of the week.  The Sabbath, the Church, is God’s gift to us.
 
During these days, the weekly gathering of God’s people in His House is a routine that we all miss, and perhaps are realizing how much we took it for granted.  However, the Church, as we know, continues to exist, even if for now it’s in our front rooms, gathered around our computers with friends and family.  

Whether it’s Saturday, Sunday, Monday or even Wednesday, make it a routine to proclaim to God and the world: “This is the Day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it.”