Trust the process!
Today’s devotion is based on Week 3 of “Resolve”: Trust the right person!! (WATCH HERE)
Trust the process?
One of the many things that my wife is good at is helping individuals better understand themselves and how best to use their gifts and talents. But it’s a process. To get to a conclusion takes a number of assessments, conversations, time in reflection, and coaching calls to figure it all out.
Individuals can be tempted to give up on the process because it is not an immediate answer. In fact, it can be a roller coaster of emotions as the process sorts itself out. However, for all those that she has helped, their clarity and satisfaction in using their gifts was worth the process.
It’s hard to trust a process when we don’t know what the outcome will be.
We can give up on the process and will never know the blessings that we miss out on.
The Lord invites us to trust the process.
But it’s tough because when we are in the middle of a problem, we want a solution yesterday. In our “get it now” culture, it’s hard to wait, engage the actions needed and “trust the process.”
But sometimes the process is where we learn to trust the most.
The issue was no wine. Mary told Jesus and then…
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” (John 2:5-10)
If you were the Apostle John and standing nearby to watch this all playout, it had to cross your mind…”Fill the jars with water? How does that help? We need wine, not water.”
Imagine if you were one of the servants. Fill the water jars? Perhaps you were used to odd commands that didn’t make sense to you, but to fill water jars to solve a wine problem must have leveled up the odd requests they had received. Then to take a scoop from the jars and bring it to the master? Perhaps at this point the water was now wafting of a perfect wine smell. But it had to be a little tenuous to scoop what they new began as water and bring it to the master of the banquet to taste.
But they did as Jesus told them.
Jesus could have said, “Let there be more wine” and there would have been more wine. But he worked through a process to solve the wine problem. His mother Mary trusted he would do something. The servants did as Jesus said.
Problems we present to Jesus are not always a quick fix. Often there is a journey that we embark on that leads to the solution, but rarely does every step make sense or get shown to us in a super clear way. We have to trust the process through which God works.
Sometimes the process involves activity, even when it seems odd. Sometimes the process involves being still, even when you feel you have to do something.
Why trust the process? Because like in Cana, the one behind the process of showing the glory of God is God himself, Jesus Christ.
Remember, when God works in our lives, his ultimate goal is to show his glory and lead us to trust him more.
And when he chooses to make a process out of it…we can trust the process!
Apply: Perhaps you are in the middle of a challenge. Present it to the Lord. Pray for clarity to see and step confidently on the pathway of the process. Most importantly pray to see the glory of God and to have your faith strengthened.
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the process you choose to work all my challenges for your glory and the strengthening of my faith. AMEN.
Here’s the problem…
Today’s devotion is based on Week 3 of “Resolve”: Trust the right person!! (WATCH HERE)
Children are good at just sharing the problem.
“Mom, I can’t tie my shoe.”
“Dad, my bike is broken.”
“Mom, I’m hungry.”
“Dad, my car doesn’t start.”
Why do children do this?
One simple reason. They trust their parents can do something about it.
Sometimes they might propose a solution, but often its just the problem. Sometimes a parent might say, “I don’t have time right now,” but the child doesn’t stop trusting, they know their parent will do something about it.
When you trust the right person, you can trust the problem will be taken care of.
Early in Jesus’ ministry, Mary, his mother, set forth a problem to her son.
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” (John 2:1-3)
Mary doesn’t propose a solution, but presents the problem.
She trusts Jesus with the problem.
Have we lost the childlike trust in our Savior?
Do we present problems with asterisks? Or propose specific solutions as though we give God a multiple choice of possibilities that we think will be probable solutions?
It’s almost as though we need to not just figure out one solution, we have to figure out three to four possible solutions for God to pick one.
Forgive us Lord for failing to tell you the problem as well as trying to give you possible solutions. Both exhibit a lack of trust.
Mary knew Jesus was the Son of God and simply let Jesus know the problem. She trusted the problem was in better hands with Jesus than it was in hers.
Our problems are in better hands with Jesus than in ours.
He doesn’t need our solutions.
He doesn’t need our rationale about the problem.
He doesn’t even need to rate the size of our problem.
He just wants our problem and our heart to trust he can and will do something about the problem.
The problem is not the problem. The problem is when we fail to trust that Jesus can deal with our problem.
The amazing thing is Jesus even dealt with that problem.
He forgives it.
Which gives us a reason to even trust him more.
If he can take care of our biggest problem, he certainly can take care of our smaller ones.
So Jesus, here’s my problems…
I trust you to handle them better than I would.
Apply: What problems are you facing? Take time today to share them with the Lord. Just the problems. No rationale. No multiple choice solutions. Just the problems. Trust they are in better hands with Jesus than with you.
Prayer: Forgive me Lord for not trusting you with my problems. Strengthen my heart to trust you with all aspects of my life, especially my problems. AMEN.
Trust the Right Person!
Today’s devotion is based on Week 3 of “Resolve”: Trust the right person!! (WATCH HERE)
Today at noon is a very unique event in the history of our nation: The inauguration of the President. Whether you voted for him or not, our constitution defines his chief role with the oath he takes as he assumes office: Article 2, Section 8 states:
Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:– I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Perhaps in some ways this seems like a pretty simple oath to take, yet perhaps more than any other office, the President is to work for one sole purpose: to ensure the United States as constituted survives.
Before this moment and after the next president is sworn in four years later, the current president has no presidential powers. Only when he holds that office as duly elected and sworn in does he have the ability and responsibility to carry out this role and this oath.
Perhaps when we realize what is not in this oath, our expectations for our President might diminish. We perhaps wish that for everyone that voted for him, would receive a certain amount of money, or a guarantee of no illness, or a good paying job, or a college degree, or whatever your wishlist may be. But it’s not his role to guarantee all these specifics to individuals, but rather preserve a country where people have opportunity to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
We pray God will guide and direct the affairs of our country and the next administration.
So why do I bring this up?
The inauguration is today, but let’s keep it all in perspective and not make our president into someone he is not.
He is not God. We trust he will carry out the oath of his office to the best of his ability, but he is not to be trusted to guide, direct and care for our lives. Jesus is.
Who we trust is important. Finally our trust is to be rooted in the one who is completely trustworthy.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Psalm 146:3-5 Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. 5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.
Pray for our new president.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
Put your trust in the Lord for all things of body and soul.
Psalm 37 3-6 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.
Who we trust is important…trust in the Lord, pray for our president and all our leaders!
Apply: Is there a trust that is in some person that should be in the Lord? Ask the Lord to turn your heart to trust him above all others!
Prayer: Lord thank you for our country. Be with and guide our incoming president so that the people of this land might be blessed and your Gospel may see effect across our land to the glory of your name AMEN
Set apart for special work!
Today’s devotion is based on Week 2 of “Resolve”: Live Your Baptism Identity! (WATCH HERE)
Set apart for special work
In just a few days, Donald Trump will be sworn in to be the 47th president of the United States. In front of the country, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court will administer the oath of office and the country and world will know that Donald Trump is now set apart as the President of the country.
A public ceremony and proclamation is done to ensure there is no doubt or question that this person is legally designated to carry out this role of leadership in our country.
Imagine if there were not public component to it. Would their be certainty as to who was president? What if no one saw him take the oath of office, would there be confidence that he actually was willing to take on the awesome responsibility of the task. A public setting with a public proclamation make the transition of power in our country clear to all.
For a similar reason and because it was such a significant and important role for all humanity, the Father in heaven wanted the world to know that Jesus was his Son and he was the one being set apart for the very important task of doing all that was necessary to secure the salvation of all humanity.
The Gospel of Luke records it this way, “And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove” (Luke 3:21-22). The presence of the Holy Spirit and the voice of the Father left all who were there with no doubt that Jesus was being set apart by God himself for a special task.
Imagine if this didn’t happen. Would we be as confident that Jesus was the Son of God? Would we know for sure that the Spirit of God was on him and setting him apart for his preaching and teaching ministry.
The short answer is, “No.” We would not have the same confidence that Jesus was who he claimed to be or set apart for God’s special work if it was not publicly proclaimed at his baptism.
Jesus was filled with the Spirit and affirmed by his Father…the Trinity at work!
Perhaps there are days or seasons where we don’t feel important or special. Perhaps there are times we wish we could make a difference or make an impact in a positive way with the people around us.
When you feel this way, don’t forget your baptism. In your baptism, there as was public declaration that you are a child of God … and the Spirit came to live in you. The heavens maybe didn’t open and dove didn’t fly into the church, put with baptism there is a promise of God’s Spirit coming to set you apart as a child of God gifted to serve the Lord with your life. Peter understood this as he told the people at Pentecost:
Acts 2:38-39 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
Never forget that you are set apart by God’s Spirit for a life of purpose and meaning. The Spirit of God is on you to give you gifts and empowers you to use them.
Enjoy living in identity and gifts God has given to you in your baptism!
Apply: As you begin your day today, begin with the awareness that the Spirit of God is on you and in you to live today to the glory of God and the blessing of the people around you!
Prayer: Spirit of God, thank you for filling me with your presence and power and giving me gifts to give glory to God and be a blessing to others. AMEN.
Are you a pleaser?
Today’s devotion is based on Week 2 of “Resolve”: Live Your Baptism Identity! (WATCH HERE)
Are you a pleaser?
Most people don’t want conflict or people upset at them. One approach is simply to avoid situations that need constructive confrontation and hope the issue goes away. Another approach is to spend extraordinary effort to do what it takes to ensure the person who potentially could get upset is pleased with you. However, the challenge with this approach, is the “standard” is rarely identified and even less often achieved. The pleaser will continue to put self aside for the sake of doing things that people want, hoping they can keep that person happy and not upset at them.
This is a challenging way to live as life becomes lived in fear of someone else’s response and really letting people that have really little or no concern for you control your emotions and your actions…in a elusive hope they won’t get mad at you.
Unfortunately many of the people we spend our lives trying to please, really have little or no interest in your wellbeing, we just want their approval.
But some of those people can be more important in your life and you want their approval. Every child desires the approval of their parents. Most students want the approval of their teacher. A majority of employees want the approval of their boss.
When one of these people say, “I am very pleased with you,” it is a compliment that fills your soul and motivates you toward the next day.
So are these the people that matter most in your life? Perhaps.
But inside each one of us, we want God’s approval. Ask people about the end of their life situation and hear them say things like, “I think God will be happy with the way I led my life.” Others will say, “I’ve done more good than bad, so I’ve lived a pretty good life.”
Yet, the irony of these individuals is there is little or no certainty in claiming their performance as the reason that God would be pleased with them.
Why is that? Because we are all sinful and fall short of the glory of God. Period. We can’t earn our way into God’s good pleasure and avoid an eternal conflict with him because of our sin.
The solution? Again we are pointed to Jesus’ baptism where the Father said this: And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son,whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:23)
There was no question for Jesus or those around. God was well-pleased with his Son. There was nothing Jesus had to worry about as he went about his mission as the Messiah to bring salvation to all people. The Father was well-pleased with him. He was pleased that his Son was on mission to live a life that perfectly fulfilled the law. He was pleased that his Son was willing to carry the sins of the world to the cross. He was pleased that his Son would be at the cross hairs of conflict over sin so the people God so loved would experience forgiveness and grace.
Which they do in baptism when God the Father says of us because we are connected to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, “This is my child. With him/her I am well pleased.
We may have conflict in life with people around us that we need to handle with love and grace, but we can be sure of one thing, because of Jesus, our Father in heaven is well-pleased with you because you are covered in the perfection Jesus gave you!
2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Apply: How does it feel to know that God is well-pleased with you because of Jesus?
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for applying the perfection of Jesus to our account so that we might be a pleasure to you. AMEN.