Poor Diet

Diet tips. Diet plans. Diet pills. Diet foods.

Diets for men. Diets for women. Diets for children.

Bikini diet. Abs diet.

The South Beach diet. The Atkins diet. The Full Plate Diet. The Maker’s Diet.

Low-carb diet. Low-fat diet. Low-sodium diet.

Gluten-free diet. High-protein diet.

Liquid diet. Vegetarian diet. Kosher diet.

We spend a lot of time talking about diets, don’t we? At least in America we do. I’m not so sure the rest of the world is as crazy as we are. Or as unhealthy.

This map shows the percentage of obese people in each state, based on the Body Mass Index. (I have problems with the Body Mass Index calculation, but for our purposes here, it’ll do.)



Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, CDC

You’ll notice that Arkansas and all of our surrounding states (except Texas!) are leading the way in the percentage of obese people. Arkansas is usually near the bottom in most rankings. Too bad we picked the area of obesity to be a leader.

The word “diet” comes from the Greek word “diaita.” It means “a way of life, mode of living.”

Apparently, our way of life, our mode of living in this area of the country is to be overweight, out of shape and unhealthy. And as tragic as that is, I wonder if that description would also reflect our spiritual lives.

Before the nation of Israel crossed the Jordan River to take possession of the land God had promised them, Moses spoke to the people and said:

Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers. Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.

One of the things God was accomplishing in the desert was teaching His people “that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”

As food is to our body, God’s word is to our spirit.

So how is your spirit today? What have you been eating? What’s your diet like? Your way of life? Your mode of living?

Do you have a regular, daily intake of God’s word? Do you read it? Listen to it? Talk about it? Apply it?

If you missed a meal today, you’d feel it almost immediately, wouldn’t you? I know I would. As I write this, it’s almost lunch time and my stomach is letting me know it’s time to eat.

But do we ever feel hungry when we miss a meal of God’s word?

It’s like we’re being offered a five-course gourmet meal prepared by an award-winning chef, but we politely decline with, “No thank you, I’m not very hungry.”

Imagine how shocked our chef would be if we told him we weren’t hungry because we’d just filled up on a box of Twinkies and a 2-liter of Coke.

“But didn’t you know I was preparing this delicious meal for you?” he’d ask.

Yeah, we knew.

We fill up on work responsibilities, relationships, television, internet, games on our phones, text messaging, Twitter, Facebook, hobbies and whatever else, then have no time or appetite for God’s word.

We’re spiritually obese.

If you tried to run a mile right now–how would you do? Could you make it? Would you have to walk most of it? Would we have to call for the paramedics?

Your performance would give us a pretty good picture of your fitness level.

But how about your spirit? What kind of shape is it in?

Is your spirit so out of shape that when a test or trial comes you’re unable to carry the load and you’re left gasping for spiritual breath?

We do not live on bread alone. We need God’s word to survive.

If you aren’t consuming generous portions of God’s word on a consistent basis–you need to know…you’re slowly killing yourself.

Do you know why most people fail on their diets? It’s because they never make it a way of life, a mode of living. They use it to try and compensate for years of unhealthy eating and then once they’ve shed a few pounds, they go right back to their poor diet, their poor way of life, their poor mode of living.

It’s time to eliminate the junk and start feasting on what God offers.

As food is to our body, God’s word is to our spirit.

If you need a little help getting started on a good diet of God’s word, check out my e-book. If you have a Kindle or iPhone, you can get it here. It’s a 40-day devotional to help you develop a healthy spiritual diet.

What Does God Want?

When I operated a personal training studio a number of years ago, some clients would wonder why they weren’t losing weight even though they’d been working out for several weeks. The issue was always the same–they hadn’t changed their eating habits. Somehow they thought that two one-hour workouts each week would be enough to accomplish their goals. It wasn’t.

The answer was to go back to what I’d showed them at the beginning. Reduce sugar. Increase protein. Eat five or six smaller meals rather than two or three big ones.

When it comes to your relationship with the Lord, does it sometimes feel like you’re not “getting the results” you’d hoped for? Are you frustrated? Does it feel like something is just off?

Maybe it’s time to go back to what He has already told us to do.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 makes it pretty clear…

And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

Those words were written for Israel, but Romans 15:4 reminds us, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

If you’re feeling stuck or frustrated in your relationship with the Lord, if you need some hope…maybe it’s time to return to the basics and make sure you’re doing what God has already showed you.

1. Fear Him. That means we respect Him and live in awe of Him.

2. Walk in all His ways. We set the course of our lives toward Him and His ways, not our own.

3. To love Him. When we love someone or something, we willingly give our time, our devotion and our money, don’t we? Do we love Him that way?

4. To serve Him with all our heart and soul. We give Him our very best.

5. To observe His commands and decrees. We obey Him because He is worthy of our obedience, but observing His commands is also for our “own good.”

I’m not suggesting these five things are easy, they’re just not difficult to understand. I suspect if you’re having some trouble figuring out what God wants for you–it may be time to go back to the “basics.” Work on these five and a lot of other things will fall into place.

By the way, if you want to lose weight and get in shape, check out this post.

One other thing, if you’d like to receive all new posts by email, you can subscribe using the form that’s just below “About Me” at the top of the right hand column. New posts will hit your inbox. That’s all you’ll receive. I don’t use your email address for anything else and will never sell it.

What’s Most Important Today?

I have several tasks to complete before the end of the work day. I have other things I’d like to accomplish after work. To one degree or another, I’d consider them important. Of course, what’s important is relative.

I consider working out to be important. And I’m working on a book project, so it would be good to make some progress tonight. Those two items may not be important to you, but other things are. You might need to get your house cleaned, laundry done or coach your child’s soccer team.

We all have important things to accomplish each day, but is there any kind of objective measure for determining what’s most important? Each and every day? For all of us?

I think there is.

Currently, I’m 48 years old. The average life expectancy for a male living in the United States is around 75. So if I make it to the average, I’ve got about 27 more years. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like a very long time to me.

But how about if you’re only 20 years old? That would give you another 55 years. That’s a little better. And if you’re a female, you can tack on another 3 years, so you get 58!

Of course, all of that assumes you and I aren’t people who actually bring down the average. As a friend of mine used to say, “Half the people you meet are below average.”

So regardless of whether you have another 27 years, 58 years or some other number–none of us really have that much time left. Oh, I know it can feel like forever when you’re in a class you don’t like, a marriage you don’t like or a long line at the post office, but the truth is this life is brief. At best.

We especially don’t have much time when compared to much longer periods of time. Like forever for example.

Forever is a pretty long time. And the Bible is clear–we’re going to live forever. Those who have received the forgiveness that Christ offers have the promise of living forever with Him in heaven.

So what will we do in heaven? How are we going to occupy our time for millions and millions and millions…of years?

First and foremost, we will live in friendship with God. He created us for this purpose. He made us to enjoy a love relationship with Himself. In the context of that relationship, we will grow in our knowledge and understanding of Him.

We will use our God-given gifts and talents to serve Him. I actually think we’ll be surprised at the number of gifts, abilities and talents we have now that will continue into eternity. I tend to think those with teaching skills will still teach. Those who like to cook and entertain will still do it in heaven. People with musical ability will help lead us in singing and worship, which is something else we’ll do.

We will also live in community with others. Heaven will be a place filled with people from every tribe, tongue and nation. We will enjoy getting to know others as we live, serve, eat and worship together.

So a couple hundred years from now…and a couple million years from now…and a few hundred trillion years from now–we’ll be living in friendship with God, enjoying His love and loving Him in return. We will be growing in our relationship with Him. We’ll still be learning and experiencing new things about Him. We will be using our gifts and talents to serve Him. We will be worshiping the only one worthy of being forever praised. And we’ll be doing all of this in community with others.

If that’s what’s important in eternity, then it strikes me that those are the most important things now.

Sure, we have some earthly concerns now that we won’t have then, but we can’t ever let those things become such distractions that we lose sight of what’s most important. In 2 Corinthian 4:16-18, Paul wrote:

Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of only seeing what we can see, but what we can see is temporary. It’s passing away. All of it. The cars. The houses. The lawns. The toys. The bank accounts. The clothes. And these bodies in which we live. It’ll all be gone in 27 years. Or maybe 58. But not much longer than that. For any of us.

What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. And most important. Today.

Watch Out For This Person

Have you ever looked at the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list? Check it out. These are some dangerous guys.

James J. Bulger looks like a friendly old grandpa. Except he’s wanted for 19 counts of murder, among other things.

Robert William Fisher looks like a nice guy, too. Of course he allegedly killed his wife and two young children before blowing up the house they lived in.

Then there’s Osama Bin Laden.

While these are evil, violent men, I don’t necessarily feel threatened by them. I understand Bin Laden could do great harm to many people at almost any time, but the odds of me being personally harmed are slim.

There is someone though who is much more likely to do me harm. Someone who at this moment does not even mean to harm me, but has great power to do so and has a track record of doing just that.

The person I need to watch out for is “future me.” Not mini-me. Future me.

At the moment, I am intent on obeying God, eating right, exercising and serving my wife and children well. The future me has proven, however, time after time to be weak, lazy, self-deceived, hypocritical and highly vulnerable to temptation.

For example, I plan on working out tomorrow. Much of the time, I actually enjoy running and lifting weights. But I’ve also learned over the years that during late fall and early winter I am inclined to eat poorly and not exercise as much as I should. I rarely miss workouts in the spring and summer, but that’s not the case right now.

Even though tomorrow is New Year’s Day and I plan to spend some time watching football,  there’s no reason I shouldn’t be able to write a couple thousand words on the marriage book I’m writing. And yet, future me will be tempted to not write. He will waste time. He will look for other things to do. I’ve seen him do it.

I think the apostle Paul understood this when he wrote:

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. (Romans 7:15)

Can you relate?

So on a day when many of us are either making or at least thinking about New Year’s Resolutions, what can we do to help out Future Me and Future You?

First, recognize we are totally dependent on God to live the life He calls us to. In John 15:5, Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” We will fail if we are relying on our own strength.

Second, temptation is unavoidable, but let’s at least be wise about it. James 1:14 says, “…each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.” What are you desiring that is outside God’s will? What do you think about? Want? Flirt with? If you continue to feed ungodly desires–you are setting up Future You to fall…again.

Third, if we’re going to stand against temptation, then we need to change our desires. To change our desires, we have to first change our thoughts. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Choose to spend time in God’s word to allow Him to change your thoughts. Learn to think as He does. Let Him reshape your desires to be in line with His so He can grant them.

Fourth, give more. Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Want to re-direct your heart, your desires, your focus? Then give. Your heart will follow your treasure. I found this to be true a number of years ago when I was playing around in the stock market. I was only investing a few hundred dollars, but the changing stock prices had me glued to my computer. My heart, my attention, my interest was following my treasure.

2011 is a few hours away. You and I have great intentions, but future you and me aren’t so well intentioned. They need our help. We can make some decisions now to help them.

Top 10 Ways to Quickly Strengthen Your Marriage

Last week, I posted “45 Ways to Slowly Kill Your Marriage.” I had a request for how to strengthen a marriage, so here are my top 10 ways to quickly strengthen your marriage:

1. Meet your spouse’s needs. First, you need to know what they are. Become a student of your spouse to find out. Write down everything you learn. Then start meeting those needs.

Yes, it’s that simple. Easy? Not always. Simple? Yes.

If you’re trying to come up with some needs, here are a few to get things kick-started: conversation, alone time, words of encouragement, romance, a hug, quality time with you, help with the housework, sex, a weekend away, an extra hour of sleep, respect, a phone call “just because”, a massage, etc.

Keep in mind, you’re looking for your spouse’s needs, not your needs. Also, while you’re at it, discover some wants and meet those, too.

2. Be third. God first. Spouse second. You third.

I know you also have needs and wants that aren’t being met and you may be giving a lot more than your spouse, but choose to meet your spouse’s needs even if yours aren’t being met.

What’s the alternative? Pull back and wait until your spouse goes first?

How well do you think that’s going to work?

I know it won’t be easy, but you will reap what you sow. Be the bigger person and begin serving your spouse. See what God does.

3. Pray together. If this is a scary thought to you, then start small. Before you go to sleep tonight, hold hands and say, “Lord, thank you for my husband/wife.” If it’s not so scary, then take a few minutes to pray for each other.

4. Believe God. Difficulties are inevitable, so learning how to deal with them as a couple is critical. The most important thing you can do is focus your attention on God, not your circumstances. Your financial crisis, medical issue or rebellious child may seem overwhelming, but it’s not to God. He has a solution and He has peace for you. Read Hebrews 11:6.

Choose to trust Him and not give in to worry, fear and anxiety. Those negative emotions will only poison your marriage.

How do you begin believing God, not your circumstances? There’s no substitute for spending time reading the Bible. In it, God has revealed Himself, His purposes and His ways. As we discover who God is and how He works, our capacity to trust Him is enlarged. Difficult circumstances no longer seem insurmountable when seen through God’s eyes.

5. Be your best. About 18 months into marriage, Robyn and I attended a “Weekend to Remember” marriage conference. During that weekend, I realized what a poor job I was doing as her husband. I decided then to be the best husband I could be. That was in 1987. While I’m far from perfect, I’m much further along than had I never made that decision.

6. Give grace. Your spouse is going to blow it. A lot. What are you going to do then? Keep score? Hold a grudge? Punish? Where will that get you?

What if instead, you gave grace and forgiveness? The way God does to us. What if you chose to treat your spouse the way you want to be treated when you fail? Again, I know this isn’t easy, but that leads to the next point…

7. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 5, Paul gives instructions to husbands and wives. It’s some heavy stuff. And in our own strength, it’s impossible stuff. So prior to giving those instructions, in verse 18, he said, “…be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

To be filled with the Holy Spirit means to be under his influence. In fact, Paul compares being drunk to being filled with the Spirit. When someone is drunk, they speak and act in a way that indicates they’re under the influence of alcohol. When we are under the influence of the Holy Spirit, we will speak and act like He desires.

How can you be filled with the Holy Spirit? Simply by surrendering control of your life to Him. You can be in control or He can. He’s not going to fight you for control. He’s going to wait for you to give it to Him. When you do, you will experience His wisdom and power in your life.

8. Get healthy. You can’t change your spouse, but you can change you. Commit to getting healthy both physically and emotionally. If you’re not eating right or exercising, then you won’t feel well. If you don’t feel well, you won’t have the energy to invest in your marriage. If you don’t know where to start, click here.

You also need to commit to good emotional health. If your leg is broken, you’ll have an extremely difficult time running a mile. It would be painfully obvious that what you need is a doctor to set your leg in a cast, so you can heal.

The problem with our emotional health is the broken things are less obvious. The consequences are no less serious though. If you’re walking around with unresolved issues from your childhood, hurt and resentment from a previous marriage, a bad experience in a legalistic church or some other emotionally traumatic event, then you do not have the emotional health required for a successful marriage. You just don’t. So get help.

How do you know if you need help?

If you often feel angry, anxious or depressed–you need help.

If you need _______________ to feel good, relieve stress, unwind or shake off a bad day–you need help. Put whatever you want in the blank: food, alcohol, drugs, pornography, shopping, sex, gambling, chocolate, etc.

If you often feel guilty or ashamed–you need help.

If you are verbally abusive to your spouse–you need help.

If you’ve ever hit your spouse (or been hit)–you need help.

If you’ve lost any hope of your situation getting better–you need help.

Find a Christian counselor and make an appointment. Do it today. You’ll be stuck until you do.

9. Be playful. Sure marriage takes some work, but it doesn’t have to be all work. Lighten up a little. Have fun with each other. Take a walk. Take dancing lessons. Take a shower (together). Go on a bike ride. Cook together. Send each other suggestive text messages. Go to a dollar store and buy each other five gifts. Exchange them over coffee and dessert. Play a game. Put the kids to bed early, order Chinese food and watch a funny movie.

Just enjoy each other and laugh together. Like when you were dating.

10. Get away. If you can afford it, spend a couple nights in a bed and breakfast or hotel. Don’t take any work. Leave the laptop at home. Turn off your phones. Focus on each other. Eat some good meals. Take walks. Talk about your dreams. Consider attending a “Weekend to Remember” for your weekend away.

Getting away from the normal routine of life will do wonders for your marriage. If you can’t remember the last time you got away, then schedule something now.

Obviously, these all work better and more quickly if you both commit to do them, but don’t wait for your spouse. (Read #2 again.) Do what you know to do. Start right now. Trust God with the results.

Okay, here’s a bonus one:

11. Be your spouse’s biggest fan. While you’re studying your spouse looking for needs, also be on the lookout for strengths. What is your spouse good at? What do they enjoy doing? What are they passionate about? What gets them excited?

Once you have those answers, encourage them to pursue those activities, ideas or dreams. Cheer them on. Help them. Help find the resources to make it happen. Do whatever you can to help the vision become reality.

As often as you can, say, “I’m so proud of you.”

Do You Ever Feel Like There’s More?

A number of years ago, a friend of mine put her hand over her heart and asked me, “Do you ever feel like there’s more?”

When I was a teenager, one of my jobs was working at a fast food restaurant. My job was mostly cleaning and emptying the garbage. I remember exactly where I was in the dining area one day when I thought, “I won’t always be doing this.” I knew in my heart I was made for more.

During my freshman year at Cornell (yes, the place Andy from “The Office” went), I went to a party one night (yes, they do party at Ivy League schools) and remember thinking, “This must be what life is all about.” My heart was searching for more, but it was being fooled into thinking it would be satisfied with just having a good time.

It wasn’t until a few months later that I discovered what my heart had been searching for. I met a guy who explained that God loved me and had a plan for my life, but that because I, along with the rest of humanity, had turned my back on Him (that’s called “sin”), I couldn’t experience the life God had for me.

He went on to explain that the only way to know God’s love and plan was to have my sin forgiven. And the only way for that to happen was to place my faith in Jesus, who had already taken the punishment I deserved.

I’d never heard anyone explain all that, but it made complete sense to me. That day in February 1982, in the student union at Cornell, I placed my faith in Christ. He forgave my sin. And I began a friendship with Him.

And I’ve never been the same.

Well, almost.

There’s no doubt my life is different. I was changed that day. I know it. I feel it. I believe it.

And yet, there are days where I experience a vague unease. I feel unsatisfied. I find myself wondering, “Is this it? I think I was made for more.”

Do you wonder too? Do you feel it? Do you know in your heart you were made for more?

You were. So was I.

God didn’t create the universe, set things in motion and then step away–leaving us to fend for ourselves. He didn’t put us here and then expect to not be involved, intimately, in our lives. It’s not God’s plan to play a minor role, some supporting character in the story.

You and I were made to live in friendship with the One who made us. That was the original plan. That’s the point. That’s the “more” we all long for.

But things got all tangled up and confused when our parents, Adam and Eve, decided to do their own thing. Now instead of looking to God for love and significance, we tend to look for those things in the wrong places. We think a boyfriend or girlfriend, a spouse or a child will provide us with what we long for. And if it’s not a relationship, then it’s our work or our money. Or what our money can buy. Oh, by the way, it’s not “our” money anyway, but we don’t have time for that now.

It’s not just our relationship with God that got messed up, it’s this world, too. This world is under the dominion of a rebel angel. We call him Satan, but he’s also known by Appolyon (Greek) and Abbadon (Hebrew). Both names mean the same thing: Destroyer.

Destroyer has dominion over this world. I don’t understand all the reasons why God allows that to be so. Maybe it’s because God gave us the responsibility to rule over His creation for Him, but instead of ruling under God’s authority, we also rebelled. Did that transfer authority over the earth to Satan for a period of time?

Stick with me for another moment. This is all about to tie together.

My oldest daughter is married to a Marine. If he’s not deployed somewhere, then he’s in training. Demanding training. It’s hard, hard work. And it’s hard on my daughter when her husband is way for days, weeks or months at a time.

My second daughter’s boyfriend is currently in Army basic training at Fort Benning. His plan is to move onto a qualifying course to get into Special Forces. Recently, we’ve been watching some reality shows about the guys who are trying to get into the various elite military units, like Special Forces and Marine Recon.

If you’ve seen any of these shows, you know how brutal the training can be. These guys are constantly hungry and sleep deprived. They’re pushed to their physical, emotional and mental limits for weeks.

So why do they do it? What keeps them going?

The recurring theme I see is this: they know they were made for more. They want to be the best. They want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

And so they’re willing to endure whatever they have to.

We were not only created to live in friendship with God, but we are also tasked with recapturing enemy territory by living according to God’s plan and introducing others to Him. That means that your marriage, your family, your time in college, your relationships, your work, your everything is being lived out in the midst of a war zone. A war being fought over the souls of men and women.

If you’re a college student–you’re in the battle. Your choices matter. Fight against the enemy who will continually tempt you. We need you to fight. Don’t give up. Don’t become a casualty.

If you’re married, then remember this–your spouse is not your enemy. Your spouse is your partner and fellow soldier. Stop pointing your weapons at each other and train them on the enemy instead. Lock arms and let’s go. We need you to fight. Don’t give up.

If you’re a part of a church that’s got problems (ah, that’s all of them), then help be the solution. Stop complaining. Stop pointing fingers. There’s too many people who are dying out there. We need you to fight with us, not against us.

You were made for more. You were made to live in friendship with the One who created you and you’ve been called to fight in this war. The enemy is unseen, but he’s real and he’s furious. Destroyer will not go down without a fight. Count on it.

Are you bored? Nothing satisfies? Feel like there has to be more?

Well, there is more.

Maybe you’ve just been looking for life in the wrong places. It doesn’t just happen to those who don’t know Christ, it happens to His followers, too.

Try turning your full attention on God. Get to know Him and discover your role in the war.

We need you.

Living Water

Here in Northwest Arkansas, it’s been a hot, dry August. I can’t remember the last time it rained.

In the midst of the 100+ degree heat, my son started 9th grade football practice. The head coach does a great job of stressing the need to stay hydrated. I hear him remind the team after almost every practice that they must be responsible for their bodies–for eating properly and for drinking enough fluids while at home. He also makes sure they get enough to drink during practice.

It’s such a contrast to when I played football growing up in New Jersey. I remember hearing coaches yell, “Get away from the water!” Back in the ’70′s, water was more of a distraction than a life-saver.

Yesterday, when I went to pick my son up from practice, I noticed a green patch of grass on the hill next to the practice field. Here’s the picture:

After several weeks without rain, the grass is burning up…except for that one patch. It has stayed green because of the run off from a hose that supplies drinking water for the football team. That patch of grass enjoys several hours of water each day.

Do you ever wonder about the condition of your spirit? Do you think it would look healthy like the well-watered grass? Or would it be dried out, parched, dying of thirst?

The real you is not just that body you walk around in. Primarily, you are a spiritual being. If it was possible to peer inside and look at our spirits, what would we find? How would yours be doing?

Our spirits are watered when we invest time with God and soak in His word, the Bible. Paul wrote to the Colossians, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…”

Jesus was once having a discussion with a Samaritan woman and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

A few sips of water during a football practice in hot weather isn’t enough to keep you alive. Running the sprinkler for a few minutes every week won’t save your lawn. Not in this heat. And occasionally reading the Bible or relying on whatever you get from a sermon isn’t enough to water and nourish your spirit.

I wonder what would happen if we were to be as well-watered as that grass. Would some of the obstacles we face no longer appear to be so big? Would God give us the wisdom we need to deal with the difficulties in our lives? Might He even give us an idea that could provide the breakthrough we’re seeking?

A healthy spirit, one that has soaked in God’s word, will desire and delight in God, in His will and His ways. If that doesn’t necessarily describe you, then maybe it’s time to turn on the sprinkler. Crank that valve wide open. Saturate your spirit in the Word of God.

He’s got the answers you seek. He’s got the power you need. He’s got the peace and joy for you to face the day.

Recapturing Your Heart

Most likely, you don’t have a pagan shrine set up in your living room. No golden calf. No gods cast from silver. Nothing resembling what we’d normally think of as an idol.

We’re too “modern” for that, aren’t we? We’re intelligent enough to know that a gold image or idol carved from a block of wood isn’t going to bless us, save us or enlighten us.

More likely, we read about Israel’s idol worship and scratch our heads. What were these people thinking? God provided for them in the dessert. He gave them victory over their enemies. He brought them into a good land. He blessed them in every way. And yet, they turned to worshiping idols. Some were cast from gold. Others were carved from blocks of wood. None of them had any power though.

Rightly so, this made God angry. Of course, God’s reaction to idol worship seems out of proportion to the offense unless we understand a critical point. You and I were not placed on planet earth to be good citizens or grab all the fun and pleasure we can or generally do as we please with little regard for the One who created us.

No, we were created by and for God. We are His. We’re not our own. We belong to Him and exist to live in friendship with Him, worship Him and bring Him glory. He IS life.

So when we live independently of Him and instead give our attention and devotion to other things, it’s a serious offense. In fact, it’s the most serious offense. If we don’t realize this, then we’ll fail to understand why God was so upset at idol worship.

Okay, we don’t have idols of gold or silver or wood lying around, but I suspect we have some others. In Ezekiel 14, some elders of Israel came to the prophet and God said to him, “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?” You can read the entire chapter here.

Idols set up in their hearts. Wicked stumbling blocks before their faces.

Now that’s starting to hit a little closer to home.

Been setting up any idols in your heart lately? I think I’ve got a few.

What do you tend to think most about? A person? Something you wish you could buy? A bigger 401k? Something you want, but don’t or can’t have? Could be an idol.

What could you not live without? Someone’s approval? Your house? Your iPhone? Chocolate? A drink…or two? Maybe it’s an idol for you.

If you could just have __________________, then you’d be happy. Whatever you put in the blank could be an idol.

Where do you spend most of your discretionary time? In front of the television? Putting in more time at work? In the gym? At the tanning salon? Anything can be an idol.

Recently, a friend shared with me that he was selling his motorcycle because it had become an idol.

My heart is capable of setting up anything as an idol. How about you?

Back in Ezekiel 14, God says that when those who are worshiping idols come to consult a prophet, He will answer them Himself rather than speaking through the prophet. He said, “I will do this to recapture the hearts for the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.”

God wants your heart free of idols, so you’re free to worship Him. He went on to say, “Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!”

If you identified one or more idols, then it’s time to get rid of them. It won’t be easy though. Some of the kings of Judah and Israel would try to eliminate idol worship only to see it creep back into the culture. Idols are stubborn things. Once they have our attention, they don’t like to let us go.

Ask God for help. He can supply the power to repent, to turn away from whatever idol you’ve set up in your heart.

If it’s a particularly tough one to deal with, then also ask a friend to pray for you. By the way, maybe another way of thinking about an idol is to call it an addiction. Having someone else to encourage you and help hold you accountable may be necessary.

You may also want to fast if it really has its grasp on you. If you need information on how to fast, you can find it here.

God wants you to be free. He wants your heart to be devoted to Him. He knows that’s how you’ll experience life to the fullest.

It’s time to turn from our idols.

I Know the Plans I Have For You

When you got married, you weren’t anticipating a painful divorce.

You didn’t think you’d ever be an addict, but now the drugs, alcohol, pornography or whatever else is enslaving you. You’d love to stop. But you can’t.

Somehow you avoided the first round of layoffs and even the second, but you got caught up in the third. Now you’re unemployed and nobody is hiring.

You exercised and watched your diet, but still you got sick. Doesn’t seem fair that your co-worker who sits on the couch and smokes two packs a day seems to be in pretty good health.

You never planned on waking up one day with $30,000 in credit card debt, but there it is.

Maybe nothing horrible has happened, but life just hasn’t turned out like you thought it would. You had hopes and dreams, but they never quite materialized. And now you find yourself in a never-ending cycle of wake-up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, repeat. And you wonder…is this all there is?

Where’s God in the midst of all our hurts, disappointments and broken dreams? Does He see? And if He does, does He care?

And what if our circumstances are at least partly our own fault? What then? Is God going to save me from my own mistakes?

In Jeremiah 29, the prophet sends a letter from Jerusalem to the Jews who’ve been taken into exile in Babylon. I can’t imagine what that would be like–to be taken from your home and carried to a foreign country against your will. Your home is gone. Your land is gone. Everything that was good and comfortable and familiar–all gone.

So why were the Jews living in exile? It’s because they chose to worship idols and not obey God’s commands. God had warned them what would happen, but it didn’t change their hearts.

A good and gracious God can’t let us continue down a wrong path, but He also isn’t going to leave His people in exile. He will not only be with them in exile, but He will one day restore them to their homes in Jerusalem.

This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. 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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” (Jeremiah 29:10-14)

If your present circumstances feel like an exile, be encouraged–God will not leave you there. He knows the plans He has for you. Call out to Him. He will listen. Seek Him and you will find Him.

But when you come to Him, come on His terms. Come desiring His will, His plans, His ways of living life. Let go of your plans. His are so much better. His plans for you are good. How do I know? Because He is good. He cannot do anything that isn’t best for you.

If you feel like you’re to blame, that you’re the one that got yourself into the mess you’re in–don’t let that stop you from seeking Him and asking Him for His blessing and favor. He is not holding your sin over you. If you are in Christ, your sin is forgiven. The slate is wiped clean. You are holy and blameless in His sight. Yes, there are consequences for our wrong choices. The exiled Jews are evidence of that, but God delights in restoring us and giving us second chances. And third chances. And fourth chances…

And remember, you stand before Him by grace. You discover His plans for You by grace. When you seek Him and find Him, it’s by grace. You can’t ever be good enough to earn His favor. Jesus purchased God’s favor for you. You receive it by grace.

Today, you may find yourself in quite a mess with no apparent way out. As far as you can see in any direction is an unfamiliar land that’s a constant reminder of where you don’t want to be. But don’t lose hope. Don’t give up. Give yourself fully to God today and seek Him with all your heart. If you stumble and fall, then get back up and call to Him for help.

Seek Him today. Seek Him tomorrow. Seek Him the day after.

He may do something that will turn things around quickly. Or it may take longer than you’d like. In either case though, a good God is working out good plans for you. He cannot do otherwise.

God’s Pleasure and Delight

Sometimes I feel like God whispers to me, “Did you really mean what you told them/him/her or were you just talking?”

I just finished a three-week sermon series called, “Journey.” The theme came from Colossians 3:1-4…

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

The journey through this life requires that we set our hearts and minds on things above. Heaven. Our life in Christ. God’s ways of doing things. The things that please and delight Him.

It takes effort though. This life has a way of constantly pulling our attention, our desires and our thoughts back to earthly things. Don’t get me wrong, not all earthly things are bad–we’re just not to set our hearts and minds on them.

Event though I’ve been immersed in setting my heart and mind on things above, I find it so easy to slip back to old patterns–ways of thinking and feeling that have been a part of me for a very long time.

In 1979, before my junior year of high school football, I began weight training for the first time. I’d played around with it before then, but never really knew what I was doing. With a little instruction and accountability though, I quickly began to see results.

My football career has long since ended, but I have continued to enjoy lifting weights. For the past four months, I have been working out particularly hard. I really don’t know any other way. I haven’t been able to make the successful transition to doing it “just to be healthy.” I’ve tried, but I keep pushing myself. I keep throwing more weight on the bar so I’ll get bigger and stronger.

So today I heard the whisper.

I was reading in Psalm 147. Verses 10 and 11 say:

His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of a man;

the LORD delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.

That got my attention, but the whisper came when I read The Message version:

He’s not impressed with horsepower;
the size of our muscles means little to him.
Those who fear God get God’s attention;
they can depend on his strength.

God is not impressed with the amount of my bench press. He doesn’t care if my arms are big or small. No, He delights in those who fear Him, those who entrust themselves to His loving care. Hebrews 11:6 says it this way:

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

I’m not suggesting it’s wrong to exercise, lift weights or take care of my body. But it is wrong if that’s where I’ve set my heart and mind. In a letter to Timothy, Paul said it this like this:

…train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

If you want to delight the heart of God and experience His delight in you…set your heart and mind on Him. Cultivate the respect and awe He deserves. Make it your goal to love Him above everyone and everything else. Even become obsessed with Him.

He’s not impressed by the size of your muscles, your house or your bank account. His delight and pleasure are in the condition of your heart.

Maybe He’s also whispering to you today.