What does it mean to "walk in all His way"? Joshua 22:5

I know that sounds like a "well, duh!" question but bear with me.

 

The key word in the title is "all". 

I don't know about you but there are times when I think "God, I'm walking in your ways.  Why is this happening or why isn't that happening?"  Know what I mean?

As I was reading this morning in Joshua I ran across that phrase, "walk in all His ways".  I just went on by but it stuck in my mind.  It was kind of weird.  It gave me a sense of unease and drew me back.  Of all my readings this morning, that is what stuck out. 

 

It was this vague thing I just couldn't quite articulate.  I started going through the list in my head.  I seemed to be walking in His ways pretty good.  What was I missing?  I tried coming at it from a couple different angles.  Nothing.

So I prayed more about it.  I was prepared to wait and study the issue for a few days or weeks until God revealed something to me.  I didn't really expect an instant answer.  But I got it!

"Dude.  "Procrastination!"  Habakkuk 2:2".

Ah.  ALL His ways.  I get it now.  I also know why it made me uneasy.  Let's look at the verse and then I will explain.
 

Habakkuk 2:2(NKJV)

Then the Lord answered me and said:      “Write the vision     And make it plain on tablets,     That he may run who reads it.

 

I have written before about how God's success plan is in the Bible.  Well this is part if it.  Write you vision down, make it plain, and run with it".

 

Put your goals and plans on paper!  I have heard that for the last 40+ years!  Have I ever really put any serious effort into doing it?  Nope.  I did it my way.  I'm more of a go with the flow kind of guy.  It worked pretty well for me.  I raised a great family, built a successful financial planning practice.  Didn't see where I really needed to write the goals down.

 

About 3-4 months ago I was listening to a Steve Harvey motivational video while working out.  He talked about the two principals he built his success on.  One of those principals was Habakkuk 2!  God kind of nudged me and said "hmmm".  I can take a hint.  I put that on my To Do list.

 

And there it sat.  This morning I realized that we are two days from the end of the year and I still haven't made the vision plain.  It has been on my To Do list for months.  I look at it every day.  I think 'yeah, I'll get to that". 

 

So here is my conclusion from this.  Just taking a shot here.  Do you think maybe God is telling me "all of My ways boy. All of My ways!  Write it down!!!!".  :)

I can guarantee you, I will start the year with written goals. 

Thanks God, the journey is always so cool with You!

The Greatest Christmas Gift of All. Faith, Hope, & Love through Jesus!

 

The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians:

 

1 Corinthians 13:13(NKJV)

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

 

This is the verse that caught my attention this morning.  When I first read it I had a totally different take on it but God brought me around to see what He really wanted me to get out of this verse at this particular time.

 

Faith, Hope, & Love through Jesus - The Greatest Christmas Gift of All!

If it weren't for Jesus' love for us all, we would not have the faith and the hope for the future that we do!

 

Faith in Jesus gives us the peace that surpasses all understanding.  It causes miraculous things to happen in your life, if you will let it. 

 

Folks, God has worked miracles in my life this past year or so and He can do the same for you!

 

The Greatest Christmas Gift of All starts with Jesus.  Are you ready to accept that gift?  Just ask Jesus to lead your life.  Have a conversation with Jesus.  Let Him know where you are at in life and what you need.  He will take it from there.  "Dear Jesus…."

Merry Christmas folks!!!

Wow! God wields a mean 2 X 4!!!

Lol!!  I love the way God can make a point and make me laugh at the same time!

As many of you know, I have "issues" with the Apostle Paul.  There has just always been something about the guy that bugs me.   I ran across one of his quotes today that has always especially bugged me. 
 

Romans 15:19-20(NKJV)

in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. 

And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation, 

 

Even though we are not supposed to be prideful, I thought this made Paul sound like he was being prideful.  I've read this verse many times and have had this same thought many times.  No big deal…until today.

 

Today when I had this thought, another thought popped into my head. 

 

Matthew 7:3-4(NKJV)

And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 

Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 

WHACK!!!

 

Wow, where did that 2 X 4 come from?

"Did you ever consider that maybe part of the reason you have "issues" with Paul is because there are similarities between the two of you?  Aren't you a bit prideful at times"  "And dude, I'm being generous when I say "a bit."  :)

WHACK!!!  WHACK!!!

:)

Lively daily with God is such a hoot!

Afterthought:  I hope that doesn't sound disrespectful or blasphemes.  I don't mean it to be.  It is a joyful thing!!! 

God's attention to detail is incredible!!!

 

I just marvel at God's incredible attention to detail! 

 

One of the little games I have always played is trying to get the people who wait on me at drive throughs to smile.  I have gotten some of the most sullen workers to smile by just being polite and sincere and giving them a big smile.  It is fun.  Try it sometime.  I am not quite sure how I got started doing this.  It just sort of developed. 

I have also been driving Lyft for the last 5 years.  Day after day, strangers getting in and out of my car.  Having short 5-15 minute conversations with people.  Learning to make these almost instant connections.  It was amazing.  People would confess some of the most interesting stuff because of the connection. 

And I wasn't practicing making these connections with any evil or manipulative intent.  In fact I didn't realize I was practicing anything at all.  I just truly enjoyed meeting people and people seemed to respond to that. 

Today in my prayer time, God once again connected the dots for me!  His attention to detail is astounding. 

 

I am developing a new business venture focusing on selling insurance, mortgages (in process of getting licensed), and other things over the phone.  What I have found is that I have an incredible way of getting people to warm up to me right over the phone.  Imagine that!

The skills that God has had me develop over many years without me even realizing it are coming to fruition!

Let me be very clear.  While I may have this new or at least enhanced skill, the only reason I have it is that God say fit years ago to start teaching and developing it in me!  Now there are some who would say this is all just coincidence. 

They can believe what they want.  I however believe with all my heart that it was God's purposeful hand guiding me to acquire the skills He knew I was going to need!

I so love living in God's favor!

Do you live in God's favor?  If not, would you like to?  It all starts with getting to Know Jesus.  Just have a little talk with Jesus.  Let Him know where you are at in life, what you need.  And then ask Him for His help.

Pretty simple right?  Why not give it a try right now?  "Dear Jesus…."

Thanksgiving - to whom are we thankful?

 

We have this great holiday called Thanksgiving.  But you really don't hear many in the media or anywhere else in society for that matter say who we should be thankful to. 

 

Well in my case let there be no question.  I am thankful to God for all of my blessings as well as all of my tribulations in life!!!  Each and every one of them!

 

Really?  Thankful for my tribulations?  Who you kidding?  That's BS!

 

Nope.  I am seriously grateful for the tribulations.  Why?  Because that is the first step in God's success plan that each and every one of us can put into action in our lives.  Doesn't cost a thing….other than being obedient to God.  :)

 

Romans 5:3-5(NKJV)

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 

and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

 

Why is it so important that we "glory in tribulations"?  I believe it is because it is an outward sign of our inner faith in God.

 

Folks, I have been incredibly blessed in the past year.  Lost over 80 pounds.  Went from barely being able to walk 10 minutes on a treadmill in January 2020 to running a minimum of 2.25 miles a day.  My health has improved immeasurably.  I am very grateful and I give God all of the credit, honor, and glory for those blessing! 

 

But the blessings don't stop there!  God has also started bringing some long term goals to fruition in my life and I am incredibly grateful and give God all of the credit, honor, and glory for that as well.  An additional blessing as part of that process is that God is connecting the dots and showing me how different failures and tribulations over the last 5 years were so vitally necessary for me to develop the new skill sets needed for the completion of the current goals as well as the new vision and goals that God has laid out before me! 

 

Life is so exciting when you live in God's favor! 

 

So that is why I want to make sure everyone knows who I am grateful to for all that I have in life.  I am grateful to God!  Thank you Lord!!!

Sometimes I wish God would just get to the point instead of slow walking me to a conclusion! :)

 

This is something that has always bugged me.  After all Moses did for God, because of one small variance by Moses, God punishes Moses by not letting Moses step foot in the promised land.  God even takes it a step further and seems to taunt Moses.  Takes Moses to the top of a mountain, shows all the land to Moses, and tells Moses "but you don't get to cross over.".  Almost like God saying "nanna, nanna, nanna!".

 

What is odd about today is that God stopped me when I read it and said let's delve a little further into this one today.  There is more here than you may realize.  God sure has His ways!  I was planning on a quick 15 minute walk with God and then I was ready to get on about my day.  Apparently God has other plans for me today.  :)

 

I have come to realize more and more how much writing helps me sort out my thoughts.  So what is it specifically that bugs me about this?  Let's start there.

 

God is supposed to be a just God.  God is supposed to be a forgiving God.  God says He will have mercy on whom He chooses to have Mercy on.  You get the point.

 

So why did God come down so hard on Moses?  Moses was the only prophet in history to see God face to face.  Moses served God like no other prophet.  Moses even talked God out of wiping out the Israelites because of their sinning ways.  God couldn't choose to show Moses a little Mercy? 

Let's look at what Moses did.  God told Moses how to call water from a rock.  Hold the staff out and command the water to come forth.  Moses, caught up in the moment, goes one step further.  He reaches out and taps the rock.  That's it.  Added one little flourish and for that Moses gets hammered. 

The punishment seems way out of proportion.  King David messed up way more and yet was not punished like that.  King Solomon messed up way more and wasn't punished like that.  Where is the justice?  Where is the forgiveness?  Where is the mercy?

 

As I was thinking this through God made an interesting new connection for me.  You know I always look for confirmation between the OT and the NT.  I had never made this connection before but there is a parallel story in the NT that has always bugged me in the same way.  Check this out.

 

Jesus comes into town and sees a fig tree.  Jesus wants a fig.  There are no figs on the tree because it isn't fig season.  Jesus gets ticked off and condemns the tree to die.  Why?  It wasn't the fig tree's fault it wasn't fig season.  I mean come on, God designed the system and Jesus did the work to implement it.  And now you are ticked off because the system you designed didn't give you what you wanted even though what you wanted was outside of the system that you designed?  Where is the justice?  Where is the forgiveness?  Where is the mercy?

 

So here we are.  I have now put into writing exactly what bugs me about it.  And this is where we get to the God slow walking me to the conclusion part.  As I was praying about this God said go a little deeper.  What really bugs you about this?  I had to stop and thing bout it.  What is it that really bugs me about these two stories?  Hmm.

 

Ah.  A new conclusion.  At a deeper level what bugs me is that we are told that God is a God of consistency.  That God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow is something that we don't question.  And yet here we have two stories, one from the OT and one from the NT, where God seems to act in a way that is totally inconsistent with the things that we believe about Him. 

 

That seems contradictory.  Ayn Rand says "Contradictions don't exist.  If you think you have found one, check your premise.".  And yes I get the irony of quoting an atheist in my Bible blog. :)

 

And that is where the slow walk ends for today folks.  :)

 

God brought this to my attention today and I am sure He had His reasons.  I don't believe things like this happen by accident.  He made some connections that I hadn't seen before and He has given me a new avenue of inquiry.  Checking my premises.  But He isn't just giving me the answers on a silver platter.  Apparently the answer will come down the road. 

I so love my walk with God, even when it is sometimes frustratingly slow.  :)

 

 

 

 

 

Another Confirmation!

 I have written many times about my belief that the heart issue is more important than the actual words you say when accepting Jesus.  What I mean by that is while Paul said that you have to say it with your mouth, etc;  Jesus simply says it is a heart issue. 

As you know I am always looking for confirmation of my beliefs in both the OT and NT.  So here I was looking for confirmation in the OT.  Look what I found today!
 

Deuteronomy 30:9-20(NKJV)

The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, 

if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

“For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. 

It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 

Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 

But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 

in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 

But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 

I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 

that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

 

This is Moses making his last pronouncements to the Israeli people before God takes him.  Isn't Moses saying the same things as Jesus?  It is, and always has been a heart issue!

Thank you Lord for once again leading me to a new confirmation!  God is so cool!