 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Psalm 40:3
God invites us to see his face so he can change ours. He uses our uncovered faces to display his glory. The transformation isn't easy. The sculptor of Mount Rushmore faced a lesser challenge than does God. But our Lord is up to the task. He loves to change the faces of his children. By his fingers, wrinkles of worry are rubbed away. Shadows of shame and doubt become portraits of grace and trust. He relaxes clenched jaws and smoothes furrowed brows. His touch can remove the bags of exhaustion from beneath the eyes and turn tears of despair into tears of peace. How? Through worship. We'd expect something more complicated, more demanding. A forty-day fast or the memorization of Leviticus perhaps. No. God's plan is simpler. He changes our faces through worship. Just Like Jesus (Max Lucado)  You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your care you watched over my life. Job 10:12
Discipline is easy for me to swallow. Logical to assimilate. Manageable and appropriate. But God's grace? Anything but. Examples? How much time do you have? David the psalmist becomes David the voyeur, but by God's grace becomes David the psalmist again. Peter denied Christ before he preached Christ. Zacchaeus, the crook. The cleanest part of his life was the money he'd laundered. But Jesus still had time for him. The thief on the cross: hell-bent and hung-out-to-die one minute, heaven-bound and smiling the next. Story after story. Prayer after prayer. Surprise after surprise. Seems that God is looking more for ways to get us home than for ways to keep us out. I challenge you to find one soul who came to God seeking grace and did not find it. When God Whispers Your Name (Max Lucado)  Proverbs 16:18 reminds us as humility goes before honor, “pride goes before a fall.”
Ever wonder why churches are powerful in one generation but empty the next? The Bible says, the Lord will tear down the house of the proud. God hates arrogance. He hates it because we haven’t done anything to be arrogant about. Is there a Pulitzer for ink? Can you imagine a scalpel growing smug after a successful heart transplant? Of course not. They are only tools. So are we. We may be the canvas, the paper, or the scalpel, but we are not the one who deserve the applause. David declares who does in Psalm 23, “He makes me, He leads me, He restores my soul… for His name's sake." For His name's sake! No other name. This is all done for God’s glory. He takes the credit, not because He needs it, but because He knows we cannot handle it! From Traveling Light  You will be my witnesses—in Jerusalem, in all of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world. Acts 1:8
We are witnesses. And like witnesses in a court, we are called to testify, to tell what we have seen and heard. And we are to speak truthfully. Our task is not to whitewash nor bloat the truth. Our task is to tell the truth. Period. There is, however, one difference between the witness in court and the witness for Christ. The witness in court eventually steps down from the witness chair, but the witness for Christ never does. Since the claims of Christ are always on trial, court is perpetually in session, and we remain under oath. Just Like Jesus (Max Lucado)  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. Matthew 22:37
Mine deep enough in every heart and you'll find it: a longing for meaning, a quest for purpose. As surely as a child breathes, he will someday wonder, "What is the purpose of my life?" Some search for meaning in a career. "My purpose is to be a dentist." Fine vocation but hardly a justification for existence. They opt to be a human "doing" rather than a human "being." Who they are is what they do; consequently they do a lot. They work many hours because if they don't work, they don't have an identity. For others, who they are is what they have. They find meaning in a new car or a new house or new clothes. These people are great for the economy and rough on the budget because they are always seeking meaning in something they own… Some try sports, entertainment, cults, sex, you name it. All mirages in the desert of purpose… Shouldn't we face the truth? If we don't acknowledge God, we are flotsam in the universe. In the Grip of Grace (Max Lucado)  Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." Matthew 14:27
When the disciples saw Jesus in the middle of their stormy night, they called him a ghost. A phantom… To them, the glow was anything but God. When we see gentle lights on the horizon, we often have the same reaction. We dismiss occasional kindness as apparitions, accidents, or anomalies. Anything but God… And because we look for the bonfire, we miss the candle. Because we listen for the shout, we miss the whisper. But it is in burnished candles that God comes, and through whispered promises he speaks: "When you doubt, look around; I am closer than you think." In the Eye of the Storm (Max Lucado)  He took our suffering on him and carried our diseases. Matthew 8:17
Picture a battleground strewn with wounded bodies, and you see Bethesda. Imagine a nursing home overcrowded and understaffed, and you see the pool. Call to mind the orphans in Bangladesh or the abandoned in New Delhi, and you will see what people saw when they passed Bethesda. As they passed, what did they hear? An endless wave of groans. What did they witness? A field of faceless need. What did they do? Most walked past… But not Jesus… He is alone… The people need him—so he's there. Can you picture it? Jesus walking among the suffering… Little do they know that God is walking slowly, stepping carefully between the beggars and the blind. He Still Moves Stones (Max Lucado)  The LORD himself will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forget you. Deuteronomy 31:8
When I was seven years old, I ran away from home. I'd had enough of my father's rules and decided I could make it on my own, thank you very much. With my clothes in a paper bag, I stormed out the back gate and marched down the alley. [But] I didn't go far. I got to the end of the alley and remembered I was hungry, so I went back home. Though the rebellion was brief, it was rebellion nonetheless. And had you stopped me on that prodigal path … I just might have told you how I felt. I just might have said, "I don't need a father. I'm too big for the rules of my family." I didn't hear the rooster crow like Peter did. I didn't feel the fish belch like Jonah did. I didn't get a robe and a ring and sandals like the prodigal did. But I learned from my father on earth what those three learned from their Father in heaven. Our God is no fair-weather Father. He's not into this love-'em-and-leave-'em stuff. I can count on him to be in my corner no matter how I perform. You can, too. The Great House of God (Max Lucado)  If they could be made God's people by what they did, God's gift of grace would not really be a gift. Romans 11:6
To whom does God offer his gift? To the brightest? The most beautiful or the most charming? No. His gift is for us all—beggars and bankers, clergy and clerks, judges and janitors. All God's children. And he wants us so badly, he'll take us in any condition—"as is" reads the tag on our collars. He's not about to wait for us to reach perfection (he knows we'll never get there!). Do you think he's waiting for us to overcome all temptations? Hardly. When we master the Christian walk? Far from it. Remember, Christ died for us when we were still sinners. His sacrifice, then, was not dependent on our performance. He wants us now. No Wonder They Call Him the Savior (Max Lucado)  Continue praying, keeping alert, and always thanking God. Col 4:2 Can you imagine the outcome if a parent honoured each request of each child during a trip? We'd inch our bloated bellies from one ice-cream store to the next… Can you imagine the chaos if God indulged each of ours? … "For God has not destined us to the terrors of judgement, but to the full attainment of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1Th 5:9 NEB). Note God's destiny for your life. Salvation. God's overarching desire is that you reach that destiny. His itinerary includes stops that encourage your journey. He frowns on stops that deter you. When his sovereign plan and your earthly plan collide, a decision must be made. Who's in charge of this journey? If God must choose between your earthly satisfaction and your heavenly salvation, which do you hope he chooses? Me too. In the Eye of the Storm (Max Lucado) |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. 
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