Have You Left A Light On?

Remember the Motel 6 commercial?   Not sure why you would name a hotel with a number, and I digress...  The hook for the ad was spoken by a guy named Tom Bodett, a humorist and radio personality.  It went a little something like this... "And we'll leave a light on for ya".  Can you think of anything that would send a clearer message of welcome?  The implication is that no matter what time you arrive, no matter where you come from, no matter how long you plan to stay, no matter how much stuff you are bringing with you, we welcome you.  I want to stay at a place where I feel welcome don't you?  I remember driving through the night to go see my in-laws when the girls were small, ( the girls sleeping in the car was a blessing!)  When we arrived, often times at 2 or 3 in the morning there was always a light on for us.  I knew they were not only welcoming us but they were expecting us and excited about our arrival.  What an incredible message is conveyed with such a simple act.

Do you have any idea where Jesus desires to dwell?  His desire is to dwell within the hearts of His people.  In Psalm 132 King David talks about not laying his head down or even resting until he found a place for the Lord to dwell.  And now because of the provision of Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross, the dwelling place has been identified.  How awesome is that?  The search is over, no longer is there a curtain that separates us from the creator of the universe.  He wants to dwell within us.

But, have we left the light on for Him?  Does He know that we are welcoming Him and anticipating His arrival?  Or, have we allowed our desire to live like the world and pursue worldly things to illuminate the NO VACANCY sign in the window?  See, He will not force Himself on us.  We must surrender ourselves to Him and trust Him with our whole life, not just the parts we want to give Him... EVERYTHING!  He tells us in Matthew 16:24-25 that in order to go after Him, we must pick up our cross daily and follow Him.  He goes on to say that anyone who withholds their life from Him will lose it, but those who surrender their life to Him will save it.

Be encouraged today and know that Jesus loves you and is waiting with great anticipation to see that you have left the light on for Him, welcoming Him to come in and take up residence in your heart.

Waiting on Him,
ML

Imagine That!

I have a vivid imagination.  I have always had a very active and vivid imagination from the time I was a small child.  I remember as a little boy playing for hours with simple toys and being so content.  I remember spending time at my Grandma & Grandpa's house which bring back such fond memories.  I remember my Grandma used to help me make S.W.A.T. vests out of the old paper grocery bags.  She would use old fabric to make various other costumes.  I had my own apron that I would use to pretend to be a great chef while I "helped" her bake. (She was usually baking something for me!)  I even remember having an imaginary friend who was always close by.  Oh yes, I would talk to him and he would answer.

You know, as imaginative as I am, I never in a million years would have envisioned the life I am living today.  Oh, I had dreams and aspirations.  There was plans for college and law school.  There was wealth and material possessions.  There was success beyond measure... all according to the world standards.  But, God had other plans for me.  As only He can, He used a history of bad decisions and a life filled with selfishness and sin to be transformed into one of His servants.  See according to 1 Corinthians 2:9, "No eye has seen and no ear has heard and no human mind has conceived the things that God has prepared for those who love Him".  Please allow me to paraphrase this,  God has a way bigger imagination than you or I!  See, we are always going to be tempted to be satisfied by what the world has to offer, but God's plans for us are so much bigger.  I am so thankful that His plans for me won out over my own plans.  He knows what He is doing.

Can I challenge you this week to seek God's will for your life?  Will you just stop trying to be in charge of your own plan.  You do not have to settle for mediocrity any more.  God is waiting for you to run into His arms and allow His will to be fulfilled through your surrender and obedience.  Ask God to let you have a little glimpse of the plans He has for you!  Then run towards Him!

Waiting on Him,
ML

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Remember Mr. Rogers? I know, I am dating myself. He was such a friendly guy. He always wore such nice cardigan sweaters and was so good at tossing his loafers from one hand to the other while changing into his sneakers for the show. I am not sure why that couldn't be done off camera. His shoes never had an impact on the show...Anywho, Mr. Rogers was one of the friendliest people I ever saw on TV. He loved everyone and always treated others well. I do not encounter a lot of people today that share that gift.

I think it is because we find ourselves caught up in our own little worlds, our own struggles, and we often forget to care about others much less share a heartfelt greeting. I am so guilty of this. Who has time to worry about other people? HELLO! Have you taken notice of all the things going on in my life? Cut me some slack. Wow. Seems pretty selfish. As I am studying through Romans, this is an (Just one of many) area that I am really being pressed to look at in my life. We have to keep in perspective what our purpose is on Earth. It is not to create wealth, it is not to amass material possessions, it is not to lavish ourselves with luxury. We are here to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ and to tell others about Him. The bible tells us that the greatest commandment is to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. Jesus goes on to say that the next greatest commandment is similar, love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:29-31)


Will you take some time this week to pray about how you can love your neighbor. This does not literally mean the people who live next door, (Although they are included). It means to love all of those you encounter. People at work, at school, at Wal-Mart, etc. See, Jesus loves them and you and me so much, He died for us. Don't you want others to know the great joy that comes from knowing Him? In the passage below from Romans, Paul makes it clear that he understood this principle.

Romans 15:4-7
4For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,6that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Waiting on Him,
ML

In other words...nothing

What a week!  My girls went back to school.  Hard to imagine I am old enough to have two daughters in high school.  Funny, I don't feel old!

This has been a hard week... There are several people I am close with that have experienced tragedies in their lives this week.  I am talking about things that just rocked their world.  I have a good friend who has an employee in his company who lost his mother to a violent act by his step-father.  Another dear friends parents were involved in a severe car accident and spent several days in the trauma unit. (God has already begun miraculously healing them).  For me, the thing that I am struggling with the most this week is the death of a child.

This family came into our lives about 12 years ago.  Through circumstances, Ame and I had a chance to minister to the dad and the two kids, a son and daughter who were probably about 6 and 9 or so.  They essentially became part of our family and it was that way for several years. About 6 or 7 years ago the dad and daughter moved to Indiana.  Monday night his daughter, a little girl who I watched grow up for several year died peacefully in her sleep.  I have wondered all of the standard things... Why, How, Really?  How selfish.  I cannot imagine losing a child at 18, just after graduating, already moved into her dorm room for her first year in college.  It breaks my heart.

But see, God is bigger than all of these tragedies.  God is in control, and for those of us that have a relationship with the king of kings, we know that "we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us." As I have prayed for all of these families and others this week I am reminded about the suffering of Christ on the cross.  He suffered and died as an atonement for our sin and arose on the 3rd day.  What an incredible act of love!  He continues to love each of us today.  Even (and especially) during difficult times.  He desires for us to run hard and fast to Him!  Will you?

I am reading in Romans this week and I read through one of my favorite passages. It says this in Romans 8:

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.


In other words... NOTHING can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus... NOTHING.  Are you living under this promise today?


Waiting on Him,
ML