April 30

Luke 1:18-20  “And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

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“How am I to know I am saved?”  “How shall I know this?” That hidden and nagging doubt of God’s unmerited love and forgiveness has touched us all.  We want some evidence.  Some sort of brand on our arm or a seal of becoming part of the grand Holy club. The Angel Gabriel came down and told Zachariah he should have a son, the old and shriveled man wanted a further token than the angel’s word.  “How shall I really know? The answer was, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of the Lord”. Zechariah responded with “I know all about that, but I need something more, a token, another sign”.  Gabriel said, “You shall have a token: you shall be speechless till your son shall is born.” I must quit asking for more evidence and be assured of God’s word.

Today I woke up to shouts and protests telling all that would hear, a demand for radical change.  I also woke up to the simple phrase, “If my people shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, turn from their wicked ways then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” I think the second choice is better. It is the better sign, the better choice.

#JustLarry

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10  “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.”

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There have been events of great blessing in my life.  There have been times of newness and hope.  Conversely, there have been long stretches of prolonged mediocrity. There have been good times and some not-so-good times. Every Christian has experienced these waves of life. During the occasional flounder in the low I respond to my dissatisfaction with cries for one more high spot in my life.

In the lows, I think the God I have is not the God I want.  I want to have every need met.  I want to feel the excitement.  I want the emotional high.  I want so much to have one more feeling of acceptance and love.  I want, I want, I want. Yet God doesn’t work that way. In my frantic wants, I must push toward the simple knowing: “Be still and know, that I am God.” I have discovered that in the worst of times and even in the “wanting times,” I can experience God’s assurance. I can in every moment know He is enough.  I have learned to live in times of dull sameness and the whirlwind of worship, that it is the same God.  I have discovered it is the assurance of faith that is the best of all.  It endures whether I am blessed or not. Assurance is the benefit of faith.  I live and breathe in the constancy of assurance of love and care.

Take a moment.  Stop fretting over what must be done today and allow God to wash over you.  Allow a sweet feeling of assurance to fill our hearts for a moment with a sweet glow. For a twinkling of an eye, let that experience fill you. 

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Lord, remind me repeatedly to stop and allow your presence, your inner assurance to soothe in the difficult times, rejoice in the good times, and just be open in everything in between.

#JustLarry

April 27

Colossians 2:13-14 “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”

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The worst thing Imperial Rome could do to punish anyone was to nail him to a wooden cross. Hour after hour of extreme pain would be far beyond the limit of cruel punishment. So why, in the grand plan of God did Jesus have to endure it? It is an ugly picture of man’s worst. 

It seems totally out of reason that one person should die for all. Jesus was slain for things He had not done. Yet without it, I am lost. That terrible death was for me!  It was so I could have my shortcomings and willful disobediences separated from me.  All that would weigh me down and slow me are rolled away. It is only at the cross that I can see the light of forgiveness and assurance.

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Lord, I am no longer living in my willful disobedience because I am living in you.  I thank you and release my past for the best future.

#  Just Larry

April 23

Ephesians 1:3, 7-8 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . . In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.”

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We are in a great battle.  On one side is our culture, the other is our spiritual lives. We are not physical beings trying to be spiritual, but in our core, in our very essence we are spiritual beings living in a physical world. Our culture in which we live is making every effort to steal that which we must hold most dear, the very soul of our lives.

My response to this subtle and ever-growing threat is to say, go ahead, take my material possessions, reach into my soul, and pull out what little emotional life I have left.  Go ahead and strip my world of the comfort of other believers.  Steal away my mobility and my ability to minister.  Make your best effort and rip away my sweet peace and joy of relationships. Rip it all out and what will remain? For some, there would be nothing left. But for me, I will always have God.  A faithful, loving God in the middle of my want.

This morning as we prepare for another day of battle, unite with me in the assurance that God is still God and He is in charge.

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Lord, you are all I really need. Remind me of my absolute dependence upon you every moment today!

# Just Larry

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

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People are fond of dividing the world into two separate groups. Us and them, the rich and the poor, management and labor, the educated and the uneducated, even those who have education but have no wisdom. Most of these divisions are set to make one group more exclusive.  But when the example of the narrow gate is given by Jesus it was not about exclusion.  The gate, while narrow, is still open to all. It is not about us and them, but simply everyone with the motivation for more than self will find.  No soul, seeking peace and assurance, is ever denied entrance. 

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Lord, enlighten my path, keep my calling before me as I seek your face.

#Just Larry

1 John 1:1-2 “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us.”

The average American speaks about 15,000 words a day. Some of these words can hurt, others can heal. Words can make us cry, and words can make us laugh, but the best words are words of absolute truth. The beloved of Jesus, John, states an absolute fact with no hesitancy and boldness. For John writing for posterity and in the last years of his life, Jesus was more than a memory. He had an experience, an encounter that changed his life. It was a present reality even though Jesus was taken up in the sky to return to heaven. John was different because of the Word. John experienced a Word that closed a chasm between God and himself. Today I celebrate this same Word, this Word of Life. Today I will focus on my words. I will slow down and make every word that comes from my mouth a testimony of the Word that is my life. I pray that I might manifest the love and grace of Jesus. And further, I pray these words may be echoed back to me by all I encounter during this special season of celebration and joy.