Consider Your Way

When driving, we consider everything around us and adjust our alertness and speed depending on the conditions. Likewise, when choosing what to wear, we consider our plans and the weather. We also adjust what we say to fit our audience.

We constantly consider things as we make decisions concerning what we will say and do.

And yet, in many ways we sail—or fumble—through life without stopping to think. We follow the easy path, the exciting adventure, or the feel-good moment without reflecting on what the consequences will be.

We don’t stop to consider how our choices will affect our future. The Jews of ancient times made the same mistake.

Not only did they fail to consider what they were doing; they didn’t heed the prophets’ warnings.

And, it cost them dearly. They strayed from God, became rebellious. Consequently, Jerusalem was utterly destroyed, the temple was demolished, and they were Jews were captured and exiled.

They didn’t sit down and decide to turn their back on God. It happened as they went about their daily lives. They failed to fully obey the Lord in one area and then in another, choosing to do things to their own understanding and satisfaction.

Because they refused to listen, God turned His back on them. They were taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar, and lost everything. (2 Chron. 36:5-21)

It could have been the end of the Jewish nation, but God was faithful to his covenant people.

Seventy years after Jerusalem was destroyed, King Cyrus sent some of the Jews back with instructions, materials, and supplies to rebuild the temple. They returned with high hopes of rebuilding Jerusalem (Ezra 1).

One of the first things they did was build altars and offer sacrifices to God, acknowledging His mercy, goodness, and faithfulness toward them (Ezra 3:1-6).

They then laid the foundation of the temple and had a great celebration, offering sacrifices morning and evening, shouting, and weeping with joy (Ezra 3:10-13).

But the celebration didn’t last long. Neither did their focus on the Lord and their mission. They were soon distracted from their mission.

Life in Jerusalem was not easy. Establishing homes was a challenge. Neighboring people opposed them and thwarted their efforts to rebuild the temple. Even their crops were destroyed.

Then a new king ordered a halt to rebuilding the temple. It remained in ruins for about fifteen years.

The people were probably confused and questioned their difficulties. They volunteered for the noble task of rebuilding the temple of their God—and thus Jerusalem. In return, their reward seemed to be one hardship after another.

Their efforts seemed futile. They likely wondered if God had deserted them.

Then God, through Haggai, said, “Consider your ways!” (Hag. 1:7).

He also explained their struggles, “’You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?’ declares the LORD of hosts, ‘Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house’” (Hag. 1:9).

They may have felt like martyrs for the Lord. They might have thought He had forgotten them, but God said otherwise. Instead, they had forgotten God.

God multiplied their trials because of disobedience. They were working for themselves rather than completing what God sent them to do. God’s hand opposed them—until they returned to Him and began work on the temple.

I can understand how the faithful remnant returned with great hopes only to become discouraged. When trials come, it’s easy to be distracted by difficulties.

When we find ourselves burdened by trials, we need to stop and consider our ways. Have we been distracted from God’s mission?

When life gets rough, we tend to get distracted and seek a path of less resistance, something to make us feel better. We’ve even coined the phrase “comfort food,” for one source of satisfaction in such times. But food is not our only source of comfort.

We seek comfort in entertainment, a book, or—like the Jews in Jerusalem—fixing up our own nest. In the midst of trials, we want comfort.

Furthermore, like the Jews, we tend to seek to fulfill self-centered desires to find comfort.

Jesus tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mt. 6:33), and to love the Lord with all of our being (Mark 12:30)—even when (or especially when) life is hard.

David’s familiar words remind us where to find our comfort when trials come. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4). David found his comfort in the Lord, not in chocolates or fancy houses.

It would behoove us to stop and consider our ways—especially in the midst of trials. Is our heart fully focused on God? Do we love Him with our whole heart, soul, and strength? Are we running to Jesus for comfort?

If not, it’s time for adjustments, time to get back on the path that He has prepared for us.

When the Jews repented and obeyed God, He told them, “I am with you” because “according to the covenant” “my Spirit remains in your midst” (Hag. 1:13, 2:4,5). The Comforter gives grace to endure through the trial.

Paul reminds us of further benefits of seeking the Lord while suffering.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ” (2 Cor. 1:3-5).

If we stop, consider our ways, and turn back to God, we find true, abundant, lasting comfort. Comfort and grace that satisfies and energizes.

Are You Missing Out on God’s Blessings?

For many people, this year’s Easter celebration is barely a memory. New fancy clothes have been put away and goodies left by the mythical rabbit are all gone—except maybe the ones still hiding among the fading daffodil leaves.

It’s been years since I’ve appreciated hiding colored eggs as an appropriate way to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, this year God spoke to me through those colored eggs.

About a week after Easter, Shirley, a friend, reported on Facebook that she’d found three eggs still resting comfortably in the side yard. They were quite visible and easy to see even after the grass had grown for another week, so she wondered how they’d been missed.

A couple of weeks later, Shirley reported on Facebook that she had a dream about Easter eggs. She dreamed she was in the yard of her childhood and she discovered “an abundance of hidden Easter eggs” along the left side of the driveway. Many were lying out in the open, so it was unbelievable that they hadn’t been found. Consequently, in the dream, Shirley gathered “a bunch of kids” to hunt the eggs.

She said, “I gave specific directions as to where they [eggs] were and told them the boundaries. But they didn’t listen and still didn’t find them all and ran all over the place. I kept yelling to make them hear but they didn’t pay attention.”

Shirley added, “They should pay attention and follow directions! . . . I woke myself up yelling about where to find the eggs!”

I wonder, how close do you think the actions of the children in Shirley’s dream coincide with our lives as God attempts to bless us with special treats?

I’m afraid we have way too much in common with the children in the dream.

After all, our instructions are not just verbal. God orchestrated a lot of people to write down the directions, so we can refer back to them when we need clarification. He even included stories of people who’ve gone before us so we can know what leads to finding His blessing.

He also told us where to search, telling us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mt. 6:33). And He gave us boundaries—the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17) and directions—the great commission (Mt. 28:19-20).

But, too often we’re like the children in the dream. We don’t pay attention or follow directions. Instead, we distract ourselves. We’re driven by our own lusts, by our friends, or the glitter of the world. We’re buried under activities, interests, and responsibilities and blinded by false hopes and dreams. Consequently, we miss the treasures and rewards that are waiting all around us.

Those blessings are waiting for us. We’ll find them if we listen to His voice and follow directions.

His voice. In the dream, Shirley was yelling at the kids. But the Lord rarely yells. First, He speaks in a gentle, loving whisper, inviting us to the prize. Any yelling or harsh encounter is used only as a last resort, when we need a drastic change of direction and we aren’t hearing Him call. If it is loud and harsh (such as a tragedy or difficult trial) it’s a sharp attempt to bring us back to the blessing that we’re missing.

Easter has passed, but the chance for heavenly blessings hasn’t. New life in Christ because of the resurrection is still very much available.

With the distractions within and around us, it’s easy to miss what God has for us.

The Lord longs to bless you and me, but He limits His special blessings to those whose hearts are His, those who love, fear, hear, and obey Him. It’s important that we listen and obey. (Ps. 128, Deut. 28,)

It’s been a long time since I hunted eggs and I’m ok with that. But I don’t want to miss a treat that the Lord has prepared for me. Especially if I’m the cause for missing out. Nor do I want the Lord to have to yell at me because I’m not paying attention.

Without Him and His blessings, I’m nothing. I need His love, joy, peace, and grace for each day. I also need the gifts of the Spirit and want to gather any and all the blessings He’s prepared for me. What about you?

Is Your Mouth Too Full to Fill?

Last week, I questioned what a Christian is suppose to do when life seems overwhelming and no solution is evident.

I answered the question with David’s word from Psalm 81:10, “I [God] am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” In short, we need to be like baby birds, with mouths open wide, looking to God to meet our needs.

God is there for us. He is our provider, protector, comforter, strength, light, and whatever we need. He is there, but He doesn’t push Himself on us. He often waits for us to acknowledge Him, look to Him, and trust in Him. As we listen to His voice and obey—i.e. open our mouth for Him to fill it—we will experience His grace for whatever situation we are in.

In response to the post, Sam C. suggested that one reason God doesn’t fill our mouths may be that they are too full of words that are coming out.

“Ouch,” was my first response.

It’s true that when we are busy talking, we’re trying to get our point across. Our mouth may be open, but it’s pointed in the wrong direction, and it’s already full.

A mouth that is full of words is symptomatic of ears that are also closed. We can’t hear God when we’re busy talking ourselves. If we don’t hear His voice, how will we hear His guidance? Furthermore, how can we obey if we don’t know what He says?

Obedience is important. God said, “My people did not listen to My voice, and Israel did not obey Me, so I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart” (Ps. 81:12).

“When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Prov. 10:19).

It’s important that we pause in our chatter and make time to listen to God. We need a habit of keeping our ears open to the Lord all the time.

But I don’t believe that will happen unless we look more deeply, because “the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man” (Matt. 15:18).

Words of life come from life in the heart and evil words come from evil. However, could it also be true that our words reveal the focus of our hearts, even when they are not specifically evil or life-giving?

When calamity strikes, a crisis erupts, relationships fail, or in some way chaos reigns in your world, what do your words reveal about your heart?

Many people respond with words of doom and gloom. When anxious, others become non-stop chatterboxes as they process aloud the doubts and questions within. Some question God with whys and how-could-yous. Others speak words of faith and trust. All come from the heart.

Words are important, but what matters is what is in the heart.

Because we are not yet perfected, our hearts may waver sometimes, just as a child who is learning to ride a bike wavers. The Lord understands that.

If words–whether in volume or in tone–have filled our mouth and blocked God from filling us up, it’s time to repent, and to open our mouth wide.

When He fills our mouth, He doesn’t just provide things we need externally, His most important work is on the heart. As we open our mouth, He will fill our hearts too.

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in they sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer” (Ps. 19:14).

The Great Exchange: Bound by Blood reveals God’s deep desire to bless His children as it explores what it means to be in covenant with the living God. Learn more about the ancient ritual of making a blood covenant.

Robert & Kay Camenisch encouraging and equipping relationships