I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith 2 Tim. 4:7.

One of the many good things about walking or running outdoors is that you can’t quit before you make it all the way home. But, alas … I walk on a treadmill. That pretty much says it all for me. Yes, I have trouble finishing what I start. I get really excited about the idea of exercising. I like thinking about it and imagining how great it will be when I am able to jog for miles without breaking a sweat. But when I am actually huffing and puffing through the easiest program on my treadmill, I find many creative excuses to justify stopping rather than sticking with it to the end. Can I get a witness?

When I look at the examples I see in the scriptures, I can find many who failed to keep to the prescribed course. Abraham lied about Sarah being his wife. Moses struck the rock. David turned to Bathsheba. Peter denied knowing Jesus. I think just about everyone has turned the treadmill off early at one time or another. But wait … don’t give up yet. If you stop now, you’ll be left sitting in the middle of the road in your running shoes waiting for the next speeding car to turn you into road kill. Get up and get moving again. God is ever faithful!

In Philippians 1:6 Paul writes, “I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” What was the good work that God had begun in the Philippian believers? It was the work of salvation. It was begun by His grace, and it would be completed in the same way. However, that didn’t mean that the Philippians had no part to play in it. Paul told them to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12). That sounds to me as though it was a work that took some perseverance and determination on those believers’ part. The same is true in the lives of believers today. God has started a good work in our lives, but we need to put it into practice in our daily living. Paul continued, “For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to will and to act for His good purpose” (Phil 2:13). It is in His strength that we can finish the race and keep the faith to the very end.

Paul said, “But I count my life of no value to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry I receive from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24). What course are you on? What ministry have you received from the Lord? Are you as excited about it today as you were when you first received it? How can you fan the flame of your desire to finish well? Remember. God is enabling you by giving you the will and the ability to bring Him glory. See you at the finish line!

Father, thank you for beginning Your good work in me. Help me to persevere and to finish my course and ministry in a way that will bring You the most honor and glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. Matthew 14:29

The other evening I watched the 2001 film, “A Beautiful Mind,” which tells the story of John Nash, a 1994 Nobel Prize winner and brilliant mathematician who struggled to overcome the delusions and reality-warping effects of schizophrenia. I have seen this film before, but I continue to be profoundly impressed by the man’s ability to use more than his sensual perceptions to ascertain reality. By trusting family and friends who loved him to tell him if something was “real” and by choosing not to feed his delusions, Nash managed to keep his feet in the real world and to contribute to it greatly. That’s pretty deep stuff, but what I really mean to ponder here is how much of what we see as reality really is real?

A commonly spoken mantra today is “perception is reality.” And while I understand the assumptions behind it, that our perception affects our understanding of reality, I cringe every time I hear it. The truth is that reality is reality. And sometimes spiritual reality and the physical world of our perception intersect in mind-jarring ways that can cause us to question what’s really real. And that’s where faith begins if we let it.

In Matthew 14, Peter and the other disciples saw Jesus walking toward them on the sea. Yes, they were in a boat, and Jesus was walking on the water. Not only did Peter believe this unreal scene, he asked Jesus to help him to do it, too. “Climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus.” Impossible! Yes, but still real. When poor Peter finally realized the incredibility of his situation, he became afraid and started to sink. Then Jesus said, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (14:31). What is the reality here? Is water a liquid or a solid? Can people walk on water? Our knee-jerk answers to these questions would make what Peter did an impossibility. Yet, it happened. He walked “on the water and came toward Jesus.” Peter’s faith, though small and fading with fear, made the impossible possible. Faith became the true reality.

Jesus said, “With God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26), and “everything is possible to the one who believes” (Mark 9:23). What impossible or unrealistic thing is God calling you to do today? Do you know it is God who is leading you to it? Does it line up with the precepts and guidelines of Scripture? Do godly friends and advisers confirm that it may be God’s leading? Then it’s time to get real in your faith and to go wherever God is leading—even if it seems to be impossible! “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Follow Peter’s example. Act in faith and climb out of the boat. The water’s fine!

Father, help me to know Your voice and to have the faith to walk toward Jesus even if it means stepping out in rough seas. With You, I know, all things are possible. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

For we don’t dare classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. But in measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves to themselves, they lack understanding 2 Cor. 10:12.

Last evening a rodeo evangelist spoke at my church. Yes, you read that right. A “rodeo evangelist.” Before he began, I wondered how I could relate to what he would have to say, but as I listened I was delighted by his passion for sharing the gospel in such a unique way. He loves his job! He is perfectly suited for it, and God is using him in awesome ways. So as I listened and smiled at his enthusiasm, I started to compare myself to him. Yes, it’s a bad habit born out of insecurity, and I usually am not encouraged by such comparisons as I tend to rank myself far below others. Such was the case last night, too. And, no, I do not want to join the rodeo circuit — I don’t think I could walk in those pointy boots, and hats really damage my curly hair. But, I do want to have a similar kind of impact in this world. Thankfully, I know that God does not expect me to be anyone other than who He has designed me to be. And when I returned to rational thought, I remembered that and got back to thinking about opportunities more suited to my design.

However, some people have the opposite problem. Instead of feeling insecure, they see themselves as being far above those around them. A clear example of this kind of person is found in Luke 18 in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Pharisee is thankful not to be like other men, as he points toward the poor, “sinful” tax collector. He prays “about himself” and misses the truth that God is not comparing us to each other at all. He is comparing us to Jesus Christ!

Whoa Nellie! (Maybe I am rodeo material?) If I can’t even measure up to other human beings, how can I ever hope to compare to Jesus? After all, He is perfect, and I am far from that! In my own strength, I can forget it. But in Christ’s strength, all things are possible. As Paul writes to the Corinthian church, “Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. … For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9-10). It is in Christ alone and covered by His blood that I can hope to measure up to the high standard He has set. That hope is sure, because it is His perfect righteousness that makes me acceptable to the Father. (Praise God!) “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves” (2 Cor. 13:5). Don’t compare yourself with the people around you anymore, but dare to compare yourself with the standard set by Christ. Do whatever God leads you to do — not what others are doing — and, as one translation puts it, “aim for perfection” (NIV, 2 Cor.13:11).

Heavenly Father, thank You for making me who I am. For I know You are working in me, enabling me both to will and to act for Your good purpose. (Phil. 2:13) Use me as You have planned and cause me to bring You glory. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

… the Lord answered me and put me in a spacious place. Psalm 118:5

Those who know me will be expecting this week’s devotional to be about change. Or maybe loss. Or maybe even a stirring tribute to my two oldest children who left this week for college. Guess I won’t completely disappoint you, as this is about change and the kids’ moving. But instead of memorializing the two older ones (who I do think are great, by the way), I want to focus this thought on the son who is still at home and the important lesson I learned from him last night when we returned from our daughter’s campus and the “BIG MOVE.” You see, Nick had been home all day and had texted me several times complaining about being “bored” and “hungry.” So I was expecting to return to a surly, sad, and lonely 16-year-old. Instead, he couldn’t wait for us to unload our car of empty boxes, and before we could shower the grime of the day away, he called for us to come upstairs to see and hear what he had done. Dutifully, we pulled our weary, sad selves up the stairs to check it out.

What awaited us just cracked me up! Instead of moping around and feeling sorry for himself for being left behind, the kid had really made the most of the situation. Being the youngest, he has always had the smallest bedroom of the three, even though at over six feet, he is no longer the “little brother.” Also, he is an avid musician with a voracious appetite for instruments and all the gadgets that go along with them. (Bet you can see where this is heading.) His room has always looked like someone’s overstuffed garage or a crowded flea market booth. Yes, you got it. While we were gone all day, Nick had moved an old desk, an amp, a huge pedal board, guitars and stands, and all manner of stuff into the bonus room that the three kids had shared for school work and socializing. He sheepishly said, “Listen to the new song I wrote today,” and proceeded to play it for us. After receiving appropriate praise, he asked, “I moved in. Whaddaya think?” I think he thought we might be a little upset, but we both smiled and said, “Good thinking, Nick!” And we chuckled our way back downstairs to clean up and get some much needed rest.

What did this amusing experience teach me? Well, several things. Change can be a great catalyst for growth. As my husband likes to say quite often, you can choose to be “bitter or better.” You can’t always control what goes on in your life, but you can choose to make the most of it. Secondly, the end of one season is also the beginning of another. Nick took the opportunity of a day spent all alone to write a new song. I can do the same thing in this new season of my life. No, we may not have as much time to sing our old songs together, but new songs can be exciting, too, and just as stirring to sing. Finally, whether you are doing the sending or are the one who is heading out into the world, God isn’t finished with you yet. There are new spaces to explore and new territories to claim for yourself and, more importantly, for His kingdom. Make the most of this new day He has made. Rejoice and be glad in it!

Open the gates of righteousness for me; I will enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. Psalm 118:19

I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life. 1 Kings 19:10

Elijah had been to the mountain top. He had taken on the 450 prophets of Baal in a sacrificial duel and slaughtered them—literally! God had shown His power in a mighty way, and Elijah had been smack dab in the middle of it. He had to have been on the greatest adrenaline rush of his life. Yet, no sooner did he reach this mountain peak than he began to plummet down the other side into the valley. Ahab told Jezebel what had happened to her priests, and she was breathing fire. “May the gods punish me and do so severely if I don’t make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow!” (1 Kings 19:2). Elijah hit the road running and didn’t look back. Lonely and afraid, he forgot all about his recent victory and laid down in defeat. He prayed, “I have had enough! Lord, take my life” (1 Kings 19:4). But God wasn’t finished with him yet. Twice He sent an angel to Elijah and got him back on his feet, and Elijah traveled on those weary feet for 40 days until he reached “Horeb, the mountain of God” (1 Kings 19:8). There “the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9).

What a good question! Elijah had just witnessed a miraculous display of God’s power, and yet he was ready to throw in the towel. God had every right to be more than a little upset with him. Yet, in His grace, He gave Elijah what he needed to keep going. He told Elijah that he wasn’t alone, and He reminded him that he still had important work to do.

How many times has this happened to you? Things seem to be going great when suddenly you find yourself plunging down the roller coaster of your own emotions. For little or no reason, you are face to face with fear, loneliness, insecurity, or depression, and you don’t see how you will ever get yourself going again. Why not start by asking yourself why you are in this spot? Then follow the steps that Elijah took. He felt all of these emotions and was ready to quit, but he took his situation to God in prayer. And what a prayer it was! Honest. Real. A prayer that recognized God’s power and didn’t try to sugar coat the truth. Elijah felt like dying, and he said so. But God didn’t mince His words either. His question implies that Elijah didn’t need to waste his time in the pits when there was work to be done. God picked him up, showed him the truth of his situation, and gave him his next assignment—which would take care of those Baal worshipers once and for all. Inspired, Elijah headed back to work!

Next time you find yourself in the valley, ask what you’re doing there again. Is it just an easy place to land? Do you find some kind of comfort in complaining? Is pit-dwelling something you’ve simply grown accustomed to? Take your situation to God and let Him show you the Truth. Chances are good that He has work for you do, and it won’t be done until you get up!

Father God, You have the power to do all things. You can even take a frightened and insecure person like Elijah (or me) and use him as an instrument for Your glory. Thank You for opening my eyes to the Truth. And thank you for never giving up on Your children—even when we feel like giving up on ourselves. For Your glory and in Your service, I pray. Amen.

Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. Heb. 3:15

Last Sunday my pastor preached an awesome sermon on the “Posture of Purity” from Psalm 141. People were visibly moved by the challenge, and I heard many solemn comments about his request for us to grade ourselves on six areas: prayer, worship, words, emotions, thoughts, and our relationships with Jesus. It was evident that many of us felt conviction and realized the need for change in our lives. But as the week has gone on, I wonder how many have put their thoughts into actions?

You see, conviction is not an end in itself. Yes, it is important to recognize sin. After all, that’s the first step to our salvation. In His grace, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the fact that we are sinners, and then we can see our need for Christ’s redemption. But what about after we have become believers? What is conviction’s role in our lives as followers of Christ? At best, it is a catalyst for change and our continuing transformation into the Body of Christ. I know … I’ve been hitting the topic of choice pretty hard lately. But I really believe it’s important to consider that we can choose how we will respond to every situation in our lives.

And choosing not to choose is a choice. What? Yes, ignoring conviction and deciding to do nothing about it is a choice. And it’s a very dangerous path to take because it points to our unbelief and leads to our rebellion against God. Why unbelief? Well, when we feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit but decide not to act, we are telling God that we don’t believe His promises to provide what we need to do His will. In Philippians 1:6, Paul writes, “I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” If it is God who is calling you to a work or a change, then you can trust Him to complete it.

Choosing not to respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit not only reveals our unbelief, it also leads to callous hearts and open rebellion against God. As believers, we are privileged to hear the Word of God proclaimed from the pulpits of our churches week after week. It is a blessing that can make us squirm. But the danger comes when we are no longer squirming. We can feel the sting of conviction so many times without responding to it that a thick, hard callous may form on our hearts until we no longer even recognize God’s call. When we do manage to feel something, we shallowly believe that our sorrow is enough. Then we simply put it out of our minds as the callous grows, and our spiritual lives become stagnant and unresponsive to His call.

Just as it does in the lives of unbelievers, conviction requires a response and that response is repentance or change. “Watch out, brothers, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception” (Heb. 3:12-13). We are to respond first in sorrow to our sin but then in joy as we accept His direction in our lives. The choice is still ours!

Lord Jesus, soften the hard places of my heart and restore to me the joy of Your salvation. Give me a willing heart that responds to Your conviction and teach me Your ways so that I may put them into action for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. (Psalm 51)

But Jesus turned and saw her. Matt. 9:22

We live in a world in which it is getting easier and easier to hide who we really are. We post profile pictures that have been “photoshopped” for perfection and meticulously write status updates to keep our friends informed and make our lives sound interesting and quirky if not downright worthy of national headlines. Our likes and dislikes, our relationships and breakups, our busy schedules and random thoughts—all carefully chosen and listed on our “page” to give the perfect impression of what we want others to see as the real us. And to some extent these virtual personalities nearly are real. At least they reveal who we really would like to be.

But keeping up appearances is not a new phenomenon. The woman who approached Jesus for healing had a medical condition that made her religiously unclean. She had suffered from bleeding for 12 years, but she was in a crowd, and Jesus wasn’t looking. If she could just blend in and surreptitiously touch his robe, maybe she could get away with it, and no one would be any wiser.

But … Jesus turned and saw her. I imagine she could barely breathe as His eyes locked on hers, and she knew that He knew the truth. She was unclean! The account in Mark tells us that she came with “fear and trembling, fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth” (Mark 5:33).

Then something even more unexpected happened. He called her “daughter.” Again, I see her gasp at the word and the relationship it implied. Daughter? Who … me? She had heard about Jesus and had believed in His power to heal; but, now she experienced His grace, and her whole identity changed. Yes, she knew she was healed. She sensed it immediately as she touched His hem, but the change was greater than that. Now she was transformed! Faith had changed her life. Praise God, she would never be the same again. Until she met Jesus, this woman probably believed some pretty terrible things about herself. Her image was tainted, and her illness had kept her chained to this negative view of herself for 12 long years. But meeting Jesus changed everything. As He healed her body, He also transformed her mind, and she was blessed by His gifts of peace and freedom (Mark 5:34).

What is the profile picture on your mind’s page right now? Do you see yourself as Jesus does? Are you His son or daughter? Get close to His side. Touch the hem of His robe. Feel the power He holds to change your life, and accept His gift of peace. Jesus, the Truth, will set you free.

Lord Jesus, You are the Healer of all afflictions. Draw me to Your side. Let me see the Truth in Your eyes, and open my ears to hear that I am a child of the King. In Your name, I pray. Amen.

Well, this evening finds me sitting in a familiar leather chair sitting next to a familiar large window watching the sun sink down beneath a familiar line of trees. For the past six and a half years, I have named Clemson, South Carolina, home. Both my boys were born here. My wife Miska and I bought our first house here. Here, in this little college town, serving as a pastor amid this community, I have discovered more of my voice. I have made deep friends. I have become aware of more of my foibles and my idiosyncrasies. Here, I have wrestled a few more of my demons. I have prayed and laughed and cried and hoped and doubted and believed. A lot of life has been lived in this place, with these people.

But now I must go.

And this fact is closer to the truth of where I am – I am a mess of wrenching emotions because in a matter of hours, we will be pulling out of town, moving to Charlottesville, Virginia. We are excited, but we are also sad. We are eager for what new season lies before us, and we feel deep sorrow for this violent severing about to occur. Soon, we will disconnect from the community and people we have known, from the people and the place that have been our home. Yet we go to a city that has called our name. Such a strange paradox, this leaving and going. We surrender one good so we can embrace another good.

A couple days ago, my youngest son Seth (4) explained to me what he was feeling. “Daddy, I don’t mind going. I just don’t want to leave.” That sounds about right to me. If only we could enjoy all the good that comes from going without having to endure all the pain that comes from leaving. But, of course, we can’t. One requires the other.

Abraham had to leave his home without knowing what was in store. Paul had to leave position and power. Peter had to surrender control. Thomas had to surrender doubt. Moses had to surrender fear. Mary had to surrender reputation. The widow with the mite surrendered her last coin. Jesus surrendered His full self, His very life.

It seems that in the way of the Cross, there is no arrival without a departure. There is no freedom without surrender and repentance. There is no Resurrection hope without Dark Friday. There is no joyful greeting without a sad goodbye.

I pray I see God’s hand at work in all of it. I pray the same for you.

Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls ….Psalm 42:7

A friend recently thanked me for sharing Psalm 42 with him during a particularly difficult time in his life. He told me that, although he wasn’t sure of the exact theological meaning of the psalm’s seventh verse, he had come to believe that no matter how deep his personal abyss of pain or need that God’s presence could and would entirely fill it. That sounded pretty profound, and it got me thinking about how shallow my grasp of God really is. How many areas of my life have I closed off to His influence and to a deeper filling of His Holy Spirit? How much, or how little, room have I made for God in my life?

In Jeremiah 23:24, the Lord declares, “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” and in Ephesians 1:23, Paul writes about “the fullness of the One who fills all things in every way.” It is the picture of total satisfaction. No matter the size, shape, or depth of the container, God fills it in every way. Feeling lonely? Our God will never leave us nor forsake us. Afraid? God’s perfect love cast out all fear. Weak? When we are weak, then God is strong. No matter the size of the hole in your heart or the need you are experiencing, God is more than able to fill it and overflow it. The deeper the need, the deeper the response from God.

One of the great benefits of experiencing trials and tests is that they provide an ever deepening well from which to draw the assurance of both my need for and the rescuing power of my Lord. Now when challenges surface, I can draw from the past and know with full assurance that God is in “all things in every way.” He truly is in control, and His grace is sufficient to meet every need. My desire echoes that of Paul’s message to the church in Ephesus. May we mature spiritually as we age physically “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness” (Eph. 4:13). Imagine the depth of that!

With today’s price of gas, “Fill ‘er up” is a seldom-used phrase from the past. But may it not be so in our walk with the Lord. May we continue to make room for more of Him and to open our lives completely to the One who fills all things—even the deepest longings of our hearts.

O fill me up, Lord, and overflow my boundaries with Your hope in the power of Your Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

How can we sing the Lord’s song on foreign soil? Psalm 137:4

When the psalmist wrote these words, he was with the exiled Israelites in a strange and hostile culture. In his grief, he had hung up his harp, sat down, and was weeping along the banks of the “rivers of Babylon.” In painful honesty, he cried out, “How can I sing, Lord?” Do you ever feel the same? Beaten down, oppressed, discouraged? I do, and let me tell you, the last thing I feel like doing is singing. But (and I bet you knew this was coming) when I do sing, I am amazed by what God can do with my broken heart. As I lift my voice, He lifts my head and gives me a new song to sing to Him (Ps. 33:3), one that isn’t dependent on my circumstances but rather comes from deep within.

An awesome example of choosing to sing despite the circumstances is found in Acts 16. Paul and Silas had been severely flogged and thrown into prison. Their jailor “put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks” to make certain they would not escape. Can you imagine their dire situation? Bleeding, aching, locked into an uncomfortable position in the darkness of a dungeon cell. It really couldn’t get much worse. No one would have blamed them for “hanging up their harps” and weeping with their fellow prisoners.

Yet, that is the very opposite of what Paul and Silas chose to do. “About midnight,” the darkest hour of their dreadful night, “Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.” It was weird! It was unexpected. It was a choice, and it caused others to take notice. Verse 25 tells us that “the other prisoners were listening to them.” I don’t know what their reactions were, but I can imagine that some mocked them, some were encouraged by them, and some probably even gave their lives to the God who could inspire and deserve praise in such a dark and terrible place.

How are your choices affecting the people around you? Are your “fellow prisoners” more likely to hear crying and complaining coming from your lips or have you made a choice to “pray and sing hymns to God?”

Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise His name; Proclaim His salvation from day to day. Ps. 96:122

Why? Because He is worthy. Why? Because others are listening. Why? Because it’s the best choice!

Father, may I choose to praise You in the gardens as well as in the dungeons of life. Let my voice be a joyful noise to Your ears and to the ears of those around me. Use me as a harp to accompany those who do not yet know how to sing in a foreign land, and let all of creation sing to the Lord! Amen.