My little girl Hope got a “code yellow” yesterday at school.  When I asked her why she got it, she said she was not doing anything wrong.  I asked her why the teacher gave it to her and she said the teacher said that she was running in the classroom.  Hope said that she was not running, but skipping.  I can see it!  I asked her id she told the teaching she was not running, but skipping and she said no.  When I asked her why, she said:  “I didn’t want to back talk!”  She’s figuring it out…

That’s exactly how life sometimes sneaks up on ya and kicks in the seat of your pants. One day you are just skipping along and by the afternoon, you are walking home with a “code yellow”.  None of us like problems, but they are a reality of life.  Sometimes they are of our own creating and other times they just seem to appear.

I want a problem-free life.  You know the kind of life where you don’t have any problems. But I already have a problem that I can’t seem to get rid of, and that is the fact that I don’t deserve a problem-free life.  I don’t like difficulties.  Difficulties and challenges are not fair.  I work hard to resolve my difficulties, but there always seems to be another difficulty waiting in the wings to take me on.

The truth is this:  As long as we live in this world, we are going to have problems.  That’s why our focus should never be this world, but the next.  The promise of God is not the absence of problems in this life.  The promise of God is not to leave us alone in the facing of and dealing with these problems.

Our hope is in the promise of an eternity of problem-free living in a wonderful and beautiful place called Heaven.  A place that has been especially prepared for you and me to live in the presence of our Creator forever and always.

We are not perfect and we will not be perfect in this world.  This does not mean that we should not work toward perfection, but it does mean that we should not become distracted by it.  The most important thing we can do with this life, is seek Him and His will with all we’ve got.

In the very midst of problems, we can find joy, if we know where to look.  If we will take time to enjoy our Creator and living in His presence, then our circumstances will not control us, we will control them.

This dark world allows our living for Him to shine even brighter for His glory.  As I learn to trust in Him with a real and supernatural trust, then I make the choice to trust Him regardless of the problems that life brings my way.

When everything around me is wrong, I will trust Him.  I am learning that it is not the right circumstances, but right responses that really matter in this life.  I cannot always control my circumstances, but I can control my responses!  Maybe when I get this, then I’ll feel like “skipping” through this life.  Help me Lord!  Please!

There are all kinds of people who walk into Grace Place.  I mean literally all kinds of people, from every walk of life.  Some are up and some are down.  Some are walking in victory and some are wallowing in defeat.  Some are smiling and excited to be here and some are just here.

I was having a conversation with a person at Grace Place today and someone walked by and acknowledged knowing the person that I was talking to.  The person I was talking to, wanted to go hide under a rock.  When I asked what was up – they responded:  “That person is from my past and what I’ve already told you about my past is bad enough, but now you are going to find out that it’s even worse than I told you.”

I asked:  “What’s the name of this place?”  He said:  “Grace Place!”  And I said:  “And that’s why your past does not matter, because God’s grace is more than sufficient!”  He said:  “I know, but…”  I cut him off with:  “There are not buts, you are the one making the choice to go back and be stuck in the past.”  I then said:  “You’ve got to let it go!”

This got me to thinking!  Everyone has a past.  If you think you don’t, then wait just a second and see – even you have one!  But you don’t have to live and get stuck in your past.  Your Creator did not create you to live in your past.  We should learn from our past, but then we need to move on to get the most out of our present, because our Creator promises an amazing future.

Thank you Lord, that I am not what I used to be and thank you that I don’t have to get stuck there!  Since you don’t make me live there, then please help me to not expect anyone else to live there either!

I am often overwhelmed by all that God is up to in and around me.  I am just a simple man.  I make more than my fair share of mistakes and it seems that I am in a continual fight with the temptation to sin.  This is why I am amazed at how good, loving and trustworthy God has been and is to me.

I still find it hard to believe that He would call me to do anything of service to Him, especially preach, teach and lead.  As I have pursued this calling, I have had my heart-broken many times, faced difficulties of every shape and size.  I have known hurt, felt rejected and believed myself to be very inadequate to do the things that God has allowed me to do in and through ministry.

It has been amazing to see how God can use the tough, hard stuff to bring some of the greatest miracles and blessings.  It has taken me a long time to learn and I am still learning this amazing truth:  God is not interested in our looks, talents, abilities or influence.  God is interested in us.

More than anything, God desires a real, meaningful and personal relationship with you and me.  This relationship is to take and keep first place in our lives.  Who I am and who I will be flows out of my relationship with Him.  Get the relationship right and it is incredible what God will do.

The truth that we often forget is this:  It really is all about Jesus!  It’s not about who you are, what you can do, where you’ve been or where you think you are going.  It’s not about your agenda, goals and personal ambition.  It’s about Jesus and through Him, living in the center of God’s perfect will, where we can rest in confidence that His will is best, regardless of the situations and circumstances of life.

So stop today and take a moment to remember Who you are living for and let that influence what you do and say.  Let the Who influence how you do it.  Let the Who influence the when = all the time and the where = wherever He leads I’ll go.  Get the Who right and everything else will fall into place!