Bluebonnets

Springtime is almost upon us. In Texas, we mark the arrival of spring with the blossoming of our beautiful state flower, the bluebonnet. If you've never been to Texas, these are beautiful wild flowers that grow all along our highways and fields during the springtime. I was driving down to San Antonio today and saw them all along the road. Spring had arrived.

But in order for the flowers to bloom, there had to be a seed planted. You can't have the beautiful flower without having to plant the seed. The Bible tells us that we 'reap what we sow.' That means that whatever we plant, we will reap. If we plant love, we'll get love in return. If we plant patience, we'll get patience in return. But if we plant anger, we'll also get that in return. My pastor wisely put it in a sermon that still sticks with me. Your actions are like an ATM. If you show love, you're depositing money into your account. Everytime you show patience, you're making a deposit. And when you need those virtues, you can go to the ATM of life and withdraw them. But if you plant jealousy, that's all that will be in your account when you go to make withdrawals.

Don't expect a rose if you planted a cactus. The seeds we plant today will determine the types of flowers we reap tomorrow. Be blessed.

Finish it

My to do lists seem to get longer every day. I don't know if its the winter weather thats caused me to fall behind. It's been cold. Then it's been hot. It's rained. And then it has snowed. I come up with many excuses as to my sluggishness. One things for certain, I'm not getting as much done as I should.

As I sat in church for communion on Sunday, I was reminded that Jesus too had a to do list. Jesus had a purpose He came into this world to serve. He came to heal the sick, to restore the broken and to free the sinner. And in his last words from the cross, He uttered 'It is finished.' Those were words of victory. He shouted those words. After all the beatings He received, with his last breaths he summoned up the strengt to utter those words. He had done everything His father assigned to Him. He is the only human to have completely finished His to-do list.

Jesus died to give us an opportunity to finish our to-do lists. So we must take advantage of that precious gift. Don't put off to tomorrow what can be accomplished today. To tell someone I'm sorry. To tell someone I love you. To tell someone thank you. He died so we can forgive and let go and finish the unfinished. Don't let Him die in vain. Finish it. Be blessed.

God's timing

I ran into a former student of mine the other day. I asked how he was doing since he graduated from high school. When he was a student of mine, he had big plans. He said he wanted to own his own business and make lots of money. He shared with me his frustrations about how he was falling behind the timeline he laid out for himself. He expected to be a certified technician and well on his way to owning his own business. Here's was a young man, who is only 25, and already he feels he's behind. It gives us a sense of the crazy speed our word goes by.

I told him that the Lord knows what time is best for us. That all would be worked out in His right time. Sometimes God puposely delays things that are harmful for us. Or sometimes he steers us in a differnt direction to fulfill one of His purposes.

If you have an unanswered prayer or an unfulfilled promise, dont give up. God hasn't forgotten you. He said He will never forsake us. When the time is right, He'll show up. God's timing is always perfect. Be blessed.

Trust and obey

Our pastor spoke about trusting and obeying God. These are two critical ingredients for a Christian. He spoke about two examples the Bible gives us; Abraham and Bartimaeus. The story of Abraham is well known. God told him to leave his land, where he had been successful, and move. He was old in age, yet he trusted God knew best and obeyed the call. When he arrived at his new home, God now asked him to sacrifice his only son, the one he'd waited nearly a hudred years for. Yet, he trusted and obeyed. He was rewarded by God for his faith

In the New Testament, blind man named Bartimaeus begged Jesus to heal him. He called out to Jesus knowing full well Jesus could heal him. People rebuked him telling him to stop, but he persisted. Finally, when Jesus called him, he jumped to his feet. He didnt hesitate. He was blind, yet he jumped with the faith that Jesus was going t heal him.

God calls us to a life of faith. Faith is believing what is not seen and trusting God. When he calls us, our only response is to jump. We may not see solid ground or where we're going to land. But we must trust that the One who called us will provide a safe landing spot for us. Listen for His voice, trust His calling and obey His instructions. Be blessed.

Be grateful

I had an application rejected the other day. I had worked hard on it and thought I had it. When I got the notice it was rejected, it hit me like a punch in the stomach. It kinda took the air out of me that day. It depressed me all day because I had looked forward to what it would provide for me and my family. I kept thinking about what I did wrong.

Getting into my car that evening, a co-worker said, 'nice car Al.' When I heard the words, a feeling came over me. I stood there and felt as if God was talking to me. Then it hit me. I had focused all day on what I didn't have. I was moping around feelng sorry for myself. But when I really thought about it, my problem was minor. There were people without a car, who lost there homes to foreclosure, who are unemployed due to the recession. I know people that are batting cancer. I have a friend, a member of our youth group who just lost her mom. I have students whose parents are deployed for the fourth of fifth time. And here I was being ungrateful all day. I felt really guilty.

At that moment, I thanked God for my blessings. I asked him to forgive me for being selfish and not appreciative of the things I had. Yes, my life would have been easier if I had gotten what wanted. But in my disappointment, I wasn't seeing all the blessings in my life. The pain of disappointment is soothed by a heart of gratitude. Be blessed.

Our Goliaths

During the Olympics, we were reminded again of the Miracle on Ice, when the US defeated the Russians for the first time in hockey. This was the top upset in US sports history. They compared us to David taking down the Goliath of Russia. This was the height of the Cold War

That story of David and Goliath continues to inspire people. It is the ultimate upset in history. A small teenage boy who had no training as a soldier or warrior, takin down the most feared giant in history. And he did it with no armor. Not spear. No shield. Bus just his slingshot and five pebbles.

Each of us face our own figurative Goliaths today. It may be an illness, or a broken relationship. For others in this tough economy, it could be financial hardship. Many people have been layed off, don't have health insurance or have lost their homes. At times it may seem that your Goliath seems unbeatable. We seem overwhelmed at times not able to see how we can take down this giant. But attack him as David did. Tell your Goliath that he may have a spear, armor and a shield but that you come at him in the name of the Lord and this day the Lord will deliver you into my hands. The name of our Lord and our faith that He will deliver your Goliath into your hands is more powerful than any weapon he may have at his disposal. Dont be scared. The Lord is with you. Be blessed.

Empty piece of paper

Many of us use calendars or appointment books to put our daily schedules in. If I didn't have one, I don't know how I'd function. Now with modern conviniences, many of us have them on our phones, PDA's and other devices.

A few month ago, I read about a person who took a different approach. This person that has a blank page every day. He would not write anything down, but will fill out his "calendar" throughout each day. Each morning he prays that the Lord gives him strength and uses him as God wishes. Then whenever he does something good, he writes it down on that blank paper. He would put 'to day you enabled me to help comfort someone' or 'today you enabled me to overcome my fear.' He uses the word enable because he knows he couldn't have done those things without God. It also allowed him to stay humble. By writing down that God had enabled him to do great things throughout his day, he was deflecting praise for his actions and returned all the glory to God.

As you enter each day, ask God to strengthen and use you. If we allow it, God will use us as His vessels for His purposes. God's strength is greater than our problems. Be blessed.