Meditations Monday: Gentle Instruction

Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!

Well Father, life is beginning to return to normal here in Delaware following the excitement surrounding Hurricane Irene this past weekend.  And while this particular storm wasn’t nearly as powerful as many that strike other parts of the country, for an underprepared East Coast which seldom sees weather of that nature, it was a challenge nonetheless.  Needless to say Lord, it made for an eventful weekend and one we won’t forget anytime soon.  For those dealing with damage, pain or loss from this climactic onslaught, I pray that You keep them intently in Your gaze and bring them the comfort and healing only Your presence is able to.

This week’s Meditations Monday Scripture comes from the second chapter of 2^nd Timothy:

“Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.  And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.  Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” – 2 Timothy 2:23-26 (NIV)

Well Father, the Apostle Paul certainly wasn’t subtle about Your will on this particular subject, and yet this is one of those “problem areas” that I know we’re all guilty of upon occasion.  Paul’s point that the nit-picking, “little” things we choose to let get under our skin, more often than not lead only to ungodly conflict.  And when we allow ourselves to be a part of such unimportant disagreements, we stray from Your desire as to how we should act towards others; with kindness, patience and respect.  I know that over the years I’ve certainly lost my composure with people more than a few times Father, and in doing so I failed to take advantage of those opportunities to show Your influence in my life.

It’s something I’ll be praying about this week Lord…

Heavenly Father,

As we begin this new week, please help focus our hearts and minds to best serve Your will for us.  Calm our tumultuous natures, and guide us to provide that “gentle instruction” to those around us that are in need of Your light.

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Our Spiritual Surge Suppressor

Dear Lord; Happy Friday Father!

Wow Lord… What a hectic day it’s been!  As I’m sure You’re aware, we had some violent thunderstorms roll through here last night which always causes a “surge” (pun intended) in business the next day.  In this instance, one of my clients took a spike which routed through their network wiring, killing off five machines and several pieces of infrastructure hardware… Not a pretty picture.  As I was surveying and extracting the damaged equipment for repair this morning, it got me thinking that sin works very much like that surge…

Once we allow sin to enter our lives, it runs rampant, corrupting and damaging everything else it can.

Now, in this client’s case there was very little they could have done to prevent this particular hit from doing damage; we’re very much the same way with regards to sin.  While as Christians, we try to avoid sin wherever we can, we’re certainly not always successful.  It’s a constant battle in our souls Father; the pull of our corrupted, sinful natures versus the righteousness of Your Spirit within us.  Thankfully, with Jesus Christ as our “Spiritual Surge Suppressor”, we have the protection we need to arrest sin’s progress in us so we can best operate as You intend.

Heavenly Father, as we go into the weekend we thank You for all the Blessings You’ve surrounded us with this week.  I pray that for all of life’s “surges” that present themselves, we remember to place our trust in the One that can see us through the storms safely.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: The Right Perspective

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

You know Father, as I’ve mentioned before I really LOVE Thankful Thursday posts.  While I try to give thanks each day for the abundance of Blessings You grace me with, having a weekly post that leads me to recollect all the little things that bring a smile to my heart puts me in exactly the right perspective:

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

I ran across a blog posting today at stevenfurtick.com that said it beautifully:

“With God, ‘thank you’ should always come before ‘please.’ The first thing that needs to come out of my mouth in prayer and worship needs to be praise for who God is and what He has done. Not just instructions for what I want or even need Him to do.”

So true.

Therefore Father, with that perspective firmly embedded in my heart, this week I’ve been thankful for:

196. A silly, giggly, tasty dinner with Shannon and the kids at a new Mexican Restaurant.

197. Getting some “one-on-one” time with Aidan while Jonathan was away at Kay’s Kamp.

198. For a sweet Bloggy Friend who reminded me to look at flowering weeds as flowers, and not weeds (Thank you Jean!).

199. Cool, clear mornings which let me leave my windows down in the truck on the way to work.

200. A fun night out with my lovely Wife last Friday night.

201. Getting the opportunity to attend “Media Day” at Kay’s Kamp, and seeing the Blessed work they do for the children.

202. Inspiring testimonies from courageous people.

203. Getting well over 50,000 miles on my truck tires before having to replace them.

204. Free lifetime map and software updates available for my GPS.

205. Finding new school uniform clothing for the boys at Goodwill dirt cheap.

206. Jonathan having another wonderful week away at Kay’s Kamp.

207. Having inexpensive generic versions available for the medications we take.

208. Tootsie Fruit Rolls.

209. My portable digital voice recorder that allows me to note things I’m thankful for at the time they come to me.

210. Waking up next to the lady I love each and every day.

Heavenly Father, once again I thank You for all the Blessings You grace our lives with each day; both those that shine brilliantly with Your Light, and those that Bless us quietly, without fanfare.  I pray that You will continue to open my eyes wider to Your gifts, that I may appreciate them to the full.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Not One Mistake

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

While doing some Internet research today Lord, I came across a poem that I’d like to share.

I finally got a chance to finish reading “90 Minutes in Heaven” by Rev. Don Piper last night.  And while I found it an inspiring, hope-filled story, Reverend Piper’s account left me with far more questions than answers.  What I did take away from it however, was a reminder that we’re not meant to understand why some things happen; that’s where our Faith comes in.  You’re the One with the “Big Picture” Father, so in Your capable, loving hands is where we need to lay our trust.

And with that thought running through my mind Lord, when I found this poem today it just begged to be shared.  It’s entitled “He Maketh No Mistake”, and was written by A.M. Overton:

My Father’s way may twist and turn,
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I’m glad to know,
He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away,
But I’ll trust my Lord to lead
For He doth know the way.

Tho’ night be dark, and it may seem
That day will never break,
I’ll pin my faith, my all in Him,
He maketh no mistake.

There’s so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight’s far too dim;
But come what may, I’ll simply trust
And leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift
And plain it all He’ll make,
Through all the way, tho’ dark to me
He made not one mistake.

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Really God??

Dear Lord; Happy Tuesday Father!

Really God??

I’ve been hearing this quite a lot as of late Father, and I’ll admit I’ve even thought it myself more than once in the recent past.  It’s certainly not a query intended out of disrespect Lord, but one usually born of frustration due to trials we, or someone we care about, are going through…

My marriage is falling apart, and my spouse is leaving… Really God??

The job I’ve invested years of hard work and energy in is gone… Really God??

My test results came back and the cancer has returned… Really God??

We’ve run out of money… And I’m not sure what to do… Really God??

My child was born with a serious, incurable disease which threatens to take him from us… Really God??

I feel empty, tired, defeated and sad all the time… Really God??

We all have those moments Father, when we search for the meaning and purpose that only You have; when it feels like the weight of the world sits squarely upon our shoulders, and relief seems to be a distant destination.  And in our limited, broken, earthly shells we cry out… Really God??

When I speak to people going through such trials Lord, I always try to offer the hope and encouragement that Your Promises to us bring…

You promise never to leave our sides…

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

You promise that our needs will be met…

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:28-33 (NIV)

You promise that You will ease our burdened souls…

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

And You promise that You will always love us…

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)

Such powerful promises You’ve given to Your Children Father…

In the midst of our struggles, it can be difficult to see the signs of Your love for us through that cloud of pain and fear, but that’s where our Faith carries us on:

Faith that even though we don’t have “The Big Picture” or know why things happen the way they do, You do, and want what’s best for us.

Faith that when we call upon You in our brokenness, You’ll hear our pleas and act on our behalf, whether it’s as we would expect or not.

Faith that when we come to You with a humble and open heart and lay our burdens at Your feet, Your peace and comfort will ease our troubled spirits.

When we rely on our Faith to look beyond the earthly trials we face, and focus on the Blessings and Grace You bring to our lives each day, it begs the question…

Really God??  Thank You!!

Amen.

~Phather Phil