it's simple . . .

and what are those commandments?
love God . . .
love people . . .

when planning becomes sin . . .

"for I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

[jeremiah 29:11]

how often have i quoted this scripture?

how often have i encouraged others with its message?

but, o how often i have watered down this Word in my own life.

who am i allowing to plan my life anyway?

me . . . with all of my datebooks and daytimers?

or . . . Jesus?"
"now listen, you who say, “today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”  why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. what is your life? you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  instead, you ought to say, “if it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”  as it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. all such boasting is evil.  if anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them."
[james 4:13-17]

it's time for this die-hard scheduler to die!

"many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails."

[proverbs 19:21]

"commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans."

[proverbs 16:3]

so be it, Lord Jesus.

may Your plans and purposes for my life prevail.

i give all of my yesterdays, todays and tomorrows to You.

i love the way God speaks so personally ... and in such a timely way ...

a timely message for me today.                power over fear                by david wilkerson whenever I am afraid, i will trust in You.  [psalm 56:3] i am afraid. fearfulness and trembling are come upon me; terrors of death are fallen upon me. afraid because there is more evil in me than good, lying rather than righteousness, weakness instead of strength. i am like an unripe olive tree without fruit. oh, that I had wings like a dove, i would fly away and be at rest. i would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest. afraid God may cast me off and curse this green tree, for He came seeking fruit and found none. afraid so I can but trust in Him. i will call and He will save me. He shall hear my voice and deliver my soul in peace from the battle that is against me. He will bottle my tears. God is for me. He will keep my feet from falling, that I my walk before Him in the light of the living. o, what a limited understanding we have of  God's ways. how our love pales in comparison to His. if this great man of God felt this way there is hope for me. God is for me. He will keep my feet from falling, that i may walk before Him  in the light of the living.

"religion . . . "

religion.
what a word.
there is so much wrapped around that one little word.
thoughts of "religion" are not usually passive - at least in my world; they are passionate.
if you look up synonyms of the word "passion" you will get these two together (to name a few) . . .
delight.
rage.
the passion evoked by this one little word can be a delight - or it can be rage.

“Religion that God our Father accepts 
as pure and faultless is this: 

to look after orphans and widows in their distress 

and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

[james 1:27]

God is not impressed by our rituals and ceremonies and services.  His church is not confined by a building, or practiced in a program.  He is not concerned with the 'outside of the cup.'
What He wants is for us to live and act with kindness and love to everyone - every day - without expecting something in return.  
Conditional love will not do.  We must love Jesus with all of our hearts and love others as He loves us.

answered prayer . . .

i'm so thankful that the Lord of my life is someone who hears

and answers my prayer.

i willingly and purposefully place my trust in Him.

markers . . .

today i went to the beechwood cemetery in search of the graves of my grandparents and great-grandparents.

i had the coordinates of the burial site and off i went.

i passed sir robert borden's grave . . . and the many graves of other dignitaries.

beautiful trees full of spring blossoms hung over the landscape that was quilted with the shadows cast by the headstones.

the path i was following became more and more narrow.

finally i found the right area.

here, there were no impressive headstones . . . nothing prestigious.

i searched for awhile, trying to find their spot and finally after counting the number of stones in the appropriate row, i found it . . . or, at least the place it was supposed to be.

the marker with the names engraved on it was barely visible.

grass had grown over it.

as i pulled the sod back, i uncovered just a small plaque, barely visible in the ground.

this tiny plaque was all that was left.

i love to visit a graveyard. it's a thoughtful place.

when i saw the graves of my ancestors, i thought about the lives they lived.

their childhood, their friends, their school days, their loves, their marriage, their babies, their adulthood, their joys, their dreams, their hardships, their entire lives.

their lives . . . not unlike my parents, or mine.

not unlike the lives that my children will live.

and now, a tiny stone in the ground is left to commemorate it all . . . a stone grown over with grass.

of course memories remain . . . but for how many generations?

maybe two . . . at best three.

it really makes me take inventory of what's important in life.

and what is most important is my relationship with God.

He knew me before i was even born . . . and only He knows the hour of my death.

i came into this world alone, with nothing . . . and i leave it alone, with nothing.

the closest relationship i can have here on earth cannot measure up to the importance of having a relationship with Him.

with Jesus, i will never be alone. He is always with me . . . here on earth and in death. He is the "constant" in my life. my rock. my source of life - now and in eternity.

second to that in importance is my relationship with the people who touch my life.

my family, my friends . . . and anyone else divinely appointed for me to cross paths with.

at death, everything is stripped away and only those two things will account for anything.

in eternity it is "relationship" that will count.

Jesus said,

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

This is the first and greatest commandment.

And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

that's it. it's that simple.

Lord, You know my comings and goings.

You know my thoughts from afar off. You know me altogether.

may my every thought be rooted in You.

with Your mighty, but gentle breath, blow away the chaff from my thoughts, Lord.

remove foolishness far from me.

give me the desire to pursue the eternal and not be caught up in the temporal.

and above all, give me Your love to motivate all that i

say, think and do.

lure me, by Your love, to my own secret place every day

that i might know You, and be filled up with Your presence.

amen.