“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:14-15

Choices matter, and they are ours to make.

Today’s post is a little later than usual, and that is a choice. It is not a decision based upon deep research regarding the best time to blog on Thursdays, nor is it founded upon the statistics and insights of the Cafe’s usage. It’s the result of a conscious decision to do something else. Before you find that thoughtless and selfish, please hear me out, and trust me, it is about something much more important than me.

Currently, my wife and I are on vacation. We are enjoying some time away together in the Adirondack Mountains. My normal routine is disrupted for a good reason, and some of my inspiration is emerging while I am here. Normally, my post would be mapped out in advance, and most of my writing done long before the post is due, and yes, I did have something in mind for this morning, but you will get to see that later.

Last night, I was able to spend some quality time playing cards with my wife, and this morning, our coffee conversation was filled with laughter and visioning for our future. Of course, I could have cut those moments short to sit at my laptop, but I chose my relationship over my blog. So now, as my wife prepares for another day of adventure, I have a moment to share with you.

We all make choices, lots of them, everyday. We make decisions about how to use our resources of time, treasure, and talent. Every choice is an investment in something and comes at the cost of something else. Too often, we feel as if we must surrender those choices to someone, or something, else, when the choice is actually ours and ours alone. We can blame family, work, even pressing blog posts, for forcing us to sacrifice important things, but the power of choice belongs to us. Even God does not take that away from us.

Of course, there are consequences to our choices, but that is exactly why we must weigh them out as we make our decisions. Things are expected of us, and many things are necessary, but the final decision rests with us. Will we trade our time for a stronger faith, a healthier family, deeper friendships, and a better world, or will we exchange what we have for a little more wealth, power, and position? Will we choose to serve God and others in Jesus name, or will we serve ourselves and the expectations of the world around us? These are the questions we need to ask, because the impact of our decisions will matter whether we are aware of our motivations or not.

Joshua called upon the nation of Israel to renew their covenant with God. It was an invitation to a choice: choose God, or something else. He did not make the decision for them, he couldn’t. It was their choice to make. What they could not do was avoid the choice. Even choosing not to decide was a choice to avoid choosing God. Joshua spoke the truth to the people, and then he led by example, “as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Today, we all have choices to make. Among them, is one of the most important decisions we make. Will we choose to serve the Lord? Will we put God first, above everything else? Will we accept the freedom and power God gives us to choose God?

The decision between strengthening the bond with my wife, or posting my blog before 9:00am was easy. The choice to deny myself and put God first in every aspect of my life is much more challenging, but the consequences of that decision are eternal.

So, as you live this day, the only August 16, 2018, you will ever experience, what, and who, will you choose? The choice is yours. No one else can make it for you. What is your choice?

The post Choice appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth. – Psalm 86:11a ESV

Recently, we experienced a major storm, one filled with lightning and thunder, and significant rainfall. The storm started while my wife and I were at a church meeting and continued for several hours. As we opened the doors to leave, we knew we would get very wet on our short walk home.

My wife was aware of some obstacles she noticed on the way to the meeting and reminded me to be careful. The problem… in addition to the heavy rain it was extremely dark. As we made the brisk walk to our porch, we both thought we knew the safest way home, but it was not the same way. This made for some humorous moments as we walked hand-in-hand trying to take each other in different directions. Soaking wet, and laughing, we made it back realizing neither of us knew for sure what we were doing.

While that night will remain a happy memory, it is true that not every path is so safe, nor is every journey lighthearted. There are places we must go and choices we must make that are far more significant where, if we are honest, we still feel like we are walking in darkness. We think we know where we are going, but it may be more accurate to say we hope we know.

In John 14, Jesus tells his disciples, “You know the way to the place where I am going.” The disciples, in a moment of honesty reply, “How can we know the way?” Jesus, recognizing their human confusion offers the greatest solace, “I am the way.”

The psalmist understood the disciples dilemma. Walking the right path, the way of God’s truth is not always easy, but we are not alone in our journey. There is help from the One who knows, and is, the way. When we remain in Christ, and allow him to teach us his way, our path is secure. There is no darkness too deep, nor storm too strong, to cause us to lose our way. The journey may not be easy, but following Jesus, we will not be lost.

We can try to find our own way, and we can let others pull us in different directions they believe are correct, but we may end up more lost than we were when we began, getting soaked by the powerful rains of the storm. We may end up running into unexpected obstacles, injuring ourselves or others. Yet, when we humble ourselves enough to admit that we do not know the way, we are then in a position to seek God’s direction; to pray, “Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth.”

The post Watch Your Step appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

The impact of Christmas is both cosmic, and personal. Jesus was born for all of creation, and he was born for me and for you. In this holy child, God was beginning the greatest work of redemption and healing. This One, the divine Christmas Gift, was born to transform all God made, releasing it from the power of evil and darkness, and restoring it to its original design. But that is just half of the story.

Jesus was also born to make a way for a profoundly personal relationship with God. The Almighty, the Creator, desired something more. From the very beginning, humanity was created for a relationship with God now, through Jesus, the invitation was to become part of God’s family. The relationship God desired was one of great intimacy.

The Gospel of John says that, through Jesus, we have the right to become children of God. If we receive him, if we believe on the name of Jesus, we receive the right to become, not be called, become the children of God. The Apostle Paul would later echo these words in his letter to the Galatians, “For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.” (Galatians 3:26 NIV)

Every so often I will hear someone say something like, “Everyone you meet is a child of God.” This is a lovely sentiment, but it is not true. Everyone we meet is created in the image of God, and is of infinite worth. Everyone we meet should be shown the great love that God has for them. Everyone we meet should be treated with the profound sacred worth God ascribes to them. However, not everyone we meet is a child of God. There are conditions on that relationship.

The potential to be a child of God is extended to everyone through Jesus Christ, but accepting that invitation involves receiving Christ and believing on his name by faith. Simply put, we need to accept the gift that God offers in his Son. Through faith in Jesus, we are adopted as sons and daughters in the family of God.

As an adoptive father, this act of God has a special place in my heart. I vividly remember the day we sat before the judge and declared our desire to become the parents of these precious children. I also remember the moment when the judge asked each of the children if they wanted to have us for parents. I cannot begin to describe the lump in my throat as I waited to hear their response. It was only a brief pause, but in it, I became aware that there was a possibility they could say no. They would still be wonderful children if they made that decision, but they would not be my children.

The same question waits for each of us to answer. We have the freedom to respond to God’s invitation in Jesus with , “Yes,” or a “No,” and just like that moment in the judge’s chambers, any answer other than “Yes” is a “No.” God never forces us to accept Jesus; to believe on his name. It is a choice offered in love, and God eagerly awaits our decision.

The Scripture says that God, “chose us in him [Jesus] before the foundation of the world to be adopted as his children.” (Ephesians 1:4) It is the eternal desire of God that we would accept his invitation and become the children of God. It is the grand question of Christmas, and of life. The question is before us. Will we say “Yes” and accept the relationship we are destined for?

The post Children of God – A Christmas Invitation appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

The Apostle Paul warned Timothy, the young pastor he was mentoring, that a time was coming when people who claimed to be following Jesus would have, “a form of godliness, while denying its power.” (2 Timothy 3:5). He knew, even at the early stages of Christianity, that there would be great temptation to leave behind the truth and the power of God, for something that seemed safer and easier. In our day, many hold to forms of faith, practicing rituals and attending services, but one has to wonder, “Where is the power?”

Is it possible, that we have lost faith in the story, or its Author? Do our frustrations and fears hold us back from believing in big things? Have we begun to view life through our own limitations, instead of the limitless possibilities of God?

I confess that, at times, this has been very true for me. I can easily lose sight of the promise from Philippians, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (4:13) In its place, I begin to look at my own strength and abilities, and quickly discover that I come up short. Trapped in the walls of my own ability, I begin to accept my circumstances, and try to do my best to make things a little better.

This, however, is not the life of faith, it is the life of belief, and that is not my (or your) calling! God’s invitation is to a life filled with faith in what God can, and will do. It is so much more than simply believing God exists. It is the opportunity to experience the awesome, life-transforming, circumstance-changing power of God!

A number of years ago, when I was taking martial arts lessons, my instructor had a sign he loved. It was the word “Can’t” written in bold letters, crossed out by a large red line. At the bottom, the sign read, “Can’t is a Four-Letter Word.” This was good motivation, but with God, it is the truth. There is nothing God call us to do, that we cannot accomplish in his strength.

How will people know that the story is true? It will happen as we demonstrate our trust in its authenticity, and as God begins to move in response to our faith.

One of my favorite promises comes from the blessing found at the end of Ephesians Chapter Three, “Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine…” (3:20) Think about it – abundantly far more that we can ask, or imagine, and God does it through his power at work in us.

Our God is greater than we imagine, and we are stronger in him than we believe.

How do you strengthen yourself in God?

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