“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I the LORD, search the heart, and test the mind, even to give every man, according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17:9-10, NKJV

Sometimes I wonder why God did not stick with His original design and begin life for human beings in the adult years. Adam and Eve did not go through the “early childhood years,” or the dreaded teenage years. Oh, right – that plan did not end well! When I read that the human brain does not fully develop until the years between age twenty-five to thirty, the all too often poor decision making prior to this timeframe makes perfect sense. If only poor decision making had a cutoff date, then only God knows what the world could be like. Our Creator Father knew in the perfect Garden of Eden that when giving humans a choice, He was opening the door to rebellion, and history proves we walked right through it and have been defiant ever since. Choosing rebellion over obedience is part of the natural human sinful condition (Genesis 3).

Recently, I have had dreams with a repeated theme—choosing between doing the right thing, versus doing the wrong thing. The circumstances in each dream are different but the premise is always the same, will I make the right choice? In the dream, like a person with multiple personalities, instinctively, I know clearly what to do, but despite clarity, I make the wrong choice. These dreams are stressful. When finally awake, I am so happy knowing it is only a dream…or is it?

Gracious Father, how many opportunities do I have throughout each day, when I am fully awake and conscious, where I make bad decisions and poor choices? Do I make excuses for my careless words or unkind thoughts toward others? Do I express my actions to You with evidence of having been wrongly treated, and thereby believing myself justified? Forgive me, Lord! Cleanse me from within, so that both my heart and mind line up with Your desire for making choices wisely. In the name of Jesus, Amen.   

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33, NKJV.

“So, teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12, NKJV.

Gone are the “good old days,” when physical calendars were our only resource for keeping track of daily activities. One often had their calendar hanging by a magnet on the refrigerator (ah yes, magnet-ready refrigerator doors are “good old days” gone too!). In those days, each family member was expected to enter upcoming commitments for all to see, so that schedules might run smoothly. Large XX’s appeared in the blocks crossing off past days, no longer applicable except to document historical events. (Promise not to tell anyone, but I still keep a physical calendar because I am such a visual person).

According to the introduction of Psalm 90, we are told Moses is the author. We have no idea how Moses or the people of his generation kept track of time and events, but we do know he understood the importance of both. “Teach us to number our days…” is one way of saying, remember your past, “that we may gain a heart of wisdom” and learn from it. After spending forty years in the desert in search of the “Promised Land,” Moses, who was God’s appointed leader of the Israelites experienced the good, bad, and ugly characteristics of humanity, including those of himself. A journey that should have taken only a matter of days to complete turned into a generation of self-identifying whiners, and God-identifying “stiff-necked people” (Exodus 32:9).

Through the “magic” of technology, today we have a glimpse into the generation in which we now live. People like posting everything for all to see…what they eat, do, and think in real time. Life, for such people, is often unfiltered and raw. Friend, every new day offers unexplored opportunities for self-identification and God-identification through the characteristics of our human expression. As we number our days and learn from them, I pray, God if You determine our actions be made visible for all the world to see, Lord, let Your life lessons mold and make us into the image of Your Son, Jesus. Give us the kind of wisdom that lets the world see more of Jesus in what we say, do, and think, and less of ourselves. Amen.

John 11:35, NKJV

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12, NKJV

“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” 1 Corinthians 14:33, NKJV

“To be or not to be, that is the question…” William Shakespeare.

Pretty deep, huh? Although I barely squeaked by with a B in philosophy, I love this stuff! Don’t ask me why, because I’m not really sure. However, God designed me, from my earliest days of consciousness with a mind that is fascinated with thoughts that require more than a passing glance to understand. Recently, I subscribed to a group online who discusses such thoughts and philosophical terminologies, out of sheer curiosity. As you might imagine, some participants in the group dive deeply into the realm of mind consciousness that is, well, way over my head (wait, “dive deeply” and “over my head” don’t sound compatible…). Now I know why I only garnered a B in my philosophy class.

How happy am I, that the Author of all knowledge and deep things of the human mind has given humanity His word, the Bible, translated for even the least learned among us to understand and apply. The following scripture is from 1 Corinthians 1:27, written by the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. Apparently, the church was divided into factions, each claiming greater wisdom and understanding depending on which teacher they followed: “Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ’” (1 Cor. 1:12, NKJV). In the 21^st century, the church is still divided, perhaps more so than ever. The various Christian denominations have been shaken up, some landing on one side or the other of the cultural philosophies divide, while others are simply straddling the fence. What in the world is going on? The answer is not as difficult as it may seem. Going against the culture has never been easy or popular, and who wants to be “that group” who gets targeted as “insensitive,” or “unloving” toward the cultural differences the Bible calls, “sins?” So, what are we as Christians to do?

Jesus is the perfect example. When God put on flesh and lived among us, He demonstrated beautifully how to address humankinds’ sinful condition. To the haughty self-righteous, He pointed out their hypocrisy; to the labeled “misfits and sinners,” He showed compassion and the pathway to redemption; to those who chose to follow Him, Jesus reflected the words of Isaiah, “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21, ESV). With Jesus, there was no fence straddling or capitulation; there was no confusion in the message, for anyone and everyone could understand “the Way.”

My dear friend, you do not need a degree in philosophy, or a seminary degree to understand the ways of God. His desire is not to confuse us, rather to guide us with clarity by His Word. If you come to the proverbial fork in the road of the cultural divide, listen carefully to the “word behind you” which has not changed and never will change with the cultural currents, “This is the way, walk in it.”

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8, NKJV

The last few days, my family and I have had the opportunity to spend time in a warm climate, leaving behind the chilly days of winter at least for a brief time. My grandchildren are older and spread across the United States in different colleges, so these are cherished moments, especially for me; moments I never take for granted.

One of my favorite hymns is In the Garden by Charles Austin Miles.The lyrics tell the story of God leisurely walking with one of his children in a beautiful setting. God is attentive, not out of duty, but out of love. He is not distracted, in a hurry, or looking at his phone to see who else might be on social media. God is fully invested in the moment.

As much as I love my family and long to be with them whenever possible, my heavenly Father wants even more to spend time with me because I am one of His children. The good news is that God is never too busy to find time for any of His children. Would you invite God to stroll with you today in the beauty of His creation? Tell Him what is on your mind and heart. Winter, spring, summer, or fall He is waiting.

“Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool.” Isaiah 66:1, NKJV

A few years ago, I had the wonderful occasion to watch a documentary about the Hubble telescope. If you have never seen the images captured from space as depicted with this amazing telescope, you must do so without delay. Looking beyond the earth’s atmosphere into the vastness of outer space, one can only feel so small and insignificant. The beauty and placement of every planet and star is awe-inspiring. Distances in space need to be measured in light years. According to Google, one light-year equals about 5.88 trillion miles. WOW! My brain has a hard time trying to grasp such information. Perhaps even more perplexing in my brain is the reality that God, the Creator of all things both seen, and unseen has written in His Word, “Even the very hairs on your head are all numbered” (Luke 12:7). What?

If you find the absolute greatness of God mindboggling, you are not alone. On one hand, God envelopes everything on the largest scale, yet He directs the smallest organisms as seen through the most powerful microscope. Admittedly, I am no expert in either science or math, however, I do understand enough to worship my heavenly Father, who knows me better than I know myself; this truth is both awesome and scary at the same time.

When God created humankind, He knew that at the height of our intelligence we would still be limited in taking hold of who and what He is and always has been. No unit of measurement can calculate His size; no AI programming can surpass His intelligence; and nothing can escape His knowledge of what has been or ever will be. When identifying Himself to Moses, God simply said, “I am that I am” (Exodus 3:14).

If something in this writing about the characteristics of who God is has not touched your senses, let me leave you with this thought: The “I am that I am” delivered Himself into the world He created, as one of the most vulnerable among us, a baby. He became one of us. Why? The most obvious answer is because He loves us.