Trust

God is working on me again. In my prayers, in my heart, in my gut, I have had this feeling that he is calling me to trust him. I have this feeling that he is telling me to totally, 100%, unreserved, unashamed, unaware, unsure, unafraid...trust in him. My wife and I had a good talk about this last night before we went to sleep.

Then this morning I read Luke 8:22-25 in my quiet time.

One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let’s go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we’re going to drown!"
He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples.
In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."

Here's the thing: Many of the disciples were professional fishermen. If there ever was a time for them to trust in themselves, this was it. I am sure that if I had been them I would have been using my training and my understanding to try to save myself. I would have done everything I could think of...everything that is except ask the carpenter in the boat to help me.

What are you good at doing? Maybe you are a professional doctor, teacher, youth pastor, sales assistant, contractor, coach... Can you trust Jesus in that area? Do you really believe that Jesus knows more about that area than you do?

1 Corinthians 1:25 says, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom."

Even if God isn't an "expert" in your area of expertise, he is still wiser than you even in that area. Have the courage to trust God in all areas of your life.

If you have a story of God taking care of you in your area of expertise, please consider sharing that story with everyone in the comments.

Priorities

I love a good mystery. I love to follow the clues and find the solution. My favorite reality show is Treasure Hunters (actually it is Contender, but it doesn't work as an illustration, and I really do love Treasure Hunters). My favorite regular show is CSI and CSI Miami. Last year I did a 7 week series using National Treasure. So it should be no surprise that I enjoy reading Biblical prophecy and trying to decipher its mystery.

I typically start my day by listening to pastor Leo Geoveneti preach on the radio. This week he was preaching from the book of Ezekiel and was talking about the end times. He showed that the Bible gives 7 major prophecies which must be fulfilled before Christ returns. He explained how some of these had recently happened and how current world events could lead to the fulfillment of the rest in the near future. The message was clear: the end is near. (If you want to hear his messages you can download them at http://www.realliferadio.org/media/newmedia.php

Listening to his teaching made me think.

Now, I'm not going to try to convince you that the end is near. I will continue to pray, study the Bible, and listen to Bible teachers who are speaking about that topic, and I would encourage you to do the same. The end might still 5,000 years away. But, WHAT IF Christ's return were close at hand. What if you knew that you only had 12 years left on this earth. WHAT IF?

I considered that question this week. I thought about how my life and my priorities would change. I realized that the things that cause around 90% of my stress right now, would suddenly fade into obscurity and meaninglessness. I also realized that the things that I spend only 10% of my time, energy, and thoughts on would suddenly be of the utmost importance. Would I still be worried about the stock market? Would I still be worried about moral less politicians who lead our country in the wrong direction? Would I still be annoyed by little things and long for an easier life? Would I still feel tired, or would I sprint through the finish line? Would I ever let an opportunity pass to tell someone about Jesus? Would I still come to church on Sunday without inviting my neighbor?

Christ's return might be 5000 years away, or it could be 5 years away. I don't know for sure, but I've decided to try to live my life like my time is short. There is much to do. There is much to enjoy. There are many to show God's love.

"Marriage in Progress"

This post will be a glance into my personal life. Recently my marriage has not been what my wife and I would like it to be. Now, lets not let the rumor train leave the station- let me explain. Our marriage was still good...but not great. Individually we were both stressed out about various things. We brought these stresses into our marriage, and it kept it from being all that it could be.

One night we had a heart to heart talk before we went to sleep. We talked about the things that were stressing us out. We also talked about the way that we were slowly letting the spiritual part of our marriage die. When we were first married we had a ritual. Every night we would tell the other person what our favorite part about them was that day. This was a great way to thank each other and praise each other. After that we would pray. Well, this had totally stopped, so during our heart to heart we decided to start doing that again.

The difference has been incredible. We are intentionally including God in our family again. It has been the best part of our marriage and our love is deeper than ever. Yesterday my wife actually made the statement, "I had so much joy about you today!" Other than, "I do," that might be the sweetest thing she has ever said to me. Praise God for blessing me so much!

I know that this post is different from what I usually do. I just wanted to share with everyone and to encourage everyone to pray for and in their marriages (and if you are single- pray for your future marriage). I speak out of love and my vast marriage experience (1 year, 2 months, 12 days, 3 minutes)