This morning I took out my iPod as I got ready to workout at the gym. The earbuds were all tangled up, but I’m pretty sure I had wrapped them nice and neatly around the portable media player when I put it back in the case after my last workout. So, obviously, somehow the little cable got all twisted up in its case. That gold necklace you so carefully put in your jewelry box, why do you always seem to have to untangle it before wearing it? And those Christmas lights, they have all year to secretly tangle themselves up in the storage box in your attic.

Life is often that same way; a twisted bundle of copper wire that leaves you frustrated and exhausted as you try to unravel it. You have well laid out plans, budgets, contingency plans, safety nets, you have things all figured out, yet your life still seems to be complicated and all twisted up; you just cannot find any consistent rhythm. And you need not look to far to see that the world around you is also one twisted up mess. The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 2:15 that life (then and now) is lived in the midst of a “crooked and twisted generation.”    

Have you ever wondered where God is in those moments when your life seems all twisted up, more crooked than a finger that got bent out of shape and never properly realigned? My roommate in college dislocated his pinkie in a game of touch football, bent into an L-shape until we, his friends, graciously “relocated” it for him. I am sure today his finger isn’t as straight as it once was or could have been had it been properly realigned by a doctor. In Ecclesiastes, we read – “What is crooked cannot be straightened, what is lacking cannot be counted” (1:15).    

Later on, still in Ecclesiastes, we find this – “Consider the work of God: who can make straight what God has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will come after him” (7:13-14).

In the passages above, the writer of Ecclesiastes is talking about life under God’ providence; His sovereign guidance and control. These passages are reminding us that we are not really in control. God is in control, and the “twistedness” of our experiences in life are not simply fate but rather they are God-ordained. This does not mean that every good thing or bad thing that happens is initiated by God, but it does mean that God can (and does) use both the good and the bad for His purposes. These never ending fluctuating seasons in our life help keep us dependent upon God. These passages stress God’s sovereign control over His creation.

Part of our life of faith is accepting both the good times and bad times without being able to explain how everything will work out in the future. But you can trust that God does know the rest of the story. We are told so in Roman 8:28 – And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”   

And as hard as it is sometimes, especially when the weight of the world is really pressing in on you, here is your road map for finding peace – Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) 

So, today, amid the twistedness of life’s rhythms, no matter how hard it might be – take time to rejoice, pray, and give thanks, trusting that God knows what He is doing.  

We are a society that likes to stockpile food and supplies. We buy many things in bulk; sometimes it is because we get a better price per unit for buying in bulk, other times it is simply because we want to have enough for today and tomorrow, and the ninety days after that! Have you ever gone to the grocery store right after a hurricane or blizzard has been forecast? Some shoppers really seem to be “stocking up.” You think to yourself – are the effects of the storm really going to last that long?

In cold weather states, transportation agencies have a stockpile of de-icing products ready to spread on roads when conditions warrant. I recently read that some states mix beet juice with the salt brine because the sugar from the beets helps to further lower the freezing point of ice. The CDC’s Strategic National Stockpile is our country’s repository of medicines and supplies in case of a public health emergency. Working in conjunction with other federal, state, and local agencies, the SNS has deployed personal protective equipment and is helping in the effort to leverage all available resources during this pandemic.

On the contrary to stockpiling, God gives us what we need only when we need it. He does not give us today what we will need tomorrow, only what we need for today. Tomorrow’s provision will come tomorrow, when we need it. Even though we would like tomorrow’s provision today, we really don’t need it until tomorrow. And He wants us to trust that what He provides today is all we need for today.

In Exodus 16, after the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea and as they were on their journey to Sinai, they began to grumble at Moses and Aaron, frustrated that before Moses led them into the desert they “sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death (16:3).” They were accustomed to having all the food they wanted, which was really more than they probably needed, and now they are in the desert and food was becoming scarcer by the day. God responds this way –

Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days” (vv.4-5).

God is testing the faith of the Israelites. The test is really very simple. The people are to gather food provided by God each morning, but only enough for that day. On the sixth day they are to gather enough food for two days. The lesson to be learned is that God is the supplier of our every need, and He provides what we need when we need it, not necessarily what we want when we want it. Jesus offers a similar petition in the Lord’s Prayer – “Give us today our daily bread.”

In Psalm 145:15-16 we find this – “All eyes look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.”

So, I ask you – are you willing to trust God to meet all your needs, when you need them met, not when you want them met? 

We all need someone who listens to our greatest needs; that shoulder to lean on in times of trouble. We also need people that we can look up to; people who serve as role models and mentors to us. Very rare us it that we find one person to fill both of those important roles, but in the person of God we do have that one place to go for both comfort and guidance. 

Scripture instructs us to take our needs to God. Nothing is too big or too small for God. We see this in Philippians 4:6 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 

So often we spend most of our prayer time and quiet moments with God time giving Him our list of needs, but we are called to do more than ask God to provide for us. We are made to worship and glorify Him. Isaiah 43:7 tells us so – everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.

I want to share with you the first five verses of Psalm 103. These are wonderful verses to make part of your daily rhythm.

PSALM 103:1-5

1 – Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 – Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits –

3 – who forgives all your sins, and heals all your diseases,

4 – who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 – who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

(I encourage you to read Psalm 103 in its entirety.) 

Make it a priority to spend time each day giving God the praise and glory He desires. Doing so helps you soak in His presence and His goodness. After a long stressful day, who doesn’t like to soak in a warm bathtub with aromatic salts, a good book, and a glass of wine? Now think about this – as soothing as it is to soak in a warm bathtub, soaking in God’s presence is so much better. Soaking in the bathtub does not change you, while being in God’s presence does!   

We all need boosts of energy from time to time. There are many good and healthy ways to boost your energy, and there are many not so good ways. That first sip of coffee in the morning is the jolt that many people need to get moving. The rise of energy drinks is driven by the fact that they are loaded with ingredients that provide mental and physical stimulation. The use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs in athletics gives the users of those PEDs an edge over his or her competition. Before our football games in college we pre-game meals with lots of carbohydrates since carbs are the body’s best source of energy. Before track meets we sometimes used other, not approved, methods to try to gain an edge.

We do have one power source that can lead and guide us each and every day. In order to live the lives God intends us to live, we need a Helper. Before his death, Jesus promises that a Helper will come. In John 14:26 He says this – “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you.”  

After His resurrection, and before His ascension into Heaven, Jesus tells the disciples this, found in Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

God has given us the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and direct our steps. When you invite Jesus into your heart you also get the Holy Spirit as part of that transaction: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16) 

In the IndyCar racing series, there is technology called push-to-pass, which is a mechanism that provides the driver with the ability to increase the car’s horsepower for short period of time. The driver is only allotted so many seconds of this power boost during each race so it must be used wisely to give the most benefit. Additionally, push-to-pass is only allowed to be used in certain situations during the course of the race.

Unlike the methods you might use to temporarily boost your energy, tapping into the Holy Spirit gives you a permanent boost in power and wisdom, producing spiritual fruit that is evident in your life. And unlike the limited amount of power boost allowed in auto racing, the Spirit gives you an unlimited, and always accessible, power source.

Are you asking the Holy Spirit for power on a daily basis? He is your unlimited power source!

We are just a few hours away from the kickoff of Super Bowl LV (55), arguably the biggest sporting event of the year. This year’s game is between the defending Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs and the “home team” Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It is a quarterback matchup between Patrick Mahomes, last year’s Super Bowl MVP, and Tom Brady, who needs six fingers to show off his Super Bowl titles.  

Not only will an estimated one hundred million viewers watch the game on television, the amount of food and beverage consumed is second only to Thanksgiving for food consumed in one day. According to the National Chicken Council, Americans will consume well in excess of one billion chicken wings on Super Bowl Sunday. Those wings, along with cold cut subs, pizza, chili, and potato chips and dip, will be washed down with more than 300 million gallons of beer. Not surprisingly, antacid sales dramatically increase on the Monday following the big game.

  You might be a fan of one of the two teams, maybe you are just enjoy the game of football, it could be you watch the game just to see the commercials, or possibly you are looking forward to the halftime show headlining Grammy Award-winning The Weeknd. Unlike last year, there will be no stripper poles this year. It was in the early 1990s that pop music acts began to perform at halftime, first with New Kids On The Block in 1991 and then Gloria Estefan the following year, but it wasn’t until Michael Jackson took the stage in 1993 that the halftime show began to morph into the spectacle it is today. Did you know that the Grambling State University Marching Band has played in the most halftime shows, six times over four decades?     

During this year’s Super Bowl, ordinary people will turn fanatical and pour every ounce of their existence into cheering for their team. (Hopefully watching the game either just at home or in small gatherings while social distancing and wearing masks.) Not only that, many will be dressed from head to toe in their team’s logo gear. But when the game is over, and the last chicken wing is eaten and last swig of beer swallowed, these fanatics become ordinary people again, with ordinary live, ordinary families, ordinary jobs. The word “fan,” shortened version of fanatic, is defined as an “enthusiastic devotee (usually as a spectator) or an ardent admirer (of a person).”

Sadly, many of us relate to Jesus that same way. For an hour or so when we go to church or small group meetings we are like those fans during the Super Bowl; we go wild for Jesus, but when the service is over, we go home and become “normal” again.

Fans cheer while followers learn from their teacher and then help in spreading the good news of that teacher. Jesus calls us to be more than fans. He calls us to be followers (disciples). The dictionary defines a disciple as “a pupil or follower of any teacher or school of learning, religion, art, etc. and one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrine of that teacher.” So in other words, a disciple of Jesus is someone who seeks His guidance, follows His plans, and then shares that goodness with everyone they meet.

So, today, be a fan of your favorite team and cheer like mad during the Super Bowl. Also, commit yourself to being a disciple of Jesus, allowing Him to change you and in the process begin to make you more like Him. Don’t just be a fan of Jesus, be His follower!

Picture a young girl standing on the edge of the pool ready to jump into her father’s arms in the deepest end of the swimming pool. She tests the water by putting her fingers and toes into it, but quickly stands back up, fearful of falling in. This child does not know how to swim but her father invites her to jump in. She trusts her daddy so after some hesitation and against the fear that is within her, she jumps, and daddy catches her. The smile of both on their faces is priceless.

Just as with that little girl, who stands fearfully on the edge of the pool just dipping her toes in the water, it is often the same way in our relationship with God. We only get a little wet rather than jump into the deep end with both feet. However, God calls us to be fully surrendered, fully committed, all in.

Or think of it this way- it is often difficult to fully commit to any one thing when there are umpteen things that we are involved in. It is as if we can only dip our feet into the wading pool because there is not time to get fully wet.

Today I want us to consider one verse; a verse in the middle of the story of Jesus calling His first disciples. This verse is Jesus’ invitation to Simon to go against what makes no sense and go all in with Him. I encourage you to read this story, found in Luke 5:1-11. (I just love verse 5!) In Luke 5:4 Jesus says this to Simon – “Put out into the deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Did you catch that? Jesus called for Simon to venture out into the deep water and not simply a few feet offshore. It is the same for us; our needs are met in the deep things of God, only found when we fully surrender and trust Him completely.

Think of God as the initiator of your faith, Jesus as the implementer, and through the Holy Spirit, your faith becomes energized. And it is through going deep with the Holy Spirit that we can fully lose ourselves and find all that God has for us. The deep waters of the Holy Spirit are always accessible to us because they are always flowing. Ezekiel gives us a beautiful picture of this constantly flowing river, one that begins like a small stream but the more we “jump in” the deeper it gets, and the more we get of the Holy Spirit’s work. Ezekiel 47:1-5 is a prophesy about the healing and restoration brought by God’s Spirit In verse 1 Ezekiel sees “the water was coming down from underneath the temple’s south side.” In subsequent verses, each time its depth gets measured, the water goes from a trickle (v.2) to ankle deep (v.3) to knee deep then waist deep (v.4), and finally in verse 5 we read, “but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water has risen and was deep enough to swim in – a river no one could cross.”

Today Jesus is calling you to put out into deep water. Is that scary? Absolutely it is! The Holy Spirit calls us to be fully submerged in His flowing water; the water of wisdom, healing, peace, comfort, restoration, and the list goes on and on.

So, I ask you – Are you all in, finding yourself in the deepest parts of the ocean or are you only ankle deep at the shoreline playing it safe?