A New Thing

December 28, 2012

“Then He brought us out that He might bring us in…”   (Deuteronomy 6:23)

Are you ready for a new thing?  God often wants to do a new thing in our lives but He has three challenges.  When He wants to bring us out of the old and into a new place He cannot get us out of the old because we are insecure and want to hold on to the old place.  He then has to blast us out of the old.  That’s why a call of God is often made up of a pull from the front and a boot from the rear.

His second challenge is that He has to pull us through the transition between the old place and the new.  Transitions can last for years and they can be very painful.  But He promises He can pull us through the worst of them.

His third challenge is to get us right so He can settle us into the new place.  We should no more resist that work of God than a baby should resist being born and coming out into life.

Don’t give God a hard time when He wants to do a new thing in your life.  We must believe that God is good all the time.  If we trust His character we should cooperate with Him when He wants to make changes and do new things for us.  A rut is a grave with both ends knocked out.  Our loving heavenly father does not want to see His children in the living death of a rut.

Instead of giving Him a hard time, make it easy for Him as He brings you out of the old place and leads you into the new places He has for you in the New Year.

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Posted by Dick Woodward

A Formula for Living

October 10, 2012

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” (Matthew 7:24 NLT)

There are about 75 different approaches counselors can use as they help people live their lives. One of these approaches tells us that living is as simple as ABCD.  The letter A represents adversity or the problem that a person may have. B represents the belief system of the person with the problem. C stands for the emotional consequences the person is experiencing because of their problem. And D describes the role of the counselor.

Because the economic downturn in America and elsewhere has put many people out of work and forced them to abandon their career, many counselors are hearing people say their adversity is that they have lost their jobs.  Since they get their worth and their identity from their work the emotional consequences for them is serious depression.

These people are saying their adversities are leading directly to their emotional consequences; however, the ABCD approach purports this is never true.  Rather, it is the way people process their adversity through their belief system that causes their irrational emotional consequences.   The basic idea is that if you have an irrational belief system, you will have irrational emotional consequences.  The therapist is a Disputer who challenges the irrational belief system of the client.

The counselor would dispute that belief system with statements like “We are not human doings but human beings.  We should not get our worth or our identity from our work.”

I like this approach for two reasons:  I hear Jesus saying the same thing in the verse above and you can use this formula to be your own best counselor.

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Posted by Dick Woodward

What is the Purpose of a Compass?

October 6, 2012

“…  the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”        . (Acts 5:32)

The purpose of a compass is not just to give us knowledge about where we are when we are lost but to also guide us into the way we need to go.  If you think about it – a compass is worthless if we do not comply with what our compass shows us.

In the Gospels Jesus introduces the apostles to the Holy Spirit.  He tells them the Holy Spirit will guide them into all truth.  He calls the Holy Spirit the “Paraclete.”  This word means: “One who comes along side us and attaches Himself to us for the purpose of assisting us.”

Jesus tells them that if they will love Him and keep His commandments He will ask the Father to give them the Holy Spirit (John 14: 15, 16).  So many believers miss this.  The operative word when it comes to implementing salvation is “believe.” But the operative word when it comes to knowing God through the Holy Spirit is “obey.”

In profound simplicity the hymn writer expressed it this way: “But we never can prove the delights of His love until all on the altar we lay.  For the favor He shows and the joy He bestows are for them who will trust and obey.  Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.”

Jesus said it even more simply and profoundly when He offered this invitation: “Follow Me and I will make you.” (Matthew 4:19) That’s why the last point on this compass is the most critical of all.

Are you willing to comply with what your compass shows you?

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Posted by Dick Woodward

A Prescription for Climbing

October 3, 2012

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is…” (Colossians 3:1)

To follow up on the application of the second point of the jet pilot’s compass to our own compass of life we must ask: what does it mean to “climb?” Since we are all different it means different things for different folks.  For me personally it means to get deeply into the Word of God.  A holy man named Thomas a’ Kempis wrote in words of his century that he found spiritual retreat and peace in ‘a little corner with a little book.’

For you climbing could mean meeting with a mentor if you are blessed to have one.  Ideally every believer should have one but realistically very few actually have a mentor or a disciple maker.  If you are a spiritual person a short or long private retreat could be a good way to climb.  While solitude works for some, a small group could work for others.  Simply being with spiritual people is moving in the right direction.

If you love worship music, getting immersed in meaningful worship music is a good way to climb.  This of course could happen in corporate as well as a closet worship experience.

Many people climb by reading the great old souls who have left us with their great expressions and “how to’s” of worship by example and precept.  Getting deep into devotional classics is a good way to climb.  I must repeat, however, that for me nothing replaces the Word of God for climbing.

The first letter of John tells us to track with the attributes of God.  According to John if we look where the love is, where the life is, and where the light is we will find ourselves climbing big time.

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Posted by Dick Woodward

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