Most of us have a routine that we follow everyday. Few have the luxury of being independently wealthy. Fathers go to work everyday. Mothers get up, fix meals, do dishes, clean things, and play with children.  Working mothers get up, get ready for work, pack the diaper bag, dress their children and travel to the caretaker before driving to work. My routine includes packing my lunch, fixing breakfast, reading my Bible and driving to work. I do this every morning, five days a week. 


The route I travel to work is also the route I travel to church, except that church is one minute further down the road. When I first started working, I was constantly driving past the street to my work because I was so used to traveling that way to church. After working for awhile, I found myself turning into work when I was on my way to church. You see, driving to work is my daily routine. 


When we do dishes day after day, or pack lunches morning after morning,  it quickly gets to the place where it becomes mindless activity, lacking any interest or excitement. If you find doing dishes morning after morning exhilarating, I would recommend seeing a therapist, or better yet, write a book telling everyone else your secret. It would be a best seller in the at-home Mom market.


Daily rituals become so routine that we do them without even thinking. From a spiritual standpoint, that is very good, but it can also be detrimental. 


As Christians, we should have a daily routine of Bible reading and prayer. It should be as much a part of our day as getting out of bed and brushing our teeth. It is essential to our spiritual health. A problem can arise though when we begin to see that time with God as mundane. When daily time with God becomes more of an earthly activity than a spiritual one, we are in trouble. And don't fool yourself.  It can happen without you noticing. When you find yourself feeding yourself everyday off the 5-minute devotional or one chapter of Psalms, you may be in spiritual trouble. When your prayer time occurs behind the wheel of a car or while scrubbing the bathroom floor, it's time for a checkup.  I'm not saying you can't pray while you do those things.  I always do, but it should not be considered your time with God for the day.  If your prayers sound the same everyday and you can't remember what you read in the Word yesterday, it's reason for concern.


I heard testimony in church something to the effect that by the time we were eating lunch, no one would remember what was said in church that morning. I sort of wondered at that point why the person bothered to stand up and waste the breath, but I understood the point. I pray that never comes to be an accurate description of our church. As I thought about that troubling statement, I realized that it all depends on what kind of mindset I come to church with. Am I ready to hear when I come to church? Am I desirous to know what God has been doing and speaking in the lives of my brothers and sisters in Christ? Am I willing to learn from them as much as from my own personal time or from the sermon? Am I ready to receive the message that the Pastor has prepared, with the help of the Holy Spirit, for my spiritual consumption? Am I prepared to make sure that I remember what was said so that I can meditate on it through the week? 


We could ask ourselves these same questions on a personal level. When I open my bible as part of my routine, am I hungry or am I just fulfilling one of the obligations of my day? Do I remember what He said to me yesterday? Is the reading of the Bible more of an earthly activity so that I can say I'm a good Christian, or am I really expecting God to speak to me in a life changing way when I read and pray? Do I view my time with God as the top priority of my day, as a supernatural experience, and as necessary for my survival? Am I coming hungry and thirsty to the living word of God? 


Truly, daily time with God is very simply knowing that you have been with God and that He has been with you.  It's knowing that He heard what you said and you heard what He said. It should always be routine, but it should never be mundane. If it is, something in your thinking need adjusting. 


Here are some ways to keep our time with God exciting and life-giving.


1. Consciously think about why you are spending time with God each day before you even open your Bible. Consider that you are entering into a supernatural experience with the Creator of the Universe and that He is going to speak directly to you.


2. Have a pen and paper handy. God is more apt to speak if He sees that you are serious about hearing and remembering what He has to say.


3. Pray before you read. Acknowledge the living Word of God and its power to change, nourish and heal you.  


4. Put on your listening ears. Decide that you are going to listen for the voice of Holy Spirit as you read and pray, which may mean that you actually shut up for awhile and discipline yourself in the art of spiritual silence. 


God has prepared such a blessed path for us to walk each day, but we cannot receive that blessing if we walk through each day mindlessly. Our life with God must be purposeful on our part, showing determination and resolve. 


Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.

In a world that believes that God is not relevant to our lives today, it continues to amaze me at how much He can take the normal, mundane things of life and interject His wisdom and presence into them. 

My place of employment has an extensive wellness program. They actually pay us extra to be healthy. We can earn up to $500.00 per year if we exercise, educate ourselves, and see doctors on a regular basis. 

In February, they announced that they were sponsoring a 17 week weight watchers program for any employee who was interested. We pay for the program up front, but if we meet our weight loss goal, they will reimburse us all but a very small portion of cost of the program. I had been investigating different weight loss programs because I have packed on some pounds through the years and they need to come off. Frankly, looking at the internet was just frustrating. What one doctor advocates, another refutes. So I did what any Christian would do, I prayed and asked God to help me.  Not two days later, this weight watchers opportunity came up. I just felt like this was my answer to prayer.  Weight watchers is a time tested, proven weight loss program so I figured that I could learn some things from them. 

I have learned quite a bit, I have to admit. I was never very knowledgeable about the chemistry of nutrition. My knowledge of chemistry, except the chemistry between my husband and I of course, is very limited. I’ve always thought an element is a brand name of clothing at the mall. 

I’ve been attending the meetings now for several weeks and I’ve lost a considerable amount of weight. It has been surprisingly easy because I have just followed the plan. Yes, I have days when I have to dip into my extra point stockpile, like my Friday night jaunts to a local restaurant. And there are days when it’s hard to make the healthier choice but I am never sorry that I did when I step on the scale and see numbers I have not seen in many years. Most days I don’t even have to look up the point value or portion size because I am becoming more familiar with them and I just naturally select the right thing. What’s really surprising to me is the gradual change in my taste buds. They are more discerning than they were before. Because I eat so many fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole foods, when I do “indulge” in some chips or something processed, I can taste the chemicals and I find them repulsive.

I am thinking that I will easily be able to reach my 17 week weight goal if I discipline myself and continue to follow the plan.

In thinking about this, I just couldn’t help but see the similarities to our spiritual lives. 

God has a proven and time tested plan for us to be healthy. It’s called His Word. In His Word, He has carefully laid out instructions for us to follow if we hope to live a healthy spiritual life and reach our goal of spending eternity in His presence. Like my eating plan, if I follow it, it’s not hard. The Bible tells us that although “sin is pleasurable for a season”, “the way of the sinner is hard.” If we refuse to follow the Bible’s plan for living, we will have some pleasurable experiences along the way, but in the end sin will bring sickness, poverty and death, both emotionally, spiritually and physically. 

Just as I found that following the weight watchers plan was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be, following the commands of the Lord “are not burdensome.” Granted there are days when temptation comes, we find ourselves weakened by circumstances or situations, and we need a little extra help but It is then that we can “approach the throne of grace to find grace and help in the time of need.”  Just as I have a point stockpile for weight watchers, God has abundant grace for each of us everyday. It is “more than we could ask or think” and it works in us. 

What is the work it does in us? It changes or sanctifies us, ridding us of hidden sin and fleshly desires. It makes us more like Christ in our attitudes. It’s like the gradual change in the tastebuds. When temptation to sin comes, it will repulse us, much like the taste of chemicals in processed food does me now and we will have no desire to partake in on that temptation. 

At 17 weeks into weight watchers, I will be rewarded with the return of the cost of the program and hopefully some new clothes. I won’t be all the way through the process because I intend to keep on losing weight even after I reach my 17 week goal. But I will continue, one point at a time, one day at a time. 

Spiritually speaking, we will be rewarded as well, if we are found faithfully following the plan. We will get some new clothes too! But until then we need to set our sights on the “upward call of God in Christ” and depend daily on the grace of God to strengthen us, one point at a time, one pound at a time, one day at a time until we are with Jesus. It’s a time tested method that truly works!

Ps 71

In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge;
Let me never be ashamed.
2 In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
Incline Your ear to me and save me.
3 Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come;
You have given commandment to save me,
For You are my [a]rock and my fortress.

I have become a marvel to many,
For You are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all day long.

I read these verses this morning in the few extra minutes I had before leaving for work. My mind immediately formed a picture (it does that more than I like to admit) of a brightly burning fire inside a cave. As I lay on my bed of tender green pine branches, I watched the fire shadows dancing around the walls of the cave as if the flames were performing a circle dance. 

Outside the cave, a terrible storm was raging. Wind and snow were beating on the outside of the rock. Branches and other debris, driven by the wind, were smashing against the face of the rock outside, collapsing in bits and pieces all around.

But I was safe and warm inside the cave where the only evidence of the storm was the occasional sound of the howling wind. 

I thought of all the times I have run to God, my rock of habitation, and He has sheltered me from all the chaos going on in life. In every one He brought peace, confidence, strength and comfort to my soul, so much so that others wondered how I could remain joyful and peaceful through the raging storm. 

There were two delivery room emergencies.  Both times His voice pierced through with promises from His Word filling me with reassurance and strength.  The first time I heard Him say “you can do ALL things through me because I will strengthen you.” I heard this at the end of of 32 hours of labor and while they were asking me to something that physically was impossible during contractions. Within a few minutes, my daughter was born.

The other delivery room emergency involved my youngest daughter’s heart rate. God brought 2 Samuel 22:21, the same verse He had spoken to my heart on the morning I found out that I was pregnant with her, on the day when the doctor told me that I was probably going to lose her, and on the day when the doctor told me that I had lost her.  What?, you’re asking?  I didn’t lose her, but the doctor told me I had.  I refused to believe Him so he did a sonogram to prove to me that he was right and found out that he wasn’t. Furthermore, he found no evidence of bleeding, scar tissue or a detaching placenta, which former x-rays had shown. 

There was the day when the Lord had laid upon my heart to pray for one of my children and they ended up ingesting medication later that day.  The doctor was very concerned and fully expected that I would end up in the emergency room. I, on the other hand, knew that God had handled it already that morning, so I just waited and watched Him protect my kid.

There were several times when others who did not have my best interest at heart were trying to get me to believe things that weren’t true in an effort to render me ineffective and causing me to be confused. God spoke the truth to me with a clear, strong voice and kept me from making wrong decisions and developing wrong opinions about myself. It was then that I learned to do what David did and encourage myself in the Word, a practice I still do often, even if there is no crisis. It truly lifts you above your current circumstances and helps you see things from God’s perspective, making them seem much smaller than they had been before. What a release and relief to see things from God’s point of view and to know that nothing is too big or hard for Him to handle.

There was the literal chaos of a roadside accident where most of our worldly possessions and my children lay strewn about a field as if our van had exploded and everything had flown out. Even there, God spoke to my heart, several times, above all the sirens, the rescue workers shouting, the blaring radios, the roar of the jaws of life and the snow plows. He said, “I have answered your prayers” and then when a rescue worker announced that two of my children were unresponsive “that can’t be!”, which prompted me to run to them and pray again. There was the definite “NO” that came when the doctor wanted to put one of my children on seizure medicine, something that made total sense in the natural to do.  She’s never had a seizure since.

In all our crises of life, no matter how quickly they might come upon us, how hard they might come upon us, how powerful they seem, how hopeless they seem, how much they hurt, even if we know that every breathe we take that day is an extension of God’s power and grace in our lives, we have His promises to hide in. Yes, we remain in the storm, but it’s not pelting us with it’s fierceness. Instead we are warmed by His promises, we are strengthened by the power they reveal, we are encouraged that they never change...and yes, we can dance in the light of God’s love while everything else rages around us.

This knowledge is what caused Paul and Silas to sing although they were facing certain death.  This is what caused Peter to step onto the water. This is how the three Hebrew children could refuse to bow and how the Shunammite woman could reply “it is well” to the prophet when asked about her son’s health.  He had just died hours before. 

This is what is different about a Christian. We are not swayed by our circumstances, we are not fearful in chaos.  We hold a certain and strong assurance in the face of every tragedy. We go through things but all the while are covered by the rock hard protection and oversight of Almighty God. That knowledge gives us a different demeanor and a different dialogue. We should be a wonder to them.

THIS is what the world is looking for.  THIS is what they need.  How will they hear, how will they know if we do not hear and know this for ourselves? How can we comfort others with this comfort if we have never received it for ourselves? 

Today I choose to dwell in the Rock!

It's been a long winter. For more mornings that I can count, we have been awakened by a phone call from the school district at 5:30 am announcing a school cancellation or a two hour delay. This morning came as a surprise to both of us as snow had not been predicted to be a serious concern. We were surprised to find 4 inches of the whitest, fluffiest snow we've had all season outside our window. Last evening when I came home, it had just begun to lay on the flower bed border. The light shining on it revealed the individual snow flakes, so intricate and diverse in their design.  I stood there for several minutes observing them, marveling at them and trying to find two that were alike.  There weren't any. This morning I rushed outside early to clean off my car and found that just a light touch to the snow hanging on the side of the car would cause all the snow on that side to fall to the ground. A leaf blower proved to be the most effective way to remove the snow from the walkways and driveway.

The downside is that there won't be any snowmen or snow forts built today. It;s not the right kind of snow.  You can't even make a snowball out of it much less build a foundation to a snowman or fort. It's pretty much useless except that it looks radiantly pretty until the sun hits it and poof, it's gone.

As Christians, we see and hear a lot of spiritual fluff on Christian radio, TV and and sadly from American pulpits. It sounds pleasant.  It's easy to swallow.  It challenges us little and affirms us too much. But like the beautiful snow that I found outside my door this morning, it is useless! It will not build any kind of foundation in your life. It will not add to what foundation you already have. It will not add anything to your spirituality. It will be here today and gone tomorrow and you will remain un-helped. When a little north wind blows, that fluffy teaching will run away ahead of it and be gone. It will offer you no protection or shelter.

Fluff will only make you feel full and deceive you into thinking you've been fed.  It's empty calories. It's like cotton candy for the soul. Full of calories with no nutritional value. It will leave you feeling sickly and weak.

The ingredients of spiritual fluff are truth, some extra-Biblical material and plain falsehood. Therefore, it is extremely dangerous. There is enough truth in it that it won't slap you in the face with its error, but if put  into practice will lead you closer to heresies or at best, leave you the same way you were with no change, maturity or strengthening.

Fluff tells you there is grace without repentance, blessing without obedience, and virtue in weakness. The end result of fluff is vulnerability, a sickly spiritual demeanor, and eventual spiritual death. You will melt away just as the icy fluff did on my flower box. 

To be strong, we must have meat and vegetables and fruit. But just eating it will not produce results. We gain strength by eating healthy and exercising with the strength that it provides. Our spiritual life is no different. Sound, Biblical doctrine strengthens us to walk strong in the Lord. Spiritual fluff deceives us into thinking we are strong until it's too late.

That fluffy snow might make great snow ice cream, but when it comes to spirituality, we need to stick to the teaching that throughout history has been the foundation of the church.