Newness of Life in Being Followed.

  Have you ever been followed? It really does not matter who you are or where you are in life, at times in your life you will have followers.  It could be simply being followed to a destination by vehicle or trekking down a trail. Maybe you have garnered countless followers on Twitter. Anyone who has been gifted with the privilege of parenting has definitely been followed (Thank God for good and faithful parents!). And as a leader, young or seasoned, followers are there to learn and grow with your mentoring and help.
   You may have even had the harrowing experience of unwanted following.  I experienced a little of that out on a long walk at dusk one night in the Phoenix desert.  It seemed as though two coyotes thought it would be fun to track me a while, albeit from a distance, as I ambled along in the heat. Thankfully, there were only two and they found something more appealing an opposite way. Sometimes we can invite unwelcome followers too, in the form of consequences from poor choices or unchecked habits that draw us away from our walk with Christ.  Good news abounds, though, when we remember that we can be forgiven when we confess our waywardness and joy can be restored by His unending grace.
  In God's Word we can find some followers that are very welcome indeed.
  In Psalm 23, verse 6, we read:

  "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the day's of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

  It is incredibly comforting to know that as we walk in newness of life with Him, His infinite mercy is richly available.  Grace is getting what we don't deserve, while mercy is not getting what we do deserve. We can take great delight in that and eagerly show thankfulness to God each day by:
Making sure to read His Word.
Living a life in front of others that points ultimately to Him.  The words of Mark Hall from Casting Crowns expresses it well in part of their song "Slow Fade":

"Be careful little feet where you go,
For it's the little feet behind you,
That are sure to follow."

  His goodness follows those who are His too. His ways are higher than our ways, so we can hardly imagine how good His goodness really is!  But as we spend life pursuing Him and living a life to please Him, He lets us know that His love is unconditional and endures forever.  Praise Him for His goodness, as He says in His Word:

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose."- Romans 8:28

A prayer:
  Father, I cannot thank you enough for sending your Son to die for me and take the penalty of my sin, and then You raised Him from the dead so that I may have eternal life if I believe and trust in Him. Thank you too for sending mercy and goodness to follow me in all of life.  I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

Newness of Life in Relinquishing Control.

  Have you been on a boat lately? It has been quite a while for me. I remember being on a sailboat with my uncle Nick at the helm. There were some trips I can recall going down the Nantahala River, whitewater rafting. And then there are forays out on the lake on a speedboat.  As I think about those times, it helps me put into perspective who is really in control.  Mostly I feel as though controlling the situations that come into life is the way to go, but it quickly becomes clear that sometimes out on the waters of life's adventure, relinquishing control is key to survival and helping me to see that God is sovereign.
    "Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  The everlasting God, the LORD, the creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.  His understanding is unsearchable."- Isaiah 40:28
  Out on a raft, white waters surrounding you, you learn some things: about working together as a team- a team you are committed to enjoy and endure the adventure with, about trusting that though there are rough waters- God has your back and your front and everything in between.
   On the speedboat, we like to rev up the power and make our own waves and chart a course and we can surely feel good about how good we seem to navigate the waters. Unchecked, we can also find ourselves in trouble spots along the way.  But it seems easy to power ourselves this way and that way and can even forget where we started from.  But we were never meant to be in total control.  That is God's domain, and He wants us, for our own good, to know He is able to maintain and sustain through any desolation and consolation.
  "For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."- Jeremiah 29:11
 
  On a sailboat, you learn to catch the wind. You know that you cannot really have control of the way the wind blows and therefore the way you will need to go can depend on making the best out of what you are given, day by day, moment after moment.  Thankfully, God will gladly help us know the way, if only we ask and relinquish our sometimes stubborn hold on everything. As we walk in His resurrection power, newness of Life, we follow His lead, catch His wind, and let Him be glorified in our lives.
  "Thank the Lord for His gracious care in bringing you safely this far.  Thank Him that He will also continue to work on your behalf throughout the remainder of your life's pilgrimage.  Reaffirm your trust in His faithfulness."- Cheryl V. Ford

A prayer:
  Dear Father in Heaven, please let me know Your direction and the courage to sail with You, remembering You are truly in complete control.  Help me lean on Your everlasting arms, when the way is rough, and it does not seem to make sense. You are good, and I love you. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Newness of Life Balancing Determination and Peace.

  Balance is always a key.  As I walk in newness of life I have found that, undeniably, determination is an important part of the adventure of living. Equally, rest is vital to the journey.
  As I walked and jogged along a five mile trek this morning I saw an ant, exhibiting some fierce determination to get his job done.  Admittedly, I don't know what purpose the feather he was lugging along with him would serve, but the diligence sparks my own diligence.
  As I read 1 Timothy 4:12-15, I am prompted to consider the characteristics of being one who follows Christ- as an example in conversation, in conduct, in love, in enthusiasm of a life of Truth, in faith, in purity.  For all of them, we are called to be determined, as we read in verse 15.
  "Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all."- 1 Timothy 4:15
  Just as the ant was giving his all in his purpose, our purpose is knowing Him and making Him known, and we can do so by God's power in our lives- newness of life.
  To balance us though, we need true rest. Rest for our souls.  This is yet another gift from the hand of our heavenly Father. 
  Consider these words from Tom Eliff: " In your busy life, do you have a quiet time and a quiet place where consistently, day by day, you can spend time in prayer with the LORD?  Quiet places where we spend quiet times will be places and times of intimate communion with God."
  This is also the time to open His Word and read and study and learn and grow.
  Nancy Leigh Demoss teaches three very simple steps to a quiet time with God, to restore our souls and be refreshed:
Make sure it is regular. (time and place)
Let it be early, if at all possible.
Make sure you are alone. ( no distractions from all that may vie for attention)
  The beautiful balance of determination and rest will keep you walking strong in a world that weakens us around every bend.

A prayer:
  Faithful Lord, sometimes it seems hard to carve out time for quiet rest with You, that I may know you more. Please help me find the time and place and also added strength for determination as I strive to be an example of a person that follows You wholeheartedly. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Newness of Life With Good Counsel.

  What is it that everyone wants to give but no one wants to take? Advice.
  Actually there is the difference between advice and counsel that is important.  While advice focuses on a problem, counsel focuses on the person. Advice keys in on the what, while counsel keys more on the why.
  My problem is that many times I may receive good counsel, but then I do not take it to heart enough and take required action.  That practice would produce more wisdom, which I have great need of.
  What I find comforting is that we have access to the greatest counsel imaginable as children of God. There is the resource of other wise people to draw upon in the kingdom of God, and there are those who spent countless hours with Him and recorded their learning from Him, and then there is His indescribable gift of diving into the treasure of His Word to hear from His heart.
  Proverbs 11:14 lets us know, "Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety."
  Wise and trustworthy people in our lives help us, if only we will ask. I am grateful for parents and seasoned friends who have taken time to guide and encourage me along the way of life's adventure.  Add to this the great pastors and teachers that lead us in studying and applying God's awesome truth.
  Also I am grateful for God's faithful servants throughout time who have shared their gifts and lives and wisdom to help us press on. Hebrews 12:1 speaks of some of these, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses..." This is an enormously good reminder of faithful folks who trusted God and help us do the same by their example.
  Others have left a rich legacy of faithful lives of teaching and serving God- D.L. Moody, Charles Spurgeon, Oswald Chambers, Alexander MacLaren are some who have helped me to confidently trust in God and learn more of His ways and spurred me along to live a life that pleases Him.
  Most importantly, my Saviour and Lord, Jesus, in Isaiah 9:6, is called Wonderful Counselor.  Why would I not seek counsel from Him first and foremost?  He has the qualifications, no doubt about it.  And in His qualifications, he exhibits the following: He shows us the eternal perspective, He is understanding, He loves us, He encourages us, He prepares us for the inevitable problems that arise, He is patient with us. Incredibly, He gives us the opportunity every day to know Him and seek Him and praise Him!  He has given us the treasure of knowing Him as the Living Word.
  Warren Wiersbe writes, "Your Counselor knows the decisions you must make and how important those decisions are to you and Him.  God is lovingly wrapped up in your life.  He has a tremendous investment in you and your future.  He has more to lose if you fail than you do, for His eternal glory is at stake.  He wants to be your Counselor and show you His will.  He doesn't want to counsel you only in the emergencies of life; He wants to counsel you every day in even the mundane things of life.  As you seek His counsel, you get to know Him better.  In knowing Him better, you understand His will."

Please pray with me:
  Heavenly Father, lead me in the way everlasting.  Please help me seek You each and every day and counsel me with Your powerful and loving guidance, so I may please You and make Your name known.  I pray in the strong name of Jesus, Amen.