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For many years my in-laws had a place up in southwest Colorado that is isolated and remote. There is a stream that runs through that property that is filled with brook trout, and a pond that has rainbow and browns in it. It is over 10,000 feet, so it takes some time to adjust to the thinner air. The drive up there is about fifteen hours, but I thought it was well worth it.

They sold the place a few years ago. We have not been there for more than three years, and did not think we would ever be able to do so again. I was especially thinking about going up there with the continued triple digit temps here in North Texas. And just recently, we received a wonderful, unexpected blessing from God: we are going to be able to go back next summer.

I am already thinking about that trip. I usually get up early and head to that stream to see if I will have trout for dinner that day or not. Some days we do, some we don’t. But I enjoy the time fishing either way. That is because I also use that time for prayer. And it is more than just praying I’ll catch something. When I am up there fishing that stream, I won’t see anyone else for several hours. And I think about what Jesus did:

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (Luke 5:16)

No one else is around, there is no cell phone service, no distractions other than hooking a fish every now and then. It is a good time for me to exercise the privilege of being able to talk to my Father in heaven. And I talk to Him about everything. My shortcomings. My family. Those who are struggling. Those who are experiencing joy and blessing. I let Him know that I know He is in control. And I know He is listening.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 John 5:14)

 That is an important thing to understand about prayer. We can talk to God about anything, and He invites us to do so. But we dare not think prayer is a way to manipulate God. He is in control, not us. So we follow the example Jesus gave us in our prayers:

… not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

For me, it is comforting to talk to God and know that He always wants what is best for me. He will answer my prayers in the way that is most beneficial for me, even if it is not the way I think He should answer. I have this confidence because I know what He did for me in Christ.

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

Of course, I don’t have to wait to go up there to pray. It is important for each of us to find a time and a place every day for prayer. Find what works for you. You can pray anywhere and anytime, but find that time and place where you can minimize distractions and simply talk to God. I think you will be glad you did.

“Hot enough for ya?”  How many times have you heard that this year? Where I live we have lots of days with triple digit temperatures. In the last month it only rained once at my house, and that was barely two tenths of an inch. We went more than a month with our low temperature never dropping below 80 degrees. Yes, it is hot enough for me.

Coupled with the heat are the drought conditions. While it is bad enough here, other parts of Texas have it even worse. Farmers are losing their crops. Ranchers cannot afford hay or feed for their herds. The economic impact is widespread. If the farmers and ranchers are not making money, all the businesses in their communities suffer. And it will most likely affect everyone in the form of dramatically higher prices for the commodities they produce, like beef and wheat and cotton.

How do we deal with the heat? We have no choice but to take things as they come. Our modern conveniences, like running water and air conditioners, make it much easier now than it was in the past to live with the heat. Even if your air conditioner breaks – and many of them have this year – you can still take a cool bath or shower!

My yard, like most of them around here, is brown. What amazes me is how the trees in my yard continue have green leaves. It is because their roots run deep and absorb the needed moisture from deep within the earth.

Scripture draws a parallel to our spiritual well-being.

Jeremiah 17:7–8 “…blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

If we are rooted in the one who came so that we might have life and have it to the full, we need not fear when the heat – physical or otherwise – comes. Jesus saw to it that our greatest need was met when He gave Himself as the sacrifice for sin and provided forgiveness. He gives the drink our spirits need to live (John 4:14). And the one who sent Jesus to be our Savior has promised that along with Him He will give us everything we need (Romans 8:32). That includes what we need to endure this heat and the drought.

As I follow the story of the fires in Maui, I have a profound sense of sadness. Cheryl and I have been there twice, and we remember the areas that were shown devastated by the wildfires. While it is sad to think those historic beautiful buildings no longer there, even more somber is the death toll – now at 99 – which will no doubt climb dramatically in the days to come.

Nothing here on earth lasts forever. That was not God’s original plan, but sin changed all that. Sin brought death and decay and destruction. The pictures coming from Lahaina brought to mind this passage:

2 Peter 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

I am not saying the residents on Maui brought this on themselves. We all deserve this kind of destruction because of sin. And it is sobering to see those images. Even more troubling to me is considering how many of those who died perished eternally? I don’t know the answer to that, but those who did not put their confidence and faith in Jesus  are doomed for eternity. Even more tragic than any fire or natural disaster is that such a fate can be avoided.

Isaiah 51:6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.

2 Corinthians 4:18  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

The promises of God are sure and certain and a comfort to us as we face the problems of this world.

Have you shared the Good News you know with those who have not heard?

Back in 2013 Cheryl and I were in Pennsylvania for a convention. After that we spent about five days exploring the state. One fo the things we were able to see is Fallingwater. A department store owner from Pittsburgh named Kaufmann had the place built as a summer home during the Great Depression. The thing that makes this house so special is that it is built over a waterfall. Oh, and it was designed by a fellow named Frank Lloyd Wright.

The place is a thing of beauty. It seems to hang in midair as it extends out over the stream and waterfall. It is an example of what Mr. Wright called “organic architecture.” The way I understand this concept, it means the place should look like it belongs there. It uses materials from the area and blends in well with its surroundings. Find a picture of the place online. It fits. Inside, however, it provided modern conveniences and comfort. It was a retreat, a haven, and a shelter. But it was not a natural occurrence. It was different.

As the tour guide was going through the explanation of this place, I was reminded of how our Lord Jesus was willing to come down to this earth and live among us as one of us. He fit in. He looked like He belonged, He blended in. But inside, He was very different. The rest of us are filled with sin and corruption. The desires of our hearts are evil. We may do a good job of hiding it from others, but that doesn’t mean it is not there.

Not so with Jesus. He was different. There was no corruption, no deceit, no sin in His heart or His mouth or His life. There was instead love, mercy, kindness, patience and grace. He came to make things better. He came to be among us and make it possible for us to be right once again with the Father. He offered Himself as the payment for sin so that we would not have to pay for our own sin. And that payment is available to you.

Part of the reason the Kaufmann’s built Fallingwater was to get away from the smoky pollution of Pittsburgh in those days. It was a sanctuary, an escape. Jesus’ coming to us provided an even better sanctuary, haven and shelter. He gives us an escape from our sin and what it deserves. He offers instead forgiveness and salvation.

That message runs throughout the Bible. Spend some time reading those promises for yourself, like the one Jesus made in John’s Gospel:  

 “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31–32 (ESV)

I hope that you have had some vacation time recently. In retirement, many days feel like vacation. However, Cheryl and I still like to take trips. And we have learned that we don’t have to try to fill every moment with activity. We take plenty of time to just “be.” Whether it is sitting on a beach or visiting with friends, we enjoy the moment. Take it all in.

Something else I strive to do on my vacation is to converse with God. I certainly spend time praying, but I try to listen to Him as well by reading His Word. Part of my days are spent reflecting on the tremendous love of God that led him to send His Son to pay for the sins of everyone, including me.

However, I never seem to have private time with God often enough. When I do take time to read Scripture and pray, I am blessed by that. But I still get distracted and busy with too many other things and neglect this necessary part of my life.

Luke 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Our Lord knew the value of quiet time to speak with the Father, and modeled the practice for us. His humanity needed it as much as we do. Being fully human, he went through all the problems and distractions we have to deal with. There were times He had to postpone His private time with God.

In Matthew 14, Jesus heard the news that John the Baptist has been killed. He tried to withdraw to a solitary place to grieve and pray. But the crowds followed Him, and in compassion He saw to their needs before seeing to His own. In fact, He ended up feeding about 5000 people with five loaves and two fish. After that, He dismissed the crowds, sent His disciples ahead of Him, and finally got His time to pray.

Often we get busy with our lives and push aside our time for prayer and reflection and private time with God. It happens. It happened to Jesus. But if we follow His example, we will not just forget about our devotional time just because we got busy. We will get right back to it at the first opportunity.

Someone once asked Martin Luther about his plans for the following day. He replied that it would be a very busy day, that he had many things he hoped to accomplish. And then he said “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”

We should all see prayer and private time with God as something necessary and important.  It is a powerful and efficient use of your time, and a way to cultivate a deeper relationship with your God.

“You just don’t understand!” Everyone has heard that phrase as some point. Many of you have uttered it yourself. It might come from a distraught teenager who feels like her world has just collapsed. A young family that has dug themselves into a deep financial hole might think this thought. Someone who has lost a spouse or a child will offer the same phrase as he struggles to come to grips with that awful reality: “You just don’t understand.”

Often well-meaning individuals will try to console someone by saying “I know just how you feel…” and then share a time they went through a similar experience. While their hearts may be in the right place, that is seldom received well. In fact, rather than helping, it can lead the person they are trying to help to feel anger and resentment instead. They will think or say, “How can he/she possibly know how I feel?”

I have recently been going through the Gospel of John. In doing so, I was reminded that there is someone who knows how I feel and what I am going through. God Himself came down here to be one of us: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us (John 1:14). And in the next chapter is says, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man (John 2:23–25).

That last phrase really struck me: he knew what was in a man. As one of us, he can relate to our lives. As God, He has complete and full understanding or all we go through. In fact, He went through the same temptations we face day after day: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

We have one who understands. He sympathizes with us. He does know how you feel. And He wants to help. You are encouraged to cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). He does so from the perspective of one who has been through it Himself and as one who can help you as no one else can. In fact, that was why He came.

Jesus knew and still knows the mess you are in because of sin. He knew you could not fix that on your own. He understood. And He did something about it. He took your place. He took your guilt. He took your sin and carried it with that cross to Calvary. When He died, it was for you. Because of Him, you have peace with God. That was why He could say, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

He understands.

My dear wife and I both celebrated yet a significant birthday this summer. We have reached the point where we are both on Medicare! We have officially joined the ranks of “Senior Citizens.” With the passing of time one is supposed to gain wisdom and maturity. Some question whether or not that is truly the case as it applies to me.

With each passing year, I am grateful for God’s goodness and kindness to me here on earth. I am also reminded of my own mortality. Aches and pains, sleepless nights and a growing supply of pharmaceuticals in my house remind me that I am mortal, that I suffer in my body the consequences of sin: my own sin and the cumulative effect of all sin on God’s creation.

I’ve often commented that the men in my family don’t seem to live much past  retirement age. I feel blessed to have made it this far. I am trying to take care of this earthly dwelling that God has given me, but you never know how much time you have in this world. I think of the story of the “Rich Fool” who tried to store up earthly wealth only to discover his time on earth was over (Luke 12:13-21). Jesus was making the point that “a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions,” but it is also a clear warning that we don’t know when the number of our days here on earth will be over.

Birthdays are reminders of the passage of time. Perhaps they cause you to marvel at the fact that you’ve made it another year. For me, my birthday is also a reminder of a very special birth that I try to celebrate every day. I know we’ve set aside a day in late December to celebrate it, but it deserves more attention in our lives than that. God coming in flesh to remedy the problem of sin for all people should be celebrated every day. Remembering that Jesus took my place in punishment and rose from the dead in victory helps me to keep things in their proper perspective. Whether I live here on earth one more year or fifty more, His birth, life, death and resurrection is what allows me to live with confidence. I’ve been washed in the blood of the Lamb, I am forgiven, I have the certainty of life everlasting, and that life has already started for me. That’s some wisdom we all need in our lives.

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12