And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Hewbrews 13:16
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n. A state of equilibrium, as in an organism or cell, maintained by self-regulating processes.
n.The ability and tendency of certain systems to maintain a relatively constant internal state in spite of changes in external conditions; this ability is achieved by the presence of feedback mechanisms which can adjust the state of the system to compensate for changes in the state caused by the external environment. It is exemplified in homeothermal biological systems, such as animals which maintain relatively constant blood temperature and composition in spite of variations in external temperature or the composition of the food ingested.
n.The ability of a system or living organism to adjust its internal environment to maintain a stable equilibrium; such as the ability of warm-blooded animals to maintain a constant temperature.
-American Heritage Dictionary
Back in 2020 our world changed. Our daily lives practically came to a halt, routines changed, nothing was normal. Everything from terminology, commutes, conversations, travel, work, statuses, relationships, everything that we once new as normal changed, disrupting our lives.
Homeostasis is what our physical bodies do when it encounters change in its environment. When it’s cold outside, our bodies form goose bumps raising the hairs on our skin to form a layer of air between the skin and the hair to keep warm. Our bodies are always trying to stay in a constant state of balance, equilibrium.
Why don’t our minds have a homeostasis or do they? When our environment changes in any way, we can perceive it as a threat. Back to it being cold outside, we can be outside enjoying a warm day and then a cold wind can sweep in a cold front and suddenly we are cold and we get goose bumps. But what about our minds? How can we keep our minds stable? Like when our environment effects our minds our spiritual walk can be affected as well. What about spiritual homeostasis?
When the pandemic hit and all these changes happened, how did it affect you spiritually? How easy was it for your mind to feel lost, go in a million directions, forget your routine especially when it came to your time with God? Don’t know about you, but for me it seems like that is the one of the first things to take a hit. Why is it so hard to stay consistent? Daniel in the Bible was abruptly taken from his home, his family and friends. He was taken away from all that he ever knew and thrown into an environment that went completely against what he believed. Babylon was beautiful. Imagine the most beautiful community, manicured lawns, adorned passage ways and buildings with every possible convenience right outside your door. Now there’s nothing wrong with those things but those things have their place (another post for another time).
Daniel was consistent with his walk with God. He remained faithful in praying three times a day to God (Daniel 6:10-17) and remained faithful to his Hebrew culture by continuing to eat healthy and refusing the choice foods from the kings table (Daniel 1:8-16). He resolved to continue to live as he had before he was kidnapped. He was anchored in God’s Word and it was because of his obedience God allowed him to be favored by the king (Daniel chapter 1). For myself, I find comfort in routine. Kinda like in RainMan where Dustin Hoffman playing the part of Raymond Babbit, an older brother with autism. No matter where he was he had to watch Judge Wapner. His younger brother Charlie Babbit played by Tom Cruise, somehow made it happen. He went to the great lengths of knocking on doors of strangers asking if they would let him and his brother in to watch TV. When Charlie recreated the routine or the environment for Raymond, things were good, otherwise Raymond couldn’t cope.
Think about it. How often do you find yourself out of your routine and your time with God gets derailed or pushed aside. Some days it can’t be helped but then one day turns into a week and then two weeks then you can’t remember the last time you spent with God reading His Word. How do we keep a spiritual homeostasis when our routine changes? I find it hard to cope without spending time with God each day. Some days it may happen later in the day, some days it may happen before the sun comes up, depending on what’s on the agenda for the day. But it has to happen so that when the environment changes, I can be consistent with at least one thing and remain faithful to God.
What are some things you do to keep that spiritual homeostasis? What helps you keep an equilibrium when your routine and environment change? Share your thoughts and comments and please like and share.
Love can be complicated. So can life. God commands us to love, to love Him and our neighbor. What God asks of us is summed up in one simple four letter word, love. Galatians 5:14. 1 Corinthians 13:13 – Faith, hope and love… the greatest of these is love. How hard can those two simple commands be? For us humans, it can be pretty hard sometimes. What is it that makes this one simple command so hard sometimes?
The answer is simple. We can only love one thing at a time. Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13 explain that we can’t have one foot in the world and one serving God.
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” as Matthew 6:24 states.
We may be living in this world but we don’t have to be a part of it. We can still enjoy most things in this world, they have their right place in our hearts and our lives. And how we use those things determines where our hearts are.
When our heart is divided it makes choosing difficult. Choose to love one another, choose to love God over the things this world has to offer. It can be tempting to want some things of this world, but Jesus knows all about being tempted – Matthew 4:1-11, but God has overcome the world – John 16:25-30. When we choose love now we are choosing something that will last into eternity.
Keep it simple, choose love, choose God first.
He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”
Luke 24:6-7
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So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
Isaiah 41:10
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
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Colossians 4:5 – “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”(NIV)
We are all given 24 hours in a day, 1,440 minutes and God is in each minute of every hour. Time is a gift. We can choose how we spend our time and God encourages us to spend it on things that will last through eternity. 1 John 2:17 – “And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. While these words John wrote may convict, try and reflect on them and see how you are spending your time. What are you giving your time to? Things that fade or things that will last? Many of the activities and services we do can become holy and pleasing just by acknowledging God’s presence in them. Washing dishes, doing laundry, mowing the lawn with gratitude, send emails with grace and love …practice being aware of God’s presence throughout the day. By doing this we will be investing in a realtionhship that will last for eternity. We were made for eternity. Ecclesiastes 3:11 – “He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart…” We can invite God into the mundane things we do everyday. Washing the dishes, for example, need to be done for a clean and healthy home so our family can have clean plates from which to eat. By changing our heart attitude and doing it unto the Lord we are bringing God into our everyday, every hour, every minute. Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, …”
Perhaps you have been giving into sinful cravings, spending time unwisely or being willfully blind to God’s presence. God invites you to confess your sin to Him. Whatever sins are troubling you, bring them to God with assurance that God is ready to forgive – 1 John 1:9. He casts our sins as far as the east is from the west – Psalm 103:12. He calls us His children – John 1:12
We can make the most of the time we have been given by living with discernment and wisdom, learning to distinguishing truth from falsehood and discerning the leaders that speak God’s truth from evil ones. We will know them by their fruit – Matthew 7:16. Are their lives producing fruits of the Holy Spirit? Ask for discernment as you choose the leaders to listen to.
“Conduct yourself with wisdom in your interactions with outsiders (non-believers), make the most of each opportunity [treating it as something precious].”
Colossians 4:5 (Amplified)
God is in every minute of our day. One way we can become more aware of God’s presence is to reflect at the end of the day and see where we saw God. What were you doing yesterday, this morning? Who or what was filling your mind? What were you busy doing? Who were you with? What were your thoughts in the afternoon? What did you eat for dinner? What type of media did you watch? Who did you speak to? How can you see God’s presence during those hours? Your hours sleeping were a waste of time. Rest is a gift of God. God ultimately establishes the work of our hands. God was there with you, watching over you while you were sleeping.
“Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.”
Colossians 4:5 (ASV)
God encourages us to make the most of our time. We don’t need to stress ourselves out increasing our productivity. We can please God as we do our work and recognize God’s presence in the work He has provided for us to do. God really is in every minute of every hour of every day. He did create day and night, He gave us time, let’s honor Him by using the gift of time wisely.
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:19
The month of March is all about God’s promises. The world maybe celebrating luck and finding pots of gold but the Word of God and the His promises it contains are worth more than any pot of gold.
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Nehemiah 8:10 – “… the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Ever wondered what that really means? How can the the Lord’s joy be our strength? Well, first we need to look at the who, when, where and why of the passage. We need to read the chapters and verses before it. So, let’s journey through the passages.
Most scholars believe The book of Nehemiah was written by Nehemiah himself. Nehemiah exhibited exceptional leaderships qualities and he was a man of prayer. He depended deeply on God and knew how to draw strength and assurance from Him. Nehemiah was a volunteer of sorts. He was deeply affected by the dismal state of Jerusalem and I believe God used this to move Nehemiah forward in rebuilding the wall and spiritually restoring the people of Israel.
“… the joy of the Lord is your strength
Nehemiah 8:10
Without going into too much background, I just want to look at verse 10 – “Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” How does the Lord’s joy give me strength?
Chapter 8 starts with Ezra, a leader of the Jews on the first day of the seventh month read the law to an assembly of people, men, women and children, and all who were able to understand. As they listened to Ezra the people began to weep for they knew how disobedient they had been to God. This was known as the Feasts of Trumpets. Everyone was to stop working and remember the Lord. Everyone started out praising and worshipping God. As Ezra continued to read the law, they wept and mourned because they became aware of how disobedient they had been. The reading and receiving of the law was to be a joyous time. God’s Word has the power to convict, convert and revive and we can be joyous when we are convicted because true conviction leads to repentance and restoration with God. “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.” – 2 Corinthians 7:10 (NLT). When we repent and change we are restored and that brings us JOY! GOD’S JOY!
How happy are you when someone you’ve hurt forgives you? Have had to repent to someone for hurting them, especially someone you love? When you realize what you have done and feel bad, or sorrowful and want to make things right, you go to that person, apologize and ask for forgiveness. When that person forgives you, you both are so happy and the relationship is restored. How happy have you been when someone apologizes for hurting you?
In Zepahnaih 3:17 – The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” God is love – 1 John 4:8 & 16 1 John 4:8 – But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:16 – We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. John 3:16 – For God so Loved the world, He gave His only Son (paraphrased).
He will take great delight in you … will rejoice over you with singing.’
Zepahnaih 3:17
All we have to do is receive that forgiveness and His love!!! He takes joy in us when we turn from our sin and and are deeply sorry for what we have done. It is a time of restoration and a time to celebrate like people did in verse 10 of Nehemiah. Because God is joyful in my repentance I can draw strength from that.
Why do we find it hard to share our faith? We readily share our passion for our hobbies, TV shows, or sports but when it comes to our faith, we shy away. Why? Perhaps we are afraid we may offend someone and they won’t like us anymore. Or maybe we just don’t feel like we are adequately well versed to share what we know about God and His Word. Perhaps we fear we may get a question we can’t or don’t know how to answer.
We are commanded to share the Gospel: “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’” – Matthew 16:15. (NKJV) When God says “Go”, GO! It may feel uncomfortable, it may feel weird, but we can trust God to give us the words we need at the right time when we have His Words in our minds and in our hearts. “The Lord God has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary.” (NIV) – Isaiah 50:4.
Yet there are a few benefits for sharing what we know. We don’t know everything there is about God and the Bible and that’s ok. When we share what we know, we are increasing our own knowledge. Repeating what we know helps us learn and helps us to remember. Our learning and our memories benefit from active involvement. Hearing ourselves repeat what we know helps us retain that information. Thus, why here at the Kedge Anchor, Memorize Mondays is offered to help anyone who wants to memorize scripture. And having scripture stored in your memory you will be more confident to recall God’s Words when you are sharing. And more importantly sharing our faith, can lead others to God and salvation. The Holy Spirit will help you recall what you have learned and in the process of sharing don’t be surprised if God reveals something to you whilst you are sharing. It can happen. I’m not just talking about sharing just the Gospel, I’m talking about sharing our experiences, our walk with God, His promises. God will use anything to lead you to share the Gospel.
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Psalm 119:11
The waterfall in the picture in this post, reminds me how powerful the God’s Word can be. The waterfall has tons of pressure and force behind it, yet it’s beauty is inviting, captivating and mesmerizing. When we are presenting God’s Word, be it the Gospel, or a promise, or just words of encouragement, when spoken in truth and grace, those words will be inviting, captivating and mesmerizing. God can use anyone, anything, any circumstance for your to share His Word.
So, you maybe asking, how? Practice. Practice just sharing your faith or what you have learned with another believer. Share your faith online. Be bold. If you lose a few friends, then pray for them. A seed has been planted and God will take care of it. Practice living your faith out day to day. Our actions speak louder than words and when others see our responses in certain situations they will wonder, “what do they have, that I don’t have?” Memorize scripture. Sometimes you may not learn a verse word for word, but knowing where it lives in the Bible you can pull it up on your phone. Here is one I find useful: thebible.com. If we are living out what we have learned that too is an active involvement. Start little by little. Be vulnerable when sharing. It’s hard, it’s not easy. We all want to be accepted but we need to live out the Gospel in BOLDNESS!
Do everything in love.
1 Corinthians 16:14
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The Kedge Anchor 
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