“Train up a child in keeping with his individual gift or bent.” Proverbs 22:6 Amplified Bible

“At the core of every person is the awesome and personal design of God awaiting discovery.”

My thoughts today are about “a Designer’s original.”

I find three practical truths in Solomon’s wise counsel in today’s verse. First, God the Creator designed your uniqueness and individuality with love and mastery, as He formed you in your mother’s womb. The Bible says, “Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.” Psalm 139:13-16 NIV. There is nothing about you that is random or accidental. If that were not true there would be no pattern for a parent to follow, no destiny for each child to realize.

Secondly, you are to discover the design that is God-given. That’s where your greatest achievements will be found. To the degree your parents succeed in that and you will embrace that design, you will find satisfaction and success in life.

You will occasionally hear a reference to a person’s “natural bent,” the way God created them. There is a naturalness to every person that is supernatural in its origin. The biggest mistake a parent could make may be trying to impose their own hopes and plans, pushing a child in ways they were never meant to go. Yes, you are affected to some measure by your heredity and environment, but know this: at your core is the awesome and personal design of God.

Thirdly, your greatest goal is to recognize and understand what is right for you. You are a Designer’s original, made in His image and likeness. See Genesis 1:26-31 NIV. Little girls and grown ladies watches beautiful celebrities walk the red carpet at a glamorous TV event, talking about the designer original dress and dazzling jewelry they are wearing. Some may wear a designer original, but more importantly, everyday you are one – the Designer’s original, incredibly beautiful and a handmade one-of-a-kind!

Every other objective and passion of your life will flow from your being comfortable and secure in what comes naturally to you – what clearly and consistently resonates in your heart of hearts. Something inside will whisper, “This is me; this is how God made me,” not as any excuse for imperfections, but as a calling to be all God designed you to be. Refuse to be a cheap copy of anyone else. Be yourself as a tribute to your Creator.

This can best, maybe only be found in Christ. “That you may prove for yourself what is that good, acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1-2 NKJV. You most find yourself – who you really are and are to be – when you fully give yourself to God. To lack this is to become vulnerable to peer pressure, to succumb to others’ undue influence to conform you, or to tragically lose yourself by pleasing someone else’s agenda for your life’s path. “Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically as something done for the Lord, and not for men.” Colossians 3:23.

My prayer for you today is that you understand that what is righteous before God will be right for you.

“A river went out of Eden to water the garden . . and became four rivers.” Genesis 2:10

“Whatever God intends, He also provides for abundantly.”

My thoughts today are this, “what you have from God is enough.”

From Creation, you can learn this simple yet profound principle: whatever God intends, He also provides for abundantly. There is always an order in all that God does, and that order consistently expresses His provision and loving purpose. At the beginning of time, God made a Garden in Eden, providing a river to supply the garden’s life and growth with abundance.

Before He commanded vegetation, plants, and fruit trees to cover the earth, and the fish and birds to fill the seas and skies, He provided a separation of the dry land from the seas. Before He created the animals that roamed the land, He provided the plants of the field to feed and sustain them. And before He created man, He provided everything that man and woman would need, perfect surroundings, ample food, companionship, and meaningful occupation.

God has not changed. When God gives you a gift or talent, He will provide an opportunity – the time and way to share it meaningfully to bless others. When He places a great desire in your heart, He will provide the occasion – the means to pursue that dream and find a measure of fulfillment, not frustration. When He allows a need to surface in your life, He has already made provision – His supply for your satisfaction. When He gives you a command, He will provide the means and ability – to obey Him. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him.” Philippians 2:13 NLT.

Here is the Bible’s assurance for confidence in your Father’s sufficiency. “As your days, so shall your strength be . . my God will provide all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19/Deuteronomy 33:25 NKJV. God always provides out of the vast measure of His glorious riches, and sufficient to the requirements of your day! What you have that God has given you is enough, and when and if that is not, He will give you more or multiply what you have. Isn’t that all that you really need to know?

My prayer for you today is to know what you have from God is more than enough.

“God blesses those who are gentle (and humble of heart).” Matthew 5:5 NLT/TEV

“Gentleness is not lack of strength; it is strength of character governing your conduct.”

My thoughts today are about “the right attitude.”

Our world loves a tough guy, a person of strength and action, forceful in getting things done, often at the expense of collateral damage left in their wake. I am reminded of the story of a little guy whose grandmother leaned down, kissed him on the forehead and proudly said, “You are my sweet, little lamb!” To which he strongly reacted, “Grandma, I don’t want to be a lamb; I want to be a tiger!” I think most of us would choose the same. Isn’t it interesting that Jesus said, “I am sending you out as lambs among wolves.” Luke 10:3 NLT. Not too reassuring, is it?

My Dad and I loved cowboy movies – Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Lash Larue, the Lone Ranger, and of course, Hopalong Cassidy. Together each Saturday morning, we watched Hopalong Cassidy on our little black and white Muntz TV (yeah, I know; that was a long time ago before IPods and flat panel, digital TVs). There were always bad guys who needed someone to take them down a notch or two, and Hopalong was just the man to do that. He was a tough guy in the nicest sort of way, only tough when he had to be. He was my childhood John Wayne.

Today, it seems like everyone wants to be a tough guy, hard-charging corporate executives with a take-no-prisoner attitude, strong willed leaders who command respect and demand compliance no matter who gets stepped on along the way. Jesus’ world was not much different than yours. The strongest ruled and the weaker submitted and/or suffered. Rome was all-powerful; its mighty legions feared everywhere; its taxes burdensome; its rule absolute.

And into that world, Jesus came preaching about His Kingdom, in the Sermon on the Mount. (See Matthew 5-7) Jesus surprised His listeners by talking about the kinds of people God blesses: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the hungry and thirsty, the merciful, the pure hearted, the peacemakers, and the persecuted. That’s how Jesus defined the right attitude. Had you lived in ancient Palestine struggling under Rome’s dominating rule would you have wanted any of those attributes, let alone all of them, to be prominent on your personal resume? I think not.

And some had a problem with that, like Peter the rough fisherman, James and John the “sons of thunder,” Judas the zealot who chafed under hated Rome, and Saul of Tarsus with threats in every breath. Yet that very kind of men was inexplicably drawn to this carpenter. Jesus did not apologize when He invited people, “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your soul.” Matthew 11:29 NIV. Something deep inside their rough exteriors longed to be different – to find the rest for their soul that Jesus promised.

Okay, what then would gentleness look like in your everyday life? First, let me be clear about what it is not. Gentleness is not weakness, nor is it your fallback position when you have no other option. Gentleness is strength under perfect control. The truly gentle person touches tenderly, listens carefully, walks softly, waits patiently, cares deeply, and serves readily. Being gentle is not about lack of strength; gentleness is about strength of character governing your conduct. Gentleness is all about being like Jesus, and treating others, as Jesus loves you. See John 13:34 NIV/1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 NIV/Galatians 5:22-26 NIV.

My prayer for you today is to be real, and let your reality be like Jesus.

“The world offers . . a craving for everything we see.” 1 John 2:16 NLT

“Life is best when you keep it simple: love God and obey Him!”

My thoughts today are about “affections and appetites.”

You and I are just a living, breathing bundle of appetites and desires. Some of those are noble and worthy, some suspect and questionable. Ever wondered about the origin of those desires and appetites? Of course, God gave you desires when He created you. Those are the ones that are noble, they serve as inner motivations that are life affirming, pulling you in Godly directions.

The less noble ones with which you deal every day have an origin also that the Bible identifies as the “world, the flesh, and the devil.” This is where you and I run into problems with desires that conflict with everything God wants for you. Let me give a simplistic description of those. The world is the unredeemed culture around you. The flesh is the fallen nature within you. The devil is the enemy of your soul who is against you. It is spiritually dangerous when your own desires align sympathetically with those; you then find them irresistible. Read James 4:1-3 NIV.

Solomon, once the wisest and richest of men, writes later of tragically experimenting with unrestrained desires and concludes that its end was vanity – an emptiness of soul. It is sad to feel an emptiness of soul? Read Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 NLT. Because he could, Solomon did whatever his heart desired until he realized that none of his indulgences were at all satisfying beyond the moment.

“The world offers . . a craving for everything we see . . (but) no matter how much we see; we are never satisfied.” 1 John 2:16 NLT/Ecclesiastes 1:8 NLT. That accurately describes every pleasure seeker. The world falsely promises that the next thing you try will satisfy even though the last did not. And when it doesn’t, you are left even emptier than before, until you finally doubt that anything could fill the longings of your heart. But Jesus can, and will!

God who made your heart knows best what will satisfy the heart He gave you. Every other attempt to fill an empty heart will miserably fail. Here was Solomon’s conclusion: “There is only one thing to say: have reverence for God, and obey His commands, because this is all that man was created for. God is going to judge everything . . whether good or bad.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 TEV. Life is best when you keep it simple: love God and obey Him!

Here’s why this matter of desires is so important. Appetites have everything to do with what shapes your affections. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father.” 1 John 2:15-16 NKJV.

I admit this can sound easier than you will find it to do. Here’s how it works. “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth . . Let Heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things here on earth, for . . your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:2-3 KJV/NLT.

My prayer for you today is that you set the affections of your heart firmly upon God.

“You may be sure your sins will find you out.” Numbers 32:23 NIV

“The harder you try to run from facing your wrong, the faster truth pursues you.”

My thoughts today are that “you can run, but not hide.”

When I was a young teen, my Dad occasionally would remind me about today’s verse, “Be sure that your sins will find you out.” I was sobered by his words and as a result probably behaved better as a teen than I might have otherwise, but did not feel them threatening as such, nor did my Dad mean them to be. I think he wanted me to have an accurate sense of the folly of sin, and he succeeded in doing that. You will subject your decisions and plans to a more rigid scrutiny when you live everyday life with a deep conviction of the holiness of God and the inherent sinfulness of your own flesh. I believe that to be a healthy exercise and beneficial to one’s spiritual well-being.

The Bible teaches that sin will not remain a secret for long. Sin just won’t stay secret. Denying that you did wrong won’t make that disappear. Hiding from what you have done never works. You see evidence of that every day in the headlines or news programs – politicians, celebrities, business executives, professional athletes, as well as ordinary, everyday people. A person is caught doing something wrong and they deny that they did, until their story just keeps unraveling. The harder you try to run from facing your wrong, the faster truth pursues you.

Ever wondered why? It’s simple really. The devil wants your wrongdoing to be a permanent and fatal flaw, so he tempts you to deny or hide it. Doing so never works out well for anyone but him. “Beware of hypocrisy. The time is coming when everything will be revealed; all that is secret will be made public. Whatever you have . . whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear.” Luke 12:1-3 NLT.

He wants to see your past torture you and allow him to eventually rule over you. If the accuser of your soul can succeed, he can keep you in his grasp in the prison of your own guilt and shame. See Revelation 12:10-11 NIV. And he schemes to control you by the threat of exposure; it is spiritual blackmail, pure and simple. Don’t give him the opportunity. See 2 Corinthians 2:11 NIV.

God cannot allow denying and hiding to work for you. “People who cover their sins will not prosper. But if they confess and forsake them, they shall obtain mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 NLT. How much more plain could anything be? Adam and Eve tried blaming, denying, and hiding in the Garden of Eden. How did that work out for them? Read Genesis 3:6-13 NIV.

God will not let that work for you any better than it did for them. God loves you too much to allow that to happen. It didn’t work for Moses, covering a body in the sands of Egypt. Not for Saul, pleading for his disobedience not to be exposed to the people. Not for David, sending brave and loyal Uriah to the battlefront. Nor for Judas, trying to return the blood money of his cruel betrayal.

There is one simple answer, the same now that has always been – honest and humble repentance before God and man – the only cure. My dearest of friends, Campbell often said, “There is only one way that sin leaves a life – through the mouth, in confession.” See 1 John 1:5-10 NIV/Psalm 32:1-5, 51:9-12 NIV.

My prayer for you today is that you keep short accounts with God. That’s always best.