He came for testimony,

to bear witness

       to the light,

that all might believe

through him.

         John 1. 7

(You are not

       on jury duty.

You are on the stand

as a witness 

to reveal the truth.

Your life 

  is evidence of 

  the gospel in real life,

the power of His Spirit

   live streaming in you.

Why are you here

in this place,

in this awkward situation,

among these people?

Bear witness to the light.

Even in this.)

Serve the LORD 

   with gladness!

         Psalm 100. 2

(What does that 

look like today?

In this.

Even in this.

Am I bringing Him

glory in the hard places

or just my complaints?

How can I approach 

this with a happy heart?)

...and it became a snare to Gideon

          and his family.

                  Judges 8. 27

(What has a hold on you?

Do not let a good thing

         or even a great thing

become the ultimate thing.

Idols usually start small,

and the worship of any idol

       always becomes a snare.

The first warning sign of an idol

is that it erodes our relationships

    with others and with God.

And it always comes with

a list of justifications.)

And Gideon divided the 300 men

into three companies,

and put trumpets 

into the hands of all of them

          and empty jars,

with torches inside the jars.

                  Judges 7. 16

(God always uses the unlikely 

against the odds

to do impossible things

in overwhelming situations

       for His glory.

God is never limited by what

    is stacked against us.

His greater victory

emerges in unexpected ways.

Even in what you are facing,

         "Trust Me.")

And he said to him,

"Pray, Lord,

     how can I deliver Israel?

Behold, my clan is weakest 

                 in Manasseh,

and I am least in my family."

And the LORD said to him,

"But I will be with you..."

               Judges 6. 15-16

(His Presence makes

      all the difference.

There is always victory

          in obedience

sometimes in ways

    beyond our understanding.

"But I will be with you..."

How does that reality change

my vision in this situation?

How does God 

        change my heart?)

Does not the LORD go out

        before you?

             Judges 4. 14

(Follow the LORD into this,

not for a particular outcome,

but in faithfulness to Him.

The first step of His victory

     is a willing heart.)

It is good to give thanks

          to the LORD,

to sing praises

          to Your name,

          O Most High,

to declareYour steadfast love

   in the morning,

and Your faithfulness 

                 by night.

               Psalm 92. 1-2

(Bookends of the day

and everything inbetween.

Circumstances may

            or may not change,

but God transforms

                      my heart.

Even better.)

Because you have 

    made the LORD your refuge,

the Most High your habitation,

no evil shall befall you,

no scourge 

     come near your tent.

For He will give

    His angels charge of you

to guard you 

           in all your ways.

                  Psalm 91. 9-11

(Not "it will be easy and fun,"

    but "I am with you

       no. matter. what."

   Even in this.)

This will be a time

    for you to bear testimony.

                       Luke 21. 13

(Even here,

 even in this difficulty ,

no matter where,

no matter among whom,

point others to Jesus

      and practice grace.)

...but a faithful envoy

           brings healing.

           Proverbs 13. 17

(What am I bringing

      to the table?

To this impossible situation?

To this relationship?

To love the LORD,

to bear a witness to Him,

to bring God glory,

to walk in the light

    of His countenance,

               even in this.

His healing,

   not my agenda.

When I don't know what to do,

     take just one step,

               and then another.

Your heart, O LORD,

            over mine.)

I will sing of your steadfast love,

O LORD, for ever;

with my mouth 

      I will proclaim

Your faithfulness 

      to all generations.

               Psalm 89. 1

(Wherever you are,

among whomever you are,

leave behind something more

            of Him.

What lingers

     from the conversation,

what points them to God?

Making others aware

    of His Presence,

even in what seems obvious.)

...He sent two of His disciples, saying,

"Go into the village in front of you,

where on entering 

      you will find a colt tied,

on which no one 

             has ever sat.

Untie it and bring it here.

If anyone asks you,

"Why are you untying it?"

you shall say this:

"The Lord has need of it."

                    Luke 19. 30-31

(When obedience makes

     no sense to me

or appears as 

   a meaningless task,

that is when trust kicks in.

God designs profound purpose 

even when I don't understand.)

So Joshua said
    the people of Israel,
"How long will
        you put off
going in
to take possession
of the land,
which the LORD,
the God of your father's,
has given you?"

           Joshua 18. 3

(I may not know
His purposes in this,
nor even His direction,
but I can take
    the one step before me,
        and then the next.
Obedience is measured
           in steps,
faithfulness in the very details.)

And when  he came near,
He asked him,
"What do you want Me
to do for you?"

                   Luke 18:40-41

(How would you answer Him
              today?)

But the angel said 

       to the women,

"Do not be afraid,

for I know that

      you seek Jesus

      who was crucified.

He is not here,

         for He has risen,

as He said.

           Matthew 28. 5-6

(And nothing

   will ever be the same.

He is risen.

He is risen indeed.)

A joyous Easter to you.

Practice resurrection!

On the way to Jerusalem

He was passing along

between Samaria and Galilee.

                            Luke 17. 11

(There are only ordinary days

          and ordinary ways

         in God's economy.

God's most profound purposes

      emerge along the way,

His faithfulness in the details,

      not just the destination.)

...but did not ask counsel

          from the LORD.

               Joshua 9:14

(Big mistake number 1)

...but hold yourselves

     all in readiness...

             Joshua 8. 4

(Not just aware

      of your surroundings,

but mindful of the LORD.

Live expectantly.

Not if God leads,

        but how.

Faithfulness in the long haul

grows in the smallest details.)

And the commander
    of the LORD'S army
    said to Joshua,
"Put off your shoes
         from your feet,
for the place where you stand
               is holy."

                  Joshua 5. 15

(God considers holy
every step
   of obedience to Him,
any place
   where His name dwells.
God makes the ordinary
    extraordinary.)

...that you may know the way

          you shall go,

for you have not

   passed this way before.

            Joshua 3. 4

(Follow God into it,

     one step at a time.

Take the one step of obedience

        that is before you,

and the next step will rise up.)

As He said this,

all His adversaries 

   were put to shame...

             Luke 13. 17

(Accusations 

        cannot stick

to a heart of grace,

compassion 

and sheer love for others.

They were put to shame

because they knew

     He loved them too.)

Lay to heart

all the words

which I enjoin 

   upon you this day.

...For it is

no trifle for you,

but it is your life...

     Deuteronomy 32. 46-47

(Obedience to God

              matters.

It matters a lot.

It changes 

the trajectory of your life.

And impacts 

      generations 

              after you,

His Word

flourishing in you).

For I will proclaim

      the name of the LORD.

Ascribe greatness to our God.

              Deuteronomy 32. 3

(How can I bless the LORD

        in this before me,

whatever it may be?

There are many things

            I could do,

but I choose

    to bring Him glory.

It is not giving up anything,

but moving toward

          a higher calling

even in unexpected places.

There are no small things,

no ordinary days,

               in His name

     and for His glory).

...that He may
     establish you this day
                 as His people,
and that He may be your God...

                   Deuteronomy 29. 13

(and that pretty much
    changes your heart
    and the course of your life)

             

Your way was through the sea,

Your path

    through the great waters,

yet

   Your footprints were unseen.

                   Psalm 77. 19

(God leads me

through impossible places

and in unexpected ways.

Even when walking in mystery

        or in shadows

        or silence,

when I don't know what I am doing,

nor understand,

              I am not alone.

God is at work.

That is what the extraordinary

   looks like in ordinary places.)

And there

you shall build an altar

    to the LORD your God...

                 Deuteronomy 27. 5

(Here?  Are you kidding me?

In this hard place,

   in this impossible situation,

   among these difficult people?

Wherever 

      the LORD places me today

             is holy to the LORD,

even the rocky terrain,

     even the miry bog

is holy ground to God

and a divinely appointed place

     to bring His name there

and worship God

            in all I do and say.

May His glory

   get all over everything.)

"Which of the three,

do you think,

proved neighbor to the man

who fell among the robbers?"

He said,

"The one who showed mercy on him."

And Jesus said,

        "Go and do likewise."

                      Luke 10. 36

(It's not about accomplishment,

or efficiency,

       but all about loving people

whom God puts on our path.

Mercy for the strangers,

   mercy even for those we know.

Mercy is both undeserved

     and always unexpected.)

...sent them on ahead of Him,

two by two,

into every town and place

where He Himself

      was about to come.

                   Luke 10. 1

(I may never see an outcome

         or God's purposes in this,

nor any response at all,

but I may be simply

preparing His way

       in the lives of others.

There are no small obediences.)

...it seemed to me

       a wearisome task,

until I went

into the sanctuary of God...

                 Psalm 73. 16-17

(Bringing it before the LORD

does not necessarily

           change the circumstances

but God changes my heart.

He drains despair 

               from the situation

and helps me to 

       see Him in it

       and seek His glory.

Even in this.)

      

...it seemed to me

       a wearisome task,

until I went

into the sanctuary of God...

                 Psalm 73. 16-17

(Bringing it before the LORD

does not necessarily

           change the circumstances

but God changes my heart.

He drains despair 

               from the situation

and helps me to 

       see Him in it

       and seek His glory.

Even in this.)