Advertise on podcast: THIS IS THE LIFE PODCAST

THE LETTER WE ARE STILL READING Colossians 4:16 16 And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. Paul wrote to the believers in Colossae, but he knew the letter would not remain with them alone. He asked that it be read in another church as well. Words written for one group of people would strengthen others who needed to hear them. That makes me think about the value of writing down what God has taught us along the way. I don’t mean that our journals are Scripture. I mean that our lives hold stories worth remembering: prayers we prayed when we didn’t know what to do, verses that carried us through a difficult year, moments when God provided, and lessons we learned only after looking back and seeing God’s Hand leading us. If we never record those things, some of the details will fade with time.

DIVINE APPOINTMENTS Acts 3:1-6 1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; 3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. 4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. 5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. 6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. Peter and John were on their way to the temple at the hour of prayer. They had a destination, a purpose, an agenda and somewhere they intended to be. At the gate called Beautiful, a man who could not walk was asking for help. He had been carried there day after day. To most people who passed through that gate, he may have become part of the familiar scene. You barely even noticed he was there. But Peter and John stopped.

THE QUIET WORK GOD IS DOING IN YOU Scripture: Mark 4:26–27 “So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.” When a seed is first planted, the ground looks much the same as it did before. Day after day, you may pass by and see no sign that anything is happening. Yet beneath the surface, that seed is beginning to grow. Jesus used this picture to describe the kingdom of God. The man planted the seed, then went about the rhythm of sleeping and rising. Growth came, though he could not see how it happened.

There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” — John 6:9 Andrew had found a boy willing to share what he had. Five barley loaves and two small fish were something, but when Andrew looked at the crowd, they seemed hardly worth mentioning. He asked the question most of us would have asked: “What are they among so many?” Most of us know what it’s like to look at a need and then look at what we have to offer. We see someone hurting, but we cannot find the right words. We sense God leading us toward something, but we do not feel ready or We have a little time, a little strength, or one small idea, and we wonder how any of it could make a difference. It is easy to call something “not enough” when we measure it against the size of the need.

BUTTERFLIES AND BLUEBIRDS Scripture: Psalm 104:24 “O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.” My grandchildren have a way of slowing me down. We can be outside with no particular plan, and suddenly a butterfly becomes the most important thing in the world. They follow it through the yard, watching where it lands and hoping for a chance to catch it. When they get close enough to gently touch a little bluebird, they are filled with wonder. For a few moments, nothing else seems to matter. I spent a good part of my life looking for God’s direction in big decisions and important moments. But my grandchildren keep teaching me that God is also present in the ordinary things I might walk right past. They do not need a spectacular view to be amazed. A butterfly will do. A little bluebird that Marshall was able to touch was more than enough for the moment. Their view of life invites me to stop, look closely, and r

GOD IS NOT RUSHING YOU, Proverbs 16:9: “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.” Have you ever felt as though you are always falling behind? Perhaps you thought you would have reached a certain goal by now, settled a difficult question, or become further along in your walk with God. You look at the calendar, then at your life, and wonder why things are taking so long. Sometimes the pressure comes from a timeline that God never gave you. We may have decided when an answer should come or how quickly a change should happen. Then, when life does not follow that schedule, we begin to rush. We push for decisions before we have peace about them. We measure our progress against someone else’s. We become so concerned with reaching the next place that we struggle to be faithful where we are.

YOU CAN LOVE PEOPLE WITHOUT CARRYING THEM Galatians 6:2-5 2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. (Weight - load) 3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For every man shall bear his own burden. (Task - Service) At first, these verses may appear to contradict each other. One tells us to bear one another’s burdens, while the other says every person must bear their own burden. But together, they reveal an important balance in how we are called to love others.

THE PRAYER YOU NEVER SPOKE Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Most of the time when we pray, we know exactly what we want to say to God. The words come easily, our thoughts are clear, and we can express what is in our hearts and on our minds. But there are other times when the burden or heartache is too deep, the pain is too personal, or the situation is too confusing to put into words. We sit down to pray, but nothing comes. Perhaps all we can do is sit in silence. Maybe the tears begin to fall before we are ever able to form a sentence. Sometimes we are just carrying feelings we can’t explain and questions we do not know how to ask. Have you ever had those types of moments?

WHEN GOD DOESN’T EXPLAIN HIMSELF Isaiah 55:8–9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Most of us feel more comfortable when we understand what is happening. We want to know why a door closed, why a prayer has not been answered, or why God allowed something to happen that brought pain into our lives. We believe that if God would simply explain Himself, perhaps we could accept the situation more easily. But the truth is that God does not always give us an explanation.

FRONT PORCH FRIDAY: WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR LIFE? Philippians 1:3 “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” Paul said, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” Some people leave us with memories that remain a part of us. Their words continue to guide us. Their prayers seem to still bear fruit and their example remains with us, even if they are no longer here. These thoughts are closely connected to what prompted me to write a song that is very dear to me. It is one that began to develop a couple of years ago. It is called, “Somewhere Out There.” The lyrics came to me as I pondered the thoughts that somewhere out there is the last breath I will ever take, the last hand I will ever shake, and the last promise I will ever make, beyond where I can see is the last “I love you” I will ever say and the last tear I’ll wipe away. We do not know when that final moment will come.

THE PEOPLE GOD PLACES ALONG THE WAY Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” As we journey through this life, God places different people along our way. Some walk beside us for many years. They become part of our story, share our memories, and remain with us through the changing seasons. Others enter our lives for only a short time, yet somehow leave an impression that remains long after they are gone. Not every relationship we encounter is meant to last forever, but that does not mean it was without purpose. There are people God sends to encourage us when we are close to giving up. They may speak a few simple words at exactly the right moment, never realizing how much we needed to hear them. Others challenge us to grow. They see something within us that we have not yet recognized in ourselves, and they encourage us to take another step forward.

LEARNING FROM YESTERDAY Yesterday may not have gone according to plan. Perhaps you became discouraged, lost your patience, made a poor decision, or simply failed to accomplish what you intended. But one difficult day does not have to determine the direction of the next one. God’s mercy meets us each morning with another opportunity, not necessarily to start our entire lives over, but to begin again from where we are. Lamentations 3:22–23 “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Just get up this morning and take the next faithful step .

WHEN THE ENEMY INTERRUPTS YOUR PLANS 1 Corinthians 14:33 33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. Yesterday, we considered how God sometimes interrupts our plans to redirect our steps. But we must also understand that not every interruption comes from God. Sometimes the enemy tries to interrupt what God has placed before us to do. The enemy may not be able to stop God’s purpose, but he will certainly try to distract us from it. He introduces confusion where God has given direction. He creates fear where God desires for us to have Faith. He reminds us of past failures when God is leading us toward a new beginning. If he cannot persuade us to abandon our purpose completely, he will try to keep us so distracted that we never fully pursue it.

WHEN GOD INTERRUPTS YOUR PLANS Most of us begin our days with some kind of plan. We know where we need to go, what we hope to accomplish, and how we believe everything should unfold. There is nothing wrong with making plans. In fact, planning can be a sign of wisdom and responsibility. But we must always leave room for God to interrupt them. Proverbs 16:9 “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.” An interruption can sometimes feel frustrating because it changes your schedule and takes away your sense of control. Maybe it’s a conversation that changes the direction of your day. Something you were counting on doesn’t happen or someone needs your help when you had planned to be doing something else.

FRONT PORCH FRIDAY — THE PRESSURE TO BE EVERYTHING FOR EVERYONE “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” —Galatians 1:10 Here we are again on Front Porch Friday, and today we are bringing our series, “Things God Never Meant for Us to Carry,” to a close. Throughout this week, we have talked about the weight of tomorrow, the need to control everything, the responsibility to fix everyone, and the guilt of what God has already forgiven.