Nick’s Walk

Lord, I will follow You, but . . . —Luke 9:61 We say we are willing to follow the Lord; but we assume He wouldn’t ask us to do anything  “unreasonable.” If He asks us to do something that goes against “common sense” then we assume it must not be God, but Satan trying to lead us astray. But we must get to the point that we are so sure of God’s voice that we don’t have to put it to a “reasonableness” test before we act. If we study, the guidance of God in scripture, we find that He often asks His children to take the “path less traveled” to do something that goes against “common sense.” If we insist on filtering His guidance to us we will lose our way, while acting “within reason.”  Jesus Christ demands the same unrestrained, adventurous spirit in those who have placed their trust in Him that the natural man exhibits. If a person is ever going to do anything worthwhile, there will be times when he must risk everything by his leap in the dark. In the spiritual realm, Jesus Christ demands that you risk everything you hold on to or […]

In that day you will ask in My name . . . for the Father Himself loves you . . . —John 16:26-27 Last night Kaydence spent the night with us. It amazes me how I love her. How her every move and word delights me, sometimes to laughter, sometimes to tears. I just want to squeeze her into me. I would do anything for her. I would die for her. It amazes me even more to think that my creator feels the same about me. I’m not naive enough to think I’m  as cute and lovable as a two year old. But I know He wants me to be one with Him in that same passionate way. It’s all about moving toward that eventual oneness with the Creator, the state which we are ultimately created for. We will ask in His name because we will be so intimate with Him that we will be one with Him. And “that day” is not a day in the heavens but a day meant for here and now. Our Lord does not mean that our lives will be free from external difficulties and uncertainties, but that just as He knew the […]

In that day you will ask Me nothing —John 16:23 Will I ever stop questioning God? Will there be a point that my confidence in Him is such that I question no longer? I will never know everything; but I believe that it is possible that I will come to the point in faith that I will be one with the Father just as Jesus is, and He said, “In that day you will ask Me nothing.”  The source of my current questioning my lack of total reliance on Him.At some point I will understand and accept that I don’t need to question further, because I will be confident that God will reveal things in accordance with His will. I will know what I have a need to know. The faith and peace of John 14:1 will have  become the real attitude of my heart, and there are no more questions to be asked.With the vanishing of questioning will come complete blessing and perfect peace. It will be great. Nick

. . . tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high —Luke 24:49 Why do we tarry? Come on. Admit it. We are tarrying. We know there are things we should be doing. We have marching orders and are not moving. Why do we tarry? The disciples had to tarry, staying in Jerusalem until the day of Pentecost, not only for their own preparation but because they had to wait until the Lord was actually glorified. And as soon as He was glorified, what happened? “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” ( Acts 2:33 ). The statement in John 7:39 — “. . . for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified”— does not pertain to us. The Holy Spirit has been given; the Lord is glorified— our waiting is not dependent on the providence of God, but on our own spiritual fitness. So our tarrying is without excuse. Christ has commanded and equipped us. We need to make a move. Once we begin to […]

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? —Romans 8:35 Have you noticed how the deepest Christians shine the most in adversity. It’s as if Satan’s attempt to disrupt only emphasizes the truth that the Christian is inseparable from his Lord. It may be that Christians see more trouble because they are Christians. I feel sorry for the Christian who doesn’t have something in the circumstances of his life that he wishes were not there. “Shall tribulation . . . ?” Tribulation is never a grand, highly welcomed event; but whatever it may be— whether exhausting, irritating, or simply causing some weakness— it is not able to “separate us from the love of Christ.” Never allow tribulations or the “cares of this world” to separate you from remembering that God loves you ( Matthew 13:22 ). Trouble allows His love for us to shine. Our weaknesses allow His strength to show.  We are who we are so others can see who He is. In the wreck of our lives, we arise and are blessed. Nick

If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left —Genesis 13:9 What good thing do I have in my life as a result of my superior decision making, hard work or careful planning? If I am honest the answer is none. I have great gifts: a beautiful, loving wife, an incredible daughter, fantastic greats and grands. I can claim credit for none of these; each was and is a pure gift from God. Yet I continue to live as if my next decision or effort or thought will make all the difference. History teaches me it’s not significant. Whether I go right or left means considerably less than whether I go in faith believing that right or left is the direction He would have me go. A life of faith is a life of “allowing” God to make your choice for you. Many of us do not continue to grow spiritually because we prefer to choose on the basis of our rights, instead of relying on God to make the choice for us. We have to learn to walk according to the standard […]

. . . do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on —Matthew 6:25 My post this morning was for Tomorrow’s Utmost. I was a bit ahead of myself. This is based on today’s Utmost. We need to note that over care for our lives is unbelief. “. . . do not worry about your life . . . .” Don’t take the pressure of your provision upon yourself. It is not only wrong to worry, it is unbelief; worrying means we do not believe that God can look after the practical details of our lives, and it is never anything but those details that worry us. Have you ever noticed what Jesus said would choke the Word He puts in us? Is it the devil? No— “the cares of this world” (Matthew 13:22 ). It is always our little worries. We say, “I will not trust when I cannot see”— and that is where unbelief begins. The only cure for unbelief is obedience to the Spirit. We have a clear choice: have faith in God or put faith in ourselves and our ability to provide […]

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead —Revelation 1:17 Most of the time, God’s impact on our lives is subtle. We have to be alert to know that He is working. But if we know Him, if we are truly His, there will be times that He reveals Himself dramatically in His majesty. This results in what OC calls, the Delight of Despair. It is despair because it occurs at a point when only God can make things right; delight because He comes and does just that. The smaller everyday annoyances of life are there so that we will know His quiet, gentle touch on our lives. The big things, the tragedies have purpose as well; that we will know His very real, dramatic and hero-like interventions in our lives. “He laid His right hand on me . . .” ( Revelation 1:17 ). In the midst of the awesomeness, a touch comes, and you know it is the right hand of Jesus Christ. You know it is not the hand of restraint, correction, nor chastisement, but the right hand of the Everlasting Father. Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it gives inexpressible peace and comfort, […]