Maybe it was just something you heard. You thought it was a good idea. Thinking, reading, and conversing with others made it come alive. Finally it grips your heart and you must move in that direction.
Then there are those convictions within. They’re untouched for a long time. Maybe due to a lack of opportunities. But these originate from the heart. Finally, your mind picks it up and begins to process those inner convictions. Then you realize you can’t do anything else.
Both involve the heart and head. Just the origination is different. Yet the deciding factor will be your feet. Will you take the first step? Or will it remain in your head or heart? When it gets to the feet and it moves you, then it becomes a movement.
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Why go through the trouble if it’s good enough? Why bother tweaking something that is already working? It seems so many people think it’s satisfactory.
Some are driven to do things better than good enough. They’re not satisfied with keeping things as they are. They’re always looking for ways to improve what’s already working.
Why?

• Because you can
• Because you care
• Because others who follow you will benefit
• Because the world will become a better place

Better than good enough is for people with hope for a better future.
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Jesus said “you have revealed this to little ones . . . Jesus said regarding the disciples driving out demons (Matt 11:25).
If you need healing, there are healing specialists who would pray and heal. If deliverance is required, there are other specialists who drive out demons. For each of these various needs, there are specialists.
After seventy two disciples were sent out to do the same works Jesus did, they came back to Jesus having accomplished the tasks they were assigned to do. They did all the works of Jesus.
“At that time Jesus, full of Joy through the Holy Spirit said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned,, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do” (Luke 10:21).
The supernatural is now open to all of God’s children. It was Jesus’ idea to bypass the specialists.
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When are we most pious, quiet, and clearly aware of God’s presence? For many, it is during the Communion service, sometimes called the Lord’s Table or Eucharist. That one event seems to stand out as a special time of contemplation and experiencing God’s presence.
Some even believe that the very presence of God dwells there with the elements of the Eucharist. Others believe that the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Christ. Thus we show the utmost honor and respect for the presence of God.
Now, the Bible clearly states that the Holy Spirit of God literally dwells in our bodies (1 Cor 6:19).
Really? That means wherever I am present, God is present. I must show respect and honor for God’s presence wherever I am present.
There is significance in the Eucharist and all the other sacraments of the church. We are to value every gathering of God’s people. But I don’t believe there should be a hierarchy of honoring God’s presence during a particular event. He is with his people all the time. Honor him now.
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It seems odd that most of the “messengers” in the Bible were broken people in some area of their lives. This pattern seems to be unique and maybe even a bit suspicious.
The postal service (remember those?) or some form of electronic messaging system like email just deliver words. And they do a pretty good job at that.
But God prefers to use messengers who live out the message. People who experience various levels of brokenness are often used by God to express his love, mercy, and kindness. They’re able to communicate the message with passion, reality, and genuineness.
It’s ok. Don’t try to look perfect, act perfect or present such an image of yourself. First of all, we all know it’s not true. Second, it’s important to know that God speaks best through our brokenness. Be real. Be honest. Allow God’s message of love to flow through your brokenness to others.
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In a society where women and children were not valued, God took a step and showed concern. In such communities, their needs for rest and care would be ignored.
But God weaved into their religious system the necessary care and rest for women and children. In Leviticus 12, the text deals with purification after childbirth. They had seven days of being unclean, then 33 days (for a boy child) and 60 days (for a girl child) of purification.
These days of “purification” were a form of maternity leave for them. Even today in Israel there’s 14 weeks of paid maternity leave.
Without these ceremonial and religious laws, ancient women may be required to return to work quickly after childbirth. This was God’s provision for care and rest.
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Really? Jesus wasn’t. He came to his own, and they rejected him. He came to free them from the bondage they got themselves into. You would think they would be delighted that someone came with such love for them. But no. They rejected him.
When Jesus sent his disciples out to the villages and towns of their nation, he told them to expect opposition. But why opposition? Their mission was to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, raise the dead, and to tell people the good news of God’s kingdom.
But why such opposition? Because the patterns of this world stand in direct opposition to God’s plan of redemption. So don’t be surprised when you are rejected.
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Misinformation becomes assumptions. Since the information is false, the assumptions are false as well. But eventually, these assumptions are so widely accepted that they become realities they’re fake realities.
In 1997 when I first came to India, I noticed that all the vehicles used the old nylon tires. When I asked at several tire shops about getting radial tires, they all replied: “Oh, they won’t hold up to the kind of rough roads we have here.”
Now, more than twenty years later, the roads have improved only a little, but Radial tires are all you see here. The misinformation had become a fake reality.
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Get back to the basics. What are the few basic things we must do? Keep doing those few things consistently, and strive to do them well.
It’s easier to look for options. Other possibilities begin to look attractive to us. We doubt our current plan and wonder how we ever got started on this. But this kind of thinking can get you jumping from one project to the next, never really accomplishing anything productive.
So what happens when you get back to the basics? You begin to focus your time, energy, and money on just a few things that matter the most. These are foundational aspects to what you’re engaged in.
You may still experience losses, but those losses are in areas that are not foundational to what you’re accomplishing. Some fallout is to be expected.
No need to fear the dry times. God will use those times as seasons for strengthening your foundations.
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