Monthly Archives: August 2014

“Come now you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and get gain,’ whereas you do not know about tomorrow.” James 4:13-14

From the "God Can Use Dumb Things to Teach Eternal Lessons" file comes a story from my own dumb experience. Last Friday afternoon, I decided to run a six mile route from my home. The day was hot, mid-90's or so, but the heat has never bothered me too much. I decided to run through an adjoining subdivision called Shenandoah.

Now a word about Shenandoah. It's named after the Virginia valley that was the site of many Civil War battles. It is a huge subdivision with street names redolent of the old South and the conflict that many in my part of the country still refer to as The War of Northern Aggression. Consequently, I'm sure, the subdivision is laid out in such a manner as to confuse any future invading Yankee horde. The few long, straight streets connect multiple curved streets, many of which dead end, while the next block takes you through. Anyone in Baton Rouge will attest to the vast maze that is Shenandoah subdivision. You can see where I'm heading.

I had driven a route that took me three miles into the labyrinth, and effectively navigated my way back to the house. Then I began my run. I successfully made my way to the three mile endpoint and turned around. At some point, and I'm still not sure where, I took a wrong turn. I felt like I was at Hogwarts with all the shifting staircases. I tried navigating by the sun. No good. I was absolutely lost.

About an hour in, with heat stroke rapidly approaching, I decided I had to flag down some passing cars. I know what you're thinking. "Why didn't you use your phone?" Good suggestion, but I don't carry my phone, preferring instead to enjoy the isolation of me and the elements. The elements were winning. Two teenagers valiantly tried to guide me. I got lost again. A young man in a utility company truck stopped, sadly explained that he could not give me ride, but offered a map and some water. With that in hand I ran on, eventually finding my way home. That run took twice as long as intended.

It reminded me of several important things about life and discerning God's direction.

First, losing your way in life is inevitable. We can and should make our plans, but James warns us that though we make plans we really don't know what tomorrow holds. The warning is to never make plans without trusting God for direction, and more importantly to keep trusting God when plans go in a different direction. I didn't plan on getting lost, and in fact planned carefully my path. I still got lost. We all spend some days, months, perhaps years with at least some uncertainty.

Second, God has never lost any of us. He knows right where you are even though you're not sure which direction to turn. You simply cannot march off the map of God's providence. He can work your way back to the right path. Don't lose hope, and don't think God is not watching you.

Third, God always sends someone to help guide us. Those teenagers and that young man helped me navigate the maze. I might still out there, sleeping on lawns, drinking out of hoses, if they had not come along. In life, God almost speaks to me through other people. If I am uncertain about my direction, I need to ask, and more importantly I need to listen.

Life is a maze. Just as I can wander around in a bewildering subdivision until all the streets and houses look pretty much the same, life sometimes becomes very bewildering. God has a different perspective. He sees all the turns and He knows how to get us home.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

August 24, 2014

“He brought me forth into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.” Psalm 18:19

I was blessed to grow up with parents who were positive, supportive, and encouraging. The words “I am proud of you” are one of their greatest legacies to me. I knew they loved me, and they showed it in a variety of very important ways. I knew they were very glad I was their son.

If you did not grow up with that kind of advantage then the concepts of grace and unconditional love will be harder for you to accept. One purpose of GraceWaves is to help you hear God’s words to you and help you trust in His boundless, joyful love. You can then draw closer to Him. Psalm 18:19 is one such verse.

David wrote this psalm after escaping repeated attacks from Saul and his armies. A man who could have been for David a mentor and encourager became an implacable enemy. Other psalms reflect David’s anguish during this very rough period in his life. David responded by seeking God even more and looking to Him for the support. God delivered Him.

The key phrase I want you to focus on this week concerns the reason God delivered David: “because He delighted in me.” This phrase is joyful and exuberant! God delighted in David!

And God delights in you. Let that sink in. He delights in you! Even though you may not have been programmed from your childhood to hear and accept such truth, or perhaps because you have suffered rejection in adulthood at the hands of people who were once very close to you, you must trust and believe that God delights in you. He knows you deeply and individually as if you were the only person to know. He is capable of that kind of sustained regard and focus on you. His verdict: “I take delight in you.” And for that reason He will deliver you.

At some point in life you have to accept reality, and nothing is more real than God’s love for you and His offer of grace. We all have something or someone that we allow to drag us down. You may have grown up with a parental hangover. Or you may be suffering the anguish of a broken marriage or ruptured relationships with your children. Don’t make the mistake of transferring those fears and frustrations to your view of God. He is not part of your problem. He is your solution. He is your deliverer.

God is for you right now as you read these words. Right now. The sacred present. You’re not going to get a better present by wishing for a different past. That past is unalterable. But your response to it can be transformed by accepting God’s grace. Today God delights in you.

So whatever you face, or whatever handicap you have in life, accept God’s rich love for you. Trust in it. Rely on it.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis
August 17, 2014

“Though the fig tree does not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail, and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like hind’s feet, He makes me tread upon my high places.” Habakkuk 3:17-19

When was the last time you read Habakkuk? Probably quite a while ago, if at all. I once received a note from a fellow minister, and after his signature he listed a scriptural citation. It was Habakkuk 3:17-19. I have to admit this passage was not familiar. What had drawn him to that scripture?

When I looked it up in my study Bible I found that at some point in the past it had spoken to me in a special way. I had it underlined. As I read it again, I realized that it was a perfect GraceWaves passage. The purpose of GraceWaves is to awaken you to the waves of God’s grace that wash over you every day, sometimes in unusual ways and in unlikely circumstances.

Now back to this particular passage. Habakkuk lived during the height of Babylonian power. That terrifying nation would eventually destroy Jerusalem and the temple. Nothing about the circumstances of Habakkuk’s life were pleasant or agreeable. Everything a man normally counted on was uncertain. Every source of food was failing: the fig, the grape, the olive, the grain, even the herds. This devastation was the reality of the Babylonian Conquest and Exile. Habakkuk’s response? He expressed a confident faith in the midst of turmoil.

We have turmoil in our times. Wars, unrest, disease, fear, and anger are regular parts of our headlines. Frankly, there has never been a time when those things were not part of the headlines. This is the hard and jagged edge of life.

Because some of life is tumultuous you need to have a few things settled, as Habakkuk did. The most important is your faith. You cannot predict the yield of your crops or herds! Some days they will fail. You can resolve to “rejoice in God” and bring glory to Him by the manner you face turmoil. You will discover God’s grace is sufficient for you, and He will take care of you no matter the challenges.

At some point this week you will be criticized, perhaps unfairly. Someone will be angry with you, and you will be angry at someone (an aside: we are fond of pointing out the stress we are under, but never think about the stress we cause). You will make a mistake or fail at something important to you. Whatever you face, turmoil or peace, is common to every other human being. You are not exempt or so unique as to avoid all challenges.

Make a decision. Remember that God remains King, and you can choose to let Him be your God. Rejoice in Him. Take comfort in Him. He is your strength. He will take you to high places.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

August 10, 2014

“There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear.” 1 John 4:18

A friend once told me that he deals with a lot of fear in his life. I was surprised. He didn’t seem like a fearful person in all the years I’d known him. But his confession got me to thinking. Am I fearful? Honest reflection revealed that I too had a lot of fear. I mildly resented him for a while. I was blissfully ignorant before he mentioned HIS problem. Now I had it. Actually he was simply being honest. I was not.

Someone has written, “Fear touches every area of our lives. It is an evil and corroding thread.” I don’t want to awaken you to a problem you otherwise were oblivious to, but I suspect that you struggle as I do with fear.

My daughter recently sent me a cartoon of a young woman, obviously distraught, head buried in her hands. The caption read, “I’m not anxious! I’m just extremely well educated about all the things that can go catastrophically wrong!” Combine our human tendency to worry with the present age of chronic apocalypse and it’s a wonder any of us can breathe.

Let’s confess the obvious: fear touches our lives in an infinite variety of ways. We don’t make any progress by refusing to acknowledge a problem. Once we identify it we can begin to deal honestly with it.

Though fear is pervasive, it is also unnatural. God did not create us to live anxious lives. The fact is we develop a habit of fear and then begin to justify its existence. I had a secretary once who could imagine a 100 different catastrophic results and be right only once. But that one time convinced her that she needed to keep imagining catastrophic results!

Worry does not take away tomorrow’s problems. It only robs you of today’s peace. Accept the diagnosis. Fear is the problem.

But let’s look at the solution. The opposite of fear is trust, and it is at this point that God constantly tries to assure us. John wrote that perfect love casts out fear. He meant that if we love God constantly and deeply then fear is an impossibility. I don’t have a perfect love for God. I don’t have a perfect anything! But I do understand a simple invitation. God is saying, “love me. Trust Me. I will not let you down. I will either show you how your fear is irrational, or I will carry you through the fearful events you encounter.”

What do we do practically here? The best antidote to fear, and the best expression of trust, is gratitude. When you are fearful, pause and think of something you’re grateful for. Thank God for it. That simple prayer makes you aware of a way that God has taken care of you. It is a spiritual reminder that as He has acted in the past, He will certainly act in the present and the future.

Many times we feel so overwhelmed that we forget we have a choice. You DO have a choice. It has been restored to you through your faith in Jesus Christ. You are not alone. Ask God to help you with your fear. Ask Him to remove it, and be willing to let it go.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

August 3, 2014