Ryan's Ramblings

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track. (Proverbs 3:6, MSG)

Before I “do” and “go” I pray:

Jesus, I need you today. I don’t want to do and go it alone. May I be “quick to listen” for your voice, remember that you are with me “always,” and “follow” your way in my thoughts, words and actions. Amen.

(James 1:19, Matthew 28:20, Matthew 16:24)

The person in right standing before God by trusting Him really lives. (Romans 1:17, MSG)

If you are reading these words you are existing, but are you “really living”? The man named “legion” existed. The woman at the well existed. The man born blind existed. The woman caught in adultery existed. Zacchaeus, the rich tax collector existed. The woman who bled for twelve years existed. The thief on the cross existed.

But then Jesus came, and they went from existing to really living. How?

“ . . . by trusting Him.”

(Mark 5:1-20, John 4:1-42, John 9, John 8:1-11, Luke 19:1-10, Mark 5:25-34, Luke 23:39-43, John 14:1-3)

God calling yet; shall I not hear?
Earth’s pleasures, shall I still hold dear?
Shall life’s swift passing years all fly,
And still my soul in slumber lie?
    — Gerhard Tersteegen (1697 – 1769)

Tersteegen wrote those words nearly 300 years ago, and yet they apply to my heart today. I guess time and life “flew” back then too. Can you believe it’s 2022?

Whenever I reflect on “life’s swift passing years,” I don’t think about all the shows on Netflix, the constant drone of the news cycle, the “likes” I received on Facebook, or the 96 times a day I check my smartphone. (I might as well be sleeping for all that’s worth.)

Rather, I think about fun times, hearty laughter, the beauty of nature, the gift of dogs and cats (pets), the blessings of friendship, tears of joy, help given, kindnesses received, love expressed and the goodness of God in it all.

As we near the end of this first week of the New Year, let us remember that “times flies, and so do we” (David Roper). God is calling! Wake up from your slumber, look to the light of Jesus in your life and make every moment meaningful in Him.

“Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. (Ephesians 5:14-17, NLT)

[The angel said unto Mary] … behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God. (Luke 1:36-37, ESV)

“Barren,” such a harsh and painful word . . . void of life, an empty place, a deep ache, an unutterable longing.

Does that describe you at this start of 2022? I hope not, but if it does, take heart. God says, “Behold,” . . . I am bigger than that!

Just ask Sarah, Rebecca, Hannah and Elizabeth—all were barren until God moved, and out of their barrenness God gave us Isaac, Jacob, Samuel and ultimately, John the Baptist—the prophet who foretold the coming of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

Take heart! God is still moving in 2022!

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert [the barrenness]. (Isaiah 43:19, ESV)

Look to Jesus. He came to give us abundant life, now and forevermore. Call upon His name, start your day and this New Year with Jesus, and He will do a new thing in your heart and life, “for nothing is impossible with God!”

Nudgings #1 – Jan. 3

Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. (Philippians 2:12-13, NIV)

Have you ever been pushed, bumped, shoved or nudged? I have.

I’ve been pushed by a bully on the playground, bumped by a careless person while carrying a tray of food, and “helpfully” shoved into an overcrowded subway car in Seoul, South Korea. All of these events impacted me in one way or another, but none of them compare to the significance of the gentle nudgings of the Holy Spirit in my life.

God is forever nudging. Jesus saved me from myself and my sin and He gives me new life in Him. He wants good to be realized in and through my life for the glory of God, but He won’t force my hand. Love doesn’t shove, bump, push or coerce—it nudges. Actually, the Holy Spirit nudges, and it’s up to me to respond.

Inherent in any nudge from the Lord is the element of choice—and after that, the potential of change.

The nudgings of God come from His Word and His Spirit, and through prayer and people. I’m hoping to post some of His nudgings here on my blog this year. I pray that they will be a help and blessing to you in your walk with Jesus.

Happy New Year!