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Hallmarks of Convictions Declared at 75

A lovely floral journal rests open before me. Blank pages stand ready to receive the recollections of my heart. What better way to celebrate my upcoming 75th birthday than by capturing the hallmarks of convictions formed over seven and a half decades? After all, God has given me the gift of 27,375 days of life! What a privilege to pause, to remember, to record.

Family and friends, events, and opportunities emerge in my thoughts. Words like relationships, focus, and purpose call out for recognition. And Jesus’ Words whisper, “I have come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly,” as He undergirds my entire endeavor.

As my mind ponders the topic, I start to capture my ideas as they come without the need to prioritize.

Hallmarks of Convictions

  1. Jesus just keeps getting sweeter.

  2. God is overwhelmingly a God of love.

  3. Read the Bible, believe the Bible, love the Bible, study the Bible, discuss the Bible, memorize the Bible, think about the Bible, and obey the Bible. Indeed, the Bible is real!

  4. The Holy Spirit is our Game-Changer in living the Christian life.

  5. Prepare thyself to be surprised by the goodness and generosity of God.

  6. Hard places are holy places.

  7. Nothing is worth anything unless everything is given to God.

  8. Gratitude is one of life’s revolutionary choices.

  9. Forgiveness carries a disproportionate weight of impact. Refuse to be bitter.

  10. The prayer that always gets answered is, “Thy will be done.”

  11. When facing what if - even if, determine to walk with God.

  12. One’s grasp of identity in Christ transforms security and significance for the child of God.

  13. Spend time alone with God every day.

  14. For me to live is Christ.

  15. Savor family.

  16. Say yes whenever you can.

  17. Tell people about Jesus!

  18. God's math defies human understanding, but it is supernaturally true that obedience in tithing, in generosity, and in stewardship comes back to bless beyond belief.

  19. Devote your whole being to Living With Eternal Intentionality®

  20. God is always right.

  21. “Every day can be an exciting adventure for the Christian who knows the reality of being controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit.” (-Bill Bright)

  22. Invest in that which will last forever - God, God’s Word, and people.

  23. True freedom only comes when every aspect of life is fully surrendered to my Savior.

  24. His mercies really are new every morning.

  25. Prioritize friendships.

  26. An expiration date is already stamped on my soul; therefore, I do not need to resist aging.

  27. Bible verses committed to memory continue to add life-giving dividends.

  28. The safest place to be is the center of God’s will.

  29. You can’t outgive God.

  30. The Shepherd Psalm by F. B. Meyer deserves to be read every year.

  31. Treat yourself to flowers in your home.

  32. Make books a part of your circle of friends.

  33. The concept of everyday carries immeasurable ramifications.

  34. Make exercise a priority.

  35. Be quick to pray, “Lord, cause me to want what You want me to want.”

  36. Remember, “You have not fulfilled every duty unless you have fulfilled that of being pleasant.” (C. Burton)

  37. Learn to play a sport.

  38. Be humbly guided by the Puritan prayer, “And may every place and company we are in be benefited by us.”

Now I pause. Between today and the dawning of Day 75, I intend to continue writing to capture seventy-five declarations. How could I not? For, “When I think upon and converse with thee, ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up, then thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed, then thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart, crowding into every moment of happiness. . . . I love thee above the powers of language to express…” - Valley of Vision

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

“For me to live is Christ.” (Philippians 1:21)

For a moment, participate in your own celebration. Consider the life God has given you and let the Words of Psalm 36 reverberate in your soul. “How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.”

What Hallmarks of Declaration do you want to record?

Writing Ourselves Into Elijah’s Story

“What Are You Doing Here?”

The ministry of food and sleep is real in the life of a child of God. Sometimes all we need is a nourishing meal and a restorative night’s sleep. But other times, a change in direction needs to occur. Walking through the events of 1 Kings 18 and 19, you and I lock step with the prophet Elijah and see a mirror into our souls.

Exhilarating Faith on Mount Carmel

Atop Mount Carmel, God, Elijah, Ahab, and Jezebel draw us into the drama found in 1 Kings 18. Here, the prophet demonstrates audacious, heroic, victorious faith.

Exhausted Faith in the Desert

Yet, after receiving a vicious death threat from his enemies, Ahab and Jezebel, in trepidation, Elijah flees to the desert and prays that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord; take my life.” (I Kings 19:1-5) Giving in to paralyzing fear, his faith melts, and he falls asleep.

Extraordinary Grace from Heaven

Then the Angel of the Lord, right in the middle of the desert, touched Elijah and provided him with food and water. (19:5) At that point, the exhausted man once again fell back asleep. (19:6)

Extended Travel and More Travails

Strengthened by more sleep and additional food and encountering a second visit from the Angel of the Lord (19:7), Elijah journeyed forty days farther away from his enemies, Jezebel and Ahab. This time, he held up in a cave to spend the night.

And there in that cave that the Word of the Lord came to him as a pivotal question (19:9):

What are you doing here, Elijah?

I wonder if it was: What are you doing here, Elijah? Or What are you doing here, Elijah? Or What are you doing here, Elijah?

Nonetheless, Elijah is not where God wants him to be. Furthermore, God makes His instruction clear: “Go back the way you came.” (19:15)

Now we witness the power of obedience. Obeying the Voice of God, Elijah went from there. As a result, he met Elisha. (I Kings 19:19) And, the miraculous partnership made its way into the canon of Scripture.

Bring this forward to our own lives.

Could it be that within each of us resides an Elijah? If honest, we must admit that, yes, we do see ourselves in the story.

  • Fear and fatigue contaminate our perspective of our situation.

  • Fear and fatigue drive us to places we should not go.

  • Fear and fatigue alter our perspective of God.

And yet, Elijah’s God is our God. Filled with grace, He tenderly meets us wherever we are. In a desert of discouragement and despair, or a cave of fear, chaos, and confusion, God makes His Presence known. “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7)

But the game changer is our response.

The choice to stay where we are or obey the Voice of God and go back rests within us. Acknowledging that I am not where God wants me to be—in a relationship, a friendship, a pastime, a purchase, a perspective, a financial decision, or even a habit—God allows me to choose to return to the center of His will, and to be under His protection and be the recipient of His blessing.

Elijah had to answer God's direct question with intentional action. So do we.

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)

When did you find yourself in a place where you did not need to be?

How did you answer God's Question: “What are you doing here?”

What was the outcome?

Writing Ourselves Into Elijah's Story

God asks Elijah a question: What Are You Doing Here?  Pushing past the centuries you and I ask, "Do we see ourselves in the story?"

Exhilarating Faith

God, Elijah, Ahab, and Jezebel draw us into this drama in I Kings 18 and 19. 19:10-22. After a supernatural occurrence in chapter 18, where Elijah demonstrates heroic, victorious faith on Mount Carmel, he flees in fear to the desert and prays that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord…Take my life.” Gripped with fear, his faith melts, and he falls asleep. 

Extraordinary Grace

Within the narrative, we see the tender grace of God displayed as He supernaturally provides food and water in the midst of the desert to meet Elijah's physical needs. (The ministry of food and sleep are real in the life of a child of God. Sometimes all we need is a nourishing meal and a restorative night’s sleep.)

Moving on…

From the Desert to the Cave

With more sleep and the second helping, so to speak, Elijah journeys forty days—forty days farther away from his enemies Jezebel and Ahab—and into a cave where he spends the night.

Then comes the question: What are you doing here, Elijah? God pursues His servant and poses the inquiry because Elijah is not where God wants him to be.

Bring this forward to our own lives…

If honest, you and I must admit that, yes, we do see ourselves in the story. I suggest that within each of us resides an Elijah:

Fear and fatigue contaminate our perspective of our situation.

Fear and fatigue drive us to places we should not go.

Fear and fatigue alter our perspective of God.

And yet, Elijah’s God is our God as well, and He meets us wherever we are. In a desert of discouragement and despair, or in a cave of fear, chaos and confusion, God joins us.

But the game changer is our response.

We are given the choice to stay where we are or to listen to the Voice of God and go back. When I acknowledge that I am not where God wants me to be—in a relationship, a pastime, a purchase, a perspective, a financial decision, or even a habit—I need to choose to go back to the center of God’s will, and under the protection of His Wings. 

Elijah had to answer God's direct question with intentional action. So do we.

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)

Questions we find in Scripture arrest my attention.

  • When did you find yourself in a place where you did not need to be?

  • How did you answer God's Question: What are you doing here?

  • What was the outcome?