More than Not

“Faith is more than not fearing, not worrying, or not doubting...

it’s trusting, it’s relying, it’s believing.”

Loren Thornburg

So many times I am trying so hard “not to do” things that I forget “to do” things. I tell this to my pitching students all the time, I guess I should listen. It’s a simple sports psychology lesson of the way the mind works. Your brain doesn’t hear the don’t so when you say, ‘don’t strike out’ it hears, ‘strike out’ and so you end up telling yourself the opposite of that which you are trying to achieve. So while it is good not to strike out instead it is better to focus on hitting the ball. The same is true in life. It is good not to fear; it is good not to worry; it is good not to doubt; but, that is not the answer. Simply trying not to do these things seems to only replicate them for our focus remains on them even if in desiring their absence. We don’t learn to walk by trying not to fall, nor will I learn to walk in faith by trying not to fall by the way of fear, worry, doubt or any other way that we fall. While it is good not to fear if I trust I will not fear. While it is good not to doubt if I believe I will not doubt. So do more than not, think more than not...trust, rely, believe and you will find the more you were hoping for.

“The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. The person who wins out over the worlds ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.”

1 John 5:5 Message

Faith is what allows us to have peace in the midst of the storm, to bring the world to its knees when it seems over our heads. Now what it doesn’t say is just make sure you don’t fear, focus really hard on not worrying or try as hard as you can to not doubt. No, the conquering power is FAITH. Faith and fear are in contradiction. The latter is an abandoning of a former loyalty while the first is to remain loyal to your conviction, to the truth. Often I get focused on fear even in simply trying not to and I only fall short of the faith that I long for. I have not been called to not fear but to walk in faith. Not in faith alone as a nice idea but the real victory, that which brings the world to its knees is from God through Jesus Christ. As I walk in faith believing in who He is, believing He is the one that saves me from fear, believing that He loves me and loves to care for me...then I can walk in faith! As I walk in that faith the fears begin to subside; they have to for Jesus is in the midst!! Victory is more than not losing it is believing! Lets do more than not, lets bring the world to its knees, lets walk with Jesus by FAITH!!

Reigning Reins

“The one who holds the reins, reigns!!”

Loren Thornburg

It’s not so much the reins but the one who holds them that reigns! Reins are narrow straps used to guide and control horses. In and of themselves they don’t hold much power, yet they cause the horse to change direction, to stop or slow down by pulling on them. They are used to keep the horse under control. So it is the power of the one holding them, the one who used them that gives the reigns their power. Reign adding just a g, means something so different yet so the same. Reign is to hold a royal office or a particular title yet also to prevail or be the strongest. While a narrow strap and a royal office seem miles apart they both hold an element of power and control. Just like the horse is subject to the reins so the people are subject to the royal office’s reign, and still so are our lives subject to that which holds the reins, that which holds power and control over our lives. At times that is another person, at other times that is our thoughts whether positive or negative and at times that is the circumstances in our lives. So the question is who holds the reins of your life? For that which you give the reins will reign!

“as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 5:21 NASB

And so our choice remains what will have the reins over our life. What will have the highest influence and control? Will it be sin or God’s grace? If it is sin we are brought to death. But, if God’s grace and kindness rules and reigns then we are given right standing with God and eternal life because of Jesus. When you see it like that the choice seems easy!! Yet how often do we let sin take the reins and reigns in the ways that we allow the ways we miss the mark to be the one that holds the reins? I know I do! I let lies be in control of my mind, I let selfishness and pride be in control of my actions, I let my emotions be in control of my heart. Still, we have a choice, still Jesus has defeated the grave, still Jesus Reigns!!! It is because of Jesus that we can reign over lies, we can reign over pride, we can reign over our emotions! It is when we give Jesus the reins that we can reigns with Him! When we let Him take control, when we let Him take the reins when we let Him be the one of highest influence and control of our lives He reigns and we reign with Him!! Though the choice that sounds easy is not always, but it is possible, and the choice that is possible is worth it! So let Jesus hold the reins so that He may reign! For when He reigns there is Freedom, there is Grace, there is Life! Choose His Reins! Choose His Reign!!!

Purpose in the Cracks

“You have purpose, just as you are. You are needed, just as you are. You bring something that no one else can, just as you are...cracks and all.”

Loren Thornburg

A crack is a line or surface where something has been split without breaking it into separate parts. There are many good cracks like cracks in the window that let the air through, you can crack a book and begin reading it, and you can crack up in laughter. If you crack a dish or crack a pot it doesn’t seem like such a good thing. But, there is a story of a cracked pot that changes that. In short a water-bearer carried one perfect pot and the other had a crack in it. So when the water-bearer delivered the two pots one was full while the cracked pot was only half full. The cracked pot felt ashamed that it could only do half of what the other pot could do. Perceiving it as a failure the cracked pot apologized to the water bearer. However the water bearer pointed out the flowers that were found only on the side that the cracked pot was carried on. The water bearer knew about the crack and took advantage of it and was able to pick beautiful flowers because of it. There was a purpose for the crack in the pot. You never know what you see as a crack and a failure in yourself is watering the ground for flowers to grow if you would only stop comparing and start seeing you have purpose...just as you are...cracks and all!

“The Lord will comfort Israel again and make her deserts blossom. Her barren wilderness will become as beautiful as Eden--the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found there. Lovely songs of thanksgiving will fill the air.

Isaiah 51:3 NLT

The cracked pot gave water where there would not have been water were it not for the cracks in the pot. That water made what would have been just dirt into beautiful flowers! So we see in the story that we can trust the water bearer knew what he was doing with the pots that He chose! The water bearer was aware of the cracks in the pot. He was not caught off guard or surprised, but He knew and used them to make something beautiful. Yet, how often do we look at our own cracks and see them as failures and decide that we must be wrong because of them. God knew and God knows. He knew all about you before He chose to carry you, He knows who you are now and knows what you will do and who you will be and still He choses to carry you and use you. Will you trust the Lord as your water bearer enough not to compare and not to decide you are a failure because you are cracked but to know that He knew and knows and still He chose. All he asks is that you let Him carry you, trusting the One who makes deserts blossom, the wilderness beautiful, and gardens out of nothing!

Trust Trusts

“From action to outcome trust trusts”

Loren Thornburg

Trust is in one part of the definition an acceptance of the truth of a statement without evidence or investigation. It’s the without evidence or investigation that gives me problems. I want to see and I want to know that it’s going to work out okay, but then that wouldn’t be trust. It’s a scary thing because there is an element of unknown, a risk involved. Often times I can muster up enough trust to move me into action but it gets lost in the outcome. I trust enough to take that risky step but I lose it when it doesn’t turn out like I thought it should or would or when it doesn’t happen as fast as I think it should or would. Yet real trust moves you into willingness to act and trust trusts through the outcome whatever it may be. Trust is not a one time thing but it trusts. The s implies ongoing, active and continuing to. Let’s take the trust that moved us into action and put an s at the end to keep us going through the outcome...whatever it might be.

“If you are walking in darkness without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God.”

Isaiah 50:10 NLT

It doesn’t say trust in the Lord unless it gets too dark and rely on your God unless you can’t see a ray of light. No, it says when it’s dark and you can’t see trust and rely on God. Even when it’s dark, even when you can’t see still trust! Yet so often I live trust until it gets too dark, until I can’t see a way of what I’m doing working out. I trust God as far as I can see. It sounds crazy when you think about it but that’s what we do. Somehow we decide that we must know better and we trust our own senses over God. But, even when it’s dark He is still God. He is still the one who created the earth, He is still the one that parted the sea, He is still the one that did those miracles in your life, He is still the one! So even when you walk in darkness, even when you thought it would turn out different, even when you feel lost, He is still the one we can trust.