Recently I had what many would chalk up to be a coincidental meeting. But I simply do not believe in coincidences or chance encounters.
Instead I am a firm believer in divine appointments.  Our church received a phone call weeks ago that a government employee was coming to review some of our tax documents.  This created a sense of anxiety and a level of frustration as this would certainly strain the everyday activity of the church office and administrative staff. I did not give it much thought until the day of his review arrived.  I simply included him in our normal morning prayer time to which he agreed and was thankful.  The next day he arrived and shared with me that he had been reading my blog last night and how one blog in particular touched his heart. He reported that he called his wife and said to her that when I get home some things need to change. As I listened to this man I was of course humbled by his compliments and his boasting of my writing skill.  But as I thought about it even further I realized that God divinely appointed for this man to be in our church office on these specific days so that he might join us in prayer, he might read a blog, and it might change the course of his life and the life of his family.  WOW!  God is a God of the details, only He could
ordain such a meeting and only He could generate such an encounter.  Be on the lookout for God working in the
details of your life!

Jeremiah 29:11... "For I know the plans I have for you", says the Lord. "They are plans
for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." (NLT)

In the famous story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) Jesus tells us of the choices the son had made in leaving the family farm and more specifically his father.  The son was just plain tired of life on the farm and could not wait to set out and blaze a path of his own.  The father in his love for his son allowed him to choose and go his own way.  He never held his son back or tackled him to the ground while he was heading out the door.  But what the son soon found was that the temporary satisfactions that the world could offer only landed him in a mudpit where he was broke, hungry, hurting, lonely, and keenly aware he was isolated from his father and lost in life.  The son soon realized that his father's love for him was so incredibly intense that he was compelled to pick himself up out of the mudpit of life and make the arduous journey back to his father where he would swallow his pride and attempt to atone for his terrible choices.

When he finally got back to the family farm, the emotions of fear, shame, guilt, depression he carried were almost to much for him to bear.  He was going to tell his father that he had sinned against heaven and him, that he was no longer worthy of being his son and that he had come back to simply be a slave on the farm.  But something remarkable happened in this story.  The father saw his son and lavishly poured out love, grace and mercy upon him.  He ordered a robe for his son to wear and a ring for his finger and shoes for his dirty feet.  This son was no slave he was the son whom the father loved and was overjoyed that he had returned.  After all he was out in the world lost and dead but now he was alive and found.  He was home with his father!  The party began and I'm sure the son made sure he wore that robe and that ring all night long to remind him of the righteous condition he found himself in by coming to his father!

As Christians we can choose to wear the ring and robe of righteousness by choosing to "put on" Christ everyday.  The only way we can find ourselves in a righteous condition with our Heavenly Father is by choosing Jesus Christ.  The robe is a symbol of hope and it reminds us apart from Him we hold no hope for the past, present or future.  The ring is a symbol of sonship and it reminds us that we are gloriously adopted into the family of God through faith in Christ and we can take our rightful place in the ranks of the righteous because of the blood of the Son of God being applied to our hearts!

Today, symbolically put on the robe and ring of righteousness and wear it proudly!

2011 was a remarkable year for me in terms of spiritual growth!  Through it all the ups and downs God was there slowly shaping, molding and teaching me for that I am so very much thankful!  The following is a list of things God taught me as the blackboard of 2011 is erased leaving a clean slate for 2012 to leave its mark upon us!  May you recieve a blessing from this list!

These are the Top 10 Spiritual Life Lessons I learned in 2011!
 
10. When Jesus said "I will build my church..." I have to trust Him on that! (Matthew 16:18)
 
9. I cannot doe the work of the ministry by myself, I need help! (Matthew 28:18-20)
 
8. The time I have with my family is finite-I better take advantage of it!  (Psalm 128:1-4)
 
7. If I say I love the King, I better invest in the kindom with my time, talents and treasures! (Matthew 6:33)
 
6. My message will only have an impact if it is matched by my character.  If my character does not match my message nobody is listening! (Ephesians 4:29)
 
5. Prayer really does work {I knew this before 2011 but I learned it in 2011} (Jeremiah 29:13)
 
4.God can use somebody if they are willing to be used! (James 4:6)
 
3. God's grace really is sufficient {Through life's tragedies and trials His Grace really is enough} (2Corinthians 12:9-10)
 
2. My 5 year old son told me when he grows up he wants to be a Christian, a preacher and a football player-it's my job to help him succeed!  (Ephesians 6:4)
 
And the #1 spiritual life lesson I learned in 2011
 
1. I am most happy when I am obedient to God! (Psalm 1:1-2)

2011 was a remarkable year for me in terms of spiritual growth!  Through it all the ups and downs God was there slowly shaping, molding and teaching me for that I am so very much thankful!  The following is a list of things God taught me as the blackboard of 2011 is erased leaving a clean slate for 2012 to leave its mark upon us!  May you recieve a blessing from this list!

These are the Top 10 Spiritual Life Lessons I learned in 2011!
 
10. When Jesus said "I will build my church..." I have to trust Him on that! (Matthew 16:18)
 
9. I cannot doe the work of the ministry by myself, I need help! (Matthew 28:18-20)
 
8. The time I have with my family is finite-I better take advantage of it!  (Psalm 128:1-4)
 
7. If I say I love the King, I better invest in the kindom with my time, talents and treasures! (Matthew 6:33)
 
6. My message will only have an impact if it is matched by my character.  If my character does not match my message nobody is listening! (Ephesians 4:29)
 
5. Prayer really does work {I knew this before 2011 but I learned it in 2011} (Jeremiah 29:13)
 
4.God can use somebody if they are willing to be used! (James 4:6)
 
3. God's grace really is sufficient {Through life's tragedies and trials His Grace really is enough} (2Corinthians 12:9-10)
 
2. My 5 year old son told me when he grows up he wants to be a Christian, a preacher and a football player-it's my job to help him succeed!  (Ephesians 6:4)
 
And the #1 spiritual life lesson I learned in 2011
 
1. I am most happy when I am obedient to God! (Psalm 1:1-2)