All things for good

9.24.07

Romans 8:28-29 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."

Some days it just all comes together. The sunshine is warm on your body, the swell is good, the crowd is stoked, and you just sense that God is there with you. Today you’re landing things you normally don’t even try. Wow! What a day. Other days, we don’t feel HIM. In fact we feel alone. Our lives are like a choppy, blown out kind of day where we seem to pearl on every wave. What’s up with that? Has He forgotten us?

It’s easy to see God’s blessing in blessings, but do we see His blessing in trials? God is working things out for something so much bigger. He is changing us to be more like Jesus in our character and priorities by using the good days and the bad ones. Think about it, if every wave broke perfect, you would never learn how to get around a section and the floater may never have been created. It’s the same in life. God is using the good and bad that comes into our lives, if we are His children. Trust Him today with the master plan of your life.

Who do you surf for?

What difference can one person make?

9.17.07

Do you ever dream of all that God could do to bring light into the surf culture. Then you paddle out and suddenly your dreams explode like a wave on the jetty. Doubt rushes in and you think, “How could God use me? I mean, really, what can I do? What difference can one person make in my surf scene?”

Moses’ obedience led to millions of slaves being set free. Abraham’s willingness to follow God continued to set the stage for a Savior to come into the world. The difference one person can make isn’t an appraisal of that individual’s greatness. Rather, it is the expression of the awesomeness of God. The surfboard doesn’t brag about the deep gouge it leaves in the face of a wave, for it is just a tool under the feet of an artist. The answer to the question, “What difference can one person make in your surf scene,” lies not in how great you surf, or how well you speak, or how cool you are, but in whether God is big enough to use an available person. The evidence for this is throughout the Bible and our world – HE can and HE will. So, are you available?

The next time you paddle out, stop and tell God you’re available. Then, look and listen for His instructions. Be prepared, though, it may be something radical like love your neighbor and let them have the next wave. Who do you surf for?

Devo by Dean Plumlee, CSUS National Director

The Ultimate Gift

9.10.07

Ephesians 2:8-9
“God saved you by HIS special favor (Grace) when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” -NLT

I was heading to the beach for an afternoon session in Cape Cod when I realized I was out of wax. I ducked into a shop and started looking around for the wax basket. The girl behind the counter could see what I was doing and pointed me in the right direction along with saying, “just grab a bar, it’s on the house”. Whoa, I was so stoked! This is kind of like what God has done for us in giving us salvation, but not entirely.
You see, it would be more like if I robbed that surf shop, burned it down and killed the employees and then they gave me free stuff. God didn’t just hook us up. He paid, through death on the cross, for his enemies (us) to be set free. What an unbelievable gift! That’s how Awesome He is. The more I realize how great He is the less I’m worried about turning it all over to Him. To me, it makes sense to let someone like that run our lives rather than us running them and messing them all up. Who do you surf for?

Judges: Two Ways to Live

9.3.07

Have you ever heard a child make the statement, “You’re not my Boss.” Well, who is your boss? Who do you surf for, really? In the Bible, in the book of Judges, there is a huge contrast between the beginning of the book and the end. In the beginning of Judges there’s an atmosphere of hope and excitement. But, in the end there is a sadness that has settled onto the people. In the beginning the people seek God as their Boss and advisor. At the end they go with whatever they feel like. The book opens with joy, which is the outcome of God being glorified by human obedience. The book ends with the wickedness of man shining thru, which is the result of people “looking out for themselves.”

Judges 1:1 “…the Israelites asked the LORD…”
Judges 21:25 “…Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

Take some time to think about the differences in those two verses and then ask yourself, “Who do I surf for?”

Deuteronomy 24:17-18

8.27.07

“Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.”

Do you ever get frustrated with beginners in the water? I don’t mean full on kooks, but people that are just new to surfing. It’s easy to forget that we were each once a newbie. It’s so easy to become prideful and be frustrated with others and how they act or surf. But, God says that before we came to Jesus we were His enemies. In fact, He says that we were really bad off, sometimes, even worse than the people we’re mad at. He had to remind Israel to treat people fairly because they had quickly forgotten how bad it was to be taken advantage of. We tend to forget pretty quickly, too. This week take time to remember that God has freed us from slavery to sin. In remembering, see if it doesn’t cause you to be a bit more patient with those around you that might not be free, yet.