Cathy Bryant's Blog: CatBryant.com ~ Journey Blog, page 83
September 12, 2011
A Time For Everything
God, in His infinite wisdom, has ordained a time for everything, even
things we might classify as bad. It's difficult for our human brains to
comprehend why some seasons of our lives turn out the way they do.
Consider the following:
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, NIV)
It's
all too easy to think of at least one part of each equation as a
negative--dying, uprooting, killing, tearing down, weeping, mourning,
scattering stones, refraining, giving up, throwing away, tearing,
silence, hating, war. And on their own they are negatives.
But in
God's kingdom, things are never as they seem in the earthly realm. He commands us to love when hated, to pray for our enemies. In His economy, He allows difficult times for reasons we can't comprehend
and has promised to bring good out of them (Romans 8:28). While we may
never understand hard times this side of heaven, we can trust our
God--who is always good, right, and loving--to make everything right in
the end.
So when you're going through a season not of your
choosing--a season where there seem to be more negatives than
positives--cling to the truth that God holds all time in His
more-than-capable hands and will bring good out of it.
My times are in Your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! (Psalm 31:15, ESV)
Father,
though we find it so difficult to do, help us to praise You in
difficult times, knowing that You are a good and loving God. Show us how
to spread our sails when the wind sets itself against us and how to
grow and flourish when our roots have been plucked from the ground.
Teach us to dance and sing in the midst of grief and mourning, because
You work all things for our eternal good. Amen.
things we might classify as bad. It's difficult for our human brains to
comprehend why some seasons of our lives turn out the way they do.
Consider the following:
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, NIV)
It's
all too easy to think of at least one part of each equation as a
negative--dying, uprooting, killing, tearing down, weeping, mourning,
scattering stones, refraining, giving up, throwing away, tearing,
silence, hating, war. And on their own they are negatives.
But in
God's kingdom, things are never as they seem in the earthly realm. He commands us to love when hated, to pray for our enemies. In His economy, He allows difficult times for reasons we can't comprehend
and has promised to bring good out of them (Romans 8:28). While we may
never understand hard times this side of heaven, we can trust our
God--who is always good, right, and loving--to make everything right in
the end.
So when you're going through a season not of your
choosing--a season where there seem to be more negatives than
positives--cling to the truth that God holds all time in His
more-than-capable hands and will bring good out of it.
My times are in Your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! (Psalm 31:15, ESV)
Father,
though we find it so difficult to do, help us to praise You in
difficult times, knowing that You are a good and loving God. Show us how
to spread our sails when the wind sets itself against us and how to
grow and flourish when our roots have been plucked from the ground.
Teach us to dance and sing in the midst of grief and mourning, because
You work all things for our eternal good. Amen.
September 8, 2011
Faith Walking
We walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7, ESV)
We
humans are so tuned in to our senses. We put great stock in all we see,
hear, feel, taste and smell. But we would be wise to remember that
everything our senses take in is temporary, and only the spiritual
realm--the things we can't see--has lasting value and worth.
The term "walk" in the verse above implies a continual action. (Some translations use the term "live,"
which is also a continual action.) In other words, it's more than just a
one time thing. Yes, all believers attest to one moment where they put
their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. The question is: What happened
next?
If a life of faith is merely the pronouncement of belief
then the halls of heaven will one day be filled with millions who have
professed faith. You say you have faith, for you believe that there
is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble
in terror. (James 2:19, NLT)
Faith is so much more than a
one-time statement. It's a life lived by trust in the eternal rather
than taking cover in the temporal. It's resting in the One who holds
everything in His hands and trusting Him to direct our paths. It's
choosing, every moment of every day, to walk and live in the light of
who He is.
Joshua was a seasoned man of war when God handed the
responsibility of leading the Hebrew people over to him. What a massive
mission! He surely must have questioned his ability and the dangers that
awaited them, but God told him on more than one occasion to not be
afraid and to be of good courage.
Then came Jericho, a fortified
city that had to be destroyed. If Joshua and the Hebrew people had
believed what their eyes told them, they probably would have turned tail
and run all the way back to Egypt.
But this was a journey of faith, not fear.
And the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor." (Joshua 6:2, NIV) (Notice that the Lord didn't say, "I will give Jericho into your hand." Instead, He said it had already been accomplished.)
The
victory was already won! Then God in His unfathomable wisdom had them
follow an unusual path. Rather than typical weapons of warfare, they
were to march around the city, blare the trumpets, and shout.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days. (Hebrews 11:30, NIV)
Faith
walking isn't for the faint of heart. It requires letting go of our
normal human desire to believe in what we see rather than what we don't
see. But, oh, the victory that belongs to those to who dare to live--to
walk--by faith.
We
humans are so tuned in to our senses. We put great stock in all we see,
hear, feel, taste and smell. But we would be wise to remember that
everything our senses take in is temporary, and only the spiritual
realm--the things we can't see--has lasting value and worth.
The term "walk" in the verse above implies a continual action. (Some translations use the term "live,"
which is also a continual action.) In other words, it's more than just a
one time thing. Yes, all believers attest to one moment where they put
their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. The question is: What happened
next?
If a life of faith is merely the pronouncement of belief
then the halls of heaven will one day be filled with millions who have
professed faith. You say you have faith, for you believe that there
is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble
in terror. (James 2:19, NLT)
Faith is so much more than a
one-time statement. It's a life lived by trust in the eternal rather
than taking cover in the temporal. It's resting in the One who holds
everything in His hands and trusting Him to direct our paths. It's
choosing, every moment of every day, to walk and live in the light of
who He is.
Joshua was a seasoned man of war when God handed the
responsibility of leading the Hebrew people over to him. What a massive
mission! He surely must have questioned his ability and the dangers that
awaited them, but God told him on more than one occasion to not be
afraid and to be of good courage.
Then came Jericho, a fortified
city that had to be destroyed. If Joshua and the Hebrew people had
believed what their eyes told them, they probably would have turned tail
and run all the way back to Egypt.
But this was a journey of faith, not fear.
And the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor." (Joshua 6:2, NIV) (Notice that the Lord didn't say, "I will give Jericho into your hand." Instead, He said it had already been accomplished.)
The
victory was already won! Then God in His unfathomable wisdom had them
follow an unusual path. Rather than typical weapons of warfare, they
were to march around the city, blare the trumpets, and shout.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days. (Hebrews 11:30, NIV)
Faith
walking isn't for the faint of heart. It requires letting go of our
normal human desire to believe in what we see rather than what we don't
see. But, oh, the victory that belongs to those to who dare to live--to
walk--by faith.
September 5, 2011
Real Transformation
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV)
As I work on my novel, The Way of Grace,
a story about a goody-two-shoes perfectionist who comes face to face
with God's grace, I'm reminded of the fact that authentic Christianity
has nothing to do with being good.
In fact, the more we try to be
good on our own effort, the less Christlike we become. Why? Because
we're in effect trying to earn something that has been given freely. And by
trying to earn this God-gift we bring to no account the work of God
through the sacrifice of Christ.
How foolish we are to try from
the outside-in to accomplish something that can only be done by God from
the inside-out! Call it self-improvement, self-help, or self-whatever,
it's a pervasive and deadly threat to Christianity sent straight from
Satan and the world we live in. I've said it before and I'll say it
again: There's NOTHING we can do to be good enough and to merit our
eternal salvation!
The apostle Paul expressed it perfectly. I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do
it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do
bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't
result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the
better of me every time. (Romans 7, MSG)
How encouraging it
is to this old sinner to realize that others struggle (including the
apostle Paul!) with being good. But praise God, the story doesn't end on
a negative note. God is in the business of transforming those of us who
belong to Him. Being like Jesus and following in His steps won't be
accomplished through our puny efforts to be good, but only by abiding in
Him and allowing Him to transform us.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV)
I
am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him,
he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
(John 15:5, ESV)
Father, thank You that You are
in the business of changing us from the inside-out--taking this old
caterpillar and transforming her into a glorious butterfly--taking this
sin-stained life and changing me from glory to glory. Forgive me for my
futile attempts to change myself through human effort. Thank You that
Your grace is more than enough to accomplish the transformation--making
me all that I long to be for You. When I'm tempted to rely on self-help
and self-improvement to bring about the lasting change I desire, remind
me that my only task is to stay connected to You. Amen.
As I work on my novel, The Way of Grace,
a story about a goody-two-shoes perfectionist who comes face to face
with God's grace, I'm reminded of the fact that authentic Christianity
has nothing to do with being good.
In fact, the more we try to be
good on our own effort, the less Christlike we become. Why? Because
we're in effect trying to earn something that has been given freely. And by
trying to earn this God-gift we bring to no account the work of God
through the sacrifice of Christ.
How foolish we are to try from
the outside-in to accomplish something that can only be done by God from
the inside-out! Call it self-improvement, self-help, or self-whatever,
it's a pervasive and deadly threat to Christianity sent straight from
Satan and the world we live in. I've said it before and I'll say it
again: There's NOTHING we can do to be good enough and to merit our
eternal salvation!
The apostle Paul expressed it perfectly. I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do
it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do
bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't
result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the
better of me every time. (Romans 7, MSG)
How encouraging it
is to this old sinner to realize that others struggle (including the
apostle Paul!) with being good. But praise God, the story doesn't end on
a negative note. God is in the business of transforming those of us who
belong to Him. Being like Jesus and following in His steps won't be
accomplished through our puny efforts to be good, but only by abiding in
Him and allowing Him to transform us.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV)
I
am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him,
he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
(John 15:5, ESV)
Father, thank You that You are
in the business of changing us from the inside-out--taking this old
caterpillar and transforming her into a glorious butterfly--taking this
sin-stained life and changing me from glory to glory. Forgive me for my
futile attempts to change myself through human effort. Thank You that
Your grace is more than enough to accomplish the transformation--making
me all that I long to be for You. When I'm tempted to rely on self-help
and self-improvement to bring about the lasting change I desire, remind
me that my only task is to stay connected to You. Amen.
September 1, 2011
The Importance of Practice
"I promise not to be distracted by…ooh, shiny!"
I posted the above comment to my status on Facebook and received
numerous comments and "likes." We all laugh at this because we know how
easy it is to be distracted by the smallest things despite our good
intentions.
Sadly, distraction often carries over into my prayer life. I begin to
pray and before long my thoughts have turned to the earthly realm–a
comment that was made, what I'm going to have for lunch, the chores that
need to be accomplished for the day. The list could go on and on.
I know this must grieve God's Daddy-heart. He created us. Gave us a
new life. Longs for an intimate relationship with us. But so often we
forget we've been granted a never-ending audience with the King. We
hurry through our prayer time as one more thing to check of our To-Do
List, then pack Him up until we need Him again. The truth is that He is
always with us, so why do we ignore His presence?
Maybe a better question is: how can we remedy the problem? The only
thing that seems to effectively handle the distraction issue for me is
practice–what a 17th century monk by the name of Brother Lawrence called
practicing the presence of God.
I've learned that when I'm mindful of His presence and speak to Him
constantly throughout the day, He transforms the hectic into the serene
and the chaotic into the divine. He makes each act, no matter how simple
and mundane, a holy task, ordained by God as His plan for me at that
moment in time.
As a piano teacher, I've seen the difference in results between those
students who practice and those who don't. The same things applies to
our spiritual lives. If we long for a deeper walk with God, we simply
must practice. We must discipline ourselves to be constantly aware of
His presence. We must carry on a constant conversation with Him. Only
then will our relationship with God become the deeply intimate
connection that we and He desires.
You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is
fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm
16:11, ESV)
I posted the above comment to my status on Facebook and received
numerous comments and "likes." We all laugh at this because we know how
easy it is to be distracted by the smallest things despite our good
intentions.
Sadly, distraction often carries over into my prayer life. I begin to
pray and before long my thoughts have turned to the earthly realm–a
comment that was made, what I'm going to have for lunch, the chores that
need to be accomplished for the day. The list could go on and on.
I know this must grieve God's Daddy-heart. He created us. Gave us a
new life. Longs for an intimate relationship with us. But so often we
forget we've been granted a never-ending audience with the King. We
hurry through our prayer time as one more thing to check of our To-Do
List, then pack Him up until we need Him again. The truth is that He is
always with us, so why do we ignore His presence?
Maybe a better question is: how can we remedy the problem? The only
thing that seems to effectively handle the distraction issue for me is
practice–what a 17th century monk by the name of Brother Lawrence called
practicing the presence of God.
I've learned that when I'm mindful of His presence and speak to Him
constantly throughout the day, He transforms the hectic into the serene
and the chaotic into the divine. He makes each act, no matter how simple
and mundane, a holy task, ordained by God as His plan for me at that
moment in time.
As a piano teacher, I've seen the difference in results between those
students who practice and those who don't. The same things applies to
our spiritual lives. If we long for a deeper walk with God, we simply
must practice. We must discipline ourselves to be constantly aware of
His presence. We must carry on a constant conversation with Him. Only
then will our relationship with God become the deeply intimate
connection that we and He desires.
You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is
fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm
16:11, ESV)
August 30, 2011
Lime Sherbet, Pizza, and Coffee
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Psalm 34:8 (ESV)
Notice the correlation between tasting and trusting. When we've
tasted God's goodness by putting our trust in Him, we'll want even more.
Our craving for God will intensify exponentially.
Webster's Dictionary defines a craving as "an intense, urgent, or
abnormal desire or longing." For those of us who've lived long enough,
we understand this definition because we've experienced it firsthand.
When I was pregnant with my oldest son, I craved lime sherbet. I
deployed my poor hubby on several midnight missions to procure a half
gallon of the green concoction. With my youngest son, it was pepperoni
pizza. I can't count the number of times I went for a prenatal check-up
(and the dreaded weigh-in), quickly followed by a visit to the local
pizza joint, where I devoured the triangular bits of nirvana. As I've
grown older (and more exhausted), my cravings lean toward anything that
will give me a boost of energy–usually a well-doctored cup of coffee.
As I've considered my history of cravings, I realize that I can't
crave something unless I've already tasted it. How could I desire that
piece of chocolate cake unless I didn't already know how wonderful it
will taste on my tongue?
A word of caution is in order here. We would be wise to carefully
consider the things we crave, food or otherwise. Just as Eve craved the
forbidden fruit, our desires can easily become the enemy's playground.
Giving into Satan's temptation leads only to destruction and death. The
best way to avoid his traps?
Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (ESV)
I used to believe this verse meant that if I delighted in God, He'd
give me anything and everything I wanted. But parenthood has taught me
how unwise it is to give children everything they want. (They quickly
morph into greedy, selfish brats with insatiable appetites, and we're no
different!)
Instead, our God is a loving and wise Father who made us with a far
greater purpose in mind. He's designed each of us with a need for Him–a
soul hunger that can't be satisfied by anything else. I've learned that
by delighting myself in the Lord, He becomes the desire–the craving–of
my heart.
Father God, thank You for being the only desire that
truly satisfies. Help us take the time to delight ourselves in You, to
taste Your goodness, to trust You fully. Make us painfully aware of the
cravings in our lives placed there by the enemy. May we flee His snare
and run to You as our only heart's desire. Give us more and more of You.
Amen.
Notice the correlation between tasting and trusting. When we've
tasted God's goodness by putting our trust in Him, we'll want even more.
Our craving for God will intensify exponentially.
Webster's Dictionary defines a craving as "an intense, urgent, or
abnormal desire or longing." For those of us who've lived long enough,
we understand this definition because we've experienced it firsthand.
When I was pregnant with my oldest son, I craved lime sherbet. I
deployed my poor hubby on several midnight missions to procure a half
gallon of the green concoction. With my youngest son, it was pepperoni
pizza. I can't count the number of times I went for a prenatal check-up
(and the dreaded weigh-in), quickly followed by a visit to the local
pizza joint, where I devoured the triangular bits of nirvana. As I've
grown older (and more exhausted), my cravings lean toward anything that
will give me a boost of energy–usually a well-doctored cup of coffee.
As I've considered my history of cravings, I realize that I can't
crave something unless I've already tasted it. How could I desire that
piece of chocolate cake unless I didn't already know how wonderful it
will taste on my tongue?
A word of caution is in order here. We would be wise to carefully
consider the things we crave, food or otherwise. Just as Eve craved the
forbidden fruit, our desires can easily become the enemy's playground.
Giving into Satan's temptation leads only to destruction and death. The
best way to avoid his traps?
Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (ESV)
I used to believe this verse meant that if I delighted in God, He'd
give me anything and everything I wanted. But parenthood has taught me
how unwise it is to give children everything they want. (They quickly
morph into greedy, selfish brats with insatiable appetites, and we're no
different!)
Instead, our God is a loving and wise Father who made us with a far
greater purpose in mind. He's designed each of us with a need for Him–a
soul hunger that can't be satisfied by anything else. I've learned that
by delighting myself in the Lord, He becomes the desire–the craving–of
my heart.
Father God, thank You for being the only desire that
truly satisfies. Help us take the time to delight ourselves in You, to
taste Your goodness, to trust You fully. Make us painfully aware of the
cravings in our lives placed there by the enemy. May we flee His snare
and run to You as our only heart's desire. Give us more and more of You.
Amen.
Pardon My Mishaps
Sorry to appear so wishy-washy, but I can't seem to transfer my feeds from WordVessel to my new website. So instead I'll be posting in both places. Hope this doesn't inconvenience anyone! =)
July 1, 2011
Last Post On This Blog
As promised in the last post, I've moved my blog and website to another host. You can find me at www.CatBryant.com. (Blog and website have been combined into one.)
I've tried to figure out how to transfer those of you who subscribe to WordVessel either by e-mail or RSS feed, but it has me bamboozled. So if you don't mind, please hop on over to the new site and sign up again. I won't be posting as often as I did here on WordVessel, but I hope to make up for in quality what I lack in quantity.
I love you all, and at the risk of stealing someone else's tagline: "Thanks for the memories..."
(And here's to making many new memories!!!)
I've tried to figure out how to transfer those of you who subscribe to WordVessel either by e-mail or RSS feed, but it has me bamboozled. So if you don't mind, please hop on over to the new site and sign up again. I won't be posting as often as I did here on WordVessel, but I hope to make up for in quality what I lack in quantity.
I love you all, and at the risk of stealing someone else's tagline: "Thanks for the memories..."
(And here's to making many new memories!!!)
June 23, 2011
Stay Tuned
Hi friends! Just wanted to let you know that I'm moving to a new location in the near future. Once the new website/blog is up and running, I'll send out one final post to let you know. Hope you'll stop by for a visit!
May 24, 2011
Have You Built Your Ark?
The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the LORD said, "I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out....But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. (Genesis 6:5-14, 18, NIV)
We Live Among Evil
Since the fall of Adam and Eve, evil has entered the world. Thankfully, because of Jesus' sacrifice in our behalf, that evil no longer has power and control over us. But it still poses a threat to us and our families.
Walking Faithfully With God
Even in the midst of great evil, we can find favor with the Lord. The key is to walk faithfully with God. While we have no righteousness of our own that can cause God to favor us (Romans 3:10; Isaiah 64:6), our faith in God is credited to us as righteousness (Romans 4:22). In addition, through the cross "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV)" Only through Christ can we be "blameless among the people" of our time.
The World Is Doomed For Destruction
The Bible is clear. Not only do those who don't believe in Christ NOT have eternal life, but God's wrath remains on them (John 3:36) and they are His enemies (Romans 5:10; James 4:4; Colossians 1:21). Because of this, they are doomed for destruction. (Though it's a whole other blog post, from Christ's teachings we know that we're to love our enemies and pray for them.)
Build An Ark
I'm speaking figuratively now, but I believe with all my heart that our homes should be "arks" for our families. Home should be a place free from the corruption found in the world, a place of safety and security and faithfulness to God. Our "arks" protect us from the outpouring of God's wrath upon a faithless generation. God has given us the building materials we need. The boards of cypress wood are His Word, and we lay them one plank at a time.
Have you built your ark?
These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised you. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:1-9, NIV)
Heavenly Father, thank You for drawing us to You in faith. Thank you for crediting our faith in You as righteousness and for exchanging our sin for that righteousness through the spilled blood of Jesus on the cross. What love! Words can't express our gratitude. Lord, in response, help us to live unpolluted and blameless lives as a testimony to those enslaved to evil. Give us boldness, Lord, to speak out in an attempt to save them from the wrath to come. More than anything, Lord, help us to use Your Word to build a foundation and an "ark" for our families. In Jesus' name, Amen.
We Live Among Evil
Since the fall of Adam and Eve, evil has entered the world. Thankfully, because of Jesus' sacrifice in our behalf, that evil no longer has power and control over us. But it still poses a threat to us and our families.
Walking Faithfully With God
Even in the midst of great evil, we can find favor with the Lord. The key is to walk faithfully with God. While we have no righteousness of our own that can cause God to favor us (Romans 3:10; Isaiah 64:6), our faith in God is credited to us as righteousness (Romans 4:22). In addition, through the cross "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV)" Only through Christ can we be "blameless among the people" of our time.
The World Is Doomed For Destruction
The Bible is clear. Not only do those who don't believe in Christ NOT have eternal life, but God's wrath remains on them (John 3:36) and they are His enemies (Romans 5:10; James 4:4; Colossians 1:21). Because of this, they are doomed for destruction. (Though it's a whole other blog post, from Christ's teachings we know that we're to love our enemies and pray for them.)
Build An Ark
I'm speaking figuratively now, but I believe with all my heart that our homes should be "arks" for our families. Home should be a place free from the corruption found in the world, a place of safety and security and faithfulness to God. Our "arks" protect us from the outpouring of God's wrath upon a faithless generation. God has given us the building materials we need. The boards of cypress wood are His Word, and we lay them one plank at a time.
Have you built your ark?
These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised you. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:1-9, NIV)
Heavenly Father, thank You for drawing us to You in faith. Thank you for crediting our faith in You as righteousness and for exchanging our sin for that righteousness through the spilled blood of Jesus on the cross. What love! Words can't express our gratitude. Lord, in response, help us to live unpolluted and blameless lives as a testimony to those enslaved to evil. Give us boldness, Lord, to speak out in an attempt to save them from the wrath to come. More than anything, Lord, help us to use Your Word to build a foundation and an "ark" for our families. In Jesus' name, Amen.
May 23, 2011
Heaven In Our Midst
All of us humans are creatures of our senses. By that I mean that what we see, hear, taste, feel and smell becomes our reality.
But the truth is that there is a greater reality, and for those of us who belong to Christ, we're both surrounded and indwelled by it.
The color spectrum is actually much larger than what the human eye can detect--hence the words "ultraviolet" and "infrared." There are sounds too high and too low for the human ear to notice. The truth is that our world is much more vast than what we can know. What is exciting to me is that this is true in the spiritual realm as well.
In several places throughout the Bible this spiritual realm is alluded to. Here are a few examples.
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:15-17, NIV)
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. (Psalm 34:7, NIV)
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12, ESV)
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39, NIV)
Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied to them by saying, "The kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed or with visible display, Nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." (Luke 17:20-21, Amplified Bible)
(Note: Some of the study notes on various translations suggest both "within you" and "within your grasp.")
This is cause to celebrate. God's kingdom, heaven, is in our midst!
Father God, thank You that You and Your kingdom are all around us and within us. What peace that brings to our souls! As we go through this day, help us to remember that as Your people we have access to You and Your kingdom at any time. We praise You for allowing us both the privileges and responsibilities of that accessibility. May we use it boldly and powerfully for the purpose of proclaiming Your name! Amen.
But the truth is that there is a greater reality, and for those of us who belong to Christ, we're both surrounded and indwelled by it.
The color spectrum is actually much larger than what the human eye can detect--hence the words "ultraviolet" and "infrared." There are sounds too high and too low for the human ear to notice. The truth is that our world is much more vast than what we can know. What is exciting to me is that this is true in the spiritual realm as well.
In several places throughout the Bible this spiritual realm is alluded to. Here are a few examples.
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:15-17, NIV)
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. (Psalm 34:7, NIV)
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12, ESV)
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39, NIV)
Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied to them by saying, "The kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed or with visible display, Nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." (Luke 17:20-21, Amplified Bible)
(Note: Some of the study notes on various translations suggest both "within you" and "within your grasp.")
This is cause to celebrate. God's kingdom, heaven, is in our midst!
Father God, thank You that You and Your kingdom are all around us and within us. What peace that brings to our souls! As we go through this day, help us to remember that as Your people we have access to You and Your kingdom at any time. We praise You for allowing us both the privileges and responsibilities of that accessibility. May we use it boldly and powerfully for the purpose of proclaiming Your name! Amen.
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