Good to Go

Posted on October 15, 2009 by day1of1

The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. 1 Kings 19:1-9

Today I find myself reading a common passage of Scripture, but focusing an uncommon section. It is in the verses to follow where Elijah experiences the wind, earthquake, fire and gentle whisper. But it was the verses prior to that which caught my attention. Elijah was scared – with good reason. His life had been threatened and he fled. After a day’s journey, he had given up, laid down and informed God that he was ready to die. Elijah was scared, tired, and relying on his own strength to deal with his problems – a bad combination.

Enter God. God sends an angel to him, telling him to eat food which had already been prepared for him. When Elijah lays back down, the angel bids him to get up and eat again in preparation for the journey he was about to take. So is the angel a meddling mother? Hardly! Look at the reason for his command. “Get up and eat for the journey is too much for you.” What an interesting statement. He didn’t say, “Don’t bother, it’s impossible.” However, he also didn’t say, “Don’t worry, you can do it!” So Elijah ate and began his trip trusting fully in God.

And what a trip it was. God provided the power for Elijah to go far beyond his own capabilities. Remember, it was a day’s journey that had him down and out, ready to die. Strengthened by God, Elijah set out on a journey of 40 days & 40 nights. That’s roughly the equivalent of going from ten minutes on the treadmill today to winning the ironman triathlon tomorrow! Impossible? Not if you consider the source. Remember what the angel said? He knew Elijah couldn’t do it alone, but he also knew in God Elijah couldn’t fail.

Where are you at in the journey of your life? It’s obvious that you are on your way to the mountain, spurred on by the strength of the Father. Like Elijah, you have been in those places where despair, fatigue, and fear have gripped you and tempted you to give up – to run away. Thankfully you didn’t do it. God brought you back, built you up, and has led you down a path to a destination still somewhat unknown. However, this doesn’t change the fact that you will certainly get there. That is assured by God’s promise to deliver you to that place where you will hear Him, know His will, and reap the reward of aligning your path with God’s plan. You follow it without worry because your strength is complete, unfailing, and not your own. I follow it as well – without fear, without doubt, and unconcerned by the length of the trip because God knows the destination and His timing is perfect. I pray that you will find an uncommon level of strength in God today: strength to rise, strength to endure, and the strength to overcome.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Maximus Faith

Posted on October 8, 2009 by day1of1

I don’t watch many movies, but the ones that I watch I will watch over and over again.  Gladiator, starring Russellquintus Crowe is one of those movies.  I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but I find it interesting – similar to Braveheart in that there is a man who stands on his convictions and refuses to waver.  This is something I desire for my own life – a consistency in my thoughts and actions; a resolve that will keep me steadfast in what I know to be true.  Of course for me it is the will of God, found in Scripture and spoken into my life.  Like Maximus or Wallace in Braveheart, my consistent submission to God’s plan will bring me to that place where I want to be – where God wants me to be.

But while the decision to live in God’s plan is mine, there are times when others will be influenced by God and do things that in turn drive us forward.  In the climactic scene of Gladiator, Maximus is in the arena fighting Emperor Commodus – the man responsible for the deaths of Maximus’s wife and son.  What the crowds don’t know is that Maximus had been mortally wounded before the fight began – stabbed so that he would be weakened, guaranteeing Commodus’s victory.  Only one man, Commodus’s praetorian Quintus, knew of Maximus’s injury.

Throughout the story, Quintus was loyal to the emperor. He is the one who hands Maximus over for execution.  Quintus gives the orders to dispatch the soldiers to kill his family.  He did this out of loyalty, duty, and the sure knowledge that he really had no other choice.  Quintus is a good soldier.  His decisions showed “strength” and secured not only his power, but his survival as well.  He is a great example of someone finding it easy to do something hard when they feel that they have no other choice.  So were Quintus’s actions really strong or weak?  The answer comes in the transformation that we see take place in him. 

Watching Maximus continue to fight despite his loses and injuries, Quintus was inspired.  He didn’t really understand what it was that drove Maximus to stand firm, but he recognized its power and it moved him to make a decision that would alter the outcome of the fight, and the lives of every Roman citizen.

While fighting Maximus, Commodus lost his sword.  Weaponless, he called for Quintus and the other soldiers standing watch to give him a sword.  Inexplicably, Quintus stepped forward and gave his men a simple command; “Sheath your swords.”  He never entered the fight, didn’t inflict the wounds, but he surely struck the first death blow upon Commodus.  So even though Quintus a small character in the story, he stepped up at the right time and surrendered himself to what had finally been revealed to him.  Years of confusion and bad decisions were turned around in that one decision which became, without question, the seminal moment of his life.

Sometimes in life we receive good things from God that we don’t see.  Like Quintus, we let other factors interfere and cloud us from recognizing it.  The Bible shows many believers who stood firm in their beliefs – the Maximus believers – the champions of faith.  But equally important to us are the Quintus believers: those men and women who saw it, knew it, but didn’t always live it until that moment where God stepped in and said, “Now is the time.”  Think about the story of the criminal on the cross from Luke 23.  He obviously knew Jesus, who He was and what He taught.  But the man obviously didn’t live it, and now as he was hanging on the cross he finally sees how his actions led him to his demise.  But even there, dying on a cross, he had a Quintus moment and his eyes were opened to the fullness of God’s plan for him.

I desire nothing more than to know the fullness of what God has in store for my life.  I pray earnestly that the same will be true for all of the people in my life who I love and for whom I care.  This sounds like a very Maximus type of thought.  But even if I am nothing more than a Quintus influence in your life, I pray that God will allow me the chance to open your eyes to even the smallest measure of what God has in store for you.  In turn, I encourage you to consider those people with whom you connect.  May your prayer be that your life will provide both Maximus and Quintus moments in which you minster to them, allowing the Lord to use you to move them toward His ultimate destination.

Posted in Devotional | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Unforgettable

Posted on October 3, 2009 by day1of1

Ever been forgotten?  Sure you have.  It doesn’t have to mean you’re sitting at soccer practice waiting for one of your parents to pick you up, coming to find that mom thought dad was doing it and vice versa.  There are many ways to be forgotten – being placed on hold and nobody gets back to you, going into a business where the employee looks to help “the next person” and chooses incorrectly, spending time trying to make an impression with someone and the next time you see them they don’t remember your name.  We’ve all experienced it on some level.  At the lower stages – it’s an annoyance or a frustration.  Kick it up a notch and it can be more difficult to handle.  Go back to the soccer practice example.  Say you’ve made arrangements for a hotel stay in a city far away from home on a busy weekend – you arrive to check in, only to find that your reservation is not in the computer and they have no rooms.  But even that’s not the highest level this can take.

Being forgotten is at its absolute worst when love is involved.  Imagine going to someone you love and for the first time, opening up to them.  You expose your thoughts and feelings, providing them with total access to your heart.  So upon making that declaration, he or she steps away, providing you with no response.  Some might argue that walking away is silently screaming an answer, but it truth it is the most painful response you could give.  No response leaves you open, questioning, and hanging onto even the smallest bits of hope.  Don’t believe me?  I’m not suggesting you try this, but think of what would happen in the mind of your spouse, partner, or child if you totally ignore them the next time they told you they loved you?

Christ demonstrates the pain that comes from being forgotten while on the cross.  Throughout this entire sequence He has said very little.  What words He has spoken have been very controlled, very strong.  But throughout the entire process of his trial, humiliation, persecution, and execution, there is only one time where you discover a sense of hurt in his words.  We find it in Matthew 27:45-46:  “From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’—which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”  Furthermore, when you think of hell and all of its descriptors, the most painful part of it – the one thing we can’t really understand about it is that in hell is total separation of ourselves from God – forgotten without any hope of ever being restored.

Christ knew full well the pain that comes from being forgotten.  That is why the Bible is so clear about how we will not be forgotten.  Hebrews 13:5 gives us this reassurance from God when it reminds us that He will never leave us, nor forsake us.”  Our Savior makes the same promise to his disciples and to us in Matthew 28: 20, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Thanks to our great and loving God, we can live confidently – knowing that we will never be forgotten.

Posted in Devotional | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Gift of a Thistle

Posted on September 28, 2009 by day1of1

I am a big fan of the movie Braveheart. William Wallace, or at least the character depicted by Mel Gibson in the movie, is a man I find myself admiring and in many ways wishing to emulate. I am beginning to write more extensively about the spiritual applications found within the movie. But as I embark upon that project, I wanted to just share a one reflection.

There are many terms that can be used to describe the character of William Wallace. One of the greatest would have to be his dedication. That’s a great word to use because it touches on several of Wallace’s personality strengths: loyalty, commitment, diligence, and integrity. It is found in several areas, but perhaps most beautifully in terms of his relationship with Murron.

Murron MacClannough first appears in the film at the funeral of William’s father and brother. She is a very young girl maybe five or six years old. She sees William, only a few years older than she and now alone and in pain. Her feelings lead her to action, so she break away from her mother’s hand, picks a thistle, and presents it to the grief-stricken boy. At first glance you may think he merely looks into her face, taking in the gravity of the moment, and accepting this compassionate gift.

murron

But look closer. Watch William’s reaction to the gift and you can see his future established in a heartbeat. He receives the flower, looking down at the tender gift given to him. Then, he hurriedly looks up. It’s subtle but important. He’s not startled, scared, or taken aback. His reaction seems to be driven more by his heart than his mind, for it is in that moment, that quick glance at Murron, we see a heart teaching a mind something that it will forever hold true.

Click here and see it yourself…

 

Some of you may say that I’ve just watched the movie too many times and am making this stuff up. However, I would invite you to follow the thistle as it returns back to Murron years later. After reconnecting with her, Wallace drops her back off at her home. As he leaves, he hands her a folded cloth. She opens the cloth, finding a perfectly preserved thistle – the very flower she had given him years earlier. What is her reaction? You’ve seen it before. She hurriedly looks up. It’s subtle but important. She’s not startled, scared, or taken aback. The thistle not only confirms his deep feelings of love for her, but it awakens in her the true love that she has also held for him. The similarities in the reactions reveal the connection that has existed between them for years. And while it is certainly romantic, it leaves me with one simple question.

How is it that Wallace, who has been gone traveling the world with his uncle for years, could have not only kept the flower, but the love of Murron for so many years? With all he had learned and experienced, he could have lived anywhere, choosing for himself a woman from any nation with beauty, power, charm or wealth – or all of the above. So what was it that brought him back to Murron – a simple, common Scottish peasant? She could have died. She could have already married. She could have forgotten about him or may have wanted nothing to do with him. But Wallace never listened to these thoughts. He refused to allow any of these ideas to enter his consciousness because the thistle reminded him of what his heart already knew – he loved her and her alone. And so he held fast to what he knew was in store for him.

We have that same level of certainty in the promises of God. Maybe it is like Wallace – a promise that God is going to bring you a spouse with whom you will share your life. Perhaps its focus is on your work, your calling, or the direction your life is supposed to take based on a simple decision you have in front of you. No matter the topic, God’s promises are a certainty. Wallace didn’t know when he would return to Murron, but he knew he would. He didn’t know what his life with her would be like, but he knew he would have one. God’s promises for us don’t always come in the way we envision, but we know they will come and will bring with them the fullest manifestation of the love that God intended us to have in them.

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him…” – Psalm 37:7

Posted in Devotional | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

What are You Waiting For?

Posted on September 25, 2009 by day1of1

While traversing the Internet recently, I came across a most interesting quote about love.  I thought that I would share it.  It was credited to the great and ageless philosopher, Anonymous.  It reads:

“Falling in love with someone isn’t always going to be easy… anger…  tears… laughter…  It’s when you want to be together despite it all. That’s when you truly love another.  I’m sure of it.”

For those of you who are married or who have found the love of your life, I think you can easily recognize the truth in Anonymous’s statement.  Love is messy business.  It is the most amazing combination of thought, work, emotions, and passion.  It is simultaneous confidence and apprehension.  To fall in love means the end of self reliance and a sharing of your deepest thoughts: your dreams, aspirations, and fears.  Your life is no longer just your own because now someone else has entered it in the most special of ways – altering patterns and reshaping paradigms along the way.  Simply put – true love will change your life.

We can appreciate the deep feelings of love that exist between a man and a woman.  We all desire the chance to share in a love that has this kind of depth and meaning.  Singles search for it while couples work hard to maintain and build it.  We know its value and will do most anything to feel it.

I wonder if this isn’t how God feels about us?  You know that feeling you got in the pit of your stomach when you first opened up and expressed your true feelings about someone you loved, uncertain if or how they would respond?  I wonder if God feels that same way about us sometimes.  Think about it – He has loved us since the beginning of time.  He sacrificed His Son so that our sin would no longer keep us separated from Him.  He has said and done everything necessary to allow the ones He loves the most to be with Him forever.  He has opened Himself up to us completely and now He waits.  As the quote says, this couldn’t have been easy.  God wants to be together with us, despite it all.  We know this to be true from Romans 5:6-8.  “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

He is waiting for us, with gifts unimaginable because of the amazing love of He wants to share with us.  He’s at the door, arms open, waiting for your response.  So what are you waiting for?

Posted in Devotional | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Homecoming Part 2

Posted on September 21, 2009 by day1of1

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ ” ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ” – Luke 15:25-32
As Paul Harvey used to say, “And now for the rest of the story.”  So many people look at this parable and focus upon the younger son and the Father, and they gloss over the older son.  Pity – the older son offers a great deal for us, especially as Christians who live in the love of the Father day by day.  For starters, the brother was hurt by the fact that the Father had given his undeserving sibling such a great gift but yet hadn’t rewarded him – not even a goat to go celebrate with his friends.  My question to the brother is this:  Did you ever ask?

God is providing you and I with immeasurable blessings.  Satan recognizes this and has of late been relentless in his attacks.  But try as he may, he will not succeed in separating us from what we have asked God for and from what God, out of love and according to His will, has promised us. 

In the parable, there is nothing to suggest that had the older brother asked for the goat he would have been denied.  Quite the opposite when you consider that the Father gave the younger son his full inheritance upon his requesting it.  That thought is confirmed in this passage as the Father reminds his son that he is now the heir of all the Father has.  Ask and you shall receive.  I have asked a good many things of God and have worked hard to clean my hands, to replace my wineskins, and to fully surrender my life to Him.  I believe that He has answered my prayer and will be true to the Word He has spoken to me.  That is why I, like the older brother, stay and wait with a patient and steadfast resolve on the coming blessings of the Father.

Finally there is a great lesson in how the Father treats His two sons equally.  Yes – equally.  When the younger son returned, the Father did two things.  He first restored the relationship, then He directed him back toward his divine destiny.  Look and you will see that He does the exact same thing with His older son.  First, he restores the relationship, reminding his son of his position within the family: the heir to all that the Father has.  There is nothing that the Father has that will be denied to his son and so that reminder is the first thing given.  But then the Father redirects his son back toward his destiny.  The son is beckoned to come, join the celebration and to set aside the former things that have held him back from enjoying the fullness of all that the Father has. 

And as in most good stories, the author leaves us wanting more.  We don’t know what the brother’s decision was.  He could have chosen to open himself up to the Father’s wishes for him and to take the blessings that he didn’t see at the time.  He may also have chosen to walk away – to go to his room and to shoulder his frustrations alone, losing out on the fullness of what the Father has set before him.  Our lives are filled with such decisions.  Our prayer is for God to guide us to make the right choice.

Posted in Devotional | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Homecoming

Posted on September 18, 2009 by day1of1

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. – Luke 15:11-24

The parable of the lost son provides us with some unique truths and interesting insights that we can use in our daily lives. Consider the story of the first son. Sometimes we find ourselves stuck in a place similar to his situation. We’ve looked at our life, assessed it, and have made a decision that has turned out wrong – it has hurt us, hurt others, and hurt our Father. In time, we come to the realization that we have made a mistake, that we have caused injury, and that we are in fact denying ourselves blessings that we would otherwise be celebrating if we had continued to stay in tune with what our Father had intended for us. That moment of revelation can be difficult. When we look back upon the decision, upon the things that were said, upon the hurts that were caused, we realize the true depth of the issue and must settle that in our own hearts.

But that’s not the hardest part for us. What we find more difficult is coming back. The first son realized his plight – he knew he ended up among the pigs and that a life in his Father’s workforce was better than being the Sultan of the Swine. But look at the anguish he goes through in preparation of returning. He knows he offended and the feelings of awkwardness coupled with a fear of the outcome have him confounded and afraid. Had he only known the true feelings of the Father! If he had an inkling of his father’s reaction – that he would have thrown his arms around him, kissed him and welcomed him with celebration – I dare say he’d have returned to face Him sooner. This isn’t to say that there wouldn’t be discussions to follow, but the Father wanted to convey two important truths to His son: I love you, and I want to see you moving toward what is best for you.

No matter where we go, what we do, or what we’re facing, God will always welcome us with open arms, with kisses, and with celebration. How fortunate we are to serve such a wonderful God.

Posted in Devotional | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Not What it Seems

Posted on September 14, 2009 by day1of1

world_trade_centerAs our nation remembers the horrors of September 11, 2001 many of us are remembering where we were and what we did on that terrible day. My memories of the day are varied – a mix of professional obligations and personal interpretations of the events and their significance.  I’m sure that many of us can look back upon the day, clearly remembering where we were and what we thought.  I’ve had many conversations with friends describing those recollections, so I am not going to use this post to restate them.  In fact, the thoughts that I have regarding the day are based upon an event that took place several years later.

While teaching my seventh and eighth grade social studies class a few years ago, I made a reference to the 9/11 attacks. I didn’t get the informed response I had expected.  After thinking about it for a moment, I realized why; these students were just young children when the attacks took place.  Their families didn’t subject them to the continual news coverage, and even if they did, they were too young to grasp it.  With that realization, I decided to develop a unit on the events of September 11.  Part of that unit included watching a documentary about the attack.  The show takes you through all of the events of the day in chronological order – giving the viewer a vivid picture of the destruction and our reactions as hours unfolded.

At one point in the film a cameraman went out into the courtyard between the two towers and pointed his camera to the tops of the buildings to document the damage that they had taken.  As the scene unfolds, the narrator explains that in the panic and confusion of the day’s events, nobody had turned off the Muzak recording that played soft music in the courtyard.  So as you see the images of the damaged buildings with debris cascading to the ground, flames and smoke billowing out of the windows, you hear an instrumental version of Billy Joel’s “She’s Always a Woman” playing softly in the background.  That image of death coupled with love struck me the moment I first saw it and it has remained indelibly etched into my mind ever since.

What I find most interesting about this moment captured on film is the contradiction.  Here in the midst of destruction we find hope. Surrounded by death and hate exists a quiet message of love.  For me, this exemplifies the amazing love of God the Father, confirming Paul’s words in the eighth chapter of Romans:

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Now let me to take this one step further.  In the song, Joel describes a woman who is elusive, conflicted, and self focused.  She holds back, sends mixed messages, and is unapologetic when it comes to those things that are important to her – even if they conflict with the needs of others around her.  But in spite of this he declares his continued love for her.  So we have a love song about contradictions being played in the most contradictory of circumstances.  Just as the singer’s love remains constant in spite of his lover’s bad behavior, God’s love never wavered, even at Ground Zero.  His love is our strong tower – one which hatred and anger can’t ever destroy.

As we recognize this terrible anniversary, may we give thanks to God for His continued love and good gifts, especially the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.  Pray for comfort for those who still mourn, continued blessings for those who ministered to the needs of the hurt and dying, and for all mankind to know the fullness of the unbridled love of God that lives in every corner of our world.

Posted in Devotional | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lost

Posted on September 9, 2009 by day1of1

I don’t understand the premise of the television show “Lost.”  Admittedly, I have never watched a minute of the show.  When the show was first being advertised, the commercials showed the fuselage of the airplane being blown apart and then crashing, leaving the surviving passengers stranded on a deserted island.  It was also around that time that I was going on a family vacation to Florida where my son was going to take his first airplane ride.  Needless to say, that commercial got turned off very quickly whenever it came on just to avoid unnecessary questions.

 

Now back to the show.  I never did watch any of the episodes of it, but I have followed along with the commercials for the show, primarily aired during football games that I do watch.  As the years have gone by, the problems for the castaways have grown progressively worse.  In the same amount of time that it took for Tom Hanks to start talking a volleyball and for Maryann to bake her first coconut cream pie for Gilligan, these people have gone through all sorts of bigger issues – my favorite being kidnapped and imprisoned in some iron-barred prison cell apparently on the same deserted island.  Even the professor with all of his acumen couldn’t come up with that one!  Leads me to believe that not only have the characters been lost, but so has the sanity of the writing staff for the show.  Anything to keep it going, I guess.  Maybe next week one of the castaways will duke it out with Jack Bauer to win immunity so that Paula Abdul can’t vote him off of the island.

 

For the television show to survive, simply being lost wasn’t enough to keep the show going for more than a season or two.  Therefore, the writers had to develop something more sinister to keep the plot going.  It seems far-fetched, but as long as people tune in (the show is currently in the top ten for this season) they’ll keep going with it.

 

For television, being lost may not be enough.  In life, however, being lost is more than scary enough.  Many people struggle with loss:  the loss of loved ones in death, the loss of love in a marriage, the loss of a friendship, the loss of a job, the loss of one’s confidence, the loss of health, the loss of your security.  Even the loss of your car keys creates problems.  Lately, I find myself feeling rather lost.  That seems hard to believe considering my schedule, but I am grappling with a great many things lately.  In many ways, I feel lost and alone; set adrift in a sea of animosity, confusion, and uncertainty.  Each day starts anew, but more often than not I find myself back on my island.  The struggle comes when you find yourself in this place and there’s really nobody to whom you can reach out and share what’s happening or nobody who can understand and bring clarity to the situation. 

 

In this situation, what a comfort it is to know that our God is big enough to be there for us.  This may sound like a trite solution to a tremendous problem, but in truth, it is actually the spiritual solution to the problem.  When we try to use the knowledge of the world to solve the mysteries of the world, we come up short.  After all, the reason we named them mysteries in the first place is because even with all of the knowledge in the world we were unable to solve them. Why rely on the limited powers of a sinful creation when we have at our disposal the perfect power of the Creator to enlighten us and provide us exactly what we need at the proper time.

 

You see, while the list of losses seems large and complete I haven’t touched on the most significant one in the group.  The greatest of the losses we can experience is the loss of our faith and the relationship that we have with Christ.  To live life outside of the outstretched arms of God, shunning His love for us must be a hopeless and desolate feeling.  How fortunate we are to have this opportunity to have Christ in our lives.

 

But how many of us truly take advantage of the relationship we have?  How often do we find ourselves seeking the approval of others, the knowledge of man, or the advice of a talk show host, instead of turning our hearts and minds toward the awesome power of God?  Why must we rely upon our own thoughts to dictate what it is that we should do?  Yes, God gives us intelligence and common sense for a reason.  But didn’t He also give to us His Word for a reason as well?  Paul writes in the first chapter of 1 Corinthians:

17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:  “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

Why then do we rely upon earthly remedies for spiritual ailments?  Maybe we have more in common with the writers of “Lost” than I thought.

Posted in Devotional | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

An Angry Open Letter to Satan

Posted on September 3, 2009 by day1of1

9/3/09

Dear Liar:

For the past month, you have been a constant visitor.  You have shown up at my house and at work.  You’ve ridden in my car and have traveled with me seemingly everywhere I have gone.  I go to bed at night and you’re there.  I wake up in the morning and see you waiting for me.  You never seem to leave.

Your constant presence has had a definite impact upon me.  I have seen your influence in every area of my life.  You have distracted me from my writing.  You have pulled me from my work.  You have stolen my sleep.  You have caused me physical pain.  You have caused me emotional pain.  You have taken money from me.  You have broken things in my house, on my car, and in my yard.  You have taken friends from me.  You have filled me with anger.  You even worked hard to ruin my birthday.

I am sick and tired of you.  You have caused me unbelievable pain.  The hurt that I have felt has begun to linger and is clouding my view of more and more things.  I don’t like the person I am when you’re around.  I don’t like this feeling of hopelessness and despair.  In short, you have taken your best shots at me in an attempt to take me away from my destiny and every good thing that God has promised me, and it ends – now.

In the name of Jesus, I am commanding you to get out.  You are not welcome and you will no longer be permitted to be anywhere near me.  I will certainly have memories of your time spent with me – wounds that need to heal, work that needs to be done, relationships that need to be mended.  I’ve got a lot to do to make right what you’ve done, but with the help of God I will do just that.  And when my work is finished, when my relationships are restored, when the cuts and bruises are gone – you will be too and nothing of what you have created will remain.  It must bug you to know that God’s work is permanent while yours in nothing more than a temporary inconvenience that will never be allowed into my life again.

You are a liar, so I will not hear your voice anymore.  You are a thief, but God will restore everything you have ever taken from me 1oo times over.  You are a deceiver, but God will make things right.  You have lost – Christ settled that score 2,000 years ago.  Never again will I forget that fact.  And so, by the power of the name of my victorious Savior,  I am telling you in no uncertain terms to go away.  Take your lies, your hurts, and all of your tricks and never come back.

May the hollowness of your attempts consume your mind as you enter into your eternity of separation from God.

Posted in Devotional | Tagged , , | 1 Comment