Monday, April 25, 2011

Still and Fill

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
Psalm 46:10 NKJV

Sometimes our heads get spinning so fast we feel like we are caught in a blender. That panicked feeling that we have to keep moving just to keep our feet off of the blades. The world may tell us to "slow down" but offers no real consolation. Yet the Lord calls us to a rest and and to recognize Who He IS. When we find our world is spinning it is often because we have moved to believing we are the center of it all, which we were never meant to be. That is acting as if we were God. The reminder? Be still and realize that you are not God, HE IS GOD. His exultation and glory are sure, and He has chosen to share that glory with you, not the other way around. Take a moment to be still, and move into your rightful orbit around the Son.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Have you been properly introduced?

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:8 NKJV

Introductions are an interesting custom in any society. When talking to a person while waiting in line you will very seldom introduce yourself. The relationship you have is based on standing in a line together, and will not likely outlast the wait. However, when you meet anyone in a capacity that implies a long lasting relationship formal introductions take place. The word translated "demonstrates" in Romans 5:8 has the sense of "introduces". God formally introduces us to His love here: at the Cross. He loves you, and He has proven it.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Risky Faithlessness

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:11

Imagine a person jumping out of an airplane. He has a parachute strapped to his back and is jumping with a friend. The friend screams, “Pull your rip chord! Release your chute!” to which the first person says, “I don’t trust my parachute!” He then begins furiously flapping his arms like wings, and consequently plummets to his death. This is exactly what Christians do when we try to do battle with our sin nature on our own power or might. We ignore what Christ has already done for us and then wind up as a messy spot on the spiritual pavement.

Have a great week!

Monday, April 4, 2011

Who is in View?

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2
I was talking to one of my dearest friends, who spent some time as a waiter. This man could balance 4 plates (with full servings of food) on one arm and a big tray of food and drinks in the other. It was quite an impressive feat! When I asked him how he did it he replied, "I couldn't do it until I stopped looking at the plates, and my arms, and just looked at where I was going. As long as I keep my eyes locked on my destination the plates and drinks never spill." Undoubtedly, each of our lives is something of a balancing act, when we attend to each of the individual issues everything has a tendency to spiral out of control. However, if we fix our eyes on Jesus, and not on our problems, our fears, or relationships, everything else falls into perspective.