Just when you thought it was okay to go back into the water...Is the theme music to "Jaws" playing in your head?
Hey, sorry for taking so long between post on my blog. Our lives have been full and a little stressful over the past few weeks. No excuse for not writing but none the less a reason.
In the past few months, Shelly and I, along with Kara, have been experiencing some difficult days in regard to Shelly's health. We believe that we may be past the worst of it thanks to God and his grace and the use of medicine. Through this time of our life the name of my blog has come to be a great reminder that things do pass, it won't always be the way it is now. Again, if things are going well for you, hold on, it will pass. If things are not going well for you, hold on, it will pass. This idea of "And it came to pass" is really a law of natural occurrences. Things change for everyone, not just believers. But it is in the place that we put our hope that makes all the difference.
For those who are not followers of Christ, hope is placed in things like medicine, stock market, job, 401K, family, etc. All of these, while not bad in and of themselves, are destined to perish and change. For the believer, its different. Our hope is in Christ! He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. He never sleeps nor slumbers. He is faithful from generation to generation. Even while being pursued by Saul, David never lost his faith and knew that his hope was in the Lord. The psalmist writes in Psalms 121 "I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth" The writer here finds himself in the valley surround by the hills where the enemy has an "advantage" point over him and yet from those same hills the LORD comes and rescues and gives the victory.
For all you who follow my blog your hope is in the Lord and for that I am thankful. Keep your eyes lifted up to the Lord, no matter what circumstance you may be in today.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Who's Strength You Living In?
Have you heard the phrase "he's a self-made man" or "he pulled himself up by his own boot straps"? For the most part, we understand what people mean when they say such things. We assume they mean that the person they are describing is a hard worker, they started at the bottom and worked themselves to death to get a corner office or they mean that the person had such personal fortitude they were able to become what they are today.
The reality is, that there is no such thing as a "self-made man". The reason is that God has made each of us in His image. No one ever pull himself up "by his own boot straps". The reason is that God is the one who has given us breath and strength of our legs and hands and minds. "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made". (John 1)
Where does the strength come from to face the challenges of life? How in the world can we ever overcome the circumstances that seem to be insurmountable? The Apostle Paul was a guy just like us. He was weak, frail, timid and fearful. He was also proud, boastful and arrogant. That sounds like us, doesn't it? We have been all these things at some point in our lives. If Paul could be a committed follower of Christ in the face of troubling circumstance, then we can as well.
Paul had experienced beatings, shipwrecks, stoning, imprisonment, nakedness, hunger, plenty and scarcity. In Philippians 4:13 he states "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength". Please note that through the strength of Christ and not himself, he could face all the trials and adversity of serving Christ. Our strength is not ours but Christ's. We can do nothing apart from Him. We are powerless in the face of the ruler of this world and all his evil schemes. Without Christ and the armour He gives we are going to fail.
If you are a follower of Christ, who's strength are you living in? I think sometimes we are lured into thinking we can do this Christian life alone. We keep Christ in our hip pocket or at arms length just in case we need Him. The reality is we need Him every moment of every day. There is not a time we do not need Him. We are absolutely dependent upon Him to give us the strength and protection we need. But we must acknowledge this reality.
I love what Peter states in 2 Peter 1:3 read and listen to what he says: "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness". It is his divine power that gives us all we need and it's all for his own glory and goodness. Live in the reality of God's word and live in HIS power!
The reality is, that there is no such thing as a "self-made man". The reason is that God has made each of us in His image. No one ever pull himself up "by his own boot straps". The reason is that God is the one who has given us breath and strength of our legs and hands and minds. "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made". (John 1)
Where does the strength come from to face the challenges of life? How in the world can we ever overcome the circumstances that seem to be insurmountable? The Apostle Paul was a guy just like us. He was weak, frail, timid and fearful. He was also proud, boastful and arrogant. That sounds like us, doesn't it? We have been all these things at some point in our lives. If Paul could be a committed follower of Christ in the face of troubling circumstance, then we can as well.
Paul had experienced beatings, shipwrecks, stoning, imprisonment, nakedness, hunger, plenty and scarcity. In Philippians 4:13 he states "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength". Please note that through the strength of Christ and not himself, he could face all the trials and adversity of serving Christ. Our strength is not ours but Christ's. We can do nothing apart from Him. We are powerless in the face of the ruler of this world and all his evil schemes. Without Christ and the armour He gives we are going to fail.
If you are a follower of Christ, who's strength are you living in? I think sometimes we are lured into thinking we can do this Christian life alone. We keep Christ in our hip pocket or at arms length just in case we need Him. The reality is we need Him every moment of every day. There is not a time we do not need Him. We are absolutely dependent upon Him to give us the strength and protection we need. But we must acknowledge this reality.
I love what Peter states in 2 Peter 1:3 read and listen to what he says: "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness". It is his divine power that gives us all we need and it's all for his own glory and goodness. Live in the reality of God's word and live in HIS power!
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