Just Do It!

6/20/2012

Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.

Bible Verse of the day: James 1:22 " But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." (NKJV)

So many things that the Bible teaches us are so easy to say and hear, but so difficult to do. I failed miserably today at being a good neighbor to someone who really ticked me off. The guy showed up my door at 9 am to complain about my dog's " constant barking" which is a total fabrication. I instantly felt my blood pressure rising and my patience immediately wearing thin. I asked him how long he had lived behind us and he said a month and a half. Well in that time, there had been construction either at my house or my neighbor's house every morning without fail which has caused my dog some anxiety as she is just doing her job and barking at the strangers and strange sounds coming from her surroundings. She is a good dog and only does what her God given instincts have told her to do when she is afraid or feels threatened. But what about me? What's my excuse? Why did I react in such a worldly manner of attack mode and impatience rather than trying to have more compassion for the guy's request? Maybe because she is my dog, I am not as aware of the noise she can make when she is upset. But the bigger point is God teaches us through Jesus that being good neighbors is important and that means that we are to pray for those who may not know Him. I feel like my carnal instincts overwhelmed my Christian values this morning and that left me feeling so helpless to live out the word of God in my daily walk. I am convinced that I can live out biblical principles on my own power based on some intellectual enlightenment that I have obtained from reading and hearing the scriptures, rather than pursuing the total character transformation that God requires of those who are followers of His  Son, in order to live it out. Why is it so hard to totally surrender? Why is it so hard to have the Christ centered nature become my second nature whenever I deal with the various tests and trials of this world? The power of the flesh over the Spirit is a constant battle that sometimes leaves me utterly fatigued and that is why I so desperately need to surrender all. Jesus has laid out for us that this path can be a struggle, that this path can lead to pain, but ultimately this is the only path that leads to all hope and glory. I get so distracted sometimes that I miss the Forrest through the trees. I had a great chance to witness to this stranger who unexpectedly showed up on my porch this morning to complain about my dog with a calmness and peace that can only come from knowing Jesus Christ. Instead, I showed him the rage and anger that came from him interrupting my life in a way that I didn't appreciate. I pray for the Lord's help in doing better next time. I pray that he will lead me to the peace that comes from surrender and out of the daily conflict of being still stuck in this world, while longing to touch others for His purposes while I am still here. Lord give me all your wisdom, glory and mercy. For as 2nd Corinthians 12:9 says " My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." I am weak Lord to do your will the way I want to and the way you deserve. Please make me strong. Amen!

The Wounds of Glory

6/14/2012

Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.

Bible Verse of the Day: Revelations 5:12-13 " In a loud voice they sang: Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! Then I heard every creature in Heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever."


In Revelation 5, the apostle John portrays Jesus as a wounded Lamb. Why should our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ appear before the assembled in his wounds in his glory? The answer is because His wounds are His Glory! They symbolize everything that gives us hope and gave Him glory! That He was able to overcome the temptations of the world, namely darkness, evil and the sinful nature of man, to remain Holy and thus receive all the glory, honor and power bestowed upon him by the heavenly Father for all of eternity. I love this image because it reminds me of His greatness and my weakness and sinfulness all at the same time. While He was able to overcome, often I succumb to the pleasures of my flesh. While He stood strong in the face of temptation, I often fall in my own weakness. While He deserves all of His eternal treasures, I must humbly seek His mercy upon my soul. The scriptures above reveal glimpses of the praise that will be non stop, day and night, for the King of Kings in the heavenly realms and which all believers will be a witness of. The whole of the worthiness of that praise to me is summed up in these scriptures from Romans 5:6 and 5:8 " You  see, at just the right time, when we were all still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly and " But God demonstrates his own love for us in this; While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." I love that our faith didn't then and doesn't now require us to get it all together, or to figure it all out, or to pull ourselves up out the ditch we had fallen in to in order for our Savior to be willing to die for us, to relieve us all from the punishment that was rightfully due us for our rebellious nature towards God. In fact, he did just the opposite. He took our sin upon Him so that we could become righteous in His own eyes. So that our sin would be dealt with through the work on the cross and not alone before a God who could see our sins for himself and give us the just punishment we deserve. So the wounds He suffered on the Cross are His glory, but they are also ours. For without them, we wouldn't stand a chance and our sin would condemn us to a place of eternal separation from the place of glorious praise and honor to our Eternal King for those who believe. We should never bee ashamed of the gospel because he wasn't shamed on the cross to carry the weight, and to pay the unimaginable price, of our sin so that we could be reconciled back to the God who created us. As Romans 8:28 says, "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." Even when we were yet sinners, and at the perfect time, He was willing to die for you and for me. I would say He was busy working things out for the good of all of those who love him. I can never understand fully this eternal sacrifice in my human condition. But I can try to live my life in way that says thank you Lord Jesus, thank you, for what you did for me on the cross. Amen!