March 7
The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. Ann Landers
Ms. Landers is absolutely correct—as far as she goes, but God has another standard, another measure, that He expects of those who name the name of Christ. We are not to merely accord perfunctory courtesy to those who cannot benefit us in some fashion; we are to love them. Beyond that, we are to love our enemies; beyond that, we are to do good even to those who “persecute us and despitefully use us,” Luke 6:27.
The word tells us that even heathens will be good to those who are good to them (Matthew 5:47). Our measure in the Lord's eyes is how we are to those who trample the goodness we extend to them under their feet. The scripture is clear in the matter—we are not to be reactive but proactive. We are not to be responders to the treatment others extend to us but initiators of Christ’s love toward them—whether or not they deserve it.
Everything we say, everything we do must be motivated by what we have seen in Jesus, not by what we see in those who pit themselves against us. When our heart is controlled by the Lover of our soul; when our minds are given to the One who said, '’Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus...'’ Philippians 2:5 then we allow ourselves to be vessels in the hand of our Lord in which He may carry and from which He may dispense upon a lost and dying and unlovely populace, the sweet perfume of Himself.
Is it easy to do? Indeed not! In fact, of ourselves, we can't do it at all (see John 15:5). But with Jesus in our heart and with our will surrendered to His, HE can achieve His purposes through us. He can use us, as we give our hearts, our minds, our attitudes, our lips, the entirety of our 'selfhood' to Him for His glory. May HE help us to be so completely surrendered to Him as His servant or His handmaiden that everyone who sees us—even our enemies—will see only the character, the nature, the love of Jesus.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The Sure Foundation
March 6
The foundation my parents laid down of faith continues to be my core. Christy Borgeld
Most Christian parents love their children dearly and want nothing more than to have imparted to them and to continue to live before them a faith that is strong—a faith that is foundational to their lives. It is their prayer that the ground on which their children's lives have been built from earliest childhood will be unshaken through all life's storms and will hold the structure of a long, healthy, happy, blessed life throughout the time the Lord grants to them on earth and be the springboard to their eternal joy. Though they may not always be stellar examples of their faith, they pray the Lord Himself will overcome all failure on their part to accomplish that end so their children will have complete victory through Jesus.
Instructing their offspring in the one thing most people lack toward God—obedience—compels them because they know it is in learning this elusive behavior toward parents that children are enabled to one day take their place as a people of faith and obedience to God. As Jesus said, "If you can't love your fellow man who you can see, how can you love God who you cannot see?" I John 4:20. Extrapolating from that the reality of the importance of the seen—our lesson is clear—to be obedient, a child must live obedience. Parents who love must patiently and steadfastly require it of their beloved children or they will not appropriate it.
Even through the areas of difficulty and challenge, godly parents pray their children will be girded by Christ's love and established in obedience to His truth; they pray they will adhere to the Living Word of the Scriptures so their children will know more and ever more fully the Living Word Himself, Jesus, who their parents have attempted to instill into their hearts.
May the foundation you lay down for your children be wrought of faith chiseled from the only unshakable commodity in time (when all else is shaken, only the truth of God shall stand unshaken) Hebrews 12: 26-29 and may the glue that holds it all together be the love of the Living Christ whose life, death, and resurrection are the only secure foundation upon which anyone can build a life that is established forever.
The foundation my parents laid down of faith continues to be my core. Christy Borgeld
Most Christian parents love their children dearly and want nothing more than to have imparted to them and to continue to live before them a faith that is strong—a faith that is foundational to their lives. It is their prayer that the ground on which their children's lives have been built from earliest childhood will be unshaken through all life's storms and will hold the structure of a long, healthy, happy, blessed life throughout the time the Lord grants to them on earth and be the springboard to their eternal joy. Though they may not always be stellar examples of their faith, they pray the Lord Himself will overcome all failure on their part to accomplish that end so their children will have complete victory through Jesus.
Instructing their offspring in the one thing most people lack toward God—obedience—compels them because they know it is in learning this elusive behavior toward parents that children are enabled to one day take their place as a people of faith and obedience to God. As Jesus said, "If you can't love your fellow man who you can see, how can you love God who you cannot see?" I John 4:20. Extrapolating from that the reality of the importance of the seen—our lesson is clear—to be obedient, a child must live obedience. Parents who love must patiently and steadfastly require it of their beloved children or they will not appropriate it.
Even through the areas of difficulty and challenge, godly parents pray their children will be girded by Christ's love and established in obedience to His truth; they pray they will adhere to the Living Word of the Scriptures so their children will know more and ever more fully the Living Word Himself, Jesus, who their parents have attempted to instill into their hearts.
May the foundation you lay down for your children be wrought of faith chiseled from the only unshakable commodity in time (when all else is shaken, only the truth of God shall stand unshaken) Hebrews 12: 26-29 and may the glue that holds it all together be the love of the Living Christ whose life, death, and resurrection are the only secure foundation upon which anyone can build a life that is established forever.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Jesus Emboldens Us
March 5
Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. - James 1:24
What better place to turn for counsel on a difficult day than to the eternal, living Word of God that helps us to put the trials of life into their proper perspective! The apostles of Jesus were no stranger to trial. They had watched when Jesus was nailed to the cross and they saw Him die. They retreated in fear after the crucifixion, knowing their own lives were in jeopardy. But after they saw the Risen Jesus, they went to the Upper Room in prayer. Here they remained until the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-24).
But persecution became rampant. First Peter and John were arrested at the Temple when they healed a lame man (Acts 3:1-4:21). Then Stephen was martyred (Acts 7:1-60). James was slain by the sword. James' martyrdom is not the only one—all the apostles but John were martyred for their faith.
Were fear and anxiety a part of that time? Of course they were, but the followers of Jesus were not scattered like mice from a sinking ship! They were rallied to a height of courage and faith that had eluded them before. They indeed counted their trials as joy and they became steadfast, perfect and complete because of them. They lacked nothing they needed to overcome the challenges before them.
They are our inspiration to do the same! Their transformation occurred when they saw the risen Lord. Thomas, the doubter, proclaimed when he saw the wounds in Christ's hands and side, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) Thomas discerned then that Jesus was no ordinary man. Perhaps he saw who the 'real' Jesus is for the first time at that moment of recognition. That is the Jesus who, when we see Him as He is, empowers us to overcome our trials!
The nail-scared Jesus emboldens us to tackle our challenges, to confound our accusers, to defend our integrity and to love our enemies! The nail-scared Jesus is all we need to overcome the trials of life, for He has conquered all of them in our behalf! Though our victory may seem long in coming; though our accusers and tormenters may appear to have the upper hand, we know their seeming victory is short in duration for God will “perform all things for us!” (Psalm 57:2) And it is His Spirit who helps us to see the trials of life as the defeated foes that they are when we know Christ.
Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. - James 1:24
What better place to turn for counsel on a difficult day than to the eternal, living Word of God that helps us to put the trials of life into their proper perspective! The apostles of Jesus were no stranger to trial. They had watched when Jesus was nailed to the cross and they saw Him die. They retreated in fear after the crucifixion, knowing their own lives were in jeopardy. But after they saw the Risen Jesus, they went to the Upper Room in prayer. Here they remained until the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-24).
But persecution became rampant. First Peter and John were arrested at the Temple when they healed a lame man (Acts 3:1-4:21). Then Stephen was martyred (Acts 7:1-60). James was slain by the sword. James' martyrdom is not the only one—all the apostles but John were martyred for their faith.
Were fear and anxiety a part of that time? Of course they were, but the followers of Jesus were not scattered like mice from a sinking ship! They were rallied to a height of courage and faith that had eluded them before. They indeed counted their trials as joy and they became steadfast, perfect and complete because of them. They lacked nothing they needed to overcome the challenges before them.
They are our inspiration to do the same! Their transformation occurred when they saw the risen Lord. Thomas, the doubter, proclaimed when he saw the wounds in Christ's hands and side, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) Thomas discerned then that Jesus was no ordinary man. Perhaps he saw who the 'real' Jesus is for the first time at that moment of recognition. That is the Jesus who, when we see Him as He is, empowers us to overcome our trials!
The nail-scared Jesus emboldens us to tackle our challenges, to confound our accusers, to defend our integrity and to love our enemies! The nail-scared Jesus is all we need to overcome the trials of life, for He has conquered all of them in our behalf! Though our victory may seem long in coming; though our accusers and tormenters may appear to have the upper hand, we know their seeming victory is short in duration for God will “perform all things for us!” (Psalm 57:2) And it is His Spirit who helps us to see the trials of life as the defeated foes that they are when we know Christ.
Monday, March 4, 2013
A Jewel That Reflects His Glory
March 4
Adversity is the diamond dust with which heaven polishes its jewels. - Leighton
The God who loves you does indeed desire that you become the most beautiful of His people. Does He desire the same for everyone who professes to love Him? Of course He does. He would have each of us to be His servants and handmaidens who reflect the loveliness of Christ. As the Word assures us, "He is no respecter of persons," Acts 10:34, but that does not negate the reality of His one-on-one care and concern for each individual. Yes, Jesus loves us all. Yes, Jesus wants each believer to appropriate the entirety of the wealth of promises He has woven so beautifully throughout His glorious book, but He also wants His best for the one—you.
Jesus loves us collectively. That is why the Bible tells us that "whosoever will may come and drink from the River of Life freely," Revelation 22:17. His is not a select club for a chosen few. His is an open-armed invitation to the masses! Any one or all of us may choose to lay our sins at His feet or to bear our transgression ourselves. Any one or all of us may accept the forgiveness He extended from the cross when He said, "Father, forgive them; they know not what they do," Luke 23:34, or we can refuse His grace, we can turn our backs on His forgiveness for our sins.
Jesus said that if we are to be forgiven, we must first forgive those who have offended us (see Luke 6:37). Until we do that one essential thing, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. Does He desire that everyone empty himself of the vitriolic bitterness that causes him to cling to offense? Indeed He does. Jesus wants it so much that He is Himself our example for doing so! Yet to forgive or to cling to offense is each man's choice to make.
Each of us must allow the adversity of our lives to make us more like Jesus. Each of us must allow the slings and arrows that come against us to refine us as good soldiers in the Army of the Lord. Each of us must allow the negative experiences we incur to establish us in the way of Christ who bears all adversity in our behalf when we accept His invitation to, "Cast all your cares upon Me, for I care for you," I Peter 5:7.
Just as we need not carry our sin, neither need we carry our worries. Jesus bears it all in our behalf. Jesus gives us release from every aspect of life's trials and failures. If we will allow Him to do so, the Master Jeweler will use the adversity of our lives as the diamond dust to polish the jewel that we are to Him into glorious radiance! He will do that for everyone who names His name. He will do it for you. He will do it for your enemies. When it happens in each of you individually, you will each become the lovely adornment He desires you to be—you will become a jewel that reflects Heaven's glory.
Adversity is the diamond dust with which heaven polishes its jewels. - Leighton
The God who loves you does indeed desire that you become the most beautiful of His people. Does He desire the same for everyone who professes to love Him? Of course He does. He would have each of us to be His servants and handmaidens who reflect the loveliness of Christ. As the Word assures us, "He is no respecter of persons," Acts 10:34, but that does not negate the reality of His one-on-one care and concern for each individual. Yes, Jesus loves us all. Yes, Jesus wants each believer to appropriate the entirety of the wealth of promises He has woven so beautifully throughout His glorious book, but He also wants His best for the one—you.
Jesus loves us collectively. That is why the Bible tells us that "whosoever will may come and drink from the River of Life freely," Revelation 22:17. His is not a select club for a chosen few. His is an open-armed invitation to the masses! Any one or all of us may choose to lay our sins at His feet or to bear our transgression ourselves. Any one or all of us may accept the forgiveness He extended from the cross when He said, "Father, forgive them; they know not what they do," Luke 23:34, or we can refuse His grace, we can turn our backs on His forgiveness for our sins.
Jesus said that if we are to be forgiven, we must first forgive those who have offended us (see Luke 6:37). Until we do that one essential thing, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. Does He desire that everyone empty himself of the vitriolic bitterness that causes him to cling to offense? Indeed He does. Jesus wants it so much that He is Himself our example for doing so! Yet to forgive or to cling to offense is each man's choice to make.
Each of us must allow the adversity of our lives to make us more like Jesus. Each of us must allow the slings and arrows that come against us to refine us as good soldiers in the Army of the Lord. Each of us must allow the negative experiences we incur to establish us in the way of Christ who bears all adversity in our behalf when we accept His invitation to, "Cast all your cares upon Me, for I care for you," I Peter 5:7.
Just as we need not carry our sin, neither need we carry our worries. Jesus bears it all in our behalf. Jesus gives us release from every aspect of life's trials and failures. If we will allow Him to do so, the Master Jeweler will use the adversity of our lives as the diamond dust to polish the jewel that we are to Him into glorious radiance! He will do that for everyone who names His name. He will do it for you. He will do it for your enemies. When it happens in each of you individually, you will each become the lovely adornment He desires you to be—you will become a jewel that reflects Heaven's glory.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Effective Strategy
March 3
Keep away from people who try to belittle you. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. - Mark Twain
It is indeed true that the people who try hardest to tear others down, to discourage them from believing in themselves are those whose inner heart is fraught with self-doubt and self-loathing. That may be small consolation when challenged with their pettiness, but it does interject a measure of understanding into the nature of the challenge they pose as well as insight into how to overcome it.
The first and most important thing is to believe firmly in the power of the living God who is within you, and to guard the truth you know (II Timothy 1:14); always trust that Jesus is your Advocate (I John 2:1). It is essential that the goodness and love of the Lord Jesus Christ are accepted as the basis of life and all its endeavors. Knowing that one truth empowers the person of faith to attempt great exploits and to have complete confidence in their outcome.
A second essential is to believe firmly in one’s own worthiness. If we do not believe we are good enough to be loved by God, the enemy can persuade us that we can succeed at nothing good because we are worthy of nothing good. This is a boldfaced lie that shreds the entire premise of salvation which is that our own goodness is irrelevant to the Lord's love for us. We must believe the basic premise that “God so loved the world He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will have everlasting life,” John 3:16.
Because His love overcomes all our foibles and sins, our unworthiness isn't even a factor in the salvation equation. The best thing we can say to the enemy when he tells us we're too wretched for the Lord to save, is to agree that he's absolutely right—we are wretched but the Savior is not limited by our paltry state! It is HIS PERFECT STATE THAT ENABLES HIM TO SAVE US!
When we place the entirety of our future for time and eternity into the loving hands of Jesus, we avail ourselves of the third thing we need—our total reliance on the efficaciousness of His finished work on Calvary. We can sing that beautiful hymn with gusto and complete conviction--"Just as I am without one plea but that Thy blood was shed for me and as Thou biddest me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come; I come."
When we acknowledge that we have no merit, it is then we are able to lay before Him the only thing that can result in our salvation and blessing. We give Him our sin. That's all He wants from us—and in exchange for it, He gives us His righteousness. All the believers in our lives will counsel us to do just that because they know that is exactly what worked for them.
Keep away from people who try to belittle you. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. - Mark Twain
It is indeed true that the people who try hardest to tear others down, to discourage them from believing in themselves are those whose inner heart is fraught with self-doubt and self-loathing. That may be small consolation when challenged with their pettiness, but it does interject a measure of understanding into the nature of the challenge they pose as well as insight into how to overcome it.
The first and most important thing is to believe firmly in the power of the living God who is within you, and to guard the truth you know (II Timothy 1:14); always trust that Jesus is your Advocate (I John 2:1). It is essential that the goodness and love of the Lord Jesus Christ are accepted as the basis of life and all its endeavors. Knowing that one truth empowers the person of faith to attempt great exploits and to have complete confidence in their outcome.
A second essential is to believe firmly in one’s own worthiness. If we do not believe we are good enough to be loved by God, the enemy can persuade us that we can succeed at nothing good because we are worthy of nothing good. This is a boldfaced lie that shreds the entire premise of salvation which is that our own goodness is irrelevant to the Lord's love for us. We must believe the basic premise that “God so loved the world He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will have everlasting life,” John 3:16.
Because His love overcomes all our foibles and sins, our unworthiness isn't even a factor in the salvation equation. The best thing we can say to the enemy when he tells us we're too wretched for the Lord to save, is to agree that he's absolutely right—we are wretched but the Savior is not limited by our paltry state! It is HIS PERFECT STATE THAT ENABLES HIM TO SAVE US!
When we place the entirety of our future for time and eternity into the loving hands of Jesus, we avail ourselves of the third thing we need—our total reliance on the efficaciousness of His finished work on Calvary. We can sing that beautiful hymn with gusto and complete conviction--"Just as I am without one plea but that Thy blood was shed for me and as Thou biddest me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come; I come."
When we acknowledge that we have no merit, it is then we are able to lay before Him the only thing that can result in our salvation and blessing. We give Him our sin. That's all He wants from us—and in exchange for it, He gives us His righteousness. All the believers in our lives will counsel us to do just that because they know that is exactly what worked for them.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Tea Bags
March 2
We are like tea bags - we are strengthened in hot water. - Sister Busche
If nothing else, the negative, the challenging, the dangerous experiences you face evidence to you the magnitude of your own strength. You may be 'oppressed' in the eyes of your persecutors, but if I had to select one word to describe you it would be 'faithful'. You have borne criticism and disdain, and persecution at the hands of lost, dying men, but you know you have the never-ending approval and love of your Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
He, unlike those who wag their fingers at you, those who mock your faith and hate your Savior, knows the depth to which you've fallen and He has not abandoned you there but He has lifted you up, set you on His path of achievement and self-respect, and tasked you with accomplishing the most formidable challenge He could place before you—reflecting Him to the scoffers around you.
God knows the lost, dying deluded mockers and tormenters of people of faith need to drink the undiluted cup of living water contained in His vessels of truth; in the men who have faced the worst of life and who know the power of prevailing, determined prayer to overcome it. Fallen man needs examples of steadfast faith who will resolutely define Christ before them by building His image within themselves—block upon block. You, O man of faith, are the person HE CHOSE TO PERFORM THAT JOB within the sphere of your influence!
Why? Because HE KNOWS YOU BETTER THAN YOU KNOW YOURSELF! HE KNOWS YOUR FAITH WILL PREVAIL! HE KNOWS YOUR LOVE IS UNFALTERING! HE KNOWS YOUR STRENGTH, THOUGH CHALLENGED SEVERELY, IS ROOTED IN HIM--BECAUSE HE KNOWS THE "JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH" (Nehemiah 8:10) AND THOUGH YOUR JOY MAY BE CHALLENGED BY YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES, HE KNOWS IT WILL PREVAIL!
Like a teabag in hot water, you will reach a strength that will astound you! Whether the people around you are 'hot' or 'cold' or indifferent, your strength will be more than sufficient to assure that the brew of your life will be rich, satisfying and invigorating. The brew of your life will be strong enough to bring you and those with whom you share the Gospel message to the blessings of the Christ who died that you may live eternally.
I know that your steadfastness in faith will bring you to the blessings Jesus has for you, and that He can use you to bring all those He's touching by your faith to the point where they, too can receive His precious salvation. We know one day every knee shall bow before Jesus and every tongue proclaim Him as Lord (Philippians 2:10). May the hot water of your life enable you to proclaim Him even more boldly in trial than in triumph.
We are like tea bags - we are strengthened in hot water. - Sister Busche
If nothing else, the negative, the challenging, the dangerous experiences you face evidence to you the magnitude of your own strength. You may be 'oppressed' in the eyes of your persecutors, but if I had to select one word to describe you it would be 'faithful'. You have borne criticism and disdain, and persecution at the hands of lost, dying men, but you know you have the never-ending approval and love of your Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
He, unlike those who wag their fingers at you, those who mock your faith and hate your Savior, knows the depth to which you've fallen and He has not abandoned you there but He has lifted you up, set you on His path of achievement and self-respect, and tasked you with accomplishing the most formidable challenge He could place before you—reflecting Him to the scoffers around you.
God knows the lost, dying deluded mockers and tormenters of people of faith need to drink the undiluted cup of living water contained in His vessels of truth; in the men who have faced the worst of life and who know the power of prevailing, determined prayer to overcome it. Fallen man needs examples of steadfast faith who will resolutely define Christ before them by building His image within themselves—block upon block. You, O man of faith, are the person HE CHOSE TO PERFORM THAT JOB within the sphere of your influence!
Why? Because HE KNOWS YOU BETTER THAN YOU KNOW YOURSELF! HE KNOWS YOUR FAITH WILL PREVAIL! HE KNOWS YOUR LOVE IS UNFALTERING! HE KNOWS YOUR STRENGTH, THOUGH CHALLENGED SEVERELY, IS ROOTED IN HIM--BECAUSE HE KNOWS THE "JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH" (Nehemiah 8:10) AND THOUGH YOUR JOY MAY BE CHALLENGED BY YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES, HE KNOWS IT WILL PREVAIL!
Like a teabag in hot water, you will reach a strength that will astound you! Whether the people around you are 'hot' or 'cold' or indifferent, your strength will be more than sufficient to assure that the brew of your life will be rich, satisfying and invigorating. The brew of your life will be strong enough to bring you and those with whom you share the Gospel message to the blessings of the Christ who died that you may live eternally.
I know that your steadfastness in faith will bring you to the blessings Jesus has for you, and that He can use you to bring all those He's touching by your faith to the point where they, too can receive His precious salvation. We know one day every knee shall bow before Jesus and every tongue proclaim Him as Lord (Philippians 2:10). May the hot water of your life enable you to proclaim Him even more boldly in trial than in triumph.
Friday, March 1, 2013
When You Have Done All
March 1
In order to be walked on, you have to be lying down. - Brian Weir
By this simplistic definition of being taken advantage of, of being denigrated and maligned, it is apparent that one must be complicit to his own demeaning. Most of us take the initiative to assure the ends we desire will be attained.
One who conducts his life on a high level of efficiency cannot achieve his goals from a prone position! He must be always on the move to assure the investment of himself will result in great things. He must be a Clark Kent kind of guy who is always at his post to get the job done. Superman just flies in at the crucial moment to receive the glory. While the audience (even Lois Lane) stands in awe of the Caped Crusader, the astute observer realizes that without Clark Kent's steadfast faithfulness, Superman's glory would be impossible!
So we are awed when Superman sweeps in to right every wrong in our little corner of the world, to allow our life to soar above the ordinary for a little while. Although we can't fly, we don't just lie there to be walked on either! We rise up in the power of who we are and Whose we are in Christ! As we are told in Ephesians 2:4-7, “Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. God raises us up with Christ and seats us with Him in the heavenly realms.”
We must continue to live a life of overcoming victory before those whose lives touch ours so they will gain--through the challenges we overcome—the insight into how a believer, with the Lord's help, can be "more than a conqueror," Romans 8:37, for indeed they will one day require all we can give them today to overcome their own problems! They will deal with difficulty effectively because we give them a daily dose of the strength that comes when faith and its incumbent power in prayer is appropriated!
Let Jesus make YOU mighty in faith; a believer who cannot be dragged down and trodden upon, for when we decide that we will overcome, we will be totally victorious through the Christ whose strength is perfected in our weakness according to II Corinthians 12:9. We won't 'lay down' in the fight; rather, as the scripture admonishes that we do, we will "stand" (Ephesians 6:13).
In order to be walked on, you have to be lying down. - Brian Weir
By this simplistic definition of being taken advantage of, of being denigrated and maligned, it is apparent that one must be complicit to his own demeaning. Most of us take the initiative to assure the ends we desire will be attained.
One who conducts his life on a high level of efficiency cannot achieve his goals from a prone position! He must be always on the move to assure the investment of himself will result in great things. He must be a Clark Kent kind of guy who is always at his post to get the job done. Superman just flies in at the crucial moment to receive the glory. While the audience (even Lois Lane) stands in awe of the Caped Crusader, the astute observer realizes that without Clark Kent's steadfast faithfulness, Superman's glory would be impossible!
So we are awed when Superman sweeps in to right every wrong in our little corner of the world, to allow our life to soar above the ordinary for a little while. Although we can't fly, we don't just lie there to be walked on either! We rise up in the power of who we are and Whose we are in Christ! As we are told in Ephesians 2:4-7, “Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. God raises us up with Christ and seats us with Him in the heavenly realms.”
We must continue to live a life of overcoming victory before those whose lives touch ours so they will gain--through the challenges we overcome—the insight into how a believer, with the Lord's help, can be "more than a conqueror," Romans 8:37, for indeed they will one day require all we can give them today to overcome their own problems! They will deal with difficulty effectively because we give them a daily dose of the strength that comes when faith and its incumbent power in prayer is appropriated!
Let Jesus make YOU mighty in faith; a believer who cannot be dragged down and trodden upon, for when we decide that we will overcome, we will be totally victorious through the Christ whose strength is perfected in our weakness according to II Corinthians 12:9. We won't 'lay down' in the fight; rather, as the scripture admonishes that we do, we will "stand" (Ephesians 6:13).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)