Friday, March 21, 2008

New Verse...

As my family and I were driving through the mountains in Northern Arizona this afternoon, I was reading the book of Proverbs, and this verse popped out at me, and I really enjoyed it and it's analogy.
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
[Proverbs 4:18]

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Find Your Wings

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings

May passion be the wind
That leads you through your days
And may conviction keep you strong
Guide you on your way
May there be many moments
That make your life so sweet
Oh, but more than memories
[lyrics by Mark Harris]

Monday, March 3, 2008

Through Inability...

"Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." -Jude 1:24-25

"There is nothing certain in a man's life but that he must lose it." -Meredith Owen

Let's face it. We control nothing. Not the weather, not wars, not the stock market--not even whether or not our loved ones will keep loving us. The pain of a broken marriage, a church split, the loss of a loved one--there are infinite levels of "sure things" from which we can fall.
That's why it's such a relief when we surrender to the fact that God is the only one who is able to keep us from falling. Not our money, not our best intentions--nothing except our Heavenly Father will keep us safe.
We have to put our trust in Him first, living a life of obedience so that we allow Him to be in all the details. If you keep in mind the eternal value of your actions, obeying Him first, you'll know that whatever circumstances come your way, He ordained them.
There is only one true God who can keep us from falling. He is the only one who can hold all things in His hand. You can't put your security in your marriage, your children, your job, your future...you can only be dependent on a God who has always been and who will always be.
Our inability to keep ourselves from falling is the very thing that turns us to a God who is, in fact, able. It's one of the reasons Jude was warning the early church to cleave to Christ and not be distracted by the disability of man. When we are reminded that we are unable and He is able, we find ourselves free, leaning more and more on Him. And through our leaning, God reveals His glorious stability.

"I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all. But whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess." -Martin Luther
(Glory Revealed, David Nasser)