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Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. Luke 17:33
While going to Seminary I worked for one winter at a local downhill ski area. Most of the time my assignment was to ‘man the bunny hill’ tow rope. This was a pretty cushy job during the day because I could read while on duty.
This was also the hill where ski instructors would teach people how to ski. Their very first lessons usually started right in front of me. I’d never skied before in my life so I took this opportunity to learn the essentials by observation.
Since we were allowed free lift tickets and rentals on the day of our shift I decided to try skiing. Using the new knowledge I’d gained by watching the ski lessons I ventured out on the hills, starting, of course with my very own bunny hill. In time I graduated to the bigger hills and, although not an Olympic caliber skier by any means, felt pretty confident that I could tackle the big hills. I prided myself on the fact that I’d never fallen. Not once.
One night a group of friends invited me to go skiing with them and I took them up on it. I was a bit nervous on the first few runs but was pleasantly surprised of my own confidence…that is until the offer of ‘ski tag’ came along. The group decided to play tag on the slopes and invited me to participate. The object was just like regular tag. The person that was ‘it’ would have to catch up to and touch another member of the group.
The game required speed, some level of ability, and most of all…risk. Since I saw no way to refuse the offer and keep my male ego intact, I joined in on the game. That night I completely shattered my pride-filled record of ‘never falling’. Numerous times! However, I had never had as much fun skiing as I did that night.
Many times we approach life in the same way I learned to ski. Some of us never move away from the tow rope booth. We are content to watch from the sidelines. We gain knowledge on how to ‘do life’. We are even given opportunities to use that knowledge. But fear or lack of confidence keeps us warm and safe inside the guard shack.
Others of us take the opportunities to join in the game. We strap on the skis. We join the crowds. But we cautiously protect ourselves from any harm as much as possible. Maybe we’ve been hurt before and don’t want to risk hurt again. We could still harbor bruises from people who have been critical of us. We’ve believed the lies others have told us about our inability to pursue our dreams. Sometimes the loudest voices come from deep inside our own souls.
Be willing to take some ‘spiritual’ risks in your life. Do something you have always wanted to try but were afraid of failure. Dust off some of those dreams you have had in your past and ask yourself, and God, why you shouldn’t try to fulfill them. Then begin the process of pursuing that dream. It may not happen, but at least you have tried. Don’t let the fear of failure handcuff you. Don’t let the fear of failure or the words of others limit you. Jesus says that if we play cautions, protect all we have, and never be willing to take some risks in life, we end up never gaining the best he has for us.
PRAYER: Father God, I confess to you that I still struggle with stepping into the ‘game of life’ for you. I’ve let my past, or the fear of failure limit me for far too long. I ask that you would empower me to take some risks for your Kingdom. Empower me with confidence and wisdom to use the gifts you’ve given me for your glory. In Jesus name I pray Amen.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1
Imagine David on the hillside. Alone in the wilderness. Nothing but the sound of sheep snoring in the dark and an occasional twig snapping as some unknown visitor scouts the perimeter of his camp.
As the fire dies his attention is drawn straight above him. Around him is darkness, but above him is the splendor of heaven. Millions and millions of stars. Stars that looked like pin holes in black paper to him but were, in reality huge, energy emitting balls of gas billions of miles away!
I can’t help but believe that the time David spent in the wilderness alone was time spent learning about the majesty of God. His courage in fighting Goliath; his patience and grace in running from Saul; his wisdom in leading a nation and his acceptance of God’s discipline in the ‘Bathsheba Affair’ didn’t come from wrestling lions and bears or herding stupid sheep!
David’s character was built spending time in God’s creation communing with him in solitude and worship. It’s appalling to me to realize that one Sunday a year some churches ‘celebrate’ Darwin’s lie about origins. People who claim to believe in the God of the Bible applaud a system of belief (evolution) which discredits what the Bible says about God creating everything we see as well as the unseen world.
David would have been horrified at the thought! He’d say to us, “Look at the heavens! How can you possibly doubt a God who made all this!”
Life can be hard sometimes. Relationships fail us. Sleep evades us. Children/parents disappoint us. The darkness of our sin or the way we are treated by others surrounds us and fills us with fear and despair. When that happens, look up! If God can make the millions of stars in the sky he can handle whatever you are going through.
There is no sin too great that he can’t forgive. No illness to harsh that he can’t heal and/or comfort. No relationship he can’t mend. It was in the darkness that David formed a character that gave him the title of “A man after God’s own heart.” It is in the darkness that each of us must grow our character as well. We don’t develop character in the light of day and the comfort of a palace. We learn character in the darkness of a hillside wilderness.
PRAYER: Holy God. As with David, I ask that my eyes would be drawn to the heavens. Help me to see your power and majesty in the world you have created around me. Empower through your Holy Spirit to have the courage to believe in you as I endure the struggles that lay ahead of me. Just as the heavens declare your majesty, may my character declare your grace and power to love others and live for you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Suppose someone sees a brother or sister in need and is able to help them. If he doesn’t take pity on them, how can the love of God be in him? 1 John 3:17 (NIRV)
We live in difficult times. The rate of divorce is skyrocketing to the point where nearly ¾ of our children live in single-parent or blended families. The ‘American Dream’ of owning a home, which used to be ‘normal’, is fast becoming a luxury. In some major cities entire housing developments sit empty because the families that once played in their streets have been displaced.
Those discouraging facts are just a few of the travesties in our own nation. They don’t begin to talk about the starvation, political unrest, human rights violations and religious persecution seen in nations around the world.
It’s not hard to find someone in need. The hard part is finding a way to help. Most of us have enough struggles of our own to contend with. We feel inadequate or unable to really offer any meaningful help that will make a difference in the world. We can become so focused on the things we can’t do that we forget about the things we can do. We see the world problems and forget about our neighbor or the kid at school that gets picked on all the time. Or the teenager who finds herself pregnant…again.
Max Lucado, in his book “He Still Moves Stones”, tells the story of Leo Tolstoy, a great Russian writer. It seems Tolstoy was walking down the street one day and saw a beggar. Tolstoy was moved to give the man something but upon looking through his pockets found he had nothing to give the man. He reached out and put his hand on the man’s shoulder and said “Brother, I’m so sorry but I have nothing to give you.”
The beggar looked Tolstoy in the eyes. A smile crossed his face and he said, “You have given me more than I asked for, for you have called me brother.”
It doesn’t take a lot to change someone’s life, even if it’s just for a day. It may be a smile, a kind word, an encouragement. It may be choosing not to make a judgment based on the obvious. You can make a difference in your world. It doesn’t take riches or gifts or abilities. It takes love, caring and compassion. It takes realizing that you too have faults and weaknesses and, in God’s eyes, are no different than the person in the physical, spiritual or emotional gutter.
Show the love of Jesus in your world today. Show it to the person you come across who least expects it…and least deserves it. Showing the love of Jesus to others may only be a smile or a word to you, but to them it just may make their day the best day they’ve had in a long time.
PRAYER: Father God, when I look around me at all the bad stuff going on in the world I’m made aware that even in the midst of my own crisis’ I am truly blessed. I struggle with sin. I am in debt so far I may never see the light of day. I’m living under the consequences of my own failure. Still, I have something to give because I have your love within me. Show me someone today who needs your touch. Empower me with your Spirit to touch them with your love. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12
Here’s a math question for you. If a train leaves Philadelphia traveling east at 55 miles per hour how long will it be until it gets there…to the east that is? Don’t spend too much time thinking on that one. The answer is easy. It won’t make it. East just keeps going.
You can go north but eventually you will reach a point where you are going south. You can go south but, again, only for time and then you are going north. We have a north pole and a south pole to designate the furthest possible point we can go in that direction. We don’t have an east and a west pole because they never, ever meet!
That is the word picture the Psalmist wants each of us to have when it comes to our sin. Some of the sin in our lives is the result of intentional acts against others. We sin in the things we say without thinking. We sin by not doing the things we know we should do. We sin by making well thought out choices and by making flippant choices without thinking of how they will affect others, or ourselves.
Sin happens. And with each sin, each wrong choice, each rebellious act we take, there are consequences to our sin. Some of those consequences are physical ones which will affect us our whole lives. Some affect us relationally and can destroy marriages, friendships and careers. But all sins affect us spiritually.
Our Father in Heaven loves us dearly. But much as he’d like to, he can’t have a relationship with us if there is sin in our lives. It drives a wedge between us. That’s why he sent Jesus. Jesus came to remove our sin as far as the east is from the west. But the east and the west can never meet. They are forever the same distance from each other. In the same way our sins and their punishment are removed to an eternal distance by his mercy and grace. We may carry some of the consequences of wrong choices with us, but our punishment has been forever removed!
Fly as far as the wings of your imagination can take you. You can never find the place where a trace of your sin in God’s mind. It’s gone! Since your sin is so far removed you need never fear that it will be brought back to haunt you. You are free!
Don’t let the enemy try to get you to think differently. Don’t let others drag the memory of your sin before you to accuse you. Don’t let your own mind feel defeated because of your past. Live in the freedom of Christ’s eternal forgiveness.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. I make so many mistakes. It seems like every time I turn around I’m hurting someone by my words or actions or doubting your promises to provide or taking matters into my own hands and making bad situations worse. Thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you that my sin is eternally removed from your mind. You are a great and wonderful Savior. Amen.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4
Have you ever noticed those advertisements that boast about how good life can be? They sell a product that can take away those extra pounds in a just a few easy weeks. You can earn thousands, even millions of dollars with this ‘proven method’! You can look younger, smell better, love more often, get the house you always wanted and have more toys than any of your neighbors if you just follow a few simple formulas.
Now, have you ever seen the people who make the claims? How do they look? Tired? Worried? Overweight? Do they look clean-cut or homeless? How do you think they smell? Taken a shower lately or been nowhere near water or soap for few weeks? Are they missing any teeth or showing any signs of bruising?
Most likely your wondering what is going on in my head. The answers to those questions are, “Of course not!” (That is unless you’ve seen some advertisements I’ve not yet seen!) The people that push this product or that product to make our lives completely comfortable and worry-free are well groomed, happy looking and successful. You certainly wouldn’t want to buy something to make your life better from someone who looked sad, depressed, angry or suicidal.
If the Apostle Paul were to do an info-mercial, most likely no one would take him seriously. When he wrote his letter to the Philippians he was old, tired, beaten up, not in the best of health and behind bars. Imagine someone like that telling you, on camera, how good God is and how he can give you joy and freedom!
That’s precisely the message he give us though. Most of the time when we are sick or worried or angry or in physical pain, we focus on our pain, not on happy thoughts. But Paul tells us to keep our mind focuses on the good things God has done for us. Sometimes we have to look hard for the silver lining, but it’s always there. Grace tells us that our outlook on life isn’t based on what is going on around us; it’s based on what is inside of us. Our outlook on life will be one of peace and joy only if we turn everything over to Jesus.
PRAYER: Holy Father, I worship you today for the fact that even though I am enduring many struggles in my life, you are in control of all of them. I worry. I get angry. I try to find someone to blame for all the bad stuff that happens to me. Empower me by your spirit to focus on all the blessings you’ve given me and not on the pain I’m in. I resolve from this day forward to have the attitude of joy that Paul speaks of in Philippians. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 