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Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close. Psalm 27:10 (NLT)
There lies in the heart of each of us a desire to be loved and to be wanted. That inner confidence that we know we are needed and that if we were gone, someone would miss us. The peace of knowing someone cares and that when everyone else turns their back on us, there is at least one person we can turn to for a heartfelt hug, a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear.
For many of people that’s what family is for. Family is that one foundation, that one cornerstone that throughout history has proven itself to be the most consistent, reliable and faithful place to find love, acceptance and understanding.
Friends move or find other interests. Marriages, some of which have lasted almost half a century, end in divorce and send children of any age reeling and seeking answers. Illnesses, emotional distress, financial ruin, greed all take their toll. But family is always supposed to be there for us.
In David’s Psalm of praise (Psalm 27) he recounts the many ways that God can be trusted and praised. Friends can fail us. We have adversaries that seek our demise. Brothers can turn on you and tell you how embarrassed they are to have you as a sibling. Sometimes even parents can turn their backs on you when you don’t meet up to their own lofty expectations.
But God is there. Have you ever been in a crowd of people you know and still feel lonely? Have you ever reached out for someone to talk to and found everyone too busy to really listen? Have you ever made a decision that was so repulsive that even your family excludes you from their circle?
Know this. Your Heavenly Father hears your cries in the night even when it seems your prayers don’t go past the ceiling. During those lonely times He feels the same knot in your stomach. His heart sinks when He sees how you are treated. No one. Not friends, family, your lover, no one understands like Jesus. He is your friend in the midst of the darkest hour.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. There are times in my life when I’m so full of loneliness and despair that I’m not sure I can go on. No one seems to understand me or listen to me or care if I’m even around. There are times I confess I don’t even think you care. Help me this day to know that you love me with all the scars, with all the bruises, with all the issues that pull me down. I love you. Help me to feel your love. Amen.
So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT)
Reflection: the act of reflecting an image; representation; counterpart; the production of an image by or as if by a mirror.
Who is Jesus? What is He like? Why should I put my trust in Him? If He was alive 2000 years ago why should I pay any attention to Him now? What good would that do?
These are questions our world is asking during a time when there are many questions about religion, many other ‘choices’ offered to bring meaning and truth to life.
Each of us, as Christ-followers, are given the privilege of showing the world who Jesus is. The Apostle Paul tells us that we reflect the glory of the Lord to those who don’t know who Jesus is. That means that if your neighbor were asked what Jesus was like, they would say something like, “I’m not sure. But I think Jesus is probably like my neighbor.”
There are many people that have rejected Christ because they haven’t seen Him in the lives of His followers. Rather than seeing a reflection of Jesus when they look at us they see a reflection of something else, a human just as they are.
The bad news is that we are humans. We fail. We get angry. We hurt people physically, emotionally and mentally. In and of ourselves we can never reflect anything other than failure. It seems we are constantly reminded of that. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy by remembering our past and beating ourselves up for not being strong, not being holy, not following God the way we should. Other times people around us hold up our past mistakes like banners to remind us that we’ve failed.
The good news is that as reflections of Jesus we are not the source of the light. We simply reflect it. God is the one who ‘cleans the glass’ through the forgiveness offered through Jesus. God is the one that provides the light that shines though us.
The cleaning of our ‘mirrors’ takes time. We shouldn’t expect to reach perfection overnight. Don’t be discouraged by past mistakes and present struggles. That’s all part of the process God uses to prepare us for greater things.
Remember that God loves you dearly. He loves you enough to cleanse you through His Son, Jesus. He loves you enough to let His glory shine through you. ‘God’s glory’ refers to His Holy Spirit. When the Spirit is shining through you other people will notice because of the spiritual fruit of: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (Galatians 5:22-23-NLT)
PRAYER: Dear Father. Thank you for Jesus and the love and forgiveness I have received through Him. I confess to you that I am often not a very good ‘mirror for Jesus’. Forgive me for the times I’ve been a poor reflection of Your glory. I ask that You would continue to clean and polish me so that others would see Jesus when they look at me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place. Ephesians 6:14
The Roman soldiers were in constant danger and the threat of attack. This was especially so in Israel since the Jews hated the Roman occupation. The Roman soldier wore a girdle, breast-plate, shoes with iron nails, a helmet to protect his head, and carried a great shield on his left arm which was thrown in front of his body. His weapon was the sword. It was with the sword, not the spear as other nations, that the Romans conquered the world.
But holding it all together was the girdle, or belt. Without the belt, the soldier’s armor was dangerously flawed at best and completely useless at the worst.
As Christ followers we are given a belt as well. It is the belt of Truth and its purpose is to be the basis for all we do and all we are. It is Truth that guides our actions, filters our thoughts and attitudes and inspires us to press on. The Truth we function on is absolute Truth, Truth with a capital T. Truth that cannot be changed, altered or destroyed.
Here are some of the components of the Truth we as Christ-followers stand on:
- There is one God who is creator and sustainer of the Universe and who by His own design has made man and woman so that He can be in a perfect, eternal relationship with us.
- Jesus Christ is the only way to find God. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He died as an innocent man for those of us who could never hope to be innocent and rose from the dead so that we could have life eternal.
- Because I have asked forgiveness of my sins and have asked Jesus to take permanent residence in my life I can approach the very throne of God and address Him as my daddy.
- I know that I am a child of the living God, with special talents and abilities and personality traits that are special to me and make me His unique creation. I am His masterpiece, His Plan A, His most cherished of all possessions.
- I am forgiven, not perfect. My daddy has never expected me to be perfect. He is not surprised by my failures and rejoices in my victories. He’s been at every ball game I’ve played in, every performance I’ve been a part of and every test I’ve taken.
- He is the first one to rise and applaud for me. Whenever He sees me He gives me a standing ovation. He loves me.
- He is my constant source of support, encouragement, protection and understanding.
- Some day whether at death or at His promised return He will greet me face to face with open arms and welcome me home as a long, lost son and say “Nice Job! You were everything I hoped you would be.” Those words will not be due to my performance and ability to ‘live right’ but because of my reliance on Him.
It is on these truths that I stand. I am not perfect. I am weak and stubborn and selfish and sometimes just plain ornery. He knows that and loves me anyway. And THAT is why I love Jesus.
PRAYER: Daddy. I love you. Thank you for always being there for me. Thanks for hanging my picture on your refrigerator and keeping all those silly trophies I worked so hard to win. I know realize that the real trophy in my life is and always will be you. Forgive me for being distracted and rebellious. Help me to follow your Truth and not the fickle truth of the world. In the name of your Son Jesus I pray. Amen.
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31
All the farm animals were sitting around one day deciding how they could honor the farmer who took such good care of them. The Cow gladly offered some milk. The chicken jumped in to offer the eggs. All eyes turned to the pig sitting quietly in the corner. “You know, said the cow, some ham would go mighty nice with those eggs and milk.” The pig thought a moment and then said, “Yes, but you don’t realize that each of your gifts are but a part of you. For me to give, I would have to give my entire life.”
The old story reminds us that we are more likely to take an interest in things when they cost us. It’s easy to say we believe in God and Jesus when we are in a safe crowd. It’s easy to look godly on Sunday morning and angelic when we sing praise and worship songs.
It’s difficult to make the right choices when the pressure is on to have to sacrifice everything to go along with the crowd. It’s almost impossible to be willing to risk your own life or the life of your children for someone else or a cause.
The Bible is the story of God’s desire to show love to mankind. His desire is and always has been to give life to His most cherished creation. That’s why He gave all He could possibly give to provide you with a relationship of love with Him now and a promise of eternal life after we leave this world.
Because He loves you so much, He watched His innocent son die among thieves for the sin of guilty criminals. Because He loves you so much, He allows you to refer to Him as ‘Daddy’ He welcomes you into His arms as though you (a mere mortal) were His very own son. Because He loves you so much He is honored to accept you into His very presence, into the throne room of Heaven. Because He loves you so much, He is willing to give you His own power through His Holy Spirit.
Is it any wonder then, that we can rest in His protection. If we draw near to Him and trust us with our lives we don’t need to worry about the enemies that surround us. Nothing can separate us from Him. Nothing can attack us without His permission. Even when we rebel against Him, He beckons us to come to Him for healing.
If God is for me, then no seen or unseen enemy will win over me! I am His and He is mine. Forever.
PRAYER: Father, I confess to you that most times the struggles I endure and the fears I face are consequences of my own poor decisions and my stubborn rebellion to follow your ways. Thank you for giving up so much of yourself for me when you knew I would fail you and others around me. Forgive me for my rebellious spirit. Help me to learn to walk with you through the struggles of life whether they are my own creation or the work of the enemy. Empower me now to live with the resolve to follow your ways and be guided by Your Holy Spirit. Give me courage to do what is right regardless of the fall out. Amen.
