Blessed

The English writer Aldous Huxley once said; “Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.” In America, that may be even truer. Some say you don’t know just how blessed you are until you are inconvenienced or until you lose something. I guess that is just human nature in a fallen world.

I have been focused lately on small things I don’t know why, but I do know I am blessed. I heard a discussion some time back that went something like this;

Did you wake up this morning; you are blessed!
Are you breathing today; you are blessed!
Do you have food to eat; you are blessed!
Did you have a place to sleep; you are blessed!

You know we are truly blessed, but there is more…we (I) tend to count my blessings in only material things when there is so much more to be thankful for. It brings to mind Psalm 32;

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Father, we are a blessed people and mostly we thank You for the eternal blessing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We thank You for His work on the cross that covers our broken ways, our taking for granted so many blessings, our sin. Father, we are truly blessed and no matter what our day brings, may we focus on You, on Christ, on the Holy Spirit. We are truly blessed…Amen.

Grace and Peace!

Reckless Leap

As I continue my journey through the book of Mark, there are many examples of extreme faith; a faith that may appear to the worldly as a reckless faith. There is the faith of the four friends who cut a hole in someone’s roof and lowered their paralytic friend to Jesus; there was the sick woman who touched Christ’s cloak; as well as the mother of the possessed child. And there is Bartimaeus; a blind man who begged Christ for mercy despite being rebuked by the crowd. A blind man who as soon as he heard Christ was calling him leaped to his feet and went to Jesus. We find this story in Mark 10:

46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

In this passage a blind man with such faith, a faith some would call reckless, some would rebuke, a man with such faith his focus was clearly on Christ. I read somewhere that this passage is a good example of active faith in contrast to what some would call safe religion. A faith that was active in seeking Christ, leaping and running to Christ despite all odds. For me it is an introspective call; a call to ask is my faith active and alive, a call to examine what I pray for, to examine just exactly what am I clinging to…

Oswald Chambers once wrote:

“Our clingings come in this way – we put one foot on God’s side and one on the side of human reasoning; then God widens the space until we either drop down in between or jump onto one side or the other. We have to take a leap, a reckless leap, and if we have learned to rely on the Holy Spirit, it will be a reckless leap onto God’s side. So many of us limit our praying because we are not reckless in our confidence in God. In the eyes of those who do not know God, it is madness to trust Him, but when we pray in the Holy Spirit we begin to realize the resources of God, that He is our perfect heavenly Father, and we are His Children. Always keep an inner recollectedness that God is your Father through the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Father, through Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit help us to take that reckless leap of faith, filling us with confidence, allowing us to trust that you are our perfect heavenly Father and that we are your Children. Amen.

Grace and Peace!

Stunned

It is kind of an amazing thing; the impact contemporary Christian music has on me. No comments please, but the older I get the more emotional the impact of certain songs; the music inspires, lifts, encourages, convicts, shapes and always points me to Scripture and always to Christ.

Recently a song by Sidewalk Prophets has had this impact on me (in fact I am listening to it as I type). The title of the song is “You Love Me Anyway” and the group points to Romans 8:18-39 as inspiration and verses 31-39 just bring it to life;

31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; 
 we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord..


The lyrics of the song just resonate with me; “I am the thorn in Your crown; but You love me anyway. I am the sweat from Your brow; but You love me anyway. I am the nail in Your wrist; but You love me anyway. I am Judas’ kiss; but You love me anyway!”

The love of God is stunning; I am in awe! God loves me (and you); a person so broken, so denying, so betraying, yet he loves me anyway!

Titus 3 explains this; 3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

So despite myself and my ways there is a rescue plan through Christ by the renewing power of the Holy Spirit. There is hope eternal. Amen.

1 John 3:1(a) shouts; 1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

Father, how stunning is your love; how overwhelming that we should be called Children of God!

Grace and Peace!