What if today we hung our hats on this beautiful truth: Christ is all that we have.
What if we grabbed hold of it tightly and planted it deep down within our souls so that before they had the chance to grow weary in the face of our sorrows and trials we might wield a sword of truth, and bravely stand before the darkness as it closes in.
What if, rather than crying out to Christ in desperation only after we have exhausted every resource that we stubbornly place our hopes in, we rested in the knowledge that nothing we deal with is outside of His sovereignty.
In my sinful nature, I buck up against the idea that someone other than me rules the universe. In God's grace, I can triumph knowing that I am desperate without His loving, ruling hand.
Colossians 2
9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
Christ is ALL that we have.
23 February 2015
18 February 2015
grace, as evidenced by a toddler
It's one of those days. We've got cabin fever and sickness and sin-sickness all hidden deep down beneath the facade of a perfect, show-ready house. I'm patting myself on the back for completely my weekly cleaning tasks and keeping the crumbs swept up, but on the inside I'm writhing at the thought of how I've "shown the gospel" to my children.
It was in the middle of a lunch-time rant that the Lord broke in, via my three year old. I found myself hollering. "Why won'
t you eat!? We can't do this anymore! Not 3 times a day!"
It was almost immediate. I'd lost my cool and was disgusted with myself. Their quivering chins and fighting back tears confirmed that I'd blown it. I immediately asked for forgiveness, but still felt miserable.
It seems, these days, like I'm asking for grace as much as I'm employing grace to fight my sin. Why, Lord, don't we get it yet?
Piper speaks up.
P: What can I do to help you mom?
Me: You can EAT.
P: Maybe we should pray for you.
The tears were instantly flowing. And the prayer, although weak and desperate, was some of the sweetest I've known as I held each child's hand there at the kitchen table.
Isn't the Lord good? He gives us extra measures of grace for each day, and sometimes they come in the form of a three year old who is, at times, wise beyond her years. Thank you Jesus.
It was in the middle of a lunch-time rant that the Lord broke in, via my three year old. I found myself hollering. "Why won'
t you eat!? We can't do this anymore! Not 3 times a day!"
It was almost immediate. I'd lost my cool and was disgusted with myself. Their quivering chins and fighting back tears confirmed that I'd blown it. I immediately asked for forgiveness, but still felt miserable.
It seems, these days, like I'm asking for grace as much as I'm employing grace to fight my sin. Why, Lord, don't we get it yet?
Piper speaks up.
P: What can I do to help you mom?
Me: You can EAT.
P: Maybe we should pray for you.
The tears were instantly flowing. And the prayer, although weak and desperate, was some of the sweetest I've known as I held each child's hand there at the kitchen table.
Isn't the Lord good? He gives us extra measures of grace for each day, and sometimes they come in the form of a three year old who is, at times, wise beyond her years. Thank you Jesus.
16 February 2015
an update
We have put our house on the market. Officially.
I shared here about God's goodness and His placing a calling on our lives. The one we least expected.
As young, idealists who thought that we would never go the way of the picket fence, Zach and I were certain that our family would be raised in a hut somewhere far off. And then maybe it was going to be that we took the gospel to the world of academia. And then a bank job fell into our laps.
As marriage and the real world approached, it became apparent that a steady income would be ideal. And each time we thought that a suit and tie would be temporary, until our adventures truly began, the Lord shut the doors. Suddenly we had a family and were living in the suburbs. And God has called us, wouldn't you know, further into the suburbs.
He taught us, and is teaching us, that the mundane is rife with gospel need. And He is showing us just how "adventurous" life in the daily grind can be. Praise the Lord, He is always providing for our needs and has given us both jobs that we actually enjoy (although mine could use a pay raise). Though we thought we would be going to the hard places, sometimes it seems as though the "easy places" are just as tough.
So now we hurry up and wait. In the first week, we showed our house 9 times. This meant 9 times we had to get our house looking like no one actually lived in it while herding a 3 year old and a 1 year old and trying to get out of the house almost always in the middle of a nap or meal time.
We know that God is faithful, and will send the right buyer at the right time. We feel certain that the right house for us is waiting in the Greer area. We selfishly feel weary and desire to be settled. So we pray, sometimes faithlessly, and ask for God to further reveal Himself to us in the details.
That being said, if you know anybody:
I shared here about God's goodness and His placing a calling on our lives. The one we least expected.
As young, idealists who thought that we would never go the way of the picket fence, Zach and I were certain that our family would be raised in a hut somewhere far off. And then maybe it was going to be that we took the gospel to the world of academia. And then a bank job fell into our laps.
As marriage and the real world approached, it became apparent that a steady income would be ideal. And each time we thought that a suit and tie would be temporary, until our adventures truly began, the Lord shut the doors. Suddenly we had a family and were living in the suburbs. And God has called us, wouldn't you know, further into the suburbs.
He taught us, and is teaching us, that the mundane is rife with gospel need. And He is showing us just how "adventurous" life in the daily grind can be. Praise the Lord, He is always providing for our needs and has given us both jobs that we actually enjoy (although mine could use a pay raise). Though we thought we would be going to the hard places, sometimes it seems as though the "easy places" are just as tough.
So now we hurry up and wait. In the first week, we showed our house 9 times. This meant 9 times we had to get our house looking like no one actually lived in it while herding a 3 year old and a 1 year old and trying to get out of the house almost always in the middle of a nap or meal time.
We know that God is faithful, and will send the right buyer at the right time. We feel certain that the right house for us is waiting in the Greer area. We selfishly feel weary and desire to be settled. So we pray, sometimes faithlessly, and ask for God to further reveal Himself to us in the details.
That being said, if you know anybody:
 |
| Click on the photo for details. |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)