Riding the Current

There is a time for everything,
   and a season for every activity under the heavens

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Life is like riding a current. Some days the current is slow and steady giving you a nice leisurely ride. Other days, the current is speedy whipping you around with little direction and making you feel like you are stuck in a cyclone of chaos.

Regardless of how the current is flowing - chaotic or smooth - there is a purpose.

When life is simple, straightforward and steady going, God is teaching us patience and contentment. The first response by many would be that a simple, placid time in life might be boring, with little to learn, but in fact God uses these moments of peace and tranquility to learn about Him and to gain glimpses of the life we have ahead of us.

When life is like a rocky road sundae, filled with nuts and different flavors all fighting against each other, God is teaching us lessons in humility, trust and obedience. Many might want to turn their backs on God when life becomes difficult - blaming Him for their circumstances. But, if we press-in to the pain and we turn to God, we will find that in the midst of trials God can teach us some of the greatest lessons we will have in life. In the midst of the turmoil, we can see the sweetness of the life God has put before us.

Everything - EVERY SINGLE THING - has a purpose and a time and a place.

EVERYTHING.

We don't always understand why something happens - but we can trust there is a purpose which is bigger than us - and that the current will once again turn and we will be faced with a new challenge and a new purpose in God's plan.

Scripture

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Quote of the Day

If you don't know where you're going, it doesn't matter if your alarm doesn't go off in the morning.

Dennis Waitley

Question

When do you feel like you are riding with the current instead of fighting against it?

Letting Go of the Pain

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Colossians 3:12-14

Forgiveness – true, complete, whole forgiveness – is one of the hardest things as human beings we can do for someone else and for ourselves. And yet, it is one of the hallmarks of the Christian faith and one of the keys to us be able to full accept the forgiveness Christ offers each of us.

We are called to live lives which reflect Jesus’s heart and his love. Part of that reflection is our ability to forgive and to let go of a hurt. At times, what someone says can hurt more deeply than any physical wound, and because it is internal others cannot see the injury and cannot help you find ways to heal. This is why it is important to let a person know, in a kind and gentle manner, when he or she has offended or hurt you and it is equally important to recognize the hurt and release it.

Holding onto pain or past injuries hurts no one but you. Only you suffer when you do not forgive and release the pain someone has inflicted. We must forgive quickly – recognizing the pain and allowing the hurts to be soothed by the love of Jesus.

To avoid all conflict and pain in life is impossible, but we can do our part not to allow pain and suffering to linger longer than necessary. We are not a perfect people. We make mistakes. We hurt each other and we ourselves. But – as Christians we have the ability to allow our love for each other and the love Christ has for each of us to be the soothing salve which will help to heal our broken hearts.

Scripture

colossians 3:12-17

Quote of the Day

“When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.”

Cathrine Ponder

Question of the Day

When were you hurt or when did you hurt someone else in this past week?

You are a Masterpiece

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made

Psalm 139:14

Do you ever think about the masterpieces God creates?

From my back deck I have an amazing view of the western sky and often in the spring, summer and early fall I am treated to a painting which cannot be duplicated outside of God’s paintbrush in the sky. As I watch the sun dip behind the trees, I find myself unable to break my gaze from the beauty and I can almost hear my heart singing praise.

God’s masterpieces are not limited to beautiful sunrises or sunsets; they can be found in the gentle slope of a mountain, the angelic voice of a performer, the laugh of a child, the loveliness of a smile….And each one of you.

We are God’s masterpieces. We, each of us, were made in God’s own image. He created us as purely and poetically as he creates the sunsets and the stars in the heavens.

We may falter and stumble and get a few smudges on ourselves, but we are still God’s works of art.

When you begin to think that you aren’t worthy of something or that you will never accomplish your goal; when the words of someone penetrate your heart and make you doubt who you are; when your fear overrides your ability to trust …

When all of this occurs and more…REMEMBER…you are a MASTERPIECE.

Scripture

Psalm 8

Quote of the Day

When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.

John Ruskin

Question of the Day

When have you felt as if you were fearfully and wonderfully made?

Sunday Morning Christian vs. Seven Day a Week Christian

"Being real is a blessing most people don't have." 

Unknown

Our actions - what we do - will not determine our salvation. Jesus took care of that on the cross. Through our acceptance of Jesus's offer of grace we are saved.

But...how we live our lives will - the choices we make - should reflect an authentic relationship with Jesus.

If we are living as Christians, persons who have accepted the grace, love and forgiveness of Jesus, we cannot live in a pit of perpetual sin. We must strive to live lives full of honesty and integrity - reflecting the salvation we have been given freely.

Living a life of true authenticity is difficult. It can be hard to reflect the love of Christ to everyone we meet. We will stumble and fall - through acts of temper, gossip, lying or a myriad of sins - but the important thing is to recognize those sins and the sinful behavior and try, with God's help, to turn from them. Truly living as an authentic Christian doesn't mean being perfect; rather it means you are striving to live a life as closely aligned with Christ as possible.

Being a Christian on Sunday mornings is easy. You are surrounded by people and things which align perfectly with your beliefs. But, you would be remiss in not taking your Sunday morning attitude and action as and applying them Monday through Saturday.

Think about how you act on a daily basis...

Would an average person in your "world" know that you are a Christian?

Do your words and your actions reflect a life which has been transformed by the grace of God?

The answers to these two questions will let you know if you are living a life of authenticity or a Sunday morning version of Christianity.

You can either be a Sunday Morning Christian or a Seven Day a Week Christian.

Your actions and your words will not save you...but the reflection of your life may lead or deter someone from moving toward a relationship with Jesus.

You have the ability - within your grasp - to live as authentically as possible; the choice is all yours.

Scripture

Ephesians 4:1-16

Quote of the Day

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.

Judy Garland

Question of the Day

When have you been a positive reflection of Jesus this week?