Thursday, February 21, 2013

Witness


Bold faith

The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. Psalm 118:14

Serenity

My relationship with God is individual. My response to that relationship tells the story of who I am in that relationship. If I am a bold witness, I have a bold relationship. If I am a timid witness, well it’s pretty clear how I regard God’s power and it is not a pretty sight. I fall into that category way too often. Yes, I’m a strong believer, but I don’t want to make other people uncomfortable so I’ll keep that to myself. Or I have serious issues within my family, and yes, I know God is at work, but really doesn’t He expect me to solve my own problems (read “their” problems) and not be a whiney cat? Bold faith isn’t about sitting on a log and waiting for God to provide you sustenance; it’s about knowing he gives you the wit and wisdom to make the most of who you are. Look at the last three words ­– who YOU are. We get into trouble when we start thinking it’s our job to fix everyone else. 

Thursday, February 14, 2013

God's Love



God so loved the world...

God is a jealous God. God is a wrathful God. God is a loving God. God is God. When I was a child the idea of God was frightening to me. I saw Him as a bearded guy who could stomp his foot and shake the universe. A Spirit so all-encompassing I couldn’t take in His magnitude and it scared me to think some One knew everything about me. The story in Genesis about the flood is a reminder that God did run out of patience and stomp his foot. Only Noah and his family were spared. How much of this story can be put into an historical context? What can we learn from this horrific event? Is it that God so loved the world He wanted to purge it of selfish behavior and destructive choices? In time He would take a different approach to alter the course of human affairs. God so loved the world that He gave His son that we might be saved. A babe in a manger. A man on a Cross. Christ arisen. Grace unlimited.