Reading an account of America’s journey from segregation, I have been intrigued by the courage and vision shown by a few in the face of the prejudice of the many! Though the Civil War brought about the end of legal slavery in 1863 with Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, basic attitudes about race remained largely unchanged in the United States for the next one hundred years. A combination of factors converged following the Second World War that culminated in the erosion and end of ‘separate but equal’ laws. They were used to keep black Americans from education, achievement, and real power in society. In the 1950’s Chief Justice Earl Warren led the US Supreme Court through a series of decisions that gradually transformed the racial policies of the nation by tearing away the fictions that hid attitudes of racial superiority that kept “Jim Crow” laws in place.
Today, in my wife’s classroom of 20 first graders, the students look like an assembly of the United Nations! African Americans, those with Asian heritage, those descended from European ancestors, and children of Indian immigrants sit side by side, without animosity, without assumptions! Such is the result of persistent influence! This is not an exercise in forced diversity. It is genuine community.
The Scripture teaches disciples of Christ about God’s disregard for race or color as a qualifier for His favor and salvation. ALL stand equally before Him in Christ. "For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:26-28, NLT)
Disciple, prejudice remains a part of the sinful nature! We must treat that sin like any other; name it, confess it, and be rid of it. Sadly, the Church has been a co-conspirator in oppression and prejudice too often down through history. History is replete with situations where this sin has been silently accepted by otherwise wonderful disciples of Jesus Christ. Their attitudes sometimes were rooted in ignorance, and even more tragically were sometimes supported by willful blindness.
Here’s a word from the Word for your meditation today. It’s a glorious vision for His Church. May our persistent influence be felt in all the earth.
"I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:1-6, NIV)
Friday, September 04, 2009
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Walking in their shoes
“I wish I had given Dad those shaves,” I sniffled last night. He’s been gone since February, so my wife was baffled, by both my emotion and cryptic remark. She hugged me and gently asked, “What’s wrong, Hon?” I explained that because of my fever and upper respiratory infection, I laid around for two days. I didn’t get showered and shaved as I do every morning. Finally last night when I did, it felt so good, so “normal.” I remembered that when my Dad was confined to his bed in those last months of his life that he used to ask me to give him a shave. Often I’d respond, “Come on, Dad. You look fine.” Only yesterday, too late, did I realize that his desire to be shaved was not about whiskers, but about reclaiming some kind of “normal” in his life. One of his daily rituals for 50+ years was to shave in the early morning.
Are you prone to suggest, by your words or actions, that another’s problems are not really as bad as they think? The old proverb that suggests we should not judge another until we “walk a mile in his moccasins” comes to mind! What is of little significance to us, may be of real importance to another. Just because we do not or cannot understand, does not give us the right to be dismissive. Yet, we often are. That person struggling with addiction needs empathy as much as instruction! The one depressed because of a debilitating illness needs more than ‘the facts.’ They need us to genuinely care about how they are coping.
The Word urges us to be responsible for ourselves and for one another.
"Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct." (Galatians 6:2-5, NLT) Most of us tend to slide to one extreme or the other. Either we care so deeply that we give them ‘smother love’ which fails to help them move in the direction of being strong and self-sufficient, or we don’t care enough and refuse to share the burdens of life, perhaps giving just a nod towards the need while expecting them to find their own way.
When you extend a hand to another, include empathy; a genuine appreciation of the emotional context of the other person’s need. In this we show to others a love of the quality that Christ has shown us. "Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!" (Philippians 2:5-7, The Message)
Here’ a word from the Word to think over today.
"If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:10-12, NIV)
______________
Lord, give us genuine compassion for others,
the ability to see not only their expressed need,
but also the content of their heart.
Help us to open our hearts and our ears,and so to become people that love as You love.Amen!
Are you prone to suggest, by your words or actions, that another’s problems are not really as bad as they think? The old proverb that suggests we should not judge another until we “walk a mile in his moccasins” comes to mind! What is of little significance to us, may be of real importance to another. Just because we do not or cannot understand, does not give us the right to be dismissive. Yet, we often are. That person struggling with addiction needs empathy as much as instruction! The one depressed because of a debilitating illness needs more than ‘the facts.’ They need us to genuinely care about how they are coping.
The Word urges us to be responsible for ourselves and for one another.
"Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct." (Galatians 6:2-5, NLT) Most of us tend to slide to one extreme or the other. Either we care so deeply that we give them ‘smother love’ which fails to help them move in the direction of being strong and self-sufficient, or we don’t care enough and refuse to share the burdens of life, perhaps giving just a nod towards the need while expecting them to find their own way.
When you extend a hand to another, include empathy; a genuine appreciation of the emotional context of the other person’s need. In this we show to others a love of the quality that Christ has shown us. "Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!" (Philippians 2:5-7, The Message)
Here’ a word from the Word to think over today.
"If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:10-12, NIV)
______________
Lord, give us genuine compassion for others,
the ability to see not only their expressed need,
but also the content of their heart.
Help us to open our hearts and our ears,and so to become people that love as You love.Amen!
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
What a way to live!
One night in April, 2000, little Joy, age 4, really had to go to the bathroom so her Mommy pulled over on the wrong side of the unnamed country road in Texas. The little girl threw open the passenger side door that was facing the road, jumped out, and stepped into Heaven, hit and instantly killed by a pickup truck driving without lights. The truck did not stop. Joy’s family was, as anyone can imagine, inconsolable in their grief. Then, two days later her father, Grover Norwood, learned that the truck had been found. It belonged to an old friend. What would this Christian man do?
He drove to the man’s home, opened his arms, and hugged him while they both wept! Later, he went to the grand jury hearing where he asked that his friend not be indicted, as he had suffered enough! Then, Grover headed up a group from two local churches, one African-American where his friend attended, one white where he attended, and built a new home for the man who had killed his little girl. It’s a true story, told on a new DVD called, “The Heart of Texas.”
Some people hold Christianity as a nice ideal that they neatly separate from day to day life. It’s fine to sing about loving their neighbor in church and to ‘love’ some needy person far away by contributing to the missions fund. But, to let the commands of Jesus speak to their Monday morning choices? Well, that’s just impractical. It’s what leads to some mocking Christians for hypocrisy! Grover Norwood made some very tough choices because he lived his faith. He forgave fully. Some call him a fool. I think he’s an incredibly wise man!
Remember the WWJD craze of the last decade? That, if you have forgotten, stands for What Would Jesus Do? Some made fun of the whole thing as simplistic, but it’s not a bad idea. Like many good ideas, it turned superficial with bracelets and jingles. The concept, however, is a Biblical one. The main mission of every disciple is to be the hands of Jesus in his world. We need to study the Scripture, integrate our faith into life, and live as Christ would live – loving wholly, forgiving completely, rejecting superficiality, embracing God’s reality!
The Word is not just an ideal! It is our life, the very source of God’s wisdom about how to conduct ourselves in this world. "You must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work." (2 Timothy 3:14-17, NLT)
My Dad called an integrated faith - ‘practical Christian living.’ What a way to live.
Here’s a prayer of David. Let’s make it ours.
"My theme song is God’s love and justice, and I’m singing it right to you, God.
I’m finding my way down the road of right living, but how long before you show up?
I’m doing the very best I can, and I’m doing it at home, where it counts.
I refuse to take a second look at corrupting people and degrading things.
I reject made-in-Canaan gods, stay clear of contamination.
The crooked in heart keep their distance; I refuse to shake hands with those who plan evil.
I put a gag on the gossip who bad-mouths his neighbor; I can’t stand arrogance. But I have my eye on salt-of-the-earth people— they’re the ones I want working with me;
Men and women on the straight and narrow— these are the ones I want at my side."
(Psalm 101:1-6, The Message)
_________________________
There is a candle
In ev'ry soul
Some brightly burning,
Some dark and cold.
There is a Spirit
Who brings a fire,
Ignites a candle
And makes His home.
Frustrated brother,
See how he's tried to
Light his own candle
Some other way.
See how your sister,
She's been robbed and lied to,
She holds a candle without a flame.
So carry your candle,
Run to the darkness,
Seek out the hopeless,
Confused and torn.
Hold out your candle
For all to see it.
Take your candle
And go light your world.
We are a fam'ly
Whose hearts are blazing.
So let's raise our candles
And light up the sky.
Praying to our Father
In the name of Jesus,
"Make us a beacon in darkest times!"
Go Light Your World
Rice, Chris© 1995 BMG Songs, Inc. (Admin. by BMG Music Publishing)
CCLI License No. 810055
______________________
Jerry D. Scott - Sr. Pastor
WASHINGTON ASSEMBLY of GOD
33 Brass Castle Road - Washington, NJ 07882
He drove to the man’s home, opened his arms, and hugged him while they both wept! Later, he went to the grand jury hearing where he asked that his friend not be indicted, as he had suffered enough! Then, Grover headed up a group from two local churches, one African-American where his friend attended, one white where he attended, and built a new home for the man who had killed his little girl. It’s a true story, told on a new DVD called, “The Heart of Texas.”
Some people hold Christianity as a nice ideal that they neatly separate from day to day life. It’s fine to sing about loving their neighbor in church and to ‘love’ some needy person far away by contributing to the missions fund. But, to let the commands of Jesus speak to their Monday morning choices? Well, that’s just impractical. It’s what leads to some mocking Christians for hypocrisy! Grover Norwood made some very tough choices because he lived his faith. He forgave fully. Some call him a fool. I think he’s an incredibly wise man!
Remember the WWJD craze of the last decade? That, if you have forgotten, stands for What Would Jesus Do? Some made fun of the whole thing as simplistic, but it’s not a bad idea. Like many good ideas, it turned superficial with bracelets and jingles. The concept, however, is a Biblical one. The main mission of every disciple is to be the hands of Jesus in his world. We need to study the Scripture, integrate our faith into life, and live as Christ would live – loving wholly, forgiving completely, rejecting superficiality, embracing God’s reality!
The Word is not just an ideal! It is our life, the very source of God’s wisdom about how to conduct ourselves in this world. "You must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work." (2 Timothy 3:14-17, NLT)
My Dad called an integrated faith - ‘practical Christian living.’ What a way to live.
Here’s a prayer of David. Let’s make it ours.
"My theme song is God’s love and justice, and I’m singing it right to you, God.
I’m finding my way down the road of right living, but how long before you show up?
I’m doing the very best I can, and I’m doing it at home, where it counts.
I refuse to take a second look at corrupting people and degrading things.
I reject made-in-Canaan gods, stay clear of contamination.
The crooked in heart keep their distance; I refuse to shake hands with those who plan evil.
I put a gag on the gossip who bad-mouths his neighbor; I can’t stand arrogance. But I have my eye on salt-of-the-earth people— they’re the ones I want working with me;
Men and women on the straight and narrow— these are the ones I want at my side."
(Psalm 101:1-6, The Message)
_________________________
There is a candle
In ev'ry soul
Some brightly burning,
Some dark and cold.
There is a Spirit
Who brings a fire,
Ignites a candle
And makes His home.
Frustrated brother,
See how he's tried to
Light his own candle
Some other way.
See how your sister,
She's been robbed and lied to,
She holds a candle without a flame.
So carry your candle,
Run to the darkness,
Seek out the hopeless,
Confused and torn.
Hold out your candle
For all to see it.
Take your candle
And go light your world.
We are a fam'ly
Whose hearts are blazing.
So let's raise our candles
And light up the sky.
Praying to our Father
In the name of Jesus,
"Make us a beacon in darkest times!"
Go Light Your World
Rice, Chris© 1995 BMG Songs, Inc. (Admin. by BMG Music Publishing)
CCLI License No. 810055
______________________
Jerry D. Scott - Sr. Pastor
WASHINGTON ASSEMBLY of GOD
33 Brass Castle Road - Washington, NJ 07882
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Know-it-all!
24 years ago, when personal computers were still uncommon, I bought one. Tech support and standards were non-existent so owning one was an adventure. I decided to upgrade my computer, confident in my knowledge. My exploration inside the box ended with a inoperable machine! Someone who knew more than I did, told me that I had created something called an IRQ conflict by failing to properly set some jumper switches on the card I was installing. Basically, I had two pieces of hardware using the same electronic address, which led to my PC freezing up. In that moment I realized I didn’t know as much as I thought I knew. My proficiency has grown since then as I am capable of learning!
God is a true Know-it-all, in very best sense!
Nothing surprises Him. No situation baffles Him. What a glorious assurance. Pondering this, my response is akin to that of David who sang, "O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!" (Psalm 139:1-6, NLT)
The Scripture tells us that even as He knows what is happening, He promises to help us while events are unfolding. The LORD is capable - amazingly so - of taking the circumstances of life and bringing them into line with His purposes. Doesn’t it make sense to trust Him, even as we work with Him, to see His plans brought to completion? Paul says, "...the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. ... we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Romans 8:26-28, NLT) Yes, that, too, is ‘too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!’
God’s omniscience (knowing all) does not relieve you and me of our responsibility to intentionally live within His will. He has invested the gift of us in us. So, James urges us to make this choice: "Look here, you people who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit." How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog-it's here a little while, then it's gone. What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that." Otherwise you will be boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it." (James 4:13-17, NLT)
When we make our own plans without prayer, without seeking the Lord's guidance, we may fall into the sin of living outside of the will of God, something He knew in advance we would do, and still allows us to do it! Yes, that, too, is ‘too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!’
Are you wondering what the next step should be?
Has your life froze up after you tinkered with things, messing them up?
Don’t despair! Ask the best Know-it-all for guidance.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5, NIV)
Here’s a word from the Word. I pray that as you think it over that the truth will bring you great assurance today. “I am the Alpha and the Omega— (The A to Z!) the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” (Revelation 1:8, NLT)
____________________
Spirit of GodDescend upon my heart,
wean it from earth,
through all its pulses move.
Stoop to my weakness mighty as Thou art,
and make me love Thee
as I ought to love.
Hast Thou not bid us
love Thee, God and King?
All, all Thine own --
soul, heart, and strength and mind.
I see Thy cross –
there teach my heart to cling,
O let me seek Thee
and O let me find.
Teach me to feel that
Thou art always nigh,
Teach me the struggles
of the soul to bear ---
To check the rising doubt,
the rebel sigh:
Teach me the patience
of unanswered prayer.
Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart
George Croly
Copyright: Public Domain
God is a true Know-it-all, in very best sense!
Nothing surprises Him. No situation baffles Him. What a glorious assurance. Pondering this, my response is akin to that of David who sang, "O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!" (Psalm 139:1-6, NLT)
The Scripture tells us that even as He knows what is happening, He promises to help us while events are unfolding. The LORD is capable - amazingly so - of taking the circumstances of life and bringing them into line with His purposes. Doesn’t it make sense to trust Him, even as we work with Him, to see His plans brought to completion? Paul says, "...the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. ... we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Romans 8:26-28, NLT) Yes, that, too, is ‘too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!’
God’s omniscience (knowing all) does not relieve you and me of our responsibility to intentionally live within His will. He has invested the gift of us in us. So, James urges us to make this choice: "Look here, you people who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit." How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog-it's here a little while, then it's gone. What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that." Otherwise you will be boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it." (James 4:13-17, NLT)
When we make our own plans without prayer, without seeking the Lord's guidance, we may fall into the sin of living outside of the will of God, something He knew in advance we would do, and still allows us to do it! Yes, that, too, is ‘too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!’
Are you wondering what the next step should be?
Has your life froze up after you tinkered with things, messing them up?
Don’t despair! Ask the best Know-it-all for guidance.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5, NIV)
Here’s a word from the Word. I pray that as you think it over that the truth will bring you great assurance today. “I am the Alpha and the Omega— (The A to Z!) the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” (Revelation 1:8, NLT)
____________________
Spirit of GodDescend upon my heart,
wean it from earth,
through all its pulses move.
Stoop to my weakness mighty as Thou art,
and make me love Thee
as I ought to love.
Hast Thou not bid us
love Thee, God and King?
All, all Thine own --
soul, heart, and strength and mind.
I see Thy cross –
there teach my heart to cling,
O let me seek Thee
and O let me find.
Teach me to feel that
Thou art always nigh,
Teach me the struggles
of the soul to bear ---
To check the rising doubt,
the rebel sigh:
Teach me the patience
of unanswered prayer.
Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart
George Croly
Copyright: Public Domain
Monday, August 31, 2009
Old Faithful
At Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming there is a geyser where about once an hour, boiling water shoots to a height of 100’ from a vent in the earth. A combination of a regular water source and the heat from the magma below the surface create the show! What makes this particular geyser notable is not the height of the spout of water and steam, but the predictability, hence the name – “Old Faithful.”
My God is a faithful God! No, He does not always do what I want Him to do, nor does He act on the timetable I create for him! If those things were the measure of His faithfulness I would have to say He is not. However, a lifetime of serving Him causes me say, “He is faithful and true!” His purposes are accomplished, His promises are kept, just not always as I would wish.
When I was a very young and headstrong man, I led my little family on an adventure to a city far from our home and family, certain of my plans and God’s blessing. For a year, my plans were frustrated, my dreams unfulfilled. But, God’s faithfulness enveloped our lives and He used that year to transform my understanding of His grace. A decade after that adventure, I found myself once again living with dreams that were unfulfilled, seemingly without hope or a future; so I thought. Now, 21 years later, when I recall that awful year, I see God was faithful to take my failures and turn them into an opportunity to lead me to greater spiritual maturity and deeper character. While I lost the markers of success in life, my faithful Lord was preserving my family, my heart, my life in Him.
The Word says, "He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for He is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:8-9, NLT) Believe it! No experience is beyond His faithfulness. To see His faithful realized in our daily lives, we must ‘walk by faith.’ We must be willing to let Him lead. Should we fail (And we will!) we must turn again to Him, humbling acknowledging our sins, and wait for His purposes to emerge. (And they will!)
The Psalmist sang-
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm." (Psalm 20:4-8, NIV)
Will you trust Him today?
Will you go, steady on, faithfully?
You can trust Him for even "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself." (2 Timothy 2:13, NKJV)
____________
As I look back on the road I've traveled,
I see so many times He carried me through.
If there's one thing
That I've learned in this life,
My Redeemer is faithful and true,
My Redeemer is faithful and true.
My heart rejoices When I read the promise,
"There is a place I am preparing for you."
If there's one thing
That I've learned in this life,
My Redeemer is faithful and true,
My Redeemer is faithful and true.
My Redeemer is faithful and true.
Everything He has said He will do.
And every morning His mercies are new.
My Redeemer is faithful and true.
My Redeemer is faithful and true,
My Redeemer is faithful and true.
My Redeemer Is Faithful And True
Chapman, Steven Curtis / Elliott, James Isaac© 1986 Sparrow Song (a div. of EMI Christian Music Publishing) / Birdwing Music (a div. of EMI Christian Music Publishing) / Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc. / Greg Nelson Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
CCLI License No. 810055
My God is a faithful God! No, He does not always do what I want Him to do, nor does He act on the timetable I create for him! If those things were the measure of His faithfulness I would have to say He is not. However, a lifetime of serving Him causes me say, “He is faithful and true!” His purposes are accomplished, His promises are kept, just not always as I would wish.
When I was a very young and headstrong man, I led my little family on an adventure to a city far from our home and family, certain of my plans and God’s blessing. For a year, my plans were frustrated, my dreams unfulfilled. But, God’s faithfulness enveloped our lives and He used that year to transform my understanding of His grace. A decade after that adventure, I found myself once again living with dreams that were unfulfilled, seemingly without hope or a future; so I thought. Now, 21 years later, when I recall that awful year, I see God was faithful to take my failures and turn them into an opportunity to lead me to greater spiritual maturity and deeper character. While I lost the markers of success in life, my faithful Lord was preserving my family, my heart, my life in Him.
The Word says, "He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for He is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:8-9, NLT) Believe it! No experience is beyond His faithfulness. To see His faithful realized in our daily lives, we must ‘walk by faith.’ We must be willing to let Him lead. Should we fail (And we will!) we must turn again to Him, humbling acknowledging our sins, and wait for His purposes to emerge. (And they will!)
The Psalmist sang-
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm." (Psalm 20:4-8, NIV)
Will you trust Him today?
Will you go, steady on, faithfully?
You can trust Him for even "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself." (2 Timothy 2:13, NKJV)
____________
As I look back on the road I've traveled,
I see so many times He carried me through.
If there's one thing
That I've learned in this life,
My Redeemer is faithful and true,
My Redeemer is faithful and true.
My heart rejoices When I read the promise,
"There is a place I am preparing for you."
If there's one thing
That I've learned in this life,
My Redeemer is faithful and true,
My Redeemer is faithful and true.
My Redeemer is faithful and true.
Everything He has said He will do.
And every morning His mercies are new.
My Redeemer is faithful and true.
My Redeemer is faithful and true,
My Redeemer is faithful and true.
My Redeemer Is Faithful And True
Chapman, Steven Curtis / Elliott, James Isaac© 1986 Sparrow Song (a div. of EMI Christian Music Publishing) / Birdwing Music (a div. of EMI Christian Music Publishing) / Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc. / Greg Nelson Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
CCLI License No. 810055
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