Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Impacting tomorrow
"It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you...For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God."
1 Peter 1: 12a & 23
In this section of 1 Peter, Peter talks about our salvation through Christ and in verse 12 is referring to the prophets of old who searched for information from God about the Messiah and the Holy Spirit. Here Peter tells us that those prophets didn't serve themselves, but us when they spoke of things to come. Their words were written down for the benefit of future generations.
I never made the connection between this thought and that of verse 23 and the chapter's end reference to Isaiah 40 until today. We, who live in the present, under the grace and mercy of the cross, filled with the Holy Spirit live in much the same way as the prophets of old. Like the grass in the fields we will have our day in the sun and then be gone from the Earth. But our work through the Spirit lives on in the lives of those who we touch, in our instruction to others, in our acts of kindness and love. Even today the acts of the prophets of old live on in our lives. Their stories impact generations far beyond their own time.
So we must live not for ourselves but for the blessing of others. To touch each other with the love and grace of Christ. This is how we live, not just for today, but for tomorrow.
"It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you...For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God."
1 Peter 1: 12a & 23
In this section of 1 Peter, Peter talks about our salvation through Christ and in verse 12 is referring to the prophets of old who searched for information from God about the Messiah and the Holy Spirit. Here Peter tells us that those prophets didn't serve themselves, but us when they spoke of things to come. Their words were written down for the benefit of future generations.
I never made the connection between this thought and that of verse 23 and the chapter's end reference to Isaiah 40 until today. We, who live in the present, under the grace and mercy of the cross, filled with the Holy Spirit live in much the same way as the prophets of old. Like the grass in the fields we will have our day in the sun and then be gone from the Earth. But our work through the Spirit lives on in the lives of those who we touch, in our instruction to others, in our acts of kindness and love. Even today the acts of the prophets of old live on in our lives. Their stories impact generations far beyond their own time.
So we must live not for ourselves but for the blessing of others. To touch each other with the love and grace of Christ. This is how we live, not just for today, but for tomorrow.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Step by Step
"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart...
"The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;
though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand."
Psalm 37: 3-4 & 23-24
There are, I suppose, many books and articles written on exactly what it means to "trust in the Lord." I supposed it can be as little as relaxing our fear and anxiety to believe that the next minute will be OK, or it can be as big as quitting a "good" job to move thousands of miles away believing in a call to a new purpose with no further direction than the call to "go." These examples are vastly different, but in a sense they can be the same, and the Lord's blessing on them is essentially equal.
The Lord makes FIRM the steps of the one who delights in him.
Are you taking a step in the Lord today? No matter how small it is, no matter how large it is, take that step and plant your foot firmly upon the ground. The Lord is there to rejoice with you. Like a parent watching their child take his first steps, God rejoices with each step we make in him. And like the baby who giggles when her parents clap with joy at that first step, so we can delight in the Lord's joy, in the miracle of what's happening around us. Whether it is simple or monumental, the joy of the Lord is with us step by step and he will strengthen us along our way.
"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart...
"The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;
though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand."
Psalm 37: 3-4 & 23-24
There are, I suppose, many books and articles written on exactly what it means to "trust in the Lord." I supposed it can be as little as relaxing our fear and anxiety to believe that the next minute will be OK, or it can be as big as quitting a "good" job to move thousands of miles away believing in a call to a new purpose with no further direction than the call to "go." These examples are vastly different, but in a sense they can be the same, and the Lord's blessing on them is essentially equal.
The Lord makes FIRM the steps of the one who delights in him.
Are you taking a step in the Lord today? No matter how small it is, no matter how large it is, take that step and plant your foot firmly upon the ground. The Lord is there to rejoice with you. Like a parent watching their child take his first steps, God rejoices with each step we make in him. And like the baby who giggles when her parents clap with joy at that first step, so we can delight in the Lord's joy, in the miracle of what's happening around us. Whether it is simple or monumental, the joy of the Lord is with us step by step and he will strengthen us along our way.
