Trust

How is God asking you to simply trust?

knock

 

Revelation 3:19-21 (King James Version)

Revelation 3:19-21

 ¹⁹As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
 ²⁰Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
 ²¹To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Rooted in Christ

Things often feel crazy, unpredictable, even out of control.  It is during those times that I am most thankful for a deep rooting in Jesus.  Several times this week I have had to grit my teeth and remember who I really work for.  As a Christian I am called to represent my creator, not just on Sunday, but each and every day as I walk out my life.  The word of God is food for my roots and has allowed me to rejoice even in times of stress and conflict.

Thought to ponder: What are you rooted in?

Colossians 2:6-7

 ⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Linked

As I was sketching this I contemplated who and what I am linked to, both physically and mentally.  Links can lift us up, pull us down, apply pressure, and provide support.  I thought about my links to Christ, family, friends, coworkers, and the world around me.  Links are not always clearly defined and often intermingle.  What is clear to me is that if I allow myself to become linked to things that drag me down it places stress on my entire foundation as well as the foundation of those that are tightly linked to me.  My prayer today is that my first link would always be Christ, and that through him I would find my identity, strength, and self-worth. 

Question to ponder - Who and what are you linked to?

Hebrews 10:19-24

 ¹⁹ Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 

Emerge

Emerge - to come into view, to become known, to come into focus. Life is not without purpose, but without direction we are lost. I find my direction in Christ and the more I get to know him the more alive I fell. I find that growth in my faith is typically followed by some sort of trial. It is during these times of trial that I must absolutely rely on God's strenth in my life. A few weeks ago I found myself sitting on a plane next to a young woman that was in the middle of her own trial. She had a decision to make and was confused. She shared with me that she had been praying through it, but felt conflicted. We talked for quite a while and I shared this drawing with her. Each turn of the branch in this drawing represents presure. We have two choices, we can stick to God's path, or vier off course. As we choose him and his path he forms us into the person we are ment to be. We discussed how God gave us his word as a filter for all decisions. If it does not pass the filter test, then it is not of him. I received an update a week ago and she put her decision up aginst God's word and has emerged from the preasure cooker feeling closer to Jesus. Sarah, thank you for the faith you showed in this decision, may God bless you as you grow in him.

Stranger than fiction

Some things that show up in reality are simply stranger than fiction. I spotted this cloud last night at sunset just sort of hanging out all on it own. It remindes me of a Jellyfish. I turned 45 degrees to the South and the rest  of the sky looked like .

God's painted sky has followed me back from Mexico. I take this as a simple reminder that God's creativity is all around us, even in a cloud formation that appears unnatural. Maybe that is just his way of getting my attention.

How is God getting your attention today?