LifeSavers

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) Jesus is the author of compassion and kindness. When facing the pain, agony, shame, and horror of the cross he couldn’t walk away – because He saw YOU. As Max Lucado says in his book The Final Week of Jesus, He saw us “right there in a middle of a world which isn’t fair … He saw you betrayed by those you love. He saw you with a body which gets sick and a heart that grows weak. He saw you in your own Garden of Gethsemane – and he didn’t want you to be alone…He would rather go to hell for you than to heaven without you.” What an amazing act of kindness, and what an incredible example to follow of what we should do when we feel vulnerable and weak. Many of us say we have nothing to give when dark and lonely times come our way, but Jesus taught us to look past loneliness into the richness of helping others. We say we having nothing to give, and God says, “You’re right, but I have something ...

The worrisome heart pays a high price for doing so. Worry come from the Greek word that means “to divide the mind.” Anxiety splits us right down the middle, creating a double-minded thinker. Rather than take away tomorrow’s trouble, worry voids today’s strength. Perception is divided, wasting your energy. Who can afford to lose power? But how can we stop doing so? Paul offers a two-pronged answer: God’s part and our part. Our part includes prayer and gratitude. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (Phil. 4:6 NLT, emphasis mine). God’s part? “If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand” (Phil. 4:7 NLT).

Temptations, trials, suffering. We’ve all experienced them. Even as Christians— and sometimes specifically because we’re Christian—we must endure pain, whether through loss, bankruptcy, unemployment, or a broken relationship. While no one is immune to hard times, believers are empowered through the Holy Spirit to endure them. Psalm 46:10 says, “Cease striving and know that I am God.” The King James Version uses the expression “be still,” indicating that our best response to disappointments is to trust in the Lord. How humbling it is to know that God’s children have a direct communication line to the Father, even in the midst of trouble. We don’t have to respond like the world, with anger, depression, and revenge. Nor do we have to fix everything in our own strength. Sure, we will still be tempted by the flesh. But as we “cease striving,” we’ll learn to trust in Him more each day. The truth is, hardship doesn’t form character; rather, it reveals character. One ...

The one to whom we pray knows our feelings. He knows temptation. He has felt discouraged. He has been hungry and sleepy and tired. He knows what we feel like when the alarm clock goes off. He knows what we feel like when our children want different things at the same time. He nods in understanding when we pray in anger. He is touched when we tell him there is more to do than can ever be done. He smiles when we confess our weariness. He wants us to remember that he, too, was human. He wants us to know that he, too, knew the drone of the humdrum and the weariness that comes with the long days. He wants us to remember that our trailblazer didn’t wear bulletproof vests or rubber gloves or an impenetrable suit of armor. No, he pioneered our salvation through the world that you and I face daily.

Dearest God, May I empower my child with love as I open my heart to all the love you constantly supply me. May I remain compassionate and mindful without losing my self. Please grant me energy to craft a life that is full of love and support for my child without pressure or control. Help me to overcome my limitations so that I might encourage my child to be all that he/she was created to be. I have done the best I can. I now allow you to work through me to create the highest and the best for my family. I release any concern and place my child's precious spirit in your hands. I am open, alert, and available for all possible good to flow into my life and the life of my family. I give thanks knowing all is well. Amen

Jochebed had faith. She also thought through a very creative plan. I'd like to pause to reflect on this tension between careful planning and full-hearted faith. Are they mutually exclusive? Not on your life! Yet to talk to some believers, you might be led to think otherwise. I've counseled with unemployed men and women who tell me, "I'm just waiting on the Lord to provide a job." "Fine," I reply. "And where have you placed your resumé?" "Well, I'm not going that route. I'm just waiting on God." "Oh really?" I say. "Then I hope you don't mind remaining jobless for awhile." The old motto of soldiers during the Revolutionary War applies to many areas of life: "Trust in God, but keep your powder dry!" In other words, place your life in the Savior's hands, but stay at the ready. Do all that you can to prepare yourself for battle, understanding that the ultimate outcome rests with the Lord God. ...

“All things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Philippians 3:8 The reward of Christianity is Christ. Do you journey to the Grand Canyon for the souvenir T-shirt or the snow globe with the snowflakes that fall when you shake it? No. The reward of the Grand Canyon is the Grand Canyon. The wide-eyes realization that you are part of something ancient, splendid, powerful, and greater than you. The cache of Christianity is Christ. Not money in the bank or a car in the garage or a healthy body or a better self-image. Secondary and tertiary fruits perhaps. But the Fort Knox of faith is Christ. Fellowship with him. Walking with him. Pondering him. Exploring him. The heart-stopping realization that in him you are part of something ancient, endless, unstoppable, and unfathomable. And that he, who can dig the Grand Canyon with his pinkie, thinks you’re worth his death on a Roman timber. Christ is the reward of Christianity.