Tag: A Word for Wednesday

Categories
Uncategorized

Greater

Greater. There have been times throughout history when the world needed something—or someone—greater. Imperiled by a fascist Germany, for example, the world needed a dogged determination of Winston Churchill and, ultimately, America and the allied forces. Facing the spread of Soviet oppression, the world needed the triumvirate of Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Pope John Paul II and, ultimately, the protection of individual freedoms.

I don’t see the rise of global domination by a statist sovereign today, but I do sense our culture is clearly in need of something—or someone—greater. What is it that threatens us now? In just a few short decades, we have largely exchanged the liberating truth of God in favor of the coddling culture of relativism. We prefer to bend “whatever works for you” to our selfish liking, rather than to submit our selfish liking to the authority of Christ. What happens, then, when we trade solid truth for mere feeling? Whatever works for me clashes with whatever works for you, and there is no standard of right and wrong, no authority to which we turn together for guidance. Whoever screams the loudest rules. Rhetoric reigns, and chaos is king.

So who is this “someone” the world needs today? You. I really mean that. If Jesus Christ lives in you through faith, the world desperately needs you. Why? Because “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” Wherever you are, He is; wherever you go, He goes; wherever you serve, He serves. And when you rise above the fray of the day and give yourself over to the rule of Christ in you, people see this One who is greater, and they have hope. Yes, the world needs you.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

Lord Jesus, you truly are greater than the deceiver who is in the world. Shine through me in what I say and do, so others may know for themselves the hope and truth that are found only in you. Amen.

[Click here to read today’s Scripture in 1 John 4:1-4.]

Categories
Uncategorized

Staring Down the First-time Jitters

Oh, those “first-time jitters”! We’ve all faced them, haven’t we? Do you remember trying to convince your childhood self to dive head-first into the water, or pleading with your teenage self to ask someone to dance? Did you lose any sleep over your first “real” job interview or your public speaking debut? Life is full of daunting “first’s.” What were some of yours?

Though we know him as one of the Bible’s larger-than-life figures, even Moses experienced anticipation angst. What was it that intimidated this legendary leader? Leadership! “Who am I, that I should go?” replied Moses to God in wavering self-doubt. When God promised to go with Moses, the man doubled down, asking, in essence, Who are you? Moses didn’t stop there, either, demurring three more times before heeding God’s call to lead.

Then how did this reluctant octogenarian mature from “Who, me?” to “Let’s go!” and become the “Moses!” we know today? In a word, “trust.” God called Moses to do some pretty bold things, so He calmed his doubts with some pretty bold signs, just enough to give Moses enough confidence to engage the leaders of Israel and confront the Pharaoh of Egypt. As Moses took these first steps in faith, God did as He promised, engendering even more faith. And so it went—Moses’ obedience following God’s promises, and God’s faithfulness solidifying Moses’ trust.

Though none of us are commanded to call down plagues or bid the sea to part before us, God does lead us to our share of “first’s.” In a sense, each day brings us new sets of circumstances and challenges, the outcome of which we do not know. We are tempted then to avoid them or to confront them our way, but God calls us to know His ways and to trust in them. Like Moses, we’ve seen enough of God’s presence in our yesterdays that we can trust Him to guide us through all of our todays. For His faithfulness is ever-new and never-changing.

Lord God, you wield all power in great love. I choose to lay aside my fears today and place my trust in you. Lead on. Amen.

[Click here to read today’s Scripture, Exodus 3:14-18.]

Categories
Uncategorized

The Right Tool for the Job

“It always helps to have the right tool for the job,” my father-in-law used to say. Even if his point weren’t so intuitive, who could argue with a man who built his own house? Helping him with projects over the years, I got better at using familiar tools and learned to use some I never knew existed—not only tools that build up, but also those that tear apart, for there is a time when dislodging or disassembling existing structures is our essential next step. Nothing more happens until we clear obstacles of any size, whether applying the sledge hammer to the concrete, the crowbar to the wallboard, or even a needle to the splinter.

Physical impediments are usually in plain view, and our solutions are clear. Obstructions of the soul—rebellion, deception, or self-centeredness, for instance—are much less conspicuous, even though many have been hard-wired or firmly cemented since childhood. Too often we reach for the wrong tool or apply the wrong solution. Sometimes we just open up the flow and go with it: “Whatever feels good,” we say, or “Everyone for himself,” though deep inside we don’t believe our own bromides. Other times we clamp down on our sinful nature with a list of “do’s and don’ts” a mile long, but they cannot change our heart.

So what is the right tool for detaching ourselves from our old sinful nature—that self-willed part of us that wants to live life on our terms and not God’s? The apostle Paul urges us to reach into the Father’s toolbox and get a firm grip on grace, for there is something about His unconditional love that pries us away from our ways and bonds us instead to His. Grace is God’s power tool, “the right tool for the job.”

Father, so fill me with the joy of your Spirit today that I eagerly leave my old ways behind me. May I trust in your grace and thrive. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

[Click here to read today’s Scripture in Titus 3:3-8.]