Monthly Archives: December 2014

December 3, 2014 · 7:25 AM

Lead Me To The Rock

This morning I have the lyrics of Paul Baloche’s song “Lead Me To The Rock” going through my mind. The first verse says, “When my heart is overwhelmed, and my eyes are blind to you, and the pain of life is too heavy to bear, and then the mountains seem so high, and my faith’s too weak to climb, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” The song is based on Psalm 61:2 that says, “From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety.”

Each of us face difficult times in life. Then there are those times when the rain doesn’t seem to stop. The bad things pour on you. The bad news keeps coming. It can feel like you’re going to drown in sorrow. You think, “I don’t know what I’ll do if I get one more piece of bad news.” It’s in those times that your prayer should be like David’s in this Psalm. Ask God to lead you to the rock that’s higher than you are.

I know what’s it’s like to feel like the bottom is falling out from under you constantly. When you’re looking for something, anything solid enough to stand on. You can go to God in those times. He is the rock that you can stand on. A sure foundation in times of trouble. When you’re feeling overwhelmed by all that is going on in your life, you can call out to Him. I can let you know that in my own life, when I’ve done that, He has shown up and rescued me. He has walked through the storms with me.

When your mountains are so high and your faith is too weak to climb, reach out and take Jesus by the hand. He will walk with you in the times when you don’t know where to turn. He will stand with you when everyone else seems to turn away. He doesn’t always take the rain away, but He does stand with you in the storm. He has a purpose in the storms you face. Sometimes it’s to teach you to walk on water and other times to show you that He’ll catch you when you’re drowning.

Whatever you’re facing today, stop and pray that God would lead you to the rock. Don’t get caught up in all the bad news to the point that you forget where your faith lies. As Peter was going under during the storm, after having walked on water, he called out, “Lord, save me!” In Matthew 14:31, the Bible says, “Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him.” The storm didn’t stop until later, but that didn’t matter because he had the hand of the one whom the wind and seas obey. If you’re overwhelmed today, call out to Him and take His hand.

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December 2, 2014 · 7:42 AM

Recharging Your Battery

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I know someone who carries two phones, an iPad and a MiFi device wherever they go. By the end of the day, their batteries in those devices are usually drained. So they keep two car chargers in their car, a Mophie battery case for one of the phones and a Mophie power pack. They also keep power cords with them wherever they go so they can plug into a wall if needed. After using the devices non-stop, they need power to recharge.

Our lives aren’t so different. We go non-stop and give of ourselves to others throughout the day. It’s no wonder people hate Monday and love Friday. They look forward to the two days of the weekend where they can recharge. Monday is dreaded because the draining begins. It’s hard to find a place to recharge during the week. You can’t just stop and plug into a wall or a Mophie charger to get your batteries back up or to find power.

So how do you get power? In Acts 1:8, Jesus said, “But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus knew that our batteries would run down while doing His will and that we would need power. As we pour out Jesus to others, we can pray that the Holy Spirit will come on us anew to give us power.

In Galatians 6:9, Paul said, “Let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right.” He was telling us to make sure that we tap into the power of the Holy Spirit and stay charged up with His power. If we do, the rest of that verse says, “For in due time, and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint. (AMP)” If we want to see the final outcome of our work, we have to make sure we don’t run out of juice.

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December 1, 2014 · 7:53 AM

Target Practice

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I spent some time recently with my family doing target practice. We were shooting at the target from about 30 yards away with a 9 mm. I aimed at the bullseye, squeezed the trigger and hit the bottom left of the target. I aimed at the bullseye again and got the same result. I adjusted my stance and aim, then lined up again and hit the bullseye. Out of ten shots, I was only able to hit it three times. I found that I was inconsistent at trying to hit the mark.

Living the Christian life is a lot like that. We aim for the perfect Christian life, but over and over again, we miss the mark. We adjust our approach, we change our stance and do what we can to hit the bullseye. We get it right some of the time, but a lot of times, we just don’t measure up. When that happens, we try harder. Sometimes that just messes things up worse. In the end, a lot of us get frustrated because we just can’t be consistent and live this life the way we wish we could.

Paul faced a similar struggle. In Romans 7, he described the struggle well. In verse 15 he said, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” He continues in verse 19, “I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.” Paul understood the frustrations of trying to live a perfect christian life. In fact, in verse 24, he said trying and failing just made him miserable. He knew that no matter what, He couldn’t do right all the time. Sound familiar?

We fail when we think that being a Christian is within our own power and abilities. We are not perfect and therefore cannot be perfect all the time. Besides, our salvation is not dependent on our actions, but rather on the work that Jesus did on the cross. Yes, we should try to live godly lives in response to what He did, but don’t get misled into thinking that living a perfect life is how you get into Heaven. Our lives should be controlled by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:5-6 says, “Those who live as the Spirit tells them to, have their minds controlled by what the Spirit wants. To be controlled by human nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace.”

If your life looks like my target and you’re miserable because you can’t live up the the perfect expectations you’ve placed on yourself, spend some time in Romans 7 and 8. Paul found that the answer is not in our own abilities, but in His. Jesus” death on the cross makes up for all the times we miss the mark. We have to accept His grace and allow Him to apply it to our imperfect lives. It starts with admiring you can’t do it (Romans 7) and finding that the answer lies in Jesus (Romans 8). Don’t give up. Keep living for Him and learn to rely on His grace instead of your actions.

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