Uncertainty

We are surrounded by uncertainty and confusion. The political scene constantly provides drama and chaos. Financial uncertainty abounds with inflation and debt rising. Social interactions have become treacherous with insecurities and offenses. Fear wants to grab hold of us around every corner.

God holds us in His hands and His plans for those of us who trust Him and His plans for us. cannot be thwarted, so be strong and of good courage.

Psalm 27:1 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, so why should I be afraid? The Lord protects me from danger, so why should I tremble?”

Prayer is the path to courage and the power to keep fear from overwhelming us.

What Are We Aiming At?

I have played a lot of baseball, actually into my 70s. Most of the time I played the catcher position. I have caught some good pitchers and some bad ones. I caught one especially gifted pitcher. He threw extremely hard and was unhittable. But he had one problem, most of the time he was wild, so wild that I spent a lot of time running back to the backstop to retrieve the ball. When he had control, he was great. When he couldn’t find the target, things were rough.

Colossians 3:1-2 says, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set you mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” You can only hit the target if you aim directly at it. You can only find righteousness and godliness by setting your mind on Christ and the things above. If we only want what the world offers, we can find it easily but it will inevitably disappoint. Let’s aim higher by seeking Jesus and His righteousness.

Wearing Out

Each day I am well aware that my body is wearing out. It seems that every day I find something that I want to do but feel like I can’t anymore. I am not surprised at these revelations because it seems that everything wears out over time. That new car will eventually run down and need replacement. The yard will need mowing again, assuming the weather changes and allows the grass to grow again. Everything we see and know will eventually pass away.

Isaiah 51:6 says, “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner, but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.” We can trust in God’s righteousness and salvation because it will last forever. Everything else will fade away. God has always existed and will exist and rule forevermore. Place your hope in He who will not pass away.

Image of the Invisible God

My wife takes a lot of pictures, mostly of the grandchildren. She does this because the pictures are the images of good times with our beloved grandkids. The pictures help us remember these good times and reflect the images of what our grandkids looked like at the time. If you travel around the country you will find statues of famous people and events. Again, these images excite our memories of these times and serve as images of those who inspired the artwork. Statues, art, recordings and photos present images of people and events, but are limited by our senses and imaginations.

Speaking of Jesus Christ, Paul writes in Colossians 1:15-17, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Jesus is preeminent and sovereign over all things. All things were created by Him and for Him, and are sustained by Him. Furthermore, He is the image of our God, showing us the Father. As the creator and sustainer of all things, sovereign authority and power over all things, and the image of the Father He is worthy of worship.

Impactful Thoughts

Throughout the course of a day my mind will travel down a thousand rabbit trails, completely disconnected thoughts from what I doing and what I want to think about. Most of the rabbit trails are harmless extraneous ideas. But some of these thoughts are damaging to my attitudes and behaviors. What we think about does impact our words and deeds.

Philippians 4:8 says, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” What we put into our mind determines what comes out in our words and actions. Fill your mind with good things that inspire you to worship God and serve others. What we believe are harmless excursions into frivolous or dark thoughts often find their way into our actions. When we think pure thoughts our actions follow into pure and true deeds of service and praise.