Brand New

It seems that anytime I want to do something new or restore something that an obstacle suddenly arises. I find that supplies are not available or a service provider cannot deliver as promised. If the new thing is my desire to restore a relationship, sometimes the other person is not receptive or has cut off contact. 

I Peter 1:3-4 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” It is only by God’s great mercy that one can be saved and born again. He is always ready to restore our relationship with Him or to bring us into His forever family. The only question that remains is whether we will come to Him and trust in His great mercy. Then He gives us an inheritance in heaven that can’t be taken away or altered in any way.

Immovable

When I think of the words “steadfast” and “immovable”, I think of the great natural and manmade sites that I have seen. The Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, and the Great Wall of China fall into those categories. They are massive and exude power. But even these great and beautiful sites have changed and continue to change over time. Erosion, weather impacts, and man’s neglect adversely affect these places.

Psalm 32:10-11 says, “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” Think about the fact that God’s love surrounds us when we trust in Him and is immovable. His love is steadfast, never changing, because He is love. This same love is abundant and eternal. That thought makes us extremely glad, enough to shout His praise.

Who We Are

What we believe, or profess to believe, should be reflected in what we do. The person who proclaims a belief in the sanctity of marriage should be faithful to their spouse and do everything that they can to make their marriage work. The one who teaches financial principles should live by the principles which they teach.

James 2:18 says, “But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” Sincere faith is always demonstrated by good works in service to God and other people. Those who proclaim the teachings of Jesus and believe in Him as Savior and Lord should be motivated by His love and grace to serve Him and people.

Safe and Secure

Where can we keep the things that we value so that they will remain safe and secure? Are we confident that banks can and will protect the valuables that we place in their safe deposit boxes? Or do we place these items in some hidden place within our homes? What about the people we love? How do we keep them safe from harm? We can’t stay with them every moment or arm ourselves with weapons to protect them against every threat.

Psalm 121:7-8 says, “The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” The Lord promises to guard, watch over, and attend to you carefully if you will ask Him and then let Him. He is able to watch over us because He is everywhere and knows everything that can and will happen to us. He is also powerful enough to keep us from every evil that threatens us. No one can snatch us out of His hands. Let’s ask Him to attend carefully to our protection from evil and then trust Him to fulfill His promise to do so.

Mental Gymnastics

Our minds are wonderful things, capable of great thoughts. But our minds can also deceive us. When we hurt someone, intentionally or unintentionally, our minds will seek to justify our actions, most often by blaming the other person in some way. When we commit some deception, our minds will downplay our wrong, often by telling us we deserve better. The cause of these mental gymnastics is that we want to defend ourselves and feel better about ourselves.

Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord; though your sins are life scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” Despite what our minds tell us, our weaknesses, errors, failures and mistakes are not to be minimized. They are sins against God and deserving of His wrath. However, for the Christ follower, the list of all of our sins has been covered by the blood of Jesus, so that they cannot be seen or remembered by God. For the believer in Jesus, this means that we are free from the burden of sins, and should also remember them no more. God’s mercy is deeper than any hole that sin has dug for us and His grace places upon the rock on which we firmly stand, which is Jesus.