Prepare To Dare

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

Trying something new can be frightening, and may even be dangerous.  That's why it's much smarter to take a calculated risk than a reckless plunge.

     A calculated risk is what Charles Lindbergh took when he decided to fly across the Atlantic, alone, in a single-engine plane.  Was Lindbergh fearful?  He certainly might have been if he had never flown before, or if he had known nothing about planes.  If he hadn't trusted the builder of his plane or his mechanics, he also would have had a good reason to be anxious.  And if he had decided to make the trip on a whim, without advance planning, he certainly would have been labeled foolish.

     But none of those factors were true in Lindbergh's case.  He was an experienced pilot and mechanic who personally spent months overseeing the construction of his plane.  He participated in the planning of every detail of his historic flight.  The end result was a safe trip, finished ahead of schedule with fuel to spare.

     To a great extent, "Lucky Lindy" made his own luck.

     Likewise, heroic spiritual moments are nearly always grounded in advance preparation.  Moses grew up in Pharaoh's court, unknowingly being prepared for the day he would demand that Pharaoh let his people leave Egypt.  Daniel was a man of prayer years before the king issued a decree banning prayer.  The violation landed Daniel in a lion's den, where his prayers of protection were answered.

     David was part of Saul's royal court and married to Saul's daughter.  This was part of his preparation for assuming the throne one day.  The years he spent in the wilderness prepared him spiritually to trust God, and God alone, to preserve him, protect him, and help him rule an empire.  Esther prepared herself for a year before she won the "contest" to be queen.  She prepared herself again before boldly coming to the king to expose the enemy of her people.

     You may not see clearly what God's purpose is for your life, but you can trust in the fact He is preparing you for it.  He will not waste a moment of your life.  So make every relationship and experience count today, knowing He is grooming you for greatness!

Boundaries

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31Boundaries

"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another."   Galatians  5:13

     The morning had been fairly routine - until I discovered the bird trapped in the family room.

     Perched quivering on the arm of the couch, the pathetic little bird splattered pale droplets of fear on the upholstery.  At my startled sound, he took flight, crashing first into one window and then another.  Finally, exhausted, he clutched a ledge for a brief and trembling rest before trying to break free again.

     Then a surprising thing happened.  From outside, another sparrow hopped toward the open door.  He moved right up to the doorjamb, loudly chirping the way to freedom.  And it worked.

     As his trapped friend paused, he heard and cocked his feathered head, riveting his attention to the liberating call.  He jumped from the couch arm, to the cushion, to the floor.  He listened, not yet seeing, but following the call closer and closer.  Then one more hop and he was out with his friend, flying free.

Above The Storm!

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

"But God, who is rich in mercy . . . hath raised us up together, and made us sit . . . in heavenly places."   Ephesians  2:4,6

     The believer is already seated in heaven - in Christ.  As members of His Body (Ephesians 5:30), we have been crucified with Christ,  (Galatians  2:20), quickened with Christ  (Ephesians  2:5), and positionally in Christ are already seated in the heavenlies.  As such the believer is safe from condemnation  (Romans  8:1) and has eternal life  (John  5:24); and this we have in Christ.  In our walk we are still imperfect, but in Christ, God sees us as already in heaven.  We are therefore lifted above the judgment of condemnation forever.

     Recently on a flight to Boston we passed over a severe thunderstorm.  Riding at an altitude of about 20,000 feet, we had a wonderful view of the great rolling thunder clouds towering in the sky.  Below us was a sea of clouds - we could see the jagged streaks of lightning leaping from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth.  It was an awesome sight.  I found myself wondering what would happen if that lightning struck the plane.  Then I remembered that lightning always strikes down - not up, and we were above the storm.  We were riding in the sunlight, above the storm, in perfect safety from the crashing, flashing thunderbolts.  Only those below the storm were in danger.

     So it is with the believer in Christ.  He is not under judgment but above condemnation.  He lives above the storm of God's wrath, in the sunshine of God's promise in John  10:28, 29.  I must confess I was at first a bit fearful as I saw the storm so close by, until I remembered lightning is dangerous to those under the cloud, but harmless to those above it.  Our Pilot has taken us through - and safely!  This is our blessed assurance!

"Bread For Each Day"