Being thankful for what I am not good at

 I am so thankful for all of the things I cannot do well.  I am not a mechanic.  I am not a computer tech.  I am not a doctor.  I am not an artist.  I am not a poet.  There are lots of things that we are not.  We are told from a young age to focus on the things we are good at - and it does build in us a sense of confidence to do so, but the more I age the more I realize the benefit of what I do not know.  

What I do not know draws me toward a deeper dependance upon those who know.  I cannot fix things naturally, but I can learn from those who do.  I do not have a lot of tools, but I can utilize the tools of my friends.  This allows me to recognize how connected I am to those around me.  My strengths can do that too if I am willing to share my abilities with others, but when we are mutually sharing there is a strength and a bond that is deepened.  And I  need to learn to be dependent upon others because it deepens my relationship with God.

I think that sometimes we forget limitations are a blessing.  They are a constant reminder of how much we need our Lord to rule and reign for us and over us.  He can do all things, and he tells us that in Him we can also face all circumstances.  But we need to recognize that He is in charge and we are not - and that is much easier to do when I am thankful for what I am not good at!  

Vacation

 Rest is something that is hard to truly find this side of eternity.  I just got back from a week and a half vacation.  But I did not get back from a week and a half of rest.  Even vacation is work.  You have to pack the right stuff, remember the right stuff, move the right stuff in and out of the car into and out of the places you will be staying, you have to work hard to organize all of the details to make sure you have a place to stay.  Sure it is less work than working (or maybe different work than working) but when you get back all of your work is still there.  

Even resting can be exhausting at times.

Which is why I am so thankful that God promises us rest.  Not temporary rest.  Not slightly better rest.  But rest.  Where we will no longer have to put out energy to make our lives liveable.  A rest that allows us to spend our time and energy where it ought to be - in worship, adoration and praise of the God who made us.  I do not think this means an absence of work - but an absence of difficult, unrewarding, unfulfilling work.  The work that we do will be accomplishing the purpose for which work was designed - to image God properly.  And that work will be work we need no rest from!

May God haste the day when we can rest, truly rest, in Him.

Summer

 Summer is almost officially here.  I am not talking about the actual start of the summer season on June 21.  I am not talking about the first warm day of the year.  I am talking about the absence of school for all of the kids!  I remember that when I was in their shoes, the beginning of summer was always marked by the end of the school work.  Summer really started when the school work was done.  

I think that in many respects, this is a good way to think about the return of Christ.  When Jesus comes back, the work that He has left us here to do for His glory is over and we get to enter the rest and eternal joy of being in His presence for all eternity.  I wonder if we think of His return like that.  Do we anticipate it like we looked forward to end of school?  Do we relish the thoughts of the endless possibilities of joy as we serve our Savior for all eternity?  Do we anticipate and hold fast the reality that we will spend an eternity worshiping God and living in His presence?  Perhaps we ought to think about the return of Christ a bit more like summer!

Considering Theology

 Everybody has one.  Very few talk about it.  Even less think about it.  So tell me, what is your theological position?  

As you answer that it will reveal a lot.  Your first question should be, "Which part of theology are you asking about?"  And all we have to do is talk about the most basic - our understanding of who God is.  We all have a way that we answer that question.  We understand things about God that we hold deep.  But rarely do we talk about it.  Even more rarely do we think about it.  But we should.  What do you believe about God.  

Do you believe that God exists or is a figment of human imagination?  Even the atheist is a theologian!

Do you believe that God is creator of all that is?  Do you believe that God is in charge?  Do you believe that God is working all things out for His own purposes, or is He as surprised as we are when things happen?  All of this is theology.  And there is so much more.  Actually, every question we ask, every statement we make, every thing we hold dear is all built up on the foundation of theology.  We may not know it.  We may not talk about it.  We may not think about it, but theology is critically important.  I would encourage you to ask the questions and go to God's Word for the answers.  

Spring

 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (2 Corinthians 5:17, NASB)

Spring is a time to think about new things.  There is new growth on the trees - the green always makes me glad to know that warmer days are ahead.  There are new buds on the flowers - the vibrant colors always brighten the day.  There are baby animals, there are bird calls unheard since last fall, there is much that reminds us each day of newness. 

I am reminded that in Jesus God has made me new.  He has restored my life and re-created me in the image of His Son.  I know that He can do the same for you if you will respond with faith in the message of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, His life, His burial, His resurrection, His intercession for us.  Will you be made new this spring? 

If you have been made new, will you give thanks to God for the life that He has provided for you in Jesus?

The rain falls

 It has been raining here in Michigan.  It has been raining a lot.  In my area there has been less rain than other parts of Michigan, but for me and many others, it means that there is water in my basement.  As I was thinking about this and cleaning up what I can (while anticipating more rain falling), I was thinking about the reality that God says the rain falls on the sinners and righteous alike.  

From our perspective, we would love to have just the right amount of rain fall on the righteous and the wicked deal with the absence of or abundance of moisture.  This would be a point of view that values the fact that works matter.  If our works contributed to our reward, we would get the precise amount of rain that we needed.  But that is not the way that rain works.  Sometimes we need rain and we don't get it and sometimes we don't want any more and it still comes.  

Rain is a reminder of both grace and judgment.  It provides growth and it destroys.  And it does this indiscriminately.  It falls in a location without respect to who lives there.  And it is reminder that this world in which we live still has the consequences of sin.  And yet God is gracious.  He gives not just what we deserve, but can use the tool that can bring judgment and pain to create life and growth.  And ultimately, he will finish this work.  One day we will live in a world where we do not get the judgment we deserve because Jesus paid it all for us.  One day the wicked will receive the penalty for their sin because they rejected the payment Christ made and will have nothing left by which they can be saved.  And in that glorious day we will receive the full showers of the blessings of God with none of the judgment.  

Lord God, let it rain!

Do This in Remembrance of Me

 "And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and give it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."  

Luke 22:19 (NASB)

It is Easter Monday.  The day after the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Yesterday was a great day.  We were able to celebrate together as a church and had an attendance that was 20 percent or more higher than most of the other Sundays of the year.  We praise God for that.  And yet we are a people who are quick to forget.  

I find it fascinating that we have a harder time celebrating and remembering the resurrection and its impact on our daily lives for the other 364 days of the year.  Even at Christmas we are not really thinking about Jesus' death and resurrection.  We simply think of the nativity.  And yet this moment - the moment Christ was raised from the dead is the point where the proverbial rubber meets the road.  If not for the resurrection, Paul says our faith is useless.  vain.  pointless.  

This is why it is so nice that days before Jesus was resurrected he left his followers a perpetual reminder - we are to celebrate communion in remembrance.  Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11 we are to do this remembrance until Christ returns.  So between point A (Christ death, burial and resurrection) and point B (the return of Christ) we are to remember.  

So don't forget that what we celebrated yesterday has implications that go on for all eternity!  Remember.