I'm not an avid fisherman; as a matter of fact, I'm not sure if I've ever caught a bass. Oh but I've heard fish stories, and even been a part of a few of those stories. My favorites are those that the mammoth of a 6 inch fish stretched to a foot long by the end of the day. By next week, somehow, the fish is 1 yard long, and pulled the boat all around the lake before we got it reeled in.
It's funny how we stretch our own accomplishments. We build them up far beyond what they ever were. We have a way of making the insignificant extremely important. Let's compare our works (fish) to the works of God.
The Bible says (Isaiah 64:6) that our works (righteous deeds) are as filthy rags. Now I've seen some filthy rags in my short 26 years on earth, and that is our best deeds. Our best work is as disgusting, muddy, greasy, dusty, musty rags. That is leaving out of the picture our "not so great" deeds. Our best is (to steal a South African term) rubbish, and really unusable.
There is no stretching our filthy rags out so far to make them appear as useful, but when we allow God to be God, his works are useful, uplifting, and full of mercy and grace.
I've only heard of one fish story where the fish was so big that it caught the man, and that is the story of Jonah. While our fish (works) seem good, they are minimal compared to the grace that God sent in the form of a fish that caught Jonah.
Why is this fish a sign of God's grace? In Jonah's reality, the fish of grace saved his life. He would've drowned in the storm in the sea. Grace swallowed him, and grace spit him out in the will of God on the shores of where he should've been. One might say grace saved him and grace led him home!
Saturday, July 2, 2016
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Dry Things Burn the Best
Have you ever felt like you were in a slump, a spell so dry that all of the water in the ocean couldn't quench the thirst? I think if we were all honest (and very rarely is that the case) we would say, "Yep, I've been there." Yet others may say, "I am currently there."
For those currently there, the symptoms didn't seem so extravagant at first (fires don't typically die all at once), but they have since exacerbated into something that seems eternal. The joy found in the Lord seems like a distant memory that is a bit hazy to our remembrance. The mercy and grace that we experienced (many times) in our distant past seem like they were just a good dream, but we question their reality, their very existence in this moment. Forgiveness for our own shortcomings seems impossible, and we struggle through the internal aspects of forgiving others; while on the outside, it seems like we are (to steal a southern phrase) "fine and dandy."
In reality, our emotions are either out of control or we feel nothing at all. There seems to be no middle ground in our state of mind. And really it comes down to a head issue. Our hearts can still be on the right track, but our head gets in the way. We fill our time with everything but what we should. The solution is simple, but by no means is it easy.
We must let our brains remember what our hearts never forgot.
Force ourselves to spend time in prayer, personal time of worship, and time in the word. In these times, we never feel like doing these things, and at first it feels like we are going through the motions. Then we reach the point where it feels like out prayers are not able to get through the ceiling of our prayer closet, the worship is just music and the music is just noise, and the Word seems like hieroglyphics. It is as this point that Romans 5:4 can be an encouragement to us because it can define our circumstance.
3Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character;and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.…
When we push through, our heads begin to look forward to our quiet times, and the hope and joy is renewed within us. Our faith is revived. Our lives are renewed! Our fire is burning brighter than ever!
There is no set time of how long this process takes, but don't give up. Sorrows may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning!
For those currently there, the symptoms didn't seem so extravagant at first (fires don't typically die all at once), but they have since exacerbated into something that seems eternal. The joy found in the Lord seems like a distant memory that is a bit hazy to our remembrance. The mercy and grace that we experienced (many times) in our distant past seem like they were just a good dream, but we question their reality, their very existence in this moment. Forgiveness for our own shortcomings seems impossible, and we struggle through the internal aspects of forgiving others; while on the outside, it seems like we are (to steal a southern phrase) "fine and dandy."
In reality, our emotions are either out of control or we feel nothing at all. There seems to be no middle ground in our state of mind. And really it comes down to a head issue. Our hearts can still be on the right track, but our head gets in the way. We fill our time with everything but what we should. The solution is simple, but by no means is it easy.
We must let our brains remember what our hearts never forgot.
Force ourselves to spend time in prayer, personal time of worship, and time in the word. In these times, we never feel like doing these things, and at first it feels like we are going through the motions. Then we reach the point where it feels like out prayers are not able to get through the ceiling of our prayer closet, the worship is just music and the music is just noise, and the Word seems like hieroglyphics. It is as this point that Romans 5:4 can be an encouragement to us because it can define our circumstance.
3Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character;and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.…
When we push through, our heads begin to look forward to our quiet times, and the hope and joy is renewed within us. Our faith is revived. Our lives are renewed! Our fire is burning brighter than ever!
There is no set time of how long this process takes, but don't give up. Sorrows may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)