Recognize that fear is an enticing apple from the enemy. It seems safe and even reasonable, but partaking will poison our soul. Moreover, realize the Spirit freely offers us the fruit we actually require: power, love and self-discipline.
Category: Devotions
As cosy as our home is, comfort will not cause us to grow. And the Great Commission will not be fulfilled while we are in our jammies. ‘Go’ is a vital part of the instruction. And truly, isolation leads to spiritual deconstruction: we’ve made the enemy’s efforts so much easier when we refuse to leave the house.
Real prayer is gritty and raw. Real prayer involves the give and take of forgiveness. Real prayer recognizes the audacity of the Creator communing with His creation.
It is remarkable how the risen, resurrected Savior sits with us in our sorrow.
I think about our Lord, wrapped in a length of cloth and laid in a cold, stone tomb. A pauper’s garb is just one more reminder of His humanity. Death is the great equalizer, is it not?
It’s only natural to fall into the rhythm of the world around us: work, eat, play, sleep. Make a buck or two, spend it; repeat. Sit as center of our own universe. But the Creator has invited us to a higher plan of living. He bids us to wait and work and walk with the Kingdom of God in full view.
Worship is always right in the face of resurrection, but it’s not always our reaction.
Our Savior held fast to the values He and His Father had set long before the pain and suffering rolled in and clouded His view. I’m convinced His commitment to Kingdom amidst His suffering has implications for our own seasons of sorrow.
The disciples abandoned Jesus in His hour of need. Truly, they did it twice; first in prayer and then in arrest. We can trip over their failures and weep over our own, but we can also marvel over the fact that Jesus is a better friend then we could ever be.
As a pastor, I am well aware of the pressure to perform amidst passion week. Busy is the badge of the good minister, isn’t it? And where exactly in scripture can we cite this example? What in life is ever made better by rushing? Ann Voskamp’s words come to mind, how hurry makes amateurs of us all.