All Things Beautiful

"He has made all things beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart , yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." -Ecclesiastes 3:11

I attended my first ever Alcoholic's Anonymous meeting yesterday, and I have to say it was one of the most beautiful things that I have ever witnessed. A good friend told me she thought that it was something that everyone should experience in their lifetime, and I could not agree more! If you want to see Ecclesiastes 3:11 in real life, go to one!

The most common expression in that one hour long meeting was "I am not the person that I was." That's the power of Jesus right there folks! Forget the picture of righteousness that gets tied to "religious" people. If we want to see the beauty of Jesus, we might just need to be willing to admit our ugliness.

During the meeting, some expressed their appreciation for the toils in their lives that made them who they have become today. I think that so wonderfully reflects the second part of this verse. According to study Bible, "find out" in this verse comes from the Hebrew meaning "figure out or comprehend by study." The writer of Ecclesiastes recognizes in this verse that God gives him a heart to figure things out but also limits him in doing so. This resolve is what I saw yesterday-- beautiful people willing to resign to God's will in using their mistakes, regardless of how "sinful" they were, to remake them into a people that reflect his Son.     

When Salvation's at Stake

"When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried out in a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here."-Acts 16:27 

I drive Philly's eclectic Broad Street multiple times a week these day, and I see a lot. This morning on my ten minute drive to church, I watched a man in a wheelchair in the middle of the turning lane, use his only leg to push himself along. I wondered where he was going. Does that man know that Jesus died for the sin that caused him to lose his other leg? I saw another go headfirst into a trash care, fishing around for something. I wondered what he was looking for. Does that man know that the God of the universe is available to provide him with more than the treasures of this world? Another man, eyes glossy and bagged bottle in hand, stumbled into oncoming traffic (me) and took the next 15 or so seconds to stumble off the road onto the curb. I wondered how he got there. Does that man know that the love of Jesus provides a lasting satisfaction that doesn't fade once the night is through?

In this passage, Paul and Silas knew that the salvation of those around them was at stake! Can we take a minute to recognize that the salvation of those around us is at stake, so that we may dedicate whatever lifetime we have to carrying the name of Jesus to those people?

In Which Key Do You Sing?

"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were shaken." -Acts 16:25-26

This story in Acts is absolutely amazing. I'd encourage reading the whole thing because it's so powerful. Here are some practical notes I picked up from a sermon on the passage...
   -In the darkness, praise is unusual...it's not expected, but it reflects a God who is bigger than our trials and it affirms that he's in charge of our lives.

   -People pay attention to our responses in trials, so those responses are powerful.
   -The ability to worship like this in times of darkness comes from revelation of God, not simply information.  We have to experience him!
   -God does big things in these situations....like bringing people to freedom and salvation!

Will we dare to praise in prison, make a statement to our fellow prisoners, and be witness to the freeing hand of an unchanging God?

When Did you Last Count That?

"You know when I sit down and when I rise up" -Psalm 139:2 

When was the last time that you counted how many times over the course of the day that you went from a sitting to standing position? I wouldn't even be able to venture a decent guess as to what that might have been for today. And to be perfectly frank, who cares? What does something like that matter at all?....except to show us the personality of Jesus. 

Our God is the God of details. He's ruler over all that is grand and even the minutia that we fail to consider. I'm about ready to start trusting him with more than just my ups and downs!

He Asks Much and Gives Even More

"'By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld, your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore.'" -Genesis 22:16-17

What an example Abraham is. He surrendered to an obedience so extreme as to sacrifice his son, yet with his willingness to hold nothing back from the Lord, God spared his son and blessed Abraham abundantly. What strikes me most about this passage lately is that those who God asks much of in the way of sacrifice, he uses greatly. Are we willing to act in obedience like Abraham so that we may be blessed by the privilege of being a tool of the one and only living God?

A Different Perspective

"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." -Isaiah 43:19

The picture above is from our hotel window, overlooking downtown Charlotte. As I peered over the edge, I watched the people below strolling along the sidewalks and in and out of stores. The perspective is so different than if I was on the ground. I can see two people, who have no idea that they are walking towards each other and see that if neither one of them moves quickly, one...or both of them just might end up swimming with the swans in the pond. You can see so much farther ahead from that perspective from the window.
That's like what the Lord sees in our lives. He sees everything near and far. He knows who and what we are going to run into down the road and he provides for us accordingly. WOW! I'm thankful that during times in the desert, our provider has planted the rivers that satisfy our hearts. 

It's Feels Special

"For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose." -Galatians 2:19- 21

This sums up the beauty of the gospel I think that our world needs to hear! Following Jesus is the most special thing I can imagine.