As the rain and snow

“The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.’  So Moses sent them,.. all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel… and said to them, ‘Go up into the Negeb and the hill country,  and see what the land is, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many,  and whether the land is good or bad, and whether the cities are camps or strongholds, and whether the land is rich or poor… Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.’ Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

“So they went up and spied out the land…  [At] the Valley of Eshcol [they] cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and carried it on a pole between two of them; they also brought some pomegranates and figs…

“At the end of forty days… they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation.., and showed them the fruit of the land. They told him, ‘We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large…’

“But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, ‘Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.’  Then the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.’

“Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive.” Numbers 13:1-3,17b-21a,23,25a,26b-28,30-31; 14:38

Each tribal representative had the same assignment and same opportunity. Each was identified as a chief and a head. But true leadership always rises to the top. It requires keen boldness, standing up for right against the majority, and a confident expectation in the promises of God. The initial risk taking was swallowed up in fear for most, but God’s best saw and wanted to seize beyond the obstacles.

Weak faith breeds discouragement and grumbling, while the faith-filled are undeterred and motivating. With full confidence in the Lord, they harness and redirect passionate emotion to inspire that confidence in others. They know by experience the character of God; it shapes and drives their mindset, decisions, communication, and prayers. (Numbers 14:1-4,6-9,17-19)

Where do we stand? Where has the Lord called us to service, and how have we responded? While He equips everyone He does call, a distinguishing spirit and an element of faith are necessary to hear and step up in the first place. Are we hindered by obstacles or do we see them as opportunities? Do we shrink from risk for fear of failure, or advance trusting the unseen God who is greater than any enemy? How well do we lead for Christ’s cause, and whom are we inspiring? (Numbers 14:24; Philippians 4:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; Hebrews 11:1; 1 John 4:4)

Lord, grant holy boldness and a willing heart to lead for You.

“Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.  And they said, ‘Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?’ And the Lord heard it.  Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.  And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, ‘Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.’ And the three of them came out.  And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. And he said, ‘Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.  Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house.  With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?’  And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.” Numbers 12:1-9

And the Lord heard it. What a vital understanding from the author and brunt of the criticism. Humble he was, positioned so rightly before his God he knew that any and all flack directed his way went through the knowledge and loving hands of the One he served and trusted. No need for touchy offense, nor chastisement, nor retaliation. His was not to correct, put in place, defend, or avenge. The Lord was his Defender. (Deuteronomy 32:35; Psalm 62:5-7; Romans 12:19)

And the Lord stepped up and in, putting these catty siblings in their rightful place. He was in charge, His order would prevail. Moses could rest in that, even when his secure and tender heart thought the punishment severe and he pled for God’s mercy he well knew. (Numbers 12:10-15)

Do we find ourselves jealous of others, insecure in comparison, prone to finding fault or criticizing what we cannot have ourselves? Have we refused to accept the role He’s assigned us? Any mental or verbal attacks are not against the individuals but against their Maker, their Defender. What change of heart and understanding of God’s all-wise authority could move us from jealousy of to jealousy for our peers? (Numbers 11:26-29; John 15:18)

What would change in our sensitivities to criticism, our touchiness, if we were settled in spirit in our Defender? Every chastisement that’s fallen on us has fallen on Him, and He’s borne our wounds on the cross. He is the perfect One in whom we find security, identity, and protection from worldly attacks. In fact, we are counted blessed when we are persecuted for His sake as we share the glory of His sufferings and experience His grace and resurrection power therein. (Psalm 69:9; Isaiah 53:3-6; Matthew 5:11-12; Philippians 3:7-11; Hebrews 4:15-16)

“O worship the King all-glorious above,
O gratefully sing his power and his love:
our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.” ~Robert Grant (1833)

Lord my Defender, help me trust You with any rebuff. May I exhibit genuine mercy to those who attempt to hurt or undermine, by Your grace and for Your glory.

“On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning.  So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night.  And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped.  At the command of the Lord the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp.  Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not set out.  Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they remained in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they set out.  And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out.  Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out.  At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses.” Numbers 9:15-23

God gave both visual and audible aid to His people to ensure they walked with Him at His behest. His instructions were obvious and clear, and required that they hear the commands, watch the sky, and stay in step. Though they had their moments and seasons of squirming, He never abandoned His own, training them in long obedience over years of wandering.

How do we respond to God’s authority in and over our lives- with resistance, hesitation, or eager obedience? What need we turn from to attune to His voice and peel our eyes upward to behold His movement? How willing are we to yield to His commands when they rub against our desires, or temptation’s magnetic pull?

Do I prefer making and taking my own charge, or do I trust and embrace that of the good Sovereign? Camping and setting out with the Lord of hosts ensures days and years of fulfilling service, growing in grace and faith, and the joy of participating in His kingdom.

“A charge to keep I have,
A God to glorify,
A never-dying soul to save,
And fit it for the sky.

To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfill;
Oh, may it all my pow’rs engage
To do my Master’s will!

Arm me with watchful care
As in Thy sight to live,
And now Thy servant, Lord, prepare
A strict account to give!

Help me to watch and pray,
And still on Thee rely,
Oh, let me not my trust betray,
But press to realms on high.” ~Charles Wesley (1762)

So be it, Lord.

“Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.  For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: “To the unknown god.” What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.  The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.  And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,  that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,  for

‘“In him we live and move and have our being”;

‘as even some of your own poets have said,

‘“For we are indeed his offspring.”

“‘Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.  The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,  because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.’” Acts 17:22-31

Paul’s message to the Athenians addressed their spiritual curiosity with truth, upending their convoluted conclusion that an unknown god they worshiped they could also make. No, only the true, unique, living God would have planted such desire in them. He alone was their Creator and Source of life, and fully alive Himself, was near and intimately knowable. The gold and stones, the art and imagination of man, were all gifts from His hands, signposts leading to Him, objects and talents that displayed His creativity, magnificence, and glory. Even more, He had sovereignly appointed this time and place for them to hear this truth, to seek and find Him.

God made man in His image and planted eternity in every heart. Unlike any other creatures, we long to know what we can know only through divine inspiration. A fascination with spirituality is not the same as a real understanding of the one Spirit who ignites true worship of the unique holy God through Christ. Are there things and places we contort into more than they are? What idols of what-we-want-to-believe tenets, or shrines to success, have kept us from an authentic relationship with the knowable, personal Lord? What would God have us learn and act on today to know Him better? (Genesis 1:26-27; Ecclesiastes 3:11)

“Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word;
I ever with thee, and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father, I thy true son,  
thou in me dwelling and I with thee one.” ~Old Irish, translated by Mary Byrne (1880-1931)

Lord, may I daily know, love, exalt, and share You.

“O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
    and you will not hear?
Or cry to you ‘Violence!’
    and you will not save?
Why do you make me see iniquity,
    and why do you idly look at wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
    strife and contention arise.
So the law is paralyzed,
    and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
    so justice goes forth perverted.

“Look among the nations, and see;
    wonder and be astounded.
For I am doing a work in your days
    that you would not believe if told…”

“I will take my stand at my watchpost
    and station myself on the tower,
and look out to see what he will say to me,
    and what I will answer concerning my complaint…”

“And the Lord answered me:

‘Write the vision;
    make it plain on tablets,
    so he may run who reads it.
For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
    it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
    it will surely come; it will not delay.

‘Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
    but the righteous shall live by his faith…’

“Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
    and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the deer’s;
    he makes me tread on my high places.” Habakkuk 1:2-5; 2:1-4; 3:17-19

When much of life is a complaint against wickedness, vile activity, and injustice, there is only one station for gaining God’s perspective and hope. In order to turn grumbling into gratitude and fear to faith, our watch post must be high and hushed. The high places were littered with idolatrous alters, but treading them defines victory over their sinister pull and pollution. (Habakkuk 1:12-13)

We can plod through the lowlands with limited vision and heavy attitudes, or scale the heights in the strength of the Lord. We can be crushed by the weight of worry, injustices, and fear of things, or we can crest the circumstances with a long and lofty view. Taking in the vastness of God’s will and divine economy of His timing helps us endure the distance we must cover before relief and resolution. Complaint turns to confidence when circumstances are seen on God’s scale and with His eternal lenses.

Would we choose to tread the heights in our thinking, acknowledging and rejoicing in the fact that God knows His plans for a hope and future? Would we tuck every pain, dearth, and want into the sufficiency of our salvation? Would we be still long enough to gain His perspective and know that He is God, and will one day be exalted in the nations of the earth? (Psalm 46:10; Jeremiah 29:11)

Lord, help me tread in faith where You have gone before me on the heights, rejoicing in You over every circumstance, in my salvation, and because of Your righteous rule in earth and heaven.

“I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
    I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
    from the great congregation.

As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
    your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
    ever preserve me!
For evils have encompassed me
    beyond number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
    and I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
    my heart fails me.

Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me!
    O Lord, make haste to help me!
Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
    who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
    who delight in my hurt!
Let those be appalled because of their shame
    who say to me, ‘Aha, Aha!’

But may all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
    say continually, ‘Great is the Lord!’
As for me, I am poor and needy,
    but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
    do not delay, O my God!” Psalm 40:10-17

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

What is the nature of God is always present and at work. Every divine characteristic is infinite and in complete balance, perfect, and righteously expressed. Our sins and needs, inconsistencies and weaknesses are great, yet His mercy is more, and sufficient. What do we suffer, long for, or ruin that He does not take thought for, help, and preserve us, that His mercy is not enough or cannot redeem? (Lamentations 3:22-23; 1 Peter 1:3)

The unrestrained mercy of God secures us in a wicked whorling world and against every foe. It adjusts focus in turmoil and invites our trust. As it moves toward us, it should elicit unrestrained praise from us, and unrestrained testimony to all around. What continually flows into us cannot be hidden or stopped from flowing through and beyond us. The grateful recipient of God’s graces will tell of His deliverance, faithfulness, salvation, and steadfast love. (Romans 9:15-16)

What is my interaction with the mercy of God? How has it met me, freed me, remade me, kept me? And thus, how gladly, how joyfully am I expressing its goodness to others and my gratitude to God?

“What love could remember no wrongs we have done?
Omniscient, all knowing, He counts not their sum.
Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore,
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more!

What patience would wait as we constantly roam?
What Father, so tender, is calling us home?
He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor,
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more!

What riches of kindness Christ lavished on us,
His blood was the payment, His life was the cost!
We stood ‘neath a debt we could never afford,
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more!

Praise the Lord! His mercy is more!
Stronger than darkness, new every morn,
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more!” ~Matt Boswell and Matt Papa (2016)

Lord, may I ever appeal to, delight in, and joyfully proclaim Your unrestrained mercies, to the honor of Your name.

“For us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” 1 Corinthians 8:6

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!.. For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:33,36

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:15-17

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” Hebrews 1:3

Ah, the glorious prepositions of the Lord! By the hand of the Holy Spirit, we are drawn into the florid grace of God, caught in the current of His creativity, held in His power, and woven into His grand purposes. From Him all things flow, and for Him all things exist. And by His perfect foreordained wisdom and appointment, we are included in all things, ordained to live for His glory. (Romans 8:29-30; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21)

Are we captivated with this self-sufficient One? Do we take joy in the exhilaration of His unfolding plans? How earnestly do we endeavor to stay connected with Him through prayer and dependence, feasting on His word and fellowship? How deliberately do we join the flow of His kingdom life in our world? (Romans 14:7-8; Acts 17:28)

Taking opportunity to meditate on the vast grandeur and infinite creative power of the Lord God adjusts our mindset of self-importance and control. When we acknowledge Him as the Masterful Designer and Sovereign Authority over all, we can respond to His inspiration with cold resistance or enthusiastic embrace. There is no delight on earth like the loving, exciting inclusion of existing and whole-heartedly living through and for Him.

Humbly acknowledging I am not my own but was made for the Lord and His glory, how will I order my days differently? What needs change in my motivations, the way I eat, recreate, spend my hours, resources, and rumination? With whom would I converse, and how might my conversation deepen and grace abound?

“Thy mighty love, O God, constraineth me,
As some strong tide it presseth on its way,
Seeking a channel in my self-bound soul,
Yearning to sweep all barriers away.

Shall I not yield to that constraining power?
Shall I not say, O tide of love, flow in?
My God, Thy gentleness hath conquered me,
Life cannot be as it hath hither been.

Break through my nature, mighty, heavenly love,
Clear every avenue of thought and brain,
Flood my affections, purify my will,
Let nothing but Thine own pure life remain.

Thus wholly mastered and possessed by God,
Forth from my life, spontaneous and free,
Shall flow a stream of tenderness and grace,
Loving, because God loved, eternally.” ~Emily May Grimes (1868-1927)

Amen.

“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.’” Numbers 6:22-27

“He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.” Psalm 121:3-8

“Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!” “Make your face shine on your servant!” “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us.” Psalm 4:6; 31:16; 67:1; 119:135; 134:3

“And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 28:10

The blessing of God upon His people was immeasurable and intangible, yet palpable. The generous heart of God bestowed the gift of His name and keeping, affirming ownership, and His face of light, acceptance, and love. That this blessing was pronounced through the priests anticipated the riches that would be given by Jesus Christ as Great High Priest. (Hebrews 2:17; 4:14-16; 2 Peter 1:3-4)

For His own today He has bestowed every spiritual blessing in Christ. Those who have been bought with His blood own His bounty without measure and can spend a lifetime getting to know it in experience. The blessings that lift the heart and strengthen the soul also impart the divine nature and establish our ministry to others. Do we realize the blessedness of such favor, and sense a responsible compulsion to convey it? (Ephesians 1:3)

With whom are we sharing His benevolence? If we have truly been changed by the love of Christ, to whom in our daily interactions at home, work, and community can we pronounce His blessing and grace? Into what and whose darkness can we shine a divine, peaceful, joyful, countenance that elevates, consoles, and transforms?

“O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer’s praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace!

My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread thro’ all the earth abroad
the honors of your name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease,
’tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’tis life and health and peace.

Hear him, ye deaf, his praise ye dumb
your loosened tongues employ;
behold ye blind, your Savior comes;
and leap ye lame for joy.

To God all glory, praise, and love
be now and ever given
by saints below and saints above,
the Church in earth and heaven.” ~Charles Wesley (1739)

Father, may I never hoard the inestimable blessings You’ve given, but shine and share them abroad that You be known and praised.

“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord… Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?’” Job 1:20-22; 2:10

“Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
    that good and bad come?” Lamentations 3:38

Charcoal and chalk meet in the early sky above air swept clean by overnight rain. Each adds its texture to the new day- bright and smudge, fluff and shadow- making for an esthetic that stirs and soothes with contrast, balance, and beauty. This morning would not be so lovely, so complete, so promising, were one not there.

At times we want to clean away the smudges so we can pretend life is tidy and pristine, but grey in our days gives contour to flat and shows off the undersides of God’s mercy and fortitude. Removing the shadows eliminates the resplendence of light. We might prefer soft and easy, but they serve only flabby faith, unrealistic vision, and shallow service.

Without some scratchy darkness, how would we learn compassion and empathy, or be able to relate to or genuinely comfort the hurting? Without wrestling with hopeless situations, how would we know to look long through to the light- that it still shines in the valley of the shadow? Without experiencing some hurt and distance, even dissension, how would we know the sweetness of forgiveness and reconciliation? Without having suffered brokenness, where would we know the glory and magnificence of divine repair?

Where has the charcoal of life sketched out God’s grace? Do we complain about getting pressed under circumstances rather than look for how God will lift us above them? Do we resist inconveniences and risks instead of trusting God for the way through? Are we constantly chafed at interruptions and difficulties? What if we instead marveled at the beauties of our Lord that shine brightest in the darkness? In what loss has the Lord brought great gain?

“Amazing grace (how sweet the sound)
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind, but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;
how precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come:
’tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
his word my hope secures;
he will my shield and portion be
as long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease:
I shall possess, within the veil,
a life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
the sun forbear to shine;
but God, who called me here below,
will be forever mine.” ~John Newton (1779)

Father, help me welcome the charcoal You smudge in my life, and delight in how You work in the light of chalk to show forth Your grace. May I shine it brightly!

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’

“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new. Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true… It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. ⁸ But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.’” Revelation 21:1-8

“One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14

The eternal hope of a Christian is certain and good. We know that we know what will be ours and what will be. For the present, we dwell among things that will not be, with sights on the not yet. Assurance of the future buoys our thoughts and lifts our wings for today, enabling us to soar above the dark, madding world with perspective and joy.

So what place do we give former things in our everyday? In Christ we’re new creatures; the old self is gone, put away by the blood of Christ through salvation. We still wrangle with the pull of sin, the nag of pride and greed, jealousy and bitterness. Certainly we wrestle with unimaginable grief, unmet longings, and the curse of hard toil. But these struggles of a life that will one day be forever former can be endured with a long and high view, an expectancy that they will surely pass. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18; 5:17; Colossians 3:1-10; 1 Peter 5:10)

Where are we allowing them to dominate? If we nurture old habits, they ensnarl their roots around every attempted discipline. If we brood with regret or wallow in shame, we block out the Son’s light. If we continue to entertain the world’s magnetism and doubt in faith, we give opportunity to return to unenlightened thinking. Though the enemy would deceive us into thinking not, these things are former and have no place in a victorious, fruitful life. Whose word do we believe? How does our behavior prove it?

Lord, fix my mind, sights, and hope in the heavenlies, keeping eternity at the fore in every decision and delight.