The Pit

I was scrubbing a pool today. Sort of an odd way to start this but it's the truth. I was cleaning out the pool for the gentleman that I work for. Apparently given all of the storms that have come through, the pool that I just cleaned not more then a few weeks ago is now filthy again. I'm definitely not the chemist or the person that can identify what kind of grime was building up down there but all I know was that I was down in this pool with the brush and this concoction of degreasers that should kill anything you throw at it. I started scrubbing everything I could trying to get this junk off surface. I had just finished the bottom when I went to climb out. I got no traction. Every two feet I climbed up, I slid 3 feet back. I'm laughing on the inside and angry on the outside because I'm totally stuck. That's when I started thinking about sin. That's when I start thinking that in our spiritual lives (by the way, please note that I say "we" and not, "you" because we're all in this together) we are in the same pit. We are stuck in something so deep that we can't get out of it. In our own strength, we slide back down time and time again. We need something to carry us out of the mess we made. Thankfully, we've been given a wonderful answer in Jesus. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 My boss told me that he could've let the hose down for me had I asked. I laughed about that. The hose would've been my climb out of that pit. And honestly, Jesus chose to be that escape for us. He climbed down into our pit, laid Himself down, and let us climb up on Him. I will never fully understand that love but I couldn't be more thankful for it! Thank you Father that you pulled us out of what we were in.

I Have The Right.....

It's 10:15 Saint Louis time and it's 11:15 here in Virginia. The 4th of July celebration will probably start in a few hours if it hasn't already. Soon we will all begin to remember why we have the rights we possess in this country. That thought got me remembering something a teacher of mine told me once. In paraphrasing it, she said that the only right that humanity possessed was the right to death. That's not necessarily a fun thought to think of. But when you get down to it, I'm pretty sure she's correct. The only thing we inherently deserve because it is ours is death. We've taken it upon ourselves to make it a right for us when we sin. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23. I love the way Paul said that. Break it down and you could say it like this. "What we have earned for ourselves because of our sin is death. That's it, period. But we've been given what we didn't deserve in eternal life because of Jesus!" Thank you Father for giving us a gift we didn't deserve and we didn't earn. I don't know what your plans will be tomorrow. I don't know if you'll set off fireworks, hang out with friends and family, work, or something else all together. But what I do know is this. Tomorrow, we should really take a second to remember two things. Firstly, our rights that we have in this country are a gift given by the lives that fought and died that we may be one nation under God. And secondly, thank you Jesus that your gift is so much stronger than my right to death!

Remember.....

The Majesty of Him

Have you ever wondered how big God is? When you were little, did you ever wonder about what God looked like? Did I fit inside His hand or was He about my height? Dark hair? Light hair? Most likely, a lot of those questions will have to wait till we reach the other side of eternity. But there are some things I know for sure. I know what His own words say about Him. I love this verse out of Psalms, "The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw You and writhed; the very depths were convulsed. The clouds poured down water, the skies resounded with thunder; Your arrows flashed back and forth." Psalms 77:16-17. All of that happened just by seeing God. The mere sight of Him is enough to cause the waters to churn. It's enough to cause the clouds to rain for joy and the skies to roar with thunder. He causes lightening to erupt in the sky. Now measure yourself. When the water's see you, do the churn? Do the clouds rain for you? Do the skies roar with thunder for you? No, but they are not suppose to. All creation and all things were created to glorify the Father. You and I? Same thing. We were designed to glorify and awesome God! The relationship we can share with Him helps us to glorify Him more. Check this out. Most of us remember the story of Job. Job was a righteous man. But after the plagues swept through, the children were killed, the sickness hit, he at least got to the point of asking God a few things. And I love God's reply. The word says that God answered Job out of the storm and began to ask Job a question or two. "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels[a] shouted for joy? “Who kept the sea inside its boundaries as it burst from the womb, and as I clothed it with clouds and wrapped it in thick darkness? For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores. I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!’" Job 38:4-11. Incredible. God is speaking truths about what He's done and He's not holding anything back. Laying the foundations of the earth? Check. Determining how big to make it? Check. Making boundaries for the sea? Check. On my best day, and I mean my very best day, I cannot even begin to stand up to an ounce of who God is. And you know what? I love it that way. I love the fact that when we worship, when we pray, we aren't praying to a pretty good God. I'm thankful we don't serve a semi-impressive God. No, we serve an awe-inspiring, star breathing, spirit making, life changing God! Thank You Father for being as awesome as You are. Thank you Lord that even in my weakness, You are still Holy. You are still righteous. You are Majesty.

Ever inspired by You...