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With so much to deal with in the world, and the ultimate goal for all Christians to spend eternity with our Lord Jesus, we are responsible for guarding our hearts as we live in honor of Him here on earth. As we go through each day, our life should reflect Heaven so that when people see us, they see Christ.
How we define things mostly affects how we value them, and that, in turn, determines how we treat them. A million-dollar diamond to a child is nothing more than a shining stone and can be smashed by a $10 worth hammer if given the chance. To God, each life is worth more than all the world’s gold, and there’s a multiplier effect to each of God’s creations that stretches beyond our families and the confines of our homes.
David, by everyone’s standard, even the prophet’s and his parents’, was the most unlikely choice for a king. When God sent Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s sons in 1 Samuel 16, he didn’t expect the youngest son, tending the sheep, to be God’s choice. He went through each son until Jesse pointed out that David was with the sheep.
The cross we get to celebrate today, adorned on our necks and beautifying our walls, came at a cost worth more than eternity from its beginning to its end. It cost God, God, and took Heaven to lead us back to Heaven! To reconcile humanity back to the Edenic intent, the creator of the universe left majesty to live like a man and die in the cruel hands of the people He came to save.
I recently experienced a joyful high because something amazing happened to my family. I felt such a burst of joy when we got the news that I’d love to bottle up the moment and relive it every day. For a while, you’d think it was impossible to wake up with any more life’s questions or prayer requests. God has answered all my prayers instantly, and everything is good enough now for me to run a million miles for the Kingdom.
The word ‘fear’ always sends our mind to darkness because our brokenness has us accustomed to the fear of evil. However, understanding that the fear of God is born in light eliminates the worry of darkness because it ascertains God’s presence. How else can you walk through the valley of the shadow of death and not fear?
Fear is not necessarily negative because who we fear determines how we fear, and how we define fear determines how we approach it. To fear the Lord is to walk in wisdom (Proverbs 9:10); to fear man is a snare (Proverbs 29:25), and the fear of evil is the consequence of a lack of fear for God.
The division, wickedness, and uproar all around me bother me, so as I lie awake in the night, asking God what I can do in my little corner in the world to remind people how much God loves us and wants to see us do better in taking care of one another, the picture of the nestling bowls came to my mind.
How we see God matters because our view of life is shaped by our view of God. Understanding that He is mightier and greater, and that He rules with loving kindness and mercy, puts our souls at rest in Him. When we live for what God made us for, we don’t have to pretend to figure it all out to enjoy all that God has to offer.