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The Most Valuable $5 That I Never Received
The Most Valuable $5 That I Never Received
“And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts 20:35 NLT
“Myron, I will give you $5 if you can guess what I got you.” The words and challenge that would live in infamy for decades to come.
For years in those Crooked Creek Christmases, we would buy a gift for everyone else. So each of us would buy 10 gifts for the ten family members. I believe the gift limit was originally set at $2 per person, then upped to $5 as the years went by. It was awesome. I remember my mother taking me to places like Gold Circle, Ben Franklin and if in Mt. Vernon, Hyatt’s Five & Dime. Each store laden with treasures too marvelous to comprehend.
“He does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles.” Job 5:9
The learning and incredible value in these gift limits and buying for all ages from 10 to 70 was in the thought. In the effort. In the anticipation. In the beauty of giving from limited resources to express one’s unlimited love. It is really quite remarkable as I recall those Christmas mornings so choked full of presents, that the only present I distinctly remember is the one given me by my Aunt Lorraine. My mom’s only surviving sister, who was in many ways a second mother to me.
We made the gift-giving fun by making the giving and receipt a production. The preparation of the gift included disguising the gift with large (or small) boxes, placing things like bricks, coins, things that rattle, etc., inside. Using wrapping paper and various types of tape that made the gifts difficult to breach, and on and on and on. We always took turns, either from oldest (person) to youngest or vice versa. I always dreaded the oldest to youngest because the wait was brutal for a young boy.
There were ten rounds of gift opening that always involved a bathroom break. Yep, head out to the outhouse or for the boys, one end of the porch. Usually involved gathering up the massive amounts of boxes and wrapping paper at halftime. Getting a drink, a snack or whatever was needed. How could anything be ‘needed’ while gift giving and opening was occurring? The agony of halftime! Almost too much to bear.
So the gifts were given and received. Miraculously as God always does, the love for one another grew exponentially. Those limited value, by the World’s standards, gifts became priceless. Valued because of the giver, because of the effort, because of the thought, because of the time expended. Valued because the giver loved the recipient and they switched places during the gift opening process where giver became receiver.
On that infamous Christmas morning around 1976, my aunt threw down the challenge whose value was equal to or greater than the value of the gift. $5 if I guessed the gift. $5! A fortune. So I held that gift. I shook it. I smelled it, as we were all prone to do. I lifted it high to see if light might shine through and reveal a key detail. I thought and then it hit me: ‘it’s a ball.’ My aunt’s face fell and revealed that I had solved the mystery. It was indeed a ball. Specifically, a football. And that’s where the great disagreement began. And it was great for decades to come.
My aunt refused the payment with laughter and love because I had not specifically identified a football. I harassed her for decades to come that she owed me $5 for the correct guess. And it struck me after several years that the $5 offered was worth infinitely more because of the joy, love and laughter that the giver represented in my life. She was a priceless gift from God to me, throughout my life until God called her home last year. I never received that $5 dollars, but received a lifetime of love and encouragement from my sweet aunt and those 10 people giving gifts each Christmas morning.
My prayer for you is that this Christmas you become acutely aware that your presence in someone’s life is worth exponentially more than the present you might hand them. That your life is a gift to those around you. That Jesus came to earth on Christmas morning because you were and are worth his life, his death and his resurrection. That Jesus looks at you, rubs the scars in his hands and comments to his father (God), “dad I would die for them all over again.” I pray that this Christmas $5 shows up in your life.
“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 ESV
It is truly more blessed to give than receive.
You’ve got this. Merry Christmas
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Dashing Through the Snow
“Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.” Psalm 73:23 ESV
I remember vividly coming to mamaw and papaw’s house for Christmas when we lived in Fort Worth, TX, while dad pursued his Master’s Degree (and graduated) from seminary. This would have been around 1969 or 1970.
The travel time was really long in that old Ford Fairlane station wagon. We drove through Texarkana, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and into Kentucky. As we came out of Jellico, TN the snow started. We were within 60 miles of our destination.
In those days, road plows were rare and especially rare during the holidays. I remember mom being nervous. My sisters and I being awestruck by the snow, at first, then becoming increasingly worried as the inches piled up. Dad kept driving. Resolute. Focused. Assuring. Carefully passing those who had pulled over or who clearly lacked his ability to navigate this white gift.
As we got to the Mt. Vernon exit it hit me that we had to go down ‘Big Hill.’ So named because it truly was a big hill. For those with knowledge of road grades, probably a 10-degree slope for at least a half mile. The road down Big Hill had literally been cut into the side of the mountain, with turns and twists for that treacherous 1/2 mile. And I guess for budgetary or lack of proper machinery reasons, a guard rail had never been installed.
My questions spewed out as my nervousness grew. ‘Dad, should we stay somewhere else tonight?’ ‘Dad, are we going to be okay?’ ‘Dad, what happens if we slide over Big Hill and down the mountain?’ And on and on. My father, in that moment patiently answered my questions, allowed me to snuggle up right next to him, sans seatbelts or car seat. Apparently I grew up during the period of negligent parenting, yet miraculously survived. Ah, another story for another time. Dad knew that in that moment, his presence was paramount for my little heart’s peace and feeling of safety.
As we crested Bill Hill and began the descent, my heart raced, my anxiety became outright panic and my fear of the unknown almost too much to bear. Dad kept driving. I look anxiously around the car and my sisters were calm and looking at the beautiful snow all around. Finally, beautifully, assuringly, lovingly my oldest sister said “Myron, we’re fine. Dad knows what he is doing. He would never allow us to get hurt.” Immediately, her words of assurance and wisdom, because she is 5 years older than me, released all my emotions of fear and dread. Dad had us close and safe.
Dad skillfully went to the side of the road closest to the mountain and furthest from the edge and drop off. He put the driver’s side wheels in the rut that water runoff had eroded and that rut served as a guide and guard as we conquered Bill Hill, which when we reached the bottom was not so big after all.
Christmas that year was especially awesome because we played in the snow for what seemed like eternity. Forgetting the stresses and time of the journey and experiencing the joy, love, play and laughter of the destination. Papaw and Mamaw’s little green oasis tucked in that little Kentucky holler.
My prayer for you is that you see that the obstacles placed in your life’s path are there to draw you closer to our Dad in Heaven. That you see and understand that what causes us to fear, God has already conquered. That by releasing your anxiety of the unknown to the Author of all, allows hope and joy to invade your life with the refreshing blanket of new fallen snow. That by surrendering your life’s journey, the eternal joy and love awaits to reward you in infinitely greater ways than those moments or seasons of worry.
The lyrics to that beautiful hymn ring out “trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey.”
My prayer for you this Christmas Season is that a blanket of safety and an understanding of a life surrendered to Jesus becomes more than enough. It is.
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 ESV
You’ve got this.
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My Bethlehem
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
I remember driving up that little holler in Appalachia, KY called Crooked Creek, oftentimes with snow glistening or heavy frost saying ‘yes’ it’s Christmastime.
In Crooked Creek the houses were mostly heated by coal and the smoke would lay horizontally in the air as it escaped the pipes from which the pot belly stoves heated the home. This little area deemed insignificant by most was my whole World of joy, love and connection as a boy, during the most significant time of the year. When hope given was celebrated. Crooked Creek was my Bethlehem. A quiet place of little significance until the invasion of my family, where it became the epicenter of my universe.
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” Micah 5:2 ESV
As we would drive up the 5 or so miles, my mind would race thinking of the gifts that would be given and gotten. The endless biscuits that grandma would make from scratch. My saying yet again, “no thanks, I don’t care for grandma’s sawmill gravy,” to the absolute shock of all around. The games of Jacks that would reveal exceptional skills and lack thereof. The laughter at my mom and aunt struggling yet committed to reciting the Night Before Christmas. My father or uncle reading the Christmas story because my papaw could not read or write and loved to hear the story of God’s immeasurable love given through His son, the baby named Jesus. A time absent TV, phones, video games, social media. A time of socialization among three generations of family with the common bond whose name is Jesus.
In the early years our family of 11 gathered and each bought a gift for each other. The gifts were inconsequential by the day’s standards but the love and anticipation of the giver and the recipient held beauty, care, love, laughter and represented time. The gift of time spent. Time taken. Time surrendered. Time. The statement that you, the recipient of my gift, are worthy of my time and effort. Much like the Father in Heaven tells us each day as he awaits our prayers and petitions. He awaits and desires our discussions with him through time surrendered and time valued.
I cannot recall the gifts unwrapped, but I know the reason for the gifts. I struggle to remember the conversations, but I remember the laughter. I’m not sure of the number of days we were together but count as priceless the days we were together. I was never privy to the financial challenges that our families getting together caused but recall with complete clarity the joy that invaded that little green house that became home and hope each Christmas.
I am so grateful for the idyllic Christmas experiences that I was gifted as a child. Very little money. Never magnificent trips. Home cooked meals, void of exotic dishes. The gift of laughter, love, time and Jesus that were ever present in those precious moments.
Today I pray that this Christmas will bring you hope, joy, laughter, purpose and promise. The promise that is Jesus. The assurance of God’s redeeming love given in the form of a baby, whose birth, death and resurrection reconciled us to God and God to us.
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” Isaiah 7:14 KJV
And 700 years later
“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:23 KJV
This year commit to creating Christmas traditions that place Christ at the epicenter, surrounded by love, laughter, joy, uninterrupted time and your presence in these precious moments of eternal promise.
You’ve got this. Merry Christmas
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There are No Victims Where Victors Roam
I love when I am blessed with someone who shares simple, beautiful, true wise words on social media. (It doesn’t happen often.)
Recently I have seen a lot of posts about church hurt and the solicitation of things like ‘tell me your story’ or ‘share your church hurt.’ Pastors preparing to preach sermons on the topic. Church staff feeling wronged by their particular church wanting to exact an ounce of flesh for being ‘wronged.’ A mob mentality emerging that if enough of us feel victimized, band together and share our story, elicit sympathy from the equally broken, then we must be victims.
Then I see a wise, humble man and Bishop in his denomination simply write something to the effect of ‘I have preached and shared the Gospel throughout the World for the past 50 years and choose to focus on spreading the good news of Jesus rather than focus on the hope limiting topics like church hurt.’ Wow! Thank you, my brother and friend in Pigeon Forge, TN, selling jewelry as a source of income but most likely, as a source of spreading the hope that is Jesus Christ.
I am not looking for any kind of fight or disagreement. I am not judging because I am too busy struggling with the log in my own eye. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” Matthew 7:3 NIV
My question for you to consider is are you approaching a church situation from a victim’s mentality or a Kingdom commitment? Here is why I ask. I have worked with organizations for decades and find those committed to impact choose to move past the roadblocks of human failings. Leaders emerge and do not have to be assigned or defined. Leaders choose to either lead forward or lead astray. Victims and a victim mentality are tools of Satan empowered to lead in wrong ways and in wrong directions. Just a hard truth.
“Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the victor the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in God’s paradise.” Revelation 2:7 HCSB
Serving in this new season of life, God has assigned me the role of helping men walk into the identity that he (Almighty God) has given them. That is imbedded within them. That is desperate and desiring to rise up in and through them. That their past experiences are fuel cells for the task that lays before them. That as Believers in Christ Jesus, our role is to build the Church. To serve the Church and the church. To be a source of hope, love, peace, perseverance, consistency and Christlike example in the Church and the church.
Why do I write the capital C Church and the lower-case, church. The capital C church is the body of Christ. When a member of the Church is hurt, the body that is the Church heals. The body that is the Church, circles around and protects. The body that is the Church empowers and embraces the member who is hurt.
“In the same way, the victor will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before My Father and before His angels.” Revelation 3:5. HCSB
There is risk in relationships and especially relationships that we voluntarily associate with. My own experience is that there is infinitely more risk in disassociation and separation. A physical church body is a beautiful group of broken individuals committed to having supernatural impact because of the King they serve. The local church should be filled with people in various stages of recovery and more important, in various stages of victory. Personalities differ. Life experiences differ. Expectations differ. Needs differ. Deliveries differ. Expectations differ. Blended together, the differences create a tapestry of life and hope so needed by each of us.
“I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.” John 10:16 NLT
If you belong to the body of Christ, the Church, you are a victor. There are no victims in the Church and in Heaven. Grace and Mercy remove all victimization and replaces those lies with the truth that is Christ.
“I am an overcomer and I overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of my testimony.” Revelation 12:11
The hope is this. We serve a consistent God who never differs and whose love never waivers. That is enough.
“Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
Trust in this. Great new church bodies were and are formed by brothers and sisters in Christ, who may have left their last church for wrong reasons that God has and is using for good. Perhaps your negative experience is God’s pressing you to be the new wine that becomes a new body of His kids. That is enough!
You’ve got this. -
Join Me
‘I can’t wait for you to get here.’ What if God is saying that to you right now?
“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:11-12 NIV
I was talking with a couple of friends yesterday about moving from God sees who you are to a definitive, God knows who you are. This is your identity. That the Creator of all things knows exactly who you are.
Now take it a step further and consider that God is already where your life is headed. He is. He is waiting. He is providing the tools for your journey into the person he has created you to be.
God the Father is the god of today and tomorrow. He is omnipresent, in our today’s, tomorrow’s and yes, in our yesterday’s. He is forward facing and patiently waits for our faith to overcome our insecurities and our limiting thoughts.
So my question and encouragement to you this morning is simple. How would you choose to face today and the coming days if God says to you, ‘I am at the destination that I created you to achieve and you are marvelously living in victory and impact.’ He is. This is and has always been his plan. For your impact. For your influence. For your example. For your leading. For your peace, love, joy. For your contentment.
Recognizing that God is already where we are headed provides the answer to any questions of our future. Accepting that God is already there is the catalyst that causes us to walk into our future, free of fear and without hesitation.
The great general, Robert E. Lee, never feared defeat because he accepted that God’s providence had already determined all outcomes. Do not fear your future with God, because he has already predetermined your life’s outcomes. He is saying walk in the life journey he has planned and come to the home that I have for you. Every journey starts with one step. Today is your first step.
“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15 ESV
You’ve got this.
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Purpose in All Things
“As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one.” Romans 3:10 NLT
Did you know that Romans 3:10 was quoting Psalms 14 and 51, written over 1,100 years earlier? The point here is that God’s word is timeless and his message never changing. Be steadfast because God is steadfast and know without question that God is without time. God is never changing and always loving. Also accept that a healthy fear of the holiness of God is wise and true.
I recall listening to a former and then shunned elder/senior leader of the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) describe why he left that group/religion/cult. He described how their belief system required pursuing righteousness/holiness and how achieving Heaven was based upon works of the father/husband and subsequently his family, based upon his actions. He then told of a dream where he was shown a sheet of paper laying flat next to the Empire State Building and in the dream was told, “this is how high you can achieve Heaven though your own efforts.” The lesson that led him to a relationship with Jesus was Grace and Mercy and the unfathomable free gift of Heaven and eternity that we are all offered.
Gratitude is easier to expand when we accept that we simply cannot earn what is freely given. That supernatural things can and will be done through us when we surrender and trust. That Grace and Mercy allow our limitations from past memories (sin) to be thrown as far as the East is from the West. While also allowing our past to be a catalyst to our future. Gratitude grows when we acknowledge that our life’s learnings are a gift to be used. That our story is truly unique and a powerful hope to others.
I have heard this statement many times and rest in its truth. “God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called.”” So good. So freeing. So empowering. So true.
So today, walk into God’s appointing on your life. If you’re not feeling anything, then pray and listen for his still, small voice. Be keenly aware that the battle for a Believer’s life has been won and now the battle is for your faith, trust, belief. Your impact. There is a purpose for each of us and plan for each of us walk into the purpose of our life. God qualified those he appoints.
Be grateful in all things. Be expectant in a things. Be open to all things. Be giving in all things. Be accepting in all things. Be ready for all things. Be loving in all things.
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” John 13:34 NLT
Walk into the fresh and freeing winds of Grace and Mercy given by the Creator of the winds that carry you.
You’ve got this.
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Joy, Joy, Joy
There is an old saying that stands the test of time and truth that states: “It’s not how you start, but how you finish that matters.”
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
What if everything to this point in your life was part of a greater life plan? What if you replaced regret with acceptance? Acceptance that the roads you have travelled were an education to prepare you. That the lows were building a foundation on which others can lean on and hold to. That God never makes mistakes nor wastes time and your life and life experiences certainly is not a mistake or a waste of time.
“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 NIV
Accepting is a critical part in the process of flourishing. Approaching today, tomorrow and the days forward from an outward living perspective allows you to share and provide. When we share and provide the hope that is found through Jesus, the joy that is found through assurance, the purpose that is assigned through salvation and the gratitude that comes from a recognition of Grace and Mercy received but not deserved, then our impact for the Kingdom begins to emerge.
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” Psalm 20:7 NIV
So on this middle day of this week of gratitude pursuit, say boldly “Father, I accept that all things in my life are for the good that my life can and will reflect and deliver.” Regret is a ball and chain that prevents our running and soaring. When God regretted making humans in Genesis and assigning Saul as king in 1 Samuel, he did not abandon his plans but replaced the vessels. Regret is a tool of Satan that limits our impact. God has not and will not abandon you and desires only to free you so you live and thrive in the life he has assigned you.
The verse from Proverbs 3 written earlier states ‘…and lean not on your own understanding.’ What a gift. This is your out from the limiting lies of regret. Trust, lean on him, and your path will be straightened. This is your get out of jail free card. Your life plan. Your life assignment. Your life compass. These are the empowering truths of a life surrendered to God for kingdom purposes. This is the life we are all created for.
I have heard people say many times “I am grateful to be alive.” Are you really? Do your life’s actions reflect a grateful heart? You are the lighthouse for someone lost in the storm of life. You really are!
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 KJV
Joy, Joy, Joy is a song that so many of us sang as children whose message is one that Believers in Christ should reflect. I sing this periodically around our kids, most of the time with responses of rolled eyes but always with smiles that creep on their faces as I sing. We simply cannot espouse joy and retain a sullen aura. Sing and reflect joy because eternity is joy.
“I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart Where? Down in my heart! Where? Down in my heart! I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart Down in my heart to stay
And I’m so happy, so very happy I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart Down in my heart. And I’m so happy, so very happy I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart.”You’ve got this.
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Unimaginable Success
“For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.
Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.” Psalm 86:10-13 ESVAs you walk into this week of gratitude, practice giving thanks first. Seeing blessings, first. Accounting for all that you have, first. Placing God first. Seeing His goodness, first. Spreading joy, first.
The beautiful old hymn’How Great Thou Art’ teaches us a beautiful lesson in acknowledgment. God is truly great and worthy of our awesome wonder.
“Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art”When we recognize the deity of God and his natural place above and over all, it becomes a much more simple process of surrendering to Him. The act of submission to the Father is an act of freedom. An act of acknowledging starts the flow of understanding. Understanding will reveal purpose. Purpose creates anticipation. Anticipation changes the trajectory of the moment, the day, the week, the month, the year…one’s life. Anticipation reveals the path that God has for our life.
Choose today to live a life of contentment and joy that focuses on the anticipation of what God is and will do in and through you. Your purpose is not a mystery to God, but rather a plan that He has assigned to you and will bless through you.
So, I encourage you to grasp with gratitude the joy that comes only through the Father. God has a marvelous message for you through his Word. He desires that you live a full and complete life of purpose and accomplishment as He defines purpose and accomplishment. He desires that you experience unparalleled success as He defines success. And BTW, his measurement and acknowledgment are the only ones that matter.
Today is your day to speak life and hope into people coming in your path. Are you ready? The people you will meet need you to be ready? Joy comes in the morning and Hope reigns for a lifetime.
You’ve got this
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Whatever is Lovely and True
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3 ESV
Good Morning,
As we head into this week after Thanksgiving and into the Season of Christmas, I want to challenge you to only expose yourself to the good things that come only through the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:2 ESV
Try an attitude test this week that is influenced solely by scripture, worship, music that praises and honors the Father and the Christmas Season. Surround yourself with like Believers. At the end of this week, Saturday, 12-2-23, take a moment to measure your hope and optimism levels. You’ll be astounded, refreshed and energized.
I bombard our kids with the phrase that we have all heard, “junk in, junk out.” I do so because the premise is true and accurate. Satan never plays fair, always play to win, comes through the side doors of our life and is so subtle that we don’t recognize the negative and mind-altering impact of his deceit and destruction until we are in the midst of the battle. The battle is real because the enemy is real.
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 NLT
So I encourage you to treat your mind as the temple described in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Protect your body and your mind. Feed your mind with what is good. What is true. What is lovely. All that is Jesus. Take this small step this week of only ingesting the truth that comes from the Father above. The freeing effects will amaze and energize you.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 NIV
You’ve got this.
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Because He Loves
“Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:21-22
Be bold today in believing and expecting because He lives
“God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives”Life with Christ often involves just laying all at his feet and saying, “Lord, I face today and believe that all will be okay because I believe that you live.” No ifs, ands or buts. Just because I believe that Jesus is truth, life and love eternal.
What a great song the Gaither’s wrote in the ‘60’s as the World was caught up in the drug culture, the ‘God is dead’ messaging and turmoil of the times. Not unlike today. The truth is this, God is God for all eternity and that is enough to sustain us, to strengthen us and to embolden us in every situation. Trust, my sisters and brothers. Trust, faith, hope, belief, identity.
Life, the World, our sinful nature draws us to fear, to doubt, guilt, shame, anxiety over what today holds and what the future holds. None of these words are Biblical and Jesus-centered living is a life devoid of these conditions and mental state. He lives. He loves. He loved us first. We are his. We are free if only we ask, invite and believe.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
Because he lives, we can face each day. Because he loves, each day is worth living.
You’ve got this.
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Myron Speaks 