Falling Through the Cracks of Our Flesh

I once heard a man say that "salvation without faith is like a nuclear explosion without a fallout." I've thought about that alot lately. What a profound statement. As christians we are a new creation, but yet we seem to live in these stale bodies that know nothing more than sin. We have this false idealism that as soon as we receive Christ that somehow our whole world will change. There will be no more worry, no more stress, no more anger, no more bitterness......but we forget that we ARE mearly flesh!

We've been called to a new life in Christ and our goal as a Christ follower is to be more like him every day. But holding ourselves up to Christ and comparing life notes create's a false feeling of failure within us. Philippians 2 talks about imitating Christ's humility....not being Christ...but imitating him. Philippians 2:6 says "who being in very nature of God did NOT consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant."

Even Christ knew that he couldn't live up to his father, he didn't even try...he simply laid down his life as he wanted to live it and took on a life that he knew would honor his father, taking on the life of a servant. Our flesh fails us so often, we want to make a huge God fit into our small little world where we think our problems are just to big for him. We believe in the miracles of the bible but yet we believe them for then...not for now. Why do we believe God could be God then and that he can't handle the problems that burden us today. Last I checked..I didn't lead a ton of people out to the promised land and land myself face to face with the red sea!! And we all know how that turned out. I'm sure Moses had some doubts at that moment, just as we do today.

It's time as Christ followers that we quit trying to be Jesus of our lives and let him do his job...in and through our lives. God healed the cracks left in Christ's flesh from a death he didn't deserve....lets believe he can heal our cracks as well.

Held in the Hands of Grace....

I am reminded today of God's glorious Grace as I watch the news and wonder why God puts up with such a state of discord. How much longer will He watch as we self-destruct as a nation and as a people. What would our futures look like without God's grace the freely given, unmerited love and favor of God upon his people. It often strikes me how good God can be when we so do not deserve this favor.

Isn't it funny how Paul writes the book of Philippians with the words "Grace and Peace to you from God our Father." What's funny about this is that Paul was writing from prison, chained and bound....most likely sitting in human excrement, assuredly already having sustained much torture in his preaching and teaching, hungry, thirsty and tired. But yet Paul makes note to impart Grace and Peace from God on those reading his letter. Paul goes on to say that we all share in God's grace with him. Most of us don't think about the chains that bind us on a daily level....but be sure that at some point in your life you've had the chains bound to your wrists bearing you down. What carried you through those moments? Who carried you through those moments?

I am a very visual person....describe something to me and I already have this picture in my mind. I can see Paul sitting on that prison floor as he penned the letter, my mind wanders as I can't help but think...how could Paul not have gotten distracted by his circumstances? We get distracted by our circumstances every day and we aren't sitting on a cold damp prison floor. But Paul had an upward focus...he didn't even see his circumstances. He saw beyond them, he saw the opportunity in them, he saw advancement of the kingdom through his circumstances.

I want to not see my circumstances.....I want to look beyond them and see what God can accomplish in and through my circumstances. I want to hang onto the fact that God's grace is sufficient and I so don't deserve it but yet he gives it so freely and though many times I find it hard to except a gift that I don't deserve...I humbly bow at his feet, cup my hands and accept the gift that is freely given to a sinner such as me.