The Beauty of Judgment

An interesting thought gripped me during my pastor’s sermon series on Breakthrough yesterday.  Since we live in AZ, it was particularly interesting how he used the visual of the Grand Canyon to make his point that sin alienates us from God.   He challenged Christians who confess salvation through the blood sacrifice of Jesus to make sober choices daily to walk in their freedom and not in slavery of sin.

He shared his experience on a tour in the Grand Canyon and was startled at his guide’s explanation of the amazing panoramic view.  “Isn’t judgment beautiful?” the guide asked.  Whoa!  What did he mean?  This beautiful monument was not created by man.  It was the result of the judgment of God for sin during the flood recorded in the book of Genesis.

“Based on the fact that the eruption of Mt. St. Helen's formed a canyon in a very short time period in the early 1980s, as well as other evidence, there is good reason to believe the Grand Canyon was formed over a very short time period. The evidence also shows it is preposterous to think the Grand Canyon could have been formed slowly over millions of years by the Colorado River.”  Russ Miller

Creationist, Russ Miller, presents his case in the You Tube, “The 3 Day Formation of the Grand Canyon” if you are interested in more details.

Getting back to my pastor’s point, there is justice for sin.  We have a choice to receive forgiveness from a Savior who paid the price of man’s sin and reap healing mentally, spiritually and physically or else we can continue in the empty sin patterns that lead to destruction. 

Once you were separated from God. The evil things you did showed your hostile attitude.  But now Christ has brought you back to God by dying in his physical body. He did this so that you could come into God’s presence without sin, fault, or blame.  This is on the condition that you continue in faith without being moved from the solid foundation of the hope that the Good News contains. You’ve heard this Good News of which I, Paul, became a servant. It has been spread throughout all creation under heaven. Colossians 1:21-23

The Grand Canyon is a perfect reminder that though we have a merciful God, He’s a just God too!  We choose.  It’s either freedom or slavery.

The Generational Blessing of Back Seat Drivers

A generational blessing in our family is one of back seat drivers.  What a great place to learn how to pray!

My daughter told me a cute story about a back-seat driver, her daughter Susanna, who is four.  After picking up Sookie from preschool and buckling in her back car seat, Carrie tried several times to start the car.  Noticing her daughter observing her, Carrie remained peaceful and turned to Sookie in the back seat.  “Do you want to join hands with me and pray?”  The two prayed, but the car still did not start.  Then Sookie said “Mommy, it’s in the wheel.”  Her mom questioned her again.  “It’s in the wheel,” the little back-seat driver said.  Carrie turned the wheel and the car started immediately.  

Back up 33 years.  Carrie was two and sitting in the back seat of my car.  We just moved from Chicago to a small Arizona town and I was dealing with culture shock big time.  No Shopping mall and no modern anything.  We took a big pay cut and I just enrolled my oldest child in kindergarten at a new school.  No friends.  New church.  No car.  

One day my husband purchased a car for me on the way home from work.  The car was only a few years old and the price was too good to pass up but I had to learn how to shift the gears manually.   Before work one morning I got my first lesson with Tom sitting at my side and our toddler in the back seat.  I wanted to learn it in one morning and I was frustrated because the car kept dying out.  Then I heard Carrie say “You should ask Jesus to help you, Mommy!”  All the tension broke and my smile returned!

Oh, these back seat drivers that love the Lord.  They’re the best!

This story links to Hazel’s website, Tell Me A Story.

Book Review: Grounded

Yada Yada fans await the latest novel, Grounded, written by husband-wife team, Neta and Dave Jackson.  Grounded is the first in a new series, Windy City Neighbors, and will be released in May.

Grace Meredith is the main character.  She is a popular Christian recording artist whose life and career exemplify the stress of working too hard, rejection, loneliness, communication challenges with family and friends, romance, racial interaction, prayer and Bible study and devouring delicious foods.  Most importantly, Grace’s story drives us to look within and see if we’re motivated by performance or by the grace of God.

I highly recommend this well-written fiction novel.  It encourages every heart to keep trusting God and seeking Him for the lead of each new day.  The story takes place in Chicago where the neighborhoods and restaurants come alive in colorful fashion.  The authors reeled me into the neighborhood with descriptions of the familiar area and people of Chicago, but it could be any town anywhere where people live closely together.  The lessons are life giving and I eagerly await the next book!

How to Avoid Temptation

 

I now realize that when God is speaking something into my life I will hear it in several places. That happened yesterday at church listening to a sermon from the Book of James.  My pastor shared his own prayer life realizing how vital it is to pray not to be lead into temptation at the beginning of each new day.

And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong and he never tempts anyone else.  Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.  These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.   James 1: 13-15

I’m like the Christian our pastor described who comes before the Lord telling Him all the same things but usually doesn’t ask help with temptation.  Yesterday afternoon I attended a prayer meeting in a friend’s home.  The teacher made some wonderful Biblical points and one of them was “to fight the temptation to want more and more things” quoting from 1Timothy 6: 7-9:

For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

There it was again…temptation. Obviously God is showing me how to avoid it every day!   I close with these words of Jesus: 

Jesus said: “This is how you should pray:

“Father, may your name be kept holy.

May your Kingdom come soon.

Give us each day the food we need

and forgive us our sins,

as we forgive those who sin against us.

And don’t let us yield to temptation.”

Luke 11: 2-4

Sister Socialist

God promises to provide your need.

But the Bible doesn’t provide your dreams.

You need to work for them.

Greg Laurie

For even when we were with you,

We gave you this rule:

“The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

2 Thessalonians 3:10

My alarm woke me up to Greg Laurie’s teaching this morning.  His focus was about realizing our dreams and how to work toward them dispelling the notion that God owes us fulfillment as we sit and wait for them to magically appear.  Oh, the black and white Bible teachings of Greg Laurie!

I remember the scene in my living room when I hosted a women’s event from my church.  My close friend, Jan, was there.  Tension entered the room when Carol voiced her repeated mantra of how we Christians have it all wrong.   She packed all her socialistic theology in one verse in the New Testament where it talks about Christians sharing their stuff and no one owning anything so everybody’s needs are met.  (Acts 2:44, 45)

Jan tensed up because she often was Carol’s target for some reason.  Carol had a hard life with horrendous doctor bills due to her husband’s fatal disease.  Many from church helped Carol, including Jan, with transportation for the kids and paying bills.  It was never enough.  But we were growing tired of manipulation and inflicted guilt, why: because we had steady incomes?

I was glad Carol was the last to leave my house because I was able to speak to her hurt, calling it a root of bitterness.  I’ll never forget the look on her face, not of anger or defense, but of surprise.  Bitterness and resentment, really?  I know just how she felt having been there a time or two myself.  I remember feeling like I was in a maze and asking: “How did I get here?”  Bitterness poisons our thinking sending us into a whirlwind of crazy theology!

I cringe to think of what my life would be like without my Christian family.  We are to pull each other out of the fire and help each other stay on the sure narrow path.  I bet Carol would agree.

This post links to the writers at Tell Me A Story.