Windex

Today,
it's a beautiful day in College Station, TX. I decided to spend the late afternoon sitting outside in the courtyard of my dorm, drinking my favorite blue gatorarde, listening to my favorite country music, while I study for my dreaded exam tonight.


I suddenly became distracted by a playful bird. He left his perch from the tree to come down near a ground-level window. He hopped and flapped around, watching his own reflection play with him in the window. I was alarmed, and slightly amused, when he flew right into the window, and hard I might add. He fell and looked quite flustered. The interesting thing was, this window wasn't even like Windex clean. He returned to his perch for about 15 minutes. I observed as he descended again and approached the window. This time he was slightly more cautious, but the exact same thing happened. I couldn't contain my laughter. The foolish bird literally just ran beak-first into the same window not even 20 minutes ago! Why would he come back for seconds?


Then it hit me. I'm the bird. That window is my sinful nature. It appears fun and inviting. But it is not open or life-giving. It will trick me time and time again, like a Windex commercial. Sin makes promises that are so tempting and inviting. Idols come up and appear promising and fulfilling. But any idol will ask me to die for it countless times; but only will my true Savior actually lay down His own life for me. God sits, always nearby, like a mom at a park who won't let her tot out of sight. He watches. Sometimes He may let me run into the window, and other times He may intervene. But the important thing is, He is always there. He never sits inside and teases, laughs, and watches indifferently. He's right there with me. He's there to slow or redirect my path, and He's there to pick me up if I disobediently run into that window. He loves me because I am His. I am His creation. He loves me, not because I deserve it, but because He is love, it is His character. 


So I encourage you, whether you're running into windows or maybe you're not at the moment. Wherever you are, seek the Lord. His presence goes with you continually.

1 Chronicles 16:11
Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Mind-blowing Humility

“And then she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

–Luke 2:7-

“O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as You are, O LORD, with Your faithfulness all around You? You rule the raging sea; when its waves rise, You still them…The heavens are Yours; the earth also is Yours; the world and all that is in it, You have founded them.”

-Psalm 89:8-9,11-

This baby laid in a manger is the same King of creation. This baby born to the broken earth of a virgin is the God who created the swelling oceans and the cross-shaped protein Laminin (literally the glue of your body). This King has the might and ability to control the entire universe. Yet, He humbled Himself to be born in a barn. He did not come to the Earth in wealth or comfort. Jesus came as a selfless servant. Every moment of Jesus’ life on Earth is a picture of perfect love. Our Savior was humbled to be born in a stable, because the town had no room for their own Creator. More than that, Jesus grew in stature and wisdom, lived a sinless life, and surrendered Himself willingly to death. Christ defeated death, sin, and hell. He rose from the grave and now sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. Our King has walked our steps before we were even formed in the womb. He knows our hearts intimately. He yearns to walk with us. Realizing His peace and rest grants surpassing satisfaction.

Connections Not to be Overlooked

Today, the devotional I usually send out via text message was MUCH too long to text. As the wheels in my head turned, my thirst for Scripture grew. So today’s devotional is just some thoughts and truths I have found in Scripture and through various connections. Since these thoughts are conceived with Scripture, I want to be clear in Scripture’s truth.

“All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” -2 Timothy 4:16-17-

That being said, I’ll dive in. I’m sorry that these thoughts may seem unorganized. I was a little overwhelmed by all of the connections and truths, so I attempted to write as fast as my mind was thinking. So this post will consist of verses and my thoughts all intertwined. Here we go.

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” -2 Corinthians 4:16-18-

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, less you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” –Galatians 6:1-3-

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” –Ephesians 4:26-27-

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” –Philippians 3:13-14-

“I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in all the synagogues and I tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.” –Acts 26:9-11-

>> Paul writing of his character and actions before his life in Christ

"If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful- for He cannot deny Himself." -2 Timothy 2:11-13-

SOME POINTS TO MAKE:

-God’s faithfulness is not contingent upon my faithfulness

-peoples’ sin is not their identity

-no one is “too far” or “too bad” to be redeemed

-God does not need our help for our salvation

-our efforts are fruitless apart from Christ

-community for the believer is crucial and life-giving

-dwelling in anger or guilt results in a self-centered focus; pressing forward points to Christ and His work

-pressing on toward Christ is an active pursuit

MORE SCRIPTURE:

“And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” –Philippians 1:6-

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” –Hebrews 12:1-2-

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” -2 Peter 1:5-11-

MORE THOUGHTS:

-the day that Jesus went to the cross He made the decision He would rather DIE for you than spend eternity without you… there is no reason to ever doubt His love

-our faith is founded & completed in Christ—it is not of ourselves or our own might

-a Christian is not satisfied without growth; we are either growing or we are moving backwards

-if Jesus is not our focus or the love and goal of our hearts, our efforts and works are purposeless & fruitless

-Jesus doesn’t beg for mercy to pardon our sins before the Father, He demands for justice because our sins have already been accounted for through His death on the cross

-religion and the law say “do”, but Jesus says “done”

MORE SCRIPTURE:

“Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” –Galatians 3:23-26-

“By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes His heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” -1 John 3:16-18-

“By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.  We love because he first loved us.  If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” -1 John 4:13-21-

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” –Matthew 7:7-8-

MORE THOUGHTS:

-the law serves the purpose of leading us to Christ and His perfection

-the end goal and result is God

-Christians are called to be “imitators of God” (Ephesians 5:1)

-if God is love, and we are called to imitate God, we are called to be love

-true love is a selfless & joyful sacrifice

-we cannot know or believe in God apart from love

-God is perfect love, we are called to be and to share His love to His people- to give confidence in Christ and in the Spirit, that by love and grace we know we are redeemed

-seek God, He does not hold out or hide Himself, you will find God and in so doing, you will find love

I love y'all and I hope that these beautiful truths were refreshing to those of you who took the time to sit and read through my rambling!