Joining with the Divine
Joining with the Divine
"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." [Isaiah 40:29-31]
Carol forwarded this picture to me this week from an artist in Austin, TX along with the following caption that I thought might be of encouragement to you;
"May I have courage and vision to join the Divine in the places It's already working rather than feeling responsible for bringing It."
This is a good reminder of the right order of things as well as the promises the Father makes to us through His Son, Jesus. We so easily fall prey to thinking we have to make something happen, come up with a great new idea, find the strength within ourselves (alone) to press on and persevere. The root of this can be a subtle preoccupation with trying to prove ourselves, to look good enough in someone's eyes, even God's. One things we have been looking at this week within our devotional study on learning to love like Jesus, is that our foundation is that we are already fully loved, fully accepted and forgiven in Christ Jesus because of His love and willingness to suffer on our behalf. The suffering, in part, was necessary to get the message across, to demonstrate that God truly does love all people...perfectly!
At the point of greatest pain and injustice, suspended in agony between earth and heaven, Jesus prays to the Father for our forgiveness ... "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)
Can I encourage you to let this truth, let the reality of God's love, sink into your consciousness, into your heart and allow yourself to rest in this world-changing reality. You see it is our experience of this love, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, that becomes the springboard for our learning to give this love away to others. But it doesn't come from us, but from Him in us, from the dynamic of love between Father, Son and Holy Spirit .. this community of perfect love into which I have been welcomed.
I used to love diving off the springboard into a swimming pool, the combination of gravity (my weight) and the flexibility of the board, would catapult me so much higher than I could ever jump on my own. It was exhilarating and scary at the same time! This is something of what the Christian life is meant to be like, where our yielded will and heart, combined with God's love and power, propel us to love like Jesus ... even to doing greater works than he did (cf. John 14:12)!
May we continue to be propelled forth as a community of love, bearing witness to the truth that Jesus is alive ... and worth following together!
Much love and prayers,
Pastor Mike.
PS If you would still like to receive the daily devotions (Called 2 Love), please would you email (mikewatson@jerichoroadchurch.ca) or text (512-799-8202).
PPSSome of you may already know this, Gateway Church building recently suffered a break-in and lost nearly all of their electronics (TV, computer, sound equipment, etc.). The high deductible on their insurance and the fact that they are still in the midst of settling their claim from last year's church basement flood meant, unfortunately, that it would be less costly to cover the cost of replacing the stolen electronics out of pocket rather than file another claim on their insurance. I would like to send them a "love gift" from JR as an encouragement. Please consider donating on Sunday or as an E-transfer marked "Gateway Church Gift". Very many thanks.
PPPS Mike would like to visit with you, preferably at home sometime, just to connect, listen and pray together. You can set up an appointment yourself by licking here and choosing a day/time.