Wednesday's Word - Puzzle Lessens

Hello All,

I spent a good part of last week putting a puzzle together. I can’t say that I’m much into puzzles but it was a 500 piece-er that glowed in the dark ad I thought it would be fun. I totally didn’t expect that it would be as rich an experience as it was. The immediate thing about putting puzzles together is the realization that its more about persistence and patience than anything else. But an interesting part of the experience took center stage - I would bet dollars to donuts that most of you have felt the same way. Trust me, this was not an easy puzzle and as I was putting together certain sections, inevitably, there would be one piece missing. And here’s where it got interesting: My mind would immediately start in to thinking “Hey, maybe the puzzle piece is missing.” “I wonder how many more pieces aren’t here.” And “I can’t think of a more useless waste of time than putting together in incomplete puzzle.”

Ever felt that way? Not simply about puzzles, I mean, but maybe about certain parts of your life? Ever see parts of your life as a vast exercise in futility because it doesn’t seem that all the pieces are there – or will never be there?



Here’s the Word:



Proverbs 20:24 Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?



Psalm 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.



So I’m sitting there persisting in an effort to see a cool glow-in-the-dark puzzle. Next thing you know, I find myself thrown into a lesson about trusting God. Suffice it to say that eventually all the pieces were there and it did look pretty cool with the lights off. But I walked away from the table a little different. Our lives can be (more often than not) like difficult puzzles. Wisdom comes when we realize; that its more about persistence and patience; that there is a purpose for each piece; and that you can trust that all the pieces are there.



When you get acquainted with the idea that your character is what’s really being put together, the worries about the “what ifs” of the puzzle lessens.



In Him,

Cros

Wednesday's Word - Side Effects Include

Hello All,
Goodness! Have you seen gas prices lately? I know, kind of a touchy subject especially if you're he owner of a high-end vehicle that only takes high-end petro.

Okay. Time to shift gears here a bit but trust me, it'll make sense in the end (at least I hope so).

It’s quite a remarkable thing to me when I watch commercials for the latest, greatest "fix it" pill. (Hey! What’s that got to do with the high cost of gas? …. The connection is coming, trust me). But anyway, they come out touting the product as something remarkable until they get to the last 10 seconds and utter those 3 words: "Side effects include..." And then you hear the announcer take in a deep breath just to get through the litany of 'other' things you might get from using this particular fix. And a pill that supposed to give you a good night’s rest ends up giving you

Diarrhea; dizziness; drowsiness (including daytime drowsiness); "drugged" feeling; dry mouth; headache; nausea; nose or throat irritation; sluggishness; stomach upset; weakness.

(I copied that directly from drugs.com)



Isn’t it interesting that when you try and ‘fix’ something God designed to work naturally and efficiently, there are always side effects. Our very bodies, not just the physical aspect of who we are but our spiritual make up work’s best when the Manufacturer’s instructions are followed.



Here' s the word:

Philippians 1: 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. 11Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

When you really think about it- We are really high end. At least we were created to be. We were created to run ONLY on high-end fuel. His Righteousness. Even though we all start out with a tank full of bad gas – God will replace our sin filled tank with his righteousness - If we let Him. If you put regular gas in a Maserati, it still looks like a Maserati on the outside, but it’s going to run like a sputtering- puttering Yugo until it stops running altogether. There are some serious side effects to letting other things fill your tank. Some people sadly become so accustomed to running on bad gas that they simply can't help but to keep choosing bad gas, no matter what the side effects include.


In Him,
Cros

Wednesday's Word - Keep Your Receipt

Hello All,

I guess I'm still feeling the Resurrection Spirit from Easter, so bear with me. Kinda odd that just today I was reading over an article in which Jim Cazviel, thy guy who played Jesus in 'The Passion of The Christ', was talking about how that role has pretty much ruined his career. He went on to say he wouldn't have had it any other way saying 'We all have to embrace our crosses.' Remember when you first saw that movie? I remember talking to someone about how graphic it would be and I mentioned that for me, it would give me some idea of how much it cost to buy me out of the hands of Hell and death.

Here's the word;

Psalm 49 : 6 - 8(a) Even those who trust in their wealth And boast in the abundance of their riches? 7 No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him-- 8 For the redemption of his soul is costly,...

How costly.

Not only did He have to be a perfect, spotless, sacrifice - He couldn't simply die in His sleep- He HAD to be crushed, bruised and beaten- then killed. Isaiah 53:5 shows us the severity of the charge we couldn't pay.
But the best part of this "Great Exchange" - is that in the purchase of your redemption, you get the receipt. And we give outward evidence that we have the receipt:

Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Romans 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

Colossians 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

When I think of all the things that people spend their fortunes on, I can't imagine for one second that any of them would subject themselves to even half of what Christ went through to purchase us to glorify His Father to keep that stuff. And its not for my self-esteem or anything like that - Its about Christ and Him glorified. So how can you respond to such a precious thing?
I know... you can keep your receipt.


In Him,
Cros