Ever get caught up in one of those frenzy “must read” movements that at times sweeps across the country? It is when a book takes on a life of its own and it would appear that you are the only one in your circle of friends who hasn’t read it. Everybody is talking about it. The Internet is filled with bloggers writing about THE book. Colleagues at work are all carrying a copy. You see the book displayed in shop windows. No matter which way you turn there it is. It becomes impossible to avoid coming in contact with the book. The morning talk shows all feature interviews with the author. It is a frenzy. Wouldn’t be great if the book with the highest number of sales year after year became a “must read”?
Scripture: Colossians 1:15-29
Paul writes about the supremacy of Christ using one of my favorite phrases, “…and in him all things hold together”. Then he moves on to address the listener’s relationship with Christ and the reconciliation that has taken place ending with his own testimony of what he has suffered to bring the Word to the people so that they would have a solid relationship with Christ.
Reflection: I like the thought of Christ holding everything together especially when it is applied to all aspects of life. The Sun rises in the morning, the Earth rotates on its axis, gravity continues to function every day, two cells come together multiplying into a new life, the heart continues to beat, eyes see, nose smells, the body takes in nourishment … he holds all things together. It is amazing. It is a blessing. It is a testimony to the supremacy of and central role played by Christ. And our life is never the same again.
Prayer: With profound gratitude, gracious Lord, I accept the reality that my entire existence is a testimony to Christ sitting at your right hand. Help me to never to take any of it for granted. Guide me so that my life with be one of praise. Lead me down the path where I have only one focus, one reality … Jesus Christ himself and the Word which reveals his truth. In the name that is above all names I do pray. Amen.
Further reflection from Companions on the Inner Way by Morton T. Kelsey
“When we get a vision of the God of whom Jesus speaks we will want fellowship with this one who combines the best qualities of a good father and a good mother. We are children. There is no question about Abba’s receiving us. All we need to do is acknowledge our childishness and come. This is the reason why the broken and simple, the poor in spirit, the anxiety-ridden, the mourning, the meek, the unsatisfied and unfulfilled, the hungry and thirsty, the persecuted and ridiculed find it so easy to turn to the God Jesus reveals. Those who are doing quite well on their own and think that they have life securely within their grasp don’t like to admit their ultimate helplessness and come as children before Abba. They don’t feel the need of it. It also may be beneath their dignity.”
The Struggle: I call it the Yin-Yang (often misspelled as Ying-Yang) factor of the Christian walk. When life is great, we are being blessed at every turn, there is harmony in our hearts and all relationship, our health is solid, we get plenty of sleep, and happiness marks our existence … we take God for granted and fail to work on our relationship with him. But when life becomes a little more sticky, when things are not going quite so well, when there is more tension than harmony in our life, when we are disturbed by the things that “bump-in-the-night,” when we could explain our daily life more with sadness than with joy … we turn to God to try to figure out the problem and get back on track. Well, that is my testimony, is it yours? My devotional life is the strongest at the beginning of a ministry than after my feet are on the ground dealing with the variety of issues that start flying at the pastor many at a time … ever faster and faster. When the hours in a day become more hectic and the problems more challenging, when there are threats at every turn … at those very moments when I really need a solid relationship with God I have a tendency to say to him, “Hey, that’s okay. I’ve got this one.” But my energy fails, my dignity crumbles, my abilities become very frail and I get lost. I struggle to keep my focus on his word and his supremacy. I don’t know about anyone else, but I need to remind myself often, daily, hourly that Christ holds all things together and not Martin!
A Story: My oldest brother was dying. The cancer that he had been fighting for more than 10 to 15 years finally was taking over his body. The exercise program that he had created no longer was effective at keeping the dark shadow from his door. The medicine that he was being given was failing to do what the doctors had hoped. As the energy and life was ebbing from his lungs he asked his wife to have her pastor come by the home. Earlier in his life in had been involved in the life of a church. He enjoyed singing in a gospel quartet. The simple activities of the weekly rituals made sense to one who was seeking a meaningful pattern for life. Then he was off to college and his intellect was awakened. He began to ask probing questions. He and the pastor got into some deep discussions. The pastor always lost the debates. My brother turned his back on the church. He had no use for closed minds, pat answers, shallow thinking. He embraced a world that was open to all sorts of answers. And it worked from him most of the time. But now, faced with the quickly approaching inevitability of reality he turned once again to the church and a pastor. The answers that had worked through his adult life no longer worked. The needs were deeper and more profound than a quote one of the many books that he had read. The artistry of his passion no longer sufficed to bring him peace. In the end he needed more and he knew where he needed to turn. It was there in the bedroom of his Miami Shores home that he acknowledged, once again, the supremacy of Christ over his life. His soul found the victory even as his body was losing the battle.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment