Running

The other day I was running with my 5 year old daughter.  We were running on our gravel road just having fun.  My foot caught her foot and down I went.  I was running fast enough that I went down and slid for a bit.  You can imagine that sliding on a gravel road can tear up the skin a bit.  My hands and knees really hurt.  Thankfully she did not fall too.  As I have reflected on the fall and the pain that has followed and the healing that is occurring I am reminded of a passage of scripture.  In Philippians 3:14 we read that the apostle Paul presses on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called him.  How many runners reaching for a goal have fallen?  It hurts but they get up and continue on to reach the finish line.  When you are taking action and working toward a goal falls are inevitable.  As we work out our love for God we will fall on occasion.  This life is not perfect and sin produces times that we must get up, dust ourselves off, refocus and set our sights back on our Lord and keep on pressing toward the prize which God has promised in Christ.  Do you feel like you have fallen lately?  Does it hurt to get up and keep going?  Just as a physical scrape or accident takes time to heal and it hurts for a while as the healing process continues then when we fall spiritually whether is be a "little" sin or a "big" one the pain and knowledge of our sin will hurt.  We must understand that God provides healing and will help us and lead us on toward the prize.  Some falls require the assistance of crutches or casts or just bandages to aid in the healing.  God is there for us if we will only accept his healing power.  Let us do as the apostle said in Philippians 3:13 by forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.  Our Lord promised to prepare a home for us and to be with us.  Come back to center with me and focus on our Lord today.

Streams of Water

In Psalm 1:1-3 we read about a man that is blessed.  His delight is in the law of the Lord.  He meditates on God's law day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water.  His leaf does not wither.  Do you have days that you have no energy and struggle with feeling a sense of purpose?  Have you ever gone and just sat by a stream or a source of flowing water?  Don't you come away feeling refreshed?  There is something about the sound of water that is calming.  You can even buy music that is just the sound of flowing water so that you can relax and sleep.  Cool water is refreshing when you are hot and dry.  Warm water is soothing when we are cold or tense.  Water is needed for the cleansing of our internal body.  It washes away impurities and helps us stay healthy and hydrated.  God's Word is compared to water.  Look again at Psalm 1.  The blessed man is like a tree planted by streams of water.  If we soak in God's word as a tree soaks in the abundance of water from a stream than the Psalmist says we will yield our fruit in season.  We will not wither.  We will prosper.  Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that he could give her living water (John 4:4-26).  His word will continue to cleanse us and keep us spiritually healthy when we drink from it often.  Jesus promised that the water he gives us will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.  Spend time with your Lord today drinking in the water that nourishes forever.  Study his Word for it will refresh your spirit and provide you with the energy that can only come from God.

Faith and Prayer

Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to.  The comment made here was in response to a belief in Santa Claus.  If you have ever watched Miracle on 34th Street made in 1947 you will recognize the quote.  The Bible speaks to this same concept.  In Hebrews 11:1 we read "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  How many times have you prayed for something yet felt that it was somewhat hopeless because it was not based on common sense?  How many children have prayed for a pet even thought Mom and Dad kept saying "no?"  I did when I was a little girl.  To this day I believe God answered my prayer when two little kittens showed up on our porch one morning complete with litter boxes and food.  Is this common sense or faith?  When I was a child it was a child's faith.  The writer of Hebrews tells us that we can be sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  True our prayers are not always answered as we want them to be but when we hold to our faith in God we believe that he will take care of us even when common sense tells us to doubt.  Let's thank God today for his love for us when we trust him in faith.