The Ordinary and The Almighty

The Ordinary and the Almighty--January 1st

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”(Phil. 4:13).

Oh, Lord, may I live with this in mind.

I am the ordinary, and You

are the Almighty.

The ordinary can just make it through the day,

trudging along, and do okay,

but the Almighty can make the day new and bring life.

The ordinary can see as everyone can see,

but the Almighty tells me to

walk by Faith, and not by sight.

The danger comes when I forget

that I am ordinary.

when I think it all depends upon me.

Oh, no. You made it clear.

Apart from You,

I can do nothing.

Nada. Zilch.

But, oh the flip side!

I CAN DO ALL THINGS

Through Christ who strengthens me.

All things.

I would rather be ordinary every day

so You--the most almighty one

can do the extraordinary

through me.

Also:

Frozen Fog--December 3rd

“Set a guard, Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips”(Psalm 141:3).

One new experience in

moving from California to

Oregon was the phenomenon

of frozen fog. Fog is bad

enough--sometimes so

dense--like that Tule Fog

in the San Joaquin Valley--

that fog so thick it causes

vehicle pile-ups each year--

where you can’t see but a

few feet in front of you.

It is truly terrifying! But

frozen fog is the very breath of

Jack Frost! Once it sweeps

through a town, every tree is

white as if by snow, but

not. And I can’t help think

about how my words can

warm or freeze the people

I speak to. Oh, how I need

the Lord to “set a guard over

my mouth” and “watch over the door

the door of my lips!” Can you

relate? When we are tired,

stressed, irritable, one poor,

unsuspecting person can

become the proverbial

last straw, and if we aren’t

asking God for strength

right then, we can say

hurtful, careless, and harsh

words, blowing our frozen

fog right through the people

we love, wounding their hearts.

God can help us.

Oh, Lord, may our words

bring joy and life and kindness

to the people You gift us with.

May we use words that give life,

words of warmth, truth, and love.

Amen.

And . . .

The Trapeze Moment--January 14th

“For we walk by faith, not by sight”(2 Cor. 5:7).

Sometimes, we are in trapeze moments.

Picture it!

We have to let go of one secure swing,

and before we can grab another

there is that moment of complete

faith.

Faith that there is another swing.

Faith that there is a purpose.

Another direction.

Another secure place to hold.

It is walking by faith.

Not faith in gravity or physics.

But faith in obedience to God.

Sometimes, God calls us to let go

of the secure thing.

And take the chance

that He is calling us

to something else.

And the trapeze moment

can be the scariest!

But what is the worst thing

that could happen?

Where could we go or fall, ever,

that God is not there?

Where can we go from His presence?

What could possibly

separate us from

His love?

If He calls us,

will He not provide for us?

Even if we die,

we are with Him forever!

So let it go.

And in the trapeze moment,

trust. For really,

He is the net

beneath the trapeze.