HE IS

Ps 103:8 , The Lord is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger & abounding in love. I have been trying to allow Matt 12:20 (Is.42) to sink into my spirit. It speaks of the compassion, mercy, gentleness of our Lord, and harmonizes with the passage from Ps.103. The Psalmist goes on to say that the Lord remembers we are dust, he does not treat us as our sins deserve. The WOW of that should humble us & bring tears of joy and shouts of praise. The Lord could squash us, destroy us, should destroy us, as the wages of sin is death. But He did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him (Jn. 3:17). That saving presence overflows with grace, compassion, love. HE IS more than we can describe or imagine. HE IS the greatest lover in the universe. HE IS the one who does not break the bruised reed or blow out the smoldering candle. HE IS the One who touches the leper to make him clean. HE IS the hope of the nations as it goes on to say in Mt. 12. He IS my hope because I need, am hungry for grace, compassion, patience, love.

HIS - ABSOLUTELY!

It's easy to miss, Philippians 1:1-'slaves of Jesus Christ' (doulos-Greek word). Not a servant, but a slave. Paul & Timothy belong to Jesus Christ-they are His property. Their will has been swallowed up in the will of Christ, their heart is saturated with the life of Another, their desire is single, undisputed-to please their Master, do His will, bring glory to His name. Wesley captures this spirit in his covenant service, "Put me to what you will, rank me with who you will...". Oswald Chambers says, "Be absolutely His!". Whether in what some would say is a big way, or in a simple way, those used of Christ, those who break the darkness with His light, who overwhelm the harshness & hatred of this world with love, who diffuse compassion in a selfish, uncaring world, those who do so are 'slaves of Christ.' These are the holy ones of God. These are His-bought with a price they glorify God with their bodies. Their lives speak of One greater who has invaded them with holy grace. Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit so that they are HIS! Their sacred journey is the road less traveled, the narrow path that leads to life, they are following in the footsteps of Jesus. The world does not understand, but it doesn't matter: grace produces a life beyond explanation. They are focused on the 'least of these.' Their reward is in the Master's affirmation, 'well done good & faithful servant'. They neither strive for recognition nor glory, Christ is their all. When all else in life is forgotten, they want to remember, I'm His & His forever!

Transitions

As I read God's Word, it's about people in transition. Those in the O.T. narrative attempting to follow God's leadership and be the people they were created & redeemed to be-for His glory. In the N.T. the story continues. Those who encounter Jesus are always in transition. About the time the disciples think they have it mastered, Jesus takes the road less traveled. Those who cried out for mercy from Jesus were in transition. Their life became a 'new work of God'. The sacred journey, life, is a process with a purpose. Our tendency is to confine the process to what makes us comfortable, secure, applauded. To confine the process is to minimize our discovery of the purpose-ruthless trust in the Father. As I am in transition, learning new roles, listening to hear what the Father wants & being willing to jump off a cliff if I need to, fear creeps in. Blackaby in Experiencing God Day by Day (2/3) states, 'Most fear is fear of the unknown. We do not know what lies ahead of us so we become apprehensive...fear is no excuse to disobey God." Life is one continuous transition-no matter how much we think we are in control. Our false sense of security in the picture we put together can hinder us from exercising trust in the Father. A resounding message from God's Word is 'FEAR NOT'.