Don’t lose your balance

“So don’t let the errors of evil people lead you down the wrong path and make you lose your balance.”  2 Peter 3:17

That’s what it says in the CEV.  In The Passion Translation, it says, “Be careful that you are not led astray by the error of the lawless and lose your firm grip of the truth.”

Either way, when we have our eyes on others, we can be led in the wrong direction, lose our grip on the truth, lose our balance, and even fall. 

This is why Paul told us to plant our roots in Christ, and to let Him be the foundation for our lives.  He also told us to set our hearts on what is in heaven.  John tells us to keep thinking about the message we first heard so that we will always be one in our hearts with the Son, and the Father, just as the Holy Spirit has taught us to do. 

Where are your roots getting their nourishment right now?  Make sure that you are planted in Christ, first and foremost.  What was that message you first heard?  Do you need to go back to the B.I.B.L.E?  Do you need to remind yourself that, “Jesus Loves Me, this I know?” 

Let me affirm you right now, and remind you that the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you.  You have also been blessed with the Holy Spirit…the same powerful Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead.  You belong to Christ, who is over every power & authority, and in His name, you are more than a conqueror! 

Brothers & sisters, I encourage you, with the words of Paul, “But you must stay deeply rooted & firm in your faith.  You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news.”  Col. 1:23

No matter what is going on around you, and what choices others are making, know that you are loved, you have power, and you can keep your balance as you stay on the path with the Lord.  Take time to nourish yourself.  It matters.  

Dig those roots in,

jamie

Advertisement

Is your foundation stable?

Pr. 10:25:  “When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation.”

I remember years ago, as I rolled off a skating rink, my feet went forward out from under me and I fell straight down on my tailbone.  It looked much like this:

 

When I envision a whirlwind passing by, this image pops into my mind.  When we are living in sin, our foundation is as unstable as a pair of roller skates on an unexpected incline.  We are governed by our feelings, urges, and desires, which are ever-changing.  We are being led by a liar whose sole intent is to destroy us and steal from us.  He wants nothing more than to keep us from the inheritance that has already been provided for us.

Oh, but that everlasting foundation!!  There is nothing like it.  What are the lyrics to that song, “Just like a tree, planted by the water, I shall not be moved.”  When we are being led by the Almighty God, and Savior of this world, our roots go so deep that we cannot be moved.

Psalm 1 talks about those who do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, but delight in the law of the Lord, and His law, meditating on it day and night.  Vs. 3 says, “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”

Vs. 4-5:  “The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.”

This is serious stuff.  We are either firmly rooted in the Lord, righteous and destined to stand in the judgment which will take us to everlasting life; or we are on unstable footing that will be knocked out from under us by the whirlwind that passes by and we will lose our rightful inheritance.

Jesus died so that we would have everlasting life.  He came as our Cornerstone.  He is the Rock on which we can build our lives.  If we build our lives on Him, neither the rains, the floods, nor the wind can make us fall.

The Lord does not desire that any should perish but that all should come to repentance and salvation.  Let’s ensure that our foundation is the stable, unshakable, immovable, unchangeable Lord.  No need to be swept away by the whirlwind that was meant for satan.

Standing firm,

jamie

 

Roast that game!

Pr. 12:27:  “The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, but diligence is man’s precious possession.” 

Have you ever made food and then left it out too long, only to found that it went bad?  I have, and that’s what this lazy man did.  He took the time to purchase hunting gear, to get the gear together, walk out to the perfect spot in the woods, and sit patiently and wait for his prey.  After getting what he needed, he carried it all the way home, and then he just left it.  All that work, just to neglect it and allow it to turn bad.

Instead of diligently caring for and protecting the provisions the Lord had given him, this man took it for granted.  All that we have is from the Lord.  He gives to us from His glorious riches and so often, we forget the blessing that they truly are.  We begin to expect provision without giving thanks or doing our own part to take on the responsibility of caring for those things.

We can do the same things spiritually.  We find a treasure in the Lord and then we do not protect it or cultivate in our lives.  We just expect spiritual provisions without taking on our own responsibility of being diligent to do our part.  Maybe we found the perfect scripture to get us out of our rut and get our eyes back on the Lord, but the slip of paper we wrote it on ends up in a stack of bills and becomes forgotten.  Perhaps we have felt the presence of the Lord and determine to continue in His presence, but we then get distracted by a semi-appropriate show on TV that we just really love, and He can no longer remain there with us.

We take the time to wake up early on Sunday morning, get everyone dressed and out the door on time, get everyone to the right spot, and be seated in the presence of the Lord.  We get all we need and more, we leave feeling blessed and uplifted, go home with smiles and peace, and then we forget all that just happened and go right back to where we were before.  All that work, just to neglect it, and know that sometimes it will even turn bad.

All that we have is from the Lord.  He lavishly provides for our spiritual and physical needs.  His word says that when we seek Him, He will draw near to us.  In order to properly care for our provisions, we must be diligent.  We must diligently go over that perfect scripture and find others like it.  We must pray over it and ask God to help it develop deep roots in our hearts and minds.  We must diligently make time to be in His presence and remain there, allowing Him to test and try our hearts and to cleanse and purify us in the way that only He can.  Diligence means we are persistent.  It’s a constant effort.

The beauty of this is knowing that we don’t even have to do it our own strength.  If we are truly seeking more of Him, He is the one who will provide the strength to continue.  Ha!  How amazing is that!?  We don’t have to worry about the details of our needs.  God’s got those under control.  He said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (the details) shall be added unto you.”  Mt. 6:33.

All we have to do is seek Him.  Just continually seek Him.  If we will remain diligent in that, He will do the rest.  We will be eating the fruit of the Spirit and dining with the King of Kings!  Diligence is truly our prized possession.

Enjoy the feast,

jamie