The edge is calling

 I know I was ready to fall, but, Lord, your faithful love supported me. I was very worried and upset, but you comforted me and made me happy! (Psalm 94:18-19)

I don't know about you, but there have been plenty of warnings for me when I am about to 'fall' into temptation of some kind. It could just be the knowledge that what I am about to do is a bit 'out on the edge' of what God really wants for his kids. It could be that I hear a clear warning in my subconscious mind, the voice of the Holy Spirit, warning me to just stop. Either way, I had the chance, but did I always listen? Nope! Does that still happen? From time to time, but less and less frequently. Why? I have learned to lean into God's 'faithful support' when I am just about to take that final step into compromise. There is much to be said about 'knowing you are ready to fall' and and having his unfailing love and support to keep you from doing so.

Knowing when we are about to compromise is important, but it isn't always a lesson we learn the first time. It is in the repeation that we learn some things well, just as it is in the repetition that we learn to give into sin when we shouldn't. If we learn to trust that still small voice, that little niggling within our subconscious, we might find ourselves making the decision to avoid the compromise all together. Will it always be 'stopping' at the same spot of being 'right there on the edge'? No, in time we come to 'stop' a bit sooner, then a little bit sooner. Why? We have learned to trust God to keep us from stumbling - we are listening closely to his voice, and we desire to see our choices changed. God can work with that!

Being on the 'brink of falling' is kind of scary, isn't it? God gives us the warning that we are approaching too closely to the 'edge' because he knows the closer we get to the edge, the more unstable the footing becomes underneath us. He calls us back because he doesn't want us to fall. We need to learn to trust that voice of warning - even when the struggle with sin's pull to compromise seems a bit stronger than we'd been prepared for. God knows the desires of our heart. He sees the path we are following. Never be concerned that he won't give the warning to stop. Be more concerned that you won't listen, lean in, and learn to turn away before you actually reach the edge! Just saying!

You tapped in?

The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. He gives me green pastures to lie in. He leads me by calm pools of water. He restores my strength. He leads me on right paths to show that he is good. (Psalm 23:1-3)

No matter how much food or 'things' we have, if we aren't washed, refreshed, and made new by the waters of God's grace, we are just not going to be going very far in this life! One of the things a survival expert will do when he is in a new place is find an appropriate place to shelter. He must decide, based on his surroundings, whether he wants a shelter off the ground, within a cave, in the tree line, or on some flat space. He sets out gathering wood, leaves, branches, and vines with which to construct his shelter. He finds water, looks for things in the area he can use for fire building, and might even scout out a few things he may eat from the land. What do survival skills have to do with our walk with Christ? We are kind of "dropped into" a world we are a little unfamiliar with when we first come into this relationship with Christ. We kind of find our way around this newfound faith by experimenting with the various "tools" we have at our disposal. We read a little bit of the Bible because we know it is supposed to be a source of nourishment for us. We spend a little time in prayer because we are told it becomes a place of rest and release. We don't really know what all we have access to in Christ until we spend a little more time getting to know our "new placement". We don't know what is at our disposal until we begin to look around, experimenting with what we have been given, and then the real journey begins. What we receive in Christ is not by our own doing - although we sometimes get this a little confused and still go about trying to accomplish things within our lives only grace can really provide.

As a survivalist stays a little bit longer in their environment, he begins to experience it with eyes and ears that see and hear things he begins to recognize as good or bad. He has roamed freely and found resources which will benefit him, while being keenly aware of those things which must be guarded against in order to remain well, protected, and in the "survival" mode. He may have a few challenges that are harder than others. It often takes us a while to "dig in" when it comes to our Christian walk - finding all kinds of resources, but not really understanding how we access them, what benefits they will have for us in the long run, or what to do with them once we have them. A coconut in the tree is good - in our hands is even better - but finally opened up and enjoyed is like heaven! Until we possess and access the bounty within, it is merely a "resource" untapped. In our daily walk with Christ, we have lots and lots of resources - many "untapped" as of yet. Our goal today is to examine the resources we have been given, look closely at how it is we access them, and then to do more than just possess them. We need to go to the next level with those resources - such as the survivor does when he digs the small purifying "well" next to the body of water, or the rubbing of sticks together to produce the fire which will function to purify that water. God doesn't expect us to do all the work but trust me on this - the "effort" we exert in obtaining what God has put at our disposal and actually beginning to "use" or "employ it" in our lives is worth it! Just sayin!

God, I think I have enemies

When people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them. (Proverbs 16:7)

Wouldn't it be great if we all lived together in perfect harmony, never again raising fists to fight, or sending missiles high into the air to wipe out entire communities? We don't always do a very good job at living 'at peace' with others - much less with our enemies! Living at peace with each other doesn't come naturally to us. It is a direct result of us aligning our lives with Jesus and then allowing him to live through us. This doesn't mean we will never have enemies - it just means God will allow our enemies to see godly character in us. They will still be our enemies, but they won't 'war against us'.

We should live in such a way that others desire the things they see in our character. Maybe our enemies will still be our enemies, but they will admire what they see in us, even when they don't know exactly why it is we are the way we are. I have had 'enemies' who didn't understand my actions - hard actions I was compelled to take because of my ethical standards. They might not have understood, but they trusted me because they knew I lived by those standards. Christ isn't telling us we won't face uncomfortable circumstances, or always be understood by others. He is reminding us to seek him first, know his ways, endeavor to live within those standards, and let him take care of our enemies.

Maybe the greatest part of this verse is the reminder to keep God first. As we give him the right place in our hearts, seeking his truths and living as he shows us to live, we find ourselves in circumstances where our enemies cannot really touch us. Whenever we try to please others first, putting God in any other position than FIRST, we find it difficult to 'live at peace' with others and vice-versa. When God is first in our lives, our response toward our enemies will be kinder and a whole lot less defensive. We will allow God to be our defense and just lean in a bit closer to him. Just sayin!