Out In the Deep


Fear That Drives Action

In Devotional on October 26, 2012 at 8:50 am

“But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.”  (Exodus 1:17)

Fear has a way of prompting action.  For Pharaoh, he feared the Israelites would become too strong and prove a threat to his kingdom.  The midwives’ fear was that in obeying the ruler’s injunction they would be forced to do the abominable.

Do not simply react to fear.  Rather, clarify the value and reasonableness upon which the action is to proceed.  Roads rage, angry and simplistic responses, gossip and character assignations are all symptoms of response rooted in fear – a panicked effort to stay the imminent monster terrorizing our cherished hoard.

Detaching from the situation into holy reasonableness shows us once again that in Christ, nothing can take away from us so much that we are utterly lost.  Further, in siding with Christ, we have everything to gain.

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As The Day Unfolds

In Devotional on October 26, 2012 at 7:17 am

“This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  (Psalm 118:24)

As the day unfolds, I sit in silence listening to the quiet about me.  There is no telling what is before me. I long for accomplishment, order and perhaps recognition.  I fear the conflicts that may ensue.

Only God knows what will happen as the day unfolds. Goals, plans and strategies are the means by which I seek to manage the future. They are good tools to the extent that they take me.

However, as the day unfolds, the only thing that matters is the will of God set before me.  This is where I walk.  I can either do it joyfully with contentment or I can make this day difficult.

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The Sure Promises Of History

In Devotional on October 21, 2012 at 7:48 am

“‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah.’”   (Jeremiah 33:14)

“Thus says the Lord, ‘If you can break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night will not be at their appointed time,  then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers.’”  (Jeremiah 33:20, 21)

So much depends upon promise.  Unlike cultures that see the world in ever repeating cycles of death and rebirth, Christians see a definite starting point in history and a definite culmination all guided by the hand of God.  We humans have a notorious record of getting the middle wrong – seeing a Christ return here and a fulfilled prophecy there.  But as God argued to Jeremiah, God’s covenant with day and night (the surety of the daily cycle) is the reminder that God’s promises for the line of David, Levi, and by extension Christ, will appear on time as well.

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