Real Choice
Friday, August 7, 2020 Good morning, Lord V.O.D.: Psalm 119:160 The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. M.O.M.: Psalm 27:13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Today's reading: PSALM 74-76 ROMANS 9:16-33
Real Choice
The chief of the early tribe ordered that the rope bridge across the gorge be cut leaving him and his small force stranded as their enemy approached. They would either win the battle or die but their village could not be reached by the enemy. They had no way out but to fight for their lives.
A person has a flat a block away from the tire store and curses God and another loses her entire family in a disaster and thanks God for His mercy.
The tribal chief believed he had no other choice than to give his life and all his warriors.
The lady felt no choice but to thank God for His mercy. Her faith left no access to anything else. She had seen trouble before. She could have cursed God as she had many trials before but she had learned that there really is no choice but to trust God. She had learned what Paul meant when he wrote, "When I am weak then I am strong". 2 Corinthians 12:10 ►That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
It has to be lived this faith gifted to us by God. Picture the calluses on the hands of a laborer. Picture the whole hand. Picture the entire person. Callused hands, callused feet, weathered face, cracked and dry skin-this sounds pretty harsh. In our day, people do all they can to avoid these harsh-physical, outcomes. Our faith must be hard. Our hearts must be softened but our faith hard and determined.
Experienced faith sees no way but one-no truth but one-no escape hatch through the emotions of natural man.
There is no escaping trouble and pain in this life. We will live as long as we are given one of two ways: we will either go through all the pain and wallow in the suffering or we will learn to hold fast to God and learn to thank Him for His enduring love and endless mercy. We will either temporarily escape across the swinging bridge where the enemy, fear, will continue to chase us or we will trust God and stand in Him and fight.
Life happens one way or another. Will we live it in fear and disgust or will we learn to love what God does in our hearts because we have learned that He is the only real choice.
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the Life", John 14:1-6.
Stand in Him and fight. Let the skin crack and the calluses form in your faith and live as Jesus lived-no choice but love to the end.
...because He loves us...
Father in Heaven, I confess. I complain-I retreat in fear. Teach me to trust you in great pain and praise You for Your mercy and power and joy. Enduring God of peace and power! In the name of Jesus, Amen