Clay in the Hands

We all go through ups and downs in life.  Some days are good and we feel like we are on top of the world.  Other days we feel like no one knows we exist and the world just keeps dumping junk on us.  The goal becomes having more days in the first category than we have in the second.

But as one who follows in the Way, you know there is something more than just good days and bad days.  You know it – – but sometimes you need to hear it.

So . . . listen!

GOD LOVES YOU!

There is nothing you could have ever done or will ever do to make God love you any less or any more than He always has!  

This is a statement I use very regularly with our church family.  Today, I offer it as a reminder to each of us!

Be blessed today!

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I had breakfast with a couple of leaders in our church this morning and one of them related a story from this past weekend.  It would seem that as he and his family were vacationing at the lake, his phone made its way into the water.  Since cell phones do not work nearly as well once they have been submerged in water, he found himself in need of a new phone.  So he made his way to the store to get a new one.

The reason I am sharing this story this morning is his experience has spiritual application.  When he received his new phone, he simply logged into his account from the new device and all his content – stored in the cloud – immediately began to make its way onto his new phone.  Because his important data was stored in the cloud, he did not loose anything to the death grip of the lake water.

There is a distinct similarity between this experience and our spiritual lives.  When we store up what is important to us on site, we are exposing what is important to us to all the elements of this earth.  But when we store our treasures in heaven, then all those things are safe and secure.  In other words, we need to look at our priorities?  Are we seeking to make a name for ourselves here and now or are we more concerned with pleasing the Father and storing up what is important to us in heaven.

At some point, death’s grip will take hold of us and all the things we have worked for on earth will be of no significance.  The only thing that will matter at that point will be what we have stored in heaven.

I am thankful that God gives us the opportunity to live our lives in such a way that we know our efforts are not wasted when they are spent on what matters most.

Store up for yourselves treasure in heaven where lake water cannot destroy!

Be a blessing today!

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Have you caught a glimpse lately of how hopelessly connected we are to technology?  We rationalize it by thinking to ourselves that we are more productive (and in some ways, maybe we can be) or we suppose that we are more present in the lives of our friends and family.  But a quick look at friends and families gathered at tables in a restaurant may suggest otherwise.  It is not difficult to observe people sitting together and all be on their phones.  Being present means actually being present.

As I was reading this morning in 2 Corinthians 3:18, I was reminded that when we set time aside to think about God, something powerful happens.

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

When we disconnect and focus our undistracted attention on God, he continues his transformative work in us – redeeming us back to the persons we were created to be in the first place.

If we are going to live into the promise of the fulfilled life, then we must unplug.  It is crucial to create space in our lives to sit and contemplate God and his glory.

So today, find time to unplug!

God will make good use of your time!

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