The Race

“...Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance- unnecessary weight- and that sin which so readily clings to us and entangles us and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1

We each have a particular race to run, an appointed course that we are expected to traverse, and although our allotted courses are different, we can determine to have quality connections because we are all runners, who have the same final destination!

But how do we run that race? Anyone who really knows me would laugh at the thought of me giving instructions on running! I only know two things about running;
1. I don’t like it even though I know it’s good for me.
2. I don’t do it very well or for very long.

 I start out s-l-o-w on the treadmill, wearing a jacket, leisurely walking, reading a book, along with my dog Bella at my side (she LOVES the treadmill, go figure!) and gradually increase my speed, until I am at a jogging pace (the fastest I ever get to)...but before you know it I am breathing hard, sweating and turning DOWN the speed. Why? Because I’m out of shape and also have distractions and encumbrances that are slowing me down!

Well, what can we do when our race in this life gets so fast that it threatens to overwhelm us? Whenever my treadmill speeds up, there are a few things I do to keep up which also work in finishing the race that Papa has for me, even though my life’s pace is being accelerated.

1. I ditch the book, it is a distraction that I cannot concentrate on while jogging. Running the race requires my full attention. I cannot have my focus fixed on other things and expect to finish the course in a timely manner or maybe to complete it at all.  Papa is calling us to make Him our focal point and to lay aside our distractions. Now distractions may occasionally be acceptable when our pace is slow, but when we determine to run, they must be set aside, because they may trip us up or cause us to lose our way and end up on the wrong course, bringing possible disqualification.

2. I take off the jacket because it is weighing me down. Hebrews 12:1 talks about unnecessary weights, i.e. things we are carrying that we shouldn’t be. When I’m on the treadmill it could be a water bottle, an mp3 player or a jacket. The same can be true in our lives! We may be weighed down with a myriad of things including other’s expectations, personal failures, disappointments, or discouragements. So what can we do? Papa reminds us “let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance.”

Think about it...if you were sprayed by a skunk, what would you do with your clothes? Would you remove them s-l-o-w-l-y, being careful not to wrinkle them, painstakingly hanging them? Of course not! Clothes are hung up when we plan to wear them again and these are bound for the rubbish heap.  We can’t remove them fast enough! We should feel the same about the issues and circumstances of our lives that are weighing us down-unnecessarily. Pitch those things out and don’t look back!

3. I make Bella get off. There is only so much room on my treadmill; and with her there it is just too easy to get tripped up. Is she happy to go? No way! I have to pick her up, carry her outside the room and shut the door. Even then, she howls pitifully on the other side, but I have to remove her if I want to run.

The same holds true for the sin that so easily entangles us-it doesn’t want to go! It may assure us that there is plenty of room, but don’t be deceived; the path we frequent is a narrow one! With Papa’s help we can remove the sinful temptations that we leave lying around our well travelled path!  We can then choose to close the door and ignore its plaintive cries.

Well I usually do these things, but do you know what? I still can’t sprint for very long. Why? Because I have not developed endurance; the more I run consistently, the longer I can consistently run! Practice makes perfect and that goes for this journey of life too. Papa calls us to lay aside the distractions, to pitch the things that weigh us down, and to sever the sin that tries to cling to us and trip us up. After that, then we run and run and then run some more. We are expected to “...run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us.” We develop endurance through the running process; it is as we are steady and active in our persistence to run our appointed race that we get better at it : )

You’ve heard of “on the job training” right? Well, we are called to “on the journey training”, where we learn how to run the race, while we are running it! Our course has been set and NOW is the time to lace up our running shoes, set aside our distractions, encumbrances and “just do it”! We can trust our Father to guide and strengthen us, faithfully keeping us as we traverse His lovingly selected path, being confident that our final destination is assured and our ultimate victory is certain. God speed dear runner!

HIS PROMISE REMAINS

Promise-“A reason to expect something.” That’s how the dictionary defines promise-but isn’t this also the perfect explanation for the hope that lies within us? Amazingly, we are christened as the children of promise; our very existence is through promise! (Galatians 4:28) And as believers we base our lives on God’s promises. Consider that our hope for peace ushers from Jesus’ promise of peace (John 14:27), our hope for joy springs from putting our faith in the promise of who He is (Psalm 5:11). Even our hope for...well, hope comes from the promise of life eternal as in Titus 1:2 “...resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.” (NIV) Oh think about it! Before one click of time’s existence had elapsed; God promised us the hope of life eternal! This vow’s inception is beyond discernment or discovery, but we can know of a surety that eons have elapsed, centuries have crumbled and countless generations have come and gone and still His promises remain; because it is impossible for God to lie. (Hebrews 6:18)

People often say “A person is only as good as their word”, which is true, but that should go double for a god, don’t you think? What kind of god promises and then reneges? Not our God! What He says, He promises to fulfill. In fact, in Numbers 23:19 we are reminded “God is not a man, that He should lie nor...that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” (NIV) The integrity of God’s promises is utterly steadfast. What He says, what He promises can be relied on. In fact, His promises are so sure, we can build our very lives upon them. (Matthew 7:24)

Jesus said “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34)-but does that go for God’s heart too? Of course; the words He speaks betray the inner workings of His heart. So in a way, His words define who He is and God is nothing if not true to who He is. So every word He speaks, every promise He utters is fully worthy of not mere acceptance, but full and whole reliance. Let us choose to be like Abraham who “...did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God.” (Romans 4:20 NIV) How easy it would have been for Abraham to question God’s promise-especially as the decades passed without any sign of fulfillment. And yet he did not allow his focus to waver or his confidence to be shaken from what God had promised, for he knew that his Father’s word meant it was as good as done!

We’ll revisit this subject as it relates to us personally next time, but for today, please know and take comfort that no matter what impossible situation looms before you and no matter the ferocity of the storm that is battering your precious life, in every sense of the word; God’s promises give each of us “a reason to expect something” intrinsically good from His loving hand!

May we choose to be in that number of “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice, let them ever shout for joy (Psalm 5:11 ERV) and “may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him...” (Romans 15:13 NIV) and in His perpetually unbroken promises!

Papa God, we are so thankful that no matter how the situations and circumstances of our life change like shifting sand; in You we can trust! Your promises are as trustworthy as Your divine nature. We choose to trust in You no matter what we can see or what our hearts can discern. Thank you for already moving to fulfill Your promises! Amen.

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                                                     THE SHEPHERD

As I stood near the edge of the fence, I watched as the sheep grazed in their pen. It had rained recently and these sheep were a mess and I wondered afresh why God lovingly called us the sheep of His pasture. Ewwwwww! They were matted, grimy and honestly, pretty smelly. I glanced at their twisted and mud-caked wool and I questioned how anything of value could be found there.

Now every sheep looked (and smelled) the same to me and I wondered how they kept track of them all-but Papa God knew I was looking at them through untrained, uncaring eyes. And He whispered to my heart; “I know every sheep of My flock, because I love them and they couldn’t be more different!” My heart was warmed by His declaration of love and relationship. Yes, the Good Shepherd sees each of His lambs as a peculiar treasure, worthy of care and protection. This reminded me of the Twenty-third Psalm. Let’s take a look at this very familiar passage.

 “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.” David calls God not just A shepherd but HIS shepherd. There were many shepherds-but the only one that mattered to a particular sheep was HIS shepherd. For it was their own personal shepherd that provided them with nourishment and care and who led the way, bringing them to the very edge of the still refreshing waters. In the Hebrew “still waters” means the waters of quietness. I like that! Having eaten to their hearts content, they also needed an unhurried place to drink. Had the water been a babbling brook the noise might’ve frightened the skittish sheep or a raging torrent could’ve swept them away...no, this was a place of quiet restoration : )  A place to drink in quietness...it sounds like the perfect place for the shepherd to restore a soul!

“He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name sake.” A trustworthy shepherd knew every nook and cranny of the entire region and he knew where the flock needed to end up ultimately. He was also aware of the best places to eat, drink and rest AND thankfully he also knew the particular paths to get them there safely! And our Good Shepherd knows His desired destination for each of His little lambs and He leads the way...we have only to follow!

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Following doesn’t always mean taking the easy path, no doubt there were places of darkness and even danger for the flock-but a good shepherd knew that the seemingly safest path could be deceptive. So while on high alert, he confidently led his flock through the dark places. He wasn’t worried for he had his trusty rod and staff to guide and protect them. Of course the ultimate reason the sheep didn’t have to be afraid was because the shepherd was always there, never leaving the sheep to its own efforts.

And although our Heavenly Shepherd sometimes chooses paths for us that are draped in obscurity, we never need to be afraid either, for always He is with us, and we too, have only to trust and follow our Shepherd and we will end up safely at our final destination.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” God can make any place a place of safety and abundance, even where we least expect it.

“You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” This is indicative of blessing, gladness& abundance. With God there is never” just enough” because His very presence ushers in superabundance!

“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” NIV The goodness of the shepherd pursues a sheep from the time it is a frolicking little lamb to the days when it is aged and travel becomes more arduous. And our Divine Shepherd’s love and goodness never cease pursuing us either! Think about it...the day you were conceived and your natural life began, His love and goodness was there protecting you! And from that day until now, His goodness and loving-kindness have watched over you...always pursuing you when you have made poor choices that landed you in precarious places! And on our final day...when we breathe our last... especially in that moment, His goodness and loving-kindness will not leave us! Although others can bring comfort, and peace up to a certain point, it is only our good Shepherd who journeys with us until we are found in His eternal home,  dwelling with Him FOREVER!

 The Lord had revealed Himself as the good and loving Shepherd to David...and what He imparted to David’s heart holds true for us as well! Below is what God’s confession to David’s heart might’ve sounded like and please know that He may long to whisper it to your heart as well!

I the Lord, am your Shepherd, so because of me you will not be in true want. I will make you lie down in green meadows & I will lead you to the very edge of still refreshing waters. I will restore your wearied soul. I will surely guide you on clear, righteous paths for My name’s sake. Even though you may have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you never have to be afraid because I am right there with you, always. I will use My rod and My staff to bring safety & comfort to you. I will prepare you a banqueting table right there in the very presence of your enemies. I will anoint your head with oil & you need to know that the cup of my blessing is full to the point of overflowing. Surely My goodness and my unconditional love will pursue you all the appointed days of your life and on that very last day, you will come to Me & you will dwell safely in My house...forever.

Let’s pray.

Oh great and good Shepherd, thank You for knowing and loving us intimately, for seeing something of worth in us though we are matted and earth-encrusted! Wash from us the grime that has attached itself as we have walked this life. Lead us to a place of quiet rest that we may bask in Your presence and receive the restoration of our souls! Open our eyes to see You as our good and trustworthy Shepherd, that we may know and be known, that we may love and trust You more. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

WHY Are You Doing, What You’re Doing, When You're Doing It???

“Jesus declared to His followers “‘Thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray... that they may be seen of men.’” Matt. 6:5

Last week Lee and I were playing a game with some friends that gave you the option to use some of your dominoes to help out the other players. Now it worked out that I could do this by using pieces that I had no other place to play. In truth, I felt funny having them thank me, since in reality I was helping myself as well and thereby eventually winning the game. That’s when Papa whispered to my heart. “Sandy, how often in real life, are your motives also mixed in the good things you do?”  Ouch! Anyone else ever been there???

Well, during the Sermon on the Mount, one of the first things Jesus warns His followers about was mixed motives. We learn that it wasn’t prayer that these religious leaders loved or spending time with God; they loved being seen and highly regarded as spiritual by others. In fact, their prayer time had very little to do with God at all. From the window of their hearts that Jesus pulled the curtain back on, we can surmise that God was on the back burner of their intercession, if He was there at all and their wrong motivations render the prayers themselves null and void.

Well what about you and me? Many of us have known the Lord for a while now and although we still fall short on a daily basis, hopefully, we’ve learned the results of outward sin and so we try to avoid it. However, Jesus said in Luke 12:48 “To whom much is given, much is required” and as mature believers; God expects more from us.

In fact, I’m not sure about you, but God has begun to deal with me not just about the outward wrong things I do---But also about the inner motives for the “good” things I do. He often whispers to my heart, “Sandy, Why are you doing, what you’re doing, when you are doing it?” And if I’m to be honest, I have to admit that sometimes my motives aren’t entirely pure; instead they may also be to be liked or appreciated instead of purely desiring to bless others or serve God.

Can anyone relate??? Well, mixed motives are not God’s desire for us. In fact, according to Ps. 51:6 David shares that God “desires truth in the inward parts” It’s His desire that we be clean on the inside, as well as where others can see.  God is interested in what we do on the outside to be sure, but His ultimate concern is with our inner motivations! Because who we are on the inside, will surely determine what we do on the outside!! So it’s a matter of our heart condition!

Of course, I can’t see the inner workings of your heart...but I can peek into mine and sadly I fall short here; because my motives can be all over the place. And if today, you aren’t sure what is in your heart, in Luke 6:45 Jesus revealed that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” so our words are an excellent indicator of what is happening on the inside. Thankfully though, God is filled with mercy and He brings our mixed motives to our attention so we can be forgiven and then He can restore them to purely God honoring ones!

One of the best ways to change the inner workings of our heart is to change the focus of what we allow it to concentrate on. Change the focal point of anything and eventually you will see a change of direction!  It’s like when you’re driving, if you keep looking off to the side of the road>>>you’ll eventually end up in a ditch...because change the focal point of anything and eventually you’ll see a change of direction! So God should be the focal point of our lives; because as we choose to center the inner focus of our lives on Jesus, then our mixed motivations are dealt with. Thankfully, this also mean that the direction (aka the outer workings) of our lives get shifted from following after what we want, to pursuing the godly works that we were originally created to do!

 So, let us not just rely on the good works that we actively perform; may we also present ourselves and our motives to the only One who can cleanse them and turn them as He will! Oh that we might sincerely pray with David “May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 May the words that we speak and the thoughts that we entertain, spring up from pure motives that flow from cleansed hearts that wholly desire to glorify His holy name...for the Lord peers into and judges us by the inner workings of our hearts. (I Samuel 16:7, I Chronicles 28:9)

Let’s pray.

Papa, we know that You long for truth in the inward parts of who are and so we want that too. Please help us bring wrong motivations to You, so we can be forgiven and begin to walk out godly works that spring from the pure motives You desire. Help us Lord to have hearts that bring You honor and glory. In Jesus name, Amen.

TO YOU BELONGS SILENCE

“To You belongs silence...and praise is due and fitting to You, O God, in Zion...” Psalm 65:1 Amplified Version

I love it in the pre-dawn hours when Papa nudges me in the still darkness, waking me early and a hushed, reverent silence blankets the room where I am! Before the alarm goes off, before the dog starts barking or the blow dryer begins to whirr...there is a place of holy silence...God is there. And as the drowsiness that had just consumed me begins to lightly fade; He calls to me and bids me to come! My heart leaps with joy for the quiet privilege and the holy promise of sitting in silence at His feet. Before the sun begins its promise filled ascent, God is here...to Him belongs the silence!

Oh how desperately we need the times of holy silence; where we are swathed in the arms of the One who died for us, where in the soft quietness our hearts can hear the still small voice of God whispering words of love. Oh the murmured affirmation that settles upon us before the continual motion of our daily lives begin! It is a place of rest...a place of serenity...a place of respite from the continual demands that life in general and this day in particular will heap upon us.

Yes, silence is not only a necessity in this life, it is also truly a place of power...for in the early silence before the cares of this day have settled firmly on our shoulders, we find a place of recharging and restoration...a place where He is mine and I am His alone.

In a time when lives are filled with perpetual motion and where a pervasive and continual noise batters our inner being, we are desperate to fully experience the quiet presence of our precious Lord; for only there is the place of sanctuary...a safe haven that insulates us from whole depletion...a place of filling...a place of release; where the busyness that assaults our daily schedules is enveloped in a place of renewal.

Praise God that we can present ourselves into this holy place any time of the day or night...any moment when we turn our hearts fully on Him He is there with us, bringing peace, clarity and whole satisfaction. In those “silent” moments He speaks to us of a steadfast hope, an enduring rest and of a love confirmed.

Everything is possible when I am immersed in His glorious presence...there I am cleansed and I find that in that place of regeneration blame falls away, shame is eliminated and anticipation for the future springs up in its place...in His presence I am able to forgive all and there I can believe for all things...for He is with me-so my faith soars and my hope is renewed!

Oh that we would hear the declaration of our Father calling us to draw near! He cries out today “Child, I am the eternal God who is your continual refuge and underneath the foundation of all that you know, of everything you believe and the sum of your experiences; you are safe and renewed as My everlasting arms hold you!” Deuteronomy 33:27 Paraphrased

Does your heart long for a place of quiet rekindling today? It doesn’t have to be a pre-dawn moment...always His loving heart is ready to meet with you and ever He stands ready to bring a quiet place of rest wherever you find yourself at this very moment. Oh that today you would hear the melodious voice of your Savior who whispers to your weary hearts “Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matthew 11:29

Let’s pray.

We come to You Lord Jesus and we present ourselves...we come with all the dust of this weary filled life clinging to us and we humbly ask that You would come and cleanse us from the perpetual motion of life, that in You our souls would find renewed purpose and replenishment...that in Your embrace we would experience a refuge that nothing of ourselves and nothing of this world could ever touch. Come Holy One and be for us that haven of safety that insulates us from depletion or despair. Be our shelter from the storms of this life that seem to batter us at will.

Open our eyes to see that it is not in the absence of difficulty or pressure that we can know rest...but it is wholly found in Your sweet and abiding presence! Call us even now to Your side and fill our hearts with a pervasive understanding of the holy rest You have knowingly and lovingly called us to...let us experience daily Your  place of sanctuary where we are repaired and renewed and let us know through personal experience that Your everlasting arms are underneath us girding us with strength! Let us hear Your gentle voice and divine invitation calling us Your children, to sit quietly at Your feet and be filled and restored.  In Jesus name, Amen.

 

LOVING BIBLICALLY

Once a month I do a church-wide devotional from that Sunday's message, so I thought I’d share it on my blog for all my non-Cornerstone readers. Of course this devotional is only loosely based on the sermon...check out www.cstoneag.org to listen to the actual message! This week my Pastor, Shawn Franco shared God’s design for biblical love, which stands in stark contrast to the world’s idea of love which is in a continual state of flux and contradiction. However, God never changes, neither does His definition or design for biblical love. Let’s take a closer look:

We Encounter the MODEL of love through the divine expression of God’s Word - Jesus! Our clearest picture of biblical love comes from the model of Jesus - think Hallmark’s tagline: “When you care enough to send the very best”! God cared enough to send His very best - Jesus, so we could know true love. (John 3:16) Think about it! We can encounter a divine love so great, that nothing less than the sacrifice of His Son could even begin to express it! And He demonstrated that love while before we even knew Him. (Romans 5:8) To catch even a small glimpse of the depth of God’s love will radically change us forever and each and every relationship we possess will undergo a life-giving metamorphosis! Every question we have about the conduct of love is fully answered in Christ and every relationship crisis finds its restoration through following Jesus’ model of love. So great a love always commands a passionate response on our part and as God’s children we are to be imitators of our Father by mirroring that love back to Him and through modeling (sowing) it in the lives of others.  (Ephesians 5:1, I John 4:20)

We Experience the MEASURE or weightiness of love as we obey His commands. God’s commands were provided to bring fullness and protection, not to keep us in line. They express the weightiness of His love - i.e we can measure the depth of His love by the lengths He went to in protecting us through His laws! May we in turn choose to express the weightiness of our love by obeying those commands that He gave, for God weighs out the measure of our love for Him by the degree that we follow His commands. (John 14:15, 21, 23) It’s not about what we say; it’s what we do that determines the depth of our love for Him! (Matthew 7:21) Talk is cheap, obedience is costly, but only the latter showcases the weightiness of biblical love. (I John 5:2)

We Exemplify the MISSION of love as we live out His truth before the world; giving others a glimpse of who God is. We choose to follow His footsteps springing from love-filled hearts through obedience - becoming living epistles read and written on the hearts of men. (II Corinthians 3:3) In response to such great love, we become imitators of Jesus, who came not be served, but to give His life as a sacrifice for many! (Matthew 20:28) We can’t possibly follow the footsteps of Jesus and not love sacrificially; every facet of His life was driven by love for others! God’s name lifted up and His truth lived out, is the hope of this world and our personal mission of love! (I John 1:6, Colossians 1:27, Matthew 12:21)

How can we do this? We A-C-T:

Allow God’s expression of love to saturate our lives.
Choose to obey His commands for Love’s sake.
Tell others of His great love by accepting it for ourselves and then mirroring it back through obedience. These allow us to ACT and take our place in this exciting year of harvest!

Let’s pray.

Papa God, please come and show us the depth and weightiness of Your great love and then help us to share it with others.  Open our spiritual eyes that we might see the fields ripe for harvest. Strengthen us O God and replace our tepid hearts with ones that burn with passion for You and for the lost. Fill us with an increased boldness and grant us divine favor and appointments to walk out Your truth and unconditional love in this dark and dying world. Be the eternal hope within us and then give us ample opportunities to showcase Your everlasting hope and great, great love! In Jesus name, Amen.

Sweet Blessings,

Sandy

 

 

Got Room?

So Christmas has come and gone; a brand new year is here. Do you know what I love to do this time of year? DONATE! That’s right, I love to go through my house and gather all the items that I have been meaning to donate in the past 12 months and take them down to the Salvation Army or Goodwill. This is fun for a few reasons. First: the aforementioned businesses take my stuff and use it to fund helping others. Second: our family gets a tax deduction. Third: I have more room in my house.  I have learned that no matter how big (or small) your house is, you only have so much room! Life is like that too – there are only so many hours in a day and only so much room in our lives…so what we choose to make room for matters.

Christmas 2012 is barely in our rear view mirrors and 2013 has come, and we will undoubtedly find that 2013, just like 2012, has only so many days, only so much room. What will we decide to fill it with? With the Christmas story fresh on our minds, we sometimes think about the innkeeper in Bethlehem over 2000 years past. Remember Joseph and Mary came to his door, in need of a place to rest their weary heads (and birth the Savior of the world!) and he turned them away because his inn was too full.  We shake our heads in unbelief at his foolishness. But let’s take a closer look at how he may have made his infamous decision to turn them away. Remember, these other people had gotten their first, maybe they had even sent word ahead of time (which was as close as there was to making a reservation back then). Second, these others were paying guests, so they were bringing in income (which was the reason he was in business). Third, the poor guy had no idea that the one true Savior was right before him on that cold and clear night. Fourth: He only had so much room!

We tell ourselves that we would have done better, made room, but is that really the case? What about our lives today – how much room is there for Jesus? Has He been given a place of honor or has He been relegated to a make-shift barn in the backyard of our lives. Do we place more importance on the people and things that are already in our lives, than our Savior? Are we too preoccupied with jobs that provide income, than about giving ourselves completely to the One who came to give us eternal life? Where does Jesus fit in the scheme of things in the “site plan” of our lives? Is there any room for Him?

Cleaning out our closets is a worthy way to help ourselves and others at the same time, but perhaps we need to take a hard look at where we need to make room for Jesus and the life-giving joy His presence brings. Perhaps some things need to be removed from their place of preeminence and moved to a lesser spot. Making room, that’s what this devotional is about, finding room, no matter what needs to be put on a “back-burner”, to carve out a spacious area for Him to move into our lives.

I knew Papa was speaking to my heart about making more room, but I wasn’t sure exactly what He meant, until a shopping trip a few weeks ago. It was the height of the Christmas shopping season, where people are beginning to feel a tad frustrated and even a little desperate to finish their holiday purchases, and I was out there with the rest of the harried shoppers when I found myself in a nearly impossible situation. The traffic was backed up to enormous proportions and only a few people were getting out on the main thoroughfare, and I was stuck on a side street with no hope of ever getting out. I saw the hopelessness of my situation, but was powerless to change it. Then it happened, someone decided to let me out, which meant that they would miss their turn at the light.

I was so blessed by this tiny sacrifice and it gave me thought about how my Papa saw the hopelessness of our situation and how we were powerless to change it. Because he loved us, He sent His only Son to die in our place. He gave His life as a sacrifice for me, for you, for all mankind. In other words, He made room for us! He was busy running the universe, dealing with all the multitudes of existing populations and yet He made room for us! We hadn’t gotten there first, hadn’t made a reservation and we certainly weren’t bringing Him anything of worth, but He stepped down from the glories of Heaven into a world that didn’t value Him and yet He came! The Creator was devalued and rejected by His creation and yet He made room for us in His life. The Giver of life was born in a stable and His birth went unnoticed by most of those around Him.

What about us? I know it takes effort to make room in our lives. It could mean cleaning out space by moving some prominent things in our lives and putting them in smaller places or just donating them to help others. It may mean not giving the best of who we are to the things in our lives that “got there first” or the jobs that bring us income so we can make room for the presence of Christ to bring the transformation we so desperately need.

I’m not sure what this process of making room will look like in your life (or mine for that matter), but Jesus does. He knows His place and rank in our lives right now and where He needs to be in a larger and more prominent place or role – we just need to let Him guide us in what needs to be moved or donated and purpose in our heart…to make room!

We are at the dawn of 2013, let us lay aside the things that are taking up unneeded room in our lives, giving Christ the room to move, speak and act freely! Blessings and new adventures lie waiting, unopened, not yet experienced and ALL pass through His loving hands! 2013 is now upon us…got room?

 Sweetest blessings,

Sandy