“My child, you tell me, ‘Lord, I surrender to you.’ This pleases me, but I long for more than that. I yearn for you to not just halt your trek towards sin. I yearn for you to not just surrender to me as if I am some conquering enemy. Instead, I long for you to turn and come running to my embrace. My arms are open.
Don’t just surrender. Come running.”
(via rachel-aldrich)
Live Like That -The Sidewalk Prophets. I recently heard this song for the first time and have really been challenged by its powerful and direct message. I want to live like that!
As Super Bowl Sunday is coming to a close, I am reminded of a key principle of our faith. We are called to be on the offense as Christians, to engage our culture, and not become complacent. This concept brings me to something God showed me from His word recently that relates to the following verse.
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” - Matthew 16:18
Maybe I am just really slow and missed something that everyone else was seeing, but for years I had a misconception about this verse. I would read it and think, “With God’s strength on our side, the Church will always beat Satan. Satan can’t win.” Now this is completely true, but I would always think of it in terms of the Church successfully defending against Satan’s attacks.
My mindset changed a few months ago when my pastor pointed something out. The verse says, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against [the church].” If you know anything about ancient fortifications, you know that gates are not an offensive weapon; they are used solely to defend. This means that our enemy would not attack the church with gates, he would use them to [try to] defend against the church’s advances.
That’s a pretty basic concept, but equally as profound as it is simple. Why would Christ ask the church to attack the gates of hell? Here’s what I believe is the answer: to save the lost who are headed there. Our enemy has enormous power in this world, and our job as the Church is to engage the culture for Christ in order to make disciples of all nations. We are not supposed to be defensive and simply protect against the enemy, we are supposed to take ground, be on the offense, and make a difference. And the best part is that we are guaranteed the ultimate victory. How awesome is that!
I know in my own life, I can so easily revert to defensive Christianity, where I do what I know is right, but it pretty much ends there. The problem is that I am not striving to take ground or engage the culture when I have that mindset. I must constantly remind myself that Christ has called me to make an impact. If I am going to do that, I must not be complacent.
The command is clear. The victory is guaranteed. Why not join the offense?
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” - 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)
Ever feel like you are completely overwhelmed by your circumstances and obligations? God’s grace is sufficient. Feel too week to “get ‘er done”? His power is made perfect in that weakness.
For the last two or so years of my life, opportunities, responsibilities, and obligations have been coming my way at an ever accelerating rate, for which I am extremely excited and joyful. However, sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed by it all, and last night provided an especially powerful dose of the “I’m swamped” feeling. I needed to make a decision about adding yet another thing to my schedule, so I logically went to look at my calendar for the next five or so months. Simply put, that isn’t an idea that ranks very high on the Maintaining Sanity scale. Needless to say, I was feeling just a little overwhelmed.
But that is when God reminded me of what I think is one of His sweetest promises: His grace is sufficient for us. We may feel impossibly overcome at times, but that is the very moment when His power can be made perfect in our lives. We can rest assured that He will always sustain us by His marvelous grace. Whether He removes the hardship or lets it linger, the Lord will always be there when we need Him. God’s grace is sufficient.
As you go through the typically hectic and occasionally overwhelming holidays, celebrate Christ’s birth, but also give thanks for the result of that first Christmas gift: grace.
