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Sunday, December 4, 2011

Low Branches


A friend of mine had two elf-sized helpers over to decorate her Christmas tree the other day. The thing that was so cute about it, she smiled recollecting, was that they were too tiny to reach anything but the lowest branches. Consequently, the ornamentation is somewhat (no, very) unbalanced; but the little girls took great delight in their handiwork, such as it was, because from their vantage point, it looked colorful and glittery and perfect.

I smiled as I listened to this story. Long ago, I hung a plaque on my bedroom wall which said simply, "Reach up as far as you can, and God will reach down to you" (author unknown). The apostle James said it this way: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8).

What a Savior.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Called Off the Bench

It's nice, and fits securely into our comfort zone, when we get to set our own agendas. Pursuing a career path; responding to a marriage proposal; even planning a family — all are situations which, as Christians, we can say "yes" or "no" to, calling on almighty counsel to guide our choices.

But there are other times when the Coach chooses us. Times when we are called upon to stand for or against something, and when we get right down to it, there's really only one right choice to be made.

Esther realized this. So did David. Jonah figured it out at crunch time, but better late than never.

Elisha asked God for a double portion of His Spirit (2 Kings 2:9-15) so he could pick up where Elijah left off. As I continue to "do the next right thing" in the current arduous task He has assigned me, I'm putting in a request for a double portion of His heavenly mind. I need to be able to think clearly under pressure, on my feet as it were, things which don't come easily to me.

And I need to remember that the players on the other team are made in God's image too, and He ultimately gets to decide who wins the game.

Winston Churchill summed it up nicely: "A man does what he must - in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures - and that is the basis of all human morality."
He put his money where his mouth was, and stood up to Hitler. 

Now that it's my turn to come off the bench, can I do any less?

For more like this, check out: Morsels for Meditation...: Fear That Said Its Prayers

Morsels for Meditation...: Obedience vs. Outcome