Breakthrough

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
Revelation 3:20

This week’s inspiration comes from the song Breakthrough Away by Australian singer-songwriter Bec Lavelle, found on her 2010 album Love & Bravery. A powerful song about tears left unshed, prayers that need to be prayed but aren’t and words that should be spoken but are left unsaid. It’s a great song and if you would like to hear it you can find it on YouTube. As I have been listening to it recently it got me thinking about how our relationship with God is supposed to be.

The chorus of the song says: “Sometimes, redemption, seems like a mirage in the distance. You can run and try to catch it. You can give up and just forget it. You can hold on for one more day. You’re just a breakthrough away.” God, in His desire to restore the relationship between mankind and himself, broke through the boundaries of time and space to be born like us, to live with us, to teach us, to love us. Then He broke through the barriers of sin and death and brought redemption to the thresholds of our lives. But His redemption does not bust the door down to get in - He knocks and waits to be invited in. 

As humans we are keen to at least let Him in the front door and invite Him to sit and chat, but He wants access to every part of our lives and we are so good at boarding up doors or building walls to protect those unshed tears, the prayers we dare not pray and so many unspoken words. These are the things that prevent Him from filling every part of our lives with His power, His grace, and His redeeming love. He won’t just start busting through, we need to break down the barriers in our lives - the good thing is we don’t have to do it alone, He’ll help us breakthrough if we ask Him. 

I don’t know what you are holding back, but I know it can be difficult to let go. In the second verse of the song are some powerful words “There’s hope and there’s peace, and courage to be found and the sum of them is greater than the fear holding you down."

What will it be this week, will we deal with the emotions we’ve been stuffing down or dare to pray those prayers or speak the words that need to be spoken? We are all “just a breakthrough away.” 

A Prayer
Father, thank you for breaking through to our world to restore our relationship. Help us to tear down the walls that keep you from filling up our lives with your power, grace and redeeming love. Help us to breakthrough. In the name of Jesus - Amen.

The Story of Our Lives

 “We live by faith, not by sight.”
2 Corinthians 5:7

Those who know me well, know that I love books and I love to read books. I do however; have discriminating taste in what I read. I want to find at least one character I can relate to in some way and I look for great character development. The book doesn’t have to have a happy ending as long as there is something redemptive in the story. Great authors can touch and enrich our lives with the words they put on paper. Our lives are stories being played out and depending on the author they will either be good stories or great stories.

As humans we want to be the authors of the story of our lives. We want to control the plot and the characters. Yet, there is another author waiting and wanting to write the story for us. We were created by a God who has an amazing story in mind for each of us. For Him to write the story, we need to put down our own pen or take our hands off the keyboard. Giving Him control of the story can be scary and we need to be reminded that it is not a passive writing process, as the plot move along, we must act. 

Allowing God to write the story of our lives means we have to be willing to walk by faith, trusting that whatever happens in the story we will be ok, that the author has a plan. We must be courageous in handing over control of the story. There will be plot twists we might not have imagined for ourselves, some good and some not. Characters - ours and those around us will be tested and developed. Characters will come and go. There will pain and joy and a whole host of emotions and experiences. Sometimes, it will seem as though the author of our life must be battling writers block and we are left wondering what has happened, what’s next. In those times be still, He is working on something extraordinary for the next chapter. If we stick to the plot laid out by the author, we are guaranteed an amazing, eternal happy ending.

So how about it - do you have the courage to put down the pen, walk by faith and let the Creator of the universe write the amazing, redemptive story of your life? 

A Prayer
Father, we want you to be the author of the story of our lives. Grant us the courage and faith we need to lay down the pen in our hand. When we lose the plot, gently bring us back to the amazing story you are writing for us. May we be excited to turn the pages and live each chapter. Thank you that you have an amazing ending in store for us. In the of Jesus the author of the story of our lives we pray - Amen.

Lessons From Oz - No Place Like Home

“My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow had found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young - a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your housel they are ever praising you.”
Psalm 84:2-4

The Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion had all found what they were looking for, perhaps not in the form they had expected, but the journey had been worth it. What of Dorothy? After such a long and difficult journey, she simply wanted to go home. She didn’t even know if home still existed, but she wanted to go home anyway.

Check a dictionary and not one of the many definitions of the word “home” adequately identify what home means to us. Home is that one place where we can be surrounded by the people we love and who love us. Home is for most of us that safe haven and shelter from the storms of life. Yet even surrounded by the people we love, those who call themselves followers of Jesus, yearn for another home. The Apostle Paul struggled with this idea of staying with the people he cared about in the world he lived and wanting to be really home with Christ. 

In this week’s passage the Psalmist is also longing to be truly home and in the presence of the One who truly loves him best. However, we can learn from Paul and the Psalmist that we must not rush to get home, the journey home is just as important as being there and finding the rest, joy and peace we so long for.

Near the end of the movie, we find that quite possibly Dorothy had, had the ability to go home all along, she just didn’t know it. She had to follow the yellow brick road, travel with Scrarecrow, Tinman and Lion. She had to defeat the Wicked Witch and discover the truth about the Wizard, before she was ready to go home. In the end, it had all been an incredible dream, but when she woke surrounded by all those who loved her and all those she loved - she had a greater appreciation for everything that home means.

We are on a journey; it will take us to the highest of heights and through deep valleys. There will be detours, pot holes and storms to impede our progress. There will be amazing people who travel with us along the way and unfortunately a few who will get in our way. When we finally, reach the end of the journey we will truly understand… there is no place like home. 

A Prayer
Father, Thank you that even your Son had to make the journey home. Help us to live by his example. May we keep our eyes on the road you lay before us and our hearts focused on those who have gone before us. May we enjoy all of the wonders our current home holds for us and may we long for the home to come as we travel together. In the name of Jesus, who has gone to prepare a place for us - Amen.

Lessons From Oz - Be Courageous

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.”
1 Corinthians 16:13-14

As Dorothy and Scarecrow walked deeper in to the woods, fear started creeping into the journey - lions, tigers and bears oh my. This is where they meet a lion who pretends to be fierce, but who is really just a big scaredy cat in need of some courage. With some encouragement, he agrees to join them on the journey in hopes of getting some courage from the wizard. 

The dictionary defines courage as: the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, without fear. The definition continues by saying it is to act in accordance with one’s beliefs, especially in spite of criticism.

Joshua had been chosen to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land and God told him repeatedly to “be strong and courageous.” How could they do that in the face of the unknown? One passage says: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Joshua and the people found their courage in the faithfulness of God. 

What do you need courage for today, this week? Maybe you need courage to say no to something. Perhaps courage is needed to handle a health crisis with grace and dignity. Do you need courage to surrender some aspect of your life to the Lordship of Jesus? Have you been called to something that you feel inadequate for? Being obedient to that call, will require much courage. 

I came across an interesting quote concerning this topic of courage, it reads: “Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the keys to living your life with integrity.” We can have the courage we need to be who we were made to be, to do what we have been called to do as long as we trust that God will keep His promise to be with us wherever we go - that He will never leave us or forsake us. 

As the Wizard prepared to pin a medal on the lion as proof of his real courage, he says something important about the lion “confusing courage with wisdom.” Understanding, that courage is so much more than the mere absence of fear, will help us to act, even in the face of our fears.

In the face of life’s challenges, grab a hold of God’s love and his promise to be there with you in the midst of whatever you are facing and be courageous. 

A Prayer
Father, so many things happen in life that can make us afraid. Help us to be strong and courageous in You. Help us to hold on to the promise of your unfailing love, faithfulness and strength. Help us to share our courage with those around us. Thank you for the courage that comes with your light and love. In the name of Jesus, who will never leave us - Amen.