To God be the Glory!
"School, friends, work, church, family, sports, bible, homework, money, relationships….BUSINESS!!
Are we not all a busy people? From the moment my head slowly unglues itself from the comfort of my own pillow in the morning, my mind begins to think about the “to do’s” of the day, and the business of my life. As some of you may know, my wife (Meghan) and I are the proud parents of a joyful little boy, Aaden Patrick Preston, and we are extremely grateful. However, may I share with you some truth? In the midst of our gratefulness and the blessings God has bestowed, we’re struggling. Struggling, you may ask? Yes, struggling. For the cause of Christ, we are struggling to find balance in our life and our pursuit of HIM. In God’s sovereign grace He is lovingly directing us in finding this balance, and I wanted to share with you a few things He has laid on my heart in the midst of it all.
Balance - an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady.
So many times in my life I find myself walking the tightrope with no safety net. I wake up thinking, “Me, me, me…what all do I have to do today?” I go throughout the day working to glorify God through my speech and trying to serve others with my actions; however, by the end of the day I fill empty and unbalanced. I wonder why, and I plea with God to draw me near to HIM. I feel as though I am swaying to the left, and then to the right, and my focus is on the fear of falling. What will happen if I fall to the left, or how will I deal with the consequence of falling to the right?
You see…my focus is on an outcome that is inevitable. I am a sinner, straight up. I deserve eternal separation from God. However, by the grace of God my life is not of this world, nor under it’s control. But it is hidden in Christ Jesus, my Lord and Savior. God has revealed His one and only Son to me so that it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:19-21). It is His righteousness and His holiness, which God sees in me. Praise the LORD!
The truth is, though, that so many times we get caught up in the business of life and we try to balance all of it within our own strength and power. Our focus then lies within our own holiness and we begin to wonder, “What’s going to happen if I fall to the left or right of the tightrope?” Swaying side to side, we look down and fear falling, instead of fixing our eyes forward to the Eternal, Holy, and Righteous One, Jesus Christ and the truth of Scripture. The psalmist testifies to God’s word being a lamp to our feet and a light to our path in Psalm 119:105. We are to cling to this truth and trust in God’s given word to direct us on the tightropes of our life.
Read 2 Timothy 2:1-13 with me. Hear Paul’s plea to Timothy to be strong in the GRACE that is in Christ Jesus. I know for me, my focus has at times been on the consequences of my falling in the midst of tribulations, rather than the promise I have in Christ. But here, Paul tells Timothy to take on sufferings as a “good soldier of Christ Jesus”, who refuses to allow the things of the world to distract him; to remember Jesus, risen from the dead in the midst of enduring our hardships and trials. Then he says, “ For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself”.
WOW!! May we cling to the promise that our salvation in Christ lies not within ourselves, but within the death and resurrection of Jesus our Savior, who remains faithful in the midst of a faithless generation.
Jesus himself stated in Matthew 9:13, “…I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners”, and again in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost”. May we focus daily on the truth that Jesus was crucified for our sins and was resurrected to claim victory over death; that our sovereign God has revealed His Son to us that we might have eternal life in Him, being dead to our sins and alive in Christ.
As you walk the tightrope of life, trying to balance all the business, don’t look down to your right or left. Keep your eyes focused straight ahead to the truth of Scripture the grace of God, and the certainty of His promises (Hebrews 12:1-2). Seek the things above knowing that you have died and your life is hidden with Him (Colossians 3:1-4). In Him and Him alone, you can remain upright and steady on the tightrope of life, and perform marvelous balancing acts."
Are we not all a busy people? From the moment my head slowly unglues itself from the comfort of my own pillow in the morning, my mind begins to think about the “to do’s” of the day, and the business of my life. As some of you may know, my wife (Meghan) and I are the proud parents of a joyful little boy, Aaden Patrick Preston, and we are extremely grateful. However, may I share with you some truth? In the midst of our gratefulness and the blessings God has bestowed, we’re struggling. Struggling, you may ask? Yes, struggling. For the cause of Christ, we are struggling to find balance in our life and our pursuit of HIM. In God’s sovereign grace He is lovingly directing us in finding this balance, and I wanted to share with you a few things He has laid on my heart in the midst of it all.
Balance - an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady.
So many times in my life I find myself walking the tightrope with no safety net. I wake up thinking, “Me, me, me…what all do I have to do today?” I go throughout the day working to glorify God through my speech and trying to serve others with my actions; however, by the end of the day I fill empty and unbalanced. I wonder why, and I plea with God to draw me near to HIM. I feel as though I am swaying to the left, and then to the right, and my focus is on the fear of falling. What will happen if I fall to the left, or how will I deal with the consequence of falling to the right?
You see…my focus is on an outcome that is inevitable. I am a sinner, straight up. I deserve eternal separation from God. However, by the grace of God my life is not of this world, nor under it’s control. But it is hidden in Christ Jesus, my Lord and Savior. God has revealed His one and only Son to me so that it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:19-21). It is His righteousness and His holiness, which God sees in me. Praise the LORD!
The truth is, though, that so many times we get caught up in the business of life and we try to balance all of it within our own strength and power. Our focus then lies within our own holiness and we begin to wonder, “What’s going to happen if I fall to the left or right of the tightrope?” Swaying side to side, we look down and fear falling, instead of fixing our eyes forward to the Eternal, Holy, and Righteous One, Jesus Christ and the truth of Scripture. The psalmist testifies to God’s word being a lamp to our feet and a light to our path in Psalm 119:105. We are to cling to this truth and trust in God’s given word to direct us on the tightropes of our life.
Read 2 Timothy 2:1-13 with me. Hear Paul’s plea to Timothy to be strong in the GRACE that is in Christ Jesus. I know for me, my focus has at times been on the consequences of my falling in the midst of tribulations, rather than the promise I have in Christ. But here, Paul tells Timothy to take on sufferings as a “good soldier of Christ Jesus”, who refuses to allow the things of the world to distract him; to remember Jesus, risen from the dead in the midst of enduring our hardships and trials. Then he says, “ For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself”.
WOW!! May we cling to the promise that our salvation in Christ lies not within ourselves, but within the death and resurrection of Jesus our Savior, who remains faithful in the midst of a faithless generation.
Jesus himself stated in Matthew 9:13, “…I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners”, and again in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost”. May we focus daily on the truth that Jesus was crucified for our sins and was resurrected to claim victory over death; that our sovereign God has revealed His Son to us that we might have eternal life in Him, being dead to our sins and alive in Christ.
As you walk the tightrope of life, trying to balance all the business, don’t look down to your right or left. Keep your eyes focused straight ahead to the truth of Scripture the grace of God, and the certainty of His promises (Hebrews 12:1-2). Seek the things above knowing that you have died and your life is hidden with Him (Colossians 3:1-4). In Him and Him alone, you can remain upright and steady on the tightrope of life, and perform marvelous balancing acts."
Hope you enjoyed!
1 comment:
that was so awesome Pat! I am so glad that my sister has an amazing Godly man that is not afraid to step up and be a man in his house by leading his family in the direction God wants them to be lead. Thanks so much for sharing. Love you and miss ya!
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