Refuge

Here is a powerful story from a friend of mine named Mike. It affirms that God’s grace is sufficient! His power is always made perfect in our weakness.

Many people live with a “scarcity” mindset, a glass-half-empty philosophy that is always focused on the “What if this happens?” or “What if it doesn’t happen?” The “scarcity” mindset is not the needed process of risk management; it is the problem of being risk averse. “Scarcity” is always based in the fear of inadequacy. “I’ll never have what I need.” “I’ll never measure up.” “I’ll never be able to find satisfaction.”

What happens when you die? The soul sleeps? Time is spent in a holding place? Purgatory? Nothing? No, no, no, and absolutely no! The Bible is clear that when believers die, they pass from death to life in heaven. As Paul wrote in today’s passage, when we are away from the body, we are at home with the Lord.

The spiritual life is superhuman. The things God calls me to are beyond my capabilities. The tasks before me are outside my skill set. The spiritual journey outpaces my strength. Check out Paul’s dose of reality in today’s passage. We are not “qualified to do anything on our own.” Say it with me, “I am unqualified.” When you admit that, things start getting good!

I watched my dad die. Cancer robbed him of energy and vigor, and left him lying in a bed, surrounded by his family watching him take his last breath. Death is not glorious. Paul describes it as the last enemy. However, it is a holy moment. I watched my dad pass from death to life.

In the Old Testament, the temple was the house of God. Believers went to the temple to meet with God and seek his favor and forgiveness through their sacrifices. Many journeyed for several days over rough terrain to arrive at the place where God lived. Now, all of that has changed!

Freedom from fear is not found in a person, place, or possessions. It is found in God alone. Fear is driven away when we understand the magnitude of God. Included in this passage are seven truths about God’s greatness.

I grew up believing that I could lose my relationship with God. I thought that I could be a Christian in the morning, sin by lunch, and therefore be headed for hell in the afternoon. I thought that my relationship with Jesus depended on me. How about you? What does your relationship with God depend on?

There are times when words won’t come. We have said all we know to say every way we know to say it. We are not giving up or giving up on God. We are desperate for his help and strength. We are simply exhausted from wrestling in prayer. Can you relate?